Symbols II

When we think about bible prophecy and end time events I always come up with two questions? My first question is why did God lay history out on such a grand scale for us? My second question is this, if we are all reading the same bible, looking at the same history and believing in the same God why are there some many different versions of what is going to happen? It seems like it should be so plain and so obvious, history lines up so completely with the bible, why is our church the only group that interprets the end time events in this manner.
I’d like to offer my opinions on the second question first. I’m not a genius but when I’m faced with something that doesn’t on the surface make sense I think we must first pray for guidance and then take a step back and try and see the big picture. Previously I wrote about spiritualism in society and the presence of symbols that denote the foundations of today’s institutions. Both of these topics when taken together give a picture of a grand deception, an attempt to hide the nature and character of God and hide Satan’s control of counterfeit religions. Logic tells us that if we believe in the great struggle between God and Satan than we must confirm two things, first it is a spiritual war and second it is going on presently. If a spiritual battle is taking place currently between God and Satan, it is being waged individually within each person on this earth. The war was won on the cross but the battles continue until the second coming. The outcome of each battle is determined by each individual’s choice of whom to follow, to trust God or Satan. My point is this: Satan is currently engaged in a religious battle with God. His logical weapon of choice is false religion. I would add this assertion: The theological foundation of every opposing interpretation of prophecy to what we as Adventist hold to be true, springs from within the church controlled by Satan. This is the church which has embraced spiritualism, is replete with symbols betraying it’s marriage to the idol worshipping cults from the biblical history, the church bible prophecy specifically identifies as the beast is being used as Satan’s tool.
It sounds like I’m saying that Satan has used false religions to deceive the whole world including most theologians and bible scholars. I make that statement based on Revelation 18 specifically verse 23 when a mighty angel speaking about the world religions says “by your sorcery all the nations were deceived”. It doesn’t say some or a few but all nations were deceived and the context of chapter 18 makes it plain that he is referring to the established, accepted most widely attended religions. Any interpretation of prophecy that does not identify the Catholic Church as the beast in Revelation is a product of Satan’s attempt to manipulate and deceive the people of this world.
Why did God lay history out so plainly for us to follow in books of bible prophecy? There are many reasons but I think one stands above the others. God wants us to have confidence in absolute truth. One of the foundational components of morality on the earth is a clear distinction between what is right and what is wrong. Most in society, even Christians ask, what right do we have to judge what’s right, who’s right and what is truth. The popular view is that everyone has a little bit of truth. By very clearly laying out the events of history before hand, so we looking back can clearly identify the unerring accuracy of his predictions we can be confident the bible is the absolute truth. If an interpretation of prophecy does not line up exactly with the bible, and identify each of the beasts according to the bible, the interpretation is in error and is to be disregarded. Not by our standards but by God’s standard, the bible.
As Christians we have the privilege of being entrusted with the knowledge of what the future holds. By laying history out so plainly in the bible he gave us security in the knowledge the bible is absolute truth. Lovingly God does everything for a reason and in this time of deception and contradiction in theology and knowledge the one thing that we can hold on to his our faith in Jesus and the knowledge that he told us everything, Our whole perception of the bible and the our picture of the savior changes when we see clearly, looking through the lens of absolute truth at the written word of God. When God through his messenger laid out the worlds history in 400 BC he was making a statement to us, I am the good Sheppard, follow me.