prosperity that shall characterize this pre -millennial travesty of Satan, is

found in the description of Babylon's merchandise:

'The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of

pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all

thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of

most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble, and cinnamon,

and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and

fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots,

and slaves (Gk. bodies), and souls of men' (Rev. 18:12,13).

Here is a luxury trade, mingled with provision for idolatrous practices

giving prominence to 'costliness' (Rev. 18:19), and including not only costly

goods but 'the bodies and souls of men'.  A Pre -Millennial Kingdom in the

absence of Christ is the dream and the goal of the Enemy of Truth.  For a

brief period he will obtain a superficial semblance to that goal, and then

will himself be brought to an ignominious end 'and never be any more' (Ezek.

Satan did not hesitate to attempt a bargain with the Son of God (Matt.

4:9) and what He, the Blessed One, refused, will prove the bait to catch the

Man of Sin (John 5:43).  As a travesty of the mystery of godliness wherein

'God was manifest in the flesh' this Son of Perdition will oppose and exalt

himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; 'so that he as

God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God' (2 Thess.

2:4).  To the end his activities are in the realm of religion and worship,

but he, Satan, cannot prevent the crimes that are concomitant.

Worship, not wickedness, is ever in the mind of Satan.  Preposterous as

it sounds, 'all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them' were offered

to the Son of God for One Act of Worship (Matt. 4:9), so much does Satan seek

it.  The immediate effect of the rise of the Beast of Revelation 13 is the

temporary attainment of this very same end:

'And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and

they worshipped the beast ... and causeth the earth and them which

dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed

... as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be

killed' (Rev. 13:4,12,15).

Here is a kingdom and worship which is universal, 'all that dwell on

the earth'.  It will bring 'Peace and Safety' and a standard of living that

can only be described as luxurious.  War will have ceased.  Swords will have

been beaten into plowshares, so that at the end when war is again 'prepared'

or as the word is literally 'sanctified' (Joel 3:9 margin), the nations of

the earth who have lived in this Pre -Millennial travesty of the Truth, will

have to start all over again to 'beat' their 'plowshares into swords'.  The

reference in Joel 3 to the valley of Jehoshaphat (3:12) turns us back to a

typical incident in Israel's history as recorded in 2 Chronicles 20.  Moab,

Ammon and others came against Jehoshaphat to battle.  Jehoshaphat, all Judah

with their little ones, their wives and their children stood before the Lord

in prayer.  In answer to their petition a message was sent to them:

'Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the

battle is not yours but God's' (2 Chron. 20:15).