The Bible speaks of a point in time after which nobody will change sides anymore. Those who have chosen the paths of righteousness will continue on the Way,[1] and those who have chosen the paths of wickedness will never again repent. This entire world has become polarized by the strong forces that are acting on our society. Every individual has been compelled to align himself one way or the other, and the forces have become so strong that it is no longer possible to re-orient oneself.
He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. (Revelation 22:11)
Everyone has developed an affinity—either to the ways of God, or to the ways of the world. As iron filings in the presence of a magnetic field, every individual on the face of the earth has been oriented by an unseen global force.
When did we reach the point of no return? What is the force that has exerted an influence strong enough to bring every person to the decision point? What fate awaits the inhabitants of the earth—each on their respective side of the question?
Traditional marriage between one man and one woman was instituted by God in the Garden of Eden before the entrance of sin into the world. It was blessed by God, and it was purposely made to reflect His image.
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. (Genesis 1:26)
Thus, the marriage institution has the foundational principle of God’s government—love and trust, demonstrated by submission—and the world was intended to thrive under it, as the universe thrives in the affection of God’s love.
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. (Genesis 1:27)
The institution of marriage, which is the foundation of earthly dominion or governance, involves by definition one man and one woman, both reflecting God as their example.
Sodomy, on the other hand, contains in it the corrupt principle of a different government that has as its maxims “Do what thou wilt” and “If it feels good, do it.” It is a government comprised of equal voices, which undermines the principle of trust and submission and gives rise to chaos and confusion. It is a government which is opposed to God, though it masquerades as love so-called.
The Mark of the Beast and the Seal of God
The issue of homosexuality has polarized the world, but the lines are not drawn simply between gay and straight. For example, there are many, many straights who embody the same satanic maxims that enable homosexuality. Sexual freedom and licentiousness in general follow the same lines. Let’s also be clear that any individual who availed himself of Christ’s power to overcome the animal passions—whether of a homosexual or heterosexual nature—is not condemned. The line is drawn between those who have submitted to God and overcome sin through the rich provisions of His love, versus those who have proudly deified (worshipped) their passions (as in the Gay Pride movement). They publicly declare their animalistic character, openly confessing the Mark of the Beast.
By contrast, the Seal of God is upon the selfless ones who do not perpetuate self-gratification, but rather honor their maker by upholding and defending the principles of His government, not only in their own lives (married or not), but in public governance as well. A person does not ever have to marry to have the seal of God—but he has to support and uphold and respect the Edenic institution of marriage as the true and godly foundation of all government. In other words, he has to honor his parents—which are naturally male and female.
And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. (Genesis 1:28)
God blessed the marriage institution by impressing it with His seal, which means that the marriage institution, as a foundation for society, carries the authority of God. An official seal includes the name, office and territory—all of which are involved in the marriage institution as we can extract from the verses quoted above.
From the Creation account, we know that God (His name) is the maker (His office) of the heavens and the earth (His territory). God impressed the elements of His seal upon the marriage institution, for God (His name) is the maker (His office) who made man—male and female—in the image of God, and gave them dominion (territory). In essence, through the marriage institution, God set man over the rest of creation to exercise dominion over the world under His authority, as an extension of His own universal reign.
The image of God and the seal of God are the great originals, for which the image of the beast and the mark of the beast are the counterfeits. Paul explains the transformation from the original pattern of godliness to the ungodly counterfeit in the first chapter of his letter to the Romans:
For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. (Romans 1:20-32)
Paul speaks of a change from the image of the Godhead (marriage in the image of God) to images of animals—or in other words, the image of the beast—and he describes it as sodomy in all its filthy aspects, which is the epitome of all sin. It is pure animalistic behavior in the sense of “if it feels good, do it.” It is appropriate to call it the image of the animal (image of the beast), but in fact sodomy is worse than what any animal can do, because an animal has no conscience, power of reason, or overarching restraint.
God created man different from all other creatures in the animal kingdom. Stimulus is always followed by a predictable conditioned response in animals, but man alone has the ability to make a choice between stimulus and response. Animals are conditioned (or trained), but man alone can choose. Those who have accepted sodomy have reduced themselves to the level of brute beasts, thus they have the mark of the beast—either in their hand representing their behavior, or in their foreheads representing their animalistic philosophy of life.
Just before God destroyed the antediluvians, He caused the animals themselves to testify against the wickedness of the people by going into the ark in male-female pairs, according to the divine order.
And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female. (Genesis 6:19)
Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female. Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth. (Genesis 7:2-3)
There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah. (Genesis 7:9)
And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the Lord shut him in. (Genesis 7:16)
Milestones on the Road to Perdition
Granting homosexuals the right to marry, was the first phase of the attack on God’s law in the United States, where the nation put the mark of the beast into effect, but still left the possibility open for individuals to remain faithful to God by speaking against it and not participating in it. The U.S. entered that phase on June 26, 2015. Many people have already been suffering as a result, for refusing to service homosexuals, but that is only the first phase.
