Crusades – See you in Heaven

Revelation 18 – Part 3

“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 not be found anymore.’” Revelation 18:21

The third angelic announcement of Rome’s (“Babylon”) judgment in Revelation 18 is now recorded by the apostle John (18:21-24). The first two announcements depicted the rapidity of God’s judgment of Rome (18:1-19) whereas this last announcement describes its finality. ¹ “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 not be found anymore.’” (Revelation 18:21). The “violence” and finality of Rome’s destructionis graphically portrayed by “a mighty angel” throwing “a great millstone… into the sea.”

In John’s day, millstones often measured four to five feet in diameter, were one foot thick, and weighed thousands of pounds (cf. Mark 9:42). ²As it would be impossible for such a huge stone to float to the surface of the ocean, so certainly the religious and economic system of Rome that had deceived and misled this world throughout human history, will sink to the bottom of the sea never to rise again. ³ The phrase “and shall not be found anymore” contains two doubt negatives in the Greek text (ou mē), emphasizing the finality of Rome’s judgment.

The mighty angel then lists all of Rome’s worldly luxuries and pleasures that will vanish with its destruction never to be found again. “²² 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. ²³ The light of a lamp shall not shine in you anymore, and the voice of bridegroom and bride shall not be heard in you anymore.” (Revelation 18:22-23a). Not one of these material things listed here is evil in and of itself. But in the Babylonian world system, these every day things drew people away from the true God to glorify humanity. Their sudden disappearance represents the total and final destruction of every facet of society, from fine arts (“the sound of harpists, musicians, flutists, and trumpeters”)to night life (“the light of a lamp”), from expert craftsmanship (“craftsman of any craft”) to common labor (“the sound of a millstone”), ⁴not even the sound of joyful celebration (“the voice of bridegroom and bride”)will “be heard in” her “anymore.” In a flash, all of Rome’s worldly luxuries and pleasures will be removed permanently. Where there had once been hustle and bustle, there will be silence. ⁵

The prophet Jeremiah announced a similar kind of judgment against Judah for her disobedience: “⁸ Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Because you have not heard My words, ⁹ behold, I will send and take all the families of the north,’ says the Lord, ‘and Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant, and will bring them against this land, against its inhabitants, and against these nations all around, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, a hissing, and perpetual desolations. ¹⁰ Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones and the light of the lamp.” (Jeremiah 25:8-10).

Instead of focusing on the Giver, Rome and all its followers had focused on the gift. Instead of worshiping the Creator, they worshiped the creation. In case you think such a sudden and violent judgment is unfair or too harsh, the mighty angel gives two reasons for Rome’s judgment. “^23bFor your merchants were the great men of the earth, for by your sorcery all the nations were deceived. ²⁴ And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who were slain on the earth.” (Revelation 18:23b-24). Through Rome’s businessmen (“merchants”) she will cast a materialistic spell (“sorcery”) over humankind so that “all the nations were deceived.” ⁶ The word “sorcery” (pharmakeia) is where the English word “pharmacy” comes from.

“If one is puzzled over the connection between medicine and sorcery as illustrated by this word (our pharmacy), he has only to recall the quackery today in medicine (patent medicines and cure-alls), witch doctors, professional faith-healers, medicine-men in Africa. True medical science has had a hard fight to shake off chicanery and charlatanry.” ⁷

Rome’s worldly luxuries and pleasures had deceived the nations of the world into believing that joy, security, and meaning in life come through the accumulation of material wealth instead of through their Creator God. Papal Rome has also grown wealthy with its focus on paying money for forgiveness (indulgences). For a fee, parishioners could get a deceased family member out of Purgatory and save up for their own future sins. ⁸ Selling forgiveness is what sparked the Protestant Reformation. ⁹

The second reason for Rome’s severe and final judgment is because “in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who were slain on the earth” (18:24).

