PART XXI

THE PROPHETIC SEQUENCE

 

By Doug Krieger

 

 

HE CAUSES ALL, BOTH SMALL AND GREAT, RICH AND POOR, FREE AND SLAVE, TO RECEIVE A MARK ON THEIR RIGHT HAND OR ON THEIR FOREHEADS, AND THAT NO ONE MAY BUY OR SELL EXCEPT ONE WHO HAS THE MARK OR THE NAME OF THE BEAST, OR THE NUMBER OF HIS NAME (Revelation 13:16-17)

 

 

The Abomination of Desolation has taken place – the Son of Perdition – the Man of Sin, the Lawless One has, under the final and most tragic metamorphosis, climaxed his earthly manifestation from Antichrist to Beast – the Willful King has become through assassination and falsification of the resurrection of Christ, the Desolator personified and exposed in the body of the Prince of the Covenant (Daniel 11:22-24).
 

 

The Despicable One has deliberately desecrated the temple, the spirit of man, and henceforth, as Judas was incarnated by Satan himself to commit the woeful betrayal of the Son of Man, even so, has the “devil come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time” (Revelation 12:12).  It is within the confines of the latter half of Daniel’s Seventieth Week that the “dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth” (Revelation 12:13) so that “he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child” – indeed, he is the more enraged that she is miraculously preserved for time, times and half a time (Revelation 12:14), so that he goes to “make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God (Israel) and have the testimony of Jesus (the Church)” (Revelation 12:17).

 

Yes, after the unmitigated revival wrought by the Two Witnesses (a.k.a., the “Two Olive Trees” and the “Two Lampstands” – Israel as a witness to the Gentile World Powers – and the Triumphant Church as the Two Lampstands, working in concert under the orchestration of the Holy Spirit to call all men to repentance during the first 1,260 days of Daniel’s Seventieth Week (Revelation 11:3) – then, “after they finish their testimony” (Revelation 11:7a), this imposter shall be cast out of heaven and shall “ascend out of the bottomless pit” and will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them (i.e., the Two Witnesses) (Revelation 11:7).

 

Nevertheless, this “great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him . . . the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down” to the earth to make war on the saints:  AND THEY OVERCAME HIM BY THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB AND BY TE WORD OF THEIR TESTIMONY, AND THEY DID NOT LOVE THEIR LIVES TO THE DEATH!” (Revelation 12:9-11).  The “war (that) broke out in heaven” between Michael and his angels with the Dragon and his angels now descends to its earthly plain where they who embrace the Commandments of God and hold to the Testimony of Jesus shall prevail against the antithesis of the Holy Trinity:  The Dragon, the Beast, and the False Prophet!

 

“Who is like the beast?  Who is able to make war with Him” (Revelation 13:4b)?   But alas!  “The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God for the pulling down of strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (II Corinthians 10:4-5).  It is with this confidence that when “the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God” (II Thessalonians 2:3b-4) that “the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits. . . and those of the people who understand shall instruct many; yet for many days they shall fall by sword and flame, by captivity and plundering . . . now when they fall, they shall be aided with a little help . . . and some of those of understanding shall fall, to refine them, purify them, and make them white, until the time of the end those that are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever” (Daniel 11:32b-35; 12:3).

 

Dear friend, the time of testing, of purifying and refining, awaits us in the crucible of the Reign of the Beast.  This most despicable outrage shall be confronted by those able to bear for 42 months the trampling asunder of the Holy City—for they are ONE BODY whose open persecution for three-and-one-half days incites the celebration of those “who dwell on the earth”—the same “peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations” who, unlike their lot found in Revelation 7:9-17 who have embraced the Lamb, shall reject the message of the Two Witnesses and take the Mark of the Beast—therefore, shall they “rejoice over them (i.e., the Two Witnesses and their persecution), make merry, and send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth (and we know full well “those” who are spoken here have received the Mark of the Beast) (Revelation 11:10).

 

Shall we be part of the Woman like John the Beloved Apostle (John 21:22) who is preserved in the wilderness where she is kept for a time, times and half a time (three and a half days or three-and-one-half years or 42 months—Revelation 12:14) whereof it speaks of those “who are alive and survive” until the coming of the Lord” (I Thessalonians 4:17) . . . or shall we, like the Apostle Peter (John 21:18-19), glorify God in our bodies which are given to Him in testimony – martyrdom – wherein we join with those souls beneath the altar “who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held” (Revelation 6:9)?

 

Let us with all boldness through the superabundant grace of God and the supply of the Spirit of Christ resound with our beloved Paul:

 

“According to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, WHETHER BY LIFE OR BY DEATH . . . for to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:19, 20-21).

 

But as the Beast shall “make war against them, overcome them, and kill them” (Revelation 11:7), so that this open and corporate persecution abides throughout the latter half of Daniel’s Seventieth Week (“their dead body will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified (for three-and-a-half days)” (Revelation 11:8-9), even so, and simultaneous with this outrage – both its material and spiritual ramifications – shall be demarcated by the hideous institution of the MARK OF THE BEAST wrought by the Second Beast, the False Prophet, wherein “he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their forehands, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name” (Revelation 13:16-17).

 

THE ESSENCE OF THE MARK OF THE BEAST

 

This Mark of the Beast is the antithesis of the Sealing of the Holy Spirit of God!  This mark is so defining that it demands divine retribution upon all who are so branded . . . “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation . . . (and in case you be tempted with universalism) . . .  he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb . . . and the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name (and just in case you did not get the message) . . . the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who receive the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image.  These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone . . . and the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse . . . and all the birds were filled with their flesh” (Revelation 14:9-11; 19:20-21).

 

But, just as the Abomination of Desolation has its inward reality or spiritual dimension, as well as its physical declaration (i.e., the Son of Perdition will stand in the Jewish Temple declaring himself as god) – even so, the Mark of the Beast’s spiritual reproduction and demonic cavalcade are witnessed in Revelation 9 under the sounding of the fifth angel wherein “he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace . . . so the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit . . . then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth . . . and to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power . . . they were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads” (Revelation 9:2-4).

 

Indeed, they who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads have succumbed to the mark of the beast and have opened themselves to demonic possession for “they (i.e., the “scorpions”) had as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon (lit. DESTRUCTION), but in Greek he has the name Apollyon (DESTROYER)” (Revelation 9:11).

