As the author of 13 of the 27 books in the New Testament, Paul is arguably the most influential apostle in Christianity. Interestingly, Paul never met Jesus when the latter lived on earth. He also has a history of viciously persecuting the followers of Jesus. It was only after an alleged encounter with Jesus during a journey that Paul changed his ways and started proclaiming himself as an apostle of Jesus. Whether or not Paul was speaking the truth is a separate matter and will be addressed in later videos, God willing. But in this video we will examine if it was even possible for there to be a 13th apostle.
According to the gospel account, there were 12 apostles. After Judas killed himself, 2 candidates were shortlisted to be the replacement for Judas. They were Matthias and Barsabbas. Peter prayed and cast lots. The lot fell on Matthias, who then joined the disciples. This account appears in Acts 1:12-26. Note that the number of Apostles was fixed at 12. Peter did not enlist both Matthias and Barsabbas because there was no room for a 13th apostle.
Peter’s criteria for selecting an apostle was that candidates had to have been with them since the time Jesus was baptized. We read of this in Acts 1
“Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us, beginning from John’s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection” (Acts 1:20-22)
Thus, the criteria that an apostle candidate had to meet was that he should have been with the apostles from the time of the baptism of Jesus until the time of Jesus’ ascension.
Peter was simply following what he heard from Jesus. In John 15, Jesus said the following:
He said to them: “You also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning” (John 15:27).
Furthermore, Jesus said there are only 12 apostles.
“Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of his glory, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Matthew 19:28)
The book of Revelation also says there are only 12 apostles.
“And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God… The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb” (Revelation 21:10, 14)
As we have seen, twelve thrones, twelve tribes, twelve foundations and twelve apostles. The number of apostles was fixed at 12.
If Paul was indeed a true apostle, then there would have been 13 thrones and 13 foundations with the names of the 13 apostles (that is, the original 11, Matthias and Paul). We have no reason to think Paul was among the 12, as Judas was replaced by Matthias long before Paul’s conversion. If it was even possible for there to be a 13th apostle, Peter would have selected both Matthias and Barsabbas instead of drawing lots to choose one of them.
Since there could have only been 12 apostles, Paul simply could not have been an apostle.
Debunking the trinity and the deity of Christ with three simple questions. The Christian doctrine that God is a trinity of Father, son and holy spirit can be debunked by asking 3 simple questions. (1) If the trinity has sound Biblical basis, then why didn’t Jews (followers of Judaism) interpret the Old Testament or Torah / Tanakh to conclude that God is triune? (2) If Jesus is divine or God the son, then why is the Lord’s prayer addressed only to God the Father and not the other persons of the trinity? (3) If Jesus is fully man and fully God, then why does his disciple John the apostle write “no man has ever seen God” even after seeing Jesus? These questions will instantly end the debate and lead any rational minded person to conclude the following: the trinity is a lie and not biblical; Jesus did not claim to be God or ask for worship; and Jesus is not God or part of God. The trinity and the divinity of Christ have no basis in the New Testament or the Gospels. So questions such as “Is the trinity biblical?”, “Is God a trinity?”, “Is Jesus God?”, “Is Jesus part of God?”, “Is Jesus part of the holy trinity?”, just know can only be answered with a “No”. And it can be proven using only the Gospels and the New Testament scriptures.
Who wrote the 4 gospels of the New Testament? Are they reliable? Here is solid proof that the 4 gospels of the New Testament – The gospel of Matthew, The gospel of Mark, The gospel of Luke and The gospel of John – were not written by the disciples of Jesus, but by anonymous scribes long after Jesus Christ departed. They are not historically reliable eye witness accounts and this video will prove it. The gospel of Mark is problematic because Mark’s identity is unknown. The gospel of Luke admits it’s based on other eyewitness reports (and neither Mark nor Luke were disciples). The gospel of Matthew was not written by Matthew. And the gospel of John has all kinds of other problems which we will explain in this video in a simple and easy to remember manner.
Christianity claims Jesus came to save the world and that Jesus died for the sins of the world. The doctrine that Jesus was sent to save the world is derived from John 3:16. But a closer look at the gospels proves that not all will be saved and that Jesus does not save everyone 1. Jesus was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel. 2. Jesus told his disciples “do not go to the gentiles”. 3. This is further proven in the interaction between Jesus and the Canaanite woman. 4. Jesus also prevented certain people from understanding him and finding forgiveness. and 5. Jesus said he would reject many of his own followers saying “depart from me I never knew you, “. This is proof that John 3:16 does not hold true. Jesus does not save everyone.
