The Rapture Exposed: A Review

4 Responses to “The Rapture Exposed: A Review”

1. 

   Susan says:

   December 20, 2009 at 9:12 pm

   (This web article backs up Rossing’s thesis! Susan)

   PRETRIB RAPTURE DISHONESTY

   by Dave MacPherson

   When I began my research in 1970 into the exact beginnings of the pretribulation rapture belief still held by many evangelicals, I assumed that the rapture debate involved only “godly scholars with honest differences.” The paper you are now reading reveals why I gave up that assumption many years ago. With this introduction-of-sorts in mind, let’s take a long look at the pervasive dishonesty throughout the history of the 179-year-old pretrib rapture theory:

   Mid-1820’s – German scholar Max Weremchuk’s work “John Nelson Darby” (1992) included what Benjamin Newton revealed about John Darby in the mid-1820’s during his pre-Brethren days as an Anglican clergyman:
   “J. N. Darby was a very subtle man. He had been a lawyer, or at least educated for the law. Once he wanted his Archbishop to pursue a certain course, when he (J.N.D.) was a curate in his diocese. He wrote a letter, therefore, saying he had been educated for the law, knew what the legal course would properly be; and then having written that clearly, he mystified the remainder of the letter both in word and in handwriting, and ended up by saying: You see, my Lord, such being the legal aspect of the case it would unquestionably be the best course for you to pursue, etc. And the Archbishop couldn’t make out the legal part, but rested on Darby’s word and did as he advised. Darby afterwards laughed over it, and indeed he showed a copy of the letter to Tregelles. This is not mentioned in the Archbishop’s biography, but in it is the fact that he spoke of Darby as ‘the most subtle man in my diocese.’ ”
   This reminds me of an 1834 letter by Darby which spoke of the “Lord’s coming.” Darby added, concerning this coming, that “the thoughts are new” and that during any teaching of it “it would not be well to have it so clear.” Darby’s deviousness here was his usage of a centuries-old term – “Lord’s coming” – to cover up his desire to sneak the new pretrib idea into existing posttrib groups in very low-profile ways!
   1830 – In the spring of 1830 a young Scottish lassie, Margaret Macdonald, came up with the novel notion of a catching up [rapture] of Spirit-filled “church” members before Antichrist’s “trial” [tribulation] of non-Spirit-filled “church” members – the first instance I’ve found of clear “pretrib” teaching (which was part of a partial rapture scheme). In Sep. 1830 “The Morning Watch” (a journal produced by London preacher Edward Irving and his “Irvingite” followers, some of whom had visited Margaret a few weeks earlier) began repeating her original thoughts and even her wording but gave her no credit – the first plagiarism I’ve found in pretrib history. Darby was still defending posttrib in Dec. 1830.
   Pretrib promoters have long known the significance of her main point: a rapture of “church” members BEFORE the revealing of Antichrist. Which is why John Walvoord quoted nothing in her revelation, why Thomas Ice habitually skips over her main point but quotes lines BEFORE and AFTER it, and why Hal Lindsey muddies up her main point so he can (falsely) assert that she was NOT a pretribber! (Google “X-Raying Margaret” for info about her.)
   NOTE: The development of the 1800’s is thoroughly documented in my book “The Rapture Plot.” You’ll learn that Darby wasn’t original on any chief aspect of dispensationalism (but plagiarized the Irvingites); that pretrib was initially based on only OT and NT symbols and not clear Scripture; that the symbols included the Jewish feasts, the two witnesses, and the man child – symbols adopted by Darby during most of his career; that Darby’s later reminiscences exaggerated his earliest pretrib development, and that today’s defenders such as Thomas Ice have further overstated what Darby overstated; that Irvingism didn’t need later reminiscences to “clarify” its own early pretrib development; that ancient hymns and even the writings of the Reformers were subtly revised to make it appear they had taught pretrib; and that after Darby’s death a clever revisionist quietly made many changes in early Irvingite and Brethren documents in order to steal credit for pretrib away from the Irvingites (and their female inspiration!) and give it dishonestly to Darby! (Before continuing, Google the “Powered by Christ Ministries” site and read “America’s Pretrib Rapture Traffickers” – a sample of the current exciting internetism!)
   1920 – Charles Trumbull’s book “The Life Story of C. I. Scofield” told only the dispensationally-correct side of his life. Two recent books, Joseph Canfield’s “The Incredible Scofield and His Book” (1988) and David Lutzweiler’s “The Praise of Folly” (2009), reveal the other side including his being jailed as a forger, dishonestly giving himself a non-conferred “D.D.” etc. etc.!
   1967 – Brethren scholar Harold Rowdon’s “The Origins of the Brethren” quoted Darby associate Lord Congleton who was “disgusted with…the falseness” of Darby’s accounts of things. Rowdon also quoted historian William Neatby who said that others felt that “the time-honoured method of single combat” was as good as anything “to elicit the truth” from Darby. (In other words, knock it out of him!)
   1972 – Tim LaHaye’s “The Beginning of the End” (1972) plagiarized Hal Lindsey’s “The Late Great Planet Earth” (1970).
   1976 – Charles Ryrie”s “The Living End” (1976) plagiarized Lindsey’s “The Late Great Planet Earth” (1970) and “There’s A New World Coming” (1973).
   1976 – After John Walvoord’s “The Blessed Hope and the Tribulation” (1976) brutally twisted Robert Gundry’s “The Church and the Tribulation” (1973), Gundry composed and circulated a 35-page open letter to Walvoord which repeatedly charged the Dallas Seminary president with “misrepresentation,” “misrepresentations” (and variations)!
   1981 – “The Fundamentalist Phenomenon” (1981) by Jerry Falwell, Ed Dobson, and Ed Hindson heavily plagiarized George Dollar’s 1973 book “A History of Fundamentalism in America.”
   1984 – After a prof at Southeastern College of the Assemblies of God in Florida told me that the No. 2 man at the AG world headquarters in Missouri – Joseph Flower – had the label of posttrib, my wife and I had two hour-long chats with him. He verified what I had been told. But we were dumbstruck when he told us that although AG ministers are required to promote pretrib, privately they can believe any other rapture view! Flower said that his father, an AG co-founder, was also posttrib. We also learned while in Springfield that when the AG’s were organized in 1914, the initial group was divided between posttribs and pretribs – but that the pretribs shouted louder which resulted in that denomination officially adopting pretrib! (For details on this and other pretrib double-mindedness, Google “Pretrib Hypocrisy.”)
   1989 – Since 1989 Thomas Ice has referred to the “Mac-theory” (his reference to my research), giving the impression there’s no solid evidence that Macdonald was the real pretrib originator. But Ice carefully conceals the fact that no eminent church historian of the 1800’s – whether Plymouth Brethren or Irvingite – credited Darby with pretrib. Instead, they uniformly credited leading Irvingite sources, all of which upheld the Scottish lassie’s contribution! Moreover, I’m hardly the only modern scholar seeing significance in Irvingism’s territory. Others in recent years who have noted it, but who haven’t mined it as deeply as I have, include Fuller, Ladd, Bass, Rowdon, Sandeen, and Gundry.
