Revelation 15:2: “And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.
3 And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.
4 Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.”

These martyrs are Tribulation saints, but they seem to be very specific ones: they are people who died in the middle of the Tribulation. I say this because those who died earlier were never faced with the temptation of the image of the beast or the Mark of the Beast, since they died before those things came to pass. This praise is directed at those who were alive when things were at their very worst, and who had to go through the world’s darkest hour.

Since they are in Heaven, that means they must have been martyred. This is a common theme throughout Revelation: becoming a Christian during the Tribulation means that you are going to die. I think there will be some who will survive, but there will be many millions martyred during this time. Being a Christian during this point of history is very close to signing your own death warrant – but it is also the only way to avoid facing the endless and unbearable wrath of God.

How He Became King: After the death of his father Solomon
When He Began Reigning: 41 years old
Reign Length: 17 years
Ruled Over: Israel + Judah (briefly), then Judah
Type of King: Evil
Prophet: Shemaiah
Death: Uncertain
Burial: Buried in Jerusalem

When Solomon died, Jeroboam came to King Rehoboam and asked him to lighten the heavy load that Solomon had put upon the people:

I Kings 12:3: “That they sent and called him. And Jeroboam and all the congregation of Israel came, and spake unto Rehoboam, saying,
4 Thy father made our yoke grievous: now therefore make thou the grievous service of thy father, and his heavy yoke which he put upon us, lighter, and we will serve thee.”

The old men who had served with Solomon advised Rehoboam to grant this request. However, the young men persuaded Rehoboam to tell the people that he was going to make things even worse than they had been before. Their lives were not going to improve; instead Rehoboam was going to make sure that they suffered more than they had already been suffering. Since Rehoboam answered the people roughly, the people revolted:

I Kings 12:16: “So when all Israel saw that the king hearkened not unto them, the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David? neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: to your tents, O Israel: now see to thine own house, David. So Israel departed unto their tents.
17 But as for the children of Israel which dwelt in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them.”

Because of this revolt, Rehoboam lost the kingdom and was left with only the tribes of Judah and Benjamin – just as God had told Solomon. Solomon’s rebellion cost Rehoboam most of his kingdom. Rehoboam was angry about Israel’s revolt and gathered an army to fight them, but when God sent Shemaiah to tell the king that the rebellion was of God, the armies went home.

Rehoboam became king when he was 41 years old, and he reigned over Judah for 17 years:

1 Kings 14:21: “And Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty and one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the Lord did choose out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there. And his mother’s name was Naamah an Ammonitess.”

For the first three years things went pretty well. Since Jeroboam had evicted all of God’s priests from the land of Israel, they flocked to Judah:

2 Chronicles 11:16: “And after them out of all the tribes of Israel such as set their hearts to seek the Lord God of Israel came to Jerusalem, to sacrifice unto the Lord God of their fathers.
17 So they strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and made Rehoboam the son of Solomon strong, three years: for three years they walked in the way of David and Solomon.”

Because all of these people came to Judah, they strengthened Rehoboam. For three years Rehoboam ruled wisely. After Rehoboam became strong, however, he forsook the Lord:

2 Chronicles 12:1: “And it came to pass, when Rehoboam had established the kingdom, and had strengthened himself, he forsook the law of the Lord, and all Israel with him.”

Rehoboam knew that God had taken 10 tribes away because of Solomon’s idolatry, but that did not deter him. In fact, under his reign the people did more evil than their fathers:

I Kings 14:22: “And Judah did evil in the sight of the Lord, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins which they had committed, above all that their fathers had done.
23 For they also built them high places, and images, and groves, on every high hill, and under every green tree.
24 And there were also sodomites in the land: and they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the Lord cast out before the children of Israel.”

In the fifth year of Rehoboam’s reign, Shishak king of Egypt came against Jerusalem. Shishak’s army conquered Judah and finally came against Jerusalem. Shemaiah the prophet told Rehoboam that God was helping Shishak because Judah had forsaken the Lord:

2 Chronicles 12:2: “And it came to pass, that in the fifth year of king Rehoboam Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, because they had transgressed against the Lord,
3 With twelve hundred chariots, and threescore thousand horsemen: and the people were without number that came with him out of Egypt; the Lubims, the Sukkiims, and the Ethiopians.
4 And he took the fenced cities which pertained to Judah, and came to Jerusalem.
5 Then came Shemaiah the prophet to Rehoboam, and to the princes of Judah, that were gathered together to Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said unto them, Thus saith the Lord, Ye have forsaken me, and therefore have I also left you in the hand of Shishak.”

When Rehoboam humbled himself before God, the Lord relented. He did not grant the king a military victory, but He did stop Shishak from utterly destroying Jerusalem. Instead, Shishak looted the palace and the Temple and then left:

2 Chronicles 12:6: “Whereupon the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves; and they said, The Lord is righteous.
7 And when the Lord saw that they humbled themselves, the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah, saying, They have humbled themselves; therefore I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some deliverance; and my wrath shall not be poured out upon Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak.
8 Nevertheless they shall be his servants; that they may know my service, and the service of the kingdoms of the countries.
9 So Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, and took away the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king’s house; he took all: he carried away also the shields of gold which Solomon had made.”

Although Rehoboam’s disobedience cost him Solomon’s wealth, his life was spared. Since Shishak had taken the gold, the king was forced to replace Solomon’s golden shields with some cheap bronze shields. The magnificence was now gone.

Despite this, however, Rehoboam did not learn his lesson. Instead of repenting and changing his ways he continued to be an evil king:

2 Chronicles 12:14: “And he did evil, because he prepared not his heart to seek the Lord.”

When he died, he was buried in Jerusalem:

2 Chronicles 12:16: “And Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David: and Abijah his son reigned in his stead.”

His son Abijah then reigned in his stead.

Revelation 15:1: “And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.”

So there we go! A great deal has happened in Revelation, but in the second half of the Tribulation it will all finally come to an end. There are just 7 more plagues left, and these last ones will “fill up the wrath of God”. The end is approaching.

Romans 6:8: “Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.”

In this passage Paul begins by talking about a very precious promise that has been given to Christians – the promise of everlasting life. The topic of the resurrection and everlasting life is a tremendously important one, and it is worth spending some time on.

First of all, it is important to realize that this promise has only been given to those who are Christians. Jesus has promised everlasting life to those who believe on Him, and everlasting wrath upon those who do not. Those who trust Him will find mercy and forgiveness; those who reject Him will find judgment and condemnation.

If we have put our trust in Christ then there are two possible outcomes. If the Lord tarries and does not return in our lifetime, then the day will come when we will die. When that happens our body will be put in the ground, but our spirit will return to God. The Bible is clear about this:

2 Corinthians 5:6: “Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:
7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.”

Some people teach the idea of “soul sleep”, which says that when you die you simply stay dead until the Lord returns. That belief is false; as you can see, when we die we go to be with the Lord. Our body may be dead, but we are not; instead we will be with our Savior.

However, this is not the end. The day will come when the Lord will return for His Church. When that day comes, all of the saints who are still alive will be transformed; they will become immortal, incorruptible, and perfect:

I Corinthians 15:51: “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.”

As you can see, God will raise all of the righteous dead. Their bodies will be brought back to life, and they will live again. Just as Jesus’ dead body was raised from the dead and made more glorious, so our bodies will also be raised from the dead. There will be a grand Resurrection. Right now our bodies are corruptible and are prone to disease, but one day they will be incorruptible. Right now we are mortal, but one day we will be immortal. That day is coming, and every day that passes brings it closer:

Romans 13:11: “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.”

