More entries:
British Israelism
http://www.christianforums.com/threads/british-israelism.7274297/page-3#post-48478443
(see also page 4 + 5)
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Regarding Revelation 14:4, the children of Israel (Revelation 7:4) are among men, and Jesus told Israelites who would later also become the church that virginity is a good thing (Matthew 19:12).
Those in Revelation 14:4 are indeed virgins, and with Israel virginity is not to be bewailed under the New Covenant, for both Jesus and Paul (both Jews) praised virginity as the best thing for a man (Matthew 19:10-12, 1 Corinthians 7:1,7-8,32-33,35).
Even under the abolished Old Covenant male virginity wasn't bewailed. Exodus 23:26, Deuteronomy 7:14, 1 Samuel 2:5, and Psalms 113:9 didn't bewail male virginity; they simply referred to married women being blessed with children. Virginity and sterility are two completely different things. Sterility in a marriage can be bewailed without this having anything to do with male virginity, for the latter refers only to males who never get married and have sex.
The fact that the daughter of Jephthah bewailed her virginity (Judges 11:38) would have no bearing on male virginity, and it wouldn't apply at all to New Covenant Israel, in which even female virginity is praised as the best thing for a woman (1 Corinthians 7:34-35).
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Female Christians shouldn't get mad about Revelation 14:4, just as they shouldn't get mad about Luke 6:13-16, or 1 Timothy 2:11-14, or 1 Corinthians 14:34-37, or 1 Corinthians 11:3-16, or Ephesians 5:22.
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Cain received a seal (or mark) from God which was visible to men as a reminder not to kill Cain (Genesis 4:15).
In the time of Ezekiel, some faithful Jews in Jerusalem received a seal (or mark) from an angel of God which was visible to angels as a reminder not to kill them (Ezekiel 9:4-10).
In the coming tribulation, the 144,000 part of the church will receive a seal (or mark) from angels of God which will be visible to both angels and demonic creatures such as the locusts as a reminder not to hurt them (Revelation 7:3-4, 9:4).
While the Bible nowhere teaches that the faithful will be able to see the seals upon the foreheads of the 144,000 male-virgins part of the church (Revelation 7:3-4, 14:4), neither does the Bible say that they won't, so this remains a possibility. But it wouldn't be a good idea to avoid those without such visible seals upon their foreheads, for there will be many in the church who will go through the tribulation who won't be part of the 144,000, and who could need our assistance.
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... regarding Revelation 7:3, those in the church are the servants of God (Revelation 1:1, 2:20, 22:3,6,16), and the seal which was placed on the foreheads of the 144,000 in Revelation 7:3-4 could be the name of the Father seen written on their foreheads in Revelation 14:1; "the seal of the living God" isn't Old Testament terminology.
Nothing requires that the forehead-seal received by the 144,000 in Revelation 7:2-3 isn't the Father's name written in their foreheads in Revelation 14:1.
The 144,000 being called "the servants of our God" (Revelation 7:3) doesn't mean that they aren't the children of God (cf. Revelation 14:1), for those in the church are both the servants of God (Romans 6:22) and his children (Romans 8:16) at the same time.
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There's no contrast between the 144,000 being the children of Israel (Revelation 7:4) and their being redeemed from among men (Revelation 14:4), for the the children of Israel are redeemed from among men.
Throughout the entire book of Revelation, God being referred to as Father each time in connection with the church (Revelation 1:6, 2:27, 3:5, 3:21, 14:1) in no way means that God isn't the Father of Israel (Jeremiah 31:9, Isaiah 63:16-17).
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Trumpets of God or angels trumpeting is no difference, insofar as angels can trumpet the trumpets of God (Revelation 8:2,7).
The fact that angels sound the trumpets of the tribulation (e.g. Revelation 8:7) doesn't require that the events which follow the sounding of the first six trumpets can't be the work of Satan, just as the fact that good watchmen can sound trumpets to warn a city of an approaching hostile army (Ezekiel 33:3) doesn't require that that approaching hostile army isn't made up of evil men.
The first six trumpets (Revelation 8:7-9:21) could all be the work of Satan. God could allow him to ruin one-third of things (Revelation 8:7-12, 9:15,18), just as God allows him ruin one-third of the angels (Revelation 12:4).
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The two trumpets of Numbers 10:1-10 could be a type [foreshadowing] of the seventh trumpet of the tribulation (Revelation 11:15-18) followed by the trumpet after the tribulation (Matthew 24:29-31), the "last trump" (1 Corinthians 15:52), the trumpet of the gathering together (Matthew 24:31, which is the trumpet of 1 Thessalonians 4:16).
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The fact that Christians have been able to wash their robes in the blood of the Lamb for 2000 years (cf. Revelation 1:5b) doesn't mean that the great multitude of Revelation 7:9,14 has been in heaven for 2000 years; it only means that the great multitude, which will come out of the coming tribulation (Revelation 7:9,14), will be part of the Church. This shows that the Church will go into the tribulation, that there will be no pre-trib rapture, something which the Bible nowhere teaches.
When the Bible says that the great multitude of Revelation 7:9 have "washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb" (Revelation 7:14), this is not literal, for robes cannot be made white by washing them with red blood, which will only stain them red. So clearly "washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb" is a figurative reference to their salvation through receiving the forgiveness of their sins through their faith in the blood of Jesus shed for their sins on the cross (Romans 3:25).
The great multitude of Revelation 7:9 are only part of the Church, that part which entered into the endtime tribulation and died in its first stage, the seal events of the chapter just prior (Revelation 6). So they came out of the tribulation (Revelation 7:14) [long before it's over] and entered into heaven (Revelation 7:9) by dying, [just as a wounded soldier can be brought out of a war long before it's over] just as anyone in the Church who dies at anytime enters into heaven (2 Corinthians 5:8, Philippians 1:21,23).
The great multitude in Revelation 19:6 doesn't have to be the same great multitude as in Revelation 7:9, for the great multitude in Revelation 7:9 is part of the Church, and so could refer to the Church as "we" or "us", whereas the great multitude in Revelation 19:6 refers to the Church in the third person as "her" and "she", so that the great multitude in Revelation 19:6 could be the 100 million angels in heaven referred to in Revelation 5:11.
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Even though some people have been saved by the blood of Jesus ever since his crucifixion around 33 AD (Matthew 26:28), Revelation 7:14 could still refer only to those saved people who will enter into the coming tribulation and then come out of it by dying during its first stage: seals 2-6 of the chapter just prior (Revelation 6:3-14). Their death will take them into heaven, just as whenever saved people die they enter into heaven (2 Corinthians 5:8, Philippians 1:21,23, Revelation 6:9).
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Nothing about the phrase "to take peace from the earth" (Revelation 6:4) requires that the war that the second seal symbolizes will be a war just for the sake of war and not for the sake of ideology, for the war it symbolizes could be started by an Iraqi Baathist General against Israel and Egypt for the sake of Baathist ideology, even if he initially cloaks his motive under Islamic ideology, which he could easily do if, for example, some ultra-Orthodox Jewish extremists blow up of the Islamic Dome of the Rock to (as they could say) "prepare the site for Messiah's rebuilding of the Temple".
Even wars started because of ideology and between armies of opposing ideologies aim at "killing one another" (Revelation 6:4), under the belief that by killing people opposed to one's own ideology, one's own ideology can therefore become more powerful upon the earth.
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The "bow" that the first-seal rider has (Revelation 6:2) may not be a weapon bow, as in "bow and arrow", if when Strong's Greek Dictionary says that the original Greek word translated as "bow" means "bow (appar. as the simplest fabric)", by "simplest fabric", Strong meant "simplest cloth". But if by "simplest fabric" Strong meant "simplest construction", and was referring to a bow-and-arrow bow of the simplest construction, this could still apply to the gospel, which is of the simplest construction (John 3:16, 1 Corinthians 15:1-4).
The first seal can't refer to international peace pacts brought in or maintained through righteousness before the second coming, for there is no righteousness apart from faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 3:22), and he came not to bring peace on earth (Matthew 10:34), until his second coming (Micah 4:3-4).
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Revelation 5:9 refers to the point in time when the gospel will have reached every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation on the entire earth (Matthew 24:14).
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There's no prophecy that the world won't be destroyed by nuclear weapons. Mushroom clouds could be the "pillars of smoke" referred to in Joel 2:30.
Nuclear weapons could be the "great sword" of Revelation 6:4b, and the sword of Ezekiel 21:9-15.
The "waster" in Isaiah 54:16 could be nuclear weapons.
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Quote: „If any dude makes fire come down from heaven for the purpose of deception , then you and I are not going to be decieved , because we have already read about it from the book of revelation.“
A: Not necessarily, for the Antichrist could convince us that the book of Revelation is nothing more than YHWH's propaganda, intended to deceive his dupes into rejecting Lucifer's deliverance of mankind from YHWH's tyranny.
The Antichrist could say, "Why do you JESUS Christians deny the amazing miracle of my Prophet [Revelation 13:13] which proves that I and the dragon Lucifer are God? [Revelation 13:4]. Because of what YHWH says? Isn't it YHWH who pretends in the Bible that his prophet Elijah called fire down from heaven to prove that YHWH was God? (1 Kings 18:38-39). Now when my prophet does the same thing, for real and not in some fairy-tale book, YHWH wants to try and claim that it's no proof that I and Lucifer are God? What kind of stupid inconsistency is that? Can't you see through it? Are you so blinded by YHWH that you'll believe a stupid old book of myths over what you've actually seen with your own eyes?"
This could cause some Christians to begin to doubt, especially those for whom "signs and wonders" are the be-all and end-all of spirituality. But all they need to do is remember the warnings in Matthew 24:24 and 2 Thessalonians 2:9.
1 Kings 18:38-39 really happened, and YHWH will permit Revelation 13:13 to happen in accordance with Deuteronomy 13:1-3, that is, as a test to see if we love YHWH for who He is, or just because He can do some neat miracles.
