Revelation 18 & 19

The Fourth Angel’s Message
and the Second coming

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Did you notice there are three groups of people who wail for the great prostitute?

 

Kings, merchants and sailors stand far off, while they lament her destruction and describe their relationship with the prostitute, Woe! Woe! O great city of power [kings], wealth [merchants] and the means to get wealth [captains and sailors]….

 

In one hour her destruction will begin and it will last for 50 days (through the fifth bowl). After Lucifer’s great deception is unmasked, the kings, the merchants and the sailors know there is no savior, no remedy, no excuse and no possible recovery….”

 

When the fifth bowl is poured out and the devil is unmasked, there are no words to describe the loathing that the wicked will have toward the great prostitute.

 

Revelation 17:16   “The beast and the [having the] ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They will bring her to ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh” and burn her with fire.”

 

Let’s return to the parallel with ancient Jerusalem….:

 

Jeremiah 19:8   “I will devastate this city [of Jerusalem] and make it an object of scorn; all who pass by will be appalled and will scoff because of all its wounds.

 

Jeremiah 19: 9   I will make them [the inhabitants hiding in the city from Nebuchadnezzar’s army] eat the flesh of their sons and daughters, and they will eat one another’s flesh during the stress of the siege imposed on them by the enemies who seek their lives.’”

 

When circumstances become desperate enough, people will literally eat one another.

 

God knows how to totally demoralize evil people. He simply destroys their gods – their dreams, ambitions and possessions. When he takes away their means to obtain wealth and to make money – what will be their reason for living?

 

Ironically, while the powerful and wealthy are lamenting their great loss on Earth….

 

Rejoicing begins in Heaven….

 

Revelation 18:20   Rejoice over her [destruction], O heaven rejoice, saints and apostles and prophets! God has judged her for the way she treated you.’”[For those who like proof texts, here is a great proof text showing that God’s vengeance is the inverse of the golden rule. In other words, as you did unto others, the same will be done unto you – double the pain!] 

 

Revelation 18:20   Rejoice over her, O heaven! Rejoice, saints and apostles and prophets! God has judged her for the way she treated you. ‘”

 

This reference to the “saints, apostles and prophets” refers to the 144,000 who were the focus of the wrath of the great prostitute during the sixth trumpet. I believe these three descriptive titles are given the 144,000:

 

1.   Because the 144,000 lived by faith, therefore, they are called “saints.”

 

2.   Because the 144,000 were selected as God’s servants and sent forth to proclaim His Word, therefore, they are called “apostles.”

 

Revelation 11:1   I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, “Go and measurethe temple of God and the altar, and count the worshipers there.”

 

3. Because the 144,000 spoke the testimony of Jesus – which required the gift of prophecy, therefore, they are called “prophets.”   

 

Revelation 10:7   “But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his [144,000] servants the prophets.”

 

These three titles are limited to the 144,000 because they are the only people in Heaven who lived on Earth during the persecution of the great prostitute.

 

Revelation 18:20   Rejoice over her [destruction], O heaven! Rejoice, [you] saints and apostles and prophets [who recently arrived from Earth for]! God has judged her for the way she treated you. ‘”

 

Revelation 18:21   When a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone and threw it into the sea, and said: “With such violence the great city of Babylon will be thrown down, never to be found again.

 

Revelation 18:22   The music of harpists and musicians, flute players and trumpeters, will never be heard in you again. No workman of any trade will ever be found in you again. The sound of the millstone will never be heard in you again.

 

Revelation 18:23   The light of the lamp will never shine in you again. The voice of bridegroom and bride will never be heard in you again. Your merchants were the world’s great men. By your magic spell [intoxicating wine, foolish doctrine] all the nations were led astray.

 

Revelation 18:24   In her was found the blood of prophets and of the saints, and of all who have been killed on the earth.” [Remember, 1/3 of mankind was killed in order to set up the great prostitute]

 

We have already studied the point that when the devil establishes his one world church/state, a huge number of people will acquiesce and go along with the devil’s demands because they would rather join with the devil than die. So, understand this profound point:

 

Self-defense is the most potent argument for survival the carnal nature can produce. Self says: “I must survive at any cost because I am nothing if I am dead.”

 

This argument is the basis for war. One self decides that it must prevail over the will of another self.

 

Consider this: When the survival of self becomes more important than obeying the demands of our Creator, the self becomes God.    

 

Think about this: Lucifer led a third of the angels into war against God by leading them to think that warring against God was the only way they could survive.

 

Similarly, when Lucifer gains control of the world, people will see that in human terms, survival is only possible if they go along with Lucifer’s demands.

 

Finally, when Babylon implodes, Lucifer will lead the kings of Earth into war with God in order to save self!

 

As I said: “When survival of self becomes more important than obeying our Creator, then self has become God.”

 

Listen carefully:

 

It is God’s will that many of His saints perish during the Great Tribulation. This is one of the reasons why He has given us the book of Revelation.

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