169 | TE013 | Transcending Eschatology | Part 13 | The Final Set of 7 & The Prostitute

Transcend HumanTranscending Eschatology

Sep 25

Written By Daryl McMullen

Date: September 25, 2023

Welcome back to our series on Eschatology - the study of End Time events.

Where we’ve been:

Episode 1: The Doomsday Clock - We discussed our social and cultural beliefs about the End of Time. Typically based on science and entertainment.
Episode 2: The Flip Side - We dove into End Time beliefs that are based on spiritual or religious belief systems. And we looked at some of the major world religions.
Episode 3: Carrying the Torch - We discussed the history and origins of Christian Eschatology - and how it can be traced all the way from Adam and Eve to us today.
Episode 4: Choosing Sides - We discussed the high level categories most Christians fall into when it comes to eschatology.
Episode 5: Making It Plain - We jumped in to Bible passages that talk about the End of Time. Plain language that makes it easy to understand.
Episode 6: The Left Bookend - We moved into the adult pool and walked through seven stories in the Book of Daniel. We then walked through the first piece of Apocalyptic Prophecy.
Episode 7: Expanding on the Statue - We looked at Daniel's 2nd and 3rd dreams and how they simply build on the first one. We also introduced prophetic math, and we discussed the 1,260 Day Prophecy and the 2,300 Day Prophecy.
Episode 8: Daniel's 70 Weeks - We looked at Daniel's dream in Chapters 9 and 10. We refer to this as the 70 Weeks Prophecy and it is a very important one. Not just because of the information presented - but because of the various interpretations we see coming out of it.
Episode 9: Daniel's Final Vision - We looked and the way all of Daniel's visions are connected and how they grow in complexity. We also discussed all relevant time periods discussed in the Book of Daniel.
Episode 10: The Right Bookend & The 7 Churches - We talked about the Right Bookend - the Book of Revelation, the prologue and the first set of 7s - the Letters to the 7 Churches.
Episode 11: More Sets of 7 - We discussed the next two sets of 7. The 7 Seals and the 7 Trumpets.
Episode 12: The Coming Global Crisis & A Final Warning - We discussed Revelation 13 & 14. The Sea Beast, The Land Beast, and the 3 Angel's Messages

Today, we discuss The Final Set of 7 & The Prostitute

Today's Topic: Transcending Eschatology | Part 13 | The Final Set of 7 & The Prostitute

The 7 Bowls
Armageddon
The Woman & The Beast

// CHAPTER 1: THE 7 BOWLS

So here we go friends - we're on the other side of the mountain - picking up speed - coming in hot - as we get closer and closer to the final days on our planet.

Revelation 13 set the stage for us. How things will shape up in the world as we near the end.

Basically, the coming Global Crisis
The One World Government:

Only not like the UN or NATO - or any other political alliance similar to these
It will be a revived Religio-Political Power - similar to the Papacy during the 1,260 Years of the Dark Ages
A one world power that is not only political - able to use force to make things happen
But also a religious power - with a specific set of religious beliefs
And when these two come together - the unfortunate fallout is that the religious beliefs become mandated - people are forced to change their belief system to match - or they are punished - even killed if they don't get in line

So to review:

We discussed that the Sea Beast is the same power as the Little Horn from Daniel - the Catholic Church
And the Beast from the Land - is the United States
Together - these two forces would provide both the religious beliefs and the political power to impact the entire world

This is the true difference between God and Satan - played out in our little world
God is a God of love - and love is not love without a choice. This is why God offers us the ability to choose Him - or choose against Him
Satan on the other hand has no intention of giving us a choice. He will use lies, demands, manipulation, deception and brute force in order to get people to worship him
And he will use this global religio-political power to carry out his plan at the end of time

Next, in Revelation 14, we were given a Final Warning:

As this religio-political power strengthens - we hear the 3 Angels and their messages to the world:

The Investigative Judgment has started in Heaven - so choose who you will worship
Babylon has fallen - the false religious system that has pulled the wool over the worlds eyes
Those who followed Babylon and chose to take the Mark it offered will unfortunately fall along with Babylon

So that's where we're at...

We know who the players are - and we know what the Call to Action is: Pick a side. There will only be two sides to choose from - so pick one...but be fully aware that the choice you make is an eternal one.

Because what comes next will only impact one of the two sides.

Revelation 15-16 describe the 7 Bowl Judgments - or the 7 Last Plagues.

