The final movements will be rapid ones

Rev 18:4  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.

I want to look at what a Biblical scholar has to say on this chapter-- Please bear with me as we study this more in-depth. It's too easy for us to just take the milk (the easy to digest bits) from the Bible and not the meat (that which is much harder to digest but nourishes all the more).

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"So much Adventist tradition has been built around the "angel" of Revelation 18, that it is most difficult to analyze just what is written without reading into the text some aspects of that tradition.

Rev 18:1  And after these things I saw another angel (((The "angel" of Revelation 18)))) come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.

Rev 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.

Rev 18:3  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.

The message of this angel which comes down from heaven "having great authority" is similar to the message of the second angel of Revelation 14 with certain distinct differences.

Babylon has now become "the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and the cage of every unclean and hateful bird." (ver. 2) Instead of the proffered wine which Babylon made all nations drink (14:8), (((Rev 14:8  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. ))))

the nations now have drunk (perfect tense), and the leaders ("kings") of the earth have committed fornication with her and the "merchants of the earth" have profited by their association. (18:3) The union between the combined forces of religion - "Babylon the great" - and the governments of earth is complete. The dire warning is that the power which activates these religious forces is the power of the devil. To all outward appearances, he has become the undisputed sovereign of the earth.

If we understand the symbolism of this angel the same as the symbolism of the three angels of Revelation 14, it represents a "movement" under the direction of this assigned angel of heaven who is given great authority to carry out his mandate. But when will this take place? Obviously from the text, it is just prior to the pouring out of the Seven Last Plagues, because these are spoken of as still future in the context (18:8).

Rev 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.

Yet the message declares that the forces of evil have fixed their abode in Babylon - "Babylon ... is become the habitation of devils." (18:2) This prior event noted in the prophecy is the working of "the spirits of devils" as they gather "the kings of the earth and the whole world" to "the battle of that great day of God Almighty." (Rev. 16:14) (Keep in mind that Revelation 16:13-16 describes activity in "the last remnant of time" which is the justification of the sixth plague, verse 12.

The revelation of what the Harlot says in her heart –

"I sit a queen, and am no more a widow..." (18:7) - clearly defines the time of the message of this fourth angel as congruent with the "harlot" riding forth out of the wilderness on the scarlet colored beast. (17:3-5) While yet future, it is the immediate future! We can even now see the beginnings of this final confrontation.

Within the two chapters - the 17th and the 18th -certain time references are given. The ten horns "receive power as kings one hour with the beast." (17:12) While the harlot's plagues "come in one day" (18:8), in "one hour is [her] judgment come" (v. 10). "In one hour" her "great riches is come to nought" (v. 17). "In one hour is she made desolate" (v. 19). A close comparison of the wording would indicate that the same time allocated to the reign of the ten horns, is the same amount of time that these horns use to turn on the harlot and make her "desolate." (Compare 17:12, 17 with 18:19) While a prophetic day equals one year (Eze. 4:6), the hour, if reckoned as a 24th part of the prophetic day, would be 15 literal days. However, hora, the Greek word for hour, can mean a short period of time, rather than a literal 24 hours. Whatever reckoning of time is used, there is one thing certain - "the final movements will be rapid ones."

It is indicated that those on the side of the Lamb "are called, and chosen, and faithful." (17:14) Little do we realize what faithfulness in that hour will mean. To all appearances, Christ has come. Spiritual wonders convince the eye. ((( The FALSE CHRIST that many will fall victim too))))

The third millenium projects unity, peace and prosperity. For the human instruments to give the warning of the fourth angel will require an absolute confidence in the revelation of the Word contrary to all outward appearances. (((CONTRARY TO ALL OUTWARD APPEARANCES!!!!!!!))))

For those on the side of the Lamb will have to call the great return to "moral values" the working of Satan disguised as an angel of light.

Those who cannot stand for truth now, how can they expect to stand then?

The 18th Chapter closes with an illustration. A mighty angel takes a millstone and casts it into the sea, saying, "Thus with violence shall the great city be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all." (18:21) Pen cannot describe, the carnage, the anarchy - "the violence" - which will ensue when the inhabitants of earth awaken to the fact that through religious deception they have lost all in the battle of life and have joined forces with Satan against Christ.

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The truth is-- FEW THERE BE THAT FIND IT!!!!

Mat 7:13  Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:

Mat 7:14  Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

FEW there be that find it!  We have to comprehend this!   We will NOT be in the majority! We will not be on Facebook with a whole slew of people liking our pages as we like theirs and all is well. This is so much more than the pseudo religion that sounds so incredible wonderful to our ears, our sense of justice, of rightness, of good.  So many have a desire for good things to happen, for a return to morals and right living and so on and so forth, but that desire does not extend to them the WHOLE TRUTH and NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH. They ONLY want the parts of the truth that make them happy, that please them, that keep them in line with others of like mind. 

The great call to return to moral values- WE WILL HAVE TO CALL THIS the working of SATAN in disguise!  Imagine telling your friends that you do NOT want prayer back in schools. That you do NOT want the Ten Commandments posted in our court rooms. That you do NOT want to keep In God We Trust on our currency. That you do NOT want to keep 'One nation under God' in the pledge of allegiance.   Go on, imagine you're saying this to your friends and relatives that are great advocates for all of those things. What do you think they'd think of YOUR religion then, or YOUR walk with God. They certainly wouldn't think it is a good thing, not at all.

Now why don't we want these things?

We don't want CHURCH and STATE together- it is CHURCH mingled with STATE that created the Papacy- a powerful force that mingled religion and politics. The Beast of the Papacy, and now the Image of the Beast- combining church and state. Remember, people who receive the mark of the beast --

Rev 13:14  And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.

Rev 13:15  And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

Rev 13:16  And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:

Rev 13:17  And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

Rev 13:18  Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

More tomorrow by the GRACE of GOD!

Please LORD we would ONLY believe YOUR truth! We would only be YOURS and keep the truth fully, wholly in the face of ALL that is to come, all through the HOLY SPIRIT, all through YOUR POWER ALONE! Please LORD, save us!

In the name of Jesus Christ our LORD and Savior now and forever-- amen!!!!!!!