An Amazing, Excellent Discussion of Revelation 13, 17 and Daniel 7
"The Whore Riding the Beast" by Ron Johnston & Nicholas Stivers

 

 

REVELATION 13:18 Here is wisdom, let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it's the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred, threescore and six.

Historically protestants identified the Whore riding the beast as the Catholic church and the beast was identified as the government of the Papal power. "church + state"

Three phases of the beast!

1. Beast "was" 2. Beast "is not" 3. Beast "yet is"

1st phase ("was") church during the dark ages

Revelation 17:6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. (Dark ages)

Revelation 17:8 "And the beast thou sawest "Was" ( Dark ages)

1798 Napoleon captures Pius VI, and decrees the Papal government dead! John Paul II apologizes for the atrocities of the past. 1798 ends the 1st phase. (Political control of church ends 1798)

2nd phase ("is not") 7 kings after 1798.

Revelation 17:8 Beast "is not" and ascending (lost power over rulers)

Revelation 17:9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are 7 mountains, on which the woman sitteth and are 7 kings. John sees the vision from the prospective of the 6th king "one is" (Paul) the 6th Papal name since 1798. He will go down in history as starting the ecumenical movement to reunite protestants back to Rome.

The Papal power is a Monarchy with 265 Popes using 79 names.

Since 1798 the Papal government has used 7 Papal names. Why Start at 1798?

Below the 7 Papal names used since 1798

1. Pius 2. Leo 3. Gregory 4. Benedict 5. John 6. Paul 7. John Paul

Revelation 13:18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast; for it is the number of a man; and his number is six hundred threescore and six.

As in John Paul I + John Paul II = 3 count or 1+2=3

1. Pius 1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8+9+10+11+12= 78

2. Leo 1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8+9+10+11+12+13= 91

3. Gregory 1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8+9+10+11+12+13+14+15+16=136

4. Benedict 1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8+9+10+11+12+13+14= 105

5. John 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 + 8 + 9+10+

11+12+13+14+15+16+17+18+19+20+21= 231

6. Paul 1+2+3+4+5+6= 21

7. John Paul 1+2=3

Babylon Counted their Gods the exact same way, click here to see counting and the history of the number 666!

Totals of all Seven Papal Monarchy names since 1798 below.

Click here to see the year's they reigned and how totals are calculated

78 + 91 + 136 + 105 + 231 +21 + 3 = 665 John Paul II

3rd phase ("yet is")

8th New Papal name since 1798 makes count of 1 + 665 = 666

Revelation 17:12 And the ten horns thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. There have one mind, they shall give their strength to the beast. These shall make war with the lamb, and the lamb shall overcome them. For he is Lord of Lords, and king of kings and they that are with Him are called chosen, and faithful.

History lesson below

BEAST that "WAS" 538 AD -1798. In 538 AD Justinian declared the pope of Rome had final authority on scripture interpretation. Justinian decreed the pope to be the final authority over the kings of Europe. 1260 years later Berthier, a French General under orders from Napoleon Bonaparte marched into Rome and captured Pius VI. Napoleon Napoleon decreed the Papal power dead, and no more elections of Popes. The world thought the Papal power was dead. It must be noted the Papacy was a Power prior to 538 AD. In 538 the Pope became final word by decree on Scripture interpretation. Notice 538 AD to 1798 AD is exactly 1260 years.

BEAST that "IS NOT" Since 1798 popes have lost their power over kings, they are not now the final interpreters for religions, nor does the Pope have final word over the kings of the earth. But scripture says in Revelation 17 the popes are ascending to power. Revelation speaks of 7 kings during this time period. Revelation 17:10

1. Pius 2. Leo 3. Gregory 4. Benedict 5. John "One is" 6th Paul and the other has not yet come; ( 7th Papal name John Paul had never been used before in History ) and when he comes he continues a short space,. the 7th Papal Monarchy has ruled only 22 Plus years Less time in office, compared to the other 6 Papal names (click here to see comparison of time in office - go to the bottom of the page just below the footnote after you get there).