“Not surprisingly, worship of the wrong object (wealth) is accompanied by wrath misdirected at the improper target (Christians). In the Antichrist’s kingdom, as with other godless societies, throughout history, the blood of prophets and saints testifies to the slaughter of those who stand for God’s values in opposition to the religion of materialism.” ¹⁰

When people worship the creation instead of the Creator, they no longer value human life as God does. We see this in America as our educational institutions have taught evolution for decades now which leaves God out of the picture and worships His creation. As a result, this country has murdered an estimated 62 million unborn babies through abortion since legalizing abortion on demand in 1973. ¹¹Even now state legislatures are about to vote on bills sponsored by Planned Parenthood that could legalize the killing of newborn babies up to 28 days after birth. ¹²

Rome’s sudden and violent destruction is also due to her killing God’s people, including “prophets and saints” (18:24). For centuries, pagan and papal Rome has seduced people away from the true God with her rituals and superstitions and has persecuted those who proclaim the truth exposing her materialistic and idolatrous false religion. History shows that the Roman Catholic Church has shed the blood of many believers and victims of the Crusades and Roman Inquisition. ¹³But the height of Rome’s hostility toward God’s people will take place during the Tribulation period when she vehemently opposes God’s prophets and saints on the earth. Because Rome has shed the blood of God’s children, and led others to do the same, she “will receive the death penalty from God’s hand. She will not be found anymore!” ¹⁴

How can we reach materialistic people with the gospel of Jesus Christ before it is too late for them? We look to Jesus’ example. After Jesus had miraculously fed thousands of people with five loaves of bread and two sardine-sized fish (John 6:1-14), He crossed over to the other side of the lake only to encounter the same crowd again (John 6:15-25). These people were like most materialistic people today. Like the beneficiaries of Rome, they were more interested in satisfying their physical appetites than their spiritual appetites, so Jesus confronts their selfish desires. “Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.” (John 6:26). Christ is saying, “You came not because you understand Me to be the Messiah-God but because you wanted another free meal.” To this crowd, life was all about keeping alive, being healthy and well fed, and economically sufficient.

In an essay written by George Orwell, he describes a wasp that (as he puts it) “was sucking jam on my plate and I cut him in half. He paid no attention, merely went on with his meal, while a tiny stream of jam trickled out of his severed esophagus. Only when he tried to fly away did he grasp the dreadful thing that had happened to him.” ¹⁵

This wasp and people without Jesus have much in common. Severed from their souls, but greedy and unaware, people continue to consume life’s sweetness. Only when it is time to fly away will they grasp their dreadful condition. Jesus encourages the materialist to seek after something better. To seek after bread which lasts and produces life which never ends.

Jesus tells the materialist how to satisfy his spiritual hunger and thirst forever, and it is not through the accumulation of wealth or buying your forgiveness as Rome taught. Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.” (John 6:35). The materialist hungers and thirsts for power… possessions… and popularity! But the greatest hunger and thirst of all is for immortality. Jesus says to look to Him in faith to satisfy our hunger for immortality. Look to Him in faith to quench our thirst for eternal life.

What do you do when you are hungry? You eat. What do you do when you are thirsty? You drink. Jesus says that if we come to Him in faith, we will never hunger for eternal life again. If we believe in Him, we will never thirst for eternal life again. One bite of the bread that Jesus’ offers, one drink of the water that Jesus offers, satisfies our spiritual hunger and thirst forever. This is difficult for the materialist to do. He has always provided for his own needs, and now he is being challenged to trust Someone outside of himself for his most important need.

What if a person stops believing in Christ? Will he hunger or thirst for eternal life again? No. Because the spiritual need which Jesus meets can never reoccur. Once you receive eternal life, you have it forever. After all, how long is “never” (John 6:35)? It is forever, right? If a person could hunger or thirst for eternal life again after believing in Jesus, then Christ just told a lie. Jesus says one bite… one drink satisfies for eternity. The results of believing in Christ are permanent even if we don’t keep on believing.

Has your hunger or thirst for immortality been satisfied forever? Do you know for sure that you have eternal life? If not, why not take Jesus Christ at His word right now? Place your trust solely in Him to save you. Give up confidence in anything else: your prayers, giving of money, church attendance, baptism, obedience, commitment, or the reformation of your life. Jesus Christ guarantees eternal life to all who believe in Him alone for it.

Let us share this message gladly and often. It is glorious news! It is the greatest news! Tell people eternal life is a free gift and that the sole condition for receiving it is believing in Christ alone. Leave the results to God. After all, eternal life is the gift of God. He is the One giving the gift.

Prayer: Father God, give us a love for the self-reliant religious people of this world. Increase our burden for the materialistic people of our community. Give us the courage to confront their selfish desires, to correct their misconceptions about salvation, and to challenge them to believe in Jesus Christ alone for eternal life so that they can discover the joy of everlasting security in Him. Security that cannot be lost or taken away. Lord, I pray that those of us who know You will seek satisfaction in our relationship with You and not the things of this world. Enable us to live in light of eternity. In Jesus’ mighty name we pray. Amen.

ENDNOTES:

1.Bob Vacendak; Robert Wilkin; J. Bond; Gary Derickson; Brad Doskocil; Zane Hodges; Dwight Hunt; Shawn Leach; The Grace New Testament Commentary: Revised Edition (Grace Evangelical Society, Kindle Edition, 2019), pg. 1570.

2. Tom Constable, Notes on Revelation, 2017 Edition, pp. 200-201 cites Alan Johnson, “Revelation,” In Hebrews-Revelation Vol. 12 of The Expositor’s Bible Commentary Edited by Frank E. Gaebelein (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), pg. 568.

3. Constable, pg. 200.

4. Charles R. Swindoll, Insights on Revelation (Swindoll’s Living Insights New Testament

Commentary Book 15, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2014 Kindle Edition), pg. 329.

5. Constable, pg. 201.

6. Vacendak, pg. 1571.

7. Constable, pg. 201 quotes Alan Johnson, Vol. 6, pg. 445.

8. See Randy Petersen’s article entitled “Selling Forgiveness: How Money Sparked the Protestant Reformation,” at christianhistoryinstitute.org.

9. Ibid.

10. Tony Evans, CSB Bibles by Holman, The Tony Evans Study Commentary (B & H Publishing Group, Kindle Edition 2019), pg. 2413.

11. See the January 22, 2021, Foxnew’s article entitled, “An Estimated 62 million abortions have occurred since Roe v. Wade decision in 1973” at www.foxnews.com.

12. Taken from an email on April 21, 2022, from American Center for Law and Justice’s Executive Director, Jordan Sekulow.

13. “Bill Salus on Mystery Babylon” video on the August 26, 2018, Christ in Prophecy show.

14. Vacendak, pg. 1571.

15. https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/76254-a-wasp-was-sucking-jam-on-my-plate-and-i .

Revelation 17 – Part 2

“So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.” Revelation 17:3

Before Armageddon is described in detail and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ takes place (Revelation 19), one final event must be addressed which is the destruction of Babylon the Great (Revelation 17-18).Last time we discovered that “Babylon” is a common code name in the New Testament for the city of Rome and its evil lifestyle (Revelation 14:8; 16:19; 17:1-18:21; cf. I Peter 5:13). John now receives a vision about this city and its decadence.

The apostle John writes, “So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.” (Revelation 17:3). The angel (17:1) “carried” John “away in the Spirit into the wilderness.” The “wilderness” was a common place in the Bible where God met with people to give them revelation (cf. Exodus 3:1; I Kings 19:4; Luke 1:80). ¹ It was there in the wildernesswhere John saw the “great harlot” mentioned in verse 1 as now “sitting on a scarlet beast,” which the interpreting angel identifies as the Man of Sin or Beast from the sea who will be “full of names of blasphemy” attacking the character of God (17:3; cf. 13:1; 17:7-14; 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4). ² In this description the “beast” is “scarlet,” representing its luxury and splendor. ³

The fact that this woman is “sitting” on the beast suggests that Rome will initially control the Man of Sin and benefit from his expanding kingdom represented by the “seven heads and ten horns” during the Tribulation period.

