(Video) The Whore of Babylon: Solving the Mystery

  "And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters" -Revelation 17

The Whore, according to Scripture is a False Church, it is the opposite of the True Church which is the Bride of Christ. The Bride of Christ, is pure, the Whore is unclean and Impure. In this post we will see who is the whore of Babylon.



 Part 1 and 2 of my Video



The Mitre dates back to Dagon Priests. Dagon is Nimrod, the father of Tammuz

US. troops guard Commercial Babylon, which is still under construction. This City will be the capital of World Commerce.

Skull and Bones: A Symbol of The Anti-Christ Video



Watch this video to see how the Skull and Bones symbol is a symbol of a false Christ who is identified with Gods of Paganism. 


St. Joseph Shrine, St. Louis MO


Skull and Bones Society
Who is Hiram Abiff? watch this video to find out!

New Video: Communism Is A Creation of The Vatican



In this video we will see how this Insitution was created by the Jesuits. This is the testimony of an Ex-Jesuit Priest who was under the Jesuit Extreme Oath of Induction when he learned the origins of Communism.

The Symbols of Socialism



In Roman Catholic symbolism aside from Pale (Yellow) Black and White (Same colors of the four horses of the Apocalypse), Red plays a big role. Red is one of the colors of the Roman Caesars aside from Purple. The Scarlet color was used when Roman Caesars  went into battle.

 "In Roman mythology red is associated with the god of war, Mars.[43] A Roman general receiving a triumph had his entire body painted red in honor of his achievement.[45]"
  






Mars was also worshipped on March and October, curiously 
Lenin started the October Revolution.

Tunics similar to these where worn by Roman Legionaries
Roman Legion Flag



"Mars (LatinMārsadjectives Martius and Martialis) was the Roman god of war and also an agricultural guardian, a combination characteristic of early Rome.[1] He was second in importance only to Jupiter, and he was the most prominent of the military gods worshipped by the Roman legions. His festivals were held in March, the month named for him (Latin Martius), and in October, which began and ended the season for military campaigning and farming." 


And who does the pagan deity Mars trace his Origins from?


"It is remarkable that there is a syllable with the consonant value "M*R" which is found everywhere in connection with the planet Mars, the god of Mars, and its associated emblem, the dragon. The source of all these words is to be found in the Semitic roof "marah" (M*R) which in Hebrew means bitterness as well as disobedience. From this roof is derived "marad" (M*R*D), or rebellion, which is the original both of Nimrod (the Babylonian Nin-Mir-Rud), or (N*M*R*D), as well as Marduk/Merodach (M*R*D*K). The Bible tells us that Nimrod was the founder of Ninevah, and Nineveh's own half-legendary history ascribes that honor to one Ninur or Nimur (N*M*R).


Marduk was the original in both name and character of the gods Mercury (M*R*K*R) and Mars (M*R*TS) from which of course we derive the current names of these planets. It is notable that Mercury, like Mars, is also 
"battle-scarred".


Julius Caesar in his Red Robes. Red was a color associated with Royalty in ancient Rome

Pergamos itself became part and parcel of the Roman Empire, when Attalus III, the last of the kings, at his death, left by will all his dominions to the Roman people, B.C. 133 For some time after the kingdom of Pergamos was merged in the Roman dominions, there was no one who could set himself openly and advisedly to lay claim to all the dignity inherent in the old title of the kings of Pergamos... but when Julius Caesar, who had previously been elected Pontifex Maximus became also, as emperor, the supreme civil ruler of the Romans, then, as head of the Roman state, and as head of the Roman religion, all the powers and functions of the true legitimate Babylonian Pontiff were supremely vested in him, and he found himself in a position to assert these powers...Then, on certain occasions, in the exercise of his high pontifical office, he appeared in all the pomp of the Babylonian costume, as Belshazzar [an ancient Pontifex Maximus of Babylon himself] might nave done, in robes of scarlet, with the crosier of Nimrod in his hand, wearing the miter of Dagon and bearing the keys of Janus and Cybele. 
(The Two Babylon's, page 241)


                The Hammer, Sickle and Pentagram:

"On page 200 of Carl Liungman’s Dictionary of Symbols, we learn that the sickle represents Saturn and Chronos.Both the Greeks and Romans associated harvests with these gods, as well as death, due to the lengthy cycle of the planet’s orbit around the sun.Additionally, Saturn and Chronos are associated with sorrow and deprivation, with the separation of human beings from the gods.In the Middle Ages, this symbol would be associated with “Satan, the tester.” Researcher Michael Hoffman reminds us that Saturn is also associated with the Demiurge, the “operating engineer of the universe” and not its creator. Saturn-Chronos represents the end of the rule of the Olympians, the end of the age when Man lived in harmony with nature and the beginning of his separation and alienation from the gods through science and manipulation of the natural world."