John opens the chapter with this:

"Then I saw in heaven another marvelous event of great significance. Seven angels were holding the seven last plagues, which would bring God’s wrath to completion. I saw before me what seemed to be a glass sea mixed with fire. And on it stood all the people who had been victorious over the beast and his statue and the number representing his name. They were all holding harps that God had given them. And they were singing the song of Moses..." Which we won't go into right now...

Next, John sees that the doors of the temple in Heaven were thrown wide open. There were 7 Angels - each with a bowl to be poured out on the earth.

One of the 4 Living Beings held a golden bowl filled with the wrath of God. This bowl created smoke that filled the temple. And John saw that nobody would be allowed back in the temple until the 7 Last Plagues had been poured out on the earth.

This fascinates me in part because of the whole Investigative Judgment thing. Some people don't believe that there is a temple in heaven - and that this judgment is taking place right now. And that's fine.

But I wonder how verses like these are interpreted without that frame of reference.

See how the two seem to fit together so nicely?

We just got a warning message from an Angel telling us that God was beginning to judge those who had lived on the earth. And where does this take place? In the temple of course...

And now - in Revelation 16 the first thing John sees are the temple doors being thrown wide open.

It's as if there were people inside - and now they are ready to come out.

To me - this is perfect synergy. God has been in the temple in Heaven doing the work of the High Priest - judging everyone who has ever lived - or will live. And when He finishes - He throws the doors open and comes out. And then - once He is out - He fills it with smoke - and nobody can go back in until things are taken care of on earth.

Brilliant!

That said, here come the plagues - one after the other...

And remember - these plagues fall only on those who took the Mark of the Beast. We know this because it flat out tells us when the First Plague falls:

The First Plague

A horrible, malignant sore
And who got these sores?
The verse clarifies: "...the sores broke out on everyone who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his statue."

The Second Plague

The sea became like blood
And everything within the sea died

The Third Plague

The springs and the rivers became blood

The Fourth Plague

The sun scorched people with it's fire and a blast of heat

The Fifth Plague

Intense darkness on the throne of the beast
The beast and it's people ground their teeth in anguish

The Sixth Plague

The River Euphrates dried up and made way for the Kings of the East
3 evil spirits that looked like frogs came out of the mouths of the dragon, the beast and the false prophet
These frogs were demonic spirits capable of doing miraculous things
It was these things that impressed all of the leaders in the world and brought them together to do battle against God

The Seventh Plague

A mighty shout came from Heaven saying, "It is finished."
Then the thunder crashed and rolled and the lighting flashed
And there was a great earthquake - the strongest that has every happened on the earth
The city of Babylon split into three sections and the cities of the earth were turned to rubble
Every island disappeared and mountains were leveled
There was a terrible hail storm - with hail weighing as much as a small human being

So that's it - the 7 Last Plagues.

1-5 are pretty straightforward. Most Historicist believe that these are real, literal things that will happen to the earth and people who choose the Beast.

Sores
Intense heat
Darkness that is actually painful
And obviously the issues with the sea and rivers turning to blood

But the 6th Plague is one that gets debated a lot.

Futurists want a literal fulfilling of this plague. The River Euphrates drying up and hordes of warriors from the East coming across to engage in a massive battle - called the Battle of Armageddon.

It's interesting that as we speak - the Euphrates River is about as dry as it has ever been.

But what if it wasn't literal. What if John was simply seeing a historical event - meant to illustrate a future reality?

The River Euphrates was dried up during the Babylonian era. Kings from the east - Cyrus and Darius diverted the mighty river which allowed them to take the city and end Babylon's rule.

A good illustration of the way spiritual Babylon (described at the end of time - led by the dragon, the beast and the false prophet) will meet it's demise.

God and the heavenly host will at some point come and "dry up" the power of this end time conglomerate. God and Jesus stand in as the King's of the East in this story. Which makes perfect sense when you hear the way Matthew talks about the Second Coming in Matthew 24:27:

"For as the lightning flashes in the east and shines to the west, so it will be when the Son of Man comes."

Isn't that crazy? The way things fit together if you just look at the story in light of the rest of the Bible?

// CHAPTER 2: ARMAGEDDON

So let's back up to the Sixth Plague - because I skipped a line.

The full verse reads, "And the demonic spirits gathered all the rulers and their armies to a place with the Hebrew name Armageddon."

So what comes to mind when you hear that word?

Armageddon?

Most likely the End of Time - and World War III right? The battle to end all battles. Maybe a nuclear exchange?

And all of these things lead to fear and anxiety about our future.

But if this is you - just know you came by it honestly. Most likely you heard it from your parents, a youth pastor, or possibly a book or movie.

This is the Futurist contribution to apocalyptic prophecy. A view of the end from a Dispensationalist point of view. Reading the Bible literally and trying to create real world events from the metaphors, illustrations and symbolism of apocalyptic prophecy.

The Late Great Planet Earth and Blood Moon by Hal Lindsey. The End of the Age by Pat Robertson. And of course the Left Behind Series by LaHaye & Jenkins. Both the book series and the movies that followed.

Each of these capitalized on this new interpretation of Bible prophecy. Based on Dispensationalism.

And the crowning event is this global battle that will take place at the end of time.

If you break Armageddon down in the Greek language you can apparently link it to an ancient city called Megiddo - in the Valley of Jezreel.

It's said that this is where the great and final battle will happen. Once the Euphrates River dries up and the armies from the East are able to advance toward Israel.

Again - the Futurist interpretation is championed by the Christian Evangelical movement in the United States. And part of this movement is tied to Zionism - the belief that Israel plays a major role in prophecy - and thus - many of the end time prophecies refer to them, their land and the nations coming against them.

We won't spend a lot of time on this stuff - just know that the far right Christian Evangelicalism we see growing in this country today, holds this belief. Zionism is at the heart of their political plans here, and for the world in the future.

So it's probably pretty obvious that I don't lean in that direction right?

You're probably wondering, "Then if you don't believe Armageddon is a massive final battle - what do you think it is?"

Well, it's both and. I do believe it will be a battle - just not in the physical sense.

First, let's look at it logically:

With the technology we have right now - how do you think this battle would go?
If the people, nations and armies fighting this final battle fully believe it is a final battle - do you really think they would choose fighter jets, tanks, M-16s and handguns?
Probably not - given the severity of the battle and the desire to win - my guess is they would go straight to their ultimate weapons - the nuclear ones
Not the best solution - as it would signal the end of all things most likely - but people will be desperate
They won't be thinking logically - they'll just want to win - and sometimes winning is keeping the other side from triumph - even if you perish in the process

Dark - I know - but we can already see this playing out in the world around us. Think about Russia right now - invading Ukraine and suddenly finding themselves in a bad place with the world supporting Ukraine. So what has Putin started doing? Threatening the use of nuclear weapons.

If Putin is willing to go there in a regional conflict. Why wouldn't this be the case at the end of time? After 5 terrible plagues hit the earth and people are as polarized as they will ever be? There will be far too many itchy trigger fingers.

And I just don't see God allowing us to have the final word in that way - destroying ourselves with a massive nuclear exchange.

So I lean toward the traditional, Historicist interpretation of this battle - that it's not a physical one. Instead - it is a spiritual battle that each and every one of us must wage in our own minds.

The real battle has always been between God and Satan. And at the End of Time it's that battle that takes precedence. The final battle isn't a land grab - or one nation trying to take over another nation. The battle is spiritual - it's a battle over us. A battle between God and Satan for the allegiance of every human being past, present and future.

Sound familiar? We went over this in depth in the Controversy Theory series.

By that time on earth - it will be more and more obvious that there are two sides - and two choices. Like the political polarization we see in our country today - there will be a spiritual polarization that is palpable, distinct, and contentious.

On one side there will be the Beast - or the One World Government. It will be offering peace, safety, and the ability to buy and sell in a locked down digital economy. Ultimately - the worship they are demanding doesn't seem wrong. It might just mean worshiping with them on a certain day of the week. But ultimately by doing this - you are worshiping them, the Pope who recommended the form of worship - and ultimately Satan who was the mastermind behind the whole thing.

These people will receive the Mark of the Beast - allowing them to continue living, buying and selling as normal

On the other side there will be a small group of people following God - and refusing to worship the Beast. This group will remain true to the God of the Bible and will understand that the laws God put in place at creation have never changed. They will be the outcasts in the world - because they won't follow blindly and worship with the rest of the world.

These people will receive the Seal of God - allowing them to make it through the troublesome end times and live forever when Jesus returns

Now, I said I didn't believe there would be a large, physical battle at the End of Time - so does that mean everything will be peaceful between these two groups?

Uh...no. Unfortunately not.

We've talked before about Satan and his tactics.

He uses all of the subtle stuff - tempting, lying, manipulating, coercing. But when push comes to shove - he's going to push and shove. The same way he worked in the Dark Ages when he used the Catholic Church, or the Papacy, to physically persecute God's true followers.

Similarly, at the end, there will be persecution and violence. Satan will use his retooled powerhouse of religious and political power to force the world to get in line and worship him.