The next phase is the limitation of free speech. That is coming as I write this—and it is coming so quickly that I question how long we will be able to publish articles like this one. It is happening everywhere around the world, but what is happening in Europe and the U.S. is especially making the news. In Europe, people are being held up to public ridicule, losing their jobs, being deprived of their assets, and generally losing everything—all for speaking a word! Public comments are no longer allowed by some press organizations. The tolerance and anti-discrimination laws mean that you cannot speak freely (negatively) about public figures, corporations, governments, or people groups because it is considered “hate speech” against them.[2] In the U.S., you can already browse a public “hate map” showing some surprising organizations that are considered to be hate groups by the influential Southern Poverty Law Center, which feeds the recently-created domestic terrorism council, which is aimed at curbing free speech in an effort to prevent the formation of terrorists.[3] One point worth pondering is: why are these kinds of measures being pressed so urgently, if they are aimed at preventing the rise of a future generation of terrorists? Is a day, or month, or year, going to make a difference—or is there an ulterior motive supplying the urgency?
Tolerance laws will be the cause of a great darkness, and will prevent the “buying and selling” (spreading) of the truth, as it is written in the Word of God.
And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. (Revelation 13:16-17)
The merchandising of Babylon is a prominent theme that occupies almost the whole 18th chapter of the book of Revelation. Merchandising, commerce and trade—buying and selling—can be understood symbolically as the trading or exchange of doctrines, teachings, and philosophies. Babylon offers its myriads of false teachings, each one tailored to appeal to the sinful desires of a particular crowd. Free speech allows the truth to be shared and exchanged—bought and sold—as Jesus counseled the church of Laodicea to do.[4] When free speech is restricted, it is very difficult to exchange the truth with others.
The big issue today is LGBT tolerance. Tolerance laws protect those who are in harmony with the New World Order, but they deny protection for anyone who is “intolerant.” That means if you speak anything that is considered hate speech, then you are automatically the guilty party and have no protection under the law. That means all worldly support is being removed from those who remain faithful to God. It means that if you do not endorse sodomy, if you do not receive the image of the beast, then you are not permitted to trade your words on the free-speech market.
Worst of all, the death decree, or death sentence, will eventually come for those who still refuse to accept (tolerate) LGBT marriage. The framework has already been in place in the United States for some time, being that terrorists are no longer counted as having rights—and can be detained, tortured, and killed without due process. Now that hate speech is categorized as the cause of terrorism, and since the tolerance laws are tolerant of all but the intolerant, the death sentence without the right to a trial is lacking little more than implementation. The Bible mentions the death sentence in the third plague:
And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood. And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy. And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments. (Revelation 16:4-7)
The death sentence for intolerance will affect all of the faithful, causing them to cry out to God day and night for deliverance.[5] The bigger the city that a person lives in, the worse these things will be.
The national sodomy law of the U.S. went global on September 25, 2015, when all 193 nations on this planet signed the new 17 Sustainable Development Goals at the United Nations summit. Among those 17 goals are women’s equality and anti-discrimination—both of which are the primary enablers of LGBT rights. The entire world signed onto the UN goals! And it did not take much time for UN representatives to knock on the doors of yet-to-be-compliant nations, urging them toward implementation, with fiscal consequences to be imposed for non-compliance. It happened on October 6 in Paraguay—less than two weeks after the nations signed the new goals![6] Rapid changes are afoot everywhere.
A Brief Sketch of Lucifer, Past and Present
The acceptance or tolerance of homosexuality is a frontal attack on the due authority of God established for this world at Creation as an extension of God’s throne. If you will, Adam was coregent of Earth with God. When Adam fell, this world fell with him into a state of rebellion against God, and Satan (formerly Lucifer) became the world’s new de facto leader, because Adam had obeyed him over God.
Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? (Romans 6:16)
Satan usurped God’s authority over Adam by tempting Adam to sin, and as such Satan became the representative of planet Earth in the courts of heaven.[7] That representation endured until Jesus Christ overcame Satan through the cross.
Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. (John 12:31)
And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, [and Lucifer] which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. (Revelation 12:9)
Jesus’ victory on the cross redeemed the world from Satan’s representation. From that time forward, Jesus has been not only the sinner’s personal Advocate, but also the corporate representative of our planet in the courts of heaven.
Although Satan can no longer represent the entire planet, however, he still holds sway over sinners who reject the gift of Jesus Christ and remain obedient to him. He does not have authority over the world as a whole, but he has control of the majority of the people. Through human agents, Satan still seeks to accomplish his ultimate goal of usurping God’s throne in heaven.
How can he hope to do it? Simple—he and his angels control the people to accomplish his purposes for him. We can see it very clearly right now through current news headlines like the following one (dated October 11, 2015): Canadians hoping to travel to Mars welcome news of water on planet. Through human instrumentalities, Satan is endeavoring to expand his government to other worlds! His agenda from the beginning has been to usurp not only the dominion of Adam, but the throne of God Himself. That is why the space capsule that is being constructed to carry astronauts to Mars is called ORION. Satan’s ultimate goal is to spread his rebellion all the way to the throne of God in Orion, and his method is to use human instrumentalities to do it.
Satan’s government does away with the husband-wife hierarchy in traditional marriage (the image of God) by replacing it with two equivalent and generic LGBTQxyz persons with equal authority. That represents his intention to rise to equal power with God Himself. He wants to compete equally with God, as yin and yang, forever.
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 14:13-14)
It gives the endless saga of Star Wars a whole new depth of gnostic meaning, where the perfect square of 144,000 faithful are depicted as the always-orderly rows of storm-troopers dressed in white. Good guys represent the rebellion of Satan and his angels, and the orderly government of God is depicted as extremely harsh and evil to the core. The “force”—spiritism—permeates its doctrine. As a person sits emotionally captivated in the theater seat, he is being conditioned to root for the enemy of God without even knowing it. That is how entertainment has corrupted countless souls, while they enjoyed the process.
