Category Archives: Unfulfilled Prophecy

Why Types Can Confuse: Clear Contradictions

Posted on by
Reply

There is a short but beautiful psalm about Zion in Psalm 48. Mount Zion is what I like to call capital hill in Jerusalem. On it was the temple of the Lord, and the palaces of the kings. Today it is where the Mohammedan “Dome of the Rock” sits. It is the city of the Great King in verse 2.

A psalm of a great victory.

The authors do talk about the lovingkindness of the Lord in verse 9. They say the praise of the God is to the ends of the earth in verse 10, and they say the daughters of Judah should rejoice because of God’s judgments.

And it speaks of strange reactions by some kings.

Some kings have assembled and passed by Jerusalem “together,” verse 4. It seems they have gathered together to destroy Zion, Then,

“5 They saw it, then they were amazed.
They were dismayed,
They hurried away.
6 Trembling took hold of them there,
Pain, as of a woman in travail.
7 With the east wind, you break the ships of Tarshish.”
Psa 48:5-7 WEB

This is evidently a psalm of thanks for a great victory from God. Their enemies have come in “ships of Tarshish,” which God has broken apart by a great east wind in verse 7. Mount Zion can be magnificent in many ways, and many in ancient times were impressed with strength of her fortifications. But merely seeing the city and being “amazed,” “dismayed,” and fleeing away? Since when has just seeing Zion caused coalitions of kings to run in panic?

Then look at this description of “Zion,” Psa 48:2

The KJV says it “is mount Zion, on the sides of the north.” What?? Sides of what?

The New American Standard 95 edition and others say it is Mount Zion in “the far north.” These are good translations, but physical Zion is NOT in the “far” north. The WEB says Zion is on “the north sides,” but it isn’t. It is on the east side of Jerusalem, facing the mount of Olives. It doesn’t make sense of physical Zion on earth. It contradicts reality. Further, no victory like this for “Zion” has ever happened, so far!

But we have come to heavenly Zion and Jerusalem, Heb 12:22. We have “not come to a mountain that might be touched,” Heb 12:17 WEB, at least physically

But the earthly are mere copies of the heavenly things,
Heb 9:24.

The kings of the earth will be gathered against God’s people at a final time in Rev 20:7-10 and many Old Testament passages. The heavenly Jerusalem will come down out of heaven for all to see, Revelation 21, and the kings of the earth and all opposition will flee away.

“ … from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. There was found no place for them.”
Rev 20:11 WEB

Psalm 48 then is a parallel to those passages in Revelation 20, and Zechariah and Ezekiel, and others. Physical Zion is symbolic, a type, of the heavenly throne where Jesus now sits Heb 8:1, etc.

But if you try to make Psalm 48 fit mere physical geography and history past, it makes no sense. The seeming “contradictions” are clues to a type.

KJV is the King James Version, 1611

WEB is the World English Bible, a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

Mystery Babylon the Great and Commerce

Posted on by
Reply

Mystery Babylon the Great is first introduced in Rev 14:8 as “Babylon the Great has fallen.” Before she is discussed, we are told she is fallen.

She is a fount of crazy immorality

She has forced immorality on the nations. She “has made ALL the nations to drink of the wine of the wrath of her sexual immorality.” Rev 14:8 WEB, emphasis added. As ancient Babylon made all of the would be brides into sexual immorality, so Mystery Babylon forces ALL nations into immorality.

As was discussed earlier, she is evidently a mystery religion, a religion that is either secret or semisecret. See the previous post, “Mystery Religions: An Overview.” Evidently Mystery Babylon is sits on a substrata of seven other religions. It has always been common for mystery religions to superimpose themselves on other public religions. Even on Christianity.

Mystery Babylon is a business entity: religio-commercial

There is more about Mystery Babylon in Revealing the Christian Age, and what she might look like when we see her.

The language of the book of Revelation concerning Mystery Babylon seems to come from two primary sources. Old Testament prophecies concerning ancient Babylon and her wealth and power, and the Old Testament prophecies concerning ancient Tyre and Sidon. These were Phoenician trade cities which dominated east-west trade in the ancient world for many centuries. Also they were worshipers of the ancient Baal and Asherah cults. It was the Phoenicians who established Carthage, Rome’s final contender for domination of the ancient world.