BEAST "YET IS" This 8th Papal name is to regain that same power it had prior to 1798 over the kings of the earth. The 8th Papal name since 1798 unites with 10 kings and makes war on the lamb. The 8th goes into perdition and is destroyed at Christ coming. Those that are chosen and faithful overcome the BEAST. Earth beast with lamb's horns enforces worship of the sea beast. No buying or selling and death save him that worships the sea beast. Prediction of religious intolerance under the 8th NEW Papal name since 1798. Major world changes seen here under the 8th Papal name since 1798. John Paul is now the 7th Papal name since 1798.

REVELATION 17 CLICK HERE

Click here to see Official List of 265 Popes , all the popes in history using the 7 Papal names since 1798 are highlighted in 7 color's.

BEASTS MENTIONED IN DANIEL AND REVELATION. Rules of interpretation for prophetic beasts of Daniel and Revelation - These rules will help you correctly interpret the beasts of Revelation 12, 13, and 17 for yourself.

A Total Timeline View From Babylon To the Second Coming With All Prophetic Beasts From Daniel To Revelation Shown On One Large Page

Daniel 7 - A panorama view of all the beasts with explanations

1. Lion - Babylon

2. Bear - Persia

3. Leopard - Greece

4. Terrible BEAST - with iron teeth and 10 horns- Pagan Rome and 10 divisions

5. Little Horn Power - uproots 3 horns of the 10 divisions- Ostrogoths, Heruli, and Vandals were the 3 horns uprooted in 538 by Justinian under the command of the Pope, destroying the last of the three powers refusing the rulership of the pope in Rome. Since 538 AD only 7 continued. The little horn power continues until the judgment is set, and goes into perdition and is given to the burning flames.

After 538 AD, the little horn remains as the more dominant power over the 7 remaining horns for the next 1260 years, after which it is subjected to judgment and will be destroyed sometime in the future when Jesus comes again. It's final and permanent destruction comes in hell after the millennium.

Revelation 13 - A Panorama View Of All The Beasts With Explanations

See and compare the 2 leopards of Daniel 7 and Revelation 13 together Here! Answer the 4 Questions About them.

Revelation 17 - A View Of The Scarlet Beast With The Woman and an Explanation

Is the Talking Horn (A.K.A. "Little Horn") on the 4th beast of Daniel 7 the same power as the Leopard Beast of Revelation 13? Find out here!

The identification of the scarlet beast of Revelation 17. Who is that scarlet beast? What power does it represent? And what is the woman's relationship to the scarlet beast? What about the 10 horns on that beast - who are they?

What are the heads, mountains, & kings on the beast of Revelation 17? The heads and mountains are said to be the same, and it is also indicated that the kings are the same. They act as a symbolic unit. So, what are they as a symbolic unit? Read here to find out the answer to this question.

The Battle of Armageddon - What it is and what it is not. Find out here. This subject is prominent in the media right now and as a result, questions have been raised about this. So, we have written a page about this very interesting subject to help you understand it.

6. Revelation 12 Dragon (Satan) attempts to kill child (Jesus) that is caught up to throne of God. Dragon (Satan) working through Pagan Rome under Herod attempting to Kill Jesus when He was born. Afterwards Jesus was caught up to the throne. The dragon has 10 horns, Same 10 horns on sea beast Rev 13:1 and same ten horns on scarlet beast in Rev. 17 that has "was", "is not", and "yet is" phases. These are the same 10 horns or kings in Rev 17:12 that unite with 8th to make war in the last phase.

7. Revelation 13 The dragon, or Satan, works through Pagan Rome and gives the sea beast his Power and seat (Capital-Rome.) History testifies that when Constantine, a Roman ruler, was converted to Christianity, he moved the Roman government to Constantinople and gave the Pope the capital of Rome. History testifies that 3 of the 10 divisions of Rome refused to obey the authority of the Pope of Rome. By 538 AD Justinian destroyed totally the 1. Ostrogoths, 2. Vandals, and 3. Heruli. Then in 538 AD Justinian decreed the Pope to be the final scripture authority and final word to the kings of Europe, then began 1260 years of Papal reign over the kings of Europe. It was during the Protestant reformation that the sea beast was identified as the Papal power. Many great men such as Martin Luther, Calvin, Wesley, and many more identified this sea beast as the Papal power.

8. Earth beast with 2 horns like a lamb (Revelation 13) comes up from the earth. The lamb like creature makes an image to the (Papal) sea beast, and enforces WORSHIP of the (Papal) sea beast. And the earth beast makes an image (exact copy) of the Papal sea beast, the Papal power under the popes was the church dictating to the state. In short it was church and state.

