Lesson 7, The Desolation of Smaug

Revelation lesson 7, The Desolation of Smaug.  Revelation 12-14

Last week we finished Revelation 6-7 and focused on the opening of the seals, primarily the ones that unleashed the 4 Horsemen.  We touched briefly on the 144,000 and the Multitudes (knowing we'd get deeper into them this week).

As we break the book of Revelation into sections (see Lesson 2: The Magnificent 7) we are going to make our first deviation from the linear order of the book.  We left off with the opening of the 7th Seal, which contains the Sounding of the 7 Trumpets and Pouring of the 7 Bowls).  Today we are going to skip to Revelation 12-14 and look at the 7 Histories.  An interlude of sorts as John is given more insight into what leads up to, and will happen during the end times.

The Woman:
Chapter 12 talks about the woman and the dragon.  There are bits and pieces of these verses that can have you jumping (at least your mind) into several areas as you determine what the Woman symbolizes.

First, there are some obvious visuals of both Eve (with that ancient serpent), and Mary (Herod's attempt to get the baby Jesus).  And while I think these visuals are there purposefully, there is a more overriding symbolic meaning of the woman that we derive from some of the references in the passages.

First, she is clothed with the sun, the moon beneath her feet, and a crown of twelve stars.  The sun, moon, and stars reflect directly back to Joseph's dream and can indicate the woman represents Israel (we'll come back to the sun, moon, and stars in few minutes).  Now the debate could be made whether this is the 'proper' Israel, the Converted Jews, or the Church as a whole (including the Gentiles).  We don't have enough time or space today to dive into all that, but the common theme in all those interpretation is that those people all follow and are faithful to God.  In other words, "God's People".

But this woman is pregnant and gives birth to a male son who will rule the nations with an iron scepter.  Jesus is referred to often along with the iron scepter, and this indicates the Woman birthed the Messiah.  Now if you take the Woman to be Israel, or the Church - the question might be how does she birth the Messiah?  The Old Testament is the history of the Israelite's, with many prophecies indicating the Messiah is coming, and it is because of the Church (or God's love and grace for it) that the Son had to come and sacrifice Himself in order that there be eternal life.  It is also important to note that this pregnant woman is in pain (suffering).  I believe there is a correlation between this and Matthew 24:8 where Jesus talks about the suffering before the tribulation being, 'birth pains'. (more on the woman in a few paragraphs).

The Dragon:

Now let's take a look at the Dragon.  The dragon is Satan.  We're told so in verse 7.  That was easy... well, not exactly.  While we know who the dragon is, there are some interesting aspects to what John sees.

1. The dragon is described as sweeping a third of the angels to earth with his tail.  Indicative of Satan's fall and taking some of the angels with him.
2.  The dragon waits to devour the pregnant woman's child the moment he is born.  Could be the plot of Herod to kill Jesus.  Could be Satan standing by to devour the Church.
3. Then war breaks out in Heaven between Michael and the dragon.  The dragon loses and is hurled to the earth along with his angels.  The question is: is this a more detailed version of Satan sweeping the stars and falling to earth?  Is this an insight into the original fall of Satan?  Or is this a flash-forward to the final battle in Revelation where Satan is defeated?

So now (verse 13) the dragon saw he had been hurled to earth.  That is an interesting way of phrasing the dragon's response to getting his rear-end kicked by Michael.  But what I think it is to mean is that, "Satan realized he no longer had access to Heaven." (I'll come back to this in a second).

Back to the Woman.  She is given two wings of a great eagle so she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness.  Here the wilderness represents spiritual refuge, and it appears that this refuge is from Satan.  Also, I believe that the eagle's wings she is given indicates Michael's protection (see Daniel 12:1 - Michael is Israel's protector).  Eagle wings are often symbolic of angelic nature. That's why we fantasize about angels being these magnificent creatures with broad and strong wings. It is what I based the image of my main character, Jude in my book, Providence.

Back to the Dragon.  He is now enraged that the woman is protected, and thus wages war against the rest of her offspring (those who keep God's testimony about Jesus).

So here is my summary of the Woman and the Dragon.  The woman is Israel, The Old Testament 'births' the Messiah.  Satan can't get him and focus on the woman.  Michael defeats him and casts him to earth.  Satan again tries to get the woman, Michael protects her.  Satan is frustrated and focuses on the rest of her offspring (the Gentiles).

The Rabbit Hole:
In these first few verses, we bounce between Heaven and Earth, the beginning of time and the end times.  I tried to wrap my head around some chronology here, but I failed.  What I did do was stumble onto an interesting question.

"The dragon saw he had been hurled to earth".  Did he not know?  Or did I misunderstand Satan's fall?  When did Satan fall?  When were the angels created?  (please note, I want your curiosity piqued and I want you read the Bible and discover - I spent about a day and half in this rabbit hole...)

First, I assumed angels had been here long before the creation of the earth.  I assumed Satan had fallen beforehand, and that is why he tempted Eve into eating the apple.  So I took my questions and began reading.

Genesis 1:14-19 (The Fourth Day)

And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.

Genesis 2:1 (Immediately following the Sixth Day)

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.

These two verses made me wonder, did God make the angels on the 4th day?  Finishing both the heavens and the earth on the sixth day?  Now, before you jump - I realize this says "heavens" and not "heaven" - meaning it could simply be translated to refer to the universe.  I get that.  But for me personally, the symbolism of the sun, moon, and stars is pretty strong.  And we know Satan was in the Garden of Eden along with Adam and Eve.  As a matter of fact, he was a guardian.

Go to Ezekiel 28:11-19.  These verses describe Satan and indicate he was there in the Garden, and that he was beautiful and worthy (right up until he fell).  So the question becomes, when he tempted Eve, was that his fall?

Now we have to jump to Job 1:6-8.  The angels come to present themselves to God, and Satan comes with them.  So he still had access to God. But, even after he had fallen?  Maybe, and Michael hurling him to earth was the straw that locked him down here.  And don't forget Jude describes Michael disputing with Satan about Moses' body.  So was Jude still in heaven's grace during this dispute?  So then when does this hurling take place?  I'm not sure.  But, I hope I've gotten your curiosity up a bit and that you'll do some personal reading this week.  I know I'm going to be reading some more.

Now, back to our regularly scheduled program.

The Beast of the Sea:
So after verse 12, we are taken to the shore of the sea with the dragon standing there.  That doesn't mean the next events happen immediately following, but it very well could.  Remember God is atemporal, and it is possible any amount of time could pass between the end of verse 12 and beginning of verse 13.  Anyway, I'll just start by telling you I think the beast of the sea is the Antichrist.  I know those exact words are not used in Revelation, but they are used elsewhere.  This beast has ten horns, and ten crowns and seven heads.  This imagery is used in Daniel and other places in Revelation.  It is symbolic of the military and political power and authority.  I won't dive into the realm of trying to determine the exact meaning of each head, horn, and crown.  But many think it is indicative of future 'kingdoms' or 'rulers' dividing the earth up into some kind of 10 nation global union under the Antichrist's rule.  Note that there is a slight variance between this beast's makeup of horns, heads and crowns to those of the dragon who only had seven crowns.

This beast has blasphemous names on it's head and spouts blasphemous words for 42 months (we'll talk about these months and others a bit later).  This indicates that the beast is not going to friendly toward God (or Jesus or the Holy Spirit).  It's good to note that blasphemy of the Spirit is considered an unpardonable sin (we spoke of that a couple of weeks ago).  So anyone who follows or worships this beast, could by proxy be guilty of the same.

The verse declares that the beast will get its power from the dragon.  Whether the dragon can actually give the beast power, I don't know for sure.  But we can be sure the beast will be executing whatever it does in the name of the dragon.

Finally we are told that all will worship the beast except those written in the book of life.  This is subject of its own, which we discussed a few blogs ago about losing salvation.  So let's just summarize here - you worship the beast, you die.

