Philippines in Bible Prophecy Part 3

(Continuation) 

“And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.” (17:11).

Ferdinand Marcos was the sixth, the seventh and the eighth president, respectively, in terms of “tenure of office” as President of the Philippines; that is, from the Third Republic (sixth) through Martial Law (seventh) up to the Fourth Republic (eight). On his last term, he was ousted by a peaceful revolution (and goeth into perdition). 

“And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.” (17:12).

There were ten presidents from Manuel Roxas (First President of the Third Republic) up to Gloria Arroyo (Sixth President of the Fifth Republic). The Malacañang Complex, which is the official residence of the President of the Philippines, was officially reverted to the head of the state upon the establishment of the Commonwealth of the Philippines in 1935. Manuel Quezon was the first president to occupy the said complex. However, it was not until Manuel Roxas’ term when the Philippine governance was finally turned-over to the Filipino people through the Third Republic.  Hence, these ten presidents, who also occupied the Malacañang Palace, are the ten horns mentioned who have ruled the country as kings (presidents), but without their kingdom as yet. 

“These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.” (17:13).

As presidents, these ten horns (heads) shall give their power (authority and leadership) to the beast (the country). 

“These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.” (17:14).

In principle, the ratifiers of the Philippine Constitutions, guided by their individual spiritual outlooks and values sought the need to invoke the aid of the Divine Providence in ordaining and promulgating the Constitution. However, they also sought the need for the inclusion of a provision on the separation of the Church and the State. In reality, what prevailing are the exact opposites of these two principles. What the government is always invoking in almost all its undertakings is the aid of the Church (Roman Catholic to be specific) and established a demarcation line between the State and Divine Providence. Remember that majority of the Filipinos; including those who are incumbents, belong to the Roman Catholic fold. Remember also that the Roman Catholic Church holds the name and number of the Beast (Anti-Christ) which is a blasphemy unto the Holy Name of God Almighty. In this regards, the real essence of invoking the aid of the Divine Providence is substituted by the entity of the Roman Catholic Church. 

“And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.” (17:16).

In reality, this is how the lives of the Filipinos being managed during the reigns of these ten horns (presidents), as seen in the country’s economic status in every administration, where majority of them (perhaps, 80%) belong to the poverty level (desolated and naked). This is the lasting effect of graft and corruption perpetuated by those incumbents, where the taxes (flesh) paid by no other the people themselves, which are supposed to be given to them in return in the forms of government services are gone into the pockets of greedy politicians (eaters of flesh). 

“For God hath put in their hearts to fulfill his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.” (17:17).

Perhaps, this is really the plan of God for the Filipino people; to let them experience (not to suffer) all these, like the Israelites whom He had promised the “Land” yet never in their entire lives have enjoyed the benefit of this promise, so that God, with all the prayers of His people, will have all the reasons to pronounce His verdict to those corrupt politicians (and the corrupt system) and pour upon His people the blessings of His glory and grace.

The former President Ferdinand Marcos once wrote, “Peace is so crucial to everyone; the alternative is total destruction. But the alternative to destruction is not only peace but a ‘golden age’ for mankind.” Hence, in war, there is this so-called “collateral damage” before peace will be finally achieved. 

“And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.” (17:18).

This will be the fulfillment of the prophecy, when Philippines will be known as the "great city" and will prevail over all other countries upon the earth. And this has something to do with the land promised by God to His chosen people.

Philippines in Bible Prophecy Part 2

The Revelation

There are many ways of interpreting the pages of the Bible and it depends on what angle you are trying to prove that interpretations suit just right. It is relative but at least some points will hit the marks.

I am one of those who buy and support the belief that the Philippines has a significant roles concerning spirituality and dominion governance during the last days. I am referring to those fulfillment of some biblical prophecies directed to no other than "in the islands of the sea" mentioned is some passages of the Bible.

For example, as I read the entire Chapter 17 of the Book of Revelation, it describes more about the Philippines:

“And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will show unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters.” (17:1).

The great whore (woman) is the great city (Philippines) that sit upon many waters (comprises of thousands of islands and islets). See also Revelation 17:15.

