Babylon

[jiggyfly]

Babylon by Robert Beecham
Part 1 - The Origin of Babylon

Early in the book of Genesis and late in the book of Revelation we read about the city of Babylon. Genesis uses the Hebrew name Babel, while Revelation uses the Greek name Babylon. The subject of Babel or Babylon is one that we can follow right through the scriptures. Its origin is in Genesis chapter 11. Two chapters in Isaiah (13 & 14) and two long chapters in Jeremiah (50 & 51) are largely devoted to Babylon's judgement. The book of Daniel was written in Babylon and is mostly not in Hebrew, but in Aramaic, the language of Babylon. The books of Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai and Zechariah are mainly about the return from Babylon and the restoration of Jerusalem. Towards the end of the book of Revelation we find two full chapters (17 & 18) describing the judgement and destruction of Babylon. Finally in Rev 18: 4,5 the command goes out: 'Come out of her, my people, that you may not participate of her sins and that you may not receive of her plagues; for her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.' If we do not know what Babel or Babylon is, we will not even understand this command - far less will we obey it.

There is much more teaching on this subject than on "going to church", the Lord's supper, baptism and many other more familiar topics. We cannot afford to ignore the things on which God places emphasis in the scriptures.

The story of the tower of Babel is one of many Bible stories from which most of us have probably learnt little or nothing since we first heard it in childhood. We were taught that God was offended by the attempts of some rather simple people who thought they could build a tower high enough to reach Heaven. Let us turn to Genesis chapter 11 and examine the story more carefully.
Divine Initiative

The first thing visible to the discerning eye in this story is the total absence of divine initiative. It was all man's idea. The contrast is sharp when we look at the following chapter of Genesis, which begins with the words, 'Now the Lord said to Abram, Go..' Abraham left Ur of the Chaldees not on his own initiative, but at the command of God. Maybe he went unwillingly, but God blessed him and now he ranks among the greatest characters of history. When Moses set about delivering the Israelites on his own initiative he was soon in trouble and had to flee to Midian. When 40 years later he returned unwillingly, but at the command of God he accomplished a mighty deliverance. And many are the stories of those who acted at the command of God and received his blessing. God will only bless his own plans. Jesus said 'Every plant which my heavenly Father did not plant shall be rooted up' (Matthew 15:13). We may compare the verse, 'That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit' (John 3:6). God can only bless that which has its origin in himself. The key to the life of Jesus is that every word he spoke, and every action he performed came from the mind of his Father.

The opening words of John's Gospel teach us the same lesson, 'In the beginning was the word .... All things came into being through it (or Him)'. The first chapter of Genesis shows how God's creative power is in his word. When he speaks worlds are created. When he is silent nothing happens. When God spoke to Abraham and Abraham responded, it was the beginning of God's great redemptive plan for all mankind. The human effort of the tower of Babel soon came to nothing.
Building Materials

The next thing we notice in this story is the choice of building materials. 'Let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly'. These bricks have a meaning. Firstly they are made of earth, which represents human nature. Earthen vessels containing divine glory have a positive symbolic meaning in scripture; but earth or human nature as a building material is utterly unacceptable. The altars and temples of the Old Testament were made of stone - a natural product not man-made.

Secondly bricks are mass produced. They are all the same size and the same shape. That is always the result of man's religion. Its products all look the same. The world wants conformity. It feels secure with people who keep to the party line. We may search the scriptures without finding two men of God who were the same. Noah built an ark. Abraham lived in tents. Joseph became prime minister. Moses delivered his people. David was a king who danced before the Lord. In the new testament we may look at Peter, Paul and John again find a complete diversity of character and ministry. They were not mass-produced. Each was formed and moulded by the Holy Spirit and brought into the spiritual likeness of his Saviour. To the world they were uncomfortable non-conformists and they did not fit in it. To God they were conformed to the image of his firstborn Son. God is building a temple of living stones, all of different shapes and sizes, but all to be fitted perfectly together by the master builder. No one will envy anyone else's position as each will only fit in his own place.

Thirdly, these bricks were thoroughly burned. The purpose was to harden them. Few things are sadder to see than indoctrinated members of sects. They are literally like brick walls. They have been thoroughly baked and hardened to make them resist all outside influences. The true child of God is strong, but not hard. His strength is the inward strength of the Holy Spirit. He does not need a hard impenetrable shell to protect his inner uncertainty. His confidence is in God.

Bricks, if simply piled one upon another, will of course fall down. They must be held together. So they used tar for cement. In the temple which Solomon built there was no cement. The stones fitted perfectly together. The religion of Babylon tries to find every possible way of creating and preserving a unity which it does not have. Such churches need strong leaders to hold them together. They have long conferences to sort out doctrinal differences; and they use all kinds of pressures on those who leave their group. How different it is for the true children of God. They have unity. They are held together by the love of God in their hearts. They are united by one spirit. Neither race, nor class, nor age nor sex divides them. Across these and every other human barrier they find that they are one. They are taught by the Spirit to love one another.
A City

In verse 4 we read about the builders' plans and motives: 'Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower with its top in heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name; lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.

They intended to build a city. Cain was the original city-builder of the scriptures (Gen 4:17). He was also the founder of false religion. He offered the fruit of his own work, an offering which God could not accept. The next city-builder of the scriptures was Ham's grandson Nimrod, whose name means Rebel. In fact from Gen 10:10 he appears to have been the leader in building Babel. He did not learn his lesson, but continued his rebellion in building further cities. God had commanded Adam and then Noah to fill the earth. To congregate in one place was therefore contrary to his plan. Why did they do it? The Hebrew word ir meaning city is from a root meaning to be awake or watch. It implies a fortified defended city. From the day Cain killed Abel he was in fear for his own life (Gen 4: 14). He wanted security and protection and he could not trust God for it. Nimrod, like Cain, was also a man of violence (Gen 10: 8,9). He wanted to build something to protect himself from the fruit of his ill-doing. But for us, God is our refuge and strength.

Abraham presents a wonderful contrast with Cain and Nimrod. He was living a secure life in Ur, one of the most advanced cities of the ancient world. God told him to leave his country and his relatives and his father's house, and he went. Five of his ancestors including Shem, the son of Noah, were still alive, and probably living there. They may have been good and faithful men, but he left them at the command of God. We read the explanation in Heb 11: 10, 13-16. He had seen a vision of a heavenly city and he could not be content with an earthly counterfeit of it. God was a greater security to him than the visible security of Ur. He could not sacrifice his fellowship with God for fellowship with his relations. The eyes of his faith saw the heavenly Jerusalem and he despised earthly cities. Later on when Lot went to live in the city of Sodom, Abraham continued in his tent. He had seen something better. Thus he became the father of the faithful. The holy city, the new Jerusalem, for which he looked, will not be built up brick by brick from earth. It will come down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband (Rev 21: 2).
Greatness

Let us now consider the tower that they attempted to build. migdol, the Hebrew word for tower, is from the root gdl meaning to be great. We could call it a "greatness". They were building something big! The AV translation whose top may reach unto heaven is almost certainly wrong. Did people capable of such technical achievement really think they could build high enough to reach the clouds? You have only to look up at the sky to see the impossibility of it. The Hebrew literally means a tower and its head in heaven. The idea is probably again that of largeness. There may well also have been astrological purposes associated with it.

There are two "greatnesses" in scripture. Firstly there is the greatness of God which he also imparts to those whom he chooses and who walk humbly before him. In Genesis 12: 2 God said to Abraham 'I will make you a great nation ... and make your name great'. Abraham did not strive for this greatness. It only came visibly long after his death. Joseph was exalted to greatness in the land of Egypt, but not through his own efforts. It was God who raised him up. Israel became great when God gave her victory under king David. And God highly exalted Jesus because he had humbled himself and become obedient to death. God gave him a name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow (Phil 2: 8-10).

The second greatness exalts itself against God. Goliath stood up and defied the armies of the living God. King Saul stood head and shoulders above the people; he became lifted up with pride and God rejected him. Nebuchadnezzar erected a great image sixty cubits high in the province of Babylon and later he boasted, 'is this not Babylon the great which I have built as a royal residence by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?' (Dan 4:30). While the words were still in his mouth his sovereignty was removed and he was driven out to eat grass like an animal for seven years. In the end he knew that God reigned and gave the kingdom to whomsoever he wished. And in Revelation we read yet again of 'Babylon the Great, the mother of prostitutes and of the abominations of the earth' (Rev 17:5).

 

[jiggyfly]

Babylon Part 1 -continuation

A Name

'Let us make for ourselves a name, they said. What an irony! I believe this is the only story in the whole Bible where no one has a name. Not one name from among all these men is recorded. All we read is the pronoun "they". Their names are all forgotten, while now, 4000 thousand years later, the name of Abraham is known throughout the world. Have you ever wondered why long lists of names are recorded in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah? These are the people whose hearts were set on Jerusalem, who left Babylon; and God had their name recorded in his book for all to read. How perfect are the Scriptures! How infinite is the mind that wrote them!

How people love a name; the name of a group or a leader or a doctrine or a movement with which they may identify; a password which will make them acceptable. Was it not this that Jesus lacked? 'We know that God spoke to Moses; but as for this man, we do not know where he is from' (John 9:29). If you really know God, you will not ask people the name of their church or denomination or leader to find out if they are in your party and if you can safely have fellowship with them. Peter did not recognise Jesus in that way. 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God', he said. 'Blessed are you Simon (which means hearer) Bar-Jonah,' Jesus replied, 'Flesh and blood have not revealed it to you, but my Father in Heaven.

The more you learn to love the name of Jesus, the more you will hate names of groups and denominations. The more you love him, the more your fellowship with others will be based on that love. 'There is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved' (Acts 4:12). The more precious his name becomes to us, the more insignificant all other names become. 'I am of Paul' and 'I am of Apollos' has no place with those who love Jesus.
Judgement

How did God react to the men of Babel? The Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men built. This language is not mythological. To Abraham, to Moses, to Joshua and to other chosen saints God appeared. To Babel, to Sodom and to his people in Egypt, we read that God went down. He came down because they were low.

God came down and he saw unity, and he broke it up! It was not the sort of unity he wanted. Jesus prayed, 'That they may all be one; even as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us; that the world may believe that you sent me' (John 17:21). He did not pray for a man-made organizational unity. We unite not by getting together, but by coming to Jesus. As we focus on him we are drawn to one another in spiritual unity, the unity Jesus had with his Father.

In unity there is strength. How well the world knows it! How important it is to the world! God saw in verse 6 that building Babel was only a beginning, and that unless he acted there were no limits to what would follow. Babel was the beginning of a great rival kingdom. God planned from the very beginning that man should rule the earth; but this must be man in union with and depending on God. The kingdom of God - not the kingdom of man - is the hope of all creation. Babel was the beginning of a great substitute for God's rule, a great counterfeit of his purposes. 'I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God', we read in the second commandment; and he will not allow any rivals. Judgement fell swiftly on Babel, as it did on the kingdom of Babylon in the time of Belshazzar, and on the spiritual Babylon in the book of Revelation. God confused their language so that they did not understand one another. He then scattered them throughout the world.

Today we have a world where men do not understand each other's speech. In religion, in politics and in commerce, the judgement of Babel remains to this day. Religion throughout history has been the cause of endless war and bloodshed.

What then does Babel or Babylon represent today? Before we answer that question , we must look at our own hearts and ask: Is Babel in you or in me? Is your story written in Genesis 11 or in Genesis 12? Are you led by the Spirit of God like Abraham? Or do you make your own plans and hope God will agree to them? Do you try to build your own building with the bricks of human nature? Or are you being built as a living stone into God's temple? Do you seek a security in the organisations of earth? Or are you learning to trust your heavenly father?

 

[Fellowservant]

Hi brother Jiggyfly where in scripture, is a scripture that says that Mystery Babylon the Great, is a denomination or a Church system? When i read this prophecy from both revelation and Jeremiah, i see a literal judgment on a city, not a Church system. Its to me, a very long stretch to say that this woman (city) is a Church or denomination, according to the text.

Both revelation, and the Jeremiah prophecy of this judgment appears to me to be a judgment on a city. She is burned with fire in the end by the ten kings of rev, who are in agreement with the beast of rev, again i see no Church system here. We could possible go as far as saying that it could mean the RCC and the city of Rome, but even that is a guess.

Making this Church denominations is a real real long stretch brother. But it is said that in the end, men will turn from scriptures to fables. So i think, no offense, that this article is more of a fable, than it is scriptural. Prophecy if it appears to be literal, should be taken as such until there is a reason to take it as spiritual.

This is how Preterist think, and it has gotten them into more heresy than they can shake a stick at. As most prophecy when it does come to pass, it comes to pass in a literal manner, sometimes even when it is said in a symbolic way.

lol brother, love you, but we are definitely going to disagree here

God bless

 

[jiggyfly]

There may be some points made in the article that are without sound scriptural backing but isn't that what opinions are?

Revelation21:2
2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a beautiful bride prepared for her husband.

If a city can be a bride isn't it possible for a city to be a religious group?

If this comes to pass in a literal manner, wow what a sight, a flying city looking like a bride.

If the Holy City can represent true believers why can't the city Babylon represent religious sects?

Do you think Babylon will be rebuilt as an actual city?

Scripture calls Babylon a mother that calls herself a queen. A city with a forehead? Are you sure it is literal?

 

[Fellowservant]

There may be some points made in the article that are without sound scriptural backing but isn't that what opinions are?

I have a book here that i read, and it has this doctrine in it, and i see this harlot church doctrine all over the internet, so to me its become a doctrine, so its more than just an opinion.

Revelation21:2
2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a beautiful bride prepared for her husband.

If a city can be a bride isn't it possible for a city to be a religious group?

The context basically has to allow it, we know, or should know that the new Jerusalem is a literal city. But God and the apostle John is using figures of speech to show us more of its glory. Can God almighty send a city down from heaven? isnt all things possible with him? can he prepare a table in the wilderness?

If this comes to pass in a literal manner, wow what a sight, a flying city looking like a bride.

Answered above...

If the Holy City can represent true believers, why can't the city Babylon represent religious sects?

Again the context has to allow that interpretation.

Do you think Babylon will be rebuilt as an actual city?

Why not, some are looking for a another Jewish temple to be rebuilt. Its God thats at work here, not us. Some teach that it will be a revived Roman Empire, Daniel calls it a ten toed kingdom, that will be the last one on earth at the time of the end. Daniel chapter 2

Scripture calls Babylon a mother that calls herself a queen. A city with a forehead? Are you sure it is literal?

The angel tells John the mystery of the woman and the beast that carries her. Rev 17:7 When the angel is done telling him this mystery he calls the woman a city who will reign over the kings of the earth. I believe she is part of the ten kings of revelation who give their authority and power to the beast of revelation. I also believe this beast is a literal man, and theres lots of scripture for it.

Is a prophet a prophet, are the two witnesses literal men? is Christ coming back in a literal fashion. Is the beast of revelation a literal man, is the false prophet a literal man? Will the mark of the beast be literal, will the wrath of God be literal. Is the new heaven and earth literal? lol it can be real complicated, if we try hard enough to make it real complicated.

The thing about Johns visions in revelation, is that there are somethings symbolic in the visions that are just figures of speech. We will see this almost all the time when it comes to the book of revelation. Now if you go to Jeremiah 51 and read his prophecy on this same event, it appears very literal and hardly any figures of speech are used. The judgment here of God on Babylon is basically literal from the get go.

Let me show you something about prophecy, Nebuchadnezzar had a prophecy come against him, now did this happen literally to him, or was it symbolic?

Dan 4:23 And whereas the king saw a watcher and an holy one coming down from heaven, and saying, Hew the tree down, and destroy it; yet leave the stump of the roots thereof in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, till seven times pass over him;


Answer

Dan 4:31 While the word was in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee.
Dan 4:32 And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.
Dan 4:33 The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles' feathers, and his nails like birds' claws.
Dan 4:34 And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation:


So it is with the book of revelation, somthings will come to pass just as they are written. We are dealing with God here, if he puts you in the Twilight Zone, thats where you will be.

God bless

 

[jiggyfly]

Thanks for the info Fellowservant, looks like now I'm going to have to dig in and do some studying on this topic.

 

[jiggyfly]

Well Fellowservant I did a little more studying and I am leaning towards the references to Babylon in Revelation 17 being symbolic and not literal. Much of the Jewish apocalyptic writings commonly refer to Rome as Babylon. Out of curiosity which Babylon city do you believe Revelation 17 is referring too?

 

[Fellowservant]

Well Fellowservant I did a little more studying and I am leaning towards the references to Babylon in Revelation 17 being symbolic and not literal. Much of the Jewish apocalyptic writings commonly refer to Rome as Babylon. Out of curiosity which Babylon city do you believe Revelation 17 is referring too?

Hi brother Jiggyfly

Some interpretations I've seen are Rome, Iraq (modern day Babylon), America, and the writer of this post, the harlot church system idea. Id rather go with the first two, as the other two have no scripture for them, at least not that i can see.

Even if you spiritualise these places, or things, you still can't use a harlot church system here. The text of rev 17 or rev 18 doesn't allow for it, literal or symbolic. America also doesn't fit. No text, no doctrine, at least not sound doctrine. As you already said its an opinion, i myself wouldn't teach or preach an opinion. Its not sound doctrine.

So i guess we could ask the question, as now is a good enough time for it. How do we come out of this, harlot church? or even the city of Rome, symbolically? How does one come out of a church or denomination symbolically, does one leave it spiritually in his mind, but leave his body in the pew?


Rev 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

The above scripture is the most famous for this harlot church doctrine, so how is this done symbolically?


If the references to Babylon in rev 17 are symbolic, then shouldn't the references to Babylon in rev 18 be symbolic as well? even the wrath of God that comes upon her (city). A crash coarse in the interpretation of Jewish Apocalyptic literature may be in order here.

Example, Rev 17:14 They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful."

In the above scriptures, what references are symbolic and what ones are literal? A reference can be symbolic, but the meaning behind it can be literal. Ie as in some of the parables and so on.

But as i said even if this is all symbolic, the text doesn't allow for a harlot church system, its just as you said an opinion. Just like saying America is the harlot, its just an opinion as well. The problem comes when some teach it as a doctrine, and not just an opinion. Saying that this harlot is a church or denomination, in a dogmatic way. Is to me borderline church persecution, and that is why i disagree with it.

I liked your sig you had, or still have, that says these are the doctrines of men. This harlot church doctrine to me is just that, a doctrine of men. Probably formed by our own reformers against the Roman Catholic church, and now has turned somewhat against itself. Jesus asked the question if a house is divided against itself, how can that house stand? My point being even if you disagree with some denominations, it doesn't mean they are a bunch of harlots. Best to let some prophecy come to pass, before we place judgment on it now.

God bless brother

 

[waterboy2221]

. Out of curiosity which Babylon city do you believe Revelation 17 is referring too?[/quote

the way the world is going it could be the whole world, we are practically on the planet babylon, no countries are taking a jesus/god of israel approach to their existance, there is not one place that we could call home.

 

[jiggyfly]

Hi brother Jiggyfly

So i guess we could ask the question, as now is a good enough time for it. How do we come out of this, harlot church? or even the city of Rome, symbolically? How does one come out of a church or denomination symbolically, does one leave it spiritually in his mind, but leave his body in the pew?


Rev 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

The above scripture is the most famous for this harlot church doctrine, so how is this done symbolically?

Do you apply this same technique with interpreting parables?

Example, Rev 17:14 They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful."

In the above scriptures, what references are symbolic and what ones are literal? A reference can be symbolic, but the meaning behind it can be literal. Ie as in some of the parables and so on.




God bless brother

Exactly, Babylon is symbolic and the meaning behind it is literal just like in Jesus' parables. I totally agree with you here.

Is Jesus a literal lamb? Is satan a literal dragon?

 

[Fellowservant]

Exactly, Babylon is symbolic and the meaning behind it is literal just like in Jesus' parables. I totally agree with you here.

Is Jesus a literal lamb? Is satan a literal dragon?

Instead of asking elementary questions here, lets get back to the topic. My first question that wasn't answered, was quit simple. Where in scripture, and it doesn't matter now to me if its symbolic or literal, is the scriptures to show us that this Babylon or the woman is a church system or denominations? We only have rev 17 rev 18 and Jeremiah and some in Isaiah to go on. A simple answer will do, other that this we will have to agree to disagree, as i see no scripture for this doctrine, maybe you do.

God bless

 

[jiggyfly]

Well Fellowservant you are right there is no scripture that specifically states that the ***** is a church, denomination or religious system but neither is there scripture verse that states the doctrine of the Trinity. But collectively I think it does in both cases.

look here at the addresses to the seven churches in the first part of Revelation.
Revelation 1:19-3:22
1:19Write down what you have seen—both the things that are now happening and the things that will happen later. 20 This is the meaning of the seven stars you saw in my right hand and the seven gold lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of* the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.2:1 “Write this letter to the angel of* the church in Ephesus. This is the message from the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand, the one who walks among the seven gold lampstands:
2 “I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance. I know you don’t tolerate evil people. You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but are not. You have discovered they are liars. 3 You have patiently suffered for me without quitting. 4 But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first! 5 Look how far you have fallen from your first love! Turn back to me again and work as you did at first. If you don’t, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches. 6 But there is this about you that is good: You hate the deeds of the immoral Nicolaitans, just as I do.
7 “Anyone who is willing to hear should listen to the Spirit and understand what the Spirit is saying to the churches. Everyone who is victorious will eat from the tree of life in the paradise of God.

8 “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Smyrna. This is the message from the one who is the First and the Last, who died and is alive:
9 “I know about your suffering and your poverty—but you are rich! I know the slander of those opposing you. They say they are Jews, but they really aren’t because theirs is a synagogue of Satan. 10 Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer. The Devil will throw some of you into prison and put you to the test. You will be persecuted for ‘ten days.’ Remain faithful even when facing death, and I will give you the crown of life.
11 “Anyone who is willing to hear should listen to the Spirit and understand what the Spirit is saying to the churches. Whoever is victorious will not be hurt by the second death.

12 “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Pergamum. This is the message from the one who has a sharp two-edged sword:
13 “I know that you live in the city where that great throne of Satan is located, and yet you have remained loyal to me. And you refused to deny me even when Antipas, my faithful witness, was martyred among you by Satan’s followers. 14 And yet I have a few complaints against you. You tolerate some among you who are like Balaam, who showed Balak how to trip up the people of Israel. He taught them to worship idols by eating food offered to idols and by committing sexual sin. 15 In the same way, you have some Nicolaitans among you—people who follow the same teaching and commit the same sins. 16 Repent, or I will come to you suddenly and fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
17 “Anyone who is willing to hear should listen to the Spirit and understand what the Spirit is saying to the churches. Everyone who is victorious will eat of the manna that has been hidden away in heaven. And I will give to each one a white stone, and on the stone will be engraved a new name that no one knows except the one who receives it.

18 “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Thyatira. This is the message from the Son of God, whose eyes are bright like flames of fire, whose feet are like polished bronze:
19 “I know all the things you do—your love, your faith, your service, and your patient endurance. And I can see your constant improvement in all these things. 20 But I have this complaint against you. You are permitting that woman—that Jezebel who calls herself a prophet—to lead my servants astray. She is encouraging them to worship idols, eat food offered to idols, and commit sexual sin. 21 I gave her time to repent, but she would not turn away from her immorality. 22 Therefore, I will throw her upon a sickbed, and she will suffer greatly with all who commit adultery with her, unless they turn away from all their evil deeds. 23 I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am the one who searches out the thoughts and intentions of every person. And I will give to each of you whatever you deserve. 24 But I also have a message for the rest of you in Thyatira who have not followed this false teaching (‘deeper truths,’ as they call them—depths of Satan, really). I will ask nothing more of you 25 except that you hold tightly to what you have until I come.
26 “To all who are victorious, who obey me to the very end, I will give authority over all the nations. 27 They will rule the nations with an iron rod and smash them like clay pots. 28 They will have the same authority I received from my Father, and I will also give them the morning star! 29 Anyone who is willing to hear should listen to the Spirit and understand what the Spirit is saying to the churches.

3:1 “Write this letter to the angel of* the church in Sardis. This is the message from the one who has the sevenfold Spirit* of God and the seven stars:
“I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive—but you are dead. 2 Now wake up! Strengthen what little remains, for even what is left is at the point of death. Your deeds are far from right in the sight of God. 3 Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly and turn to me again. Unless you do, I will come upon you suddenly, as unexpected as a thief.
4 “Yet even in Sardis there are some who have not soiled their garments with evil deeds. They will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. 5 All who are victorious will be clothed in white. I will never erase their names from the Book of Life, but I will announce before my Father and his angels that they are mine. 6 Anyone who is willing to hear should listen to the Spirit and understand what the Spirit is saying to the churches.

7 “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Philadelphia. This is the message from the one who is holy and true. He is the one who has the key of David. He opens doors, and no one can shut them; he shuts doors, and no one can open them.
8 “I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can shut. You have little strength, yet you obeyed my word and did not deny me. 9 Look! I will force those who belong to Satan—those liars who say they are Jews but are not—to come and bow down at your feet. They will acknowledge that you are the ones I love.
10 “Because you have obeyed my command to persevere, I will protect you from the great time of testing that will come upon the whole world to test those who belong to this world. 11 Look, I am coming quickly. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take away your crown. 12 All who are victorious will become pillars in the Temple of my God, and they will never have to leave it. And I will write my God’s name on them, and they will be citizens in the city of my God—the new Jerusalem that comes down from heaven from my God. And they will have my new name inscribed upon them. 13 Anyone who is willing to hear should listen to the Spirit and understand what the Spirit is saying to the churches.

14 “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Laodicea. This is the message from the one who is the Amen—the faithful and true witness, the ruler* of God’s creation:
15 “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish you were one or the other! 16 But since you are like lukewarm water, I will spit you out of my mouth! 17 You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. 18 I advise you to buy gold from me—gold that has been purified by fire. Then you will be rich. And also buy white garments so you will not be shamed by your nakedness. And buy ointment for your eyes so you will be able to see. 19 I am the one who corrects and disciplines everyone I love. Be diligent and turn from your indifference.
20 “Look! Here I stand at the door and knock. If you hear me calling and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal as friends. 21 I will invite everyone who is victorious to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat with my Father on his throne. 22 Anyone who is willing to hear should listen to the Spirit and understand what the Spirit is saying to the churches.

So, seeing that the book of Revelation was written to these seven Churches initially, named after the city in which they reside and the fact that the things specifically mentioned to each of the Churches seems to be repeated further on in the book in various places, I believe that the ***** could be a religious system and that her daughters could be as well.

Could I be wrong? Absolutely and it is a possibility that neither of us are right. I think the thing to remember is that the book of Revelation is more than just an account of "things to come" in the sense of battles and judgement and wrath but more importantly it is the revelation Of Jesus the Christ, Lord of lords and King of kings, the Beginning and the End.

So if we disagree at the moment, it's no need for worry because I know as well as you that the One in Whom we both believe is the finisher of our faith and He will perfect our understanding in time. God bless you my brother.

 

[Fellowservant]

So if we disagree at the moment, it's no need for worry because I know as well as you that the One in Whom we both believe is the finisher of our faith and He will perfect our understanding in time. God bless you my brother.

Hi brotherI've been looking around and I've found a person with similar beliefs as mine. A lot of scripture is used to back up his beliefs, and i find some of his interpretations to be astounding, and very biblical when it comes to prophecy. Almost the same beliefs i have, and I've never met the man, or seen any of his interpretations before, which i find remarkable. And it also somewhat goes into the explanation of who and what this woman really is. Even your interpretation is here as well, not like you've see it so far, but close to it. So we can both agree here as well.

Check out his book, its an update on what we believe is coming or here already concerning the last days and prophecy. But i warn you i don't agree with all his teachings, but i can agree with this. See below, and i do recommend his book, as i may try to get it myself. We will see here two interpretations, one literal and one symbolic, that becomes literal as well. Ive never read the book The Two Babylons, but after seeing this i my look into it.



The Mystery Babylon Woman

Revelation 17:1-18
1 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 ***** that sitteth upon many waters:

2 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.

3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.

4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:

5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

6 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.

7 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.

8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.

10 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.

11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.

12 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.

13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.

14 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.

15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the ***** sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.

16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the *****, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.

17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.

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

Mystery Babylon, the evil, scarlet-clad woman, represents a very specific religious system which is existent during all seven biblical world empires, and is dominated by Satan for the following scriptural reasons:

First, playing the part of a symbolic ***** (as in verse 1) ALWAYS refers to religious fornication (i.e., unfaithfulness) and idolatry. (Rev. 17:1-4) (Isaiah 23:17) (Isa. 57:3-7) (Jer. 3:2-9) (Ezek. 16) (Ezek. 20:30-32) (Ezek. 23:7-49) (Hos. 4:12-19) (Nahum 3:4). In this instance, the symbolic religious ***** entices the nations of the earth to commit spiritual fornication, thereby proving she is a religious entity who exerts influence over the nations of earth through the power of religion. (Rev. 17:2).

Likewise, the symbolic ***** represents Satan�s �church,� in a manner of speaking, or pagan religious influence, because she holds a golden cup, full of her UNCLEANNESS and ABOMINATIONS with which she entices people into committing religious fornication. (Compare: Ezekiel 23:29-33). In fact, from the very beginning, the Babylonian religion has intoxicated the nations of earth through religious fornication or unfaithfulness: �Babylon hath been a GOLDEN CUP in the Lord�s hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad.� (Jeremiah 51:7).

Her apparel identifies her as a religious system that is committing spiritual fornication with all of the nations through the lure and enticement of religious whoredoms and idolatries. (Rev. 17:4). The purple, and scarlet, and precious stones, and pearls, and golden vessels all serve to indicate the tremendous financial wealth possessed by this system. (Compare: Ezekiel 23:40-41).

Her name, �Mystery Babylon,� identifies her with the religious ritual and pagan occult mysteries of the ancient Babylonian cult. This particular pagan cult was the beginning of Satan�s church, and it was concerned primarily with sorceries, witchcraft and astrology! (Gen. 10:8-10) (Gen. 11:4) (Isa. 47:12, 13). Historically, this symbolic religious ***** came into existence when the rebel Nimrod built a city in defiance of God and named it Babel. Then as the late Rev. Alexander Hislop documents in his classic book, The Two Babylons, this ancient Babylonian cult, started by Nimrod and his beautiful queen, Semiramis, spread among all of the nations. The objects of worship in this cult were the Supreme Father, the Incarnate Female, or Queen of Heaven, and her Son. This cult also claimed the highest levels of wisdom and divine secrets, and engaged in the practice of numerous mysterious rites.

The prophetic portrayal of the scarlet-clad woman sitting on the beast that has seven heads (i.e., mountains; empires) proves that she dominated, or will dominate, each of the biblical world empires portrayed in the Bible as an oppressor of Israel. Thus, she dominated the ancient Assyrian Empire (Nahum 3:4); the Egyptian Empire (Exodus 7:11, 22) (Exodus 8:7, 18) (II Timothy 3:8); the Babylonian Empire (Daniel 2:2); and the Persian Empire, which held occult beliefs; and the Grecian Empire, where many ancient temple sites dedicated to idolatry still remain; and the Roman Empire, which likewise was dominated by idolatries and occult pagan beliefs and rituals. Furthermore, the seventh world empire (i.e., the empire of the Antichrist) will be no exception. It also will be dominated by idolatry, astrology, sorceries, witchcraft, drugs, and demonology.

Her title, �Mother of harlots and abominations of the earth,� clearly dispels any doubt that she heads a poisonous combination of evil religious systems and spiritual abominations which she has spawned and inspired! In other words, the numerous false cults and religions and idolatrous practices which she has inspired throughout the world are represented by the symbolic �harlots� in this prophetic portrayal, whereas the symbolic �Mother,� herself, represents the specific religious system which has perpetuated the gross abominations of the ancient and mysterious Babylonian cult beliefs and rituals down throughout history. Therefore, Mystery Babylon does not represent any specific, visible, religious organization that existed during the time of all the ancient biblical world empires. Instead, it is a very specific thought-system of pagan and occult beliefs and rituals that dominated the religious beliefs and activities of each biblical world empire. Accordingly, it is incorrect to say that Mystery Babylon represents the Roman Catholic Church as some people believe. However, it is true that the Roman Catholic Church has been the primary manifestation of Mystery Babylon, for hundreds of years, because it is a mixture or syncretism of biblical Christianity and the ancient, mysterious Babylonian pagan beliefs and rituals. Finally, the word �abominations� in the Christian Bible not only refers to the spiritual whoredoms and idolatries that are associated with demonology, but it also refers to sorceries and witchcraft of all kinds, and to astral religions that involved the worship of the sun, the moon, and the stars:

Deuteronomy 18:9-12
9 When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations.

10 There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,

11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.

12 For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee. (KJV)

Deuteronomy 32:16-17
16 They provoked him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations provoked they him to anger.

17 They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not. (KJV)

II Kings 17:9-12, 15-17
9 And the children of Israel did secretly those things that were not right against the LORD their God, and they built them high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city.

10 And they set them up images and groves in every high hill, and under every green tree:

11 And there they burnt incense in all the high places, as did the heathen whom the LORD carried away before them; and wrought wicked things to provoke the LORD to anger:

12 For they served idols, whereof the LORD had said unto them, Ye shall not do this thing...

15 And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the heathen that were round about them, concerning whom the LORD had charged them, that they should not do like them.

16 And they left all the commandments of the LORD their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made a grove, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal.

17 And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger. (KJV)

Deuteronomy 4:16-19
16 Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female,

17 The likeness of any beast that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged fowl that flieth in the air,

 

[Fellowservant]

Continue

18 The likeness of any thing that creepeth on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the waters beneath the earth:

19 And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them... (KJV)

II Kings 21:1-7
1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Hephzibah.

2 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, after the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.

3 For he built up again the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; and he reared up altars for Baal, and made a grove, as did Ahab king of Israel; and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them.

4 And he built altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD said, In Jerusalem will I put my name.

5 And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD.

6 And he made his son pass through the fire, and observed times, and used enchantments, and dealt with familiar spirits and wizards: he wrought much wickedness in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.

7 And he set a graven image of the grove that he had made in the house... (KJV) (Compare: Ezekiel 16).

Deuteronomy 17:2-5
2 If there be found among you, within any of thy gates which the LORD thy God giveth thee, man or woman, that hath wrought wickedness in the sight of the LORD thy God, in transgressing his covenant,

3 And hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped them, either the sun, or moon, or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded;

4 And it be told thee, and thou hast heard of it, and enquired diligently, and, behold, it be true, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought in Israel:

5 Then shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman, which have committed that wicked thing, unto thy gates, even that man or that woman, and shalt stone them with stones, till they die. (KJV)

Deuteronomy 23:5
5 Nevertheless the LORD thy God would not hearken unto Balaam; but the LORD thy God turned the curse into a blessing unto thee, because the LORD thy God loved thee. (KJV)

Deuteronomy 29:17
17 And ye have seen their abominations, and their idols, wood and stone, silver and gold, which were among them: (KJV)

Jeremiah 19:13
13 And the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses of the kings of Judah, shall be defiled as the place of Tophet, because of all the houses upon whose roofs they have burned incense unto all the host of heaven, and have poured out drink offerings unto other gods. (KJV)

Jeremiah 8:1-2
1 At that time, saith the LORD, they shall bring out the bones of the kings of Judah, and the bones of his princes, and the bones of the priests, and the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, out of their graves:

2 And they shall spread them before the sun, and the moon, and all the host of heaven, whom they have loved, and whom they have served, and after whom they have walked, and whom they have sought, and whom they have worshipped: they shall not be gathered, nor be buried; they shall be for dung upon the face of the earth. (KJV)

Zephaniah 1:4-5
4 I will also stretch out mine hand upon Judah, and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place, and the name of the Chemarims with the priests;

5 And them that worship the host of heaven upon the housetops; and them that worship and that swear by the LORD, and that swear by Malcham; (KJV)

As noted in the scriptures above, the people of Israel were often rebuked and condemned by God for committing many different types of spiritual and demonic abominations, including idolatry, which usually involved the worship of Ba-al, the Moon-god. In fact, the most wide-spread religion of the ancient world was the worship of the Moon-god, and archeologists have uncovered thousands of inscriptions and artifacts and temples dedicated to the Moon-god throughout the entire Middle East area. From the very beginning, the ancient Sumerians worshipped a Moon-god who was known by many different names, including Nanna, Suen and Asimbabbar. Moreover, the crescent moon was used to symbolize their Moon-god, and based upon the very large number of artifacts which describe their worship of him, it was apparently the dominant religion in Sumeria. Eventually, the Assyrians, and the Babylonians, and the Akkadians took the word �Suen� and changed it to �Sin� as their favorite name for the Moon-god. Likewise, in ancient Syria and Canna, the Moon-god Sin was usually represented by the crescent moon, and the sun-goddess was his wife, and the stars were their daughters. In like manner, the crescent moon can also be found on seal impressions, pottery, amulets, clay tablets, wall murals, earrings, necklaces, etc., throughout the ancient world.

Furthermore, a vast array of archeological evidence demonstrates clearly that the dominant religion of Arabia was also the cult of the Moon-god. Thus, the Islamic Muslim god, Allah, originally began as a pagan deity, i.e., the Moon-god, who was married to the sun goddess, and whose daughters were the stars. By the time Muhammad appeared, not only was Moon-god worship still active, but it was actually the dominant religion among the Arabs. According to numerous inscriptions, while the name of the Moon-god was Sin, his title was al-ilah, i.e., �the deity,� meaning that he was the most important god among the gods. However, the title, al-ilah, eventually was shortened to Allah during pre-Islamic times. When the popularity of the Moon-god cult subsided everywhere else throughout that region of the world, the Arabs remained loyal to their belief that the Moon-god was the greatest of all gods. So, although they worshipped 360 gods at the Kabah in Mecca, the Moon-god continued to be their supreme deity in a pantheon of deities until Muhammad converted them to monotheism.

The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition, in its article covering Middle Eastern religions, makes the following comments:

�Probably the most important of the Middle Eastern religions was that which was developed by the peoples of Mesopotamia (i.e., the Sumerians, the Babylonians, and the Assyrians). These peoples, besides spreading their influence, absorbed contributions of the Hittites, the Phrygians, the Ugarites, and the Phoenicians...

�The highest authority was the triad of gods: the sky god Anu, the storm god Enlil, and the water god Ea, or Enki. Later a second triad arose: the moon god Sin, the sun god Shamash, and the goddess Ishtar...

�There was a gradual development among the Middle Eastern cultures toward belief in a supreme god. One of the most widespread cults was that of the mother goddess (Inanna, Ishtar, Astarte, Cybele; see Great Mother Goddess)...�

Dr. Arthur Jeffery, one of the foremost Western Islamic scholars in modern times, and professor at Columbia University, makes the following comment: �The name Allah, as the Quran itself is witness, was well known in pre-Islamic Arabia. Indeed, both it and its feminine form, Allat, are found not infrequently among the theophorous names in inscriptions from North Africa.� (Islam: Muhammad, and His Religion, New York: The Liberal Arts Press, 1958, p. 85).

According to renowned Middle East scholar E.M. Wherry, in pre-Islamic times Allah-worship, as well as the worship of Ba-al, were both astral religions in the sense that they involved the worship of the sun, the moon, and the stars. (A Comprehensive Commentary on the Quran, Osnabruck: Otto Zeller Verlag, 1973, p. 36).

The late Rev. Alexander Hislop researched this entire matter very carefully and extensively during his lifetime, and in his classic book, The Two Babylons, summarized quite succinctly how the ancient, mysterious Babylonian cult spread its evil influence among most of the religions and empires and countries around the world:

�The Babylonians, in their popular religion, supremely worshipped a Goddess Mother and a Son who was represented in pictures and in images as an infant or child in his mother�s arms. From Babylon, this worship of the Mother and the Child spread to the ends of the earth. In Egypt, the Mother and the Child were worshipped under the names of Isis and Osiris. In India, even to this day, as Isi and Iswara; in Asia, as Cybele and Deoius; in Pagan Rome, as Fortuna and Jupiter-puer, or Jupiter, the boy; in Greece, as Ceres, the Great Mother, with the babe at her breast, or as Irene, the goddess of Peace, with the boy Plutus in her arms; and even in Thibet, in China, and Japan, the Jesuit missionaries were astonished to find the counterpart of Madonna and her child as devoutly worshipped as in Papal Rome itself; Shing Moo, the Holy Mother in China, being represented with a child in her arms, and a glory around her, exactly as if a Roman Catholic artist had been employed to set her up.�

In like manner, the Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition, makes the following observation regarding the �Great Mother Goddess�:

�In ancient Middle Eastern religions, mother goddess, the great symbol of the earth�s fertility. She was worshiped under many names and attributes. Similar figures have been known in every part of the world... The later forms of her cult involved the worship of a male deity, variously considered her son, lover, or both (e.g., Adonis, Attis, and Osiris), whose death and resurrection symbolized the regenerative powers of the earth (see fertility rites). Although the Great Mother was the dominant figure in ancient Middle Eastern religions, she was also worshiped in Greece, Rome, and W Asia. In Phrygia and Lydia she was known as Cybele; among the Babylonians and Assyrians she was identified as Ishtar; in Syria and Palestine she appeared as Astarte; among the Egyptians she was called Isis; in Greece she was variously worshiped as Gaea, Hera, Rhea, Aphrodite, and Demeter; and in Rome she was identified as Maia, Ops, Tellus, and Ceres. Even this listing, however, is by no means complete. Many attributes of the Virgin Mary make her the Christian equivalent of the Great Mother, particularly in her great beneficence, in her double image as mother and virgin, and in her son, who is God and who dies and is resurrected.�

Mystery Babylon is said to be drunk �with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.� Even a brief, cursory analysis will show that the pages of history are full of bloody accounts which portray Christians dying for Jesus at the hands of relentless religious persecutors! Most notably, the literary classic work, Fox�s Book Of Martyrs, descibes in vivid and graphic detail how countless numbers of Christian believers were obscenely tortured to death using all kinds of unspeakable and horrendous methods of execution.

Revelation 17 concludes by stating that �the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.� Right now that city is Rome and has been for centuries, but it has not always been so. Historically, as noted previously, the symbolic religious ***** came into existence when the rebel Nimrod built a city in defiance of God and named it Babel. This was the beginning of the ancient and mysterious Babylonian rites which have dominated the major biblical world empires, including the Roman Empire.

In 63 B.C., Julius Caesar became the head of the Roman branch of the Babylonian Cult, and several other Roman emperors held the office until 376 A.D. when emperor Gratian, a Christian, refused to accept the position because he knew that the Babylonian religious cult was idolatrous. However, in 378 A.D., Demasus, bishop of the Christian church at Rome, was elected to the headship of the cult, and from that point on, the Babylonian cult and organized Christianity gradually merged into one unified system. So, by the time that �Christianity� became the official religion of the Roman Empire, innumerable pagan rites and doctrinal beliefs had already been adopted into the Roman Church in order to make it seem more familiar and acceptable to the various tribes and groups of people living throughout the vast empire. (See The Two Babylons by the late Rev. Alexander Hislop; and A Woman Rides The Beast by Dave Hunt.) Thus, the Roman Catholic Church, headquartered in Rome, has been the current manifestation of Mystery Babylon for centuries even though many of its members are very good and decent people who have simply been deceived by their ecclesiastical leadership and grandly-perceived tradition.

However, during the very last days, the literal rebuilt city of Babylon will once again become the headquarters of Satan�s church. (Rev. 17 and 18) (Jer. 50:4-9) (Jeremiah 51:4-8) (Rev. 16:19) (Isa. 13) (Isa. 47:9-13).

Frank L. Caw, Jr.



Also see Why The City Of Babylon Must Be Rebuilt In Iraq

Why The City Of Babylon Must Be Rebuilt In Iraq



This is basically the way i see it also from scripture, using both rev and old testament prophets to get a better understanding of this, and letting scripture interpret scripture.

God bless brother