As Paul pointed out, if we are dead with Christ then we believe that we will also live with Him. In this life our bodies are subject to aging, disease, and death, but that will not always be the case. After the Lord returns He will change our bodies, and we will become very different from what we are now. While it is true that one day we will die (unless the Lord returns and Raptures us), when Christ raises us from the dead we will no longer be faced with disease or death. Death will no longer have any sort of dominion over us.

There is something else that should not have dominion over us either, and that is sin:

Romans 6:10: “For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Here the apostle Paul commands us to consider ourselves to be dead unto sin but alive unto God. To understand what that means, let’s stop and think for a moment. How does a dead person respond to a situation? If you tell a dead person a joke, will he laugh? If you tell a dead person some bad news, will he cry? If you insult a dead person, will be become angry? If you threaten a dead person, will he become afraid? Of course not; after all, he’s dead. He is beyond caring about anything you might do. Because he is dead he will not respond to you in any way. It is impossible to entice a dead person to do anything. After all, he is dead.

Paul tells us that we should treat temptations the same way a dead person treats temptations. If you tempt a dead person to sin, he isn’t going to do anything. He is not going to find the temptation enticing. There will be no response from him whatsoever. When it comes to sin, we should consider ourselves to be dead men. Sin should mean absolutely nothing to us. There should be nothing tempting or desirable about it. Just as a dead man would never even consider giving in to sin (because he’s dead), we should be the same way.

You see, Christians are called to pursue holiness. This is repeated throughout the Bible:

2 Corinthians 7:1: “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”

1 Thessalonians 4:7: “For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.”

Hebrews 12:14: “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:”

God could not possibly have been any more clear about this: we are called to holiness. Christ did not save us so that we could dive into sin and do whatever we want; instead He saved us so that we could do whatever He wants. Earlier in Romans 6 the apostle Paul attacked those who said “Well, since I’m a Christian God will forgive me, so I can do whatever I want and it doesn’t matter”. The truth is that it does matter. God’s grace is not a license to sin, and those who treat it as such are not Christians at all:

I John 2:3: “And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.”

As Christians we should have a deep and abiding hatred for sin:

Jude 1:23: “And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.”

Christians should have no tolerance for sin in their lives; they should fight it and consider themselves to be dead to it. In other words, we should be at war with the sin in our lives. We ought to be dead to sin – not just to some sins, but to all sins. We should not allow it to have its way with us:

Romans 6:12: “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.”

Notice how Paul says do not let sin reign over you. Do not allow sin to do as it pleases. Do not give in to temptation. Paul wants us to fight sin.

Over and over the Bible calls Christians to a life of holiness. Many people today don’t really care very much about holiness; they figure that since they’re saved they can live as they please and there won’t be any consequences. People simply don’t take sin very seriously anymore. They don’t even feel the need to read their Bibles, let alone obey them. But the truth is that holiness is not optional. While we are not saved by our works, God does call us to give our lives to Him:

Romans 12:1: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

God has commanded us to give our lives to Him – to offer ourselves not only as a living sacrifice, but as a holy sacrifice. Jesus Christ said the same thing. If we love Christ then we should demonstrate that love through obedience:

John 14:15: “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”

John 14:21: “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.”

I John 5:2: “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.”

It is true that Christians still struggle with sin in their lives, and it is also true that Christians do commit sin. However, there is a tremendous difference between a person who is trying to obey God, and one who refuses to obey God. There is a difference between someone who has submitted themselves to God and is trying to serve Him, and one who has refused to submit and is doing whatever they please. God has called us to keep His commandments, and He is very serious about that. If we refuse to keep His commandments (as many so-called Christians have done today) then we do not love Him and are not Christians at all.

Another thing to notice is that Paul says we should not let sin reign over us. In other words, we should not give sin permission to do as it pleases in our life. Notice that Paul does not say “Oh, don’t worry about your sins; God will fix them in time. Just live your life and let God deal with it.” The apostle talks as if our sin is something that we can control and is something that we are supposed to be fighting:

1 Corinthians 9:27: “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”

Hebrews 12:1: “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,”

Notice how Paul says that he works hard to keep his body under subjection. Notice how he urges men to lay aside their sins and run with patience. Nowhere does Paul say “Your sin is God’s problem, not your problem; don’t even give your sin a second thought.” Instead Paul tells us that we need to be fighting the sin in our life. We should be at war with it, striving against it, and seeking to live a holy life.

Do you remember what Jesus told people after He did a miracle in their lives?

John 8:11: “She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.”

John 5:14: “Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.”

Notice that Jesus never said “I have removed all sin from your life; you will never sin again. You’re all good to go.” Instead Jesus commands them to stop sinning – as if they had a choice to make, and He wanted them to make the right choice. The truth is that as Christians we do have a choice to make.

You see, when we were lost we really were slaves to sin. There was no way we could overcome the sin in our lives. However, now that we are Christians the situation is very different. Now we really do have a choice. We can fight sin, if we want to. We can overcome sin, if we wish. Since we are no longer slaves to sin we can defeat sin. The temptations will still come, but we can overcome them. We will never face a temptation that is impossible to defeat:

1 Corinthians 10:13: “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”

Let me repeat that: the temptations in our life can be defeated. God Himself promised us that every temptation we will ever face is one that we can overcome. The real question is, are we willing to fight against our sin, or would we rather take the easy road and give in?

Paul tells us that we do have a choice, and he commands us to choose to serve God:

Romans 6:13: “Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.”

Notice the stark terms that Paul uses! We have a choice – we can yield ourselves unto God, or we can yield ourselves unto sin. We can choose to do good, or we can choose to do evil. We have a choice. Paul is clear about what we must do: we must choose to do right. We must yield to God and not to sin. We must choose righteousness.

You see, our lives do not belong to us. The truth is that they belong to Someone else:

I Corinthians 6:19: “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

We have been bought with a price – a very high price. We were purchased by the blood of Jesus, who died to save us:

I Peter 1:18: “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:”

Our life is no longer our own. We now belong to Jesus, and He is our master. Since we are His servants, we ought to serve Him instead of ourselves. Our body is not our own, and we are not free to do with it as we please.

This is a big deal. There are many people today who call themselves Christians but who would never even dream of obeying God. They think that they can do whatever they please, whenever they please, and there will never be any consequences. They think that you don’t have to give your life to God in order to be saved; as long as you ask God to keep you from going to Hell you will be just fine.

But that is not what Christ taught. He was clear that in order to be saved we must repent of our sins:

Matthew 4:17: “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Matthew 9:13: “But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

Matthew 11:20: “Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not:”

Mark 1:14: “Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,
15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.”

Luke 13:3: “I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.”

Notice how clear Jesus was! If you do not repent, you will perish. A person who says “God, I’m not sorry about my sins and I’m not going to stop sinning” is not a Christian. It doesn’t matter if that person believes that Jesus was the Son of God who died and rose back to life again. It is true that you do have to believe that, but guess what? Even demons believe that. You have to do more than just believe, you must repent.

It all comes down to an issue of authority. People today don’t want to go to Hell, but they also don’t want to give God control over their lives. They foolishly think that they can be saved without repenting of their sin and without ever seeking forgiveness for it. They think that they can be saved without giving God control over their lives. They believe that as long as they’ve asked God to take them to Heaven, they are covered and they can go back into the world and continue living like the devil.

