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Babylon's Fate
Reasons to Identify the Great Harlot Nation
BEFORE God's Judgment Goes Forth
"Come out of her, my people,
that you may not participate in her sins and that you may not receive of her
plagues; for her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered
her iniquities." - Revelation 18:4-5
(This article is preceded by
Babylon the Great Harlot - Identifying Babylon by its Biblical Attributes
BEFORE the Great Tribulation.)
The importance of identifying the mysterious
"Babylon the Great Harlot" of end time prophecy is its destiny to be the center stage during
what is arguably the most written about chapter of human events in the Bible --
the great worldwide tribulation that will mark the end of this age. The
tribulation will start with a sudden fiery attack that will seem to abruptly end
its dynasty, and it will end when the last measure of God's wrath destroys this
persistent fountain of evil in the world.
In the meantime, Babylon will be a land of sorrow
and great distress: There will be great famines, plagues, water shortages, and
violence. Yet, all of this will serve as the backdrop for the antichrist
to be revealed as a supposed savior of the troubled nation, and ultimately, the
whole world. Aided by the deception of the false prophet's fake miracles,
the desperate world will be duped into believing He is God's chosen Messiah.
That is, everyone will be fooled except those who know the surprise outcome of
this story through the word of God, and that is what makes understanding what
the Bible says about this latter day Babylon so important.
Foreknowledge of the terrible things coming to the
world will not bring peace of mind, but it will disabuse you of a false sense of
security that will undermine the faith of many, according to Paul:
"While they are saying, "Peace and safety!" then
destruction will come upon them suddenly like birth pangs upon a woman with
child; and they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that
the day should overtake you like a thief; for you are all sons of light and sons
of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; so then let us not sleep as others
do, but let us be alert and sober." - 1 Thessalonians 5:3-6
If you know the storyline of a movie, then plot
twists and turns will neither confuse your discernment between the good guys and
bad guys nor dismantle your knowledge of how the story will turn out, and so it
is with the word of God: When you see the predictions of ancient prophets
played out in the world exactly according to their words, it will naturally
instill confidence that the outcome will also be as scripted...provided you know
the script in advance. A movie is only predictable to those who know the
storyline.
The Beginning of Babylon's Birth Pangs
The birth of the sons of God is the purpose of
creation, and Babylon is the womb.
For we know that up to the present time all of
creation groans with pain, like the pain of childbirth. But it is not just
creation alone which groans; we who have the Spirit as the first of God's gifts
also groan within ourselves as we wait for God to make us his sons and set our
whole being free. - Romans 8:22-23 TEV
In the broadest possible view, "life" is all about
the royal priesthood of resurrected saints that will dominate the world's during
it's last 1,000 years existence. All else that has, is, or ever will occur in
this world is relatively insignificant. This and the horrific events
centered on the new Babylon of Revelation, etc. that are predicted in the Bible
will happen exactly as described and according to the long-before appointed
time. It may seem as surreal to us as I'm sure it has to everyone else who
has considered these things, but the fact remains that these things will be very
real to the generation of that time.
Judgment begins with God's people.
"The time has come for judgment to begin, and God's
own people are the first to be judged." - 1 Peter 4:17 TEV
"Woe to the world for such temptations to sin and
influences to do wrong!" - Matthew 18:7 AMP
In essence, the great tribulation is about God's
judgment of the world, His people in particular. The point is, by analogy,
to separate the wheat from the tares or deliver the child from the mother's
womb, and it is a violent process. The times will manifest the two types
of people there are in the world, the overcomers and everyone else, and the
distinction won't have anything to do with religious affiliations or resumes'.
Overcoming in these times will have a lot more to do with the courage of one's
convictions than what their convictions supposedly are, and few will be able to
withstand the fiery testing of their souls on the horizon.
Matthew 24:1-9
24:1 And Jesus came out from the temple and was going away when His disciples
came up to point out the temple buildings to Him. 2 And He answered and said to
them, "Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone here
shall be left upon another, which will not be torn down."
3 And as He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him
privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the
sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?" 4 And Jesus answered and said
to them, "See to it that no one misleads you. 5 "For many will come in My name,
saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will mislead many. 6 "And you will be hearing of
wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not frightened, for those things must
take place, but that is not yet the end. 7 "For nation will rise against nation,
and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and
earthquakes. 8 "But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.
NASB
Judgment of the Great Harlot Babylon
Revelation 17:16-17
And the ten horns which you saw, and the beast, these will hate the harlot and
will make her desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh and will burn her up
with fire. For God has put it in their hearts to execute His purpose by having a
common purpose, and by giving their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God
should be fulfilled.
• Ten leaders of the government she controls will
execute a conspiracy to overthrow her power over them.
• Their attack against their own people will be fiery in nature and will make
them desolate, humiliated, desperate, and subject to, rather than empowered
over, their leaders.
Revelation 18:8
For this reason in one day her plagues will come, pestilence and mourning and
famine, and she will be burned up with fire; for the Lord God who judges her is
strong.
• Events of one day will cause long-term plagues,
famine, and great sorrow.
• Nature of catastrophe will be fire.
• Will demonstrate that she was only unrivaled in power in the world; the God
she/they have betrayed is stronger.
Revelation 18:9-10
And the kings of the earth, who committed acts of immorality and lived
sensuously with her, will weep and lament over her when they see the smoke of
her burning, standing at a distance because of the fear of her torment, saying,'
Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the strong city! For in one hour your
judgment has come.'
• Written long before even the printing press was
invented, world leaders will “see the smoke of her burning,” apparently in real
time (i.e. electronic media).
• Even allied world leaders will deem the destruction as God’s judgment.
• Allies will lament the tragedy, but will not send help “for fear of her
torment” either causing them harm or happening to them.
• Allied world leaders will recognize the totality of the destruction within one
hour.
Revelation 18:11-17
And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, because no one buys
their cargoes any more;
…And the fruit you long for has gone from you, and all things that were
luxurious and splendid have passed away from you and men will no longer find
them.
…The merchants of these things, who became rich from her, will stand at a
distance because of the fear of her torment, weeping and mourning, saying, 'Woe,
woe, the great city, she who was clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet,
and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls; for in one hour such great
wealth has been laid waste!'
• World business leaders will bemoan the loss of
their best customer and primary source of their own wealth.
• Like political allies, business leaders will stay at a distance for “fear of
her torment,” indicating fear of direct harm or of becoming targets of the
perpetrators of the harlot’s catastrophe.
• In one hour, world business leaders will recognize the annihilation of
harlot’s great wealth; they know she/they will no longer be able to buy all the
material luxuries they sell.
Revelation 18:17-19
And every shipmaster and every passenger and sailor, and as many as make their
living by the sea, stood at a distance, and were crying out as they saw the
smoke of her burning, saying, 'What city is like the great city?'
And they threw dust on their heads and were crying out, weeping and mourning,
saying, 'Woe, woe, the great city, in which all who had ships at sea became rich
by her wealth, for in one hour she has been laid waste!'
• Smoke of destruction will be visible to those in
nearby ships, which are numerous because of all the imports coming into her
ports.
• Ship owners will, like business leaders, bemoan the obvious loss of revenue
the disaster will cause them.
• Eye witnesses will recognize that the harlot has been “laid waste” within one
hour.
Revelation 18:20-24
Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, because
God has pronounced judgment for you against her.
And a strong angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the
sea, saying, Thus will Babylon, the great city, be thrown down with violence,
and will not be found any longer.
• At this point, judgment has been pronounced and
manifested, leaving plague, famine, and sorrow in its wake until ultimately it
is annihilated.
And the sound of harpists and musicians and
flute-players and trumpeters will not be heard in you any longer; and no
craftsman of any craft will be found in you any longer; and the sound of a mill
will not be heard in you any longer; and the light of a lamp will not shine in
you any longer; and the voice of the bridegroom and bride will not be heard in
you any longer;
• In the interim between the initial devastation and
ultimate destruction, dismal times will prevail: Music (associated with joyous
celebrations) won’t be heard, industry will shut down, food will not be
available, general despair and potential power outages, and times so desperate
that there won’t even be any wedding celebrations.
• The last two items may also relate to the lack of spiritual light and hearing
of the word of God, which would be between Christ and the truly faithful saints,
the bride and groom of the story of Revelation.
And in her was found the blood of prophets and of
saints and of all who have been slain on the earth.
• Her judgment avenges the blood of all those she
has persecuted plus all those persecuted in the same spirit in the past. Her
demise marks the end of times where the children of God are persecuted and
killed; thereafter they shall rule and reign as a royal priesthood with Yahshua.
Revelation 16:19
And the great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations
fell. And Babylon the great was remembered before God, to give her the cup of
the wine of His fierce wrath.
• After remarkably enduring a great deal of distress
for a long time, “Babylon” will incur the final blow of Yahweh’s wrath before
the world is literally overtaken by the faithful of the first resurrection.
What is the Great Harlot Called Babylon?
As I said in the opening, there seem to be two commonly held
schools of thought on this: Some say it is a church, while others say it is a
nation, particularly the Roman Catholic Church and the United States,
respectively. Both notions have merit, so it is wise to see how they measure up
to the biblical criteria in contrast to one another.
Below are some of the relevant criteria, each followed by comments as to how the
RCC and U.S. measure on the point:
1. As a feminine symbol representing many diverse people, the harlot does not
symbolize an autonomous head of a nation or church, which would be illustrated
with masculine icons. These people are subject only to God and Christ and have
authority over the beastly government they control, which is why judgment is
justly aimed at them, not the government under them.
RCC – No, Catholics have no voice or vote in the selection of the pope and other
leaders, whose edicts they are officially required to heed at the peril of their
own souls. In other words, it would be appropriate to symbolize the Catholic
Church at large with a feminine icon, but it wouldn’t be correct to show them as
reigning supreme. If the pope and college of cardinals were indicated, the one
on the back of the beast would be masculine, and they, not the people subject to
them, would be the ones being judged.
U.S. – Yes, the collective will of the people determines who their leaders are
and directs and limits what they can do. Moreover, since the electorate is
predominately Christian, they are particularly subject to God’s judgment and
wrath, as the harlot.
2. The “harlot” is the “mother” of many other similar entities.
RCC – Yes, as the original root of most major denominations, this could be said.
U.S. – Yes, given the spread of American-style democratic self-governance in the
latter 20th century, this could be said. Rapid social moral decline amongst the
Western Christian democracies during the same period of time furthers the
comparison.
3. The “harlot” reigns over leaders of other nations.
RCC – No, at least not by any objective measure, though proponents claim that
the pope and Vatican have secretly controlled the world for centuries. Yet, the
supremacy of the harlot is plainly not a secret, but, rather, is acknowledged
from several vantage points besides God’s – international leaders, merchants,
ship owners, passengers and crews on nearby vessels, and even those counted
within her.
U.S. – Yes, it is universally regarded as the only remaining “superpower” in the
world. It has a unrivaled military might and economic strength and is known for
gaining reluctant alliances through the seduction of financial aid, military
support, and coercion. It set-up, hosts, and is the principle financial
supporter of the world’s principle “governing” body, the U.N., and maintains
absolute veto power over all weighty decisions.
4. The “harlot” imports so much in the name of luxury that it makes all ship
owners and innumerable business leaders around the world wealthy.
RCC – No, this could not apply to either the Vatican or Catholics at large.
U.S. – Yes! U.S. imports and trade deficits statistics are staggering and
clearly reveal a nation of mega-consumers of all of the finest things the world
has to offer. The parade of ships bringing goods into U.S. ports is never
ending: One out of four cargo ships headed out of foreign ports is destined to
the U.S., which has less the 5% of the world’s population.
