Category Archives: Bible prophecy

The Five Judgments of God

Posted on by
1

There are five judgments that we know of. Here they are.

Judgment #1: Of the Believer and Sin

The first has to do with the believer and sin. Will he be condemned or not because of his sins? How will God judge the believer? Well, right from the start we must say that God has already made a judgment on this. He has already declared every believer innocent based on Christ’s finished work on the cross. In 1 peter 2:24 it says,

And He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.

Then in Romans 8:1 and 2 it says,

Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.

Here is a third wonderful promise as to this judgment; in John 5:24 Jesus says to us,

Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.

Judgment #2: Of the Believer and his Works

This second judgment is in regard to the believer and his works. This judgment, often called the BEMA judgment, will be conducted in heaven, just after the Rapture of the church. This judgment is described in 1 Corinthians 3:11-15.

For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. 14 If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. 15 If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

Hence, the result of this judgment is a reward or loss. All our bad works will be consumed by fire, and our good works shall remain and we will be rewarded for them.

Judgment #3: Of the Jews

This is a judgment of the Jews. While the church is being judged in heaven, the Jews will be judged on earth during the Tribulation. The basis of their judgment is their rejection of God and of their messiah. For their sin they have been scattered among the nations until the Time of the Gentiles are fulfilled—at the Rapture. At that time, they will be gathered back to the Holy Land and will suffer under the Antichrist and under God’s wrath upon the earth, which is called the “Time of Jacob’s Trouble” (Jer. 30:4-7). Many Jews will die, but a third will call upon the Lord and be saved (Ezek. 13:8-9).

Judgment #4: Of the Nations

This is the judgment of the nations, a judgment on all Gentiles who are still alive after Armageddon. This judgment is sometimes called the judgment of the sheep and goats. The sheep represent believers and the goats represent unbelievers. This judgment is well described for us in Matthew 25:31-46. Here it describes King Jesus as separating all the people as a shepherd would separate the sheep from the goats. And He will put the sheep on His right and the goats on the left. Here is the passage from verse 34:

“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.  35 ‘For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in;  36 naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’  37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink?  38 ‘And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You?  39 ‘When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’  40 “The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’

41 “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink;  43 I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’  44 “Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’  45 “Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’  46 “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Notice the basis of the judgment of these Gentile peoples. It hinges on how they will treat Christ’s brothers. Most scholars would say that these brothers refer to Jewish believers, mainly the 144,000 Jews who will be His witnesses.

As you remember, during the Tribulation no one will be able to buy or sell anything without the beast’s mark. But since believers were not to take the mark, they will have to get food and anything they needed by other means. Since the Jewish witnesses were to commit all of their time on preaching the gospel, they could not spend much time trying to provide for themselves.

Those who were believing Gentiles, they were the ones that will provide for them. Even though they will not take the mark either, they will make the time to somehow feed themselves as well as the believing Jews. And God will help them do it. He will give them the heart and the knowhow to feed themselves as well as others. Moreover, this good work will reveal that they in fact are believers—that they are His sheep.

Judgment #5: Of the Unbeliever

This fifth judgment is called the great white throne judgment. The time of this judgment is immediately after the end of the Satanic rebellion, when the devil is thrown into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:7-10), and just before the new heaven and earth comes into existence (Rev. 21:1). Hence, it will be during that time when there is nothing—when the old universe is “passed away” or “destroyed with intense heat” (2 Pt. 3:10), and when the new heaven and earth have not yet come (Rev. 21:1). There will be nothing but a “great white throne” with God sitting on it. This is the judgment of all unbelievers of all time. They will all be resurrected and will be brought here to be judged. The account of this judgment is in Revelation 20:11-15.

Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

The Judgment of the Nations

Posted on by
1

After the Tribulation is over, and likewise, after the fall of Babylon (Rev. 16:19; 17 & 18), and after the return of Christ (Rev. 19:11-16), and after Jesus brings all the believing Jews to safety (Rev. 12:16; Zech. 12:9; 14:3-4), and after He casts the beast and the false prophet into the lake of fire (Rev. 19:20), and after He goes out to kill all unbelievers who have gathered at Armageddon to do battle with Him (Rev. 19:21), Jesus will then gather all nations together (all gentiles that  are still alive), and will bring them to a certain place on earth, probably to a place near Jerusalem to be judged. It will be the place of His earthly reign in the Millennial kingdom (Matt. 25:31; Rev. 20:4-6).

