Dr Paul Allen

The image of the great harlot who is “Babylon the Great” symbolizes the prevailing economic and religious institutions that are in alliance with the political and social systems throughout history. John is concerned that an unfaithful segment of the church may participate in the economic, social, and religious institutions of contemporary society (Rev. 2:14–15, 20–24; 3:2–4; 17–18). And he knows that Jews may participate in the persecution of Christians (Rev. 2:9–10; 3:9). Thus, “Babylon the Great” includes hostile Jews and apostate Christians. But the main concern is to warn the churches not to participate in the idolatry of the economic and religious institutions of the empire. Thus, interpretations of the harlot in terms of the Roman Catholic Church alone miss John’s point. The influence of the Roman Catholic Church today is neither economic nor wielded through political institutions worldwide. Sectors of Protestant churches have become apostate both economically and morally. For

John speaks of the “mark of the beast” in connection with the efforts of the false prophet (the beast from the earth) to force the inhabitants of the earth to worship the Beast (the beast from the sea) on the basis of economic sanctions. He writes in Revelation 13:16–17: “Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell who does not have the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name.” Since John assumes that his readers understand what he is writing, the meaning of the “mark of the beast” needs to be analyzed within its first-century context and theological “world.” The mark of the Beast is a parody of the “seal of God” that the followers of the Lamb have received, marking them as belonging to God’s people (Rev. 7:2, 4, 5, 8; 9:4). The followers of the Lamb, many of whom are killed “for their testimony to Jesus and for the word of God,” are descri

English: An etching by Jan Luyken illustrating Matthew 24:41 in the Bowyer Bible, Bolton, England. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) The “ rapture ” of the believers, as described by Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4:17, refers to the meeting of the believers who are alive on earth with Jesus who comes from heaven to earth, an event that unites them with the believers who had died and who will be raised from the dead. There is no evidence in the New Testament for a separation between believers and unbelievers in which the believers are taken to heaven before the day of the Lord while the unbelievers are left behind on earth to face unprecedented tribulations. The event of “the rapture” (if one wants to retain the term, based on 1 Thess. 4:17) takes place on the day when Jesus returns to earth. Schnabel, E. J. (2011). 40 Questions about the End Times. (B. L. Merkle, Ed.) (p. 102). Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Academic & Professional. Related articles I Will Keep The Right Perspective And