“The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication.” (Revelation 17:4). “The woman” was outwardly beautiful and wealthy much like royalty, and the “golden cup” in her hand added to her royal appearance, but it was full of idolatrous “abominations and the filthiness of her fornication.”

“In the Old Testament ‘abominations’ were sinful objects and practices that God hated – things such as carved images of pagan gods (Deuteronomy 7:25-26), idol worship (Deuteronomy 17:2-5) witchcraft (Deuteronomy 18:9-12), and sexual sin and perversion (Leviticus 18).” ⁴

The woman’s adornment is like the religious trappings of ritualistic churches today. While purple, scarlet, gold, precious stones, and pearls call all represent beauty and glory in relation to the true faith, here they reveal a false religion that misrepresents the truth. ⁵

John saw “on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” (Revelation 17:5). In John’s day, “a harlot whose forehead was inscribed was considered the lowest of prostitutes, a tattooed slave.” ⁶ This is not the literal city of Babylon, but “MYSTERY BABYLON.” The word “mystery” (mystērion) refers to something not previously revealed but now made clear. ⁷ This “MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT” is a code name for Rome (cf. 17:1, 9, 18; cf. I Peter 5:13). Rome is not only a prostitute herself (sinful and ungodly) but is also “THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH,” producing other idolatrous and immoral cities all over the world that mislead people away from the true God.

“In our day the ecumenical church has faced a lot of problems. It seems that they have recognized psychological differences in people and that it is impossible to water down theologies and practices to suit everyone. So, each group will come into this great world ecumenical system but retain some of its peculiarities. For example, those who want to immerse will immerse. Those who want to sprinkle will sprinkle. Those who want elaborate ritual will have it, and those who want no ritual will have that. You see, there is going to be more than the mother harlot – there will be a whole lot of harlots, a regular brothel.” ⁸

While I believe many born again Christians will come out of the Roman Catholic Church and be raptured before the Tribulation begins, the church’s overall idolatrous structure will continue to exist during the first half of the Tribulation and have worldwide influence among those who will suddenly become “religious” as the judgments of the Tribulation unfold.

Next John writes, “I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement.” (Revelation 17:6). Of all the “abominations” in Rome’s cup (17:4), the most heinous would be the murder of the followers of God. She was “drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.” The word “drunk” not only suggests she was addicted to killing God’s followers, but she also found immense pleasure in doing so. Jesus Christ, the apostle Paul, and an innumerable number of others were violently executed at the hand of the Roman government. ⁹

Bible Prophecy teacher, Bill Salus states, “When we look at Rome… it … was first called pagan Rome with the Roman Empire and then it morphed into Papal Rome where of course now you have the Vatican. There is no shortage of crimes and sins that have been perpetrated by them. A few with Pagan Rome put to death God’s Son, Jesus Christ. Martyred Christians for over three centuries. Some sources say [there] were over 210,000 during the time of the spread of Christianity. [They] killed 1.1 million people, mostly Jews according [to] the Jewish historian Josephus by 70 AD. Destroyed the Temple and Jerusalem in 70 AD. Destroyed it again in 135 AD with the Bar Kokhba Revolt, killed 100,000 Jews between 132 and 135…

“As the Roman Empire started to disintegrate, they found it favorable to embrace Christianity to maintain its power for as long as it was good… We are dealing with religious aspects of the harlot world religion. And again, I would say that is centered in Rome and has something to do with the Vatican. And the Papal Rome… crimes and sins there: they expelled Jews from Spain in 1492 AD, expelled them from Portugal in 1497 AD, killed tens of thousands of Jews in the Crusades, hundreds of thousands of Protestants if not millions in the Reformation. It is responsible for at least 100,000 victims of sexual abuse in this country [USA]. What about worldwide? So, and these are just a few of the rap sheet of the crimes and sins.” ¹⁰

Just as history shows that the Roman Catholic Church has shed the blood of many believers and victims of the Crusades and Roman Inquisition, so this woman riding on the beast representing a future worldwide religious system will put to death many believers who remain faithful to Christ during the Tribulation period. The apostleJohn “marveled with great amazement” that a religious system claiming to honor God was so obsessed with killing His faithful followers (17:6b).

