MORE THOUGHTS ON THE MARK OF THE BEAST

George Offerman

This topic is too important to cover it so briefly, and it is also the most misunderstood topic of all of Revelation.  There is so much information out in the public sphere about the mark, that one’s head can spin from reading a small amount of it.  However, the mark is so important, that it transcends Christianity, and nearly everyone in the world is aware of it, and are leery of the futile attempts by the money powers to instill some sort of system in which to control the ‘cattle’.

In a way, it is very humorous to give the incompetent, inbred idiots known as the money powers so much credit that they can actually instill a system of markings that would condemn one to eternal death.  The mark is a cosmic event, and as such, requires the presence of a supernatural being, such as the devil, to enforce it.  Too many people are aware of this, and the money powers, being of human origin, could not enforce this if even one percent of the population resisted this.  If we end up getting chipped, most likely it will end up being covertly done, by vaccines, chips embedded in products, clothing, cars, cell phones, etc.

This is not to say that one should take this information and become indifferent about it.  We are to resist this, because it is morally wrong to hand over our free will to other men, and not trust in God.  Those that can justify doing this, will have a much more weakened position when the real mark appears, and the mark represents instant judgment that is irrevocable.  Of course Satan is going to trivialize this, because no one would take it if they knew the true consequences.  Unfortunately, this supernatural being will act ‘lamb like’ until he gets what he wants.  Once he has an army of people with his mark, and knows God will not, and really, cannot intervene any more, Satan will become out of control and kill even those with the mark if and when they no longer serve his needs.

Two famous stories in scripture make the points.  This first is Eve taking the apple after being tempted by the serpent.  Gen 3:1-4:1 covers the story, and for brevity, I will paraphrase.  God instructed Adam and Eve to FREELY eat of all the fruit except from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.  The serpent tempted Eve, by glorifying the knowledge of being like a god, being able to determine right from wrong for themselves, and placing doubts about what God actually said.  Eve reflects this in leaving out the word “freely” when discussing what God actually said.  The serpent assured Eve “surely, you will not die” Eve believed him over God.  This first poison is: Doubt about God and his Word.

The second story is Jacob stealing Esau’s birthright by essentially bribing him with Stew. Gen 25:24-34.  Esau basically was so focused on the current situation, that he offered his future to satisfy a basic need in the moment.  Many commentators focus rightfully so on Jacob’s trickery, but not much is said pertaining to Esau’s blatant disregard for what is rightfully his.  A moment of weakness virtually changed not only his destiny, but that of the following generations of Esau’s line.  The eternal, or the permanence was not considered, but current circumstances ruled.  The second poison: present circumstances dictating decisions without considering eternal ramifications.

Both of these stories reflect the state of man during the time of the mark.  Like Eve, there will be seduction of a better life, and doubts will be sown about the word of God presented by the 144,000, and like Esau, many will sell out their ‘birthright’ or place in heaven for a very temporary stay of execution.  In both stories, the consequences were terribly minimized, and this is the devils way of getting one to do things they would not normally do, if they had full information.  During the tribulation though, there will be plenty of witnesses to the truth, and there will be the opportunity to hear and understand the ‘permanence’ of this decision.  God will FREELY grant eternal life for anyone not taking the mark, no matter what their past was and what they have done up to this point.  The devil’s message will be that most of Babylon will need to take his mark because they earned it.  Will people have the faith to walk in this matter?

Again, for prophesy to be accurate, it must fulfill all of the requirements of the prophesy.  The hope is that if nothing else is obtained from these writings that one would challenge those out there who are making claims the mark is either here or on its way outside of the trumpets and all of the other clear requirements written in Revelation.  As I have written before, the topic of the mark is the most discussed and controversial amongst many of the expositors, and my challenge to them is to explain the trumpets and timeframe of Revelation, to see if they can place these events.  To be quite truthful, the conversations normally end heated, and the people challenged have called me names, amongst other things, and basically brushed off or minimized this point.  This is a rather sad commentary, as they are actually advocating sensationalism over purity of the word, and in effect, end up scaring people with ideas that do not come true.