   1989 – Greg Bahnsen and Kenneth Gentry produced evidence in 1989 that Lindsey’s book “The Road to Holocaust” (1989) plagiarized “Dominion Theology” (1988) by H. Wayne House and Thomas Ice.
   1990 – David Jeremiah’s and C. C. Carlson’s “Escape the Coming Night” (1990) massively plagiarized Lindsey’s 1973 book “There’s A New World Coming.” (For more info, type in “Thieves’ Marketing” on MSN or Google.)
   1991 – Paul Lee Tan’s “A Pictorial Guide to Bible Prophecy” (1991) plagiarized large amounts of Lindsey’s “The Late Great Planet Earth” (1970).
   1991 – Militant Darby defender R. A. Huebner claimed in 1991 to have found new evidence that Darby was pretrib as early as 1827 – three years before Macdonald. Halfway through his book Huebner suddenly admitted that his evidence could refer to something completely un-rapturesque. Even though Thomas Ice admitted to me that he knew that Huebner had “blown” his so-called evidence, prevaricator Ice continues to tell the world that Huebner has “positive evidence” that Darby was pretrib in 1827! Ice also conceals the fact that Darby, in his own 1827 paper, was looking for only “the restitution of all things” and “the times of refreshing” (Acts 3:19,21) – which Scofield doesn’t see fulfilled until AFTER a future tribulation!
   1992 – Tim LaHaye’s “No Fear of the Storm” (1992) plagiarized Walvoord’s “The Blessed Hope and the Tribulation” (1976).
   1992 – This was when the Los Angeles Times revealed that “The Magog Factor” (1992) by Hal Lindsey and Chuck Missler was a monstrous plagiarism of Prof. Edwin Yamauchi’s scholarly 1982 work “Foes from the Northern Frontier.” Four months after this exposure, Lindsey and Missler stated they had stopped publishing and promoting their book. But in 1996 Dr. Yamauchi learned that the dishonest duo had issued a 1995 book called “The Magog Invasion” which still had a substantial amount of the same plagiarism! (If Lindsey and Missler ever need hernia operations, I predict that the doctors will tell them not to lift anything for a long time!)
   1994 – In 1996 it was revealed that Lindsey’s “Planet Earth – 2000 A.D.” (1994) had an embarrassing amount of plagiarism of a Texe Marrs book titled “Mystery Mark of the New Age” (1988).
   1995 – My book “The Rapture Plot” reveals the dishonesty in Darby’s reprinted works. It’s often hard to tell who wrote the footnotes and when. It’s easy to believe that the notes, and also unsigned phrases inside brackets within the text, were a devious attempt by someone (Darby? his editor?) to portray a Darby far more developed in pretrib thinking than he actually had been at the time. I found that some of the “additives” had been taken from Darby’s much later works, when he was more developed, and placed next to or inside his earliest works! One footnote by Darby’s editor, attached to Darby’s 1830 paper, actually stated that “it was not worth while either suppressing or changing” anything in this work! If his editor wasn’t open to such dishonesty, how can we explain such a statement?
   Post-1995 – Thomas Ice’s article “Inventor of False Pre-Trib Rapture History” states that my book “The Rapture Plot” is “only one of the latest in a series of revisions of his original discourse….” And David Reagan in his article “The Origin of the Concept of a Pre-Tribulation Rapture” repeats Ice’s falsehood by claiming that I have republished my first book “over the years under several different titles.”
   Although my book repeats a bit of the Macdonald origin of pretrib (for new readers), all of my books are packed with new material not found in my other works. For some clarification, “The Incredible Cover-Up” has photos of pertinent places in Ireland, Scotland, and England not found in my later books plus several chapters dealing with theological arguments; “The Great Rapture Hoax” quotes scholars throughout the Church Age, covers Scofield’s hidden side, a section on Powerscourt, the 1980 election, the Jupiter Effect, Gundry’s change, and more theological arguments; “The Rapture Plot” reveals for the first time the Great Evangelical Revisionism/Robbery and includes appendices on miscopying, plagiarism, etc.; and “The Three R’s” shows hypocritical evangelicals employing occultic beliefs they say they have long opposed!
   So Thomas Ice etc. are twisting truth when they claim I am only a revisionist. Do they really think that my publishers DON’T know what I’ve previously written?
   Re arguments, Google “Pretrib Rapture – Hidden Facts” and also obtain “The End Times Passover” and “Why Christians Will Suffer ‘Great Tribulation’ ” (AuthorHouse, 2006) by media personality Joe Ortiz.
   1997 – For years Harvest House Publishers has owned and been republishing Lindsey’s book “There’s A New World Coming.” During the same time Lindsey has been peddling his reportedly “new” book “Apocalypse Code” (1997), much of which is word-for-word the same as the Harvest House book – and there’s no notice of “simultaneous publishing” in either book! Talk about pretrib greed!
   1997 – This is the year I discovered that more than 50 pages of Dallas Seminary professor Merrill Unger’s book “Beyond the Crystal Ball” (Moody Press, 1973) constituted a colossal plagiarism of Lindsey’s “The Late Great Planet Earth” (1970). After Lindsey’s book came out, Unger had complained that Lindsey’s book had plagiarized his classroom lecture notes. It was evident that Unger felt that he too should cash in on his own lectures! (The detailed account of this Dallas Seminary dishonesty is revealed in my 1998 book “The Three R’s.”)
   1998 – Tim LaHaye’s “Understanding the Last Days” (1998) plagiarized Lindsey’s “There’s A New World Coming” (1973).
   1999 – More than 200 pages (out of 396 pages) in Lindsey’s 1999 book “Vanished Into Thin Air” are virtually carbon copies of pages in his 1983 book “The Rapture” – with no “updated” or “revised” notice included! Lindsey has done the same nervy thing with several of his books, something that has allowed him to live in million-dollar-plus homes and drive cars like Ferraris! (See my Google articles “Deceiving and Being Deceived” and “Thieves’ Marketing” for further evidence of this notably pretrib vice.)
   2000 – A Jack Van Impe article “The Moment After” (2000) plagiarized Grant Jeffrey’s book “Final Warning” (1995).
   2001 – Since 2001 my web article “Walvoord’s Posttrib ‘Varieties’ – Plus” has been exposing his devious muddying up of posttrib waters. In some of his books he invented four “distinct” and “contradictory” posttrib divisions, claiming that they are either “classic” or “semiclassic” or “futurist” or “dispensational” – distinctions that disappear when analyzed! His “futurist” group holds to a literal future tribulation and a literal millennium but doesn’t embrace “any day” imminency. But his “dispensational” group has the same non-imminency! Moreover, tribulational futurism is found in every group except the first one, and he somehow admitted that a literal millennium is in all four groups! On the other hand, it’s the pretribs who consistently disagree with each other over their chief points and subpoints – but somehow end up agreeing that there will be a pretrib rapture! (See my chapter “A House Divided” in my book “The Incredible Cover-Up.”)
   2001 – Since my “Deceiving and Being Deceived” web item which exposed the claims for Pseudo-Ephraem” and “Morgan Edwards” as teachers of pretrib, there has been a piranha-like frenzy on the part of pretrib bodyguards and their duped groupies to “discover” almost anything before 1830 walking upright on two legs that seemed to have at least a remote hint of pretrib! (An exemplary poster boy for such pretrib practice is Grant Jeffrey. To get your money’s worth, Google “Wily Jeffrey.”)

