It
was never the intent of our Creator, Elohim, for humans to be bought and sold.
The subject of human trafficking has come to the forefront of social media due
to movies that cover the subject and charitable organizations that focus on
solving the problem. Kidnappings,
especially of children, are mentioned in the media for a day or two, while
abductions of young women are hardly mentioned, unless the missing woman’s
family stirs up the media. It is a
sorrowful state of humanity when people are no longer considered human but
property to steal and sell. That type of
depravity is not new to God. Someone did
the same thing before the earth was re-created in Genesis 1:2.
Our
story is a story of people born into captivity, enslaved into a system that
binds humans. Jesus came to break us
free from eternal death, giving us the option to have eternal life. In doing so, he had to suffer, taking on the
sin of the world, and was murdered so that we could be set free for
eternity. Yet we live bound to the world
and unaware of the sinister schemes of the devil. As we have discussed before, we are not the
center of the story, instead we are a part of a bigger picture. As the
orchestrator, Lucifer sets up the false religions and systems, and humans
simply live it, believing that this is all there is. The way of Cain is not God’s best plan for
our lives. Cities, commerce, and sexual promiscuity came into the world before
the flood, and was revived after the flood by satan. Jesus shone a light into
the darkness and we now know that there is evil around us.
Lucifer
made merchandise of, or trafficked other created beings. Lucifer’s victims at
his fall were not human, but angelic, the sons of God. Lucifer used the sons of
God for his gain; this is in part what caused his fall. The interesting thing is that the Bible tells
us it goes on today and will not be resolved until the Lord Jesus comes back
with His armies. It seems that Lucifer’s corrupt hand organizes people and
nations in this act, most likely the way he did before. When we read about Lucifer in Ezekiel and
Isaiah we gain some interesting insights.
Ezek
28:16 By the multitude of thy merchandise [7404] they have filled the midst of
thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane
out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from
the midst of the stones of fire.KJV
Because
Lucifer stole rulership from Adam, his taking over kingship and spiritual
leadership destabilized and bound the gentile nations. Adam’s severed relationship with God caused
the nations to not recognize God our creator. God rose up a nation from among
the people of earth, but through constant pressure they did not adhere to God’s
ways. What should have been a world system among the gentile nations, people
having relationship with the living God, as Abraham did, was lost by the
disobedience of the Israelites, and idol worship of rulers. Let me clarify this
point, not all the Israelites turned their hearts from God, but when the
leaders started practicing paganism, it influenced many people. A small number of individuals survived, with
their hearts connected to God, from Mary’s and Joseph’s lineage as well as some
others. However, these people were not leaders, rulers, or influencers of
others. Religious practice, no matter
what brand it is, is a money generator and a people suppressor. Religions are tools to control the masses;
this was not Abraham, Isaac, or Jacob’s practice. Let’s remember Lucifer had sanctuaries.
This is one reason God did not want Israel to have a king, because one leader
will gather supporters around himself, and then find ways to control the
population.
Isa
14:12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art
thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken [2522] the nations! KJV
OT:2522
chalash (khaw-lash'); a primitive root; to prostrate; by implication, to
overthrow, decay: KJV - discomfit, waste away, weaken.(Biblesoft's New
Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew
Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International
Bible Translators, Inc.)
We
will look at merchandise/trafficking from Strong’s 7404 shortly. But first we have to look at the plight of
the Israelites. Moses gave everyone a
warning before his death. He listed many
things that would happen if the people disobeyed God’s commands. We find that list in Deuteronomy 28. The very last verse of Deuteronomy 28 tells
us the Israelites will go back into bondage, via ships, to Egypt, and they
would be sold as slaves. Unfortunately,
our history lessons from our school days do not tell us who the slaves were,
but we know that some of the slaves, sold around the world, were
Israelites. Many Israelite slaves who
were sold to North America brought with them spiritual songs of the Bible. In
other words, they had a heritage in the Yahweh even though they could not
practice religious requirements. They loved God, even though they were not in
their homeland any longer.