The mark can only occur when the man of lawlessness has been exposed, who is claiming to be God, and calling fire from the heavens at will. At least half of the population has to be killed off, there will be a massive one world religiously lead government, a death decree for refusal of the mark that is immediately enforced, the appearance and active ministry of the 144,000 and 2 witnesses, supernatural events, both good and evil, and literally angels in the heavens warning against taking the mark, or suffering eternal consequences for doing this?  Have we seen ANY of this yet?  How can anyone claim the mark is imminent, with any credibility, when NONE of the conditions of the prophesy are being met?

If you are exposed to people claiming to have ‘inside information’ on the mark, challenge them on this.  Challenge them based on scripture passages, challenge them to explain the trumpets, to reveal the identity of the man of lawlessness, the one world government and all of the other points listed above.  Most importantly, ask them about prophesy, and if God fulfills what he writes in totality, or if bits and pieces of prophesy can be left out. And finally, hold them accountable for their words.  Too many people make claims that God ‘informed’ them of future events, and when the don’t occur, the same people in effect minimize this ‘error’ but continue propagating the idea they are prophets, and many write books for money, and/or run ministries that can collect large amounts of money.  God gave this information FREELY, and free is the way it should remain.

MARK OF THE BEAST

 

George Offerman

"He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. And he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. His number is 666." (Revelation 13:15-18)


By this time, the survivors, in Babylon and elsewhere, are in “shock and awe” over what they just witnessed, and again, dead are everywhere, but this time through the orders of this lamb like beast and executed by what appeared to be angels of light. Babylon again, is earning its name ‘confusion’ as the surviving inhabitants are trying to figure out what was just done. Some are beginning to have doubts about the nature of their ‘god’ and may begin to question the powers that be about this.

The lamb like beast begins a rather rapid transformation into the dragon, and man of lawlessness, and begins to make outrageous demands of the remaining survivors, which are now mainly in Babylon. With all of his enemies either destroyed, or imprisoned and waiting execution, there is no more resistance to Satan, and he now shows his true nature. Since those that have participated in Babylon have not lived by faith and trusted the message of the 144,000, their hearts have grown cold, and their ability to now trust in the word of God is greatly compromised.

Satan is now preparing for the ultimate test of mankind. Satan sets up a test nearly identical to that of King Nebuchadnezzar in that he builds a very large image of himself and will require all to submit to it. Unlike, Nebuchadnezzar though, Satan is allowed to breathe life into this image and this very unnerving event will scare nearly all of the inhabitants into obedience to Satan and his desires.

Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. And he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name."

Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus." (Revelations 14:9-11)

The action now centers in the Middle East, as this area is now the centerpiece for the rest of Revelation. Instead of sacrificing animals for the ‘atonement of sin’ Satan will now require human blood, and will finish off the 144,000 and most of the believers with the seal of the Living God. The method used in execution will be beheading, and this method will effectively terrorize the inhabitants of Babylon into submission. The amount of blood shed at this event is considerable and it very well may be that there are several rows of guillotines going at break neck speed. Take the mark and be spared execution, or be beheaded with those that have the mark of the Living God and the remnant of the 144,000.

"And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshipped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years." (Revelation 20:4)

Cowardice will reign supreme as the vast majority will submit to the demands of the dragon and take his mark. During this time, there is ample evidence that God literally sends angels, who will be visible in the heavens, warning the inhabitants to not take the mark of the beast, at the same time they seen massive numbers of executions and amounts of blood unimaginable. God has such love for his creation, that when the time comes for this ultimate test, he will allow for very supernatural events to take place, and those willing to walk in faith will be given the ability, and peace to submit to death for their witness.

And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, “Write, Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!” “Yes,” Says the Spirit, “so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them” Rev. 14:13

The mark of the beast is translated as 666, and Scripture states it is literally a tattoo. Why this seems to be a more literal interpretation is possibly twofold: 1) Satan, despite being fallen, is still an angel, and angels are messengers and ministers of God. Satan is still under obedience from God, and has to obey his commands. God has mandated that 666 be used, and it seems one could make a case that it will be done literally as it is written. 2) Technology will primarily be wiped out, and there may be no other way but an ugly tattoo, which is also humiliating, and is reminiscent of slavery, going back millennia.

Unlike what many current commentators are saying and presenting about the mark of the beast, it cannot be an event outside of the trumpets, it must require the presence of Satan, lamb like beast, anti Christ or whatever term one wants to use for the devil, and there has to be the penalty of death, which is immediate, after refusal to take it. Scripture cannot be clearer concerning this event and God would never allow for people to be tricked into an event with the eternal consequences such as this.

