Unraveling Revelation

References in the books of Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Micah to a mysterious character called “the Assyrian” are far more important than we realize. Best-selling author Ryan Pitterson joins us to discuss his new book, The Final Nephilim. He explains who the Assyrian is and the key role he plays in the end times.

We continue our discussion of the symbols used by the prophet Daniel to represent the ages of human history and our prophesied future. The metals of the statue in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream—gold, silver, bronze, and iron—were used by pagans to divide human history and the foretell a future “golden age.” Daniel was shown a series of beasts—first, a winged lion, a bear, a four-headed winged leopard, fol...

A 2,000 year old poem has become the basis for the globalist agenda called the Great Reset. We discuss the Roman poet Virgil’s Fourth Eclogue, compare the Greek poet Hesiod’s Works and Days to Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of a statue made of gold, silver, bronze, and iron, and explain how this is all a long game by the fallen realm to convince their followers that it’s possible to bring about heaven on...

We continue with Ezekiel’s tour of the underworld and explain why the “mighty chiefs” in the midst of Sheol are the Nephilim, the giants of Genesis 6.

Ezekiel gives us the most detailed description of Sheol, the Hebrew term for the underworld. This week, we discuss Ezekiel’s description of Pharaoh as a lion and a dragon, the Mesopotamian concept of dragons, and how the prophet’s description of the Egyptian king is connected to Mesopotamian creation stories and the Bible’s chaos-dragon, Leviathan.

The entity called Lucifer is not who we think he is. We look at the Day of the Lord in Isaiah with a study of the king of Babylon in Isaiah 13 and 14. We explain why Babylon may not mean the city made famous by Hammurabi and Nebuchadnezzar, and why Lucifer, a translation of the Hebrew Helen Ben Shachar (“Lightbringer son of Dawn”) is probably the rebel Watcher chief Shemihazah—better known to us a...

CHRISTIANS HAVE speculated on the ethnicity of the Antichrist for 2,000 years and we still have not reached a definite conclusion. This week, we look at Daniel 2:40–45 and discuss just what is meant by the toes of “iron mixed with soft clay” in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of the statue of gold, silver, bronze and iron. Will the Antichrist be Roman, Muslim—or American?

TWO VERSES in Daniel chapter 9 are the basis for identifying the ethnicity of the Antichrist. Not surprisingly, conclusions as to his origins span the globe from Rome to Mecca to Washington, D.C. We discuss Daniel 9:26–27 and explain why its meaning is not as clear as it might seem on first reading.

WHAT DO we know from the Bible about the great end times enemy of God and Israel--the Antichrist? This week, we begin a study based on the clues in scripture about the human referred to by Paul as the Man of Lawlessness and the Son of Destruction (or Son of Perdition). The Antichrist is mentioned by that name in only four verses in the Bible: 1 John 2:18 and 22; 1 John 4:3, and 2 John 7. Far more...

THE EMERGENCE of the Beast, the Antichrist of the end times, kicks off a three-end-a-half year period of literal hell on earth. But the war for control of the earth won't be limited to the natural world. We discuss the connection between the seven-headed Beast of Revelation 13 and the four beasts of Daniel 7, the transfer of power and authority from Satan to the Beast, and why the diadems from Sat...

WHEN, EXACTLY, did Satan rebel? We discuss the connections between the red dragon of Revelation 12 and Jesus statement that he “saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven” (Luke 10:18).

WHILE SATAN is described by Peter as “a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8), his ultimate end is the lake of fire. We continue our review of the scriptures about Satan: * He disputed with Michael for the body of Moses. (Jude 9) * He has the power of death! * Hebrews 2:14–15 (ESV): Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same thin...

THE BIBLE gives us enough clues to peel away centuries of tradition to see what the apostles knew about Satan in the first century. So, what do we know for sure about Satan? * Old Testament * “The satan” was a title, not a proper name * He was allowed to test Job * Tested David through census (1 Chr. 21:1) * Asked to test the high priest Joshua (Zechariah 3:1–2) * New Testament * Satan is a proper...

MODERN CHRISTIANS have been taught that the supernatural enemy of God is just “the devil”—and many of us don’t believe he’s real. This week, we discuss four of the major figures leading the forces opposed to God: Satan (the storm-god Jupiter/Zeus/Baal), Apollyon (Saturn/Kronos/El), Leviathan (the Antichrist), and Mystery Babylon (Ishtar/Inanna).

WE CONTINUE our study of Satan this week with a focus on a question that’s puzzled Christians for 2,000 years: If Satan is a nachash (“serpent”) in Genesis 3, how can he be the “guardian cherub” of Ezekiel 28? And what if Ezekiel 28, and its parallel chapter Isaiah 14, don’t refer to Satan at all?

THE DESTRUCTION of Sodom and Gomorrah is more significant than we’ve been taught. If it was just about alternative lifestyles, God would have a lot more smiting on His to-do list. We continue our discussion of the journey led by Joseph after the death of Jacob and the possible reasons he stopped to mourn for seven days at Abel Mizraim “beyond the Jordan,” probably the ruined city of Sodom, a route...

THE DESTRUCTION of ancient Sodom, which is in the news thanks to a new academic paper, is connected to the promise God made to Abraham and to the battle of Armageddon. We discuss the reasons for the spiritual significance of Sodom, noting that Joseph stopped there and mourned Jacob for seven days before taking his father to his final resting place at Hebron—which, when you look at a map, is much c...

WHEN GOD personally intervenes in human affairs, it’s a big deal. Stunning new peer-reviewed research has identified an archaeological site near Mount Nebo in Jordan as ancient Sodom. We discuss the connection to God’s promise of a son to Abraham, the reasons God may have had for putting a stop to what was happening at Sodom, and the link between Sodom and the opening of the abyss in Revelation 9....

LUCIFER WASN’T born, he was created—by the early church. We continue our study of Satan and explain how early church theologians, beginning with Ignatius of Antioch in the early 2nd century through Augustine in the early 5th, transformed “the adversary” of the Old Testament into Lucifer and shaped our modern understanding of the devil.

CHRISTIANS HAVE been taught that Satan is the great enemy of God, responsible for causing all sorts of evil on the earth. That’s not how he’s described in the Old Testament. In fact, “Satan” isn’t even a proper name in the Old Testament, it’s a job title—something like “the accuser,” or “prosecuting attorney.” However, it appears that somewhere along the line, “the satan” grew to enjoy his job a b...

THE LONG war between the Kingdom of God and Satan’s would-be kingdom is summarized by two of Jesus’ parables. The Parable of the Wicked Tenants (Matt. 21:33–46, Mark 12:1–12, Luke 20:9–19) describes the foolish effort by the fallen “sons of God” to take away the inheritance of the Son, and the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 10:10–32) represents humanity’s rebellion and redemption—and the reacti...

WE THINK we know more about Satan than the Bible actually tells us. This week, we detour from Revelation 12 to begin a brief study on the devil. How much of what we know about Satan is wrong? More than you’d think.

One of the most interesting sections of the Book of Revelation is chapter 12, where Satan enters the narrative as a red dragon with seven heads, ten horns, and seven diadems. We discuss the imagery of the woman clothed in the sun, her child who rules the world with a rod of iron, and whether Satan’s expulsion from heaven was a past or future event, comparing it to Jesus’ remark in Luke 10;18 that...

The Day of the Lord is referenced dozens of times in scripture. It describes a “great and terrible day” when the wrath of God is poured out upon an unrepentant world. This week, we discuss the characteristics of the Day of the Lord. They include: * It comes suddenly (1 Thess. 5:2–4; 2 Peter 3:10; Rev. 3:3, 16:15) * It’s a day of darkness (Zeph. 1:15; Isa. 13:10; Joel 2:1–2, 32, 3:15; 2 Peter 3:10;...

Ezekiel made a point of singling out “the Travelers” in his prophecy of the war of Gog and Magog. This week, we explain why and identify where the army of Gog will fall.