BY PASTOR MIKE TAYLORPsalms 2:1 Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?
2:2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying,
2:3 Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.
2:4 He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the LORD shall have them in derision.
2:5 Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.
Down through the history of mankind on this orbiting sphere that we call earth, mankind has thought to elevate himself above God, instead of realizing the Creator as God, but making himself a god to worship. Men in their evil hearts have tried to deny God, to blaspheme His name, and ignore Him in their daily lives. They have said “I don’t need God, because I will elevate myself and humanity as my god”. This has been going on since ancient times and the Tower of Babel when Nimrod thought to make a tower to heaven to challenge God for supreme position in the hearts of mortal man. It is the greatest rebellion patterned after the father of rebellion, Lucifer who became Satan.
Beginning in this ancient time period, there have been men who are Anti-God and by extension Anti-Christ. We see many instances of men arising to power and denying the power that enables them to breath, to move, and have their being. But God is sovereign and men’s puny attempts to deny Him, or attempts to thwart His supreme plan for the redemption of mankind will fail. God is infinitely stronger than even the greatest of confederacies, and He will blow away the most extensive and vigorous efforts to overthrow His plans like so much dust. He laughs at man's puny attempts to rule without considering Him as the source of their very lives. Will He who repulsed the attacks of Satan's mighty angelic host be put in fear of more limited men?
God says in Isaiah 14:
. . . I will break the Assyrian in My land, and on My mountains tread him underfoot. Then his yoke shall be removed from them, and his burden removed from their shoulders. This is the purpose that is purposed against the whole earth, and this is the hand that is stretched out over all the nations. For the LORD of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back?
But that does not mean that men have not attempted to deny God and to rise to power to commit heinous acts against other men according to their own free will and moral choices. They attempt to rule the earth and forever wish to be the supreme force on this earth. You can see the results of men who have been a power of Anti-Christ when you look at men like Nero, Antiochus Epiphanes, Stalin, Hitler, Pol Pot and Mahmoud (I’m a total nut job) the leader of Iran, just to name a few from ancient times into our more modern times. God has allowed these men to come to power and have toppled them when His plan is completed for their time. Our bible says that this time is not finished, as many Anti-Christ have come upon the scene since John spoke of them in 1st John:
2:18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
They have been many recorded in our history, but God says there will be a coming Anti-Christ who will be the last of a long line, but will be more powerful than all the rest.
2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
This is the man, who will possess the supreme embodiment of the evil of Satan indwelling a mortal man. He will arise and will subdue the whole earth as is plainly stated in Revelation 13:
13:7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
13:8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
We know that this man will arise, but where will he come from? Many have tried to pinpoint his location or his arrival. It has been spoken that the man known as the Anti-Christ will come from the Revised Roman Empire, and that would be Europe, or possibly the Eastern Leg located in the middle east, but let us explore a possibility that many overlook. I will attempt to hypothesize and mind you, I may not be right, but it is worth looking at this possibility, as we are told to watch, and a good watchmen on the wall takes what is about him and warns the people of WHAT MAY be coming in short order.
The bible is full of historical events that have been proven to be right by discovery in archeological digs and is written down in our history books. Events in the bible seem to go in parallels, or in circles, and keep repeating themselves, until the final episode of man’s rebellion is put down in a final battle the bible calls Armegeddon. The bible speaks of Ancient Babylon and goes into describing her again in Revelation as the power that will be destroyed in the end of days.
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.
We read about this great city that will arise and rule the whole world in commerce, militarily, and economically and will cause all men to bow to one supreme ruler.
13:2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
13:3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
13:4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?
13:5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.
13:6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.
He will be supported and promoted as the supreme ruler of this world, by another man known as the false prophet:
13:11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
13:12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
13:13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
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.
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.
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:
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.
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.
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
Where will these men be located and where will their bases of operation be? If we look to the ancient land of Babylon, now known as Iraq, the USA just completed, (prematurely, in my opinion) a war to rid the country of Saddam Hussein and hopefully instill the spirit of “democracy” into the people of the country. But what has happened just after we crossed the border with the last soldier of our military? The news is awash with news of new sectarian violence and the latest bomb blast to kill innocent bystanders. The country is on the verge of a civil war and the Prime Minister is inept to enforce the rule of law and prevent this violence. It looks like we spent much blood and treasure to no avail in this godless country. But our bible speaks of Babylon the Great, so does the bible mean the ancient site of Babylon? Let’s see if we can make any sense of what we read in our bible concerning this city.
Zechariah chapter 5:
5:5 Then the angel who spoke with me went out and said to me, "Lift up now your eyes and see what this goes forth."
5:6 I said, "What does this signify?" And he said, "This represents the ephah going forth." Again he said, "This signifies their appearance in all the land
5:7 (and behold, a lead cover appeared lifted up); and a woman sits inside the ephah."
5:8 Then he said, "This represents Wickedness!" And he threw her down into the middle of the ephah and cast the lead weight on its opening.
5:9 Then I lifted up my eyes and looked, and two women came out with the wind in their wings; and they had wings like the wings of a stork, and they lifted up the ephah between the earth and the heavens.
5:10 I said to the angel who spoke with me, "Where do they take the ephah?"
5:11 Then he said to me, "To build a temple for her in the land of Shinar; and when we prepare it she will stand there on her own pedestal."
People look at these verses and say Babylon is in the ancient land noted in historical records, so that must be Babylon the Great. Is it really? Look to a land where Ishmael created a great nation, the land of Saudi Arabia. In the city of Mecca, we find a great cubicle known as the Black Stone, or the Kaaba. In it you will find a symbol of the female parts of a woman. Note this website:
http://www.reformation.org/black-stone-at-mecca.html
Is this basket, which is what this cubical represents, is sitting on a pedestal with a woman sitting inside, (or a representation of a woman), what Zechariah was speaking of? I believe it is, but this is in Mecca, not Babylon. Historically the land of Shinar was Mesopotamia, or the southern end of Iraq of modern days, but the whole plain might extend to the land mass between the seas of the Caspian, the Mediterranean, an the Persian Gulf.
I wrote a sermon that is on my website called “Modern Catholicism and the One Word Church” and in that sermon I put forth the belief that this religion will be the agent to bring all religions into a one world religious order, including Islam. They are now trying to incorporate all religions to combine into an ecumenical belief that we all serve the same God. Do we all believe in the same God? Not when it comes to Islam and any religious order of Far East Mysticism, but they would have you believe that we can all be of one religion and have as our focus, one mediator on earth that will be the enforcer of this one world belief system. Who is that enforcer? Yes, the False Prophet (who may be the apostate pope) who promotes the Beast Power headed by the Anti-Christ. I think it is safe to say that this evil embodiment of apostasy will include the Kaaba inside Mecca and make it a criminal act to not follow the edicts of the Anti-Christ, his false prophet, or/and his regime. I speak of a regime and where might that regime be located? The bible speaks of a city that is the center of commerce and all of the world has been made richby her fornication. Where is that city? Is it ancient Babylon rebuilt?
If you are a proponent of the imminent return of Jesus Chris, as I am, do you see Ancient Babylon being rebuilt to become a super power of commerce, with a port that is the center of all commerce in the near future? I don’t. There are two reasons that I see another city that is the prophesied Babylon the Great and has been transplanted to another land, as in this time, we are not talking about a region, but the whole earth.
A LAND MOST BLESSED, PASSES INTO IDOLATRY
Reason #1, Revelation
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.
18:9 And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,
18:10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.
18:11 And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:
In this modern era, there is only one city that is the center of commerce for all the earth. The power brokers have their center in this city, all currencies are decided from her treasury, and the world standard for trade is made or destroyed in her ability to control the world’s fortunes. That city is New York. No other center of world power and control of commerce is more evident than in this one city. The world markets are centered by and at large on Wall Street. If somehow the influence and the markets of New York City were destroyed, the world markets would be in a panic. The economies of this world would collapse if God took out His vengeance on this city, who many claim is a nation unto itself and controls the rest of the world. Her destruction would fit the verses quoted above.
As it was in ancient Israel and the time of Solomon, Israel was the most powerful nation in the world, until her kings descended into idolatry and abominations that caused God to pour out His judgment on her and she was cast to the four winds. Now the USA, which started on principles built on the Ten Commandments, and the your bible, and gave honor and glory to our Creator, as the source of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness has been much blessed by God, as was the nation of Israel, but the population has wandered into the darkness of idolatry and lust of the flesh.
No other city that has a port, which if Babylon was to be rebuilt would have no port, and would not have a history of controlling the world trade, as New York has done for 200 years, and even more so in the last 100 years. I submit to you that the city of Revelation that is destroyed in one day noted as Babylon the Great, is but a symbolism of a great city so wicked and perverse in her actions, that God punishes her in one swift blow that surpasses a nuclear strike performed by modern warfare. The center of power of her wealth and it’s control is in this city, but the center of governing this port of commerce is in her neighboring city, Washington, D.C.
ISRAEL & THE LONE SUPERPOWER OF THE EARTH
Reason #2
We who watch for the signs of the coming of our Messiah, point to an obvious sign of the revealing of the Anti-Christ beginning with a 7 year treaty given to Israel by the leader of a superpower nation. Daniel chapter 9,
9:25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
9:26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
9:27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
This is a reference to a treaty that was prophesied to Daniel by Gabriel, that at the end of days, a 70th week will be completed or the finishing of Daniel’s 70 week prophecy concerning Israel and its purification, this treaty, or some call it “a pact with the devil”, will be signed. We have studied in numerous sermons and articles on this website of wars that will lead up to this treaty beginning with a war prophesied in Psalms 83 and into Ezekiel 38 and 39. What superpower has a leader that the people of Israel would think of signing an agreement with for their protection and safety and allow them with international consent to build their temple once more? My take is only one leader, the President of the United States with a UN resolution to prevent another war that has so decimated the area and is evident that something happened that these men cannot explain.
PROBLEMS AT HOME
The USA is the leader in the quartet to bring “peace” to the Middle East between Israel and the Palestinians. But during this war, or wars, the Palestinians are no more, but Israel now owns most of the Middle East resources of oil and gas. In the back of their minds, THE NATIONS know that the results of those wars were won by something supernatural and Divine and the god of this world will not give credit where credit is due, nor will the men who do his bidding. The USA is now in the middle of an economic catastrophe and it will only get worse, not better as the present administration tries to paint a face of recovery on a fragile situation. Already the rights and freedoms that the USA has enjoyed and prospered by are in jeopardy of being taken away, all in the name of Homeland Security.
I shudder to think that the land that I grew up in, the land that I pledge allegiance to, and the land that my forefathers died to protect our freedom will be washed away by a lawless individual that embodies all the evil that Satan can bring about to destroy mankind. Right now, our land is led by one man who is our commander in chief of the armed forces and the protector of our liberty and not doing a very good job. Now the system of government could suddenly change and we would have a dictatorship, or a defacto king imposing martial law, as some fear may be coming, but this leader would be the opposite of what the God in Heaven stands for and embraces the god of forces.
Daniel 11:36 And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.
11:37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.
These verses, I believe give reference to a king who performed the abomination of desolation noted by Jesus in Matthew 24. and only happened one other time in history. That King was Antiochus Epiphanes who was a Syrian king who erected a statue of Zeus in the Holy of Holies with the likeness of his own face and defiled the temple by sacrificing pigs on the altar of God, leading to the Maccabean Wars and the Jewish revolt to drive this madman out of the Holy Land. Another evil man with the same spirit as this king will arise and will have as his god, the god of forces and total superiority in arms. Many people think, and I’ve had them tell me, that Barack Hussein Obama is the Anti-Christ. Is he? I don’t believe he is, at least I have no evidence of that fact to say one way or another, but he does oppose Christian principles and promotes Islam any chance he gets. I’ve said it before and I will say it again, this side of the church being removed from this planet, we will not know for sure who the man called the Anti-Christ will be, but will have a pretty good idea before it actually happens. Those who are on this earth when this treaty is made with Israel, if they know the bible, or read anything on prophecy websites, will know that this is the man. He will do away with all religions that worship any god, and proclaim himself to be a god, as Satan has entered into him and wishes to be worshiped through him. He will allow worship of a one world religion, but will destroy her with fire in the middle of the Tribulation as he desires worship of himself alone: Revelation,
17:16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.
But remember, my friend, God is in control. If this hypothesis turns out to be right and the City of Babylon is the city of New York, the Anti-Christ resides in the oval office of the president, and the false prophet is the pope in Rome that embraces Islam mixed with apostate Christianity, then we can do nothing but vote our conscience in any election and pray and repent accordingly:
II Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
I fear that this nation of immigrants that were blessed with God given freedom are in for some rough times. We see it already beginning. We, who call on the name of the Lord as our Savior, may see the beginning of some rough times economically, but it will get exponentially worse when all hell on earth breaks loose and millions of people suddenly vanish from the face of the earth. Economically, the nation will be plunged into turmoil and marshal law will be most assuredly enacted. Riots will develop in the order of Greece and Italy that are now being played on your nightly news, but on a larger scale worldwide. Freedom will vanish and a police state will emerge. The gulags that we have heard being built for control of the masses, and the caskets for mass graves will quickly be put to use, as a state of chaos will develop and the powers that be will rush into to restore order, at whatever cost in human life. In the meantime and before this dire scenario place out, my friend, get your own house in order. If you’re playing church, now is the time to get serious about this man, Jesus Christ. If you think that you can skate in your beliefs and live like the devil, then you may just join him in his eternal home after being plunged headlong into 7 years of utter genocide of mankind.
Time is growing short. Economic turmoil is here and people will suffer under a repressive regime. Men, women and children will die in the short term, but all will be required to take a mark to even live when order is restored: Revelation ,
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:
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.
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.
When that happens, you will take the mark, or die. To take the mark, you will live, but only temporarily as you will be condemned for all eternity and enter into a place reserved for the devil and his demons, the Lake of Fire burning with sulfur and brimstone to be forever destroyed.
The signs are about us. The return of the Lord Jesus Christ is imminent and will come WITHOUT warning. Only the wise and the humble will submit to the calling of the Holy Spirit to receive pardon from your shortcomings, failures, and sins against God Almighty.
Isaiah 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
He calls you now as you read. Will you listen to that still small voice that speaks to your spirit, or will you enter into the most horrifying experience known to mankind? The choice is ultimately YOURS.
This is Pastor Mike Taylor praying God’s salvation in your life through His Son Jesus Christ. If there is anything I can help you with, pray with you about, counsel you on, or just give a listening ear, then email me atrealteam1999@sbcglobal.net, God bless you everyone, till we meet at Jesus feet.
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