1 And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. 2 But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. 3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. 4 These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. 5 And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. 6 These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will. 7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. 8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. 9 And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. 10 And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth. 11 And after three days and an half the spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. 12 And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. 13 And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven. 14 The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.
Interpretation
“1 And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.”
Is this metaphorical language or to take in the literal sense?
It is metaphorical language because somebody can measure a temple and an altar but not those ones who worship therein. According to the evidence of the New Testament, the new Temple of God is no building but consists of human beings. The new Temple is the Christian Church: all human beings believing in Jesus. The altar of the Temple is Christ, “on which the sacrifice of the body of Jesus was offered”: Jesus Christ died for us on the cross and has borne our sins there. Nobody can measure this Temple consisting of people with an ordinary measuring rod, but only through the Holy Spirit one can judge that the crowd of all believers (in Christ) together with Jesus, the head of the Church, are the new Temple of God, the place of his presence.
The “reed” reminds us of the “bruised reed” Jesus talks about. The true Temple of God consists of “reeds” which are no longer bruised, but which Jesus has made whole again – Jesus cures the poor (“bruised”) little sinners.
Matthew 12: 20 A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory.
This is confirmed by St. Paul in his Epistle to the Galatians, Chapter 6:
14 But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. 15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision (the Jews; R. B.) availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision (the Gentiles; R. B.), but a new creature (both Jews and Gentiles believing in Jesus; R. B.). 16 And as many as walk according to this rule (“rule” reminds us of measure; R. B.), peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God (the new “Israel of God “are all Jews and Gentiles believing in Jesus; R. B.).
Hence, the true Temple of God or the Church consists of sinners which through the realising power of His death and resurrection have become people who sin increasingly less and do righteous acts increasingly more – up to perfect, practical holiness (but, of course, no real Christian will ever say that he is without sin). Here, it doesn’t matter if somebody is a Jew by nature or a Gentile; only significant is the new life in Jesus (being a new creature).
“2 But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.”
Despite the fact that the Church is the new Temple of God, Jerusalem, where the old Temple which was made out of stones stood, is still sacred.
Why?
1. Kings 8: 15-16 15 And he (King Solomon; R. B.) said, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, which spake with his mouth unto David my father, and hath with his hand fulfilled it, saying, 16 Since the day that I brought forth my people Israel out of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel (finally, God chose Jerusalem; R. B.) to build an house, that my name might be therein; but I chose David to be over my people Israel.
1. Kings 11: 36 And unto his son will I give one tribe, that David my servant may have a light alway before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen me to put my name there.
Daniel 6: 10 Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime. (Daniel still prayed towards Jerusalem despite the fact that the Temple had been destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar – that means that despite the fact that there was no more Temple in Jerusalem, Jerusalem was still The Sacred City of God; even today, Jerusalem is still the Sacred City of God; R. B.)
Romans 9: 4 Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises;
Romans 11: 29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.
According to what St. Paul writes in Romans (see the two verses, above), the promise of God which one can read for example in 1. Kings 8: 15-16, 1. Kings 11: 36 and Daniel 6: 10 (see the verses, above) is still valid: the present earthly Jerusalem, the capital of the state Israel, is still a sacred city. However, until today, the Holy City is treaded under foot by the Gentiles (let your eyes take note what your read here, dear reader); the present state Israel is a secular state and is above all not sovereign but depends on the benevolence of the USA and other Western countries. There is no great difference for a Jew whether he lives in the USA or in Israel. Actually, Israel is merely the 51th federal state of the USA. In fact, the Jews do not really rule their country themselves but the Gentiles – that is a matter of fact. Insofar, Jerusalem is indeed treaded under foot by the Gentiles. Assumed, in the near future, all Jews would promptly (of course, “promptly” doesn’t mean within a second, but the conversion of the people of Israel, some million people, to Christianity may last some decades) accept Jesus Christ as their Messiah; thus, becoming real Jews in God’s eyes, then the Messiah (Jesus) would immediately (meaning after the process of the conversion of the Jews, which may last some decades, is finished) return in power and glory and in the form of God and finish (by use of violence) the treading of Jerusalem by the Gentiles.
Briefly: Though Jerusalem is still a sacred city in God’s eyes, it shall not be measured (taken in account) meaning that the Christian Church, the new Temple of God, is much more interesting for God than the city Jerusalem. Jerusalem is only the forecourt of the Temple, but the Temple itself is the Christian Church.
By the way, we don’t need to try to calculate the real time meant by the 42 “months” (see note, below) because if we could really calculate when the time of the Gentiles will be over, we would know when Jesus will return (however, when the “moment” of his return has come, is at hand, he will let us know). But concerning his return (long-term vision) Jesus has said that we have no rightly aspire to the knowledge of times and point of times, but he will come suddenly like an unexpected thief at night. Though God will never reveal unto us how long the treading of Jerusalem by the Gentiles will last (except the “moment” of the end of the treading has almost come, appears at the horizon), we can figure out what is symbolized by the 42 “months”. The 42 “months” symbolize the period of time from the destruction of the old Temple made of stones by the Romans (this occurred 70 A. D.) up to the second coming of Christ.
Acts 1: 7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
Matthew 24: 36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
“3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. 4 These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.”
“My two witnesses” is a term of metaphorical language which means two groups of people: one of the two witnesses are the Gentile Christians, and the other one are the Jewish Christians. In principle, all Jews believing in Jesus and all Gentiles believing in Jesus are joint together through the faith in Jesus – together, they form the Christian Church. The older olive tree or candle stick are the Jews (but only the really pious ones) because they are the old people of God which has yet existed before the Christian Church emerged. Strictly speaking, the old people of God were only those of the Jews (the biological descendants of Jacob) which believed in a divine redeemer or, simply said, were pious whereby they probably did not know that the name of the redeemer was Jesus but simply called him Lord. The “biological” Jews in general yet at Old Testament times had a problem to really believe in the God of Israel (today we know that his name is Jesus). And even when the God of Israel visited them in the person of Jesus Christ, only a few of them believed in him, and the people of Israel as a whole has virtually rejected him. This state regrettably lasts up to the current day. Nevertheless, at Old Testament times the old olive tree or candlestick was formed almost only of pious Jews (biological Jews which believed in a divine redeemer). However, the disobedience of his old people (in the biological sense) seems to have persuaded God to awake children for himself amongst the Gentiles, and that are we, the Gentile Christians. The Gentile Christians are so to speak the second witness, candlestick or olive tree whereby they have the same root like the old olive tree; and in principle, both are one tree, one witness and one candlestick. But, as I have yet said, through their general disobedience the (biological) Jews have forced it that the one olive tree must look like two olive trees: when we think of the Christian Church today, we only think of Gentile Christians as if a (biological) Jew could never become a believer in Christ (that is outrageous), but actually the Church should consist of both Jews and Gentiles who have repented and put their trust in the Lord. The present olive tree is nearly formed only by Gentiles believing in Christ. Yet, things move quickly, and even the second olive tree formed almost only of Gentiles is about to disappear. Today, there are nearly no more people on earth who really believe in Jesus Christ (there are plenty of sects and heretical churches, but these are no true Christians; the Evangelicals are also no, no, no Christians at all; Billy Graham, who just has died, was a heretic).
Plainly and clearly: The imagination of God of the olive tree for Old Testament times and for New Testament times is the same: an olive tree comprising Jews believing in a redeemer and Gentiles believing in a redeemer. Yet, at Old Testament times nearly only biological Jews believed in a redeemer (nearly all Gentiles deliberately remained in apostasy), and in New Testament times (except the future time of the conversion of the Jews) nearly only Gentiles really believe in a redeemer (nearly all Jews deliberately remain in apostasy up to the current day). Hence, it looks like as if there would be two different olive trees: Jewish Christians at the one hand and Gentile Christians at the other hand. However, actually, they are one united tree and have one common root. As today the Gentile Christians become less and less, God will make the Jewish Christian olive tree “bloom” again. An earth without a growing group of people belonging to Him is unthinkable for God. I dare to predict that the Jews will start to convert in the course of the next years.
“sackcloth”
Jewish Christians and Gentile Christian lament their personal sinfulness but also the sin of the world. This belongs to their testimony. Their lamentation will first change into joy when God will give them a body without sinful inclinations, and when the sin of the surrounding world will have disappeared. When Jesus returns, sinners (people who do not believe in Jesus at the moment when he returns) will be separated from the believers by a big gap. However, the lamentation should not make us sour faces. Through faith and sacramental baptism we are “in Christ”, and he helps us to overcome our sinful inclinations and old habits. However, it is incredible that despite this fact the world perceives us as losers because in the world dominates the “contest between flesh and flesh”. People participate in a contest of what they can achieve through their natural abilities. In contrast to that, the Christian manages everything through the power of the Holy Spirit and not by his natural power; therefore, the Christian is disqualified from the contest of the world, and the world finds that very sad. The world honours the religious hypocrites (for example the pope) for their works out of the flesh, but she doesn’t honour the true Christians who really do divine works through Jesus Christ. The world honours the Scribes and Pharisees for their ridiculous praying, fasting and almsgiving to be seen by the people. In contrast to that, Jesus, who cured body and soul of sick people, was little honoured – yet, Jesus did divine works. Yet, Jesus had not even been interested in any honour of the world, but he was only focused on the benefit of the sick people and wanted to cure their soul and their body. Jesus wanted to remedy the distress of the people; Jesus only saw the people and their need, their suffering, their pain, their sadness, their misfortune – this caused his resolute acting. God will honour Jesus for ever and ever because he sought not the applause of this bad world but solely the benefit of the people and eternal honour from God.
