Tag Archives: Revelation

discipleship, Finding Answers to Stuff Churches Don't Discuss, Finding the End of the World, Uncategorized

Apocalyptic Poster Children

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I’m an ‘end times’ dude. Not an imperious date-setting soul, but someone interested in teaching people easy-to-understand truths about the end of this age and all it comprises. I published “Finding the End of the World” to do just that in 2011. Here, I’d like to clear up confusion about Revelation’s letters to seven churches to address real people with real problems.

Clearing the fog. Some teach that biblical history is divided into eras (dispensations) representing God’s interaction with people. Furthermore, historical dispensationalists insist that the seven churches of Revelation (chapters two and three) represent particular church ages from the apostles to Christ’s return. Don’t buy into it. The letters contain admonishments and praises to existing churches—nothing more, nothing less, although we can learn from them. Let’s begin our journey by introducing John’s Revelation and the letters.

Introduction to the Revelation. In about 95 CE, Emporer Domitian exiled John (and his scribe Prochorus) to Patmos. They penned the Revelation within two years until Emporer Nerva freed them. What was unveiled? Last-day events from increasing false Christs, war, famine, and earthquakes to great judgment and the new age. Chapter one introduces the Revelation, chapters two and three contain instructions to seven of John’s Asia Minor churches, chapters 4 and 5 prepare to unveil the future, and chapters 6:1 through 22:5 detail a future hinted at by Jesus 70 years beforehand (e.g., Matthew 24-25). Now, the letters.

The Letters.

  • Ephesus. This ‘great’ city had an assembly that refused to follow heretics but whose love for God, Christ, and each other had grown cold.
  • Smyrna. This ‘loveliest’ city was home to prideful Christian-persecuting Jews (‘Synagogue of Satan’). Saints would have to persevere through a short tribulation to inherit God’s Kingdom.
  • Pergamum. Called “Satan’s throne,” it was the pagan worship center of Asia. Heresies and immorality abounded, as did self-indulgence. Jesus said, “Change!”
  • Thyatira. True Christians refusing paganism and immoralities couldn’t buy and sell in the marketplace, although prophetess Jezebel misled some to compromise. Others standing fast would avoid God’s future wrath.
  • Sardis. A legendarily wealthy and degenerate city with a dead church (except for a few). Overcome or be erased from the Book of Life!
  • Philadelphia. City of brotherly love, city of earthquakes … and another Synagogue of Satan against the Church. Believers would face tribulation but be empowered by Jesus to persevere.
  • Laodicea. “Lukewarm Laodicea” existed between hot and cold springs, producing undesirable lukewarm water. It was wealthy, self-centered, indifferent, and lukewarm in faith. Jesus to Laodicean Christians: “Overcome and rule with Me!”

Summary. God gave Jesus warnings and commendations to send to overseers of seven Asia Minor churches. They were contained in seven letters (Revelation chapters three and four). The immoral would suffer God’s wrath, while overcomers would inherit God’s Kingdom. Read and heed! What’s next? Let’s explore godly superstars on the fringe. In the meantime, be like the assemblies of Smyrna or Philadelphia or suffer the consequences.

God’s blessings and peace,

Dr. Ron Braley, MDiv, DMin.

discipleship, Finding Answers to Stuff Churches Don't Discuss, Finding the End of the World, Uncategorized

Back to Eden: After Antichrist

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We began this series by foreseeing a return to Eden and its perfection. Then, we returned to Jesus’ time to uncover what He said about the journey to that future. A terrible several-year time of Antichrist trouble for God’s people will come when deception, violence, and economic hardship peak. But God will save His people and execute His own wrath against evil. Finally, He’ll judge and sentence or reward all people from all time for how they’ve used their bodies for good or bad. Then, Eden! Let’s unpack the time from Antichrist’s end until everything is renewed.

What will mark the end of the Antichrist’s reign of terror and salvation for God’s own? Complete darkness heralding the brightness of the returning King (Matthew 24:29-31 and Revelation 6:12-17 (seal #6)). A remnant of YHVH’s (God’s) Old Covenant Israel will be gathered and kept from harm at that time (Revelation 7:1-8). Jesus’ New Covenant followers will also find rescue (salvation), as seen in Matthew 24:31 and Revelation 7:9-17 (and 1 Peter 1:3-5). What then?

After YHVH’s people are rescued, He’ll unleash His anger against those who had persecuted and killed them. Revelation refers to this time of God’s punishment in two phases: seven initial trumpeted events and seven bowl judgments to finish things off. At the end of the first phase (the seventh trumpet), Jesus will reclaim the nations and establish His earthly kingdom and long-running peace (Revelation 11:15). Then, at the end of the final phase (the bowl judgments), Antichrist’s master, Satan, will be bound and kept at bay during Jesus’ reign here (Revelation 20:2-3).

After what the Bible calls 1,000 years, Satan will be released to gather the nations once again against YHVH (Revelation 20:7-10). Why? It’s hard to say. However, His first round of wrath was against Satan’s puppet (Antichrist). Perhaps the second round against Satan will be to address the puppet master himself and weed out everyone not in allegiance with God. This would make sense, understanding that final judgment is about to occur, and re-creation is on the horizon.

And we’re back where we started: Eden. In the beginning, I mentioned that all the prophecies and apocalyptic stuff are meant to give hope: YHVH will keep a promise to rescue His people and make all things new. No more suffering, sadness, or immoralities. Just perfection and peace!

Summary: A terrible time of trouble for God’s people will come when deception, violence, and economic hardship peak. How will it end? With Jesus’s appearing and our gathering when the lights go out (Revelation seal #6). Then, God’s turn and re-creation. With that, our end-times series has ended. In the following article, I’ll introduce you to Elijah, who believed he was the only God-fearing righteous person alive. Do you ever feel that way? In the meantime, be a disciple, make disciples, and honor God with everything while you can!

Blessings and peace,

Dr. Ron Braley, MDiv, DMin.

discipleship, Finding Answers to Stuff Churches Don't Discuss, Finding the End of the World, Uncategorized

Back to Eden: Until The Antichrist

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In my last article, I taught that YHVH walked with people before they turned away. I also mentioned that He will someday destroy this realm and re-create perfection. Here, we’ll unfold the last days as we begin to explore what Jesus revealed about the future. I’ll also introduce John the Revelator and guide you in your own end-times study. John first.

Jesus’ disciple John Zebedee wrote the Revelation in about 95 CE while exiled to the Grecian Island of Patmos. Roman Emperor Domitian sent him there, and Emperor Nerva released the exiles a couple of years later. John then returned to Ephesus to live out his days. While in the spirit, Jesus had revealed the future to John to give to his Asian churches. But he had heard much of this before!

Before Jesus’ crucifixion, several disciples asked Him about the Temple’s eventual destruction and His future return. You can read Jesus’ response in Matthew chapters 24-25, Mark 13, or Luke 21. He revealed a forthcoming departure from the Faith and diminishing true love. Also, that life will continue as it always has until religious deception, war, and environmental issues increase significantly just before the end. Here’s how Matthew 24:5-7 and Revelation 6:2-6 (part of a seven-sealed scroll) reveal Jesus’ time until Antichrist:

  • Deception: Matthew 24:5 and Revelation 6:2 (behind seal #1).
  •  Violence: Matthew 24:6-7a and Revelation 6:3-4 (behind seal #2).
  •  Environmental and geological chaos: Matthew 24:7b and Revelation 6:5-6 (behind seal #3).

Now, I’ll introduce you to the Revelation. Don’t let anyone tell you that it’s all symbolic, already happened, or not sequential! Very little is purely symbolic, and most are explained there or elsewhere. Accept what you read as literally as possible unless there’s a reason not to. And compare Scriptures to Scriptures to get a clearer understanding. It’s easier than you think! You may want to check out my 2011 book, Finding the End of the World, to learn more about the end of the age and aid your own study. Here’s a breakdown of the Revelation, which comprises eight primary sections:

  • Revelation 1 – 5. Introduction, instructions, and an invitation to see the future.
  • Revelation 6 – 8:1. Sequence until the end and the protection of God’s people.
  • Revelation 8:2 – 10. Trumpet judgments 1-6 (God’s wrath begins).
  • Revelation 11 – 13. Three perspectives (two witnesses, Satan, and the Antichrist) and details of the Antichrist’s 3.5-year authority ending with trumpet judgment #7.
  • Revelation 14 – 16. Events just before and after the end of Antichrist authority; vial judgments 1-6 (almost the end of God’s wrath).
  • Revelation 17 – 19. Immoralities and the final showdown (God’s wrath ends with vial #7).
  • Revelation 20 – 22. Christ’s physical kingdom, judgment, and re-creation; closure.

Summary: Life will continue until deception, violence, and environmental issues spiral out of control. Next, we’ll deep-dive into the time of the Antichrist’s authority and mayhem revealed by the prophet Daniel, apostle Paul, and revelator John. Meanwhile, honor God and love people more than religion.

Blessings and peace,

Dr. Ron Braley, MDiv, DMin.

discipleship, Finding Answers to Stuff Churches Don't Discuss, Finding the End of the World, Uncategorized

The Mark of the Beast: Part I (What it is NOT)

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We love chaos, the fantastic, and conspiracy theories! They generally make life seem more exciting than the usual boring truth. Yet, truth is what we must seek! This week, we’ll peel back the layers of the end-times ‘mark of the beast’ as we ditch conspiracy and emotion and replace them with truth in part one of a two-part series.

First, it’s essential to understand that no matter what form the ‘mark’ will take, it will indicate allegiance to the last-days Satan-empowered authority we call THE Antichrist (the Bible doesn’t label it this way). And, taking it will be no accident. Let’s start with Scripture related to the much-debated mark:

And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six. —Revelation 13:16-18 (NASB). (see also 14:9-11; 15:2; 16:2; 19:20; 20:4)

Pay particular attention to the right hand or forehead (it’ll be important later!). Another good thing to understand is the behind-the-scenes numerology: the number 7 often represents God; 6 represents humans.

Second, let’s peek at some falsehoods around the ‘mark of the beast.’ There are people, like this woman, who mistakenly believe they can accidentally take the mark: “Sometimes I panic and wonder if I’m already marked or if smartphones are the mark.” One end-times theory states that John cryptically referred to the Roman emperor Nero because, wrongly, the letters of his name equal 666. However, readers would’ve had to change the Greek rendering of Nero’s title and name to Hebrew just to get close to 666. So, first-century Nero as the Antichrist based on a 666 numbering, like many other theories, is incorrect.

 Irenaeus, a disciple of Polycarp, who was a disciple of John, later proved that many Greek names equal 666. And the search for ruler names that, when converted to numbers, equal 666, has continued. Among the list of candidates are Ronald Regan, George Walker Bush Jr., and Hitler. People have bought into other impossible marks of the beast or conspiracies: Social Security Numbers, barcodes, RFID chips, cryptocurrency, COVID vaccine, REAL ID Act, Obamacare, and COVID-era masks.

So far, we’ve covered some examples of what the mark is not. Next week, we’ll continue our end-times journey by taking the mystery out of the mark of the beast in Part II: What It Means.

For a very comprehensive and detailed study of this crucial topic, feel free to read my 2011 book Finding the End of the World, available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. You’ll find roughly 500 pages of building blocks to help you do your own complete and unbiased study based on the Bible and history!

Blessings and peace,

Dr. Ron Braley

discipleship, Finding Answers to Stuff Churches Don't Discuss, Uncategorized

Adopt a Bible!

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Disappointingly, our plea for Bibles for Africa recently yielded no results despite the knowledge that most Africans have no Bible (including most Christian teachers and leaders!).

How can the people learn about God or become disciples effectively with no guide?

How can we who are wealthy by comparison and have an abundance of Bibles and Christian literature be obedient to Jesus’ commandment to ‘tell’ and ‘make disciples’ without doing our part to rectify this incredible disparity?

So, I thought I’d take a different approach by asking everyone to ‘adopt a Bible’. A donation of only $10 will buy one Swahili Bible. Obviously, Africa needs more than one Bible but if everyone buys at least one, we win in our obedience and Africa wins by being able to learn and teach their Faith.

Will you adopt a Bible for Africa by donating here? http://findingrevelation.com/FindingDiscipleship/Africa%20Bibles.htm

Blessings!

Ron Braley, findingdiscipleship.org & ronbraley.com

 

Finding Answers to Stuff Churches Don't Discuss, Finding the End of the World

The Lamb & the Lion

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Our Jesus – the Christ – is certainly the ‘lamb of God’ that takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). Unfortunately, we often miss the real point in our experiential Christian culture, feeling good while we imagine our Jesus as a cute and cuddly lamb . . . I think you’ll find that a better visual would be that of a ‘mamma bear’ who is kind, just, and protective with her own but ruthless against opposition.

The truth is that the dress rehearsal of Passover and its sacrificial lamb, and prophetic utterance by the likes of Isaiah, were fulfilled by our Christ’s obedience to God to become the once-for-all sacrifice for sin. Jesus ‘bought’ us with His sacrifice; we must now choose whether to believe and obey – follow – or to ignore this new covenant with God through the Christ.

He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth. —Isaiah 53:7 & Acts 8:32.

Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed. Therefore let us celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. —1Corinthians 5:7-8.

When He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb . . . “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.” —Revelation 5:8-9.

Also true is that those who wish to follow the lamb must consider the cost as Jesus said, for they may very well go to their own destruction or be afflicted in their bodies (just look at all the apostles, except John, who were martyred for their faith!).

And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death. —Revelation 12:11.

What about the ‘Lion’? Well, Jesus our redeemer is also referred to as the ‘Lion from the tribe of Judah’ in God’s revelation given to John by Jesus.

Then I began to weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the book or to look into it; and one of the elders said to me, “Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals.” —Revelation 5:4-5.

So far, we understand that the picturesquely mild and meek ‘lamb’ is that way in symbol only. The example was used to show how Jesus was voluntarily slaughtered as a lamb to assist God the Father in the accomplishment of His desire to reconcile with His creation.

Our creator is a just God who will keep His promise to reward the faithful and destroy the wicked. Jesus, because of His obedience, earned the right to save and judge as a faithful arm of God’s wrath.

and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb” —Revelation 6:16.

And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. . . .  From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” —Revelation 19:11-16.

So, the lamb and the lion are one and the same: savior and judge. Rescuer and executioner. Which will you experience?

Keep an eye out for “Finding Answers to Stuff Churches Don’t Discuss!” scheduled for a mid-2016 publication. There, you’ll find roughly 60 topics related to daily life (such as sex, religion, finances, tattooing, and everything in between!) along with practical application of God’s guidance for navigating those difficult waters!

And, for a very comprehensive and detailed study of the very important topic of God’s judgment to come and being rescued from it, feel free to read my 2011 guide titled, “Finding the End of the World” available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and from www.ronbraley.com in paper and e-book formats. In the guide, you’ll find roughly 500 pages of building blocks to help you do your own complete and unbiased study based on Scripture and history!

Finding Answers to Stuff Churches Don't Discuss, Finding the End of the World

The “A-B-C’s” of the End of the World (Originally “It’s the Final Countdown”

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According to Jesus, the “end of the age” will be the conclusion of this current age – era or world – with the Great Judgment and the creation of a new heaven and earth. According to the apostle Paul, we’re already in the “last days” leading up to the end.

The final countdown to the grand finale of our world as we know it has begun and the clock’s ticking is getting louder as we see signs of the times and anticipate the conclusion of God’s creation in its current form. A glimpse of what’s to come:

  • Increase in the frequency and intensity of false saviors, wars, and earthquakes & famine/financial disaster.
  • An evil authority we call the Antichrist and an agreement with Israel, kicking off a final seven-year epoch.
  • Breaking the agreement in the middle followed by a three-and-a-half-year reign of terror like never seen before or again.
  • Jesus’ highly-anticipated appearing and the gathering of the spirits of those who are His, and the wrath of God against the rest of the world.
  • The 1,000-year reign of Jesus following God’s incredible wrath.
  • Destruction of Satan and final judgment.
  • God’s new and never-ending heaven and earth.

Looking for guidance? Many man-made theories propped up by a few, specific Biblical verses (usually taken out of context) abound.  So, find out for yourself!  Here’s how to begin:

  1. Read Matthew chapters 24 and 25 together.
  2. Read Revelation chapter 6. There, you’ll see that the signs revealed by Jesus to John in about 90 AD in a vision match what He told His disciples on the Mt. of Olives decades earlier as recorded in Matthew 24 up to the appearing of our Lord at the future, complete darkening of the sun, moon, and stars.
  3. Compare what you read in Matthew 24 and 25  to the entire book of Revelation. You’ll find corroboration between the two and a sequence resembling that given here.
  4. Look for unbiased and complete studies such as my “Finding the End of the World” (available on Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, and ronbraley.com) to broaden your knowledge and faith.

Remember: a countdown is no good if you don’t know when it began or what time it is!

Keep an eye out for “Finding Answers to Stuff Churches Don’t Discuss!” scheduled for a mid-2015 publication. There, you’ll find roughly 60 topics related to daily life (such as sex, religion, finances, tattooing, and everything in between!) along with practical application of God’s guidance for navigating those difficult waters!

And, for a very comprehensive and detailed study of the very important topic of God’s judgment to come and being rescued from it, feel free to read my 2011 guide titled, “Finding the End of the World” available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and from www.ronbraley.com in paper and e-book formats. In the guide, you’ll find roughly 500 pages of building blocks to help you do your own complete and unbiased study based on Scripture and history!

Finding the End of the World

Apocalyptic Misquotes . . . Part XI: “Jesus can’t come back until we evangelize the world!”

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Misquote: “Jesus can’t come back until we evangelize the world!” This is based on taking Matthew 24:14 out of context and without consideration of its collaborating text in the Revelation given by the very Jesus that spoke of this topic to His disciples while He was on earth.

I’m intrigued that churches propagating this false doctrine will also tout a contradicting ‘imminent return’ doctrine that claims Jesus can come back at any moment . . . (please see my earlier blog titled, “Jesus can come back at any moment!” for more information). Claiming that Jesus must rely on mankind for the timing of His return (which is actually determined by God the Father!) is certainly contradictory to an ‘imminent return’ position!

Additionally, evangelizing every human on planet earth from the time of Jesus until the end would be quite impossible. I’ve heard many interesting theories about how we can do this today with the Internet or radio as some people try to rationalize a position where we dictate the timing of Jesus’ return to earth; however, our present day is just a bump in the long road from Jesus’ time until the very end. The fact remains that there’s no way every man, woman, and child from Jesus’ time until the end of all time could’ve been, or can be, evangelized.

Whether it could happen is irrelevant anyway. Consider the verse in its context and what you’ll learn is that the preaching of the Gospel to the entire world will be one step in an end-times sequence just before, and leading up to, Jesus’ return and our gathering.

Here’s the abused verse and its context of Matthew 24:3-31 (similar to Mark 13:4-27 and Luke 21:7-28).

Verse 3-8 (from Jesus’ time until just before the end): As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one misleads you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many. You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs. [compare to the events revealed by the breaking of seals 1-3 in Revelation Chapter 6]

Verses 9-13 (introduction to the Great Tribulation that will come at the end): “Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.”

Verse 14 (this is the verse taken out of its context): “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.” [see Revelation 14:6 for a reiteration of this ‘preaching of the Gospel’ that will happen just before the gathering of Jesus’ followers and the wrath of God on all who are left on earth]

Verses 15-26 (more about the Great Tribulation that will occur just before Jesus returns to gather His own for the marriage supper in heaven): “Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place . . .  For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. . . . [the persecution and death here are reiterated by Jesus in the events of the 4th and 5th seals of Revelation Chapter 6]

Verses 27-31 (the ending of the Great Tribulation with a complete darkening and the gathering of Jesus’ own): “For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other. [this darkening at the end of the Great Tribulation and at the time of our gathering is reiterated by Jesus in the event of the breaking of the 6th seal of Revelation Chapter 6]

In summary, the preaching of the Gospel Jesus refers to will be done by heavenly messengers at a very specific point in the last days as the Great Tribulation of the Antichrist is brought to a close and the wrath of God is about to begin. It will be a last chance for repentance.

But . . . remember that Jesus commanded us to tell others about the good news of salvation – God’s grace that offers us a way out of the judgment to come. After all: How will they hear if we don’t tell them?

For a very comprehensive and detailed study of this very important topic, feel free to read my 2011 guide titled, “Finding the End of the World” available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and from www.ronbraley.com in paper and e-book formats. In the guide, you’ll find roughly 500 pages of building blocks to help you do your own complete and unbiased study based on Scripture and history!

Finding the End of the World

Mountains out of Molehills . . . Seven, in Fact!

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According to Revelation 17:9, the seven heads of the beast the harlot sits on represent seven mountains. Church traditions claim that end-times wickedness will come from Rome since it historically has been known as the “city on seven hills.”

This is done to pave the way for a doctrine that also states the pope will be either the Antichrist or the False Prophet in charge of an adulterous religious system – the Catholic Church. Another reason for traditionally assuming the source of end-times evil will be Rome is the incredible persecution Christians suffered at the hand of emperors like Nero.

However, the Bible repeatedly shows that last-days prophecies will be fulfilled in Jerusalem and by inhabitants of the countries surrounding it.

And while Rome is indeed a city on seven hills, Jerusalem is a city situated on seven mountains. According to historian Flavius Josephus, the seven mountains of Jerusalem are Mount Goath, Mount Gareb, Mount Acra, Mount Bezetha, Mount Zion, Mount Ophel, and Mount Moriah.

Also, Jerusalem, not Rome, is the city highlighted in the Revelation as being at the center of end-times events.

  • Jerusalem as the great city: (Other references to the “great city” in Revelation include 14:8, 16:19, 17:18, 18:10, and 18:16-20.)

And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which mystically is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. —Revelation 11:8.

  • Jerusalem will be the “great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth” (Revelation 17:18).

So, let’s not make ‘mountains out of hills’ because of faulty manmade apocalyptic doctrine. My comprehensive guide, Finding the End of the World (available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and http://www.ronbraley.com) can help do just that in an unbiased and informative manner.

Finding the End of the World

Whore of Babylon

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Nearly two chapters in the book of Revelation have been devoted to figurative Babylon, which will represent two things during Daniel’s 70th week: the “mother of whores” and the location of the Antichrist’s rule during his three-and-a-half-year reign – the Great Tribulation.

Old Testament prophets and Jesus had a lot to say about the “whore,” God’s original and unfaithful bride. They also gave us insight into Babylon as a city – headquarters of the Antichrist. You’ll learn that the harlot has been, and will be, Israel and the city Jerusalem.

  • God’s bride engaged in adulterous acts (e.g. idol worship, human sacrifice, sorcery, etc.) while under Babylonian rule. Many ancient prophecies were directly related to this.
  • The adulterous acts earned Israel the title of harlot.
  • Ancient prophecies regarding Israel’s harlotry were concerned with the near-term (problems and consequences of that day) and far-term (the adultery and consequences that will occur during the reign of the Antichrist).

Here are some key points to keep in mind as you explore this last-days entity and location:

  1. Contrary to theology presented in multimedia built on out-of-context scripture (like the Left Behind series), the end-times stage has always been (and will be!)  the Middle East and those nations surrounding Israel – not Europe or the US. This is well-supported by Old and New Testament prophecy and apocalyptic literature.
  2. Israel was (and will be) the unfaithful bride of God and the only nation to be labeled as a harlot by Him.
  3. The term Babylon is used in Revelation to represent Israel and the adulteries she has, and will, commit.
  4. Israel has been responsible for the deaths of the prophets and others throughout history. Her final act of adultery (the covenant with the Antichrist/beast kingdom) will cause the death of many saints, including those who believe in Christ and walk in His ways.
  5. God instructed His priests’ garments to be made of purple, scarlet, gold, and jewels. This is the adornment of the harlot.
  6. God will allow the Antichrist and his kingdom to make Israel “desolate and naked” during the three-and-a-half-year Great Tribulation period.

For more information and biblical references, please read my very comprehensive and unbiased study “Finding the End of the World” (available at Amazon, Barnes and Nobles, and www.ronbraley.com).

Do you know that we, as Jesus’ followers, are to also be a faithful bride? In fact, we promise this whenever we drink from the communion cup of the new covenant with a pure heart.