200 million mounted troops: Revelation 9:13-21

Previously: Release the four angels – Revelation 9:13-21

The scripture

Rev. 9:13 – The sixth angel blew his trumpet. From the four horns of the gold altar that is before God, I heard a voice 14 say to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels bound at the great river Euphrates.” 15 So the four angels who were prepared for the hour, day, month, and year were released to kill a third of the human race. 16 The number of mounted troops was 200 million; I heard their number. 17 This is how I saw the horses in my vision: The horsemen had breastplates that were fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow. The heads of the horses were like lions’ heads, and from their mouths came fire, smoke, and sulfur. 18 A third of the human race was killed by these three plagues—by the fire, the smoke, and the sulfur that came from their mouths. 19 For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails, because their tails, like snakes, have heads, and they inflict injury with them. 20 The rest of the people, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands to stop worshiping demons and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood, which are not able to see, hear, or walk. 21 And they did not repent of their murders, their sorceries, their sexual immorality, or their thefts. (HCSB)

The number of mounted troops was 200 million

John writes that 200 million mounted troops accompany the four angels released at the Euphrates. The number is so vast that he “heard their number.” No one can count it, even if, as some ancient manuscripts read, the troops number only 100 million. The greatest army assembled in ancient times is by Xerxes when he invades Greece. Herodotus, the Greek historian, says Xerxes brings 2.5 million men. In 1944, 156,000 American, British and Canadian troops land at Normandy on D-Day. And in more recent times, the 34-nation coalition that liberates Kuwait from the forces of Saddam Hussein deploy roughly 1 million troops. An army of 200 million mounted soldiers would cover an area one mile wide and 85 miles deep, by some accounts. And while it is reported today that China is capable of fielding a militia of more than 200 million, it appears that John’s vision should be taken symbolically rather than literally.

In the Greek, this number is expressed as “two myriads of myriads,” or twice 10,000 times 10,000. Likely this is used in a general sense to describe an exceptionally large invasion force with a singular mission: to kill one-third of the earth’s inhabitants. The riders are said to be wearing breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow. John is quite specific about the colors, which seem to correspond with the fire, smoke and sulfur that come from the horses’ mouths. Some commentators, however, believe these colors reveal the identity of the army as the Turks, who defeat the Byzantine Empire and capture Constantinople in 1453. Others see these riders as the Romans and their allies, who destroy Jerusalem in the war of 66 – 70 A.D.

Note that John places the greatest emphasis, not on the soldiers, but on the horses, which have heads like lions; mouths that breathe fire, smoke and sulfur; and tails with heads, like snakes, that inflict injury. Almost no one takes this literally. Some see this vision as describing the courage, power and brutality of the Romans and their confederates in the Jewish War of the first century. Others believe the fire, smoke, and sulfur are apt symbols of the gunpowder and artillery introduced in Europe and used by the Turks in their conquest of Constantinople. Still others believe this is a vision of future, mechanized tools of war – tanks, helicopters, and missiles. There are, however, many who see these frightening steeds as symbolizing the spiritual damage of false religions – such as Islam or cults of Christianity – that run roughshod over people who have rejected the truth and embraced another Jesus, a different spirit, and a different gospel (2 Cor. 11:4).

In the end, the horses and their riders succeed in killing one-third of the human race. And whether one interprets this as physical death, or political, social, religious, or spiritual death, the damage is widespread and devastating.

The rest of the people … did not repent

Perhaps the most shocking truth of this vision is John’s statement: “The rest of the people, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands to stop worshipping demons and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood, which are not able to see, hear, or walk. And they did not repent of their murders, their sorceries, their sexual immorality, or their thefts” (vv. 20-21).

Think about this for a moment. In the depths of the American Civil War, President Lincoln calls his countrymen to a day of fasting and prayer. In the days after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on U.S. soil, churches are flooded with people beseeching God for His mercy. Droughts, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, and earthquakes have led governors to call the people of their states to prayer. But what is the world’s response to the death of one-third of its inhabitants? Even if the destruction pictured here is limited to the Eastern third of the Roman Empire, or the city of Jerusalem, or the ruin of religious institutions, an event of this magnitude should cause the survivors to fall on their faces before an offended God.

Not here. The “rest of the people,” that is, unbelievers, seem to know that these plagues are aimed at them. Yet they do not turn from their wickedness to God. The hands that could have beaten their chests in remorse and regret instead reach for their idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood. The eyes that could be lifted up to heaven, or lowered in humility to the earth, instead gaze upon inanimate objects fashioned by human hands and backed by demons. The knees that could have buckled in veneration of an angry and righteous God stiffen in rebellion against Him. And the voices that could have cried out for forgiveness instead rail against the One who stands ready to save them.

