JUDGEMENT BEFORE THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST

 

by pastor Mike Taylor

18 “And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.

2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.

3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.” (Revelation 18:1-3)

Judgment is coming to a closing end, and the destruction of this rebellious world is nearly to its completion. Here again in this chapter it again speaks of Babylon. Is this the same Babylon that was spoken of in Chapter 17? Many believe that the Babylon of these two chapters are the same, but are they? Note that there are two divisions of end times concept of the Babylon that rises to rule the earth. The first is Mystery Babylon. She is considered a harlot, a whore which is signified by a woman in a religious order that deceived the world and has for the last nearly 2000 years. She is identified with Rome and is shown to be an adulterer, a woman that is defiled and worships false gods and leads other people into sin. She has held sway over kings and nations at different intervals of her history and in these last days, she rises from the ashes of oblivion, much like the Phoenix bird and retakes her glory lost in the past, but it is short lived. She rules with the Beast power for a set and pre-determined amount of time, before the political power of this time destroys her completely and burns her with fire.

Then there is secular, political, and commercial Babylon that is identified with a coastal city. Be she Mecca, New York City or some other powerful center of this ruling abomination called the Beast power, we are not sure, nor will we be sure this side of the coming of our Lord for the true Church of the Living God. As we have pointed out, this great city is the center of world economics. She is a marketplace that has grown ever more greedy and has lust for power. She is self indulgent and in the end, God Almighty destroys her completely for her sins and abominations.

Through a great portion of the coming Tribulation these two portions of Babylon are intertwined with each other. One having power over another to lead one as much as horse is led by a bridle. But it is an uneasy alliance, as they are not the same, but antagonist of each other, both lusting for supreme power. The coming Beast power has need of this religious power to forge the chains of those who it wishes to follow him and use this false religion as an agent of conquest, much as it was in the Middle Ages. But the Beast that rules the earth will need this false religion for just so long. Her usefulness will run out in the near future during the midpoint of the Tribulation and she will be burned with fire as we saw in Chapter 17.

15 “And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.

16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.

17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.

18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.” (Revelation 17:15-18)

This harlot religion has temporal power over the Beast, as the Bible shows that she rides the Beast, and controls him to a point and rules over all nations in religious affairs. Only one religion has more than a 1.5 billion people from all over the globe of all people, multitudes, nations, and tongues. She has spread her tentacles to all points of the globe and in the past, no one was able to withstand her. But this Tribulation power she holds over the political Babylon is short lived.

Mystery Babylon seems to be destroyed when the Anti-Christ comes into the Temple of God in Jerusalem at the mid point of the coming tribulation and proclaims himself as being God in the flesh. Then this religious portion of this unholy alliance will be needed no longer, as the dragon, Satan the devil, who has entered into the last dictator of this fallen world known as the Anti-Christ, will desire complete worship of himself (Satan) through a mortal man that he has possessed. It appears from scripture that a charade either real or manufactured is fostered upon a rebellious and evil population that believes this lawless man has been resurrected from some type of wound that brought him to near death. It will be a false resurrection to mimic what Jesus did 2000 years ago by the power of God, whether this resurrection of the Anti-Christ is real or a charade. Satan is very good as counterfeiting what God has done to make the unrighteous believe a lie.

BABYLON, REAL OR SYMBOLIC?

But as we study the concept of this great city called Babylon, are they literal cities or is she symbolic? That is a question we have to ask ourselves, as many believe that Babylon will be rebuilt again on a desert sands found in the backward country of Iraq. Note that any city built on the ruins of ancient Babylon would not completely fit the description of her having a sea faring port able to handle large merchant ships. Saddam Hussein had the mad notion of rebuilding ancient Babylon thinking that he was a modern king Nebachadnezzer and ruler of the Middle East and we know what happened to him. Many people believe that the New Babylon will be built on the Euphrates River and with the wealth of the Middle East oil, that could happen, but to be an economic power house that God speaks of, leaves large holes in that theory. Although, no one has stepped forward to attempt such a city. But from my viewpoint, being so close to what I feel is the season of our Lord's return, I don't see that kind of time being allowed for another city to emerge as a economic powerhouse for all the world to coincide with the description of her destruction in coming verse of this chapter.

As briefly mentioned in the last part of this study, our Lord equated the known world that hated Him and cautioned that it would hate those who follow Him, just as much to what this world will become.

18 “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.

19 If ye were of the world, the worldthe would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.” (John 15:18-19)

So there are two possibilities, as we have investigated and looked at different cities as being the center of the Beast power, either Rome, Mecca, or even New York, as New York is the center of world wide commerce at the present time. At this present time, the economy of the world is centered on the USA and its economic engine found in New York City, but that could change. It's possible, but highly unlikely, as another city would take years to achieve what the investors on Wall street and the New York economic hub of the world has become. Another possibility is that Babylon is symbolic of what Jesus spoke of as the end time world that revels in their rebellion and unrighteousness. The entire world is a combination of religion and commerce, so the symbol of Babylon “could be” this end time Beast power that covers the entire earth we now live on. In portraying the destruction of a city (Rome?), John describes in Chapter 17 God’s judgment on the great satanic system of religious evil that has corrupted the earth’s history. In chapter 18, the context seems to indicate that Babylon here is viewed in its political and economic character rather than its religious aspect. Although both portions of Babylon the Great are mentioned in various detail, jumping from one power to the other.

Looking at the opening verses, this “angel” which can be interpreted as “messenger” has a great shining appearance. Either the light He cast is from being in the presence of God, or this is Jesus Christ proclaiming that Babylon has fallen and will not rise again. It is a matter of a great moment, whether by this angel we understand as Jesus Christ, or a created angel; the description agreeth to Christ, but most likely agrees to a created angel.

The term ‘another’ (Gr.,allon) makes it clear that this angel is the same in kind as the angel of 17:1. So this most likely is one of the 7 angels that have the bowl judgments. Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen: He announces that Babylon is fallen, fallen and the phrase is “repeated like a solemn dirge of the damned. It becomes a dwelling place of demons: A sad fate for a once-great city.

Abundance of her luxury: Babylon’s sin was not only idolatry (referred to with the term fornication), but also pride, greed, and selfishly held wealth.

The concept is of man ruling himself and being blessed for his work on this earth for a “great economic city” either a location or speaking of the whole world has come to an end. This is “a prophetic picture of absolute desolation where the proud achievements of man become the demonic haunts of unclean and horrible creatures

4 “And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.

6 Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.

7 How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.” (Revelation 18:4-7)

COMMAND TO LEAVE BABYLON

This is a call to God's Tribulation saints to come out of those places where they should not be. It is akin to what God told Lot and his family to depart from the city of Sodom and flee to the mountains before God destroys her. The tribulation saints are in a place ripe for destruction. Those who are living during this time, are subject to the temptation and the evil that is perpetuated in the end time world that is headed for oblivion, and God commands His own to separate themselves from everything that pertains to the evil influence of these end time Gentile nations. Note that the inference is that those who believes on Jesus Christ at this time, are susceptible to loosing their salvation and ability to commit sin in God's sight and they could be caught up in the judgment that is coming. They are not sealed with God's Holy Spirit as the 144,000 Jewish evangelist were, but are in danger of falling back into the world system that God says depart from it. This is not true of the Church, who cannot lose their salvation, but those in the tribulation have no such guarantee.

10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:

11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians 1:10-14)

The church of the Living God has an irrevocable promise of being kept in His grace for any sin, past, present or future. What God has drawn to Jesus Christ and those who have been put into God's Hand cannot be removed.

27 “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.

30 I and my Father are one.” (John 10:27-30)

Tribulation saints must guard their salvation until the very end of this horrific time. So God is talking about a different set of people who are also called saints, which is another indication that the church is not here, as the Church was sealed and had a deposit of future glorification that is promised. The call to come out of Babylon and its sinful and worldly living has been repeated many times in scripture:

“Depart! Depart! Go out from there, touch no unclean thing; go out from her, be clean, you who bear the vessels of the Lord.” (Isaiah 52:11)

“ Flee from the midst of Babylon, and everyone save his life!” (Jeremiah 50:8)

“ My people, go out of the midst of her! And let everyone deliver himself from the fierce anger of the Lord.”(Jeremiah 51:45)

“Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14)

“And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.”(Ephesians 5:11)

But who is this “messenger” of God speaking of? Who are they to come out of? I believe He is speaking of religious and political Babylon that their sins have piled high as the Tower of Babel. There will be an end time false religion that has deceived mankind throughout the history of the world since Jesus ascended back to heaven and the right hand of the Father in glory. God has remembered her iniquities and has passed judgment upon her. This is more detail that John gives to report the destruction of the Harlot Church who has deceived the whole world to worship the image of the Beast.

