Foretelling Jacob's Trouble: Whose side are you on?
(R C Black 2024)
Extract from Chapter 13. The seventh trumpet of the seventh seal
The Fall of Mystery Babylon
The fall of Mystery Babylon
This fascinating aspect of end times prophecy has been the subject of controversy and different opinions for many centuries. There’s no doubt it's important to understand the significance of Babylon, given it's prominence throughout the Bible, and its prophesied destruction in the final outpouring of God’s wrath upon the earth, in the end of days. Yet commentators have been faced with a dilemma in trying to reconcile the description of Babylon as a great city, in the book of Revelation, versus the current reality. This chapter seeks to uncover the mystery of Babylon.
God is merciful. We see this in Revelation, where he will give all upon the earth a final opportunity to reverence and worship him, prior to the hour of executing his judgment upon Mystery Babylon.
- Revelation 14:6-7 KJV And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, (7) Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
In Revelation chapter 14, after the angel announces the everlasting gospel, calling for every nation, kindred, tongue, and people to fear and worship God, this is where we read about the final judgment of Babylon.
- Revelation 14:8-10 KJV And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. (9) And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, (10) The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
It’s important to note that the so-called “great city” of Babylon had already fallen to Cyrus the Great in 539 BC, more than half a millennia before John prophesied of its eventual fall in the latter days. Babylon was still inhabited during the reigns of Cyrus, Alexandar, and finally the Selucids, although it's importance and population dwindled. Archeological efforts havent uncovered any evidence of habitation beyond the Parthian period (150 BC to 226 AD). That once-great city has laid desolate and covered in sand since, until archeology began to uncover it in the late 1800's. It's currently uninhabited, and yet described as a great city whose destruction is a central theme in biblical end times prophecy.
Significance of Babylon
For the Apocalypse to be fulfilled, either Babylon would have to be rebuilt as a city or be understood according to the mystery of its prophetic title: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
Babylon is described as a great city in the book of Revelation and is mentioned 294 times throughout the Bible. On that basis alone, further enquiry is warranted, to trace the origins, nature, and influence of ancient Babylon on the ubiquitous course of the whole world as we know it today. One must ask, why would a city that has laid virtually empty for over 2,500 years feature so prominently in God’s plan of redemption for heaven and the earth? This is the key question we seek to address in this chapter.
Babylon’s final destruction will be the culmination and fulfilment of God’s undiluted wrath, poured out as plagues upon the earth by the seventh angel, having the seventh and last vial of the seventh trumpet of the seventh and final seal of the book of the Apocalypse.
- Revelation 16:17 KJV And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.
Great Babylon is what God will have in mind as he unleashes righteous fury in the fierceness of his wrath, in which the greatest earthquake of all time will cause what is termed “the great city” to be divided into three, and the cities of the nations to fall.
Whatever Babylon is responsible for warrants mountains to be cast down, islands to be moved and hailstones weighing about 60Kg or 132 lbs, equivalent to around 20 clay bricks, to rain upon men. The mysterious wickedness of Babylon needs to be understood, because its influence upon mankind is the reason why it, and its lying king who deceived the whole earth, must be finally destroyed to make way for God’s kingdom of righteousness peace and joy on the earth and in heaven.
- Revelation 16:18-21 KJV And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. (19) And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. (20) And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. (21) And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.
Here, it is useful to be reminded that the history of mankind is not random or evolutionary, with no determined outcome. Rather, it is entirely foreknown and written in advance, the subject of an overarching spiritual battle in which Satan uses men in pursuit of his ambition to be worshiped as God, in the temple of God in Jerusalem.
- NB: If, by tradition, you've been taught that the serpent in the Garden of Eden, Satan, and Lucifer are metaphors or symbols, rather than a real created being, then you have a veil on you heart that will prevent you from seeing the vital truth about Babylon, and the future of Israel. For a reasoned, biblical unmasking of this truth, I recommend the Video at this link (Uncovering vital truth, maliciously hidden for millennia, in the greatest deception of all time).
The king of Mystery Babylon
There were many kings of Babylon who lived and died during its rule over much of the earth. However, Isaiah was told to take up a proverb against a specific king of Babylon, declaring the end of his oppression and end of his golden city. The end of this king of Babylon will bring rest to the whole earth.
- Isaiah 14:4-7 KJV That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased! (5) The LORD hath broken the staff of the wicked, and the sceptre of the rulers. (6) He who smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he that ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted, and none hindereth. (7) The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet: they break forth into singing.
Within the same proverb, Isaiah went on to explicitly name and foretell the fall of this king of Babylon, and the reason for his fall.
- Isaiah 14:12-15 KJV How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! (13) For thou hast said in thine 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: (14) I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. (15) Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
Lucifer was full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty, an anointed cherub with a priestly covering. Yet, by reason of his beauty he corrupted his wisdom and defiled his sanctuaries by the multitude of traffick, merchandise and violence, right back when he was in Eden, the garden of God. For clarity, trafficking is defined in the Cambridge Dictionary as the act of buying or selling goods illegally. It is used in relation to activities such as arms/drug trafficking, trafficking in stolen property, buying or selling people, or making money from work they are forced to do, such as sex work: human/people trafficking (TRAFFICKING | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary).
- Ezekiel 28:13-18 KJV Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. (14) Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. (15) Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. (16) By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. (17) Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee. (18) Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.
What we see in this description of the anointed cherub, is a combination of beauty, pride, corrupted wisdom, illegal trafficking, violence, and an aspiration to be worshiped as God. Lucifer was guilty of a multitude of iniquities, including the defiling of his sanctuaries or places of worship that were supposed to be for the worship of God.
Nimrod, Asshur and early civilization
That same system, the course of this world as we now know it, designed by and for Satan, the god of this world, was firmly established in the first civilization that grew up in ancient Babel, where the sons of Noah initially settled in the land of Shinar, after the flood.
- Genesis 11:1-4 KJV And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. (2) And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. (3) And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter. (4) And they said, Go to, 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.
Babel, along with three other cities was the beginning of the kingdom of Nimrod, in the land of Shinar.
- Genesis 10:8-10 KJV And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth. (9) He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD. (10) And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.
We know from history, archaeology, and the Bible that Babylon, this city of Nimrod in the land of Shinar, was a city of idols in which many images of gods were worshiped.
- Jeremiah 50:1-2 KJV The word that the LORD spake against Babylon and against the land of the Chaldeans by Jeremiah the prophet. (2) Declare ye among the nations, and publish, and set up a standard; publish, and conceal not: say, Babylon is taken, Bel is confounded, Merodach is broken in pieces; her idols are confounded, her images are broken in pieces.
