We have a Creator

The Christian Testimony

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Paul Shares His Testimony

Book of Acts Chapter 22

How important is our testimony?

Our testimony should reveal to others the truth of what God has done in our lives.

The opportunity to testify about the Lord Jesus Christ and the salvation that comes only by Him, often happens in unexpected places and under a variety of circumstances.

We should take a look at our own testimony and refine it to keep it short and to the point, keeping it full of the truth of our own lives.

We must always be prepared to give our testimony because we will be asked, “how is your life different today because you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior”?

We should lead a noticeably different lifestyle than we had prior to the meeting the Lord and our testimony should include this change!

How we came to trust the Lord as our Savior is important to mention.

What difference Jesus has made in our lives is important to mention.

God will use our testimony if we allow Him to do so!

In our lesson today, the Apostle Paul had come to this place where God caused him to give his testimony to strangers.

Even before a riotous mob is a good time to give our testimony!

We will see that Paul’s defense of his character became his offence as he witnessed to the things the Lord Jesus had done for him.

*Act 22:1 Men, brethren, and fathers, hear ye my defence which I make now unto you.
Act 22:2 (And when they heard that he spake in the Hebrew tongue to them, they kept the more silence: and he saith,)

Here we have an innocent man, the Apostle Paul, who could not be heard because of the noise of this mob finally get a chance to defend himself before being carried off by these Roman guards.

We should know that these Roman Soldiers main job was to protect the Temple and the grounds of the Temple.

Antonio Fortress was located on the northwest corner and connected to the wall of the Temple, and someone would always be on guard to see what was going on at the Temple.

It was King Herod who had caused this to happen. This was Herod’s Temple, (the second Temple) in many views because he had spent so much money to rebuild this Temple into a showcase in Israel.

Disturbances in the Temple were sometimes dealt with harshly.

Paul was an innocent man of the things he was accused.

Paul was trying to appease the elders of the church in Jerusalem by compromising his own beliefs and it was not working out very well for him.

Notice it was not the local Jews who had stirred up this people, it was some trouble makers from out of town.

Paul loved this people.

Paul spoke in the local language which this crowd was not expecting, and these Roman soldiers would not understand much of what he said.

It is a fact that Paul would have been murdered had it not been for the work of these soldiers and this crowd could have easily overcome these few soldiers that came to put an end to this riotous mob.

The Apostle Paul was willing to face death, if it would be cause for some these Jews to be saved.

What did Paul have to say?

*Act 22:3 I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day.
Act 22:4 And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women.

In Paul’s testimony he began with what he used to be.

We all as Christians have a life that we used to be.

“We are no longer used to be s”!

It had now been about twenty-five years since Paul, at that time called by the name Saul, met the Lord Jesus Christ upon the Damascus Road.

There may have been a few that recognized Paul from those early days, but most of them would not have known anything about the Apostle Paul, past, or at that present time.

Paul wanted them to know that he was a Jew and Jerusalem had been his home for many years.
Paul wanted them to know he was just as much a Jew as any of them were.
Paul was born in Tarsus but he was raised in Jerusalem. His mother, and his grandmother were Jews, which made him a Jew.
Paul had come to Jerusalem at a very young age because his mother and his grandmother knew it was at Jerusalem where the best schools were located.

Act 26:4 My manner of life from my youth, which was at the first among mine own nation at Jerusalem, know all the Jews;

Paul was educated on the strictest laws of the Jews and became a Pharisee.

Act 26:5 Which knew me from the beginning, if they would testify, that after the most straitest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee.

Paul was now being judged by certain trouble-making Jews, because he believed all the Word of God.

Those same laws taught of the coming Messiah, which Paul believed had already come as the Lord Jesus Christ as promised by Jehovah.

Act 26:6 And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers:

Paul had always been zealous in keeping of the Law and had never forsaken it!

Paul claimed he had never forsaken the practice and the customs of the Mosaic Law and he had not.

