The Rise of Babylon

v.7:

After seeing the vision of this judgment, John's mind must be running 100 mph.

He is undoubtedly trying to make sense of it all, when the Angel speaks up.

He tells John that there is no need to wonder, that he will tell him the meaning of the vision.

v.8:

"Was, is not, and is about to rise" - this is a reference to the false resurrection of the antichrist.

Revelation 13:3

Revelation 13:3 NKJV

And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast.

People in the world will be amazed when the antichrist appears to rise from the dead.

The charisma and illusory powers of the antichrist will cause the world to follow him.

Revelation 13:14

Revelation 13:14 NKJV

And he deceives those who dwell on the earth—by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived.

2 Thessalonians 2:8-12

2 Thessalonians 2:8–12 NKJV

And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

v.9:

Most likely, the seven mountains refer to the kingdoms of the seven kings referred to in verse 10.

vv.10-11:

These seven kings, five of which had already fallen at the time of the writhing of this prophecy, coincide with what Daniel had prophesied nearly 700 years earlier.

The seven kings coincide with what Daniel prophesied nearly 700 years earlier.

Daniel 2:37-45

Daniel 2:37–45 NKJV

You, O king, are a king of kings. For the God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power, strength, and glory; and wherever the children of men dwell, or the beasts of the field and the birds of the heaven, He has given them into your hand, and has made you ruler over them all—you are this head of gold. But after you shall arise another kingdom inferior to yours; then another, a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. And the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron, inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything; and like iron that crushes, that kingdom will break in pieces and crush all the others. Whereas you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; yet the strength of the iron shall be in it, just as you saw the iron mixed with ceramic clay. And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile. As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay. And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold—the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure.”

The dream which Daniel interprets begins with his present time, at Babylon, and goes forward.

It shows us the the Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Greek, and Roman empires. . . But that's only four.

The other great world empires are the Egyptian, Assyrian and the empire of the antichrist.

By the time of John's writing, the Egyptian, Assyrian, Babylonian, Medo-Persian, and Greek empires had already fallen.

Rome was still in power, and the kingdom of the antichrist had not yet come.

When the empire of the antichrist does come, it will be short-lived, and end in destruction.

This kingdom of the antichrist is referred to as both the seventh and the eighth, because of his supposed death and resurrection.

vv.12-13:

The ten horns refer to ten rulers who will, after a short time, cede their authority to the antichrist.

But the Antichrist will still have to overcome three other rulers to be able to exercise his will.

While seven rulers will cede authority to the antichrist, he will still have to overcome three others.

Daniel 7:7-8

Daniel 7:7–8 NKJV

“After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong. It had huge iron teeth; it was devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words.

Daniel 7:24

Daniel 7:24 NKJV

The ten horns are ten kings Who shall arise from this kingdom. And another shall rise after them; He shall be different from the first ones, And shall subdue three kings.

The fact that the "horn" in question is referred to as a little horn, signifies that this will be someone who is generally considered insignificant.

This horn has eyes like a man, and in fact it is a man, a man who will rule the most frightful kingdom ever to exist.

This is a kingdom that will only fall by the hand of Christ Himself.

Given certain clues and battles that are described elsewhere in Scripture, this will be some sort of European confederation. This is why it is often referred to as the revived Roman Empire.

We need to understand that neither the European Union nor the United Nations can fit the description which Scripture gives us.

First and foremost, they both have way too many members.

This confederation of nations does not yet exist today. While it is very possible that we may see it come together in our lifetime, the Antichrist will not be revealed until after the rapture of the church.

The antichrist will not be revealed until after the rapture of the church.

2 Thessalonians 2:7-8

2 Thessalonians 2:7–8 NKJV

For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.

It is out of this confederation that the kingdom of the Antichrist will arise (the final world kingdom), and actively oppose God.

v.14:

This will be a time of great persecution against God's people, and the Antichrist will appear to prevail.

God will only allow a temporary victory. The final victory belongs to Christ.

In the end, the saints will receive the kingdom.

Daniel 7:18

Daniel 7:18 NKJV

But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.’

The saints will not have to take the kingdom, it will be given to them.

The victory belongs to Christ, we are just along for the ride.

Revelation 19:11-15

Revelation 19:11–15 NKJV

Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

Daniel 7:27

Daniel 7:27 NKJV

Then the kingdom and dominion, And the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, Shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And all dominions shall serve and obey Him.’

v.15:

This verse serves as a reminder of how serious an issue this is.

The influence of this idolatrous and satanic influence will be universal.

It will snare people of all beliefs and nationalities.

Indeed, we see hearts and minds being prepared for this even today, and so many people of this wold are already strolling along this very path.

vv.16-18:

The antichrist is ruthless. He will align with the major political powers of the world, and use their influence to hook the people.

After his false resurrection, he will destroy the harlot’s religious empire and demands exclusive worship of himself.

Yet, through all this, God is still working His will.

It can be very difficult to comprehend how this is all part of God's plan, yet it is, and He will see to it that it is fulfilled.

We need to remember that we live in a world that is stained by sin, and sin has consequences.

This cancerous sin is rooted very deeply. Therefore, the removal of it requires the most radical of treatments.

But we must trust the Master Physician.

No matter what Satan and the Antichrist do, God is still on the throne, and He is still in control.

The church today looks for our Savior to return, when we will be caught up to meet Him in the air. After which, we will return with Him and serve Him.

"Even so, come Lord Jesus."