Click or Tap Icons to Share! Thank you!

Authored By  :
Published On :
Last Updated :




Continuing with our discussion regarding Satan's pre-emptive strikes, in the opening chapters of the Book of Exodus, the Devil was again foolish enough to think that he could defeat God. So, that demon apparently tried to prevent the birth of the coming deliverer of the children of Israel, by inspiring Pharaoh to kill all of the Hebrew newborns. Nevertheless, he failed again, because Moses was born; and when Moses came of age, he fulfilled his mission for the Lord; and the Hebrews were delivered out of Egyptian bondage. Following are some of the key verses from the story:

"And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of which the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah: And he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him: but if it be a daughter, then she shall live. But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive. And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said unto them, Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men children alive? And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwives come in unto them. Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty. And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them houses. And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive. And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi. And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months. And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river’s brink. And his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him. And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river’s side; and when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it. And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews’ children. Then said his sister to Pharaoh’s daughter, Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee? And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the child’s mother. And Pharaoh’s daughter said unto her, Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the woman took the child, and nursed it. And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water."


"By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward. By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible. Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them. By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned."


Citing another example, and undoubtedly the most important one of all, having failed in his mission throughout the Old Testament period, Satan was determined to prevent the birth of the Savior. Thus, power-hungry, evil King Herod plotted the deaths of all of the newborns in Bethlehem, in order to prevent the coming King from threatening his position on the Judean throne. But, as we've seen in the previous examples, Satan failed again, and Joseph and Mary safely escaped with the young child Jesus to the country of Egypt, until it was safe to return to Israel again. In fact, Herod's murderous plot was even prophesied in the Old Testament, as we see by these verses:

"Thus saith the LORD; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rahel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not."


"Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not. But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child’s life. And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel."


By this time, Satan was getting desperate. Perhaps he knew that he was running out of time. But, like Pharaoh, perhaps what he didn't realize, was that by plotting Jesus' death on the Cross, he would bring about his own defeat instead. You may recall that it was after Pharaoh had told Moses that he would kill him if he saw Moses' face again, that the Lord smote all of the firstborn in Egypt, as we see here:

"And Pharaoh said unto him, Get thee from me, take heed to thyself, see my face no more; for in that day thou seest my face thou shalt die. And Moses said, Thou hast spoken well, I will see thy face again no more. And the LORD said unto Moses, Yet will I bring one plague more upon Pharaoh, and upon Egypt; afterwards he will let you go hence: when he shall let you go, he shall surely thrust you out hence altogether . . . And Moses said, Thus saith the LORD, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt: And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts. And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor shall be like it any more. But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast: that ye may know how that the LORD doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel."


In similar fashion, in the New Testament, the hypocritical, self-righteous Scribes and Pharisees, motivated by their own jealousy of Jesus, were likewise the pawns of Satan; and as I point out in other articles, contrary to popular belief, it was they -- the unbelieving Jews -- and not the Romans, who God held most accountable for the Crucifixion of His Son. As Jesus Himself said to Pilate on the morning of His trial, as we see here:

". . . Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin."


It was Judas, the pawn of the Scribes and the Pharisees, who had done this evil deed, even if it was by God's Design. So, even though those children of Satan -- as Jesus Himself called the unbelieving Jewish leadership -- achieved their goal, and by their own choice murdered their own Savior in cold blood, we know that they, and Satan, defeated themselves; because as it had been prophesied and foreordained, not only did Jesus pay the Ransom Price for our sins, and thus open the way so that we can all be reconciled to the Father, but Jesus also overcame the sting of death for us all. Thus He said:

"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."


And as the Apostle Paul would later exclaim in his second Epistle to the brethren at Corinth concerning Jesus's clear victory over death and the grave:

"O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."


In spite of the fact that Satan was soundly defeated about two thousand years ago, the question we need to ask is if he truly ever surrendered. If we again accept the "Futurist's" interpretation of Bible prophecy, we are told that some time in the not-too-distant future, the Devil will launch one more pre-emptive strike. Having failed to destroy Jesus almost two millennia ago, and having failed to take over the Throne of Heaven -- as per the prophecy which is found in Isaiah 14, he -- Satan -- will apparently settle for second best. Thus, for a short period of time -- according to "Futurist" theology -- he will physically establish his demonic throne and Kingdom of Darkness here upon the Planet Earth, as the false god of this world.

As I briefly mentioned in parts three and four, I don't know exactly how Satan is going to achieve his objectives. But in some way, apparently through the person of the False Messiah, who the Apostle Paul refers to as the "Man of Sin", and also as the "Son of Perdition", he is going to convince a certain percentage of the world's population, that he is "God" upon Earth. There is also the possibility that this False Messiah mentioned by Paul, may be synonymous with the False Prophet described in the Book of Revelation. In writing about this evil leader's satanic deception and awe-inspiring power, Paul states the following in his second Epistle to the brethren in Thessalonika:

"Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day [Christ's Second Coming] shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God . . . Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:"


In other words, what I have really been describing for you here, are two possible invasions from Outer Space. At least that is how these events may possibly be perceived by the unbelieving people of the world, who have rejected the Word of God. The first invasion -- if that is indeed how Satan's plan will be orchestrated before the world -- will be by the False Messiah. That is to say, the "Son of Perdition", or the "Man of Sin", who I have also stated may be synonymous with the False Prophet of the Book of Revelation. In fact, as you may know, "Antichrist" is another term which might possibly be referring to this very same individual. As I point out in other articles, such as "Who Is Who: Defining Endtime Terms", it is not my view that this is the same as the first Beast mentioned in Revelation chapter thirteen. The first Beast is a political and military leader, while the second Beast appears to be the false spiritual leader. They are a deceptive pair who work together in order to achieve their satanic agenda.

So, the first invasion -- assuming again that this is how the Devil will orchestrate his arrival -- will herald the arrival of the False Messiah, who will deceive the world, and reign for perhaps three and a half years. While the Second Invasion will be the actual Second Coming of Jesus Christ, God's true Messiah, who will soundly defeat the "Ungodly Trio". That is, the Dragon, the Beast and the False Prophet, at the Battle of Armageddon, and then rightfully sit upon His Earthly throne, which has been foreordained by His Father. I discuss these events in more detail in articles such as "From Armageddon to the New Earth", as well as in "The Triumphant Touchdown of Jesus Christ". Please consider reading them.

Similar to corrupt world leaders of our current day, the two Beasts of Revelation chapter thirteen -- that is to say, the Beast and the False Prophet -- may possibly resort to using the very same tactics of fear, paranoia, and the demonization of their enemies, as a way to deceive the world into fighting against Jesus Christ and the Armies of Heaven, at the Battle of Armageddon. As I noted in part three, they may claim that an invasion from Outer Space is about to occur; and because so many people have already been conditioned for precisely such an event, they will swallow these lies, hook, line and sinker, to their own damnation. To reiterate a point I made earlier, if this deception is already in progress, then the acceptance of the existence of extrasolar planets would fit right into such a scenario, as these alleged "aliens" will have to originate from somewhere.

I honestly don't know if this is exactly how future events will play out here on Planet Earth -- assuming that these really are future events as "Futurists" believe -- but I do believe, as I have already stated in other articles, that in order for us to understand Bible prophecy, we do need to try to make a connection between what the Bible says, and current world developments. That includes developments in areas of modern technology as well. There is the distinct possibility that what may have appeared as "magic" or even as great spiritual power to the ancient Prophets, may in actuality be easily explained by technological advances in our modern day.

In a sense, being as knowledge can be inspired by both good and evil spiritual forces, precisely as I point out in the article "Science and Technology: The Forbidden Knowledge?", it can be correctly stated that modern developments are the result of spiritual power; because as they say, knowledge is power. So while these demonic leaders will use modern tech to their advantage, the ancient Prophets may have looked at it from the perspective of where this knowledge was acquired from in order to create such technology. Thus, they rightly described it as being Satanic power. Of course, there is also a more simpler explanation; and that is that being as what they saw in their visions was so far beyond their human comprehension, they could think of no other way to describe it, other than to attribute it to spiritual power; that is, to Satanic power.

Allow me to give you a few examples. In Revelation, we are told that the mysterious wicked city known as Babylon the Great is in some way destroyed by fire. We are told six times that her destruction is so complete, that she will be found no more at all. Consider these verses:

"And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled."


"Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her . . . And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all . . . And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all. And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee; And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived."


We are also informed that the Second Beast -- that is to say, the False Prophet -- calls fire down from heaven in the sight of men, as we see here:

"And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,"


Keeping in mind that we are looking at these prophecies as having not been fulfilled yet -- according to the "Futurist" theological perspective -- and considering the scientific developments of our current day, is it possible that the Prophet John may have witnessed some kind of modern tech, such as satellite-based laser weapons, or possibly even a nuclear device? While regular fires can in fact result in a lot of destruction, the description of the destruction of Babylon the Great seems to imply something much more complete.

An urbanized area can obviously be rebuilt following a fire, no matter how great the damage may be. But sadly, as we have clearly witnessed in such cases as Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Bikini atoll nuclear tests, the 1979 Three Mile Island partial meltdown, the devastating 1986 Chernobyl incident, and the even more recent Fukushima meltdown, in addition to the massive physical damage which can result from a nuclear reactor or explosive device, deadly radiation levels can leave an area completely uninhabitable for many decades to come, not to mention curse people with afflictions which can not only incapacitate them and their offspring, but which may eventually kill them as well.

Before leaving this example behind, I would like to share one more observation I have made while discussing the destruction of Babylon the Great. While the Lord could destroy Babylon by a variety of means, why is it that He specifically chooses some type of fire? As I pondered this thought, a clear answer came to me: In the Old Testament, according to the Levitical Law which existed before the time of Moses, burning one with fire was apparently the punishment which was prescribed for a woman who was found guilty of committing whoredoms. This becomes clear in the example of the story of Judah and Tamar. We are told that after Judah had unknowingly impregnated his daughter-in-law, Tamar, with his child, upon learning of the development, the following occurred:

"And it came to pass about three months after, that it was told Judah, saying, Tamar thy daughter in law hath played the harlot; and also, behold, she is with child by whoredom. And Judah said, Bring her forth, and let her be burnt. When she was brought forth, she sent to her father in law, saying, By the man, whose these are, am I with child: and she said, Discern, I pray thee, whose are these, the signet, and bracelets, and staff. And Judah acknowledged them, and said, She hath been more righteous than I; because that I gave her not to Shelah my son. And he knew her again no more."


I honestly don't know exactly what it meant to be burned in this fashion, as the Bible doesn't make it clear; and to be quite frank, just thinking about it kind of sickens me. But what we do know from the Scriptures, is that Judah was at fault here, because he had refused to fulfill his obligation to Tamar, by giving her his youngest son, Shelah, after the older two sons had died. In the end, Tamar bore twin sons by Judah; Pharez and Zarah; and Pharez was an ancestor of Jesus Christ; which is why Jesus is called "the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David" in the Book of Revelation. Here is the end of the story, as it is found in the thirty-eighth chapter of the Book of Genesis:

"And it came to pass in the time of her travail, that, behold, twins were in her womb. And it came to pass, when she travailed, that the one put out his hand: and the midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet thread, saying, This came out first. And it came to pass, as he drew back his hand, that, behold, his brother came out: and she said, How hast thou broken forth? this breach be upon thee: therefore his name was called Pharez. And afterward came out his brother, that had the scarlet thread upon his hand: and his name was called Zarah."


While I discuss Babylon the Great in much more detail in my article "Who is Babylon the Great?", let me just mention here that what these verses from Revelation may be indicating, is that in some way, Babylon represents a false religion. Or perhaps she is a city where false religion is practiced. While she is supposed to be married to Jesus Christ, she has betrayed her spiritual husband through her unfaithfulness, and she has gone whoring after the pleasures of this world. As a result of her sins against Him, she is burned with fire. So, perhaps if we view these verses in this context, we can begin to obtain a better idea of which city might possibly represent Babylon the Great. Two other Scriptures which add support to this speculation are the following, and you will find more of them discussed in the aforementioned article:

"Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God."


"Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God."


One final hint I would like to offer here before moving on, is that the first verse above seems to imply, that whereas our Salvation is supposed to be based solely upon our faith in the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ alone, maybe the mysterious Babylon depended upon her own "good works", such as through her observance of the Mosaic Law to save her. However, this simply will not do. As it is clearly written:

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."


"Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;"


"And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work."


But let us return now to our earlier discussion concerning how the fulfillment of certain ancient Bible prophecies could possibly be explained by technological developments in our modern day. The infamous Mark of the Beast system could very well be explained by the current developments in banking and computer technology. While some Bible teachers have endeavored to totally spiritualize the meaning of the "666", personally, I think it is foolish to do so, because buying and selling -- in other words, world commerce -- is very much a real, physical part of our modern world, as it always has been. While it is indeed true that there is spiritual significance to one's decision either to accept or to reject the Mark of the Beast system, nevertheless, what is being described in Revelation chapter thirteen, seems very much to me like a literal occurrence, and a technologically-based development at that. I ask you to please consider exactly what the Bible says about this:

"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: 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. 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."


Aside from the fact that what John wrote seems quite literal to me, it is also as a result of the many technology articles which I have read and archived over the years, that I remain convinced at this current time, that if it is indeed a future development, and not something which pertains to the distant past, then the final 666, or Mark of the Beast system, will be a "technological marriage" of such technologies as biochip implants -- such as ADS's VeriChip for example -- RFID chips -- Radio Frequency ID chips -- biometric scanners -- such as facial and retinal scans -- invisible RFID ink -- now being used with livestock -- and Global Positioning Satellites, or GPS.

As you may already know, and as I also discuss in some of my other 666-related articles, such as the series "Precursors to the 666 and the Mark of the Beast", and also "666: More Proof of the Coming System", in some countries, including the USA, these kinds of technologies are already being implemented by certain government agencies, as well as by manufacturers and large retail outlets, such as Walmart. In fact, several years ago, a family in Florida became the first private citizens to receive the ADS VeriChip implant, and the popularity of these chips has since expanded to other nations, as the promoters of these technologies continue to paint their products in a positive light.

While you may have already been aware of the VeriChip device, what you may not know, is that while everyone's attention has been diverted by ADS's implant, DARPA has been engaged in the development of another technology called BMI and MMEA. As I explain in "Precursors to the 666 and the Mark of the Beast", MMEA is another implantable biochip which is said to be more advanced than the VeriChip. MMEA was created by Kevin Warwick who occupies the position of Professor of Cybernetics at the University of Reading in Great Britain. Professor Warwick is involved with research dealing with artificial intelligence and robotics.

In fact, Warwick has written a paperback book called "In the Mind of the Machines", in which he warns of a future in which machines are more intelligent than human beings. I have read some literature where certain scientists express the view that this point might be reached in approximately thirty-five years. As you may know, even Elon Musk, who is the CEO of Tesla, Inc., SpaceX and Neuralink, as well as a co-founder of PayPal, has warned of the dangers of runaway AI, or Artificial Intelligence.

Back in 1998, Warwick shocked the international scientific community when he had a microchip surgically implanted in his upper left arm for a short period of time. With the implanted device, Warwick was able to control various appliances in his home. What I find even more alarming, is the fact that since March of 2002, Warwick has conducted additional implants and experiments with his wife, which have allowed him to actually link his nervous system to a computer. These new experiments are part of "Project Cyborg".

MMEA stands for Multiple Micro Electrode Array. This biochip, which is a bi-directional device, meaning that it is capable of receiving and transmitting electrical impulses to and from the human body, is controlled by a software package called BMI. BMI is an acronym for Brain Machine Interfaces. Warwick uses this hardware, (MMEA), and software, (BMI), to intercept and decipher nerve pulses from the human brain. The goal is to decode these signals, so that a computer program can be written, which will allow the user of BMI to transmit signals back to a person who has the MMEA biochip implant; and thus affect how they think, what they are feeling emotionally, as well as physically, etc.

This is not just a fabricated tale from some science fiction novel. They are making progress with this technology. When I first began writing this series in 2004, Warwick was already attempting experiments whereby he would touch his arm; the nerve impulses would then be transmitted to a computer, and then relayed to his wife; who I assume also had her own MMEA implant. The result is that when he touched his arm, she would feel the very same sensation, as if she had touched her own arm, even though she had really done no such thing. As a result of the publicity that Mr. Warwick's work received, and the negative feedback that resulted from it, for a few years, Professor Warwick remained low, and out of the public eye. However, I recently read that he has by no means desisted in his work. In fact, he continues to make progress with it.

Can you begin to see what kind of demonic developments this kind of experimentation could possibly lead to, were it to fall into the wrong hands? When mass biochip implants become popular -- and they eventually will -- this kind of technology could theoretically be used to affect how people both think and feel. Maybe it will even be used by certain governments and law enforcement agencies to cause people to experience pain when they get out of control. Can you begin to see why DARPA has such a big interest in Professor Warwick's work, and why it is in fact helping to fund BMI and MMEA?

It might also interest you to know, that according to what I have read, biochip implants were also used during Operation Desert Storm in Iraq. Given, the chaos which continued in Iraq for years after that, and the escalating number of American casualties which followed there, I would not be the least surprised to learn that said biochips were still being used, in order to keep track of both soldiers and equipment. In fact, this is a common theme in a lot of movies now. That is, chipping soldiers before they go on combat missions.

Bringing this issue to a more personal level, in this current age of fear, paranoia, uncertainty, kidnapping and dangerous terrorism, wouldn't you appreciate the safety level you could achieve, by having one of these wonderful biochips implanted under your skin, so that your all-seeing, protective, caring government would be able to quickly assist you in your time of need? Please excuse my sarcasm!

Please go to part six for the continuation of this series.

⇒ Go To The Next Part . . .

Click or Tap Icons to Share! Thank you!

---

---

Please avail yourself of other areas of the Bill's Bible Basics website. There are many treasures for you to discover.