Bible Prophecy Master Class, Part 3

The Two Witnesses' Ministry of Torment!CHAPTER 11Woe #2 The Two Witnesses At this point, it appears that the God imposed war moratorium, temporarily stopping the fighting amongst the nations, continues. It will remain in effect until after the pommeling of the beast and the literal trashing of his kingdom, during the judgments from the bowls (chap. 16 & 19), which will set the stage for the Battle of Armageddon. As shown already, the scene we saw in chapter 9 (of the massive military gathering, at the Euphrates River) depicts one faction of the armies involved headed for the opening moments of what will be that final melee in the Valley of Megiddo (chapter 16). That conflict will itself occur within the last (approximately) 1.75 years of the final 7 years of man’s autonomous history (life without direct oversight by God Almighty). In violation of the moratorium, the beast will further add to his offenses by militarily reigning in three of his unruly former submissives. At about that time, the fight freeze will be officially lifted. Side BarGiven that Titus had, at the time John is pinning this prophetic book, sacked and destroyed Jerusalem and its Jewish temple, there was therefore no Temple of God on earth. There is no Temple of God even at this hour, two thousand years later, as the mount or spot upon which the Jews intend to rebuild is currently occupied by a Muslim mosque— called, one believes, the Dome of the Rock (or, Mosque of Omar). That mosque will have to be torn down (although there are some accounts that say the actual spot of Solomon’s old Temple is actually in a slightly different location than that of the mosque, it does not matter. Jewish dominance will doubtless demand that it still be destroyed.). This no doubt will occur following the Russo/Arab thrashing at the hand of the Almighty Himself, on behalf of His beleaguered people, upon the mountains of Israel, as foretold by Ezekiel the prophet. This will not only weaken the Muslim world, as it will also destroy their resolve and hold on that spot, subjecting them to the will (of God, albeit nominally for a time, via) the Jews

Battle of Armageddon, Phase 1: Kings of the East verses the Beast and the Kings of the Earth (West)!Thermo Baric Warfare & MOAB Future Warriors’ Weapon of ChoiceVerse 17b, and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.Verse 18, By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths. In preparing this study, and in looking over these verses, “here”, I said within myself, “is a passage which lacks merit/support, technologically, in modern terms”. How, I wondered, can this possibly ever be? What military wizardry is there under the carpets or on the maps, which would allow for death in this fashion—by fire, by smoke and by brimstone (yellow sulfur)? Most all the other prophecies of this nature could readily be explained in light of recent (as within the past 105 years of) technological developments but, I thought somewhat whimsically, “should be interesting to see how You pull this one off, Lord”! Knowing only that if God says it can and will happen, it therefore can and will happen, I resolved not to use this passage in my study, because it to me could not be explained in light of modern military advancements (several days later, I was forced to “recant” this decision!). Too bad that it never occurred to me to reflect on an old Steven Sigel thriller (or, was that Nicolas Cage; I believe that show was the one co-starring Sean Connery). This movie featured bad guys wielding a weapon one had never seen or heard of before, not even during my years of military service; nor did it, in the years following the movie, ever make sense—whenever, if ever, one thought upon it. The gun was one having all the trappings and outward appearances of a regular military styled rifle. Here, the similarities end, as things were strangely different, however, whenever the bad guys took aim, and opened up on the guys in “white hats”. Instead of hearing the usual rat-ah-tat-tat, pop and ricochets of bullets that normally characterizes such a scene, there was only a weird kind of sound followed by a trail of smoke, ending in a kind of explosion accompanied by more smoke and maybe some sparks. Totally a bizarre kind of a weapon but, manifestly more powerful than the average rifle or, even the typical shotgun—and that, when we are not even talking “Star Trek” or “Star Wars”! So, what was this weapon? Does it have basis in reality, beyond, Hollywood, one may well be wondering? How does its existence illumine our understanding in terms of its highlighting and supporting the viability of the Lord’s assertion, here? Or, does it? As, in my research, I was trying to establish the place of nations like China and Russia (and other European powers) in the grand scheme of things, particularly space-based warfare, I stumbled across (the Lord answered the former challenge with!) a number of interesting themes and topics, including electromagnetic pulse generators and high-powered microwave weapons. That theme, which is most apropos to this discussion, however, is that regarding something called thermobarics, and thermobaric weaponry.

The Creatures From The Abyss/Armageddon PreviewIn this chapter the judgment of God continues, as—given that men will not submit to the will of God, choosing rather to give heed to the doctrines and seduction of demons—He will now summon from hell’s zoo, demons of the worst sort to do His bidding in the further castigation of rebel mankind—a first phase of this reprimand, one might say, having been by his own hands, under the seal judgments. These demons can materialize of their own accord. They do not need to inhabit the bodies of men, as do those who followed Satan in his fall. Disgustingly hideous though they are, they have their own, thank you very much!As the interlude in the international fighting among the nations begun earlier in Rev. 6:14 persists, for the time being, the Trumpet Judgments draw closer to a close. All of the trumpet judgments (excluding one) are actual acts, per the Hand of Almighty God. It should not come as any surprise to any astute student of scripture, that, like all of the Bible’s predictions over the past 2500 years, beginning in Ezekiel, the Acts of God are totally inconsistent with reality or, might we say, “counterintuitive”. That is, they do not follow any logic or logical path designed or intended to square with the understanding of man. No effort is or will be made to insure that they succumb to normal protocol, in terms of how men “think” things should occur, or what they “feel” “should” happen. God will be out to get man’s undivided attention, and that is just precisely what He will do (way back in the prophecies of Ezekiel, we are warned that much of the Lord’s last days effort would be geared toward, and set in motion with, this specific type of goal in mind.). With the exception of the sixth, as cited above, these judgments are meant mostly to “scare”, as it were, not to kill; to force the opening of stubborn blinded eyes, and, closed minds, which would otherwise never see (eyes which by this time cannot be reached by normal reason, or, trouble-free preaching and teaching of the word of God; “…come now, let us reason together…” will simply not be an option.). When this is all over and the dust settles, billions upon billions of eyes barred shut to the things of God will have been pried open by the pressure exerted during the days of the Seal Judgments, followed by the Trumpet Judgments. Multitudes will be saved, having been brought to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.Trumpet #5Attack of the Locusts (9:1-11)Chapter 9, Verse 1, And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven to the earth: and to him was given the key to the bottomless pit.Verse 2, And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.Verse 3, And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.Verse 4, And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.

Prime Objective: Hunt for “Red October”?!The world at large will defy God to the bitter end. Every sight, every thought of the mere presence of the Jew will be a galling reminder of the reality and presence of the Lord; this, notwithstanding the fact that the Jew will be as much anti-God and anti-Christ as will any unbeliever. By this time, per Ezekiel 38 & 39, the Jew will be a sight to which the global community simply cannot blind itself, thus, no risk will be too great, no exertion too grueling for the nations, as they imperil themselves to be rid of this God-ordained Jew spectacle; the hope being to achieve a world in which the God of the Bible is effectively, banished. Thus, the ‘cease and desist’ order that stops the fighting between the nations, will do nothing to quiet international hostile intent and general bad blood toward all things Jew. Given that the United States will be no more, during these days of upheaval, and, given that a significant, if not substantial, portion of the US navy—with its nuclear powered ships and submarines, all dangerously armed, having deadly, nuclear tipped warheads on board—is likely to be out of port when she is leveled, it is not entirely unthinkable that—in light of the generally friendly relations between the US and Israel—whatever remains will seek safe haven in and among the Jews. It is not clear how many of such subs the US has, hence, some (like a homeless, maverick mercenary force), may even join whatever is left of the British and/or the French military forces (possibly, the more probable scenario)—like mercenaries, seeking to sell their services to the highest bidder(s), in exchange for a share of ever dwindling global food supplies. They will not be able to fund and/or otherwise re-supply themselves, given their homeland and all her ports will have been reduced to fields of rubble. While it may be that no single nation will be willing to avail themselves of their services otherwise, the benefit in light of (then) recent failed, hostile objectives and aggression, might easily outweigh the burden. This would mean, or at the very least, suggest very strongly then, that—contrary to the USA’s current pledge of undulating support for the Jewish state—these remnant military forces might choose to unite against the Jews. Should that ring true, it would create an unconscionable danger, an extreme threat to a nation still settling in, establishing itself, standalone. As the God ordained “king of the hill”, that nation of unbelieving Jews would be virtually on its own, at the helm among bewildered, flustered enemy combatants of the world—each sulking in never-ending, scarcely containable resentment. In addition, in light of the dilapidated condition of Israel’s economy today, and the likely, inevitably worse condition it will be in at the outset, following the collapse of the US and its gluttonous marketplace, it should not at all be difficult to envision how Israel will not be able to afford or to support the weight of the USA’s foreign based military (at least not initially. Moreover, with the might of the Russian war-industry under their belts, whatever is left of the US war machine might be deemed non-feasible. In so many words, advances and overtures from any residual US forces could be outright rejected—on grounds they are non-essential.). Every commander will of course be fully apprised of these facts, on which account, in part perhaps, they will be more inclined to write the Jews off as a lost cause. Thus, then, they will be eager to sell their services to the highest bidders, like the Muslim countries, eager to rebuild and rebound militarily so as to avenge the earlier Russo/Arab/EU defeat (see Judgment Day (Part 2)…).

Weaponizing Nature, by the Finger of God!As the moratorium barring international fighting continues, peeling open the seventh seal by the Lamb ushered in a silence in heaven that lasted .5 hours (30 minutes). It is this solemn moment, that introduces the next round of Judgments. In addition, it should be noted that, contrary to teachings of some groups that are classified as preterist or amillennialist or some such thing (in which case they deny certain commonly held aspects of the Revelation, including the separation and distinctions between the 3 groups of Judgments), verse 1 makes it clear that the Trumpet Judgments are not to be and therefore they cannot be superimposed over the Seal Judgments. Furthermore, the first Trumpet blast cannot even be sounded until the 7th Seal is broken. Thus, the Seal and the Trumpet Judgments each not only happen at different points in time in the Apocalypse narrative, they are also distinguished by the very nature of their being and the damage they are designed to inflict upon humanities living space (also, it bears repeating that this is not a point past the beginning of the last 3.5 years before the coming of Christ, as taught by Pastors Scheving, Hamrick and others. All of this will transpire well in advance of the coming and rise of the beast to global authority. In fact, the calamity and the chaos brought on by the administration of these judgments will contribute in part to the cause behind his rise to international acclaim, as well as the need for someone like him.). As will be shown later, to further drive home the fact that the various groups of seven Judgments are not different ways of explaining the same things, verse 13 of this chapter will introduce what might rightly be called the “WOE” factors—a rapid succession of 3 independent events that drastically increase the agony and the misery to which humanity will be subjected during the Apocalypse period. Finally, while the sounding of the 7th Trumpet marks the end of the 2nd Woe, and the 3rd and final Woe takes place afterwards, all of the Bowl Judgments will occur well after this 7th Trumpet blast, with the first Bowl being poured out approximately half-way through the rise and reign of the beast—who will assume the reins of the world only 3.5 years before the return of Christ. Following and/or during that silence, John saw seven angels standing in front of God, holding seven trumpets that will initiate each of the next round of Divinely inspired, terrifying events— each calculated to contribute, in limited doses, to the eventual complete destruction of humanity’s habitat. Then, there appeared another angel carrying a golden censer. With that censor, he came and stood before an altar (this appears to be the one under which the souls of the slain saints appeared earlier in chapter 6).