Paul claimed he was as much a practicing Jew as those who accused him.

Paul even shared that part of his life which was hostile to the Church.

Many of those present knew this to be true of the Jewish High priests and the elders of Jerusalem, who had also been a part of the persecution of the Church.

*Act 22:5 As also the high priest doth bear me witness, and all the estate of the elders: from whom also I received letters unto the brethren, and went to Damascus, to bring them which were there bound unto Jerusalem, for to be punished.

The High Priests knew these things to be true!

Remember how the position of the High Priest had remained in one family since before the days of Jesus and was still in that family, none of them being the descendants of Aaron.

The High Priest was no more than a politician who remained friendly to Rome.

Those elders were all members of the Sanhedrin court and they could have acknowledged that what Paul was saying was the truth, but they refused to do so.

Act 9:1 And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,
Act 9:2 And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.

Paul explained that with his religious training and zealous devotion, only a radical, supernatural event could have altered him to what he was on that day, a child of God.

Some of same mob that was ready to stone Paul was now ready to embrace him.

Paul describes his meeting with the Lord Jesus Christ adding to his testimony.

*Act 22:6 And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me.
Act 22:7 And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
Act 22:8 And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.

There is only One who can save and He is the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ!

The Lord Jesus will get personal with us if we allow Him to.

The Lord Jesus will aways seek us out to save us!

The reason that the “noon” time is mentioned is because it seems the sun is always brightest at noon time.

Yet, the Lord Jesus Christ will outshine the sun.

2Pe_1:19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:

The Lord Jesus Christ is the “Day Star”!

The Lord Jesus Christ is a Nazarene not because of some pledge that was made, but because for a while He made Nazareth His home.

Joh_1:46 And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.
Joh 1:47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!
Joh 1:48 Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.
Joh 1:49 Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.

Paul said he was overwhelmed by the things that were taking place around him that day, and he fell to the ground and it was then that he heard the voice of the Lord Jesus Christ, the “Voice” of God.

The Lord Jesus has always been the “Voice” of God!

Notice how the Lord Jesus addressed Paul by name.

Notice that all sin is against our Savior. He is the One who commands us to live righteously.

In fact, this is what the Mosaic Laws were all about, God’s directions for living righteously. Our School Master.

Gal 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Gal 3:25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

Paul was not sure until that Heavenly Voice said “why persecutest thou me”?

Try to explain these things to the Lord and you will find that you cannot!

Why do we treat our Creator like we do?

In today’s world God is rejected.

Climate Change is all about rebelling against God.

God has said we will have all four of the seasons until He returns.

There were many witnesses to this event the only thing they did not understand was the “Voice” of God.

They heard the “Voice” but they could not understand what was being said.

This world has not changed much since that day.

God is speaking through His many voices and His many Scriptures, but the world knows He is speaking but they have chosen to close their ears to understanding.

Eph 5:14 Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.
Eph 5:15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
Eph 5:16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

*Act 22:9 And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me.
Act 22:10 And I said, What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do.
Act 22:11 And when I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of them that were with me, I came into Damascus.

We know that the Lord Jesus addresses each of us personally, so it is not unusual for those around Paul not to hear what was said.

We know that the Holy Spirit had been working on Paul since the day that Stephen was murdered.

Paul had not cast a single stone, but he had held the coats of those that did.

We also know that when God saves us He does not remove us from our surroundings, He just gives us a new purpose and a new hope.

This is why it is called “faith”! We must trust God’s plan for us!

We have to make our own trip to a spiritual Damascus.

Paul had to finish his trip to Damascus to know God’s plan for him.

Paul had spent three years opposing Christianity and he would spend the rest of his life promoting Christianity.

We should not have to spend the rest of our days defending our actions while serving the Lord with all our heart.

Those traveling with Paul could not know the truth of what was happening.

All they saw was something they could not explain.

Paul continued on to Damascus, led there because he could not see for the Glory of that Light called Jesus.

God had already explained these things to a man named Ananias, who had a fear of Paul because of Paul’s reputation.

