The Revelation of John the Divine (Part 3)
The third woe and the beast out of the sea
The lines from Rev.12:1 to Rev.20:10 describe the third woe and its consequences. It is no coincidence that most of the Revelation is dedicated to it, since it will result not only in “a third of the sea became blood,” (Rev.8:8) and not only “a tenth of the city fell” (Rev.11:13), but the entire “sea became like the blood of a corpse.” (Rev.16:3)
Probably, the name of this woe is the state, or rather worship to the state, trust in it, pride in it, and love for it, which breaks the main commandment in Mat.22:37-38: “He said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment.”
Rev.12:1-2 describes the church that is ready to give birth to the first Church in Ephesus: “A great portent appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pangs, in the agony of giving birth.”
Rev.12:3-4 describes Satan as a prototype of a state: “Then another portent appeared in heaven: a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. Then the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bear a child, so that he might devour her child as soon as it was born.” A third of the stars of heaven that the dragon tail swept is fallen angels. Here most interpreters see the “child” as Jesus Christ. However, from the previous lines in Rev.12:1-2 we can see that the woman is already “clothed with the sun”, by which, of course, we must understand Jesus Christ “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” (Jn.9:5)), and “on her head a crown of twelve stars”, by which everyone without exception understands the apostles. That is, “a woman clothed with the sun” is probably the church of the visible presence of Jesus Christ in the world.
This can be confirmed by Jn.16:20-22: “Very truly, I tell you, you will weep and mourn, but the world will rejoice; you will have pain, but your pain will turn into joy. When a woman is in labor, she has pain, because her hour has come. But when her child is born, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy of having brought a human being into the world. So you have pain now; but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.”
Here Jesus Christ compares the joy of the apostles with the joy of the woman who gave birth. And the apostles will feel this joy not after the birth of Jesus Christ, but after Jesus Christ sees them again. When will this reunion take place? After the Resurrection of Christ or after their death? You can understand this from the lines in Jn.16:23: “On that day you will ask nothing of me.” Which is, obviously, after their death.
Thus, most likely here it goes about the birth of the first Church in Ephesus, which was founded by the apostles and born in agony, as a woman gives birth to a child.
And the words of the prophet Micah clearly confirm this conclusion: “But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days. Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has brought forth; then the rest of his kindred shall return to the people of Israel.” (Mic.5:2-3).
Jesus Christ born in Bethlehem (“Bethlehem of Ephrathah”), will “until the time" “give up” the Church, which is to “give birth”. And He will do this for “the rest of his kindred” could “return to the people of Israel”. John the Divine speaks about the same thing: “They were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number would be complete both of their fellow servants and of their brothers and sisters, who were soon to be killed as they themselves had been killed.” (Rev.6:11)
В Rev.12:5-6 describes the emergence of the first Church in Ephesus and its ascent to God in the same way as the Churches in Smyrna and Pergamum under the “my witnesses” guise: (Rev.11:3) “went up to heaven in a cloud” (Rev.11:12), as well as the spread of Christianity during 1,260 years (as in Rev.11:2), i. e. during the period until the state used its power to distort the teaching of the Church in its own favor: “And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron. But her child was snatched away and taken to God and to his throne; and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, so that there she can be nourished for one thousand two hundred sixty days.”
Here, the wilderness is the field called Ardath from the 3rd book of Ezra (3Ezr.9, 10), which describes the place of building of the “city of the Most High” or the “holy city” from the Revelation.
“So I went, as he directed me, into the field that is called Ardat; there I sat among the flowers and ate of the plants of the field, and the nourishment they afforded satisfied me.” (3Ezr.9:26). Here is what A. P. Lopukhin writes about this field: “The fourth vision of Ezra takes place in the field of Ardath (Ardat). Comparison with the Ethiopian text, which uses the name Ardath, brings it closer to the Hebrew word arabah (desert steppe)” (The interpretation by professor A.P. Lopukhin ). Т Thus, the Church was focused on waiting for the Kingdom of God for 1,260 years, i.e. it was in the desert, where “the city of the Most High” was supposed to appear later: “Therefore I told you to go into the field where there was no foundation of any building, because no work of human construction could endure in a place where the city of the Most High was to be revealed.” (3Ezr.10:53-54).
The words “a male child” probably refer to the fact that all apostles were men. The words “who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron” can again mean Jesus Christ, to whom such power, undoubtedly, belongs. However, Rev.2:26-27 says that this power may be given to Him and the Church, which is in this case the fourth Church in Thyateira: “To everyone who conquers and continues to do my works to the end, I will give authority over the nations; to rule them with an iron rod, as when clay pots are shattered even as I also received authority from my Father.”
В Rev.12:7-12 describes the war of Michael and his angels against the dragon and its angels. Rev.12:9 says about “throwing down the dragon”: “The great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.” The fact that these words refer to the first Church in Ephesus is confirmed by the words of Jesus Christ in Jn12:31: “Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out.”
It describes how the “comrades” (Rev.12:10) threw down the dragon: “But they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they did not cling to life even in the face of death.” (Rev.12:11).
Rev.12:13-14 describes the “thrown down” dragon pursuing the Church: “So when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle, so that she could fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to her place where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time.” “Two wings of the great eagle” are either the two wings of the lion from Dan.7:4 (the Eastern and the Western Roman Empires), or the Orthodox and Catholic Churches. The latter is more likely, since it says “for a time, and times, and half a time”, i.e. until the end, but it does not exclude the first option.
The following lines in Rev.12:15-17 confirm it: “Then from his mouth the serpent poured water like a river after the woman, to sweep her away with the flood. But the earth came to the help of the woman; it opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon had poured from his mouth. Then the dragon was angry with the woman, and went off to make war on the rest of her children, those who keep the commandments of God and hold the testimony of Jesus.” The river here is the new pagan peoples, and the earth is the territories controlled by the Roman Empire and its successors. Thus, the dragon’s attack on Christianity was limited to the Christian states. In the light of this, the transfer of the dragon’s power to the lawless state looks logical.
The beast out of the sea – a successor of the beast out of the bottomless pit
Rev.13:1-3 describes the beast rising out of the sea: “And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads; and on its horns were ten diadems, and on its heads were blasphemous names. And the beast that I saw was like a leopard, its feet were like a bear's, and its mouth was like a lion's mouth. And the dragon gave it his power and his throne and great authority. One of its headsseemed to have received a death-blow, but its mortal wound had been healed. In amazement the whole earth followed the beast.”
This beast “was like a leopard” (the third beast or the fourth world European Empire from Dan.7:6), “tsfeet were like a bear’s” (the second beast or the third world Mongol Empire from Dan.7:5), “its mouth was like a lion’s mouth” (the first beast or the second world Roman Empire from Dan.7:4).
The words “One of its heads seemed to have received a death-blow, but its mortal wound had been healed” may probably refer to China, which was a significant part of the Mongol Empire, as well as managed to become one of the leaders of the global economy in a very short time by mobilizing the state’s efforts.
Rev.17:8-13 explains: “The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to ascend from the bottomless pit and go to destruction. And the inhabitants of the earth, whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will be amazed when they see the beast, because it was and is not and is to come. “This callsfor a mind that has wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated; also, they are seven kings, of whom five have fallen, one is living, and the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain only a little while. As for the beast that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to destruction. And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast. These are united in yielding their power and authority to the beast.”
The words “will be amazed”, “the beast was, and is not” show amazement from the emergence, rise and collapse of each of the world empires, whose kingdom is every time declared eternal.
The seven heads are the same heads of the four beasts from Dan.7:
1) lion’s head from Dan.7:4 (the Roman Empire);
2) bear’s head from Dan.7:5 (the Mongol Empire);
3) leopard’s four heads from Dan.7:6 (the European Empire: England, France, Germany, and Russia);
4) three heads of “a fourth beast, terrifying and dreadful from Dan.7:7 and the eagle from 3Ezr.12:11(USA, Russia (USSR), China).
There are totally nine heads, but Russia is the head of the third and the fourth beast, and China is the head of the second and fourth one. Thus, there are seven heads in total.
The words “seven kings, of whom five have fallen, one is living, and the other has not yet come” may be interpreted as follows. The kings who “have fallen” are the Roman Empire, the Mongol Empire (China), France, Germany, and Russia (USSR). All of them were defeated, each in its time. The one that “is living” is England. And the one who “has not yet come” is the USA.
The “ten horns” are “ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour” are the same horns as in Dan.7:7 (USA, Germany, Italy, Japan, France, England, China, Russia, Turkey, and most likely Saudi Arabia).
Rev.13:4-8 warns not to worship the beast: “They worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?” The beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven. Also, it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. It was given authority over every tribe and people and language and nation, and all the inhabitants of the earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb that was slaughtered.”
The words “It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God” should be understood as the state’s struggle of primacy over the church for human minds and hearts, which lasted 42 months, or 1,260 years, and ended with the state’s victory.
В Rev.13:9-10 warns against enjoying the wars for the sake of the state’s interest: “Let anyone who has an ear listen: If you are to be taken captive, into captivity you go; if you kill with the sword, with the sword you must be killed. Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints.”
The beast out of the earth
Rev.13:11 describes the beast out of the earth: “Then I saw another beast that rose out of the earth; it had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon.”
Unlike the beast out of the sea, i.e. coming out of nations and languages, the beast out of the earth must come out either from territories or human (earthbound) ideas. Probably, these lines refer to 2 of the 12 wings described in 3Ezr.11:1 that were not included in the above-listed 10 horns. These are the European Union and Israel. Both formations are based on an idea. In case of the European Union, these are European values enshrined in the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (the contemporary world religion) adopted by the Council of Europe. In case of Israel, these are the ideas of Zionism – a political movement whose goal is to unite and revive the Jewish people in their historical homeland, in Israel, as well as the ideological concept, which this movement is based on.
The fact that the “beast out of the earth” is the “false prophet” becomes evident from Rev.13:14: “and by the signs that it is allowed to perform on behalf of the beast, it deceives the inhabitants of earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that had been wounded by the sword and yet lived;» and from the lines in Rev.19:20: “And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed in its presence the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur.”
Rev.13:12-18 describes the purpose of this beast:
1. To make “the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast” (Rev.13:12). That is, to recognize the primacy of the state over the Church and God.
2. To deceive the inhabitants of earth by the signs: “and by the signs that it is allowed to perform on behalf of the beast, it deceives the inhabitants of earth” (Rev.13:14). That is, to show that the state is the people’s way not only to survival, but to prosperity as well (just like China that “had been wounded by the sword and yet lived”).
3. To tell “them to make an image for the beast” (Rev.13:14). That is, to bring the same standards of behavior, which the states use to build mutual relations, into a person’s life: calculation instead of love, power and respect instead of generosity.
4 “To give breath to the image of the beast” (Rev.13:15). That is, to provide an ideological and even divine justification of the need for existence of such a state.
5. To mark those who will do it (Rev.13:16-17): “Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell who does not have the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name.” Those people who adopt these rules of the game get an opportunity to build a career, and companies and states – to trade. When ignoring these rules, the states become outcasts and people become losers.
Rev.13:18 reveals the gist of this seal: “This calls for wisdom: let anyone with understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a person. Its number is six hundred sixty-six.” The words “of a person” speaks of temporality and stupidity of this seal.
One of the likely explanations of this number may be the story of King Solomon. Thus, in 3Ki.9:26-29we can read: “King Solomon built a fleet of ships at Ezion-geber, which is near Eloth on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom. Hiram sent his servants with the fleet, sailors who were familiar with the sea, together with the servants of Solomon. They went to Ophir, and imported from there four hundred twenty talents of gold, which they delivered to King Solomon.” And more in 3Ki.10:14-15: “The weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred sixty-six talents of gold, besides that which came from the traders and from the business of the merchants, and from all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the land.”
What kind of income it was and what Solomon’s fleet was doing is anyone’s guess. But it is obvious that it had nothing to do with the main sources of any state’s income: taxes, customs duties, and even duties from the conquered kings. Also, we can hardly assume that these ships were engaged in robbery, since here it goes about Solomon’s servants, and not about his troops. Besides, a very impressive constant annual income is extremely hard to get by robbing even prosperous coastal states. The huge size of this income can be seen from the words in 3Ki.10:21-22: “…none were of silver – it was not considered as anything in the days of Solomon. For the king had a fleet of ships of Tarshish at sea with the fleet of Hiram…”
Most likely, this income was generated by Hiram’s (the Tyrian king allied to Solomon) credit issued for building the fleet. The latter, in turn, received income from sea trade. Since voyages were associated with great risks at that time, both interest and income from such trade could be very impressive. This also explains why the following Israeli and Jewish kings could not maintain this income source. The fact is that to repay the debt, they needed not only funds, but also military force that could guarantee its repayment with interest. Solomon’s successors no longer had such force.
Thus, under Solomon, the Kingdom of Israel became the prototype of the world empire that receives not only a relatively honest income from the conquered peoples, but also a usurious interest forbidden by God.
So, it was this usurious income that all the world empires dreamt of, since it allowed them to receive huge income from lending to the economies under their control. And the empires always sought to expand to increase this usurious income.
But modern Israel and the European Union surpassed all of them. Israel’s richest families gained control of the US Federal Reserve, which is the de facto world central bank, and the European Union issued the second most important world currency – the euro. Both receive astronomical usurious income from lending in US dollars and euros even without having their own army and using the US army for their purposes. Thus, they managed to transfer the costs of international usury to the American people and to appropriate the benefits.
So, the number 666 is a spiritual aspiration of all world empires and their supporters, expressed in unbridled acquisitiveness and resulting in debt bondage of the peoples under their control.
Moreover, since the 5th function of the beast out of the earth (unlike the first four) is associated with coercion that guarantees the usurious income, figuratively, the seal can also be understood as a cockade, its successor a five-pointed star, and a graphic representation of the number 666 – David’s star (Solomon’s seal).
A cockade is a bow, a ribbon folded in loops and assemblies, a band folded in a circle, and so on, which later transformed into a special metal or fabric sign on the headdress. The colors and symbols of the cockade indicate affiliation with a particular country, an armed services branch, or a political party (faction).
A five-pointed star (pentagram) is a sign that can be seen on the shoulder straps and caps of almost all armies of the world. In Arabic magic, “Solomon’s seal” was widely used. Magicians of medieval Europe learned about the pentagram from Arabic manuscripts and know it as the “seals of King Solomon”. Interestingly, the hexagram and the pentagram were interchangeable at that time and this name (the seal of King Solomon) referred to both figures.
The six-pointed star (hexagram) is a symbol of the Zionist movement. The First Zionist Congress adopted the draft flag of the Zionist movement with the blue Magen David in the center in 1897, which is now known as the flag of the State of Israel. A hexagram consists of 6 triangles around a hexagon and is formed by six lines.
We can’t claim that all people, who wear shoulder straps or cockades, worship the beast, since it is said that the mark will be assigned to “all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave.” However, besides the place of wearing, the recognition of one’s affiliation with a certain state, political movement, or caste is common to all these symbols.
The words “on the right hand or the forehead” should be understood as accepting the values of the state (the forehead) and being guided by them in live (the right hand).
The devil’s testimony about subjection of the world empires to him
In Lk.4:5-8, we can read the following: “Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world.
And the devil said to him, “To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please.
If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.”
Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’”
Can we assume that the devil lied to Jesus Christ and “the kingdoms of the world” (the world empires) are not “given over to him”? Of course, the devil could not hope to deceive God. These words are only his pathetic attempt to bribe the human essence of Jesus Christ with the power and glory of the world empires. And Jesus immediately prices them – they are nothing compared to worshipping and serving the Lord God.
The Churches in Thyateira and Sardis in the third woe
Next, it goes on telling us about historical development of the third woe after the victory of the beast over the Churches in Smyrna and Pergamum churches in Rev.13:5-7.
Rev.14:6 describes the preaching of the gospel among the pagan nations during the Church in Thyateira: “Then I saw another angel flying in midheaven, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation and tribe and language and people.”
Rev.14:8 speaks about the fall of the state as the protector of the Church during the Church in Sardis: “Then another angel, a second, followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.”
Rev.14:9-12 speaks about the punishment for those who worship the state, accept its values, and use them as guidelines in their lives “Then another angel, a third, followed them, crying with a loud voice, “Those who worship the beast and its image, and receive a mark on their foreheads or on their hands, they will also drink the wine of God's wrath, poured unmixed into the cup of his anger, and they will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image and for anyone who receives the mark of its name.” Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and hold fast to the faith of Jesus.”
It is promised that they will have “no rest day or night”. These words should be understood as hatred of a person from one country to a person from another, which poisons life and breaks the second commandment: “And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Mat.22:39).
Rev.14:15-20 describes a beginning of the reaping, which probably resulted from the widespread breaking of the second commandment: “Another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to the one who sat on the cloud, “Use your sickle and reap, for the hour to reap has come, because the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.”
The “blood flowed from the wine press” is the same blood that poisons the rivers and springs of water: “So the angel swung his sickle over the earth and gathered the vintage of the earth, and he threw it into the great wine press of the wrath of God. And the wine press was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the wine press, as high as a horse's bridle, for a distance of about two hundred miles.” (Rev.14:19-20).
The Church in Philadelphia in the third woe and the seven bowls of God’s wrath
As it has been mentioned before, the words in Rev.15:4-5 begin describing the events at the time of the Church in Philadelphia as the one before which the door opened: “All nations will come and worship before you, for your judgments have been revealed.” After this I looked, and the temple of the tent of witness in heaven was opened.”
Rev.16:2 describes the consequences of the first bowl of God’s wrath: “So the first angel went and poured his bowl on the earth, and a foul and painful sore came on those who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped its image.”
As it has been said before, the earth is probably human (earthbound) ideas. At the beginning of the Church in Philadelphia, the First Zionist Congress was held in 1897, which marked the emergence of the Zionist movement. In the same year, the Contemporary world empire led by the USA appeared. Thus, we can assume that these ideas are the ideas of national, racial, and ethnic superiority as a “God-given” right. Those who share these ideas are living in constant torment, as from purulent wounds.
Rev.16:3 describes the consequences of the second bowl of God’s wrath: “The second angel poured his bowl into the sea, and it became like the blood of a corpse, and every living thing in the sea died.” As in the first woe in Rev.8:8-9, the “sea” here is people living on earth, and the “death of every living thing” is their falling away from Christianity. But unlike the first woe, here it is said “became like the blood of a corpse”, not “became the blood”. The word “like” ma mean that unlike Muslims, Christians who accepted the ideas of the state, formally preserved their faith and have a chance of salvation if repent.
Rev.16:4-6 describes the consequences of the third bowl of God’s wrath: “The third angel poured his bowl into the rivers and the springs of water, and they became blood. And I heard the angel of the waters say, “You are just, O Holy One, who are and were, for you have judged these things; because they shed the blood of saints and prophets, you have given them blood to drink. It is what they deserve!”
The punishment for the unrepentant is the sin of worshipping the state rooted among the descendants (“rivers and the springs of water”) and their final falling away from the Church.
Rev.16:8-9 describes the consequences of the fourth bowl of God’s wrath: “The fourth angel poured his bowl on the sun, and it was allowed to scorch them with fire; they were scorched by the fierce heat, but they cursed the name of God, who had authority over these plagues, and they did not repent and give him glory.».
The “fierce heat” here is falling of the people who worship the state away from the grace of God.
Rev.16:10-11 describes the consequences of the fifth bowl of God’s wrath: “The fifth angel poured his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness; people gnawed their tongues in agony, and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and sores, and they did not repent of their deeds.”
Here it goes about the severest fading of the preaching of the Word of God (the Sun) and the decreasing number of believers (the Moon) in the Contemporary Empire.
Rev.16:12-16 describes the consequences of the sixth bowl of God’s wrath: “The sixth angel poured his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up in order to prepare the way for the kings from the east. And I saw three foul spirits like frogs coming from the mouth of the dragon, from the mouth of the beast, and from the mouth of the false prophet. These are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty. (“See, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake and is clothed, not going about naked and exposed to shame.”) And they assembled them at the place that in Hebrew is called Harmagedon.”
Here, as in Rev.9:14, it goes about the river Euphrates. However, there it was about the spirits of malice, the demons uttering curses (smoke). Whereas here it goes only about “three foul spirits like frogs” “coming from the mouth of the dragon, from the mouth of the beast, and from the mouth of the false prophet”. Here the words “foul spirits” probably refer to the church of malice. These three churches may mean the ideas of ethnic nationalism (from the mouth of the dragon: the striking example is fascist Germany), the ideas of civil nationalism (from the mouth of the beast: the striking example is the USA, maybe the USSR), and the ideas of extreme nationalism combining the features of the previous two (from the mouth of the false prophet: the striking example is Israel and the European Union, to a lesser extent).
The words “they assembled them at the place that in Hebrew is called Harmagedon” probably refer to the World Wars I and II. Harmagedon is a mountain, and a mountain is a state. That is, here it most likely goes about Germany.
Rev.16:17-21 describes the consequences of the seventh bowl of God’s wrath: “The seventh angel poured his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple, from the throne, saying, “It is done!” And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, and a violent earthquake, such as had not occurred since people were upon the earth, so violent was that earthquake. The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. God remembered great Babylon and gave her the wine-cup of the fury of his wrath.”
The words “the great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell” probably refer to the fall of the fourth European World Empire and the emergence of the fifth Contemporary world empire, consisting of three centers of power: the USA, Russia (the USSR), and China.
Rev.17 describes “a woman sitting on a scarlet beast” “and on her forehead was written a name, a mystery: “Babylon the great, mother of whores and of earth's abominations.” (Rev.17:5). unlike the wife clothed with the sun that is the Church of Christ, here it probably goes about the state that requires worship as the church.
Then the words in Rev.17:16 should be understood as the end of the state after the fall of all three heads of the last beast (the Contemporary Empire) and complete disappointment in the state: “And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the whore; they will make her desolate and naked; they will devour her flesh and burn her up with fire.”
The Church in Laodicea in the third woe
Rev.18:2 speaks about the complete fall of Babylon: “He called out with a mighty voice, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! It has become a dwelling place of demons, a haunt of every foul spirit, a haunt of every foul bird, a haunt of every foul and hateful beast.”
By this time, the ideas of supremacy of the state and its necessity may finally root in the Contemporary empire.
Rev.18:8 promises punishment for this in a single day (maybe a year): “therefore her plagues will come in a single day— pestilence and mourning and famine— and she will be burned with fire; for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.”
Victory over the beast, the false prophet, and satan
Rev.19:19-21 describes victory over the beast and the false prophet: “Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against the rider on the horse and against his army. And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed in its presence the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. And the rest were killed by the sword of the rider on the horse, the sword that came from his mouth; and all the birds were gorged with their flesh.”
These words probably refer to the fall of the Contemporary world empire and all three of its heads (the beast), as well as Israel and the European Union (the false prophet).
Rev.20:1-3 describes seizure of the dragon for 1,000 years: “Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and locked and sealed it over him, so that he would deceive the nations no more, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be let out for a little while.”
As it has been noted above, 1,000 years is a single payment for the beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, for those who likened “the first resurrection” at the end of time (Rev.20:5), this “reign” will last 1,000 years, while it may be 1 day for people on earth.
Probably, this will happen at a time when the four wings from 3Ezr.12:1-2 will be rising to reign, but will fail: “While the lion was saying these words to the eagle, I looked and saw that the remaining head had disappeared, which remained together with four wings that had gone over to it rose up and set themselves up to reign, and their reign was brief and full of tumult.”
After 1,000 years (1 day) Satan himself will be “thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet were”: “When the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, in order to gather them for battle; they are as numerous as the sands of the sea. They marched up over the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from heaven and consumed them. And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” (Rev.20:7-10).
The lines from Rev.12:1 to Rev.20:10 describe the third woe and its consequences. It is no coincidence that most of the Revelation is dedicated to it, since it will result not only in “a third of the sea became blood,” (Rev.8:8) and not only “a tenth of the city fell” (Rev.11:13), but the entire “sea became like the blood of a corpse.” (Rev.16:3)
Probably, the name of this woe is the state, or rather worship to the state, trust in it, pride in it, and love for it, which breaks the main commandment in Mat.22:37-38: “He said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment.”
Rev.12:1-2 describes the church that is ready to give birth to the first Church in Ephesus: “A great portent appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pangs, in the agony of giving birth.”
Rev.12:3-4 describes Satan as a prototype of a state: “Then another portent appeared in heaven: a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. Then the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bear a child, so that he might devour her child as soon as it was born.” A third of the stars of heaven that the dragon tail swept is fallen angels. Here most interpreters see the “child” as Jesus Christ. However, from the previous lines in Rev.12:1-2 we can see that the woman is already “clothed with the sun”, by which, of course, we must understand Jesus Christ “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” (Jn.9:5)), and “on her head a crown of twelve stars”, by which everyone without exception understands the apostles. That is, “a woman clothed with the sun” is probably the church of the visible presence of Jesus Christ in the world.
This can be confirmed by Jn.16:20-22: “Very truly, I tell you, you will weep and mourn, but the world will rejoice; you will have pain, but your pain will turn into joy. When a woman is in labor, she has pain, because her hour has come. But when her child is born, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy of having brought a human being into the world. So you have pain now; but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.”
Here Jesus Christ compares the joy of the apostles with the joy of the woman who gave birth. And the apostles will feel this joy not after the birth of Jesus Christ, but after Jesus Christ sees them again. When will this reunion take place? After the Resurrection of Christ or after their death? You can understand this from the lines in Jn.16:23: “On that day you will ask nothing of me.” Which is, obviously, after their death.
Thus, most likely here it goes about the birth of the first Church in Ephesus, which was founded by the apostles and born in agony, as a woman gives birth to a child.
And the words of the prophet Micah clearly confirm this conclusion: “But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days. Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has brought forth; then the rest of his kindred shall return to the people of Israel.” (Mic.5:2-3).
Jesus Christ born in Bethlehem (“Bethlehem of Ephrathah”), will “until the time" “give up” the Church, which is to “give birth”. And He will do this for “the rest of his kindred” could “return to the people of Israel”. John the Divine speaks about the same thing: “They were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number would be complete both of their fellow servants and of their brothers and sisters, who were soon to be killed as they themselves had been killed.” (Rev.6:11)
В Rev.12:5-6 describes the emergence of the first Church in Ephesus and its ascent to God in the same way as the Churches in Smyrna and Pergamum under the “my witnesses” guise: (Rev.11:3) “went up to heaven in a cloud” (Rev.11:12), as well as the spread of Christianity during 1,260 years (as in Rev.11:2), i. e. during the period until the state used its power to distort the teaching of the Church in its own favor: “And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron. But her child was snatched away and taken to God and to his throne; and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, so that there she can be nourished for one thousand two hundred sixty days.”
Here, the wilderness is the field called Ardath from the 3rd book of Ezra (3Ezr.9, 10), which describes the place of building of the “city of the Most High” or the “holy city” from the Revelation.
“So I went, as he directed me, into the field that is called Ardat; there I sat among the flowers and ate of the plants of the field, and the nourishment they afforded satisfied me.” (3Ezr.9:26). Here is what A. P. Lopukhin writes about this field: “The fourth vision of Ezra takes place in the field of Ardath (Ardat). Comparison with the Ethiopian text, which uses the name Ardath, brings it closer to the Hebrew word arabah (desert steppe)” (The interpretation by professor A.P. Lopukhin ). Т Thus, the Church was focused on waiting for the Kingdom of God for 1,260 years, i.e. it was in the desert, where “the city of the Most High” was supposed to appear later: “Therefore I told you to go into the field where there was no foundation of any building, because no work of human construction could endure in a place where the city of the Most High was to be revealed.” (3Ezr.10:53-54).
The words “a male child” probably refer to the fact that all apostles were men. The words “who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron” can again mean Jesus Christ, to whom such power, undoubtedly, belongs. However, Rev.2:26-27 says that this power may be given to Him and the Church, which is in this case the fourth Church in Thyateira: “To everyone who conquers and continues to do my works to the end, I will give authority over the nations; to rule them with an iron rod, as when clay pots are shattered even as I also received authority from my Father.”
В Rev.12:7-12 describes the war of Michael and his angels against the dragon and its angels. Rev.12:9 says about “throwing down the dragon”: “The great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.” The fact that these words refer to the first Church in Ephesus is confirmed by the words of Jesus Christ in Jn12:31: “Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out.”
It describes how the “comrades” (Rev.12:10) threw down the dragon: “But they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they did not cling to life even in the face of death.” (Rev.12:11).
Rev.12:13-14 describes the “thrown down” dragon pursuing the Church: “So when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle, so that she could fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to her place where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time.” “Two wings of the great eagle” are either the two wings of the lion from Dan.7:4 (the Eastern and the Western Roman Empires), or the Orthodox and Catholic Churches. The latter is more likely, since it says “for a time, and times, and half a time”, i.e. until the end, but it does not exclude the first option.
The following lines in Rev.12:15-17 confirm it: “Then from his mouth the serpent poured water like a river after the woman, to sweep her away with the flood. But the earth came to the help of the woman; it opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon had poured from his mouth. Then the dragon was angry with the woman, and went off to make war on the rest of her children, those who keep the commandments of God and hold the testimony of Jesus.” The river here is the new pagan peoples, and the earth is the territories controlled by the Roman Empire and its successors. Thus, the dragon’s attack on Christianity was limited to the Christian states. In the light of this, the transfer of the dragon’s power to the lawless state looks logical.
The beast out of the sea – a successor of the beast out of the bottomless pit
Rev.13:1-3 describes the beast rising out of the sea: “And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads; and on its horns were ten diadems, and on its heads were blasphemous names. And the beast that I saw was like a leopard, its feet were like a bear's, and its mouth was like a lion's mouth. And the dragon gave it his power and his throne and great authority. One of its headsseemed to have received a death-blow, but its mortal wound had been healed. In amazement the whole earth followed the beast.”
This beast “was like a leopard” (the third beast or the fourth world European Empire from Dan.7:6), “tsfeet were like a bear’s” (the second beast or the third world Mongol Empire from Dan.7:5), “its mouth was like a lion’s mouth” (the first beast or the second world Roman Empire from Dan.7:4).
The words “One of its heads seemed to have received a death-blow, but its mortal wound had been healed” may probably refer to China, which was a significant part of the Mongol Empire, as well as managed to become one of the leaders of the global economy in a very short time by mobilizing the state’s efforts.
Rev.17:8-13 explains: “The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to ascend from the bottomless pit and go to destruction. And the inhabitants of the earth, whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will be amazed when they see the beast, because it was and is not and is to come. “This callsfor a mind that has wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated; also, they are seven kings, of whom five have fallen, one is living, and the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain only a little while. As for the beast that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to destruction. And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast. These are united in yielding their power and authority to the beast.”
The words “will be amazed”, “the beast was, and is not” show amazement from the emergence, rise and collapse of each of the world empires, whose kingdom is every time declared eternal.
The seven heads are the same heads of the four beasts from Dan.7:
1) lion’s head from Dan.7:4 (the Roman Empire);
2) bear’s head from Dan.7:5 (the Mongol Empire);
3) leopard’s four heads from Dan.7:6 (the European Empire: England, France, Germany, and Russia);
4) three heads of “a fourth beast, terrifying and dreadful from Dan.7:7 and the eagle from 3Ezr.12:11(USA, Russia (USSR), China).
There are totally nine heads, but Russia is the head of the third and the fourth beast, and China is the head of the second and fourth one. Thus, there are seven heads in total.
The words “seven kings, of whom five have fallen, one is living, and the other has not yet come” may be interpreted as follows. The kings who “have fallen” are the Roman Empire, the Mongol Empire (China), France, Germany, and Russia (USSR). All of them were defeated, each in its time. The one that “is living” is England. And the one who “has not yet come” is the USA.
The “ten horns” are “ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour” are the same horns as in Dan.7:7 (USA, Germany, Italy, Japan, France, England, China, Russia, Turkey, and most likely Saudi Arabia).
Rev.13:4-8 warns not to worship the beast: “They worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?” The beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven. Also, it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. It was given authority over every tribe and people and language and nation, and all the inhabitants of the earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb that was slaughtered.”
The words “It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God” should be understood as the state’s struggle of primacy over the church for human minds and hearts, which lasted 42 months, or 1,260 years, and ended with the state’s victory.
В Rev.13:9-10 warns against enjoying the wars for the sake of the state’s interest: “Let anyone who has an ear listen: If you are to be taken captive, into captivity you go; if you kill with the sword, with the sword you must be killed. Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints.”
The beast out of the earth
Rev.13:11 describes the beast out of the earth: “Then I saw another beast that rose out of the earth; it had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon.”
Unlike the beast out of the sea, i.e. coming out of nations and languages, the beast out of the earth must come out either from territories or human (earthbound) ideas. Probably, these lines refer to 2 of the 12 wings described in 3Ezr.11:1 that were not included in the above-listed 10 horns. These are the European Union and Israel. Both formations are based on an idea. In case of the European Union, these are European values enshrined in the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (the contemporary world religion) adopted by the Council of Europe. In case of Israel, these are the ideas of Zionism – a political movement whose goal is to unite and revive the Jewish people in their historical homeland, in Israel, as well as the ideological concept, which this movement is based on.
The fact that the “beast out of the earth” is the “false prophet” becomes evident from Rev.13:14: “and by the signs that it is allowed to perform on behalf of the beast, it deceives the inhabitants of earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that had been wounded by the sword and yet lived;» and from the lines in Rev.19:20: “And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed in its presence the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur.”
Rev.13:12-18 describes the purpose of this beast:
1. To make “the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast” (Rev.13:12). That is, to recognize the primacy of the state over the Church and God.
2. To deceive the inhabitants of earth by the signs: “and by the signs that it is allowed to perform on behalf of the beast, it deceives the inhabitants of earth” (Rev.13:14). That is, to show that the state is the people’s way not only to survival, but to prosperity as well (just like China that “had been wounded by the sword and yet lived”).
3. To tell “them to make an image for the beast” (Rev.13:14). That is, to bring the same standards of behavior, which the states use to build mutual relations, into a person’s life: calculation instead of love, power and respect instead of generosity.
4 “To give breath to the image of the beast” (Rev.13:15). That is, to provide an ideological and even divine justification of the need for existence of such a state.
5. To mark those who will do it (Rev.13:16-17): “Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell who does not have the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name.” Those people who adopt these rules of the game get an opportunity to build a career, and companies and states – to trade. When ignoring these rules, the states become outcasts and people become losers.
Rev.13:18 reveals the gist of this seal: “This calls for wisdom: let anyone with understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a person. Its number is six hundred sixty-six.” The words “of a person” speaks of temporality and stupidity of this seal.
One of the likely explanations of this number may be the story of King Solomon. Thus, in 3Ki.9:26-29we can read: “King Solomon built a fleet of ships at Ezion-geber, which is near Eloth on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom. Hiram sent his servants with the fleet, sailors who were familiar with the sea, together with the servants of Solomon. They went to Ophir, and imported from there four hundred twenty talents of gold, which they delivered to King Solomon.” And more in 3Ki.10:14-15: “The weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred sixty-six talents of gold, besides that which came from the traders and from the business of the merchants, and from all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the land.”
What kind of income it was and what Solomon’s fleet was doing is anyone’s guess. But it is obvious that it had nothing to do with the main sources of any state’s income: taxes, customs duties, and even duties from the conquered kings. Also, we can hardly assume that these ships were engaged in robbery, since here it goes about Solomon’s servants, and not about his troops. Besides, a very impressive constant annual income is extremely hard to get by robbing even prosperous coastal states. The huge size of this income can be seen from the words in 3Ki.10:21-22: “…none were of silver – it was not considered as anything in the days of Solomon. For the king had a fleet of ships of Tarshish at sea with the fleet of Hiram…”
Most likely, this income was generated by Hiram’s (the Tyrian king allied to Solomon) credit issued for building the fleet. The latter, in turn, received income from sea trade. Since voyages were associated with great risks at that time, both interest and income from such trade could be very impressive. This also explains why the following Israeli and Jewish kings could not maintain this income source. The fact is that to repay the debt, they needed not only funds, but also military force that could guarantee its repayment with interest. Solomon’s successors no longer had such force.
Thus, under Solomon, the Kingdom of Israel became the prototype of the world empire that receives not only a relatively honest income from the conquered peoples, but also a usurious interest forbidden by God.
So, it was this usurious income that all the world empires dreamt of, since it allowed them to receive huge income from lending to the economies under their control. And the empires always sought to expand to increase this usurious income.
But modern Israel and the European Union surpassed all of them. Israel’s richest families gained control of the US Federal Reserve, which is the de facto world central bank, and the European Union issued the second most important world currency – the euro. Both receive astronomical usurious income from lending in US dollars and euros even without having their own army and using the US army for their purposes. Thus, they managed to transfer the costs of international usury to the American people and to appropriate the benefits.
So, the number 666 is a spiritual aspiration of all world empires and their supporters, expressed in unbridled acquisitiveness and resulting in debt bondage of the peoples under their control.
Moreover, since the 5th function of the beast out of the earth (unlike the first four) is associated with coercion that guarantees the usurious income, figuratively, the seal can also be understood as a cockade, its successor a five-pointed star, and a graphic representation of the number 666 – David’s star (Solomon’s seal).
A cockade is a bow, a ribbon folded in loops and assemblies, a band folded in a circle, and so on, which later transformed into a special metal or fabric sign on the headdress. The colors and symbols of the cockade indicate affiliation with a particular country, an armed services branch, or a political party (faction).
A five-pointed star (pentagram) is a sign that can be seen on the shoulder straps and caps of almost all armies of the world. In Arabic magic, “Solomon’s seal” was widely used. Magicians of medieval Europe learned about the pentagram from Arabic manuscripts and know it as the “seals of King Solomon”. Interestingly, the hexagram and the pentagram were interchangeable at that time and this name (the seal of King Solomon) referred to both figures.
The six-pointed star (hexagram) is a symbol of the Zionist movement. The First Zionist Congress adopted the draft flag of the Zionist movement with the blue Magen David in the center in 1897, which is now known as the flag of the State of Israel. A hexagram consists of 6 triangles around a hexagon and is formed by six lines.
We can’t claim that all people, who wear shoulder straps or cockades, worship the beast, since it is said that the mark will be assigned to “all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave.” However, besides the place of wearing, the recognition of one’s affiliation with a certain state, political movement, or caste is common to all these symbols.
The words “on the right hand or the forehead” should be understood as accepting the values of the state (the forehead) and being guided by them in live (the right hand).
The devil’s testimony about subjection of the world empires to him
In Lk.4:5-8, we can read the following: “Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world.
And the devil said to him, “To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please.
If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.”
Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’”
Can we assume that the devil lied to Jesus Christ and “the kingdoms of the world” (the world empires) are not “given over to him”? Of course, the devil could not hope to deceive God. These words are only his pathetic attempt to bribe the human essence of Jesus Christ with the power and glory of the world empires. And Jesus immediately prices them – they are nothing compared to worshipping and serving the Lord God.
The Churches in Thyateira and Sardis in the third woe
Next, it goes on telling us about historical development of the third woe after the victory of the beast over the Churches in Smyrna and Pergamum churches in Rev.13:5-7.
Rev.14:6 describes the preaching of the gospel among the pagan nations during the Church in Thyateira: “Then I saw another angel flying in midheaven, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation and tribe and language and people.”
Rev.14:8 speaks about the fall of the state as the protector of the Church during the Church in Sardis: “Then another angel, a second, followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.”
Rev.14:9-12 speaks about the punishment for those who worship the state, accept its values, and use them as guidelines in their lives “Then another angel, a third, followed them, crying with a loud voice, “Those who worship the beast and its image, and receive a mark on their foreheads or on their hands, they will also drink the wine of God's wrath, poured unmixed into the cup of his anger, and they will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image and for anyone who receives the mark of its name.” Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and hold fast to the faith of Jesus.”
It is promised that they will have “no rest day or night”. These words should be understood as hatred of a person from one country to a person from another, which poisons life and breaks the second commandment: “And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Mat.22:39).
Rev.14:15-20 describes a beginning of the reaping, which probably resulted from the widespread breaking of the second commandment: “Another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to the one who sat on the cloud, “Use your sickle and reap, for the hour to reap has come, because the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.”
The “blood flowed from the wine press” is the same blood that poisons the rivers and springs of water: “So the angel swung his sickle over the earth and gathered the vintage of the earth, and he threw it into the great wine press of the wrath of God. And the wine press was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the wine press, as high as a horse's bridle, for a distance of about two hundred miles.” (Rev.14:19-20).
The Church in Philadelphia in the third woe and the seven bowls of God’s wrath
As it has been mentioned before, the words in Rev.15:4-5 begin describing the events at the time of the Church in Philadelphia as the one before which the door opened: “All nations will come and worship before you, for your judgments have been revealed.” After this I looked, and the temple of the tent of witness in heaven was opened.”
Rev.16:2 describes the consequences of the first bowl of God’s wrath: “So the first angel went and poured his bowl on the earth, and a foul and painful sore came on those who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped its image.”
As it has been said before, the earth is probably human (earthbound) ideas. At the beginning of the Church in Philadelphia, the First Zionist Congress was held in 1897, which marked the emergence of the Zionist movement. In the same year, the Contemporary world empire led by the USA appeared. Thus, we can assume that these ideas are the ideas of national, racial, and ethnic superiority as a “God-given” right. Those who share these ideas are living in constant torment, as from purulent wounds.
Rev.16:3 describes the consequences of the second bowl of God’s wrath: “The second angel poured his bowl into the sea, and it became like the blood of a corpse, and every living thing in the sea died.” As in the first woe in Rev.8:8-9, the “sea” here is people living on earth, and the “death of every living thing” is their falling away from Christianity. But unlike the first woe, here it is said “became like the blood of a corpse”, not “became the blood”. The word “like” ma mean that unlike Muslims, Christians who accepted the ideas of the state, formally preserved their faith and have a chance of salvation if repent.
Rev.16:4-6 describes the consequences of the third bowl of God’s wrath: “The third angel poured his bowl into the rivers and the springs of water, and they became blood. And I heard the angel of the waters say, “You are just, O Holy One, who are and were, for you have judged these things; because they shed the blood of saints and prophets, you have given them blood to drink. It is what they deserve!”
The punishment for the unrepentant is the sin of worshipping the state rooted among the descendants (“rivers and the springs of water”) and their final falling away from the Church.
Rev.16:8-9 describes the consequences of the fourth bowl of God’s wrath: “The fourth angel poured his bowl on the sun, and it was allowed to scorch them with fire; they were scorched by the fierce heat, but they cursed the name of God, who had authority over these plagues, and they did not repent and give him glory.».
The “fierce heat” here is falling of the people who worship the state away from the grace of God.
Rev.16:10-11 describes the consequences of the fifth bowl of God’s wrath: “The fifth angel poured his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness; people gnawed their tongues in agony, and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and sores, and they did not repent of their deeds.”
Here it goes about the severest fading of the preaching of the Word of God (the Sun) and the decreasing number of believers (the Moon) in the Contemporary Empire.
Rev.16:12-16 describes the consequences of the sixth bowl of God’s wrath: “The sixth angel poured his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up in order to prepare the way for the kings from the east. And I saw three foul spirits like frogs coming from the mouth of the dragon, from the mouth of the beast, and from the mouth of the false prophet. These are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty. (“See, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake and is clothed, not going about naked and exposed to shame.”) And they assembled them at the place that in Hebrew is called Harmagedon.”
Here, as in Rev.9:14, it goes about the river Euphrates. However, there it was about the spirits of malice, the demons uttering curses (smoke). Whereas here it goes only about “three foul spirits like frogs” “coming from the mouth of the dragon, from the mouth of the beast, and from the mouth of the false prophet”. Here the words “foul spirits” probably refer to the church of malice. These three churches may mean the ideas of ethnic nationalism (from the mouth of the dragon: the striking example is fascist Germany), the ideas of civil nationalism (from the mouth of the beast: the striking example is the USA, maybe the USSR), and the ideas of extreme nationalism combining the features of the previous two (from the mouth of the false prophet: the striking example is Israel and the European Union, to a lesser extent).
The words “they assembled them at the place that in Hebrew is called Harmagedon” probably refer to the World Wars I and II. Harmagedon is a mountain, and a mountain is a state. That is, here it most likely goes about Germany.
Rev.16:17-21 describes the consequences of the seventh bowl of God’s wrath: “The seventh angel poured his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple, from the throne, saying, “It is done!” And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, and a violent earthquake, such as had not occurred since people were upon the earth, so violent was that earthquake. The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. God remembered great Babylon and gave her the wine-cup of the fury of his wrath.”
The words “the great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell” probably refer to the fall of the fourth European World Empire and the emergence of the fifth Contemporary world empire, consisting of three centers of power: the USA, Russia (the USSR), and China.
Rev.17 describes “a woman sitting on a scarlet beast” “and on her forehead was written a name, a mystery: “Babylon the great, mother of whores and of earth's abominations.” (Rev.17:5). unlike the wife clothed with the sun that is the Church of Christ, here it probably goes about the state that requires worship as the church.
Then the words in Rev.17:16 should be understood as the end of the state after the fall of all three heads of the last beast (the Contemporary Empire) and complete disappointment in the state: “And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the whore; they will make her desolate and naked; they will devour her flesh and burn her up with fire.”
The Church in Laodicea in the third woe
Rev.18:2 speaks about the complete fall of Babylon: “He called out with a mighty voice, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! It has become a dwelling place of demons, a haunt of every foul spirit, a haunt of every foul bird, a haunt of every foul and hateful beast.”
By this time, the ideas of supremacy of the state and its necessity may finally root in the Contemporary empire.
Rev.18:8 promises punishment for this in a single day (maybe a year): “therefore her plagues will come in a single day— pestilence and mourning and famine— and she will be burned with fire; for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.”
Victory over the beast, the false prophet, and satan
Rev.19:19-21 describes victory over the beast and the false prophet: “Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against the rider on the horse and against his army. And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed in its presence the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. And the rest were killed by the sword of the rider on the horse, the sword that came from his mouth; and all the birds were gorged with their flesh.”
These words probably refer to the fall of the Contemporary world empire and all three of its heads (the beast), as well as Israel and the European Union (the false prophet).
Rev.20:1-3 describes seizure of the dragon for 1,000 years: “Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and locked and sealed it over him, so that he would deceive the nations no more, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be let out for a little while.”
As it has been noted above, 1,000 years is a single payment for the beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, for those who likened “the first resurrection” at the end of time (Rev.20:5), this “reign” will last 1,000 years, while it may be 1 day for people on earth.
Probably, this will happen at a time when the four wings from 3Ezr.12:1-2 will be rising to reign, but will fail: “While the lion was saying these words to the eagle, I looked and saw that the remaining head had disappeared, which remained together with four wings that had gone over to it rose up and set themselves up to reign, and their reign was brief and full of tumult.”
After 1,000 years (1 day) Satan himself will be “thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet were”: “When the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, in order to gather them for battle; they are as numerous as the sands of the sea. They marched up over the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from heaven and consumed them. And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” (Rev.20:7-10).