   FINALLY: Don’t take my word for any of the above. Read my 300-page book “The Rapture Plot” which has a jillion more documented details on the long-hidden but now-revealed history of the dishonest, 179-year-old, fringe-British-invented, American-merchandised-until-the-real-bad-stuff-happens pretribulation rapture fad. If this book of mine doesn’t “move” you, I will personally refund what you paid for it!

2. 

   Patsy says:

   December 30, 2009 at 11:24 am

   Speaking of Dr. Walvoord, I just spotted a rather unique article on the Google engine entitled “Pretrib Expert John Walvoord Melts Ice.” Truly a riveting and informative piece! Patsy

3. 

   Frank says:

   April 1, 2010 at 4:15 pm

   PRETRIB RAPTURE SECRECY

   by Dave MacPherson

   The word “secrecy” when applied to Christ’s return can refer to two different things: time and visibility. Before 1830 the only coming Christians looked for was the “every eye shall see him” second advent to earth – secret only in point of time.
   Enter Margaret Macdonald in 1830. She saw “the one taken and the other left” before “THE WICKED” [Antichrist] will “be revealed” – and added that her pretrib rapture would not be “seen by the natural eye” but only by “those who have the light of God within.” Her rapture was doubly secret: at an unknown day and hour and also invisible to “outsiders.”
   Desperate to eliminate Margaret as the pretrib rapture originator and the Irvingites as the first public teachers of pretrib, Darby defender Thomas Ice foolishly claims that they taught a secret POSTTRIB coming even though he knows that when Hal Lindsey teaches “one taken” etc. before the Antichrist “is revealed” Lindsey is expressing the kernel of the pretrib view – what MM and the Irvingites clearly taught before Darby did! Google “X-Raying Margaret” and “Edward Irving is Unnerving” to see why they are properly labeled “pretrib.”)
   As early as June 1832, Irving’s journal taught that only “to those who are watching and praying…will Christ be manifested…as the morning star. To the rest of the church, and to the world, this first appearance will be…unintelligible.” (“Present State of Prophetic Knowledge” etc., p. 374)
   Always trailing and “borrowing” quietly from the Irvingites who in turn had “borrowed” from Margaret, Darby in 1845 finally sounded like them when he wrote that “the bright and morning Star…is the sweet and blessed sign to them that watch…And such is Christ before He appears [at the final advent to earth]. The Sun will arise on the world….The star is before the [Sun], the joy of those who watch. The unwakeful world, who sleep in the night, see it not.” (“Thoughts on the Apocalypse,” p. 167)
   And Lindsey’s “Late Great Planet Earth,” p. 143, says that “the second coming is said to be visible to the whole earth (Revelation 1:7). However, in the Rapture. only the Christians see Him – it’s a mystery, a secret.”
   My bestselling book “The Rapture Plot” (available at online stores including Armageddon Books) has 300 pages of such documentation and proves that Margaret was the first to “see” a secret, pretrib rapture, that the Irvingites soon echoed her in their journal (which Darby admitted he avidly read), and that Darby was last on all of the crucial aspects of dispensationalism.
   Shockingly, all of the earliest pretrib development rested solely on unclear OT and NT types and symbols and NOT on clear Biblical statements. Margaret’s rapture was inspired by Rev. 11’s “two witnesses.” And her “secret visibility” rested on the “types” of Stephen, Paul, and John – all of whom saw or heard what others couldn’t see or hear.
   For 30 years Darby’s pretrib basis was the rapture of Rev. 12’s “man child” – actually his plagiarism of Irving’s usage of this “pretrib” symbol eight years earlier!
   As I said at the start, the “second advent to earth” is secret in point of time with its unknown “day and hour,” as Christ stated. Pretribs assert that if Christ returns for the church after the tribulation, we could count down the days and figure out the actual date of His return – which would contradict Christ’s words.
   But pretribs deliberately ignore the fact that Christ said that the tribulation days will be shortened – and He didn’t reveal the length of the shortening!
   Our opponents also assume that the “watch” verses prove the “any-moment imminence” of Christ’s return. But do they? II Peter 3:12 says we are to be “looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God” which all premills claim is at least 1000 years ahead of us and therefore hardly “imminent”! What’s the difference between “watching for” and “looking for”?
   Another gimmick has pretribs saying “Would you want Jesus to return at any moment and find out you’re sinning?” But Jesus ALREADY knows all about us! And the Holy Spirit, who’s also God, is ALREADY here (Rom. 8:27)!
   You have just learned a few of the many secrets that the Secret Rapture Gang has hidden for a long time. Evidently they have forgotten Luke 12:2’s warning that “there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed”!
   For the ultimate in uncovered secrets, see engines like Google and type in “Pretrib Rapture Dishonesty.”
   P.S. – For more info on the pretrib originating Macdonald, see “Miss Macdonald’s ‘Vision’ Located” on Joe Ortiz’ “End Times Passover” blog (Mar. 9), also “Pretrib Rapture’s Missing Lines” on Ortiz’ “Our Daily Bread” (Mar. 27).

   (I just discovered the above on the internet. Fascinating! Frank)

4. 

   RICHARD SCHURZ says:

   August 30, 2010 at 3:06 pm

   Dear brother in Jesus,

   God says, “I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times. what is still to come!…What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned that will I do!”  Isaiah 46:10a, 11b  This Bible study compares all the Scripture on each End-time topic and exposes over 12 absolute contradictions of God’s Word by dangerous and deceptive pre-trib doctrines. The next Bible study shows the 7 Bible clues which positively reveals the identity of 666. And finally there is a Bible study which shows how Obama may qualify to be the very decptive False Prophet of 666.
   Would greatly appreciate any comments or Bible studies you may have on the Last Days. 
    
   Your eternal friend in Jesus,
    
   Richard

   WHAT IS THE FIRST END-TIME EVENT CHRISTIANS SHOULD BE LOOKING FOR??
    
   I Peter 1:13: “Therefore, prepare your minds for ACTION, and set your hope *FULLY* on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is *REVEALED* Now the pre-tribbers claim that this glorious *REVEALING or *UNVEILING* of Jesus will be *CONCEALED* BEFORE the beginning of the Great Tribulation.  However, every other time the Word *REVEALED* {Greek-Apocalipsis} is used related to resurrection events it refers to the glorious REVEALING of Jesus on the *LAST DAY* of the Great Tribulation {See 2 Thess 1:7-10 & Luke 17:26-31}. And *CONCEALED* is the exact opposite of *REVEALED* according to every dictionary!  Titus 2:13: “*WE* wait for the *BLESSED HOPE*—the glorious *APPEARING* of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Hebrews 9:28 “Jesus will *APPEAR* a 2nd time to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him!”  Matthew 24:29,30: Jesus says, “Immediately AFTER the distress of those days {The Great Tribulation} the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky. At that time the sign of the Son of Man will APPEAR {Read I John 2:28!} in the sky and the nations will *SEE* the Son of Man coming on the clouds!!” {See 1 Thess 1:7-10}  Paul said, There is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on THAT DAY—and not only to me, but to *ALL who have longed for His *APPEARING*!!”
   God has always allowed His people to suffer tribulation and trials because they purify and perfect their faith and gain countless eternal rewards when Jesus Christ is *REVEALED. There are over 40,000 saints martyred every year and the main culprit is no longer just the RC Church. The Main culprits now are the 21 Muslim countries and Korea, China, Sudan, Venezuela, Nigeria and the RC Church. I Peter 1:6-8:  “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is *REVEALED.”  I Peter 2:20b,21: “But if you suffer for doing good and endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow IN HIS STEPS.” I Peter 4:12,13: “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is *REVEALED!” Read other persecution verses: Heb 13:35-40; 2 Tim 3:12; 2 Cor 1:7-10; I Thess 3:3,4; Phil 1:29; Phil 3:10; Rev 12:11; Rev 13:9,10 & Rev 14:13.
          The courageous and faithful Tribulation saints will *NOT* be hurt by God’s *WRATH* mentioned in Rev 14:9-11; 15:1,7; 16:1,19} or in any of the 7 trumpet or 7 bowl plagues as explained in Rev 9:4,20,21 & Rev 16:2,4-6,9,10,21; or in any of the plagues of God’s 2 witnesses as per Rev 11:6,10; or in *ETERNAL HELL*. Rev 14:9-11: “If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, he will drink of the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of *HIS WRATH*.  He will be tormented with burning sulfur and the smoke of their torment rises forever and ever.” In Rev 18:1-24 we read about the plagues that will destroy the headquarters of 666 during the Great Triubulation. This evil city on 7 hills {See Rev 17:9} is called “Babylon” which Peter implied was the nicknmame for Rome in 2 Peter 5:13. In Rev 18:4 a voice from Heaven will order God’s saints to stay away from Babylon {Rome} so that you will not participate in her sins or be hurt by God’s wrath which will completely destroy Rome with many horrific plagues. There are 260 verses from Revelation chapters 6 thru 20 and 128 {49%} of these verses tell of the wrath of God to unbelievers, 666, his False Prophet and Rome. However, not even one of these verses tells of any wrath of God toward His courageous and faithful Tribulation saints. {Read 2 Peter 3:7,10-13!}
         However, in Matthew 24:3,9-13:  The disciples asked Jesus, “What will be the sign of your Coming and the end of the age?? Jesus answered….. {During the Great Tribulation} “Then *YOU* will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of Me.  At that time many will turn away from the Faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of *MOST* will grow cold,{THE GREAT APOSTASY} but he {The Called, Chosen & Faithful-Rev 17:14b} who stands firm to the End will be saved.” 2 Thess 2:1,3: “Concerning the Coming of our Lord Jesus and *OUR being gathered to Him…That day shall not come, except there come a falling away first!!” {NIV – Rebellion}
   The pre-tribbers claim that the “YOU” in Matthew 24:9 above are Jews only and that the Gospel of Matthew was only written for Jews; which is of course completely ridiculous since Jesus said to His 11 Apostles in Matthew 28:19,20 “Go and make disciples of *ALL NATIONS*…teaching them to obey *EVERYTHING* I commanded you!”  {Read John 12:48 & John 14:23}  I John 2:3,4,6:  “We know that we have come to know Him {Jesus} if we obey His  commands.  The man who says, ”I know Him,” but does not do what He commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him… Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did.” According to Rev 12:17 the Tribulation Saints will also “Hold to the testimony of Jesus!” Jesus was a martyr as was Paul and Peter who walked IN HIS STEPS.  God will miraculously take care of His Faithful and Courageous Tribulation Saints {Just as he took care of the Israelites for 40 years in the Wilderness} even though they won’t be able to buy or sell anything as per Rev 13:17a. {See Matthew 6:25-34}  This will come as a tremendous shock for those who teach the Prosperity Gospel and who are mainly seeking earthly treasures rather than eternal Heavenly Rewards. They teach: If you accept Jesus as your Savior you have a free pass to Heaven and God forbid that you should suffer any persecution or go through the Great Tribulation; which fits in with the pre-trib doctrines which are designed to increase church membership at the expense of the Truth. When is the last time you heard a sermon on the virtues and courage of the many thousands of present-day martyrs?? And this is probably why there will be a great FALLING AWAY {THE GREAT APOSTASY} at the beginning of the Great Tribulation.
   Rev 6:9-11: When He {Jesus} opened the 5th seal, I saw the souls of those who had been slain {Just like Jesus} because of the testimony they had maintained.  They called out in a loud voice, “How long until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?”  The each of them was given a *WHITE ROBE*, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed. Rev 7:9,13,14:  After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from *EVERY* NATION, TRIBE, PEOPLE  AND LANGUAGE, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb {Jesus}.  They were wearing *WHITE ROBES*…Then one of the elders asked me, “These in *WHITE ROBES*—who are they and where did they come from?”… And he said, “These are they who have come out of the Great Tribulation; {Martyrs just like Jesus} they have washed their robes and made them white in the *BLOOD OF THE LAMB* {Jesus}.” {See Rev 12:11 & Rev 13:8-10}   This passage in Rev 7:9 above shows that the Great Tribulation will be mainly for Christians in *ALL* Gentile nations and not just Jacob’s Jewish trouble which absolutely contradicts the main thesis of the pre-trib fairy tale.  Rev 12:11:  “They {TRIBULATION MARTYRS} overcame him {Satan} by the *BLOOD OF THE LAMB* and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.”  Unfortunately most of the pre-tribbers actually believe that the tribulation saints will not be saved by the blood of Christ like the present church saints and will not be in the LAMB’S BOOK OF LIFE.  However, in Revelation 13:8 we read: “All inhabitants of the earth will worship the Beast {666}….*ALL* whose names have not been written in the *LAMB’S BOOK OF LIFE*!” Some of the immediate heavenly rewards for martyrs {Just like Jesus} are found in Rev 7:14-17; 14:13; 15:2-4 & 20:4-6!  
