Revelation 17: Big Brother, The Beast Of Babylon
We are experiencing conspicuous fundamental, tectonic changes in our domestic Western societies. The gravitational core wildly spinning our current events like a whirling vortex is the quest to control Middle East oil, with the ultimate goal of world hegemony using diverse types of war as the means to this end. This is why we seem to have 50 shades of war and total disregard for international law as part of our daily lives. Have you ever wondered who is the driving force behind it all? It's not the ones we read or hear about in the media. We only are aware of the apparent discernible players: the US, UK and the Western Christian nations; the Muslim nations, both Shia and Sunni; and the "Jewish" state of Israel. Added to this piquant mix of Western proffered antagonists are Russia, China and Iran. Put it all together, and despite the current focus on Ukraine, prophetically it's the Middle East where events could boil over Damascus in a short time.
We live in a new world since Bush and Cheney's deliberate opening of Pandora's Box with 9/11 and the invasion of Iraq due to the outright lie that Saddam had WMD, which was the justification used for public consumption. We see these same lies rather frequently now. [US Plan To Go To War With Seven Countries]. Yet, the identity of one key player is plainly missing from our news reports. It's why no matter which party the US leaders hail from, Republican or Democrat, or the name of the person holding the top job, the US foreign policy direction in the Middle East doesn't change. Without knowledge of our mystery puppet master, our world view is not complete. Therefore, Revelation 17 reveals the Biblical identity of who has been missing from our secular daily news reports, and why events are as they are today. It puts the chaos and mystery into focus that is leading us to the dominion of Babylon the Great via what we commonly refer to as the Apocalypse.
The claim is made that Revelation 17 is the most difficult chapter in the Book of Revelation to understand. Yet, like so many things, it is easier to understand when we let the Biblical record interpret itself. Rather than use contemporary events as the sole prism through which we attempt clarity, we need the correct big picture context. This context is the entirety of the Biblical record, which is one book written to the same people. Grasping this vital principle, our task is made that much simpler. All the players in Genesis are also in Revelation. Thousands of years of Biblical history come full circle in Revelation's prophetic events today.
There are characters mentioned in this chapter of Revelation that are key to understanding epochal world events occurring all around us. Yet, if we are not aware of our common Biblical history, then we cannot completely understand what is being prophesied here. If we don't know our identity in Biblical history, then we cannot know our place in Biblical prophecy as it relates to events in this chapter of Revelation. We remain in the dark, able to be taken by surprise. To begin with, we'll list these characters and discuss who they are. Then as we read through the verses in chapter seventeen, we'll expand the Biblical context to give us a greater awareness. [See the Feature articles, We're Abraham's Seed And Heirs; Moving Forward].
The SEVEN HEADS are first mentioned as a group in Revelation 12, with the first five being described in detail in chapter two of the Book of Daniel as "the great image" by Daniel to Nebuchadnezzar, king of ancient Babylon. These seven heads, are empires from the Babylonian, Persian, Greek, Roman, Ottoman, Edomite Babylon the Great, to Gog-Magog. They encompass thousands of years of history beginning in 602 BCE and stretching at least a thousand years into Earth's future, but with the events of the Apocalypse and the return of Christ sandwiched in between. Christ's return marks the end of the Christian age, not the "end of the world," i.e., planet Earth. [See chapter five, The Hijacked Elephant, a PDF on our Home page; also the Feature article, The Final Prophecy: It Is Done].
The sixth of these seven heads is the GREAT HARLOT or Edom, aka Babylon the Great, the beast, the "one is" in this prophecy. [See 2 Ths. 2:7-10; also our Feature articles, Easter, Babylon And The Antichrist, and Is That You, Big Brother?]. Edom is incognito, our "missing" player in world affairs at the moment, by their Biblical identity, but not by their actions. [See the Feature article, Obadiah And The Prophetic Parable Of The Tares]. Although, they and their fellow travelers are referred to by their non-Biblical names in the media: Zionists, neocons, neoliberals, Big Brother, Deep State, etc. It is said of Esau/Edom, in the Genesis 27 prophecy, "And by your sword shall you live, and shall serve your brother [Jacob/Israel]; and it shall come to pass when you shall have the dominion, that you shall break his yoke from off your neck." [Gen. 27:40]. Those of Edom are using the military might, and the increasing military budget, of their brothers [Gen. 25:21-23; Gen, 49], primarily the US and the Western nations of NATO, to gain dominion, thereby gaining control over the birthright. This is one reason why it is said that the US Middle East foreign policy is really the foreign policy of the Zionist nation-state of Israel, including the crucial prophetic move of the US embassy to Jerusalem. Please keep in mind going forward, Zionists are separate from Jews descended from Judah. [Zionism Has Little To Do With Judaism; also Jews Consider Zionism A Rebellion Against God].
While those of Edom remain in the shadows for the time being, they are the unseen driving force behind the US, UK, the nations of Western Europe, and the state of Israel. As the apostle Paul foretold in his epistle to the Thessalonians, "Don’t you remember that I told you about all this when I was with you? And you know what is holding him [the Antichrist] back, for he can be revealed only when his time comes. For this lawlessness is already at work secretly, and it will remain secret until the one [Christ, Jer. 30:15] who is holding it back steps out of the way." [2 Ths. 2:5-7, NLT; Why Do We Believe The Lies?]. Those of Edom are the tares that have yet to sprout. But they grow daily alongside the wheat of all the nations of Israel. [Again, see the Feature article, Obadiah And The Prophetic Parable Of The Tares]. They disguise themselves as members of the House of Judah. "Behold, I [our LORD] will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie ...." [Rev. 3:9].
