upgraded March 5, 2010
Revelation 13:1-18 (NIV) And the dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. He had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on his horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was astonished and followed the beast. Men worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, "Who is like the beast? Who can make war against him?" The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise his authority for forty-two months. He opened his mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast--all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world. He who has an ear, let him hear. If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity he will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword he will be killed. This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints. Then I saw another beast, coming out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon. He exercised all the authority of the first beast on his behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. And he performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in full view of men. Because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth. He ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. He was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that it could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name. This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man's number. His number is 666.
God is a God of perfect law, and consequently perfect order. 1 Corinthians 14:33 referenced below is an algebraic formula:
1 Corinthians 14:33 (NIV) For God is not a God of disorder but of peace.
God /= Disorder (God does not equal disorder.)
God = Order
God = Law
"Law is order, and good law is good order" - Aristotle 384-322 B. C.
Law = Order
Psalm 119: 163-165 (NIV) I hate and abhor falsehood but I love your law. Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous laws. Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.
righteous adj [alter. of earlier rightuous, alter. of ME rightwise, rightwos, fr. OE rihtwis, fr. riht, n., right + wis wise] (1535) 1: acting in accord with divine or moral law : free from guilt or sin 2 a: morally right or justifiable <a ~ decision> b: arising from an outraged sense of justice or morality <~ indignation> 3 slang : GENUINE GOOD syn see MORAL - righteously adv - righteousness n - Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary
Righteousness is acting in accord with divine or moral law.
Isaiah 32:17 (NIV) The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever.
Law = Peace
God = Peace
Disorder and chaos is the form that the universe was in prior to God imposing Himself, or God's presence on the universe.
Genesis 1:1-2a (NIV) In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep,
Genesis 1:1-2a (KJV) In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.
God created the universe by imposing God's perfect order, or Himself, on disorder and chaos. Knowledge of God's perfect order exposes the fallacy of the theory of evolution. The theory of evolution is: Like cause will produce inconsistent effects. God's imposed perfect order presence on creation is why the theory of evolution, is the theory of a fool.
Psalm 14:1a (NIV) The fool says in his heart, "There is no God."
When Jesus Christ calmed the storm, it was a paradigm of God imposing God's perfect order presence on creation.
Matthew 8:23-27 (NIV) Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!" He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. The men were amazed and asked, "What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!"
Mark 4:35-41 (NIV) That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, "Let us go over to the other side." Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?" He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!"
Luke 8:22-25 (NIV) One day Jesus said to his disciples, "Let's go over to the other side of the lake." So they got into a boat and set out. As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Master, Master, we're going to drown!" He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. "Where is your faith?" he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, "Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him."
Without God's presence, disorder and chaos is the natural form of the universe. Without the presence of God, the universe would return to disorder and chaos. God's presence in the universe is why the universe migrates naturally to the imposed order of God, and why the universe never migrates away from the imposed order of God. All of creation is perfectly controlled by God's presence with the exception of man, with man's free-will.
God gave YOU the Holy Word of God; and the potential, through faith in Jesus Christ, for the infilling of the Blessed Holy Spirit of God as YOUR Counselor; in order to teach YOU how to function within the perfect order of God's universe. Godly people have self-discipline. Godly people have a self-imposed order. Godly people have self-control. Self-control is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit of God.
Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
If YOU move away from God, by default YOU move away from God's law and order, and consequently, YOU move toward disorder and chaos. If YOU move away from God's law, by default YOU move away from peace.
Sinful people do not have self-control. Sinful people hate discipline. Sinful people hate God's law, because sinful people hate God. If sinful people are to be in order, order must be imposed on sinful people by force. Jesus Christ will rule during the One Thousand Year Millennial Reign with an "iron scepter." (Revelation 19:15, Psalm 2:9) There will be sinful people who will survive the three and one-half year "great tribulation" Period. Following the "great tribulation", those sinful people will no longer have a free-will, and will have God's order imposed on them by force.
The devil and his sinful fallen angels/demons, are exactly like sinful man, in that both the devil and sinful man innately desire to eliminate God, and God's perfect order from the universe. The devil, and his angels/demons, as well as sinful man; hate God so much, that they desire to remove God, and the presence of God from all of creation. The devil, his angels/demons, and sinful man desire to return all of creation to that formlessness or disorder/chaos that existed in creation before God imposed Himself on creation. Sinful creatures desire to return creation to the disorder/chaos that creation was in, when the earth "was formless and empty," or "without form and void," and specifically without the imposed perfect order presence of God.
If a person or society moves away from God, and fails to comply with the instructions contained within the Holy Word of God, and fails to follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit of God; then that person or society is defying the imposed perfect order of God. That person or society is moving out of synchronization with the universe. That person or society is, "throwing a monkey wrench" into the perfect order of God, and is thereby effecting disorder/chaos. However, the perfect order of God's universe is designed to overpower the "monkey wrench," consequently that lawless person or society will never be able to function effectively within the perfect order of God. That lawless person or society will never be able to accomplish much, or anything for very long. That person or society is out of order. That person or society is disorderly and chaotic.
Without the imposed perfect order presence of God, man's spirit and soul is lawless, disorderly, chaotic, without form, void, and out of order. Man's spirit and soul soon imposes disorder and chaos on man's body through lawless living. The lawless want no law. All law is under attack by the lawless. The law of marriage between a man and a woman is under attack. Many of the judges today are lawless, and are destroying the law with their judgments.
Proverbs 17:15 (NIV) Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent--the Lord detests them both.
Job 9:24a (NIV) When a land falls into the hands of the wicked, he blindfolds its judges.
"The judge is condemned when the criminal is absolved." - Publilius Syrus first century B. C.
Many of the edicts of governments, and the edicts of judges today comply exactly with fallen man's desire to return the universe to its natural state of disorder and chaos. These laws, and judgments, are "without form, and void." Most of the people that are attempting to destroy the law, do not realize what they are doing to the law. When people move away from God, they corrupt their wisdom. They lose their ability to think wisely.
Ezekiel 28:17b(NIV) you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor.
Job 12:24 (NIV) He deprives the leaders of the earth of their reason; he sends them wandering through a trackless waste. They grope in darkness with no light; he makes them stagger like drunkards.
The Government of the United States of America is removing God, the Holy Word of God, Prayer, the Ten Commandments, and every form of God, from all aspects of public and private life as quickly as they can. In a direct correlation, schools, post offices, court houses, and government buildings have become war zones. People are becoming terrified by the wickedness, lawlessness, godlessness and disorderly chaos that is overwhelming the society.
During the three and one-half year "great tribulation" Period, when men cry peace, there will be no peace, because there will be disorder and chaos. Sinful people refuse to accept God, and God's structured order of law. Sinful people are wickedly stupid.
Isaiah 57:18-21 (NIV) I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will guide him and restore comfort to him, 19 creating praise on the lips of the mourners in Israel. Peace, peace, to those far and near," says the Lord. "And I will heal them." 20 But the wicked are like the tossing sea, which cannot rest, whose waves cast up mire and mud. 21 "There is no peace," says my God, "for the wicked."
Jeremiah 6:14 (NIV) They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. 'Peace, peace,' they say, when there is no peace.
1 Thessalonians 5:3 (NIV) While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
The Antichrist is a man of lawlessness. Consequently, the Antichrist is a man of disorder. The Antichrist is a man of chaos.
Antichrist = Disorder, Chaos
Antichrist = No Peace
"Unlimited power is apt to corrupt the minds of those who possess it; and this I know, my lords, that where laws end, tyranny begins." - William Pitt, Earl of Chatham 1708-1778
During the "great tribulation" Period, the influence of God on society will be minimized, and consequently the discipline, regimentation, and order of most men individually, and our society as a whole will be gone. The lawlessness of the Antichrist, coupled with the lawlessness of men, will create an ineffective, disorderly and chaotic society, governed by an ineffective, disorderly and chaotic government. This lawlessness will effect disorder and chaos throughout the world. However, the disorder and chaos will allow many "Born Again" Children of God to evade the Antichrist and death, when the Antichrist attempts to kill the "Born Again" Children of God.