MAX KLEIN BIBLE MINISTRIES
The Seven Baptisms
Written by: Max Klein
Baptism means identification or association:
Introduction:
1. This meaning began in Homer's time. Homer wrote of the one-eyed giant, Cyclops who had trapped Ulysses and his men in a cave and was eating them one at a time. The ingenious Ulysses devised a plan. He had his men sharpen a large log and together they rammed this log into the eye of the one-eyed Cyclops rendering him blind. They identified (baptized) the sharpened log with Cyclops’ eye which changed Cyclops from a seeing giant to a blind giant. Having blinded the Cyclops, they were able to maneuver their way out of the cave. Another example by Homer: Homer's Odyssey, book 9, used baptism for hot metal identified (baptized) with water when a smith dipped a piece of hot iron into water. This is how a blacksmith would temper swords in the ancient world. After this identification, the sword was made stronger and so less likely to bend.
2. Xenophon said that the Spartan military recruits after finishing infantry training would identify (baptize) their spears with pig’s blood. They would run by a barrel of pig’s blood and thrust their spears into this blood. This ritual, identified their spears with killing and the soldier’s readiness for combat with the enemy.
3. Euripides used the word for a ship identified with the bottom of the sea when it sank. Before sinking, the ship was valuable; after sinking it had no value at all.
4. So "baptize" in the classical Greek meant to identify one thing with another so that the characteristics of the original thing were altered. Therefore, the interpretation of the word "baptism" is identification with something that brings about a change.
5. There are a number of cognates related to this Greek word such as bapto, baptizo, baptisma, baptismos, baptistes, and embapto. A few examples follow:
6. John 13:26, “Jesus then answered, ‘That is the one for whom, I shall dip [the future of the Greek word bapto] the morsel and give it to him. So, when he had dipped [the aorist participle of bapto; the sop now takes on a new meaning that of honor] the sop [the morsel], He took and gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot.”
To give someone a sop [a special bit of food usually a piece of bread or meat with a tasty sauce] was the highest honor of a banquet. At a banquet a special piece of bread or meat was prepared along with a special sauce for the guest of honor who would then honor someone by giving it to that person. Jesus as the guest of honor took this sop and dipped it into a special sauce and gave it to Judas. In this way, the Lord Jesus Christ honored Judas as a member of the family of God, and for his ministry as an apostle to the Lost Sheep of Israel. This honor should have given Judas second thoughts regarding his plan to betray Jesus to the Sanhedrin.
7. Matthew 3:7, “but when he [John the Baptizer] saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism [identification: the Greek word baptisma], he said to them, “You brood of vipers [poisonous snakes], who warned you to flee from the wrath to come [Baptism of Fire: identification with the fire of Torments and then the Lake of Fire]?”
8. Hebrews 6:1-2, “Therefore, leaving behind the elementary teaching about Christ, let us advance to maturity, not laying again the foundation [of the basics such as]: a change of thinking about dead works [just as an unbeliever must have a change of mind about Christ to obtain salvation, so the believer must have a change of mind about legalism (dead works) in order to obtain the spiritual life], and of faith toward God [Faith-Rest Drill], (2) doctrine of baptisms [the Greek word baptismos; a reference to the seven types of baptism as found in Scripture] as well as the laying on of hands [ritual rebound in the age of Israel], and of resurrection from the dead, and of eternal judgment [the Great White Throne Judgment].
9. Matthew 3:1, “In those days John the Baptizer [the Greek word baptistes; when John baptized someone into the Jordan River, the converts were identified with the plan of God and his kingdom.] came proclaiming [as a herald] in the desert of Judea.”
There are two categories of identification in Scripture namely an actual identification or a real baptism and a representative identification or a ritual baptism which uses water.
The four real or actual identifications with something that has significance.
1. The Baptism of Moses: 1 Corinthians 10:1-2 presents the baptism of Moses, "For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea; (2) and all were baptized [the Greek word baptizo] into Moses in the cloud [the Lord] and in the sea." This was a real identification in which Moses was identified with the Lord and the open path through the Red Sea and the Jews were identified with Moses. By the way, none of the Jews got wet, only Egyptian unbelievers who were immersed in the water as a means of death.
2. The Baptism of the Cross is found in Matthew 20:22, “But Jesus answered [Salome by addressing her sons] and said, “You [plural: a reference to James and John] do not know what you [James and John] ask. Are you [James and John] able to drink of the cup [bear the punishment of all the sins of the world] that I am about to drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism [the sins of the world identified with Christ followed by the Father judging them] that I am baptized with [identified with]?” They [James and John] said to Him, “We are able. [the dumbest statement that James and John ever made]” [I selected the longer text as did Jerome.]
3. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit (Retroactive Positional Truth and Current Positional Truth) occurs at salvation for Church Age believers only.
Colossians 2:12. Having been buried [aorist participle] with Him [Jesus Christ] by means of the baptism [God the Holy Spirit identified us with the burial of Jesus Christ as part of our salvation] by means of which [Baptism] you have been raised up [main verb] with Him [in union with Jesus Christ seated at the right hand of the Father] through faith [at the point of salvation] in the operational power from the source of God who has raised Him [the humanity of Christ was given a resurrection body] out from the dead [physical death].
Romans 6:3-9:
Romans 6:3: Or do you not know that all of us who [a correlative] have been baptized into [identified with] Christ Jesus [Current Positional Sanctification: we are in union with Christ in his life in heaven], have been baptized into His death [Retroactive Positional Truth and so identified with his substitutionary spiritual death on the cross]?
Positionally, (in union with Christ) we share His righteousness, heirship, priesthood, destiny, election, eternal life, royalty, sonship etc. All these making us a new spiritual species in Christ Jesus. The plural correlative hosoi (ὅσοι) means that if we were identified with Christ in heaven and we were, then also we have been identified with Christ in his substitutionary spiritual death in which he removed the power of sin nature. Thus, the sin nature should not have power over our lives.
A few more points will be noted:
1. Note that the baptism of the Holy Spirit at salvation enters the believer into union with Christ at the right hand of God the Father which union is called current positional truth.
2. This verse also mentions identification with Christ in His spiritual death on the cross which identification theologians call retroactive positional truth. Retroactive positional truth also includes identification with Christ in His physical death and burial as well.
3. Identification with Christ in His death, then, has a two-fold connotation namely all personal sins were judged at the cross and since that is the case, God the Father is free to provide in grace, the Recovery Procedure. The second connotation is that good and evil were rejected by Jesus on the cross since good and evil are a part of Satan’s policy and plan. On the cross, Jesus relied on the proto-type spiritual life which operated under the two power options namely God’s power system.
4. So, the old sin nature’s ruling power over the Christian has been broken since all sins were judged on the cross and the Recovery Procedure has been provided. So, Retroactive Positional Truth has destroyed the sovereignty of the old sin nature over the life of the Christian.
5. Also, since Jesus rejected the good and evil policy of Satan so should the believer reject Satan’s policy of good and evil as the believer applies Retroactive Positional Truth.
Romans 6:4: Therefore, we have been buried together with Him through the identification [Baptism of the Spirit] into His death [physical], in order that just as Christ has been raised up from the dead [on Resurrection Sunday], through the glory of the Father [through the Father’s power], [So also we, the dead in Christ, will be raised from the dead by the power of the Father, and those alive at the Rapture, by the power of the Holy Spirit.] in this manner we also might walk in newness of life [Experiential sanctification should reflect our future ultimate sanctification.].
Christ had to die physically “and Jesus having shouted clearly with a loud voice said, Father, into your hands I deposit my [human] spirit, and having said this, he exhaled” (Luke 23:46). This last exhale caused His soul and spirit to depart from his mortal body resulting in physical death. Just as Christ had to die physically in order to obtain his resurrection body, so we must depart from our body of corruption, or mortality in order to receive our eternal body called our resurrection body.
The Newness of Life:
1. The newness of life provided through the baptism of the Spirit includes positional freedom from producing good and evil. Not only are we free from the tyranny of good and evil but we are also free from having to produce good and evil.
2. The believer has no obligation to improve the devil’s world through social action, socialism, welfare state, communism, environmentalism, or any social gospel, social action, getting involved, etc.
3. The human race is protected from Satan’s policy of good and evil through the laws of divine establishment which promote freedom instead of improvement at the cost of freedom.
4. In addition to the Laws of Divine Establishment the believer is insulated from good and evil positionally through the baptism of the Spirit.
5. Divorced from the Old Sin Nature positionally and its useless activity of human good and the function of evil, the life of the believer can be devoted to glorifying the Lord Jesus Christ through maximum knowledge and application of Bible doctrine.
Romans 6:5: For if we have become united with Him [Christ, the new husband] in the likeness of His death [the substitutionary spiritual death of Christ on the cross], and we have, and not only this, but also, we shall be [united in the likeness] of His resurrection [Current Positional Truth: in union with the resurrected Christ].
Romans 6:6: Be knowing this [through Retroactive Positional Truth], that our old man [our former husband, the sin nature dates back to the Garden] has been crucified together [with Him], in order that the [human] body, with reference to its sin nature, [the sin nature located in the body] might be rendered powerless [when we use Recovery Procedure and the two power options], that we should no longer be slaves to the sin nature.
“Our old man has been crucified with Him” meaning that the power of the sin nature has been broken on the cross. Since the power of the sin nature was broken by the work of the cross, we as believers have no excuse for not executing the spiritual life. We will not be able to say to Christ at our evaluation that our sin nature was too powerful for us to execute the spiritual life.
A few points for further clarification:
1. Retroactive positional truth is that phase of the baptism of the Holy Spirit at salvation which identifies the believer with Christ in His spiritual death, physical death and his burial.
2. In the substitutionary spiritual death of Christ on the cross all the personal sins in human history were imputed to Christ, but at the same time the other two trends of the old sin nature were not imputed for judgment.
3. Good and evil is the policy of Satan as the ruler of this world and the function of the old sin nature as the sovereign of human life. In fact, the sin nature functions as the agent of Satan.
4. Good and evil were not imputed for judgment on the cross. Hence, in the spiritual death of Christ on the cross they were rejected to remain an issue in the angelic conflict, rejected to be perpetuated in human history as an issue every believer must face, and either overcome through the intake of doctrine or be entrapped by ignorance of doctrine and therefore lose out in glorifying God in time.
5. We are identified with Christ in His spiritual death, which means that we must understand that our sins have been judged and that good and evil has been rejected.
6. It all adds up to the fact that the sovereignty of the old sin nature over human life has been made powerless through retroactive positional truth.
7. The imputation of all personal sins of the human race to Christ on the cross means that the believer through the rebound technique is instantly forgiven sins, cleansed from all wrong doing which includes Satanic good and evil, restored to fellowship and filled with the Spirit.
Romans 6:7: For we who have died [the Christian is identified with the substitutionary spiritual death of Christ: theologically called Retroactive Positional Truth] have been acquitted [positional deliverance] from [the power of] the sin nature.
A few points for further clarification:
1. A dead person is discharged from the obligations of his former sphere of life. This is why the word “death” is used in this context. It is not a literal, physical death we are discussing but identification with Christ in His death.
2. As unbelievers we were under the authority of Satan as the ruler of this world, and under the authority of the old sin nature as the sovereign of human life.
3. Both the power of Satan and the old sin nature have been abrogated through the baptism of the Holy Spirit at salvation.
4. This passage, then, emphasizes the annulling of the power and the authority of the old sin nature as the sovereign of human life.
5. Positionally, the power of the sin nature has been broken. Experientially, the old sin nature controls to the extent that we fail to understand and utilize the provision and support of logistical grace.
Romans 6:8: Now if we have died with Christ, and we have [retroactive positional truth], we also believe that we shall live in association with Him [the instrumental of association; a reference to Current Positional Truth].
In this verse, the 1st Class conditional sentence shows the relationship between Retroactive Positional Truth with Current Positional Truth. The protasis, the ‘if’ clause states the reality of Retroactive Positional Truth and the apodosis, the concluding clause states the doctrinal inference and the reality of Current Positional Truth. While Retroactive Positional Truth presents positional rejection and separation from good and evil as the policy of Satan and the function of the old sin nature, Current Positional Truth relates the believer to the function of the royal family of God. In other words, they have separate functions.
Romans 6:9: Knowing that because Christ has been raised from the dead [He received a resurrection body], no longer can He die; [physical] death is no longer a master over Him.
Analysis:
1. Retroactive positional truth destroys the sovereign authority of the old sin nature over human life. Current positional truth, on the other hand, destroys the limited authority of physical death in human life.
2. Instead of being ruled by the old sin nature located in the cells of the human body and influencing our souls toward sin, good and evil, we now have a new sovereign, the Lord Jesus Christ. We are identified with Him in His deaths, in His burial, resurrection, ascension and session.
3. Before salvation and the baptism of the Holy Spirit our lives were under the absolute rule of Satan who is the ruler of this world and under the rule of the old sin nature which is the ruler of life, and under the limited rule of physical death. All of that, of course, has been changed since salvation.
4. Now both retroactive and current positional truth have abrogated the authority and power of these former rulers. The power of Satan over our lives has been broken through identification with the rejection of good and evil namely Satan’s policy and plan and through our position in union with Christ. The power of the old sin nature is broken through retroactive positional truth and the power of physical death is broken through current positional truth.
5. Therefore, having studied these things by principle and by implication we are now ready for application, verses 12 & 13 specifically.
6. Having been positionally liberated from the sovereignty of the old sin nature as an absolute ruler, and the authority of physical death, we must recognise and apply doctrine for the experiential victory commanded in verses 11-13.
Galatians 3:25-28, “But now that faith has come, we are no longer under the authority of [have need of] a school bus. (26) For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. (27) For all of you who were baptized into Christ [identified with Christ through union with Him] have clothed yourselves with Christ. (28) There is neither Jew nor Greek [no racial distinction], there is neither slave nor free man [no social or economic distinction], there is neither male nor female [no gender distinction]; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. [All Christians have the same privileges and opportunities to execute the spiritual life.]”
