The Abomination of Desolation Throughout History

THE THREE MAJOR "PERSECUTIONS"

Today, the Christian community uses the term "Abomination of Desolation" inter-changeably with "Antichrist." In searching for this blasphemous power, they have speculated much. Perhaps you have heard slandering theories pointing to people like Henry Kissinger or Bill Gates, accompanied with archaic numbering schemes that purport to total 666.

      It would not be prudent to only present "The Daniel 12 Code Revealed", which emphasizes the fact that Jesus in the New Testament and Daniel in the Old Testament both identify the Abomination of Desolation as Rome, without a follow-up. Neither should I leave one partially informed without a fuller description of what the Bible actually says concerning the continuity between Imperial Rome and the Roman System as we know it today.
      Furthermore, it is imperative that you trust the warnings in the Bible because Satan, who deceived God’s immaculate angels in heaven, has greater success with unsuspecting humans.
     He employs delusions never imagined by earlier Christians, such as bleeding icons, apparitions, locutions, distorted logic, and every other means possible to deceive the very elect, doing great wonders, even making fire appear from heaven” (Revelation 13:13).

Satan, who deceived God’s immaculate angels in heaven, has greater success with unsuspecting humans.

This means assaulting our sense of reason; they are the spirits of demons, working with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in those who perish; and strong delusions that they should believe a lie; for Satan knows that his time is short (2 Thessalonians 2:10, 11; Revelation 12:17; 16:14). These Satanic deceptions compel the Abomination of Desolation and its allies to seek world subjection to their religious dogma. This will, they suppose, reduce a global chastisement, while ushering in the anticipated millennium of peace (Flynn, The Thunder of Justice, 365,366). We must not listen to lying spirits and doctrines of devils but trust God's Word, as Christ says, "It is written, man shall... live... by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4).

Perhaps you, too, have discovered that the more someone says on a given subject, the more confusing and less plausible it appears; therefore, this dialogue will not be an exhaustive verbal onslaught, but nevertheless valid as we discover important facts.

Accordingly, I will attempt to give you a brief resume of what will hereafter be called the "Roman System" and the three major "persecutions", or "divisions", it must have undergone throughout history as Satan manipulates events within the boundaries established by God. I trust that you are somewhat knowledgeable in the scriptures and will continue to study the Word.

A PANORAMA OF WORLD HISTORY

You may recall that Daniel describes four major world governments that would rule this earth. The fourth would RULE UNTIL THE END OF TIME. The first was the Babylonian Empire, then occupying what we know as Iraq. Under the reign of Belshazzar, its last Chaldean ruler, Daniel was given more visions symbolizing additional characteristics of each successive kingdom. Without extensive study of these prophecies, it is sufficient to say that a messenger from heaven mentioned the next two empires by name: "They are the kings of Media and Persia" and the second "is the kingdom of Greece" (Daniel 8:20, 21). Before Daniel died, he witnessed the fall of Babylon and the rise of the Medo-Persian empire (the story of Daniel and the lion's den occurred under Darius, the Medo-Persian monarch). Then the kingdom of Greece ruled in various degrees until its demise in about 168 B.C. It then gave way to the fourth kingdom, the Roman Empire. Daniel 12 positively identifies its dominion by saying that at the time of Christ (7740), "The Abomination of Desolation will be SET UP [established]" and Jesus also identified Rome as the "Abomination of Desolation" that would besiege Jerusalem (see Matthew. 24:15; Mark 13:14; Daniel 11:31; 12:11)--the Christians fled after the siege in A.D. 66 by Cestius; then, Jerusalem was destroyed and plundered in the sack of A.D. 70 led by the Roman General Titus. Now that we have briefly established a historical foundation, let us continue our discussion of the continuity of the Roman System, the fourth kingdom, throughout history.

IMPERIAL ROME

Our modern culture has benefited much from this system in its earlier years. Although we now consider Roman Numerals archaic, many of our modern civil rights and laws are obtained from their judicial system. Regardless of the good points, Imperial Rome crucified the Majesty of heaven and then was "SET UP", or established, becoming a tool in Satan's hands to persecute God's people (Read about Perpetua on the Internet, published at www.revealed.org/ perpetua.htm ).

Under the dominion of Caesars, the Roman System tortured and slaughtered the saints. It must thereafter undergo its first major transition by being conquered, bringing to an end the system of Emperor worship. This occurred in the fourth century when Rome was defeated by the Byzantine emperor Constantine. The Roman System then made a transition from an iron strong monarchy, ruled by caesars, to a combined religious-and-political system under a Christian guise.

Before Constantine's conquests, the Christian church in Rome was no more significant than any other church located around the Mediterranean Sea. Christ's widespread religious system was originally known as a Catholic (meaning "universal") Church, not Roman Catholic. Rome occupied no preeminence in the universal church; in fact, Eusebius Pamphili, a Christian historian and bishop of Caesarea during this significant time of history, records only one major church council (synod) there before the fourth-century reign of Constantine, and that was to correct the errors of the Roman Church for not forgiving the unfortunate saints who had denied their faith under torture and persecution (Eusebius, History of the Church, Book 6, 43). A sober reality is, the famous Nicaean Ecumenical Council of A.D. 325 that attempted to unite the divided "universal" church was not attended by Pope Sylvester I; in fact, it was not even held at Rome, but Bithnyia of North Asia Minor which is our modern Turkey (Moynahan, The Faith, A History of Christianity, Doubleday, 2002, p. 121). Eusebius also attended that most significant meeting of the global church.

Initially the Catholic (universal) Church had four districts: Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria, and Rome, with Jerusalem as headquarters. After the apostle Paul established the church in Rome, he wrote an epistle of admonition and reproof to them saying: “The name of God is blasphemed among the gentiles because of you” (Romans 2:24). Something many non-Christians are saying today; Paul gives no hint of Rome having authority over other churches.
The Great Council at Jerusalem established procedure for the universal church and is recorded in Acts 15. James, not Peter, is the first "pope" and decrees: "Wherefore my sentence is... (verse 19). Clement, a first century writer who was mentioned by Paul in Philippians 4:3, agrees with this: "Peter, James, and John, after the ascension of the Savior, did not claim pre-eminence because the Savior had specially honored them, but chose James the Righteous as Bishop of Jerusalem" (Acts 15:13, 19; Clement, Outlines, Book VI--Eusebius, History of the Church, Book 2, 1.2). The Jerusalem church had a continuous line of Jewish bishops until the Roman emperor Hadrian (A.D. 118-138) banned all Jews from Jerusalem in 126 A.D.; then Mark became the first non-Jewish bishop of the universal catholic church (Ibid., 6.2). About two centuries later, Constantine divided his empire into two territories, the Eastern and Western Roman Empire, and upon departure from Rome he gave Bishop Sylvester authority over the Roman military.

As you now know, the Roman System is known today as the Roman Catholic Church. It boldly claims preeminence over Constantine's Eastern Church. Constantine is most famous for establishing religious freedom and liberating the Christians from pagan persecution; he also influenced the establishment of the Council of Nicaea (A.D. 325). The famous church historian and Bible translator, Eusebius (260-339) of Caesarea, Palestine, was mentioned earlier. He is known as "The Father of Ecclesiastical History" and lists the cannon of authentic "New Testament" writings. He said Paul wrote "Hebrews" in the language of the Jews and Luke translated it to Greek. Rome initially rejected the authenticity of "Hebrews", and boldly claims to have authored the first complete Bible; however, the Latin Bible translator Saint Jerome (347-420?) was not even born when Eusebius was asked to translate fifty Greek Bibles for Constantine.
While professing to protect common people from misinterpreting the Bible written in their own language, the Church killed Bible translators and perverted Christ's words to pluck out your eye or cut off your hand rather than sin to mean: The church has authority to burn Bibles, pluck eyes, remove limbs, and roast alive alleged sinners. One Roman decretal defends their practice of inflicting pain: "Bodily torture has ever been found the most salutary and efficient means of leading to spiritual repentance" (Pope Innocent IV, Ad Extirpanda, A.D. 1252). This was not enough; Christ' words that heaven would be destroyed before God's law change they perverted to mean: We have the authority to change God's law.

Bishop Eusebius writes of the agenda at the First Nicaean Council and says: "All things whatsoever that it was duty to do on the Sabbath, these we have transferred to [Sunday,] the Lord's day" (Translated from Eusebius, commentary on the Psalms, in Migne, patrologia Graeca, Vol. 23, COLS. 1171, 1172). At this point you should understand that a human council, under Constantine's influence, changed God's Sabbath Commandment of Exodus 20: 8-11, more than 1,000 years before the Reformeres revived suppressed Bible truths. You will read more on this in the next chapter; yes, some of the accomplishments of the Roman System are very presumptuous: "He... shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend [presume] to change times and law" (Daniel 7:25; Read about The Plight of the Vaudois at: www.revealed.org/vaudois.htm).

CATHOLIC ROME

Returning to the fall of Imperial Rome, this division of the Roman System into smaller parts is first discussed in Daniel chapter two: "And the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron.... [it] shall [also] be divided.... They shall not adhere one to another" (verses 40, 41 and 43). Again, the transition is described in greater detail in chapter seven of Daniel: A fourth beast [Rome], dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong... and it had ten horns" (verse 7). The Roman empire had ten major divisions; one of these territories would predominate and is called a little horn in verse eight: "I was considering the horns [kingdoms], and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots, and there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words."

The three horns plucked out were Arian, believing Jesus was not equal with God the Father. The Catholic emperor Zeno was instrumental in the eradication of the first horn, the Heruli, in A.D. 493. Then Emperor Justinian, the Catholic liberator, destroyed the second horn, the Vandals, in 534 A.D., and was so certain of complete victory that he officially stated in A.D. 533 that the Pope of Rome was the "head of all the Holy Churches." Then the Ostrogoths, the third horn, were defeated in A.D. 538 after besieging Rome (Procopius, History, 5.16.11). Thus, in A.D. 538, the little horn of the Christian church in Rome was free to declare itself sovereign, an illusion they have never forsaken.

Beware, the Bible predicts the lengthy reign of the Roman System, even into our troubled future: "I was watching; and the same [little] horn was making war against the saints, and PREVAILING AGAINST THEM, until the Ancient of Days came... [the coming of Christ]" (Verse 21, 22).

So, the first demise of the Roman System was essential in its metamorphose from a despotic monarchy to a religious format with influence over subordinate kingdoms. The religious form of the Abomination of Desolation during the "Spiritual Dark Ages" flourished under such titles as "The Holy Roman Empire" and “The Papal States" until dealt an almost fatal wound (Revelation 13:3). This will be discussed next.

AN ALMOST FATAL WOUND

The second "persecution" and demise of the Roman System is only temporary when this power would receive an apparently fatal wound. This occurred after the 1260 years (the Spiritual Dark Ages) in 1798 during the French Revolution. Under Napoleon's authority, his troops entered Rome and took Pope Pius VI captive; he died an exile in Valence, France.

To emphasize this important time of history, Daniel and Revelation both repeat the ascendancy of the Roman System for a period of 1260 days, 42 month, and 3 1/2 times (years). Under the Jewish calendar these periods all indicate 1260 days, or prophetic years (Ezekiel 4:6 and Numbers 14:34). This period of the Great Tribulation, foretold by Christ (Matthew. 24:21), would therefore last 1260 years and is what I call the "Spiritual Dark Ages." It stretches from the supremacy of Rome after Justinian's victory over the Ostrogoth's siege of Rome in 538, to 1798 (A.D. 538 + 1260 years = 1798 A.D.), the year of France's conquest of Rome.

One might ask, "Exactly why did France attempt the destruction of the Roman System?" The answer is quite simple, for the same reason people today reject God--the Church has failed to present a true representation of God's loving nature. Hypocrisy within the church causes "the way of truth ... to be evil spoken of" (2 Peter 2:2). Imagining they had the power to supersede Scripture with church tradition, enforcement required sanctions, the inflicting of punishment upon "heretics" for non-compliance. For centuries the Abomination of Desolation conspired with statesmen to force religious dogma and, by any means possible, to acquire wealth, including imprisonment and the confiscation of property, from their opponents and the ignorant. This travesty of God's will included their influence of French magistrates and kings to use violent means against their Protestant citizens like the Huguenots and Albigenses, who competed with their “infallible” doctrines. With cunningness that only Satan could invent, machines of torture were designed to prolong the life of their victims at the point of near-death; often the sufferers coveted the torments of hell, that appeared sweeter than the pains that were being inflicted upon them by these professed Christians. "But in his estate shall he honor the God of forces [violence]: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honor with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things" (Daniel 11:38).

As you can see, the Roman Church did not properly emulate the Savior. The most forceful action Jesus ever commanded the disciples concerning those who reject His truths was: "And whosoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them" (Luke 9:25). Jesus taught the church to "love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; that you may be the children of your Father which is in heaven..." (Matthew 5:44, 45).

Violent acts by the Abomination of Desolation against the populace would, as you should expect, foster hatred of God and the Roman Church. Athiestic France duplicated the techniques of Rome well. Honoring Satan, the "God their fathers knew not", revolutionists resorted to the same violent means to eliminate this abomination that so distorted the true principles of heaven. The French clergy, congregations, and bureaucrats, were fed to the blood-thirsty guillotine as countless thousands perished during what is known as "The Reign of Terror."

During this time, French ideology gave birth to atheistic communism by rejecting the truths revived by the Protestant Reformation. They exalted atheism by briefly conquering God's "two witnesses." This is the Old and New Testament, not Elijah and Enoch as some speculate; Jesus said: "Elijah has already come" (Matthew 17:12). And the angel Gabriel also indicated Elijah was John the Baptist (Luke 1:17). The two scriptural witnesses were "slain" in November 1793 when Christianity was outlawed and Bibles burned and dragged through the dung-laden streets of Paris (spiritually called Sodom and Egypt in Revelation 11:8) among shouts of glee and rejoicing.

Appalled at the carnage and their miserable experiment with atheism, after "three and one-half days" (Revelation 11:11), which are years in prophetic time, that is, June of 1797, the French National Assembly unanimously restored the Bible in its country and instituted a hint of the religious freedoms we enjoy today (Smith: Daniel and Revelation, 539.4).

Spiritual rulership was restored to the Roman System when Napoleon signed the Concordat of 1801 with Pope Pius VII. This agreement allowed ecclesiastic (religious) leadership by Roman bishops, but removed them from secular (civil) rule. Their promise to not intrude in governmental affairs effectively restricted the Roman System from violating civil rights and religious freedoms. As proper as it may seem to them, that restriction will ultimately be repudiated and church dogma enforced again by civil governments under the "mark of the beast"; this is discussed in chapter three.

So the second predicted demise of the Abomination of Desolation forced the Roman System into a period of compelled religious toleration. Meanwhile, the invention of the printing press allowed Bibles to be printed and distributed freely, and missionaries presented the Gospel uninhibited by major persecution. God provided His people with a rest from profound oppression so that His Word could freely "prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings" (Revelation 10:11). But that is not the end of the story as the Bible predicts the recovery of Rome. John the beloved recorded in Revelation 13:3, "And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and ALL the world wondered after the beast."

THE HEALED WOUND

In 1929 Benito Mussolini signed an agreement with Pope Pius XI. Called the Lateran Treaty, it formed Vatican City as an independent territory within Italy. This action gives the Roman System precedence over all Christian religions of the world because it again has political influence in every major country. Ronald Reagan appointed the first United States ambassador to the Vatican; Rome also enjoys representation before the United Nations--"the deadly wound was healed." With the hope of forming a global utopia for Jesus, during the completely "healed wound", Rome and Protestant collaborators will influence governments to enforce the "mark of the beast" upon ALL the world (Revelation 13:3, 7; 14:9, 11; 15:2; 16:2; 19:20; 20:4). Again, this will be discussed in the next chapter.

ROME FALLS AGAIN

God condemns organizations because of His truths they suppress and the sins they condone; therefore, Rome must meet final judgment. The third "persecution" and final demise of the Abomination of Desolation is still future, and is described in several parts of the Bible. Let us start with Daniel 7:11. "I watched then till the beast was slain, and its body destroyed and given to the burning flame." "But the court shall be seated [in heaven], and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and destroy it forever" (verse 26). "But he shall be broken..." (Daniel 8:25). And in the outline of the seven last plagues of Revelation, "The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom became full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues because of the pain" (Revelation 16:10). This is not describing Nero's burning of Rome which occurred about four decades before John wrote the prediction; it fulfills under the seven last plagues, when the very nations that give authority to the Abomination of Desolation realize their great error and initiate the destruction of Rome (Revelation 17: 12,13,16). "Therefore her plagues will come in one day--death and mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her" (Revelation 18:8).

The final destruction of the Roman System is no secret to their bureaucracy. The disclosure by the Vatican of the last vision of Fatima suggests great problems, an end-time “chastisement”, because, among other things, they did not effectively convert Russia to Catholicism. And Rome is very much aware of the A.D. 1139 prophecy of Saint Malachy. Its fullest description in modern times is recorded in the Catholic Encyclopedia published in 1911.

Malachy delivered to Pope Innocent II an unusual vision of the future when he allegedly names the attributes of every pontiff to the end of time. Those who trace this prophecy understand that the third to the last pontiff, called Ad Labore Solis in Malachi’s vision, applied to the late Pope John Paul II--he was born and buried on days having an eclipse of the sun (solis).

According to 1 Thessalonians 2: 8-12, Satan is restrained from appearing until Christ allows. In other words, Satan can not predict the date of his exact arrival from this twelfth-century vision. That means Satan will probably deceive by extending Malachi’s list with additional Popes, but Malachy only lists two more pontiffs after John Paul II. First, “Gloria Olivae."

The Order of Benedictines has a branch called Olivetans. It literally means Olive Oil. Malachi’s prediction says “Olivae” (Pope Benedict XVI) should be followed by "Petrus Romanus"--another bishop may arrive claiming unity with Peter himself (and see: Flynn, the Thunder of Justice, 1993, pp. 255, 256).

The last book of the Bible warns us of extreme end-time deceptions: "They are the spirits of devils, working miracles" (Revelation 16:14). The Book of Mormon claims one or more of Christ's disciples have never died, and will appear at the end of the days (3 Nephi 28:6). Likewise, certain sects of Islam believe a prophet will reappear (Esslemont, Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era, 15, 16). And apparitions of Mary are reported in many Catholic churches. These are most challenging delusions as demons appear in human form and tenants of spiritualism invade Christianity. Protestants and Catholics unite with spiritualism to battle God's saints. It will, says Jesus, "if possible, shall deceive the very elect" (Matthew 24:23, 24).

How can you possibly survive such overwhelming deceptions? You must not trust in those who violate "the least of God's commandments" while professing to be knowledgeable in the Scriptures. You must plead with God in prayer for knowledge of the truth and faith to endure. You must personally be an avid Bible student. In God's strength, you must live the truth. And you must compare testing presentations with God's Word--then you will prevail: "To the law [all ten of His commandments] and to the testimony of Jesus: if they speak not according to this word, [it is] because [there is] no light in them" (Isaiah 8:20; Revelation 12:17;19:10).

Malachi’s discourse closes by outlining the final demise of the Roman System as follows: "In the final "persecution" of the Holy Roman Church there will reign Peter the Roman, who will feed his flock amid many tribulations, after which the seven-hilled city [which is Rome] will be destroyed and the dreadful Judge [actually Satan] will judge the people." After this, the Church of Rome will undergo significant modifications.

Because organized Christianity wantonly altered God's law, divine justice permits them to attribute Satanic delusions and false visions to heavenly origin; they will finally introduce the Devil as the long-expected messiah "because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie" (2 Thessalonians 2:10, 11).

SATAN A SAVIOR?

The part that concerns me most in Malachi’s vision is the statement that the "dreadful Judge will [then] judge the people." Malachy wanted us to believe that the Judge is Christ coming to rule this confused planet. This is perhaps Satan's greatest delusion of all. This doctrine is known as the "temporal millennium" or “the age to come."
After Satan decimates the Roman System, and our noble attempts at Global Governance--through the so-called “International Community” or "One World Government"--has utterly failed in total chaos of our society and economic security, Lucifer himself will arrive as a savior and sit in the temple of God, showing himself to be God. Let us together study this important topic.

In Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians, he described Christ's visible coming and the resurrection of the righteous with these words:

"For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord will by no means precede them which are asleep [dead]. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel [Michael's voice, see Daniel 12:1] and with the trumpet of God: and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be CAUGHT UP together with them in the CLOUDS to meet the Lord IN THE AIR, and so we shall always be with the Lord" (1Thessalonians. 4:15-17).

This promise excited the Thessalonians who had chosen not to WAIT. Anticipating Christ's coming in their day necessitated that Paul write a second letter itemizing definite signs to precede His advent:

"Now I admonish you, brothers concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together [resurrection] to him, that you be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit [vision] nor by word [false teachers] nor by letter as from us [misquoted Scripture], as that the day of Christ [the resurrection] is at hand. LET NO MAN DECEIVE YOU BY ANY MEANS: for that day SHALL NOT COME except [for two things:] there comes a falling away first ['for men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection [homosexuality], truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof...'--(2 Timothy 3:2)]. And [secondly,] THE MAN OF SIN [Lucifer] IS revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that HE SITS IN THE TEMPLE OF GOD SHOWING HIMSELF THAT HE IS GOD.... WHOM THE LORD WILL CONSUME WITH THE BREATH OF HIS MOUTH AND DESTROY WITH THE BRIGHTNESS OF HIS COMING... [Satan comes] with all power, signs, and lying wonders" (2 Thessalonians 2:1-4, 8, 9).

Although the papacy has claimed the throne of Peter, and to be God's representative on earth, the ultimate application of this prophecy identifies Satan himself. Before Jesus' rescue mission, Satan must first impersonate God; let no man deceive you... (ibid.). The Bible is clear on this topic, "Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has but a short time" (Revelation 12; 12). And Satan will be killed at Christ's coming when this world is destroyed; the Roman System has deluded the Christian world into accepting different conclusions.
Protestants considered the Vatican the throne of antichrist, so after completing a year of study, Jesuit Luis de Alcasar (1554-1613) shifted the prophecies of antichrist to Nero and the destruction of the world to the burning of Rome. That explanation had so many defects that only a few teach it today. Another Jesuit delusion appeared during this time called futurism.

Nearly all major religions now follow these contradictions that were popularized by the Jesuit Priest Francisco Ribera (15??-1591). His futurism developed from 1537-1541. It was taught in Catholic universities by Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621), and almost three centuries later, Emmanuel Lacunsa. To counter charges by Protestant Reformers that the Pope was the biblical antichrist, it was first necessary they suggest the theory that an atheistic antichrist would reign in the distant future. This novelty was embellished to include, they suppose, the Jews getting another chance to preach salvation and Christ's literal reign on earth for 1,000 years; thus, they excused the prophecies concerning the total destruction of earth. This illegitimate doctrine is, in fact, adopted by many other religions and actually prepares them to accept Satan's advent when he impersonates Christ. This concoction was taught in Catholic universities during the Reformation and many Catholics now believe that Christ will soon reign on earth.

As you would expect, Reformers initially did not subscribe to these Roman fables. One 14th century pioneer of the Reformation, Matthias of Janow writes: “Lest the abomination of desolation should be plainly manifest to men, he has invented the fiction of another abomination still to come, [so] that the Church, plunged still deeper in error, may pay homage to the fearful abomination which is present, while she pictures to herself another which is still in the future” (Jones, Ecclesiastic History, p. 638.2).
To further deceive unsuspecting Protestants, several centuries later Jesuit Lacunza popularized that fallacy by using the fictitious name of Rabbi Ben Ezra. He even applied the 1290 and 1335 day prophecies that we studied in Chapter One to an imagined event in the future--an error many duplicate today. Pretending to be a Jewish Rabbi converted to Christianity, Lacunza's fabrication met success and was accepted by unsuspecting Protestants. Edward Irving, a preacher of the Scottish Church, translated it to English. Irving later discovered the book was a Jesuit production but had already accepted its teaching so fully that he formed a new pentecostal-type church, The Catholic Apostolic Church, and his followers were nicknamed "Irvingites." Scottish Protestants later added the theory that the coming resurrection was like a thief in the night and invisible to the wicked; hence, the "secret rapture" theory was born. Therefore, the millennium of peace on earth, invented by the Abomination of Desolation, was embraced by Protestants and contaminated with the rapture fable. This malignant cancer has now metastasized and putrefies unsuspecting Christians who believe it doctrinally sound--the truth is literally Left Behind.

Adolph Hitler said, "tell a lie, tell it often enough and the people will believe it." To subscribe to these popular fabrications requires one to overlook the scriptural warnings of the total destruction of earth. Perhaps my language of warning appears strong in condemnation, but this doctrine is Satan's greatest masterpiece and “will deceive the very elect, were that possible.” And the Daniel 12 code helps us understand the fallacy of these dangerous positions because they were created by the Abomination of Desolation, and constitute ingredients in the wine of Babylon (confusion) "that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine" (Revelation 14:8).

Truly, there is a resurrection of the just, but it is no secret because "every eye shall see Him." Jesus only comes as a "thief in the night" to those who did not prepare (Revelation 1:7). A computer search of the "New Testament" shows two prominent occurrences of thief in the night and it is NO SECRET when "sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape" (2 Thessalonians 5:2, 3). "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up" (2 Peter 3:10). Obviously, the date of Christ's coming is the secret, but the event is no secret and He will not reign on earth at this time because our world is demolished (dissolved, Ibid., verse 11); then, as you have learned, it remains in this destroyed condition for 1,000 years.

OUR WORLD IS DESTROYED

Christ will certainly reign forever on earth, but 1,000 years from now--the Bible is precise--at Christ's SECOND coming there will be no utopia here, NO MILLENNIUM OF PEACE ON EARTH. This is a Satanic delusion. We will be rescued from the holocaust on earth at the great harvest of mankind, and are going to heaven to those mansions He has prepared for the redeemed (John 14:1-4). And in Isaiah we read, "They are all gathered together and come to you.... Who are these that fly as a cloud, as a dove to their nest?" (Isaiah 60: 1-8). The saints will ascend to Heaven and this present earth will be totally destroyed during the millennium.

Many prognosticators of the so called "age-to-come theory"--a coming millennium of peace and safety--feel that the scriptural translations of earth's demise are erroneous. For the benefit of those who do not trust their Protestant or Catholic Bibles, they should study Isaiah 24 from several different translations, including the English translation of the Holy Scriptures produced by the Jewish Publication Society of America. That Bible is a non-Gentile translation, and almost verbatim with the King James Bible which is quoted here:

(17) "Terror, and the pit, and the trap, are upon you, O inhabitant of the earth. (18) And it shall come to pass, that he who flees from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that comes up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the trap: for the windows on high are opened, and the foundations of the earth do shake. (19) The earth is utterly broken, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly. (20) The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and will be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof will be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and NOT RISE AGAIN. (21) And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord will punish the host of the high heaven on high [e. g., Lucifer and his fallen angels]. And the kings of the earth upon the earth [including the Roman System]. (22) And they will be gathered together as prisoners are gathered in the dungeon, and shall be shut up in the prison [the grave], and after many days [1,000 years, see Revelation 20:1-3] they will be punished. (23) THEN the moon will be confounded, and the sun ashamed; for the Lord of hosts will [then] reign [on this newly re-created earth] in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before His ancients gloriously." Isaiah 24:17-23

This current world will "NOT RISE AGAIN" (verse 20) and will be TOTALLY RE-CREATED after the seventh millennium (remember the 8010 in our previous study: "Blessed is he who WAITS, and comes to the 1335 days"--8010, e.g., the 80th century and 10% redeemed--Daniel 12: 12; and "All these things shall be finished, verse 7).

Chapter four of Jeremiah records a view of earth after Armageddon, during the seventh millennium, when this planet is reduced to the similar "without form and void" condition existing before creation week (see Genesis 1:2).

"I beheld the earth, and lo, it was without form and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. I beheld the mountains, and lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. I beheld, and, lo, THERE WAS NO MAN, and all the birds of the heavens were fled [disappeared]. I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and ALL THE CITIES THEREOF WERE BROKEN DOWN at the presence of the Lord, and by [before] His fierce anger" (Jeremiah 4:23-26).

The Bible is quite clear, the only millennium of peace is not on this planet, but will be among the glories of paradise in heaven.

SATAN'S FIRST DEATH

Another thought that conflicts with popular theology, and that is essential to properly understand God's dealing with sin, is the fact that God is the only one with the inherent propensity to live forever. As recorded by Paul: "The King of kings, and Lord of lords, who ONLY HAS IMMORTALITY, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto..." (1 Timothy 6: 15, 16). If God is the only immortal being, what happens to the devil? Well, he is mortal AND DIES like the rest of the wicked in the soon coming battle of Armageddon, except for one small difference which we will now discover as Isaiah 14 describes Lucifer's plight: (verse 15) "Yet you [Lucifer] shall be brought down to Sheol [the grave], to the lowest depths of the pit. (18) All the kings of the nations, all of them sleep [have died] in glory, everyone in his own house [tomb]; but you are CAST OUT OF YOUR GRAVE like an abominable branch. (20) YOU WILL NOT BE JOINED WITH THEM IN BURIAL...."

Lucifer is resurrected, and will not be allowed to remain in the grave for the 1,000 years of earth's devastation. It is odd that although we profess to believe the Bible, and it tells that the Lord "shall destroy [Lucifer, sitting in the temple of God] with the brightness of his coming" (2 Thessalonians. 2:4, 8), that we are reluctant to say that Satan will be killed in the near future?

Let us read about Satan's "perdition", the only "purgatory" you will find in the Bible: "Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years: and he cast him into the bottomless pit [Greek: abbuso--this ruined earth], and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more TILL THE THOUSAND YEARS WERE FINISHED. But after these things he must be released for a little while.... but the rest of the [wicked] dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished" (Revelation 20: 1, 2, 5). Again, this is our 80th century (8010), 1,000 years in the future.

SECOND DEATH OF THE WICKED AND LUCIFER

This far we have established that Satan has used the Roman System to fulfill his purposes--they are both ultimately destroyed. And after the soon-approaching destruction of earth, Lucifer is raised from the grave to wander the ashes of this desolate planet for a thousand years, knowing that he will face judgment when Christ returns with the Holy City. When we speak of the Roman System, we are really speaking of Lucifer because he is responsible for all evil. So, let us terminate this discourse on the Roman System by discussing Lucifer's fate after 7,000 years of his ignoble attempt to rule earth.

For brevity, we will only use a few verses to document his demise. The first is in Revelation 20, verses seven and eight which reads: "Now when THE THOUSAND YEARS ARE EXPIRED, Satan will be released for a little while from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog* and Magog*, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sands of the sea." At this point, the wicked "nations" are resurrected to life. Satan's "purgatory" is over; he is no longer bound by isolation, and has the same people who were previously gullible to his deceptions to delude for one final attack. Continuing with verse nine: "They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city [the New Jerusalem from Heaven (Revelation 21:1-27)]. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured THEM" (Lucifer and the resurrected wicked). Please notice that the word "THEM" is plural, meaning they are ALL consumed by fire--this is the "second death" (Revelation 2:11; 20:6, 14; 21:8).

This battle is again described by Zechariah and is what we today might call "spontaneous human combustion." This is the fate of the wicked: "And this shall be the plague wherewith the Lord will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away as they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongues shall consume away in their mouths" (Ibid. 14:12). The final application of these verses is when Lucifer and the wicked are NOT alive throughout eternity; that is, when all is finished and they are eliminated FOREVER.

There is another text found in Ezekiel 28 that also describes Lucifer's death. This verse is not quoted by Bible expositors who advocate the doctrine of a continuous punishing in Hell or Purgatory for those who have sinned against God. Beginning with verse 12, Ezekiel describes Lucifer's beauty and perfection, his pride and loss of glory, and then says: "Therefore have I brought FIRE from the MIDST OF YOU [internal combustion], it has DEVOURED YOU, and I have TURNED YOU TO ASHES upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold you. All they that know you among the peoples will be appalled at you. You are now a terror, AND YOU WILL NEVER BE ANY MORE" (verses 18 and 19). Heaven has sentenced the wicked to everlasting destruction. Any portion that is not consumed by the incinerating fire will be, like the infamous Herod, consumed by scavenging worms--nothing can quench, terminate, or save the condemned wicked before they cease to exist: "And they shall be an abhorrence to all humanity"; and the saints will "look upon the carcasses [corpses] of the [dead] men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die [prematurely], neither shall their fire be [wantonly] quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh” (See Isaiah 66: 24; Mark 9: 45, 46; Acts 12:23).

Hell fire is much hotter than most people think. To turn "you to ashes", crematories exceed 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit (538 c.). That means the temperature of Hell is more intense--it rapidly destroys the wicked and Lucifer--they are "devoured" to nothing. Not existing forever is an eternal punishment, not an eternal punishing; there is a difference, you know.

The concept of eternal death for the wicked may be new to you. It is discussed a little more here because it is essential that you understand this as we study God's elimination of the sin problem from His universe and the complete restoration of earth to its original state.

THE FATHER OF LIES

Let me again direct your attention to Revelation 20 where it describes the destruction of the wicked AFTER 1,000 years. Previously I marked Gog and Magog with asterisks (*). Most Bible teachers apply these verses to Communist or Arab countries that, they say, will attack Israel while the saints are supposedly raptured to heaven for seven years, but this scripture has another application. First, you should recall that Satan himself attempts to rule from the Holy Land before he is killed in Armageddon. Just how long this charlatan can deceive the inhabitants of earth is a subject of debate; most theorize either three and one-half, or seven years. He falsely promises eternal life for those upon which the seven last plagues of Revelation 16 will fall, including the seventh plague of death in Armageddon. Scripture is plain on one point, Satan knows that his time is short, and makes war with the remnant people "who keep the commandments of God" (Revelation 12:17).

While these plagues are falling, God's people are not mysteriously "raptured" to heaven because words of encouragement are spoken to them in Revelation. After six plagues, and immediately before the last plague of Armageddon, Jesus encourages the saints to endure a little longer: "Behold I come as a thief, Blessed is he that watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame"--take note, Jesus does not "come as a thief" before the plagues like popular theories suggest (Revelation. 16: 15). And, "Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus" (Ibid. 14:12). Since Satan's war is against those who keep God's Ten Commandments, it is apparent that some will not comply with Satan's attempt to change God's Sabbath to his counterfeit day, Sunday.