Plainly and clearly: the world could have stand Jesus if he had sought her applause; according to that, the world could stand the Church if she would seek her applause. It causes her grief or sorrow that the true Church doesn’t seek her applause – the world perceives the Church as wearing “sackcloth”.
What happens during the “thousand two hundred and threescore days”?
These are “1260 days” (metaphorical language) from the destruction of the Temple up to the time when the second coming of Jesus Christ, who will violently finish the treading of Jerusalem by the Gentiles, “will appear at the horizon”, which will be indicated through the beginning conversion of the Jews (“the two witnesses come alive again”) shortly after the total spiritual death of Gentile Christianity. The testimony of the olive trees, as long as they are alive, consists mainly of the proclamation of the Word of Truth, God’s gospel of his Son Jesus Christ, and in keeping the Word of Patience, the Sermon on the Mount. The testimony of the Church includes also care for the poor, the sick, the delinquents, the foreigners, etc. with a view to their conversion – the Church is not obligated to take care of all disadvantaged people of this world. Only by faith in Christ, the problems of anybody can be solved durably. Only if somebody becomes a real member of the Church by repentance and faith, he gets a share in her holistic supply system. The “1260 days” seemingly come to an end or have yet ended because the Gospel of Jesus Christ is no longer proclaimed (the todays proclamation of the “gospel” by the Evangelicals doesn’t count because their “gospel” is a distorted gospel, actually a false gospel); the Sermon on the Mount is not taken serious (the Evangelicals take it serious only by their reason, not really keeping it, because they stick in their sinful flesh; they are not redeemed), and care for the disadvantaged people has become a pure business; hence, “the two witness have died or are dead”.
“5 And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.”
The “fire proceeding out of their mouth” are the revenge-prayers of the pious Christians. The more the apostasy increases, the more Christians will be treated badly in everyday life. The Christian will not revenge himself but entrust God with the revenge who will pour out fire over the evildoers. Through God, the revenge-prayers of the Christians become fire – so to speak, fire proceeds out of their mouth.
(At opportune time, I may insert an interpretation of Revelation 8: 1-5 here to explain the issue of revenge-prayers more extensively)
“6 These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.”
This “power” is the prayer of the Church again. The Church doesn’t know only the revenge-prayers but also the prayer for the salvation of the sinners. God hears the prayers of the Church by applying his educating wrath: He sends war, hunger, plagues and wild animals to educate the people, to lead them to repentance. However, it doesn’t look like that our direct ancestors had accepted God’s education, and now He seemingly gives us away.
The “thousand two hundred and threescore days” seem to come to an end gradually. God gives the mankind away gradually so that she becomes ripe for his destructive wrath. We should not have postponed repentance and faith in Jesus for such a long time – God is very, very patient, but even His patience is not unlimited.
2. Thessalonians 2: 9-12 9 Even him (the Antichrist; R. B.), whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved (meaning they did not repent and believe in Jesus; R. B.). 11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth (meaning they did not repent and believe in Jesus; R. B.), but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
“7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.”
The textual context shows that by “kill them” is not meant the physical death of single Christians through execution but the spiritual death of the Church. Exactly this, we face today. At the latest, since the 18th century the secular states influence the churches and their doctrine. Both the Roman Catholic Church and the Protestant Churches are no longer allowed to teach their traditional doctrine, but they have to teach a kind of enlightened Christianity. The Catholic and the Protestant interpretations of the Bible (except the interpretations of Martin Luther and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who did a very good job) were yet bad enough without influence of the state.
What is enlightened Christianity?