Nimrod was the mighty hunter who built Babel, with its tower and surrounding cities. He was a man yet worshiped as God. From Babel in the land of Shinar, went forth Asshur, the well-documented first king of Assyria who was also worshiped as God.
- Genesis 10:11-12 KJV Out of that land went forth Asshur, and builded Nineveh, and the city Rehoboth, and Calah, (12) And Resen between Nineveh and Calah: the same is a great city.
Asshur brought with him the same idolatrous and violent course of this world that Satan had established at Babel, through Nimrod. And so, Mystery Babylon began to spread across the earth, via Asshur. He was depicted as the supreme national god of the ancient Assyrians, a war god, whose symbol was an archer within a winged disc. He continued the idolatry that started at Babylon , making himself the high priest. As with other Mesopotamian deities, worship of Assur consisted of priests tending the statue of the god in the temple, and taking care of the duties of the complex surrounding it (Assur - World History Encyclopedia).
The practice of idolatry in ancient Mesopotamia was firmly established: worshiping someone or something as God, instead of worshiping God the creator of heaven, earth, and all living things.
Anyone who has studied ancient history will be aware of the common features of so-called civilization that spread across the world, from Babylonian and Assyrian origins, to Egyptian, Phoenician, Greek and Roman empires. They each had rulers who claimed to be appointed by a chief god to rule over men, requiring subjects to worship a range of gods through images and to acknowledge them as God incarnate.
For each of these empires, accumulation of wealth, through a system of government and laws, idol worship with sacrifices in temples or holy sites, trading, violence and illegal traffick enabled expansion of their dominion.
There is no doubt that while these empires were ruled by individuals who possessed great power to subjugate by force, the populations under their control were willingly subservient for the most part, due to the perceived practical benefits of being a citizen of a great empire.
Characterization of ‘mother’ Babylon
The names given to Babylon in Revelation help to convey the linkage between ancient Babylon, and that great city which God will destroy, with all its idols, prior to setting up his kingdom on the earth.
Babylon is named as THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. She is described as a woman, 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. She is described as one 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; a great whore that sitteth upon many waters. God’s judgments on the MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH will be true and righteous: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.
Such a strong characterization of Babylon behoves us to enquire further. Why have kings and inhabitants of the earth been intoxicated by the abominations and filthiness of the fornications in Babylon’s golden cup? Moreover, in what way has Babylon been responsible for the death of God’s servants?
Despite centuries of decline and desolation as a city, Babylon is cited in Revelation as the MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. This is because she, as the mother, is the one who gave birth to a system that has since corrupted the whole earth with her abominations.
Origins of global finance and power
Being called a harlot, simply means that the fornication which Mother Babylon and her children engaged in has been in exchange for money, in a system of trafficking and merchandise, banking, borrowing and debt that continues to this day.
Tens of thousands of cuneiform tablets from the time of Hammurabi (1792 to 1750 B.C) provide evidence of many types of transactions that were common in ancient Babylonia, including names, amounts, interest charged and repayment dates. A shekel was a fixed weight for silver, gold and precious stones, which could be used to buy goods. Actual coins came later, but still known as the shekel by their weight. Palaces and temples were considered safe places to store these precious metals and stones, for which a fee was charged, and from which those in need could borrow, under a contract to repay with interest. Under this system, the king and priests accumulated surplus wealth, enabling them to purchase and rent out land to tenant farmers, in exchange for labour or military servitude. The Code of Hammurabi contains 282 laws by which the ancient Babylonians were governed, including laws to deal with loans and default on debts.
What Babylon has committed is described as fornication, in that it has been between consensual individuals who are not married to each other (whereas it is called adultery, when one or more of the partners is married to another person).
It is essential to understand why this fornication, committed for financial gain, is described as an idolatrous abomination, seen by God as a disgusting, hateful and detestable abomination – specifically, idolatry.
The idolatrous Babylonian system of government, commerce and religion did not begin as a mystery. It was completely transparent that the rulers of Babylon attributed their power, riches and their every achievement to the gods, who they represented and to whom they and their subjects submitted in consensual worship, instead of worshiping the one God who, in the beginning, created the heaven and the earth. Their whole way of life was inspired by Satan “the king of Babylon” who created a system in which men eagerly worshiped graven images of wood and stone as God, believing their worship and obedience would bring blessings of prosperity and safety.
The love of money is the root of all evil and is the underpinning lure that attracts the natural greed in mankind, to enthusiastically pursue the course of this world. Satan is the god of this world, and by its course which he designed, he has cleverly enticed the power-hungry kings of the world to drink of the wine of Mystery Babylon’s idolatrous fornication.
Mystery Babylon, as it is called, has become a worldwide, yet strangely hidden, system of government, violence, commerce, and religion, in which those who follow the Babylonian example most closely, amass a financial surplus, and therefore power to expand their empires and reputations.
The history of the Phoenician empire is a well-documented example of this model of money and power, acquired by trade and war, creating a city of great beauty and strength, which eventually fell to Alexander the Great.
Under their god-appointed ruler, the wise men of Tyre built and sustained a strong economy through diverse merchandise and trade agreements with other nations, enabling the construction of impressive infrastructure and providing citizens with a prosperous and comfortable lifestyle. All of this was underpinned by an idolatrous religious system that provided a sense of security, in which the inhabitants followed the commands of their ruler, in obedience to civil and religious law. Ritualistic prayer, sacrifice, and worship of their gods placated their anger and secured providence and protection. On the one hand, they had a mindset of “In our gods we trust”, yet like empires before and since, the description of their beauty includes, not just a strong economy, but their military might. Many nations claim to trust in their God, yet find a need to invest in armies, and are filled with violence. In the case of the city-state of Tyre, its armies were conscripted from surrounding nations, contributing to its perceived comeliness and beauty.
- Ezekiel 27:10-11 KJV They of Persia and of Lud and of Phut were in thine army, thy men of war: they hanged the shield and helmet in thee; they set forth thy comeliness. (11) The men of Arvad with thine army were upon thy walls round about, and the Gammadims were in thy towers: they hanged their shields upon thy walls round about; they have made thy beauty perfect.
Tyre was a sight to behold, an almost impenetrable walled city-state on an island. This is how it stood in prosperity for centuries, until Alexander the Great built a connecting causeway from the mainland, to enable a siege by land and sea.
Tyre’s trading arrangements were extensive, both in diversity of products and market reach, bringing wealth into the city and to all its merchants.
