"Commercial Babylon" REVELATION 18 From the Series: When The Lamb Stands.

Note: many scriptural passages are hyper-linked to Bible Gateway KJV of the Bible.. Now one click opens passage in a new window.

“Babylon is fallen, is fallen!

And all the carved images of her gods He has broken to the ground.”

Isaiah 21:9

The prophet Isaiah in the Old Testament foretold the immediate and ultimate [future] destruction of Babylon. The warning was taken up by Jeremiah: “Babylon is taken…For out of the north a nation comes up against her, which shall make her land desolate, and no one shall dwell therein. They shall move, they shall depart, both man and beast.” [Jer. 50:2-3] It is clear that the conquering of the city of Babylon by the Medes and Persians in 539 B.C. did not destroy the city; it remained to become one of the capitals of Persia after the Babylonian empire fell. In fact, the city was taken with virtually no blood shed or destruction. The prophecies in Isaiah and Jeremiah have not yet been fulfilled completely—when the city will be “desolate, and no one shall dwell therein.” The miraculous way in which the city was spared in ancient times is in itself a providential sign that God preserved it in order to reserve complete destruction for the future.

An ancient account alleges that a Persian general devised a plan to get inside the fortress city by diverting the Euphrates River. Since the river flowed through the city of Babylon, the lowered water enabled besiegers to enter the city under the walls without detection. They reached the palace, killing king Belshazzar and his guards, before the city was aware. [MacArthur Study Bible, p. 1236]

Daniel 5 describes this fateful night in order to punctuate God’s purpose. While the pagan Babylonian king feasted in distain for the Persian forces at his fortified high gates, he dared use the golden temple implements of Israel to drink from. He saw himself superior to Medo-Persia, but his mistake was in dishonoring the God of Israel. A disembodied hand suddenly appeared to write a mysterious message on the wall of Belshazzar’s banquet room, filling the king with terror—something Persia failed to do. Daniel was called to explain the cryptic meaning of the puzzle. In condemning words, Daniel announced: “This is the interpretation of each word. MENE: God has numbered your kingdom, and finished it; TEKEL: You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting; PERES: Your kingdom has been divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.” [Daniel 5:26-28] That very night, Daniel’s words were fulfilled. Babylon fell and Belshazzar was killed.

When the God of Israel, the God of all providence, determines it is time for a nation to fall, it is done. Daniel the prophet described the ultimate fall of all human empires at the close of the Times of the Gentiles. The final and complete fall and destruction of Babylon is reserved for this culminating moment—when the stone cut out without hands, Jesus Christ [Daniel 2:34], will crush and consume not just the existing empire, but the accumulated heritage passed down through Gentile world empires, specifically those that conquered Israel: Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome/the Revived Roman Empire. “And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.” [Daniel 2:44] The Millennial Kingdom of Jesus Christ will replace all human authority with His reign, and His kingdom shall stand forever never to be replaced.

Babylon is a symbol of man’s first empire and his first organized rebellion.

Rebellion began in Babylon, but its rebellion lives on.

THE ACCUMULATED WRATH OF GOD TARGETS BABYLON’S FINAL DESTRUCTION FOR THE END TIMES.

This is the strongest evidence I can offer that the Tribulation religion will be the final manifestation of a pagan mother goddess cult from ancient Babel/Babylon, and that Antichrist’s capital city will be Babylon, Iraq—the same city Nebuchadnezzar built as his Babylonian capital. Watch for it—ancient Babylon, which was being rebuilt by Saddam Hussein of Iraq, will be restored to its ancient glory before it is finally destroyed once and for all by the return of the true King of Kings. This is perfect wrath.

ACCUMULATED WRATH

           It is a strange concept for us that God, in His perfect timing, would delay judgment. To the Lord, it is not delay; His wrath awaits the perfect moment. This is demonstrated again and again in scripture.

· Our Lord at His first coming cursed the scribes and Pharisees for their hypocrisy and also for the sins of past generations for killing the prophets. He promised that accumulated judgment was about to fall: “Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.” [Matthew 23:36] Christ’s generation was judged for centuries of innocent blood when the Roman legions invaded Israel in A.D. 70 to put down rebellion. The Jewish people were dispersed to the four corners of the earth and Jerusalem and the temple were burned.

· Our Lord prophesied that Jerusalem, which had been in bondage to foreign powers since their captivity to Babylon, would continue to be trampled by Gentiles “until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” [Luke 21:24] But when the final Gentile empire, the Revived Empire of Rome/Antichrist runs its course, Christ Himself will return to crush all remnants of Gentile power, as we saw above, and restore Israel [Romans 11]. Gentile power accumulates the wrath of God over centuries of time.

· In the book of Habakkuk, the prophet laments that in answer to his prayer that God would send revival to sinful Judah, instead the Lord reveals He is sending the Babylonians to correct His people. However, after the Chaldeans [Babylonians] serve their purpose, He will turn and judge them—first with the Medo-Persians and finally with Christ’s second coming in ultimate judgment. But the prophet is told to be patient for the day of accumulated wrath: “For the vision is yet for an appointed time; but at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.” [Habakkuk 2:3] WHEN IT’S GOD’S TIME—IT’S TIME.

· The souls of the martyrs of the Tribulation cry out in the Fifth Seal “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” They were comforted but were told that “they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.” [Revelation 6:9-11] Our Lord chooses to reserve judgment until it accumulates His full measure of wrath.

· In the book of Romans, Paul writes that even God’s physical creation eagerly waits for the day when it “will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.” [Romans 8:19-22] Creation suffered corruption when man fell into sin [Genesis 3:17-18]; it waits for the final redemption of man at the return of Christ to restore all things to His original purpose and intention. But wrath and judgment accumulate until that day.

· Satan himself is allowed to have authority over every tribe, tongue, and nation in the Tribulation [Revelation 13:7] Evil is allowed to fill the cup of God’s wrath to the brink, accumulating to overflowing [Bowl Judgments], before our Lord returns to destroy Satan’s evil failed experiment. [Revelation 19:20, 21; 20:2, 10] In order to make all things new, evil was allowed to accumulate and run its course. [Revelation 21:1]

COMMERCIAL BABYLON

In Revelation chapter 17 we saw John’s vision of Mystery Babylon, Antichrist’s global religious system of the Tribulation. Mystery Babylon was destroyed by Antichrist himself, but it was God’s providence that accomplished it. In chapter 18 we are given a taste of the economic or commercial capital of Antichrist’s empire. How fitting that it is described as it is already in the process of destruction and judgment. “Babylon is fallen…”

• 18:1-2—The cry of Isaiah 21:9 is repeated and fulfilled: “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird!” This is the fulfillment of the complete desolation described in Jeremiah 50:2-3. The nations that “drank her wine” are now witnessing her destruction [Jeremiah 51:7, Revelation 18:3]. How elegant a judgment that brings Old and New Testament together in RESOLUTION.
• This great announcement is given by “another angel” of great authority. The earth is lit up with his glory, the reflected glory of God from standing close to the throne. As the Fifth Bowl [16:10] plunged the throne of the beast, his capital headquarters Babylon, into darkness, this sudden blazing appearance will ensure the world’s attention to his message. Perhaps this supernatural act will “shed light” on the justness of God’s judgment.
• 18:3—Accusations of fornication are made against the nations that participate in the economic system of Antichrist, just as they were made for those who participate in the religious system. MacArthur: “…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.” Both kings and merchants are caught up in the intoxication. In our materialistic culture, it is not difficult to imagine how the bull market of Antichrist’s economic upswing will seduce the world. The current global economic crisis is forcing nations into mutual dependence on a global economy. Allegiance to this economy and Antichrist will be rewarded; he will hold the purse strings [Daniel 11:43]. Those who follow him will be included in wealth-generating schemes, such as the looting of Mystery Babylon. It is also likely that the global system will absorb the unclaimed estates of believers raptured before the Tribulation, just as the estates of Jews were looted by Germany. The estates of those martyred by Antichrist will also become “spoil.” It is no wonder that all who participate in this corrupt system are likened to fornicators.

