Woe to those who call evil good
and good evil,
who substitute darkness for light
and light for darkness,
who substitute bitter for sweet
and sweet for bitter.
Woe to those who are wise in their own opinion
and clever in their own sight. (Isaiah 5:20-21)
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Nebuchadnezzar – The Ancient Beast of Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar (605–562 B.C.), the greatest of all Babylonian kings, was one of the mightiest monarchs of all time. He reigned for 45 years. The Babylonian Empire was largely his achievement. He extended the power of Babylon over most of the then-known world and beautified the city of Babylon almost beyond imagination.
In the biblical book 2 Kings, Nebuchadnezzar and his army lay siege to Jerusalem, loot gold and other treasures from the temple, abduct the Judean king and his court, and carry off 10,000 officers, artisans and skilled workers into exile in Babylon. Ten years later, Nebuchadnezzar returns and razes Solomon’s temple to the ground.
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The Ancient City of Babylon
Babylon was the most magnificent city of the ancient world. Situated in the cradle of the human race, it had been built around the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:9)
Babylon was brought to the zenith of its power and glory by King Nebuchadnezzar, who never wearied of building and beautifying its palaces and temples.
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Nebuchadnezzar Became a Beast for 3 1/2 Years
Daniel chapter 4 states that Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, had a dream that troubled him. So he called in the prophet Daniel to interpret his dream. Daniel told him that the following would happen to the king because of his pride:
“this is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king: They shall drive you from men, your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make you eat grass like oxen …., and seven times (seasons) shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses….. your kingdom shall be returned to you, after you come to know that Heaven rules.” (Daniel 4:24-26)
At the end of 12 months, as he was walking on the roof of the royal palace in Babylon, the king exclaimed, “Is this not Babylon the Great that I have built by my vast power to be a royal residence and to display my majestic glory?”
While the words were still in the king’s mouth, a voice came from heaven: “King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is declared that the kingdom has departed from you. You will be driven away from people to live with the wild animals, and you will feed on grass like cattle for seven periods of time, until you acknowledge that the Most High is ruler over the kingdom of men, and He gives it to anyone He wants.”
At that moment the sentence against Nebuchadnezzar was executed. He was driven away from people. He ate grass like cattle, and his body was drenched with dew from the sky, until his hair grew like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws. (Daniel 4)
Actual Babylonian records from Nebuchadnezzar himself, also record the seven seasons period of his insanity:
“For four years my kingdom in the city . . .gave me no joy. During this time, not one building of any importance did I issue to be built; the precious treasures of my kingdom I did not lay out . . . I did not sing praises to Merodach, my god, nor did I provide his sacrificial table with offerings, nor did I clean any of the waterways.”
Note: In Babylon they counted only two seasons, Summer and Winter. Thus (7 seasons) equals 3 1/2 years. And Nebuchadnezzar stated he did not delight in his kingdom for 4 years.
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The Modern Beast of Babylon
They worshiped the dragon because he gave authority to the beast. And they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to wage war against him?” (Revelation 13:4)
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What is the nature of the Beast that John is referring to? What do we know about him?
The description of the beast is found in Revelation chapters thirteen and seventeen. Chapter thirteen gives the fullest description. John saw it “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.” (Revelation 13:1) It was like a leopard, with feet like the feet of a bear, and had a mouth like a lion. One of its heads had a mortal wound which healed itself, causing people to wonder at it and follow it. (Revelation 13:1-10) This description draws many parallels with a vision in the Book of Daniel where four beasts symbolizing a succession of kingdoms come out of the sea in the forms of a lion, bear, leopard and a beast with ten horns.
Revelation 17 mentions a third beast described as “a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.” (Revelation 17:3) and some of the symbols are explained. The prevailing view is that the scarlet beast is another, distinct, visualization of the same subject as the beast of the sea, which is pictured with crowns on its horns, unlike the scarlet beast. The scarlet beast is shown being ridden by a harlot who “reigns over the kings of the earth”, (Revelation 17:18) whereas the beast of the sea is not described as being ridden, and is given “power and great authority.” The seven heads represent both seven mountains and seven kings, and the ten horns are ten kings who have not yet received kingdoms. Of the seven kings, five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come. The beast itself is an eighth king who is of the seven and “was and is not and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition.”
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Who is the Beast?
And they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to wage war against him?” (Revelation 13:4)
We can see the makings of the Antichrist in Recep Erdogan, as the Bible shows that the Antichrist will be seen as a peace maker and will be very wise in the beginning of his rule. At first the Antichrist will seem to solve many of the world’s problems and he will be considered great in the eyes of most in the world. Representing the Muslims, the Antichrist will help mediate a peace agreement in the Middle East, especially with Israel.
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In New York, Erdogan plays to domestic audience / Al-Monitor, September 23, 2021
During his speech at the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has likened the ideological fanaticism in the Western world to the Islamic State’s (IS) fanaticism, sending shockwaves to the international community.
“We as the humanity fight against yet another virus that is more destructive, more lethal and more insidious than COVID-19. It is called the ‘virus of Islamophobia.’ This virus is rapidly spreading in countries that have for years been shown as the cradle of democracy and freedoms,” he said. “Islamophobia and xenophobia have now taken captive the politics. They have turned into a destructive trend that disrupts Muslims’ daily lives, directs state policies and threatens social peace.”
For international politics, his comparison of alleged Islamophobia in the West to IS and treating it at equal par with the fanaticism of the infamous movement that is still alive in the Middle East has been the most memorable event of his four-day New York performance. What makes it even more interesting is that such a vitriolic assessment of the Western world is presented in the immediate aftermath of the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan.
Contrary to the perception of his many critics and opponents, Erdogan’s any step and statement is a well-choreographed move in advance. Contrary to the widespread belief about him, Erdogan is rarely impulsive. Therefore, his lament at the “virus of Islamophobia,” which he defined as “more destructive and more lethal” than the COVID-19 pandemic, aims to elevate and present himself as the uncontested leader of the Muslim world. He wants to be recognized as “the leader” of the Muslim world, speaking on behalf of them at the UN General Assembly.
In a way, Turkey’s president is in a quest for the reincarnation of the notable Third World leaders of the Cold War era. In addition to his attempts to posture himself as the leader of the Muslim world, he also acts as the self-appointed spokesman of the new Third World.
He also used his visit to New York to launch a book carrying his name and undoubtedly written by ghostwriters. The 216-page book, “A Fairer World Is Possible” published in different languages simultaneously underscores his acclaimed new international ambitions. The giant billboards at Times Square advertised the book with Erdogan’s huge profile photo on its cover.
With all the fanfare around his New York visit, including an exaggerated motorcade comprised of scores of armed cars and sirens touring the streets of Manhattan, Erdogan’s performance was designed for domestic political purposes more than anything else.
For Erdogan, his priority is to boost his dwindling image in Turkey. His survival until the elections in 2023, the centenary of the foundation of Turkey, is the most pressing issue in his political and personal agenda. Thus, every step he takes and every statement he makes aims to advance that political agenda.
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Has Erdogan achieved his goal to build his ‘New Turkey’? / Al-Monitor, July 16, 2021
Some dates serve as milestones. For Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, July 15 is one of them. The failed coup attempt to remove Erdogan on July 15, 2016, has become the founding myth of “New Turkey” in his historiography.
For five years, the anniversary of July 15 has become a celebration of Erdogan’s victory that helped him to replace the country’s parliamentary democracy with his one-man rule under his executive presidency. The date also marks the commemoration of the 251 “martyrs” who lost their lives in suppressing the coup attempt.
The passion for underscoring the coup attempt has not faded after five years. It is not because the trauma of the coup attempt is still vivid in the minds of the people. Rather, it is because Erdogan’s regime still feels short of legitimizing their rewriting of Turkey’s history.
I penned an article for Al-Monitor, published on July 17, 2016 — while the coup was underway — in which I wrote that the attempted coup on the night of July 15 raised more questions than answers. Ironically, after five years, this is still the case. The questions raised remained unanswered, and the mystery around the coup attempt has not been solved.
The government did not waste one second before it claimed that its erstwhile ally, cleric Fethullah Gulen who resides in the United States, was the culprit of the coup attempt. Any institution and individuals affiliated with him at any level are considered terrorists and members of the so-called Fethullah Gulen Terror Organization (FETO).
In Turkey’s official parlance, the connection between Gulen and the coup attempt is a foregone conclusion. Anybody that might question the validity of the allegation would be in trouble. The countries that hesitate to buy official Turkish claims have been condemned as enablers of Gulen’s treacherous plot against Turkey. The United States and the European Union — the Western world in general — are also implicated in this narrative, as the Islamist and nationalist constituency of the current regime believe Western powers also supported the coup attempt.
The heavy crackdown in the aftermath of the coup wasn’t limited to Gulenists. The crackdown targeted the entire opposition; the leaders, members, and followers of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party; and journalists.
The aftermath of the coup attempt also saw a referendum on constitutional change, which brought transformation to an executive presidency that ditches any sort of check and balance mechanism. The Judiciary lost its independent status and became subservient to the president as a result of the constitutional change. The prime ministry post was annulled, and the whole executive authority was transferred to the president.
The Turkish presidential system has no resemblance to the American or French models. It has more common features with the caudillo type of presidencies that prevailed in South American countries during the Cold War.
Whatever lies in the future for Erdogan, it is fair to say he achieved the New Turkey that he envisaged.
His problem is that he could not consolidate his power over his New Turkey. If he loses — and that’s still a big if, and it’s also unlikely that he would step down gracefully — the painful process of dismantling his New Turkey would be unleashed.
If he wins in 2023, then July 15 will indeed be registered as the most crucial milestone in Erdogan’s odyssey to absolute power.
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President Erdogan ranked world’s top influential Muslim / Anadolu Agency, October 22, 2018
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ranked first place in the 2019 edition of the World’s 500 Most Influential Muslims.
Prepared annually by the Jordan-based Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre, the book notes that Erdogan became Turkey’s first popularly-elected president in August 2014 and then secured a second-term in the 2018 election with 52.5 percent of the vote, where electoral turnout was 86 percent.
“During his terms, Turkey has seen unprecedented economic growth, constitutional reform, and a re-emergence as a major global power,” the publication said.
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Pope Francis Speaks to Turkish President Erdogan About Palestinians, Meets Iran’s Foreign Minister/ EWTN News, May 17, 2021
According to a statement from the Turkish president’s office, President Erdogan told Pope Francis “that Palestinians would continue to be subjected to massacre as long as the international community did not punish Israel, which is committing humanitarian crimes with sanctions.”
“Let us pray unceasingly that Israelis and Palestinians may find the path of dialogue and forgiveness, to be patient builders of peace and justice, opening up, step by step, to a common hope, to a coexistence among brothers,” Pope Francis said.
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Here is wisdom: The one who has understanding must calculate the number of the beast, because it is the number of a man. His number is 666. (Revelation 13:18)
The reference to 666 is gematria, a code that assigns a number to each letter in the alphabet. The first attested use of gematria occurs in an inscription of Assyrian ruler Sargon II (727-707 BC) stating that the king built the wall of Khorsabad 16,283 cubits long to correspond with the numerical value of his name.
Interestingly, the number of the Turkish President’s name using English Gematria equals 666:
This is not just a coincidence, as there are no other current world leaders that have their given names equal 666.
Note that currently we have a global meltdown, with the rating agencies downgrading the credit of many key nations, including the United States. However, from Recep Erdogan’s official Website, we learn that Turkey has become the world’s fastest growing economy, and plans to be among the top 10 economies in the world by 2023:
The global powers have determined that national sovereignty is destined to fail. We already see this happening with the economic collapse, well under way. With governments crippled and devastated, and failed markets and banks, a “New World Order” will be the only solution offered, and then the Mark of the Beast will rise from the ruins of internationally failed economies. Note the economic focus of the Mark:
and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
(Revelation 13:17)
Today we are the first generation with the technology available to fulfill such a prophecy of a “cashless” society. For instance, every item for sale is bar-coded with its own personal identification number.
Society is being conditioned to accept a universal identification “smart mark” technology-based ID.
This example is part of a Netflix Children’s Cartoon:
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Where does the Beast live?
I know where you live—where Satan’s throne is! And you are holding on to My name and did not deny your faith in Me, even in the days of Antipas, My faithful witness who was killed among you, where Satan lives. (Revelation 2:13)
Was there an actual literal geographic location where Satan had ‘a throne’? In a certain sense, yes. The verse is referring to a massive structure that sat atop a high hilltop in Pergamum. The Greeks originally built this gigantic structure in the 2nd century B.C. as a temple dedicated to Zeus. This in itself is interesting. Certain continuity exists between the various gods of beast empires. For instance, in ancient Egypt they worshipped Ra, the Sun god. In Babylon, there was Murdock, the Sun god and Sin, the Moon god (or goddess). The Greek worshipped many gods, but viewed Zeus – the god of the sky and thunder – as the king over all of the other astral deities. Later, the Romans also worshipped Zeus under the name Jupiter. There is a significant evidence to view the Allah of the Muslims as the Arab counterpart to Baal, Sin, Zeus, or Jupiter. In pre-Islamic times, Allah worship, as well as the worship of Baal, were both astral religions in the sense that they involved the worship of the sun, the moon, and the stars.
But notice that Jesus did not refer to the Pergamum Altar as the throne of Zeus, but rather as the throne of Satan. We can assume that Jesus made this point for a reason. While the various Beast Empires worshipped an assortment of gods under different names, Jesus actually referred to Zeus – the chief god of the ruling beast empire – as Satan. Zeus was Satan dressed in a Greek toga. This point is crucial as we attempt to understand the nature of the work of Satan in the earth in the Last-Days. The re-emerging Islamic Empire is the final Beast Empire. We may also now identify Allah as Satan. This time, however, Satan is masquerading as the God of the Bible.
Not only does Jesus equate Zeus (or Jupiter) with Satan, but he also states that Satan’s ‘throne’, or spiritual base, was geographically located in Turkey.
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Erdogan Advisor Presents Vision Of United Islamic Superpower / Middle East Media Research Institute, January 14, 2020
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s chief advisor, retired Turkish general Adnan Tanrıverdi, has been articulating a vision of a unified Islamic superpower through conferences and documents published by his organizations. This vision is reflected in President Erdoğan’s foreign policy.
The Justice Defenders Strategic Studies Center (ASSAM), of which Tanrıverdi is chairman of the board, has scheduled seven annual “congresses,” of which three have taken place, to work through the technical problems in the formation and governance of an “Islamic union.”[1] At a recent ASSAM Congress, Tanrıverdi called for the coordination of the joint manufacturing of weapons and military equipment among Islamic countries, saying: “States cannot stand tall against the countries whose weapons they use.” ASSAM has also published a 69-page draft of a constituion for a planned shari’a-based confederation of 61 Islamic countries. This constituion declares that “sovereignty belongs to shariah,” that Istanbul is to be the capital of the confederation, that the Arabic language would be taught in all of its schools, and that its name will be “Asrica,” which is formed from a combination of Asia and Africa.
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In 1517 the Ottoman Turks conquered Jerusalem and ruled the Holy City for 400 years. The Turks reigned over Jerusalem until the British General Edmund Allenby defeated them in 1917.
Modern Turkey was founded in 1923 from the Anatolian remnants of the defeated Ottoman Empire. Turkey joined the UN in 1945 and in 1952 it became a member of NATO.
Turkey had made great efforts to be perceived as a neutral power, a democracy with basically a secular government. They tried to be a partner in peace with the United States and have done the same with Israel.
In 1964, Turkey became an associate member of the European Community. Over the past decade, it has undertaken many reforms to strengthen its democracy and economy; it began accession membership talks with the European Union in 2005.
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Let’s put Turkey’s EU membership back on track / POLITICO, May 14, 2019
ANKARA — Some 30 years ago, on the occasion of Turkey’s formal membership application to the EU, then Prime Minister Turgut Özal likened the process of joining the bloc to “a long and narrow road,” referring to a famous verse by the folk-poet Aşık Veysel. Time has proven that the road has, indeed, been not just long and narrow, but also bumpy.
Turkey-EU relations were overshadowed in the 1980s by the aftermath of the military coup, in the 1990s by the exclusion of Turkey from the fifth enlargement wave of the EU and most recently, in 2016, by the July 15 coup attempt. Yet, each time the relationship showed resilience against interruptions and found a way out. Today, we find ourselves in a similarly unpromising situation. Yet, once again, I have no doubt that we will manage to come to agreement with our European friends to put Turkey’s EU process back on track…
Major turning points in recent history — including the 9/11 attacks in the United States, the Arab Spring, the global financial crisis and the refugee crisis — have repeatedly proven the strategic importance of the Turkey-EU relationship. Furthermore, economic, political, security and identity-related matters have demonstrated that Turkey is more than a strategic partner for the EU.
I believe that if Turkey were already a member, we would have been more capable and competent in collectively addressing the challenges of today’s highly volatile world order. Let’s not wait another 30 years.
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Note from our previous messages that with fiscal and political union, we see the current European Union as the beginnings of the imperial power of a revived Roman Empire. The geographical area of Turkey was an integral part of the Roman Empire.
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The point of this history is that Turkey has always played a central role in the world, and is now in center stage in the Middle East conflict. Turkey is currently the seventeenth-largest economy in the world. Historically, when a major Islamic empire has emerged, it has been dominated by the Turks. Turkey is a stable platform in the midst of chaos. The Balkans, the Caucasus, and the Arab world to the south are all unstable. As Turkey’s power grows-and its economy and military are already the most powerful in the region-so will Turkish influence.
Turkey is going through a revival of neo-Ottomanism, and transformed Turkey’s parliamentary system into a presidential system, favoring a strong centralized leadership similar to the Ottoman era. Critics have thus accused Erdoğan of acting like an “Ottoman sultan”.
The huge Presidential Palace for Erdogan is one example.
Turkey Is Changing the Middle East. The U.S. Doesn’t Get It. / Bloomberg, March 14, 2019
The Middle East is changing fast but the U.S. seems to be the last government to realize it and respond. Turkey has a larger economy, more sophisticated technology and a stronger military. It also remains a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Turkey isn’t as disruptive as Iran, but could become so, or at least as domineering, over the long run.
Turkey has not hidden its growing ambition to revive the dominance that the Ottoman Empire enjoyed over much of the Islamic world. At a recent rally, Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu declared, “We are not only just Turkey, but also Damascus, Aleppo, Kirkuk, Jerusalem, Palestine, Mecca and Medina.”
Turkey’s longstanding rivalry with Saudi Arabia, which dates to the early 19th century, has erupted again, and was on full display during the diplomatic crisis over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, 2018.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan used the fracas to declare that “Turkey is the only country that can lead the Muslim world.” That’s a direct rejection of the implicit claim of Saudi Arabia and the explicit claim of Iran to global Islamic leadership.
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Turkish interior minister says Turkey spans from Damascus to Medina / Al Arabiya, March 3, 2019
“We are not only just Turkey, but also Damascus, Aleppo, Kirkuk, Jerusalem, Palestine, Mecca, and Medina,” said Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu during a rally in Diyarbakir city, according to a video and translation posted on Twitter by the Nordic Monitor.
“We are the grandchildren of a great civilization,” the interior minister added in his rally speech.
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When does the Beast gain his power?
Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to Him: We ask you, brothers, not to be easily upset in mind or troubled, either by a spirit or by a message or by a letter as if from us, alleging that the Day of the Lord has come. Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way. For that day will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction. He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he sits in God’s sanctuary, publicizing that he himself is God. (2 Thessalonians 2:1-4)
Dispensationalists generally view passages such as 2 Thessalonians (referenced above) as referring to a reconstructed Temple in Jerusalem in the last days. The great “Falling Away” is viewed as a future affair in which not only Rome but all of the world’s religions join against the truth, for the sake of a false peace and prosperity.
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A century after the establishment of the modern Turkish Republic, the country is looking to celebrate its hundredth birthday in a way that has become popular throughout the Middle East today. Turkey’s ambitious Vision 2023 aims to put the country in the world’s top ten economies within the next five years by making dramatic improvements to its trade, energy, health care and transport sectors. Announced in 2013 by the then Prime Minister (now President) Recep Tayyip Erdogan, he gave the country ten years to rise from one of the better off developing countries shaken by a long history of military coups to a nation whose economy, stability and regional influence is to be reckoned with.
Over the past century, particularly within the last decade, Turkey has risen to become a somewhat hegemonic power within the region, with Iran being its only rival in influence and Israel being its only rival in military might. Its proactive stance in the Syrian conflict – through its famed “Operation Euphrates Shield” and its current “Operation Olive Branch” – has enabled the country to again become a regional power to be reckoned with militarily, economically and diplomatically.
Sultan Erdogan?
There have been some misgivings over the intentions of Erdogan and the nature of his government – are they Islamists, neo-Ottoman fantasists with a dangerous nostalgia for the past and with an aim to occupy its former territories? While that view is an exaggerated one that plays into the hands of his opponents both within and outside Turkey – especially the European Union which vehemently opposes Turkey’s bid for membership – the current AKP government has displayed a love of national history which goes beyond Ataturk’s founding of the Republic.
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All indications are that Erdogan is going to do everything in his considerable power to “make Turkey great again” and overturn the Ottoman defeat of 1917. It is likely he will have the Ottoman Empire strike back around the hundredth birthday of the Turkish Republic, in 2023.
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How will the Beast gain his throne?
Near the end of their kingdoms,
when the rebels have reached
the full measure of their sin,
an insolent king, skilled in intrigue,
will come to the throne.
His power will be great,
but it will not be his own.
He will cause terrible destruction
and succeed in whatever he does.
He will destroy the powerful
along with the holy people.
He will cause deceit to prosper
through his cunning and by his influence,
and in his own mind he will make himself great.
He will destroy many in a time of peace;
he will even stand against the Prince of princes. (Daniel 8:23-25)
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Erdogan heralds massive military complex to coordinate military, security agencies / Al-Monitor, September 8, 2021
Turkey has launched the construction of the massive military complex, the Crescent and Star, named after the symbols of its national flag, to bring the Defense Ministry, the chief of General Staff, and the headquarters of the land, air and navy forces under a single roof, with the stated aim of enhancing coordination between military institutions and their operational effectiveness.
Dubbed “Turkey’s Pentagon,” the project will sprawl on an area of some 12.6 million square meters and have indoor spaces of 890,000 square meters to house up to 15,000 employees. A crescent-shaped structure in the middle of the complex will contain various conference halls, curving around a ceremonial ground of 23,000 square meters and facing a star-shaped structure to the south. The complex will be erected in Ankara’s suburb of Baglica, not far from the new, high-security headquarters to which the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) moved last year. The Defense Ministry, the chief of General Staff, and the headquarters of the land, air and navy forces are currently housed in separate buildings in Kizilay, the commercial heart of the Turkish capital, in close proximity to parliament and government buildings.
According to state-run media, “The design, originality, size and technological features [of the Crescent and Star complex] will make it one of the most modern and functional headquarters in the world.” The structure will “instill fear in enemies and give confidence to friends,” President Recep Tayyip Erdogan boasted at the groundbreaking ceremony Aug. 30.
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Turkey’s Grand Plans for Middle East Primacy / The National Interest, December 21, 2019
Ankara’s grand strategy can be seen as combining military, political and economic initiatives into similar frameworks and having a willingness to use threats to achieve its goals.
Ankara’s NATO goals were only one of a series of files Turkey was working on in early December. This is part of Turkey’s grand strategy that increasingly places the country astride the Middle East as a regional power as well as an emerging global power.
The path to this grand strategy has brought Ankara into conflicts and almost weekly disputes with countries in the Mediterranean, or Europe, Israel, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, India, China, Myanmar and the United States. Along the way, Turkey’s ruling party of Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s AKP has convinced itself that it is winning and that a mix of threats, military action and land grabs tend to result in adversaries climbing down. It’s not every day that a country can take on disputes with the United States, NATO, the European Union, UN and others and come away as confident and strong as Ankara appears. This is a strategy, not just a series of crises.
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Erdogan seeks better ties with US and EU, but on his terms / Al-Monitor, January 25, 2021
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is seeking a new chapter with the new US administration in order to overcome Ankara’s deeply strained ties with Washington. He signaled this in the letter of congratulations he sent to newly elected President Joe Biden on Nov. 10.
“I believe that the strong cooperation and alliance between our countries will continue to contribute to world peace in the future as it has been until today,” Erdogan said in his letter.
Erdogan, however, wants to improve these ties on his terms; he is not willing to compromise on issues that have damaged the “strong cooperation” he referred to.
Washington has also provided no indication that it is willing to compromise on these issues. The stalemate appears set to remain for the foreseeable future.
The most notable issue — although there are others that have clouded ties — remains Ankara’s purchase of Russian-made S-400 missile defense systems.
Erdogan’s dilemma is that Turkey’s economy has been going downhill in line with its deteriorating ties with the United States and Europe.
It is not a newfound love for the West that is forcing him to try and reach out to the United States and the EU now. Erdogan has no other option but to look to the West again for much-needed foreign capital and investments.
In order to woo Europe, Erdogan has announced that his government is working on a “radical legislative reform package.” He also wants to restart the stalled Turkey-EU membership talks as a means to support Turkey’s failing economy.
The past few weeks have seen a flurry of diplomatic activity involving an exchange of letters between Erdogan and French President Emmanuel Macron, and visits by the Italian and German foreign ministers to Ankara and the Turkish foreign minister to Brussels.
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Biden team wants better ties: Turkish presidential spokesperson / Hurriyet Daily News, January 11 2021
U.S. President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team wants to develop a good relationship with Ankara, Turkey’s presidential spokesman has said.
“Biden, while he served as [Barack] Obama’s vice president, came to Turkey four times and knows the region. Our contacts with the transition team so far are very positive,” İbrahim Kalın told Turkish broadcaster, CNN Turk, on Jan. 10.
“They say they want to develop good relations with Turkey and turn a new page,” Kalın added.
He underlined that there were three main outstanding issues between Ankara and Washington, namely the US’ support for the YPG/PKK terror group in Syria since the previous Obama administration, as well as its complacency against FETÖ and F-35 embargo against Turkey.
Kalın said that if steps are taken on these three areas, the two countries could turn a new page in their relations.
During the interview, Kalın also spoke against a recent mandatory update by popular messaging app WhatsApp’s privacy rules. Expressing support for widespread backlash against the Facebook-owned smartphone application, he said he would likely delete it from his own device.
Pivoting to the state of the ongoing novel coronavirus outbreak in Turkey, he noted that there had been a drop in case and fatality numbers. “This isn’t enough. The vaccination process needs to start,” he said, adding that current precautions to curb the virus, including a weeknight and full weekend curfew would remain in place “for a while.”
He also stressed that Turkey hoped for positive developments in its relations with Greece, adding that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had an amicable phone conversation with the head of the European Commission and that two EU presidents would visit Turkey at the end of the month.
Kalın added that Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu would soon go to Brussels.
“There is a favorable ground there to create a positive atmosphere. I can say that work on this will give good results soon,” he stressed.
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Why does the Beast want to rule the world?
You said to yourself:
“I will ascend to the heavens;
I will set up my throne
above the stars of God.
I will sit on the mount of the gods’ assembly,
in the remotest parts of the North.
I will ascend above the highest clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.” (Isaiah 14:13-14)
During the second half of the 7 year Tribulation, the world is dominated by the Antichrist—one specific person. That is the final manifestation, the final product of the spirit of antichrist. He will be one final, supremely evil, supremely powerful ruler, who will dominate the human race for that brief period.
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Turkey’s Erdogan: The Making Of A Latter-Day Sultan / The Media Line, July 25, 2018
Analysts largely agree that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has done more to shape Turkey than any other leader since Mustafa Kemal (Atatürk), the legendary leader who founded the Turkish republic in 1923.
Erdogan, 64, is positioning himself as the bearer of a new Turkish identity, one more closely aligned with Turkey’s Ottoman past and Islamic heritage. It is also an identity that appears to lend to strongman rule.
The Turkish president has been consolidating political power in steady fashion ever since he became prime minister in 2003. After serving in that capacity for 11 years, he quickly transitioned into the presidency, a role he will officially retain until 2023 and perhaps beyond. In 2016, he used a failed coup to purge his opposition in the aftermath. Since then, over 100,000 public service personnel and soldiers have been dismissed from their jobs and more than 50,000 people, including many journalists, have been imprisoned, many still awaiting trial.
By extoling the glories of the Ottoman Empire, the Turkish president may be trying to tighten his grip over a polarized nation by tapping into their nostalgia for past perceived glories.
Although Erdogan’s approach incorporates some historical truths, Ülgen explained, it is a glorified, sanitized and romanticized version of the Ottoman past, one that has permeated into popular Turkish culture.
“The emphasis is on all the successes of Ottoman times,” he elaborated. “Take, for example, the hit TV show ‘Payitaht’ about Sultan Abdulhamid II. During his reign, the Ottoman Empire lost three-fourths of its territory in Eastern Europe, but none of that is taken into account.
“This kind of rhetoric and symbolism about Ottoman glories resonates among Erdogan’s constituency,” Ülgen concluded, “but for the opposition, the overriding historical narrative remains anchored to Atatürk.”
“Otto-mania,” therefore, seems to be geared towards mobilizing and strengthening Erdogan’s support base. How it might be cementing his authority beyond his base is still an open question.
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The ultimate purpose of the one world religion is to place a false Messiah in place of the true Messiah. The Antichrist is the supreme embodiment of man’s rebellion against God and rejection of God’s laws. He is also called the son of perdition, the one who is headed for a lost eternity. Why will Satan give his power to this person? Because that will enable this person to gain dominion over the entire human race and to persuade the entire human race to do the one thing that Satan wants most: to worship him. This is his goal.
If the Israel-Palestinian 7 year (one week) peace agreement is accepted shortly, 2023 would correspond to the half-way point. Erdogan will be part of the firm covenant, allowing the Third Temple to be built:
He will make a firm covenant
with many for one week,
but in the middle of the week
he will put a stop to sacrifice and offering.
And the abomination of desolation
will be on a wing of the temple
until the decreed destruction
is poured out on the desolator.” (Daniel 9:27)
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What will happen next?
A New Muslim Vision: Rebuilding Solomon’s Temple Together / The Jewish Press, March 12, 2013
As a devout Muslim, it would be a joy for me to see Prophet Solomon’s Temple rebuilt as well. No, you did not hear me wrong. Prophet Solomon’s Temple being rebuilt in all its magnificence and glory would be a great delight for me, as it would be to any Muslim. Under different circumstances, in an atmosphere of trust, love and brotherhood, Muslims would welcome this with enthusiasm. The Temple of Solomon is also a historically important place, and rebuilding it would be a wonderful occasion for all believers to contemplate. Every Muslim, every believer, will want to experience the spirit of those days again, and strive to bring the beauty of those days back to life. Actually, it is everyone’s aspiration for that city to be adorned, to be beautified, and to regain the magnificent glory it had in the days of the Prophet Solomon.
Solomon’s Temple being rebuilt does not entail any harm to these shrines. So I beg my Muslim brothers and sisters not to take my words in a direction that I do not intend. They should not feel unease at all, because the al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock will stand until the Last Day. Nobody will be able to harm them, because they are under the protection of God.
There is a broad expanse of land around the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock. The land there is quite convenient in that respect, and the Temple can be placed just a little way from Qubbat As-Sakhrah, and a little ahead of Masjid el-Aqsa.
The Prophet Solomon—King Solomon as the Jews call him—is a prophet to Muslims too. All Muslims have profound love for him. Prophet Solomon had a superior understanding of beauty and aesthetics, and no doubt, rebuilding of his Temple in its original form would be a splendid undertaking. Decorated exactly as it was, with the same beautiful ornaments, covered in gold, adorned with fruit trees and beautiful gardens, and restored to its former glory, would be splendid!
It is of course very exciting to remember those beautiful days, to rebuild this beautiful compound, and let this beautiful prayer house be open to all. This very much excites me as a Muslim and excites other believers as well. The very thought of Christians, Jews and Muslims cooperating to rebuild this house of worship, together hand in hand, and worshipping there together, is a matter of joy.
Think of the waste of energy and resources consumed all over the world by the contention between Arabs and Jews, which could be used to beautify these holy places, to put them in a brilliant state, instead! There is plenty of space, and there are overwhelmingly sufficient resources for everyone to live there in peace and tranquility and enjoy their freedom of worship.
How have we allowed these unending wars, sporadic clashes, security walls, unnecessary discrimination and restrictions to bar us from being able to embrace each other as brothers? Why do we take it for granted that we are under any obligation to perpetuate these senseless conflicts? Why does everyone simply presume that this is the way things are meant to be? We all want suffering to end and peace to prevail in the region! Obviously we cannot achieve this peace as long as we lack the spirit of unity.
The Jews have the exact same vision, with the Third Temple being a center for all believers, not only for Jews:
“Also the aliens, that join themselves to God, to minister unto Him, and to love the name of God, to be His servants… Even them will I bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer; their burnt-offerings and their sacrifices shall be acceptable upon Mine altar; for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” (Isaiah 56:6-7)
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We believe that the Beast (along with the Dragon), assisted by the False Prophet, will soon finalize the Israeli-Palestinian “land for peace” treaty, which will allow the Third Temple to be built. This will begin the dark 7 year period called the Tribulation.
The “Abomination of Desolation” in the Temple
He will make a firm covenant
with many for one week,
but in the middle of the week
he will put a stop to sacrifice and offering.
And the abomination of desolation
will be on a wing of the temple
until the decreed destruction
is poured out on the desolator. (Daniel 9:27)
In Daniel and the Book of Revelation, we are told that the Beast stops the Daily Sacrifice in the Temple, sets up the Abomination of Desolation, blasphemes against God, and persecutes the Saints of the Most High God for a period of three and a half years.
They worshiped the dragon because he gave authority to the beast. And they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to wage war against him?”
A mouth was given to him to speak boasts and blasphemies. He was also given authority to act for 42 months. He began to speak blasphemies against God: to blaspheme His name and His dwelling—those who dwell in heaven. And he was permitted to wage war against the saints and to conquer them. He was also given authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation. All those who live on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name was not written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slaughtered. (Revelation 13:4-8)
What did Jesus Christ say about the “abomination of desolation”?
“Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.
(Matthew 24:15-22)
For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. (1 Thessalonians 5:3)
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Modern Babylon
This is what he said: ‘The fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on the earth, different from all the other kingdoms. It will devour the whole earth, trample it down, and crush it.” (Daniel 7: 23)
Did Europe have its ‘Hamiltonian’ moment? The Washington Post, July 18, 2020
After four days of marathon meetings and tense negotiations in Brussels, E.U. leaders emerged Tuesday with something that looked like success. They agreed on a $2.1 trillion budget and rescue package for the continental bloc that included more than $865 billion in grants and loans to help spur the recovery of economies ravaged by coronavirus shutdowns, particularly those in southern Europe already saddled with deep public debt. Analysts and politicians have cast the impact of the pandemic as the greatest challenge Europe has faced since the end of World War II.
To muster these funds, the bloc will borrow against the financial markets, issuing E.U.-backed bonds for the first time. Calls for this collective pooling of debt obligations grew as it became clear that myriad European economies were about to be plunged into a potentially deep recession. Proponents of such measures liken them to Europe’s “Hamiltonian” moment, a reference to the U.S. Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton, who in 1790 engineered a political agreement on public borrowing that helped transform the loosely confederated 13 former colonies into a more tightly bound federal union.
The plan announced Tuesday in Brussels “takes the E.U. fiscal relationship to the next level,” noted Barron’s Daily. “Alexander Hamilton did something very similar when the fledgling U.S. government absorbed the debt of the 13 states after the revolutionary war with Britain.”
“Europe is united, Europe is present,” declared European Council President Charles Michel. “We have demonstrated that the magic of the European project works because when we think that it is impossible, there is a spring in our step thanks to respect and cooperation.”
The European Union (EU) is a trade and monetary union that enables its member nations to send goods, services and people across the bloc’s collective borders with minimal friction.
The European Union is a “Superstate” that rivals the United States and China in global military, economic, and soft power.
Europe consistently deploys military troops within and beyond its immediate neighborhood. It manipulates economic power with a skill and success unmatched by any other country or region. And its ability to employ “soft power” to persuade other countries to change their behavior is unique.
The evolution of what is today the European Union from a regional economic agreement among six neighboring states in 1957 to today’s hybrid intergovernmental and supranational organization of 27 countries across the European continent stands as an unprecedented phenomenon in the annals of history. As of 1 February 2020, the population of the EU is about 445 million people.
Although the EU is not a federation in the strict sense, it is far more than a free-trade association, and it has certain attributes associated with independent nations: its own flag, currency (for some members), and law-making abilities, as well as diplomatic representation and a common foreign and security policy in its dealings with external partners.
Interestingly, the Roman Empire, at its height (c. 117 CE), covered much of the same area, and was the most extensive political and social structure in western civilization.
The Roman Empire began when Augustus Caesar (27 BC-14 AD) became the first emperor of Rome.
The influence of the Roman Empire on western civilization was profound in its lasting contributions to virtually every aspect of western culture.
The inventions and innovations which were generated by the Roman Empire profoundly altered the lives of the ancient people and continue to be used in cultures around the world today. Advancements in the construction of roads and buildings, indoor plumbing, aqueducts, and even fast-drying cement were either invented or improved upon by the Romans.
The calendar used in the West derives from the one created by Julius Caesar, and the names of the days of the week (in the romance languages) and months of the year also come from Rome. Even the practice of returning some purchase one finds one does not want comes from Rome whose laws made it legal for a consumer to bring back some defective or unwanted merchandise to the seller.
Apartment complexes (known as `insula), public toilets, locks and keys, newspapers, even socks all were developed by the Romans as were shoes, a postal system (modeled after the Persians), cosmetics, the magnifying glass, and the concept of satire in literature. During the time of the empire, significant developments were also advanced in the fields of medicine, law, religion, government, and warfare.
Four world kingdoms were prophesied by Daniel, who was in the first group of captives taken from Jerusalem to Babylon in 605 BC.
Babylon, the scene of Daniel’s ministry, was a favorite residence of Babylonian, Assyrian,
and Persian kings, and even of Alexander the Great, who had plans to further beautify it
that came to naught because of his early death.
The most spectacular construction in Babylon was the Hanging Gardens, which were
considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Nebuchadnezzar had the
gardens built inside the walls of his palace to ease the homesickness of his wife, Amytis,
from Media, which was a wild, mountainous country, very unlike the flat plains surrounding Babylon.
In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had a dream that troubled him, and Daniel was the only one who could interpret it:
“My king, as you were watching, a colossal statue appeared. That statue, tall and dazzling, was standing in front of you, and its appearance was terrifying. The head of the statue was pure gold, its chest and arms were silver, its stomach and thighs were bronze, its legs were iron, and its feet were partly iron and partly fired clay. As you were watching, a stone broke off without a hand touching it, struck the statue on its feet of iron and fired clay, and crushed them. Then the iron, the fired clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were shattered and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors. The wind carried them away, and not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.
“This was the dream; now we will tell the king its interpretation. Your Majesty, you are king of kings. The God of heaven has given you sovereignty, power, strength, and glory. Wherever people live—or wild animals, or birds of the air—He has handed them over to you and made you ruler over them all. You are the head of gold.
“After you, there will arise another kingdom, inferior to yours, and then another, a third kingdom, of bronze, which will rule the whole earth. A fourth kingdom will be as strong as iron; for iron crushes and shatters everything, and like iron that smashes, it will crush and smash all the others. You saw the feet and toes, partly of a potter’s fired clay and partly of iron—it will be a divided kingdom, though some of the strength of iron will be in it. You saw the iron mixed with clay, and that the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly fired clay—part of the kingdom will be strong, and part will be brittle. You saw the iron mixed with clay—the peoples will mix with one another but will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with fired clay.
“In the days of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, and this kingdom will not be left to another people. It will crush all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, but will itself endure forever. You saw a stone break off from the mountain without a hand touching it, and it crushed the iron, bronze, fired clay, silver, and gold. The great God has told the king what will happen in the future. The dream is true, and its interpretation certain.” (Daniel 2:31-45)
These four world empires are commonly taken to be Babylonia, Persia, Greece, and Rome, representing the period from Daniel to the end of the church age (the Rapture).
The Western Roman Empire would be re-invented later as The Holy Roman Empire.
The Holy Roman Empire ruled for 1260 years. It was a multi-ethnic complex of territories in Western and Central Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1798 during the Napoleonic Wars.
The legally recognized supremacy of the Pope began in 538 AD, when Emperor Justinian elevated the Bishop of Rome to the position of Head of all Churches. This is known as the Edict of Justinian.
Adding 1,260 years to 538 brings us to 1798, which is the year the Pope was deposed when the French General Berthier, under Napoleon, led him into captivity. Napoleon apparently tried to crush the Papacy, and about 18 months later the Pope died in exile in Valence, France. This act ended papal power in terms of enforcing papal decrees.
The Bible clearly identifies the papal system as the spirit of the Antichrist. The Papacy has placed itself in the place of Jesus Christ on Earth, and claims to be able to mediate between people and God. The great reformers were all united in their recognition of papal Rome as the Antichrist power.
From Halley’s Handbook:
The Papacy is an Italian Institution: It arose on the ruins of the Roman Empire, in the name of Christ occupying the throne of the Caesars; a Revival of the Image of the Roman Empire inheriting the Spirit thereof; “the Ghost of the Roman Empire come to life in the garb of Christianity.” The Popes mostly have been Italians.
The Papacys Methods: It brought itself to power through the prestige of Rome, and the Name of Christ, and by shrewd political alliances, and by deception, and by armed force; and by Armed Force and Bloodshed has maintained itself in power.
Papal Revenues: Through a large part of its history the Papacy, by the sale of ecclesiastical office, and its shameless traffic in Indulgences, has received vast revenues that enabled it to maintain, for much of the time the most luxurious Court in Europe.
Personal character of the Popes: Some of the Popes have been good men; some of them unspeakably vile; the most of them have been absorbed in the pursuit of Secular Power.
Papal Claims: Yet, in spite of the Character of the general run of Popes, their Methods, and the Secular and Bloody record of the Papacy, these “Holy Fathers” claim that they are the “Vicars of Christ,” “Infallible,” and that they “hold on this earth the place of Almighty God,” and that Obedience to Them is necessary to salvation.
The Papacy and the Bible: Hildebrand ordered Bohemians not to read the Bible. Innocent III forbade the people reading the Bible in their own language. Gregory IX forbade laymen possessing the Bible, and suppressed translations. Translations among the Albigenses and Waldenses were burned, and people burned for having them. Paul IV prohibited the possession of translations without permission of the Inquisition. The Jesuits induced Clement XI to condemn the reading of the Bible by the laity. Leo XII, Pius VIII, Gregory XVI and Pius IX all condemned Bible Societies. In Catholic countries the Bible is an unknown book.
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Now begins the Revived Roman Empire, also known as “Babylon the Great”
The Christian understanding of apostasy is a willful falling away from, or rebellion against, Christian truth. What is happening here is a rebellion against Christianity by society at large. The apostasy reaches the point where the “man of lawlessness” declares himself to be God.
Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me: “Come, I will show you the judgment of the notorious prostitute who sits on many waters. The kings of the earth committed sexual immorality with her, and those who live on the earth became drunk on the wine of her sexual immorality.” So he carried me away in the Spirit to a desert. I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and 10 horns. The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, adorned with gold, precious stones, and pearls. She had a gold cup in her hand filled with everything vile and with the impurities of her prostitution.
On her forehead a cryptic name was written:
BABYLON THE GREAT
THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES
AND OF THE VILE THINGS OF THE EARTH.
Then I saw that the woman was drunk on the blood of the saints and on the blood of the witnesses to Jesus. When I saw her, I was greatly astonished.
Then the angel said to me, “Why are you astonished? I will tell you the secret meaning of the woman and of the beast, with the seven heads and the 10 horns, that carries her. The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up from the abyss and go to destruction. Those who live on the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast that was, and is not, and will be present again.
“Here is the mind with wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated. They are also seven kings: Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he comes, he must remain for a little while. The beast that was and is not, is himself an eighth king, yet he belongs to the seven and is going to destruction. The 10 horns you saw are 10 kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but they will receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour. These have one purpose, and they give their power and authority to the beast. These will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will conquer them because He is Lord of lords and King of kings. Those with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.” (Revelation 17:1-14)
The 7 mountains can also refer to the 7 hills of Rome, and the G-7, which consists of the United States, Japan, Germany, Britain, Italy, France, and Canada. Also, there are 10 core members of the European Union.
Bible prophecy foretells a 10-nation military alliance that will rise out of a revived Roman Empire (the European Union) and will come under the control of the Antichrist (Daniel 7:23-24). Unknown to many Christians, a 10-nation military alliance appeared in Europe in 1995, called the Western European Union (or the Brussels Treaty Powers).
These 10 nations are members of both NATO and the European Union. What bound them together was a mutual defense obligation under Article Five of the modified Brussels Treaty, which meant that an attack against one would be an attack against all.
Yet, on March 31, 2010, the 10 nations announced that they had agreed to terminate their alliance and transfer the Western European Union’s powers to the European Union – which, under the Lisbon Treaty, has developed a mutual defense obligation that includes all the EU member states.
He also said to me, “The waters you saw, where the prostitute was seated, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and languages. The 10 horns you saw, and the beast, will hate the prostitute. They will make her desolate and naked, devour her flesh, and burn her up with fire. For God has put it into their hearts to carry out His plan by having one purpose and to give their kingdom to the beast until God’s words are accomplished. And the woman you saw is the great city that has an empire over the kings of the earth.” (Revelation 17:15-18)
The 10 core members of the European Union, known as the “Berlin Group” (Germany, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal and Spain) just lost Britain. Soon, they will add Turkey as it reconciles with Israel and promotes a Middle East peace plan.
Babylon the Great is a metaphor for the pagan Roman Empire at the time it persecuted Christians.
In Revelation 17:9 it is said that she sits on “seven mountains”, understood as the seven hills of Rome. The characteristics ascribed to Babylon apply to Rome rather than to any other city of that age.
The Catholic Church is the great whore in prophecy as seen in Revelation 17:1, a false church.
Vatican Calls for New World Economic Order / Fox News, October 24, 2011
VATICAN CITY – The Vatican called Monday for radical reform of the world’s financial systems, including the creation of a global political authority to manage the economy.
A proposal by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace calls for a new world economic order based on ethics and the “achievement of a universal common good.” It follows Pope Benedict XVI’s 2009 economic encyclical that denounced a profit-at-all-cost mentality as responsible for the global financial meltdown.
The proposal acknowledges, however, that a “long road still needs to be traveled before arriving at the creation of a public authority with universal jurisdiction” and suggests the reform process begin with the United Nations as a point of reference.
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Revelation 17:18 as a prophecy of the false church which has power over the kings of the earth. The pope is in apostasy for allowing pagan rituals, beliefs and ceremonies to come into the church, having those who pointed out its apostasy persecuted and killed and never repenting of or fully admitting the true extent of its actions. The Papacy stepped in after the Roman Empire as fulfillment of 2 Thessalonians 2:7 which says, “For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way.”
It all comes together when considering that the EU founders are solidifying their political union under the approval of the Pope:
Here is an excerpt of his speech:
ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS
TO THE HEADS OF STATE AND GOVERNMENT OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
IN ITALY FOR THE CELEBRATION OF THE 60th ANNIVERSARY OF THE TREATY OF ROMESala Regia
Friday, 24 March 2017Europe finds new hope when man is the centre and the heart of her institutions…
As leaders, you are called to blaze the path of a “new European humanism” made up of ideals and concrete actions. This will mean being unafraid to take practical decisions capable of meeting people’s real problems and of standing the test of time.
For my part, I readily assure you of the closeness of the Holy See and the Church to Europe as a whole, to whose growth she has, and always will, continue to contribute. Invoking upon Europe the Lord’s blessings, I ask him to protect her and grant her peace and progress. I make my own the words that Joseph Bech proclaimed on Rome’s Capitoline Hill: Ceterum censeo Europam esse aedificandam – furthermore, I believe that Europe ought to be built.
Thank you.
Many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. Because lawlessness will multiply, the love of many will grow cold. (Matthew 24:11-12)
Chrislam is our 21st century act of syncretism, by trying to promote a culturally designed combination religion of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism in the interest of peace. This interfaith apostasy is our modern version of the worship of the golden calf (created by Aaron as a combination of the Egyptian bull deity and the God of Israel). The Lord ordered Moses to go down the mountain at once to stop this abomination.
The stated goal of the “Chrislam” interfaith movement was to promote understanding between different religions to increase acceptance of others, and to facilitate cooperation between faiths for humanitarian service projects. The actual result is the preaching of Islam in many Christian churches – and the beginnings of a umbrella organization that will ultimately form a one-world religion.
Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to determine if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
This is how you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit who confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God. But every spirit who does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist; you have heard that he is coming, and he is already in the world now. (1 John 4:1-3)
The foundation for a one world religion already exists now, in the form of the United Religions:
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Pope Francis and the United Religions Initiative / Michael J. Matt, April 11, 2014
It is no secret that the Holy Father has his supporters in radical organizations such as the Council for a Parliament of the World Religions. He is also regularly praised for his extensive experience in interreligious relations in Argentina.
And then there is this strangely underreported connection between Pope Francis and a global organization called the United Religions Initiative (URI)—which, according to their website, “envisions a world at peace, sustained by engaged and interconnected communities committed to respect for diversity, nonviolent resolution of conflict and social, political, economic and environmental justice.”
Pope Francis, while still Cardinal Bergoglio, was reportedly a friend and supporter of the San Francisco-based URI, which has regional offices in 83 countries and seems to have as its ultimate objective the establishment of what conspiracy theorists used to call the One World Religion, whereby Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Shintoists, Bahá’is, Sikhs, Hindus, Zoroastrians, New Agers, Wiccans, representatives of aboriginal religions, etc., would set aside all doctrinal differences or claims of religious supremacy in order to engender universal peaceful coexistence.
According to an article written by Lee Penn in the December 1998 issue of the New Oxford Review, The United Religions Initiative, A Bridge Back to Gnosticism, the URI hopes to enroll “60 million people in what it describes as ‘a Worldwide Movement to create the United Religions as a lived reality locally and regionally, all over the world.’”
In 2007, URI celebrated its 10th anniversary in the Metropolitan Cathedral in Buenos Aires, Argentina. And guess who was there. “Little did we know,” writes an enthusiastic Maria Eugenia Crespo of URI in Argentina that “one of our esteemed participants and friends, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, would be named Pope just five years later! Felicitations, Papa Francis!”
According to the Covenant of Faith blog site, Cardinal Bergoglio was a known supporter of the United Religions Initiative in his diocese for some time. Maria Crespo, an Argentine Catholic and Global Support Coordinator for the URI said in an article last March that she had “worked directly with Bergoglio on interfaith efforts. He hosted a meeting of Crespo’s URI Cooperation Circle, which fosters interfaith cooperation, at the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral. ‘He is so open and welcoming and humble at the same time,’ she said.” (Laird Harrison, Bay Area Catholics May Find the New Pope a Mixed Bag, KQED News Fix, March 13, 2013.)
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Are we now witnessing an alliance that will become the revived Roman Empire?
Angela Merkel: Nation States Must “Give Up Sovereignty” To New World Order / ZeroHedge, December 28, 2018
“Nation states must today be prepared to give up their sovereignty”, according to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who told an audience in Berlin that sovereign nation states must not listen to the will of their citizens when it comes to questions of immigration, borders, or even sovereignty.
No this wasn’t something Adolf Hitler said many decades ago, this is what German Chancellor Angela Merkel told attendants at an event by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Berlin. Merkel has announced she won’t seek re-election in 2021 and it is clear she is attempting to push the globalist agenda to its disturbing conclusion before she stands down.
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France and Germany: “We Are Committed to the Emergence of a European Army” Gatestone Institute, January 25, 2019
French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have signed a new Franco-German friendship treaty aimed at reinvigorating the European Union, which has been buffeted by the European debt crisis, mass migration and Brexit — as well as innumerable conflicting interests and priorities among its 28 member states.
France and Germany, the self-appointed guardians of European integration, have said that the new treaty is a response to the growing influence of populists in Austria, Britain, France, Italy, Hungary, Poland and other European countries who are seeking to slow, and even reverse, European integration by recouping national sovereignty from the European Union and transferring those powers back to national capitals.
The continental showdown, which threatens to split the European Union down the middle between Eurosceptic nationalists and Europhile globalists, will heat up in coming weeks, ahead of elections for the European Parliament in late May 2019.
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Emmanuel Macron’s coalition of the willing / Politico, May 2, 2018
PARIS — Impatient with German foot-dragging on defense, French President Emmanuel Macron will bring together a 10-nation coalition of the willing next month designed to prepare European armed forces to take action together in emergencies, and to bind Britain into military cooperation as it leaves the EU.
Defense ministers of France, the U.K., Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal, Denmark and Estonia will sign a letter of intent in Paris in June, officials told me, pledging to develop a common strategic culture, share analysis and foresight on trouble spots that may require intervention and work to coordinate their forces for future operations.
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One-world government / The Spectator, May 4, 2019
The undeclared aim is one-world government – and you may rest assured that it won’t be the Gettysburg version of ‘of the people, by the people and for the people’. A former British Labour cabinet minister and EU Commissioner, Peter Mandelson, once famously said ‘We are now entering a post-democratic age’ and he wasn’t kidding. Their vision of the future is one where power resides solely with a global elite of politicians, bureaucrats and business leaders. For one-world government to be achieved the concept of the nation-state must first be discredited.
When millions of Christians are removed at the Rapture, the mystery of lawlessness (apostasy) increases, and the “man of sin” is revealed. This unleashes the Day of the Lord – the Tribulation.
In the Revelation of Jesus Christ, John saw a vision of Babylon the Great:
In this city, people will become part of the “Internet of Things.” During the Tribulation, the demons that were cast down to Earth will infest it:
After this I saw another angel with great authority coming down from heaven, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor. He cried in a mighty voice:
It has fallen,
Babylon the Great has fallen!
She has become a dwelling for demons,
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a haunt for every unclean spirit,
a haunt for every unclean bird,
and a haunt for every unclean and despicable beast.
For all the nations have drunk
the wine of her sexual immorality,
which brings wrath.
The kings of the earth
have committed sexual immorality with her,
and the merchants of the earth
have grown wealthy from her excessive luxury. (Revelation 18:1-3)
It is destined to be totally destroyed:
Then I heard another voice from heaven:
Come out of her, My people,
so that you will not share in her sins
or receive any of her plagues.
For her sins are piled up to heaven,
and God has remembered her crimes.
Pay her back the way she also paid,
and double it according to her works.
In the cup in which she mixed,
mix a double portion for her.
As much as she glorified herself and lived luxuriously,
give her that much torment and grief,
for she says in her heart,
“I sit as a queen;
I am not a widow,
and I will never see grief.”
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For this reason her plagues will come in one day—
death and grief and famine.
She will be burned up with fire,
because the Lord God who judges her is mighty. (Revelation 18:4-8)
They will wander through the land, dejected and hungry. When they are famished, they will become enraged, and, looking upward, will curse their king and their God. They will look toward the earth and see only distress, darkness, and the gloom of affliction, and they will be driven into thick darkness. (Isaiah 8:21-22)
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The Mark Mandate
Already we are constantly hearing about the “New World Order”, or “global community”, and these buzz slogans are slowly sinking in as the world heads towards an international financial and political system, a cashless society controlled by a computer data base that covers the entire globe, keeping track of every man, woman and child, where they cross borders and when they buy and sell–exactly like the one predicted in Revelation chapter 13 nearly 2,000 years ago!
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In the middle of the Tribulation, the Antichrist will enter the Jewish Temple and demand to be worshiped. He’ll also set up an image of himself. The image will be able to speak, and it will demand worship.
There are already many early prototypes of the image the Beast, using robotics and artificial intelligence:
If, sometime in the future, you are facing the choice of receiving this “mark” in your hand or forehead (whatever it is), REMEMBER the eternal consequences:
And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name. (Revelation 14:11)
If you choose to not receive the mark, you will face death, but there is a great reward:
And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. (Revelation 20:4)
The time is running short. The beast will soon help broker the Israeli-Palestinian land for peace treaty, which will begin the dark 7 year period called the Tribulation.
The Good News is that we believe that the Rapture will occur before then. If you are a faithful and committed “Philadelphia” Christian, you may never have to face the choice of taking the mark or being put to death:
Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. (Revelation 3:10)
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If you are not sure that you are saved, you can accept Christ into your life right now, by praying:
“Lord Jesus, I believe you are the Son of God. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. Please forgive my sins and give me the gift of eternal life. I ask you in to my life and heart to be my Lord and Savior.”
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Reader Comments:
The Revelation Babylon represents what Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, did in the days of Daniel the prophet. But the Revelation Babylon Harlot is applied to Jerusalem in a state of idol worship for the very end of this world just prior to Jesus’ return.
Rev 11:1-8
11 And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.
2 But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.
3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
4 These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.
5 And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.
6 These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.
7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.
8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. (KJV)
Davy, October 1, 2021
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For this is what the Lord has commanded us:
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. (Acts 1:8)
Eagles Arise International Ministries is a Christian, mission-centered enterprise. Through the Rapture and End Times website, we provide eschatology-related information to a global community.
Each day, millions around the world turn to the internet for answers to their spiritual questions. They’re looking for truth, for something to fill the emptiness within. They ask questions like: ‘Am I loved?’ ‘Is there a God?’ ‘What’s my purpose in life?’
Think about all the money it costs to put on a mass evangelism event like a Billy Graham crusade. You have to rent a stadium, advertise your event, and hire people to help you setup and tear down. Plus, you’ll need to coordinate hundreds of volunteers to help.
But, even people in poverty-stricken countries can now afford a relatively cheap phone or tablet. The thing is that whether they buy an expensive product or a cheap one, all these devices are capable of giving a digital presentation of the gospel.
When Jesus gave the commandment, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation,’ the disciples were on foot. There was no television, no radio, no airplanes, and certainly no internet. What a difference 2,000 years can make! Or for that matter, 10 years. Today, more and more people are coming to faith in Christ by logging onto the World Wide Web.
The internet may be the greatest tool that God has ever given the church to help take the Gospel to the ends of the earth. Internet evangelism is strategically using internet, mobile, and social media platforms to meet the needs of others and share the Gospel with the online world.
With internet evangelism, we share the Good News 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We meet people in their moment of need with the hope of Jesus Christ.
Through online ministry, our mission field is expanding to reach people we might never reach in person. They need to know that Jesus Christ is the only One who gives us true purpose and fulfills our greatest need.
We are independent and can’t be cancelled. The need for fact-based Biblical analysis with an international perspective on critical events has never been greater. When you support Rapture and End Times, you support Christian freedom of expression at a time when it’s under direct attack.
As you know, time is running out. We have a unique opportunity to preach online now. No one knows how long that access will last. 44,000 people perish each day without hearing the Good News. Help us to reach them now, before it is eternally too late!
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Rapture and End Times 
Yep! Those are the two, all right. We are so close to the end… Come, Lord Jesus!
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