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8-minute read. 7 video clips. 1 image.

The BOOK of REVELATION

Its Astounding Relevance for the 21st Century

Section 2, Part 2, CHAINS 5, 6, and 7 of Seven Chains of Prophecies in the Book of REVELATION that lead to the END of the material EARTH and TIME Itself.

CHAIN 5. The VIOLENT END of the GREAT BABYLON-
GREAT PROSTITUTE and the SCARLET RED DRAGON.

The Fifth Chain of Prophecies and Visions is found in Revelation 18:21-24.

21 “Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, 'Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all. 22 And the voice of harpers and musicians, and of pipers and trumpeters shall be heard no more at all in it; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in it; 23 and the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in it; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in it. For its merchants were the great men of the earth, for by her sorceries were all nations deceived. 24 And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.'”

Dear Reader, as you can see, this text relates the VIOLENT END of “the Great City Babylon,” also represented as the “Great Prostitute” who comes “sitting on a SCARLET BEAST.” Revelation 17:1-6. In the terrific dramas of these visions, apostate, idolatrous, commercialized religions, especially in the context of politicized, materialistic, militarized, worldly, persecuting, and morally corrupt types of “Christianity,” are totally vanquished and eternally snuffed out. Tremendous events also represented, dramatically and spot-on, by the Second Beast of Revelation 13, with its “two horns like a lamb” but speech and actions of the “DRAGON,” who performs deceiving signs and convinces the deceived nations and peoples to make an “IMAGE” of the First Beast and worship it.

The same deceiving, idolatrous religions intertwined with secular governments, social movements, and cultural traditions, pursuing material wealth, pomp, and power, are powerfully dramatized as “the MAN of SIN” who

is “that LAWLESS ONE… whose coming is according to the working of Satan.” In the Sacred Scriptures of the New Testament, his absolute and final violent destruction is inextricably linked with the Second Coming of Christ. Let us pay close attention to the link between the two events as set forth in 2 Thessalonians 2:8. “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.”

What will be the destiny of the “lawless one?" The Lord will “consume him with the breath of his mouth.”

When? He will “DESTROY HIM with the brightness of his coming.” His Second Coming "apart from sin." “Lawless one,” “great prostitute,” and “great Babylon” are fierce rhetorical representations of the very same corrupt religious-worldly-politicized entity.

Now, we ask: Did Jesus Christ triumph over the “great city Babylon” in the year 70 of the Common Era? The date when the Romans conquered and destroyed Jerusalem, including its magnificent Temple? By no means did that happen! Let us keep in mind that the earthly city of Jerusalem was not totally destroyed forever by the Romans, continuing to be “trodden down by the Gentiles” until June 1967, when it was liberated, today being the capital of Israel. Luke 21:24

Did Jesus Christ destroy the “LAWLESS ONE" in that year 70 CE? Absolutely not!

Did the Lord come with “brightness” in the year 70 CE? Indeed, some commentators affirm that all these events

occurred in the year 70 CE. However, the abundant historical data presented in this Commentary renders such a hypothesis invalid, misleading, and worthless.

Furthermore, a harmonious interpretation of the prophecies of the Book of Revelation, along with the integration of other relevant biblical prophecies, proves that the thesis of Christ's return in glory in the year 70 CE is absolutely unsustainable. This conclusion will be completely sustained, we think, as you continue, dear reader, this Commentary to the last page. We will see that the many prophecies tracing the origin, development, prosperity, persecution, and destruction of “Babylon the Great” take on GLOBAL ASPECTS, not being limited to a little corner of the earth, for example, Palestine. They are not even limited to the vast and powerful Roman Empire of that time prior to the year 476 CE.

The Son of God “will appear a second time, apart from sin, to save those who wait for Him.” Hebrews 9:28. Had this prophecy been fulfilled in the year 70 CE, or even in 476 CE, would He appear “for a third time” to save those who believed in him after those years?

​The supposed “appearance of the Lord for a THIRD TIME” is pure religious fiction, with not even the smallest glimmer of such a doctrine being found in the Sacred Scriptures, and this is proven in Section 10 of this Commentary, with four studies on the Millennium, as well as in Section 12, with a number of studies on the “Second Coming of Jesus Christ Like a Thief in the Night.”

Regarding “Babylon the Great,” had that  “CITY,” rhetorical for a corrupt, idolatrous religious entity, been destroyed in the year 70 CE, how do we explain her reappearance and tremendous power as the “Great Prostitute” during the Middle Ages, as well as her existence, prosperity, and might in the present time, during the first half of the 21st century? Facts projected prophetically in chapters 17 and 18 of the Book of Revelation. In my opinion, the explanation of Revelation developed in this Commentary irrefutably refutes the theory of the “Second Coming of Christ in the year 70 of the 1st century of the Common Era.”

CHAIN 6. The RIDER on the White Horse, accompanied by his HEAVENLY ARMIES, ENDS the existence of the HUMAN RACE on Earth.

The Sixth Chain of Prophecies and Visions is found in Revelation 19:11-21, specifically in verses 19 through 21. As we read through the entire Book of Revelation, we come, for the SIXTH TIME, to the END of the HUMAN RACE on EARTH.

1. The Rider (Jesus Christ) on the White Horse, together with the "Heavenly Armies," defeats "the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies," as well as the “false

prophet,” casting them into the “lake of fire that burns with brimstone.” “And the rest [of the humans alive on earth at that time] were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse” (Revelation 19:21), leaving no human being alive on the face of planet Earth.

2. Revelation 19:29-21. 19 “And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat upon the horse, and against his army. 20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought the signs in his sight, wherewith he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast and them that worshipped his image: they two were cast alive into the lake of fire that burns with brimstone: 21 and the rest were killed with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, even the sword which came forth out of his mouth: and all the birds were filled with their flesh.”

CHAIN 7. The “Great White Throne” Judgment takes place. The unrighteous dead are raised, judged, and “cast into the lake of fire.”  Earth and heaven flee away and “there was found no place for them.”

20:1-15 starts at a different point, back on the timeline, before the events of Revelation 19:11-21. Reviewing…

The Seventh Chain of Prophecies and Visions is found in Revelation 20:7-15. Note carefully. Revelation 20 IS NOT a continuation on the timeline of Revelation 19:11-21. Clearly, Revelation

Revelation 19:11-21 begins with the Second Coming of Jesus Christ on his White Horse and the “Armies of Heaven,” and ends quickly with the destruction of all God's enemies.

On the other hand, Revelation 20:1-15 begins with the binding of Satan, not his destruction, in the “abyss” for “a thousand years” [the Millennium]. It continues with the “thousand years,” the state of nations freed from deception during that time, and the reign of the glorified martyrs during the same “thousand years.” Then, describes conditions during the “little time,” which lead to Armageddon, the transformation of God’s faithful followers still on earth, the

destruction of the deceived nations, and terminating when Satan is “cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where are also the beast and the false prophet.” Then appears “a great white throne, and him that sat upon it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away, and there was found no place for them.”

Behold, in this Seventh Chain of Prophecies and Visions, the final and absolute END of the material universe! Also, of all God’s enemies, not only in spiritual regions but also on planet Earth. You may read the exact text yourself as follows.

Revelation 20:11-15. 11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat upon it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne; and books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of the things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13 And the sea gave up the dead that were in it; and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14 And death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death, even the lake of

fire. 15 And if any was not found written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire.”

Conclusions of Momentous Importance

An inescapable, fully-demonstrated conclusion is that the Prophecies and Visions of the Book of Revelation DO NOT COMPOSE a single series of consecutive revelations that begins with the First Seal and ends with the judgment of the "great white throne," “the great holy city of Jerusalem,” and the “pure river of water of life… that proceeded from the throne of God and of the Lamb.”

Clearly distinguishable in all those Prophecies and Visions are Seven Basic, distinct chains, each with a particular beginning, distinctive content, and an ENDING that proclaims and describes events marking the end of the material universe and time. They are a major part of the Book of Revelation's basic organizational structure.

Other scholars of the Book of Revelation have reached the same conclusion, which is as critical as it is central to accurately interpreting the prophecies and visions. For example, Matthew Henry and thirteen other non-conformist ministers who collaborated on the writing of the Commentary on Revelation, found in the sixth volume of the Matthew Henry Exposition of the Old and New Testaments. Written in the early 18th century, this is a well-known and highly valued commentary to this day. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Henry

An artistic creation of sevens on a light tan parchment highlights 14 sevens of the Book of Revelation, with a very large number 7 on the right side.

Incidentally, is the number “SEVEN” not highly significant in the Book of Revelation? There are FOURTEEN “SEVENS” in it! Among them: “The seven spirits of God,” “Seven Seals,” “Seven Trumpets,” “Seven Bowls,” and “Seven Plagues.” Well then, why not also “Seven

Distinct Chains of Prophecies and Visions.”

In the context of prophetical language, it is evident that the number “SEVEN” indicates “completeness,” “perfection,” “fullness,” “totality.” Thus, these “Seven Distinct Chains of Prophecies and Visions” cover “completely” what God wanted to reveal through them, concerning conditions and events to come, not only to his faithful followers but also to the whole world of humanity.

Content of Section 2 of this Commentary on Revelation.

Text and layout by the author Homer Dewayne Shappley. All rights reserved. Not to be sold in any format. The source should be properly identified in any published citation of the content.

A LIST of the CONTENT, with links, of the commentary "Revelation: Its Astounding Relevance for the 20th and 21st Centuries."

This is the title image for the 21st century Commentary on the Book of Revelation by Dewayne Shappley, composed of a horizon background in shades of blue with an explosion of red and white celestial forms on the horizon.
A light brown flat map of the world on a gold-tinted background with the words of the Great Commission in black, blue, and red.

Steps to take to be saved eternally according to the New Testament of Jesus Christ. And be blessed with the imperishable reward of living forever on "the New Earth with New Heavens." "Approaching God in Search of Pardon, Honor, and Eternal Life." Hear the true gospel. Believe that Jesus of Nazareth is the promised Messiah. Repent of sins. Publicly confess that Jesus is the Son of God. Be baptized (immersed in water) "for the forgiveness of sins." Concise text. 33 Bible texts cited. 2 video clips. 6 images. 4-minute read. Este mensaje en ESPAÑOL

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