         2 Thess 1:1; 2:1,3,8”  “To the *CHURCH* of the Thessalonians…Concerning the *COMING* of our Lord Jesus Christ and *OUR* being gathered to Him…Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way for *THAT DAY* will not come *UNTIL* the man of lawlessness is revealed!!… Then the lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord Jesus Christ will destroy with the splendor of His *COMING*!” So anyone who claims that the church saints will be gathered *BEFORE* the coming of the lawless one {666} is absolutely contradicting God’s inspired words!!   This, of course, totally destroys the central pre-trib doctrine of the *IMMINENT* coming of Jesus!! {That Jesus could come RIGHT NOW} Since the *COMING of Jesus in I Thess 2:8 is POST-TRIB then the *COMING of Jesus when *WE are gathered to Him in I Thess 2:3 must also be POST-TRIB since it is in the same context and obviously refers to the same day.
         Mark 13:11: “When you are brought to trail {DURING THE GREAT TRIBULATION} do not worry about what to say, for it is not you speaking, but the *HOLY SPIRIT*.” This of course contradicts the ridiculous pre-trib idea that the Holy Spirit will be removed from the saints during the Great Tribulation. {Mark 13 is a Great Tribulation chapter}
          Matthew 24:29-31: Jesus says, “Immediately after the distress of those {1260} days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light and the stars will fall from the sky.” {Luke 21:28 adds “When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”} Then the nations will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a loud {7TH & LAST} *TRUMPET* CALL {See Rev 11:15-18; I Cor 15:52 & I Thess 4:16}, and they will gather *His elect* from the 4 winds {Mark 13:27b adds:} “from the ends of the earth {Saints on earth} to  the ends of the Heavens {Saints in Heaven}!!” JESUS WILL COME AGAIN WHEN THE *7TH* ANGEL SOUNDS THE LOUD *7th* AND *LAST* TRUMPET CALL OF GOD.  Rev 11:15a, 18: “The *7TH* angel sounded his trumpet… and the time has come for judging the dead and for rewarding your servants the prophets and saints.”  Rev 10:7: “But in the days when the *7th* angel is about to sound his trumpet the *MYSTERY* of God will be accomplished!  I Cor 15:51:  “Listen, I tell you a *MYSTERY*!  We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—in a flash, in a twinkling of an eye, at the *LAST* {Or *7TH*} trumpet.”   There are only 7 trumpets in God’s inspired Word during the Great Tribulation and the 7th TRUMP is of course the *LAST TRUMP* when the *MYSTERY* of God will be accomplished, and is also the TRUMPET CALL OF GOD in I Thess 4:16.
     Now the pre-tribbers claim that the phrase “His elect” in Matt 24:31 & Mark 13:27 refers only to Jews which is, of course, ridiculous and is refuted in 2 Tim 2:10, Titus 1:1, 1 Peter 1:1 & Eph 2:11-22.
       John 6:40” Jesus says, “For my Father’s will is that *EVERYONE* who looks to the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the *LAST DAY*!”  Now the pre-tribbers wrongly believe that the *LAST DAY* mentioned 6 times in JOHN 6:39,40,44,54; 11:24 & 12:48 refers to a CONCEALED rapture 1260 days or 7 years *BEFORE THE LAST DAY*.  While John 12:48 shows that the lost will also be condemned on that same *LAST DAY*! 
   WHEN WILL THE LOST BE JUDGED AND SENT TO HELL*? John 12:48: Jesus says, “There is a Judge for the one who rejects Me and does not accept My words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the *LAST DAY*!!” {See Matthew 25:31-46}  2 Thess 1:1,6-10:  ‘To the *CHURCH* of the Thessalonians…God is just; He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well.  This will happen *WHEN* the Lord Jesus is *REVEALED* {See I Peter 1:13} from heaven in blazing fire….  He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.  They will be punished with everlasting *DESTRUCTION* {See I Thess 5:3 above!!} and shut out from the presence of the Lord *ON THE DAY HE COMES* to be glorified in His holy people!!” Matt 25:31-33,41:  Jesus says, “*WHEN* the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His throne in heavenly glory.  All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another……He will put His sheep on His right and the goats on the left…. Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire!”   John 5:28,29:  Jesus says, “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming {The Last Day} when *ALL* who are in their graves will hear His voice and come out—those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.”  Daniel 12:1b,2,7b:  “There will be a time of distress {The Great Tribulation} such as not happened from the beginning of nations until then.  But at that time {The Last Day} your people–*EVERYONE* whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered.  Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt…It will be for a time. times and half a time {1260 days-Rev 12:6,14, or 42  {30-day} months-Rev 13:5-{Not 7 years} *ALL* these things will be *COMPLETED.    By comparing Rev 12:7b and Rev 12:14b we find that 1260 Days and Time {360 Days} Times {720 Days} and ½ a Time {180 Days} are the exact same period of time.  Likewise, when we compare Rev 13:5b with Daniel 7:25b we learn that 42 {30-day Bible} MONTHS and Time {12 Months}, Times {24 Months} and ½ a Time {6 Months} are also the exact same period of time. And therefore 42 {30-Day Bible Months} and Time, Times and ½ a Time are the exact same period of time since 42 X 30 days equal exactly 1260 days.  12 Months = 360 Days = {1 Time}   24 Months = 720 Days = {2 Times}   6 Months = 180 Days = {Half a Time}   and therefore: 42 Months = 1260 Days = {3 and a Half Times}  Rev 13:5,7: The beast will be given a mouth to utter blasphemies and to exercise his authority for *42 {30-day} months {Not 7 years}…He will be given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. [COMPARE TO} Dan 7:25: “He will speak against the Most High and oppress His saints.  The saints will be handed over to him for time {12 months}, times {24 months} and ½ a time {6 months}. {Not 7 years} For example: If the coming of 666 will be on October 23rd, 2010 then the 2nd coming of Jesus would occur exactly 1260 days later on April 5th, 2014.     
         Now there are some who suggest that the Anti-Christ will exercise his authority for 7 years {Not 42 Months} and that the Great Tribulation will last 7 years {Not 1260 Days or 3 ½ Times}.  They have only **ONE** Bible verse {Daniel 9:27—which they grossly misinterpret} to support this idea which absolutely contradicts God’s Divine Time Periods as found in Rev 13:5b, Dan 7:25b & Dan 12:7b.   
          NOTE: About 280 years earlier God made this amazing prophecy in Isaiah 44:28: The Lord… says of *CYRUS*, “He is my shepherd and will accomplish all that I please; he will say of JERUSALEM LET IT BE REBUILT!” This verse absolutely contradicts the Artaxerxes theory!   NOTE: According to Leviticus 25:8 a Sabbath ‘week’ is *7 YEARS and 7 times 7 YEARS or ‘weeks’ is a Jubilee or 49 years.
   Dan 9:24-27: “70 7’s {490 years} are decreed for your people to Anoint the Most Holy, TO ATONE FOR WICKEDNESS and to bring in everlasting righteousness… “Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree {By Cyrus-Isa 44:28} to rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One comes there will be 7 + 62 7’s {Which is 69 7’s or 483 years}. “After the 62 7’s {actually 1260 days after on April 3-5 AD 33} the Anointed One will be cut off but not for Himself….. He {The Anointed One} will confirm a COVENANT with many for one ’seven’.  In the middle of the ’seven’ {After 1260 days} He {The Anointed One} will put an end to SACRIFICE {And then after a long pause} the abomination of Desolation {666} will come {for 1260 days} until the decreed end is poured out on him.” And so the first half of the last 7 has already been completed. Hebrews 9:15,26b-28: Christ is the mediator of a NEW COVENANT so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance–now that He has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins commtted under the first covenant…But now He has APPEARED once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the SACRIFICE of Himself… so Christ was SACRIFICED ONCE to take away the sins of many people, and He will *APPEAR* a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him. And so when the Anointed One came 69 7’s or 483 years were 100% completed [See Dan 9:25 above} leaving just one 7 in the future; which will be totally used by those who wrongly believe in a future 7-year Tribulation; which means that the Atonement for sin by Jesus about 3 ½ years after His Anointing can not be included in the 70 7’s Prophecy. However, God’s Word clearly states that 70 7’s are decreed …TO ATONE FOR WICKEDNESS which occurred about 3 ½ years after the end of the 69 7’s and therefore the first half of the last 7 has already been completed!! And so the Great Tribulation and the rule of 666 will be exactly 1260 days or 42 months or times, time and ½ a time which agrees which God’s inspired words in Daniel 12:1,2,7b; Daniel 7:25 and Rev 13:5.
