Introduction to seven mountains -Part 3

Introduction To Seven Mountains

Mystery Babylon is Satan's false gospel, a weapon in his grand strategy to dethrone God and destroy God's prized creation man.

This abomination started as a lie that deceived Eve into sinning against God in the Garden of Eden. This Mystery gospel polluted the ancient world to the point that God washed earth clean, preserving only a remnant.

But the Devil is not easily deterred. Shortly after the flood Satan resurrected his false gospel at Babel. There, in what became the city of Babylon, the Mother of Spiritual Harlots gave birth to a plethora of false religions and sent her offspring around the globe to deceive the nations.

Whereas the gospel of Jesus Christ spreads despite persecution and by the power of its truthfulness, Satan's false religions are typically spread by terror and the power of the sword. Therefore Satan uses military might to impose his will on mankind.

Armies conquer and enslave where lies can not deceive and persuade. And it takes the wealth of kings to raise and sustain armies capable of waging large scale war. Therefore, when Satan takes control of a king he has all the resources of their kingdom at his disposal. So Satan’s grand strategic plan calls for taking control of Gentile kings to use their power to wage war against God and His Saints on earth.

Those things which are important and valuable to God on earth include the land of Israel, Jerusalem, the Jews, the Church, the spreading of the gospel, and the fulfillment of God's word in prophecy. Consequently, these things are constantly under attack by Satan and his forces of darkness.

God allows all these things to happen because it serves His purpose. But God is always in control. God restrains Satan and limits his power and intervention into the affairs of the world. If God did not control the Devil he would destroy us all.

Some say history is actually an account of warfare throughout the ages. In one respect that is true. History records the fulfillment of a cycle in which kingdoms and empires rise and conquer and then decline and fall.

There have been many kings and emperors on earth. Nearly every nation has had their day of glory at some point in history. And many empires have taken a turn at world domination. But prophecy is "Israel centric," meaning those things which directly impact God's land, chosen people and Jerusalem are given special attention in scripture. For this reason biblical prophecy focuses on seven distinct and successive Gentile kingdoms that rise and fall around the Mediterranean.

Those literal Gentile kingdoms are Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Media-Persia, Greece, Rome, and the kingdom of the Antichrist in the last days.

These seven kingdoms can be seen in the seven heads of the great red dragon Satan. And scripture goes on to say the seven heads are seven mountains on which Satan's false gospel MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH sits.

And prophecy speaks of seven kings associated with the seven kingdoms. Five had fallen by Apostle John's day, Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Media-Persia, and Greece. One king was in power in John's day, the Emperor of Rome. And the other, the kingdom of the Antichrist, has not yet come.


The kingdom of Egypt was the first head of the great red dragon.
The Pharaohs were the first gentile kings to pass away.

"I am against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that lieth in the midst of his rivers, which hath said, My river is mine own, and I have made it for myself. And all the inhabitants of Egypt shall know that I am the LORD, because they have been a staff of reed to the house of Israel."

Egypt was conquered by many nations over the centuries. But the reign of the Pharaohs and their independent Egyptian kingdom ended with the suicide of Queen Cleopatra VII and the murder of her son by Julius Caesar. Egypt was then gobbled up by the Roman Empire, never to see her past glory again.

So it is important to note that Mystery Babylon is Satan's false gospel passed down and perpetuated by seven Gentile kingdoms. Five kings and kingdoms had passed by Apostle John's day. Rome and the Roman Emperor had taken over the task of carrying Mystery Babylon at that time.

But the great mystery revealed in the seventeenth chapter of Revelation is that Rome, the great city which reigned over the kings of the earth in John's day, has continued to carry the Mother of Harlots and rule over kings up to this present time; howbeit in another form, the Roman Catholic Church. Rome will be the seat of the Harlot during the kingdom of the Antichrist just as it was during the sixth Gentile kingdom, the old Roman Empire.

The seventh kingdom will be the shortest. It will be destroyed at the coming of the Lord. Jesus Christ is returning to earth to put an end to Satan and his kingdoms and bring in everlasting righteousness.

Prophecy also speaks of an eighth and final kingdom called the kingdom of God. This too will be a literal kingdom, center in Jerusalem, where our Lord will rule the whole earth from the Temple Mount for a thousand years. Thereafter it will continue forever on a new earth in a new heaven. God's kingdom will never end.

How can I say that these specific seven Gentile kingdoms, from Egypt to the Antichrist, play an important role in prophecy? And how can I say they have anything to do with Babylon the Great? Well, it is all there in scripture if you know were to look for it and don’t get carried away with false doctrine such as Israelite replacement theories.

Prophetic books fit together like pieces of a puzzle bringing interpretation into focus and detail to the surface that can't be gleaned from any one book. A lot of symbolism is used in prophecy scripture but God usually provides the key to deciphering every mystery.


Beast, King and Kingdom Symbolism

Before we take a close look at the identity of the seven mountains or seven kingdoms that carry Mystery Babylon it would be helpful to understand some basic prophecy symbolism found in both the Old and New Testament prophecy.

Both God and Satan have angelic princes at their disposal to serve their purpose. Satan uses seven chief demonic princes to empower the seven Gentile kingdoms.


The kingdom of Assyria was the second head of Satan.
The Kings of Assyria were the second fallen gentile monarchy.

"Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years. In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes. For so it was, that the children of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, which had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods, and walked in the statutes of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they had made."

Apostle Paul said in Ephesians 6:11-12, "Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."

In Daniel 10:13,20 we are given a rare view into the conflict that rages around us between the angels of God and those fallen angles of the Devil:

An angelic messenger, probably the angel Gabriel, says to the prophet Daniel, "the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia."

Gabriel is God's messenger to Israel. Michael is an archangel, a powerful angelic prince that protects Israel and knocks Satan and his fallen angles in line when they overstep their authority.

Gabriel goes on to say, "And now I must return to fight with the prince of Persia; and when I have gone forth, indeed the prince of Greece will come.

What this tells us is that God determines when it is time for kingdoms to rise and when it is time for them to go. If Satan’s princes, the real power propping up these kingdoms, refuse to go then Gabriel and Michael forcibly boot them out of power.

In this scripture we see that the prince of Persia did not want to go. But it was time for the prince of Greece to lift up Alexander the Great and the Greek empire to rise to power.

Beasts - Angelic creatures and the kingdoms they support are sometimes characterized as beasts in scripture. The attributes and physical characteristics of the beast are used metaphorically to describe the traits, purpose, and historical significance of these angelic creatures and their associated kingdoms.

For instance, Satan is depicted in prophecy as a great fiery red dragon because he destroys souls by deceiving them into the Lake of Fire. Babylon is figuratively compared to a lion because of its regal magnificence, wealth, and absolute power. The empire of Media-Persia was like a bear or ram because it pushed in all directions and stomped enemies to dust. Greece is represented by a leopard or male goat because of the speed at which Alexander the Great moved his armies and conquered the world.

These beasts are typically described as having powerful jaws, iron teeth and claws, stomping feet, full of eyes or a big mouth. These attributes represent military might and weapons of destruction, iron breaks all that it hits into pieces. Eyes are used to see and govern a large domain and a great mouth symbolizes blaspheming God.

Wings - These beasts are sometimes describes as having wings. The wings denote swiftness and therefore figuratively show the speed at which some kingdoms rise to power.

Heads - The head of a beast symbolically represents the kingdom that the beast is empowering. When a beast is depicted with multiple heads it is typically to show the historic shifting of power into multiple kingdoms. In the case of the seven headed red dragon the heads show the progression of power from Egypt to Assyria, Babylon, Media-Persia, Greece, Rome, and finally the Antichrist. The four headed leopard of Daniel chapter seven is used to show the division of Alexander's kingdom into four separate states after his death.


The golden kingdom of Babylon was the third head of Satan.
The Babylonian monarchy represent the third fallen gentile king.

"Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible. This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, his legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth. This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king. Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold."

Horns - Horns are used in prophecy to denote kings. The ram with two horns is used to show the Media and Persian kings. The four horns that replace Alexander's broken large horn are the four generals that divided the Greek Empire and reigned after him. The ten horns on the seven headed beasts in Revelations are the ten kings that will reign with the Antichrist in the last days. Since kings rule kingdoms a horn is sometimes used figuratively for both the monarch and their domain.

Diadems & Crowns - A diadem is a crown or headband worn as a badge of royalty or imperial sovereignty and power. When the head or horn of a beast is depicted in scripture wearing a diadem or crown it is to reinforce the fact that the head or horn represents a powerful empire, king and kingdom.

It is very important to remember that beasts are used symbolically and figuratively in place of angelic princes in prophecy. Some serve God and some serve the Devil. For instance, in Revelation we see four beasts that stand before the throne of God. But for this study we are focusing only on Satan the red dragon and those fallen demonic princes identified with the seven Gentile kingdoms, those that support and spread Satan's false gospel Mystery Babylon.


The Great Red Dragon

In the twelfth chapter of Revelation we are given a very frightening description of Satan. Here we see a sign of the Devil in Heaven. He is described as "a great fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads."

We know the red dragon is Satan because we are told so in verse nine, "So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world."

The ten horns are the very same ten horns mentioned in chapters 13 and 17. From this we know that the ten horns are ten kings that will receive kingdoms in the last days and authority for one hour as kings with the beast, the Antichrist.

Notice that the seven heads of the red dragon, Satan, sport seven diadems. These heads have multiple significance and representation.

First the heads of the great red dragon represent seven kings and their kingdoms rooted and empowered with the authority of Satan. As mentioned before these kingdoms are Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Media-Persia, Greece, Rome, and the kingdom of the Antichrist. Secondly, as you will see later, the seven heads also represent the seven demonic princes that empower the seven Gentile kingdoms.

These kings, kingdoms, and demonic princes are recorded in history and clearly identified in scripture. The last five of these kingdoms are discussed in the book of Daniel. The first two kingdoms, Egypt and Assyria, having already passed by Daniel’s time are discussed elsewhere in prophecy.

So there in chapter twelve of the book of Revelation we have a clear picture of the seven Gentile kingdoms characterized as seven-heads of Satan the great red dragon.


Seven Kings

This prophetic theme of seven Gentile kingdoms on God's kingdom timetable can be seen throughout scripture. In Revelation, chapter 17, verse 10 Apostle John is told, "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." This is a reference to the seven Kings, Kingdoms, and demonic Princes represented by Satan’s seven heads.

The five that had fallen were Pharaoh of Egypt, the king of Assyria, the king of Babylon, the king of Media-Persia, and the king of Greece. The one King that was alive in John’s day was the Emperor or Rome. And the king to come is the Antichrist.


The Silver kingdom of Media-Persia was the fourth head.
The Media-Persian Monarchy was the fourth fallen gentile king.

"The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia."

"Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia. Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days."

"And now will I shew thee the truth. Behold, there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia; and the fourth shall be far richer than they all: and by his strength through his riches he shall stir up all against the realm of Grecia."

The Eighth King

Verse 11 says, "And the beast that was, and is not, is himself also the eight, and is of the seven, and is going to perdition." Verse 8 says, the beast, the eighth king, will "ascend out of the bottomless pit."

Apollyon, also called Abaddon in Hebrew, destruction or the destroyer, is the king of the bottomless pit, a prison established by God specifically to hold fallen angels. Clearly some demons are so rebellious that God must keep them under lock and key. Apollyon is let out of his prison with the sounding of the fifth trumpet in Revelation, chapter 9, to torment men with the mark of the Beast. He also kills God's two witnesses in chapter 11, and persecutes the Saints.

I believe Apollyon is the demonic prince that empowers the Antichrist and also commands Satan's army of fallen angels cast down to earth. Apollyon is not Satan himself because the Devil still has access to heaven to accuse us day and night. It is only after the Lord returns that Satan is chained up in the bottomless pit for a thousand years to allow God’s kingdom to flourish on earth. But Apollyon is a chief prince under the command of Satan. In that sense Satan can also be identified with the eighth king.


The Beast Out Of The Sea

The characterization of Satan as a red dragon in chapter twelve of Revelation is followed in chapter thirteen with a similarly disturbing depiction of the Antichrist and his demonic helper Apollyon; the beast let out of the bottomless pit that empowers the Antichrist and his kingdom in the last days.

Here we have a beast "rising up out of the sea having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name."

The beast "was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority."

"And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months."

"I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast"

"So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?"

"And it was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given to him over every tribe, tongue, and nation."

Once again a clear interpretation of the symbolism in the description of this beast is provided elsewhere in scripture.

This beast rises out of the sea. The word "sea" has a double meaning in this vision. The term "great sea" is always used in prophecy to represent the Mediterranean Sea. Although "great" is not used here it is used in verses in Daniel that further explain the leopard, bear, and lion nature of this beast.

Rising out of "the waters" or "the sea" means coming from humanity, "peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues" according to Revelation 17:15. When these two factors are taken together we have a beast that empowers a human ruler, the Antichrist, from out of the nations and peoples in the area of the Mediterranean.

This Antichrist Beast or Sea Beast has seven heads. These heads figuratively speak of the spirit of antichrist that has ruled and prospered in the kingdoms of Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Media-Persia, Greece, Rome, and now the kingdom of the Antichrist; as also depicted in Satan the seven headed red dragon. Only now we have a literal human incarnation of the spirit of antichrist in Antichrist the man. God took on flesh and blood to save the world. So here we see Satan the imposter using the demonically possessed Antichrist as an instrument of man's destruction.

This beast is like a leopard, with feet of a bear and a mouth of a lion. These three predators are mentioned in Hosea 13:7-8 as instruments of destruction upon Israel. In Daniel a lion, bear, and leopard are used to symbolize Babylon, Media-Persia, and Greece. Here in Revelation John is looking back on these kingdoms so the order is reversed, with the leopard being mentioned first and the lion last.

The mouth of the beast blasphemes against God. And the forty-two month duration of its world domination is the same three and a half years of tribulation mentioned in Revelation.

One head of this beast receives a mortal wound. This head-wound has dual significance. In one sense it is specifically talking about the fall of the Roman Empire and it's revival in the last days as a federation of nations from the old Empire under the leadership of the Antichrist; the foundation of which has already been laid with the European Community. Secondly, it speaks of a physical wound to Antichrist the man, from which he recovers astounding his followers and invoking them to worship Satan and the beast.

This Antichrist Beast sports ten horns with ten crowns. As we discussed earlier the horns represent ten kings and the crowns their authority as rulers with the Antichrist.

The Antichrist is depicted in Revelation as a seven headed beast to show that his antichrist nature is a fundamental part of the seven Gentile kingdoms rooted in Satan. The Antichrist will be used like the kingdoms of Babylon, Media-Persia, and Greece to inflict judgment upon unbelievers and chasten Israel.