Paul had seen these things in a vision because he could not see with his eyes.

Act 9:12 And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight.
Act 9:13 Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem:
Act 9:14 And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name.
Act 9:15 But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:
Act 9:16 For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.

So Paul went to Damascus.

Paul was a chosen vessel to bear the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and some of those people would be Gentiles in many nations.

Some those people would be kings and those in the governments of many nations.

Some of those people would be the children of Israel who had been scattered in many nations because they had rebelled against Jehovah God.

Act 26:16 But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;
Act 26:17 Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee,
Act 26:18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.

The Lord Jesus had made a remarkable promise to His Apostles when He forewarned them of some things they would encounter when serving Him.

Serving the Lord will not always be easy.

God told His Apostles that when they were delivered up to councils, and rulers, and kings, for His sake, to take no thought of what they should speak, but that the Holy Spirit would speak at that time.

Mar 13:9 But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them.
Mar 13:10 And the gospel must first be published among all nations.
Mar 13:11 But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost.

This too is a sign proving we are in the last days!

Paul may have been the beginning of these things as he stood on the stairs leading to the castle of Herod at Antonio’s Fortress.

A Jewish mob even caused fear in these Roman soldiers who were greatly outnumbered.

They would be throwing dirt up into the air and ripping their clothing, surely acting like true heathens.

We could say Paul was lucky to have escaped them if we did not recognize the providence of God in all situations.

Paul was now a prisoner in the hands of heathen masters in the very unhappy country of Israel.

Paul, not a very big man, was loaded down with the chains of this world, yet he asked for a moment to speak to this unruly mob.

Surely the Holy Spirit was leading Paul to speak and he began this speech by giving his own testimony.

This is how important it is for us to have our testimony prepared for the day or the days it will become necessary.

Paul apologized for the persecution he had caused to the Church.

Paul had nothing to hide for his actions and he did not try to. These things were well known by many in this crowd he was speaking to.

Paul could have stopped with these things, but Paul had also made a promise to his Redeemer.

The church at Jerusalem needed to know that the Gospel would be preached to Gentiles throughout this world and that the Jews and the Gentile were to become one in Christ Jesus.

Paul spoke in simplicity, because the message of the Gospel is a simple message, but what could be seen is that Paul now had a great zeal for the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ and the salvation of all men in every nation.

We sometimes forget that we are all in this thing together and it is the Gospel of Jesus Christ that unites all Christians.

What we witness in our nation today is the fact, there is a close connection between ignorance and violence.

Those in power today try to rule without righteousness!

Paul was a true Jew, and he loved his Jewish heritage, but it would be the fact that he was also a Roman that would benefit him the most for him now.

The conflict we see in America today is not between Christianity and political power, but it is between the truth of Christianity and false religion.

Corrupt so-called Christianity must be swept out of the way so the truth of the Gospel can take its stand and continue to stand until the Lord returns.

It is the Gospel that must reach all around the world to each individual, before the Lord can return because this is what the Lord has said.

Amen

Satan Has No Where Else to Hide

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

The Great War on Earth

Chapter 11 verse 15 through Chapter 12

Since Chapter 9 we have been learning about three woes mentioned in these Scriptures of destiny from the Book of Revelation. John the Apostle wrote down things that he saw in a vision and he wrote down some things he was just told to write.

We must remember John knew all the things he saw were in the future! He saw things he knew nothing about, and he described them as best he could with the understanding that he had.

John was an Apostle chosen personally by the Lord! Trained for three years! He was from a wealthy family, but before he met Jesus, he was just a fisherman. Nothing wrong with fishermen and praise God for each of them for their place in the food chain of the world.

John had never seen the machines of modern warfare and it would be hard for him to describe them. These machines could be of our day, which is what I believe but they could be further into the future but not much further. We are in those last days!

We should understand that most of the things John describes could not have taken place in the past.

For instance, the rebirth of the Nation of Israel had to take place, but it did not take place until May 14, 1948.

Many of the war machines John describe seem to resemble things used in war today.

We are seeing the perfect evidence of pestilences in this Covid-19 virus that has put a pause in most actions of the world except the militaries and corrupt governments.

Corrupt governments will hide most all the atrocities of pestilences until they are found out!

The technology that is available today with phones, television, satellites, GPS, and some other things, including some military things we do not know about, that are available today, had to be in place for many of the things that John describes to take place.

What do we know from John? Two woes had passed and the most devastating woe this world has ever seen was about to take place.

The two witnesses that had preached the things of Jehovah had completed their work and the Lord had called them back to Heaven and just as soon as they disappeared in the clouds there was a great earthquake.

Rev 11:13 And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.
Rev 11:14 The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.

The Antichrist wants a war, a war he would get.

The followers of the Antichrist who were so defiant would now seek shelter from the Lamb, who is a King, who is a Holy and Righteous God.

It is time for the seventh Angel to sound his trumpet.

The Lord will reveal to John, “Judgment” on those who reject the truth.

*Rev 11:15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

The seventh trumpet sounded, and the announcement was made “all the kingdoms of this world would now belong to the Messiah.

The Messiah, the Deliverer of the Hebrew people, and the Anointed One of God, the Deliverer of this World, the Creator will come to show this world the true God.

All those who have challenged our Creator will get to meet Him and it will not be a pleasant meeting.

Isa 44:23 Sing, O ye heavens; for the LORD hath done it: shout, ye lower parts of the earth: break forth into singing, ye mountains, O forest, and every tree therein: for the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, and glorified himself in Israel.

1Co 8:6 But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.

We will certainly see a New World Order then and only then.

No nation upon this earth and no conglomeration of nations upon this earth will ever be able to build a workable world government so our Lord Jesus Christ will build a Kingdom and He will sit as King and rule with a “rod of iron” which means the nations will be ruled according to the will of God!

And yes, the Lord Jesus Christ, King Jesus will rule from Jerusalem!

This is just the beginning of the seventh seal.
This is the beginning of the seventh trumpet.
This will include the seven vials and all the other “Judgments”, as we progress through this Book of Destiny.

King Jesus cannot die so His rule will be forevermore!

All of Heaven has taken notice of what is going on.

*Rev 11:16 And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God,
Rev 11:17 Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.

Why will these things take place? Because of the “Great Power” of our Creator.

You know if more of the world would have accepted that we have a Creator and humanity has never been part of any part of Evolution, much of the suffering of these years would have been avoided.

We are not a bunch of accidents.
We did not come by some single cell of life that survived some catastrophe.
We did not evolve from some apelike creature.
We are handmade by our Creator, each one of us just a little different from each other.

Remember those twenty-four elders, represent the Church that is in Heaven.

They are excited because the Church, the Raptured Saints of God will return with the Lord Jesus and we the Church will reign with Him!

Rev 5:8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
Rev 5:9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
Rev 5:10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

The phrase “the day of the Lord” is used thirty-one times, and this day will have officially arrived!

Isa_13:9 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.

Zep_1:18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD’S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.

The Lord Jesus will appear at a time that no one knew and the first reaction will be, that all those who remain will get angry because all their beliefs and all their false realities are destroyed, because the truth has prevailed as truth always does.

*Rev 11:18 And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.

If we just stop and look at these things that are happening which will be true, why would people remain so rebellious.

To see what they have seen and still deny the Lord makes no sense to me at all, but this also will be true.

These people are angry that they have been wrong all their days!

They are angry the Lord Jesus Christ is the truth just like the Bible says He is.

These people are angry because they have been so deceived by the Antichrist that they still cannot believe they are wrong.

The truth says that when the world sees God working and the results of the truth are evident the world gets mad at God. Who can understand this one?

The truth says that all those that reject the Lord Jesus Christ will be judged and they will be judged at the end of the 1000-year rule, of Christ.