Quote: „So who do you think the decieved persons will be?“
A: Almost the whole world (Revelation 13:14), all those whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb (Revelation 13:8), which can include believers whose names have been blotted out of it (Revelation 3:5).
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Revelation 13:13 could be some sort of plasma bolt shot down by some advanced secret military satellite, or by some aircraft flying at such a high altitude, or above cloud-cover, so that it can't be seen from the ground. But the Antichrist could still pretend that it's a miraculous spiritual sign sent down by Lucifer from Heaven.
Or, Revelation 13:13, instead of being some technological special effect, could really be a miraculous spiritual sign wrought by the power of Lucifer, in accordance with 2 Thessalonians 2:9, at least the part about his "power". But even then, it would still be a "lying" wonder insofar as Lucifer would perform it as purported "proof" that he's God and YHWH isn't.
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Or the False Prophet could even present himself to the world as being Jesus himself, for Jesus appears figuratively as a lamb in Revelation 5:6. Jesus is also referred to as a figurative lamb 27 other times in the book of Revelation: in Revelation 5:8, Revelation 5:12, Revelation 5:13, Revelation 6:1, Revelation 6:16, Revelation 7:9, Revelation 7:10, Revelation 7:14, Revelation 7:17, Revelation 12:11, Revelation 13:8, Revelation 14:1, Revelation 14:4 [two times], Revelation 14:10, Revelation 15:3, Revelation 17:14 [two times], Revelation 19:7, Revelation 19:9, Revelation 21:9, Revelation 21:14, Revelation 21:22, Revelation 21:23, Revelation 21:27, Revelation 22:1, and Revelation 22:3. Jesus is also referred to as a figurative lamb four other times in the New Testament: in John 1:29, John 1:36, Acts 8:32, and 1 Peter 1:19.
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A true prophet doesn't only predict the future; he can also speak for God regarding things in the past and the present (e.g. Isaiah 1:1-4). Also, a true prophet can also speak for God regarding people seeking peace: "seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace" (Jeremiah 29:7).
Just as the true prophet Jeremiah, speaking for God, told the Israelites already in Babylon to seek the peace of that city (Jeremiah 29:7), so the False Prophet of the Antichrist, claiming to speak for God, could begin his tenure (possibly as Pope) by telling the Christians and Muslims of the world to seek the peace of the world, by laying aside their theological differences and joining into (what he could call) "One religion of Abraham, one religion of peace, based on love for the one God and love for our fellow man. What is more important than that?".
Once he's watered down and homogenized Christianity and Islam into "Love for God, and Love for our fellow man", he could bring in the "Eastern Wisdom" of "the core and peaceful truths of Hinduism and Buddhism", blending them into a "One World Religion which everyone can embrace as their own. No more hatred of other religions, no more divisions between men. We are one humanity under one God".
Then, once he's got everyone in the palm of his hand, he will suddenly reveal "the secret" of who that "one God" is; he will say that the true God is the dragon Lucifer and his son the Antichrist, and he will back up this claim by performing amazing miracles (Revelation 13:13, 19:20) so that the whole world will go ga-ga and worship Lucifer and the Antichrist (Revelation 13:4,8,12).
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Angels are spirits (Hebrews 1:7), but when they enter the physical realm they can take on avatars, real physical bodies which can, for example, grasp the hands of humans (Genesis 19:16) and eat food (Genesis 18:8).
So Satan and his fallen angels, when they are cast down to the earth, could take on real physical bodies, even ones which look human, or perhaps humanoid, like the grey aliens.
Satan and his fallen angels could make their coming down to the earth appear to the world at first as an "alien visitation". They could pretend that they're friendly and have come to help mankind and the planet survive the tribulation. If they come in "spaceships" and land on the earth, Satan and the fallen angels could bring out of their spaceships some Nephilim, giants (Genesis 6:4), angel-human hybrids who had been conceived and born on the spaceships or other planets over the centuries, born of women abducted and then forced or enticed (or drugged) into copulating with the fallen angels, to (as they could say) "genetically improve and strengthen the human race".
The world has already been well-primed through science fiction to believe in the possible existence of aliens and of their visiting the earth.
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The devil could descend to the earth with his angels (they could be seen as aliens) on the same mid-tribulation day that the human who is the Antichrist (the beast) is empowered by the devil (Revelation 13:4, 2 Thessalonians 2:9) and commits the abomination of desolation (2 Thessalonians 2:4, Daniel 11:31,36, Matthew 24:15).
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Jesus saying that the devil was a liar and a murderer from the beginning (John 8:44) could mean from his beginning as the devil, not from his beginning as Lucifer.
And/or, Jesus saying that the devil was a liar and a murderer from the beginning (John 8:44) could mean from the beginning of the Adamic race in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:7-8).
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Luke 10:18 doesn't have to be the same event as Revelation 12:9, just as it doesn't have to be the same event as Isaiah 14:12.
Luke 10:18 could refer to Satan's local defeat where and when the 70 had ministered (Luke 10:17-18).