This section ends with the familiar pattern of Revelation, "This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of God’s people." (stand firm, folks).

The Beast out of the Earth:
Now John sees a second beast, this one coming from the earth - perhaps the Abyss we'll talk about in later chapters.  This beast has two horns like a lamb (gentle sacrifice) but spoke like a dragon.  Means he is going to preach one thing knowing it is deceitful.  This beast is going cause great signs such as fire from heaven and even make an image of the Sea Beast actually come to life.  People will be in awe of this guy and he force people to worship the first beast.  I believe this beast is the false prophet and will be the leader of the religion of the end times that is lock-step in bed with the political workings of the first beast.

Finally, the second beast will make everyone who wants to buy or sell to where the mark of the first beast (this would include food - remember the Black Horse and economically induced famine?).  In other words, he'll make you worship the first beast in order to survive.

Here is also where we get the famous "666" as the mark of the beast.  It is described as the "number of man".  There are many interpretations of this number.  It could be some form of gematria that calculates a given name into a number - a practice quite common in early Biblical days.  It could symbolize that the Antichrist is incomplete in every way.  Since 7 is the number of completion, and 6 is just short of that.  Or it could simply be that God was revealing that the Antichrist is just a man.  Not God or Jesus or Angelic.

The 144,000:
Verse 14 starts with John looking and seeing the Lamb (Jesus) on Mount Zion with the 144,000.  The 144,000 were first mentioned in Chapter 7.

Rev 7:
…Hurt not the earth…, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of them which were sealed 144,000 of all the tribes of the children of Israel. (List doesn’t match OT)

The Great Multitude: “These are they who have come out of the Great Tribulation.”

Rev 14:
Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads…

…These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they kept themselves pure. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes.

Defile with women… Spiritual defilement (Rev. 17 refers to the new religion as a harlot prostitute)
No lie was found in their mouths – they held the truth, the faith.

The 144,000 can be looked at in many ways.  While you can study many parts of Revelation without fully deciding if you are pre-tribulation, post-tribulation, or which 'millennialism' you adhere to, etc., that is a bit more difficult here.  The number 144,000 can be taken literally or symbolically and can be interpretted in the following manner.

• A different way of describing the 'multitude' spoke of in Rev. 7
• Exactly 144,000 Jewish, male, virgins who convert and witness.
• All the Jewish converts during the last days.
• The whole Church (either of all time, or in the last days)
• Spiritual Israel - the Church on earth
• And probably a few others I haven't listed.

You can see by these possibilities that your view of the end times will directly reflect the way you interpret who the 144,000 are.  Me personally - I think the number is symbolic and represents the great multitude and therefore is representative of the Church.  But, you make your own call here.

The Angelic Announcers:

We are now presented with 3 angelic announcers.  Each one arrives on scene, makes their declarations and then we get a final word of encouragement.

• Angel 1:
• Proclaims the eternal Gospel
• God’s judgement is here. Day of the Lord
• Angel 2:
• Fall of Babylon (new world politics, religion, economy)
• Maddening wine and her adulteries (spiritual corruptness)
• Angel 3:
• If you take the mark or worship the beast… same punishment as Babylon.
• Have patient endurance

You can see their goal is two-fold.  1) Highlight what you should do, and 2) highlight what will happen if you don't. They end with encouragement in a not so encouraging setting.

Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.

So we've learned about the Woman and the Dragon.  We've been introduced to the two beasts. We seen the 144,000 be taken care of by God. And then we get a summary by the angelic announcers wrapping it for us.  This takes us to the last part of this week's study where we'll learn the purpose of all that John has just learned.

The Harvest.
Chapter 14 is broken into two parts.

Part 1:
Jesus is waiting with his sickle in the clouds.  He gathers his followers.(Note, this is also similar to the rapture in that we have the references of Jesus in the clouds and gathering of the saints).  In Jesus harvesting here, the word ripe (xērainō), means dried and ready (withered).  Indicating the saints are tired and weary, but persistent and ready.

