THE JUDGMENT OF THE WHORE
The only way to the change current world systems is to somehow cause those systems to collapse. It is not and will not be an easy thing for the Devil to accomplish. A few years ago my wife had a dream about a horrible looking demonic figure that was climbing up out of a deep dark pit. Like me, the Lord has given my wife several dreams concerning many end time events. When she told me about the dream she had, the word “chaos” entered into my spirit. She said the demonic figure was climbing up to the top of the pit and was close to the top. I also thought of the Beast who was, and is not, and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit and go into perdition.
The fall of the current world systems will inevitably bring about total chaos. Jesus said that in the last days that lawlessness will abound. Another word for lawlessness is “terrorism.” Today we are experiencing a new upsurge in terrorist activity all around the world. Terrorism is rooted in deception, bitterness, and hatred. To some, terrorism has become a religion. The world today is shaking and swaying from the hellish schemes of evil doers coerced by the evil schemes of the Beast-Satan. Chaos plays into the hands of the Beast, the Anti-Christ, and the Eurasian Coalition.
Terrorism has even taken on the face of a “false religion” in Islamic Extremism. We are just seeing the beginning of religious fanaticism that will engulf the hearts and minds of unsuspecting men, women, and children. As the Catholic Church of the past persecuted the true Church during the Inquisition, the One World Church, under the authority of the Beast and the Anti-Christ, will again persecute true believers.
Jesus said in Matthew 24:9-13, “Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of ALL NATIONS for my names sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many will wax cold. But he that endures till the end, the same shall be saved.”
The doctrine of “escapism” has permeated much of the Church for over one hundred and fifty years. It says that God’s people will be spared from the Great Tribulation period that comes to try the souls of ALL the inhabitants of the earth. Jesus told us to “watch and pray that we would be counted worthy to ‘escape’ the things that are coming on the earth.” (Luke 21:36). However He did not say we would not be here during that period.
If the Church is not going to be on earth during the “Tribulation,” who were the people Jesus said would be hated and despised of all nations? All nations have not even heard the gospel until just recently. Jesus said “They will afflict you and kill you.” When has the Church been treated with such disdain and persecuted by ALL nations? There has been persecution in the Church since her inception, however there was never a time in history when the entire world or the known world persecuted the family of God.
Some Bible scholars have suggested these people are converts that became believers after a “pre-tribulation rapture.” If the Church is gone, who is the preacher who will be sent to preach the gospel and make new converts?
If the Holy Spirit has been taken from the earth at this time, as some teach, who will draw them to Christ? If the Holy Spirit is not here, how can He do anything at all on Earth during the Great Tribulation? Who gives the one hundred and forty four thousand the power and authority to preach the gospel if the Holy Spirit is gone? Where are they going to preach the gospel? I think people need to “rethink” some of their “pet doctrines” and seek the truth for themselves instead of believing everything Church leaders tell them.
Some Bible Scholars say there will be no Christians on the earth during the Great Tribulation. Who is going to preach the gospel to the Jews if all the Christians have been raptured? Jesus can and will appear to the nation of Israel during the destruction of Jerusalem during the Great Tribulation. As a Nation they will have heard the testimonies of Christians and finally receive Christ as Messiah when He appears to them in their distress.
Who was Jesus talking to when He gave the discourse on end time prophecy? Was He giving it to the Church or just to those who might be saved after the rapture? Jesus did not distinguish between the two. I think we need to be careful about what we teach. Many lives and souls depend on whether we are right or wrong about certain doctrines, especially about what will transpire during the end of the age.
In His discourse on the last days, Christ did not say anything about the gathering together of His people until “after” the great tribulation. He said He would gather the “elect” together from the “four winds” which means the north, south, east, and west. (See Matthew Chapter 24). I have heard “escapists” teach that the “Elect” are the Jews. However, Paul in writing his epistles to many of the Gentiles called them “The Elect.”
Theological differences should not be an issue when it comes to end time prophecy. It is obvious somebody is wrong. The only doctrine that will harm any of God’s people if it is wrong is the doctrine of “escapism.” I suggest that everyone ask the Lord for the truth concerning this issue, not just someone who claim that THEY know the answer. It is not my wish to convince anyone what the truth is concerning the rapture or anything in Scripture for that matter. Everybody needs to seek the Lord themselves for the truth. Whenever the rapture takes place, we MUST all be ready. If the rapture does not happen when many people think it will, they will not be ready for the chaos and turmoil which is coming.
Only God holds the key to “all” truth, and only He can reveal the truth and convince the “skeptics”. For some people skepticism can be translated into what I call “skepti-schism.” Skepticism causes divisions among many in the body of Christ. Whatever we believe, we must not let doctrinal differences hinder us from being unified in our task of preaching the gospel of Christ. We must still love one another and endeavor to work together in unity in order to keep peace within our ranks no matter what we believe regarding the rapture. If we do anything to the contrary we will be giving place to the enemy.
The new systems the Beast wishes to establish are in reality a front to persecute and destroy the true Church. The Beast’s greatest desire is to be worshiped as god. He also wants to manipulate nations and world events so he can set up “his” kingdom here on earth.
Like Christ, who WILL set up His Kingdom on earth, Satan has plans to do the same. In Heaven Satan tried to obtain the Throne of God through chaos and rebellion, but his evil scheme backfired on him.
Satan tried to destroy the authority of God’s word and crucified Christ on the cross, but his attempt to destroy the Lamb of God also backfired on him. Because Satan cannot overpower the Father or the Son, he attacks what he believes is Heaven’s weakest link, the Church. However, the battle for supremacy in the “heavenlies” and on earth will prove to be his last stand and final mistake. Until now Satan’s efforts to deceive mankind and the Church have been somewhat successful. However, Satan’s efforts to deceive the Church have not been, and never will be, powerful enough to destroy the true Church.
THE MARK OF THE BEAST
To fulfill the will of Satan the Anti-Christ must first change the world’s economic, political, and religious systems that are now in place. New laws must be established that will be directed at the true Church in order to prevent her from growing and prospering in Christ. One such law that we have already discussed will prevent anyone who does not have the “Mark of the Beast” from buying or selling.
Without his mark “in” their hands or in their foreheads, Christians cannot buy food or drinking water. Without the “mark” no one will not be able to buy tickets to travel by air, land, or sea. Transportation services which are needed to go to the uttermost parts of the earth to preach the gospel will be suppressed in many ways. Without the Mark of the Beast, God’s people cannot buy, or build a home or a place of worship. They cannot pay rent, buy gas for their car or pay the overdue taxes on their homes levied on them for lack of payment because they also cannot receive wages without the “mark.” I think by now we all get the picture.
Those who do not receive the mark will also be eliminated from selling anything they own. They will not be allowed to own businesses, sell their homes, cars, or other personal belongings in their possession when the Mark of the Beast is instituted. There are, however, other means by which God’s people can and will survive. One of those means is a “bartering system.” Another is the supernatural provision of God.
The Children of Israel had to rely completely on God during their Wilderness experience. They relied on the supernatural provision of God on a daily basis. He caused water to flow out of a rock to quench their thirst. God fed them with “manna” from Heaven. For forty years He supplied every need they had, even the clothes on their backs outlasted the trials they lived through. The “water” which flowed from the rock was a type and shadow of Christ. The rock also was a type and shadow of Christ. The many events which took place in the Wilderness were also types and shadows of things to come during the Great Tribulation period. As Christians, the Lord is and always has been an ever-present help and our “source” in the time of need.
In the Wilderness Moses met with God on Mount Sinai and received the Ten Commandments. While Moses was on the mountain in the presence of God for forty days and nights, the Children of Israel were down in the valley below making a “golden calf.” The Bible says, “And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molded calf: and they said, these be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.” (Exodus, 32:4). The Hebrew word for “calf” here could also be translated as “bull”. The Children of Israel had made an idol of gold formed into a “bull” or male calf.
The bull god was one of the gods the Egyptians worshiped. The bull was symbolic of their “economic prosperity.” The true God through mighty signs and wonders had freed them from their taskmasters and bondage in Egypt. Instead of giving God the credit for their deliverance, they were giving the credit to the Egyptian “god of prosperity.” They had left Egypt carrying as much of Egypt’s wealth as they could carry.
Although God had proven Himself as their deliverer and provider, over and over again, the Children of Israel preferred “god the creature” rather than God the Creator. The Egyptians and their gods were, in reality, somewhat responsible for their depravity and bondage in Egypt in the first place.
The Egyptians worshiped many of the same gods the other nations in the Middle East worshiped. The Babylonians, the Philistines and other nations all worshiped many of the same gods, however they were given different names and titles. The bull to most of them was the icon of “economic prosperity” that they all bowed down to and worshiped. They did not know they were paying homage to “demon spirits” that were holding them in spiritual bondage. Satan camouflages himself in the glitter of gold, silver, precious stones, and materialistic values. Lasciviousness of the flesh, the desire to be worshiped, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life are all vices which were passed down from the “father of disobedience” to his rebellious and disobedient children.
To make an idol of gold and worship it was the worst thing the Children of Israel could have done while Moses was on Mount Sinai obtaining the Ten Commandments form God. God was above them on the mountain giving Moses the commandments that strictly forbid them to commit idolatry--the sin they were committing in worshipping the “golden calf.” Within a short space of time they had forsaken the God who had freed them from their taskmasters and bondage in Egypt, and had given the credit for their prosperity to a “golden idol” they became in bondage to.
To them the god they created with their own hands was the only god they trusted, so this was the god they worshiped. The “shining” creature brought light to their eyes and joy to their hearts. The golden calf was a symbol of their good fortune and prosperity. As far as they were concerned, the gods that ruled the nations of the world were the gods that they wanted to serve.
Exodus 32:19-20, says “And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount. And he took the calf they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it into powder, and strawed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it.”
It is interesting to note that an angry Moses burned the golden calf the Children of Israel created with fire. He melted the gold and poured it down the throats of many of those who had worshipped the golden calf.
In the Book of Revelation Mystery Babylon is also burned with fire by the Beast. The Beast makes her desolate and naked, eats her flesh, and burns her with fire. As we saw earlier, one of the things Mystery Babylon represents is the economic fortunes and systems of this world.
Even today a healthy economy in the stock market is symbolized by a “bull.” Wall Street, in what many call the “Capitol of the World,” New York City, is the seat of the world’s economic system. The World Trade Center is located in New York City. You could say New York City is the “seat of the bull.” If our economy is flourishing, the market is called a “bull market.” If our economy is doing poorly, the market is referred to as a “bear market.” Note also the word “stock” in stock market, which can also be used in reference to cattle (bulls).
The destruction of the Twin Towers and the World Trade Center was an attempt by evil men to disrupt and destroy the economy of this nation and others. The Islamic terrorists said it was a symbol to them of the prosperity of this country and the nations they wished to destroy. What they were hoping to destroy was not just the symbol of our prosperity but the prosperity of the nation itself. Islamic terrorists had tried to blow up the Twin Towers in New York City before in 1993, however they met with little success. After much planning and deft skills, they succeeded the second time.
One of the greatest symbols of the world’s prosperity and financial strength was completely destroyed in just a few short hours. At the time, the attack had devastating effect on our economy, but it was not as bad as the evil doers had hoped it would be. This event should have been a wake-up call for the Church and the world, but sadly, many people, including many Christians, still remain asleep.