Will We Have Peace?

I appreciate the message that we do have to pray and honor those in leadership. That God will give them wisdom to do the right thing for us, for the Church, for the country, and really, in the end, for the world. We do know there is a general feeling in a number of people, maybe not in all, but there is a general feeling that there is going to be some degree of peace.

And obviously, we do hope so.

But I want to look beyond that and ask, will we really have peace?

And I'm not talking about peace of mind, which God does give us through the power of His Spirit. But I'm talking about peace in this nation and in this world. We see, for instance, a peace pact being signed in the Middle East. And we know you probably look at it like I kind of look at it with a little bit of suspicion.

I think we all have a little bit of suspicion due to past experience, because this problem is going on since the womb between Esau and Jacob and that family. But it is appropriate this time to read a scripture like 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, verse 1 and 2. 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, verse 1 and 2, in which we read concerning the times and seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. And you and I pretty well know what it's meant by a thief in the night, which means you're not expecting it. For when they say, peace and safety, are we going to be entering into a period that some people are going to be saying, wow, peace and safety? And they might be temporarily some degree of peace and safety. I don't have a crystal ball. But it says then, sudden destruction. What if in two years' time something happens, maybe an assassination, who knows, or something terrible happens, and things just change? We don't know what is coming along. And it says, sudden destruction comes upon them as labor pains. And you know, labor pains, ladies know far better than I do. But they come and go, you know, they get worse and they get better. And then they get worse again, and then they get better. And then they get worse again, and they get better. And then, it really explodes, quote-unquote.

And so, brethren, we know, and if you look at Matthew 24, and I'm just going to look at a few points there on Matthew 24, but in Matthew 24, in verses 32 through 34, we have the parable of the fig tree, and it says, you know, you look at the fig tree, and when the leaves start showing, you know that certain buds, you know that summer is near. It's at the doors. And then you know that, as we read at the end of Matthew 24, verse 34, it says, or make a parable, I want to read verse 33, so you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near at the doors. And it's going to happen in this generation. Brethren, all these things are happening are at the doors. You know, we mustn't think that the Lord is delaying His coming, like it says a little later in verses 48. But you know, when we look at all these things and you go back at earlier verses, like verse 11, it talks about many will be deceived. And you know, brethren, I don't think we've ever been in an age where deception is so rampant that people are even confused with what is a man and what is a woman. I mean, that is the ultimate deception. And then in verse 24, it says, many false messiahs, and it's not just religious leaders. It could be political leaders, because messiah is implied to be a leader that is bringing peace to the world, which is what we believe Christ as the messiah is going to bring peace to the world. And then in verse 24 of Matthew 24, it says, and show great signs and wonders. There'll be amazing miracles that people will say, that's it. We've got to follow this guy or whatever. It's just things are going to get so unbelievably miraculous that it says even the very elect could be deceived. But for the sake of the very elect, these days will be shortened. Going back to 2 Thessalonians, but now in chapter 2, 2 Thessalonians, chapter 2, it is a very interesting scripture, because there we read, starting in verse 3, let no man deceive you. Brethren, false ideas, false messiahs, deception, it's all around deception, giving you false information, giving you, just deceiving you. And so it says in verse 4, let no one deceive you by any means. For that day will not come unless the falling away comes first. I might be wrong, brethren, but I would dare to say that I think the falling away has already happened. Or at least one phase of the falling away in the late part of the previous century, around about 95, there was a big falling away amongst God's people.