Thus, the struggle between LGBT rights vs. traditional marriage is in fact the struggle between Satan’s governance vs. God’s. The Bible tells us how to identify the human agents whom Satan is using to accomplish his agenda. It says that the “world” is opposed to God. It is speaking here of worldliness—the ideologies and philosophies that Satan has been selling to the world ever since the Fall.
...know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. (James 4:4)
The ways of God are exemplified by love, which is expressed in His law. That is why the Ten Commandments include the command to honor “thy father and thy mother” (defining the home as consisting of heterosexual parents) and to not commit adultery—which is a breach of the marriage institution, and a betrayal of the principle of love.
Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord. (Psalm 119:1)
By contrast, Satan has been working tirelessly to change the ways and laws of the world according to his design. When we look at the world today, we can identify Satan’s influence very easily. We need not look any further than the UN summit on September 25, 2015, where all the nations of the world agreed to the new UN development goals. That means the UN is now in the role of facilitating Satan’s one-world government—and Satan himself presides over it through the human agency of Pope Francis, whose monumental address to the UN was given that same day in the highly symbolic Tower of Babel (expand the image to see the symbolism explained). Pope Francis is the human embodiment of Satan himself, masquerading as an angel of light.[8]
Satan has achieved such a victory over the souls of the human race that he has become the leader of world through Pope Francis. Now do you understand why the death penalty will be attached to hate speech, and why these changes are being urged so quickly upon the national governments of the world? The polarization is so strong that there is no middle ground any more. Everyone has been influenced toward one side or the other.
Crossing the Rubicon
Julius Caesar, a Roman statesman who “is considered by many historians to be one of the greatest military commanders in history,”[9] no doubt offers a good illustration of what Satan is trying to accomplish through Pope Francis. “He played a critical role in the events that led to the demise of the Roman Republic and the rise of the Roman Empire.” That parallels the role Satan wants to play in the “reform” of God’s government, which he intends to accomplish by replacing it with his own.
Satan is acting against his Creator. Like Julius Caesar, he is engaging in a very difficult battle, and he knows it.
We know from [Caesar’s journals] that Caesar is not taking this lightly. He knows that if he marches on Rome with his armies, then he is a public enemy, and that he will either have to win, or die. For a Roman patrician like Julius Caesar there is no life without military service; there is no life without service to the state. He cannot simply ‘go native’ and stay in Gaul, and he does realize that if he goes back to Rome, he would be killed. At this time the northernmost border of the Roman territory in Italy is the River Rubicon. Once someone crosses the River Rubicon, he’s in Roman territory. A general must not cross that boundary with his army – he must do what the Romans call lay down his command, which means surrender his right to order troops, and certainly not be carrying weapons. Caesar and his armies hesitate quite a while at this river while Caesar decides what to do, and Caesar tells us that he informs his soldiers that it’s a little tiny bridge across the river, but once they cross it they’ll have to fight their way all the way to Rome, and Caesar is well aware that he’s risking not just his own life, but those of his loyal soldiers, and he might not win. Pompey is a formidable enemy. It’s also impossible to avoid the fact that Caesar was attacking the state, and as a patrician Roman this would have been very difficult for him, equivalent to beating up your father. He wouldn’t have done any of this lightly. Finally, he makes a decision, it’s time to go, and he uses a gambling metaphor: he says ‘Roll the dice’, ‘Alea jacta est’. Once the dice start rolling they cannot be controlled, even though we don’t know what it is as the dice roll and tumble. Julius and his men swiftly cross the river and they march double time toward Rome, where they almost beat the messengers sent to inform the Senate of their arrival.
—Titchener, To Rule Mankind and Make the World Obey
Can you imagine how immoral a person would have to be to “beat up their own father!?” And yet this man is revered as a great man! Pope Francis is no different. After having already subdued the entire world outside of Roman Catholicism, he marched home to Rome to conquer his own Church in the three-week synod. His goal since the beginning of his papacy has been to reform the Church, ultimately to break down the marriage institution by trivializing divorce and welcoming homosexuality.
The whole drama was acted out in the Seventh-day Adventist Church in advance, so there is no guesswork involved as to what is happening in the Catholic Church. It has all been rehearsed and practiced. Step 1, marriage is compromised. Step 2, homosexuality is defended (tolerated). It’s that simple, whether we are talking about churches or politics.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church demonstrated the Hegelian dialectic with classic clarity. The thesis was women’s ordination. The antithesis (or opposition) was determined to have no change. After fierce battles between the two sides threatened to divide the church, the synthesis was presented and voted on July 8, 2015 saying effectively this: “Obey the leadership, even if it contradicts Bible and conscience.” Thus the corporate Adventist Church crossed the line and declared war against God. To be clear, they chose to beat up their Father.
That was just the practice run for what has now happened in the Catholic Church. For Catholics, the thesis was communion for unorthodox marriages, among other things. The antithesis was again no change. After fierce battles between the two sides threatened to divide the church, the synthesis came directly from the lips of the Supreme Pontiff himself. On October 17, 2015, he addressed the synod on its 50th anniversary with words “particularly significant not only for the internal life of the Catholic Church...but also for her relations with the other Christian churches and communities—beginning with the Orthodox Church, and her witness in the world.”[10] In other words, he offered his solution of synthesis to all denominations, saying in essence, “Obey me as the great shepherd, even if it goes against God and conscience. I have the last word.”