Rev 20:11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
Rev 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
Rev 20:13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
Rev 20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
Rev 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

They cannot stand for this passage to be true, in fact they still deny it, but it will be true. Remember, they do not even believe in a place called Hell.

They get mad because the very ones they hate the most besides the Lord, will rule this earth with Him for 1000 years and get rewarded for being faithful.

They get mad because all the things they cherish the most will also be destroyed. The thieves, the gamblers, the bars, the liquor stores, the drugs, including the over the counter and prescription drugs, and the money lenders, the politicians will all be out of work and destroyed and every other evil, wicked, and immoral thing that is upon this earth today, including the slavery and trafficking of human beings that no one will even discuss.

If i was a descendant of some slave, I would do my very best to stop slavery that exist today, no matter where it takes place, but no one really cares about slavery.

You know, not one of these things would make me mad if they were all gone today!

Heaven will be rejoicing!

Jehovah will fulfill His promises to Israel.

The judgments that follow after the sounding of the seventh trumpet will be the most intense of the Tribulation Years!

*Rev 12:1 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:
Rev 12:2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.

There are some great signs mentioned in the Bible. None, much greater than the “Virgin Birth” of our Savior but among the rest this sign will be a great sign.

This sign will take us back to the Book of Genesis. The first eleven chapters deal with creation and all the concepts of the Bible including salvation. After these chapters Jehovah begins to deal with Jacob who will be Israel from which all the Hebrew children are born creating the Nation of Israel that still exist today because of certain promises made to them.

Jehovah God, the Holy Trinity will never break a promise to anyone!

Throughout the Word of God, we see where He tells us signs and parables and we need to study these but the remainder of the Word of God we need to accept just as written only rightly divided.

First the woman clothed with the sun is the nation of Israel.

She is not the virgin Mary!
She is not the Church!

We should remember Joseph’s dream.

Gen 37:9 And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me. Eleven stars because he was number twelve.

Joseph’s dream was about the beginning of the nation of Israel.

Isa 54:1 Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD.

Again we see Israel as a woman.

Israel is seen as a “Widow”.
Israel is seen as “Divorced”.
Israel is seen as an “Adulterous Wife”

In fact most all nations are referred to in the female sense.

The Church is already in Heaven and the Lord will begin dealing with Israel.

This woman clothed with the sun is no doubt a symbol for the nation of Israel.

Only the false church considers the church to be a mother!

The Church is the “Bride of Christ” only Israel can be the Mother of Christ by the virgin mother Mary!

Rom 9:3 For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh:
Rom 9:4 Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises;
Rom 9:5 Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.

The crown she wore had a star for each of the original twelve sons of Israel.

The child she was in travail with a child that would be the Messiah

There was another sign witnessed by John and all of Heaven.

*Rev 12:3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.
Rev 12:4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.

Now let us meet the Antichrist or Satan in the flesh.

We can be sure it is he because of verse 9!

He is the “red dragon” because he is a murderer!

Joh 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

People wonder where viruses, along with all the things that cause the murder of innocent people come from. They come from this evil wicked murderer Satan!

Jehovah may allow many of these things if it suits His purpose and plan. Jehovah uses Satan to test His people and keep in mind if a Saint of God dies, they just go home to Heaven.

2Co_5:6 Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:
2Co_5:8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

Jehovah, The Lord does test His people for rewards. Satan cannot touch a Saint of God unless the Lord allows it and if the Lord allows it, it is for us to learn some lesson, or to be a bright and shining light in the work of the Lord.

Rom_8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Until he is removed, and he will be removed, he is still the prince of the power of the air, (this also includes air waves, broadcast, etc.).

Notice in this passage, that as soon as this child of this woman is born, this red dragon is in place to murder Him.

We know from the “Gospels” (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) that this is exactly what happened!

From the day the Lord Jesus was born in Bethlehem and every day until Jesus went to the cross, Satan tried his best to kill our Savior which was impossible for him to do.

Jesus Christ came to give His life for all sinners and that is what He did.