This false Sabbath has been so effectively substituted by the Roman System and will now be verified personally from Lucifer's mouth. When the deceived finally realize the Saints are the ones shielded by God to be translated without experiencing death, and this majestic-looking creature professing to be God is really the Devil who deceived them, it is too late. Their only recourse is to attempt his destruction. Realizing that they have lost eternal life because of Lucifer's lying, their frustration is turned against him. "I will bring strangers upon you, the terrible of the nations: and they will draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom, and they will defile your brightness. They will bring you down to the pit [grave], and you will die.... You will die the deaths of the uncircumcised by the hand of strangers: for I have spoken it, says the Lord God" (Ezekiel 28:7-10). This is the first application of Gog and Magog--the military assaults against Israel (Armageddon) trigger uncontrollable events that kill Lucifer and destroy the earth. At this time Christ harvests the earth of His faithful saints, "and... [we] will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever" (Psalms 23:6).

SECOND DEATH OF THE WICKED

During the second destruction of Gog and Magog the scene repeats on a much larger scale after the seventh millennium, 1,000 years in the future, when Christ comes with His redeemed in the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, to re-create planet earth. "For thus says the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he has established it, he created it not in vain, HE FORMED IT TO BE INHABITED, I [am] the LORD; and [there is] none else" (Isaiah 45:18). All the resurrected militants (as many as the sands of the seashore--Revelation 20:8) who lived throughout history are now destroyed FOREVER. This is the final destruction of the wicked and Lucifer. It takes place AFTER he roams this devastated planet alone for 1,000 years. Then he mobilizes the RESURRECTED WICKED to battle against the Holy city that descends to earth (Revelation 21:1-5). Gog, Magog and other nations attack Israel "after many days" (8010, and see Ezekiel 38:8). The description of this confrontation leaves no doubt that everyone attacking Israel is destroyed. Let us peruse a few sentences:

"Surely in that day there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel, so that the fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, the beasts of the field, all creeping things that creep on the earth, and all men who are on the face of the earth shall shake AT MY PRESENCE. The mountains shall be thrown down, the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground... And I will bring him to judgment with pestilence and bloodshed; I will rain down on him, on his troops and on the many peoples who are with him flooding rain, great hailstones, fire, and brimstone" (Ezekiel 38:19, 20, 22).

The next chapter describes a clean-up campaign where the bones of the wicked are buried to eliminate all evidence of sin from this planet, and the Israel of God is restored in Canaan with the New Jerusalem FOREVER. The Lord says: "And I will not hide My face from them anymore; for I shall have poured out My Spirit on the house of Israel, says the Lord God" (Ezekiel 39; 29).

LET US PUT IT ALL TOGETHER

Now, my friends, you have learned the significant points about the Abomination of Desolation. Satan used the Roman System to persecute God's people at the time of Christ, and then forced religious dogma throughout medieval history. This persecution has now diminished temporarily to allow the Bible to be freely presented to the entire world as Jesus accurately predicted: "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come" (Matthew 24:14).

After the Abomination of Desolation meets judgments under the fifth plague, and immediately before Christ comes, Lucifer will be here in person impersonating Jesus, and then he is briefly destroyed in Armageddon. After this, Lucifer is resurrected and forced to wander alone through the ashes of this destroyed planet for 1,000 years. As God rested from His works on the seventh day, Lucifer rests from his works during the seventh millennium. He contemplates the results of his rebellion against Heaven. He cannot say, like God, "It was very good" (Genesis 1: 31). And he awaits the second resurrection of the wicked. These he marshals to attack the Holy City that descends from heaven. At the beginning of the eighth millennium (80th century from the Edenic fall, and 1,000 years in the future), this final act of violence is met with the second death of Lucifer and the wicked.

The controversy between good and evil will be over and sin and sinners are eradicated from God's universe: "The wages of sin is [eternal] death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23).

DANIEL 12 IS IMPORTANT FOR TODAY

Thank you for struggling through this chapter. Undoubtedly some of these thoughts are new to you. They will become clearer as we repeat them in context in other chapters.

We hope the information has helped you understand more clearly about the conflict between good and evil, and exactly why Christianity has insulted God's name. And why so many atrocities, like the "inquisition", were committed in the name of God.

Be vigilant Bible students, my friends, the wise shall understand. Remember, we have a tempter who does not sleep. All his power is exerted to wrest us from the hands of God through his inducements to sin and unbelief. Some people doubt his existence, saying he is a mythological aberration, but those blind to his devices are his easiest prey.

Our God is faithful and able to preserve us according to His divine plan. Remember His promise to the saints: "Blessed are those who do His commandments that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city" (Revelation 22:14).

And remember this important fact: God's special warning in Daniel 12 IS FOR TODAY, as the Abomination of Desolation will soon change its tactics from charm to force in an attempt to control humanity; this will be covered in the next chapter.

Continue with the next chapter in this book, 666 ~ The Mark of the Beast ~ 666, at 666.htm