Living in the Last Days

More Biblical prophecies have come to pass or have partially unfolded in the 20^th century and 21^st century than in all the centuries since the wonderful arrival of Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, on this earth, and time itself was changed from B.C. to A.D. Beginning with the trailblazing Balfour Declaration of 1917 and the miraculous birth of the nation of Israel in 1947-48, special events have taken place within the two Biblical definitions of a generation … 100 years (Genesis 15) and 70 years (Psalm 90). Which makes Jesus’s promise remarkably relevant to our times:

“Now learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branches bud and its leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see all these things, you can know his return is very near, right at the door. I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass from the scene until all these things take place” (Matthew 24:32-34).

Our Lord is referring to the signs he gave to his disciples in answer to their question: “Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will signal your return and the end of the world?” (Matthew 24:3).

In the context of this week’s article, I will quote only one of Jesus’s warnings:

“For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones” (Matthew 24:24, italics for emphasis).

In Eye of Prophecy articles, Look Up, Redemption is Near, Part I & II (posted 7-11 & 7-18-15) you’ll find a list of the twelve “flash point” Biblical prophecies that have taken place—fully or partially in the past 100 years, most of them in the last 70 years. The first six pertain primarily to Israel (Part I), with the remaining six applying to the rest of the world. Number 10 on the list is: False Messiahs and Prophets.

Here is an excerpt from Look up, Redemption is Near (Part II):

Christ is (mostly) referring to messiahs and prophets who will surface in the last days from religious sources, such as the many cults and false religions in today’s world. For example, Muslim leaders in several nations (especially Iran) have been telling the world that the 12^th Imam is about ready to leap onto the stage of history. In fact, that’s why Islam is in the midst of launching a world-wide Intifada; as they believe their messiah won’t appear until such an uprising begins.

But I believe that Jesus is not referring only to religious leaders who claim to be a messiah or that their messiah will soon appear. The great signs and wonders and deceit of these Messiah imposters can and does also apply to world leaders of the 20^th & 21^st centuries, who arose to power on the premise that they would rescue or save or liberate or enhance the lives of their people. In ancient times both good and bad monarchs didn’t rise to prominence on a platform of saving their people from this or that. They were simply part of an ascension to power that represented and reflected the emergence of an empire, such as Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome, Ottomans, Holy Roman Empire, British, and others.

Not so in the last one hundred years. For example, Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini, and Mao Tse-tung (China) soared to power largely through grandiose promises to save their nations from economic, political, and military ruin. They were messiahs to their people, particularly Adolph Hitler, who even mislead thousands upon thousands of Christians. The same is true of several contemporary African and Arab rulers, whether Muslim or not. Russia’s Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is seen in a messianic light by tens of millions of Russians. With the preliminary prototype exception of Napoleon, we had not seen such a rise of messiah figures until the 20^th and 21^st centuries.

The underlying motive and method of all of these false prophets and made-up messiahs is that of deceit. None more so than the final and most obvious would-be messiah of all time, the Antichrist.

Because all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, by default Jesus also included all Biblical end times prophecies, both Old and New Testament … along with the specific signs he disclosed to his disciples.

For example: the Apostle Paul’s definitive expose of the secret lawlessness underway that would (just 3-4 years later) give rise to the Man of Lawlessness, who would later be called Antichrist by the Apostle John and also “the Beast” by the author of Revelation. Thoroughly explained through Biblical and historical documentation in my book, Out of the Abyss, and in several Eye of Prophecy articles found in the category of Antichrist, this man of lawlessness is none other than the Roman Emperor Nero.

What’s In a Name?

Although the Lord had revealed details of the Rapture to Paul and of the (initial revealing … Nero’s unlawful ascension to the throne) man of lawlessness, he had not divulged to Paul specifics of the Tribulation or particulars of the reappearance of this evil man later called Antichrist and Beast. Those labels for the man of lawlessness came subsequently with the Apostle John in his first epistle and the author of Revelation, respectively.

As with everything in Scripture, there is a reason for this: Found in II Thessalonians 2:8 (the Man of Lawlessness chapter) that tells us Jesus, himself, will kill this despicable man and then later (after Nero is allowed to return from the Abyss … Revelation 17:8) will bring about his final destruction in the Lake of Fire (Revelation 19:20).

