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The Church of God in its current, final era, has largely adopted the "futurist" interpretation of prophecy. Any prophecy not understood, of which there are many, is assigned a place in the future, the realm of the "yet to be fulfilled".

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Scripture however, says that this era, called Laodicea, is "blind" (Rev 3:17), and of course God does not lie. This blindness is nowhere more evident than when it comes to fulfilled Bible prophecies.

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Leviticus 26:18, 21, 24 and 28 reveal four 2520 year periods of punishment that Israel would endure. See the page "DAYS, WEEKS, MONTHS, YEARS AND TIMES" for an explanation of this. The first two periods apply to the northern Kingdom of Israel, and the latter two periods apply to the southern Kingdom of Judah, the people who became known as the Jews.

 

The time period referred to in Lev 26:24 started from the capture of Jerusalem by the Babylonians when it was ruled by King Jehoiachin. As shown on the chart on the "HOME" page, from the time that Nebuchadnezzar defeated Jehoiachin and took the city in 575BC, until the last year of the Second World War, 1945, there were exactly 2520 inclusive years.

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After the Holocaust ended in 1945, the Jews experienced the most remarkable turnaround a people has ever known: just three and a half years later (Rev 11:11), in 1948, they were standing on their feet again, in their own country and capital city, as fully explained in the article "THE TWO WITNESSES".

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To make this total reversal possible, the most destructive war of all time, World War II, was fought.

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As a result of this war the force known as the "Beast" (Rev 13:1), the combine of empires that ruled over Jerusalem and the Jews for 2520 years, lay defeated.

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The prophecies of Daniel and Revelation show us that this Beast is in fact a succession of powers described as having seven heads, ten horns, and a little horn which is also called an eighth head. For 2520 years, the powers that together comprised the seven heads, the ten horns, and the little horn/eighth head, were allowed to rule over and tread down both Jerusalem and the Jews. That all came to an end in the 1945-1948 period.

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That doesn't mean these powers no longer exist. Dan 7:11-12 says:

"I watched then because of the sound of the pompous words which the horn (the little horn/ eighth head) was speaking; watched till the beast was slain (its dominion over Jerusalem and the Jews came to an end), and its body destroyed and given to the burning flame. As for (And like) the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away, yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time (until their demise at the return of Christ - Rev 19:20)".

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The eighth head of the Beast, Roman Catholicism/Christianity, described in Revelation 17 and 18 as "Babylon the Great", was the last Gentile power to have "dominion" over Jerusalem through the British occupation of the Holy Land, a conquest the British themselves labeled as "the last crusade".

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In the past the nations that made up this eighth head (first and foremost Europe, but including many other, mainly Western countries that identify as Christian) were strong of mind and purpose. However, in the years since WWII they have sunk into a moral abyss.

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European weakness, like the weakness of all Western nations, stems from the abandonment of its original source of strength, Christianity.

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This form of Christianity of course was not the genuine article, but it still contained many of the elements of Christian living.

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Countries that were once brimming with religious fervour, as witnessed in their countless churches and cathedrals, and depicted in all forms of art, have now sunk into a cesspool of evil. Where once there was Christian work ethic, decency, and a focus on God and family, now a worldly spirit prevails. An addiction to entertainment, drugs, partying, deviant sexual behaviour, and every other godless pursuit imaginable, has taken hold of the people. Modern technology has greatly facilitated this decline into debauchery which has now spread to all formerly Christian nations of the Western world.

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In addition, the weakness of Christian countries has of late reached an embarrassing level, as millions of so called "refugees" have made their way to these nations, demanding "asylum", housing, financial assistance etc. In Europe, this process began in reality in the 1960's when so called "guest workers" were brought in, mainly from South and East Mediterranean countries. Their effect on society was immediate, and mostly not positive, as they brought with them the social problems and crime levels that plagued their countries of origin. The European Beast powers of old would not have tolerated this situation. As an example, we witness today the country of Italy being flooded by Africans. These people would have been running the other way in the days of the old Roman Empire. Today, however, they sense the weakness of the Christian countries and they are taking advantage of it. Even when these people have their asylum claims rejected, they are not forcibly removed, because the Beast's power is gone. Instead they are offered money as a reward to go back home. But the choice is theirs.

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Another way in which the weakness of the "Christian" nations can be seen is in the breakdown of the justice system. If a nation is overcome with transgression, the administration of law becomes very difficult. If those in authority are themselves involved with certain types of wrongdoing, they are not in a position to effectively police the transgressions of others. If for instance a judge uses drugs, how will he judge someone before his court on drug charges? If a judge is overcome by sexual perversion, how can he judge someone who is charged with sexual crimes? The result is that now the most lenient of sentences are given for the most serious of offences, to the utter dismay of upstanding citizens.

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Of late, we have also witnessed widespread rioting and destruction of property in Western nations. Some favourite targets are statues and monuments commemorating founders of nations and other high achievers. An entire generation of people has been raised to hate anything and everything that concerns our Christian heritage. As Christianity bites the dust, so does our traditional culture, because it was founded on Christian values. Rather than being defeated by a foreign conqueror, we are tearing ourselves apart at the seams. Astonishingly, many politicians and media outlets are actually encouraging this lawlessness and anarchy.

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The abandonment of God and His standards by the traditionally Christian countries has had far reaching effects unforeseen by those who thought this would be "progress".

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This enormous shift in attitude commonly sees the Western nations today labeled by many commentators as "post-Christian".

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The Scriptures, however, identify this phenomenon as "Babylon is fallen".

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With this in mind, let's have a look at Revelation 17 and 18.

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My comments are in (brackets).

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Revelation 17

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  1 Then one of the seven angels (most likely the seventh one; see "The Real Seven Plagues") who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot (the great false Roman church and, by extension, its Orthodox and Protestant daughters) who sits on many waters (many nations),

2 with whom the kings of the earth (leaders of Christian nations, Christianity having emanated from the land or "earth" of Israel) committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth (church members) were made drunk with the wine of her fornication (her false teachings).”

3 So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast (having taken control of the Beast) which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns (all the powers that historically ruled over Jerusalem and the Jews: Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, the Ptolemaic Kingdom, the Seleucid Empire, Rome and Mecca/Medina (the seven heads) and ten Islamic dynasties that emerged from the seventh head (the ten horns), which are listed on the page "The Two Witnesses").

4 The woman (who is "the eighth" head of Revelation 17:11; she is also the "little horn" of Daniel 7:8 and 7:25 that ruled Jerusalem for three separate periods, displacing Islamic powers) was arrayed in purple (Catholic Bishops wear purple) and scarlet (Catholic Cardinals wear scarlet), and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls (all manner of artworks, buildings, property etc. they possess), having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication (teachings and practices that misrepresent God).

5 And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT (the Roman Catholic Church, continuing in many ways the religion of original Babylon), THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS (the harlots are her Orthodox and Protestant daughter churches) AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH (the abominations of false Christianity).

6 I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus (from the Inquisitions, the Holocaust, and many other persecutions throughout the centuries). And when I saw her, I marvelled with great amazement.

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 and the ten horns.

8 The beast that you saw was ("was", meaning it is in part made up of national powers, as listed in verse 10, that at the time of the writing of Revelation had come and gone), and is not ("is not", meaning powers that at the time of writing were yet future, as listed in verses 10 and 11), and will ascend out of the bottomless pit (as an example of this, Rev 9:1-3 mentions "smoke" (demons), that would arise from the "bottomless pit" (the demons' place of restraint), and give power unto "locusts" (the armies of the eighth head of the Beast) which would fight the armies of the seventh head of the Beast during the Crusades) and go to perdition (these powers would ultimately meet their demise). And those who dwell on the earth (in Israel, the land these powers all conquer) will marvel (will be amazed at the rise and fall of these successive Gentile powers), whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world (those who are not among God's faithful people, and therefore don't understand that these events were prophesied to occur), when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is (meaning its past, future and present manifestations; see verse 10).

9 “Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains (kingdoms, as listed below) on which the woman sits.

10 There are (They are) also seven kings (kingdoms that rule over Jerusalem and the Jews). Five have fallen (Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, the Ptolemaic Kingdom and the Seleucid Empire), one is (Rome - at the time John wrote this), and the other has not yet come (Mecca/Medina, or Islam). And when he comes, he must continue a short time (to be precise, 24 inclusive years as a united force, from 638AD until 661AD, when the time of Islamic fragmentation, depicted by the ten horns, began - see the page "The Two Witnesses").

11 The beast that was, and is not, is himself also the eighth, and is of the seven, and is going to perdition (the eighth head is the woman who rides the Beast. The original seat of government of the sixth head of the Beast, i.e. Rome, over time became the seat of government of the eighth head of the Beast, i.e the woman, which is the Roman Catholic Church. It is not counted among the seven heads, as it is in many ways a continuation of the sixth head, which itself continued all the way up until 1453 with Constantinople as its capital. When the 2520 years were finished, the eighth head went into "perdition", or in other words it "is fallen").

12 “The ten horns which you saw are ten kings (ten successive Islamic dynasties ruling Jerusalem, also depicted as ten toes in the statue of Dan 2) who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for (or "at") one hour (each of these ten powers having their particular time, or "hour", in history. The page "The Two Witnesses" lists the ten horns by name, as well as the length of their reigns) as kings with the beast.

13 These (all these powers) are of one mind (one religion), and they will give their power and authority to the beast (in reality, Satan).

14 These will make war with the Lamb (fight against God's city and His people), and the Lamb will overcome them (one by one), for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him (during this long period of persecution) are called, chosen, and faithful” (prove themselves worthy through a lifetime of endurance).

15 Then he said to me, “The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues.

16 And the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will hate the harlot (Islam hates Catholicism/Christianity), make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire (Islamic forces fought Christian forces in many locations over hundreds of years, and made long term conquests in Europe, especially in the Iberian Peninsula, Greece and the Balkans region).

17 For God has put it into their hearts to fulfil His purpose, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast (to Satan), until the words of God are fulfilled.

18 And the woman whom you saw is that great city (Rome) which reigns over the kings of the earth (the leaders of Christian nations).”

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Revelation 18

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 1 After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory.

2 And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, (Babylon's second fall, after original Babylon's fall) and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird! (The entire "Christian" world has fallen from its Christian foundation, turned its back on the true God and His law, and instead turned to the worst of transgressions and abominations. Seeing no difference between the holy and the profane, they have become "educated", "advanced" and "secular", which in practice means they have given themselves over to a strong demonic influence. As a result, they have abandoned the virtues of Christianity, which is clearly manifested by the normalisation of depravity now witnessed in all Western countries. In addition to this, seeing no difference between true and false religion, they have allowed themselves to be overrun by enormous numbers of foreigners with totally unsound belief systems. Witness the mass immigration of non-Christians into all the former Christian countries of Europe, the USA, Canada, Australia, etc.).

3 For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication; the kings of the earth (the political leaders of "Christian" nations) have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth (the religious leaders of false Christianity) have become rich through the abundance of her luxury” (the churches became physically very wealthy, but they also became rich in the sense of their position in society; priests and clergymen were revered by all).

4 And I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues (a warning for true Christians of all eras).

5 For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.

6 Render to her just as she rendered to you, and repay her double according to her works; in the cup which she has mixed, mix double for her.

7 In the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, ‘I sit as queen (I am the bride of the King, Christ), and am no widow, and will not see sorrow.’

8 Therefore her plagues (see the page "The Real Seven Plagues") will come in one day (1945 marked the end of her power and her 1260 years of persecuting the people of God (Dan 7:25), 2520 inclusive years after the capture of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar) - death and mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her (Germany and Italy were bombed into submission and left in utter ruin. However, all of Christendom suffered enormously in the World Wars).

9 “The kings of the earth (Christian political leaders) who committed fornication (accepted her authority) and lived luxuriously with her (through the implementation of Judeo/Christian law and philosophy) will weep and lament for her, when they see the smoke of her burning,

10 standing at a distance for fear of her torment, saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come’.

11 “And the merchants of the earth (the religious leaders) will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise (accepts their teachings) anymore (as the years since the war have rolled on, traditional Christianity has been largely abandoned. With fewer and fewer people being interested in it, its churches have become sparsely attended and many church buildings have been sold off for other uses):

12 merchandise of gold and silver, precious stones and pearls, fine linen and purple, silk and scarlet, every kind of citron wood, every kind of object of ivory, every kind of object of most precious wood, bronze, iron, and marble;

13 and cinnamon and incense, fragrant oil and frankincense, wine and oil, fine flour and wheat cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and bodies and souls of men.

14 The fruit that your soul longed for has gone from you, and all the things which are rich and splendid have gone from you, and you shall find them no more at all (all her many and varied doctrines, teachings and edicts are cast aside and ignored).

15 The merchants of these things, who became rich by her, will stand at a distance for fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, (the Catholic Church in particular became very rich, but is now losing much of its wealth in court cases and settlements with the victims of its crimes. Christianity in general was also rich in the sense of position, influence, and access to leaders, but that influence amounts to very little now and can no longer stem the tide of secularism. By extension this also refers to the physical wealth that Christianity brought. The dominant economic position that the Christian countries held for centuries is now being lost)

16 and saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city that was clothed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls! (the downfall of the Roman Church, Christianity in general, and together with them, the Western democracies, is undeniable. Many people are bewailing this.)

17 For in one hour such great riches came to nothing.’ Every shipmaster (religious leaders), all who travel by ship, sailors (ordinary people), and as many as trade on the sea (evangelise the world), stood at a distance

18 and cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, ‘What is like (What has become of) this great city?' (Rome and by extension all Christendom, especially the Western democracies)

19 “They threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and wailing, and saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city, in which all who had ships on the sea became rich by her wealth! For in one hour she is made desolate’ (her power has been taken away).

20 “Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you holy apostles and prophets, for God has avenged you on her!”

21 Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, “Thus with violence the great city Babylon shall be thrown down, and shall not be found anymore.

22 The sound of harpists, musicians, flutists, and trumpeters shall not be heard in you anymore (no one dances to their tune anymore). No craftsman of any craft shall be found in you anymore (their religious deceit is no longer believed), and the sound of a millstone shall not be heard in you anymore (their false evangelising has petered out).

23 The light of a lamp shall not shine in you anymore, and the voice of bridegroom and bride shall not be heard in you anymore (God's truth has ceased from them). For your merchants were the great men of the earth, for by your sorcery (false teachings and practices) all the nations were deceived.

24 And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints (the people of God who were victims of Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant persecutions in all the countries they controlled and influenced), and of all who were slain on the earth (those killed in the Holy Land during the times it was controlled by "Christian" forces)”.

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Since the Second World War, the "Christian" Western democracies have morally collapsed. Perversion has become a lifestyle choice, depravity is now celebrated, scamming and dishonesty have become commonplace, greed is known as "investment", and money, or "the economy", is god. The standards once laid down by our Creator have been replaced by "humanism" and "political correctness", which are man's substitutes for God's law and are actually nothing more than man-made self-righteousness.

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We think we know better than God; as Isa 65:5 says, we tell God "don't come near us, for we are holier than thou".

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Isa 3:8 says: "they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not". Again today, we're actually proud of our evil. But Isa 5:20 warns: "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter" 

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That pretty much sums us up: we call evil good and good evil.

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Isa 14:12 shows that Satan weakens the nations. That's what sin does. It weakens: individuals, churches, nations.

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Think of the greatness the "Christian" nations attained in the past. In the 1500's, the printing press made the Bible widely available and many people, whole nations, began learning about God. Even though their form of Christianity was generally not the genuine "faith which was once delivered unto the saints" (Jude 3), it still contained a lot of God's truth. Witness the high quality nations that were built on this foundation. Witness the achievements in design and invention, the standards in architecture, art, music, dress, manners etc. Look at the quality of workmanship. God's high standards were applied to all endeavours and the evidence can still be seen when visiting the old city centres and museums of Europe. ​​Today, on the other hand, we are the plastic generation - a throw away society.

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Our physical decay mirrors our moral decay.

 

Consider the endless scandals involving child sexual abuse within traditional Christianity:

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In the USA, many Catholic dioceses have filed for bankruptcy as they fight abuse charges. Staggering amounts of money have been handed over in compensation settlements. In Australia, the Anglican Church announced in June 2018 that it would be selling off more than a hundred of its properties to pay victims of child sexual abuse. Many other "Christian" organisations have also been found guilty of these crimes.

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When the churches were powerful their abominations were able to be hidden. The reason we are hearing about these things now is because of the loss of their power to control what is said and reported.

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The fact that Christianity is in free fall has been made abundantly clear in recent years by the fact that all across the Christian world thousands of church buildings have been closed, sold off, or remodelled into homes, bars, shops, libraries, theatres and even mosques.

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For centuries people feared God and the leaders of Christianity, especially the Pope. Today that fear is gone.

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The current Pope, Pope Francis, is commonly described as "leftist" and "green" in his politics and actually welcomes Islamists coming to Europe. He is also becoming more and more accommodating towards people with alternative lifestyles. This pope is the epitome of weakness and embodies the fact that "Babylon is fallen".

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One of the most remarkable aspects of all this fulfilment of prophecy is that today's generation of the Church of God has had all these things occur in its lifetime, and yet, even with Bible in hand, has been almost totally ignorant of their Scriptural implications and significance.

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