The purpose of this section is clearly not to glorify Satan, but to expose his influence and the dominion he has had over the church for 2,000 years. Before doing so, we must begin by making a few introductory comments.

The evidence we are going to examine considers Yahweh's testimonies revealed in the Scriptures, but also in history and geography. The use of these three testimonies is nothing new, for we find in the Scriptures that history and geography often give testimony to the works and plans of Yahweh. Geographic areas inhabited by a people take on prophetic meaning that, though being played out in natural circumstances, portend and reveal future significant spiritual events. For example, the nation of the Israelites came out of Egypt, were led into the wilderness in what is now Saudi Arabia, and following forty years there entered into the land of Canaan. In the New Testament, we read that these things happened as "types" of the church. Stephen called the Israelites as they wandered in the wilderness - "the church in the wilderness." These occurrences that took place as real historical events, in very real settings and geographical places, in truth took place as preluding testimonies of spiritual developments or spiritual happenings that were to come - the church. (The application of this representation just mentioned is covered extensively in the writing titled Passover.)

The Israelite's deliverance from Egypt, not going into the land of the Philistines, the rocks struck at the beginning and at the end of their journeyings, the Amalekites, the Canaanites, the entire scenario of nations, lands, events, places, people, and things, were entirely carried out as foreshadowing, revealing, prophetic, intercessoral testimonies. As written by Paul, we know that the natural precedes the spiritual (1 Corinthians 15:46); and this is certainly the case with events that took place, not only here with the Israelites as they went out of Egypt and into the promised land in Canaan, but throughout the Bible. Nations, peoples, places, events, rivers, items, all took on highly prophetic meaning as Yahweh patterned, foreshadowed, or provided intercessoral testimonies that looked to higher spiritual fulfillments.

The application and learning from these types and shadows is nothing new. Corroborated by the Scriptures themselves (as we have seen), relied upon every Sunday in pulpits across the world, drawn from in every seminary, all of these natural settings and events provide dramatic and revealing testimonies of the works and plans of Yahweh.

Now let us pose a question. Throughout the period of the Bible, we see the application of places, things, etc. in their prophetic roles. Is there any reason why Yahweh would cease providing these living testimonies today? In other words, what about nations, peoples, geography, events, things, all today? Is Yahweh still providing testimony and intercession through all of these created places, things, and events? Why would He not? We read that all creation groans and travails for the revelation of the sons of God (Romans 8:19-22). Doesn't that intercessoral groaning and travailing even more so include today? Yearnings, actions, wars, conflicts, distresses throughout the history of the world, both past as well as present, are in fact travailings for the revelation of the sons of God.

Every people in every generation have gone through these travailings, and they are most frequently carried out in prophetic patterns that men do not even recognize. Men are truly blind to all that Yahweh does. They truly cannot see the forest for the trees, and thus fail to even recognize what Yahweh is doing.

Caught up in worldly existence, religiosity, lemming endeavors, with vision that seldom leads to recognition beyond our noses, men are indeed blind to the awesome works of His hands. Oh, we catch a few crumbs from the table every now and then; but even so, what most people hold to be great truths, are nothing more than lies, or partial truths mixed with erroneous application, or shortfall ideas, or only partial understanding. Even the greatest expounded and lofty orations of many, are often nothing more than glorified dung - taking the truth of God and His creation, digesting that truth by the means of the flesh, and feeding that flesh-altered "truth" to people as though it was that which was originally intended to nourish and feed others. Since Yahweh has no people on this earth who can accurately handle the truth (neither secular, and particularly not religious), then men are sickly and faint from lack of true nourishment.

Well, this writer has wandered from what he was intending to present, but all the more just as well. What was being developed here was that there were and are today events, places, things, all that exist and transpire in the four dimensions of space and time, that testify to what Yahweh is doing and what He will do throughout all of eternity. And why would this be surprising to anyone who believes in an all powerful, all knowing, all encompassing God? What can happen apart from a God who works ALL things according to His will? Everything that happens is an expression of His plan; and as such carries His identity, His pattern, His fingerprints. Since there is nothing new under the sun, then everything is only a repeat of a basic truth and pattern that He has already played out thousands and millions of times before.

Oh, but you say, "Computer technology is new. There are many new developments with us today." But though being new from the standpoint of availability to man, are they really new in regard to the patterns of Yahweh? Not really. Computer technology is nothing more than mankind's continuing cravings for the liberty, knowledge, and communication man will experience once he is delivered out of these earthly bodies and enters into a heavenly realm, a higher realm that will make computer technology and communication seem like two cans and a string. Computer technology is nothing more than all creation groaning and travailing for the revelation of the sons of God - the glorified, transformed-into-heavenly-bodies, two-part Remnant.

As to this matter of a specific present-day prophetic picture, let us refer back to the writing titled Passover. If you have read that writing, you will recall that America is a prophetic testimony of the heavenly kingdom. You can reference that writing by clicking here. Return back to this writing where you are now reading by clicking "Back" on your browser.

America is the heavenly kingdom by more than name only. Her entire history gives evidence to this prophetic and intercessoral place, as well as her geography. Her Presidents are profoundly prophetic. The wars this nation has been involved in, and those with whom they were fought, are all in their entirety intercessoral and foreshadowing. It is not by happenstance that this heavenly kingdom nation is composed of fifty states, the number of Pentecost. Nor is it without Divine plan that of these fifty states, a two-part Remnant is located outside of the continental 48 - Alaska and Hawaii, the concluding two Remnant representatives. And as has been pointed out in the Passover writing, the United States is divided two-thirds and one-third by the Great Divide. This is the precise division of the kingdom of God - 2,000 years and 1,000 years (Zechariah 13:7-9).

Yahweh is not a passive God. He is active, He is unfathomably creative, and He is all-in-all. He expresses His nature and plans through all mankind, all creation giving testimony to Himself and His plans. In fact, every nation and peoples throughout the world have a prophetic role, not just America. Everything from the great depths and designs of the bottom of the sea, to the vast stars and planets of the heavens above, all speak of His prophetic plan and design. If we had eyes to see, we would understand them.

Some of these roles, pictures, and patterns are more accessible to apprehend, especially when the Bible lays them out in part for us. There is no Bible passage that says "America," so understanding these patterns requires His revelation regarding Bible evidence, historical and present day testimonies, as well as geography. Equally, as we have said, the testimony we will pursue now as we seek to understand better the role of Christianity as the staff that turns into a serpent, is a combination of all of these revealing testimonies. Let us now look at another continent on the other side of the world, and see some most amazing and revealing truths Yahweh has provided for us. We will now consider the continent of Africa.

We can begin by seeing if "Africa" is mentioned in the Bible. Discovering what the Bible reveals regarding Africa's prophetic purpose will be helpful in knowing what Africa might hold in prophetic representation today.

If you take a concordance and look up "Africa," you will find that that name is not used in the Bible. But, obviously the continent we call Africa did exist. Though not called Africa, certainly Egypt was in that continent, as well as Ethiopia, both mentioned in the Bible. But with more careful examination, we find that there was a land mentioned in the Bible that undoubtedly provided the origin from which Africa received its present name. Let us look at this most important and, as you will see, revealing evidence.

Beginning in 1896, a German by the name of Dr. Carl Peters devoted much of his life and studies to the whereabouts of a Bible land called Ophir. What was Ophir? Eleven times in the Scriptures, this ancient Biblical land of Ophir is mentioned specifically in regard to its gold, including being the sole source of the vast quantities of gold obtained by David and Solomon for the construction of the splendorous first temple of Yahweh. Where specifically was this gold obtained? Where was this land of gold called Ophir? The possibility of this vast supply was in fact limited to only one place.

Following extensive research and a personal trip into the land Dr. Peters concluded to be that place of renown, he published two books - King Solomon's Golden Ophir and The Eldorado of the Ancients (an account of his trip into that land). In both of these works he soundly concludes that the only possibility for the location of Solomon's Ophir is Africa. First, it was the only continent available to Solomon that would have come near to providing the vast quantity of gold that he and King David received. To a great degree, this would remain true even today. Africa far exceeds all other nations worldwide in gold production.

Second, we will now examine another intriguing and provocative evidence - the name "Africa." As pointed out in Dr. Peters' book, the origin of the name "Africa" is derived from its ancient name of Ophir. The Latin word "Afir" described a people in a land they called "Afer." Obviously "Afer" came from the Hebrew "Ophir." Thus, Ophir and Afer were the same place, spelled differently by the two cultures. Historically, the origin of the name of Africa is a mystery; yet in reality, as Dr. Peters points out and as we will see affirmed even further in this writing, Africa is unquestionably the preserved name of the ancient land of Ophir where Solomon obtained the vast quantity of gold needed for the temple in Jerusalem.

