Keys to Prophecy: Revelation Applies to the ENTIRE Christian Age.

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The principal powers at work during the Christian Age are the same throughout. They are:

Jesus of Nazareth, the One and Only
Son of God

He is ignored by most, but He is indeed Lord of Lords and King of kings, Rev 19:16. He is THE major power of the Christian Age. He is a conquerer!

“And behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow. A crown was given to him, and he came forth conquering, and to conquer.”
Rev 6:2 WEB

Jesus has complete authority.

… “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.”
Mtt 28.28 WEB

All authority where? “In heaven and on earth.” As God has operated in the past, so now Jesus rules the nations, and has,

“26 … appointed seasons, and the boundaries of their dwellings, 27 that they should seek the Lord, if perhaps they might reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.”
Acts 17:26-27 WEB

He must reign (presently and continuously) until ALL His enemies are destroyed, 1Cor 15:24-25.

Mystery Babylon the Great

This is a religio-commercial entity. It evidently dominates world trade for the entire Christian Age. It does not control all of it, but it is evidently a central facilitator of world trade. It is pictured in Rev 18:11-13 as selling a little bit of everything, and so rich that “she” drinks out of gold cups, and is extravagantly clothed with gold and jewels in Rev 17:3-4. It says that,

“The kings of the earth, who committed sexual immorality and lived wantonly with her, will weep and wail over her, when they look at the smoke of her burning,”
Rev 18:9 WEB

She is the arranger of wars and conflicts on earth. Why? To make money out of those conflicts. It says,

“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

What a staggeringly comprehensive statement!

And she rides the Satanic dragon that has seven heads and ten horns, Rev 17:3! She rides the Mystery of Lawlessness, the seldom noticed “beast” organization of Rev 13:1-2, of which there are seven “heads,” directors.

The Mystery of Lawlessness

The mystery of lawlessness is a much smaller organization than Mystery Babylon the Great, and is opposed to Mystery Babylon, but also allows itself to be used for her purposes. It is a very highly leveraged satanic organization, a dragon (compare Revelation 12), and is already in operation in the first century, 2Thes 2:7. It is guided by a directory of seven men/kings, and it directs ten centers of power. It hates the harlot, and before the end will destroy her at God’s instigation, Rev 17:16-17.

None of the these powers are absolute, except Jesus the Christ. The others plot and plan and coerce as best they can, and have whatever triumphs God allows. In history they have both many victories and many dismal defeats. In worldly terms they are intimidating, but they are doomed from the start.

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

Keys to Prophecy: The Mystery of Lawlessness is an age long entity.

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It was already in existence in the first century
of our present age.

It is evidently literally a mystery in the ancient Greek sense. That is to say that it is secret or semi-secret religion whose teaching are kept secret from the public. Sometimes such religions had a public presence, but at other times were completely secret, even in their very existence. There have been many such religions since ancient times, and to quote the dictionaries, they tended to be “relig. and political in nature,” A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, Arndt and Gringrich, The University of Chicago Press, 1957, pg 531-532.

The Mystery of Lawlessness is evidently the same thing
as the beast organization in Rev 13:1-3.

Then one of the heads of the beast-organization, becomes “the beast” (Rev 13:3) / “the man of lawlessness (2Thes 2:8). This man of lawlessness, this beast, is worshipped by the entire world, Rev 13:4 and 2Thes 2:4, 9-12.

This is evidently a Satanic mystery religion, and Scripture clearly indicates that it both cooperates with Mystery Babylon the Great at times, and also competes with and opposes Mystery Babylon the Great at times. Paul says in the first century of our age that,

“For the mystery of lawlessness already works. …”
2Thes 2:7a WEB

It was already in existence and has worked for over 2,000 years.

The purpose of the Mystery of Lawlessness is:

“3 … the man of sin is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 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 2:3b-4 WEB

This is basically the same as is described in Revelation 13. There it says,

“It was given to him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them. Authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation was given to him.”
Rev 13:7 WEB

This is for a relatively short, but terrible times, just before the end of this universe.

The man of lawlessness WAS ready to be revealed
in the first century of our age.

And Paul said to the Thessalonians,

“Now you know what is restraining him, to the end that he may be revealed in his own season.”
2Thes 2:6 WEB

The Thessalonians knew what was restraining him, but we do not, but he has been being restrained for over 2,000 years, and one day he will be revealed, and there have been continual attempts seat such a man, Christian-Age-long. See the section on “Lab Work,” in Prophecy Principles.

And he will be destroyed by the Second Coming of Jesus Christ (2Thes 2:8, Rev 19:20).

Thus the case for the Mystery of Lawlessness is the most straight forward of all.

So these are powers which Christians of every age
have had to contend..