Current Positional Truth, Elaborated:
In the Church Age, Current Positional Truth establishes our relationship with Christ as opposed to religion. It refers to the Church Age believer in union with Christ and is the key to understanding the Church Age and how the royal family came into being. Therefore, it is the basis for distinguishing between Christianity and religion. Christianity is a relationship with God without merit whereas religion is a system of works to gain the approbation of God. Never shall the twain meet!
The mechanics of Current Positional Truth is the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, whereby the Spirit enters us into union with Christ. 1 Corinthians 12:13, “For also by agency of the one Spirit we are all baptized [identification resulting in becoming a new spiritual species] into one body [in union with Christ], whether Jews or Greeks [racial distinctions are removed], whether slave or free [class and economic distinctions are removed], even all were made to drink [the aorist passive, the voice of grace] the one Spirit [The Holy Spirit did not ask us whether we wanted to be put into union with Christ or not.].” Ephesians 4:5, “One Lord [becomes our Lord positionally at Salvation]), one faith [faith alone in Christ alone; Acts 16:31], one baptism [Baptism of the Holy Spirit takes place at salvation].”
Current Positional truth guarantees that there will be no judgment for believers in eternity, Romans 8:1, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Thus, the condemnation which occurred at the first birth was removed at the 2nd birth. As a result of being born with the sin nature and the imputation of Adam’s Original Sin, we were condemned to the Lake of Fire for all eternity, but now that has been removed. Romans 5:12, “For this reason just as through one man [Adam] the sin [nature] entered into the world [procreation], and so spiritual death through the sin [the imputation of Adam’s Original Sin to the sin nature], and so spiritual death spread to all mankind, because all sinned when Adam sinned [since we were all genetically in Adam when he sinned, we will receive Adam’s Original Sin].” However, at our spiritual birth, the 2nd birth, our pre-salvation sins were all forgiven including Adam’s Original Sin. After which, the Spirit entered us into union with Christ where there is now no condemnation (Romans 8:1).
Current Positional truth qualifies the believer to live with God forever. To live with God forever, the believer must have eternal life and God’s perfect righteousness, 1 John 5:11-12, “And this is the deposition [testimony] that the God [the Father] has given to us, eternal life, and this life is in his son [Since we are in union with Christ, we share this life.]. (12) and he who has the son [a relationship with the Son] has the life [eternal life] and the one who does not have the son of God [relationship with the Son] does not have the life [eternal life].” 2 Corinthians 5:21, “And He [the Father] made Him who knew no sin [perfection] to be a sin offering [imputation of sins on the cross] as a substitute for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him [current positional truth].” To live with God forever means you must have His life, and you must be as righteous as He is.
Positional truth guarantees the believer’s eternal security, Romans 8:38-39, “For I am persuaded that neither death [nothing in death] nor life [nothing in life] nor angels nor principalities [ruling angels] nor powers [human organizations] nor things present nor things to come (39) nor height [nothing in heaven] nor depth [nothing in Hades] nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Eternal life in Christ is for all eternity!
Positional truth belongs to all categories of believers whether they be apostate, mature, immature, spiritually adult, or carnal. Since Current Positional Truth occurs at the point of salvation before experience in the Christian life begins, it doesn’t depend on that experience. 1 Corinthians 1:2, “to the church of God which is in Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus [at salvation], called saints together with all who call upon the person of Our Lord Jesus Christ, their [Lord] and ours.” So, even though you may be carnal or in reversionism, you still have positional truth. Being in union with Christ has nothing to do with what you do [experiential righteousness], or don’t do [failure to execute God’s plan]. Current Positional sanctification is completely the work of God the Holy Spirit and so is not based upon our volition, but on the sovereign decision of God. We make the decision to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, but we don’t make the decision to enter into union with Christ “all were made to drink the one Spirit” as per 1 Corinthians 12:13. God the Holy Spirit graciously did that for us and so it cannot be undone.
Current Positional truth creates a new spiritual species in Christ as per 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ and he is, he is a new spiritual species. The old things have lost their power; behold, new things have come to pass.” You become a new spiritual species at salvation by being put into union with Christ. It is what God does for you, and therefore it is grace. It is not what you do after salvation, such as the self-righteous works of legalism. The “old things” have to do with spiritual death and those things related to that death; the “new things” refer to things you receive at salvation such as the 40 assets and the unique spiritual life.
Positional truth should motivate the production of divine good and a pattern of life compatible with royalty as per Ephesians 2:10, “For we are his creation, having been created in Christ Jesus [a new spiritual species with many assets] for the purpose of divine good production [via experiential sanctification] which the God [the Father] has prepared in advance [in eternity past, God the Father provided election and predestination as part of our Portfolio of Invisible Assets], that we in the sphere of them [election and predestination] may pattern our lives.”
Even though a Christian may die the Sin on to Death, he will not lose his position in union with Christ (1 John 5:18-20), and so cannot lose his salvation. In order for a believer to lose his position in Christ, he would have to sin in that status, but since the believer cannot sin in union with Christ, he cannot lose his position in Christ and so cannot lose his salvation. Thus, it is comforting and reassuring to a believer to know that even though a loved one may have died the ‘sin on to death’, he has not lost his salvation.
Because we are in union with Christ, we share His:
1. Eternal life, 1 John 5:11, “And this is the deposition [testimony] that the God [the Father] has given to us, eternal life [At salvation, God the Father imputes this life to the human spirit], and this life is in his son [The Christian also shares the life of Christ through union with Him]. (12) and he who has the son [a relationship with the Son] has the life [eternal life] and the one who does not have the son of God [relationship with the Son] does not have the life [eternal life].”
John 14:6, “Jesus said to him [Thomas], ‘I am the way, the truth and the life [eternal life]; no person [in human history] comes face to face with the Father [having an eternal relationship with the Father] except through Me.’”
2. Perfect righteousness, 2 Corinthians 5:21, “And he (God the Father) made him [Jesus] who knew no sin (perfection) to be a sin offering as a substitute for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in him [positional truth]. Sharing the righteousness of Christ, we become the objects of God the Father’s love as per Romans 8:39.
3. Election, Ephesians 1:4, “just as He [the Father] has elected us for Himself in Him [Jesus Christ] before the creation of the world [in eternity past], that we may be set apart [experiential sanctification] and blameless [ultimate sanctification] in the presence of Him [Father].”
4. Destiny, Ephesians 1:5, “By means of love, He has predestined us for the purpose of adoption as adult sons to Himself through Christ Jesus our Lord according to the grace purpose of His will.”
5. Sonship, Galatians 3:26, “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.”
6. Heirship, Romans 8:16-17, “The Spirit Himself testifies together [bears witness] with our [human] spirit, that we are the children of God. (17) Now, if we are children and we are, also heirs, on the one hand heirs of God [the Father], and joint heirs with Christ. If indeed [if it is true that], we suffer with Him [pass all three stages of undeserved suffering], that also we might be glorified with Christ.”
7. Sanctification, 1 Corinthians 1:2, “to the church of God which is in Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called saints together with all who call upon the person of Our Lord Jesus Christ, their [Lord] and ours.”
8. Priesthood, Hebrews 7:12-19, “For when the priesthood is changed, of necessity there takes place a change in the Law also. (13) For the One [the Lord Jesus Christ] concerning whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe [the tribe of Judah] from which no one has officiated at the altar. (14) For it is evident that our Lord has descended from Judah, a tribe with reference to which Moses spoke nothing concerning priests, (15) and this is clearer still, if another priest arises similar to Melchizedek, and there has, (16) who has become a priest not on the basis of physical requirement [a reference to the Levitical Priesthood] but on the basis of indestructible life [the Lord’s priesthood is forever]. (17) For this reason, it is witnessed, ‘You are a priest forever similar to the order of Melchizedek.’” [We are in union with Christ. Therefore, we are royalty and priests forever. We represent ourselves before God as royal priests.] (18) For, on the one hand, there is a rescinding of the former commandment [the Mosaic Law that authorized the Levitical priesthood] because of its weakness and uselessness (19) (for the Law brought nothing to completion), but on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope [the second door of hope for the Church Age believer—a personal sense of destiny—by which we enter the adult spiritual life] through which we draw near to God.”
Hebrews 7:26-28, “For it is fitting that we should have such a high priest, impeccable integrity, the One who cannot do evil, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens; (27) Who does not need daily, like those Levitical priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for their own sins, and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He [Jesus] offered up Himself. (28) For the Law appoints men as high priests who are weak, but the word of His [God the Father’s] oath, which came after the Law, appoints a Son, who has become perfect forever [Jesus Christ is a perfect high priest].”
9. Royalty, 1 Peter 2:9, “ But you and only you are an elect [elect by God the Father] race [as a new spiritual species], a royal priesthood [since Jesus is a king-priest], a holy nation [God’s entity: a nation of priests: every Christian is a priest], a people for God’s own possession [a protected people], so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him [Christ] who has called [in eternity past] you out of darkness [spiritual death and the Cosmic Systems] into His amazing light [his plan];”
10. New Spiritual Species, 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ and he is, he is a new spiritual species. The old things have lost their power [Old Covenant]; behold, new things have come to pass [This would include the New Covenant to the Church.].”
Current Positional Truth changes our relationship with Angels.
1. Through current positional truth the believer is higher than angels positionally.
2. Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father, and so superior to all angels. By virtue of being in union with Christ, every believer is now positionally superior to angels.
3. Positional truth has fulfilled the believer’s triumph with Christ in the angelic conflict. We are victorious with Him already.
4. Furthermore, positional truth demands compatibility with experiential righteousness. Therefore, the believer’s walk on this earth must be compatible with positional truth since we have perfect security in Christ, we have the freedom to choose for Jesus Christ, to love Jesus Christ, to respond to His love, and to fulfill our purpose on this earth.
What positional truth is not?
1. It is not an experience, emotions or ecstasies.
2. It is not progressive; it cannot be improved in time or eternity.
3. It is not related to human merit or ability.
4. It cannot be changed by God, man or angels. It is eternal in nature.
5. It is not obtained gradually as you grow in grace, but in toto at salvation.
6. It is not known apart from the metabolization of doctrine.
7. From understanding the doctrine of positional truth, we progress in our spiritual life, but we cannot improve it since it is perfect at salvation.
8. We are not in Christ because of what we do (execution of the spiritual life) or fail to do (fail to execute the spiritual life), but because of what God has done.
A few points of explanation:
1. The conclusion from positional truth, whether retroactive or current, is that the Christian must apply these doctrines to his spiritual life.
2. In Romans 7:1-4 where we have an illustration of a woman whose first husband has died freeing her to marry another. This is what actually happens to us as believers at salvation. The old sin nature is the husband up to the point of salvation, but at the moment we believe in Jesus Christ positionally the sin nature is dead, as it were, the first husband has died and we have a new husband through union with Christ. Retroactive Positional Truth removes our first husband, the sin nature whereas Current Positional Truth enters us into union with Christ, our new husband.
3. The old sin nature-husband is still around, still seeking to regain his control over his former wife, the believer. But union with the second husband, the Lord Jesus Christ, has broken the first husband’s authority over the former wife.
4. The Baptism of Fire:
Matthew 3:11, “On the one hand I [John the Baptizer] baptize you [believers] by means of water because of a change of thinking [about Christ], but the one coming after me is mightier than I whose sandals I am not worthy to lace [loosen, remove]. He himself will baptize by means of the Holy Spirit [a reference to the Baptism of the Holy Spirit in the Church Age] and by means of fire [a reference to the Baptism of Fire at the 2nd Advent].”
Baptism of Fire: The baptism of fire (identification with fire) is defined as the judgment of unbelievers both Jew and gentile at the Second Advent. They will be removed from the earth and placed in fire for 1000 years until the Last Judgment, Luke 3:16-17; Mathew 25:31, 33. The analogy to the Baptism of Fire is found in Matthew 24:36-41. The one left in the field is the mature believer; the one taken is the unbeliever.
Parables of the Baptism of Fire:
1. The wheat and the tares (the unbelievers), Matthew 13:24-30, 36-40.
2. The good and bad fish (unbelievers), Matthew 13:47-50.
3. The ten virgins: five wise, five foolish (the unbelievers), Matthew 25:1-13.
4. The sheep and the goats (the unbelievers), Mathew 25:31-46.
5. The talent test, Matthew 25:14-30. The one talent man represents the unbeliever.
If Jesus Christ had not been rejected by the Jewish people, then the age of Israel would have continued until its completion (the Tribulation completes the age of Israel). (However, they did reject Jesus Christ as Savior and Messiah and so the client nation was destroyed, and the Church age was intercalated that is inserted before the age of Israel was complete.) After the completion of the age of Israel at the end of the Tribulation, comes the wrath of God namely the Baptism of Fire when the Lord removes both Jewish and gentile unbelievers from the earth and identifies them with fire forever. After which, the Millennial reign begins.
The Three Ritual Baptisms. None are extant at the present time. They are representative identifications in which water is used as a training aid to represent some principle of doctrine.
1. The Baptism of John is found in Matthew 3:2-6, “Saying, ‘Change your thinking [regarding Christ] for the kingdom of heaven is near.’ [The future king was already on the earth] (3) For this is what was communicated through Isaiah, the prophet saying, ‘The voice of one [John the Baptizer] proclaiming loudly in the desert [of Judea]. Prepare [the aorist tense is a one time-decision] the way of the Lord [an idiomatic expression for salvation]. Keep on making upright [the use of the Recovery Procedure followed by the development of experiential righteousness] His paths!’ (Isaiah 40:3) (4) Now, John himself kept on having a garment of camel’s hair [very uncomfortable] and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. (5) Then [after John went where God wanted him to be] Jerusalem kept on going out to him [face to face] and all Judea and all the districts around the Jordan. (6) and they were being baptized [identified with the kingdom] by him [under John’s authority] in the Jordan River [where Israel crossed when they entered the land], and they kept on confessing their sins [post-salvation confession of sins].”
MAX KLEIN BIBLE MINISTRIES
The Book of Revelation: Chapter Nine
A verse-by-verse commentary by Max Klein
Let us bow our heads; If we need to use the Recovery Procedure as found in 1 John 1:9, let us do so at this time that we might be in fellowship. (pause) Father, we thank you for the privilege and opportunity to study your word and for the freedom that you have provided for us here in Corpus Christi, Texas, U.S.A.; furthermore, we express our appreciation to God the Holy Spirit who will enlighten us regarding the message this evening. We as priests pray this through the person of our Lord Christ Jesus, our High Priest, Amen.