He gave His life because, no one could take His life! Since He gave His life then He could take His life back because He is God!

Joh 6:33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.

Mat 20:28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

Joh 10:17 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.
Joh 10:18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.

Jesus is God in the flesh who came to this earth to lay claim to His creation and to give His life as a ransom for all who would believe He did these things. He paid for all sin, but this must be acknowledged for you to receive the “pardon” from our righteous God, Jehovah.

This same Red Dragon, Satan will be poised to kill Jesus when He returns, but again it is impossible to kill the One True Living God, or He would not be God!

This dragon had seven heads. The number seven still is a perfect number and Satan is perfect in his wickedness!

He has none of the attributes of Jehovah, but he does have the power of an angel, though that power is limited by Jehovah and is used by Jehovah to accomplish certain task according to His plan.

Satan is never free to do as he pleases.

We know the Church is in Heaven.

Jehovah turns His attention back to the descendants of Abraham but only those who are the descendants of Jacob.

Remember it is the time of “Jacob’s trouble”, not Esau, not Ishmael, nor any other descendant of Abraham.

We know that it is Satan who has brought wickedness to the world.

1Jn 5:19 And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.

We know that the Lord Jesus will return to put an end to the wickedness that Satan has caused in this world.

1Jn 5:20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.

We know that those seven crowns signify that Satan has been given earthly power over the governments that remain under his control.

Those ten horns represent those nations who have placed all their resources into the hands of Satan, the true Antichrist.

He is that Beast out of the Sea in our next chapter.

Rev 13:1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

And we should notice that the beast does not appear until Satan is cast out of the heavens above us now, for he was cast out of Heaven where the Lord’s domain exists many years ago.

Jesus was the greatest witness of this event.

Luke 10:18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.

In this chapter we will see Satan cast down to earth and he will no longer be prince of the power of the air.

These are important things and we should not miss these little events.

When Satan was expelled from Heaven, he took with him one third of the angels.

Though many are chained in darkness we could say that those remained are the demons so often seen in the New Testament and who still exist today also with limited power.

2Pe_2:4 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;

Mat 8:28 And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way.
Mat 8:29 And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?
Mat 8:30 And there was a good way off from them an herd of many swine feeding.
Mat 8:31 So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine.
Mat 8:32 And he said unto them, Go. And when they were come out, they went into the herd of swine: and, behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters.
Mat 8:33 And they that kept them fled, and went their ways into the city, and told every thing, and what was befallen to the possessed of the devils.
Mat 8:34 And, behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus: and when they saw him, they besought him that he would depart out of their coasts.

We can be sure these demons are still at work today but not for much longer.

Nothing Satan had the power to do could stop the Virgin Birth of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Nothing that Satan had the power to do could stop Jehovah’s plan of Salvation.
Nothing Satan could stop the death, the burial, and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Nothing Satan can do to stop the return of Jesus Christ to take His Church home.
Nothing Satan can do to stop the return of Christ to reclaim this world and remove Satan who has caused enough trouble.

*Rev 12:5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.
Rev 12:6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

Jesus first came to provide a means of salvation for all world, but this salvation is only available to those who trust Him and the work He has already done to save us from the pits of Hell.

This salvation is open to everyone form anywhere in this world. It just takes faith!

When Jesus returns to begin to deal with Israel and after He removes Satan for a period of time (1000 years) He will begin to deal with Israel and He will rule this earth with a “rod of Iron” which means everyone we live according to the same Word of God we have today without exception!

Before this takes place, the Lord will protect Israel.

Many things will happen during the time we call the Great Tribulation but one thing for sure is the God will protect and care for the true Children of Israel.

What do we know is that ever since the Lord Jesus has returned to Heaven, Israel has been scattered throughout this world, but the Lord has not forgotten any of them and has provided a means for them to return to their homeland.

All these things fulfilling prophesy!