There could be even more phases of it. I'm not saying it isn't, but in a way it appears that that has happened. But what has not happened is the man of sin has not yet been revealed the son of perdition. And whatever is holding back that man to be revealed, because that's what we see in verse 7, for the mystery of Lordliness is already at work. Yeah, in this world, you and I, now, there is a spirit of Lordliness. There's no questions about it. But only he will now restrain us. So under God's instruction, God is allowing some, let's call it just angelic force, to hold it back. Because when God says, allow it to happen, and only God knows the day or the hour, right? And when God says, okay, allow it to happen, it will explode. Because it says, he who now restrains will do so until he's taken out of the way. In other words, until God allows that to happen. And so we then continue. And then that lawless one, that man of sin, will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of his mouth and destroy. In other words, it'll be an individual right at the time of the end that he will be alive. And when Christ comes back, that individual will be consumed by Christ himself with the brightness of his coming. And then it says in verse 9, the coming of the lawless one is according to the work of Satan. It is a satanic plot. So there is a time when God is going to say, all right, let it happen. And so it's going to be a time that Satan is just going to know, I have short time, and everything is just going to explode. And it says, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, lying is deception. Signs, it's miracles. And power, so there'll be powerful miracles that will boggle people's minds. And don't think that it's not going to boggle your mind, because if it were possible to see the very left, it would be so amazing. And it says, verse 10, and with all unrighteous deception, can you see the word deception and lying being repeated time and time and time again? Among those who perish because, and he has a reason, they do not receive the love of the truth. Brethren, you and I need to hold on to the love of God's truth. Don't let it go. Love the truth. And so, brethren, there's going to be great deception. And some of you that have been around for a little longer, you will remember Moustam Strong saying, let's go back to the beginning. And you know what he would talk about? Do you know what I mean? Two trees. Two trees.

And you can see that in Genesis chapter 2 verse 9, but basically it's two trees which basically mean mankind, in this case Adam and Eve, but mankind has to make a decision, as we read, for instance, in the Autonomy 30 verse 15, between good and evil. I said before your life and death, choose life. There's basically two trees. A tree of life and a tree of death. Okay, it's not called death, it's called the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. But when you think about it, the tree of life is you trust God to tell you what's right and wrong. And the tree of death, or the knowledge of good and evil, is you using your own human reasoning apart from God, you decide what's good and what is evil. And that's the way of death.

But ultimately, this is all part of God's purpose. Why? Because God has given you the right, even you and I, three moral agencies, to choose. And God wants you and I to learn through a better lesson of experience, to learn to do what is right and decide what is right, and even under pressure have the character to do what is right.

Because ultimately, in the new heaven and new earth, God does not want another Satan. God wants sons that of the unfree volition do what is right for eternity and that he can absolutely trust. In other words, faithful, like he is faithful. That's why we believe in God, because he's faithful. He does not lie. He does not deceive.

But as you and I go through this process of learning to overcome, learning to always be faithful, learning to trust God, and was learning to follow that tree of life. God allows Satan to try his best to converse mankind through deception, because after all, he's got a PhD in deception. He's convinced a third of the angels, became demons. He deceived them to go the wrong way. And if you and I learn and are able to overcome Satan, then God can trust you 100% for eternity, because you'll never go the wrong way. God's word, the Bible, is beautiful, because from the beginning till the end, there's a perfect continuity. From the beginning, we see a tree of life. As I drew your attention in Genesis 2 verse 9. But right at the end, in Revelation 22 verse 2, in the new heavens and new earth, you see a tree of life.

From A to Z, there's that continuity. From the beginning, you see the woman being deceived in Genesis 3. 13. But at the end, you see the woman overcoming and marrying Christ. Now you're starting to get it. When I talk about a woman, I'm not just talking about a physical woman. Think about that. Because in the end, if, yes, she was a woman, but Yah is a deeper meaning about a woman, which is talking about what? About you and I as a Church of God, as God's people. You see, so God in His great wisdom, and right from the beginning to the end of this wonderful Word that is given to us, which has got everything you and I need for salvation.

It's got everything you and I need for salvation. In this beautiful Word, we find a training ground for you and I, where you and I can be prepared to be His children in His kingdom, symbolically that woman that is going to marry Christ. So we see in this book, from beginning to end, a titanic, a mammoth battle, conflict between Satan and a woman. And again, it's not just a physical woman.