Genesis 2:7, “then the Lord God [the deity of Christ] formed man of the minerals from the soil [biological life precedes soul-life], and breathed into his nostrils the breath of lives [soul-life and the human spirit; soul-life was imputed to biological life namely that part of biological life called the format soul located in the brain]; and man became a living being [literally a soul with life: the merging of soul-life with biological life which merger produces human life].”
וַיִּיצֶר יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים אֶת-הָאָדָם, עָפָר מִן-הָאֲדָמָה, וַיִּפַּח בְּאַפָּיו, נִשְׁמַת חַיִּים; וַיְהִי הָאָדָם, לְנֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה.
Outline of Revelation 9
Verses:
1-12. The first demon assault army led by Abaddon (Apollyon)
13-21. The second demon assault army from under the Euphrates River
The last three trumpets, also known as the three woes, have to do with three demon invasions upon the earth. In this chapter, we will have the first two woes, two demon armies physically attacking mankind, the first to torture and the second to kill.
The first woe deals with a demon attack from the Abyss with the purpose to torture the servants of Satan. The second hard-core demon assault army comes from the vicinity of under the Euphrates. It is led by four demon general officers, and they will kill one third of the people of the earth, those living in Satan’s Cosmic System. Satan in his frustration and anger will turn on his own followers. The third demon assault army is the last trumpet [the 7th], the third woe. It occurs at the end of chapter eleven and goes into chapter twelve. It is an attack upon all Jews, and it will be the greatest wave of anti-Semitism the world has ever known.
Revelation 9:1
Then, the fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star [Satan] fall from heaven to the earth [in the middle of the Tribulation], and a key to the shaft of the Abyss was given to him [to Satan by God].
Καὶ ὁ πέµπτος ἄγγελος ἐσάλπισεν· καὶ εἶδον ἀστέρα ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ πεπτωκότα εἰς τὴν γῆν, καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτῷ ἡ κλεὶς τοῦ φρέατος τῆς ἀβύσσου.
We begin by noting that Satan is the ruler of this world; as such he is the highest of all fallen angels. In his original state from creation as Lucifer, the Son of the Dawn, he was the highest of all angelic creatures. The highest creatures at creation were cherubs and Satan was the anointed cherub, but he lost out along the way, and there are at least nine angels out of the billions of angels who have achieved the rank of Seraph, a much higher status than the rank of Cherub.
Principle: It isn’t the person who is spectacular who makes a sudden rise; it isn’t the person who has obvious talents, but the person who really makes it, is the plugger, the one who plugs with Bible doctrine. Satan was the highest of all angels by creation, but he lost his high estate. Isaiah 14:12, “How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth [in the middle of the Tribulation], you who have weakened the nations!” By contrast, those promoted to seraphs in the prehistoric angelic conflict placed maximum emphasis on God’s plan and their spiritual lives. They were the highest achievers among billions of angels in the prehistoric angelic conflict.
Arrogance inevitably leads to inordinate ambition and there is no greater ambition than the ambition of Satan as found in Isaiah 14:14, “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds [a reference to ruling the angels]; I will make myself like the Most-High.” He was the highest of all angelic creatures and is presently the ruler of all fallen angels. Therefore, we have to recognize Satan as the prehistoric super creature. Embodied in this one creature is all of the beauty and attractiveness and brilliance which is ascribed to him in Ezekiel 28:17a, “Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor [which included his brilliance and personality].” Satan went from a position of great strength and power for he was the greatest of all creatures to a position of great weakness; he made this transition through arrogance, the greatest enemy of any creature. With arrogance you can never be in a position of strength, no matter how strong your position maybe, it is a house of cards.
A perspective regarding Satan as the ruler of this world: Lewis Sperry Chafer, “Systematic Theology”, vol. 2, pp 100-101, 108, 110. “Next to the lie itself, the greatest delusion Satan imposes reaching to all unsaved and to a large portion of Christians is the supposition that only such things as society considers evil could originate with the devil — if, indeed, there be any devil to originate anything [for some contend that there is no devil]. It is not the reason of man, but the revelation of God, which points out that governments [Satan uses governments to implement his policies], morals [Satan distorts morality as a way of salvation or alone as the spiritual life of believers], education [Satan uses education to teach his views regarding socialism and communism; the public school system should be teaching the Laws of Divine Establishment which are for believer and unbeliever alike], art [like modern art which is no art; hard rock music with lyrics that are antiestablishment], commercialism [commerce of illegal drugs, female and child trafficking, forced vaccinations, and central bank digital currencies just to mention a few], vast enterprises [like the FED, an international banking cartel and other central banks of the world] and organizations [like the United Nations and the World Council of Churches], and much of religious activity [for Satan is the creator of all religions; Christianity is not a religion, but a relationship with God] are included in the cosmos diabolicus. That is the system which Satan has constructed includes all the good which he can incorporate into it and be consistent with the thing he aims to accomplish [His aim is to be “like the Most-High]. A serious question arises whether the presence of gross evil in the world is due to Satan’s intention to have it so, or whether it indicates Satan’s inability to execute all he has designed. The probability is great that Satan’s ambition has led him to undertake more than any creature could ever administer. Revelation declares that the whole cosmos-system must be annihilated — not its evil alone, but all that is in it, both good and bad. God will incorporate nothing of Satan’s failure into that kingdom which He will set up on the earth …
“… Since in pursuing his determination to exalt himself above God, Satan must oppose the divine undertakings, his opposition naturally will be exerted where God is acting at a given time [Satan opposes any and all which God sponsors]. Since God has no present program which He is following along the lines of reformation [Satan sponsors reformation without truth], education [Satan sponsors any education that runs counter to truth] or civilization [Satan sponsors culture as a substitute for truth] (and any record that such undertakings are in God’s present purpose will be sought in vain [cannot be found in the Bible]), there is no conflict or satanic resistance in those spheres [reformation, education and civilization]. The present relation of God to the cosmos, beyond His sovereign permission and restraint of it, is to save out of it an elect people for His heavenly glory. On the other hand, Satan’s twofold objective namely to exalt self, and to oppose God is the key by which much may be known that otherwise would be unknown. It is still further disclosed that the enmity of Satan is not only toward the Person of God from whom he has everything to fear, but also toward every true child of God. Too much emphasis cannot be placed on this fact. Satan has no controversy or warfare with his own, unregenerate people, but there is abundant scripture to prove that he makes unceasing effort to mar the life and service of the Christian ...”
“Since the blood redemption of the cross [Propitiation plus Reconciliation equals Redemption] is the central truth and value of the true faith, it being the ‘power of God unto salvation’ (Rom. 1:16; 1 Corinthians 1:23-24), any counterfeit system of doctrine which would omit this essential, must force some secondary truth into the place of prominence. Any of the great scriptural subjects which are of universal interest to humanity, such as physical health, life after death, morality, unfulfilled prophecy, or religious forms, may be substituted in the false systems for that which is vital [Satan mixes truth with the false to make convincing his lies]. And while those subjects are all found in their proper relations and importance in the true faith, the fact that people are universally inclined to give attention to them furnishes Satan an opportunity to make a strong appeal to humanity through them [through distorting truth], using these [minor or secondary] subjects as central truths in his false and counterfeit systems. Many are easily led to fix their attention upon the secondary things, and to neglect wholly the one primary thing. Especially this is true since the secondary things are tangible and seen [like doing good to benefit mankind or being moral, but benefiting mankind and being moral does not bring about salvation which is unseen], while the one essential thing is spiritual and unseen; and Satan has blinded their eyes toward that which is of eternal value...”
“… The idea that man will stand on the basis of personal worthiness has been the chief heresy, opposing the central doctrine of grace [freely given and undeserved], from the time of Christ’s death to the present hour. It so permeates the church that few who preach are able to exclude it [some form of works] from their attempts at gospel preaching. It is safe to say that wherever the element of human merit is allowed to intrude into the presentation of the plan of salvation, the message is Satanic to that extent.”
This concludes our quote from Lewis Sperry Chafer on Satan.
Regarding Satan’s second fall as mentioned in our passage Revelation 9:1, the details can be found in Revelation 12:7-12, “Now there was war in heaven and Michael and his army of elect angels fought against the dragon [Satan]. Furthermore, the dragon and his fallen angels fought back. (8) Nevertheless, he [Satan & his demon assault army] did not win, in fact, a place was no longer found for them in heaven. (9) Then the great dragon, the ancient serpent [related to the garden] who is called the devil [accuser, maligner] and Satan, who keeps on deceiving the entire inhabited earth was thrown out of heaven; he was thrown down to earth, furthermore his angels were thrown out of heaven with him. (10) Then, I heard a loud voice in heaven which said, "Now the deliverance [2nd Advent] has come, also his power [of Jesus Christ], even the kingdom of our God [Father’s plan for the millennial reign of Christ], and the authority of His Christ [ruler of the earth for 1000 years], because the accuser [Satan accused believers in time i.e. Job] of our fellow believers who constantly brings charges against them before our God [supreme court in heaven] day and night, has been thrown out [of heaven]. (11) Furthermore, they [believers in the Tribulation under pressure from Satan) overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb [saving work of the Lord Jesus Christ], and because of doctrine applied by means of their testimony, in fact they did not love their life to the point of death [were not afraid of death and some died as martyrs]. (12) For this reason, keep celebrating, you-heavens [elect angels and Church Age believers in resurrection bodies], and you who live temporarily in them [Old Testament believers and Tribulation-martyrs in interim bodies). Woe [the 3rd woe] to both land and sea [planet earth], because the devil has come down face to face with you [since he has been thrown out of heaven] and he foams with fury, knowing that his time is short.”
Regarding Satan’s three falls; one is in the past and two in the future. His angelic sin of arrogance in which he said, “I will be like the Most-High God.” He revolted against God, taking one-third of all angels with him, Isaiah 14:13-14 and in Ezekiel 28:12-19. His second fall occurs when he will be cast out of heaven in the middle of the Tribulation as per Revelation 12:7-10. Finally, his last fall will occur when he will be cast into the Lake of Fire as per Revelation 20:10, “Then the devil who had deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and burning sulfur, where both the beast [dictator of the Revived Roman Empire] and the false prophet [the dictator of Israel] are located; and they shall be tormented day and night forever and ever.”
These falls should be related to his two advents. His first advent is found in Genesis three where he found man in perfect environment which he destroyed through being very persuasive as a personality; secondly in Revelation 20 at the end of the Millennium, he will come back and destroy it through the Gog-Magog Revolution. Every time Satan has an advent, it is always under conditions of perfect environment. So, he is the central antagonist of the angelic conflict; he is a great organizer and administrator, but his administration will fall apart as the ruler of this world.
Revelation 9:2
Then, he [Satan] opened [by unlocking it] the shaft of the abyss with the result that smoke like the smoke of a giant furnace, ascended from that shaft; both the sun and the atmosphere became darkened because of the smoke coming out from the shaft [This cuts off radiation from the sun and immerses planet earth in a blackout].
καὶ ἤνοιξεν τὸ φρέαρ τῆς ἀβύσσου, καὶ ἀνέβη καπνὸς ἐκ τοῦ φρέατος ὡς καπνὸς καµίνου µεγάλης, καὶ ἐσκοτώθη ὁ ἥλιος καὶ ὁ ἀὴρ ἐκ τοῦ καπνοῦ τοῦ φρέατος.
Revelation 9:3
And out from the smoke [behind the barrage], locusts [analogy to describe the method by which the first demon assault army will attack, suddenly and with great numbers] invaded the earth; and authority [by the Lord to torture] was given to them, like scorpions have power on the earth [a scorpion’s sting is extremely painful as will be the torture of these demons].
καὶ ἐκ τοῦ καπνοῦ ἐξῆλθον ἀκρίδες εἰς τὴν γῆν, καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτοῖς ἐξουσία ὡς ἔχουσιν ἐξουσίαν οἱ σκορπίοι τῆς γῆς.
These demons from the Abyss are not locusts and are not scorpions but analogies. The function and the modus operandi of the locusts on the one hand and the function of the scorpion on the other hand are the best ways in which, in the ancient world, it was possible to describe the function of the first demon assault army.
There is one difference between literal locusts and the demon locust-army. The literal locust is described in Proverbs 30:27, “The locusts have no king, yet all of them go in ranks.” In the solitary stage no one leads them but in the gregarious stage they march in ranks. Whenever locusts form up and go into the air, their wings make an awesome sound and they literally darken the sky around them. Nothing can stop the locusts which provides an excellent analogy for this invading demon army which in this case has a king namely Abaddon. Nothing is going to stop the torture of this demon army when they invade.
The destruction of Nineveh, by the way, in the book of Nahum is described in terms of a locust plague analogous to an overrunning army. Nahum 3:15,16, “There [Nineveh] the fire will consume you; the sword will cut you down; it will consume you like the locust does … You have increased your trade more than the stars of the heaven: and the creeping locust strips you and flies away.” Even though they were having great business prosperity they would be overrun by an army and destroyed.
Revelation 9:4
And they were instructed that they should not injure the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree [that has already occurred as per Revelation 8:7], but only the men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads [evangelists and other growing believers advancing spiritually will have a seal from the Lord].
καὶ ἐρρέθη αὐτοῖς ἵνα µὴ ἀδικήσουσιν τὸν χόρτον τῆς γῆς οὐδὲ πᾶν χλωρὸν οὐδὲ πᾶν δένδρον, εἰ µὴ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους οἵτινες οὐκ ἔχουσι τὴν σφραγῖδα τοῦ θεοῦ ἐπὶ τῶν µετώπων.
This mandate indicates that demons can neither argue or disobey God. Therefore, these restrictions on the first demon assault army stand without contest or even a hint of disobedience. Furthermore, only God who invented the cycles of nature and the weather machine can interfere with them to administer discipline or judgment upon the human race. God does not trust demons to tamper with the cycles of nature, and just as God Himself judges man through the destruction of nature in the first trumpet judgment of Revelation 8:7 so He will continue the process Himself in the plagues of the wine-goblets in Revelation chapter sixteen. When we get to wine-goblets number two, three, four and five, we will see that God will again use nature as a vehicle of judgment. While demons can perform extra natural acts on the environment of planet earth, they cannot control anything on planet earth.
