The Unholy Trinity

 

by

 

                                    

Christian Scott Anderson

 

And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.  For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty (Rev. 16:13,14).

 

Introduction

 

The Book of Revelation is undoubtedly the strangest in Scripture.  As a consequence, the book has had a number of schools of interpretation.  The Futurist-Dispensational View is currently the most widely held in the Evangelical movement.  However, Christians also hold to several other views as well.   These are as follows:  the Futurist View, the Historic View, the Preterist View, and the Poetic or Symbolic View.  There is even a psychoanalytic view (the Jungian View) which says that Revelation can tell us nothing about the future, but everything about the psychological state of the Revelator by interpreting the images of the book, referred to as archetypes.

 

The Futurist View sees the Revelation as a prophecy of events that will take place in the future, but without the ideas imposed upon the book by the Dispensationists.  The Historic View was favored by the Reformers.  It sees in the Revelation a panoramic sweep of church history.  According to the Preterists, this book describes events that have already taken place.  Those who interpret the book according to the Poetic View look upon the imagery of it as symbols of God's governance of this world. 

 

There is another view we shall call the Synthetic View. This view takes what seems good from all the others--even the Jungian View could contain nuggets of truth. However, it is not our purpose here to advance any particular interpretation of this book.  Nor will we assert in a dogmatic fashion that what we are about to say is the only way our text can be interpreted. Consider this discourse an admonition rather than a doctrinal exposition.

 

The Anti-Trinity

 

Even a cursory study of demonology will reveal that demonic activity often manifests itself in threes.  Persons afflicted or possessed of these spirits may be tormented by welts or other injuries in clusters of three. It is popularly assumed that the "witching hour" is midnight.  However, demons may first indicate their presence at three o'clock in the morning with three sharp raps at the door.  This is also indicated in the Scriptures.  Satan tempted the Lord three times (Luke 4:2-13). Indeed, Satan tempts all of us by means of "the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life" (I John 2:15). In Rev.13:18 the cryptic number of the beast, who is the Satanically empowered human potentate, is said to be 666, a trio of the number six.  Our text also reveals this hellish triad.  This threefold aspect of Satanic activity is obviously meant to be a blasphemous parody of the holy Trinity.

 

That the unclean spirits resemble frogs is revealing.  Frogs are nocturnal creatures, just as Satan and his minions lurk in the shadows of spiritual darkness.  The Hebrews would not eat the flesh of these amphibians, since it is not kosher.  The croaking of these animals certainly lends an eerie air to any night time stroll in the countryside.  Furthermore, in the ancient world charlatans were sometimes referred to as frogs.  Frogs were also associated with lizards, which in turn have an affinity with the lizard's mythological cousin, the dragon.

 

It is significant that these unclean spirits come forth from out of the mouths of the dragon, the beast, and the pseudo-prophet.  This is indicative of diabolical plans, commands, and false doctrines.  We can clearly observe diabolical plans, commands, and false teachings in three vehemently  anti-Judeo-Christian movements today.  These movements embrace the following ideologies:  secularism, radical environmentalism, and Islam.  For the purposes of this exposition, we shall have each of these unclean spirits represent one of these ideologies.

 

The Unclean Spirit from the Mouth of the Dragon

 

Secularism is a system of belief and practice that rejects religion, religious authority, and  worship.  It is based on the word "secular", which has the following synonyms:  worldly, mundane, profane, temporal, earthly, and carnal.  It is clear that secularism is an ideology based only upon  devotion to the pleasures and material gain that can be had from this life.  

 

It most appropriate that the dragon represent the spirit of secularism.  The dragon is symbolically portrayed as red in color (Rev. 12:3).  Leftist ideologies, such as Communism and Socialism, continue to march under the red banner.  Leftist ideologies are merely more extreme forms of secularism. 

 

Some years ago we all rejoiced at the fall of the Berlin Wall, which signaled what we all thought would be the long hoped-for demise of Communism.  Shortly thereafter the Soviet Union broke apart and the Warsaw Pact (which supported the military repression of Eastern Europe) came to an end.  In the capitals of Eastern Europe statues of Marx and Lenin came clattering to the pavement. However, just as the deadly wound of one of the heads of a beast like the dragon was healed (Rev. 13:3), so has the Left undergone a resurgence in recent years.  Such a resurgence of what is patently a failed system can only be possible because the spirit of secularism predominates in this present evil age.

 

Left-wing governments have come to power recently in Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina, and Spain.  President Chavez of Venezuela has actively encouraged a cult of personality.  Opponents of his regime are assaulted and have their property destroyed by gangs of thugs committed to keeping him in power.  He counts Cuban tyrant Fidel Castro as one of his personal friends.  The followers of President Chavez distribute a little book of his sayings, as if he were some kind of latter-day Chairman Mao.

 

These Neo-Marxists are less dependent upon doctrines culled from the pages of Das Capital or The Communist Manifesto.  Theirs is a Marxism based on emotion.  They are still whole-heartedly committed to Socialism and the re-distribution of wealth.  Furthermore, this Neo-Marxism shares atheism, anti-capitalism, and utopianism with its ideological parent.  Make no mistake about it, however!  These New Marxists will in the end turn out to be just as efficient as killers and jailors as the Old.  Whether it wears the new face or the old, Marxism is still animated by the same hatred for God, His word, and for His people.

 

The spirit of secularism does much to explain certain characteristics we see in the modern world.  The contemporary obsession with sex and pornography has its basis in this spirit. Another characteristic of these times is lack of respect for all forms of authority.  This manifests itself in the irreverent and coarse attitude we see from the elites all the way down to the street. The devaluation of marriage and the breakdown of the family with all its horrendous effects is all related to secularism.

 

Secularism by its very nature is diametrically opposed to Christianity.  It is not just a benign indifference to God and His Word, but it is actively hostile to the things of God.  That is why it is a dangerous ideology.  The hostile spirit of secularism will help fuel the coming persecution of Christians.  

 

The Unclean Spirit from the Mouth of the Beast

 

Before we continue, let us make a thing clear.  The principle of the conservation of natural resources is a biblical concept (Lev. 25:3-7; Deut. 6:6,7).  It is based upon thrift, which is a major theme of the Bible's Wisdom Literature.  God gave this planet to mankind and He expects us to appreciate and respect it as we would any other of His gifts.  However, the current environmental movement has gone way beyond the ideas of conservation and the preservation of resources, clean water, and scenic wonders.  It has become a substitute religion for many of its followers. It advances a political agenda using propaganda and pseudo-science.  The movement has increasingly aligned itself politically with the Left so that Green Party members are often referred to as "Watermelons" because they are green on the outside but red inside.

 

It is appropriate that the unclean spirit of the beast represent this movement.  Extreme environmentalists actually value animal life more than human beings.  PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) is an organization funded and supported by many of the same people who support environmental causes.  A few years ago this group appealed to HAMAS and the Islamic Jihad, two Palestinian terrorist organizations, to please desist from using donkeys and other animals in terrorist attacks.  Apparently they were more concerned about harm to these animals than death and injury to Israelis!  While the Hutu genocide against Tutsi tribesmen was going on in Rwanda back in 1994, fanatical Greenies didn't seem too upset about the conditions in that country until reports started coming in about fighting in and near the national park containing the mountain gorillas. The slaughter of a half-million or so Tutsis is far less a crisis to these people than the death of a dozen apes.

 

The rise of Neo-Paganism and the worship of Gaia (Mother Earth) has coincided with the rise of the environmental movement.  This follows the downward regression listed by the Apostle Paul in his Epistle to the Romans (1:22,23):

 

                              Professing themselves to be wise, they

                              became fools, and changed the glory of

                              the uncorruptible God into an image

                              made like to corruptible man, and to

                              birds, and fourfooted beasts, and

                              creeping things.

 

The Nineteenth Century saw secular humanism become a major force.  Coupled with notions of progress and scientific advancement, it was thought that human beings were near to establishing a Golden Age. This corresponds to the deification of man observed by the great apostle. In the second half of the Twentieth Century environmentalism also became a major force.  The movement had justifiable concerns in the beginning. Many of America's major waterways were little more than chemically-polluted sewers back then.  However, the movement has become increasingly radical and a great many of its followers can be said to be actually anti-human. This all-consuming concern for lower life forms and its evolution into religious and near-religious devotion follows the rest of the downward regression.  

 

Feminists and environmentalists have also made common cause.  The dogmatic emphasis on planned parenthood and advocacy of abortion by feminists is in complete accord with environmental extremists. After all, more abortions means fewer humans and more room for dolphins, whales, trees, etc.

 

The same may be said about the homosexual rights crowd and the environmentalists.  Homosexuals cannot reproduce children.  Each child is a potential consumer of the resources that rightfully belong to plants and animals.  Therefore, homosexuality is good for the environment. Such is the twisted logic of more than a few Greenies.

 

An alliance of tree-huggers, feminists, Pagans, homosexuals, and various Left-wing kook groups seems quite natural.  After all, these groups share some common hatreds, the Judeo-Christian tradition, Big Business, and Western Civilization, to name just three.  Radical Islam has no love for these things either.  In fact, we are currently seeing a great deal of co-operation in the so-called "peace" movement among seemingly unrelated groups. International ANSWER (Act Now to Stop War & End Racism) is an umbrella organization of Environmentalists, anti-WTO protesters, Trotskyites, Communists, Socialists, radical feminists, PLO supporters, and various Muslim groups.  The Bolsheviks had a saying to explain such ad hoc alliances, "No enemies to the Left."  However, there is an even older principle at work here, "The enemy of my enemy is my friend."

 

The Unclean Spirit from the Mouth of the False Prophet

 

The Lord Jesus warned us about the coming of false prophets (Mt. 24:11,24;Mk. 13:22).  These warnings were repeated by His Apostles (II Pet. 2:1;Jude 4).  Muhammed is one such false prophet of the many who have led astray myriads since the time these warnings were first declared.  The Quran and a great many Orientalist scholars paint a sanitized picture of the man as wise, generous, a brilliant strategist, and very often magnanimous to his enemies (Guillaume, pp. 20-54).  However, the Hadith, an appendix to the Quran and having authority equal to it, gives a different and probably more accurate view of Muhammed.  The Hadith reveals a man with character more akin to a David Koresh or Jim Jones than to that of a saint.  It shows him to be a man steeped in pagan magic, superstitious, suspicious, vengeful, and easily angered.  A hallmark of the vast majority of false prophets both past and present is their almost unlimited capacity to indulge in sex and sexual perversions.  Muhammed is no exception to this tendency.  Power has been called the ultimate aphrodisiac, and there can be no doubt he possessed an insatiable appetite for power.  Again, this is verified by the Hadith.

 

Although the moral character of Muhammed is an important topic of discussion, it is his erroneous teaching we are most concerned about.  He taught a doctrine of salvation by works in direct contradiction to the Bible's doctrine of salvation by grace alone through faith in Jesus Christ alone.  This works-righteousness concept of salvation centers around The Five Pillars:  (1) the recitation of the formula "There is no god but Allah and Muhammed is His Prophet", (2) prayer, (3) alms giving, (4) the keeping of the sunrise to sunset fast during Ramadan, and (5) to undertake a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in one's lifetime, if possible.  Additionally, there are meticulous rules about washing, how and when to urinate and defecate, the kinds of garments and adornments one can wear, etc. that are mandatory for all the followers of Muhammed.  These regulations are defined to an even greater extent than even similar duties in the Jewish Talmud (ibid., p. 88).

 

However, there is a Sixth Pillar you'll never hear about in a comparative religions class.  It was stated by Muhammed to be the second most important thing in Islam.  This Sixth Pillar is jihad (Morey, p. 30).  You'll hear Muslims explain away jihad as a mere "personal striving to overcome sin and to become a better servant of God."  That is a secondary meaning only.  The primary definition of the word in the major dictionaries and encyclopedias and among Islamic authorities themselves is "holy war to spread or defend Islam" (ibid., pp. 3-15).

 

Jihad can be declared by any recognized Islamic authority, and can be used to justify any conceivable atrocity or act of terrorism.  Thus, it is not just limited to warfare, as we would recognize it or sanction in the West.  Jihad includes (but by no means is limited to) the following:  genocide, ethnic cleansing, enslavement of non-Muslims, bombing of public transportation, gang rape of women, burning of churches, the murder of church pastors, the murder of journalists who speak out against Islam, torture, beheading, assassination, and the destruction of non-Muslim cemeteries and landmarks (ibid. p. 30).  Islam is no more the religion of peace than Nazism is the friend of the Jew.  The "peace" of Islam is the peace imposed by every despotic regime--all enemies are liquidated and all dissent is muzzled.           

 

Islam not only denies the efficacy of Christ's atoning death, but denies the very historicity of the event itself.  Sura 4:155 of the Quran tells us:  "They did not kill him and they did not crucify him, but one was made to resemble him" (Guillaume, p.196).  This is contrary to Biblical, rabbinic, patristic, and secular evidence, which all agree that Jesus of Nazareth was put to death by order of Pontius Pilate.

 

You will often hear certain Christian pastors, theologians, and others solemnly declare, "Christians, Muslims, and Jews all worship the same God."  Nothing could be further from the truth.  The god of Islam is not the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob.  After "the battle of the Trenches" and the bloodless conquest of Mecca, Muhammed suppressed the worship of 359 of the 360 gods worshipped by the pagan Arabs.  He retained the worship of the lunar deity who was called Allah (a contraction of al-ilah, i.e. "the god") even in pre-Islamic times (Morey, p. 11).  Guillaume tells us that "Allah was known from Christian and Jewish sources as the one god, and there can be no doubt whatever that he was known to the pagan Arabs of Mecca as the supreme being" (p. 7).  However, the opposite was actually the case.  The pagan Arabs readily accepted Muhammed's "new" god because it was a god with which they were already familiar.  Muhammed retained the ancient custom of pilgrimage to Mecca and worship at the sanctuary of the Moon-god called the Kaaba.  This is explicable only if it were not generally understood that lesser gods and goddesses were being suppressed and not the supreme lunar deity.  The Blackstone, located in the Kaaba (identified as a meteorite by an English explorer who entered Mecca disguised as an Arab) is honored by Muslim pilgrims with a kiss or by stroking it in the same manner that sacred stones were honored in pre-Islamic times.  Obviously, the Blackstone had been the fetish of the Moon-god. 

 

Other evidence that Allah originated as a pagan Moon-god: the crescent moon as the symbol of Islam, beginning and ending the fast month of Ramadan with the crescent moon, use of a 354-day ceremonial lunar calendar, and the fact that pagan Arabs never accused Muhammed of preaching a different Allah than the traditional lunar god they already served (Morey, p.12). Furthermore, the pre-Islamic Arabs worshipped the Sun-goddess as "Allat." Allat is merely the feminine form of the word "Allah." Allah means "the god" and Allat means "the goddess."

 

However, the Muslims themselves do not actually believe that the God of the Christians and Jews is identical to Allah.  They believe the God of the Bible is a wimp, whereas their god is a war god, the god of the sword.  When Muslims chant "Allah akhbar" they are not saying "Allah is great", but "Allah is greatest."  They are declaring that Allah is above all other gods, including the God of Christians and Jews.  This gives us the true identity of the god of the Muslims.  Isaiah's prophecy against the ruler of Babylon is actually referring to Satan, who has been trying to de-throne the Creator since the beginning.  This Muslim chant sounds strikingly like Satan's boasts:

 

                              I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt

                              my throne above the stars of God: I will

                              sit also upon the mount of the congregation,

                              in the sides of the north: I will ascend

                              above the heights of the clouds; I will

                              be like the most High (Isa. 14:13,14).

 

Interestingly enough, Babylonia was the land chosen by the Abassid Muslim Caliphs as the site of the capital of their empire at Baghdad.  Babylon is the ancient home of astrology, occultism, black magic, divination, and false prophecy. 

 

The "Mystery Babylon" of the book of Revelation (14:8; 16:19; chpts 17 and 18) is the future convergence of these two principles--that of false religion and secular power.  This will eventually be manifested in the unification of Apostate Christianity with the other world religions and the concomitant emergence of the last world empire ruled by Satan's human representative, the Anti-Christ.  However, we see an intermediate convergence in the near future. 

 

The Intermediate Convergence

 

There are disturbing trends coming out of modern Europe.  First of all, the so-called European Union (usually just referred to as the EU) is concentrating more political power to itself at the expense of the sovereignty of its individual member states.  Even local autonomy within the member states themselves must conform to EU policies. 

 

Secondly, there is a moral crisis taking place within Europe at the present time.  What used to be a strong work ethic among Europeans is giving way to the pursuit of pleasure.  This has been encouraged by Socialist policies, which give citizens generous vacation and compensation benefits.  These benefits do not come cheaply.  Income taxes take 40% of every dollar earned by the average worker in many European countries. The high tax rate has forced both partners in a marriage into the job market.  Husbands and wives no longer take vacations together.  Consequently, separate vacations are becoming merely occasions for one or both partners to become involved in sexual trysts with other married people who are also on separate holiday.  Many resorts have become nothing more than high-class brothels catering to the sexual whims of the middle-class, both male and female.

 

Thirdly, there is a social crisis taking place in Europe.  Europeans are no longer replacing themselves by childbirth.  Abortion has virtually no stigma attached to it, and birth control pills are readily available to children as young as 12 in many European nations.   Environmental concerns and the desire for material goods rather than raising children has driven down the birth rate such that if it were not for legal and illegal immigration (mainly from Muslim countries) the continent would be losing population. The legalization of homosexual unions has so devalued marriage in many European nations that most of the children born are born out-of-wedlock.  In Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and the Netherlands most children are largely raised by the government.

 

Fourthly, there is a spiritual crisis taking place on this continent.  Only a tiny percentage of Europeans attend church regularly.  Most would consider themselves to be atheists.  All most people want out of life is peace, safety, and pleasure.  At the same time the Muslim population is growing by leaps and bounds.  Within a generation, an alliance of leftwing and Islamic political parties could dominate Western Europe.  There are parts of sourthern and eastern Europe already under Muslim control. London has more mosques now than churches.  Muslim imams are even discussing the institution of sharia (Islamic law) in the UK, Switzerland, and other European nations. We might well see the children and grandchildren of these spiritually lifeless Europeans become the most militant of Muslim converts.

 

Lastly, we are seeing the rise of anti-Semitism in Europe today.  This coincides with an increasingly anti-Israel and pro-PLO stance.  The infusion of Arab oil and money into the European economy make it very likely the EU will ally itself with the Arab states in a future Arab-Israeli conflict.  The large Muslim population of the continent will make it a virtual certainty.  This is precisely what is foreseen in the Scriptures.

 

 

King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia dreamed of an image with a head of gold, breast and arms of silver, belly of brass, and legs of iron.  The prophet Daniel interpreted these metals to be a succession of world empires beginning with Babylon and ending with the empire of Rome.  However, we see the hint of a fifth empire having its roots in the Roman and Byzantine empires.  The image had feet of iron mingled with clay (Dan. 2:40-43).  This fifth empire appears to be the same as the Mystery Babylon of the book of Revelation.  The spirits of the Anti-Trinity seem be working overtime to bring all of this to pass on the European continent.

 

The Final Convergence:  The Anti-Trinity Incarnate

 

The trends taking place in Europe today are not confined to that continent but are spreading like some kind of spiritual and moral cancer to the all parts of the globe. In the United States the Supreme Court recently overturned anti-sodomy laws by appealing to French law.  The most militant sect of Islam, that of Wahabism, is being exported to countries as different from one another as S. Korea and Brazil.  At the same time Wicca and goddess worship are on the rise everywhere due to the influence of environmentalism and feminism.  We are seeing "hate crimes" legislation undermining our most cherished liberties.

 

A Canadian publisher was arrested and sentenced to several months in prison for merely putting an ad in his newspaper with a scripture verse deemed offensive by militant homosexuals.  The Canadian laws that made such a situation possible there have already been initiated in Sweden.  A Roman Catholic bishop was threatened recently with arrest by Irish civil authorities for declaring what the Bible unequivocally states what homosexuality is, i.e., mortal sin. However, that sword does not cut both ways.  Christians can be ridiculed with impunity by politicians, comedians, and academians.   Christians should not seek to have any legitimate speech rights muzzled.  After all, Jesus told us that men would speak ill of those who chose to follow Him.  However, a prominent rabbi views this trend with alarm.  Attitudes that made the Holocaust possible began by making Jews and Gypsies the butt of jokes among Germany's elite circles.  The de-humanization of these people began not with out-and-out hostility, but with ridicule, which is only hatred and contempt wearing a grin.

 

There has been a push in recent years toward ecumenicism.  This is taking place not only within the various Christian denominations, but among all the world's religions.  Even Evangelical Christians have been hoodwinked by this ecumenical spirit, who are obviously interested in pleasing men rather than God.  The universal attitude that each religion is just God wearing a different mask will finally culminate in the World Church of the Anti-Christ and False Prophet, the harlot so vividly described in the book of Revelation (17:1-7).

 

The problem which will hinder world unity will be religious and political.  Two things will be seen as roadblocks to the promised peace that this unity will bring--Bible-believing Christians and the nation of Israel. The one will be dealt with by persecution and the other by military power. 

 

The persecution against Christians has already begun.  Christians are being persecuted as never before in Pakistan, Lebanon, the Sudan, Indonesia, China, Burma, etc.  As we have seen, it is not limited to the Third World.  It has been proposed by a number of mental health professionals to classify religious conversions as a form of mental illness.  In the not too distant future Christian parents who teach their children about the ultimate consequences of sin will have their children taken away to be raised by the state. We find reputable mental health professionals advocating this on the grounds that such religious indoctrination is a form of child abuse.

 

It will take a dictatorial World State ruled by a single individual to deal with the "problem" of Israel.  Some kind of centralized authority will have to be in place for this to happen.  The United Nations as it is presently constituted is just too incompetent to even attempt such a military campaign.  The same can be said of the the European Union, as well.

 

We now realize that seemingly unrelated current trends and events have a single diabolical purpose.  The erosion of God-given liberties and the rise of militant Islam would not seem to be logically connected.  However, these unconnected things are part of a grand Satanic strategy to bring about the empire of the Anti-Christ. The world is about to enter into an epoch of such distress that 'men's heart's will fail them for fear' (Lk. 21:26).  This should not alarm believers who are founded and

grounded in the Word of God.  The Lord Jesus told us "when you see these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh" (Lk. 21:28).

 

 

The Collapse of the Empire of the Anti-Christ

 

The rule of Anti-Christ will be short lived.  That his empire will fall quickly is hinted at in the verse preceding our text:

 

                              And the sixth angel poured out his vial

                              upon the river Euphrates; and the water

                              thereof was dried up, that the way of the

                              kings of the east might be prepared (Rev.

                              16:12).

 

The book of Daniel tells us that Babylon fell to the Persians in a single night (5:30,31).  The ancient historians Xenophon, Herodotus, and Berosus relate how this was accomplished.  The Euphrates was diverted into a new channel and the Persians were led on the dry river bed into the city by two traitors while the Babylonians caroused during an annual feast to their gods (Halley, p. 309).

 

Similarly, the Mystery Babylon of the Anti-Christ and False Prophet will swiftly fall.  As the armies of the Satanic potentate gather to deliver the coup de grace to the nation of Israel, the Messiah will return and destroy them utterly. Thereafter, the Messianic Kingdom will be established and the world will enjoy an unprecedented one thousand years of peace and prosperity.

 

 

 

 

                                          References

 

 

 

Guillaume, Alfred; Islam; Penguin Books; New York, NY; 1979.

 

Halley, Henry, H.; Pocket Bible Handbook; Henry H. Halley; Chicago, IL; 1946.

 

Morey, Robert A.; Jihad According To The Qur'ran and the Hadith; Faith Defenders; Orange, CA; circa 1992.

 

Morey, Robert A.; The Moon-god Allah In The Archeology Of The Middle East; Faith Defenders; Orange, CA; 1994.