Edition 82. 26th June 2011
Identifying prophetic Babylon
Identifying prophetic Babylon
►Please don't go overboard with this material. In terms of God's sovereignty, He will still use who He wants, how He wants.
In this edition we'll look at the three aspects of Babylon from a prophetic point of view.
Revelation 16:19 "Now the great city was divided into three parts and the cities of the nations fell, and great Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath."
The three parts are a reference to the pure satanic activities of Babylon, the religious aspects represented in the Roman Catholic church, and the socio-political aspects.
Babylon in the Bible was an ancient city which is now being rebuilt near Bagdad in Iraq. The city originally was characterised by a number of important things.
●It was the centre of satanic paganism and illegitimate worship of numerous false gods.
●There were many different religious belief systems in Babylon. They all came together in an attempt to "reach God" and bring about world peace by building a tower to heaven.
●It was the origin of the banking system, trade and commerce.
●It was luxurious with enormous hanging gardens and buildings of note.
●Babylon was the place of captivity for the Jews for a period of 70 years. To them it was a prison because it kept them from God's inheritance.
●The word Babylon means "confusion" or "mixture" The word means to thoroughly confuse or mix together. it's like sugar getting stirred into hot coffee.
Babylon then was an ancient city of note. It had a mixture of various evil, pagan forms of worship, that were purely satanic in nature. It had a socio-economic and political aspect to it.
Babylon is used prophetically in many places throughout the Bible. In some it refers to the religious aspect and in others it refers to the socio-political aspect. The context of the verses shows us which area is being referred to.
Many believe that all of the prophetic utterances on Babylon refer to the original city being rebuilt in our day. This is not so. It's unlikely that the city will ever be fully rebuilt and just as unlikely that modern Babylon will rise to such a powerful, significant place of world domination, as described in the Bible.
As you read this edition, you'll see clearly that prophetic Babylon is much wider than one city. The city being rebuilt is just an interesting sideline.
It's important to note that many Bible prophecies have a double reference. Many refer to a literal physical situation, but with much wider prophetic applications. For example Passover was a literal physical thing involving actual blood being smeared on doorposts. Prophetically, it has a far wider application. The double reference refers or relates to Yeshua / Jesus and the work of the cross and shed blood in the lives of all true believers.
Modern Biblical or prophetic Babylon has a real literal aspect to it and it's a metaphor.
It's like the verse that says Yeshua / Jesus was "crucified in Sodom and Egypt". Firstly He could not have been crucified in two places and secondly we know He was crucified in Jerusalem. Sodom and Egypt are used metaphorically. Egypt and Sodom are often used as a type for the world. So this verse means that our Lord was crucified in this world for this evil unregenerate world.
But we dare not take allegory or metaphors too far. We must be led by the Spirit otherwise we get into the world of variables where anything goes and everything becomes relative and under the control of the interpreter. The allegorical use of words in the scriptures must be dictated by logic, context and the leading of the Holy Spirit.
Case in point; "The lamb of God" is not referring to a little fluffy woollen lamb jumping about on all fours. Likewise, the "Lion of the tribe of Judah" is not referring to real lion. These are allegories and relate to the nature of our Lord. At His first coming He came as the Sacrificial Lamb. At His second coming He comes as the Lion of judgement.
Babylon in the prophetic sense, speaks of the whole world system and the world religious systems. We can legitimately take this a bit further and say that if New York is the headquarters of the United Nations or has other characteristics that would make it the capital city of the world, then we could say that New York fulfils prophetic Babylon to some degree as well.
But we must remember that Babylon is more a type for the world system as a whole.
Genesis 11:1 "Now the whole earth had one language and one speech.
Genesis 11:6 "And the Lord said "Indeed the people are one and they all have one language...now nothing they propose to do will be withheld from them."
This shows the power that there is in unity. But God destroyed their tower and city because their unity was outside of God's will and way. It was an ungodly unity of mixed beliefs.
They tried to reach God but did not go His way. That's a very powerful lesson for the world of humanism out there today.
Prophetic religious Babylon:
A key very important aspect in identifying religious Babylon today, is simply to look for the key traits of Babylon that were introduced into the church by Constantine, the Catholics and further perpetuated by the reformers. Does your church cling to the Babylonian practises of Christmas, Easter and so many other pagan traditions? Does your church cling to the doctrines of separatist reformers like Calvin, who created more divisions in church?
Each of the reformers, on top of creating further separate divisions in the church, also carried over from the dark ages, the Babylonian practises. None of them reformed the church to it's pre-Constantine, era of purity.
Religious Babylon will most certainly include the Catholic church (and other similar orthodox churches) It will include the Anglican and other denominational churches that are identified by their Babylonian pagan practises. It will include the present World Council and their members.
Religious Babylon will be the Biblical "false prophet" which will be headed by one individual, who will eventually direct all worship to the antichrist. It will either be the present World Council or a similar new world ecumenical, multi-faith organisation. It may be headed by the final pope, but we will have to wait and see about that.
Revelation 17:5-6 "And on her forehead a name was written; MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus."
The above verse has been identified by many as speaking of the mass-murderer popes of the dark ages. But it goes much further and also refers to the soon coming mass murder of those that get saved in the tribulation period, by false religion.
The choice is to be Biblically-based or Babylon-based! I know what my choice is!
Revelation 17:15 "The waters which you saw where the harlot sits are peoples multitudes nations and tongues."
The verse above indicates that prophetic religious Babylon, is not of a single group.
The main characteristic of religious Babylon is a mixture of paganism and truth as seen in the following verses:
2 Kings 17:39-41 "But the Lord your God you shall fear and He will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies.' "However they did not obey, but followed their former rituals. So these nations feared the Lord yet served their carved images; also their children and their children's children continued doing as their fathers did, even to this day."
2 Kings 17:33 "They feared the Lord, yet served their own gods- according to the rituals of the nations from among whom they were carried away. Verse 35 "You shall not fear other gods, nor bow down to them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them".
These two verses above are an absolutely classic picture of the modern church today! It clings to the former rituals of Babylon, introduced by Constantine and the Catholics and carried through the dark ages to today. Yet they served the Lord as well!!
2 Chronicles 36:14 "All the leaders of the priests and the people transgressed more and more, according to all the abominations of the nations and defiled the house of the Lord..."
When a church goes the way of the nations, it becomes defiled.
The following few verses are an absolute shocker! They speak of the severity of mixture with paganism and it's results.
Ezra 6:12 "And may the God who causes His name to dwell there destroy any king or people who put their hand to alter it or to destroy this house of God, which is in Jerusalem."
Jeremiah 51: 6 "Flee from the midst of Babylon and everyone save his life! Do not be cut off in her iniquity, for this is the time of the Lord's vengeance."
Jeremiah 51:34 "The king of Babylon has devoured me and crushed me, he has made me an empty vessel, he has swallowed me up like a monster..."
Jeremiah 50:6 "My people have been lost sheep. Their shepherds have led them astray."
I've never yet met a church leader with a reasonable explanation for why they celebrate and perpetuate Easter, which is the celebration of the resurrection, but named after the Babylonian goddess of sex. She was worshipped by having sex with whores in the temple of Babylon. Outside on the temple walls were carvings of rabbits, eggs and other such fertility symbols. (The same goes for Christmas and the Babylonian satanic practise of infant sprinkling.)
As far as Easter goes...God says: "Don't learn the way of the pagans" and "DO keep Passover"! The church does learn the way of the pagans, it doesn't keep Passover and does keep the festival of the sex goddess. The same goes for all the Feasts of the Lord, which the church ignores, because Babylon taught them to.
When you see how hard and difficult it is to get almost any Christian church leader today to forsake the paganism of Babylon, you realise that this is a true powerful modern-day captivity.
Ezra 5:14-15 "The gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple that was in Jerusalem and carried into the temple of Babylon - those king Cyrus took from the temple of Babylon and they were given to one Sheshbazzar, whom he had made governor. And he said to him "Take these articles to the temple site that is in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be rebuilt on its former site."
►Note that the rebuilding of God's house or church must be done His way. It must include coming out of Babylon and returning to purity!!!!
Zechariah 2:7 "Up, Zion! Escape you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon."
In numerous passages of the Bible we see religious Babylon practising enchantments, divination , sorcery, witchcraft, pagan and idol worship, evils, iniquity, pride, arrogance, rebellion to God. It will all be destroyed.
God is now starting the "great restoration" and restoring the church to purity. It's only those that are open to God and willing to forsake religious Babylon completely that will participate in this newness of spiritual life.
The modern Messianic movement is not without its problems, but man-O-man its free from Babylon!
Please have a look at the videos in the "Videos" tab titled ●"Christmas: The truth your pastor won't tell you" and ●"Vatican dangers."
Prophetic socio-political Babylon
The political aspect of prophetic Babylon will not be seen in a single city. It will undoubtedly include New York and other world leading cities.
A prophetic message?
The image below is of the Cathedral of St John in New York. It was built in 1903, but had giant gargoyle-topped pillars added to the exterior about 30 years ago. Carved in stone on these pillars are images of the Twin Towers and the Wall Street stock market headquarters. The Twin Towers carving shows them being destroyed by a tsunami with waves washing up into the buildings in the foreground. The pillar on the right shows Wall Street crumbling. Obviously the Twin Towers were destroyed another way, but there are two new Twin Towers being built on the same spot right now. Also bear in mind that the Twin Towers or World Trade Centre, old and new represent world trade and the world economy, as does Wall Street.
Jeremiah 51:42 "The sea has come up over Babylon; she is covered with a multitude of its waves."
Jeremiah 50:15 "Shout against her (Babylon) all around; she has given her hand, her foundations have fallen, her walls are thrown down; For it is the vengeance of the Lord."
Jeremiah 51:58 "The broad walls of Babylon shall be utterly broken and her high gates shall be burned with fire..."
Jeremiah 51:6-7 "Flee from the midst of Babylon...for this is the time of the Lord's vengeance...Babylon was a golden cup in the Lord's hands, that made all the earth drunk, the nations drank her wine; therefore the nations are deranged."
Revelation 18:3 "All the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury.
Revelation 18:8 "Her plagues will come in one day, death and mourning and famine and she will be utterly burned with fire for strong is the Lord who judges her."
Revelation 18"17 "For in one hour such great riches came to nothing and every shipmaster, all who travel by ship, sailors and as many who trade on the sea, stood at a distance and cried when they saw the smoke of her burning..."
Revelation18:21 "Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea saying, Thus with violence the great city Babylon shall be thrown down and shall not be found anymore."
Prophetic Babylon's relation to Israel::
Jeremiah 51:49 "As Babylon has caused the slain of Israel to fall, so at Babylon the slain of the earth shall fall."
Jeremiah 52:4 "...the king of Babylon and all his army came against Jerusalem and encamped against it, all around."
Jeremiah 51:20 "You (Israel) are My battle-axe and weapons of war: For with you I will break the nations in pieces; with you I will destroy kingdoms." (This verse is right in the middle of a whole section dealing with Babylon)
Note that it's the spirit of Babylon that comes against Israel. It always has and will do so again. Note that in relation to this God's "battle axe" is Israel!
Political Babylon will meet its fate in the land of Israel, from which all of its members go to hell!
Isaiah 14 :9 (The fall of the king of Babylon) "Hell from beneath is excited about you, to meet you at your coming..."
The darkness of Babylon's light:
Queen Semiramis, the queen of Babylon is represented in many carvings, images and statues holding a torch with the eternal flame of Nimrod (the sun god) These are seen today on the garments of the popes, throughout the Vatican, in many works of architecture, art etc.
Few people know of the deeply satanic origins of the Statue of Liberty. It's actually the pagan "Queen of Heaven" the wife of Nimrod or Semiramis. Also called the "Daughter of Babylon"
You can find a lot more on it right here:
http://yahushua.net/babylon/liberty/pagan_statue.htm
The images below represent the torch of the world which creates spiritual darkness.
This queen, the wife of Satan, stands guard over New York and is also represented in Hollywood in numerous ways.
The coin at the top of the image is an ancient Roman coin depicting Sol Invictus the goddess of the sun. She is also called Semiramus, the queen of Babylon in many other instances.
Godly Purity
Here's your options...You can hold the torch of Babylon or the torch of God's light! The one is a torch of spiritual darkness. Let me assure you it will blind you to the things of God! The other represents the very light of God. Pick your choice! At the end of the day, you will not be able to serve two masters.
The answer:
You can be so foolish as to follow the world and it's ways. You can stand with the world against God's ways and word. You can go with the flow...it's easy. Or you can be a holy oddball and a real close friend of the living God.
God's ways are separate from the world's ways. In some respects they are the opposite. It takes courage to set your sail against the winds of the world and move forward with our great, wonderful Messiah, God and King.
Jeremiah 9:23-24 "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches; but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord, exercising loving-kindness, judgement and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight says the Lord."
Isaiah 55:8-9 "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your way My ways says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than yours, and My thoughts than your thoughts."
Heaven or hell:
Catholic cardinals in purple and scarlet, the colours of Babylon, do you know how deeply infiltrated you are with occult paganism? How can you lead others to purity and Godly holiness? Do you know that the Bible, in the message to the seven churches of the Revelation says that you will be cast into great tribulation, if you don't repent?
JFK, you were a great president of the United States. You and your family were well known Catholics. You didn't expect that bullet to shatter your head did you? Were you born again of the Spirit of the living God, or did you believe that church membership would save you? Your church didn't die for you! Did you know that at the Great White throne judgement of all the unsaved, there will be many people "great and small." Where are you now John Kennedy?
______________________________________________
Here's a painting by Rembrandt titled Christ in the storm on the Sea of Galilee. The world as a whole is headed for its biggest storm in history. Many will not have Christ with them!
Kind regards and many blessings...Shalom and grow in grace!
Menu
Translation