 

Is not this the one cast out of heaven with his legions; and now he is given permission to release the pre-adamite, disembodied spirits (demonic spirits) from the bottomless pit (whose initial judgment left them without physical manifestation) whose rebellious creation fell in disobedience when Lucifer, this Abominable Branch, sought but failed to achieve exalted status with the Almighty (Isaiah 14:12-19; Ezekiel 26:19-20; 28:14-19; cf. Luke 8:30-33)?

 

Those wretched souls who have succumbed to the Mark of the Beast are prime candidates for the demonic hosts who shall be released on that day!  Neither Jesus, nor his disciples, who cast out the demons from those tormented, will consent to do the same on this—the day the Destroyer prevails; the day of destruction!

 

But we are left to ponder what apocalyptic upheaval could possibly result in such proliferation of evil and ultimate divine wrath . . . demonic possession, divine outrage and punishment . . . the Mark of the Beast?

 

It is here that the Prophetic Sequence ponders the import of the Mark of the Beast and its material manifestation—for without the mark no one can “buy nor sell!”

 

This inevitably leads us to discover, that behind the King of Babylon and his abilities to make war against the saints of the Most High, is another devilish disposition characterized by none other than THE KING OF TYRE!  Let us pause to allow the Scriptures to illuminate this crass expression of material distinction . . . follow the source of his serpentine mark . . . know full-well that the King of Tyre shall reach his frightful climax in the end of days . . . let us behold the evil maturation of the Prince of Tyre who becomes the King of Tyre; that cosmic evolution from a mere human to Lucifer, son of the morning who purposed to supplant the Almighty Himself!

 

 

 

 

"Therefore thus says the Lord God:

'Behold, I am against you, O Tyre, and will cause many nations to come up against you, as the sea causes its waves to come up.

"For thus says the Lord God:

'When I make you a desolate city, like cities that are not inhabited, when I bring the deep upon you, and great waters cover you, then I will bring you down with those who descend into the Pit, to the people of old, and I will make you dwell in the lowest part of the earth, in places desolate from antiquity, with those who go down to the Pit, so that you may never be inhabited; and I shall establish glory in the land of the living, I will make you a terror, and you shall be no more; though you are sought for, you will never be found again,'

. . . says the Lord God."

"Now, son of man, take up a lamentation for Tyre, and say to Tyre, You who are situated at the entrance of the sea, merchant of the peoples on many coastlands, thus says the Lord God:

"O Tyre, you have said, 'I am perfect in beauty.' Your borders are in the midst of the seas. Your builders have perfected your beauty . . . .

"These were your merchants in choice items (i.e., "all sorts of things").

"Your riches (or "towers"), wares, and merchandise, your mariners and pilots, your caulkers and merchandisers, all your men of war who are in you, and the entire company which in your midst, will fall into the midst of the seas on the day of your ruin

"Son of man, say to the Prince of Tyre, 'Thus says the Lord God:

"Because your heart is lifted up, and you say, 'I am a god, I sit in the seat of gods, in the midst of the seas,' yet you are a man, and not a god, though you set your heart as the heart of a god (Behold, you are wiser than Daniel! There is no secret that can be hidden from you! With your wisdom and your understanding you have gained riches for yourself, and gathered gold and silver into your treasuries; by your great wisdom in trade you have increased your riches, and your heart is lifted up because of your riches), . . .

"Son of man, take a lamentation upon the King of Tyre, and say to him, 'Thus says the Lord God:

"You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering; the sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your tumbrels and pipes was prepared for you on the day you were created. You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; you were on the holy mountain of God; you walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, 'till iniquity was found in you.

"By the abundance of your trading you became filled with violence within and you sinned; therefore I cast you as a profane thing out of the Mountain of God; and I destroyed you, O covering cherub, from the midst of the fiery stones.

"Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor, I cast you to the ground, I laid you before kings, that they might gaze at you.

"You defiled your sanctuaries by the multitude of your iniquities, by the iniquity of your trading; therefore I brought fire from your midst; it devoured you, and I turned you to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all who saw you, all who knew you among the peoples are astonished at you; and you have become a horror, and shall be no more forever.’”

(Ezekiel 26:3; & 19-21; 27: 2-4, 24a, 27; 28:2-19)

“The burden against Tyre,

"Wail, you ships of Tarshish! For your strength is laid waste.

"And she is the marketplace for the nations, . . . whose antiquity is from ancient days, whose feet carried her far off to dwell? Who has taken this counsel against Tyre, the crowning city, whose merchants are princes, whose traders are the honorable of the earth? The Lord of Hosts has purposed it, to bring to dishonor the pride of all glory, to bring into contempt all the honorable of the earth.

"O daughter of Tarshish; there is no more strength. He stretched out His hand over the sea, He shook the kingdoms; the Lord has given a commandment against Canaan to destroy its strongholds.

“At the end of seventy years it will happen to Tyre as in the song of the harlot:

"Take a harp, go about the city, you forgotten harlot; make sweet melody, sing many songs, that you may be remembered.

“And it shall be, at the end of seventy years, that the Lord will deal with Tyre. She will return to her hire, and commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the world on the face of the earth. Her gain and her pay will be set apart for the Lord; it will not be treasured nor laid up, for her gain will be for those who dwell before the Lord, to eat sufficiently, and for fine clothing. (Portions of Isaiah 23)

“And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles . . . . Yes, every pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be holiness to the Lord of hosts. Everyone who sacrifices shall come and take them and cook in them. In that day there shall no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the Lord of hosts. (Zechariah 14:16 & 21---last verse in Zechariah)

"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!

"For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury."

“And I heard another voice from heaven saying,

"Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. Render to her just as she rendered to you, and repay her double according to her works; in the cup which she has mixed, mix double for her. In the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, 'I sit a queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow.' Therefore her plagues will come in one day death and mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her.

"The kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her will weep and lament for her, when they see the smoke of her burning, standing at a distance for fear of her torment, saying, 'Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come.'

"And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore; merchandise of gold and silver, precious stones and pearls, fine linen and purple, silk and scarlet, every kind of citron wood, every kind of object of ivory, every kind of object of most precious wood, bronze, iron and marble; and cinnamon and incense, fragrant oil and frankincense, wine and oil, fine flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and bodies and souls of men. The fruit that your soul longed for has

 

gone from you, and all the things which are rich and splendid have gone from you, and you shall find them no more at all. The merchants of these things who became rich by her, will stand at a distance for fear of her torment, weep and wailing, and saying,

“'Alas, alas, that great city that was clothed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet, and adored with gold and precious stones and pearls! For in one hour such great riches came to nothing.'

