Revelation of John Part 31

Part 31

The Dark Ages

The trumpets - historically

And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets. -- Rev 8:2 (KJV)

And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. -- Rev 8:3 (KJV)

And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand. -- Rev 8:4 (KJV)

And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake. -- Rev 8:5 (KJV)

And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound. -- Rev 8:6 (KJV)

First Trumpet

The Judgement of God against Israel

The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up. -- Rev 8:7 (KJV)

First Seal

Constantine brings apostasy into the church

And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. -- Rev 6:1 (KJV)

And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer. -- Rev 6:2 (KJV)

Second Seal

After judgment fell upon Judah, judgement next was visited upon Rome

And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. -- Rev 6:3 (KJV)

And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword. -- Rev 6:4 (KJV)

Second Trumpet

And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; -- Rev 8:8 (KJV)

And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed. -- Rev 8:9 (KJV)

Third Trumpet

Satan cleverly infiltrates the Christianity through the agency of the Papacy.

And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; -- Rev 8:10 (KJV)

And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter. -- Rev 8:11 (KJV)

And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will show unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: -- Rev 17:1 (KJV)

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. -- Rev 17:2 (KJV)

So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. -- Rev 17:3 (KJV)

And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: -- Rev 17:4 (KJV)

And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. -- Rev 17:5 (KJV)

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. -- Rev 18:3 (KJV)

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. -- Rev 18:4 (KJV)

For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. -- Rev 18:5 (KJV)

Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts concerning the prophets; Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink the water of gall: for from the prophets of Jerusalem is profaneness gone forth into all the land. -- Jer 23:15 (KJV)

Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD. -- Jer 23:16 (KJV)

They say still unto them that despise me, The LORD hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you. -- Jer 23:17 (KJV)

Third Seal

And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. -- Rev 6:5 (KJV)

And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine. -- Rev 6:6 (KJV)

Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: -- Amos 8:11 (KJV)

And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it. -- Amos 8:12 (KJV)

In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst. -- Amos 8:13 (KJV)

So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate. -- Rev 2:15 (KJV)

Note that these men were trying to establish a new priesthood

Niko - to conquer and overthrow

Laos - the people or laity

Clergy: The appointment of

Bishops, Archbishops, Cardinals, Popes

1st real Pope was Leo the Great (440-461)

a. strong alliance with emperor Valentinian III

b. Spiritual Director and Govenor of the one universal church

c. he alone was to be regarded as the divine interpreter

d. him alone had God invested with privilege and responsibility

of the universal faith

Pope Gregory the Great (590-604)

a. issued an formal declaration assuming complete jurisdiction over the

Western world

b. merged together the office of the Christian Bishop and Emperor into one

c. Worship of Saints, images, and especially the Virgin Mary encouraged

Saint Augustine of Canterbury, (died 604?),

a. Pope Gregory The Great, sent him to England to convert the

Anglo-Saxons to Christianity.

b. Savage barbarians which existed in England?

c. Augustine made bishop, given authority over all future English bishops.

Masacre of the Celtic Christians by Rome

a. Celts permited the clergy to marry

b. Refused to use Rome's Latin Vulgate translation of the scriptures

c. Honored the 7th day as the Sabbath. Refused to accept "Sun Day"

as the new sabbath.

d. Refused to honor the Pope.

e. Celts fled to Ireland, North-East of England, sent many missionaries

to Northern Germany establishing many churches.

f. Celtic christians would eventually be bruttaly masacred in Germany

several years later by the Roman church.

Fourth Trumpet

And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise. -- Rev 8:12 (KJV)

And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. -- Gen 1:16 (KJV)

Sun ==> Greater Light ==> Jesus ==> Word of God

But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. -- Mal 4:2 (KJV)

Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. -- John 8:12 (KJV)

As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. -- John 9:5 (KJV)

Moon ==> Lesser Light ==> Church ==> Bride of Christ

Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. -- Mat 5:14 (KJV)

Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. -- Mat 5:15 (KJV)

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. -- Mat 5:16 (KJV)

Stars ==> The Witnesses of Heaven ==> The Children of Abraham

And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. -- Gen 15:5 (KJV)