Revelation 9:5
Also they were not permitted to kill them [neither the unbeliever nor the believer in the Cosmic System], but to torture them for five months, and their torture is like the torture of a scorpion when it strikes a man [intense pain].
καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτοῖς ἵνα µὴ ἀποκτείνωσιν αὐτούς, ἀλλ’ ἵνα βασανισθήσονται µῆνας πέντε· καὶ ὁ βασανισµὸς αὐτῶν ὡς βασανισµὸς σκορπίου, ὅταν παίσῃ ἄνθρωπον.
There is a slightly exaggerated expression namely the sting of a poisonous scorpion is “worse than death.” Arizona’s Bark Scorpion is the most venomous scorpion in the United States even causing death among children and the elderly. It delivers a devastating cocktail of neurotoxins, cardiotoxins, and hemotoxins. This venom can affect the nerves, heart and lungs. It can cause severe pain in humans, numbness, vomiting, temporary paralysis even death.
All scorpions possess a venomous sting. Several thousand people die each year from scorpion stings, but this mortality is due to the venom of about 25 species located in northern Africa, the Middle East, India, Mexico and parts of South America. Two of the deadliest scorpions are the Deathstalker found in the arid desert and scrublands throughout the Middle East and North Africa, and the Indian Red Scorpion found in India, eastern Pakistan, eastern Nepal and Sri Lanka. Left untreated, an Indian Red Scorpion sting can lead to pulmonary edema, causing death in less than 72 hours.
Satan turns his own demons against believers and unbelievers functioning under his Cosmic System. In other words, Satan has no loyalty toward his own when he no longer needs them.
1. Loyalty, which is a great facet of leadership, demands integrity; arrogant Satan has no integrity, no loyalty and no true leadership.
2. Also, those human beings who live and reside in the Cosmic System do not possess integrity. They may have had integrity before they entered the Cosmic System, but once they begin functioning in Satan’s System, they lose their integrity.
3. Even though these cosmic unbelievers and believers have served Satan well in the Cosmic System, when Satan is through using them, he will discard them.
4. This is the modus operandi used by all arrogant human beings as well. Human beings living in theCosmic System have neither loyalty, gratitude or the integrity to appreciate loyal service from subordinates.
5. Many Christians have been shocked by executives whose promotion and success depended on their hard and faithful service, yet, when they were no longer useful or because of some pressure became a source of embarrassment they were discarded without any consideration.
6. Arrogant leadership or executive function knows no loyalty to faithful subordinates and has no appreciation for past services rendered.
7. So even service in the Cosmic System of the devil is no protection from the devil or his hard-core demon assault armies who at this moment are incarcerated in the abyss of Hades and under the Euphrates River, but will be released to torture and kill Satan’s faithful servants both unbeliever and believer.
Arrogant Leadership:
1. Satan possesses the optimum of arrogance, therefore he can be classified under arrogant leadership. All arrogant leadership in history in any category follows the same pattern.
2. Arrogant leadership is preoccupied with self and motivated by inordinate ambition.
3. The arrogant person is constantly competing with everyone else around him, including his subordinates in business and his contemporaries in social life.
4. As long as the subordinates are useful or helpful to the business executive, the commanding officer, the department head, he is tolerated or used. This is why we as believers must always do our job as unto the Lord even when we are being used.
5. The moment something goes wrong, the arrogant leader will turn against his subordinates. In other words, the antithesis of gratitude.
6. Before the Second Advent comes, Satan turns on his own kingdom. Remember that he is the ruler of this world, and he will destroy his own kingdom before the Second Advent of Christ. In effect, Satan will terminate his own rulership by his own decision before the Second Advent. When Christ returns to the earth, the world will be in a shambles. Satan’s whole system is going to collapse under his very own nose by his own arrogant decisions.
Arrogance related to Personality: the assumption that a good personality means a great person; that greatness is found in personality.
1. While it is true that some people do have great personalities, it is not true that having a great personality implies integrity or greatness. Satan had and still has a great personality, but he is totally devoid of integrity and is only great in the sense of great evil.
2. While flair may accompany greatness, flair in itself is not greatness, it is merely a personality trend.
3. What the average person fails to realize is that personality often obscures the real person. The real person is determined by what the person has in his soul. If he possesses great humility, great understanding of truth, maximum integrity, and wisdom, he is great. If he possesses none of these assets, he is not great.
4. It is true that personality often reveals the person, but it is also true that it can be a disguise as much as a manifestation. Personality can obfuscate the real person. Satan used his personality to win over one third of the angels in the prehistoric angelic conflict, and in the garden won over the woman.
5. Having a great personality does not imply greatness, nor does it imply a lack of greatness. So, these statements about personality do not downgrade the concept of personality but merely places personality in its proper perspective.
6. Personality is merely what people see. No one can see inside of your soul where the real person exists.
7. Personality, then, can be a manifestation or an obfuscation of the real person.
8. Furthermore, personality can be used to disguise hypocrisy for example a coward may have a pleasing personality, but a coward is still a coward.
9. In reality, having a good personality is a non-essential in life, and those who confuse a good personality with greatness do not have the ability to appreciate a great person with a poor personality.
10. The essential is the function of the soul; the non-essential is the personality which covers the soul. By analogy, the essential is the function of the human body; the non-essential is the clothes that cover the human body.
11. So the essential is the norms of the soul, the norms of the conscience of the soul. The non-essential is the personality which fronts for the soul.
12. The believer must be inflexible about Bible doctrine in his soul, but he must be flexible about the non-essentials of personality.
Satan who is the ruler of the world abuses power and so do his minions. Power is a major issue in life in general and in leadership specifically.
1. Power lust and power madness are one of the major tragic flaws of the Cosmic System. Satan himself (“I will be like the “Most High God”) was guilty of power lust and was the originator of it.
2. Satan as the ruler of this world has great power which he administers through his Cosmic System.
3. Power means control, and control satisfies the arrogance of both man and fallen angel.
4. One of the major forms of pseudo happiness is the control of others through the abuse of power. For example, many politicians and bureaucrats are power mad and pass many needless and nonsensical laws. One can define most bureaucrats as those who waste your money and time.
5. There is legitimate power under the Laws of Divine Establishment, but with this legitimate power, there comes great responsibility which can only be administered properly through maximum integrity.
6. Demagogues seeking power promise redistribution of wealth via the welfare state. The welfare of others cannot be created by legislation or any form of socialism. Only under the Divine Laws of Establishment with emphasis on freedom can the welfare of the common person reach great heights.
7. All legitimate power is related to God and His plan. In the Church Age, this means that all legitimate use of power is related to the three categories of truth: the Laws of Divine Establishment, the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, and Biblical teaching.
Revelation 9:6
Consequently, mankind [living in the Cosmic System with emphasis on Cosmic Two] in those days [in the last half of the Tribulation] will seek death [to escape torture], but they will definitely not find it [this construction is the Subjunctive of emphatic negation]; they will have an intense desire to die, but death will elude them.
καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἡµέραις ἐκείναις ζητήσουσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι τὸν θάνατον καὶ οὐ µὴ εὑρήσουσιν αὐτόν, καὶ ἐπιθυµήσουσιν ἀποθανεῖν καὶ φεύγει ὁ θάνατος ἀπí αὐτῶν.
This demon attack against mankind both unbeliever and believer functioning in the Cosmic System will be led by the second ranking demon of all time called Apollyon or Abaddon. These demons will attack and torture for five months; their victims will desire death, but will not be permitted to die. In grace, the Lord will give them 5 months to reconsider their residence in the Cosmic System. If they were allowed to die, this option to change their thinking would no longer exist. Apparently, none changed their thinking for there is no record of any of these unbelievers believing in Jesus Christ; there is no record of any of these believers exiting the Cosmic System by the use of the Recovery Procedure and returning to the spiritual life.
Normal people, people who are free from arrogance, have a very healthy respect for death. The intense pain from torture resulting in the desire for death, even though death for the unbeliever means Hades and even greater torture, followed by the eternal Lake of Fire and perpetual torture. For the believer, dying means to be absent from the body and face to face with the Lord. Death means to move into an interim state in an interim body, and therefore a place of great blessing, but once believers become involved in the Cosmic System their attitude toward death changes to one of great fear, and that is exactly what happens to the believers involved in verse six. Their fear is so great with regard to the attacking armies that their attitude toward death becomes abnormal, an abnormality brought on by arrogance from living in the Cosmic System. Instead of doing something about it, they simply seek to die. Nothing is more defeated than the person who is alive and wants to die. As a result of living in the Cosmic System they will seek as the only solution to their problems the one solution that is not a solution but a total admission of defeat: they will seek suicide.
The desire for death is abnormal and results from various categories of arrogance such as self-pity, psychopathic arrogance, emotional arrogance, the arrogance of discouragement and others. Believers and unbelievers living in the Cosmic System are totally preoccupied with self; they have locked-in arrogance; they have locked out all of the good solutions. Arrogance cannot endure torture for arrogance is a state of tenseness, increasing vulnerability to pain. The same humility that provides capacity for life in time of blessing and prosperity also provides the ability to withstand pain in time of adversity.
The torture of body and soul, the intense pain of the cosmic servants of Satan functioning from a position of weakness (living in Satan’s Cosmic System) in the use of their volition simply adds to the pain. Once decisions from free-will are made to live in the Cosmic System, the person involved loses the ability to make good decisions from a position of strength (God’s plan for the unbeliever and believer). Bad decisions are made from a position of weakness; good decisions are made from a position of strength. Free-will loses its power in the Cosmic System.
God is going to actually permit and use as a vehicle of divine discipline these three great demon armies which at the present time are non-operational. God makes war against the arrogant, but He gives grace to the humble. The arrogant believer is the enemy of the cross, he lives in the Cosmic System, and God makes war against arrogance in believers and unbelievers. That is why believers in the last half of the Tribulation, living in the Cosmic System are just as much the targets of these demon assault armies as unbelievers.
In demon influence, the soul of the unbeliever or reversionistic believer is infiltrated by false doctrine, called the "doctrine of demons" which comes through the vacuum of the mind.
1 Timothy 4:1 “But the Spirit [the Holy Spirit is the teacher of Bible doctrine] explicitly teaches that in latter periods of time [between the 1st and 2nd Advents] some [believers] will withdraw from doctrine, concentrating on deceitful personalities [demon evangelism through false teachers] and doctrines from demons.”
The Christian must possess doctrine in the soul to prevent a vacuum from forming. Ephesians 4:17, “Therefore, I communicate this, and because of the Lord, I insist that you no longer walk as the Gentiles walk [unbelievers] in the vacuum of their mind [faculty of thinking].” When there is no divine truth in the soul, there is nothing to protect the believer and prevent him from believing the Satanic lies. One must understand that Satan is infinitely smarter than any human being and so without some protection, the human will believe Satan’s lies. So, a vacuum created by an absence of divine truth will suck in Satanic thinking. Ephesians 4:18, “They are darkened in their way of thinking [via a vacuum established which pulls into their soul false ideas, concepts and doctrines]; they have been alienated from the life of God because of ignorance which is in them [in their souls], because of the scar tissue of their right lobes.”
The believer is alienated from the spiritual life that is ‘from the life of God’ for two reasons namely ignorance of God’s plan and hardness of the mentality of the soul. Ignorance begins the process; scar tissue or hardness of the mentality finishes the job. Blackout of the soul merely explains the mechanics of how the believer accumulates false ideas, concepts and doctrine when there is ignorance of God’s plan in his soul.
The soul was designed by God to function on truth. When truth is absent and violated, and replaced by Satanic lies, injury to the soul occurs which is called scar tissue.
The Cosmic System, Satan’s system of Darkness:
The Cosmic System is Satan's strategy as the ruler of this world to control believers as well as unbelievers. (However, our study will primarily deal with Satan’s strategy regarding believers.) Satan's Cosmic System is composed of two separate power spheres namely Cosmic 1 and 2. Cosmic One is Satan's exploitation of believers through their own arrogance. Cosmic Two is Satan's propaganda to educate and promote antagonism toward anything related to God, or anyone learning or teaching His word. Cosmic One represents Satan's attitude from the time of his prehistoric fall up to the prehistoric angelic trial. Cosmic Two represents Satan's attitude from the time of Adam's fall in the garden to the end of the Millennium. Cosmic One emphasizes arrogance and subjectivity. Cosmic Two emphasizes antagonism and intolerance toward the plan, purpose, and will of God, as well as toward all Christians executing it. Thus, Cosmic One is Satan's philosophy in the prehistoric angelic conflict. Cosmic Two is Satan's philosophy in human history as the ruler of this world.
Cosmic One:
1. Emphasizes arrogance; preoccupation with self.
2. Targets the self-consciousness of the soul.
3. Results in preoccupation and obsession with self to the exclusion of God and man.
4. Emphasizes self in contrast to God and objective reality.
5. Represents Satan's attitude at the time of his prehistoric fall.
6. Represents Satan's philosophy in the prehistoric angelic conflict when he was obsessed with self in maximum arrogance.
7. The believer in Cosmic One assumes the arrogance of Satan in the pre-historic angelic conflict and so becomes a slave to self.
Cosmic Two:
1. Emphasizes animosity, hatred, antagonism toward God, and His plan.
2. Results in antagonism toward Christ as the living Word and doctrine as the written Word.
3. Stresses human viewpoint over Divine viewpoint.
4. Represents Satan's attitude from the time of man's historical fall to the end of human history.
5. Represents Satan's philosophy as ruler of this world after the fall of man. For this reason, he is obsessed with destroying the plan of God.
6. The believer in Cosmic Two becomes inculcated with the antagonism of Satan and so becomes a slave to Satan.
Ephesians 2:2, "in which sphere [in spiritual death] you formerly walked [as an unbeliever] according to the lifestyle of this cosmos [Satan’s Cosmic System], according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit [Satan] who is now operational [working via Cosmic 1 & 2] in the sons of disobedience [believers not executing the spiritual life]."