The images that we see from the Old Testament are those of wealth and power and large scale business enterprises which span both many nations and continents.

She is the ruler of the kings of the earth, Rev 17:18

Actually it is common for the business face of society to direct the government face of society. Commerce and agriculture and mining produce the wealth of nations. Kings depend on that wealth.

Babylon makes OTHERS rich

“For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her sexual immorality, the kings of the earth committed sexual immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from the abundance of her luxury.”
Rev 18:3 WEB

She does not conquer the kings of the earth. She seduces and uses them.

Babylon is the seller of all manner of wickedness

Demons work in her (1Tim 4:1), and “ … she has become a habitation of demons, a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird!” Rev 18:2 WEB.

Wealth and prosperity falls when Babylon falls

Like Tyre of old, she is not all of international commerce, but she seems to be the one who makes it work. So when Mystery Babylon falls, and it does fall WITHIN history, it speaks as if it is end of all prosperity.

“The merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise any more; ”
Rev 18:11

Thus we are looking at things which will reach their conclusion just before the end of this present universe.

First, because of sin, the church falls/is “overcome.” Then Mystery Babylon falls. Lastly the man of lawlessness and the mystery of Lawlessness fall at the Second Coming of Christ.

WEB is the World English Bible, a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

Time Order in Types

Posted on by
Reply

Quite often when God wants to tell us about what will happen in the future, He uses people, places or things which have happened in the past as examples of what will happen in the future. The examples are symbolic of what will happen in the future. The examples are sometimes called “types” in Scripture. We might in modern English call them “prototypes.”

Jesus is our passover lamb.

“ … For indeed Christ, our Passover, has been sacrificed in our place.”
1Cor 5:7 WEB.

Of course the first passover lambs were sacrificed in Egypt around 1440 BC. They put the blood of the passover lamb on the door posts of their dwelling, and when angel of death came, he would passover their houses, and not strike them. But the yearly passover lambs were merely symbolic. Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment.

“The next day, he saw Jesus coming to him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”
Jn 1:29 WEB.

So the symbolic was early and yearly. The ultimate fulfillment was nearly 1500 years into the future.

God will raise up a prophet like Moses.

That is what God said.

“I will raise them up a prophet from among their brothers, like you; and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I shall command him.”
Deut 18:18 WEB

A prophet “like you,” that is to say, like Moses. What would that mean? Well he would be a leader of God’s people. He would be a lawgiver and would bring a new law. He would lead God’s people into the promised land (heaven). And we could go on and on. Peter quotes this passage as applying to Jesus Christ in Acts 3:22. There is a great deal more to say about the ways that Moses is symbolic of Jesus Christ.

Notice that the “type” (Moses) was already present when the prophecy was given. Howerver, the fulfillment (Jesus) was about 1500 years into the future.

The promised land.

As was discussed in “The Author of Hebrews Identifies a Type:The Final Rest,” evidently the land of Canaan, the promised land, is symbolic of our final rest in heaven.

Canaan was taken over in the 15 century BC. The Final rest in heaven, is still yet to come.

The types often occur soon in history.

The original “abomination of desolation” (Dan 11:31) was evidently an idol set up in the temple in Jerusalem in the early 2 century BC in the times of the Greek King Antiochus Epiphanes. The ultimate fulfillment is sometime in the future. So Jesus says,

“15 When, therefore, you see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.”
Mtt 24:15 WEB

The fulfillments are often in the distant future

Often times there is more than one type of an important person, place, or thing in the future. Moses, Solomon, the passover lamb, and more, are all types of Jesus the Christ.

WEB is the World English Bible, a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

The Wilderness Wanderings as a Type: Part III of III

Posted on by
Reply

If the wilderness represents the Christian life after being separated from this world …

What corresponds to this present world?

Clearly Egypt corresponds to this present world of sin and death. Egypt is a place where we are born in bondage in this world. If we are deceived and bound here, who is it to?

“in whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should not dawn on them.”
2Cor 4:4 WEB

Who then corresponds to the god of this world?

The Pharaoh then represents the god of this world, the beast, the monster, who holds God’s own people in bondage, and will not let them go to be separated from this present world to pursue a course that leads to the eternal promised land!

What will convince the Pharaoh to let God’s people go?

Only a series of horrible disasters will convince him as described in Exodus chapters 7 through 12. Water is turned to blood. Frogs overcome the land of Egypt. Then plagues of insects, and the death of livestock comes. Then come plagues of boils on the wicked, and a place of hail big enough to kill both men and beasts. Then comes a plague of locusts, and then darkness covers the land, day and night. Lastly comes the death of the firstborn of man and beast. And Pharaoh relents.

Then in the last days, one called a “beast,” makes “war with the saints”
and overcomes them, Rev 13:7.

The beast’s accomplice in overcoming the saints is “Mystery Babylon the Great,” represented by a great prostitute who is,

“… drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. When I saw her, I wondered with great amazement.”
Rev 17:6 WEB

What will bring the saints release?
The seven last plagues!

“the seven last plagues, for in them God’s wrath is finished.”
Rev 15:1 WEB

The seven last ever plagues of God’s wrath on an evil world begins in Revelation 15, and they are amazingly like the plagues on ancient Egypt in the book of Exodus.

The first of the last seven plagues is severe sores on all who had worshipped the beast or his image, Rev 16:2. Then the oceans are turned to blood, and all the fish die, Rev 16:3-7. Then the sun scorches the people of the earth, Rev 16:8-9. Then darkness covers the earth, Rev 16:10. And it goes on. There are hailstones that weigh about 75 pounds each, Rev 17:21.

Egypt and the Exodus are types, symbolic, of the end of this present world.

With the Pharaoh representing Satan and the beast of the last days, whom, “ALL who dwell on the earth will worship,” Rev 13:8 WEB, something that has never happened in history so far.

One more time the saints will flee into the wilderness. Then will be the grand Exodus out of this present world, to the Eternal Promised Land, 1Thes 4:16-18.

WEB is the World English Bible, a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

The Kingdom of God in Eternity

Posted on by
Reply

Remember Jesus said “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, then my servants would fight, that I wouldn’t be delivered to the Jews. But now my kingdom is not from here.” Jn 18:36 WEB

A new universe is coming, “a new heavens and a new earth in which dwells righteousness.” 2Pe 3:13. Peter is referring to passages like Isa 66:22 as a future thing to be fulfilled.

“For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, says Yahweh, …” Isa 66:22 WEB

What will it be like?

The saints will sit down with Jesus on His throne to rule this new universe, Rev 3:21 and many other passages.

What the physicists call “The Second Law of Thermodynamics,” or Entropy, or “things run down,” will not be an operating principle in this new universe.

God will severely shake this present universe one more time.

“26 whose voice shook the earth, then, but now he has promised, saying, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heavens.” 27 This phrase, “Yet once more,” signifies the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that have been made, that those things which are not shaken may remain. 28 Therefore, receiving a kingdom that can’t be shaken, let us have grace, through which we serve God acceptably, with reverence and awe,”
Heb 12:26-28 WEB

“that the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of decay into the liberty of the glory of the children of God.” Rom 8:21 WEB

And since things won’t run down, you will never die.

The descriptions are wonderful, glorious!

“6 The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. 7 The cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8 The sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den. 9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of Yahweh, as the waters cover the sea.”
Isa 11:6-9 WEB

We as Christians have come to the heavenly Jerusalem according to Heb 12:22. Isaiah describes that heavenly Jerusalem.

“21 They shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. 22 They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree shall be the days of my people, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands. … 24 It shall happen that, before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.”
Isa 65:20-25 WEB

KJV is the King James Version, 1611

WEB is the World English Bible, a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

nf is my own translation based on the WEB

Strategic Powers of Our Age: Part III, The Mystery of Lawlessness

Posted on by
Reply

Not always the most obvious, but of central importance.

An important man of lawlessness is to come.

The KJV calls him a “man of sin,” but remember that “Sin is lawlessness,”1Jn 3:4, WEB. Paul says that this man has to come before Jesus comes again, and calls this man “the son of destruction” WEB. This man is characterized by “perdition,” destructive behavior, and he brings destruction on many people.

He suppresses all religion except the
worship of Satan and himself.

Both Revealing the Christian Age and Prophecy Principles have more information on the “beast”/ the man of lawlessness and of an occult competition to see who will finally be the “real” beast.

“he who opposes and exalts himself against all that is called God or that is worshiped; so that he sits as God in the temple of God, setting himself up as God. ” 2Thes 2:4 WEB

This man does not just put himself up as some sort of “god.” He puts himself up as the one and only “god.” He does not just put down Christianity, but will put down ALL religion of any sort, except himself. The only other description that matches this is called a “beast” in Revelation 11 through 20. It says men “worshiped the beast,” Rev 13:4, and that he is “given authority” over all of the earth, and to make war with the church and to overcome it, Rev 13:7.

Before we go any further, I must remind you that Rome and the caesars NEVER overcame the church. Instead, the church overcame Rome and the caesars, exactly as prophesied in Daniel 2.

This man is brought to power by a “mystery of lawlessness”
which “already works.” 2Thes 2:7 WEB

Taken at face value, Paul is describing either the teachings of a mystery religion characterized by lawlessness, or a mystery religion itself (an organization) that is characterized by lawlessness. See the previous post on “Mystery Religions: An Overview.” Paul is writing this around say 51 AD, and says this mystery “already works,” 2Thes 2:7. This teaching, this religion, seems to be the “beast” organization of Rev 13:1-2, 17:7, etc. This religion continues to work until it is able to unveil its exclusive god/man to be worshiped by the entire world. This religion has a ruling council of seven men, and seems to have a power base of ten nations. Mystery Babylon and the Mystery of Lawlessness run private intelligence operations that often dwarf those of many nations. They frequently run Deep State operations jointly.

The beast organization, makes Mystery Babylon a world wide success.

“… I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns.” Rev 17:7.

These are competing mystery religions that work together for world domination, and the destruction of Christianity.

The “man of lawlessness” will destroy Mystery Babylon WITHIN history.

This is described in Revelation 17 and 18 as being a total and final destruction. This occurs after the church is “overcome,” and it leaves the mystery of lawlessness as the undisputed master of the entire world.

Revealing the Christian Age has more information the fall of Mystery Babylon.

The “man” of lawlessness is destroyed by Jesus’ Second Coming.

The beast is captured and thrown alive into hell, Rev 19:20. Jesus will kill him “by the brightness of his coming.” 2Thes 2:8. So these are things which come to a climax just before the end of this present universe.

KJV is the King James Version, 1611

WEB is the World English Bible, a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

Strategic Powers of Our Age: Part II, Mystery Babylon the Great

Posted on by
Reply

Not always the most obvious, but of central importance.

Many think that Mystery Babylon the Great is civil government, or the Roman Empire. However, as was pointed out in the post “Rome, A Prophecy Failure or Symbolic,” much of what is written in Revelation emphatically did NOT fit Rome all along. Revealing the Christian Age offers solid evidence that Mystery Babylon is NOT Rome. Rome and the caesars are at best a type, symbolic of what is to come.

Mystery Babylon is treated as if she is a secret entity.

Revealing the Christian Age discusses the many things in Revelation which do not fit ancient Rome.

That fits calling her “MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT,” Rev 17:5 WEB. That implies she is a mystery religion, as discussed in the post on “The Mystery Religions: An Overview.”

Now you can view Rome in public. You can travel there, stay there, live there. But to see Mystery Babylon John is carried “away in the Spirit into a wilderness.” Rev 17:3 WEB. A remote place. She is a hidden entity. She is “the great prostitute,” Rev 17:1 WEB. But Rome had no need to prostitute herself. Rome could beat to pieces any who resisted her.

Mystery Babylon is spoken of as if she
dominates world trade

In fact, most of the imagery about Babylon and her fall, seems to come from the prophecies of the fall of ancient Tyre and Sidon, like Isaiah 23, and Ezek 26, 27 and 28 (they are symbolic of her). These were principal Phoenician trade cities, which dominated trade in the Mediterranean world for several centuries. They were not all of Mediterranean trade, but they did facilitate it, and dominate it.

“ “… the kings of the earth committed sexual immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from the abundance of her luxury.” ” Rev 18:3 WEB

Mystery Babylon is a promoter of sexual immorality,
and perversion of every sort.

