King Of The Jews - Part 22"A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death:" Leviticus 20:27 A familiar spirit is now called a "spirit guide". Meditators and New Age adherents routinely call up "spirit guides". Public school children are in some cases being taught the basics of Occult mechanisms; Imaging, astral projection, etc., Channelers are those that have a "familiar spirit". Wizards are not just cute kids in shiny hats with a fake wand, though they are being marketed as such. The spirit of Babylon has existed through the ages, starting in Babylon with Nimrod and the attempted erection of the Tower of Babel. Some scholars believe this was to have been a celestial observatory to give the astrologers a better view of the stars. A tower to rise above the dusty, smoky lowlands that comprise the plain of Shinar; interestingly the location of present day Iraq. Seeking guidance through the stars and planets is Satan's substitute for the guidance of the Holy Spirit, even in a Christian's life. But in these last days, Mystery Babylon, the invisible and visible outworkings of this Occultic system will come to full flower. God forestalled the inevitable culmination of Man deifying himself; because as having been created in God's image, Man is capable of doing anything. "And the whole earth was of one language...and they said...Let us build us a tower whose top may reach unto heaven. And the Lord said, Behold the people is one...and now nothing will be restrained from them which they have imagined to do. Go to, let us (the triune God) go down and there confound their language...so the Lord scattered them abroad...and they left off to build the city". Genesis 11:1,4,6,7,8 "We are fearfully and wonderfully made" in God's image. Man is capable of awesome feats of science, engineering, architecture, art, medicine and music; but because he is in a fallen, sinful state, he is also capable of the most heinous and egregious acts of violence and debauchery and spiritual wickedness. "I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast...and the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet... And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. 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". Revelation 17:2-5 Who is this beast and who is the woman? According to Scripture there are two beasts. John, taken into Heaven was given a panoramic view of world history. "And I stood on the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea...And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying Who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him? And all that dwell on the earth shall worship him". "And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon". Revelation 13:1,4,8,11 The first beast is generally interpreted as being the Anti-Christ. It is also interpreted as being a system, his kingdom if you will. A king cannot be separated from his kingdom. The second beast is often referred to as the False Prophet. Perhaps in a parallel to John the Baptist heralding the Messiah, this False Prophet is a Satanic imitation who heralds the False-Messiah, Anti-Christ and champions his leadership and authority as the New World Ruler. The woman is a religious system which supports and is supported by the beast. A rider of a beast is both supported by and in control of the animal. Sadly, the best candidate for the role of this religious system is that which is centered in Rome. Papal power is virtually unchallenged; Presidents and Prime Ministers, Kings and Queens all kneel and kiss the ring of the Pope when honored with an audience by him. Pope John Paul II's funeral drew every world leader of importance, to kneel at his casket. The colors that the woman wears are mysteriously identical to those worn by the clergy of the Roman Church: cappa magna, a long hooded cloak of purple wool for bishops and scarlet watered silk for cardinals. These colors have historically represented wealth; staggering wealth in the case of the Roman Church. While peasants around the world place pennies in plates, the Vatican holds untold wealth in Real Estate, Equities and Artwork that is of inestimable value. Some scholars assert that the False Prophet will be a Pope. The Anti-Christ will come from the wider Roman World, somewhere in the European Union. Will he be Jewish as some scholars believe? Even now, Israel is on-line to become part of the "Wider Europe" as the European Union continues to expand. This raises the possibility that the prophesied first Beast, commonly called Anti-Christ, could come from Israel and still be a part of the Revived Roman Empire. Israel was a part of the Roman Empire when Jesus first came and many prophecy scholars believe that the conditions will be virtually identical at His second coming. In any event, the implication is that this Anti-Christ will confirm a 7-year peace treaty between Israel and her enemies, even allowing for the Temple to be rebuilt and sacrifices to be performed in the Levitical tradition. At the mid-point of the 7-year treaty, this Anti-Christ will break the covenant and stop the Jews from performing their sacrifices. "And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease...". Daniel 9:27 This "week" is a "week of years" or 7 years. Most prophetic scholars agree that this is the final "week of years" that was decreed for Israel to be purified and return to God fully by accepting Jesus as the Messiah, "the one whom they pierced". In an homage to Antiochus Epiphanes, the Anti-Christ will cause "...the overspreading of abominations and he shall make it desolate..." referring to the Temple. One final insult that Antiochus flung at the Jews and their God, was to erect a statue of his god Jupiter in the Temple. The Anti-Christ will himself enter the temple and declare that he is god. It is from this mid-point in the 7-year period that God begins to pour out His wrath upon a world that has reached the point of no return. The last three and a half years or forty two months are the time of the greatest destructive judgement to come upon Earth since the Great Flood. This time the entire world will be judged by a flood of fire, massive earthquakes, tsunamis and gigantic hailstones. This is in addition to the weapons of war men will use.
Speaking of the Anti-Christ, John says, "And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven...And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. If any man have an ear, let him hear". Revelation 13:5,6,8,9. Is your name in the book of life? Have you accepted Jesus as Lord and Saviour?
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