Created Apr. 28, 2004 - updated Jun. 30, 2010 The Habakkuk series
The Last Days Part 8:
Babylon the Great
God's greatest enemy
Intro
This is one of the most important prophetic symbols in the Bible and all its prophecies. But I do believe I was the first to make this connection and identification in its full breadth, depth, and scope, with the particular importance that I give to it. Others have since followed, whether due to me and simply being coincidental timing.
There is a great mystery, a riddle, a wonder, a secret, to solve and figure out, in the book of Revelation, which John, its recorder, said he wondered at with great wonderment. It went by various names. It was known as the great city, which I will refer to in caps like this - Great City. It is also called Babylon and Babylon the Great, and is pictured also as a harlot riding on the back of the beast with 7 heads and 10 horns. There is a lots of written material devoted to this subject in Revelation, perhaps more than any other subject in this book. Yet, the way it is written, it might not be readily recognized and I believe this was God's intention. Only with great study of the book of Revelation would it be understood the importance of this "Babylon" in prophecy. Why was it so important? Is it a real city or something more symbolic? Lots to be explored in this article. So important is this subject that like the antichrist, I thought it deserved its own article all by itself. As we examine this subject, we will notice the many different names and descriptions of this entity. It will be come clear as we read about them.
The main purpose of the revealing of Babylon was that she was a very mean hateful enemy toward God and His people. But she is also often subtle and operates through other agents so that God's people might not be aware of her as the motivating force behind the actions of others. God felt it important to warn us about her. But we should also be aware that revealing her requires a lot of care so as not to alert her that we are on to her. How God reveals "Babylon" is remarkable yet challenging. He really had to spread this one around and do some mixing up on names and symbols so as to hide and veil the connections. But at the same time, God used key phrases to let us know when we were connecting the right accounts and scriptures. Many have connected Babylon with Babel and I will show you why this is completely wrong and what is right.
Babylon has got it in for us, brothers and sisters. God wants us to know about it. So He has now sounded the alarm. Time to gird ourselves and brace ourselves spiritually, mentally, psychologically, for the fate that awaits us, which shall only last a relatively short time. Then we shall see the Kingdom of God and inherit it.
I make this
substantial revision (2/16/2009) after having reviewed what I could find on the
internet on many of the prophetic symbols of the Bible, particularly Babylon the
Great. When I first published my prophetic series on my site in 2004, no one had
published anything any where near what I had at that time. Now, about 5 years
later in 2009, there is a lot of stuff and speculation, realizing that God has
chosen to reveal things in symbols, and split it all up among different prophets
in different places. But still misunderstandings persist, many of which are
likely deliberate. So I realized I needed to address a few things to make it
even more clear who Babylon might be or at least who it can not be.
[{ I bring up the Great City as it is the first thing to appear in Revelation. We will later see the great city is none other than Babylon. Since it is important, we need to collect all the descriptions and deeds in order to determine what it all means. }]
Revelation 11:
7 And when they complete their witness, the beast coming up out
of the abyss will make war with them, and will overcome them, and
will kill them.
[{ It seems clear that the witness of God's people will come to an end, a completion, due to an attack from the beast. But there is a particular reason for bringing up this end of the preaching, which was rather strong up to this point. I am thinking that when the antichrist first arrives, these locusts/ witnesses cry foul at his claims and they are a real nuisance to him. So the beast, false prophet and Babylon have to get rid of these big mouth trouble makers raining on the parade of the real "haters" of God and His people. }]
8 And their bodies will be on the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom, and Egypt, where our Lord was crucified.
[{ Pay strict attention to that phrase "the great city." It will be very important. This "great city" will be later identified in Revelation 17:18. This Great City is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt and where Jesus was killed; that being Jerusalem. Actually, all the prophets and those sent to her were killed in her as I recall. Who is it that represents the single entity named by 3 different symbols, Sodom, Egypt, and Jerusalem? I ask but I do not answer yet. But if God's people are all over the earth and are killed, at least figuratively, then this great city must also be symbolic and encompass the world and that will prove to be the case later. It is the power and influence which constitutes a "city" and pervades all the world. }]
9 And some from the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations
will see their dead bodies three days and a half; and they do not
allow their dead bodies to be put in tombs.
10 And those living on the earth will rejoice over them, and will
make merry. And they will send one another gifts, because these two
prophets tormented those living on the earth.
11 And after three days and a half, a spirit of life from God
entered into them, and they stood on their feet. And great fear
fell on the ones beholding them.
12 And they heard a great voice out of Heaven saying to them, Come up
here. And they went up into the heaven in the cloud. And their
enemies saw them.
[{ Though it is the beast that kills the 2 witnesses (Christians) symbolically says I, Revelation reveals elsewhere that Babylon is behind it. The bodies of the 2 witnesses are seen by some of the people of the earth on the street of the Great City. And everyone is so happy to be rid of these pests who keep reminding them that they have ignored God. And reminding them that the Bible had prophesied just as it was happening at this time. And reminding them of what was yet going to happen. How delighted the haters will be to get rid of us locusts, scorpions, and army cavalry of God. No longer will their consciences be bothered. They will throw a party and celebrate, for sure.
13 And in that hour a great earthquake occurred, and the tenth
part of the city fell. And there were killed in the earthquake
seven thousand names of men. And the rest became terrified, and gave
glory to the God of Heaven.
14 The second woe departed. And, behold, the third woe is coming
quickly.
[{ But . . . The 2 witnesses come back to life! What a shock! It is a shock for no doubt, those who where "killed" (imprisoned so that they could no longer offer service to God in His temple, so to speak, and offer sacrifice daily - in Daniel), were told they would be there for life. And when they come to life, a great earth quake occurs and a tenth part/portion of that great city falls. 7000 die in that 10th part of the city and the rest of that 10th (or is it the whole city?) gives glory to God, possibly indicating their becoming Christians or maybe only indicating temporary sorrow and regret even as Egypt felt so after the final plague was delivered by God through Moses. I am not sure just how to interpret this passage but with time, maybe it will clear up. Some sort of change of heart seems to occur because of this symbolic earthquake and political upheaval. This is the end of the 2nd woe and only one remains. This is pretty much the end here. Only the attack of Ezekiel's God and Magog (chap. 36, not to be confused with Gog and Magog of Rev. 20) is left to occur along with God's 7 bowls of wrath.
It will be as when the antichrist is killed at the end of the 7 year tribulation, "not by hand" but by God in mysterious circumstances that leave no doubt as to who was behind it, even as was the case when God's Ark was in the temple of Dagon among the Philistines and God would strike Dagon's statue and strike the Philistines as well, leading them to believe it was Jehovah, the God of Israel, at work behind it all. The people and nations will see their "god" fallen dead and perceive the son of man coming in the clouds and being behind all this and like Pharaoh, they will relent and release the prisoners and strike out in great anger against Babylon, who was closely tied in with this false prophet. They are very angry for they have looked quite silly having gone along with this and perhaps they are even in temporary fear of God as well. It won't last, though. Now we will jump ahead to chap. 14. }]
Revelation 14:8 And another angel followed, saying, The great city, Babylon, has fallen, has fallen; because of the wine of the anger of her fornication, she made all nations to drink.
[{ There, see, I told you. The Great City is also Babylon. This is so important to understand in solving this puzzle. After a number of God's people were killed and "harvested" to heaven, so to speak. It will be time for the punishment of that Great City, Babylon. }]
Revelation 16:17 And the seventh angel poured out his bowl into
the air, and a great voice came from the throne from the temple of
Heaven, saying, It has happened!
18 And voices and thunders and lightnings occurred. And a great
earthquake occurred, such as did not occur since man came into being
on the earth, such a huge earthquake, so great!
19 And the great city came to be into three parts, and the
cities of the nations fell. And Babylon the great was remembered
before God, to give to her the cup of the wine of the anger of His
wrath.
[{ The great city came to be in 3 parts and was remembered by God for her deeds against Him by being against His people. Next we are going to meet the Great Harlot. Her names will give her away as also being Babylon the Great and many of her wicked deeds will be revealed so we will know why God holds so much against her. Chapters 17 and 18 are almost exclusively devoted to Babylon the Great, the great enemy of God. and the 1st 6 verses of chapter 19 as well. So she, Babylon, is clearly important in the events of Revelation.
I guess it should be rather obvious if one has read the many prophecies scattered through the Bible that the dragon, better known as the devil and Satan; and the false prophet, false Christ/Messiah, antichrist, little horn, prince/king; and the Beast, the political military system, along with the image of the beast, who becomes an 8th king as well, are all aligned with this Babylon the Great, the Great City, the Great Whore/Harlot, who manipulates her "lovers" into striking those she hates, even as the various leaders of Judah and Jerusalem did in using Rome and Pilate to do their dirty work against Jesus and afterward, to his followers.
So we have a number of parties, 5 in all, who all work together against God and His people. But Babylon seems to get special attention, for her many connections as a wanton promiscuous whore who sleeps with every ruler and commander she can get a hold of, as well as merchants, too. She is in bed with everyone all the time. She hardly ever sleeps. And just as she hates God, so He hates her all the more. She has long been an extreme nuisance and trouble maker of the worst sort. And a sorcerer and disgusting for her spiritual filth and pollution. }]
Revelation 17:1 And one of the seven angels having the seven bowls
came and spoke with me, saying to me, Come, I will show you the
judgment of the great harlot sitting on the many waters,
2 with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the
ones inhabiting the earth became drunk from the wine of her
fornication.
3 And he carried me away into a desert, by the Spirit. And I saw a
woman sitting on a scarlet beast, filled with names of blasphemy,
having seven heads and ten horns.
4 And the woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and being gilded
with gold and precious stone and pearls, having a golden cup in her
hand, filled with abominations and unclean things of her
fornication.
5 And on her forehead was a name having been written: Mystery,
Babylon the Great, the Mother of the Harlots and of the
Abominations of the Earth.
6 And I saw the woman being drunk from the blood of the saints, and
from the blood of the witnesses of Jesus. And I marveled, seeing
her with a great marveling.
7 And the angel said to me, Why did you marvel? I will tell you
the mystery of the woman, and of the beast supporting her, the
one having the seven heads and the ten horns.
[{ This harlot is accompanied with a number of signs. But we do not need to wonder very long for those signs and symbols are going to be interpreted by an angel as also happened in the book of Daniel. But note that one of the great harlot's names is Babylon the Great, the biggest, the mother, of all harlots and abominations of the earth. She has got a lot of sin to account for. There is nothing to compare to her.
Remember that the beast was the one who killed the Christians symbolized as 2 witnesses in chap. 11 but really, according to this, in verse 6, it was this woman was was drunk with the blood of the saints and witnesses of Christ. So just as Jesus was technically killed under the authority of Rome, it was in that case motivated by the Jews who used Rome to do their bidding. So it is in this case as Babylon uses the political powers to kill Christians. }]
8 The beast which you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss, and goes to perdition. And those dwelling on the earth will marvel, the ones whose names have not been written on the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, seeing the beast, that it was a thing, and is not, yet now is.
[{ Verse 7 speaks of the beast that supports the woman, the harlot. The beast is described as having a unique feature in verse 8 in that it ceases to exist for a while and then comes back. Then next are described the 7 heads. The 7 heads actually symbolize 2 separate features in verse 9 & 10. This happened in Daniel 2 as well when describing the feet of iron and clay. They had 2 features for the same symbol as well. }]
9 Here is the mind having wisdom: the seven heads are seven
mountains, where the woman sits on them.
10 And the kings are seven. The five fell, and the one is, and the
other has not yet come. And when he does come, he must remain a
little.
[{ I skipped 4 verses not relevant to the subject. Next comes the angel's interpretation of the symbols John saw. }]
15 And he says to me, The waters which you saw, where the harlot
sits, are peoples and crowds and nations and tongues.
16 And the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will hate the
harlot, and will make her desolated and naked. And they will eat her
flesh, and will burn her down with fire.
17 For God gave into their hearts to do His mind, and to act in one
mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God
shall be fulfilled.
18 And the woman whom you saw is
the great city,
having a kingdom over the kings of the earth.
[{ This woman, and I use that word loosely, sits over many different peoples of the world and also has a kingdom over the earth. She has a lot of power and influence and fornicates with the kings of the earth. If she is a fornicator, then she must have some or should have had some relationship with God but did not stick to it. She prefers the kings of the earth. Her kingdom must be a subtle one, one not overtly apparent, but powerful nonetheless due to her relationship with the kings who unite under the beast.
But these kings and political powers are going to turn on her and destroy her and it will be severe. }]
>> This is a very important feature of Babylon's identity. And very misunderstood from what I have seen. Babylon is a whore. A totally promiscuous slut. But she goes for those who can give her power or benefit her in some way. Kings, princes, military commanders and the like. That is the way it is in this account of Ezekiel. I bring this up because some suggest that Babylon is a nation. No! She sleeps around with the nations and eventually gets killed by the nations. So she is not a nation! More of a cause, perhaps. She does have a certain influence, power, control, and in that way could be considered a nation but she derives most of her power from the control she exercises over other nations, in a subtle way, even as a woman often uses a man to accomplish her desires. It is the more subtle, less obvious, more clandestine approach to power and control.
Israel/ Samaria and Judah were described by God as 2 harlots, with Judah going on to be worse than Samaria. Warning!!! This account is very sexually graphic. Blame God if you choose to be offended. He dictated it to Ezekiel. Or maybe you ought to reconsider your attitude instead. Judah and Israel/ Samaria were often described as fornicators, adulterers, and harlots, in regards to their relationships with the nations instead of relying on God and in her worshipping idols and false gods of other nations.
This was likely deemed as the best way to get through to men, having to imagine their own wives behaving in such an atrocious manner as God's nation and kings did. Revelation's harlot, known more commonly today by the word "whore," must have some sort of relationship with God which turned out to be adulterous. Some former or present relationship or obligation which she does not honor with God. Lets read Ezekiel's long account. <<
Ezekiel 23:1 And the word of Jehovah was to me, saying, 2 Son of man, there were two women, daughters of one mother. 3 And they fornicated in Egypt; in their youth they fornicated. Their breasts were handled, and there their virgin nipples were worked. 4 And their names were Oholah, the oldest, and Oholibah, her sister. And they were Mine, and they bore sons and daughters. And their names: Samaria is Oholah, and Jerusalem is Oholibah.
>> We don't have to wonder about the identity of these 2 whores. It is made clear for us. <<
Ezekiel 23:5 And Oholah whored under Me. And she lusted after her lovers, to Assyrian neighbors, 6 clothed with purple, governors and rulers, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding horses. 7 And she bestowed her harlotries on them, the choice sons of Assyria, with all of them, and with all after whom she lusted. She defiled herself with all their idols. 8 And she did not leave her fornications from Egypt. For they lay with her in her youth, and they worked her virgin nipples and poured their fornications on her.
Ezekiel 23:9 So I have given her into the hand of her lovers, into the hand of the sons of Assyria on whom she lusted. 10 They uncovered her nakedness. They took her sons and her daughters. And they killed her with the sword. And she became notorious among women, and they executed judgments on her.
Ezekiel 23:11 And her sister Oholibah saw. And she was more corrupt in her lustfulness than she, and her fornications were greater than her sister's whoredom. 12 She lusted to the sons of Assyria, neighboring governors and rulers clothed most perfectly, horsemen riding horses, all of them desirable young men.
Ezekiel 23:13 Then I saw that she was defiled, one way was to both of them. 14 And she added to her fornications. And she saw men carved on the wall, images of the Chaldeans engraved with red color, 15 girded with girdles on their loins, with overflowing turbans on their heads, the look of rulers, all of them, like the sons of Babylon in Chaldea, the land of their birth. 16 And she lusted after them, to the look of her eyes, and sent messengers to them into Chaldea.
Ezekiel 23:17 And the sons of Babylon came to her, to the bed of love. And they defiled her with their fornications. And she was defiled with them, and her soul was alienated from them. 18 And she uncovered her fornications and uncovered her nakedness. Then My soul was alienated from her just as My soul was alienated from her sister. 19 And she multiplied her fornications to recall the days of her youth, in which she had fornicated in the land of Egypt. 20 And she lusted on their lovers of whom the flesh of asses resembles their flesh, and as the issue of horses was their issue. 21 So you longed for the wickedness of your youth, when from Egypt they worked your nipples, for the sake of the breasts of your youth.
>> I am going to interrupt Ezekiel just briefly to alert you to pay attention to what is said next since it sounds so much like the wording in Revelation about Babylon, the great harlot. Continue: <<
Ezekiel 23:22 So, O Oholibah, the Lord Jehovah says this: Behold, I will arouse your lovers against you, from whom your soul is alienated. And I will bring them against you from all around, 23 Babylon's sons and all the Chaldeans, Pekod, and Shoa, and Koa, all the sons of Assyria with them, desirable young men, governors and rulers, all of them, third heads and called ones, all of them riding horses. 24 And they shall come against you with weapons, chariots, and wheels, and with a group of peoples; buckler and shield and helmet shall set against you all around. And I will give before them judgment, and they will judge you by their judgments. 25 And I will give My jealousy against you, and they will deal with you in fury. Your nose and your ears they will take, and the rest of you shall fall by the sword. They will take your sons and your daughters, and the rest of you shall be devoured by the fire. 26 And they will strip you of your clothes, and take the articles of your beauty. 27 And I will cause your wickedness to cease from you, and your fornication from the land of Egypt. And you shall not lift up your eyes to them, and Egypt shall not be remembered by you any more.
Ezekiel 23:28 For so says the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I will give you in the hand of those whom you hate, in the hand of whom your soul was alienated from them. 29 And they shall deal with you in hatred and take all your wealth, and shall leave you naked and bare. And the nudity of your adulteries will be bared, even your lewdness and your fornications. 30 These will be done to you because you have whored after the nations, because you are defiled with their idols. 31 You have walked in the way of your sister, and I will give her cup into your hand.
Ezekiel 23:32 So says the Lord Jehovah: You shall drink your sister's cup deep and wide; you shall be laughed at and mocked, for it holds much. 33 With drunkenness and sorrow you are filled, the cup of horror and ruin, the cup of your sister Samaria. 34 And you shall drink it and drain it. And you shall break its fragments and tear off your breasts. For I have spoken, declares the Lord Jehovah. 35 So the Lord Jehovah says this: Because you have forgotten Me and cast Me behind your back, so also you bear your wickedness and your adulteries.
Ezekiel 23:36 And Jehovah said to me, Son of man, will you judge Oholah and Oholibah? Then declare to them their abominations. 37 For they committed adultery, and blood is on their hands. Yea, they committed adultery with their idols, and even their sons whom they bore to Me, they cause to pass to them to be consumed. 38 Even still they have done this to Me: They have defiled My sanctuary in that day, and have profaned My sabbaths. 39 And when they had slain their sons to their idols, then they came into My sanctuary in that day to profane it. And, lo, this they have done in the midst of My house.