The description of this Harlot Church is verses 6-7 is most telling of who this woman is and where she has had her headquarters for the last near 2000 years. Note her delicacies and her riches and how she has rewarded others by dealing treacherously with those who did not bow the knee to her. She will be rewarded double for what she has done. I see the complete destruction of this harlot church in flames, as God will use the political power of this earth to destroy her.

--Render to her just as she rendered to you: The ancient Greek word for render (apodidomi) means literally “to pay a debt” or “to give back that which is due.” God will give Babylon exactly what she deserves.

--Repay her double according to her works . . . mix for her double: Double restitution was required in the Old Testament in cases of theft (Exodus 22:4-9). This perhaps is a commentary on how Babylon has made her wealth – through dishonest dealings.

--Repay her double according to her works: This passage presents a three-fold sin. First, self-indulgence (lived luxuriously). Second, pride (glorified herself . . . sits as a queen). Third, avoidance of suffering (am no widow, and will not see sorrow). All these things are characteristic of worldliness and materialism.

--Therefore her plagues will come in one day: The destruction of religious Babylon will come suddenly and with completeness (utterly burned with fire).

8 “Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.

9 And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,

10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.

11 And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:

12 The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble,

13 And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.

14 And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all.” (Revelation 18:8-14)

John goes back and forth speaking of the two Babylons that are mingled together in this chapter. He speaks of religious Babylon and then commercial or political Babylon. Both receive judgment from God and in these preceding verses, you have the vision of a city of commercial marketplace that has dealt with the merchants of the world in what was valuable in John's day, as that is all he could describe, as our technological day was beyond his understanding. You also see a religious portion of Babylon who has deceived the whole world to worship the image of the Beast and to take his mark in their forehead and their right hand.

John witnesses the destruction of these great powerful cities in flames and their destruction in one hour. In your mind, you must separate the two Babylons and not confuse one with another. The religious Babylon will be destroyed by the Beast power under the will of God, and the final political portion of the Beast power, God will destroy Himself. I can think of no other man-made weapon of destruction than a nuclear weapon, which is what many believe happens to these religious and political cities, which could level a city in one hour. The merchants of the earth stand at a safe distance from her destruction, as the heat and flames, and not to mention the radiation if this be a nuclear weapon that destroyed her, and they wail because the city is destroyed. That is one reason I have explored the one city in the USA, New York who is the economic hub of this modern world now and in the coming future and the city which could be Rome destroyed by the Beast power as he burns her with fire.. 

The political Babylon sounds eerily similar to what a person would see standing on a boat a long distance from the harbor of the New York City, who has the only port large enough to accommodate large merchant ships. This could come from a nuclear exchange or a pre-emptive nuclear strike from another country. We can only hypothesize of who this great city is, if she is indeed an actual city or a symbolic representation of God's divine judgment on the center of the Beast power and his government. Obviously, God is more than able to replicate a nuclear strike much as He did on Sodom and Gomorrah. Either God uses man to do His will, or completes the prophecy in Divine retribution for her iniquities with fire and brimstone raining from heaven. Thankfully, I won't see any of this to determine which is true as I'll be with Jesus in heaven awaiting the return to the earth of the saints of God, known as the Church of the Living God. Will you?

As we continue to read to the end of the chapter, the angel describes the death knell of Babylon and likens it to a mill stone thrown to the bottom of the sea, never to rise no more. The descriptions show that the center of commercial trade will never be found again.

20 “Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.

21 And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.

22 And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee;

23 And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.” (Revelation 18:20-23)

This is either a complete destruction of an actual city or applied broadly to a worldly commerce found across the globe during this time of the coming Tribulation. But I find it telling to who and where this prophecy is directed at, as was mentioned, the political and the religious Babylon have been intertwined up to this point.

24 “And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.” (Revelation 18:24)

In verse 24, if this is an actual city, then I can think of only one city in this world that has all the attributes that have been described. Some will point a finger at Jerusalem as she has killed prophets and saints also, but she does not fit the description of a harlot religious system that has ruled the world, drowned herself in luxuries of gold, jewels, and much wealth, and has been the center of apostasy in the past ages and into the modern world. Only one religious organization has more gold in her vaults than even Fort Knox. And if you think hard enough, you will come to the conclusion that fits all points of the prophecy.

The chapter describes the complete destruction of the two Babylons: the religious portion and the commercial or political aspect of the ruling One World government that is a mixture of church and state, much as it was in the Middle Ages. Coming in the next chapter, the beginning reveals the coming victory of our Lord God, Jesus Christ over the Beast Power and its final death blow that will decimate all who come against a Living God. The beginning of chapter 19 is a continuation of the end of chapter 18, as the bible has no actual chapter breaks, as that is man's doing, but the end is near and we will discuss that next time, when we see Jesus coming back to earth in power and great glory. We are nearing the start of the coming Millennium and the reign of Jesus Christ for 1000 years to restore the earth to what was lost in the Garden of Eden, the complete beauty of His creation revived and made perfect. We have much to anticipate for and we await anxiously for the coming of our Lord to make this earth what it was in the time of Adam and Eve. Many things will change. The earth will not be subject to pollution and the evils of mankind. War will be no more, and the weapons of war will be changed into plow shares to become a agricultural society. I have a burden for anyone that may have to live through this horrific time, or die a horrible death....if you believe the following two passages found in your Bible, you won't have to, if you do it this side of the rapture.

But who will be those who populate the coming Millennial reign of Christ? We will discover that when we explore chapter 19 and 20 of the “Return of Jesus Christ and His Millennial Reign.” See you then.

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.' (John 3:16-19)

8 “But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;

9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.

13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:8-13)

This is Pastor Mike Taylor, praying that you see none of this noted above and are found in Jesus Christ at His coming for His Church that could come very soon. I pray if you need prayer, counseling, or just a listening ear then email me at pastormiketaylor@yahoo.com. Or visit me online for more biblical messages to help strengthen your faith in the times we live, God bless you all,

TILL WE MEET AT JESUS FEET

APOSTLE JOHN VIEWS THE CUP OF GOD'S WRATH

 

by pastor Mike Taylor

“AndI saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.” (Revelation 15:1)

As we progress through this “Apocalyptic book”, you can envision how the destruction grows in a crescendo type of judgment on this earth. The past chapters were bad and God has been escalating His judgment on this earth to bring mankind either to repentance, or near total annihilation of all things that breath air on the planet we call the earth. It has been mankind's home for nigh 6000 years, but now she is the abode of his coming death and her grave as the nations are receiving just rewards for their rejection of God's only plan for salvation, through Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son. Let us look at what will be coming, possibly in few short years, that mankind in the majority is blinded to what is in front of them. We noticed that in Chapter 14, that John described the near total destruction of the nations leading up to the battle of Armageddon, but here John goes back to describe in more detail what has happened to bring the world to this place. It is common in Bible prophecy to state and re-state in further details that is also common in Hebrew literature. It seemed even back in the end of chapter 6, that the end was near, but John takes us back and forth giving more detail and expanding the canvas that he has sketched of what he saw. Revelation is not totally chronological, but the overall picture is speaking of the division of the Tribulation and the Great Tribulation, as judgment is explained more deeply.

These seven angels having the seven last plagues: This idea is also in Leviticus 26:21:

“Then, if you walk contrary to Me, and are not willing to obey Me, I will bring on you seven times more plagues, according to your sins.” These seven last plagues are God’s judgment on a disobedient and contrary world. The opening verse reveals that God's wrath is waxing hot and He is not just blowing off steam, but will fulfill His eternal purpose releasing His righteous indignation in all its fury.

2 "And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.

3 And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.

4 Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.”( Revelation 15:2-4)

The sea is designed to reflect the glory of God. In chapter 4 its description ‘like unto crystal’ speaks of the holiness of God. Here the sea mingled with fire speaks of divine judgment proceeding from God’s holiness. Some see the analogy in verse 2 correlating to the Exodus of the people of God through the Red Sea, escaping the persecution of this world, although many of them were subject to martyrdom due to their faith in God and His Son, Jesus Christ. They are not losers, as they have received victory in the spiritual sense that they believed what Jesus said in their Bible. They are Tribulation saints who have given up their mortal life for eternal life.

25 “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.

26, For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:25-26)

These Tribulation saints stand either on or beside a sea of glass, which is a reflection of God's Word. Here they stand on the Word, as it is connection to the Temple of Israel to be washed in the tabernacle laver to make themselves clean. Notice they sing a song. A song of Moses which is their patriarch ancestor that led their fathers out of Egypt and out of sin. Does this mean that they are mostly from the house of Israel? Although it could be, it is also possible that they are partakers of the seed and promise of Abraham and are considered the New Israel along with those of Jewish birth. It is said that the song they sing is also called the “song of the Lamb” as they join the promises of the Old and the New Testament into one song.....But hold your breath, as judgment is falling and hardly any man or woman will escape the fiery wrath of Almighty God.

