I
cannot wait for the day God destroys USA
the Mystery Whore Babylon!
The
"great whore", of the biblical Book of Revelation is
featured in chapters 17 and 18.
17:1
And there came one of the seven angels which
had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither;
I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth
upon many waters:
17:2
With whom the kings of the earth have
committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been
made drunk with the wine of her fornication.
17:3
So he carried me away in the spirit into the
wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full
of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
17:4
And the woman was arrayed in purple and
scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls,
having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness
of her fornication:
17:5
And upon her forehead was a name written,
MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF
THE EARTH.
17:6
And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of
the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I
saw her, I wondered with great admiration.
17:9
And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The
seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.
17:10
And there are seven kings: five are fallen,
and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he comes, he must
continue a short space.
17:11
And the beast that was, and is not, even he
is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goes into perdition.
17:12
And the ten horns which thou saw are ten
kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as
kings one hour with the beast.
17:15
And he said unto me, The waters which thou
sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and
nations, and tongues.
17:18
And the woman which thou sawest is that great
city, which reigns over the kings of the earth.
Lament Over Fallen Babylon
18
After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great
authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor. 2
With
a mighty voice he shouted:
“‘Fallen!
Fallen is Babylon the Great!’
She
has become a dwelling for demons
and
a haunt for every impure spirit,
a
haunt for every unclean bird,
a
haunt for every unclean and detestable animal.
3
For
all the nations have drunk
the
maddening wine of her adulteries.
The
kings of the earth committed adultery with her,
and
the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries.”
Warning to Escape Babylon’s Judgment
4
Then
I heard another voice from heaven say:
“‘Come
out of her, my people,’
so
that you will not share in her sins,
so
that you will not receive any of her plagues;
5
for
her sins are piled up to heaven,
and
God has remembered her crimes.
6
Give
back to her as she has given;
pay
her back double for what she has done.
Pour
her a double portion from her own cup.
7
Give
her as much torment and grief
as
the glory and luxury she gave herself.
In
her heart she boasts,
‘I
sit enthroned as queen.
I
am not a widow;
I
will never mourn.’
8
Therefore
in one day her plagues will overtake her:
death,
mourning and famine.
She
will be consumed by fire,
for
mighty is the Lord God who judges her.
Threefold Woe Over Babylon’s Fall
9
“When
the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared her
luxury see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn over
her. 10
Terrified
at her torment, they will stand far off and cry:
“‘Woe!
Woe to you, great city,
you
mighty city of Babylon!
In
one hour your doom has come!’
11
“The
merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one
buys their cargoes anymore— 12
cargoes
of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk
and scarlet cloth; every sort of citron wood, and articles of every
kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble; 13
cargoes
of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine
and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and
carriages; and human beings sold as slaves.
14
“They
will say, ‘The fruit you longed for is gone from you. All your
luxury and splendor have vanished, never to be recovered.’ 15
The
merchants who sold these things and gained their wealth from her will
stand far off, terrified at her torment. They will weep and mourn 16
and
cry out:
“‘Woe!
Woe to you, great city,
dressed
in fine linen, purple and scarlet,
and
glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls!
17
In
one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin!’
“Every
sea captain, and all who travel by ship, the sailors, and all who
earn their living from the sea, will stand far off. 18
When
they see the smoke of her burning, they will exclaim, ‘Was there
ever a city like this great city?’ 19
They
will throw dust on their heads, and with weeping and mourning cry
out:
“‘Woe!
Woe to you, great city,
where
all who had ships on the sea
became
rich through her wealth!
In
one hour she has been brought to ruin!’
20
“Rejoice
over her, you heavens!
Rejoice,
you people of God!
Rejoice,
apostles and prophets!
For
God has judged her
with
the judgment she imposed on you.”
The Finality of Babylon’s Doom
21
Then
a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone and
threw it into the sea, and said:
“With
such violence
the
great city of Babylon will be thrown down,
never
to be found again.
22
The
music of harpists and musicians, pipers and trumpeters,
will
never be heard in you again.
No
worker of any trade
will
ever be found in you again.
The
sound of a millstone
will
never be heard in you again.
23
The
light of a lamp
will
never shine in you again.
The
voice of bridegroom and bride
will
never be heard in you again.
Your
merchants were the world’s important people.
By
your magic spell all the nations were led astray.
24
In
her was found the blood of prophets and of God’s holy people,
of
all who have been slaughtered on the earth.”
Threefold Hallelujah Over Babylon’s Fall
19
After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in
heaven shouting:
“Hallelujah!
