Revelation 18:3 “For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.”
Recall the metaphorical symbolic picture at Revelation 17 where all the nations are drinking the wine that Babylon is giving to them, metaphorically speaking. The body of a nation joining the body of another nation, uniting like the ecumenical movement.
All nations around the world ‘joined body’ with the Roman Catholic church.
The merchants around the world are made rich through an overabundance of richness, all the delicate things she provided.
Revelation 18:4 “And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.”
John hears another voice coming out of heaven.
God is telling people to leave the Roman Catholic system.
God doesn’t want people to be part of her sins.
God doesn’t want them to join the plague that the Lord is going to send upon them, His judgment.
Notice in verse 4 that God called ‘my people’ out, so it’s not just ‘people’, it’s ‘my people’. There are Jews who were joined to this Roman Catholic system because the Antichrist is a Jew.
Jeremiah 51:1 “Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will raise up against Babylon, and against them that dwell in the midst of them that rise up against me, a destroying wind;”
The Lord is judging Babylon over what they’ve done.
Jeremiah 51:4-7 “Thus the slain shall fall in the land of the Chaldeans, and they that are thrust through in her streets. For Israel hath not been forsaken, nor Judah of his God, of the LORD of hosts; though their land was filled with sin against the Holy One of Israel. Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his soul: be not cut off in her iniquity; for this is the time of the LORD’S vengeance; he will render unto her a recompence. Babylon hath been a golden cup in the LORD’S hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad.”
This is not just a BC timeline, there’s a lot of future prophetic wording here, this seems more like a tribulation timeline.
Verse 6 does not make sense in the BC timeline.
If God is telling Israel to run away from Babylon, that’s not true. God says that you have to go to Babylon and submit to the authority.
So what is this referring to? This is referring to a future tribulation timeline of God’s judgment on Babylon and Israel has joined with her. This is undoubtedly tribulation.
Verse 7 is even more convincing, there is no doubt that this is talking about Revelation 18.
If Revelation 18:4’s ‘my people’ is referring to Jews who join the Antichrist system, then this supports what we mentioned earlier in Revelation 11 and 14 that those people who joined the Antichrist system, that the Lord is giving them a chance to repent.
Revelation 14:6-7 “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.”
Why is God giving the everlasting gospel to everyone around the world, to people who have the mark of the beast?
If they’re already settled and done then why would God even bother giving them the gospel? Why would He tell them to fear God and give glory to Him and if you look at Revelation 11, that’s what a lot of them did after they killed the two witnesses, they gave glory to God.
Revelation 14:8 “And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.”
Notice the timing of this. So God is saying to His people, come out of her, my people. He’s delivering the gospel at verse 6 and 7 right when Babylon was falling.
Acts 2 was the gospel of repentance and being baptized because the Messiah is coming.
John the Baptist was giving a second advent passage, not first advent.
John the Baptist was saying prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight. The king was coming but the Jews rejected Him, so in Acts 2, they had the baptism again but they rejected it. That’s why it’s interesting that the two witnesses, Moses and Elijah, Dr. Ruckman mentioned that it is possible that they would be baptizing people.
The two people in the Bible who have been baptized are Moses and Elijah. The Bible says when Moses went through the red sea, he was baptized.
Elisha told Naaman to get under Jordan and baptize seven times and Elisha was the double spirit power of Elijah over there. John the Baptist was coming with his baptism in the spirit and power of Elijah.
That’s the first time the Bible actually mentions ‘baptize’. In the Old Testament we see Naaman being baptized, dunked under etc, but that exact word ‘baptize’ started with John the baptist.
Why? Because that is connected with Christ’s second advent.