Mystery Babylon
The End 'Mystery Babylon'
(Written June 2001)
What appears to be is not always so. How often have we been caught by surprise with something that was totally unexpected? Sometimes we are surprised with good things and sometimes disaster, like that young person that was so talented and popular who suddenly dies with no warning. That young person could have been our child a close friend or us. We cannot be ready for everything but we should be watchful. People everywhere want to believe only that good is coming their way. People want to feel like they are in control of their destiny. If people are told that there is good coming their way they can accept that but when they are told that there is bad they don’t want to believe. They say, “I have never seen disaster that only happens somewhere else”. “If we ignore it…maybe it won’t happen.”
The return of Christ is coming soon but many Christians do not believe that it will happen in their lifetime. They want to live a long and full life and do what is pleasing to them. They look forward to prosperity and life with friends and peace. Most don’t even recognize that all they have and the life they live is all from God. People become boastful and proud when they are prospered, not realizing that it is God who has given everything and has prospered them. Hezekiah was prospered by God and became boastful and proud. He had visitors from Babylon come to him and showed them everything that he had so they could see how great he was. He never expected disaster to come because God blessed him and all was going so well.
Isa 39:2
Hezekiah received the envoys gladly and showed them what was in his storehouses--the silver, the gold, the spices, the fine oil, his entire armory and everything found among his treasures. There was nothing in his palace or in all his kingdom that Hezekiah did not show them. NIV
God sent Isaiah to Hezekiah to tell him what his judgment would be for his pride and all Hezekiah could do is think of himself and no one else. He figured that disaster would not come to him but only to his offspring and those that were to follow him.
Isa 39:5-8
5 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, "Hear the word of the LORD Almighty: 6 The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your fathers have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the LORD. 7 And some of your descendants, your own flesh and blood who will be born to you, will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon." 8 "The word of the LORD you have spoken is good," Hezekiah replied. For he thought, "There will be peace and security in my lifetime." NIV
Isn’t that what we hear today? “There will be peace and security in my lifetime.” Hezekiah thought that God had blessed him, so surely he would only do good things to him. Not all Christians respond in this way, thank the Lord, but there are a lot of Christians that need to open their eyes to what the Lord is saying to his people. We must always be walking, watching and listening to the Lord. Our home is in Heaven and in this life there will be sorrows and heartaches. We must not be caught by surprise. There is a plan that God made before the earth was created and that plan will be done. The question is where are we in that plan? Will we be ready for all that is in that plan during our lifetime? We cannot stick our heads in the sand and hope that all will pass to future generations.
There are many places in the Bible that tell us of a tribulation that is coming upon the earth in the last days. Christ told us about many things that would happen in the last days and he said that the generation that should see the end would see all of the signs of the end times, they are to happen very quickly. Prophecies about the end times are scattered throughout the Old and New Testament. We are now seeing the fulfilling of those prophecies at an alarming rate. I want to write about one of those prophecies that I believe is just about to occur, the destruction of that “Mystery Babylon” spoken of in Revelation 18.
In the Old Testament there was a real Babylon and the “Mystery Babylon” is a place in the last days that parallels the original Babylon in character and spirit. God uses the end time Babylon just as He did Babylon in the Old Testament. This Mystery Babylon is of such great importance that God thought it important enough to mention in the Book of Revelation. There are many nations around the world that have been destroyed since the time of Christ and Christ said that nation would rise against nation yet those nations never got any special mention. So why is this place, called a city, so important that it has been shown to us in this prophecy? It must be of great importance in the plan of God. It must be of great importance for the people of that time to know, so God included the special mention of the “Great Mystery Babylon”.
The first thing that comes to every individual’s mind is who or where is Babylon. Many believe that the Babylon in Revelation is a symbolic Babylon, which is worldwide. Some say Rome. Some believe it is a symbol of sinful humanity. I believe that it is a specific and existing place in the end time that will, as the word says, be destroyed in one hour. There are to many pieces that cannot be symbolic for this to be anything but a literal and existing place somewhere in the last days just before the Great Tribulation. I will take all of the text of the Old Testament and the New Testament that refer to Babylon and compile it into a description of that great city. From there I will discus its significance to the last days and leave the final question for you to decide. “Where is this Mystery Babylon?” I will insert what I believe is that Babylon throughout this writing. But remember this, there is strong significance to this city for us in these last days just before the return of Jesus Christ. If this were not so it would not have been given to us in the Word of God. We cannot ignore it in hope that it will go away but we must be prepared. If we are there in that Babylon we need to be prepared and we need to also help others to be ready. Ready to hear the call to “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.”
Babylon is a golden cup in the Lord’s hand (Jer 51:7 and Rev 17:4). The reference to a cup is used throughout the Old and New Testament in reference to the pouring out of judgment. But there is only one cup that is golden, a special cup in the Lord’s hand. That cup is given to Babylon to pour out upon all nations and peoples.
Rev 17:4
She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries. NIV
Babylon must have had a special place in the Lord’s heart. In the Old Testament God sent his people into exile in Babylon to bless them and He commanded them to prosper and multiply in the land. They were told to pray that God would bless Babylon, for then he would prosper it and prosper them. The people of God are also in this Mystery Babylon. They are increasing in number and have been placed there for that specific purpose. After a time God delivers his people out of exile to bring them back to their own land. The whole reason that they were in exile was because of judgment for sins. God placed them there to keep them from being completely wiped out and then in His mercy promised to bless them and bring them back.
I believe that God was using this special cup to indicate that this Mystery Babylon would at one time be a righteous and godly place full of a pure and holy people. And then it becomes corrupt, and no one would expect something so vile and filthy to come from this pure and beautiful cup. When John saw the woman (the harlot Babylon) sitting on the scarlet beast he was shocked. How could this happen? How could she come from such a godly place and leave her first love to become a prostitute so vile?
Rev 17:6-7
6 When I saw her, I was greatly astonished. 7 Then the angel said to me: "Why are you astonished? NIV
This Mystery Babylon was not like the former Babylon in that the old was godless and worldly and evil was expected but the latter Babylon was so pure and clean. How could so much evil and sin come from such a godly place? This final Babylon is filled with the spirit of Sodom and Gomorrah. Who could have believed that America the Christian nation could become so vile in such a short time? It is one thing to be a worldly nation and have sin but altogether a different thing to be a godly nation and have so much sin. Why would God have Babylon pour this cup over the whole world? Because it is the last days and He is setting into motion the massive corruption that will culminate in the final outpouring of his wrath upon the sin of the world. This will speed up the ripening of sin in preparation for the Great Tribulation. This speeding up is to prevent the loss of Gods Elect. Apparently letting sin come to fullness over a longer period of time, more than one generation, would cause all people to be deceived.
Matt 24:22
If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. NIV
When the cup is poured out around the world it makes the nations drunk. They become intoxicated by its affects as they drink of the cup. Some translations say “unclean things of her immorality” others say “adulteries”. Ether way both can be interpreted to include a wide range of sins. If this were literal it would mean that Mystery Babylon was full of immorality and adultery. Immorality includes a lot of different sins, one of them being homosexuality which is one of the signs of the last days. It is hard to pick out a hub where immorality and adultery could be pouring out into the entire world. When you look around it is everywhere and in fact it has been around at times since nearly the beginning of man. But this is a multiplying and spreading of massive proportions over a relatively short period of time. It is not hard however to find out whom is being blamed for the spread of adultery and divorce around the world. While in Malaysia a man asked me if I knew what the divorce rate was now in America. He told me that divorce was now starting to become a problem in Malaysia. His opinion seemed to be that America was the divorce capital of the world. That did not surprise me I have heard that many times. At another church in Malaysia a man asked, “why does Christian America have so much homosexuality?” He thought that most Americans were Christians and could not understand how we could allow it.
There are many references throughout the Bible about adulteries that are not physical but spiritual adultery. Spiritual adultery is becoming joined to something other then the Lord. Throughout the Old Testament the children of Israel were accused of this. They were serving other gods. They still believed in God but they went to other gods to satisfy their fleshly desires. This would be like a Christian playing with an ouijy board, a seemingly harmless board game that calls on spirits to give answers to questions. Some believe that this is anything that takes on a higher priority in a person’s heart than God. God is a jealous God and will not be in second place. If this is what is in the cup then Babylon is spreading around something that is robbing God of His rightful place in the heart of man. Or Babylon is spreading around a false god. There are many countries that believe in other gods so with that interpretation there could not be a unique place. However there is a unique place that has spread its wealth, weapons and luxuries around the world.
Rev 18:3
For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries." NIV
All of these luxuries have been an attraction, which draws the hearts of the people of the world. Many places export things all around the world but one stands out in the crowd. America the leader in technology has brought the world into a new age of knowledge and technology. This technology and knowledge has been spread around the world. One of the prophecies of the last days is that knowledge will be increased. Just look around. Mankind has gone on basically the same for thousands of years yet in the last 80 to 100 years all has changed and there is no question, knowledge has exploded. We have moved into a New World with cars, planes, rockets, space exploration, nuclear weapons, computers and now microbiology and micro technology. In addition a wealth of money, weapons and goods that have been spread around the world. Another item to mention is Hollywood. Every where you go in the world a majority of the music and movies are from America. Even in places where they don’t speak English they are listening to America’s music. And because of the wealth and luxuries she is boastful and proud. The boastful and proud always believe that they will remain on top and no one could bring them down.
Rev 18:7
In her heart she boasts, 'I sit as queen; I am not a widow, and I will never mourn.' NIV
Babylon stands in a high place that is exalted above all other nations and she knows it. But we must also consider that this exaltation is only for a moment of time because Babylon begins to be devoured from within before she is destroyed.
Jer 51:2
I will send foreigners to Babylon to winnow her and to devastate her land; they will oppose her on every side in the day of her disaster. NIV
Jer 51:14
The LORD Almighty has sworn by himself: I will surely fill you with men, as with a swarm of locusts, and they will shout in triumph over you. NIV
Babylon has its wealth depleted by men who eat at it like locusts eat vegetation. These men are peoples from other nations, foreigners. Because of the laws in place in America the foreigner has financial help for businesses, welfare, education and employment that rob the wealth from it’s own citizens. No other country in the world allows this. This happen very fast because the memory of her wealth is still fresh on the mind of the peoples of the earth when her destruction takes place. She is in the middle of a political battle before she is destroyed.
Jer 51:46
Do not lose heart or be afraid when rumors are heard in the land; one rumor comes this year, another the next, rumors of violence in the land and of ruler against ruler. NIV
This could very well be the main distraction when she is destroyed. The rulers in Babylon are at each other’s throats. What better way could there be to get an opportunity to come against an enemy? The leaders of the land are fighting against each other and not paying attention to what is going on around them. This is a trap that God sets up to get Babylon.
Jer 50:24
“I set a trap for you, O Babylon, and you were caught before you knew it” NIV
While this trap is being set up there is great turmoil in Babylon. Throughout the land everything become unstable and fearful. Babylon is like a threshing floor. All will be affected with the unrest that takes place. Rumors, hardships, threats and terror will be found on all sides.
Jer 51:33-34
The Daughter of Babylon is like a threshing floor at the time it is trampled; the time to harvest her will soon come." 34 "Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has devoured us, he has thrown us into confusion, he has made us an empty jar. Like a serpent he has swallowed us and filled his stomach with our delicacies, and then has spewed us out. NIV
The ruler of Babylon totally destroys the foundation of his own nation, consuming everything to his own lusts and leaving the nation in a state of confusion. When he is done he just leaves the country to waste. I look at America with fear in my heart as I see what this last president has done to our country. He has destroyed our laws and destroyed any morality left in our government. It was a joke to him as he tore down our military. He left total disrespect for the office of the president of our country as he joked and mocked morality on MTV. With his lies he has destroyed the trust of the people. He has left the country in confusion. Looking at the election that took place at the end of his term it is apparent that truth, honesty and trust have been destroyed. How could we have another election? Other nations have looked on in confusion over the nation that stood for God, truth, justice, peace and freedom for all as it stooped to the lowest depth possible.
Jer 50:12
“your mother will be greatly ashamed; she who gave you birth will be disgraced” NIV
Even England, that gave birth to America, spoke of how ashamed she was during the last election as lawyers deceived and lied openly and the people didn’t care. The people no longer cared for truth they just wanted their way. The final state of Babylon just before her destruction is beyond recovery.
Jer 51:9
We would have healed Babylon, but she cannot be healed; NIV
The slain of all the earth has been blamed on Babylon. The prophecies don’t say that Babylon fought and killed but that she has caused their deaths.
Jer 51:49-50
Babylon must fall because of Israel's slain, just as the slain in all the earth have fallen because of Babylon. 50 You who have escaped the sword, NIV
This could be “fallen from the Lord” or it could be literally caused their death. If it is war that is meant here then Babylon is going around fighting wars all around the world. This really narrows thing down a bit. How many nations are hired guns to go around the world to keep peace by fighting war? The US is “number one” in fighting these battles and funding peace keeping. The US has been the number one exporter of arms for years and these arms are being used to kill all around the globe. After becoming established the US has never had war on her own soil, she has escaped the sword. America has been a major influence around the world and has controlled many nations by her influence.
Jer 51:13
You who live by many waters and are rich in treasures, NIV
Rev 17:1
Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits on many waters. NIV
Rev 17:15
Then the angel said to me, "The waters you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages. NIV
Babylon has global influence and has setup places of control everywhere. The US has military bases around the world. Of course there are those that believe that Rome, because of the seven hills that are mentioned in Rev 17:9, is the Mystery Babylon but there are way to many gaps including the fact that the return of the Roman Empire is where the antichrist rules the world. He can’t do that if it has been destroyed.
The destruction of Babylon is a well-planned attack. There is nothing left out, the battle will be one sided. The armies of Babylon will be at rest and the attack will come at a time that is totally unexpected. The enemy of Babylon will be a group of nations that hate Babylon with a passion.
Jer 50:41
"Look! An army is coming from the north; a great nation and many kings are being stirred up from the ends of the earth. NIV
Jer 50:9
For, lo, I will raise and cause to come up against Babylon an assembly of great nations from the north country: and they shall set themselves in array against her;
KJV
There will be armies from around the globe that participate in this attack. The armies are from the north but they will come up from the south and surround her. This is the reason that there will be no warning. The missiles used will be so close that they will not be noticed in time to do anything about it or even take cover. Something takes place just prior to the attack that also prevents anyone from noticing.
Jer 51:39
But while they are aroused, I will set out a feast for them and make them drunk, so that they shout with laughter-- then sleep forever and not awake," declares the LORD. NIV
Could this be the triumph of another election? They are partying around the nation and drinking drinks of joy. There will be no mercy. The attack will destroy the military installations and all of her weapons.
Jer 51:56
A destroyer will come against Babylon; her warriors will be captured, and their bows will be broken. NIV
Jer 51:3
Let not the archer string his bow, nor let him put on his armor. Do not spare her young men; completely destroy her army. NIV
The Arab nations of the world today hate and would like to destroy two groups of people, the Jews and Americans. I believe these nations with the help of Russia will join together and launch this attack. I believe that munitions are already setup and waiting for the signal to attack. During the last presidential administration there were no efforts made to protect national security or to build international relations with these countries. All security was let down and spies were able to come and locate all of our secret arms facilities. When this attack comes, every hit is perfectly on target and perfectly destroys our military and weapons. Big cities will be on that hit list and there will be no mercy and no warning.
Now I want to look at Gods children and what has been happening to them in Babylon. Again the Babylon of the end times has the same purpose as the Babylon of the Old Testament. God sent His children there for protection, prosperity and to multiply. Christians and Jews came to America for religious freedom. God blessed America because His children prayed for her and made God’s morals a standard for all her laws. America became a great nation because of the blessing of God. God brought revival to America and Christianity continued to multiply and it began to spread throughout the whole world as missionaries continued to go into nation after nation to preach the gospel. But as time went on and the nation became more and more wealthy, the nation began to trust in her wealth and not in God. Corruption began to increase and spread like wild fire. God could hear the cries of His children as the nation began to seduce their children. And now the time has come to judge her sin.
God’s children will not be part of His judgment against Babylon and will be spared the wrath that He is going to pour out on Babylon. God is very clear that the judgment against Babylon is against the sin and those that have been corrupted by her. God calls out his children just before He destroys her.
Jer 50:8
"Flee out of Babylon; leave the land of the Babylonians, and be like the goats that lead the flock. NIV
Jer 51:6
"Flee from Babylon! Run for your lives! Do not be destroyed because of her sins. NIV
Jer 51:45
"Come out of her, my people! Run for your lives! Run from the fierce anger of the LORD. NIV
Rev 18:4
And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. KJV
The Jews have been scattered around the world but many are in the US. One of the prophecies of the end times is that the Jews would return and become a nation again. That happened in 1967. But not all of the Jews have returned yet. When God calls out His children from Babylon He specifically commands the Jews to act like goats and not like sheep because He wants them to immediately leave without thinking about it. He wants them to go home fast.
Jer 50:8
"Flee out of Babylon; leave the land of the Babylonians, and be like the goats that lead the flock. NIV
The Jews have always had to have a leader to tell them what to do but in this case God is telling them to take charge and go.
God uses the destruction of Babylon to bring the hearts of the Jews back to Himself. The way He does this is by removing the peace and protection so they have to call upon Him.
Jer 50:4-5
"In those days, at that time," declares the LORD, "the people of Israel and the people of Judah together will go in tears to seek the LORD their God. 5 They will ask the way to Zion and turn their faces toward it. They will come and bind themselves to the LORD in an everlasting covenant that will not be forgotten. NIV
Why would the Jews go together in tears to seek the Lord all of the sudden? Well I didn’t understand this at first until I began to look at the current political environment. There is a major division of political powers in the world today, the Arab nations, which hate the west (America) and want to destroy the Jews. The US has been supplying arms to Jerusalem for years. In fact they have given Jerusalem nuclear capabilities. The US has been their protection from their enemies. If the US is Mystery Babylon then they will have just lost their only protection. They will have no other place to go but to God for help. This also brings about another interesting situation. The antichrist steps up as head of the revived Roman Empire or the European Union to offer the Jews a 7-year peace contract. He promises to protect them from their enemies. So you can see that this Mystery Babylon’s destruction brings about the 7-year tribulation that ends with Christ coming down from heaven on a white horse and destroying the armies of the antichrist.
The Christians in Babylon also hear that call to “COME OUT”. Where do they go? I would like to believe that the Christians were raptured at that time. But there is no scripture anywhere in the Word of God that supports this. However, there is scripture to support a rapture before the tribulation. God has never called His children to wrath. Just like the call to come out of Babylon he has always called them out before he destroyed a place. So where does the Christian that is in Babylon go?
Jer 51:33
This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: "The Daughter of Babylon is like a threshing floor at the time it is trampled; the time to harvest her will soon come." NIV
The time of harvest will come soon after the destruction of Babylon. Whole cities in Babylon are destroyed and everything in them, there are no survivors. But the Christians are called out to a safe place before the cities are destroyed. Apparently the Christians are protected from radioactive fallout just like Shadrack, Meshach and Abed-nego were protected from the fiery furnace. They too were in Babylon at the time this took place.
Dan 3:12
There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego KJV
Not all people are destroyed in Babylon. Those remaining will suffer greatly because of the plagues brought on by the destruction of Babylon. The Elect will have divine protection during this time from any of the effects of the destruction of Babylon.
Jer 51:52
and throughout her land the wounded will groan. NIV
Jer 51:54
"The sound of a cry comes from Babylon, the sound of great destruction from the land of the Babylonians. NIV
This time after the destruction of Babylon and before the rapture will be a time of purging and cleansing for the Christian. For He is coming for a church without spot or wrinkle. It will be a time of great witness and comfort to the hurting. It will be a short time. There will be a great turning to the Lord, just like the great turning that takes place with the Jews. Whole cities and all of the wealth of the land will totally be destroyed. The Christian will have to call on the Lord because there will not be any help from money, drugs, doctors or anything else. The Elect will be untouched by the plagues but those hurting will be a heavy cross to bare for the Christian as God prepares His children for that glorious meeting in the air. Then will come the snatching away of the church and the beginning of the tribulation.
So why did God tell us about Mystery Babylon? He wanted us to know in advance of the destruction of Babylon. He wanted us to see it coming. He wanted us to be ready. He wanted us to believe.
Hos 4:6
my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. NIV
Is there a purpose for the Christian in the destruction of Babylon? Yes. God wants us to be strong and ready to witness and minister to those who return to Him through the suffering which is brought about by the plagues of Babylon’s destruction. He wants us to be ready and avoid the plagues of Babylon. That gold cup has already been poured out on the nations of the world and the final height of sin is fast coming to its end. How should we look at this final end time prophecy? Why should we take notice of this Mystery Babylon?
Rev 18:4
Then I heard another voice from heaven say: "Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues; NIV
God does not want His children to be overtaken by her sins. That cup contains the most vile and deceiving sins and is so potent that even the Christian can be held in bondage if they do not keep themselves continually full of the Spirit of the Lord. Already many Christians are crying out for help because they are in bondage to immorality and sin. We must be ready. If we do not know or refuse to believe we will not be ready. You cannot see this enemy and you cannot feel this enemy so you have been forewarned of its coming.
Ken