The End of the Church Age...and After

Worship God The Creator

    Earlier in our study, we began to examine the question of worshipping the beast (Satan). We should be worshipping God as the Creator and Savior. In Revelation 14:7, God declares, “worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.”

    What does it mean to worship someone? Worship is identified with bowing down before the one who is our master. It is to acknowledge Him as the giver of every benefit and blessing we receive. It is an acknowledgment that He is the one we will serve because our will is surrendered to Him.

    But doesn’t everyone in the churches recognize this? Surely, everyone knows that God who is the Creator of the universe is the only one we should worship.

    Unfortunately, it is one thing to know and it is another thing to do what we know. In Revelation 14:9, God warns:

And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,

    Why should God warn that we are not to worship the beast or his image? And what is the image of the beast?

    To answer these questions we must become better acquainted with Revelation 13. We will discover that the entire chapter is devoted to Satan’s rule during the Great Tribulation period which we are now experiencing. Revelation 13:1, 2 declare:

And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.

    The picture of the beast with seven heads and ten horns typifies Satan. We first read of this beast in Revelation 12:3:

And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.

    There are at least three differences in these two accounts. Revelation 12:3 calls this animal a dragon. Revelation 12:1, 2 calls it a beast. Revelation 12:3 says the heads are crowned. Revelation 13:1, 2 says the ten horns are crowned. Revelation 12:3 informs us the dragon is identified with heaven. Revelation 13:1, 2 tells us the beast comes out the sea. The solution to these differences can be known.

The Believers Give Birth to Christ

    First, we should briefly outline the truths set forth in Revelation 12. Verses 1, 2 declare:

And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.

    The woman is the Old Testament believers represented by Mary who gave birth to Jesus. They are clothed with the sun, that is, they are clothed with Christ who is their robe of righteousness. The moon is under her feet. The moon represents the law of God. The believers have become victorious over the law in the sense that the law of God can no longer condemn them. The crown of twelve stars signifies that the believers reign with Christ.

    Verses 3 and 4 continue:

And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.

    The third part represents all who are believers. We in Adam were created to be perfect. But when Satan the dragon caused Eve to sin, he effectively caused all who would eventually become believers (the stars of heaven), to be cast out of heaven. This dragon (Satan) was ready to kill

Jesus as soon He was born. The seven heads are crowned, indicating Satan’s rule over unsaved mankind throughout the history of the world. Verse 5 continues:

And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

The Entire New Testament Era Equals 1260 Days

    The man child, Jesus, returns to heaven and the woman (the New Testament believers), continue under God’s protection for 1260 days. The figure 1260 represents three and a half years. However, to inform us that it represents a different time period from the forty two months of Revelation 11:2 God speaks of it as 1260 days. This period is the same period of time set forth in Daniel 9:27 where God emphasizes there is a half a week (1/2 of 7) from the cessation of sacrifice and offering (this occurred when Christ was offered as the sacrifice), until the abomination of desolation and the consummation (the end of the world). Thus, the 1260 days of Revelation 12:6 covers the entire period from the cross to the end of the world.

    Verses 7 to 11 of Revelation 12 describe the victory Christ won over Satan when Christ went to the cross. We read:

And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

    Michael is Christ who defeated Satan by the blood of the Lamb (Christ gave His life as the sacrificial Lamb). The result that Satan was given a death blow, he was cast out of heaven. He was bound so that he could no longer deceive the nations (Revelation 20:2, 3). He was cast into hell

(Revelation 20:3 and II Peter 2:4), that is, he was placed eternally under the wrath of God so that on the last day, he will be cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:10).

    Thus, we learn from Revelation 12 that Satan is presented as a dragon who rules over unsaved mankind throughout the history of the world. At the cross, he was defeated and became subject to hell.

    As we learned earlier, Revelation 13 discusses the rulership of Satan over all of the unsaved during the Great Tribulation of our day. We can see the differences here between God’s plan for the Gospel and Satan throughout time.

    As we continue our study, let us look again at Revelation 14:8. We read:

And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.

    What does Babylon have to do with the verses we have been studying in these chapters? We are learning that Babylon has everything to do with Chapters 13 and 14 of Revelation. We must remember that already in Isaiah 14, God typified Satan by the king of Babylon.

    Furthermore, earlier in this study when we compared the judgment on Judah in 587 B.C. with the Great Tribulation of our day, the king of Babylon whom God used to destroy Judah typifies Satan whom God has loosed so that he takes his seat (he reigns) in the temple (the churches and congregations of our day).

Seated on a Scarlet Beast

    Let us look some more at Revelation 17. We see in Revelation 17:3 that the woman, Babylon, is seated on a scarlet beast having seven heads and ten horns. We know that without question this beast with seven heads and 10 horns is Satan. But why is the color scarlet used as its color? The harlot, too, is clothed with purple and scarlet.

    The color scarlet is associated with salvation. In Hebrews 9:19 God speaks of scarlet wool as being associated with the ceremonial activity that pictures salvation.

    It was also a royal color; the color fit for a king. Remember during the suffering of Jesus, they put a scarlet robe on Him (Matthew 27:28) and mocked Him saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” (Matthew 27:29).