5 “And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened:

6 And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles.

7 And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.

8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.” (Revelation 15:5-8)

Here God's anger is revealed by 7 angels that bring seven golden vials, full of the wrath of God. The anger of God is so hot, that smoke fills the heavenly tabernacle and no one can enter into His presence until His vengeance through these plagues is finished.  This declares that judgment was now irreversible. This also happened in the time of Moses when the Shekinah glory filled the wilderness tabernacle and no man could enter within. Now nothing could hinder it any longer, because access to this temple in heaven would not long be denied. This is the heavenly Temple in heaven that the earthly temple that was a copy on earth, but is seen in its reality The seven angels come directly from God and do not act on their own authority, but have been given orders directly from God Almighty. They are clothed with white linen and golden girdles that signify the holiness of God's righteous anger
The King James translation is vials of plagues, but the literal translation from the Greek is saucer like bowls that were used in the Temple of God on earth, and now in heaven to hold incense from the altar of God that will be poured out.

CHAPTER 16: THE BOWL JUDGMENTS

“And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.

2 And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.” (Revelation 16:1-2)

Each of these plagues remind us what came upon Egypt that brought similar plagues and God's judgment on that nation for the idolatry and failing to follow the commands of God and let Israel go.

8 “And the Lord said unto Moses and unto Aaron, Take to you handfuls of ashes of the furnace, and let Moses sprinkle it toward the heaven in the sight of Pharaoh.

9 And it shall become small dust in all the land of Egypt, and shall be a boil breaking forth with blains upon man, and upon beast, throughout all the land of Egypt”. (Exodus 9:8-9)

So God brings the same type of plague on mankind in these end of days called the Great Tribulation that falls on every man and woman who has the mark of the Beast and worship his image, much as the people of Egypt worshiped false gods,and even Pharaoh himself.

3 “And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.

4 And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood.

5 And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus.

6 For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.” (Revelation 16:4-6)

Even as the Egyptians killed the children of Israel and threw their sons to the crocodiles, God had given them also, blood to drink, as they have worshiped false gods who are not gods, and have slain the innocent and spilled their blood. Can you even imagine the smell and the death as sea creatures are washed ashore and die with rotting flesh covering the whole earth in the rivers and the seas? Let alone, no one can drink the water, as it is poisoned. We know that man cannot live without water for 3 days, so unless the government on earth has stored water, they will soon all die. This tells me just how quickly these plagues lead to the 2^nd coming of Jesus Christ to rule and reign, as men will not be able to stand against this onslaught of the wrath of God.

7 “And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.

8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.

9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.” (Revelation 16:7-9)

God will cause the sun to become either closer to earth to provide this intense heat, or the ozone layer is destroyed and the rays of the sun cannot be filtered and the inhabitants are at the mercy of intense UV radiation and its intensity of heat. It says that it will scorch men. Will it burn those who cannot escape to the point of death and dehydration? Remember there is not water that is not blood, so unless they have a alternate resource of stored water, the sun will dry them as so much beef jerky. Although mankind is going through the most intense judgment and men are dying all around those on the earth, they will not repent and give God glory and turn from their wicked ways. Those who have taken the Mark of the Beast have no recourse, as there is no forgiveness of those who worship the Beast and take his mark, but those who have somehow managed to escape have a slim chance of repenting of their unrighteousness and turning to God to receive forgiveness and God knows, they will not.

10 “And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain,

11 And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.” (Revelation 16:10-11)

What are we to make of the darkness that falls on the whole earth, either the governmental agencies of the Beast power or the total inhabitants of the earth? The darkness is synonymous what was experienced by ancient Egypt where the darkness caused intense pain and gnawing of their tongues. I believe it is a taste of hell and what they are coming to. It gives them a taste of the torment that is coming, which is beyond what they are experiencing here, but they will not repent, even covered with painful sores. Those under the judgment of this fifth bowl stand, as it were, on the shores of the lake of fire and on the cusp of being lost forever in what Jesus called “outer darkness”. The great evangelist C.H. Spurgeon had a take on these plagues that men face:

“Judgment may produce a carnal repentance – a repentance that is of the flesh, and after the manner of the sinful nature of men. In this repentance the depravity of the heart remains the same in essence, though it takes another form of showing itself. Though the man changes, he is not savingly changed: he becomes another man, but not a new man. The same sin rules in him, but it is called by another name, and wears another dress. The stone is carved into a more sightly shape, but it is not turned into flesh. The iron is cast into another image, but it is not transformed into gold. This carnal repentance is caused by fear. Does not every thief repent of robbery when he is convicted and sent to jail? Does not every murderer repent of his crime when he stands under the fatal tree?” (Spurgeon) So it is not true repentance and to turn away from sin, but a realization of the fear that is taking a person to the pit of hell. Spurgeon followed this up with what it truly is:

“This is real penitence, when the man gives glory to the justice of God, even though it condemns him. O my hearer, do you thus repent? Is sin really sinful to you? Do you see its desert of hell? If not, your repentance needs to be repented of.” (Spurgeon)

12 “And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.

13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.

14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.

15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.

16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.” (Revelation 16:12-16)

Ancient Rome considered the River Euphrates a nature barrier from invasion from the East, such as China, or Mongolia, but here the river is dried up from the angel pouring his vial upon the waters. They are Kings of the East coming either to destroy Israel, or wage war on the European dictator, the Anti-Christ, either way, they are coming to fulfill God's purpose as He gathers them to a place called Armageddon where they will do battle with Almighty God. I have often wondered, if you knew that you were coming to wage war with God Almighty, would you be so careless and insane to fight against a Living God?

Or have you been told that the problems that you face are caused by some “Alien Force” that you have been fed a lie that you can actually win against an alien invasion? I note that the whole world has been obsessed with “Encounters of the Third Kind” that has been promoted by Hollywood and the MSM that these apparitions we see in the skies are from “another world” since the 1970s into the 1980s even to our modern age ...Is it how they explained the missing of millions of people about 7 years prior and explained it as alien abduction? The whole world will unite behind one cause and that would be the extinction of mankind through an alien life force. Here they all gather to wage war, and it is by design that they are brought to the valley of Jezreel to either wage war with an alien life form, or destroy Israel on a list of things to accomplish in this to rid the world of these “pesky Jews” on orders from the Anti-Christ. Either way, they are heading for complete destruction and they don't even know who they are fighting until it is too late.

Many have wondered who and what are these frogs that come from the unholy trinity of the dragon, the beast and the false prophet. Israel has always considered them unclean, but Egypt revered them as gods. So here is another example of a duality of prophecy, as frogs also came upon Egypt in the plagues they experienced. These frogs are demons and these demons are like the lying spirit who led Ahab into battle (1 Kings 22:19-23). They are spirits of demons, performing signs: Again, signs and wonders are used by demons as tools of deception. The false prophet here is the second beast of Revelation 13.

17 “And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.

18 And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.

19 And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.

20 And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.

21And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.” (Revelation 16-17-21)

Here Almighty God has said “it is done”...there will be no more delays, no more chances, as God has stretched this judgment time out for many years now trying to get mankind to repent and turn away from His sin, and he will not. So God is going to finish wiping this earth clean of rebellion and the earth trembled and quakes greatly at His coming...who is coming....? Of course, Jesus Christ in power and great glory. Every island is moved out of its place, and every mountain falls flat and are not found....so great is this quaking as the earth rocks and reels like a drunken sailor.

The chapter does not reveal yet the coming of the Lord, as that is chapter 19 and John goes into further details of the events to give breadth and substance to the portrait he is painting of what he saw. Judgment has been enacted against the prince and power of the air, could be why the angel is pouring out his vial into the air. The great city that falls, is it Jerusalem, or some other city? More like Babylon wherever she ends up being. Some say Rome, some say Mecca, and some say New York City, as I have explored each city as a possible suspect, but this side of the rapture, we won't know for sure as we can only speculate. The last plague mentioned in this chapter is great hail which the weight a talent is about 100 lbs....can you imagine great hail the size of a boulder raining down on the earth in abundance? The great hail will flatten anything that is standing built by men, or left of creation. The destruction will be almost complete...there won't be much standing when this plague comes upon the earth. Could this be leading up to the Battle of Armageddon and their express defeat, even before the battle even starts? Hail is frequently a tool of judgment against God’s enemies, as seen against Egypt (Exodus 9:24), the Canaanites (Joshua 10:11), apostate Israel (Isaiah 28:2), and Gog and Magog (Ezekiel 38:22).

Even after all this suffering, men still will not repent. Why is that so. Some say that if I went through this kind of trouble, I would repent..and I say no you would not...why? I refer to what C. H. Spurgeon said about this:

Despite all their suffering, many still will not repent. “I have known people say, ‘Well, if I were afflicted I might be converted. If I lay sick I might be saved.’ Oh, I do not think so. Sickness and sorrow of themselves are no helps to salvation. Pain and poverty are not evangelists; disease and despair are not apostles. Look at the lost in hell. Suffering has effected no good in them. He that was filthy here is filthy there. He that was unjust in this life is unjust in the life to come. There is nothing in pain and suffering that, by their own natural operation, will tend to purification.” (Spurgeon)

So my reader, if you are waiting for things to go sour on planet earth and think you have time to repent, you may not get that chance. If you were unjust before the Tribulation, you will most likely still be unjust, as Spurgeon said. Calamity and judgement most like will make a person hard and the heart a flint of stone.

WE CAN CALL THIS A GREAT CHAPTER

-It describes great evil: a great city, great Babylon (Revelation 16:19).- It describes great tools of judgment:

-great heat (Revelation 16:9), a great river dried up (Revelation 16:12), a great earthquake (Revelation 16:18), great hail and great plagues (Revelation 16:21).

- It describes a great God: His great voice (loud is the same Greek word for great; verses 1; 17), and His great day of victory (Revelation 16:14).

APOSTLE JOHN DESCRIBES THE WHORE OF BABYLON, chp. 17

“And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:

2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.

3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.

4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:

5 And upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery, Babylon The Great, The Mother Of Harlots And Abominations Of The Earth.” (Revelation 17:1-5)

Here the Apostle John backs up to give more detail of what the False Prophet and where he comes from. The use of the symbol of a woman in scripture always means a “religious” denomination, or earthly power that draws that power from men's superstitions about the supernatural and the natural. Using men's fear of the unknown, this “religious” order has committed fornication with the inhabitants of the earth, infecting the kings that rule the people to follow her without question. Fornication refers to worshiping of other gods, which take away from the glory of the True God of heaven. She has had power over the whole earth and has ruled them with an iron fist. I am reminded of the Middle Ages when a ruling theocracy held sway over the kings of nations and their armies to do her bidding. That same denomination will rise again and rule again once more along side the Beast power that supports her, but in the end, will destroy her with fire. Babylon is two identities that are linking and interwoven with one another...the first is Mystery Babylon, which this portion of scripture describes, and commercial Babylon, which is the secular portion of the union of church and state. Now where have I heard that before? Oh, yes, I know..during the rule of the “holy Roman Empire” headed by various popes,(a blend of church and state)

Mystery Babylon is described as a harlot, a woman, a mother, and a whore. Identified with Rome, she is guilty of abominations before God and will go down in total destruction from the Beast power that she used to control.

Commercial Babylon is a symbol of a great city. Is identified with a great port that accommodates large floating vessels of trade. She is a great marketplace, but guilty of greed and self indulgence and will be ultimately destroyed by God.

It is best to see them as intertwined, yet somewhat distinct. Religious Babylon of Revelation 17 is judged at the mid-point of the seven-year period of tribulation. Commercial Babylon is judged at the end of that period.

It is conceivable to think that Babylon may not be a actual city, as the ancient area of Babylon is in ruins, and even Saddam Hussein could not raise it. But many cities could qualify and the idea of it being New York, Mecca, or Rome could be what Jesus called this system, “the world”..not an actual city.

“When the Lord was here on earth He spoke of the great hatred that ‘the world’ had for Him and His own (John 15:18,19). What is this world but a combination of religion, government and commerce? In other words, Babylon in all its parts stands for that which Christ called ‘the world.’ ” (Barnhouse)

For me, the above verses relate to only one “woman” who has prostituted herself around the world and calls herself the “true church of Jesus Christ”. The above description if taken in comparison to what has happened in the past, and is happening right now, should give the reader a pretty good idea of who John is talking about, and who the angel reveals to him. As a religious system, Babylon came into being long before Christianity, but in Satanic imitation it anticipated the coming true Messiah. According to religious history and legend, the Babylonian religion was founded by the wife of Nimrod (a great-grandson of Noah), named Semiramis. She was a high priestess of idol worship, and she gave birth to a son who she claimed was conceived miraculously. The son, named Tammuz, was considered a savior. Many ancient artifacts remain with the familiar motif of the mother Semiramis holding the savior-infant Tammuz, which predate Christianity. It was also said that Tammuz was killed by a wild beast and then miraculously brought back to life. Baal was the local, Canaanite name for the Babylonian Tammuz.

The Bible makes specific mention of some of the features of the classic religion of Babylon:

• Ezekiel protests against the ceremony of weeping for Tammuz (Ezekiel 8:14)
  – Jeremiah mentions the heathen practice of making cakes for the queen of heaven (Jeremiah 7:18) and offering incense to the queen of heaven (Jeremiah 44:17-19, 44:25) Sound familiar?

THIS HARLOT HAS DESTROYED MANY LIVES.

6 “And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.

7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.

8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth” (Revelation 17:6-9)

Here the apostle writes of the woman drunken with the blood of saints, and only one religion that I can think of can be guilty of such high crimes. Some people try to say this is Islam, but the description does not fit the like of Islam, as she has never destroyed as many people, as has one religion that held sway over the whole known earth for 1500 years, long before Islam came on the scene, even though the Ottoman Empire did reign for a few hundreds years over a vast portion of the earth, they are not synonymous with this description. Today we have one religion that is calling all to come back to the “mother church' and create a one world religion of blended Protestantism, Catholicism, and a smorgasbord of other religions around the world. Many people believe that the woman is the Roman Catholic Church, and that may be totally true, but she is a conglomeration of many false religions blended into one with one man who will have complete control over how and what she does, and what she stands for, that is the False Prophet, who will be the head of a major religion and speak to bring worship to the Beast or the Anti-Christ.

This head of this one world religion sits on 7 mountains on which this woman sitteth. Many have postulated where this area will be...one is Rome...and there are many others, but we have to take all the clues and descriptions of who this woman is, before we can make a positive identification of who she is....Many believe that the identity is the Pope in Rome. Some will disagree, but we have to look at what is going on right now with Climate Change, the Sustainable Development, and Agenda 2030 that is designed to rule this world and monitor every man and woman on this planet to follow a set of rules they will set in place. And who is the spokesman for this world initiative? He spoke at the United Nations and promoting this One World System. None other than Pope Francis who has charged his priest to preach this message in all their churches.

The Catholic Review commented on this and said, “The unity of religion promoted by the Holy Father Pope John Paul II and approved by His Holiness the Dalai Lama is not a goal to be achieved immediately, but a day may come when the love and compassion which both Buddha and Christ preached so eloquently will unite the world in a common effort to save humanity from senseless destruction, and lead toward the light in which we all believe.” This is continued to be promoted by the current pope in Rome. So they give honor to other religions to join them in creating a united religion. Can  you say One World Religion as prophesied in the pages of your Bible?

WHO ARE THE SEVEN KINGS, AND IS THE EIGHTH KING?

10 “And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.

11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.

12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.

13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.”(Revelation 17:10-13)

This is most confusing passage that gives one pause of to what verse 10-11 mean. But the whole passage I pass onto a brother of mine that I posted his hypothesize of what and who this is referring to and I find most fascinating...you can find it in the following link:

http://pastormiketaylor.blogspot.com/2016/09/rise-of-anti-christ.html

In the message, my brother makes a strong case of how and who will be the Anti-Christ AND the false prophet. Is he right? We won't know for sure, but make no mistake about it, this harlot church will be at the table of the power brokers when the world is ultimately united by force and deceit.

14” These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.

15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.

16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.

17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.

18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.” (Revelation 17:15-18)

Referring back to the battle of Armageddon, where Jesus comes in all His glory surrounded by the Church Saints that have been raptured 7 years prior, as this will be spoken of in detail in chapter 19, but notice that the destruction of the whore will be accomplished when the secular Beast will destroy the religion of the harlot and shall eat her flesh and burn her with fire. Mystery Babylon will be decimated and the Beast will demand worship of himself completely wishing  not to have anyone stand in front of him, as Satan has indwelt this monster of a man who has desired worship since his fall from heaven and being an ark angel before God.

The woman has been identified, her destruction is sure. The Beast power will eventually be destroyed as well, when Jesus comes to reign and rule for a thousand years, but we will cover that when next time, we look at the next two chapters to see the final end of the One World System with its government and its false religion. Stay tuned as we explore the coming “Return of Jesus Christ”, next time. See you then.

This is pastor Mike Taylor, praying that you never see what I have described....to escape the coming wrath of God, admit that you are a sinner, repent of those sins and ask Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior, by faith accept His mercy and grace.....

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”(John 3:16-18)

8 “But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;

9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.

13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”(Romans 10:8-13)

2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)”(2^nd Corinthians 6:2)

 If you need prayer, counseling, or just a friendly listening ear, email me at pastormiketaylor@yahoo.com. God bless you all,

TILL WE MEET AT JESUS FEET.