For prophesy to be fulfilled, it must meet ALL the criteria of the prophesy, or it is not fulfilled. The mark is an eternal decision, and never in the history of the universe has there ever been one event that has brought about instant judgment for such a large number of beings. Therefore, to attribute the mark to some sort of chip, universal bar code or whatever the going story of the month is is to trivialize the story of Revelation.

I have been asked too many times about the mark and the attempts to microchip us. I am in agreement with most of the commentators that we as Christians must RESIST this. The primary reason is that I and others who see prophesy this way is it is ‘mark like’ meaning, the more one can be conditioned to a certain thought pattern and behavior, the easier it is to introduce the ‘real thing’. If a Christian can justify being micro chipped, for whatever reason, they will be more susceptible to taking this mark when it comes along. It is no different than any other sinful behavior; once one conditions themselves to breaking a rule, or behavior; it is only a matter of time when the same person will give in to larger and more harmful behaviors. Satan will trivialize this act, but will have a great show of murder for the non compliant. Fear will rule, and many will justify doing this without understanding the ‘permanence’ of it. Obviously, Satan gets the significance of this, and will force this onto whomever he can.

Again, cowardice will rule the day. The mark of the beast is so well known by virtually every religion and society on the planet. There will be no one who can plead ignorance on this matter, and it will be no secret when it happens. People will succumb to the mark mainly through lack of preparation, which is in essence lack of faith. Saving oneself by taking the mark will carry a penalty that will not be evident until after taking it, and this will result in the greatest anguish ever experienced by living humans up to this point.. This is the sin of the spirit, the unpardonable sin, and any semblance of the Holy Spirit residing within these individuals will vanish at the moment they take the mark. And the sad part is, they will be aware of this moment, as God abandons them to their master FOREVER

 

 

 

 

MORE THOUGHTS ON THE MARK OF THE BEAST

George Offerman

This topic is too important to cover it so briefly, and it is also the most misunderstood topic of all of Revelation. There is so much information out in the public sphere about the mark, that one’s head can spin from reading a small amount of it. However, the mark is so important, that it transcends Christianity, and nearly everyone in the world is aware of it, and are leery of the futile attempts by the money powers to instill some sort of system in which to control the ‘cattle’.

In a way, it is very humorous to give the incompetent, inbred idiots known as the money powers so much credit that they can actually instill a system of markings that would condemn one to eternal death. The mark is a cosmic event, and as such, requires the presence of a supernatural being, such as the devil, to enforce it. Too many people are aware of this, and the money powers, being of human origin, could not enforce this if even one percent of the population resisted this. If we end up getting chipped, most likely it will end up being covertly done, by vaccines, chips embedded in products, clothing, cars, cell phones, etc.

This is not to say that one should take this information and become indifferent about it. We are to resist this, because it is morally wrong to hand over our free will to other men, and not trust in God. Those that can justify doing this, will have a much more weakened position when the real mark appears, and the mark represents instant judgment that is irrevocable. Of course Satan is going to trivialize this, because no one would take it if they knew the true consequences. Unfortunately, this supernatural being will act ‘lamb like’ until he gets what he wants. Once he has an army of people with his mark, and knows God will not, and really, cannot intervene any more, Satan will become out of control and kill even those with the mark if and when they no longer serve his needs.

Two famous stories in scripture make the points. This first is Eve taking the apple after being tempted by the serpent. Gen 3:1-4:1 covers the story, and for brevity, I will paraphrase. God instructed Adam and Eve to FREELY eat of all the fruit except from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The serpent tempted Eve, by glorifying the knowledge of being like a god, being able to determine right from wrong for themselves, and placing doubts about what God actually said. Eve reflects this in leaving out the word “freely” when discussing what God actually said. The serpent assured Eve “surely, you will not die” Eve believed him over God. This first poison is: Doubt about God and his Word.

The second story is Jacob stealing Esau’s birthright by essentially bribing him with Stew. Gen 25:24-34. Esau basically was so focused on the current situation, that he offered his future to satisfy a basic need in the moment. Many commentators focus rightfully so on Jacob’s trickery, but not much is said pertaining to Esau’s blatant disregard for what is rightfully his. A moment of weakness virtually changed not only his destiny, but that of the following generations of Esau’s line. The eternal, or the permanence was not considered, but current circumstances ruled. The second poison: present circumstances dictating decisions without considering eternal ramifications.

Both of these stories reflect the state of man during the time of the mark. Like Eve, there will be seduction of a better life, and doubts will be sown about the word of God presented by the 144,000, and like Esau, many will sell out their ‘birthright’ or place in heaven for a very temporary stay of execution. In both stories, the consequences were terribly minimized, and this is the devils way of getting one to do things they would not normally do, if they had full information. During the tribulation though, there will be plenty of witnesses to the truth, and there will be the opportunity to hear and understand the ‘permanence’ of this decision. God will FREELY grant eternal life for anyone not taking the mark, no matter what their past was and what they have done up to this point. The devil’s message will be that most of Babylon will need to take his mark because they earned it. Will people have the faith to walk in this matter?

Again, for prophesy to be accurate, it must fulfill all of the requirements of the prophesy. The hope is that if nothing else is obtained from these writings that one would challenge those out there who are making claims the mark is either here or on its way outside of the trumpets and all of the other clear requirements written in Revelation. As I have written before, the topic of the mark is the most discussed and controversial amongst many of the expositors, and my challenge to them is to explain the trumpets and timeframe of Revelation, to see if they can place these events. To be quite truthful, the conversations normally end heated, and the people challenged have called me names, amongst other things, and basically brushed off or minimized this point. This is a rather sad commentary, as they are actually advocating sensationalism over purity of the word, and in effect, end up scaring people with ideas that do not come true.

The mark can only occur when the man of lawlessness has been exposed, who is claiming to be God, and calling fire from the heavens at will. At least half of the population has to be killed off, there will be a massive one world religiously lead government, a death decree for refusal of the mark that is immediately enforced, the appearance and active ministry of the 144,000 and 2 witnesses, supernatural events, both good and evil, and literally angels in the heavens warning against taking the mark, or suffering eternal consequences for doing this? Have we seen ANY of this yet? How can anyone claim the mark is imminent, with any credibility, when NONE of the conditions of the prophesy are being met?

If you are exposed to people claiming to have ‘inside information’ on the mark, challenge them on this. Challenge them based on scripture passages, challenge them to explain the trumpets, to reveal the identity of the man of lawlessness, the one world government and all of the other points listed above. Most importantly, ask them about prophesy, and if God fulfills what he writes in totality, or if bits and pieces of prophesy can be left out. And finally, hold them accountable for their words. Too many people make claims that God ‘informed’ them of future events, and when the don’t occur, the same people in effect minimize this ‘error’ but continue propagating the idea they are prophets, and many write books for money, and/or run ministries that can collect large amounts of money. God gave this information FREELY, and free is the way it should remain.

MARK OF THE BEAST

George Offerman

"He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. And he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. His number is 666." (Revelation 13:15-18)


By this time, the survivors, in Babylon and elsewhere, are in “shock and awe” over what they just witnessed, and again, dead are everywhere, but this time through the orders of this lamb like beast and executed by what appeared to be angels of light. Babylon again, is earning its name ‘confusion’ as the surviving inhabitants are trying to figure out what was just done. Some are beginning to have doubts about the nature of their ‘god’ and may begin to question the powers that be about this.

The lamb like beast begins a rather rapid transformation into the dragon, and man of lawlessness, and begins to make outrageous demands of the remaining survivors, which are now mainly in Babylon. With all of his enemies either destroyed, or imprisoned and waiting execution, there is no more resistance to Satan, and he now shows his true nature. Since those that have participated in Babylon have not lived by faith and trusted the message of the 144,000, their hearts have grown cold, and their ability to now trust in the word of God is greatly compromised.

Satan is now preparing for the ultimate test of mankind. Satan sets up a test nearly identical to that of King Nebuchadnezzar in that he builds a very large image of himself and will require all to submit to it. Unlike, Nebuchadnezzar though, Satan is allowed to breathe life into this image and this very unnerving event will scare nearly all of the inhabitants into obedience to Satan and his desires.

Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. And he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name."

Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus." (Revelations 14:9-11)

The action now centers in the Middle East, as this area is now the centerpiece for the rest of Revelation. Instead of sacrificing animals for the ‘atonement of sin’ Satan will now require human blood, and will finish off the 144,000 and most of the believers with the seal of the Living God. The method used in execution will be beheading, and this method will effectively terrorize the inhabitants of Babylon into submission. The amount of blood shed at this event is considerable and it very well may be that there are several rows of guillotines going at break neck speed. Take the mark and be spared execution, or be beheaded with those that have the mark of the Living God and the remnant of the 144,000.

"And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshipped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years." (Revelation 20:4)

Cowardice will reign supreme as the vast majority will submit to the demands of the dragon and take his mark. During this time, there is ample evidence that God literally sends angels, who will be visible in the heavens, warning the inhabitants to not take the mark of the beast, at the same time they seen massive numbers of executions and amounts of blood unimaginable. God has such love for his creation, that when the time comes for this ultimate test, he will allow for very supernatural events to take place, and those willing to walk in faith will be given the ability, and peace to submit to death for their witness.

And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, “Write, Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!” “Yes,” Says the Spirit, “so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them” Rev. 14:13

The mark of the beast is translated as 666, and Scripture states it is literally a tattoo. Why this seems to be a more literal interpretation is possibly twofold: 1) Satan, despite being fallen, is still an angel, and angels are messengers and ministers of God. Satan is still under obedience from God, and has to obey his commands. God has mandated that 666 be used, and it seems one could make a case that it will be done literally as it is written. 2) Technology will primarily be wiped out, and there may be no other way but an ugly tattoo, which is also humiliating, and is reminiscent of slavery, going back millennia.

Unlike what many current commentators are saying and presenting about the mark of the beast, it cannot be an event outside of the trumpets, it must require the presence of Satan, lamb like beast, anti Christ or whatever term one wants to use for the devil, and there has to be the penalty of death, which is immediate, after refusal to take it. Scripture cannot be clearer concerning this event and God would never allow for people to be tricked into an event with the eternal consequences such as this.

For prophesy to be fulfilled, it must meet ALL the criteria of the prophesy, or it is not fulfilled. The mark is an eternal decision, and never in the history of the universe has there ever been one event that has brought about instant judgment for such a large number of beings. Therefore, to attribute the mark to some sort of chip, universal bar code or whatever the going story of the month is is to trivialize the story of Revelation.

I have been asked too many times about the mark and the attempts to microchip us. I am in agreement with most of the commentators that we as Christians must RESIST this. The primary reason is that I and others who see prophesy this way is it is ‘mark like’ meaning, the more one can be conditioned to a certain thought pattern and behavior, the easier it is to introduce the ‘real thing’. If a Christian can justify being micro chipped, for whatever reason, they will be more susceptible to taking this mark when it comes along. It is no different than any other sinful behavior; once one conditions themselves to breaking a rule, or behavior; it is only a matter of time when the same person will give in to larger and more harmful behaviors. Satan will trivialize this act, but will have a great show of murder for the non compliant. Fear will rule, and many will justify doing this without understanding the ‘permanence’ of it. Obviously, Satan gets the significance of this, and will force this onto whomever he can.

Again, cowardice will rule the day. The mark of the beast is so well known by virtually every religion and society on the planet. There will be no one who can plead ignorance on this matter, and it will be no secret when it happens. People will succumb to the mark mainly through lack of preparation, which is in essence lack of faith. Saving oneself by taking the mark will carry a penalty that will not be evident until after taking it, and this will result in the greatest anguish ever experienced by living humans up to this point.. This is the sin of the spirit, the unpardonable sin, and any semblance of the Holy Spirit residing within these individuals will vanish at the moment they take the mark. And the sad part is, they will be aware of this moment, as God abandons them to their master FOREVER.

THE WONDERFUL BOOK OF REVELATION

George Offerman

One of my favorite pastimes has been studying the book of Revelation. I started at age 13, and basically had no clue what this cryptic book was referring to. Over the years through studying different expositors, praying and becoming familiar with the other books in the Bible, some aspects of this book have become clearer. The key to much of this is the rules of interpretation (hermeneutics), and when one does an in depth study of how other prophesies have been fulfilled, it makes it much more understandable how to go about reading this book. I will be commenting on this wonderful book from time to time, again because I have a great passion for it.