During their now historical existence, the spiritual force behind the first five empires, or heads, was Satan. The BEAST is a reference to the "Antichristian world power, [that] returns worse than ever, with satanic powers from hell." [A.R. Fausset, Jamieson, Fausset and Brown Commentary, 1871, Revelation 17]. The sixth head or empire, Edom will be the reincarnation of the beast, the next in line from previous five heads, all of whom derived their power from Satan. The same holds true for head number six.
The WATERS are the multitude of nations and peoples over which this sixth empire will rule.
And at the zenith of their power these first five of seven empires ruled over the WOMAN, which is the city of Jerusalem. The same will be true for the sixth empire with one notable difference from the previous five. Babylon the Great will be headquartered in Jerusalem. [See Moving US Embassy To Jerusalem]. The capital city of Edom or Idumea was Bosrah. However, retaking the birthright from Edom's brother Israel means occupying the capital city of Jerusalem too. It also means getting rid of the Muslims there as well. [Zionists Attack al-Aqsa Mosque Again].
The TEN HORNS are the ten nations of Israel in the last days [see Gen. 49:5-7, Simeon and Levi are distributed among their brother's nations in the last days as Israel had 12 sons]. The ten are comprised of nine House of Israel Christian nations, led by the US [Manasseh], and UK [Ephraim], and those who are descendants of the House of Judah, Jews. [Hos. 5:5; also the Feature article, Is The US And UK In End-times Bible Prophecy?]. It should be noted that the Zionist led nation-state of Israel, while Jewish in appearance to the world [the wolf in sheep's clothing] is paving the way for the beast. "And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain" in Jerusalem. [Dan. 11:45; see 2 Ths. 2:10-12; again see the Feature article, Why Do We Believe The Lies?].
This explains much of the current behavior of elected leaders, particularly the US, UK and Zionist Israel. [US Behavior; UK Behaviour]. This relationship will exist and increase until such time as the remnant of the ten nations of Israel, after the "Apocalypse," will turn on their earthly persecutors, Edom, the sixth manifestation of the beast and will destroy her with fire prior to the return of Christ, as we'll read below. [See the Feature article, Obadiah And The Prophetic Parable Of The Tares]. "Big Brother" Edom, and Israel are brothers. [See Gen. 25:25, 26]; also read chapter six, One Is, in our book, The Genesis Birthright a complimentary download on our Home page, for the complete story]. As mentioned, the key characters in Genesis are all here in Revelation. The Bible is one book written for the same people, all twelve nations of Israel.
Chapter seventeen is an inset chapter, which means it is not in the chronological flow of Revelation's chapters. It provides a summary of events. "Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, "Go and pour out the bowls of the wrath of God on the Earth." [Rev. 16:1]. Chapter seventeen is the description given in vision to the apostle John concerning the wrath of God by one of the angels holding the bowls.
GREAT HARLOT Edom
Verse 1: Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying to me, "Come, I will show you the judgement of the great harlot [Greek, porne, this great harlot is heavily involved in pornography, using it as a tool to undermine the morality of the Christian nations today, Pornography And Political Control] who sits on many waters,
This summary chapter in Revelation primarily concerns itself with the judgement of Edom, which as we'll discover ends in desolation and destruction by fire. The reason why this empire is referred to as the great harlot is that Esau, before his name was changed to Edom, sold his birthright inheritance. In an allegorical sense, he sold his soul to the devil. The Genesis birthright was given by promise of God to Abraham. Yet for a morsel of food, Edom sold it to his brother Jacob, aka Israel. "And Esau [Edom] said to Jacob [Israel], 'Please feed me with that same red [Heb. adjective, adam] stew, for I am weary.' Therefore his name was called Edom [Heb. noun, red] ... Then Jacob said, 'Swear to me as of this day.' So he [Edom] swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob.'" [Gen. 25:30,33]. The Genesis birthright belongs to all the nations of Israel through the sons of Joseph, Ephraim, UK, Manasseh, US. [1 Chr. 5:1, 2]
However, today, Edom's drive for world dominion is derived first from gaining dominion over the sold birthright, which includes all people of the nations of Israel, i.e., the US/UK and the Christian nations of Western Europe ... and our death and destruction, financially and literally. It is interesting to note that the Western central banking system that has enslaved the nations of Israel financially is headed by the Rothschild family, " ... a wealthy family originally from Frankfurt that rose to prominence with Mayer Amschel Rothschild, a court factor to the German Landgraves of Hesse-Kassel in the Free City of Frankfurt, Holy Roman Empire, who established his banking business in the 1760s." Roth in German means red. Thus, we have Red's child or Edom's child controlling our "money" and banking today. It is this facet of war that most people are oblivious to from the Biblical perspective, for the time being at least.
As the apostle Paul stated it in the first century, "... lest there be any fornicator or profane [ungodly] person like Esau [Edom], who for one morsel of food sold his birthright." [Heb. 12:16]. The birthright was Esau/Edom's, but he sold it. Edom's seller remorse is peaking today. The word fornicator used by Paul is the Greek, pornos. Thus, Edom's incarnation as the sixth head of the beast here in chapter seventeen is portrayed as the great whore or harlot.