God has provided the means for Israel to return to their homeland something that so many in the world would not be possible yet in 1948 it became official when Israel was recognized by the UN. Jehovah has never needed UN approval nor any nations approval for Him to do as He pleases and He has written it all down for us and these things will happen, just as they are written!

This time that Israel will flee into the wilderness has not taken place as of yet, and it will happen almost at the end of the Great Tribulation.

None of us have a clue to just how terrible life will be in those days other than what we read in the Scriptures and remember the Lord would not allow John to write of the “Seven Thunders”.

*Rev 12:7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
Rev 12:8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
Rev 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

We might ask ourselves when will Satan have nowhere to hide except upon this earth. It is after this war in the firmament as described in the Book of Genesis. This is not a war in the third Heaven, where the throne room of God is located.

That would make Jesus a liar when He told His disciples He saw Satan tossed out of Heaven.

Luk_10:18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.

Obviously since Jesus always lives in eternity this could meant He saw Satan at any time, but He gave His disciples the impression and myself the impression, that this had already taken place before He came to this earth.

Heaven is not a place for wars. Our family and our friends and our loved ones are not in Heaven worried about some war that will take place.

Satan is right now the prince, (not the king) of the power of the air!

Eph_2:2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

We must understand that we have a guardian angel and most all the world believes this is true so there is every reason to believe that when the Satan goes to war against those future saints of God who are saved during the Great Tribulation those angels will certainly come to their rescue and Satan and his crowd will never be allowed back into the third Heaven or the Heaven of heavens.

What is happening even today in the Church Age?

Eph 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
Eph 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Eph 6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Besides the “Gospel” what are our men of God to preach and teach?

Eph 3:1 For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,
Eph 3:2 If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:
Eph 3:3 How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,
Eph 3:4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)
Eph 3:5 Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;
Eph 3:6 That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:
Eph 3:7 Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power.
Eph 3:8 Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;
Eph 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:
Eph 3:10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,
Eph 3:11 According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:
Eph 3:12 In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.

Satan knows all about God’s house!

Isa 14:12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

Eze 28:14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
Eze 28:15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.

Satan will be tossed to the ground and in our next chapter guess what, this is where we will find him.

He is no longer even allowed in to the first and the second heavens. His days are numbered, and his home is in the pit of fire and he knows it.

What has Satan done since he was cast out of Heaven?

“And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him”.

What will happen next? There will be that great war upon this earth which will consume much of the remaining chapters in this Book of the Reveling of Christ Jesus.

This is the Book of the Second Coming of our Lord.

*Rev 12:10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
Rev 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
Satan has been nothing but an “accuser” of the saints of God since the Church Age began! Since the Lord Jesus Christ washed us in His blood!

Satan has his demon helpers upon this earth but for the most part Satan spends most of his days accusing God’s children of remaining sinners and unworthy of salvation which is the exact truth.

Notice Satan is not in Heaven doing this. He is not allowed in Heaven. What we forget is that every time God’s children gather to worship, Satan is that old accuser pointing out our sins which makes it more important that we repent of our sin as soon as we realize we have sinned.

Satan and more specifically one or more of his followers are in every church, in fact many have moved into leadership roles!

When Jesus was on the cross, He died for all our sin. All the sin of our past, all the sin as we live day by day, and all our future sin until we go home to be with the Lord.

Jesus died for all sin for every sinner, even those who do not recognize what He has done for them, which is the most important decision we must make while we are alive.

Joh_16:8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
Joh_16:9 Of sin, because they believe not on me;

When we reject the conviction of the Holy Spirit who only tries to teach us of the work the Jesus has done for us, we doom ourselves to the same place of torment that Satan will find himself one day soon.

Mat 12:30 He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.
Mat 12:31 Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.
Mat 12:32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.

Satan wastes his time accusing the children of God who are pure because they are under the blood of our Savior and their names written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

Rev_20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

In Heaven we will rejoice over every new child of God that is washed in the blood of Jesus.

On earth, the Great Tribulation will be the worst of the seven years of Tribulation, because Satan has nowhere else to go, and he will be very mad and he will take it out on his own followers and those who are left upon this world at that time the Hebrew Children, still the “apple of God’s eyes”.

*Rev 12:12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabited of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

We see that the Lord takes time to warn the earth of why the last half of those seven years of Tribulation will be far worse than the first half.

Satan was tossed out of Heaven some 6000 plus years ago.

Satan has spent those years in the first and second heaven and upon the earth since that time.

At the beginning of the Great Tribulation, Satan is tossed out of the first and second heavens and will have no place to go but upon this earth with those who remain and he is full of wrath and he will go after the children of Israel who he had made friends with but now he will return to be their greatest enemy as he always has been.

He will seek to destroy them from off the face of the earth as so many have tried before him all these years. They were also Antichrist.

Among them Syria, Assyria, Nebuchadnezzar, Hitler and we can also add the Arabian Nations, the Palestinians, and I believe we can add the UN for all the actions they have taken against this tiny nation.

We should understand the UN is a Satan controlled unit, against Christianity, against the Jews, and against freedom!

The rise of the Antichrist is a part of the judgment of God.

After the Church is removed (rapture) the ungodly will run rampant all over this world, having their own way until near the end they would by their arrogance destroy this earth, if it were not for the Lord Jesus Christ.

God will use Satan to bring havoc in the Great Tribulation. He will be even more vicious than he ever was!

Notice he has been described as a roaring lion and wounded lion will be even more vicious.

1Pe 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

This is the Satan that will be guiding the Antichrist during the Great Tribulation!

He is the great dragon and will act like one.
He is that old serpent who ruined the lives of Adam and Eve.
He is the Devil because he acts like a devil.
He is Satan the enemy of the Church and the enemy of the Jews.
He is Satan who has deceived all those who remain as unbelievers in the work the Jesus the Messiah did to save them!

The Church is in Heaven, Satan will now do everything he can to destroy the Hebrew children, but the Lord will stop him from even doing this.

Michael the warrior angel will stand up to deliver these that are still “the apple of God’s eye”.

*Rev 12:13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.
Rev 12:14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.
Rev 12:15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.
Rev 12:16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.
Rev 12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Everything in the arsenal of the Antichrist will be aimed at Israel who is this woman!

We already know about the 144,000 missionaries sent out from God.
We already know about the Two Witnesses who brought havoc during this same period and all the world hated them and Satan thought he destroyed them, but God raptured them also back to Heaven.

All these things just irritated Satan even more till he cannot stand himself and he will attempt to destroy God’s creation.

We must not forget Satan has had over 6000 years to study the Bible and we know he does read the Bible.

Mat 4:5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,
Mat 4:6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

This is Satan quoting Scripture to Jesus.

He thinks he knows the Word of God, but we know without the Holy Spirit all he sees is words. Many are easily understood by all readers, but the important things of God require the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Since the third Temple was built the Jews and maybe a few converts had been trying to obey the commandments of God. Those would be the commandments given to Moses as they worshipped in that rebuilt Temple.

We know that once the Antichrist turned against these Hebrew children then all the Muslim world would also turn against them again for, they had never really liked the fact that they had to allowed this third Temple to be built.

We know this is something the Antichrist accomplished in the first three and a half years of the Tribulation.

Almost the entire world will now be against Israel.

Many of the Prophets have already taught us these things!

Also many who since studying the Scriptures and realizing the Church was in Heaven now knew the truth of Jesus Christ.

Rom 11:14 If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them.
Rom 11:15 For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?
Rom 11:16 For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches.
Rom 11:17 And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree;
Rom 11:18 Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.
Rom 11:19 Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in.
Rom 11:20 Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear:
Rom 11:21 For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.
Rom 11:22 Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.
Rom 11:23 And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again.
Rom 11:24 For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree?
Rom 11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
Rom 11:26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
Rom 11:27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.

The eyes of the blind will be made to open and Satan will be in a rage during the Great Tribulation.

Amen