Thus Pope Francis crossed the Rubicon, declaring war against God on behalf of the entire political and religious world. Alea jacta est—the die has been cast. As the furious pace of his march against God reaches every person along the way, the cultivated tendencies of each individual will determine how the dice will roll for them. Preparation time is over for humanity, and the armies of Satan and the messengers of God are racing toward the conflict in double time.
Are you enlisted in the war? Which side have you prepared yourself to join, as the battle cry rings through your town today? Although we are using the metaphors of war, we are not advocating violence in any way. The battle is a spiritual one. It is not violence to teach that homosexual conduct is an abomination, and that sexual perversion brings plagues. It is not violence to speak one’s conviction or to kindly refuse to bake a cake! This is a battle between right and wrong and has nothing to do with physical aggression. The metaphor of war is appropriate because of the eternal consequences that are at stake.
Another famous worldly general put the dire situation we face in very succinct and somber words:
If you will not fight for right when you can easily win without bloodshed; if you will not fight when your victory is sure and not too costly; you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all the odds against you and only a precarious chance of survival. There may even be a worse case. You may have to fight when there is no hope of victory, because it is better to perish than to live as slaves.
―Winston S. Churchill
That can be read from either perspective, for either side of the battle. Think about it, and know how far the enemy will go. We have ample hope of victory, if only the soldiers would rise to duty! But will that always be the case? This is your last call to duty, and it is just that—a call to duty, not a call to life guarantees! Love is a matter of principle. Take your stand for God, and for God’s government as reflected in the image of husband-wife marriage. With no violence or malice, speak against homosexual tolerance! And do not tolerate or practice homosexuality yourself, lest you receive the plagues!
The First Plague
The first plague is a punishment specifically on those who have the mark of the beast or worship his image.
And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image. (Revelation 16:2)
Note that the sore (or ulcer, or boil) falls upon a certain class of people. In other words, it is discriminatory. That means the plague cannot be something that affects the whole world without discrimination; it affects only certain people.
It is poetic justice that when the world (led by Satan) is pushing anti-discrimination laws that require tolerance of all people groups, God comes along with the first plague and says He definitely will discriminate based on a certain people group. The world says to tolerate everyone without discrimination, especially certain protected groups like LGBT groups, but God says He will not tolerate, but will pour out His wrath upon exactly that group! Those who have the mark of the beast are those who practice homosexuality, and those who worship his image are those who support and defend homosexuality (in other words, those who are morally loose even if they are still heterosexual). It is about sin: the soul who sins shall die.[11]
The selectivity of the first plague already eliminates several possibilities as to what it could be. For example, it cannot be a great earthquake, because an earthquake kills everyone in its reach without discrimination. It cannot be an asteroid impact, meteor shower, or nuclear war, because all of those would affect all people groups equally. It has to be something that is connected to the mark and image of the beast. It has to be something that is connected to homosexuality and sexual promiscuity, and understanding that allows us to connect the dots...
Is there anyone who has not heard of AIDS/HIV, and who does not know its cause?
HIV infection is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus. You can get HIV from contact with infected blood, semen, or vaginal fluids. Most people get the virus by having unprotected sex with someone who has HIV. Another common way of getting it is by sharing drug needles with someone who is infected with HIV. The virus can also be passed from a mother to her baby during pregnancy, birth, or breast-feeding.[12]
AIDS (or HIV) is a disease that is a consequence of lifestyle. The fact that most people who get the virus get it via sex from someone else who has it shows that the AIDS virus punishes sexual promiscuity, point-blank. It is a judgment or plague which discriminates against an immoral people group. It’s that simple! Nature and the Word of God take a direct shot at the immorality couched within the tolerance and anti-discrimination laws that the world is pushing.
But that’s not all. The Bible also gives a description of the symptoms of the plague, which matches the most distinctive AIDS symptoms.
Common AIDS symptoms in men include:[13]
⦁ swollen lymph glands.
⦁ unusual lesions on the tongue; skin rashes and bumps.
⦁ nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
⦁ cough and shortness of breath.
⦁ chronic fatigue.
⦁ fever, chills, and night sweats.
⦁ rapid weight loss.
⦁ blurred or distorted vision.
In the first plague, the “noisome and grievous sores” are an apt description of the skin rashes and bumps that are associated with AIDS/HIV infection. However, the Bible goes into even further detail of the disease in the fifth plague. The fifth plague is also associated directly with the seat (or authority) of the beast, which is his counterfeit to marriage in the form of homosexuality and sexual promiscuity.
And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain, And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds. (Revelation 16:10-11)
The “unusual lesions on the tongue” are described as being painful, along with the repeated mention of the sores which were mentioned in the first plague.
It seems abundantly clear that these two plagues are talking about AIDS/HIV, which is the discriminatory plague that only affects people groups that are sexually licentious—in other words, those who either practice sodomy themselves, or are so free with sex that they support the animalistic maxim of “if it feels good, do it” and thus they support the homosexual movement (and Satan’s authority) indirectly. Sin gives Satan power! He sits on the seat of sin!