Salvation
and glory and power belong to our God,
2
for
true and just are his judgments.
He
has condemned the great prostitute
who
corrupted the earth by her adulteries.
He
has avenged on her the blood of his servants.”
3
And
again they shouted:
“Hallelujah!
The
smoke from her goes up for ever and ever.”
4
The
twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and
worshiped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried:
“Amen,
Hallelujah!”
5
Then
a voice came from the throne, saying:
“Praise
our God,
all
you his servants,
you
who fear him,
both
great and small!”
— Revelation
17, 18, 19
James
5:1-5 - Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the
misery that is coming upon you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths
have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their
corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You
have hoarded wealth in the last days. Look! The wages you failed to
pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The
cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.
You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have
fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. You have condemned and
murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you.
1
Thessalonians 5:2 - "The Day of the Lord will come just as a
thief in the night. When they say "Peace and security,"
then sudden destruction comes on them."
Mystery
Babylon is the lone Global Superpower-
Revelation
17:1, "...the
great prostitute, who sits on many waters."
Revelation
17:15, "The
waters you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes,
nations and languages."
Revelation
17:18, "The
woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the
earth."
Revelation
18:7,
"In
her heart she boasts, 'I sit as queen; I am not a widow, and I will
never mourn.'"
A
global superpower in three ways-
Economic
Superpower-
- Revelation 18:3, "...and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries."
- Revelation 18:11, "The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes anymore..."
- Revelation 18:15, "The merchants who sold these things and gained their wealth from her will stand far off, terrified at her torment..."
Revelation
18:23, "...Your
merchants were the world's great men. By your magic spell all the
nations were led astray."
Military
Superpower-
- Jeremiah 50:23, "How broken and shattered is the hammer of the whole earth!"
- Jeremiah 51:20, "You are my war club, my weapon for battle- with you I shatter nations, with you I destroy kingdoms,"
Isaiah
14:4-6, "...How
the oppressor has come to an end! How his fury has ended! The Lord
has broken the rod of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers, which in
anger struck down peoples with unceasing blows, and in fury subdued
nations with relentless aggression."
Political
Superpower-
- Jeremiah 51:44, "...The nations will no longer stream to him..."
- Revelation 17:18, "The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth."
Revelation
18:9-10, "When
the kings of the earth... see the smoke of her burning... they will
stand far off and cry: 'Woe! Woe, O great city, O Babylon, city of
power! In one hour your doom has come!"
Major
Port City-
Revelation
18:17-19, "...all
who travel by ship... and all who earn their living from the sea,
will stand far off... and with weeping and mourning cry out: 'Woe!
Woe, O great city, where all who had ships on the sea became rich
through her wealth!' "
Greatest
and Wealthiest city the world has ever seen-
- Revelation 18:18, "When they see the smoke of her burning, they will exclaim, 'Was there ever a city like this great city?' "
- Revelation 18:16, "Woe! Woe, O great city, dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet, and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls! In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin!"
- Revelation 18:14, "The fruit you longed for is gone from you. All your riches and splendor have vanished..."
- Isaiah 13:19, "Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms, the glory of the Babylonians pride..."
Jeremiah
51:13,
"You
who live by many waters and are rich in treasures, your end has
come..."
Home
to a large population of Jewish Exiles
- Jeremiah 51:45, "Come out of her, my people! Run for your lives! Run from the fierce anger of the Lord."
- Revelation 18:4, "Come out of her my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues,"
Zechariah
2:7, "Come,
O Zion! Escape, you who live in the Daughter of Babylon!"
Mystery
Babylon is represented by a Woman-
- Revelation 17:1, "...I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits on many waters... ...the waters you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages."
Revelation
17:18, "The
woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the
earth."
Mystery
Babylon is dressed in expensive garments-
Revelation
18:16, "Woe! Woe, O great city, dressed in fine linen, purple
and scarlet..."
The
above descriptions are just a few of the many biblical indicators
that, I believe, point unequivocally and obviously to America as the
great power known as Mystery Babylon, and New York City as the
specific city destined to fall in Revelation 18
The
Statue of Liberty was conceived of, funded by and created by men who
were intimately involved in the organization known as the Freemasons.
Edouard Laboulaye was the chief fundraiser and Frederic August
Bartholdi was the head sculptor. These men, and the freemasons in
general, idealize the pagan gods and goddesses of ancient Rome and
Greece. It is a well known fact that Bartholdi intended the Statue of
Liberty to be a representation of the Roman goddess Liberty, also
known as Inanna and Ishtar.