“Every shipmaster, all who travel by ship, sailors, and as many as trade on the sea, stood at a distance and cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying,

“'Alas, alas, that great city, in which all who had ships on the sea became rich by her wealth! For in one hour she is made desolate.'

"Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you holy apostles and prophets, for God has avenged you on her!

“Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying,

"Thus with violence the great city Babylon shall be thrown down, and shall be found anymore. The sound of harpists, musicians, flutists, and trumpeters shall not be heard in you anymore. No craftsman of any craft shall be found in you anymore, and the sound of a millstone shall not be heard in you anymore. The light of a lamp shall not shine in you anymore, and the voice of bridegroom and of bride shall not be heard in you anymore. For your merchants were the great men of the earth, for by your sorcery all the nations were deceived.”

(The Revelation of Jesus Christ, Chapter 18)

"Then; the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone."

(The Revelation of Jesus Christ, Chapter 19:20)

·        All "Biblical Quotes" have been taken from the New King James Version of the Bible (Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, TN, 1982) Unless Otherwise Stated.

Yes, for those of you familiar, we have broached this topic in the past—but the Prophetic Sequence makes it mandatory that we encapsulate this previous illumination into the context of the latter half of Daniel’s Seventieth Week—for it is here that “without the mark” one cannot “buy nor sell.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 The rampant hegemony of America's political, military, commercial and even religious influences, throughout the earth, has been reinforced and accelerated at the commencement of the Twenty-First Century. It was in the mid-1960s that S. Franklin Logsdon, former pastor of the Moody Memorial Church in Chicago, became one of the first leading Evangelical Christians to forcefully conclude America's leading role in the long-prophesied Babylon of the Last Days: BABYLON THE GREAT. Logsdon set forth 33 reasons for his convictions; thousands of Americans flocked to hear his incriminating evidence both expository and from the geo-political realities of the day.

Notwithstanding the surmounting evidence put forth by Logsdon, defenders of the "Revived Roman Empire" from whence Antichrist allegedly would rule, gained widespread notoriety with the release of Hal Lindsey's Late Great Planet Earth. Concomitant with the popularization of this "European model" was the necessity of a pre-tribulation rapture of the Church prior the final seven-year "Tribulation/Great Tribulation Period" which would precede the Second Coming of Christ. Relevance of the United States in Bible prophecy was swept under the "theological carpet."  Europe MUST be the vocal point of Antichrist's Empire; America is irrelevant to Antichrist. Lindsay's multi-million dollar bestseller, at the commencement of the "Jesus Revolution" in America, completely overshadowed Logsdon's scenario—Is the USA in Bible Prophecy? The theological concept was relegated to the speculations and purview of the Southwest Radio Church, the Seventh-Day Adventists, Jehovah Witnesses and Herbert W. Armstrong's Worldwide Church of God—all giving a hodgepodge of views that somehow the USA was involved in the great scheme of things at the End of Days.

We at The Tribulation Network, during the close of the "Jesus Revolution" (after the Viet Nam War), increasingly affirmed that the Scriptures had not overlooked history's progressive march into the future; and, in fact, clearly foretold of a great end-times nation that would be the pinnacle of all that was Babylon the Great—that GREAT CITY. Furthermore, as "refugees" from the Jesus Movement and as those who desired to "discern the signs of the times" (Matt. 16:3), and as those who experienced the "Counter Culture" of the late 1960s and early 1970s—members of The Trib Net were far more open to embracing this new "illumination" of the Holy Scriptures. Not as new revelation but as existing insight wrought by the Holy Spirit akin to what was spoken to Daniel the prophet:

“But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase . . . although I heard, I did not understand. Then I said, "My lord, what shall be the end of these things?" And he said, "Go your way Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand." (Daniel 12:4, 8-9)

Now, with others like Jack Hook of Babylon is Falling, and Richard Combes of America, the Babylon, and many others—we know that this insight was not our exclusive purview but given to members of the Body of Christ seeking to know the times in which we live!

The King of Tyre, the Mark of the Beast under girds Logsdon's original postulate; furthermore, the sinister designs of the King of Tyre as the totality of all that is commercially exploitive, and all that is destined for divine judgment in Revelation, chapter 18 must be exposed. And, with an empire that is both commercially and politically supreme among all nations, there is by definition a leadership, a King of Babylon, who is (as well), the face of the King of Tyre.

Symbolism can be potent; however, biblical imagery far surpasses all other forms of imagery in its ability to impact the conscience and understanding of people especially here in America, where familiarity with these metaphors and types is more pervasive because of the religious and historical culture of the nation. Extraneous and superfluous hermeneutics, which draw upon, for example, the occult, alleged conspiratorial theories, antiquity, and non-canonical text—unless clearly substantiated by "biblical parameters”—are, in the main, without credibility and even dangerous, in that such peripheral materials skew both the intent and meaning of prophetical Scriptures. As the late John F. Walvoord of Dallas Theological Seminary prefaced in Every Prophecy of the Bible:

"In the interpretation of (Bible) prophecy, every prophecy is related to other prophecies like the piece of a tapestry to the whole . . . a system (has) to be used that would unfold prophecy in an orderly way and relate prophecies to each other. To achieve this the general method of study of prophetic Scripture was approached from the biblical point of view, beginning in Genesis and ending in Revelation."

King of Babylon, the leadership of the political and military empire of the Last Days, has been clearly defined and expounded upon in our other publications (Dene McGriff:  In Search of Babylon).  This work resourced scores of evangelical writers who affirm this "dimension" of the Great City. Babylon the Great is much more than an Apostate Church in full compromise and ripe for end-times judgment (Revelation 17). Evangelicals who singularly espouse a "one-dimensional" MYSTERY BABYLON, the Great City, Mother of Harlots, as the sum and substance of the prophetical "Babylon the Great" (and identify her as the Roman Catholic Church), have (in the main) a "prophetical bias" and normally embrace a pre-tribulation perspective of end times (i.e., the believing Church will be raptured prior to the final 70^th Week of Daniel, the Tribulation/Great Tribulation Period of 7 years).

Today, a growing number of evangelicals do not find expository credence in the popularized pre-tribulation eschatology of the Hal Lindseys and Tim LaHays (Left Behind series). These evangelicals affirm the historic position of the Church since the ascension of our Lord is the triumphant faith of believers who are "purified" through the tribulation of the last days, and who, through the blood of the Lamb and the witness of their testimony (Rev. 12:11), overcome IN this great end-times drama!  As we have approached the end of the age, the dimensions of Babylon the Great have come into amazing clarity. Not only is Babylon the Great the Apostate Church of the last days; not only is this Great City the final end-times apex of political and military might, whose leadership is the King of Babylon, wherein it is said: "Who is able to make war with him" (Rev. 13:4); but, Babylon the Great, of whom the "merchants of these things . . . became rich by her" (Rev. 18:15a), but she is the consummation of all international trade and commerce. Tyre has exploited the peoples of the earth "trafficking in the bodies and souls of men" (Rev. 18:13b) and is fully exposed as THE KING OF TYRE, awaiting judgment in Revelation 18.

As Christians, living within this biblical reality in America, we are all the more disquieted and deeply disturbed by what we see around us. In the "midst" of this end-times phenomenon we are overwhelmed by what we see; and, as Daniel, "My lord, because of the vision my sorrows have overwhelmed me, and I have retained no strength" (Dan. 10:16). Yet, is there not One Who strengthens us? "Peace be to you; be strong, yes, be strong . . . let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me" (Dan. 10:19).

Therefore, dear reader, be you believer or not, today is not the same as always, today there are "Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision" (Joel 3:14). Soon, very soon, you will be called to stand in the "street of that great city" (Rev. 11:8), to bear witness against that Great City, and to "come out of her, My people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues" (Rev. 18:4). And, above and beyond all else, shall you not join the host of those who "overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony. . . (who) love not their lives to the death" (Rev. 12:11)? Yes it is time to make your decision!

 

 

AMERICAN ASCENDANCY

Yes, I am incorporating much of what I said back in 2003-2004 – because its prescient message is all the more obvious—though the names have scarcely changed (e.g., Iraq’s burden increasingly extends itself to include Iran).

It is the firm conviction of this author, and of countless other believers (let alone the witness of those who are "wiser than the children of light"), that the awesome mercantile influence upon all nations in these end of days is domiciled in no other civilization than that of the West. Furthermore, and without prejudice or refutation—culturally, militarily, religiously, politically and, of course, commercially—the undisputed leadership among all the nations of the West is the United States of America!

The staggering accumulation and generation of wealth by the USA is so vast, and its "trading empire" so extensive, it altogether dwarfs all competitors. Its California economy alone is virtually fifth in the world (behind the USA, Germany, Japan and Britain, with France trading position from time to time with California). What is even more obvious, these same nations are so incredibly dependent upon trade with the USA, and the economic stimulus provided through trading with the USA, that their own economies and commercial interests are "interlocked" with USA ownership and economic contrivance; to wit: they are merely pawns in a worldwide game of economic power players with the USA as King, Queen, Dukes, and so forth.

It was in the summer of 2004 that I wrote most of what you now read—hence, it is all the more poignant in its prescient declarations, for now this same nation, which has made all the merchants of the earth wealthy from trading with her, is also, militarily, the most lethal power the earth has ever known. No other power upon this globe can project its military might (and do so on simultaneous theaters of war) to virtually any place on the planet in a moment's notice.

In addition, this ascendancy is no fluke of history—some disconnect taken out of context. We are witnessing the inexorable march of history through the centuries culminating in this most precious jewel of civilization as if all that has gone on before it had but one goal in mind: The pinnacle of all human endeavor and earthly achievement, wealth and might.

Seventeen huge American military bases are now scattered throughout the Middle East and Central Asia—many in the former nations of the Soviet Union and, as we speak, five massive (Note:  Seemingly nothing has changed since the summer of 2004!), nuclear-powered aircraft carriers (the fire power of only one could take on the entire sub-continent of India and decisively win) are prowling the waters of the region (to say nothing of the dreaded US-Tridents which lie beneath the seas as "nuclear wolf packs" armed with scores of multiple nuclear warheads)—all poised to decisively obliterate Iran’s nuclear capability.

Furthermore, the most sophisticated and well-trained army, air force, navy, and marines and coast guard, with space-age armaments and sophisticated, high-tech training in virtually any kind of warfare—the envy of the world—are (by the tens of thousands) ready to "move out" and finish the job that George Bush Sr. failed to do in 1991 (which they already have).  Below some of our “projections” have come to pass . . . in retrospect, what we said in the past has deepening implications for the immediate future as President Bush’s surge moves out—but keep your eyes on Iran!

As Gar Smith of AlterNet in his January, 2003 piece, "Forget Osama. Forget Saddam. The Pentagon's newest target is the city of Baghdad."

US Military strategists have announced a plan to pummel the Iraqi capital with as many as 800 cruise missiles in the space of two days. The Pentagon now predicts that its Baghdad blitzkrieg could approximate the devastation of a nuclear explosion. 'The sheer size of this has never been . . . contemplated before,' one Pentagon strategist boasted to CBS News. 'There will not be a safe place in Baghdad,' a city of 5 million people . . . .

Yes, a New World Order has arrived and, as former Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld (January, 2003) so adroitly put it: (who cares about Germany and France)—THAT'S THE OLD EUROPE (meaning, Germany and France are of no account to the USA when it comes to launching a "pre-emptive strike" against Iraq, (and now against Iran), i.e., their opposition is ludicrous, and for that matter, who needs the UN or its Security Council!)

In sum: The "Quartet" is obsolete—ask Israel; the EU, UN, & Russia (a.k.a., The Soviet Union) are going the way of the dodo bird and for all intents and purposes, declared irrelevant by Washington.

The imposition of American democracy, along with her New World Order of values, is really not all that bad we are told by Thomas L. Friedman (and we hold Friedman to his original reflections) of the New York Times in his January 2003 article: "Ousting Saddam will reap benefits liberals will like":

Although President Bush has cast the war in Iraq as being about disarmament and that is legitimate disarmament is not the most important prize there. Regime change is the prize. Regime transformation in Iraq could make a valuable contribution to the war on terrorism, whether Saddam is ousted or enticed into exile. Why? Because what really threatens open, Western, liberal societies today is not Saddam and his weapons per se . . . but the undeterrables, the boys who did 9/11, who hate us more than they love life. It's these human missiles of mass destruction that could really destroy our open society.

With simplistic audacity these pundits like Thomas L. Friedman posit their truism: American "values" are the most superior "because liberating the captive peoples of the Mideast is a virtue in itself and because in today's globalized world, if you don't visit a bad neighborhood, it will visit you." (Thomas L. Friedman, The Sacramento Bee, January 24, 2003; Thomas L. Friedman writes for the New York Times)

Friedman is, in point of fact, simply enunciating a deep-seated conviction on the part of most Americans that, although "some people" may not admit it, nor appreciate and like our American Experiment (the capstone and culmination of Western Civilization), it is the most wonderful thing that could ever happen to all nations of the earth! Indeed, "American culture" through its propaganda machines (media, entertainment venues, sports, education/research, religion, social, military and political values and a host of other superiors) has no parallel on this earthly clod!