The world mourns Babylon’s fall. This great commercial center will represent the best and LAST of the wealth of the world. With its fall, Wilfred Hahn sees the complete economic collapse of the earth. [Midnight Call magazine]

• 18:4—MERCY IN JUDGMENT: “Come out of her, my people…” The Lord always warns before judgment. The remnant [my people] is called out of Babylon before its destruction. Given the significance of Babylon’s prophesied judgment, the remnant has been forewarned in the Old Testament as well as here in the Revelation.

Isaiah 48:20-21: note that the prophet speaks of the redemption of Jacob. This is not the return of a small remnant of Israel from Babylon in the Old Testament. This is the final redemption of the nation. [Zechariah 12:10-13:1; Romans 11:1, 2, 25-27]. The meaning is profound. MacArthur: “A redeemed Israel is to make a complete separation from the final Babylon and its wicked system, and proclaim to the world the Lord’s grace toward the nation.

Also in Isaiah, we are given detailed information on how the Lord will enable their escape. “…they did not thirst when He led them through the deserts; He caused the waters to flow from the rock for them; He also split the rock, and the waters gushed out.” Just as God miraculously provided for Moses’ generation, after He delivered them from Egypt [Ex. 17:6; cf. Is. 41:17, 18], …He will provide for redeemed Israel when they escape the final world empire of Babylon.” [MacArthur] Jesus Christ is the rock [Matt. 16:18; Acts 4:11, 12] who was pierced for our transgressions [Zechariah 12:10; John 19:34, 37]. He is the rock who was split, and living waters gushed out [John 4:14].

The remnant will be living on the Word to stay alive.

The living Word, Christ, will sustain spiritual and physical life in the midst of judgment.

He is spiritual living water; He will provide literal water in the physical desert of judgment.

SPIRITUAL GOOSEBUMPS:

The remnant is also warned to flee Babylon in Zechariah 2:6-13. Again, the immediate fulfillment was to warn the Jews to leave Babylon and return to Israel during the Old Testament restoration period. They were permitted to leave Babylon by Cyrus the Great of Persia, but only 50,000 actually returned. The majority stayed in the area of Babylon after it became the Persian Empire.

But this passage has much broader application FOR THE FUTURE. The warning is specifically to the believing remnant of Israel in the Tribulation, although a Gentile remnant is included by implication. However, Zion’s escape from Babylon is linked to a greater deliverance and fulfillment of covenant promise to Israel. After they are told to “Escape, you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon,” the promise that Israel will soon receive their covenant promise to live and reign with their Messiah is restated: “’I will dwell in your midst,’ says the LORD. ‘Many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day, and they shall become My people. And I will dwell in your midst. Then you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent Me to you. And the LORD will take possession of Judah as His inheritance in the Holy Land, and will again choose Jerusalem. Be silent, all flesh, before the LORD, for He is aroused from His holy habitation!”

• The Lord’s return to take possession of Judah is close when Zion is called out of Babylon. Believers are to leave the city of Babylon and the system, both physically and spiritually.
• When Christ returns, there will be no dispute about who owns Jerusalem!
• Notice the term Holy Land is used only here, not because Israel is the Promised Land, but because Jerusalem will be the capital of Christ’s earthly kingdom, the seat of His holy throne.
• But what thrills me about this passage is the last line: “Be silent, all flesh, before the LORD, for He is aroused [roused] from His holy habitation!” His holy habitation is God’s dwelling in heaven [cf. Ps. 15:1—“holy hill”; 24:3—“holy place”]. The Lord prepares to return to earth from heaven by rising up from the heavenly dwelling He has inhabited for over 2,000 years. This sentence is similar to Revelation 5:6 and 7, the verses supplying the title of our series, “When The Lamb Stands.” The Lamb stands to take the scroll out of the right hand of the Father to release God’s wrath on the earth. In Zechariah 2, He rises up or stands to return to earth because the wrath is nearly complete. In both verses, standing indicates taking action. I don’t know about you, but when the Lamb of God stands to take action, I get excited!
• 18:5-8 – The pride and arrogance of Babylon will decide her fate as well as the sins of the ages she has accumulated. God will remember and render to her in the same measure she has rendered to His people, but in a DOUBLE PORTION. She believes she is a “queen” and will never be brought low, but God will utterly burn her with fire. Because she glorified herself, her judgment will be designed to humble her and give her “torment and sorrow.” In 16:19, we are told Babylon will receive “the fierceness of His wrath.” Babylon will finally be desolate rather than glorious, a “home for demons,” 18:2. The reference to “queen” may be an allusion to the Queen of Heaven, the mother goddess of the Babylonian Mystery Religion. There is a close relationship between the commercial capital and the religion of the system.
• Her cup of evil is overflowing, demanding a double portion of judgment to fit the crime. The Bowl Judgments are a metaphor of the overflowing of God’s wrath on the earth, and Babylon’s judgment is within the final Bowl Judgments. Her “plagues” will come in one day, and in verse 10, “one hour.” Both times indicate a very short period of time. Could her plagues be limited nuclear armaments, orchestrated by God, possibly by the Kings of the East who are marching toward Israel [16:12]? The plagues result in “death and mourning and famine,” and she will be “utterly burned with fire,” all descriptions that could refer to the sudden total destruction of a massive bomb.

VISION OF THE WOMAN IN A BASKET

The Lord makes His opinion of Commercial Babylon clearly known in vision form to Zechariah, a prophet of the restoration period of Israel's Old Testament history. As Zechariah and his people were rebuilding Jerusalem after the year's of Babylonian captivity, the prophet was given a series of visions to motivate the people for the work at hand with broad and far-reaching pictures of hope and promise for the FUTURE.

Along with the hope were visions of warning to Israel. In Zechariah 5:5-11, the prophet sees a woman named Wickedness that the angel had imprisoned in a basket with a covering of heavy lead. The basket represents the ephah, a measuring basket used for selling grain in the market place. The wickedness she represents is particularly materialistic and is worshipped as an idol, represented by the "base" on which it is set when taken "home." The fact that she must be imprisoned by force under the lead covering indicates her influence is virilent and ongoing. Israel picked up the sin of materialism in Babylon and the Lord promises He will send it back where it came from, to ancient Shinar or Babylon, for future destruction. This vision is also a promise that the Lord will cleanse Israel of the sin of the final world system of Antichrist before establishing His earthly kingdom. THE LORD SEES THE WORSHIP OF COMMERCIALISM AS WICKEDNESS TO BE JUDGED.

