Sorry, This Feature Is Still

Under Construction

Return to Home Page

Revelation Insights #5
Welcome To Babylon
The Land of Merchants
(Ezekiel 16:29 NIV)

A Mad, Bad, Sad World

For those who choose not to look beyond the horizons of their own lives, the world can appear as being rather a pleasant place . . . after all, we might hear them say, the economy is flourishing, we are prospering, our cupboards are full, holidays are just around the corner, the kids are well and doing well, and all-in-all we have very little to complain about. The sad fact, however, is that the great majority of people on this planet are either starving or desperately ill, living in fear or sorrow, and/or merely eking out an existence - a meaningless existence. While our own private world might be somewhat comfortable, for millions of people on this planet, life is only a little way from our worst perceptions of a living hell.

Let us imagine for a moment what the all-seeing eye of God is confronted with in the course of just one day? Is there ever any one second in any one day when God does not see something that must break His infinitely compassionate heart? Can God be happy for one second in any one day as He sees children being abandoned, neglected, molested, abused, kidnapped and being sold on sex markets? Can God be happy for one second in any one day as He sees people and animals being cruelly treated and killed, homes being robbed, accidents taking place, mothers and fathers getting divorced, injustices being committed, women being raped, and on and on and on? Most assuredly, this paragraph has the potential to be the longest paragraph ever written

While the commercials may paint a rather rosy picture of our world, and while the public relations exercises of large institutions may give us the impression that all is well, and while the overtures of governments might speak of future hope, prosperity and peace, and while the busy-ness of our lives may draw our minds away from the heartaches and the hurts of people all around us, the truth is that for most people on this planet, every day of their lives is but another chapter in a horror story - a horror story that will only end, either in the grave, or with the coming of Jesus.

`There are multitudes struggling with poverty, compelled to labor hard for small wages, unable to secure the barest necessities of life. Toil and deprivation, with no hope of better things, make their burden heavy. When pain and sickness are added, the burden is almost unbearable. Care-worn and oppressed, they know not where to turn for relief.' (9T90.4)

Why does God not do something about this? you might ask.

He did. He made you and I . . .

In truth, therefore, our world is an extremely sad world, an extremely mad world, and an extremely bad world. So bad, in fact, that if it were not for law and for law-enforcement, we would surely be living in chaos right now - that is, if we were still living at all.

Some years ago, the city of New York experienced a protracted power failure. Realizing that security systems were disabled, thousands upon thousands took to the streets, looted stores, broke into homes and cars, and bedlam reigned until the power was restored. Unrestrained by fear of the law, and aided by dense darkness, human nature revealed its true character . . . and the world was given a frightening preview of what is yet to come.

There is no question, therefore, that our world is primed for destruction. We only live as we do today because the angels of God are using various agencies to hold back the winds of strife. (Revelation 7:1)

It is in this light, therefore, that I wish to welcome my reader to Babylon. Welcome to a world where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, not by chance, but as the result of the cunningly devised plans of the rich; a world where the hungry only get more hungry, not because there is a lack of food, but only because there is an abundance of greed and a lack of genuine compassion in high places; a world where hope is unknown to the masses, not because there is no hope, but because the custodians of hope are ineffectual in sharing their hope. Welcome to a world where even the desire to live has gone from the hearts of untold millions, a world where men's hearts are even now "failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth." (Luke 21:26)

Welcome to "Babylon, land of merchants!" (Ezekiel 16:29 NIV). Welcome to a world that is driven by the desire for money - a world where greed is unashamedly dubbed "the theology of Wall Street." Welcome to a world where the largest and most "respected" institutions on the planet profit handsomely and shamelessly out of the afflictions, the ignorance, and the fears of men. Welcome to a world where everything that can be traded is traded - even "the bodies and souls of men." (Revelation 18:10)

Yes, welcome to a world that has proportionately more financial experts than ever before, and yet there is more debt and poverty than ever before; a world that has proportionately more medical professionals than ever before, and yet there is more sickness than ever before; a world that has more psychiatrists than ever before, and yet there is more mental illness than ever before; a world that has proportionately more marriage counselors than ever before, and yet there are more divorces and unhappy marriages than ever before . . .

Welcome to a world where governments are but pawns in the hands of the mega-rich, where wars are arranged and where millions may die - not for the sake of some widely-publicized "noble cause" - but simply because war can be extremely profitable to those who pull the financial strings. Welcome to a world that is kept extremely "well informed" by a huge media network, but where the real news, that is, the news behind the news, is known only to a few.

In general, the history of this world is a record of cruel oppression - a sad testimony of the "inhumanity of man towards man." Scripture itself alludes to oppression more than one hundred times. So where is the oppression today? Is oppression no longer a problem? Has anything changed over the centuries? Is man more morally and/or socially conscious than he was in days gone by? Not a chance!

The truth is that society today is probably more cruelly oppressed than ever before, the only difference being that the modern-day oppressors have learnt how to condition the minds of the masses through "media dazzle," and they have become masters at veiling their profit-motivated designs under a cloak of morality and/or integrity and/or social responsibility. While on the one hand public relations departments will trumpet loudly that the institutions that they represent really do "care," on the other hand those same institutions rob the poor and the widow, deprive people of their homes, "strip the land bare," and all the while they profit handsomely and proudly out of the suffering and uncertainty that they themselves have authored.

Should my reader have any doubts about the truthfulness of the latter statement, the modules that follow will more than eradicate those doubts.

Meditational Nuggets: `We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.' (1 John 5:19)

This is why `the dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty.' (Psalm 74:20 NKJV)

We should not be surprised to discover, therefore, that `there is a kind of man whose teeth are like swords And his jaw teeth like knives, to devour the afflicted from the earth and the needy from among men.' (Proverbs 30:14 NAS)

`Truly the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil; madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead.' (Ecclesiastes 9:3)

A Mad, Bad, Sad Economy

Living as we do in an extremely bad, mad, sad world, we cannot but expect that our world economy is anything other than bad, mad, and sad - and it surely is. In this regard, the following comment on James 5:1-6 is of particular interest.

`The Scriptures describe the condition of the world just before Christ's second coming. James the apostle pictures the greed and oppression that will prevail. This is a picture of what exists today [written prior to 1900]. By every species of oppression and extortion, men are piling up colossal fortunes, while the cries of starving humanity are coming up before God.' (COL170)

In the light of this statement, we may draw the following conclusions:

(1) Oppression and extortion were rampant prior to the year 1900. As such, we may safely conclude that oppression and extortion are even more rampant today.

(2) Mega rich institutions are behind much of the oppression and extortion that is practiced in our world today.

(3) Much of the poverty in our world today is the result of the oppressive and extortionary practices of mega-rich institutions.

(4) Because we hear much about the starving masses, and much about the mega-rich, and very little about the greed, the oppression and the extortion that are so rampant in our world today, we must conclude that the oppressive and extortionary practices of the mega-rich are very well camouflaged (usually in the name of PR).

Bearing these thoughts in mind, let us now turn our attention to Revelation Chapter 18. This chapter assures us that in the last days Babylon is going to fall, and that her economy is going to fall with her. This means that if we are living in the last days today - and we surely are - then we are currently living in spiritual Babylon and, as such, our economy today must be typically Babylonish.

In this light, let us again consider an interesting statement relative to Revelation chapter 18.

`This Scripture (Rev 18:1, 2, 4) points forward to a time when the announcement of the fall of Babylon, as made by the second angel of Revelation 14, is to be repeated, with the additional mention of the corruptions that have been entering the various organizations that constitute Babylon, since that message was first given, in the summer of 1844.' (GC603)

From this statement we may conclude, . . .

(1) that we are in fact living in "Babylon" today,

(2) that our present-day Babylon is made up of "various organizations" and/or institutions,

(3) that these organizations and/or institutions have become especially corrupted since 1844,

(4) that these organizations have a huge global presence and that they most probably have a significant impact on life as we know it.

As such, we need to prepare ourselves for a few surprises. If this is "Babylon," and if our economy today is typically Babylonish in nature, then "the news behind the news" is certain to startle us.

The Big Four

One sure way of judging the true nature of an economy is to examine the character of the major institutions that buoy up that economy. As such, let us take a moment to consider four of the richest, largest and most influential institutions in the world, namely . . .

(1)  the Catholic church,
(2)  the medical/drug industry,
(3)  the banking industry, and
(4)  the insurance industry.

As we consider these four institutions, please understand that we are not leveling criticism at the many fine, honest and well-intentioned people who are employed by, or who are associated with these institutions - nor are we questioning any legitimate service that these institutions may render. We will be noticing, however, that the spirit of Babylon has infiltrated a few boardrooms.

As we well know, each of these institutions is founded on and thrives on meeting the distinctive needs of society. Yet there is an abundance of evidence to suggest that an avaricious spirit dominates each of these institutions, a spirit that is infinitely more concerned with profiting out of the needs of society than it is concerned with satisfying or meeting the needs of society - and this point is certainly confirmed by the "colossal fortunes" that have been and are being amassed by each of these institutions.

In the modules following I will prove to my reader that a number of corruptions have taken root within these institutions, and that these corruptions have given rise to a number of very serious tensions . . .

¤   tensions between (a) doing what is morally correct, and (b) doing what will be most profitable,

¤   tensions between (a) the satisfying of societies needs and (b) the invention of and/or exaggeration of societies needs,

¤   tensions between (a) helping, serving and educating society and (b) capitalizing on the misfortune, the fear, and the ignorance of society,

¤   tensions between (a) the realization of reasonable returns - which is the reasonable right of any organization that provides a valid public service - and (b) the amassing of "colossal fortunes" at the expense of the man in the street.

As can be expected in a mad, bad, sad world, covetousness has triumphed over integrity and, as a direct result, we now find ourselves living in a largely usurious economy - that is, according to ancient definition, an economy that not only bleeds society through excessive interest, but one that actually uses the misfortunes, the afflictions, and the ignorance of the masses to amass colossal fortunes.

Meditational Nuggets: `The ancient problem of "usury," in the form of the exploitation of the ignorant poor by moneylenders, is still important in many parts of the world.' (Professor Kenneth E. Boulding, Encyclopedia Britannica, Vol.17, p.959)

`Usury enshrines the principles of exploitation, greed and guaranteed gain at the expense of others. It is diametrically opposed to the concept of people living and transacting in an atmosphere of mutual trust, concern and good will. The current global monetary system gives control to those who create money and charge interest [reserve banks and banks], leaving the majority of the world's population open to manipulation and exploitation.' (PAID News, Autumn 1990, p.1)

`The biggest and most modern buildings in the blighted and debt-ridden downtowns of the world are still banks and insurance companies. Both are active in usury in slightly different ways and have cornered the larger part of the wealth of the world.' (R. K. Hoskins, War Cycles Peace Cycles, p.10)

`Will you judge this city of bloodshed? Then confront her with all her detestable practices and say, "You take [a] usury and [b] excessive interest . . . There is a conspiracy of her princes within her like a roaring lion tearing its prey; they devour people, take treasures and precious things and make many widows within her. Her officials within her are like wolves tearing their prey; they shed blood and kill people to make unjust gain . . . The people of the land practice extortion and commit robbery, they oppress the poor and needy and ill-treat the alien, denying them justice." ' (Ezekiel 22:2-29)

If we were to define usury as the act of "using" the negative circumstances of others to advantage ourselves, then it is obvious that our "big four" thrive on usury. You see, whichever way we view these institutions, the tragic fact today is that, . . .

(1)  the Catholic church amasses colossal fortunes, as ever, out of guilt, (in times gone by she even sold "certificates of pardon" to guilt-ridden believers),
(2)  the medical/drug industry amasses colossal fortunes out of sickness,
(3)  the banking industry amasses colossal fortunes out of poverty, and
(4)  the insurance industry amasses colossal fortunes out of fear.

This means, in short, that our present-day world economy is largely an usurious economy in that it is founded upon, vitally dependant on, and flourishing on guilt, and sickness, and poverty, and fear.

Does that not sound like Babylon to you?

Could anything be more sad and more "babylonish" than the fact that our current-day world economy is as dependant on human affliction and suffering as a table is dependant on its legs?

To make matters worse, far worse, and this I will also convincingly prove to my reader in the modules following, . . .

(1)  the Catholic church has little in its make-up today that relieves guilt, but much that promotes guilt,

(2)  the medical/drug industry has little in its make-up today that actually heals sickness, but much that promotes sickness (or that keeps us alive while we remain sick and while we continue to pay the bills),

(3)  the banking industry has nothing in its make-up today that relieves poverty, but much that promotes poverty,

(4)  the insurance industry has nothing in its make-up today that relieves fear, but much that promotes fear.

In short, therefore, each of these institutions is uniquely positioned, not only to amass "colossal fortunes" out of the misfortunes, the afflictions, the fears, and the ignorance of society, but even to fuel and/or to exaggerate those misfortunes and afflictions. While powerful public relations exercises may well have conditioned our minds into believing otherwise, it should take only a little unbiased thought to convince us that this is in fact the truth.

Bearing in mind, therefore, that our current-day world economy is vitally dependent on guilt, and sickness, and poverty and fear, let us focus our minds on a few sobering realities . . .

¤  In order to boost the economy of a country, or of the world, all that we have to do is to ensure that mankind is more severely plagued by guilt, by sickness, by poverty and by fear.

¤  Anything that relieves guilt, sickness, poverty and fear, would constitute a most serious threat to the world economy.

¤  The gospel of Jesus is the greatest threat to our present-day world economy for the simple reason that the gospel, which includes the gospel of health (MM259), is God's failsafe answer to guilt, to sickness, to poverty and to fear. Looking to the future, therefore, there is no question that the dissemination of gospel truth will in some way contribute to the collapse of our Babylonish economy.

Is this not perhaps one good reason why God's children will be blamed for the calamities that are soon to come upon the earth? (Mar176)

¤  The troubles and the tragedies of our present-day world are not so much the result of the meanderings of fate, or the result of a wayward economy, as they are the result of circumstances that have been ably engineered by the financial puppet masters of our world. Does this not explain why so many country's, those that only recently were peaceful and prosperous, are today riddled with crime and poverty and every manner of affliction - and why their economies, sustained as ever by the "big four," are still booming in spite of these afflictions?

The sad truth is that in our Babylonish economy, crime does pay - and handsomely, guilt does pay - and handsomely, sickness does pay - and handsomely, poverty does pay - and handsomely, and insecurity and fear do pay - and handsomely.

¤  We have the assurance that `poverty is coming upon this world.' (Ev240). While some of the poverty-stricken will have authored their own fate, the great majority will be victims of boardroom decisions - victims of "the rot behind the recession."

¤  Had the church been true to her mandate, these institutions would not be enjoying the power and the influence that they currently enjoy. This again confirms that our Laodicean lethargy is largely to blame for much of the hardship, affliction, and tragedy in our world today.

Meditational Nuggets: `I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place under the sun: I saw the tears of the oppressed - and they have no comforter; power was on the side of their oppressors - and they have no comforter.' (Ecclesiastes 4:1)

`Men cry out under a load of oppression; they plead for relief from the arm of the powerful. But no one says, 'Where is God my Maker." ' (Job 35:9)

`The treacherous dealer deals treacherously, and the plunderer plunders.' (Isaiah 21:2 NKJV)

`In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak, who are caught in the schemes he devises.' (Psalm 10:2)

`They crush your people, O LORD; they oppress your inheritance. They slay the widow and the alien; they murder the fatherless.' (Psalm 94:5)

`The people of God are sighing and crying for the abominations done in the land.' (5T474)

`Like birds caught in a snare, so the sons of men are snared in an evil time.' (Ecclesiastes 9:12 NKJV)

`We pay for the water we drink, and our wood comes at a price. We labor and have no rest.' (Lamentations 5:4-5 NKJV)

`Will the evildoers never learn - those who devour my people as men eat bread and who do not call on God?' (Psalm 53:4)

Realizing, therefore, that all that we read and hear about is not necessarily all that is, and remembering that oppression is probably more rife today than ever before, and bearing in mind that "mega rich institutions are behind much of the oppression and extortion that is practiced in our world today," and that oppression and extortion are certainly more effectively concealed today than ever before, let us continue to cast a critical eye upon the big four of our Babylonish economy.

The Apocalyptic Horsemen

We have now come a long way together, dear reader, and at this stage you are probably wondering whether I am suggesting that the "big four" of planet earth are the apocalyptic horsemen of Revelation chapter six. The answer to this question is a resounding NO!

Please notice that the focus of Revelation 1-8 is on four horsemen who sit upon and direct four horses. The horses are simply vehicles that are being directed and used by four ill-intentioned "riders" or, for lack of a better term, "spirits." Clearly, therefore, the horses in themselves are not the architects of evil as are the "riders" or spirits who direct and control them.

It is my belief that these four institutions are the horses of Revelation 6 - but they are not the riders. I repeat, therefore, that we are not leveling criticism at the many fine, honest and well-intentioned people who are employed by, or who are associated with these institutions - nor are we questioning any legitimate service that these institutions may render. Our concern, however, is with the "spirit" that "sits upon" and that currently directs, sways, and controls these institutions.

While at this point in time it would be unrealistic of me to expect my reader to believe as I do, I now need to state, and this I do humbly and sincerely, that I am as convinced as ever I will be that "the spirits" that currently control and direct these four institutions are the Apocalyptic Horsemen. Wherever we mention these institutions from here on, therefore, please bear in mind that they are merely the "horses" and that the primary focus is on the ill-intentioned spirits (the apocalyptic horsemen) who are straddled upon and who currently direct these institutions.

The onus now rests on me to support this interpretation, and it is going to take the remainder of this module and at least four more modules in order to do so. Please bear with me, therefore, and please reserve your judgment until such time as all the (shocking) evidence has been presented.

In modules 1 and 2 we demonstrated that our traditional interpretation of the apocalyptic horsemen is more than questionable. Then in modules 4 to 5 we assembled a number of logical guidelines to direct us in our search for a more credible interpretation. In the light of those guidelines, therefore, let us now apply the following tests to this possible interpretation:

TEST 1:  The true interpretation must correspond perfectly with the interpretive keys that we assembled in modules four and five.

TEST 2:  The true interpretation must correspond perfectly with the tabulated comparison of the True Vineyard and the Corrupted Vineyard or Wasteland that we compiled in module five.

TEST 3:  The true interpretation must correspond perfectly with the actual description that is given in Revelation chapter 6 of the four horses and their riders.

TEST 4:  An in-depth investigation (which will be included in modules 7 to 10) must leave us in no doubt (a) that the spirits that currently dominate these institutions do have agendas and characteristics that perfectly match the characteristics of the Apocalyptic Horsemen, and (b) that the current activities of these institutions may be considered as judgments from God - judgments that have come upon the earth largely in consequence of Laodicean lassitude.

TEST 1:

The true interpretation must correspond perfectly with the interpretive keys that we assembled in modules four and five.

TEST 2:

The true interpretation must correspond perfectly with the tabulated comparison of the True Vineyard and the Corrupted Wasteland that we compiled in module five.

Because there is still much to be said about these four institutions (and much that the world will probably never know), I must again urge my reader to reserve judgment until much later in this exercise. In the meantime, I invite you to carefully consider whether the big four fit into our tabular representation of the true and the corrupted vineyard (Babylon).

TEST 3:

The true interpretation must correspond perfectly with the description that is given of the four horses and their riders in Revelation chapter 6.

In the light of the foregoing, we need to once again consider that if Laodicea had responded to God's call, none of these institutions would be enjoying the power and the influence that they currently enjoy. How great is our answerability?

Thanks largely to Laodicea's failure, however, these institutions have had opportunity to direct the course of recent history, and even to forge the very character of life as we know it - and they will continue to do so

(a) to serve as a judgment against modern-day Babylon - just as Cyrus served as a judgment against ancient Babylon,

(b) to help the world's people to come to an understanding of the true character of their money god,

(c) to enable stubborn eyes to see beyond the quagmire of earth and to behold the fathomless wonders of Calvary,

(d) to awaken God's children so that they may do, "in days of darkness, under the pressure of trial and persecution" the work that they could have done "in peace and comparative prosperity." (5T456/7)

Test number 4 will span the next four modules wherein we will be devoting an entire module to each of the "big four."

The Broad Picture

As we proceed, please bear in mind that throughout the great controversy God has been on trial and, in the final analysis, He will prove to all the universe that He is just and that He could not have done one more thing to redeem one more person.

God's redemption strategy has always been the same - to reveal His love to a fallen race. Where eyes have refused to be opened to the wonders of Calvary, God has often used calamity and consequences to open those eyes - a process that has already begun.

Through infinite patience, and at the cost of infinite pain, and with Laodicea as His sad trophy, and with a planet in rebellion screaming for divine intervention, the Lord now has no option but to allow the world to suffer the consequences of her choices.

It is my studied belief that the four horsemen of Revelation chapter 6 are the first of these final consequences. Please note the words of William Barclay: `Here [Revelation 6:2-8] John is using a traditional picture of what is to happen when God dispatches his wrath upon his disobedient people. At the back of it all is the permanent truth that no man or nation can escape the consequences of their sin.'

Then come the seven trumpets - but these yield little fruit for we are told that "they did not repent." (Revelation 9:20-21)

Then come the seven bowl judgments or plagues, and here again the harvest fails, for we are told that despite their suffering, "they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and did not repent of their deeds.' (Revelation 16:11; 21)

Then comes the final fall of Babylon - but even here they never repented but rather lamented their material loss, "for in one hour such great riches came to nothing." (Revelation 18:17)

And then, finally, when earth's darkest hour comes to its close, with mankind having been exposed to Calvary and to calamity, to love at its best and to terror at its worst, every knee will bow and declare:

"Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!" (Revelation 5:13)

Meditational Nuggets: `Babylon was a golden cup in the Lord's hand, that made all the earth drunk. The nations drank her wine; therefore the nations are deranged. His plan is against Babylon to destroy it, because it is the vengeance of the LORD. The LORD has both devised and done what He spoke against the inhabitants of Babylon. O you who dwell by many waters, abundant in treasures, your end has come, the measure of your covetousness. They shall not take from you a stone for a corner nor a stone for a foundation, but you shall be desolate forever. The land will tremble and sorrow; for every purpose of the LORD shall be performed against Babylon, to make the land of Babylon a desolation without inhabitant. For the LORD is the God of recompense, He will surely repay. Thus Babylon shall sink and not rise from the catastrophe that I will bring upon her.' (Jeremiah 51:11-13; 26; 29; 56; 64)

` "I will send four kinds of destroyers against them," declares the LORD.'  (Jeremiah 15:3)

`How much worse will it be when I send against Jerusalem my four dreadful judgments - sword and famine and wild beasts and plague - to kill its men and their animals!' (Ezekiel 14:21)

`The earth dries up and withers, the world languishes and withers, the exalted [the custodians of truth] of the earth languish. The earth is defiled by its people; they have disobeyed the laws, violated the statutes and broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore a curse consumes the earth; its people must bear their guilt.' (Isaiah 24:4-6)

` "You will not go unpunished, for I am calling down a sword upon all who live on the earth, declares the LORD Almighty. "The tumult will resound to the ends of the earth, for the LORD will bring charges against the nations; he will bring judgment on all mankind and put the wicked to the sword.’ (Jeremiah 25:29; 31)

`The wicked in his pride persecutes the poor; he blesses the greedy and renounces the LORD. His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and oppression; under his tongue is trouble and iniquity. He sits in the lurking places of the villages; in the secret places he murders the innocent; his eyes are secretly fixed on the helpless. He lies in wait secretly, as a lion in his den; he lies in wait to catch the poor; he catches the poor when he draws him into his net. So he crouches, he lies low, that the helpless may fall by his strength. LORD, do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, that the man of the earth may oppress no more.' (Psalm 10:2, 3, 7-10, 17)

`Defend the poor and fatherless; do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy; free them from the hand of the wicked.' (Psalm 82:3-4)

` "Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, and has become a habitation of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird! For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury." 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 14:8; 18:2-4)

`For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against [a] the RULERS, against [b] the AUTHORITIES, against [c] the POWERS of this dark world . . . and . . . against [d] the SPIRITUAL FORCES of evil in the heavenly realms.' (Ephesians 6:12)

Dear reader and fellow truth-seeker. Once again we would like to open the door to friendly dialog with anyone who has any suggestion or constructive criticism that will contribute in any way to this document. Please feel free to share your insights with us.

If you are not already on our mailing list, and you would like to receive notification as and when additional modules in this series are published, or when new features are added to this website, please click here and ensure that the words "Revelation Insights" appear in the subject line of your emai