Weltanschauung: Western Civilization's Greco-Roman Leadership

"The whole world (cosmos, i.e., WORLD SYSTEM) lies under the sway of the Wicked One" (i.e., the Devil, Satan, the Prince and Power of the Air) (I John 5:19b).

The Bible declares that in the latter days both a King and a Kingdom would arise which will so dominate the nations and peoples of this planet militarily, politically, culturally, commercially and religiously that all who would resist this great end-times Imperial Colossus will be crushed by his "great wrath" (Rev. 12:12).

In sum: This King and Kingdom of the end-times is characterized as both the Antichrist/Beast (as King) and as the False Prophet/Second Beast who leads the masses in the Worship of the Beast and the Worship of the Image of the Beast—which (i.e., "Image") comes to life through the "abominable ministry" of the MARK OF THE BEAST.  This IMAGE ultimately constitutes the Kingdom of the Beast (those over whom the Beast reigns).

Furthermore, atop this Beast is none other than the "Seductress" Mother of Harlots, the culmination of all Apostate Religion. Seemingly, the Beast supports her; she appears in control astride the monster only to be devoured by this multi-headed, ten-horned freak from hell when it suits its greater purposes!

The great end-times’ Imperia is unmistakable—in its identity—as the little or "younger" horn of Daniel Chapter 7 who arose out of the ten horns (Rome) and the little or younger horn of Daniel 8, which arose out of the four horns (Greece), to form the nexus of this latter-day King and his Empire. Under girded by Roman military might and administration AND Greco thought and philosophy (i.e., thinking), this end-times King and his Kingdom is none other than today's GRECO-ROMAN Civilization of the WEST, indisputably headed up by the United States of America.  That civilization never exhausted itself with the decline of Rome’s centralized government.  Its Renaissance occurred between 1300 AD and 1600 AD (i.e., the revival of Roman and Grecian culture, learning, etc.); advanced through the Reformation and extended itself through international exploration and finally, culminating in one nation that now dominates the planet:  The USA.

There is an inexorable, almost supernatural determination afoot. Can it be that what surfaces before us is the full manifestation—that insidious outcropping of the long-prophesied ELEVENTH HORN of Daniel's vision? Alas! What is this that deigns to astride the banks of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers and plunder its "hidden treasures" (oil), while, as Thomas Friedman so blissfully suggests: Liberates the captive peoples of the Middle East?

Antichrist will be an Elephant, not a Canary

How tragic that believers in America are oblivious to the approaching storm. Indeed, Antichrist is the Master of Deception. We somehow have failed to see that Antichrist is not just "against Christ" but that Antichrist is the COUNTERFEIT OF CHRIST! For certain . . .

"And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer." (Rev. 6:2)

The very first seal of the Apocalypse unveils Antichrist mounted on a WHITE horse (a color in the book of Revelation, and throughout the Scriptures, which stands for "purity and righteousness" and clearly depicts the counterfeit Messiah) with only a bow (no arrow). Here is one who "deceitfully" conquers. Finally, the "VERY ELECT" are primed for utter deception. Surprise, surprise! As one of the main writers for Charisma and Christianity Today Magazines privately shared with me his consternation over Jesus' Olivet pronouncement: " . . . they shall deceive the very elect (there's no consolation in its preface: "if it were possible" they shall . . .) (Matthew 24:24 and Mark 13:22). Can we afford to get that close to deception? I don't think so and I don't think you do either! That's why this anonymous writer, with a Masters from Columbia University in literature, nervously mused: That bothers me, bothers me a lot.

Voluminous amounts of literature have been written on Antichrist and Babylon the Great or Mystery Babylon—strangely enough, the vast majority of these writers are Americans! Futurists (i.e., Christians who believe the literal Millennial Age is yet to come) are, in the main, predominately of the persuasion that America is simply not in the prophetical picture of nations in the end of days.

Worldviews are peculiar things some times. Somehow, America gets short prophetical shrift because, oh, well, she wasn't around when Daniel and John were writing, so how could they know about the good 'ole US of A? Or, worse: Since America is filled with Bible-believing Christians, when we're "raptured" out of here, the country simply will have to fall apart. Then those effete Europeans will embrace him who sits on the white horse (probably some King from Spain or Jew from the Middle East undoubtedly from Israel), who will surface as the last days Antichrist just like the Bible predicted. Meanwhile, were all up in glory at some feast while the planet is plummeted by the forces of Antichrist, with God's wrath falling on everyone but us and deservedly so! So, enjoy, eat, drink, spend, and amass your wealth, we have nothing to fear. We mean well and we are well and, as for all you Christian doomsayers out there who judge us for such behavior and thinking some day you'll get your "come upends" and you'll just have to enjoy feasting with Jesus in the heavens while all hell is breaking out on earth during the Great Tribulation, we extend our condolences.  Why?  Because we’re awaiting Jesus and you’re awaiting the Antichrist!

Corrie Ten Boom, who's "post-tribulation" views would not sit well with the aforementioned scenario, affirmed that God's Word (and most of Church history's worldview of the tribulation period prior to the Second Coming of Christ) does not console the saints with such escapism nor does it compromise God's inherent nature in allowing His children to be tested in the fires of adversity. Corrie's testimony of suffering in Nazi Germany's Ravinsbrook Concentration Camp for her faith and concealing Jews from the Nazis, juxtaposed to the shallow and superficial embrace of the pre-tribulation rapture "theory" on the part of most American Evangelicals, is a stark contrast in the testimony of the Christian witness before the world. 

Notwithstanding, so emphatic are they who embrace this "doctrine of escape,” while bundling it with the absence of America in prophecy, that they derisively scoff at those of us who refuse to focus on their "European Canary" sitting atop the ELEPHANT'S ear in the aforementioned picture when that same ELEPHANT (i.e., America) utterly obscures the landscape!