Ezekiel 23:40 Furthermore, they have sent for men to come from a distance, of whom a messenger was sent to them. And behold, they came, for whom you washed, painted your eyes, and were adorned with gems. 41 And you sat on a glorious bed, and a table was arranged before it, and My incense and My oil you set on it. 42 And the sound of a crowd at ease was with her, and drunkards from the wilderness were brought with the men of the host of mankind. And they put bracelets on their hands and crowns of beauty on their heads. 43 Then I said about the one worn in adulteries, Will they now fornicate with her, and she with them?
Ezekiel 23:44 And they went in to her. As they go in to a woman of harlotry, so they went in to Oholah and to Oholibah, the wicked women. 45 And as righteous men, they shall judge them with the judgment of adulteresses, and the judgment of women who shed blood, because they are adulteresses, and blood is in their hands.
Ezekiel 23:46 For so says the Lord Jehovah: Bring up on them an assembly, and give them to terror and plunder. 47 And the assembly shall stone them with stones and cut them down with their swords. They shall slay their sons and their daughters, and they shall burn their houses with fire. 48 So I will cause to cease wickedness out of the land, that all the women may be taught, even not to do according to your wickedness. 49 And they shall put your wickedness on you, and you shall bear the sins of your idols. And you shall know that I am the Lord Jehovah.
>> First, it is obvious from the language that the fornications of the two whores is representative of their relationship with the nations and with idols and false gods. The judgment of the harlots is a severe one and one that comes from her former lovers, in a twist of irony as God seems to be fond of. This is the same source of punishment in Revelation, too. Micah tells similar things below. <<
Micah 1:6 And I will make Samaria into ruins of the field, planting places for a vineyard. And I will pour down her stones into the valley, and I will uncover her foundations. 7 And all her carved images shall be beaten to pieces, and all her gifts for harlotry shall be burned with fire. And I will make all her idols a desolation. For she gathered it from the reward of a harlot, and they shall return to the reward of a harlot.
[{ This modern day fornicator will resemble that of an earlier prophetic prototype, Ancient Israel and Judah, two big whores in their day. So it shall be with the next one, too. }]
[{ A lot of details about Babylon are given here to help figure out who she is and what is to happen to her and in what manner. It is odd that many details are given in reverse order saving the most important details for last rather than first. Probably done to make interpretation just that much harder so that skeptics would never bother to interpret.
It would be nice to be able to easily identify her but then she would recognize herself being named and would ban the Bible. So God had to try to tell us who she is without being too obvious. So we are going to have to work hard to figure this out.
But I want to point out that Babylon is not the beast, it is not the false prophet, certainly not an image or idol. But she is an eternal enemy of God and His people and has been causing trouble for a long time. She is the instigator of much that happens to us. She is the seed of the serpent, the one called devil and Satan. So God felt we should know about her. }]
Revelation 17:
1 And one of the seven angels having the seven bowls came and
spoke with me, saying to me, Come, I will show you the judgment of
the great harlot sitting on the many waters,
2 with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the
ones inhabiting the earth became drunk from the wine of her
fornication.
[{ Israel and Judah were often referred to as being unfaithful fornicators with the nations so it would be like that with "Babylon." Babylon is a "she" who acts like a whore with the nations and kings of the world, using them to "get her way." And the nations and kings are drunk with her "wine," the blood of the saints. These will become apparent as we go along. }]
3 And he carried me away into a desert, by the Spirit. And I saw a
woman sitting on a scarlet beast, filled with names of blasphemy,
having seven heads and ten horns.
4 And the woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and being gilded
with gold and precious stone and pearls, having a golden cup in her
hand, filled with abominations and unclean things of her
fornication.
5 And on her forehead was a name having been written: Mystery,
Babylon the Great, the Mother of the Harlots and of the Abominations
of the Earth.
6 And I saw the woman being drunk from the blood of the saints,
and from the blood of the witnesses of Jesus. And I marveled,
seeing her with a great marveling.
7 And the angel said to me, Why did you marvel? I will tell you the
mystery of the woman, and of the beast supporting her, the one having
the seven heads and the ten horns.
[{ Ah, a beast with 7 heads and 10 horns and names of blasphemy. Now where have I heard that before? Daniel, of course! The woman is clothed like royalty in purple and scarlet red, gold, decked right out. But since an angel is going to interpret this, I'll let him handle it and talk more after. Note that she is drunk with the blood of the saints, God's people and prophets. She gets the nations drunk, too, earlier in verse 17:2.
The word Mystery is used in the Bible as something that is a mystery and unsolved or it can also mean something deliberately kept secret and unsolved. AS well, a mystery is something we are supposed to see if we might solve it and reveal it. Some things were not intended to be solved until the proper time and I believe this symbol is one of those mysteries that God wants us to solve and understand, for now is the time when it shold be solved and revealed to those meant to receive it. So really, in interpreting this scripture, the name could have been Secret, Babylon the Great, etc. But Mystery works well.
Now as for spiritual harlotry and fornication, Recall in the 4th century how Constantine, the Roman Emperor and not a Christian, even in name, till his deathbed baptism, drew about half of so called Christianity to him to help him fight his wars, and secure his power and throne. In return, he favored the half of Christianity who joined him with absolute power so that they could use military, police, and political power and might to force all Christians to adhere to the same doctrines and ideas as they do. And they could force all the churches to accept the authority of a few to control everyone. This forced unity and control was very advantageous to the Roman Emperor and which in time, would become the exclusive province of the eventual Pope. King and clergy would work together and help each other maintain their power, control, and wealth made from the people.
Phony Christianity became enslaved to do the bidding of the state and not God. It has been going on ever since, even to this very day, even more so than ever! Christians were told by Jesus and the Apostles that the only "force" they could use to enforce the rules was to shun people and avoid them if they would not listen to the church leadership and its members. They did not have any right or authorization to use political military force, law, or violence.
Ever since the 4th century, a number of little movements have stood up and pointed out how "Christians" were not obeying the word of God in various areas. These little groups were viciously and brutally persecuted and wiped out. Most of these began in the early middle ages and continued till Martin Luther, when someone somewhere understood that it would be to their advantage to protect and promote Martin Luther in order to weaken the Catholic Church and the Pope as a competing power to them.
Brains and independent intelligence and thought have always been the greatest threat to abusive unprincipled power, Without principle, one must rely on brutal force for control and obedience. For what people would be dumb enough to rebel against their own welfare and advantage, if that was really what the state was protecting. So when someone stood up to enlighten the people, governments and religious authority would standup quickly to wipe the big mouth / big brain out.
So kings and bishops have been in bed together for quite some time. But another whore comes along to challenge the Roman Catholic Church and take her power away from her. This one hates Christianity and wants it out of the way. So finding out who this whore is, is important. In addition, the printing press came along by this time and was employed. From then on, these little "return to the Bible" groups would no longer be completely wiped out and would grow in numbers, although they would often give out in later years and join the mainstream, not being faithful to the original love and passion shown by the founders of their movements.
So we have a long line of political powers using Christians in their wars, where so many perished for something which was never a concern of God and His kingdom. We have many good movements who wanted to return to the Bible and later perished. Most of Christianity today still remains in blindness, completely controlled by the system and in alienation from God, political whores and tramps. But along the way, a whore come along who saw these protestant movements as a way to take a chunk out of the power of the Catholic Church, who was nothing but a whore herself for so many years. So the whore began to help promote the message of the protestants, when formerly she let these faithful servants of God die at the hands of the Catholic whore.
So the many wars, all of which were to further the power of someone or some interest, somewhere, shed enormous amounts of blood, no small amount of which was "Christian," at least in name. And the false shepherds continue to encourage them to go to war and serve the devil and his interests and die. So we can see the obvious fulfillment of this chapter in history. }]
8 The beast which you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss, and goes to perdition. And those dwelling on the earth will marvel, the ones whose names have not been written on the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, seeing the beast, that it was a thing, and is not, yet now is.
[{ This is a curious aspect of the beast, in that the beast would exist and then cease to exist, and then later would come into existence again. This sounds like it might be the United Nations which existed first as the League of Nations, then ceased to exist during hostilities and then came back to life after WWII. That's my guess. }]
9 Here is the mind having wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains, where the woman sits on them.
[{ Hard to know if the mountains are symbolic or literal. I say, like nearly everything else in prophecy, symbolic. Even Babylon is called a mountain in Jeremiah which we will get to. The woman sitting on them obviously is symbolic. I wish I knew my geography better. But I assume that the 7 mountains are accounted as follows: }]
10 And the kings are seven. The five fell, and the one is, and the other has not yet come. And when he does come, he must remain a little.
[{ Rome was the empire in existence when John wrote. Another was due to come some time later and must remain a little while. That little while is 42 months in chapter 11. I would say the USA is the most likely candidate for this empire. When Daniel 2 and Daniel 7 are considered, it seems certain. The 5 that had fallen previously were the procession of powers that took place in that area of the world: Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Greece. }]
11 And the beast which was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goes to perdition.
[{ The UN is the 8th and is of the 7, which would include the USA. That is, of course, if I am right in my interpretation. }]
12 And the ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but will receive authority as kings one hour with the beast.
[{ Some members of the UN are maybe going to join in the fun, eh? }]
13 These have one mind, and their power and authority they shall give up to the beast.
[{ Will the USA give up its authority to the UN? We shall see. }]
14 These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and the ones with Him are the called and elect and faithful ones.
[{ They will launch one last great final attack on those who remain of Christ. And they will fail miserably, of course. I believe this was done with the executions and imprisonment of the rest. It is already done at this point. }]
15 And he says to me, The waters which you saw, where the harlot
sits, are peoples and crowds and nations and tongues.
16 And the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will
hate the harlot, and will make her desolated and naked. And they will
eat her flesh, and will burn her down with fire.
[{ These 10 horns are not the same as, say, the 10 horns of Daniel's beast in chap. 7, although they are not much different, either. They symbolize different nations and circumstances. But they do share a common goal and relation, in that they are all enemies of God and his people. These nations which this great whore has used and depended on, end up turning on her, much to her shock. She never saw it coming. Her confidence, pride, cockiness, conceit, and arrogance blinded her to it all. }]
17 For God gave into their hearts to do His mind, and to act in one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.
18 And the woman whom you saw is the great city, having a kingdom over the kings of the earth.
[{ Here is the amazing irony. 18 tells us the great city has a kingdom over the kings of the earth. Yet out of these kings is likely to come 10, at least symbolically, who join the beast, itself a group of allied nations, to destroy the harlot with the greatest of severity. They will also attempt to attack God's people after they are let loose, but this will fail. I believe this is described in Ezekiel 38, Daniel 7, and Zechariah 14.
Remember that it was told to us that the harlot, Babylon, was drunk with the blood of saints and prophets, she was the killer of them or responsible for others killing them and that their bodies were on her streets unburied for 3 and a half days. Babylon often gets others to do her dirty work. But God shall repay her. These descriptions along with the others given by John should help us to know who the harlot might be.
There are yet a few things more we need to know about her that are revealed in the next chapter, 18. }]
Babylon the Great City
- Revelation chapter 18 primarily
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Revelation 18:
1 And after these things I saw another angel coming down out of
Heaven having great authority, and the earth was lighted up from his
glory.
2 And he cried in a strong, great voice, saying, Babylon the great
has fallen! It has fallen, and it has become a dwelling-place of
demons,
and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a
prison of every
unclean bird, even having been hated,
3 because of the wine of the anger of her fornication which all the
nations have drunk, even the kings of the earth have committed
fornication with her;
and the merchants of the earth became rich from
the power of her luxury.
4 And I heard another voice out of Heaven saying, My people,
come out of her, that you may not share in her sins,
and that you may
not receive of her plagues;
5 because her sins joined together, even up to Heaven, and God
remembered her unjust deeds.
alternate translation from (RSV)
5 for
her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.
[{ Babylon's demise is announced and ALL the nations have drank at one time or another and even the merchants got rich from her luxury and its great power. So she has a relationship with business and commerce as well, it would seem.
Verse 4 up next indicates that maybe some Christians (so called) might be involved with Babylon in some way and so should get out of her, so to speak, cease to have any sort of relationship with her, for when her time comes, those destroying her may remember who her lovers were and go after them, too. Babylon's sins have piled up or been joined together so that they have reached clear up to heaven, figuratively speaking. Anyone having very much to do with Babylon may also be in trouble.
But being the God He is, He also appreciates a sense of irony so He is going to use her lovers, the political kingdoms of the earth, to destroy her in God's behalf before God then destroys them, too. Note her arrogant haughty attitude like she can not be touched and will always be on top. How shocked and surprised she will truly be when she does fall. And it will happen fast, in one day, so to speak. }]
6 Give back to her as also she gave back to you, and double to
her double, according to her works. In the cup which she mixed,
mix to her double.
7 By what things she glorified herself, and luxuriated, by so much
give back to her torment and mourning. Because she says in her
heart, I sit as a queen, and I am not a widow; and I do not see
mourning at all.
[{ In the same degree that Babylon has enjoyed the privileged life of luxury and ease, to this degree she shall experience very harsh severe punishment, only twice as much so. She used her position to try to get God's people and she did get some of them. But the "10" nations shall get her and far worse then she got others. It will be very swift, certain, and severe. }]
8 Because of this, in one day her plagues shall come: death, and mourning, and famine; and she will be consumed with fire, for the Lord God judging her is strong.
[{ The old whore's going to be judged
with lightning speed and severity. But her attitude prior to that is
one of great arrogance, cockiness, and pride. Hence her name Babylon
the Great. it was Nebuchadnezzer in who proudly, arrogantly,
defiantly said
Daniel 4:30
“Is not, this,
just before
God struck him down. So I say this mystery or riddle or the name
Babylon the Great is understood when we grasp the arrogance,
cockiness, and pride of this whore who hates God's people. She
believes she is untouchable and absolutely secure, just before God
crushes her. I quoted Daniel 4:30 from Rotherham's Translation.
And she will be paid back, for in her all the blood of the prophets, apostles, and saints, and all the earth lies, as we shall see in verse 24. Christians are warned to get out of her and have nothing to do with her if you do not want to share in her sins and her plagues which will be most severe. I assume by getting out of her, the Bible means, get out of bed, so to speak. Cease the cozy relationships with her. Do not be having immoral "relations" with her. Do not be kissing up to her. Her lovers will be judged as she is. }]
9 And the kings of the earth will weep for her, and will wail over
her, those having fornicated and having luxuriated with her,
when they see the smoke of her burning;
10 standing from afar because of the fear of her torment,
saying, Woe! Woe to the great city, Babylon, the strong city!
For in one hour your judgment came.
[{ I guess some nations will miss her who were in bed with her. Business men will weep over her loss but they will be careful not to show much sorrow for her out of fear. Babylon generated much more trade than would have been the case had she not existed, I suspect. Many did well by her but not one of them is written in the book of life. }]
11 And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, because
no one buys their cargo any more,
12 cargo of gold, and silver, and of precious stone, and of pearls,
and of fine linen, and of purple, and of silk, and of scarlet, and
all thyine wood, and every ivory vessel, and every vessel of very
precious wood, and of bronze, and of iron, and of marble,
13 and cinnamon, and incenses, and ointment, and frankincense, and
wine, and oil, and fine meal, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and
horses, and chariots, and of bodies and souls of men.
14 And the ripe fruits of the lust of your soul went away from you,
and all the fat things, and the bright things went away from you, and
you will find them no more, not at all.
15 The merchants of these things, the ones being enriched from
her, will stand from afar because of the fear of her torment,
weeping and mourning;
16 and saying, Woe! Woe to the great city having been clothed in
linen and purple and scarlet, and having been gilded with gold and
precious stone, and pearls!
17 For in one hour such great wealth was desolated. And
every ship-pilot and all company on the ships, and sailors, and as
many as work the sea, stood from afar,
18 and cried out, seeing the smoke of her burning, saying, What is
like the great city?
19 And they threw dust on their heads, and cried out, weeping and
mourning, saying, Woe! Woe to the
great city, by which all those having ships in the sea
were rich, from her costliness, because in one hour she was
ruined.
[{ Babylon was a fabulously wealthy luxuriant city and the business world seemed to thrive with her and profit immensely from her fornications and other activity. The business aspect is given a lot of attention. So Babylon's power must be extensive since she has so much influence in both business and politics. Interesting to say the least. The business world certainly mourns her passing and loss. All that wealth and organization around it is gone. What a loss.
But you know, When you think about it, how do you gain influence and power with politicians? You buy or bribe them, right? So while Babsy might have political influence, I would suggest that she gets it partially by means of money. She must have a very close cozy relationship with business and finance as well. Why else would they be so broken heated over her loss? }]
20 Rejoice over her, Heaven, and the holy apostles, and the
prophets, because God judged your judgment on her.
21 And one strong angel lifted a stone like a great millstone, and
threw it into the sea, saying, This way, on a violent impulse,
Babylon the great city
will be thrown down, and it will never more still be found.
[{ But while the business world mourns Babylon's loss, God's people and all heaven rejoice in her judgment and destruction for she has long been their enemy and tormentor. But she will be no more, ever again. I notice 21 says a violent impulse. Perhaps this action against Babylon is not really planned out or anticipated. It might be a rather sudden impulse. Maybe she does something to piss them off so as to want to kill her as they do. I suspect that when the antichrist who claims to be Jesus and God, suddenly dies in such a way that most conclude it was the hand of God, then, given that this mockery of show is over, leaves them in an embarrassing situation and leaves them quite angry. So they strike out against those who got them into this mess. Babylon? Could be! }]
22 And the sound of harpers, and of musicians, and flutists, and
of trumpeters will never more be heard in you. And every craftsman of
every craft will never more be found in you. And the sound of a mill
will never more be heard in you.
23 And the light of a lamp will never more shine in you. And the
voice of the bridegroom and bride will never more be heard in you.
For your merchants were the great ones of the earth, for by your
sorcery all the nations were misled.
24 And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all the ones having been slain on the earth.
[{ I have to say that it is not well known, at least in official circles, who this fornicator who has a kingdom over the nations and is so blood guilty could be. Her kingdom must be somewhat secret or subtly controlled rather than be out in the open. Clandestine like, secretive, veiled! Same for her blood guilt, it being subtle and not easily discerned.
As to who this Babylon the Great is, well, I believe each one should be able to discern for themselves. There are many clues to put together here but I believe who she is will only be obvious to those who are not asleep and see what is clearly going on in the world and behind the scenes. They will likely recognize her.
But as for those who are asleep or do not care, they could not see even if you told them. So why bother. So let those who are asleep, continue to be asleep. Let those who have ears, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.
One thing for sure, when God's people are viciously and needlessly attack, we shall certainly know then who Babylon the Great truly is. Although she might not be the direct killer, she will be the motivation behind the attack, just as was the case with Jesus when his people used Rome and Pilate to have Jesus done away with. Though Rome was the instrument, it was the leaders of Jerusalem at that time who pushed Rome to do so.
If God's spirit is leading us, then we should come to the same answer without saying a thing to each other. Let us see who is led and who is not. }]
The Reason for the name, Babylon the Great
Almost all interpreters of prophecy and doctrine assume that this reference to Babylon is indicative of religious sin and corruption. It is to some degree but it is a lot more than that as well. I want to explain how they got their interpretations all messed up. It boils down to a simple, yet very common, error. Genesis 10 and 11 refer to Babel, from which mankind went forth with different languages, changed/confused by God. From Babel, mankind spread throughout the earth and their beliefs went with them, of course.
Many have always assumed this was the reference intended in Revelation. Only one problem! Do you see it? Babel is not Babylon and Babylon is not Babel and never was. They are spelled different, they sound different, they mean different, and they are from very different time periods and circumstances. Babel is said to mean confusion according to Genesis 11:11. But Babylon, in Hebrew spelled as Bab-ili and Aramaic Bab-ilu. The spelling Babylon comes to us by way of the Greek language. But Its Semitic meaning is Gate of God or Gate of the God, that god being Marduk, Babylon's supreme god. Babylon was the biggest city around at its height and was the capitol of the empire and so one could see why it might be called the Gate of the God, Marduk, where there also existed the biggest Ziggurat/Temple around.
I will also point out that Nimrod, who I would also suggest is Sargon the Great/Magnificent somewhere around/between 2300-2000 BC, (More on Nimrod in the works) founded 4 main cities in southern Mesopotamia, known as Sumer and Akkad, with the 4 cities being in Sumer. Sumer is known as Shinar and the plains of Shinar in the Bible. Erech/Uruk/Urak/Irak/Iraq is in the southeast of the area. Agade/Akkad/Accad is not known for sure, though referred to in inscriptions dug up, estimated to be in the northwest toward the source of the rivers heading toward southern Turkey's mountains. Very near to Accad was Babylon as well as Kish, also a very prominent city, though not mentioned in the Bible. Calneh has never been adequately determined, either. Mysteriously, there is nothing in between Uruk in the SE and Agade in the NW, although prominent cites' ruins are found to be there. But I would expect something in the middle in order to secure the entire area as an empire for Nimrod.
But Nippur was a very prominent city in the middle, the religious center of the region, according to inscriptions recovered in digs. Nippur eventually was abandoned. Babel stopped growing after the confusion of languages and it was said that they eventually left off building it. But I would expect the 4 cities to be spread out among the branches of the Euphrates. Here is what the online Britannica had to say: "The earliest cities of southern Mesopotamia, as far as their names are known, are Eridu, Uruk, Bad-tibira, Nippur, and Kish (35 miles south-southeast of Baghdad)."
Nippur was said to be the religious capitol "Holy" city of the area in its time, according to excavations and researchers. I can't rule Kish out as it was the political center of the region in those early days. It and Nippur were/are said to be the dominant cities of the region. Nearly all cities had ziggurats.
We know Uruk/Erech but none of the others. Nippur would make it two and be more believable since it is in the general area that we should find it. The founding of Nippur varies according to sources. Some say 2500 BC and some say 3000 BC. Whether it began before the flood or not is hard to say. Some cities like Uruk, existed far before the flood. Others began after the flood. A 2500 date could easily be bumped up to 2350 BC or just a little later. Material culture excavated could be within the 2350 BC (flood year) limits. If the 3000 BC dates come from Carbon 14 measurements, then 2350 BC or later would be allowable, since C14 environmental contamination is quite evident throughout the region.
The Bible has been translated about 50/50 split between Gen. 10:11 as Assur/Assyr going forth and Nimrod going forth to build prominent cities in the land of Asshur/Assyria, 4 cities in all. Nineveh, Rehoboth, Calah/Kalhu/Nimrud, and Resen. This region is NW of Summer/Shinar and Akkad.
Both Babel and Babylon were in the same general area of the world, but that was as far as it went. The link between the two began when Judah was taken captive to Babylon and the people of Judah beheld the immense temple ziggurat, a sort of step pyramid, intended to represent an artificial symbolic mountain which was ascended in order to worship the god or gods. Ziggurats were common in the Mesopotamian valley plains where there were no natural mountains and only flat plains. Incidentally, to show you how little most know about this situation, note how everyone that ever painted a picture of the Tower of Babel, always paints it round, spiraling in a corkscrew pattern upward. But everywhere, it was these symbolic mountains, the ziggurats, that were used in worship.
When Judah saw this ziggurat, they recalled the "tower" of Babel in the book of Genesis 10, with its height reaching into the heavens, a figurative literary way of saying that is was very high/tall/big. Some might have even imagined it to be one in the same. However, they are not. Building in Babel was eventually stopped as people left for other places, due to not being able to communicate with each other. The people of Babylon were descendants of Shem, even as Israel and Judah were. Babylon was built after Babel and far surpassed Babel. Though Babel certainly had pagan religious ideas, it was not prominent for that. It was known for not wanting to spread out and wanting to make a celebrated name for itself and ignore God who wanted them to spread out over the world.
But Babylon was, indeed, known for its numerous pagan practices and influences, its spiritism, as well as its pride and arrogance. I will show this from the Bible. Babylon is said to date back to 5000 BC, though I would say a bit later than that, since Adam was created about 4000 BC. But it was far before the flood. I believe it is likely that Babel was the ancient city of Nippur, once a religious center of the region, but eventually abandoned. In went into serious decline about 1400 BC. Further, it was built after the flood, after the mysterious abandonment of the many cities of that area at about the same time as the flood, though academics prefer to suggest other causes for this and Carbon 14 dates vary wildly for what seems to be the same abandonment at the same time, everywhere. But Nippur was built after this collapse, even as Babel was built on a new site and grew from there, according to Genesis 10:11.
I have some pictures here from other sites, which are copyrighted (not by me) and those rights are reserved by the owners and I only use them in fair use to make some points as follows:
The ziggurat at Ur is in the best shape of any I have seen. This was the city
that Abraham came out of. You can see its quite big and maybe restored as well.
2 views shown.
The Ur ziggurat is rather box like in shape. Some are more like a pyramid in
shape. They do tend to vary from place to place. Nippur is the place in question. It,
too, is quite big, one
of the bigger around, even though it had not likely been kept up for a very long
time. It must have been very grand in its hey day.
Uruk looks like a mountain, doesn't it? It is one of the biggest and oldest
cities ever. More of a pyramid shape. I don't know if any of the mound is
natural but the plains around it
are all flat and open. So it stands out in the area and would be visible for
miles, no doubt. It is also quite worn and deteriorated as most are. Been
abandoned a long time!
There is practically nothing left of the upper part of the ziggurat at
Babylon. But the measurements of the temple complex were found inscribed on
tablets and so they made a model of what it
might have looked like, based on site excavations. It might not look like much
but the first big base is there and restored and it is impressive to look up the
long stairway. No wonder Jews
were impressed and thought about Genesis 10 and 11 when they saw it. As you can
see, most ziggurats are impressive, especially when they were new. They are not
small and they do stand
out in their typical environments of plains and flat lands in most areas. The
last 2 are in cities of Assyria. Once again, sizes are impressive but they are
very worn. Rain and wind, no doubt.
But many cities had them at one time or another. They were supposed to represent
mountains of the gods where one would ascend to get closer and worship, almost
as if ascending to
heaven. IN the Middle Ages, they built cathedrals to give people a sense of awe.
That was the intended effect of ziggurats and it no doubt worked.
There are a number of ziggurats in surrounding countries. Most are well worn
as most here are. You can also check out this site for a number of pictures of
ziggurats:
http://joseph_berrigan.tripod.com/ancientbabylon/id18.html
Alexander Hislop, author of "The Two Babylons"
The man and his book, Alexander Hislop, "The Two Babylons," is the one perhaps most responsible for this association between Babel and Babylon. He was ordained a "Reverend" of the Free Church of Scotland. His Father Stephen, was a Mason. Alexander's primary target of his book was the Catholic Church and the Pope. Masons do not like competition and the "Church" had been, for many centuries, one of their principle competitors and enemies, although the two have always remained in bed together. So the goals of the book, as well as its contents, are rather suspect and open to more scrutiny than they have yet to receive.
And while I detest the Catholic Church, I must acknowledge that she kept the world a lot more sane than it has become in the last few hundred years and that the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) has often been slandered on many things. One example. The Catholic Church is said to have changed the "Sabbath" from Saturday, the last day of the week, to Sunday, the 1st day of the week. They did no such thing. The Apostles did this and they were not continuing the Sabbath when they switched days. They were now observing the resurrection of Jesus on the 1st day of the week. To their credit, the RCC has faithfully continued, not only this observance, but also that of remembering the Lord by partaking of the emblems of the bread and wine, even as the Apostles did on the 1st day of the week.
Now don't get me wrong. The RCC has a lot of sins to answer for and for those sins she should answer. But she also has many things she does not deserve to suffer for because someone wanted her out of the way so that they could have exclusive power, or at least, the greatest power and influence over kings, which the RCC formerly had. And with the RCC out of the way, now they could charge interest and begin banking with interest in earnest. Yes, I think money is the ultimate way to control things and it is how its done today, so I have no doubt it has always been done this way. So if we look to money and banking's history, as well as that of business and commerce, we would likely find many answers to our questions and mysteries.
Babel was Hebrew for Confusion. Babylon, a Semitic term referring to the City or Gate of god, is a completely different meaning and place. In any case, the link between these two cities has never been convincingly demonstrated and could not be. On the other hand, I'll show you an account in the Bible that better explains the reason why this enemy in Revelation is called "Babylon."
(Rotherham's Translation) Daniel 4:30 "Is not, this,
>> Nebuchadnezzer was pretty full of himself and "his" accomplishment, wasn't he? But as he spoke those words, he was struck down, became mad, and lost his mind, for 7 "times." After the 7 times had been served out, God returned his sanity to him. This was done to show him, the king, that God was the one who appointed kings and removed them, too, when He wanted. Nebuchadnezzar then admitted and declared that God was the one in charge, and not the king of Babylon. But also note the haughtiness and arrogance of Belshazzar, who sat on the throne when Cyrus the Great of Persia conquered Babylon in a single night. Belshazzar had taken out the vessels of the temple of Jehovah, the God of Israel and Judah, as to insult and mock Jehovah. So Jehovah removed him from power that very night, not doubt foreseeing this coming.
I do not and can not say this is the only connection between Babylon and the riddle, the mystery that is supposed to be looked for and answered by the name being Babylon the Great. But it is definitely this Babylon who is referred to in the many prophecies and not the Babel of Genesis.
Given the proud, boastful, haughty, arrogant nature of the rulers of Babylon in general, we see this special feature in her which is used prophetically in Revelation. Hence the name, Babylon the Great. So I say this mystery or riddle or the name Babylon the Great is understood when we grasp the arrogance, cockiness, and pride of this whore who hates God's people. She believes she is untouchable and absolutely secure, just before God crushes her. But I suspect God chose Babylon as the identifying label because He does have much more tied up in this symbol for us to search out.
So now take note of Isaiah 47 to better understand this whore and her attitude. Observe that her description is much the same as that in Revelation in case you doubted me. <<
(RSV) Isaiah 47:
1 Come down and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of
2 Take the millstones and grind meal, put off your veil, strip off your robe,
uncover your legs, pass through the rivers.
3 Your nakedness shall be uncovered, and your shame shall be seen. I
will take vengeance, and I will spare no man.
4 Our Redeemer—the LORD of hosts is his name—is the Holy One of Israel.
5 Sit in silence, and go into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans; for you
shall no more be called the mistress of kingdoms.
6 I was angry with my people, I profaned my heritage; I gave them into your
hand, you showed them no mercy; on the aged you made your yoke exceedingly
heavy.
7 You said, "I shall be mistress for ever," so that you did not
lay these things to heart or remember their end.
8 Now therefore hear this, you lover of pleasures, who sit securely, who
say in your heart, "I am, and there is no one besides me; I shall not
sit as a widow or know the loss of children":
9 These two things shall come to you in a moment, in one day; the loss of
children and widowhood shall come upon you in full measure, in spite of your
many sorceries and the great power of your enchantments.
10 You felt secure in your wickedness, you said, "No one sees me"; your
wisdom and your knowledge led you astray, and you said in your heart,
"I am, and there is no one besides me."
11 But evil shall come upon you, for which you cannot atone; disaster
shall fall upon you, which you will not be able to expiate; and ruin
shall come on you suddenly, of which you know nothing.
12 Stand fast in your enchantments and your many sorceries, with which you have
labored from your youth; perhaps you may be able to succeed, perhaps you may
inspire terror.
13 You are wearied with your many counsels; let them stand forth and save you,
those who divide the heavens, who gaze at the stars, who at the new moons
predict what shall befall you.
14 Behold, they are like stubble, the fire consumes them; they cannot deliver
themselves from the power of the flame. No coal for warming oneself is this,
no fire to sit before!
15 Such to you are those with whom you have labored, who have trafficked with
you from your youth; they wander about each in his own direction; there is no
one to save you.
[{ Verse 6 points out how God's people of the time had been given to Babylon of the time. But "Babsy" shows no mercy and is very hard on God's people so that God must now punish Babylon severely for her sins. Verse 7, 8 shows that attitude that "Babs" believes she can not be touched and is invincible. Her enchantments and sorceries are her spiritual sorceries with which she has polluted herself. Sounds like Revelation 18, doesn't it? In reality, a worshipper of Satan, the father of all sorceries, right? I also note her wisdom and knowledge, so called. In one hour, in one day, she is completely destroyed. God is trying to draw our attention to this prophecy in Isaiah in picking the name and description of Isaiah 47. It has nothing to do with Babel! The intention was to have us look back at prophecies in Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the like, which were often delivered to or aimed at "Babylon," the Chaldeans, Nebuchadnezzar, the king of, or similar.
God had His prophets write similar phrases and descriptions, symbols which they had no idea what the intended meaning of these symbols were. Yet over many centuries and different writers, the visions remained consistent, though veiled and kept secret. There is enough similarity so that we can tell what should be associated with what else. God reveals a very important enemy in Revelation and Revelation only, but with other accounts whose meanings were not clear at the time of their writing. But we can see how those accounts help explain the symbols of Revelation and give more meaning and understanding to the mystery, the riddle, that we are to try and solve. This article seeks to put it all together and enable any informed person to realize who this enemy is. But I can not give you the final answer. You must be able to solve that yourself, if the spirit of God is with you and you have made the proper effort to begin with.
But let me say this. Judah's - Jerusalem's - Israel's encounter with Babylon was one of those critical important momentous occasions where God would use the situations and circumstances that came about to illustrate future events that would be much the same. Only the two players would have changed in the last days. These I am drawing attention to. But be careful, for when Israel or Judah or Jerusalem is addressed, it is not always the literal ones being referred to, but the spiritual symbolic ones, representing God's future people and covenant as the old covenant people would cease to honor God and those who He sent, most particularly His son. They would be rejected and disowned, then being accounted as just another wicked nation or people.
And likewise, she who is originally called Babylon, was an
agent of God in many respects but also an arrogant one. God sort of twists the
description of Babylon to prefigure and expose a greater enemy of symbolic
future Israel - Judah, that is, Christians. Watch and see that many descriptions of
Babylon do not fit the old original Babylon at all. God was using Babylon as a
disguise. But He gave us hints to show that we should look beyond the old
literal characters and seek the new identifications and meanings. God does
expect us to exercise great care, effort, and diligence in discerning the things
to do not apply to the original Babylon nor even to that time. He expects us to
look ahead and see who now fits that symbolic name. }]
[{ Isaiah chaps. 13 & 14 have some very interesting things to say. Chap. 13 is addressed to Babylon. Oddly, though, Babylon would not be a concern in a big way till later, in the time of another prophet, Jeremiah. And right after 13, in chap. 14, it continues against Babylon, with just a brief interlude in the 1st 2 verses in favor of a restored "Jacob" and "Israel." This is not the fulfillment that took place when Babylon was conquered and Judah released. This says Israel and Jacob. They never were restored in an official sense. I believe this was intended to describe the situation in Revelation, many years (about 1500 years) into the future. This is Spiritual Israel, God's people in the last days, His 2 witnesses. And just as we have "Israel," God's people in the last days, we also have the enemy of God's people, "Babylon," being addressed, as well. I'll comment as the account goes along. }]
Isaiah 13:
1 The burden of
6 Howl! For the day of Jehovah is
at hand. It shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.
9 Behold, the day of Jehovah comes, cruel and with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land waste. And He shall
destroy its sinners out of it.
10 For the stars of the heavens and their constellations shall not give
light; the sun shall be darkened in its going forth, and the moon shall not
reflect its light.
11 And I will visit evil on the world, and their iniquity on the wicked. And
I will cause the arrogance of the proud to cease; and I will humble the
pride of tyrants.
13 So I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall move out of its place, in
the wrath of Jehovah of Hosts, and in the day of His fierce anger.
15 Everyone who is found shall be pierced through; yea, everyone who is swept
away shall fall by the sword.
16 And their children shall be dashed in pieces before their eyes; their houses
shall be robbed, and their wives raped.
17 Behold! I stir up the Medes against them, who shall not value silver. And
they shall not delight in gold.
18 And bows shall also smash the young men to pieces; and they shall have no
pity on the fruit of the womb; their eye shall not spare sons.
19 And
20 It shall never be inhabited forever, nor shall it be lived in from
generation to generation. And the Arabian shall not pitch a tent there, nor
shall the shepherds make flocks
lie down there.
21 But the desert creatures shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of
howling creatures; and daughters of ostriches shall dwell there; and he goats
shall skip there.
22 And hyenas shall cry along with his widows; and jackals in palaces of
delight. Yea, her time to come is near, and her days shall not be prolonged.