“With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.” (17:2).

The Philippines was a colony of many countries for centuries. During those eras, the Filipino people were enslaved and endured lots of sufferings in the hands of their colonizers. And even after the proclamation of its autonomy, the Filipinos are yet suffering the gross effects of graft and corruption these colonizers have left as among their legacies. Today, the Philippine political system is one among the most corrupt in the world, where the politicians (kings) and their relatives (inhabitants of the earth) have been made drunk (enjoyed and benefited) with the wine (wealth, power and privileges) of her fornication (taking advantage of their positions without shame).

 

“And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication.” (17:4).

The woman is the great city (Philippines) itself with reference to the colonial influences of Catholicism into the religious or spiritual aspect of the lives of the Filipino people: the “scarlet” is the color of the Pope who is the central figure of Catholicism; “gold, precious stones and pearls” are those wealth-ness the Catholic Church had amassed and now on its possessions, and; the “golden cup” refers to the authority of the Papacy with the title “Vicar of the Son of God” which is according to some conspiracy theories the equivalent of the Number of the Beast (666 or Anti-Christ), and all the filthiness and sins the Papacy had committed against the Holy Name of the Christ.

“And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.” “And the angel said unto me, wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.” (17:6-7).

This refers to the incomparable devotedness of the Filipinos to the saints and martyrs which are all products of the Roman Catholic Church, and the employ of religious icons in their reverence on to these saints, and the incomprehensible level of faith and belief the Filipinos have attributed to the Catholic teachings. Moreover, there are more in the Filipinos’ lifestyles that are attributed to their religious beliefs and practices.

During the visit of Pope John Paul II to the Philippines in 1986 in celebration of the World Youth Day, Former Vice-President Noli de Castro, who was then an news anchorman and a television newscaster said, while covering the arrival of the Pope and upon personally having a closer look at the face of the Pope, emotionally uttered, “I can’t explain my emotions… I can’t hold my tears… I can feel a deep sense of fulfillment… we [Filipinos] are really experiencing a so-called “spiritual crisis and [we] are expecting for answers from the Pope.” No wonder, there are many religious sects or denominations (false prophets?) born in the Philippines where memberships are rapidly soaring hoping that they can find answers to this “spiritual dilemma”.

“The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: …when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.” (17:8-9).

These verses require an understanding about Philippine history. The Philippines was a Spanish Colony for more than 300 years. During those years, the Philippines has no known identity in whatsoever form (in a bottomless pit) aside from a mere colony under the rulership of the viceroy of the Spanish Crown. But because of the determination of the Filipinos for identity and independence they struggled hard (ascended out from the bottomless pit). The middle-class led the peaceful assimilation while the “plebeians” led the bloody struggle, hence the birth of the Katipunan or KKK (Kataastaasan, Kagalanggalangang Katipunan ng mga anak ng Bayan). The Katipunan was organized and founded by Andres Bonifacio on July 7, 189 in Tondo, Manila. But the strength of Katipunan (represented by the figure of a woman clothes with the three colors of the flag – white, blue and red) came from the seven provinces outside Manila, which were then Batangas, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga and Tarlac. Hence, the seven mountains (seven heads) were represented by these seven provinces, as the arms, which gave life to the spirit of patriotism leading to the birth of Philippine Republic where Aguinaldo became the First President, yet it was only a short-live (and go into perdition).

“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.” (17:10).

Manuel Roxas became the First President of the Third Philippine Republic after the United States-sponsored Commonwealth Government. There were six presidents from Manuel Roxas to Ferdinand Marcos. A year before Marcos’ first term ended, he declared Martial Law putting the entire archipelago under the rule of the military law. From the last year of his first term, Marcos did rule the country but the military law he imposed which ended the Third Philippine Republic.

Philippines in Bible Prophecy

From: Christian Sermon Central

It is interesting to know for a Filipino that the Philippine country is one prophetically mentioned in the Bible. The Bible foretold that somewhere in the East will give glory to the Lord in the islands of the sea.

It was not the intention of the Spaniard explorer and circumnavigates the world and landed the Philippine island to bring Christianity in the country. This was only happened just to fulfill what is written in the Bible two thousand years ago or centuries.

Somewhere in the book of Isaiah chapter 24 verse 15 reads “Therefore in the east give glory to the LORD; exalt the name of the LORD, the God of Israel, in the islands of the sea” (NIV).

Many Christians believed that the prophecy of the Bible was fulfilled by the Spaniards when they were arrived the Philippine Island and Christianize in the land, since the Philippines is the only recognized Christian archipelago in the Pacific covering East Asia that qualifies of fulfilling the prophecy in the book of Isaiah 24:15.

That is exactly what is mentioned in the history and research books based on the findings of historian and archeologist that Philippines is the only country in the east with multitude of islands and the only Christian country in East Asia.

But in this article we present the biblical facts on how the Philippines fulfill the prophecy in the book of Isaiah chapter 24.

First, it is a good to get the solid background of Christianity from the bible and how Christianity arrived to this Christian country in the Far East of Asia. As the Bible give its account about Christianity in the book of Acts chapter 11 in the particular verse of 26 where disciples are called Christian first in Antioch.

The Christian disciples in Antioch were the Christian Jews converted during the time when the believers from Jerusalem were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen (verse 19).

Christians are individual person called by God unto Him as a Church built upon the rock by Jesus Christ (Matthew 16:18), and the Church Jesus built was in Jerusalem (Acts 8:1, 11:22). With this preceding information about the Church or Christianity, we can be sure of our faith if our Christian beliefs aligned to the Christian belief from Jerusalem.

Going back to the main subject of this article, how the Philippines fulfill the prophecy about Christianity in the country. As we knew from the Bible that genuine Christian were from Jerusalem (Acts 8:1, 11:22), built upon the rock by the Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 16:18) and called Christians after the name Christ. Beginning in Jerusalem, repentance and remission of sins should be preached in the name Jesus Christ, this is where we are called Christian because we put up with that name after Christ (Luke 24:47).

The Cross of Magellan, Cebu

Christians from Jerusalem were witnesses of Jesus Christ both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth (Acts 1:8). The reason why God allows the persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and that they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria (Acts 8:1) is because God wants the gospel to be preached all over the world including the Philippines.


More Biblical References

Did you know that more and more Filipinos are becoming aware of the significant and important roles of the Philippines and its people (of course) nowadays when it comes to biblical prophesies during the last days? I strongly believe that their individual consciousness are becoming atoned to the universal Maharlikan consciousness which was common during their glorious days. I say this because even most of the visitors coming to this blogsite are following a common trend, The Philippines in Bible Prophecy. You may check the Live Traffic Feed on the left side below and you will find out how true it is.

Surprisingly, do you also know that the Philippines, though not literally called by that name but by its geographical descriptions is in many times mentioned in the pages of the Bible, more particularly when it mentions about the “islands afar off” in Isaiah 66:19 and Jeremiah 31:10, or that “isles of the sea” or the “isles from the ends of the earth” in Matthew 12:42. Few words are not enough to convince you but there are lots of evidences and proofs so overwhelming that anyone just need enough time reading those sources and contemplate on them for one to find out the truth in all those claims.

In addition to that, just recently I have found a website in which it features their own findings about the Philippines using geography and history in interpreting the Bible. And they believe this land (country) is more than what it seems as they able to prove that the Philippines was the ancient land of Havilah, the land of Adam and Eve east of Eden rich of gold mentioned in Genesis, the same place where Noah lived and build the ark. It is also the King Solomon’s land of gold, the land called Ophir where many nations and historians were so obsessed to find because of its abundance of gold.

And here is the link to that website I have mentioned which is worthy of recommendations, The God Culture. You may watch their videos in Youtube. I will feature them in my next posts.

And lastly, just for the sake of supplemental readings and as a matter of review to my previous posts, you may also click the continuations of this topic in Part 2 and Part 3, including A Land in the Far East and In the East, In Eden, to have a greater insight on this subject.

Thank you for reading.