Final Crisis 8. Revelation of Jesus 63

Welcome to a Revelation of Jesus. In the previous two videos we have seen looking at the final manifestation of Babylon as an international union of church and state that persecutes the faithful followers of Jesus during the chaos of the great tribulation. The religious half of this union will be a coalition of churches led by the Roman Catholic Church, symbolized by the great harlot of Revelation 17.

I personally have found it painful to present this material. I have friends and colleagues who are Roman Catholics who have a level of faith and devotion that I admire. But because both Revelation and the book of Daniel focus such a seemingly inordinate amount of attention to the havoc wrought by the Catholic church, both during the medieval period and during the last moments of this age, I feel obligated to focus on both the history and the future of Christian Babylon.

—

Chapter 18 begins with a stunning indictment of Babylon, delivered by “another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority” (Revelation 18:1). The whole earth is ‘illuminated with his glory,” and as “he cries mightily with a loud voice,” it will be impossible to ignore him.

“Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird! For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury” (Revelation 18: 2,3).

These verses begin with a reiteration of the message of the second angel of Revelation 14, “Babylon is fallen, is fallen.” But it adds to the emphatic declaration of Babylon’s fallen condition that she “has become” a dwelling place of demons.

Remembering that the context is the great tribulation, when the bottomless pit will be opened and demons released, we can see that the church will be invaded by evil spirits. They will utilize a flawed system that Satan has been influencing since it was established 1700 years ago, when the Roman Empire took over the church.

—

How did that happen? In the first and second centuries, the church was a movement that spread organically from household to household, with inspiration from the apostles and their writings, and leadership by elders who were chosen because of their faith and character. Despite spasms of fierce persecution, the church exploded into the fastest-growing, most pervasive underground religion in the Roman Empire.

This changed dramatically when Constantine became emperor and recognized that an official religion would help him unify the empire. In AD 313 the edict of Milan declared Christianity to be the official state religion, beginning a process that resulted in Christendom, a partnership of the church and the state in which the church provided the religious stamp of God’s approval for state activities, and the state provided political and military force to back up the decisions of the church. The church quickly moved from the margins of society to its center of power and influence.

Eventually, all citizens except the Jews were baptized into membership in the Christian church shortly after they were born. Orthodox faith and practice were defined by powerful church leaders who met in vast church councils. Any attempt to participate in alternative forms of Christianity was considered heresy, punished by the state. Sunday became an official day of rest with obligatory church attendance. Home churches were replaced by massive, ornate buildings, officiated by professional clergy and overseen by a rigid hierarchy.

The average citizen’s role was to simply attend, pay their tithes, and follow the rules. Non-Christian nations, rather than being a mission field, were considered enemies, and war was waged against them in the name of Jesus.

—

These developments seemed to be a blessing, giving the church the power and resources to grow and thrive, but the church leaders did not anticipate the extent to which this power would corrupt their faith.

Ironically, the Old Testament sacrificial system, with its officiating priests, became the model for church services. Its sacrifices and priesthood had been a symbolic prefiguring of the great sacrifice that Jesus would offer on the Cross. The book of Hebrews is adamant that Christ’s sacrifice was once and for all, and the Old Testament “shadow” of sacrifices is obsolete now that the reality has come.

But the doctrine of the Roman Catholic mass, which slowly developed into the very heart of Catholic worship and salvation, insists that each time the mass is performed, it is a renewal of Christ’s sacrifice, and that a sacrifice requires an officiating priest.

The priest supposedly “creates his Creator” on the sacrificial altar and then feeds His real flesh and blood, which has been “transubstantiated” into the appearance of bread and wine, to the worshipers, who are thereby partaking of salvation. The Catholic Encyclopedia quotes the Council of Trent, “If anyone says that in the Mass a true and proper sacrifice is not offered to God; or that to be offered is anything else but that Christ is given us to eat, let him be [condemned and excommunicated]” (The Catholic Encyclopedia, article The Eucharist). Like so many Catholic doctrines, this diminishes the work of Christ to exalt that of the priests.

—

Despite the clear word of scripture, the Catholic priests are also supposed to be able to forgive sins. According to Catholic theology, the priest does not simply assure the sinner that God has forgiven him, but actually grants the forgiveness, which is then “ratified” by God.

Again, quoting the Catholic encyclopedia, “Christ not only declared that sins were forgiven but really and actually forgave them; hence the apostles are also empowered not merely to announce to the sinner that his sins are forgiven but to grant him forgiveness… By Divine ordinance, the mercy of God can be obtained only through the supplications of the priests” (The Catholic encyclopedia, article “The Sacrament of Penance”).

This is in marked contrast to Biblical confession, in which “I acknowledged my sin to [God] and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD.” And You forgave the guilt of my sin” (Psalm 32:5).

—

Since in the Catholic system, the priest himself is making the judgment, so he must know the details of the sins in order to make an informed judgment. “How can a wise and prudent judgment be rendered if the priest be in ignorance of the cause on which judgment is pronounced? And how can he obtain the requisite knowledge unless it come from the spontaneous acknowledgment of the sinner… and the detailed confession of sins?” (ibid).

This has led to the confessional in which believers tell their darkest secrets to a priest. Not only does this interfere with their personal contact with God through confession to Him, but it also pollutes the mind of the priests, making it difficult for them to keep their own thoughts and actions pure. When combined with the unscriptural doctrine of priestly celibacy, it sets up a perfect storm for the immorality and abuse that is so tragically common.

The worst thing about priestly forgiveness is that it puts the focus on the sinner’s relationship with the priest, not with Christ. Jesus expressed the desire of His heart, saying, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

—

There are many other unbiblical doctrines that crept into the Roman Catholic religion through the centuries, and you can read about some of them in the book, “A Revelation of Jesus” which is available online; I will include a link in the description. You may wonder why I am even talking about doctrine, since in our day and age, it is usually considered judgmental to criticize the beliefs of others. But doctrine is simply a statement of what we believe about God, and false doctrines can warp our conception of who God is and how He relates to us.

Because the identity and description of Babylon is one of the most prominent themes in the Book of Revelation, I want to spend some time looking at a few of the Roman Catholic doctrines that have been most misrepresentative of God. I will quote from the Catholic Encyclopedia so you can be sure I am not just making this stuff up.

—

Most pagan religions believe that humans have an immortal soul, and through the influence of Greek philosophy, it also entered the Christian church. The Catholic Encyclopedia insists that “The doctrine of immortality… forms the foundation of the whole scheme of the Christian faith” (The Catholic Encyclopedia, article Immortality). Perhaps surprisingly, the arguments in support of this doctrine are not from the Bible, but from philosophy, psychology, and metaphysics.

Unfortunately, this is not simply a matter of opinion about the nature of humanity. Since the Bible clearly teaches that not all will be saved, the doctrine of the immortal soul requires an eternal destination for the unsaved—everlasting hell.

The Catholic Encyclopedia asserts, “The torments of the damned shall last forever and ever… the objection is made that there is no proportion between the brief period of sin and an eternal punishment. But why not? Sin is an offense against the infinite authority of God… Accordingly, there is in sin an approximation to infinite malice, which deserves an eternal punishment” (The Catholic Encyclopedia, article Hell). This illogical argument leaves out one of God’s most basic characteristics, grace. God does not give people what they deserve.

—

Although the emphasis in modern churches is on the misery of being eternally separated from God, there has been no change in the Catholic teaching that physical torment will be added when the soul is supposedly reunited with the body in hell after the resurrection. Again quoting the Catholic encyclopedia, “Scripture and tradition speak again and again of the fire of hell, and there is no sufficient reason for taking the term as a mere metaphor… the nature of hell-fire is different from that of our ordinary fire; it continues to burn without the need of a continually renewed supply of fuel… it is fitting that whoever seeks forbidden pleasure should find pain in return” (ibid).

Even the worst of earthly tyrants are not as cruel and brutal as God is depicted in this teaching. Because there are admittedly some confusing verses in the Bible, I will include a link in the description to an article that explains the scriptures that seem to support everlasting torment.

—

The real reason for the doctrine of eternal punishment is to try to make the consequences for sin and misbehavior so frightening that people will follow the rules. Again, from the Catholic Encyclopedia, “The fear of hell does really deter many from sin; and thus, in as far as it is threatened by God, eternal punishment also serves for the reform of morals.

But if God threatens man with the pains of hell, He must also carry out His threat… If men knew that their sins would not be followed by sufferings, the mere threat of annihilation at the moment of death… would not suffice to deter them from sin. It is not intrinsically impossible for God to annihilate the sinner after some definite amount of punishment, but this would be less in conformity with the nature of man’s immortal soul” (ibid).

We see here the danger of letting false doctrine stand unchallenged. From a speculative teaching, “the human soul is immortal,” we can end up with a chain of logic that turns God into a monster. But perhaps the most dangerous aspect of this teaching is the door it opens for communication with demons pretending to be good people who have died and gone to heaven.

—

According to Catholic teaching, the soul is not only immortal, but is also conscious after death. The saved who have died are supposedly awake and happy in the blissful environment of heaven. It is natural for those who have lost a loved one to long for contact or even help from those who have died. This opens a channel for Satan and his evil angels to appear as the deceased relative or friend and communicate lies and deceptive advice. This danger is highlighted by the warning that we find in Revelation 18, “Babylon… has become a dwelling place of demons” (Revelation 18:2).

