Mystery, Babylon the Great

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Mystery, Babylon the Great


"… and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath … I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore…" (Revelation 16:19, 17:1).

The Woman
"MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH" (Revelation 17:5), that is the name written upon the head of "the great whore" (Revelation 17:1) that John saw sitting upon "a scarlet colored beast… having seven heads and ten horns" (Revelation 17:3).

She was clothed in lavish apparel, "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" (Revelation 17:4), and she was "drunken with the blood of the saints, and the blood of the martyrs of Jesus" (Revelation 17:6), and all the inhabitants of the earth were "made drunk with the wine of her fornication" (Revelation 17:2).

When the apostle John saw her, he "wondered with great admiration" (Revelation 17:6). John was totally amazed at what he saw. The angel of the Revelation then said, "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" (Revelation 17:7).

The word "Revelation" comes from the Greek word apokalupsis, which means to unveil or uncover those things that were previously hidden. The angel now says he will clearly reveal to us the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her. After the explanation we should have no question as to what the woman and the beast signify.

The angel said the woman was sitting upon "many waters" (Revelation 17:1), which he explains are "peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues" (Revelation 17:15). Her evil influence has affected the whole world therefore it is fitting that she is called the "ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH".

The woman is seen sitting on a beast as well as the "seven heads" of the beast. The "seven heads are seven mountains" (Revelation 17:9), which represent "seven kings" (Revelation 17:10) or kingdoms. At the time that John wrote the Revelation five of these kingdoms had already come and gone. One presently existed ("one is" - Roman Empire - sixth), and the seventh kingdom was still to come (Revelation 17:9-10).

But the complete seven-headed ten-horned beast represented the "eighth" (Revelation 17:11) and final world kingdom before Christ returns. We are told that the eighth kingdom "was, and is not" (Revelation 17:8), that is, it existed in the past, but ceased to exist at the time when John penned the Revelation. However, one day the beast would "ascend out of the bottomless pit", and "they that dwell on the earth shall wonder … when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is" (Revelation 17:8).

After these descriptions the angel comes right out and tells John, "the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings (kingdoms) of the earth" (Revelation 17:18). We must wonder as John, what "great city" has influenced or reigned over the kingdoms of the world down throughout history? Is she Jerusalem, Washington, Moscow, or perhaps Rome? These and many other cities have been suggested, however, as we search the Scriptures, I believe we will find it absolutely indisputable as to what great city she signifies.

This great city must have existed prior to the seven kingdoms (represented by the seven heads of the beast) in order to exercise her influence over them. It is said that she "reigneth" (Greek echo: to have or hold in possession) over all the kings/kingdoms of the earth.

Although she did not exist as the predominant physical and geographical city at the time when John wrote the Revelation (Rome was the capital city of the Roman Empire, the sixth kingdom), she existed as a great city in the past and will rise up again only to be judged by God in the latter days. We must remember as well that the beast that carried her "was, and is not, and shall ascend" (Revelation 17:8). It appears then, that when this eighth kingdom ascends to power she too will be exalted as the great and mighty city of the beast.

What "great city" is she then? Is she Jerusalem? We must say no, for "Jerusalem … is the city of the great King" (Matthew 5:35) where the Lord said He would put His "name for ever" (2 Chronicles 33:7). The Lord may have lamented, "How is the faithful city become an harlot!" (Isaiah 1:21), but this woman is called the "MOTHER OF HARLOTS". While Jerusalem is called "the great city" (Revelation 11:8), it is not "that great city" (17:18).

Many have speculated that the USA is this great whore, but the USA is not a city, it is a nation. She may be a superpower today, but she has never reigned over all the kingdoms of the earth throughout history.

Is she then Rome? We must admit that the overwhelming majority of Christians (especially the so called "Protestants" and "Reformers") identify the great whore of Revelation 17 as Rome, or to be more precise, the Roman Catholic Church, but this is not so.

Rome's influence never reigned over the five kingdoms that had previously come and gone before her, nor is the Roman Catholic Church a city. Furthermore, John saw upon this woman's forehead "a name written … BABYLON THE GREAT", and was told quite clearly that the "woman which thou sawest is that great city" (Revelation 17:5, 18).

Babylon is referred to in the book of the Revelation as an actual city not just a symbol, and there is no reason to believe it is other than literal Babylon. It is referred to as "that great city" six times (Revelation 14:8, 17:18, 18:10, 16, 19, 21), "Babylon the great" twice (Revelation 17:5, 18:2), "great Babylon" (Revelation 16:19) once and "this great city" (Revelation 18:18) once.

Babylon is clearly identified as "that great city". Rome is not mentioned once in the Revelation. If the angel of the Revelation meant Rome He would have revealed that to John. But John recorded that the woman was "that great city Babylon" (Revelation 18:10).

You would have to spiritualize the Scriptures rather than taking a contextual, and therefore, literal interpretation to come up with Rome. Some have alleged that "Babylon" was a "code word" used to refer to Rome. However, there is nothing to substantiate that claim. When Paul wrote his letter to the church at Rome he used no such code word and Peter's referral to the "church at Babylon" (1 Peter 5:13) was to the Christian Church that was established in Babylonia. There is no reason to believe otherwise.


The Beast
When we look at "the beast" that carries the "great whore", we are given further revelation into this mystery. The seven heads of the beast represented seven kingdoms, but after this there was an "eighth" kingdom. We are told that this eighth kingdom "was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit".

This eighth kingdom existed in the past and would be revived again. The "woman" who is carried by this beast represented "that great city Babylon", which will be the capital of the "eighth" kingdom. We must conclude therefore that this eighth kingdom be Babylon revived.

We must remember that before any of the kingdoms (seven heads) of the world were ever formed, Babylon was "the beginning of [Nimrod's] kingdom" (Genesis 10:10). This was the first city and kingdom that was built upon the plains of Shinar, approximately 100 years after the worldwide Flood in Noah's day.

After the Flood washed the earth clean of all corruption, violence and wickedness, God told Noah and his sons, "Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth" (Genesis 9:1). It was God's will for man "to dwell on all the face of the earth" (Acts 17:26). But here Nimrod, the great grandson of Noah, organized another great rebellion, no doubt instigated by Satan, saying, "let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth" (Genesis 11:4).

Rather than fill the earth, they disobeyed God's command and began to build their own kingdom beginning with a city and a tower to unite and bind them together. This would be the center for their new political, commercial and religious world order. However, God's purpose would not be undone so He intervened and confused the language of these rebel's, "and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth" (Genesis 11:9), "every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations" (Genesis 10:5).

Each family was now given a new language that distinguished them as a nation. However, when these rebels were scattered to form the nations of the world, they brought with them their corrupt religious, political, architectural and commercial philosophies that were formed at Babel, filling the earth with her abominations.