Taking away peoples right to their own money
Hauling people into court
Placing people in jail
Killing people along the way
And eventually issuing a death decree for anyone not willing to get in line

Sound familiar? Think about the story of Esther in the Old Testament. Think about the stories we read in Daniel. The fiery furnace, the lion's den. All stories about having to choose God over the world's decrees to worship something different

So...no physical World War III - but a spiritual battle that will be fought on the entire face of planet earth. A battle within the minds of each and every person. Who we will choose to worship? God or the Beast?

And then the end will come...

Before the death decree can be carried out. Jesus will return to show the world who is actually in control.

He returns to shut down the false religion of the world, and the false political strategies used to manipulate people.

He returns to once again set up His government - His rule over the world. One based on love, acceptance, inclusion and the freedom to choose it - or choose against it.

Now, before we move into the last chapter I wanted to talk about one more thing.

It's referred to as the Close of Probation - and it's a debated concept to be sure. But in keeping with the idea of the Investigative Judgment - it becomes pretty important:

So here we go...
It's the idea that at some specific point near the end of time - the following will happen:

One minute we have the ability to choose which side we're on
And the next - that choice is locked in for all time - without us even knowing it

It's as if a physical door has been shut and locked
And at that point there is no getting back through the door
There is no changing your answer - the teacher already has the test so to speak

Now I said this is a debated topic - but it really shouldn't be.

When you read the Book of Revelation it seems pretty clear. And, the Bible provides other examples of this along the way - in stories we've all heard before.

Here are just a few references to it - and illustrations from Bible Stories:

But let's start with Revelation:

Multiple times the book talks about people receiving either the Mark of the Beast - or the Seal of God
On the surface it might just sound like God is describing the two types of people at the end - those who enter heaven and those who do not
But then, Chapter 14-16 make it very clear that the 7 Last Plagues only fall on one group of people - those who have the Mark of the Beast
Also - remember when we talked about the Investigative Judgment - John saw two things that stand out:

During the 7th Seal - there was said to be silence in heaven for half an hour
Then in Revelation 14 it talks about Jesus and the two angels leaving the temple in heaven to harvest the earth
And again in Revelation 15 before the 7 Last Plagues were poured out John sees the scene in heaven where the doors to the temple were thrown wide open, 7 angels came out, and smoke filled the temple. Suggesting that there was now nothing going on in the temple

Each of these references suggests at some point God will be done in the temple - and once that happens - all decisions have been made
This is the only way the 7 Last Plagues can be poured out on a specific group of people
In other words - that group had to be defined
The decisions had to be made
And the door had to be shut - closing probation - and locking in our votes for good

Now let's look at a few examples of this throughout the Bible:

The obvious one is the story of the flood. Noah preached that a flood was coming and people had to decide if they were going to listen or not. At some point Noah, and his family entered the Ark - and the door closed. That was the close of probation. The flood wouldn't start for another full week. But for those 7 days those outside were outside and those inside were inside. The crazy thing is that in Matthew 24:37 it actually makes this connection for us. It says, "When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day."
Jesus also told a parable that illustrates the close of probation. It's the parable of the 10 Bridesmaids. 5 were foolish and 5 were wise. the foolish 5 didn't plan ahead and fell asleep. When the bridegroom came they awoke, but realized they had no oil for their lamps - so they ran into town to grab some. But while they were gone - the Bridegroom welcomed everyone in and locked the door
Now those are just two examples - but you see the connection right?
The Bible basically explains itself - over and over it explains something - and even gives examples just to make sure we get it

// 3. THE WOMAN & THE BEAST

In Chapter 17 John has a conversation with one of the 7 angels who poured out the bowls on the earth.

The angel explains:

Come with me - I'll show you what's in store for this One World Government
But the angel doesn't call it this - instead the angel calls it the "Great Prostitute"
Which might seem strange at first - but when you go back to the symbolism we discussed it all makes sense
Remember - Jesus refers to His true church as a woman
Pure, committed and honorable
So what would a prostitute symbolize?
Well - in real life a prostitute goes the opposite direction
Instead of remaining pure and committed - the prostitute goes after anything and everything
And - a prostitute has the potential to lure people away from good, pure relationships into something altogether unholy
And this is how the angel describes this fake church movement - this religious AND political machine that is demanding people worship her instead of God
Similar to a prostitute - this power is luring away the kings and nations of the world with her beauty and her manipulative charm
The angel describes her like this:

A woman
Riding a scarlet beast
Clothed with scarlet and beautiful jewelry
She held a goblet full of obscenities and the impurities of her immorality
A name was on her forehead: Babylon the Great, Mother of All Prostitutes and Obscenities in the World
She was drunk - but not with wine - drunk on the blood of the saints she had killed
John looked in utter amazement - so the angel doubled down to clarify who this woman was...

The angel said...
This woman is riding the beast with the 7 heads and 10 horns
The beast that was alive, but now is not
And yet will return at some point
At the end - the people not written in the Book of Life will be amazed by this beast that reappeared
And they will worship it
And just so you know - the 7 heads of this beast represent the 7 hills where the woman rules
They also represent 7 kings
5 are gone
1 is in power
And the 7th is to come - though his reign will be brief
And this scarlet beast is the 8th - but also headed for destruction
At the end - there will be 10 kings - all agreeing to give the beast and the woman power for a season
They won't like it - but they will give in
And they will determine to fight against God and His Kingdom - but they will lose
And one other thing - the woman you saw in the vision - represents the great city that rules over the kings of the world

Okay - there you go...

The explanation of the prostitute by one of the 7 angels...

The angel gave us two more insights into who the beast and the woman are. Clues that continue to identify this persecuting power as the Papacy - or the Catholic Church:

First - this power has 7 heads which represent the 7 hills where the woman rules:

Friends this is fascinating...
We know the woman is a church (just a false one)
And we know that this church rules from a place built on 7 hills
So look up "City of 7 Hills" and you'll find that Rome is the city that claims this title above all others
Rome is where the Vatican is located - and where the Catholic Church rules from
But here is the funny thing... Rome isn't the only city that claims this title
Wikipedia lists all cities that refer to themselves as the City of 7 Hills
There are quite a few - scattered across multiple continents
Coincidence? Or is the Bible being both specific, and at the same time illustrating the idea that kings and nations will support the Prostitute at the end?
Just a thought...

Okay - the second clue is at the end...

The angel says, "The woman you saw in your vision represents the great city that rules over the kings of the world."
Based on what we just learned above - that city is Rome
However, there is a city within a city
Rome houses Vatican City - a recognized city with it's own rules, laws and authority - and the Pope is the head of that city
If the Catholic Church truly has this much power at the end of time and the entire world is looking to it for spiritual guidance
Both of these clues from the angel make perfect sense

Okay - let's take a quick look at those kings...the 7 and then the 8th - what's going on there?

Well - in order to figure this out we need to go back to Daniel:

Babylon
Media Persia
Greece
Rome (Pagan, or Political Rome)
Rome (Papal, or Spiritual Rome - the Catholic Church that received the deadly wound in 1798)
The Papacy in it's wounded state - the Catholic Church right now as it slowly regains power
The Papacy Revived - when the United States comes along side the church in order to again wield both religious and political power over the earth
The 8th king is basically the sum total of the other 7 - a cumulation of all of the kings, kingdoms, powers, and rulers of this earth - a final power that thinks it can rule the world and defeat God Himself

Now - I'm not 100% sure on the 8 kings - so don't hold me to it. But it just makes sense - at least for first 5 or 6. After that - it gets a little blurry - but I'm good with it.

Finally friends - we have Revelation 18.

I'm not going to read it - I'm not even going to try and pull out all the goodies that are in it.

I would encourage you to read it through yourself.

I'll summarize it like this:

John has just been shown the One World Power that will exist at the end of time
The religious arm of it - the Catholic Church
The political arm of it - the United States
And the real energy behind it all - Satan himself
He sees that this power takes over the world - and that many nations, and people join them
But Revelation 18 flips the script
It shows John what will ultimately happen to this power
How the entire world will love it - but then hate it at the same time
How people will follow along until they realize what they have done and then they will turn on it
But it will be too late

Revelation 18 is the unfortunate reality that will exist at the end. When people find out the popular thing wasn't the right thing. And that they could have stood up against it. But didn't.

People start to realize the eternal nature of that decision and become angry to the point where they turn against the very power they believed held the answers to lifes problems.

Let's Land the Plane:

As we approach the end of the Book of Revelation two things will happen.

First, things will get really dark. Because we need to understand what it will be like. We need to learn more about this power that will control the earth. And we need to see how diabolical it will get.

Second, it will get better. As we approach the end of the book - we start to see the light at the end of the tunnel. We see that evil won't triumph over good. And we see the brighter future God had in store for us all along.

That's what's up next week. The conclusion and the good things that are to come.

Until then - have a great week - and as always, keep Transcending Human!

References:

Daryl McMullen

169 | TE013 | Transcending Eschatology | Part 13 | The Final Set of 7 & The Prostitute

170 | TE014 | Transcending Eschatology | Part 14 | The Climactic Ending

168 | TE012 | Transcending Eschatology | Part 12 | The Coming Global Crisis & A Final Warning

SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST