Guillotines & the Bible

“And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them; and I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the Word of God, who had not done homage to the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.”  Revelation 20:4

 

This article is being done as a supplement to a radio show that will be aired in both the Philadelphia metro area, as well as throughout Africa.  Let’s take a moment to address this issue and look at some of the history of this teaching, then find out what the Bible says about guillotines and the Tribulation time period, starting off with a bit of history of the use of guillotines in our modern era. 

 

Some research will show that guillotines and their predecessors can be tracked back to the Middle Ages, but the popularity of the guillotine, in its current form thought of in modern culture stems mainly back to the French Revolution. 

 

During the French Revolution executions by guillotines were popularized and became quite a public display of death that were experienced by numerous amounts of victims.  In fact, the guillotine was used in France first in 1792 all the way until 1977! 

 

There have been those who proclaim to have evidence for several years now of a conspiracy of guillotines being prepared to be used during martial law in the United States, as well also at least in Canada.  These conspiracy theories take a big interest in some people who believe that the Bible teaches that there will be guillotines used during the Tribulation, therefore in the eyes of their followers, these presented evidences give authority of truth, as what can be seen from the original source article which is full of biblical themes, as well as a woman who considers herself a prophet fighting against the new world order. 

 

So now let’s briefly examine a couple of tenets of these theories to see what weight they might hold or might not. 

 

Years ago I ran across articles that proclaimed that train cars were found in Columbia Falls, Montana, full of shackles and guillotines.  The gist of the story was there were photos taken, never presented, but that these eyewitnesses accounts proved that the government was preparing for martial law and was getting ready to begin using the guillotine on dissidents.  This from an era of much talk about concentration camps, red lists, blue lists, executive orders and other such things. 

 

Having studied the Bible and also looked at the prophetic future that is coming during the Tribulation, these things held some weight, as they seemed to align with the Antichrist world government system during that time.  To me Columbia Falls, Montana was a far out place, one that would be seen by very few people, a dot on the map in the country, one where it could be believed that the government was secretly stockpiling and shipping such items.  Little did I know that a few years later I would find myself living in Whitefish, Montana, only a few miles away from Columbia Falls. 

 

Censorship was not as great on the internet then as it is now.  I have likened it the information flow to having been a window wide open during the heyday of the internet, all the way until around 2012, when the window began being closed.  In 2023, that window is only cracked opened and to even dig up some information for this article and radio shows required a sleuth approach.  I would dare say that nowadays such information, even if verifiable, would be nearly impossible to get out to the general public, but at best a handful of people might run across it. 

 

My goal was to see what updates had been made regarding such claims.  Were there those making similar or new claims?  Could they be verified at all?  Were there government purchase orders for guillotines or photographic evidence?

 

I also see the folly in it.  A guillotine is essentially an easily manufactured piece of equipment, used solely for executions.  The blade and other components could be quickly manufactured throughout the world and shipped to every city across the globe under the authority of the Antichrist.  This is not building warships or some sort of new nuclear weapon, but rather components that are readily easily and quickly manufactured by any equipped factory across the world. 

 

No evidence of train cars with guillotines or a supposed government purchase of 30,000 smart guillotines ordered by the United States government was found, but there were those who spoke of these things having happened underneath the Obama administration.  This is not to downplay that these things could not have occurred, but without having solid evidence, a purchase order, photographic evidence, testimony from reliable and high ranking civilians, these sorts of things would never be stated as fact on All Will Stand’s ministry.  As mentioned earlier with the folly in it, I don’t see the necessity of having to have evidence because I have the Holy Scriptures, the Bible, which speaks of things to come.

 

With the Bible I know that it is the most reliable testimony found in the world, for it is the very Word of God and can be trusted to be absolutely true, for the Bible says:

 

“All Scripture is breathed by God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”  2nd Timothy 3:16-17

 

“And so we also have a more sure Word of prophecy, which you do well to heed as to a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that not any of the prophecies of Scripture came into being from personal exposition, for prophecy was not formerly brought forth by man’s choice, but holy men of God spoke as they were propelled along by the Holy Spirit.”  2nd Peter 1:19-21

 

There is one more thing that I want to discuss and that is a blatant denial of God’s Word by the mainstream media regarding such things as guillotines.  Believe it or not, there was some recent discussion of such things by CNN in September of 2022. 

 

A hit piece article had been written regarding what the Bible says about the pretribulation Rapture that will occur, but in that same article they also mention a guillotine scene in a movie from 1972, called A Thief in the Night.

 

The interesting thing about that particular movie is that it is not far fetched.  While I don’t agree with everything being interpreted the way this series of movies interpret the “time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jer. 30:7), better known as the Tribulation, there are many truths throughout the movies.

 

The premise of the CNN article was that such ideas, such movies had caused ‘suffering and terror’ in the minds of the viewers.  Well imagine how the world will feel one day when many of these things shown in such movies as A Thief in the Night come to pass and it is no longer a fictional depiction of future prophetic events, but a real life situation that will likely be found to be numerous times worse than could have been depicted via film or the minds of the men who wrote the script for the movie!

 

In that CNN article they have a Baptist preacher who woefully declares that such ideas of the Rapture are not correct and then there is no mention by anyone of what the Bible says about beheadings, but rather they just leave it to be some sort of shock brainwashing cult film that wasn’t based at all upon the Bible.  CNN could have interviewed All Will Stand to indeed not so quickly dismiss the idea of a guillotine being used during the Tribulation.  For the Bible is not so silent as their article was.

 

“And when He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the Word of God and because of the testimony which they held.  And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?  And a white robe was given to each one of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who were about to be killed as they were, was filled up.”  Revelation 6:9-11

 

During the Tribulation there will be many who resist the Antichrist world government, placing their faith in Jesus Christ.  As time continues during that time period, restrictions will be placed on buying and selling (Revelation 13:16-18), people will be forced to worship the beast (Revelation 13:15) and refusal to follow these ungodly edicts will result in death. 

 

Notice that verse 11 in Revelation 6 states ‘to be killed as they were’.  Now this could mean either the same method or simply a death sentence for believing and following Jesus Christ or both. 

 

“After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one was able to number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!  And all the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and did homage to God, saying: Amen. Blessing and glory and wisdom, thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.  Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?  And I said to him, Sir, you know. So he said to me, These are the ones coming out of great affliction, and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.  Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will spread His tabernacle over them.  They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not fall on them, nor any burning heat; for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”  Revelation 7:9-17

 

The key takeaway speaking of the martyrs during the Tribulation period, is that there is a “great multitude which no one was able to number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb”.  This is not a small number of people, but rather so large that a count of the people who were slain for Jesus Christ during the Tribulation is not given. 

 

Notice a portion of the folly with the conspiracy theories here.  This is not the United States government during martial law getting rid of the dissidents.  Those whom the NSA has blacklisted or the FBI has placed on the terrorist watchlist or different databases, but this is from all nations. 

 

Right here it should become clear that during the reign of the Antichrist who will have reign over the entire world (Revelation 13:5), these governmental edicts of death will be overseen by the centralization of the Antichrist world government.  So, should death by guillotine be the instrument that causes the beheadings, then it will be the same for citizens of South Africa, France, China, the United States, Iceland and every other nation on the face of the earth.  For the Antichrist world government system will have it’s minions forcing satanic worship of that system, as well as implementing technology to limit the ability to avoid the system that will envelope the world with a reign of terror and tyranny, such as has not been from the beginning of time (Matthew 24:22). 

 

Finally let’s take another look at the opening verse to this article and radio shows:

 

“And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them; and I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the Word of God, who had not done homage to the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.”  Revelation 20:4

 

Quite clearly there is no conspiracy theory here, the Bible is absolute Truth and can be trusted down to every ‘jot and tittle’ (Matthew 5:18).  These people were beheaded. 

 

Now just as when Jesus was crucified on the Cross for our sins (Isaiah 53:5; Hebrews 9:38; 1 Peter 2:24), the Bible prophetically in Psalms 22 proclaims the method of execution that the Savior of the world would endure.  This was written around a thousand years prior to the Roman cross being a method of execution.  Just this passage alone shows to anyone with eyes to see and ears to hear (Ezekiel 12:2) the seriousness and reliability of God’s Word, the Bible.

 

Just as anyone can now see that these things came to pass, so too, as the Bible says people will be beheaded for their witness to Jesus during the Tribulation will come to pass. 

 

When Revelation was written, the guillotine was not invented, there was no such thing.  I would not consider it illogical to see the guillotine to be used as the method of beheading that will absolutely take place during the Tribulation.  This seems logical not only as a means of a quick and easy method, but also to drive terror into the eyes of the spectators to not be the one laying down looking up at the blade that is going to come upon someone.  After all, usually when someone is beheaded with a sword, they are either laying down (Joshua 10:24-28) or the executioner is behind them. 

 

The sheer terror of looking up at the blade, as depicted in the movie A Thief in the Night, would drive many people to second guess their allegiance, especially those who had not truly been Saved by repentance towards God and faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior (Acts 20:21), but those who resist solely because of their patriotic beliefs or have only a belief in Jesus, one that is not from the heart, but simply believing that He exists as the demons also do (James 2:19) may very well be those who change their mind at the last minute. 

 

There should be no downplaying the real possibility that guillotines will be used during the Tribulation as a means of mass execution.  They have smart guillotines that do the ‘dirty’ work for the executioner, they are efficient and already the world has an ongoing war in Europe that is depleting ammunition. 

 

In fact, if one is to believe the theories that can be found with some deep searching on the internet, these smart guillotines use face recognition to ensure that the head about ready to be chopped off matches a database.  So there is no placing a guard, during an uprising, underneath them with the smart guillotine working, it would not work on those who are of the satanic Antichrist world system that will be controlling the world in those days. 

 

However, one should also not be so dogmatic to declare that for certain the guillotine is the method that shall be used during the Tribulation.  For the Bible simply says that they were beheaded.  A sword, an axe, or other instruments of death could also be used and the Bible would be just as true, regardless of the use of a guillotine or not.  While this author would agree that it is likely that guillotines will be found throughout the world, with their terror being used to try and get people to follow the Antichrist world government system, to say that it is definitive is not possible, for the Bible is simply silent on that particular detail.

 

One final thing that should be added to this discussion is the mindset of the people during the Tribulation.  I suspect the world will experience the entertainment aspect that was once popular during the Roman Empire in regards to capital punishment and games to the death.  Already our civilizations are becoming adjusted to cage fights and street violence.  Finally it should be noted that during the French Revolution there were tons of cheering spectators and the executioner was a very popular man, in fact it was often for some a family business passed down.

 

There the children would play with little guillotine toys, chopping off the heads of dolls and mice or rats.  Women would casually crochet while watching the spectacle of the cheering crowds to the next execution, taking only a break to watch the blade fall down decapitating the victim.  Nazi Germany and the Lenin/Stalin Soviet Union can attest to how quickly societies can fall, this is to say nothing of the communist in China under Mao’s leadership or Cambodia’s Pol Pot.  Unbeknowest to most, the Nazi regime also used the guillotine in public executions. 

 

The final authority on this matter is the Bible, where the Holy Scriptures clearly proclaim that men will be beheaded during the Tribulation.  Knowing God and His Word, clearly this will come to pass, however that may be. 

 

“Remember the former things from a long time ago; for I am the Mighty God, and there is no other; I am God, and no one else is like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from antiquity things which are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure; calling a bird of prey from the east, the man who executes my counsel from a distant land. Indeed, I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass. I have formed it; I will also do it.  Listen to me, you stubborn-hearted, who are far from righteousness; I bring near My righteousness. It shall not be far off, and My salvation shall not delay. And I will place salvation in Zion, My glory for Israel.”  Isaiah 46:9-13

 

Amen!

P.S. I have decided to add here a tidbit form the Rolling Stone magazine (found from numerous other articles as well, with no named sources).  Take it or leave it!

 

“It’s not an idle inquiry: The former president, if re-elected, is still committed to expanding the use of the federal death penalty and bringing back banned methods of execution, the sources say. He has even, one of the sources recounts, mused about televising footage of executions, including showing condemned prisoners in the final moments of their lives.

 

Specifically, Trump has talked about bringing back death by firing squad, by hanging, and, according to two of the sources, possibly even by guillotine. He has also, sources say, discussed group executions.”

 

Source: https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/trump-death-penalty-firing-squad-executions-1234679447/

 

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