Hell will be filled with the likes of these men and women one day, for it appears that judgment does not lead to repentance. The rich man remains self-centered and unrepentant in Torment (Luke 16:19-31). Paul writes that it is the goodness of God – not His judgment – that leads to repentance (Rom. 2:4) And when all is said and done at the end of time, the sinner remains what he has always been and will always be – unrighteous and filthy (see Rev. 22:11).

Warren Wiersbe writes, “These judgments are not remedial but retributive: God is upholding His holy Law and vindicating His suffering people (see Rev. 6:9–11). Even a casual reading of Revelation 9:20–21 reveals the awful wickedness of mankind, even in the midst of God’s judgments. The most frightening thing about Revelation 9 is not the judgments that God sends but the sins that men persist in committing even while God is judging them” (The Bible Exposition Commentary, Rev. 9:1).

Four major views of the sixth trumpet

How do supporters of the four major interpretations of Revelation view the sixth trumpet?

  • Preterists – who see the events of Revelation as fulfilled in the first centuries of the church age – believe this vision refers to the Roman armies or their allies, following the invasion of the demonic “locusts” in the fifth trumpet judgment. Many of the troops that come into Israel during the war in 66-70 A.D. have been stationed at the Euphrates. Jay Adams writes, “It was across the Euphrates that Israel’s conquerors had previously come – Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia. Moveover, there were places at this very time where Roman armies were stationed along the Euphrates. The 10th legion, which participated in the destruction, had been located there” (The Time Is at Hand, quoted in Revelation: Four Views, p. 186). Preterists also argue that this invasion is the specific fulfillment of Daniel’s 70 weeks and the prediction of Jesus, who said, “When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that its desolation has come I assure you: This generation will certainly not pass away until all things take place” (Luke 21:20, 32).
  • Historicists – who view the events of Revelation as unfolding throughout the course of history – say the third of mankind upon whom this woe falls is the eastern third of what once was the Roman Empire. Also known as the Byzantine Empire, this kingdom was ruled from Constantinople, which the Turks conquered in 1453. The increments of time – hour, day, month, and year – are to be added together. Using the year-for-a-day method, the total time is either 391 years (using 360-day years) or just over 396 years (using 365-day years). This proves to be almost the exact amount of time from the day the Turks cross the Euphrates River (1062) to the fall of Constantinople (1453). The four angels bound at the Euphrates are four sultanates bordering the river and confined until after the Crusades. As further evidence, historicists point out that the Turks are known for their red, blue and yellow breastplates. The fire, smoke and brimstone are descriptions of artillery, for the Turks first use large guns at the siege of Constantinople.
  • Futurists – who say the events of Revelation are largely unfulfilled, especially chapters 4-22 – tend to see the four angels as demons, although some futurists equate these four angels with the angels standing at the four corners of the earth in Rev. 7:1. Futurists understand the Euphrates to be the traditional boundary between East and West and therefore see the crossing over of 200 million mounted troops as an invasion from the Orient. They point to Rev. 16:12, where the waters of the river are dried up, as further support of their view since this would make it easier for massive troops to move westward. The expression of time – “the hour, day, month, and year” – does not refer to the duration of this attack but to the divine ordination of the judgment at exactly this time. Futurists are divided as to whether the mounted troops are demons or armies of men; some admit they are undecided. If these are human armies, it is difficult to explain how even a coalition of nations can amass 200 million troops, although Hal Lindsey points to an Associated Press story in 1961 that claims China is capable of mobilizing a militia of that size.
  • Some idealists, or spiritualists – who see Revelation setting forth timeless truths concerning the battle between good and evil – argue that the fifth and sixth trumpet judgments are related, with the former describing the internal corruption of society and the latter depicting the external forces that cause it to collapse. Some tie the sixth trumpet to invasions of Rome by Eastern enemies, while others emphasize the spiritual nature of these afflictions, with fire, smoke, and sulfur providing a foretaste of hell. Perhaps the most common view among idealists is that this vision depicts recurring phenomena throughout human history – spiritual wickedness that leads to physical strife and, ultimately, judgment. The horse, for example, is a symbol of warfare in the Bible (see Ps. 33:16-17; Prov. 21:31; Isa. 31:1; Zech. 9:10).  “Certainly war is one of those recurring phenomena in history which God uses to punish civilizations and warn all men of the universality of death and the need to repent,” writes Steve Gregg in Revelation: Four Views (pp. 193, 195). The 200 million mounted troops are not to be taken literally but may apply to all wars at all times throughout the present age. Some even extend the meaning to include all death-producing events such as cancers and diseases.

Next: The mighty angel and the small scroll – Revelation 10

Why we suffer

This column appeared July 3 in The Pathway of the Missouri Baptist Convention.

Horatio G. Spafford was a prominent attorney in Chicago in the 1800s and a friend of evangelist Dwight L. Moody. While Spafford was both respected and comfortable, he was not free from severe hardship.

First, he lost his four-year-old son to scarlet fever. Then his real estate investments along Lake Michigan literally went up in flames in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Not long after that, his four daughters drowned in a shipwreck, and his wife Anna survived the ordeal only because the ship’s debris buoyed her as she floated, unconscious, in the Atlantic Ocean.

Crossing the sea to join his bereaved wife, Spafford was called to the captain’s deck as the ship sailed past the foamy deep where his daughters were lost. The captain informed him that the waters there were three miles deep. Returning to his cabin, Spafford penned these words to the now-famous hymn:

When peace like a river attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll;

Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,

It is well, it is well with my soul

Why did such tragedy befall this godly man? Spafford may have wondered why, but ultimately he rested in the sovereignty of God.

We can better appreciate God’s sovereignty, even in the darkest nights, by observing 10 reasons we suffer, according to scripture.

1. We suffer because we sin. All of us are sinners (Rom. 3:10, 23). Unbelievers live lifestyles of independence from God, while believers experience moments, or seasons, of independence. Spiritual discipline is designed to target sin in a believer’s life, and that discipline may be severe, including death (1 Cor. 11:29-32).

2. We suffer because others sin. Children suffer at the hands of an abusive parent. Citizens suffer at the hands of corrupt leaders. Rarely does our sin remain confined to us. King David numbered his troops, and 70,000 people suffered the consequences. Jesus suffered through no fault of His own but gave His life for our sins.

3. We suffer because we live in a sinful and fallen world. Accidents happen. Natural disasters take the lives of millions each year. The apostle Paul writes that the whole world is groaning beneath the weight of sin (Rom. 8:22).

4. We suffer because God allows us to make real choices. The sovereignty of God and the ability of people to make meaningful choices are two Biblical truths. We are not robots; we actually can and do make choices for which God holds us accountable.

5. We suffer to make us long for eternity. This world is not our home; our citizenship is in heaven. The writer of Hebrews records, “These [heroes of the faith] all died in faith without having received the promises, but they saw them from a distance, greeted them, and confessed the they were foreigners and temporary residents on the earth (11:13).” When we suffer, it helps prevent us from clinging to this world, which is passing away.

6. We suffer to keep us from something worse. A fever sends us to the doctor, where our illness is diagnosed and a remedy prescribed. On a grander scale, suffering tells us there is something wrong with us, and with the world, and often leads us to the all-important search for Christ. Darkness, pain, suffering, loneliness, abandonment — all help us grasp the reality of life, now and eternally, without Christ.

7. We suffer to share in the suffering of Christ, and thus to be more like Him. Christians persecuted for their faith share in what Paul calls “the fellowship of His suffering” (Phil. 3:10). When we suffer, it also enables us to comfort others, who suffer. Paul also writes, “For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory” (2 Cor. 4:17).

8. We suffer to honor God. Jesus tells us to take heart when we are persecuted for His sake (Matt. 5:10-11). And He warns us the world will hate us because it hated Him first. If Christians had easier lives it would make the gospel more attractive for the wrong reasons; God would become a means to an end rather than the end of all things Himself.

9. We suffer to grow spiritually. Jesus, who was perfect in His humanity, nevertheless “learned” obedience through suffering. Paul writes that he has “learned” in whatsoever state he is, to be content (Phil. 4:11). And Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” is designed to keep him from boasting (2 Cor. 12).

10. We suffer to better anticipate the glories of heaven and the world to come. In Rev. 21:4 we read, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will exist no longer; grief, crying, and pain will exist no longer, because the previous things have passed away.” Paul writes, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us” (Rom. 8:18).

Release the four angels: Revelation 9:13-21

Previously: The sixth trumpet — Revelation 9:13-21

The scripture

Rev. 9:13 – The sixth angel blew his trumpet. From the four horns of the gold altar that is before God, I heard a voice 14 say to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels bound at the great river Euphrates.” 15 So the four angels who were prepared for the hour, day, month, and year were released to kill a third of the human race. 16 The number of mounted troops was 200 million; I heard their number. 17 This is how I saw the horses in my vision: The horsemen had breastplates that were fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow. The heads of the horses were like lions’ heads, and from their mouths came fire, smoke, and sulfur. 18 A third of the human race was killed by these three plagues—by the fire, the smoke, and the sulfur that came from their mouths. 19 For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails, because their tails, like snakes, have heads, and they inflict injury with them. 20 The rest of the people, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands to stop worshiping demons and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood, which are not able to see, hear, or walk. 21 And they did not repent of their murders, their sorceries, their sexual immorality, or their thefts. (HCSB)

Release the four angels

The sixth angel is instructed, “Release the four angels bound at the great river Euphrates” (v. 14). No doubt, the four angels are demons, for holy angels are not bound. Together, the demons command a vast army of 200 million mounted riders (some manuscripts read 100 million). The army is held in check until God determines the precise time for a special purpose: to kill one-third of the human race. Since a fourth of mankind already has been killed in the fourth seal judgment (Rev. 6:8), and “many” people have died from the bitter waters in the third trumpet judgment (Rev. 8:11), this means roughly half of the world’s population will be dead by the time the sixth trumpet judgment is completed.

As for the army of 200 million, is this a literal army riding uniquely equipped horses? Or does John’s vision depict modern-day weapons such as tanks, driven by soldiers from a nation, or a coalition of nations, capable of deploying such a vast army? It seems best to see this as an army of demons unleashed to destroy people. While these are wicked men and women who have rejected God’s call to repentance, the demons swiftly destroy them because they are creatures made in God’s image; if the demons cannot fight against God, they can destroy his creatures and mar His creation. Even so, they unwittingly carry out God’s sovereign plan as instruments of His divine judgment.

The timing is interesting here. Just as God sent His Son at “the completion of the time” (Gal. 4:4) and Jesus died “at the appointed moment” (Rom. 5:6), the four angels are “prepared for the hour, day, month, and year … to kill a third of the human race” (Rev. 9:15). From a human perspective, so much of life seems random, chaotic and uncontrollable. Yet God sovereignly directs the real choices of people (and demons) and moves the world toward judgment and, beyond that, its promised redemption.

Whose voice is it that sounds over the four horns of the altar? Some argue that it is none other than the voice of God. Others say that because the four horns represent the four Gospels, they sound in a unified voice so that all those who are about to be judged will hear that their pending destruction is due to their rejection of the Son of God.

At the river Euphrates

The Euphrates River is the most important and, at 1780 miles, the longest river in western Asia. It begins in the Armenian Mountains. It passes through the Taurus Range and the Mesopotamian Valley down to the Persian Gulf. But it is far more significant than just its size. The river is part of the cradle of civilization (Gen. 2:14) and one of Israel’s stated boundaries (Gen. 15:18). The banks of the river are where sin is first known, where the first lie is told, where suffering begins and where human misery originates. It’s also where God’s promise of redemption is made through the seed of woman (Gen. 3:15).

The Euphrates is the backdrop of great apostasies before and after the flood. It is the river from which many of Israel’s greatest and most oppressive enemies drink and water their horses. It is the backdrop of captivity and exile for Israel and Judah. And it is the scene of the rise of the great world empires that oppose God’s people. It is the place from which the Assyrians come to defeat Israel’s northern kingdom and from which the Babylonians, Persians and Medes strike terror in the hearts of their enemies. In the days after Jesus’ ascension, as Israel rebels against the Roman Empire (66 – 70 A.D.), the Euphrates is where some of Rome’s mounted troops are poised to bring swift destruction. Now, in John’s vision, it is the river where four evil angels are unleashed, and an army of 200 million is deployed, as instruments of God’s wrath.

It is important to note that some commentators take a figurative view of the Euphrates and link it to “spiritual Babylon,” or the apostate church. More pointedly, they argue that the Roman Catholic Church is in view here, with its damaging dogmas of Mariology, sacramental salvation, and the buying and selling of indulgences.

In any case, the Euphrates in scripture is both a source and a boundary. It is one of the rivers of Eden; its root word, pehrat, means to break forth and abound. According to Xenophon, the Greek historian, the Euphrates causes the desert to “become a garden of fertility.” While it is a life-giving source of water, the river also sustains wicked people and their murderous schemes. For those who spiritualize the river, it symbolizes the source of idolatry and other false teachings, from Islam to Roman Catholicism to the New Age movement. As a boundary, the Euphrates separates East from West and, in many ways, Judaism and Christianity from competing Eastern religions. And in John’s vision of the sixth trumpet, it is a boundary where evil forces are detained until the sovereign God of the universe decides to unleash them.

 Next: The number of mounted troops was 200 million

The sixth trumpet: Revelation 9:13-21

Previously: The appearance of locusts — Revelation 9:1-12

The scripture

Rev. 9:13 – The sixth angel blew his trumpet. From the four horns of the gold altar that is before God, I heard a voice 14 say to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels bound at the great river Euphrates.” 15 So the four angels who were prepared for the hour, day, month, and year were released to kill a third of the human race. 16 The number of mounted troops was 200 million; I heard their number. 17 This is how I saw the horses in my vision: The horsemen had breastplates that were fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow. The heads of the horses were like lions’ heads, and from their mouths came fire, smoke, and sulfur. 18 A third of the human race was killed by these three plagues—by the fire, the smoke, and the sulfur that came from their mouths. 19 For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails, because their tails, like snakes, have heads, and they inflict injury with them. 20 The rest of the people, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands to stop worshiping demons and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood, which are not able to see, hear, or walk. 21 And they did not repent of their murders, their sorceries, their sexual immorality, or their thefts. (HCSB)

The second woe is more devastating than the first. The fifth trumpet judgment – the first woe – results in torment at the hands of demonic “locusts.” But the sixth trumpet judgment yields death for a third of the human race.

It begins with the release of four angels who are “prepared” for this particularly gruesome season in human history. Joining the angels are 200 million mounted troops riding grotesque, fire-breathing horses with heads like lions and tails like poisonous snakes.

The result of this judgment is death for multitudes and shockingly hard-hearted rebellion against God by the survivors, who refuse to repent of their demon worship, murders, sorceries, sexual immorality and thefts.

Who are these angels? And where do they muster a mounted army of 200 million? Who are the fire-breathing horses, and how do their tails inflict injury? Finally, how can any human being, no matter how wicked, refuse to repent after witnessing such death and devastation? Let’s take a closer look at the details of this second woe.

The four horns of the gold altar

John hears a voice coming from the four horns of the gold altar before God. Remember from previous lessons that in the tabernacle and temple, there are two altars. First, there is the altar of bronze, located outside the sanctuary in the court and upon which sacrifices are offered; we encounter this altar in the fifth seal judgment as the martyred souls beneath it cry out to God for vengeance (Rev. 6:9-11). The second is the altar of gold, a smaller altar that stands in front of the veil and is used to burn incense, a picture of prayers ascending to God (see Ps. 141:2). In John’s vision of the sixth trumpet judgment, we see the altar of gold, the altar of burned incense and prayer.

We also encounter the altar of gold in Rev. 8:3-5. An angel with a gold incense burner is given a large amount of incense to offer with the prayers of the saints. The smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, arises into the presence of the Lord, while the angel fills his incense burner with fire from the altar and hurls it to earth in a prelude to the seven trumpet judgments.

The significance of the altar is that it reminds us the Lord hears our prayers and answers them – not always in the way we want or in keeping with our deadlines, but according to His divine will and in His perfect timing. Quoting from Psalm 34, Peter writes to remind us that “the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are open to their request. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil” (1 Peter 3:12).

W.A. Criswell shares the following insight into the two altars:

Now, in the golden censer, fire was taken from the Altar of Sacrifice and carried to the Golden Altar, where incense was burned unto God. Blood was taken from the Altar of Sacrifice on the day of atonement and sprinkled on the four golden horns of the Alter of prayer. All of this ritual was to teach that prayer and worship are based upon sacrifice, the shedding of blood without which there is no remission of sins, and without which no man can come into the presence of God. Now, it is from the four horns that the awful cry comes to loose those four terrible angels bound over the river Euphrates. What an amazing thing! Heretofore, the blood of the sacrifice and the prayers of intercession have always been for mercy, that God would forgive us, that God would save us. But now the blood that cries and the voice that is raised is no longer for forgiveness, for salvation, for God’s mercy, but the voice is for judgment and damnation. Oh, the horror of it! How could such a thing be? For a very plain and simple reason: God’s way for a man to be saved is in the blood. This is the way for a man to meet God, through the great mediation of the High Priest, Jesus Christ. This is God’s propitiation for our sins (Expository Sermons on Revelation, p. 189).

Next: Release the four angels — Revelation 9:13-21

The Great Impostor

This article appeared June 20 in The Pathway of the Missouri Baptist Convention. 

He was known as “The Great Impostor” and inspired a 1961 film by the same name.

Ferdinand Waldo Demara began his nefarious career during World War II by borrowing an Army buddy’s name, going AWOL and faking his suicide. A string of pseudo careers followed in which Demara portrayed a sheriff’s deputy, a doctor of applied psychology, and a child-care expert.

He was best known for masquerading as a surgeon aboard a Canadian Navy destroyer during the Korean War, successfully completing a string of operations. His final gig: a Baptist minister.

Demara’s life is a fascinating but sad story of one man’s quest for respectability. His success as an impostor also exposes the soft underbelly of a society whose people are easily duped by one who talks smoothly and claims to serve the greater good.

For Christians, Demara’s story is a warning to be on guard against those who disguise themselves as “servants of righteousness” (2 Cor. 11:15). But how can we know a religious impostor when we see one? The apostle Paul gives us three clear markers in 2 Cor. 11:4. False teachers proclaim “another Jesus … a different spirit … a different gospel.”

To illustrate, let’s look briefly at three belief systems: Islam, Mormonism, and the Watchtower (Jehovah’s Witnesses) – each of which teaches unbiblical doctrines concerning Jesus, the Holy Spirit and the gospel.

Islam

Jesus. Muslims say Jesus was one of God’s greatest prophets but inferior to Muhammad. The Koran denies that Jesus is the Son of God, and any Muslim who believes in the deity of Jesus has committed shirk – a sin that will damn that person to hell. Muslims do not believe Jesus died on the cross but was called to heaven by Allah before His death and was perhaps replaced by Judas Iscariot or someone else who looked like Jesus.

Holy Spirit. Islam denies the deity of the Holy Spirit, whom the Koran describes as “the angel which brought revelation.” The Koran also calls the Holy Spirit “Gabriel” (2:97).

The gospel. Islam teaches that Jesus was neither crucified for our sins nor resurrected; therefore salvation cannot possibly be attained through faith in Christ. Salvation in Islam is a combination of works and fate. Muslims pursue the five Pillars of Religion and hope Allah is kindly disposed toward them.

Mormonism

Jesus. Mormons say Jesus preexisted in heaven as a spirit child of Heavenly Father (Ehohim) and one of his goddess wives (as did Lucifer and all pre-existent human beings). He then took on a human body through sexual relations between Heavenly Father and Mary. Mormonism recognizes the Trinity only as one in “purpose,” arguing instead for a multitude of gods.

Holy Spirit. Founder Joseph Smith taught that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit “constitute three distinct personages and three Gods.” He further said, “The Holy Ghost is yet a spiritual body and waiting to take to himself a body as the Saviour did or as the gods before them took bodies.”

The gospel. Jesus’ atonement secured “salvation” (meaning resurrection) for nearly all people, but “men will be punished for their own sins” (Article of Faith #2 by Joseph Smith). People may earn “eternal life” (godhood) by “obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel,” meaning works (Article of Faith #3 by Joseph Smith).

The Watchtower

Jesus. Jesus was the first and direct creation of Jehovah. Jesus then created all “other” things (Col. 1:16 New World Translation). Jehovah’s Witnesses deny the Trinity, speaking of Jesus as “a god” or “mighty god” but not divine. They deny His incarnation, death on the cross (he died on a “torture stake”) and physical resurrection. Jesus returned invisibly in 1914 and is working today to overthrow Satan’s kingdom.

Holy Spirit. The “holy spirit” (always lower case) is the invisible active force of God that moves His servants to do His will. Jehovah’s Witnesses deny the personhood and deity of the Holy Spirit, proclaiming such beliefs to be inspired by Satan.

The gospel. Salvation in the Watchtower is a combination of faith and works, but there is no eternal security and virtually no hope of today’s Witnesses ever entering heaven, which is reserved for the 144,000 in the “anointed class.” The “other sheep” may, through faithfulness to Watchtower teachings and hard work, be brought back to life after an indefinite period of soul sleep and populate Paradise Earth.

In each of his roles, Ferdinand Waldo Demara was confronted with the truth – in some cases by the persons whose identity he had stolen – and exposed as a fraud. For Christians who encounter an array of false teachings today, our best defense is the truth of God’s Word.

The writer of Hebrews put it best: “For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating as far as to divide soul, spirit, joints, and marrow; it is a judge of the ideas and thoughts of the heart.  No creature is hidden from Him, but all things are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must give an account” (4:12-13).