- Ezekiel 27:12-27 KJV Tarshish was thy merchant by reason of the multitude of all kind of riches; with silver, iron, tin, and lead, they traded in thy fairs. (13) Javan, Tubal, and Meshech, they were thy merchants: they traded the persons of men and vessels of brass in thy market. (14) They of the house of Togarmah traded in thy fairs with horses and horsemen and mules. (15) The men of Dedan were thy merchants; many isles were the merchandise of thine hand: they brought thee for a present horns of ivory and ebony. (16) Syria was thy merchant by reason of the multitude of the wares of thy making: they occupied in thy fairs with emeralds, purple, and broidered work, and fine linen, and coral, and agate. (17) Judah, and the land of Israel, they were thy merchants: they traded in thy market wheat of Minnith, and Pannag, and honey, and oil, and balm. (18) Damascus was thy merchant in the multitude of the wares of thy making, for the multitude of all riches; in the wine of Helbon, and white wool. (19) Dan also and Javan going to and fro occupied in thy fairs: bright iron, cassia, and calamus, were in thy market. (20) Dedan was thy merchant in precious clothes for chariots. (21) Arabia, and all the princes of Kedar, they occupied with thee in lambs, and rams, and goats: in these were they thy merchants. (22) The merchants of Sheba and Raamah, they were thy merchants: they occupied in thy fairs with chief of all spices, and with all precious stones, and gold. (23) Haran, and Canneh, and Eden, the merchants of Sheba, Asshur, and Chilmad, were thy merchants. (24) These were thy merchants in all sorts of things, in blue clothes, and broidered work, and in chests of rich apparel, bound with cords, and made of cedar, among thy merchandise. (25) The ships of Tarshish did sing of thee in thy market: and thou wast replenished, and made very glorious in the midst of the seas. (26) Thy rowers have brought thee into great waters: the east wind hath broken thee in the midst of the seas. (27) Thy riches, and thy fairs, thy merchandise, thy mariners, and thy pilots, thy calkers, and the occupiers of thy merchandise, and all thy men of war, that are in thee, and in all thy company which is in the midst of thee, shall fall into the midst of the seas in the day of thy ruin.
The destruction of Tyre is a picture of the world-wide fall of Mystery Babylon, prophesied in the book of Revelation. For comparison, we can read Ezekiel’s already-fulfilled prophecy of Tyre’s fall, from being a city that enriched the kings of the earth, to becoming an object of astonishment and terror. Tyre’s dramatic fall from such a lofty, unassailable position, affected all those nations who were bought into her Babylonian-styled system.
- Ezekiel 27:33-36 KJV When thy wares went forth out of the seas, thou filledst many people; thou didst enrich the kings of the earth with the multitude of thy riches and of thy merchandise. (34) In the time when thou shalt be broken by the seas in the depths of the waters thy merchandise and all thy company in the midst of thee shall fall. (35) All the inhabitants of the isles shall be astonished at thee, and their kings shall be sore afraid, they shall be troubled in their countenance. (36) The merchants among the people shall hiss at thee; thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt be any more.
Like Nimrod of Babylon and Asshur of Assyria, King Tyrus was an incredibly wise man whose ability to amass great wealth, caused him to be lifted up with pride. Like the antichrist who will demand to be worshiped as God, this too was the downfall of Tyrus.
- Ezekiel 28:2-9 KJV Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyrus, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God: (3) Behold, thou art wiser than Daniel; there is no secret that they can hide from thee: (4) With thy wisdom and with thine understanding thou hast gotten thee riches, and hast gotten gold and silver into thy treasures: (5) By thy great wisdom and by thy traffick hast thou increased thy riches, and thine heart is lifted up because of thy riches: (6) Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast set thine heart as the heart of God; (7) Behold, therefore I will bring strangers upon thee, the terrible of the nations: and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of thy wisdom, and they shall defile thy brightness. (8) They shall bring thee down to the pit, and thou shalt die the deaths of them that are slain in the midst of the seas. (9) Wilt thou yet say before him that slayeth thee, I am God? but thou shalt be a man, and no God, in the hand of him that slayeth thee.
Satan was the father of the original Babylonian system, the mother of all harlots and abominations of the earth. He remained as father to her offspring, such as Assyria and Tyre. That old dragon and serpent from the garden of Eden, will give his power, his seat and great authority to the antichrist, just as prophesied in the book of Revelation. As Satan was the king of Babylon, operating through Nimrod, so too was he the king of Tyre, operating through Tyrus. In that context, the final perdition of the one who fell from heaven, and introduced sin to mankind in Eden, was prophesied by Ezekiel.
- Ezekiel 28:13-19 KJV Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. (14) Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. (15) Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. (16) By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. (17) Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee. (18) Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. (19) All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.
Hammurabi’s Codex of Laws
Hammurabi provides a shocking insight to the level of idolatry which underpinned the whole fabric of Babylonian society (The Avalon Project : Code of Hammurabi (yale.edu)).
One might question whether he was genuinely motivated by his self-proclaimed God-given mandate to control and collect money, for the well-being of the oppressed. Perhaps, with the advantage of historical hindsight, Hammurabi’s true motives may be better understood, when compared to the words and actions of modern-day ‘would-be’ world rulers.
In the prologue and epilogue to his Code of Laws, Hammurabi attributes his calling to Bel (Baal), which is the Babylonian title for Marduk who he states as having dominion over earthly man. He invokes the names of 12 other Babylonian gods, and claims that Marduk sent him to rule over men, and bring about the well-being of the oppressed. The stele (stone pillar) on which the Code of Laws is written, is currently in the Louvre in Paris, and it has an image carved at its top, depicting Hammurabi with Shamash, the Babylonian sun god and god of justice.
It is the predictable mantra of power-hungry global leaders, to justify erosion of privacy and freedom of speech, raising of taxes, signing of trade agreements with dubious partners, and introducing a range of controlling laws, by claiming all these to be in the interests of the people, protecting their nation and improving the state of the world.
Like Hammurabi, they portray themselves as champions of justice, whose only motives for war and subjugation are for the well-being of the oppressed, and certainly not for personal gains.
Hammurabi was seen as a god, and he became known and admired as the great conqueror who spread civilization. The fact that he did so by force as well as subtly, is notable, as he publicly sought to improve the state of the world and bring about the well-being of the oppressed. He was certainly full of pride, just like the great dragon of Revelation, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world. His mind-set is reflected in a posthumous hymn, in which he declares himself “the king of justice”. The hymn boasts of his abilities, as a great dragon among kings, to make people of one mind, capture the enemy, administer the death sentence, and catch those who offend him (Van De Mieroop, Marc (2005). King Hammurabi of Babylon: A Biography. Blackwell Publishing).
I am the king, the brace that grasps wrongdoers, that makes people of one mind,
I am the great dragon among kings, who throws their counsel in disarray,
I am the net that is stretched over the enemy,
I am the fear-inspiring, who, when lifting his fierce eyes, gives the disobedient the death sentence,
I am the great net that covers evil intent,
I am the young lion, who breaks nets and scepters,
I am the battle net that catches him who offends me.
How and why is Mystery Babylon hidden?
The mystery of Babylon is hidden because each person in their natural state is blinded by the god of this world, and therefore walks in darkness according to Satan’s established course of this world. They may not profess allegiance to Baal, Marduk or other gods in the Babylonian pantheon, yet covetousness, which is idolatry, is considered normal. Life is full of role models to idolize, admire and emulate, whether they be from sport, entertainment, business, government, religion, or any other sphere of life. Their apparent success appeals to the lusts of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life in the natural man. People are unlikely to describe or even think of godless pursuits as worship or idolatry, but to love this present evil world more than God, is to have chosen other gods before the God of Heaven. To covet, desire and wish for what the world offers is idolatry, for which things' sake the wrath of God will come upon those who do not believe the gospel. Not surprisingly, the church today is admonished not to covet, but to flee idolatry.
- Colossians 3:5-7 KJV Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: (6) For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: (7) In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.
Religious people are just as susceptible to spiritual blindness as atheists. In fact, Satan uses ministers of righteousness to blind the minds of those who believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ should shine unto them.
- 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 KJV But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: (4) In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
Satan was transformed as an angel of light, so it is no surprise that his ministers are transformed as ministers of righteousness, purporting to represent God, and thereby tricking people into false beliefs in how to be righteous and win God’s blessings.
- 2 Corinthians 11:14-15 KJV And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. (15) Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
Nimrod, Asshur and Hammurabi of ancient Babylon were ministers of Satan. The system they established is in support of Satan’s ultimate goal to gain dominion of the entire world, in which he would be worshiped as God.
Out of Babylon comes hope
So corrupt was the whole world, that God called out one man from Ur of the Chaldees, a city right in the heart of idolatrous Babalyonia. Even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor served other gods. But Abraham was called out as part of God’s plan to create a special nation, with whom he would make a covenant in which they would agree to serve one God, and him only. God would be an husband to this called-out nation, who would legally commit to be faithful to him.
The first of the ten commandments agreed by Israel, was that they would have no other gods before God, who brought them up out of Egypt. The second commandment might seem strange or even unnecessary, given the first, but God knew well how Satan had already convinced men to worship, as God, inanimate objects that were supposedly a likeness to things in the heaven above or earth beneath, or even in the water under the earth.
- Exodus 20:3-5 KJV Thou shalt have no other gods before me. (4) Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: (5) Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
Sadly, Israel repeatedly broke their covenant with God, including their commitment not to have any other Gods before him, and not to make or bow down to any graven image. After coming into the promised land, Joshua challenged the people, and he made a covenant with them to put away all the images that they had made.
- Joshua 24:20-25 KJV If ye forsake the LORD, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt, and consume you, after that he hath done you good. (21) And the people said unto Joshua, Nay; but we will serve the LORD. (22) And Joshua said unto the people, Ye are witnesses against yourselves that ye have chosen you the LORD, to serve him. And they said, We are witnesses. (23) Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto the LORD God of Israel. (24) And the people said unto Joshua, The LORD our God will we serve, and his voice will we obey. (25) So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and set them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem.
After that generation of Israel died, another arose after them and returned to worshiping the Babylonian and Assyrian gods of Caanan which their fathers worshiped.
- Judges 2:11-13 KJV And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim: (12) And they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the LORD to anger. (13) And they forsook the LORD, and served Baal and Ashtaroth.
The worshiping of gods was a deliberate and conscious choice made by the Babylonians, who quickly forgot how God saved their fathers from the flood. It was also the conscious choice of Israel, who frequently forgot how God had miraculously saved their fathers, brought them up out of Egypt by his great power and established them in the land. They forgot their covenant and openly reverted to worshiping other gods. Whether Babylon or Israel in those ancient times, their choices and actions could hardly be described as a mystery. They transparently practiced idolatry, not as a mystery, but consciously worshiping and bowing down to images made to represent beings other than God.
Nevertheless, God declared his plan and purpose for a believing remnant of Israel, the seed of Abraham. He therefore provided a legal remedy for their salvation, thus offering hope to Israel and to the world.
Out of Babylon came hope for the world in Abraham, whom God instructed to get out of his Babylonian home in Ur of the Chaldees. The covenant which God made with Abraham included the promise of a land and a great nation that would come from him. Those who would bless Abraham would be blessed, and those who cursed him would be cursed. In Abraham is the hope by which all families of the earth could be blessed.
- Genesis 12:1-3 KJV Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: (2) And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: (3) And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
No matter the extent of rebellious wickedness throughout the earth, nor to what extent Jerusalem will succumb to the overspreading of abominations in the last 3½ years of Daniel’s seventieth week, God’s counsel will stand. He has always been able to turn evil for good, and this will certainly be the case concerning Jacob’s trouble, from which he will call a remnant out of that great city of Jerusalem.
The believing remnant of Israel will be instructed to come out of that great Babylonian city and not to be partakers of her sins, and thus not receive the plagues of her judgment.
- Revelation 18:4 KJV 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.
This final calling out of Babylon will make way for its destruction and fulfilment of Israel’s hope: the return of their Messiah and his establishment of God’s kingdom on earth.
The times of ignorance are over
One of the distinctives of God, is his ability to turn evil for good, to fulfil his word. He forbore the idolatry of ignorant nations until such time as evil reached a peak, and the prophesied pivotal event of all history was fulfilled, namely: the rejection and crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
Men have always had evidence of God, in that the heavens declare his glory and earth shows forth his handiwork in all created things. He also provided rain and fruitful seasons as a witness to the invisible God of heaven.
Yet, apart from Israel, he suffered the nations to walk in blindness after their own ways. We read of this tolerance of idolatry in times past, in the account of when Paul and Barnabas preached the gospel and healed a man of Lycaonia, who had been unable to walk from birth.
Perceiving them to be the gods Jupiter and Mercury, come down in the likeness of men, the men of Lycaonia tried to do sacrifice to Paul and Barnabas because they had healed a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother's womb, who never had walked.
- Acts 14:6-18 KJV They were ware of it, and fled unto Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and unto the region that lieth round about: (7) And there they preached the gospel. (8) And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother's womb, who never had walked: (9) The same heard Paul speak: who stedfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed, (10) Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked. (11) And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men. (12) And they called Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercurius, because he was the chief speaker. (13) Then the priest of Jupiter, which was before their city, brought oxen and garlands unto the gates, and would have done sacrifice with the people. (14) Which when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of, they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying out, (15) And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein: (16) Who in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways. (17) Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness. (18) And with these sayings scarce restrained they the people, that they had not done sacrifice unto them.
Until the gospel of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, God had effectively turned a blind eye to the idolatrous practices of the heathen nations. The phrase used in scripture, is that the times of this ignorance God winked at.
Unless associated with and taught by Israel, the Gentile nations until that time were in complete darkness, steeped in idolatry and ignorant of the one true God of Israel. Until then, the evil Babylonian system had been allowed to run its course, which God suffered or endured in his forbearance for those sins of the past. However, the time arrived when such practice had spread across the whole world.
The prophesied crucifixion of Jesus Christ was about to take place, following which God would call all men to serve him. From that point forward he announced, through the Apostle Paul, that he would hold all men accountable for having other gods before him.
Christ came into the world, he was crucified in necessary fulfilment of scripture, and Satan’s demise was thereby assured, according to scripture. Now, and from that time, all men are commanded to change their mind about worshipping gold, silver, stone or anything created by man, as a day of judgment has been appointed, in which Christ will righteously judge the world.
- Acts 17:24-31 KJV God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; (25) Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; (26) And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; (27) That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: (28) For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. (29) Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device. (30) And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: (31) Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.
The day of judgment, in which Jesus Christ will judge the secrets of men’s hearts, will be according to the gospel which he delivered to the Apostle Paul.
- Romans 2:16 KJV In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.
The subtle trick of idolatry
Revelation describes the great whore that sitteth on many waters as having a name written on her forehead, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. Babylon of the last days is described as a mystery because it is not easily identified. Whether mono or polytheistic, any worship of someone or something as God, who is not God, is fulfilling the basic definition of idolatry.
Even zealous believers from any religion, who emphasise the sin of worshiping other gods, rely on first knowing who God is, so they can be assured of whom they worship and be confident they are not unwittingly worshiping another god, which is not the one true God. For this assurance, most people look to their religious leaders, as did the Babylonians who looked to their ministers of righteousness, those who claimed to speak for and about God on their behalf.
In the ancient Babylonian system, propagated to the Assyrians, Egyptians, Phoenicians, Greeks and Romans, the rulers of these empires lead their subjects to believe and worship statues that represented a hierarchical pantheon of gods, who had supposedly appointed them as rulers over men, able to intercede with the gods to bring blessings of prosperity and safety. In this position, as closely associated and divinely appointed by the gods, these rulers demanded to be worshiped as God and receive tribute from all under their dominion.
Not until the time of the end, as prophesied throughout the Bible, and concluded in the book of Revelation, will this transparent phenomenon resurface, in which a supreme leader will usurp the position of God and demand to be worshiped as God. This is the narrative of the end times. It will involve the whole world and yet still be a mystery, with unbelievers being deceived and complicit until Satan is taken out of the way and the antichrist, the prophesied man of sin who claims to be God, is revealed for who he really is.
In the meantime, the mystery of iniquity is already at work. The same spiritual king of Babylon, Satan, has adopted a much less visible strategy, but he still uses men who claim to represent God, to instruct their followers. It is by their diverse traditions and definitions of God, that men today zealously worship whom they believe to be God.
Judaism does not believe Jesus is the Messiah despite the overwhelming evidence from their scriptures. Islam believes Jesus, the son of Mary, is the Messiah but Allah has no son, and to worship Jesus as the Son of God is polytheism. Christianity includes many beliefs about God, not just defined by Catholic and Protestant creeds, but by multiple traditions including Anglicanism, Baptists, Anabaptists, Lutheranism, Reformed, Methodism, Pentecostalism, Adventism, Plymouth Brethren, Quakerism, and so on, each with their own teachings on God, his character and interaction with mankind. In Hinduism, the Supreme Being and Creator is Brahman, who also exists alongside Vishnu the Sustainer and Shiva, the Destroyer. Suffice it to say, the understanding of God and therefore the object of men’s worship varies widely across the whole world.
Can all inherited traditions be correct, or has the king of Babylon, that Serpent and father of lies who twisted God’s words to deceive Eve, succeeded in deceiving men to worship as God, that which is not God? Will he succeed in his plan to give his power and seat to a coming ruler of the world, a son of perdition who will fulfil prophecy by demanding that his image be worshiped as God, in the temple of God? The answer is yes, but it will be short-lived, as all scripture must be fulfilled. Both the antichrist and his false prophet, together with mystery Babylon will be forever destroyed in the culmination of that future time of Jacob’s trouble. All who remain alive will have witnessed the power of God, in the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath, poured out upon the earth to destroy the pervasive course of this world, architected by Satan and propagated by men since ancient Babylon.
Where is Babylon today?
While the cities of the world’s nations will fall as great Babylon is finally removed from the earth, there is a particular great city, of which much is written by the prophets, and which will not be exempt from this judgment. It is Jerusalem, the city in which the prophets were killed, and which will be made desolate because of the overspreading of abominations in the last days.
- Matthew 23:37-39 KJV O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! (38) Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. (39) For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
As we have seen, Mystery Babylon was architected by and for Satan to gain dominion of the whole earth, in which he seeks to be worshiped as God, from Jerusalem.
- 2 Thessalonians 2:4 KJV Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
By a succession of mighty empires, the original Babylonian system of idolatrous god-man-religion, with its violence, merchandise, and trafficking spread and became the ubiquitous evil course of this world.
In the ancient kingdoms the ruler was worshiped as God, having convinced the realm of his divine appointment. He, and citizens alike, attributed their prosperity, growth, and safety to the correct and sufficient worship of their gods.
At the time of writing this book there is no kingdom or great city which fulfils all the criteria of Babylon as an empire, whose ruler is a man claiming to be God and in which the abomination of worshiping his image is absolutely required of its citizens. Babylon is currently a mystery, despite efforts to pin its name on Rome, Jerusalem or any other city in 2024. However, we should not forget that God has foreknowledge, so we can confidently look to his word to understand the fall of Mystery Babylon, that great city and the cities of the world’s nations.
According to the truth of the Bible, the Babylonian system of the latter days will return to openly worshiping as God, someone who is not God. Those who seek to benefit from its power will take the mark of its ruler, and bow down to his image, while those who refuse will be unable to buy or sell. Those who refuse to worship the image of the antichrist, will be put to death.
- Revelation 13:15-17 KJV And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. (16) And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: (17) 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.
