CHAPTER 15
Because Iraq is the site of ancient Babylon, many wondered if the recent Persian Gulf War indicated a prophesied rebirth of that empire. That is not surprising because there are scores of Biblical prophecies about Babylon which have not yet been fulfilled. So, almost overnight the bookshelves were lined with publications on Iraq and its malevolent leader.
Before examining those unfulfilled prophecies, we need a short review of the history of ancient Babylon, which dates back to 4000 B.C. Genesis records that Nimrod, the great-grandson of Noah, founded the city of Babel (later Babylon). At that time everyone spoke the same language. Under Nimrod's leadership, men sought to defy God's command to spread out and "fill the earth" (see Genesis 9:1).
As an act of defiance, they decided to build a mighty city with a tower that reached the heavens. Perhaps they thought it might cause the people of Babel to stay put, rather than allowing themselves to become scattered. God countered by confusing their speech. (As an aside, one of the weaknesses of the theory of evolution is that it can't explain the origin of the world's many languages.) Since that time, there has not been another worldwide revolt against God. That, of course, will change when Antichrist comes to power.
In 612 B.C. King Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the Assyrian capitol of Ninevah. Two years later he defeated the last remnant of Assyrian forces. For the next 70 years, Babylon reigned supreme over the known world. In 539 B.C., however, it was challenged by Cyrus the Great of Persia. By that time, Babylon's king had demoralized its citizens by bringing numerous idols representing strange new gods into the city. That led to the defection of a Babylonian general, who then led Cyrus' armies into the territory. After losing the initial battle with Cyrus' forces, the Babylonian king fled, and the city was captured without a fight.
Cyrus was by nature a tolerant man, and he ordered that neither Babylon nor its outlying cities be harmed. His soldiers were instructed to respect the religion of the Babylonian people and to restrain from terrorizing them. Cyrus then established himself as king of Babylon and installed his son as his personal representative. It is important to realize that Babylon was neither destroyed, nor treated harshly by Cyrus. From that time until the reign of Alexander the Great (331 B.C.), Babylon continued to decline. Alexander desired to restore the city to its ancient glory, but he died before the restoration began. By 100 B.C., Babylon was in ruins. Today, only a small community exists on the site.
At first glance many Old Testament prophecies about Babylon are confusing. That's because they don't agree with the historical record of ancient Babylon. For that reason, most teachers believe those prophecies refer to some future "Babylon." Here are some of the prophecies which clearly do not fit the ancient empire of Babylon.
From Jeremiah:
And from Isaiah:
In an earlier chapter we addressed a problem for the Old Testament prophets: that is, how to identify future countries. Seeing visions of events two or three thousand years in the future, they were at a loss to identify the people in those prophesies. So, they improvised. Sometimes they used the name of the contemporary nation in the same location. Other times they borrowed the name of a country with similar traits.
With that in mind, we will see why the prophets named the empire of the last days, "Babylon the Great." In the visions of this End Time empire, they doubtless saw striking similarities with ancient Babel (from whence came Babylon).
By calling it Babylon, the prophets revealed much about the kind of empire we should expect. In other words, the name was descriptive. I do not believe, as some do, that the name Babylon implies modern Iraq will become a dominant world power in the last days.
Let's now turn to Revelation 17 and 18, the sections which contain the most extensive New Testament treatment on End Time Babylon. It should be mentioned that this passage was written more than 600 years after ancient Babylon was defeated by Cyrus the Great.
The first thing we notice is a harlot who sits on many waters. The waters where the harlot sits are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues. (Verse 17:15). The harlot is "sitting on a scarlet beast, full of blasphemous names, and having seven heads and ten horns." The scarlet beast is Satan, "the great red dragon." The harlot is further described as wearing expensive clothes of purple and scarlet, and she is adorned with gold and precious stones. We are then told about a gold cup in her hand. Because of the harlot's great wealth you might expect the cup to contain an expensive wine, but it is instead "full of abominations and of the unclean things of her immorality."
These verses suggest that through the harlot, evil has run rampant. This idea is confirmed by a mystery message written on her forehead. Remember, in the Bible a mystery always indicates that the meaning can only be supplied by God. Here is what was written on her forehead:
Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots and of the abominations of the earth (Revelation 17:5).
For the meaning of this mystery message, we let God explain the symbols. The most important one is the harlot. She is "the great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth" (Revelation 17:18). Because the harlot is sitting on the scarlet beast, Satan is viewed as supporting or promoting her. That means Satan is the driving force behind this End Time empire. What is his motive in promoting Babylon? The mystery message on the woman's forehead provides two answers.
One need not be a rocket scientist to determine that only one nation fits these Old and New Testament prophecies. No country in history can match the United States in either commerce or military power, and none can approach its influence among the nations. Add to that the prominent history of slavery and the fact that America "dwells on many waters," and you've got a strong case for the U.S. of A.
But that is not all. Consider America's "success" in fostering cults: Mormonism, Jehovah's Witness, Armstrongism, Theosophy, Humanism, Christian Science, and a thousand New Age beliefs.
And what about abominations? In every category the United States is among the worst offenders. Ruth Graham once commented that it would be a slap in the face to Sodom and Gomorrah if God didn't judge America—and we've fallen a long way since then! Just how bad is America's record? According to David Barton, the United States has become number-one-in-the-world in the following categories:
In his remarkable book, America: To Pray or Not to Pray, Mr. Barton pin-points the event which began America's downward slide. By way of background, Barton showed that America's Founding Fathers (as well as the courts) believed individuals and nations were accountable to God. Engraved inside the Jefferson Memorial is a quotation which typifies the attitude of the nation's founders. Speaking on the evils of slavery, Jefferson said, "Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just and that His justice cannot sleep forever."
In spite of that heritage, in 1962 the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that "Prayer in the public school system breaches the constitutional wall of separation between Church and State." Without warning, and without legal or historical precedent, that Court repudiated two centuries of previous rulings, ordering that prayer be removed from public schools. Since then, Bible readings, the Ten Commandments, and invocations have also been banned.
You ask, how could this have happened? The framers of the Constitution were familiar with the abuses of the Anglican church in England. For that reason, they wished to deny the government the power to establish any Christian denomination as the State Religion. To that end, they passed the First Amendment, which simply says,
Congress shall make no law regarding the establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.
Incredibly, the 1962 decision, which obviously PROHIBITS the free exercise of religion, was decided solely on the basis of the First Amendment—which was written to INSURE the free exercise of religion! Even more amazing, however, is the extent of America's moral decline since that 1962 ruling. In his book, Mr. Barton documents that the incidents of teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, divorce, violent crime, drug abuse, and illiteracy have all skyrocketed since the Court removed prayer from the public schools. In fact, the only thing which has come down are student SAT scores!
Judging by President Clinton's agenda, the situation is not likely to improve. To this point, his moral legacy includes vigorously promoting abortion at home and abroad and pressuring the armed services to drop their bans on homosexuals.
Will this trend be reversed? Will current U.S. leaders come to fear God's judgment in the same way Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln did? Will the Supreme Court realize the impending peril it has brought upon the land and depart from its anti-God decisions of the past 30 years? The chance of these happening is nil.
But is it too late to elect God-fearing leaders—men such as former Vice-President Quayle or Senator Don Nickles of Oklahoma? Even if that was possible, it would not lead to a revival of America's Godly heritage. Why? Because the word of prophecy leaves no doubt as to the future condition of Babylon the Great:
And she [Babylon] has become the dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit... For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality (Revelation 18:2-3).
For these reasons, Babylon is going to be burned to the ground! The Bible says her destruction will be sudden, and it will be utterly complete.
...for in one hour such great wealth has been laid waste! And every shipmaster and every passenger and sailor, 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... (Revelation 18:17-18).
Cataloging the abominations of Babylon, it is easy to see why God would destroy such an empire. However, He is not the one who destroys Babylon. When her sins have reached the heavens, God will summon an enemy for that task. At that time, He will cause Antichrist and his puppet kings to have a common purpose with Him—that is, the annihilation of Babylon. When God chooses, He will put in Antichrist's heart the desire to eradicate this rival world power.
Apparently the destruction will take place in a single hour. Antichrist's forces will launch a surprise attack, against which Babylon has no defense. Remember, no country is able to wage war against him. From Jeremiah, Chapter 50, we even know the symbolic names of some of the kingdoms which will attack Babylon! From verses 27-28;
And the arrogant one [Babylon] will stumble and fall with no one to raise him up; And I shall set fire to his cities, and it will devour all his environs [surrounding parts] (Jeremiah 50:32).
And Babylon, the beauty of kingdoms, the glory of the Chaldeans' pride, will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah (Isaiah 13:19).
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" (Revelation 18:21).
According to the Bible there are three reasons why God will cause the destruction of Babylon the Great: her pride, her sin, and her treatment of the Jews.
1. Babylon's Pride
Tracing the course of God's relations with Babylon we see a sad, lamentable decline. In her youth Babylon was "tender and delicate," (see Isaiah 47:1) meaning she was pleasing in the sight of the Lord. Then she began to change. Her superior knowledge (technology?) caused Babylon to rise above the other nations until she became as the queen of the world. Because of her great wealth and power, Babylon thought of herself as invincible.
Now then, hear this, you sensual one, who dwells securely, who says in your heart, "I am, and there is no one else besides me. I shall not sit as a widow, nor shall I know the loss of children" (Isaiah 47:8).
For she says in her heart, "I sit as a queen and am not a widow, and will never see mourning." For this reason in one day her plagues will come, pestilence and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire (Revelation 18:7-8).
2. Babylon's Sin
As every redeemed sinner knows, the Lord is a merciful God. If left to us, the judgment of ungodly men would have begun long ago. But our God is patient and long suffering, "for He does not wish for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance." Remarkably, God is still dealing with Babylon with a view toward restoring her. Even at this late hour, there is opportunity for Babylon to be healed. As the end approaches, God will send greater and greater judgments upon her. Their purpose will not be to destroy, but to warn Babylon to repent.
The means God will use are the six trumpets of judgment. They are listed in Chapters 8-9 in the Book of the Revelation. By design these judgments are strong medicine. They are also the last chance for Babylon the Great. Amazingly, even in the midst of judgment, Babylon is given every opportunity to be healed.
Suddenly Babylon has fallen and been broken; Wail over her! Bring balm for her pain; perhaps she may be healed (Jeremiah 51:8).
So severe are the trumpet judgments that a third of mankind is killed. Will this final redemptive overture by the Lord be successful? Will Babylon humble herself and pray so God will heal her land? On this the prophets are in one accord. She will not turn back to God!
We applied healing to Babylon, but she was not healed... (Jeremiah 51:9).
Finally, the time will come when God's patience is finished. Babylon's sins will pile up to the heavens, and then God will remember all her iniquities. In that day, the WRATH OF GOD will be poured out on the great city, and from her the smoke will rise up "forever and ever." (Revelation 19:3).
3. Babylon's Treatment of the Jews
The final reason for the demise of Babylon is its treatment of the Jews. You might question whether the U.S. has ever harmed the Jewish people. After all, it is obvious they have prospered here. So much so, that 40% of Jewry is American. What's more, America has been Israel's greatest ally. Although U.S. support for Israel's independence was hardly enthusiastic, American Jews played a significant role. But since then, the U.S. has been a consistent supporter. Former Prime Minister Golda Meir expressly credited President Nixon with saving Israel during the 1973 Yom Kippur War.
So, considering the historical record, you might ask how could America be in jeopardy? The problem does not lie in the past, but in the future. Already, there have been ominous signs of change. Until recently, the U.S. had never voted against Israel in the United Nations. In 1990 that distinction vanished.
There is more. Although not an actual participant in the Gulf War, Israel was continually the focus of attention. First, Iraq tried to justify its invasion of Kuwait by linking it to the plight of the Palestinians. Only the French were willing to accept that sophistic argument. President Bush knew there was no connection and responded appropriately. Then Hussain committed one of many blunders. He decided to launch missiles aimed at Israel's civilian population. For the first time in memory, Israel was actually praised in the world press, and the Nation gained much popular support.
By the war's end, not much had changed in the Middle East. Kuwait was liberated, and Iraq was sent home in disgrace. The most significant change, it seems, came on the other side of the world. Overnight, America was acknowledged as the strongest military power on earth, the "hammer of the whole world." The Soviet Union's vaunted technology had proved no match for America's arsenals.
Perhaps even more significant though, was the new role America assumed in prophecy. In the aftermath of the Gulf War, it appears that America embarked on the third and final leg towards judgment. The country's sin was already a matter of record, and if her pride had not offended God before the war, it probably did afterward. All that remained, prophetically speaking, was for America to turn against Israel. As we have already developed, the seeds of that turn have now been sown. Thanks to the policies of Bush and Baker, America embarked on a course of fulfilling its ignominious prophetic role in the last days. For a Biblical perspective of where our former leaders chose to take us, let's look at a prophecy on Babylon's treatment of the Jews. Here are God's words to that End Time empire spoken through the Prophet Isaiah:
I was angry with My people, I profaned My heritage, and gave them into your hand. You did not show mercy to them... (Isaiah 47:6).
In the aftermath of the Persian Gulf War, the power of the United States was unchallenged. America was in a position to influence Middle East policy as few others in history. Without warning, Israel's destiny was literally placed in the hands of America—heretofore its greatest ally. Did America embrace the opportunity to bless Abraham's descendants? Unfortunately, the Bush administration declined, choosing instead to pressure Israel to consider giving up land for peace (which violates God's covenant concerning the land).
As an aside, Bush's policies on Israel may have had more to do with his election loss than anything else. Until his highly publicized turn against Israel, his popularity was astronomical. Voters seemed willing to overlook the callow breaking of his pledge on new taxes. But from the point he took his ill-advised stance on Israel, Bush's campaign floundered. As it turned out, the one pledge which was not broken was God's to Abraham. "I [God] will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you, I will curse." (Genesis 12:3). Incidentally, Clinton apparently learned nothing from Bush's mistake, as evidenced by his participation in the recent agreements between Israel and the PLO.
Now the question arises, will we return to our previous course of blessing Abraham's descendants? Will we show them mercy? Prophecy tells us we will not.
A case can be made that outright persecution of Jews is coming to this land. The Bible says that when Antichrist takes over, he will seek to destroy the Jews. It follows that he will be particularly active in America, since that's where most of the Jews are! According to Scripture, however, that persecution will not be limited to Jews. The description of the harlot in Revelation 17:6 should serve as an ominous warning to the Gentile followers of Messiah as well.
And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus.
This indicates the blood of Jews, as well as the witnesses of Jesus, will be flowing freely—it will not be an isolated incident. This passage, as well as 6:9, 12:17, 13:7, 13:15, and 14:13, leaves no doubt that many will die for their faith. What's more, End Time Babylon will probably be one the worst offenders.
Our problem is what to do with that knowledge. The most creative approach has been to say it won't affect anyone who is now in the church. Martyrdom, it is argued, is only for a future group of believers known as the "tribulation saints." Undoubtedly that position tickles the ears of the church, and most believers are overjoyed to hear that they will be raptured early so as to escape all this End Time persecution.
But what if that teaching is wrong? Millions of believers will be in the fight of their lives without any preparation. With the stakes so high, it seems wise to err on the side of caution. After all, what is the downside if, in fact, the rapture does put the church out of harm's way?
We applied healing to Babylon, but she was not healed; FORSAKE HER AND LET US EACH GO TO HIS OWN COUNTRY, for her judgment has reached to heaven (Jeremiah 51:9).
We have already mentioned that for the Jewish people, there appears to be a standing order to return to Israel. And increasingly, the dispersed Jews are responding (with the notable exception of American Jews). The Jewish Agency reports that as of October 1990, over 1,163,000 Soviet Jews held valid entry visas. As another example, every single Ethiopian Jew has now emigrated to Israel. Along these lines, it is likely that God's future judgments on Babylon (America) will have another underlying objective. That is, to force her Jews to return to the land of Israel.
But what does all this mean to Gentile followers of Messiah in America? What are they to do as the last days approach? Remembering the ominous warning about the harlot drunk with the blood of the saints makes this is a gripping question (see Revelation 17:6).
One possible answer is moving to Israel. Some Gentile believers have already attached themselves to the land, and that movement will likely increase. At present, that is not a simple process, but in the last days two remarkable men, known as the two witnesses, will do wonders to bridge the gap between ethnic Israel and Messiah's followers.
To some believers, moving to Israel might seem like a giant step backwards. After all, for 20 centuries we have been trying to bring Jews into "our" religion. But in reality, that is a long way from the Biblical model. Listen to the way Paul described the conversion of the Gentiles:
Remember that you [Gentiles] were at that time separate from Messiah, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Jesus the Messiah you who formerly were FAR OFF have been brought NEAR by the blood of Messiah. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens... (Ephesians 2:12-13,19).
Is it possible that our understanding of conversion has been out of focus? Paul seems to be making a case that Gentile believers are drawn to Israel and the land—not the other way around. As stated, the New Covenant is after all, Israel's. As a general rule, when Gentile believers grasp the ramifications of that New Covenant, their affinity toward Israel grows spontaneously. (This is especially so when they learn of their possible ancestral kinship as descendants of Jacob.)
There is another reason many Gentile believers will move to Israel. When Antichrist assumes control, Israel will be the only place they will feel safe. After Satan is cast down to earth he immediately goes after the Jews, but according to the Bible, they will be protected in a "wilderness prepared by God." There He will nurture His people during the 42 months of Satan's war against them. In all likelihood, the land of Israel is that wilderness. Frustrated over his failure to destroy the Jews, what does Satan do? He turns his attention to those "who hold to the testimony about Jesus." When that persecution starts in earnest, Israel will sound awfully appealing to beleaguered Gentile believers.
For the present, however, most should probably stay put—unless the Lord leads otherwise. You see, believers are not to make decisions based on fear. As you will learn in future chapters, God will provide remarkable spiritual resources for surviving the last days.
But immediately after the church is raptured, emphatic instructions to leave "Babylon" are given. At that time, God sends three angels to address the world. The first preaches the gospel to every nation on earth. Anyone believing at that time becomes one of God's people through the New Covenant. Since these new believers won't know beans about prophecy, it is necessary to warn them of coming dangers. To do that, God sends two more angels. One of them has a message specifically for the residents of Babylon:
Come out of her [Babylon], my people, that you do not participate in her sins, and that you may not receive of her plagues (Revelation 18:4).
Because of the warning, many new converts will be spared. This is reminiscent of when Messiah warned believers of Jerusalem's destruction in A.D. 70. Those who do not heed this angelic warning will be toast.