Chapter Thirty-Five/Executing Babylon the Great

 The seven heads of that ferocious beast stand for seven "mountains or seven "kings." Both terms are used Scripturally to refer to governmental powers. (Jeremiah 51:24, 25; Daniel 2:34, 35, 44, 45) In the Bible, six world powers are mentioned as having an impact on the affairs of God's people: Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. Of these, fiver had already come and gone by the time John received Revelation, whereas Rome was still very much a world power. This corresponds well with the words, "five have fallen, one is. But what of "the other" that was due to come?

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Chapter Thirty-Five/Executing Babylon the Great

 IN FURTHER describing the scarlet-colored wild beast of Revelation 17:3, the angel tells John: "Here is where the intelligence that has wisdom comes in: The seven heads mean mountains, where the woman sits on top. And there are seven kings; five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet arrived, but when he does arrive he must remain a short while. (Revelation 17:9, 10) The angel is here conveying wisdom fr0m above, the only wisdom that can give understanding of the symbols in Revelation. (James 3:17) This wisdom enlightens the John class and its companions as the seriousness of the time in which we live. It builds in devoted hearts appreciation of Jehovah's judgments, now about to be carried out, and inculcates a healthy fear of Jehovah. As Provers 9:10 states: "The fear of Jehovah is the start of wisdom, and the knowledge  of the Most Holy One is what understanding is." What does divine wisdom reveal to about the wild beast?

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Chapter Thirty-Four/An Awesome Solved - Peace and Security-A Vain Hope - Conclusion

 What form will this significant cry of "Peace and security!" take? It is here mentioned as being outstanding just before the sudden destruction of those making the cry. Hence, it will have to be something more pronounced than any previous declarations by world leaders. No doubt it will be on an earth-wide scale. Yet, it will be no more than a facade. Underneath, nothing will really have changed. Selfishness, hatred, crime, family breakdown, immorality, sickness, sorrow, and death will still be here. That is why the coming cry will mislead you, if you have been awake to the meaning of the world events and have heeded the prophetic warnings in God's Word. - MARK 13:32-37; LUKE 21:34-36.

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 Further, it is deeply significant that the world's religious leaders should join hands with the United Nations in calling for peace at this time. They would like to influence the UN to their own advantage, especially in this modern age when so many of their people are abandoning religion. Like the unfaithful leaders in Israel, they call out, "There is peace!' when there is no peace." (Jeremiah 6:14) No doubt their cries for peace will continue, rising in support of the climax concerning which the apostle Paul prophesied: "Jehovah's day is coming exactly as a thief in the night. Whenever it is that they are saying: 'Peace and security! then sudden destruction is to be instantly upon them just as the pang of distress upon a pregnant woman; and they will by no means escape." - 1 THESSALONIANS 5:2, 3.

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Chapter Thirty-Four/An Awesome Mystery Solved - Peace and Security - A Vain Hope - Continue

 In contrast with those who "walk in the name of Jehovah," not one of those religionists was praying to Jehovah, the living God, who name appears 7,000 times in the original text of the Bible. (Micah4:5; Isaiah 42:8, 12) As a group, they did not approach God in the name of Jesus, the majority of them not even believing in Jesus Christ.  (John 14:13; 15:16) None of them are doing God's will for our day, which is to proclaim worldwide God's incoming Kingdom-not the UN-as the real hope for mankind. (Matthew 7:21-23; 24:14; Mark 13:10) For the most part, the religious organizations have been involved in the bloody wars of history, including two world wars of this century. To such, God says: "Even though you make many prayers, I am not listening with bloodshed on your very hands have become filled. - ISAIAH 1:15; 59:1-3. 

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Chapter Thirty-Four/An Awesome Mystery Solved - Peace and Security - A Vain Hope - Contnue

 Does God answer such prayers for peace? Well, to which God were those religious leaders praying? If you asked them, each group would give a different answer. Is there a pantheon of millions of gods that can hear and grant petitions made in many different ways? Many of the participants worshiped Christendom's Trinity. Buddhists, Hindus, and others chanted prayers to gods without number. In all, 12 "religious families" assembled being represented by such notables and the archbishop of Canterbury, Buddhism's Dalai Lama, a Russian Orthodox metropolitan, the president of Tokyo's Shinto Shrine Association and two American Indians decked out in plumed headdresses. It was colorful group, to say the least, making for a spectacular TV coverage. On group prayed unceasingly for 12 hours at one time. (Compare Luke 20:45-37.) But did any of those prayers reach beyond the rain clouds that hovered over the gathering? No, for the following reasons: 

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Chapter Thirty-Four/An Awesome Mystery Solved - Peace and Security-A Vain Hope

 In a effort to bolster the hopes of mankind, the United Nations proclaimed 186 to be as an "International year of peace with the theme "To Safeguard Peace and the Future of Humanity." Warring nations were called upon to lay down their weapons, at least for one year. What was their response? According to the report by the International Peac Research Institute, more than five million soldiers were killed in combat during 1986 alone! Though some special coins and commemorative stamps were issued, most of the nations did little about pursuing the idea of peace in that year. Nevertheless, the world's religions -always anxious for a fine rapport with the UN-set about publicizing the year in various ways. On January 1, 1986, Pope Joh Paul II praised the work of the UN and dedicated the new year to peace. And on October 27, he assembled the leaders of many of world's religions as Assisi, Italy, to pray for peace. 

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Chapter Thirty-Four/An Awesome Mystery Solved -Ascending Out of the Abyss - Conclusion

 The UN is actually a blasphemous counterfeit of God's Messianic Kingdom by his Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ-to whose princely rule there will be no end. (Isaiah9:6, 7) Even if the UN were to patch up some temporary peace, wars would soon erupt again. This is the nature of sinful men. "Their names have not been written upon the scroll of life from the founding of the world." Jehovah's Kingdom by Christ will not only establish eternal peace on earth but, on the basis of Jesus' ransom sacrifice, raise the dead, the righteous and unrighteous who in God's memory.  (John 5:28, 29; Acts 24:15) This includes everyone who has remained steadfast despite the attacks of Satan and his seed, and others who have yet to show themselves obedient. Obviously, God's scroll of life will never contain the names of die-hard adherents of Babylon the Great or any of who continued to worship the wild beast. - EXODUS 32:33; PSALM 86:8-10; JOHN 17:3; REVELATION 16:2; 17:5. 

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 The UN does not have the answers. And why? Because the Giver of life to all mankind is not the UN's life-giver. It life span will be short, for according to God's decree, "It is to go off into destruction." The UN's founders and admirers do not have their names recording in God's scroll of life. How could sinful mortal men, many of whom mock God's name, achieve through the UN what Jehovah God has declared his is about accomplish, not by human means, but through the Kingdom of his Christ? - DANIEL 7:27; REVELATION 11:15. 

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 At first, great hopes were expressed for the UN. This was fulfillment of the angel's words: "And when they see how the wild beast was, but is not, and yet will be present, those who dwell on the earth will wonder admiringly, but their names have not been written upon the scroll of life from the founding of the world." -(Revelation 17:8b) Earth's dwellers have admired this new colossus, operating from it imposing headquarters on New York's East River. But true peace and security have eluded the UN. In this diabolical nuclear age, world peace has been maintained only by the threat of "mutual assured destruction" -MAD, as it is abbreviated-and the arms race has continued to escalate astronomically. After almost 40 years of effort by the United Nations, its secretary general, Javier Pe'rez de Cu'ellar lamented in 1985: "We are living in another age of fanatics, and we don't know what to do what to do about it." 

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