FUNDAMENTAL TEACHING OF THE FALL OF BABYLON #9
Babylon's Destruction Literal or Metaphorical?
From the writings of David Jeremiah
One aspect of the prophecies concerning Babylon's
destruction has generated a great deal of controversy among Bible
scholars. Should we take these references literally or
metaphorically? Is the Bible really referring to the destruction
of the actual city? Or to the world economic system and
humanistic philosophy that city epitomizes? Author and educator
Dr. Mal Couch affirms the latter without dismissing the former.
"In either case," he says, "the Scripture makes it clear that
Babylon represents the worldwide, global, political and
ecclesiastical world system of the end times."
Some scholars see in Revelation 18:1-2 an indication of a
dual metaphoric meaning: "After these things I saw another angel
coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth
was illuminated with his glory. And he cried mightily with a loud
voice, saying, 'Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen.'"
Author/editor Dr. J. A. Seiss believed that the repetition
of the phrase indicates two separate parts or stages of the fall
- the undoing of Babylon as a religious entity and also as an
economic entity.
......
I would agree with J.A.Seiss - Keith Hunt
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In the above passage from Revelation 18, John tells us that
the prophecy concerning Babylon's destruction is delivered by an
angel so powerful that he lights up the entire world. When this
angel says, "Babylon is fallen, is fallen," he uses a phrase that
describes an instantaneous action. This tells us that the
destruction of the city or the system of Babylon will not be
gradual, but instantaneous. Revelation 18 notes over and over the
suddenness of the destruction that will come at the close of the
Tribulation period:
When God comes against Babylon, it will be with the
suddenness and effectiveness of a spring trap. Note particularly
verse 17, which tells us that whatever else Babylon's destruction
means, it will certainly include an economic crash.
Why is God determined to pour out His judgment upon the city
of Babylon? In general, we have already seen ample reason. From
the beginning, Babylon's philosophy and religion have been in
diametric opposition to God, making it the exemplar of a
worldview that has corrupted mankind throughout all ages.
But within this broad overview we can glean from the prophetic
vision of John six specific and telling reasons why Babylon or
its influences cannot be allowed to exist in God's kingdom. We
will consider these one by one.
Babylon Will Be Destroyed Because of Her Sorceries
In Revelation 18:2 we read that "Babylon... has become a
dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a
cage for every unclean and hated bird!"
In the days of Daniel the prophet, Babylon was the home of
magicians, soothsayers, and astrologers who were members of King
Nebuchadnezzar's brain trust. Revelation 18 shows us that this
evil will intensify as the Babylonian system is overrun by the
satanic influence of the Beast. Babylon will be the center of
depravity where demonic spirits strive to gain control over every
man's mind.
As the world descends into materialism, it tends to dismiss
God. But in dismissing God, people do not eliminate the deep
human need for a spiritual connection. When they push God out of
the picture, the resulting vacuum is often filled by turning to
occultism, mysticism, and contacts with the spirit world. As G.
K. Chesterton is credited with saying, "The opposite of a belief
in God is not a belief in nothing; it is a belief in anything."
Jesus warned that in such a vacuum of unbelief a person
becomes vulnerable to multiple "unclean spirits" and thus is much
worse off than when he believed (see Luke 11:24-25).
......
What the fundamentals miss is that modern Babylon will come as an
angel of light; it will come with the Roman religion of
Christianity, and hence will, with a miracle working false
prophet be able to deceive countless people within the Europe
Beast/Babylon/Holy Roman Empire. Needless to say though Central
and South America are not directly involved in the end of the age
prophecy, they are already heavily into the Rome religion -
Keith Hunt
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Babylon Will Be Destroyed Because of Her Seductions
Revelation 18 goes on to say this of Babylon: "For all the
nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication,
the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and
the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance
of her luxury" (v. 3).
This is an echo of a prophecy from Jeremiah: "Babylon was a
golden cup in the LORD'S hand, that made all the earth drunk. The
nations drank her wine; therefore the nations are deranged"
(Jeremiah 51:7).