We came to USA to escape religious persecution under the Papal reign. Revelation states the earth beast with lamb like horns enforces worship of the (Papal) sea beast. This will be enforced worship. The lamb represents Christ, the lamb like creature came up at the time the Papal sea beast of Revelation 13 was being captured. Berthier a French General captured Pius VI in 1798. At this time USA was coming to power.

The USA is a Christian nation. This will be fulfilled when the USA makes as image (copy) to the Papal sea beast, church and state. USA will enforce worship, you will not be able to buy or sell, and finally death if you don't obey. Rev 13:15,16 Revelation 13 says the BEAST is a man and his number is six hundred and sixty six. This shows a total count of the man, not the letters of his name. This is the number of the man that leads the world into perdition (destruction) as seen in Revelation 17.

As Revelation 17 shows by adding the count of all the popes elected to these 7 names:

1. Pius 2. Leo 3. Benedict 4. Gregory 5. John 6. Paul 7. John Paul the count is now 665 as of the 7th Papal name since 1798, we need only a new Papal name to complete the 666 - this will occur when a new name is elected. The whole world will unite around this final Man elected to the Papacy.

REVELATION 18 ENLIGHTENS THE EARTH

Babylon ( identified as Christianity in apostasy) Revelation 17 is fallen and controlled by Satan.

Revelation 18:4 says Jesus has some of His people in Babylon of Revelation 17. It says "come out of her (Babylon) My people" "That you partake not of her (Babylon) sins and you receive not of her (Babylon) plagues. (7 vials of God's wrath) Here is predicted a time when all nations have collaborated with the Papal power and earth beast (USA) by enforcement of Christian worship. God sends a powerful message world wide to warn them of their mistake, and those not responding to the last warning to this earth will be subjects of the 7 vials of Gods wrath in Revelation 16.

Revelation 17:5 "Mystery, Babylon the Mother of harlots, the Abomination of the earth."

Since Jesus' people are in Babylon ignorantly we know this is talking about Christian organizations. The Mother of all Christianity is the Roman Catholic church. We all came from Roman Catholicism. The harlots or children of the Roman Catholic church are the Christian Protestants.

Since harlots are children of the harlot mother. Jesus is saying here in Revelation 17 that Christianity has apostatized from his truth. God sends a special message world wide to warn the inhabitants of the coming judgements to fall on all those not leaving the apostasy. 7 vials of Gods wrath fall upon them. This final warning comes as the earth beast with lamb horns (USA) works miracles to show the whole world they must obey this church and state system that enforces worship. The Spirit of God never forces worship.

This spiritual war comes under the 8th name elected to the Papacy. John Paul II is the 7th name since 1798, when the papacy lost its power over the kings. The clock is ticking - soon the 8th new name will appear. Gods people will be empowered to give the last final warning to the inhabitants of the earth. The earth beast with lambs horns (USA) will enforce worship world wide. In the Bible the lamb represented Christ, This earth beast with lamb like horns with no crowns arises from the earth, unlike the other BEASTS arising from Seas.

Revelation 17, Seas represent multitudes, tongues, peoples, whereas the earth in Revelation 13 represents an unpopulated wilderness area. All the other BEASTS had crowns on their horns. Not so with the earth beast with lamb like horns which has no crowns, no Pope and no king, a republican form of government. The lamb like earth creature in Revelation 13 represents a nation that arises in 1798 outside of a previously populated area such as Europe. The earth beast with lamb like horns represents America rising to power, since it arises at the time the 1st sea beast is captured in 1798 (Pius VI captured by Berthier under Napoleon's war machine.) The lamb like earth beast is Christian in nature, it can only be the United States of America. Since the earth beast with lamb like horns represents Christianity it will not enforce worship that is Jewish (Saturday) nor will the USA enforce (Moslem worship), but rather since it is Christian it will enforce Sunday worship by law with penalties.

Laws governing the activities of man on Sunday will be enforced with penalties, Revelation 13 states that under the leadership of the 666 man, the earth beast with lamb like horns will prevent anyone who refuses to go along with the church and state system to be boycotted in no buying or selling and finally death. Revelation 18 States God will enlighten the earth as to the danger of this church and state system, and finally in Revelation 16, 7 vials or plagues of God's wrath fall upon the earth unmixed with mercy to punish the inhabitants of the earth for persecuting those refusing to go along with this established church and state system of worship.

Revelation 16 Christ comes to the earth under the 7th vial and the battle of Armageddon takes place.

Revelation 11:19 as Christ returns to the earth God displays in the sky the ark of the testimony for all to see, this is the 10 commandments written with God's own finger. Then the inhabitants of the earth will see God never changed His 10 laws as God gave Moses. Man now sees they have been fighting God by enforcing this system of worship. Thinking they have been doing God's bidding, in reality they have been enforcing man's laws and traditions. As they gaze into the sky and read these 10 precepts, they see the 4th commandment is still binding;

Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy six days shalt thou work but the 7th day (Saturday) is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God, in it thou shalt not do any work, for God blessed it and sanctified it Gen 2:3 . It is the Seal of God that is placed on the foreheads of God's people Revelation 14, the opposite of the Mark of the BEAST that is placed on the Apostate people's foreheads in Revelation 13.

Enforced worship by any government has only ended up in failure. God wants service to Him from love, not force. God is love. Force is a principle of the evil one (Satan). Throughout history man has sought to appease the Gods when disaster strikes. As the judgments of God come upon the earth in the forms of fire, flood, earthquake, famine, etc., and as these judgments affect our lives and comfort, man will seek to appease God by enforcing Sunday laws, thinking these laws will stop these divine judgments, when in reality they are intended to cause the people to study and search the scriptures to find the true cause of divine judgment.

Can the Bible be trusted? Is there a God? Click here if you have questions like these.

What does the bible say about -

The Sabbath - Check for yourself what the Bible says about this important topic. Don't just take our word for it. Investigate! The page you will be sent to here will give you a listing of all Bible verses about the Sabbath.

The Second Coming of Jesus - Is it going to be the most visible event in human history to day? Or, is it going to be a very quiet, sneaky event - sort of a nonevent? Found out what the Bible says about this event for yourself. The page you will be sent to will give you a listing of all New Testament verses related to the prophesied coming of Jesus - which is to be relatively soon so you won't want to miss this information.

What Happens to You When You Die? Have you ever wondered about this? Look in the Bible for yourself to find the answer. God does have something to say about this and you should know the final word on this subject direct from the best source available - God. The page you will be sent to will give you a listing of texts relating to the state of the dead. Email ronjohnston1@juno.com

Resources: Book of Reformation on-line - Men that understood the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation such as Martin Luther, Wesley, Calvin, Zwinglie, Roger Williams of America, and others.

Sound File - This file is a 23 MB sound file which explains the calculation of the 666 man based on Daniel and Revelation. CDs for stereo player are also available on request. Please send your mailing address.

More Sound files: Real Audio Sound
1.Mark of the Beast
2.The United States in Prophecy
3.The Papacy's rise to power
4.3 angel's warnings & 7 last plagues

January 28, 2004

Review by Nicholas Stivers at Nicholas Scrolls

Nicholas wrote the following: Ron Johnston missed important context. I found most of his sermon to be historically correct however he missed the mark on the "Seven headed Beast" and the representation of the "Seven Hills."

He stated that the seven heads upon which are written blasphemous names are representative of seven Popes since the year 1798. He also eluded to the Catholic belief and the protestant teaching that the Vatican is the city with seven hills. In fact this is a claim that is taken out of context. Indeed, she is the "mystical city" of Sodom but the actual city being referred to is in Turkey Constantinople (Istanbul) and the region of Turkey is where all seven Churches listed in Revelations were planted and visited by Paul on his missionary journeys. This is an historical fact. It is also historically true that when John was on the Island of Patmos, the angel spoke to him and said write this down to the Churches. Each name given is the name of an ancient city in the region now called Turkey and Istanbul was a leading Market place and major port for trade back in the early centuries.


In 1996 I fervently prayed for the Lord to show me something in prophecy. I needed a refreshing. A little later I was reading Groliers 1995 encyclopedia on my computer and for a lark typed "seven hills" into the word search engine. I expected to see entries about Rome. There were a few. Amongst them was "Istanbul". I thought that was curious so I opened it and read:

"Istanbul has spread from the old city, .... Within the city lie seven hills with flat tops and steep sides.

Istanbul was the capital of two historic states: the BYZANTINE EMPIRE and the OTTOMAN EMPIRE.... In 324, CONSTANTINE I, the Great, chose the city for the new capital of the entire Roman Empire... As the capital of the Byzantine Empire (as the eastern half of the Roman Empire came to be known), Constantinople became Europe's preeminent city, a position it held until the mid-11th century. It was subjected to attacks by the Persians (626), Arabs (673-77, 717-1 , Bulgars (813, 924), Russians (860, 941, 1043), and Pechenegs (1090-91). None were successful, however, until the armies of the Fourth CRUSADE attacked and plundered the city in 1204. "
I wondered how that fit into prophecy, if it did at all. The next few years in our church were turbulent. In 1999 I asked the Lord to show me if there were any wrong teachings in our church. I honestly didn't think we had any but I thought it was worth praying about. 3 months later He showed us heaps. There was a teaching called British-Israel in our church. The Lord blew the lid off it. We found so much wrong with it so quickly we dropped it instantly. The churches we were with were not thrilled about that and kicked us out.

"My" idea is this. Mystery Babylon is not Rome but Constantinople/Istanbul. "She" was the pre-eminent city in Europe. The capital of the Roman Empire, the Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Empire and the Ottoman Empire. She was also known as "The Queen of Cities."

Constantine legalized Christianity in 313 but Theodosius made it the state religion in 385. He outlawed paganism. The mystery religions went underground and re-emerged as veneration for Mary and the saints. Christianity mixed with mystery religions. Here are more quotes from Groliers article called Early Christian Art and Architecture:
From the mid-4th century onward, Early Christian art was closely related to the tradition of BYZANTINE ART AND ARCHITECTURE in the eastern Mediterranean and centered in Constantinople (now Istanbul).
"Christian Art" is a nice way of saying "idolatry". This is the cup she offered to the world. Corrupted Christianity.
The growing popularity during the 3d and 4th centuries of mystery religions like Mithraism and Christianity (both of which promised salvation, resurrection, and an afterlife) indicates the general shift during that period from the physical and worldly to the spiritual and divine. Similarly, late ancient art as a whole--whether secular or religious--tended toward a more abstract style of representation. Yet the transition from the pagan and classical culture of ancient times to the new Christian culture was a gradual process: these two cultures continued to coexist until the 7th century, and Early Christian art itself both preserved and revived the subjects and styles of classical art. This mixing of cultures is well illustrated by the marriage casket of a Roman woman named Projecta from the second half of the 4th century (British Museum, London): while the casket carries an inscription that instructs the marriage couple to "live in Christ," a panel on the casket lid unmistakably portrays the pagan goddess Aphrodite.
The woman is the "mother" or source of the corruption that entered the church in the 4th century. The observance of Christmas also dates to this time.

If the beast and the 10 horns are the papacy and the nations that arose from the Barbarian invasions, wny in verse 16 does the beast, the Papacy hate and burn Rome?

17:16 And the ten horns which you saw upon the beast, these shall hate the *****, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. (NIV)

The beast or papacy was at first controlled by the emperors at Constantinople but from the time Rome fell in 476 AD they asserted their independence.

The aversion of the Latins and Greeks was nourished and manifested in the first three expeditions to the Holy Land. About ten or twelve years after the loss of Jerusalem the nobles of France were again summoned to the holy war, and their enterprise was supported by the powerful Venetians, who had large commercial interests in the East... ...the Latins again besieged and finally stormed Constantinople. Not content with the untold wealth which the pillage of the ancient metropolis yielded, the Latin victors victors wantonly committed atrocities upon its people, desecrated its sanctuaries, destroyed its works of art and burned its books. he literature of the Greeks had almost centered in the metropolis and without
computing the extent of our loss, we may drop a tear over the libraries that perished in the triple fire of Constantinople. (Gibbons decline and Fall of the Roman Empire - A Modern Abridgement. Hadas, Moses, editor; New York, Fawcett, 1987. - p 276-277)

Constantinople had been left naked and desolate, without a prince or a people. But she could be be spoiled of the incomparable situation which marks her for the metropolis of a great empire and the genius of the place will ever triumph over the accidents of time and fortune, (Gibbon - p29 Groliers also documents the growing hatred between Rome and Constantinople: In the West the Latin church and especially the papacy took on many activities and powers in default of other authority, but this action was often regarded as usurpation by the East, where a different relationship existed between emperor and church. The heated disputes over such matters as the ecclesiastical calendar, the use of leavened or unleavened bread, or additions to the Creed (notably the filioque clause) reached a climax in 1054, when Pope Leo IX and Patriarch Michael Cerularius excommunicated each other.

Later attempts to reunite the churches foundered on local feeling, and mutual hatred grew through selfish acts on both sides during some parts of the Crusades; the low point was the sacking of Constantinople in 1204 during the Fourth Crusade. The schism continues to the present, but recently serious attempts at mutual understanding have offered the hope of reconciliation. (Groliers - Schism, Great)

I used to wonder why the 10 horns would burn her in Rev17:16 and in Rev18:9 weep when they see the smoke of her burning.

Yet if the city is Constantinople this is exactly what happened. In 1453 when the Turks took Constantinople Western Europe was terrified that they would push on into Europe. Constantinople stood as a bulwark against Islam.

Check the following quotes:
Then in June 1453 the news of the sack of Constantinople by the Turks (29 May) filled Europe with horror and dread. (Oxford Dictionary of Popes - Nicolas V, p 245)

The importance of Constantinople was felt and magnified in its loss. The pontificate of Nicolas V however peaceful and prosperous, was dishonored by the fall of the Eastern empire and the grief and terror of the Latins revived, or seem to revive, the old enthusiasm of the crusades. (Gibbon - p 299)

18:11 And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buys their
merchandise any more:
18:12 The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and
purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner
vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble,
18:13 And cinnamon, and odors, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour,
and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.

The following is a description of Constantinople from the December 1983 edition of National Geographic pg 723:
But none of Justinian's cities matched the splendor of his Constantinople.
Medieval visitors from the rural west, where Rome had shrunk to a cow town, were struck dumb by this resplendent Metropolis, home to half a million, its harbor crowded with vessels, its markets filled with silks, spices, furs, precious stones, perfumed woods, carved ivory, gold and silver and enameled jewelry. "One could not believe there was so rich a city in all the world," reported the crusader Villahardouin.
Here is an entry from World Book Encyclopedia, under Byzantine Economy.

Most of the people of the Byzantine Empire lived in villages. They grew grapes, olives, and wheat or herded sheep. Merchants and craft workers practiced their trades in the towns and large cities. The Byzantines imported silks, spices, and luxury goods from China, and furs, slaves, and timber from Western Europe. Constantinople was a successful trading centre because of its ideal location on the Bosporus and its fine port.

The manufacture of silk textiles became an important Byzantine industry during the A.D. 500's, when silkworms were introduced into the empire. These textiles were exported from Constantinople, along with carved ivory, enamel, glassware, and church doors made of bronze.

Rev 18:21 speaks of the overthrow of this city like an angel throwing a millstone into the sea. Constantinople has been rocked by many great earthquakes through the centuries. It is only 15 miles from the North Anatolian Fault line. Two recent National Geographics (July 2000 and October 2002) carry articles about the earthquake threat to Istanbul. The July 2000 one is titled "Wrath of the Gods" It should be "The Wrath of God". Rev 16:18 "Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake."

The second paragraph of the July 2000 Geographic article is similar:
"The earth came alive with shaking," he says. "The sky turned red, a sword of light flew out of the sea, and a wave as tall as a ship thundered toward us." (pg 36)
A map on pp 58-60 shows the geology of the area. Istanbul is shown to be sitting on an expansion zone. If the plates move apart she is poised to drop into the Sea of Marmara. The October 2002 article is called, "Istanbul on Edge."

Survivor of fires, sultans and plagues, Turkey's largest city navigates economic and political shoals, and braces for the next big quake. (p 112)

A map of Istanbul in the same magazine shows the city divided into three parts. (Rev 16:19)

Ron Johnston understood the beast, the woman, the harlot and the role of the Roman Catholic Church but he missed on the significance of the seven heads being seven churches which indeed are blasphemous by nature and failed to tie in the relationship of who the harlot actually is... the church and or churches that were corrupted by the original harlot, the one God granted a certificate of divorce to; Israel.

With all sincerity and love for the truth,
Nicholas A. Stivers

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