JOHN THE REVELATOR SAW BABYLON, CAPITOL OF THE ANTICHRIST, OBLITERATED
”
REBUILT BABYLON IS YET TO BE TOTALLY DESTROYED IN BIBLICAL FULFILLMENT. A few brave souls have preached that the prophesied destruction of Babylon is yet future. Most Bible scholars have chosen the least controversial route of the convenient interpretation. They have taught that the great prediction of her destruction was complete in the past and this city could never have a future. They cited such passages as, “And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees’ excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there.” (Isaiah 13:19-20) It certainly sounds convincing unless you take the many prophesies in other scriptures, especially the Book of Revelation.
When the Lord gave Apostle John this incredible masterpiece called Revelation, Babylon was still a great city. He was shown nothing of its destruction which did not occur until after the fifth century. Babylon became a cultural center for the Jewish world after all the Jews were driven from Jerusalem by the Roman Government in the last years of the first century. One of the great Jewish literary publications is called “The Babylonian Talmud” and was written and/or compiled in that city about 500 A.D. Apostle Peter spoke of the Christian Church that was active in Babylon and had an excellent reputation. “The Church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you; and so doth Marcus my son.” (I Peter 5:13)
It is absolutely imperative that Babylon be rebuilt and once again heralded as the great city. God’s finale judgment cannot be complete unless the judgment equals the offence. It is not acceptable for Him to judge something that symbolizes the offender. His judicial excellence requires perfect justice in complete harmony with the sin and rebellion that is judged. He cannot judge you for someone else because you favor them. Babylon will be judged for her sin and stubbornness against the government and Holiness of God.
The Babylonian wickedness introduced three major systems in opposition to God’s rule of His creation. All three of these systems have continued from that day and have been the means of great evil and human catastrophe. Every cruelty known to man has sprung from one of these systems. They were expressed in earlier towns of Sumer, Assyria, Persia and Egypt, etc., but were made fashionable by Babylon. Understanding these systems is imperative to this article and the rise of Babylon.
First System: Babylon made pagan religions fashionable. They took the base and deplorable idea of Pantheism (matter as a series of gods representing every act or expression of nature) and elevated all of it to an art form. They incorporated art, drama, and music until the pagan ideas were beautifully represented in the highest expression of their culture. It literally overwhelmed the populace and they gave it their soul. Then they added sexual and carnal satisfaction with great feast days, celebrations and pleasurable religious expressions, including sexual orgies and temple prostitution. The religious life became the center of the cultures and the King was transformed into a god. The whole idea is a perfect picture of the New Age religion so popular today. It is religious Babylon seen in Revelation chapter seventeen and being joined by every religious system of our present world.
Second System: Second, Babylon took the ideas of the city-states as known in Ur, Uruk and many other small cities and gave it a philosophical and intellectual form. They raised government to a system of bureaucracies which permanently established control over the populace. They brought in representation from conquered small states and trained them to serve as their bureaucrats and then used them to control their own people. Building giant forms of bureaucracies they made the people dependent on government. As government met human needs, it took on a godlike form. The state became all powerful and the people gave up their independence.
Third System: Iraq today brags about the kind of educational system and inventions it gave the world through the Sumerian and Babylonian periods. Here is their own description: “What is known is that they were a tremendously gifted and imaginative people. Their language, linguistically related to no other, ancient or modern, is preserved for us through the thousands of clay tablets on which they inscribed and developed the first writing as yet known to man. Fortunately, the Sumerians were prolific writers and meticulous record-keepers: these tablets richly describe their existence. With the invention of writing the simple village life could evolve into complex civilization. They developed schools for an educated elite and for the many scribes who were needed for all the record-keeping and letter-writing they liked to do. Not only business records were written down but also the first numbers, calendars, literature, laws, agricultural methods, pharmacopoeias, personal notes, maps, jokes, curses, religious practices, and thousands of lists and inventories of all manner of human interests.” (Historical Iraq)
They made education a responsibility of the state and used it to promote state control. The educated elite came to claim authority and wisdom above the common people. Through the elitist educational system they were able to control thought and intellectual development. When government operates the educational program you have the fox in the hen house. It all takes on the form of the all powerful state and squelches independent thinking so intrinsic to personal responsibility and true faith in God. These three systems are destined to be judged in the very geography of their origination and this is exactly what we are fighting in our world and especially America at this very moment.
But the Bible says, “BABYLON THE GREAT IS FALLEN, IS FALLEN.” This is an incredible statement. If it appears only once in the Bible it would be powerful and dependable, but it’s more than a statement, it’s a theme. Babylon is destined for a specific act of God that will cause the whole earth to wonder. No doubt will be left that God the Creator had the last word. Look at the expression in this statement, “And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen…” (Revelation 18:2a) Our God intends to show this act to the whole world.
Again in Revelation chapter fourteen we have almost the exact words. The setting of this expression is an overview of the time of judgment. The exact words are, “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.” (Revelation 14:8) This statement was made in conjunction with the worship of the Antichrist and his image, the mark of the beast given to Satan’s initiates and to God’s great wrath against those who worship the devil and his cohorts.
What is striking is that these same words appear in Isaiah’s treatment of the judgment of Babylon. “And, behold, here cometh a chariot of men, with a couple of horsemen. And he answered and said, Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all the graven images of her gods he hath broken unto the ground.” (Isaiah 21:9) Everywhere in scripture that such exact phraseology is used we know that the Holy Spirit is arresting our attention. The wording is powerful proof that Isaiah and John are talking about the same judgment. We cannot ignore this fact.
Jeremiah made a similar statement by saying, “Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed: howl for her; take balm for her pain…” (Jeremiah 51:8) In all four of these predictions of destruction, suddenness is clearly a factor. Babylon is to be destroyed in a devastating blow of judicial expression. Historical facts clearly demonstrate that this has never happened. Her finely baked bricks have been used for centuries to build other buildings in the vicinity. A large town within visible sight named Hilliah is almost completely constructed of bricks with the name Nebuchadnezzar stamped in them. The area is a lively community of businessmen, professionals, educators, farmers, herdsmen, and Iraqi governmental functions. God’s word is specific when describing the final and complete judgment. It has not happened, but it will.
We must see John’s final vision of the end of this wicked city. “And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. 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. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.” (Revelation 18:1-3)
The Apostle is not just describing this city but her influence over the world. The present picture is all over the political spectrum, but I speak of what we see in America. It is an arrogance against the true God and His Son Jesus Christ and everything of moral values. “How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her. And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning, 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. And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more: The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble…” (Revelation 18:7-12)
And now comes the end of Babylon and every part of this universe that reject the truth of the Holy Bible. “And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all. And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee; And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived. And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.” (Revelation 18:21-24) It’s almost over, everything but the shouting of His Saints.
The most powerful subject in Holy Scripture is, “YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN”. Yet it is so reduced in today’s Church that the majority of Church members do not know the transformation that occurs. If a person is “BORN AGAIN” they are “New Creatures In Christ”. Please take time to listen to the Sermons I am preaching on this subject. “For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.” (I Corinthians 1:21) God’s plan for saving souls is the preaching of the Gospel and there is no backup plan. We will send a FREE CD Sermon to every person that requests it. Go to the Home page and at the top there is a section called, “SANCTUARY SERMONS”. Call us at 1 704 391 0588 or toll free 1 800 338 7883. Our e-mail is secretary@pawcreek.org .
Jill Williams
Oh Thank You for this most inspiring message. Whow you have really searched the scripture and came up with intellectual information..I can’t wait thill the Rapture comes. Hope it is before this month f May is over.
Sincerely,
Jill Wms
catherine
The Babylon that is spoken of in Revelation has always reminded me of The United States. Could it be the U.S.? Is this Babylon in Revelation to be taken as the literal Babylon?
Bill Andrews
Dear Pastor Chambers,
Just as John said, “This calls for a mind with WISDOM”. In other words. there is something here that is not going to be what it appears to be but the elect through the Holy Spirit will figure it out. Babylon of Revelation is undoubtedly Rome, the center of phase one and phase two of the roman empire.
Rome is the city that sits on 7 hills just as John said. You can find it all over the net with only a casual check. Iraq has no city that sits on 7 hills. There also is no sea port anywhere near Babylon in Iraq. But there is in Rome. For that is where chapter 18 of Revelation says the merchants and ship captains will stand and weep as they witness the total destruction by fire of this city.
And, in the last part of chapter 17 John says that “this is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth”. In the original greek it should be in the present tense which would be “is reigning over the kings of the earth. We all know that Rome was ruling over the known world when John penned these words.
