There are at least 2 instances in Revelation that describe a massive deception perpetrated by the medical industry: Revelation 18, and Revelation 16.

Revelation 18 describes the fall of Babylon. Verse 23 is of particular interest because it describes the cause/reason for the collapse.

A powerful angel then picked up a huge stone and threw it into the sea. The angel said,

“This is how the great city of Babylon
will be thrown down, never to rise again.

22  The music of harps and singers
and of flutes and trumpets will no longer be heard.
No workers will ever set up shop in that city,
and the sound of grinding grain
    will be silenced forever.

23 Lamps will no longer shine anywhere in Babylon,
and couples will never again say wedding vows there.
Her merchants ruled the earth,
and by her witchcraft she fooled all nations. (Revelation 18:21-23 CEV)

The ESV renders this “for your merchants were the great ones of the earth, and all nations were deceived by your sorcery.”

Popular Hollywood-ised end-times theories have a charismatic AntiChrist out deceiving the world and being worshipped. However, the truth is more complex.

It is merchants, “the Lords of the earth”, who deceive the world, and in particular Babylon. This deception is so great, it brings the destruction of Babylon. The great merchants deceived the world with their “sorcery”.

The Greek renders ‘sorcery’, pharmakeia, which predominantly means medicinal drugs – it’s where we get the word ‘pharmacy’ and ‘pharmeceuticals’ from. It can mean literal idolatry, but as there are other Greek words for idolatry, so the evidence points to the writer intentionally meaning pharmaceutical drugs or treatments. In fact, it’s possible that some of these great merchants are pharmaceutical companies.

It’s not the AntiChrist out deceiving the world, it’s great merchants who rule the world.

This is critical to understand.

The pharmaceutical deception was perpetrated by great merchants who run the world.

In the time of John’s writing, great merchants did not run the world. Today, groups like the World Economic Forum, Twitter, Facebook, Google, Microsoft have more power than governments. We have politicians bought and paid for by these corporations. Governments merely do their bidding. It has even been proposed that these companies are given seats at the UN.

We don’t know if the deception was a specific product/treatment or a range of products and treatments. We don’t know if it’s a cure for a disease, or some new development to give us health and vitality. But we do know, the deception caused the downfall of Babylon.

So here’s my speculation:

The deception is likely to be some saving treatment but it has horrific side-effects. Perhaps it’s an unnecessary cure that people are fooled into taking. Whatever it is, it’s worldwide.

Key take-away of Revelation 18:23:

Great merchants who rule the world, will deceive the world with a pharmaceutical product or products, causing the downfall of Babylon.

See part 2 of Medical Tyranny in the End Times