MID-TRIBULATION (PART 4)

Mystery Babylon

Revelation 17:5 talks about Mystery Babylon.

Where is this place?

The False Prophet

Another beast appears.

Next -the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith

Mystery Babylon

Revelation 17:5 talks about a Mystery Babylon.  Where is this place?  The book of Revelation gives us clues as to the location of this Mystery place.

Revelation 17:5
And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

I think Mystery Babylon of Revelation is Rome and begins the false church of the tribulation days.  This false church begins with the Catholic church and eventually includes all religions.  It may be that Rome will become a religious center with many religions represented there.  This seems to be indicated by the names of blasphemy upon the heads. (Rev. 13:1)

Revelation 13:1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

Let’s go over some clues that indicate the location of Mystery Babylon.

Clue # 1

Revelation 13 tells us about the UNHolySee Beast and how the beast has seven heads.  Revelation 17 interprets the heads to be mountains or hills.  Rome has seven hills.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_hills_of_Rome

Revelation 13:1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

Revelation 17:9  And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.

Clue # 2

Revelation 14:8 tells us about how this city made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.

This city made all nations commit fornication.  This city deceived ALL NATIONS into following a different way to God rather than the one True Way.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Catholicism_by_country

Revelation 14:8
And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.

The way to God is through forgiveness of sins in Jesus atoning death on the cross.  There is NO other way to God except through Christ.

The way to God is dependent on your sincere request to God for forgiveness for your sins and an acceptance of Jesus payment for your sins on the cross.

There is one city in the world that has led people astray.  The Holy See preaches faith in God but forgiveness is not given by God but by a priest during confession.  The Holy See doesn’t preach forgiveness of sins by one’s humble request to God for this forgiveness and one’s total acceptance of Christ’s death on the cross as payment for their sins.

1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:9 says that if WE confess our sins.  Not the priests or anyone else.  We must confess our sins to God and tell him we need Christ’s death on the cross to pay for our sins.  This must be the sincere desire of our hearts before God will save us.

I think the Roman Catholic Church in Rome is the vehicle in which all nations drank of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.  There are diocese all over the world in every nation.

Clue # 3

Revelation 18:17-19 says that this city of Babylon is a coastal city with ships in the sea.

Revelation 18:17
For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,

Revelation 18:18
And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city!

Revelation 18:19
And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.

Rome is a coastal city.

Clue # 4

Revelation 18:16
And saying, Alas, alas that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and  scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls!

The ordinary cassock is the simple black cassock seen on most Roman Catholic clerics. Additionally, for prelates or honorary prelates, colored piping (keeping in mind that the cassock is still black) and the colored fascia are permitted. In the cases of bishops, protonotaries apostolic, and honorary prelates, the piping is amaranth red and the fascia is purple; for cardinals, scarlet piping and fascia are the rule.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassock

The papal crown, a costly covering for the head, ornamented with precious stones and pearls, which is shaped like a bee-hive, has a small cross at its highest point, and is also equipped with three royal diadems.

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14714c.htm

Clue # 5

Revelation 17:4  the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:

The verse is talking about a woman representing the city of the Roman Catholic church, that is dressed in purple and scarlet color and holding a golden cup. 

The church is always talked about in the Bible in the feminine sense.  This woman talked about in Revelation Chapter 17 is the false church that is committing fornication against Christ.

The Roman Catholic religious leader is usually seen wearing purple and scarlet and in the picture above he is shown holding a golden cup. 

This description sounds very similar to the description of the woman in Revelation 17:4.

“cardinals in their flaming red robes, monsignors in deep purple”    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/3582288.stm

Clue # 6

Another way to verify that the antichrist is coming from Rome is in Daniel 9:26.

At the time of Daniel it was prophesied that the antichrist will come from the people that would destroy the temple.  The Roman army, under Titus, destroyed Jerusalem and the temple in 70AD to suppress an uprising of the Jews.  According to the historian Josephus, about 1.1 million Jews were killed at that time.  

According to Daniel 9:26  the antichrist will come out of Rome.   

The Vatican sits on one of the hills in the midst of Rome. 

Daniel 9:26
And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.

Here are some other scriptures concerning the great city:

Revelation 16:19
And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.

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

Revelation 18:10
Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.

Revelation 18:18
And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city!

Revelation 18:21
And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no   more at all.

THE FALSE PROPHET – THE “OTHER BEAST”

Prophet – definition: “someone who speaks by divine inspiration; someone who is an interpreter of the will of God.”

In Revelation it talks about a “false” prophet.  So the false prophet of Revelation will not be speaking by divine inspiration but by Satan.

Open your Bible to Revelation 13:11-17.  Another beast appears.  Below is the King James Version of Rev. 13:11-17.

“11And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.

12And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.

13And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,

14And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.

15And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

16And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:

17And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. ”

According to Revelation 13, here’s the description of the false prophet’s organization (the “other beast”):

(1) has two horns like a lamb, (a lamb is a young sheep).

(2) speaks like a dragon (Satan- Revelation 12:9)

(3) he exercises all the powers of the first beast before him

(4) causes the earth and all people to worship the first beast

(5) does great wonders

(6) makes fire come down from heaven in the sight of the men

(7) deceives

(8) says to the world they should make an image of the beast

(9) he gives life to the image

(10) he kills those that don’t worship the beast

(11) he causes all to receive a mark,

I think the False Prophet may be the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and his beast organization may be the Holy See Secretary of State. 

The current Prefect is Cardinal Luis Ladaria Ferrer, who was appointed by Pope Francis for a five-year term beginning July 2017.[2][3]

Let’s take a look at the Holy See Secretary of State, a part of the Roman Curia, and compare it to the description of the false prophet’s “other beast” in Revelation 13.  The Secretary of State is headed by the Cardinal Secretary of State, The Secretary of State is currently Cardinal Pietro Parolin.[3]

Revelation 13:11 says the “other beast” has two horns like a lamb.

(1) The Holy See Secretariat (Secretary of State) is divided into two sections, the Section for General Affairs and the Section for Relations with States, known as the First Section and Second Section, respectively.  On June 28, 1988, John Paul II introduced a reform of the Roman Curia and divided the Secretariat of State into two sections.

The two sections were just recently established in 1988.  The newness of the two sections could represent the youngness of the lamb’s horns in Revelation 13:11.  Interesting how the verse states “he had two horns like a lamb”.  The horns that John saw in the vision of Revelation were like those of a young sheep.  The two sections are still very young compared to the Catholic church.

Revelation 13:11 also says the “other beast” will speak like a dragaon.

(2) Satan will be the voice behind the Cardinal Secretary of State.   The Bible tells us who the dragon is in Revelation 12:9.  “And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”

Revelation 13:12 says the “other beast” will exercise all the powers of the first beast before him

(3) The Secretary of State currently does exercise the Pope’s authority.  The Secretary of State exercises all the powers of the first beast, the Catholic church (the Catholic church will be combined with the UN by this time probably).

“In exercising supreme, full, and immediate power in the universal Church, the Roman pontiff makes use of the departments of the Roman Curia which, therefore, perform their duties in his name and with his authority for the good of the churches and in the service of the sacred pastors.”—Christus Dominus, 9  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_curia

Revelation 13:12 also says the “other beast” causes the earth and all people to worship the first beast.  So if the Secretariat hypothesis is true then:

(4) The Secretariat (Secretary of State) will be the organization in the Holy See that will cause the earth to worship the first beast and the image of the first beast.

(5) The Secretariat as a whole organization will do great wonders.

(6) The Secretariat will make fire come down from heaven in the sight of men.

(7) The Secretariat will deceive the world

(8) The Secretariat tells the world to make an image of the beast.

(9) The Secretariat will give life to the image of the beast.

(10) The Secretariat will be the organization that is responsible for killing those people that don’t worship the beast.

(11) The Secretariat will be the organization that will facilitate the process of everyone receiving the mark of the beast.  This will possibly be done via the diocese around the world.

If the other beast is indeed the Secretary of State with the Cardinal Secretary of State at it’s head, then that would mean the first beast is the “universal” or Catholic church, with the Pope at it’s head.

The Secretary of State “exercises full power in the universal church and performs it’s duties in the Pope’s name and with his authority.”

“As an administrative office, it exercises jurisdiction (vigilance) over all the tribunals of the Catholic Church. It can also extend the jurisdiction of tribunals, grant dispensations for procedural laws, establish interdiocesan tribunals, and correct advocates.” wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_curia

The Secretariat of State is the dicastery of the Roman Curia which works most closely with the Supreme Pontiff in the exercise of his universal mission (Pastor Bonus, Art. 39).

http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/secretariat_state/documents/rc_seg-st_12101998_profile_en.html

Next -the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith