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Revelation #36

            Have you all been at peace in the Lord during the past week? ¶ Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand. (Revelation 1:3 KJV)  May Grace and peace from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ overflow to each and every one of you who obey the words of blessing and to live a blessed life through these words in the troublesome last days. Let’s continue studying the last part of Revelation 17. This is a foreshadowing of what will happen near the end of the latter three and a half years of the seven year tribulation. It is not pleasant to testify of the words contained in Chapters 17 and 18 in particular as there will be people who will be hurt and triggered from testimonies of the word from these chapters. However, the word of God is the double edged sword which heals through the painful wounds. The first blade edge is the edge of truth pointing out what is wrong, and the second edge is the blade of grace that provides healing. We must continue to repent and stand upright in the Word until the Lord’s coming. Because the only thing that remains is to change into the image of the Lord at the Lord’s coming, who is the Word, Just like the words, Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. (1 Corinthians 10:12 KJV), We must continue to receive the blessing of being corrected and cleansed through the blood of Christ, to be found spotless and wrinkle-free through the Word, and through the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Revelation 17:12 tells us that Antichrist will reign with ten kings. In the past, we thought these ten kings were the European Union, but we must not limit God’s Word too much to the political groups in our reality. The Bible clearly states ten kings. European Union has well over ten kings. Therefore, we must open our hearts and remember, ‘Ten kings will come and they will receive power with the beast for one hour’. Who they are is unknown. Their identities will be shown when the saints are raptured and gone up to heaven. We only need to know as much as God’s word teaches us. They will receive power as kings one hour with the beast. (Revelation 17:12 KJV) meaning they aren’t kings, but “as kings” Those who have received Jesus Christ and been born again of the Holy Spirit in the present Age of Grace are royal priests. The Bible says the saints will rule as a royal priesthood when the Lord comes and reigns on earth. However, the Bible says the ten horns would receive authority as kings with the antichrist. Receiving authority from Christ at His coming is a blessing. The authority given by the antichrist, the god of this world, is only momentary. As (1 John 2:17 KJV) says: And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. our hope is contained in these words.

            These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. (Revelation 17:13 KJV) Ultimately the antichrist will have dominion over all things. ¶ These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful. (Revelation 17:14 KJV) We must realize these words are to be fulfilled at the Second Coming of Lord Jesus Christ. In order to dominate the political kingdoms of the world, the Roman catholic church played a role in revealing the truth to the world. We know well through history that they colluded with political affairs and did so even during World War II. For example, in ‘Vatican Imperialism in the 20th Century’ written by Avro Manhattan contains lot of historical truth behind their agenda. In particular, everyone knows that the Roman catholic church is more than just a church. It is it’s own political state: the Vatican State. It has it’s own bank and it’s own army. It has diplomatic relations with the governments of other nations. It signs treaties (“concordats”) with the heads of other States. It is as the leaven contained in three measures of flour in the parable of the kingdom of heaven in Matthew 13:33 because it mixes the incorrect leaven with the truth. The flour is bound to rise when the leaven is mixed. When things that are not the truth get mixed, they are bound to get leavened quickly. In today’s Era of Mass Quantitative-ism, we also see churches are focusing on quantity and number of people. People hate it if you only preach the truth. Especially the words of Revelation. There are many people who think the words of Revelation are useless in their daily life, but we must understand that this is the conclusion of the Bible and our hope. We will study this Roman religious sect in Revelation 18, but you will find these words if you go to verses 4 and 5 in advance: And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. (Revelation 18:4-5 KJV) as this will be when our Lord will be coming.

            (Revelation 17:15 KJV) And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues are expressed as waters, and it is clearly stated here that the whore, the roman catholic church will reign over many people. But in (Revelation 17:16 KJV) says: 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. The ten horns with antichrist will utilize this religious institution, then will ultimately come to hate them, destroy them, strip them naked, and burn them with fire. The point of this passage is: after Satan has taken full control of the ten horns, he will betray and destroy the Roman catholic church. Although the time factor is not certain, it is clear that this will occur near the end of the tribulation. Revelation 16:19 shows us the falling of Babylon the Great. The ten kings in the text 17:16 are one of the mysteries. Who will it be? They shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. This doesn’t seem to fit the literal destruction of Babylon shown in 18:21. Chapter 18:21 describes the millstone being thrown into the water, but here in 17:16 we see it burned down like Sodom and submerged in water. Therefore, the prophecy of Babylon the Great burning down and sinking was prophesied through Jeremiah, as (Jeremiah 51:25 KJV) says…will make thee a burnt mountain. Also in (Jeremiah 51:64 KJV) Thus shall Babylon sink, and shall not rise from the evil that I will bring upon her… Jeremiah chapters 50 to 51 contain detailed prophecies of Babylon the Great in the Book of Revelation. The whore church, a religious institution which colludes with political factions is eventually destroyed by the antichrist. Please pray and read this part of Jeremiah on your own time. The Bible fulfills all things twice. Even though the Old Testament was an event of the past, just as Israel was destroyed and captured by Babylon, likewise, those who have the Holy Spirit can realize the same will happen in the future during the tribulation.

            For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. (Revelation 17:17 KJV) The kingdom is now fully handed over to the antichrist, the beast, so that all authority now comes from the hands of the beast. That’s why as we look forward to what will happen in the future, we will have to keep an eye on this religious group that exists today. The Apostle Paul tells us about our spiritual warfare in (Ephesians 6:12 KJV) For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Satan first uses the political powers through principalities, then the rulers of darkness to cause people sin, and then through spiritual wickedness to fight, to anger, cause enmity, to disobey. That is why Christians are already separated from the world. People who have left behind the political powers. They are already citizens of heaven. Therefore, the born again children of God are those who have already entered the kingdom of God, into the Lord. For that reason, it’s mind boggling how such people can work in harmony with worldly politics. They can’t. To put it simply, the Israelites who came out of Egypt were already in the wilderness,  in Acts 7 Stephen called these Israelites in the wilderness the church in the wilderness. That is why this Church of Christ, the Church of the Lord, is separate from the world. There is no going back. How could the Israelites go back to Egypt as they were already in the wilderness? They can’t. They can’t cross the Red Sea again. They crossed the river of no return. Likewise, today’s Christians have already come out spiritually and have nothing to do with the world. However, as long as we are living in the world, we live under the system created by the people of the world, so it is our duty in the Lord to obey them, keep order, and maintain peace. Because the political administration works to keep the world peaceful through all laws. Also, since God appointed them as angels, like the police for example, protect us like angels as we must obey the laws of the world and pay taxes. However, we are not of the world. We can realize this from the words from Ephesians here that it is impossible for Christians to participate in politics. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. (1 John 2:17 KJV)

            (Revelation 17:18 KJV) And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth. Here, the whore, the woman is the great city. A great city that rules over the kings of the earth. This city is called Saturn. City of Saturn. Originating from the Latin word Saturnius. Saturn means a hidden lie. That’s why the word LATEINOS means Latin in English. This refers to the hidden one. It is hidden. Mysterious. Rome is great-mysterious-holy-cats. So, in large groups, they wear purple robes, spin rosary beads, strike bells, make confessions, and light candles. In fact, it is similar to pagan religions. It is similar to Buddhism. This is something we should keep an eye on. In reality, the Roman catholicism is a dirty, godless, depraved, false counterfeit of Biblical Christianity. As we continue into chapter 18, we see chapters 17 and 18 are the contents of the Roman Church, which possesses various things that are commercial and political at the same time. That great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth. It is necessary to pay attention to the characteristics of this city. Looking at the contents of chapter 18, the contents we saw in chapter 17 are repeated. Not only is this Church-State filthy (Revelation 18:2), drunken (revelation 18:3), pagan (18:4), proud (Revelation 18:7), popular (18:9) and mighty (18:10); it is also commercial (18:11) and rich (17:4, 18:12) It is damned (Rev 18:5) and absolutely doomed by God (Rev 18:21) It is destined to burn (Rev 17:16, 18:8-9) and keep on burning after it is destroyed here on Earth (Rev 19:3) just like Sodom and Gomorrah (2 Peter 2:6; Jude 7) We will continue to look into this. By looking at each one of these aspects, you can see that there is no other city on earth that can match all of these. There are many cities on this earth, and among these cities, the city mentioned in Revelation 17 and 18 is none other than the city of Rome in Italy. It is unique. Among the millions of cities around the world, only one stand out having the characteristics mentioned in many verses in chapters 17 and 18, as well as sitting on seven mountains, holding a cup, dressed in purple and scarlet robe, holding a rosary, responsible for the blood of the prophets and saints. Their mass genocide of 60 million Christians and Jews in the past 2,000 years has been historically proven. You can find out by reading ‘The Trail of Blood’ written by American baptist pastor J.M.Carroll. Ever hear the phrase “All roads lead to Rome?” However, when Rome is destroyed at the end of the tribulation, all roads will lead to Jerusalem. That time will come soon. Therefore, when we look at what will happen in the future, we should clearly know what our lives should be like and what way we should keep our faith. We must not be of the world, but keep chaste until the end, look to Christ, and look forward to the day when the Lord will come to the air.

            Let’s take a look into Chapter 18 a little bit. ¶ And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. (Revelation 18:1 KJV) We can see that the words of chapter 18 here are the same as the words of chapter 16:19 and chapter 17. The Bible repeats the events further you advance. Several chapters speak of events that occurred simultaneously. (Revelation 18:2 KJV) And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. Devils are linked to unclean spirit and unclean abominable bird. When the Holy Spirit descended in Matthew 3, He appeared in the form of a dove, a clean bird. Unclean spirits are represented everywhere in the Bible as unclean birds. When the Lord spoke the parable of the sower, he said this in (Matthew 13:19 KJV) When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side. It is about this man that seed was sown by the wayside.’ A bird is likened to a thief that steals the word of God. The Lord also said this in (John 10:10 KJV) The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.  We need to take a closer look at the mustard seed parable from (Matthew 13:31-32 KJV) Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof. The birds of the air come. These birds are not good. Mustard is not a tree, but a green plant. However, it grew so big and became a tree. Because it grew abnormally large and became a tree, birds of the air come and make nests on its branches. Many mistaken this as ‘it’s good for churches to be large in size and number’, but in fact, that is abnormal. When that happens, birds eventually come and make nests there. The birds of the air are not Christians. These are unclean spirits. They are demons. Therefore, if the number of churches increases, you should know that in the end, many people with unclean spirits can nest there, cause trouble in the church, and turn it into a gathering that does not give off fragrance as Christians. Since the time has come for the antichrist to appear in these last days, the time has come for all economic, political, and religious organizations to become large-scale and create a shortcut to the New Age. Therefore, everything enlarging and coming together is going the way of Freemasonry. Therefore, we must be alert by remembering what the Lord said, Christians, do not be afraid as a small number. God is pleased to give you the kingdom. Will the Son of Man see faith when he returns to this earth?  It must be remembered that the birds of the air are demons with unclean spirits and are not Christians. We must understand the parable of the mustard seed teaches us that in the last days, the number of churches will increase abnormally, and then those who seek food and pursue the things of the flesh will make their homes in many churches to satisfy their own greed rather than the kingdom of God. Folks, we who live in the end times are lonely and life can be difficult without living in the world all while looking forward to meeting the Lord who is to come again, but now we must gain peace by eating and drinking with the Lord in deep fellowship with Him. The Lord says He is knocking at the door during the church age of Laodicea: Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. (Revelation 3:20 KJV) Where is your joy right now? Are you in fellowship with the Lord? Or do you have more joy because things in the flesh are going well and getting better? The Lord tells us loud and clear in John 15 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. (John 15:4 KJV) He said the branch that bears much fruit is encouraged. Branches that do not do so are said to be burned. Spiritual things of course. those who bear much fruit in spirit; To those who bear the fruit of the Spirit and bear the fruit of evangelism through the fruit of the Spirit, the Lord says These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. (John 15:11 KJV) Ultimately, it is time for the Lord to rejoice together. Otherwise, if you follow the worldly things, you will become spiritually withered and lose joy. If there is anything more joyful than the fact that you have received Jesus Christ and been born again by the Holy Spirit and become a child of God, it is evidence that you are already degenerate, and we must know that this is the spiritual condition of people living in the Laodicean church age. As the Apostle Peter tells us ¶ But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. (1 Peter 4:7 KJV) Also the Apostle Paul warns us And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; (Ephesians 5:18 KJV) I pray in the name of Jesus Christ that you will enjoy true joy in these spiritual blessings.Amen.