Life Matters

After our brief look at the plans of the world’s elite and how successful they have been, it is easy to see that the world is now largely “enslaved” to these kings of the earth. God’s family kingdom principles have been overwhelmed and this has left the people of the world completely vulnerable to the domination and leadership of those who wish power for themselves based on the serpent’s lie of inherent power.

Just as Israel was taken captive by the nation of Babylon, the same principles have led the entire world into a relational and spiritual captivity. Spiritual Babylon once again rules the world. The prophet Jeremiah explains how the whole world had become infected with this desire for power, control through a belief in one’s own power. He calls it the wine of Babylon.

Jer 51:7 Babylon hath been a golden cup in the LORD'S hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad.

Spiritual Babylon is addressed in the book of Revelation using the same symbol:

Rev 17:1-2 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: 2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.

God does not leave His children alone to their own destruction; as in the past with literal Israel, when God promised deliverance, God today promises deliverance to His people. Notice carefully:

Jer 50:28,33-34 The voice of them that flee and escape out of the land of Babylon, to declare in Zion the vengeance of the LORD our God, the vengeance of his temple…Thus saith the LORD of hosts; The children of Israel and the children of Judah were oppressed together: and all that took them captives held them fast; they refused to let them go. 34 Their Redeemer is strong; the LORD of hosts is his name: he shall throughly plead their cause, that he may give rest to the land, and disquiet the inhabitants of Babylon.

Rev 18:1-6 And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. 2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. 3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. 4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. 5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. 6 Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.

Just as God punished literal Babylon and caused His people to be set free, so in the last days, a message of liberation will come through the mighty angel (messenger) that will lighten the earth with his glory. Under this message the power of Babylon will be broken and she shall fall.

As God sent Moses to prepare Israel to leave the slavery of Egypt, followed by a series of plagues, so in the last days God promises to send Elijah to prepare God’s people to escape the clutches of Babylon and then a series of plagues will rain down on Babylon and God’s people will be delivered.

a. Turning the Hearts of the Children to the Fathers

This message of Revelation will greatly affect the earth’s population. It will be a stirring message that will bring people to a decision. The one man in the Old Testament who performed this work was the prophet Elijah. God tells us that the work of the prophet Elijah would be needed again in the last days to bring the world to a decision. Notice carefully:

Mal 4:5-6 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: 6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

In the last days God would send a message in the spirit of Elijah that would cause people to reclaim family values. This message would rediscover the true principles of headship and submission and especially the role of the divine submissive agent – the Son of God. This message will bring the world to a decision as to whether they would worship the God of the Bible and His express image – the Divine Son – and be part of His family kingdom; or worship the beast and his image and remain a part of the inherent power system.

If we study closely the work of Elijah the prophet, he did a number of things:

i) Warned that no more rain (channel of blessing) would come for a specific time period. By this, the false gods of fertility – the Baals, were exposed as a fraud. (1 Kings 17:1)

ii) He provided for a woman and her son who had no seed or channel of blessing – provides for fatherless and widows. (1 Kings 17:8-24)

iii) He exposed the fact that God’s people had forsaken the commandments – the life source protection system. (1 Kings 18:18)

iv) He brought them to a decision as to which God and worship system they would follow. (1 Kings 18:21)

v) He repaired the altar of the Lord with the correct sacrifice. (1 Kings 18:30)

vi) He released the people from a false worship system by removing the prophets of Baal. (1 Kings 18:40)

vii) He interceded for the rain (channel of blessing) to be restored. (1 Kings 18:42-46 )

If we summarize the work of Elijah we see that:

i) He exposed the false worship system.

ii) He protected and provided for families made vulnerable – he restored the channel of blessing to these families by providing bread and oil which is a symbol of the seed (Christ) and oil (the Spirit).

iii) He called for a return to the commandments of God.

iv) He restored the heart of the Sanctuary system by repairing the altar.

v) He brought the people to a decision as to who they would follow.