The Resurrection, Rise and Reign(Daniel’s Mouthy Little Horn, aka, the Abomination of Desolation; Paul’s Son of Perdition)Advent of the Beast (Revelation Chapter 13, Verses 1 and 2)This juncture in the unfolding drama of the Apocalypse marks the halfway point in the period of seven years immediately preceding the Battle of Armageddon. This “mother-of-all” battles will usher in the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Jews’ Messiah for whom they long and wait. This does not, however, indicate the midpoint of the entire period encompassed by the Apocalypse, nor does it limit this span (of the Apocalypse) to only seven years—as is commonly taught in evangelical, and perhaps some Pentecostal, or other circles.Verse 1, And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.In this vision, John finds himself standing upon sands that adorn the shore of the sea (a most likely reference to the Mediterranean, although this ocean is itself most probably a symbolic reference to the restless mass of humanity.). There, he is shown the emergence of a strange looking creature called a beast (in the sense of a dangerous, wild animal, per the Greek word, “therion”, thay-ree’-on) bearing striking, though not exact similarities to those of the dragon, studied earlier in chapter 12. No doubt, these physical likenesses are meant to signify an inextricable link between the two, while at the same time assuring readers that they are not the same (combined, one might say, the ‘name’ and physical traits help set the tone in terms of character or psychological orientation and general description). This beast, John says, is emerging out of the chaos and restlessness of humanity (symbolized by the Mediterranean!). Furthermore (like the dragon), this beast has seven heads, each of which is marked by names of blasphemy (that is, this creature has that about it—let’s call it an aura or an atmosphere, for now—that clearly signifies a willful, woeful misrepresentation, mischaracterization and defiance of the True and Living God!). John also observed that the dangerous wild animal coming out of this clamorous agitation, that is the noisy commotion of mankind without a central focus in terms of leadership, had ten horns, upon which were ten crowns. In biblical terminology, horn as a metaphor in poetry and prophecy is usually a symbol of authority, strength, power, and rugged individuality. The crowns (Greek, kingly ‘diadems’, as opposed to ‘stephanos’ or wreaths given to the winner of a contest), of course, symbolize sovereignty and dominion. Thus, while the horns wearing crowns signifying sovereign individuality are in a close alliance with the beast, they are yet symbolic of 10 different personalities, separate and distinct from that beast and its seven heads; in an association that is largely voluntary. In addition, each horn is separate and distinct from each other (able to govern as well as stand on and under their own authority. Ironically, per chap. 17, as such, neither existed during the days of John, they do not exist today and they will not exist as any kind of geopolitical entities until after the bowl judgments, shortly before the return of Christ.)....

Scourge of the Two WitnessesWoe #2 Begins Verse 3a, And I will give power unto my two witnesses, The appearance of these individuals, identified here only as the “two witnesses of God”, will mark the official launch of the beginning of the end—the horrific, last seven hellish years of human history (not that the years leading up to this point will have been any picnic. God will take pangs to insure that they will be no cake walk.). These will be the years known to Bible prophecy students as Daniel’s 70th Week…which then begs the question: Since we are told that none of the Trumpet Judgments will begin until the peeling of the 7th Seal…which proves that they do not overlap or happen at the same time as the Seal Judgments…and, given that this “woe #2” (Rev. 11:3-14; encompassing the ministry of the witnesses and the death of Daniel’s little horn, before he becomes the “beast”) clearly follows the events of woe #1 (Rev. 9:1-12; the torment of the Locusts from the Abyss)…and, realizing that each of these woes is consigned to the sound of the 6th Trumpet, further proving that not one of the Trumpet Judgments occurs concurrent with the Seals, one cannot but wonder then, how is it that practically all prophecy students and the so-called experts insist that the entirety of the Apocalyptic period, starting with Rev. 6-19 will be confined to only 7 years? Consider also that, “woe #3” covers the following events, and they only transpire AFTER the sounding of the 7th Trumpet (and is limited to the latter 3.5 years of the last 7 before the 2nd Coming of Christ!): · Satan is ousted from Heaven forever (Rev. 12:7-12)· Satan allowed to resurrect and empower Daniel’s horn, who (at that moment and only under that circumstance) becomes the abomination of desolation, Paul’s son of perdition, John’s beast (aka, the “antichrist”; per Dan. 12:11; Matt. 24:15; II Thes. 2; Rev. 11:7; 13:3-5; 17:8-11)

Great Red Dragon While John watched the woman’s struggle to deliver her Child, the focus shifted to another, more bizarre, somewhat sinister portrayal. The sight that arrested his eyes had seven heads, seven crowns on each head, flanked by ten horns. In chap. 13, John was told that those horns have crowns (Greek=“diadema”, or, diadems), signifying their status as heads of state over individual sovereign kingdoms or domains (thus, the horns, we might argue, are symbols of authority, sovereignty, strength and individuality.). Chap. 17 confirms that the horns are indeed to be interpreted as autonomous and independent. John called this new seven-headed wonder a “great red dragon”. Seven HeadsJohn is here given no clue as to the significance of the seven heads of the dragon, although the dragon is itself identified. Being the book of riddles that the entire Apocalypse is, we are able to draw valuable insights and clues from chap. 13 and 17, by means of which we can correctly deduce that the heads of the great red dragon are in fact representative of seven kingdoms. Thus, we may further conclude that this portrait of a body having seven heads, topped by seven crowns (as in “diadems” worn by a sovereign or king), and the ten horns signifies Satan’s presence, dominance and influence throughout the ages over the kingdoms, and states of this world, particularly those having to do directly with the people of the Book—i.e., all of those individual kingdoms with whom the nation of Israel can be most closely linked, one way or the other.

CHAPTER 13.The Beast.Preface.Should you find yourself among the most fortunate, you will live to see his day, albeit from the safety and tranquility of (per the Bette Midler tune), “a distance”. If your lot is with the fortunate, you might narrowly escape his allure in one of two cleansing bloodbaths. On the other hand, should you number amongst the unfortunate, you will live only to regret the day you bowed the knee in homage and subservience to his lying deceptions!From his post in the end-times, his roots will sink deep into the empire of the ancient Romans. His globe-spanning reign will be over a world in ruins, wrecked by the foolishness of men, yes, but just as much, actually, more so left ram-shackled and reeling from a fresh outpouring of the wrath of God.In his inaugural moments, when he signs a seven-year peace accord with the Jews, the world’s reigning (albeit to them, unseemly) global economic and military power, in the last days, he will rise to prominence but not dictator status with the Great Whore at his back (this peace treaty will mark the beginning of the last 7 years before Christ comes again). His war with God’s two witnesses will demand his death, in a frightful, unsuccessful bid to stop their torment.Following the beast’s resurrection and ascension from the Abyss, indwelt and powered by Satan, as when God’s Spirit indwelt the earth-bound Christ, he will begin a sweeping campaign to establish his authority (hereby igniting the last 3.5 years of the last 7 years preceding Christ’s return at Armageddon). First, he will locate and assassinate the two witnesses. That alone will earn him fame and worldwide acclaim.

CHAPTER 11Woe #2The Two WitnessesAt this point, it appears that the God imposed war moratorium, temporarily stopping the fighting amongst the nations, continues. It will remain in effect until after the pommeling of the beast and the literal trashing of his kingdom, during the judgments from the bowls (chapters 16 & 19), which will set the stage for the Battle of Armageddon.As shown already, the scene we saw in chapter 9 (of the massive military gathering, at the Euphrates River) depicts one faction of the armies involved headed for the opening moments of what will be that final melee in the Valley of Megiddo (chapter 16).That conflict will itself occur within the last (approximately) 1.75 years of the final 7 years of man’s autonomous history (life without direct oversight by God Almighty). In violation of the moratorium, the beast will further add to his offenses by militarily reigning in three of his unruly former submissives. At about that time, the fight freeze will be officially lifted.

The Great Red DragonWhile John watched the woman’s struggle to deliver her Child, the focus shifted to another, more bizarre, somewhat sinister portrayal. The sight that arrested his eyes had seven heads, and seven crowns (one on each head), flanked by ten horns. In chapter 13, John was told that those horns have crowns (Greek, “diadema”, or, diadems), signifying their status as heads of state over individual sovereign kingdoms or domains (thus, the horns, we might argue, are symbols of authority, sovereignty, strength and individuality.). Chapter 17 confirms that the horns are indeed to be interpreted as autonomous and independent. John called this new seven-headed wonder a “great red dragon”.Seven HeadsJohn is here given no clue as to the significance of the seven heads of the dragon, although the dragon is itself identified. Being the book of riddles that the entire Apocalypse is, we are able to draw valuable insights and clues from chapters 13 and 17, by means of which we can correctly deduce that the heads of the great red dragon are in fact representative of seven kingdoms. Thus, we may further conclude that this portrait of a body having seven heads, topped by seven crowns (as in “diadems” worn by a sovereign or king), and the ten horns signifies Satan’s presence, dominance and influence throughout the ages over the kingdoms, and states of this world, particularly those having to do directly with the people of the Book, i.e., all of those individual kingdoms with whom the nation of Israel can be most closely linked, one way or the other.

Mortal Sin: Fornication Verse 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. Rome’s present-day RC church began as one of the early churches founded by the apostles, following our Lord’s death, burial and resurrection. Whereas Peter is credited with its founding and establishment, Paul had a deep affection and a longing to minister there. One of the most profound statements of the faith of the Christian church was written as a corrective measure to combat an outbreak of theological problems springing up in their midst and taking hold, even at that early date. In its wrangling with the apostates and hypocrites of the day, it—like the Ephesians, who turned their backs altogether on service to God per His word, in deference to their own approach—was eventually, gradually infused with elements of Roman paganism (then ancient even in their times, according to some theologians and scholars, reaching back to the rebellion of Nimrod). Eventually, it too was finally overrun by apostate concerns, all the while still claiming to be doing service to God (like the Ephesians, the Romans would never recover, although of course, they, unlike the Ephesians, continue to this day.). Thus, it might be said, the chief, or principal offensive activity of this great whore is that of “spiritual” infidelity, unforgivable fornication (verse 2; by virtue of her unwillingness to repent; she has misled and occasioned the spiritual—and physical—deaths of multitudes). Who but God the Almighty could ever have envisioned that one of His own churches would become the spiritual and theological piranha virus this church is and has been for the past 1500 years? Moreover, as the religious institution that it would become, and that it would be in the last days—having all the power, prestige, wealth, and, the clout of royalty—it did not exist as such when John wrote this prophecy. Hence, the political role and the whorish persona of the woman could not, in God’s economy, co-exist, simultaneously in ancient times. It is as if one had to die so that the other could live. In addition, no emperor would ever have tolerated competition in the form of the authority and influence of anyone like the popes. Any such person would have been killed. Birthed and bred though the great whore was, indeed, in the womb of the woman (Rome), she lives on today, in Vatican City—ejected but, highly visible, widely known and a respected pariah, in some sense, in her own country (an oddity of oddities; a literal city/state, within the confines of ‘that great city’); (in her expulsion, scorned, rejected, an outcast well within the bounds of a country she plundered across centuries while guiding it to modernity, she resides yet far above the danger she and her corrupt popes would have faced at the powerful hands of the more corrupt and often brutal Caesars).Blasphemous Names, The blasphemous names that grace each of the seven heads of the dangerous wild animal, are themselves indicators of the presence, influence, and the activity of the great whore, having free reign of the woman—more than anything that the Roman Empire itself ever did, beyond the indiscriminate killing of the Christians.

Although he is alluded to variously throughout several places in scripture and known by an assortment of names, the end times world dictator so detested by God the Almighty is referred to here in the Revelation as the “beast” (a k a, often referred to as the “anti-Christ” by modern churches; Daniel is the first to make his mention, calling him the mouthy little horn, the prince who will destroy the Jerusalem Temple and the abomination of desolation, in chapters 7, 9 and 12 respectively. Jesus repeats Daniel’s reference in Matthew 24, while Paul called him the “son of perdition”, per his 2nd epistle to the Thessalonians, chapter 2). It is John the apostle and revelator who gives the most revealing description of this eschatological end times character, first mentioning him in chapter 11, following his resurrection and battle with God’s two witnesses, who will occasion his death. Chapter 13 of the Revelation is devoted to a broad snapshot of the early days of his rise and reign, after he kills the two witnesses, in revenge. It is here, in chapter 17, however, it might be argued, where his story begins.That said then, it should be noted, perhaps, that God’s use of the term “beast” to describe what He sees as the epitome and thus the most detestable, eschatological enemy and threat to his people is a kind of play on words. The term in the Greek means “dangerous wild animal”. It is used, interchangeably by the Lord, to refer to both an end times kingdom and to the person who will be the leader of that kingdom. That being so, the focus in this context is specifically on the individual who will preside over that kingdom.

Babylon the GreatVatican City and the R. C. Church As of this day, the religious side of this woman occupies primarily as a religious institution (or, so the world has been led to believe.). She has no say in the governments of either Italy or Rome (being the Roman Catholic Church, she is barred since 1929). In fact, the Vatican, located within the heart of Rome (the headquarters of the R C church) occupies itself as a nation, unto itself (this move was the culmination to a settlement arrived at in 1870, as part of a movement that had begun some years prior so as to eliminate the Papal States and church dominance in political affairs of the nation, and to unify the nation of Italy, thereby giving non-church citizens a say in the government of the nation)! It has its own government system, printing press, its own military of 180 soldiers (smallest in the world, but, well trained, some say!), and it is said to have its own bank containing billions (with which it has been able to buy the recognition it demands and enjoys). In keeping with the portrayal here, of the great whore, the R. C. church is indeed extremely wealthy (according to some, that is; headquartered in the Vatican, she may even be the wealthiest nation on the planet), all her riches having been acquired by way of her abominable, filthy fornication, i.e., the practice of her spiritual infidelity—including money laundering, and other corrupt practices.Blasphemous Names, The blasphemous names that grace each of the seven heads of the dangerous wild animal, are themselves indicators of the presence, influence, and the activity of the great whore, having free reign of the woman—more than anything that the Roman Empire itself ever did, beyond the indiscriminate killing of the Christians. The names which blaspheme (as has been shown) speaks of intentional slander, misrepresentation of God the Father, His Son and of the Holy Spirit of God (granted, for some time now the R. C. church has been putting on a front, a media fest of a sort, to the effect that it has cleaned, or is striving to clean up its act, saying and professing to believe in many of the same things as do mainstream protestants, using much of the same language, and playing the same or similar music over its nationwide radio network. Moreover, when the media—whether print, radio, or TV—takes up themes that are biblical in nature, it is almost always from the point of view of the “great whore”, to the virtual exclusion of all others.).

Bloodlust:  The Woman’s AppetiteVerse 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.  Knowing now as we do that certain particulars relative to the identity of the woman point clearly, unequivocally to Rome, we may now rest assured that (thanks to the benefit of ‘hindsight’, whereupon we can see what John could not) the “Great Whore” can be none other than Vatican City and the Roman Catholic Church.  Paul labored and invested heavily to keep the church at Rome on track, only to have it survive for centuries—albeit, only after having succumb to the unrelenting allure and the vise-like grip of a hellish apostasy. Parenthetically, one supposes that it should be pointed out, at this juncture, that the religious system here portrayed for us by John is not to be construed with the religious system that will be associated with the worship of the beast.  The Great Whore’s religion is a blasphemous institution steeped in apostasy insofar as it presents itself as one associated with the worship of the God of the Bible.  That system is one in existence as we speak and it has been since before the fall of the Roman Empire.  The beast’s worship system, on the other hand, will portend that the beast himself is “God”, so that all worship is to, and it will be directed to, him, and him alone. As John observed and watched further, he saw that the woman was drunk, but not with wine.  Rather, this woman had her innards saturated, so that she was (metaphorically speaking) drunk “as a skunk”, on blood!  Specifically, in diametrical, diabolical opposition to her outward profession, and her apparent preoccupation, that blood (God tells John, by way of His angel) is the blood of His saints and of the witnesses for Jesus Christ.  The stipulation here then is such that she is not only guilty, she will kill any true servant of God in a heartbeat.  Like the modern-day mother who slaughters her own flesh and blood—unborn and toddlers—to protect, preserve and to prolong the life she feels she deserves to lead, so likewise this woman (Rome) is guilty of the slaughter of Christians and Jews alike (or, she would be, looking at her future from John’s point of view). God knows and history affirms that Rome is notorious for her murders of both Jews and of Christians, under the leadership of both her secular, purely political persona as well as during the years she was led by the popes—following the collapse of her beast and the death of any kind of secular leadership.  Her papacy-led killings were committed often in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—to clear the deck, so as to make room for her brand of religious life, among the living dead (unbelievers; and in this end-times scenario, left-behind church rejects who have no desire for a right relationship to God—dead in their trespasses and sins.).  

At this point, where John’s vision and this chapter’s placement in the Apocalypse are concerned, Babylon—of whatever denomination, on whatever the front—is no more.  That is, the last of the bowl judgments has brought us to within moments of the closing of history with, or where man has been at the helm, and the soon return, when the Lord of all history, God Almighty in human flesh Himself will take the helm for one thousand years.  As such, this chapter is merely an “inset”, introductory, you might say, presenting several key actors in part of God’s list of end times cast of characters.  Its purpose is to provide us with a few particulars that contribute toward a positive ID in terms of the ‘who’ of two of the chief players during the last days of the greatest, most turbulent time of tribulation men on earth will ever know—namely, the great whore, and the dangerous wild animal…aka, the beast.  Furthermore, one should perhaps be aware throughout this chapter that all the events herein, together with those of chap. 13, revolve around these two central, symbolic characters, the one having, two objects, or, fulfillments.   While the chap. 17 narrative grinds rapidly through several plot twists or themes from beginning to end, the chief objective through it all is to spotlight and identify the main actor, the Great Whore. What Or, “Who” is She? 

Tribulation Souls—Washed in The Blood Verse 14 identifies this congregation of people as more Christians born during the tribulation, wearing white garments that have been washed in the blood of the Lamb, so that they are now outfitted with His imputed righteousness.  Without doubt, they are the product of the work and the energies of the 144,000 strong “special force” of evangelists, hand selected and picked by the Lamb, for a mission of soul winning that will be fraught with spiritual intrigue, betrayals by false Christians, false Christs and false prophets and other constant perils and dangers in the extreme.  Moreover, these are the ones whose coming was (foretold and) promised to the saints under the altar, the ones already dead, having been murdered for their faith, a number of years earlier.  In addition, in order to have arrived at this point, they will have to have represented—among unbelievers—some of the most difficult of prospective saints to reach.  If the Old Testament tale and narrative of Israel’s most wicked and most ignominious of kings is in anywise instructive (King Manasseh), some of these may even arrive at the foot of the cross with guilt-ridden consciences and bloody hands, having participated directly or indirectly in the roundup and slaughter of the first wave of tribulation saints (those were featured for us and shown under the altar of Heaven, in chapter 6).  

The 144,000 EvangelistsTheir MissionVerse 4b These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goes. These were redeemed from among men, being the first fruits unto God and to the Lamb. Thus, having been successfully preserved, recruited, thoroughly enlightened and generously endowed, with eyes wide open, their mission is such that they “…follow Him wherever He goes”.  That is, these 144,000 Jews, having been ‘redeemed’ from among the ranks of unbelieving men and women—a kind of offering of first-fruits of Jewish believers rescued from the tribulation period—they themselves will now do the work of the Man from Galilee (as when He walked the earth) following in His footsteps, hastily, speedily boldly evangelizing and preaching the gospel in His Name, so as to bring in a fat harvest of souls just before His return at Armageddon (albeit, at great peril to themselves and those whom they lead to salvation; all will lose their lives, because of their faith; none will live to see the actual, physical return of their Lord).  They will have to do this while facing the constant menace and life endangering threat of a hostile world that will not submit to a God it will then know is quite real; a wicked world spurred and led by the “crowned rider”, in one way or the other, until the beast usurps power, trumpeting his agenda, pushing his mark and promoting himself as “God”, the Almighty—able to stop and to right all the “wrongs” that will have been incurred thus far, owing to the acts and exhibitions of wrath administered by Him who is indeed, “God”.   Furthermore, it is by the feet and voices of these men and the angel to follow that the gospel in its purest form will be carried into all the world, preached to every man, woman and child—not by TBN or Daystar, or the Pentecostals, Baptists, and other lackadaisical, lackluster churches and their denominations.  

At this point, still early in the unfolding of God’s choreographed end-times drama, hundreds of millions of souls (maybe more) are missing, vanished without a trace; bloodstained trails mar the paths to mass graves housing billions more (saints murdered, and sinners slaughtered during WWIII). By virtue of their witness of this human carnage, some having firsthand knowledge, if they did not participate in the aforementioned bloodletting—their stomachs turned—will have experienced a change of heart. Coupled with all the evidences that remind of the “snatch”, in the midst of bombed out, burning buildings, bodies and body parts lining streets of all the major cities around the world, smoke will ascend up into the upper atmosphere—from forest fires and oil fields set ablaze—further complicating life and making lives miserable by blocking the sun, thereby contributing to a throwing-off of the growing seasons. In the face of these and other horrifying sights, hard, heretofore, otherwise impenetrable hearts, impervious to the gospel message preached, will have softened tremendously. Traumatized minds will be flooded with streams of endless questions that will not suffer silence. Desperate searches in frantic quests for rational solutions will only be appeased by one unlikely source…the Bible. Chains of doubt, shackled to lost souls that locked God out (by whatever means, for whatever reason) will have been loosened, leaving fertile minds exposed to a faith oft spurned, and now at last ready for a harvest long held at bay. In full awareness of this, the Lord God will have already graciously, mercifully prepared a troop that will fish for their souls, well in advance of the rivers of blood in which their corpses will float during the reign, and the terror, of the dreaded beast (Rev. 13:1-18). War Moratorium God’s Choice: New Direction—Short Stick! Barring traditional Judaism, all practical knowledge of God will have been eliminated from the earth. Without benefit of a more direct involvement and input, Satan will appear to have won the battle (the telling, chilling cameo appearance of an angry Lamb of God at the end of chap. 6, notwithstanding). Every Christian “left behind” will then be completely useless (If Christ came for His church today—01/04/2013—the “left behind” could easily include perhaps 90 to 95% of all professing Christians!). All denominations and churches will be under the devil’s direct control and supervision—a definite impediment to anything God initiates and every soul that God will save, from here on out. “Left-behind” Christians (being false saints, false prophets and false preachers, in addition to “unproductive” true saints given to compromise, or who simply refuse to grow) will doubtless have been instrumental in the round up and slaughter of the first wave of “new converts”, specifically, those true Christians introduced to us, under the altar, in chap. 6. This being so, as is customary, the vision of the Lamb having dissipated, God will quietly shift gears here, changing course slightly, so as to lay the foundation for the next phase of His salvation program and process. His preference, like always, is to start in obscurity, in the least likely of places, in a corner where Satan is least likely to anticipate resistance, in a manner that is tantamount to always choosing, intentionally, the “short end of the stick”. That then begs the question: If the Old Testament Israeli/Jewish saints and the pre-tribulation churches are in Heaven, and, the first wave of tribulation saints are in the graves, how then will the work of evangelizing the second wave of lost souls be facilitated?

Tribulation Christian Murders:  Wave #1.The scene changes and the action ceases as the Lamb of God peels away the fifth seal, to reveal the fifth mystery written within the Scroll.  It appears that the events of these first four seals represent the passage of a fair amount of time (clearly this time is not part of the seven last years, as will be seem later in the three “woes”, and in the Lord’s comments here), relatively speaking, since the first seal was opened; how much time, however, is not at all clear (one will therefore arbitrarily assume roughly one quarter of the apocalyptic period, at least).  The presence of the souls of deceased saints under the altar (for their deaths will be precious in His eyes—Psalm 116:15), and their conversation with the Lamb, who is Lord of all, is on the other hand in itself revealing (This suggests quite handily, that upon dying, the saints—contrary to current evangelical teaching—do not automatically go directly into the literal presence of God; rather, they are in “Paradise”, the abode and temporary place of the “righteous” dead, as they await something akin to the “Bema Seat” Judgment—where all pre-trib saints will appear—Luke 23:43; John 20:17).  These people represent the first wave of saints to be slaughtered following God’s merciless smashing of the US, followed hard by the crushing demise of the military might of the Russians, the EU, and the armies of the Muslim world (all of which will foment and facilitate the transfer of their power and wealth into the hands of the Jews.). There will be no experienced, seasoned Christians from before the beginning of the Apocalypse, as none will be brought over into this hellish time on earth (this, per God’s promise through the apostle Paul, recorded in 1 Thessalonians 5:9).  They will all be “raptured” as they are all represented before John by the twenty-four elders, being in Heaven around the Throne (Revelation 5:8-10), encircling the Father, the Son (who is the Lamb) and the Spirit (whose omni-presence is portrayed as being sevenfold).  Thus, the Christians appearing on earth after seal #1 are all both ‘born-again’ and murdered during the Tribulation.  Which again, begs the question:  Who are they, and how will they be saved, without a “seasoned” preacher…if only the left-behind church-rejects remain? As was the case during Martin Luther’s day, when there were no seasoned, veteran Christian churches as such to lead the protestants to the level of knowledge and understanding they sought (all were Roman Catholics, more or less), yet the church—splintered and fractured, yes—by the will of God was able to re-birth itself out of and separate from its catholic cocoon (where it lay dead, for 1000 years, or so), so likewise it is not the least inconceivable that certain key individuals left behind, perhaps those whom the churches could save now, if they would do their jobs, will be able to recognize immediately what has happened, why, and, drawing on what they know already, using Bibles they have on hand (of which there will likely be plenty), piece together enough information so as to rapidly grow their ranks, thereby saving themselves, and others, if not their families.  The preachers then, will most probably have to come from within the rank and file of these “soft unbelievers”. 

Seal #2:  World War III.International Infighting.Verse 3 And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. Verse 4  And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.  It is imperative to reiterate, and to stress, again, that (contrary to the thinking of so-called prophecy “experts” and teachers like pastor John MacArthur) the wars here mentioned are not and they have nothing to do with the Battle of Armageddon (in fact, if one may be so bold, such thinking as theirs and that of the general evangelical community, is not just ‘wrong’, it is in truth an outright lie!).  This is not the end of the apocalyptic tribulation period, as rather it is the very “beginning”!  Thus, this infighting of the nations amongst themselves all around the world is not to be equated with God’s gathering of the nations around Israel as detailed in the prophecies of Joel (chapter 3) and Zechariah (chapters 12 and 14), which gathering will indeed take place at the Battle of Armageddon, just prior to the coming of the Lord.  Obviously, Israel is by no means the focus of their sore displeasure, as rather it is ‘they’ themselves.  There is absolutely nothing anywhere in this context to suggest even remotely that their guns are or will be in anywise trained on the Lord Jesus Christ at His advent, per Revelation 17:12-13 (rather, at the Lamb’s manifestation of Himself looking down upon war-weary, battered and beleaguered men at the end of this chapter 6, they flee in terror at the sight of Him!  No one dares lift a finger to fight.).  On the contrary, each is out to kill his neighbor, and/or bring him into subjugation, whereupon, per the will and mind of Almighty God, they will further make shipwreck of mankind’s already extremely fragile system of global economics; much to His Supreme satisfaction (the lynch-pin in that system having already been demolished, at their hands, to their detriment; per His will (see Judgment Day, Volume 1; Prelude to Armageddon (Part 1): The United States of America in Bible Prophecy)!). Furthermore, it should also be stated that the sudden, apparently spontaneous appearance of Jesus Christ at the end of chapter 6 here is not to be construed with His coming in “clouds with great glory” (Matthew 24:27-30), which event is synonymous with Revelation 19:11-21 (thus, there will be no dispatch of angelic beings or “gathering of the elect”, given that at this commencement of the Apocalypse period, those saints have not yet been born-again, thus they have not yet been murdered, as they most assuredly will be, for their faith, per Revelation 6:9-11; 7:9-17; 12:11; 14:12-13; 15:2-4.).   Upon the breaking of the Scroll’s second seal, John heard the voice of the second living creature around God’s Throne, the one having the calf’s face, booming out this same thunderous command, “come”.  Afterwards, there appeared a red horse (upon which sat a rider) whose job it was, in tandem with the rider upon the white horse, to rid the world of peace, ushering in global unrest and war with his great sword.  One should stress that this is not the Battle of Armageddon, contrary to popular evangelical/fundamentalist thought, nor does this international fighting take place in the middle of the last seven years of human history. 

A number of things, false doctrine (I guess you might say), should be cleared up right here, right from the beginning, namely (contrary to the thinking of even well-known teachers like John MacArthur of the Grace to You Bible teaching broadcast): ·        The Seal, Trumpet and Bowl Judgments are not repetitions of the same events; that is, they are not references to one set of 7 events, stated in 3 different ways; in fact, the Trumpet Judgments simply cannot transpire until after the 7th Seal is opened, and the Bowls cannot and will not occur until after the 7th Trumpet; the nature of the events in each set of judgments do not in any way correspond, as each comes with its own signature, in terms of collateral damages, etc.·        The rider on the white horse in Revelation 6 is not the beast, aka, the anti-Christ (or, one-world ruler) mentioned in chapters 11, 13 and 17·        The events in chapter 6 are not the Battle of Armageddon·        The rider on the white horse is not peddling peace; rather, by going out “conquering and to conquer”, his mission and his intention is to upend and to destroy whatever peace there is, which he is able to facilitate without personal involvement himself; thus, he “has no arrows”; he is or will be the instigator of all the wars amongst the nations·        The conflicts and the fighting in chapter 6 is not a gathering of the nations at Armageddon to surround Israel (per the will of God), as rather this is a global melee in which the nations attack and fight each other, in their respective lands, not Israel·        The appearance of Christ at the end of chapter 6 has nothing to do with His coming at ArmageddonAt this juncture, the mystery of the Scroll begins to unfold.  Originally in the Hands of the One seated upon the Throne (God the Father), it is now in the competent Hands of God the Son, the Lamb, the only Being in the entire universe worthy to break its seals, so as to expose and set in motion the edicts of its contents.  It contains the highlights of 21 major events, all judgments in three broad categories or groups of seven each.  These major events are further delineated by 3 “woes”.  The term ‘woe’ generally means “grief” or “affliction”.  Its usage in this context of the Revelation is meant to preclude the overlapping or superimposition of any one group of judgments over another—that is, the Trumpets are not a restating of the Seals, and the Bowls do not happen at the same time as either the Seals or the Trumpets. All 21 major events and the “woes” characterize or spell out the requisite defining moments of this entire period of seven-years-plus we know as the Apocalypse, or the Great Tribulation Period (in evangelical/fundamentalist circles).  Thus, this is a time of great judgment upon all mankind, designed to do several things (although in fact it is not merely a time of judgment, per se, in light of the attention given to evangelism as well, and the evident high anticipation/expectation as relates to two mass harvests of precious souls):  1) to gather up the remainder of the saints , 2) to force mankind to face the reality and the wrath of the Lamb and, 3) to prepare the remainder of rebel mankind for the humbling, submissive role he will play throughout the Millennial Reign.