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Of course, these three decisions are unthinkable within today’s world context, but the destruction caused by the first four trumpet-judgments will terminate today’s context. Consider the fundamentals underlying these three civilization changing decisions and notice how simple they really are: First, all religions believe in some form of repentance and the need to worship God. Re4pentance and worship will provide the religious framework for a global effort to appease God. After seeing the sudden destruction of more than 1.5 billion people, kings, prime ministers, presidents, and legislative bodies will not murmur. How can they? Desperate circumstances can make desperate solutions appear very reasonable. (Do not forget, after the World Trade Center disaster, the Patriot Act of 2001 only took 45 days to create and implement.) Second, the religious leaders of the world will attempt to resolve a very thorny problem, but their efforts will only cause confusion. This one world of human beings consists of seven antagonistic religious systems. The diversity of humanity means that repentance and worship in Islamic countries cannot be identical with repentance and worship in Catholic countries. Therefore, the “crisis authority” will have seven religious leaders (the seven heads) who rule over their subjects. The mandates emanating from the “crisis authority” will be adapted to each nation. For example, Moslems will be directed in ways that are different from Catholics. (A mixed message coming from the crisis authority explains why this beast is called “Babylon,” or confusion, in Revelation.)  Third, the political leaders of the world will be forced to admit that God can be appeased only if the “rights of the individual” are subjugated to the “survival of the whole nation.” In other words, if God remains offended by the sinful behavior of a minority (which brought on His wrath in the first place), the majority will continue to suffer more of God’s wrath. Therefore, every nation must obey the mandates of the “crisis authority.” You may be surprised to learn this development will not be difficult to achieve. Here is why:

When the first four trumpet-judgments occur, martial law will be implemented in all nations. Overwhelming destruction and the disruption of national infrastructures will necessitate most current constitutional rights which many nations grant to their citizens be suspended. To maintain some semblance of order and to keep gangs from preying upon the elderly and weak, civil authorities will be granted enormous power (deadly force) with very little legal restraint. Because of the devastation, martial law will already be in place (and constitutional rights suspended) when the summit occurs. The “crisis authority” will be able to direct, without impedance, the governments of all nations on matters of repentance and worship because constitutional provisions will have been suspended due to the extreme state of emergency.

 I believe the pope will be elected to serve as head of the “crisis authority.” “One of the [seven] heads of the beast [the crisis government] seemed to have a fatal wound [1798], but the fatal wound had been healed…” (Revelation 13:3) The pope will be elected to lead the crisis government because his church is the only church having diplomatic ties with most nations. The pope will neither usurp the powers of governments nor will he dictate how every nation must repent and worship. (Remember, there are seven heads.) Rather, he will lead the world in an ecumenical way toward repentance and worship. His Moslem, Protestant and Jewish counterparts will follow his lead. In this setting, the various religions of the world will tell their respective nations how to govern. Out of fear, “sin-less” laws will be implemented in every land and civil authorities will punish every person who disobeys. The government within each nation will retain its civil power, but the governments of the world will be obligated to carry out the reforms mandated by the “crisis authority” or God’s wrath may fall again.

Remember, the clergy will not have to prove that God is angry at the degenerate behavior of Earth’s population. Every nation will have sufficient death and ruined infrastructures as evidence. With twenty-five percent of the human, race dead, and thirty-three percent of the world destroyed, political leaders will conclude that “the appeasement of God” must be their highest priority. Thus, Revelation predicts the kings of Earth will “follow” a religiously controlled “crisis authority” and politicians will be forced by circumstances (like Pilate) to carry out the wishes of religious leaders within their respective nations. This explains how the global church-state, the first beast of Revelation 13, which is also called Babylon because of its confusion, will rise. (Revelation 13:1)

As far as I can tell, this beast will rule over the nations of Earth for 1,260 days. (Revelation 13:5) However, at the end of 890 days, Lucifer will physically appear and after dissolving the religions of the world into “a one-world religion,” he will set himself up as lord of lords and king of kings. The devil will masquerade as God Almighty and reigns on the Earth for a period of about 445 days.

A Gospel with No Beginning and No End – Part IV

“A second angel followed and said, ‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great, which made the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries.’”

-         Revelation 14:8 

A Horrible Mistake

The Great Tribulation will begin with a global earthquake (Revelation 8:5) followed by a rapid sequence of four divine judgments (the first four trumpets, Revelation 8:6-12). When God’s wrath begins, the Bible predicts the world’s religious and political leaders will unite in an otherwise unthinkable union. This union or “crisis authority” is represented in the Bible as a composite beast that rises out of the sea. (Revelation 13:1) The union of religious and political powers will be widely accepted at that time as a sincere and desperate effort to appease God through repentance and worship. The Bible indicates that all of the world will follow (Revelation 13:3) and worship the beast except those whose names are written in the Book of Life. (Revelation 13:8) The marriage of religion and politics will prove to be a horrible mistake. Ironically, man’s efforts to appease God will accomplish two terrible things – increase human suffering and offend God even more.

Religions Put on Display

God has designed a brilliant process to prove to the honest in heart that all of the religions of the world are blasphemous (opposed to God). To bring this revelation about, Jesus will send an initial volley of four judgments and predictably, the leaders of the world will “come together” in a global effort to appease God. The nations and religions of the world will unite, at least in principle, based on the need for repentance and worship. In this setting, the first two messages presented by the 144,000 (Revelation 14:6-8) will have a powerful and stirring context. The first message – “Fear God, repent and give Him the glory He is due, and worship the Creator, Jesus Christ,” will sound similar to the messages that comes from the beast (the crisis authority) demands will be different. This is how the contest between the laws of man and the laws of God begins.

It is interesting to note that a conflict over worship occurred between the first two sons of Adam and Eve and the same type of conflict will be repeated between the last of Adam and Eve’s offspring. God has carefully designed a series of events that will contrast His truth against man’s rebellion. These events will produce a powerful and telling contest that ultimately separates the sheep from the goats. Several revelations will occur during the Great Tribulation. One revelation will be the blasphemous nature of religion. Another revelation will be man’s need to forsake his sins and receive Jesus as Savior, and the greatest revelation of all will be the fact that Jesus Christ is God and He has all the prerogatives and powers of God the Father!

These revelations will be bittersweet. For the honest in heart, they will be wonderful to understand, but they will come with a high price. The eternal gospel will separate family and friends. Some people will rejoice and respond to God’s call when they hear about the repentance and worship that Jesus wants, but a majority, like Cain, will reject the repentance and worship that God wants. In its place, they will substitute a repentance and worship they prefer to give. Like Cain, when the wicked people see God’s approval for His children, they will do everything in their power to keep others from obeying God and receiving His approval!

The Second Message

There are seven religious systems in the world (represented by the seven blasphemous heads on the beast in Revelation 13). Hundreds of variations exist within these systems and every one of them is false! This fact provides the basis for the second angel’s message (Revelation 14:8) that declares three things:

First, the 144,000 will make a startling announcement: “The crisis authority (Babylon) does not represent the interests of God.” Babylon does not have the right answer and Babylon cannot appease the wrath of God because Babylon is fallen. The word “fallen” means, “brought down” or “exposed as false.” Currently, the religious people look “up” to their spiritual leaders for information and truth about God and His will. However, the 144,000 will present a second message that is a declaration that all religions are false and falsely created by fallen man. (If religious leaders really understood, God’s plan for the Great Tribulation, they would be able to foretell the sequence of events that Jesus intends to follow and would strenuously object to the formation of Babylon, the crisis authority.)

Second, the 144,000 will announce that the union of the religious and political leaders to appease God is a great mistake. When the religious and political leaders convene and form the crisis authority, political leaders will ‘drink” two intoxicating ideas presented by the clergy. The clergy will convince political leaders that if global repentance and worship are implemented, God will be appeased and His judgments will cease. The clergy will convince political leaders that the only way repentance and worship of God can be implemented is through the imposition of “sin-less” laws. After viewing and experiencing the overwhelming destruction caused by God’s wrath, the political leaders of the world will “buy into” this horrific error. Fear of God and uncertainty about His wrath will make the doctrine (wine) of appeasement appear reasonable (intoxicating), but the results will be maddening and horribly flawed. Third, adultery is used throughout the Bible to convey the idea of moral corruption and unfaithfulness. When ancient Israel abandoned the laws of God, He called them adulterers. (Jeremiah 9:2; Hosea 7:1-4)  The second message says, “Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great, which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries.”  The phrase, “the maddening wine of her adulteries,” points to the immoral result of an intoxicating idea. Political leaders will “prostitute” their appointed purpose (Romans 13:1) when they “get in bed” with religious leaders and impose laws demanding repentance and worship. The last resort of false worship is force. The 144,000 will soundly condemn the maddening wine (the idea that God can be appeased with forced repentance and worship) and resulting adultery (the union of church and state to accomplish repentance and worship).

I have said many times that the second angel’s message could be most difficult message that the 144,000 gives because people who resist the repentance and worship laws mandated by Babylon will appear to be defiant towards God. Because a large majority of people will be in one accord on the necessity of appeasing God and the formation of Babylon, our peers will think that we are opposed to appeasing God when in reality, we will be opposed to the dictates of Babylon!

Because the laws mandating repentance and worship will be uniquely established in different nations, the confusion that results will be maddening. Hapless civil servants will be required to enforce laws that are religious in nature. Thoughtful, good people will be punished for refusing to go along with the beast (the crisis authority). The chaos caused by Babylon’s formation will last 890 days. As a result, humanity’s suffering will increase, and man’s rebellion against God and hatred for His saints will intensify, as it becomes clearer and clearer that the formation of Babylon was a horrible mistake. May the Lord give us grace and strength to stand firm for His gospel that has no beginning and no end. 

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