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Christian Media Communiqué THE PERDITION ENGINE Part II
In our last installment of the Communique, we introduced The Perdition Engine, a colorful term we’ve been using at Christian Media to describe how Death and Hell function together as a system. In this exotic characterization, humanity functions as the “fuel” of the Spiritual system we’re describing. Once again, earthly terms can hardly capture the details of how this “engine” works, and it is clear that Spiritual discernment is required to accurately perceive this other worldly concept. “The natural man receiveth not the things of the spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (I Corinthians 2:14). Nevertheless, it is clear from the Scriptures that it is a two stage system, in that the “False Prophet” side of the system feeds the “Death” side. In this picturesque imagery, the Spirit seen as “Hell” equivocates with the allegorical False Prophet, and the Spirit seen as “Death” inhabits the entity articulated as Antichrist. Indeed, it’s relatively easy to connect Death with Antichrist (as well as Hell with the False Prophet), as the Scripture explicitly tell us Jesus Christ is “Life.” “I am the way, the truth, and the Life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6). Since Anti Christ would be the opposite polarity of Christ, simple logic dictates the term equivocates with the opposite of Life – which would be Death. It’s more difficult in locating the persona of the False Prophet, but since he/it is not Life, and the personage defined as “Death” is established as Anti Life (Antichrist), it naturally follows that “Hell” straddles the two polarities. Thus we have three components to the Triuniverse, and two of them – Death and Hell - sound peculiarly unappealing. The two perfectly manifest the “two parts” which have an end, as specified in Zechariah’s epic “two parts…cut off” and “third part” preserved prophecy: “In all the land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein” (Zechariah 13:8). We know, for example, the “False Prophet” fraudulently seeks to project the imagery of pointing the way to Life, when actually he is leading the earth (characterized in the text as the “multitude,” or “them that dwell on the earth” – Revelation 6:10) -- to Death. “[the False Prophet] causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the [Antichrist] beast” (Revelation 13:12). The fact that the False Prophet is a deceiver is evident from just about every reference to this character, but it’s instructive to note that he is represented as appearing to be “like a lamb” – a specific reference to a Biblical term – when his genuine nature is revealed by the fact that he speaks “as a dragon.” ”He had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon” (Revelation 13:11). Further, the text specifically informs us the entity in view is a deceiver. “And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those [mighty deeds] which he had power to do in the sight of the beast” (Revelation 13:12). The reader will note that I’ve substituted the term “mighty deeds” for the word “miracles” in this epic verse from Revelation. Many don’t realize that the same Greek word in the manuscripts that is rendered “miracles” in Revelation, is seen as “mighty deeds” in II Corinthians: “Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds” (II Corinthians 12:12). The fact that the acts of the False Prophet is also used in the context of a Christian figure is useful as we seek to point out that the personage in view is not necessarily an individual man, as it has been falsely assumed by believers for many centuries. After all, the text tells us the collective that is one of the churches in Revelation, abruptly shifts to statements that are easily attributable to an individual, when the context requires it applies to the entire church: ”Thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing [when in reality] thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked” (Revelation 3:14). Obviously, the individual members of that church don’t show up without clothes for services, so it can be said the LORD is addressing the entire body, in a figurative sense. Furthermore, in at least some of the the epistles, we see the letters are written to the entire church, as evidenced by the salutation. “Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians…..” (II Thessalonicans 2:1). In Revelation, the second “beast” – which is the “False Prophet” -- is obviously allegorical, as beasts in the book of Daniel do not represent individuals, but an entire kingdom. “And behold another beast, like to a bear…and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it” (Daniel 7:5). Finally, since Revelation tells us the False Prophet has all the power of the Antichrist beast, and the Antichrist beast has absorbed the attributes of the four beast kingdoms in Daniel 7 (“like unto a leopard…mouth as the mouth of a lion” – Revelation 13:2), the False Prophet must be much larger in scope than a powerful individual. Only an entire religious movement would fit the description of this entity, as he/it causes the entire world to honor and obey the first beast. “And [he] causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed” (Revelation 13:12). It is crucial that believers realize the Scriptures are seeking to communicate the Spiritual architecture that exists (the “dominions” – Colossians 1:16) behind this physical reality. In our previous installment of The Perdition Engine, we sought to characterize the Spiritual powers that activate the two entities of the False Prophet and Antichrist, as the text indicates that the powers identified as Death and Hell have attributes which are seen in multiple generations, and demonstrates how these entities animate individuals in successive generations. By analyzing the various vessels whose descriptions are recorded in Scripture, we can develop a cumulative perception of these powers, which we’ve identified as “Death” and “Hell” – the two components of The Perdition Engine. So far, we’ve shown them to be revealed in Antichrist and False Prophet, and Thorns and Briars, which are representative of two unclean spirits. “And I saw….unclean spirits….[come] out of the mouth of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet” (Revelation 16:13) There are, however, many historical figures – including human beings in various timelines – which communicate the same structure. In the Gospels, we find an important episode involving the King of Judaea, identified as Herod the tetrarch, who gave a great feast for the important figures in his government, to celebrate his birthday. Herod was accompanied by Herodias, his brother’s wife, and her daughter. It is indicated he was engaged in an illicit affair with Herodias, and John the Baptist had denounced the relationship. Embarrassed, Herodias wanted John executed, but she lacked the authority, as only kings or governors could order the death penalty. Herod had agreed to throw John in prison, but he was reluctant to execute John because he feared the power in him. “And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet” (Matthew 14:5). At his birthday party, the daughter of Herodias danced for Herod, and he was so taken with her, he offered her anything she wanted. After asking her mother what to ask for, Herodias told her to demand the head of John the Baptist. Because he had publicly promised her whatever she wanted, the King was maneuvered into killing John, even though he was reluctant to do so, as “Death” fears the power of Life, which was within John. “And the king was exceedingly sorry; yet for his oath’s sake, and for their sake which sat with him, he would not reject her. And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison” (Mark 6:26, 27). This instance identifies the Spirit of Death in Herod, the Spirit of Hell in Herodias, and obviously John was indwelled by the Spirit of Life. From this we learn that “Hell” wants to kill, but cannot because it lacks the authority. “Death” has the authority to kill, but is reluctant to do so, fearing the LORD, and His power. Life is divinely given, it is innocent, and it was sacrificed because of the evil surrounding it. Thus, the two-phase Perdition Engine, working in a symbiotic fashion, seeks to kill the Life, which is one with God. There are additional Scriptural scenarios which confirm this perception, However, further examples of the principalities (Colossians 2:15) in the Triuniverse will have to wait for our next installment of The Perdition Engine.
-- James Lloyd
To Be Continued
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