You see, in Genesis 3 verse 13, we see Satan deceiving the woman around you. The woman herself said, in Genesis 3, 13, says, why have you done it? And he says, well, Satan deceived me. But then, in verse 15, you and I see this fight, this animosity between Satan's seed and the woman's seed. Oh, right there it's bringing this to more than just a physical paradigm, but to a spiritual paradigm.

It's important that we understand this. And in verse 15, we read, and I'll put enmity between you, Satan, and the woman.

And between your seed, Satan's seed, let's call it the world, the society, and her seed, the woman's seed, which is what? It's Israel.

It's God's people, physical and spiritual. It's another important point to understand that Israel—and when I say Israel, I mean physically speaking, all the Israelites tribes, and spiritually speaking, the body of Christ, because that's the Church, the spiritual body of Christ.

And then we continue reading.

And he, that's Christ, the seed that came through that woman through Israel, shall bruise your head, Satan's head.

Now, bruising a head, a head is a vital part, and it could be fatal. Destroying Satan's power and lordship over mankind.

And then he says, And you shall bruise his hill.

And then where Satan will bruise the woman's hill.

That's Israel, physical and spiritual. You see, this bruise is like a sting on the lower part. That sting, it's like sufferings, afflictions, persecutions, difficulties, temptations.

But ultimately, the very hill will bruise the head. And so, it is important for us to very briefly go back to a chapter that describes, in a wonderful way, the swore between Satan and a woman. You see, there's a chapter in the Bible, let's call it an inset chapter in the book of Revelation, that describes this war between Satan and the woman.

And that's Revelation 12, verse 12, the whole chapter.

But we'll start in verse 1.

And I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, clothed with a cloud. I'll be apparent that 12, and I'm not reading 12, I'm reading 10. I apologize. Revelation 12, verse 1. Now a great sign appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, a woman. So it gets back to a woman. Now that's not Eve, but we gotta understand this bigger picture. Of what a woman, which basically means Israel, both in the Old Testament and the New Testament, it's pictured here. And at times, the focus in the chapter is more inclined towards the physical woman, physical Israel. And at times in this chapter, it shifts towards the spiritual woman, which is the church. So it says, a woman clothed with sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars. Why do I say it's Israel? Because when we go back to Genesis 37, verses 9 through 10, when we're talking about that dream of Joseph, and about his father and his mother, but the dream is about the sun and the moon, and it's basically pointing to Israel, because Jacob's name was changed to Israel, right? And therefore, that descendants. So one of the major meanings here is is about Israel. And then it is important that we see, therefore, a duality. The physical Israel, the sons of Jacob, that physical body of that nation. And then we also see spiritual Israel as the spiritual body of Jesus Christ in a way through Christians. And then now let's move on to verse 2. And the interesting thing is about the moon. The moon sometimes is in the sky, sometimes it's not. Sometimes it flickers. But let's move on to verse 2. There are a lot of analogies that one can draw, and I don't want to go into all of them. And then we see in verse 2, and then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth. Now, if again you think about the duality, you could say one of the symbolisms, and obviously you can read this and obviously your mind goes to Christ, but it could also mean that the nation being born in Egypt and that the birth of that nation in Egypt, and they went through pain and labor. They became slaves, and they had to be taken out of slavery. So there is duality in YHRA that can be seen.

In an example, for instance, also as far as the time of Israel, if you read in the book of Esther, there was a time that, as you know, the Jews were going to be wiped out. There was that man called Haman, and he wanted to wipe out the Jews, would destroy Christ. You know, there would not be, quote-unquote, a descendant through that nation breaking.

Therefore, that's what Satan was trying to do to break that, but God is more powerful. But yeah, is this woman out in labor and in pain to give birth? And you can look at different analogies through history, and it's not just the example of Mary giving birth to Christ, which obviously is applicable too as well. But the point here is that there always has been a hatred against the Jewish nation throughout history, and even in the days there, there was the days of Esther, there was that hatred, and today it still exists.

You know that. And so there is this animosity, or we call that anti-Semitism. But the interesting thing is the moment we see the woman being briefly described, and we can see it's Israel, we can see at the same time Satan is brought into the picture, because it's this animosity between the woman and Satan that this chapter is describing. And therefore, in verse 4, it talks about—by the part of verse 3, I haven't read verse 3, and this is about another sign which says, hey, wait, wait, but before we continue with that, let me show you that something else, the other side of the picture, which is the adversary, and that's Satan, which is a great fiery red dragon.

And you and I know it's Satan, you can read in verse 9, that clearly defines that as Satan of that same chapter, and is fiery, fiery red, which implies that it's a war-making killer as a possibility, meaning to that. And then we read it in verse 4, and his tail drew a third of the stars, so he conversed a third of the angels, which then became demons, to go within.

And he threw them to the earth, because when he fell, they also fell down within. It's important to understand that this act of falling is not that he was expelled from heaven, but he fell. It's like if you have a fight, a person falls, but does not mean that he's necessarily expelled, that he was not cost out. And we know from the story of Job that he still at this time has access to heaven.

He fell, but he was not expelled. A lot of people question that and say, why? And so he convinced them, you know, probably convinced by convincing one, and then two, and then more, and this whole thing spread like a cancer.

It's spread the spirit of deception, of envy, of jealousy, of resentment, of injustice, this spread to others. But again, remember, there is a duality. There is a duality, because here in verse four, it says, and the dragon stood before the woman was ready to give birth to devour her child. And the duality again is devouring, now focusing mostly on Christ. And you and I know the story that a little later you have Herod trying to kill Christ, and then he had to flee to Egypt. You know that. To devour a child as soon as the child was born.

And it says, and verse five, and she bore... Now, verse five is fascinating, because in one verse, God with his word is amazing. In one verse, the whole history of the birth, the purpose, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ is put in a quick, brief synopsis, just in one verse. That's beautiful.

And it says here in verse five, she bore a male child who was to rule all nations. Right? He is going to rule all nations with a rod of iron. Yeah, a rod of iron has got dual meaning in that, but you know that.

And her child was caught up to God and his throne. You know, he was resurrected, and he's in heaven now. Beautiful, just simple, quick, brief synopsis. And then we get there in verse six, which now we're looking at now Christ is now in heaven, so it's a time frame a little bit further. And then it says, and the woman fled into the wilderness. Now, understand the woman means both physical and spiritual Israel, but you know when we think about physical Israel, and we know the physical Israel had throughout all these years persecution.

They were out of their own land and things like that. But spiritual Israel as well, God's people, the Sabbatereans, let's just call it that, Sabbath keepers. They had to hide for, as it says, yeah, 1,260 days. And you know, based on numbers 1434 and Ezekiel 4 to 6, a day for a year, they had to hide for 1,260 years. And that in history is basically from 554 AD till 1814 AD. So there was a time that Sabbath keepers had to flee into the wilderness. And that's why if you want to look at history of the church in those, it's very difficult to find because they were fleeing.

You really can't get much stuff about that history. And then we get now into verse 7, and now it talks about Michael and his angels fighting against Satan and his demons. And so we're talking about something which is now future.

Because now it's talking about when he's going to be cast out, not just thrown out, as it was described earlier in earlier verses when he fell, and that is compared to Isaiah 14. And in Christ himself said, he saw Satan fall before the creation of Adam and Eve. You read that in Luke 10 verse 18. But now we're talking about a time future because now he's cast out, as we can see in verse 9. It says he's going to be cast out.

In verse 9 it says that the dragon was cast out. You see, so we now have a point here where there is a war, a heavenly war, and it could well be the time that he that restrains it now will stop and allow it to not be restrained anymore, as we read in Thessalonians. It could be that. And now Satan is thrown out of heaven. It is as if Michael was being restrained. Not yet, Michael. Not yet, Michael. And then I'm speculating. I do not know, but I'm just saying as if could have been that. And now he says, okay, now, now is the time. No man knows the day or the hour, but at that time, bang. So he says, and and and Satan and the dragon and his angels fought. Verse 8, they did not prevail and no place and nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So now they are expelled. They cannot go back to heaven expelled. It was cast out. And he says, who deceives the whole world? That's who he is. He is the slanderer. He is the adversary. And we see that in our politics of the swole, the deception. And and and and he was cast to the earth and his demons, says, yeah, his angels, but obviously, or demons, they were cast out with him. They were thrown to the earth as well.

Now, you and I cannot fully comprehend the degree of deception that he has done. The deception is so rampant. It's so encompassing that we just cannot understand.

And that's why we read when you read things like Leviticus 16 about the Day of Atonement, that will that sin of deception of of causing the whole mankind to go wrong. In addition to our own individual sins, but his deception is going to be put on his head. But anyway, continuing now in verse 10, and then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, now salvation, the strength and the kingdom of our God and the power of his Christ have come for the accuser of our brethren who accused them before God day and night has been cast out. Brethren, Satan is today accusing you before God. He's accusing me. He's accusing us. Whenever you maybe have a wrong thought or I have a wrong thought or I say something in a way that I shouldn't say and offend somebody, wow, bang, he's there accusing us. Fortunately, you and I have an advanced advocate, which is Christ, which is also our judge because all judgment has been delegated to Christ. And he says, if you and I repent and genuinely repent, that is wiped out. So he is there blaming, accusing. And now let's read verse, beg your pardon, let's read verse 11. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, wow, and by the word of the testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. Do you know what that means? That means that you and I now can go forwards and read the end of the book. You know, I know how it's going to end because I've read the end of the book and the end of the book says you will win. And that's very encouraging. But obviously because of what Christ has done for us, and because of the testimony, the witness of the apostles and what we have written here, Old Testament and New Testament, all this, it helps us. And also because some of us regrettably will have to give our lives.

But we do not give up. And sometimes you and I go through a trial, a deep trial, and you and I may say, God, why, why, why? Why doesn't God intervene, for instance, and heal me? Of course he can heal. But in his greater wisdom, you and I don't fully understand his full wisdom. We're just so small in understanding and knowledge and intelligence compared to his high, high, high IQ. We just don't understand it. But in his greater wisdom, sometimes he allows us to go through fiery trials. But he knows in the end it will be for the good. And you and I just have to trust him. That's the Tree of Life, remember? Trust him all the way. And so yeah, in verse 11, it's like reading the end of the book. We will win and we will have peace ultimately, but not yet. And then he says, therefore, heavens and you do well in them. That is the angels that are there today. Because imagine the angels have had to to live with Satan around them for billions, billions and billions of years. Boy, they must have said, I'm glad he's gone. Imagine when you have somebody in your home just being critical and being negative and belligerent and things like that. And you look forward to the day that that spirit is gone and that spirit is gone from those angels. And those angels will say, wow! But it won't be much longer either on earth because Satan knows that he comes down having great wrath because he knows he has by a short time. Probably just a little bit more than three and a half years. Probably. I'm not saying he is, but it seems to indicate when we look at that with Daniel 12, which we're going to look at in a moment. So now we get to verse 13, which is a very interesting verse. And when the dragon saw that he had been cast out to the earth, he persecuted the woman.

Now quite often you and I may think when we look at this verse that it's only talking about spiritual Israel, the church, because when you read that in context with the next verse, you say, well, it's talking about the church.

But if you think about that there is a duality, the woman who gave birth to the male not the word child is in italics, which means it's not there.

The woman who gave birth to the male, it could also be interpreted as physical Israel that gave birth to the seed, which is the male. The male that is going to be the husband of that woman. That is going to be the groom of that bride.

And so you can read it that way as well. But the woman, and now in verse 14, the focus is mostly on spiritual Israel, which is the church. But understand that physical Israel will also go through difficult trials during this period. When the Great Tribulation comes, the nation of Israel, as we understand it, will stop being governed like it is today.

So it applies to both. But it says, yeah, and the woman was given two wings of a great eagle.

Do you know when the Israelites left Egypt, they also left in the wings of an eagle? You read that in Exodus 19 verse 4. Now you and I know that Israelites, when they went through the desert and left Egypt, they did not go in the aircraft. But they left in the wings of an eagle. And again, therefore, it is symbolic, which they had—God's protection and intervention and all that goes with it.

That she might fly into the wilderness. Oh, again, a wilderness like in Old Testament. Remember the wilderness? So we are going to be—some of the Church of God will be protected into what we have termed in the Church as a place of safety. Other people have called it a place of final training. I like that term, a place of final training. But anyway, but that's enough. All of them, as we'll see a little later, not the whole Church. And it says, where she's nourished for a time and times and half a time. That's three and a half years. So now it's not talking about days and a day for a year. It's talking about time, times and half a time, which is three and half years, very specifically, from the presence of the serpent. And I kind of speculated what you mean in the wilderness. Well, it maybe means that you want to have Wi-Fi and 5G or anything like that because you'll be in the wilderness. You will not get any social media. You will not get Satan's broadcasts somehow. Maybe. I mean, I'm just—I'm speculating. I don't know. But it's just, you know, sometimes my mind kind of gets carried away. So I apologize for that. But anyway, and she will be nourished for a time, times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent, which means Satan will not be able to influence those people with wrong thoughts and wrong ideas, deception. And verse—and yeah, it is very important to understand that nowhere does it say where this wilderness is. It doesn't say it. And I don't think that's what's important for you and I today.

I think what's important for you and I today is that it's going to happen, and you and I want to be accounted worthy to escape these things. And even more important is to be able to stand in front of the Son of Man when he comes, which as we read in Luke 21 verse 36, I think. And so what do we have here in this section from verse 7 through this verse 13 and 14? We see a section here of a delivery and which has been triggered, as we see in the beginning of verse 7, by Michael and his angels standing up.

Doesn't that remind you of Daniel chapter 12? And so let's turn briefly to Daniel chapter 12. Keep your finger on Revelation 12 because we'll come back to it. But in Daniel chapter 12, Daniel chapter 12, verse 1, at that time Michael shall stand up. Aloha! Can you see the connection? Michael will stand up, the great Prince who stands watch over the sons of the people, and there shall be a time of trouble. Why? Because, and he says, yeah, such as was never since there was a nation. So in other words, that's what you and I call, as he stands up, Satan is kicked out of heaven, he's cost out, he's expelled, he knows he's got a short time, and now he's gonna go angry against Israel. Because there's a war between Satan and a woman, right? And so he's gonna first attack the spiritual Israel.

And we see part of Israel flees, and we're gonna go back into Revelation 12 in a moment, and we see therefore then he gets angry and he goes on to the rest of Israel, the ones that stay behind. And I'm talking about the rest of spiritual Israel first. So for him to go back to the rest of the Church, because now what we have is a portion of the Church will be protected, and a portion of the Church will not. That again ties with Revelation chapter 3, where some will be protected from that time because they remained faithful, and others will not be protected because they became lukewarm. But how can he attack the others that stay behind?

He has to destroy freedom of religion.

He has to destroy freedom of religion. And therefore for him to do that, he has to destroy physical Israel.

And so we know that that's what's described in Psalm 83 verse 1 through 8. That is a conspiracy. And we also know in Isaiah 5 verse 5 through 7 that that will happen during the period of a month. It was from one period of a new moon in a month, 30 days.

And as we read the foyer in Daniel 12, we see that those people, they will be given glory, because it talks about a resurrection to glory. It talks about these things happening, and then Daniel asks, hey, how long shall the fulfillment of these wonders be? You can see that in verse 6.

And then in verse 7 it says, and it says, it shall be for the time, times, and oftentimes, tying back together to Revelation 12, when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered. The power of the holy people. Now who's the holy people? Now you can look at it physically and spiritually. Spiritually means that we as an organized church will cease to exist.

That doesn't mean just united. I mean all the other fellowships. Why? Because freedom of religion will be destroyed. How? Because the holy people, it also applies to physical Israel. And as I showed you in Psalm 83, or I mentioned to you in Psalm 83 in Isaiah 5, that will happen in a period of a month, 30 days. But it says when that power will be destroyed will be time, times, and oftentimes, three and a half years, which is 1260 days. And then later it says, and during that time people will be purified. Verse 10, many will be purified by fire, by the great tribulation, made white and refined. But the wicked will do wickedly, and none of the wicked will understand, but the wise will understand. Because we've preached it, and the two witnesses will be there, also showing them, and there'll be a time where people will start getting together. There'll be no more this fellowship and that fellowship, and people say, well, we just got to get together. We just got to get together. And so, and that then ties into the fact that you got the abomination of desolation, and it says in verse 11, from the time that the daily was taken away, again the word sacrifice is not there. You read in Daniel chapter 8, and Daniel chapter 11, sacrifice is not there. It's the daily. Now, I know during the times of Itakos, Epithon, Epithon is sorry for not saying the name correctly, but yes, it was a daily sacrifice. But prophetically, it does not use the word sacrifice, and that makes us think. It is important to understand that. And when that abomination of desolation is set up, there'll be 1,290 days. So we're talking about three and a half years plus a month. Abomination of desolation is set up. That seems to tie in with now we got a month, where the nation of physical Israel, or the nations of physical Israel, democracy will be destroyed. There'll be no freedom of religion, and in the Great Tribulation now begins, and so Satan can attack spiritual Israel, the other ones that stayed behind. That seems to be—and that's also what our booklet about, if I remember correctly, is the Middle Eastern Prophecy address. It's a little bit about that as well. So let's go back then now to Revelation chapter 12, and now we are on verse 15. So the serpent now spewed water out of its mouth like a flood, and so through his deception, he gets a military force to persecute the church. Those are afling, right? And then he says, but the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened up its mouth and swallowed up the flood, which we understand that it very well could be a military force, a power.

And so it's interesting because when Israel left Egypt, it was the Red Sea that opened up and swallowed the army. But now it'll be the earth that will open up and will swallow up their army. Very interesting, but there are parallels there, as we can see. And because he was not able to destroy that part of the church that will go to the wilderness, as it's described here, the dragon was enraged with the woman. Obviously, it says, the rest of her offspring. And again, it could mean both physical and spiritual, because he's now going to attack physical Israel so that he can attack spiritual Israel. But that specifically in the context, yeah, because now puts the focus, because again, there's duality. But now he puts the focus, yeah, of the spiritual Israel, which are those who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus. And this is very, I would call it, very, very serious, very important for us to think about, because those people that will not be going to that wilderness and be protected are brethren that keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus. That means they are brethren that go to church, or at least believe in God's commandments, or follow God, because it says, keep the commandments. So it's not necessarily because there are people that keep commandments and have church at home. But the interesting point, so I'm not criticizing one way or another, what I'm saying is they keep the commandments, they keep the holy days, they believe in Christ, but some of those will be protected and some of them won't. And so what's the difference? You and I need to examine ourselves. That's why we read in Luke 21, watch and pray that you may be accounted worthy to escape. And, as I mentioned, even more important, is to stand when Christ comes back. And so that is very important for us to keep that in mind. But then the story continues, and we know right towards the end in Revelation 19 verse 7, that we see the marriage of the male, which is now Christ, and the woman, which is now the church, the bride that has made herself ready. And then we see in Revelation 20 that Satan is imprisoned, in verses 1 through 3. And then later on he's released for a little while, and then his head will be bruised, as it mentioned in Genesis 3 verse 15, because he'll be thrown into the lake of fire, which is prepared. Now this is important, the lake of fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels, as you read in Matthew 25, 41. So there seems to be some sort of a special fire prepared for the devil and his angels. And so, brethren, we have a perfect continuity in the Bible, the Book of Life, and the woman, the story of the woman, and the enmity between the woman and Satan. And we know the end of the story. And the end of the story, we will win with crushed self. And there will be real peace on earth.