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The Fourth Beast
"...The
wild beast shall tear them."
"After
this I was seeing in the visions of the night, and lo, a fourth beast,
terrible and fearful, and exceedingly strong; and it hath
iron teeth very great, it hath consumed, yea, it doth break
small, and the remnant with its feet it hath trampled; and it is diverse
from all the beasts that are before it; and it hath ten horns.
(Dan 7:7)
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A
fourth beast, terrible and fearful: While the previous
beasts were comparable to actual animals, this fourth Beast is not incomparable
to any actual animal.
The reason it is
not comparable is because it is an imaginary Beast that only
existed in men's minds. |
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Daniel's fourth
Beast is the anticipated character of the expected Messiah,
whom the Pharisees taught would be a great political and military ruler.
Like the great
seven-headed Beast of Revelation Chapter Thirteen, this Beast, at the
time of Daniel's vision, also "was,
and is not, and yet is". It
represented the abomination of government structured by men, yet
supposedly authorized by God. The spiritually lethal
combination of church and state.
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It
hath ten horns: The ten horns
of the fourth Beast are the ten commandments of God,
originally meant to establish the government
of brotherhood on earth - with each individual directly under
God's reign.
Again: The fourth
Beast of Daniel Chapter Seven is the portrayal of the coming Messiah
developed among the Jews of Palestine from the teachings of their
scholars and priests, and the latter's interpretation of the
prophecies of the Old Testament. In anticipation of Him, these
scholars had so twisted the Messiah's intended ministry that they
did not recognize Him when He came.
These educated
Pharisees, Sadducees, Priests, and the lay people whom they taught,
were expecting a glorious King like David or Solomon,
who would arrive as a great civic and military leader to liberate the
Children of Israel from Roman rule, and then conquer a great empire
for Israel as David had. Ellen White writes:
"They
had lost sight of the manner in which prophecy represented that the
Messiah should come. They were looking for a monarch, who would come
with kingly honors, and with great display of armies, as a mighty
conqueror to execute judgment against those who had oppressed them.
They were more anxious to be relieved from bondage to Caesar than to
be released from the bondage of sin and delivered from the power of
Satan. They coveted riches and worldly splendor above the favor of
God, that they might receive honor of men, and be exalted above their oppressors." {YI,
July 1, 1873 par. 9}
But governments
of men are impossible with God, since governments of men require
that one person to be exalted over another person.
"...Jesus
called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they which
are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them;
and their great ones exercise authority upon them. But so shall
it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall
be your minister: And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall
be servant of all. For even the Son of man came not to be
ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many."
(Mark 10:42-45 KJV)
Jesus' government
of the Kingdom of Heaven
is a Kingdom of brotherhood and Love - of the true Liberty of equality.
Judaism today
is still expecting a Messiah to come as a great
human political leader:
"The
moshiach [Messiah] will be a great political leader descended
from King David (Jeremiah 23:5). The moshiach is often referred to as
'moshiach ben David' (moshiach, son of David). He will be well-versed
in Jewish law, and observant of its commandments. (Isaiah 11:2-5) He
will be a charismatic leader, inspiring others to follow his example. He
will be a great military leader, who will win battles for Israel.
He will be a great judge, who makes righteous decisions
(Jeremiah 33:15). But above all, he will be a human being,
not a god, demi-god or other supernatural being." - (Judaism
101)
The ironic tragedy
of it all is that Jesus is the Greatest Political Leader,
breaking the bonds of enslaved men and women everywhere through
His Word.
He is the
Greatest Military Leader who ever lived, having broken in pieces
every empire or nation that oppressed His people. His Word has
judged and continues to judge kings and princes, presidents and
prime ministers. Today His Word, the Sword of His mouth, rules the
earth... and will shortly slay the son of perdition himself.
"And
as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All
hail..." (Matthew 28:9 KJV)
All Hail the Great
King of Israel.
Emergence
of the Little Horn:
"I
was considering about the horns, and lo, another horn, a little one,
hath come up between them, and three of the first horns have been
eradicated from before it, and lo, eyes as the eyes of man are
in this horn, and a mouth speaking great things. (Dan
7:8)
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The
Little Horn: This Little Horn represents the True Messiah,
Jesus Christ.
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The
eyes of man are in this horn, and a mouth speaking great things:
Jesus' teachings, parables, and sermons were often labeled
'blasphemy' by the Pharisees, and He was constantly accused of
glorifying Himself above God.
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Three
of the first horns have been eradicated from before it: Three
horns, actually three commandments, had to be
virtually 'subdued' or 'eradicated' in order for Jesus to begin His
ministry representing Himself as the Son of God:
Paul summarizes
Jesus' task thusly:
"Who,
being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be
equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon
him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And
being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became
obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God
also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above
every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to
the glory of God the Father." (Philippians
2:6-11 KJV)
These are the
three commandments that would have made Jesus' ministry impossible:
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"Thou
shalt have no other gods before me":
This commandment as it was written by Moses in scripture made the
concept of a Son of God, separate from God the Father yet equal in
purpose and power during His reign on earth, impossible for men and
women to accept.
Example: "Jesus
saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man
cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John
14:6 KJV)
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"Thou
shalt not make unto thee... any likeness of any thing that is in the
heaven above, or that is in earth beneath..." and "...bow
down thyself to them":
For Jesus to be worshipped as the Son of God, this commandment as
written in scripture was also impossible for men and women to keep.
Example: "In
whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which
believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who
is the image of God, should shine
unto them." (2 Corinthians 4:4 KJV)
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"Thou
shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain":
For Jesus to lay claim to His true identity as the Son of God, the
creator of the world, this commandment - as written in scripture -
also would have made His ministry impossible among men and women who
followed His commandments.
Example: "I
and my Father are one. Then the Jews took up stones again to
stone him." (John 10:30-31 KJV)
The book of Isaiah
records the strangeness of both Jesus' ministry within the Ten
Commandments and his ultimate sacrifice that we might be forgiven our sins:
"For
the LORD shall rise up as in mount Perazim, he shall be wroth as in
the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his strange work;
and bring to pass his act, his strange act." (Isaiah
28:20 KJV)
Zechariah Chapter
3 prophetically explains the necessity of 'subduing' these three
commandments so that Jesus could witness God's true character to mankind.
For example, during His ministry Jesus preached the two Great
Commandments on which all of the commandments and law were based:
"And
thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with
all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this
is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou
shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other
commandment greater than these." (Mark
12:30-31 KJV)
To the prophet
Zechariah these two Great Laws were represented as two staves that
God named 'Beauty' and 'Bands'. Using His stave
'Beauty', He 'cut off' these three commandments as follows:
"And
I will feed the flock of slaughter, even you, O poor of the flock.
And I took unto me two staves; the one I called Beauty,
and the other I called Bands; and I fed the flock. Three
shepherds also I cut off in one month; and my soul lothed them,
and their soul also abhorred me." (Zechariah
11:7-8 KJV)
The one prophetic
month during which He cut off these 'three shepherds' was the thirty
years of Jesus' formative life before He began His ministry. Jesus
Himself also had to ignore these three commandments in order
to develop as the Son of God during that period.
Zechariah
continues describing the complete 'cutting asunder' of both Beauty
(the first four commandments regarding God) and Bands (the
last six commandments regarding human behavior towards one another)
when Jesus is crucified, and our sins are remembered no more because
of His sacrifice for us.
Judgment
Is Set:
"I
was seeing till that thrones have been thrown down, and the
Ancient of Days is seated, His garment as snow is white, and the hair
of his head is as pure wool, His throne flames of fire, its
wheels burning fire. A flood of fire is proceeding and coming
forth from before Him, a thousand thousands do serve Him, and a
myriad of myriads before Him do rise up, the Judge is seated, and
the books have been opened. (Dan 7:9-10)
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I
was seeing till that thrones have been thrown down: The
thrones of the kings of the earth were symbolically cast down as
Jesus began His ministry on earth.
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His
throne flames of fire,
its wheels burning fire: Because the flame and wheels of
burning fire are under and about God's throne, the New
Covenant is not yet in place but is being "confirmed"
by Jesus during His 3 1/2 years on earth.
Note that after
Jesus' crucifixion, the Apostle John in the book of Revelation
describes God's throne as surrounded by a rainbow like unto an emerald
rather than fire, indicating the Covenant of Promise was in effect at
that time.
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The
Judge is seated, and the books have been opened: Judgement in
heaven was set when Jesus began His ministry on earth.
"I
was seeing, then, because of the voice of the great words that
the horn is speaking, I was seeing till that the beast is
slain, and his body hath been destroyed, and given to the burning
fire; and the rest of the beasts have caused their dominion to
pass away, and a prolongation in life is given to them, till a
season and a time. (Dan 7:11-12)
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Because
of the voice of the great words that the horn is speaking:
Jesus was crucified because of His teachings. The Words He spoke and
His healing miracles had caused the Jews to nearly crown Him outright
as their King.
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Till
that the beast is slain, and his body hath been destroyed:
Jesus is crucified, so the Beast that represents the non-existent
anticipated Messiah is rendered in Daniel's vision as slain and
judged, and destroyed.
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The
rest of the beasts have caused their dominion to pass away: Jesus'
Kingdom is established on earth, so the dominions of the other
beasts (representing Judeo-Christianity, Islam, and Eastern
religions) have now become part of the dominion of Jesus Christ.
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A
prolongation in life is given to them, till a season and a time:
Still the other beasts remain 'alive', for a season and a time
after Jesus takes His Kingdom. The Hebrew word used for
"time" here is the same as used to express a period of one year.
The word
"season" in the Hebrew text is used in the indefinite
sense, such that the American Standard Version of the Bible
translates it as "a period of time". Accurately translated,
the verse should read "till an indefinite period of time plus a
year has passed".
This indefinite
period is the same as the 1260 days, 42 months, and 3 1/2 years
spoken of Revelation. See
the Prophetic Time Chart for an explanation.
"I
was seeing in the visions of the night, and lo, with the clouds
of the heavens as a son of man was one coming, and unto the
Ancient of Days he hath come, and before Him they have brought him
near. And to him is given dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, and
all peoples, nations, and languages do serve him, his dominion
is a dominion age-during, that passeth not away, and his kingdom
that which is not destroyed." (Dan
7:13-14)
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With
the clouds of the heavens as a son of man was one coming:
This verse is a continuance of the scene played out in the book of
Acts when Jesus Ascended to heaven:
"And
when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up;
and a cloud received him out of their sight."
(Acts 1:9 KJV)
Jesus, who was
crowned on earth by Pilate, is given His dominion over all peoples,
nations, and languages forever - by God. All power was transferred to
Him at this point. God's throne next pictured in Revelation then, is
surrounded by the emerald rainbow of the New
Covenant rather than by fire.
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And
to him is given dominion, and glory, and a kingdom:
After Jesus was crucified, he became King of the Kingdom of God.
He'll remain so until "His enemies be made His footstool"
(Hebrews 10:13).
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And
all peoples, nations, and languages do serve him: ALL PEOPLES,
all nations, everywhere, regardless of religion, are the subjects of
Jesus Christ.
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And
his kingdom that which is not destroyed: As related in Daniel
Chapter Two, Jesus' Kingdom is the last, and will last forever. |
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The Interpretation to Daniel of 'One That Stood By':
"Pierced
hath been my spirit--I, Daniel--in the midst of the sheath, and the
visions of my head trouble me; I have drawn near unto one of those
standing, and the certainty I seek from him of all this; and he hath
said to me, yea, the interpretation of the things he hath caused me
to know:
"These
great beasts, that are four, are four kings, they rise up from
the earth; and receive the kingdom do the saints of the Most High,
and they strengthen the kingdom unto the age, even unto the age
of the ages." (Dan 7:15-18)
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These
great beasts, that are four, are four kings: Again, the
four Beasts are Spiritual Kings, as Jesus is the King of the
Spiritual Kingdom of Heaven today. "And receive the kingdom do
the saints of the Most High...". The saints after Jesus
Ascension include everyone on earth who believes on Him. At that time
we were given charge of the Kingdom in Jesus' absence. Jesus made us kings
and priests, even sons of God: His Saints.
"But
as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God,
even to them that believe on his name..." (John
1:12 KJV)
"John
to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and
peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and
from the seven Spirits which are before his throne; And from Jesus
Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the
dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved
us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us
kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and
dominion for ever and ever. Amen." (Revelation
1:4-6 KJV)
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And
receive the kingdom do the saints of the Most High: As
the people of Jesus Christ, we are now kings and priests responsible
only to God as our King.
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They
strengthen the kingdom unto the age, even unto the age of the ages:
Over the last 2,000 years the Kingdom has been strengthened. We have
thrown the yokes of nearly all oppressors off of our backs, and
instituted democracies - governments run by the people - in many nations.
By doing so, we've
come to a point where there is no oppressor to blame for our problems
except sin, which has led us to the verge of our own, and our
earth's, destruction.
"Then
I wished for certainty concerning the fourth beast, that was diverse
from them all, fearful exceedingly; its teeth of iron, and its nails
of brass, it hath devoured, it doth break small, and the
remnant with its feet it hath trampled; and concerning the ten
horns that are in its heads, and of the other that came up, and
before which three have fallen, even of that horn that hath eyes, and
a mouth speaking great things, and whose appearance is great above
its companions. I was seeing, and this horn is making war with the
saints, and hath prevailed over them; till that the Ancient of
Days hath come, and judgment is given to the saints of the Most
High, and the time hath come, and the saints have strengthened the kingdom."
(Dan 7:19-22)
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Teeth
of iron, nails of brass: These are hallmarks of Jesus,
who holds the 'rod of iron' and in Daniel and Revelation has "...feet
like to fine brass, as in a furnace having been fired"
(Rev 1:15).
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It
hath devoured, it doth break small, and the remnant with its feet it
hath trampled: The nature of
the Messiah that the Pharisees and scholars were expecting
discouraged many believers from relying on the hope of the true
Messiah that was to come. The Sadducees had even given up
on the concept of the resurrection.
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And
this horn is making war with the saints, and hath prevailed: Before
Jesus began His ministry, the saints were those who kept
the commandments of God. At that time these saints were, as
recorded in the Gospels, those who had made the law nearly impossible
for others (and themselves) to keep: the Pharisees, Sadducees,
Priests, and their self-righteous followers.
Jesus accused
those of this group who persecuted Him of keeping the law for the
sake appearance only, while inside they had become hard-hearted.
Jesus Himself pointed out: "They that are
whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I
came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." (Mark
2:17 KJV)
Thus the saints
whom the Little Horn made war with, and prevailed over, were
the Pharisees, scholars, and prominent people of the synagogues who
persecuted Jesus during His ministry.
He died to save
the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Priests - as well as those who followed Him.
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Judgement
is given to the saints of the Most High, and the time hath come, and
the saints have strengthened the kingdom: Of His own
responsibility, Jesus allowed Himself to be crucified by all
of His saints. By doing so He strengthened us all by removing the
yoke of the law from our shoulders and offering salvation by His Grace,
in the process 'writing' God's Law on our hearts.
"Thus
he said: The fourth beast is the fourth kingdom in the earth,
that is diverse from all kingdoms, and it consumeth all the
earth, and treadeth it down, and breaketh it small. And the ten
horns out of the kingdom are ten kings, they rise, and another doth
rise after them, and it is diverse from the former, and three kings
it humbleth; and words as an adversary of the Most High it
doth speak, and the saints of the Most High it doth wear out,
and it hopeth to change seasons and law; and they are
given into its hand, till a time, and times, and a division of a time."
(Dan 7:23-25)
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The
fourth beast is the fourth kingdom... that is diverse from all kingdoms:
The fourth spiritual kingdom in the earth is diverse from all
kingdoms in that the Messiah was believed to be coming not only as a
spiritual Leader, but as a great King that would liberate the Jews
from Roman rule and make Israel a great WORLD empire.
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And
the ten horns... they rise, and another doth rise after them, and it
is diverse from the former, and three kings it humbleth:
The horns represented as ten kings, and the one that is different
that rises and humbles three others, are explained
here.
The Little Horn:
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And
words as an adversary of the Most High it doth speak:
From the perspective of the Pharisees and Sadducees, Jesus' spoke as
an adversary of God. Other versions of the Bible translate this verse as:
More than once the
saints of the time, the Pharisees, Priests, and Sadducees who
rejected Jesus, accused Him of speaking for Satan.
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The
saints of the Most High it doth wear out: Again, the
saints of the Most High that the Little Horn (Jesus) wore out, as
referred to here, were the Pharisees and other scholars, as
explained above. To these people Jesus was an 'adversary of the
Most High' since He claimed to be the Son of God and said "I and
the Father are one". He criticized them for their harsh
interpretation of God's law.
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It
hopeth to change seasons and law: 'Seasons' here is once
again used in the sense of indefinite time. The King James
Translations and Literal Translations render these words as
"times and laws".
How did Jesus
change the law?
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He changed religious
law by fulfilling the Mosaic ceremonial law, thus ending
traditional feasts instituted under that law.
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He also changed
religious law by ending the 'daily sacrifice' by His own
sacrifice. Thus terminating the need for animal sacrifice used to
atone for sin before He came.
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He 'hoped' to
change civil law by laying a new foundation for mankind, where
the common man had rights and power to control his own relationship
with God.
How did Jesus
change times?
-
He changed literal
time as well, as we went from BC to AD, negative to positive, all
because of His sacrifice.
-
He changed our
times on earth by dying for us, giving us "life more
abundantly" by removing the enmity of Law from our hearts.
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He 'hoped' to
change times through His teachings. His teachings brought about the
end as mercifully, and as fast, as possible by
dividing Christianity so the truth could not be hidden by one
large religion.
Jesus became the
largest influence on mankind ever born of a woman.
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They
[the saints] are given into its hand, till a
time, and times, and a division of a time: The saints were
given to Jesus' hand "Till a time, times, and a division of
time". Jesus earthly ministry lasted three and one half years
before we crucified Him.
"And
the Judge is seated, and its [the imaginary Beast's] dominion
they cause to pass away, to cut off, and to destroy--unto the end;
and the kingdom, and the dominion, even the greatness of the kingdom
under the whole heavens, is given to the people--the saints of the
Most High, His kingdom is a kingdom age-during, and all dominions
do serve and obey Him." (Dan 7:26-27)
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The
Last Judgment has been in session since Jesus' crucifixion,
Jesus Himself being the first fruits of that judgment when He was
resurrected. We have been the subjects of His Kingdom since that time
also, judging ourselves by our lives and our judgments of others, but
so far He has been an absentee King, in the flesh, because we have
refused to follow His teaching of brotherhood.
"Now
is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this
world be cast out." (John 12:31)
"And
Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto
me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever
I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end
of the world. Amen." (Matthew
28:18-20 KJV)
Summary
Understanding
Daniel Chapter Seven as a spiritual rather than political vision
should tell us:
-
Jesus has been our
King since His crucifixion, and, as kings and priests under His
government, we have been running His Kingdom on earth. We have been
acting as His husbandmen in His absence, and passing judgment on
ourselves since that time.
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The Fourth Beast
of Daniel Seven is a different Beast from the First Beast of
Revelation Thirteen. Besides its seven heads and ten crowns on its
horns, since the Beast of Revelation is part Lion, Bear, and
Leopard, it is made up partly of the three major belief
systems of the world.
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Inspired men of
great compassion and the righteousness of faith in God founded
religions around the world. They did this to bring God's Love and Law
to the masses of their people who were suffering under governments of
godless men. God has assisted each founder and their followers.
-
God's Plan of
Salvation has prepared most of the world for His return, even though
we Christians (except for the courageous missionaries) have largely
ignored that world.
-
How long before we
Christians begin living our beliefs? How long before we stop judging
one another, realize we cannot stop sinning, and put on His Robe of
Righteousness to call Him back?
The only Ruler
with moral authority today in our Kingdom is Jesus Christ through His
Father. To Him only are each of us responsible, and no other
man or organization that exists today has the right judge our
behavior. "Oh let the wickedness of the
wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God
trieth the hearts and reins." (Psalms
7:9 KJV)
Instead of
following God's Government of Love for Him and one another, we create
governments of judges and politicians to make our decisions for us,
to 'protect' and 'direct' us because we do not hear God anymore, and
then we can blame government when life goes wrong.
This structure of
sinful man ruling sinful man is the same structure of governmental
supremacy instituted by Lucifer so that he could be exalted over
others, even God Himself, as has been related by Isaiah:
"How
art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art
thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou
hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my
throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the
congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the
heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High." (Isaiah
14:12-13 KJV)
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Because all of the
types of government we have attempted have led to oppression, death,
and destruction of the earth, we now know that Lucifer's system is a
lie - it will not work. Governments by men, under any name that we
give them, are doomed to failure because they rely on the system of
Satan, whereby men judge men while leaving God out of the picture.
Personally, I'm
tired of running His Kingdom by ourselves, passing judgment upon one
another. We have brought it to an awful state of desolation, and our
earth itself to the point of utter destruction. We have not been very
good husbandmen for our King to this point.
If we step out in
faith, and begin truly reflecting the compassionate character of our
King, through faith, hope, and charity for the poor, He will return
as He has promised. Blessed is our King that cometh in the name of
the LORD.
***
"These
words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said,
"Father,
the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify
thee: As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should
give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. And this is life
eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus
Christ, whom thou hast sent. I have glorified thee on the earth: I
have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.
"And
now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory
which I had with thee before the world was. I have manifested thy
name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they
were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word. Now they
have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.
For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they
have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee,
and they have believed that thou didst send me. I pray for them: I
pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for
they are thine. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am
glorified in them.
"And
now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I
come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom
thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. While I was with
them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me
I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that
the scripture might be fulfilled. And now come I to thee; and these
things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in
themselves. I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated
them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
"I
pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that
thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world,
even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy
word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I
also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify
myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. Neither
pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me
through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in
me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world
may believe that thou hast sent me.
"And
the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be
one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be
made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent
me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. Father, I will that
they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they
may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me
before the foundation of the world.
"O
righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known
thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. And I have
declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love
wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them." (John
17:1-26 KJV)
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