The core of enlightened Christianity is that the moral teachings of genuine Christianity shall be preserved, but the metaphysical component of genuine Christianity is rejected. Jesus is not recognized as Son of God, a person of the Godhead who is able to do miracles but he is only acknowledged as a pious teacher of morality, a pious (ordinary) man without the power of doing miracles. Simply said: somebody must become mad when he tries to keep the commandments of Jesus without having Jesus himself who alone could give the power to keep his commandments. Without Jesus, we are pure flesh, and his commandments only cause that we sin more instead of less (“the forbidden fruit tastes the sweetest”). The criminal and bestial of enlightened Christianity is that it doesn’t impart the living Jesus, God’s Son, who alone is able to help us to be good or pious. Only by the realising power of Jesus we can live according to God’s commandments and will even fulfil them. I repeat: the commandments alone without having Jesus through faith and baptism destroy us. Not that the commandments would be bad, but our sinful nature is that bad; what we are by nature. Therefore, we have to be reborn out of Water and Spirit through the sacramental baptism, received faithfully. When we refer to our sacramental baptism including infant baptism, then we will be filled with the Holy Spirit, then we get into Christ. Through the Holy Spirit, we are able to live according to the commandments of Jesus because Jesus gives us the necessary power through the Holy Spirit.
“Jesus as teacher of morality” (enlightened Christianity) first sounds so harmless, but in fact it is the worst seduction of all times, absolute Anti-Christianity. Forget Enlightenment! Yes, forget it!
In other words, one could say that the enlightened states have beheaded the Church because when the churches are no longer allowed to teach that Jesus is the Son of God and our saviour from sins then the Church is robbed of her head, Christ. Preparatory stages of the decapitation of the churches through the state were papacy, cheap-grace-Protestantism and the rechristen (or are they called Anabaptists? – at any rate, I mean the Evangelicals, who baptize someone again who has yet been sacramentally baptized as an infant; I would even define Evangelicals as those ones who re-baptize people).
For centuries, the Church becomes ruined through papacy, cheap-grace-Protestantism and rechristen (or Anabaptists?) (rechristen a very bad people who baptize someone who has already validly been baptized again). This ruin has achieved its maximum beginning with the 18th century when the states began to control the doctrine of the churches. The enlightened states carried the ruin of the churches to the extremes.
Briefly: The religion which is generally called Christianity today is no longer the genuine Christianity on the basis of the evidence of the Bible but a Christianity distorted by Enlightenment which leads to the complete ruin of the soul of the individual. Long-term it will ruin the whole Western world and finally the whole world.
Our present states are no longer authorities in the biblical sense but “members of the beast“ because they have misappropriated the Church. The rider on the white horse mentioned in Revelation 6: 1-2 has become a tyrant. The states no longer protect and preserve their people/peoples which would be their divine mandate but harm them – outrageous.
“the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit”
What is meant by that sentence?
Well, the so-called Enlightenment is nothing other then the warming over of the age-old crap of Greek philosophy. From the Christian point of view the Greek philosophers were stupid people but no wise men. The old Romans loved the Greek culture (abominable paganism from the Christian point of view). Hence, today we have so to speak a neo-Roman culture, and we have become Romans in a spiritual sense – “the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit”. The whole could also be called neo-paganism.
Plainly and clearly: By forcing the Church to teach a kind of enlightened Christianity, the enlightened states have killed and kill the Church (the “two witnesses”) spiritually – that is an ongoing process. However, the doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) was ruinous yet without influence of the state; yet the genuine doctrine of the RCC is bad. Actually, the only good thing the RCC has got is the sacramental baptism, which is good in itself – however, abused by the RCC because not applied in a sphere of faith where it could be expected that yet an infant believes; nevertheless, the baptism of the RCC is valid as long she keeps the right intention and the correct image of God.
“8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.”
The “decapitated” (see above) churches can generate, of course, only dead bodies meaning the members of the Roman Catholic Church, the Protestant churches (churches keeping the Protestant theology which appreciates baptism as a sacrament) and the Evangelicals (the Evangelicals are sometimes called Protestants, but they are no Protestants at all because they don’t appreciate baptism as a sacrament) are spiritually dead. Everywhere in the public sphere (“street” means public sphere) one can encounter that spiritually dead people, and thus, “they lie on the street of the great city”.
Excursus concerning the Evangelicals
(yet without influence of the enlightened states, the doctrine of the Evangelicals was absolutely ruinous; they have never belonged to the House of God, the Christian Church; they have never belonged to the olive tree, the candlestick or the two witnesses)
It is high time to get rid of the Evangelicals: they are excluded (and have ever been excluded) from the Christian Church because they practice rebaptism. The main problem is even not that they baptize a second time; though, that is bad enough, but they have a complete wrong theology concerning baptism (they regard baptism as a mere symbolic act, a public confession of faith and act of obedience). Furthermore, their doctrine concerning the rebirth is wrong, and they hardly can define their rebirth (concerning that subject they remain in obscurity). An Evangelical can never be sure if he is really “born again” because the Evangelical rebirth is not defined at all – and, of course, Evangelicals are no Christians at all and understand nothing at all. Providing that an Evangelical would be sure of his “rebirth” (yet a delusion, of course); nevertheless, he would not yet be born again because the thing the Evangelicals regard as rebirth is no rebirth according to the evidence of the Bible (the so-called rebirth of the Evangelicals is simply a Nothing). The poorest people on earth are the Evangelicals because their whole “faith” is mere delusion or fantasy – they will face a rude awakening at Judgement Day. Evangelicals have merely an imagination of the things which real Christians really possess.