Babylon will be famous around the world as the most
enlightened and liberated city on the planet. Her constitution
will give free rein to all forms of immorality and depravity,
making Las Vegas, Paris, and Hong Kong seem tame by comparison.
Babylon will be a favorite getaway place for the richest and most
powerful people of the world, seeking pleasures and activities
not legally available in their hometowns. Thus the heads of
nations and great corporations will be seduced to be unfaithful
to God in every way possible....
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This TOTALLY WRONG! Babylon Mystery Religion - the religion of
Rome, will put forth morality, will put forth in her way the
Gospel of God, will come as righteousness. She has in the past,
she has at present, and she will even more (through her false
prophet) made the leaders of nations drunk with the wine of her
spiritual fornication. She will claim she represents God on
earth. The Empire she will ride - the secular Beast - will be
physically strong and materially rich. It will be the highest
form of religious deception and material wealth and "safety and
peace" and physical "good times" - Keith Hunt
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Pride will be Babylon's undoing, as pride always is: "Pride
goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall"
(Proverbs 16:18).
Babylon Will Be Destroyed Because of Her Slavery
Above we addressed the catalog of economic commodities for
which Babylon will become the world trade center. That list sadly
concludes with "slaves, and souls of men" (Revelation 18:13 KJV).
In other words, slavery will be prevalent in that wicked
economy. Emotional slavery to material things will certainly be
prevalent to an unprecedented degree in those days, but this is
not the kind of slavery this passage specifies. This passage
refers to the trafficking of men and women caught up in forced
prostitution. International human trafficking and outright
physical slavery will be part of the Babylonian prosperity.
In the final system of commerce that will characterize the
Tribulation period, humans will not be thought of as beings
created in the image of God. They will be dehumanized, seen as
nothing more than highly developed animals - a commodity to own,
to barter, and to sell.
According to English activist and professor of sociology
Kevin Bales, although slavery is illegal throughout the world,
today more than 27 million people are entrapped as slaves. This
is a slavery linked to the global economy. The new slaves are not
viewed as long-term investments as they once were. Their value is
that they are cheap, require little care, and are disposable .
This outrageous practice will greatly increase in the Tribulation
period. God will put an end to it with the final destruction of
Babylon.
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Yes, THIS IS TRUE - SLAVERY WILL be a part of this Holy Roman
Empire. But what David Jeremiah and his kind do not tell you,
because they do not know, or refuse to know, is that the Europe
Beast will conquer the Western world - it will destroy the
nations of the House of Israel, who are nations of North-West
Europe, the British Commonwealth and the United States of
America. Prophecy declares that only about 1/10 of our peoples
will remain alive by the time Jesus returns, and those people
will be the slaves that the Babylon Beast of Europe will trade
back and forth as of like they are cattle. The church riding the
Beast will be as it was during the Dark Ages - the people under
its heavy hand will be looked upon as infidels, only worthy to be
slaves - Keith Hunt
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Babylon Will Be Destroyed Because of Her Sacrifices
As if any one of the previously listed five causes is not
sufficient to deserve God's judgment, Babylon adds her sacrifices
to her offenses. "And in her was found the blood of the prophets
and saints, and of all who were slain on the earth" (Revelation
18:24). "I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and
with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus" (Revelation 17:6).....
it will also be responsible for the martyrdom of the prophets and
the saints of God. Many may be those who are persecuted for
refusing to accept the mark of the Beast. Others no doubt will be
executed simply for wearing the name of Christ and taking stands
for morality, purity, and ethics against the odious tyranny of
Satan, the Antichrist, and the False Prophet.
As John tells us in recording his vision, God will not
forget the loyal and courageous sacrifice of those who die for
His name:
I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain
for the word of God and for the testimony which they held.
And they cried with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord,
holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those
who dwell on the earth?" Then a white robe was given to each
of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a
little while longer, until both the number of their fellow
servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they
were, was completed (Revelation 6:9-11).
The blood of the martyrs so ruthlessly shed by the
oppression of Babylon will be avenged when God brings about His
promised and final destruction of that city, which has become the
world's symbol for wickedness and enmity against God's holy
people.
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INDEED SO! It amazes me that modern fundamental prophets cannot
see who they are talking about, well most of them cannot, or they
will not. The OLD fundamental Protestant Bible Commentaries had
no trouble in boldly proclaiming this Mystery Babylon was no
other than the Papacy - the Roman church! She is the one who
through the centuries has shed the blood of true saints of God.
It is openly recorded in the history books for all to read and
know. It is amazing how with such a history this church of Rome
can still capture the minds of OVER ONE BILLION people on earth
as it stands today in 2010, and will be even more as we come to
the last years of this age - Keith Hunt
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Babylon's Destruction Comes
Block upon block, sin upon sin, Babylon's tower of iniquity
will rise to the very presence of God, giving Him ample reason to
act. "Therefore her plagues will come in one day - death and
mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with fire,
for strong is the Lord God who judges her" (Revelation 18:8). A
few verses later, John describes the finality of Babylon's
destruction:
Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone
and threw it into the sea, saying, "Thus with violence the
great city Babylon shall be thrown down, and shall not be
found anymore. The sound of harpists, musicians, flutists,
and trumpeters shall not be heard in you anymore. No
craftsman of any craft shall be found in you anymore, and
the sound of a millstone shall not be heard in you anymore.
The light of a lamp shall not shine in you anymore, and the
voice of bridegroom and bride shall not be heard in you
anymore." (Revelation 18:21-23)
Note that in this passage the word anymore is used six
times. That is the strongest term available in the Greek language
to express "not at all." One writer has described the scene like
this: "The angel's words announce most impressively the vanishing
forever of all the joys and delights of the great city, the music
and the song, the hum of industry, the brightness of its
illumination and above all, the rejoicings of the bridegroom and
bride, which in the Bible stand for the highest of all human
joys."
Never again will normal human joys exist in Babylon. What a
picture of final desolation! When God judges a nation or a city
or a system, the judgment is sure and swift and final.
At the height of Babylon's glory, the greatest kings of the
earth will occupy her. But in one hour all their majesty and
power will be gone. In this city will be the most fashionably
dressed of all the world's people, but in one hour all the
expensive and costly clothes will be gone. In this city the best
musicians will live, but in one hour every note will be silenced.
The world's largest international corporations, banks, and
financial institutions will be centered in Babylon. The most
powerful heads of the world's commercial and financial
enterprises will dwell in Babylon, but in one hour their
financial dreams will be dashed. The globalism that once seemed
to promise a managed, worldwide utopia will have created a web of
interconnectivity, the failure of which will pull down the entire
world.
At that moment of Babylon's destruction, the world's
financial system will collapse. All global markets will crash.
Banks will shut down. Corporations will be instantly bankrupt.
Merchants will go out of business. All stocks in corporations
will be instantly worthless. All currency will be nothing more
than printed paper, good for little beyond fireplace kindling.
Billions of people will be instantly out of work. Their bank
accounts will no longer exist. The entire world will experience a
financial meltdown multiple times worse than anything ever
witnessed and far beyond anything the most pessimistic
prognosticator could possibly imagine. Such a huge cataclysmic
event will not go unnoticed.
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OH THIS IS TRUE INDEED! When the Beast/Babylon/Holy Roman Empire
comes crashing down in sudden destruction by the MIGHTY POWER of
the EAST (Revelation 9) - "And the sixth angel sounded [the 6th
of 7 trumpets] and I heard a voice ... saying to the sixth angel
that had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in
the great river Euphrates [standing symbolically for the powers
of the East]. And the four angels were loosed, which were
prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to
slay a THIRD part of men [of those left alive to this point -
millions already gone and dead]. And the number of the army of
the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand....." (Rev.9:13-
16).
It is the population of the powers of the EAST that will be able
to muster such an enormous army. The population of China is OVER
One Billion right now in 2010; India is not far behind. As I've
stated before, the Eastern Powers will never come under the
domain of the mighty Europe Beast, oh she will attack them, the
first part of Revelation 9, but the counter attack will bring the
destruction of Babylon the Great. Her wealth, prosperity, safety,
peace, religion, will be wiped away. And it is written that when
her "religious 'Christian' religion" with her false prophet
cannot save her from the powerful armies of the East, the secular
Europe Beast will turn on the spiritual woman church that rides
the Beast (Rev.17:15-18) - Keith Hunt
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World Reactions to the Destruction of Babylon
How will the world react to Babylon's fall? The apostle John
gives us the reactions of three groups, each expressing
cataclysmic shock by using the same woeful expression, "Alas,
alas." That archaic word is seldom used today, but everyone
understands it as an expression of calamity and grief. Let's
explore why these three groups will utter that word.
The Kings of the Earth Will Mourn
The kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived
luxuriously with [Babylon] will weep and lament for her, when
they see the smoke of her burning, standing at a distance for
fear of her torment, saying, "Alas, alas, that great city
Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has
come" (Revelation 18:9-10).
The kings who thought all power was theirs are going to
mourn because the great capital city of the Beast's financial
empire has been destroyed. As prophetic author Walter K. Price
explains, "These kings who wail at the fall of Babylon are the
provincial rulers who administrate the world empire of the
Antichrist, and whose domains are affected most by the sudden
disruption of commerce."
Apparently Babylon was the final hope of these kings. When
Babylon is destroyed, they are utterly devastated and can do
nothing but mourn their enormous financial loss.
......
We need to remember David Jeremiah and others think this is the
literal city of Babylon in Iraq. Nothing could be further from
the truth. Modern, end time Babylon is the 7th and last
resurrection of the Holy Roman empire now forming in Europe -
Keith Hunt
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The Merchants of the Earth Will Mourn
And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her,
for no one buys their merchandise anymore.... The fruit that your
soul longed for has gone from you, and all the things which are
rich and splendid have gone from you, and you shall find them no
more at all. The merchants of these things, who became rich by
her, will stand at a distance for fear of her torment, weeping
and wailing, and saying, "Alas, alas, that great city that was
clothed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet, and adorned with gold
and precious stones and pearls! For in one hour such great riches
came to nothing" (Revelation 18:11, 14-17).
The word here translated as "merchants" is the Greek word
"emporoi." It refers particularly to wholesalers, or those who
deal in large quantities of trade items. These merchants will be
instantly ruined. They will lament because their commercial power
base - the economic hub of the world - will be gone. The stock
exchanges will crash and the banks will close their doors.
Bankruptcy will permeate world economies. In that day the god of
mammon will prove to be worthless. In one hour all economic
well-being will vanish!
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YES, that will be so! The mighty Europe Empire will be destroyed
in one short hour - the modern warfare of space-age weapons of
the kings of the East will smash this Beast Empire to the ground.
The number in the army of the men of the East will make the
sky look black, as in might waves they swoop over the Europe
Beast - Keith Hunt
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The Shipmasters of the Earth Will Mourn
The shipping magnates of the world and their employees will
mourn along with the rulers and merchants.
Every shipmaster, all who travel by ship, sailors, and as
many as trade on the sea, stood at a distance and cried out when
they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, "What is like this
great city?" They threw dust on their heads and cried out,
weeping and wailing, and saying, "Alas, alas, that great city, in
which all who had ships on the sea became rich by her wealth! For
in one hour she is made desolate" (Revelation 18:17-19).
I doubt that most Americans think much about the importance
of overseas shipping today, but a casual glance at the country of
origin for many of the products we buy shows that they arrived
via ship. Shipping is more important to us than we think, and
many economists watch it carefully.