It is difficult to imagine the full magnitude of what the birthright inheritance encompasses as we have but a faint glimpse of what it ultimately entails. It goes far beyond life on this Earth. But imagine selling off ownership of all the material wealth of the US and Europe for a bowl of stew. Multiply that by a factor of a million or more, and we get a tiny idea of what Edom sold because the greatest birthright wealth is not of the flesh, but of the Spirit and the kingdom of God. [See Luke 13:28]. Too late, Edom has sought for millennia to get back that birthright inheritance from his brother, the modern day nations of Israel. The sixth empire is the culmination of those efforts. See the Feature article, Isaiah 63: Big Brother to get an idea of Edom's mindset concerning the birthright inheritance and Israel.
The point of this chapter is that Edom did not respect that which was his by birth. Essentially, it was an insult to God. And now in this chapter, it is coming back full circle on Edom by God.
The great harlot, the Edomite empire, is said to sit on many waters. These waters are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues over which this sixth empire will have dominion, which primarily are the Christian nations of the world, the nation-state of Israel, which is of the House of Judah and over the Muslim nations as well. [Dan. 7:24, 25]. This is Edom's evolving situation today as they live among the ten nations of Israel. [Gen. 27:28, 29; compare to verses 37-40, especially verse 28 with 39]. However, their character and moral standards are polar opposites of the nations of Israel, as is so readily apparent in our "trans"itioning society.
v.2 ... with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the Earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication.
This is the Antichristian effect of Edom's sixth empire manipulating the world in terms of our planet's wealth, both with governments, in terms of finance, corporate trade [via the West's central banking system and the petrodollar], sanctions and trade wars, military power, and with us, the people, who live under its ever expanding spying and control by our Big Brother. It's all the "goodies" provided by this empire, including the false holidays of Christmas and Easter, which divert us, luring our attention away from the kingdom of God. All we need do is objectively watch television commercials, look at the violent and depraved programming that appeals to baser instincts, or page through magazines or online news services to see what this emerging empire is offering. It's the "1%ers" promise of the lusty "good life," packaged to the masses like the magnified hype of Super Bowl week coupled with the anticipation of winning the record breaking Lotto all rolled into one, deceiving the nations of Israel, the Christian nations of the world as well as those descended from Judah, in order to get back the birthright Edom seeks. As it is, the Christian nations have been duped, especially the conservative religious right, who, along with others, unwittingly celebrate a Babylonian spring goddess, Ishtar. [For a secular look at Edom's nefarious exploits, read or listen to the excellent article by Richard Dolan, Control And Spin: False Flag Goodies].
In other words, Edom is succeeding in getting the nations, especially the Christian nations of his brother, to forsake the truth of God's word and to indulge in the orgy of chasing after the material wealth of this world while consistently lowering our levels of morality until they have succeeded in enslaving us. [See the Feature article, And Now, A Word From Our Sponsor]. All our wayward actions culminate in the great rebellion against our LORD. [See the Book Excerpt, The Great Rebellion]. For those of a religious bent, there will be miracles and the false doctrines of "goodness and light," not unlike the charlatans Christmas and the Babylonian inspired Easter we have accepted without questioning because we have lost track of our Biblical identity. We have embraced the lies and deceit. We are blind, stupid sheep well on the way to our slaughter. [See chapter two, The Hijacked Elephant; also the Feature article, Merry Christmas?].
The WOMAN Jerusalem
v.3 So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
The apostle John, who is writing this, was carried away to a desolate place where he saw the woman sitting on a scarlet beast. The woman is the city of Jerusalem, but in this case, absent the presence of God. In verse eighteen, we see it is the city, "the tabernacles of his palace," that has sovereign power over the kings of the Earth. Today, Jerusalem is the only major city on Earth that is not in a Zionist Pentagon military command center with its "missing" 21 trillion dollars. [Missing Trillions]. It makes one wonder what has been cooked up for the last days planet Earth scenario. Maybe it's some space force flying saucers the US military has recently decided to acknowledge. We'll see. [Rev. 13:13; see the Sneakers article, Flying Saucers In The Bible ... Really?].
In terms of overall prophetical context, there are two cities of importance in the Biblical record, Jerusalem and Babylon. Rome is not among them. The city of Babylon represents the seat of the power of Satan, while Jerusalem is the city of God. It is important to note that from the time of the first Babylonian captivity [circa 600 BCE] forward, the Ark of the Covenant, the former seat of power of God on Earth, never again was found in Jerusalem where it had been in the temple built by Solomon. "Then the priests brought in the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the temple, to the Most Holy Place, under the wings of the cherubim." [1 Kng. 8:6]. The temple of Solomon was laid ruin along with Jerusalem by the Babylonians, the first of the prophetic seven heads.
But the Ark vanished, never to be seen until John mentions it in his vision of apokalypsis, i.e., revelation. "Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the Ark of His Covenant [or Testament] was seen in His temple. And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail." [Rev. 11:19]. So all the alleged accounts of the Ark being here, there and everywhere on Earth are false reports.
Interestingly, the second temple in Jerusalem was known as the temple built by Herod, who was a descendant of Edom. [See the Feature article, The Little Horn: First Century Antichrist]. The Romans, the fourth of the seven heads or empires mentioned in this verse, totally destroyed this second temple and laid waste to Jerusalem in 70 CE, which never had the Ark in residence. [See the Feature article, The Tale Of Two Covenants for the relevance of the covenants]. Regarding Herod's temple, "Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and his disciples came up to show him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to them, 'Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another [including any alleged modern day temple wall], that shall not be thrown down.'" [Mat. 24:1,2; see Footnote 1, Obadiah And The Prophetic Parable Of The Tares].
The scarlet beast here is a reference to the anti-Biblical, Antichristian Zionist Israel, and the power of these empires embodied by their kings or leaders. And the word scarlet is a reference to the blood of the nations of Biblical Israel, not Zionist Israel, shed by the beast . [See Isa. 63:1-3].
The beast was full of names of blasphemy. As we read in chapter thirteen regarding the sixth empire, the great harlot, "Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name ... Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven." [Rev. 13:1, 6]. Of course, the instigator of this blasphemy is Satan "And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads." [Rev. 12:3] "Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. [Characteristics of previous heads of the beast, Dan. 7:3-7; also see 1 Pet. 5:8]. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority." [Rev. 13:2].
The seven heads are seven empires: Babylonian, Persian, Greek, Roman, Ottoman, Edom [Babylon the Great] and Gog-Magog. [As noted above, see the Feature article, The Final Prophecy: It Is Done]. The first five heads are explained by Daniel to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, who literally lived as a beast for seven years. "Let his heart be changed from that of a man, let him be given the heart of a beast, and let seven times pass over him." [Dan. 4:16].
The reason for this is apropos to chapter 17 and is applicable to our understanding of the events contained herein. "This matter is by decree of the messengers, the holy ones declare the verdict, so that the living may know that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes and sets over them the lowliest of men." [Dan. 4:17; read Jer. 27:6-11 regarding ancient Babylon and it's implications for Babylon the Great; again see the Feature article, Easter, Babylon And The Antichrist].
The ten horns are the ten nations of Israel in last days. [See the Feature article, Ten Horns, Ten Nations]. The reason the dragon has the ten nations of Israel is that he has deceived all Israel and has dominion over them through the beast, of which the sixth head is Edom. Remember, the Biblical record is one book written to and for all twelve nations of Israel. [To understand the subtly of this deception, see the Feature article, The War Dispatches]. In Genesis 49, the ten nations are: Reuben, Judah, Zebulon, Issachar, Dan, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Joseph, and Benjamin. These ten horns are national entities today, but this list differs from the listing in Revelation seven. However, that's another story. [See the Sneakers article, Who Is Dan, And Where Did He Go?]. Dan abandoned his birthright. The descendants of Dan are allied with Edom, inhabiting high places that formulate our world's events, undermining his brothers of Israel. [See Gen. 49:16, 17].
Verse 4: The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication.
The city of Jerusalem will be the seat of power and wealth, world trade, etc. for the beast of this sixth empire during its 42 month reign. Purple and scarlet were two of the colors used in the veil or curtain at the entrance to the holiest place within the temple in Jerusalem wherein the Ark of the Covenant was located. [See the Sneakers article, The Veil Was Rent]. This is another way for Edom to show the world that they have dominion over their brother, and have regained the birthright. They now sit on the throne in Jerusalem, Israel's city of God as opposed to Edom's capital city, Bosrah, having possession of God's royal colours. Purple, for the colour revolution in the US, and red for our blood.
"And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation [of all Israel] be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done." [Dan. 11:36; see Rev. 13:5-8].
The beast "shall plant the tents of his palace between the seas and the glorious holy mountain." [Dan. 11:45]. Thus, Jerusalem will become the royal center of this sixth empire whose ruler will not only compare himself to God, but will glorify himself above God, including Islam's Allah. This comes from the author of these thoughts. "For you [Satan] have said in your heart, 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation, on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.'" [Isa. 14:13, 14].
As was just noted, "Then the king [the beast of the sixth empire] shall do according to his own will: he shall exalt and magnify himself above every god, shall speak blasphemies against the God of gods, and shall prosper [see Rev. 18:12-15] till the wrath [of God upon all those of Israel, Rev. 6:12-18; see v. 17 below and upon Edom as well] has been accomplished; for what has been determined shall be done." This is why Jerusalem is important to the sixth beast. It is the exalting of himself by sitting over the city of God, home to three of the world's major religions. And the US moving its embassy to Jerusalem is a major first step in this direction. Under the guise of claiming the historical presence of Jews in Jerusalem for the past 3000 years, though untrue [again, see Footnote 1, Obadiah And The Prophetic Parable Of The Tares], the UN mandate for Jerusalem is ignored by the lawless one as are the interests of both Christianity and Islam, which are made subservient by Western "Christian" leaders as we'll see below.
"He [the beast] shall regard neither the God of his fathers [a reference to Abraham and Isaac], nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall exalt himself above them all. But in their place he shall honor a god of fortresses [specifically military bases, by extension all things military, hence our world of perpetual war]; and a god, which his fathers did not know, he shall honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and pleasant things. 'Thus he shall act against the strongest fortresses [not only Russia and China, but the Western nations too, "... the fortress shall depart from Ephraim," the UK, US, Isa. 17:3; see the Feature article, Damascus A Heap Of Ruins], with a foreign god [as opposed to the God of Israel, see 2 Chr. 18:5], which he shall acknowledge, and advance its glory; and he shall cause them to rule over many, and divide the land for gain.'" [Dan. 11:36-39].
This is not surprising because when Isaac passed along the birthright to Israel, Isaac also told Edom, "You shall live by the sword [profiting from wars and the buying and selling of military arms], and you shall serve your brother [the nations of Israel, including the US, whose military budget exceeds that of the next eight to ten nation's military budgets combined (which includes Saudi Arabia, Germany, France, UK, Russia and China); see the Feature article, Is The US And Great Britain In End-times Bible Prophecy?]; and it shall come to pass when you have dominion [including, but not limited to controlling the world's largest military with its worldwide network of military bases], you will break his [all Israel's] yoke from off your neck." [Gen. 27:40].
