infernal destruction (revelation 9:14-17)

This message was preached at New Testament Christian Fellowship in Conover, NC on January 18, 2015. The particular focus is the infernal destruction of the sixth trumpet judgment.

DISCLAIMER: While discussing the history of the area around the Euphrates River, the story was told of Cush, Semiramis, and their son, Nimrod, with reference to Genesis 10:8-10 and the incident at Babel. It was mistakenly spoken that Cush, according to historical tradition, was killed by Shem for leading men away from the Creator God and into pagan idolatry. In reality, Cush did begin to lead men away from the One True God after the Flood. However, he died, and Semiramis (i.e. his wife) then married her son Nimrod. It was Nimrod, in partnership with his mother, that instituted pagan idolatry in the plain of Shinar, thus further associating the Euphrates River as a place of rebellion against the Creator. And, it was Nimrod who was killed by Shem for this wickedness. Semiramis then conned the people into believing that Nimrod was a god and that she was the mother of god. Thus began the pagan mother-child imagery seen even today in Roman Catholicism. References to Bel in pagan mythology point to Cush. Ninus or Tammuz point back to Nimrod. And, the queen of heaven label points back to Semiramis. There is nothing new under the sun. For more information, a difficult but good read is The Two Babylons by Alexander Hislop, a Scottish Presbyterian theologian. This text was first published in 1853 and is available today via Chick Publications.