• 18:9-20 – The economic collapse of the world causes extreme despair to men and the loss of all materialism, which is described in detail. Men mourn over the loss of their luxuries. But in verse 20, believers in heaven and earth rejoice! The destruction of Antichrist’s final system is part of God’s vengeance on their behalf. The smoke of her burning is seen from a long distance because her merchants who are not caught in the attack have distanced themselves from the city out of fear that they will be caught in her plague [torment] [vs. 10 and 17]. A nuclear bomb would leave radioactive fallout that would need to be avoided. It may be that the merchants are in ships on the Persian Gulf, far enough away to be safe but near enough to be able to see the billowing smoke of the burning city.
• 18:21-24 – The complete and utter destruction of the city, previewed in the Old Testament, is now described. In order to illustrate how she will be destroyed, a mighty angel takes a heavy millstone and throws it into the sea. In the same way, the city will sink like a stone. How? The prophet Jeremiah spoke of the destruction of Babylon in Jeremiah 51:61-64 using the same illustration of a sinking stone. “…it shall be desolate forever…Thus Babylon shall sink and not rise from the catastrophe that I will bring upon her.” Dr. McGee speculates that since the passage reveals God will burn her with fire [vs. 8, 9, 18], the city may quickly go up in flames because it is built on an asphalt plain. In the story of Babel, the ancient site of Babylon, scripture reveals they used pitch, which is oil-based, to build the Tower of Babel [Genesis 11:3]. The oil that made Babylon rich may also lead to is destruction, causing it to burn so greatly that the city will sink out of sight and be consumed, a just judgment.
• The greatest emotion of lost mankind is expressed in this chapter—mourning over the loss of all the merchandise and cargo of materialism. Babylon, the center of music, entertainment, art, and commerce, will be destroyed and all her pleasures with her. But she is not just the local mall. Verse 23 states that her sorcery deceived the nations, causing the death of prophets and saints. Babylon will be the best and worst of Las Vegas, New York, Paris, Dubai and Los Angeles. The worst of the red light districts of Amsterdam will be represented in her, until no light will shine anywhere any more. This probably refers to a loss of power that may be global. With the fall of Babylon, all semblance of “normal” will be gone from the Tribulation.
• Nothing that brings light and joy will ever be found in Babylon again. Although the Lord will restore the earth and the remnant will repopulate it during the Millennial Kingdom, Babylon, the great city of men, will never rise again. Such wickedness deserves no restoration.

Tim LaHaye believes the city may be attacked and destroyed by the Kings of the East as they advance to Armageddon [16:12] and could attack with nuclear force. As the war of Armageddon nears the final battle, the armies of the earth will begin by coming against Israel but will end up fighting God and each other in their madness and supernatural intoxication. It will be every nation for themselves, the failure of global unity. But even this is the design of a sovereign God. Thousands of armed men advancing across the Middle East to Israel, during a time when the judgments will have destroyed much of the infrastructure and food, will be forced to live off the land. They will plunder their way to Armageddon.

The battle of Armageddon will be a fight for final world domination between surviving powers. The army that takes the Temple Mount in Jerusalem is king of the mountain because Satan knows Zion is the prize. Our Lord has determined that Jerusalem and the Temple Mount are the epicenter of the earth. That is why the final battle to FINISH WRATH will take place there [Zechariah 12 and 14].

~

REFLECTION: I appreciate the committment of all who have tracked with me through this demanding study so far. Don’t quit now, not when it is getting really good. We are nearly to the point in The Revelation narrative where our Lord returns in His glory [Matthew 24:30].

I am so ready—not just to study it in His Word, but to hear the trumpet sound that will call us to Him at the Rapture. Dear Friends, be prepared because we are going home before the Tribulation begins. We will not only witness the Second Coming of Christ first hand, we will return with Him, following in His train, as His entourage, when He descends from heaven to earth [Acts 1:11; Revelation 19]. STAY TUNED. WE LIVE IN INFORMED ANTICIPATION OF ALL THAT IS TO COME.

In Him We Wait, Work, and Watch,

Luke 12:35-59

Sharon Clemens

[Prophecy Chat is a commentary of current events in light of Bible prophecy. Sharon L. Clemens is an evangelical, premillennial, pre-trib teacher of eschatology. She can be reached for comment or questions by e-mail at farmgrove@frontier.com]

"Mystery Babylon" REVELATION 17 From the Series: When The Lamb Stands.

Note: many scriptural passages are hyper-linked to Bible Gateway KJV of the Bible.. Now one click opens passage in a new window.

The Bowl Judgments closed with killing hail and blaspheming humanity, leaving us primed and ready to welcome our Lord coming with the clouds to rule and reign [Revelation 1:7]. The events of chapter 16 would seem a fitting end of wrath. But God’s purpose is more perfect and complete. There are yet two areas of profound judgment that demand particular attention in the next two chapters. They have been saved for the end of the narrative because they represent the final form of an ancient and historic rebellion against God’s rule and authority. The bottom line? God’s purpose in chapters 17 and 18 is to destroy rebellion where it began!

Chapter 17 details the destruction of Mystery Babylon, Antichrist’s religious system.

Chapter 18 details the destruction of Babylon, the capital of Antichrist’s economic/political system.

MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT—The One-World Religious System of Antichrist, Revelation 17:

In the year it has taken to reach this point in our series, heresy and apostacy in what identifies itself as the Christian church has increased exponentially. I took the time to review the Seven Letters to the Churches from Revelation chapters 2 and 3. Every error and false teaching found in these churches can be identified today—in post-modern Christianity. These errors have reinvented themselves under different labels, but they are basically the same liberal, humanistic, works-based, licentious lies Satan has always told and man believes. This error manifests itself in its accumulated apostacy in the final Church age known as Laodicea. I believe we are there—the final days of the Church. What comes next? The Rapture of those in Christ.

When the Church is taken out [1 Corinthians 15:50-58; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; John 14:1-3], those left who profess to be “Christian” will easily assimilate into the false, one-world religion of Antichrist and his False Prophet. Their understanding of truth is quickly transferred to the religious unity the world believes will solve all humanity’s problems. The “world” will embrace syncretism—the lie that there are many paths to heaven/God. Because they reject Christ, who limits truth to His narrow way [John 14:6], they are doomed to destruction, and so is the self-righteous system they follow. [Revelation 13]

The global religious system will quickly take shape in the void left by true believers. Corruption spreads when salt and light are absent.

In chapter 17, our Lord describes this unified religious structure as Mystery Babylon, pictured as God sees false religion. He presents her as a lewd but successful prostitute, dressed to seduce and impress. She sits on many waters, a symbol of her power over the nations of the world. The angel says to John, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot…” She is not just a harlot, just another Jezebel. She is a GREAT harlot—the epitome of her profession. She represents not only the last apparition; she is the embodiment of the accumulated lies of all the ages. Mystery Babylon is the ROOT of all false religion, the beginning and the end; and the Lord determines it is time to destroy the tree at the root.

THE ROOT OF ALL FALSE RELIGION

The key to understanding why God summarizes false end-time religion in this image is the name of the woman riding the Beast in Revelation 17—

MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

The woman represents Mystery Babylon, a pagan, occult religion that surfaces throughout history and can be traced back to Babel in Genesis 11. Tim LaHaye notes that the religion began at the Tower of Babel under the leadership of Nimrod who rebelled against God. In defiance of God’s command to spread out and repopulate the earth after the great flood, Nimrod led a spiritual rebellion to make a name for himself and his people by rooting himself to the plane of Shinar and growing great in numbers and power. He built a ziggurat or pyramid to reach heaven without looking to the one true God. This tower was possibly a temple for worship of the stars accord to Mark Hitchcock. What irony that the European Union uses the Tower of Babel as a POSITIVE symbol in their publications. A search of internet sources will even reveal another popular symbol of a woman representing Europe, riding a beast. The globalists see unity as positive and pragmatic—not as something that received the judgment of God at Babel.

After the death of Nimrod, his queen, Semiramis, secured for herself a place with the people by creating a mother-child cult. She claimed her child, Tammuz, was conceived miraculously and that the child was raised from the dead after a wild animal attack. The legend of Semiramis and Tammuz spread from Babel throughout the world, possibly when God dispersed the people by creating multiple languages. Their names were changed in different cultures, but the roots of the religion were the same. In Assyria, the mother was Ishtar and the son was Tammuz. In Phoenicia, she was Astarte and he was Baal. In Egypt, she was Isis and he was Osirus or Horus. In Greece, she was Aphrodite and he was Eros. In Rome, she was Venus and he was Cupid [Hitchcock, p. 42]. In this way Babel and its queen, which evolved into ancient Babylon, became the “mother of harlots”—the root of all the religions that followed. This infectious occult religion began because one man defied God’s command and unified civilization against Him.

UNITY IS SATAN’S PLAN—NOT GOD’S

Satan continually seeks to unify mankind against God through false religion. At Babel, the Lord scattered men by confusing language. Population then naturally migrated into regions or nations. God orders mankind by national boundaries to establish a kind of checks and balances system against syncretism, universalism, and the abuse of power through the domination of empires [Deut. 32:8; Acts 17:26]. When man unites, he quickly thinks himself greater than God. Satan’s purpose is to bring the world together globally so that mankind can be controlled through one man, Satan’s man, Antichrist [Hitchcock, p. 43].

ROME AND THE REVIVED ROMAN EMPIRE

Daniel 2 reveals that the final empire in place at Christ’s return will be a revived form of the Roman Empire with the world divided into ten regions. Rome was the empire that existed at the time of Christ’s first coming. It is elegantly satisfying to God’s perfect plan that many of the conditions of Christ’s first coming will come around again at His second coming, including a revived form of the Roman Empire.

Just as the Babylonian Mystery Religion took hold in ancient Rome, so it will be manifested again in the Revived Roman Empire of Antichrist. Clarence Larkin in his book The Book of Revelation, p. 151-152, describes just how prominent Mystery Babylon was in ancient Rome: “Julius Caesar was made Pontiff of the Etruscan Order in BC 74. In BC 63 he was made ‘Supreme Pontiff’ of the ‘Babylonian Order,’…Thus the first Roman Emperor became the Head of the ‘Babylonian Priesthood,” and Rome became the successor of Babylon.” The plot thickened in the early days of the Christian church, when Caesar Constantine introduced Christianity into popularity. The spread of Christianity threatened the pagan Babylonian practices of Rome. In order to UNIFY the empire, a system was created to infiltrate Christian religion with pagan rites and symbols, including the worship of the Virgin Mary as a type of Semiramis, the Queen of Heaven, whose worship is forbidden in Jeremiah 44:17. Many see parallels in chapter 17 with the Roman Catholic Church as the foundation of Antichrist’s religious system, or a strong contributing element. Larkin also believes the symbolism of the “city” in 17: 17-18 is evidence the prominent city central to the religion in the Tribulation is present-day Rome because the city is built on seven hills.

John MacArthur cautions that the Tribulation one-world religion should not be limited to the Roman Catholic Church. All religions, including all Protestant Christian denominations, will be apostate existing structures—devoid of true believers—after the Rapture because all true believers within their walls will be gone. However, the colors and wealth of the woman of chapter 17 do parallel the color of the vestments of Catholic ritual; and the city of Rome, the seat of the Roman church, does sit on seven hills. Because the Catholic church is the largest denomination in the world and is growing rapidly in the Latin American countries, and because the Roman church has great wealth and infrastructure in place, it likely will have great influence in the final system. Pope John Paul exerted much effort during his papacy to unite Europe under the banner of peace—and the Holy Roman Church. He saw the church as the most logical means to bind diverse peoples of Europe together. Constantine identified the same logical approach. The result was the Holy Roman Empire where the church and the government became one and the same.

HISTORY WILL REPEAT ITSELF WHEN ANTICHRIST’S ONE-WORLD GOVERNMENT, ONE-WORLD ECONOMY AND ONE-WORLD RELIGION BECOME ONE BEAST SYSTEM.

MYSTERY BABYLON DEFEATED:

• Revelation 17:1—“one of the seven angels”: The reference in verse one to these angels links chapters 17 and 18 to the Bowl Judgments. Just as the Bowls extend to the Second Coming of Christ, so these final judgments will finish wrath. The judgment of Babylon, both the economy and the religion it represents, is previewed in 16:19 and also in 14:8 as a key purpose of God. Babylon is significant as a symbol of man’s rebellion against God. God’s wrath CANNOT BE RESOLVED without attention in particular to Babylon.
• Babylon’s judgment, especially the city of Babylon in Iraq [Rev. 18], is linked to the “great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth” in Revelation 16:18. “And great Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath.” [16:19]
• We will look at Babylon as both a historic root of false religion and as Antichrist’s Tribulation capital city. But both are part of a greater Beast system that is not limited to any one spot on earth. Chapter 17 is also referred to as Religious Babylon and chapter 18 is called Commercial Babylon.
• “the great harlot who sits on many waters”: A prostitute is used to symbolize the false religion. She is not just a harlot; she is a great harlot. The Greek word for “great” is also translated “exceeding great.” In our Western culture, we tack the word “great” onto anything we want to emulate. What does it mean to be a great harlot? We can only imagine she represents the highest pinnacle of her profession, debase as it may be, and the wealth she drapes on her body is proof of success at what she does [vs. 4]. Prostitution symbolizes idolatry or religious apostasy [Jer. 3:6-9; Ez. 16:30ff; 20:30; Hos. 4:15; 5:3; 6:10; 9:1]. Therefore, she is exceedingly successful at converting followers. She sits on many waters, symbolizing she has authority/influence over the nations of the world. This is a global system of religion. Syncretism will blend all religions, which would seem impossible except for the level of compromise we now witness. For the sake of peace and unity, belief systems are centering on what they DO agree on rather than what they do not. Only true Christianity will be too dogmatic and narrow to “fit,” because truth cannot accept compromise. The persecution of true believers will be a logical progression because our truth will threaten world unity. Believers will be guilty of hate crimes, divisiveness and treason.
• 17:2—“kings…committed adultery”: The great harlot will align herself with the world’s political leaders by skillfully seducing them with her wealth and ability to put mankind into spiritual bondage. The kings will use her to further their own hold on power. Every great world leader seeks a spiritual hold on his people to put their hearts in bondage as well as their lives through military and government control. Adultery is a spiritual image of idolatry. The world rulers will be captivated with an ideology that furthers their political ambitions. Truth will be inverted [Isaiah 5:20], as the prophet foretold, replaced with pragmatism and relativism. As it was in Noah’s day, everyone will do what is right in their own eyes because religion will be based on whatever works and truth will be whatever man wants it to be [Matthew 24:37; Genesis 6:5].
• 17:3—“in the Spirit”: The Holy Spirit transports John into a wilderness place, a deserted, lonely wasteland, perhaps to give him perspective regarding the vision. She is presented on a backdrop of desolation, a reflection of her true nature, rather than the splendor she attributes to herself.

1. a woman—As we have seen, organized false religion had its roots in Babel/Babylon of Genesis 11 through the devices of Semiramis, a pagan ancient queen. Because of her institution of goddess worship, the woman has become a symbol of paganism. Fallen women such as Jezebel reinforce the symbolism.
2. scarlet beast covered with blasphemous names—She rides Antichrist and his global system [Revelation 13:14], which is a picture of dominance by the harlot. The religion will ride for a time, enjoying Antichrist’s support, but only for the first half of the Tribulation, or until the world’s masses are enslaved. Religion has been used historically to influence peoples; the False Prophet will orchestrate this deception and turn it into Antichrist worship after his false resurrection [Rev. 13]. The Beast is a beast, a horrible monster, because he cannot be identified with any one animal; he is a composite of many animal body parts, like Frankenstein’s monster [Revelation 13:2]. Past Gentile empires, identified as a lion, bear, or panther, contribute to Antichrist’s final form, along with Satan, the red dragon. He is a composite of all the best and all the worst of man’s power.
3. names of blasphemy—His pride manifests itself in names of blasphemy he flaunts arrogantly, names he takes for himself and wears to promote his self-deification [Revelation 13:1; Daniel 7:25; 11:36; 2 Thess. 2:4]. Will he call himself Pope, Christ, Messiah, Caesar, Czar, President of the New World Order, Buddha, Madhi, God—or all of the above? His blatant heresy seals his condemnation. Antichrist’s blasphemy is destroyed at Christ’s return when Christ Jesus, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, returns to take His rightful place, Revelation 19:16. The brightness of His holiness will annihilate the Beast’s claim to any authority.
4. The seven heads and ten horns are explained beginning in verse 7.

• 17:4—she is arrayed in purple and scarlet, the colors worn by royalty and high-ranking clergy—expensive clothing because of the rarity and expense of the purple and red dyes in John’s day. The gold, precious stones, pearls and golden cup are also trappings of great wealth and evidence of her power and success. But the cup is “full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication.” Whatever is in the cup is abhorrent to the Lord because it represents the intoxication of her idolatrous system. What is sweet in the cup to the world is putrid to God.
• 17:5—Mystery Babylon—We know she is the end-times equivalent of all other Mother Goddess religions, but her exact final form is a New Testament “mystery,” or truth once hidden in scripture that will be revealed. Although we can only speculate, this final Goddess religion of the Tribulation will surpass all others [2 Thess. 2:9-10]. Mariology, the worship of Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, is already gaining popularity in religions that have little else in common. Mary may be emulated and promoted to Goddess status by modern Mystery Babylon worshippers.
• 17:6—drunk with the blood of the saints: The harlot religion finds the blood of innocent martyrs, probably Tribulation believers, to be as intoxicating as wine. She celebrates her corruption, completely without remorse. John is amazed at a religion that thrives on the murder of the righteous. He is shocked that man could sink so low after the Jesus he knew so well paid the ultimate price for man’s eternal redemption. Compare with verse 8 where the lost marvel in adoration and worship for the so-called “risen” Antichrist [Revelation 13:8]. In both 17:8 and 13:8, those who are deceived by Satan’s whores and Antichrist’s lies are called those whose names are NOT written in the Book of Life. The point is clear. ONLY those elected to salvation, whose names ARE written in the Book of Life, will be able to resist the Antichrist’s deception—it will be that intoxicating.

THE ANGEL EXPLAINS:

The Lord does not leave the reader without an explanation of something so significant as the relationship between Mystery Babylon and Antichrist [17:7-15].

· 17:8, 11—“The beast that you saw WAS, AND IS NOT, AND WILL ASCEND OUT OF THE BOTTOMLESS PIT [THE ABYSS] AND GO TO PERDITION [DESTRUCTION].” MacArthur sees this as a reference to the Antichrist’s false resurrection [13:3,4, 12-14]. After his resurrection, the Antichrist will become possessed by a great demon from the abyss, which changes him into Satan’s demon-possessed man, destined for eternal damnation. The Beast is also the Beast system. MacArthur: “The Antichrist’s kingdom is said to be both the seventh and eighth kingdoms because of his supposed demise and resurrection. He is the seventh king before and the eighth king after his resurrection when he destroys the harlot’s religious empire and demands exclusive worship of himself.” In verse 10, as the eighth king, Antichrist and his empire will “continue a short time,” the last half of the Tribulation, before he and his system are destroyed by Christ at His return.

· 17:9-11: seven heads/seven hills/seven kings—[also vs. 7]: The seven heads of the Beast are the seven hills on which the woman sits while on the Beast, and they represent seven kings. This multiple meaning is to present a composite of the history of the Babylonian Mystery Religion. Just as the Beast system is composed of parts of the Daniel 2 empires of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome, so Mystery Babylon is composed of a heritage from seven historic empires dominated by the Mystery Religion from its origins. Seven is the number of completeness. The seven empires are Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, and the final stage—the Revived Roman Empire of Antichrist. This explains verse 10: “five have fallen” which are Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Greece, because they were PAST in John’s day. “One is,” would be the Roman Empire of John’s first century; “the other has not yet come” refers to the Revived Roman Empire of the Tribulation that is yet future. [Ref. MacArthur].

· 17:12—ten horns/ten kings: The ten horns on the head of the Beast represent the division of power under Antichrist in the Tribulation when the Revived Roman Empire will exist. The kings of these global regions will receive their authority for “one hour,” which represents a short time for such authority [12:12; 13:5]. The key to the swift rise of Antichrist is that he assembles a base of men who “are of one mind” with him. They are unified in their purpose and their worldview, and in their devotion to Antichrist as their leader. This “one mind” is global unity. They declare war on the Lamb, Christ, which means they are already defeated.

· 17:15-17—Although the “harlot” religion now controls peoples from all nations, when the Antichrist demands worship of himself, his minions are eager to destroy the religious system of Mystery Babylon and turn all attention to Antichrist. Eating her flesh may refer to plundering the wealth of the system in order to finance Antichrist’s global aspirations.

· 17:18—“the woman whom you saw is that great city…” Mystery Babylon is also a city, but not the city of Babylon in Iraq. LaHaye, Froese and Dyer believe Babylon is the candidate for Antichrist’s commercial capital because of the description in chapter 18 and Old Testament passages of the final destruction of Babylon yet to be fulfilled [Isaiah 21:9; Jer. 51:64]. As mentioned earlier, the descriptions of the religious system make the city of Rome a logical choice for the religious headquarters of the end-time religion. There are two cities that serve as headquarters for global operations. The city in chapter 17 is destroyed by the beast and his ten kings [17:16], but the city in chapter 18 is destroyed as a direct result of the judgment of God [18:5-7].

· In Beth Moore’s study of Esther, she points out the use of a literary device known as a reversal of fortunes. As our Lord reconciles all things to His original purpose and intention in The Revelation, we witness many reversals of fortunes as an elegant method of judgment:

The harlot, so accustomed to luxury and importance,

is reduced to shame—desolate, naked and burned with fire.

The very leaders who elevated her, depose her.

The Lord uses those closest to her perversion as pawns to judge her.

The old evil is cut off at the root.

In the next chapter, Antichrist’s cosmopolitan capital of Babylon is described as it is being destroyed. All the material promises of the Beast system are burned up in “one hour.” Antichrist’s grandiose plans last a very short time when overcome by the Lamb.

In Him We Wait, Work, and Watch,

Luke 12:35-59

Sharon Clemens

[Prophecy Chat is a commentary of current events in light of Bible prophecy. Sharon L. Clemens is an evangelical, premillennial, pre-trib teacher of eschatology. She can be reached for comment or questions by e-mail at farmgrove@frontier.com]

"THE WRATH OF GOD COMPLETED" REVELATION 16 From the Series: When The Lamb Stands.

Note: many scriptural passages are hyper-linked to Bible Gateway KJV of the Bible.. Now one click opens passage in a new window.

Our last study prepared us for the Bowls of wrath, the last series of judgments. When the Bowls are emptied, God's wrath is completed [Revelation 15:1]. Can we begin to fathom what divine, satisfied wrath looks like? God's wrath has interacted with fallen man since Eden, and through that time, His grace has tempered His judgment [Romans 1:18-23; Ephesians 5:6; Romans 5:9]. Now, restraint is past and complete justice must overflow, as He promised it would. [Revelation 6:10-11; 17] Wrath will pour out of the Bowls in full force.

As the Lord warned in Matthew 24:8, the Tribulation judgments would increase in frequency and intensity like birth pains, until His wrath culminates in His return to the earth at the end of the Tribulation. We have experienced the Seals and Trumpets through John's eyes, but now the last seven take us to the maximum intensity of His purpose. For example, the Seals impacted one-fourth of the seas, the Trumpets impacted a remaining one-third of the seas; now the Bowls infect "every living thing" in the seas and they [all] die [Revelation 16:3]. Devastation is complete.

The Bowls also demonstrate the elegant nature of the orchestrated wrath of a righteous God. Just as His creation was perfect as recorded in Genesis, so His wrath in redemption of His creation will be perfectly devised [Romans 8:19-22]. His judgments are crafted to "fit the crime" and extract the greatest retribution possible from those who defy His authority. Oh, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let us urge our loved ones to flee from the great and terrible Day of the Lord by taking shelter in the blood of Christ Jesus--before it is too late [Joel 2:31-32].

THE SEVEN BOWL JUDGMENTS - PERFECT WRATH - Revelation Chapter 16

The Bowls take place in rapid-fire succession in the final days of the Great Tribulation, just prior to Christ's return. The rapid succession is in a sense, mercy. "And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened." [Matthew 24:22] The terrible intensity of the Bowls falls hard and fast on the lost while their brevity helps spare the elect. The Sixth Bowl [16:14] includes the last Tribulation battle, the Battle of Armageddon.

• 16:1--What is believed to be God's voice, the "loud voice from the temple," commands the seven angels to pour out the bowls of wrath. God, the commander in chief Himself, appropriately issues this final command, assuming direct authority and responsibility for what is to come.
• 16:2--THE FIRST BOWL--Painful and foul and loathsome sores break out only on those with the Mark of the Beast, those branded with the 666.
  
  

THE MARK THAT WAS TO PROTECT THEM UNDER THE SYSTEM OF ANTICHRIST IS THE BRAND THAT NOW TARGETS AND INFECTS THEM. THE 666 DISEASE IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF DIVINELY-DESIGNED CONSEQUENCES.

We described in Revelation 13 that this Mark may well be a kind of tattoo worn proudly by Antichrist's followers on their forehead or right hand [13:16]. Even those who do not follow their leader with blind devotion must take this Mark in order to work, buy, sell or exist in Antichrist's economy. So it is that all will "receive" the Mark, unless they are believers in the one true God. Believers will know that a decision to take the Mark sentences them to eternal death [14:9-10]. Those who refuse the Mark must flee to a place of refuge or go underground to avoid enforcement of the Mark. This challenges them to rely on God alone for their existence. The Lord will provide in the same way He has provided for His people in the past. A specific example of this divine protection is in Revelation 12:6: "Then the woman [Jewish remnant] fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days."

• Those who sell their souls to Antichrist to ensure their physical survival at the expense of their eternal salvation are rewarded appropriately. In exchange for provision in Antichrist's system, they are given horrible, loathsome sores that make life unbearable to live. It may be that the chemicals used in the tattoos will cause a reaction under the skin. Or, the Lord may design a more subtle yet elegant way to infect only the lost.
  
  

LIFE WITHOUT SALVATION IN JESUS CHRIST IS LIVING DEATH. THE SORES ON THOSE WITH THE MARK ARE VISIBLE EVIDENCE OF THEIR SPIRITUAL DEADNESS.

Unbelievers are like the walking dead, living on borrowed time until their eternal sentence begins.

• The description of the sores as foul and loathsome indicates a terrible odor accompanies the open sores. To the Lord, the corruption of sin is an offensive odor in His nostrils, just as the apostacy of the Laodicean Church made Him as if sick to His stomach, wanting to vomit [Revelation 3:16]. J. V. McGee speculates that these sores will be worse than leprosy, the defining disease of Christ's day, or cancer, the signature disease of our day, because the Tribulation will be a period of time far worse than any other in history [Matt. 24:21]. Could these sores be something like the flesh-eating bacteria that is becoming more prevalent? Whatever form it takes, it will be "loathsome."
• The word for "sores" is the same Greek source as for the Egyptian plague in Exodus 9:9-11, for Job's sores in Job 2:7, and for the sores on beggar Lazarus in Luke 16:21. These Biblical examples describe the extent of the agony of those afflicted.

They are incurable, open, oozing sores, loathsome in odor. Decomposing flesh is one of the most offensive odors. Imagine what it will be like for those with the Mark to carry the smell of their own rotting flesh with them wherever they go. What divine irony that the Mark that is implemented to control Antichrist's masses causes such terrible malady and chaos.

• 16:3--THE SECOND BOWL-- The contamination of salt water is complete. The seas become like the "blood as of a dead man; and every living creature in the sea died." MacArthur: "The water in the world's oceans will become thick, dark, and co-agulated, like the blood of a corpse. The death and decay of billions of sea creatures will only add to the misery of this judgment."
  
  

JUST AS FALLEN HUMANITY IS AS THE WALKING DEAD, SO THEY NOW LIVE IN A DISEASED CREATION BECAUSE OF THE CURSE OF SIN.

• The Lord adds to the drama by repeating another historic Egyptian plague. In the Second Bowl, the sea, a womb of life, becomes instead, a tomb. This judgment is similar to the first plague of Egypt, Exodus 7:20. The Egyptians were cursed with the Nile turning to blood because they worshipped the Nile as their life-giver, rather than the true God. Man remains guilty of the same today, worshipping created things rather than the Creator. [Romans 1:25] Humanity learns little from history and is therefore doomed to repeat it.
  
  

Those with expensive beach-front property in the Tribulation will come to regret how close they are to the ocean. Not only will the sores of the lost stink, the oceans, which comprise the majority of the earth, will be vast bodies of putrid sludge. Although God designed salt to be a natural purifier, the oceans will have little time to heal such complete corruption before the return of Christ to finish His work.

• 16:4--THE THIRD BOWL -- The contamination of fresh water is now complete as all fresh water also turns to blood. Judgment of fresh water is also similar to the first plague of Egypt. Those who take the Mark will have no fresh water with which to bathe their sores. Imagine life without water. Water is the life-blood of the earth; nothing can live without fresh water. Turning the waters into dead blood symbolizes the death of the earth under man's and Satan's dominion. Note that water is also symbolic of the Holy Spirit in Scripture. Reference the abundance of "spiritual" water during the Millennial Kingdom, Ezekiel 47:1-12, when the Lord reigns on a restored earth. The symbolism is divinely apparent:
  
  

MAN REJECTS LIVING WATER, SO GOD GIVES HIM DEATH TO DRINK.

• The progression in deterioration of these natural resources of fresh and salt water may have begun in the Trumpet Judgments. The affects of the fiery mountain of Revelation 8:8 that turned one-third of the sea into blood may be the catalyst God uses to spread the infection to all salt water. Likewise, the poison of the star Wormwood may have now spread to affect all fresh water. Man refuses to repent and be "cleansed," so God takes away their ability to wash themselves. The terrible odor from global contaminated water will force the population to wear white face masks in an attempt to filter the air they breath.
• 16:5-6-- Angels are given charge over the physical departments of the universe [Revelation 7:1]. The angel in charge of the waters is not disturbed that the Bowl angel is directed to pollute the waters he oversees. The angel of the waters praises the Lord for giving man what he deserves, as the Bowls are designed to do. He testifies that they received their just desserts because "they have shed the blood of saints and prophets..." Because they shed righteous blood, the Lord has "given them blood to drink." Again, the punishment fits the crime.
• 16:7-- Another angel from the heavenly altar echoes the AMEN spoken by the angel of the waters. "Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments." God is just in all judgment, a profound truth repeated in Revelation 19:1-2. [Genesis 18:25] God's attributes of holiness and righteousness are displayed in His perfect judgment. Our awesome God is a God of love, but He is also a God whose holiness demands judgment. The saints under the altar who have been praying for justice to be done now witness justice as only God can deliver it [Revelation 6:10].
• 16:8-9-- The Fourth Bowl -- When the world is thirsty, the Lord turns up the intensity of the sun. Will the ultraviolet rays of the sun become more harmful because of the pollution of the atmosphere from the natural catastrophes--volcanic eruptions, forest fires, smoke from the abyss, etc.? Creation is so perfectly balanced that Dr. McGee states that God would only need to pull the earth a little closer to the sun--not much--and we would not be able to survive. Will the earthquakes that proceed the last one throw the earth off of its axis? The 2004 December Tsunami in Indonesia did just that, affecting time slightly.
• In Malachi 4:1ff, the prophet spoke of "the day" which shall burn like a furnace. "All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and that day that is coming will set them on fire..."
• The sun in scripture can also represent supreme government. In the Tribulation, symbolically the government of Antichrist scorches the earth with his global rule, but he and his followers will end up as ashes in the Lord's heat. See also Deut. 32:22-24; Isaiah 24:6; Isaiah 42:25 for other references of the burning of the Tribulation. These examples of "burning" may also refer to the consuming heat of war. Isaiah 42:25--"So he poured out on them his burning anger, the violence of war. It enveloped them in flames, yet they did not understand; it consumed them, but they did not take it to heart."
  
  

THE LORD JUDGED THE EARTH WITH WATER IN THE FLOOD. THIS TIME, THE LORD WILL JUDGE THE EARTH WITH FIRE. THOSE WHO REJECT THE SON OF GOD WILL BE SCORCHED BY THE CREATOR'S SUN.

• 16:9--Will mankind repent? As the Tribulation progresses, those who are not elect experience the hardening of their hearts, even as the sun sears them. They "cursed the name of God...but they refused to repent and glorify him."
• See again Malachi 4, above. Note that to the Jews who revere His name, the Lord is not a burning sun but the "sun of righteousness [who] will rise with healing in His wings..." Isaiah also speaks of the future "glory of Zion" when the sun of righteousness comes: "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the people, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn...Your sun will never set again, and your moon will wane no more; the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your days of sorrow will end." [Isaiah 60:1-3, 20] This is the bittersweet truth of judgment. The same judgment that destroys the lost is the means to save the elect and bring them to repentance and salvation [Jeremiah 30:7-- "Alas! For that day is great, so that none is like it; and it is the time of Jacob's trouble, but he shall be saved out of it.".]
• 16:10-11--The Fifth Bowl-- Darkness over the Kingdom of the Beast, specifically his "throne." The lights go off in the Beast's capital. Ironic that as the sun grows hotter, the light grows dimmer. Suffering is always more intense at night, in the dark. Add darkness to the pain of the sores and no water to drink. If bottled water is still available, it will be rationed and extremely costly. The pain is excruciating because they "gnawed their tongues in agony."
• The Fifth Bowl is similar to the ninth Egyptian plague of Egypt, Exodus 10:21-22. In Exodus, the darkness was a "thick" darkness, darkness that could be felt. Deep depression is often described as an emotional darkness, like a deep pit tilled with terror that cannot be escaped. If it is a kind of depression, this could explain why it is only poured out on a specific target area. [See 1 Samuel 16:14-16. The Lord allowed an "evil spirit" to torment Saul, bringing upon him episodes similar to manic-depression.] We are promised that God is not a God of fear [2 Timothy 1:7], but the Beast worshippers are going to find out that if they follow the Beast, they will experience fear on a terrible level.
• Reference Isaiah 60:1-3, Joel 2:1-2, 31, and Mark 13:24 for references to the cloying darkness of the Tribulation.
  
  

DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY CAUSE EMOTIONAL AND PHYSICAL CLAUSTROPHOBIA. THOSE AFFLICTION FEEL TRAPPED BY TERROR AND ARE UNABLE TO BREATH.

THE BEAST WORSHIPPERS CHOOSE SATAN'S DARKNESS RATHER THAN THE LIGHT OF CHRIST. THE LORD REWARDS THEM WITH SPIRITUAL AND PHYSICAL DARKNESS IN THE TRIBULATION AS A PREVIEW OF THE TERRIBLE AND DARK ETERNITY THEY FACE.

• 16:12-14--The Sixth Bowl-- The great River Euphrates is "dried up" to create a highway for the armies of the East to advance to Armageddon. God enables them to come to their own execution. The two witnesses were able to bring drought; and now in the last half of the Tribulation, the sun is so hot it may aid in causing the great River Euphrates to go dry. John MacArthur proposes a slightly different scenario. He believes the Lord may have to dry up the river because the intensified sun may melt the ice from Mt. Ararat, causing flooding. If a Bowl "flood" from Mt. Ararat deluges the Euphrates River valley, it would connect the global judgment of the Flood with the global judgment of the Tribulation. Mt. Ararat is identified as the resting place of Noah's ark in Genesis 8:4, but the ark has never been located. Could it be that the ark is exposed when the ice cap melts? This archeological discovery, one of the greatest in world history, would be in direct contradiction of the false one-world religion of Antichrist because such a find would authenticate the truth of the Bible.
• The area of the Tigris/Euphrates river valley is significant to Bible history for many reasons. It is thought to be the site of the Garden of Eden, the place of man's first rebellion against God. It is also the area of Babel, the site of man's first organized rebellion against God [Genesis 11]. The River Euphrates is designated over twenty-five times in the Bible. It is the border between East and West, and was the eastern border of Abraham's land grant [Genesis 15:18], and the eastern border of the Roman Empire. It may also figure prominently in the Revived Roman Empire of Antichrist as Babylon may once again be the commercial capital of Antichrist's system [Revelation 18].
• The Sixth Bowl is another judgment with a bittersweet, dual application. In Isaiah 11:15-16, we learn that this is part of God's plan to pave the way for both THE LOST to come to Armageddon, and THE REMNANT to come to worship in Jerusalem during the Kingdom.
  
  

"The Lord will dry up the gulf of the Egyptian sea; with a scorching wind he will sweep his hand over the Euphrates River. He will break it up into seven streams so that men can cross over in sandals. There will be a highway for the remnant of his people that is left from Assyria, as there was for Israel when they came up from Egypt." [See also Is. 66:18-24 and Is. 19:23-24 for descriptions of the "Route 66" of the Millennial Kingdom. This route will run from Egypt to Assyria [Syria and Northern Iraq] through Israel. This designated route will enable the remnants of the Middle East easier access by land into Jerusalem to worship the King.' New water sources will also be created so that the wilderness will blossom as the rose in the Kingdom Age. [Is. 35:1]

• The way is prepared for the Kings of the East to come for "the battle" on the "great day of God Almighty," another reference to the Day of the Lord. This is the battle of Armageddon.
• The kings are drawn to their doom by three evil spirits {that looked like frogs." They are obviously demons as they come out of the mouths of the Satanic trinity, the Dragon, the Beast, and the False Prophet. These demons will be Satanically gifted in Antichrist's propaganda. Similar propaganda based on Nazism plunged the world into war in W.W.II.
• Clarence Larkin speculates that Satan's demons will convince the armies to march for the noble purpose of destroying the Jews. Antichrist's system will be convinced the Jews are the cause of all the world's problems. Satan has in the past done his murderous deeds in the guise of religion, such as the Crusades and the Inquisition. [Larkin, p. 145]
• In the Sixth Trumpet judgment, Satan employed four demons from the area of the Euphrates to lead a demon army. In the case of the Sixth Bowl, three demons lure the Kings of the East, a human army, to Armageddon. Ironically, Satan, in an attempt to destroy Israel, entices this army, possibly composed of such nations as Red China and other Asian powers, to invade Israel where his chief pawn, Antichrist, is headquartered [Daniel 11:44--"But reports from the East and the north will alarm him [Antichrist], and he will set out in a great rage to destroy and annihilate many. He will pitch his royal tents between the seas [the Mediterranean and the Dead Sea] at the beautiful holy mountain [Jerusalem]. Yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him."] Satan doesn't care who he destroys as long as God's people may die in the process. Zola Leavitt feels that the Eastern forces and others begin by coming against Israel, but they end up fighting each other and God himself.
  
  

16:15-16 "INTERVAL BETWEEN THE SIXTH AND SEVENTH BOWL JUDGMENTS"

• This is the briefest interval between the judgments because they are quickly coming to their conclusion. "Behold, I come as a thief." Notice this passage. It is similar to Paul's words in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-4. The Thessalonians passage causes confusion because those who wish to place the Church in the time of the Tribulation assume any coming involves the Church. But Revelation 16:15 is NOT for the Church; it is for the lost. The Lord comes for the Church in the Rapture, and He returns at the end of the Tribulation to deliver the believers and Israel. But He also comes, unexpectedly like a thief, to the lost in the Tribulation--He comes in judgment. The LOST are never prepared for judgment. The Revelation verse is the FULFILLMENT of 1 Thessalonians 5:1-4:
  
  

"Now brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, 'Peace and safety,' destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness."

The brothers are believers; because believers are always ready, we are not surprised by the Lord's return for the Church. The Tribulation is darkness, both literal and spiritual darkness [Revelation 16:10-11]. Paul says "you, brothers," men of the Church Age, "do not belong to...the darkness."

Dr. J. V. McGee [p. 84]: "Christ will never come as a thief to the church: 'But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief' [1 Thess. 5:4]. A thief is someone you shut out; you don't welcome him. You don't put a note on the door when you leave your house which says, 'Mr. Thief, I left the back door open for you. Go around to that door. The silver is on the third shelf; help yourself.' You never welcome a thief. You lock him out. Christ does not come as a thief to His church which is looking for Him. 'Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ [Titus 2:13].' The Lord Jesus Christ does come as a thief to the world at the end of the great tribulation as the verse before us indicates [Revelation 16:15]. As we saw at the beginning of the Revelation, the whole earth will mourn because of Him. They [unbelievers] don't want Him to come. They would like to shut Him out from ever returning to the earth.

"'Blessed is he that...keepeth his garments.' What garments are these? Edersheim sheds light on this phrase by explaining that the captain of the temple made his rounds during the night to see if the guards were awake and alert. If one was found asleep [literally caught off guard], he was either beaten or his garments set on fire. I suppose it could be paraphrased, 'Don't lose your shirt. Be sure that you are clothed with the righteousness of Christ.'"

DON'T BE CAUGHT OFF GUARD. BE READY. 

The world will live in insane DENIAL of Christ's coming. Antichrist will convince the lost that the turmoil on the earth is ushering in a New Age of peace and prosperity rather than the end of human reign under Antichrist.

• "...to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon." Dr. McGee points out that this is the only place in the Word where "Armageddon" appears, although there are many references to it. It means literally "Mount of Megiddo," a mount overlooking the plain of Esdraelon in Northern Israel. The valley of Esdraelon is one of the most fertile valleys in the world and has been a place of many battles over the centuries. Napoleon Bonaparte referred to it as one of the most perfect battle sites in the world. It will be the site for the final battle of the War of Armageddon that builds during the last half of the Tribulation. Note in the King James Version that it says "he" gathered them together for the battle rather than "they." God Himself will gather them, although He will use Satan and his cohorts as a vehicle to do it.
• 16:17-21--The Seventh Bowl-- The battle in verse 16 is accompanied by the final and most SEVERE earthquake. "No earthquake like it has ever occurred since man has been on earth..."
• "It is done." The voice from the throne J. V. McGee feels is Christ himself. Christ also spoke these words on the cross concerning His redemptive work. Now, He pronounces the completion of His wrath in order TO TAKE POSSESSION OF THAT WHICH HE REDEEMED, with the same words.

"It is finished" is a sign post in the Word that the first and second comings are two parts of one whole work of God in redemption of His creation. The words "it is done or finished" are book ends of His purpose. His work is incomplete until it is pronounced FINISHED at Christ's return. His Second Coming brings full victory and resolution to what He accomplished at Calvary.

M. R. DeHaan: "...the very last promise in the Old Testament was also the promise--not of our Lord's first coming, but of His second [Malachi 4:1]. We, of course, do not underestimate the importance of our Lord's first advent, to suffer, to die, and to rise again. We would not make His Second Coming more important than His first, for they are inseparable and of equal importance. The first coming is incomplete without His second, and the second is impossible without the first. We merely want to emphasize how important our Lord's return is, how absolutely essential in the final consummation of the redemption which He began at Calvary and will complete when He comes again." [p. 29]

Note another startling similarity between Christ's first coming and His second. At Christ's death on the cross, the Father plunged the earth into darkness [Mark 15:33-34] as a sign of divine judgment against sin. MacArthur: "Jesus felt keenly His abandonment by the Father, resulting from God's wrath being poured out on Him as the substitute for sinners." The Lord will plunge the earth into darkness again in the Fifth Bowl judgment to symbolize divine judgment in the Day of the Lord.

• Lightning, rumblings and thunders announced the beginning of the Tribulation in Revelation 4:5 in the throne room. Now they announce the end.
• The Great Earthquake divides Jerusalem into three sections. Reference also Zechariah 14:4. It may be this earthquake that God uses to destroy Babylon [14:8; 18:2], and causes all of the cities of the world to collapse. It is a global earthquake of monumental proportions. We are given a close-up view of the fall of Babylon in chapter 18. As we saw in the tsunami in Indonesia, which caused nearby islands to shift slightly from their foundations, this earthquake will cause "every" island to fly away and "the mountains could not be found." THIS EARTHQUAKE WILL LEVEL THE EARTH.

Scientists speak of continental drift. It may be that these "islands" are whole continents that collide. Much reconfiguration of the earth will result, changing the topography of Israel to prepare for the Millennial Kingdom. THE LORD WILL LEVEL THE EARTH, BUT WILL RAISE ISRAEL, making a poignant statement. Isaiah 2:2--"In the last days the mountain of the LORD'S temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it." See also Zechariah 14:10. Although Jerusalem, Christ's capital city, will spiritually be "chief among the mountains" during the Kingdom, this is also literal and topographical.

• 16:21-- Hailstones weighing as much as 100 pounds are the exclamation point to the global earthquake. As if the worst earthquake in history is not bad enough, it will be accompanied by massive hailstones, equal to twenty five-pound sacks of sugar strapped together with duct tape. Imagine blocks of ice that large falling from the sky--each one hitting like a bomb. Part of the irony is that the people of the earth have been suffering from lack of water. Now the Lord bombs them with it! [Reference Joshua 10:11] Notice that men curse God because of the plague of hail, not the earthquake, "because the plague was so terrible." By this time, the global population has experienced terrible earthquakes, but this judgment of hail is terribly new. The creation will attack man from under his feet with the quake and from over his head with huge hail bombs. There will be little escape as God's wrath hits them from both directions.
• What about the remnant? The Lord's elect have the benefit of being forewarned by this book--because the believers of the Tribulation will also not be caught off guard by "the thief in the night." In Isaiah 24:1-6, the prophet warns, "See the LORD is going to lay waste the earth and devastate it; he will ruin its face and scatter its inhabitants...Therefore earth's inhabitants are burned up, and very few are left." BUT THE FEW THAT ARE LEFT AS THE SEED OF THE KINGDOM and are protected. For example, when Christ returns [Zech. 14:5], the valley formed by His feet touching down will be a place to "flee" from the final battle--like a supernatural bomb shelter.
  
  

WHAT WILL MAN'S EPITAPH BE? WHAT WILL HE HAVE ON HIS TOMBSTONE?

AND THEY CURSED GOD.

BUT THE LORD'S WRATH IS COMPLETED--AND SATISFIED.

What will Antichrist's false religion look like in the Tribulation? Are we seeing organized global syncretism and apostacy forming even now? 

Next time: Babylon--The Mother of Harlots.

In Him We Wait, Work, and Watch,

Luke 12:35-59

Sharon Clemens

[Prophecy Chat is a weekly commentary of current events in light of Bible prophecy. Sharon L. Clemens is an evangelical, premillennial, pre-trib teacher of eschatology. She can be reached for comment or questions by e-mail at farmgrove@frontier.com]