“Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he exercised all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
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.” Revelation 13:10-18 KJV
The voice of the dragon speaks as loudly now as at any time in all history. If you do not belong to the dragon’s method of worship, by submitting and bowing down to the two-horned beastly version of Christianity that dominates the majority of believers dead and alive, you will find yourself misunderstood, more and more ostracized, more and more cut off from others, lied about, loudly gossiped about, labeled guilty of fleshly lifestyles, considered a fanatic, shunned as a heretic, called a false prophet deserving condemning judgment.
Sincere believers are dominated by the dragon’s thinking and methods of worship. Those who follow on to know the Lord will eventually be rebuked, denounced, ignored and rejected, anathematized, and unceremoniously excommunicated from candlestick churches under the deafening roar of the dragon’s mouth! Man’s basic disposition is stuck on being a judgmental, gossiping fault finder. That disposition discolors and influences his thoughts and words, so natural minded men have little understanding or grasp of CHRIST’s work within the spirit of man.
How wonderfully He changes us to see He is coming by the spirit to enlighten our inner state to the acknowledging of His truth. Our Father fills us with loving characteristics by writing His truth upon our heart. When our heart is sufficiently circumcised, we cry out with joy that He loves us enough to send guiding truth to instruct our inner being.
God guides the steps of our lives by His Spirit enough that we now recognize a great force is set on changing what is wrong with us. Jesus relies on the Living God, our Father, to be the LIFE GIVING SPIRIT that changes us. He is drawing us to higher spiritual ground, into knowing God in union with the King, having the same Father as He Himself.
There is not one passage of scripture in the whole Bible that indicates that God’s grace is limited to our earthly physical life. Be assured that it is the spirit in man that is of the greatest and most important part of us to God. God does not stop changing us Christians when we physically die, when our mortal body becomes inanimate.
Lasting salvation is extended to our inner spiritual person, the much more valuable part of a man or woman that exists after the last mortal breath is drawn. Our spirit goes back to God who gave it. It can go back washed, cleansed, wholly fit to be God’s tabernacle being perfectly clothed with Him, so as not to be naked (in the disposition of man), so to speak. We are not ignorantly unprepared for what’s coming from the throne:
“That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.” Philippians 3:10-11 KLV
“It is appointed unto men once to die, and after this the judgment…” Hebrews 9:27
Some questions of judgment are set: all men go through a process of death, then God does judge us all. Now men rarely have the spiritual insight that considers this judging to be part of today’s established facts. But God’s judgment can be clearly revealed to us. People who know the King’s disposition about scriptures know the secrets in the way only His Spirit teaches. God’s nature is revealed within our spirit. Knowing God’s disposition grants endurance for the outcome of His determined judgments.
We are prepared to endure unto victory in what is coming to transpire concerning His judgments, considering that “judgment is given to the saints”. In bible passages concerning judgment, there is no support for any message stating “It is appointed unto men once to die, and after this ETERNAL DAMNATION for those with stubborn faults.”
But that message is how the voice of the dragon very often controls vast numbers of Christians in candlestick churches, relating entirely false theories of God’s judgments. Scriptures are easily twisted to say eternal torment comes to those not found in their church’s traditional faith. Church misconceptions rest upon faulty translations of human thinking. Translation from Greek words are easily distorted by the translators too.
Half measures of misunderstanding in religious men spread falsehoods to the majority of God’s Christian people in candlestick church systems. Mystery Babylon does profess lies causing perversions in the thinking of the Lord’s people in candlestick churches. Paul understood how this was already happening in church meetings of his day. Paul admonishes his son in the gospel, Timothy, about members of the church professing profane errors that swerved from the correct faith:
“O Timothy, that which is committed to you, guard, turning aside from the profane prattlings and antipathies of falsely named ‘knowledge’ which some are professing. As to the faith, they swerve." I Timothy 6:20 concordant
“Let no one be deluding himself. If anyone among you is presuming to be wise in this eon, let him become stupid, that he may be becoming wise, for the wisdom of this world is stupidity with God. For it is written, He is clutching the wise in their craftiness. And again, The Lord knows the reasoning of the wise, that they are vain." I Corinthians 3:19-20 concordant
So now, the speech of the dragon voice is enthroned in the Pergamum candlestick, which is professing that which is for hire, such as Balaam (worthless stuff). They are professing sacrifices of good works for God to swerve the power to save them from hell after death. But they do not have the teaching that draws us close enough to God to come alive within our spirit and escape hell now, with a power that frees us from condemnation now, and we will never die.
Our inner spiritual person has been changed by our Father writing heaven’s script upon our inner parts as we are being refined in understanding Him. The dragon voice teaches that heaven is after physical death, so there is no power or plan to enter heaven now spiritually, to be regenerated in their spirit now while in their corruptible body.
Thus the dragon voice teaches God’s mercy is limited to those who accept Jesus now. That voice places us under a false system, a false priesthood that has swerved long ago from the correct faith. Our spiritual growth is not limited to function in temporary heavens. We can take hold of eternal life NOW.
"I am aware where you are dwelling — where the throne of Satan is — and you are holding My name, and do not disown My faith in the days in which Antipas, My faithful witness, was killed among you, where Satan is dwelling. But I have a few things against you, that you have there those holding the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a snare before the sons of Israel, to be eating idol sacrifices, and to commit prostitution. Thus you, also, have those holding the teaching of the Nicolaitans, likewise. Repent then! Yet if not, I am coming to you swiftly and shall be battling with them with the blade of My mouth.” Revelation 2:13-16 concordant
The book of Revelation speaks of an earthly system of people that have two horns, and is like the Lambkin (Christian people) but “speaks as a dragon” to dominate the thinking of men. They form Christian worship by using earthly, worldly ways as the first beast (the world), thus creating religious confusion among God’s people. John saw it as “Mystery Babylon” with deceiving teachings that amount to hypocrisy, a haven of falsehood surrounded in scriptures, creating traditions and worldly ways for Christians to worship God.
Studying the history of the dark ages shows many European countries were dominated by a Christian religious system that still exercises much political authority. In many European countries this religion possessed a great degree of corruption in its principles. To worship in that organization requires a submission to a hierarchy forming customs and traditions that control men’s lives.
Christian overcomers are challenged to come out of every lie coming from the enthronement of Satan in the candlestick churches. A beastly system marked with “666” is the voice of the dragon exercising power to usurp control over Christian men’s spiritual lives. Lies have enslaved millions of Christ worshipers with hideous chains of falsehoods that glorify false images to mark their understandings in thoughts, like garments covering them very short of the Kingdom, ensnared with the dragon’s voice.
Now too afraid to escape, many succumb to the threats of excommunication spewed out of the dragon’s mouth as scripturally supported doctrines about everlasting hell. They sit under messages that are blasting out to condemn offenders to be consigned eternally to damnation in a most torturous hell.
We try the spirit of bible teachers to prove if they are of God. We also notice that even in Babylonian captivity, God honored some of His people. God always honors the seeking sincere heart of faith, even in spite of their own weakness, failures, immaturity, and carnality picked up in religious church systems surrounding them. On far away Patmos, John beheld in vision seven golden candlesticks. He also saw Jesus in the midst of those candlesticks, one like unto the Son of man.
"And I turn about to look for the voice which spoke with me. And, turning about, I perceived seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like a son of mankind, dressed in a garment reaching to the feet, and girded about the breasts with a golden girdle. Now His head and hair are white as white wool, as snow, and His eyes as a flame of fire, and His feet like white bronze, as fired in a furnace, and His voice is as the sound of many waters. And He has in His right hand seven stars, and out of His mouth a sharp two-edged blade is issuing, and His countenance is as the sun appearing in its power." Revelation 1:12-13 concordant
At this wonderfully significant revelation, John fell as dead. We too are changed by looking closely at what Jesus has become in others. The description of the seven candlesticks in His hand were seven earthly churches. It is also a prophetic pattern for two thousand years of historical experience of Christian churches.
They made advancement in seven great stages, from the early falling of the Ephesus candlestick, Smyrna’s suffering persecutions, Pergamum takeover, Thyatira’s Jezebel system, Sardis’s reformation, Philadelphia’s missions of love, to today’s Laodicean condition that thinks it is so rich. Christians are judged according to the mark they now express of these heavenly conditions of church. None of these have brought perfection to the departing spirits that are formed and marked by the confused conditions found in the candlestick churches on earth.
The seven candlestick churches John saw were not inspired pictures of perfect heaven nor of a bright mountain top. Oh, no! The seven golden candlesticks were troubled and limited people with serious problems that limited their spiritual progress as listed in chapters 2 and 3 of the book of Revelation. John foretold the real history of Christianity in the candlestick church dimension. It is revealed as being blotched with false doctrine, false apostles, problems knowing the truth while leading His people with shortcomings into the ditch of carnality, error, pride, the “Jezebel spirit” (spiritual harlotry of Mystery Babylon), the Nicolaitan spirit (hierarchy, elevation of clergy to control laity), the doctrine of Balaam (compromise for hire), lukewarmness, and so on too numerous to count.
The Lord admonished each candlestick, except Philadelphia, with rebukes for their stage of church development, requiring repentance for their foul conditions! The spirit of just men do overcome these conditions found in candlestick churches. Qualifying faith is found in each version of overcomers in these candlestick churches. God has formed a perfect order of life in an army of overcomers found in Mount Zion. Coming from every generation of Christians is a mature development to a common faith that has lasted for two thousand years of church history.
Overcomers can hear what the spirit of the Lord is speaking as they are come to Mount Zion. They were and are led to come out and be separate from organizations that mark them with falsehoods. They refused to be marked by these candlestick church systems when they detected distortions of God's truth. They could not become voice to hypocritical falsehood.
Jesus is in the midst of the candlesticks, but only in an in-part measure that is giving the earnest of the spirit. We find the doors to the lasting city are not opened in those heavens. Yet, Laodicean church members think they are so rich that they have need of nothing, so they unknowingly make Him stand outside the walls of their system. Even now He stands outside knocking to get audience with the camps of His rich Laodicean people. At their door He is knocking and calling to those who can hear His voice.
Many brethren have heard and have learned from the spirit promising to open the doors to the tree of life. They are being raised out of the candlestick limitations to eat hidden manna, a feeding from a higher, clearer understanding. The Lord is knocking at the door of lukewarm Laodicean church people, asking for an opening that He might come into them by spirit to feed them from a spiritual dimension, a higher understanding that is the common faith of the saints. Oh, our spirit can be clothed NOW with His righteous life!
Christian ministry in America is so rich in having multitudes of people support them with their money, they establish orders that seem to need nothing else. They sit as a Queen, like the bride of Christ, but looking closely, we find its faithful ones are still joined more to a SYSTEMs of patterned church worship than LED by the Spirit of God. They mix human understanding of scripture to form lies about the truth of God.
The truth is that all are deceived who are in the clutches of Mystery Babylon’s "dead letter of the word." This system of religious laws and traditional works has now spawned many daughters that are different arms of the same octopus. If they do not grasp those seeking Christ in one arm, they will grasp them by another. If they do not hook you on one lure, they will try to catch you on another, to drag you into her house. It is all very common, yet a very deceitful and false thing that continues to ensnare the Lord’s people.
Only those called, chosen, and faithful overcomers find safe harbor in the city by being obedient from within to the mind of Christ. Christ within us leads us out from every state of bondage. Christ changes our thinking as we hear His voice, so we are separated unto what Christ teaches us. Mature sons and daughters abandon every phase, form, and tradition found in human craftiness, all the sleights of earthly minded men that have worked so well in the candlestick churches. The time of our candlestick church experience has passed for us as the spirit of the Lord’s Day has come:
"For you are the temple of the living God, according as God said, ‘That I will be making My home and will be walking in them, and I will be their God and they shall be My people. Wherefore, Come out of their midst and be severed’, the Lord is saying. ‘And touch not the unclean, and I will admit you, and I will be a Father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to Me’, says the Lord Almighty." II Corinthians 16:16-18
God is thoroughly pruning sons and daughters in this hour to be able ministers who bear Kingdom fruit. These are to be reapers who are to be bringing abundant truth to harvest the church world. God has begun the work of pruning away the powers of sin that work in the carnal mind of man. He can pull down every proud look, stop lying mouths, stop words that cause disunity among brethren, stop any wicked imagination from working within us, so that we have stopped running after mischief.
Thank God, Christ delivers us out from every religious practice that men have fallen into and used to contaminate His foundational works. God drew us out into the desert places to there deal with us as sons, not as members of a country club church. Sons are disciplined, stripped, taught by the spirit. They have ears to hear what the spirit says, eyes to see what He sees, and wings to get above every problem. They are brought outside every religious camp, bearing that reproach to be taught of Him, not polluted with Mystery Babylon’s lies. They ONLY follow the Lambkin, as spiritual “celibates”, only open for the incorruptible seeds of God’s word to be planted within their beings.
Some Christians could have a higher calling but are content to settle in the candlestick systems. Let them be until the truth dawns within them to become clearly evident. People spend years spinning their wheels trying to build a church that works in this present order. Oh, the present order is delighted to have a minister come by to share, to prophesy and pray for healing, momentarily satiating the intense craving of a few hungry hearts for a richer fare of anointed food.
But after the anointed minister leaves, the vision gets blurred for those dominated by present church orders who minister diluted messages, lukewarm mixtures programmed to further their own plans. Ah, people have flocked to teachers who are welcome as long as they can be used to increase the number of attendees sitting on their church pews. They are welcome to contribute to their church works while they do not bother the hierarchy’s leadership.
Beastly methods and systems are using God's good name to enhance, embellish, and strengthen their own place of fellowship. Candlestick churches have created passing heavens that deceive and enslave the Lord’s people with an in part measure of understanding scripture. As the apostle John declared, the antichrist was working among the followers of Christ Jesus two thousand years ago, and it was more that one man — the ANTICHRIST was MANY MEN:
"Little children, it is the last hour, and, according as you hear that the antichrist is coming, now also there have come to be many antichrists, whence we know that it is the last hour…" I John 2:18 concordant
Suddenly the voice of the Lord thunders authoritatively in our ear,
“COME UP HITHER!”
And then a door to God’s lasting heaven opens so we may see and come to be in the spirit of the Lord’s day, to see Jesus as He is, to know the celestial work that God writes on the hearts of men drawn of the Father. Our Father seeks those who worship in the spirit of truth. He is pruning every false word from the garden of our life. By His Word and Spirit, He is perfecting a people who follow Him to Zion where deliverance from fleshly ways removes the cloak and programs of guile:
“Here is wisdom. Let him who has a mind calculate the number of the wild beast, for it is the number of mankind, and its number is six hundred sixty-six.” Revelation 13:18 concordant
We are not listening to the voices that mark us with a beastly understanding of the Word of God. The dragon voice marks men’s thinking with the number 666. Six is the number of man, man’s ideas are marks of the number 6. Two 6’s stand for man’s rule as in Nebuchadnezzar’s 66 cubit high statute. Three 6’s is man (#6), ruling (#66), in the spiritual lives (#666) of the Lord’s people. Our Father delivers us from the kingdoms of darkness that mark us with the number of 666.
Wisdom is seeing how that beastly system of men is ruling over the Lord’s people, limiting their spiritual life. God has delivered the wisdom and kingdom of His beloved Son to us, so we can now recognize the dragon’s voice from his number and mark, with wagging tongues of lies that gossip and cheat others in order to gain their own honor and place. These mix up poisonous concoctions by twisting scriptural interpretations, and yet God had blessed it to a measure because Jesus was in their midst.
Overcomers are not required to pay homage to any order dominated and designed by the earthly minds of men, including those of the seven candlestick churches found recorded in the book of Revelation chapter 2 and 3. See clearly that the candlestick churches are NOT THE HOMELAND of Christians. We have “a city whose builder and maker is God”!
OUR HOMELAND IS WHERE THE KING IS DOMINANT IN THE SPIRITUAL LIVES OF INHABITANTS. We Christians belong in the New Jerusalem order. This heaven is open to us now and we are made one with those people who have been fed at the Lord’s table. A new feast is on the Lord’s table: the wedding supper that clothes us in spiritual garments with power to place us in lasting glory. Even now we are prepared for impending life and the coming judgments of God!