The same is true for that other great age-long enemy of Christianity, Mystery Babylon the Great. It is evidently in existence in the first century of our present age, and so will until near the very end of this present universe, and is destroyed by the beast and ten kings, Rev 17:18.

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

Keys to Prophecy: Mystery Babylon is a age long entity.

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It seems very clear that Mystery Babylon the Great
is in existence in the first century AD.

Revelation discuses threats to the Christianity that are immediate and powerful. It is “revealing” “things which must happen soon,” Rev 1:1. The first half of the book seems to describe world history from the outside, what it looks like to average man as he sees conflicts and judgements on the earth. Then in the second half of Revelation it emphasizes the behind the scenes players, including Mystery Babylon. It seems to imply she was already in existence in the first century AD.

One key is that it is a “mystery,” which was
a technical term for a type religion.

A “mystery” in the first century sense was a secret or semi-secret religion whose teachings were kept secret. They were very active politically, and often ran afoul of the governing authorities. There are many good studies of these religions, including Samuel Angus pro-mystery religion study called The Mystery Religions and Christianity. They are discussed in some detail in “Some Age Long Mysteries,” in Prophecy Principles.

It is NOT government, but instead it rules
OVER many governments, Rev 17:18.

It is centered in a city. Many think Mystery Babylon is the Roman Empire, but the caesars and the Roman Empire only fit Revelation to a point. They are merely types. My second book Revealing the Christian Age offers solid evidences that something beyond the caesars and the Roman Empire was intended from the first.

Many, especially modern commentators, think that Anient Rome was Mystery Babylon the Great. However, Rome and the caesars only fit Revelation to a point. Rome is there, but only as a type, symbolic of the ultimate poawers. For more details, and solid evidences, consult Revealing the Christian Age.

Mystery Babylon is a powerful commercial entity.

The comparison in the first part of Revelation 18 seems to be to the commercial cities of Tyre and Sidon, and it uses language similar that describing these cities in the Old Testament. Roman itself was primarily a political entity, NOT a commercial entity, although often influencing commerce. Compare Rev 18:10-13.

Mystery Babylon was something you could
“come out of.”

A religion, or a commercial entity you can come out of. But how would someone in the Mediterranean world of the first century come out of the Roman Empire? It is given as a command which can be understood and obeyed.

“I heard another voice from heaven, saying, “Come out of her, my people, that you have no participation in her sins, and that you don’t receive of her plagues,””
Rev 18:4 WEB

Further, instead of describing government as something intrinsically opposed the God and righteousness, Scripture says that ALL government is ordained of God, Rom 13:1-3, and describes them as “a servant of God to you for good,” Rom 13:4. Lastly,

Mystery Babylon is destroyed at God’s command
very near the end of world history.

Mystery Babylon is destroyed by one called “the beast” and ten kings, at God’s command, Rev 17:16-17. But the beast himself only comes very near the end of world history, and at the second coming of Christ is thrown alive into hell, Rev 19:20.

This clearly implies that Mystery Babylon has existed throughout the Christian age, and every generation of Christians have had to deal with her.

I think it is proper to describe Mystery Babylon as a religio-economic power.

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

Covid-19 and We Will All Die

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Remember? The terrible winter of 2017-18?

The sheer terror of every moment? The anticipation that you might catch it next? That someone might die? That someone you know might die? Do you remember the gripping terror of every moment in the winter of 2017 to 2018? You don’t? You don’t remember the 2017-2018 winter being horrible? You don’t! Well, the CDC says that 80,000 people died of the flu in the winter of 2017 to 2018. 80,000! (AP interview with Dr. Robert Redfield of the CDC, September 26, 2018, https://apnews.com/818b5360eb7d472480ebde13da5c72b5.) Redfield is current head of the CDC.

Why didn’t you think it was so bad in the winter of 2017-18?

Dr. Robert Redfield, current head of the CDC. By Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – https://www.cdc.gov/about/images/leadership/leaders/cdcdirector-300px.jpg, Public Domain,

The answer is, you didn’t have the media pumping it up! You didn’t see constant reminders of hospital death’s. You didn’t see your favorite news or weather reporters crouching in fear, and broadcasting from home in horror of possibly catching the virus and … dying! Did you?

Notice that almost all of their models, their projections, have been wrong! Originally they said 2.2 million Americans would die. But it isn’t going to happen. They emptied the hospitals so that they could care for the dying Covid-19 patients … and the hospitals stayed empty. Trump sent a hospital ship to NY, and built two new hospitals in Central Park, and they stayed empty. NY said they needed 30,000 ventilators. Trump said he could only send 5,000. The press said that was outrageous. But it ended up NY sent away some ventilators! https://www.theblaze.com/news/new-york-giving-away-ventilators. It is a new media lie everyday. You have already forgotten the old lie, because the new false projection is scaring the wits out of you! Assuming that the originators made honest mistakes, we still should NOT be listening to their models, with this record of failures. The media and the politicians are NOT experts, and the “experts” have been consistently sold us bad models!