Part 2.

Another angel comes out with a sickle and then another angel in charge of the fire (judgement) comes out and the command to harvest the ripe grapes.  This word 'ripe' (akmazō) means to come to maturity.  This ripe, is only used once in the NT.  (signifies a difference from the other use of ripe).

These harvested grapes are not taken to Jesus, these are trampled in God’s winepress.  (I'll take Part 1 please).

Before we conclude, let's talk a bit about 3 and 1/2 years.  You've probably heard or read that the Tribulation will take 7 years.  Whether that is a literal 7 years, or symbolic, I'll let you ponder.  I think it is symbolic, meaning it will just need to be 'complete'.  I do not take all the numbers in prophetic literature literally (as a matter of fact, I don't take many literally - or any).  But throughout Daniel and especially these few verses, we seen reference to 3 and 1/2 years on several occurrences.  I believe these to mean that these events will occur during the Tribulation, they won't comprise all of the tribulation, and are designated with the time frame to show they have a beginning and an end.  Here are some ways that 3 and 1/2 years are described in the Bible.

A time, times, and half time.

• A Time = 1 year, 
• Times = 2 years, 
• Dividing of Times = 1/2 year.

1260 days

• 360 X 3 =1080+180 = 1260

Forty two months

• 42 X 30 = 1260
• 12+12+12+6 months

A thousand Two hundred and threescore (score = 20) = 1260

So let's conclude/summarize the 7 Histories.

• The woman (God’s people) are protected and victorious
• The dragon (Satan) angry and on the war path.
• The Sea Beast (Antichrist) will have political power to rule
• The Earth Beast (False Prophet) will deceive with his religion
• The 144,000 will have eternal life after surviving the Tribulation
• The Announcers proclaim; 
• Worship God
• Babylon will fall
• Remain faithful
• The Harvest:
• Jesus will gather his believers
• The rest will face God’s Wrath

I hope these studies are prompting you to dig into the study even further.  Remember, these writings are not facts, they are simply how the Scriptures are being revealed to me.  It is a preparation to understand as much as possible to be ready for whatever may occur.  Always be open minded and remember to let the Spirit guide your study.

Until next time,
God Bless you all,
Rob

Don't forget to check out my website, www.starvt.com.  And for those of you who have read my novel Providence, you can be assured that this journey through Revelation will show up in the next two books of the series, Purpose and Perseverance (hint, hint).

Also, here is a table of contents for the Revelation series (it is also located in the side menu).

Revelation Series, 2016

Revelation series table of contents - quick index.

As each item in the series is added, this post will be updated to include links to each one.  Each link will open in a new window, so that this post will remain active in case you want to return here for another selection.  Some of the lessons will have 'sub-bullets'.  These are previous posts that support or add to the main one in the series.

Happy reading!

• Background Lesson 1: Interpreting Scripture guide
• Background Lesson 2: Getting Started in Revelation

• Lesson 1: "Back to the Future"
  (an intro into the study)
• Lesson 2: The Magnificent Sevens
  (a structured way to approach Revelation)
• Lesson 3: Terms of Endearment
  (letters to the 7 churches)
• Lesson 4: "The Hustler"
  (a peek into the salvation and the rapture)
• Satan's Final Trick part 1
• Satan's Final Trick part 2
• Lesson 5: "Stand by Me"
  (a look at losing salvation)
• Lesson 6: "Pale Rider"
  (the opening of the 7 seals)
• The White Horse
• The Red Horse
• The Black Horse
• Lesson 7: The Desolation of Smaug
  (the 7 histories of Rev. 12-14)

Until next time,
God Bless you all,
Rob

Don't forget to check out my website, www.starvt.com.  And for those of you who have read my novel Providence, you can be assured that this journey through Revelation will show up in the next two books of the series, Purpose and Perseverance (hint, hint).