Deut
28:68 And the Lord shall bring thee into Egypt again with ships, by the way
whereof I spake unto thee, Thou shalt see it no more again: and there ye shall
be sold unto your enemies for bondmen and bondwomen, and no man shall buy you.KJV
After
Deuteronomy 28, chapter 30 tells us what will happen when the Lord brings his
people back to the Promised Land. We
know the Lord has not brought back His people, as all the plagues that were on
the Israelites will be on the enemies of Israel. That hasn’t happened yet. At this point in time people have not been
brought back to Israel from the farthest places on earth. Instead, we see the
enemies of Israel prospering, and continuing to persecute Israel. Because
Deuteronomy 30:17-ff tells us that the choice was up to the people. The protection of God would have covered the
Israelites if their hearts hadn’t turned away from God. The Israelites were a chosen group of people
that were to witness to the world, which would subdue the devil’s evil
ways. This is not to say individually if
one is disobedient to God they are forced into slavery, but corporately as a
whole, the entire earth is enslaved to the devil. He runs the show. The Israelites were to keep
the devil at bay until the Messiah came but they didn’t. However, Jesus made a
way out.
Before
Lucifer’s fall, he merchandised beings, sons of God. Let’s look at Strongs #7404
OT:7404
rekullah (rek-ool-law'); feminine passive participle of OT:7402; trade (as
peddled):KJV - merchandise, traffic.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's
Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright ©
1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
When
we look at chapter 28 of Ezekiel we see the parallel of satan to the king of
Tyre. The king of Tyre is probably a veiled look at satan, and the first and
second half of the chapter are very much the same. While the king of Tyre may have been a person
influenced by satan, both the king and satan claim to be God, both are killed
and thrown to hell and both trafficked God’s people.
Ezek
28:5 By thy great wisdom and by thy traffick [7404] hast thou increased thy
riches, and thine heart is lifted up because of thy riches:KJV
Ezek
28:16 By the multitude of thy merchandise [7404] they have filled the midst of
thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane
out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from
the midst of the stones of fire.KJV
Ezek
28:18 Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities,
by the iniquity of thy traffick [7404]; therefore will I bring forth a fire
from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes
upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.KJV
Using
human beings for profit is truly our world system. Slavery, migrant workers, sexual
prostitution, child workers, corporate suits, blue collar, white collar, almost
everyone is enslaved. But this does not happen in commerce only, but also in churches.
Lucifer’s sanctuaries were defiled by trafficking. There are a small number of
oppressors, but they have designed the world system to serve themselves. While
satan did that to the sons of God and it sped up his downward spiral to want to
be God and sit in the place of God, people do this to humans today, and also
sit it the place of God, lording over the masses. While the creator did not create us to be
enslaved to overlords, we are in fact slaves in this world. Another comparison
from Ezekiel 27 of the king of Tyre and satan, is in the root word of
merchandising.
Ezek
27:1-3 The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying,2 Now, thou son of man,
take up a lamentation for Tyrus;3 And say unto Tyrus, O thou that art situate
at the entry of the sea, which art a merchant [7402] of the people for many
isles, Thus saith the Lord God; O Tyrus, thou hast said, I am of perfect
beauty.KJV
OT:7402
rakal (raw-kal'); a primitive root; to travel for trading: KJV - (spice)
merchant.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with
Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc.
and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
I
find it interesting that merchandising, or trafficking, whether spices, foods,
or people, makes one believe they are perfectly beautiful. Their power is deceiving, as well as the
material adornment. This world system will be done away with in the future.
Rev
18:12-13 The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of
pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood,
and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood,
and of brass, and iron, and marble,13 And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments,
and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and
sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.KJV
As
we read from Revelation, the selling of slaves and the souls of men are counted
among Babylon’s merchandise. Not only are people being physically sold, just
like the Israelites were, people were selling themselves. This tells us that
Babylon is seducing people into selling their souls, not just simply enslaving
non willing participants, but deceiving people into giving away their own soul
to the devil. No one can take the soul
out of a person. No one can dissect it
in a laboratory. Only the word of God
can divide soul and spirit. (Heb 4:12) While
the devil cannot have one’s spirit, the devil can be given one’s soul/life. This is a conscious choice. Therefore the lure of riches and beauty sway
people to give their souls to the devil, for gain on earth. Yet that is such a
temporal thing.
