Beginning with verse 11, Revelation 20 describes the Great White Throne Judgment period, which is also referred to in Scripture as the “Second Resurrection.” It will follow the First Resurrection (of all those true Christians who will have been resurrected to immortal life, at the time of Christ’s return). The Second Resurrection will also follow the Millennium of 1,000 years of Christ’s rule here on earth (compare Revelation 20:1-4).

In the Second Resurrection, all those who died prior to Christ’s return, without having had the Holy Spirit at the time of their death, and who did not commit the unpardonable sin, will be brought back to physical life (Those who committed the unpardonable sin will be resurrected in the Third Resurrection, to be destroyed in the lake of fire, compare Revelation 20:13-15).

Following the Third Resurrection, God will create “a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea” (Revelation 21:1).

But what is meant with the statement in Revelation 20:11, describing the time at the very beginning of the Great White Throne Judgment period? We read:

“Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them.”

Since those who are being resurrected in the Second Resurrection will live on this earth, apparently for one hundred years (compare Isaiah 65:20), in what way will heaven and earth flee from the face of God at the very beginning of the Great White Throne Judgment?

Notice, first of all, that it does not say that heaven and earth will cease to exist at that time. It says that they will flee away from the face or presence of God and that in His presence, there was no room for them. It seems to give a picture of heaven (better: the sky) and earth having to submit to God’s Judgment, and that they cannot continue to exist in opposition to Him. We must understand that the book of Revelation speaks many times in symbolic or figurative language.

However, some commentaries feel that the passage in Revelation 20:11 is to be understood quite literally, and they conclude that heaven and earth will be dissolved at the time when the Great White Throne Judgment begins.

Compare, for example, Wesley’s Notes (who wrongfully applies certain events which will occur after the Third Resurrection to the time at the beginning of the Second Resurrection):

“From whose face the earth and the heaven fled away – Probably both the aerial and the starry heaven; which shall pass away with a great noise. And there was found no place for them – But they were wholly dissolved, the very elements melting with fervent heat. [However, this is a reference to 2 Peter 3:10, which does not speak about events at the beginning of the Second Resurrection, but refers to events long after that time.] It is not said, they were thrown into great commotions, but they fled entirely away; not, they started from their foundations, but they fell into dissolution; not, they removed to a distant place, but there was found no place for them; they ceased to exist; they were no more. And all this, not at the strict command of the Lord Jesus; not at his awful presence, or before his fiery indignation; but at the bare presence of his Majesty, sitting with severe but adorable dignity on his throne.”

Similar the People’s New Testament:

“From whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. See Re[velation] 21:1. There is to be a new heaven and earth. The old ones are destroyed to be reconstructed.”

However, the new heaven and the new earth—consisting of spirit, not matter—will not be created until after the Third Resurrection. Before then, there must be a physical earth, because we read in Revelation 20:13, referring to the Third Resurrection, that the sea gave up their dead who were in it, and that Hades—the Grave—gave up its dead that were in it. [At the time of the new heavens and the new earth, there will be no more sea, compare again Revelation 21:1.]

Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible recognizes the difficulty in trying to interpret Revelation 20:11 literally, even though he insists in a literal application of the verse:

“… from whose face the earth and the heavens fled away, and there was found no place for them; which is to be understood not figuratively… but literally, and not of the present earth and heaven, as they now are… but of the new heaven and new earth…; and the phrases of fleeing away, and place being found no more for them, show the entire annihilation and utter abolition of them… but though this is mentioned here, it will not be till after the judgment is over; for how otherwise will the dead have a place to stand in before the throne, or hell, that is the grave, and also the sea, give up their dead… but it is observed here, though afterwards done, to set off the majesty of the Judge upon the throne, at whose sight, and by whose power, this will be effected.”

However, this interpretation does not agree with the clear time line of the biblical account, according to which “the earth and the heaven fled away” at the beginning of the Great White Throne Judgment, and not after the Third Resurrection. So, the interpretations of Wesley, the People’s New Testament and Gill must be rejected.

