ANOTHER COFFEE BREAK: BABYLON IS FALLING DOWN, Part 4

Babylon is Falling Down,  Part 4

May 24, 2013

Have you been noticing how the pace of events has quickened in the orchestration of the Holy Spirit?  Have you seen in your spirit how, as the darkness of the age increases, the Holy Spirit reveals the heart of the Lord Jesus Christ all the more?  Many have and are seeing and experiencing some of the most profound revelations in the Holy of Holies — in the place of intimate worship.  But this is only a foretaste of all that the Lord Jesus has purposed.  Consider Isaiah 60:1-2.

"Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.  For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee."

No Scripture could more accurately describe where we are today.  The ever-growing scandals that plague the White House and the current administration only reflect the degree of darkness that has been creeping over this nation.  We love to pounce on the Obama administration for its leadership failures and the flagrant abuses of our nation's Constitution, but let's face it , folks!  This administration is in power only because many people who name the name of Jesus Christ and call themselves Christians have been lulled to sleep, having been deceived by the darkness that calls itself light or "enlightenment."  A majority of the evangelical body of believers (and I use that word rather cautiously) supported the administration and voted to keep this administration in power.  Their spiritual discernment was virtually nonexistent ... or compromised!

Why?  Because of Babylon.  Because of the darkness and the treachery of the spirit of Babylon.  The deception and manipulation which are part and parcel of Babylon create a false sense of security and blind people to the truth of what is actually taking place.  But this is no time for commiserating over past failures and stupid decisions.  The darkness and gross darkness Isaiah describes are ripe for the invasion of the Glory!

We've never been at a point like this in history -- for reasons I'm getting into as we progress with this series.  We've never been at such a place for the Glory of the Lord to literally explode before this darkening world, and this increasing age of darkness.  The Lord Jesus Christ is preparing to put on a display of Himself in His people such as the world has never seen!

Buckle your seatbelt!  We've got a little more groundwork to lay as this picture of Babylon unfolds before you.  We wrapped up last week talking about the importance and the significance of Tyre and Sidon, and Ezekiel's prophecies concerning them.

Tyre and Sidon were two of the principal cities of the Amorites.  The Amorites had as their primary characteristic -- and it was central to their onoma -- the need to be in control, the need to be in power, at any cost.  They used deceit, treachery, manipulation, enticements, witchcraft -- whatever they could find -- to gain control and mastery over literally everyone with whom they came into contact.  They purposely identified themselves with Godly leaders in order to gain influence.

Although this has been discussed in much greater detail in the series that I did on the Seven Nations & Seven Letters, for the sake of a brief review, consider Adonizedek, the Amorite king whom Joshua overthrew at Makkedah.  "Adonizedek" was a title -- an appellation -- he took for himself when he subdued the Jebusites who had occupied the citadel Shem (the son of Noah) had built in Canaan.  Shem had called the citadel, "Salem."

Because of Shem's acts, his powerful presence in  Canaan as a symbol of righteousness, and the military might and strategy he employed, the Canaanites gave him the name and/or title, "Malkiy - Tsedeq" (a royal identity we have come to know as, "Melchizedek, the King of Salem"), which meant, "The King of Righteousness."  For hundreds of years ("without beginning, or end of days," was the way he was known and described) Shem was revered in the land as a righteous leader -- a true representative of God Almighty.

After Shem's death (which occurred in the year Joseph was 17 years of age, and sold into slavery in Egypt), the Jebusites gained control of the citadel he had built and occupied for something close to 500 years.  The Jebusites renamed the citadel, "Jebus."  Some years later, Adonizedek, an Amorite king, subdued the Jebusites at Jebus (later to be known in David's time as Jerusalem).  He established an altar for Baal (or Marduk) in the citadel, and became both King and high priest of Baal-worship.  He took for himself a title which gave him name association with Shem (and the esteem to go with it), "Adoniy - Tsedeq," the Lord of Righteousness.

In so doing, he usurped both the name and the image of the righteousness of God.  His reign was short-lived, however.  He was one of the first targets the Lord directed Joshua to strike as he began his military campaign to take the land of Canaan.  Adonizedek was overthrown, along with four other Amorite kings, and killed at Makkedah.

Og, who was another of those five Amorite kings killed at Makkedah, was the king of Bashan, a territory to the east of the Sea of Galilee.  One of the primary Amorite cities of this territory was called Geshur.

Several centuries later, the King of Geshur, Talmai, sought to make an alliance with David, and protect himself from invasion by David and the armies of Israel.  The King of Geshur gave his daughter, Maacah (whose name was also spelled, “Maachah”), as a present to David to become one of David's wives.  It is a classic pattern of Satan’s tactic of contamination-by-compromise.  It turned out to be one of David's most serious  blunders.

David and Maacah had a son.  His name was Absalom.  Infected by the spirit of the Amorites which came through his mother -- in particular manifesting itself as treachery, manipulation and control -- Absalom rose up against his father, David, and attempted to take the throne away from him.  This effort failed, and Absalom lost his life.  Not before Absalom had a daughter, however, whom he named after his mother, Maachah.

Guess what?  The spirit of the Amorites tried again to infiltrate the throne of David.  This time, the plan succeeded.  Patiently, the spirit waited until after the death of Solomon, who was Absalom's brother.  Solomon, as we know, succeeded David to the throne of Israel, and ruled for 40 years as his father, David, had done.

When Solomon died his son, Rehoboam, took the throne.  Wouldn't you know it, Rehoboam falls in love with none other than his cousin, Maachah, the daughter of Absalom, the granddaughter of Maacah, the wife of David.

Got the picture?

We are told (in II Chronicles 11:21) that "Rehoboam loved Maachah, the daughter of Absalom, above all his wives and concubines..."  We have been told in one of the preceding verses (verse 17) that "for three years [Rehoboam] walked in the way of David and Solomon."  Rehoboam had scarcely married Maachah when we are told (chapter 12, verse 1), "When Rehoboam had established the kingdom, and had strengthened himself, he forsook the law of the Lord, and all Israel with him." 

Not only that, he abolished the ministry of praise and worship established by his grandfather, David, and dismissed the descendants of Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun from their place of ministry to the Lord.

See what the spirit of the Amorites does?  It hates the true worship of God!  It despises and fears an intimate love-relationship between God and His people.

Israel was divided immediately amidst civil war.  Jeroboam came up out of Egypt and took ten tribes with him.  Rehoboam was left with Judah and Benjamin, ruling for another 14 years.

Ahhh, but wait!  The spirit of the Amorites is not through doing its dirty work on the throne of David.  Watch what happens next.

Rehoboam and Maachah had a son, whose name was Abijah.  Even though Abijah was not Rehoboam's firstborn son, he was made King in Rehoboam's stead, following his death.  Abijah only ruled for three years.  He survived long enough to make war against Jeroboam, who had divided the nation of Israel and taken ten tribes away from his father's kingdom.  His mother, Maachah, continued on as the power behind the throne, being referred to as the "Queen Mother."

Abijah's son -- and Maachah's grandson -- Asa, took the throne of Judah.  For another ten plus years, Maacah continued as the driving force behind the throne of Judah.  True to her Amorite heritage, she raised up idols and images of Baal, and planted a grove of trees to conceal the abominable sexual practices which were perpetuated as a part of the worship of Baal.  Not until the prophet, Oded, delivered the word of the Lord to Asa in his eleventh year as King of Judah, did Asa remove Maachah from being "Queen Mother." (see II Chronicles 15:16)  Yet, the contamination of the spirit of the Amorites had done its work.

Twenty-five years later, following incredible victories which the Lord had given to Asa, the King of Israel (now, Baasha) prepared for war against Judah.  Instead of relying on the Lord, who had given him such military victories as to gain fame for Asa throughout that entire region of the world, Asa turned instead to Ben-Hadad, the King of Syria, for  military assistance.  He raided the house of the Lord, taking silver, gold, and many precious treasures, and gave them to Ben-Hadad.

With his allegiance to Judah purchased with the treasures out of the house of the Lord, Ben-Hadad threw the weight of his military force behind Asa, and they defeated Baasha, the King of  Israel.  Asa was scarcely back in his palace when the prophet, Hanani, came to see him with the word of the Lord.

Hanani rebuked Asa for his foolishness in buying Ben-Hadad's assistance, and reminded him, "For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him."  Hanani then noted, "therefore, from henceforth thou shalt have wars." (KJV)

The spirit of the Amorites absolutely detests rebuke from the Lord, and this was no exception.  Asa became angry with the prophet, Hanani, threw him in prison, and then took out his anger and frustration on some of the people of Judah in revenge for the word of the Lord.

Asa was given three years to repent.  He did not.  The result?  "In the 39th year of his reign (Asa) was diseased in his feet, until his disease was exceeding great..." (KJV)  The astonishing aspect of this incident, however, is a very clear visual of how the spirit of the Amorites infects the mind and reasoning of God's people, and gets them to accept substitutes for the very provision that God has made for their every need.  II Chronicles 16:12  continues, "....yet in his disease, he sought not to the Lord, but to the physicians."

Allow me a momentary digression.  Let me hasten to say, at this point, that I am not here to throw rocks at physicians.  There are times when the Lord permits and even orders His processes through the hands of a physician.  Furthermore, there are some very Godly physicians who absolutely rely on the Lord for instruction and wisdom from Him in their ministry to the sick and ailing.  Even though reliance on doctors has become a societal norm, I do not believe, however, by any stretch of the imagination, that we should accept the medical society as God’s norm.  It is not!

The real problem here is the patient who accepts a substitute in the guise of "good," or scientific human knowledge for the personal provision of the Lord.  It is a deceitful tactic of the spirit of the Amorites to get God's people to accept "good" substitutes rather than get their health, their healing, or their provision in any realm directly from the Lord.  After all, if we live under and in the New Covenant provided by the blood of Jesus Christ, our health, wholeness, strength, vitality, and long life have already been paid for on our behalf.  It all belongs to us by right of being IN Christ Jesus!

We have been through a prolonged era in which the Lord has tolerated this  because of the centuries-long contamination in God's people with the spirit of the Amorites.  To those, however, whom He calls into the place of intimacy, those whom He calls to Himself as His Bride, He will neither accept, nor tolerate their acceptance of substitutes for His direct and very specific provision for them.  We are being brought to the place where we live supernaturally normal lives in Christ Jesus -- NOW, in this present day!

With the death of Asa, and the ascension of his son, Jehoshaphat, to the throne of Judah, the influence of the spirit of the Amorites in Judah was broken -- if only for one generation.

We should pause to take a moment to consider the real significance of Ezekiel's prophecy to the Prince and King of Tyre and Sidon, and understand its significance to all of the foregoing.

As we have previously discussed, these were two of the principal cities of the Amorites.  The reason why Ezekiel draws attention to them is because in (approximately) 850 B.C., the king and high priest (of Baal) of Tyre and Sidon was an Amorite named Ethbaal, whose name literally meant, "Living with (and enjoying the favor of) Baal."

Ethbaal, like Talmai, the King of Geshur before him, wanted to strike up an alliance with the King of Israel.  He thereupon gave his daughter to the King of Israel to become his wife.  The name of the King of Israel was, Ahab.  Ethbaal's daughter was none other than Jezebel, who became Queen, and Queen Mother in Israel for a span of time which bettered Ahab by nearly a decade.

I don't have time to get into all of Jezebel's activities in this series -- they would fill a book -- and most of you are familiar with her ongoing battle against the prophet of the Lord, Elijah.  We will pick things up next week to discuss just one event of significance in Jezebel's life which encapsulates the spirit that ruled her life.

Rich Hoffman is our webmaster.  He is also a brother in the Lord who has prophetic insight.  I had intended to incorporate a prophetic Word that Holy Spirit gave him at the end of this Coffee Break, but because of its length, it is posted separately in its entirety immediately following this Coffee Break.

Blessings on you!

Regner

Regner A. Capener                                                            
CAPENER MINISTRIE

709 South 7^th Street
Sunnyside, Washington 98944

(509) 515-0133

A Tale of Two Brides is now available on Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Tale-Two-Brides-Relationship-ebook/dp/B00BSV6HZC/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1363139096&sr=8-8&keywords=A+Tale+of+Two+Brides#_

All Coffee Break articles are copyright by Regner A. Capener, but authorization for reprinting, reposting, copying or re-use, in whole or in part, is granted –provided proper attribution and this notice are included intact. Older Coffee Break archives are available at http://www.RegnersMorningCoffee.com.   Coffee Break articles are normally published weekly.

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ANOTHER COFFEE BREAK: BABYLON IS FALLING DOWN, Part 3

Babylon is Falling Down,  Part 3

May 17, 2013

Della was in Canada last weekend to minister to a sister in the Lord I've written about numerous times throughout the years in these Coffee Breaks!  Eileen Finnman is the sister that we worked with for six years at the Calgary Stampede.  She had what was called the Country Kitchen.  We did breakfasts, coffee (and other beverages) and -- most of all -- Eileen's famous cinnamon buns.  During those years we made enough money from the kitchen to send hundreds of kids to summer camp, and the majority of them got to know the Lord as a result.

Eileen has been struggling with physical issues of late -- issues that the doctor hasn't had answers for -- until just a couple of weeks ago when he diagnosed her with a very aggressive form of cancer and gave her a very short time.  We refused to accept that prognosis.  Della took some vacation time and flew from Anchorage to Calgary.  She went with Mary Ellen and Doreen to the hospital.  When she got there, she called me; I called George Robinson (who has seen a fabulous series of healings -- more than 10 people healed completely -- in the last 30 days), and we joined together in a prayer of agreement for Eileen's healing.  There was a tangible manifestation of healing for Eileen before Della left the hospital room that night, and the healing process continues as I write this Coffee Break.

Meanwhile, the Lord is honoring Della in her labors at Zales Jewelers in Anchorage.  The corporation is preparing to honor her (and her store) for bringing that store to the number 3 position in sales across the nation.  Considering that the store ranked nowhere among hundreds of stores nationwide before Della took over eight months ago, and now is number 3 is a testimony to the favor of the Lord.  Administration has been Della's gift even before I knew her, and we are celebrating 30 years together today!

I frequently tell Della that I thank God with every breath I breathe that He brought her into my life and gave her to be my wife!  She is truly a gift from the Lord to me!

Anyway, Good Morning to you!  Ready for the day?

Let's pick up where we left off last week.  We were talking about the significance of the seven mountains.

Revelation 17:10, 11 states (in illustrating the seven mountains), "And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.  And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition."

One must remember that the whole of the Revelation, which John wrote, was addressed to the seven Ekklesias. I will remind you that the seven letters precisely describe the attributes of the seven nations which inhabited Canaan.  The purpose of these letters is to bring the Bride to the place of a total overcoming of those seven spirits which were epitomized in the seven nations.  The seven nations, the seven mountains, and the seven spirits are illustrated in the seven kings.

John is told, "five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space."  This is an extremely important picture when considering the seven nations, the seven spirits, the seven kings.  "Five are fallen..."

Which five?  The Hittites, the Hivites, the Jebusites, the Girgashites, and the Canaanites. "....and one is..."  Which nation, or king, was the one described as being in power at the time of John's revelation?

Simple!   The Amorites.

If you have heard me share, or read any of the revelation which the Lord has given to us over the last thirty or so years on the seven nations which inhabited Canaan, and their relationship to the seven letters, you will remember (and I have described this background and history in fairly extensive detail in the series, SEVEN NATIONS, SEVEN LETTERS) that the doctrine of the Nicolaitans came straight out of the spirits of the Amorites and the Perizzites.

It was a doctrine divided into two opposite parts with a single objective.  (I will not try to cover all of the historical evidence relative to the Nicolaitans in this letter, since it is covered in that Coffee Break series -- and soon to appear in book form.)

The doctrine of the Nicolaitans was the doctrine of humanism: "Man is God."  "Man is the final arbiter of himself."  That which was drawn from the Amorites, came through the Sadducees when they accepted Jesus Christ as the Messiah, but clung to their Judaistic traditions, legalism, and particularly, hierarchical government.  This was the kind of government which established leadership (in the Ekklesias) through apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers (see note) -- at first -- and finally, through bishops, and other ascending tiers of hierarchy.  It traded Ekklesia for "church," and put men in the position of saying how, what, why, when and where God would operate.  Intimacy with the Lord was replaced by an accumulation of men in various strata who served as "go-betweens" in interpreting the will and desire of the Lord.

(**Note: This should not in any way be construed as to suggest that apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers are not valid ministry functions.  They absolutely are!  It's just that the Lord Jesus Christ never intended for them to become offices and titles which supplanted individual relationship with Him.  The words, "apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers," simply express facets of the Lord Jesus Christ and His ministry to the Body.

Those sent as "apostles" are simply commissioned by the Lord Jesus Christ to fulfill the role of establishing those purposes to which He sends them.   Likewise, those sent as prophets simply become that word and speak forth which they have both seen and heard, by and through His Spirit.

The same is true for each of the five ministry facets of Jesus.  He never intended for them to become hierarchical offices from which power and authority would be exerted over those people coming into a place of relationship with Him.  Those fulfilling each of the five facets of His ministry were expected to work themselves out of a job by sharing that life which He transmitted by His Spirit.  The recipients would grow into the same place of relationship, and the five ministry functions would continue in others until intimate relationship ("that which was perfect") for the body of Christ was achieved.  In the place of intimacy with Him, there is no need for apostles, prophets, evangelists, etc., because He is all of those things in one.)

The opposite side of Nicolaitanism came out of the Perizzites through the ex-(?)Pharisees.  Like the ex-(?)Sadducees, they clung to many of their Judaistic tenets, the legalism and traditions of the past and, especially, democracy!   This was the system which gave people the right to choose their leaders through a system of voting.  They voted on their elders, their deacons, their pastors, etc., etc., etc., ad nauseam.  The concept of being called, appointed, and anointed by the Lord -- with, or without the approval of other brethren and sisters -- was absolutely missing.

The primary criterion in the determination was fear: The Fear of Man.  If people feared power being vested in "a man," they chose a "democratic" system.  If they feared that truth and genuine authority would be weakened and watered down in the multitudes, they chose hierarchical systems.  In either case, the determining factor was "man" in power.

Now, you say, What does that have to do with "....and one is...., and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space."

Again, the answer is staring us in the face.

When John was receiving the Revelation, the spirit of the Amorites (the "king," or presiding spirit of the Amorites) was just coming into full bloom.  It manifested itself through the Nicolaitan doctrine of hierarchy, and reached the apex of its power and influence when the Roman emperor, Theodosius, declared Christianity to be "the religion of the state" in 378 A.D.  He thereupon declared himself to be "The Bishop of Rome."

The hierarchical government, which was the backbone of what we have referred to as “Roman Catholicism,” became the pattern structure for virtually all churches for approximately 1,400 years.  Even when Martin Luther broke away, "Lutheran" church government (and its successors) remained the same.  Yes, they disposed of "popery," and "cardinals," and much of the upper-upper echelons, but the presiding spirit remained the same.  Not until "congregational" government was  introduced did the spirit of the Perizzites begin to emerge as a force and power in the life of corporate churchdom.

Allow me to insert a parenthetical note here for a minute.  I realize that the things I'm sharing in this discussion probably run counter to what many of you have been taught and have considered "gospel" all of your lives.  This IS a break with a lot of eschatological doctrine and teaching many have heard.  If you have difficulty with what I'm sharing, please put it on the shelf for the moment.  Don't just throw it all out.  Give Holy Spirit time to bring revelation to you.

The spirit of the Perizzites is still very much alive in a substantial part of the so-called "charismatic" church-world, although some of the tenets and aspects of the Amorites' spirit and operation are a very active force in various organizations.  The spirit of the Perizzites, which we know better as "democracy," is a force at work in the world today.

This is the "king" which John saw, that was "....the other.." which was "not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space."

It is a mistake to assume that the sixth king, or spirit -- the spirit of the  Amorites/Sadducees/Nicolaitans -- would be driven from power when the seventh king, or spirit -- the spirit of the Perizzites/Pharisees/Nicolaitans -- came into power.  Both spirits have the same goal.  Both kings are subservient to, and take their orders from the King of Babylon.  Both kings have humanism at the very core of their purpose and function.  Both kings have a principal objective is to get "man" to make the final decision -- and to ace the Lord  Jesus Christ right out of the picture.  Thus, both kings coexist today, and function cooperatively.

We see it daily in the workings of democracy and hierarchy.  (We even have a trite saying in America which is accepted as gospel, “Democracy may not be the best way of governing, but it is way ahead of whatever is in second place.”  No it isn't!  And America was not founded as a democracy: it was founded as a Republic following Biblical patterns established with and by Moses.)

In order to properly understand the "King" of Babylon to whom Isaiah prophesied, the "woman," which John is shown in his Revelation by the angel of the Lord, and the picture given us by Ezekiel as he prophesies against the King of Tyre and Sidon, with the relationship of these prophetic illustrations to one another, we need to back up in time and review certain historical items and happenings.  In order to show you this picture clearly, I will take certain events out of chronological order, and then piece them together.

First, let's consider Ezekiel's prophecy to the King of Tyre, and then to Sidon.  He describes this "king" as having been "in Eden, the Garden of God."  (see Ezekiel 28:13)  Obviously, Ezekiel was not addressing a literal man in this prophecy.

Eden had long since been hidden, and entrance to Eden had been blocked by an angel with a flaming sword.  With the great deluge and Flood which inundated the earth, geographic features changed.  Noah and his family would have been the only living beings on the face of the earth to have even the remotest approximation of an idea where Eden once lay.

The prophecy was directed, therefore, to the only other individual who could have been in the Garden with Adam and Eve, and the Lord: Satan  himself -- the former archangel known as "Lucifer" -- the King of Babylon -- the King of Tyre -- the King of Sidon.  They are all one and the same.

The question then arises, "Why refer to the same being, Satan, as the King of Babylon, or the King of Tyre, or the King of Sidon?"

The answer is quite simple.  Satan is the master, the controller, the force behind these thrones.  When Ezekiel takes up his prophecy against Tyre, he begins by addressing the Prince of Tyre, as opposed to the King of Tyre.  The differentiation, in this case, is due to the fact that this Prince is under the rulership and control of the King.

The Prince is the administrator, so to speak, the one who carries out the commands of the King.  The Prince would be defined using the same Greek terminology which Paul used in Ephesians 6, Kosmokrator: a world-ruler of darkness; a lord of this world; a prince of this age; in other words, a prince among demons.

So why identify with Tyre or Sidon?  It is absolutely crucial to our understanding that we see why the Lord has given us this picture.

It's obvious that we're not going to have the time to finish this part of that discussion today, so this is where we will resume next week.

Blessings on you!

Regner

Regner A. Capener                                                            
CAPENER MINISTRIES
709 South 7^th Street
Sunnyside, Washington 98944
(509) 515-0133

 

A Tale of Two Brides is now available on Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Tale-Two-Brides-Relationship-ebook/dp/B00BSV6HZC/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1363139096&sr=8-8&keywords=A+Tale+of+Two+Brides#_

All Coffee Break articles are copyright by Regner A. Capener, but authorization for reprinting, reposting, copying or re-use, in whole or in part, is granted –provided proper attribution and this notice are included intact. Older Coffee Break archives are available at http://www.RegnersMorningCoffee.com.   Coffee Break articles are normally published weekly.

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CAPENER MINISTRIES is a tax-exempt church ministry. Should you desire to participate and covenant with us as partners in this ministry, please contact us at either of the above email or physical addresses, or visit: http://www.RiverWorshipCenter.org.

ANOTHER COFFEE BREAK: BABYLON IS FALLING DOWN, Part 2

Babylon is Falling Down,  Part 2

May 11, 2013

Greetings and solutions to you!

Just a quick word and we'll resume where we left off last week.  Because of continual issues with ISP's treating these Coffee Breaks like spam and rejecting the IP address they've been sent from during the past five years or so, we've been moving to an entirely different server.  For the past few months you've been seeing changes as we've moved to the new site -- http://www.RegnersMorningCoffee.com.  We still have some hiccups to deal with as we migrate our database to the new site.  The past two weeks as we've sent out Coffee Breaks from new server, they've all gone out in text form only with much of the HTML formatting turned into gobbledy-gook.  Bear with us during this transition.  We will get things fixed.

Coffee's on.  Got a couple of carafes filled and sitting on the counter.  Pour yourself a cup and pull up a chair.

John says that he "saw a woman sitting on a beast, full of blasphemous names...."  (We will come to the seven heads and ten horns momentarily.)

Who is this woman?  O.K., let's look at her identifying characteristics.  We are told, first of all, that she is full of blasphemous onomas (names).

We discussed this in the previous Coffee Break series on A NEW ONOMA, but, for the sake of quick review, we are told by J.H. Thayer in his Greek-English Lexicon that the Greek word, onoma, "is used for everything which the name covers: every thought or feeling which is roused in the mind by the mentioning of the name."  It is used to define: one's rank, authority, interests, pleasure, command, deeds, character, title, purpose: in other words, the essence of one's being, their makeup, their whole existence.

Once more, we are told that the woman is full of blasphemous onomas.  The word, "blasphemous," comes from the Greek, blasphemia, and its companion word, blasphemos.  The use of these words extend well beyond the conventional usage in which we think of blasphemy -- that is, as cursing the name of the Lord, or cursing Him, or speaking evil of Him.  Blasphemia literally means: to hurt the reputation or smite with (evil) reports or words; to speak evil of, to rail upon;  it denotes the worst type of slander: bearing false witness against one who is a brother or sister.

Remember, this woman is full of the character, the nature, the very essence of speaking evil against "the saints," and smiting "the witnesses of Jesus" with evil reports or words, and false accusations.  Revelation 18:24 tells us that "in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all (the implication of this word, "all," refers to all those of God's people) that were slain upon the earth."

The vision which John saw further states that the woman had "seven heads and ten horns..."  As I have noted in previous open letters, the "seven heads" are a picture of the seven ruling spirits which make up the onoma of the Beast.  How do we know this?  Verse 9 of chapter 17 clearly identifies the seven heads as "seven mountains."

Mountains have always been metaphors in middle eastern cultures and languages for "ruling spirits."  In Isaiah 14:13, we are told that Lucifer's boast is, "I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation...," thus identifying himself as being in the place of rulership over God's people.

In Matthew 21:21, Jesus makes the statement, "if you have faith, and do not doubt, you shall not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' it shall happen." (NASB)

O.K!  Question!  To which mountain was Jesus referring?  A mountain of rock or some grassy slope with trees?  Some mountain in the vicinity of Bethany?  Not likely.  Jesus says, "if you have faith, and do not doubt..."  Where does doubt get its force of negative power?  In unbelief.  In the following statement, Jesus says, “And all things whatsoever you ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive.”   This particular mountain, therefore, is a spirit of unbelief.

So the seven heads -- or seven mountains -- of the woman are her makeup, the essence of her existence: her onoma.  Apart from the fact that this is blasphemy against the chosen of the Lord, the fact that there are seven mountains -- or seven spirits -- is also uniquely significant.

In Revelation 1:4, we are told that John is instructed to write the seven letters as coming from the Seven Spirits of God.  Verse 20 plainly identifies the seven golden candlesticks, or lamp stands, as the seven Ekklesias.  These seven Ekklesias represent and make up the totality of the Bride.  Revelation 13:2 identifies the Beast on which the woman sits on as also having seven heads and ten horns.

The fact that the woman has seven spirits, identifies her as a counterfeit bride.  The seven spirits which make up the onoma of the Beast are, likewise, the counterfeit for the Lord.

Consider the fact that Israel, under Moses' and Joshua's leadership, was commanded to drive out seven nations.  Many of you have heard me share on these seven nations before, but for the sake of review, these nations are: the Hittites, the Hivites, the Amorites, the Jebusites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, and the Canaanites.  Each of these nations has a spiritual identity -- a characteristic, or set of characteristics which is a part of the onoma of the Beast.

The combination of these seven nations, or seven presiding spirits in the land of Canaan, usurped and counterfeited everything of the Lord.  These spirits sought continually to keep Israel from obtaining its inheritance; they sought to keep Israel from the promise of the Lord; they placed themselves in the place of worship by counterfeiting and usurping the worship of the Lord, substituting instead the worship of Baal and Ashtaroth -- both of which originated in Babylon; and, ultimately, led Israel into captivity and servitude in Babylon.

[Let me insert a quick comment in the middle of this narrative to note that the worship of Baal and Ashtaroth is at the core of Islam.  The animosity between Baal and its worshipers and the worshipers of Jehovah God is exactly the same animosity and intense hatred we see by the worshipers of Allah towards those who worship Father God (and the Lord Jesus Christ).  Allah is none other than a modern incarnation of Baal.  This is a god that wants to take the followers of the Lord Jesus Christ and dominate them, force them into subservience, and -- if they fail to capitulate -- destroy them by whatever means necessary.]

These spirits had, as one concentrated motivation, the central purpose of keeping Israel from a relationship with the Lord God.  They sought to create substitutes for virtually every gift of the Lord, (I will illustrate some of these things, shortly) and counterfeited His operations in their midst.  They created enticements to trap God's people, and deceive them into accepting substitutes instead of the promises of God.  Once snared, God's people were beset by treachery and fear to keep them from accepting the promises and gifts which the Lord had for them.

Isaiah identifies the onoma of these seven spirits first, as the king of Babylon (in Isaiah 14:4), and then, (in verse 12) as Lucifer, himself.  Ezekiel refers to him (in Ezekiel 28:2) as the king of Tyre, which we would call a "first," or capital city of the Amorites.  Ezekiel then turns and addresses Sidon, which was also referred to as being among the "first" cities of the Amorites.

Before we consider Tyre and Sidon, and their significance, let's review -- one more time  -- the picture of the seven spirits.

First, we have the Lord described by John as "the Seven Spirits of God."  His onoma, therefore, consists of seven very identifiable spirits with distinct characteristics of their own.  Since we know that Satan is not, and never has been, a creator (he, instead, attempts to counterfeit the character and nature of God as a ruse to deceive and subjugate mankind under himself), it is clear that a major part of his counterfeiting would include seven spirits, whose character, nature, and operation substitute something false for the real operation or function of the Seven Spirits of God.

We therefore have a substitute, and counterfeit, bridegroom who sits in the place of "calling" a bride to himself.  As Isaiah noted in his prophecy, Lucifer bragged, "I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation."  This is usage of a common Hebrew metaphor which essentially means, "I will sit in the authoritative place of the Bridegroom.  I will be a party to the calling of His Bride."

The Hebrew, in this verse, is rendered, "I will sit in mowadah."  The word, mowadah, means: the calling and assembling together of the betrothed by the Bridegroom.  The implications of his demonic braggadocio are clear.  Lucifer's boast is that he will twist the Lord's calling of His Bride for his own purposes.

O.K., then.  If Lucifer is the counterfeit bridegroom, where, or what is the counterfeit bride?

Since the Bride's love-relationship to the Bridegroom has also been represented by sevens throughout Scripture (in Moses' Tabernacle with the golden candlestick and its seven branches, the seven golden candlesticks in John's Revelation, and the seven Ekklesias to whom he wrote), the counterfeit bride is also represented by sevens.

Hence, John sees the counterfeit bride as a woman with seven heads (we will get to the ten horns, shortly).  He is told by the angel of the Lord that these heads are symbolic of seven mountains.

Since mountains are metaphors in eastern thought for presiding spirits (Paul uses the descriptive word, kosmokrator, in the Greek text of Ephesians 6), the angel of the Lord is  telling John that the counterfeit bride is likewise manifested through seven spirits, whose collective existence is the totality of her onoma.  Her onoma, like that of the Bride of the Lord Jesus Christ, is reflective of, and identified with, the counterfeit bridegroom, Lucifer.

The word, "horn," in the Greek text is: keras.  This word (with only one exception in the N.T.) always occurs in its metaphorical sense as: a symbol of strength and courage; a means of defense; a means of deliverance.

(Before I continue, let me pause momentarily to say that the first part of this picture which I am sharing may appear to be contradictory with verses 10 - 13 of Revelation 17.  These verses do not contradict in any way, the overall picture, so please bear with me until I can share the whole concept.)

To repeat myself, the woman (in Revelation) is described as having seven heads and ten horns.  The seven heads are the totality of her onoma -- her makeup, her character, her identity.  The ten horns are the means by which she defends herself (and we will get into this at a later time), the symbols of her strength, the avenues by which she escapes detection -- the means of her deliverance.

The significance, however, is not just on the horns, nor on the heads, but on the collective total of these two: the number, 17.  The heads and the horns are linked together to demonstrate -- as John is being shown this vision -- the fact that this is the counterfeit bride.  The real Bride also has the number, 17, throughout Scripture from Genesis to Revelation.  The real Bride is illustrated as the counterpart of the Lord Jesus Christ by virtue of the fact that Jesus' number is 8, the number of the Paraklete -- who is doing the work of processing, preparation and thlipsis in her life -- is 9.  The prepared and readied Bride, therefore, is the collective total of the Bridegroom, 8, (whose character and makeup are now part and parcel of the Bride) and the preparation process of the Paraklete, 9, making her number, 17!

The counterfeit bride must appear as the real bride to an onlooking world.  She, therefore, also has the number 17.  It is important to remember Jesus’ admonition that “if it were possible, the very elect could be deceived.”  (Mark 13:22)  The striking difference is in how this counterfeit bride achieves a façade of the real Bride.

The real Bride is called by the Lord Jesus Christ, whose number is 8.  Through tribulation, through testing, through a process of overcoming to which she is subjected by the Paraklete, she receives His number -- the number of the Holy Spirit, which is 9.  She is transformed into a ready and worthy counterpart of the Lord Jesus Christ, and thus becomes the complete number, 17.

The counterfeit bride, on the other hand, begins with the seven spirits of the one to whom she has given her allegiance and owes her very existence.  The counterfeit bride is not a bride in the midst of a preparation process.  She is not a yielded and pliable bride.  She cannot be conformed to the image of the real Bridegroom since He is not her betrothed, nor is He her husband.  In order to survive, therefore, and achieve the ends of her true husband, she must be forceful, pushy, domineering, continuously striving to get her way, manipulating through witchcraft and sorceries, using enticements and enchantments to gain control, and repeatedly luring others into adultery with her -- using the ten horns which are her means of defense.

Are you beginning to get the picture?

The true Bride of Christ, therefore, can easily discern the difference between those who are truly allied with the Lord, and those who have the “form of Godliness.”  The true Bride gains her intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ through suffering the same trials and afflictions that He suffered.  The counterfeit bride – while giving all the  outward appearance of  being a part of the true Bride – avoids thlipsis like the plague, and promotes the doctrines of “gettin’ outta here.”  The counterfeit bride often says all the right things, but when confronted with her need for being conformed NOW to the image of Christ, does a tap dance to avoid any real dealings.

Do you understand, yet, who this "Mystery Babylon" really is?

Time to stop for today.  We will pick this up next week and continue laying out the pattern throughout the Word to help you see and understand message of Holy Spirit.

Blessings on you!

Regner

Regner A. Capener                                                            
CAPENER MINISTRIES

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