But they are badly wrong. In order to be saved Jesus must be our Savior and our Lord. If we refuse to make Him our Lord then He will not be our Savior either. If we tell Jesus “I will never, ever obey you; your commands mean nothing to me” then we are lost. Those who mock the words of God and who refuse to obey Him are lost. The Bible is very clear about this:

1 John 2:4: “He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”

Now, this does not mean that we are saved by our works, or that we keep our salvation through our obedience. Our salvation has been purchased for us by the blood of Christ; it was bought by His works and imputed to us. We are saved by His death, not by our works:

Galatians 2:16: “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.”

However, true salvation always results in a changed heart and a changed life. It creates people who love God and want to obey Him. Anyone who mocks the commands of God is not a Christian at all.

In order to become a Christian you must submit yourself to God’s authority. If you will not do that then you cannot be saved. Either God is your master or He isn’t. You cannot have it both ways.

The apostle Paul makes it clear that God requires Christians to fight the sin in their life and choose to serve God instead of their own fleshly lusts. We have a choice, and He commands us to choose righteousness. The reason we have the power to choose righteousness is because sin no longer has dominion over us:

Romans 6:14: “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.”

We are no longer slaves to sin, so we should not act like we are slaves to sin. Since sin is no longer our master, we should not serve sin. Instead we should consider ourselves to be dead to sin and we should serve God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Verse 14 has another powerful truth – we are no longer under the law. Before Christ died, the Law of Moses reigned supreme. Men were bound by its decrees – to its laws of purification, to its system of sacrifices, and to its many commands. This Law proved to be a heavy weight that no one could carry. No one could keep the Law, so all men were condemned by it. Since no one could keep the Law perfectly, it was impossible to be saved by it. Instead men constantly fell short.

But that does not mean that the Law was pointless. Paul tells us that the Law was intended to show us our need for Christ:

Galatians 3:24: “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.”

You see, since we could not keep the Law we could not obtain salvation by the Law. This meant that we had to look for salvation from another source – and that source is Christ. Jesus was able to keep the Law perfectly. Since He was sinless (and therefore had no sins of His own to suffer for), He could suffer in our place and die for our sins. He – and He alone – could be our Savior. Since we are saved by Him, we are no longer under the Law; instead we are under His grace. Instead of trusting in our own righteousness to save us, we trust in His righteousness. Since His righteousness is perfect and spotless, our salvation is assured. (This is why we no longer have to obey the Law of Moses; since we are not under the Law its decrees are not binding to us.)

However, this does not mean that we have a license to sin:

Romans 6:15: “What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.”

This goes back to what was said earlier – there are some people who use God’s grace as an excuse to indulge in sin. They say “Well, since God will forgive me, I can do whatever I please and all will be well”. There are others who say “Well, since I’m not under the Law anymore that means that everything is just fine; God no longer has any commands He expects me to follow”. Both of those thoughts are utter foolishness. God gave us His grace to save us from sin, not save us to sin! God did not free us from the Mosaic Law so that we could be lawless; instead He freed us so that we might obey Him. While it is true that we are no longer bound by the Law of Moses, it is not true that God has freed us from all commands. The New Testament is full of commands that are binding on the Church, and God commands us to obey them. Sin is still sin, and it is still wrong. We are not free to sin. No man can serve two masters:

Romans 6:16: “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?”

Sin is not harmless, nor is it a “victimless crime”. Sin leads to death. It is fatal. We can choose to serve sin or we can choose to serve righteousness, but we cannot choose both. Do we want to be the servants of God, or the servants of the devil? Our choices have very real consequences. In the past, before we became Christians, we were the servants of sin, but God saved us from that:

Romans 6:17: “But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.
18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.”

God has freed us from our sin. We are now the servants of righteousness – so we should seek righteousness. If we refuse to seek righteousness and instead life a life of sin, then we are not Christians at all.

Revelation 14:19: “And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
20 And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.”

1600 furlongs is around 200 miles, and a horse’s bridle is about four feet high. This means that we are talking about a whole lot of blood. The place where this happens is the Valley of Jehoshaphat, which is just outside the city of Jerusalem. This is part of the campaign of Armageddeon, which is explained in much more detail in the Old Testament.

How He Became King: After the death of his father David
When He Began Reigning: Uncertain
Reign Length: 40 years
Ruled Over: Israel + Judah
Type of King: Started out good, but went bad in the end
Prophet: Ahijah
Death: Died of old age
Burial: Buried in Jerusalem

When David was old, Bathsheba’s son Solomon was appointed king over the nation:

I Kings 1:38: “So Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, went down, and caused Solomon to ride upon king David’s mule, and brought him to Gihon.
39 And Zadok the priest took an horn of oil out of the tabernacle, and anointed Solomon. And they blew the trumpet; and all the people said, God save king Solomon.
40 And all the people came up after him, and the people piped with pipes, and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth rent with the sound of them.”

Before he was appointed king, his brother Adonijah tried to seize the throne with the help of Joab and Abiathar. When Nathan proclaimed Solomon king Adonijah feared for his life, but Solomon spared him.

Sadly, Adonijah did not learn from his mistake. He was determined to get the throne one way or another. Since his first plan did not work, Adonijah tried to marry Abishag – one of David’s wives. When Solomon found out he realized that Adonijah was doing it in order to gain royal power, so he had Adonijah executed:

I Kings 2:23: “Then king Solomon sware by the Lord, saying, God do so to me, and more also, if Adonijah have not spoken this word against his own life.
24 Now therefore, as the Lord liveth, which hath established me, and set me on the throne of David my father, and who hath made me an house, as he promised, Adonijah shall be put to death this day.
25 And king Solomon sent by the hand of Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he fell upon him that he died.”

Since Abiathar and Joab had helped Adonijah try to seize power, Solomon had Abiathar removed as priest and had Joab executed.

At Gibeon the king brought the leaders of the nation together and offered 1000 burnt offerings. Now, burnt offerings are offerings of dedication, not offerings for sin. When Solomon offered these offerings he was actually dedicating the entire nation to serving the Lord. After Solomon did this, the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream:

I Kings 3:5: “In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee.
6 And Solomon said, Thou hast shewed unto thy servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great kindness, that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.
7 And now, O Lord my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in.
8 And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude.
9 Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?
10 And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.”

When God asked Solomon to make a request, Solomon requested wisdom so that he could be a wise and understanding king. This request pleased God, and He granted Solomon the wisdom that he requested. The Lord also gave him great wealth and honor, and promised that if Solomon continued to follow Him then He would give the king long life as well.

Solomon spent seven years building the Temple. The entire nation of Israel came together and was present when the king dedicated the Temple:

1 Kings 8:1: “Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the chief of the fathers of the children of Israel, unto king Solomon in Jerusalem, that they might bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of the city of David, which is Zion.
2 And all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto king Solomon at the feast in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month.
3 And all the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark.”

When the Ark of the Covenant was brought inside the Temple, the glory of the Lord filled the building and no one could enter it. Solomon then addressed the people and prayed:

I Kings 8:22: “And Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven:
23 And he said, Lord God of Israel, there is no God like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath, who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants that walk before thee with all their heart:
24 Who hast kept with thy servant David my father that thou promisedst him: thou spakest also with thy mouth, and hast fulfilled it with thine hand, as it is this day.
25 Therefore now, Lord God of Israel, keep with thy servant David my father that thou promisedst him, saying, There shall not fail thee a man in my sight to sit on the throne of Israel; so that thy children take heed to their way, that they walk before me as thou hast walked before me.
26 And now, O God of Israel, let thy word, I pray thee, be verified, which thou spakest unto thy servant David my father.
27 But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?”