"In the case of the hammer, when candidates are initiated into the 3rd degree of Masonry they are symbolically struck in the head with a hammer in imitation of the alleged assassination and resurrection of Hiram Abiff. (The “extreme” nature of this ritual coined the common harmless phrase, “he gave him the third degree” as a description of a particularly thorough or intense investigation and questioning.) Craig Heimbichner claims that, “In the third degree, the blindfolded candidate, as ‘Hiram Abiff,’ is unexpectedly ‘slain’ (struck with a mallet on the forehead) and ‘resurrected,’ leaving the Temple of Solomon unfinished.” Here, then, is an esoteric reference to an initiation into the “resurrection” that must take place for the creation of a new consciousness, a new initiate into the New Order.In this regard, the hammer or the “molot” may very well be an indication of what is happening to all Soviet victims: they are being “struck and killed” in order to resurrect new initiates into the post-Christian New Age."
                                       
"The five pointed star, or pentagram, is ancient and has a host of associations. On page 43 of Liungman’s book, he informs us that the five pointed star without intersecting lines is a derivative of the ancient pentagram – that is, a five pointed start drawn with intersecting lines.While it has had various meanings throughout the ages, it is also associated with the occult and used for sinister purposes. On page 44, Liungman indicates that during the Middle Ages the pentagram was associated with the anti-Christ.However, there are numerous other associations as well.What, then, are we to make of it? If our thesis concerning the development of occult traditions is correct, it might be helpful to consider whether the star has any associations within masonic thought. Gleamed from the writings of various occultists and freemasons such as Albert Pike, it appears that the star is associated with the star of Sirius, the so-called “dog star.” Sirius is in the constellation Canis – hence its designation as “dog star.” Its helical rising occurs in July and August, during the hottest time of the year. Our phrase “the dog days of summer” refers to this astronomical event."




Ignatius of Loyola first Superior General of the Jesuit Order´s Red Standard

This Church of the Gesu altarpiece by Jesuit artist Andrea Pozzo, S.J. (1642-1709), featuring Ignatius Loyola with his Red Standard, and reported by an article in the June 14, 2008 New York Times, was effectively buried about 1908, shortly prior to the rise of various 20th century political movements employing this Standard of a Red Flag.

"Lost Baroque Work Is a Spectacle Again"



By ELISABETTA POVOLEDO Published: June 14, 2008



ROME — Every afternoon at 5:30 sharp, the “ta-da” moment arrives at the Chiesa del Gesù, the mother church of the Jesuit order.As choral music fills the church, a meticulously choreographed light show begins in the left transept of the Chapel of St. Ignatius of Loyola. During the startling crescendo, a painted altarpiece descends slowly, exposing a deep niche in which a majestic silver statue depicts St. Ignatius, founder of the Jesuits, jetting into heaven.


It is a quintessential Baroque spectacle, one that fell out of favor about a century ago. At the time, the church’s caretakers retired the canvas altarpiece, which depicts Christ presenting a royal standard to St. Ignatius, and the mechanical apparatus that lowers and raises it, so that the silver statue could remain on display.


Note that this article, though reporting on the discovery of the alter painting, goes on to discuss the silver statute.

“That was the taste of the time,” the Rev. Daniele Libanori, the church’s deputy rector, said of that early-20th-century decision. He is not a huge fan of the larger-than-life sculpture, which was designed around 1698 by Pierre Le Gros the Younger. (What’s on display today is actually a 19th-century stucco copy plated in silver. The silver original was melted down in 1798 during an occupation by Napoleon’s forces.) “The statue’s a little over the top, but it does make a big impression,” he said.of the larger-than-life sculpture, which was designed around 1698 by Pierre Le Gros the Younger. (What’s on display today is actually a 19th-century stucco copy plated in silver. The silver original was melted down in 1798 during an occupation by Napoleon’s forces.) “The statue’s a little over the top, but it does make a big impression,” he said."




Loyola´s Red Flag (which interestingly enough was buried in 1908 just before the start of Socialist movements) closely resemble the flags of Socialist movements:
Jesuit Trained Vladimir Lenin



“The hellish vapors rise and fill the brain till I go mad and my heart is utterly changed.  See this sword?  The Prince of Darkness [Satan] sold it to me.
-Karl Marx, "Oulanem" (a satanic play written by Marx) Oulanem is an inversion and a Blasphemy to Emmanuel (Which means "God is with Us") one of the names of our Lord, Jesus Christ.  
The Sword which Marx refers to is Das Kapital,  the Communist Manifesto, and the doctrine of Proletarian Revolution. The Communist Bibles.

"And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword."
-Rev 6:3-4

Ex-Jesuit Alberto Rivera´s testimony and an exposé of his attackers

           
                      Alberto Magno Rivera Romero (Sept, 19, 1935-June, 29, 1997) was an ex- Jesuit priest who left the Jesuit order and exposed much of it´s crimes. We will see his testimony to Jack Chick in his publications, examine the evidence and then we will examine what his attackers say about him and who his attackers are. Alberto Rivera´s story is true, he was a Jesuit priest specially trained to infiltrate and destroy Protestant churches and found the truth while reading his bible. The Roman Catholic (Universal) church is the whore of Rev 17 and the Jesuit Order is indeed the reformed Knight Templars fighting for the Pope. 


Alberto Rivera´s Testimony:
What you are about to see is a true account of an Ex-Jesuit Priest:





Alberto Part 1 - Alberto


Alberto Part 2 - Double-Cross


Alberto Part 3 - The Godfathers


Alberto Part 4 - The Force


Alberto Part 5 - Four Horsemen

           Click Here For Alberto Part 6: The Prophet which is Alberto Rivera´s testimony on how the Jesuit order created the Cult of Islam, you will also find the origins of Allah who is based on the moon Androgynous (Hermaphrodite) Deity which traces it´s origins to Semiramis Queen of Babylon and her husband Nimrod.


The Attackers of Alberto Rivera´s Testimony:
      
           Soon after Alberto Rivera´s testimony was published, a network of attackers came forward to slander Alberto Rivera and his testimony. Gary Metz who is also known as DoctorZin wrote an exposé in 2 different magazines (Christianity Today and Cornerstone Magazine) claiming that Alberto Rivera was a fraud. The following is from Wikipedia and is the "official version" that the Jesuit Order wants you to think:



"According to the Cornerstone exposé : Rivera had a 'history of legal entanglements' including fraud, credit card theft, and writing bad checks. Warrants had been issued for his arrest in New Jersey and Florida, and he was wanted by the Spanish police for 'swindles and cheats'; while in the USA in 1967, he claimed to be collecting money for a Spanish college, which never received this money. The details of his claims changed: In 1964 he said he had left the Catholic Church in July 1952, but he later put the date at March 20, 1967; despite this, he was still promoting Catholicism in a newspaper interview of August that same year. Although supposedly placed in the sanitorium in 1965 and held there for three months, he gave the date of his release as September 1967, leaving a period of over a year unaccounted.
The document exhibited by Rivera to prove his status as a Catholic priest was fraudulently obtained and the Catholic Church denies his claims of having been a Jesuit priest or a bishop. He had only one sister in London; she was not called Maria, was not a nun, and did not live in a convent. In an employment form dated 1963 he claimed marriage to Carmen Lydia Torres, and the couple had two children in the USA when his own account had him a celibate priest in Spain.
Cornerstone also questioned Rivera's claim to various degrees, including three doctorates (Th.D., D.D., and Ph.D.), reporting that his known chronology did not allow enough time for him to have completed these degrees and that he had admitted to receiving them from a Colorado diploma mill."

Gary Metz and his false accounts are the only source of an attempt to debunk Alberto Rivera anywhere, notice how he only attacks Alberto Rivera as a person and fails to attack Rivera´s evidence and documents. Let us see who this Gary Metz is and what type of people he associates and helps and recieves help in return from, we will also see Gary Metz´s connections.


We will now analyze Gary Metz through a guide containing screenshots, look closely at them and you will see Gary Metz´s connections with the Jesuit Order and efforts to demonize people who expose the Vatican




Gary Metz operates a Neo Conservative Blog, Regimechangeiran.blogspot.com on one particular posting dated August 10, 2005 his laptop died and he is sending out a distress call to his followers to help donate money to buy himself a new one, as we will see in the following screenshot:


Enlarged Image of Gary Metz´s call for help


  Soon after the Catholic website http://www.fraterslibertas.com run by catholic, Chad Doughty also known as "Chad the Elder" also called for help in support of his friend, Gary Metz. in the following screenshot we will see a post from Chad Doughty dated August 12, 2005 just 2 days after Gary Metz´s distress call for a new laptop. 


Enlarged version of the post by Chad Doughty, the post contains a link leading straight to the page where people could donate to Gary Metz
In the following screenshot we will see Chad Doughty´s religious stand, notice how he dreads the Catholic church looking too Presbyterian for his taste



Enlarged image of the post above

By these posts on both Roman Catholic Chad Doughty and Gary Metz we see how Metz is supported by a Roman Catholic blogger, not only that but these two mutually support each other on their websites. 
Chad Doughty supports "Regime Change Iran" which is Gary Metz´s blog
Gary Metz lists Catholic blog Fraters Libertas on his "Important Weblogs" list

In the following screenshot we will see how Gary Metz is a member of www.freerepublic.com and how this 
website´s members like to make propaganda against journalists that they dislike.

Gary Metz has also been a member of FreeRepublic.com a website that deals with politics. This website has also tried to demonize Greg Szymanski, a researcher who writes about the evils of the Jesuit Order. we will see how they have used propaganda to demonize Greg by criticizing a journalist who praised his work. The following screenshot shows an article written by Ben Johnson.


We will notice how this article indirectly calls Greg Szymanski a Hate Monger and how they label his website www.arcticbeacon.com as a UFO site, when in reality it is a website that deals with exposing the Jesuit Order




And this is Greg Szymanski´s website....
This is www.ArcticBeacon.com Where are the UFO´s? Freerepublic.com the same site Gary Metz is a member of tries getting away with calling this website a UFO site 


In 1984, on a show "Talk from the heart" hosted by Rich Bueller, Gary Metz debated with Alberto Rivera. Gary Metz claims to have had a death certificate of Alberto's first son from the County of El Paso, Texas in 1965, Alberto answers, "you should PROVE that and make it public". Metz says "Sure, no problem". (But we have yet to see it and the Austin Bureau of Vital Statistics denies the certificate exists.) Metz ignored Alberto's question and instead, moves on to more accusations.
                  Richard Onken, a consultant for Christian Research Institute (founded by Walter Martin) all of a sudden is brought unto the debate, the following is taken from a website that deals with this debate:

 Alberto seems unfazed at having two against one and seems more interested in trying to remember who Brian is. Brian explains some prior conversations he had with Alberto, when Alberto recalls him and makes the connection. He seems happy to speak with Brian again, but Brian talks fast and the two don't communicate very clearly. One of Alberto's claims, that deceased cult leader Jim Jones was a Jesuit, is challenged. Alberto sticks by the claim. Alberto also offers to make full sized copies of his documents and provide them to Chick Publications to give anyone who doubts them.


Brian Onken challenged Alberto Rivera´s testimony about Jim Jones being a Jesuit priest when it is quite simple to make the connection: The Rite of Perfection came from the Jesuit University of Clermont in Paris, The Rite of Perfection developed into The Scottish Rite, Albert Pike was  Sovereign Grand Commander of the Scottish Rite's Southern Jurisdiction in 1859 and was the founder of the Ku Klux Klan, Jim Jones´s father, James Thurman Jones (May 31, 1887 – May 29, 1951) was a member of the Ku Klux Klan according to Jim Jones himself. But back to Brian Onken, he works for Christian Research Institute founded by Walter Ralston Martin (September 10, 1928 – June 26, 1989). The following screenshots will show Walter Martin´s position on Roman Catholicism despite claiming to be a Baptist: 







Image was Zoomed in so you could read

Read More About Walter Martin Here http://www.chick.com/reading/books/153/153_09.asp
Look Carefully at the following screenshot according to Wikipedia, James Bjornstad was Walter Martin´s colleague in the same institute that Walter Martin founded:



James Bjornstad, is the Ohio director of the Personal Freedom Outreach, a supposedly non-denominational Christian organization dedicated to exposing cults and other religions. The following screenshot proves James Bjornstad works for the Personal Freedom Outreach.



Enlarged image from screenshot above


The Following Screenshots show the pages which involve the Jesuit order and the Pope, another editorial which is publishing "He came to set the captives free" has completely removed the mention of the Pope and the Jesuit Order.


 ....And now we will see the Personal Freedom Outreach´s jesuit connection:







Norman L. Geisler is Jesuit trained and holds a PH.D in Philosophy from Jesuit Loyola University
This is taken from a great website exposing Jesuit trained Norman Geisler, check it out at http://rpmgt.org/JesuitTrainedGeisler.htm
Here are some rather interesting quotes from Norman Geisler´s book "Roman Catholics and Evangelicals: Agreements and Differences", 1995
These quotes clearly mirror the efforts of the Second Vatican Council


Gary Metz has also written a letter to someone from the website http://monsterwax.tripod.com/metz.html


we will see the content of the letter here :


"I was surfing the net and found references to me on your site.Frankly, I was amazed that anyone would still be interested in this story. But I read several false statements posted about me and although I haven't begun to read all the comments on your site, I thought there might be some visitors to your site who would be interested in my response.This is not a detailed response since I haven't begun to read all the charges and counter charges, but let me focus on a couple that I noticed were being repeated as if they were facts. If this is posted on this website, at least you will know response to these charges.


Let me preface this by saying that I had no axe to grind with Jack Chick. As a young Christian I used to distribute his tracts. That was in the day that his material was focused on simply spreading the gospel. I thought it was unfortunate that he later got caught up in variousconspiracy theories. His tracts took a darker tone from that point on and seemed to me to lack the clear, simple focus of this earlier work.


But the accusation that I asked Jack Chick for a job and that was the motivation for the research into Alberto Rivera is absolutely false. I haven't read all of your posts, so I don't know where this started, but whoever started this rumor, lied. I can only assume someone made up this story in an attempt to discredit me. Unfortunately there is no way I can "prove" this, but I would like to be on record as denying it. God knows the truth.


The fact is that my friends at Cornerstone magazine asked me to investigate the Alberto story. They would from time to time ask me to write for them. If they were getting a number of letters from their readers on a topic that they knew little about and thought it deserved more attention sometimes they would ask me to investigate. Since I once did research for Dr. Walter Martin, they asked me if I would do research of this sort for them. I had published several other stories for them prior to the Alberto story, including a brief investigation into Johnny Todd, another of Jack Chick's "sources."


.The other blatant falsehood is that I never provided copies of my research documents to others. I provided documentation to Cornerstone magazine, to Christianity Today (their lawyers reviewed the documents and my story prior to their publishing the story). I remember sending out copies of these documents to perhaps hundreds of people making such inquires. Eventually due to the demand I created a small booklet with the major documents reproduced. I probably still have the documents in storage somewhere, if it would make a read difference to someone. But the documents are in circulation and can be verified. I verified them all myself over 20 years ago.


To me it's sad, that people are attracted to the nonsense that Alberto produced. It illustrates how many in the Christian community would rather chase some grand international conspiracy than stay focused and do the work God called us to do.


Gary Metz" 


...According to Metz he himself did research for Walter Martin and his institute which has ties to at least one Jesuit trained Individual (Norman Geisler). 
 the following points are taken from  http://www.spirituallysmart.com/metz.html they are excellent points and a complete refutation of Gary Metz the only source of any "refutation" of Ex jesuit priest Alberto Rivera:


 1. How come Metz cannot provide any of the documents showing convictions for the crimes Metz accuses Alberto of in the USA or foreign lands? 


2. How come Metz cannot prove Alberto's leave of absence document from the Vatican is false? 


3. How come Metz never even mentions Alberto's special I.D. (as a priest) granted by the security secret police that requires a birth certificate and 9 major documents from other legal authorities in Spain? Metz claims he never says Alberto had any convictions (but didn't offer to provide the warrants for Alberto's arreast that he claimed to possess earlier). Alberto asks about the "convictions of illegitimate children" Metz claimed to have. (It seems what Alberto really meant to say was "proof", not "convictions".) Metz says he had a death certificate of Alberto's first son from the County of El Paso, Texas in 1965. Alberto says "you should PROVE that and make it public". Metz says "Sure, no problem". (But we have yet to see it and the Austin Bureau of Vital Statistics denies the certificate exists.) Metz ignored Alberto's other two questions and instead, moves on to more accusations. But most of Metz's evidence is from Catholic institutions, and Alberto counters that they are lying because the Vatican has instructed them to do so.


Alberto Rivera´s Evidence:


Alberto Rivera Also provided physical evidence unlike Gary Metz. We will now examine the evidence provided by Alberto. 


The Testimonials from Ex-Catholics on the comics which i posted are also evidence of Alberto Rivera´s testimonies, the Pope´s JHS templars are infiltrating every aspect of Christianity even the Counter-Cult Organizations like Personal Freedom Outreach. The conclusion to this investigation on Gary Metz is that his claims are completely false, not to mention the attacks are always from the same people and lead to none other than the Jesuit Order. 


We will now see a segment from The Cornerstone Magazine Staff where they claim Catholicism is much like Christianity clearly mirroring Jesuit trained Norman Geisler´s quotes:

"In understanding Catholics, we must dispense with the picture of a pre-Reformation "Mother Church." The Catholic church today is an amalgamation of 'traditional, liberal, and evangelical theology.



Vatican II (1962-1965) had much to do with this. No longer were Protestants "accursed"; we became "separated brethren." Some priests openly denied papal infallibility (an official church doctrine) but were barely even chastised for it. Liberal theologians made an impact, though there were limits to Catholic elasticity. (Theologian Hans Kung, after echoing the teachings of Karl Barth's neo-orthodox theology, recently was forbidden to teach.)


As the decade of the sixties progressed, and mainline Protestant churches were brought to new life by a latter-day Pentecost, a parallel movement occurred within Catholic circles. Called "the charismatic movement," Its effect became so strong that Cardinal Joseph Suenens was chosen by Pope Paul VI as a sympathetic overseer"

But is the Roman Catholic Church really Christian?
The Roman Church is not Christian, the Roman Virgin is not Mary but Semiramis mother of Tammuz who is a type for Vatican City who will give birth to the final Pope (Successor of Tammuz) who will be the Son of Perdition

and finally We Will now see the Catholic Infiltration of the Seventh Day Adventist Church via their Ecumenical World Council Of Churches:

Found this information thanks to this website www.SpirituallySmart.com, it contains a wealth on information about the Whore of Rev 17 and her infiltrations
Larry KirkPatrick´s site where he attacks Bill Hughes and Alberto Rivera
Larry Kirkpatrick Attacks Bill Hughes for exposing the Jesuit Order through his book. you can read Hughes´s book here
....And these are Larry Kirkpatrick´s sources, his main sources are none other than Gary Metz who did research for Walter Martin, and Brian Onken who is a research consultant for Walter Martin´s "Christian Research Institute" whom James Bjornstad was a member of when it first formed. Bjornstad is the Director of the Ohio branch of the Personal Freedom Outreach whose Board Of Reference includes Jesuit trained Norman Geisler PHD, Ignatius Loyola University 
And this is the website for the World Council of Churches (www.Oikoumene.org) In the following screenshots we will see how this website is operated by none other than a Roman Catholic.

Oikoumene.org, this is the website for the World Council of Churches.

The Seventh Day Adventist Church is a member of the World Council of Churches

WHOIS results for Oikoumene.org this is the Registrant of the website for the World Council of Churches
After doing a Google search on the Registrant of Oikoumene.org we can clearly see that it is a Roman Catholic who registered the site for the World Council of Churches which the Seventh Day Adventist church is a part of, Larry Kirkpatrick is wrong, his church has indeed been infiltrated





"Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces." -Daniel 7:23