This danger is multiplied by the Roman Catholic traditions concerning the saints and the Virgin Mary. Because of their exemplary lives, they are assumed to have been given exalted positions in the heavenly courts. Since the departed saints are still aware of what is happening on earth, why shouldn’t we seek their prayers, which, because of their holiness and close friendship with God, are much more effective than ours? This can lead to the worship of the saints, which is forbidden by the first and second commandments.

Catholic theologians deny that the saints are worshiped, using terms like “honor” and “venerate.” However, when the supplicants bow down and kiss the images of the saints, perform liturgies and have festivals in their honor, and direct prayers to them, what more could there be that would constitute worship?

—

I believe that God, in His mercy, honors the sincere prayers of simple believers who are only doing what they have been taught. But when the bottomless pit is opened, and hordes of demons are released, they will have a perfect channel to share misinformation, deceptive half-truths, and outright lies.

Into the midst of this, God sends His final invitation through His faithful human messengers, symbolized by a powerful angel, and the earth [will be] illuminated with [God’s] glory [as they] cry mightily with a loud voice, ‘Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen… she has become a dwelling place of demons… Come out of her, My people” (Revelation 18:1-4).

When we identified Babylon in video 61, we saw that it was more than just the Roman Catholic Church; the harlot, who symbolizes Babylon, is the “mother of harlots,” and her daughters will join in the worldwide union of church and state. The false doctrines that have led to the fallen condition of Christian Babylon developed slowly and were perfected during the Dark Ages.

—

The Protestant Reformation made major progress in overturning some of those errors, accepting righteousness by faith alone and the sole authority of the scriptures, and rejecting some of the worst of the false doctrines, such as the mass, the priesthood, the doctrines of confession and penance, the worship of the saints, and the authority of the pope and tradition.

But even though Protestant churches have always refused to enter into communion and fellowship with the Roman Catholic Church, this is changing before our very eyes, as more and more Protestants and Catholics are cooperating on common social and political agendas, and even worshiping together. What is the glue that is allowing Protestants and Catholics to stick together despite their still considerable doctrinal differences?

—

One of the major factors is the hyper-polarization of politics and the politicization of the church. Politics have become like a team sport, with extreme partisanship and fierce rivalry that transcends the political issues, and the church has gotten caught up in this. The Catholic Church has historically pushed for cooperation or even union with the state to further their agenda, but as a minority in America, they have not had the political clout to accomplish their goals.

In recent decades, evangelical Christians have also sought to influence the state on issues such as abortion and gender issues, and have sometimes found Catholics to be powerful and effective partners on specific issues. During the chaos and stress of the great tribulation, these political alliances could easily evolve into the persecuting image of the beast of Revelation 13 and ultimately, final Babylon.

—

Another factor is Pentecostalism, which has become a worldwide movement that has exploded in both Protestant and Catholic churches. Doctrinal differences are set aside because it is an experience-oriented movement that emphasizes contemporary music, speaking in tongues, and personal prophecy. Those who share in emotional worship feel that they have unity of the Spirit, so division based on doctrine seems to be a denial of the Holy Spirit’s moving and presence in the lives of their fellow worshipers, no matter what their denominational persuasion may be.

I will include a link in the description to an article that takes a look at modern Pentecostalism. But just from observation of the Pentecostal churches around us, we can see that many personal prophecies do not come to pass, and many instances of speaking in tongues are either without any interpretation, or with an obviously erroneous interpretation. What this means is that there is the potential for an open channel for the demons who are released out of the bottomless pit to instill their deceptive schemes into the people who fully embrace the Pentecostal experience.

—

This video has taken a hard look at Catholic, Evangelical, and Pentecostal churches. But this is not a call for anyone to be smug or judgmental. We learned in our study of Laodicea that the church of our era, whatever name we go by, is so half-hearted and luke-warm in faith, righteousness, and spiritual discernment that Jesus is about to vomit [us] out of [His] mouth!

The fact is that God’s people are found in every church, even those that join in the Babylon coalition. It is true, “Babylon the great is fallen.” But the angel concludes, “Come out of her My people, so that you do not take part in her sins and so that you do not receive of her plagues” (Revelation 18:2,4). As amazing as it may seem, many of the people God calls His very own are in Babylon! And although they may have been steeped in the false doctrines that we have looked at in this video, they “do not take part in her sins” and they “do not receive of her plagues.” God will remember His children and save them even as He brings Babylon crashing down into utter ruin.

—

If you were blessed by this video, I would appreciate it if you would like it, share it with someone, and subscribe to my YouTube channel; that really encourages me to keep on making more videos.

Besides the video series, I have also written a book called “A Revelation of Jesus” which has additional details.