Remember, we are talking about sin as the real disease with eternal consequences—not the loss of health in this life due to AIDS, which resulted from poor choices of the past. If you are a person who is already infected by HIV but have repented and reformed your life in time, then thank God that you found salvation for the life to come! Just “Go,” in the power of Jesus’ word, “and sin no more.”[14] For those who “pride” themselves in their sin, mark well...
Mercy Lingers No More
One thing that can now be deduced from the first plague is that it will rise continuously, and not happen suddenly. Viruses can spread quickly, but a whole population won’t drop dead overnight from AIDS. That begs the question: what does it mean that our countdown to the plagues expired at the end of the specific date of October 24, 2015, pointing to the beginning of the plagues (the first plague) on October 25? There were no masses of people dropping dead—as our critics were all too eager to “inform” us. Why then did God give a specific date for the beginning of the plagues?
Pope Francis sure didn’t miss an opportunity to contradict our warning of the plagues. On that very day, he said “Today Is a Time of Mercy!”[15] When the plagues began, Satan flatly contradicted it. He will continue to contradict it for the entire duration of the plagues, too.
The fact is, God could have poured out His judgments upon this world as far back as three and a half years ago, if it had not been for those who were still praying, still wrestling. Mercy lingered a long time for sinners to repent of their bad character, but now the preparation is over and the final exam has begun.
God gave an attention-getting sign as the time of plagues approached. Hurricane Patricia was “among the most rapidly intensifying tropical cyclones ever witnessed anywhere in the world since the advent of modern meteorology.”[16] Heralded as the strongest storm in world history, it was a fitting warning of the impending plagues, not to mention that it was on course to make landfall on the very eve of the plagues, apparently making a beeline for Guadalajara, “one of the gayest spots in Latin America.”[17] It was nothing short of a prompt act of God against a nation quick to adopt same-sex marriage laws.
The hurricane threatened a fierce death toll as its 200 mph (320 km/h) winds were expected to rip through Mexico on short notice, and tens of thousands were evacuated in anticipation of widespread destruction. And then, as soon as the Day of Atonement High Sabbath arrived on Friday evening, the hurricane spontaneously burst into just rain. “Patricia weakened even faster than it strengthened,” and by the time the plagues began on October 25, what was left of hurricane Patricia was nothing more than “a remnant low.” What can it mean? Any statistician should tell you that it is highly improbable that the strongest storm of all time would coincide with a single date that we’ve been counting down to for several years as the beginning of the plagues.
It was nothing short of a miracle that the storm passed without a significant number of mortalities or amount of damage. In the Bible, winds represent strife and war, which God held back from breaking loose on the first day of the plagues. It was always prophesied that way.
And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. (Revelation 7:1-3)
The fierce winds of Patricia threatened to tear the land to shreds, but they did not! Very little damage was reported compared to what was expected. The winds of destruction were held back, and the Bible tells us why in the above verse. Before the world can suffer harm, the sealing must be done.
That does not mean there is grace in the time of plagues, however. Think of it like a final exam in school. The time of plagues is the time of your final exam. Your preparation for the exam must have been done ahead of time. The time of grace was the preparation time, when you could have still changed your thinking before the exam. That time is over, and as of October 25, 2015 the world is seated in the exam room, and the door has been closed. At this point, even if the examiner has not administered your individual test yet, you still cannot change. You cannot go outside of the exam room to your study resources any more.
There is no more grace. No storm in weather-recording history has ever strengthened as fast as this one. It was near unbelievable—but after breaking the all-time record and grabbing the attention of the world, the storm gave an even greater surprise: “Patricia weakened even faster than it strengthened.” Those who prayed for Mexico thought their prayers were answered, but they have misunderstood what the storm means. Rain from Patricia was not held back.
Like the rain that came after Noah had waited in the ark for seven days, Patricia was full of rain as a sign that the real thing—the plagues—would begin after the seven days from October 18-24. It was not a sign to rejoice, or a sign of grace—and certainly not a sign for the latter rain. The latter rain is over, and the ark door is shut. Now we are in a time like the flood rains, which is not a rain that symbolizes grace or mercy, but a time when God must execute judgment. That is exemplified by the rains of Patricia, as “Rainfall was heavy enough to cause flooding and mudslides, including a slide in the state of Michoacán that took a section of roadway out with it, injuring two people whose vehicle fell into the slide.” When Patricia burst into rain, the God of Heaven burst into tears for the yet impenitent.
From one account, we learn additional details that are very interesting in light of the symbolism of Bible prophecy:
“The wind began around five in the afternoon,” she said. “The velocity of the air began to increase, and with it you could begin to feel the havoc it brought on. Trees started to fall one by one. It went on that way until 10 p.m.—the winds were strong. We sat in a small corner of the house—we all sat the same way in our houses—caved in.”[18]
First of all, note that it began just before the Sabbath which begins at sunset, just like the storm we experienced a few years ago. In our storm, a large tree was symbolically uprooted, but with Patricia many trees “started to fall one by one.” Trees represent individual people,[19] and an uprooted tree is no longer a living tree. It has been judged and found wanting, and rooted out without mercy! In fact, one report indicated that the only two deaths from Patricia were caused by falling trees.[20] Clearly, the message is that the plagues begin with a process of individual judgment, “one by one.”
So, contrary to the idea that God was merciful, the heavy rain and uprooted trees from Patricia confirmed that the plagues did begin, but it tells us something about the time of plagues that we had not yet understood.
