“the mystery of iniquity”
“Mystery Babylon the Great” is the 10th and
final resurrection of "the Roman Empire"— which will be “a kingdom
strong as iron” (partly iron and partly clay).
“The mystery of iniquity” is a diabolical
mystery, in Revelation 2: 24 it is referred to as “deep-secrets of satan” (see
Rev.2:24).
Note that, our adversary, the devil—“the
dragon,” devised his “satanic trinity” — satan himself is the head of it, and
next in line is the antichrist, and then, his false prophet. The antichrist receives
satan’s authority, throne, and power (see Rev. 13:2) and he delegates this
power to his false prophet (v. 12). The authority and power of satan ‘the
dragon’ will be activated in the personality of “the false prophet of the
antichrist” –the man who will exercise ‘the authority of the beast’ on his
behalf. This is the means by which satan will unleash his wrath upon the earth.
In verse 15, “he had power to give life to the
image of the beast.” Notice that [he] was used in this verse, referring to “the
false prophet” [the beast out of the earth], and [it] for “the image of the
beast.” The “image” which was revived by “the beast out of the earth” will
then, speak for itself.
To unmask “the beast,” we must identify what
this “image” is!
In Daniel 3:1-5 people of every nation and
tongue where commanded to worship ‘the image of gold’ setup by king Nebuchadnezzar.
Now, remember that, because of the signs (miracles) which the second beast was
allowed to perform on behalf of the first beast, he deceived those who inhabit
the earth, commanding them to erect a statue (an image) in the likeness of the
beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived.
In 2 Corinthians 4:4-5 we see that, the god of this
age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the Light of
the Gospel of the Glory of Christ, Who is the Image of God.
NIV
Jesus Christ is The Image of GOD.
And because the devil tries to copy everything
GOD does—but he copies it only for an evil purpose. Therefore, the “image” which
decrees death sentence in Revelation 13:15 is “the antichrist,” who is “the
image of the dragon.”
“… and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first
beast, whose fatal wound had been healed” (v.12b).
The second beast made the inhabitants of the
earth to worship
the first beast [the antichrist]. The antichrist
is the incarnate of
satan.
This man already has come on the world scene, he
is a full ‘representation of the dragon’; ‘a type of satan’ who is yet another
conspicuous example of the appearance of satan—that may be called ‘the exact
carbon copy’ of his god and father—satan, the devil, so that he becomes “the
man of sin.”
GOD created man in His own Image (Gen. 1:27).
Therefore, the devil with his “occult theory”
fashioned “the man of sin” after his own likeness—having all the characteristics
of sin, wickedness and evil in him.
The antichrist will be the ancient dragon
personified—satan in the flesh, made flesh, in a man.
Remember that satan copies the reality of GOD’s
Kingdom, and makes an imitation of it for evil.
All who do not belong to Christ will worship the
beast just as
Revelation 13:8 says:
All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast — all whose
names have not been written in the Book of Life belonging to
The Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world.
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In verse 4, they also worshipped the dragon as
they worshipped the beast. Men worshiped the dragon because he had given
authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, "Who
is like the beast? Who can make war against him?"
NIV
“The false prophet” will command people all over
the world—of all race and country, gender and age, rich and poor [small or great],
the educated and the uneducated, free and slave (even prisoners) to receive
“the mark of the beast” in verse 16.
Just as Caesar Augustus ordered a census
throughout the ancient Roman world, in the time of Jesus birth. And everyone
had to travel to his own ancestral hometown to be accounted for (Luke 2:1-5)—so,
in this latter time, the world over, people will be ordered to undergo a
personal identification process. By this process, people will be coerced into
receiving a mysterious but diabolical mark—‘the mark of the beast.’
It is also an “economic mark,” so that no one
could for instance, get a job or even buy in any store without the permit of
that mark which is the code number of his name. The numerical values of the
letters in his name add to 666!
“The beast out of the earth” [the false prophet
of the antichrist] will influence and control electronic commerce and physical enterprises
around the world.
He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave,
to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could
buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number
of his name.
Rev 13:16-17 NIV
In Genesis 11 when the whole world had one
language and a common speech, men built a city with a tower that reached to the
heavens. Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a
tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and
not be scattered over the face of the whole earth" (v.4).
But when God came down to see the city and the
tower mankind was making. He said, “Behold, they are one people and they have
all one language; and this is only the beginning of what they will do, and now
nothing they have imagined they can do will be impossible for them” (see verses
5 and 6).
Apostle John saw in vision, three evil spirits
that looked like frogs, come out of the mouths of satan the dragon, the beast
[the antichrist], and the false prophet.
Then I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the
mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the
false prophet.
Rev 16:13 NIV
In Revelation 17:18, Mystery Babylon is
illustrated as “a woman”—“a prostitute,” and “the great city” that rules over
the kings of the earth.
The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the
earth."
NIV
And, in earlier verse 15, this prostitute is
seen seated over nations, and people, and languages:
Then the angel said to me, "The waters you saw, where the prostitute
sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages.
NIV
This same city—“a mystical kingdom of iniquity”
was given power to defeat “the tribulation saints”
He was given power to make war against the saints and to
conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe,
people, language and nation.
Revelation 13:7 NIV