The
city of Nineveh comes up in this discussion. Jonah was sent to Nineveh and as
we know he jumped in a ship at Joppa and sailed to Spain. A fish swallowed him and brought him back to
Joppa. From there Jonah went to Nineveh,
an Assyrian city northeast of Damascus. Nineveh was built by Nimrod, and is
located in modern day Iraq. After Jonah
went to Nineveh, the King and the people repented. God spared them. But one hundred years later Nahum wrote about
them. They were known for their
whoredoms of idol worship and selling of nations and families. Nineveh is about 377 miles north of Babylon
so we can see a similarity in their belief system. We see in Nahum 3:4 a
scripture that is loaded with information.
Nah
3:4 Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the well-favoured harlot, the
mistress of witchcrafts, that selleth nations through her whoredoms, and
families through her witchcrafts.KJV
Because
Nineveh had many idols, and the spirits behind the idol worship are harlots,
Nineveh was selling a false religion. “Well-favored”
means pleasant and beautiful, they did not make ugly idols; they made idols
that humans saw as beautiful. Isn’t that
what we do today? We make 20 year old
women the standard of beauty in movies and fashion, rather than hunched over 80
year old men? Demonic beings, fallen
angels, prostitute themselves for worship. Attach a nice looking statue to an
idol name and people are deceived into worshipping false gods. Put a few
attributes to the idol, good crops, fertility, etc, and now people honor that
idol to gain something. Sell statues to
people to remind them of their worship and make money. Tell other nations about
your pretty statues and make more money. All the while people have forgotten
the Creator Yahweh. By using the leaders of Nineveh, these evil spirits inspire
leaders to use witchcraft, manipulations, intimidations, and dominations on the
people. They had so many merchants of idolatry they were above the stars of
heaven.
Nah
3:16 Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars of heaven: the
cankerworm spoileth, and flieth away.KJV
The
Message Bible is so colorful in its translation of this section, we should look
at it.
Nah
3:4-7 And whores! Whores without end! Whore City, Fatally seductive, you're the
Witch of Seduction, luring nations to their ruin with your evil spells.5
"I'm your enemy, Whore Nineveh — I, God-of-the-Angel-Armies! I'll strip
you of your seductive silk robes and expose you on the world stage. I'll let
the nations get their fill of the ugly truth of who you really are and have
been all along. 6 I'll pelt you with dog dung and place you on a pedestal:
'Slut on Exhibit.' 7 Everyone who sees you will gag and say, 'Nineveh's a
pigsty: What on earth did we ever see in her? Who would give her a second look?
Ugh!'" (from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by
Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)
We
see more here in the same chapter from the Message Bible.
Nah
3:15-17 Yes, as if by locusts — a fitting fate,for you yourselves are a locust
plague. 16 You've multiplied shops and shopkeepers — more buyers and sellers
than stars in the sky! A plague of locusts, cleaning out the neighborhood and
then flying off. 17 Your bureaucrats are locusts, your brokers and bankers are
locusts. Early on, they're all at your service, full of smiles and promises, But
later when you return with questions or complaints, you'll find they've flown
off and are nowhere to be found. (from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary
Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)
Sounds
like our politicians and shady business characters of today. Remember Revelation 9, locusts come out of
the bottomless pit. This is not just to Nineveh, but Babylon too, as we will
shortly compare this to Revelation. But let’s look at this a little
deeper. This world system, really a
world religion, is buying and selling people.
It is about amassing people and it will come to a head just before Jesus
comes with His armies. God will expose
the “private parts” of this mystery religion.
This region was established by Nimrod, the guy who started the Babylon
Mystery Religion and the tower of Babel.
You see, we are still living through that corruption. Changing the languages made it harder for
these harlotries to spread, and to come together under one world government;
yet today our world has grown smaller as we have started to overcome language
barriers. There is a religion behind the buying and selling of humans, and
witchcraft behind the seducing of men to sell their souls. From the Amplified let’s look at this again.
Nah
3:4-5 All because of the multitude of the harlotries [of Nineveh], the
well-favored harlot, the mistress of deadly charms who betrays and sells
nations through her whoredoms [idolatry] and peoples through her enchantments.
5 Behold, I am against you, says the Lord of hosts, and I will lift up your
skirts over your face, and I will let the nations look on your nakedness [O
Nineveh] and the kingdoms on your shame. AMP
Nah
3:16-17 You increased your merchants more than the [visible] stars of the
heavens. The swarming locust spreads itself and destroys, and then flies away.
17 Your princes are like the grasshoppers and your marshals like the swarms of
locusts which encamp in the hedges on a cold day — but when the sun rises, they
fly away, and no one knows where they are. AMP
These people, like
the sons of Belial, do things in secret, in the dark hours, and they can’t be
found in the day. We are children of the
day not children of night; therefore it is hard for us to conceive of their
evil deceptions. We should look at a few key words in the Hebrew.
Nah 3:4
4
|
br)m@
Because of the multitude of 7230 m¢rœ» |
yn}Wnz=
the whoredoms of 2181 z®nûnê |
hn`oz
harlot, 2181 zônâ |
/j@ tb^of
the well-favoured 2580 2896 µ¢n ‰ô»a¾ |
tl^u&B^
the mistress of 1172 ba±la¾ |
<yp!v*K=
witchcrafts, 3785 k®š¹¸îm |
tr\k#M)h^
that selleth 4376 hammœ½ere¾ |
<y]oG nations 1471 gôyim |
h*yn\Wnz=B!
through her whoredoms, 2183 biznûneyh¹ |
tojP*v=m!W
and families 4940 ûmišp¹µô¾ |
.h*yp#v*k=B!
through her witchcrafts. 3785 bi½š¹¸eyh¹. |
(Interlinear Transliterated Bible (TR Edition). Copyright © 2011 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved. [For more detail see the full copyright page.])
OT:2181
zanah (zaw-naw'); a primitive root [highly-fed and therefore wanton]; to
commit adultery (usually of the female, and less often of simple fornication,
rarely of involuntary ravishment); figuratively, to commit idolatry (the Jewish
people being regarded as the spouse of Jehovah): KJV - (cause to) commit fornication, continually,
great, (be an, play the) harlot, (cause to be, play the) whore, (commit,
fall to) whoredom, (cause to) go a-whoring, whorish.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive
Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary.
Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible
Translators, Inc.)
OT:3785
kesheph (keh'-shef); from OT:3784; magic: KJV - sorcery,
witchcraft.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with
Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc.
and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
OT:4376
makar (maw-kar'); a primitive root; to sell, literally (as merchandise,
a daughter in marriage, into slavery), or figuratively (to surrender): KJV
- at all, sell (away, -erself,). (Biblesoft's
New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew
Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International
Bible Translators, Inc.)
OT:1471 gowy (go'-ee); rarely (shortened) goy
(go'-ee); apparently from the same root as OT:1465 (in the sense of massing); a
foreign nation; hence, a Gentile; also (figuratively) a troop of animals, or a
flight of locusts: KJV - Gentile, heathen, nation, people.(Biblesoft's New
Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew
Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International
Bible Translators, Inc.)
OT:2183 zanuwn (zaw-noon'); from OT:2181;
adultery; figuratively, idolatry: KJV - whoredom.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive
Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary.
Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible
Translators, Inc.)
OT:4940 mishpachah
(mish-paw-khaw'); from OT:8192 [compare OT:8198]; a family, i.e. circle of
relatives; figuratively, a class (of persons), a species (of animals) or sort
(of things); by extens. a tribe or people: KJV - family, kind
(-red).(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with
Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc.
