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Hebrews 9:28 and the Other Verses of Hebrews 9:27 – Hebrews 10:1

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“As Moses lifted up the serpent [the serpent made of bronze described in Numbers 21:8–9] in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that whosoever believes in Him will have eternal life, for God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten [uniquely born] Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

“…for by grace you are saved through faith and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not as a result of works, lest any man should boast.”

Above is the content of John 3:14–16 and the content of Ephesians 2:8–9, respectively.  Itʼs worthwhile to refrain from receiving the mark referenced in Revelation 13:11–18 and to instead receive eternal life for free by believing that Jesus is the Savior.  Before doing any Bible studying and before praying to God the Father, it is useful for a person who has believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Savior to try to think of any sins that one might have committed since one last confessed oneʼs known post-salvation sins to God the Father, and if one has indeed committed any, to then silently confess those sins to God the Father—confessing only one time for each sin—in accordance with what is mentioned in 1 John 1:9:  

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

This webpage could be periodically updated.  If there is a mass disappearance of people professing to be Christians, and if the original author of this webpage is amongst those people disappearing en masse, then it is possible that this webpage will no longer be updated.  Also, if there is a mass disappearance of people professing to be Christians, it is worthwhile to consider the possibility that those people have exited from the earth on the occasion known as the Rapture instead of assuming that that mass disappearance involves extraterrestrials abducting those people or involves the annihilation of those people or involves anything else other than the Rapture.  

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Also, it is possible that it is worthwhile to print this content in case of time periods involving lack of Internet connectivity.  

When studying the Word of God, it is beneficial to keep in mind the content of Hebrews 4:12:  

“Indeed, the Word of God is alive and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of the soul and the spirit and of the joints and the marrow and is a critic of thoughts and intents of the heart.”

Note:  The heart refers to the mind.  

It is also beneficial to keep in mind the content of 2 Timothy 3:16–17 when studying the Word of God:  

“All Scripture is God breathed and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God might be mature, having been thoroughly furnished unto all good work.”

It is the responsibility of a pastor-teacher to endeavor to correctly understand the Word of God and then to accurately teach the Word of God, as per the content of 2 Timothy 2:15:  

“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the Word of Truth.”

A pastor-teacher is a communicator rather than a crutch on which to be leaned.  In that regard, a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ should refrain from putting oneʼs trust in and thereby serving as a devoted follower of and thus worshiping a pastor-teacher.  Likewise, a believer should refrain from putting oneʼs trust in and thereby serving as a devoted follower of and thus worshiping anyone other than the Trinity [God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit], as per Joshua 24:15, the content of which references Joshua speaking to the Israelites:  

If it is disagreeable/bad/evil/wrong/wretchedness/displeasing in your sight to serve/worship Jehovah / Yahweh / I am I am / the existing One, choose for yourselves today whom you serve/worship:  whether the gods ['elohiym / false gods] which your fathers have served/worshiped which were beyond the river or the gods ['elohiym / false gods] of the Amorites in whose land you are living.  As for me and my house, we serve/worship Jehovah / Yahweh / I am I am / the existing One.

Note:  Joshua, the leader of the Israelites after Joshua had been serving as the assistant of Moses while Moses was the leader of the Israelites, set the example for the Israelites.  Joshua chose to put his trust in and thereby serve as a devoted follower of and thus worship God the Father rather than Joshua choosing to put his trust in and thereby serve as a devoted follower of and thus worship the lesser of multiple evils amongst multiple choices of 'elohiym [el-oh-HEEM].  The word 'elohiym with a lowercase e can refer to false gods, to angels, or to human rulers or judges.  The word 'Elohiym with a capital E refers to the Trinity.  The word 'elohiym can also be used to refer to might as in mightiness.  In that regard, the use of the word 'elohiym in reference to false gods, to angels, or to human rulers or judges involves the connotation of mightiness in comparison to an average human.  When a person puts oneʼs trust in and thereby serves as a devoted follower of and thus worships an angel or human, that angel or human is that personʼs false god.  Regarding the foregoing, the content of Joshua 24:15 involves Joshua calling attention to the choices that the Israelites had, and that content involves Joshua permitting the Israelites to make their choices while Joshua led by example with his choice.  

The gift of pastor-teacher is for the purpose of each pastor-teacher functioning as a messenger who communicates the Word of God rather than functioning as a priest between the Trinity and mankind.  In that regard, the time period that can be referred to as the Church Age started fifty days after the Lord Jesus Christ was resurrected, and all Church Age believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are priests.  The Lord Jesus Christ is the High Priest of Church Age believers, and believers should be willing to acknowledge/confess/profess to people the believersʼ faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, as per Hebrews 4:14–15:  

Therefore, since we have a great High Priest Who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast the acknowledgment/confession/profession.  Indeed, we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One Who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.

Also, the Lord Jesus Christ is the High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek [mel-KIZ-uh-dek], who was the ruler of Salem when Abraham was still named Abram.  Melchizedek was both a king and a priest, as per Genesis 14:18, which references Melchizedek greeting Abram:  

Then Melchizedek king of Salem has brought out bread and wine, and he is a priest of 'El [AYL] 'Elyown [el-YOHN] / God [focusing on God the Fatherʼs power] Most High.

The Lord Jesus Christ is also both a king and a priest because the Lord is the Priest according to the order of Melchizedek, as per Hebrews 7:14–17:  

Indeed, it is evident that our Lord has arisen from Judah, a tribe with reference to which Moses spoke nothing concerning priests.  Also, it is still much more evident:  that according to the similarity of Melchizedek, Another of a different type of priest arises, Who has become such not on the basis of a law of fleshly command / physical requirement but according to the power of an indestructible life.  Indeed, it is attested:  “YOU ARE A PRIEST FOREVER, ACCORDING TO THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK.”

Note:  The Lord Jesus Christ is from the tribe of Judah.  Also, the Lord Jesus Christ is qualified to be a priest because He was resurrected and therefore has an indestructible body.  The above content in all capital letters is a reference to Psalm 110:4.  

Because a king is royalty, a king who is a priest is a royal priest.  In that regard, Church Age believers are royalty because they are members of the Lord Jesus Christʼs family.  Therefore, all Church Age believers are royal priests, as per 1 Peter 2:9–10:  

However, you are A CHOSEN PEOPLE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR ACQUISITION/PRESERVATION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him Who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light, for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are GODʼS PEOPLE.  You had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.

Note:  Before the Church Age, Gentiles were not Godʼs people.  In the Church Age, both Jewish and Gentile believers are Godʼs people.  The content of 1 Peter 2:10 references Hosea 2:23.  In that regard, Peter uses references involving Israel in the Old Testament to refer to Church Age believers.  

Itʼs the message rather than the messenger that should be the focus of the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ.  Put succinctly:  itʼs the message rather than the messenger.  In that regard, it is beneficial to keep in mind the content of Revelation 22:8–9, which was written by the apostle John, who, in addition to writing The Revelation to John, wrote The Gospel According to John, The First Epistle of John, The Second Epistle of John, and The Third Epistle of John:  

I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things, and when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things, but he says* to me, “Do not do that.  I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brethren the prophets and of those who keep the words of this book.  Worship God.”

*Note:  The word says is in the Greek historical present tense.  By means of the Greek historical present tense, past action or future action can be described from the perspective of someone seeing the action as it occurs.  

Regarding messages, believers should use the Word of God to examine what is being communicated.  That is what the Bereans who are mentioned in Acts 17:10–12 did:  

The brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, who, when they arrived, went into the synagogue of the Jews.  Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, who received the word with all eagerness / readiness of mind, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.  Therefore, many of them believed, and not a few prominent Greek women and men.

Note:  The phrase not a few means “quite a few.”  

Today, the return of the Lord Jesus Christ to meet believers in the Lord Jesus Christ in the clouds on the occasion of the Rapture is one day closer than it was yesterday.  The Rapture involves both deceased and living believers in the Lord Jesus Christ meeting the Lord in the clouds in the atmosphere of the earth, receiving glorified immortal resurrection bodies similar to the Lord Jesus Christʼs glorified resurrection body, and going to Heaven with those resurrection bodies.  Before the Rapture occurs, deceased believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are in Heaven without glorified bodies.  While it is possible that the Rapture will occur on the day of the Feast of Trumpets / Yom Teruah [yahm tuh-ROO-uh or yohm tuh-ROO-uh]—which is what some people call Rosh Hashanah and which some people celebrate for two days—the next occurrence of which will possibly be during August, September, or October of 2026, it is worthwhile for believers in the Lord Jesus Christ to get into the habit of being prepared every day for the return of the Lord, just in case the Rapture will occur on a day other than the day of the Feast of Trumpets / Yom Teruah.  Furthermore, it is worthwhile to be in the habit of being prepared for the Rapture so that if it does occur on the day of the Feast of Trumpets / Yom Teruah, one can be prepared for that day because of already being in the habit of being prepared.  Examples of being prepared for the Rapture include applying the content of 1 John 1:9 whenever one sins, being unselfish, and whenever circumstances are such that an opportunity arises, sharing the gospel—the good news that believing that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Savior Who was judged on the cross for the sins of humanity is the means by which a person is able to have eternal life.  Regarding sharing the gospel, one could also have a written or printed message containing the gospel with that written or printed message located somewhere where it could be easily noticed so that if a person or people were to read or hear that written or printed message either before or after the Rapture occurs, that person or people would thereby read or hear the gospel by means of that written or printed message.  

Regarding information about the Rapture, it is beneficial to keep in mind the content of 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 and 1 Corinthians 15:51–52:  

1 Thessalonians 4:13–18

Now we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope, for if we believe that Jesus died and rose again—and we do indeed believe that Jesus died and rose again—so also God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep through Jesus.  Indeed, this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive who remain until the coming of the Lord will not precede those who have fallen asleep, for the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout of command, with a voice of an archangel and with a trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.  Then we who are alive who remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.  Therefore, comfort one another with these words.

1 Corinthians 15:51–52

Behold, I tell you a mystery:  we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet, for a trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed.

After the Rapture will be the seven-year Tribulation.  The believers who will be alive on the earth when the Rapture occurs will escape the Tribulation.  1 Thessalonians 5:1–11 covers that topic.  In that regard, in the book 1 Thessalonians, the content of 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 is immediately followed by the content of 1 Thessalonians 5:1–11.  

1 Thessalonians 5:1–11

Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you, for you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord is coming just like a thief in the night.  While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape.  However, you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief, for you are all sons of light and sons of day.  We are not of night nor of darkness; therefore, let us not sleep as others, but let us be alert and sober.  Indeed, those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night.  However, since we are of day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and benevolence/goodwill, and as a helmet, the hope / absolute confidence of deliverance, for God has not destined us for wrath but for obtaining deliverance through our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him.  Therefore, comfort one another and edify one another, just as you also are doing.

Note:  In this context, the day of the Lord is the time period that consists of the Rapture, the seven years of the Tribulation, and the Second Advent.  In that regard, deliverance from the Tribulation is the deliverance in this context.  Also, unspecified is who will be saying “Peace and safety!”  In this context, sleeping refers to a lack of alertness.  The alertness in this context involves being ready for the Rapture.  In order to be ready for the Rapture, a believer needs to be filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit and to pay attention for historical trends such as people saying “Peace and safety!” and for historical trends that match the pattern of the world being on the brink of tremendous calamities like those that will occur during the Tribulation.  Regarding being filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit, once a believer commits a sin after salvation, that believer is no longer filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit and is out of fellowship with the Trinity.  After that believer has confessed/acknowledged to God the Father all of that believerʼs known unconfessed post-salvation sins, fellowship with the Trinity and the filling with the power of the Holy Spirit are restored.  The procedure for confessing/acknowledging to God the Father all of oneʼs known unconfessed post-salvation sins is mentioned in 1 John 1:9:  “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  Fellowship with God the Father and God the Son is mentioned in 1 John 1.  Being out of fellowship with God the Holy Spirit is referenced in Ephesians 4:30.  In that regard, when a believer sins, that believer grieves the Holy Spirit.  Losing the filling of the power of God the Holy Spirit is referenced in 1 Thessalonians 5:19.  In that regard, when a believer sins, the power of God the Holy Spirit is quenched in that believer.  After a believer has confessed/acknowledged to God the Father all of that believerʼs known unconfessed post-salvation sins, that believer is then filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit again and in fellowship with the Trinity again.  

The verse of the day for June 2nd is Hebrews 9:28.  The title of the book Hebrews is also known as “The Epistle to the Hebrews” and “The Letter to the Hebrews.”  The author of the book Hebrews is unspecified in the Bible.  Because it is useful to study verses that share the same context, below is content related to Hebrews 9:27 – Hebrews 10:1.  

Hebrews 9:27

Now inasmuch as it is appointed / laid up / reserved for men to die once and after this comes judgment, 

Note:  The believers in the Lord Jesus Christ who will be alive when the Rapture occurs will not experience physical death; therefore, in this verse, the word men refers to unbelievers.  The Rapture involves both deceased and living believers in the Lord Jesus Christ meeting the Lord in the clouds in the atmosphere of the earth, receiving glorified immortal resurrection bodies similar to the Lord Jesus Christʼs glorified resurrection body, and going to Heaven with those resurrection bodies.  Before the Rapture occurs, deceased believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are in Heaven without glorified bodies.  

In contrast with believers, all unbelievers, with the exception of the two men referred to as beasts in The Revelation to John, experience physical death.  The Revelation to John was written by the apostle John.  He also wrote The Gospel According to John, The First Epistle of John, The Second Epistle of John, and The Third Epistle of John.  Regarding the two men referred to as beasts in The Revelation to John, the man who is the king of the West during the Tribulation is also known as the Antichrist with a capital A, the beast, and the first beast.  The false prophet is also known as the second beast.  The false prophet will be supporting the king of the West.  Content related to the king of the West being referred to as the first beast is in Revelation 13:1–12.  The content of Revelation 13:11–18 references the false prophet.  The content of Revelation 19:20 indicates that the king of the West and the false prophet will be cast into the Lake of Fire on the occasion of the Second Advent.  

Regarding physical death, reincarnation is the false notion that people are physically reborn multiple times.  In this verse, the phrase die once and after this comes judgment indicates that the notion of reincarnation is a false notion.  Unbelievers will be judged on the occasion referred to as the Great White Throne Judgment.  The Great White Throne Judgment will occur after the Millennium.  

With regard to the Rapture, the Tribulation, the Second Advent, the Millennium, and the Great White Throne Judgment, below is a synopsis of human history as categorized into time periods known as dispensations.  In the below synopsis, there is the term hypostatic union [high-PUH-stat-ick YOON-yuhn].  This refers to the Lord Jesus Christ being 100% Deity and 100% humanity.  The English word hypostatic is derived from the Koine [KOI-nay] Greek word ὑπόστασις [pronounced hoo-PAH-stah-sees and transliterated as hypostasis].  After the Lord Jesus Christ was judged for the sins of humanity, His body was in the grave for three days and three nights.  He was then resurrected, and He was on the earth for forty days after He was resurrected.  He then ascended to Heaven, and ten days after that, the Day of Pentecost [PEN-tih-kahst] occurred.  The Day of Pentecost was the beginning of the Church Age.  The word Pentecost is derived from the Koine Greek word πεντηκοστή [pronounced pen-tay-kah-STAY and transliterated as pentēkostē].  That word is derived from the Koine Greek word πεντήκοντα [pronounced pen-TAY-kahn-tah and transliterated as pentēkonta], which means “fifty.”  Therefore, the word Pentecost is derived from the fact that that day occurred fifty days after the Lord was resurrected.  In that regard, the Church Age began fifty days after the Lord was resurrected.  The Church Age will end with the Rapture.  The Rapture involves both deceased and living believers in the Lord Jesus Christ meeting the Lord in the clouds in the atmosphere of the earth, receiving glorified immortal resurrection bodies similar to the Lord Jesus Christʼs glorified resurrection body, and going to Heaven with those resurrection bodies.  Before the Rapture occurs, deceased believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are in Heaven without glorified bodies.  Absent from the Bible is anything specifically indicating the precise date and time when the Rapture will occur, although it is possible that the Rapture will occur on the day of the Feast of Trumpets / Yom Teruah [yahm tuh-ROO-uh or yohm tuh-ROO-uh]—which is what some people call Rosh Hashanah and which some people celebrate for two days—the next occurrence of which will possibly be during August, September, or October of 2026.  

Regarding the word judgment, the proper way to spell that word is without an e between the dg and the m.  In that regard, the e of the root word judge is dropped when the suffix ment is added to that root word.  The formation of the word judgment is shown below.  

judge −e +ment

= judg +ment

= judgment

Another way to categorize human history is by means of civilizations.  Civilizations begin only with believers.  Regarding the timing of civilizations and dispensations, the first civilization began with Adam and ended on the occasion of the Great Flood (also known as the Flood).  That civilization is known as the antediluvian civilization and the predulivian civilization.  In that regard, the prefixes ante and pre mean “before.”  Also, there are various spellings of the adjectives that refer to the time before the Flood.  Those spellings include antediluvian, ante-diluvian, prediluvian, and pre-diluvian.  

After the Flood, there were only eight believers on the earth:  Noah, his wife, their three sons, and their sonsʼ wives.  With the removal of the unbelievers from the earth on the occasion of the Flood, a new civilization was started.  That civilization is known as the postdiluvian civilization (also known as the postdiluvial civilization).  Regarding the terminology, the prefix post means “after,” and the adjectives diluvian and diluvial mean “having to do with a flood.”  Also, there are various spellings of the adjectives that refer to the time after the Flood.  Those spellings include postdiluvian, post-diluvian, postdiluvial, and post-diluvial.  The postdiluvian civilization will end on the occasion of the Second Advent of the Lord Jesus Christ.  On the occasion of the Second Advent, the Lord will remove all unbelievers from the earth.  Their removal will be by means of physical death just as the removal of all unbelievers was by means of physical death on the occasion of the Flood.  This is called the Baptism of Fire, which is either a metaphorical description because fire can be used to represent judgment or a literal reference to the use of fire in the judgment of unbelievers on the occasion of the Second Advent.  The Baptism of Fire is referenced in Matthew 3:11–12; Luke 3:15–17; and 2 Thessalonians 1:7–9.  

Just as a new civilization started after the Flood, so also a new civilization will start after the Baptism of Fire.  That civilization is called the Millennium.  The Millennium is both a civilization and a dispensation.  The Eternal State is also both a civilization and a dispensation.  

The content of Hebrews 9:27 is repeated below for reference.  

Hebrews 9:27

Now inasmuch as it is appointed / laid up / reserved for men to die once and after this comes judgment, 

Hebrews 9:28

so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for deliverance without sin / apart from sin, to those who eagerly await Him.  

Note:  The Lord Jesus Christ was judged on the cross for the sins of humanity.  Him being judged for the sins of humanity occurred on only one occasion.  Therefore, when He appears again, it will be for a reason other than being judged for the sins of humanity.  The first appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ in the form of His humanity was during the First Advent (also known as the Incarnation).  During the First Advent, the Lordʼs appearing occurred on the earth.  In that regard, the second time that the Lord Jesus Christ will appear in the form of His humanity on the earth will be on the occasion of the Second Advent.  That it will be the Second Advent rather than the Rapture is because when the Lord will appear to Church Age believers on the occasion of the Rapture, that will be the first time that He will appear to them.  In contrast, the Lordʼs appearing on the earth on the occasion of the Second Advent will be the second occasion of Him appearing publicly on the earth because the first occasion of Him appearing publicly on the earth was during the First Advent.  

Regarding the phrase without sin / apart from sin in this verse, that phrase indicates that rather than the Lordʼs purpose of His coming to the earth on the occasion of the Second Advent being for Him to be judged for sins another time, the purpose of His coming to the earth on the occasion of the Second Advent is for different reasons.  One of those reasons involves the Lord delivering Tribulation-era believers in the Lord Jesus Christ from those who try to mistreat those believers.  After that deliverance of Tribulation-era believers, the Lord will reign on earth for the 1,000 years of the Millennium.  

Regarding the Lord delivering Tribulation-era believers, the content of Revelation 19:11 references the Lord Jesus Christ on a white horse on the occasion of the Second Advent.  Unspecified in the Bible is whether the Lord will be riding a literal horse or a vehicle that from the perspective of the apostle John could be described as a horse, including a flying vehicle that might resemble a flying motorcycle.  In that regard, the visions that John had were described by John with words that were part of Johnʼs vocabulary.  

Among the evil people causing trouble on the earth during the Tribulation will be the king of the North, the king of the South, the kings of the East, the king of the West, the false prophet, a group of corrupt powerful people collectively referred to as Babylon, and possibly a dictator of Palestine.  The term Babylon is a metaphorical reference.  Also, the king of the West will have ten subordinate rulers who will help him defeat the group of corrupt powerful people collectively referred to as Babylon.  Unspecified in the Bible are the identities of any of those aforementioned people.  Also, unspecified in the Bible is the number of kings of the East.  Likewise, unspecified in the Bible is the number of people in the group known as Babylon.  Regarding the king of the North, the king of the South, the kings of the East, and the king of the West, the usage of region references in the references to those rulers is reflective of a multipolar world involving spheres of influence.  

As mentioned further above, the king of the West is also known as the Antichrist with a capital A.  Content of Revelation 12 metaphorically refers to the devil as a great red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven diadems on the heads.  Content of Revelation 12 also refers to the devil as Satan.  Content of Revelation 13 indicates that the two beasts (the Antichrist and the false prophet) work for the dragon.  Regarding the foregoing, the Antichrist, the false prophet, and the ten subordinate rulers of the Antichrist can be referred to as the dragon crowd.  

The content of Revelation 17 and 18 indicates that the Antichrist will defeat a group of evil powerful people who will have had influence over rulers and business people around the world.  That group of evil powerful people, which is also referenced in Revelation 14 and 16, is referred to as the great harlot, Babylon the great, the mother of the harlots and of the abominations of the earth, the great city, and Babylon.  The content of Revelation 17:18 references the group of evil powerful people referred to as Babylon having influence over rulers.  The content of Revelation 18:3 references the group of evil powerful people referred to as Babylon having influence over business people in addition to rulers.  In that regard, the group of evil powerful people referred to as Babylon and the people over whom they have influence can be referred to as the Babylon crowd.  In Revelation 17:18, the Babylon-crowd members who are rulers are referred to as “the kings of the earth.”  In Revelation 18:3, the Babylon-crowd members who are rulers are referred to as “the kings of the earth,” and the Babylon-crowd members who are business people are referred to as “the merchants of the earth.”  

Absent from the Bible is anything indicating that the false prophet is the representative of a religious organization.  In that regard, rather than a member in the hierarchy of authority of the religious and political organization that is based in Vatican City being the false prophet, it is possible that the members of the hierarchy of authority of that religious and political organization are referenced by the references to the group of evil powerful people referred to as Babylon in Revelation 17 and Revelation 18.  That religious and political organization that is based in Vatican City has material wealth, and that material wealth could involve investments that are hidden from the public.  It is possible that such investments could involve influence over rulers and business people around the world.  

The king of the North will start a world war in which the forces of the king of the North, the king of the South, the kings of the East, and the king of the West will end up in Israel.  The world war started by the king of the North will culminate in the Battle of Armageddon.  In the Battle of Armageddon, the forces of the king of the North, the king of the South, the kings of the East, and the king of the West will converge on the land of Israel during warfare in the Middle East region (also known as the Mideast).  That topic is covered in Revelation 16:12–16.  Also, when the Lord will be returning to the earth on the occasion of the Second Advent, the Lord will be amongst clouds.  That topic is covered in Matthew 24:30; Matthew 26:64; Mark 13:26; Mark 14:62; and Luke 21:27.  At that time, the Lord will land on the Mount of Olives east of Jerusalem and defeat the forces of the king of the North, the king of the South, the kings of the East, and the king of the West.  On that occasion, the Mount of Olives will split in half such that one part moves north and the other part moves south, and people will flee eastward through the valley that will result from the splitting of the Mount of Olives.  Also on the occasion of the Second Advent, day will be darkened, and night will be illuminated.  The topic of the Lord Jesus Christʼs return is covered in Zechariah 14:1–7.  It is also covered in Revelation 19:11–21.  

Hebrews 10:1

Indeed, the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form [literally: very image] of things, can [two early manuscripts read they can] never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near.

Note:  Hebrews 10:1 refers to the Mosaic Law.  The term Mosaic Law refers to the laws communicated by Moses to the ancient Israelites.  Because Moses communicated those laws, they are known collectively as the Mosaic Law.  Also, in this verse, the pronouns they and those refer to the Levitical priests.  Under the Mosaic Law, the Levitical priests were responsible for conducting rituals, including various sacrifices, some of which involved the sacrificing of certain animals.  Now that the Lord Jesus Christ has been judged for the sins of humanity, the Mosaic Law has been fulfilled; therefore, people should refrain from sacrificing animals because such sacrifices have been invalidated by the Lord Jesus Christʼs fulfilling of the Mosaic Law when He received the judgment for the sins of humanity.  

The sacrifices conducted by the Levitical priests were unable to make people perfect; therefore, those sacrifices were unable to provide eternal life.  In that regard, the sacrifices served as teaching illustrations that revealed that the Savior would be judged for the sins of humanity.  Before the First Advent of the Lord, there were many teaching illustrations that revealed that the Savior would be judged for the sins of humanity.  The teaching illustrations can be found in the Old Testament.  In that regard, narratives in the Old Testament taught that the Savior would be judged for the sins of humanity.  Also, regulations and rituals specified in the Mosaic Law part of the Old Testament taught that the Savior would be judged for the sins of humanity.  

While specific details about the Lord were absent from the Old Testament narratives and the regulations and rituals specified in the Mosaic Law part of the Old Testament, there were bits and pieces of information that provided hints about Him.  Those hints are like a shadow that precedes someone approaching—such as from around a corner, for example—that provides some information about the approaching person without providing full details about that person.  That is known as shadow Christology.  

Regarding the information that the Old Testament narratives and the regulations and rituals specified in the Mosaic Law part of the Old Testament provided, there was enough information for people to realize that they are unable to provide eternal life for themselves and that the means by which to receive eternal life is through believing that the Savior would never sin and would be judged for the sins of humanity.  After the Lord Jesus Christ was judged on the cross for the sins of humanity, a person receives eternal life by believing that the Savior never sinned and was judged for the sins of humanity.  That is known as historical Christology.  

Rather than providing the means of eternal life, the Mosaic Law functioned as a custodian that warned that people are unable to provide eternal life for themselves through their works.  The Mosaic Law functioned as that custodian until the Lord Jesus Christ was judged on the cross for the sins of humanity.  Once He was judged on the cross for the sins of humanity, the meaning of the shadow Christology found in the Old Testament was revealed.  

Sincerely,

John