With the US [aka AIPAC] Senate bill granting the permanent detention of US citizens by the president without legal recourse, a state of perpetual war has been established. And the prophecies of both Daniel and Revelation say the same thing, "It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation." [Rev. 13:7; Dan. 7:21]. Our "perpetual" wars, both foreign and domestic, won't cease until Edom's rule in Jerusalem is ended, and Christ returns at the end of the forty two months. [Rev. 13:4, 5].
By way of perspective, and understanding where Edom is prophesied to be in the last days, it should be considered that the US is the world's largest arms exporter according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Also, the US has up to 800 military bases worldwide, including US billion dollar heavily armed fortresses referred to as "enduring presence posts," the size of small cities. This doesn't include US naval forces worldwide. And the Pentagon wants more. [See More Permanent Bases].
The Pentagon [whether coincidence or not, the five-sided pentagram is a symbol used in Satan worship] has divided most of the world's land mass into command centers with names such as CENTCOM [short for Central Command, see Map]. This includes the oil saturated areas of the Middle East and Eurasia. It's worthy of note that the Pentagon has designated the land area, which includes ancient Babylon, one of the two cities of import in this chapter of Revelation, as the central command with its HQ temporarily located in Florida. What circumstances will occur so that the Pentagon can move to its geographic central command area to the Middle East? [See US Embassy Move To Jerusalem And More War?]. Damascus becoming a heap of ruins?
Even though the Pentagon is located near the US capital in Washington, D.C., rather than designate the US as CENTCOM, the US and Canada are NORTHCOM [North America]. Additionally, there is EUCOM, which includes England, and is HQ'd in Germany as is AFRICOM, PACCOM, SOUTHCOM, etc. all of whose cultural, social, economic and geo-political diversity [the Waters] are presided over by generals and admirals on behalf of the Pentagon. These pay grade 07 and higher officers exercise authority like "kings" controlling military bases, as well as such things as nuclear weapons, arms sales, special ops, military satellites and cyberspace weapons, when CYBERCOM, as in the US Consulate in Frankfurt, Germany became operational.
Yet, this appears not to be enough as the then Secretary of Defense wanted a substantial increase in the military budget which, according to organizations that keep track of these things, was already a nation breaking 50-55% of the total US federal budget when all direct, indirect and "black" expenditures are included based on the Government Accounting Office's US Budget Fiscal Year 2009. This trend continues unabated. The budget for 2018 is the largest in US history, and it keeps growing. [Pentagon 2018; also see US Deficit Entirely Military In Character].
We people of the nations of Biblical Israel are buying rope from those who will ultimately put it around our necks due to our ignorance of the truth. For a startling look at the compelling force behind the US Empire's military fortresses around the globe, read the classic book, The Sorrows Of Empire, by Chalmers Johnson.
Thus, the city of Jerusalem will be polluted and defiled by the great whore, Babylon the Great.
Verse 5: And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
Jerusalem as the woman here is portrayed having a name on her forehead. While the city of Jerusalem should be pure as the city of God, the capital of the nations of Israel, during the times of occupation for more than 2500 years, running from the time of the first Babylonian empire until the end of the fifth head, the Ottomans in 1918, it was the under the authority of the beast in one form or another. Daniel refers to it as the great image. [Dan. 2:31].
It's moniker will be as written above during the time of the sixth empire, the Edomite empire, Babylon the Great, outdoing the original Babylon in its whoredom and heathen abominations. Hence, "... he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the Earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast [the first head] whose deadly wound was healed." [See the Sneakers article, Beware The Sackbut ... Not To Mention AI And 666!]. Babylon's deadly wound was healed because the first Babylon was destroyed. "And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation ...." [Isa. 13:19, 20].
While God caused the original Babylon to lie desolate, the new Babylon shall be spiritually desolate, ruling over Jerusalem. The occupation of Jerusalem, as the seat of power of the sixth head, distinguishes it from the first Babylonian head of the beast. As Daniel noted, the first Babylonian empire, the head of gold was magnificent, however, Babylon the Great shall exceed it in scope and power.
The mother of harlots again is a reference to Edom selling the birthright, embracing Babylonian idolatry, the goddess Easter, and causing others to follow her heathen path most especially the Christian nations who merrily celebrate holidays changed from God's holy days. [See the Feature articles, The Relevance Of The Holy Days In The Plan Of God In The Last Days, Our Corrupted Compass and What Days Must Christians Observe?]. The abominations of the Earth refers to the idol or false god this sixth head already is causing to be worshiped. We simply haven't realized it yet. And when we do, for the vast majority, it will be too late. [Again, see the Feature article, And Now, A Word From Our Sponsor].
Verse 6: I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement.
Jerusalem, drunk with the blood of the saints and the martyrs of Jesus is both a historical reference as we know from the first century [see the Sneakers article, Peace On Earth?], and a current situation from John's first century prophetic perspective.[See Isa. 63:1-6]. Jerusalem as the seat of power of the sixth empire and the beast to which, "It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every kindred, tongue, and nation." [Rev. 13:7]. This will include authority over Christians, Jews and Muslims, three sons of Abram/Abraham who have strong religious roots in Jerusalem. Edom's religious roots are in Babylon.
Primarily in this chapter, however, verse 6 pertains to the nations of Israel. Edom, having sold his birthright to his brother, while keeping it a secret from his father, was very angry when the Genesis birthright was passed to Israel rather than to him by Isaac. Edom spoke a prophesy that they are fulfilling as you read this. "So Esau [Edom] hated Jacob [Israel] because of the blessing with which his father blessed him, and Esau said in his heart, 'The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then I will kill my brother Jacob.'" [Gen. 27:41]. The fulfillment of this prophecy began with the crucifixion of Christ. Read chapter six in The Blind Man's Elephant for details, now a complimentary PDF at the bottom of our Home page.
We see more of this in the prophesy concerning all Israel in Isaiah 63, "Who is this who comes from Edom, with dyed garments from Bosrah [Edom's historical capital city], this one who is glorious in his apparel, traveling in the greatness of his [military and economic] strength?- 'I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save.' [It's not a coincidence this sounds a lot like US foreign policy. See the Sneakers article, One World Peace And Security. Even though the great majority of US "fighting" forces have left Iraq, home of ancient Babylon, there remain several city size "enduring" military bases housing more than 50,000 troops. And of course, the US remains in Iraq allegedly fighting ISIS again, and this doesn't include the enduring US presence in Afghanistan and Syria]. Why is your apparel red, and your garments like one who treads in the winepress? [drunk with the blood of the saints and martyrs of Christ]. I have trodden the winepress alone, and from the peoples no one was with me. For I have trodden them [all Israel] in my anger, and trampled them in my fury; their blood is sprinkled upon my garments, and I have stained all my robes." [Isa. 63:1-3].
And when John saw the woman, Jerusalem in this condition, drunk on the blood of Israel, he was truly astounded. By the time he penned the Book of Revelation in the latter part of the first century, the Jerusalem he remembered had been reduced to a barren land, a wilderness as Christ said. John had walked the streets of Jerusalem in the first century, then saw it destroyed by the Roman legions and now in prophecy, he saw it again in a completely different state, occupied by the ungodly Babylon the Great, the sixth head of the beast. Later, he saw in vision, the new Jerusalem coming down from God out of the sky as described in chapter 21. This truly would have been an incredulous thing to experience.
The WOMAN Jerusalem and The BEAST sixth empire
Verse 7: But the angel said to me, "Why did you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads.
Obviously John would have been astonished to see such a vision. And no doubt he was mystified by what he saw. The woman we know is Jerusalem and the beast are the seven heads or empires to which Satan has given power and authority.
Verse 8: The beast that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition. And those who dwell on the Earth will marvel, whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
The beast that John saw here was the first five of the heads, which were the Babylonian, Persian, Greek, Roman and Ottoman empires. The time period from the end of the Ottoman Empire in 1918 until the emergence of the sixth empire of Edom, [interesting that the US officially moved its embassy to Jerusalem 100 years after the deadly wound, and the 70th anniversary of the official creation of the nation-state of Israel], the Jerusalem seen by John in verse six, is the period described here as "and is not." This time period after the first five heads is described by Daniel, "Then the iron [Roman], the clay [Ottoman], the bronze [Greek], the silver [Persian], and the gold [Babylon] were broken in pieces together, and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth." [Dan. 2:35]. The stone is a reference to the hand of God using the kingly line of the House of Israel, England, aka the former British Empire. [Gen. 49:22-26].
The beast is mentioned in chapter thirteen, "Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name." [Rev. 13:1].
As we made note of in our Damascus A Heap Of Ruins Feature article, it is interesting that the desert sands of the Middle East were once part of the ancient Tethys Sea. And it is known that oil forms under ancient seas. And it is the lust for, and control of, by the Western nations led by those controlling the US/UK that drives our current secular events, the sea of oil and gas under that sand, "a prize from fairyland beyond our wildest dreams," as a young Winston Churchill remarked. The events of these prophecies will give rise to the beast of Babylon the Great with its HQ in Jerusalem.
Revelation 13:1 may be a bit more literal than we thought it to be when the apostle John said, "I stood upon the sand of the [ancient] sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea." Our current geopolitical events make it very clear that the Middle East wars that will give rise to the beast are not about sea water. It's all about the sea of oil under the sand and the survival of the petrodollar. [Tethys Sea; Oil Formation; see the Sneakers article, Daniel Dreamed About Us, and the Feature article, The War Dispatches]. When we look at present-day events and Biblical prophecies, they are coalescing, shrink-wrapping around the House of Israel, Ephraim and Damascus as Isaiah 17 says.
The "yet is" here in verse 8 refers to the emergence of the sixth head, the new Babylon, after it seemed the first five heads or empires had long vanished, "... so that no trace of them was found." Of course, the reason for this is that there is no apparent connection in our modern secular world between these empires past and the one emerging. However, there is an unbroken prophetic connection when we understand Biblical history and the players involved.
Perdition means destroying or destruction. This could have a double edge meaning in that this empire, Edom will be devastating to Israel, the Christian nations, those descended from Judah and even on the nations of Islam. But in the end, this empire too is destroyed at the second coming of Christ, as this chapter is a judgement upon the great harlot, Edom.
Those who are not written in the Book of Life will marvel when they see these events of Babylon the Great take place. And as a result, "All who dwell on the Earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world [kosmos, God's plan for us; see the Feature article, Three Temple Ages Make A Plan]." [Rev. 13:8]. This stands in contrast to " ... as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world [kosmos], that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love." [Eph. 1:4].
Verse 9: Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits.
The seven heads are seven mountains or seven kingdoms on which Jerusalem sits. Many have thought this to be a reference to Rome as Rome is built upon seven hills. But this is not the case. Rome was the capital of the Roman Empire for less than four hundred years. The capital of the Roman Empire was moved by the Emperor Constantine from Rome to Constantinople in 330 CE. It remained the capital of the Roman [Byzantine] Empire for more than a 1000 years, from the early fourth century until it gave way to the fifth empire, the Ottomans in the mid-fifteenth century, 1453 to be exact. The last Roman Emperor being Constantine XI.