Also, if John would have came right out and directly wrote of the coming destruction of Rome he would have been put to death for sure by the empire, hence the code name Babylon. A perfect description for Rome and its apostate church thats carried all the characteristics of pagan Babylon throughout the centuries, not to mention all the blood on its hands from killing those opposed to it (William Tyndale to name one).
And lastly, if we have to wait for Babylon in Iraq to be rebuilt before Christ returns we can all forget about Him returning in our lifetimes. For the world economic and political seat of power to move to Babylon in Iraq after its rebuilt would take decades at least. Were talking about a major process here. On top of interpreting the Bible litterally we must also use common sense and realistic sense.
Everytime UNESCO or another group polishes up an ancient babylonian relic or ruin the Babylon (in Iraq) watchers shout to the rooftops but ancient ruins for tourists they come to are hardly Wallstreet in Iraq.
It is my belief that Babylon has to be Rome for several reasons. These are just a few.
If indeed Babylon in Iraq is the Babylon of Revelation then i’ve just lost all my hope of ever seeing Christ’s glorious return in my lifetime.
Very humble regards, Bill Andrews
Keith Black
THE COUNTERFEIT CHURCH AND THE COUNTERFEIT “HOUSE OF DAVID”
Dear Joe Chambers,
The Catholic Church in Rome is the very heart of the BABYLON SYSTEM. The roots to the Roman Catholic Church is from Babylon of Iraq. The name of Nimrod got changed to Jupiter, and then to “PETER”. Semiramis got changed to MARY or MARIA or MADONNA. In the BABYLONIAN CATHOLIC CHURCH in Chaldean days. Nebuchadnezzar was the Pope. POPE NEBUCHADNEZZAR sometimes got EXCESSIVELY PROUD. PRIDE IS A DANGEROUS INTOXICANT JUST LIKE LIQUOR. It even made the highest ANGEL LUCIFER DRUNK. Pride makes people careless and wreckless, and they do stupid things. God had to SEND POPE NEBUCHADNEZZAR INTO A 7 YEAR EXILE TO BRING HIM TO HIS SENSES. He finally repented and accepted Jesus. He got saved. He tried to warn his grandson BELCHAZZAR about the the dangers of pride intoxication and sin that comes with it. But his grandson Belchazzar would not listen to him. Later BELCHAZZAR HAD A NEW ORLEANS MARDI-GRAS STYLE PARTY WITH THE DISHES FROM THE JEWISH TEMPLE. If you ever heard of or saw Mardi-Gras in New Orleans, it is very wild THE WOMEN ALONG THE PARADE ROUTES TAKE THEIR CLOTHES OFF, HOPING THAT SOMEONE IN THE PARADE WOULD THROW THEM SOME NECKLACES. BABYLON OF BELCHAZZAR WAS THE NEW ORLEANS OF THE MIDEAST. Like NEW ORLEANS there was wild sexual behavior, drinking and drugs. What really made it bad was that Belchazzar used the dishes from the Jewish temple to hold his WILD MARDI-GRAS STYLE PARTY ON BOURBON ST IN BABYLON. JUST LIKE ORLEANS. What he did was like the folks in NEW ORLEANS STEALING THE LORD’S SUPPER DISHES OUT OF THE LOCAL CHURCHES AND USING IT IN THE BARS ON BOURBON STREET FOR MARDI-GRAS PARTIES. So god put hes own VERSION OF A BRIGHTLY LIT NEON SIGN OF FIRE ON THE WALL IN THE PALACE BAR. The writing on the wall was the first lighted sign. Belchazzar was killed by the Persians that night. Babylon was taken.
SIncerely,
Keith Black
Violet Leigh
Why is the scripture so clear to so many of us when you expound on it? I think that The Holy Spirit makes it manifest to us when we are born again. Again, thank you for this message.
Ed Wood
Pastor Joseph, I think you have absolutely hit the target regarding the role of Babylon in history and what it will be in the future. I,too, accept literally the Bible’s representations that the city of Bablyon will become the capitol of the Antichrist’s empire.
Saddam Hussein in his megalomanical desire to become “Nebuchadnezzar II” had already started rebuilding the ancient ruins of Babylon. Now imagine what a ruler with all the world’s resources at his command could do. I believe an enitre new city could be constructed in a matter of months. To get an idea, take a look at present-day Middle Eastern building projects in places like Qatar, Saudi Arabia and other oil-rich countries which were funded by petro-dollars and the relatively short time it took to create them.