A careful look at what Elijah did, we see key components for restoring God’s family kingdom: the commandments including the Sabbath, the Sanctuary, as well as the direct practical role of providing for the fatherless and the widow with seed.

This message is described for God’s last day people as the Three Angel’s Messages. It is a series of messages to prepare them to be set free from enslavement and enter the heavenly Canaan.

b. The Three Angel’s Messages

The Three Angel’s Messages are God’s final call for the world to connect themselves to the channel of blessing system. Let’s read through them to see exactly what they say.

Rev 14:6-12 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, 7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. 8 And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. 9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, 10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture 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: 11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. 12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

The first message calls for people to worship the Creator (the source of blessing), be willing to enter the marriage chamber with Jesus by faith during the judgment in the Most Holy Place (of the Sanctuary), and call others to the same wonderful opportunity. This is the message of the everlasting gospel that removes the serpent’s lie from our hearts and keeps us fully connected to the channel of blessing. The appeal to worship Him who made heaven and earth and the sea and the fountains of waters is a direct reference to the fourth commandment concerning the Sabbath. This call to worship this God is a call to remember that all life comes from God; it is the very heart of the relational kingdom system. This describes exactly the work that Elijah did when he reminded the people concerning God’s commandments and when he repaired the altar of the Lord.

The second angel’s message is a warning against the system of Babylon first erected by Nimrod and continued through most nations of the earth. It also warns against spiritual Babylon which is the horn power of Daniel 7 and 8. This power as we noted was responsible for blocking the blessing channel system and kept people focused on an inherent power system in line with the serpent’s lie. It also warns against trying to please God with our works to show that we are worthy of His approval because of what we do for Him. Notice how it speaks of the wine of Babylon, this is the lie of the serpent concerning inherent power that has made the nations[1] angry. Elijah exposed the false worship system of Israel by causing the rain to stop and reveal that this system had no power at all.

The third angel’s message warns against following the New World Order system set up by the kings of the earth, that in the last days will seek to enshrine the inherent life power system and cause everyone to obey, just like Nebuchadnezzar did in the time of Babylon. The beginning of this message begins with the word “if” meaning that a decision is required. If you follow this system, this is what will happen – choose now to follow God.

When we study the story of Elijah, we see that the people clearly saw who the true God was because of the fire that fell from heaven onto the sacrifice. In this final battle of the two systems Satan will try to deceive people by producing miracles that will cause them to think that the false system is the right one. Notice:

Rev 13:13-14 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, 14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.

It will be difficult for many to discern the true from the false system of worship; to discern between the worship of the Creator and His Image (His Son) and the beast and his image. But there is no need to be deceived if we follow carefully the Bible principles concerning the family.

So we see that the Three Angel’s Messages reflect the very work that Elijah did when seeking to combat the inherent power worship system of his day. These messages:

i) Call to a worship of the Creator through a restoration of the commandments, the Sanctuary worship system and especially the Sabbath.
ii) Call to give God glory, which means to reflect His character. This reflection of character comes through the restoration of the family channel system. “The glory of children is their father.”
iii) Are an exposure of the false worship system of Babylon and its inherent power life source system.
iv) Call for a choice – How long halt ye between two opinions?

What about the praying for the restoration of the rain? This comes in the message of the fourth angel which speaks powerfully of Babylon’s spiritual fall. This message goes with great power under the direction of the Spirit of God. This outpouring of the Spirit is symbolized by rain.

James 5:7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.

This message that goes with power speaks of the fall of Babylon. As Babylon was holding people spiritually as slaves to the inherent power system, this message will cause people to joyfully be released from this worthless, desolating belief system, so they will cry “Babylon is fallen and now I am free”. This is exactly what happened to Mary Magdelene when she poured the precious perfume on the feet of Jesus. Her joy could not be contained and her joy made the disciples ashamed, especially Judas. Very soon a cry of freedom will ring through the world as people come back to the family system of God and get their value alone from Him.

c. The Revelation of the Father in the Flames of Hell

Before we move on, we need to address a few texts in the final part of the Third Angel’s Message. Some people believe these texts teach that God will burn people in hell forever. Is this truly a reflection of a loving Father? What do these verses really mean? Let’s look closely at Rev 14:10 and 11 again.

Rev 14:10,11 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture 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: 11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.

What is the wine of the wrath of God which is poured out without mixture into the cup of His indignation? This is the consequences and punishment for those who have rejected God and His family kingdom. We can find a clue to this cup by looking at the penalty that Jesus paid for those who choose to follow God. Notice what Jesus says about his experience just before He died:

Matt 20:22 But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able.

John 18:11 Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?

Luke 22:41-42 And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, 42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.

The cup that Jesus was speaking about was the experience of separation from the Father on the cross. When Jesus died with the sins of the world upon Him, instead of sensing the joy and love of His Father, He felt His Father’s anger towards the sins He was carrying. He felt His Father leaving Him alone. As His Father’s presence left Him, He cried out:

Matt 27:46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

The word “forsake” means to leave behind or desert. In the context of all we have discussed concerning the channel of blessing and God as the source of life and blessing, this must be the most terrifying event possible. Note carefully, the most painful and tormenting event in a relational kingdom is the breaking of a relationship. Jesus did not cry out the “nails and the beating are hurting me” – He cried out “Why are you deserting me?” This is the cup of wrath, the indignation of God, the Jesus had to drink.

The torment of those who reject God is the full realization of Who they are rejecting and how much they have hurt their heavenly Father. God will fully reveal to them how much He has loved them and how precious they were to Him and now He has to say goodbye. Notice how the Bible describes love in the Song of Solomon:

Song 8:6 Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame.

As the love of God is fully revealed to those who reject Him, it is like coals of fire that burn them. The torment and the agony cause them to weep and gnash their teeth:

Matt 8:12 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Another point that is important is that if Jesus paid the full debt for sin and that debt was to suffer a total separation from God, then the debt was paid in full. If the debt is to burn in hell forever then Jesus should still be in hell paying the price.

Another point that people overlook is that life only comes from God and that once you are separated from Him you cease to exist. It is the lie of the serpent that causes people to believe that people can live on forever and ever in the flames of hell. No fair-minded person could punish a person forever for a brief life of sin. This would be unjust; such a belief makes God out to be a cruel tyrant somewhat like Nimrod.

Remember that God’s kingdom is a relational kingdom and the punishment will be relational. The punishment is the pain of separation from the most loving Being in the universe and the guilt of rejecting such a person.

It is true that a physical fire will cleanse the earth and cause those who reject God to be turned to ashes, but this is not the focus of punishment, this is the aftermath when the earth is cleansed.

Mal 4:1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

What about the smoke of their torment ascending forever and ever. This means that the effect of the separation is permanent. As we have noted, it is impossible to live apart from God, so people can’t keep living on and suffering. The word forever in the Bible means “as long as it lasts” or “until it is completed.” Notice how the word forever is used in Jonah:

Jonah 2:5-6 The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head. 6 I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O LORD my God.

Speaking of the judgments against various nations during the time of Israel, Isaiah pens some familiar words:

Isa 34:8-11 For it is the day of the LORD'S vengeance, and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion. 9 And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch. 10 It shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up for ever: from generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it for ever and ever. 11 But the cormorant and the bittern shall possess it; the owl also and the raven shall dwell in it: and he shall stretch out upon it the line of confusion, and the stones of emptiness.

If you travel through these lands today, you will not see a fire burning in the towns and locations that were mentioned. The fire was not stopped and it completed its work of destruction and the effect was permanent. When we read the Bible carefully, we can be thankful that God is not a vengeful tyrant like Nimrod, but a loving Father. Jesus has paid the price of separation for us so that we can live eternally with our heavenly Father and His Son. Choose today which kingdom you will live in. Will you follow the true God, the source of all life; or believe the lie of Satan, believe that life is in yourself and face the torments of final separation and then cease to exist?