Lesson 6, Pale Rider

Revelation lesson 6, Pale Rider

This week we dive back into meat of things with the first of our Magnificent Sevens (click for a recap) with a look at Revelation Chapter 6, the opening of the seals.  I'm going to dip back into the archives a bit for some background information regarding the White, Red, and Black horsemen.  I would have an article on the Pale Horse too, but it was lost in the great hard drive crash of 2012, so you'll only get a surface view there (sorry).

Which reminds me, I think it was somewhere in Deuteronomy where it is written, "Thou shalt back up thy data, and do so often."

White Horse
Okay, back to the subject at hand...  Many times when we read or study Revelation, we can focus on the "physical" aspects of the Tribulation period.  But, more importantly than those is the Spritual warfare going on during the Tribulation.  As we study today, let's look at the seals from a more spiritual focused view.

Revelation chapter 6 starts with the Lamb (Jesus) opening up the first of the 6 seals.  When the seal is opened, John sees the first of the "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse", the White Horse.

I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.  And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.

There are several repeating patterns for the horsemen, the first being the "horse".  In the first century, the horse symbolized Strength, Conquest, and War.  You can imagine that in those days, a horse was much like a tank or some other mechanized war machine would be today.  This first symbol indicates that all the horsemen are performing some form of conquest or another.  But the White Horse in particular is given the role of Conqueror in the verse itself.  It is interesting to note, that the rider in this case was given his 'victor's crown' before he had actually completed his conquest.  The white horse in this instance would also symbolize the parade horse that a conquering general would ride back into town after a successful battle. The last bit too look at here is that this rider is carrying a bow, not the most symbolic choice for war.  The bow is more symbolic of 'hunting'.  We can also note that the Greek god Apollo's symbol was also the bow.  Later in Revelation, the Antichrist is referred to as "Apollos, or in Hebrew, Abaddon".  You can read more detail about the White Horse here.

It is my opinion that this rider represents the arrival of the Antichrist.  The Greek 'anti' can mean 'instead of'.  Remember Jesus telling us in Matthew not to be deceived by those claiming to be the savior.  The Antichrist will deceive and conquer, but it is possible it might not be as apparent as we expect.  I suspect he will do so deceptively in order to fool people into following him.  How might he do that you ask, well let's look at the other horsemen to find out.

Red Horse

Next, the second seal is opened and again the beast announces and John sees.

And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take the peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.

This is typically known as the War Rider.  The color red (pyros) in this instance symbolizes War, Fire, and Blood.  He also carries a sword, the more common symbol for war.  However, there is an interesting twist to the symbol in this case.  Here (in English) it is called a great sword.  But the Greek word for sword used here is different than what we'll see later with the Pale Horse.  This Greek word means "small sword or large knife".  So in essence, the translation is literally a "great small sword".  This could mean that the effects of this war are great, but the way it is implemented is not a grand "WW III" or nuclear holocaust, but something more deceptive and subversive.  To further illustrate that point, let's look at the line, "take the peace from the earth and that they should kill one another."  The "the peace" spoken of here could be the civil morality we have in the Holy Spirit, notice the definite article "the".  It isn't just peace, it is the peace.  If that is somehow withheld or pulled back, then it could be neighbor against neighbor.  Remember Jesus also said "many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other."  Now he did say "nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom", but he also said "wars and rumors of wars", so deceit will still be high during this time.

I think that because of "the peace" and the "kill one another" that in addition to what we would view as traditional warfare, there will be a great amount of civil anarchy as well, and the morality of many will be gone in the process.  (the second greatest commandment, "Love your neighbor as yourself".

You can read more detail about the Red Horse here.

Black Horse

The third seal is opened and reveals another rider.  This one has an additional element in that after the rider is described, an unknown voice calls out another set of information.

And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.  And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.

The Black Horse is traditionally viewed as famine.  I don't disagree with this, but I do want to point out a few things.  One, is that the famine is always coupled with the other things occurring in the world at this time (earthquakes, fires, blood water, etc.).  And I agree, this should cause a shortage of food.  But remember we are dealing with the great deceiver here, and it is possible that this could be a government imposed famine too.  Later we'll study about the mark of the beast.  A mark that one will not be able to buy or sell unless they possess.  So if you don't have the mark of the beast, you would be in a famine state, even if the crops are not all ruined.

Secondly, the use of the word "balances", while it seems very fitting to mean scales like used in the market (since later the unknown voice talks about measures of wheat) actually has a more common use that is something else.  The Greek word here is, "zygos", which in every other instance of the New Testament means "yoke".  So if you use that definition, then it appears that this rider is measuring the food, he is binding others in order to limit the access.

But let's take a detour for that unknown voice that speaks of wheat, barley, oil, and wine.  These items are very symbolic in other areas.  Wheat and barley make bread, oil and wine are tied to divinity.  In the last supper bread symbolizes the body of Christ.  Jesus is often referred to as the "Bread of Life".  if we look at these as symbols of Christ and perhaps the Gospel, then in keeping with our Spiritual theme, it may indicate that the famine spoken of here is a Spiritual famine.  Meaning the Gospel will be pushed aside for something else, something false.  So it is with this I tie the Black Horse with the "False Prophet".  Spreading his deceitfulness in a manner to get believers to go down the wrong path.  Violating the greatest commandment, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind".

You can read more about the Black Horse here.

Before we see what is in the fourth seal, let's recap using our "Spiritual" focus, rather than the physical focus.

• The Antichrist arrives.  Ready to conquer by deceiving people into thinking he is the savior.
• Civil and Moral Anarchy ensues taking the peace from the earth.
• The False Prophet comes to spread his fake religion to mislead people away from the true faith and hope.

Pale Horse

And then, the fourth seal is opened.

And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

Death arrives and Hell follows.  Everyone physically dies.  Even us sitting here today will die, regardless of whether the Tribulation happens in our lifetime or not.  And if we are believers, then Hell doesn't follow Death, Heaven does.  So we aren't talking about physical death here.  This is Spiritual Death.  Satan's ultimate goal.  Satan doesn't care if your body dies.  He wants your eternal soul.  That is his mission.  If he can convince people the Antichrist is the real savior, subject the world to chaos and killing and famine. And then have the False Prophet swoop in to give fake hope and worship.  Those who fall into those traps will be victims to the "second death".  Judgement and eternal damnation.

Jesus said the following to the Church in Smyrna (the persecuted). 

Revelation 2:10-11
Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.

During the Tribulation much focus will be on the "physical" needs.  Food, clothing, shelter, surviving natural disasters, wars, and the wrath of God.  We can not lose sight of the more important prize.  Standing firm in the faith till the end.  Satan is after your eternal soul, not your physical body.

A short summary of the fifth and sixth seals.  These will be covered more in later blogs.

The fifth seal reveals John seeing martyred Christians wanting to know when judgement will occur.  They are reassured with white robes and reminded of the promise that victory will be theirs.

The sixth seal gives a quick view of the wraths that are about to be unleashed when the seventh seal is opened and the Trumpets are sounded and the Bowls are poured.  The final line in those verses states this, "For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?"  Who will be able to stand before God on judgement day? Those who held the faith until the end.

Next week we will look at the 7 Histories outlined in Revelation 12-14.

Until next time,
God Bless you all,
Rob

Don't forget to check out my website, www.starvt.com.  And for those of you who have read my novel Providence, you can be assured that this journey through Revelation will show up in the next two books of the series, Purpose and Perseverance (hint, hint).

Lesson 5: Stand By Me

Revelation Lesson 5: Can you lose your salvation?

Last week we dove into the complexities of when the Rapture may occur (before, during, or at the end of the Tribulation period).  Directly related to that is if Christians can lose their salvation.  An important point if we are in fact enduring the "end times".

This sparked great conversation during the Sunday School class, and so I thought I would venture into this space a little further before moving on into the opening of seals (Revelation 6).

Before we begin, remember I reserve the right of the Holy Spirit to change my mind on all things Biblical.  I repeat that because I've uncovered a few nuances to the verbiage of "lose" your salvation that I'll highlight later in this post.  Let's begin.

First, let's establish what Salvation is.

Salvation is spiritual deliverance from the consequence of sin.

CONSEQUENCE: Romans 6:23: For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

DELIVERANCE: John 3:16: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Now we establish why we even have salvation (beyond God's love mentioned above).

Ephesians 2:8-9: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.

GRACE: God’s unmerited favor and merciful kindness.

• There is nothing we can do to “earn” God’s grace.
• There is nothing we can do to “lose” God’s grace.
• God’s grace is for EVERYONE.

Now please do not try to apply human logic to the Living God.  We can never fully understand His Grace, Love and Wisdom.  So you can get lost trying to understand a grace or love of this magnitude since we can not fathom that with our feeble little minds.  Our real understandings of grace and love are based on our human experiences - they just don't equate.

So then the question becomes, what do we need for salvation? (note I didn't yet say what we need to do...).

We need three things.

• Knowledge – in some way, shape, or form we must have an understanding of God and Jesus.
• Assent – must agree that this ‘knowledge’ is true.
• Faith – personal commitment and acceptance that this is the route to eternal salvation. 

Please note: Even pagans have Knowledge (and maybe even Assent) and that Satan and his demons have both Knowledge and Assent.  It is Faith is that makes you different.

So what is Faith? The Greek word used in the New Testament for faith is "pistis".  It means in relation to God, the conviction that God exists and is the creator and ruler of all things, the provider and bestower of eternal salvation through Christ. And in relation to Christ it means, a strong and welcome conviction or belief that Jesus is the Messiah, through whom we obtain eternal salvation in the kingdom of God.

Hebrews 11:1 sums it up nicely. "Now faith is the confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see."

Faith, Trust, and Belief are nouns (things you have). Trust and Believe are verbs (things you do).  Faith, Trust, and Belief are tightly coupled and used synonymously throughout the New Testament.

And what does the word "believe" mean in the Bible?  The Greek "pisteuo" means: accept (something) as true; feel sure of the truth, To have faith. Used in the NT, of the conviction and trust to which a man is impelled by a certain inner and higher prerogative and law of soul. To trust in Jesus or God as able to aid either in obtaining or in doing something: saving faith.  Trust is a firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something.

Faith and Believe are used in the Bible about 250 times each. Check out these verses for some good examples. (1 John 5:13, Luke 7:50, Acts 26:18, Mark 16:15-16, Romans 10:10, and Romans 3:28).

So now we get to what you actually have to do for your salvation.  Many will tell you the answer is nothing.  I disagree slightly based on semantics.  If someone tells you that you can not "earn" your salvation, and by that they mean it doesn't matter how often you go to church or how many lessons you teach or if you have this really cool blog...  then they are right.  Church attendance, good deeds, memorizing the Bible, and such will not grant you salvation.  No matter how much you do.  This is really tied to the Grace of Salvation.  You can not earn God's Grace.  That he freely gives to all.  It is his Gift.

But, you do actually have to "do" something here.  You can not be a lump on a log.  Remember the three things (Knowledge, Assent, Faith)?

• You have to have faith.  
• You have to accept the truth. 
• You have trust in Christ as your Savior. 
• You have to believe He has paid your price.
• You have to “choose” (free will) Him.

So we might ask, "Does faith equal salvation?"  No, but if we agree to needing the three things listed, and that Faith is what sets one apart from Satan and pagans, then we have to agree that you have to have Faith in order to get Salvation.  And by the way, this faith is not ordinary faith (like faith in your car or sports team, or the chair you are sitting in).  This is saving faith.  And you can't have saving faith with Knowledge and Assent.  So while faith does not 'equal' salvation, you can't have salvation without Faith.

So can you lose faith? There are a multitude of verses that indicate one can lose faith.  Matthew 24 states that "many will turn away from the faith..." and later states "... if those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened."