Think about it. If the gamma-ray burst from the Betelgeuse supernova had lit the globe on fire on the first day of plagues, how could the Holy Spirit administer the final exam? Specifically, how would God know who should die and who should live, if the final exam had not been completed yet? First, the student must take the exam. Then, the exam must be graded and given a PASS or FAIL mark. Then the consequences can finally come.
From that understanding alone, we can deduce that the gamma-ray burst probably won’t happen until at least the seventh plague, or at the actual coming of Jesus. Supernovae are both destructive as well as creative, and with the interstellar distances involved it is even difficult to say if the supernova will affect the earth before the millennium or after the millennium. Our best idea at this point is that the initial gamma-ray burst could occur before the millennium, while other slower effects of the supernova could reach earth after the millennium for the final destruction of the wicked. It’s hard to say for sure at this point, but we should not let such details discourage us from having faith in God’s leading. He will guide us into all truth, as He promised.[21]
From a distance, we so often see prophecies as monolithic. We think events all happen at once, only to realize that they are separated by time. We think events are sudden, when they are gradual. We think grouped events all have the same properties.
The case in point is the first plague itself (covered earlier). We already saw that the first plague fits AIDS/HIV symptoms, which would spread over time and not instantaneously on the first day. It is also logical that since the plagues are cumulative, as indicated by the mention of the sores of the first plague in the text of the fifth plague, then they must get worse and worse over time, which means that they cannot start with full force on the first day of the first plague.
Still, the Bible gives another evidence that the first plague has to do with uprooting trees, one by one:
And, behold, six men came from the way of the higher gate, which lieth toward the north, and every man a slaughter weapon in his hand; and one man among them was clothed with linen, with a writer’s inkhorn by his side: and they went in, and stood beside the brasen altar. And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer’s inkhorn by his side; And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof. And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity: Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house. And he said unto them, Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain: go ye forth. And they went forth, and slew in the city. (Ezekiel 9:2-7)
We have understood for a long time that the six angels with slaughter weapons of Ezekiel 9 correspond to the six stations around the Clock of God. That was the solution to the mystery of Ezekiel, which explains how the six angels of Ezekiel correspond to the seven angels of Revelation. Since the clock makes a full circle, the first angel of Ezekiel (corresponding to the star Saiph) is also the last angel. He has two parts to act, once at the beginning of the cycle, and once at the end.
Formerly, we applied that understanding to the Trumpet Cycle of the clock and the dates for the seven trumpets of Revelation. However, since the destructive judgments of the trumpets were held back in mercy by Jesus pleading for His people with His precious blood, that means the prophecy of Ezekiel 9 did not have its complete fulfillment in the trumpet cycle. Yes, the marking of the man with the writer’s inkhorn began, but the slaughtering could not start because the command was given to hold back. Mercy lingered still, till the trumpet cycle had ended.
Furthermore, the text itself confirms that the slaughter must correspond to a time without mercy, by using absolutely merciless language. It must correspond to the time of the plagues when God’s wrath is poured out without mixture. The angels with slaughter weapons are commanded “let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity.” That means they will have no mercy! They are commanded to “slay utterly,” without regard to age or gender. That is merciless, and thus corresponds very well to the time of the plagues.
The only differentiation that the slaughter angels are permitted to make is between those who were sealed (marked) by the man with the writer’s inkhorn, and those who were not. Comparing the slaughter of Ezekiel 9 with the plagues of Revelation, we see the contrast between the seal of God and the mark of the beast. The first angel marks the foreheads to seal God’s people, whereas the first plague is poured out upon those who have the mark of the beast or his image.
The gradual nature of the first plague—in terms of the spreading of HIV/AIDS—is complementary to the work of the angel with the writer’s inkhorn. Both represent a marking process. We must remember that the true marks are invisible, and that prophecy has symbolic meaning. Although the HIV/AIDS-induced disease is a genuine visible mark, it symbolizes something deeper. It symbolizes contamination with sin, as leprosy did in Bible times. The true mark is the blot of sin upon the character, which is not always visible. God sees through the exterior into the heart, and that works both ways. On the one hand, He can see through a rough exterior to a pure heart that has been washed in the blood of Jesus, and on the other hand, He can see through a white-washed exterior to the unregenerate and self-sufficient heart within.
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9)
Thus the marking process of the first plague includes a certain kind of invisibility. Going back to the final exam analogy, even though every student’s outcome will be based on preparation which is already over, the results cannot be known until the test is actually administered and graded. Each one must face his test.
The natural question is, what test began on October 25, 2015, and for whom? The answer is clear: every follower of our movement is tested, because the gamma-ray burst or any other calamity did not happen on that date. That was the big High Sabbath that we’ve been warning about and counting down to for years, and everyone who knew about it is now faced with their exam. Do you still believe that this ministry is led by God? Or were the anti-time-setters right all along? Is your faith contingent upon sight, or do you love Jesus in Orion just for who He is? Ultimately the test is a test of love.
Last year, we had the unfortunate duty of informing you that one person left our team. We did not disclose the whole story at that time, but another detail has become relevant now. There was another person who was going to leave with him at the same time last year, but he apparently repented and was given grace accordingly. However, on October 26, exactly a year later to the day, he confessed that he lost faith in this message, and thus left our team. He departed the next day, this October 27, on the birthday of Jesus.