Here
is a carving of the goddess Inanna/Ishtar which, according to Richard
Coombes, dates to about 3000 BC.
Compare
it to our modern Statue of Liberty.
"The
seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits,"Revelation
17:9
Here
are some of the reasons why New York City has some potential to be
Babylon the Great City:
- The city is major global, economic and financial center. Arguably, it is the most important economic and financial center in the world.
- The city is located on the coastline, which would enable merchants to see its smoke if something were to happen to the city (Revelation 18:17-18).
- The United Nations is currently headquartered in the city.
I
think the most compelling item that New York City has in its favor is
the fact that the United Nations is currently headquartered in the
city. The reason I think the United Nations is a compelling item is
that I see potential for the United Nations to play an End Times role
as a governing organization that the Antichrist controls.
Revelation
17:12-13 suggests that the kings of the earth will voluntarily
surrender their power and authority to Antichrist.
(12)
And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have
received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with
the beast. (13) These have one mind, and shall give their power and
strength unto the beast.” (Rev 17:12-13)
The
fact that there will be ten rulers who will work with Antichrist
suggests that Antichrist may not directly oversee the activities of
each kingdom in his empire. Instead, each ruler may directly control
their respective kingdom while being subject to Antichrist. The
voluntarily transference of powers by these ten rulers suggest that
Antichrist’s power is based on some consensus agreement between him
and the rulers of these kingdoms.
- The United Nations could potentially serve as the primary international organization where this consensus is reached since it is a place where world leaders and represents from virtually every country on Earth convene.
Although
I would not completely dismiss New York City as a potential candidate
to be Babylon the Great at the moment, there are some important
issues that I think proponents of New York City need to consider.
Here are a few of the important issues that come to mind immediately:
- The United States is facing a fiscal disaster, which is arguably much worse than what Greece and other heavily-indebted European countries are facing at the moment since its debt and unfunded liabilities are in the tens of trillions of dollars. The consequences of this fiscal disaster have serious economic, financial, and political implications which I believe could significantly weaken the United States’ standing in the world. I wonder whether New York City can maintain its status as a leading economic and financial center if/when the United States’ power declines significantly.
- New York City’s most compelling item to me is the fact that the United Nations is currently located in the city. However, will the United Nations remain in New York City in the future or will it move to another location if/when there is instability in the U.S. or if/when the U.S. decides to no longer fund the United Nations? The ideal place for the U.N.’s headquarters to relocate is a 600-room palace in… the ancient city of Babylon which was built during Saddam Hussein’s rule of Iraq…
- Jeremiah 50, Jeremiah 51, and Isaiah 13 each reference the Babylon located in the land of Chaldea while Revelation 17 and Revelation 18 make no mention of the land of Chaldea. Why does this discrepancy exist?
There
are many Christians in America who are willing to believe that the
Biblical Prophecies relating to "Mystery Babylon" are
referring to New York City but NOT to the entire United States of
America. Part of their reasoning is their attempt to take the term
"city" to mean just a city. They hold to a literal view of
scripture. The problem is that the prophecies indicate city and also
"cities" in the plural. Now before you stop to search the
passages in Revelation, please understand that the Biblical
Prophecies of Babylon of Revelation chapters 17 and 18 encompass
also: Revelation 16:17-21 plus related Old Testament prophecies of
Isaiah 13, 14, 18, 47 & 48:20 as well as Jeremiah chapters 50 and
51.
Now
some may think these prophecies were already fulfilled. No, they have
not yet been fulfilled. Ancient Babylon was never destroyed utterly
by fire in one day. Isaiah and Jeremiah both use Messianic Hebrew
idioms that are not easily translatable into English versions.
Nevertheless, these idioms (like "chevlai shel Meshiach")
refer to the "banner of the Messiah" and are abbreviations
for Messianic activity. This particular term "banner of the
Messiah" refers to the time when the Messiah is spotted
approaching the nation. When that was to happen, the lookouts on each
of Israel's hills would wave a special "Messianic" signal
flag or banner.
The
waving of that flag or banner would be a signal to the other flagmen
on other hills to wave their Messiah banners also. Thus the message
would be "flashed" across Israel quickly and alert the
nation to the fact that the Messiah was on His way to claim His title
to Jerusalem and the throne of David. Now, as part of the protocol
the leaders of each of the 12 tribes of Israel were to quickly
assemble at the gate of the Messiah to greet and escort Him through
the "gate of the Nobles". Thus, when this idiomatic term is
used in a prophetic writing, it was a shorthand abbreviation that
alerted the reader to understand that the descriptions afterward were
referring to the time of the coming of Messiah. In other words… the
phrase was meant to be interpreted as "at the coming of
Messiah".