All during the letters to the seven churches in Revelation (see previous post), they are reminded repeatedly to remain faithful and hold on to the end.  If they couldn't lose it, why so many warnings?

STAND FIRM:

Now, I'll grant you that not all these verses specifically state words about faith, but the context and meaning for all of them has to with standing firm in the faith.

• Matthew 10:22: You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. 
• Matthew 24:13: but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.
• Mark 13:13: Everyone will hate you because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.
• Luke 21:19: Stand firm, and you will win life.
• 1 Corinthians 10:12: So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!
• 1 Corinthians 15:58: Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
• 1 Corinthians 16:13: Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.
• 2 Corinthians 1:21: Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us,
• 2 Corinthians 1:24: Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, because it is by faith you stand firm.
• Galatians 5:1: It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
• Ephesians 6:14: Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 

Jesus is clearly stating, "Stand by Me."

Next, you should spend some time in the letter to Hebrews.  The letter was written to Jewish converts (believers in Christ) in Rome who were being tempted to revert back to Judaism.  The theme of the letter is focused heavily on faith and on Jesus as the supreme and sufficient mediator of God's grace for salvation.  While you'll find many debates regarding Hebrews 6:4-11 and its meaning, that alone should induce your prayerful reading and consideration so that you can derive from the Spirit your own understanding.

We can't talk about losing salvation or faith without at least dipping our toes into "eternal sins".  Various denominations have differing views on whether there even are eternal sins.  I can't do any better than Mark, so I'll simply leave you with the words from Mark 3:28-30.

Mark 3:28-30
Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.” He said this because they were saying, “He has an impure spirit.”

We also have to reference the "mark of the beast".

Revelation 14:9-12
A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.” This calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who keep his commands and remain faithful to Jesus.

However, if after all of this comment, I didn't share with you John 10:25-30, I would be remiss.

John 10:25-30:
Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”

So now you are probably saying, "Hey, wait a minute.  After all that commentary about the possibility of losing faith and salvation, you give us Jesus himself saying - he gives eternal life and no one can take that away - what gives?"

My answer is this.  No one can take it away.  No one can deny you the opportunity.  No one can force you to fall away or lose faith.  Satan can not make you lose faith.  Just like the choice to believe and accept is yours alone, The choice to not believe or to deny Him is yours alone.

Now let me make something very, very clear.  I also believe and defend the following.

• Losing faith and possibly salvation is in no way a negative reflection of God, his divinity, sovereignty, or power.
• God’s grace for salvation is never changed.
• Our ability to “fall” or lose faith is no more a knock on God than our original inadequacies and doom in sin.
• Jesus sacrifice stands the test of time and paid for all our sins and is available for anyone who believes in Him.

Let's conclude with a summary.

• Can you "LOSE" your salvation or have it taken from you?  NO
• Are we talking about our normal, sinful nature causing us to fall? NO
• Can you willfully turn your back on Christ and deny the truth (even after knowing Him)?  YES
• It is "mathematically possible" in my opinion
• As long as you have free will, I have to believe it is your option.
• How can this happen?
• Blasphemy toward the Spirit and thus denial of Christ and God
• Taking the Mark of the Beast and thus ‘worshiping’ the Antichrist
• Not standing firm or remaining faithful.
• Who would do such a thing?  That I leave for you to ponder...

So what is the point of all this?  Well, there are questions to be answered.  Will we or won't we endure the Tribulation? When will the Rapture occur? Can you lose or give up your faith or salvation? Can someone willfully turn their back on Christ?  And all these questions can be debated and studied.  So the point is for you to get into your Bible and with the Holy Spirit, find your answers.

I leave you with this.

We Pray for the best.

Prepare for the worse. (study all aspects of the theology)

Deal with whatever comes. (Remain faithful. Stand Firm. Persevere.)

Until next time,
God Bless you all,
Rob

Don't forget to check out my website, www.starvt.com.  And for those of you who have read my novel Providence, you can be assured that this journey through Revelation will show up in the next two books of the series, Purpose and Perseverance (hint, hint).