Note, too, these statements by the New Bible Commentary: Revised, agreeing that Revelation 20:11 does not refer to the same time as the creation of the new heaven and the new earth, referred to in Revelation 21:1:

“If the departing of heaven and earth from the face of God is to be taken in any literal sense as a precursor of the new heavens and earth (cf. 2 Pet. 3:10-13), then the solitary spectacle of the great white throne as the one reality upon which men may gaze is indeed an awesome sight… But the description may be purely poetic, to enhance the terrifying grandeur of the scene. The Judge is God Himself [we might want to add: in the Person of Jesus Christ].” 

Lehmann Strauss, “The Book of the Revelation,” admits on page 341 that he does not know all that is involved in the phrase, “the earth and the heaven fled away,” and he also suggests that it could refer to the time described in 2 Peter 3:10-12, which is clearly wrong, as that passage does refer to the time AFTER the Third Resurrection. Still, the following comments are worth repeating:

“This does not imply the annihilation of the very elements which make up the earth and the heaven. We have a very similar expression in Isaiah 34:4; 51:6; and Daniel 2:35. … the removal of a person or thing does not imply extinction. To pass away does not mean to cease to be.”

This is true in some cases, even though not necessarily in all situations.

The most reasonable explanation has been found in Barnes’ Notes in the Bible, even though he is likewise confused regarding the time line, stating that the Great White Throne Judgment will take place at the time of the return of Jesus Christ, while Revelation 20:5 clearly says that it will take place one thousand years later. Barring this error, the remainder of his explanation has merit:

“And I saw a great white throne – This verse commences the description of the final judgment, which embraces the remainder of the chapter. The first thing seen in the vision is the burning throne of the Judge. The things that are specified in regard to it are, that it was ‘great,’ and that it was ‘white.’ The former expression means that it was high or elevated. Compare Isaiah 6:1. The latter expression – white – means that it was ‘splendid or shining.’ Compare 1 Kings 10:18-20. The throne here is the same which is referred to in Matthew 25:31, and called there ‘the throne of his glory.”’

“And him that sat on it – The reference here undoubtedly is to the Lord Jesus Christ, the final Judge of mankind (compare Matthew 25:31), and the scene described is what will occur at his second advent [As mentioned, this is false. The scene described here is what will occur 1,000 years after His Second Coming.]

“From whose face – Or, from whose presence; though the word may be used here to denote more strictly his face – as illuminated, and shining like the sun. See Revelation 1:16: ‘And his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.’

“The earth and the heaven fled away – That is, as the stars, at the rising of the sun, seem to flee to more remote regions, and vanish from human view, so when the Son of God shall descend in his glory to judge the world, the earth and all other worlds shall seem to vanish. Everyone must admire the sublimity of this image; no one can contemplate it without being awed by the majesty and glory of the final Judge of mankind. Similar expressions, where the natural creation shrinks back with awe at the presence of God, frequently occur in the Bible…

“And there was found no place for them – They seemed to flee ‘entirely away,’ as if there was ‘no’ place where they could find a safe retreat, or which would receive and shelter them in their flight. The image expresses, in the most emphatic manner, the idea that they entirely disappeared, and no language could more sublimely represent the majesty of the Judge.’”

As the sea and the grave will give up their dead even after the Second Resurrection, it is clear that the earth must still exist in its physical form at that time. The expression in Revelation 20:11 [“…the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them”] should therefore be viewed mainly as a poetic description of the majesty, glory and power of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, from whom man cannot hide our sins and before whom man cannot stand, if he is unwilling to repent of his sins (Matthew 12:36; Romans 14:10-12).

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

The Bible teaches us that we must be willing to forgive and forget, upon repentance. The Bible does not teach us that we must overlook and ignore ungodly conduct of those who reject God and persecute His people; especially, when it has relevance and important bearing on other Christians. The Bible even tells us that sometimes, some need to be admonished—even in public, if necessary—to prevent that others follow their wrong example.

For instance, in Titus 1:10-14, Paul warns Titus not to tolerate those in a certain nation who oppose him:

“For there are many insubordinate, both idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole households, teaching things which they ought not, for the sake of dishonest gain. One of them, a prophet of their own, said, ‘Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.’ This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, not giving heed to Jewish fables and commandments of men who turn from the truth.”