5. Though there are many “harlots,” the “great harlot” is the focus of the great
fiery attack orchestrated by the ten conspirators, so it must refer to a
particular location.
RCC – No, the harlot is a large, definable group of people, not merely the head
of a bunch of subjects, so a strike against the Vatican would not fit the
purposes of the judgment. Catholics are many, but scattered amongst many
nations, so could hardly be the focus of such a great catastrophe.
U.S. – Yes, the U.S. is a country populated by an overwhelming majority of
Christians who collectively hold the reigns of political and cultural power. The
U.S. stands supreme amongst many other nations of similar political and cultural
fabric. It also is home to more Protestants and Catholics than any other nation,
which suits the general nature of God’s wrath against the churches in general,
not just one of them.
Though this is only five points, the Roman Catholic Church is eliminated by
three of them and arguably eliminated by one more. There is no reason,
therefore, to seriously consider it a viable candidate for the identity of the
great harlot of Revelation.
In contrast, the U.S. meets the criteria perfectly on all counts, so the only
reason not to consider it the likely fulfillment of the great harlot foreseen by
John is…well, beyond lack of regard for the word of God and wishful thinking,
there is no reason. Dogmatically cleaving to an alternate theory that doesn’t
accommodate this conclusion is not a good reason to blind oneself to the reality
of this convergence of prophecy and human events.
[Babylon at the pinnacle of its power, BEFORE it's sudden, fiery demise...]
"I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, full of blasphemous
names, having seven heads and ten horns. ...And the ten horns which you
saw are ten kings, who have not yet received a kingdom, but they receive
authority as kings with the beast for one hour."
[Babylon revived, AFTER it's demise and BEFORE the rise of the antichrist, a
marvel to the world...]
"I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven
heads, and on his horns were ten diadems, and on his heads were blasphemous
names. And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet
were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. And the
dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority."
- Rev 17:3, 12, 13:1-2
[The militaristic "shaggy goat" vision of Babylon and its leader/government
at its pinnacle of power, just BEFORE and AFTER being broken and scattered to
four separate authorities...]
" ...a male goat was coming from the west over the surface of the whole
earth without touching the ground; and the goat had a conspicuous horn between
his eyes. 6 And he came up to the ram that had the two horns, which I had seen
standing in front of the canal, and rushed at him in his mighty wrath. 7 And I
saw him come beside the ram, and he was enraged at him; and he struck the ram
and shattered his two horns, and the ram had no strength to withstand him. So
he hurled him to the ground and trampled on him, and there was none to rescue
the ram from his power.
"Then the male goat magnified himself exceedingly. But as soon as he was
mighty, the large horn was broken; and in its place there came up four
conspicuous horns toward the four winds of heaven. And out of one of
them came forth a rather small horn which grew exceedingly great toward the
south, toward the east, and toward the Beautiful Land. And it grew up to the
host of heaven and caused some of the host and some of the stars to fall to
the earth, and it trampled them down. - Dan 8:5-10
[Another vision of Babylon AFTER its fiery demise -- the great sea of people
she represented stirred by four winds of heaven -- and the four-way partitioning
of governmental authority that follows...]
"I was looking in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of
heaven were stirring up the great sea. And four great beasts were
coming up from the sea, different from one another. The first was
like a lion and had the wings of an eagle. I kept looking until its wings were
plucked, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet
like a man; a human mind also was given to it. And behold, another
beast, a second one, resembling a bear. And it was raised up on one side, and
three ribs were in its mouth between its teeth; and thus they said to it,
'Arise, devour much meat!' After this I kept looking, and behold,
another one, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird; the
beast also had four heads, and dominion was given to it.
"After this I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast,
dreadful and terrifying and extremely strong; and it had large iron teeth. It
devoured and crushed, and trampled down the remainder with its feet; and it
was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.
While I was contemplating the horns, behold, another horn, a little one, came
up among them, and three of the first horns were pulled out by the roots
before it; and behold, this horn possessed eyes like the eyes of a man, and a
mouth uttering great boasts..." - Dan 7:2-8
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