My book, Out of the Abyss, explains why these three different designations are assigned to this lawless tyrant, instead of just the one term that most people use and recognize in today’s post-modern world … Antichrist.

Out of the Abyss discusses at length the oft overlooked verse of the otherwise pivotal passage in II Thessalonians 2, where the apostle Paul reminds believers that this man of lawlessness was already (present tense) being held in check until he would be revealed through an unlawful ascension to the throne. Paul would not actually identify this man (Nero) by name, as that would have meant a fairly swift death for him and many Christians. Paul did eventually die at the hands of Nero, but not until his mission for Jesus on earth was complete.

Here is the verse that most teachers and commentators seem to skim over, especially the part stating that the man of lawlessness is actually killed by (orders of … providentially) Jesus, himself.

“Then the man of lawlessness will be revealed, but the Lord Jesus will kill him with the breath of his mouth and destroy him by the splendor of his coming” (II Thessalonians 2:8).

Now the excerpts from Out of the Abyss (in italics):

Remember it is the apostle Paul and only Paul, who specifically tells us that the Lord Jesus will strike down this man … Who does Jesus kill? Answer: The man of lawlessness. When is the lawless one killed and why? Let’s examine the evidence.

I’m convinced that the three designations given to his man are for a reason. Otherwise, why wasn’t the same name employed by the Holy Spirit when giving these revelations? At face value, it would have been a little easier, had the Holy Spirit employed just one of these descriptive labels in Daniel, II Thessalonians, I John, and Revelation.

(A reminder. The three New Testament terms are: Man of Lawlessness, Antichrist, and Beast).

Paul’s description as the man of lawlessness points to the soul or persona of the man. Simply put: the man is unruly, anarchistic, uncontrolled, ungovernable … in short, outside the God-given laws of morality and nature. After Daniel’s positional or title reference to this man as king or ruler or little horn, and our Lord’s reference to false messiahs, Paul was the first to introduce this man.

The term antichrist refers directly to the spirit of this depraved man; in fact, the apostle John equates the Antichrist to the spirit of antichrist. Then John defines what this spirit represents or does: it denies God the Father, and God the Son as Messiah.

It is the spirit of a human being that is regenerated or made alive, when that person accepts Christ as Savior. Then the Holy Spirit bears witness with the redeemed spirit that we are the children of God….

The bestial image of Revelation vividly depicts the physical nature (body) and corporeal deeds of this man, and all that entails. We still use beast in modern language to expound the exploits of an individual. We might say, “He fought like a beast!” Or we might reduce the beast-like qualities to a specific animal and say, “She had the strength of a lion!” The soul and spirit of a person expresses all that is evil or good through the flesh or bodily presence of the individual.

Even if you don’t necessarily see this body, soul, and spirit connection between the three names of Antichrist, the fact remains that, when Jesus kills this man, the man is referred to as the man of lawlessness….

When Jesus, with his divine rightful authority, killed Nero, he eliminated the very soul of this wicked man from the face of the earth, at that specific point in time (68 AD), for a very explicit purpose, with a unique twist to a twisted man. Jesus would preserve Nero’s body for the precise plan of sealing the final destruction of Antichrist and the beast bodily in the lake of fire. Yes, I did say, “preserve!” Stay with me, and I will show you how this was done, as supported by the Bible….

Expressing it another way: Jesus did not kill the beast; he killed the man of lawlessness. Although the man of lawlessness and the beast are one and the same (Nero), this is not a contradiction. Why … because the Holy Spirit, through Paul, is telling us when the beast would be killed. The beast would be killed by Christ while the beast was the man of lawlessness, before he reappeared as the beast! As the beast, Nero will be cast into the Lake of Fire, alive (pages 204-206).

We know the man of lawlessness died before John saw him as the beast. Listen to the words of the angel explaining the astonishing vision John had just witnessed:

“The beast you saw was once alive but isn’t now. And yet he will soon (meaning abruptly at any time) come up out of the bottomless pit (Abyss) and go to eternal destruction … And the people … will be amazed at the reappearance of this beast who had died” (Revelation 17:8).