Today, a minister would face immediate persecution if he were to make such an assessment about an entire nation; but so be it, if it’s the truth, which was undoubtedly the case when Paul wrote these words, under godly inspiration.

Paul was not too concerned with lawsuits for libel and slander, when naming hostile individuals, when he felt that it was necessary to warn fellow Christians of their dangerous conduct.  We read in 2 Timothy 4:4-15:

“Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm. May the Lord repay him according to his works. You also must beware of him, for he has greatly resisted our words.”

As a warning to others, Paul also named some Christians who had turned away from the faith. We read in 2 Timothy 1:15:

“This you know, that all those in Asia have turned away from me, among whom are Phygellus and Hermogones.”

He even went further and named some whom he had to disfellowship or excommunicate, because of their opposition to the teachings of God. In 1 Timothy 1:18-20, he wrote:

“This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage a good warfare, having faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck, of whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I delivered to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.”

At times, Paul enjoined the ministry of a local congregation to disfellowship a sinner who publically violated God’s law, without naming him specifically, since everyone knew him and the troublesome situation. (Temporary) excommunication was necessary in that case as his conduct had negatively affected the entire local membership (1 Corinthians 5:1-8).

In other situations, Paul admonished openly and publically two female members in one particular congregation to change their conduct towards each other:

“I implore Euodia and I implore Syntche to be of the same mind in the Lord” (Philippians 4:2).

In still another circumstance, Paul recounted in his letter to the Galatians a public controversy between Peter and himself, stating this:

“But when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to  be blamed; for before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy. But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all, ‘If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles, and not as the Jew, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews?…” (Galatians 2:11-14).

John the Baptist confronted Herod publically for living in sin (Mark 6:18).

Jesus Christ was never shy when publically confronting the hypocritical Pharisees, scribes and Sadducees for their hostile rejection of God’s Word. He called them “hypocrites”  (Matthew 16:3) and warned His disciples not to follow their doctrine (verses 6, 12). He was especially outspoken in His lengthy admonitions, as recorded in Matthew 23, calling them “hypocrites” (verses 13, 14, 15, 27, 29), “blind guides” (verses 16, 24), “fools and blind” (verses 17, 19), and, finally, “serpents, brood of vipers” (verse 33).

Later, Peter rebuked openly the high priest, the rulers, elders and scribes for having crucified and rejected Jesus Christ (Acts 4:1-6, 9-11). Peter and the other apostles repeated the same charge in Acts 5:24-30, saying that they had “murdered” Christ (verse 30).

Subsequently, Peter rebuked openly and publically the sorcerer Simon Magus, who had even been baptized, warning him to repent of his wickedness, and stating that he was poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity (Acts 8:20-23).

Later, Paul rebuked openly Bar-Jesus or Elymas the sorcerer, because he was seeking to turn the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, away from the faith. Paul minced no words, when he stated that the sorcerer was “full of deceit and all fraud, “ continuing: “…you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord?” (Acts 13:4-10).

It is true that we are warned not to bring railing accusations against, or speak evil of dignitaries (Jude 8-10). This is foremost to be understood as a warning against speaking evil of angels (compare Revelation 13:6). But we must also be careful not to speak ungodly and incorrect words against human authorities. Paul called unrighteous Ananias a “whitewashed wall, “ but regretted his comment when he was told that he was speaking to the high priest, quoting Exodus 22:28, stating that we are not to speak evil of the ruler of the people (Acts 23:3-5).

Still, this does not mean that we should ignore, condone or even justify wrong conduct of our rulers, as we are commanded not to call evil good, and good evil. Rather, we are commanded to show the people their sins, which includes the rulers of the people (Isaiah 58:1-2), and to expose wickedness.

In the near future, as Revelation 11 explains, two powerful witnesses of God will proclaim His Way of Life and oppose and rebuke two human instruments of Satan—the beast and the false prophet—as well as the entire Babylonian system that they will represent. They will not shy away from their duties, although it will lead to their death, and we, as Christ’s ambassadors, must likewise prepare the way for His Second Coming, preaching the gospel “to open [the people’s] eyes and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith” in God and Christ (Acts 26:18).

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

During one of the early encounters of Moses and Aaron with Pharaoh, “Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent. But Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers (or soothsayers); so the magicians of Egypt, they ALSO DID IN LIKE MANNER with their enchantments. For every man threw down his rod, and they became serpents. But Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods” (Exodus 7:10-12).

In the New Testament, Paul identifies the two leading magicians of Egypt as Jannes and Jambres, stating: “Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith;  but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all, as theirs also was” (2 Timothy 3:8-9).

After God had instructed Moses to say to Aaron to stretch out his staff and strike the waters that were in the river, “all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood. The fish that were in the river died, the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink the water of the river. So there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt” (Exodus 7:20-21).

Now notice what we read in the next verse:

“Then the magicians of Egypt DID SO with their enchantments [or: secret arts]; and Pharaoh’s heart grew hard, and he did not heed them [Moses and Aaron], as the LORD had said” (verse 22).

Following these events, God instructed Moses to tell Aaron to stretch out his staff over the waters of Egypt, and after doing so, “the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt” (Exodus 8:5-6). But again, we read, “the magicians DID SO with their enchantments, and brought up frogs on the land of Egypt” (verse 7).

However, when God used Moses and Aaron to bring the third plague of lice or gnats on Egypt, by apparently changing the dust into lice, as the dust “became” lice (Exodus 8:16-17), “the magicians so worked with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not” (verse 18). They recognized that their powers were limited, and they told Pharaoh: “This is the finger of God” (verse 19). From that moment on, we do not read that the magicians tried to copy or duplicate the additional wonders and miracles that God brought on Egypt.

We see, then, that the powers of the magicians, which were obviously derived from Satan and his demons, had limits. We understand, of course, that Satan and his demons, let alone their human instruments, can only do what God allows them to do. In the case of the magicians of Egypt, God allowed some magical enchantment to harden the heart of Pharaoh, and to show His superiority over the dark powers of Satan and his servants.

The question is, did these magicians perform real miracles—albeit “lying,” “deceitful” or “deceiving” wonders—or were they just illusions?

Some feel that they were only man-made illusions and trickery. For instance, the commentary of Barnes’ Notes on the Bible states:

“Enchantments – The original expression implies a deceptive appearance, an illusion, a juggler’s trick, not an actual putting forth of magic power.”

The commentary of Gill’s Exposition on the Entire Bible agrees, stating:

“… the magicians of Egypt… also did in like manner with their enchantments; or by their secret wiles and juggles, making things seem to appear to the sight when they did not really, but by dazzling the eyes of men by their wicked and diabolical art, they fancied they saw things which they did not…”

Gill suggests some form of mass hypnosis and hallucination. But is this an accurate interpretation as to what happened?

The commentary of Jamiesson, Fausset and Brown also tries to give an explanation which is strictly based on human efforts:

“Jannes and Jambres… had time after the summons to make suitable preparations–and so it appears they succeeded by their ‘enchantments’ in practising an illusion on the senses.”

Even though the Bible says nothing of the kind, Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary seems to agree:

“The magicians were cheats, trying to copy the real miracles of Moses by secret sleights or jugglings, which to a small extent they succeeded in doing, so as to deceive the bystanders…”

None of these opinions seem to be correct, as they disregard the clear statements of the Bible.

Wesley’s Notes admit that more was involved than just human trickery:

“The two chiefs of them were Jannes and Jambres. Their rods became serpents; probably by the power of evil angels artfully substituting serpents in the room of the rods, God permitting the delusion to be wrought for wise and holy ends. But the serpent which Aaron’s rod was turned into, swallowed up the others…”

The best explanation can be found in Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible:

“They also did in like manner with their enchantments – The word… probably signifies such incantations as required lustral fires, sacrifices, fumigations, burning of incense, aromatic and odoriferous drugs, etc., as the means of evoking… spirits or assistant demons, by whose ministry, it is probable, the magicians in question wrought some of their deceptive miracles: for as the term miracle signifies properly something which exceeds the powers of nature or art to produce… There can be no doubt that real serpents were produced by the magicians. On this subject there are two opinions:

“1. That the serpents were such as they, either by juggling or sleight of hand, had brought to the place, and had secreted till the time of exhibition, as our common conjurers do in the public fairs, etc.

“2. That the serpents were brought by the ministry of a familiar spirit, which, by the magic flames already referred to, they had evoked for the purpose.

“Both these opinions admit the serpents to be real, and no illusion of the sight, as some have supposed. The first opinion appears to me insufficient to account for the phenomena of the case referred to. If the magicians threw down their rods, and they became serpents after they were thrown down, as the text expressly says, Exodus 7:12, juggling or sleight of hand had nothing farther to do in the business, as the rods were then out of their hands. If Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods, their sleight of hand was no longer concerned. A man, by dexterity of hand, may so far impose on his spectators as to appear to eat a rod; but for rods lying on the ground to become serpents, and one of these to devour all the rest so that it alone remained, required something more than juggling. How much more rational at once to allow that these magicians had familiar spirits who could… convey one thing away and substitute another in its place! Nature has no such power, and art no such influence as to produce the effects attributed here and in the succeeding chapters to the Egyptian magicians.”

The Bible states that the rod of Aaron BECAME a serpent, and that the magicians did in like manner. Unless one wants to say that Aaron operated with a trick or performed an illusion (which would be ridiculous), the magicians did not operate in that way, either. Later, God changed water into blood, and the magicians “did so” as well. Also, God brought frogs over Egypt, and the magicians did so as well.

It is obvious that these magicians acted with the power of Satan the devil and his demons. One should not try to diminish or underestimate Satan’s powers, nor try to explain them as man-made illusions or trickery. The Bible shows that in the near future, powerful men will arise on the world scene who will be influenced and empowered by Satan to perform real miracles—not just illusions–but they will do so with the demonic purpose of deceiving mankind.

We state the following in our free booklet, “Angels, Demons and the Spirit World”: 

“Satan and his demons can show great signs and wonders. It is prophesied that Satan will ultimately give his power to a religious leader who will work ‘signs… by which he deceived’ the people (Revelation 19:20). False religious teachers, inspired by demons, might even be able to accurately foretell the future (Deuteronomy 13:1–4; Acts 16:16–19).

“Satan has the power to inspire people to go to war (Job 1:9–15; Revelation 16:13–14; Revelation 20:7–10). He has the power to throw down fire to consume man and beast (In Job 1:16, people felt that God brought this fire, but the context shows that Satan was the power behind it). As the ‘prince of the power of the air’ (Ephesians 2:2), he can bring destruction through mighty winds.

“Though many people don’t believe in the existence of Satan and demons, they are quick to dabble in the occult, being ignorant of the danger therein. Demons are called ‘familiar spirits’ because they want to familiarize themselves with man (Leviticus 19:31; 20:6, 27). Haunted houses, poltergeists, séances, communication with the dead, and contacts with ‘aliens’ are all clearly of demonic origin. Satan and demons are destructive. They love to torment people (Luke 6:18). Once we have made ‘contact’ with demons, we can’t get rid of them anymore, barring a miracle from God (Luke 11:24–26).

“There are many Scriptures that prove that Satan or demons can possess animals and people, forcing them to do terrible things (Luke 22:3; John 13:27). Demon-possessed people can be extremely violent (Matthew 8:28) and self-destructive (Mark 5:2–5). They lose all sense of decency (Luke 8:27).

“The Bible also shows that demons can possess or influence people to make them spiritually, psychologically, and physically sick. Even Paul was sick because ‘a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me’ (2 Corinthians 12:7). Through the influence of demons, people can be mute, deaf and dumb (Mark 9:17, 25), epileptic (Matthew 17:15–18), and infirm (Luke 13:11, 16). When a demon leaves such a person, it may appear as if the person has been healed from a physical sickness.

“Satan and demons have the power to transport a human being from one place to another (Matthew 4:5, 8; Luke 4:5, 9). This explains strange encounters with UFOs, where ‘abducted’ people are sometimes found hundreds of miles away from their residence, without knowing how they got there.

“Sorcery, witchcraft, hypnosis, and certain meditation practices are further methods of Satan to overpower the mind of a human being and to make him or her into a helpless victim. Whenever we give ourselves ‘over’ to another influence, we have become victims of the powers of darkness…

“It appears from Scripture that demons cannot materialize themselves the way that angels can. Demons cannot appear as men. They can, however, create an illusion, or an apparition that might look very real to people…”

Notice also the following excerpts from our free booklet, “The Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord”: 

“There is another frightening prophecy given in the pages of the New Testament that reveals events to occur just prior to the coming of the day of the LORD.

“2 Thessalonians 2:1–3, 8–9 tells us: ‘Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ [NU: the Lord; “NU” is, according to the New King James Bible, “the most prominent modern Critical Text of the Greek New Testament”] had come. Let no one deceive you by any means: for that Day will not come unless the falling away [apostasy—a falling away from the truth of God] comes first, and the man of sin [NU: lawlessness] is revealed, the son of perdition [the false prophet discussed earlier in this booklet] … And then the lawless one will be revealed [or become manifest] whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming [by throwing him, together with the Beast, into the lake of fire]. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs and lying wonders.’

“This religious leader—the false prophet—will receive power to do miracles from Satan himself (compare Revelation 19:20). He, and the system that he represents, is described in Revelation 13:11 as a beast with ‘two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon.’ He ‘performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs’ (verses 13–14). This system is also described as engaging in ‘sorcery’ (Revelation 18:23). We are warned in Matthew 24:24 that some of those ‘signs’ will be so convincing that, if it were possible, even the elect of God would be deceived.

“Historical records establish the fact that Simon Magus, who had been baptized but had never truly repented (Acts 8:13–24), became a leader in the early Babylonian system. He had been a sorcerer, regarded as ‘the great power of God’ (Acts 8:9–10).

“Quoting from Millennium Prophecies, p. 59, let’s learn more about Simon Magus and the Satanic powers which he allegedly possessed. This should make us a bit more prepared for what is going to happen in the future and why the false prophet will be able to deceive so many people with his sorcery: ‘The Samarian-born Simon Magus (15 BC–AD 53), son of a Jewish sorcerer, was educated in the cradle of Gnosticism, Alexandria. He was a disciple of Dositheus, who had been a follower of John the Baptist and contended with Jesus Christ for the title of Messiah. Simon traveled widely in Persia, Arabia [and] Egypt to learn all he could about magical lore. He was accompanied by a sorceress called Helena, whom Simon claimed was a reincarnation of Helen of Troy. In Samaria, even Christians spoke of Simon as ‘the great power of God’… Simon Magus performed many miracles, including healing the sick, raising the dead, walking through fire, flying through the air, turning stones into bread, creating phantom banquets, making himself invisible, animating stone statues, changing his own shape and, of course, reputedly commanding elemental spirits or possibly demons to do his bidding.’

“Simon Magus was not the only leader within the Babylonian system who practiced sorcery. Millennium Prophecies tells of another famous sorcerer, Pope Silvester II, who lived at the end of the first century. Quoting from pp. 68 and 69: ‘Tradition has it that he was an advanced student of the black arts… It was said that he regularly conversed with the Devil… he was credited with possessing a “brazen head” that spoke to him and could prophecy future events… [He] learned… to summon ghostly figures from the lower world… [The] demons obeyed him in all that he required of them day and night, because of the great sacrifices which he offered, and his prayers and fastings and magic books and great diversity of rings and candles.’

“The false prophet—the last leader of the religious system called ‘Babylon the Great’ in the Bible—will appear soon on the world scene. He will be able to perform mighty miracles because Satan will give him the power to do so. Many will be deceived by those signs and will follow the wrong teachings of this man. May God protect YOU from doing so.”

In conclusion, it appears that the magicians at the time of Moses did perform real, albeit deceitful and lying, wonders or miracles. However, their enchantments will pale into insignificance, when compared with the powerful actions of the false prophet and other deceivers who are prophesied to appear in the not-too-distant future.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link