Understanding prophetic time is important. Why? When a civilization becomes too proud and God-rejecting, God allows that civilization to fall, opening new avenues for His love to reach fallen hearts. Since 1798 A.D., we have been living in the “Time of the End” when the next civilization to fall will be planet earth. Prophetic time is important!
In the fifth and sixth trumpets of Revelation 9, we see the rise of Islam that culminated on August 11, 1840 A.D. (Rev. 9:15). In Rev. 11:7, at the end of the 1,260 years of papal domination, a beast arises from the bottomless pit to make war on the Word of God (Rev. 11:4-10). This beast, a Yahweh-rejecting power, understood historically to be atheist revolutionary France, whose armies removed the pope in 1798 A.D., is motivated by hatred of the Word of God. Thus, in the era of the seventh trumpet from 1844 A.D. onwards (Rev. 11:18), the forces of secular atheism, Islam and the Papacy are galloping through the Time of the End down to the Second Coming.
We then encounter some interesting beasts. Beast One (Rev. 12:3) represents Satan (12:9) working through Imperial and then Papal Rome. Beast Two (Rev. 13:1-8) parallels the blasphemous little horn power of Daniel 7 (the Papacy), persecuting the saints for 1,260 years. One of its heads appears to have received a deadly wound (12:3), but Beast Two recovers for a final global persecution of the saints. Beast Three (Rev. 17:1-11) adds details about Beast Two. A harlot, symbol of an apostate spiritual system, rides a seven-headed, seven-horned beast, an unholy union of fallen religion allied with the civil power of the state. We are now living in the era of the 6th head, when the Papacy has lost her ability to persecute heretics. But when the Papacy unites with apostate Protestantism and the military might of the USA (Beast 4, Rev. 13:11-18), that deadly wound will be healed and the reinvigorated Papacy will enter its final blasphemous, globally persecuting phase.
The Spirit then draws our attention away from this terrifying menagerie of beasts. We hear of the “Lion of the tribe of Judah” (Rev. 4:5), and our eyes are drawn to “a Lamb standing as if it had been slaughtered” (Rev. 4:6). He alone, not the terrifying beasts, is in control of history, the One who was “slaughtered, and by your blood you ransomed for God saints from every tribe and language and people and nation” (Rev. 5:9).
Throughout 2020, with your faithful prayers and support, AFM missionaries have witnessed the Lamb of God appealing to Muslims and Buddhists in dreams, healing those who turned to Him in faith, rebuking demons, setting Satan’s captives free, and bringing hope to hearts filled with pandemic fear. He is winning souls for Himself. His kingdom is growing, congregations are thriving among the unreached, and His people are being drawn from every nation, tribe, language and ethnic group. Praise His name!
We are not only looking forward with anticipation to 2021 and what God will do among the unreached, but we are also looking forward to the end of the Time of the End, when “. . . Michael, the great prince, the protector of your people, shall arise” (Dan. 12:1). When these beasts have done their worst to God’s people, Jesus Christ will stand up and deliver His people! Stay in the fight. Jesus is coming again. And when He comes, all these fallen, God-hating, Jesus-rejecting, Christian-persecuting earthly beasts will be destroyed, and we will dwell peacefully with the Lamb of God forevermore. Amen!
