6-8-23 End of Days - Nearing the End of the Age of Grace

End of Days - Nearing the End of the Age of Grace – Pastor Mike Taylor - https://pastormiketaylor.blogspot.com/2022/09/end-of-days.html 43, “And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay. 44, And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. “ (Daniel 2:43-44) 11,“And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. 12, Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days. 13, But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days. “ (Daniel 12:11-13) 5,“And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. 6, And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration. 7, And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns. 8, The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.” (Revelation 17:5-8) As we studied the end of Daniel's book in chapter 10-1 we have explored the possible rise again of the “Holy” Roman Empire after it's defeat in 1798 and the Pope was imprisoned coinciding with the Catholic Church's influence over the whole earth dwindled and she changed her leopard spots and instead of a wolf, began to project the image of being harmless as a lamb. But times are changing in these final days of man's rule upon the earth and I believe the connection between Daniel and Revelation points to a resurgence of the political power wielded by Rome during the Dark Ages. DANIEL'S INTERPRETION REVISITED In Daniel chapter 2, Daniel is given the interpretation of King Nebachadnezzer's dream of a golden idol and the true God in heaven reveals the kingdoms that will arise after Babylon is replaced as the world power. Then at the end of the book, Gabriel the ark angel reveals the future of these kingdoms, their rise and their fall. Daniel was astonished and said: “And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? “ (Daniel 12:8). It was not for Daniel to know, as the future was forward some 500+ years before part of the vision was fulfilled, but another 2000 years to come to our time...our time of the end, when the prophecy is set to be completed. The two books of prophecy in Daniel and Revelation have given many scholars trouble understanding and the average Joe on the street steers clear of prophecy to his detriment, as “the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of the prophecy.” (Revelation 19:10b) Let us now examine certain aspects of Daniel and the book of Revelation to show how they are forever connected with one another, as they speak of the same events in different ways. In Daniel 2:43, the Word of God says that the seed of men will mingle: “And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay.” The great obscurity of this verse is partially cleared by a reference to Jeremiah 31:27-28: 27 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man, and with the seed of beast. 28 And it shall come to pass, that like as I have watched over them, to pluck up, and to break down, and to throw down, and to destroy, and to afflict; so will I watch over them, to build, and to plant, saith the Lord.” Daniel appears to be contrasting what man is endeavouring to accomplish by his own efforts with that which the God of heaven will carry out : 44 “And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.”(Daniel 2:44) Man will form his plans for uniting the discordant parts of this empire, by encouraging marriages between the royal families that rule the various component kingdoms. The allusion in this verse is to matrimonial alliances contracted between the Ptolemies and the Seleucidae : 6 “And in the end of years they shall join themselves together; for the king's daughter of the south shall come to the king of the north to make an agreement: but she shall not retain the power of the arm; neither shall he stand, nor his arm: but she shall be given up, and they that brought her, and he that begat her, and he that strengthened her in these times.” 17 “He shall also set his face to enter with the strength of his whole kingdom, and upright ones with him; thus shall he do: and he shall give him the daughter of women, corrupting her: but she shall not stand on his side, neither be for him”. (Daniel 11:6; Daniel 11:17), This did not, however, succeed in producing permanent harmony or union between them. Each kingdom fell until the Roman Empire became the strongest, “like iron that breaks” until they imploded from within and the kingdom was given over to Papal rule instead of pagan rule, which is a contradiction in terms, as both were just the flip side of the same coin. We discussed this in our messages, but let us move on when the truth is revealed in Revelation when is was obscure in Daniel's time. REVELATION, REVEALING PROPHECY IN JESUS CHRIST The testimony of Christ, a testimony of the most solemn character, is to be borne to the world. All through the book of Revelation there are the most precious, elevating promises, and there are also warnings of the most fearfully solemn import. Will not those who profess to have a knowledge of the truth read the testimony given to John by Christ? Here there is no guesswork, no scientific deception. Here are the truths that concern our present and future welfare. “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: 2 Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. 