Mt. Pleasant Bible Institute www.kjbstudy.com Study to shew thyself approved unto God (2 Tim 2:15) Dr. Joseph Speciale, Instructor A ministry of the Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church Lee Swor, Pastor
Mt. Pleasant Bible Institute Bible Prophecy (Pt.3)
MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues Revelation 17:15
When I saw her I wondered with great admiration. WONDER= to be surprised ADMIRE= to regard with wonder or surprise mingled with approbation or even disappointment John had seen harlots before and knew all about the evils of OT Babylon, pagan Rome, and a murderous false religious system (John 19:15), yet still wondered and marveled (v.7) when he saw Babylon the great This is because what he saw was an entity professing to be the one true church and virgin bride of the Christ, but is in fact a murderous, blood-thirsty whore who has sought to exterminate the true saints of the Lord. He saw the ANTI-CHURCH
Rev 17:7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns. Wherefore didst thou marvel. MARVEL= wonder; admiration (v.6); that which arrests attention and causes a person to stand or gaze, or to pause I will tell thee the mystery of the woman. The WOMAN is the mystery of BABYLON THE GREAT (v.5) but the angel promises to reveal the mystery to John The angel gives two clues regarding the mystery of the woman (v.9,15) and reveals that she is a CITY (v.18) And of the beast which hath seven heads and ten horns. The BEAST is the mystery of INIQUITY (2 The 2:7) but the angel also promises to reveal this mystery to John The angel gives clues regarding the mystery of the beast (v.8,11), as well as the seven heads and ten horns (v.3,9,12), and reveals that he is a KING (v.10-11)
Rev 17:8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. The beast that thou sawest was, and is not. The angel starts with revealing the mystery of the beast rather than the woman The beast is someone who lived on the earth but died sometime before 96 AD And shall ascend out of the bottomless pit. The beast is someone who went to the bottomless pit when he died BOTTOMLESS PIT= Gr. abussos (from where we get our word ABYSS)= appears 9x and is translated BOTTOMLESS PIT 5x (v.8; 9:11; 11:7; 20:1,3); BOTTOMLESS 2x (9:1-2); and THE DEEP 2x (Luke 8:31; Rom 10:7) BOTTOMLESS PIT appears 7x (# of divine PERFECTION) and always refers to a PRISON in hell for DEVILS, FALLEN ANGELS, and SATAN (v.8; 9:1-2,11; 11:7; 20:1,3) cf. (1 Pet 3:19; 2 Pet 2:4; Rev 20:7)
Rev 9:1-2,11 1 And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. 2 And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. 11 And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon. Rev 11:7 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. Rev 17:8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. Rev 20:1,3 1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
The word ASCEND implies the bottomless pit will be opened, and it is opened either 2x or 3x in Revelation It is definitely opened under the fifth trumpet judgment to loose an army of devils upon the earth (9:1-11) and then again after the Millennium to loose Satan upon the earth to deceive the nations one last time (20:7-8) It may be opened again after the Second Coming of Christ in order to cast Satan and all devils and fallen angels into it for the duration of the Millennium (20:1-3; Isa 24:21-22; Zec 13:2) Isa 24:21-22 21 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth. 22 And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited. Zec 13:2 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered: and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land. But it is also possible that when it is opened under the fifth trumpet judgment it isn t closed until Satan and his minions are cast into it after the Second Coming of Christ
Since the beast ascends out of the bottomless pit before the middle of the Tribulation, he cannot be Satan ascending from the pit at the end of the Millennium The only other being that ascends out of the bottomless pit and is specifically identified is ABADDON/APOLLYON, the angel of the bottomless pit, who just happens to be a KING- the KING OF DEVILS Rev 9:11 And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon. Abaddon appears 6x in the Hebrew OT and is translated DESTRUCTION (Job 26:6; 28:22; 31:22; Psa 88:11; Pro 15:11; 27:20) It is associated with HELL (Job 26:6; Pro 15:11; 27:20) and FIRE (Job 31:12) Apollyon appears 1x in the Greek NT (9:11) but comes from the root word apollymi which appears 92x and is translated PERISH 33x; DESTROY 26x; and LOSE, LOST, or BE LOST 31x It is associated with HELL and eternal DAMNATION Since the beast WAS on the earth before and will ascend out of the bottomless pit, that means he is going to have a SECOND COMING
And go into perdition. PERDITION appears 8x (# of NEW BEGINNING; ETERNITY) (v.8,11; Job 17:12; Phl 1:28; 2 The 2:3; 1 Tim 6:9; Heb 10:39; 2 Pet 3:7) PERDITION= entire loss or ruin; utter destruction; the utter loss of the soul or final happiness in a future state; eternal death The beast shall GO INTO PERDITION when he is cast into the lake of fire after the Second Coming of Christ Rev 19:20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. The beast WAS, IS NOT, and shall GO INTO PERDITION (v.8) but Jesus Christ is he THAT LIVETH, and WAS DEAD, and is ALIVE FOR EVERMORE (1:18)- the beast is the counterfeit Christ, the ANTI-CHRIST Rev 1:18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
The ANTICHRIST is called the son of PERDITION and Jesus called JUDAS ISCARIOT the son of PERDITION 2 The 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; John 17:12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled. Jesus also called Judas A DEVIL and UNCLEAN John 6:70 Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil? John 13:10-11 10 Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all. 11 For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean. Could Judas Iscariot be the beast, the angel of the bottomless pit?
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