The host of this video discusses why he believes that the plagues preceding the Second Coming will be similar to or mirror those called down upon Egypt prior to the Exodus.
VIDEO: "The Final Plagues Prior to the 2nd Coming (LDS Last Days Timeline)"
Gospel Lessons (19 min.)
Just some gun and prepping related links that I thought interesting or useful:
As a native Californian, I sometimes forget the whole world doesn’t walk around in T-shirts, shorts and flip flops year-round. Recent trips to northern Illinois and central Pennsylvania reminded me not everyone has it so easy when it comes to concealed carry. Clearing a baggy T-shirt to draw your handgun is a lot different than having to fish your handgun out from under layer after cold-blocking layer of garments.
Add a pair of cozy gloves to the mix and getting to your gun in a hurry can be next to impossible. Even worse, if your gun snags on a garment during the draw stroke, it can be dropped with the muzzle pointing who knows where. If moving to a warmer climate isn’t in your plans, here are a few tips for cold-weather concealed carry.
He has some tips for concealing, drawing, and reholstering a handgun. For instance, if you are wearing multiple layers, he recommends carrying the gun outside all but the outermost layer which will act as the concealing garment.
Within their performance envelope, which covers many urban situations, .22 rifles are incredibly lethal. One of my colleagues calls them ‘three step guns.’ After being shot with one, the shootee takes three steps and falls down dead as a hammer. Underestimating their lethality is a grave mistake. I have many incidents in my database of people killed by a single round to the chest from a .22 rifle.
Whether it’s a stock or a chassis, consider getting (or doing it yourself) the action bedded into that stock or chassis. A lot of stocks and chassis claim that they don’t need to be bedded but I’ve found that even those need to be to get the best, consistent performance out of your rifle system. This creates a 1 to 1 fit of your action to that stock or chassis. This will keep things from moving around under recoil or while you are driving down a bumpy road. This will help ensure first-shot accuracy. On top of bedding the action, make sure you have proper clearance in the barrel channel. The stock around the barrel must not contact (be free floated) the barrel for the most consistency.
The M1337 uses AR-pattern barrels and other parts, with all the mechanical hard parts held together by 3D-printed parts. The files for those 3D parts are freely given away online. The creator sells a parts kit that has some of the parts that you don’t make yourself, and you can source other bits yourself.
It is belt fed according to the article. You can learn more at the designer's website here. Per the website and videos, it uses disintegrating belt links. Per the author's website, he has also been developing a suppressor for it to be used with .300 BLK.
Now, EAA says it’s bringing combination guns in from Turkish manufacturer Balikli. We’ve seen these guns before; Balikli was exhibiting them in a corner of the SHOT Show basement in 2024. At that time, we noted that they had some unusual chambering choices, including .300 Winchester Magnum, .30-30 and .357 Magnum—not that there’s anything out of the ordinary with these calibers, but they’re rarely found in combination guns made in Europe.
No word on what calibers or prices, yet.
While an AR-15 fills the same role very capably, some might prefer the slim profile and feel of a traditionally stocked rifle. Many shooters find a traditional stock to point and handle very naturally and intuitively. When transporting your gun, such as in a scabbard on horseback, a ranch rifle is slimmer from top to bottom than typical pistol-gripped modern sporting rifles.
So of the four rifles that are considered, the author's top three picks are all AR variants that mate an AR to a standard style stock: the CMMG BR4 Dissent, the Fox Trot Mike Ranch Rifle, and the now discontinued SIG Sauer MCX Regulator. Rounding out the list is the Mini-14.
America’s military has been at war against terror for 20 years. We have certainly learned a lot along the way, but so have our enemies. For example, the Taliban in Afghanistan knew that most of our guys shoot carbines chambering 5.56 NATO; if they stay 600 yards away, there’s no need to fret small arms fire much.
The unit that adopted the 6mm ARC decided that they still wanted to get good hits at 600 yards and beyond, so they started issuing more rifles chambered in .308 Winchester because it is capable of that kind of performance. The problem is that the rifles and ammunition are both heavier than their 5.56mm NATO counterparts.
The solution was the 6mm ARC which "can keep a 108-grain bullet above 1,800 fps out to 580 yards" and stays supersonic out to 1,350 yards from an 18-inch barrel at chamber pressures of just 52,000 psi. And it does this using the AR-15 platform.
First impressions are important, and the goal is for your fanny pack not to make one. Avoid a pack that appears overtly tactical. A pack that hangs from your belly button to your knees, or one with MOLLE webbing and emblazoned with gun-themed patches, will garner unwanted attention. While the interior of your fanny pack should be specifically designed for carrying a handgun, the exterior should look like any other pack.
And for goodness sake, please avoid black unless it is leather. To me, at least, nothing screams "gun" more than a black Cordura fanny pack.
The Riptide family of knives comes with an ambidextrous, pancake-style Kydex sheath. The sheath features a unique dual-retention system. The form-fitted sheath provides a secure, rattle-free friction fit. It’s augmented by a spring-release tab that further secures the knife in the sheath. It’s easily released in a single motion when drawing the knife by simply pulling up on the ambidextrous button on the tab. Skallywag Tactical is incorporating the dual-retention system in the sheaths of all of its new knives.
That sounds good. The question I always have to ask myself with gear anymore is "does it do anything better than what I already have or a less expensive option," and, if so, "is it that much better that it is worth spending the money on it"?
It’s not a great situation if a family is already breaking into their survival food that has a 10+ year shelf-life a couple of weeks after a long-term emergency strikes. Instead, individuals or families should have several months worth of “regular” food rotating in their pantry. Much of this will be medium-term food such as canned meals, pastas, grains, and even dehydrated meat.
Keep in mind that I own a long-term storage beef company, yet I still advise not buying any of it until a family has at least several months worth of normal foods. It doesn’t make sense to have to bust open a bucket of freeze dried lasagna on week 3 of bugging in.
The reason is simple: Freeze-dried meals and meats are more expensive than their canned or boxed counterparts. Canned tuna, chicken, and beef can supply a lot more protein per dollar spent than survival meats. Granted, canned beef is, in my humble opinion, far less appetizing than tuna, chicken, or even Spam, but it fills its purpose.
For older adults, flexibility is crucial for maintaining mobility and independence.
Gentle stretching exercises, such as chair yoga, are great options for improving flexibility without putting too much strain on the body. These exercises can also prevent stiffness, which is common as we age. Research also shows older adults who regularly stretch have a lower risk of falls and better quality of life. Older adults should also aim to stretch 2-3 times weekly.
“Every joint in our body has synovial fluid in it. This is the oil in our body that provides nutrition to the cartilage,” Jam says. “Two things are required to produce that fluid: movement and compression. So if a joint doesn’t go through its full range—if the hips and knees never go past 90 degrees—the body says ‘I’m not being used’ and starts to degenerate and stops the production of synovial fluid.”
A healthy musculoskeletal system doesn’t just make us feel lithe and juicy, it also has implications for our wider health. A 2014 study in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology found that test subjects who showed difficulty getting up off the floor without support of hands, or an elbow, or leg (what’s called the “sitting-rising test”) resulted in a three-year-shorter life expectancy than subjects who got up with ease.
Much has been written about physical prepping for a future societal collapse. However, what about the mental and behavioral side of preparation? Is it possible that Christians will live through part or all of the Tribulation? If your children are crying due to hunger, would you accept the mark of the Beast to feed them? Are you willing to die for your faith and/or other convictions? These are tough questions, but we need to face them. In the future, whether it’s a grid-down blackout, an economic depression, riot-ravaged neighborhood, war-torn country or a pandemic-plagued world, are you emotionally ready for the coming collapse?
This five-part article series will include excerpts from my book, “Revelation: Illustrated and Explained.” It is a study of the final book in the Bible, including verses, commentary, photos, and illustrations. ...
It is not uncommon to come across references to Israeli Jews looking forward to a sacrifice of a worthy (pure) red heifers as a prelude and requirement to building a new temple in Jerusalem. A lot of Christians view the building of a new temple by the Jews as a necessary prelude to Armageddon and the Second Coming. Muslims are, of course, concerned about Israel attempting to build a new temple and possible destroying Muslim religious sites on the Temple Mount. The video below explains a bit about the red heifer and its significance to the Jews as well as the views of Christians and Muslims, while also explaining that the red heifer sacrifice was a type looking forward to the crucifixion of Christ.
I typically post photographs or videos of actual ruins, but occasionally I come across an artistic work that captures my imagination. I'm reminded of a vision experienced by John Taylor in which he saw a future United States in tatters. As to Washington D.C., he related: "The next I saw was Washington, and I found the City a desolation. The White House Empty, the Halls of Congress the same Everything in ruins. The people seemed to have fled from the City and left it to take Care of itself."
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| Source: "Washington Hole"--Deathlands Wiki |
One of the key signs of the last days prior to the Second Coming is the rebuilding of a temple in Jerusalem. This video explains what is this latter day temple that will usher in the Second Coming and distinguishes it from the "Third Temple" (which may or may not be built) which the Jews intend to use to renew the practice of blood sacrifice as required under the Mosaic Law. The video does not discuss Daniel 12:11 which suggests that the Jews will be practicing blood sacrifice which will be stopped prior to a period of tribulation, but I'm not sure but that that the prophecy in Daniel was referring to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD rather than the tribulation period associated with the Anti-Christ.
Ben Davidson runs the Suspicious Observers web site and YouTube channel, as well as the sites SpaceWeatherNews.com and QuakeWatch.net. Davidson's basic thesis across all of these platforms is that earthquakes are driven in part by electromagnetic interactions with the Earth's magnetic field including changes caused by solar eruptions and storms and, therefore, earthquakes could be predicted.
This study also led him to explore other ways that space weather and its interactions with the earth's electromagnetic field and circuits could effect weather and health. He further opined that, in fact, electromagnetic fields and plasma or particle streams not only effected the Earth but were a major phenomena throughout the galaxy and the universe. In fact, he dares to question the Dark Matter and Dark Energy paradigms when such theories were accepted as fact.
Davidson further proposes that major disruptions in these fields, or strengthening or weakening of these fields could lead to adverse consequences. And, in fact, he believes that there is a cyclic nature to some of these changes causing recurrent disastrous changes to the Earth.
I've followed Davidson's YouTube channel for a few years now. Back when I started trying to find out more about the connection between the squatting man petroglyphs and plasma discharges (see here and here), YouTube recommended Davidson's channel. I first started watching his channel out of curiosity, but intrigued by the fact that as the months, and finally, years passed by, research continued to bear him out in his theories. For instance, the electromagnetic connection with earthquakes is largely accepted now. China and Italy launched a satellite with the express purpose of studying this connection and to attempt better prediction of major earthquakes.
His arguments for the impact of solar weather and cosmic rays on earth's weather and climate have similarly been borne out. Each new climate model adopted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reflects greater influence from the Sun and cosmic rays and cloud formation, with a corresponding reduction in the importance of human contributions to climate change.
His arguments concerning Dark Matter and Dark Energy also increasingly appear to have been correct. After billions of dollars and decades of research, Dark Matter has yet to be identified. Conversely, advancements in astronomy have shown that there is a great deal more intersteller and intergalactic dust and plasma than previously suspected. And most recently, physicists have been proposing that magnetic fields may account for observations linked to Dark Energy at the same time that astronomers are suggesting that the plasma filaments that stretch between planets, stars, and galaxies like the connections between neurons have magnetic properties as well.
So, with such a track record of success, when Davidson suggests that the Earth may be subject to periodic catastrophes due to cyclic outbursts from the Sun, I pay attention.
Of course, Davidson is not the first person to suggest catastrophism. In fact, that was the standard view of the world, due to the belief in the Bible, prior to the mid-1800's. But just as evolution--the slow but steady changes in species--usurped prior beliefs concerning biology and ecology, the steady state theory--the slow but steady geological and geographical changes to the Earth--took over the fields of geology and geography. And, of course, astronomy also taught that the universe moved in predictable cycles and patterns. Such that in the early 1800s, it was believed impossible that a rock could fall from the sky.
But rocks do fall from the sky. And continents shift and move. And geology and paleontology began to reveal periods of mass extinctions, areas where massive amounts of plant and animal life was deposited by powerful floods, extreme changes in sea levels, layers of rock formed from sea beds elevated thousands of feet above the oceans, cities and islands that were below the sea, prehistoric beasts that seemed to be flash frozen, evidence of massive tsunamis, craters caused by large extraterrestrial impactors, sudden and widespread changes in climate and temperature, and so on. The pendulum began to swing back. A few daring researchers and scholars began to suggest that perhaps catastrophism had played a significant role in shaping the earth's history. An even smaller number, such as Immanuel Velikovsky, even went so far to argue that perhaps there were real events behind the religious texts, legends, and myths of world wide floods, the sun careening through the sky, and bolts of fire vaporizing cities.
This is where Davidson's book comes in. Davidson takes recent research on multiple topics and weaves it into a plausible explanation for past disasters and earth changes. His basic theory is as follows.
Just as the Sun is surrounded by a wavy electromagnetic disk (a field sheet) with plasma and dust stretching out through the solar system, so too is the galactic core surrounded by a wavy field sheet extending out through and past the arms of the galaxy. As our solar system moves through these waves, it not only can cause changes to the electromagnetic field of the planets and sun, but also cause an accretion of material on or around the sun. The sun's response is one of more super-flares or micro-novas that can blast this material off in a shock wave, including blobs of plasma that can act as a form of impactor.
As the force of the electromagnetic/plasma shockwave overpowers the magnetic field of the Earth, the Earth's field can collapse and cause, effectively, a "short" resulting in massive plasma discharges--think of giant lightening bolts that can bore holes or massive channels in the crust.
During these incidents, the magnetic poles can shift or even reverse--a process called an excursion event in the scientific literature. These incidents have the potential to also unlock the crust from the mantle and allow the crust to also shift, which, of course would result in massive earthquakes, force water up and over the continents, cause the stars and planets to appear to radically shift in their course, and so on. This can be further aggravated by the planet possibly wobbling or overturning in its spin much like certain unbalanced tops. (See, e.g., this video taken aboard the International Space Station of a handle that flips over repeatedly as spun). This unbalance is caused by two huge blobs of dense rock that are up to 620 miles tall and thousands of miles wide called large low-shear-velocity provinces (LLSVPs) that currently straddle the equator below west Africa and under the Pacific Ocean. Some researchers believe that these blobs are the remnants of a planet that collided with the Earth early in the Earth's existence and produced the moon.
These excursion events appear to take place every 12,000 years, although the magnitude can vary; and also seem to correspond to when the solar system passes through the wave in the galactic current sheet. There is evidence that we've entered this current sheet. Davidson relates in his book how those nearby stars that lie in the direction of galactic center have become much more active in recent years. It appears that the influence of the current sheet may already be impinging within the heliosphere of our own solar system as Pluto appears to have lost most of its atmosphere just in the short time since the New Horizon's probe passed by the planet. Some of the outer planets appear to also have entered phases of more storms and other changes. And, of course, there is the fact that the Earth's magnetic field has rapidly lost strength in just the past decade, although Davidson does not necessarily relate this to the galactic current sheet.
Worst case scenario for the Earth is that the sun releases a micro-nova. According to Davidson, what we would see is the sun darken as the accreted material is blasted out. That accreted material would strike the atmosphere almost like an impact from a body; the solar particle/plasma blast would strike the Earth magnetosphere and perhaps collapse it far enough that we would see the large plasma discharges in the atmosphere, and the energy reach down into the mantle. The mantle would unlock and the crust would be free to move. Based on past excursions, the directions that the magnetic poles are moving, and the existence of the LLSVPs, Davidson believes that the new poles would be under the sea off West Africa and the Bay of Bengal or further north. Of course, such movement could cause the oceans to "slosh" and overwhelm large areas of the continents.
All in all, it is an interesting hypothesis inasmuch as the mechanics involved could explain the Great Flood in the Bible and other myths as well as puzzling physical evidence of various sorts, including the rapid onset of the Younger Dryas. It would explain many of the physical disasters described as occurring in the last days prior to the Savior's return. For instance, Rev. 6:12-14 (KJV) which states:
And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
Or Rev. 8:7-12 (KJV):
The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up. And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.
And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.
And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.
Does Davidson explain what is going to happen? I can't say. Nevertheless, it is a possible mechanism to explain the great earth changes that the Bible describes. And when will all this occur? Davidson can't predict that, but he believes that it could occur in the 2030's to 2050's based on the trend in the weakening of the Earth's magnetic field.
The real horror of the last days is not the locusts with their vicious scorpion tails or the horseman and their deadly mounts so vividly described in Revelation chapter 9. It is that there will be men and women who will live through the evil day and not be humbled, who will continue to cling to their gold and silver as though these lifeless and powerless things were gods....
...The Second Coming does not usher in the millennial era. The woes pronounced by the trumpets in Revelation chapter 8 and 9 do. Let us emphasize, Christ will not appear in glory as the millennial day dawns. Instead, Satan’s inferno-created sadistic hoards and their murderous horses will (v. 18).
... During these last days, the faithful of God are to watch and wait, taking the time to fully prepare for what is to come.
Spiritual preparation is the most important for only in that can we receive the seal of God and its protective power as promised in Revelation 7:3 and Doctrine and Covenants 77:9. However, temporal preparedness must not be far behind. One point the Lord himself stressed to us through the parables he told the New Testament Saints is the need to be fully and continually prepared for all eventualities. As he closed his prophecy dealing with the last days, he told them and us,
“If the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh” (Matt. 24:43–44).
Notice, the man was good and that is where the pinch of the parable lies. His loss was not the result of sinfulness or even laziness, but from a lack of preparation. The ever-popular parable of the ten virgins makes the same point. Once the cry is made, “The bridegroom cometh,” there will be no time, even for the more righteous, to prepare, and the Lord will respond to them as to the wicked, “I know you not” (Matt. 25:1-12).
It is of note that the three weapons of destruction are fire, smoke, and sulfur. These, however, are not associated with Lord’s coming during when “the elements should melt with fervent heat, and the earth should be wrapt together as a scroll, and the heavens and the earth should pass away” (3 Ne. 26:3, compare Morm. 9:2). They precede it. This era has been called the period of the “the Great Over-Burn,” an apt description of the final holocaust of Revelation, and is associated with the last great war before the Second Coming—a war of a special nature. It is not described in the usual term of bloodshed and the work of the sword. It is a war of burning in which “the people shall be as the fuel of the fire” (2 Ne. 19:19).
It would take a miracle for anyone to survive such a general holocaust, but that is exactly the point. The destruction is limited. God sets the boundary of the whole thing. Further, the fire acts as his agent. Its purpose is to protect his people.
For the time soon cometh that the fulness of the wrath of God shall be poured out upon all the children of men; for he will not suffer that the wicked shall destroy the righteous. Wherefore, he will preserve the righteous by his power, even if it so be that the fulness of his wrath must come, and the righteous be preserved, even unto the destruction of their enemies by fire. Wherefore, the righteous need not fear; for thus saith the prophet, they shall be saved, even if it so be as by fire. Behold, my brethren, I say unto you, that these things must shortly come; yea, even blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke must come; and it must needs be upon the face of this earth; and it cometh unto men according to the flesh if it so be that they will harden their hearts against the Holy One of Israel (1 Ne. 22:16-18).
The Lord is perfectly prepared to allow thousands to die in order to protect his people.
Some may have trouble with this idea, but the Seer has a very realistic understanding about death. From John’s perspective, all must die. The question is when and how. Ultimate destiny is not determined by the moment or manner of death; it is by the manner of life (Caird, Revelation, 113). ... Some balk at this, but, as one scholar has noted, the idea that mortality is so infallibly precious that,
the death which robs us of it must be the ultimate tragedy is precisely the idolatry that John is trying here to combat. We have already seen that John calls the enemies of the church ‘the inhabiters of earth’, because they have made themselves utterly at home in this transient world order. If all men must die, and if at the end heaven and earth must vanish, along with those whose life is irremediably bounded by worldly horizons, then it is surely in accord with the mercy of God that he should send men from time to time forceful reminders of the insecurity of their tenure. (Caird, Revelation, 113.)
Besides, as already noted, the purpose of the plagues is to open wide the doors of death into the cleansing fires of hell and from there into a kingdom of glory. It should be noted, however, that before that time comes, these wayward souls have contributed to the continual unleashing of the powers of de-creation of which the demonic cavalry (pictured in Rev. 9:7–18) are the final agents. In chapter 8, we saw the sun, moon, sea, and land all struck. In chapter 9, humankind, the last of God’s creation, come under the same force. The chapter ends leaving no hope that the trend can be reversed. Indeed, the very acts which unleashed the powers have now gotten so strong a hold on the wicked that repentance is no longer possible. De-creation has reached its nadir.
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| "The Second Coming" (Source) |
For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
When the testimony of the Elders ceases to be given, and the Lord says to them, “Come home; I will now preach my own sermons to the nations of the earth,” all you now know can scarcely be called a preface to the sermon that will be preached with fire and sword, tempests, earthquakes, hail, rain, thunders and lightnings, and fearful destruction. What matters the destruction of a few railway cars? You will hear of magnificent cities, now idolized by the people, sinking in the earth, entombing the inhabitants. The sea will heave itself beyond its bounds, engulfing mighty cities. Famine will spread over the nations, and nation will rise up against nation, kingdom against kingdom, and states against states, in our own country and in foreign lands.(Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 8, p. 123, July 15, 1860). Heber C. Kimball similarly explained that "[t]he judgments of God will be poured out upon the wicked to the extent that our elders from far and near will be called home." Orson Pratt made similar statements.
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| "The War In Heaven" |
And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.(Rev. 12:7-9). After being case onto the earth, Satan turns to persecuting the woman. (Rev. 12:13). However, "to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent." (Rev. 12:14). That is, "the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days." (Rev. 12:6). This is in reference to the persecution of the early (or Primitive) Church, the apostasy and the period until the restoration. (See Acts 3:19-21). Brandt writes:
... the member of the Primitive Church literally fled, or were led away, to find refuge in distant lands. ... While the truth and authority were lost, the blood lines of Israel were preserved among the nations through the long dark night of apostasy.(See also Rev. 12:15-16 (noting that the woman escaped the flood sent after her by Satan)). Brandt quotes the following from Elder Erastus Snow about a portion of the elect having been hidden from Satan and their posterity preserved for the last days. Snow stated:
Their [Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob's] blood has permeated European society, and it coursed in the veins of the early colonists of America. This is the blood that has been foremost among those spirits who have come forth to accept the gospel, those who did not wait for the Elders to hunt them from the hills and corners of the earth, but they were hunting for the Elders, impelled by a spirit which then they could not understand; and for this reason were they among the first Elders of the Church; they and the fathers having been watched over from the days that God promised those blessings upon Isaac and Jacob and Joseph and Ephraim.
And these are they that will be found at the front ranks of all that is noble and good in their day and time, and who will be found among those whose efforts are directed in establishing upon the earth those heaven-born principles which tend directly to blessing and salvation, to ameliorating the condition of their fellow-men, and elevating them in the scale of their being; and among those also who receive the fullness of the Everlasting Gospel, and the keys of the Priesthood in the last days, through whom God determined to gather up again unto himself a peculiar people, a holy nation, a pure seed that shall stand upon Mount Zion as saviors, not only to the house of Israel but also to the house of Esau.It is important to understand that the war in Heaven was a rebellion against God's plan ("the Word"--John 1:1), which was salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. Satan instead advocated for "absolute eternal security at the sacrifice of our freedom." That is, under Satan's proposal, all would be forcibly saved, but all glory (and power) would be Satan's. If this reminds you of the premise of the various forms of socialism--using state power to force everyone to be "good"--then you will better understand Chapter 13 of Revelation. Brandt explains:
Subverting agency and applying principles of force would transform the children of God into lowly, subservient subjects, rather than individuals endowed with endless potential. Mankind would spent their mortal probation in passive, reactionary modes to be controlled or manipulated.And, like modern progressives, socialists, and communists, Satan's "real motivation was not the welfare or advancement of mankind, but a conceited hunger for honor and power. He desperately desired the grand honors and elevated station that would be bestowed upon the chosen savior." (See Isa. 14:13).
The war was severe, and it had eternal consequences. Every kind of sin (with the possible exception of sins involving death) were present in that premortal state, and there were many casualties. Repentance was in order for all who sinned, and forgiveness in that premortal life was available through Jesus Christ and obedience to the plan of salvation. This was not a war just of words and debate and forensics. It was a war of misdeeds, lies, hatred, pride, jealousy, remorse, envy, cursing, blasphemy, deception, theft, cajoling, slander, anger, and sins of almost every kind that are also known in mortality. The issues were so well defined that coexistence was not possible. Those who wholeheartedly supported Lucifer's rebellion became like him.(quoting Dr. Robert Matthews; underline mine). The final outcome of the war was that Satan and his followers were cast out from Heaven, losing their opportunity to obtain physical bodies. But that was not the end of the war, for Satan fights against righteousness here on earth. He cannot give up the battle because he is now obsessed with revenge; for he "was a murderer from the beginning," and "a liar, and the father of it." (John 8:44). Thus, he desires that all men become miserable like himself (2 Nephi 2:27), and "goeth up and down, to and fro in the earth, seeking to destroy the souls of men." (D&C 10:27). Thus, John warns: "Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time." (Rev. 12:12).
And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.(Rev. 13:1-2). The Beast mirrors the dragon in having seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns. (C.f. Rev. 12:3). The ten horns, and the combination of features from a leopard, bear, and lion are the same as Daniel describes in his vision (see Dan. 7:7). The lion represented the Babylonian Empire; the bear represented the Persian-Median empires, and the leopard represented Alexander's empire and the subsequent Hellenic kingdoms. The Beast of John's vision is made up of parts of those empires, and likely represents both the Roman Empire and its successor states. That the Beast arises from the sea may have double meanings: the sea has traditionally been viewed a source of evil; and, later, we are told that the "waters" represent "peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues" (Rev. 17:15).
Modern manifestations include often condescending ideologues commonly found in social progressive movements. Many of these activists are self described intellectuals with highly elite attitudes who achieve their goals through more surreptitious means. Tactically, they promote the "populist" cause, but strategically their ends are to establish new roles and powers in big, centralized governments. Carefully they cut away and dispose of individual freedoms for the "greater social good" or "social equality." In the process they take power unto themselves. Government becomes god with its own state religion, that of irreligion in the form of iconoclastic reasoning. Many modern socialists are not unlike the "kingmen" in the Book of Mormon (Alma 51, 60), who were also popular elitists that sought power and whose aims were "to destroy the church of God [or religion generally], and to destroy the foundation of liberty which God had granted unto them" (Alma 46:10). In the end this form of governance enables anti-Christ principles to take root in society. It slices away at man's inherent freedoms. Agency is subverted by degrees, rejecting the gift of self-governance and reliance in favor of secular, hedonistic doctrines.And, "[i]n the culminating events leading to the coming of the Son of Man, the 'ten horns' or Gentile nations will unify under a latter day beast (Dan. 7:8, 20) who will be like the ancient Caesars. These rulers will give their strength and loyalty to the Beast."
He [i.e., Satan] employs political, religious, media, and economic influences to further his purposes and to discredit or subvert the moral foundations of society. "What Satan calls from the abyss is not government, but the [terrible] abuse or government, the omni-competent state."
Brandt goes on to discuss secret combinations, of which we are warned of many times in the scriptures. It is through these secret combinations that the Beast and others like him obtain power. "By oath, threat, and terror, order is kept in their society. They intimidate, punish, and even kill members who might seek to leave or expose the secret organization."* * *Today in countries throughout the world, wicked men have already combined in sordid cabals to obtain wealth and dominions.
The devil's goal with these secret societies is not just wickedness, violence, or murder for money and power. No, his end goal is to gain control, the absolute and complete management of institutions and government; and through them, the regulation and therefore the manipulation of societies and individuals.
Moreover, "[e]ven well intended political ideologies or programs that purport to serve the greater good or build 'better societies' will, in the end, lay the groundwork for secret societies to gain control, if they require people to relinquish their freedoms."* * *Once in power, Satan uses his servents to pervert the right ways of the Lord, to harden the minds and hearts of the people against that which is good. [Citations omitted]. His agents work to change laws, history, culture and traditions so as to turn policy against the followers of God, so that the citizens of society being to fight against righteousness. The minds of the people are changed so that good becomes evil and evil good. [Citation omitted].
Many anti-Christs do and will hold power in the latter days, but the one anti-Christ who will gain a seat as the leader among the leaders of the nations will be a modern version of Nero. He will be a person in the likeness of this ruthless rule, whose disposition will be exceptionally malevolent.Brandt seems to take the common view that the mortal wound to the Beast's head represents a mortal wound to a particular person, which will be miraculously healed. (John West, in his book, Fry The Brain: The Art of Urban Sniping and its Role in Modern Guerrilla Warfare offers a scenario where such a ruler could seem to die and be miraculously healed without the need for an actual miracle, by use of a body double that is assassinated, with the real person then showing himself unharmed later).
If any man have an ear, let him hear.
He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.(Rev. 13:9-10). This warning should be considered with other pronouncements of the Lord commanding the Saints to "avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord." (Romans 12:19). As I've mentioned several times before, the wicked will be destroyed by their own actions, natural disasters, and the wrath of the Lord at His Second Coming. We do not want to fall into the same error that destroyed the Nephite nation where they got caught up on an endless cycle of revenge and violence that unified their enemies and led to their loving killing over loving Christ.
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 exerciseth 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.Brandt notes that the fact that the second beast arose from the land, rather than the sea, suggests that this second beast is a local or regional leader; and probably one of the leaders of one of the world's great religions. In any event, "John's message is a warning that from among the world religions and local governments, personalities will arise and align themselves in support of the latter day beast."
We can expect that modern false prophets will endeavor to use religious, legal and political persuasions to turn the people against the righteous and righteous principles. The latter day servants of the beast in positions of power will exercise authority to enforce the mandates of the anti-Christs in power. They will have power to legislate, pass judgment, to charge, summon, arrest, try, and prosecute those who will not conform to their laws and edicts. The targets of such persecutions will inevitably include all who faithfully remain true to Christ.Interestingly, this second beast causes the world to worship the first beast, partly through the exercise of miracles:
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.(Rev. 13:14). Christ, Himself, warned: "For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect." (Matt. 24:24).
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.(Rev. 13:16-18).
In time, people's countenances begin to reflect the gods they worship. As slaves to sin they become restless, mischievous, and deceitful. They become as a "troubled sea" and can find "no rest day nor night" (Rev. 14:11; Isa. 57:20-21). Eventually, they die "as to things pertaining unto righteousness, being dead unto all good works" (Alma 5:42 (40-42)).However, John is probably describing a physical mark. Brandt mentions some historic examples of such markings, and what would have informed John and the people of his day. Brandt notes that the Greek word for "mark" signifies a "stamp, etching or engraving," and that "[i]n John's day it was a form of branding used on slaves and animals to identify the owner." Slaves were branded this way on the palm of the right hand or on the forehead directly above the eyes. However, it was not just slaves that were marked thusly. Religious tattooing and branding was common in the ancient world to indicate their branding, and soldiers often marked themselves with the sign of their commanding general to show ownership. And, of course, we have the example of the Amlicites in the Book of Mormon who, upon dissenting from the Nephites, marked themselves on their foreheads.
Today many tattoo themselves with various symbols, patterns and words to show loyalty or devotion, to fit in, or make a statement, all the while desecrating their bodies with a literal mark. By their very deed they express something about who they are and what influences their lives. Body piercing, an ancient and accepted form of self-marking, is also popular today.And although Brandt doesn't reference this, I would observe that in the stories about "spirit cooking" that have circulated about some on the left, they often have cut marks on their hands, which also act as marks to identify them to one another.
Coinage and treasury income was stamped with the mark of the imperial beast, and the emperor and provincial leaders kept a tight rein on this wealth. Most commerce and contracts were validated by the "mark of the beast," or the seal or approval of the emperor. Thus, no one conducted significant business without being part of the establishment.
John's point is that those who control the wealth have the power to influence policy in accordance with their desires. Rome's super rich rewarded loyalty and discrimination against those who opposed their designs. In the Book of Mormon, we find a similar practice in the era when the Gadianton robbers controlled the government, the courts, and much of the commerce. This diabolical secret combination exercised authority to accumulate wealth and to thereby control society.I'm not going to engage in fruitless speculation as to how people will be marked and how it will be used to control commerce. I would note that, although it does not involve a physical mark on the hand or forehead, we are already seeing such economic coercion today by means of social and economic ostracising of those that are not "politically correct". Social justice warriors stand ready to destroy careers and businesses over incorrect thoughts. Businesses have been fined and sued for not wanting to celebrate gay marriage.