3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.” (Revelation 1:1-3) Beginning with chapter 1 of Revelation with the description of the One who stood among the seven golden candle sticks, with seven stars in His hand that represented the seven Asian Churches at the time, and the future which represents the time period of the Christian Church until the return of Christ. Thus there are three applications that can be made. -The first is the literal letter to the literal Church -the second is the application showing the time period of the Christian Church until the return of Christ, -and lastly certain aspects we find in these messages apply to the condition of our own Christian experience. This is a vision that was given to John by Jesus Christ Himself, as He spoke to John as the sound of a trumpet. Each successive period of church history shows that down through the ages, the church of Jesus Christ has had 7 periods in church history that Jesus reveals to John with the last being the church of the end times, the Laodecian Church of luke warm believers that have fallen into apostasy. COME UP HITHER The book of Revelation makes a defined shift after chapter 3 leading into chapter 4, as John is called by the sound of trumpet calling: “After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will show you things which must be hereafter. 2 And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. 3 And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.” (Revelation 4:1-3) This is a different vision given to John and they run concurrently, as God reveals the opening of the 7 seals of judgment upon the earth. Notice one of the first thing John sees after the description of “One who sat upon the throne” is 24 elders sitting on their respective thrones. Many people have tried to imply and to interpret who these elders are. First let us look at their descriptions: “And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.” (Revelation 4:4) Note that they are clothed in white raiment which stands for righteousness which is defined in chp. 19 of Revelation in describing the bride of Christ, and the armies who come back with Jesus to reign and rule. So they are clothed with the righteousness of Christ and a crown of victory. They have been in warfare with sin and overcome. (sin is only upon this earth) They are seen in heaven before the sequence of the seals begins and have been redeemed from among men. They have crowns of gold on their heads, which represents rewards for service. This is none other than the crown of life or crown of righteousness that the Lord gives to those that have endured temptation and have fought the good fight of faith, finishing their course and have overcome. Since they can't be angels, as angels are in service to those of the redeemed, the Church, then the vision shows redeemed mortal men saved by the blood of the Lamb. They have received rewards, they are seated, as they have received victory over their struggles with evil. The rewards of service to God Almighty comes only in one time period…the Bema Judgment Seat of Christ (1st. Corinthians 3:10-15) to receive rewards for things done for Christ in this life. They are a multiple of the number 12, as the number 12 is the divine sign of government. The only explanation is that this is the Church, redeemed from the earth and taken to heaven just before the wrath of God is poured out upon the earth. Remember what Jesus said in chapter 3 of this book: “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.” (Revelation 3:10) The original Greek tells us that Jesus is saying we will be taken out of this time period, not through as some erroneously believe. Beginning in chapter 6 of this Revelation, it is reveals the plagues that come upon the earth, starting with the four horseman of the Apocalypse. As Daniel saw in vision the rise of a great beast out of the sea and described in terrible ferocity, so too does Revelation speak of this beast that comes, but first God describes him as a rider on a white horse, with a bow in his hands. Revelation 6:2 “And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.” (Revelation 6:2) The man has a bow, but no arrows. He rides a white horse, which is a false sign of purity and righteousness. He goes to conquer, but with words of flattery, words of deceit, and political power given to him by other nations as their supreme leader. He has a crown, but unlike the King of kings, his crown is a crown of conquest and victory, much like the victor's crown of leaves given to Roman athletes in the Colosseum. We are reintroduced to this man in chapter 17 noted in the opening verses of this message: 6, “And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration. 7, And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns. 8, The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.” (Revelation 17:6-8) I've spoken of this in past messages, that the woman is a harlot. In scripture, the sign of a harlot woman is a sign of a religious organization that has prostituted itself to false gods, and doctrines of demons and devils. Greek porne - Meaning “prostitute,” “harlot.” Porne probably goes back to a word meaning “to sell” or “to export for sale” such things as slaves. In Greece prostitutes were usually purchased slaves. The Old Testament prophets often compare apostate Israel, which repeatedly went “a whoring” after heathen gods, (Ezekiel 23:30; Isaiah 23:17; Ezekiel 16:15) with an adulterous woman. Concerning mystical Babylon as a harlot (Revelation 19:2) For Old Testament passages whose thought or wording is similar to that of chapter 17, see Isaiah 47:1; Jeremiah 25:12; 50:1; Ezekiel 26:13. She has slain millions upon million of the innocent down through the ages and is drunk with their blood. She has a sign of her habitation of sitteth upon many waters. Exercising power over many “peoples” and “nations.” (see verse 15) The form of the verb in Greek presents the “great whore” as in power at the time and as continuing to exercise power. As the ancient city of Babylon was situated upon the literal waters of the Euphrates (see Jeremiah 50:12, 38) and dwelt figuratively “upon many waters” or peoples, (Jeremiah 51:12-13; cf. Isaiah 8:7-8; 14:6; Jeremiah 50:23) so modern Babylon is represented as sitting upon or oppressing the peoples of earth. (Revelation 16:12) This whore in but a metamorphosis of ancient Babylon who received power from the imploding Roman Empire and instead of Caesar became the leader of a pagan religion. But look again at the end of verse 8 of the above passage in chapter 17: “the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.” Who have we revealed as the persecutor and tormentor of millions of non-compliant Christians and Jews throughout the Dark Ages? Who has robes of scarlet and purple, pearls and costly jewels? Who was defeated in 1798 by France and “that was, and is not, yet is”? There is only one institution that fulfills every aspect of this description that seeks a return of her former glory and sadly, my Catholic friends, it is the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy headed by the Pope of Rome. I take no pleasure in warning of this “religion”, but even as much as I would warn of Islam and it's “religion”, because people follow a creation, and institution, a man-made parallel to worshiping God in vain and both, if a person is not careful, will lead those people to hell. Both proclaim a different way to God instead of the true way through Jesus Christ. This present “Pope” has clearly stated that there are alternative ways to heaven. “Just be good” is what he says giving a pass to atheist, Muslims, and any other aberration to the Truth of God's Word. Thus the head of this “religion” denies that Jesus is the Only Way back to God the Father. Jesus calls this institution, “a beast” which represents kingdoms or political powers. (Daniel 7:3-7, 17; 8:3, 5, 20-21; cf. Revelation 12:3; 13:1) The color of this beast no doubt representing a sinful kingdom, not just sinful but one that thought to change the law of God. 25 “And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.” (Daniel 7:25) The names of blasphemy with which it is covered indicate that it stands in opposition to God. Accordingly, the beast itself may be identified as Satan working through those political agencies in all ages that have submitted to her control. In certain respects this beast resembles the great red dragon of Revelation 12:3, and in others the leopard like beast of Revelation 13:1-2 . The context makes the latter relationship appear to be closer. The chief difference between the beast of chapter 13 and that of chapter 17 is that in the former, which is identified with the papacy, no distinction is made between the religious and the political aspects of Papal power, whereas in the latter the two are distinct. The beast representing political power and the woman a religious power. ONE WORLD GOVERNMENT AND ONE WORLD RELIGION I have covered this before, but for this message, I will briefly touch on it again. The United Nations coupled with the USA and the rest of the world are pushing for a complete and total control of every aspect of human life and endeavor by the year 2030. Agenda 21 introduced in the 1990's has morphed into 'SUBSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT” and their aim is a one world government. Stage right, the pope in Rome advocating the implementation of this nefarious scheme for complete control of planet earth. And it is reported that he has commanded that this be taught in every parish that he controls through his priest. Some will scoff, but coupled with the foolish notion of “climate change” the earth dwellers are being primed for tyranny and a one world government. What better way to unite the world, than to unite them in the same religious authority. “Which was, and is not, but is” and will rise again. She has inherited and proclaimed the abominations of ancient Babylon:Seduction. By seducing the kings of the earth into illicit union with her, in order to further her own sinister designs. Oppressive despotism. By sitting upon “many waters” and oppressing the people of earth. ' Contributing to human delinquency. By making the people of earth except for the saints, drunk with the wine of her political policy thus causing them to become her accomplices in her evil plot. By her fornication, she “did corrupt the earth” (Revelation 19:2) Drunkeness. By being “drunken with the blood of the saints, who had offended her by refusing to drink of her evil potion of error or to submit to her ambition to rule the earth. Murder and attempted murder. By plotting the murder of God's people, the “woman” of chapter 12. This political/religious organization has been anti-semitic from her inception and has attempted to destroy the Jewish nation, even through Nazi Germany of which she was in bed with. Note in the verses, that she rides the beast and controls him though from the beast perspective, reluctantly. She guides it's policy. The beast representing political power and the “harlot woman” the spiritual power of the last days found in the Tribulation and the Great Tribulation. But who controls this beast of Revelation...the Catholic church is but a tool of the supreme deceiver who will arise out of the bottomless pit. When the beast exists again as “the eighth,” “they that dwell on the earth shall wonder whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world when they behold the beast.” Remember the analogy of the sixth pope stepping down to take the helm of the European Union and then taking it up again from the seventh who will become the false prophet, until the beast “will burn her with fire and eat her flesh”. (For a refresher course, if you have not read part 1. then see my blog and read how the 8th pope comes into existence.) A very similar statement is made in Revelation 13:3, 8 on the world's attitude toward the beast of that chapter when its deadly wound is healed: “All the world wondered after the beast … And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” If chapter 13 refers to the same event as Revelation 17:8, it means the statement “his deadly wound was healed” (Revelation 13:3) is equivalent to the expression “shall ascend out of the bottomless pit.” (Revelation 17:8; Revelation 20:3, 7) In a similar way the words “did live” (Revelation 13:14) would be equivalent to the expressions “yet is” and “he is the eighth.” (Revelation 17:8, 11) The wounding of the head, (Revelation 13:3) the going “into captivity” and “the wound by a sword” (Revelation 13:10, 14) would have their counterpart in the implied descent of the “beast” into the “bottomless pit.” (Revelation 17:8) And “death” (Revelation 13:3) would be equivalent to the “bottomless pit” phase of the experience of the beast. The similarities noted here tend to identify the seventh head of the beast as the Papal head. If there be any doubt, then I invite you to take these scriptures passages and read them for yourself and then decide who the description fits and who is pandering to the whole religious world telling them to “Come home to the mother church” . My reader, the book of Daniel was a prophecy of what was to come upon the earth, but history has proven it to be correct. Daniel was not given the details of how this would come to pass, so it was hidden from view until the events actually happened. Revelation in comparison is written to “reveal” what Daniel wrote when that prophecy was given to him by the angel Gabriel from our ABBA Father God in heaven. Jesus came to flesh out the events and they are not obscure if you study them closely and compare them to other prophets in your bible...History is fast becoming completed in our modern times and all we wait for it the signs that point to the coming of a one world government and the installing of it's one world religion...already, the world is promoting a cashless society in different parts of the world into digital cash to monitor every transaction on earth. For one reason, and one reason only is control of the masses of the earth. That is what the coming Anti-Christ will demand, utter and complete control. I'm a firm proponent that the church, the true Church of Jesus Christ, washed in His precious blood which is not an institution, a building, (but members of His own body as individuals one at a time upon receiving grace and mercy through faith in the atonement paid for on Calvary's cross), will never see the actual in the flesh Anti-Christ, but if we see the stage being set for his revealing, how much closer is the Lord Jesus coming for His people, the Bride of Christ? That much closer everyday. The signs are all around us, from the Middle East, to Israel, to the USA, to the United Nations, and yes, even to this pope. I pray for family members who have been seduced into this false religion who have come full circle from a Christian home, into atheism, then the occult, Wiccan, and finally becoming an agnostic only to succumb to the Satanic lie disguised as the “rock that Jesus would build His Church on”...that Rock is Christ, not some religious organization headed by a “vicar of Christ”, but try telling that to a convinced and converted Catholic. (the strongest kind that are blindly convinced of their piety by being members of this cult). If you have come out of this harlot church, then praise God for His mercy. If you see yourself in any of this, or still being influenced by the idolatrous doctrines spewed by your priest, your bishop, or even this pope or any pope, then I pray you will look behind the curtain that hides their abominations by looking at their history and their hypocrisy...I pray for my family members daily that their lives are sold out to the real Jesus, not the Catholic Jesus who they insult with their false doctrines and blasphemy. Remember my friend, the Catholic church is not the way of salvation....Jesus is the way: “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No man cometh to the Father, but by Me..” (John 14:6) “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) This is Pastor Mike Taylor, praying you escape the apostasy that will fill the earth in the coming Tribulation. If you need counseling, prayer, or just a listening ear, email me at www.pastormiketaylor@yahoo.com, or visit me online at www.pastormiketaylor.blogspot.com. God bless all. TILL WE MEET AT JESUS FEET