[{
Well, I just gotta say some stuff here. First, note how similar this sounds to
Revelation in, say, verse 10? The day of Jehovah, while capable of
applying to any actions of God, most particularly applies to the final judgment
day, which would be in the time of Revelation. God will evil on "the
world" and the "wicked" in general (verse 11). Far beyond just
Babylon. God will shake the entire heavens and the whole earth will move out of
place. Some say that will literally happen in 2012. Whether it does or not,
certainly it will, symbolically or figuratively speaking. So this doesn't really
sound like it fits all that well with Babylon in the time of Cyrus. Further,
Babylon continued as a city and power past Alexander the Great. And then there
is verse 20 which sounds so much like Revelation 18:21-23. }]
Isaiah 14:
1 For Jehovah will have pity on Jacob, and will yet
choose among
2 And the peoples shall take them and bring them to their own place. And the
house of
[{
Fleshly Israel was never restored as this vision seems to indicate. But
Spiritual Israel was! Strangers will be joined to them as well. but now we are
going back to Babylon in verse 4. }]
Isaiah 14:
3 And it shall be, in the day that Jehovah shall
give you rest from your sorrow, and from your trouble, and from the hard bondage
which was pressed on you,
4 you shall take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say: How
the exacter, the gold gatherer, has ceased!
5 Jehovah has broken the rod of the wicked, the staff of rulers,
6 who struck the peoples in wrath, a blow without turning away, ruling the
nations in anger, dealing out
persecution without restraint.
7 All the earth is at rest, quiet; they break forth into singing.
8 Yea, the fir trees rejoice over you; the cedars of Lebanon
say,
Since you have lain down, no woodcutter will come up against us.
9 Sheol from below is stirred for you, to meet you at your coming; it stirs up
the departed spirits for you, all the he goats of the earth. It has raised all
the kings of the nations from their thrones.
10 All of them shall answer and say to you, Are you also made as weak as we? Are
you likened to us?
11 Your majesty is lowered into Sheol; the noise of your harps. The maggot is
spread under you; yea, the worms cover you.
[{
This section is so leaded with imagery and references. When we finally enter
this "rest" from our sorrow and trouble, from the hard bondage pressed
on us, much like it was in Egypt, when Egypt oppressed and worked Israel hard,
unfairly so, so it is in the last days. Christian "Israel" will be
bitterly oppressed, worked to death, treated unfairly and her oppressor will
finally get her "due." I find the last half of verse 4 very
interesting.
How the exacter, the
gold gatherer, has ceased!
This is applied as
one of the many features of, and descriptions of, this Babylon, the enemy of
God's people.
}]
Isaiah 14:
12 Oh shining star, son of the morning, how you
have fallen from the heavens! You weakening the nations, you are cut down to the
ground.
13 For you have said In your heart, I will go up to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God,
and I will sit in the mount of meeting, in the sides of the north.
14 I will rise over the heights of the clouds; I will be compared to the Most
High.
15 Yet you shall be brought out to Sheol, to the sides of the Pit.
16 They that see you shall stare and closely watch you,
saying, Is this the man who made the earth tremble, shaking
kingdoms,
17 making the world like a wilderness, and who tore down its cities; he
did not open a house for his
prisoners?
18 All kings of nations, all of them lie in glory, each man in his house.
19 But you are thrown from your grave like
a despised branch,
like
the covering of the slain, those pierced by the sword, those who go down into the
stones of the Pit, like a dead body trampled under foot.
20 You shall not be united with them in burial, because you ruined your land;
you have slain your people; the seed of evildoers shall never be named.
21 Prepare for the slaughter of his sons, for the iniquity of their fathers;
that they may not rise and possess the land and fill the face of the earth
with cities.
22 For I will rise against them, says Jehovah of Hosts, and cut off the name
and remnant, the son and grandson, from Babylon, declares Jehovah.
23 Also I will make it a possession of the hedgehog and pools of water; and I
will sweep it with the broom of ruin, says Jehovah of Hosts.
[{ Note the heights of arrogance as "Babylon" imagines herself higher
than God and heaven. There may be references to the antichrist in this as well.
Babylon is likely to have a special connection with the antichrist, I suspect.
But Babylon will be completely and utterly wiped out, never to be heard from
again through any offspring. I am considering verse 21 at this point. A complete
Genocide! Recall, too, that while normally, God does not punish sons for the
sins of fathers, He can do so when He sees fit as he pointed out to Moses in
that He brings the errors of fathers upon sons to the 3rd and 4th generations.
It reminds me of that quote the crowd uttered to Pilate,
(Matthew 27:25)
"And
answering, all the people said, His blood be on us and on our children"
In this case of Babylon, it comes to be.
So those who made trouble for God and God's people will themselves experience trouble in far greater measure, for after all, it is their everlasting lives that are being destroyed, as well as any remembrance of them. I should also point out how these verses reinforce Revelation and Revelation reinforces Isaiah and others. Though separated by about 700 years, the message, the symbols, everything is consistent and united. No contradictions to be found.
Of course, following these accounts and symbols all over the Bible does present a challenge but, God has ordained that the mystery be solved eventually and I have done my best to solve and put the mystery to rest and the secret become known. If God is willing, it will be done. It will get done for sure, but who delivers the ultimate message that enlightens . . . that remains to be seen and proved. I gave it my best as that is all I can do. Let God be judge! God will distinguish His loyal ones. }]
Daniel 4:30 “Is not, this,
Jeremiah 50
1 The word that Jehovah spoke
against
2 Declare among the nations, and
make them hear, and lift up a banner. Make them hear, do not hide it; say,
[Rev. 18:2 Babylon the great has fallen! It has fallen, and it has become a dwelling-place of demons, and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean bird]
3 For a nation comes up against her
from the north, which shall make her land a desert. Yea, no one shall dwell in
it. They shall flee, they shall depart, both man and animal.
4 In these days, and at that
time, the sons of
5 They shall ask the way to
6 My people are lost sheep, their
shepherds have caused them to go astray; they turned them away on
the mountains, they have gone from mountain to hill; they have forgotten their
resting place.
7 All who have found them have
devoured them. And their enemies said, We are not guilty, because they have
sinned against Jehovah, the habitation of righteousness, and Jehovah, their
fathers’ hope.
8 Flee from the midst of
[Rev. 18:4 My people, come out of her, that you may not share in her sins, and that you may not receive of her plagues;]
9 For, behold, I am stirring up
and bringing up a company of great nations from a northern land against
10 And
11 Because you rejoice, because
you exult, O destroyers of My inheritance, because you are fat like the
heifer in grass, and neigh like strong ones,
12 your mother shall be deeply
ashamed, she who bore you shall turn pale. Behold, the last of the nations shall
be a wilderness, a dry land, and a desert.
13 Because of the wrath of
Jehovah, it shall not be inhabited, but all of it shall be a waste. Everyone who
goes by
14 Put yourselves in order
against
15 Shout against her all around. She
has given her hand, her foundations have fallen, her walls have been thrown
down, for it is Jehovah’s
vengeance. Take vengeance on her. As she has done, do to her.
[Rev. 18:6 Give back to her as also she gave back to you, and double to her double, according to her works. In the cup which she mixed, mix to her double.]
16 Cut off the sower from
17
18 So Jehovah of hosts, the God of
Israel, says this: Behold, I am punishing the king of
19 And I will again bring
20 In those days, and at that
time, states Jehovah, the iniquity of
21 Go up against the
22 A sound of battle is
in the land and of great ruin.
23 How the hammer of all the earth
is cut off and broken! How
24 I have laid a trap for you, and
you also are captured,
25 Jehovah has opened His armory and
has brought out the weapons of His fury. For this is a work of Jehovah,
God of hosts, in the land of the Chaldeans.
26 Come against her from the end,
open her granaries, pile her up as heaps and utterly destroy her. Do not let
a remnant be left.
27 Put the sword to all her bulls,
let them go down to the slaughter. Woe to them! For their day has come, the
time of their punishment.
28 The voice of those who flee and
escape out of the land of Babylon to declare in Zion the vengeance of Jehovah
our God, the vengeance of His temple.
29 Make the archers hear against
[Rev. 18:6 Give back to her as also she gave back to you, and double to her double, according to her works. In the cup which she mixed, mix to her double.]
30 So her young men shall fall in
the streets, and all her men of war shall be silenced in that day, declares
Jehovah.
31 Behold, I am against you, O proud one, says the Lord Jehovah of
Hosts, for your day has come, the time I will punish you.
32 And the proud one shall
stumble and fall, and none shall raise him up. And I will kindle a fire in
his cities, and it shall burn up everything all around him.
33 So says Jehovah of hosts, The
sons of
34 Their Redeemer is
strong, Jehovah of Hosts is
His name. He shall surely plead their cause, so that He may give rest to
the land, and make to tremble the dwellers of
35 A sword is on the Chaldeans, states Jehovah, and on the dwellers of
36 A sword is on the liars, and they shall become fools; a sword is
on her mighty men, and they shall be broken.
37 A sword is on his horses and his chariots, and to all the mixed people in
her midst. And they shall become as women. A sword is to her treasuries, and they shall be robbed.
38 A drought is on her waters, and they shall be dried up. For it is the land
of idols, and they boast themselves in idols.
39 So the beasts of the desert shall
dwell there with jackals. And the daughters of the ostrich shall dwell in her
again. And it shall not again have anyone in it forever; it shall not be lived in until generation and
generation.
[Rev. 18:7 By what things she glorified herself, and luxuriated, by so much give back to her torment and mourning. Because she says in her heart, I sit as a queen, and I am not a widow; and I do not see mourning at all.]
40 As God overthrew
41 Behold, a people shall come
from the north, and a great nation, and many kings shall be stirred up from the
farthest parts of the earth.
42 They lay hold of a bow and a
javelin, they shall be cruel
and will show no mercy. Their voice shall roar like the sea, and arrayed
like a man for the battle, they shall ride on horses against you, O daughter of
43 The king of
44 Behold, he shall come up like a
lion from the swelling of
45 So hear the counsel of Jehovah
that He has planned against
46 At the sound of Babylon’s
capture, the earth shall tremble, and a cry is heard among the nations.
[{ Notice that Babylon becomes completely desolate, never to be seen or heard from ever again. But that is not what happened with the kingdom of Babylon that fell to Cyrus. It continued. in fact, Alexander the Great, the Macedonian king, took up residence in it briefly. Only climate change and river course change brought about the city's demise. But Babylon was not just a city, it was a kingdom of many cities, a region. So while the particular city of Babylon is no longer inhabited, accept for some tourists or archaeologists, the region which had been part of the kingdom is still there and inhabited by the descendants of that kingdom.
So it is hard to imagine that these words of God really apply to the literal nation of Babylon in the time of its demise by Cyrus. It does not fit. God did not intend it to fit. It was not a failed prophecy. It was a failed interpretation of prophecy if we think it applied to the old Babylon of Daniel. This Babylon is the enemy of God's people. The old Babylon was God's agent of destruction for a time. Nebuchadnezzar even praised Jehovah at several times in his life. Also note that these are 2 very long chapters, one right after the other. It looks to me as if God thought this important to pronounce. I wonder why? }]
Jeremiah 51
1 So says
Jehovah, Behold, I am arousing a destroying wind against
2 And I will send foreigners to
3 Do not let the treader fully tread
his bow nor lift himself up in his armor. And do not spare her young men,
utterly destroy all her army.
4 So the slain shall fall in the
land of the Chaldeans, yea, pierced through in her streets.
[ Rev. 17:
15 And he says to me, The waters which you saw, where the harlot
sits, are peoples and crowds and nations and tongues.
16 And the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will
hate the harlot, and will make her desolated and naked. And they will
eat her flesh, and will burn her down with fire.
17 For God gave into their hearts to do His mind, and to act in
one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of
God shall be fulfilled.
end Rev .17. ]
[{ These 10 horns (political kingdoms) who God uses to
pay back Babylon. How ironic that those she slept with turn out to be her
destroyers. I'll bet she never saw that one coming, eh? }]
Jeremiah 51
5 For neither
6 Flee out of the middle of
7
[ Rev. 14: 8 The great city, Babylon, has fallen, has fallen; because of the wine of the anger of her fornication, she made all nations to drink.
Rev.
17: 1 I will show you the judgment of
the great harlot sitting on the many waters, 2 with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the
ones inhabiting the earth became drunk from the wine of her
fornication.
end Rev. ]
Jeremiah 51
8
Suddenly
9 We would have healed
[ Rev. 18:
4 My people,
come out of her, that you may not share in her sins, and that you may
not receive of her plagues;
5 because her sins joined together, even up to Heaven, and God
remembered her unjust deeds.
alternate translation from (RSV):
5 for
her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.
end Rev. 18 ]
Jeremiah 51
10 Jehovah has brought forth our
righteousness; come and let us declare in
11 Purify the arrows, fill the
shields; Jehovah has aroused the spirit of the kings of the Medes. For His plan is
against
12 Set up the banner to
13 O you who live by many waters,
rich in treasures, your end has come, the measure of your unjust gain.
14 Jehovah of Hosts has sworn by
Himself, saying, Surely I will
fill you with men as with locusts, and they shall lift up a shout against you.
15 He has made the earth by His
power, He has established the world by His wisdom, and stretched out the heavens
by His understanding.
16 When He gives His voice, a multitude of waters is in the heavens, and He causes
the mists to ascend from the end of the earth. He makes lightnings for rain, and
brings forth the wind out of His treasuries.
17 Every man is brutish in
knowledge, every refiner is put to shame by idols. For his casted image is
a lie, and no breath is in them.
18 They are vanity, the work of errors; in the time of their punishment
they shall perish.
19 The Portion of Jacob is
not like them, for He is the
Former of all things, and
20 You are My war club and
weapons of war, for with you I will shatter nations and with you I will destroy
kingdoms.
21 And with you I will shatter
the horse and his rider, and with you I will shatter the chariot and his
charioteer.
22 And I will shatter man and
woman with you, and with you I will shatter old and young, and with you I will
shatter the young man and the girl.
23 And I will shatter the shepherd
and his flock with you. And I will shatter the farmer and his team with you, and
with you I will shatter heads and rulers.
[ Rev. 19:
17 And I saw one angel standing in the sun. And he cried with a
great voice, saying to all the birds flying in mid-heaven, Come and
gather together to the supper of the great God,
18 that you may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of commanders,
and the flesh of strong ones, and the flesh of horses, and of the
ones sitting on them, and the flesh of all, both freemen and slaves,
even of the small and great.
end Rev. 19 ]
Jeremiah 51
24 And I will give to
25 Behold, I am against you, O destroying mountain, declares Jehovah, who
destroys all the earth. And I will stretch out My hand on you, and will roll
you down from the rocks, and I will make you a burned mountain,
26 and they shall not take a stone
from you for a corner, or a stone for foundations, but you shall be a waste
forever, says Jehovah.
27 Set up a banner in the land. Blow
a trumpet among the nations; consecrate nations against her. Make hear
the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz together against her, set a
marshal against her. Cause the horses to come up like rough locusts.
28 Consecrate nations against
her, with the kings of the Medes, her governors and all her rulers, and all
the land of his dominion.
[{ Note that God rounds up many nations to attack Babylon. While the Persians and Medes under Cyrus conquered Babylon, they may have had within their ranks some troupes from other countries since Cyrus had conquered other lands previously. But Jeremiah 51:2 says Babylon is surrounded by nations. The three in verse 27 are likely made up from descendants of Gomer (son of Japheth, grandson of Noah), who may have contributed a few troupes. But the entire scope and scale is far bigger than what Cyrus is known for having done. So this too, does not match up with the circumstances of the 1st original Babylon. It matches perfectly with the last days Babylon who will be attacked by the entire beast system of 7 heads and 10 horns. }]
Jeremiah 51
29 And the land shall tremble and
writhe in pain. For every purpose of Jehovah shall be done against
30 The mighty men of
31 A runner shall run to meet a
runner, and a herald to meet a herald, to announce to the king of
32 and that the fords are captured.
And they have burned the reeds with fire, and the men of war are terrified.
33 For so says Jehovah of Hosts, the
God of Israel: The daughter of
34 Nebuchadnezzar, the king of
[{ Verse 3 is intriguing. Nebuchadnezzar had done nothing particularly inappropriate to Judah and Jerusalem. In fact, Daniel, according to what God revealed, called Nebuchadnezzar the head of gold in the scary statue dream of Daniel 2. Nebuchadnezzar had at least twice praised God and threatened anyone who said anything bad about the God of Daniel. Can this possibly be the same Nebuchadnezzar. I don't see how! Could this be the antichrist, who works so closely with Babylon and who death possibly helps get Babylon killed? I think it likely. for sure, this fella is someone in the last days and not the original. }]
Jeremiah 51
35 The violence done to me and to
my flesh is on
36 So Jehovah says this: Behold,
I will strive for you and take vengeance for you. And I will dry up her sea and
make her well dry.
[ Rev. 18: 20 Rejoice over her, Heaven, and the holy apostles, and the
prophets, because God judged your judgment on her.
24 And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints,
and of all the ones having been slain on the earth.
end Rev. 18 ]
Jeremiah 51
37 And
38 They shall roar together like
lions, they shall growl like lions’ cubs.
39 In their heat, I will make their
feasts, and I will make them drunk so that they rejoice and sleep a never ending
sleep and never awaken, says Jehovah.
40 I shall bring them down like
lambs to the slaughter, like rams with he goats.
41 How Sheshach is captured! And how
the praise of all the earth is seized! How
42 The sea has come up over
43 Her cities [
plural, indicating a region, not just one city
] have become a ruin,
a dry land and a wilderness, a land in which no man dwells, nor does any
son of man pass by it.
44 And I will punish Bel in
45 My people, go out of her
midst, and each man deliver his soul from the fierce anger of Jehovah.
46 And that your heart not faint,
and you fear the report that shall be heard in the land, the report shall
come in a year. And after that the report shall
come in another year, and
there shall be violence in the
land, ruler against ruler.
[ Rev. 18: 4 My people,
come out of her, that you may not share in her sins, and that you may
not receive of her plagues;
(RSV) 5 for
her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.
end Rev. 18 ]
Jeremiah 51
47 So behold, the days come that
I will punish on the idols of
48 Then the heavens and the
earth, and all that is in them,
shall shout for
49 As
[ Rev. 18: 20 Rejoice over her, Heaven, and the holy apostles, and the
prophets, because God judged your judgment on her.
24 And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints,
and of all the ones having been slain on the earth.
end Rev. ]
50 You who have escaped the sword,
go away. Do not stand still. Remember Jehovah afar off, and let
51 We have turned pale because we
have heard reproach, dishonor has covered our faces. For foreigners have come
into the holy places of the house of Jehovah.
52 So, behold, the days are coming,
says Jehovah, that I will punish on her idols, and through all her land
the wounded shall groan.
53 Though
54 A sound of a cry from
55 For Jehovah is stripping
56 Because the plunderer is coming
on her, on
57 And I will make her rulers drunk,
also her wise ones, her governors, and her rulers, and her mighty men; and they
shall sleep a never-ending sleep, and not awaken, says the King whose name is
Jehovah of Hosts.
58 So says Jehovah of Hosts, The
broad walls of
59 The word which Jeremiah the
prophet commanded Seraiah, the son of Neriah, the son of Maaseiah, when he went
with Zedekiah, the king of
60 So Jeremiah wrote in a book
all the evil that should come on
61 And Jeremiah said to Seraiah,
When you come to
62 then you shall say, O Jehovah,
You have spoken against this place to cut it off so that no dweller shall be in
it, from man to animal, but it shall be a ruin forever.
63 And it shall be, when you have
finished crying this book, you shall tie a stone to it and throw it into the
middle of the
64 And you shall say, In this way
end Jeremiah 51
>> Recall that in Revelation just below is similar to Jeremiah 51:64 just above. The association between the 2 is certain! <<
Rev. 18:
21 And one strong angel lifted a stone like a great millstone, and
threw it into the sea, saying, This way, on a violent impulse, Babylon the great city
will be thrown down, and it will never more still be found.
22 And the sound of harpers, and of musicians, and flutists, and
of trumpeters will never more be heard in you. And every craftsman of
every craft will never more be found in you. And the sound of a mill
will never more be heard in you.
23 And the light of a lamp will never more shine in you. And the
voice of the bridegroom and bride will never more be heard in you.
For your merchants were the great ones of the earth, for by your
sorcery all the nations were misled.
24 And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints,
and of all the ones having been slain on the earth.
[{ Imagine how Jeremiah felt upon being told to tell Seraiah to take the scrolls containing these prophecies after they have been read to the captive Jews in Babylon and throwing the scrolls into the Euphrates river in Babylon. Jeremiah might have thought it a little odd that this should be God's instruction. Little did he know he was carrying out an act, or at least writing a passage that would become key to linking to a similar vision in Revelation. It was not his privilege to know what he was writing and doing. But how handy it was, and is, for us.
By now, you have seen all the many amazing similarities between Jeremiah's Babylon and the one of Revelation. Further, Jeremiah's Babylon does not match up well, if at all, at times, with literal Babylon of his times. It wasn't intended to. God knew what He was doing, even though Jeremiah might have been scratching his head. But it is the fact that these visions of the various prophets were a mystery to them and many who came after them for many centuries. But look how amazingly well they all go together for us in the last days. This constitutes a miracle and great and powerful works of God. No small signs and wonders here. These are huge and show how prophecy truly comes from the Divine realm.
But
Some are not content with this and prefer
questionable "gifts" such as speaking in tongues or the like. Can you
imagine trading in these incredible prophecies for something as meaningless and
useless as some mumble jumble gibberish no one can understand or make nearly as
much use of as one can with prophecy? Some people can never be pleased. }]
Praise Her Death!
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Revelation 19:1 And after these things, I heard a great voice of a
numerous crowd in Heaven, saying, Hallelujah! The salvation and the
glory and the honor and the power of the Lord our God!
2 For true and righteous are His judgments, because He judged
the great harlot who defiled the
earth with her fornication. And He avenged the blood of His slaves
out of her hand.
[{ Babylon was the serious enemy and killer of God's people. Everyone in heaven rejoices over her destruction. She was worthy of destruction. All the groups in verses 3-6 follow in Hallelujahs (Praise Jehovah) and Amens. }]
3 And secondly they said, Hallelujah! Also her smoke goes up
forever and ever.
4 And the twenty four elders, and the four living creatures fell down
and worshiped God sitting on the throne, saying, Amen!
Hallelujah!
5 And a voice came out from the throne, saying, Praise our God, all
His slaves, and the ones fearing Him, the small and the great.
6 And I heard as a sound of a numerous crowd, and as a sound of many
waters, and as a sound of strong thunders, saying, Hallelujah!
Because the Lord God Almighty reigned.
[{ After Babylon is gone, the nations next turn their attention again to Christians, the remaining ones of "woman's seed," in effect, using them to get at Christ. At this point, all the rest of God's enemies are destroyed, thrown into the symbolic Lake of Fire. }]
19 And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth, and their
armies being assembled to make war with the One sitting on the horse,
and with His army.
20 And the beast was seized, and with this one the false prophet
doing signs before it, by which he led astray those having received
the mark of the beast, and those worshiping its image. The two were
thrown alive into the Lake of Fire burning with brimstone.
21 And the rest were killed with the sword of the One sitting on the
horse, it having gone out of His mouth. And all the birds were filled
from their flesh.
Habakkuk 1
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I had long loved the 1st 5 verses of Habakkuk. They were very stirring. I had
decided a couple weeks ago from writing this that I wanted to look closer into
those verses. It had been some time since I had read the entire book.
Years at least. So I collected some different translations of the Bible on the
matter and I began reading the rest and my jaw dropped to the floor. It was
clearly written against modern day Babylon the Great, but went by the name of
the Chaldeans, which was the race of those who principally made up Babylon. So
my work expanded to a verse by verse analysis of the 3 chapter book. I had to do
this because this book was set to music and as a result, is much harder to
translate and understand without more care in definition and analysis.
I had first recognized Babylon the Great in 2004 and written about it but this
was long after my last reading of Habakkuk. But having pondered Babylon for some
time, due to the many visions concerning that identity and its related
identities, wherever I came across them, I was ready to recognize Babylon in the
Chaldeans of Habakkuk. So I now present Habakkuk as part of the Babylon the
Great article, perhaps one of the most prominent and important symbols in the
Judgment Day prophecies. As well, I also learned about the Dead Sea Scrolls
containing 2 of the chapters of Habakkuk and they also had remarkable things to
say about it all so they are added as well for consideration. The analysis of
Habakkuk about doubled what I had previously written but the previous material
probably has more impact. But this book is still very important in showing what
a prominent feature the figure/symbol of prophetic Babylon the Great truly is.
>> I begin to write in red-ish brown letters with
a sort of bracket to distinguish my writing from that of the Bible and the Dead
Sea Scrolls which I abbreviate as DSS. <<
GLT)
1 The burden which Habakkuk the prophet saw:
2 O Jehovah, until when shall I cry for help, and You will not hear? I cry out
to You, Violence! But You do not save.
3 Why do You show me evil, and You look upon toil? For destruction and violence
are before me;
and there is strife, and contention rises up.
4 On account of this the law has become helpless, and justice does not
continually go forth.
For the wicked hems in the righteous, so justice goes forth, being
perverted.
>> Many versions say vision or oracle, but
GLT says burden in verse 1.
The
Hebrew 4853
asm
massa’ mas-saw’
appears in the KJV as:
burden 57 times, song 3, prophecy 2, set 1, exaction 1, carry
away 1, tribute 1; 66 total.
The
tone/theme of 2-4 is very similar to what we commonly read in the Psalms and
Jeremiah as well. Why does wickedness and the wicked abound. But also common in
the scriptures are the promises that God will eventually catch up with the
wicked and their wicked deeds. It will not go on forever. So this is what we
might call a long term prophetic theme, prophesying Judgment Day, popularly
called Armageddon by many today. But sadly, because the wicked are getting away
with it for the present, they have gone from bad to worse. Chapter 2 will show
just how bad it has gotten. <<
GLT) 5 Look among the nations and see, and be amazed. Be
amazed! For a work is working in your days which you will not believe, though it
be told to you.
RSV) 5 Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be
astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if
told.
BBE) 5 See among the nations, and take note, and be full of
wonder: for in your days I am doing a work in which you will have no belief,
even if news of it is given to you.
Douay) 5 Behold ye among the nations, and see: wonder, and be astonished: for a
work is done in your days, which no man will believe when it shall be told.
KJV)
5 Behold ye among the
heathen, and regard, and wonder marvellously: for
I will work a work in your days,
which
ye will not believe, though it be told
you.
Geneva)
5 Behold among the heathen, and regard, and
wonder, and marvel
:
for I will work a work in your days: you
will not believe
it, though it be told you.
>>
It is the nations being addressed, the world. I quote 6 translations to see how
each chose to word it. But the ye/you is assumed and is not in the Hebrew though
I do agree it is the nations and those in them that are addressed. Be shocked
and astonished! For God is doing a work in their very day that they absolutely
will not believe, even though it will be plainly spoken to them and told like it
is. Recall that Jesus spoke out boldly to his disciples that the son of man must
be delivered up, tortured, and killed and they did not want to believe, either.
But the wicked will not believe because they do not want to and because they are
so cocky and arrogant, believing they can not possibly be stopped and besides,
there is no God, anyway, right? ;-) But the joke is on them.
Now it is going to get very tricky. For we are about to be introduced to the "Chaldeans,"
another name used for Babylon. But the tone before this and well after, is one
of the final Judgment of God, not that of just Babylon or the Chaldeans. The
Chaldeans are used for their arrogance and mightiness, almost seemingly
invincible. Yet they did fall in just 70 years. They represent the enemies of
God's people at the time of Habakkuk and Israel/Judah. But since we are dealing
with the end times, "Israel" are loyal Christians and Babylon is the
fierce enemy of Christians, though many who call themselves Christians are not
even aware they have an enemy. But those blessed by God know they have an enemy
and they are on the watch.
<<
GLT) 6 For, behold, I raise up the Chaldeans, the
bitter and impetuous nation which is going into the broad spaces of the land, to
possess dwellings not his own.
JB) 6 For now I am stirring up the Chaldaeans, that fierce and
fiery people who march miles across country to seize the homes of others.
GLT) 7 He is terrible and fearful; his judgment and his glory comes from
himself.
JB) 7 A people feared and dreaded, from their might proceeds
their right, their greatness.
KJV) 7 They
are terrible and dreadful: their
judgment and their dignity shall proceed of themselves.
>>
The Chaldeans have a long reach and come from far away to take broad amounts of
land and homes from others. They are feared and dreaded as they should be. We
have often heard the saying "might makes right" and that is nearly
what is said in 7 in that their might supports their claims to justice and
greatness. It certainly is not righteousness or principle that makes them great
or just.
I am going to inject how the Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS) interpret this scripture
between 8 and 9 as well. <<
GLT)
8 His horses also are swifter than leopards and are fiercer than the evening
wolves. And their horsemen spread themselves;
yea, their horsemen
come from afar; they shall fly as the eagle hurrying to eat.
JB)
8 Their horses are swifter than leopards, fiercer than wolves in the dark; their
horsemen gallop on,
their horsemen
advance from afar, swooping like an eagle to stoop on its prey.
DSS)
8
Their
horses are swifter than leopards and fleeter than evening wolves. Their horses
step forward proudly and spread their wings;
they
fly from afar like an eagle
avid to devour.
9 All of them come for
violence; the look on their faces is like the
east wind (1: 8-9a).
GLT)
9
All of him shall come for violence; the gathering of their faces is
forward; and they gather captives like the sand.
JB)
9 They come for plunder, all of them, their faces scorching like an east wind;
they scoop up prisoners like sand.
GLT)
10 And he shall scoff against the kings, and officials shall be a scorn to
him. He shall scorn every fortress,
and he shall heap up dirt
and capture it.
JB)
10 They are a people that scoff at kings, and laugh at princes. They make light of
all fortresses:
they heap up earth and take them.
GLT)
11
Then he sweeps on like a wind; and he transgresses and is guilty, crediting
this power of his to his god.
JB) 11 Then the wind changes and is gone. Sinful, he who
makes his own strength his god.
KJV) 11 Then shall
his
mind change, and he shall pass over, and offend,
imputing this <(2098) his power <(3581) unto his god
<(433).
>> They are fast in their approach, and more
fierce than wolves, swooping in like an eagle from out of the clear blue sky.
You don't even get a chance or warning as they come in. They are the ultimate
predators. And as fast as they come in, they are just as quickly gone and moved
on to another victim elsewhere. In 9, they gather captives in huge numbers,
employing violence along the way.
10 they are not impressed or worried by kings and representatives. They laugh at
these. They joke about fortresses and armies. They easily take these down and
plow them under. But notice the very interesting line to follow in 11. The
"Chaldeans" credit their god or maybe even the God, Jehovah. I quote
the KJV Bible since Strong's (numbers) Hebrew Dictionary can be linked.
2098
wz
zuw zoo appears in the KJV as - which 5, this 4, that 3, wherein
2, whom 1; 15 total.
3581
xk
koach ko’- akh or (#Da 11:6)
xwk
kowach ko’- akh
from an unused root meaning to be firm; n m;
appears in the KJV as - strength 58 times,
power 47 times, might 7, force 3, ability 2,
able 2, able +
06113
1, chameleon 1, fruits 1, powerful 1, substance 1, wealth 1, weary +
03019
1; 126 total.
433
hwla
‘elowahh el-o’- ah rarely (shortened)
hla
‘eloahh el-o’- ah
probably prolonged (emphat.) from
0410
;
n m;
appears
in the KJV as - God 52 times, god 5; 57 total.
This is usually translated as the God, but in 5 places
just a god. Given that it is sort of emphatic, I see the distinct possibility,
when the concept of the antichrist is considered as well, that it may in fact be
The God, Jehovah, who is credited with giving them their power when in fact, it
is the devil who does so. But just as easily, it could be the devil that is
intended as the one they truly honor with their credit. But either way, it is
their military skill and might that supplies their power and fear of them in
others. The Jerusalem Bible has an interesting spin but I don't think it is
correct. But nonetheless, it is worth considering in that the "Chaldeans" are full
of themselves and are drunk with power and success. Pride comes deep and strong
before a fall, right?
They will be in for a
surprise one day at the hand of God.
And
in case you are wondering why I select the Jerusalem Bible (JB) to compare often
in this article, it is because the Jerusalem Bible was first translated into
French from the Greek and then from French to English. In doing so, some
interesting wording and slightly different ways of looking at translation come
about. It attempts to be literal but not necessarily of precise word order,
which seems reasonable to me and often beneficial. It makes a nice contrast and
a 2nd opinion at times.
The JB does use the
non-traditional form of God's name, Yahweh, assuming it to be more correct but I
do not believe that it accomplishes this. The Y and the W are fine and the vowel
choices as well, but it is missing the middle syllable, which Jehovah is not.
But this is a small inconsequential matter. <<
GLT)
12
Are You not from of old, Jehovah our God, my Holy One? We shall
not die, Jehovah, for You have appointed him for judgment.
And,
my
Rock, You have established him for correction.
JB)
12 Are not you, from ancient times Yahweh, my
God, my Holy One, who never dies? Yahweh, you have made this people an
instrument of justice,
set it firm as a rock in order to punish.
>>
Habakkuk ponders why the Chaldeans are used as an instrument of justice and
discipline to punish Israel. Habakkuk realizes that God is too righteous and
decent to let the Chaldeans go on forever without also making them accountable
as well as 13 next shows. The JB, in my opinion, uses better words. I think that
tyranny is a better choice than vexation. But both deceitfully and treacherous
are good choices.
But there are some oddities in this "burden" of Habakkuk in that
Israel, more properly Judah, was no better than Babylon, but Judah carried on
the worship of Jehovah while Babylon did not.
Judah
needed to be humbled and purified in order to make the worship of God acceptable
enough to produce/introduce the Messiah according to the law of God. So Babylon
was given (was used) to accomplish the will of God and when God was done with
Babylon, then the Chaldeans would get their due as well.
But
then I ask, since the Chaldeans/Babylon were God's instrument and were not
worthy and were punished, if the modern day prophetic Babylon also unworthy and
lesser than the authentic Christians
but used to punish that part of Christianity that merits punishment, with
Babylon then being judged herself? Something to think about! What I can draw as
a parallel is that those who were still good among Judah were told by Jeremiah
to submit to the king of Babylon as long as God's rules were not compromised.
Then God would deal with Babylon when it was time to do so. <<
GLT)
13
You
are of purer eyes than to behold evil, and You are not able to look upon vexation.
Why do you look on those who deal deceitfully?
Will You be silent when
the wicked swallows one more
righteous than he?
JB) 13 Your eyes are too pure to rest on wickedness, you cannot look on at
tyranny.
Why do you look on while men are treacherous,
and stay silent while the evil man
swallows a better man than he?
>>
The next part is tricky (it was for me, anyway). Habakkuk is addressing God as
You in 13 above. He continues that way in 14 below. Mankind is like the fish of
the sea and the bugs and small reptiles and amphibians. But in 15,
"He" hooks and nets mankind. He being the Chaldeans or he who leads
and directs the Chaldeans. He benefits from his nets and profits immensely from
them and sacrifices to them. He worships the means of his harvest, a harvest of
people and their labor and possessions. In 16, He and his people enjoy great luxury because
of their "nets" and "hooks," what we might call traps, maybe
even perhaps legal or financial traps, pledges, collateral, mortgages, excessive
interest rates that cause bankruptcy and repossession, or tax and tribute traps. Political traps
as well! <<
GLT)
14 For You make man like the fish of the sea,
like creeping things with no ruler over him.
JB)
14 You treat mankind like fishes in the sea, like creeping, masterless things.
GLT)
15 He takes up all of him with the hook; he drags
him with his net and gathers him with his seine. On account of this he rejoices
and exults.
JB)
15 A people, these, who catch all on their hook, who draw them with their net,
in their dragnet gather them, and so, triumphantly, rejoice.
GLT)
16 So he sacrifices to his net, and burns incense
to his seine; because by them his portion
is
fat, and his food rich.
JB)
16 At this, they offer a sacrifice to their net, and bum incense to their
dragnet, for providing them with luxury and lavish food.
GLT)
17 Shall he therefore empty his net, and shall he
not spare to continually slay nations?
JB)
17 Are they then to empty their net unceasingly, slaughtering nations without
pity?
RSV) 17 Is he then to keep on emptying his net, and mercilessly slaying nations
for ever?
BBE) 17 For this cause his net is ever open, and there is no end to his
destruction of the nations.
KJV) 17 Shall they therefore empty their net, and not spare continually to slay
the nations?
Roth) 17 Shall he, on this account, empty his net? And, the continual slaying of
nations, deem to be no pity?
>>
17 is a tough one so I brought forth 6 witnesses in the matter. But since the
key to this riddle is in chapter 2, it helps solve this, too. Habakkuk leaves us
with an open ended question. Does God really care about this horrible situation
whereby all the earth and mankind suffer at the hands of the Chaldeans/Babylon.
Will there be no end to their plunder, conquer and killing? Verses 1 and 2 of
the next chapter immediately answer for us. <<
Habakkuk 2: 1-5
Back to Top
GLT) 1 I will stand on my guard and set myself on the tower, and watch to see
what He will say against me, and what I shall return on my rebuke.
JB) 1 I will stand on my watchtower, and take up my post on my
battlements, watching to see what he will say to me, what answer he will make to
my complaints.
>>
Habakkuk speaks in 1, waiting on God to answer and answer He does in 2 & 3!
Its a rather well known scripture for those denominations who are prophecy
oriented and expecting a judgment day of some sort. Write the vision down
clearly and easily visible on tablets on display so that one will easily see it,
read it, and run to action or run in fear, which ever the case may be. There
will be no time to delay! <<
GLT) 2 And Jehovah answered me and said, Write
the vision and engrave it on the tablets, that he who reads it may run.
JB) 2 Then Yahweh answered and said, "Write
the vision down, inscribe it on tablets to be easily read,
GLT) 3 For the vision is still
for the appointed time, but it breathes to the end, and it does not lie.
Though it delays, wait for it,
because it will surely come; it will not tarry.
JB) 3 since this
vision is for its own time only: eager for its own fulfillment, it does not
deceive;
if it comes slowly, wait, for come it
will, without fail.
>> The vision is still for the appointed time, far into the future. Its
own special time! You can be certain it will happen but we are warned that it
could seem late or delaying and we could lose hope so we are warned not to lose
heart or hope. Hang in there, right? Scoffers and ridiculers will, of course,
laugh and insist it will not happen but they will soon be ashamed and terrified
when it does.
The next verse begins God's promise to make the wicked, the proud, the arrogant and all other bad qualities, all answer for their evil and to be judged, but in a most ironic way. Justice will catch up with these who always sought evil and selfish greed. But also keep in mind that what is described is for the very last days on this world-system-age. So we are no longer (and never were) dealing with the Chaldeans or Judeans of Habakkuk's day. We are dealing with Christians and the notorious enemy of God's people, called Chaldeans in figure, but much better known as Babylon and Babylon the Great, the mother of the harlots and disgusting things of the earth.
What
follows is a sort of literary style where a series of woes are listed off. These
woes or warnings are about the horrible things that had been going on in the
world, especially so in the last years. They are typical of the greed and
problems we encounter today and they are world wide problems affecting the whole
world so this is not just Judah or the Chaldeans. Its a much bigger picture as
evidenced by verses 2-3. This is the Judgment Day, the 7 bowls of wrath
described in Revelation in the latter chapters. We should know them well.
God was clever to carefully hid and conceal this message so that enemies would
not discern it and only those of His people who sought Him diligently would gain
the understanding of the vision near the time when it would soon be fulfilled,
with just enough time to prepare for it. Hey, I just figured it out now as I
write at the creation of this Habakkuk commentary. this is yet another symbol of
Babylon the Great. <<
GLT) 4 Behold, the soul of him is puffed up and is not upright; but
the just shall live by his faith.
JB) 4 "See how he flags, he whose soul is not at
rights,
but the upright man will live by his faithfulness."
>> God is doing a comparison of the enemies and of
God's faithful followers in 4. More traits of each and their destinies are to
follow. There is a lot in 5. It is a sort of composite profile of the wicked in
that many (most) are given to wine and excess. They are proud and never content
or satisfied. Most important is a key here. A man who gathers all nations and
peoples to himself. He wants to rule the entire world every last soul in it.
Ruling a city or a state or just one nation would never be enough for him. He
must have the whole complete absolute world to himself. And if there were other
worlds in the galaxy which were within grasp, he would eventually want them,
too.
In a human, when the switch in our heads gets stuck on the "on" position, it keeps sending a signal, such as I need more, even if he has plenty already. This is the root of obsession/compulsion. It is a disease, but one of thinking and morality and not one that is beyond our control. So a man of 10 or 20 billion will not be happy with 10 or 20, especially if there are 10 or 20 other men that have that much. He will want to have more than all of them. Its just a big competition and ego game. Contentment is out of the question. Happiness or satisfaction are beyond their grasp. A guy might have 50 wives, but he will always see more that he likes and does not have and will want them. Solomon had a 1000. Some just have them for a few times and not bother to marry.
But
most particularly with concern to the last days, dominion of the world would be
sought by God's enemies, who are all dedicated to a common cause to make the
world and all in it, theirs to do as they please. This is how we know this does
not apply ancient Neo-Babylon, who only controlled the Near East. This is the
Babylon of Revelation, God's long time enemy who fights His every will and
desire, taking it out on His people here on earth who carry His name on them. <<
GLT) 5 And also, wine indeed betrays a proud man, and he is not content;
who widens his soul like Sheol. And he is like death, and is not
satisfied,
but
gathers all the nations to himself, and collects all the peoples to himself.
JB) 5 Wealth is indeed a treacherous thing. Haughty and unable
to rest is he who is as greedy as Sheol, who is like death, insatiable,
who
assembles all the nations for his own ends, collects all the peoples to his own
advantage.
KJV) 5 Yea also, because he
transgresseth by wine <(3196), he is a
proud man, neither keepeth at home <(5115), who enlargeth
<(7337) his desire <(5315)
as hell, and is
as death, and cannot be satisfied, but
gathereth unto him all nations, and heapeth unto him all people:
>>
Before I finish with 5, I want to point out that the JB does not make sense
here. "Wealth" is not a word that should be here. So I added the KJV 5
to show the Hebrew words to prove what I say and verify the GLT and KJV.
3196
Nyy
yayin yah’- yin
– appears in the KJV as:
wine 137, vine 1, banqueting 1, winebibbers +
05433 1; 140
5115 hwn
navah naw-vaw’ – appears
in the KJV as:
keep at home 1, prepare an habitation 1; 2
7337 bxr
rachab raw-khab’ –
appears in the KJV as:
enlarge 18, wide 3, large 2, make room 2; 25
5315 vpn
nephesh neh’- fesh –
appears in the KJV as:
soul
475, life 117, person 29, mind 15, heart 15, creature 9, body 8, himself 8,
yourselves 6, dead 5, will 4, desire 4, man 3, themselves 3, any 3, appetite 2,
misc 47; 753
As
you can see, none of these translations gets it completely and literally right.
GLT says "soul," but KJV says "desire," which of course, a
soul can have but its a little more than that. The original Hebrew says he does
not stay at home, is not content with being home, but wants to venture out far
beyond that. GLT says "content," but KJV says "keepeth at
home," which is far more correct and adds to the idea of wanting to rule
the whole world. the JB seems to be way off here. Passing through 2 languages to
get to English might have contributed to that. But as you can see in this
example, consulting the Hebrew is always important and especially so when faced
with a tough scripture or differing opinions in translation.
Babylon wants everything! Make no mistake about it! And God help anyone who get in his or their way! <<
Habakkuk 2: 6-20
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>> Now in 6 begins a series of woes from God, 4 of them. And there is
another phrase said twice which I have also highlighted in bold. Its a very
important phrase. We'll deal with 6 for the moment. The woe or warning is to
"him," whoever he might be, who takes what is not his and takes
pledges, what we might call collateral or loans today and holds people at ransom
for their debt pledges and collateral. Did you use your home to get a loan or
re-mortgage? You could lose it all by someone who uses your desperation to take
everything from you. Such greed without concern for people and their welfare is
what angers God so deeply. <<
GLT) 6 Shall not all of these lift up a parable against him. and a mocking
riddle to him, and say, Woe to him who
increases what is not his! How long, then, shall he load the pledges on
himself?
JB) 6 On him, will not all men make satires, and turn an
epigram against him? They will say: Trouble
is coming to the man who
amasses goods that are not his, (for how long?) and loads himself
with pledges.
>> In 7, the many who have been abused by the
"Chaldeans" rise up in the end to repay Babylon for her cruelty and
greed. JB says "creditors," but debtors would be far more correct, for
all are debtors to these Chaldeans. The GLT is fairly precise and correct here.
Now recall in Revelation that Babylon is turned on by the nations on whose backs
she rode and they destroyed her. We have the very same scenario here. More
verification that the Chaldeans and Babylon the Great are one in the same and
that this is a prophetic symbol and not the literal Chaldeans of Habakkuk's
day. <<
GLT) 7 Shall not those who strike you rise up suddenly, and those who
shake you be aroused, and you become a prize to him?
JB) 7 Will not your creditors suddenly rise, will not your
duns awake? Then you will be their victim.
GLT) 8 Because you have plundered many nations, all the rest of the people shall
plunder you,
because of the blood of men and the
violence of the land, and the city, and all those dwelling in it.
JB) 8 Since you have plundered many nations, all that
remains of the peoples will plunder you;
for you have shed men's blood and
ravished the country, the city and all who live in it.
>>
8 above: This is the exact same sentiment of Revelation in regards to Babylon.
As they say, payback is a bitch. But let me also make this clear. Christians are
to have no part in this. It will be for the nations and people who do not obey
God but used to obey Babylon and its world government of Revelation 13. As well,
note the 1st instance of the phrase I mentioned as appearing twice in bold face.
Even as Revelation said that they were responsible for all the blood in the
earth, so here also men's blood and a complete ravishing of the entire world and
everything in it. Babylon has been very cruel and greedy. <<
>> 2nd woe in 9. He robs unjustly for his own house to make it high and
very elaborate, a regular mansion or maybe even 7 or 8 mansions all over the
world, right? And he sets his house on high as a fefensive measure so that he
will not also be robbed or attacked. He knows there are plenty who would like to
do this. He disregards the command to do unto others as you would have them do
unto you. He does not like being robbed but he does not mind robbing you or I,
right? <<
GLT) 9 Woe to him who robs
evil booty for his house, to set his nest on high, to be delivered from the hand
of evil!
JB) 9 Trouble is coming
to the man who grossly exploits
others for the sake of his House, to fix his nest on high and so evade the hand
of misfortune.
>> 10-11 points out a goal of
"You/he" being addressed. To make an end to many peoples. Again, it
sounds so much like Revelation 6 and 16-19 where so much blood is spilled and so
many die as in Revelation 6 with the march of the 4 horsemen of the Apocalypse.
And in committing all this blood shed, "he brings great shame to his house
and family line, bringing it to an end, really, when we also consider
Revelation's foretelling of the fate of Babylon in Revelation 16-19. His
"house" cries out against him, the stones and wood making the
accusations and cries of guilt and shame. <<
GLT) 10 You have advised shame for your house, to make an end of many peoples,
and are sinning in your soul.
JB) 10 You have contrived to bring shame on your House; by
making an end of many peoples you have worked your own ruin.
GLT) 11 For the stone shall cry out from the wall, and the beam shall answer it
from the wood.
JB) 11 For the stone from the very walls cries out, and the
beam responds from the framework.
>> 12 begins the 3rd woe/warning. He who builds a
town with blood and a city with evil, corruption, and other criminal actions.
Such foundations will not stand or last. In 13, it was not and is not God's will
that people exist only to build and then have it burned. Nations are weary from
building for nothing, having it all destroyed after. But the cause of all this
fruitless vanity will pay for their endless and unnecessary destruction of the
nations of the earth for benefit only of these who want to rule the world for
only their won selfish benefit. <<
GLT) 12 Woe to him who builds
a town with blood and establishes a city by iniquity!
JB) 12 Trouble is
coming to the man who builds a
town with blood and founds a city on crime.
GLT) 13 Behold, is it not for Jehovah of hosts that the people labor only
for fire? Yea, nations weary themselves only for vanity.
JB) 13 Is it not the will of Yahweh Sabaoth that the laboring
of peoples should end in fire, and the toiling of nations come to nothing?
GLT) 14 For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of
Jehovah, as the waters cover the sea.
JB) 14 For the country shall be filled with the knowledge of
the glory of Yahweh as the waters swell the sea.
>> 14 is a perfect quote of Isaiah 11:9 which I will display for you along with some that are related. The time is yet but is coming, when all the earth will be filled with the knowledge of God, Jehovah by name. God will not tolerate the world conquerors much longer. He will eliminate them and then all show know God everywhere. <<
Isaiah
11:9 They shall not do evil, nor destroy in all My holy mountain.
For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of Jehovah, as the waters cover
the sea.
Hosea 6: 6 For I desired
mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt
offerings.
Numbers 14: 21 but as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of Jehovah;
Proverbs 9: 10 The fear of Jehovah
is the beginning of wisdom; and
the knowledge of the Holy Ones is
understanding.
>>
Now the 4th woe comes. The "man," the bad guy, gets his neighbor drunk
either for humiliation or to deride him or maybe there is some sexual suggestion
of getting used. The root word is not much help, which indicates being exposed
or laid bare, almost as if in shame. But it is not for any good or upright
reason that he gets his neighbor drunk. He will pay for his "sport"
and mocking. Verse 16 indicates that it is for shame and disgrace that the
neighbor is gotten drunk. <<
GLT) 15 Woe to him who causes
his friend to drink, pouring out your wineskin, and also making him
drunk, so as to look upon their nakedness!
JB) 15 Trouble is
coming to the man who makes his neighbors drink, who pours his poison until
they are drunk, to look at their nakedness.
KJV) 15 Woe unto him that giveth
his neighbour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him
drunken also,
that thou mayest look on their nakedness! <(4589)
>>
4589
rwem
ma‘owr maw-ore’
from
5783;
n m;
In the KJV as - nakedness
1; 1
5783
rwe
‘uwr oor
a primitive
root; v;
In the KJV as -
naked 1; 1
1)
(Niphal) to be exposed, be bared, be laid bare
<<
>>
16 continues the ideas of 15. Just as he shames others for sport, the same shall
happen to him, and he will be seen as uncircumcised. Chaldeans were
uncircumcised but I suspect this instance indicates the bad heart of he who on
the outside, physically, is circumcised but not circumcised in heart.
Regardless, he who is a/the Chaldean will get his and be mocked and humiliated
even as he once did to others. What comes around goes around, they say. Ironic
justice! These last 3 verses are of the very same sentiment
as the entire chapter 18 of Revelation. The payback is merited due to the sins
of the Chaldeans of Babylon the Great, the whore of all whores. <<
GLT) 16 You are filled with shame instead of glory; you drink also, and
will
be seen as uncircumcised.
The cup of the right hand of Jehovah shall turn on you, and disgrace shall be
your glory.
JB) 16 You are drunk with ignominy, not with glory. Your turn
now to drink and show your foreskin.
The cup from Yahweh's right hand comes around to you, and disgrace will
overshadow your glory.
>> 17 begins with the 2nd time the phrase I
bold faced to highlight, appears. This is nearly the same words and certainly
the same sentiment as Revelation 17:6 or 18:24 and Jeremiah 51:49. <<
GLT) 17 For the violence of
because of the blood of men and the violence of the land, the city, and
all those dwelling in it.
JB) 17 For the violence done to Lebanon is going to overwhelm
you, so will the slaughter of terrified beasts,
for you have shed men's blood and
ravished the country, the city and all who live in it.
>> You'll also find sentiments every bit as similar
in the previous sections with those of the next 2 verses, 18-19. In 19, we have
the 4th woe listed, this one dealing with idolatry and pagan worship. <<
GLT) 18 What does an image profit, for its maker has carved it; a molten image,
and a teacher of falsehood?
For does the maker trust in his work on it, to make mute idols?
JB) 18 What is the use of a carved image, or for its maker to
carve it at all? It is a thing of metal, a lying oracle.
What is the use of its maker trusting this and fashioning dumb idols?
GLT) 19 Woe to him who says to
the wood, Awake! To a mute stone, Rise up, it shall teach!
Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, but no breath is in
its midst.
JB) 19 Trouble is
coming to the man who says to the
piece of wood, "Wake up!" to the dumb stone, "On your feet!"
(And that is the oracle.)
Plated it may be with gold and silver, but not a breath of life inside it.
GLT) 20 But Jehovah is in His holy temple; let all the earth be silent
before Him.
JB) 20 But Yahweh is in his holy
>> Chapter 2 concludes that God is going to fix and make up for everything in time. He is in His holy temple so let no one gripe and let all be silent before Him. He does know what is going on. <<
Habakkuk 3: 1-5
Back to Top
>> Tracking the trail of translators is always interesting. All 3 of these are
somewhat different. 7692 shiggawyone, is uncertain in meaning. Its been guessed
as a term used by musicians, of which there are a few terms to be found
primarily in the Psalms. It is a reasonable estimate of meaning. The KJV just
uses the word without translating or guessing at all. JB assumes it to indicate
a dirge, a sad mournful song. It might be, it could be. GLT assumes a primitive
root word, 7686 shagah, which might have something to do with the meaning, but
really, we don't know and none of these is unreasonable. But luckily for us, the
word is not likely to have a serious impact on the overall meaning. <<
GLT) 1 A prayer of Habakkuk the
prophet concerning erring ones:
<(7692)
JB)
1 A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet; tone as for dirges.
<(7692)
KJV) 1 A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet upon Shigionoth. <(7692)
>>
7692
Nwygv
shiggayown shig-gaw-yone’ or
hnygv
shiggayonah shig-gaw-yo-naw’
from
7686
;
; n pr m
KJV shows: - Shiggaion 1, Shigionoth 1; 2
1) song?
1a) used in title of #Ps 7:1
1b) meaning doubtful
7686
hgv
shagah shaw-gaw’
-
a primitive root; v;
KJV shows: - err 11, ravished 2, wander 3, deceiver 1, cause to go astray
1, sin through ignorance 1, go astray 1, deceived 1;
21
<<
GLT)
2 Jehovah, I have heard Your report; I am afraid, <(3372) Jehovah. Give new life
to
Your work in the midst of years, <(8141)
in the midst of years make known; in anger remember compassion.
JB)
2 Yahweh, I have heard of your renown, your work,
Yahweh, inspires me with dread. Repeat it in our own time,
reveal
it in our time. For all your wrath, remember to be merciful.
>>
3372
ary
yare’ yaw-ray’
AV-fear 188, afraid 78, terrible 23, terrible thing 6,
dreadful 5, reverence 3, fearful 2, terrible acts 1, misc 8; 314
<<
>>
3372 Fear or dread are proper interpretations. 8141 is usually years in Hebrew
but can be an unspecified time. The prayer of Habakkuk is that God's message is
a bit on the scary side, so he pleads that God might also remember mercy and
compassion to temper and balance justice. Now here is the irony. Judah is
punished and then the Chaldeans likewise. We would assume it is for Judah that
Habakkuk is concerned. Likewise, concerning God's people in the last days, many
so called Christians have been unfaithful and will likely be judged severely for
not getting out of Babylon the Great. So the prayer would be that God would show
some mercy for those who were faithful, relatively speaking and not be too harsh
on what is considered "faithful" or not. Sounds good to me. <<
GLT)
3 God <(433) comes from Teman, and the Holy One from
JB)
3 Eloah is coming from Ternan, and the Holy One
from
>>
433
hwla
‘elowahh el-o’- ah rarely (shortened)
hla
‘eloahh el-o’- ah
probably prolonged (emphat.) from 410
la
‘el ale
;
n m;
KJV says: - God 52, god 5; 57
>> Eloah is a word for
God, a prolonged emphatic form it would seem. So
God and Eloah are the same thing. El is more typical for God or even
Elohim. <<
3680
hok
kacah kaw-saw’
--
a primitive root; v;
KJV says: - cover 135, hide 6,
conceal 4, covering 2, overwhelmed 2, clad 1, closed 1, clothed 1; 152 <<
>> Given that 3 is describing the marvel of
God's manifestations, "cover" in verse 3 as in spreading out and
filling up, radiating, then cover is correct. Veil is wrong. God's greatness is
not hidden.
