By Pastor Mike Taylor
“And I 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 you 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 it is the abode of his coming death and the 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. If you read chp. 14 you will notice 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 2nd 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 Megiddo 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 that is 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 judgment 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 are 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 second half of the- seven year period called the Great 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 predates 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 sits. 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(HARPAZO) 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.
My reader, how do you miss out on what I have briefly described of what is coming upon the earth? Believe in the ONLY Name that is above every name, Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Believe in the next two passages and you will be saved.
15 “That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
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: 15-18)
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.” (Romans 10:8-13)
As J.D. Farag speaks of the ABC's of salvation:
a. admit you are sinner in need of a Savior
b. believe that Jesus died on a cross, was buried and resurrected on the third day and is coming again.
c. after you have done this, confess to your family and friends of what you have done.
You must believe this in your heart, not just your head, as John told us, “the demons believe and tremble” at the mention of Jesus Christ. You must change your mind about sin and God Almighty and do a complete 180 degree turn around and acknowledge Jesus as Lord and Savior and follow Him, picking up your cross daily. May God have mercy on all who are coming to the start of the Tribulation and to those that are removed in the coming rapture of the Church to glory in heaven before God Almighty and Jesus our Savior.
This is pastor Mike Taylor, praying that you never see what I have described. If you need prayer, counseling, or just a friendly listening ear, email me at pastormiketaylor@yahoo.com, or visit me online at www.pastormiketaylor.blogspot.com, God bless you all,
TILL WE MEET AT JESUS FEET.
V
By Pastor Mike Taylor
“And I 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 you 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 it is the abode of his coming death and the 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. If you read chp. 14 you will notice 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 2nd 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 Megiddo 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 that is 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 judgment 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 are 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 second half of the- seven year period called the Great 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 predates 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 sits. 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(HARPAZO) 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.
My reader, how do you miss out on what I have briefly described of what is coming upon the earth? Believe in the ONLY Name that is above every name, Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Believe in the next two passages and you will be saved.
15 “That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
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: 15-18)
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.” (Romans 10:8-13)
As J.D. Farag speaks of the ABC's of salvation:
a. admit you are sinner in need of a Savior
b. believe that Jesus died on a cross, was buried and resurrected on the third day and is coming again.
c. after you have done this, confess to your family and friends of what you have done.
You must believe this in your heart, not just your head, as John told us, “the demons believe and tremble” at the mention of Jesus Christ. You must change your mind about sin and God Almighty and do a complete 180 degree turn around and acknowledge Jesus as Lord and Savior and follow Him, picking up your cross daily. May God have mercy on all who are coming to the start of the Tribulation and to those that are removed in the coming rapture of the Church to glory in heaven before God Almighty and Jesus our Savior.
This is pastor Mike Taylor, praying that you never see what I have described. If you need prayer, counseling, or just a friendly listening ear, email me at pastormiketaylor@yahoo.com, or visit me online at www.pastormiketaylor.blogspot.com, God bless you all,
TILL WE MEET AT JESUS FEET.
By Pastor Mike Taylor
“And I 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 you 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 it is the abode of his coming death and the 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. If you read chp. 14 you will notice 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 2nd 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 Megiddo 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 that is 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 judgment 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 are 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 second half of the- seven year period called the Great 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 predates 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 sits. 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(HARPAZO) 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.
My reader, how do you miss out on what I have briefly described of what is coming upon the earth? Believe in the ONLY Name that is above every name, Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Believe in the next two passages and you will be saved.
15 “That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
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: 15-18)
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.” (Romans 10:8-13)
As J.D. Farag speaks of the ABC's of salvation:
a. admit you are sinner in need of a Savior
b. believe that Jesus died on a cross, was buried and resurrected on the third day and is coming again.
c. after you have done this, confess to your family and friends of what you have done.
You must believe this in your heart, not just your head, as John told us, “the demons believe and tremble” at the mention of Jesus Christ. You must change your mind about sin and God Almighty and do a complete 180 degree turn around and acknowledge Jesus as Lord and Savior and follow Him, picking up your cross daily. May God have mercy on all who are coming to the start of the Tribulation and to those that are removed in the coming rapture of the Church to glory in heaven before God Almighty and Jesus our Savior.
This is pastor Mike Taylor, praying that you never see what I have described. If you need prayer, counseling, or just a friendly listening ear, email me at pastormiketaylor@yahoo.com, or visit me online at www.pastormiketaylor.blogspot.com, God bless you all,
TILL WE MEET AT JESUS FEET.
By Pastor Mike Taylor
“And I 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 you 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 it is the abode of his coming death and the 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. If you read chp. 14 you will notice 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 2nd 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 Megiddo 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 that is 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 judgment 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 are 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 second half of the- seven year period called the Great 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 predates 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 sits. 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(HARPAZO) 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.
My reader, how do you miss out on what I have briefly described of what is coming upon the earth? Believe in the ONLY Name that is above every name, Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Believe in the next two passages and you will be saved.
15 “That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
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: 15-18)
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.” (Romans 10:8-13)
As J.D. Farag speaks of the ABC's of salvation:
a. admit you are sinner in need of a Savior
b. believe that Jesus died on a cross, was buried and resurrected on the third day and is coming again.
c. after you have done this, confess to your family and friends of what you have done.
You must believe this in your heart, not just your head, as John told us, “the demons believe and tremble” at the mention of Jesus Christ. You must change your mind about sin and God Almighty and do a complete 180 degree turn around and acknowledge Jesus as Lord and Savior and follow Him, picking up your cross daily. May God have mercy on all who are coming to the start of the Tribulation and to those that are removed in the coming rapture of the Church to glory in heaven before God Almighty and Jesus our Savior.
This is pastor Mike Taylor, praying that you never see what I have described. If you need prayer, counseling, or just a friendly listening ear, email me at pastormiketaylor@yahoo.com, or visit me online at www.pastormiketaylor.blogspot.com, God bless you all,
TILL WE MEET AT JESUS FEET.
By Pastor Mike Taylor
“And I 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 you 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 it is the abode of his coming death and the 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. If you read chp. 14 you will notice 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 2nd 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 Megiddo 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 that is 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 judgment 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 are 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 second half of the- seven year period called the Great 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 predates 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 sits. 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(HARPAZO) 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.
My reader, how do you miss out on what I have briefly described of what is coming upon the earth? Believe in the ONLY Name that is above every name, Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Believe in the next two passages and you will be saved.
15 “That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
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: 15-18)
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.” (Romans 10:8-13)
As J.D. Farag speaks of the ABC's of salvation:
a. admit you are sinner in need of a Savior
b. believe that Jesus died on a cross, was buried and resurrected on the third day and is coming again.
c. after you have done this, confess to your family and friends of what you have done.
You must believe this in your heart, not just your head, as John told us, “the demons believe and tremble” at the mention of Jesus Christ. You must change your mind about sin and God Almighty and do a complete 180 degree turn around and acknowledge Jesus as Lord and Savior and follow Him, picking up your cross daily. May God have mercy on all who are coming to the start of the Tribulation and to those that are removed in the coming rapture of the Church to glory in heaven before God Almighty and Jesus our Savior.
This is pastor Mike Taylor, praying that you never see what I have described. If you need prayer, counseling, or just a friendly listening ear, email me at pastormiketaylor@yahoo.com, or visit me online at www.pastormiketaylor.blogspot.com, God bless you all,
TILL WE MEET AT JESUS FEET.