and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
Since
the words “whoredoms” and “harlot” are the same, it tells us something. There
must be a female based world religion that commits intentional perversion and
is the mistress of witchcrafts. Lucifer,
using a female figure, has perverted worship toward himself, via mother earth
worship, Artemis, Diana, Mary, Cali, Semiramis, the queen of heaven etc. In the end times, all these will merge into
one dominant world view. This religion which may have started in many different
varied forms but will converge into one, sells people as if they were property,
in many gentile nations. Not just sex trafficking, but into its life system of
working for others and being dependant on someone else. Religious leaders and
Priests from every religion found ways to extort money from people, as the churches
amassed riches. Many in Egypt and Rome
sold indulgences to get departed loved ones out of hell or purgatory. Families were obligated to do what the
religious leaders asked or else face social condemnation from them. Families sold or gave away their children to
“the church” for religious purposes which amounted to human sacrifice or sexual
slavery. Think of some of the modern
“religious” belief systems we have today where these things still go on. This witchcraft enslaves peoples thinking,
and they are bound to following religious protocol whatever the demand is on
their lives. On the flip side, there are male deities and male dominant
religions.
Lucifer
destroyed his land and killed his people; his children and his workers will be
sent to the lake of fire as well.
Lucifer stole the title deed of earth from Adam. This is his land and his people. He inspired Nimrod, as well as many others to
ultimate evil with idolatry. Lucifer
knows Elohim, he had responsibilities among the sons of God, yet now he
deceives earthlings into believing in, and worshipping, him via feminine deities.
Isa
14:20-21 Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast
destroyed thy land, and slain thy people: the seed of evildoers shall never be
renowned. 21 Prepare slaughter for his children for the iniquity of their
fathers; that they do not rise, nor possess the land, nor fill the face of the
world with cities.KJV
Lucifer’s
seed, those who work for him, who sold their souls or lives to him, will be in
the same place as Lucifer in the end. If you are toying with the idea of
serving the devil, take note that eternity is a long time to reside in the lake
of fire.
In
Revelation 17, we see John is getting caught up on what he saw, by an angel who
is telling him how the end will play out.
We have a woman who is a harlot and she rides the beast. This religion sits on and controls the beast
she rides. She is a religion who is
worldwide and has a competitor, the beast’s religion.
Rev
17:1-6 ONE OF the seven angels who had the seven bowls then came and spoke to
me, saying, Come with me! I will show you the doom (sentence, judgment) of the
great harlot (idolatress) who is seated on many waters, [Jer 51:13.] 2 [She]
with whom the rulers of the earth have joined in prostitution (idolatry) and
with the wine of whose immorality (idolatry) the inhabitants of the earth have become
intoxicated. [Jer 25:15,16.] 3 And [the angel] bore me away [rapt] in the
Spirit into a desert (wilderness), and I saw a woman seated on a scarlet beast
that was all covered with blasphemous titles (names), and he had seven heads
and ten horns. 4 The woman was robed in purple and scarlet and bedecked with
gold, precious stones, and pearls, [and she was] holding in her hand a golden
cup full of the accursed offenses and the filth of her lewdness and vice. [Jer
51:7.] 5 And on her forehead there was inscribed a name of mystery [with a
secret symbolic meaning]: Babylon the great, the mother of prostitutes
(idolatresses) and of the filth and atrocities and abominations of the earth. 6
I also saw that the woman was drunk, [drunk] with the blood of the saints
(God's people) and the blood of the martyrs [who witnessed] for Jesus. And when
I saw her, I was utterly amazed and wondered greatly. AMP
The
rulers of the earth have joined in her prostitution. The blood of saints and
martyrs make this woman high. This angel is explaining to John what John has
just seen. This mystery religion is hidden or cloaked today, but it is active,
and our world leaders are in bed with her. Now here is something interesting. Somehow
God’s people are among the whore. At
this point in Rev. 17, the church has been gathered and is preparing to come
back with Jesus, so we know this is not the church. Left on earth are those who
are being martyred for their allegiance to Jesus, these people come to Jesus
after the gathering recognizing that He is the Messiah. Also on earth during the tribulation are people
who dominate the world system under the harlot’s system, and those who fall
under the authority of the beast as well as some of God’s people who are
working with the harlot. The Israelites
are God’s people who are in Babylon at this time. The harlot rides the beast,
this means she is also in control of the opposing religion until Apollyon/Abaddon/Gog
the locust king comes out from the Abyss. Once the evil spirit Apollyon, etc.
comes out of the pit, the dynamic changes and the beast and his people kill the
harlot and her people. Let’s stack up the verses that pertain to each the
harlot and the beast and see what we can make of this world system of human
trafficking.
Rev
17:9 …The seven heads are seven hills upon which the woman is sitting; AMP
Rev
17:15 …The waters that you observed, where the harlot is seated, are races and
multitudes and nations and dialects (languages). AMP
Rev
17:18 And the woman that you saw is herself the great city which dominates and
controls the rulers and the leaders of the earth. AMP [This woman is Babylon]
Rev
18:4-5 I then heard another voice from heaven saying, Come out from her, my
people, so that you may not share in her sins, neither participate in her
plagues. [Isa 48:20; Jer 50:8.] 5 For her iniquities (her crimes and
transgressions) are piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her
wickedness and [her] crimes [and calls them up for settlement]. [Jer 51:9.] AMP
Rev
18:11-13 And earth's businessmen will weep and grieve over her because no one
buys their freight (cargo) any more. [Ezek 27:36.] 12 Their merchandise is of
gold, silver, precious stones, and pearls; of fine linen, purple, silk, and
scarlet [stuffs]; all kinds of scented wood, all sorts of articles of ivory,
all varieties of objects of costly woods, bronze, iron, and marble; [Ezek
27:12,13,22.] 13 Of cinnamon, spices, incense, ointment and perfume, and
frankincense, of wine and olive oil, fine flour and wheat; of cattle and sheep,
horses and conveyances; and of slaves (the bodies) and souls of men! AMP
Rev
18:18-20 And exclaimed as they watched the smoke of her burning, What city
could be compared to the great city! 19 And they threw dust on their heads as
they wept and grieved, exclaiming, Woe and alas, for the great city, where all
who had ships on the sea grew rich [through her extravagance] from her great
wealth! In one single hour she has been destroyed and has become a desert!
[Ezek 27:30-34.] 20 Rejoice (celebrate) over her, O heaven! O saints (people of
God) and apostles and prophets, because God has executed vengeance for you upon
her! [Isa 44:23; Jer 51:48.] AMP
Rev
18:23-24 And never again shall the light of a lamp shine in you, and the voice
of bridegroom and bride shall never be heard in you again; for your businessmen
were the great and prominent men of the earth, and by your magic spells and
poisonous charm all nations were led astray (seduced and deluded). 24 And in
her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all those who have
been slain (slaughtered) on earth. [Jer 51:49.] AMP
That
is a pretty clear picture of the whore who controls the beast and is
responsible for the blood of the saints. The second to last battle is the
harlot being destroyed. I find it
interesting that the religion satan built will be destroyed by
Apollyon/Abaddon/Gog the locust king, the beast from the bottomless pit. And then the beast will attempt to fight
Jesus. Humans are caught in the middle, simply pawns in these last day’s
battles. It would be better if all humans
would be saved to escape this last days’ battle of spiritual and physical
forces.
Next
let’s look at the beast and his ten kings which are religious people themselves,
as they hate the woman, Babylon. This is a male dominated religious view, and
female deities are an abomination to them. They also have a special prophet. The
beast inspires people to war against the woman, which is interesting because
the woman was in control of the beast’s people until the beast came out of the
abyss. While other spiritual entities
inspire the beast’s religion today, when Apollyon comes out of the pit he will
look powerful and have supernatural powers which will fool humans into thinking
he must be mightier than God. To fulfill God’s purposes of eliminating Babylon
Mystery Religion, the one Nimrod started in Babylon and Nineveh, the beast
gathers ten nations with ten kings to rise up to kill the mother of all
harlots. These people must be religious
people that are different than the harlot as they hate her. The ten kings then
give back their kingdoms to the beast and the beast makes war with the Lamb. People
who despised the harlot will now be in control of the world. It is also
interesting to note that God calls his people out from the harlot, but God’s
people are not dealing with the beast. This tells us there must have been
financial opportunity for God’s people, the Israelis, to work with the harlot,
but not the beast.
Rev
17:8 The beast that you saw [once] was, but [now] is no more, and he is going
to come up out of the Abyss (the bottomless pit)AMP [This is Apollyon/Abbadon/Gog the locust
king.]
Rev
17:12 Also the ten horns that you observed are ten rulers (kings) who have as
yet received no royal dominion, but together they are to receive power and
authority as rulers for a single hour, along with the beast. [Dan 7:20-24.] AMP
Rev 17:14 They will
wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will triumph over them; for He is Lord
of lords and King of kings — and those with Him and on His side are chosen and
called [elected] and loyal and faithful followers. [Dan 2:47.] AMP
Rev
17:16-17 And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will [be the very
ones to] hate the harlot (the idolatrous woman); they will make her cheerless
(bereaved, desolate), and they will strip her and eat up her flesh and utterly
consume her with fire. 17 For God has put it into their hearts to carry out His
own purpose by acting in harmony in surrendering their royal power and authority
to the beast, until the prophetic words (intentions and promises) of God shall
be fulfilled. AMP
Rev
19:19-20 Then I saw the beast and the rulers and leaders of the earth with
their troops mustered to go into battle and make war against Him Who is mounted
on the horse and against His troops. 20 And the beast was seized and
overpowered, and with him the false prophet who in his presence had worked
wonders and performed miracles by which he led astray those who had accepted or
permitted to be placed upon them the stamp (mark) of the beast and those who
paid homage and gave divine honors to his statue. Both of them were hurled
alive into the fiery lake that burns and blazes with brimstone. AMP
The
end time spiritual battle is first between the harlot, satan’s religion, and
the beast’s religion and the beast. Humans are the pawns fighting these
battles. Then the battle shifts to the beast and his armies fighting the Lord
Jesus and His armies. But just like the
beast and the false prophet end up in the lake of fire, satan ends up there
too.
Rev
20:1-3THEN I saw an angel descending from heaven; he was holding the key of the
Abyss (the bottomless pit) and a great chain was in his hand. 2 And he gripped
and overpowered the dragon, that old serpent [of primeval times], who is the
devil and Satan, and [securely] bound him for a thousand years. 3 Then he
hurled him into the Abyss (the bottomless pit) and closed it and sealed it
above him, so that he should no longer lead astray and deceive and seduce the nations
until the thousand years were at an end. After that he must be liberated for a
short time. AMP
Some
people have tried to make the end times about one religion against God, but
truly it’s two religions against each other, then regrouped going against
God. First, the dragon, satan, gives the
beast (the man) his power, Rev 13:2.
(Remember the woman controls the beast).
Then the beast that comes up out of the earth in Rev 13:11 gives power
to the image of the beast and fools the people into worshipping the beast (Pay
no attention to that man behind the curtain – The Wizard of Oz). At this
point the beast takes over commerce with the mark. The beast and the false
prophet are one religion, and satan is the other. Satan’s religion is about merchandising,
think of it as a giant pyramid scheme where top leaders and rulers are really
serving themselves on the backs of the people.
We live under a caste system that we don’t even know about. The opposing religion hates the harlot, and
women in general are not valued as equal in this group. This group today has
different rules for banking and commerce than the harlot. Once they destroy
Babylon they set up their own system of commerce. When the false prophet comes, he will show
lots of signs and wonders so that people will start aligning themselves with
that religion, so that taking his mark seems reasonable to the people on earth
at that time. All the while, the bowl judgments are being poured out.
Humans
are pawns in this world who have a choice to serve the Heavenly Father, our
Creator, and Jesus His son; or not. We are not the center of the story, but
only part of the entire story. People are used by satan or those with rulership
as tools to achieve a means of wealth and prosperity. Jesus shined a light on the darkness, and the
best we can do is to shine light in the darkness so others can see. People are enslaved and sold as slaves all
over the world. Then, some chose to sell
their souls to an evil world system for temporary fulfillment. But humans are more important to God than we
realize. He is our Father who loves us,
and although we were born into captivity, he sent Jesus to set the captives
free. We can refuse freedom through Jesus, or we can freely receive what he
made available to us. Our time on earth,
in captivity, is a short time compared to eternity. We should set our eyes on eternity, and live
with that in mind, while setting other captives free.