Symbols of the Powers of Darkness
Throughout the scriptures symbols of the powers of darkness, the invisible demonic empire, appear in different parabolic forms. Already we have considered that God gave devils nicknames according to the things they possessed. Thus, Satan and demons are called the "dragon", "serpents and vipers", "dogs and sows", Matthew 23:33; II Peter 2:22; Revelation 12:9. The demon is also a scapegoat, and as we have shown earlier, he is the "man of sin," I Corinthians 6:19; II Corinthians 6:16; II Thessalonians 2:2-4. We have also shown the female demons are parabolized as birds, Revelation 17:5, 18:2. This same Babylon is the invisible wicked woman whose instructions deceived Adam and Eve. Her symbol then was the tree of knowledge of good and evil, Genesis 2:17; Matthew 7:17-18, 13:37-39; Hebrews 2:14; James 1:15. We have also learned that prophets wrote and spoke to demons in possessed men, calling them by the man's name, but Jesus had power to call the demon by his own name as he did when Satan spoke through Peter. We will all do well to think in the highest spiritual light when we read the Bible to discern to whom the word "man" is directed.
At this time we will discuss the symbols of the powers of darkness that appear in Revelation These symbols are the "dragon", "beast", "false prophet," etc. Much confusion has resulted because demons taught us through our teachers that the last two symbols referred to human beings. This lie was to get the wrath of men shifted from demons to men. This, of course, deceived learned scholars because they judged by appearance. Thus, Satan accomplished his goal to set the sword of one man against another, fulfilling these scriptures, Matthew 24:15-22; Luke 11:17; Revelation 12:17. Now the commandments given to men vary according to the purpose of God and the Holy Ghost, Job 1:6-12; Isaiah 10:12-15, 47:6; John 15:5, 16:8-12; Romans 8:20-21, 9:16-21; I Corinthians 4:9-14, 15:41. Some men do not have specific commandments, Psalm 147:19-20; Luke 12:47-48; John 15:22-24; Hebrews 12:8; James 4:17. So men were set in the earth by the will of God according to His purpose which is gaining greater cause to damn the demons. As a Father, He will destroy Satan for crushing all His innocent babes and for possessing them almost instantly from the womb. Under such conditions men had no chance, Proverbs 5:14. But all of us whom He foreknew are called by His name simply because we are His sons and daughters, Secrets 22:11,12, 23:3-5, Daniel 12:1, Enoch 68, Psalm 44:22; Romans 8:28-32; Revelation 12:10-11. As "men of sin" these demons will have all sins put on their heads, Enoch 10:7-10, Leviticus 16:20-22; Mark 9:1; Luke 17:33-37; Romans 5:17-21; I John 3:8-10; Jude 1:9. Sin is a demon.
Looking beyond flesh and blood, we will look at the spirits controlling the action. Men are only visible, captive indicators of demonic activities, Isaiah 14:12,16-20; Matthew 13:30; John 8:34; Ephesians 6:12; II Timothy 2:26; I John 3:8. The text in I John tells us, it is not men but demons in them doing evil works. John tells us a spiritual phenomenon which was prophesied years ago in these words, Revelation 16:12-15. Here we see that demons would be brought against mankind in warfare, Ezekiel 39:14-18, Song of Solomon 8:6,7, Hosea 13:14. But this started with Adam, Isaiah 48:3. Moses described this using a visible parable, which stood for the prince and power of the air, Enoch 18:10-16, 19:1-3, . Thus the nation described as an eagle from the end of heaven is really demons we cannot see, Daniel 7:4; II Corinthians 6:14-18; Revelation 5:5, 12:4-5, 18:4; II Esdras 12:1-3,31-34. Certain writers have described only the visible indicators and not the enemy, when they concluded that the beasts John saw were nations. Going beyond appearance and fleshy judgment, we see demons riding in and on men and using possessed ministers teaching such for advantage to keep men in dark ignorance, . A possessed man is described as a horse, even as the righteous saints and angels are described as God's horsemen, Isaiah 8:9, 10:4, 13:15; Jeremiah 51:17; Ezekiel 35:14-15; Zechariah 9:11-13, 10:3-5; Matthew 13:40-43; Revelation 20:8. Looking at the nations. we see only the Russians allied with the Arabs poised to strike at Israel and Jerusalem today, but they are only Satan's temporary horses. We see our possessed brethren being used, Jeremiah 51:35. Such a visible sign of men warring tells us that the "man of sin" is angry because Cod the Holy Ghost exposed him and that the mystery of God and godliness is being revealed, II Thessalonians 2:3-5; I Timothy 3:16; Revelation 10:7-11. The sweet word is that all men are God's beloved sons and daughters, but the bitter part is that we are possessed by devils, Daniel 7:21-22,25-27; Romans 5:18-19; Hebrews 2:14; Revelation 12:17.
Our first look at parabolic symbols of Revelations is the "dragon" Daniel 7:7-8,19-20; Revelation 12:3-4. This symbol is quickly realized in Revelation 12:9. But Satan and those under his control were called "dragon" earlier by Isaiah and Jeremiah, Isaiah 27:1; Jeremiah 51:34. Also, Ezekiel used this parable, Ezekiel 29:3. The key word "dragon" tells you that it is Satan possessing a king and ruling a nation of possessed men through the king. Each possessing demon makes up part of the body of the dragon even as each man makes up part of the body of Christ in parabolic language, I Corinthians 12:12-27. In Revelation 17:9, the seven mountains are the seven continents inhabited by possessable men. A mountain is also used to symbolize the power of a demon over man as Jesus showed, Matthew 17:18-20. The horns indicate the times demons would completely take over the earth, before truth would rise up, and breach the lies, Daniel 7:21-22, 8:3-14; Revelation 17:10-14. It is not needful for me to explain to you the goat of Daniel 8; II Peter 1:20-21. This parable tells us that the kingdom of demons is collectively, the scapegoat for the children of men. The ram is none other than the bodies of men which parabolize the body of the Holy Ghost. We have already shown that he is the "ram." At Pentecost he began to exert his authority over the kingdom of men through the apostles, Paul and those apostles who worked with Paul. The Holy Ghost is "Pravuil" in "Secrets 22, who gave prophecy to Enoch. He is also the angel of Revelation 10, who makes the earth the footstool of God by showing God's authority on sea and land. The seven churches of Revelations 2 and 3 made up the body of the ram, but when the goat struck, grievous wolves entered in, Matthew 7:15; Acts 20:29-31. Thus, the scapegoat raped the world by scattering and possessing ministers in the churches. False doctrine, then, drowned those who swam in it. This type of rule is by possession and control of men's bodies and minds. Therefore, they teach through men that madness, as described by the word of God, is normal. A few examples will suffice: keeping up with satanic modes of dress or lasciviousness, lust and sexual perverseness in dating and marriage, killing men for the sake of '"freedom from oppressive conditions".
In Revelation 13:1-10 we see another beast, which I call the amalgamated or mixed beast, Daniel 7:1-8. The visions of Daniel and John are the same. God separated the characters, the men and the demons for Daniel showing him two aspects, the ruling nations of possessed men, and four world take-overs by the demons which Nebuchadnezzar also saw, Daniel 2:31-45. The beast of Revelation has just been amalgamated with the admittance of China, whose national symbol is the dragon, into the United Nations. Still, we are not wrestling with men or nations of men, Ephesians 6:12; II Thessalonians 5:2,3. Our brethren are temporarily possessed, Isaiah 25:7-8, 42:1-4,6-8; Malachi 3:18; John 16:8-11.
Looking in Revelations 13:11-18 we see just another aspect of satanic madness. This one deals with Satan's attack on Daniel's ram, or the rise of false ministers, teachers, and prophets, Matthew 24:11,23,25; Jude 1:11,16 Corinthians 11:13-15, Enoch 19. Demons possessing our brethren and lying through them make up the body of the false prophet which appears like the body of Christ, the Lamb, I Corinthians 12:27; Jude 1:16. Nevertheless, satanic lies and guile are taught by them, and they cannot see it, Daniel 7:21-22; Mark 16:18; I Timothy 4:1-3; II Timothy 4:3-4; Revelation 14:4-5. Look at this, Psalm 78:9-18 and compare it with Numbers 23:21-23. Can you rightly divide those two scriptures? Malachi 3:18, Enoch 10:9. If you cannot by now, rivers of water will run from my eyes. Here is the answer plainly: A SCAPEGOAT AND SIN IS A DEMON!! As the population of men goes, so goes the number of demonically possessed houses, Ecclesiastes 7:20.
Now the power of the "false prophet" is nothing except when God allows Satan to work through some men to test our love and obedience to Him. Moses and Wisdom teased Satan and our brethren in such a way as to teach us, Secrets 30:13-16 (the four directions are the four archangels), Jubilees 48, Romans 8:20-21, 9:16-23. For the same reason (plus love for the innocent actors) he left some of the Canaanites in the land of Israel, Judges 2:20-23. Because God has allowed demons to work miracles, they will surely say these words to Jesus, Matthew 25:31-46. God has caught us red handed and "napping", Psalm 138:2; John 1:1-5, 20:29; I Corinthians 11:20-30; II Esdras 1:35-40. Jesus already taught us how to fight deceit, Matthew 4:1-11. It is not done by the sight of the eyes but by the word of truth, Isaiah 42:19-25.
Let us consider what is known as the "image of the beast", Revelation 13:14-16. Image simply means a likeness to some thing. Here possessed men are forced into acting like devils, who together constitute the body of the beast. Acting like devils, men then become the image of the beast by virtue of demons in them doing all the works. Enoch put this in a different way, Enoch 94:5, 99:2, 91:4 (p. 261). Still Jesus said it differently. Ecclesiastes 1:15; Matthew 7:15-20; Luke 16:13. Demons are considered dead because they have the sentence of death on them, and also, they are without the spirit of God, II Corinthians 1:9; Ephesians 2:1-3; James 2:26. Jude called them twice dead, calling the sentence of the second death upon them, Isaiah 46:9-10; Jude 1:12; Revelation 20:4-6. We are considered dead as long as we are possessed by "dead spirits" or demons. For these reasons Jesus said this to a disciple, Matthew 8:22. So the power to create an image to the "beast" is the power to force men into acting like demons as Enoch said. Giving life to the "image" is procuring the "living" sons of God for possession as fast as they are born into this world. We already know the powers of the demons to speak through men. What we see here is a replay of Moses and the magicians of Egypt, but this time it is the Holy Ghost against Satan in possessed men. We cannot hear the preaching of the Holy Ghost as he wrestles with demons, but Satan certainly has refused to let us go,Isaiah 14:10-16. Demons under Satan said these words when they had peace, Revelation 13:4. However, this prophecy went out for the Holy Ghost, Isaiah 42:5-8. Now you can see how Moses, Pharaoh, Israel, and the Egyptians were all prophets simply acting out for the benefit of all nations what Satan and the Holy Ghost would do in the last days, Matthew 24:21-24; Romans 8:7-13,29-39. The "mark of the beast" is simply a mad mind which demons inherit from their demonic parents. We receive marks in our foreheads and hands as Christ showed in the parable of his death, Psalm 22:16; Matthew 6:24, 15:13-14,18-20; I Timothy 6:10. A possessing mad demon himself is the mark of Satan which is purged in the ways shown earlier, Books of Adam and Eve XXVIII:4 (p. 148), John 2:24-25, Enoch 15:4-11, Matthew 12:43-45. Satan will let all men go as the act with Moses showed us.