When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from Heaven and consumed the offerings. Solomon then held a 14-day feast. The entire nation rejoiced, and went back home joyful and glad of heart.

During his reign the king became exceedingly wealthy. The Queen of Sheba heard about his greatness and paid him a visit – and she was overwhelmed by what she saw:

I Kings 10:4: “And when the queen of Sheba had seen all Solomon’s wisdom, and the house that he had built,
5 And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cupbearers, and his ascent by which he went up unto the house of the Lord; there was no more spirit in her.
6 And she said to the king, It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom.
7 Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the half was not told me: thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I heard.”

Solomon was richer and wiser than any other king. He was so wise that the whole earth sought to hear the wisdom that God had given him. However, Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines, and when he was old they turned his heart away from God:

I Kings 11:3: “And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart.
4 For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father.
5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.
6 And Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and went not fully after the Lord, as did David his father.
7 Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon.”

Because of his blatant idolatry, God told Solomon that He was going to take the kingdom away from him and give it to his servant. God also stirred up Hadad and Rezon to be Solomon’s adversaries. When the prophet Ahijah anointed Jeroboam as king (1 Kings 11:29-39), Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam. However, Jeroboam escaped by fleeing to Egypt and staying there until the king died.

Solomon reigned for 40 years and then died. Like his father, he was buried in Jerusalem:

I Kings 11:42: “And the time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years.
43 And Solomon slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David his father: and Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead.”

After Solomon died, his son Rehoboam reigned over Israel – but his reign over the united nation was brief. Events were already in motion that would tear most of the nation away from him.

Revelation 14:9: “And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.”

Taking the Mark of the Beast is an unforgivable sin. Once you take it you cannot repent of it. You are damned and will spend eternity in the Lake of Fire, bearing the incredible judgment of God. It is an unforgivable act.

Note the graphic language that this passages uses to describe this torment! The Bible says that those who take the Mark will be forced to face the wrath of God, “which is poured out without mixture”. In other words, there will be no mercy offered at all. Those who take it “shall be tormented with fire and brimstone”, and this torment will last day and night, forever and ever, without rest or hope of rescue. It is devastating, horrifying, and very real.

Now, the Church will never be offered the Mark. By the time the false prophet brings it into existence the Church will be long gone and in Heaven. The Mark does not appear until years after the Rapture has occurred. But those who are left behind and who survive to this point (and a great many will die before this happens – more than half the world’s population, actually) will be faced with the choice. They can refuse to take it and be killed, or they can take it and be tormented by God forever and ever.

That is why the Bible goes on to say this:

Revelation 14:12: “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.
13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.”

At this point in history, those who die for the cause of Christ are the blessed ones, for they are finally at rest. They no longer have to struggle with demonic invasions, or the awesome power of the antichrist, or the tyranny of the Mark. All of that is behind them. They are finally at home in Heaven, and they rest from their work.

To put it another way – the Christians who are truly blessed are the ones that are already dead. The living ones are still caught up in an utter nightmare – one that they must patiently bear. They have to resist the Mark each and every day, despite the unimaginable demonic pressure to take it. If they fail, they will be damned forever with no hope of forgiveness. It will be a truly, truly terrible time to be alive.

Today I want to take a look at one of the most well-known verses in the Bible. The reason I want to do this is because I believe this verse has been completely misinterpreted in this age of me-centric Christianity. Our culture has taught us to think that “it’s all about me”, and that has had a severe impact on our ability to understand the Bible.

The verse that I want to discuss is this one:

Romans 8:28: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

When the modern generation reads this verse they interpret it like this: “All of the trials in life are just the road I have to take to get to a better life. I am going through a rough spot now, but on the other side of this trial my life is going to be a lot better.” As far as today’s generation goes, the verse might as well read like this: “And we know that all things work together for my personal benefit, so that my life might be made better.”

But is that really true? Is that actually what that verse means? I think the answer is a resounding no. In our fervent desire to make everything about ourselves, the true meaning of this verse has become lost. The truth of the matter is quite different.

When people think of this verse they tend to think of two examples: Joseph and Job. Joseph, as you may recall, was sold into slavery by his brothers. Eventually that led to a series of circumstances that put him in charge of Egypt. Joseph went from being sold as a slave (and later being put in prison) to being second in command over the entire country; he went from being impoverished in prison to being royalty.

Job’s case is a little different, but the story ends in a similar way. Job went through some terrible trials; he lost his health, his family, and his wealth. However, after the trial is over Job got everything back, and he became an even greater man than he was before. The trials of both Job and Joseph led to personal enrichment and wealth – which enforces the common interpretation of Romans 8:28.

But does that really happen every single time? Do all trials end in fame, fortune, and personal enrichment? Do all trials result in a better life? Well, let’s stop and think about that for a moment, and look at a few other famous Biblical characters.

In the Old Testament there was a prophet by the name of Ezekiel. He was a righteous and faithful man, and he served the Lord all his life. When the Lord gave him a message he delivered it; when the Lord gave him a command he obeyed. There came a time when Ezekiel was faced with a great trial. God told him that He was going to kill Ezekiel’s wife (whom he loved very much), and He commanded Ezekiel not to mourn over her death:

Ezekiel 24:15: “Also the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
16 Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke: yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down.
17 Forbear to cry, make no mourning for the dead, bind the tire of thine head upon thee, and put on thy shoes upon thy feet, and cover not thy lips, and eat not the bread of men.
18 So I spake unto the people in the morning: and at even my wife died; and I did in the morning as I was commanded.”

The reason the Lord did this was to warn the people of Israel that terrible judgment was coming. Ezekiel’s actions were a very graphic and potent sign of what was to come. The trial was very difficult and painful for Ezekiel, but that was the entire point:

Ezekiel 24:21: “Speak unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will profane my sanctuary, the excellency of your strength, the desire of your eyes, and that which your soul pitieth; and your sons and your daughters whom ye have left shall fall by the sword.
22 And ye shall do as I have done: ye shall not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men.
23 And your tires shall be upon your heads, and your shoes upon your feet: ye shall not mourn nor weep; but ye shall pine away for your iniquities, and mourn one toward another.
24 Thus Ezekiel is unto you a sign: according to all that he hath done shall ye do: and when this cometh, ye shall know that I am the Lord God.”

So, after this trial was over, did Ezekiel get his wife back? No. Did God give him another wife? No. Did Ezekiel’s life improve now that his wife was gone? No. The reason God did this was not to improve Ezekiel’s life, but to warn the entire nation that if they did not repent God would send a terrible judgment upon them. God did this for the benefit of the nation, not for the benefit of Ezekiel.

Another example of someone who suffered greatly is the apostle Paul. During the course of his ministry he experienced countless trials and hardships:

2 Corinthians 11:24: “Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.
25 Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;
26 In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;
27 In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.”

That is some pretty severe torment! So did these sufferings enrich Paul’s life? Did they lead to fame and fortune? Was his life improved by the beatings and imprisonments that he received? Not exactly. The apostle tells us that all of these things actually happened for a very different reason – to further the spreading of the gospel:

Philippians 1:12: “But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel;
13 So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places;
14 And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.”

