Pag-aaral sa Bibliya ng Pahayag 11-19 - Talata sa talata

Pahayag 11 - Ang dalawang Saksi

Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told: "Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample over the holy city for forty-two months. And I will grant my two witnesses power to prophesy for one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth." These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands which stand before the Lord of the earth. And if any one would harm them, fire pours out from their mouth and consumes their foes; if any one would harm them, thus he is doomed to be killed. They have power to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood, and to smite the earth with every plague, as often as they desire. And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that ascends from the bottomless pit will make war upon them and conquer them and kill them, and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which is allegorically called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified. For three days and a half men from the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb, and those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and exchange presents, because these two prophets had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth. But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, "Come up hither!" And in the sight of their foes they went up to heaven in a cloud. And at that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell; seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven. The second woe has passed; behold, the third woe is soon to come. Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever." And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying, "We give thanks to thee, Lord God Almighty, who art and who wast, that thou hast taken thy great power and begun to reign. The nations raged, but thy wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged, for rewarding thy servants, the prophets and saints, and those who fear thy name, both small and great, and for destroying the destroyers of the earth." Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple; and there were flashes of lightning, voices, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.

What does this mean?

Taking the measurements of the temple of God, is also described in Ezekiel 40.

Forty-two months are equal to 3 ½ years. And one thousand two hundred and sixty days are equal to forty-two months (month=30 days). This 3 ½ year period noted in Daniel 12.

Apparently in the period of the Great Tribulation the temple in Jerusalem was re-built (destroyed in 70 AD). And the gentiles came again to walk the forecourt of the temple. But the Jewish people were protected by God Himself and He sent two witnesses who for 3 ½ years witnessed for the Lord God. These two witnesses had received power over nature from God to prevent rainfall, to change water into blood, to punish the earth with several of plagues. Something that God had already demonstrated in the Old Testament, when He let Moses show God's power to the Pharaoh of Egypt. Despite that demonstration of God's power, Pharaoh in first instance did not release the Israelites. And after the Pharaoh let the Israelites leave, he changed his mind and sent an army after them. Also in Revelation we read that the two witnesses demonstrated God's power, but the beast from the bottomless pit ascended and killed the witnesses. None of the gentiles tried to prevent this. The heart of man is evil and sinful!

So evil and sinful, that they let the dead bodies lay for display in the great city, where their Lord was crucified. So that cannot be another city than Jerusalem. Yes, the people and nations are so pleased and rejoicing that the two witnesses are dead, that they sent each other presents. For the fact they are relieved from the tormentors (these two witnesses).

But they seemed to have forgotten that these two witnesses were sent by God. And after 3 ½ days, God raised these two from death (as He raised Jesus Christ from death after three days) and great fear fell on all people and all nations. We should not be surprised about the fact that it fell on all people and all nations on earth, with our present communication means i.e. radio, television, internet and mobile telephones, this news is quickly spread around the world. And all people on the whole earth (through television and internet) can see how the two witnesses went rose to heaven in a cloud.

And the Lord God confirmed His power again. He let the earth shake with a big earthquake (The Carmel-fracture is well known. One expects that this fracture is going to cause the predicted earthquake), so that a tenth of Jerusalem collapsed and killed seven thousand people. FINALLY, the rest were terrified and gave glory to God of Heaven. Unfortunately not for long.

The seventh angel blew the trumpet and the 24 elders (we already know from Revelation 5) worship God.

The last verse, shows us two wonderful facts:

There is a temple in Heaven.
The ark of His covenant (out of the tabernacle and the temple on earth) is not destroyed and lost, but is at present located in Heaven.

Obviously the temple in Jerusalem on earth built by human hands, does not contain the ark of His covenant.

Flashes of lightning, loud noises, peals of thunder, an earthquake and heavy hail, we have already seen in Revelation 8. With Revelation 11 we end the first 3 ½ year of the Great Tribulation.

