Revelation 11:7
Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them. (NIV)
This passage is talking about the death of the two witnesses in Revelation chapter eleven. Notice that the Beast comes up out of Hell, or the Abyss, to kill them. Is this literal, or symbolic?
The Scriptures talking of the Beast say this:
Revelation 17:11
The beast who once was, and now is not, is an eighth king. He belongs to the seven and is going to his destruction. (NIV)
The Beast was a man that was once a person who lived on the earth, but when the revelation was given to John he was no longer living on the earth. That is the meaning of the Beast who once was, and now is not.
Revelation 17:8
The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and will come up out of the Abyss and go to his destruction. The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast, because he once was, now is not, and yet will come. (NIV)
This is very clear and easy to understand. It is not speaking in figurative language, but is direct. The Beast was a man who once was living on the earth, but was taken from the earth and at this time resides in Hell, but when the time is right God will allow him to ascend from the pit to fulfill his destiny.
When I first saw this in Scripture I was astonished, and puzzled. I prayed and asked the Lord to reveal to me who this person was and where and when did he go the Abyss. Some time later I was reading in Daniel and I noticed this passage:
Daniel 11:19
After this, he will turn back toward the fortresses of his own country but will stumble and fall, to be seen no more. (NIV)
Well, this seemed to be strange. What does it mean to stumble and fall, and to be seen no more? I wondered. I have seen similar passages elsewhere.
2 Kings 2:9-12
When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, "Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?"
"Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit," Elisha replied.
10 "You have asked a difficult thing," Elijah said, "yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours -- otherwise not."
11 As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. 12 Elisha saw this and cried out, "My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!" And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them apart. (NIV)
Hummm, saw him no more. Well that sounds familiar. Elijah was taken from the earth, but not in death. The Scripture says that he was seen no more.
Genesis 5:21-24
When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. 22 And after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. 23 Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years. 24 Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away. (NIV)
There is again. Enoch was taken from the earth, but not in death, and the Scripture says that he was no more. Both these passages and the once in Daniel all have the same funny sound to them. In the case of the last two, they are talking about people that please God and so God took them from the earth. In the last case though it says that he stumbled and fell and was seen no more.
In the last case the man was evil and the stumbling and falling tells us that it was down to the Pit that he went.
Romans 9:30-33
What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; 31 but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it. 32 Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the "stumbling stone." 33 As it is written: "See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame." (NIV)
This passage tells us that those who stumble over the "stumbling stone", that is Jesus are lost, that is, they go the Abyss. Those that do not stumble, but trust will never be put to shame.
1 Peter 2:4-8
As you come to him, the living Stone -- rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him -- 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For in Scripture it says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame." 7 Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, "The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone," 8 and, "A stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall." They stumble because they disobey the message -- which is also what they were destined for. (NIV)
Again we see those that disobey the message stumble so as to fall. It is the reference to "falling" that tells us that they are lost to the Abyss.
James 3:2
We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check. (NIV)
We can see here that the reference to stumbling is a reference to the fact that we all sin, but those that love God, and are saved by faith in God, do not stumble so as to fall, but rather we are convicted in the heart and repent, and are forgiven.
We must be careful to recognize the wording of the Bible. God gives the mature a secret vocabulary with which to glean the subtle things from the Scriptures. This only comes to those that have ears to hear with and eyes that see.
So, anyway, we see in Daniel 11:19 that the man from the third kingdom did in fact stumble and fall, and fell into the Abyss. This is the man that at the midpoint of the seven-year, end-times period, will ascend from the Abyss and kill God's two witnesses, in fulfillment of Scripture.
Now, I want you to read the next passage and understand that this is a Scriptural principal that God will not violate.
Hebrews 9:27
Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, (NIV)
The idea of reincarnation is not correct. People do not die and then come back as someone else. However, there is nothing in Scripture that says that God can't take a person from the earth and then cause that person the come back. It was prophesied in Scripture that God would send the prophet Elijah back to the earth to prepare the hearts of the people for the Coming of the Lord.
Malachi 4:5
"See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes. (NIV)
John 1:21-23
They asked him, "Then who are you? Are you Elijah?"
He said, "I am not."
"Are you the Prophet?"
He answered, "No."
22 Finally they said, "Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?"
23 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, "I am the voice of one calling in the desert, "Make straight the way for the Lord.'" (NIV)
The people of Israel knew that the prophet Elijah was to come before the Messiah and so they ask John the Baptist if he was Elijah, and John gave the above reply. John said that he was not the prophet Elijah. But...
Matthew 11:7-15
As John's disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: "What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? 8 If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings' palaces. 9 Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10 This is the one about whom it is written: ""I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.' 11 I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it. 13 For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. 14 And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come. 15 He who has ears, let him hear. (NIV)
So, we see that the Lord said that he was Elijah. It is interesting that John the Baptist was the prophet Elijah, but didn't know it. Anyway, Elijah could come back to the earth because he did not die, but was taken alive by God.
Now you might be wondering about this "you can only die once and then face judgment" business and how it relates to Lazarus, or the widow at Nain's son, and others that were dead but then came back to life. Well, I have examined the Scriptures very carefully and have found that the difference between those that come back like Elijah and those that come back like Lazarus is that Elijah came back in a different body, whereas Lazarus' body was, more or less, healed. I view those that have died and then were soon brought back to life as, sort of, super healed. They are not reincarnated, like Elijah. The difference is subtle, but the Scriptures are frequently subtle. God will not violate his Word.
So, what we see in the Scriptures is a man from the Greek kingdom is taken from the earth, and then at the time appointed by God he ascends up out of the Abyss and kills the two witnesses. He then is given authority to wage war against the saints, that is the faithful in Israel, (the church is taken before the Beast is given authority), for three and a half years.
Revelation 17:9-11
"This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits. 10 They are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; but when he does come, he must remain for a little while. 11 The beast who once was, and now is not, is an eighth king. He belongs to the seven and is going to his destruction. (NIV)
This is a description of the fourth kingdom. The kingdom is represented by a beast that has seven heads. Each head represents a ruler from that kingdom. Now, the beast represents the Roman Empire. John is told that at the time that the revelation is given that five rulers have fallen, (there is that word 'fall' again, meaning that they went to the Abyss), one was currently ruling, and that the seventh would come later and he would rule for only a short time. All seven heads grew out of the same beast, meaning that they are all from the Roman Empire, but the man Beast, (not the kingdom beast), he is an eighth head of a seven headed beast. This means that he does not physically descend from the Roman Empire, but is put with them because he is like them.
As we saw in Daniel chapter eight, the man Beast descends from the Greek kingdom.
I know that this is all very strange, but it is what the Scriptures say.