Now
these Messianic references are discreetly placed in the prophecies of
both Isaiah and Jeremiah meaning that the passages dealing with
Babylon's destruction in Isaiah 13, 14, 18, 47, and 48 along with
Jeremiah 50 and 51 are referring to a future Babylon nation.
Elsewhere we find references to the fact that Ishtar; the goddess of
Babylon, known as the Mother of Temple Prostitutes (or Harlots) was
moved from the territories of Ancient Babylonia/Chaldea/Shinar. See
the other related articles for more information on this. Also visit
the Hatikva Ministries Website for Joseph Good's documentation by
rabbinical sources on this issue. You will find that material in his
series on Rosh haShanah. Here is the link:
Now,
because we know that the Old Testament Prophecies are linked directly
to the Revelation Prophecies concerning a future Babylon we can
benefit from their added details. These Old Testament details fill in
a lot of missing data from John's account, while John also provides a
lot of details missing from the Old Testament accounts. They
complement each other. Much of their material harmonizes nicely. Some
of it would seemingly conflict. One example is the word usage by John
of the word "city" while Jeremiah tells us that it is
indeed Babylon, the City. Jeremiah, however, doesn't stop with just
the city of Babylon. The Holy Spirit relays to him that the
destruction is for all of the cities of the nation of Babylon.
Babylon was the capitol of Babylonia, or Chaldea or Shinar, depending
upon which Mesopotamian language is being used.
Jeremiah
tells us in chapter 50:32b… (Quoting the Almighty's own words)…"I
will kindle a fire in his CITIES and it shall devour all round about
him."
Jeremiah
tells us in chapter 51:43 of the description of Babylon after the
judgment… "Her CITIES are a desolation, a dry land, and a
wilderness, a land where no man dwelleth…"
Now
these 2 verses alone should be sufficient to put an end to the theory
that this future "Mystery Babylon" is just New York City.
In fact, it puts an end to the theory that it is just Rome or even
the archaeological ruins of ancient Babylon. The usage of the plural
word "cities" really negates the idea of it being simply a
singular city. However, there will be those stubborn hearts that will
not wish to accept just this data point. So for their benefit we
continue to present further scriptural evidence that negates the
notion that "Mystery Babylon" is just a single city like
New York City.
Jeremiah
50:12 tells us that Babylon is considered the "Last of the
NATIONS". Now here we see a reference to Babylon as being a
nation, not just a city. This is but more icing on the cake, which
states that Babylon, is not just a city but a nation with prophecies
focusing on both the nation and her "chief" city. So,
therefore, we have no conflict between John and Jeremiah. What we in
the modern era fail to realize is that the idea of a city in John's
era included the notion of what we today should call -- a
city/state/nation. A nation or empire was given the name of its chief
city. Like the usage of Rome for the Roman Empire.
Babylon
is referred for her agriculture. Jeremiah 50:16 grains and plants and
verse 27 refers to her livestock. Verse 16 speaks of planting the
crops and then harvesting the crops. Now we should ask the obvious
rhetorical question here: "when was the last time you saw wheat
combines or corn pickers or soybean pickers working on farms in
downtown Manhattan, or the Queens or the Bronx? Did you ever see them
working their crops just off of Wall Street? Oh, how silly. Of
course, they grow their crops in Central Park! Here again is another
character trait that helps us to realize that it is not a city alone
that is being described, but rather of a nation for which New York
City may be the chief city being described at times but not at all
times.
Babylon
is referred to as a land of many waters, used of a broad river
running down its middle and with many rivers running through it. See
Jeremiah 50:13, 36, & 42. See also Isaiah 18:2. This is just a
bit too much for referring to a single city.
Babylon
is also known for its trading of many commodities. We see a massive
list of commodities for which Mystery Babylon is famous for its trade
and for being the World Leader in this trading. Among those traits
are:
Wood
or Lumber -- Revelation 18:12
Grains
-- Revelation 18:13
Livestock
-- Revelation 18:13
Transportation
-- Revelation 18:13
Now,
Wood and Lumber are traded in commodities futures contracts on the
Chicago Mercantile Exchange. So too are cattle and hogs. The CME
provides the world with benchmark pricing in these items. The Chicago
Board of Trade provides the world benchmarks for most of the world's
grains. The world's prices for those products are linked to the
pricing that is established daily at these Chicago exchanges.
