David Berg
—MOAugust, 1986GP NO.541
(Compiled by Samson Warner and the MO Ed. Dept.)
(Copyrighted August, 1976 by The Children of God, C.P. 748, 00100 Rome, Italy.)
THE SEVEN VIALS OF WRATH
1. "AND EVERY ISLAND FLED AWAY, AND THE MOUNTAINS WERE NOT FOUND. AND THERE FELL UPON MEN A GREAT HAIL OUT OF HEAVEN‚ every stone about the weight of a talent!" (16:20‚21) Think of it! These hailstones are probably "fire and brimstone," volcanic rocks a hundred pounds or more apiece that could batter down whole buildings flat to the ground! Whew!
2. How would you like to be around for something like that? Well I wouldn't, and God's Children won't be; WE'RE GONNA BE IN SPACE CITY AT THE TIME, having a good time feasting and drinking and making love. BUT OUR ENEMIES-OH, BOY‚ THEY'RE GONNA BE CATCHING HELL! God is going to be breaking and destroying all our enemies back on Earth and is really going to make them humble down in preparation for our return to Earth to rule over them for a thousand years!
3. This last section of Revelation, Chapters 15–22, begins with this description of the Wrath of God upon our enemies, then goes into a rather raw revelation about these same enemies and their System: A SHOCKING EXPOSE ON THE GOD-DAMNED MURDEROUS SYSTEMS OF MAN that helps us to appreciate God's vengeance and Wrath that will totally destroy them.
4. The prophecy concludes with A PICTURE OF THE GLORIOUS GOLDEN AGE TO COME when there shall be no more war, and the ushering in of a New Heaven and New Earth where Heaven shall come to Earth and God shall dwell with man for ever and ever!
CHAPTER 15
VICTORIOUS CHILDREN OF GOD
5. "And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, SEVEN ANGELS HAVING THE SEVEN LAST PLAGUES: FOR IN THEM IS FILLED UP THE WRATH OF GOD. And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast (the Antichrist)‚ 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. And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb...." (15:1-3)
6. In the Old Testament, Exodus Chapter 15, MOSES OF OLD SANG HIS SONG OF VICTORY WHEN GOD DELIVERED HIM AND THE CHILDREN OF GOD OUT OF EGYPT by a miraculous parting of the Red Sea and then destroyed all his enemies with the same sea by letting its waters return on the Egyptians, drowning them in a flood. Now in Chapter 15 of Revelation THE ENDTIME CHILDREN OF GOD ARE SINGING THE SONG OF THEIR MOSES AND JESUS (THE LAMB) WHOM GOD USED TO RESCUE THEM FROM THE CLUTCHES OF THEIR PHARAOH: THE ANTICHRIST! The same miraculous Second Coming of Christ which will rescue God's Children will also begin the Wrath of God on the wicked, many of whom will be drowned in the flood of judgments "POURED OUT" from "seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever." (15:7)
CHAPTER 16—WRATH OF GOD
7. "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." (16:1)
8. 1ST VIAL POURED "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." (16:2) God with the first vial is going to send a plague on the Earth (or land) which will affect the Beast worshippers in this way.
9. 2ND VIAL POURED "UPON THE SEA"—"And it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea." (16:3)—No stench in this world is worse than that of dead, decaying human blood!
10. 3RD VIAL POURED "UPON THE RIVERS AND FOUNTAINS OF WATERS"—"And they became blood...For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets‚ and thou hast given them blood to drink." (16:4-6)
11. 4TH VIAL POURED "UPON THE SUN"—"And men were scorched with great heat." (16:8,9) In the Old Testament it was said that the light of the sun would be increased seven-fold. (Isa.30:26)—and heat intensity increases with light. In fact, it's going to be so bright that Isaiah said the moon shall be as the sun. It takes temperatures of 200 to 300 degrees to "SCORCH" a man's flesh, so it's going to be hot as hell—men burning alive because of the heat.
12. And will they then repent? No! It say THEY BLASPHEMED THE NAME OF GOD, WHICH HATH POWER OVER THESE PLAGUES: AND THEY REPENTED NOT." (16:9) What do the wicked do when they're punished for their unbelief and sins? Does it drive them to their knees in true repentance? Now, I mean the truly wicked. Everyone is a sinner everyone has done wicked things; but those who humble themselves and accept Christ, they repent and turn from their sins, they have a real revolution in their lives and turn around and go in a different direction. But do the Wicked?—NO!
13. Under all these terrible plagues, what happens?-"They blaspheme the name of God." Who? Who do they curse? Who has power over these plagues? The Devil? No, it says God does, and as usual when the wicked curse God when things go wrong, THEY KNOW WHO'S RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR PLAGUES, WHICH SHOWS THAT THEY KNOW THERE IS A GOD, which makes God even more justified in spanking them even harder!
14. 5TH VIAL POURED "UPON THE SEAT OF THE BEAST"—"And His kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain." (16:10) When the Bible speaks of the seat of a king it's referring to his throne‚ usually the central HQ where the throne is located. How and where will the Beast or Antichrist rule over the inhabitants of the Earth? Through the Image of the Beast located in Jerusalem, right? It says "that he as God sitteth in the temple of God‚ shewing himself that he is God." (2Thes.2:4)
15. The Antichrist's seat, then, is going to be the soon-to-be–built Jewish Temple on Mt. Moriah, Jerusalem. As Daniel the Prophet said, "He shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas (Dead Sea and Mediterranean) in the glorious holy mountain" (Dan.11:45)—and there is only one "glorious holy mountain" to Jews and that's Mt. Moriah! And Jesus said that the A.C.'s Image, this abomination or idol of the A.C., shall "stand in the holy place"—the Temple. (Mt.24:15)
16. As we said before, the Image will probably be some kind of super computer by which everybody is monitored. What a tremendous way for God to really sock it to 'em through this image or idol that they worship. "Thine own wickedness (this idol) shall correct thee." (Jer.2:19) By somehow smiting the seat of government and probably messing up their computer, the Lord is going to make them go from intense light and heat to such gross darkness and horrible pain that men will chew their tongues in agony! Even now scientists can make their human guinea pigs feel intense pleasure or pain through electronic stimulation of electrodes in the brain. Will God do it through the "mark" that all the Beast's worshippers receive in their forehead or hand? (See Revelation Chapter 13.)
17. 6TH VIAL-"ARMAGEDDON"—"And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof the was dried up‚ that the way of the kings of the East might be prepared." (16:12)
18. The River Euphrates flows through Iraq, between Jordan, Syria and Iran down to the Persian Gulf. And IT'S GOING TO BE DRIED UP SO THESE EASTERN KINGS AND THEIR ARMIES CAN EASILY PASS OVER. What's in the East? Well, there's China, India, and a great portion of the Soviet Union, all possessing big armies.
