We
see the wind up of God’s Big Plan! The Fall of Babylon! Marriage Supper of
Lamb! The White Throne! The 1000 Years! Then my Conclusion!
Part 12
The One World Government - Futurist AND Historical View
OWG12 HV - The Fall of Babylon Rev 18
Original Commenced 20201122 -:- Published 20210829 -:- Revised 20250923
This Paper Published 20260715 -:- Revised 20260715
Part 12
The One World Government - Futurist AND Historical View
OWG12 HV - The Fall of Babylon Rev 18
Original Commenced 20201122 -:- Published 20210829 -:- Revised 20250923
This Paper Published 20260715 -:- Revised 20260715
Caution! Possible spelling mistakes - Scriptures from Modern King James (MKJV) unless noted otherwise.
Overview
I published ‘The
One World Government’ in 2020 some 90 plus pages. Not conducive
for a quick 10-minute read on the Internet. So I’ve divide it into a few
manageable ‘Short Papers’, also revising some of my earlier work. Below I’ve
given you the links to ALL the related ‘Short Papers’ on the “OWG”.. The One
World Government Study. This basically gives you an index. The first four from
the Futurist View (FV). The rest are from the Historical View (HV)!
List of ‘Short Papers on the OWG’: -
OWG1 FV - The Origin Of The One World Government
OWG2 FV - The Ten Toes, Horns Or Kings
OWG3 FV - The Little Horn Dan 7
OWG4 FV - The Time of the End
OWG5 HV - The Historical View Reasoning
OWG6 HV - The “Ten, Toes, Horns, Kings”
OWG7 HV - [9] Characteristics of The Little Horn Daniel 7
OWG8 HV - Who Are The Saints Who Topple The Antichrist?
OWG9 HV - The Revelation, Heads, Horns and Crowns
OWG10 HV - The Ten Horned Beast of Rev 13
OWG11 HV - The Harlot Astride The Beast Rev 17
OWG12 HV - The Fall of Babylon Rev 18
Revision
In the talks entitled; OWG1 FV - The Origin Of The One World Government, I used the Futurist View to look at where the idea of a future One World Government came from, along with other important building blocks needed to formulate this study. In OWG2 FV - The Ten Toes, Horns Or Kings I explained the meanings of the Ten Toes, Horns Or Kings. In OWG3 FV - The Little Horn Dan 7 I examined the prophecies regarding the Little Horn. In OWG4 FV - The Time of the End I examined the prophecies regarding the Little Horn ie, the future antichrist and the final end of ‘The One World Government’. In OWG5 HV - The Historical View Reasoning we examined Why Do Historicists Think The Way they do? Mainly because of the differences in how they interpret some key scriptures. In OWG6 HV - The “Ten, Toes, Horns, Kings” we covered a lot of ground in Daniel 2. The ten kingdoms, they CAN NOT Unite, the ‘Stone Kingdom and finally the Beast of Dan 7. In OWG7 HV - [9] Characteristics of The Little Horn Daniel 7, we examine Nine Characteristics of the Little Horn in Daniel 7 that we can use to identify the antichrist. In OWG8 HV - Who Are The Saints Who Topple The Antichrist? I showed you that God has an earthly team He uses to destroy the antichrist. And is active through Daniel and parts of Revelation. In OWG9 HV - The Revelation, Heads, Horns and Crowns, I proved to you that the Revelation is in Three Parts. Giving us a conformation of God’s BIG Plan, using the Three Witnesses principal! In OWG10 HV - The Ten Horned Beast of Rev 13 I showed you some plausible fulfilment of the Ten Horns, the Two Horns, the ‘image of the beast’ and the 666. In OWG11 HV - The Harlot Astride The Beast Rev 17 I showed you the fulfilment of the ‘Harlot on the Beast’. The rise and fall of the ‘Ten Kings’, and the final demise of the Harlot!
Aim
In this talk OWG12 HV - The Fall of Babylon Rev 18 I hope to show you the overall wind up of God’s Big Plan. The fall of Babylon, The Marriage Supper of the Lamb, The white Throne judgement, the Thousand Years, and my final Conclusion.
Futurist AND Historical View- OWG12 HV - The Fall of Babylon Rev 18
Babylon is the latest name for the Church of Rome. Here is an interesting thought for you. From the historical point of view Revelation chapters 18 onward are all still basically in the future. Also the Futurist view thinks the rapture is about to take us any day now. And when it does they think the Church of Rome will go into the “Great Apostasy”. So The Two Views, the Futurist and the Historical views would tend to happily agree with each other’s interpretation from here onward. Simply because both views see these chapters as still in the future. But we can have a quick look at them for you anyway. Revelation 18 starts with, “And after these things I saw…”. This gives you a very rough estimate of the start date of the prophecy. It is after the ‘Ten’ kingdoms of Europe have been devouring the harlot, (the Church of Rome). So it could still be present day! In that catholic Spain in the 1930’s turned her vengeance on the Church of Rome. This same knee-jerk reaction could arise in any strong Roman Catholic country today? Currently ‘Babylon’ or Rome is still in tact, but the pope has no power in comparison to his earlier years. And he will never get that back because his prophesied reign of 42 months is finished as of 1866. John then continues with the rest. The Futurist believers can now rejoin us in this wind up chapter.
Rev 18:1 “ ..I saw another angel come down from Heaven, having great authority ..earth was lighted ..from his glory. :2 ..he cried ..saying, Babylon the great has fallen, has fallen! ..it has become ..place of demons ..prison of every unclean spirit ..every unclean bird :3 because of the wine ..of her fornication ..all ..nations have drunk ..the kings ..committed fornication with her. ..merchants ..became rich from ..her luxury.” Did you notice the wording? ‘Has fallen’ sounds like the angel is speaking past tense, but from what perspective of time, for us in our time? We know that the later devastation described here in this chapter has not come as yet, so it must still be in the future for us. Rev 18:4 “ ..I heard another voice from Heaven, saying, Come out of her, My people, that you may not be partakers of her sins, and that you may not receive of her plagues.” I would say this calling from God has been going on for centuries since, even before the Reformation in the 1500’s. Also with latter day revivals one after the other reaching out to those caught in the web of the Catholic Church calling them to come out of her. The pope often had to go to the old predominantly catholic nations to try to stem the rot in the Catholic Church that is happen because people are being evangelised and “coming out of her”.
Babylon’s’ Destruction
Some of this could be in our past hundred years. As I said above; “For a brief coverage of the latter day destruction of the Catholic Church, [Ref CN by AJFerris on The Book of Revelation Pt 2 Ferris, pages 80-85]” Ferris describes a lot of the destruction of the catholic nations in this same manure, “pay her double for what she has done to the reformers and the true church”. Rev 18:5 “..her sins joined together, even up to Heaven ..God ..remembered her unjust deeds. :6 Reward her as she has rewarded you ..double to her ..according to her works. In the cup which she mixed, mix double to her. :7 As much as she has glorified herself ..lived in luxury, so much torment and sorrow give her. ..she says ..I sit as a queen ..I am not a widow ..do not see mourning.. :8 Therefore her plagues will come in one day, death and mourning and famine. ..she will be consumed with fire, for the Lord God who judges her is strong.” One interesting line was, “Reward her as she has rewarded you”? Who is doing the rewarding? It sounds like the saints of God are being given a chance at payback? Which could well be interpreted as the outcome of WWII and the vast destruction of Europe. The rest sounds like instantaneous devastation, it will come in one day and she will be consumed with fire. In the Futurist view section of this study, I said it sounds like an atomic blast. And in the scheme of things in the politics of Europe, if Islam is starting to progressively take holed of Europe, it could be that to put a stop to the pope and Christianity, that some Muslim extremists simply drop a bomb on the pope while he is sitting comfortably at home in the Vatican?
The Merchants Bewail
We can brief this down considerably, but you should have a read of the whole chapter to get a fuller understanding of the wealth of Babylon and her punishment. Rev 18:9 “ ..the kings of the earth who ..committed fornication ..lived in luxury with her ..weep ..and ..wail over her when they see ..her burning :10 standing afar off for fear of her torment ..For in one hour your judgment came.” Again it sounds like a possible atomic blast. Then verses 11-14 gives a long list of the goods that Babylon traded in to make her rich. And she is now no more!
Rev 18:15 “The merchants of these things ..stand afar off because of the fear of her torment, weeping and mourning :16 ..saying, Woe! Woe ..the great city..:17 ..in one hour such great riches was desolated ..as many as work the sea, stood afar off. :18 ..they cried out.. :19 ..For in one hour she was ruined. :20 Rejoice over her, Heaven, and the holy apostles, and the prophets, since God judged your judgment on her. :21 one strong angel took up a ..great millstone ..threw it into the sea, saying ..Babylon, will be thrown down and not at all will be found any more. :22 ..no more ..not ..any more ..never more :23 ..never more ..never more .. For your merchants were the great ones of the earth; for by your sorceries all nations were deceived. :24 And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all those who were slain on the earth.”
Historical View - Heaven Rejoicing - Marriage Supper - Rider On White Horse Rev 19
This entire chapter is defiantly still in our future! It is pretty much self-explanatory. But it is of interest to see the final out come of the Beast, the false prophet and the ‘Ten’ kings. Like I said before it’s great to read the end of the book first. The chapter is in three parts, ‘Rejoicing in Heaven’, ‘The Marriage Supper of the Lamb’ and ‘The Rider on a White Horse’, who is Christ at his Second Advent coming to destroy the wicked at the battle of Armageddon.
Rejoicing in Heaven
Rev 19:1 “ ..I heard a great sound ..in Heaven ..Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and honor and the power to the Lord our God! :2 ..He has judged the great harlot who defiled the earth with her fornication, and He has avenged the blood of His servants out of her hand. :3 ..her smoke rose up forever and ever. :4 ..the twenty-four elders ..the four living creatures ..worshiped God ..saying, Amen! Hallelujah! :5 ..a voice ..saying, Praise our God, all His servants ..the small and great.” Now remember John is see this happen in heaven! But the judgements have been passed in heaven, and the punishments has been meted out on earth by the Saints of The Most High, Hence Heaven is exploding with Rejoicing!
The Marriage Supper of the Lamb
Rev 19:6 “ ..I heard ..the sound ..a ..multitude ..saying, Hallelujah! For the Lord God omnipotent reigns! :7 ..the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has prepared herself. :8 ..to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white. For the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints. :9 ..Blessed are those who have been called to the marriage supper of the Lamb. :10 ..he said to me ..Worship God, for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” Interesting thought for you here. Is the “wife” Israel or the church? I always thought that Israel was the ‘wife’ of Jehovah, and God gave her a bill of divorce? Then God eventually reinstates her as his ‘wife’. But the church is the Bride of Christ! So is this a double wedding??? You can look into that yourself; I think you will find it an interesting study. But I think all this is now happening on earth, because in the traditional Hebrew wedding style the wedding party is gathered and prepared and waiting for the bridegroom? And He is Christ yet to arrive on a Wight Horse; which is in the very next few verses!