    Thus, on the one hand, in Revelation 17 Satan is showing himself to be a counterfeit christ, an antichrist. And he is also showing himself to be a king. The woman, too, is clothed with purple and scarlet. Actually the verb tense is past perfect. Thus, it should read “has been arrayed.” During the church age the church was the holy place where most of the true believers were found. The Bible says that they shall reign on earth (Revelation 5:10). They are a royal priesthood (I Peter2:9). Therefore, the churches have been intimately identified with those who reign.

    After the church age, the churches still insist that they are identified with a royal reign as seen in the citation of Revelation 18:7, wherein the fallen church declares “I sit a queen.” Moreover, Revelation 17:18 declares:

And the woman which thou safest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

The Bible Rules Over the Church

    What does it mean that she reigns over the kings of earth. During the church age the church is the external representation of the kingdom of God on this earth. God has made the churches the custodian, the steward that is to declare the commands of the Bible to the world. In that sense the Bible rules over the whole earth.

    The proof of this truth will be seen at Judgment Day. Every person on the face of the whole earth who has not obeyed the commands of the Bible will be judged and found guilty of violating those commands. According to the rules of the Bible, those found guilty will be sentenced to eternal damnation.

    However, when Satan began to rule in the churches, the Holy Spirit was not in the midst. Satan has become the ruler. Because he is allowed by God to rule over all the unsaved of the world, and because he now is the ruler over the church, in that sense, the churches now rule over the whole world. Therefore, in that sense, the woman rules over all the earth. This is so because Satan has become the ruler in the churches.

    Verse 4 of Revelation 17 says that the woman was decked with gold, precious stones, and pearls. Again the verb tense is in the past perfect so that it should read “has been decked.”

    The woman Babylon (the churches and congregations) is a harlot. Yet within her there have been true believers (gold, precious stones, and pearls). But they have been either driven out or if they’re still in, they are commanded to come out of her (Revelation 18:4),

    This woman also has a golden cup in her hand (vs. 4). This cup should be filled with the pure water of the Gospel which is offered to the kings of the earth to drink. But it has become filled with the filthiness of her fornication. Instead of the true Gospel, she is offering a gospel designed by men. Instead of being filled with true believers who are the pure bride of Christ and who are faithfully bringing the pure Gospel, it has become adulterated with those whom we read about in I Corinthians 3:12 as wood, hay, and stubble.

Mother of Harlots

    Verse 5 of Revelation 17 describes her as the mother of harlots. Let us examine this statement. In the Old Testament, Israel is described as being married to God. We read in Isaiah 50:1:

Thus saith the LORD, Where is the bill of your mother’s divorcement, whom I have put away? or which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you? Behold, for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves, and for your transgressions is your mother put away.

    In Jeremiah 3:14 we read:

Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you; and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion:

    Israel as a nation was married to God, but because of her spiritual adulteries God divorced her. That divorce became final when Christ was on the cross and the veil of the temple was rent. At that moment the holy of holies was no longer holy. Therefore, the temple was no longer the Holy Place. Jerusalem was no longer the holy city. God’s spiritual relationship with national Israel came to an end.

    The Bible does not indicate that God became married to the New Testament Israel, the churches and congregations that would be in existence throughout the church age. Instead, God indicates that the true believers became the bride of Christ. All of the sins, past, present, and future, of these who have become saved have been covered by the blood of Christ. Therefore, in no sense does God look upon them as adulterous even though sin is still found in them. God speaks of them as those who were not defiled with women for they are virgins (Revelation 14:4). This language

assures us that from God’s vantage point, the bride of Christ which consists of all true believers is pure.

    However, within the churches are a great many who believe they are saved but who have not actually become saved. They are the wood, hay, stubble. They, like all unsaved mankind, are married to the law of God. We read in Romans 7:14:

Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth? For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man. Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.

    Verse 4 assures us that before salvation, we were married to the law of God. Therefore, each time an unsaved person sins, he is committing an act of spiritual adultery against the law of God which is the husband. Therefore, an unsaved person is a harlot because sin is very common in that person’s life.

    This sad condition is underscored by the language of James 4:4:

Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

    It is at the judgment throne that the husband, the law of God, will point an accusing finger at his wife, the unsaved person, because of all the sinful (adulterous) actions of this person. Christ the judge will rule that the guilt of this spiritual adultery must be punished by consigning the wife (the sinful person) to eternal damnation.

    Returning to the harlot of Revelation 18, we can now understand why she is called a harlot and the mother of harlots. Most of the true believers have already been driven out as pictured by the two witnesses who were killed in Revelation 11:7. The church or congregation consists mainly of unsaved

people who are adulterers and adulteresses in that they love the world more than Christ.

    The church, therefore, spiritually has become a harlot. The church is also the mother of harlots in that it is caring for or mothering a congregation of harlots.

    This is very ugly language. However, it is no different from the language God employs when He speaks of ancient Israel or when He speaks of the New Testament church in the Book of James. In Ezekiel 16:24-26, God declares:

That thou hast also built unto thee an eminent place, and hast made thee an high place in every street. Thou hast built thy high place at every head of the way, and hast made thy beauty to be abhorred, and hast opened thy feet to every one that passed by, and multiplied thy whoredoms. Thou hast also committed fornication with the Egyptians thy neighbours, great of flesh; and hast increased thy whoredoms, to provoke me to anger.

    This is only a sample of a great many verses recorded especially in Ezekiel 16 and Ezekiel 23. And we remember James 4:4, where God speaks of those in the New Testament church who want to be friends of the world as adulterers and adulteresses.

    We might recall that Ezekiel prophesied during the last six years before Judah was destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 B.C. Earlier in our study, we learned that this destruction typified and anticipated the destruction of the churches and congregations during the Great Tribulation period of our day. Therefore, we must assume that the ugly language of Ezekiel 16 and Ezekiel 23 is also speaking of the churches and congregations of our day.

Mystery Babylon

    It should be noted that this harlot is called “mystery, Babylon.” Why is she called mystery, Babylon? When we study the word “mystery” as it is used in the Bible, we find that it is used in connection with a truth that has been hidden from mankind and can be properly understood only by true believers whose spiritual eyes have been opened by the Holy Spirit.

    For example, in I Corinthians 2:7-10, we read:

But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:

Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searchers all things, yea, the deep things of God.

    And in Ephesians 3:4-6 God declares:

Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the spirit; That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:

    In these verses and in others, we learn that the Gospel is a mystery to the unsaved. Only when God gives spiritual eyes loan individual will the truth no longer be a mystery, but only a remnant hear the Gospel with the spiritual ears that only God can give. That is why many people are under the hearing of the Gospel, but the Gospel remains a mystery to them.

    True, an individual can have an intellectual understandingly the Gospel. But if that understanding isn’t in his heart, so that he has an intense desire to be obedient to the Bible, which this understanding calls for, the Gospel will still be a mystery to him. That is why the harlot of Revelation 17 is called mystery Babylon. There will be those who will not understand that this harlot Babylon is the corporate external church of today. There will be others who will intellectually understand this but they cannot understand why it applies to them personally. They will have no desire or conviction that they should obey the command of Revelation 18:4 wherein God calls for decisive action on the part of the true believers. This verse commands:

And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

    For anyone who does not take decisive action to come out of the corporate external church, this whole subject will still be a mystery. This is true even as salvation remains a mystery to anyone who has not actually become saved.

Does the Church Rule over Satan?

    Before we continue to examine this harlot Babylon, we should look more closely at the beast upon which she is sitting. We read in Revelation 17:3 that the woman was sitting upon a scarlet colored beast.

    When Jesus entered Jerusalem just before He was crucified, He sat on a pair of donkeys. Spiritually, it can be shown that these donkeys represent unsaved people that He came to save. By His sitting upon them, spiritually, it indicates that He has the rule over them.

    Likewise, we can understand the fact that the woman sits on the beast, and spiritually, it indicates that she has the rule over the beast. This is the lie that Satan wants us to believe as becomes as the fatherly lies. It is significant today that the churches which show most clearly they are under the rule of Satan, as they come with their signs and wonders, etc., are the very churches which most stridently declare that they have conquered and are conquering Satan. This is part of the great deception that has become a part of the spiritual Babylon of our day.

    Earlier, we looked at Revelation 17:18 which declares that the woman rules over the kings of the earth. However, we must keep in mind that it is Satan who is ruling over the woman (the churches and congregations), so that effectively, Satan is the ruler. Remember II Thessalonians 2:3 declares that the man of sin (Satan) sits (rules) in the temple (the churches and congregations).

    Looking more closely at this beast who is a representation of Satan, we learn from Revelation 17:8 that it “was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition.” In the light of the Bible, we can understand this.

    From the fail of man in the Garden of Eden, Satan has ruled over mankind with great freedom, and he was even allowed to be in heaven. However, at the cross he was given a death blow by Christ’s victory over him. In that sense Satan “is not.” He ascended out of the bottomless pit when Christ loosed him to facilitate God’s plan to bring judgment on the churches during the Great Tribulation period. He shall go into perdition when Christ comes on the last day and casts him into the lake of fire.

    But the Bible further explains that the seven heads are seven mountains. Mountains in the Bible frequently signify kingdoms. This is in view in this reference because verse ten refers to seven kings. These seven kingdoms or kings refer to the rule of Satan throughout the history of the world. It identities with Revelation 12:3 which speaks of the red dragon “having seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on the heads.”

    At the time the Book of Revelation was being written, more than five sevenths of the rule of Satan over the world had already happened. The world was about 11,000 years old. It would continue about 2000 years longer. Five sevenths of 13,000 years equals about 9300 years. That time had already passed (five are fallen). Six sevenths of 13,000 years equals 11,140 years. Therefore, at the time this was written it was close to the time of Satan’s reign as the seventh king.

    But during the Great Tribulation, the reign of Satan is represented by the ten horns. We read in Revelation 17:12:

And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.

    This coincides with the language of Revelation 13:1. Remember in Revelation 13:1 the beast that came out of the sea is Satan’s overall rule in the world during the Great Tribulation. That is why Revelation 17:11 speaks of the beast as the eight. That is even though the Great Tribulation will be focused on the ten horns, it is still the reign of Satan that is occurring. This agrees with Revelation 17:13 where God declares:

These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.

    In verse 12 we read that these ten kings or horns will reign “one hour.” We will find that this phrase identifies with the duration of the Great Tribulation. We should focus our attention on this phrase.

One Day or One Hour

    When we study the Bible carefully, we discover that God speak of Judgment Day as a day or as an hour. It appears that the two words “day” and “hour” are speaking of the same event, the lime that God comes to judge the world (Matthew 24:36, 42, 44, II Thessalonians 1:10, I Thessalonians 5:2, etc.).

    However, the Bible uses the phrase “one day” or “one hour” in only a few places. They all appear to relate in some way to the Great Tribulation. In Revelation 17:12 we have already seen that this is the period during which the ten horns are ruling. In Revelation 18 God speaks of the destruction of Babylon. Remember we learned that Babylon represents the churches and congregations that have come under the judgment of God during the Great

Tribulation. In three verses we find this time period referred to as “one day” or “one hour.” The verses are Revelation 18:8, 10, 17 wherein God declares:

Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with tire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her ... Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come. . . . For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,

    Significantly, God uses the same phrase “one hour” in Matthew 20:12 in connection with the man who received a full days wages for one hour of work. The only other place it is found is in connection with the suffering of Jesus in Gethsemane where He asks Peter, who together with two other apostles had gone with Him into the garden, “could not thou watch one hour?” (Mark 14:37, Matthew 26:40).

    What is the spiritual significance of the phrase “one hour” or “one day”? The setting of its use in Revelation 17 and 18 is that of the entire Great Tribulation period. This we can be sure of because in Revelation 17:12 the ten horns receive power for one hour. We must understand from Revelation 13 that the ten horns rule as the beast that comes out of the sea and as the beast or false prophet that comes out of the earth.

    Once we understand this we receive a fresh insight concerning the laborers who received a full days wages for one hour of work in the vineyard. They are a picture of the last to become saved. They are saved during the “one hour” period, that is, they are saved during the Great Tribulation. In Matthew 20 Jesus speaks of them as the last who shall be first (Matthew 20:16).

Watch with Me One Hour

    But what about the use of the phrase “one hour” in connection with the suffering of Christ in Gethsemane. In that situation, Peter is a picture of the body of believers who are not watching. He was told to “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation” (Matthew 26:41). The occasion was Judgment Day. On this Judgment Day, the wrath of God was being poured out on Jesus. Peter representing the believers is asleep. A few hours later, he will be denying his Lord. He has not been watching.

This report is pointing to another Judgment Day, that which begins with judgment on the churches and congregations. In Gethsemane, Jesus told Peter to watch one hour. The Great Tribulation period is also one hour. Therefore we, too, are being admonished to watch.

    Revelation 16:15 warns, “I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth.” Mark 13:35 warns, “Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh.” Many other verses of a similar nature can be cited.

    In one sense, we must always be ready for Christ’s coming because physical death is effectively the end of the world for those who die. Since no one has a guarantee he will be alive tomorrow, we must be ready right now.

    However, when we comets the time in history called “one hour” or “one day” which identities entirely with the Great Tribulation period, then the admonition to "watch" takes on a far greater meaning.

    For example, if we are young and healthy, normally we can expect to have a great many years of life ahead of us. But when we are livingly the time of history that God calls “one hour,” it means the last day of this earth’s existence has drawn very close. Thus, no matter how young or healthy we may be, the end of the world and the return of Christ has drawn very close.

Judgment Day Is Exceedingly Close

    Thus, the term “one day” or “one hour” as it is used in Revelation 17 and 18 is a further warning to this world, which is now in the time of the Great Tribulation, that we better know that the time has come exceeding close to the time the whole world must face Him, the judge of all the earth. Even more ominously, it is the time when judgment has already begun. Just as surely as Jesus was already experiencing judgment during throne hour in the Garden of Gethsemane, so, too, God’s final judgment at the end of the world has already begun.

    This information that indicates that the phrase “one hour” is the entire Great Tribulation period also sheds lighten Revelation 8:1, where we read:

And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.

    Remember earlier we learned that during the New Testament era there is the former or early rain and the latter rain. Remember we learned that the early rain identifies with the church age during which the firstfruits are brought in. Then when the churches’ work has been finished the two witnesses are

killed. We learned that the killing of the two witnesses coincides with the beginning of the Great Tribulation. This time coincides with the withdrawal of the Holy Spirit from the churches and the beginning of the reign of Satan (the ten horns) in the churches.

    However, after three and a half days (a time also called forty two months), the two witnesses stand on their feet and continue to testify. That is, after a period of great spiritual drought, the Gospel will again go into the world. That period of spiritual drought is the “about half an hour” of Revelation 8:1. It is the first part of the Great Tribulation period that coincides with the 2300 evening mornings of Daniel 8, the three and a half days of Revelation 11, and the forty two months of Revelation 11.

    Unfortunately, this terrible condition in the churches and congregations will continue to the end of the world. However, the coming of the latter rain (the bringing of the true Gospel by those outside the churches), will make certain the salvation of the elect during the “one hour” of the Great Tribulation.

    Thus, we can understand Matthew 24:24, which declares:

For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

    The days of the Great Tribulation are shortened in the sense that during the last part of the Great Tribulation, God is sending the latter rain so that a great multitude which no man can number shall be saved.

    Returning to Revelation 17:16, 17, we read:

And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.

A Strong Delusion

    In these verses. God is stating His plan and methodology by which He brings judgment on the churches wherein spiritual adultery abounds. God has withdrawn His loving concern for the safety and continuing nurture of the churches. Instead, He has sent upon the members of the churches a strong delusion (II Thessalonians 2:11), that they should believe a lie. Thus, God has

put in their hearts to fulfill His will and to agree and give their kingdom to the beast.

    These are terrible words. They echo the truth that the Holy Spirit is no longer working in the churches. Instead, it is God’s plan that the blind follow their blind leaders into greater subjection to Satan who is now ruling in the churches.

    Because God has given them a strong delusion (II Thessalonians 2:11), they do not see their danger. They do not realize how seriously sinful their situation has become. Only the true believers who are watching, who are on guard, will realize the true state of affairs that exists in the churches and will depart out of the churches, even as Christ has commanded.

    The ten horns (Satan) shall make the churches desolate and increasingly sinful, thus preparing the members of those churches for the judgment of the last day. The phrase “and burn her with fire” (vs. 16) requires a closer look.

    Burning with fire is the language of bringing judgment. It is a phrase taken from Jeremiah 34:3, where we read:

And thou shalt not escape out of his hand, but shalt surely be taken, and delivered into his hand; and thine eyes shall behold the eyes of the king of Babylon, and he shall speak with thee mouth to mouth, and thou shalt go to Babylon.

    We must remember that the end of the churches parallels and is anticipated by the destruction of Jerusalem in 587 B.C.

    However, it wasn’t Satan who pronounced judgment upon Jerusalem or upon the churches. He, as the king of Babylon in 587 B.C., as Satan himself in our day, is the means by which God is bringing judgment. This can be seen clearly by the statement of Revelation 18:8:

Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.

    By Satan becoming ruler in the churches, God is showing that it is God’s judgment that is upon the churches. And judgment is identified with fire for God is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29). Thus, Satan’s rule in the churches indicates they have come under the judgment of God.

    As we continue to examine the Biblical language concerning Babylon, we read in Revelation 18:2:

And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.

    In verse 18 of Revelation 14, the woman which is Babylon is called a great city. Great city, Babylon the great, is emphasizing that this was the external representation of the great kingdom, the kingdom of God. In Revelation 21:10 God speaks of the eternal kingdom as the “great city, the holy Jerusalem.” However in Revelation 17 and 18, it is called the great city of Babylon. This external representation of the kingdom of God has become a harlot.

Babylon Has Fallen

    We read that Babylon has fallen (Revelation 14:8, 18:2). From where and to where has she fallen? Remember that the churches during the church age represented the kingdom of God. They were the most important entities on earth that related to the God of heaven. There was nothing else in the whole world that was held in the high esteem that God had for them.

    But now they are fallen. Revelation 18:2 describes how low she has fallen. She has “become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.”

    This language emphasizes the fact that she has become totally identified with Satan and is underlie wrath of God. It is similar in meaning to Matthew 24:15, “the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place.” She has fallen from being the chosen vessel of God to bring the Gospel to the world to being identified altogether with Satan.

    As we continue in Revelation 18, we come to verse 3, where the Bible records:

For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.

    Satan is, of course the bitter and angry foe of Christ. The believers are the body of Christ. Throughout the church age, ordinarily, they were found in churches and congregations. He expresses His anger by causing the unsaved in the churches to commit spiritual fornication.

    We are reminded of Satan’s attempt to destroy Israel just before they crossed the Jordan River into the promised land. We read in Numbers 25:1-3:

And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab. And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods. And Israel joined himself unto Baalpeor: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel.

    As we have learned, any time a church teaches a doctrine that is not in agreement with the Bible, it is engaging in spiritual harlotry. This is the kind of action Satan rejoices in. And when the Holy Spirit is no longer functioning in the churches, the opportunity for Satan to foster these adulterous actions is greatly increased.

The Kings of the Earth

    As we consider Revelation 18:3 we read of “the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her [the harlot].” We must look at the phrase “kings of the earth.” When we carefully study the Bible, the word “kings” is used in four ways. The first usage of the word “kings” points to our Lord Jesus Christ. He is King of kings and Lord of lords.

    The second usage points to Satan as he, for example, is described using the illustration of the ten crowned horns as ten kings (Revelation 17:12).

    The third God’s use of the word “kings” as He speaks about the secular or political rulers of the world. This includes the kings who ruled in the Old Testament as well as New Testament rulers such as King Agrippa. They are in view, for example, in Revelation 6:15, where we read:

And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;

    The fourth use of the word “kings” is in connection with the true believers, as we read in Revelation 5:10:

And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

    The believers are in view, for example, in Revelation 1:5, where we read:

And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

    Returning now to Revelation 17 and Revelation 18, we read about kings of the earth three times in these chapters. Who are these king? Are they political rulers or are they the true believers or are they unsaved members of the church?

    We do know that Revelation 17 and Revelation 18 are focused entirely on the churches and congregations which are called Babylon. However, to understand which kings are in view in each of these three passages we must examine their context very carefully. The first citation we will examine is Revelation 17:2, which declares:

With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.

    We should note in this verse that the action of committing fornication is in the past tense. Therefore, it must be speaking about true believers who in the past, while they were members of the visible church they committed fornication. This is because they were trusting the doctrines taught to them by the church. If any of those doctrines were contrary to the Bible it made those true believers commit spiritual fornication. Of course, from God’s vantage point, they still remained the pure bride of Christ because all of their sins had been covered by the blood of Christ. Once they leave the church and are no longer required to be under its authority, that spiritual fornication can come to an end. There is no possibility that this verse is speaking about the secular or political kings of the earth. This is so because their spiritual fornication continues regardless of what happens to the churches.

    In the same verse, God describes others in the church (Babylon) who are guilty of spiritual drunkenness. They closely identify with those whom we read about in Isaiah 28:7:

But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment.

The Political Kings Are Ruled Over By Satan

    The second citation where we read the phrase “kings of the earth” is Revelation 17:18, which reads:

And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

    In this verse Babylon, which had been the spiritual Jerusalem, is called the great city that reigns over the kings of the earth. In Revelation 21:10, the eternal church is called the great city. Jerusalem is the great city because it is the city of God. On this earth, it is the external representation of the kingdom of God. There exists no kingdom that is greater than the kingdom of God. Therefore, it is a tremendous honor for the churches and congregations to represent the kingdom of God. This is the city that throughout the church age has been given the spiritual oversight of the believers, who in this verse are called the kings of the earth.

    It is, of course, true that the Bible is God’s law book that rules over every person in the world. This is proven by the fact that on the last day, each and every individual who has not become saved much answer the accusations of the law of God. Because the visible church has been mandated by God to faithfully declare the law of God (the Bible), to the world, therefore, in that sense, it rules over all the secular and political kings of the earth.

    But who are these kings that the Bible refers to in this verse? Please note that the verb “which reigneth” is in the present tense. That means it is a reign that continues. We know, therefore, it cannot refer to the believers who have been driven out of the churches. The kings who are the true believers are no longer under the rule of the church one they leave the church. Therefore, the kings who are in view in this citation must be the political kings.

    But does Babylon which had been spiritual Jerusalem rule over the secular or political kings? Indeed, yes! Satan is the rule in the churches that have become Babylon. But as we learned earlier in our study, he is also the spiritual ruler of all the unsaved of the world. He has been given this authority by Christ who is, of course, King of kings and Lords of lords.

    The rule of Satan over all the unsaved in the whole world is emphasized by Revelation 17:15, which declares:

And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.

    Only when we become saved are we translated out of the dominion of darkness (Satan’s kingdom) into the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ.

All the World Became Spiritual Fornicators Beginning in the Garden of Eden

    The third citation of the phrase “kings of the earth” is given in Revelation 18:3, where we read:

For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.

    Again, the verb “have committed” is in the past tense. Therefore, the kings being referred to must be the true believers who were at one time members of churches and therefore susceptible to spiritual fornication because of wrong doctrines held by their churches.

    On the other hand, this verse begins with the statement “all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” The verb “have drunk” is in the perfect past tense. This indicated the action was completed in the past. Thus, we can know that this statement must refer to Satan’s success in defeating mankind in the Garden of Eden. At that time, the whole human race because fornicators in that they began to disobey their husband, the law of God. Romans 7:1-4 assures us that unsaved mankind is married to the law of God.

    Later in our study, we will examine the last phrase in this verse, which discusses the merchants of the earth.

    Returning to the phrase “kings of the earth,” we find it once more. It is recorded in Revelation 18:9. There we read:

And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,

    Once again we find that the verbs “have committed” and “lived” are in the past tense. Therefore, again, we can know that these kings represent the true believers who before they were driven from the churches or before they obeyed God’s command to leave the churches had committed spiritual fornication.

    To summarize the teachings of the Bible concerning the kings of the earth, we can set forth these principles.

1.	The only kings present in the churches and congregations are the true believers. All other references to kings of the earth must refer to the political kings or rulers of the world.
2.	When these true believers hold doctrines taught to them by their church but which are contrary to the Word of God, they are engaging in spiritual fornication.
3.	They do not continue in this spiritual fornication because they are driven out or they obey God’s command to leave the churches. Fast is, they may be driven out because they refuse to continue in spiritual fornication.
4.	Satan who reigns in the churches during the Great Tribulation is the same one who caused the whole human race to drink of her fornicating wine (her false gospels) at the very beginning, when the serpent tempted Eve to sin.
5.	Satan who reigns in the churches also reigns over the unsaved throughout the world.

The True Believers Are Merchants

    As we continue our study we should examine the last phrase of Revelation 18:3, which declares, “and the merchants of the earth are [were] waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.”

    First of all, the verb “are” should be in the past tense, “were.” These merchants, therefore, are like the kings of the earth who had in the past committed fornication. But later they are no longer becoming rich through the abundance of her delicacies. How are we to understand this? Who do these merchants represent?

    Earlier, we learned that God portrays the sending forth of the Gospel as merchandising. Christ is portrayed as a merchant in the parable of Matthew 13:45. Therefore, we immediately suspect that the merchants in Revelation 18:3 are the true believers who had been very active bringing the Gospel in the churches and congregation.

    But what does it mean that they had become rich through the abundance of her delicacies. First, let us recognize that the word “rich” identifies with the

situation of true believers. For example, in II Corinthians 9:11, we read:

Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God.

    And Ephesians 3:8 declares:

Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;

    And II Corinthians 8:0 is another example:

For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.

    Obviously, when we become saved we become rich beyond our wildest imagination. Just think, we become co-heirs with the Lord Jesus Christ. We become the inheritors of the new heaven and earth, etc.

    But what about the word “delicacies.” It is a Greek word that signifies luxury. Indeed, the Gospel is spiritually super luxurious. Just think, the true believer has been adopted as a son of God. The payment for each and every one of his sins has been paid. He lives out his life knowing that God will never leave him or forsake him. At any moment, he can enter God’s throne room to speak to his heavenly Father. He has the Bible to guide him in all of his thoughts and actions. Indeed, these are luxuries of the highest magnitude.

    In the phrase we are examining, the word “abundance” should more properly be translated as “power” or “strength.” All of these magnificent delicacies that the true believer enjoys give him strength and courage to continue faithfully as a merchant bringing the Gospel. These wonderful, luxurious delicacies under the working of the Holy Spirit empowered the churches and congregations to continue the task of sending the Gospel into all the world.

    While we are speaking of the merchants in Revelation 18:3, we should continue to examine the other verses of Revelation 18 that address the activities of these merchants. Revelation 18:11 declares:

And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:

    Remember the merchants represent the true believers as they, on behalf of the churches, are sending the Gospel into the world. The churches had been given this responsibility. But at the beginning of the Great Tribulation, the churches were no longer used of God to evangelize the world. The candlestick has been removed. The two witnesses have been killed. We have learned that the killing of the two witnesses coincides with the beginning of the Great Tribulation. We will learn that this time also coincides with the language of the Old Testament that teaches that the ships of Tarshish were wrecked. Let us briefly examine these ships.

    In the Old Testament God gives pictures or portraits of New Testament truth. This includes the concept that the sending forth of the Gospel is like merchandising. Remember earlier in our study we looked at Isaiah 55 and Proverbs 31 where God speaks of sending the Gospel out like it is merchandise. Remember in Matthew 13:45, 46, Christ is spoken of as a merchant who sold everything He had to buy one pearl.

    In the Old Testament, God makes reference to Tyre and Sidon. These were seaports located just outside of Israel. From these seaports, merchant ships went all over the known world to bring gold, silver, precious stone, and all manner of valuable goods to Jerusalem. The ships that carried these goods were called ships of Tarshish, possibly because Tarshish was a major seaport on the far coast of the Mediterranean Sea. From this seaport, perhaps much merchandise was loaded on the ships that brought merchandise to Tyre and Sidon for delivery to Jerusalem.

Tyre and Sidon - A Portrait of the Church

    In any case, Tyre and Sidon are written about particularly in Ezekiel 26 to Ezekiel 28 as aperture of the New Testament church as it sends the Gospel into all the world. The gold and other valuable cargo that comes into Jerusalem by means of these ships are the believers who are brought into the kingdom of God.

    Ezekiel 27:15 declares:

The ships of Tarshish did sing of thee in thy market: and thou wast replenished, and made very glorious in the midst of the seas.

    But the next verses, Ezekiel 27:26, 27, inform us:

Thy rowers have brought thee into great waters: the east wind hath broken thee in the midst of the seas. Thy riches, and thy fairs, thy

merchandise, thy mariners, and thy pilots, thy calkers, and the occupiers of thy merchandise, and all thy men of war, that are in thee, and in all thy company which is in the midst of thee, shall fall into the midst of the seas in the day of thy ruin.

    But the Bible then says in verses 29:31:

And all that handle the oar, the mariners, and all the pilots of the sea, shall come down from their ships, they shall stand upon the land; And shall cause their voice to be heard against thee, and shall cry bitterly, and shall cast up dust upon their heads, they shall wallow themselves in the ashes: And they shall make themselves utterly bald for thee, and gird them with sackcloth, and they shall weep for thee with bitterness of heart and bitter wailing.

    Please note the parallel language to that which we read in Revelation 18:11, 12:

And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more: 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,

    In Revelation 18:15-17, God says:

The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, And saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in line linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls! For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,

    These merchants are the true believers who had been active during the church age bringing the Gospel. They have become rich in spiritual blessings as they engaged in this activity in obedience to God's command to send the Gospel install the world.

The Ships Are Wrecked

    But at the beginning of the Great Tribulation, God removed the candlestick from the churches. No longer did they have a gospel that God would bless as it was preached in the churches. This was because God the Holy Spirit was no longer applying the Gospel to the hearts of people to save them. Effectively, the ships of Tarshish had been wrecked. Those true believers who had a great spiritual concern to bring the true Gospel are driven out or have left the churches in obedience to the command to come out of Babylon. Yet they weep and wail because they are witnesses of the awful fact that God has begun to pour our judgment on the churches.

    Incidentally, while looking at Tyre and Sidon as a portrait of the New Testament churches, we might note a solemn statement in Ezekiel 28:2. There God declares:

Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyrus, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God:

    This verse summarizes the reason the churches have come under God’s judgment. The prince of Tyrus is the spiritual rules in the churches. They are to be humble servants of God faithfully preaching only what the Bible teaches. However, any doctrine that is taught by the churches that is not in agreement with the Bible and yet is taught as Biblical truth places the preacher in the position of being God. For example, when any doctrine is tested by its faithfulness to a Confession rather that its faithfulness to the Bible, the theologians in the church are taking the place of God Or, for example, if the church teaches there can be divorce for any reason, then the spiritual rules of the church have taken the place of God. They are sitting (ruling) in the seat (the throne) of God.

    No wonder then that God declares in Ezekiel 28, verses 6-8:

Therefore thus said the Lord GOD: Because thou hast set thine heart as the heart of God; Behold, therefore I will bring strangers upon thee, the terrible of the nations: and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of they wisdom, and they shall defile thy brightness. They shall bring thee down to the pit, and thou shalt die the deaths of them that are slain in the midst of the seas.

The Plagues

    As we continue our examination of Revelation 18, we should look most carefully at the next verse, Revelation 18:4:

And I heard another voice from heaven, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

    One might wonder how those who remain in the churches receive her plagues. How do they come under the judgment of God if they are true believers?

    First of all, we must remember that true believers were given a new resurrected soul at the time they were saved. In their new resurrected soul, they never want to sin. Therefore, the command of God to come out of Babylon will impact them very greatly.

    If they insist on remaining in the churches, they better ask the fair and honest question, “Am I truly a child of God? Is it really true that Christ is my Savior and King?” A pastor who remains in the church should ask himself the serious question, “Is it possible that I carry the mark of the beast given the fact that I continue to buy and sell (bring the Gospel) in the church?”

    These are not idle questions. These questions must be asked by those who insist in remaining in their church. One judgment that will come is that God will send a strong delusion upon them, that they should believe a lie (II Thessalonians 2:11). Another judgment that will come upon them is that their children and any member of their family who are not saved cannot possibly become saved as long as they remain in the church. This is because the Holy Spirit is not in their midst. They will be in a situation where there may be break and water (the true Gospel) but there will be a famine of hearing the Word of God. They will be in a situation where God says, “Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive” (Acts 28:26).

    We are learning that there are two major shifts in God’s Gospel plan for the world. The first is the shift from Old Testament Israel to the New Testament church age. Ever since Israel came out of Egypt in 1447 B.C. until Christ arose from the grave in A.D. 33, the nation of Israel was the congregation with which most believers identified. The temple of Jerusalem and the synagogues located in various cities of Israel were the houses of worship in which the Bible believers gathered.

    However, when Jesus was announced as the Lamb of God, it marked the beginning of intense spiritual famine of hearing the Word of God. For three and a half years, very few were saved.

    Immediately after this three and a half years, God made a major shift in the focus of the Gospel. No longer was the temple to have any part of the Gospel focus. No longer were people to go to the synagogues to hear Biblical truth. They now were to go to the churches that began to spring up all over the world.

    This shift met with great resistance on the part of the leaders of the synagogues. Saul of Tarsus who later became Paul is an example. He was ready to physically murder people who left the synagogues to join the Christian movement. After he became saved, he became the target of these synagogue rulers. He was stoned and left for dead. He was beaten with rods on four different occasions. He indeed experienced the anger of the synagogue leaders.

    However, the shift to the church age was God’s plan. It began with Pentecost in A.D. 33 and continued until A.D. 1994, which officially ended the church age. The end of the church age identifies with the early rain that brought in the harvest of the firstfruits.

    Finally, God’s plan included one more shift. The shift was from the church age to the season of the latter rain that would bring in the end-time harvest. The latter rain season was also preceded by a period of a famine of hearing the Word of God. Even as the famine during Christ’s ministry was precisely three and a half years, so this famine at the end of the church age is symbolically indicated to be three and a half days and as forty two months. Utilizing the Bible’s methodology, we can see that the three and a half days is the same period as that spoken of as three and a half years. This three and a half years or forty two months season is not an actual literal season of three and a half years as was the situation during Christ’s ministry. More likely it identifies literally with the 2300 evening mornings of Daniel 8. Thus, in all likelihood the Great Tribulation began in 1988.

    The church age was the time the firstfruits were brought in. It was totally identified with Pentecost. Therefore, it is possible that the last year of the church age ended the day before the day in which Pentecost was observed in 1988. That would have been May 1988. It is curious and perhaps significant that 1988 is precisely the 13,000 year anniversary of the creation of the world.

    Curiously and perhaps significantly, 2300 days after the day before Pentecost was observed arrives at September 6, 1994. This also is a day that identifies with the Old Testament feast days. If they are extended into the New Testament era, it would be the first day of the seventh month which

during the Old Testament was a memorial of blowing of trumpets. Leviticus 23:24 records:

Speaking unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a Sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation.

    It was an especially important new moon (first day of a Jewish month) because it was during the seventh month that the Jubilee was observed (tenth day) and the feast of ingathering identifies with the final harvest which we are discovering also identifies with the latter rain.

    The shift from the synagogue and temple era to the New Testament church era was, as we have already learned, greatly resisted by the religious rulers. Already during the three and a half years of Jesus’ ministry, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the priests wanted Jesus killed. After the church age began, Paul and the other missionaries who were active, ordinarily experienced great opposition from the synagogues. Paul was stoned and left for dead. He was beaten with rods several times.

    The synagogue at Berea was the exception to the rule in that they, “received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things be so” (Acts 17:11-15). However, even in this synagogue, eventually resistance to the church age developed. We read in Acts 17:13:

But when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God was preached of Paul at Berea, they came thither also, and stirred up the people.

    We also know that at least two of the Pharisees, Nicodemus and Saul of Tarsus, and an honorable counselor, Joseph of Arimathaea (Mark 15:43) became believers. We also read that a great company of priests were obedient to the faith (Acts 6:7). But outside of these references, we know of no other leaders in the temple or synagogues who became believers. We also know that all the way to the present day, the leaders in the synagogues are still very much opposed to the churches that speak of Christ as the Savior.

    Likewise, we can be sure that the shift from the church age to the season of the latter rain will be greatly misunderstood and greatly opposed by the leaders in the churches and congregations. We should pray that God will bring many of these leaders to truth so that they will understand and be obedient as God shifts from the church age to the latter rain season.

    Could it be that even as there were many priests who became obedient to the faith (Acts 6:7), may there be many pastors, elders, and deacons who will become obedient to God’s command to come out of Babylon.