Let us continue with the second part. In the first part, I explained the meaning of the vision without going into full detail. I did this intentionally, so the foundation would be clear before we go deeper. This vision is not something to read lightly or interpret carelessly. Many false prophets and hired preachers have attempted to explain it, but their interpretations have been misleading. The understanding I share comes from God through the Holy Spirit, not from my own knowledge. What do I know on my own? Nothing. Everything I write is based on the insight God has given.
As I have said in my other writings, I did not appoint myself as a messenger, nor did I choose this task for personal gain. Why would I? It would not trouble me if, at this moment, only I, my family, and a few close friends were the ones who entered heaven. But does that make me selfish? In God’s sight, yes—if I were to keep the truth to myself. That is why He chose me to share it. Whether people listen, read, hear, or believe what I write is not my burden to carry. My responsibility is simply to speak what God has instructed me to speak.
I would never declare myself a messenger unless God had truly sent me. That is the work of false prophets, as the Lord warned through the prophet Jeremiah: “I did not send these prophets, yet they have run with their message; I did not speak to them, yet they have prophesied. … Am I only a God nearby,” declares the Lord, “and not a God far away? Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them?” declares the Lord. “Do not I fill heaven and earth?” declares the Lord. God Himself would judge me if I were a false prophet.
He knows my heart, just as He knows the hearts of all people. He alone determines who is worthy to be His prophets and messengers. As the Lord Almighty declares: “Whoever touches you touches the apple of His eye” (Zechariah 2:8).
Consider Moses. He fled Egypt in fear after killing an Egyptian who had mistreated an Israelite. Yet God still chose him. Scripture says that God “found him in a desert land, in the howling waste of the wilderness; He encircled him, cared for him, and kept him as the apple of His eye. (Deuteronomy 32:10).After forty years of hardship in the desert, years in which Moses felt forgotten and expected to die in obscurity, God raised him as a leader.
Apostle Paul wrote that God does not show favoritism (Romans 2:11), and that is true. Yet Scripture also shows that God grants special favor to certain individuals, those He calls the “apple of His eye,” as King David prayed in Psalm 17:8: “Keep me as the apple of Your eye.” God chooses the right people for His purposes, just as Jesus chose twelve disciples to represent the twelve tribes of Israel. Those whom God selects are entrusted with His messages.
But being chosen does not mean living in luxury, free from hardship, or treated like royalty. Far from it. Those chosen often endure severe and bitter trials. John, who wrote the book of Revelation, was exiled to the rocky island of Patmos. The Romans left him there, expecting him to die slowly, from hunger, thirst, exposure, or even from wild animals. This is the cost many of God’s messengers have faced.
So, I repeat: it is God who freely chooses His prophets and messengers. To be chosen is a privilege and an honor, to be considered the apple of God’s eye.
Now, let us move into the mysteries of John’s visions, as God reveals them. I do not know these things by myself; only God reveals them to me. Many hired preachers and priests create their own interpretations to please crowds or maintain their positions. I do not condemn them; they are hired workers, and I understand their situation. But giving people false interpretations is dangerous, and God will hold them accountable. He wants the truth, without sugarcoating, without deception. Deception is Satan’s work; it originates from him.
Understand this well: salvation is personal. I pray for my family and friends, but I cannot save them, nor can they save me. Only God can.
Now, let us examine John’s vision of the beast rising from the sea. The dragon stood on the shore because Satan cannot create and does not know the future. Only God creates and ordains what is to come. The shore represents the multitudes of nations and peoples. The rising of the beast represents the unfolding of a major event. The beast symbolizes an earthly authority. Its strange combination of animal features represents a blend of strength, bloodshed, speed, fierceness, and even moments of mercy.
Here is the description: a beast with ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns upon its horns. I have written extensively about this in eight separate segments, interpretations of the seven heads and the ten crowns, which share the same symbolic meaning. You may become confused if you skip those sections, so I encourage you to read them carefully. And before you do, pray. These messages are not ordinary writings like the works of popular authors seeking profit. They are sacred, for they concern what God has revealed. These visions are not to be read casually, like a comic book or a history text that can be set aside afterward. Your salvation is connected to understanding these truths. Approach them with sincere prayer before you begin.
Who is this beast that represents an earthly authority, you may ask? This is essential to understand, because the event John described has already unfolded in part and will continue to develop in these last days. John wrote, “The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power, his throne, and great authority.” You must grasp this section carefully, for it is here that the future of Christianity hangs in the balance and where the great divide begins. This vision points to a major and critical period in history—the era surrounding the Great Reformation and the Dark Ages—when the persecution of true Christian believers intensified. Many consider this the most severe persecution ever carried out against genuine followers of Christ. The vision shows the dragon granting authority to the beast, meaning Satan empowered this earthly power to commit such terrible acts against God’s faithful people.
This historical development took shape after the conversion of Constantine I, the Roman emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire, during a time when the Western Roman Empire collapsed under the advance of various barbarian tribes. As these tribes embraced Christianity, they were gradually transformed. The ten crowns symbolize the monarchies and royal powers that emerged among them, while the seven heads represent the major barbarian groups that became Christianized and eventually formed the foundations of Europe as a civilized continent.
These seven groups—the Heruli, Suevi, Burgundians, Visigoths, Lombards, Franks, and Anglo-Saxons—eventually developed into the major nations we recognize today: France, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Italy, England, and Portugal. From these foundational peoples, many smaller kingdoms and territories later emerged, forming the wider collection of European nations that exist today. Their languages share similarities because the smaller nations grew out of these larger established tribes, even though they later separated, especially after their conversion to Christianity and the later pressures brought by the rise of the Ottoman Empire. I will discuss the Ottoman Empire in a separate topic, as that is a different matter altogether.
Now, the central event in this vision is the division that arose within Christianity. After Constantine I converted to the faith, certain church leaders—who later formed what became known as the papacy—entered into a compromise with him in hopes of ending the persecution of believers. As I have explained in other writings, this compromise involved accepting certain pagan practices that Constantine wished to retain. These included adopting the Gregorian calendar, altering appointed times and seasons, using December 25th, originally dedicated to a Roman pagan deity, as the celebration of Christ’s birth, and introducing graven images to represent Jesus, God, and the saints.
This may be difficult for many Christians to accept, but the celebration of Christmas on December 25th is not something God established, for Jesus was not born on that date. I have traveled throughout Israel—Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, the Dead Sea, the Sea of Galilee, and other regions—and the biblical setting of Jesus’ birth does not match a winter season. When Jesus took on human form and chose Mary to bear Him, she gave birth in a manger, in a humble stable, after traveling to Bethlehem for the census ordered by King Herod. Mary was already in her ninth month of pregnancy and did not expect to go into labor that night. The climate during that time was not winter, nor cold, nor snowy.
Because there was no room available, the innkeeper offered them the only place he could—the distant stable where the animals were kept. Joseph and Mary, with no other option, went there, and Mary gave birth in those humble conditions. Though there were no doctors or modern medical professionals, people of that time knew how to assist in childbirth, including cutting the umbilical cord. God had given this wisdom from the very beginning, as He taught Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. All true wisdom comes from the Lord
Before Constantine’s conversion, the Roman Empire was deeply rooted in the worship of idols and carved images. After his conversion, he proposed incorporating similar images into Christian worship. The church that emerged from this union became known as the Roman Catholic Church, intended to be the universal church for all Christians.
So, you may disagree with me for saying this, but the truth remains: this celebration was never appointed by Jesus Christ. He never observed December 25th as His birthday, nor did He instruct the use of any graven images. The adoption of these pagan‑influenced customs introduced significant division within the Christian faith. Many believers could not accept practices such as celebrating Jesus’ birth on a date not supported by Scripture, or incorporating graven images—something God clearly forbids in the very first of the Ten Commandments. Rather, concerning graven images, God said::
“You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above, or on the earth beneath, or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments.”
Back to December 25th, Is it wrong to celebrate Christmas? There is nothing wrong with remembering the birth of Jesus and His coming into the world. However, choosing a specific date that originated from the pagan traditions associated with Constantine I’s era raises concerns. We are called to remember Christ’s coming daily, not only on a single occasion.
Another issue is that many people focus more on Christmas trees, shopping, and parties than on Jesus Himself. What should be a solemn commemoration filled with spiritual joy often becomes a celebration centered on worldly distractions. Because December 25th has roots in pagan customs rather than God’s instruction, it is important to examine its foundation carefully.
Regarding man‑made festivals, God declared:
“Your New Moon feasts and your appointed festivals I hate with all My being. They have become a burden to Me; I am weary of bearing them.” (Isaiah 1:14)
God’s message here speaks for itself.
Another truth is that birthday celebrations are not established or blessed by God. In Scripture, birthdays are never portrayed as holy or God-ordained events. Instead, they are linked with sorrow and tragedy. A birthday marks the passing of time, the shortening of life, and the reminder of human mortality under the curse of aging.
This is illustrated in the book of Job. His children held a birthday feast, and during that celebration, disaster struck—they were all killed through the enemy’s actions. Scripture records that Job’s sons “used to hold feasts in their homes on their birthdays, and they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them” (Job 1:4). The devil took advantage of this occasion and destroyed them. This is the only explicit birthday celebration mentioned in the Bible, and it ended in tragedy. Nowhere does Scripture indicate that God approves of such celebrations.
These disagreements marked the beginning of a deep and lasting divide among Christians. I will expand on this in the next segment, as the explanation is becoming lengthy. Please continue reading.
