End-Time Babylon – Part 1
One of the most pressing revelations that God has given me is the revelation of our identity…in the United States…as the end-time Babylon. That is a mouth full. If you have ever studied the literally dozens of incredibly specific passages about the end-time Babylon, that is a jaw-dropping statement. I don’t make it lightly. This is a very disturbing concept, but it is also CLEARLY laid out in the Bible. Which I intend to cover extensively over the coming days for anyone interested in reading.
Coming to this realization, as hard as it was, has been one of the most defining moments of my life. It has completely changed the way I pray for my family, my church, my city, my country, and Israel. It has radically altered my understanding of the Bible and opened up passages that for years perplexed me. I feel the Lord’s immense pleasure and weight upon my grasp of this subject. I am mostly writing this for me, to finally sort out and lay out my thoughts on this. For nearly a year, I have vaguely alluded to this in the few times I have gotten to teach it publicly, feeling that the time was not right to come out with it. I have mostly kept my conversations about this within the confines of my family and close friends. I hear the Lord saying “it is time” to lay it out, and I am super excited to do that the best way I know how.
In the summer of 2011, I started to ask God for a very specific thing. I was just beginning to learn that there was SO much available to me in God’s kingdom, and that it was all there for the asking. So I began asking. Jesus said “ask, seek, and knock”…and so that is exactly what I did. I made a list of some things I wanted, and I began asking. Numerous times a day, whether I was at my office, or in my truck driving to a site, when I woke in the morning, before going to be in the evening. “God, please give me wisdom and insight into your plans…your word, your will, and your ways.” This was the most important item to me on my first “list of requests”, and still is to this day. Numerous times a day I open my heart to the throne and reach for whatever God is willing to give me that day. At this point it has become a glorious habit.
Quickly…within weeks…of beginning my new habit of shaking the gates of heaven for what I desired, God started to give me insight. He started taking me to specific passages in the Bible that “gripped” me. It started with Joel 2. For years prior to this time, I would start my day reading my Bible and praying, usually in something “uplifting” like the Gospels or the “nice” Psalms (there are some intense ones). It started out, back in 1999, as a desperate attempt to get grounded as my marriage began falling apart in the spring of 1999. What started out as a flailing attempt to rescue my life turned into the most important cornerstone of my day. I didn't begin this from discipline…it began in desperation. I was desperate to hear God’s direction. That quickly turned into the most enjoyable part of my day. By the summer of 2011, I was already in the habit of waking up early in the morning to jealously guard my “quiet time” with God. No one in my house was usually up before 6:30 am, so I started waking by at least 4:30 most days in order to get a couple of hours of coffee, my Bible, and talking to God in before the house woke up.
When I began requesting insight and revelation, and God began answering, my “quiet time” suddenly became much less quiet. I began feeling the Holy Spirit’s excitement as I would go to certain passages that I felt God leading me to. Joel 2 began to grip me. It was so perplexing. I didn't understand what some old Jewish prophecy had to do with anything current. I thought all that stuff was done already. Day after day, God began showing me the parallels to our day…then specifically the parallels to our country…then God began showing me that this book wasn't primarily about ancient Israel, but was instead an end-time passage. The fullness of the Joel warnings and promises happen during the events of the book of Revelation:
Joel 2:28-32 "And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions. (29) And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days. (30) "And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: Blood and fire and pillars of smoke. (31) The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD. (32) And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, As the LORD has said, Among the remnant whom the LORD calls.
This should be the ultimate goal of any group of Jesus followers…to have the Holy Spirit released in full in signs and wonders which leads to mass salvation (anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved). This is the fulfillment of what started in Acts 2. The Book of Joel describes the greatest moment in the history of the Church. This is the fullness of the great commission happening! This is the “greater things” that Jesus promised, and Joel was told it happens at a very specific time: when the moon looks like blood and the sun goes dark. God quickly connected my mind to the time promised….the only time promised…where the moon will turn literally red as blood. This isn't describing a common astronomical phenomenon known as a lunar eclipse, or “blood moon”…No! The same God that split the Red Sea is going to turn the moon blood red…not pink…on this future day, when the sixth seal is loosed:
Revelation 6:12 I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood.