Christians who believe Jesus is God make the false claim that Jesus received worship. They try to prove their claim by citing the following verses.
Matthew 14:33, in which we read the disciples worshipped Jesus after he calmed a storm.
Matthew 8:2, in which we read a leper worshipped Jesus asking to be cured. John 9, verse 38, in which we read a blind man worshipped Jesus before he was healed.
Matthew 28, verse 17, in which we read the disciples worshipped Jesus after his resurrection.
And a few other verses such as Matthew 15, verse 25; Matthew 20, verse 20; Matthew 9, verse 18; and Mark 5, verse 6.
In a nutshell, the Christian argument is that since Jesus received worship, and that since only God is to be worshipped, it would thus follows that Jesus was, in fact, divine — or God Himself.
The reality is that their claims are based on a grave misunderstanding of the word “worship” used in English translations of the verses cited earlier. We need to first remember that the gospel accounts were originally written in Greek. The Greek word for “worship” used in the verses we cited is PROSKUNEO. It is word number 4352 in the Strong’s lexicon. The word PROSKUNEO has multiple meanings.
Thus, we see that depending on the context, it can mean worship dedicated to God. OR it can also mean homage or honor that can be shown to humans. The acts of so called worship, that the new testament says Jesus received, was not the kind of worship that is reserved for God alone. Rather it was a form of homage and honor that can be shown to humans. Jesus, as a prophet, only received homage from his followers and those who sought his help.
Now, how can we be sure that Jesus never received Godly worship? Simple. We know for a fact that Jesus taught people to worship the Father alone. The proof of this is in the Lords prayer that Jesus himself taught. It was the only prayer ever Jesus taught. And it is addressed to the Father alone. It begins with “Our Father in heaven”. There is no mention of the “son” or Jesus. If Jesus was God the Lord’s prayer would have also been addressed to “the son”, or Jesus. But this is not the case.
We also see in Matthew 6:6, Matthew 4:10 and John 4:23 and many other verses that Jesus taught that all worship and prayer has to be addressed to God alone.
Jesus could not have said only God is to be “worshiped” (PROSKUNEO ) and at the same time, accepted Godly worship from his fellow men. So it can be safely inferred verses where Jesus received so called “worship” simply refers to an act of homage or honor.
Christians might deny all this evidence and insist that Jesus accepted worship simply because their english Bibles say so. But to them, we ask: what about other people in the Bible who also received worship?
For example, we read in the King James Version translation of Revelation 3:9 that the followers of Jesus receive worship from the synagogue of satan. The verse reads as follows:
Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. (Revelations 3:9)
Note that the same Greek word for worship, PROSKUNEO, is also used in this verse. So if the word “worship” in verses pertaining to Jesus somehow proves Jesus received Godly worship, then does it also mean these people are being made objects of Godly worship? Obviously not! Conveniently, when it comes to this verse, Christians know that it’s not talking about Godly worship but an act of submission or reverence to humans.
Note, that the word “worship” is not used in many later English translations. Rather, it says “bowed down to” or something on those lines. Look here: https://biblehub.com/revelation/3-9.htm
Even in the Old Testament we see an example of a human receiving “worship”. In Daniel 2, verse 46, we see that king Nebuchadnezzar prostrates before Daniel and worships him!
Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, and worshipped Daniel(Daniel 2:46)
The original word in Hebrew is “segid”, and like its Greek equivalent PROSKUNEO, can also mean an act of homage directed to humans. (Look here: https://biblehub.com/hebrew/5457.htm) It goes without saying that that Nebuchadnezzar was not worshiping Daniel the way God is to worshiped, but was simply showing him reverence and honor.
The same applies to Jesus. He was not being worshipped as God, but was only being shown reverence and honor — by the disciples, the leper and the blind man. It would be a grave error to assume Jesus was worshipped as God on earth.
Jesus taught his followers to worship God alone. So it logically follows that he could not have accepted Godly worship from his fellow men. So verses where Jesus received “worship”, or PROSKUNEO, simply refers to an act of homage or honor.
“Worship” in its truest, highest sense is reserved only for God. This is something that Jesus himself taught. And Christians who worship Jesus are in grave error.
Christianity teaches the strange doctrine that the messiah, Jesus, had to die in order to atone for the sins of mankind.
According to this doctrine, when Jesus died on the cross, he took on the sins of every human, including those humans who were yet to be born; anyone who believes this has his sins washed away and is saved. Inversely, a person who does not believe Jesus died for their sins will appear on the day of judgement, still carrying his sins and will be judged.
But does this concept of one man taking on the sin of others have any Biblical basis?
We will explore Christianity’s sin sacrifice theology in light of the Old Testament, and the life and teachings of Jesus.
1. Jesus’ sacrifice vs Old Testament animal sacrifices.
The Christian sin sacrifice theology is based on the premise that God does not forgive sins unless a sacrifice is made. Christianity tries to connect Jesus’ atoning sin sacrifice to Old Testament animal sacrifices. But this argument holds no water. There is a world of difference between Old Testament animal sacrifices and the so called sacrifice of Jesus.
First, animal sacrifices in the Old Testament were carried out by Levite priests and followed specific rules and rituals from the Torah. However, Jesus’ so called sacrifice followed none of the rituals prescribed in the Torah. Rather, it was carried out by Roman pagans in accordance with Roman execution procedures.
Another key difference lies in the way the sacrifices were done. In the Old Testament, unblemished animals would be slaughtered and burnt whole on an altar dedicated to God.
In contrast, Jesus was whipped, tortured, and then nailed to a cross, and was then left to die hanging.
Interestingly, the Torah says a man who hangs is cursed of God. We read this in Deuteronomy 21.
“for a hanged man is cursed by God” (Deuteronomy 21:23)
If God said a man who hangs is cursed, it’s ridiculous to think God wanted Jesus sacrificed specifically by hanging!
The torturous crucifixion of Jesus on the cross was a Roman style execution — not a sin sacrifice that would have been acceptable to God . Yet, Christians interpret this execution of Jesus as being a sacrifice that took away the sin of all mankind.
While God accepted animal sacrifices, He considered human sacrifices as an abomination. We read this in several places in the Bible. Jeremiah 19 tells us very unambiguously that God never even considered the idea of human sacrifice.
They have built the high places of Baal to burn their children in the fire as offerings to Baal—something I did not command or mention, nor did it enter my mind. (Jeremiah 19:5)
If God was against human sacrifices then, it is absurd to imagine He would have accepted a sacrifice in which Jesus was whipped and nailed to a cross. 2. Can one man die for the sins of another?
The Old Testament makes it clear that one man cannot be punished for the sins of another man — let alone all of mankind. If this were possible, then there should have been a precedent in the Old Testament. But this is not the case.
In Exodus 32, we read that when Moses went up to Mount Sinai, the Israelites sinned greatly by worshiping an idol of gold. Moses requested God to forgive the Israelites, or punish him for their sins. But God denied Moses’ request, and said He punishes only those who sinned against Him .
So Moses returned to the LORD and said, “Oh, what a great sin these people have committed! They have made gods of gold for themselves. Yet now, if You would only forgive their sin… But if not, please blot me out of the book that You have written.” The LORD replied to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot out of My book…” (Exodus 32:31-33)
This alone should make it very clear that one man cannot be punished for the sins of another.
This concept that only the sinner is punished is repeated elsewhere in the Old Testament.
In Ezekiel 18, God says the following:
The one who sins is the one who will die. The child will not share the guilt of the parent, nor will the parent share the guilt of the child. The righteousness of the righteous will be credited to them, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against them. (Ezekiel 18:20).
In fact, the ENTIRE chapter is a lesson about people being held responsible for their own sins.
Jeremiah 31:30 repeats the idea that everyone is responsible for their own sins.
Instead, everyone will die for their own sin; whoever eats sour grapes–their own teeth will be set on edge. (Jeremiah 31:30)
Furthermore, God says that good people are saved by their own righteousness. We read in Ezekiel 14, that while sinners are destroyed, righteous men are saved on account of their own righteousness.
“Son of man, if a country sins against me by being unfaithful and I stretch out my hand against it to cut off its food supply and send famine upon it and kill its people and their animals, even if these three men—Noah, Daniel and Job—were in it, they could save only themselves by their righteousness, declares the Sovereign Lord. (Ezekiel 14:13-14)
If the Old Testament tells us that every man bears the responsibility for his own sin, and is punished for it, then what gives Christians the idea that Jesus somehow bore their sins and took the punishment for it? The very idea is unbiblical and downright foolish.
The only instance of sinners transferring their sins to another being appears in Leviticus 16. We read that that the sins of the people would be transferred to a goat dedicated to an entity named “Azazel”. Once this was done the goat would then be released into the wilderness. This passage is the origin of the term “scapegoat”.
“When Aaron has finished making atonement for the Most Holy Place, the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall bring forward the live goat. He is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites—all their sins—and put them on the goat’s head. He shall send the goat away into the wilderness in the care of someone appointed for the task. The goat will carry on itself all their sins to a remote place; and the man shall release it in the wilderness….“The man who releases the goat as a scapegoat must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water; afterward he may come into the camp. (Leviticus 16:20-22,26)
And Christianity, by teaching that Jesus took on their sins, reduces the Messiah to a scapegoat, similar to the scapegoat of Leviticus 16.
3. Was Jesus’ sacrifice really the final and perfect sacrifice?
We are told that Jesus’ death was the perfect and final sacrifice. Yet, the prophet Ezekiel says that in the future, when the third temple has been built, animal sin sacrifices would be reinstated. Ezekiel 43, mentions detailed instructions concerning these sacrifices. Ezekiel writes of altars, unblemished animals, sin offerings, Levitical priests and sacrificial rituals. It reads like something from the book of Leviticus.
“Son of man, this is what the Sovereign Lord says… You are to give a young bull as a sin offering to the Levitical priests…You are to take some of its blood and put it on the four horns of the altar and on the four corners of the upper ledge and all around the rim…You are to take the bull for the sin offering and burn it in the designated part of the temple area… “On the second day you are to offer a male goat without defect for a sin offering…When you have finished purifying it, you are to offer a young bull and a ram from the flock, both without defect….You are to offer them before the Lord, and the priests are to sprinkle salt on them and sacrifice them as a burnt offering to the Lord…. “For seven days you are to provide a male goat daily for a sin offering…you are also to provide a young bull and a ram from the flock, both without defect….For seven days they are to make atonement for the altar and cleanse it; thus they will dedicate it….the eighth day on, the priests are to present your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings on the altar… (Ezekiel 43:18-27)
This raises the question: if animal sacrifices for sin is to be reinstated in the future, then what was the point of Jesus’ sin sacrifice? How can Jesus be the final and perfect sacrifice, as believed by Christians?
Christians must either admit a major contradiction in the Bible, or admit that the idea of Jesus’ sin sacrifice is unbiblical.
4. Was Jesus even willing to be sacrificed for the sins of man?
Moving on to the New Testament, did Jesus ever teach that it was his mission to be sacrificed for the sins of mankind? Was Jesus even willing to be sacrificed for the sins of mankind? The answer is: no. And the proof is as follows:
First, On several occasions, Jesus escaped from the Pharisees whenever they sought to kill him. This is mentioned in Matthew 12:14-15 and John 8:59 and John 10:39.
If Jesus was supposed to die for the sins of all mankind, he would not have escaped from the Pharisees. Rather, he would have simply allowed them to capture him and kill him.
Second, Jesus prayed to God just before his capture, and asked for the cup to pass from him. This is mentioned in Mathew 26:39. Jesus prayed saying “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me”. The cup, has been interpreted to mean the mortal danger that was looming over Jesus. If Jesus was supposed to die for the sins of all mankind, he would not have prayed to be saved from death. Rather, he would have handed himself over to the Pharisees so they could have him killed.
Third, at his trial before the Pharisees, Jesus defended himself and told the Pharisees to check with those who heard him. This account appears in John 18:20-21
If Jesus was supposed to die for the sins of all mankind, he would not have defended himself before the Pharisees. Rather, he would have stayed silent and allowed the Pharisees to have him killed, as per the supposed plan.
Fourth, Jesus implied that a terrible fate awaited the one who was to betray him, that is, Judas. Jesus said it would have been better if Judas was not born at all. This is mentioned in Matthew 26:24. So, if Jesus was supposed to die for the sins of all mankind, then Judas would not have had a terrible fate for betraying Jesus. Rather, Judas should be understood as the man who actually helped arrange for the great sacrifice that of Jesus. The fact that Jesus warned of great punishment for Judas proves Jesus did not want to be captured and crucified.
Fifth, After his resurrection, the risen Jesus does not say anything about his crucifixion being the sacrifice that removed the sin of all mankind. This is the case in all 4 gospels. If Jesus really died for the sins of all mankind, he would have not have remained silent about the purpose of his death. He would have told everyone about his sacrifice after his resurrection.
In fact, throughout his life, and in all of his sayings, Jesus does not make a single unambigious statement about him having to die in a sacrifice to take away mankind’s sins. If Jesus was indeed supposed to die for the sins of all mankind, he would not have kept silent about it during his sermons. Rather, the theology of the sin sacrifice would have been his central teaching.
Thus, we have seen that the things that Jesus did and said are not the actions of someone whose mission it was to be sacrificed for the sins of all mankind.
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Now, if I’m wrong, and if accepting Jesus’ sacrifice indeed saves a person, then the implication would be that every christian would be saved. However, the Bible tells us in Matthew 7 that in the afterlife, there would be many Christians who would go to Jesus calling him “Lord” and telling them of things they did in his name. But Jesus rejects them saying “I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers”.
How can this be, if believing in Jesus’ sacrifice washes a person from sin? And if those Christians believed Jesus died for their sins, then why are they rejected as evil doers? Shouldn’t they be washed of their sins, as Christian theology teaches? It appears that there are some sins that Jesus’ so called sin sacrifice does not cover.
The more obvious answer is that sin sacrifice theology is completely bogus. Every man is responsible for his own sins. And another man, not even the messiah can take on the sins of others.
Who is the great whore in Revelation 17? Which city today is the great city mentioned in Revelation 18?
The great whore is one of the many mysterious symbols in the book of Revelation. We read of her in Revelation 17. The whore is described as being adorned in purple, scarlet and gold. She sits on a beast with 7 heads and 10 horns, and is drunk with the blood of saints. The whore has a name on her forehead: “Babylon” and she represents a certain city that would rule over the earth during the end of days, before it is judged and destroyed.
It is actually very easy to decode the identity of the whore of babylon. In fact, it should be the easiest prophecy to decipher because the Bible gives us the answer within its pages. In spite of this, a lot of Christians have come up convoluted theories to wrongly conclude the great whore is the Vatican city (and the catholic church), New York, America, the EU, Mecca etc. These claims are pure speculation and are simply not in line with what the Bible very plainly teaches.
In this video, I will prove using the Bible — both the old and the new testament — that the great whore of Revelation 17, is none other than Jerusalem.
24/03/21 edit: This subject is explained in in this video:
One of the many mysterious symbols in the book of revelation is an evil woman known as “the great whore” or “the great harlot”. We read of her in Revelation 17. This whore is described as being adorned in purple, scarlet and gold. She sits on a beast with 7 heads and 10 horns, and is drunk with the blood of saints and prophets. The book of revelation tells that this whore represents a certain city that would rule over the earth.
The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth. (Revelation 17:18)
A lot of Christians assert that this “whore” and the city she represents is the Vatican city. Others have claimed that this city is New York. Yet others have said that it is Mecca in Saudi Arabia. The reality is that these claims are speculations and are simply not in line with what the Bible teaches.
I will prove using the Bible that the great whore of Revelation, is none other than Jerusalem. Yes. The great whore is not the Vatican. It is not New York. It is not Mecca. But Jerusalem.
We begin by first building a profile of the whore of Babylon.
1) The whore is guilty of spilling the blood of saints
2) She sits on seven hills
3) The whore is adorned in scarlet and gold
4) The whore is killed by her own lovers
In order to identify the whore of revelation, we need to only pinpoint the city that matches all of these traits. It can be Biblically proven that there is only one entity in the entire Bible that matches the whores description. And that city is Jerusalem.
a) The whore is guilty of spilling the blood of saints
Revelation 17 tells us that the whore had spilled the blood of God’s holy people, as well as those who bore testimony to Jesus.
I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of God’s holy people, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus. (Revelation 17:6)
In her was found the blood of prophets and of God’s holy people, of all who have been slaughtered on the earth.” (Revelation 18:24)
Now. Put your thinking caps on. Is there any city that was guilty of the killing God’s people? Jesus tells us very plainly that Jerusalem was guilty of killing God’s people, that is, the prophets .
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you… (Matthew 23:37)
What he means is that the people in charge of Jerusalem, that is, the Jewish spiritual leaders, were guilty of killing the prophets. Jesus repeats this idea in other verses in the same chapter:
Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets (Matthew 23:31)
That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. (Matthew 23:35)
Elsewhere, the Christian martyr, Stephen, who was stoned to death for being a follower of Jesus, also accused the Jewish spiritual leaders of being killers of the prophets. We read this on Acts 7
Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him— you who have received the law that was given through angels but have not obeyed it.” (Acts 7:52-53)
That Jerusalem — or rather — it’s people killed prophets is not just a theme in the New Testament. Even in the Old Testament, Jerusalem is accused of killing prophets too.
For example, in Jeremiah 2:30, which is addressed to Jerusalem or the Israelites, God accuses the Jews of killing their prophets:
“In vain I punished your people; they did not respond to correction. Your sword has devoured your prophets like a ravenous lion. (Jeremiah 2:30)
and in Nehemiah 9:26, we read that the Jews killed their own prophets:
But they were disobedient and rebelled against You; they flung Your law behind their backs. They killed Your prophets who had admonished them to turn back to You. They committed terrible blasphemies. (Nehemiah 9:26)
So Jerusalem is guilty of killing saints and prophets. It is the only city that is accused of the same exact crime that the whore is guilty of. This alone should be enough to establish the identity of the whore as Jerusalem. But, there is more to prove that the great whore of Revelation is none other than Jerusalem!
b) Jerusalem – a city on seven hills.
The whore sits on a beast with 7 heads. We read that the 7 heads of the beast mean 2 things. One meaning is that they are hills, as we read in Revelation 17:9
the seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits. (Revelation 17:9)
So the whore or the great city is a city that is on 7 hills. Does Jerusalem sit on 7 hills?
The answer is YES. Jerusalem makes the list of List of cities claimed to be built on seven hills.
– The northern summit (hill) is called Scopus (Hill One)
– The middle summit (hill) was called Nob (Hill Two)
– The highest point of Olivet itself, and the southern summit (hill) was called in the Holy Scriptures the “Mount of Corruption” or “Mount of Offence” (Hill Three)
– On the middle ridge between the Kedron and the Tyropoeon Valleys there was (formerly) in the south “Mount Zion” (Hill Four)
– The “Ophel Mount” (Hill Five)
– To the north of that the “Rock” around which “Fort Antonia” was built (Hill Six),
– The southwest hill itself (Hill Seven)
Since Jerusalem is built on 7 hills, this serves as a sound rebuttal to those who claim that Vatican or Mecca or some other city they don’t like is the “great city” of Revelation simply because they are built on 7 hills. There is no need to dwell on this point further as it has been shown that Jerusalem is a city built on 7 hills, thus meeting the criteria given in Revelation 17.
c) The whore is adorned in scarlet and gold
Revelation chapters 17 and 18 tell us that the whore or the great city was dressed in purple and scarlet and was adorned with gold and precious things.
And the woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in in her hand a gold cup full of abominations and of the unclean things of her immorality (Revelation 17:4)
Woe! Woe to you, great city, dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet, and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls! (Revelations 18:16)
The prophet Jeremiah, in his 4th chapter addresses Jerusalem as a woman. He also points out that she, Jerusalem, is adorned in scarlet and gold.
And you, O desolate one, what will you do? Although you dress in scarlet, Although you decorate yourself with ornaments of gold, Although you enlarge your eyes with paint, In vain you make yourself beautiful; Your lovers despise you; They seek your life. I hear a cry as of a woman in labor, a groan as of one bearing her first child-the cry of the Daughter of Zion gasping for breath, stretching out her hands and saying, “Alas! I am fainting; my life is given over to murderers.” (Jeremiah 4:30-31)
This is not a random coincidence. Because the second part of the passage mentions Jerusalem’s lovers lovers despising her and seeking to kill her. This perfectly mirrors the account of the great whore being despised and destroyed by her lovers, as given in Revelation 17. We will go over this in the next point.
d) The whore is killed by her lovers
Revelation tells us that the whore fornicated with the kings of the earth. We read this in Revelations 17:2.
With her the kings of the earth committed adultery, (Revelation 17:2)
We also read that the 10 horns on the beast that she sat upon were kings:
The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom (Revelation 17:12)
Later, those 10 horns turn against the whore and utterly destroy her:
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. For God has put it into their hearts to accomplish his purpose by agreeing to hand over to the beast their royal authority, until God’s words are fulfilled. (Revelations 17:16-17)
Once again, these are motifs that appeared earlier in the Old Testament.
The prophet Jeremiah portrays Jerusalem as being hated and destroyed by her lovers. We go back to Jeremiah 4, that we looked at earlier. He writes that Jerusalem’s lovers despise her and seek her life. Jerusalem, who is addressed as “daughter of Zion” laments that her life is given over to murderers.
And you, O desolate one, what will you do? Although you dress in scarlet, Although you decorate yourself with ornaments of gold, Although you enlarge your eyes with paint, In vain you make yourself beautiful; Your lovers despise you; They seek your life. I hear a cry as of a woman in labor, a groan as of one bearing her first child-the cry of the Daughter of Zion gasping for breath, stretching out her hands and saying, “Alas! I am fainting; my life is given over to murderers.” (Jeremiah 4:30-31)
Interestingly, in Ezekiel in chapters 16 and 23, Jerusalem is referred to as a prostitute, which is another word for whore.
Ezekiel 23 is particularly interesting as it mentions specific details with regard to the punishment of the whore, that is, Jerusalem. Ezekiel’s account of the whore’s destruction closely resembles what we read about the whore’s destruction in Revelation 17.
In Ezekiel 23, we read that the whore would be stripped of her clothes and jewelry.
Ezekiel 23 :They will also strip you of your clothes and take your fine jewelry. Revelations 17 :They will bring her to ruin and leave her naked;
Ezekiel 23 tells us that God Himself stirs up whore’s lovers to attack the whore
Ezekiel 23: I will stir up your lovers against you…They will come against you with weapons,chariots…I will turn you over to them for punishment… Revelations 17 : For God has put it into their hearts to accomplish his purpose…The beast and the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute…
Ezekiel tells us that the whore would be violently killed and burned with fire.
Ezekiel 23 :They will cut off your noses and your ears…those of you who are left will fall by the sword….and those of you who are left will be consumed by fire. Revelations 17 : they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire.
Revelations 17 ends with the destruction of the whore and the very next chapter details the destruction of a city, Babylon.
In fact, the author of Revelation also reuses imagery from the book of Isaiah, specifically from chapter 47 that prophesied the destruction of the original Babylon.
In Revelation we read, that Babylon (that is, Jerusalem) glorified herself, and was confident in her belief that her glory would not end….only to be destroyed suddenly.
How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her. -Revelation 18:7
Compare this to what Isaiah 47, which is about the destruction of Babylon. The exact same theme appears: Babylon enjoys security and claims she will never be a widow. And all of a sudden, disaster befalls her and she is doomed!
“Now then, listen, you lover of pleasure, lounging in your security and saying to yourself, ‘I am, and there is none besides me. I will never be a widow or suffer the loss of children.’ Both of these will overtake you in a moment, on a single day: loss of children and widowhood. They will come upon you in full measure, in spite of your many sorceries and all your potent spells. You have trusted in your wickedness and have said, ‘No one sees me.’ Your wisdom and knowledge mislead you when you say to yourself, ‘I am, and there is none besides me.’11 Disaster will come upon you, and you will not know how to conjure it away. A calamity will fall upon you that you cannot ward off with a ransom; a catastrophe you cannot foresee will suddenly come upon you. (Isaiah 47:8-11)
All these cannot be co-incidences.
The author of revelation was telling us that Jerusalem is the new Babylon — the great city that is to be destroyed in the future.
He is telling us that in the end times, Jerusalem will be the Babylon of the end times. The author of Revelation simply used imagery spoken of by earlier prophets — Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Isaiah — to describe the fall of Jerusalem.
To summarize, the whore is guilty of spilling the blood of saints and holy men. Both the old and new testaments tell us that jerusalem is guilty of killing prophets. The whore sits on seven hills. Jerusalem sit on seven hills. The whore is adorned in purple, scarlet and gold. Jerusalem is described as being adorned in scarlet and gold. Jerusalem is also described as a prostitute. The whore is killed by her own lovers. Jeremiah and Ezekiel tell us that the whore was to be killed by her own lovers.
Thus, we can establish with full certainty that the great whore in Revelation 17, and the great city that is destroyed in Revelation 18 is none other than Jerusalem.
humbleunderstanding 