Consider, too, the strategic location of Babylon – right at the heart of the Middle East oil production and transportation centers. Every time there is even a rumor of the flow of oil from the Persion Gulf being interrupted, the price of it this commodity jumps. Imagine the effect on the world of one man who can actually shut down the supply at will for real.
All the related things tied to Babylon are, as Pastor Joseph said, already under way. So, when the “man of sin” shows up, he’ll find the groundwork already has already been done for him to take over.
But by them those who believe in Jesus will already be gone.
Eric
I must agree that Babylon is actually Rome. Rome has been the focus of evil for centuries.
It is the city on seven hills, it is the home of Catholic system, and the Jews knew them only by their oppression and cruelty. Not to mention the fact that they played a prominent role in the execution of Christ. I believe that Daniel indicates that the anti Christ is Roman. He says that the man of lawlessness is ‘of they that destroyed the temple’ The temple was destroyed by Roman generals Titus and Vespatain in 70 A.D.
Again, why would a ship captain bemoan the destruction of a land-locked city? Rome is a port city.
Forget about Richardsons Islamic anti-Christ, forget about rebuilding a ancient ruin (like Bill A. says, how is that going to happen between now and the rapture, or even during the 7 year tribulation?? there is not nearly enough time for all that the Bible describes for ‘Babylon’ to be anything other than Rome. All roads lead to Rome.
jaimie
Dear Pastor
Just reading Isaiah again and most heartily agree with your synopsis of how the government of Babylon has propagated itself throughout our world and throughout time without ceasing.
Canada is part of Babylon (we have no control of abortion, may be done at any time,0-40 weeks, what ever goes) so Catherine , we are all in this together.
When we come out of Babylon ( her; the mystery religion) we have to leave our worldy beliefs behind
or stand in the way of our Lord’s judgement. We will be lead out just like Lot’s wife, do we need to turn back to her? No! PCM has the Holy Spirit to help us see these things through these tracts.
Let us draw water from our own well.
What clear thinking Pastor, you hit the nail on the head.
God Bless
jaimie
Byron
Dear Pastor,
I’m not sure, if what your saying is right (i’m not sure) would mean that the fall of America would take place and sometime after that Daniels 70th wk – i don’t see Babylon (Iraq) becoming a busyling city anytime soon. I do have a strong feeling that if this year proves not what is expected for 012 many will be open for a real deception globally, many will be discredited (not you). Also it will get very ugly for all true believers if the ‘blessed hope’ is not for sometime now. We Christians will have (we do) our work cut out, either way, the Lord tells us that this life is a vapor compared to all eternity, in fact (maybe over milenia) we are told that this life here on earth will be forgotten, that is very awesome if you think about it. The Lord will be blowing our minds forever on His abilities and we will be praising Him!
may God
bless you all
& have a blessed
Memorial weekend
Bob
Message:
Your article about Babylon being the Iraqi city, is embarrassing,
maybe if we wait 100 yr. for Babylon to develop into a world power,
then we might seriously consider it. This Babylon spoken about in
Revelation is called Mystery Babylon, if its talking about the Iraqi
city, you would not need to say mystery. When you walk through Rev. 18
slowly, you see this Babylon has deep sea ports. We are told to come
out of her, are there any Christians left in Iraq. All of the wealth
that the world enjoyed vs. 11-17, again if we waited 100 yrs., this
could be considered. The fact is that we are now ( not 100 yrs. ] on
top of the end times. If you look closely you can easily see this
Mystery Babylon is the U.S., it can\’t be anything else.
jaimie
Dear Pastor
Respectfully.
Please advise Bob & Byron not to forget that that Babylon is also referred to as “The Lady of Nations” in Isaiah too. New York sits on 7 hills too, so do about 30 or 40 other cities.
God Bless
jaimie
Ed Branch
The fact that Babylon has never been completely destroyed and never completely uninhabited is a key point. In about 540 B.C. The Medes defeated Babylon and she fell into ruins, but not completely as described by by Isaiah 13:20, Jeremiah 51:43, and Revelation 18:21. However,rebuilt Babylon will be destroyed just as described in these cited references (“It shall never be inhabited,” “a land wherein no man dwelleth,” and “and shall be found no more at all”). The total destruction of Babylon has not yet taken place, and that fact cannot be ignored.