Now Some Question These Projections Entirely

Dr. Deborah Birx. Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=88791250

According to a Washington Post article, Dr Birx said, “There is nothing from the CDC that I can trust.” She said that they were exaggerating Covid-19 deaths by as much as 25%. https://ussanews.com/News1/2020/05/12/dr-birx-claims-the-cdc-inflated-covid-19-death-tolls-by-25/.

I have heard before that competent authorities questioned the CDC’s estimates on for instance, flu deaths. These are after all, statistical extrapolations. No one is really in a position to do a real head count. But you says, someone might die! And that is right! So, let’s take some CDC figures at face value.

The CDC says 2,813,503 died in 2017.

https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/deaths.htm. These are deaths from all causes. This means about 234,458 people died every month. Well this says that someone will die, does die, every year. Nearly three million of them in America, each year. And most who die are elderly with serious underlying conditions! Who would have guessed? They have heart problems, they have diabetes or they are very overweight or have severe breathing problems, and so on. Your author is part of this group. Might your author die from COVID-19? Yes! Should we shut down the world because you author might die? I don’t think so. So what is the root of our problem?

Sin came into this world from the wrongs of our ancestors.

The truth is, we will ALL die. Coronavirus or not.

“12 Therefore, as sin entered into the world through one man, and death through sin; and so death passed to all men, because all sinned. … 14 Nevertheless death reigned … even over those whose sins weren’t like Adam’s disobedience, who is a foreshadowing of him who was to come.”
Rom 5:12, 14

Yes we use medicines and treatments to try hinder and delay death, rightfully so, even in Scripture. Your author probably would not be alive today, and might have even died in childhood, without modern medicine. But in the end even that cannot undo death.

Prophecy says only Jesus can do that!

“25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy that will be abolished is death.”
1Cor 15:25-26

That is a prophecy. And it hasn’t happened yet. And it does matter!

There are other posts on the Coronavirus. Search at the top.

Scriptures are from the World English Bible (WEB), a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

Keys to Prophecy: The World System is in the power of Satan.

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Satan is a creature, a creation.

Perhaps one of the most powerful creatures ever made, but still merely a creature, as you and I also are. God made through Jesus everything.

“For by him were all things created, in the heavens and on the earth, things visible and things invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things have been created through him, and for him.”
Col 1:16 WEB

Satan, like us, was created good.

In fact, Scripture says,

“God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. …”
Gen 1:31 WEB

But Satan, again just like us, corrupted his way. He was originally evidently one the living creatures who hovered over the throne of God Himself in heaven, Ezekiel 28. There the king of Tyre is used as a “type,” symbolic of Satan, and it describes him as a beautiful and powerful creature. In Isaiah chapter 14 the king of Babylon seems to be used as a “type,” symbolic, of Satan. It says he aspired to be higher than God, and was cast out of heaven. Isa 14:13-14.

Satan began the revolt, but drew others into this revolt. Rev 12:4 says that he drew one-third of the angels of heaven into his revolt, and was at last thrown down out of heaven, Rev 12:7-10. Also yes, the human race was also drawn into, seduced into, this revolt.

Satan is ALLOWED certain power and rule in this
universe, for a short while.

One popular image of Satan down through history has been the drunken and lecherous “god” Pan, half-man, half-goat, often pictured with horns.

He is called “the god of this world,” 2Cor 4:4 WEB. He is allowed certain power to tempt and to try us, to see what we are. He is called “the accuser of our brothers,” Rev 12:10 WEB. He can offer some rewards to his servants, and with these things he attempted to seduce Jesus the Christ.

“5 The devil, leading him up on a high mountain, showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 The devil said to him, “I will give you all this authority, and their glory, for it has been delivered to me; and I give it to whomever I want. 7 If you therefore will worship before me, it will all be yours.””
Lk 4:5-7 WEB

Jesus corrects Satan when he is wrong, but does not correct this.

“the whole world lies in the power of
the evil one.” 1Jn 5:19

Indeed, we have ALL fallen under these powers.

“However at that time, not knowing God, you were in bondage to those who by nature are not gods.”
Gal 4:8 WEB

We once walked by Satan’s dictates, and sometimes still do. So we are warned to not desire the fruits of a corrupted world that is passing away, 1Jn 2:15-17.

God is willing to protect us.

“ … who will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able, …”
1Cor 10:13 WEB

The problem is how to come to our senses, and
escape the devil’s snare, 2Tim 2:26

Jesus is that answer, to redeem ourselves in His blood.

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