Watchman on the Wall

Southwest Radio Ministries: Welcome to Watchman on the Wall, a daily outreach of Southwest Radio Ministries and swrc.com. God is still on the throne and prayer changes things.

Today, Dr. Larry Spargimino concludes his conversation with Dr. Doug Stauffer on the book of Revelation and its meaning today. For over 93 years, Southwest Radio Ministries has been dedicated to equipping you with Bible-based teachings about end-times events and Bible prophecy to guide your understanding of the signs of the times.

We are a Christian nonprofit ministry with a God-ordained mandate to, through all forms of media, broadcast the urgency of God's prophetic messages found in the Bible to guide our lives. We are financially supported by contributions from friends and partners of the ministry. That's you guys. With your continued financial support, we will be able to proclaim that God is still on the throne and prayer changes things. So please, give your best gift today by visiting swrc.com or call 1-800-652-1144. Thank you for your prayers and support. Here's our host, Dr. Larry Spargimino.

Dr. Larry Spargimino: I must say that I've enjoyed these discussions with Dr. Douglas Stauffer. We've been discussing his new book, The Illumination of the Book of Revelation, Book 2. We have much more to discuss. And as you have seen, Dr. Stauffer's really a student of the Word of God. We've gotten pretty excited about some things. We've gotten off just speaking about the book of Revelation. We've even given an invitation because I think the book of Revelation is a powerful book. It reminds us who God is and who we are. We need His help every day. Doug, thank you so much for being back with us once again.

Dr. Douglas Stauffer: Oh, it's such a joy and looking forward to this third program, excited about it.

Dr. Larry Spargimino: What happens when Satan is cast down to the earth? And we're talking about Chapter 12 of Revelation.

Dr. Douglas Stauffer: Yes, we are. And again, that's the hinge upon which Revelation really revolves. When he's cast down to earth, everything escalates. He knows, that is, Satan knows his time is limited, so his wrath increases dramatically. The persecution becomes more intense, especially against Israel and those who belong to God. This marks the most severe phase of the Tribulation when the spiritual conflict becomes fully visible.

It becomes fully visible on earth. There is no greater delusion than when Satan is cast to earth. Now you think about it, God shall send them a strong delusion that they may believe a lie. Well, if Satan is the liar and the deceiver and he's cast down to earth, that's the greatest delusion ever to come upon man in all of human history.

Before that, he has access to the throne room. The Bible says he is the one standing before the throne of God and accusing, he's the accuser of the brethren. Up until this point he has that. Well, then Michael is, I believe, summoned back to heaven. He's the protector of Israel. He's summoned back to heaven. This is the midpoint. And he casts Satan down to earth and then Satan deceives those who are taking the mark of the beast. So the deception is just compounded and multiplied once he's here on earth and knows he only has a short time.

Dr. Larry Spargimino: Amen. Amen. Well, one of the most exciting chapters of the book of Revelation is Chapter 13. We find the rise of the beast and global control. So Douglas, how does Satan work through the beast in Revelation 13?

Dr. Douglas Stauffer: Well, Satan empowers a man. And if you think about it, the devil mocks everything about God. So Jesus Christ, God the Son, took upon Himself the form of humanity. Well, that's the same thing with the Antichrist, but he becomes a global leader. People were looking for Jesus to destroy Rome, to become the global leader, but He was going to the cross.

Just as God works through Christ, Satan works through the beast, giving him authority and power and influence over the world system. That's Satan's attempt to establish a counterfeit kingdom. And that's what it's all about. Listen, it's all about this cosmic battle that goes on.

Dr. Larry Spargimino: What kind of world system does the Antichrist establish?

Dr. Douglas Stauffer: It's a unified global system: political, economic, and even religious. It's built on control. It's sustained by deception. People will not be able to function in society without submitting to it. Now, the believers will trust God, but if they're caught, they'll lose their life. If they're caught, they're not going to take the mark because they won't be deceived into thinking that it's going to help them.

But it offers order. And what man wants is order. There are people that have said, "I don't care if so-and-so is Satan, I just want peace," or "I just want order in society." But the cost of truth and allegiance to God is what this order is all about. In other words, they're not going to have allegiance to God. It's not truth. The truth will make you free, but this order is satanic, and that's what needs to be made sure everybody understands.

Dr. Larry Spargimino: Well, you know, when you speak about the world system of the Antichrist and you mention the words control and deception, and I'm thinking right now of AI. I don't know if you've been following some of the crazy things of AI. I'm very concerned about it and I've done some programs on it. But wow, control, yes. AI is going to help that. Deception, yes. As a matter of fact, AI can quote "predict the future." Now, not actually predict the future, but it can analyze, it can look at trends, it can do a lot of algorithm kind of work and it can bring all this information together. And people will say, "Well, wow, that's Messiah, that's my god." Control and deception, I think we see that at the present time.

Dr. Douglas Stauffer: Boy, I don't know if I want to jump into that one or not, meaning the present time. But as far as the AI goes, it is amazing that AI is so beyond the capacity of what man can figure out. I mean, you just think of Einstein, who he was and how smart he was. Well, AI surpasses the most brilliant minds in the world and is able to solve problems and do things at a speed that is astronomically unbelievable.

And yes, so it's like the internet. The internet can be used for good things. We're doing interviews right now and the internet has a lot to do with it. We communicate through email, but it's also got pornography. So it's the most pornographic distribution in man's history. So good and bad. AI is the same thing. It can be used for good, but it will certainly be abused in a very big way in the future and will play a big part in this control mechanism of the Antichrist.

Dr. Larry Spargimino: I was reading actually yesterday that where a relationship is established with a bot, with an AI device, that the relationship is especially sweet to the human being when there are words of affirmation and what should I say, kind of like, "I love you." So you can imagine being attracted to a machine. What could be crazier than that? And I think that as we're talking about the world government, the Antichrist, I'm glad for the Pre-Trib rapture and I know you are and all of our listeners should be as well. But what role does deception play during this time that we're talking about in Revelation 13?

Dr. Douglas Stauffer: As I mentioned, deception is the central aspect of everything that happens. The world will believe lies because it has rejected the truth. The Antichrist, the false prophet, will present a false system of worship that appears convincing. It's compelling. And far too many will follow it willingly because they are deceived.

And I think I can't underemphasize or overemphasize deception because Revelation 19:20, I think, really changed my life when I was getting ready to teach Revelation. I listened to Scourby read me the Bible, and the eighth time from Atlanta to Fort Lauderdale in my motorhome in one day on a Saturday before I preached Sunday and then the next week preached the whole book of Revelation a week. I was coming into the parking area and it said Revelation 19:20, all those that took the mark were deceived. And I went, "Oh my gosh, that's the answer. They're deceived."

So people say, "Well, they'll force you to take the mark." Well, you can't be. The only way you'll take the mark and worship the beast is if you're deceived, and the believer will be protected by God. So deception, deception, deception. So people that want to be told "I love you and you're the most beautiful creature" by their little robot, it's lying to you. You're not. And they don't love you. They don't even know what love is. So if you want the lie, they can give you a robot that'll lie to you. If you want the truth, then get in your Bible, study your Bible, live for God, look to Him, live by faith. That's what life is about. And all this AI stuff doesn't need to change that. If you're looking for love, look to Jesus Christ because He loved you.

Dr. Larry Spargimino: Amen to that. Well, let's move on. This is the third program. Let's speak about the final judgments and Armageddon. What are the vial judgments and how are they different from the earlier ones?

Dr. Douglas Stauffer: Well, the vial judgments are the final outpouring of God's wrath. Earlier judgments were partial and limited, but the complete and direct judgments are the vials. They affect the entire earth, specifically targeting those aligned with the beast. And this judgment without restraint is the culmination of everything that's been building, and that's what you see in the vial judgments.