      Rev 3:1,3: Jesus says, “To the angel of the *CHURCH* in Sardis write…But *IF you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.”  1 Thess 1:1, 5:4: “To the *CHURCH* of the Thessalonians…But you brothers, are not in darkness so that *THIS DAY*{Just Mentioned In I Thess 4:16,17} should surprise you like a thief.  You are all sons of the light and sons of the DAY.”  And so once the 1260-day Great Tribulation begins all of God’s saints will know the exact day that the Great Tribulation will end at the Second Coming of their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on the *LAST DAY*.  And so the resurrection day of I Thess 4:16 to I Thess 5:4 will not be a surprise to the saints resurrected in I Thess 4:16,17 just as the resurrection day at the end of the 1260-day Great Tribulation will not be a surprise to *ALL* of God’s saints which proves that the resurrection day mentioned in I Thess 4:16,17 will also come  on the LAST DAY of the Great Tribulation!!!
         Also in the context of I Thess 4:16 to I Thess 5:4 is this interesting statement in I Thess 5:2,3:  “You know very well that the day of the Lord {Just mentioned in I Thess 4:16} will come like a thief in the night. {to unbelievers}  While people are saying ‘peace and safety,’ DESTRUCTION WILL COME ON THEM SUDDENLY… AND THEY WILL NOT ESCAPE!!” {See I Thess 1:6-10 and Matthew 25 :31-33,41-46}  After 6 of the last 7 bowl plagues of the Great Tribulation Jesus will make this statement in Rev 16:15: “Behold, I come like a thief!”{See 2 Pet 3:7,10 & Rev 3:3!!} And so at this time during the last part of the Great Tribulation Jesus had still not yet come as a thief!! This destruction of the lost in hell will occur on the LAST DAY of the Great Tribulation as shown above in Matt 25:31-33:41-46: John 5:28,29; Dan 12:1,2,7b & 2 Thess 1:6-10, which firmly places the resurrection mentioned in I Thess 4:16 to I Thess 5:4 on the Last day of the Great Tribulation and not a *CONCEALED* pre-trib rapture 1260 days BEFORE the LAST DAY of the Great Tribulation!!  
   Moses and Elijah will begin their 1260 day testimony {Rev 11:3} 3 ½ days before the coming of 666 and the 1260-day Great Tribulation and 1263 ½ days before the Last Day. {*THE FIRST END-TIME EVENT*} Moses and Elijah will warn us of the coming of 666 & his False Prophet. God will allow 666 to martyr Moses and Elijah right where their Lord was crucified when their 1260-day testimony is completed.{Rev 11:7} 3 ½ days later they will rise to heaven minutes before the 7th angel sounds the 7th Trump at the 2nd coming of Jesus.{Rev 11:11-18}
          Revelation 1:7:  “Look, He is coming with the *CLOUDS*, and *EVERY EYE* will see Him, even those who pierced Him!” This 2nd Coming of Jesus with the *CLOUDS* is also mentioned in Matt 24:30 and I Thess 4:17 and in Matthew 26:64: Jesus replied, “But I say to all of you:  In the future you {Unsaved Jews at His trial} will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty one and coming on the *CLOUDS* of heaven!”   
   2 Peter 7,10,13: “The present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the Day of judgement and DESTRUCTION of ungodly men… But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief.{To unbelievers} The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be burned up… But in keeping with His promise we are looking forward to a NEW HEAVEN and a NEW EARTH, the Home of RIGHTEOUSNESS.” Daniel 9:24: “70 7’s have been decreed…. and to bring in EVERLASTING RIGHTEOUSNESS.” {On the LAST DAY of the last 7} Revelation 21 1:1-3: Then I saw a NEW HEAVEN and a NEW EARTH, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. {THEN} I saw a NEW JERUSALEM, coming down out of heaven from God…,And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them!!” You will note that the New Jerusalem will come only *AFTER the present heaven and earth have passed away! Read Hebrews 11:10, 14-16 & John 14:1-3. Jesus says in Rev 2:17; 3:3, 5, 12, 21: “To him who overcomes…I will give a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it…..He will walk with me for he is worthy….. I will acknowledge his name before My Father and His angels….. I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God…..I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem…..I will write on him my New Name… and I will give him the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.” According to Rev 22:3 these 2 thrones will be the only thrones in the Heavenly New Jerusalem!.
   There will be 2 Comings of Jesus on the same Last Day.  The First Coming will be *FOR* His saints and His second Coming will be *WITH* His saints on Heavenly White Horses right after they celebrate the Marriage Feast of the Lamb. {Read Rev 19:7-21 & Rev 17:14} They will conqer 666 and his 10 armies {See Rev 17:12-14}. This then explains the resurrection of God’s saints in Luke 17:30,35: Jesus says, “It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is *REVEALED….two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.” All of the lost who are left behind when Jesus is *REVEALED; will later be judged and then sent to hell on that same Last Day. {See 2 Thess 1:1,6-10 above & John 5:28,29; 12:48; Daniel 12:1,2,7b & Matt 25:31-33;41-46}
          Jesus {See Rev 1:10,18} said to John in Rev 1:19: “Write what you have seen, what is now {Rev chapters 2 & 3} and *WHAT WILL TAKE PLACE LATER*.” {Rev chapters 6-22}  Events that will occur on the Last Day of the Great Tribulation are recorded in Rev 6:12-17; Rev 11:15-19; Rev 14:14-20; Rev 16:17-21 and Revelation 19:1-21.  Question: How many words in Revelation, chapters 6-22 are devoted to a rapture before the beginning of the Great Tribulation??  Answer: *ZERO*!! In Rev 4:1 Jesus invited John to come up to Heaven in AD 96 so that he could write what he saw.  Rev 4:1b: Jesus said to John in AD 96, “Come up here, and I will show you *WHAT MUST TAKE PLACE.”  Unfortunately, there are some pre-tribbers who teach that Rev 4:1 actually proves a *CONCEALED* rapture of the church saints before the beginning of the Great Tribulation; which shows a new low in honest Bible exegesis. The Olivet discourse by Jesus about the End-Times are recorded in Matthew 24 & 25, Mark 13 and Luke 21.  Events which will occur on the Last Day of the Great Tribulation including His 2nd Coming are recorded in Matthew 24:29-31; Matthew 25:31-46; Mark 13:24-27 & Luke 21:25-28.  How many words of Jesus in His Olivet discourse are devoted to a rapture before the beginning of the Tribulation?  Answer: *ZERO*!!
          Revelation 22:18-19:  Jesus says, “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give *YOU* {The Greek for YOU is plural} this testimony {ALL OF REVELATION} *FOR* the CHURCHES.” {This contradicts the ridiculous pre-trib idea that Revelation, chapters 4-19, was not written *FOR* the CHURCHES!}… I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book.  If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book.  And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city which are described in this book.”
   It is time for all pre-trib *ADDERS* to repent; and all CLOSET Post-Tribbers to come out of their closets and teach ALL of God’s Word as per 2 Tim 4:1-8 since the End-Times are very near. Paul was inspired to write in 2 Timothy 4:8: “There is in store for me the Crown of Righteousness which the Lord will award to me on *THAT DAY*—and not only to me, but to *ALL who have longed for *HIS APPEARING*.”

    WHAT ARE THE 7 BIBLE CLUES WHICH REVEAL THE IDENTITY OF 666???

         Revelation 13:17b,18: “The mark of the beast {Or antichrist} is the *NAME* of the Beast or the number of *HIS NAME*. This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, *LET HIM* calculate the number of the Beast {Even in AD 96 when Revelation was written}, for it is a man’s number {Or “Number of a MAN”}. *HIS* number is *666*.” God has promised in the above inspired passage that any saint {Even in AD 96–which implies that the name was known in AD 96} with spiritual wisdom and insight may calculate the name of the beast which is a *MAN’S NAME* and adds up to 666.
          In Thess 2:3 the Beast of the End-Times is called a “*MAN* of sin or lawlessness” or very SINFUL MAN and therefore the name of the Beast which adds up to 666 is a *MAN’S* name which is also confirmed in Rev 13:17b,18 above. Therefore, the NAME of the Beast which adds up to 666 is a sinful *MAN’S NAME* and could not be the name of a woman or a city, country, computer or Satan, etc..  666 is also identified with a MASCULINE pronoun 28 times in God’s Word which we will show later.
          Rev 13:16,17: “He {The False Prophet} forced everyone… to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead. No one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name {666}. The antichrist is called a “BEAST” 36 {6×6} times in Revelation. The BEAST is a much better name than antichrist since antichrist is mentioned 4 times in God’s Word {I John 2:18, 22; 4:3; 2 John 1:7} and each time the word encompasses all who are against Christ.  I John 2:18: “Even now many antichrists have come.”  Surely all who receive the mark of the Beast are antichrists.
         666 is referred to in the MASCULINE gender 28 times and the Beast is never referred to in the feminine or neuter gender.  It is interesting to note that if the Beast of the end-times will be a religious organization, country or city it would be referred to in the female or neuter gender!!!  The masculine pronouns used for the Beast are “HIS” 11 times: Rev 13:1, 5,16b,18b; 14:9,11; 17:7b; 19:2; 20:4(2X) & Daniel 7:26.  “HE” 10 times: Rev 13:1;6a,7a,7; 17:8b; 17:11; 2 Thess 2:6; Daniel 7:24,25 & Daniel 9:27.   “HIM” 5 times: Rev 13:4b; 19:20; 2 Thess 2:6; Daniel 7:25 & Daniel 9:27.  “HIMSELF” 2 times in 2 Thess 2:4.
         Actually there are **7 BIBLE CLUES** that show who the BEAST of the future 1260-day Tribulation will be. By an amazing coincidence all 7 Bible clues can be applied to Nero Caesar!!
    {{1}}  The BEAST will be a “MAN OF SIN” or very sinful MAN as per 2 Thess 2:3 above.
   {{2}}  The number of this sinful man’s name is 666 as per Rev 13:16-18.  The Bible was written by 40 divinely inspired Hebrews in Hebrew and Greek so then it is highly probable that this man’s name adds up to 666 in Hebrew or Greek.  Nero Caesar’s name adds up to 666 in Hebrew which we will show later in this Bible study.
   {{3}}  This sinful man whose name adds up to 666 DIED BEFORE AD 96 when Revelation was written.{See Rev 17:8 below} We will show later why Revelation was written between Sept AD 95 and Sept AD 96. Nero Caesar lived from December 15th, AD 37 to June 9th AD 68.
   {{4}} This sinful man who was alive and then died before AD 96 was FATALLY WOUNDED by a sword wound to his head. Nero Caesar committed suicide with a sword wound to his head on June 9th, AD 68. {See Rev 13:3 and Rev 13:14 below}
   {{5}}  This very sinful man who died before AD 96 was a KING in the Roman Empire as per Daniel 7:24. There were 11 Roman Kings or Caesars who died before AD 96 including the 6th Caesar who killed Paul and Peter in AD 66; and whose name adds up to 666 in Hebrew. Domitian Caesar was the 12th Caesar who was alive when Revelation was written in AD 96.
   {{6}}  The beast is also called an 8th KING who ruled before AD 96 as one of 7 KINGS crowned by the city on 7 hills. {See Rev 17:9-11}
   {{7}}  This very sinful ROMAN KING whose name adds up to 666 and who was fatally wounded by a sword before AD 96, will “COME UP FROM THE *ABYSS* or *HELL* as per Rev 11:7 & Rev 17:8. We know that the ABYSS is HELL by comparing 2 Peter 2:4 with Luke 8:30b,31. We can be sure that Nero Caesar is now in the Abyss or Hell since he killed Paul and Peter and thousands of Christians and sent Vespasian {the father of Titus and Domitian Caesar} to kill the Jews and destroy their Temple. The MAN OF SIN or Nero also killed his own mother and killed his pregnant wife by kicking her in the stomach.   Inscriptions have been found in Ephesus in which Nero is called “Almighty God” and “Savior”.   In Revelation 13:8a we learn that all the unsaved inhabitants of the world will worship the Beast.  Nero and Caligula “abandoned all reserve” in promoting emperor worship – they were the only two Roman Caesars who demanded divine honors while still alive. Nero claimed to be the sun-god Apollo.  In 2 Thess 2:4 we read that the “Man of Sin” will proclaim that he is God!
         Revelation 17:8: The beast, which you saw, once was {alive}, Now {in AD 96} is not {alive} and will come up out of the ABYSS and go to his destruction. The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book life. … will be astonished when they see the beast, because he once was {Alive before AD 96}, now {In AD 96} is not {Alive} and yet will come. Rev 13:14: He {The False Prophet} will order the inhabitants of the earth to set up an image in honor of the beast who was {FATALLY-Rev 13:3} wounded by the sword and yet lived.”  Rev 13:3: One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been HEALED!! The whole world was astonished and followed the beast.
   During the last year of his rule Domitian Caesar decreed that everyone in the Roman Empire must worship idols of former Roman Caesar’s or else they would be killed or put in prison. Historical documents show us that the Apostle John {Who then lived in Ephesus} lived to about AD 100 and therefore would have been alive during Domitian’s evil decree of September AD 95 to September of AD 96.  Since we can be sure that the Apostle John would never worship an idol of a Roman Caesar it is then highly probable that John was put in prison on Patmos Isle sometime during Domitian’s evil decree from September AD 95 to September AD 96.
         When I was a missionary in Israel I studied the Hebrew language.  One of the first things that you learn when you study the OT Ancient Hebrew language {Which is also the language of Israel today!} is that the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet ALSO represent 22 numbers! When you read Psalm 119 you will note that the 176 sentences are divided into 22 sections; each section with 8 sentences or verses praising the Word of God. These 22 sections are each headed by one of the letters in the Hebrew alphabet in the exact same order as shown below. The ancient Hebrew language {Which is exactly the same as the modern Hebrew language} frequently used the letters of their alphabet to designate NUMBERS IN THE OT as follows:  ALEPH=1. BETH=2. GIMEL=3. DALET=4. HE=5. VAV=6. ZAYIN=7. CHETH=8. TETH=9. YODH=10. KAPH=20. LAMED=30. MEM=40. NUN=50. SAMEKH=60. AYIN=70. PE=80. TSADHE=90. KOPH=100. RESH=200. SHIN=300. TAV=400.
         NOTE: Most vowel sounds except “O” {VAV} are not used as letters in Hebrew. These vowel sounds are designated by dots and dashes under their *PRECEDING* consonants. In Hebrew “N” is added on the end of all foreign names ending in “O”. Therefore, the foreign name of Nero would be “NERON” in Hebrew. The name Nero Caesar would be pronounced Neron Kaysar in Hebrew. The “E” in Neron and the 2 “A” sounds in Kaysar {There is no “C” in Hebrew} are designated by dots and dashes under their preceding consonants and therefore are not letters in the 22 letter Hebrew alphabet, and so have no numerical value.
         Neron in Hebrew would use 4 letters with numerical value: N-R-O-N and Kaysar in Hebrew would use 3 letters with numerical value: K-S-R. There would be a dot under the first N to show the “E” sound in NEron There would also be 2 dots under the “K” to show the “AY” sound in KAYsar and a dash under the “S” to show the “AH” sound in KaySAHr.  The 4 letters with numerical value in NERON would be {SEE TABLE ABOVE} N = NUN = 50; R = RESH = 200; O = VAV = 6; and N = NUN = 50 and 50+20+6+50 equals 306. The 3 letters with numerical value in “KAYSAR would be K = KOPH = 100; S = SAMEKH = 60; and R = RESH =200 and 100+60+200 equals 360. And so the numerical value of Nero in Hebrew is 306 and the numerical value of Caesar in Hebrew is 360, and therefore the numerical value of Nero Caesar is 306+360 or exactly *666*!
         There is a very interesting footnote in the revised Standard Version concerning the number 666 which states that some ancient manuscripts have the number **616** which *DOUBLY* confirms that Nero Caesar may be the future Anti-Christ!! You will note that the Hebrew language adds an “N” to all foreign names ending in “O”. Now “N” or “NUN” in Hebrew has a numerical value of **50**!! and so if you decided not to add the last “N” in NERON then Nero Caesar would add up to exactly **616** in Hebrew. I think you will admit that this is an absolutely amazing coincidence!!
         Any honest Hebrew language scholar will confirm that the letters of Nero Caesar’s name add up to 666 in the Hebrew language whose 22 letters are also 22 numbers as shown above, and the Bible was written by 40 Jews. Since all of the prophecies concerning the antichrist are written in OT Hebrew {Like Daniel 7:8-25} or NT Koine Greek it would then seem logical that God would use one of these 2 Bible languages to identify the Name of the Beast whose letters add up to 666. One of the problems of doing this in NT Koine Greek is that the letters of their alphabet are not also numbers. And therefore you can only assign a numerical value of 22 to the 22nd letter, etc.. Using this formula you could not get any name to add up to over 250, let alone 666. You have the same problem with English & all other languages other than the Hebrew language! The 3 different Greek words used in Rev 13:18b to arrive at the number 666 are the 3 different Greek words for 600 and 60 and 6 and not 6 + 6 + 6.
        And so the 6th Caesar {Julius, Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius & the *6th* was NERO who ordered the execution of Paul & Peter in AD *66* {And who has fulfilled *ALL 7 BIBLE CLUES as to the identity of *666} will be the Beast who comes up from the Abyss {Or Hell-See Rev 11:7 & Rev 17:8} in the coming Great Tribulation!!

   INTERESTING SPECULATION AS TO THE POSSIBILITY THAT OBAMA MAY BE THE FUTURE FALSE PROPHET OF 666. THE FALSE PROPHET IS MENTIONED IN REVELATION 13:11-17; 16:13; 19:20 & 20:10

          Revelation 6:7,8: When the Lamb opened the 4th seal, I heard the voice of the 4th living creature say, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death {666 who will cause the death of millions} and Hades {The False Prophet who will cause millions to go to Hades by receiving the mark of 666} was following close behind him. THEY {Nero Caesar and the False Prophet} were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth. Rev 13:3,4: “The whole world…worshipped the beast {666} and asked, “Who is like the beast?  Who can make war against him.”
   Revelation 6:5,6: “A quart of wheat for a day’s wages!” This phrase can also be translated “A loaf of bread for a day’s wages.” This event will occur at the coming of the black horse rider {The False Prophet?} Who rides close behind 666 as per Rev 6:8} which will take place just before the beginning of the Great Tribulation.  Russia has said they are ceasing all WHEAT exports!! Becuase of tremendous droughts, plagues, fires and heat waves there has been tremendous drops in Wheat production in Russia, Ukraine, Australia and even Canada which has caused a rapid acceleration in the price of Wheat and food prices in the 3rd world. Because of the world’s present economic crisis the majority of people in the 40 poorest counties now have to pay a full day’s wages for a loaf of bread as per Rev 6:6.. And if the world experiences a world-wide depression this event could occur in over 100 countries. Many countries are far worse off than people in the USA during the Great Depression when there was 20% unemployment. The world economic crisis is rapidly accelerating. There are now 40 countries with unemployment rates of over 20 % and this should rapidly increase.  And then the world will certainly be looking for an Economic Savior such as 666 and his very deceptive False Prophet. They will be looking for someone who promises CHANGE!! If the Great Tribulation would begin in the near future is there a well-known, powerful world leader that may qualify to be the deceptive False Prophet of 666 who will promise CHANGE you can believe in!! Will this powerful world leader try to bankrupt the USA which will in turn cause a worldwide depression and cause the price of a loaf of bread to cost a full day’s wages through out most of the world!! 
   The Greek word “PYRROS” which means “FIERY RED” is only mentioned 2 times in God’s Word in Rev 12:2 & Rev 6:3. In Rev 12:2 Satan is the enormous {FIERY} red dragon and would also be the {FIERY} red horse Rider and 2nd horseman of Rev 6:3. The fiery red dragon will be kicked out of Heaven {Rev 12:9} and then will chase some of God’s saints to a place in the wilderness {Rev 12:13-16} and then will wait for the coming of the 4th horseman or 666 {Rev 13:1} which will begin the 1260-day Tribulation. So who will be the White Horse Rider of Rev 6:1,2?? In Revelation only the good guys wear WHITE! The martyrs will wear WHITE robes as per Rev 6:11 & Rev 7:10,13. On the Last Day Jesus will mount a great WHITE horse {Rev 19:11} and His saints dressed in WHITE will follow Him on WHITE horses {Rev 19:14}In Malachi 4:5 God has promised that He would send Elijah {Who went to Heaven on horses-2 Kings 2:11,12} before the Last Day of the Lord. In Rev 11:3,6 God has promised that He would send His 2 witnesses and they would strike the earth with every kind of plague for 1260 days which as we have shown will begin 1263 ½ days before the Last Day. In Rev 6:1,2 it states that the White Horse Rider {Elijah?} will be given a bow and ride out as a conqueror. Elijah & Moses will certainly conquer many since fire from their mouths will destroy & conquer all who try to harm them. {Read Rev 11:5 & Rom 8:37}
   The False Prophet is referred to as “HE” {Masculine Gender} 9 times in Rev 13:11-16 & Rev 19:20.  And “HE” will be a very “DECEPTIVE” False Prophet as shown in Rev 13:11-16 & Rev 19:20.    And so Nero Caesar with the help of the armies of the False Prophet {Obama??} and other nations aligned with him will conquer 1/4 of the world {See Rev 6:8; 13:4b} After appointing 10 kings who have never before ruled {See Rev 17:12,13} 666 will then have “authority over every tribe, people, language and nation” as per Rev 13:7b, from his headquarters in Rome. 666 and his false prophet will then quickly gain complete control over the radio, television, internet, newspaper, book and magazine medias.  It is interesting to note that Obama is presently trying to control all of these medias in the USA which may be the world’s most free country!! The Obama Internet kill switch plan was approved by Senate committee on June 27th, 2010!!  This would allow Obama to completely shut down the Internet when he feels there is a national emergency?? Obama {Who already controls about 80% of the USA medias} is presently trying to get authority to shut down certain talk radio stations and TV stations in case of what he considers to be a national emergency. Because of the probability that Obama could lose control of the House and Senate Obama will most likely create a national emegency in the weeks before the November 2nd election.
         Do Obama’s religious beliefs qualify him as the False Prophet??  Some insight into Obama’s “Christianity” comes from an interview he gave in 2004 to Chicago Sun-Times religion editor Cathleen Falsani for her book, “The God Factor: Inside the Spiritual Lives of Public People.”  “I’m rooted in the Christian tradition,” said Obama. He then adds something most Christians will see as universalism: “I believe there are many paths to the same place, and that is a belief that there is a higher power, a belief that we are connected as a people.” Jesus says of Himself, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” That sounds exclusive, but Obama says it depends on how this verse is heard. According to Falsani, Obama thinks that “all people of faith — Christians, Jews, Muslims, animists, everyone — know the same God. “Obama doesn’t believe he, or anyone else, will go to HELL. But he’s not sure he’ll be going to heaven, either.”  The False Prophet will certainly teach that you can have your cake and eat it too, and that you will not go to HELL if you receive the Mark of the Beast which will allow you to buy or sell everything.  However, Revelation 14:9:11; 19:20 & 20:10 confirm that he and all who receive the mark of the Beast will be tormented day and night forever and ever in HELL!! Obama told a crowd at Hocking College that he believes the Sermon on the Mount is a and JUSTIFIES his support for legal recognition of same-sex unions??  Obama approves of same sex romantic and sexual relationships as do his former church, his pastor, and his former (So-called} Christian denomination?? Obama said that the Sermon on the Mount is a big joke since you can’t have an army that offers up the other cheek!! The False Prophet should be hugely popular world-wide.  Interesting fact: Obama has greater worldwide popularity than any leader in modern history according to a recent poll in Reader’s Digest and was also awarded the Nobel Peace Prize even though he did nothing to deserve it.  Jesus is our Messiah and the Prince of Peace and is called the LAMB 30 times in the book of Revelation.  The False Prophet is someone who is like a LAMB according to Rev 13:11b.  People from all over the world including Louis Farrakhan {A Muslim leader} have already given Obama this interesting nickname:  “THE MESSIAH”!!   In a recent poll taken by BBC in Sept, 2009 about 66% of those polled around the world thought Obama would make a great World President!! 
          NOTE: There are many statues of the exact likeness of Nero Caesar including a 151 foot statue in the “Golden House” in Rome. The statue of Liberty {Without pedestal} is also exactly 151 feet high… hmmm. At the beginning of Great Tribulation the False Prophet of 666, Rev 13:14: “Will order the people of the earth to set up a statue in honor of the beast who was wounded {Fatally-Rev 13:3} by the SWORD and yet lived!” {Again} This statue of the Beast will be the “exact likeness” of Nero Caesar and could possibly be seen on World Wide TV so that people of all nations will be able to worship this statue as per Rev 13:15b. Obama’s Air Force 1 plane had a photo op with the Statue of Liberty….Hmmm…. The face of the Statue of Liberty could easily be changed to look like Nero Caesar within a few days with a giant mask!
         666 is called a BEAST 36 {6X6 times in Revelation and the False Prophet is also called a “BEAST” in Rev 13:11.  Obama has nicknamed his presidential limousine “THE BEAST”!!  In Revelation 13:11 the False Prophet is called the BEAST of the {PRESENT} EARTH.  Whereas all true Christians are looking forward to a new heaven and NEW EARTH as per 2 Peter 3:13:  “We are looking forward to a new heaven and a NEW EARTH the home of righteousness.” {See Rev 21:1}  Obama is the all-time world’s greatest champion of EARTH day and saving the PRESENT EARTH from Global Warming, Greenhouse gasses, coal burning and carbon emissions and he may bankrupt the world in trying to achieve these goals.
         If you dial O-B-A-M-A on your touch phone the “O” + “M” are both 6’s or 6+6 and the other 3 letters B + A + A are all 2’s or 2+2+2 which equals 6 for a grand total of 6+6+6 or 666.  If you dial O-B-A-M-A you will dial 666!
         In Daniel 9:27 and Matthew 24:15 666 is called an “ABOMINATION”.  In a recent Middle East tour Obama declared that the USA was “NOT a Christian nation!”  I would tend to agree with Obama since with dominating majorities in the House, Senate and Supreme Court Obama are rapidly and surely turning this nation into an “OBAMANATION”!!  In the Health Care bill passed on March 21st, 2010 Obama demonstrated that through skillful Satanic lies, deceit and bribery he can completely control the richest, most powerful “Christian??” nation of the world.  In what political analysts termed a snub, Obama did not dine with Netanyahu as promised during their White House meeting in March and by keeping the talks closed to the media, denied him the courtesy of a photograph with the president.  In addition Obama’s Vice President and Secretary of State took turns embarrassing and condemning the Israeli Prime minister.  During the Great Tribulation 666 and his FALSE PROPHET will be responsible for the death of 2/3 {Which is exactly 66.6 %} of the Jews in the world {Read Zechariah 13:8,9} and 144,000 Jewish evangelists who will be in Heaven with Jesus {Apparently martyred} BEFORE the end of the Great Tribulation. {See Rev 7:4-8; 14:1-8}  And so it is entirely possible that everything the future False Prophet does will be both abominable and OBAMAnable!!  OBAMAnable now is Commander in Chief and has complete control of the most powerful armed forces in the world.  And so Obama meets all of the requirements to be the future False Prophet of 666 which makes it a very interesting speculation.
   God says, “I make known the end from the beginning God, from ancient times. what is still to come!…What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned that will I do!”  Isaiah 46:10a, 11b    In Matthew 24: 9-13 Jesus says that during the Great Tribulation: “Then *YOU* will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of Me.  At that time many will turn away from the Faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of *MOST* will grow cold, but he {The Called, Chosen & Faithful-Rev 17:14b} who stands firm to the End will be saved.” I Peter 1:13: “Therefore, prepare your minds for ACTION, and set your hope *FULLY* on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is *REVEALED*!” 
   If you would like to comment call Richard at 863-651-4426 or e-mail RSchurz@Tampabay.rr.com. All Bible studies try to compare all of the Scripture on each specific topic. You can make copies of this Bible study.