REVELATION LESSON 43

REVELATION

LESSON 43

ARE WE LIVING IN THE END TIMES?

Revelation 17:17   ¹⁷ For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.

This is an interesting verse. God will plant the idea of destroying the false religious system into the heart of the Antichrist, as well as the heart of his ten puppet kings. They will be instruments in Gods hand to accomplish His purpose and fulfill his word.

Now having come to the mid-point of the seven years, men worship the dragon because he has given authority to the beast. They also worshiped the beast, and asked who is like the beast. Who can make war against him?

The whole religious system having its source in ancient Babylon is brought to its close because the final form of religion, the worship of the world leader is atheism and does not need this support.

Revelation 17:18   ¹⁸ And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

This verse identifies the woman as the great city that rules over the earth. Unfortunately, the ten nations have their own agenda. God will use it to bring about His will. The chapter which follows will deal with Roman power that is centered in the city of Babylon.

Revelation 18:1   18 And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.

Chapter 17 was about mystery Babylon, the great, the mother of harlots and the abominations of the earth. Chapter 18 refers to the word mystery and picks up the word city. Its time to shift our focus from mystery of the city to city from the coming one world harlot religious system to the home of the coming one world political and economic system. From the bride of the antichrist to the city of the antichrist.

Satan will be cast down to earth at the middle of the tribulation period. He will try to copy everything Jesus does. The ancient city of Babylon and the coming rebuilt version appear to be that old serpents’ pathetic effort to have wicked men build him a capital city on earth that will rival the holy city, new Jerusalem that Jesus ad God will occupy on the new earth.

The interpretation of this chapter depends on the question of whether Babylon will be rebuilt as the capital of the world in the end times or whether Babylon will be fulfilled by the role of Rome in the period preceding the second coming.

After witnessing the coming destruction as the one world harlot religious system John received a new revelation, he saw another angel coming down from heaven that will tackle the powerful and wealthy one world political and economic system.

When this angel arrives, it will not be the sun, moon or stars that light on earth, but the angel’s glory. This suggests that he will come directly from the presence of God. Due to the magnificence of that coming and especially of the one who is coming very well could be either Gabriel or Michael.

Revelation 18:2   ² And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.

Facts about Babylon: it is the first city mentioned after the flood, it was the plains of a land called Shinar, it is also the city where the tower of babble was built by Nimrod, and where he tried to start a one world religion based on astrology, sorcery and mysteries of Semiramis. It was also the place where the one world government originated.

The angel will prophesy about the future of Babylon the great. It will fall and become the dwelling place of demons a prison for every foul spirit and a cage for every unclean bird. In other words, it will be the capital of evil in all the world. Vultures and the like are use at times in the word of God as symbols for demon spirits.

The city of Babylon that began the times of the gentiles are mentioned more than 275 times in the bible second only to Jerusalem. More that 10 percent of the book of revelation is about Babylon. The antichrist is called the King of Babylon. It will never be inhabited, it would require a future destruction of what is there today.

Isaiah 13:19-20   ¹⁹ And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.

²⁰ It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there.

Its final destruction will occur during the day of the Lord. Scriptures are not clear whether this destruction of Babylon is immediately before the second coming or immediately afterward. The second coming will destroy the cities of the gentiles and it very well could be that Babylon will be destroyed at the same time.

Until our next lesson

Stay in the word.

Brother Andy