The Rider on a White Horse
Rev 19:11 “ ..Heaven opened ..behold, a white horse! And He sitting on him was called Faithful and True. And in righteousness He judges and makes war. :12 ..His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head many crowns. And He had a name written, one that no one knew except Himself. :13 ..clothed in a garment dipped in blood ..His name is called The Word of God. :14 ..the armies in Heaven followed Him :15 ..He treads the winepress of the wine of the anger and of the wrath of Almighty God. :16 ..on His garment, and on His thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. :17 ..I saw one angel ..he cried with a great voice, saying to all the birds that fly in mid-heaven, Come and gather together to the supper of the great God, :18 so that you may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of commanders, and the flesh of strong ones, and the flesh of horses, and those sitting on them, and the flesh of all, both free and slave, both small and great. :19 ..I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth and their armies, being gathered to make war against Him who sat on the horse, and against His army. :20 ..the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet .. and those who had worshiped his image. The two were thrown alive into the Lake of Fire burning with brimstone. :21 ..the rest were slain by the sword of Him who sat on the horse ..And all the birds were filled from their flesh.” I have a feeling this feast for all the birds of the air, is the ‘marriage supper’. You could do a comparison with Ezekiel 38 and 39 and Joel and Zechariah. And that battle of Armageddon sound like a real quick ‘flash-in-the-pan’, and it is one huge massacre of the ‘unrighteous’, and this section of Revelation 19 is the ‘clean up’ of the aftermath!
Futurist AND Historical View- 1000 Years - Satan Defeated -White Throne Judgment Rev 20
Yes, of course, this is future but there are some odd points, which I believe, help to prove the Futurist view has flaws in its basic theory. This chapter is in three parts, ‘The Thousand Years’, ‘The Defeat of Satan’ and ‘The Judgment Before the Great White Throne’.
The Thousand Years
Rev 20:1 “ ..I saw an angel ..having the key of the abyss and a great chain :2 he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him a thousand years. :3 ..he cast him into the abyss ..shut him up ..set a seal on him, that he should deceive the nations no more until the thousand years should be fulfilled.” These next two verses are very significant, read them carefully, then try to work out how can there possibly be a Pre-Tribulation Rapture!
Rev 20:4 “ ..And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the witness of Jesus and for the Word of God, and who had not worshiped the beast nor his image, nor had received his mark on their foreheads, nor in their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.” QUESTION: Who are these people? They have all been through the Great Tribulation wouldn’t you say? Because it says they have not received the MARK! But what does the next verse say? Rev 20:5 “But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.”
WHAT! Isn’t the Pre-Tribulation Rapture the first resurrection? That’s what the Futurists believe isn’t it? So how come these people have gone through the Great Tribulation BUT they are in the first resurrection? The only way you can make sense of this is that there is obviously no Pre-Tribulation Rapture! May I suggest you look at my talk entitled; Who Will Reign With Christ [The RAPTURED Won't]!!! Briefly in that talk you will discover this! If you are in a Pre-Tribulation Rapture, you are NOT on earth during the Tribulation correct? Therefore when you come back to earth you would NEVER rule or reign with Christ! With that logic; “the dead in Christ rise first”, that would include EVERY Christian from the apostils to present day, and they would also be in the “Pre-Tribulation Rapture” correct? Therefore they would not be in the Great Tribulation, so they would NEVER rule or reign with Christ either?? I did say there were some ODD points for the Futurists to tangle with! Then we finish this vision with Rev 20:6 “Blessed ..is he ..in the first resurrection ..they ..reign with Him a thousand years.”
The Defeat of Satan
Rev 20:7 “ ..when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be loosed out of his prison. :8 ..he will go ..deceive the nations ..in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them ..to battle. The number of them is as the sand of the sea. :9 ..they ..circled around the camp of the saints, and the beloved city ..fire came down from God out of Heaven and devoured them. :10 ..the Devil ..was cast into the Lake of Fire ..where the beast and the false prophet were . And he will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” Take note ‘where the beast and false prophet WERE! They are presumably not there any more, why? Maybe because they have been destroyed and exist no more! That would sound like there is no eternal punishment for the wicked once they have been cast into the lake of fire. They are destroyed then they exist no more! I have never sat happy with the idea that the souls in hell are in torment forever.
The other issue is how come after 1000 years of living under the glorious reign of Christ, there is still some vast horde who gather and side with Satan? It’s because if you study Zechariah chapter 14 you find that after Armageddon Christ sets out some sticked rules! Zec 14:16 “And it shall be, everyone who is left of all the nations which came up against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, Jehovah of Hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. :17 And...whoever will not come up…to Jerusalem to worship the King,..even on them shall be no rain. :18 And if the family of Egypt does not go up,…the plague…shall strike the nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. So it is logical that many may still reject Christ after the 1000 years?
Judgment Before the Great White Throne
Rev 20:11 “ ..I saw a great white throne ..:12 ..I saw the dead ..small and the great ..before God ..books were opened ..another book ..opened ..the Book of Life ..the dead were judged out of those ..books, according to their works. :13 ..the sea gave up the dead ..hell delivered up the dead ..each ..of them was judged.. :14 ..death and hell were cast into the Lake of Fire. This is the second death. :15 ..if anyone was not found ..in the Book of Life, he was cast into the Lake of Fire.” Maybe they are totally destroyed? Or they are alive in the everlasting fires of hell?
Conclusion From The Historical Point Of View
I have tried to find passages that could show some possible formation of a One World Government. Yet we must bear in mind that the only time that could happen is when the antichrist and the 'Ten kingdoms' were simultaneously united. Since the antichrist, (the pope), did not come to power until after the Western Roman Empire fell; the pope could not appear in power until after 476AD. Therefore the only period in history that the One World Government could have feasibly been considered is between post 476 and the year 1789, which was the year the French began the destruction of the papal kingdom. Also we need to consider the action of the 'saints of the Most High’. They also took part in the final destruction of the papal kingdom. Dan 7:18 “But the saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever”. Also we have scriptures that show the, ‘Ten kings’ as iron will not mix with clay, so to the kingdoms shall be divided! So the whole idea of a One World Government, before Christ returns, is in reality non existent.
But we do have in Revelation 20:4-6 The ONLY True One World Government, a Theocracy under Christ! Rev 20:4 “And I saw ..the souls of those who had been beheaded for the witness of Jesus ..nor had received his mark ..And they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. :5 But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. :6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. The second death has no authority over these, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and will reign with Him a thousand years”. I don’t think any of us contemplate reaching the ripe old age of 100 years! But can you possible imagine living for 1000 years and being an ambassador, a priest of God and of Christ. And He could send you anywhere in the world as His representative because you reign with Him! WOW!! And Amen!!
Conclusion The Non-Compatibility Of The Futurist And Historical Views
We have seen quite clearly that the two groups of thought are really polls apart. The futurist sees it as all to be a future fulfilment. The Historicist sees it through the eyes of the Old prophets; it needs interpretation before the prophecy makes intelligent reading. For example: - Rev 12:4 “ ..his tail drew the third part of the stars, and cast them onto the earth." We all know that one third of the whole universe cannot fall to the earth? Yet both groups see various natural phenomenons and try to interpret those events as being foretold in the bible. So both groups fall back onto interpretation as a tool to understand the prophecies of Daniel, Revelation and others. Often the interpretation of scripture is open to personal opinion. But remember; 2Pe 1:20 “knowing this first, that no prophecy of the Scripture came into being of its own private interpretation”. So scripture should interpret itself. Also we have the principal of ‘two or three witnesses’ to verify itself.
The Pre-Tribulation Rapture is a major stumbling block! It seems everyone believes there will be ‘a Rapture’ any day, and they site these verses. 2Th 2:1 “Now we beseech you ..with regard ..the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him” Yet Paul is stressing that before “THAT DAY” happens the following must happen. 2Th 2:3 ..For that Day shall not come unless there first comes a falling away, and the man of sin shall be revealed”. So regardless of what each of us believes the scripture clearly tells us; we must see: - Firstly the falling away (the Apostasy, false teaching); and Secondly The Man of Sin (the antichrist). So the next time someone tries to tell you "the Rapture is just around the corner", ask them, well who is the antichrist? Because he must appear before the Rapture happens! And the antichrist does all these dastardly deeds for quite some time, then Christ destroys him when He “COMES”!
Personally I believe the Historic interpretation. The more I study the Word the more I discover. Over the many years I have found it shows every generation that God truly has given them a marvellous blessing. Rev1:3 “Blessed is the one who reads and hears the Words of this prophecy, and the ones keeping the things written in it, for the time is near". If it was all meant to be future, how would it make any sense to someone hundreds of years ago? It would still be as unintelligible to them as it is to the Futurist today! By understanding the Historic view, as many did in the past, hundreds of years ago, they discovered where they were in the pages of the Revelation and the assurance of what was to come in their lifetime. Which for us in our precent day we see those events as history and a fulfilment of Gods blessings. And we also see things as still yet to be fulfilled.
The two groups will never come to termes with each other! There are always stumbling blocks within each view. And the supporters of each view cannot adequately explain those issues to the enthusiasts of the other view. The Historicist can’t convincingly explain to the Futurist, things like, Rev 13:13 “fire come down from heaven”. And the Futurist can't convincingly explain to the Historicist; why in Rev 20:4 “the souls of those who had not received his mark”, [i.e. they went through the tribulation]! YET in verse :5 They are in the first resurrection???
May I suggest that you “not try”! Not try to be tolerant, but be tolerant; and hear each other through.
Hope you found that interesting and that I have explained everything well enough. If you have any comments by all means let me know your thoughts in the comments!
OWG1 FV - The Origin Of The One World Government
OWG2 FV - The Ten Toes, Horns Or Kings
OWG3 FV - The Little Horn Dan 7
OWG4 FV - The Time of the End
OWG5 HV - The Historical View Reasoning
OWG6 HV - The “Ten, Toes, Horns, Kings”
OWG7 HV - [9] Characteristics of The Little Horn Daniel 7
OWG8 HV - Who Are The Saints Who Topple The Antichrist?
OWG9 HV - The Revelation, Heads, Horns and Crowns
OWG10 HV - The Ten Horned Beast of Rev 13
OWG11 HV - The Harlot Astride The Beast Rev 17
OWG12 HV - The Fall of Babylon Rev 18
Revision
In the talks entitled; OWG1 FV - The Origin Of The One World Government, I used the Futurist View to look at where the idea of a future One World Government came from, along with other important building blocks needed to formulate this study. In OWG2 FV - The Ten Toes, Horns Or Kings I explained the meanings of the Ten Toes, Horns Or Kings. In OWG3 FV - The Little Horn Dan 7 I examined the prophecies regarding the Little Horn. In OWG4 FV - The Time of the End I examined the prophecies regarding the Little Horn ie, the future antichrist and the final end of ‘The One World Government’. In OWG5 HV - The Historical View Reasoning we examined Why Do Historicists Think The Way they do? Mainly because of the differences in how they interpret some key scriptures. In OWG6 HV - The “Ten, Toes, Horns, Kings” we covered a lot of ground in Daniel 2. The ten kingdoms, they CAN NOT Unite, the ‘Stone Kingdom and finally the Beast of Dan 7. In OWG7 HV - [9] Characteristics of The Little Horn Daniel 7, we examine Nine Characteristics of the Little Horn in Daniel 7 that we can use to identify the antichrist. In OWG8 HV - Who Are The Saints Who Topple The Antichrist? I showed you that God has an earthly team He uses to destroy the antichrist. And is active through Daniel and parts of Revelation. In OWG9 HV - The Revelation, Heads, Horns and Crowns, I proved to you that the Revelation is in Three Parts. Giving us a conformation of God’s BIG Plan, using the Three Witnesses principal! In OWG10 HV - The Ten Horned Beast of Rev 13 I showed you some plausible fulfilment of the Ten Horns, the Two Horns, the ‘image of the beast’ and the 666. In OWG11 HV - The Harlot Astride The Beast Rev 17 I showed you the fulfilment of the ‘Harlot on the Beast’. The rise and fall of the ‘Ten Kings’, and the final demise of the Harlot!
Aim
In this talk OWG12 HV - The Fall of Babylon Rev 18 I hope to show you the overall wind up of God’s Big Plan. The fall of Babylon, The Marriage Supper of the Lamb, The white Throne judgement, the Thousand Years, and my final Conclusion.
Futurist AND Historical View- OWG12 HV - The Fall of Babylon Rev 18
Babylon is the latest name for the Church of Rome. Here is an interesting thought for you. From the historical point of view Revelation chapters 18 onward are all still basically in the future. Also the Futurist view thinks the rapture is about to take us any day now. And when it does they think the Church of Rome will go into the “Great Apostasy”. So The Two Views, the Futurist and the Historical views would tend to happily agree with each other’s interpretation from here onward. Simply because both views see these chapters as still in the future. But we can have a quick look at them for you anyway. Revelation 18 starts with, “And after these things I saw…”. This gives you a very rough estimate of the start date of the prophecy. It is after the ‘Ten’ kingdoms of Europe have been devouring the harlot, (the Church of Rome). So it could still be present day! In that catholic Spain in the 1930’s turned her vengeance on the Church of Rome. This same knee-jerk reaction could arise in any strong Roman Catholic country today? Currently ‘Babylon’ or Rome is still in tact, but the pope has no power in comparison to his earlier years. And he will never get that back because his prophesied reign of 42 months is finished as of 1866. John then continues with the rest. The Futurist believers can now rejoin us in this wind up chapter.
Rev 18:1 “ ..I saw another angel come down from Heaven, having great authority ..earth was lighted ..from his glory. :2 ..he cried ..saying, Babylon the great has fallen, has fallen! ..it has become ..place of demons ..prison of every unclean spirit ..every unclean bird :3 because of the wine ..of her fornication ..all ..nations have drunk ..the kings ..committed fornication with her. ..merchants ..became rich from ..her luxury.” Did you notice the wording? ‘Has fallen’ sounds like the angel is speaking past tense, but from what perspective of time, for us in our time? We know that the later devastation described here in this chapter has not come as yet, so it must still be in the future for us. Rev 18:4 “ ..I heard another voice from Heaven, saying, Come out of her, My people, that you may not be partakers of her sins, and that you may not receive of her plagues.” I would say this calling from God has been going on for centuries since, even before the Reformation in the 1500’s. Also with latter day revivals one after the other reaching out to those caught in the web of the Catholic Church calling them to come out of her. The pope often had to go to the old predominantly catholic nations to try to stem the rot in the Catholic Church that is happen because people are being evangelised and “coming out of her”.
Babylon’s’ Destruction
Some of this could be in our past hundred years. As I said above; “For a brief coverage of the latter day destruction of the Catholic Church, [Ref CN by AJFerris on The Book of Revelation Pt 2 Ferris, pages 80-85]” Ferris describes a lot of the destruction of the catholic nations in this same manure, “pay her double for what she has done to the reformers and the true church”. Rev 18:5 “..her sins joined together, even up to Heaven ..God ..remembered her unjust deeds. :6 Reward her as she has rewarded you ..double to her ..according to her works. In the cup which she mixed, mix double to her. :7 As much as she has glorified herself ..lived in luxury, so much torment and sorrow give her. ..she says ..I sit as a queen ..I am not a widow ..do not see mourning.. :8 Therefore her plagues will come in one day, death and mourning and famine. ..she will be consumed with fire, for the Lord God who judges her is strong.” One interesting line was, “Reward her as she has rewarded you”? Who is doing the rewarding? It sounds like the saints of God are being given a chance at payback? Which could well be interpreted as the outcome of WWII and the vast destruction of Europe. The rest sounds like instantaneous devastation, it will come in one day and she will be consumed with fire. In the Futurist view section of this study, I said it sounds like an atomic blast. And in the scheme of things in the politics of Europe, if Islam is starting to progressively take holed of Europe, it could be that to put a stop to the pope and Christianity, that some Muslim extremists simply drop a bomb on the pope while he is sitting comfortably at home in the Vatican?
The Merchants Bewail
We can brief this down considerably, but you should have a read of the whole chapter to get a fuller understanding of the wealth of Babylon and her punishment. Rev 18:9 “ ..the kings of the earth who ..committed fornication ..lived in luxury with her ..weep ..and ..wail over her when they see ..her burning :10 standing afar off for fear of her torment ..For in one hour your judgment came.” Again it sounds like a possible atomic blast. Then verses 11-14 gives a long list of the goods that Babylon traded in to make her rich. And she is now no more!
Rev 18:15 “The merchants of these things ..stand afar off because of the fear of her torment, weeping and mourning :16 ..saying, Woe! Woe ..the great city..:17 ..in one hour such great riches was desolated ..as many as work the sea, stood afar off. :18 ..they cried out.. :19 ..For in one hour she was ruined. :20 Rejoice over her, Heaven, and the holy apostles, and the prophets, since God judged your judgment on her. :21 one strong angel took up a ..great millstone ..threw it into the sea, saying ..Babylon, will be thrown down and not at all will be found any more. :22 ..no more ..not ..any more ..never more :23 ..never more ..never more .. For your merchants were the great ones of the earth; for by your sorceries all nations were deceived. :24 And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all those who were slain on the earth.”
Historical View - Heaven Rejoicing - Marriage Supper - Rider On White Horse Rev 19
This entire chapter is defiantly still in our future! It is pretty much self-explanatory. But it is of interest to see the final out come of the Beast, the false prophet and the ‘Ten’ kings. Like I said before it’s great to read the end of the book first. The chapter is in three parts, ‘Rejoicing in Heaven’, ‘The Marriage Supper of the Lamb’ and ‘The Rider on a White Horse’, who is Christ at his Second Advent coming to destroy the wicked at the battle of Armageddon.
Rejoicing in Heaven
Rev 19:1 “ ..I heard a great sound ..in Heaven ..Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and honor and the power to the Lord our God! :2 ..He has judged the great harlot who defiled the earth with her fornication, and He has avenged the blood of His servants out of her hand. :3 ..her smoke rose up forever and ever. :4 ..the twenty-four elders ..the four living creatures ..worshiped God ..saying, Amen! Hallelujah! :5 ..a voice ..saying, Praise our God, all His servants ..the small and great.” Now remember John is see this happen in heaven! But the judgements have been passed in heaven, and the punishments has been meted out on earth by the Saints of The Most High, Hence Heaven is exploding with Rejoicing!
The Marriage Supper of the Lamb
Rev 19:6 “ ..I heard ..the sound ..a ..multitude ..saying, Hallelujah! For the Lord God omnipotent reigns! :7 ..the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has prepared herself. :8 ..to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white. For the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints. :9 ..Blessed are those who have been called to the marriage supper of the Lamb. :10 ..he said to me ..Worship God, for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” Interesting thought for you here. Is the “wife” Israel or the church? I always thought that Israel was the ‘wife’ of Jehovah, and God gave her a bill of divorce? Then God eventually reinstates her as his ‘wife’. But the church is the Bride of Christ! So is this a double wedding??? You can look into that yourself; I think you will find it an interesting study. But I think all this is now happening on earth, because in the traditional Hebrew wedding style the wedding party is gathered and prepared and waiting for the bridegroom? And He is Christ yet to arrive on a Wight Horse; which is in the very next few verses!
The Rider on a White Horse
Rev 19:11 “ ..Heaven opened ..behold, a white horse! And He sitting on him was called Faithful and True. And in righteousness He judges and makes war. :12 ..His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head many crowns. And He had a name written, one that no one knew except Himself. :13 ..clothed in a garment dipped in blood ..His name is called The Word of God. :14 ..the armies in Heaven followed Him :15 ..He treads the winepress of the wine of the anger and of the wrath of Almighty God. :16 ..on His garment, and on His thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. :17 ..I saw one angel ..he cried with a great voice, saying to all the birds that fly in mid-heaven, Come and gather together to the supper of the great God, :18 so that you may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of commanders, and the flesh of strong ones, and the flesh of horses, and those sitting on them, and the flesh of all, both free and slave, both small and great. :19 ..I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth and their armies, being gathered to make war against Him who sat on the horse, and against His army. :20 ..the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet .. and those who had worshiped his image. The two were thrown alive into the Lake of Fire burning with brimstone. :21 ..the rest were slain by the sword of Him who sat on the horse ..And all the birds were filled from their flesh.” I have a feeling this feast for all the birds of the air, is the ‘marriage supper’. You could do a comparison with Ezekiel 38 and 39 and Joel and Zechariah. And that battle of Armageddon sound like a real quick ‘flash-in-the-pan’, and it is one huge massacre of the ‘unrighteous’, and this section of Revelation 19 is the ‘clean up’ of the aftermath!
Futurist AND Historical View- 1000 Years - Satan Defeated -White Throne Judgment Rev 20
Yes, of course, this is future but there are some odd points, which I believe, help to prove the Futurist view has flaws in its basic theory. This chapter is in three parts, ‘The Thousand Years’, ‘The Defeat of Satan’ and ‘The Judgment Before the Great White Throne’.
The Thousand Years
Rev 20:1 “ ..I saw an angel ..having the key of the abyss and a great chain :2 he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him a thousand years. :3 ..he cast him into the abyss ..shut him up ..set a seal on him, that he should deceive the nations no more until the thousand years should be fulfilled.” These next two verses are very significant, read them carefully, then try to work out how can there possibly be a Pre-Tribulation Rapture!
Rev 20:4 “ ..And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the witness of Jesus and for the Word of God, and who had not worshiped the beast nor his image, nor had received his mark on their foreheads, nor in their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.” QUESTION: Who are these people? They have all been through the Great Tribulation wouldn’t you say? Because it says they have not received the MARK! But what does the next verse say? Rev 20:5 “But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.”