According to Paul himself, the many trials that he faced were not for his benefit, but were to further the gospel itself. Ezekiel’s trials were likewise not for his benefit, but were to warn the nation of Israel to repent.

Which brings us back to Joseph. According to Joseph himself, the reason all those terrible things befell him was not so that he could one day be royalty and live a fabulous life. They instead happened so that God could save the lives of many people:

Genesis 50:19: “And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God?
20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.”

Why did God afflict Joseph? In order to save the lives of his family – the very people who hated him, persecuted him, and sold him into slavery. God put Joseph through a terrible ordeal in order to save Joseph’s enemies. It wasn’t about Joseph at all.

We can find something similar in the story of Job. One of the things that people tend to overlook is that Job is not the only person in the story who suffered. A lot of people lost their lives:

Job 1:14: “And there came a messenger unto Job, and said, The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them:
15 And the Sabeans fell upon them, and took them away; yea, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.
16 While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep, and the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.
17 While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The Chaldeans made out three bands, and fell upon the camels, and have carried them away, yea, and slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.
18 While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother’s house:
19 And, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.”

When God tried Job’s faith, He allowed Satan to kill Job’s servants and children. In other words, the reason Job’s children had to die was not to benefit them, but was to benefit Job. All of those people died in order to benefit someone else.

That is the point that we miss. It is absolutely true that all things work together for good, for those who love God. However, what we forget is that sometimes the good is for someone else and not ourselves. Ezekiel suffered in order to warn the Israelites. Paul suffered so that the gospel might be spread. Joseph suffered to save the lives of many. Job’s children died so that Job’s faith could be tested.

Now, I am not saying that our trials never result in personal blessings. There are indeed times when the trials in our life are followed by periods of blessing – and there are examples of that throughout the Bible. It is also true that when we suffer for the sake of Christ, we will receive Heavenly rewards.

My point is that we tend to think that everything that happens to us is somehow about us. We also think that when God sends us a trial, the next thing He will send is a great blessing that makes everything better. We overlook the many godly people who suffered and saw no reward for it:

Hebrews 11:36: “And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:
37 They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;
38 (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.”

A great many saints have suffered terrible things throughout history, and many of them only saw their circumstances get worse. Prophets boldly proclaimed the word of the Lord and were thrown into prison for it. Apostles preached the gospel and were then executed for their faith. These people assuredly received Heavenly rewards, but let’s be honest: when people think about Romans 8:28 that’s not what they have in mind. We have this idea that our Earthly sufferings will be followed by Earthly blessings – and we forget the many, many people who suffered greatly and saw no such physical blessings.

In closing, let me say that we need to remember that it isn’t always about us. Sometimes God works through us to bless those who are around us. Sometimes God puts us through great trials so that others can be enriched. Sometimes we must suffer so that others can be saved. God does not always repay Earthly trials with Earthly riches. I think it is most unwise to believe that everything that happens to you happens for your temporal, earthly benefit. As we have seen, sometimes God has a very different plan in mind.

Revelation 14:8: “And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.”

I believe that this is a reference to the actual city of Babylon. The Old Testament prophesied how that city would be destroyed, and so far those prophecies have not come to pass. Instead of being violently wiped out the city simply faded away over the course of centuries. Today the city is being rebuilt in Iraq, and one day it will become a very powerful city – but right now it is just a tourist attraction.

Here we see the end of Babylon: an angel announces that it has been destroyed. We are also told why: “Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication”. She polluted the world with the worship of false gods, and so she is judged.

Passages like this make me think that the Tribulation is still quite some time away. Modern Babylon is nowhere near being a great city, and it does not have a relationship with all nations. It is going to take quite a number of years to turn it into the most powerful city in the world. Whether the Rapture is soon I do not know; it may be, or it may not be. But I do think that the Tribulation is at least a generation away, if not a great deal more than that.

How He Became King: Anointed by Samuel
When He Began Reigning: 30 years old
Reign Length: 40 years
Ruled Over: Israel + Judah
Type of King: Good
Prophet: Nathan
Death: Died of old age
Burial: Buried in Jerusalem

After Saul was killed in battle by the Philistines, God told David to go to Hebron. It was there that the men of Judah made David their king:

2 Samuel 2:1: “And it came to pass after this, that David enquired of the Lord, saying, Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah? And the Lord said unto him, Go up. And David said, Whither shall I go up? And he said, Unto Hebron.
2 So David went up thither, and his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail Nabal’s wife the Carmelite.
3 And his men that were with him did David bring up, every man with his household: and they dwelt in the cities of Hebron.
4 And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. And they told David, saying, That the men of Jabeshgilead were they that buried Saul.”

Although David was now king over Judah, he was not yet king over Israel. In an act of rebellion and defiance, Abner took Saul’s son Ishbosheth and made him king over Israel. Now, God had already chosen David to be king over His people and had Samuel anoint David as king many years ago, but Abner did not care. He used Ishbosheth to lead Israel into a rebellion against the king that God had chosen.

As it turned out, this rebellion was short-lived. Ishbosheth only reigned for two years. During that time the house of Saul fought the house of David, and David grew stronger while Saul’s house grew weaker. In the end this rebellion cost Abner and Ishbosheth their lives. Joab (the leader of David’s armies) tricked Abner and murdered him, and Rechab and Baanah assassinated Ishbosheth and brought David his head. Rechab and Baanah though that David would reward them for what they had done, but instead David had them both executed:

II Samuel 4:8: “And they brought the head of Ishbosheth unto David to Hebron, and said to the king, Behold the head of Ishbosheth the son of Saul thine enemy, which sought thy life; and the Lord hath avenged my lord the king this day of Saul, and of his seed.
9 And David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said unto them, As the Lord liveth, who hath redeemed my soul out of all adversity,
10 When one told me, saying, Behold, Saul is dead, thinking to have brought good tidings, I took hold of him, and slew him in Ziklag, who thought that I would have given him a reward for his tidings:
11 How much more, when wicked men have slain a righteous person in his own house upon his bed? shall I not therefore now require his blood of your hand, and take you away from the earth?
12 And David commanded his young men, and they slew them, and cut off their hands and their feet, and hanged them up over the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ishbosheth, and buried it in the sepulchre of Abner in Hebron.”

After this Israel made David their king. He began reigning when he was 30 years old, and he reigned for a total of 40 years. David reigned in Hebron for 7 years and he reigned in Jerusalem for 33 years:

2 Samuel 5:1: “Then came all the tribes of Israel to David unto Hebron, and spake, saying, Behold, we are thy bone and thy flesh.
2 Also in time past, when Saul was king over us, thou wast he that leddest out and broughtest in Israel: and the Lord said to thee, Thou shalt feed my people Israel, and thou shalt be a captain over Israel.
3 So all the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron; and king David made a league with them in Hebron before the Lord: and they anointed David king over Israel.
4 David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years.
5 In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months: and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three years over all Israel and Judah.”

David took Jerusalem from the Jebusites (II Samuel 5:6-7) and brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem (II Samuel 6). David wanted to build a temple, but God forbade him from doing so because he had been a man of war. When the Lord told him that one of his sons would build it, David began making preparations. By the time David died he had prepared blueprints for the Temple’s construction and had amassed a tremendous amount of raw materials.

However, David’s reign was not spotless. There came a time when David’s armies went to fight the Ammonites. Instead of going out with his armies, however, David stayed behind in Jerusalem. While he was there he happened to be on the roof of his palace one day, and from that vantage point he saw Bathsheba bathing. Despite the fact that Bathsheba was a married woman (and the granddaughter of his trusted counselor Ahithophel) he had her brought to his palace and committed adultery with her:

II Samuel 11:3: “And David sent and enquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?
4 And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her uncleanness: and she returned unto her house.
5 And the woman conceived, and sent and told David, and said, I am with child.”

When David found out that she was pregnant he had her husband Uriah brought back home. His plan was to get Uriah to sleep with his wife so that he would think the child was his, but despite David’s best efforts he could not get Uriah to go home to his wife. Since that plan failed, he told Joab to arrange for Uriah to be killed in battle:

II Samuel 11:14: “And it came to pass in the morning, that David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah.
15 And he wrote in the letter, saying, Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him, that he may be smitten, and die.
16 And it came to pass, when Joab observed the city, that he assigned Uriah unto a place where he knew that valiant men were.
17 And the men of the city went out, and fought with Joab: and there fell some of the people of the servants of David; and Uriah the Hittite died also.”

The plan worked and Uriah was killed. David then married Bathsheba and she gave birth to their son. David thought that his sin had been hidden, but he was greatly mistaken. The Lord knew what David had done and He was very displeased. God sent Nathan the prophet to rebuke the king and tell him that because of this sin God would bring terrible judgment upon David:

2 Samuel 12:9: “Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.
10 Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.
11 Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun.
12 For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.
13 And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David, The Lord also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.
14 Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.”

Everything that the Lord said came to pass. David begged God to spare the child, but the child still died. David’s son Absalom then stole the hearts of Israel and led a rebellion against his father. David was very nearly killed, but he was warned about the uprising and fled:

II Samuel 15:13: “And there came a messenger to David, saying, The hearts of the men of Israel are after Absalom.
14 And David said unto all his servants that were with him at Jerusalem, Arise, and let us flee; for we shall not else escape from Absalom: make speed to depart, lest he overtake us suddenly, and bring evil upon us, and smite the city with the edge of the sword.”

Ahithophel had been David’s wisest and most trusted adviser, but in this rebellion he joined Absalom and told him how to kill David and seize his throne. (Since Ahithophel was Bathsheba’s grandfather, it’s entirely possible that the reason he did that was because he was angry with David for murdering his son-in-law.) However, Hushai defeated Ahithophel’s counsel and gave David the time he needed to escape and prepare for battle.

When the battle finally came, the servants of David defeated the servants of Absalom. David ordered his men to spare Absalom’s life, but Joab killed him anyway. The king wept when he found out that his son had been killed:

II Samuel 18:32: “And the king said unto Cushi, Is the young man Absalom safe? And Cushi answered, The enemies of my lord the king, and all that rise against thee to do thee hurt, be as that young man is.
33 And the king was much moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept: and as he went, thus he said, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!”

Even though Absalom was now dead, the rebellion was not yet over. When David returned to Jerusalem the men of Judah got into an argument with the men of Israel, and Sheba drew Israel away from following David:

2 Samuel 20:1: “And there happened to be there a man of Belial, whose name was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjamite: and he blew a trumpet, and said, We have no part in David, neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: every man to his tents, O Israel.
2 So every man of Israel went up from after David, and followed Sheba the son of Bichri: but the men of Judah clave unto their king, from Jordan even to Jerusalem.”

David ruled over Judah, but Sheba ruled over Israel. Joab and his men pursued Sheba and eventually cornered him in a city. When Joab came against the city a wise woman convinced the town to cut off Sheba’s head and throw it over the wall:

II Samuel 20:20: “And Joab answered and said, Far be it, far be it from me, that I should swallow up or destroy.
21 The matter is not so: but a man of mount Ephraim, Sheba the son of Bichri by name, hath lifted up his hand against the king, even against David: deliver him only, and I will depart from the city. And the woman said unto Joab, Behold, his head shall be thrown to thee over the wall.
22 Then the woman went unto all the people in her wisdom. And they cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri, and cast it out to Joab. And he blew a trumpet, and they retired from the city, every man to his tent. And Joab returned to Jerusalem unto the king.”

The rebellion was finally over, but there was still more trouble ahead for David. There came a time when God sent a three-year famine upon the country. When David inquired of God he discovered that the famine was punishment for Saul’s slaying of the Gibeonites. During Joshua’s conquest of Canaan, the Israelites had made peace with the Gibeonites and promised not to kill them. However, Saul broke this promise and slaughtered them – an act which greatly angered God. Even though Saul had not agreed to the treaty, the nation of Israel had made a promise to the Gibeonites and God expected them to keep it. The king was supposed to keep the nation’s promises, but instead he broke them.

In order to atone for Saul’s sins, David gave seven of Saul’s sons to the Gibeonites and they hanged them before the Lord:

II Samuel 21:5: “And they answered the king, The man that consumed us, and that devised against us that we should be destroyed from remaining in any of the coasts of Israel,
6 Let seven men of his sons be delivered unto us, and we will hang them up unto the Lord in Gibeah of Saul, whom the Lord did choose. And the king said, I will give them.
7 But the king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, because of the Lord’s oath that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul.
8 But the king took the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bare unto Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth; and the five sons of Michal the daughter of Saul, whom she brought up for Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite:
9 And he delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them in the hill before the Lord: and they fell all seven together, and were put to death in the days of harvest, in the first days, in the beginning of barley harvest.”

After this the Lord was entreated and He lifted the famine. It may seem strange that God actually approved of this, but it is not as strange as it seems. Saul had killed innocent members of the Gibeonite family, so in return members of his own family were killed. God did to him what he had done to the Gibeonites.

However, there was still more trouble ahead for Israel. One day David forced Joab to take a census of Israel. This displeased the Lord, and as punishment God sent a pestilence over the land that killed 70,000 people. In order to stop the plague David bought the threshingfloor of Araunah, built an altar to the Lord, and offered burnt offerings:

II Samuel 24:25: “And David built there an altar unto the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the Lord was intreated for the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel.”

That brought an end to the plague.

When David was old he could not stay warm. His servants searched for a woman to lie with him, and they found Abishag. She ministered to him:

I Kings 1:3: “So they sought for a fair damsel throughout all the coasts of Israel, and found Abishag a Shunammite, and brought her to the king.
4 And the damsel was very fair, and cherished the king, and ministered to him: but the king knew her not.”

Since David was old, Adonijah exalted himself to be king with the help of Joab and Abiathar. When Bathsheba protested to David, he swore that her son Solomon would reign. Nathan then proclaimed that Solomon was king, and Adonijah’s supporters panicked and fled. Adonijah thought that he was going to be executed, but instead Solomon ordered Adonijah to be released and sent home:

I Kings 1:49: “And all the guests that were with Adonijah were afraid, and rose up, and went every man his way.
50 And Adonijah feared because of Solomon, and arose, and went, and caught hold on the horns of the altar.
51 And it was told Solomon, saying, Behold, Adonijah feareth king Solomon: for, lo, he hath caught hold on the horns of the altar, saying, Let king Solomon swear unto me today that he will not slay his servant with the sword.
52 And Solomon said, If he will shew himself a worthy man, there shall not an hair of him fall to the earth: but if wickedness shall be found in him, he shall die.
53 So king Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar. And he came and bowed himself to king Solomon: and Solomon said unto him, Go to thine house.”

Adonijah’s life was spared – for the moment.

