A layman's commentary on Matthew 24. This generation will by no means pass away. Matthew 24:32-35

We are in Matthew 24 and now looking at the parable of the Fig Tree.

Let’s open this with a broad mental attitude. 

Finis Jennings Dake tells us that this parable is the “First of five parables in Matthew 24-25: the fig tree, illustrating the nearness of His return.”

The parable has everything to do with Jesus returning as the Messiah. This has nothing to do with the church.

"Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors!”
Matthew 24:32-33 NKJV

Because I have heard questions like this, doesn't this apply to the church? It is particularly pointed at Israel and the Jewish people who are looking for a warring Messiah. The passage speaks to the generation that witnessed the birth of the nation of Israel. Wouldn't this imply that the baby, born that day, would be included? Doesn't this imply that the global population that would eventually pay attention would be included? Of course, it does, with the exception that the nations can never be the nation of Israel. We can, however, be adopted into the family, and, therefore, we look and wait intently first for the Father to collect His bride, knowing that only moments later, the Father will pour His wrath upon a world that refuses to see or acknowledge Him.

“So you also, when you see all these things,”

Now, back to the context of the conversations, which is directed at the Jewish mindset, as they look for Jesus to come as the warring Messiah.

Parable is the Greek word parabolē. It is “the placing of one thing by the side of another for the purpose of comparing, or comparison.” (We need to find out what Jesus compares the fig tree to.) It is also an example by which a doctrine or precept is illustrated. (If the fig tree demonstrates a precept, what is the precept?)

Jesus told them (the Jewish disciples and those Jews that followed closely.)

“Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near;” 
Matthew 24:32 NAS95

Not that it matters, but was there an actual fig tree? 

I ask because I am a visual learner and understand that fig trees are relatively common around Jerusalem. One commentator seemed to think that they were purposely grown on the Mount of Olives, and because of environmental factors and the season of the year, they all came into bud and then fruit at about the same time.

Pay attention to this statement: “When its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near.” I can imagine Him pointing to a fig tree that must have been nearby and mentioning things that they could see and relate to. 

So, what do I gather from this concerning Israel? 

That spring has come, the trees have already come into bud, and in no time, we should be able to pick and eat the fruit. But this is NOT about figs, and eating them is it. It is about Israel and the conditions by which they rule their lives. These wars, governmental affairs, and rabbinical teachings are parallels to the factors hindering growth or advancement, as the Rabbis instruct the congregants to stay away from Isaiah 53 and the prophet Daniel's writings. Other factors that define the fruit are streets filled with protests and terrorist attacks; all this makes it difficult to see Israel growing. 

Matthew 24 opens with this, “What shall be the sign of the end of the age?”

What could Matthew have meant by the end of the age? It is the end of the seven years of God's wrath and the transition into the millennial reign of Christ. 

But what signifies that this is about to happen?

• Israel became a nation in 1948.

  “Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall the earth be made to give birth in one day? Or shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion was in labor, She gave birth to her children. Shall I bring to the time of birth, and not cause delivery?" says the LORD. "Shall I who cause delivery shut up the womb?" says your God. "Rejoice with Jerusalem, And be glad with her, all you who love her; Rejoice for joy with her, all you who mourn for her;”
  Isaiah 66:8-10 NKJV

• Matthew 24:4 NIV  Jesus, in response to their questions, answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you.”

  What is my takeaway from this? That many will be deceived.

  Matthew 24:5 For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Messiah,' and will deceive many.”

• Matthew 24:7a NIV  “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.

  I can barely remember a time when there has not been at least a skirmish.

• Matthew 24:7b NIV “There will be famines.”

  The majority of famines are created by ruling authorities in an effort to gain total control.

• Matthew 24:7c NIV “and earthquakes in various places.”

  Earthquakes are associated with tectonic plate shifts and volcanic activity.

Jesus told them all these things.

• Matthew 24:10 NIV  “At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other,”

  When you see the word faith in this context, they are talking about church folk. Try making a peaceful comment in a chat room or on a post. In just a matter of minutes, you will be denounced for what you believe or communicate.

• Matthew 24:11 NIV  “and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.”

  This shouldn't be new news to you, as this type of person has been popping up for years. People will be deceived.

• Matthew 24:12 NIV  “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold,”

  Just try watching the evening news; in a matter of minutes, hatred and rage will rise within you. At this point, your love is growing cold.

We should know by now that the focus of these things is part of what will happen during the seven years of wrath that comes after the catching away of the church; however, it becomes obvious, since evil people are involved, that what we are seeing today 04/30/24 are merely a warm-up to the global, cataclysmic events that will take place during the seven years of God's wrath.

“So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors!” 
Matthew 24:33 NKJV

When the seven years have come to an end, Jesus will ride back into the picture on a white horse, wearing a blood-stained robe and a sword proceeding out of His mouth. At this time, He slaughters all those who choose to fight with Him.

When could we even consider that there was a fig tree?

It was not until May of 1948 that Israel became a nation. Israel is moments away from turning 76.

The next clue. 

“Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.” 
Matthew 24:34 NKJV

Which generation is He talking about?

The youngest of the generations that witnessed the birth of Israel as a nation is today, about 76 years old. 

His final word as He finished this “parable” may have been one of comfort, particularly since it might have become painfully obvious that this would never happen in the lifetime of the disciples. If He had spoken to them about the trials that would befall them, I can see how they might become discouraged and, therefore, need a word like this to hold on to. 

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.” 
Matthew 24:35 NKJV

“Pass away” is Strong's number G3928. It is the Greek word parerchomai and, in this context, means to come near or aside, to go by (or away), (figuratively) to perish.

“Pass away,” is the speaker verbalizing the same Greek word twice to emphasize a concept.

I want you to consider something. 

When and why would the earth and the heavens pass away?

If you had pointed to the millennial reign as the time this could happen, then I see a problem as God has allowed those from the nations who are still exhibiting their free will to live freely. It is evident that many will NOT accept Jesus as the Lord over their life. If God turned loose the heat necessary to burn and purify the earth, then people would die. Some might not see that as a problem, but God is NOT a murderer.

So, the best time is after the judgment from the great white throne.

Why? 

1. Revelation 19 shows us the devil, at the end of the time of wrath, cast into the lake of fire for a thousand years. The plus side of this is that there has been no deception or temptation coming from Satan for 1000 years, and yet, upon his release, he deceives the nations, and scripture tells us that God kills them with the breath of His mouth – actually, this sounds a lot like Jesus. Nonetheless, they are dead without Christ.

   Do all the persons from the nations gather for this stupidity? We are not told that they do, however, it is quite a number. Since only the dead are judged at the white throne, then one can assume that the remainder are changed and given entrance into the eternal kingdom.

2. The same people who want to reset us and the earth are the ones who have destroyed the earth with their industrial pollution. There is only one way, and that is to burn it completely and start over. The damage, that is part of Adam's handing over the dominion to Satan, was extensive and rarely talked about. Doesn't it seem odd that God would have to burn it to cleanse the earth?

Who, then, are the rest of the dead?

Let's start this interrogation by determining who the dead it is NOT.

Revelation 20:4 tells us that the souls of those who had been martyred during the seven years are reunited with their bodies, and they now sit as judges over Christ's 1,000-year reign. So, the martyred are not included in this crowd of raised dead people.

“But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.” 
Revelation 20:5 NKJV

Revelation 20:6 states that the martyred saints, who will be resurrected, are the first resurrection. I realize that this messes with the theology of many, but we are not in a position to argue against the Scriptures. (This information, explaining that the martyred saints are resurrected at the end of the seven-year period, is monumental in terms of defining when they arise, as it describes when the first resurrection happens and who takes part in that moment of time.)

So it is NOT the martyred saints.

The catching away of the church is not a resurrection, although there are (allegedly) dead folk who will have their souls re-associated with their bodies ( I cannot imagine why it is necessary for us to reconnect with these abused bodies of ours.) The understanding you need to apply here is that those caught up in the rapture are in Christ and, therefore, alive. They are never perceived as being dead. 

And it is NOT those who are part of the church.

How is it possible that the martyred saints are among the dead seen in Revelation 20:5?

“But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.”
Revelation 20:5 NKJV

This, quite possibly, is where people become confused. To be honest, I think it is a grammatical and interpretive error. Look at how the NLT translation states this verse.

“This is the first resurrection. (The rest of the dead did not come back to life until the thousand years had ended.)”
Revelation 20:5 NLT

The NLT leaves no room for questions or doubts.

In his second letter to the church in Corinth, Paul tells us that when we (who are in Christ) are absent from the body — death, we are present with the Lord. 

“So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord.” 
2 Corinthians 5:6 NKJV

These dead, who may have existed since the beginnings of humanity and were not raised in the rapture of the Church, are now being brought to stand before Jesus, the judge, who will be seated upon that throne. This is the second resurrection.

“Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them.” 
Revelation 20:11 NKJV

Revelation 20:15 conveys that anyone not written in the Lamb's Book of Life is cast into the Lake of Fire. This is the end of all judgment. 

We who remain after this final judgment are all immortals, and our lives are hidden in Christ. So, we cannot be harmed in any manner, including the fire that burns up the earth and the heavens – if you can imagine that. 

As we anxiously await His return. Revelation 22: 18 - 21.

 With the last few posts, we should have been encouraged and established as we read and studied Revelation 22, verses 16 and 17.

Why?

Because we have good witnesses and reliable testimony, this testimony primarily comes from the mouth of Jesus, who established the trustworthiness of His word by satisfying the demands of the law with His own body, and from the mouth of the prophets and thus fulfills the prophetic pattern. All this affirms our hope and understanding of why we can have that hope is valid.

Good, now that we are past that, let's finish this chapter and the book of Revelation.

“I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book;”
(Revelation 22:18 NASB)

The Amplified Bible makes the statement a bit more intense by saying, “warn everyone who listens to the statements of the prophecy.”

Is it possible that there is a difference between hearing and listening?

I hear stuff all the time, but my mind is bouncing at least two more ideas around in my head while my wife's instructions are being said to me. I may have heard, but I was not listening. Now, if I symbolically move to the front row in the classroom and purposefully listen to the instructor, I stand a better chance of comprehending what is being said.

In defining the word hears, Thayer’s Greek Definitions tell us that the word akouō can also mean attending to or considering what has been said. 

So, it appears that Jesus is talking to and about persons who have invested the time to understand this book, whether through personal readings and study or under the inclination of theological training.

Now, if you invested that kind of time in understanding, why would you go about changing the meanings of the things you read in the Revelation?

An example of something that has been changed and brought about drastic confusion is Revelation 4:1. It reads,

“After these things, I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.”
(Revelation 4:1 NASB)

The first three chapters of Revelation focus on the church age and end with God talking to the “church” of Laodicea. Revelation 3:14 opens with this statement.

“And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write,”

You may not pick up the importance of what He said here, so let me show you an example of how God addressed the previous six churches. In Revelation 3:7, we see this,

“And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write,”

It wasn’t Jesus’ church in Laodicea but the Laodicean’s church. Sadly, we are living in the age of the Laodicean church. Just look around you as churches of every denomination are going “woke,” becoming an arm of the government by opening their doors to become inoculation centers for the C19 vaccine, a vaccine meant to kill you; and note how quickly the churches are giving themselves over to blatant sin. See Leviticus 20:13.

The drastic confusion stems from the phrase “ After these things.” The church, on the whole, cannot seem to grasp that the events that will progress in Revelation are happening AFTER the time of the churches – after the rapture.

Now don't get me wrong, woke, progressive churches will continue to have a function in the seven years, for a time, as long as they comply with government demands, such as taking the mark, worshiping the beast, and worshiping the image of the beast, but the church, as I now know it, will be gone. We will be like the Chinese are now, meeting in secret at odd hours of the night.

Let's finish chapter 22.

“And if anyone takes away from the Words of the Book of this prophecy, God will take away his part out of the Book of Life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which have been written in this Book.” (Revelation 22:19 MKJV)

As church people have read Revelation, I imagine many have wished they could remove many of the painful aspects we find there.

Why?

I can think of two reasons someone might do that.

1. Most of us know people who will probably have to go through the time of wrath, and we want to save them from having to do that.

2. Many “Christians” have not been taught properly and, therefore, believe they must go through the time of wrath or at least some portion of that time.

So, if you were like me, weaving your way through Revelation with the hope of understanding and causing others to understand. What advantage do you gain, by leaving things out or misrepresenting others, like Revelation 6:2?

“And I saw. And behold a white horse! And he sitting on it had a bow. And a crown was given to him, and he went forth conquering and to conquer.” (Revelation 6:2 MKJV)

Saddam Hussein accepted only one verse from our Bible as true, Revelation 6:2. He also believed that he was this rider. He was not, and to prove my point, Saddam was hanged. This rider (symbolic language) is the antichrist personified in a man (sorry ladies) and will emerge shortly after the catching away of the church. This man, because we see him putting forth a seven-year peace treaty (Note: Israel is NOT mentioned in this treaty; the treaty, therefore, may be perceived as giving the Islamic nations a chance to reload. This war is probably associated with the war against Israel that we see in Ezekiel 38,39, which appears to have a nuclear aspect.)

Verse 19 tells us, “if anyone takes away from the Words of the Book of this prophecy, God will take away his part out of the Book of Life, and out of the holy city.”

The Amplified Bible says it this way. “ And if anyone cancels or takes away from the statements of the book of this prophecy [these predictions relating to Christ's kingdom and its speedy triumph, together with the consolations and admonitions or warnings pertaining to them], God will cancel and take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the city of holiness (purity and hallowedness), which are described and promised in this book.”

How, in God's name, could we humans cancel God's actions?

The reality is, we can't, unless, as the Greek word aphaireō conveys, we take from or remove. This idea of not speaking is what I was talking about when I said that one of the ways would be by exclusion as we choose to NOT talk about some aspect of God's Word, in this case, the Revelation. A Pastor told me that no one can understand prophetic books like Revelation and Daniel, which is why I will not teach from them, and neither will you if I have any say over who teaches here.

The reality is that the person who intentionally does this will be removed from the book of life and eliminated from entering the Holy City. If this is true, then you would think that there are a number of pastors whose names have been removed from the book of life. 

Here is my problem with this. Having been raised in a Pentecostal environment, I was brought up with the idea that many sins, all of which seem to be built into our DNA, will send you to hell. A “brother in Christ” who led the weekly Bible study told the group of men every week (the average age of these men was about 75) that they were going to hell for their sins. a friend and I have talked about this scenario several times. It was my friend who pointed out the age thing and the fact that most of these men raised their families in this church. 

If they had been receiving sound teaching every week, why would you possibly think they were perpetually sinning sins that would send them to hell?

What does a teacher like this do with a passage in which Jesus directly says?

"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.” (John 10:27-28 NASB)

In talking about losing our salvation, I suspect teachers like this are trying to manipulate you because it is known that we have a propensity to sin. All you have to do is be awake, and the opportunities to sin will come.

Perhaps it is merely this simple. Just as someone has chosen to remove themselves from God’s hand, we have the same ability, in Jesus' name, to declare that under no circumstance will I remove myself from God’s care. Peter seemed to do this and yet denied Christ three times. Fortunately, for our sakes, n Christ forgave Peter and showed him what forgiveness looks like in God's eyes as he comforted Peter back into the grace of God. 

And just as King David would tell you, there is no doubt in my mind any longer, as God wrote my name in His book before time began.

We are almost done.

Revelation 22:20 NASB “He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming quickly." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.”

It now seems like a simple question, and you should know the answer, who is the “He who testifies to these things.”?

He is the lamb that was slain; 

He is the only one worthy to open the seals; 

He is the risen one, 

the Son of the living God, 

The one who now sits next to the Father; 

He is the one who anxiously awaits that signal from the shofar;

And He is the one who will come and collect His bride – the church. 

And He testifies that He is finally coming quickly.

Did that cover it?

Come, Lord Jesus, Come.

 

Revelation 22:21 NASB 

“ (May,) the grace of the Lord Jesus be with (you) all (as we anxiously await His return). Amen.” Emphasis mine.

Let the one who is wrong, continue to do wrong. Rev 22:11

 

“Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book”

To dissuade me from talking or writing about Eschatology – the study of end times events, I had been admonished to NOT speak about the Revelation or anything related to the Revelation. Words like these are like daggers to my heart.

How does Jesus open the Revelation?

“Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near.”
(Revelation 1:3 NASB)

How is anyone supposed to hear if you don’t open your mouth and preach truthfully?

“And he (the angel that was speaking) [further] told me, Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book and make no secret of them, for the time when things are brought to a crisis and the period of their fulfillment is near.”
(Revelation 22:10 AMP) Emphasis mine.

Suppose you are a church leader and feel it necessary to rebuke some enthusiastic attendee who is NOT interrupting your church service or life but merely sharing with individuals. HOW DARE YOU TRY TO DISCOURAGE THEM, especially when you openly admit that you do not understand Revelation and, therefore, DO NOT believe that anyone else can understand this book.

Most, reading Revelation 22:10, see the word seal and immediately assign their average definition, such as closing something to keep others out.

Seal is the Greek word sphragizō and means to stamp for security. by implication, to keep secrets.

Therefore, the emphasis is on the command NOT to seal up the words of the prophecy of this book. Imagine that, the Holy Spirit, knowing that it would be well over 2000 years until all things would fall into place and Jesus Christ would return for His church; yet, He wanted all of us to understand and live in that expectation throughout these many years. 

This scenario that we see in Revelation 22:10 where the scroll, or book if you must, was sealed until the appropriate time is comparable to Revelation 5:1

“I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a book written inside and on the back, sealed up with seven seals.”
(Revelation 5:1 NASB)

We are at that time of fulfillment.

Note how the Amplified Bible translates the last half of verse ten.

• “for the time when things are brought to a crisis and the period of their fulfillment is near.”

  Look at this definition of time from the Word Study Dictionary. “kairós; gen. kairoú, masc. noun. Season, opportune time. It is not merely as a succession of minutes, which is chrónos (G5550), but a period of opportunity (though not necessity). There is really no English equivalent to the word kairós,”

Here is a quote representing the period of opportunity where things are brought to a crisis.

“The changes are so profound that, from the perspective of human history, there has never been a time of greater promise or potential peril.”
― Klaus Schwab, The Fourth Industrial Revolution

If you have been living under a rock, Klaus Schwab is the founder of the World Economic Forum. Nation members pay handsomely to attend the yearly forum and send several representatives to the meetings. Our American President, Donald Trump, went there and spoke. He told the attendees that the United States would not conform to globalism’s goals.

Do you know what happened after that?

The American governmental swamp rose against the President with all the false charges and accusations they could muster. As a result, even though the majority of Americans re-elected President Donald Trump a second time, he was effectively driven out of office through fraud.

So, the period of opportunity is upon us.

Moving on through the Revelation.

Revelation 22:11 AMP “He who is unrighteous (unjust, wicked), let him be unrighteous still; and he who is filthy (vile, impure), let him be filthy still; and he who is righteous (just, upright, in right standing with God), let him do right still; and he who is holy, let him be holy still.” [Dan. 12:10.]

No decent preacher would say, “He who is unrighteous let him continue to be unrighteous.” 

Why not?

Because even a mediocre pastor, trying to be like Father God, should want everyone to be saved, even if it is from myself.

“This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
(1 Timothy 2:3-4 NASB)

As you can see above, the Amplified Bible is noted for giving you Old Testament references. For example, Daniel 12:10 nearly tells you the same thing as Revelation 22:11. Since prophecy to the Jew becomes validated through repetition, then John’s audience would have instantly recognized this pattern. 

“Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be tried, smelted, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly. And none of the wicked shall understand, but the teachers and those who are wise shall understand.” [Dan. 11:33-35.]
(Daniel 12:10 AMP)

I don’t know when the priests and elders banned the reading of Daniel; therefore, some may not have been familiar with the words of Daniel, so let’s try another prophetic author that may have been more familiar.

“Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; Whoever is discerning, let him know them. For the ways of the LORD are right, And the righteous will walk in them, But transgressors will stumble in them.”
(Hosea 14:9 NASB)

If I were to attempt a challenge of the context of Revelation 22:10, Daniel 12, and Hosea 14, I would find that they are definitely speaking of the last days. So the context is that all of these references lean toward the time after the rapture.

The NASB translation of Revelation 22:11 reads like this, “and the one who is holy, still keep himself holy.” Having naively joined myself, for a short time, to a “man-cave” group. I found several attendees unrestrained with their foul tongues and used the excuse God gives us grace. If this is you, you are misinterpreting and ignoring scripture.

It is not up to God to keep you holy, nor is God trying to make you stumble and fall over your tongue.

“As the proverb of the ancients says, ‘Out of the wicked comes forth wickedness; but my hand shall not be against you.” (1 Samuel 24:13 NASB)

The Greek word for holy is hagiazō, and it also means to purify or consecrate yourself.

By this time, most of you should know that you cannot make yourself holy, nor can you make yourself righteous; only Christ’s work on the cross could do that for you; but you can certainly accept that fact and, therefore, be made Holy by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and the washing of the Word of God.

Let me throw a wrench into the works. Right now, pre-rapture, we live in the age of grace; this is defined as a time when God freely brings us into the kingdom through our uncomplicated acceptance of His Son, but that door will close soon, and so will the age of grace. 

Since millions will continue to come into the kingdom, how does that happen?

For those who desire a short answer, you will have to prove your loyalty to God through death.

Death will look a little different for many. Some will die by guillotine (some of us have been aware of these devices for over several years now), others will die by the sword as they behead you and a few will die by stoning (Both beheading and stoning are popular methods of punishment among the followers of Islam). Many more will be shot, or as we have witnessed in Northern Africa, trapped in their churches and burned to death. Since the number of people being killed is so large, it may be that faster methods will be preferable.

“For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. “Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved, but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.”
(Matthew 24:21-22 NASB)

Another method of killing you off would be what the translators call pestilence. While Revelation 2:20-21 does not speak to pestilence, it does speak to a nation - Israel and the church – specifically Thyatira, tolerating that woman Jezebel. Watch for the parallels between the “harlot” Jezebel, who died several centuries earlier and yet shows up here in Revelation chapter two, and how similar she sounds to the definitions of Babylon.

‘But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. ‘I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality.” (Revelation 2:20-21 NASB)

We do, however, see pestilence in Revelation 6:8.

“I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades was following with him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth.” (Revelation 6:8 NASB)

Verse eight falls under the wrath of God as the rider on the ashen horse goes about killing off a fourth of the earth. In this scenario, one of those methods is pestilence. Vines’ Expository on New Testament Words gives us the Greek loimos (G3061) and a definition of pestilence as “any deadly infectious malady.”

Revelation 18 speaks about Babylon but refers to what many think is a restoration of that City; although, in many places, it is referred to as she.

“and the light of a lamp will not shine in you any longer; and the voice of the bridegroom and bride will not be heard in you any longer; for your merchants were the great men of the earth, because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery.”
(Revelation 18:23 NASB)

Sorcery = the Greek word pharmakeia, which primarily means medication, the use of drugs, potions, spells, or poisoning. From the “ask a professor website” https://www.massbible.org/exploring-the-bible/ask-a-prof/answers/pharmakeia

You don’t have to be a mathematician to figure out that a group of people, apparently with more power than Klaus Schwab, are working hard at creating and taking advantage of this “period of opportunity.” They are effectively using pharmakeia to make it happen. Since we are NOT in the time of wrath as yet, then what we are seeing is just the warm-up period.

As a side note, for those who are looking for Babylon to be rebuilt, an American archaeologist, who is also a follower of Christ, recently did a segment on YouTube in which he showed you the ancient boundaries of the old City of Babylon and how that nothing of substance exists within those boundaries. (Some would tell you that excellent restoration progress was made under the rule of Saddam Hussein when all they did was restore portions of the Ishtar gate.)

And Babylon, the beauty of kingdoms, the glory of the Chaldeans’ pride, Will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. It will never be inhabited or lived in from generation to generation; Nor will the Arab pitch his tent there, Nor will shepherds make their flocks lie down there. But desert creatures will lie down there, And their houses will be full of owls; Ostriches also will live there, and shaggy goats will frolic there. Hyenas will howl in their fortified towers And jackals in their luxurious palaces. Her fateful time also will soon come, And her days will not be prolonged.
(Isaiah 13:19-22 NASB)

The archaeologist made an interesting point during the filming that jackals were quite prolific among the historic ruins.

Let’s attack acts of immorality that we see in Revelation 2:20-21 for a moment.

Immorality is any act or practice which contravenes the divine commands or social duties. Injustice, dishonesty, fraud, slander, profaneness, gaming, intemperance, and lewdness, are immoralities. All crimes are immoralities, but crime expresses more than immorality.

I had to look up the word contravene.

Contravene means, literally, to come against. Hence, to oppose, to oppose in principle or effect; to contradict; to obstruct in operation.

So, for us to be immoral we have to come against or be in opposition to God in some manner. Well, what do you think sin is, but us thinking that we know better than God? By the way, Jesus took the payment for sin upon Himself so that we would not have to bear the penalty for that sin ourselves. In other words, all sins were forgiven.

Then how and why is anyone going to hell?

That’s a great question, and the answer really lies in another question,

What did you do with Jesus; did you leave him on the cross, or did you simply ignore Him?

Because going to hell is simply a matter of following your leader.

So who are you following?

I will leave you to answer that question on your own.

And then lastly, what about this aspect of Revelation 2:20-21, where you eat things sacrificed to idols?

Having learned years ago that meats sold in Costco were labeled as Halel for the Islamic buyers, I felt like I needed to make a decision, and that was NOT to buy anything with that green sticker.

What does it mean to me if it is Halel food?

It means the cow was pointed at the Kabbalah, slaughtered in a prescribed manner, and an Islamic blessing was said over the animal. In other words, it was blessed as it was killed. It was blessed; what a wonderful thing to do to an animal that is about to be viciously slaughtered. 

You should realize that I am mocking your purposeful naivete, which is a game you play because you don’t want to know that the cow is being offered up to a demon.

The question is, how would most of you know that if I had not told you?

You wouldn’t. When Paul wrote about this very thing, it became evident that these people had become aware and yet tolerated the practices surrounding the sacrificed meats.

Tolerate is the Greek word aphiēm. To tolerate something is to suffer it to be so or be done without any prohibition or hindrance; to allow or permit by not preventing or restraining. This is us yielding our rights to sanity. Our standard definition of tolerance looks something like this: “lay aside, leave, let (alone, be, go, have), omit, put (send) away, remit, suffer, yield up.” In actuality, the word aphiēmi's primary understanding is to send forth. The implication is that we are advancing her cause.

You don’t think that is true, do you?

It was just in the last few days that I saw a video someone made inside their church, where the worship team was singing a song to God. All the references to Him were changed to “she.”

Is that all? 

Perhaps I should just tolerate it and mind my own business. 

Can’t you see how foolish that statement is?

No, that is NOT all. We have adopted the slaughter of unborn babies as appropriate behavior and given openly homosexual persons a regular place at the microphone in church. All of these things are in direct opposition to God, and we have helped to advance Jezebel’s cause by being friends with the world.

You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. (James 4:4 NASB)

Is there a specific woman that we can refer to as Jezebel?

The answer is NO, and we are NOT looking for a woman as a central leader (the antichrist;) we are looking for a man. So, Jezebel has to be seen as a spiritual entity that, as the passage states, is leading “My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.” So “it,” whether it be Jezebel or the Babylon system, is not leading the world astray; they are already gone. It is leading the church astray, people we thought were sane.

Another word the Holy Spirit used in Revelation 2: 20 was translated as leads; this is the Greek word planaō and means cause to roam (from safety, truth, or virtue.) It also means to seduce or deceive.

Albert Barnes' commentary says this, “Whether she herself practiced what she taught is not expressly affirmed, but seems to be implied in Rev. 2:22. It is not often that persons teach these doctrines without practicing what they teach; and the fact that they desire and design to live in this manner will commonly account for the fact that they inculcate such views.”

Televangelist Jimmy Swaggart lived Albert Barnes’ commentary out in front of us and got himself arrested several times.

So no, there is no she, as she represents the lusts and desires of this world. Sadly, there are those that wish to control people and the world and will reject no forms of violence to do it.