Authored By :
Bill Kochman
Published On :
April 23, 2007
Last Updated :
January 3, 2009
NOTE: This article or series has not been updated recently. As such, it may possibly contain some outdated information, and/or ideas and beliefs which I no longer embrace, or which have changed to some degree.
Seven Kings, Seven Churches Which Are In Asia, Location Of
Patmos, Sitchin's Beliefs vs Christian Beliefs, Purpose Of
This Series, Zecharia Sitchin Did Not Accept May 15, 2003,
Nibiru Mayan Calendar And 2012 Prediction, Keep Your Cash,
Ask The Lord For His Wisdom And Don't Be Deceived, Conclusion
As I noted earlier in this series, once we fail to take heed
to the Voice of God's Spirit, strong delusion begins to set
in. Having offered their warped understanding of the opening
chapters of the Book of Revelation, the person who wrote to
me then leaps forward to Revelation chapter eighteen, where
we find the description of Babylon the Great, the Beast, the
Seven Kings and the Ten Horns. More specifically, they point
out verse ten which speaks of the Seven Kings. In order to
keep the verse in its proper context, I am going to include
the surrounding Scriptures as well:
"And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are
seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. 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. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the
eighth, and is of the seven, 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. These have one mind, and shall give
their power and strength unto the beast."
Revelation 17:9-13, KJV
The majority of Bible scholars and students, myself included,
are in agreement that the Seven Kings represent either seven
world powers or empires, or seven actual literal leaders. In
contrast, this person again twists the meaning of the verses,
and concludes that the Seven Kings are the same as the Seven
Churches. Totally ignoring what the Bible tells us about the
true age of the Earth, they then offer their interpretation
of verse ten. I am including it here just so my readers can
see how off-base we can get when we become deceived by this
New Age nonsense:
----- Begin Quote -----
According to Rev. 17:10 where it says "five are fallen, one
is, and the other is not yet come" (referring to these 7
churches or times) would mean that the 5 fallen would be 1)
Ephesus at around 19,600 B.C., 2) Smyrna at around 16,000
B.C., 3) Pergamus at around 12,400 B.C., 4) Thyatira at
around 8,800 B.C. and 5) Sardis at around 5,200 B.C. The
one that is at the time of John's revelation would be 6)
Philadelphia at around 1,600 B.C. The one that has not yet
come is 7) Laodicea or our time now. In Rev. 17:11 "the
beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of
the seven, and goeth into perdition (or back out into space
possibly), this time would be around 5,600 A.D., and is of
the 7 because it overlaps onto this clock in the heavens
coming back around near to where the position of the first
church is.
----- End Quote -----
As I noted a moment ago, and if you are a Bible student as
well, you will already know that, concerning these churches,
the Angelic Messenger told the Apostle John that they are in
Asia. It is present tense. He didn't say that they were in
Asia at some time in the past, or that they will be in Asia
at some time in the future; they are in Asia during John's
time. So when was John's time? When did John walk the Earth?
Again, many Bible scholars concur that John, who was one of
the Lord's Twelve Apostles, and who was also known as John
the Revelator, wrote the Book of Revelation, or Apocalypse,
sometime during the last half of the First Century. We also
know that John received his visions on the isle of Patmos,
which is a tiny island located in the Aegean Sea. In chapter
one of the Book of Revelation we read:
"I John, who also am your brother, and companion in
tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus
Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word
of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ."
Revelation 1:9, KJV
The Angelic Messenger specifically told John to write down
the things he saw in a book, and to send the book to each of
the Seven Churches. How could John possibly have done this,
if, as this person claims, the Seven Churches are scattered
throughout time from 19,600 BC to 5,600 AD? It is absolutely
nonsensical to even consider such an idea; and it would be
one amazing feat indeed. Now here is what the Scriptures say
regarding John's mission:
"John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto
you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which
is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his
throne; . . . Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and
the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it
unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and
unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto
Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea."
Revelation 1:4, 11, KJV
So if we put aside this person's misguided New Age ideas, it
is quite easy to see how John, while living on a tiny island
located offshore from Asia Minor in the Aegean Sea, could be
inspired to write down his visions, and then have them sent
by courier, to the Seven Churches which were located in Asia
Minor. Exactly when did these events occur? Obviously during
John's lifetime sometime in the First Century. This person's
claim that "The one that is at the time of John's revelation
would be 6) Philadelphia at around 1,600 B.C.", is a blatant
historical inaccuracy, and demonstrates how very little they
know about secular history and Biblical history. There is no
need to tax our brains in order to understand the verses in
question. Their meaning is quite plain to any Bible student
who is yearning for Scriptural truth, and who is capable of
conducting a little bit of Biblical research.
Sadly, while conducting research for this series, I found out
that, as in the previous examples I have shared, some Nibiru
followers have attempted to attach Planet X to other Biblical
events as well; such as the Great Flood that occurred during
Noah's day, as well as the Ten Plagues which befell Egypt at
the time of the Israelite Liberation under the leadership of
the Prophet and Messenger, Moses. I honestly don't know how
God performs His many miracles. I don't know what mechanisms
He may possibly use. However, to try to attribute everything
to Nibiru, is basically to try to rob God of His Power and
Glory in my view; and the Bible specifically tells us that
we are not to worship the creation more than the Creator.
If you are a Bible-believing Christian as I am, then perhaps
the following short comparative list will help you to better
understand my concerns regarding this Nibiru obsession, and
see why I view it as a spiritual danger to all Christians.
1. The Bible teaches us that God the Father and Jesus Christ
His Son, made all things, including the Sun, Earth, Moon and
stars, for their own pleasure, about 6,000 years ago. To the
contrary, Zecharia Sitchin's followers promote the idea that
the Earth and the Moon were the result of a great collision
between Nibiru and another celestial body billions of years
ago.
2. The Bible teaches us that God created man on the sixth day
about 6,000 years ago. To demonstrate their love and care for
their new creation, they placed man in the beautiful Garden
of Eden, where all of their needs were met. In contrast, the
followers of Zecharia Sitchin's writings claim that man is
the result of genetic experiments conducted by an alien race
over 300,000 years ago. They also claim that humankind was
created as a slave race to serve the Anunnakis.
3. The Bible tells us that as a result of the wickedness and
violence being committed by man, God decided to destroy His
original creation through a worldwide Flood. Furthermore, we
are told that after the flood waters had subsided, God began
the world anew through the bloodline of Noah and his family.
Contrary to what is stated in the Biblical account, Zecharia
Sitchin's followers claim that the Great Flood wasn't really
wrought by God's Hand, but was instead the result of one of
the ancient passages by the planet Nibiru.
4. The Bible teaches us that in order to persuade Pharaoh,
king of Egypt to free the Israelites from bondage, God sent
a variety of Plagues via the hand of His Prophet, Messenger
and Deliverer, Moses. These Plagues clearly demonstrated the
power of the Hebrew God, while exposing the weakness of the
Egyptian gods, and their inability to prevent the Plagues.
In contrast, Nibiru promoters contradict the Bible, and say
that the Plagues were simply the result of Nibiru's passage
during that time period. Once again, this interpretation of
historical and Biblical events robs God of His Glory.
5. Some Nibiru supporters claim that the letters to the Seven
Churches in Asia found in the Book of Revelation, is a veiled
timeline regarding Nibiru's historical passages by the Earth.
This interpretation is totally contrary to the actual context
of the verses in question, defies all logic, contradicts the
the historical record of early Christianity, and ignores the
geography of the area where these events occurred.
6. A seemingly large number of Nibiru believers promote the
belief that Nibiru is the prophetic deathstar, Wormwood, that
is mentioned in the Book of Revelation. There is no concrete
scientific or Scriptural proof to support this claim. It is
scientifically impossible for a celestial body, alleged to be
four or five times the size of the Earth, to fall into the
Earth's water sources. Given the size and momentum of Nibiru,
assuming of course that it even exists, any kind of head-on
collision would undoubtedly result in the total annihilation
of the Earth.
There may be other beliefs embraced by Nibiru supporters that
contradict the Word of God. I have shared a few of which I've
personally become aware. To reiterate what I said earlier, I
just don't believe that it is wise to try to attach Nibiru to
Biblical events, simply for the sake of trying to prove that
it exists. We should let the Bible interpret itself, and stop
attempting to make it say things that it is not meant to say.
The point of this series has been to expose some of the false
ideas, obvious fallacies, inaccuracies and false predictions
which have surrounded this issue for so many years. Likewise,
the purpose of this series has been to warn other Christians
of the subtle, deceptive nature of New Age ideas, and of how
easy it is for them to cloud our thinking if we fail to keep
our guards up, and remain vigilant.
Speaking of false predictions, it might interest you to know
that according to one website that I visited, even Zecharia
Sitchin himself commented that it was unlikely that Nibiru
would reach the Earth on May 15, 2003. He stated:
----- Begin Quote -----
. . . the assumption that the 3600 years, as a perfect
mathematical given, is also at all times the actual orbital
period, is untenable: Even the orbit of Halley's comet,
about 75 years, varies from 74 to 76 or so. All attempts to
pinpoint a precise date for future arrivals of the planet
and/or of the Anunnaki are thus difficult questions. I will
answer them once I am satisfied that, based on historical
and astronomical data, I have come up with the right answer.
----- End Quote -----
If even Zecharia Sitchin is hesitant to offer a concrete date
for the next passage of Nibiru, we must wonder then how it is
that some of his misguided followers have been offering dates
for a number of years now. In fact, as surprising as it may
seem, in spite of their dismal failure with the May 15, 2003
date, these people continue to predict the date of Nibiru's
next passage by the Earth. They have apparently updated the
schedule, and are now claiming that Nibiru's next visit will
coincide with the end of the Mayan Calendar in 2012. This is
another New Age belief which we will reserve for another time
and another article perhaps. If you are one who accepts these
beliefs surrounding the Mayan Calendar, I hope that you don't
end up embarrassed in 2012, as the Nibiru supporters were in
May of 2003.
But concerning Nibiru's passage in 2012, I for one, will not
be holding my breath. Will you? I have seen so many of these
failed New Age predictions on the Internet, that I've grown
wise enough to ignore them. I trust that you are smart enough
to do the same. Please don't give in to their deception; and
whatever you do, don't be so foolish as to waste your hard-
earned money on Nibiru-related products like tapes, videos,
books, etc. I feel sorry for the people who were fooled into
purchasing these items several years ago, only to discover
later that they had been hoodwinked by a slick, fast-talking
salesman or author.
As I pointed out earlier in this series, the Scriptures speak
a lot about deception and the Gift of Spiritual Discernment.
The Bible also encourages us to put on the "mind of Christ".
In this modern age of computers and the Information Highway,
it is even more imperative that, as Christians, we ask God to
give us the wisdom that we need, in order to safely navigate
through this modern life, where information, both useful and
dangerous, is thrown at us from every direction, like never
before. As the Apostle James once wrote:
"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth
to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be
given him."
James 1:5, KJV
With these thoughts, I will bring this article to a close. It is my hope that you have found it informative, enlightening, and I pray that it has been a blessing in your life as well. If you have an account with Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or with any other social network, I would really appreciate if you'd take the time to click or tap on the corresponding link that is found on this page. Thanks so much, and may God bless you abundantly!
For additional information and further study, you may want to refer to the list of reading resources below which were either mentioned in this article, or which contain topics which are related to this article. All of these articles are likewise located on the Bill's Bible Basics web server. To read these articles, simply click or tap on any link you see below.