The Baltic Dry Index is an economic measurement used to
gauge the direction of the global economy. The BDI measures
shipping of raw materials in twenty of the world's busiest trade
routes by assessing daily what shippers are charging to ship
various lots of goods in oceangoing vessels. If prices are
rising, that means the demand for shipping space is increasing,
which is a signal for a strong economy. If prices are falling, it
means there is an excess of shipping capacity, indicating that
world economies are in recession. So, a BDI going up is good for
the economy, and a BDI going down is bad. The BDI is considered a
"leading economic indicator" because it predicts future economic
strength or weakness. Although the BDI is still below its
February 2008 high, it has increased dramatically since January
2009.
Despite current global economic conditions, in November 2009
the Persian Gulf States announced their plan for a $40 billion
expansion that will "triple port capacity across the oil-rich
region ... to keep pace with rapid economic growth in the Gulf."
We can expect this increase to continue. During the
Tribulation, the Persian Gulf will be flooded with merchant ships
coming from Babylon, the great center of world commerce. But one
day as these ships enter the Gulf, the shipmasters will stare
gaping and in shock at the enormous columns of smoke billowing
from the inland city where their goods are going up in a blaze of
fire. At that moment their ships' cargoes will be utterly
worthless. The entire system upon which they had built their
lives and their hopes will be gone, and they will cry out, "Alas,
alas, that great city, in which all who had ships on the sea
became rich by her wealth! For in one hour she is made desolate"
(Revelation 18:19).
......
Some good points David Jeremiah gives, but then he finishes with
the silly idea that this prophecy is about the literal city of
Babylon in Iraq. No it is about modern Babylon and her Babylon
Mystery religion - Europe and her Catholic religion. It will be
the shipmasters in the seas who have been doing a booming trade
with Europe that shall bewail her destruction. The mighty army
from the East will come and in one hour Europe will go up in
smoke. So great will be her destruction that you could be out a
good way from her land and see the smoke of her destruction
rising miles up into the air - Keith Hunt
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The Rejoicing in Heaven over the Destruction of Babylon
When Babylon is destroyed, the kings, the merchants, and the
mariners of the earth will mourn. But in heaven the apostles and
the prophets will rejoice. "Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you
holy apostles and prophets, for God has avenged you on her!"
(Revelation 18:20).
The apostles and prophets are urged to rejoice at Babylon's
destruction because it was the system of that city that had
martyred all of the apostles except John.
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No it was not Babylon of Iraq that martyred all of the apostles
except John!! This is such a dumb and uneducated statement it is
unbelievable that someone with a DR in front of their name could
make it. The saints and apostles were killed by the Roman
Empire!! Not by some town called Babylon in Iraq!! Why a first
grader could read that history as recorded in history books on
the Roman Empire of Europe - Keith Hunt
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It was that system that demanded. "Take the mark of the
Beast, or starve." It was that system that had persecuted them,
cut them to ribbons, boiled them in oil, hung them up to die, and
sent them to the lions' den. It was that system that stood for
everything that was against the God of heaven. One by one, they
died, and it seemed as if nobody knew or cared.
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Yes it was that system of ROME - EUROPE - NOT IRAQ - Keith Hunt
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But the God of heaven does not forget His own. "Vengeance is
Mine," He promised (Romans 12:19). This is an echo of many such
promises to His people: "Vengeance is Mine, and recompense; their
foot shall slip in due time; for the day of their calamity is at
hand, and the things to come hasten upon them" (Deuteronomy
32:35). "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. And
again, "The LORD will judge His people." It is a fearful thing to
fall into the hands of the living God (Hebrews 10:30-31). The
manner and timing of the repayment for man's wickedness is God's
prerogative. The apostles and prophets rejoice, not over the
deaths of those doomed to eternal hell, but because God's
righteousness and justice have prevailed.
John records something startling: "Then a mighty angel took
up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea,
saying, "Thus with violence the great city Babylon shall be
thrown down, and shall not be found anymore" (Revelation 18:21).
In ancient times the millstone symbolized commerce because
the grinding of wheat exemplified the economic stability of the
culture. The millstone sinking into the sea signalled the final
end to life in Babylon and to the economy of the world.
But there is another possible application. Do you remember
reading what the Lord said about those who offend little
children? "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in
Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung
around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea"
(Matthew 18:6). The annihilation of this godless power, gorged
with the blood of the prophets, the apostles, and the saints of
God, is pictured as a great millstone thrown with violence into
the sea, sinking into eternal oblivion.
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And it has been EUROPE with its Catholic religion that has
through the centuries been the Beast who made war against the
true saints of God. She is the one made drunk with the blood of the
saints, not some town in Iraq, nor even the country of Iraq. It
is Europe that has fought against the truths of God proclaimed by
the saints of God down through the last 2,000 years, and yes the
day is coming when she will be thrown into the depths of the sea
as with a millstone about her neck - Keith Hunt
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Do you ever find yourself wondering if God has forgotten
you? When you experience unfair treatment? When your evil
adversaries seem to get the upper hand? When those who abuse the
system advance while you miss yet another promotion? Do you ever
say, as David did, "How long will the wicked triumph?" (Psalm
94:3).
This is one of the questions most often levelled at
Christians. "If you have such a great God, why does He allow
evil?" The Bible does provide answers to that question (see Job,
Habakkuk, and Psalm 73). But the ultimate answer is this: God
does not ignore iniquity. He does not trivialize transgressions
or wink at wickedness. While we are not always able to trace the
judgment of God in our immediate circumstances, He is faithful,
and in His own time He will avenge all evil that has been done.
The destruction of Babylon will be one of His loudest statements
affirming that fact!
The book of Revelation is filled with surprises. More than
one student of this apocalyptic book has noticed the presence of
the word mercy sprinkled throughout those chapters that are
essentially prophecies of God's wrath. It almost seems that the
darkest moments of God's judgment are followed with parentheses
of His abounding mercy.
Revelation 18, which we have been exploring in this chapter,
is no exception. In verse 20 we read, "Rejoice over her, O
heaven, and you holy apostles and prophets, for God has avenged
you on her!" This verse follows the announcement of judgment on
the city of Babylon, and in all of Revelation's chapters
depicting terror and tears, it is the first call to rejoice. As
the apostles, prophets, and saints look down upon the world they
have left, they see the final ruin of the seductive system and
vile city of Babylon, which had poured out its scorn upon them.
Babylon has fallen never to rise again, and all heaven breaks out
in a celebration of praise.
......
Well the saints will rejoice, those alive at the time of Babylon
Europe destruction, but not because they can look down from
heaven and see it, because they are up in heaven. The dead saints
of God are just that - dead. If you have not yet studied the in-
depth studies on this Website about Death and what happens at
death, you need to do so. The immortal soul teaching is utterly
false. People do not go either to heaven or hell or purgatory
when they die. Make sure you study "Death - Then What?" on this
Website - Keith Hunt
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Our Response to the Destruction of Babylon
....The people of God in every generation are instructed to
separate themselves from the sins and mind-set of godless
Babylon. "And I heard another voice from heaven saying, 'Come out
of her, my people'" (Revelation 18:4). The prophet Jeremiah
warned: "Flee from the midst of Babylon, and every one save his
life! Do not be cut off in her iniquity, for this is the time of
the LORD'S vengeance" (Jeremiah 51:6).
These passages make us realize that in this wicked, foul
city, there will be Christians living. One author explains: "The
appeal of salary and prestige will entice many capable Christian
business and professional men... to participate in the planning
and activation of this exciting and dynamic new metropolis.... No
doubt many of these Christians will rationalize their move to
Babylon by the opportunity thus afforded to 'have a witness' in
the world's most important city."
......
AGAIN THIS IS UTTER NONSENSE!! The city called Babylon in Iraq,
if it ever is built and becomes a tourist attraction, will NEVER
be anything but that - a city to tour. That town and the country
of Iraq will have nothing to do with the prophecies of
Revelation, except Iraq may join the powers of the East, as may
Iran, to bring destruction of the Beast Empire of Europe as given
in Revelation 9 and the 6th trumpet blast - Keith Hunt
......
What such Christians fail to recognize is that effective
witness is never mediated through compromise. God's message is
not "Be like her, My people, thereby to appease and attract her,"
but rather "Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers
of her sins" (Revelation 18:4 KJV).
There can be no dual citizenship in the polar opposite
cities of Jerusalem and Babylon. Paul wrote:
Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For
what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what
communion has light with darkness? And what accord has
Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an
unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with
idols? For you are the temple of the living God. (2
Corinthians 6:14-16)
I believe this is God's present-day call to separate
ourselves from the world and especially the world as it is
increasingly exhibited in the churches. My friend Erwin Lutzer
makes an important observation about the current sad condition
within the American church compared with that of previous eras of
church history:
We have seen the Gospel neglected and even mocked by
religious liberals and nominal Christians. What is different
today is that the message of the cross is being ignored by
those who claim to be saved by its message. At the very time
when the Gospel must be proclaimed most clearly, we are
hearing muffled voices even from some of the great
evangelical pulpits of our land.... We have lost our
intellectual and spiritual center and replaced it with
consumerism, self-help, and the quest for personal
advantage. We are self-absorbed rather than God-absorbed.
As Dr. Lutzer indicates, many Christians today are trying to
live with one foot in Jerusalem and the other in Babylon. But as
Paul tells us, there can be no fellowship between the two cities.
The time has come for those who love God to stop being lovers of
self and worldly pleasures and to become single-focused lovers of
God; to let go of a powerless form of godliness and to separate
ourselves from the Babylonian worldview (see 2 Timothy 3:2,5).
John calls us to separate from Babylon, "lest you share in
her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues" (Revelation 18:4).
This warning tells us that indulging in the practices of
Babylon has consequences, for these practices and the plagues
that accompany them are inevitably paired.
Aside from the accompanying plagues, Babylon's mighty towers
and false spiritual powers can provide us with none of the
security they promise. When we put our trust in financial
investments, government security regulators, bank accounts,
economic growth, or any other human device designed to provide
protection, we can be sure they will ultimately fail us.
On the other hand, shunning Babylon and remaining in God's
city is paired with blessing. The apostle Paul reminds us of
Ezekiel's promise to those who obey God's call: "I will dwell in
them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be
My people" (2 Corinthians 6:16; cf. Ezekiel 37:23, 27).
No tribulation, trial, distress, persecution, famine, loss,
peril, or sword can ever separate us from the love of Christ (see
Romans 8:35). In fact, nothing "shall be able to separate us from
the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:39).
Unlike the bedrock of the world system, which shifts as
frequently as the tectonic plates below Southern California,
God's promises are the sure and solid rock of our faith and
future. While we can grieve at the tragic choices so many make in
choosing Babylon over Jerusalem, our reaction to the destruction
of Babylon must be celebration that good will finally triumph and
that the perennial enemy of God will no longer be able to inflict
evil upon God's people.
......
I can agree with the last paragraphs of David Jeremiah. But I
take it one step further. He and those of the fundamental
Christian religion should look back at their own guys, the old
fundamental Commentaries of the last three hundred years, and see
that the Babylon of Revelation, Babylon Mystery religion is the
Papacy! They should examine what the Roman church has brought on
the world. They should examine the false doctrines of this
religious whore - the immortality of the soul teaching - the ever
burning hell fire where people are in some kind of pain for eternity -
false teaching that Sunday (the first day of the week) is the New
Testament Sabbath - the adoption of this church of pagan Festivals
in-place of God's Festivals as outlined in Leviticus 23 - the wrong
heathen Roman calendar - the wrong form of church "government" -
and many other false teachings that tens of millions have come to
accept as truths .
It is time for fundamental Christians to COME FULLY OUT OF
BABYLON, or they also will receive of the plagues that will bring
death to those in the system of mystery Babylon the great!
Keith Hunt
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