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Babylon the Great has fallen! Has she hurt herself? 1
Babylon the Greathas fallen!
Has she hurt herself?
Babylon the Great
has fallen!
Has she hurt herself?
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Babylon the Great has fallen! Has she hurt herself? 2
Babylon the Great has fallen!
Has she hurt herself?
3 Chapter 1: Walking with Jesus in white garments
10 Chapter 2: The secret of the seven trumpets disclosed
14 Chapter 3: The battle of the dragon class
17 Chapter 4: The “wild beast” and its image identified
23 Chapter 5: Munich’s Oktoberfest in God’s purpose
25 Chapter 6: God’s wonderful plagues
28 Chapter 7: The end of the “great harlot” is near!
32 Chapter 8: Dinner with God
34 Chapter 9: Doctors in God’s purpose
35 Chapter 10: Escaping “second death”
38 Chapter 11: God’s wonderful new world
42 Appendix A: Bringing order into Jehovah’s household
44 Appendix B: The Lake of fire – a symbol of destruction?
47 Appendix C: ‘Jehovah’s word keeps moving speedily’
50 Appendix D: The Internet – Satan’s trap
han van Helden, [email protected], http://svhelden.gmxhome.de
Stephan van Helden
Would you like to know more?
Please do not write to Jehovah’s Witnesses, but visit:
http://svhelden.gmxhome.de/e
http://www.jehovahs-witness.net
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1: WALKING WITH JESUS IN WHITE GARMENTS
“No wicked ones at all will understand.” (Daniel 12:10)
Many books have been written about the so-called “Revelation.” However, all attempts to
explain it were biased and influenced by falsereligion’s dogmas. We will now candidly exam-ine this book to find out its real meaning.
At the very beginning of the book of Revela-tion, we find information about its origin: “Arevelation by Jesus Christ, which God gave
him, to show his slaves the things that
must shortly take place. And he sent forth
his angel and presented it in signs
through him to his slave John.” (Revela-
tion 1:1) This verse shows how trustworthythe Revelation is: God gave it to Jesus; he gaveit to his angels; those gave it “in signs” to the
apostle John who wrote it down for God’s other“slaves,” who, for their part, should explainthem to the rest of mankind. This method isoften called “Chinese whispers” or “telephonegame” and, according to Encyclopaedia Wikipe-
dia, “the statement announced by the last …
[participant] differs significantly … from the
one uttered by the first.” Hence the Revelation
must be interpreted to find the real meaning.
Originally the text was directed to Asians
The first verse clearly explains that th
content is actually not directed to all humansnot even to God’s true servants, but only to “hi
slaves.” Today we would call them “employees,
so the Revelation is something like a collection
of divine work rules. But still the content is o
interest for us, because besides work instruc
tions it also contains prophecies related to ou
own future.
However, the first part of the message i
outdated, for John wrote: “The appointed
time is near.” (Revelation 1:3). Since thtime had already been “near” more than 190
years ago, it surely is over now. Furthermore
John directs these words particularly “to th
seven congregations that are in the dis
trict of Asia.” (Revelation 1:4) So the initia
verses of the Revelation concern only Asian
who lived in the early 2nd century C. E.
John gives them regards “from ‘The On
who is and who was and who is coming,and from the seven spirits that are befor
his throne.” (Revelation 1:4) Since “seve
spirits” are “before his throne,” the person can
be Jehovah God, for “anyone who consults
spirit … is something detestable to Jehovah
– Deuteronomy 18:11, 12.
The Author of the Message
The next verse provides an important hint
It tells us that the person sitting on the thronis also called “ the Ruler of the kings of th
earth.” (Revelation 1:5) It is nobody els
than “the ruler of this world,” Satan, the Devi
(John 12:31) John also gives regards “from
Jesus Christ, ‘the Faithful Witness.’”
Revelation 1:5 .
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Jesus’ heavenly existence
Revelation 1:5 says that Jesus Christ is “the
faithful witness.” The Psalmist however said
that “the moon” is the “faithful witness.” (Psalm
89:37) Consequently the moon is Jesus Christ in
his heavenly existence. That explains why there
are so many similarities between the worship
of the Roman sun-god Mitra and that of Jesus
Christ.
This insight helps us understand another proph-
ecy. Jesus foretold that during his presence
“the moon will not give its light.” (Matthew
24:9) That is easy to understand: As the Moon
will be on earth as Jesus Christ, he cannot at
the same time stand in the sky and give light.
Messages “in the Lord’s Day”
The cooperation of Jesus and the Devil will
spell trouble for the earth. “All the tribes of
the earth will beat themselves in grief be-
cause of him.” (Revelation 1:7) No wonder
that John who was “in company with Jesus”
and was “speaking about God and bearing
witness to Jesus” was exiled to “the isle that
is called Patmos.” (Revelation 1:8, 9). Even
today, banishing all Christian preachers to a
desert island would be an option worth consid-
ering.
Now the message to second-century Asians
is concluded, and John “came to be in the
Lord’s day.” (John 1:10) “The Lord’s day” is
not Sunday which is dedicated to “the Lord’s”
worship in apostate Christianity. Rather, “the
Lord’s day” has always been Sabbath, modern
Saturday. (Exodus 20:8) Hence John received
this message on a Saturday, probably in the
morning, while his non-exiled brothers carried
out their house-to-house witnessing.
John says: “I heard behind me a strongvoice like that of a trumpet.” (Revelation
1:10) Since he did write about Asia before, thvoice likely belongs to Dumbo or another elephant. But when he looks back, he cannot sethe animal anymore. Rather, he sees a “manclothed with a garment that reached down
to the feet, and girded at the breasts with a
golden girdle. … And he had in his righ
hand seven stars.” (Revelation 1:13, 16
This person provides a fine example for modernChristians regarding the length of garments.
Seven Stars
The first five of the seven stars are obviously the five stars of a five-star hotel. This facimplies that he originates from a hotel-owne
family. That applies to Jesus Christ who said“In my Father's house are many rooms.” – Joh14:2, NIV .
The sixth star is without doubt the communist red star. As well as the fathers of communism, Jesus wants to create a “classlessstateless and oppression-free society.” Thsevenths star finally is the “star, which bear
your name,” according to the famous German
Schlager song Ein Stern, der deinen Namen
trägt by DJ Ötzi. That too hints at JesuChrist, for “he calls his own sheep by name. – John 10:3.
Jesus has in his right hand the five stars of a hotel
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Counsel for Apostates
It seems that he was a bit confused at thistime, as he said: “I am the First and theLast, and the living one; and I became
dead, but, look! I am living forever and
ever.” (Revelation 1:18) But it is also possible
that this description has been distorted by oraltradition.
Anyway, Jesus praises the apostates andsays to them: “I know … that you cannotbear bad men, and that you put those to
the test who say they are apostles, but they
are not, and you found them liars.” (Reve-
lation 2:1) Apostates “cannot bear bad men,”such as the members of the “faithful and dis-creet slave,” and “found them liars.” (Matthew
24:45). Jesus reminds them: “Remember fromwhat you have fallen.” (Revelation 2:5) They should time and again think about howfutile their life as Jehovah’s Witnesses had been.
Praise and Reprimand
Jesus finally praises them for hating “thedeeds of the sect of Nicolaus.” (Revelation
2:6) This cult still has many followers in Eu-rope. They praise their founder Nicolaus (or
Nicolas) by bothering innocent children withgifts every year on December 6.
Jesus condemns “the deeds of the sect of Nicolaus”
‘Teachings of asses’ spread from Brooklyn
After that, Jesus says to the inhabitants oNew York City: “I know where you ar
dwelling, that is, where the throne of Sa
tan is.” (Revelation 2:13) Why is “the thron
of Satan” in New York? Because “you havthere those holding fast the teaching o
Balaam.” (Revelation 2:14). “Balaam” i
used here as a symbol for “ass,” for the fals
prophet Balaam was detained by a speakin
ass (Numbers 22:28) A part of New York City i
Brooklyn, where ‘teachings of asses’ (or donkeys) are put about. Not for nothing, the December 2006 Awake! issue asked: “What WoulWe Do Without Donkeys?”
The “Reward”
What reward does Jesus promise his followers? He says: “To him that conquers I wil
give some of the hidden manna, and I wil
give him a white pebble.” (Revelation 2:17
But even of the fresh manna, the Israelite
said: “Our soul has come to abhor the con
temptible bread.” – Numbers 21:5.
The “hidden manna” that is lying for mor
than 3,000 years in a jar in the Ark of the Covenant is surely stale and hence is not really anattractive reward. The same can be said of th“white pebble” – pebbles may have been rare onthe island of Patmos, but today lots of them ca
be found in every river and at every beach.