Chicago's 2 exchanges also set the benchmark pricing for the world's
currencies as well as most of the significant US Treasury debt
instruments. The Chicago Board of Trade also provides special
investment vehicles that provide further stability to the New York
Stock Exchange, the American Stock Exchange and the NASDQ exchange.
Conclusion: Revelation 18:11-13 is describing New York City for many
of those items but not necessarily all of them. Some of those items
relate to other cities.
Now
we have not mentioned the "transportation" aspect. This is
found in the term "chariots and horses". This was the most
advanced form of ground transportation for that time. Automobiles
were incomprehensible in those times. Therefore we would not expect
to see references to vehicles operated by machines mentioned in the
prophecies. There was no adequate vocabulary available. The prophet
used the best terms available. So we are then faced with what area
provides the basis for trade in vehicles? That could be Detroit. But
there are now other cities that make cars. New York however is a
terrific market place for vehicles.
Another
character trait for Mystery Babylon is that of being the "engine
of world's economy". Now the scriptural texts do not
specifically use those exact terms but those terms match to the
description of the activities described about Mystery Babylon.
Revelation 18:15-19 indicates that the world's economy can't function
without "Mystery Babylon". When she is destroyed the lament
goes up from the merchants of the earth that "no man buyeth
their merchandise any more." So, the world can't function
without the economic buying power of this nation. The whole world
needs her in order to be able to sell their merchandise. The
descriptions here tell us that it is a nation being described. It is
a nation that fuels the entire economy of the world. When Babylon's
destroyed, so is the world's economy.
Babylon
is also referred to for its glory or natural beauty. See Isaiah 13:19
It
is referred to as kingdom. Again, a primary reference not to just a
city but a nation. We see another similar trait in Isaiah 47:5 with
the phrase "Queen of the Kingdoms". Again, the word
"kingdoms" refers not to a city alone but to a nation.
Jeremiah
50:12 underscores the notion of a land when Babylon is described also
as becoming a wilderness, a parched land, and a desert. These
descriptions are of areas too big to be referring to just a city.
Another
reference to land meaning a nation is found in Jeremiah 50:3 in which
we see the reference to Chaldea. Chaldea is a specific reference to
the entire land of Babylonia, which encompassed many cities. It
comprised the whole empire of Babylonia hence it was referred to as
Chaldea. (Other dialects refer to it as Shinar). So, here again we
see a trait that rules out any notion that it might just be a city.
If
the Jer. 50:3 passage was unconvincing how about Jeremiah 51:24 which
says, "I will render to Babylon and all the inhabitants of
Chaldea"… So we see that it's not just the city of Babylon but
her whole nation or empire.
Now,
perhaps in today's modern cities it is hard to find swamps and fords
among the concrete lands, bridges and buildings. Jeremiah 51:32
describes Babylon's fords and swamps. This is uncharacteristic of a
cosmopolitan community like Manhattan, the Queens, and The Bronx,
etc. It does fit the notion of rural areas.
And
we would be remiss if we failed to mention that the scripture refers
to her military power. Her armies are discussed in some detail in
Jeremiah 50 and 51. Isaiah 18:1-2 refers to her navy using obscure
Hebrew idioms that are poorly translated in every single English
translation. They fail to understand the idiom "that sendeth
ambassadors by the sea". That is a reference to a Hebrew idiom
for which these English idioms come close to matching. "Gunboat
diplomacy", or "showing the flag". This Hebrew idiom
was used for a nation, which sent warships to reassure a friendly
nation that it would receive naval support if threatened or attacked.
The idiom was also used in instances where a nation might send
warships to intimidate or threaten a nation that was considering
hostile activities. The "whirring wings" term is
metaphorical alliteration to a buzzing sound that involved aerial
travel. This connected to the naval aspect leads us to conclude that
the scripture here is providing a subtle indication of naval air
power, or naval aircraft carriers. Carriers are the main ingredients
in America's policy of gunboat diplomacy. If you want to intimidate a
nation like Libya or Iraq you send in an Aircraft Carrier Battle
group to "show the flag" and implement "gunboat
diplomacy."
It
should now be quite clear and easy to realize that the above 16
character traits combine to completely eliminate the theoretical idea
that "Mystery Babylon" is just a city, especially just New
York City. Instead, this author contends that while New York City is
being described in minute detail at times, still there are other
critical character traits that just don't match up to New York City.
They do match up to the entire nation of America of which New York is
the chief city, just like ancient Babylon was the chief city of
Babylonia or Chaldea. Therefore we conclude that "Mystery
Babylon" is… "America, The Babylon"
