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29 May 13
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Whether the Antichrist is a champion of Islam or not is not my point. The point is that the Antichrist comes out of the Islamic beast empire of the endtimes.
Perhaps your Islamic beast empire is something of your imagination.
The "Islamic beast empire" and the "Capitalist Christian" matter could be just reading modern day international concerns with a United States centric focus into the Bible.
I agree that the area around the Mediterranean Sea is indicated.
And the dragon stood on the sand of the seashore.
Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were ten diadems, and on his heads were blasphemous names. And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority.
(Revelation 13:1-2 NASB)
So we see Antichrist coming up out of the Mediterranean Sea. And the sand of the sea upon which the dragon stands should be the seashore of the Holy Land, where Israel is. That is the dragon will stand where Jerusalem is in the Holy Land. This would correspond to him trampling the holy city for forty-two months as indicated in 11:2.
Ie. the great tribulation will be carried out mainly in the land of Israel.
The wilderness to where the woman is taken in refuge could be what would have geographically been considered wilderness by those living in that area at the time. They well may indicate the "new world" or other far (in relation to Israel) lands where refugees are fleeing to escape the persecution of Antichrist.
In that sense it may well include the area occupied by the US as well as other "wilderness" (12:14) locations (relative to Israel or perhaps the ancient Roman Empire).
This is a 10 Kingdom Empire with 10 Kings, which problably occupies some of the same area around the Mediterranean Sea as did the Leopard, bear, and lion Kingdoms in Daniels visions. They at least have some of the same characteristics as those Kingdoms.
I agree that that area is involved. Now we are also told in Revelation 9:11; 11:7; 18:8 that Antichrist will come up out of the abyss. Yet here in 13:1 it says he comes up out of the sea. So we have two locations from which the Antichrist arises - the sea and the abyss.
In 13:1 his coming up out of the sea is like Daniel 7:3. Two sources combined go into the emergence of this figure. Now this I only will touch briefly -
1.) The spirit and immaterial part of the Antichrist will come up from out of the abyss. His spirit will exist there in the abyss before he is born.
2.) His physical body will come out of the Gentile nations around the Mediterranean Sea.
In biblical figure, the land signifies the nation of Israel and the sea signifies the Gentile nations. (Rev. 17:15; Isa. 57:20) .
Antichrist will come out of both the abyss and the sea. Maybe the physical sea has something to do with the entrance to the abyss. But I think we can read "the sea" to symbolize Gentile nations.
Therefore, the beast coming up out of the land (13:11) probably means that this beast as a false prophet comes up out of the nation of Israel. I submit that the Antichrist will come from the Gentile nations as to his physical body and the his false prophet who comes up out of the earth or out of the land, will be Jewish.
As to his spirit this Antichrist is also the angel of the abyss in Revelation 9:11)
"They [demonic locusts] have a king over them, the angel of the abyss; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon; and in Greek he has the name Apollyon." (9:11)
This chapter does not explicitly say this figure comes out of the abyss. But the implication is so because he is the king over the demonic locust creatures which come out of the abyss.
And the opening to the pit of the abyss was opened by the star which fell from heaven. This should be Satan who is expelled from the heaven in chapter 12 and is also seen as the fallen star in chapter 9.
"And the fifth angel trumpeted, and I saw a star out of heaven fallen to the earth, and to him was given the key of the pit of the abyss. And he opened the put of the abyss ..." (9:1,2a)
This passage should correspond to the dragon having been cast down to the earth and summoning the beast out of the sea and out of the earth in chapters 12 and 13.
" ... Woe to the earth and the sea because the devil has come down to you and has great rage, knowing that he has only a short time ... And the dragon became angry ... and went away to make war with the rest of her seed, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea.
And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea ..." (See Rev. 12:12,17,18, 31:1)
The Antichrist is summoned up by Satan. But the man was alive before, is killed, and in his mock coming back from the dead he will have the same body but inhabited with the spirit of another past figure whose spirit is presently in the abyss.
So this is a bit complicated. For the Antichrist arrives as one kind of person, is killed, and is mock brought back from being killed by a Satanic act, and in so coming back has his physical body inhabited by a past evil person whose spirit comes from the pit of the abyss, from the region of death.
The dragon also gives power to another beast with two horns without any diadems that comes up out of the land. Could this refer to Afghanistan or Iraq? Some say it is Iran, but it is unclear at this point in time. But it seems certain to be an Islamic nation in my opinion.
I believe the beast out of the earth is the false prophet and will be from the Jewish people. The sea signifies the Gentile nations which indicates the first beast is of the Gentile nations. And the land signifies the land of Israel. So the deceptive pair will consist of a Gentile Antichrist with a Jewish false prophet.
I am only briefly discussing this interpretation now.
The eternal gospel of God is the same "good news" that the apostle Paul preached (Romans 1:1).
That is incorrect. The contents of both gospels is given and they are not the same:
Romans 1:1 - 3 "Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus ... separated unto the gospel of God, which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures,
CONCERNING HIS SON, who came out of the seed of David according the flesh, Who was designated the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness out of the resurrection of the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord."
Revelation 14:6-7 - "And I saw another angel flying in mid-heaven, having an eternal gospel ... SAYING with a loud voice, Fear God and give Him glory because the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who has MADE HEAVEN AND EARTH and the sea and the springs of waters."
a.) The Gospel in Romans is announced by the apostles including Paul.
b.) It concerns the Son of God, resurrected, and the Davidic descendent king.
c.) The "eternal gospel" of Rev. 14:6-7 is preached by an angel from the heavens.
d.) The "eternal gospel" mentions nothing about the Son of God Christ at all. It mentions the Creator God who has created the universe Who is coming to judge the world.
But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! (Galations 1:8). Christ is the Creator God (Colossians 1:16).
I am aware of that passage. But Paul is speaking before the rapture of the at least a part of the Christian church. After that rapture things will be different.
And during the church age the Gospel of the grace of God in Christ should be preached. In that time of the great tribulation when in principle all of the church SHOULD have been raptured but was not, the peoples on the earth will have the eternal gospel preached from the heaven by the angel as a counter measure against Antichrist.
I do not think the curse applies to the angel announcing to "those dwelling on the earth, even to every nation and tribe and tongue and people, saying with a loud voice, Fear God and give Him glory because the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who MADE heaven and earth ... etc" is cursed for preaching another gospel.
Do you think that this angel sent by God announcing such a warning to the world will be cursed by God for preaching another Gospel as Paul warned? I do not believe that. I think Paul's condemnation has limits applying to the church age in which the Gospel of Christ is preached.
Perhaps you did not carefully look up the passages that I specified to detail the nature of the gospel preached before the rapture of at least church in principle (Acts 20:24; Acts 20:21; Luke 24:47; John 1:12)
To prove that those responding to the preaching of this eternal gospel are other than those responding to the gospel of the grace of Christ would require another post. And in that post I would show you that the goats and the sheep in Matthew 25:31-46 are:
1.) the nations who are found left alive at the end of the great tribulation.
2.) are not judged according to the gospel of the grace in Christ.
That would require at least another long post. I may do it latter.
Bottom line here. AFTER the rapture of a part of the church (the part that was READY and WATCHING and qualified to be raptured) the age will change somewhat. And during the great tribulation an eternal gospel announced supernaturally from the air by an angel will warn men on earth to worship the Creator God Judge who is comi...