A study of the world's religions will show that they are all quite similar, only that their gods have different names because of the different dialects that were produced at Babel. This is clearly revealed in the venerable work of Alexander Hyslop in his book entitled "The Two Babylon's".

Babylon's influence grievously affected all the nations of the world. "All nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her" (Revelation 18:3). She is without a doubt the fountainhead and architect of all corruption and false religion and all the nations followed her ways.

This "great city" is truly "THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH" (Revelation 17:5). This was a great mystery, which perhaps the people of God should have already recognized, but now it is clearly unveiled in the book of the Revelation.

This woman is also called "the great whore". The word "whore" comes from the Greek word porne, which is similar to pornos and porneia that is translated "fornication" and "fornicator". To commit fornication is to commit any sexual act outside of marriage. She is the great fornicator for "she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication" (Revelation 14:8), and her spawn was spread out from Babel.

In a spiritual sense a fornicator would refer to anyone who worships or serves other "gods" rather than the one true God and Creator. This woman has truly spawned all the false religions of the nations that departed from the one true God. The religions of polytheism, pantheism, animism, or any of the modern religions of today, whether they understand it or not, all have their roots that go back to Babel where mankind turned away in rebellion against their Creator.

Babylon's influence has unquestionably reigned over the kingdoms of this world and this is why she is called the "ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH". She influenced Israel in the Old Testament as Isaiah lamented, "How is the faithful city become an harlot" (Isaiah 1:21). And since New Testament times, the "church" has jumped into bed with her, primarily the Roman Catholic Church which became the "state church" when Christianity was legalized in the fourth century by the Roman Emperor Constantine.

Roman Catholicism clearly does not fit the description as the originator or mother of all false religion. She may have committed fornication, adopting many of the tenants of paganism and become a harlot, much like Israel did in the Old Testament, however, Babylon is clearly the "MOTHER OF HARLOTS".

Many have concluded that Rome is "that great city" because she is situated on "seven hills". Encyclopedia Britannica identifies Rome as "The city of the seven hills, of treasures and tourists…" (26:980), and the Bible tells us, "The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth" (Revelation 17:9).

It should be noted however, that Rome is said to be the city of seven "hills" [Greek bounos], not "mountains" [Greek oros] as recorded in the Bible. There is a difference between a mountain and a hill! As well, the Roman Catholic Church does not sit on the Seven Hills of Rome, its headquarters are in Vatican City, and Rome is actually situated on more than seven hills.

Furthermore, the mountains actually symbolize seven kingdoms for we are told that the "seven heads [of the beast] are [Greek eisi] seven mountains [Greek oros], on which the woman sitteth. And there are [Greek eisi; translated at least 23 times as "they are" or usually just "are"] seven kings" (Revelation 17:9-10). So, the "seven heads are seven mountains", and "they are seven kings".


(Seven heads = seven mountains = seven kings)
There is no need to step outside of the Scriptures to interpret what these seven heads and mountains represent. The angel of the Revelation plainly reveals to John that they are "seven kings" or kingdoms. Elsewhere in the Bible "mountains" are often used to symbolize kingdoms or government (Isaiah 2:2, 13:1-2, 40:4, Daniel 2:34-35, Jeremiah 51:24-25, Zechariah 4:7, Micah 4:1-2). Therefore, in this specific context, the "mountains" are symbolic and we are told what they signify.

Of these seven kingdoms, "five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come" (Revelation 17:10). When John wrote the Revelation five of these kingdoms were already fallen. Rome was the sixth kingdom and the seventh was "not yet come". The seventh kingdom would be a revised or divided Roman Empire ruled by a 10-king confederacy represented by the "ten horns" on the seventh head of the beast. And in the days of this ten king confederacy the "eighth" (Revelation 17:11) and final kingdom would ascend, represented by the complete seven-headed, ten-horned beast, for "the beast is… is the eighth" (Revelation 17:11).

Many have come to the conclusion that the beast represents a revived Roman Empire, however this cannot be for we are told that this "beast … was, and is not; and shall ascend … [and of the] seven kings: five are fallen, and one is [sixth], and the other is not yet come [seventh] … And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth" (Revelation 17:8, 10-11).

When John wrote the Revelation the sixth kingdom was the Roman Empire ("one is"). At the same time we are told that the beast "was, and is not". We are told "one is" and the other "is not". The language is very clear. The beast existed before the Roman Empire but "is not" the Roman Empire but would be revived in the last days as the "eighth" kingdom.


Zechariah's Vision
As with every kingdom, they all have a capital city where the king resides and rules. The capital of the beast will neither be Rome or Washington, neither will it be Jerusalem, but Babylon rebuilt as seen in a vision by the prophet Zechariah.

An angel showed Zechariah a "woman" in an "ephah" with a "talent of lead" covering the mouth. An "ephah" was a measuring basket and a "talent of lead" was a weight. Both of these were used in commerce. The angel then said this was "their resemblance throughout all the earth … This is wickedness" (Zechariah 5:6, 8).

The Bible tells us, "the love of money is the root of all evil" (1 Timothy 6:10). When economy and commerce becomes the most important thing to a nation and corrupt religion permeates society, "This is wickedness" (Zechariah 5:8). In the last days Zechariah says this would be "their resemblance throughout all the earth" (Zechariah 5:6).

He then saw the "woman" inside the "ephah" with the "talent of lead" on the top of her being lifted up by two other women with wings as storks. Zechariah then asked, "Whither do these bear the ephah?" And the angel replied, "To build it an house in the land of Shinar: and it shall be established, and set there upon her own base" (Zechariah 5:11).

Zechariah saw that the whole world would be caught up in this "wickedness". It would be "their resemblance throughout all the earth". However, this great commercial and religious system began back in Babylon and was carried throughout the whole world on the backs of the nations when the Lord confused their language and scattered them upon the face of all the earth. Once it had permeated the whole earth its headquarters would be reestablished upon her old foundation back in the "land of Shinar" (Zechariah 5:11).

The "land of Shinar" (Daniel 1:1-2) is also referred to as, "the land of Babylon" (Jeremiah 51:29) and "the land of Nimrod" (Micah 5:6). Nimrod became the world's first dictator organizing a single government under his rule and the "beginning of his kingdom was Babel… in the land of Shinar" (Genesis 10:10).

This was the beginning of mankind's empire building schemes to make a name for himself, in direct conflict with the will of God. The consummation of man's self willed ambitions will be Babylon rebuilt and reestablished as the Antichrist's center of world government as described very lavishly in Revelation chapters 17 and 18.

The rebuilding of Babylon will make many filthy rich when it is restored "by reason of her costliness" (Revelation 18:19). However, when "success" becomes the primary focus of mankind, and their hope is in the riches of this world, they will be ripe to worship the Antichrist, for he will cause "all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name" (Revelation 13:16-17).

In effect, if they want to participate in this economic stimulation package they will have to sell their souls to the devil. But it will be all in vain for the merchants of the earth shall wail greatly saying, "What city is like unto this great city!" (Revelation 18:18) when she is judged by God and quickly and finally brought to desolation and overthrown as "Sodom and Gomorrah" (Jeremiah 50:40) and "utterly burned with fire" (Revelation 18:8), then finally "cast … into the sea" (Revelation 18:21).

The prophet Jeremiah said that Babylon would be overthrown as "Sodom and Gomorrah" (Jeremiah 50:40). This has never been fulfilled in the history of the world. Many prophecies in the Bible have a near and far application and sometimes all of the details are not fulfilled in the first application.

When Babylon was conquered, she was not overthrown as Sodom and Gomorrah. She was "divided, and given to the Medes and Persians" (Daniel 5:28). However, one day in the future, Babylon shall "be utterly burned with fire" (Revelation 18:8).

The Middle East is known for its great oil reserves, and perhaps you will remember the Gulf War of 1991, when many oil wells were left burning after the liberation of Kuwait. It took over a year with the help of the International Community to get all of those wells put out.


Kuwait oil wells burning (1991)


Imagine when Babylon is destroyed as Sodom and Gomorrah, the world "shall see the smoke of her burning" (Revelation 18:9) via satellite TV, with the merchants "stand [ing] afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing" (v. 15), for they "cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city!" (v. 18), and none can save her.
With such a great overthrow, how could this fire ever be put out? It will take more than an international effort, it will take the intervention of God, and so we read, Babylon shall be "cast… into the sea" (v. 21). "Thus shall Babylon sink, and shall not rise…" (Jeremiah 51:63-64).

Jeremiah also said that Babylon "shall be no more inhabited for ever; neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation" (Jeremiah 50:39). This has not yet been fulfilled either. Even recently, the fallen dictator of Iraq (location of ancient Babylon) has invested much effort to rebuild and revive the Babylon of King Nebuchadnezzar's antiquity. And since his overthrow, the "Future of Babylon Project" has been launched by the World Monuments Fund and UNESCO, which intends on making Babylon "fit for the coveted title of World Heritage site", with funding by the US Dept of State and in collaboration with Iraq's State Board of Antiquities and Heritage.

There are many Scriptures in the Old Testament concerning Babylon and its future establishment that are reiterated in the New Testament. John was told that this harlot "sitteth upon many waters" (Revelation 17:1). Jeremiah said the same, "O thou that dwellest upon many waters, abundant in treasures, thine end is come, and the measure of thy covetousness" (Jeremiah 51:13). John also repeated (Revelation 17:1-2) what Jeremiah said long ago. "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).

The ancient cry was, "My people, go ye out of the midst of her, and deliver ye every man his soul from the fierce anger of the LORD" (Jeremiah 51:45). This cry will be echoed in the future when God judges Babylon for the final time. "Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities" (Revelation 18:4-5).

As God called Lot out of Sodom and Gomorrah before its destruction, so too will God call his people out of Babylon before her final judgment.

This is what the Bible says concerning Babylon, then and now, we just need to believe God for, "the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple" (Psalms 19:7).

The Beast with Seven Heads and Ten Horns
Just as we are told the mystery of the woman, we are also told the mystery of the "beast". It is quite obvious what the beast signifies, for the angel plainly tells John that "the beast … is the eighth" king/kingdom (Revelation 17:11). Further details tell us that this beast "was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition" (Revelation 17:8), and many will be amazed when "they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is" (Revelation 17:8).

The language is clear that this "eighth" kingdom existed in the past, but did not exist at the time John wrote the Revelation but finally it "shall ascend". The beast then, is evidently a revived kingdom, but could not be a "Revived" Roman Empire for the Roman Empire existed ("one is") at the time when John wrote the Revelation and at that time "the beast" did not exist ("is not"). Furthermore, the Roman Empire never really ceased to exist, rather, it has been "Revised" down through the past two millennia and lives on in the nations of this day.

The prophet Daniel said that the Roman Empire "shall be divided" (Daniel 2:41), and that it would "be partly strong, and partly broken". The Roman Empire was never defeated like its predecessor kingdoms but became fragmented. It was first divided between east and west represented by the two legs of Daniel's vision (Daniel 2:33), and in its final form it would be divided into a ten-king confederacy as represented by the "ten toes" of Daniel's image (Daniel 2:41-42). The "ten toes" of this image correspond to the "ten horns" of the beast as seen in Daniel chapter 7 and Revelation chapters 12, 13 and 17.

The "beast … which hath the seven heads" is said to be the "eighth", but at the same time it is also said to be "of the seven" (Revelation 17:11). These "seven heads", as we have stated, are "seven kings" that represent the successive kingdoms down through the history of the world. As each kingdom ascended to power they were eventually succeeded and refined by the next kingdom up until the eighth whose final form is portrayed by the seven-headed, ten horned beast.

In the book of Daniel we see a similar formation of this final kingdom. Daniel saw the kingdoms throughout history being built one upon the other, molded together to form one great abominable idol that the Lord will smash when He returns.

Daniel saw an image whose "head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay" (Daniel 2:32-33).




The "head of gold" was Babylon (Daniel 2:38, Jeremiah 27:5-7), the "breast and his arms of silver" was the Medo-Persian Empire (Daniel 2:39, 5:28, 6:28, 7:5, 8:20, 11:1-2), the "belly and his thighs of brass" was the Grecian Empire (Daniel 2:39, 7:6, 8:5-8, 21-23, 11:3-4), and finally, the "legs of iron, his feet [and toes] part of iron and part clay", represent the Roman Empire (Daniel 2:40-44, 7:7-8, 19-27).
Daniel had another vision after this of "four great beasts" (Daniel 7:2-3) that came up from the sea, which represented these same kingdoms. Daniel was told, "These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth" (Daniel 7:17). He was also told that the fourth beast (representing the Roman Empire) would devour the whole earth and it had "ten horns" (Daniel 7:7). It was then explained that "the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall arise after them" (Daniel 7:23-24).

If we go back to John's Revelation concerning "the beast … which hath the seven heads and ten horns" (Revelation 17:7), we will see the relationship between Daniel's vision and the Revelation of John. The seven heads were seven kingdoms. In the Apostle John's day the Roman Empire was dominant over all the earth but five kingdoms were already fallen (Revelation 17:10).

For certain, at least from Daniel's time, the Babylonian, Medo-Persian and Grecian Empires had all come and gone. This leaves two more that were before the time of Daniel that had already fallen which were likely Assyria (Jeremiah 50:17) and Egypt (Exodus 1:1-14). All of these kingdoms were in opposition to the one true God and against His people.




Now of these seven kingdoms, one existed when John wrote the Revelation ("one is" Revelation 17:10, the sixth = Roman Empire), and the seventh was "not yet come". This seventh head or kingdom also had "ten horns", which are ten kings.
In Daniel's vision these "ten kings" are said to arise "out of this kingdom" (Daniel 7:24, the Roman Empire), rather than conquering it. So the seventh kingdom (ten kings) in John's Revelation is really a revision of the Roman Empire, not a revived Roman Empire for the ten kings are said to arise "out of" the Roman Empire.

Edward Gibbons, a great historian, wrote a popular book entitled "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire". Although it is very good in its estimation of Rome, the title is a little misleading for the Roman Empire never really fell, rather, as Daniel said, it "shall be divided; but there shall be in it the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with clay … the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken" (Daniel 2:41-42).

The Roman Empire was "divided" as indicated by the two "legs of iron" of Daniel's image. The eastern leg of the Roman Empire was centered at Constantinople and the western leg was centered at Rome. At the knees, the Empire was transformed from a political to ecclesiastical structure consisting of the Roman and Byzantine Catholic churches. The western leg became the Holy Roman Empire that spread throughout Western Europe and expanded into the Americas. The eastern leg became the complex of Orthodox churches that spread throughout northern Eurasia.

The Roman Empire may have been weakened by the clay mixed with the iron and become "partly broken", but according to God's Word it did not cease to exist, rather it would be transformed, and in its final form it would be divided into a ten king confederacy represented by the ten toes and ten horns. Although it was divided, its essential character remained the same and its culture, government, language, legal structure, civilization, stretched around the world.

With the dividing of the Roman Empire, it no longer had a centralized government, however, Daniel saw another horn "arise after" the ten, "another little horn" (Daniel 7:8) which is synonymous with "the beast that was and is not, even he is the eighth" (Revelation 17:11).

When this beast rises upon the scene, the ten king confederacy are said to "give their power and strength … [and] their kingdom unto the beast" (Revelation 17:12-13, 17). Under "the beast" there will be a centralized government and the rule of the world will be brought under Antichrist, but from where shall he reign? Where will the Antichrist's throne be?

As we have discussed, this beast/kingdom (eighth) existed in the past and shall be revived. The greatest kingdom that ever existed "was" Babylon, described by God as "the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency" (Isaiah 13:19), and "the golden city" (Isaiah 14:4). It was also described as the "head of fine gold" (Daniel 2:32). The kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar was only a refinement or reincarnation of ancient Babel, which was the "beginning of [Nimrod's] kingdom" (Genesis 10:10).

Nebuchadnezzar revived Nimrod's religion and kingdom, however, this great kingdom with its beautiful capital fell in one night under the reign of Nebuchadnezzar's grandson, Belshazzar. The decree of God had come forth, "God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it … In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain" (Daniel 5:22-30), and his kingdom was taken by the Medes.

When the beast that "was and is not" arises to power again many will wonder when "they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is" (17:8). Before we go on, it should be clarified that this beast is both a king and a kingdom. Every kingdom has a king, and who is really a king without a kingdom? These terms are synonymous (example: Daniel 7:17, 23), and this is how we have used this term (king/kingdom) throughout this article. So we will find that "the beast", who is a king, also represents the eighth kingdom.

Now twice we are told that this beast ascends "out of the bottomless pit" (Revelation 11:7, 17:8), but how can a king or a kingdom ascend out of Hades? It is quite remarkable if we turn to the prophet Isaiah, we find a very interesting proverb.

The Lord said, "take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased" (Isaiah 14:4)! Here we have the "king of Babylon" (likely Belshazzar, Daniel 5:30) and his "golden city", which are both about to come to an end. But what is the end of this great king and his kingdom? We are told, "Hell (Hebrew Sheol, equivalent to Greek Hades) from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming … Thy pomp is brought down to the grave (Hebrew Sheol), and the noise of thy viols" (Isaiah 14:9, 11).

Here we have the king of Babylon who represents the kingdom brought down to Hades, but can he ascend out of Hades and rise again a great king and kingdom? Can he "ascend out of the bottomless pit"? We think not, for "it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment" (Hebrews 9:27). As well, Jesus Christ has the "keys of hell (Greek Hades) and death" (Revelation 1:18), and no man has the power over these but Jesus.

However, further reading of Isaiah's proverb reveals to us that not only is the king the power behind Babylon, but there is someone behind the king, and it is none other than the archenemy of God and His people, Lucifer. "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer … thou shalt be brought down to hell (Hebrew Sheol), to the sides of the pit" (Isaiah 14:12, 15). It appears that Lucifer accompanied the king of Babylon down to Hades and one day he will be "bound" (Revelation 20:1-2) there for a thousand years, but for now he is free to roam about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8).

So the human king, who represented Babylon, was really possessed and energized and brought to power by Lucifer. As the Bible says, one day this beast will "ascend out of the bottomless pit", at least symbolically, revived and energized by Satan, to become a great world kingdom. God put a stop to the building of Babylon when He confounded their language and scattered the rebels upon the face of the earth. This was Satan's masterpiece and ever since that time he has been seeking to revive it.

The "beast" must represent the Babylonian Empire and its king. The beast/kingdom existed in the past, prior to the Roman Empire, and will be revived as it was previously by Nebuchadnezzar. Satan shall revive them, but in the end the beast shall "go into perdition" (Revelation 17:8, 19:20, 20:10).

And the woman that is carried by this beast must be "that great city Babylon, that mighty city" (Revelation 18:10). She is the epitome of false religion and commercialization. She sat on the seven heads of the beast representing all the kingdoms of history, past, present and future. She rode on the backs of the nations into the whole world filling the earth with her abominations. Her influence reigned over the kingdoms of the earth even though she had declined as a great city. But she had her spawn of "harlots" representing her through the ages whose agenda they fulfilled.

These seven kingdoms all have roots that go back to Babel in the land of Shinar, where that first great rebellion took place, when the post Flood population sought to build a city and a tower unto heaven. But one day the Lord will return and "The kingdoms of this world [will] become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever" (Revelation 11:15), and the children of iniquity will no longer "fill the face of the world with cities" (Isaiah 14:21).

The Great Red Dragon
More details regarding "the beast" can be found in Revelation chapters 12 and 13. "And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads" (Revelation 12:3). Here we have a similar picture of the "scarlet colored beast" mentioned in chapter 17, but here the beast is called the "great red dragon", and is identified as "that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world" (Revelation 12:9).

The fact that the seven heads (kings) are on the Dragon explicitly reveals that he was in control of the seven kingdoms. When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness by the Devil, he showed Him "all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time" (Luke 4:5), and said, "All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine" (Luke 4:6-7).

Then, in chapter 13, John "saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns" (Revelation 13:1). But now it says, "the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority" (Revelation 13:2). The beast is now identified as a man who receives the "power" previously offered to Christ in His temptation in the wilderness.

Satan finally finds his man to whom he can give the "power" over kingdoms of the world and He is none other than the "antichrist" (1 John 2:18), "that man of sin … the son of perdition" (2 Thessalonians 2:3), "that Wicked" (2 Thessalonians 2:8), the "little horn" (Daniel 7:8), the "prince that shall come" (Daniel 9:26) and "the beast" ( Revelation 13:1). He may be fittingly described as Satan incarnate, the man who offers his own soul to gain the whole world. Antichrist shall be possessed and energized by Satan much like when he "entered" Judas to fulfill his will (Luke 22:3).

But then we read, "And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast" (Revelation 13:3). Here we have another picture of what John saw all along, the kingdom that "was, and is not, and yet is" (Revelation 17:8).

The third head of the beast represented the Babylonian kingdom (which was a revival of Nimrod's kingdom) and the Medo-Persian Empire conquered it, but now it is revived again. But this beast also represents a king, "whose deadly wound was healed" (Revelation 13:12). This, no doubt, is a mock resurrection for it says he was "as it were wounded to death" (Revelation 13:3).

In Revelation 11:7, "the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit" is a man who slays God's two witnesses, while in Chapter 17, the beast that "shall ascend out of the bottomless pit" (Revelation 17:8) is a kingdom. Both of these are revived by Satan, and the whole world will "wonder" (Revelation 13:3, 17:8) when they see Babylon the Great, and its king which "was, and is not, and yet is" (Revelation 17:8), revived and "brought back to life" so to say, and energized by the Dragon. It should only be fitting then that the ten kings should "give their kingdom unto the beast" (Revelation 17:17), "whose deadly wound was healed" (Revelation 13:12).

This eighth beast/kingdom is civic and geographical Babylon revived, and Antichrist shall have his throne there (Revelation 16:10, 13:2), which he receives from the Dragon. The great city Babylon will be rebuilt back on its old foundation in the "land of Shinar" (Zechariah 5:5-11), and when John sees all this, he wonders with great amazement when he sees "the woman", Babylon the Great, as she influenced the nations and the kingdoms of this world down through the ages, revived once again. She rode into the world on the backs of the nations and now she is carried prominently by this seven-headed ten-horned beast.

Satan has energized this eighth and final world kingdom and its king. It is his infernal design and the consummation of his desire to sit as king of the universe, reigning through Antichrist. Long ago he had said in his heart, "I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High" (Isaiah 14:13-14).

Satan is called "the god of this world" (2 Corinthians 4:4) for he has deceived the nations (Revelation 20:3), "And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast" (Revelation 13:4)? But Christ is soon to return in divine glory and might to destroy the kingdoms of this world and rid the earth of all His enemies (Isaiah 13:9-13), and then He will set up His everlasting kingdom. The saints have prayed down through the centuries "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10), and finally the Lord will come and not tarry.


Conclusion
The Bible says that Satan is "the god of this world" (2 Corinthians 4:4). Seeing that the kingdoms of this world are greatly influenced by him, it would be a good time to ask: what is your place in the kingdoms of this world with its religious, political and commercial systems? Are you of the world, or can you sincerely say I am not of this world? Jesus told his disciples, "If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you" (John 15:19).

He said of His disciples, "I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world" (John 17:14). To stand with Christ is to stand apart from the lusts of this world, and quite honestly it will result in much enmity with those you cross paths with, primarily with those closest to you (Matthew 10:32-40).

If you are a disciple of Christ, continuing in His Word (John 8:31), "ye shall have tribulation" (John 16:33). "For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake" (Philippians 1:29). "Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution" (2 Timothy 3:12). It is a fact of the matter that if you "abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul" (1 Peter 2:11), and turn away from all ungodliness, you will suffer persecution. The Bible says, especially in the last days, that men shall be "despisers of those that are good" (2 Timothy 3:3).

But, "our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:17-18).

Dear brethren, "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world" (1 John 2:15). It is impossible to sit on the fence so to say when you become a Christian. One cannot continue on in the ways of the world and walk with Jesus at the same time. "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other" (Matthew 6:24).

We must ask ourselves, where then do our affections lie? What in life are we seeking? Are we a "lover of pleasure" (2 Timothy 3:4), seeking to entertain ourselves with the CARNALvals of this world? "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory" (Colossians 3:1-4).

We are told, "be not conformed to this world" (Romans 12:2), for "the whole world lieth in wickedness" (1 John 5:19), and "the works thereof are evil" (John 7:7). Therefore we are admonished, "No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier" (2 Timothy 2:4).

A church that calls itself Christian and yet courts alliance with the godless system of this world commits spiritual adultery. The apostle James says, "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God" (James 4:4). It is Jesus "who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father" (Galatians 1:4), "wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air" (Ephesians 2:2).

Have you "escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust" (2 Peter 1:4)? Or are your affections on the things of this world? Is your time consumed with the programs, activities and organizations of the world no matter how "good" they may appear to be? One can never be an effective witness for Christ if your affections are on the things of this earth for "the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word" (Mark 4:19). Therefore, James says "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this … to keep himself unspotted from the world" (James 1:27). "And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever" (1 John 2:17).

When we look to the great faith chapter we find that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob sojourned in the land as in a strange country dwelling in tents. Abraham would not secure anything more than his tent pegs to this earth. He was not interested in building cities as the rebels shortly after the Flood, but rather he "looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God" (Hebrews 11:9-10). They too were looking for the coming kingdom of God and "confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth" (Hebrews 11:13). Their home was in heaven where they longed to be, with Christ, "wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city" (Hebrews 11:16).

Speaking of Moses, "when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward. By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible" (Hebrews 11:24-27).

It appears that there were two paths before Moses, a position of great esteem in the house of Pharaoh where he could enjoy the pleasure of sin for a season with all the treasures of Egypt. But leaving this there only remained "suffering", "affliction", "reproach" and "wrath".

But, "our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:17-18).

Friends, if you are a believer, a cross is all that this Babylonish world system has to offer you. Do not seek to be friends with the world and ruin your testimony for Christ, but as Christ said, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me" (Matthew 16:24). And to "him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne" (Revelation 3:21).

Remember too that it is the Devil that is the deceiver of the nations (Revelation 20:2-3). He is the enemy of God and His people and many are caught in "the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will" (2 Timothy 2:26). So, "the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth" (2 Timothy 2:24-25).

So "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you" (Matthew 5:44). "Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good" (Romans 12:20-21). "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 5:16).

But now, "the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works" (Titus 2:11-14).

Last Update: 10/09/2011
See Also: Who is the Woman of Revelation 17?
See Also: 14 Points Identifying Mystery Babylon
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1-15 of 32 Comments
Joanna – SpainFebruary 19, 2017 - 04:19
You mean Babylon is "the whore of Babylon"?
Babylon is "the Mystery Babylon"?
And then when Babylon is fallen, God will remember Babylon and her iniquities"?
Jerusalem is the whore of Babylon.
If Literal Babylon is the Mystery Babylon then there is no mystery at all.


Reply to Joanna
NoelFebruary 19, 2017 - 05:26
Hi Joanna, Yes Babylon is the "whore that sitteth upon many waters" who is also "carried by the beast". John was told, "I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns" (Revelation 17:7). It may have been a mystery but is now clearly revealed in the Revelation.

The New Testament meaning of the word mystery is that of a hidden truth unveiled. We should also take note that when the word "mystery" is used in the New Testament, it is in relation to some great doctrine not clearly taught in the Old Testament. These great truths were hidden or kept secret from the foundation of the world until the revelation of Jesus Christ, such as, the translation and rapture of the saints ("Behold, I shew you a mystery" 1 Corinthians 15:51-53, 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18); the "mystery of Christ" (Ephesians 3:1-9), that is, the uniting of Jew and Gentile in the body of Christ; "the mystery of the kingdom of God" (Mark 4:11); the mystery of Israel's blindness and the salvation of the Gentiles (Romans 11); the indwelling Christ (Colossians 1:26-27); and the manifestation of God in the flesh (1 Timothy 3:16), etc.

We must also point out that the word "Revelation" comes from the Greek word apokalupsis , which means unveiling or revealing of those things that were at one time concealed. One of the things that the angel says he will reveal is the mystery surrounding this woman. "And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH…. 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" (Revelation 17:5, 7).

The identifying name of the woman is not "Mystery" but "BABYLON THE GREAT". Babylon was the fountainhead of all false religion and became the abominations of the earth. She infected every nation with her pagan religion and from Babylon this wickedness flowed out to all the regions of the world in those early post-Flood years.

This false religious system so permeated the world that all the inhabitants of the earth were made "drunk" with the wine of her spiritual fornication. Jeremiah said, "the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad" (Jeremiah 51:7). It was not until the Light of God's Word entered into the world that this mystery was unveiled. Perhaps the saints should have had the perception to recognize this long ago, but now through the Word of God, it is made plain for us to see.

However, this was not the only mystery mentioned in the Revelation, for the angel told John "I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns" (v. 7). The beast was another mystery that represented the revived kingdom of Babylon that was originally established at Babel long ago. In the book of Genesis we are told, "the beginning of [Nimrod's] kingdom was Babel..." (Genesis 10:10). It appears that this was the beginning of man's concerted effort to build his own kingdom, and to govern his own affairs, politically and religiously, without God.

Since that time the earth has been divided up, each nation with their own distinct language. In essence each nation became a little colony of Babel. Some of these grew up to be great nations and kingdoms, while others dwindled to become dispersed nomadic tribes, and some clans became extinct altogether. However, in the last days there will be another concerted effort to unite and rebuild this great religious and commercial center, thus reviving a literal, religious and geopolitical Babylon once again.

Reply to Joanna
NoelFebruary 19, 2017 - 06:20
Furthermore, Jerusalem is not Babylon. The prophet Isaiah lamented, "How is the faithful city become an harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers." (Isaiah 1:21) The people of Jerusalem had enjoined themselves to the Babylonish religion of the nations. And when Jesus came into the world, most of the Jews did not recognize Him and rejected Him. Because they did not recognize the time of their visitation, He said of the Jews that they would "be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled." (Luke 21:24)

However, there are many Scriptures that describe how they would be brought back into their homeland in the latter days, and Jerusalem would then become a cup of trembling amidst the nations round about her. The whole world would gather themselves to battle against Jerusalem, and rather than utterly destroying and burning Jerusalem with fire, He comes to save Jerusalem and its inhabitants. He sets up His throne there and reigns during the millennium.

Blindness in part would happen to the Jew until the fullness of the Gentiles be brought in, then he will return and deal with the wayward Jews. When they return to the land, the whole world will gather round about Jerusalem to destroy them, and it is here that Jesus returns to save them.

"And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call. For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem" (Joel 2:32-3:1)

"The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel. So shall ye know that I am the LORD your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more... But Judah shall dwell for ever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation." (Joel 3:16-17, 20)

"Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it... And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn." (Zechariah 12:2-3, 9-10)

"Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives... And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be... And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one... And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited." (Zechariah 14:1-4, 9, 11)

Reply to Joanna
Joanna – SpainFebruary 19, 2017 - 08:52
But Babylon is not married to God. How can Babylon commited adultery or played harlot. Israel was married but divorced, but Judah(Jerusalem) is still the unfaithful wife of God. Jerusalem is the wife of God, and the whore of Babylon.
Jerusalem is a great city(Nehemiah7:3-4). In Revelation 11:8 states that the dead bodies of the prophets(witnesses) shall lie in the great city which spiritually called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. So what is that great city? It is Jerusalem Isaiah3:8-9 Jeremiah 23:14. Jesus was crucified in
In her was found the blood of the prophets. Jerusalem killed the prophets from Abel to Zechariah. Again the two prophets will be killed in Jerusalem. How can God avenge the prophets if he will not burn Jerusalem since she killed the prophets.

Reply to Joanna
NoelFebruary 19, 2017 - 15:48
Babylon is not a harlot, she is the "THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH" (Revelation 17:5). A harlot does not necessarily have anything to do with marriage. This can refer to anyone who has illicit sex outside of marriage. One who prostitutes themselves and commits fornication whether married or not. The Lord lamented, "How is the faithful city become an harlot!" (Isaiah 1:21), but this woman is called the "MOTHER OF HARLOTS".

In a spiritual sense a fornicator or an harlot would refer to anyone who worships or serves other "gods" rather than the one true God and Creator. This WOMAN has truly spawned all the false religions of the nations that departed from the one true God. The religions of polytheism, pantheism, animism, or any of the modern religions of today, whether they understand it or not, all have their roots that go back to Babel where the whole of mankind turned away in rebellion against their Creator. Babylon is truly the MOTHER of harlots AND the abominations of the earth. Every false religion goes back to her.

Jerusalem is referred to "THE great city" in the Revelation twice, (Rev. 11:18, 16:19), and is "spiritually ... called Sodom and Egypt" NOT Babylon! Babylon is referred to in the book of the Revelation as an actual city not just a symbol, and there is no reason to believe it is other than literal Babylon. It is referred to as "that great city" six times (Revelation 14:8, 17:18, 18:10, 16, 19, 21), "Babylon the great" twice (Revelation 17:5, 18:2), "great Babylon" (Revelation 16:19) once and "this great city" (Revelation 18:18) once.

Jerusalem is certainly guilty of the blood of the prophets, but Babylon is guilty of "the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus" (Revelation 17:6), NOT the prophets! How many of the saints were martyred and had their blood shed down through the centuries throughout the nations of the world by Muslim nations, Hindu nations, and all the other false religions of the nations of the world. The nations were formed at Babel. These were all little colonies of Babel and spawned by her, and she was the MOTHER of them all. This was a great mystery down through the ages, and perhaps they should have recognized this in the Scriptures, but this mystery is now clearly revealed in the Revelation.

The Bible does not say that God will avenge the blood of the prophets by burning Jerusalem. Everything you are saying seems to be taken out of context. The Bible does say that many of the saints will be martyred during the tribulation by those who dwell on the earth. This is revealed in the fifth seal. "And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled." (Revelation 6:9-11)

Reply to Joanna
Joanna – SpainFebruary 19, 2017 - 23:45
Revelation 18:24 And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.

Reply to Joanna
NoelFebruary 20, 2017 - 07:56
It appears I answered that that Scripture a little too hasty. I stand corrected. In Babylon "was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth" (Revelation 18:14). But clearly we are here told, not in Jerusalem, but in Babylon. Furthermore, upon careful examination it appears that it is not necessarily talking about Babylon proper, for we are told that the blood of "all that were slain upon the earth" are found in her, which must mean that the directives have gone forth from her into all the world, and it is her spirit that lives on in her spawn, of whom she is the mother, guilty by association.

From Babylon, the rebels were scattered throughout all the earth and from thence her religion and philosophy was carried upon the backs of the nations throughout the whole earth. The apostles were told by Jesus to go into all the world and preach the gospel, and many were killed in foreign lands as martyrs as the nations rejected their word, and why is that? They had some other religion, with roots going back to Babylon. Just think about it for a moment, I think we overlook some things concerning the history of humanity. When the children of Israel came into the Promised Land, who was it that they found dwelling there? It was called the land of Caanan. Who was Caanan? He was one of the children of Ham who was scattered from Babylon. He set up camp in the region between the Mediterranean and the Jordan River and over the centuries filled that location with his descendants.

Now they had an exceeding wicked religion. They built high places (ziggurats) where they worshipped the sun moon and stars, and made idols of the gods they personified, sacrificed their children to them, etc. This is the religion the children of Israel were told to destroy along with the inhabitants because they were so irreparably wicked. Instead they enjoined the worship of idols to the worship of Jehovah. This still goes on today as this is what Roman Catholicism has done, and practiced the killing of the saints during the inquisition. Nothing has changed down through the centuries. Babylon has and still is guilty of the blood of the prophets, saints and apostles of Jesus Christ and will continue to be until Christ returns and judges the nations.

Now, if you are thinking this is the strong point of your argument, Perhaps you are getting this idea from what Christ said after Herod was threatening Him with death, and His reply was, "Nevertheless I must walk to day, and to morrow, and the day following: for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem." (Luke 13:33) It appears that in the context, He was here referring to himself in the third person. And surely you must understand, that this is not without exception. The greatest prophet of Judaism, Moses, did not die in Jerusalem. Neither Abraham, Isaac or Jacob. History also records that John the Baptist, Daniel, Ezekiel and Jeremiah died outside Jerusalem, so I do not think you can use that to argue your case.

Furthermore, you need to deal with all the other Scriptures that say that Jerusalem will be inhabited forever, and that Jerusalem is where the Lord will place His name forever. It is the place of the throne of David from where Jesus shall reign when He returns in glory. After the battle for Jerusalem, "it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain." (Read Zechariah 14) This takes place after Babylon is utterly destroyed.

Concerning Babylon we are told, "Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all. And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee; And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee..." (Revelation 18:21-23) Babylon will be found no more at all! Not a sound will ever again come forth from her ever again.

Your theory just does not fit the whole of Scripture.

Reply to Joanna
Joanna – SpainFebruary 20, 2017 - 13:11
What about these verses: MATTHEW 23
29“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, 30and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’
31“Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt. 33Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell? 34Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, 35that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 36Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.
Jesus Laments over Jerusalem
37“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! 38See! Your house is left to you desolate; 39for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ”

Abel too did not die in Jerusalem but why Jesus said that?

God warned Israel, Judah, and also Jerusalem by sending prophets but they did not want to hear them. King Solomon did not hear God too. He turned away from God. He build high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, Molech the abomination of.... He went after Astoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the ..... And at the end times I believe that God will send prophets again in Jerusalem to preach the gospel to them. They will prophesy and torment them, and then they will get killed because their duty is finished. Why? Do you think Jews of today believe in Jesus? Judaism faith has the kabbalah. Kabbalah is Babylonian Mysticism also the Babylonian Talmud who blasphemes Jesus, that he is a bastard? A son of prostitute? Remember that they played harlot with the gods of Babylonians and of the gods of them that God destroyed. Did the Jews accepted Jesus? Do they believe in Him today? They will receive the Antichrist for rejecting Jesus.
John 5:43 I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive...

And I believe that the forever kingdom will be the kingdom that shall come, the New Jerusalem. This is the forever and ever.

Reply to Joanna
NoelFebruary 20, 2017 - 14:29
The dispensation was coming to a close, and Jesus was assigning the guilt of all the martyrs of the Old Testament, from the first martyr Abel, to the scribes and Pharisees. They were the children of them who slew the prophets, even children of their father the devil who was a murderer from the beginning. They had filled up the measure of their fathers and now it was time to pay the piper. God had been long suffering with the Jews, but now, upon this generation, would come the judgment of that nation, even the destruction of the temple and the Diaspora.

Jesus said, "they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled." (Luke 21:24) Blindness in part has happen to the Jews until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in, but then He will gather them back into their home land, even in the latter times, which we are seeing today, although in unbelief as was foretold by the prophet Ezekiel, but after the battle for Jerusalem, Christ shall return and all Israel shall be saved. They may receive anti-christ for a season, but in the midst of the tribulation when he sets up the abomination that maketh desolate, they shall flee to the mountains, at which time they shall face great tribulation, even the time of Jacob's trouble, but they shall be saved out of it.

During that time, Babylon will have been rebuilt as the great commercial and religious center of the world which can be read in Revelation 18. "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). Babylon shall be finally be judged as foretold by the prophets and destroyed "As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah" (Jeremiah 50:40). God said concerning Babylon, "Behold, I am against thee, O destroying mountain, saith the LORD, which destroyest all the earth: and I will stretch out mine hand upon thee, and roll thee down from the rocks, and will make thee a burnt mountain. And they shall not take of thee a stone for a corner, nor a stone for foundations; but thou shalt be desolate for ever, saith the LORD." (Jeremiah 51:25-26)

The New Jerusalem, the place that Jesus has gone to prepare for His Bride the church, does not come down out of heaven until after the millennial reign of Christ on earth from Jerusalem in the land of Israel.

Reply to Joanna
Joanna – SpainFebruary 24, 2017 - 04:22
New Jerusalem is the Bride. It clothe with white linen because of the righteousness of the saints. In the parable we are the guests in Christ's wedding. The wise virgins can enter, the fools cannot because they don't have light in their lamp. The light is the Holy Spirit.
Millennial reign will be in heaven because after tribulation the dead in Christ will rise first and the remained alive will caught up with them by Jesus in the clouds and reign a thousand years. This is the first resurrection. Then the other dead will not resurrect till a thousand years will expired. The earth will be made waste it is so dark because of the devastation and of the wrath. The earth will be upside down as it written in the bible. Then after a thousand years, second resurrection and Satan will loose to deceived the nation. Then the battle of Armageddon. Jesus came down with his saints and armies to battle with Satan and his angels. Then the white throne. Then new heaven and new earth and the kingdom coming down from heaven the new Jerusalem.

Reply to Joanna
NoelFebruary 28, 2017 - 07:31
We certainly have our differences here. First, the New Jerusalem is not the Bride. The Church is the Bride of Christ. John says he saw New Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven "prepared AS a bride adorned for her husband" (Revelation 21:2). This is the place that Christ has gone to prepare for His bride (John 14:2-3). It is that city "which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God" (Hebrews 11:10), that "Jerusalem which is above... the mother of us all" (Galatians 4:26). See also Hebrews 11:16; 12:22-23; 13:14. And it is only called the bride to the extent of those who occupy it (Revelation 21:9).

The church is not a guest at the marriage of the Lamb, she is the bride of Christ (Ephesians 5:22-27).

The rapture of the church happens before the Day of the Lord. It is a day of wrath (Isaiah 13:9; Zephaniah 1:14-15), to which God has not appointed us to (1 Thessalonians 5:9-11). The dead in Christ rise first, then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18). The beginning of the Day includes the "Time of Jacob's Trouble" (Jeremiah 30:7; Daniel 12:1-2), or Daniel's seventieth week (Daniel 9:24, 26-27), which is the seven year tribulation period, which concludes with the battle of Armageddon, when Christ returns to earth with all His saints to save Israel (Zechariah 14:1-5), and to put down evil, and set up His kingdom here on earth for 1000 years. Yes Satan is bound during this time until a short season at the end, when Gog and Magog rise up for one more rebellion that will be squashed with fire form heaven. Satan is cast into the lake of fire, THEN the Great White Throne judgment, God burns up this present world, and creates a new heaven and earth. at which time the New Jerusalem comes down from God out of heaven.

I would agree that the Church with Christ is reigning from heaven during the 1000 years, while those who survived the tribulation, Jew and Gentile, will repopulate the earth, when the kingdom of God shall be on the earth, Israel heading up the nations.

For more detail on the chronology of events see a Prophetic Timeline of the Future: http://www.accordingtothescriptures.org/prophecy/futureprophecy.html

Joanna – SpainNovember 29, 2016 - 19:55
Jerusalem is the whore of Babylon, the great city. Jerusalem was captured by the beasts: Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Greek and Roman Empire. Jerusalem below is in bondage. (Mother of harlots) She played harlots with other gods. Jerusalem above is free, and is our mother. (The coming kingdom of God). Jerusalem was a faithful city became an harlot and I think at the end times she will play harlot again. They will receive the prince that shall come since they rejected Jesus. She is drunken with the blood of the prophets. (Jerusalem killed the prophets). In the bible there is only one city who killed the prophets because Jesus said it is impossible that a prophet perished out of Jerusalem.
And the 10 kings of the kingdom(?) will be hated the harlot and make her desolate. And when Babylon is fallen God will remember her iniquities. Israel is divorced but Judah (Jerusalem)is still the unfaithful wife of God. Why is there be a new Jerusalem from heaven if old Jerusalem will not be destroyed. God said come out of her my people. Let those of Judea flee to the mountains, and let those of the country not enter the city.


Reply to Joanna
NoelDecember 01, 2016 - 04:29
Sounds good, but there are some flaws. The Mother of Harlots is Babylon. Medo-Persia did not "capture" Jerusalem. Under them, the Jews were set free from their Babylonian captivity and allowed to go back to their land to rebuild Jerusalem and their temple.

Also Babylon and Jerusalem are distinct from one another. When there is a great earthquake Jerusalem is divided into three parts (Revelation 16:19, 11:8), but not destroyed. The cities of the nations fall and so does Babylon (Revelation 14:8) In fact, Babylon is totally destroyed (Revelation 18:21).

When Christ returns, His feet shall stand upon the mount of Olives, and it shall split from east to west and a fountain of water shall spring up from Jerusalem half going to the Mediterranean the other half to the Dead Sea (Zechariah 14:4-8). Read Ezekiel 40-48 for more on Jerusalem and the Temple during the Millennial reign of Christ. The New Jerusalem does not come down out of heaven until after the Millennium. This is when this old earth and heaven pass away (Revelation 21). This is when God creates a new heaven and earth.

Reply to Joanna
Jewish Watchman – AleppoFebruary 11, 2017 - 04:03
Totally believe you are right Joanna. Currently Israel is looking for a world power to ride and may have found it. The ten kings are very wealthy capitalists (without kingdoms) who will assist the process, until throwing off the 'religious' aspect of making money from interfaith judaism.

please read VIP – usMay 27, 2013 - 23:37
must watch and hear video on youtube titled, "Christ testimony of the churches around the world." there are two identical Jesus Christ revelation 17:8. most of revelation is happening in the spirit world. that's why Jesus said it would be like the days of Noah and Lot. the abomination of desolation is happening in the spirit realm inside all these man made buildings set up for worship. the Christians and catholics, etc are not aware of what's happening to them and around them in these places, (churches -any four wall building representing God to gather believers of Christ). these churches around the world are all connected to "The Great City" Revelation 11, which is spiritually called Sodom and Egypt and Mystery of iniquity. Church leaders around the world are searching of the earthly signs. this will not happen until the very last day and hour. God will not allow man to destroy the earth with nuclear bombs. read matthew 3:12 and Revelation 20:9. God sends his son to the earth with the fire behind him consuming all his enemies which are left from the resurrection of the dead and those that are alive. the body of Christ is gathered as the son of man appears at last sound of shofar, he is coming while the wheat are gathered and the tares are left as the chaff and earth is consumed by the fire of God.



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