In Revelation 17 she is drinking from a golden cup filled with the filth of fornication, Rev 17:4. She is “THE MOTHER … OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” Rev 17:5 KJV.

“ “with whom the kings of the earth committed sexual immorality, and those who dwell in the earth were made drunken with the wine of her sexual immorality.” ”
Rev 17:2 WEB

Mystery Babylon is the arranger of death and destruction.

She is not government. Rather she reigns/rules OVER the kings of the earth, Rev 17:18. She is the original Deep State. Mystery Babylon is implicitly the fomenter, the arranger, of wars.

“ “In her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of ALL who have been slain on the earth.” ” Rev 18:24 WEB

Mystery Babylon is COMPLETELY destroyed
very near the end of our age.

The man of lawlessness comes very near the end of time, and he with ten kings, destroys Mystery Babylon completely, all the way to the ground, within HISTORY, Revelation chapters 17 and 18.

Christians are commanded to come out of Mystery Babylon, Rev 18:4.

That of course implies that you can understand the prophecy, and come out of her.

KJV is the King James Version, 1611

WEB is the World English Bible, a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

ALL Old Testament prophecy has been fulfilled?

Posted on by
Reply

Jesus is walking with two of His disciples toward the village of Emmaus and is talking about the things that happened to Jesus in His trial and execution at the hands of the Jews and the Romans. He assured them that these things had to happen.

25   He said to them, “Foolish men, and slow of heart to believe in ALL that the prophets have spoken! 26 Didn’t the Christ have to suffer these things and to enter into his glory?” 27 Beginning from Moses and from all the prophets, he explained to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” Lk 24:25-27 WEB

It does almost seem to speak as if Jesus had by then (early in the first century AD) fulfilled all Old Testament prophecy concerning himself. And a similar point seems to also be made by Peter in Acts 3.

“But the things which God announced by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he thus fulfilled.”
Acts 3:18 WEB

Similarly, one might initially think that Peter also was saying that Jesus had fulfilled all Old Testament prophecy. But then Peter goes on further says,

“ “Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, so that there may come times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord,” ” Acts 3:19 WEB

Well, why Peter, why repent? Peter says it is so “times of refreshing” might come from the Lord. So there are times of refreshing which are still yet to come! Well Peter, who will bring those “times of refreshing”?

“ “and that he may send Christ Jesus, who was ordained for you before” ,” Acts 3:20

So how long must Jesus stay in heaven?

“ “whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God spoke long ago by the mouth of his holy prophets.” ” Acts 3:21 WEB

So how long must Jesus stay in heaven? Until what is now called “the times of restoration of all things.” Then Peter says something else in the same verse. These future things, “the times of restoration of all things,” and the “times of refreshing,” were spoken of long ago by the mouth of God’s holy prophets. Then Peter speaks even more explicitly.

“ “Yes, and all the prophets from Samuel and those who followed after, as many as have spoken, they also told of these days.” ” Acts 3:24 WEB

So all the prophets from Samuel forward spoke of these future days.

So looking back, Jesus in Luke 24, and Peter in Acts 3:18 are merely saying that Jesus fulfilled all the prophecies of His first coming. And also clearly, there are some Old Testament prophecies which are yet to be fulfilled.

Also, this is not counting the many Old Testament prophecies of Judgement Day and the Second Coming of Christ. It is beyond me how anyone can so twist Isaiah 24 so that it turns into anything more than the final destruction of this present universe.

WEB is the World English Bible, a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

Time in Jeremiah 31, Part III of III

Posted on by
Reply

But Jer 31:1 describes “ALL the families of Israel” as being faithful at some point.

In contrast, true atheists are rare in most nations, but common among the Jews. Further, the number of modern Jews who are not really atheists, but who are actually very secular, or even anti-religious in their thinking and outlook, seem to be in the majority among modern Jews. The Jews will on one hand claim to you and me that God was the one who promised Palestine to them, but on the other hand, treat Genesis as a children’s fairy tale if serious discussion of Scripture starts. Still Jeremiah says that,

“At that time, says Yahweh, will I be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people.”
Jer 31:1 WEB

Over two thousand years have passed and
this has NEVER happened!

Is this a false prophecy?

In truth, this present rejection of God and His Messiah was clearly forecast in many Scriptures, such as Isa 8:14-15. It is even implied in the grand context of Jeremiah himself that this glorious time will come only after much correction and hardship and suffering because of the ongoing sins of the Jews.. We might assume that since so much time has past, that the prophecy is now void. Jesus says something else:

“Scripture Cannot Be Broken,” Jn 10:35 KJV

If you believe the Word of God, then what do you make of Jer 31:1? This means it just has not happened yet! After over 2,000 years? YES! This in fact is dealt with in innumerable Old Testament passages, and several in New Testament, including Roman chapters 9 to 11.

Then look at Time in Jeremiah 31.

See first that the order in which things are discussed is NOT necessarily the order in which things will happen! It is a conversational order of discussion in much of Bible prophecy. Just like in a human conversation, not everything is in sequential time order. God is having a conversation with your and me about the future.

Secondly it should be seen that it is not a human time perspective in Scripture, but an eternal time perspective. That is the real time scale we are on. Remember “that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” 2Pe 3:8 WEB. So an interruption of two thousand years is as nothing in this perspective, as Yahweh works to save as many men as possible. We do not really know how much more there is to come, even though we are clearly told to be watching.

It is as if God said, Yes one day all the families of Israel will be my people. I will send my Son as a baby. Many will be killed in the attempt to kill Him, and He will bring a New Covenant that will write My law on the hearts of My people. In the end it will be well for the Jews.

Clearly it is easy to make naïve assumptions
about time in prophecy!

WEB is the World English Bible, a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

Rome: A Prophetic Failure? Or Symbolic?

Posted on by
Reply

Many think the book of Revelation is very simple.

It is all about Rome and the Caesars, and the persecution of the early church.

There were bits and pieces of the book of Revelation that fit ancient Rome. Starting with Nero there was ongoing persecution of the early church. Revelation does clearly talk about the end of time, as do many other books of the Bible. But Revelation also clearly says it talks about “things which must shortly come to pass;” Rev 1:1 KJV. Many think it is only about things which must shortly come to pass. You might even get the impression that the Second Coming of Christ would be associated with the fall of Rome!

We must remember too that Revelation was not a secret book. It was publicly disseminated. Probably most early Christians thought it was about Rome, but many (just like today) did not know what to make of it. Because you see here is the other side, which is not often discussed.

Much of Revelation does NOT fit Rome, even from the first.

A page from a pocket copy of Revelation. Egypt, 300’s AD. From “Revealing the Christian Age.”

Many liberals think that the beast is supposed to one of the caesars, and that “Mystery Babylon the Great” is Rome. That fits only to a point.

First of all, Mystery Babylon is all about trade and filthy religious sex (Rev 17:4), and seduction. Babylon was the one,

“with whom the kings of the earth committed sexual immorality, and those who dwell in the earth were made drunken with the wine of her sexual immorality.”” Rev 17:2 WEB.

Rome indeed ruled many kings, but by force, not by seduction.

Rome did at times buy or control commodities, like for instance wheat. However, Rome was not primarily about trade, but about government. Rome definitely did not trade in the wide range of goods described in Revelation 18. The tradesmen did, and many of the corporations which prospered in the Empire. Rome’s specialty was the practice of military power which few could resist. Rome did not try to seduce other to get the money she needed. Rome would simply demand in taxes what she thought she needed.

Additionally, the standard liberal interpretation has the caesars (the beast?) overthrowing Rome, their own power base! That should be an astonishing interpretation in anyone’s book. Of course, that never happened! Some are more than willing to treat Revelation as a false prophecy.

So many from the first realized that much of this did not fit Rome of their day, with much wonderment. Some thought the many missing parts would yet happen with Rome, but they never did. For instance a “mark” that was necessary for buying and selling. See the previous post “A Special “Mark” …”

There is more discussion of why Rome does not ultimately fit Revelation, in Revealing the Christian Age.

But remember in 2 Samuel 7, Solomon was a type, symbolic of Jesus, and both of them are in the prophecy, with no clear lines of division! (see the previous posts about “Two Sons of David.”) Are Rome and the caesars merely types, symbolic of what was to come later?

KJV is the King James Version, 1611.

WEB is the World English Bible, a copyright free revision of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901