But where on earth might such transparent evil be revived? When Jerusalem is trodden under foot of the Gentiles for the final 3½ years of the latter days, not only will there be worship of an image of the antichrist, prophesied by both Daniel and Christ as: the abomination of desolation, but Satan and his angels will have been cast down to earth, an event for which scriptures are presented in the chapter of this book, entitled: The seventh trumpet of the seventh seal, under the section: Battle for the kingdom of heaven. That great city which divides into three parts, when Babylon the great and the cities of the nations fall, will become the habitation of devils, every foul spirit, and every unclean and hateful bird.
Revelation 18:2 KJV And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
Not only will abominable practices be taking place in Jerusalem during the last half of Daniel’s seventieth week, but the antichrist will have planted the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain of Zion. The dwelling place of the antichrist, and the city in which he will be worshiped, is Jerusalem.
- Daniel 11:45 KJV And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.
The kings of the earth have been guilty of pursuing Satan’s Babylonian course of this world for thousands of years, to fuel their love of money and prideful ambitions. However, at the time of the end, the rulers of ten kingdoms will have one mind, in giving their power to the antichrist for a short time, described as an hour, in the book of Revelation.
Revelation 17:12-13 KJV 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.
In Revelation chapter 11, in the account of God’s two anointed witnesses prophesying during the last 42 months of Jacob’s trouble, we see from the location of their death, that the great city, which is spiritually called Sodom and Egypt, is identified explicitly as Jerusalem, the place where we know Christ our Lord was crucified.
- Revelation 11:8 KJV And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.
At the time when the cities of all nations will be judged at the fall of Babylon, Jerusalem will have become that great city in which the antichrist will dwell and be worshiped, whose Babylonian character, at that time, will bring upon her, the prophesied one hour of final judgment.
- Revelation 18:10 KJV Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.
The beast that carries the woman
It would be remiss to set forth what the Bible says about the woman, known as Mystery Babylon, without looking into what is said regarding the mystery of the beast that carries her.
- Revelation 17:7 KJV 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.
A unique characteristic of the beast which carries the woman, known as mystery Babylon, is that he will ascend from the bottomless pit and go into perdition. Another key identifier is that the beast “was, and is not, and yet is”.
- Revelation 17:8 KJV 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”.
Satan “was”, when he walked up and down upon the earth, as we read in Job.
- Job 1:6-7 KJV Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them. (7) And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.
Satan also “was”, when he entered into Judas Iscariot, the son of perdition, to betray Jesus to those who crucified him. At that time, “he was” on the earth.
- John 13:26-27 KJV Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. (27) And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly.
Even before Satan entered Judas Iscariot, the devil was able to put certain thoughts into his heart.
- John 13:2 KJV And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him;
No doubt, in the time of the end, spirits of devils will be involved in deceiving and manipulating kings and nations to execute the will of Satan.
- Revelation 16:13-14 KJV And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. (14) For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
Satan is the beast “that was”, but what about when he “is not”? According to the first phase of a spiritual battle for the kingdom of heaven, Satan and his angels left the earth to take the kingdom of heaven by force.
- Matthew 11:12 KJV And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.
Rather than descend fully to earth at the time of Christ’s earthly ministry, the promised kingdom of heaven was announced as at hand, by John the Baptist, Christ and his 12 apostles. Having been taken by violent force, the kingdom of heaven is currently occupied by Satan and his angels, who cunningly direct spiritual wickedness in high places.
- Ephesians 6:11-12 KJV Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (12) For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
So far, we’ve seen Satan as a beast “that was” on the earth but now “is not” on the earth. But what about the other aspects of the beast’s description: ascending from the bottomless pit and being looked upon with wonder by those 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?
In the time of Jacob’s trouble, Satan will again be upon the earth. At that time, he will be cast down to earth as the result of a war in heaven.
- Revelation 12:7-9 KJV And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, (8) And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. (9) And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
At this point, the beast “that was, and is not”, will yet again be upon the earth, about to enter the antichrist as the end time beast of Revelation, the son of perdition whose end, together with his false prophet, is in the lake of fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
- Revelation 19:19-20 KJV And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. (20) And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
The antichrist and false prophet will remain eternally in the lake of fire, a place of torment from which there is no escape. The place into which Satan will be incarcerated for 1,000 years, and from which he will then ascend, is called the bottomless pit.
- Revelation 20:1-3 KJV And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. (2) And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, (3) And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
Satan, the beast that was, and is not, will ascend from the bottomless pit when released at the end of 1,000 years to once again deceive the nations prior to his final perdition in the lake of fire and brimstone.
- Revelation 20:7-10 KJV And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, (8) And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. (9) And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. (10) And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
The other aspect of the beast’s unique description in Revelation, is that he is described as a man whose end causes them that dwell on the earth to 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. We read in Isaiah chapter 14, of Lucifer as a man who is brought down to the sides of the bottomless pit and on whom people will look and say, “Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof?”
- Isaiah 14:12-20 KJV How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! (13) For thou hast said in thine 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: (14) I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. (15) Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. (16) They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; (17) That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners? (18) All the kings of the nations, even all of them, lie in glory, every one in his own house. (19) But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, and as the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcase trodden under feet. (20) Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land, and slain thy people: the seed of evildoers shall never be renowned.
Satan, the prince of the power of the air, is not physically on the earth at this time, but the mystery course of this world in which all men walk is according to his Babylonian design. Until such time as men hear and believe the gospel of Christ’s death, burial and resurrection as payment for their sins, they are dead in trespasses and therefore children of wrath, by nature. Those who hear and believe the gospel in this age of grace, are made alive in Christ, forgiven, and not appointed unto the wrath which is to come upon mystery Babylon.
- Ephesians 2:1-5 KJV And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; (2) Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: (3) Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. (4) But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, (5) Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
Purpose of prophecy today
When considering Babylon, the beast, the antichrist, Armageddon, and the final judgment of God, a key aim in this book is to help readers recognize the foreknowledge of God, his great wisdom and power, and the complete reliability of his written word in the Bible (vs man’s interpretation or imagination). With confidence in the truth of God’s word, comes recognition of who Jesus is: the prophesied Son of God who suffered and died to pay for the sins of the world and who will establish his kingdom in earth and in heaven. The reader is urged to rightly divide prophecy for Israel and the end times, from the gospel of salvation which Christ gave to the Apostle Paul for all mankind in this age of grace.
By understanding who God is and the gospel of salvation he delivered for today, one may confidently place their trust in Christ who died for our sins, was buried and raised again for our justification. By his grace, through faith in the truth of the gospel, believers in this age of grace are sealed by the holy Spirt of promise unto the day of redemption, and therefore saved from the wrath that is to come upon mystery Babylon, the mother of harlots and abominations who will be destroyed from off the face of the earth.
All nations of the world who do not fear God and who follow the beast by taking his name or number, will suffer the wrath of God in his destruction of Babylon. They will be tormented with fire and brimstone with the smoke of their torment ascending for ever.
- Revelation 14:8-11 KJV And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. (9) And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, (10) The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: (11) And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
We have seen how the great city of Babylon corrupted the whole earth and why, therefore, its system must be destroyed to make way for God’s promised kingdom of righteousness on the earth. The following verses confirm the worldwide nature of mystery Babylon’s destruction, in which the cities of the nations will fall, islands will flee away and mountains vanish.
- Revelation 16:19-20 KJV And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. (20) And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.
While this judgment of the seventh vial involves the whole world, in which the cities of the nations will fall, it should be noted that the city of Jerusalem is not exempt. In fact, it is specifically brought to our attention in connection with the judgment of Mystery Babylon. In addition to the ancient great city of Babylon, which fell to King Cyrus II of Persia in 539BC, the other great city mentioned in Revelation is Jerusalem, which is spiritually called Sodom and Egypt.
- Revelation 11:8 KJV And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.
As we will show, at least some of the prominent early Jewish believers in Jesus, even referred to Jerusalem as Babylon.
Peter, in particular, ministered to the Jewish strangers scattered abroad, that is, to believing Jewish foreigners outside Israel.
- 1 Peter 1:1 KJV Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,
The commission which Christ gave to Peter and the eleven, was to preach the gospel of the kingdom, starting at Jerusalem, and throughout all Judaea, and Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. He commanded them not to depart out of Jerusalem.
- Acts 1:4-8 KJV And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. (5) For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. (6) When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? (7) And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. (8) But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
They received the promised Holy Ghost at Pentecost, giving them the power to witness as instructed. But their message of Jesus Christ and the coming kingdom was rejected by the leaders and most of the nation of Israel, who did not repent, confess their sins and be baptised to take up their priestly role. The apostles, therefore, had no mandate at that time to preach the gospel of the kingdom to the uttermost parts of the earth.
While the apostles remained in Jerusalem, the other believing Jews in the city were persecuted. Stephen was among them, and his stoning marked a turning point, as the rulers and elders of that generation of Israel rejected his testimony of Jesus for the last time. Stephen laid out some damming charges to the high priest, together with the assembled men, brethren and fathers of Israel. He accused the nation of a history of idolatry, in which their fathers worshiped the gods inherited from Babylon by the Gentile nations.
- Acts 7:43 KJV Yea, ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god Remphan, figures which ye made to worship them: and I will carry you away beyond Babylon.
Stephen accused the Jewish leaders of his own day, with the same crimes as their fathers: resisting the Holy Ghost and refusing the word of God’s prophets, persecuting and killing them.
- Acts 7:51-52 KJV Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. (52) Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers:
For his prophecy, Stephen was stoned to death, and the affliction of what was called “that way” continued with believers, both men and women, being put to the death, having been bound and delivered into prisons upon instruction from the high priest and all the estate of the elders. So intense was the persecution, that Jewish believers in Jesus as the Christ were scatted abroad to other regions and nations where they preached the gospel of the kingdom, to Jews only.
- Acts 11:19 KJV Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen travelled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to none but unto the Jews only.
Peter and the other apostles, together with Matthias, Judas Iscariot’s replacement, remained in the city, as they had been instructed by Christ, even after Stephen’s death.
- Acts 8:1 KJV And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.
Peter wrote his epistles to scattered Jewish believers from Jerusalem, where he and the other apostles remained, as instructed by Christ. Their apostleship and ministry was based in Jerusalem, and was to all the circumcision, wherever they were. They had authority from God to decide on all related matters, so it was in submission to that authority that Paul and Barnabas went up to enquire and settle a particular dispute.
- Acts 15:2 KJV When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question.
For the current context, the point to highlight here is that Peter and the believing Jewish elders operated from what was known as, the church which was at Jerusalem. It was from there that Peter wrote his epistles to the strangers scattered abroad, in which the conclusion to his first epistle equates Jerusalem with Babylon.
- 1 Peter 5:13 KJV The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you; and so doth Marcus my son.
What about Rome?
While Rome has been postulated for many years, to be the embodiment of Mystery Babylon in the Bible, that conclusion has some flaws. It’s true that ancient Rome renamed and adopted the Greek gods, with its temple worship and sacrificial system of religion which originated in Babylon. However, since Emperor Constantine’s so-called conversion to Christianity in around AD 312, a transformation soon saw the legalization of Christianity (and all other religions) in the Empire (The Edict of Milan - Lactantius (earlychurchtexts.com).
Other changes included Constantaine’s establishment of Constantinople, previously the Greek city of Byzantium, which was then referred to as the New Rome of Constantinople; now Istanbul, in modern-day Turkey. In New Rome, Constantine built the Church of the Holy Apostles on the site of a temple to the Greek goddess Aphrodite. Rather than simply introducing biblical Christianity to the Roman Empire, Constantine legalized all cults. When he issued the Edict of Milan in 313 AD, Christianity became legal in the Roman Empire; but pagan worship was also still allowed, and Constantine and his successors continued to use the title "pontifex maximus' - guardian of the Roman cults.
It wasn’t until the reign of Theodosius I ("the Great") from 379 – 395 AD, that pagan practices were legally outlawed in the Roman Empire. We see this in his Codex Theodosianus: On Religion, 4th Century CE (TheCodexTheodosianus.pdf (uml.edu)).
C. Th. XVI.x.4: It is decreed that in all places and all cities the temples should be closed at once, and after a general warning, the opportunity of sinning be taken from the wicked. We decree also that we shall cease from making sacrifices. And if anyone has committed such a crime, let him be stricken with the avenging sword. And we decree that the property of the one executed shall be claimed by the city, and that rulers of the provinces be punished in the same way, if they neglect to punish such crimes. Constantine and Constans Augusti.
In that same Codex Theodosianus, Jews and Pagans were to be treated alike, in terms of being barred from public office, being considered enemies of the heavenly majesty and of the Roman Laws. Building of synagogues was forbidden and “the Jew who converts any one to Judaism loses life and property”.
Despite the influence of the early “church father”, Ambrose, and the attempts of Theodosius to outlaw the Babylonian pagan practices inherited by ancient Rome, many elements have persisted in similar forms to this day. They were “Christianized” in the first instance, by the bishops, to provide a more comfortable transition from the much-loved old religion, thus giving some comfort and compensation to the congregants of the new religion of Christianity in the Roman Empire.
Roman Catholicism, therefore, became an easy target for many protestants, seeking to point the finger away from themselves by naming Rome as MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. The Roman Catholic Church, prominent as she is, is not the mother, but is one of a multitude of progeny spawned by a Mystery Babylon, whose practices have become the course of this entire world.
The course of the world today has countless definitions of God, created by men’s imagination, some of whom claimed to have been directly visited by God or by an Angel who gave them a message and authority to create a new religion or denomination.
Whether coming from an individual or the creed of a religious council, what we have today is a very broad range of definitions and beliefs on who God is. It is a common-sense fact, that the object of men’s worship varies according to different traditions. They each worship as God, that which they sincerely believe to be God. Regardless of how zealous one might be: to worship as God, anything or anyone who is not God, is the fornication of idolatry, that core aspect which characterizes Mystery Babylon. The good news is that God has provided and preserved an account of himself that we can absolutely rely upon. In English, the word of God is available for all to study, rightly dividing the word of truth, in the King James Bible.
Rome was only one of many cities built on seven hills, and there have been other cities that could be considered as Babylonian in character. The true great city of Babylon in the latter days will be exactly as God has fully described her, and not according to man’s selective interpretations.
False prophets of the last days
The destruction of Babylon includes the cities of the nations, but also Jerusalem. God’s fury with Israel’s false prophets of the latter days is because they will walk in lies and thus cause the people to continue in wickedness, to the point where they become unto God as Sodom and Gomorrah.
Despite all the prophesied signs, those false end-times prophets of Israel will speak words to still or calm the people that despise God, saying that: No evil shall come upon you. This will provoke the fury of God, which will not return unto him until his anger is executed and he has performed the thought of his heart.
This punishment for Jerusalem will come as a whirlwind of God’s fury to feed them with wormwood, and make them drink the water of gall. It will indeed be a bitter pill to swallow: for from the prophets of Jerusalem is profaneness gone forth into all the land. This is something that God said Israel would consider perfectly in the latter days.
- Jeremiah 23:14-21 KJV I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies: they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness: they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah. (15) Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts concerning the prophets; Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink the water of gall: for from the prophets of Jerusalem is profaneness gone forth into all the land. (16) Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD. (17) They say still unto them that despise me, The LORD hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you. (18) For who hath stood in the counsel of the LORD, and hath perceived and heard his word? who hath marked his word, and heard it? (19) Behold, a whirlwind of the LORD is gone forth in fury, even a grievous whirlwind: it shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked. (20) The anger of the LORD shall not return, until he have executed, and till he have performed the thoughts of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly. (21) I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.
An “un-Babylonian” kingdom
In summarizing the significance of Mystery Babylon, and why it must be destroyed by God, it will help to reflect on the distinctive and inseparable aspects of her character, and how they contrast diametrically to the eternal kingdom which God will establish upon the earth.
On one hand, consider the ancient city of Tyre and her Satan-inspired god-king Tyrus. She typified the model established by her mother, mystery Babylon, in every respect, both in her original form and end time description. Having looked in some detail at what made Tyre so rich and beautiful, the parallels with our modern world become immediately apparent, confirming the very character that has defined the course of this present evil world since the earliest civilisation at Babylon.
All the attributes by which the Babylonian course of this world is characterized, are opposite to those of the eternal kingdom which God will establish on earth, and are in opposition to God’s plan of redemption for his entire creation. The same Satan-lead opposition which crucified Christ to fulfil scripture, will bring the ultimate destruction of Babylon and cleansing of the land at the times of restitution of all things, fulfilling that which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.
The wisdom of God, which is far above the wisdom of his created beings, will not be corrupted by pride, which God hates. Instead, it will be evident for all to see that what God planned from before the foundation of the world, he was able to accomplish according to his written counsel, despite thousands of years of opposition.
The Bible teaches that the new heaven and new earth will be preceded by a 1,000-year reign of Christ on the earth, governed by a strict rule of law that goes forth from Zion, administered by the promised kings and priests of Israel.
- Isaiah 2:2-4 KJV And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD'S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. (3) And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. (4) And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
During that 1,000 period, after Babylon is destroyed and Christ’s millennial kingdom is set up, there will be punishment for those nations that do not keep the feast of tabernacles.
- Zechariah 14:16-19 KJV And 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. (17) 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. (18) And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the LORD will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. (19) This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.
In the new heaven and earth, after the millennial kingdom has served its written purpose, there will be no more greed or covetousness, tears or sorrow, no more suffering or pain, famine or hunger, violence or wars. Rather, it will be an eternal kingdom of righteousness, peace and joy, uncorrupted by evil rebellious sin and its painful consequences.
With an eternal free will to choose and love God, or rebel against him, the inhabitants of God’s kingdom will be in a more informed position than were Adam and Eve before the fall. They knew only of God’s goodness but were deceived into sinning by Satan in the Garden of Eden. Having thousands of accumulated years of the knowledge of both good and evil, will have an everlasting impact for those who enter the kingdom of God, whether on the earth, or in heaven.
Concerning good, those who believe already know of God’s goodness and his rich mercies, but they will have then received their inheritance, laid up for them in heaven, and will have seen and experienced those heavenly blessings which will be forever to the praise of the glory of God’s grace. They will know and therefore love God for eternity because of who he is and will be free to serve him without the encumbrance of sin which dwells in the flesh or nature of everyone born since Adam.
Concerning evil, they will have witnessed the full extent of sin’s brutal consequences on God’s creation, including the necessary final judgment and the destruction of both the heavens and earth, which will be burned up to make way for a new heaven and a new earth. Death and hell will be cast into the lake of fire, in which the smoke of the torment of the Devil, his angels and all whose names are not written in the book of life will ascend for ever, and for which there will be no rest day or night.
Those in God’s eternal kingdom won’t be burdened with a desire to seek material wealth, nor will they have a covetous nature that longs to possess the same or more than others, for they will be freed from sin: freed to live in godliness, which is great gain. For them, all suffering and sorrow will be no more. They will have an even greater understanding of the Almighty only wise God and Saviour’s perfect love and will joyfully serve and worship him alone for ever.
In the meantime, God has spoken ahead of time and provided man with a written account of both Jacob’s future trouble, and the fall of Babylon. He is a just God, full of mercy and not willing that any should perish, so he gave us his true and perfect word, that we might believe who God says he is, and therefore trust in his shed blood: in his death, burial and resurrection as the only means of salvation in this age of grace.
- 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 KJV Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; (2) By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. (3) For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; (4) And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: