Articles

"The Beginning of Sorrows" by Tricia Tillin

Seal One: The White Horse

And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.

Attributes:

  • White
  • Bow
  • Crown (laurel chaplet)
  • Dominion
  • Messiah-like

Arcum Tendit Apollo
"Apollo Draws The Bow"
Emil Cedercreutz (1879-1949)

THIS SEAL is about dominion, the false lordship of a counterfeit christ; it is about an ideology that appeals to the senses but which ensnares the heart. Instead of the liberty and freedom of the Spirit, we see here a bondage to Lucifer, the false "light of this world".

It is not surprising that the very first seal has to do with our relationship to God, in Jesus our Saviour. What could be more basic to the Christian faith, or to the hopes and desires of all mankind?

No matter what false religion, philosophy, creed or ideology man invents, its aim is to restore the lost relationship between man and God; for every person has a God-shaped hole, a void, where that relationship ought to be.

Mighty Hunter

This rider and horse, bright and shining, victorious, crowned with the laurel of the victor rides out confidently "to conquer". The Greek word used for "conquer" is NIKAO - this is about lordship. It means "to subdue, overcome, prevail, get the victory". It is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew BAAL, Lord!

Interesting, then, that a group of people called "The Nicolaitans" are twice mentioned in Revelation as doing something the Lord HATES (Rev 2:6/15) Such strong language suggests a particularly vile perversion of doctrine. What was it?

The name suggests it had to do with "dominion theology" and the "lordship over the flock", as this article states:

'The root of the word through historical evaluation shows us that the word Nicolaitans comes from Greek nikao, to conquer or overcome, and laos, which means people and which the word laity comes from. The two words together especially means the destruction of the people and refers to the earliest form of what we call a priestly order or clergy which later on in church history divided people allowing for leadership other than those led by the spirit of the risen Lord Jesus Christ. A good translation of Nicolaitan would be "those who prevail over the people." This clerical system later developed into the papal hierarchy of priests and clergy over the laity. The Council of Trent stated, "If anyone shall say that there is not in the Catholic Church a hierarchy established by the divine ordination, consisting of bishops, presbyters and ministers, let him be anathema." ' (From a Latter Rain site! But true, none the less.)

Also see this page for an article on the Nicolaitans. It may be a SDA site, so beware.

Today we do have a well-developed, powerful and influential "Dominion Movement" that encompasses most of the organised churches, to an extent that shocks those who undertake to research it. This dominion movement is also actively working with the Roman Catholic churches.

In earlier centuries, scholars identified the Roman Catholic religious system as "Babylon" and with good reason, for the rituals and practices (and even the very statues) of pagan worship had been transported into the RC church structures.

However, we now see a wider and less localised "MYSTERY Babylon" in which a spiritualised form of that worship captures the hearts and minds of its followers. And - like the RC church - its hold depends on the lordship of the shepherds over the sheep.

Jesus had left specific instructions (Luke 22:25-26) that his disciples were NOT to set up a religious hierarchy of priests, "rabbis", "fathers", "mentors" or any kind of spiritual guru, for the true doctrine was to be taught to each one by the Holy Spirit.

What Jesus commanded for his Church was what we today call the "priesthood of all believers"; but ever since Jesus died, man has tried to re-establish his own rulership and control. Every false religion on earth, and every cult and philosophy, depends on the domination of a religious elite - an enlightened few - over its disciples.

But dominion goes further than that. It's not just a pseudo-Christian doctrine but a SPIRIT that seeks to DOMINATE all mankind. We see it personified in the White Horse rider of Revelation.

The spirit of dominion is one of control. It is a form of witchcraft. What could be worse than bringing witchcraft into the holy Church of God? One who dominates has the power to enchant, bind and use the ones who come under his spell. It is typified in the symbol of the SPIDER who hides in obscurity until a victim is caught in her net, then she emerges to first IMMOBILISE the victim, injecting a venom to paralyse the prey; then secondly BINDS the prey so that no escape is possible. Thereafter, the spider can feed on the victim at will and make use of it for what she pleases.

This is how the coming leader of the world will operate, for he will be completely possessed by the Spirit of Dominion. He will have millions of enchanted followers eager to do his bidding.

Before he comes in person, however, a dominating influence is loosed with authority to tempt and enchant all who will hear him; preparing the world to worship the false christ, and leading them down the path to the Great Delusion. This is what we see happening as the first seal of the scroll is opened.

And the gods who best summarise and display the attributes of this horse and rider are the father-god Jupiter/Zeus and his sons Apollo and Dionysus. Indeed, the WHITE HORSE has been from the very earliest ages of mankind associated with the sky-god, the sun-god, the greatest god of them all.

Father and Son: JUPITER AND APOLLO

In the mythologies of bygone days, we see a blasphemous Father-Son relationship. Jupiter (Greek Zeus) was the high god and father to Apollo, also to Dionysus. Looking at these gods we can immediately see where the analogy takes us.

1. JUPITER:

He was the greatest of all Olympian gods. He was the god of gods, "father of the gods and mankind". In addition to being the source of all heavenly manifestations, he guaranteed order among gods and men. He was the sky-lord, the prince of light; king of Rome, victor, triumphant one, the one who foretold the future in omens and governed all human history according to his will; the Beginning and the End (!!).

His holy tree was the oak, his holy bird the eagle through which he indicated his presence with lightning and thunder.

The colour WHITE was sacred to Jupiter and his chariot was drawn by four white horses. His priests wore white caps and robes (like the Pope today) when offering sacrifices in his Temple on the Capitol.

Jupiter was the most important god of ancient Rome. When the city became "christian", the statue of Jupiter was re-dubbed St. Peter and is now venerated by millions of Roman Catholics as such.

We see him here in St. Peter's Basilica, Rome, displaying the sun-wheel upon his head, blessing his worshippers as they line up to kiss his foot!

2. APOLLO:

Son of the father-god, god of light, "bright shining one", a sun-god like his father, but also a very "human" god portrayed as a young, muscular and very handsome man. The Greek and Roman people adored him.

  • His powers include healing, prophecy, music, dance, the arts, culture, archery (but not for war or hunting), and architecture.
  • The famous Delphic Oracle was dedicated to Apollo. He had the gift of transferring the prophetic anointing to others, including mortals.
  • The laurel tree was sacred to Apollo and he wears a laurel crown.
  • Apollo and his twin sister Artemis/Diana are hunters and carry a bow.

Here we see a Cretan coin of Apollo holding his bow. Also see the 19th century statue at the top of this file. Although he was best know for his bow, he is also often portrayed as a gentle shepherd and carries a shepherd's crook, like the Pope. He was known as the keeper of the flocks and the one who watched over the sheep.

What better representation could we find for a mimic of Jesus Christ?

Apollo was a christ-like figure, and was even mistaken for Jesus Christ in early frescos and mosaics. He was, in a messiah-like fashion, responsible for the moral tone of the nation and its social order! This mosaic shows Apollo drawn across the sky by his horses and chariot, crowned with the sun. But a rare piece of mosaic from the time of Constantine purports to show "Christ" with the same flowing cloak, prancing horses, chariot and sunrays behind his head! Even from the earliest times, there was a crossover between Apollo and Jesus Christ.

Also, like Christ who is the One who crushed the serpent's head, Apollo was the Serpent-slayer. He was reputed to have slain the serpent Python; his oracles were given therefore by 'Phythian' priestesses who chewed laurel leaves to get a 'high'. These priestesses (Acts 16:16) were seen as "the mystic bride of Apollo".

There was no direct Roman equivalent to this Greek god, but the Romans adopted him as he was. Both Apollo and the Roman Emperor, as victor, were crowned with laurel, Apollo's sacred tree.

Father and Son: JUPITER AND DIONYSUS

3. DIONYSUS:

Another son of the father-god, also a sun-god, sometimes said to be the same as Apollo, but with slightly different attributes.

Dionysus was the god of the vine (the Vineyard!) and his worshippers indulged in sessions of mad joy, hysterical laughter and ecstasies as well as sexual orgies. (This is the same god as Bacchus and we probably all know about the Bacchanalia). One book comments:

"Dionysus was the only god to have a mortal parent. Zeus [Jupiter] came to Semele in the night, invisible, felt only as a divine presence. Semele was pleased to be a lover of a god, even though she did not know which one...Unlike the other gods, Dionysus was not only outside his believers but, also within them. At these times, a man might be greater then himself and do works he otherwise could not. .... This is a god who gives pleasure to mankind: he discovered honey and the vine and its cultivation."

So here we have another blasphemous type of Christ - a god who is incarnate into a human woman by the spirit of the father-god! And a god whom men receive spiritually, to change their natures. Here again we see a false christ, a spirit of evil, a counterfeit of the truth.

Foreshadowing

The figure of Zeus/Jupiter has been associated with antichrist persecution before. There has been a historical foreshadowing of the events of the Last Days.

1. In the days of Antiochus Epiphanes, the "antichrist" who sacked the Jewish Temple, perverted their worship, murdered the Jews and induced all who would follow him to forsake the truth for a lie, this Antiochus caused to be set up in the Temple of God an ALTAR TO ZEUS (Jupiter). This altar was the first recorded "abomination of desolation".

2. In the second fulfillment of Daniel's prophecy, in AD70, the forces of Rome set up their golden images of the Roman eagle (Jupiter's symbol) all around the temple area, and even, it is stated, inside its walls. In 'History of the Christian Church', p. 398, Schaff states, quoting Josephus from Wars of the Jews, VI, VI, 1; "The Romans planted their eagles on the shapeless ruins, over against the eastern gate, offered their sacrifices to them, and proclaimed Titus Imperator with the greatest acclamations of Joy." The eagle is the symbol of JUPITER/Zeus!eagle flag

3. Another forerunner to the antichrist, Hitler, was dedicated to the sun-gods and displayed the eagle on his banners (see this website for examples). The sig rune of the Nazis was a lightning flash or S-shaped rune (SS) which represented the lightning-bolt of Jupiter, the sky-god, thus his power and wrath. Even during the partial fulfillment of the antichrist prophecies, we see the Jupiter motif appearing over and over!

WHAT DOES THIS TELL US?

The fact that Jupiter and his sons are a blasphemous anti-type of the Father and the Son tells us that the first seal is to do with a COUNTERFEIT of the Christian reality and truth.

Each type of historical antichrist held to a false religion, twinned with political power and military might. The attributes of Jupiter, Apollo and Dionysus lead me to believe that the religion of this counterfeit Christianity is that of the modern-day neo-pentecostal dominionist churches in an ecumenistic unity with Rome.

The first seal to be opened, to launch the process into the endtimes reign of the antichist, is a spiritual deception that has to do with a false Christianity, with a counterfeit Christ and a dominion mandate. This spirit is given authority to go out and "conquer" - to dominate and to bring into submission millions of people.

For before the coming of the personal Antichrist, comes the "falling away", the Apostasy (see II Th 2:3 "Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition".)

Jesus warned of this first sign of the End when he said: "Take heed lest any man deceive you: For many shall come in my name, saying, I am [{Christ} this word does not appear in the Greek text]; and shall deceive many. (Mark 13:5-6) For false christs [pseudochristos - falsely anointed ones] and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect. But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things. (Mark 13:22-23).

Consider the present spread of a very influential and powerfully deceptive spiritual "revival" linked to doctrines of dominion; consider their desire to conquer all hearts and minds and to rule over a christianised New Order! They even label themselves "The Overcomers" and when we look at that phrase in the bible we find it is directly taken from the word to "conquer" NIKAO. It's almost as if the Holy Spirit was leaving us textual hints to the identity of this group!

Consider their practices: the "transferable anointing", disorderly worship, wild laughter, sexual symbolism, unbiblical revelations and oracles, the use of music as intercession and prophecy as well as drumming up manifestations, their claims to extraordinary healing powers - all of which are attributable to Dionysus and Apollo - and their bold ambitions to govern mankind.

This is the False Christ spirit of Dominion! This is the First Seal Rider set loose to delude mankind.

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© 2013 Tricia Tillin-Booth. All rights reserved. Birthpangs Website: http://www.birthpangs.org/  This document is the property of its author and is not to be displayed on other websites, redistributed, sold, reprinted, or reproduced in printed in any other format without permission. Websites may link to this article, if they provide proper title and author information.   One copy may be downloaded, stored and/or printed for personal research. All spelling and phraseology is UK English.