In contrast to the Evangelicals, the Christian Church considers the sacramental baptism as rebirth (through baptism, the rebirth is a clearly defined point in space and time when somebody becomes a Christian; no ecclesiastical Christian needs to doubt if he has really experienced the rebirth because he can cling to his baptism). Of course, the releasing power of baptism becomes effective in us only when we deliberately refer to it, or when we voluntarily want to live a Christian life through the power of baptism.
It is a shame that sometimes the Evangelicals are called Protestants because they are not even Christians. They are a very dangerous and very harmful sect which ruins the lives of many of their members. May God punish their leaders and lead out their ordinary members who are seduced by their leaders.
By the way, the theology of the Christian Church concerning baptism is according to the evidence of the Bible, is “biblical” (“biblical” is a favoured term of the Evangelicals by which they want to express that something would be according to the Bible).
In contrast, the theology of the Evangelicals is not according to the evidence of the Bible, is not “biblical”. Interesting: those ones who claim to be the chief-interpreters of the Bible, who constantly use the word “biblical” don’t understand the Bible at all – that is outrageous.
End of Excursus
The “great City” mentioned in the section of the Bible above is not Jerusalem but “Babylon”. By the term “Babylon” is meant the whole sinful, unbelieving world. And in the midst of that world, the Lord, Jesus Christ, was crucified. Once, Jesus Christ had been the head of the olive tree, the candlestick or the two witnesses, but the “beast” (in ancient times, the Roman Empire; today, the godless states under the leadership of the USA) which leads Babylon (the whole mankind led by the beast save the Church) has decapitated them, has robbed them of their head Jesus Christ.
What does that mean?
Like the Lord of the Church was killed by Babylon or the world (“beast” + unbelieving people) in the public sphere, also the Church was killed by the world in the public sphere whereby the death of the Church is not a physical death but a spiritual death. Of course, the spiritual death of the Church is much worse than the physical death of our Lord. For ever and ever, God will honour Jesus for his obedience up to the death on the cross. The Church which turned apostate will not be honoured for that but punished. All in all, let us keep in mind that the world is the enemy of God and His Church. Let us never seek friendship with the world. The world, which only prepared a cross for the Lord, can never be the friend of the Church – that, the Church should keep in mind.
Like the world has rid herself of Christ, she has rid herself of the (true) Christian Church.
The Church has paid too high a price for her physical life: her spiritual life. Only on the condition that the Christians remain spiritual dead (spiritual death means the absence of spiritual life), they are allowed to live here on earth – this is outrageous up to the stop.
Strictly speaking, there is no more true Christian Church on earth because the “decapitated” churches are spiritual dead.
“9 And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. 10 And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.”
Nothing else is meant by that than this: the world is exceedingly happy that she finally got rid of Christianity. The still existing spiritual dead “Christians” (nominal Christians) meaning “dead bodies” disturb her little, and thus they can be tolerated in the public sphere and be used as human robots in dirty factories (this is meant by the phrase “shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves”; the world is content with the spiritual death of the “Christians” and sees no need to kill them physically but uses them as workforces like the old Egyptians used the people of Israel which were probably also spiritually dead). Thus, this earth has become a Christianity-free zone, cleaned out. The state of a world completely without Christian testimony will last 3.5 “days” (no real days). However, no matter what 3.5 “days” really mean, compared with 1260 “days”, 3.5 “days” are a very short period of time. By the term 3.5 “days” shall be expressed that the time when there is no Christian testimony on earth is very short compared with the time when there was a Christian testimony. After God’s mission amongst the Gentiles has come to an end, he will quickly turn to the Jews again. Certainly, God cannot stand a world without Christian testimony for a long time.
“11 And after three days and an half the spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. 12 And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.”
Dear reader, there are squillions of people which are happy about the fact that “we” have finally get rid of Christianity “after it has caused us so much trouble for centuries”. Read the following against this background.
The following will happen very soon:
Israel will accept Jesus from Nazareth as her Messiah, namely Israel as a whole meaning some million human beings. The state Israel, literally its whole territory, will become a giant church (Church) – the first state in history where Church and state are a unit. The last Gentile Christians will emigrate to Israel where they find refuge from the persecution by the Antichrist. After ca. 2000 years in lowliness, Christianity will radiant in glory, and its giant cathedral will be the country Israel form the creek of Egypt up to the river Euphrates.
Amen.
All those people believing that Christianity is finished will be thunderstruck when they hear the news of the conversion of Israel to Christianity.
Through a great miracle, God creates a people for His own possession in the midst of an completely apostatised mankind.
Christianity not only rebounds but is raised to heaven (even in a literal sense).
“13 And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven. 14 The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.”
The apostatised world will attack Israel by military means under the leadership of the Antichrist because the “anachronism” of a true Christian country in the midst of a Christianity-free “civilisation” will be unbearable for the world; worse than a thorn in her side.
Still during that military attack, God and the Lamb (Jesus) will start to judge the world. The number “7000” (7 times 1000) symbolizes the antichristian universal Church of the end (“seven” means church and “thousand” means “all members or the whole”). God will destroy her physically together with all her members; he will slay them, kill them and do them to death. Those ones who watch the rapture of the true saints and experience the great earthquake from a distance are forced to give God the glory – the circumstances force them so to speak to give God the glory. They do not become believers, but give God the glory involuntarily; they are forced to worship God by the power of the events. However, this adoration will no more save them from eternal damnation; it just came to late.
1. Thessalonians 5: 2-3 2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
1. Thessalonians 5: 2-3 shows us that at the day of the return of Christ – the same day when all believers will be carried away and a great earthquake takes place – there is no more possibility to repent, but “sudden destruction comes upon them”.
Revelation 16, 18-21 18 And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. 19 And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. 20 And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. 21 And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.
Those ones who had just honoured God (see Revelation 11: 13) because he punished the “Christians” (nominal Christians; symbolized by 7000, see above) through a great earthquake now blaspheme God who drops hailstones upon them. These people are probably Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and all other adherents of false religions and sects including all pure materialists. It is right; the Judgement of God starts at his own house (the apostatized Church), but he will all the more judge those ones who are completely outside His House.
1. Peter 4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
(the House of God in a broader sense are all people which are sacramentally baptized)
(the House of God in a narrower sense are all people who follow Jesus through the releasing power of their baptism)
Those ones of the House of God who did not follow Jesus through the releasing power of their sacramental baptism will be condemned to eternal damnation. The others who followed Jesus through the releasing power of their baptism will be saved through the rapture.
Note
Why doesn’t the author of the Revelation say 3.5 years instead of 42 months? In everyday life, nobody would quote the duration of such a long period of time by telling the months but by telling the years. Always, when we want to quote the duration of a period of time, we choose the greatest possible time unit because the greater we choose the time unit, the more easy to imagine it is for our reader or listener. However, the author of the Revelation did not choose the greatest possible time unit. Don’t let us imply that the authors of the books of the Bible were stupid and did not know common rules of expression (if we ascribe stupidity to the biblical authors, it could bring about our ruin – that is really dangerous). Well, what is the reason for the use of months instead of years? The reason is that by the quotation of 42 months a special year is defined – its just the definition of a special year with 42 months. We are used to a 12-month-year, but, of course, God, the administrator of this world, has the right to define a year consisting of more or less months than twelve. Long before the Revelation was drafted, a special year was defined by Isaiah; Luke cites it in his gospel:
Luke 4: 18-19 18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
Isaiah puts it as follows:
Isaiah 61: 1-2 1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; 2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;
This acceptable year of the Lord is meant by the 42 months. The whole time from the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem up to second coming of Christ is defined as one single year by God.
Luke also writes about the treading of Jerusalem by the Gentiles.
Luke 21: 24 And they (the Jews; R. B.) shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
What Luke describes in verse 24 is nothing but the conquest of Jerusalem by the Romans 70 A. D. and the treading of Jerusalem through the Gentiles up to the current day.
Immediately after verse 24, Luke writes the following concerning the very end of the world:
Luke 21: 25-28 25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; 26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. 27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
(let your eyes take note what your read here, dear reader)
Between verse 24 and verse 25, there are at least 1948 years (2018 years minus 70 years).
What I mean, is the following: in his “thoughts” God almost skips the time of the Gentiles, the time of the treading of Jerusalem (meanwhile 1948 years – nearly 2000 years!!!) and reduces it to just one single year which is, historically seen, nearly nothing.
Thus, spiritually seen, we today live in a long stretched “moment” which began 70 A. D. For God it is really only a moment. This moment is stretched that long because God doesn’t want that anybody gets lost; he would be happy if everybody could be saved. Therefore, he waits and waits and waits and gives the sinners time to repent and to start to believe in Jesus – God is extremely patient. The current state of Jerusalem is an abomination in God’s eyes and “makes him feel sick”. He is highly “tempted” to strike immediately and to restore His beloved city, but for the sake of the salvation of the sinners, he contains himself.
Why did God choose the number 42 and not any other number?
42 months are 3.5 years. The meaning of the term “3.5 years” was defined by the beloved servant of God, Daniel. By choosing the number 42, the author of the Revelation or God himself simply refers to the “3.5-year-period” defined by Daniel; therefore, God chose the number 42. The term “3.5 years” means the second half of the last of the 70 year-weeks (one year-week are seven real years except the last week) mentioned by Daniel. The middle of the last year-week is defined by destruction of the Temple by the Romans.
Daniel 9:24-27 24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. 25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. 26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince (Roman Emperor Vespasian; R. B.) that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. 27 And he shall confirm the covenant (Christianity; R. B.) with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease (the destruction of the Temple by Titus, the son of Vespasian, at 70 AD; R. B.), and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
Yet 69.5 of the year-weeks of Daniel have elapsed. Messiah was “cut off” after 69 “weeks”, and after 69.5 “weeks” the Temple was destroyed. It has not yet happened that “consummation was poured up the desolation”. Indeed, today, on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, where in ancient times the Romans had built a temple of Jupiter in place of the Jewish Temple, we find the so-called Dome of the Rock of the Muslims, which is also an abomination of desolation like the temple of Jupiter. The Dome of the Rock is covered with strokes denying the divine sonship of Jesus Christ. Could there be any worse blasphemy of the triune or Christian God than to deny the fact that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, a person of the Godhead? Possibly, the Dome of the Rock is a worse abomination of desolation than the temple of Jupiter. I guess, the fist thing which Jesus Christ will accomplish when he will return on Mount Olivet is that he destroys the Dome of the Rock with only one giant blow because he will return in the form or shape of God (!) – he will easily destroy that very nasty building of the Muslims, this spiritual wormhole, by one single powerful blow.
Addition
Concerning the 1260 “days”and the 3.5 “days”
One could ask why God quotes the numbers 1260 and 3.5 when we cannot calculate with them. Wouldn’t it be pointless to tell numbers which cannot be used for any calculation? However, there is a calculation which is allowed (allowed because it has nothing to do with the attempt to calculate times and points of time in the remote future). The ratio between the 3.5 “days” and the 1260 “days” is interesting and contains an important message for us. As there is no more real Christian testimony on earth (this is expressed by the phrase “and their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city”), we are in the midst of the 3.5 “days” (“and they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half”), almost the last stadium of human history. The period of time from the beginning of “the treading of Jerusalem” up to the “death of the two witnesses” (that is certainly the case today when a homosexual man is allowed to marry another man or even to become clergyman, and every kind of bad religion including Islam is tolerated) is about (2018 – 70 = 1948) years. The 1260 “days” symbolize 1948 years. Hence, we can make the following calculation to get the real time which is meant by the 3.5 “days”: 3.5 * 1948/1260 = ca. 5.411. One of the last stadiums of history will last, believe it or not, only about five and a half years. The only weak point of this calculation is that we don’t know for sure if the two witnesses are yet dead (it is possible that there is still some little life – though, I don’t know where). Yet, when we consider the current state of the Church, we cannot help to notice that either the witnesses have yet died for some years, or that they are about to die currently. At any rate, the conversion of the Jews must be at hand. Thus, let us go to Israel and tell them the gospel of Jesus Christ who died and rose for us. This calculation provides us HOPE The current time is a very harsh time for every true Christian and he could despair regarding the current situation of the world. Yet, God comforts us by the message that this nightmare will be over soon, and we should take new courage to endure the whole mess until Israel starts to become a church/Church gradually. After this process of the conversion of the Jews, which will last a while, Christ will return and clean up the mess of this world.
The conversion of the people of Israel will not happen within a single second. It will take some time until some million people have converted. Assumed, from now (February 27, 2018) on, God would regard the two witnesses as dead, then there would be only about five and a half years until the Jews would start to convert. Yet, this conversion-process can last some decades because the people of Israel consist of some million people. Therefore, the second coming of Christ, who will return when the fullness of the Jews has converted, may be some decades away from us. However, historically seen, some decades are nearly nothing. Even for older people a decade is not a very long time regarding their subjective perception of it.
Though Christ’s return may be some decades away from us, we have a further comfort. Of course, the country Israel will become a great place of refuge for all persecuted Gentile Christians. Step by step, the country Israel will become a giant church/Church through the conversion of the Jews. A vibrant Church is a preliminary stage of paradise. And when once the Antichrist together with the whole unbelieving mankind will attack this little paradise, Christ will return and save us – he will raise us to heaven, the eternal place of refuge.
Daniel quotes a further period of time which is only a little different to 1260 “days”: 1290 “days” up to the second coming of Christ. 1260 “days” run up to the spiritual dead of the “two witnesses”, but the 1290 “days” of Daniel run even up to the return of Christ. Therefore, we can calculate the real time between Christ’s return and the spiritual death of the Church (however, the spiritual death of the Church is not easily exactly to determine).
Let us calculate: (1290-1260) * 1948/1260 = ca. 46.381
The accuracy of my thoughts could be examined when the Jews would start to convert right now – let us urgently pray for that. According to the calculation, we had to expect a duration for the conversion of the fullness of the Jews of about 46 years, and then Christ would return (the about 46 years would start exactly at the moment when the Church has completely “died”).
Daniel 12: 11 And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.
Correction
“The beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit”
When we take in account the interpretation of Revelation, Chapter 12 and Chapter 13, then it becomes clear that the “beast” ascendeth out of the bottomless pit yet in the middle of the first century after Christ; at the latest at 70 after Christ when the Romans destroyed the Temple of Jerusalem. Yet in the year 49 after Christ emperor Claudius (reign: 41-51 after Christ) had expelled all Jews from Rome. In the year 43/44 a persecution descended upon the Church of Jerusalem. Hence, under Claudius, Rome, the Roman Empire, started to behave similar to the old historical Babylon – “the beast ascendeth” or began to “ascend”. The old historical Babylon fought against God’s people, and was an enemy of God’s people too. The authority of the old historical Babylon was the genuine “beast”, the primeval persecutor of God’s people, the primeval anti-divine power. When Rome made the pagan religion or cult a state affair and persecuted Jews and Christian just because of their different religion (there was no proper juristic reason to persecute them), the perished Babylon (the Medians and Persians had humbled it), spiritually seen, ascendeth out of the bottomless pit.
And when we consider the history of the last 2000 years, we see that also under the governments which followed the Roman Empire, the people of God was under pressure, both true Christians and biological Jews (strictly speaking, only a biological Jew which is also pious is a real Jew in God’s eyes).
The system which was practiced by the old Babylonians and which was implemented again by the Romans we have until today. Still today rules the “beast out of the bottomless pit”.
The states worldwide have agreed on a kind of civil religion which came out of the Enlightenment; the states collaborate with all established religious communities of this world (a second “beast”, see Chapter 13) in the creation of a certain conception of man. This conception of man is completely opposed to the Christian conception of man which is Christ himself.
Remark
One could accuse me that I would not be in unity with myself because at the one hand I would claim that we are not allowed to know (to calculate) times and point of times, and on the other hand I just would do it. Of course, as long as the Church was in an ordinary state meaning that she was spiritually alive, there was nothing to calculate because nobody could know in former times when the Church would spiritually die. Now, the Church has spiritually died or is about to die. Hence, when I now calculate something, it is no greater “prophecy” than the daily weather forecast. The people making the weather forecast cannot look into the future at all. In fact, they only tell us something which is just happening, only at another place related to ours. Imagine, you would live in a plain, and from far away somebody would approach your place. Because it is a plain, you could “predict” his arrival some hours before because you could see him from afar. Also the meteorologists simply have measuring stations every where (their “tele-eyes”). The weather they “predict” is nothing but the current weather which is merely some hundred or more kilometres away from us and approaches us. It yet exists when the weather forecast is made. A meteorologist could look into the future only if he would be able to predict the weather of the next year or so; this is impossible by means of scientific calculation – such a man would really have supernatural abilities.
However, I am not more than an ordinary meteorologist who just tells you what currently happens – he doesn’t really tell you something about the future.
When the Jews start to convert, which is an important point of my calculation, then, indeed, the second coming of Christ is practically at hand, is more or less there, appears so to speak at the horizon. More simply: Assumed, the Jews would start to convert today – that would be an extremely extraordinary event after such a long time of disbelief – it would be very, very clear that this would mean not only a new age or era or epoch for the Jews but for the whole mankind – and it is easy to predict something which is just happening.
Matthew 24: 42-44 42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. 43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. 44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
These verses of Matthew mean that we should always be ready to welcome the Lord like a goodman is ready only at a certain day to “welcome” a thief.
That was valid yet at the time when the Church was spiritually alive. However, now, when the Church has “died”, Jesus Christ is knocking on the door. As Jesus Christ is knocking on the door, we should the more be ready to welcome him or urgently make us ready. The about 46 years I calculated above are nothing but the time between his knocking on the door and his real entrance. If an event yet is taking place, I can no longer calculate the point of time of the arrival of the event.
Confessing Church 