Too many people have made comments to me over the years that “you are obsessed with this, and it is a scary book”. There may be some truth to this, but I usually respond “Yes, it is fearful to a degree, but what scares me more is the continuation of the state we are in, which gets worse by the year. I would be more afraid of NO action by God, knowing things will continually get worse.” I also inform them that we win in the end, and that’s the main thrust of the book. God’s name will finally be cleared for the rest of eternity, and sin will forever be eliminated from this universe. We will also be witnesses to this, and have the eternal duty to take this message to the rest of God’s creation long after this is but a hazy memory.

Revelation is the end of time written in advance, so those of the faith alive at that time will understand what is happening and why it has to happen. It is a series of events (14) over a short period of time that will culminate in two things: 1) the end of sin and 2) the completion of the gospel message and acceptance or rejection of Jesus as lord by the whole of humanity. The fourteen events mentioned are the seven trumpets, which will occur over a few years, and the seven bowls that will most likely be about 30-40 days in duration. Each event is described with enough detail to understand what it is, and who sent it. It also allows for those going through the tribulation to understand where they are in the prophetic scheme, and to instill hope that God will come through in the way he has foretold.

For instance, I get in endless debates as to the 6th trumpet, the mark of the beast. There are many who believe the mark is either here (universal bar codes on all products) or on the way. The problem is, it’s the 6th trumpet. For this to be an accurate interpretation of this scripture passage, the first 5 trumpets would have had to occur, and be readily identified by nearly everyone alive. Since the first five trumpets have not occurred, the sixth trumpet could not have occurred. This is like saying Jesus was crucified before he was born. Prophesy has an order, and is fulfilled in that order as written, and it only causes confusion and chips away at the faith, when one picks and chooses from the prophesy, without keeping it in the order written.

Revelation was also written in language used almost 2,000 years ago. The first, second, third, and fourth trumpets described in order: a massive meteor shower that causes large fires, burning up all the grass and one third of green plant life, an asteroid striking an ocean, and causing massive tsunami’s and carnage, a comet striking a land mass somewhere, that contaminates much of the water supply and a ring of darkness (clouds, soot, ash) that cuts off 1/3 of the daylight and night sky, and through these first four trumpets, approximately ¼ of the population is killed (1.75 billion people). The language used back then would have been clearly understood back then, but it is still clear enough to understand what John the evangelist saw. God would not allow for details like this to be lost in ‘translation’ because it is too important for those living through this period of history to NOT know what is going on, and what is coming next.

The following three trumpets are called ‘the three woe’s’, due to them involving Satan. The fifth trumpet is the physical appearance of Satan, and this will be very glorious in its happenings. The man of lawlessness will be allowed to take bodily form and to appear to complete the delusion that he is god, and needs to be worshipped. After a time of counterfeit miracles, Satan will reveal himself for who he really is, and transform himself into the ‘stern faced king”. Only once he has secured the earth, through the first beast Babylon, will he show his true colors, and like King Nebuchadnezzar, he will require those loyal to him to take his mark, the sixth trumpet and execute those who refuse. Also at this point, he will eliminate the first beast Babylon, because Satan will present himself as the king of kings, and lord of lords, and will not tolerate competing systems. The seventh trumpet is the ‘close of salvation’ meaning, everyone made their choice, and this trumpet sound will be accompanied by the Ark of the Covenant appearing in the sky for all to see. Those taking the mark will have the very sickening and sunken feeling that they ‘chose wrong’ and hatred towards their counterfeit god will be beyond description.

God then judges Satan, his government and his people directly, harshly and with out mercy. The seven bowls last a short time, because the severity disallows for life much past 30 days. All resources are destroyed, the sun is allowed to burn brightly and hot, and Satan’s government is destroyed in front of all the people taking the mark. Satan is exposed as the fraud he is, by not being able to stop these bowls, and is humiliated in front of his subjects, as Jesus was when hanging on the Cross. Then after a few days of this, King Jesus appears, gathers the dead in Christ first, and those who survived with God’s mark, are caught up in the air. Jesus then slays the remaining wicked with the sword, or word from his mouth, and the world as we knew it is effectively ended.

There’s more, but due to keeping this brief, the story will stop here for now.