It is important to understand that the religious persecution by the Roman Catholic Church mentioned above does not represent biblical Christianity. Just because someone says they are a Christian or does something in the name of Jesus Christ does not mean they are genuine believers in Jesus.

The Bible emphasizes that eternal life is a free gift (John 4:10-14; Romans 6:23b; Ephesians 2:8-9). A person does not receive eternal life by living a good life, keeping God’s commandments, going to church, praying every day, being baptized with water, or hating their enemies. The Bible tells us that a person must come to God as a sinner (Romans 3:23), realizing that Christ died for all his sins and rose from the dead (I Corinthians 15:3-6), and then believe or trust in Christ alone for His gift of everlasting life (John 3:36; 6:40, 47). The moment a person believes in Christ alone to give him or her everlasting life, God not only gives him the free gift He paid for when He died on the cross – eternal life – He also comes to live inside that person through His Holy Spirit (Romans 8:11; Galatians 2:20; 3:2) to give them the power to live a life that pleases Him.

Many people who claim to be Christians do not understand this simple gospel message. Instead of trusting in Christ alone to get them to heaven, they are trusting their good works or Christ plus their good works to get them to heaven, and therefore, they do not have God’s power in them to live a life that pleases Him. Many non-Christians use their religion to try to cover up their sins. So, it is important to understand that not all people who say they are Christians have God’s power in them to live a different life because they are not trusting in Christ alone to save them and give them everlasting life. Instead, they are depending on their good works or religious efforts to get them to heaven, instead of on Christ alone and His finished work on the cross.

Prayer: Lord God, thank You for revealing more about the coming worldwide false religion whose outward appearance is very appealing, but whose inward condition is evil and against the character of God. Many people have been deceived by similar false religions today whose outward beauty and wealth are alluring, but inwardly they leave people empty and powerless to overcome their bondage to sin and shame. Such false religions are opposed to the true God, Jesus Christ, and mishandle His truth to lead people away from Him. We pray Lord God that You would remove the Satanic blindness from those who are involved in these false religions so they can discover the true God Who loves them enough to lay down His life for them on a cross and rise from the dead so whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. In the mighty name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.

ENDNOTES:

1. Tom Constable, Notes on Revelation, 2017 Edition, pg. 184.

2. Bob Vacendak; Robert Wilkin; J. Bond; Gary Derickson; Brad Doskocil; Zane Hodges; Dwight Hunt; Shawn Leach, The Grace New Testament Commentary: Revised Edition (Grace Evangelical Society, Kindle Edition, 2019), pg. 1563; cf. Charles R. Swindoll, Insights on Revelation (Swindoll’s Living Insights New Testament Commentary Book 15, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2014 Kindle Edition), pg. 313; Tony Evans, CSB Bibles by Holman, The Tony Evans Study Commentary (B & H Publishing Group, Kindle Edition 2019), pg. 2409.

3. Tom Constable, pg. 185.

4. Vacendak, pg. 1565.

5. John F. Walvoord, The Bible Knowledge Commentary Epistles and Prophecy, Editors John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck (David C. Cook, 2018 Kindle Edition), location 6068.

6. Vacendak, pg. 1564.

7. Constable, pg. 185.

8. Ibid., pg. 186 cites J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible with J. Vernon McGee, 5 Vols., (Pasadena, CA: Thru the Bible Radio; and Nashville: Thomas Nelson, In., 1983), 5:1033.

9. Vacendak, pg. 1564.

10. “Bill Salus on Mystery Babylon” video on the August 26, 2018, Christ in Prophecy show at www.christinprophecy.org.