Johan Malan, Mossel Bay, South Africa (January 2014)
In the New Testament, various mysteries are revealed on the alternative kingdom of darkness. The need is thereby emphasised to put on the full armour of God to be able to stand against the wiles of the devil (Eph. 6:11). Satan still operates from a hidden, mystical sphere but the Lord wishes us to be informed on the working of deception and temptation, and to successfully resist it.
At the end of the church dispensation the renegade kingdom of the devil will be increasingly revealed, and its representatives will become influential and occupy prominent positions on earth. When the true church as the withholder of the Antichrist has been taken away, this impostor will suddenly be revealed as a devil-inspired world leader. He will have various collaborators who will assist him to execute his evil plans – particularly the false prophet and an alliance of world religions.
People who do not pay attention to the revelation of these mysteries, strongly deny the idea of a personal Antichrist and false prophet who will gain control over the world for seven years. The consequence of this ignorance is that they do not see any danger in the ecumenical movement, and easily become part of the interfaith movement. The deeper they involve themselves with this ideology, the more they tend to deny the existence of the devil and his kingdom – also the hell. However, the Lord Jesus wants to prevent us from becoming the victims of deception, and warns all of us: “Take heed that no one deceives you” (Matt. 24:4).
Throughout the centuries, the kingdom of darkness actively opposed God and His kingdom. It was always done in an indirect way by using deceived people to spread all sorts of lies. True believers were aware of this deception, unmasked its perpetrators as false prophets and strongly resisted their false teachings. Because of this opposition, the kingdom of darkness was never able to achieve its objective of uncontested control over the world, and the struggle between light and darkness continued unabated.
Paul refers to this drawn-out struggle, as well as the dramatic consequences that will set in when the witnesses of light are removed from the world for a limited time: “And now you know what is restraining [the Antichrist], that he may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. 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. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders” (2 Thess. 2:6-9).
All forms of spiritual deception during human history may be described as apostasy or antichristian lies. People who actively promote these distorted views are branded as false prophets or false teachers (cf. 2 Pet. 2:1), and in extreme cases as antichrists. As such they are forerunners of the end-time Antichrist who will plunge the entire world into spiritual darkness: “Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour. ... Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son” (1 John 2:18, 22).
All who deny the deity and Messiahship of Jesus are collaborators of the great Liar and therefore forerunners of the Antichrist. The withholder of all the antichristian lies is the true church as the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 John 4:1-6). Because Jesus Christ dwells in these people’s hearts through the Holy Spirit, they are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. False churches that expose themselves to spiritual deception, become more and more estranged from the true Christ and in course of time become collaborators of another Jesus and another spirit, i.e. the Antichrist and his spirit of error (2 Cor. 11:3-4). They only have a form of godliness but denied its power, i.e. the Spirit of truth who leads people to Christ and His Word (2 Tim. 3:5).
In Revelation 17 and 18 respectively, John refers to two Babylons which will rise to prominence in the end-time. The one is mystery Babylon which is the spiritual home of the false religions, and the other one a commercial city in which iniquity will soar to unprecedented heights. Because Babylon is the epitome and origin of the world’s pagan religions in the end-time, the false alliance of world religions is fittingly described as “Mystery Babylon”. She is depicted as a woman who rides on the beast, which alludes to the fact that he recognises, supports and uses her. In Revelation 17 the angel says to John:
“Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying to me, Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication. So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. 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. I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marvelled with great amazement. But the angel said to me, Why did you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns. ... The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. There are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come. And when he comes, he must continue a short time. ... 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. ... And the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth” (Rev. 17:1-7, 9-10, 16, 18).
The identity of the beast with the seven heads and the ten horns is discussed in more detail in Revelation 13. It refers to the Antichrist who will be the ruler of the seventh, apostate world empire. Of these empires, five had fallen before the time of John, i.e. the Babylonian Empire of Nimrod, the Assyrian Empire, the restored Babylonian Empire of Nebuchadnezzar, the Medo-Persian Empire, and the Greek Empire. The sixth one, the Roman Empire, was in power at that time, while the seventh and last one, that of the Antichrist, was still future.
The woman sits on all seven of these empires and has spiritual dominion over them. The seven mountains, or kingdoms, on which she sits should therefore not be narrowly interpreted as Rome, nor the woman merely identified as the church of Rome. She symbolises all the false religions of all times. She cannot be related only to Rome as there were more than seven apostate Caesars who persecuted the Christians. From Nero to Diocletian alone there were ten. The woman reigns over the kings of the earth, deceiving them and their followers against worshipping the true God. She represents the spiritual power of deception that Satan has on earth. It is in this sense that the whole world, with the exception of a small minority of true Christians, lies in the sway of the Wicked One (1 John 5:19).
It is of the utmost importance to consider the role of the false religions in the end-time as they will be officially recognised by the Antichrist and endued with great power and authority in his empire. They will be associated with one another in an ecumenical alliance and gradually narrow the differences between them until they eventually form a corporate group who will accept the Antichrist as their common messiah. To the deceived Christians he will be the Christ, to the Jews the Messiah, to the Muslims the Imam Mahdi, to the Hindus Krishna, and to the Buddhists the Maitreya Buddha.
After the revelation of the Antichrist the whole world will be religiously united, with the exception of the 144 000 Jewish evangelists and the true Christians of that time. The united world religions will institute a merciless and bloody persecution of Christians who refuse to join their ranks or to worship the beast. The blood of the martyrs of Jesus will be on the hands of this woman who will be the mother of the harlots. On a much greater scale than previously, she will persecute God’s children on earth with a view to obliterating true Christianity.
There are various ecumenical bodies in the growing interfaith movement; among others, the Parliament for World Religions and the UN’s United Religions Initiative. Their aim is to pursue religious unity under the pretext that all religions worship the same God, and are therefore spiritually closely related. Once this idea has been firmly established, the followers of all religions will have been deceived to the extent of embracing and worshipping the same world messiah. It will then be opportune for the appearance of the universal messiah of all faiths, and also for the global false prophet.
From Revelation 17 it is evident that the harlot who represents the false world religions will not function in isolation but act in close association with the Antichrist’s political system and world government. She will have a clear political agenda to induce her followers to accept the world government and the number of the Antichrist. She will also have a religious agenda to deceive her billions of supporters into accepting him as global messiah, and to worship him.
The Antichrist’s marriage with and alliance of false world religions will be contracted in imitation of the relationship between Christ and His bride. However, religious Babylon, the bride of the Antichrist, will not have a long and happy marriage. She will initially enjoy great privileges and prestige in the Antichrist's empire, but after 3½ years the Antichrist will turn on the great harlot and destroy her. John describes her execution as follows: “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” (Rev. 17:16).
In the middle of the tribulation period, religious Babylon, the harlot-bride, will be abolished and her places of worship closed, destroyed, or used for other purposes. The same fate awaits the orthodox Jewish faith. Daniel says: “…in the middle of the week he shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate” (Dan. 9:27). The harlot-bride of the Antichrist will thus only be married to him for 3½ years when his role as world messiah and deceiving angel of light will come to an end. After that, he will be revealed in his true character as a cruel dictator, murderer and self-deified god. His harlot-bride will then be confronted with the frightening choice of either worshipping him as god or be publicly humiliated and destroyed. Most of the deceived and spiritually blinded religious people of that time will accept the Antichrist's ultimatum and bend the knee to the end-time Baal as the god of this world.
The harlot-bride of the Antichrist can, right from the outset, count the days of her brief period of glory – 1260 days from her marriage until the dark day of her public execution or degradation to slavery. What a terrible price she has to pay to find favour in the eyes of the beast! She has to sear her conscience, turn her back upon the living God and His Son, Jesus Christ, be prepared to be terribly abused, and on top of it all conclude a covenant with death – all that for the proverbial bowl of lentil soup! That is the way of death which was also trodden by Esau and Judas Iscariot.
The mother organisation of the apostate religious peoples of the world is rapidly taking shape. From the viewpoint of traditional Christianity, this process develops through the following seven phases:
1. Unity in the whole Christian world, including between Protestants and Catholics.
2. Religious equality among all religions in constitutions, government structures, and educational systems.
3. The forming of interfaith alliances among all religions, based upon the pursuit of common interests.
4. Propagation of the idea of the universal God who is worshipped by all faiths.
5. Propaganda for the coming of the universal messiah of all faiths.
6. The appearing of the world messiah and his united worship by people of all religions.
7. The forced worship of the Antichrist as God, 3½ years after his appearing.
When phase 6 has been reached at the beginning of the tribulation period, the harlot-bride will enjoy the peak of her popularity and public support as she rides on the back of the beast. In phase 7, her sudden downfall and destruction will occur when all people in the global empire of the beast will be commanded to worship him as God.
We should always keep in mind that the great struggle between God and Satan started in prehistoric times when Lucifer tried to exalt himself to a position which is equal to that of God. Because of his rebellion he was cast out of heaven, and that gave rise to the protracted war between the kingdoms of light and darkness. Satan has definitely not relinquished his plans to become ruler of the universe in God’s place. All the religious deceit in the world is fanned by the spirit of error, and aimed at the final objective of the global worship of Lucifer and the Antichrist (Rev. 13:4). We are now experiencing the last big assault from the kingdom of darkness in an effort to realise its objective of establishing the devil and his “christ” as undisputed global leaders. When the withholder [the church of Christ] has been taken out of the way, the plans of an antichristian takeover will be rapidly implemented.
John does not only reveal the mystery of the alliance of false world religions which are represented by the harlot, but also the mystery of her demonic leader. The angel said to him: “I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns” (Rev. 17:7).
According to Revelation 13 and 17, the Antichrist will have characteristics of all the ancient world empires. In Revelation 13:1-2, John uses the same symbols for the ancient world empires than those used in Daniel 7:4-6. The Antichrist is depicted as a composite animal the mouth of a lion (Babylonian), the paws of a bear (Medo-Persian), the body of a leopard (Greek), and a head with ten horns (Roman). As in the Babylonian Empire, he will make an image and force all his subjects to bow down before it in worship. As in the Medo-Persian Empire, he will order genocide of the Jews when they fall in disfavour with him, and he will also rule with the irrevocable and unchangeable laws of the Medes and the Persians – i.e. through military decrees. As in the Greek Empire of Alexander the Great, he will establish a rapid deployment force with the ability of quick operations in order to enforce his authority. As in the Roman Empire, immorality, corruption, and violence will be the order of the day, as well as the summary execution of all the opponents of his empire.
However, in biblical prophecies there are two different images of the Antichrist – that of prince of peace and that of military tyrant. Initially, he will appear on the scene as the rider on a white horse (Rev. 6:2), all nations will follow him, conclude a covenant with him (Dan. 9:27), and even worship him as messiah and saviour of the world (John 5:43; Rev. 13:8). Those who do not understand the mystery of the beast with the seven heads and the ten horns, will not be able to identify him for who he really is, and consequently be easily deceived by him.
The ten horns on his head refer to ten end-time world leaders who will reign with him: “An the ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast” (Rev. 17:12). They will be completely controlled and dominated by him: “These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast” (Rev. 17:13). Together with the Antichrist, they will abandon and destroy the alliance of false religions after they have served their purpose (Rev. 17:16).
The Antichrist, the false prophet and their worldwide following will be conquered and destroyed when the true Christ comes (Rev. 19:19-21). Make sure that you are not among their followers. An association with them can only be averted if you have a relationship with the true Christ and are fully informed on all the mysteries which He reveals to us in His Word. During this time, shortly before the second coming of Christ, it is even more important that we refrain from worshiping and proclaiming “another Jesus” who differs from the biblical Jesus (cf. 2 Cor. 11:2-4; Gal. 1:6-8). All distortions of the truth are done under inspiration of the spirit of error, and are ultimately aimed at embracing a false messiah (cf. John 5:43).
The revelation of mysteries in the New Testament is of great significance in giving us more insight into the further unfolding of God’s plan for the salvation and sanctification of lost people, to acquaint us with previously unknown aspects of the spiritual battle in which we are involved, thus equipping us for what the future holds for us. The ten mysteries which the Lord reveals in His Word form part of an elaborate series of revelations in the New Testament. Only believers who fully take notice of these revelations and also conduct their lives accordingly are truly able to persevere on the narrow way and ensure that they do not become the victims of deception. They will emerge from the struggle victoriously, be spiritually ready when the Bridegroom comes, and with boldness give account of their lives before the judgement seat of Christ. The Lord Jesus endues us with all the knowledge and grace that we need (John 1:14).
The spiritual benefits which are offered to us through a study of the ten mysteries may be summarised as follows:
An exemplary member of God’s kingdom. Full insight into the spiritual requirements, nature and objectives of God’s kingdom will ensure that we are worthy members of it, are successful in resisting everything which is contrary to it, fully appreciate its eschatological fulfilment, refrain from pursuing a physical kingdom before the King comes, and fully understand and promote Israel’s role in the further revelation of this kingdom.
Israel’s temporary hardening and end-time salvation as a people. The Lord used Israel’s rejection of the Messiah as an opportunity to offer the gospel to the Gentiles, thereby opening the door to them to also become part of His kingdom. However, Israel’s spiritual hardening is only temporary, “until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved” (Rom. 11:25-26). We are deeply indebted to Israel since the Word of God has come to us through them. If we are well enough acquainted with God’s plan for Israel we will rejoice in their physical restoration at the end of the church dispensation, while also eagerly awaiting their spiritual rebirth as a nation.
The mystery of the gospel. Before the coming of Christ, the detail of the final plan of salvation through the atoning death of God’s Son was unknown. The revelation of this mystery introduced a new dispensation for the salvation of lost humanity, and consequently concluded the preceding dispensation of the law with its imperfect sacrifices and other shadowy practices (Heb. 10:1-10). People to whom the gospel of Jesus Christ is still a mystery are inclined to base their salvation on the law and other religious rituals, but they do so at their own spiritual detriment (Gal. 5:4).
The mystery of the body of Christ. During New Testament times, Israel’s calling and separation as God’s special people on earth made way for a completely new group of believers who are described as “the church of Christ” (Eph. 5:23; Col. 1:24), the “saints” or “those who are sanctified in Christ” (1 Cor. 1:2), and “the body of Christ” (Rom. 12:5; 1 Cor. 12:27). This body is composed of members who were all regenerated by the Holy Spirit and consequently worship God as their common Father. They belong to Christ and are His witnesses on earth. Some of them are also members of humanly-instituted denominations, but not all members of churches are necessarily born again and therefore members of the body of Christ.
The mystery of faith. A true faith is the fruit of the Holy Spirit, and leads to the acceptance of Jesus Christ as Saviour in your heart. This commitment renders much more substance to faith than was possible during Old Testament times. This new, God-given form of faith should clearly be distinguished from other forms of faith which are the products of deception (by e.g. “believing” in an idol), or which is the outcome of human rationalising (mental ideas without any spiritual content which can lead to a changed heart). From a biblical point of view all people who do not, through the Holy Spirit, believe in Jesus Christ as Saviour are unbelievers (2 Cor. 4:4). Have you discovered the mystery of a true faith? Paul, who formerly believed in God through the law, has discovered the true Christian faith that superseded the law, and rejoiced in it (Phil. 3:8-9).
The mystery of God’s will. Fallen humanity are not acquainted with God’s will. Through His Word and Spirit, God reveals hidden aspects of His will to us. Firstly, it is His will that all people on earth be saved – definitely not only members of the Chosen People, or a selected group of Gentiles who are predestined to become believers (Acts 17:30; 1 Tim. 2:3-4; 2 Pet. 3:9). There are also further aspects of His will, i.e. that all believers should live holy lives (1 Thess. 4:3; 1 Pet. 1:15-16). Only people who have done God’s will with regard to justification and sanctification will see His face in His revealed kingdom (Matt. 7:21; Heb. 12:14).
The mystery of the first resurrection. The promise of a special resurrection for the just could only have been made after Jesus Christ had paid a ransom for the world’s sin, and also conquered death by rising from the grave. All believers are partakers of His resurrection from the dead (1 Cor. 15:17-23). If we die with Christ to the world and to sin, we will also live with Him and share in the blessing of the first resurrection. Together with this promise we also receive the wonderful assurance of the catching away of believers before the tribulation (1 Thess. 4:13-18; Luke 21:36). Those who do not believe in these promises, are still in the dark concerning the revelation of mysteries in the New Testament, and particularly also on what the future holds for us: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him. But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God” (1 Cor. 2:9-10).
The mystery of lawlessness. The Lord reveals to us that, through the centuries, there was a spiritual war between God’s kingdom and Satan’s kingdom. The spirit of error, which is intent on questioning and opposing God and His Word, is referred to as the mystery of lawlessness (2 Thess. 2:7). This spirit emerges from an evil kingdom which is still hidden, but will be revealed in the end-time when the Antichrist appears on the scene (2 Thess. 2:8). People who do not recognise the existence of a kingdom under the control of Satan think they have no need for deliverance from this evil kingdom, neither do they show any interest in God’s spiritual armour to protect themselves against attacks by evil spirits. Furthermore, they do not expect the appearance of a personal Antichrist who will control the world together with his many collaborators after the withholder (the true church indwelt by the Holy Spirit) has been taken out of the way.
The mystery of the harlot. An alliance of false world religions is one of the end-time institutions which will make final preparations for the appearance of the Antichrist. When the false christ suddenly appears on the scene, this ecumenical body of believers will become his bride, ride on the back of the beast, enjoy full recognition in his empire, and will be used by him to persecute and execute evangelical believers who refuse to recognise him as world messiah (Rev. 17:1-7). Believers who are not mindful of this important fact are often influenced by humanistic considerations to become part of ecumenical groups, thus inadvertently joining hands with those who prepare the way for the Antichrist.
The mystery of the beast with the seven heads. The final mystery related to the Antichrist himself, who will personally appear on the scene as a world leader. He will gain control over all nations on earth (Rev. 13:7) and also force them to worship him as Saviour and God (Rev. 13:8, 15; 2 Thess. 2:4). His revelation and the institution of his seven-year government will be the end-time culmination of a spiritual war which was waged for ages from a mystical, spiritual sphere. He will be empowered by Satan (Rev. 13:2), his co-ruler will be the false prophet (Rev. 13:11-14), and his “bride” will be the alliance of false world religions (Rev. 17:3). His last big war will be against the true Christ, but that will give rise to the complete annihilation of satanic forces on earth (Rev. 19:19-21).
We are privileged to have all this prophetic knowledge on current and future world events. The revelation of things that were kept secret for a very long time not only illuminates important aspects of the spiritual struggle but also draw our attention to the saving grace of the Lord, so we can fully comprehend the height, depth, breadth and length of His love for us. Let us not be among those who were reprimanded because of their ignorance and unbelief during the first coming of Christ: “You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God” (Matt. 22:29). Ignorant people who only have a form of godliness are not in the right relationship with Christ as Saviour; neither do they have a biblical future expectation because the prophetic word is still hidden to them. Let us walk in the light of God’s Word!
PS. A book containing all the articles on the mysteries may be read here: http://www.bibleguidance.co.za/Engbooks/Mystery/Mystery.htm