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If you find the truth, will you believe it?

If any man desires to do God's will, he will have the needed illumination to recognize, and can tell for himself whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking from myself and on my own accord.  John 7:17 

Introduction

The origin of sin and the reason for its existence are a source of great perplexity for many. Every day we see the terrible results of evil. We may question how such suffering and sorrow and evil can exist if there truly is an Elohim (THE Supreme Being) Who is all-powerful, infinite in wisdom, and full of love.

To find the answers to these troubling questions and find the solutions to the problems we face, we need to go back to where sin started. According to the Bible, sin began in of all places – heaven!

"And there was war in heaven: Michael and His angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down – that ancient serpent called the Devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him" (Rev. 12:7-9 Amplified Bible, emphasis added).

Where is the Devil according to the Bible? He is not in a place called hell. He is on this earth leading "the whole world astray." Job 1:7 confirms what is said in Revelation 12:9. "And Yahuwah ['the LORD'] said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered Yahuwah [the eternal, self-existent ONE], and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it."

It says that "there was war in heaven" (Rev. 12:7). When we think of heaven, we do not think of there being wars there, do we? We imagine heaven as a place of peace and tranquility rather than of strife and contention. Heaven was a place of peace, harmony, and tranquility: however, that peace was broken recently in relation to eternity.

The entire Universe had been at peace until Satan (aka Lucifer) led a rebellion in heaven against the authority of the Creator. The final events leading to the restoration of peace, harmony, and tranquility throughout the Universe, including here on this earth, is the subject of this book.

The Bible pictures the Devil, or Satan, as once the most beautiful, powerful, and intelligent angel in heaven. He was known as Lucifer (the morning star). He is not a hideous-looking, red monster with cloven feet, horns, a tail, and bat wings as he is often pictured.

"You [Lucifer] were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty . . . You were anointed as a guardian cherub [Cherubim are not little pixy-type beings with tiny little wings. They are mighty angels of the highest order and are in positions of prestige as was Lucifer once upon a time.] . . . You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created until wickedness was found in you . . . So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of Elohim, and I expelled you, O guardian cherub . . . Your heart became proud on account of your beauty and you corrupted your wisdom . . . so I threw you to the earth" (Eze. 28:12-17, NIV). Lucifer's beauty and intelligence were some of the gifts of Elohim that had been bestowed upon him when he was created.

But how could a war have happened in heaven? Elohim had created Lucifer as an intelligent, beautiful, and mighty angel, but Lucifer has corrupted himself into a tyrant. Elohim created angels and humans as beings with free will, intelligence, and the ability to make decisions or choices not controlled by Himself. He did not desire to create automatons, which Webster's Dictionary describes as "a being or person whose actions are not controlled by his own will or intelligence."

There were risks involved in the creation of beings possessing free will, but Elohim was willing to take those risks. He not only knew what could happen, but He knew what would happen and was prepared to meet the crisis when it would occur.  He did not ordain that it should happen!

He wanted His created beings, including the angels, to possess this freedom. Elohim wanted to be loved by the creatures He had made. Love cannot be commanded, demanded, controlled, or even programmed into one's nature. It is something that is given to another by one's own choice. Elohim, being full of love, did not want to force His will on any being, and He still does not. He desires our worship and allegiance, and He wants them based on accurate knowledge and understanding of Him and not based on fear or coercion.

"Thus saith Yahuwah, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: but let him that glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am Yahuwah which exercises lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight saith Yahuwah" (Jer. 9:23-24, emphasis added).

We were originally created in Elohim's image and likeness (Gen. 1:26-27). The fact Elohim created beings with intelligence and a free will uncontrolled by Himself did not set aside His authority as the Creator and Sustainer of all life. Elohim's authority, based on eternal principles or laws, was challenged by Lucifer, and he was permitted to carry out his rebellion rather than be forcibly subjected to the will of Elohim. He led a third of the angels into rebellion against heaven's authority (Rev. 12:4).

He was not destroyed immediately for his rebellion. Instead, in Elohim's infinite wisdom, Lucifer was given time to fully develop his principles that were opposed to Elohim's laws so the remaining loyal angels and the inhabitants of other worlds (Job 1:6, 2:1) could watch and decide for themselves whether or not Elohim's government was faulty as Lucifer had claimed it to be.

What we see taking place here on the earth during our lifetime is the culmination of just over six thousand years of the seeds of rebellion Satan has been sowing coming to maturity.

We too have decisions to make concerning Elohim and His authority, whether to willingly submit to Him and allow His will to be done in our lives or to have it our way. Satan has gained quite a following on the earth. Remember the song, Sympathy for the Devil, by the Rolling Stones? Many openly and knowingly worship Satan (aka Lucifer), but most, if not all, do so in ignorance because they have been greatly deceived by Satan (Rev. 12:9).

This battle began in heaven between Yahushua (Whose name was “Michael” before He came to this earth), the Son of Elohim, and Satan, the glorious angel, now fallen. It now involves you and me and everyone else on this planet and has been growing in intensity for the last six thousand years. It is not only a battle that involves us, but it is over us. Yahuwah, using only love and truth, is drawing us to Himself. Satan, using deception and lies, seeks to keep us from coming to Elohim. "Him [she] that comes to Me I [Yahushua] will in no wise cast out" (John 6:37).

But who is Yahushua (Jesus)? Yahushua asked that question. "He [Yahushua] asked His disciples, saying, ‘Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?' And they said ‘some say that You are John the Baptist; some say Elijah; and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets'" (Matt. 16:13-14). People still believe Yahushua to be many things incorrectly, but Yahushua put the question directly to His followers. "‘But what about you?' He asked, ‘who do you say I am?' Simon Peter answered ‘You are Messiah [the Anointed One], the Son of the living Elohim'" (Matt. 16:15-16, emphasis added).

“And Yahushua answered and said unto him [Peter], Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona:  for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto you, but My Father which is in heaven” (Matt. 16:17).  Elohim’s Spirit had revealed to Peter Who Yahushua is.  Peter had not learned it from Yahushua, just as we too may be taught if we are open to the Spirit of Elohim.

He is the only begotten Son of Elohim (John 3:16). He was "begotten" by the Father (Elohim) (John 16:27, 28, 30, 17:8).  Having been “begotten” means He had a beginning and is not eternal.  The Apostle Paul told us this of Yahushua: "For by Him [Yahushua] were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in the earth . . . all things were created by Him, and for Him: and He is before all things, and by Him all things consist. And He [Yahushua] is the head of the body, the church" (Col. 1:16-18). If Yahushua created all things, then He even created Lucifer, who is now His arch-enemy. It would be like your firstborn child rebelling against you.  Lucifer may have been the first being ever created by Yahushua.

No man has been made the head of the church. Yahushua is the head of His church. Yahushua put it this way: "For one is your Master, even Messiah; and all you are brethren" (Matt. 23:8).

Anyone claiming to be "the head . . . of the church" is usurping Messiah's position of authority and placing himself in the position belonging only to Yahushua. Those called to the ministry are to minister, never to control.

So Yahushua is the "only begotten Son of Elohim." How this came about and when we are not told. Yahushua existed before the creation of the Universe.  Yahushua had a hand in the creation of everything we see. How do we know this to be true? The Bible tells us so in Colossians 1:13-16.

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.  By faith we understand that the Universe was formed at Elohim's command, so that what is seen was made out of what was invisible" (Heb. 11:1-3, NIV, emphasis added).

There is no security, nor is there any certainty in this world we live in today. Our faith is to be anchored in the truths found in the Holy Bible and in Yahuwah Elohim and His Son Who have demonstrated Their love for us in the plan of salvation.

This faith is not some blind belief.  It comes from a personal knowledge and experience with Elohim. No one has faith in a stranger, but as we come to know someone personally and they prove themselves worthy, we have faith or trust in them. So it is with Elohim (God). Can I prove Elohim exists? No! I do not need to. Can I prove to you that I love my wife? No! This is something that is known within the spirit of man.

We can look around and see the works of the Master Designer. Some would have us believe that all we see just happened by chance and has evolved to where it is today. It takes blind faith to believe something like that!

Can I love Yahuwah without having seen Him? Yes! A verse that became very real to my wife and me when we were first getting to know one another is 1 Peter 1:8. "Whom having not seen, you love; in Whom, though you see Him not, yet believing, you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory."

My wife and I met on a website called Christian Mingle. I had been searching the site for a possible wife and had looked at approximately fifteen thousand profiles of ladies over a five-month span. I had corresponded with quite a few by the time I came across the profile of my soon-to-be wife. She was the only one I ever sent a smiley face with the caption "I loved your profile. What do you think of mine?" We e-mailed each other for the next thirteen days before I finally got up enough nerve to call her. We loved each other by then and knew each other very well and on a different level than perhaps if we had communicated face-to-face. She insisted on knowing everything about me, and I desired to know all about her.

Seventy-two days after my first e-mail to her, we were married. When you are serious about something and honest with one another, it doesn't take long, and so it can be with Elohim. When you begin to really discover Elohim's love for you and what He is like, things can go very fast. You may have to take a crash course to develop a relationship with Elohim to be prepared for what is coming upon this earth.

The Bible reveals many things that are not understood by man without the enlightenment of the Spirit of Elohim. "But the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of Elohim: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Cor. 2:14).

"Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will show you things to come" (John 16:13).

People do not understand who Yahushua Messiah [Jesus Christ] is anymore today than when He walked on this earth. This is what the Bible said about Him when He came to the nation He had chosen to be His special people. "He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. He came unto His own [the nation of Israel], and His own received Him not" (John 1:10-11).

But a true follower of Yahushua knows, and anyone who desires to understand the truth and is honest in heart will be shown. Remember the Devil is leading "the whole world astray" (Rev. 12:9). He does not want you to know Who Yahushua is and what He has done for you, and can do for you, and the plans that Yahuwah Elohim and Yahushua have for you. "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith Yahuwah, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end" (Jer. 29:11). "How precious also are Thy thoughts unto me, O Elohim! How great is the sum of them!” (Ps. 139:17).

Yahuwah gave us the Bible so we "might know Thee the only true Elohim, and Yahushua Messiah Whom Thou has sent" (John 17:3, emphasis added). "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of Elohim [Yahushua]; that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may believe on the name of the Son of Elohim [Yahushua]" (1 John 5:13, emphasis added).

For centuries, Satan has leagued together with men and has sought to destroy the faithful children of Elohim along with the Bible. People were put to death, in some cases, for possessing just a single page of the Bible. At times, there were few copies of the Bible in existence. During these Dark Ages, the Bible was being kept from humanity at all costs. Estimates are between fifty million and two hundred million people were put to death in Satan's attempt to prevent earth's inhabitants from knowing what is contained in the Bible. You owe it to yourself to discover what is contained in the Bible that would cause such destruction of human life. And this was done by people who "professed Christianity" and not by some terrorist group! Selah! Pause and calmly think about that for a moment!

Today, because the Bible is sold everywhere, Satan cannot destroy it, but he has resorted to another method that is equally effective. One of the greatest deceptions that Satan is practicing on humanity today is conning people to disbelieve what the Bible has to say. This deception has its roots when Satan deceived Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden by convincing them to believe him rather than what Elohim had said (Gen. 3:3-5).

In 2 Peter 3:3-5, we read, "Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts [desires], and saying, ‘Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.' For this they are willingly ignorant of" (emphasis added).

How many people today believe in the Biblical account of Creation versus the Theory of Evolution? How do I know beyond a doubt that we are nearing "the last days?" The "scoffers" mentioned above are not pagans or infidels or heathens or atheists. They are "professed Christians" who know about creation, the second coming of Yahushua, and they understand the state of the dead correctly, but they have "a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away" (2 Tim. 3:5). They are good moral people but have not been “born again” by the Spirit of Elohim.

Just because someone professes to know about Yahushua Messiah and may intellectually acknowledge some of the tenets of Christianity does not mean they have a relationship with Him. Just knowing the truth does not assure you of a place in Elohim's kingdom. We must apply what we know and understand to our lives and be "born again" by the Spirit of Elohim. There is a big difference between knowing someone and knowing about someone.

We are commanded in 2 Corinthians 13:5: "Examine yourselves, whether you be in the faith; prove your own selves." Many take it for granted they are "Christians" without closely examining themselves to see whether they are one.  They may have been born into a Christian family and attend a church weekly but have never undergone that transformation that takes place when one is "born again." We are told the Devil is leading "the whole world astray," including a majority in the Christian community. It is written that "if it were possible, even the elect" would be seduced (Mark 13:22).

The war begun in heaven continues in earnest on this speck of a world in the vast Universe of our Creator. Soon, this war will come to its conclusion, and there is no neutral ground. Yahushua said, "He that is not with Me is against Me" (Luke 11:23).

Belonging to a particular church, denomination, or religion is not going to guarantee your salvation. "And this is the record, that Elohim hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life and He that hath not the Son hath not life" (1 John 5:11-12). Without having the Son, you have a mere temporary existence for seventy or eighty years (Ps. 90:10).

You can be "without Messiah . . . having no hope, and without Elohim" (Eph. 2:12) even while belonging to a church.

When General Douglas MacArthur told the Philippine people during WWII, "I shall return," it inspired hope in those people during some very discouraging times. Yahushua said, "I will come again" (John 14:1-3). He will come again to put an end to suffering, sorrow, sin, evil, and even death. Yahushua will come in all His glory, majesty, and kingly authority to put an end to Satan's rebellion. His tyrannical rule that has continued for over six thousand years (six thousand twenty-eight years [AD 2022]) on this earth will come to an end.

Yahushua told the Jews who were trying Him before His death, "Nevertheless I [Yahushua] say unto you, hereafter shall you see the Son of man [Yahushua] sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven" (Matt. 26:64). "Behold He comes with clouds; and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him" (Rev. 1:7). There will be a special resurrection (Dan. 12:2) before Yahushua returns. Among those resurrected will be those "which pierced Him" to see Him "coming in the clouds of heaven" with power and great glory.

But before He returns to the earth, we who live here will pass through "a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation" (Dan. 12:1). It will be so bad that "men's hearts will fail them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth" (Luke 21:26). That "time of trouble" is described in the prophetic books (books describing the future) of Daniel and Revelation.

Revelation begins with these words: "The Revelation of Yahushua Messiah, which Elohim gave unto Him, to show unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass" (Rev. 1:1, emphasis added).

Here are several verses from the book of Daniel for you to consider. "But there is an Elohim in heaven that reveals secrets, and makes known to the King Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days" (Dan. 2:28, emphasis added). "Behold, I will make you know what shall be in the last end of the indignation: for at the time appointed the end shall be" (Daniel 8:19, emphasis added). "And he [the angel] said, Go your way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end" (Dan. 12:9, emphasis added). The fact that I and others, who have been studying the prophecies, understand what is contained in the books of Daniel and Revelation is an indication we are living in the last days before the return of Yahushua.

What it has taken some of us years (twenty-nine years for me) to understand, others will have to learn quickly. Elohim works on a need-to-know basis. We need to know what is about to take place before it occurs. The people of this world need to be warned and guided through the "time of trouble" unlike anything that has ever happened in the history of our world. There are some also who will have to be prepared for Elohim’s service before the "time of trouble" begins.

"Surely Yahuwah Elohim will do nothing, but He reveals His secrets unto His servants the prophets" (Amos 3:7). Elohim has revealed what will happen in the coming days through the prophets, Daniel and John, who wrote Revelation. It is our privilege and duty to study those books and relate to others what is about to happen (Rev. 10:9-11).

Time will either prove me deceived or correct in all I have written. I would be sawing off the limb of the tree I was sitting on if I was not confident Daniel and Revelation could be understood through the guidance of the Spirit of Elohim that is given to those who will search out the truths contained in the Bible. “Seek and [the promise is] you shall find” (Matt. 7:7).  Who have enough faith to declare to the world what is about to happen. "Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith" (Rom. 12:6, emphasis added).

Yahushua told Thomas, who had doubted He had risen from the dead, "Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed" (John 20:29). A blessing is pronounced on those who will read the book of Revelation. "Blessed is he that reads and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand" (Rev. 1:3, emphasis added). One is richly blessed when one understands what is in that book before it occurs.

Yahushua told His disciples, and so I tell you who read this book, "And now I have told you before it comes to pass, that, when it is come to pass, you might believe" (John 14:29, emphasis added). Even if you do not believe what you read in this book right now before it happens, when the events described in the books of Daniel and Revelation begin to occur, I pray you will then believe, and you will have to act on what you have come to understand. "But there is an Elohim in heaven" (Dan. 2:28) Who can and has revealed the future before us with unerring accuracy!

The books of Daniel and Revelation reveal the events leading up to the conclusion of the great controversy between Yahushua and Satan and beyond. Understanding what will be happening before it begins will give us stability and confidence in Elohim as we go through those horrible times, unlike anything anyone has experienced.

This book will be in a somewhat chronological sequence, so the chapters will not be given in the order as they are in the Bible. Some of the chapters must be understood in their proper order, so information relevant to what follows them can be better understood. Each chapter has pieces to the puzzle and cannot be fully understood until put together with the rest of the pieces. When that happens, we will have the full picture of what will take place on this planet and in heaven to bring peace, harmony, and tranquility once again to the entire Universe and vindicate Elohim in the minds of all. Each piece has something to contribute to the full picture.

I saw a documentary on American prisoners of war who had been freed from captivity in the Philippines during World War II. The reception they received when they returned to the United States was just a foretaste of the jubilation that will occur after Yahushua rescues His people from Satan's domination and we make our way to heaven.

Earth has been taken over by the cruelest of tyrants who remains hidden in the shadows while he carries on his wicked, evil, tyrannical work.

Soon, Satan will be coming in person along with his fallen angels to carry on his final warfare against Elohim, His Son, and Their followers.

All Scriptural references used in this book are taken from the King James Version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.

At the end of each chapter are a few questions which can be answered from the section you will have just read. This will help reinforce what you are learning. The answers to each of those questions can be found at the end of chapter twenty-two.