As God opened up the Book of Joel to me, He began clearly connecting it to the present day, specifically with regard to the financial crisis coming in waves over the United States beginning in 2008, and how this economic shaking has touched the whole world. God then gave me a message that He told me to take to my pastor regarding what all of this information meant. I was disturbed at the thought of even mentioning all this end-time sounding stuff to my pastor, but God had asked me to do enough “kind of weird” things at this point that always turned out miraculous (like me suddenly driving three hours to pray for my mom, and her subsequently getting healed from Lupus in the early 2000s). I knew God would do something just by my faithfulness to approach my pastor, even if the fruit wouldn't be seen for years. So, I gathered up my notes and met with my pastor. I told Him everything God had revealed to me…which, because I was nervous, took about four minutes as I raced through the information. Then I looked at Him and said “and I think God wants you to let the rest of the church hear this” …thinking he might consider incorporating it into a message someday soon. His reaction literally scared me. He said “Tom, sounds like you have a message. When do you want to speak to the church?!”
Ugh! The thought of talking in front of my church was an idea worse than death to me. I was a kid’s church teacher for several years leading up to this, and for the first couple of years, some of the kids who had gotten to know me well would feel so bad for how nervous I was they would coach me!...I distinctly remember my buddy Ethan saying on more than one occasion ”don’t let them see you sweat, Mr. Tom..they smell fear!”
But God had boxed me in! I knew I had to pick a date. I left my pastor’s office that day knowing that in two months (an excruciatingly long time to be afraid) I was going to have to stand in front of my church and say the ”outlandish” message God had been revealing to me. I preached my first-ever message on this exact topic in August of 2011.
Out of fear of freezing and running out of words to say, I had literally memorized my entire 45 minute message. I had a short and bad history of public speaking, which started with a book report that went really bad in third grade. I couldn't shake the memory of not reading a book and trying to on-the-spot fabricate a book report in front of my class, only to get in front of everyone and freeze…no words would come to my mind. The entire class, including the teacher, who was no doubt annoyed that I had ignored the assignment altogether, laughed me back to my seat. Then later, in a high school speech class, for my final exam…a 5 minute improvised story…I literally was so nervous I accidentally said the “s” word, (which was indicative of my 11th grade vocabulary) in front of the 100 or so people from my class in the middle of my speech! Needless to say, my grade suffered due to the offense. In my adult life, because I had started a one-man business, I had begrudgingly been forced to do work presentations for a few years, but literally hated every minute. Public speaking just wasn't my thing…at all.
But, suddenly I realized this was different. God completely carried me through the delivery of the message he had given me that Sunday. While I was in front of my church, I actually felt God’s immense pleasure in what I was doing. There was something about saying what God had given me to say that exhilarated me. I was almost instantly hooked on teaching what God had given me to say. The idea of speaking in front of people still scared me, but the thought of missing out on feeling God’s smile was even scarier!
God began to open up more opportunities to preach, and every time He did, he placed another end-time message on my heart. I quickly realized that although I never set out to teach the Bible in front of people, I had been assigned a role in teaching one very specific topic: Jesus’ end-time plan. I really have no other message in me. Everything God shows me comes back to the same topic. So, in the fall of 2012, through a series of events, I began teaching the Book of Revelation verse by verse in my home.
As I started to teach, God began “downloading“ insight into Revelation into my mind. I was leading a small group for our church which met on Tuesdays. I would start preparing in my usual morning routine on Weds, with the hope of having a decent outline of what to discuss by the next Tuesday. On Wed, I would have very little to no insight on the Chapter we would be covering the next week. By that next Tuesday, I would literally have six pages of notes I was trying to pare down into a 50 minute discussion. Most of the revelation would come flooding at me in the HOURS before the meeting. I would study hard all week to get some insight…praying…asking, seeking, knocking…and sure enough, like clockwork, on the day I needed the message, God would flood me with insight…connecting me from Revelation to the Gospels to the Old Testament. I started to see God’s word in a whole new light.