19. "And I saw THREE UNCLEAN SPIRITS LIKE FROGS come out of the mouth of the dragon (or Devil), and out of the mouth of the beast (or Antichrist), and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
20. "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...AND HE GATHERED THEM TOGETHER IN TO A PLACE CALLED IN THE HEBREW TONGUE ARMAGEDDON." (16:13,14,16) You know where that is? Just south of Haifa, it's the valley that stretches from Mt. Carmel on down toward Jerusalem! Take a look at Israel on your map. THAT LITTLE BIT OF LAND OVER THERE IN THE MIDDLE-EAST IS THE MOST CRUCIAL AREA OF THE WORLD. It's the hot spot of the world today where the lines are being drawn and sides chosen and such a tense situation developing that every political analyst knows that even some minor skirmish between the Jews and Arabs could trigger WWIII and the greatest conflagration in world history!
21. AND THERE IS GOING TO BE AT LEAST ONE MAJOR WAR FOUGHT IN ISRAEL BEFORE THE FINAL ONE DESCRIBED HERE IN REV.16. Daniel predicted at least two invasions of Israel—one before the Seven-Year Covenant (Dan.11:16), and one when the Antichrist breaks the Covenant (Dan.11:40–45). In fact‚ almost every Prophet throughout the Bible has prophesied of major wars to be fought in Israel and the rest of the world at the time of the End.
22. However it is sometimes hard to distinguish the proper chronological order of these prophecies concerning these Endtime battles because to the Prophets they all seemed to be happening at the same time. It's like looking at a mountain range way off in the distance; though one mountain may be several miles in front of another one, they both blend together when seen from a considerable distance. This was how the Prophets `saw' this period of The End when they viewed it from a distance of thousands of years ago. To the Lord, with Whom "a thousand years is as a day," THESE FEW YEARS OF THE END AND THEIR EVENTS AND CATACLYSMIC BATTLES SEEM LIKE ALMOST ONE EVENT, like one great ENDTIME WAR!
23. WE ARE EVEN NOW LIVING IN THE PERIOD OF HISTORY THE PROPHETS CALLED `THE END', the period of time preceding the Second Coming of Christ. But this period is composed of many events and signs that the Prophets predicted would occur and they are stretched over about a 40-year period‚ all in the time of `The End'.
24. So in some ways you could say that all these battles that have been going on in Israel since 1948 and that will continue till Jesus comes, would be like major conflicts in the great Endtime War, and ARMAGEDDON IS JUST THE GREAT FINAL BATTLE.
25. THIS ENDTIME WAR HAS BEEN GOING ON BETWEEN THE JEWS AND THE ARABS FOR ABOUT THIRTY YEARS! And it could easily stretch out, off and on, truce and ceasefire, then back at it again, for another seventeen years‚ which would bring us to 1993 and the period we got for the Coming of the Lord! (See "70 Years Prophecy", No.156.)
26. In the meantime, however, the Bible predicts that THERE IS A MAJOR BATTLE IN THIS ENDTIME WAR THAT THE JEWS ARE GOING TO LOSE TO A GREAT NORTHERN POWER CALLED MAGOG (RUSSIA), the land of its leader, God (the Antichrist), the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal (Moscow and Tobalsk), with his people the Rosh (this word appears only in the original Hebrew and can only mean "the Russians"), with the help of Libya, together with Togarmah (Turkey), plus Gomer (Germany) and all his bands (Europe?)!
27. The Bible says that at this first invasion only Sheba and Dedan (Arabia or some of the Arabs) will question this Russian invasion, and only they and Tarshish (Britain) "with all the young lions thereof" (the offspring of the British Lion, America and the Commonwealth nations) will challenge Russia's right to do so, TRIGGERING A WAR THAT WILL RESULT IN NOT ONLY THE CONQUEST AND DESTRUCTION OF ISRAEL, BUT ALSO OF AMERICA and most of the industrialized nations as well!
28. After this conquest of Israel and America, THE ANTICHRIST, the super-human dictator of man's last one-world government, WILL THEN SET UP HIS GOVERNMENT HEADQUARTERS IN JERUSALEM.
29. His first three and a half years of seemingly benign rule will be followed by a three and a half year reign of world-wide terror: The Great Tribulation. THEN JESUS HIMSELF WILL TAKE A HAND AND DESTROY BOTH THE ANTICHRIST AND HIS ANTICHRIST WORLD KINGDOM at this monstrous, final battle pictured here in Chapter 16: the battle of God Almighty or Armageddon!
30. BUT WE ARE IN THE MIDST OF THIS ENDTIME WAR EVEN NOW, and we will soon witness some tremendous wars of world proportion such as the before–mentioned predictions of Ezekiel 38 and 39, before Jesus finally ends the whole thing once and for all at Armageddon.
31. In other words‚ THE GENERAL FORECAST FOR THE WORLD AND ISRAEL IS: first a great war (Israel invaded), followed by the Anti-christ world government followed by an even greater war (Armageddon) and the setting up of Christ's Millennial Kingdom on Earth!
32. 7TH VIAL POURED OUT "INTO THE AIR"—"And there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done...and there was a great earthquake...and the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell." (16:17-19) Armageddon begins with the Sixth Vial and ends with the Seventh Vial! A more complete description of this battle is given shortly in our study of the 19th Chapter.
33. There in the 19th verse we also see "the beast (Antichrist), and the kings of the Earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war" against God, just as it says here in Chapter 16. And SUDDENLY THERE IS AN INVASION FROM OUTER SPACE AND YOU AND I ARE PART OF THAT INVASION. We come charging down from outer space, not on rockets, not on space ships, not on flying saucers‚ but on great white horses with our Space King!
34. WE INVADE THE EARTH FROM OUTER SPACE, FROM HEAVEN‚ AND WE SETTLE THE BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON. Maybe that's why it says the Seventh Vial was poured out "into the AIR"—because we invade the Earth from the AIR! The return of Jesus and the saints is part of the Seventh Vial's destruction!
35. This Seventh Vial is it! The angel says "It is done" when he pours it out. It's finished; this is the end for the wicked, that is. "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. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nation fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God." (16:18,19)
36. BABYLON THAT GREAT CITY has already been mentioned a time or two, and we have discovered that it IS THE GREAT FALSE CHURCH, BOTH RELIGIOUS AND COMMERCIAL. We know that the destruction of Babylon has to begin in the period of Tribulation because of some other things which are said in prophecy about how the false prophet exhorts the whole world to worship only the Antichrist and only his religion‚ and he will cause all other religions to be stamped out, including the False Church System and the capitalistic money-worship System.
37. BUT THE WHORE BABYLON WILL STILL BE HERE, ONLY IN ANOTHER FORM: that of the Antichrist's worldwide socialist/Communist empire. Many of the cities will still be here, and whether they use money or not, they will still be worshipping materialism and idols such as the Antichrist's Image of the Beast. But here, UNDER THE SEVENTH VIAL, BABYLON FINALLY GETS IT FOR THE LAST TIME, "the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath."