When it came time for David to die he told Solomon to obey God, and then gave him the plans he had made for the Temple and the supplies he had set aside for it. David then died and was buried in Jerusalem:

1 Kings 2:10: “So David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David.”

David’s son Solomon then reigned in his stead.

Revelation 14:6: “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.

The 144,000 witnesses were sent all over the world to preach the gospel. Since they are now all dead, the gospel is instead preached by an angel. (The gospel is not being preached by the church because the church was raptured years ago.) This angel flies over all the world and preaches the gospel “to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people”. He command everyone to fear God and worship Him. This is the final call to repentance, and there are none who are not told. No one will be able to say “But I didn’t know!”

Revelation 14:1: “And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads.
2 And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps:
3 And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.
4 These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.
5 And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.”

It looks like the 144,000 witnesses are only going to minister during the first half of the Tribulation. At some point in the middle of the Tribulation they are all going to be killed, so they will not be around during the second half of the Tribulation. It seems that when it said in the previous chapter that the Beast was given the power to overcome the saints, that included power over these witnesses.

God praises these witnesses very highly as being people “without fault” and without guile. These Jews are dedicated to Jesus and follow Him wherever He goes. They are His faithful servants. For their faithfulness they are given a special place in Heaven and a special song to sing. The witnesses did well, they were faithful, they accomplished their task, and no fault was found in them.

This passage calls them the firstfruits. One of the purposes of the Tribulation is to draw the Jews back to God. These 144,000 are all Jews, so perhaps that is what it means – this is the first large group of Tribulation Jews to come to Christ. Eventually the whole nation will return, but this group is first.

It’s worth noting that this group is distinct from the church (which was represented by the 24 elders). The witnesses are not a part of the church; they are a different group altogether.

How He Became King: Anointed by Samuel
When He Began Reigning: Uncertain
Reign Length: 40 years
Ruled Over: Israel + Judah
Type of King: Evil
Prophet: Samuel
Death: Killed in battle by the Philistines
Burial: Buried under a tree at Jabesh

Saul was the first king of Israel, and he ruled over the entire nation. In the beginning of his reign he was a good king, but he quickly fell into sin. His life was a sad tale of poor decisions. Saul knew what God wanted him to do, but instead of being obedient he did that which was right in his own eyes. Ultimately that decision cost him his kingdom and his life.

King Saul was the son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin. The Bible says that he was tall and handsome. In fact, the Scriptures actually say that Saul was the most handsome person in the entire country:

1 Samuel 9:1: “Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power.
2 And he had a son, whose name was Saul, a choice young man, and a goodly: and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people.”

The reason Saul became the king of Israel was because the nation no longer wanted judges to rule over them. Samuel had been judge over Israel for many years, but when he was old he appointed his sons as judges over the country. Sadly, Samuel’s sons were wicked and did not follow in their father’s footsteps:

1 Samuel 8:1: “And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel.
2 Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abiah: they were judges in Beersheba.
3 And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.”

Since his sons were wicked, Israel asked Samuel to appoint them a king:

I Samuel 8:5: “And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.”

This request seems reasonable (after all, who would want corrupt judges as rulers?), but there is more to it than it seems. Israel was rejecting much more than the corrupt sons of Samuel. After all, if that was their concern then they could have asked Samuel to appoint different judges. The truth is that Israel was rejecting God:

I Samuel 8:7: “And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.”

Before the days of the kings, God worked through judges in order to rule the Israelites. Although the judges were far from perfect, they did what He commanded and executed His decrees. You might say that they were God’s proxies, and that God ruled Israel through them.

However, that wasn’t good enough for Israel. They didn’t want to be ruled by an invisible God. Instead they wanted someone that they could see – someone who could go before them and physically lead them into battle. In the past God had granted them great military victories, but Israel didn’t care about that. They wanted a human king that they could see. They wanted to be like all of the other nations around them.

The Lord told Samuel to warn Israel that a king would abuse them and reign over them harshly:

I Samuel 8:16: “And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work.
17 He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants.
18 And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the Lord will not hear you in that day.”

Israel’s history proved Him right. The kings of Israel and Judah did terrible things to the people. In fact, the kings were so wicked that they ultimately brought God’s judgment upon the nation and evicted the people from the land. However, despite God’s warnings, the people simply did not care. They wanted a king no matter what the cost:

I Samuel 8:19: “Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us;
20 That we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles.”

So Samuel did as they requested. The Lord led the prophet to Saul, and he anointed Saul as Israel’s king. Saul was exactly the kind of king that Israel wanted – he was tall and handsome. Israel wanted someone who looked nice, and that is exactly what God gave them.

However, Saul didn’t want to become Israel’s king. When it came time to crown him in front of the entire nation, Saul actually went and hid himself:

I Samuel 10:20: “And when Samuel had caused all the tribes of Israel to come near, the tribe of Benjamin was taken.
21 When he had caused the tribe of Benjamin to come near by their families, the family of Matri was taken, and Saul the son of Kish was taken: and when they sought him, he could not be found.
22 Therefore they enquired of the Lord further, if the man should yet come thither. And the Lord answered, Behold he hath hid himself among the stuff.
23 And they ran and fetched him thence: and when he stood among the people, he was higher than any of the people from his shoulders and upward.
24 And Samuel said to all the people, See ye him whom the Lord hath chosen, that there is none like him among all the people? And all the people shouted, and said, God save the king.”

Saul may have been reluctant at first, but that reluctance did not last long. When Nahash the Ammonite came against Jabeshgilead, Saul gathered an army and defeated them:

I Samuel 11:11: “And it was so on the morrow, that Saul put the people in three companies; and they came into the midst of the host in the morning watch, and slew the Ammonites until the heat of the day: and it came to pass, that they which remained were scattered, so that two of them were not left together.”

The Israelites wanted someone to lead their nation into battle, and Saul did exactly that. When the Ammonites came against Israel their new king led the people to victory. So far things were going very well – but that was not going to last.

In Saul’s second year the Philistines gathered to fight Israel. Saul waited for Samuel at Gilgal for seven days, but when Samuel did not appear Saul offered the sacrifice himself. As soon as Saul finished making the offering Samuel appeared and saw what the king had done. Samuel rebuked the king and told him that because he had disobeyed God, his kingdom would be given to someone else:

I Samuel 13:13: “And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the Lord thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the Lord have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever.
14 But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the Lord hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the Lord hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the Lord commanded thee.”

The sacrifice at Gilgal had been a test to see if Saul would obey God or if he would take the easy way out. This was the first time that Saul revealed that he didn’t really care very much about God’s commands – but it would not be the last. Saul would continue to take the easy way out the rest of his life. His disobedience had cost his descendents the kingdom. Since Saul had not obeyed God, his children would not sit on the throne. But things were about to get worse.

One day Samuel came to Saul and told him that God wanted him to utterly destroy Amalek. Saul was supposed to wipe out everything – their animals, their people, and their king. However, when Saul fought them he spared their king and the best of their animals. Samuel rebuked Saul for his gross disobedience and said that because Saul had disobeyed God, the Lord had rejected him as Israel’s king:

I Samuel 15:22: “And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.”

Saul’s disobedience had now cost him and his descendents the throne. After this rebuke, God sent Samuel to Jessee and had him anoint David as Israel’s king (I Samuel 16:13). Although David had been anointed king, it would be many years before he would actually take the throne and begin his reign.

When David slew Goliath, Saul took David into his home and put him over his men of war:

I Samuel 18:5: “And David went out whithersoever Saul sent him, and behaved himself wisely: and Saul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul’s servants.”

However, Saul eventually grew jealous of David’s popularity among the people and tried to kill him. When David fled for his life, he stopped to see Ahimelech the priest in order to get some food and to get Goliath’s sword. Saul found out about this and had Ahimelech executed – along with an entire city of priests:

I Samuel 22:16: “And the king said, Thou shalt surely die, Ahimelech, thou, and all thy father’s house.
17 And the king said unto the footmen that stood about him, Turn, and slay the priests of the Lord: because their hand also is with David, and because they knew when he fled, and did not shew it to me. But the servants of the king would not put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of the Lord.
18 And the king said to Doeg, Turn thou, and fall upon the priests. And Doeg the Edomite turned, and he fell upon the priests, and slew on that day fourscore and five persons that did wear a linen ephod.
19 And Nob, the city of the priests, smote he with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and sucklings, and oxen, and asses, and sheep, with the edge of the sword.”

Saul continued to pursue David and eventually found him at Engedi. David had a chance to kill Saul but he refused to take it. When David confronted Saul, the king admitted that he had sinned and returned home:

I Samuel 24:16: “And it came to pass, when David had made an end of speaking these words unto Saul, that Saul said, Is this thy voice, my son David? And Saul lifted up his voice, and wept.
17 And he said to David, Thou art more righteous than I: for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil.
18 And thou hast shewed this day how that thou hast dealt well with me: forasmuch as when the Lord had delivered me into thine hand, thou killedst me not.
19 For if a man find his enemy, will he let him go well away? wherefore the Lord reward thee good for that thou hast done unto me this day.
20 And now, behold, I know well that thou shalt surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in thine hand.
21 Swear now therefore unto me by the Lord, that thou wilt not cut off my seed after me, and that thou wilt not destroy my name out of my father’s house.
22 And David sware unto Saul. And Saul went home; but David and his men gat them up unto the hold.”

After this, Samuel died (I Samuel 25:1).

Despite what Saul had said, he did not stop pursuing David. When the Ziphites told Saul where David was hiding, Saul came after him once again. David had another chance to kill Saul, but he did not take it. Saul admitted that he had sinned and returned home:

I Samuel 26:21: “Then said Saul, I have sinned: return, my son David: for I will no more do thee harm, because my soul was precious in thine eyes this day: behold, I have played the fool, and have erred exceedingly. . . .
25 Then Saul said to David, Blessed be thou, my son David: thou shalt both do great things, and also shalt still prevail. So David went on his way, and Saul returned to his place.”

This time David realized that Saul would never stop hunting him, so he went to the country of the Philistines (I Samuel 27:1). David stayed there until Saul was killed in battle.

Although David found peace in the land of the Philistines, Saul’s life became increasingly troubled. The king saw that the Philistines were gathering to attack Israel, and he grew greatly afraid. Saul inquired of the Lord, but God refused to answer the king. Since God would not talk to him through dreams, or through prophets, or through the Urim and Thummim, the king instead went to a witch at Endor and asked her to bring up the departed spirit of Samuel:

I Samuel 28:11: “Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel.”

Necromancy was a terrible sin that was punishable by death, but as usual the king did not care. God had strictly forbidden anyone from dealing with witches or familiar spirits and had commanded that witches be put to death, but the king was not interested in God’s commands. He was determined to find out how to defeat the Philistines in battle, no matter what the cost.

However, this encounter did not go as the king had planned. The witch did indeed bring up the spirit of Samuel, but Samuel did not have good news. The prophet told Saul that tomorrow the Philistines were going to win the battle, and he and his sons were going to be killed:

I Samuel 28:19: “Moreover the Lord will also deliver Israel with thee into the hand of the Philistines: and to morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me: the Lord also shall deliver the host of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.”

The reason God had been refusing to talk to Saul was because God had abandoned Saul. God was no longer Saul’s friend; He was now Saul’s enemy and He was going to kill the king.

Samuel’s prophecy came true. The very next day Saul and his sons were slain by the Philistines:

1 Samuel 31:1: “Now the Philistines fought against Israel: and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain in mount Gilboa.
2 And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Melchishua, Saul’s sons.
3 And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit him; and he was sore wounded of the archers.
4 Then said Saul unto his armourbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and abuse me. But his armourbearer would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword, and fell upon it.
5 And when his armourbearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise upon his sword, and died with him.
6 So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armourbearer, and all his men, that same day together.”

When the Philistines found Saul’s body, they paraded it around as a trophy:

I Samuel 31:8: “And it came to pass on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his three sons fallen in mount Gilboa.
9 And they cut off his head, and stripped off his armour, and sent into the land of the Philistines round about, to publish it in the house of their idols, and among the people.
10 And they put his armour in the house of Ashtaroth: and they fastened his body to the wall of Bethshan.”

However, that was not the end. The men of Jabeshgilead recovered the bodies and buried them under a tree:

I Samuel 31:11: “And when the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead heard of that which the Philistines had done to Saul;
12 All the valiant men arose, and went all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Bethshan, and came to Jabesh, and burnt them there.
13 And they took their bones, and buried them under a tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days.”

The name Jabeshgilead should sound familiar. At the very beginning of Saul’s reign, Nahash the Ammonite came against that town and Saul formed an army and rescued them. The men of that city were now repaying the favor by rescuing Saul’s body from the Philistines.

This put an end to the reign of Saul. The book of Acts tells us that he reigned for 40 years:

Acts 13:21: “And afterward they desired a king: and God gave unto them Saul the son of Cis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, by the space of forty years.”

Saul’s reign did not end in victory; instead it ended in defeat and death. His stubborn disobedience cost him his kingdom, the life of his sons, and his own life. In the end this wicked king reaped exactly what he had sowed.

Revelation 13:16: “And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.”

As many times as I’ve read Revelation, I never realized before that the person who issues the famous 666 “Mark of the Beast” is actually the false prophet, and not the antichrist. Of course, the false prophet creates it in order to support the antichrist, but it is still an interesting distinction.

Let’s get this out of the way right now: the Mark of the Beast is not a microchip that uniquely identifies each person and ties them into a global monetary network. That is silly. In order to identify each person, the chips would have to have unique numbers – but here everyone is given the same number. The point of this system is not to tell people apart, but to identify everyone as a worshiper of the devil. The rule is strict: no one could buy or sell anything if they did not have the Mark. However, God’s rule was equally strict: anyone who took the Mark would be damned forever, and it would be impossible to save them. Taking the Mark meant there was no going back: once you had it you were damned and could not be forgiven. There was no longer any hope of salvation. The same goes for worshiping the beast: that was a sin that could not be forgiven. Once you crossed that line you were lost for all eternity.

What verse 18 is getting at is that in some languages (such as Greek, which was the language Revelation was written in), each letter also has a numerical value. If you add all the letters of the antichrist’s name together, you get six hundred and sixty-six. So, once the antichrist appears (and this will not happen until after the Rapture), it will be easy to identify him because his name in Greek will add up to 666.

I have taken the lessons from my fourth session of classes and have combined them into a single book. These lessons cover supernatural beings, and discuss the topics of angels, demons, aliens, and ghosts.

The book can be downloaded free of charge right here:

Class 4: Supernatural Beings (PDF file; 93 pages)

Printed copies of the book can also be purchased here.