WHAT! Isn’t the Pre-Tribulation Rapture the first resurrection? That’s what the Futurists believe isn’t it? So how come these people have gone through the Great Tribulation BUT they are in the first resurrection? The only way you can make sense of this is that there is obviously no Pre-Tribulation Rapture! May I suggest you look at my talk entitled; Who Will Reign With Christ [The RAPTURED Won't]!!! Briefly in that talk you will discover this! If you are in a Pre-Tribulation Rapture, you are NOT on earth during the Tribulation correct? Therefore when you come back to earth you would NEVER rule or reign with Christ! With that logic; “the dead in Christ rise first”, that would include EVERY Christian from the apostils to present day, and they would also be in the “Pre-Tribulation Rapture” correct? Therefore they would not be in the Great Tribulation, so they would NEVER rule or reign with Christ either?? I did say there were some ODD points for the Futurists to tangle with! Then we finish this vision with Rev 20:6 “Blessed ..is he ..in the first resurrection ..they ..reign with Him a thousand years.”
The Defeat of Satan
Rev 20:7 “ ..when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be loosed out of his prison. :8 ..he will go ..deceive the nations ..in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them ..to battle. The number of them is as the sand of the sea. :9 ..they ..circled around the camp of the saints, and the beloved city ..fire came down from God out of Heaven and devoured them. :10 ..the Devil ..was cast into the Lake of Fire ..where the beast and the false prophet were . And he will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” Take note ‘where the beast and false prophet WERE! They are presumably not there any more, why? Maybe because they have been destroyed and exist no more! That would sound like there is no eternal punishment for the wicked once they have been cast into the lake of fire. They are destroyed then they exist no more! I have never sat happy with the idea that the souls in hell are in torment forever.
The other issue is how come after 1000 years of living under the glorious reign of Christ, there is still some vast horde who gather and side with Satan? It’s because if you study Zechariah chapter 14 you find that after Armageddon Christ sets out some sticked rules! Zec 14:16 “And it shall be, everyone who is left of all the nations which came up against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, Jehovah of Hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. :17 And...whoever will not come up…to Jerusalem to worship the King,..even on them shall be no rain. :18 And if the family of Egypt does not go up,…the plague…shall strike the nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. So it is logical that many may still reject Christ after the 1000 years?
Judgment Before the Great White Throne
Rev 20:11 “ ..I saw a great white throne ..:12 ..I saw the dead ..small and the great ..before God ..books were opened ..another book ..opened ..the Book of Life ..the dead were judged out of those ..books, according to their works. :13 ..the sea gave up the dead ..hell delivered up the dead ..each ..of them was judged.. :14 ..death and hell were cast into the Lake of Fire. This is the second death. :15 ..if anyone was not found ..in the Book of Life, he was cast into the Lake of Fire.” Maybe they are totally destroyed? Or they are alive in the everlasting fires of hell?
Conclusion From The Historical Point Of View
I have tried to find passages that could show some possible formation of a One World Government. Yet we must bear in mind that the only time that could happen is when the antichrist and the 'Ten kingdoms' were simultaneously united. Since the antichrist, (the pope), did not come to power until after the Western Roman Empire fell; the pope could not appear in power until after 476AD. Therefore the only period in history that the One World Government could have feasibly been considered is between post 476 and the year 1789, which was the year the French began the destruction of the papal kingdom. Also we need to consider the action of the 'saints of the Most High’. They also took part in the final destruction of the papal kingdom. Dan 7:18 “But the saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever”. Also we have scriptures that show the, ‘Ten kings’ as iron will not mix with clay, so to the kingdoms shall be divided! So the whole idea of a One World Government, before Christ returns, is in reality non existent.
But we do have in Revelation 20:4-6 The ONLY True One World Government, a Theocracy under Christ! Rev 20:4 “And I saw ..the souls of those who had been beheaded for the witness of Jesus ..nor had received his mark ..And they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. :5 But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. :6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. The second death has no authority over these, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and will reign with Him a thousand years”. I don’t think any of us contemplate reaching the ripe old age of 100 years! But can you possible imagine living for 1000 years and being an ambassador, a priest of God and of Christ. And He could send you anywhere in the world as His representative because you reign with Him! WOW!! And Amen!!
Conclusion The Non-Compatibility Of The Futurist And Historical Views
We have seen quite clearly that the two groups of thought are really polls apart. The futurist sees it as all to be a future fulfilment. The Historicist sees it through the eyes of the Old prophets; it needs interpretation before the prophecy makes intelligent reading. For example: - Rev 12:4 “ ..his tail drew the third part of the stars, and cast them onto the earth." We all know that one third of the whole universe cannot fall to the earth? Yet both groups see various natural phenomenons and try to interpret those events as being foretold in the bible. So both groups fall back onto interpretation as a tool to understand the prophecies of Daniel, Revelation and others. Often the interpretation of scripture is open to personal opinion. But remember; 2Pe 1:20 “knowing this first, that no prophecy of the Scripture came into being of its own private interpretation”. So scripture should interpret itself. Also we have the principal of ‘two or three witnesses’ to verify itself.
The Pre-Tribulation Rapture is a major stumbling block! It seems everyone believes there will be ‘a Rapture’ any day, and they site these verses. 2Th 2:1 “Now we beseech you ..with regard ..the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him” Yet Paul is stressing that before “THAT DAY” happens the following must happen. 2Th 2:3 ..For that Day shall not come unless there first comes a falling away, and the man of sin shall be revealed”. So regardless of what each of us believes the scripture clearly tells us; we must see: - Firstly the falling away (the Apostasy, false teaching); and Secondly The Man of Sin (the antichrist). So the next time someone tries to tell you "the Rapture is just around the corner", ask them, well who is the antichrist? Because he must appear before the Rapture happens! And the antichrist does all these dastardly deeds for quite some time, then Christ destroys him when He “COMES”!
Personally I believe the Historic interpretation. The more I study the Word the more I discover. Over the many years I have found it shows every generation that God truly has given them a marvellous blessing. Rev1:3 “Blessed is the one who reads and hears the Words of this prophecy, and the ones keeping the things written in it, for the time is near". If it was all meant to be future, how would it make any sense to someone hundreds of years ago? It would still be as unintelligible to them as it is to the Futurist today! By understanding the Historic view, as many did in the past, hundreds of years ago, they discovered where they were in the pages of the Revelation and the assurance of what was to come in their lifetime. Which for us in our precent day we see those events as history and a fulfilment of Gods blessings. And we also see things as still yet to be fulfilled.
The two groups will never come to termes with each other! There are always stumbling blocks within each view. And the supporters of each view cannot adequately explain those issues to the enthusiasts of the other view. The Historicist can’t convincingly explain to the Futurist, things like, Rev 13:13 “fire come down from heaven”. And the Futurist can't convincingly explain to the Historicist; why in Rev 20:4 “the souls of those who had not received his mark”, [i.e. they went through the tribulation]! YET in verse :5 They are in the first resurrection???
May I suggest that you “not try”! Not try to be tolerant, but be tolerant; and hear each other through.
Hope you found that interesting and that I have explained everything well enough. If you have any comments by all means let me know your thoughts in the comments!
Again here is a list of the ALL the related ‘Short Papers’ on the “OWG”.. The One World Government Study: -
OWG1 FV - The Origin Of The One World Government
OWG2 FV - The Ten Toes, Horns Or Kings
OWG3 FV - The Little Horn Dan 7
OWG4 FV - The Time of the End
OWG5 HV - The Historical View Reasoning
OWG6 HV - The “Ten, Toes, Horns, Kings”
OWG7 HV - [9] Characteristics of The Little Horn Daniel 7
OWG8 HV - Who Are The Saints Who Topple The Antichrist?
OWG9 HV - The Revelation, Heads, Horns and Crowns
OWG10 HV - The Ten Horned Beast of Rev 13
OWG11 HV - The Harlot Astride The Beast Rev 17
OWG12 HV - The Fall of Babylon Rev 18
GBY (God Bless Ya) Yours Adrian DEACON
Other Topics I Have Covered: -
2/ British Israel - National Promises This is a more in-depth study of some of the passages referred to in the talk, British Israel - 1.01 [For Beginners]. In this talk I do refer to some non-biblical writings, such as Herodotus, the Apocrypha and Josephus.
4/ The Lies In The Bible This looks at the basic teaching usually presented by ‘the church’! Then ‘tongue-in-cheek’ compares ‘teaching’ with scriptures to show that the scriptures could only be interpreted as a lie? The purpose being is to get the reader to rethink more deeply about the promises.
5/ When Did Jesus Become The Messiah This question when answered will shed considerable light on Daniel’s 70 weeks prophecy. An in depth study of Daniel chapter 9. Showing why the whole prophecy should have been concluded by about 38A.D.
8/ Rebuilding The Temple Of Jerusalem We look at how God instructed Israel as to how to worship him. The transition from the Tabernacle to the Temple. Then the destruction of the Temple. Then the question would God really want the temple rebuilt?
17/ CHURCH HISTORY Part 1 -:- [From Christ to The Pope] The aim of this talk is to give the listener a general knowledge of church history from the time of Christ to about 1000AD
22/ The ‘Futurist Interpretation’ Automobile This is simply meant to be a good laugh!
30/ Did God Forsake Jesus On The Cross This posses the question if God did forsake his beloved son; then why wouldn’t He forsake you?
28/ The ORIGAMI Cross
OWG1 FV - The Origin Of The One World Government
OWG2 FV - The Ten Toes, Horns Or Kings
OWG3 FV - The Little Horn Dan 7
OWG4 FV - The Time of the End
OWG5 HV - The Historical View Reasoning
OWG6 HV - The “Ten, Toes, Horns, Kings”
OWG7 HV - [9] Characteristics of The Little Horn Daniel 7
OWG8 HV - Who Are The Saints Who Topple The Antichrist?
OWG9 HV - The Revelation, Heads, Horns and Crowns
OWG10 HV - The Ten Horned Beast of Rev 13
OWG11 HV - The Harlot Astride The Beast Rev 17
OWG12 HV - The Fall of Babylon Rev 18
GBY (God Bless Ya) Yours Adrian DEACON
Other Topics I Have Covered: -
2/ British Israel - National Promises This is a more in-depth study of some of the passages referred to in the talk, British Israel - 1.01 [For Beginners]. In this talk I do refer to some non-biblical writings, such as Herodotus, the Apocrypha and Josephus.
4/ The Lies In The Bible This looks at the basic teaching usually presented by ‘the church’! Then ‘tongue-in-cheek’ compares ‘teaching’ with scriptures to show that the scriptures could only be interpreted as a lie? The purpose being is to get the reader to rethink more deeply about the promises.
5/ When Did Jesus Become The Messiah This question when answered will shed considerable light on Daniel’s 70 weeks prophecy. An in depth study of Daniel chapter 9. Showing why the whole prophecy should have been concluded by about 38A.D.
8/ Rebuilding The Temple Of Jerusalem We look at how God instructed Israel as to how to worship him. The transition from the Tabernacle to the Temple. Then the destruction of the Temple. Then the question would God really want the temple rebuilt?
17/ CHURCH HISTORY Part 1 -:- [From Christ to The Pope] The aim of this talk is to give the listener a general knowledge of church history from the time of Christ to about 1000AD
22/ The ‘Futurist Interpretation’ Automobile This is simply meant to be a good laugh!
30/ Did God Forsake Jesus On The Cross This posses the question if God did forsake his beloved son; then why wouldn’t He forsake you?
28/ The ORIGAMI Cross