38. WHEN THE CITIES OF THE NATIONS FALL AT THE SEVENTH VIAL, GOD IS COMPLETING THE DESTRUCTION OF BABYLON: destroying the great towers of mammon worship, the cities of man, which are the centers for all of man's materialistic idols‚ "For according to the number of thy cities are thy gods.... And the idols He shall utterly abolish...in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall." (Jer.2:2; Isa.2:18; 30:25)
CHAPTER 17 BABYLON: THE FALSE CHURCH SYSTEM
39. This is one of the most important chapters in Revelation, exposing and analyzing for us the relationship between the religious/commercial System and the government, or, as John so aptly describes it, the "fornication" between the "Whore" and the "kings of the Earth." THIS CHAPTER IS MAINLY `BACKGROUND", GIVING US AN HISTORICAL ANALYSIS OF THE SYSTEM so we can understand how God sees it and why He so utterly destroys it in the 16th, 18th and 19th Chapters.
40. "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: 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." (17:1,2)
41. "So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness: and I SAW A WOMAN SIT UPON A SCARLET COLOURED BEAST (the same beast described in Chapter 13)‚ full of names of blasphemy‚ having seven heads and ten horns." (17:3) The Lord is showing us here that YOU HAVE TO DROP OUT SPIRITUALLY "INTO THE WILDERNESS" IF YOU WANT TO SEE WHERE THE WHORE, THE SYSTEM, IS REALLY AT.
42. And John saw this "woman...arrayed in purple and scarlet colour (royal colours), and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls (precious stones have always represented the power of every economic system from the ancients' "idols of gold and silver" to today's currencies backed by gold and silver), having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: And UPON HER FOREHEAD WAS A NAME WRITTEN, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH." (17:4,5)
43. In case you don't know what "to fornicate" means, it means to unlawfully F—K, and here it means spiritual fornication with the Devil; putting his kingdom (Babylon‚ the System) first in your life and serving it instead of dropping out of it to serve in God's Kingdom. (New Jerusalem—the Children of God). As James said‚ "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the FRIENDSHIP OF THE WORLD THE SYSTEM, BABYLON) IS ENMITY WITH GOD? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world (the system) is the enemy of God." (Jm.4:4)
44. Babel (or Babylon) was the first city man built after the Flood and later in this same chapter it says this woman, Babylon, "is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the Earth." (17:18) So BABYLON REPRESENTS THE GREAT WORLDWIDE, AGE-OLD, CAPITALISTIC COMMERCIAL CENTERS OF MATERIALISM: THE CITIES OF MAN!
45. THERE ARE TWO WOMEN IN REVELATION REPRESENTING TWO KINGDOMS:
(1) New Jerusalem‚ the Kingdom of Christ‚ the Church (Chap.12),
(2) Babylon, the Whore, the System, the kingdom of the Devil. People are working for and building in one or the other.
46. NEW JERUSALEM IS THE "GLORY OF GOD" (21:11) BUT BABYLON IS THE GLORY OF MAN—man's greatest achievements are his cities. That's what he brags about more than anything else‚ his big buildings and his big cities.
47. But we agree with Toynbee, the historian who said, "Cities are man's festering sores on the body politic! The curse of civilization is its cities." They have always been the mother of all abominations of the Earth. And IT IS THESE CENTERS OF COMMERCIALISM THAT ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL MAN'S WARS which are always fought for the "love of money" or economic purposes and power, the power of possession of other cities. "From whence come wars and fightings...Come they not hence, even of your lusts?" (Jam.4:1)
48. It is these centers of Industrialization based on the production of war goods and idols that have polluted not only the entire Earth, air and sea, but also the hearts, minds and souls of all the inhabitants of the Earth with the "filthiness of her fornication." MAN'S IDOLATRY POLLUTES EVERYTHING "for the LOVE OF MONEY (material things) is the root of ALL EVIL. (1Tim.6:10)
49. "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." (17:6)
50. THE WHORE HAS TWO FORMS, RELIGIOUS AND COMMERCIAL, BUT REALLY IT'S ALL THE SAME as they both "go down," "for the love of money." In her religious form she's been responsible for all the martyrs of history, and in her commercial form for all the millions slain in war, as it says in Chapter 18:24, "In her was found the blood of martyrs‚ and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the Earth."
51. When John "wondered" at her‚ it means he was astonished—the picture really flipped him out. So the angel said, "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." (17:7)
52. First, an explanation of the Beast: "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...when they behold the beast that was, and is not‚ and yet is." (17:8)
53. "And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth." (17:9) A BEAST IN PROPHETIC SYMBOLISM REPRESENTS EARTHLY GOVERNMENT. Daniel's vision of the four great beasts arising from the sea in Daniel Chapter 7 represented four kings and four kingdoms. (Dan.7:17,23) "Was, and is not, and yet is" means the Beast is past (was), future (is not, in other words the Beast is not yet complete but will be in the future), and present (yet is).
54. "The seven heads (of the Beast) are seven mountains." MOUNTAINS REPRESENT GREAT WORLD KINGDOMS. The ancient kingdom of Babylon during her world reign was called "the destroying mountain" (Jer.51:24,25) and prophecy referring to Christ's earthly kingdom during the Millennium calls it "the mountain of the Lord's house." (Isa.2:2)
55. THESE SEVEN MOUNTAINS, THEN, ARE THE SEVEN MAJOR WORLD POWERS THROUGH WHICH THE BEAST HAS MANIFESTED HIMSELF and through which the Whore, by sitting on top, a ruling position, has controlled the world.
56. "And there are seven kings: five are fallen." AT THE TIME WHEN THIS PROPHECY WAS GIVEN, 90 A.D.‚ FIVE OF THE SEVEN MAJOR WORLD POWERS HAD FALLEN:
"And one is": Rome was in power at the time of the prophecy and was the sixth. "And the other is not yet come": This is the final government of the Antichrist, the seventh. "And when he cometh, he must continue a short space." (17:10) This is the short reign of the Antichrist world government, only seven years according to Daniel 9:27. (See our class "Daniel 9", No.348.)
57. "And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven‚ and goeth into perdition." (17:11) The Beast himself is of all seven empires since he bears them up. But what it means by saying the Beast is the eighth is a bit difficult to understand. It seems to indicate that ALL SEVEN EMPIRES WILL COME AND GO AND THE BEAST WILL BE THE EIGHTH EMPIRE just before its `perdition', or destruction.
58. The only thing I can think that this could possibly mean is that maybe before the Great Tribulation, before the Abomination of Desolation, the seventh empire is not yet really the Antichrist empire because its leader hasn't been fully possessed by the Devil. Though he is the head, or `king', of the seventh world government, he hasn't become the Antichrist. But AT THE POINT OF THE ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION (in the very middle of the last seven years, leaving 3-1/2 years to go) HE IS FULLY POSSESSED OF THE DEVIL and he becomes a new man, the Antichrist‚ with a new government, totally of the Devil. ALTHOUGH IT WOULD BE THE VERY SAME HEAD, SEVENTH HEAD, IT WOULD NOW ALSO BECOME THE EIGHTH, AND A NEW GOVERNMENT.
59. The seventh head, however, is already here (though not yet in full power), and it is WORLD COMMUNISM which is already on the march and is already conquering the world. AS THE SEVENTH HEAD, IT WILL BE THE BASIS OF THE ANTICHRIST GOVERNMENT, 'cause it has ALL the attributes of that government which are described in both Revelation and Daniel; no other government ever has.
60. The Beast is RED, so is Communism (the Red Flag, Red Army, the Reds, Red Square, etc.). The MOST POWERFUL AND THOROUGH DICTATORS the world has ever seen have been Communists (Stalin, Mao), and the Beast is going to be headed up by the greatest dictator of all history. The Antichrist will COMPLETELY ABOLISH EVERY AND ALL FORMS OF TRADITIONAL WORSHIP—only Communism has tried to do this. The Beast will DESTROY THE WHORE—the false religions of man including Capitalism, which Communism is now working at. It is going to RULE THE "ENTIRE EARTH": the goal of Communism which they are fast accomplishing.
61. Finally, in its pursuit of destroying all false religions, the prophecies predict that THE BEAST WILL ALSO TRY TO STAMP OUT THE TRUE CHURCH, which the Reds have tried to do in countries they have conquered. So if Communism is not the seventh head, then we will have to wait till it passes and another government with exactly the same attributes arises to take its place—which I doubt will happen since there's not enough time!
62. "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." (17:12) Since they had received "no kingdom as yet" in 90 A.D., they couldn't have been on any of the first six heads. So they must be on the seventh, and if they are, then these ten kingdoms must definitely be here today.
63. In his predictions of these ten Endtime kingdoms, the Prophet Daniel said A LITTLE HORN, OR ELEVENTH HORN‚ RISING AFTER THE TEN HORNS, WILL PLUCK UP THREE OF THEM BY THE ROOTS, THUS TAKING ALL OF THEM OVER. (See our class "Daniel 7", No.346.)
64. THE CONQUEST OF THE THREE HORNS OR KINGDOMS DOESN'T MEAN THEY NO LONGER EXIST AS SEPARATE KINGDOMS, THOUGH. The Communists have been very good at letting conquered countries retain quite a bit of autonomy—so one of these three horns could be the U.S.A., as it is the chief resister to the Red Beast and the Communist world domination. The other two may be Britain and West Germany.
65. After the conquest of these three horns and the establishing of Communist governments within their countries, they could indeed, as it says here in the next verse, "GIVE their power and strength unto the Beast" (17:13), UNITING WITH THE BEAST TO FORM THE NUCLEUS OF THE ANTICHRIST KINGDOM. Who ever these ten kingdoms are, though, will become clearer within the next few years.
66. "These (ten horns) 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." (17:14) WHEN THEY TRY TO WIPE US OUT IS WHEN GOD IS GOING TO WIPE THEM OUT!
67. The whore in verse 2 sits "upon many waters‚" which is interpreted in verse 15: "THE WATERS...WHERE THE WHORE SITTETH, ARE PEOPLES, AND MULTITUDES, AND NATIONS AND TONGUES"—showing the oppressive weight of the System on its miserable masses.
68. "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...AND THE WOMAN (WHORE) WHICH THOU SAWEST IS THAT GREAT CITY, which reigneth over the kings of the Earth." (17:16,18)
69. Now we have said that the Whore is the religious/commercial System. WE COULD JUST AS WELL HAVE SAID SHE REPRESENTED THE ECONOMIC SYSTEM—because they are both worshipping the gods of Mammon, Money and Materialism. Jesus Himself said "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve
70. Let's face it, ORGANIZED RELIGION WITH ALL ITS MONEY, BUILDINGS AND PROPERTY IS PRETTY WELL SOLD OUT TO MAMMON WORSHIP. In fact, it plays quite a big role in the economic systems of all Western countries. For instance in the U.S., one-quarter of all privately owned land is reported to be owned by the churchianity system! And the Catholic Church is reputed to have a greater income than all top six multinational corporations put together!
71. THE REAL RELIGION OF MAN HAS ALWAYS BEEN "THE LOVE OF MONEY" and "worship of the works of his own hands." But in the ancient kingdoms it was cleverly disguised in the form of supernatural religion. Even back then materialism was the real god and so–called religion was only the way the rich controlled the masses. In fact, the temple of the god was often the place where they regulated all trade and commerce.
72. TODAY THE GOD IS STILL MONEY, BUT "EDUCATION" AND "SCIENCE" HAVE REPLACED SPIRITUAL RELIGION WITH INTELLECTUAL RELIGION. Together, the god of finance and the religion of education and science make up the modern whore of Capitalism the false worship system. And it is this whore of Capitalism, religious and commercial, that really runs things, not the kings or government!
73. For instance, in ancient Egypt, which though a dictatorship still allowed property to be privately owned (Capitalism), Pharaoh appeared to be the Foundation and Fountainhead of all authority and power, but in actuality‚ authority rested somewhere else. PHARAOH CLAIMED HIS AUTHORITY FROM HIS RELIGION, his whore, for the religion taught that Pharaoh was the living offspring of the sun god, RA, who also happened to be the `national god' of Egypt and as such deserving of all Egyptians' allegiance under penalty of law.
74. THE RELIGION TAUGHT PATRIOTISM AND NATIONALISM, which is what kept Pharaoh in power, so actually the religion was in control of the land, not Pharaoh, just as the multinational and international bankers, the high priests of today's whore of Capitalism‚ control the government of today!
75. EVERY GREAT EMPIRE HAS USED RELIGION TO CONTROL THEIR MASSES. They all had compulsory state religions which taught obedience to the state and were enforced by law! In the ancient kingdoms it was compulsory worship of a national god; today it is compulsory education which teaches you nationalism, patriotism, and how to fit into your slot in the great national worship of the paper pigs of paper money! (See "Green Paper Pig", No.243.)
76. So apparent has this religious influence and control been, that in his study of the same the historian Toynbee said, "IF THERE IS EVER GOING TO BE A WORLD EMPIRE IT WILL NEED A COMPULSORY WORLD RELIGION TO KEEP IT IN POWER." Why? Because brute force doesn't make man a willing slave. He has to have something that captures his heart and mind, plays on his fears, self-preservation instincts‚ etc., and instills a deep-seated patriotism in him so that he is willing to live‚ fight and die for the state, the Whore's Beast—hence religion‚ or today, EDUCATION. So as the prophecy says, the Whore "ruleth over kings"—for they too have to submit to her if they want to keep their people in subjection.
77. "And the ten horns" shall destroy the Whore! If the U.S. and other western powers are represented by some of these ten horns, why would they want to destroy their whore? To destroy Capitalism? Well, both Marx and Lenin taught that IF YOU LEAVE CAPITALISM ALONE LONG ENOUGH, IT'LL DESTROY ITSELF! It'll collapse of its own weight, because of its built-in self-destructiveness resulting from its selfishness.
78. Take America for example, since she is the epitome of the Whore: Right now America is bankrupt and is only kept going by the power of her government, but sooner or later the Crash is going to come, the economic crash and bankruptcy, and it will be brought about by her own selfish, exploitive‚ wasteful, warmongering economy that has overextended itself in order to keep the rich rich. Once the Crash comes, though‚ you know what's going to happen? All those minorities and exploited poor within America that are kept down by her economic system, they're going to go out with their guns and knives and destroy their own rich rulers and their religion, as has already happened in Russia, China and other Communist countries. So America and Western Capitalism are bringing about their own downfall!
79. Will this destruction of America and the West finally bring an end to the false‚ exploitive, capitalistic religions of man? Well, almost but not quite! In Daniel it says THE ANTICHRIST GOVERNMENT WILL DESTROY ALL FORMS OF IDOLATRY EXCEPT FOR ONE: THE ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION or Image of the Beast.
80. What the Communists will eventually do is merely replace many forms of false religion with the worship of one false religion, the worship of this Abomination of Desolation or Image of the Beast. THE WHORE WILL STILL BE HERE, ONLY IN ANOTHER FORM‚ and it will so completely control the lives of people that Revelation 13 says no one will be able to buy or sell unless they have been branded with a number in their forehead or hand which will link them up with a worldwide credit system controlled by this Image of the Beast. They will be literally "joined to idols" (Ho.4:17), committing physical as well as spiritual fornication with the Whore and in total bondage to the System!
81. YES, THE COMMUNISTS ARE TRYING TO DESTROY THE WHORE OF AMERICAN CAPITALISM, BUT THEY DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO IT. They think if they just burn down its buildings and execute its evil leaders and replace its false teachings with the "correct", "scientific" teaching of Marxism, everything will work out all right. But they're gonna end up right back where they started, only a hell of a lot worse!
82. What they don't realize is that THE SYSTEM IS SPIRITUAL, it's based on the big lie of selfishness, pride and rebellion against God, AND THE ONLY WAY TO FIGHT IT IS WITH THE SPIRITUAL WEAPONS OF GOD'S TRUTH, hitting 'em where it really hurts—in their hearts—really changing people's spirits, bringing them out of the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of Light—as we are now doing!
CHAPTER 18
BABYLON'S DESTRUCTION
83. Many of the prophecies of God have intermediate and final fulfillments. AMERICA AS THE HEAD AND LEADER OF WORLD CAPITALISM CERTAINLY EPITOMIZES BABYLON THE WHORE OF REVELATION‚ and her coming destruction at the hands of the Red Beast can certainly be seen as an intermediate fulfillment of this prophecy about the fall of Babylon the Great.
84. As we explained before, America will probably still be around even after its conquest by the Communists when much of it will be destroyed. And after the establishment of a Communist Government within the nation, AMERICA MAY YET HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE FINAL MANIFESTATION OF BABYLON AS FULFILLED IN THE ANTICHRIST WORLD EMPIRE!
85. However it works out, one thing is certain: Babylon's final complete destruction occurs at the Coming of Christ. So‚ it seems that this chapter will have two fulfillments:
86. First an angel comes down from Heaven crying with a loud voice, "BABYLON THE GREAT IS FALLEN, IS FALLEN, and is become the habitation of devils‚ and the hold of every foul spirit‚ and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird." (18:2) This shows THE SYSTEM'S COMPLETE SPIRITUAL FALL TO TOTAL DEPRAVITY AND PERVERSION much like America today, a small foreshadowing of what the A.C.'s System will be like.
87. "For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication (the System's wars for commerce, trade wars for the intercourse of Capitalism, over which every war is fought because of the love of money and the lust for power!), and the kings of the Earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the Earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies." (18:3) EVERY CAPITALISTIC SYSTEM HAS MADE RICH MEN OF ITS MERCHANTS, BUT AMERICA HAS ENRICHED THE MERCHANTS OF THE WHOLE EARTH!
88. "...Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto Heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities." (18:4,5) GOD HAS ALWAYS COMMANDED HIS PEOPLE TO "DROP OUT"‚ TO COME OUT OF THE WHORE, AND THIS IS STILL HIS MESSAGE TO HIS CHILDREN caught in the greatest Whore of all time‚ America, and it is going to be the final message to the Antichrist world empire.
89. America's "sins" or idols ("idols... which your own hands have made unto you for a sin"—Isa.31:7), HAVE NOT ONLY BY THEIR SPIRITUAL STENCH REACHED UNTO THE SPIRITUAL HEAVENS, BUT SHE HAS POLLUTED THE CELESTIAL HEAVENS AS WELL with her Gemini, Apollo and Mariner space idols.
90. This is certainly a fulfillment of another ancient prophecy‚" THOUGH THOU EXALT THYSELF AS THE EAGLE, AND THOUGH THOU SET THY NEST AMONG THE STARS, THENCE WILL I BRING THEE DOWN, SAITH THE LORD." (Obah.4)
91. America is not only represented by an eagle, but her manned Apollo space capsule that landed on the moon was called the "EAGLE"—and "Viking I's" landing on Mars (considered a star by the ancients) has given America a "nest among the stars."
92. The Lord says from "THENCE will I bring thee down." In other words‚ once man has reached this point in his idolatry, THEN God will bring them down. HE IS ONLY ALLOWING MAN TO GO SO FAR THEN WHAMMY! Jesus said in the last days there shall be "signs IN the sun and in the moon and IN the stars; and upon the Earth distress of nation." (Lk.21:25)
93. Mars was considered the STAR of the war god by both the Greeks and Romans. Could "Viking I's" landing "IN" Mars be one of those "SIGNS IN THE STARS" SIGNALLING GREAT WAR UPON EARTH, specifically the destruction of America, which will bring Great Confusion and "distress of nations"? ("THE 'EAGLE' HAS LANDED," the first words radioed from the moon, portended the soon–coming destruction of the U.S.)
94. Also since Russia (the head of world Communism, the seventh head of the A.C. Empire) did launch the first satellite into the heavens and was first in landing on the Moon, it may be that THIS PARTICULAR PROPHECY MAY YET BE FINALLY FULFILLED IN THE DESTRUCTION OF THE A.C. EMPIRE (SEVENTH HEAD) AT THE COMING OF CHRIST.
95. "REWARD HER EVEN AS SHE REWARDED YOU (with the same cruelties of war and desolation with which she has afflicted the rest of the world), and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double." (18:6) Just as Jeremiah's Message had a hand in helping ancient Israel fall to her enemies‚ so OUR MESSAGE IS ALSO HELPING AMERICA ALONG THE ROAD TO GOD'S JUDGMENTS.
96. In the final fulfillment of this prophecy, AS WE RETURN TO EARTH WITH JESUS AT ARMAGEDDON, WE WILL LITERALLY, PHYSICALLY DESTROY THE ANTICHRIST FORCES who had been our tormentors and persecutors during the Great Tribulation. "Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand; To execute vengeance upon the heathen‚ and punishments upon the people; To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all His SAINTS (the Children of God!) Praise ye the Lord!" (Ps.149:6.9)
97. "HOW MUCH SHE HATH GLORIFIED HERSELF‚ AND LIVED DELICIOUSLY, SO MUCH TORMENT AND SORROW GIVE HER: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow." (18:7) That's what America thinks—ask almost any American who voted for Nitler (Nixon). They loved his murders in Southeast Asia; they just didn't like it when he got `caught' in some moral sins and their hypocrisy was revealed! After only two hundred years, America thinks she's going to rule the world forever—she has a big surprise coming!
98. "THEREFORE SHALL HER PLAGUES COME IN ONE DAY, DEATH, AND MOURNING, AND FAMINE; AND SHE SHALL BE UTTERLY BURNED WITH FIRE. And the kings of the Earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning, standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour is thy judgment come." (18:8-10)
99. SOUNDS LIKE GOD IS GOING TO MAKE SHORT SHRIFT OF AMERICA IN SOME SUDDEN DEADLY BLOW THAT WILL ALMOST TOTALLY DESTROY HER WITH FIRE! Could this be an atomic strike or sudden sabotage and revolution? Or all three simultaneously? This FIERY DESTRUCTION is a perfect prototype of how Jesus will destroy the A.C. System, "When the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from Heaven...In FLAMING FIRE taking vengeance on them that know not God." (2Thes.1:7‚8)
100. "AND THE MERCHANTS OF THE EARTH SHALL WEEP AND MOURN OVER HER; FOR NO MAN BUYETH THEIR MERCHANDISE ANY MORE (rich America is the world's biggest market and customer to whom nearly every merchant in the world dreams of selling his goods at the high prices she can afford). The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her (most of Europe and the rest of the world count their wealth in dollars and American customers!), shall stand afar off for the fear of the torment‚ weeping and wailing, and saying, Alas, alas,...For in one hour so great riches is come to nought." (18:11,15-17) (Sounds like sudden destruction and the end of the American dollar!)
101. "And every ship master‚ and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off, and cried when they saw the smoke of her burning. (SOUNDS LIKE THE REST OF THE WORLD IS GOING TO WITNESS HER DESTRUCTION FROM A DISTANCE, AS THOUGH IT WOULD BE TOO DANGEROUS TO EVEN GET CLOSE TO HER!)...Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate." (Suddenly!) (18:17-19)
102. "Rejoice over her, thou Heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets (The Children of God!); for GOD HATH AVENGED YOU ON HER...for thy (her) merchants were the great men of the Earth; for by thy sorceries (the deceitfulness of riches and the witchcraft of wealth!) were all nations deceived." (18:20,23) American affluence is the dream of every country the world over‚ and her luxuries, sins and violence, from her music to her crimes, are imitated by nations around the world!
103. "And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints (the future of some Children of God in America?), and of all that were slain upon the Earth." (18:24) THIS FALSE WORSHIP SYSTEM IN HER RELIGIOUS FORM HAS BEEN RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL THE MARTYRS OF THE TRUE CHURCH‚ AND IN HER COMMERCIAL FORM HAS BEEN RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MILLIONS OF OTHERS SLAIN IN WARS.
104. AMERICA, THE EPITOME OF THE WHORE, HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN AND TO BLAME FOR NEARLY EVERY MAJOR WAR OF THIS CENTURY, as well as a good many of the past, and has wrought more destruction of war on the world than any other nation in history, nay more than all other nations combined in all the wars throughout all history! She is the greatest warmonger the world has ever known, and the greatest destroyer they will ever see—and even so shall be her own destruction!
105. "And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone‚ and cast it into the sea (the nations of the world, see 17:15), saying, THUS WITH VIOLENCE SHALL THAT GREAT CITY BABYLON BE THROWN DOWN, and shall be found no more at all." (18:21)
106. THIS IS THE FINAL DESTRUCTION OF BABYLON, "found no more at all", which happens at the Coming of Christ, and Jesus is that millstone, "the Lord...a Living Stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious. And whosoever shall fall on this Stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever It shall fall, It will grind him to powder." (1Pet.2:3,4 & Mt.21:44)
107. AT THE SOUND OF THE SEVENTH TRUMPET THE CHURCH WAS RESURRECTED TO BE WITH JESUS and the Wrath of God began to be poured out on the wicked remaining on the Earth. During this time of Wrath. (Chapters 16 & 18), we are going to be up in Heaven having a Heaven-of–a–party.
108. "And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude...saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to Him: for THE MARRIAGE OF THE LAMB IS COME, AND HIS WIFE HATH MADE HERSELF READY." (19:6,7)
109. THE LAMB'S WIFE IS THE CHURCH OF JESUS, THE SAINTS. As Paul said to the Christians that he had led to the Lord‚ "I have espoused you to one husband‚ that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ...that ye should be married to another, even to Him who is raised from the dead." (2Cor.11:2; Rom.7:4) A "marriage" is not a wedding ceremony but the uniting in one of the man and woman, in this case the total spiritual unification of Jesus and His saints.
110. "And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the FINE LINEN IS THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF SAINTS." (19:8) IT'S NOT OUR OWN RIGHTEOUSNESS EITHER‚ but, as Paul said, "not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, and the righteousness which is of God by faith." (Ph.3:9)
111. "And he saith unto me‚ Write, BLESSED ARE THEY WHICH ARE CALLED UNTO THE MARRIAGE SUPPER OF THE LAMB." (19:9) (There'll be a supper too, quite a feast to celebrate the wedding!)
112. "And I fell at his feet to worship him (this angelic messenger). And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God, for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." (19:10) SO THIS "ANGEL" THAT IS BRINGING JOHN THIS REVELATION IS EVIDENTLY A MAN, A DEPARTED PROPHET in a supernatural spiritual body‚ so glorified that John started to worship him.
113. THROUGHOUT THE BIBLE AND CHURCH HISTORY THERE ARE MANY RECORDED INSTANCES OF GOD USING DEPARTED SAINTS FOR SPIRITUAL MESSENGERS like the angels. For one example, Jesus had Moses and Elijah appear to Him to comfort and talk with Him about His coming crucifixion. (Lk.9:30‚31) Verses 8 and 9 of Revelation 20 also show again that this angel was one of the prophets.
114. "And I saw Heaven opened, and behold A WHITE HORSE; AND HE THAT SAT UPON HIM WAS CALLED FAITHFUL AND TRUE." (19:11) Who is He? "His Name is called The Word of God"—JESUS CHRIST! The same horse and rider that were under the first seal in Chapter 6, that went forth" conquering and to conquer", and in this Chapter we have the final conquest!
115. "AND THE ARMIES WHICH WERE IN HEAVEN FOLLOWED HIM UPON WHITE HORSES." (19:14)—Here are the resurrected saints following Jesus into battle. I don't know where the Lord got all these horses, but if He can create them on Earth, He can surely do it in Heaven!
116. "AND OUT OF HIS MOUTH GOETH A SHARP SWORD, THAT WITH IT HE SHOULD SMITE THE NATIONS: and He shall rule with a rod of iron: and He treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of almighty God." (19:15) THIS SHARP SWORD IS THE LORD'S WORD. "The sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God" and" by the Word of the Lord were the Heavens made." (Ep.6:17; Ps.33:6) If the Lord can use His Word to create and give life, He can certainly use it to destroy and kill!
117. The Lord is not coming as a gentle babe in a manger this time; He is not coming with mercy now. HE'S COMING AS A GREAT WARRIOR AND JUDGE TO MAKE WAR!!! John now sees another angle standing in the sun who calls all THE FOWLS OF HEAVEN TO "GATHER YOURSELVES TOGETHER UNTO THE SUPPER OF THE GREAT GOD; That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great." (19:17‚18)
118. THIS IS A DIFFERENT SUPPER FROM THE MARRIAGE SUPPER‚ the kind you and I don't want to attend—it's going to be such a horrible slaughter of the wicked! "For by fire and by His sword will the Lord plead with all flesh: and...the slain of the Lord shall be at that day from one end of the Earth even unto the other end of the Earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground." (Is.66:16; Jer.25:33) THE LORD IS GOING TO HAVE TO USE ALL THESE SCAVENGERS AND BIRDS OF CARRION TO CLEAN UP THE PLACE!
119. "And I saw the Beast (the Antichrist himself), and the kings of the Earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him that sat on the horse, and against His army." (19:19) Just shows you how insanely ridiculous man is, that EVEN WHEN HE SEES JESUS COMING IN MIGHTY POWER AS KING OF KINGS WITH ALL HIS MIGHTY SAINTS, HE THINKS HE CAN STILL FIGHT GOD!
120. "And THE BEAST was taken, and with him the FALSE PROPHET that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. THESE BOTH WERE CAST ALIVE INTO A LAKE OF FIRE BURNING WITH BRIMSTONE." (19:20) The Antichrist and False Prophet get theirs ahead of time-tossed into the lake of fire, which doesn't happen to the rest of the wicked until after the Millennium.
121. "And the remnant (that attended this battle) were slain with the sword of Him that sat upon the horse‚ which sword proceeded out of His mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh." (19:21) However it doesn't say everyone on the entire Earth was killed. Other scriptures show that SOME OF THE WICKED ARE GOING TO LIVE THROUGH THIS HOLOCAUST INTO THE 1000–YEAR REIGN OF CHRIST, otherwise we wouldn't have anyone to rule over when we "rule the nations with a rod of iron" during that time.
CHAPTER 20 THE MILLENNIUM
122. You can't find the word "Millennium" in the Bible, but it does speak of a thousand years, which is a millennium, coming from the Latin word "mille", "a thousand"—the thousand year reign of Christ upon Earth! THE FIRST THING THE LORD DOES IN THE MILLENNIUM TO GET THE "OLD BOY" TIED UP SO HE CAN'T CAUSE ANY MORE TROUBLE—at least for a while!
123. "And I saw an angel come down from Heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent‚ which is the Devil, and Satan, and BOUND HIM A THOUSAND YEARS, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon, him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and AFTER THAT HE MUST BE LOOSED A LITTLE SEASON." (20:1-3)
124. The Devil is going to be cast into a bottomless pit during the entire Millennium. How could a pit not have a bottom? Well, both science and the Bible teach that THE EARTH'S CENTER IS A FIERY INFERNO, A HOLLOW SPHERE OF MOLTEN FIRE. If you were able to bore a hole through the Earth's crust and you got down there and fell in‚ how far would you fall?
125. You'd fall down until you passed the center of gravity and then you'd fall upward until you slowed down, stopped, and began to fall back down again—you'd go back and forth, back and forth, like a pendulum, and never hit bottom. THAT'S LITERALLY WHAT THE HEART OF THE EARTH IS: "A BOTTOMLESS PIT"!
126. "And I saw thrones‚ and they sat upon them‚ and judgment was given unto them (these are all the martyrs of Jesus and those who didn't worship the Beast)...and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead (the wicked) lived not again until the thousand years were finished." (20:4,5) THE RIGHTEOUS OF ALL AGES ARE RAISED AT THE END OF THE TRIBULATION TO LIVE AND REIGN WITH CHRIST DURING THE MILLENNIUM. BUT THE WICKED WHO HAVE DIED THROUGHOUT ALL TIME AREN'T RAISED UNTIL THE END OF THE THOUSAND YEARS.
127. "This (the Rapture) is the first resurrection. BLESSED AND HOLY IS HE THAT HATH PART IN THE FIRST RESURRECTION: On such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years." (20:5,6,)
128. During this thousand years is where all those beautiful verses come in about the lion lying down with the lamb and the bear eating grass like the ox. When the nations "shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks...neither shall they learn war anymore...they shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy Mountain (or Kingdom)," saith the Lord. (Isa.2:4; 11:9) SOME OF THE WICKED WILL STILL BE HERE DURING THIS PERIOD, BUT THEY'LL BE UNDER OUR RULE‚ rule like a 'rod of iron", and they'll be compelled to do what God says.
129. BUT "WHEN THE THOUSAND YEARS ARE EXPIRED, SATAN SHALL BE LOOSED OUT OF HIS PRISON. And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the Earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up...and compassed the camp of the saints about‚ and the beloved city (Jerusalem will be our HQ during that time)." (20:7,9)
130. AFTER A THOUSAND YEARS OF THE VISIBLE, PERSONAL, SUPERNATURAL REIGN OF CHRIST AND HIS CHILDREN ON EARTH and a time of beautiful peace and prosperity‚ THE WICKED WILL AGAIN TRY TO OVERTHROW HIS KINGDOM. "Let favour be showed to the wicked‚ yet will he not learn righteousness: in the land of uprightness (Christ's Kingdom) will he deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the Lord." (Isa.26:10) It just shows you how utterly under control of the Devil the unsaved are—they'll just do what the Devil tells them. They still won't love and obey God even after all His mercy upon them during the Millennium.
131. "Gog and Magog" shows it's a revival of the same old wicked Antichrist Empire‚ but this time "FIRE CAME DOWN FROM GOD OUT OF HEAVEN, AND DEVOURED THEM. And the Devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever." (20:9,10)
132. "AND‚ I SAW A GREAT WHITE THRONE, AND HIM THAT SAT ON IT, from Whose face the Earth and the Heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. AND I SAW THE DEAD...STAND BEFORE GOD; AND THE BOOKS WERE OPENED: And another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things, which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea...and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works." (20:11-13)
133. Psychologists say that everything a person has ever seen, heard or thought is recorded in his subconscious ("the books"?) It's like your own little tape recorder, and don't you think God can turn on that tape recorder and just reel it off? Jesus said, "FOR BY THY WORDS THOU SHALT BE JUSTIFIED, AND BY THY WORDS THOU SHALT BE CONDEMNED." (Mt.12:37)
134. "Judged according to their works"—THERE ARE GOING TO BE DEGREES OF PUNISHMENT, JUST AS THERE ARE DEGREES OF REWARDS TO THE SAINTS. "And Death and Hell were cast into the Lake of Fire. This is the Second Death. And whosoever was not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the Lake of Fire." (20:14,15)
135. IF YOU'RE ONLY BORN ONCE YOU'LL DIE TWICE, BUT IF YOU'RE BORN TWICE YOU'LL ONLY DIE ONCE. "Except a man be born again (a second time, spiritually, by accepting Jesus, to be written in the Book of Life),...he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God." (Jn.3:3‚5)
136. Your works don't ban you from Heaven‚ 'cause Jesus came to save sinners, those who don't have good works; only unbelief in Jesus bans you. "For by grace (mercy) are ye saved through FAITH." (Ep.2:8) EITHER YOU ACCEPT JESUS AND BECOME WRITTEN IN THE LAMB'S BOOK OF LIFE‚ OR REJECT HIM AND DIE TO BE CAST INTO HELL now, and eventually cast into the Lake of Fire, "the second death"!
CHAPTERS 21 & 22
OUR ETERNAL HOME
137. Where will you spend Eternity? Heaven or the Lake of Fire? Well, I'm not going to spend it in either! As Christians, we may visit Heaven occasionally at the Rapture and maybe other times, but MY ETERNAL HOME IS GOING TO BE ON EARTH, 'CAUSE HEAVEN IS GOING TO COME DOWN TO EARTH! "And I saw a new Heaven and a new Earth: for the first Heaven and the first Earth were passed away; and there was no more sea." (21:1)
138. It's my opinion that God is only going to destroy the present Earth just as He did when He destroyed the Earth the first time by a Flood. Only the surface was changed. IT'LL BE THE SAME PLANET‚ JUST PURGED BY ATOMIC FIRE. As Peter said, "the elements (very atoms) shall melt with fervent heat, the Earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up." (2Pet.3:10)
139. "And I John saw the Holy City, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of Heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." (21:2) AFTER GOD RENEWS THE FACE OF THE EARTH AND CREATES A NEW ATMOSPHERIC HEAVENS, HE'S GOING TO SEND DOWN THIS HEAVENLY CITY, NEW JERUSALEM—God's Space City is going to come down to Earth!
140. NEW JERUSALEM, the eternal City of the saints as described in these last two chapters, IS ALMOST BEYOND DESCRIPTION OR COMPREHENSION. It is called "the tabernacle of God" (21:3)‚ "the bride, the Lamb's wife" (21:9), and looks like "a great and high mountain" (21:10). It has its own "light,...like unto a...jasper stone, clear as crystal‚" with "a wall great and high and...twelve gates." (21:11,12)
141. "The wall of the City had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles...And the City lieth foursquare" and measures "twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal." (21:14,16) (1,500 MILES LONG, WIDE AND HIGH!)
142. "The wall of it was of jasper: and the City was pure gold, like unto clear glass...And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. AND THE CITY HAD NO NEED OF THE SUN, NEITHER OF THE MOON, TO SHINE IN IT: FOR THE GLORY OF GOD DID LIGHTEN IT‚ and the Lamb is the light thereof. And the...saved shall walk in the light of it...And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth...but they which are written in the Lamb's Book of Life." (21:18,22,24,27)
143. This is where we're headed for! "For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come." "Wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: For He hath prepared for them a City." This beautiful physical/spiritual City of God, THE PERFECTION OF THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE, shaped like a mountain or pyramid, 1,500 miles high—"which hath foundations, Whose builder and maker is God"—it's forever! (Heb.13:14; 11:16,10)
144. But will it and the saints be the only ones on the Earth? No! "FOR WITHOUT (THE CITY) ARE DOGS, AND SORCERERS, AND WHOREMONGERS‚ AND MURDERERS, AND IDOLATERS, AND WHOSOEVER LOVETH AND MAKETH A LIE." (22:15) These people who live outside the City sound just like the type of people who were cast into the Lake of Fire: "the fearful, and unbelieving and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the Second Death." (21:8)
145. SO APPARENTLY THE LAKE OF FIRE IS WHERE THE WICKED GO TO GET PURGED from their sins, or at least purged out enough to let them eventually come and live outside the City!
146. OUR WORK AS GOD'S HEALERS IS NOT OVER EVEN AFTER THE MILLENNIUM! There are still going to be nations and people that need to be healed and saved—all these that live outside the City. If there isn't any more need for salvation at this time, why does it say "in the midst of the street of it (the City)‚ and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits‚ and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations." (22:2)
147. What nations? Certainly not the saints'! It says for them "GOD SHALL WIPE AWAY ALL TEARS FROM THEIR EYES; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain." (21:4) God is not some hateful Deity, but a God of Love, and is not "willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." (2Pet.3:9)
148. The Lord has told us in prophecy: "I AM THY SAVIOUR AND I SHALL REDEEM ALL MEN THROUGH THEE AND THY CHILDREN‚ FOR THOU ART THE SAVIOURS OF THIS EARTH...For ye shall be kings and priests unto Me and rule and reign with Me with a rod of iron and all nations shall fall before thee and worship at thy feet and say: `Surely thy God is with thee! Give us favour and forgive us our sin and seek for us mercy before thy God that He may forgive us and give us bread and rain upon our land!" (135:13,41)
149. THE HEAVENLY CITY IS ONLY THE BEGINNING! GOD ONLY KNOWS HOW MUCH MORE WE'LL HAVE TO CONQUER AFTER WE'VE CONQUERED THE EARTH and all the souls who have ever lived on it and all the problems! We'll go right on through the Coming of Christ and the Millennium and Space City and right on out to Outer Space, and God only knows how far we have to go!—And we'll enjoy every minute of it if we're faithful servants!
150. So, beloved, BE SURE YOU HAVE YOUR NAME WRITTEN IN THE LAMB'S BOOK OF LIFE IN HEAVEN so you'll be sure you've got your reservations confirmed for one of those mansions in God's golden Space City. That's the place where you'll be happy forever with Jesus. If you love and receive and live for Him now‚ you can enjoy Him and Heaven forever! You'll know which direction you're going—not down to some demons' Hell, but up to a happy Heaven! God bless you! See you there!—Amen?—If you love JESUS!