You can imagine that we have all gone through a lot together as a team, and have grown to love each other. We are more than a team; we are a family, and it hurts terribly to lose a loved one. When we said it is no longer possible to change sides, he apparently changed sides. Thus he betrayed the message, and even Jesus/Alnitak Himself who is at its center. The fact is, he actually did not change. His repentance one year ago was answered with grace, but in the end he showed that he still did not overcome. He still made his faith dependent upon sight (which is no faith at all) and he placed himself above the group by making up his mind on his own.
Ultimately, the great test is a test of love, and here in the first plague we can see that the test began at His sanctuary and was about love (faith) to Jesus and His leading despite what is seen or not seen. A legalist does good works, but does not have love. God showed that love is above the letter of the law by giving His Son to die for transgressors! We have had so much evidence—so many tokens of God’s love—in the past year to confirm this message! To reject it because “what you said did not exactly come to pass” shows pure legalism and no love.
Now the team in Paraguay consists of exactly seven people.[22]
By contrast, our brother in faith who left last year has stayed faithful to the message, and is currently counted among our followers in good standing. It reminds us of the story of the butler and baker on the good Pharaoh’s birthday. The 144,000 will be the highest officers in God’s kingdom like the butler, but the others are like the baker, who was hung on a tree and the birds ate his flesh.[23]
No, there is no more mercy. If you fail this final exam, there is no more blood to cover you in the sanctuary above. You will either pass the test, or be uprooted like the trees under hurricane Patricia. Have you received your entrance exam for service in God’s army? Have you passed it? Has the angel with the writer’s inkhorn put God’s mark upon you yet?
Peals of Loudest Thunder
The seven last plagues come in seven cascading phases. The first phase began at the house of God, and it will continue until the marking angel has finished marking the entire Seventh-day Adventist denomination. Then—when everyone in that class has been tested and their grade has been recorded—the destruction of that class can begin in the next phase, while the marking continues to the next class. The process repeats until the entire world has been tested and marked, and the destruction has eliminated all but the 144,000 who remain to see Jesus come.
The following table provides an initial look at how the voice of God will cascade from Paraguay to the rest of the world. Next in line is the rest of the Seventh-day Adventist denomination. Have you wondered at how suddenly Ben Carson has risen to prominence in the U.S. presidential race?[24] God is putting Ben Carson in the spotlight to raise awareness about Seventh-day Adventism in the public mind, just in time to test Protestants in the second plague. One of the well-known facts about Seventh-day Adventists is that they live about 10 years longer on average because of their teachings on health,[25] central to which is a vegetarian diet. Exactly that teaching is coming to the attention of the world right now, as it has now been confirmed by the World Health Organization (WHO) that meat eating is linked to cancer.[26] It is as if the world is already being primed for the exam that will test them in regards to Adventism.
| Plague | Period | Activity of the Destroying Angels | The Test | Activity of the Marking Angel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 – And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image. (Rev. 16:2) | Oct. 25, 2015 – Dec. 1, 2015 | Waiting. | As fellow Adventists, do you still have love for Orion followers, even though nothing visibly big happened on Oct. 25, 2015, or do you denounce it as erroneous time-setting? | Marking begins at the house of God in Paraguay and continues across the entire Seventh-day Adventist denomination. |
| 2 – And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea. (Rev. 16:3) | Dec. 2-5, 2015 – Mar. 8, 2016 | Destruction begins with the Seventh-day Adventist denomination, where the 144,000 who stand on the sea of glass should have come from, for all who did not pass the test of the 1st plague. | As fellow Protestants, do you still have love for Seventh-day Adventists who survive the destruction, or do you condemn them as cultists for keeping the seventh-day Sabbath? | Marking continues with the other Protestant denominations. |
| 3 – And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood. . . . (Rev. 16:4) | Mar. 9, 2016 – Apr. 21, 2016 | Destruction continues with Protestant denominations, who should have finished the Reformation of doctrinal waters, for all who did not pass the test of the 2nd plague. | As fellow Christians, do you still have love for Protestants who survive the destruction, or do you condemn them as heretics for not joining the ecumenical movement? | Marking continues with Catholic and Orthodox churches. |
| 4 – And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. . . . (Rev. 16:8) | Apr. 22, 2016 – May 17, 2016 | Destruction continues with Catholic and Orthodox churches, where sun worship entered Christianity, for all who did not pass the test of the 3rd plague. | As fellow religious people, do you still have love for Catholics who survive the destruction, or do you reject the whole of Christianity as too exclusive? | Marking continues with other world religions. |
| 5 – And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain, . . . (Rev. 16:10) | May 18-21, 2016 – Jul. 31, 2016 | Destruction continues with all of the religions of the New World Order, upon those who did not pass the test of the 4th plague. | As atheists and irreligious worldlings, do you still have love for religious folks who survive God’s wrath, or do you denounce all religion as bad? | Marking continues with atheists and the irreligious. |
| 6 – And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs. . . (Rev. 16:12) | Aug. 1, 2016 – Sep. 24, 2016 | Destruction continues with the atheists and irreligious people of the world, represented by the three frogs of atheistic France, upon those who did not pass the test of the 5th plague. | ||
| 7 – And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. . . . (Rev. 16:17) | Sep. 25, 2016 – Oct. 24, 2016 | Marking is complete. [He]...reported the matter, saying, I have done as thou hast commanded me. (Ezek. 9:11) |
The above table is just an initial look. Prophecy has many aspects of interpretation and depths of meaning. We said nothing of the four beasts (corresponding to the four outer stars of Orion, and thus the first, third, fourth, and sixth and seventh plagues) nor of any number of other aspects of the plagues. Yet even from this initial look it is clear that, like the mighty thundering cataracts of Iguazu Falls, the executive judgment of God will cascade through the entire world, leaving no class untouched.
And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. (Revelation 19:6)
And thus the gospel goes into all the world, not to convert now, but to convict!
And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. 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 24:12-14)
The witness unto all nations is no longer for conversion. Many courageous people have stood up for Christ and have given their testimony by being martyred, by ISIS for example, especially in recent months—and it happens much more frequently than it gets reported. People will continue to die for their faith during the plagues, but their death will not be a martyr’s death—at least not in the regular sense of the word, because their blood will not convert another soul. Instead, their blood will be for a testimony, as the gospel goes to the whole world.
A Preview of the Second Plague
If the first plague corresponds to the man with the writer’s inkhorn, then the second plague must correspond to one of the other men with slaughter weapons who follows after him. That is confirmed in the second plague by the first mention of mass death in the plagues:
And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea. (Revelation 16:3)
That is when it will become visible that mercy really ended and faith will be replaced by sight, at least for a certain group of Christians who have been the house of God. The plague cycle of the Orion clock sets the date of the second plague to December 2-5, 2015. The range of four days is given by the throne lines of the clock, which is an indication that God Himself gives the command to unleash the destructive forces which are symbolized by the angels with slaughter weapons, as it says in Ezekiel 9.
God offers us additional information to pinpoint what the second plague is talking about, which will visibly confirm the prior close of mercy for humanity. It is a special blessing which God promised to those whose faith endures.
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. Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days. (Daniel 12:11-12)
We have an official interpretation of the 1335 days which places the beginning at February 27, 2012 and the end at October 17, 2015, the end of the Trumpet Cycle and the close of probation (see chart). We uphold that interpretation as it stands, but we also recognize that God is able to offer a “Plan B” in surprising ways. It often seems as if He is able to pull time out of thin air, but when we study more, we find that it was written in His Word all along. God’s plans are masterfully orchestrated to accommodate every need, without ever destroying the harmony of truth in His word!
The case in point is the 1335 days. A new look at the verses of Daniel quoted above offers an alternative interpretation. The blessing of the 1335 days stands in the context of the 1290 days, with no other beginning point specified. That means the 1335 days could be interpreted as beginning at the same time as the 1290 days, and that would mean that the special blessing is reserved for those whose patient, waiting faith reaches and touches (signifying Hebrew inclusive counting) 1335 days.
Back to our chart, you can see that the 1290 days began on April 6, 2012—which was a very special Passover that followed the same days of the week as it was in the year of Christ’s death on the cross. Our small group came together from different countries to observe the Lord’s Supper together in person for the first time on the eve of that Passover, recognizing that the final events of earth’s history were beginning. Our experiences are documented in our book, but the point right now is only that the 1290 days had that very special beginning. Many people around the world sensed the significance of those days, and indeed the world might have been thrown into sudden destruction had there not been groups like ours earnestly pleading with God in remembrance of His Son on that day.
If April 6, 2012 was Day #1, then how long do we have to wait in faith for the blessing of Daniel 12:12? Day #1335—the last day of waiting—comes to December 1, 2015, and that means the slaughter comes exactly on the first day of the second plague, on December 2, 2015.
There is a possible simple interpretation of the second plague—it is the Day of the Demon that we wrote about, except delayed to the next related holiday of Islamic Arba’een.
Arba’een...is a Shia Muslim religious observance that occurs forty days after the Day of Ashura. It commemorates the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of Muhammad...[27]
The holiday of Arba’een is directly related to the Day of Ashura, and it falls this year on Wednesday, December 2, 2015,[28] the first day of the second plague! Thus God pinpoints the beginning of the slaughter through the special blessing that is reserved for those who keep the faith until that day. From December 2 onward, it will not take faith anymore to see that God’s mercy has run finally out.
Notice that it is exactly 40 days later. Beginning with the landfall of hurricane Patricia, these are the 40 days of Noah’s rain, after seven days in the ark.
After the initiation of the second plague, the Hebrew Feast of Lights, or Hanukkah will come. That signifies the victory of faith for God’s people, which will finally be confirmed beyond doubt. That is the blessing in it, but it also implies a curse on those who will still refuse to believe in the face of such great evidence. Pope Francis has mobilized his forces for his greatest roundup of souls to begin on the opening day of Hanukkah.
On December 8, 2015, the “Holy” Door of St. Peter’s Basilica will swing open for the pope’s Jubilee Year of Divine Mercy. Satan is prepared to welcome with open arms of mercy all of the poor souls who decide to repent when they see that the end has come. When God’s mercy ends, Satan’s lie comes again: “Yea, hath God said” mercy has ended?[29] “Ye shall not surely die!”[30]
Will you make the right choice in the time of test, or will you wait until the only remaining option is to entrust your life to the arch-rebel, or else fight with no hope of victory, because it is better to perish than to live as slaves? Hurricane Patricia brought little devastation, but it brought plenty of rain to symbolize the tears of God because there is no turning back now from what He must do from the second plague on. Have you seen His tears, as He prepares to perform His strange act[31] of wrath?
Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel? (Ezekiel 33:11)
Sadly, the time of preparation has passed and your final exam is upon you behind the closed door.