The sun to rule by day: for his mercy endureth for ever: -- Psa 136:8 (KJV)

The moon and stars to rule by night: for his mercy endureth for ever. -- Psa 136:9 (KJV)

Therefore the he goat waxed very great: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven. -- Dan 8:8 (KJV)

And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land. -- Dan 8:9 (KJV)

And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them. -- Dan 8:10 (KJV)

There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. -- 1 Cor 15:41 (KJV)

So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: -- 1 Cor 15:42 (KJV)

The fourth trumpet is a warning of a time to follow when the Word of God would be darkened, the Church would no longer reflect the fulness of Christ but also be darkened, and the spiritual light of church members would also be darkened. This age is commonly referred to in history interesting enough as

THE DARK AGES.

Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. -- Rev 2:20 (KJV)

Jezebel is known for her whoredoms and witchcrafts 2 Ki 9:22

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. -- Rev 18:2 (KJV)

Who is Babylon according to Catholicism ?

Jerome Biblical Commentary

This work is a compact commentary on the whole Bible written by Roman Catholic scholars according to the principles of modern biblical criticism.

(a) The Vision of the Harlot Seated upon the Beast (17:1-6). 1. the great harlot: Babylon, the antithesis of the woman who personifies the People of God (12:1ff.), is here characterized as a harlot for the first time.

At the conclusion of his interpretation of John’s vision (v. 18), the angel clearly hints that the harlot represents Rome (see J. E. Bruns, CBQ 26 [1964] 459-63). upon many waters: Echoing Jer 51:13, where it is literally applied to Babylon, this phrase is a fitting, if symbolic, reference to Rome (v. 15).2. committed fornication: This explains why Rome deserves the title of harlot. “The kings of the earth” are the governments of subject nations, basking in the favor of Roman might at the cost of accepting her suzerainty, her idolatry (especially the emperor cult), and her vices.3.

into a wilderness: The desert was traditionally the habitat of unclean animals (18:2). The image evokes the utter desolation of any place from which God is absent. In contrast, when the seer is to contemplate the new Jerusalem, he will be transported to a high mountain (21:10).

sitting on a scarlet beast: Goddesses of the ancient Orient were often portrayed as riding upon the back of a monster. In this passage the monster is the Beast that was already mentioned in 13:1, 14 (cf. 19:20). The scarlet color symbolizes the proud splendor of the Roman Empire.

full of blasphemous names: Not only the heads of the Beast (13:1), but its whole body is covered with them, indicating that the entire empire sanctioned the emperors’ arrogation of divine titles; such titles could be found throughout the Roman world, inscribed on public buildings and monuments.4.

a golden cup: See 18:6; Jer 51:7. The contents of this cup—idolatrous cults and the vices of Rome—are in sharp contrast with its outward beauty (Mt 23:25) and the splendor of the woman.5.

on her forehead: A name inscribed on the forehead is either that of a person with whom one feels an extremely close relationship (14:1; 22:4) or, as it is here, the bearer’s own name. This is possibly an allusion to the Roman prostitutes’ custom of exhibiting their names written on their foreheads.6.

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. -- Rev 18:4 (KJV)

1. Magic and the Priesthood

Eucharist gave the priest the power to expel demons, heal

diseases, raise the dead, make protective amulets, magical

potions or luck charms by way of his blessings, and skillful

usages of the eucharist etc.

2. White Priestly Magic against the Black Arts

Worship of Mary as protectress of the church and the Queen of Heaven

c. worship of the Virgin as Divine Mediatrix

1. 754 A.D. Council of Constantinople

all who refuse to acknowledge her supreme power

by merely refusing to seek her intercession on their

behalf was to be anathematized

d. the seventh day was to be a day of honor and worship

to the Virgin Goddess of Heaven (1095 Urban II)

1. The day was to be kept as a fast day with bread

and water especially sacred to the worship of

the virgin

2. It was taught that Virgin herself had a special power over

Christ to enforce his forgiveness upon the sinner which

she alone interceeded for.

3. Mary was the only real hope of reconcilliation for

mankind, according to the Pope. It was the Virgin alone

who could quite the pains of Purgatory.