When speaking about the Great Tribulation many things come to mind. Lots of people think they know everything there is to know already. But they do not know he is one out of three beasts. 'Yes, I hear about the anti-Christ', they say. The dragon is different to the other two beasts. He accuses the church day and night in front of God.
He is the devil or satan and actively seeks to separate us from God. He is before the anti-Christ and the prophet. He imbues the two other beasts with supernatural power. He is a deceiver and allows the two beasts to provide a front for what he wants to achieve. He is actually the first beast but is not revealed to us in the Great Tribulation until half way through.
The separation of roles will reflect the Trinity of Father, Son and The Holy Spirit. He is the old dragon who will be portrayed with ancient wisdom imitating God The Father. He is a third beast found in the Book of Revelations. Many people say they will not worship the devil. Yet, they return to sin so many times. He most certainly is the 'sly old fox' in his ways. He causes man to sin over and over again.
Accepting the dragon
Seduction, mysticism, and knighthood are not strangers to this dragon. From China to Mesoamerica there have been dragon legends. Throughout time and locations they have survived in the stories that keep popping up. But the longest dragon tale (hahaha) is China's.
There is even a folklore that is reflective of the The most auspicious of the 12 year Chinese Zodiac is the dragon year. The dragon is the icon of China. This is a very negative connotation for China in terms of branding. It has come to fuel many conspiracy theories or speculations.
The history of China dates back to the time of the Tower of Babel. Historians account for the fascination with dragons as dinosaurs. The word dinosaurs did not exist until 1841. Reverence for the dragons was not always there because they exercised dominion over them. However, the army of Alexander the Great was said to have visited a dragon in India.
Dragons were said to exist even up to the time of the 700 AD. If the behemoth with the tail like a cedar tree in Job is a dragon then they would have been on Noah's ark too. Like a sauropod dinosaur.
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| Sauropod Dinosaur |
There is even a plumed snake like dragon god Quetzalcoatl in South American culture. Modern versions of these tales are told through box office movies e.g. How to Train Your Dragon, one of my personal favourites. We are already familiar with the character of the dragon.
It will be easy to accept him being around. Most especially as his character is now to be of wisdom and rarity with age. He has built trust and a means to reach out to all our young generations. Do you remember the children's show built around a particular pink dragon?
Two denials
I confess I was not sure at exactly what point he is thrown out of heaven. In Revelations it says that he was kicked out half-way through the treaty. At first I found it hard to accept this literally. However by seeking God in prayer and studying the word, I realise that it makes a lot of sense based on the time lines given in Revelations.
Revelations 12:7, 'Then a war broke out in heaven...' This is what God showed me. 'Then' means it is dependent on something else happening. He was denied the persecution of the Jews who fled away from the anti-Christ. From Job, we know that he has access to heaven but in Revelations 12 he is defeated and denied access. He is denied twice.
God's harvest
I like this Revelations 12 chapter because the angels were fed up of him. They love God so much that they decided it was time for him to stop making accusations in heaven day and night before God. He did this even though he knew the people of God overcame him with their testimony and the Blood of the Lamb.
He goes before the judge to make a case that is flawed. He was trying to reap a harvest and steal from God, a rightful harvest. Isn't that the height of boldness and thievery? When we look at Afghanistan it is clear that the harvest is not for the Taliban. When you pray for this nation, stand on this in your prayer. The harvest belongs to Jesus, Revelations 14:15;
And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, “Thrust in Your sickle and reap, for the time has come for You to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.”
They defied the Law of Power which is a new order based on a show of force. But the win is given by default. The people stopped fighting when they saw they were betrayed by Joe Biden and their own President. Taliban defies God's order through deceit. It was not a battle that was won it was manipulation and deceit. They defied God's order and the new order. However the spirit of the devil is deceit. There is deceit in everything he does.
When we pray we have to get legal and specific implementing the order of God and standing on faith that God will honour it. You are the lawyer. You are not the accuser except against the devil. But this can only be done under God's banner, Jehovah Nissi. Then you use your weapons: the blood of Jesus, the word of God, the anointing oil. Look that devil in the eye while you use your weapons and take charge of your situation or any situation.
The restrainer
What I understand by the denials is that God in His infinite mercy creates ways to restrain the devil. The church as the restrainer is no longer there on earth. God takes charge over His people and claims His harvest. Even now Lord, we claim a harvest for you. God protects His people.
The context in this is that the Great Tribulation is supposed to be for the Jews to pay a penalty. Once they repent of the sin then God can activate mercy and act on their behalf. That means that we can do the same if we happen to be in the Great Tribulation. However, we will either be killed or we will have to somehow survive the seven years. Build your relationship with God so He will act on your behalf.
God is merciful
In Isaiah 27:1, satan is punished. He is not cast into the lake of fire immediately. Had he been, all of his followers will have to be judged with him. In Revelations, during the Great Tribulation, he is bound up with chains and then he is loosed after 1,000 years.
This is to allow the people to have a period to see everything in the open and make a final decision. God could have cast him into the lake of fire at the Second Coming of Christ. But He did not because he wanted the people to have more chance to work out the evil seed in their heart.
Not learning his lesson the devil will gather millions of people from all over the world and encircle the camp of the saints. This will provoke God to send fire from heaven to consume them.
God deals with the demons on the Day of The Lord, 2 Thessalonians 5:2.
It is the people who will follow the devil despite having time and opportunity to experience the beauty and love they have in Christ.
There are two wars during the Great Tribulation. The battle of Armageddon in Revelations 16:16 and the Apocalyptic war in Revelations 20:18, this is when Gog and Magog is mentioned. The pre-Tribulation war of Ezekiel 38 is not part of the seven year period and indicated differently as Gog from Magog.
All three wars are very different. All three will be a trigger for a different purpose. But all will be about bringing the people back to God. Thank you our Father in Heaven for your everlasting mercy.
I pray you have understanding and The Holy Spirit is not quenched in your life in Jesus name.
Dear Heavenly Father,
I ask you to forgive my sins in knowledge or ignorance. Please forgive me. I accept Jesus as my Saviour. I ask that Jesus comes into my life as I live to be a witness for Him. Please change my life and make me into the person you want me to be. Guide me in these times so I can be used by you to help others in Jesus name I pray. Thank you.
Thank you Behold Israel
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