Rapport in the Cosmic System
1 John 4:5, “They [false teachers, the Gnostics] are out from the Cosmic System; therefore, they teach from the source of the Cosmic System, and the [believers and unbelievers involved in the] Cosmic System understands them.”
A few points for elaboration:
1. Both believer and unbeliever in the Cosmic System share the same frame of reference and so both like and even enjoy the false teaching which emanates from that system. This explains why the unbeliever dislikes and even hates hearing about the gospel, and why the believer dislikes and even hates accurate Bible teaching.
2. In the Cosmic System, the unbeliever and believer will pursue and learn Satan’s counterfeits to everything in God’s plan. The unbeliever of course will learn the counterfeits related to the gospel, whereas the Christian will learn the counterfeits related to the spiritual life.
3. Therefore, the unbeliever becomes prejudiced and biased against the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Christian becomes prejudiced and biased against true Bible teaching. This becomes a double whammy for them for they are not only learning Satan’s Cosmic System, but at the same time are proceeding through the Eight Stages of Reversionism.
Cosmic Two, the Antagonistic Complex of Satan’s System is pertinent to our passage:
Introduction: The doctrine of Cosmic Two deals with the subject of quenching the Holy Spirit. 1 Thessalonians 5:19 says, "Stop quenching the Spirit." Cosmic Two is the function of the believer in apostasy under the principle of antagonism. The gates of Cosmic Two are antagonistic not only toward Bible doctrine, but also toward the Protocol Plan of God in general and anything related to God, including the Laws of Divine Establishment.
Gate 1: Motivational Antagonism toward Bible Doctrine and the Protocol Plan of God begins with the Old Sin Nature as the agent hostile to God and His plan.
We have a built-in system of antagonism toward God namely the Sin Nature. Therefore, when the unbeliever or believer spends too much time under the control of the Sin Nature, he will become demonized. The more the unbeliever or believer is demonized under the concept of demon influence, the more antagonistic toward truth he becomes.
As a growing Christian, we choose either for the Spirit or for the Sin Nature. We must learn to take responsibility for our decisions and for our sins. When we succumb to temptation due to negative volition, the Sin Nature takes control of our soul and we enter into carnality and we are said to grieve the Holy Spirit. We remain in this status until we use the Recovery Procedure. At which time the Holy Spirit regains control of our soul. Every day, we make constant decisions for either the Sin Nature or the Holy Spirit. Even when we sin in ignorance, we still wanted to do it, and so, we are responsible for that decision. Our volition gave the go-ahead to that temptation to sin, and so as far as God is concerned, we are guilty.
The absolute and relative status of the believer: The absolute status quo of every believer falls into two categories. The believer is either living the spiritual life in God’s Protocol Plan where he is said to be Filled with the Spirit, or he is living in the Cosmic System either one or two or both. In Cosmic One he is grieving the Holy Spirit, and in Cosmic Two he is quenching the Holy Spirit. Therefore, spirituality and carnality are absolutes; you are either completely spiritual or completely carnal. No matter what your stage of spiritual growth, you are either controlled by the Spirit or by the Sin Nature. Spirituality namely being in fellowship with God and carnality are mutually exclusive. The relative status quo of every believer is his spiritual growth or retrogression.
The problem occurs when the Christian stops growing spiritually for whatever reason. A prolonged stay out of fellowship with God the Holy Spirit is called Quenching the Holy Spirit. If the Christian permanently remains out of fellowship with God the Holy Spirit, he will incur blackout and scar tissue of the soul. This is referred to as coming under demon influence. The more he is demonized, the more antagonistic he will become toward truth.
Gate 2: Negative Volition.
Cosmic One and Cosmic Two both have negative volition-gates. The negative volition gate of each Cosmic System emphasizes the basic difference between the two systems. Negative volition in Cosmic One always results from arrogance and preoccupation with self but does not necessarily indicate antagonism toward Bible doctrine. Negative volition in Cosmic Two is the direct result of hostility toward the Word of God or toward the one who communicates it. Gate 2 of Cosmic One can be described as indifference to doctrine or having wrong priorities. Gate 2 of Cosmic Two can be described as open antagonism toward the teaching of doctrine and the one who communicates it.
There are three areas of antagonism toward God at gate 2 of Cosmic Two. Negative volition at God-consciousness, a characteristic of the unbeliever only as in Romans 1:18-25, "For the wrath of God is being revealed [evident, plain] from heaven [decisions and judgments from the Supreme Court of Heaven] against all ungodliness and unrighteousness [becomes a distraction or suppression of truth] of mankind who suppress the truth by their unrighteousness, (19) because what may be known [evident, plain] about God in them [the basis for knowing about God] (is revealed) [at the point of God consciousness]; because God has made it plain to them. (20) For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly perceived, being perspicuous through things He has created, namely both His eternal power and His divine nature, so that they [the entire human race] are without excuse. (21) For even though they knew him as God, they did not glorify [honor] Him [Christ] as God [negative volition at God-consciousness] nor did they feel obligated to thank Him, in fact, as a result of their negative volition they became futile [received worthless thoughts] in their speculations [the arrogance skills: evil deliberations], and their foolish heart [ignorant right lobe] receives darkness [black out of the soul]. (22) Although professing themselves to be wise, they became fools [the use of the arrogance skills is the major factor in forgetting about God], (23) and they exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and birds and quadrupeds and reptiles. (24) Therefore, God turned them over to the lusts of their stream of consciousness [unrestrained Sin Nature function] to sexual impurity [any sex outside of marriage], for the degrading of their bodies with one another [there is degradation and degeneration when a people forget God] (25) for they exchanged the doctrine [truth] of God for the lie, and they worshiped and served the creature [Satan and his system] rather than the Creator, who is worthy of praise and glorification forever, Amen.” The second area of antagonism toward God which is negative volition at Gospel hearing, a characteristic of the unbeliever only as in 2 Corinthians 4:3-4, “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” The third area of antagonism toward God which is negative volition toward Bible teaching after salvation, a characteristic of the believer only. There are three spheres in which the believer can be negative toward Bible doctrine, called the three R's namely reception, retention and recall. There is no reception since negative volition refuses to listen to good Bible teaching on a consistent basis. Negative volition at the point of understanding rejects the message when it is presented by the pastor either in a local church or its equivalent. Therefore, the truth of God’s word is not metabolized-no retention. And finally, negative volition at the point of recall means that the Christian makes no application of metabolized doctrine, does not use the Problem-solving Devices, has no momentum, and therefore does not fulfill the Protocol Plan of God.
All negative volition in the human race can be classified as rejection or antagonism toward truth in one or more of the three categories of truth which are as follows: The Laws of Divine Establishment for believer and unbelievers. The Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ for unbelievers, and Bible doctrine for believers in Jesus Christ. When a person rejects truth whether he be unbeliever or believer, he will enter into the Eight Stages of Reversionism. The first sign of this is social degeneration or anti-establishment which is gate 3 of Cosmic Two.
Gate 3: Anti-establishment.
The Laws of Divine Establishment are for both believer and unbeliever. These are the basic laws of freedom which permit evangelism, Bible teaching, and missionary activity. The Laws of Divine Establishment balance freedom with authority. Freedom without authority is anarchy; authority without freedom is tyranny. The unbeliever involved in anti-establishment is described in Romans 1:26-32, “For this reason God [the function of the Supreme Court of Heaven] delivered them over to shameful lusts [turned them over to their Sin Natures]; even their own women exchanged their natural sexual function for that which is unnatural [lesbianism], (27) and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural sexual function with a woman and were inflamed with their lusts toward one another [homosexuality], men with other men committing the shameful deed [homosexuality: indecent acts] and receive in themselves the due penalty of their perversion [many plagues in history]. (28) And just as they did not see fit to have God in their knowledge any longer [negative volition at God-consciousness], God delivered them over to a depraved mind to do the things that are not proper, (29) being filled with all unrighteousness, greed, malice, full of jealousy, murder, dissension, deceit, evil motivation; they became gossips, (30) slanderers, haters of God, insolent, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, (31) without understanding, lacking honor and integrity, unloving [no capacity for love], implacable. (32) And although they know the righteous decree of God, that those who practice such things deserve death [capital punishment], they not only continue to do these very things, but also they approve of others who practice them." The believer involved in anti-establishment is described in 2 Timothy 3:2-7, "For persons [Church Age believers] will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, wicked, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal [emotion bringing about the irrational person: unreasonable, cruel, savage, violent, and inhuman], haters of good [of intrinsic value], treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having an overt appearance of the spiritual life [hypocrisy of legalism], but they have denied its power [the two power options of the spiritual life]. Therefore, avoid these believers [who are anti-establishment and anti-Protocol Plan of God], for among these are those who worm their way into homes and captivate silly [weak] women who are loaded down with sins and swayed by all kinds of evil desires, always learning but never able to come to the metabolized knowledge of the truth [truth which can be used for spiritual growth]."
Gate 4: Cosmic Panaceas.
Rejection of the Laws of Divine Establishment and the delegated authority assigned to them results in the substitution of false solutions to the problems of life. These false solutions are called cosmic panaceas, Satan’s brilliant ideas. The function of seeking solutions to the problems of life apart from truth in its three categories: The Laws of Divine Establishment. The Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, and Bible doctrine. Cosmic panaceas are no substitute for divine solutions which are resident in the Protocol Plan of God.
Cosmic panaceas demand a full mobilization of arrogance, pride, and jealousy; so that self-righteousness, legalism, personality arrogance, authority arrogance, and Christian service arrogance and crusader arrogance. When implementing a Cosmic Panacea both authority and freedom are sacrificed on the altar of equality.
Cosmic Panaceas regarding economy attack freedom in the market place. Laws may guarantee equal opportunity, but no sane government would attempt to provide equality such as in mental health, mental ability, strength, motivation, love ad nauseam, but an arrogant legislative body made up of both Christians and unbelievers try to make us all equal economically by such cosmic ideas as taxing the rich to feed the poor under the concept of redistribution of wealth, the break-up of successful business enterprises, the confiscation of property, the nationalization of industry, and the passing of laws to suit or conform to this false doctrine of economic equality.
Cosmic panaceas inevitably result in big government fat with bureaucrats and little people with less and less freedom in terms of rights, privacy and property. Cosmic panaceas advocate the criterion that make people slaves to the state instead of the government being the servant of the people. Cosmic panaceas are based on self-righteous arrogance. Cosmic panaceas promote prejudice, violence, terrorism and warfare. Too many believers are influenced by such cosmic panaceas as socialism, Marxism, and other anti-Biblical idealisms which blind them to the evil of Cosmic Panaceas.
Though government may guarantee equal opportunity, no government or personal interest group can create equality in the human race. Only God can create equality, which He has done for anyone who will believe in Christ. For at salvation, all new believers are provided with 40 assets equally. After which, all these believers are given equal opportunity to execute the spiritual life. This equal opportunity in the spiritual life will inevitably produce inequality as equal opportunity guarantees inequality as demonstrated in both the temporal and spiritual realm. By creating equal opportunity in the Protocol Plan of God, God has guaranteed that in heaven there will be great inequality for there are always some people who will use their equal opportunity, and others who will not.
In the name of the greater good for the greater number, the government commits crimes, sets itself above the law, and therefore destroys the laws which protect our freedom, privacy, property and lives. Socialism and Marxism are anti-freedom and anti-God, though many Christian organizations advocate their false doctrines and try to merge them with Christian doctrine. Without freedom, the individual cannot have a destiny. Without authority or establishment, one cannot have freedom.
Cosmic panaceas are designed to promote the rule of Satan on earth. He is the ruler of this world in name, but he becomes the ruler in effect through the arrogance of believers and unbelievers who cooperate to help his regime through crusader arrogance and cosmic panaceas. History has demonstrated the failure of cosmic panaceas in the devil's world. Crusader arrogance and its resultant cosmic panaceas add up to a false premise, and there is no solution to life based on a false premise or a false conclusion.
Gate 5: Cosmic Degeneration.
Degeneration is defined here as deterioration or retrogression of born-again believers who constantly live in Satan's Cosmic System. They deteriorate spiritually and retrogress, so that they go from one category of degeneration to another. Basically, degeneration means to become worse. Under cosmic degeneration, the standards and modus operandi of the believer who lives in the Cosmic System declines. Hence, degeneration in the Cosmic System is a process of deterioration, passing from a higher to a lower status quo. Cosmic degeneration rejects the doctrine and the power of the Protocol Plan of God for the Church Age believer. Cosmic degeneration means that the believer either does not understand or rejects the Recovery Procedure, the Ten Problem Solving devices, the Indwelling of the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit; the power God’s thinking metabolized in the soul, the significance of the new spiritual species; and the unique ministry of God the Holy Spirit in the Church Age etc.
There are two categories of cosmic degeneration namely immoral degeneration which is obvious, and moral degeneration which is not so obvious. When the believer prolongs his residence in the Cosmic System, he begins to deteriorate spiritually so that he moves toward his area of weakness which can be immoral or moral degradation. Immoral degeneration includes such things as crime, violence, sexual perversion, and drug addiction. All of this goes back to a basic rejection of authority in the home “disobedient to their parents” as per 2 Timothy 3:2 and at God-consciousness (awareness). Romans 1:24-25 describes such a person who rejects God at awareness. “Therefore, God delivered them over [by allowing their volition to function freely] to the lusts of their right lobes to an immoral status [through black-out and scar tissue of the soul], that their bodies might be degraded among themselves; (25) they who exchanged the doctrine from God for a lie. They both worship and serve the creature [Satan] rather than the Creator [the Lord] who is blessed forever.”
When the believer becomes immoral, he sometimes shocks himself and often concludes that he is not saved, or he is convinced of this by his friends. Nevertheless, these things occur among believers every day. Abraham committed adultery with the Egyptian, Hagar; David committed adultery with the Jewish Bathsheba, and then murdered her gentile husband, an honorable believer and a general in David’s army. Paul mentions a partial list of sins that were prevalent among the Galatian Christians in Galatians 5:19, “Now, the works of the flesh [sin nature] are plainly seen such as [a representative list] fornication [including adultery], mental defilement from wrong doing and sexual sins related to abnormality and criminality, and licentious behavior.” The born-again believer in the Cosmic System is far worse generally than the degenerate unbeliever, because the believer must go through far more systems of resistance to do what he does. Consequently, many of the worst people on the face of the earth are degenerate believers.
God's view and inevitable judgment of homosexuality is memorialized in the Dead Sea. Inevitably, God must judge all forms of immoral degeneracy and eliminate such people from humankind. If this cancerous evil is not purged, it can spread quickly like cancer unchecked. Though, man has the potential for self-destruction, God keeps immoral degeneracy in check through judgment. The punishment for immoral degeneracy is related to two categories of suffering namely the Law of Volitional Responsibility, Galatians 6:7, “Do not be deceived. God is not mocked for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap,” and divine judgment administered from the justice of God i.e. Sodom and Gomorrah.
Much more subtle is moral degeneracy which often passes for spirituality among believers who are ignorant of good Bible teaching. Moral degeneracy can be classified as uncontrolled and unrestrained legalism. Prolonged residence in the Cosmic System results in some believers exercising the functions of self-righteous arrogance to the point of violence, destruction of property, and murder. Peter was about to enter into moral degeneracy when Paul nipped it in bud. Galatians 2:11-13, "But when Cephas [Peter] came to Antioch, I [Paul] opposed him face to face because he stood condemned [for his legalism and hypocrisy which ultimately lead to moral degeneracy]. Before certain men [legalistic believers] came from James [a legalist himself for a while], he [Peter] used to eat with the Gentiles, but when these legalists came, he began to withdraw and to separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of the circumcision party [the self-righteous Jews from Jerusalem]. Consequently, the rest of the Jews joined Peter in his hypocrisy with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by this hypocrisy." The apostle Paul as an unbeliever, Saul of Tarsus was guilty of moral degeneracy, resulting in his persecution of Christians, Act 8:3, "But Saul began ravaging the church, entering house after house. He would drag off both men and women and put them in prison." Because of the function of moral degeneracy in his pre-salvation days, the apostle Paul, the greatest Christian of all, states in 1 Timothy 1:15 by way of retrospective exposition, "It is a trustworthy statement [true deposition] deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am the worst." So, Paul ranked himself as the worst sinner who ever lived not because of immorality for many people persecute and murder people for example Hitler and Stalin murdered millions, but because of his moral degeneracy for he was the most self-righteous person who has ever lived. There was no one in his league. So, one of the worst sinners who ever lived, Saul of Tarsus, was a very moral, self-righteous person, a strong adherent to the legalistic distortion of the Mosaic Law. Born-again believers through prolonged residence in the Cosmic System can also become involved in moral degeneracy. The Galatian believers were guilty of moral degeneracy which came from their keeping the Mosaic Law for spirituality. This is described as their problem in Galatians 3:1-3, “You foolish Galatians, who has hypnotized you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing of faith? Are you so stupid? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being brought to completion [in the spiritual life] by the flesh [functioning out of fellowship under the legalism of the Judaizers]?”
Moral degeneracy often leads to false doctrines, such as sinless perfection. 1 John 1:8, "If we allege that we do not have a sin nature [and therefore, do not sin personally], we are deceiving ourselves and the truth [Bible doctrine] is not in us." Moral degeneracy is characterized by self-deceit combined with ignorance and/or rejection of doctrine. Moral degeneracy had become an evil influence in the Colossian church, as stated in Colossians 2:16-18, “Consequently, stop allowing anyone [legalists] to judge you in food [what kind of food] or in drinking [alcoholic beverage] or in the matter of a feast [Jewish legalists were insisting that the Christians observe their feast day etc.] or of the new moon [the new moon celebration on first day of the lunar month] or of the Sabbaths. (17) Which [feasts, new moon celebrations, and sabbath] keep on being a shadow of things about to come; but the reality is from the source of the Christ [substance and reality in contrast to shadows]. (18) Let no one deprive [disqualify] you of your reward taking pleasure in false humility and in the worship [this word also means religion; worshipping Satan in the Cosmic System is a religion] of angels [demons], taking a stand on those things which you have seen [through dreams, visions, ecstasy and hallucinations], being inflated with arrogance [the reversionistic believer receives the action of the verb] under the influence of the thinking [the staging area where academic knowledge resides] from the source of his sin nature,” This is an excellent description of self-righteousness- arrogance which includes the arrogance of legalism, personality arrogance, authority arrogance, crusader arrogance, and the arrogance of Christian service (works).
Gate 6: Demonism.
1. There are four categories of fallen angels namely those incarcerated in the Abyss, in Tartarus and under the Euphrates River, and the operational fallen angels who function under the rule of Satan during human history.
2. There are two categories of demon activity in human history namely demon influence and demon possession. Demon influence is Satan’s thinking entering the soul of the believer or unbeliever through the concept of black-out of the soul. When there is insufficient truth or a lack of truth in the soul, the person will accept the lies of Satan. Demon possession is a demon indwelling the body of an unbeliever only. Since the believer is indwelt by God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, no demon can indwell the body of a believer.
3. For either demon influence or possession to occur, the person must be in the Cosmic System. There cannot be demon influence or possession apart from human consent, which requires decisions made from a position of weakness. The believer is in a position of weakness when he is functioning out of fellowship with the Spirit. The unbeliever is in a position of weakness when he rejects the Laws of Establishment.
4. Demons are capable of two categories of violence namely indirect and direct. In indirect violence, the demon must attack either through demon influence or demon possession. Much more common today is demon influence from the Cosmic System, which is the source of most of the violence we face motivated by hatred, and anger, criminal activity, and terrorism are illustrations of demon influence resulting in violence. Direct violence from demon forces is a phenomenon reserved for the last half of the Tribulation. These demon attacking forces include three angelic assault armies. (1) The attack of the first demon assault army stationed in the Abyss, Revelation 9:1-12. (2) The attack of the second demon assault army stationed under the Euphrates River, Revelation 9:12-21. (3) The attack of the third demon assault army which will be stationed on the earth during the 2nd half of the Tribulation and will be under the direct command of Satan, Revelation 12:7-17, and Satan’s attack at the end of the Millennium called Gog and Magog, Revelation 20:7-10.
5. Believers and unbelievers in the Cosmic System during the Tribulation will become victims of violence from demon assault armies. Satan's rationale in destroying his human servants during the second half of the Tribulation is that since he has been cast to the earth, he no longer needs them. Arrogant creatures have no loyalty, and no integrity. However, the Lord possessing perfect integrity will use this situation to execute his perfect justice. This is a case of finesse judgment, where God uses evil to judge evil.
6. Choose between living in God’s system or Satan’s. Every day, thousands of believers living in the Cosmic System make hundreds of thousands of decisions from a position of weakness. These decisions reflect the cosmic philosophy of Satan. Once decisions are made from the free will to live in Satan’s Cosmic System, the person loses his ability to make decisions from a position of strength. All decisions made under the influence of arrogance and in the Cosmic System are decisions from a position of weakness. All decisions made from the Filling of the Spirit and application of Bible doctrine are decisions made from a position of strength.
7. You make decisions all the time and they will eventuate in a trend. They are either from a position of weakness which leads to a self-destructive trend or from a position of strength leading to an upward trend of spiritual growth and virtue.
8. The believer living under the two power options makes decisions from a position of strength, whereas the believer living in the Cosmic System makes decisions from a position of weakness.
9. Satan destroys his own losers in the Cosmic System because arrogance has no loyalty to arrogance as per Revelation 9:12-21 where one third of the population of the earth are killed. So also, people involved in demonism have no loyalty or integrity. The arrogance of the Cosmic System cancels integrity, honor, and virtue.
Gate 7: Religion.
Christianity and religion are antithetical. In Christianity, God saves mankind through personal faith in Jesus Christ. In religion, man seeks to impress God with his works. Religion can be classified as the devil's ace trump. For religion has been invented by Satan to counterfeit God's plan, purpose, and will for mankind, to blind the unbeliever from the gospel and to divert the believer from the execution of the Protocol Plan of God for the Church Age. Religion is part of the devil's strategy in being "like the Most-High God," as stated in Isaiah 14:14. Christianity is not a religion, but an eternal relationship with God through personal faith in Christ. In religion, Homo sapiens seek the approbation of God through good deeds, human merit, and various categories of works. Religion reflects the evil genius of Satan, whereas Christianity represents the perfect integrity of God combined with His grace policy.
For deceit and error to be carried out effectively, Satan has devised a system of counterfeits which are the counterfeits of religion such as:
1. Gospel, 2 Corinthians 4:3-4, “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age [Satan] has blinded the minds of unbelievers [through religion, philosophy etc.], so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”
2. Ministers, 2 Corinthians 11:13-15, “For such ones are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. (14) Did not even Satan marvelously transform himself into an angel of light? (15) Therefore, it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves as ministers of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their works.”
3. Communion table, 1 Corinthians 10:19-21, “What do I mean then? That a thing sacrificed to idols is anything or that an idol is anything? (20), No, I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons, and not to God, and I do not desire you to become fellow worshippers with demons. (21) You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.”
4. Doctrine, 1 Timothy 4:1, “But the Spirit [the Holy Spirit is the teacher of Bible doctrine] explicitly teaches that in latter periods of time [between the 1st and 2nd Advents namely the Church Age and the Tribulation] some [believers] will withdraw from doctrine, concentrating on deceitful personalities and doctrines from demons [involvement in Cosmic 1 and 2].”
5. Spirituality, Galatians 3:1-3, “O foolish Galatians who has hypnotized you [has given you the evil eye]? Before whose eyes [refers to perception, they saw it in their mind’s eye] Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified [was designated clearly: You used to have your eyes on Christ, now you have your eyes on the Mosaic Law]. (2) This only I desire to learn from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law or by hearing of faith? (3) Are you so stupid that having begun in the sphere of the [Filling of the] Spirit, are you now being brought to completion by the flesh [using human power out of fellowship to advance spiritually]?”
6. System of righteousness, Matthew 19:16-22, “Now behold a man came to Him and said, “Teacher, what good shall I do to obtain eternal life?” (17) And He replied to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good [What good shall I do]? There is only one [Jesus] who is good. If you desire to enter into [eternal] life [through your righteousness], and you do, then keep the commandments [impossible]. (18) The man inquired, “Which ones?” Jesus replied, “You shall not murder; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness [in court]; (19) you shall honor your father and mother, and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (20) And the young man answered, “All these, I have guarded. What do I still lack?” (21) And Jesus said to him, “If you desire to be perfect [through works] and you do [though it is impossible], go and sell your possessions and give them to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven then [return] here [after you realize that you are not perfect] and follow Me [in regeneration]. (22) After the young man heard the instruction, he departed grieving for he possessed a lot of property.”
7. False gods. All throughout history, people have and will worship demons as gods. In the latter half of the Great Tribulation the dictator of the Revived Roman Empire will be worshiped as a god. 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4, “Do not let anyone deceive you in any way since it [the Day of the Lord: the Tribulation and 2nd Advent] will not come unless the departure [Rapture], and the man who is lawless [anti-establishment] shall be revealed, the son of perdition [doomed to destruction], (4) [the Son of Perdition was the antecedent] who opposes [the Lord Jesus Christ] and exalts himself above every so-called god, or object of worship, so that he is installed in the Temple of God [the Jewish Temple in the middle of the Tribulation], proclaiming himself to be God.”
8. Power (dynamics), 2 Thessalonians 2:8-9, “And then [after the Rapture] the lawless one [dictator of the revived Roman Empire] will be revealed, whom the Lord shall destroy with the breath of His mouth [the least power of God] in fact he shall neutralize him by the very appearance of His coming [2nd Advent], (9) the dictator whose presence [in history] shall be according to the modus operandi of Satan with all power and by means of miracles even wonder miracles of the lie [wonders that serve the lie].” Satan promotes him by means of power and miracles.
9. Way of life, Matthew 23:13-36: In this passage, the Pharisees emphasized the external condition of a person and ignored the internal condition. They emphasized taboos and outward morality. They ignored internal sins which made external righteousness a sham. Their outside was clean, a morality fostering self-righteousness and taboos, but their inside was filthy, full of mental sins and lusts.
Religion is Satan's strategy for distracting Homo sapiens from the three categories of truth. First, are the Laws of Divine Establishment as taught in the Mosaic Law. For example, religion attacks nationalism by becoming the state and once in power, it attacks human freedom. Second, is the Gospel of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Religion distorts salvation into many diverse systems of salvation by works, and third is Bible doctrine for the believer. Religion substitutes false doctrine, emotionalism and ritual for truth to replace the Protocol Plan of God.
Religion motivates and produces, through false teachers, every category of evil, violence, terrorism, and murder to force people into their religion which is not only characterized by the doctrine of demons (2 Tim 4:1), but it has both false teachers and false prophets to communicate this information.
There are at least five characteristics of false teachers in the Church Age.
1. False teachers are masters of hypocrisy. They use a phony facade, first exposed by our Lord in Matthew 7:15, “Beware (constantly be on your guard) of the false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves,” and further developed by Paul in Romans 16:18, “For such believers do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own emotions, and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the right lobes of the unsuspecting [those ignorant of truth].” Behind a public relations facade, false teachers use legalism to woo their victims into accepting religion, Galatians 4:17-18, “They [Judaizers] zealously affect [seek or woo] you [into legalism], not well [not honestly] yes, they wish to exclude you [this means they wish to separate you from me, so that I can’t woo you with grace] in order that you might affect [court or woo] them. (18) But it is good always to be properly courted [by good Bible teachers] in an honorable manner, and not only when I am present with you.”
2. False Teachers flatter their victim, making them feel wanted which flattery appeals to the victim’s pride. 2 Timothy 3:5-7, “Holding to a superficial form [outward appearance] of the spiritual life, but they themselves have disregarded its power; avoid such ones as these. (6) For among them are those [immoral Christian men] who creep into homes [slyly enter the homes] and seduce [captivate through flattery] silly women [morally weak women because there is no doctrine in their souls] who are overwhelmed by their sins [with emphasis on arrogance and self-righteousness] and are carried away by various lusts. (7) Always learning [these women], but they are never able to come to a metabolized [epignosis] knowledge of the truth.”
3. False teachers promote idolatry as a part of the devil's communion table, Habakkuk 2:18-19, “What profit is the idol when its maker has carved it, or an image a teacher of falsehood? For its maker trusts in his own handiwork when he fashions speechless idols. (19) Woe to him who says to a piece of wood, ‘Awake!’ To a mute stone, ‘Arise!’ And that is your teacher? Behold it is overlaid with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all inside it.” 1 Corinthians 10:19-21, “What do I mean then? That a thing sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? (20) No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become a sharer in demons. (21). You cannot drink the cup of the Lord [the Communion table requires fellowship] and the cup of demons at the same time [demon influence: living in the Cosmic System]; therefore, you cannot partake of the table of the Lord [the Eucharist for this worship requires the spiritual life] and the table of demons [demon influence].”
4. False teachers promote self-righteousness, to include legalism, personality arrogance, authority arrogance, crusader arrogance, and works arrogance, 1 Timothy 1:6-7, “From which some men [pastors] have deviated [apostasy through reversionism]. They themselves have turned aside to ineffective teaching, (7) desiring to be teachers of the Law though they do not understand either what they are teaching or concerning the things about which they speak dogmatically.”
5. False teachers continue to operate throughout the Church Age, as this is the intensified period of the angelic conflict, 1 John 4:1-6, “Beloved, do not believe every personality, but test the person to see whether they are from God because many false prophets have come out into the world. (2) By this you know the person of God: every person [pneuma] that confessed that Jesus Christ [Christ will rule as the God-Man in the Millennium and thereafter] has come in the flesh is from God. (3) and every person that does not confess Jesus is from God: this is the person of the antichrist of which you have heard that it is coming and now it is already in the world. (4) You are from God, little children and have overcome them because greater is He who is in you [God the Son] than he who is in the world [Satan]. (5) They are from the world; therefore, they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them. (6) We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the person of truth and the person of error.”
Gate 8: Evil as Satan's Policy.
Evil in two categories is the policy of Satan as the ruler of this world. The power of Satan is administered to the human race via the Cosmic System. Evil is the ultimate expression of man's relationship with Satan. Evil in the Cosmic System is both the motivation and momentum of the Cosmic System. In 2 Timothy 3:13, the advance to "more and more evil" is momentum in the Cosmic System. Evil comes in two categories namely motivational evil, which originates from false doctrine in the Cosmic System, and functional evil, which is the modus operandi and lifestyle within the Cosmic System.
While the spiritual life is the place for the function of absolute good, Satan's Cosmic System is the place for the function of absolute evil. In the Protocol Plan of God, good and evil are mutually exclusive. This means that no evil exists in the spiritual life under the Spirit, and no good exists in the Cosmic System. Under the authority of God, the Holy Spirit and the use of metabolized truth, the believer can only produce agathos which is good of intrinsic value. The mandate regarding evil is given to us in Romans 12:21, "Stop being conquered by evil, [consistent living in the Cosmic System] but conquer evil by means of good [functioning under God’s system of power]." Living one’s life under God’s authority is classified as the purchase of time which is necessary because of evil as per Ephesians 5:16, "redeeming [purchasing] the time because the days are evil."
The protection of God’s power system and the continuance of evil will continue in this world. As long as Satan rules the world, evil will continue to be a part of human history. 2 Timothy 3:13, "But evil men, even deceivers, will advance more and more evil, deceiving and being deceived." Bible doctrine protects the believer from Satan's policy of evil. 2 Thessalonians 3:3, "But the Lord is faithful; He will both empower you and protect you from evil." The Lord's Prayer for the Church addressed this subject in John 17:15, when He asked the Father to "guard them from evil [this prayer is answered when the Christians advance spiritually]."
Gate 9: Anthropocentric Academic Speculation.
2 John 9 is the Christian’s protection against academic speculation, "Everyone who initially advances spiritually and subsequently does not remain in the field of play by means of the doctrine of Christ [does not continue his advance] does not have God [does not have fellowship with God]; for he who persists with doctrine, this same one has both the Father and the Son [continues to have fellowship with them]." Pseudo-intellectual arrogance is the basis for many believers trying to reconcile philosophical and scientific speculation with Bible doctrine. Hence, the believer involved in this arrogance must choose between the truth of doctrine and the false concepts in the areas of academic speculation. For example, arrogance chooses evolution over creationism. Psychology and psychiatry blame man's problems on his environment instead of bad decisions. Many theories in many academic subjects contradict Bible doctrine in such subjects as history, philosophy, geology, economics, political science, etc.
Revelation 9:7
Now, the appearance of the locusts [demons released from the Abyss] is like cavalry horses which have been prepared for warfare; and on their heads as it were wreaths like gold [their army patch] and their faces like the faces of men.
Καὶ τὰ ὁµοιώµατα τῶν ἀκρίδων ὅµοιοι ἵπποις ἡτοιµασµένοις εἰς πόλεµον, καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς κεφαλὰς αὐτῶν ὡς στέφανοι ὅµοιοι χρυσῷ, καὶ τὰ πρόσωπα αὐτῶν ὡς πρόσωπα ἀνθρώπων,
Two factors are found in this verse. First, for battle the locust-demons of the first assault army are described in terms of cavalry. That means they have mobility, fire power, and shock. They will be able to cover the entire world with their torture of five months. Secondly, they have a military insignia like a gold crown which means that they have a military patch which has a gold crown on it.
The significance of the patch is victory and this first demon assault army comes out of the abyss shouting as it were victory. However, for this demon army, it is a false victory since the only combat victory they will enjoy will be against those members of the human race who, during the Tribulation, reside in Satan’s Cosmic System. To win a victory over believers and unbelievers who have a profile of making bad decisions, isn’t really much of a victory. Hence, their only victory is against Satan’s human servants.
The third thing that we have in this passage is the appearance of the demons. They have faces of men, indicating that demons do appear as men but have greater intelligence and adaptability. The last time that demons appeared as men was in the sixth chapter of Genesis, and from that time until the middle of the Tribulation there is no such appearance.
Revelation 9:8
Furthermore, they had hair like the hair of women [a sign that they had rejected the authority of the Lord] and their teeth were like the teeth of lions [representing the great power to torture].
καὶ εἶχον τρίχας ὡς τρίχας γυναικῶν, καὶ οἱ ὀδόντες αὐτῶν ὡς λεόντων ἦσαν,
Revelation 9:9
Also, they had breastplates like breastplates of iron [meaning that demons are not vulnerable to human attacks], and the sound of their wings was like the sound of war chariots and of many cavalry horses charging into battle [representing a powerful offensive military organization].
καὶ εἶχον θώρακας ὡς θώρακας σιδηροῦς, καὶ ἡ φωνὴ τῶν πτερύγων αὐτῶν ὡς φωνὴ ἁρµάτων ἵππων πολλῶν τρεχόντων εἰς πόλεµον.
The breastplate of iron is mentioned because in the Roman world it was considered the best piece of defensive equipment. The breast plates of iron indicate that this demon army cannot be defeated by humans; these individual angelic soldiers are invulnerable to human attack.
The attack of the first demon assault army in the Tribulation occurs in a literal, visible and audible sense for those who have reached the zenith of bad decisions made from a position of weakness. This attack is analogous to locust in flight. In flight, there are hundreds of thousands of locusts in a swarm and the sound they make in the flapping of hundreds of thousands of wings is awesome. In other words, by analogy the noise of this army going into battle will be shocking. The sound of this attacking force of these wingless fallen angels from the Abyss will be intimidating and will paralyze their victims with fear as they take the offensive against Cosmic believers and unbelievers in the Tribulation.
Up to this point in the Tribulation all cases of demon possession and demon influence are preceded by the function of human free will to reach that state. The victims, both unbeliever and believer of this attack are in this situation because they will have made bad decisions from a position of weakness namely the Cosmic System.
In the Tribulation the removal of the restraint of God the Holy Spirit is one of the characteristics and therefore demons are permitted under certain circumstances to physically and violently attack and, in this case, torture human beings. This is not permitted today for God the Holy Spirit is the restrainer of evil. When He is removed as the restrainer, then certain things will come to pass at the end of the Tribulation that will have never occurred before in all of history.
2nd Thessalonians 2:6-7, “And so now you know the one who restrains [the Holy Spirit restrains evil in the Church Age] so that he [the dictator of the Revived Roman Empire] may be revealed in his own dispensation [in the Tribulation and not before]. (7) For the Mystery of Lawlessness [already people have made deals with Satan] is already operational only he [the Holy Spirit] who now restrains [will continue that ministry] until he [the Holy Spirit] is taken out of the way [at the Rapture].”
The Holy Spirit restrains evil and degeneracy in the Church Age and so prevents total evil in this age. The Spirit works through the Pivot of mature believers and those who have reached Pleroma status (who are receiving the fulness of blessing from God). Other persons and dictators have made deals with Satan, but they have not succeeded as this man will succeed. Even though the number of mature believers may be small, it still guarantees a certain amount of restraint on evil, degeneracy, and barbarity.
Satan has his own hand-picked shock troops in every generation of the Church Age. They are demonized to the maximum and may even at times be demon possessed to accomplish some terribly evil plan. For example, Adolf Hitler who was generally quite stupid at times was quite brilliant at other times, an indication that he may have been demon possessed during those brilliant moments.
In the Church Age, the Holy Spirit operates as a restrainer through a pivot of mature believers just as a high-pressure area in weather operates as a restrainer on bad weather. Lawlessness is already here, but it is in its mystery form and cannot be revealed to the maximum until the Tribulation. This restraining ministry in hindering evil and so ensures that the human race will not self-destruct.
Satan is defeated by both doctrine in the souls of believers, and by the Laws of Divine Establishment. Satan uses religion to make a counterattack against doctrine, and he uses political tyranny to make a counterattack against the Laws of Divine Establishment. The mystery of lawlessness deals with these two attacks.
Warfare, principles of:
In warfare there are certain principles which have always been true and which have been established from ancient times by great commanders such as Julius Caesar, Hannibal, Gustavus Adolphus, Frederick the Great, Napoleon, to mention just a few. They have always followed these principles and these principles are true in life as well as having pertinence to the concept of the profession of arms.
The first principle is called the principle of objective. In the military, for example, the purpose of a military operation is to attain the objective assigned or designated by whoever is in command. The objective constitutes the guide for the interpretation of orders, the formulation of decisions, and the deployment of troops. For example, the selection of national objectives is called strategy and strategy depends on political, military and economic conditions which are variable. Under the principle of the objective, the military is always and inevitably subordinate to the political as well as to the economic conditions. The first objective must always be, the neutralization or the destruction of the power of the opposing military forces to fight. This means decisive defeat and destruction of enemy armies. This God the Son did in the days of Hezekiah when the Lord destroyed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers, but did not touch the Assyrian civilians and their cities.
The second principle in warfare is called the principle of offensive. It is a very simple one: the offence is the only action by which a decision is gained. Offensive brings victory; defense can only avoid defeat. So, it is imperative that all thinking, whether it is strategical or tactical, be geared to offensive concepts, not defensive. The only effective way to wage war is to act on the offensive, destroying the enemy armies. The offensive increases the effectiveness of the force adopting it; it raises morale; it permits concentration of effort; it allows freedom of action. The defensive should be used to assist the offensive action elsewhere, to gain time, to utilize good terrain, to compensate for weaknesses. The offensive should be used where there is any reasonable chance of success.
The third great doctrine in military history is the principle of mass. Mass is a military term for combat power. Furthermore, it means concentration of combat power at the point of maximum effectiveness. Mass or combat power includes numbers, weapons, tactical skills, discipline, fighting ability, resolution, morale, and leadership. Success in warfare is attained by the proper employment of mass in a main effort to attack at the proper time and place for the accomplishment of a definite purpose. This was accomplished by Napoleon at the Battle of Austerlitz.
The fourth principle of warfare is the principle of economy of force. Economy of force is the means by which the mass is employed in the main effort, and, again, remember that mass is combat power. The time and place of the main effort having been determined, men and means are conserved by reducing their employment in other directions to the minimum, consistent with safety. In other word, do not waste your men and their equipment and weapons on meaningless or inefficient military projects. In summary, the use of manpower and the right combat equipment and weapons at the right time at the right place. An example would be Patton’s Red Ball Express in WWII which he formed from office workers etc.
This is a principle which can be brought over to the economic area very quickly. There has been a tremendous amount of wastage, a digression from the concept of economy of force because of the political nature of our country. The demand for a welfare state and its function is opposed to the economy of force principle. So, back to the military, the economy of force is the means by which one successfully coordinates the various units in a military organization for victory, and there must be the successful co-ordination in economy as well.
Number five is the principle of movement. Movement means the maneuver of combat elements. In the offensive, this principle is used to bring mass (combat power) into close grips with the enemy in order to secure decisive results. Movement is designed to place mass in the best place for attack. Movement is most effective when concealed. (In many cases movement is only possible by the effective employment of fire power.)
The principle of surprise is number six. To obtain maximum effectiveness with minimum loss of life, surprise must be employed. It may take the form of time, place, direction, force or tactical weapons. The main factors of surprise are threefold: preparation, secrecy, rapidity.
Number seven is the principle of security. Security embraces all the measures taken to guard against observation and surprise, to ensure against hostile interference with operations, to gain and maintain the power and momentum of free action. This includes excellent intelligence gathering of the enemy and his capabilities.
Number eight is the principle of simplicity which is a relative term. Military plans should be simple so as not to sponsor complicated movements. Orders should not be ambiguous but direct and free from contingencies. Frequent changes of plans should be avoided. This is why one hears often in the military, the acronym ‘KISS’ “Keep it simple stupid.”
Number nine is the principle of cooperation which includes unity of forces. By application, all branches of the services should be under one commander in a particular field of operation. On the personal level, teamwork demands that all military units and persons involved in a mission work together to accomplish the mission.
Revelation 9:10
Also, they had tails and stings like scorpions, and in their tails is their authority [delegated authority from God] to torment those men [both unbeliever and believer in the Cosmic System] for five months.
καὶ ἔχουσιν οὐρὰς ὁµοίας σκορπίοις καὶ κέντρα, καὶ ἐν ταῖς οὐραῖς αὐτῶν ἡ ἐξουσία αὐτῶν ἀδικῆσαι τοὺς ἀνθρώπους µῆνας πέντε.
Toward the end of the Tribulation, God permits these fallen angels from the Abyss to torture for five months those in the Cosmic System. In effect, the Lord in grace is giving these cosmic individuals one last chance to escape the Cosmic System. This will be the last chance for these unbelievers to believe in Christ; it will be the last chance for these cosmic believers to seek-out God’s plan for their lives.
Revelation 9:11
They have a king [a commanding general] over them, the angel of the abyss; his name in the Hebrew is Abaddon [destruction] while in the Greek he is called Apollyon [exterminator].
ἔχουσιν ἐπí αὐτῶν βασιλέα τὸν ἄγγελον τῆς ἀβύσσου· ὄνοµα αὐτῷ Ἑβραϊστὶ Ἀβαδδὼν καὶ ἐν τῇ Ἑλληνικῇ ὄνοµα ἔχει Ἀπολλύων.
The name of this demon prince, Abaddon who commands this first demon army means destruction. His name, Apollyon in the Greek also has a similar meaning and is very close to the Greek word for Apollo. Apollo, next to Zeus, was one of the top demons involved in the attack on the human race in Genesis chapter six. These Greek words are cognates of the Greek verb apollumi which means to destroy. So, his name in the Greek means destruction or, even a better translation, exterminator. Next to Satan, he is one of if not the highest-ranking demon out of hundreds of millions of demons who followed Satan is the prehistoric angelic conflict.
Revelation 9:12
The first woe is past [synonymous with the 5th Trumpet-Judgment], behold two woes [synonymous with the 6th and 7th Judgments] are still coming after these things.
Ἡ οὐαὶ ἡ µία ἀπῆλθεν· ἰδοὺ ἔρχεται ἔτι δύο οὐαὶ µετὰ ταῦτα.
Revelation 9:13
Then the sixth angel [a pursuivant messenger, a wingless angel] sounded his trumpet, and I heard one voice [a Pursuivant Officer of cherub rank] from the four horns of the golden altar [of incense] which is before God.
Καὶ ὁ ἕκτος ἄγγελος ἐσάλπισεν· καὶ ἤκουσα φωνὴν µίαν ἐκ τῶν κεράτων τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου τοῦ χρυσοῦ τοῦ ἐνώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ,
The golden altar in heaven is the pattern for the golden altar of incense which was in the tabernacle and the temple, and it represents the imprecatory prayers of the believers of the Tribulation which we studied in chapter 6:9-12. It reminds us once again that all trumpet judgements are administered in answer to the imprecatory prayers of these martyrs.
Furthermore, the four horns of the golden altar remind us that all answers to prayer, including imprecatory prayers, are related to the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. No animal sacrifice is ever tied to the golden altar, only to the brass altar, but each one of those horns of the Golden Altar of Incense is there to demonstrate that all prayers are answered because Christ went to the cross and took our place.
Revelation 9:14
And he [a Pursuivant Officer] gave the order to the one having the sixth trumpet, ‘Release the four angels [demon army generals and in turn, they will release the rest of the 200 million angelic army] who have been incarcerated at the great River Euphrates [apparently for violations in the prehistoric angelic conflict].
λέγοντα τῷ ἕκτῳ ἀγγέλῳ, ὁ ἔχων τὴν σάλπιγγα, Λῦσον τοὺς τέσσαρας ἀγγέλους τοὺς δεδεµένους ἐπὶ τῷ ποταµῷ τῷ µεγάλῳ Εὐφράτῃ.
Incarceration for violation of the rules established by the Lord for the Angelic Conflict:
1. Prehistoric violations imprisoned under the Euphrates.
2. Violations regarding cohabitation with the females of the Prediluvian Civilization imprisoned in Tartarus. If there were other violations by the demons, then they would have been imprisoned in one of the other prisons.
3. Violations in the Post-diluvian Civilization imprisoned in the Abyss.
The Lord promised Joshua and the Jewish people a large territory of land up to the 1700-mile-long Euphrates River if they were able to conquer it. Joshua 1:2-4, “Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel. (3) Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses. (4) From the wilderness and this Lebanon, even as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and as far as the Great Sea [the Mediterranean] toward the setting of the sun will be your territory.” It was also the boundary between the Roman empire and the Parthian or Persian empire at the time of writing the book of Revelation. In essence, the 1700-mile length of the Euphrates is a landmark for many things, including the barracks where this angelic army group is presently stationed.
Revelation 9:15
Then, the four angels [four demon generals], who have been kept in the state of readiness for this hour and day and month and year, were released in order that they might kill one third of mankind.
καὶ ἐλύθησαν οἱ τέσσαρες ἄγγελοι οἱ ἡτοιµασµένοι εἰς τὴν ὥραν καὶ ἡµέραν καὶ µῆνα καὶ ἐνιαυτόν, ἵνα ἀποκτείνωσιν τὸ τρίτον τῶν ἀνθρώπων.
Their objective is stated at the end of the verse. They are released in order that they might put into operation their plan and issue the necessary orders for the assault on that part of the human race which at that time will be living in the Cosmic System. They will have been kept in a state of readiness, they will have a plan which will go into operation at the time of their release. These demon generals have been prepared by God in the prehistoric angelic conflict for the hour of their attack which will be launched at a specific time, right down to a specific hour, on exactly the right day, month and year. The futuristic present tense denotes an event which has not yet occurred but is regarded as so certain that in thought it may be contemplated as already occurring. It is sometime after the middle of the Tribulation at a specific time that God will permit this to occur as a result of the imprecatory prayers of martyred believers.
Revelation 9:16
In fact, the number of the armies of the calvary is two hundred million [twice ten thousand times ten thousand]; I heard their number [John was informed of the number].
καὶ ὁ ἀριθµὸς τῶν στρατευµάτων τοῦ ἱππικοῦ δισµυριάδες µυριάδων· ἤκουσα τὸνἀριθµὸν αὐτῶν.
This would be an army group composed of 4 armies; possibly 50 million assigned equally to each of the 4 generals mentioned in verse 15.
Revelation 9:17
And so I saw in a vision the horses and their riders [in review]; each having breastplates the color of fire [red for artillery] and hyacinth [blue for infantry] and sulfurous [yellow for armored forces]; and the heads of the horses are like [setting up an analogy] the heads of lions [representing the shock which occurs when they strike], and fire [something like napalm or flame throwers] and smoke [representing chemical warfare] and sulfur [possibly gunpowder] came out from their mouths [if not literal, it refers to offensive weapon systems].
καὶ οὕτως εἶδον τοὺς ἵππους ἐν τῇ ὁράσει καὶ τοὺς καθηµένους ἐπí αὐτῶν, ἔχοντας θώρακας πυρίνους καὶ ὑακινθίνους καὶ θειώδεις· καὶ αἱ κεφαλαὶ τῶν ἵππων ὡς κεφαλαὶ λεόντων, καὶ ἐκ τῶν στοµάτων αὐτῶν ἐκπορεύεται πῦρ καὶ καπνὸς καὶ θεῖον.
It is fascinating that we have three colors on the breastplate. Instead of having a military patch as did the first demon army. Undoubtedly these colors go far beyond any relationship with modern combat arms, except that they represent a killing army group and combat arms. This is an army strictly of combat arms and the three colors of the breastplate indicates simply the distinctive insignia of this army group.
The lion has tremendous teeth and a phenomenal jaw muscle. This is a comparative connotation which connotes the idea of power. The whole point is that the lion’s head is always in front of the lion, and when he attacks, he never backs into his victims! By analogy, this is an assault group that attacks straight ahead with great success, with great power, and with great shock. You have mobility, power and shock altogether.
Revelation 9:18
A third of mankind [living in the Cosmic System] was killed [this is on top of the ¼ that are killed in the first part of the Tribulation; killed means that no prisoners were taken] by these three plagues [a weapon system designed to kill], from fire [something similar to napalm], smoke [representing chemical warfare] and sulfur [possibly gunpowder] came out of their mouths [if not literal, it refers to offensive weapon systems as opposed to the tail].
ἀπὸ τῶν τριῶν πληγῶν τούτων ἀπεκτάνθησαν τὸ τρίτον τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ἐκ τοῦ πυρὸς καὶ τοῦ καπνοῦ καὶ τοῦ θείου τοῦ ἐκπορευοµένου ἐκ τῶν στοµάτων αὐτῶν.
Revelation 9:19
For the power of the horses is in their mouth [three weapon systems already mentioned in the previous verse] and in their tails; for their tails are like [setting up an analogy] snakes having heads [poisonous ones] and with them they cause harm and pain [a weapon’s system to protect their rear].
ἡ γὰρ ἐξουσία τῶν ἵππων ἐν τῷ στόµατι αὐτῶν ἐστιν καὶ ἐν ταῖς οὐραῖς αὐτῶν· αἱ γὰρ οὐραὶ αὐτῶν ὅµοιαι ὄφεσιν, ἔχουσαι κεφαλάς, καὶ ἐν αὐταῖς ἀδικοῦσιν.
We have been studying the demon assault armies in the Middle of the Tribulation which will be without precedence as far as demonology is concerned. It is the only time in history when demons are permitted to make an attack upon members of the human race and to use violence directly against them. It is interesting to note that the function of these three great demon armies is very much like the concept of modern tactics on the battlefield, the application of the principles of warfare and the concept of war in general.
The first demon assault army commanded by Abaddon is the torture army. The second demon assault army is an army group made up of four demon armies from the Euphrates and its mission will be to kill. The third demon assault army comes from heaven when Satan is cast out and it makes a special attack against all Jews in Israel and outside of Israel throughout the world. Each one of these demon armies is related to one of the three woes.
Concentration of troops becomes a very important principle in modern warfare and with the use of armored forces concentration is even more of an issue. Concentration of troops is a problem that Satan faces today in the angelic conflict; his forces are scattered. They are scattered in heaven; they are scattered throughout planet earth; they are imprisoned in Tartarus, in the Abyss and under the Euphrates. So today the full fury of a demonic attack is impossible. However, in the last half of the Tribulation, Satan will be able to concentrate most of his demon forces.
Review of the Trumpet Judgments:
1. The first trumpet is found in Revelation 8:7. It is a judgment against vegetation where one third of the topsoil, vegetation, rain forest, is removed from the earth. We will see what happens under those conditions and how this becomes a fantastic judgment.
2. The second trumpet is found in Revelation 8:8, 9. It is a judgment against salt water.
3. The third trumpet is found in Revelation 8:10, 11. It is a judgment against fresh water.
4. The fourth trumpet judgment in Revelation 8:12 is going to bring great darkness to the earth.
5. The fifth trumpet judgment is called the first woe, found in Revelation 9:1-12. It is a judgment involving a demon invasion from the Abyss, and where we meet the number two fallen angel, Abaddon (Apollyon).
6. The sixth trumpet is found in Revelation 9:13-21. It is a demon invasion of 200 million fallen angels from under the Euphrates River which demons will kill 1/3 of the population of the world. This would include those who were tormented for five months, but will exclude those with the “seal of God” as per Revelation 9:4.
7. The seventh trumpet or third woe is found in Revelation 11:15 through 12:17, another woe on demon activity, the demon attack against the Jews in Judea and throughout the world, the greatest movement of anti-Semitism in all of human history.
There will only be one exception to those killed by the demon assault army from under the Euphrates namely certain demon-possessed unbelievers as per the last two verses of this chapter. Certain types of demon possession were made immune to the attack of the second demon assault army group as mandated by Satan for these will be used by Satan in a last-ditch effort to stave off defeat. While millions of believers and unbelievers under demon influence were slaughtered by the weapons systems of the second demon assault army group, there were those who were spared and these are hard-core demon-possessed people whose modus operandi includes idolatry, religion, the phallic cult.
Revelation 9:20
And the rest of mankind [certain demon possessed unbelievers involved in idolatry and human sacrifice], who were not killed by these plagues [though they will not escape the torture mentioned earlier, they will escape the three plagues of verse 18], did not even change their minds about the works of their hands [the manufacturing of idols and the function of the phallic cult with its human sacrifice], so that they did not stop worshipping demons [disembodied spirits who seek to invade through idolatry], even the idols of gold and of silver and of bronze and of stone and of wood; idols which are not able to see nor hear nor walk [idols are the places for establishing demon possession].
Καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, οἳ οὐκ ἀπεκτάνθησαν ἐν ταῖς πληγαῖς ταύταις, οὐδὲ µετενόησαν ἐκ τῶν ἔργων τῶν χειρῶν αὐτῶν, ἵνα µὴ προσκυνήσουσιν τὰ δαιµόνια καὶ τὰ εἴδωλα τὰ χρυσᾶ καὶ τὰ ἀργυρᾶ καὶ τὰ χαλκᾶ καὶ τὰ λίθινα καὶ τὰ ξύλινα, ἃ οὔτε βλέπειν δύνανται οὔτε ἀκούειν οὔτε περιπατεῖν,
Revelation 9:21
Furthermore, they did not change their minds about their murders [human sacrifice and homicide] nor about their sorceries [necromancy, black magic, witchcraft and drug addiction] nor about their fornication [the illicit sex of the phallic cult] nor about their thefts [demon inspired criminality].
καὶ οὐ µετενόησαν ἐκ τῶν φόνων αὐτῶν οὔτε ἐκ τῶν φαρµάκων αὐτῶν οὔτε ἐκ τῆς πορνείας αὐτῶν οὔτε ἐκ τῶν κλεµµάτων αὐτῶν.
This brings us to a point: Once you get away from truth, once you become involved in the Cosmic System, once you are tainted with arrogance, you are incapable of making good decisions. The decisions we make can destroy us so quickly, and we do it to ourselves. Bad decisions build scar tissue on the soul and when you get so much scar tissue on the soul you lose the motivation, the desire, to reverse the course. Too many negative decisions made from your own free will cannot be reversed even in the face of awful judgment.