(Beast Arises From the Sea Out of the Abyss, Which is Below the Seas (Revelation 13&17)

This refresher course reminds us that the Antichrist is a man; that this man (Nero) had already died before John observed and described him in the physical image of a beast. That Nero would reappear in the same body in which he died (and was revived) is important to grasp in the context of this week’s and next week’s article.

Beginning with a startling premise: In addition to the amazing (in the eyes of unbelievers) return of Nero in his original body, both angels and demons will be seen in their actual bodies by the entire Tribulation world. And not only angels and demons; Satan, himself, will appear on the earth in bodily form. Hundreds of million the world over will be stunned by these “signs and miracles” They will worship what they see … the Beast (Nero), a statue of him that actually speaks, and the embodied Satan.

Satan and Nero … A Perverted Pair

The apostle Paul writes about Nero and Satan:

“This man will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles. He will use every kind of evil deception to fool those on their way to destruction, because they refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them. So God will cause them to be greatly deceived, and they will believe these lies. Then they will be condemned for enjoying evil rather than believing the truth” (II Thessalonians 2:9-12).

As indicated in Out of the Abyss and several Eye of Prophecy articles, the one thing that will compel many unbelievers left behind after the Rapture to immediately give their undivided loyalty to both the beast and Satan is this perceived miracle of resurrection.

Here is what John, the author of Revelation, tells us after he saw a vision of the Beast for the first time:

“I saw that one of the heads of the beast seemed wounded beyond recovery—but the fatal wound was healed! The whole world marveled at this miracle and gave allegiance to the beast. They worshiped the dragon for giving the beast such power, and they also worshiped the beast. ‘Who is as great as the beast?’ they exclaimed. ‘Who is able to fight against him?’ Then the beast was allowed to speak great blasphemies against God. And he was given authority to do whatever he wanted for forty-two months” (Revelation 13:3-5).

What is it that separates the Tribulation coalition of Antichrist Nero from previous evil despots?

Answer: (1) Nero’s incredible return from the grave (from the Abyss, but the world won’t know the difference).

(2) Followed by Antichrist’s abominable assistant, the False Prophet, who will perform, “…astounding miracles, even making fire flash down to earth from the sky while everyone was watching. And with all the miracles he was allowed to perform on behalf of the first beast (Antichrist), he deceived all the people who belong to this world. He ordered the people to make a great statue of the first beast, who was fatally wounded and then came back to life” (Revelation 13:13-14).

Although this will be a demonstration of, “counterfeit power and signs and miracles” (II Thessalonians 2), it, nevertheless, will captivate many left behind. Counterfeit in the sense that they will appear to be divine signs and wonders to, in the eyes of the world, rival or exceed those normally attributed to God himself. Which is why Satan (the dragon) and Antichrist Nero (the first beast) will be worshipped as God and Messiah.

Counterfeit is defined as: “to imitate or copy closely with intent to deceive; made in imitation of something else; forged; marked by false pretense; something likely to be mistaken for something of higher value” (Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary).

During the seven-year Tribulation, the supernatural will become natural; the paranormal will seem normal; spirit beings will be visible in earthly space/time dimension of sight, sound, and touch. This mystical metamorphosis will both amaze and frightened people into radical submission to the Antichrist, to the False Prophet, and also to Satan.

Yet, these occult phenomena will pale in comparison to the mighty and miraculous things that the true and living God will do in the heavens and on the earth.

The worst of God’s wrath will be displayed directly against Antichrist and his followers, as found, for example, in the first five bowl judgments (See Revelation Chapter 16). A reminder that in chronological order there are three sets of seven judgments: Seals, Trumpets, and Bowls. Early on, by the time of the sixth seal judgment, unbelievers the world over will have recognized the source of these cataclysmic events.

“Then everyone—the kings of the earth, the rulers, the generals, the wealthy, the powerful, and every slave and free person—all hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. And they cried to the mountains and the rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to survive’” (Revelation 6:15-17).

However, this reaction will be that of dismay, not of repentance. Later, after the sixth trumpet judgment, we read:

“But the people who did not die in these plagues still refused to repent of their evil deeds and turn to God. They continued to worship demons … And they did not repent of their murders or their witchcraft or their sexual immorality or their thefts” (Revelation 9:20-21).

Lucifer’s Legacy

Let’s examine what will be one of the more mind-boggling events that will take place after the Rapture … during the Great Tribulation.

It is the fact that Satan will be confined to the earth and will be so as an embodied being!

That’s not nearly as farfetched as it sounds. First, this most evil of beings will have no choice. He will be banished from heavenly places that he has been allowed to roam.

Second, this confinement to earth and the materialization of his angelic (demonic) body to our earthly dimension of sight and sound will infuriate him. To the point of unleashing all of his wicked forces through Antichrist Nero and the False Prophet with the malicious motive of terrorizing and annihilating Jews and Gentiles who have chosen the true Messiah … Jesus.

When Lucifer (his name when first created by God as an angel) defied God and brought evil into the world, he was evicted from his heavenly residence and stripped of his lofty position. See Isaiah Chapter 14 for the reasons why Lucifer rebelled against his Creator. However, then (long ago) and now he was not restricted to the earth; he still has access to heavenly places … visiting rights as it were (see Job Chapters 1 & 2).

We later learn through the prophet Ezekiel more about Lucifer’s original station and splendor before great pride caused him to try to be equal to God. Said the Lord God about Lucifer:

“…You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and exquisite in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God. Your clothing was adorned with every precious stone … all beautifully crafted for you and set in finest gold. They were given to you on the day you were created. I ordained you and anointed you as the mighty angelic guardian (cherub). You had access to the holy mountain of God and walked among the stones of fire. You were blameless in all you did from the day you were created until the day evil was found in you … and you sinned. So I banished you in disgrace from the mountain of God. I expelled you, O mighty guardian, from your place among the stones of fire” (Ezekiel 28:12-16).

Then in one of the most intriguing chapters in all of the book of Revelation, with every chapter in Revelation replete with spectacular disclosures (both past and future) we get a brief but sweeping review of Lucifer’s expulsion from his heavenly home, taking one-third of the angels who supported his rebellion with him. Then Israel giving birth to the Messiah (Jesus), then Jesus’s ascension to heaven. From there, Revelation Chapter 12 fast forwards to the end times of the Great Tribulation. More on this compelling chapter in next week’s article, including Satan’s final and permanent banishment from heaven and when that takes place.

Before we take an up close and personal look at Satan’s time on earth in bodily form during the Great Tribulation, let’s look at precedent examples in Scripture to confirm that the spiritual realm of the unseen world will become corporal, i.e. both angels and demons will literally be visible to the entire world. Unlike several instances found in the Gospels of men and women inhabited by demons (cast out by Jesus), there’s no indication during the Tribulation that there will be actual demon possession. Instead, both fallen and good angels will appear just as they are.

Scripture is clear that all created beings have a body.

“…For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies” (I Corinthians 15:44).

It’s just that angels and demons are normally limited to another (unseen) dimension.

In fact, during the preparation of today’s and next week’s two-part series, my previous thoughts that Antichrist Nero might actually be possessed by Satan has changed … up-dated. A devil-possessed Antichrist has also been the view of most Bible scholars. However, there’s no indication in Scripture that this will take place. It is speculation, based on the supposition that no man, even the powerful beast of Revelation, could do the things he’ll do unless he is possessed.

What Scripture says specifically is that God will allow Satan to grant authority and power to the Antichrist, not actually inhabit or possess him. Even then, it’s the False Prophet who, “…exercised all the authority of the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. He did astounding miracles…” (Revelation 13:12-13).

Prior to the False Prophet performing wonders on behalf of the first beast, the most spectacular miracle (in the eyes of the world) accomplished by Antichrist Nero will be his return from the grave (Abyss). From all other Biblical references about the Antichrist, it’s quite evident that this despicable man doesn’t need the possession type influence of Satan. Nero displayed all the brutality and evil that a human being is capable of during his 1^st century rule as Caesar; and will do so again during his Tribulation reign of terror … to an even greater extent. But he will not be possessed by Satan.

Instead, Satan will be bodily present during Nero’s time of terror and destruction on the earth. We’ll see how that works in next week’s article.

Fallen Angels … Demons

Before and After the Great Flood

Let’s look at an astonishing disclosure in the one-chapter book of Jude, which makes reference to the Nephilites on the earth before all people (except Noah and his family) were destroyed because of their wickedness and depravity and violence (See Genesis 6:1-8).

“And I remind you of the angels who did not stay within the limits of authority God gave them but left the place where they belonged. God has kept them securely chained in prisons of darkness, waiting for the great day of judgment” (Jude 6).

Before the Great Flood of Noah’s time, some of the fallen angels took on human form and cohabited with women on earth. Time/space does not permit extensive elaboration, except to say that God permitted Satan and his fallen angels to exercise their free will—just as man and woman were given the authority and freedom to choose. But when certain divine red lines are crossed, the Lord steps in and implements his justice and judgment on the spot. In this case, those fallen angels who took on human form were banished to the Abyss where they will remain until the Tribulation.

(Depiction of Nephilim)

From the time they were incarcerated in prisons of darkness (Abyss), there is no Biblical record of fallen angels (demons) taking on human form. Nor is there any evidence whatsoever (except in Hollywood movies, television, and the like!) of Satan, himself, becoming a man. Why? Because fallen angels learned their lesson quite well. They do not want to be banished to the Abyss (see Luke 8:26-33)! I wrote about this in Out of the Abyss, and also have touched on it in a couple of Eye of Prophecy articles.

No longer can fallen angels, “…not keep their own domain” or “abandon their proper abode…” (Jude 6 … NASB translation). Currently, the nature and extent of their “domain” and “abode” is that of occasionally assuming varying degrees of control over the mind and spirit of some human beings, i.e. demon possession.

*Note: Based on several passages of Scripture, it’s equally certain that demons CAN NOT possess a believer in Christ. There are several reasons, the most obvious of which: A person who has been redeemed by believing and receiving Jesus as personal Savior is immediately indwelt by the mighty Holy Spirit of the Triune God. There’s no way under heaven or on earth that a demonic spirit can dwell alongside the Holy Spirit.

The other fallen angels who were not as audacious as their excessively evil counterparts (those under lock and key in the Abyss) have been confined to their original angelic (turned demonic) “spiritual bodies.” They can possess human beings but cannot take on human form to deceive people in that manner. Spearheaded by Satan, these are the real enemies behind flesh and blood kingdoms, tyrants, and ungodly people. They are the, “evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world … mighty powers in this dark world … evil spirits in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12).

It Will Be Different During the Great Tribulation

Fallen angels will be allowed to appear in physical form during God’s second and final world-wide judgment (by fire) that will take place during the Great Tribulation. Not as human beings, but in their own corrupt, warped, diabolically twisted (spirit) body.

They will be seen in real time and space as they wreak havoc on the earth, especially and ironically against those who take the mark of the Antichrist beast (Nero). Beginning with the exceptionally evil angels who have been confined to the Abyss all this time. They will be released during the fifth trumpet judgment which is the first of three Terrors (including the sixth and seventh trumpets) directed at unbelievers on Planet Earth. (See Eye of Prophecy articles Terror, Terror, Terror Part I & II, published 12-12 & 12-19-15. Followed by A Trilogy of Terror, posted 12-26-15).

When the fifth trumpet is blown, out of the Abyss:

“…locusts came from the smoke and descended on the earth, and they were given power to sting like scorpions. They were told not to harm the grass or plants or trees, but only the people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads” (Revelation 9:3-4).

Verses 7-10 provide a chilling description of these devilish beings, including, “…their faces looked like human faces.”

(Depiction of Demonic Angels of Revelation 9)

Then the sixth trumpet releases 200 million demons (or a combination of demons and humans) that end up killing one-third of those on earth who haven’t already died.

Please understand: Although John in these portions of Revelation is using some metaphorical imagery, it is only because he’s trying to describe what (who) he saw in the best words available to him. The fact remains: he actually saw these demonic creatures. As will the entire world in the not so distant future. That is part and parcel of the end time’s tribulation in which beings of the otherwise unseen spiritual world will become visible in our physical dimensions of sight, sound, and touch. It’s going to be unbelievably painful when unbelievers are stung by these demons, so much so that: “…They will long to die, but death will flee from them!” (Revelation 9:6).

Good Angels

Throughout Scripture, some of the two-thirds of angels who remained loyal and faithful to God—their (and our) Creator—occasionally appeared to men and woman, but did so in the form of men; not as or in their angelic bodies. Such as the “two white-robed men” who suddenly appeared while Jesus was ascending to heaven in front of his disciples (Acts 1:9-11).

Or the “two men … clothed in dazzling robes” who said to the women at Jesus’s empty tomb, what I consider to be the greatest announcement ever uttered by angel or man: “…Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead!” (Luke 24:5-6).

These “men” were obviously angels; in fact that is the term used by John in describing the resurrection scene. These manifestations and nearly all of the others in both the Old and New Testament indicate that the angels took on human form; although the attributes of their human appearance clearly indicated that they were angels.

There are rare exceptions, such as when man’s fellowship with God was broken and Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden, never to be allowed to return.

“After sending them out, the Lord God stationed a mighty cherubim to the east of the Garden of Eden…” (Genesis 3:24).

Or when Ezekiel saw the four “living beings” (cherubim) accompanied by an appearance of the Pre-Incarnate Christ (Ezekiel Chapter 1).

(Depiction of the Four Living Beings and the Throne of the Lord)

And again, on the day when Messiah Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary for the express purpose of reconciling us back to God through his supreme sacrificial death and his powerful resurrection from the grave. “An angel of the Lord” appeared to the shepherds to announce that the long-awaited Messiah had arrived. The angel proclaimed: “…I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!” (Luke 2:9-11).

Then this angel, “…was joined by a vast host of others … praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.’ When the angels had returned to heaven…” (Verses 13-15).

Long before that, we find angels descending and ascending from/to heaven with the Pre-Incarnate Christ at the top of a heavenly stairway. However, this was a dream that Jacob had, not a direct encounter with angels. (Genesis Chapter 28).

The Biblical isolated exceptions of angels seen in their actual state of existence will become the norm during the Tribulation, including the same four living beings seen by Ezekiel. In fact, nowhere in Revelation do we see angels appearing as men; but as themselves … angels of God, in their splendid angelic bodies.

Such as:

“Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, surrounded by a cloud, with a rainbow over his head. His face shone like the sun, and his feet were like pillars of fire … He stood with his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land. And he gave a great shout like the roar of a lion…” (Revelation 10:1-3).

“And I saw another angel flying through the sky, carrying the eternal Good News to proclaim to the people who belong to the world—to every nation, tribe, language, and people. ‘Fear God … Give glory to him. For the time has come when he will sit as judge. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and all the springs of water’” (Revelation 14:6-7).

Yes, angels have wings. They can fly!

Don’t miss next week’s article, to see how this precedent and pattern of spiritual beings visibly seen by the Tribulation population will also apply to our greatest enemy … Satan.

Things to Ponder

Above all, the world will see our great God and Savior Messiah Jesus in all the glory of his incomparable resurrected eternal body. Just as John saw him before all the other revelations given to John, Christ will first be seen by those of us whom he has redeemed, as Savior and Lord.

“…He was wearing a long robe with a gold sash across his chest. His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And his eyes were like flames of fire. His feet were like polished bronze … his voice thundered like mighty ocean waves … and his face was like the sun in all its brilliance” (Revelation 1:13-16).

“Those who belong to this world” … the ungodly, unrepentant, lovers of the lie foisted on them by their false messiah and false god, will at the end of the Great Tribulation see the majestic “…Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Matthew 24:30).

But for them, it will be too late. They will meet him as their judge dispensing truth and justice; the Alpha and Omega who, “…judges fairly and wages a righteous war” (Revelation 19:11).

They will see and know beyond their deliberate doubt and disbelief that Christ Jesus is, indeed, King of all kings, Lord of all lords.

They will grudgingly admit that when Messiah Jesus first “…appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross” (Philippians 2:7-8).

Consequently, they will acknowledge: “Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names…” (Verse 9).

And then: “…at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:10-11).

Hallelujah to the Lamb of God and to the Lion from the tribe of Judah!