Ezekiel 40

In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after the city was conquered, on that very day, the hand of the LORD was upon me, and brought me in the visions of God into the land of Israel, and set me down upon a very high mountain, on which was a structure like a city opposite me. When he brought me there, behold, there was a man, whose appearance was like bronze, with a line of flax and a measuring reed in his hand; and he was standing in the gateway And the man said to me, "Son of man, look with your eyes, and hear with your ears, and set your mind upon all that I shall show you, for you were brought here in order that I might show it to you; declare all that you see to the house of Israel." And behold, there was a wall all around the outside of the temple area, and the length of the measuring reed in the man's hand was six long cubits, each being a cubit and a handbreadth in length; so he measured the thickness of the wall, one reed; and the height, one reed. Then he went into the gateway facing east, going up its steps, and measured the threshold of the gate, one reed deep; and the side rooms, one reed long, and one reed broad; and the space between the side rooms, five cubits; and the threshold of the gate by the vestibule of the gate at the inner end, one reed. Then he measured the vestibule of the gateway, eight cubits; and its jambs, two cubits; and the vestibule of the gate was at the inner end. And there were three side rooms on either side of the east gate; the three were of the same size; and the jambs on either side were of the same size. Then he measured the breadth of the opening of the gateway, ten cubits; and the breadth of the gateway, thirteen cubits. There was a barrier before the side rooms, one cubit on either side; and the side rooms were six cubits on either side. Then he measured the gate from the back of the one side room to the back of the other, a breadth of five and twenty cubits, from door to door. He measured also the vestibule, twenty cubits; and round about the vestibule of the gateway was the court. From the front of the gate at the entrance to the end of the inner vestibule of the gate was fifty cubits. And the gateway had windows round about, narrowing inwards into their jambs in the side rooms, and likewise the vestibule had windows round about inside, and on the jambs were palm trees. Then he brought me into the outer court; and behold, there were chambers and a pavement, round about the court; thirty chambers fronted on the pavement. And the pavement ran along the side of the gates, corresponding to the length of the gates; this was the lower pavement. Then he measured the distance from the inner front of the lower gate to the outer front of the inner court, a hundred cubits. Then he went before me to the north, and behold, there was a gate which faced toward the north, belonging to the outer court. He measured its length and its breadth. Its side rooms, three on either side, and its jambs and its vestibule were of the same size as those of the first gate; its length was fifty cubits, and its breadth twenty-five cubits. And its windows, its vestibule, and its palm trees were of the same size as those of the gate which faced toward the east; and seven steps led up to it; and its vestibule was on the inside. And opposite the gate on the north, as on the east, was a gate to the inner court; and he measured from gate to gate, a hundred cubits. And he led me toward the south, and behold, there was a gate on the south; and he measured its jambs and its vestibule; they had the same size as the others. And there were windows round about in it and in its vestibule, like the windows of the others; its length was fifty cubits, and its breadth twenty-five cubits. And there were seven steps leading up to it, and its vestibule was on the inside; and it had palm trees on its jambs, one on either side. And there was a gate on the south of the inner court; and he measured from gate to gate toward the south, a hundred cubits. Then he brought me to the inner court by the south gate, and he measured the south gate; it was of the same size as the others; Its side rooms, its jambs, and its vestibule were of the same size as the others; and there were windows round about in it and in its vestibule; its length was fifty cubits, and its breadth twenty-five cubits. And there were vestibules round about, twenty-five cubits long and five cubits broad. Its vestibule faced the outer court, and palm trees were on its jambs, and its stairway had eight steps. Then he brought me to the inner court on the east side, and he measured the gate; it was of the same size as the others. Its side rooms, its jambs, and its vestibule were of the same size as the others; and there were windows round about in it and in its vestibule; its length was fifty cubits, and its breadth twenty-five cubits. Its vestibule faced the outer court, and it had palm trees on its jambs, one on either side; and its stairway had eight steps. Then he brought me to the north gate, and he measured it; it had the same size as the others. Its side rooms, its jambs, and its vestibule were of the same size as the others; and it had windows round about; its length was fifty cubits, and its breadth twenty-five cubits. Its vestibule faced the outer court, and it had palm trees on its jambs, one on either side; and its stairway had eight steps. There was a chamber with its door in the vestibule of the gate, where the burnt offering was to be washed. And in the vestibule of the gate were two tables on either side, on which the burnt offering and the sin offering and the guilt offering were to be slaughtered. And on the outside of the vestibule at the entrance of the north gate were two tables; and on the other side of the vestibule of the gate were two tables. Four tables were on the inside, and four tables on the outside of the side of the gate, eight tables, on which the sacrifices were to be slaughtered. And there were also four tables of hewn stone for the burnt offering, a cubit and a half long, and a cubit and a half broad, and one cubit high, on which the instruments were to be laid with which the burnt offerings and the sacrifices were slaughtered. And hooks, a handbreadth long, were fastened round about within. And on the tables the flesh of the offering was to be laid. Then he brought me from without into the inner court, and behold, there were two chambers in the inner court, one at the side of the north gate facing south, the other at the side of the south gate facing north. And he said to me, This chamber which faces south is for the priests who have charge of the temple, and the chamber which faces north is for the priests who have charge of the altar; these are the sons of Zadok, who alone among the sons of Levi may come near to the LORD to minister to him. And he measured the court, a hundred cubits long, and a hundred cubits broad, foursquare; and the altar was in front of the temple. Then he brought me to the vestibule of the temple and measured the jambs of the vestibule, five cubits on either side; and the breadth of the gate was fourteen cubits; and the sidewalls of the gate were three cubits on either side. The length of the vestibule was twenty cubits, and the breadth twelve cubits; and ten steps led up to it; and there were pillars beside the jambs on either side.

NOTE: : A cubit is about 21 inches. Thousand cubits is about 583 yard (533 metres).

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Pahayag 12 - Ang babae at ang Dragon

And a great portent appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; she was with child and she cried out in her pangs of birth, in anguish for delivery. And another portent appeared in heaven; behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems upon his heads. His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven, and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bear a child, that he might devour her child when she brought it forth; she brought forth a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which to be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days. Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they were defeated and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world--he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, "Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. Rejoice then, O heaven and you that dwell therein! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!" And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had borne the male child. But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time. The serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away with the flood. But the earth came to the help of the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river which the dragon had poured from his mouth. Then the dragon was angry with the woman, and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and bear testimony to Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea.

What does this mean?

A view is allowed in Heaven, where God lives.

Who the dragon with the seven heads and horns was, is explained in verse 9: And the great dragon, the ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan. And the dragons tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven. Here it shows clearly the power of Satan. However, for "a third of the stars of heaven" I have no explanation. Some commentaries point to Daniel 8:10, where the stars are called: host of heaven. What or who is meant with "host of heaven" is also not explained in Daniel. We can easily assume that these stars should not be taken literally, for when Satan would swept down a third of the stars on earth, the earth would burn completely. It also cannot be satellites which circle around earth in the sky, because John sees the object as stars. And satellites do not give light, unless by the sweeping down of Satan, these satellites burn up in the atmosphere and then possibly John might have interpreted this as stars. But the Bible gives here no further explanation, other than that the stars are swept down on earth, causing no damage to earth. The people in the Great Tribulation will see what is meant by it.

What is meant by the child that is born, is unclear. Most commentaries say that with the child, Jesus is meant. This is hard to believe. The event written here, is at the beginning of the second period of the Great Tribulation (see verse 6 "in which to be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days"=42 months=3 ½ years). Jesus is already born on earth and He went already to Heaven, where He is seated at the right hand of God. Therefore that can hardly be assume, that Jesus Christ is born again in Heaven, where this description (in Revelation) takes place.

Verse 6 gives a new start, namely the woman fled into the wilderness, in which to be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days. 1260 days equals 42 months=3 ½ years. This number we met already in Revelation 11, the first period of the Great Tribulation. Added together the total of the period is 7 years for the Great Tribulation.

Verse 6 The woman fled into the wilderness. This wilderness is not Heaven (despite verse 1 started in Heaven, verse 7 continued in Heaven), but verse 13 states clearly that this desert is on earth, for by that time the dragon was thrown down to the earth, where it pursued the woman.

We already saw what great role the angels were playing in the Great Tribulation. The angel Michael was already called by name three times in the Old Testament (Daniel 10 and 12). Until this period in the Great Tribulation, Satan and his followers had access to Heaven from the creation and fall of sin. Now the time has come, and Michael and his angels fight against the dragon (Satan) and his evil angels. Resulting in that Satan and his angels were defeated and definitely their access to Heaven is denied. Satan and his angels are defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in Heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down to the earth.

Like the Lord Jesus Christ protecting the Christian believers against Satan and his evil angels during their living on earth, so God protects the woman. God gives the woman two wings to protect her against Satan, so that she can fly out of reach of the great dragon (Satan). Here the woman stays for a time, and times, and half a time, or 3 ½ years, which identical to verse 6. A time, and time, and half a time is also identical with Daniel 7:25.

But Satan did not rest, he tried to drown the woman. Pity for Satan, God is more powerful and God reigns over earth and nature. The earth split and consumed the flood of the dragon. What a beautiful comparison when we think about the Israelites pursued by Pharaohs army, the Israelites stood before Red Sea, no passage for the Jewish people. God reigned nature then by dividing the waters, so that the Israelites could cross to the opposite side. When Pharaohs army wished to cross too, the water fell back and the enemy drowned and the Israelites had safely passed the waters. Now the reverse occurred, Satan poured out water like a river, and earth opened and devoured the flood and the woman was safe.

But Satan does not give in, now his wrath went to her offspring, who were keeping the commandments of God and the testament of Jesus. I suppose we need to think about the 144,000 sealed ones from all tribes of Israel (from Revelation 7). They kept God's commandments and bore the witness of Jesus (personally considering not Jesus as the Saviour of sins, but Jesus as the Messiah). Perhaps therefore the woman are the Jewish people in Israel.

Daniel 7

In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream and visions of his head as he lay in his bed. Then he wrote down the dream, and told the sum of the matter. Daniel said, "I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. And four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another. The first was like a lion and had eagles' wings. Then as I looked its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand upon two feet like a man; and the mind of a man was given to it. And behold, another beast, a second one, like a bear. It was raised up on one side; it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth; and it was told, 'Arise, devour much flesh.' After this I looked, and lo, another, like a leopard, with four wings of a bird on its back; and the beast had four heads; and dominion was given to it. After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, terrible and dreadful and exceedingly strong; and it had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces, and stamped the residue with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns. I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots; and behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things. As I looked, thrones were placed and one that was ancient of days took his seat; his raiment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames, its wheels were burning fire. A stream of fire issued and came forth from before him; a thousand thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him; the court sat in judgment, and the books were opened. I looked then because of the sound of the great words which the horn was speaking. And as I looked, the beast was slain, and its body destroyed and given over to be burned with fire. As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a season and a time. I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed. As for me, Daniel, my spirit within me was anxious and the visions of my head alarmed me. I approached one of those who stood there and asked him the truth concerning all this. So he told me, and made known to me the interpretation of the things. 'These four great beasts are four kings who shall arise out of the earth. But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, for ever and ever.' Then I desired to know the truth concerning the fourth beast, which was different from all the rest, exceedingly terrible, with its teeth of iron and claws of bronze; and which devoured and broke in pieces, and stamped the residue with its feet; and concerning the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn which came up and before which three of them fell, the horn which had eyes and a mouth that spoke great things, and which seemed greater than its fellows. As I looked, this horn made war with the saints, and prevailed over them, until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given for the saints of the Most High, and the time came when the saints received the kingdom. Thus he said: 'As for the fourth beast, there shall be a fourth kingdom on earth, which shall be different from all the kingdoms, and it shall devour the whole earth, and trample it down, and break it to pieces. As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings shall arise, and another shall arise after them; he shall be different from the former ones, and shall put down three kings. He shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and shall think to change the times and the law; and they shall be given into his hand for a time, two times, and half a time. But the court shall sit in judgment, and his dominion shall be taken away, to be consumed and destroyed to the end. And the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; their kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey them.' Here is the end of the matter. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts greatly alarmed me, and my color changed; but I kept the matter in my mind.

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Pahayag 13 - Ang Halimaw sa Pahayag

And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems upon its horns and a blasphemous name upon its heads. And the beast that I saw was like a leopard, its feet were like a bear's, and its mouth was like a lion's mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority. One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth followed the beast with wonder. Men worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?" And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months; it opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven. Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and tongue and nation, and all who dwell on earth will worship it, every one whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb that was slain. If any one has an ear, let him hear: If any one is to be taken captive, he goes; if any one slays with the sword, with the sword must he be slain. Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints. Then I saw another beast which rose out of the earth; it had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed. It works great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in the sight of men; and by the signs which it is allowed to work in the presence of the beast, it deceives those who dwell on earth, bidding them make an image for the beast which was wounded by the sword and yet lived; and it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast so that the image of the beast should even speak, and to cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain. Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. This calls for wisdom: let him who has understanding reckon the number of the beast, for it is a human number, its number is six hundred and sixty-six.

What does this mean?

The dragon we know from Revelation 12, the other beast equates with the beasts described in Daniel 7.

Despite that at the end of Revelation 11, the nations honoured to God and were very fearful, this only lasted a short time. Here in Revelation 13 we have read that the whole earth followed the beast. That the all mankind follow the beast, unsurprisingly, considering modern communication means news is transmitted around the world very rapidly. Something occurring in Jerusalem, is known a few minutes later in North America, South America, Europe and Asia, from New York to Tokyo, from Oslo to Johannesburg.
Again is noted the 42 months (from Revelation 12), equal to 3 ½ years (time, and times, and half a time in Daniel 7:25). This is the period which GOD permits satan and the beast to reign on earth. In this period, they are allowed to fight against the Jewish nation and satan is allowed to exercise power over the nations on earth. What a horrible time that must be, presently Satan's power is limited by God and notwithstanding that there is a lot of misery on earth (i.e. disease, cancer, disability, wars, famine, catastrophes). That will increase vastly when God does not limit satan's powers. Then will be revealed what is living in each human heart. Then will be revealed for whom man chooses for God, or against God and for Satan. Revelation states: And all inhabitants, living on earth, will worship the beast, except those whose names are written in the book of the Lamb. That book we see again in Revelation 20:12 at the final judgment.

It will be a very hard time for those who refused to worship Satan or the beast. Then the believers will be tested to their fullest for their belief in God. Verse 10 says for good reasons: "Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints." Woe, woe, woe those who live in that time of great endurance and their faith is tested in that way.
Therefore it is much better to ask now that the Lord Jesus Christ be your personal Saviour and at His Coming to be taken up in the sky. Then to stay behind on earth and to make your choice during the Great Tribulation. If you then choose for God, you have to endure the torments and torture of the beast and you must persist until the end despite all torture.

Another beast rose out of the earth. And it showed great signs, and made fire fall from heaven to earth. Already satan seduces man and we all know what voodoo can accomplish. And the miracles performed by magic and occult sects. Therefore it is not surprising that the beast make great signs and fire come down from the atmosphere to earth.

Nations are forced to make an image, and the image is given breath so that it could speak. The artificial intelligence of the modern computers is growing progressively and one works hard on self-learning intelligence and computer software. We already know the speaking computer chips at telephone responders or on-hold lines. The computer world is very busy with voice recognition and speaking chips (Microsoft Cortana). So we do not need to wonder that an image is able breath and speak.

Now the beast is present, the choice must be made for God or against Him and for Satan. No way out!
The beast and his followers cause that all, small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave must choose. Those who choose for the beast (Satan) will receive a mark on the right hand or the forehead. Without this mark no one can buy or sell.
So when you do not have the mark, you are unable to buy food or drinks, and you cannot earn money because you have not the mark, you cannot sell anything. So you are delivered to famine, or you must steal and when you are caught you are forced to accept the mark and choose against God. Or to persist in your choice for God and be tormented, tortured and killed.

How is it possible that one cannot buy or sell anything? The electronic means of paying are increasing, if coins and notes are abolished, and payment only make possible through an electronic read card, one can very easily control then people with the mark 666. And what about Europe? Money in the European countries are replaced by the Euro. Then you cannot pay any longer nor sell with the money you had. So, if you would not have the mark 666, it would be very easy to refuse to exchange your money for Euros and after the 1st of July 2002 only Euros are accepted. So do you understand that it is not unthinkable that man cannot buy or sell without the mark?

The mark (the number of the beast) is stated: the human number is six hundred and sixty-six (or in computer language 0110 0110 0110).

We can easily take this mark on the right hand or forehand literally. We only need to remember the Jewish people who were branded with a number on their arms in the concentration camps.
Was Hitler a foretaste of the beast? When we transpose the letter A as 100, the letter B at 101, C at 102, and so on. (e=104; h=107; i=108; l=111; r=117; t=119) then the word Hitler makes up the number 666. And Hitler already destroyed tenths of millions of people. The SS and Gestapo tortured man, performed medical experiments on man, starved people and gassed the Jewish people.
What a horror it must be in the Great Tribulation when the beast rules, without any protecting powers. In the Second World War, still there were persons who were against Hitler and sheltered persons in hiding and Jews. In the Great Tribulation, the whole world will choose for the beast (Satan) and there will be no hiding place. Then there are no persons who can provide shelter and food, for the whole world is marked by the number 666 on the right hand or forehead. Unless you escape and refuse.

God has warned mankind enough. Mankind has had a foretaste with Hitler, SS, Gestapo, Second World War and its atomic bombs, vulcano eruptions, tsunami and earthquakes. So mankind knows what will await him during the Great Tribulation.
Mankind knows that this time is coming soon, the Jews are returning, to the state of Israel. The state Israel has been is in existence again since 1948. It is clear that we are living two minutes before twelve, the time of the end is very soon.
Have you already chosen for the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour, or are you still holding fast to good works, hoping to be saved on the basis of going to church? Or that Jesus Christ is a mythological figure? Decide before it is too late, tomorrow it may be the Coming of Christ, or within a second you may meet with a fatal accident.
D O N O T D E L A Y Y O U R D E C I S I O N !!! C H O O S E F O R JE S U S A S Y O U R S A V I O R!!!

Daniel 7

In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream and visions of his head as he lay in his bed. Then he wrote down the dream, and told the sum of the matter. Daniel said, I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. And four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another. The first was like a lion and had eagles' wings. Then as I looked its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand upon two feet like a man; and the mind of a man was given to it. And behold, another beast, a second one, like a bear. It was raised up on one side; it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth; and it was told, 'Arise, devour much flesh.' After this I looked, and lo, another, like a leopard, with four wings of a bird on its back; and the beast had four heads; and dominion was given to it. After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, terrible and dreadful and exceedingly strong; and it had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces, and stamped the residue with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns. I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots; and behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things. As I looked, thrones were placed and one that was ancient of days took his seat; his raiment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames, its wheels were burning fire. A stream of fire issued and came forth from before him; a thousand thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him; the court sat in judgment, and the books were opened. I looked then because of the sound of the great words which the horn was speaking. And as I looked, the beast was slain, and its body destroyed and given over to be burned with fire. As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a season and a time. I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed. As for me, Daniel, my spirit within me was anxious and the visions of my head alarmed me. I approached one of those who stood there and asked him the truth concerning all this. So he told me, and made known to me the interpretation of the things. 'These four great beasts are four kings who shall arise out of the earth. But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, for ever and ever.' Then I desired to know the truth concerning the fourth beast, which was different from all the rest, exceedingly terrible, with its teeth of iron and claws of bronze; and which devoured and broke in pieces, and stamped the residue with its feet; and concerning the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn which came up and before which three of them fell, the horn which had eyes and a mouth that spoke great things, and which seemed greater than its fellows. As I looked, this horn made war with the saints, and prevailed over them, until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given for the saints of the Most High, and the time came when the saints received the kingdom. Thus he said: 'As for the fourth beast, there shall be a fourth kingdom on earth, which shall be different from all the kingdoms, and it shall devour the whole earth, and trample it down, and break it to pieces. As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings shall arise, and another shall arise after them; he shall be different from the former ones, and shall put down three kings. He shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and shall think to change the times and the law; and they shall be given into his hand for a time, two times, and half a time. But the court shall sit in judgment, and his dominion shall be taken away, to be consumed and destroyed to the end. And the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; their kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey them.' Here is the end of the matter. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts greatly alarmed me, and my color changed; but I kept the matter in my mind.

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Revelation 20:11-15

Then I saw a great white throne and him who sat upon it; from his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Also another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, by what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead in them, and all were judged by what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire; and if any one's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

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Pahayag 14 - Ang dakilang Babilonia ay bumagsak

Then I looked, and lo, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him a hundred and forty-four thousand who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder; the voice I heard was like the sound of harpers playing on their harps, and they sing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the hundred and forty-four thousand who had been redeemed from the earth. It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are chaste; it is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes; these have been redeemed from mankind as first fruits for God and the Lamb, and in their mouth no lie was found, for they are spotless. Then I saw another angel flying in midheaven, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and tongue and people; and he said with a loud voice, "Fear God and give him glory, for the hour of his judgment has come; and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the fountains of water."
Another angel, a second, followed, saying, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who made all nations drink the wine of her impure passion." And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If any one worships the beast and its image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also shall drink the wine of God's wrath, poured unmixed into the cup of his anger, and he shall be tormented with fire and sulphur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up for ever and ever;and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name." Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. And I heard a voice from heaven saying, "Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord henceforth." "Blessed indeed," says the Spirit, "that they may rest from their labours, for their deeds follow them!" Then I looked, and lo, a white cloud, and seated on the cloud one like a son of man, with a golden crown on his head, and a sharp sickle in his hand. And another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to him who sat upon the cloud, "Put in your sickle, and reap, for the hour to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe." So he who sat upon the cloud swung his sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped. And another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle.
Then another angel came out from the altar, the angel who has power over fire, and he called with a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, "Put in your sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for its grapes are ripe." So the angel swung his sickle on the earth and gathered the vintage of the earth, and threw it into the great wine press of the wrath of God; and the wine press was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the wine press, as high as a horse's bridle, for one thousand six hundred stadia.

What does this mean?

What a power of God. Despite all power that is given to Satan, the 144,000 witnesses from the tribes of Israel (see Revelation 7) were saved during the Great Tribulation and the beast and Satan were not able to kill them. The Lambs, Jesus the Messiah, returns to earth and shows Himself at the mount Zion (mount of Olives, see also Zechariah 12:9-10 and 14:1-4). An angel of God flies through the sky and proclaims the eternal gospel: "Fear God and give Him glory, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him Who made heaven and earth." This very clearly means that God expects from all people the recognition that He is God and He has created earth and heaven. He alone man must fear and worship. Not a single person excluded has an excuse, for God shows Himself through nature and creation. No one has an excuse that he or she has not heard the gospel of Jesus Christ, God can be found in His Creation. Distinguish His existence, means distinguish His power. Denying God's Creation, is pure blasphemy and any person who does so ought to fear God's judgment, for such a person does not fear God nor worship Him.

And the second angel announced the fall of Babylon. Babylon and its fall are described in Revelation 18.

And the third angel promised with great certainty, that everyone who worships the beast or image, will experience God's wrath. That person will be tortured by fire and brimstone (see Revelation 20:11-15) in all eternity.

Blessed are those who did not give in to the beast and the image during the Great Tribulation, and who were prepared to die for the Lord God. They may rest in peace from their tortures and they will be rewarded by the Lord God.

And seated on the cloud one like a son of man, with a golden crown on his head. Who else can that be than the Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah. Also in Daniel 7:13 is already an indication that "with the clouds of heaven, there came one like a son of man". Jesus called Himself the Son of Man who will send His angels to gather out of His Kingdom in Matthew 13:41. And in Matthew 25:31 Jesus says: "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne." And Luke writes in 21:27 "And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory".

And another angel called: "Put in your sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for its grapes are ripe." Here God the Father shows that He alone controls the history of earth. Now the harvest is ripe and He sends His Son to earth to harvest. Here Matthew 24:36 is fulfilled: "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only".

And an angel swung his sickle on the earth and gathered the vintage, and threw it into the great wine press of the wrath of God. And the blood comes as far as one thousand six hundred stadia. How great is God's wrath, mankind is punished for their sins. And turning against the Lord God, means God's wrath sheds human blood as far as one thousand six hundred stadia (about two hundred miles), the complete length of the state Israel. How horrible, that mankind is capable of raising God's wrath.
God is Love, but is also Justice, He cannot overlook (make allowances) human sins. These persons have wilfully, willingly and knowingly, despite all displays of God's power. Despite that God having shown His existence, despite the witness of the 144,000 witnesses (the complete world is reached by television and radio), despite, despite .... these persons have very consciously chosen for and worshipped the beast and Satan and turned against the Lord God. Their punishment is the death, the eternal death in the lake of fire.

Pahayag 15 - Ang poot ng Diyos ay natapos na

Then I saw another portent in heaven, great and wonderful, seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is ended. And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands. And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, "Great and wonderful are thy deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are thy ways, O King of the ages! Who shall not fear and glorify thy name, O Lord? For thou alone art holy. All nations shall come and worship thee, for thy judgments have been revealed." After this I looked, and the temple of the tent of witness in heaven was opened, and out of the temple came the seven angels with the seven plagues, robed in pure bright linen, and their breasts girded with golden girdles. And one of the four living creatures gave the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God who lives for ever and ever; and the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were ended.

What does this mean?

John sees something like a sea of glass mingled with fire. Since John himself is not able to recognize what he is seeing, there is no use in us to guessing what it might mean. Fact is that those who did not worship the beast and image (and have given their lives). They are the only true conquerors, they sing the song of the Lamb, and they shall inherit eternal life on the New Earth.

The tent of witness is the tabernacle (see Exodus 38:21).

We are approaching the end of the Great Tribulation. First a glance is allowed into Heaven and one can see what is happening in the temple in Heaven. The temple is filled with smoke (incense) because of the glory of God, and the angels carry the seven plagues heralding the end of the Great Tribulation.

Revelation 20:11-15

Then I saw a great white throne and him who sat upon it; from his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Also another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, by what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead in them, and all were judged by what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire; and if any one's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

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Pahayag 16 - Ang Dragon, ang Halimaw at ang huwad na propeta

Then I heard a loud voice from the temple telling the seven angels, "Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God." So the first angel went and poured his bowl on the earth, and foul and evil sores came upon the men who bore the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. The second angel poured his bowl into the sea, and it became like the blood of a dead man, and every living thing died that was in the sea. The third angel poured his bowl into the rivers and the fountains of water, and they became blood. And I heard the angel of water say, "Just art thou in these thy judgments, thou who art and wast, O Holy One. For men have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink. It is their due!" And I heard the altar cry, "Yea, Lord God the Almighty, true and just are thy judgments!" The fourth angel poured his bowl on the sun, and it was allowed to scorch men with fire; men were scorched by the fierce heat, and they cursed the name of God who had power over these plagues, and they did not repent and give him glory. The fifth angel poured his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was in darkness; men gnawed their tongues in anguish and cursed the God of heaven for their pain and sores, and did not repent of their deeds. The sixth angel poured his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, to prepare the way for the kings from the east. And I saw, issuing from the mouth of the dragon and from the mouth of the beast and from the mouth of the false prophet, three foul spirits like frogs; for they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty. ("Lo, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is he who is awake, keeping his garments that he may not go naked and be seen exposed!") And they assembled them at the place which is called in Hebrew Armageddon. The seventh angel poured his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple, from the throne, saying, "It is done!" And there were flashes of lightning, voices, peals of thunder, and a great earthquake such as had never been since men were on the earth, so great was that earthquake. The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell, and God remembered great Babylon, to make her drain the cup of the fury of his wrath. And every island fled away, and no mountains were to be found; and great hailstones, heavy as a hundred-weight, dropped on men from heaven, till men cursed God for the plague of the hail, so fearful was that plague.

Armagedon. Duur: 3 minuten

Results of a nuclear disaster Tumour nuclear in the face

What does this mean?

Revelation 16 heralds the end of the Great Tribulation.
Here begins the pouring of God's wrath upon mankind and we can easily draw a comparison of God's plagues on Egypt by Moses, when Pharaoh did not wish to release the Israelites from Egypt (see Exodus 7-14).

The first angel pours his bowl on the earth, and foul and evil sores came upon men, who had the sign of the Beast. What kind of sores are they? We can only guess, they could be anything, ulcers, which break out like tumors (Exodus 9:10), cancer, tumors from radiation (atomic bomb, nuclear power stations?). We can presently consider anything, only God knows. But fact is, it is going to occur.

The second angel pours his bowl into the sea and it becomes like blood because all living creatures in the sea are killed. Well mankind is already destroying all life in the sea (pollution, oil drilling, oil disasters, and so on). So it is no surprise that God Almighty is capable of killing all things in the sea causing the blood of the creatures to colour the sea red. Or what to think of a nuclear explosion or big earthquake in the ocean. We know of the big fractures in the ocean which can cause a huge earthquake. How will it be? God is Almighty, He controls heaven and earth and nature. He has the power in every manner to kill all creatures in sea and look like blood.

The third angel pour his bowl into the rivers and the fountains of water became blood. Again we look back to Moses, who at the command of God hit the water with his rod and all fish died in the Nile and the Nile changed into blood, so that the Nile smelled and the water became undrinkable. In Revelation worldwide the rivers and fountains changed into blood. What a smell over the whole world, all living creature in the oceans, seas, rivers and fountains are all dead. Besides the smell and no drinking water, it reduces too the food supply.
The smell many people has experienced, consider rotting fish at a very warm day, or due to botulism.
In the Great Tribulation that must be a nightmare to man living on earth: smell, smell and again smell. And a terrible thirst since there is no drinkable water. Most definitely no pleasure. Here God makes it very clear, there is only One God Who has all power and controls all. Not man, but God alone. God alone is Almighty. He controls the earth, not man and also not Satan. He is the Creator, He has created all life, fishes, birds, animals, cattle and persons. They belong to Him. And men with their allotted intelligence, ought to glorify God for that, and must worship the Lord God. Should men refuse, than they must accept the consequences of their own actions.

Why is God justice? Because God has warned mankind sufficiently. But man has ignored the warnings delivered by Gods prophets, Sermoners, vicars, and His Word, the Bible. Yes, even worse, man has killed the prophets and Sermoners. Now God is punishing. Like man punishes a murderer, so God punishes mankind for the murder of His prophets and those who proclaimed God's Word. God judgments are just and true.

The fourth angel pours his bowl on the sun to scorch men with fierce heat.
Impossible and strange? We did read already, that the closer we get to the time of the end, also knowledge is increasing. How much trouble must the environmentalists take to prevent the destruction of mankind (people lusting for riches and industrialists) and damage of the ozone layer. No ozone layer, that can result in a fierce heat of the sun upon the earth.
Despite this warning of God to mankind, mankind does not convert. Just like in Egypt, the Egyptians too and the Pharaoh refused to convert to the Lord God. What foulness. But what about you yourself, have you already converted yourself to God and Christianity? And accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour Who died for your sins? Or are you still waiting, still postponing your decision, until it is too late and God hardens your heart? Because of the fact that you continued postponing despite God's love and patience, and continued refusing to choose for God's Grace and Love?

The fifth angel pours his bowl on the beast. Now the beast, Satan and his evil angels are punished. Nevertheless they continue to steer up mankind contra God.

The sixth angel pours his bowl on the river Euphrates. The Lord God prepares and clears the way for the nations (Isaiah 11:15-16) to attack the state Israel, by the kings from the east. East of Israel are Syria, Jordan, Iraq and Iran. We all know that presently Iraq is the greatest danger. Anno 2018 God still resists the danger, for the full number of the Gentiles is still not yet complete. Still mankind has the opportunity to convert and accept Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour.
The dragon (Satan) and the beast start to assemble the nations of the earth to defeat God and try to end the tortures of God and God, the Almighty. And the nations are gathered at Armageddon. Armageddon (Hebrew) means the mountain of Megiddo. This raises a problem, because Megiddo is not a mountain (or did it become a mountain due to the earthquake?) but is a plain between the Sea of Galilee and the Mediterranean. In the past, great battles occurred here (Judges 5:19, Kings 23:29, 2 Chronicles 35:22). However, here the final battle between God and mankind together with Satan will take place. Here Jesus Christ will come as a thief in the night to assist His nation Israel and deliver from the hostile man and defeat Satan.

And the seventh angel pours his bowl into the air, and a great voice comes out of the (heavenly) temple, from the throne (of Jesus Christ in Heaven) saying "It is done". What is done? Done is that is has became clear that:

Man is sinful by nature and is against God
Man goes to war against God to come out of God's Almighty
The full number of the Gentiles is reached (Romans 11:25-28)
Satan and his followers are defeated.

Then follows a big earthquake (nowadays this fracture is known), so big that the great city Babylon splits into three parts (Although generally with the great city, the city Jerusalem is meant, here from the context it is clear that Babylon is meant).
But present, Babylon does not exist. That is so. I think explanations are possible:

Babylon symbolically, as a representation of people, who are against God and in favour of richness and power
Babylon as a city that will be built in the time of the end (Iraq or Teheran)
Dubai is growing into a large city with great wealth.

And every island fled away and no mountains were to found (see also Revelation 6:14). And great hailstones, heavy as a hundredweight (a hundredweight is about 30 kilograms), dropped on men from heaven. Nowadays we see hailstones increasing in size. I think the present record is holding on 1 kilogram, 4 1/4 inches (10,8cm) long, 2 1/4 inches (5,71cm) height and 2 inches (5,08cm) in width.
God is Almighty. He controls nature. As man we should never forget that fact. Presently it is the period of God's Love and God's Grace in the Lord Jesus Christ to accept forgiveness of our sin. Later it is the time of the end, the time of God's anger and God's wrath. Let us be grateful that the Lord God has revealed the time of the end, in order to warn mankind for that horrible period. Let us be grateful to God, that He still allows us time to make a decision. But we also read that the Lord Jesus Christ comes as a thief in the night (Matthew 24:43-44, 1 Thessalonians 5:2, Revelation 16:15).
Therefore do not postpone your decision any more, for no one knows the hour, Jesus Christ not, only the Father (Matthew 24:36).
Therefore do not postpone your decision if you are still living away from God, MAKE your choice for the Lord Jesus Christ, before IT IS TOO LATE!!!

Isaiah 11:15-16

And the LORD will utterly destroy the tongue of the sea of Egypt; and will wave his hand over the River with his scorching wind, and smite it into seven channels that men may cross dry shod. And there will be a highway from Assyria for the remnant which is left of his people, as there was for Israel when they came up from the land of Egypt.

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Romans 11:25-28

Lest you be wise in your own conceits, I want you to understand this mystery, brethren: a hardening has come upon part of Israel, until the full number of the Gentiles come in, and so all Israel will be saved; as it is written:
The Deliverer will come from Zion
He will banish ungodliness from Jacob
and this will be my covenant with them
when I take away their sins. As regards the gospel they are enemies of God, for your sake; but as regards election they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers.

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Pahayag 17 - Ang kapalaran ng Babilonia

Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who is seated upon many waters, with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and with the wine of whose fornication the dwellers on earth have become drunk." And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and bedecked with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her fornication; and on her forehead was written a name of mystery: "Babylon the great, mother of harlots and of earth's abominations." And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. When I saw her I marvelled greatly. But the angel said to me, "Why marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her. The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is to ascend from the bottomless pit and go to perdition; and the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will marvel to behold the beast, because it was and is not and is to come. This calls for a mind with wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated; they are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he comes he must remain only a little while. As for the beast that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to perdition. And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast. These are of one mind and give over their power and authority to the beast; they will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful." And he said to me, "The waters that you saw, where the harlot is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues. And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the harlot; they will make her desolate and naked, and devour her flesh and burn her up with fire, for God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by being of one mind and giving over their royal power to the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. And the woman that you saw is the great city which has dominion over the kings of the earth.

The Besta of Revelation

What does this mean?

For more information about Babylon, see Jeremiah 50 and 51.

The scarlet beast (red dragon) with the seven heads and ten horns we already met in Revelation 12.

And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: Babylon the great, mother of harlots and of earths abominations.
We have already seen that those belonging to Satan had received the mark 666 on their right hand or forehead. And that the witnesses of God too received a mark with God's seal. Now we see a woman with the name Babylon on her forehead.
Here Babylon is explained better, it stands for the mother of harlots (to whom we give the meaning of all what goes against God's Will: the works of the flesh(Galatians 5:19-21)) and the horrors of earth (murdering God's witnesses and the rejection of God's Love, sin and wishes for the material matters). She is drunk of murdering the saints who had chosen for God and drunk of murdering the witnesses of Jesus.

And the angel said: "Why marvel? I will tell you the mystery." Despite the given explanation, it remains a big puzzle for the theologians. The opinions are heavily divided about the meaning of the seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come. Also in Daniel 7, that too speaks of kings, gives no clarity.
To Christian believers it is not very important. Those who read this part of Revelation during the Great Tribulation will without doubt understand this chapter. Then it will become clear which kings are meant.
Clear is that God is Almighty and He fulfills His Plan. For God has put it into their hearts to carry out His purpose and .....

Pahayag 18 - Hindi na muling matatagpuan ang Babilonia

After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority; and the earth was made bright with his splendour. And he called out with a mighty voice, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! It has become a dwelling place of demons, a haunt of every foul spirit, a haunt of every foul and hateful bird; for all nations have drunk the wine of her impure passion, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown rich with the wealth of her wantonness." Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, "Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues; for her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. Render to her as she herself has rendered, and repay her double for her deeds; mix a double draught for her in the cup she mixed. As she glorified herself and played the wanton, so give her a like measure of torment and mourning. Since in her heart she says, 'A queen I sit, I am no widow, mourning I shall never see,' so shall her plagues come in a single day, pestilence and mourning and famine, and she shall be burned with fire; for mighty is the Lord God who judges her." And the kings of the earth, who committed fornication and were wanton with her, will weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning; they will stand far off, in fear of her torment, and say, "Alas! alas! thou great city, thou mighty city, Babylon! In one hour has thy judgment come." And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her, since no one buys their cargo any more, cargo of gold, silver, jewels and pearls, fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet, all kinds of scented wood, all articles of ivory, all articles of costly wood, bronze, iron and marble, cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, oil, fine flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and slaves, that is, human souls. "The fruit for which thy soul longed has gone from thee, and all thy dainties and thy splendour are lost to thee, never to be found again!" The merchants of these wares, who gained wealth from her, will stand far off, in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning aloud, "Alas, alas, for the great city that was clothed in fine linen, in purple and scarlet, bedecked with gold, with jewels, and with pearls! In one hour all this wealth has been laid waste." And all shipmasters and seafaring men, sailors and all whose trade is on the sea, stood far off and cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning, "What city was like the great city?" And they threw dust on their heads, as they wept and mourned, crying out, "Alas, alas, for the great city where all who had ships at sea grew rich by her wealth! In one hour she has been laid waste. Rejoice over her, O heaven, O saints and apostles and prophets, for God has given judgment for you against her!" Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, "So shall Babylon the great city be thrown down with violence, and shall be found no more; and the sound of harpers and minstrels, of flute players and trumpeters, shall be heard in thee no more; and a craftsman of any craft shall be found in thee no more; and the sound of the millstone shall be heard in thee no more; and the light of a lamp shall shine in thee no more; and the voice of bridegroom and bride shall be heard in thee no more; for thy merchants were the great men of the earth, and all nations were deceived by thy sorcery. And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all who have been slain on earth".

What does this mean?

Revelation 18 shows God's final judgment, mankind saying I do not need God, I am wealthy and mighty. In a single blow, God finishes their wealth and power. And the world watches astonish. And earth weep, for they too have lost their source of income and lost their merchandize. The world built upon earthy matters, powers and wealth. How transitory are these earthly things! Alone what man builds for God, that is imperishable (1 Corinthians 3:10-15).
Babylon becomes at once and for eternity, for all eternities completely destroyed. And with Babylon, and all which stands for, man with his sinful nature, against God, Satan, the beast, the evil angels and the human will, and the human building of power and wealth. That all is destroyed, for only One HAS the power, namely God Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth.

Pahayag 19 - Itinapon si satanas sa lawa ng apoy

After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying, "Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for his judgments are true and just; he has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication, and he has avenged on her the blood of his servants." Once more they cried, "Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever." And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who is seated on the throne, saying, "Amen. Hallelujah!" And from the throne came a voice crying, "Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, small and great." Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty thunder peals, crying, "Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to be clothed with fine linen, bright and pure" --for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. And the angel said to me, "Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb." And he said to me, "These are true words of God." Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, "You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus. Worship God." For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! He who sat upon it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems; and he has a name inscribed which no one knows but himself. He is clad in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, followed him on white horses. From his mouth issues a sharp sword with which to smite the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron; he will tread the wine press of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name inscribed, King of kings and Lord of lords. Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly in midheaven, "Come, gather for the great supper of God, to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, both small and great." And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who sits upon the horse and against his army. And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had worked the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulphur. And the rest were slain by the sword of him who sits upon the horse, the sword that issues from his mouth; and all the birds were gorged with their flesh.

What does this mean?

The 24 elders and 4 living creatures we already met at the beginning in Revelation 4. Again here they sing to God all glory and honour. God has conquered, and the end of the Great Tribulation is near. Babylon is destroyed and at the end of this chapter also the beast, Satan and his evil angels will be defeated.

Now the time of the marriage has arrived, the wedding of the Lamb (see Matthew 22:1-14; 25:1-13).

In verse 10, John fell down before the feet of the angel, who guided John in vision. Immediately the angel reacted with: "You must not do that". Man and believers are NOT allowed to worship angels, nor fall down (kneel) before them. Man and believers may ONLY worship God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ and only fall down (kneel) before God, and no one else, no man and no angel, nor any saint!
The angel explained why: "I am a fellow servant with you and your brethren who hold the testament of Jesus, Worship God." The angel says in clear words, I am a servant, the Lord God gives to me orders, which I obey. The angel identifies himself more, namely he is an angel of God (who has the witness of Jesus), not an angel who belongs to Satan. And the angel gives an instruction: "Worship God!" Here we see too the humbleness of the angel. Angels who may appear in God's presence and may live for God's face. How much more must we sinful believers have respect for God and fall down before Him when we are praying and worshipping God!

And John saw the Heaven opening and he saw the Lord Jesus Christ, His Name is called the Word of God (verse 13), clad with a robe, dipped in blood. The Lord Jesus Christ is the person crucified on the Cross of Golgotha. His Hands were pierced by the nails and His Side was pierced with a spear. He gave His live and blood for the sinner.
Who other then the Lord Jesus Christ can be named: King of kings, and Lord of lords.

Finally follows the end, the end of the Great Tribulation. Here we continue from Revelation 16:15, the battle of Armageddon. The beast and all nations of the earth gather together and arrange to make war against the Lord Jesus Christ. And the Lord Jesus Christ conquers them all, and every one is captured the beast, the false prophet and all who have accepted the mark 666 of the beast. They all are thrown into the lake of fire, burning with brimstone.

What an horrible end for eternal for the person who decided incorrectly. They thought that the beast (Satan) had the power, they followed the false prophet, they chose against God, they chose for pleasure, power and wealth. They chose against God's Mercy and against God's Love revealed in Jesus Christ. Now their destination is the lake of fire, where they will continue to be for ever through eternity. Their fate is NOT participating at the marriage feast of the Lamb, their fate is NOT being for ever together with God.

What is your choice ?
Did you (now finally) make that? Has Revelations opened your eyes? Or do you say, well nice horror, but it is a myth. Do you still not yet believe that what is revealed to mankind by God to John 2000 years ago. And we, in this 21th century, are able to explain more and more, that it really IS and must be the Word of God. Today we see the great disasters of vulcano eruptions, tsunamis and tortures in the communistic countries. And since it is God's Word, you can be sure for 100% that what is written, IT WILL OCCUR.
Convert to Christianity before it is really too late, I cannot stress that enough. Confess your sin and accept Jesus Christ as your Saviour and Lord.
Fall down on your knees and pray to God, confess that you are a sinner, ask for forgiveness of sins. Say honestly that you do not understand it all very well and ask God to explain it all more clearly. Resist Satan and his evil angels, who do not wish that you are going to belong to the Lord Jesus Christ. But be strong, give satan and his followers no chance, determine your own fate of live and choose for God and against satan. Do not let this horror of the Great Tribulation come over you, but go to belong to those who might sit at the marriage feast of the Lamb and who may enjoy eternal life with God.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask them, use the section FAQ ?
Or visit an (evangelical) Sermoner who is able to answer your question, visit a bible study group. Do not stay alone, but contact true Christians, who have been reborn through their personal choice for the Lord Jesus Christ and have accepted Him as their personal Saviour. God bless you!

Galatians 5:19-21

Now the WORKS OF THE FLESH are plain:

Fornication
Impurity
Licentiousness
Idolatry
Sorcery
Enmity
Strife
Jealousy
Anger
Selfishness
Dissension
Party spirit
Envy
Drunkenness
Carousing, and the like

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1 Corinthians 3 :11-17

For no other foundation can any one lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any one builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man's work will become manifest; for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work which any man has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If any man's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire. Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If any one destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and that temple you are.

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