Christianity Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for committed Christians, experts in Christianity and those interested in learning more. It only takes a minute to sign up.
Sign up to join this community
I was just reading about eschatology and somebody was stating that this verse suggests that there will be a one world religion, a false religion:
1 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters, 2 with whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality ...
Where is support for this concept found in other scriptures?
There's a lot of discussion and debate about this especially due to the nature of the end-time prophecies, but one verse that does back a one world religion at least implicitly.
Rev 13:8
And all the people who belong to this world worshiped the beast. They are the ones whose names were not written in the Book of Life before the world was made—the Book that belongs to the Lamb who was slaughtered
If everyone is worshiping the "beast" then in essence the religion is the same, whether it is actually one religion or not.
This chapter was actually the focus of our message this past weekend. What I recall from the message was that the woman represents Babylon.
Revelation 17:5 NIV
5 The name written on her forehead was a mystery:BABYLON THE GREAT
THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES
AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
I believe in this context, Babylon referred to large, conquering empires in the past, present (Rome), and future.
Revelation 17:15-16 NIV
15 Then the angel said to me, “The waters you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages. 16 The beast and the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They will bring her to ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire.
Verse 16 says these empires will be brought down.
(If you're interested in the message, it's 08.28.11 in the archive)
To some Christians, Hanukkah foreshadows the Antichrist cf. YouTube videos 1 & 2 posted by Connie Oelbaum.
The groups make the connection from Christ's words when he foretells of the desolating sacrilege as one of the signs preceeding the End of the Age. [Cf. Mt. 24].
The type of what is to come is The Books of Maccabees: the background of both books is the resistance movement against the hellenisation of the Jewish nation by the Seleucid kings. From the books we find:
1) 1 Macc (RSVCE) especially vv. 41-64 (Installation of Gentile Cults), where the king wrote to his whole kingdom that all should be one people, and that each should give up his customs [...] and [adopt] his religion.
2) Jason, who usurped the high-priesthood by underhand methods, introducing hellenism and Greek customs. [Cf. 2 Macc 4:7-29 (RSVCE)].
This is my thinking as well. Cf. This post and this on my blog.