As the woman here is Jerusalem, this is a reference to the fact that at the zenith of their power, the first five heads of this great image ruled over Jerusalem, which is an easy fact to verify in a historical atlas. We are being told the sixth empire of Edom will also rule over Jerusalem as we saw above in verse 4. However, Edom differs from the previous five in that Jerusalem will be the official seat of power for this empire, ruling over his brother Israel's capital city. Gog-Magog is the seventh head. For details, read Ezekiel 38, 39.
And Jerusalem, too, geographically sits on seven hills. "But strange as it may seem, the City of Jerusalem as it existed in the time of Christ Jesus was also reckoned to be the "City of Seven Hills." This fact was well recognized in Jewish circles." [See The Seven Hills Of Jerusalem, Ernest Martin].
Verse 10: There are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come. And when he comes, he must continue a short time.
Of course, the seven empires will have kings or leaders over each one. History has shown us that the first king was Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. The Persian empire had Cyrus and Darius. Alexander was the head of the Greek empire initially. Rome had it caesars and the Ottoman empire its sultans.
Five are fallen is a reference to the first five empires that vanished. The reign of this great image lasted exactly 2520 years as Daniel's prophecies indicated from 602 BCE beginning with Nebuchadnezzar's reign until the defeat of the Ottoman empire in 1918. Daniel's prophecy says this great image was put to an end by a stone.
"You saw until a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay [the Ottomans], and broke them to pieces." [Dan. 2:34]. This is a description of the fifth head in Daniel. The stone mentioned here is the hand of God using Great Britain and, to a lesser extent, the United States at the end of WW1. [Gen. 49:24]. The Ottoman territory containing both Jerusalem and Babylon, its ancient site, became known as British Mandate Palestine. For a further discussion, read the answer to question five, Q&A: The Blind Man's Elephant Menu, and chapter five, The Blind Man's Elephant, now a complimentary PDF on our Home page.
Today, Edom is draining the money and blood from the UK and the US in their campaign to establish their empire in Jerusalem. The "one is" is a reference to that of Edom, which is apparent when we know what to look for in our world's events, and was the one John saw in his vision. The other that has not yet come, the seventh head or empire, refers to Gog-Magog, which occurs after the millennium or thousand years of peace following Christ's second coming.
Verse 11: The beast that was, and is not, is himself also the eighth, and is of the seven, and is going to perdition.
The reference to the beast in verse 11 is the power and authority given to this image of seven heads. In Rev. 9:11 we read, "And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue has his name Apollyon." The image here, the beast that was, refers to the first five fallen empires and up to the time prior to the emergence of the sixth empire, hence the "and is not." Of course, the power and authority for all seven heads is that of Satan, who is the destoyer, Abaddon, Apollyon, which is why it says here "is himself also the eighth." "So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the Earth, and his angels were cast out with him." [Rev. 12:9]. In other words, all seven of these worldly empires are of the empire of Satan who was, is and will be their driving force.
The phrase, "is going to perdition" here also has a double edge to it. While Satan, the Destroyer, seeks to destroy God's people, he too shall be destroyed. "Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, 'Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.'" [Rev. 12:10].
At this point, the second coming of Christ, "He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years ..." [Rev. 20:2].
After the millennium, Satan is loosed, and the seventh head emerges for a short time. After which "The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are." [Rev. 21:10, again see the Feature article, The Final Prophecy: It Is Done].
TEN HORNS
Verse 12: The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast.
Ten horns are the nations of Israel in the last days as we read in Genesis 49, here represented by their leadership or kings, which refers to the government rather than the people. The kings have received no kingdom, which indicates they may be leaders of the people, but have no formal authority to rule. In a sense, they are a government in absentia. So while the US, UK and the remaining nations of Israel may continue to exist in name, the will be puppets subject to the rule of Babylon the Great.
Verse 13: These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast.
This part of Revelation is being fulfilled currently. We see that the US, primarily, is acting not in its own best self-interests in the Middle East, but in the best interests of Zionist Israel. This will continue until just prior to the return of Christ as we see in v. 17 below. Also see Obadiah.
While the ten rulers over the nations of Israel will have no formal authority under the rule of the beast, as the apostle Paul stated it in the first century, they unanimously will give their support, their influence over the nations of Israel, to the sixth empire, which appears to be occurring already as we've witnessed with all the false flag accusations against Russia without any substantiating evidence. How else do we explain the behavior of the US, UK, France, Germany and others all acting against the self-interest of their own nations and people, but in the interest of Babylon the Great establishing itself in Jerusalem? This is why so many people ask who runs US foreign policy, the current US president or Zionist Israel? [Evidence Of Our Cannibalization].
When the time comes, they will receive an hour of power. In Micah 2:12 the children of Israel, Jacob, gathered by God are referred to as "... the sheep of Bosrah [Edom], as the flock in the midst of their fold: they shall make great noise by reason of the multitude of men." Their timing is just a tad bad. [See the Feature article, Is That You, Big Brother?]. And the reason that they give their power and authority to the beast is "For this reason [refusing to receive the love of the truth] God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie." [2 Ths. 2:11].
Verse 14: These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.
These ten kings of Israel, rulers of the ten nations of the House of Israel, as opposed to the people, will be united in one purpose with Edom, to wage war on Christ, which our societies today are witness thereof. Government leaders of the West are more protective of Zionist Israel than they are of their own people. And as we are told, down the line, "And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army." [Rev. 19:19; Jer. 27:8].
Only 144,000, out of a possible 1 billion or so of the now Antichristian nations of Israel [Rev. 7] shall survive by the end of this war, the time of Jacob's trouble, against Christ. And if these days were not shortened, all flesh on earth would perish. [See the Feature articles, And Now, A Word From Our Sponsor and Christ Against Christians?] Remember, Satan has deceived the whole world by this time.
But Christ will overcome these ten rulers of the nations of Israel and in the process overcome the beast and the seat of his authority, Jerusalem. "And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshiped his image." [Rev. 19:20; again read the Feature article, Obadiah And The Prophetic Parable Of The Tares].
And it is at this time that the sixth empire, whose seat of power is in Jerusalem, comes to an end. "Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is your judgement come." [Rev. 18:10]. Read chapters 18 and 19 for the course of events.
Verse 15: Then he said to me, The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues.
This indicates that the Edomite empire, the sixth head, will have an encompassing empire headquartered in Jerusalem putting into subjection much, if not all the world. It will include the nations of Israel in the last days, who are Edom's brother, the Christian nations of the world, those descended from Judah, and the Muslim nations.
Verse 16: And the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire.
At this point, after the one hour of judgement is come on the sixth head, the tide turns on the remainder of Edom. Whoever remains of the ten nations of Israel formerly of one mind, which sided against Christ with the beast with seven heads, now of one mind again, turns on the sixth head, the empire of Edom, the harlot, and what's left of Babylon the Great. [For details, see the Feature article, Obadiah And The Prophetic Parable Of the Tares].
"Thus says the Lord GOD concerning Edom; We have heard a rumor from the LORD, and an ambassador is sent among the nations [of Israel], Arise you, and let us rise up against her [Edom] in battle. Shall I not in that day, says the LORD, even destroy the wise men out of Edom, and understanding out of the mount of Esau? And your mighty men, O Teman [son of Esau], shall be dismayed, to the end that every one of the mount of Esau may be cut off by slaughter. For your violence against your brother Jacob [all Israel] shame shall cover you, and you shall be cut off forever. [See Jer. 49:7-22].
"For the day of the LORD is near upon all the nations [of Israel]: as you [Edom] have done, it shall be done to you: your reward shall return upon your own head. But upon mount Zion [in Jerusalem] shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob [all Israel] shall possess their possessions. And the house of Jacob [including the House of Judah] shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph [the House of Israel] a flame, and the house of Esau [Edom] for stubble, and they shall kindle in them, and devour them; and there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau; for the LORD has spoken." [Obadiah: 1, 8-10, 15, 18]. "As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated." [Rom. 9:13].
From the time of the selling of the birthright by Edom, Babylon the Great, the great harlot, to his brother Israel in the Book of Genesis, the struggle for the birthright comes full circle between the brothers in the Book of Revelation.
"Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, 'Come and gather together for the supper of the great God that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great." [Rev. 19:17, 18].
Verse 17: For God has put it into their hearts to fulfill His purpose, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled.
The ten nations of Israel and their rulers have one mind to give their power and authority to the beast according to God's purpose, until all that which is written in Revelation and the prophets are fulfilled. This is taking place now as we see with the leaders of the US, UK and the western European states who are eviscerating the freedom and liberties of the people of the House of Israel. These states are being overrun by non-Christian refugees. And they are involved in continual wars that are not in their best interests. Corporations will have, do have, sovereignty over the nations and laws of these countries, spying on us at every turn, for example. The events of the Apocalypse are beginning to unfold. Remember, Christ said he came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets. [Mat. 5:17]. The Law and the Prophets were for all Israel. It's time for us to make a decision about the path we are walking. [See the Sneakers articles, A Life And Death Pickle Of A Predicament, and Time To Wake Up? You Bet Your Life!].
"And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of his mouth and destroy with the brightness of his coming. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only until he who now withholds is taken out of the way. And with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not take the love of the truth in hand [see the Book Excerpt, The Great Rebellion], that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who do not believe the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness." [2 Ths. 2: 7-12; see the Feature article, Why Do We Believe The Lies?].
God gave Israel over to one mind to give their kingdom over to Edom and to fight against him as a punishment upon all Israel for their ungodliness and love of the lie. "Alas! For that day is great, so that none is like it; and it is the time of Jacob's [Israel's] trouble [most commonly referred to by Christians as the Apocalypse] ... Why do you cry about your affliction? Your sorrow is incurable. Because of the multitude of your iniquities, because your sins have increased, I [Jesus Christ] have done these things to you." [Jer. 30:7,15]. But once their punishment was sufficient, then again of one mind, they put an end to all of Edom so that the words of God will be fulfilled.
Verse 18: And the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the Earth.
The woman is Jerusalem. Christ will have established the kingdom of God on Earth, beginning the thousand years, the millennium, of peace during the interval between the sixth head of Edom and the seventh of Gog-Magog. This is the day portrayed in the Law as the feast of Tabernacles and spoken of by the prophets. "And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles [during the thousand years of peace]." [Zec. 14:17]. See chapters 5, 6 and 7 in The Hijacked Elephant for details concerning these events.
No doubt, you will have some questions after reading this. If you haven't read chapters five and six in The Blind Man's Elephant, please do so as this will answer many of your questions. See the complimentary PDFs at the bottom of the Home page. Otherwise, as always, we welcome any sincere inquires. Send your questions to
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"And Isaac his father answered and said unto him, Behold, your dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above; and by your sword shalt you live, and shalt serve your brother; and it shall come to pass when you shall have the dominion, that you shall break his yoke from off your neck. And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob."