When you deal with satans organization/system/world; you will see it categorized into one of three areas; religious, governmental, or commercial. babylon the harlot is the religious part of satans organization, Jehovah has prophesied that He will use the governmental part of satans system to crush that harlot sir. That will be a very interesting prophecy to see fulfilled. We are really shaping up for it now as much of the population is fed up with religion because of the problems that come from it. I would imagine that is not too far into the future. Out of all the things coming, that is what I want to see most as I hate babylon the great, which truly is the mother of all disgusting things as the Bible states. she is an abomination.
I don't believe God deals with gvts anymore, after He cast off national Israel. He only cares for His church by perfecting His people and converting the sinners to His faith. The Scriptures of the apostles say nothing about God raising up kings and governors etc...That was all during the old covenant. Now, we are simply to obey such gvt and not be rebellious, except when gvt becomes destructive to the faith of God.
The beast and the false prophet and Babylon are spiritual and ministerial, with purpose of the dragon to corrupt and destroy the faith of Jesus held by the saints. Satan cares not one bit for unbelievers to be forced into a false religion, like God, all he cares about is souls to destroy by unbelief. Why would he attack his own and possibly push them to conversion to Jesus Christ? They are already his.
Any secular leader or gvt that uses the tools of an antichrist, such as compelling searing of conscience to buy and sell, are only pikers playing at being antichrists. They are not the real enemy to the body of Christ, but if anything help to purify the believers, and move them to being hot rather than lukewarm for the Lord. Real antichrists make war with the saints and the elect through false doctrine and ministry: they go out from the apostles' doctrine to teach and preach as false leaders and heads of the body.
Revelation is the last book of prophecy and ministry to the saints, not to the world, even as all Scripture of God. The things written therein are to bless them that believe, read, and understand: it is the manifestation of the spirit of error and it's ministry of destruction, making war with the saints and the Lamb of God, by way of the three things of tribulation: temptation, deception, persecution.
Nothing in Revelation says anything about any secular leader, gvt, organization, business, etc..., and the only identifiable geography on earth is Jerusalem and Armageddon. Revelation shows all the deceitful and hurtful ways in which the accuser and adversary makes war with the believers, in order to defile their faith and return them back to his kingdom of darkness. He sends in his false ministers of a false christ, using Jesus' name to seduce the believers from the faith of Jesus to the faith of a false christ. They remain Christian in name only, even as them that call themselves Jews today are Israel in name only.
Why would the devil have saints killed and sent to heaven? His goal is for unbelievers to die and be judged as his own. The only reason would be to stop effective ministry of conversion of his sinners; otherwise, all he lusts to do is to pervert and corrupt them that believe. He wants to take as many with him into the lake of fire as possible.
The devil goes about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour, not whom he may send to heaven by having them killed, certainly not whom he may convert to Jesus by bringing tribulation upon the unbeliever.
I see only 2 physical events before the Lord's return to reign on earth: the two dead witnesses in Jerusalem, where our Lord was crucified, which is that great city now spiritually called by God, Sodom and Egypt, and the gathering together of the armies at Armageddon.
Babylon is that great city of captivity, where the cast aways are held in captivity, and who need to depart out of her by repentance and faith in Jesus to be grafted in again to God's olive tree: Christians broken off by high-mindedness and transgression of unbelief: the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Them that had been inwardly circumcised, and yet now are concluded in unbelief.
The days of the last great tribulation upon the saints on earth will not be a worldwide religious attack with gvt power to enforce it. We know that there will be many on earth, after Jesus returns to destroy the gathered armies, who will be judged according to their works pertaining to the saints. They will be unbelievers who did good for God's people, who were not under the dominion and power of the dragon by way of his beast and false prophet: who are not risen with power of the dragon to deceive unbelievers, but only saints.
And the gathered armies are not against Jerusalem, but specifically to make war with the Lord and His saints, that are in the air: They will be seen rising into the air resurrected spiritual bodies, even as the two witnesses.
Why would unbelieving hate-filled people be attempting to do such a ridiculously stupid and foolish thing? The same reason the armies of Pharaoh drove down into the dry ground of the Red Sea with waters of waves standing on either side, just after the pillar of fire that blocked them was removed from their path: reprobation.
The whole earth will not be filled with such fools. The only 'extinction' taking place will be they attacking the saints and the Lamb of God openly. The rest are unbelieving bystanders, some cast off as goats, and others welcomed into the reign of Christ as sheep.
for by faith ye stand.