There are connections from Genesis to Revelation and everywhere in between that suddenly burst into life and meaning. I would feel the tingling sensation of the Holy Spirit as I would edit the notes so strongly that many days I would have to quit typing and just kind of sit there crying for 20 or 30 minutes at a time. Many nights, by the time the meeting happened, I had already had a day full of encounter with the Lord. I was still completely nervous to talk to even a group of 15 people…but the exhilaration of working with God on writing out the ideas was so overwhelming I would look forward to those Tuesdays like no other day. I still look forward to any chance to speak publicly about Jesus’ end-time plans, not because I like standing in front of people (although I do enjoy that more now), but because I know that day will be powerful in secret! (As a side note, I have come to believe that anything you are really scared of doing…yet slightly interested in…you should explore the possibility that the enemy is trying to scare you away from it. What I realized is that the enemy is terrified of me simply telling people what God is showing me. Satan tried to keep me from my assignment by keeping me afraid of one small aspect of it. When I obediently walked into my assignment, trusting that God would find a way to help me overcome the fear, what I found is that it is one of the most fulfilling aspects of my life. Don’t let fear of what might happen keep you from pursuing what God is whispering to you!)
As we worked our way through the Book of Revelation, about two thirds of the way through, I came to this startling passage I had read hundreds of times at this point, and for the first time, saw it in a new light. I will put what the Holy Spirit highlighted to me that afternoon, and for the next several days I will lay it point-by point in writing and back it up with Bible passages. There is a vast amount of information about the end-time Babylon in the Bible, so I have no shortage of passages to discuss:
Revelation 18:1-24 After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory. (2) And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, "Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird! (God showed me that this passage indicates “Babylon” wasn’t always a dwelling place of demons…it became one. I instantly thought of the United States…once the pinnacle of a Christian nation…now the literal haunt of demons of murder…random shootings daily…lust…violence against children…greed…worship of material wealth) (3) For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication (God showed me like no other country ever, our media exports the American brand globally and many around the world desire our spiritual poverty because of it), the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her (the literal kings of the earth court the US for the smallest indulgences), and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury (we are BY FAR the biggest consumer the earth has ever seen)." (4) 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. (I will get into this as the days pass, but God is currently raising up “Cities of Refuge” all over America. Not because of her righteousness, but as a place of escape from the coming judgment. Shortly after my first sermon on this topic, the book “The Harbinger” came out. The author of the Harbinger does an excellent job laying out how the US is currently under judgment, why we are under judgment, and what the answer is. Right now, the night and day prayer movement is supernaturally being established MOSTLY in America. This isn't because of our righteousness…it is because of God’s mercy. It is time to come out of the American culture). (5) For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. (6) Render to her just as she rendered to you, and repay her double according to her works; in the cup which she has mixed, mix double for her. (7) In the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously (again, there has NEVER been a country on the face of the earth that has had more people living in greater luxury than the United States. It would actually take more faith to believe we WEREN’T the end –time Babylon just by the abundance of sheer statistics matched with Bible information about the vast wealth, political power, luxurious living, and lust associated with the US and the end-time Babylon), in the same measure give her torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, 'I sit as queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow.' (This is the pride of patriotism. Tragically for the church, patriotism has invaded most of our churches, where, throughout most of the Christian church, patriotism is considered a “facet” of being an American Christian. This blinds many people to the horrific spiritual state of our country.) (8) Therefore her plagues will come in one day—death and mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her. (God showed me that the judgment that is coming will be catastrophic and sudden. I believe I have been given MUCH insight into the specifics of this, and will elaborate in the coming days). (9) "The kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her will weep and lament for her, when they see the smoke of her burning, (When America collapses, and it MUST collapse…by sheer economics, but also because of prophecy and God’s perfect justice…the entire earth will suffer the loss of their biggest benefactor and consumer. If you watch the news, you can see the fear of this discussed literally daily throughout the world). (10) standing at a distance for fear of her torment, saying, 'Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come.' (11) "And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore: (12) 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; (13) 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. (14) The fruit that your soul longed for has gone from you, and all the things which are rich and splendid have gone from you, and you shall find them no more at all. (15) The merchants of these things, who became rich by her, will stand at a distance for fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, (16) and saying, 'Alas, alas, that great city that was clothed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls! (17) For in one hour such great riches came to nothing.' Every shipmaster, all who travel by ship, sailors, and as many as trade on the sea, stood at a distance (the way these goods arrive in America from all over the earth is primarily by ship. Many people have theorized WHO the Harlot Babylon is. There are theories about Rome, or the Vatican, Europe…but none of these locations have the primary reality that goods arrive to them by ship. We do). (18) and cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, 'What is like this great city?' (there has never been another country on earth like the USA) (19) "They threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and wailing, and saying, 'Alas, alas, that great city, in which all who had ships on the sea became rich by her wealth! For in one hour she is made desolate.' (20) "Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you holy apostles and prophets, for God has avenged you on her!" (21) Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, "Thus with violence the great city Babylon shall be thrown down, and shall not be found anymore. (22) The sound of harpists, musicians, flutists, and trumpeters (we are the largest…by far…exporter of music and entertainment) shall not be heard in you anymore. No craftsman of any craft shall be found in you anymore, and the sound of a millstone shall not be heard in you anymore. (23) The light of a lamp shall not shine in you anymore, and the voice of bridegroom and bride shall not be heard in you anymore. For your merchants were the great men of the earth, for by your sorcery all the nations were deceived. (24) And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who were slain on the earth." (This is the most defining reality of the end-time Babylon…MANY OF GOD’S PEOPLE LIVE THERE AND WILL BE MARTYRED THERE, as well as all over the earth because of her choices with regard to Israel.)
What I have to say over the next few days, as hard as it is to believe…as “unpatriotic” as it may sound to hear…as negative as it may seem, is a “life or death” reality for Christians, especially in America. There is a CLEAR and GLORIOUS answer to the dilemma posed by believing America is the end-time Babylon, but it requires ALL-IN participation by God’s people. Revival IS coming to America, but only in places that agree with God and “come out” of the American culture. God does nothing on earth, as it relates to salvation and judgment, without the agreement of His people:
Ezekiel 22:30-31 So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one. (31) Therefore I have poured out My indignation on them; I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath; and I have recompensed their deeds on their own heads," says the Lord GOD.
As “far out there” as it sounds…even to me…I believe God has appointed me to be some kind of small watchman. I am legitimately worried about offending my loved ones and friends, many of whom I serve in Jesus’ body with. It should be noted that most people I go to church with, or work on KHOP with, do not know my views on this, let alone share them. I do not intend to offend anyone. But, as much as I am afraid of the offense coming from this particular message, I am much more afraid of missing out on the smile of God upon me as I say what He has given me to say.
Ezekiel 33:1-6 Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying, (2) "Son of man, speak to the children of your people, and say to them: 'When I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from their territory and make him their watchman, (3) when he sees the sword coming upon the land, if he blows the trumpet and warns the people, (4) then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, if the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be on his own head. (5) He heard the sound of the trumpet, but did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But he who takes warning will save his life. (6) But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the watchman's hand.'
More soon….
Coming to this realization, as hard as it was, has been one of the most defining moments of my life. It has completely changed the way I pray for my family, my church, my city, my country, and Israel. It has radically altered my understanding of the Bible and opened up passages that for years perplexed me. I feel the Lord’s immense pleasure and weight upon my grasp of this subject. I am mostly writing this for me, to finally sort out and lay out my thoughts on this. For nearly a year, I have vaguely alluded to this in the few times I have gotten to teach it publicly, feeling that the time was not right to come out with it. I have mostly kept my conversations about this within the confines of my family and close friends. I hear the Lord saying “it is time” to lay it out, and I am super excited to do that the best way I know how.
In the summer of 2011, I started to ask God for a very specific thing. I was just beginning to learn that there was SO much available to me in God’s kingdom, and that it was all there for the asking. So I began asking. Jesus said “ask, seek, and knock”…and so that is exactly what I did. I made a list of some things I wanted, and I began asking. Numerous times a day, whether I was at my office, or in my truck driving to a site, when I woke in the morning, before going to be in the evening. “God, please give me wisdom and insight into your plans…your word, your will, and your ways.” This was the most important item to me on my first “list of requests”, and still is to this day. Numerous times a day I open my heart to the throne and reach for whatever God is willing to give me that day. At this point it has become a glorious habit.
Quickly…within weeks…of beginning my new habit of shaking the gates of heaven for what I desired, God started to give me insight. He started taking me to specific passages in the Bible that “gripped” me. It started with Joel 2. For years prior to this time, I would start my day reading my Bible and praying, usually in something “uplifting” like the Gospels or the “nice” Psalms (there are some intense ones). It started out, back in 1999, as a desperate attempt to get grounded as my marriage began falling apart in the spring of 1999. What started out as a flailing attempt to rescue my life turned into the most important cornerstone of my day. I didn't begin this from discipline…it began in desperation. I was desperate to hear God’s direction. That quickly turned into the most enjoyable part of my day. By the summer of 2011, I was already in the habit of waking up early in the morning to jealously guard my “quiet time” with God. No one in my house was usually up before 6:30 am, so I started waking by at least 4:30 most days in order to get a couple of hours of coffee, my Bible, and talking to God in before the house woke up.
When I began requesting insight and revelation, and God began answering, my “quiet time” suddenly became much less quiet. I began feeling the Holy Spirit’s excitement as I would go to certain passages that I felt God leading me to. Joel 2 began to grip me. It was so perplexing. I didn't understand what some old Jewish prophecy had to do with anything current. I thought all that stuff was done already. Day after day, God began showing me the parallels to our day…then specifically the parallels to our country…then God began showing me that this book wasn't primarily about ancient Israel, but was instead an end-time passage. The fullness of the Joel warnings and promises happen during the events of the book of Revelation:
Joel 2:28-32 "And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions. (29) And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days. (30) "And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: Blood and fire and pillars of smoke. (31) The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD. (32) And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, As the LORD has said, Among the remnant whom the LORD calls.
This should be the ultimate goal of any group of Jesus followers…to have the Holy Spirit released in full in signs and wonders which leads to mass salvation (anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved). This is the fulfillment of what started in Acts 2. The Book of Joel describes the greatest moment in the history of the Church. This is the fullness of the great commission happening! This is the “greater things” that Jesus promised, and Joel was told it happens at a very specific time: when the moon looks like blood and the sun goes dark. God quickly connected my mind to the time promised….the only time promised…where the moon will turn literally red as blood. This isn't describing a common astronomical phenomenon known as a lunar eclipse, or “blood moon”…No! The same God that split the Red Sea is going to turn the moon blood red…not pink…on this future day, when the sixth seal is loosed:
Revelation 6:12 I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood.
As God opened up the Book of Joel to me, He began clearly connecting it to the present day, specifically with regard to the financial crisis coming in waves over the United States beginning in 2008, and how this economic shaking has touched the whole world. God then gave me a message that He told me to take to my pastor regarding what all of this information meant. I was disturbed at the thought of even mentioning all this end-time sounding stuff to my pastor, but God had asked me to do enough “kind of weird” things at this point that always turned out miraculous (like me suddenly driving three hours to pray for my mom, and her subsequently getting healed from Lupus in the early 2000s). I knew God would do something just by my faithfulness to approach my pastor, even if the fruit wouldn't be seen for years. So, I gathered up my notes and met with my pastor. I told Him everything God had revealed to me…which, because I was nervous, took about four minutes as I raced through the information. Then I looked at Him and said “and I think God wants you to let the rest of the church hear this” …thinking he might consider incorporating it into a message someday soon. His reaction literally scared me. He said “Tom, sounds like you have a message. When do you want to speak to the church?!”
Ugh! The thought of talking in front of my church was an idea worse than death to me. I was a kid’s church teacher for several years leading up to this, and for the first couple of years, some of the kids who had gotten to know me well would feel so bad for how nervous I was they would coach me!...I distinctly remember my buddy Ethan saying on more than one occasion ”don’t let them see you sweat, Mr. Tom..they smell fear!”
But God had boxed me in! I knew I had to pick a date. I left my pastor’s office that day knowing that in two months (an excruciatingly long time to be afraid) I was going to have to stand in front of my church and say the ”outlandish” message God had been revealing to me. I preached my first-ever message on this exact topic in August of 2011.
Out of fear of freezing and running out of words to say, I had literally memorized my entire 45 minute message. I had a short and bad history of public speaking, which started with a book report that went really bad in third grade. I couldn't shake the memory of not reading a book and trying to on-the-spot fabricate a book report in front of my class, only to get in front of everyone and freeze…no words would come to my mind. The entire class, including the teacher, who was no doubt annoyed that I had ignored the assignment altogether, laughed me back to my seat. Then later, in a high school speech class, for my final exam…a 5 minute improvised story…I literally was so nervous I accidentally said the “s” word, (which was indicative of my 11th grade vocabulary) in front of the 100 or so people from my class in the middle of my speech! Needless to say, my grade suffered due to the offense. In my adult life, because I had started a one-man business, I had begrudgingly been forced to do work presentations for a few years, but literally hated every minute. Public speaking just wasn't my thing…at all.
But, suddenly I realized this was different. God completely carried me through the delivery of the message he had given me that Sunday. While I was in front of my church, I actually felt God’s immense pleasure in what I was doing. There was something about saying what God had given me to say that exhilarated me. I was almost instantly hooked on teaching what God had given me to say. The idea of speaking in front of people still scared me, but the thought of missing out on feeling God’s smile was even scarier!
God began to open up more opportunities to preach, and every time He did, he placed another end-time message on my heart. I quickly realized that although I never set out to teach the Bible in front of people, I had been assigned a role in teaching one very specific topic: Jesus’ end-time plan. I really have no other message in me. Everything God shows me comes back to the same topic. So, in the fall of 2012, through a series of events, I began teaching the Book of Revelation verse by verse in my home.
As I started to teach, God began “downloading“ insight into Revelation into my mind. I was leading a small group for our church which met on Tuesdays. I would start preparing in my usual morning routine on Weds, with the hope of having a decent outline of what to discuss by the next Tuesday. On Wed, I would have very little to no insight on the Chapter we would be covering the next week. By that next Tuesday, I would literally have six pages of notes I was trying to pare down into a 50 minute discussion. Most of the revelation would come flooding at me in the HOURS before the meeting. I would study hard all week to get some insight…praying…asking, seeking, knocking…and sure enough, like clockwork, on the day I needed the message, God would flood me with insight…connecting me from Revelation to the Gospels to the Old Testament. I started to see God’s word in a whole new light.
There are connections from Genesis to Revelation and everywhere in between that suddenly burst into life and meaning. I would feel the tingling sensation of the Holy Spirit as I would edit the notes so strongly that many days I would have to quit typing and just kind of sit there crying for 20 or 30 minutes at a time. Many nights, by the time the meeting happened, I had already had a day full of encounter with the Lord. I was still completely nervous to talk to even a group of 15 people…but the exhilaration of working with God on writing out the ideas was so overwhelming I would look forward to those Tuesdays like no other day. I still look forward to any chance to speak publicly about Jesus’ end-time plans, not because I like standing in front of people (although I do enjoy that more now), but because I know that day will be powerful in secret! (As a side note, I have come to believe that anything you are really scared of doing…yet slightly interested in…you should explore the possibility that the enemy is trying to scare you away from it. What I realized is that the enemy is terrified of me simply telling people what God is showing me. Satan tried to keep me from my assignment by keeping me afraid of one small aspect of it. When I obediently walked into my assignment, trusting that God would find a way to help me overcome the fear, what I found is that it is one of the most fulfilling aspects of my life. Don’t let fear of what might happen keep you from pursuing what God is whispering to you!)
As we worked our way through the Book of Revelation, about two thirds of the way through, I came to this startling passage I had read hundreds of times at this point, and for the first time, saw it in a new light. I will put what the Holy Spirit highlighted to me that afternoon, and for the next several days I will lay it point-by point in writing and back it up with Bible passages. There is a vast amount of information about the end-time Babylon in the Bible, so I have no shortage of passages to discuss:
Revelation 18:1-24 After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory. (2) And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, "Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird! (God showed me that this passage indicates “Babylon” wasn’t always a dwelling place of demons…it became one. I instantly thought of the United States…once the pinnacle of a Christian nation…now the literal haunt of demons of murder…random shootings daily…lust…violence against children…greed…worship of material wealth) (3) For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication (God showed me like no other country ever, our media exports the American brand globally and many around the world desire our spiritual poverty because of it), the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her (the literal kings of the earth court the US for the smallest indulgences), and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury (we are BY FAR the biggest consumer the earth has ever seen)." (4) 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. (I will get into this as the days pass, but God is currently raising up “Cities of Refuge” all over America. Not because of her righteousness, but as a place of escape from the coming judgment. Shortly after my first sermon on this topic, the book “The Harbinger” came out. The author of the Harbinger does an excellent job laying out how the US is currently under judgment, why we are under judgment, and what the answer is. Right now, the night and day prayer movement is supernaturally being established MOSTLY in America. This isn't because of our righteousness…it is because of God’s mercy. It is time to come out of the American culture). (5) For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. (6) Render to her just as she rendered to you, and repay her double according to her works; in the cup which she has mixed, mix double for her. (7) In the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously (again, there has NEVER been a country on the face of the earth that has had more people living in greater luxury than the United States. It would actually take more faith to believe we WEREN’T the end –time Babylon just by the abundance of sheer statistics matched with Bible information about the vast wealth, political power, luxurious living, and lust associated with the US and the end-time Babylon), in the same measure give her torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, 'I sit as queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow.' (This is the pride of patriotism. Tragically for the church, patriotism has invaded most of our churches, where, throughout most of the Christian church, patriotism is considered a “facet” of being an American Christian. This blinds many people to the horrific spiritual state of our country.) (8) Therefore her plagues will come in one day—death and mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her. (God showed me that the judgment that is coming will be catastrophic and sudden. I believe I have been given MUCH insight into the specifics of this, and will elaborate in the coming days). (9) "The kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her will weep and lament for her, when they see the smoke of her burning, (When America collapses, and it MUST collapse…by sheer economics, but also because of prophecy and God’s perfect justice…the entire earth will suffer the loss of their biggest benefactor and consumer. If you watch the news, you can see the fear of this discussed literally daily throughout the world). (10) standing at a distance for fear of her torment, saying, 'Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come.' (11) "And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore: (12) 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; (13) 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. (14) The fruit that your soul longed for has gone from you, and all the things which are rich and splendid have gone from you, and you shall find them no more at all. (15) The merchants of these things, who became rich by her, will stand at a distance for fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, (16) and saying, 'Alas, alas, that great city that was clothed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls! (17) For in one hour such great riches came to nothing.' Every shipmaster, all who travel by ship, sailors, and as many as trade on the sea, stood at a distance (the way these goods arrive in America from all over the earth is primarily by ship. Many people have theorized WHO the Harlot Babylon is. There are theories about Rome, or the Vatican, Europe…but none of these locations have the primary reality that goods arrive to them by ship. We do). (18) and cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, 'What is like this great city?' (there has never been another country on earth like the USA) (19) "They threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and wailing, and saying, 'Alas, alas, that great city, in which all who had ships on the sea became rich by her wealth! For in one hour she is made desolate.' (20) "Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you holy apostles and prophets, for God has avenged you on her!" (21) Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, "Thus with violence the great city Babylon shall be thrown down, and shall not be found anymore. (22) The sound of harpists, musicians, flutists, and trumpeters (we are the largest…by far…exporter of music and entertainment) shall not be heard in you anymore. No craftsman of any craft shall be found in you anymore, and the sound of a millstone shall not be heard in you anymore. (23) The light of a lamp shall not shine in you anymore, and the voice of bridegroom and bride shall not be heard in you anymore. For your merchants were the great men of the earth, for by your sorcery all the nations were deceived. (24) And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who were slain on the earth." (This is the most defining reality of the end-time Babylon…MANY OF GOD’S PEOPLE LIVE THERE AND WILL BE MARTYRED THERE, as well as all over the earth because of her choices with regard to Israel.)
What I have to say over the next few days, as hard as it is to believe…as “unpatriotic” as it may sound to hear…as negative as it may seem, is a “life or death” reality for Christians, especially in America. There is a CLEAR and GLORIOUS answer to the dilemma posed by believing America is the end-time Babylon, but it requires ALL-IN participation by God’s people. Revival IS coming to America, but only in places that agree with God and “come out” of the American culture. God does nothing on earth, as it relates to salvation and judgment, without the agreement of His people:
Ezekiel 22:30-31 So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one. (31) Therefore I have poured out My indignation on them; I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath; and I have recompensed their deeds on their own heads," says the Lord GOD.
As “far out there” as it sounds…even to me…I believe God has appointed me to be some kind of small watchman. I am legitimately worried about offending my loved ones and friends, many of whom I serve in Jesus’ body with. It should be noted that most people I go to church with, or work on KHOP with, do not know my views on this, let alone share them. I do not intend to offend anyone. But, as much as I am afraid of the offense coming from this particular message, I am much more afraid of missing out on the smile of God upon me as I say what He has given me to say.
Ezekiel 33:1-6 Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying, (2) "Son of man, speak to the children of your people, and say to them: 'When I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from their territory and make him their watchman, (3) when he sees the sword coming upon the land, if he blows the trumpet and warns the people, (4) then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, if the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be on his own head. (5) He heard the sound of the trumpet, but did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But he who takes warning will save his life. (6) But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the watchman's hand.'
More soon….
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