This judgment is sometimes called the judgment of the sheep and goats. The sheep represent believers and the goats represent unbelievers. This judgment is well described for us in Matthew 25:31-46. Here it describes King Jesus as separating all the people as a shepherd would separate the sheep from the goats. And He will put the sheep on His right and the goats on the left. Here is the passage from verse 34:

“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.  35 ‘For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in;  36 naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’  37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink?  38 ‘And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You?  39 ‘When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’  40 “The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’

41 “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink;  43 I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’  44 “Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’  45 “Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’  46 “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Notice the basis of the judgment of these Gentile peoples. It hinges on how they will treat Christ’s brothers. Most scholars would say that these brothers refer to Jewish believers, mainly the 144,000 Jews who will be His witnesses.

As you remember, during the Tribulation no one will be able to buy or sell anything without the beast’s mark. But since believers were not to take the mark, they will have to get food and anything they needed by other means. Since the Jewish witnesses were to commit all of their time on preaching the gospel, they could not spend much time trying to provide for themselves.

Those who were believing Gentiles, they were the ones that will provide for them. Even though they will not take the mark either, they will make the time to somehow feed themselves as well as the believing Jews. And God will help them do it. He will give them the heart and the knowhow to feed themselves as well as others. Moreover, this good work will reveal that they in fact are believers—that they are His sheep.

Now I want to write a little more on all the judgments—so that we can put this judgment of the nations in perspective. But that will be on a coming blog.

What the Bible Says about the Resurrection — 5 Points

Posted on by
Reply

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling clothing; 5 and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living One among the dead? 6 “He is not here, but He has risen. Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, 7 saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.” 8 And they remembered His words, 9 and returned from the tomb and reported all these things to the eleven and to all the rest (Luke 24:1-9).

Five things the Bible says about the Resurrection

1 Jesus’ resurrection is prophetic (Psalm 16:10)

For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol;

Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.

2 Jesus’ resurrection is promised (John 2: 19-21)

Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”  20 The Jews then said, “It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?” 21 But He was speaking of the temple of His body.

3 Jesus resurrection is declared (Romans 1:3-4)

Concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh, 4 who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord.

4 Jesus resurrection is a priority (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.

5 Jesus’ resurrection is sobering (Acts 17:30-31)

“Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, 31 because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.”

Source: Sunday sermon at Revive Church

The Fall of Babylon (Revelation 18)

Posted on by
1

We mentioned earlier (from Revelation 16:19) that in the midst of the seventh bowl judgment, “Babylon the Great was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath.” Here, in chapter 18, are the details of His wrath, which we call the fall of Babylon.

Just as chapter 17 contains the religious and spiritual nature of Babylon, this chapter speaks of the visible, material and commercial part of Babylon. More specifically, it speaks of the place (or city) of Babylon, which is the capitol of the world and the headquarters of the world leader—the Antichrist. This city, as we discussed earlier, is, I think, the city of Rome.  I think the best way to look at this eighteenth chapter is to view it in its five parts just as it is in the text.

Verses 1-3. An angel’s description of Babylon (Rome).The angel described it as a dwelling place of demons and a prison of unclean spirits. Moreover, it is a place where kings and merchants have made immoral dealings with demons and have become wealthy on their corruption.

Verses 4-5. Here, a heavenly voice warns believers to leave the city and not participate in sinful dealings. These verses remind me of what angels said to Lot to warm him of the soon coming judgment of God on Sodom.

When morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Up, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away in the punishment of the city.” 16 But he hesitated. So the men seized his hand and the hand of his wife and the hands of his two daughters, for the compassion of the Lord was upon him; and they brought him out, and put him outside the city. 17 When they had brought them outside, one said, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you, and do not stay anywhere in the valley; escape to the mountains, or you will be swept away” (Gen. 19:15-17).

Verses 6-8. In these verses, the same heavenly voice (probably an angel) calls on God to pay her (Babylon) back (take revenge on her): to give her the same torment and mourning as she gave out to others—in her sinful deeds. And because of her pride, thinking that she will never see mourning, in one day God will bring to her plagues, pestilence, famine, and will be burned up with fire.

I’m not sure that we can know positively how Babylon will be destroyed, but here are three ideas: 1) Babylon will fall just as all other cities, as it is described in Revelation 16:19-21; 2) besides the events of the seventh bowl, there may be a nuclear strike on the city; 3) the city may be leveled by God just as Sodom was destroyed (Gen. 19:23-25).

Verses 9-19. Those who will be most affected by Babylon’s fall. These three groups of people will be the most affected by Babylon’s fall:

Kings (vs 9-10). All kings, including all political leaders, will weep and lament over Babylon—because it will mean the end of Antichrist’s empire and of their power with him. They also may be weeping over their fear of Christ’s coming and of their certain punishment (Rev. 1:7).

Merchants (vs 11-17). All the merchants of the earth (traders, suppliers, importers, exporters, retailers and shopkeepers) who are tied to the Antichrist system will weep and mourn, because no one buys their goods any more (verses 12-13). The Scriptures are not specific as to what happens to them. We can only say what the Scriptures say—from verses 14-17: the fruit you no longer have has gone from you; and all things that were luxurious and splendid have passed away from you; and men will no longer find them.…In one hour such great wealth has been laid waste” (v. 17). Hence, we may sum it up by saying this: when the new kingdom comes the old kingdom of Satan is no more. It will be “passed away,” and “laid waste.” God will make all things new.

Transporters of the cargo (vs 17-19). The bible labels this group as those who “make their living by the sea.” But I think we may understand it as all the transporters of the cargo. In that day cargo was transported mainly by ships. But today, even though the city (of Rome) is located on the sea, transportation would be by ships, planes, trains, and trucks. And this group would obviously be affected because they make their living transporting the cargo—and that would all end. And this group and all others, as the Scriptures say, will stand and cry as they see the smoke of her burning. I don’t know how literal that is, but I’m sure they all will be devastated at the quick and thorough destruction of the city and of the Antichrist’s empire.       

Verses 20-24. Rejoicing over Babylon’s fall. All those in heaven will rejoice over Babylon’s fall, not because of all who will be doomed to hell, but because of God’s justice that will prevail. Hence, they will rejoice because they will hear no more music played for the devil; and because there will be no more industry to make the Antichrist rich; and because there will be no more food prepared for all who take the mark of the beast; and because there will be no more laughter and weddings for all who partake of immorality and demonism; and because there will be no more deceptions and false teaching by which the prophets and the saints were slain.

Why Rome Is Babylon

Posted on by
2

When we think of Babylon we normally think of the ancient city of Babylon; and we think of the tower of Babel where Babylon originated. And, of course, we think of the great evil in its idol worship that eventually spread all over the world. And so, I suppose, when we read in Revelation of Babylon and the fall of Babylon, we may naturally think of that ancient city of Babylon, which has to be rebuilt.

But there is another option that I think is more probable. I think Babylon is Rome, and here are six reasons why:

1. After the ancient city of Babylon is destroyed by Cyrus of Persia in 539 B. C., the high-priest of the Babylon religion and his workers fled to Rome. Harry Ironside writes,

When the city and temples were destroyed, the high-priest fled with a company of initiates and their sacred vessels and images to Pergamos, where the Symbol of the serpent was set up as the emblem of the hidden wisdom.  From there, they afterwards crossed the sea and immigrated to Italy, where, they settled on the Etruscan plain.  There the ancient cult was propagated under the name of the Etruscan Mysteries and eventually Rome became the headquarters of Babylonianism.10

Then, as I point out in my book, After the Rapture,

Beginning with Julius Caesar, the Roman emperors seemed to share power with the chief priests. And then, under Constantine the Great, for the first time in history the emperor became both the head of state and the head of the church. Some say that Constantine became a Christian and was trying to Christianize the world. However, others correctly concluded that the devil was working through Constantine to corrupt the church… Hence, as it happened, idolatry was forced upon Christians and many of the pagan practices became part of the church.11

Thus, Rome became just as Babylon was. In fact, it is my contention that Rome, with the Catholic church, is, in fact, the Babylon of Revelation 17 and 18.

2. The false religious system (the harlot) is tied to the Catholic Church of Rome. When we read in Revelation 17:6 that “the woman [was] drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus,” we have a direct link to Rome. It began with the Popes against Christians such as John Wickliffe and William Tyndale, and many hundreds of others; and it will continue in Rome by the Church of Rome in the future Tribulation period.

3. The harlot (in Rev. 17) looks Roman Catholic. Not only does the harlot act like the Roman Catholic Church in her murders (pt. 2), she looks like the Roman Catholic Church. The colors of the harlot’s purple and scarlet, as well as her jewelry of gold, precious stones and pearls, are the colors and the adornment of the Catholic Priests and Cardinals.

4. The woman sits on the seven hills of Rome (Rev. 17:9). From Revelation 17:7-18, we read that the beast has seven heads and ten horns; and the woman sits on the beast. In verse nine we read that the woman sits on the seven hills.

Many scholars say that the seven hills implies Rome—because Rome is known for its seven hills. A group called City Wonders Team has written,

The Seven Hills of Rome are on the east of the Tiber in the heart of the Ancient City and are said to be the origins of the empire. Back in the day (there is proof of civilization on the hills from as early as 1,000BC) the seven hills were inhabited separately, each with its own independent tribe. Eventually, the tribes came together to compete in sports, strengthening their bonds and uniting their villages. And thus, began the great Roman Empire.12

5. The ten toes as well as the ten horns are the ten kingdoms of the beast and represent the Revived Roman Empire (Dan. 2:33; Rev. 17:12-13). This Revived Roman Empire will most likely be ruled from Rome.

6. The city (of Babylon) will be located on a sea port (Rev. 18:17-19). Here is the most convincing evidence yet that Rome is Babylon: because Rome is located on the Mediterranean Sea; but the ancient city of Babylon is not located on the sea, but on the Euphrates river, which may still be dried up (Rev. 16:12).

10 Harry A. Ironside, “Babylonian Religion,” at http://www.biblelineministries.org/articles/basearch.php?action=full&mainkey=BABYLONIAN+RELIGION+%28By+Harry+A.+Ironside%29.

11 Stephen Nielsen, After The Rapture (Saint Paul, Minnesota, published by Stephen Nielsen, 2020), p. 84.

12 City Wonders, “Could you walk the seven hills of Rome?” at https://citywonders.com/blog/Italy/Rome/could-you-walk-the-seven-hills-of-rome#:~:text=The%20Seven%20Hills%20of%20Rome%20are%20on%20the%20east%20of,the%20origins%20of%20the%20empire.

The fall of Commercial Babylon (Rev. 18)

Posted on by
1

To start this section, it is important to know that though commercial Babylon is different in that it deals not so much with religion, but with commerce, it is still linked with the old fallen religious Babylon and still has a strong foundation in its immorality and idolatry. I think we may capture this reality best by looking at what the angel said about the coming fallen Babylon in verses two and three.

And he cried out with a mighty voice, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird. 3 “For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality.”

I think John MacArthur comments well on these verses, pointing out the differences between the two Babylon’s.

Religious Babylon (chap. 17) lures the nations into spiritual drunkenness and fornication with false gods (17:2, 4); commercial Babylon (chap. 18) seduces the unbelieving world into a materialistic stupor so that the people of the world will become drunk with passion because of their relationship with Babylon.7

As for this Babylonian system of commerce; how is it run? Well, even before the Antichrist appears on the scene, the Scripture tells us that there will be ten kings with ten kingdoms. We don’t see this yet, but I think we will see it soon. And then, just as these kingdoms are put in place, a very powerful leader, who is the Antichrist, will come into power, and he will give authority to the ten kings. And with them, and with his prophet (the false prophet) leading, he will set up a government system by which no person on earth will be able to buy or sell anything unless he has a certain mark, a mark of the beast, on either his right hand or his forehead (Rev. 13:16-17). Hence, this Antichrist will control all commerce.

But even before this control system comes about, and even before the ten kingdoms are installed, we will see many global organizations come together in an effort to form a global government—and this will bring about these ten kingdoms and the Antichrist. But we don’t have to wait long. Most of these organizations are already in place and are making global plans with each other. There are probably over one-hundred of them, but here are the top seven.

1. United Nations (UN). It was established in 1945, and its mission is to ensure international peace and security.

2. United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). It was established in 1945. Its mission is to promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, science, and culture.

3. World Health Organization (WHO). It weas established in 1948. It is an organization that specializes in international public health.

4. World Economic Forum (WEF). It was established in 1971. Their stated mission is to improve the status of the world by engaging commercial, governmental, intellectual, and other leaders of society to influence global, regional, and industry agendas.  

5.  International Monetary Fund (IMF). It was established in 1945. Its mission is to promote global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world while relying on the World Bank for resources on a periodic basis.

6. World Bank. It was established in 1944. This international agency lends and gives money to governments in low- and middle-income nations to fund capital projects.

7. World Trade Organization (WTO). It weas established in 1995. It is a multilateral organization that regulates and supports international trade.8                                                                                                       

Most of these organizations on the surface look very good and helpful to the world’s people However, when they are used under the Antichrist system of government, they will be used for a evil.

One of the things that is progressing rather quickly is the idea of having digital currency dan a new cashless society. And it will be a currency that is programable by its leaders. In other words, we will be forced to buy and sell only the things that the Antichrist system approves of. They will control what we buy and sell.

But do not think that these things are ideas way down the road. There are actually many organizations that are presently discussing and working on these things. There is an organization called Digital Currency Governance Consortium, which is composed of 80 organizations to discuss these things. And this is all under the global organization World Economic Forum. And there are several of these groups that are promoting digital currency. Here are a few titles you should be aware of: Central Bank Digital Currency, The Digital Dollar Project, MIT Digital Currency Initiative, A New Era of Digital Money-IMF F&D. I think there is almost too many of them; too many ideas.

Big businesses will also be tied into the new Babylonian, Antichrist system. There will be nothing small anymore—no small businesses. It will be much easier to control big businesses. I’m sure that their executives will have no problem taking the mark of the beast and engaging in his evil system.

In Revelation 18:11-13 there is a list of all the “cargo” that the merchants of the earth are mourning over after Babylon falls. But that list should be updated and modernized for today. I have a list before me of one-hundred of the biggest global companies, having ten different categories (or sectors) of goods (“cargo”). Here is my revised tabulation, organized first by the ten sectors, then by the top three companies.

SectorsTop Three Companies
TechnologyApple, Microsoft, Alphabet
Consumer DiscretionaryAmazon, Tesla, Walmart
Health CareUnited Health Group, Johnson & Johnson, Eli Lilly
EnergySaudi Aramio, Exxon Mobil, Reliance Industries
FinancialsBerkshire Hathaway, JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America
IndustrialsVisa, Mastercard, Accenture
Consumer StaplesProcter & Gamble, Pepsico, Philip Morris
TelecommunicationsCisco, T-Mobile, Verizon
Basic MaterialsLinde, BHP Group
UtilitiesNextera Energy

I noticed, according to verses 11-13 that this list of companies is in no way complete. There doesn’t seem to be a category for animals, vehicles, or slaves and human lives. Yes, apparently the slave trade will reappear in Antichrist’s commercial system!9        

7 Ibid., notes on Revelation 18:3.

8 Team Leverage Edu, “Discover the Top 15 International Organizations in the World,” at https://leverageedu.com/blog/list-of-international-organizations/.

9 Visual Capitalist, “Ranked: The 100 Biggest Public Companies in the World.” At https://www.visualcapitalist.com/biggest-public-companies-in-the-world-2022/.

The Fall of Babylon: Religious Babylon

Posted on by
3

The fall of Babylon, very simply, is the destruction by God of the Antichrist and his domain of evil in the world. It will be a display of God’s authority and dominion. It will be the toppling of an evil kingdom so that a new righteous kingdom can be put it its place.

In tackling this great subject, we will first deal with the fact that there are two Babylon’s: a religious Babylon and a commercial Babylon. In this section we will look at religious Babylon, from Revelation 17; then, in a second blog we will look at commercial Babylon, from chapter 18. Also, along the way, we will show how the two are linked and how we really can’t speak of either of them without there being a connection to the other.

I think there is no better way to study this subject than to work our way through chapter 17, one verse at a time. So, from the first two verses we see that there is a “great harlot who sits on many waters,” and the kings of the earth are allied with her in her evil doings, and all who dwell on the earth are “made drunk with the wine of her immorality.” The great harlot symbolizes the false religious system of this religious Babylon; and it is termed a harlot because of its deceptive, sinful nature—as a prostitute. The term “sits on many waters” is explained in verse fifteen—that she has a ruling power over all the nations of the world; and it seems that they are glad allies with her; moreover, all the worlds people are intoxicated with her teaching.

In verses three and four we read that the woman (the harlot) is sitting on a scarlet beast. This is the first place we see that the woman (religious Babylon) is linked to the beast. And we also read that she is scarlet (v. 4). I have two observations. First, the riding of the beast indicates that she has some control over him. Second, the fact that they both are dressed in scarlet shows us that they both are of royalty and powerful, and they also are tied to the Roman Catholic church (more on that later).

In verse four we are given a picture of this harlot: she is clothed in purple and scarlet, adorned with gold and precious stones, and has in her hand a gold cup full of abominations; then also, in verse five we see that on her forehead is a name written, “BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIOINS OF THE EARTH.” So, what can we make of this?

First of all, her clothing and expensive jewelry tell us of her great wealth, and also that she is of the Catholic Church. We see this in the colors of purple and scarlet, and also in the precious stores that are worn by priests. The gold cup full of abominations is, I think, the wine of immorality and sin that she partakes of and also offers to all others in the world (v. 2). Then in verse five, the name on her forehead tells us that she (this false religious system out of the Catholic Church) does not hide its abominations, rather, she parades them to the world as something she is proud of.

What we see in verse six, that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus, is a further proof that this religious Babylon is of the Catholic Church of Rome; for it has a long history of persecuting and killing Christians in the most barbaric way. And when Rome is established in power, we will see the same practice and with the hearty approval of the Antichrist.

Now there are two more things in this seventeenth chapter that we will mention, which pertains to this harlot—the religious Babylon. First, from verse nine, where John says, “Here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads [of the beast] are seven mountains on which the woman sits…” Besides the seven great world empires (Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, and the Antichrist kingdom), the seven mountains (or hills) also means Rome—which sits on seven hills. I may be wrong, but I can’t help feeling that God wants us to know that the woman sits on and rules from Rome.

Also, from verse sixteen, we should know that at the midpoint of the Tribulation, the Antichrist, with his ten kings, will destroy the harlot (or make her desolate)—and they will do it by the inspiration of God (He will put it in their hearts to do it).

It is also important to know that from this point on, her wealth and the power of her control will be transferred to the beast. Hence, he will now hold all worship for himself. Thus, looking ahead, we must realize that when God destroys Babylon, it destroys not only commercial Babylon but also religious Babylon; for during the last half of the Tribulation, until the end, Babylon is not completely secular but is full of idolatry in its nature—just as it was earlier with the harlot. Hence, at the end all evil is destroyed.

12 Events of Christ’s Return

Posted on by
1

In my last article on this subject, I wrote on the first seven event of His return. Here they are:

1. He will come on a day that is dark and when the power of the heavens are shaking (Matt. 24:29).

2. Heaven opens (Rev. 19:11).

3. Suddenly, He appears in the sky and sitting on a white horse; and is coming on the clouds of heaven (Matt. 24:30; 26:64; Rev. 1:7; 19:11).

4. And the armies in heaven (the angels) and the holy ones (the redeemed) will be following Him on white horses (Rev. 19:14; Zech. 14:5-6).

5. Every eye will see Him (Matt. 24:30; Rev. 1:7).

6. All the tribes of the earth will mourn Matt. 24:30; Rev. 1:7).

7. Those who are of the house of David will mourn (Zach. 12:10).

I will write now on the last five events.

8. Jesus will fight for Israel and bring them to safety (Zech. 12:9-9; 14:3-4; Rev. 12:16). Because a remnant of Israel will choose to believe in Him, He will fight for them and bring them to safely. There are two groups of Jews that He will appear to and fight for. First, there are those who earlier fled into the wilderness. And when the Antichrist comes against them, he and his armies will easily be defeated (Rev. 12:16).

A second group will be those who are trapped in Jerusalem after the city is sieged. Jesus saves them by stepping down on the Mount of Olives, causing it to split in the middle, and produces a large valley from east to west. Hence, Jesus will give them this way to escape to safety.

9. Jesus will cast the beast and the false prophet into the lake of fire (Rev. 19:20).

10. Jesus goes out to judge (to kill) all unbelievers. According to Revelation 19:20-21, after He casts the beast and the false prophet into the lake of fire, He then goes to kill the rest with the sword. There are five different references on this point.

Revelation 19:15. “From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations…”

I like what John MacArthur says on this: “That the sword comes out of His mouth indicates that He wins the battle with the power of His word.”4

Revelation 19:15. “He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.”

This is a vivid picture of judgment. And notice that Jesus is the one who is stomping on the grapes in the great wine press of God.

Revelation 19:17-18, 21. Here an angel summons birds to come to the great supper of God. Many thousands of birds will come and feast on all the dead bodies lying on the battle field.

Revelation 14:14-19. Here is a picture of Christ along with certain angels harvesting the ungodly people of the world with a sharp sickle. The harvest is illustrated first by grain and then by grapes. In both cases the harvest is ripe for judgment and ready to be reaped.

Revelation 14:20. “The wine press was trodden outside the city, and blood came out of the wine press, up to the horses bridle, for a distance of two hundred miles.” John MacArthur comments:

God will determine that this bloodbath will occur outside Jerusalem, as if God wants to protect the city from the carnage all around. Zechariah 14:1-5 makes clear that Jerusalem will be attacked, but will not be destroyed in the end, but spared for the glory of the kingdom, and the believing remnant will be saved…5

11. A description of what happens to those who will go to war against Jerusalem (from Zechariah 14:12-15). From this passage we see three things that will happen to all people that go to war against Jerusalem. These things we may recognize as curses that were promised by God to Abraham in Genesis 12:3: “And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse.’

The first curse we see is a plague on all the people as well as their animals (vv. 12, 15): “…their flesh will rot while they stand on their feet, and their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongue will rot in their mouth.”

The second thing that will happen is this: “It will come about in that day that a great panic from the LORD will fall on them; and they will seize one another’s hand, and the hand of one will be lifted against the hand of another” (v. 13).

Thirdly, God will energize the Jews who remain in Jerusalem to fight; and they will capture the wealth of the surrounding nations (gold, silver and garments). I take it that this will happen right before they escape to safety through the valley (Zech. 14:4-5).

12. A description of the positive changes made after the Tribulation (Zech. 14:6-11). In these verses God reveals to us that there will be some differences in the earth and in the people—positive differences (We don’t know how wide spread these differences will be, whether it will be only to Israel, or to the entire world. It is my guess that we will see the differences mainly in Israel, but in some cases to the entire world.) Here are five things that will be different.

The lights (vv. 6-7). “In that day there will be no light, the luminaries will dwindle. For it will be a unique day which is known to the LORD, neither day nor night, but it will come about that at evening time there will be light.” 

From these verses it seems that after the Tribulation the Lord will create something new for the earth (for all the earth)—which will endure throughout the millennial kingdom. Here we see that there will be a change in the light. It seems that out present light source, from the sun and moon, will be changed. According to Isaiah 60:19-20, we will see by the light of Christ’s glory; and only He knows the full extent of what it will be like (read Isa. 30:26). 

The water (v. 8). “And in that day living waters will flow out of Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea and the other half toward the western sea; it will be in summer as well as in winter” (Read also Ezek. 47:1-2; Joel 3:18; Jn. 7:38; and Rev. 2 2 :1-2). It will be glorious to drink of the “living water” in that day. The source of it will be from the temple of God in Jerusalem. It will flow all over the land of Israel, and possibly also in all other lands of the world. There will be no more pollution and sickness caused by water. Instead, the water will bring health to all the fish of the sea and to all the plants and fruit trees for a healing. It will be wonderful.

One religion (v. 9). “And the LORD will be king over all the earth; in that day the LORD will be the only one, and His name the only one.” John MacArthur comments:

There will be only one religion in the entire world during the millennial reign of Christ. Ruling with a rod of iron, Christ will have done away with all false religions spawned by Satan. This will be the ultimate fulfillment of the Abrahamic Covenant providing a Jewish people, the nation of Israel, and the land given to Abraham; the Davidic Covenant which promised a king from the tribe of Judah and the line of David; and the New Covenant which held out the hope of spiritual redemption for Jew and Gentile. All of this will be fulfilled in and by the Lord Jesus Christ.6                         

The land (v. 10). “All of the land will be changed into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem; but Jerusalem will rise and remain on its site from Benjamin’s Gates far as the place of the First Gate to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king’s wine presses.”

The great earthquake (from the seventh bowl) will change not only the land of Israel, but all the earth’s land in preparation for the coming millennial kingdom (Rev. 16:20; Isa 40:4-5).

Security (v. 11). “People will live in it, and there will no longer be a curse, for Jerusalem will dwell in security.”

After the Tribulation is over, and because Jesus has come and is king over all the earth, all people will dwell in security.

4 John MacArthur, John MacArthur’s notes on Revelation 19:15.

5 Ibid., notes on Revelation 14:20.

6 Ibid., notes on Zechariah 14:9.

World’s Superpowers in Favor of WWIII

Posted on by
2

How soon are we going into World War III? It seems that the superpowers are all for it. Why? Read this article:

World’s superpowers threw their cards on the table this week and every one of them came up in favor of WWIII

February 22, 2023

U.K.’s Tony Blair says West is counting on China to ‘hold back Russia’

Former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair and Lord William Hague sat for a 14–minute interview on Wednesday, February 22, with the BBC that provides insight into the level of Western arrogance and hubris regarding Russia. Blair has always been a conduit for the globalist Luciferian cabal, so when he speaks we should listen. Luciferians always tell us their plans ahead of time, and yet so few conservatives pay them any heed.

They start off the interview by parroting the usual Western propaganda line of the moment, which is their fixation on ridding the world of Putin, whom they see as the last obstacle to them ushering in their utopian one-world technocratic superstate.

This superstate will transcend national sovereignty and be based on global digital IDs for everyone and replacing cash with central bank digital currencies — these are the two things that will allow for 24/7 surveillance and assessment, think social credit scores, of all citizens living within the system.

  • Who is spending what amount of money on what goods and services, where, and with whom are they spending it?
  • The tracking of all resources with designated carbon allotments for each global citizen.
  • Tracking the movement of global citizens throughout the system.
  • Even tracking what goes into the body of every global citizen.
  • Human beings are seen as just another asset or liability in the system, no different than widgets, machines, and raw materials.

This entire system — their utopia our dystopia — depends on Putin’s defeat.

Read Article

The First Seven Events of Christ’s Return

Posted on by
1

Though it might seem that all the events of His return (twelve events) will take a good bit of time, I have an idea that it will take a very short time. Armageddon itself, from the gathering of the armies of the world (in the sixth seal), to the great earthquake, the fall of Babylon, and of Jerusalem (the seventh seal), I think will take up to a year. But I really don’t think that the events of His coming will take much more than three or four days.

So let us set it up. For some time before His coming (for many months) the armies of the world, and primarily the armies of the beast, have been battling against each other for power. And their main goal will be to capture and plunder Jerusalem. I am sure that seeing Christ will be the last thing on their minds; and His appearing will change everything.

We will take a look now at all the events of His return in chronological order as I see it.

The First Seven Chronological Events of Christ’s Return

1. He will come on a day that is dark and when the power of the heavens are shaking (Matt. 24:29). It will be at a time when there is little hope for the world and for Israel.

2. Heaven opens (Rev. 19:11). All at once there will be a parting of the dark clouds and the darkness, so that all the world will see Him and His glorious light.

3. Suddenly, He appears in the sky and sitting on a white horse; and is coming on the clouds of heaven (Matt. 24:30; 26:64; Rev. 1:7; 19:11).

4. And the armies in heaven (the angels) and the holy ones (the redeemed) will be following Him on white horses (Rev. 19:14; Zech. 14:5-6).

5. Every eye will see Him (Matt. 24:30; Rev. 1:7). Everyone in the world will see Him. How this is possible I don’t know. It will either be by some miracle or through the internet or TV cameras.

6. All the tribes of the earth will mourn Matt. 24:30; Rev. 1:7). All the tribes of the earth means every person on earth. Apparently, they will feel the guilt of their sins and fear of punishment, but they all will not genuinely repent of their sins. Some, I think, will even blaspheme God as they did previously because of the severity of the plagues (Rev. 16:21).

7. Those who are of the house of David will mourn (Zach. 12:10). This mourning is a genuine mourning of repentance, which is poured out by God as a gift to them. It will come to them because they will look to Jesus, the One whom they rejected and crucified; and they will be truly sorry. Zechariah 12:10-14 prophecies this mourning, which will result in their salvation.

“I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn. 11 “In that day there will be great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the plain of Megiddo. 12 “The land will mourn, every family by itself; the family of the house of David by itself and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself and their wives by themselves; 13 the family of the house of Levi by itself and their wives by themselves; the family of the Shimeites by itself and their wives by themselves; 14 all the families that remain, every family by itself and their wives by themselves.