To wit: Dave Hunt in his recent publication, A Woman Rides the Beast:

“Here is no mystical or allegorical language but an unambiguous statement in plain words: ‘The woman...is that great city.’ There is no justification for seeking some other hidden meaning. Yet books have been written and sermons preached insisting that ‘Mystery Babylon’ is the United States. That is clearly not the case, for the United States is Sodom, considering the honor now given to homosexuals, but it is definitely not the Babylon that John sees in this vision. The woman is a city. (Emphasis mine)

“Only of the Vatican could it be said that a city reigns over the kings of the earth. The phrase ‘the worldwide influence of Washington’ means the influence not of that city but of the United States, which has its capital there. When one speaks, however, of the influence of the Vatican around the world, that is exactly what is meant--the city and the worldwide power of Roman Catholicism and its leader the pope. Vatican City is absolutely unique.”

How strange that Mr. Hunt uses Washington D.C. as a metaphor to substantiate his view of the Vatican, as if anyone would ever correlate D.C. with the USA; tell us, isn't it Washington's influence which obsesses the capitals of the globe, and, ipso facto, the countries of the earth? Hardly are the world's capitals intimidated vis-à-vis the Vatican compared to Washington's intrusive reach!

Weltanschauung: How Many Harlots do You See?

It is a "biblical travesty" not to differentiate between the Great Whore who sits astride the seven-headed Beast with ten horns (supported on seven mountains) and the Beast whose support she enjoys. Imperial Rome with its "seven hills" unmistakably gave its ultimate support to the Roman Church and allowed, for centuries, its "visible expression" to be that of a more compliant political partner to the Apostate Church, Mother of Harlots. The "appearance" was one where the "kings of the earth" could be seen bowing in humble homage to Mother Rome—hardly the case in today's world (notwithstanding the "traditional" audiences with "his holiness"). Rome's current distress over her "sexual sins" (a problem so pervasive and entrenched world-wide among her clergy) bears little resemblance to the approbation and subservience which world leaders (especially in the West) once lavished upon her. No, today's Rome is embroiled in endless multi-million dollar lawsuits smack dab in the middle of the City who holds her accountable!

How presumptuous to ascribe all modern-day apostasy to Rome. What naivety and downright "scriptural hypocrisy" to acclaim all deception to Christendom's seven hills! As they say: EXCUUUUSE ME! Need I hang out our dirty "Evangelical Laundry" full of its filth and charlatans who have fleeced and seduced the flock for decades and to this very hour run roughshod over the faith of God's elect by their outlandish claims and merchandise of the Word of God? Extreme? Judgmental? Inflammatory? Needless caustic rhetoric, you say? Why don't you try loving your brothers and sisters in Christ; won’t that be more effective and hasn't Jesus commanded you to do so? Please, whatever you say, don't say that we have anything to do with the King of Babylon, the Mother of Harlots, the King of Merchandise (Tyre). Don't expose our political, religious and commercial entanglements. Say not that we, God's people, should come out of her, Babylon that Great City and run from her judgments!

That's right, she (the Roman Church) simply became part and parcel of what is now known as Western Civilization, which had its beginnings in ancient Babylon and gradually merged its religious, political, and socio-economic imprint upon its western movement to Rome, and along the way merged with the commercial expertise and empire of the King of Tyre! The so-called "Rise and Fall" of the Roman Empire is, in the main, an historical misnomer. Rome never vanished—she flourished and survived and even incorporated the barbarian hordes into her ever-embracing culture, while fending off her Moslem attackers. Eventually, from Marco Polo to Columbus, she was striving to project her influence until the whole world would be under her spell. The political powers that conquered the "New World" were driven by commercial exploitation and avarice.

Their brutal subjugation of the native peoples, found a willing accomplice: The Mother of Harlots—she gave them "spiritual covering" for many of their dastardly deeds. The Church's "spiritual motivations" (or, if you prefer, her "apostate" ambitions) have been justified by historical religious revisionists for centuries.  Alas! The blood of the innocents cry out! Yes, she was made rich but her political patrons knew full well that this little "partnership" would endure as long as it suited their political and commercial aspirations.

Not only have American evangelicals refused to recognize the USA in its comprehensive historical context, they have propagated their prophetical contortions through elaborate fictional writings like Tim LaHaye’s multi-million dollar Pre-tribulation Rapture series, Left Behind—lulling millions of believers to rest, not in the "blessed hope" but in an ill-prepared, false, and dangerous thought: American Christians will escape the seductions of the Great City (apostate religion), as well as the Beast and False Prophet's regime of global worship and commercial control.

In 1967, S. Franklin Logsdon (who filled one of the most prominent pulpits in America, the Moody Memorial Church in Chicago) thundered against this historical and prophetical deceit by declaring:

“It is unthinkable that God who knows the end from the beginning would pinpoint such small nations as Libya, Egypt, Ethiopia and Syria in the prophetic declaration and completely overlook the wealthiest and most powerful nation on the earth. Too long have we evaded the question. Too long have we summarily grouped our country with the so-called revived Roman Empire. Too long have we persisted in terming the U. S. A. in prophecy as one of the "lion's cubs," thus giving her but an inferential mention in the shadow of a diminishing Britain.”

Logsdon's persuasive and biblical arguments (some 33 to be exact) regarding the USA in prophecy, never gained notoriety within the evangelical camp. Jesus said that prophets (and their message) have little impact in their own country—Jesus had the same experience (Mark 6:1-6).

Logsdon, and other influential American Evangelicals, had both the prophetical courage and scriptural savvy, to even broach the idea that the USA was the political Babylon of the last days—not a popular thought in the America of 1967, and especially not in the America of 2007!

FOLLOW THE MONEY TRAIL---THE GREAT CITY & THE KING OF TYRE

Babylon is THAT GREAT CITY (Rev., 18:10), the City who has made the "merchants of the earth rich" through the "abundance of her traffic," both in things and in the "bodies and souls of men" (Rev. 18:13). Her "great riches—all the things which are rich and splendid." "What is like this great city?" That great city, in which all who had ships . . . became rich by her wealth!" (Revelation 18)

Rome, the inheritor of Mystery Religion Babylon, of Gentile world power (as seen in Daniel's "legs of iron"), is also that final manifestation of end-times’ world hegemony whose ten toes of iron, mixed with clay, illustrate her enduring quest for world dominance. Was not this Great City, who would rule over the nations of the earth, obliged to ingest the merchants of the earth? Cato, the famed Roman Senator, whose obsession with Rome's arch enemy, Carthage, announced at the end of all his bombasts on the floor of the Roman Senate (no matter what the topic): CARTHAGE MUST BE DESTROYED! Carthage, colony of Tyre that great international center of trade and commerce, founded by the ancient Canaanites, who were called "Phoenicians" by the Greeks, were the world's great traders of antiquity. Carthage/Tyre they were the same people, the same who "satisfied many people . . . enriched the kings of the earth with . . . many luxury goods and . . . merchandise" (Ezekiel 27:33).

Tyre was swallowed up by Rome during the Punic Wars and its great commercial empire was fully absorbed. Hannibal, Rome's accursed nemesis who led his armies to the gates of Rome, was chased by Rome's legions to mother Tyre (the international trade and commercial center of the ancient world).

And, behind Tyre was the very "King of Tyre." This one who "by your great wisdom in trade you have increased your riches, and your heart is lifted up because of your riches . . . with your wisdom and your understanding you have gained riches for yourself . . . you were the anointed cherub who covers . . . by the abundance of your trading you became filled with violence within . . . ." (Portions of Ezekiel 28).  Likewise, as it is said of Babylon the Great, so it is said of Tyre: "What city is like Tyre . . . ?" (Ezekiel 27:32).

Thus, Imperial Rome absorbed the ancient Mystery Religion of Babylon, and is the inheritor of ancient Babylon's political mantel. Pax Romana (the Peace of Rome) would not have been complete until Carthage was destroyed and Tyre's worldwide trading empire became her own. Think it not strange that the King of Babylon in Isaiah 14 and the King of Tyre in Ezekiel 27-28 is one in the same and this one has but one Kingdom, one dominion, one Beast, whose MARK alone will control all economic engagement: " . . . no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast . . . " (Revelation 13:17).

It is "biblically essential" to delineate between Commercial Babylon and Political/Military Babylon. Not only because of the judgments meted to her and their sequence in Revelation 17, 18 and 19 (Rev. 17-Religious Babylon; Rev. 18-Commercial Babylon; Rev. 19-Political/Military Babylon) but of the insidious dimensions which the King of Tyre constitutes within that Great City.

Heretofore, most futurist evangelicals were clear on religious/apostate Babylon, though most, as we have mentioned here, singularly equated the Great City with the Mother of Harlots. The emergence of thought, wherein Political/Military Babylon was identified, took on biblical relevance during the 1800s through the Brethren and eventually through the publication of Clarence Larkins' works on Dispensational Truth and the release of the C. I. Scofield Reference Bible at the turn of the century (although the "discovery" gradually evolved).

Logsdon, and other evangelical scholars, realized that the inevitability of end-times Gentile World Power had come into full view and that its consideration appeared to be none other than the United States of America!

Differentiating between a political/military power, and a commercial power, comes strikingly into focus, when one realizes that our modern nation states exemplify these prophetical pictures of the future. Let me explain:

After the close of World War II there arose the clear manifestation of what we called the "Super Powers." In the main, both the former Soviet Union and the United States of America (with the decline of the old colonial powers of Europe: British, French, Belgian, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, and so forth) had become the undisputed POLITICAL and MILITARY powers on earth. However, almost from the outset, it became abundantly clear, that America's economic and mercantile capacities (especially accelerated with its aggressive quest for international trading partners in the 1970s) would soon outpace the USSR. In point of fact, the USA's economic might had so eclipsed that of the former Soviet Union throughout the Twentieth Century, no economic contest ever really existed between the two.

Oh how the mighty have fallen! Remember Pax Britannia? For centuries her merchant fleets, trading companies, extensive colonies, and Her Majesty's Ships and Armies, exemplified a formidable military and commercial power without equal. The sun never set on the British Empire—now the Lioness of England exalts in her film stars, rock bands and tabloids. One of her litter has adopted her as the cub's 51st  State!

Today, we have commercial powers like Japan and Germany, and to a lesser extent, France, but these are hardly bastions of military might. To the contrary, their militaries are, compared to the USA, laughable. Yes, they strut and stride upon the world stage of "political power brokers" but have you ever noticed how impotent they appear when it comes to the extension of military power? The nations of the earth seek weaponry engineered and manufactured by and in (for the most part) the USA.  Middle Eastern conflicts are a showcase for American military equipment (just ask the Israelis and the Arabs—whose buying what these days?).

At the close of World War II the Soviet Union surely was a military power of no small significance. Likewise, today, countries like China and North Korea, although not as technologically advanced, when it comes to military hardware, still could be considered military powers of sorts but all these examples have little commercial capacity (aside from China's, and that is but a symbiotic marriage with the USA and her allies; China's barely in the World Trade Organization which is utterly dominated by the USA). Britannia may have lost her former glory but she was "smart" enough to know where her biscuits could be buttered—she hooked her star to the USA long ago (just ask the EU); and, if there ever were any doubt as to the "United Anglosphere” (i.e., Australia, New Zealand, Canada, etc.), you can forget about it. When push comes to shove, the whole lot of these cubs line up behind Uncle Sam—just witness the current action in the Middle East/Central Asia, etc.

The King of Tyre is distinct within the walls of the Great City never underestimate the magnitude and influence of his commercial empire. Most nations of the earth understand that you don't agitate the "system" so wisely established by Tyre: "There is no secret that can be hidden from you! With your wisdom and your understanding you have gained riches for yourself. And gathered gold and silver into your treasuries; by your great wisdom in trade (WTO, IMF, World Bank, NAFTA, et al?) you have increased your riches, and your heart is lifted up because of your riches" (Ezekiel 28:3-5).  Yes, "free trade" is good for all peoples . . . . "You satisfied many people; you enriched the kings of the earth with your many luxury goods and your merchandise" (Ezekiel 27:33).

Indeed, America’s international trade deficits are naught but a careful orchestration of taxing the nations of the world whose central banks begrudgingly loan back to her their surplus dollars to enable her to continue her relentless quest for goods and services—purchased by the same dollars with which she borrows!  And, if you do not continue to loan us what we cannot afford, we will not buy your goods and services—thus collapsing the world economic system . . . play the game or we all lose!  Likewise, if we cannot borrow enough from the central banks of the earth, we will simply MONETIZE the rest of our debt (i.e., print more money) and thereby inflate the dollar’s worth and thence, decrease the value owed to the same central banks who loan her money!  Oh, what a vicious cycle is this!

