(by Anne Elliott, from anneelliott.com)
We have already studied the Second Exodus in depth, and we learned the following:
- The purpose of the Second Exodus — to show the holiness of His great Name among the nations.
- The progression of the Second Exodus — first, we repent of not obeying His commands (the Torah), and then we begin to obey to the best of our ability while we are dispersed to the ends of the earth, and finally, He brings us back to His Land and sets up His Messiah on the throne.
- Why it is called the Second Exodus — because it will remind us of the First Exodus, when He brought His people out of slavery in the land of Egypt (Jeremiah 16:14-15).
We learned that we are the Bride, which is defined as those who hold to the testimony of Yeshua and guard His commandments.
- In other places in Scripture, the Bride is called the Whole House of Israel, made up of both the Northern and Southern Kingdoms.
- Sometimes the Southern Kingdom is called Judah, or the House of Judah or the Jews. In history, we see that many of the Jews (southern tribes of Israel) retained their identity and guarded the Torah — but many have not recognized that Yeshua is the Messiah of Israel.
- Sometimes the Northern Kingdom is called Ephraim, or the House of Israel. We see that most of the ten northern tribes of Israel remain dispersed throughout the world to this day, just as Ezekiel and Hosea prophesied would happen. They are often characterized as Christians, those who love Yeshua but generally do not recognize the need to continue to obey His commandments as given in the Torah.
We also learned about the enemy of the Bride, and that the Kings of the Earth have joined with the Dragon (Satan) to try to destroy both the Bride and the King. Of course we know they won’t succeed — but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t terrifying at times, amen? As Paul wrote in the first century,
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12).
What is coming next?
The biggest questions I have, as I read my Bible, are where are we now and what should I be doing to prepare?
- The Kings of the Earth will be destroyed (Revelation 16:16-21; 19:11-21).
- The Bride has been scattered but nourished in the wilderness (Ezekiel 20:33-38; also see Ezekiel 20:5, 21, 23, 41 and Revelation 12).
- The Bride will be taken to the Land of Israel (Leviticus 25:54-55; Leviticus 26:1-13; Zechariah 14:16-19).
- The Nations will be taught obedience to the Torah and proper worship of YHVH (Isaiah 66; Habakkuk 2:14; Ezekiel 37-40, Revelation 19-20, etc.).
In a nutshell, it is my firm belief that we are currently at Revelation 16:13-21.
“And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
“Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.”
And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon.One in ten human beings is enslaved in our world
Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, “It is done!” And there were noises and thunderings and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth. Now the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And great Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath. Then every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And great hail from heaven fell upon men, each hailstone about the weight of a talent. Men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, since that plague was exceedingly great.”
As I write all of this, I just get the feeling that there is a lot of backstory, and I feel overwhelmed at explaining it all in a single blog post. I just can’t! However, if you feel a need to get on the same page, you can learn more about where we are in history by reading Christine Miller’s book, Revelation Revealed or reading her free posts here. You can also download an overview chart of history here. And finally, I made a series of videos last spring, and those could really help out.
We see that each of the words in this passage from Revelation 16 are symbolic. On my blog, I wrote a 4-part series about the “three unclean spirits like frogs” that come out of the mouth of the dragon, beast, and false prophet. These are lying words that have been poured into the atmosphere everywhere around us — television, music, Internet, education, and so on. Those voices have been speaking into our culture since the early 1900s, if not earlier, ever increasing in volume and amount, until it feels like they are the only voice we can hear!
“Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, ‘It is done!'” (Revelation 16:17).
God is going to judge them! This is the final judgment before Yeshua comes back, and silencing the voices is necessary, or how else will Judah see who Yeshua is? How else will Ephraim see her need to repent and obey the Torah? Eyes have been blinded, and ears have been made deaf. It is through the judgment of these lying spirits that people can be set free! This is good news!
How will this judgment happen?
“And there were noises and thunderings and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth. Now the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And great Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath. Then every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And great hail from heaven fell upon men, each hailstone about the weight of a talent. Men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, since that plague was exceedingly great” (Revelation 16:18-21).
The word earthquake in Greek can also be translated as a commotion, or a massive upheaval. It’s going to be loud, and it will be the mightiest and greatest upheaval that has ever happened. Ever!
And the cities of the nations, or governments of this world, will fall. All our governments and earthly systems are united into one world philosophy called Babylon. This is a huge topic, and you can study it out more here.
Babylon is described in great detail in Revelation 17. Most importantly, she is the prostitute who allures Israel away from the covenant they made with their God at Sinai. Even though He entered into a marriage covenant with them there, they committed adultery and broke covenant with Him. Idolatry in all its forms is her specialty.
She is a liar who leads foolish men to death, in contrast with Truth and Wisdom that lead to Life. You can read more about this in Proverbs 5-9. Think symbolically as you read about the adulteress in Proverbs!
“And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication. And on her forehead a name was written:
MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT,
THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS
AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS
OF THE EARTH” (Revelation 17:3-5).
Christine Miller writes, in the context of Proverbs 5, “The biblical definition of adultery is any intimate relationship outside of the covenant of marriage.”
So try rewording it in the context of Babylon, the world system pouring out lies into our world:
“The biblical definition of Babylon is any intimate relationship outside of the covenant of Torah.”
And in Proverbs 7, so many descriptions of frogs:
“…the seductress who flatters with her words” (Proverbs 7:5)
“And there a woman met him,
With the attire of a harlot, and a crafty heart.
She was loud and rebellious,
Her feet would not stay at home.
At times she was outside, at times in the open square,
Lurking at every corner” (Proverbs 7:10-12).“With her enticing speech she caused him to yield,
With her flattering lips she seduced him” (Proverbs 7:21).
But please note that she is beautiful and enticing!
“And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication” (Revelation 17:3-4).
In the next chapter, we read that “the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury” (Revelation 18:3).
She has deceived almost everyone, for we read, “Your merchants were the world’s important people. By your magic spell all the nations were led astray” (Revelation 18:23, NIV).
The story ends really well, and I want to emphasize that.
“The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues. And the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire. For God has put it into their hearts to fulfill His purpose, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled. And the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth.
Babylon is going to fall.
When will this happen? None of us knows for sure, but we do know a few event markers.
- Babylon falls when the seventh and last bowl of wrath is poured out (Revelation 16:19). According to my understanding, this is the next event in the book of Revelation.
- The fall of Babylon is explained in great detail in Revelation 18. We find out that it happens quickly, “in one day” and “in one hour.” So far in the book of Revelation, a day is about a year, and an hour is about a month (one-twelfth of a “day”, according to Yeshua in John 11:9).
Hail falls during her destruction (Revelation 16:21). My friend pointed out that hail fell during the plagues on Egypts during the first exodus as well. The hail is described as being “great” (large) and heavy, “about the weight of a talent,” In biblical times, talents were a measurement of money, about 100 pounds in weight, and they were round. According to Thayer’s Greek Lexicon, this word is translated as kikar in the Hebrew Septuagint. According to Jeff Benner’s Ancient Hebrew Lexicon, a talent is a round like a gold or silver coin. It is “cylindrical; something as a circle, globe or ring that is round; a round thing.”
Oddly, the hail that is round and heavy, falling on all men on earth, is also a plague that is exceedingly great. Can you think of any plague that has fallen on the entire world, that is heavy and maybe even affects financial systems worldwide, and that is round? Hmmmmmm….
Time will tell if my personal theory on this is correct. But if the hail started falling with a plague, in the spring (aviv) of the year like the first plague on Egypt (Exodus 9:31-32), and if it continues for about a “day” and an “hour,” then we could be very close to the end of this event!
What should I be doing to prepare?
Even if you have a different view of prophecy than I do, I suspect you agree that there is change in the air and that our world is deserving of God’s judgment. When Scripture says that we should “come out of Babylon,” you probably agree! It seems very clear that we must be separate from this world’s system. Here are some verses where we read this:
“And I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues” (Revelation 18:4).
“Go forth from Babylon!
Flee from the Chaldeans!
With a voice of singing,
Declare, proclaim this,
Utter it to the end of the earth;
Say, “The Lord has redeemed
His servant Jacob!” (Isaiah 48:20).“Depart! Depart! Go out from there,
Touch no unclean thing;
Go out from the midst of her,
Be clean,
You who bear the vessels of YHVH” (Isaiah 52:11).“Move from the midst of Babylon,
Go out of the land of the Chaldeans;
And be like the rams before the flocks” (Jeremiah 50:8).“Flee from the midst of Babylon,
And every one save his life!
Do not be cut off in her iniquity,
For this is the time of YHVH’s vengeance;
He shall recompense her” (Jeremiah 51:6).“Come out from among them
And be separate, says YHVH.
Do not touch what is unclean,
And I will receive you” (2 Corinthians 6:17).
Could it be any more clear? We are to stay far away from Babylon! She is unclean, and she does unclean abominations — and if you have read the book of Leviticus, you know exactly how that is defined.
However, Revelation 18:11-13 makes it even more clear what kinds of abominations and wicked things Babylon is involved in.
“And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore:
- merchandise of gold and silver, precious stones and pearls,
- fine linen and purple, silk and scarlet,
- every kind of citron wood, every kind of object of ivory, every kind of object of most precious wood, bronze, iron, and marble;
- and cinnamon and incense, fragrant oil and frankincense,
- wine and oil, fine flour and wheat, cattle and sheep,
- horses and chariots,
- and bodies and souls of men.“
It is with horror and grief that the sins and wicked deeds of the merchants of our world are being discovered.
“For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light” (Mark 4:22).
“And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:13).
I will be making a post soon that will list ways to “come out” of any participation in the evil sins in each of these categories. Please note that they seem to all have at their root the bodies and souls of men, from the child sacrifice of abortion and the sale of fetal organs to the highest bidder, to the human trafficking and slavery that fill our world. One in ten human beings is enslaved in our world today — just so that we can have jewelry, sparkly makeup, fashion, furniture and building materials, perfumes and essential oils, luxurious foods, agriculture, cars and transportation, and especially the electronics that support the “unclean spirits like frogs” that speak into the airways constantly.
We already read, “Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame” (Revelation 16:15). We get a little more explanation of this in Revelation 19:7-8,
“Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready. And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.”
The very first (and most important) thing we need to do to be ready for what is coming is to repent of our lawless deeds and walk in “righteous acts.”
“By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:2-3).
“Now it shall come to pass, when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you, and you call them to mind among all the nations where YHVH your God drives you, and you return to YHVH your God and obey His voice, according to all that I command you today, you and your children, with all your heart and with all your soul, that YHVH your God will bring you back from captivity, and have compassion on you, and gather you again from all the nations where YHVH your God has scattered you… For this commandment which I command you today is not too mysterious for you, nor is it far off. It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend into heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it” (Deuteronomy 30:1-3, 11-14).
I want to encourage you, as you read through the Torah this year, to take a very close look at your own, personal life. Are you obeying Him in every way that you possibly can? Is there any dirt on your wedding dress? Don’t concentrate on conspiracy theories, or extra-biblical books, or nephilim, or the Illuminati, or Trump vs. Biden, or Covid-19. Instead, examine yourself. Guard the condition of your garments, lest you be ashamed when He comes!
“Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world” (1 Corinthians 11:27-32).
As the context of this passage is coming together for a Passover meal, I strongly encourage you to examine your life carefully as we draw nearer to another new biblical year and another time of Passover. Remember, this is the Second Exodus — and the first exodus happened at Passover time!
When my friend noted that the hail of the fall of Babylon reminds her of the hail during the plagues of Egypt, she reminded me that the hail did not fail in the land of Goshen. However, if we are living in Egypt, or if our cows are out in Egyptian fields, we can be sure that our lives will be touched with destruction.
Let us act quickly to repent, to obey, and to depart from this world’s systems! More next time…
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture in this blog post taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Other Authors on This Topic:
Leave a Reply