Now that we see this association (the evidence of this name does not cease here, but will continue to build as we consider this further), let us look at Yahweh's testimony in the present name of this ancient land of Ophir. We noted in the writing titled Passover, and have already mentioned in this writing, that the word "America" means "heavenly kingdom." "Amer" is of Saxon origin and means "heavenly," "ric" means "kingdom" (the Third Reich, or Third Kingdom), and the "a" makes the word feminine. Thus we have the meaning - "heavenly kingdom," which is obviously true concerning this land and Yahweh's prophetic and intercessoral significance for it. And as with America, Yahweh has provided another "ric," or "kingdom," that equally bears prophetic testimony today - Afer-ric-a. And of what is this land of "Afer-ric-a" the kingdom? What is "Afer"?

Examining this name based on its original Hebrew name of Ophir, we have then Ophir-ric-a. Now, all we have to know is the meaning of the name "Ophir," then we know the prophetic significance of this continent. But herein lies a problem - no one really knows what the word "Ophir" means, nor the word "Afer". Some words seem to have unclear meanings, and "Ophir" and "Afer" are two of them. So, has Yahweh left us without testimony, even though He has identified it as a "kingdom" of something? Not at all!

Etymologically (the study of the history of words), the association of the following two words might not be clear, but their association in context is very certain. While the Hebrews used the word Ophir for the land which became known today as Africa, the Greeks had an almost identical word that clearly describes that land. Remarkably similar to the Hebrew word "Ophir" was the Greek word "Ophis." Thus, as we will see remarkably appropriate, Ophir-ric-a would be justly represented by Ophis-ric-a. What then is the meaning of Ophis? Appropriate to all the evidence we will examine and have seen up to this point, Ophis means "snake." Thus, the testimony we see for Africa is that it is the "snake kingdom" - and this is exactly what we find this continent to represent. While America is the prophetic "heavenly kingdom," Africa remarkably fulfills its prophetic testimony as the "snake kingdom"!

We have already witnessed that Christianity is consistently identified with the serpent. Christianity is the bronze serpent on the pole, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil with the deceiving serpent indwelling it, the staff that is changed into a serpent, and as we will begin to see here, Christianity is the snake kingdom, vividly pictured in Africa. There are many many testimonies to this latter truth; and we will begin to consider a few of them in this inquiring writing.

We have already seen that this land of Ophir or Ophir-ric-a, is the location where David and Solomon obtained all of the gold to build the temple of Yahweh in Jerusalem. Equally true, this land of Ophir would have been the location where the Israelites would have indirectly obtained all the gold they took with them when they plundered Egypt and departed for the promised land.

Thus, both the gold that Solomon used to build the temple, as well as the gold that was used to build the tabernacle, came from the land of Ophir, or Ophir-ric-a. Knowing that places and events are highly prophetic, what does this obviously repetitive truth hold for us? Let us see.

Herein lies a pattern, a pattern we have seen many times before:

This is the same pattern we have seen wherein:

This is the pattern that looks to the ultimate great fulfillment of:

Though we cannot digress on the following, Solomon's construction of the temple of gold in Jerusalem is a type of the Remnant bride. You might know that King David could not build the temple because he was a man of war and bloodshed (1 Chronicles 22:8). Likewise, the true temple of Yahweh will not be built by Christianity because of its equally violent actions. The construction of the natural temple was delayed, and the fulfillment was given to the next generation that was a generation of peace - the Solomon work. This is the Remnant work that will be the temple of gold.

And from where is this Remnant gold obtained? From Ophir-ric-a, the "snake kingdom." Here we have a very clear testimony of the application of Africa to Christianity. Even as the Remnant will come out of Christianity and be caught up to New Jerusalem to be His temple, so the gold that came out of Ophir was taken to Jerusalem to build Yahweh's natural temple. The Remnant will become Yahweh's true tabernacle, His true temple, in which He can reside in truth (something which Christianity has never afforded). Thus we have clear evidence of Africa's representation of Christianity, and Christianity's identification with the snake - Africa provided the gold for the temple in Jerusalem and the gold for the tabernacle, prophetic of the Remnant that comes out of Christianity.

What else do we see in this clear prophetic representation? Would you like to know what the church up to now looks like to Yahweh? Then look at the "snake kingdom" of Africa, which for years was known as the "dark continent," where in addition to a vast and assorted quantity of snakes, there is witchcraft, poverty, nakedness, AIDS, adultery, starvation, famines, wars and conflicts, ignorance, the continents highest peak - Kilimanjaro (Kill-a-man-jaro), and the world's longest river. The Nile, like the sea, is prophetic of death (babies were killed in it, and it was turned to blood by Moses). Likewise, the church equally goes to the "sea" of death, and is Yahweh's longest duration work since the creation of man. Africa has the world's largest desert (the 2,000 year drought of the church); and as racially sensitive as this may be, Africa is the continent of the black man (black is prophetic of darkness, blindness, and death).

This is Christianity/Africa, that despite being the second largest continent in the world and surrounded entirely by the sea of death, lacks any good natural harbor. Its banks are those steep banks where the swine go down into the sea, and over the centuries have isolated and hindered the development of this "dark continent." Even its rivers are unsuitable for inland navigation because of the presence of waterfalls. And while these are most revealing testimonies, it is the next testimony that is the most shocking and profoundly conclusive!

What would be your response if Yahweh engraved for you a picture of Satan on this world, this world that rightfully belongs to Satan (as we will examine later)? Would you finally believe in fear and trembling if you could see his face even engraved on Christianity? This is exactly what Yahweh has done, and He told us He would do so in Zechariah 3. At the beginning of this chapter we see Satan accusing Joshua (Yahshua, the same word) the high priest (verse 1). Yahweh rebuked Satan, took away Yahshua's iniquity, and proclaimed this prophetic promise:

What is this "stone" that has "seven eyes" that is a "land"? We have already seen numerous times that "seven" clearly represents the church. Likewise, we read that this was the stone of Yahshua. It was the stone of the church, the body of Yahshua, on which He declared to Peter He would build. As we have seen, it was equally the stone on which the unpredictable serpent made its way. This stone is the stone of the "seven eyes" church of Christianity. This is the stone which will have its iniquity removed for one day, for 1,000 years, when Satan is thrown into the abyss and it is sealed over him, afterwards which he will be released for a short time (Revelations 20:1-3).

What then is the "engraving" Yahweh is going to "engrave" on this stone, and why does He call this stone a land? Keep in mind, this whole matter is in response to Satan's accusations against Yahshua, the high priest. It is on account of Yahshua that this entire issue transpires; and it is Satan's accusations against him that elicit all the matters that transpire in this chapter. Thus, what is the engraving that Yahweh will engrave on this "land" with "seven eyes" which will have its "iniquity" removed "for one day"? Yahweh is a big God, and when He engraves on a stone, He uses a BIG stone - an entire land in fact, an entire continent in fact! Let us now see with our own eyes this engraving Yahweh made.

We have already seen that Africa is the "snake kingdom" - Satan-controlled Christianity from which comes the "gold" for Yahweh's tabernacle and His temple in New Jerusalem. Now let us see Satan's face on that continent prophetic of Christianity - Africa.

Why do churches have little horns (steeples) on their heads (their roofs)? Because the authority that has overcome the saints is the beast with the little horn. Churches with their little horns bear that common image with Satan because Satan has clearly overcome the church, and he rules in it - in its actions, in its teachings, and in sending all of its members to death. Satan has dominion over the church, and he places his little horn on its heads (its buildings) as clear evidence of this! (By the way, have you looked at the Pope's hat lately?)

At this point it would serve us very well to take a close look at the authority Satan possesses. Let us see what the Scriptures reveal concerning his impact and power upon this earth. It is most substantial and highly conclusive!

Consider once again the face of Satan in Africa/Christianity! As we have just read, this is the face that is central to all that takes place on this earth, including the affairs of the church, attested to by this continent's sole central location along the equator. All other continents in the world are located, either in whole or in part, north or south of the equator. As the god and ruler of this world, Satan is the central figure surrounding all the affairs of this earth, including the church.

Because of Satan's dominion on the earth, his prevalence over church teachings, his influence over men, and man's continuing destiny to death, we discover the startling fact that, as difficult as it may be to accept, Satan has had dominion over the church to the extent that when Yahweh gives us a visual representation of Christianity, the image is little horned Satan. As difficult as it may seem, Christianity is so dominated by Satan that it actually bears his image, and not that of Yahshua. As fulfilled according to Isaiah 52:14, "So His appearance was marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men." While this prophecy was never referred to at the crucifixion of Yahshua, undoubtedly its greatest fulfillment is in the body of Yahshua, or Christianity, that has been so afflicted by Satan that it no longer bears the identity of Yahshua, but of its afflictor - Satan!

Before continuing our examination of Africa, let us consider some additional revealing testimonies regarding Satan and his impact and influence on Christianity. These will help both affirm and expand what we have already begun to understand.

We have already noted the significance of Satan, the serpent of old, in the garden in Genesis; let us now take a quick look at him in Revelation. Of the seven churches in Revelation, all but two were warned concerning faults within them. As has been pointed out before, the two Remnants are a part of Christianity, but come out of it as the gold, the bride, those who will rebuild the temple. In these seven churches in Revelation, the two that Yahshua did not fault - the second and the sixth, Smyrna and Philadelphia - represent the former and latter Remnants that come out of Christianity (Revelation 2:8-11 and 3:7-13). But these two churches have much more in common than just their freedom from Yahweh's criticism; one of these similarities we will now point out.

There are only two places in the entire Bible in which the term "synagogue of Satan" is used - once in first Remnant Smyrna where they are warned of its blasphemy and tribulation, and the other in second Remnant Philadelphia where they are told that these lying ones will be made " to come and bow down before your feet (like a hidden Joseph), and to know that I have loved you." Smyrna, the first Remnant type, received a warning concerning the "synagogue of Satan;" Philadelphia, the second Remnant type, was promised victory over the "synagogue of Satan." There is much, much more in these two "churches" that reveals and pictures the two Remnants, which we cannot address now; but notice here both the Smyrna warning and the Philadelphia judgment of this "synagogue of Satan."

Who is the "synagogue of Satan"? Without a question, it is the "snake kingdom," the Satan controlled and leavened church of Christianity. A warning is given to the first Remnant concerning the "synagogue of Satan;" and, it is the second Remnant that will gain victory over this Satan controlled work. Like a hidden Joseph, the Remnant's brothers will in time come and bow down before their feet and know that Yahweh has loved His Remnant work, His Remnant bride.

Let us quickly review some other scriptural testimonies concerning Satan and his destructive affects on Christianity. To the Philistines, Yahweh foretold in Isaiah 14:29 - "For from the serpent's root (the church's very beginning) a viper will come out, and its fruit will be a flying serpent ("the prince of the power of the air")." This is the serpent foreseen in both Moses' rod, as well as Aaron's priestly rod, as they were turned into serpents. This is the serpent on the pole, as well as the serpent in the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And this is the serpent in the "snake kingdom," the kingdom of Christianity.

The dominating role of Satan in Christianity will clearly effect the words of Genesis 49:17 which states - "Dan shall be a serpent in the way, a horned snake in the path, that bite's the horses heels, so that his rider falls backward." Christianity's 2,000 year period has listened to Satan and been bitten by the snake on its heel (its rights to the kingdom, evidenced by Jacob grasping Esau's heel and later receiving the birthrights), and the "rider" will soon fall backward! This is the identical testimony of Eli the priest who equally fell backward and died of a broken neck when he heard that the ark of the covenant had been lost. ICHABOD, "the glory has departed"! In reality, the glory of the church was lost 2,000 years ago with the death of the first Remnant; and now, the final end of the over-weight priestly body of Christ will soon be effected. The church will soon lose the rights to the kingdom, and the rider will be thrown backward!

Do you have great difficulty seeing or accepting the presence and the fatal affects of Satan in Christianity? This is understandable, for Proverbs 30:18-19 clearly states - "There are three things too difficult for me, four which I do not understand: ... the way of a serpent on a rock." Again, the rock is the church; and guess who the serpent is on the rock? This combination of both rock and serpent has been the experience of the church for almost 2,000 years! And as difficult as it is to know the way of a serpent on a rock, so it has been impossible for man to know the wholly conclusive and dominating ill affects of Satan in the church.

Do not be surprised at all of this. John the baptizer, who was the prelude and pattern of the Remnant, called the multitude who came to him at the Jordan River - "You brood of vipers" (Luke 3:7). When Christianity comes to Yahweh's Jordan that brings His Remnant into the promised land, that Jordan that has an Elijah standing on its banks declaring truth and calling others out, it comes to that river of cleansing as nothing less that what it truly is - a "brood of vipers."

And though we cannot digress on this brief next point, as we mentioned earlier in this writing, consistently Christianity is represented throughout the Scriptures by the element of bronze (e.g., the beast's bronze claws). So, what material was it that was used to make the serpent that was lifted up on a standard in the wilderness? Of course it was bronze - the bronze serpent - the church's body of Christ that must likewise take up its cross and die! And in equal testimony to Christianity, we see that even as the institution of the Satan-dominated church is often worshipped over Yahshua, so the bronze serpent on the standard was soon worshipped by the Israelites. In 2 Kings 18:4, we see that when King Hezekiah cleansed the nation of its idolatry and sin, one of the things he did was break into pieces the bronze serpent.

We will provide one more evidence concerning the bronze of Christianity later again in this writing.

Have you seen enough? No? Let us go on. We are not near finished with the unmistakable and highly revealing testimonies this engraving of the beast on Africa/Christianity provides. And do not lose heart, for there is yet some most exciting evidence still ahead.

Continue to page 5 of The Signs ... for THE SERPENT KINGDOM, PART II

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