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His Real Intentions
Then Jesus shows his true colors. He saysabout an attractive woman: “I am about tothrow her into a sickbed. … And her chil-
dren I will kill with deadly plague. … And
to him that conquers … I will give authori-
ty over the nations, and he shall shepherdthe people with an iron rod so that they
will be broken to pieces.” (Revelation 2:22,
23, 26, 27) He will, however, not only ‘throwpeople into a sickbed,’ “kill them” and ‘break
them into pieces,’ but he also announces that
he “shall come as a thief.” (Revelation 3:3) Indeed, like “a thief” he steals the lives of mil-
lions of people who day after day toil for himbut will receive only a spoon of rotten mannaand a lousy pebble in return.
No wonder he says about these people:“They shall walk with me in white [gar-
ments] … He that conquers will thus be
arrayed in white outer garments.” (Revela-
tion 3:4, 5) Indeed, Jesus and his disciples willbe taken to the locked ward of a psychiatrichospital if they continue like that. Regardingone of his disciples, Jesus says: “I will makeacknowledgment of his name before my
Father and before his angels.” (Revelation
3:5) The “angels” obviously stand for the doc-tors and referees in the nuthouse, who look likeangels with their white coats. The “father”
must be the senior physician since they are “hisangels.”
Jesus Raises False Hopes
Jesus immediately holds out to his disciplesthe prospect of escape from the locked ward. Henames himself as the one “who has the key,… who opens so that no one will shut” and
adds: “I have set before you an opened door,which no one can shut.” (Revelation 3:7, 8) He promises: “I will also keep you from thehour of test. … I am coming quickly.” (Rev-
elation 3:10, 11) With the “hour of test” hesurely meant the weekly round of the seniorphysician, so he pointed out that the escapewould be at hand.
Jesus “shall come as a thief”
Obviously he noticed that a spoon of rottenmanna and a worthless white pebble are noenough as a reward for a life full of privationsBut even the add-on that he promises is noreally attractive: “The one that conquers – will make him a pillar in the temple of my
God, and he will by no means go out from
it anymore, and I will write upon him th
name of my God.” (Revelation 3:12) Thprospect of getting branded with God’s nam
and gathering dust forever and ever as a pillain his temple is for sure no real incentive tpotential disciples.
Profiteering
Of course Jesus needs money to fund hicommercial activities. Like the modern ad industry, he arouses needs that the potentiacustomers never thought of, and then offers corresponding product: “You do not know youare miserable and pitiable and poor and
blind and naked. I advise you to buy from
me gold refined by fire … and white oute
garments … and eyesalve.” (Revelation
3:17, 18) Interestingly, he sells jewelry, textileand healthcare products – goods that are mainly purchased by women.
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Breaking decorum, Jesus inviteshimself for dinner at the people’s
homes. “I am standing at the doorand knocking. If anyone hears
my voice and opens the door, I
will come into his house and take
the evening meal with him.”
(Revelation 3:20) It is possiblethough that this text refers to salesevents similar to today’s Tupperware
parties where Jesus advertises hisgold, his clothes and his eyesalve.
Now Jesus reveals how he cameto the muddled statements men-tioned before: “I immediately cameto be in the power of the spirit [of
wine].” (Revelation 4:2) We know
from the gospels that Jesus liked todrink wine. (John 2:9; Matthew26:27) He often referred to wine inhis teachings, so we can assume thathe made full use of it himself. (Luke5:37; Matthew 20:1) Not for nothingthe people said that he was “given to
drinking wine.” – Matthew 11:19.
Forms of Therapy
Now Jesus takes up the picture of the nut-
house again. (Revelation 3:5) He explains: “Athrone was in its position, … and there is
one seated upon the throne. … And round
about the throne there are twenty-four
thrones, and upon these thrones I saw
seated twenty-four elders dressed in white
outer garments.” (Revelation 4:2 -4) Hedescribes a group therapy session, with a psy-chologist sitting ‘enthroned’ in the middle andtwenty-four patients – former Jehovah’s Wit-nesses elders – sitting around.
The “rainbow” round about the throne indi-
cates that the hospital cooperates with Green-peace – that is in harmony with God’s plan “tobring to ruin those ruining the earth.” – Reve-lation 11:18.
Now he describes thform of therapy in detai“Out of the throne ther
are proceeding light
nings and voices and
thunders.” (Revelation
4:5) Of course, the “voicesare not really coming “ou
of the throne,” but thpatients think that iwould be so. Obviouslthey suffer from a schizophrenic psychosis anhear voices. The Germaedition of EncyclopaediWikipedia says about thidisease: “Many affecte
people consider themselves as chosen ones.
Indeed, some even viewthemselves as God’
channel of communication.
The doctors use “lightnings … and thun
ders” to treat this disorder. That is a correc
paraphrase of the modern electroconvulsivtherapy (ECT) that could be understood by 1
and 2nd century readers. This verse emphasizethe Bible’s scientific accuracy.
The patients in the locked ward must bmonitored continuously. Jesus describes thisituation as follows: “Before the throne theris, as it were, a glassy sea like crystal. …
And around the throne there are four liv
ing creatures that are full of eyes in fron
and behind. … Round about and under
neath they are full of eyes.” (Revelation
4:6, 8) Many doors and walls in the mentahospital are vitreous. The ‘four creatures full oeyes’ indicate that there are observation cameras everywhere, looking in all four directions.
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The End of Their Stay
John now describes his own feelings whilewriting down his vision: “I gave way to a great deal of weeping.” (Revelation 5:4) Hewas a disciple of Jesus himself – seeing his ownfuture must have shocked him.
But one of the elders from the vision com-forts him: “Stop weeping! Look, the Lion …has won the victory.” (Revelation 5:5, NLT) Suddenly John sees “standing in the midstof the throne and of the four living crea-
tures and in the midst of the elders a lamb
as though it had been slaughtered.” (Reve-
lation 5:6) So John becomes a witness of a lionkilling a lamb.
The “lion” doubtless represents the health
care reform that abandons hospitalization for
unpromising patients. Rather, such inmatesare “slaughtered,” whereby Jesus’ prophecyabout the end of their hospitalization is ful-filled. (Revelation 3:11) To prevent the affectedpatients from offering resistance, there are“bowls … full of incense” in the clinic. (Rev-elation 5:8) Shortly before their slaughter, theelders are drugged.
Claims to Power
How will the remaining Jehovah’s Witness-
es in Brooklyn react? They are “saying with aloud voice: ‘The Lamb that was slaugh-tered is worthy to receive the power and
riches and wisdom and strength and hon-
or and glory and blessing.’” (Revelation
5:12) This is a clever move, for “the Lamb” hasbeen slaughtered, so it cannot at all receivepower and honor by itself. Hence “power and
riches and wisdom” are given to the Lamb’s
alleged representatives in Brooklyn.
Now John turns to some other topics. Thecameras represented by the “four living crea-tures” are no more required to monitor thenuthouse inmates (as these have been slaugh-tered), thus they are used for TV broadcastsnow. (Revelation 5:14) John reports: “I heardone of the four living creatures shout with
a voice like thunder. It said, ‘Come out!’
Then I saw a white horse. Its rider … had
already won some victories, and he went
out to win more.” – Revelation 6:1, 2, CEV .
Indeed, John saw the pictures of a TV camera that filmed a Formula One race. The “whit
horse” surely represents a white racecar buil
by Ferrari, the trademark of which is a horseIts driver “already won some victories” thi
year, and he will “win more” and become worl
champion.
Further Development
Later John hears “ a voice in the midst othe four living creatures saying, A liter o
wheat for a denarius a day’ s wages, and
three liters of barley for a denarius; and
do not hurt the oil and the wine.” (Revela
tion 6:6, GNT) He does not speak of literawheat and barley, for these grains are usuallsold by weight, not in liters. Rather, he is referring to the increasing petrol prices. “Wheat
and “barley” represent all kinds of grain tha
are more and more manufactured into biofueIt is impossible though to make fuel from oiand wine, hence there is no need to misuse o„hurt“ these groceries.
Now John is reminded of the elders whwere taken into a nuthouse and have fallenvictim to the health care reform there. He see“ the souls of those slaughtered because o
the word of God and because of the witnes
work that they used to have.” (Revelation6:9) He also gets to know that “their fellowslaves and their brothers … were about t
be killed as they also had been.” – Revela
tion 6:11.
“Three liters of barley” are not
enough to top up the car
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Political Development
Next, John describes the political develop-
ment in Germany: “The sun became black as
sackcloth of hair, and the entire moon
became as blood.” (Revelation 6:12) It is a
matter of common knowledge that heaven is
often used as a symbol for human governments
in the Bible. A famous theological book says:
“The ‘heavens’ now are made up of man-made
governments.” – You Can Live Forever in Par-
adise on Earth, page 160.
Hence the government should become
“black” and “[red] as blood.” This prophecy was
fulfilled in 2005 when a Grand Coalition of
CDU/CSU and SPD came to power in Germa-
ny. It was called the “black-red government”due to the colors traditionally associated with
the involved parties. This is a fine example of a
Bible prophecy that is fulfilled right before our
eyes and surely strengthens our trust in the
creator’s promises.
The Origin of Natural Disasters
Now John gets to know who is behind the
natural disasters that have stroke the earthduring the recent decades. He sees “four an-
gels to whom it was granted to harm the
earth and the sea.” (Revelation 7:2) Anoth-
er angel sets bounds to them for a short time
and instructs them: “Do not harm the earth
or the sea or the trees, until after we have
sealed the slaves of our God in their fore-
heads.” – Revelation 7:3 .
The “slaves of our God,” that is, the follow-
ers of Jesus, have been “slaughtered” and
“killed” in the meantime. (Revelation 5:6; 6:11)
They have to be “sealed” or preserved so that
they can become “a pillar in the temple of …
God.” – Revelation 3:12.
John acts if these slaughtered elders could
still talk – it seems that he was still “in th
power of the spirit [of wine].” (Revelation 4:2
He “hears” one of the elders say: “These wh
are dressed in the white robes, who ar
they? … They have washed their robes and
made them white in the blood of thLamb.” (Revelation 7:13, 14) This statemen
confirms that there was really no cure for th
schizophrenic psychosis of these elders: Even
after their death, they still think that one could
‘make robes white in blood.’
John is brought down to earth and says re
garding the elders: “They will hunger n
more nor thirst anymore, neither will th
sun beat down upon them nor any scorching heat, because” they are dead. – Revela
tion 7:16, 17 .
Later in the prophecy, John gets to know
further details about the German TV program
global dominance and other topics. This will b
discussed in the following chapter.
“The sun became black … and the
entire moon became as blood.”
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Babylon the Great has fallen! Has she hurt herself? 1
2: THE SECRET OF THE SEVEN TRUMPETS DISCLOSED
“They will desire to die but death keeps fleeing from them.” (Revelation 9:6, 7)
The next chapters of Revelation also do con-
tain light for our days. But at first John claimsthat “a silence occurred in heaven forabout a half hour.” (Revelation 8:1) In factit likely was an audio dropout during transmis-sion. After that he watches an angel who took“ some of the fire of the altar and hurled it
to the earth. And thunders occurred … and
lightnings.” (Revelation 8:5) By this we canrecognize that the following vision involves theTV program which uses electrical signals – often depicted as flashes or “lightnings” – to send pictures and “voices” into the people’s
houses, quasi “to the earth.”
This vision is about “the seven angelswith the seven trumpets.” (Revelation 8:6) Trumpets are usually used in German folksymusic (“Volkstümliche Musik”). Hence the
“seven trumpets” are related to seven folksy
music TV shows which usually are aired onSaturday, “the Lord’s day.”
“The first one blew his trumpet. And
there occurred a hail and fire mingled
with blood, and it was hurled to theearth.” (Revelation 8:7) The first “trumpet”
represents the show “Lustige Musikanten”
(“Jolly Musicians”) that was aired from 1971 on
by German TV station ZDF. “Hail and fire”
stand for the drums and fiery melodies thatwere performed during this program. Thesewere “mingled with blood” as the musicians
sang with all their heart (and therefore their“blood”).
“The seven angels with the seven trumpets”
Because the people back then could only re
ceive two or three TV stations, this mixturwas, so to speak, “hurled to the earth,” that is
it has hard to avoid. The consequences werdevastating: “ A third of the earth wa
burned up, and a third of the trees wa
burned up, and all the green vegetation
was burned up.” (Revelation 8:7) Even ithe second year of its airing, 1972, HelmuKohl was elected to chairman of the CDU party; later he became chancellor and responsiblfor the current economic hardship in western
Germany. Shortly thereafter, a great oil crisihit the western society that even led to a carless Sunday in Germany. The consequences othis TV show were really terrible.
Other Shows
“And the second angel blew his trum
pet. And something like a great mountain
burning with fire was hurled into the sea.
(Revelation 8:8) The second “trumpet” i
the TV show “Musikantenstadl” (“Musician
Barn”) that is aired on ZDF since 1983. Its firsand longstanding host was “something like
great mountain burning with fire,” the Austri
an Karl Moik. A writer called him an “implementation of Austria’s primal morondom an
the main representative of public foolishnessHe “was hurled into the sea,” that is, let loos
into the world.
This program too had disastrous consequences: “A third of the sea became bloodand a third of the creatures that are in th
sea which have souls died.” (Revelation
8:8, 9) The “sea” doubtless represents the “seof people,” the population. Before commercia
television was introduced in Germany, up to “
third” of all Germans watched the “Musikan
tenstadl.” These people quasi “died,” for the
were not responsive to anything else during thshow.
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Babylon the Great has fallen! Has she hurt herself? 1
John further says: “A third of the boatswere wrecked.” (Revelation 8:9) “Boats”connect continents; hence they are likely usedhere as a symbol for relationships. Many rela-tionships got broken because one partner lovedthe “Musikantenstadl” while the other could
not stand it.
“And the third angel blew his trumpet.
And a great star burning as a lamp fell
from heaven, and it fell upon a third of the
rivers and upon the fountains of waters.”
(Revelation 8:10) This third “trumpet” wasthe TV show “Heimatmelodie” (“Homeland
Melody”), aired from 1984 to 1995 on RTL. The
“great star” represents the two hosts, Marianneand Michael, who already were stars in thefolksy music business. They “fell from heaven,”
that is, from public television, and hosted the
first folksy music show in Germany’s commer-cial TV. Hence a part of the “rivers” or licensefees of public TV stations ran dry, as more andmore of their “fountains of waters” – the feepayers – switched to commercial TV.
John summarizes the impact of that show:“Many of the men died.” (Revelation 8:11)
Only a small proportion of the population couldreceive RTL; that’s why only “many” people
were harmed, not “a third” of the population as
with former programs.
“And the fourth angel blew his trumpet.
And a third of the sun was smitten and a
third of the moon and a third of the stars,
in order that a third of them might be
darkened and the day might not have il-
lumination for a third of it, and the night
likewise.” (Revelation 8:12) The fourth“trumpet” is the “Grand Prix der Volksmusik”
(“Grand Prix of Traditional Music”), an annualregional song contest for folksy music, firstheld in 1986 and broadcasted in Germany,Switzerland, Austria and Italy. That sun, moonand stars were “darkened” and a third of day
and night was lacking “illumination” para-
phrases how the viewers of this show are heldin aberration and spiritual darkness. No won-der that “ an eagle flying in midheaven[said] … with a loud voice: ‘ Woe, woe, woe
to those dwelling on the earth because of
the … trumpets!’” – Revelation 8:13 .
A Single Perpetrator
“And the fifth angel blew his trumpet
And I saw a star that had fallen from
heaven to the earth.” (Revelation 9:1) Th
“star that had fallen” is Karl Moik, the long
time host of the “Musikantenstadl” TV show
He was sacked by ZDF in 2005, causing protests from a number of viewers. “The key o
the pit of the abyss was given him,” that is
he had to retire. – Revelation 9:1.
But for the moment, “he opened the pit o
the abyss, and smoke ascended out of th
pit. … And out of the smoke locusts cam
forth upon the earth. … And they were told
to harm no vegetation of the earth nor any
green thing nor any tree, but only … men.(Revelation 9:2-4) Before he left, Karl Moi
unleashed a crowd of silly folksy musicians on
an unsuspecting world. They caused no harm
to the “vegetation,” but to “men” however.
Next the vision gets on to people wh
were forced by their mates to watch folks
music shows against their will: “These should
be tormented. … And in those days th
men will seek death but will by no mean
find it, and they will desire to die bu
death keeps fleeing from them.” – Revela
tion 9:5, 6 .
“And the sixth angel blew his trumpet
And I heard one voice … say to the sixth
angel, who had the trumpet: ‘Untie th
four angels that are bound at the grea
river Eu phrates.’” (Revelation 9:13, 14) Th
“four angels” or “messengers” of folksy musi
mentioned here are Marianne and Michae Andy Borg and Florian Silbereisen, four fa
mous TV hosts. “ And the four angels wer
untied … to kill a third of the men.” (Reve
lation 9:15) With different TV shows, the
reach a large percentage of the public; and wit
their good-mood-singsong they transfer th
people to a deathlike state of trance.
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The vision compares the performing musi-cians to horses and says: “Out of theirmouths fire and smoke and sulphur issued
forth.” (Revelation 9:17) The music torturesthe audience like fire, and like smoke it obfus-cates their mind. Like toxic sulphur, the mean-ingless lyrics poison everyone exposed to such
music. “T he authority of the horses is intheir mouths and in their tails; for their
tails are like serpents and have heads, and
with these they do harm.” (Revelation 9:19) The “tails” that “are like serpents and have
heads” are the microphones with their attached
cables. With “their mouths and … their tails”
– their singing and the microphones transmit-ting it – “they do harm.”
Bad TV Program
Folksy music shows are not the only plagueon TV. John reports: “I saw another strongangel descending from heaven, … and he
had in his hand a little scroll opened. …
And he cried out with a loud voice just as
when a lion roars. And when he cried out,
the seven thunders uttered their own voic-
es.” – Revelation 10:1-3 .
Obviously the “scroll opened” contains the
TV program, with the “seven thunders” repre-
senting the seven days of the week. When theangel saw what will be featured, “he cried out
with a loud voice.” John explains: “I took the
little scroll out of the hand of the angel
and ate it up. … When I had eaten it up,
my belly was made bitter.” (Revelation
10:10) Indeed, he came to be in a bad moodwhen he saw the program.
Microsoft und Google are the “two witnesses”
Events in Cyberspace
Now John proceeds to another subject. Jesus says to him: “ As for the courtyard that ioutside the temple sanctuary, cast it clea
out and do not measure it, because it ha
been given to the nations, and they wil
trample the holy city underfoot for fortytwo months.” (Revelation 11:2) The “courtyard that it outside the temple sanctuary
represents the virtual world that is, so tspeak, outside of the physical world – the Internet or Cyberspace.
It would be there that Brooklyn – the selfappointed “holy city” – should be ‘trampled foforty-two months.’ Forty-two months, or threand a half years, are the average life span of
computer. That means that people will levecriticism at the Watchtower Society as long athe Internet exists.
Jesus continues: “And I will cause mytwo witnesses to prophesy a thousand tw
hundred and sixty days dressed in sack
cloth. These are symbolized by the tw
olive trees and the two lampstands and
are standing before the Lord of the earth.
(Revelation 11:3, 4) The “two witnesses” ar
Microsoft and Google. As long as a computer iin use – on average about three and a halyears or “a thousand two hundred and sixt
days” – it uses Microsoft software and Googlservices. Like “two lampstands,” their technol
ogies enlighten the world.
They are quasi standing directly “before th
Lord of the earth,” that is, they think they araccountable to none except God. “If anyonwants to harm them, fire issues forth from
their mouths and devours their enemies
and if anyone should want to harm them
in this manner he must be killed.” (Revela
tion 11:5) Indeed, so far no one managed tseriously harm one of these “two witnesses.
They ‘devour their enemies’ by suing them osimply giving their own products away for free
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Jesus explains how much power these “two
witnesses” have: “These have the authority
to shut up heaven.” (Revelation 11:6) “Heaven” stands for the Internet which covers
all the earth, just as literal heaven does. Byremoving them from their index, Google can
“shut up” any websites from the world. Mi-crosoft too ‘shuts up’ many websites from the
users of their browser because it does not com-ply with standards.
The Authority of the
“Two Witnesses” Established
Jesus continues to explain: “They have au-thority … to strike the earth with every
sort of plague as often as they wish.” (Rev-
elation 11:6) In fact, especially Microsoftkeeps ‘striking the earth with every sort of
plagues’ in the form of updates, new versions
and new error messages.
Google ‘strikes’ other companies by offering
similar products for free. But “when theyhave finished their witnessing, the wild
beast that ascends out of the abyss will
make war with them and conquer them
and kill them.” (Revelation 11:7) The politi-
cal “wild beast” will take fright because of thepower of the “two witnesses.” Even now the
European Commission has inflicted enormousfines on Microsoft.
Temporarily, they will manage to “kill” Mi-
crosoft and Google, i. e. to restrict their abilityto act. But men “of the peoples … do not lettheir corpses be laid in a tomb;” they wantto continue to use the “two witnesses’” prod-
ucts. (Revelation 11:8, 9) After some years,
Microsoft and Google will have won their cases,and “great fear fell upon those beholdingthem. … And their enemies beheld them.”
(Revelation 11:11, 12) This development willhave high impact on the whole industry. “Sev-en thousand persons were killed,” that is,get laid off. – Revelation 11:13 .
The Last Trumpet
Now John returns to the seven angels withthe seven trumpets. “The seventh angel blewhis trumpet.” (Revelation 11:15) That happened in 2007, when ZDF announced to reducthe number of folksy music shows. So to speak
‘the last trumpet had been blown.’ How dipeople respond to this announcement? The“fell upon their faces and worshiped God
saying: ‘We thank you, Jehovah God, th
Almighty, the One who is and who was.’
– Revelation 11:16, 17 .
After that, John witnesses a not so beautiful scene. He says to God: “Your own wrathcame, and the appointed time … to giv
their reward to your slaves.” (Revelation
11:18) Apparently it was the end of the month
and God became angry because he had to payout his employee’s wages. “There occurred
lightnings and voices and thunders and
an earthquake and a great hail” as aexpression of his wrath. (Revelation 11:19That shows us that we should never expect reward from Jehovah.
The Revelation really contains precious information about folksy music, the future oMicrosoft and the reward awaiting true Christians. But what does the Revelation say aboudealing with wild beasts and great harlotsWhy will the people be so sad that God has twipe the tears from their eyes? These questionwill be answered in the subsequent chapters.
Karl Moik hosting the “Musikantenstadl” TV show
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3: THE BATTLE OF THE DRAGON CLASS
“Michael and his angels battled with the dragon, and the dragon and its angels battled.” (Rev. 12:7)
John reports: “A great sign was seen in
heaven, a woman.” (Revelation 12:1) Thatthe woman is called a “ great sign” indicates
that she was very fat. She was “arrayed with
the sun, and the moon was beneath her
feet, and on her head was a crown of
twelve stars, and she was pregnant.”
(Revelation 12:1, 2) The “woman” is the Ger-
manic goddess Frigg. John could see her clear-
ly, for he had the vision before she spun the
clouds. According to Encyclopaedia Wikpedia,
“Frigg is the highest goddess.” That’s why “the
moon” – Jesus Christ – is “beneath her feet,”
that is, subject to her.
The “crown of twelve stars” imply that she
dominates over all twelve palaces of Asgard;
indeed she is the “queen of Asgard.” Asgard is
the capital city of the Norse Gods and, accord-
ing to a German reference book, is described as
“some kind of kingdom of heaven.” Hence Frigg
is the chief ruler of the “kingdom of the heav-ens.” (Matthew 5:3) She is also the patroness of
motherhood, therefore the Revelation pictures
her as “pregnant.”
John continues: “She gave birth to a son,
a male. … And her child was caught away
to God.” (Revelation 12:5) The most promi-
nent son of Frigg is Baldr (also known as Bald-
er). He was “caught away to God,” but that
passage does not refer to the almighty God inheaven. Rather, the word “God” means “power-
ful one,” and here it refers to the “unique power
of television.” ( Awake! , February 22, 1983, page
25) So Balder began a TV career.
“The woman” though “fled into the wil
derness, where … they should feed hethere a thousand two hundred and sixty
days.” (Revelation 12:6) Over time, peoplstopped worshipping Frigg. The last placwhere she was adored was Iceland, where Irishmonks arrived not before the second half of th8th century, whereupon they Christianized thisland. Hence we can assume that the “a thou
sand two hundred and sixty days” starte
around 750 CE, pointing out that this prophetic period will end around the year 2010, according to the rule of “a day for a year.” (Number
14:34) Then the worship of Frigg will be resumed, and after a short time the whole worlwill appreciate her magnificent power ansplendor!
The Dragon
Now John moves to another scene: “Another sign was seen in heaven, and, look! a
great fiery-colored dragon, with seven
heads.” (Revelation 12:3) The head is thplace of the brain, the residence of the mind
The number seven symbolizes perfection in thBible, hence the “seven heads” imply that thos
depicted by the dragon make full use of theimind. The dragon class consists of people whthink much.
Hugo Egon Balder, the son of Frigg,
with an incarnation of his mother
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“Michael and his angels” fight against those who
allegedly “have the work of bearing witness”
Where does the dragon class come from?The Bible reveals something about their identi-ty when it says that “there was no longer a place found for them in heaven.” (Revela-
tion 12:6, NASB). Obviously these peoplebelong to the “great crowd,” they are Jehovah’s
Witnesses born after 1935; according to Watch-tower doctrine there is ‘no longer a place in
heaven’ for them.
Thus the “dragon” symbolizes Jehovah’s
Witnesses from the “great crowd” who makeuse of their mind and recognized the truth
behind the “truth.” Out of consideration fortheir relatives or for other reasons they hesi-tate to disassociate themselves. Even so theyare fighting side by side with “real” apostates:“Michael and his angels battled [together]
with the dragon” against the WatchtowerSociety; “the dragon and its angels bat-tled.” (Revelation 12:7) “Michael” is MichaelDrebing who for many years has been chair-men of the German organization “Netzwerk
Sektenausstieg” (“Network Cult Exit”). “Hisangels” are the members and friends of this
association. “The dragon and its angels,” that
is, Jehovah’s Witnesses who’ve seen through
the Watchtower system, fight jointly with themto announce the truth about Jehovah’s Wit-nesses. They boldly declare the reasons whyJehovah’s Witnesses do not “observe the com-
mandments of God and have the work of bear-ing witness to Jesus.” – Revelation 12:17.
Disfellowshipping
Sooner or later, many members of the dragon class decide not to hide anymore but ratheto speak out. That causes the following prophecy to be fulfilled: “Down the great dragonwas hurled, the one called Devil and Sa
tan, who is misleading the entire inhabited earth; he was hurled down to th
earth.” (Revelation 12:9) Indeed, anyone whdares to speak out within the congregation i“hurled down,” that is, disfellowshipped. Jeho
vah’s Witnesses consider such persons as “Dev
il and Satan.” – compare The Watchtower, February 15, 2004, page 16 par. 6.
But in what way do Jehovah’s Witnessethink that an apostate could ‘mislead the entir
inhabited earth?’ Well, they are convinced thaGod will soon annihilate everyone not belonging to their organization, whereupon “the en
tire inhabited earth” will consist only of Jehovah’s Witnesses. They fear that the truths tha
are proclaimed by apostates could allure alJehovah’s Witnesses from following the socalled “way of truth.”
Many members of the dragon class write a letter to
express their reasons for disassociating themselves
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When someone with a clear brain has beendisfellowshipped, they feel relieved and pro-claim: “Now have come to pass the salva-tion and the power and the kingdom of our
God and the authority of his Christ, be-
cause the accuser of our brothers has been
hurled down!” (Revelation 12:10) They con-sider the apostate as “accuser of our brothers”
because he mentioned mistakes of the “faithful
and discreet slave” and questioned the authori-
ty of the Governing Body. They view it as aproof that Armageddon is at hand that suchpersons have finally been removed from theircompany.
They will think that “they conquered …[the apostates] because of the word of their
witnessing,” and these would “ not love their
souls even in the face of death.” (Revela-tion 12:11) To their way of thinking, apostateslook forward to certain death in Armageddon.This view is encouraged by the fulfillment ofthe following verse: “When the dragon sawthat he had been hurled to the earth, he
pursued the woman who had given birth to
the male child.” (Revelation 12:13, NIV) Some of the apostates turn to other religionsafter their disfellowshipping. In the style of theBiblical picture of ‘ten men taking hold of the
skirt of a man who is a Jew,’ this developmentis depicted by the dragon class pursuing, orfollowing, Frigg. – Zechariah 8:23.
Disfellowshipping is no more done this way today
In actual fact though, the apostates will noperish in Armageddon but rather live a full lifeJohn saw one of them as he “stood still uponthe sand of the sea.” (Revelation 13:1) Yesafter their departure from Jehovah’s Witness
es, the apostates can “get a firm hold on threal life” and afford a holiday at the seaside.
1 Timothy 6:19.
Apostates can afford
a holiday at the seasideand ‘stand still upon
the sand of the sea’
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4: THE “WILD BEAST” AND ITS IMAGE IDENTIFIED
“All the earth followed the wild beast with admiration.” (Revelation 13:3)
Now someone else appears on the scene.John sees “a wild beast ascending out ofthe sea, with ten horns and seven heads,
and upon its horns ten diadems, but upon
its heads blasphemous names.” (Revela-
tion 13:3) This animal is the Internet. The“seven heads” represent the huge amount of
information that can be found there; even aperson with “seven heads” could not grasp it
entirely. The number ten represents complete-ness in the Bible; hence the ten horns and ten
diadems imply the Internet’s global scale; it ispresent everywhere.
The beast had “upon its heads blasphemous
names,” and likewise the Internet contains
many blasphemous websites. Infidels, fanatics,devil worshippers and mockers have theirpresences and ridicule believers and unbeliev-ers, God and men.
John explains: “The wild beast that I sawwas like a leopard.” (Revelation 13:2) The
typical marks of the leopard are his spots. TheGerman edition of Encyclopaedia Wikipedia says regarding his fur: “Even the ancientGreeks saw their God of fertility and of sexualexcess, Dionysus, dressed like that. Insofar it’s
no wonder that in societies that were lesseropen sexually, the leopard was brought intobad repute – the spots on his fur quickly turnedinto defilement, to a sign of sin.”
Indeed, sexual excess can be found every-
where in the Internet. With a few clicks, youcan defile yourself. The comparison of the In-ternet with the leopard is really fitting. Butthen John says: “Its feet were as those of abear.” – Revelation 13:2 .
Brown bears have very large and curveclaws, up to 10 centimeters in length. Withthese they can cause great harm, just as thInternet can cause great harm. US psychologisKimberley S. Young assumed that five to tenpercent of Internet users are addicted to it.
The heavy brown bear – he can weigh up t780 kilograms – can trample down everythinthat gets in his way. In a similar way, manindependent shops have to close down becausthey are ‘trampled down’ by e-commerce com
panies. Finally, John adds: “Its mouth was aa lion’s mouth.” (Revelation 13:2) A lioroars so that everyone can hear it. The samcan be said of websites: Everyone can reathem.
The Internet revolutionized the world infew years. Newspaper, telephone, radio, TVpostal service, library, photo laboratory – athat and much more the Internet offerthrough the computer in your home. No wondethat the Revelation says: “All the earth followed the wild beast with admiration. …
And they worshiped the wild beast with th
words: ‘Who is like the wild beast?’” – Reve
lation 13:3, 4.
“Who is like the wild beast?”
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Global Distribution
Shortly after that, John says: “Authoritywas given it over every tribe and people
and tongue and nation. And all those who
dwell on the earth will worship it.” (Reve-
lation 13:7, 8) Indeed, the Internet is accessi-
ble all over the world, to “every tribe and peo-ple and tongue and nation.” The online ency-
clopedia Wikipedia alone is available in 271languages – around twice as much as theWatchtower.
Granted, right now not “all those who dwell
on the earth” do “worship,” i. e. use, the Inter-
net. But in November 2005 during the UNWorld Summit on the Information Society, 174countries declared their aim to provide access
to information and knowledge to all people, andthe Internet will play a major role in theachievement of this goal. The One Laptop PerChild program (OLPC) too will contribute tomaking “all those who dwell on the earth” use
the Internet.
Then we get to know: “ A mouth speaking great things and blasphemies was given
it, and authority to act forty-two months
was given it.” (Revelation 13:5) Forty-two
months – three and a half years – are the aver-age lifetime of a computer before it is outmodedand must be replaced. Hence “great things andblasphemies” would persist in the Internet as
long as it exists. Like “a mouth” the Internet is
a mouthpiece for everyone who wants to saysomething.
Apostates Utilize the Internet
Relating to this, John also says: “The
dragon gave to the beast its power.” (Reve-
lation 13:2) As shown in the previous chapter,the “dragon” represents Jehovah’s Witnesses
who started to think about their religion. Theyare fighting side by side with ‘Michael and his
angels’ – already disfellowshipped apostates – to uncover the truth about the so-called “truth.”
They ‘give to the beast their power’ by usin
the Internet for their battle. And both groupcan anomyously communicate with each othethrough the Internet, without the risk of beinexposed and disfellowshipped for the dragonclass.
The prophecy continues: “It opened itmouth in blasphemies against God, tblaspheme his name and his residence
even those residing in heaven. And ther
was granted it to wage war with the holy
ones and conquer them.” (Revelation 13:6
7) “Those residing in heaven” are the self
appointed “anointed” Jehovah’s Witnesses wh
consider themselves “the holy ones of the Su
preme One” and claim to become heavenlkings after their death. (Daniel 7:18) They view
Brooklyn as God’s “residence” and think thewould bear “his name.”
Apostates use the Internet to spread “blas
phemies” against these persons, that is, t
uncover their lies and false doctrines. Finallthey will “conquer them” by making thei
members run away. But not all Jehovah’s Wit
nesses will allow apostates to free them fromthe cult’s clutches: “If anyone is meant fo
captivity, he goes away into captivity.
(Revelation 13:10) Who definitely refuses t
listen will just remain imprisoned by Jehovah’Witnesses.
“If anyone is meant for captivity,
he goes away into captivity.”
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The Internet Becomes Visible
Now John is moved back in time and gets to
know how the Internet’s triumph started. He
reports: “I saw another wild beast ascend-
ing out of the earth, and it had two horns
like a lamb, but it began speaking as a
dragon.” (Revelation 13:11) This “other wildbeast” is the European Organization for Nucle-
ar Research, known as CERN . The institution
does research on physical fundamentals, main-
ly for civil use as indicated by the “two horns
like a lamb.”
However it “began speaking as a dragon”
whose prominent feature are his “seven heads.”Indeed, news releases from CERN are usuallywritten in highly scientific language, so thatonly a mastermind – so to speak, someone with
“seven heads” – can understand them. “Here iswhere wisdom comes in,” John adds – Reve-lation 13:18.
The Number and Image of the Beast
Now he confirms the identity of the wild
beast another time: “Let the one that hasintelligence calculate the number of the
wild beast, for it is a man’s number; andits number is six hundred and sixty-six.”
(Revelation 13:18) This exact statement pro-vides solid evidence for the fact that the “wildbeast” is the CERN, for the distance from theluminosity detector ALFA to the luminosity
monitor LUCID at CERN’s Large Hadron Col-lider amounts to exactly 666 pyramid inches.*
But only “the one that has intelligence” recog-
nizes that the pyramid inch is “a man’s num-
ber” and not inspired by God.
* According to the metric system, the distance is 17 m; regar-ding the pyramid inch see Millenial Dawn, volume III, Thy Kingdom Come, Chapter 10: The Testimony of God’s StoneWitness and Prophet, the Great Pyramid in Egypt.
John describes how the CERN substantiallchanged our world: “It makes the earth andthose who dwell in it worship the first wild
beast, … while it tells those who dwell on
the earth to make an image to the wild
beast. … And there was granted it to giv
breath to the image of the wild beast, s
that the image of the wild beast should ..
speak.” (Revelation 13:12, 14, 15) In th1980s, the “wild beast” – the Internet – wadifficult to use and only accessible for a smalnumber of people. There was no possibility t“speak” there, that is, to present oneself with
website.
But the CERN ‘made an image to the wilbeast’ by inventing the World Wide Web. Nowthe Internet got a visible user interface andcould start its triumph. It was Tim BernersLee from the CERN who ‘gave breath to thimage of the wild beast’ by developing the firs
web browser. Now the Internet could “speak,
i. e. everyone could speak out on his ownhomepage.
The naming is yet another proof of the identity of the “wild beast.” The letter W corresponds to the Hebrew Waw; hence WWW iWaw Waw Waw in Hebrew. As Waw is th
sixth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, WWWcorresponds to the number 666.†
By developing the first web browser, the
CERN gave breath to the World Wide Web
† For further information see Appendix D.
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E-Commerce
The invention of the World Wide Web hadserious impact on the economy. John says:“It puts under compulsion all persons, the
small and the great, and the rich and the
poor, and the free and the slaves, that they
should give these a mark … and that no-body might be able to buy or sell except a
person having the mark, the name of the
wild beast or the number of its name.”
(Revelation 13:16, 17) As a matter of fact, theInternet becomes more and more important toeveryone who wants to “buy or sell” anything.
Commercial experts say that the spreading ofe-commerce will force many local retailers toclose down. Thus anytime soon it will be almostimpossible to “buy or sell” certain goods with-
out “having the mark” of the Internet, that is,
an e-mail address, and “the number of itsname,” an IP address.
Totalitarian systems frown upon the possi-bility for their subjects to gather informationfrom the Internet. A little later, John hearsan “angel” – representing the “faithful anddiscreet slave” of Jehovah’s Witnesses – say:“If anyone … receives a mark on his fore-
head or upon his hand, he will also drink
of the wine of the anger of God … and he
shall be tormented with fire and sulphur
in the sight of the holy angels and in the
sight of the Lamb. … Day and night they
have no rest, ... whoever receives the mark
of its name.” – Revelation 14:9-11.
True, if a Jehovah’s Witness makes wise
use of the Internet and so gets in contact withapostates, ‘day and night he has no rest.’ He
will inevitably start to meditate and finally
understand the truth behind the so-called“truth.” Sooner or later, such a person will “be
tormented with fire and sulphur,” that is, sub-mitted to torturous examination by the elderswho consider themselves as earthly representa-tives of “the holy angels.”
Jehovah’s Witnesses also threaten sucpeople with “the wine of the anger of God,saying: “The Internet can be a means by whichSatan overreaches those who are seduced by itpower.” (Our Kingdom Ministry, Novembe1999, page 6) But “here is where it meanendurance.” (Revelation 14:12) Sincer
persons must not bow to the elder’s pressure brelinquishing their fundamental right of freedom of information.
May we also consider that in actual factJehovah’s Witnesses are those who ‘day an
night have no rest,’ for they are always occu
pied with meetings, field ministry and othe“theocratic activies.” They are the ones whom“a voice out of heaven” refers to: “Happare the dead who die in union with th
Lord. … Yes, says the spirit, let them res from their labors, for the things they did
g o right with them.” – Revelation 14:13 .
After their death, Jehovah’s Witnesses
can ‘rest from their labors’
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When Jehovah’s Witnesses die, they can
consider themselves fortunate because they can
now “rest from their labors” – their tight
schedule with field witnessing, meetings, per-
sonal study, review of the daily text etc. But
the people in their preaching territory too can
consider themselves happy because “the thingsthey did go right with them.” Old people have
plenty of time and can go out into the ministry
at impossible times. After their death, the ter-
ritory will likely be assigned to a younger pub-
lisher who calls only on Saturdays, when the
homeowners are out anyway.
The Greater Simon Cowell
Next, John witnesses a heavenly casting
show: “The Lamb standing upon the Mount
Zion, and with him a hundred and forty-
four thousand. … And I heard a sound out
of heaven as the sound of many waters and
as the sound of loud thunder; and the
sound that I heard was as of singers. …
And they are singing as if a new song be-
fore the throne and before the four living
creatures and the elders; and no one was
able to master that song but the hundredand forty- four thousand.” – Revelation
14:1-3 .
The “sound of many waters” indicates the
instrumental accompaniment where drums
– that sound like “loud thunder” – play a major
role. John hears a voice “as of singers,” because
the 144,000 candidates are no (professional)
singers yet. Originally, a “great crowd” had
come to the castings on earth to audition, but
only 144,000 were able to “master that song”
and stand up to the jury. They are invited to
heaven where they have to perform “a new
song … before the four living creatures and the
elders.”
With 144,000 candidates, the event cantake some time, so some partitipants may falasleep. The elders have the obligation to wakthem up when it’s their turn with the words
“Awake, awake, utter a song!” (Judges 5:12
But it’s worth the effort, because Jesus Chris – the greater Simon Cowell – promises th
candidates: “To everyone who wins the victoryI will give some of the hidden food. I will alsgive each one a white stone with a new namwritten on it.” (Revelation 2:17, CEV ). Yesaside from a meal and a white pebble, the winner will also receive “a new name,” similar tartists on earth who bear a stage name.
But the winners will not be allowed to perform in heaven, as this privilege is reserved fothe angels. Rather they are instructed: “Sing t
Jehovah a new song, … you men that are goindown to the sea.” (Isaiah 42:10) Indeed, the
are “cast into the sea” to declare the good new
to the fish. – Matthew 21:21.
What about the losers of the contest? Sincthey claimed to carry a tune, they were revealed to be liars. And “all the liars, their por
tion will be in the lake that burns with fire ansulphur.” – Revelation 21:8.
The 144,000 candidates have to
audition before the heavenly jury
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“The Harvest of the Earth”
Now John changes the subject: “I saw,and, look! a white cloud, and upon the
cloud someone seated like a son of man,
with … a sharp sickle in his hand. And
another angel emerged from the temple
sanctuary, crying with a loud voice to theone seated on the cloud: ‘ Put your sickle in
and reap, because the hour has come to
reap, for the harvest of the earth is thor-
oughly ripe.’” (Revelation 14:15) The “son ofman” depicts the elders of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
They are ordinary men, but have arrogated anelevated position and are, so to speak, sitting‘upon a cloud.’ They supervise the gathering inof the “kingdom fruit,” the preaching work. At
the end of every month, “another angel” – the“faithful and discreet slave” – demands them togather in the “harvest,” that is, the f ield servicereports.
But it doesn’t remain unobserved that the
Watchtower Society exploits its followers aspreaching slaves. “Still another angelemerged from the temple sanctuary that is
in heaven, he, too, having a sharp sickle.
And still another angel emerged from the
altar and he had authority over the fire.
And he called out with a loud voice to the
one that had the sharp sickle, saying: ‘Put your sharp sickle in and gather the clus-
ters of the vine of the earth, because its
grapes have become ripe.’” (Revelation
14:17, 18) The two angels are instructed byGod to put an end to the slave drivers in Brook-lyn.
The Watchtower
Society has still
a good grip
on its followers
“The angel thrust his sickle into th
earth and gathered the vine of the earth
and he hurled it into the great winepress o
the anger of God.” (Revelation 14:19) Somday the leaders of the Watchtower Society wilbe ‘hurled into the great winepress of the ange
o God.’ Why do they deserve such punishment
John explains: “Blood came out of the wine press as high up as the bridles of the horses for a distance of a thousand six hundred
furlongs.” (Revelation 14:20) This organization has incurred great bloodguilt. The first bookby Judge Rutherford was The Finished Mysteryand as it explains, “a thousand six hunderefurlongs” (222 kilometers) equate exactly to th
distance between Scranton (where it was written) and Brooklyn (where it was printed). (pag230) That clearly shows that the bloodguilstarted with this president, who transformed
loose alliance of wackos into a tightly organizearmy of preachers.
Are we not glad about the great privilege ohaving a share in treading “the great wine
press of the anger of God?” May we continue t
support “Michael and his angels” and the dragon class! Let us fight side by side to uncovethe truth behind the “truth” and to free sincer
people from this organization!
The Finished Mystery, 1918 edition, page 230
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5: MUNICH’S OKTOBERFEST IN GOD’S PURPOSE
“ The seven angels with the seven plagues emerged from the sanctuary, clothed with clean,
bright linen and girded about their breasts with golden girdles.” (Revelation 15:6)
The previous chapters showed how the Rev-
elation foretold the emergence of the World
Wide Web, and we witnessed a heavenly cast-
ing show. Slow but surely the Revelation now
heads for its dramatic climax. John “saw in
heaven another sign, great and wonderful,
seven angels with seven plagues.” (Revela-
tion 15:1) He describes the plagues as “won-
derful” because he is looking forward to God’s
judgment on unbelievers.Before the seven angels can bring their
plagues upon the earth, John is in a vision
transferred to the Oktoberfest in Munich. He
reports: “I saw what seemed to be a glassy
sea mingled with fire.” (Revelation 15:2)
It’s fair to call the many glassy beer mugs at
the Oktoberfest “a glassy sea.” About 300,000
liters of beer are drunk there every day. And
the festival is illuminated at night, so that the
“sea” of beer mugs looks as if it was “mingled
with fire.”
The glassy sea
The Oktoberfest looks like “mingled with fire” at nigh
John sees at the Oktoberfest “the onewho had defeated the beast and the ido
and the number.” (Revelation 15:2) Man
commentators claim that the “beast” refers tthe roast chicken, of which more than 25,00are “defeated” or eaten every day. But a
shown in the previous chapter, the “beast” i
the internet, and its image is the World WidWeb. The verse points out that the Oktoberfesis overcrowded. Only someone who ‘defeats’ th
Internet-based reservation system and obtaina reservation can bore his way to the “glass
sea” in the evening.
Regarding those “standing by the glassysea,” John says that they are “having harpof God. And they are singing the song o
Moses.” (Revelation 15:2, 3) Many of thfestival-goers are so drunken that they consider their beer mugs as “harps of God”; they feelike the famous “native of Munich in heaven
and start singing.
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Religious Service
John further says to God: “All the nationswill come and worship before you.” (Reve-
lation 15:4) Indeed, the Oktoberfest attractsmillions of visitors every year, “a great crowd
… out of all nations and tribes and peoples and
tongues.” (Revelation 7:9) They “worship beforeGod” who instructed his servants to drink alco-
hol. He himself said: “Look! My own servants
will drink.” (Isaiah 65:13) Jesus too drank wine
and commanded his disciples: “Keep doing
this.” (1 Corinthians 11:25) Hence the attend-ance of the Oktoberfest can be considered assacred service.
John continues: “After these things I saw,and the sanctuary of the tent of the wit-
ness was opened.” (Revelation 15:5) The
“sanctuary of the tent of the witness” repre-sents the beer tents of which there are current-ly 29 at the Oktoberfest. At 10:30pm the sellingof drinks ends, and at 11:30pm the tents areclosed. At this time their doors are “opened”
because the visitors stream out in flocks.
“The seven angels with the seven
plagues emerged from the sanctuary.”
(Revelation 15:6) The number seven repre-sents perfection or completeness in the Bible.Thus the “seven angels” depict the total num-
ber of festival goers who will get into “the sevenplagues,” that is, all kinds of aftermaths oftheir alcohol intake, latest the next morning.They were “clothed with clean, bright linenand girded about their breasts,” a descrip-tion that perfectly fits the traditional Bavariandress. – Revelation 15:6 .
Now John watches another day of the festi-val: “One of the four living creatures gavethe seven angels seven golden bowls.”
(Revelation 15:7) The “four living creatures”are the beer-tent operators whose tents arespread in all four directions. “Angel” means“messenger,” and the “seven angels” are quasi
messengers of the landlords, serving “golden
bowls”
– beer mugs with golden shining beer – to theguests.
Further Details
John further reports: “The sanctuary became filled with smoke.” ( Revelation 15:8
Smoking is still allowed in Bavarian beer tentshence they are “filled with smoke” contrary t
normal taverns.
Finally, John witnesses a situation that iunfortunately quite common: “No one waable to enter into the sanctuary” because aseats were taken and no more visitors werallowed to enter the beer tents. – Revelation15:8.
Indeed, the Oktoberfest in Munich bringhonor to Jehovah, who once “began to awake a
from sleeping, like a mighty one sobering upfrom wine.” (Psalm 78:65) Jehovah then “wen
striking down his adversaries from behind;
many visitors of the Oktoberfest become “imi
tators of God” by picking a fight after drinkin
beer. (Psalm 78:66; Ephesians 5:1) Yes, Godinstructs us to ‘strike all our enemies on th
jaw’ and commands: “The teeth of wicked one
you will have to break.” (Psalm 3:7) Are we no
happy about our great privileges in Jehovah’
service?
Drinking in “the sanctuary of the tent”
brings honor to Jehovah
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6: GOD’S WONDERFUL PLAGUES
“I saw in heaven another sign, great and wonderful, seven angels with seven plagues.” (Revelation 15:1)
Even before the vision of the Oktoberfest,
John mentioned “another sign, great andwonderful, seven angels with seven
plagues.” (Revelation 15:1) Now he explainsthis vision in more detail and illustrates the‘wonderful plagues’ that God will bring upon
the earth. God himself commands: “Go and pour out the seven bowls of the anger of
God into the earth.” – Revelation 16:1
John reports: “The first one went off and poured out his bowl into the earth. And a
hurtful and malignant ulcer came to beupon the men that had the mark of the
wild beast.” (Revelation 16:2) As explainedbefore, the “wild beast” is the Internet, and its“mark,” the “number of its name,” is the IP
address. This address identifies every comput-er that is connected to the Internet.
So the “hurtful and malignant ulcer” affects
all users of the Internet. Many are afflicted bycomputer viruses and other malware programsthat befall the computer like a “malignant
ulcer.” And no one who avails himself of theInternet can avoid unsolicited e-mail. It is es-timated that spam mail makes up about 95 %of all e-mails. Indeed a “hurtful and malignant”ulcer that God brings upon mankind!
Spam is “a hurtful and malignant ulcer”
Punishment for China
The second bowl carries us some decade
back in time: “The second one poured ou
his bowl into the sea. And it became blood
as of a dead man, and every living sou
died, yes, the things in the sea.” (Revela
tion 16:3) The “sea” represents China, tha
back in 1949 already had 600,000 inhabitant
– truly a “sea of people!” In that year Ma
Zedong introduced communism in China, s
that the country became red, like “blood as of dead man.” During his reign, not literally “eve
ry living soul died,” but still up to 76 million
people – more as the population of many na
tions.
China was punished for that: “The third
one poured out his bowl into the rivers and
the fountains of the waters. And they be
came blood. … They poured out the blood
of holy ones and of prophets. … They deserve it.” (Revelation 16:4, 6) Indeed, eve
after Mao’s rule the Chinese government kep
killing ‘prophets’ who pointed towards nuisanc
es. That’s why God plagued them with a num
ber of disastrous floods, each killing thousand
and making millions homeless.
Jehovah punished the nation for the gov
ernment’s offenses, just as he did in David’
time. (1 Chronicles 21:11, 12) Hence Johblesses him: “True and righteous are you
judicial decisions.” – Revelation 16:7 .
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Global Warming
Now John describes the fourth plague thatwill soon strike all the earth: “The fourth one poured out his bowl upon the sun; and to
the sun it was granted to scorch the men
with fire. And the men were scorched with
great heat.” (Revelation 16:8, 9) That de-scribes the global warming which is alreadyunder way. Scientists predict a temperaturerise of up to 9 F within the next hundred years,so that many people will indeed be exposed to“great heat.” Human efforts will not be able to
stop the climate change since it is caused byGod, not by CO2 emission.
George W. Bush
Finally “the fifth one poured out his
bowl upon the throne of the wild beast. And its kingdom became darkened.” (Reve-
lation 16:10) As mentioned before, the “wildbeast” is the Internet, and its “throne” or cen-
ter are the root DNS servers that largely residein the United States. This “kingdom became
darkened” when George W. Bush became pres-
ident on January 20, 2001.
Under his rule, the following prophecy wasfulfilled: “They began to gnaw their tongues for their pain.” (Revelation 16:10) DuringGeorge W. Bush’s first term, the United States
started two wars that caused great “pain.”
Unfortunately, the Americans “did not repentof their works” but reelected George W. Bushfor another term in office. – Revelation 16:11.
China’s Three Gorges Dam
During his second term, the country wahaunted by devastating natural disastersamong others by Hurricane Katrina in 200that claimed the lives of roughly 1,800 peopland cost around 80 billion USD. People “blas phemed the God of heaven,” that is, thweather-God, for these calamities. (Revelation16:11) But in actual fact, these plagues wersent by Jehovah upon the United State – maybe as a punishment for their toleranctowards false prophets. – Matthew 24:45; Isaiah 21:8.
Political Changes
Now John is brought back to China: “Thsixth one poured out his bowl upon th
great river Euphrates, and its water wa
dried up, that the way might be prepared for the kings from the rising of the sun.
(Revelation 16:12) The modern-day “Euphrates” is the river Yangtze Kiang, whose regula
floods bring death and grief upon the people(Revelation 16:4) In the year 2006 the flood“was dried up” in a manner of speaking whe
the Three Gorges Dam was finished. This damis believed to prevent flood disasters in thfuture. Hence it ‘prepared the way’ to economi
cal and technical dominance for “the kings from
the rising of the sun,” the Chinese.
A Battle
Now John witnesses a totally different scene. He sees: “three unclean inspired expressions that looked like frogs come out of th
mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth
of the wild beast and out of the mouth o
the false prophet.” (Revelation 16:13) ThChinese consider the dragon as forebear o
humankind. According to Encyclopaedia Wikipedia, “an alternate name that many Chinespeoples use to refer to themselves is ‘Descendants of the Dragon.’” Hence the “dragon” see
by John depicts China, while the “wild beast” i
still the Internet.
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The “false prophet” is the Watchtower Soci-
ety that constantly warns of “the war of the great day of God the Almighty,” without thisday really coming. (Revelation 16:14) Allthree – the “dragon”, the “wild beast” and “the
false prophet” – speak badly of the other two.
China has banned the Watchtower religion andfears the internet. The Internet contains much
critical information about China and about theWatchtower Society. And the Watchtower Soci-
ety criticizes the lack of religious freedom inChina and advises against the Internet.
While the utterances of the Watchtower So-ciety “are, in fact, expressions inspired bydemons,” the contents of the Internet are “in-
spired” by “daemons,” as background processes
on linux-based web servers are called. (Reve-lation 16:14) At this point, John leaves us in
the dark regarding the outcome of this conflict,
but according to another vision “the wild beast
… will … conquer them and kill them.” – Reve-lation 11:7.
Be Aware of Jesus
John reminds us again that we have to be
on the watch so that Jesus cannot mug us,
since he said: “Look! I am coming as athief.” (Revelation 16:15) We are warned:“Happy is the one that stays awake and
keeps his outer garments, that he may not
walk naked.” (Revelation 16:15) Indeed, we
should take care of our valuables. When wesleep at night, Jesus could burgle our houseand steal our clothes, so that we would have toleave our home in nightgown the next morning.
Jehovah’s Witnesses are known for gather-
ing in Kingdom Halls, convention halls and
sport stadiums. But finally they are gatheredtogether “to the place that is called in He-brew Har-Ma gedon.” (Revelation 16:16) There they will come to an end, just as King
Josiah perished near Megiddo. – 2 Kings 23:29.
The Final Plague
Again, John gets transferred to a totally different scene: “The seventh one poured ouhis bowl upon the air. … And lightning
and voices and thunders occurred, and a
great earthquake occurred.” (Revelation
16:17, 18) He sees a modern high-speed traiand the small “lightnings” that emerge at itpantographs in damp weather. It sounds lik“thunders” to the people living near the ra
line when a train passes by; and the groundnext to the tracks shakes as at “a great earth
quake.” Inside of the train, however, the “voic
es” of the conductors can be heard as they apol
ogize for the delay of the train.
Indeed, the seven plagues that God bringupon mankind are really “great and wonder
ful.” (Revelation 16:1) Isn’t it sparkling to sethe prophecy fulfill right before our eyes?
191
192
196
The Watchtower Society is “the false prophet”
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7: THE END OF THE “GREAT HARLOT” IS NEAR!
“The woman whom you saw means the great city that has
a kingdom over the kings of the earth.” (Revelation 17:18)
Now John receives another vision that willbe fulfilled in the near future. An angel ex-plains: “Babylon the Great was rememberedin the sight of God. … Also, every island
fled, and mountains were not found.”
(Revelation 16:19, 20) Who is “Babylon theGreat?” We will soon find that out. However,
the judgment over it includes the disappearingof “every island” and “mountains” – clearly adescription of the rising sea level.
John explains: “And a great hail with
every stone about the weight of a talentdescended out of heaven upon the men. …
The plague of it was unusually great.”
(Revelation 16:21) Indeed, such hailstormswere not known in former times, but they willbecome common due to the climate change.
The “Great Harlot” identified
Finally an angel tells John: “Come, I willshow you the judgment upon the great
harlot who sits on many waters.” (Revela-
tion 17:1) It is evident who is depicted by the“great harlot.” She represents the Netherlands,
where harlotry is prevalent – there are morethan 10,000 prostitutes in Amsterdam alone,more than four times as much as in Hamburg.This country “sits on many waters” and has
Europe’s largest port.
John further says that “those who inhabitthe earth were made drunk with the wine
of her fornication.” (Revelation 17:2) Likely
he did not know any stronger intoxitant than“wine,” but of course he referred to the drugsthat are obtainable everywhere in Holland.John, who took of these drugs himself, reports:“He carried me away in the power of the
spirit into a wilderness.” (Revelation 17:3) He lost his bearings and felt as flying around ina wilderness.
When he could think straight again, h“caught sight of a woman sitting upon ascarlet-colored wild beast;” she “waadorned with gold and precious stone and
pearls and had in her hand a golden cup.
(Revelation 17:3, 4) In this verse, the Netherlands are depicted as a woman wearing a leopard textured costume. “Gold and precious ston
and pearls” symbolize the enourmous wealth
that the Netherlands once had. The Encyclo paedia Wikipedia says about the so-calle Dutch Golden Age in the 17th century: “Durin
the later part of the 16th century the Dutch …began to dominate world trade.”
John says: “Upon her forehead was written a name, a mystery: ‘Babylon the Great
the mother of the harlots.’” (Revelation
17:5) Indeed, prostitution has a long traditionin Holland, so that this country can rightfullbe called “mother of the harlots.” Of course thwomen work discreetly, so that the names otheir customers remain “a mystery.”
For a nearly 100-year old man who spenhis whole life with the Bible, the sight of thiwoman must have been very odd. He reports“On catching sight of her I wondered with
great wonderment.” – Revelation 17:6 .
It was the first time that John saw a harlot
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The “Wild Beast”
But there is not much time for John to han-
dle this sensory input. The angel tells him: “I
will tell you the mystery of the woman and
of the wild beast.” (Revelation 17:7) The
“wild beast” is the Koninklijke Nederlandse
Voetbal Bond (KNVB) that makes up the Dutch
national soccer team. The angel continues:
“The wild beast that you saw was, but is
not, and yet is about to ascend out of the
abyss.” (Revelation 17:8) Indeed, the great
victories of this team were way back; the last
time they reached a world cup final was 1978,
and in 1988 they were European champion for
the last time.
Currently the team may exist, “but is not”
very successful. In few years though they will
“ascend out of the abyss” and maybe even be-
come world champion. Then “those who dwell
on the earth will wonder admiringly.”
(Revelation 17:8) However, soon after that
the beast depicting the Dutch national soccer
team will “go off into destruction.” (Revela-
tion 17:8) Regarding those who admire their
success, the Bible says: “Their names have
not been written upon the scroll of life
from the founding of the world.” (Revela-
tion 17:8) Dutch soccer supporters have no
hope for everlasting life.
Details About Holland
Next the angel mentions “seven