THE PRINCE OF TYRE

The Prince of Tyre's spiritual metamorphosis in Ezekiel 26-28 is striking. What commences as a parochial judgment against this ancient center of world trade, and against the Prince of Tyre, evolves into a universal exposure and denunciation of a grotesque, cosmic creature, full of evil and iniquity -- "you have become a horror!" (Ezekiel 28:19)

No wonder Willie Nelson says of The Creature from Jekyll Island (by G. Edward Griffin): "Scary. It's the story of the world banking system. Enough said!" With impeccable research and historical disclosure, Griffin uncovers Commercial Babylon (though he does not identify his beast by this title), headed up by what he calls: "The Creature." Poetic expressions conclude his exhaustive treatise—yet his final weapon of destruction (sad to say) is no match for this end-times "Financial Fiend" . . . in his own words:

“The Creature has grown large and powerful since its conception on Jekyll Island (off the Southeast Coast of the USA). It now roams across every continent and compels the masses to serve it, feed it, obey it, worship it. If it is not slain, it will become our eternal lord and master. Can it be slain? Yes it can. How will it be slain? By piercing it with a million lances of truth!. Who will slay it? A million crusaders with determination and courage. The crusade has already begun.”

No, today, PAX AMERICANA is more than a veiled allusion to the glory that was Rome— to the military and political might of the Mediterranean—to the vast commercial empire that was Rome. From the Tigris to the Tiber—from Babylon on the Euphrates to Babylon on the Hudson—the IMAGE grew. The apex, the fountainhead, the final destiny, the zenith of all that was Babylon, Tyre and Rome—HOW SEDUCTIVE IS HER APOSTASY! HOW LUXURIANT IS THE CREATURE! HOW POWERFUL IS THIS BEAST! OH, HOW GREAT IS THAT CITY!

King of Babylon . . . King of Military Might . . . King of Political Empire . . . King of Merchants . . . King of Tyre!

 

Babylon the Great is a Three Dimensional City

Just how can those who condescendingly postulate: The "Mystery of the Woman" (who rides the Beast), is exclusively Babylon the Great, and, ipso facto, the Roman Catholic Church, get away with it in light of a myriad of Scriptures to the contrary? Surely, they are hard pressed to contrive how the Beast upon whom she rides can somehow turn on her; thus, leaving the obvious entity: POLITICAL/COMMERCIAL BABYLON in full view.  The three (i.e., religious, commercial and political Babylon) are NOT indissoluble as some would have us believe! 

“And the ten horns, which you saw on the beast, these will hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire. For God has put it into their hearts to fulfill His purpose, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled” (Rev. 17:16-17).

Either this is the implosion of Apostate Christianity, headed up by the Papal System, or the Beast who supported her (sitting atop the seven hills and riding upon the seven-headed/ten-horned Beast) has overthrown and even devoured its rider and eaten that Great City! What twisting and convolution of Scripture have we here? What of the Beast and the Kingdom of the Beast? Are they not identified with that Great City? Are they not pending further judgment as Babylon the Great—Mother of HARLOTS? It is altogether too clear—nevertheless, has the "Prince and Power of the Air" hidden his dastardly identity from those who are called to bring testimony against that Great City and yet shall they be called to testify!  For, Revelation 17-19 tells us that Babylon the Great's Apostate participant is "no more" (Revelation 17); that its Commercial Empire is burned (Revelation 18) and, finally, its Political Powers are "cast into the lake of fire burning with brimstone" (Revelation 19).

Most certainly, a careful reading of Scriptures—especially, Revelation Chapters 13 and 17-19 forcefully argues that Mystery Babylon the Great is comprised of at least three aspects or entities:

BABYLON THE GREAT—THE GREAT CITY

 

I. MOTHER OF HARLOTS

APOSTATE BABYLON: THE WOMAN WHO SITS ON THE BEAST

Judgment: Revelation 17

The Mother of Harlots and of the Abominations of the Earth (Revelation 17:5—The Apostate Church/Religious System (who is devoured by the Beast in Rev. 17). And note: Mother of HARLOTS (plural)—so there's plenty of room for other apostate religionists (including so-called "Christian" ones) lest your "biblical interpretations" be centered in the Vatican alone!

II. THE BEAST

(A) KING OF TYRE—COMMERCIAL BABYLON

Judgment: Revelation 18

Commercial Babylon (which I will categorically identify as "King of Tyre")—that great end-times culmination of international trade and commerce from whence the "merchants of the earth" have profited (which is consumed under divine judgment and is also identified as a HARLOT) in Rev. 18:6-24).

 

 (B) KING OF BABYLON---POLITICAL & MILITARY BABYLON

Judgment: Revelation 19

The "leadership" (Beast and False Prophet) of Babylon (which will be judged prior to the millennial reign of Christ on the earth (Rev. 19:17 through 20:3a—"The Supper of the great God"); and at the close of the 1,000-year reign of Christ on the earth (Rev. 20:3b-10—the second Gog and Magog conflagration and the final judgment of Satan, the Devil . . . "The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are . . . ."). Thus, the "Unholy Trinity" of Satan, the Devil (i.e., the Dragon), the Antichrist/First Beast, and the False Prophet/Second Beast (the counterfeit of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit) and his Kingdom of Darkness, is forever removed and incapacitated by divine judgment.

You're In the Prophetic Sequence—STAND AND DELIVER!

The mystery of Babylon is UNVEILED through her judgments. A prophetical legacy has been left to us who find ourselves in the midst of Babylon and Tyre.  We unreservedly decry the exploitation by the King of Tyre (i.e., the King of Canaan or King of "Merchants") who has been incorporated within Babylon the Great and who, "through the abundance of (thy) merchandising have filled the earth with violence" (Ezekiel 28:12)—oppressing the peoples of the earth while the merchants have become rich off of the "bodies and souls of men" (Revelation 18:13b) (both off the masses and the people of God).

Finally, as the entitlement, “The King of Tyre” demonstrates, those who hold the "witness to Jesus and . . . the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hand (shall) overcome him (i.e., the Beast and the Image of the Beast—the Worship of the Beast and the Worship of the Image of the Beast)—by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony” (Revelation 20:4 & 12:11).

The world is changing and your view of it will be unalterably affected by the conclusions drawn herein. There is no neutrality, no sideline, no compromise, no refuge, no distance, no hiding place—nothing can obfuscate your inevitable involvement in this concluding act of history. You're in it you must choose . . . .

And, for the Church, may God's Word come alive to us all in this, the Church's most relevant hour. Let us approach this day in the "spirit of Elijah" who ultimately brought the children of Israel back to the One True God out of compromise and apostasy (i.e., the insidious mixture of Tyre's (i.e., Canaan's) commercial, religious and political amalgam). By God's grace may these words from the Revelation of Jesus Christ break afresh upon His Church:

“Come out of her (Babylon), my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues." (Rev. 18:4b) . . . And I saw thrones, and they sat on them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years . . . blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years” (Rev. 20:4 and 6).