Dr. Larry Spargimino: Well Doug, what leads up to Armageddon? We hear that word so much, so let's look at the prelude to it. What are the things going on right previous to it?

Dr. Douglas Stauffer: Well, the nations of the world, they gather together. And they gather together under one banner, and that banner is rebellion toward God. What appears to be political or military conflict, again, is actually the culmination of a spiritual rebellion against Christ. It's humanity under deception, uniting in opposition to God's authority. It's about like the Tower of Babel. Let's all get together and make a tower that'll reach up into heaven. That's Antichrist. Well, in the future, that's the way it's going to be for all of humanity under this deception.

Southwest Radio Ministries: Well friends, you may get your own copy of The Illumination of the Book of Revelation, Book 2, by calling 1-800-652-1144. Book 1 is also available through Southwest Radio Ministries. This is certainly a valuable book for pastors, Sunday school teachers, and for anyone who wants help in understanding the last book of the Bible. It's a special book. It's very important, especially today. It is a perfect gift for someone and a perfect volume to put in your church library. And of course, we're offering Book 1 and Book 2. 1-800-652-1144.

Dr. Larry Spargimino: What does the return of Christ look like as it's portrayed in the book of Revelation?

Dr. Douglas Stauffer: Oh, here we go. So Christ returns in power and victory. He comes not in humility like He did at His first coming, but in glory and authority. There's no struggle. He defeats His enemies, establishes His rule that then goes into the millennium. But His return brings the conflict to its decisive end. We are part of the armies in heaven that are behind Him. He's on a white horse, we're on white horses, nothing can hurt us. But that's the return of Christ. And when He returns at the second coming, all of His enemies will be destroyed because that's just what He's going to do. And that is the return of Christ. Really looking forward to the day that I jump on that horse.

Dr. Larry Spargimino: Wonderful. Well, what happens to Satan at the end?

Dr. Douglas Stauffer: Well, he's ultimately defeated and he's chained up. He's cast in the lake of fire. But his deception, his influence, and his rebellion are brought to a final and permanent end. What began in rebellion ends in judgment. The Bible says that he's going to be bound for a thousand years during the millennium, but then he's going to be loosed for a season. He's going to gather the nations together. What a mess.

I mean, after being ruled by King Jesus for a thousand years, the world's going to turn to His arch-enemy, his nemesis. And then the Bible says fire's going to come down from heaven and just smoke them all. Listen, God's going to come to a point where it's not going to be, "Well, I can rebel and I'm okay." You know, today, a Christian can rebel against God and no matter what sin a person commits, God can still forgive. But in the future when this whole judgment thing is coming, He's not going to let it get out of hand. It's just going to be, "Look, you've been shown, you know the truth, now you've rejected the truth and that's it, we're done." And that's the way it's all going to end.

Dr. Larry Spargimino: So how does Revelation ultimately end? With destruction or is there hope offered?

Dr. Douglas Stauffer: Well, I like that question, Larry. I believe that it ends with hope. After judgment comes restoration. A new heaven, a new earth. God dwells with His people and everything that sin has broken or messed up, or whatever you want to call it, is made right and made whole and everything is renewed. And you've got a new heaven and new earth.

Revelation's not just about judgment. It's about victory. It's about restoration. It's about the fulfillment of God's plan. And that's what is missed by most people that they don't realize that look, even the Great White Throne Judgment, it's the final judgment of the unsaved. But a person doesn't have to be unsaved. Every person's going to stand before God and judgment's going to be based on what's written in the books, which I believe has people's whole life in it. Nothing's hidden, nothing is overlooked. But it's ultimately a demonstration of God's judgment against those that are not found in the Book of Life.

What puts a person at the Great White Throne Judgment is whether they're in the Book of Life. Well, to be in the Book of Life, you have to be saved. If you're in the Book of Life, you're not at the Great White Throne Judgment. But those that are not in the Book of Life will be judged according to those things written in the books.

But after that, New Heaven, New Earth. I mean, what an exciting thing to think about. In fact, the cover of my second book is the Marriage of the Lamb. To me, that's a beautiful rendition that you guys put on there that is just amazing to think about how the future is just bliss. Listen, we struggle down here. We have health problems, we have family problems, we have work problems, we have all of these battles that we fight, and yet God helps us get through. But imagine a time when you have no sin, no sorrow, no health problems, a new body, a glorified body. That's the hope of the future, and that's how Revelation ends.

Dr. Larry Spargimino: Well, Dr. Stauffer, if you could summarize the entire book of Revelation in one message, you had a 40-minute message, what would your message be like? What points would you touch on?

Dr. Douglas Stauffer: Well, that's a great thought. Let me do the elevator pitch. You know what that is? We talk about it, we say, "Well, if you were in an elevator, what would you say?" I'd say this in an elevator. Now, this isn't a 40-minute sermon because hopefully, we're not going to break down like I did in Tallahassee not long ago. We were on an elevator, too many people on it and it just broke down. Here it is: God is in control, judgment is coming, Christ will return, and in the end, God wins. How about that?

That's the elevator pitch to summarize the whole book of Revelation in one message. Look, God wins. We are so caught up in what's going on in the world, we forget that God is in control. That has always been the one I remembered on Southwest Radio Church, you know, God is in control and prayer changes things. Why do we pray? Because we can change the outcome of course, unless you're a Calvinist then I don't get it. Why would you pray?

I mean, think about it. So just be honest with yourself. If you believe that you had no freedom of choice and that God is not listening to your prayers or can't affect the outcome, then why would you pray? We come before the throne of glory. I just get so distraught over those that are caught up in a system that really destroys what Christianity is all about. Christianity is all about: listen, you have a choice, make the right choice.

Dr. Larry Spargimino: It's not a blueprint and if you're in the wrong part of the blueprint through no fault of your own, that's just where you are, you're doomed. I think that's a very hopeless way of looking at Scripture. I know a lot of people avoid the book of Revelation, but tell us why people should study the book of Revelation.

Dr. Douglas Stauffer: Well, as you and I know, Larry, it's the only book of the Bible that promises a blessing to those who read it, hear it, keep it. It tells us how everything ends. I don't know about you, but when I read a book, now I don't read the last chapter, my daughter does. She'll read the last chapter, she'll look up Wikipedia to find out how a movie, I don't even want to know how a football game ends.

But here we are in the book of Revelation, and you're promised a blessing if you'll read it, if you'll hear it, if you'll keep it. There is no other book that does that. Now you do get blessings out of those things, but what we need is we need to focus on the fact that it is not a negative book because we're not here. If it is a negative book to a person because they're planning on being here for the Tribulation, then what I tell them is: people say, "Well, I need to make sure I can shoot straight and I need to have a," so you're going to shoot everybody that comes at you.

What if they have drones? What if they have heat-seeking things? I mean, come on, get real. You're not going to hide from the government. I'm going to store all this food and I don't have empty air just because we shop at Sam's. However, you look at Y2K and everything that went on with that and they say, "Well, you buy all this food that lasts 25 years." Well, great, Y2K 2000, let's see, 2025 is 25 years. Man, your food's getting ready to rot. It's just: listen, trust God. That is the bottom line of everything. Trust God, let Him lead you, and don't get fearful and fretful over what's coming in the future. If you're not going to be here, then you ought to encourage everybody else to go with you at the rapture by getting saved. And that's what the whole message of Christianity is. Don't go alone, take somebody with you.

Dr. Larry Spargimino: Amen, amen. I know there are some people who think they will be able to get through the Tribulation, like you said they're going to store food and so on and so forth. You know, and you think what happens if you get sick? Yeah, what happens if you get sick? What happens if you need a doctor? What happened if you need this, that, or break a leg or? It's really impossible, especially with all of the high-tech equipment we have today. They can find you anywhere.

So I think, you know, they want to stock up on ammunition, they want automatic weapons and so forth. It won't work because we can just see even with AI and with the surveillance technology today, we're being watched from out of space. You know, the idea, "Well, I'm going to brave it out, I will survive." No, you won't. You better read the Bible and think about the Pre-Trib rapture and it's really not an escape because even today Christians are being persecuted even before the rapture, so it's not an easy way out. If you're a Christian and doing the work of the Lord, you will face difficulty. But praise the Lord that one day the trumpet will sound, the dead in Christ will rise and we shall be caught up in the air and we shall be together forever and ever. That's my hope. We've got about a minute, Doug, maybe you want to wax eloquent on that note.

Dr. Douglas Stauffer: I look at it like this: there have been people that have been storing food and storing supplies and all that for a long time, and I even heard people say, "Well, if you haven't listened to me and you don't believe you're pre-trib and you go into the Tribulation," and they're sitting on their porch with a shotgun in a rocking chair. They say, "If you come up here, I'll shoot you." Well, I don't know about Christianity that well, I guess, that you ought to be shooting people instead of helping them because they didn't believe the lie that you believe on a pretribulation rapture.

But what we've got to be looking at is: listen, He has not appointed the church unto wrath. He has not appointed us unto wrath. We're leaving before any part of Daniel's 70th week starts because can you imagine 144,000 from each of the 12 tribes of the nation of Israel, the two witnesses, Moses and Elijah, an angel flying around the heavenlies preaching the Gospel? Can you imagine how that change goes against everything that the church has had for 2,000 years? We're out of here, and it is easily proven by looking at Thessalonians and looking at Matthew 24.

The Bible says that Christ Himself shall descend with a voice of the archangel and the trump of God, but it says Christ Himself and He's going to catch us away, the dead in Christ first, then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them. But in Matthew 24, the Bible says He's going to send His angels to gather the elect for protection because He's coming on a white horse with the armies behind Him, He's going to destroy everything in His path. The angels are going before Him to collect everybody. We already left seven years earlier. So I know it's debated, I wish it wasn't, I wish everybody could get on the same sheet of biblical music, you might call it. But there is no doubt about it, we are out of here before any of that goes on. Daniel's 70th week is Daniel's 70th week, the Tribulation.

Dr. Larry Spargimino: Well, Dr. Stauffer, always a blessing for me and for our listeners to have these chats on things of great significance. Thank you so much for your writing and for being with us on the air for these three shows. God bless you, dear brother.

Southwest Radio Ministries: In Dr. Doug Stauffer's brand new book, The Illumination of the Book of Revelation, Book 2, Doug delivers a masterful verse-by-verse exploration of the book of Revelation, offering clarity to one of Scripture's most powerful and prophetic texts. This book presents fresh insight for both seasoned students and newcomers to Bible prophecy. Whether you're seeking to understand end-times prophecy or to reignite your spiritual walk, The Illumination of the Book of Revelation will equip you to see God's ultimate plan and renewed vision and conviction.

Order The Illumination of the Book of Revelation, Book 2, today when you call 1-800-652-1144. That's 1-800-652-1144. You can also order online; simply visit swrc.com. Don't just read about the end times, experience the transforming power of Revelation for yourself. The Illumination of the Book of Revelation, Book 2. 1-800-652-1144.

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Revelation Week continues tomorrow with Donald Perkins and the next lesson in his understanding Revelation series. Be sure to tune in by downloading our free SWRC mobile app or by subscribing to our daily Watchman on the Wall podcast. Watchman on the Wall is a production of Southwest Radio Ministries and is supported by faithful friends like you. To learn more, simply visit swrc.com.