Also in 4, rays seems most likely, given that light was used just previously. God's
overall brightness is also reflected in it coming out of His hands. <<
GLT)
4 And His brightness is as the
light; rays <(7161) from His hand are
His, and there was
a covering of His strength.
JB)
4 His brightness is like the day, rays flash from
his hands, that is where his power lies hidden.
KJV) 4 And his brightness was as
the light; he had horns <(7161) coming
out of his hand: and there was
the hiding <(2253) of his power.
|
7161
Nrq
qeren keh’- ren
- from 7160; KJV says: - horn 75, hill 1; 76 n f 1) horn continued on right >>> |
1a) horn 1b) of strength (fig) 1c) flask (container for oil) 1d) horn (as musical instrument) 1e) horn (of horn-like projections on the altar) 1f) of rays of light 1g) hill |
>
>
2253
Nwybx
chebyown kheb-yone’
KJV
says - hiding 1; 1
1) concealment, covering, hiding, hiding place
<<
>>
As well in verse 4, 2253 chebyown, indicates hiding or covering His power
or strength or holding it back, so to speak. Despite His obvious brilliance and
majesty that are so easy to behold in the sky day or night, there is a contrast
as He seems to keep His power and ability to act hidden away. Habakkuk wonders
if God will step in and do something, not letting the Chaldeans forever punish
Judah, God's people. It could also be that we are to understand that God's power
is concealed (originates) within the heavens where His radiance shines forth.
<<
GLT)
5 A plague goes before Him, and lightning went forth at His feet.
JB)
5 Plague goes in front of him, fever follows on
his heels.
KJV) 5 Before him went the pestilence, and burning coals <(7565) went
forth at his feet.
|
7565
Pvr
resheph reh’- shef --
from
8313; n m;
KJV say - coals 2, burning coals 1, burning heat 1, spark 1, arrow 1, hot thunderbolt 1; 7 |
1)
flame, firebolt, spark 1a) flame 1b) fire-bolt |
>> Verse 5 can be explained. 7565 resheph - indicates what I would call a burning hot radiation of glowing or light. JB focuses more on the heat aspect but I believe it is the light or glowing aspect we are to take from this. Does lightning strike beneath, or a heat wave and drought? Or is it that the plague or pestilence goes forth like heat or lightning? I do not have a definitive answer but it is likely not good. It seems that His power and judgment can be fierce, would be the message we are to understand. <<
Habakkuk 3: 6-19
Back to Top
>>
Here in 6 is a description of God being vey powerful and certainly completely in
control at all times. Nothing escapes His notice and care. This reinforces that
He will not forever allow the "Chaldeans" to mercilessly prey on
"Judah" or "Israel." <<
GLT) 6 He stood and measured the
earth; He looked and shook nations; and the ancient mountains were shattered;
the eternal hills bowed down. The goings of eternity are His.
JB)
6
When he stands up he makes the earth tremble,
with his glance he makes the nations quake. Then the ancient mountains are
dislodged, the everlasting hills sink down, his pathway from of old.
GLT)
7 I saw the tents of Cushan under calamity; the curtains of the
JB)
7 I have seen the tents of Cushan terrified, the
pavilions of the land of Midian shuddering.
>> In 7, Midian was below Edom and far south of Israel, going south toward
Egypt. Cushan was likely in Midian. Recall that Jethro and his daughter, who
became the wife of Moses, was a Cushite. So Jehovah, the God is Israel, comes in
from the south (to north) like a storm and an earthquake. Nothing stands against Him.
<<
GLT)
8 Did Jehovah burn against rivers? Or was Your anger against the rivers? Or Your
fury against the sea?
For You ride on horses; Your chariots of salvation.
JB)
8 Yahweh, is your anger blazing against the
rivers, or your fury against the sea, that you come mounted on your horses, on
your victorious chariots?
GLT)
9 You bare Your bow, naked according to the oaths of the rods of Your word.
Selah. You have cut through the earth with rivers.
JB)
9 You uncover your bow, you ply its string with
arrows. You trench the soil with torrents;
>> 8-9: God seems to scare or frighten the rivers, the
sea. God comes storming at them like an army of horses, chariots, bows and
arrows. Habakkuk seems to wonder if God is mad at them or something. Today we
might say that God had a real "attitude." Damn right! <<
GLT)
10 They saw You; mountains trembled. The storm of water passed over. The deep
gave its voice and lifted up its hands on high.
JB)
10 the mountains shiver when they see you; great
floods sweep on their way, the abyss roars aloud, high it lifts its hands.
>> It is noted in the Jerusalem Bible that
the "deep" refers to the same deep mentioned in Genesis 7:11 "the
same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the
windows of heaven were opened.
GLT)
11 The sun and moon stood still in their dwelling. At the light of Your arrows
they go, at the shining of Your gleaming spear.
JB)
11
Sun and moon stay in their houses, avoiding the flash of your arrows, the gleam
of your glittering spear.
>>
Even the sun and moon fear God and stand still in fear of Him and His arrows and
spears, so to speak. Obviously this is figurative language as it has been all
along. Learning these literary techniques help us to decipher these hidden
messages meant for us to alert us to dangerous situations we might not be
otherwise aware of. God does not want us to be caught off guard by surprise. He
desires to notify us before hand.
But take careful note that it is evident in 12 that Jehovah is now fighting on
behalf of His people, rather than punishing them, and He attacks the nations.
Wait, weren't the nations abused by the Chaldeans? Wasn't God using the
Chaldeans to punish even Judah? He was! But now it has changed. Enough is
enough, right? Now it is Babylon's turn to suffer even as it caused others to
suffer. In 13, God saves His people, His anointed, and strikes the wicked who
oppress God's people. <<
GLT)
12 You march into the land in fury. You thresh nations in anger.
JB)
12
Raging, you stride the earth, in anger you trample the nations.
GLT)
13 You went forth for the salvation of Your people, for the salvation of Your
anointed. You struck the head from the house of the wicked
to bare the foundation to the neck. Selah.
JB) 13 You have marched to save your people, to save
your own anointed; you have beaten down the wicked man's house,
bared its foundations to the rock.
>>
This attack by God is meant for all the nations and all the wicked. This sounds
like the big Judgment Day, Armageddon, doesn't it? <<
GLT)
14 You pierced the head of his warriors with his shafts. They rush to scatter
me;
their rejoicing is to devour the meek in a secret place.
JB) 14
With your shafts you have pierced the leader of his warriors who stormed out
with shouts of joy to scatter us,
as if they meant to devour some poor wretch in
their lair.
KJV 14 Thou didst
strike through with his staves <(4294) the head of his
villages: <(6518) they came out as a whirlwind to scatter me:
their rejoicing was as to devour
the poor secretly.
>>
4294
hjm
matteh mat-teh’ or (fem.) hjm
mattah mat-taw’
KJV
says: - tribe 182, rod 52, staff 15, staves 1, tribe + 04294 1; 251
from
an unused root meaning to separate, i.e. decide; n m;
KJV says: - villages 1; 1
1) chieftain, leader, warrior - 1a) meaning dubious <<
>>
Regarding 14 above, The warriors were eager to devour the meek/poor in a secret
place, one perhaps out of the sight of the world. Hmmm, are they ashamed and
don't want anyone to know about their hideous little escapades? Just asking!
This one is a challenge to decipher. Possibly the tribes acting as a rod, so to
speak, take out the head village and then come for God's people. This sounds a
lot like the attack of Gog and Magog in Ezekiel 38 and Revelation 20 as well.
Perhaps the nations strike the Chaldeans/Babylon or even the head of it all, the
antichrist, and then attempt an attack on God's people as well. It is this all
correct, it matches up perfectly with the other prophetic accounts. But for
sure, God's people are surrounded for destruction but it will fail and God and
His people will triumph by the hand of God and not God's people. This salvation
is to be exclusively God's and testing all God's people for obedience and faith
in Him. <<
GLT)
15 You trod in the sea with Your horses, the foaming of many waters.
JB) 15
You have trampled the sea with your horses, the surge of great waters.
GLT)
16 I heard, and my belly trembled; my lips quivered at the sound. Rottenness
entered into my bones, and I trembled within myself
that I might rest for the day of distress; to come up
against the peoples; he cuts him off.
JB) 16 I have heard. My whole body trembles, my lips
quiver at the sound; decay creeps into my bones, my steps falter beneath me.
Calmly I await the day of anguish which is dawning on the people now attacking
us.
>>
16 is describing Judgment Day, Armageddon! Habakkuk is most disturbed and
frightened by this vision. He fears for his future people/brethren. This had
been a vision of Judah being punished and the nations suffering. Then the
Chaldeans get their due and then the nations seem to dish out that due and they
also attempt to strike God's people but they too, get judged. This scenario
could not possibly fit in the time of Babylon from 587 BC to 537 BC or near to
it. This can only make sense as being a repeat of the clear scenario described
in all the other end time prophecies concerning God's people and God's, and His
people's, enemies. << We are most definitely in the final judgment and it
is a vision that is cloaked and clothed in mysterious figures of the Judah and
Babylon time of Jeremiah during and later, Ezra upon Judah's return to
Jerusalem/Judea. <<
GLT)
17 Though the fig tree shall not blossom, and fruit is not on the vines; the
work of the olive fails, and the fields make no food;
the flock is cut off from the fold, and no herd is in
the stalls,
JB) 17
(For the fig tree is not going to blossom, nor will there be any fruit on the
vine, the yield of the olive will fail, the fields afford no food;
the sheep
will vanish from the fold, nor will there be any cattle
in the stalls.)
GLT)
18 yet I will exult in Jehovah; I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.
JB) 18
But I will rejoice in Yahweh, I will exult in God my savior.
>>
All the things in 17 are extreme in a negative way, despite them all, if they
were to happen, Habakkuk would still praise and rejoice in God and His
salvation. Habakkuk recognizes the happy great outcome. Yes, it seems horrifying
and terrible what God's people must one day soon face. But it will turn out for
the better, no matter how bleak it looks at the time. It certainly will be a
test of faith but anyone exercising that faith and trust will be greatly
rewarded and not disappointed at all. <<
GLT)
19 Jehovah the Lord is my might, and He sets my feet like hinds’ feet, and He
will make me to walk on my high places.
To the chief singer, on my stringed instruments.
JB) 19
Yahweh my Lord is my strength, he makes my feet as light as a doe's, he sets my
steps on the heights.
For
the choirmaster; on stringed instruments.
>>
While Habakkuk fears and trembles at this fearsome vision, much like when John
was given a scroll in Revelation to eat, it was sweet but in his belly, very
bitter, indeed! Many prophets described fear and dread. Habakkuk gives the same
sorts of visions, of course, because that is what God gave him, but God chose as
He did so that we would understand that this vision applied to the last days and
the final judgment. This is important because some things are said that could
confuse us and were intended to confuse God's enemies. So we who are allowed
understanding at the end times can tell this outwardly and openly and still not
be believed. Imagine that! <<
I am switching to black regular text now since the book of Habakkuk has been finished.
We
also observe the instruction to the one who oversees the music and singers,
regarding stringed instruments as well. This is how we know this was set to
music, like so many of the Psalms. So we know that 3:1 which mentions a prayer,
was indeed, set to music in some way. We see Selah in a few places which can
also be seen in the Psalms, which were also songs. The Psalms are a collection
of songs, whose purpose was to worship God and communicate for Him to us, even
as the rest of the Bible does. Music was a significant part of that worship,
even as music is a significant part of human behavior, anyway. It is no less so
with God. Music is a very powerful medium to deliver a very powerful message. We
can only wonder that the music that accompanied this amazing message of both
fear, triumph, and salvation.
But more importantly, note how the symbols and figures throughout Habakkuk are
so much like all the other visions and prophecies that have been covered in this
article on Babylon the Great. It is rather remarkable at how strongly this
scenario has been promoted by so many prophets and visions. God is really
hammering it home to us. This only makes the vision more certain and more
important. God does not want us to doubt and also does not want us to fear,
though it would be natural to do so. This is why He has repeated this message
and pattern so many times, so emphatically.
As well, I believe it would be very much in the interests of any reader
to carefully read Joel and Zephaniah. These 2 books are only 3 chapters, just
like Habakkuk. And they even more clearly refer to the last day, the big day of
Judgment, the final showdown. They are very prophetic but not aimed at Babylon
specifically but in a more broad sense toward the time of great judgment to come
upon the whole earth. Yet within both of them are many similarities to Habakkuk
in some places.
I believe Joel and Zephaniah were given so that they might be tied to Habakkuk,
so that we might discern that Habakkuk also deals with the end time and
Judgment, so that we might also discern that the Chaldeans are none other than
Babylon the Great, perhaps the most prominent symbol in all prophecy. It is a
challenge to attempt to decipher the words of God, but God did not put it out of,
or beyond our reach. It was His intention that we "get it!" He just
wanted to make sure no one else did and that we put forth the diligent effort to
understand it all.
At the time we live in now, the pieces have all fallen into place, the
scriptures, the events they foretold, the early Christian elder/bishop writers
and all the necessary tools and circumstances to enable success to those
deserving. But let us not take this lightly. Let everyone act with great haste
and urgency to fully grasp this critical message at a critical time. We are soon
to face a great trial and testing of our faith and we must be ready.
As well, I boldly brag how negative and unappealing, to most who call themselves
Christians, my message truly is. For only I have the guts (or stupidity if you
prefer) to tell the whole
truth and risk alienation from most people. It is not important for me to have
followers or praise. I would like to see people save their own hides but at the
least, I need to tell the truth so that I cleanse my hands of any blood guilt,
should anyone ignore me.
Most who write or preach barely mention what will really happen in any detail, for if they did, they might risk exposing who is behind the attack soon to come upon us, even without specifically identifying their modern day identity. as well, they might risk offending the guilty party, who will see it as an attack and a threat. But I have addressed all the details and though I have not pointed out who exactly is identified in our day, you can bet they know me and do not like me. I guarantee it!
I would rather leave that to God's
spirit; and as Jesus said, "let it happen according to your faith." If you have the true faith, your eyes will see the message and who
it points at. Though it might be of some boasting merit, I do not bother to say
what has happened to me since 2004 when I first published the interpretation of
the prophecies. Indeed, were I to tell you, you would not believe, anyway, even
as Habakkuk declared in 1:5. Further, I do not regret anything that has happened
to me. I rejoice at it all.
I simply say to all, be sure to read everything on this site on prophecy and
give it very careful thought and consideration. Your life will depend on it. You
can take that to the bank or bet your first born's life on it!
I am completely unaware of anyone else anywhere, who has ever discerned Habakkuk
as referring yet again to Babylon (the Great) in our day. For all who have copied from me (though not
nearly enough) or gathered a small portion of understanding from what I have
written and then claimed it was all their own direct inspiration, how come not
one of you/them has recognized Habakkuk for what he has foretold? I have read only of
only about 2 who even recognize Babylon as being an important symbol in the last
final days as the enemy of God's people and God. And just 1 who says it will portend some persecution for Christians,
which is putting it very mildly, and he avoided any detail on Babylon the Great,
of course. So connecting the visions of Habakkuk with Babylon the Great was mine
alone, here in June 2010.
DSS
on Habakkuk 1
Back to Top
These 2 chapters of Habakkuk from the Dead Sea Scrolls come from
The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls In English - by Geza Vermes, all rights reserved
as a copyrighted work. Page numbers are given. I use these to comment on
under the fair usage law, allowed in copyright law. I personally own a copy of
this book. Numbers in brackets indicate the line numbers of the scrolls from
which translations were made. Words and phrases in brackets are assumed since
they are scriptures known from other sources.
From page 478:
Scripture: [10] [ So the law is weak [and justice never goes
forth] (1:4a—b).
Commentary:
[Interpreted]
this concerns those who have despised the Law of God
>>
Who ever despised the law must also know it and they were of the opinion that
the Jews of their day also despised it. That both John and Jesus were killed
would seem to confirm this. But there is room for others who do not know God to
despise it as well. In the next comment, they see some parallels with the wicked
Jews of their day, the Wicked Priest in particular and they mention the Teacher
of Righteousness, who can only be, as far as I am concerned, Jesus or John.
You'll see why next page just below. <<
Scripture:
[For the wicked encompasses] the righteous] (
1:
4c).
Commentary:
[The wicked
is the Wicked Priest, and the righteous] is the Teacher of
Righteousness ...
From page 479: >> I find this next one remarkable.
<<
Scripture:
[So] justice goes forth [perverted] (i, 4d).
Scripture:
[Behold the nations and see, marvel and be astonished;
for I accomplish a deed
[ 15]
in your days, but you will not believe it when] II told
(i,
5).
Commentary:
[Interpreted,
this concerns] those who were unfaithful together with the Liar, in that they [did] not [listen to the
word received by] the Teacher of Righteousness from the mouth of God. And
it concerns the unfaithful of
the New [Covenant] in that they have not believed in the Covenant
of God [and have profaned] His holy
Name. And likewise, this saying is to be
interpreted [as concerning those who] will be unfaithful at the end of [5] days.
They, the men of violence and the breakers of the Covenant, will not
believe when they hear all that [is to happen to] the final generation from
the Priest [in whose heart] God set [understanding] that he might interpret all
the words of His servants the Prophets, through whom He foretold
all that would happen to His people and [His land].
>>
Now
let me make this very clear. This scroll is said to be about 30 BC to 1 BC.
RadioCarbon dating says 120 BC-5 BC. That dating could be off slightly and
contaminated as well. To quote Finkelstein, an Israeli scholar, replying to
Shanks in BAR magazine one time: "That (radioncarbon
date) means absolutely nothing." But now I am going to challenge both the assume
date and the RadioCarbon date. The writer, whoever he was, was well aware of the
New Covenant. Oh, I guess that's not too relevant, huh? Yah, sure, and I am
Jesus Christ incarnate, too. That "they
have not believed in the Covenant of God"
may be an indication of the rejection of the New
Covenant and of Jesus. When you come to chapter 2 of the DSS, you will see what
I believe is convincing evidence that the Teacher of Righteousness is Jesus,
covered on page 482. What this means is that this scroll and many like it must
have been written at or after 29 AD when Jesus and John commenced their
preaching.
I
should not be surprised if there was not a concerted effort to cover up who
really wrote the DSS and when they did it and what those scrolls meant. Maybe
that is why they just let most of the scrolls sit without working on them for so
many years. They knew what they would find and wanted to just let is sit in
obscurity. Yes, I am suggesting a conspiracy!
But as well, they clearly recognized this applying more fully to the end of
days. Oh, knock me over with a feather. But it gets better. The men of violence,
and that is the Chaldeans, boys and girls, are also said to be "breakers
of the Covenant"
who will not believe the interpretation of all that is to happen "the
final generation"
"from
the Priest [in whose heart] God set [understanding] that he might interpret all
the words of His servants the Prophets."
So they understood that there was going to be at least one voice telling the
truth of the prophets and their visions and perhaps even Jews of this time would
not listen to these, even as Habakkuk indicates. But neither would nearly anyone
in the world listen. But the writer seems to believe that perhaps Jews are also
part of this last days vision, even as they had been addressed by Habakkuk way
back when. <<
Scripture:
For behold, I rouse the
Chaldeans, that [bitter and hasty] nation (1:6a).
[10]
Commentary:
Interpreted,
this concerns the Kittim [who are] quick and valiant in war,
causing many to perish. [All the world shall fall] under the dominion of the
Kittim, and the [wicked ... ] they shall not believe in the laws of [God
... ]
>>
The writer calls the Chaldeans the Kittim. Babylon may well have taken over
Kittim in their time, considered the isle of Cyprus, long the home of the
original Kittim, descendants of Javan, who comes from Noah's son, Japheth. The
Kittim are mentioned quite often in the Dead Sea Scrolls. Or that the writer is
applying this to the Kittim in the last days, the Kittim were used as being
symbolic of the nations who were enemies of God and His people. Daniel mentions
the Kittim of the King of the South as upsetting the King of the North in a
naval battle in the last days. Perhaps they picked this term due to Daniel and
his timing. But the writer did understand that literal Babylon was not going to
be the enemy in the end days. The Kittim would be in control of the whole world
says the writer. The Bible says Babylon would be and I think it very likely that
the writer understood this. And none shall believe in the laws of God. That's an
understatement. <<
Scripture:
They
are fearsome and terrible; their justice and grandeur proceed from themselves
(i, 7).
Commentary:
Interpreted, this
concerns the Kittim who inspire all the nations with fear [and dread]. All
their evil plotting is done with intention and they
[5] deal with all the nations in
cunning and guile.
>>
It
has been the opinion of most that the Kittim were referring to Rome, given the
supposed time of the writing of the scrolls but I don't know about that. I
believe the writer is looking to the far future and so scholars are not even in
the right ball park, so to speak. "All
their evil plotting is done with intention."
Quite deliberate! They are treacherous with all the nations, using cunning and
guile to mislead and overtake, perhaps pretending to be righteous and noble,
ever as most nations do, today, even though they are despicable to anyone with
any brains. The writer certainly is not blind to their deceit. <<
Scripture:
Their horses are swifter than leopards and fleeter than
evening wolves. Their horses step forward proudly and spread their wings;
they fly from afar like an eagle avid to devour. All of them come for
violence; the look on their faces is like the east wind (i, 8-9a).
From page 480:
Commentary:
[10] [Interpreted,
this] concerns the Kittim who trample the earth with their horses and beasts. They come from
afar, from the islands of the sea,
to
devour all the peoples like an eagle which cannot be satisfied, and they address [all the peoples]
with anger and [wrath and fury] and indignation. For it is as He said, The look on their faces is like the east wind.
[They heap up]
captives [like sand] (i,
9b).
IV They scoff [at kings], and princes are
their laughing-stock (i, ma). Interpreted,
this means that they mock the great and despise the venerable; they
ridicule kings and princes and scoff at the mighty host.
>>
The Kittim are said to come from afar, perhaps in the east, and the islands of
the sea. Kittim had always plied the waters of the Mediterranean and perhaps
well beyond that to the east. I have come across a source who said the Kittim
were China. But I can not confirm that. The Chinese were a great shipping and
sailing nation in the SE of the Asian Pacific from time immemorial. But the
writer refers to the last days. The Kittim respect no one and laugh at all.
<<
Scripture:
They laugh at every
fortress; they pile up earth and take it (i, 10b).
Commentary:
[5]
Interpreted, this concerns the commanders of the Kittim who despise the
fortresses of the peoples and laugh at them in derision. To capture them, they
encircle them with a mighty host, and out of fear and terror they
deliver themselves into their hands. They destroy them because of the
sins of their inhabitants.
>>
It seems at least possible that the writer suggests that the fortresses and
people destroyed are deserving of it due to their sins. This is as I see it,
too. <<
Scripture:
The wind then sweeps on and
passes; and they make of their strength their god
(i, I I).
Commentary:
[10] Interpreted, [this concerns] the commanders of the Kittim who, on the counsel of [the]
House of Guilt, pass one in front of the other; one after another [their]
commanders come to lay waste the earth. [And they make
of their strength their god]: interpreted, this concerns [ all] the peoples ...
>>
Interesting that the counsel comes from another symbol, the "House of
Guilt." It is not clear if there was an intended identity or not. <<
Scripture:
[Art Thou not from everlasting, 0 Lord, my God, my Holy
One? We shall not die.] Thou hast ordained them, [0 Lord],
for judgement; Thou hast established them, 0 Rock, for chastisement. Their eyes
are too pure to behold evil; and Thou canst not look on distress (1:12-13a)
Commentary:
Interpreted, this
saying means that God will not destroy His people by the hand of the nations; God will execute the judgement of the nations
by the hand of His elect. And through their chastisement all the [5]
wicked of His people
shall expiate their guilt who keep His commandments
in their distress. For it is as he said, Too
pure of eyes to behold evil: interpreted, this means that they have not lusted after
their eyes during the age of wickedness.
>>
I do differ a little on this one if I understand
it right. God's people will not be destroyed. Those destined for judgment are
the world in general. But not at the hand of the elect, if elect refers to all
of God's people at that time. The elect taken to heaven might do that, but not
those on earth. They are forbidden to do so. That both the good and evil are
addressed is not distinguished as carefully here as we might like. But we have
the Bible so we need not be ignorant. <<
From
page 481:
Scripture:
O traitors, why do you stare
and stay silent when the wicked swallows up one more righteous than he? (i, 13b).
Commentary:
Interpreted,
this concerns the House of Absalom and the members of 10 its council who were silent at the time of the
chastisement of the Teacher of
Righteousness and gave him no help against the Liar who flouted the Law in the midst of their whole
[congregation].
>>
In
trying to determine whether the Teacher of Righteousness was John or Jesus, we
can ask, which one seems to fit in this description above? I'll take a shot at
it. We do not know if John received any punishment in his time but he was
believed to be a prophet by all, excepting the Pharisees and the Priests, and
Herod. The Pharisees were even afraid to bad-mouth John in front of the crowds.
What is described seems to be a trial. Jesus was chastised and then crucified.
Who exactly the liar is, is hard to say. The devil? Or someone prominent there?
But my best guess would be Jesus by this account. But it is far from certain.
But the writer does know of the New Covenant. <<
Scripture:
Thou dealest with men like the fish of the sea, like
creeping things, to rule over them. They draw [them all up with a fish-hook],
and drag them out with their net, and gather them in [their seine. Therefore
they sacrifice] to their net. Therefore they rejoice [and exult and burn incense to
their seine; for by them] is their portion is fat [and their sustenance rich]
(i, 14-16).
Commentary:
... VI the Kittim. And
they shall gather in their riches, together with all their booty, like the fish of the sea. And as for that which He said, Therefore they sacrifice to
their net and burn incense to their seine: interpreted, [5] this means that they sacrifice to
their standards and worship their weapons of war. For
through them their portion is fat and their sustenance rich: interpreted, this means that they divide their yoke and their tribute— their
sustenance — over all the peoples year by
year, ravaging many lands.
>>
It sounds like the writer suggests the exacting of much tribute and taxes from
the nations by the Kittim, who rule the world. It has the effect of ravaging
lands and leaving them practically desolate. It would certainly fit in today,
even as it did in Rome.
<<
Scripture:
Therefore their sword is ever drawn to massacre
nations mercilessly (i, 17).
Commentary:
Interpreted, this concerns the Kittim who cause many to
perish by the 10 sword — youths, grown men, the aged, women and
children — and who even take no pity on the fruit of the womb.
>>
There is no mercy and much cruelty. We are in agreement. <<
DSS
on Habakkuk 2
Back to Top
Scripture:
I will take my stand to watch and will station myself
upon my fortress. I will watch to see what He will say to me and how [He will
answer] my complaint. And the Lord answered [and said to me, 'Write down the
vision and make it [15] plain] upon the tablets, that [he who reads] may read it
speedily (2:
1-2).
Commentary:
... VII and God told Habakkuk
to write down that which would happen to the final generation, but He did not
make known to him when time would come to an
end. And as for that which He said, That he who reads
may read it speedily: interpreted this concerns the Teacher of Righteousness,
to whom God made known all the mysteries of the words of [5] His
servants the Prophets.
>>
Again,
it is really very clear that this vision was for the last days, the final
generation, whenever that may come. This description of the Teacher of
Righteousness definitely seems to fit Jesus, since God made known all the
mysteries known to this one. John could qualify but even he asked near the end
of there was to be another. John had received much communication from God but it
sounds more like Jesus to me. I could be wrong. I was not there. <<
From
page
482:
Scripture:
For there shall be yet
another vision concerning the appointed time. It shall tell of the end and shall not lie (2: 3a).
Commentary:
Interpreted, this means that the final age shall
be prolonged, and shall exceed all that the Prophets have said; for the
mysteries of God are astounding.
>>
Well said! But since Habakkuk, many more prophetic visions have been given, most
notable Jesus and the Apostles, the foremost being Revelation. <<
Scripture:
[10] If
it tarries, wait for it, for it shall surely come and shall not be late (2: 3b).
Commentary:
Interpreted, this concerns the men of truth who
keep the Law, whose hands shall not slacken in the service of truth when the
final age is prolonged. For all the ages of
God reach their appointed end as he determines for them in the mysteries of His wisdom.
>>
I have known many people who have given up waiting for God. They think the world
is going to go on forever as is. Foolish people! It is soon to happen now but
many are asleep like the foolish virgins who slept as the bridegroom came by.
<<
Scripture:
Behold, [his soul] is puffed
up and is not upright (2:4a).
[15]
Interpreted, this means that
[the wicked] shall double their guilt upon
themselves [and it shall not be forgiven] when they are judged ...
Scripture:
[But the righteous shall
live by his faith] (2: 4b).
Commentary:
VIII Interpreted, this concerns all those who observe the Law in the House
of Judah, whom God will deliver from the House of Judgement because
of their suffering and because of their faith in the Teacher of Righteousness.
>>
There is a lot in this commentary. House of Judah, House of Judgement, and in
chapter one, the House of Guilt. These seem to be ways of identifying Good and
Bad, Right and Wrong. Judah being faithful and Judgement and Guilt being bad, of
course. The DSS writers were very good at understanding and using figures and
symbols in their language. This was a good way to communicate without being
detected or understood. But this Judah is in the last days, the final
generation, as the writer made clear earlier.
But
perhaps more enlightening, is that this "House of Judah" in the last
days, puts faith in . . . the Teacher of Righteousness. Putting faith in that
would be above John. This must be Jesus as I had suspected in chapter one
covering the Trial of the Teacher and the Liar. Faith in the Teacher? Who did
the Teacher claim to be? Given the tendency for the Scroll writers to speak in
lots of symbolic language, we should not be surprised that they use it so
heavily, even to identify the Messiah. They have been well taught in the art of
figurative symbolic "spiritual" language which Jesus was so well noted
for. Given that the scrolls were likely written at Qumran, which is out in the
wilderness, it could be quite likely that John the Baptist was out there
teaching, as "a lone voice in the wilderness crying out to mend the ways,
to repent." These
would then follow Jesus when he came along, as John sent them to Jesus. <<
Scripture:
Moreover, the arrogant man
seizes wealth without halting. He widens his [5] gullet like Hell and
like Death he has never enough. All the nations are gathered to him and all the
peoples are assembled to him. Will they not all of them taunt him and jeer at him saying, 'Woe to him who amasses
that which is not his! How
long will he load himself up with pledges?' (2: 5-6).
Commentary:
Interpreted, this concerns the Wicked Priest who was
called by the [10] name of truth when he first arose. But when he ruled over
>>
I wonder if the Wicked Priest is also the Liar who at the trial of the
"Teacher?" Caiaphas was the priest involved in getting Jesus
crucified. But knowing so little about Caiaphas, I can not say anything much.
While the writer applies this to someone of his day, perhaps, surely he has not
abandoned the understanding that this prophecy applies primarily to the last
days, the final generation. Jesus must be dead by this time and resurrected.
Some still live in the wilderness or at least visit out there to hide these
scrolls. <<
Scripture:
Shall not your oppressors
suddenly arise and your torturers awaken; and shall is you not become their prey? Because you have
plundered many nations, all the remnant of the peoples
shall plunder you (2: 7-8a).
Commentary:
[Interpreted, this concerns] the Priest who
rebelled [and violated] the
From
page 483:
precepts
[of God ... to command] IX his chastisement by means of the judgements
of wickedness. And they inflicted horrors of evil diseases and took
vengeance upon his body of flesh. And as for that which He said, Because
you have plundered many nations, all the remnant of the peoples shall [5] plunder you: interpreted this concerns
the last Priests of Jerusalem, who shall amass money and wealth by plundering the peoples. But in the last days,
their riches and booty shall be delivered into the hands of the army of
the Kittim, for it is they who shall be the remnant
of the peoples.
>>
The priests of Jesus' day must have been quite wicked and corrupt. After all,
they did kill the son of God, did they not? But again, primary fulfillment waits
for our day near the very end. It would also appear in the way they apply this
at their time in a limited way, that the Kittim was applied to Rome, since that
was the super power of the day. The priests would lose everything they had to
Rome when Rome attacked in 66 and 70 AD. <<
Scripture:
Because of the blood of men and the violence done to
the land, to the city, and to all its inhabitants (ii,
8b).
Commentary:
Interpreted, this concerns
the Wicked Priest whom God delivered into the
hands of his enemies because of the iniquity committed against the
Teacher of Righteousness and the men of his Council, that he might [10] be
humbled by means of a destroying scourge, in bitterness of soul, because
he had done wickedly to His elect.
>>
I am thinking this has got to be Caiaphas. And Jesus was surely killed by this
time. The council, of the Teacher, I assume, would be the Apostles and other
loyal followers, the elect. Caiaphas must have run into some serious trouble
with some sort of disease or medical problem. Would love to know for sure. But I
repeat yet again, this applies mostly to the last days. But I am sure the writer
knows this. He wanted us to know some other things while he was at it. He always
speaks in code. I like that! <<
Scripture:
Woe to him who gets evil profit for his house; who
perches his nest high to be safe from the hand of evil! You have devised
shame to your house: by cutting off many peoples you have
forfeited your own soul. For the [stone] cries out [from] 15 the
wall [and] the beam from the woodwork replies (ii,
9-11).
Commentary:
[Interpreted, this] concerns
the [Priest] who ... X that its stones might
be laid in oppression and the beam of its woodwork in robbery. And as for that which He said, By cutting off many peoples you have forfeited your own soul: interpreted this concerns
the condemned House whose judgement God will pronounce
in the midst of many peoples. He will bring him thence for judgement and will declare him
guilty in the midst of them, and will chastise
him with fire of brimstone. [5]
>>
The writer avoids the ultimate last days interpretation here as in some previous
scriptures, but he knows we can handle it. But I note the chastisement he speaks
of, with fire and brimstone. While those symbols are found in the Hebrew Old
Testament, to me, they are much more profound in the NT, where Jesus refers to
Gehenna and the Lake of fire also in Revelation and fire several times by the
Apostles, such as Paul and Peter. So the writer seems to be NT oriented, knowing
the New Covenant as he does. <<
Scripture:
Woe to him who builds a city with blood and
founds a town upon falsehood! Behold, is it
not from the Lord of Hosts that the peoples shall labour for fire and the
nations shall strive for naught? (ii, 12-13).
Commentary:
Interpreted, this concerns
the Spouter of Lies who led many astray that he might build his city of vanity with blood and
raise a congregation [10] on deceit, causing many
thereby to perform a service of vanity for the sake of its glory, and to be
pregnant with [works] of deceit, that their labour might be for nothing and that
they might be punished with fire who vilified and outraged the elect of God.
>>
Herod carried out a very impressive set of build works in Jerusalem and in Caesarea.
He rebuilt the temple into a very grand place. But Nero burnt a section of Rome
so he could rebuild it and he blamed the fire on Christians. To risk making
people sick with repetition, this applies to the final generation at the end.
But the writer has also agreed to this elsewhere. He does give us some very
interesting insights to be explored, if possible. <<
From page 484:
Scripture:
For as the waters cover the
sea, so shall the earth be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord (2: 14).
Commentary:
[15] Interpreted, [this means that] when they return ... XI
the lies. And
afterwards, knowledge shall
be revealed to them abundantly, like the waters
of the sea. >>
Amen! <<
Scripture:
Woe to him who causes his
neighbours to drink; who pours out his venom to make them drunk that he may gaze on their feasts (2:1 5).
Commentary:
[5] Interpreted, this concerns the Wicked
Priest who pursued the Teacher of
Righteousness to the house of his exile that he might confuse him with
his venomous fury. And at the time appointed for rest, for the Day of
Atonement, he appeared before them to confuse them, and to cause them
to stumble on the Day of Fasting, their Sabbath of repose.
>>
There are so many figures here that it is difficult for me, at least, to really
be sure of many things. Is this the real day of Atonement, Pentecost? Were the
disciples persecuted? But this applies to the future Chaldeans, in the main so
we need not worry too much about what is written about. At least we see how
heavily he uses figures and symbols in his writing. The technique shows us how
Bible figures are given and interpreted even as the first 3 chapters of
Revelation also make so clear. <<
Scripture:
You have filled yourself
with ignominy more than with glory. Drink also, and stagger! The cup of the Lord's right hand shall
come round to you and 10
shame shall come on your glory (2:
16).
Commentary:
Interpreted, this concerns the Priest whose
ignominy was greater than his glory. For he did not circumcise the foreskin
of his heart, and he walked in the ways of
drunkenness that he might quench his thirst. But [15]
the cup of the wrath of God shall confuse him, multiplying his ... and the
pain of ...
>>
He really had a grudge against the Priest, did he not? Can't blame him. The
Priest seems to be held primarily responsible for the sacrifice offered in 33
AD, if you catch my drift. <<
Scripture:
[For the violence done to
Lebanon shall overwhelm you, and the destruction of the beasts] XII shall
terrify you, because of the blood of men and the violence done to the land, the city, and all its
inhabitants (2: 17).
Commentary:
Interpreted, this saying concerns the Wicked
Priest, inasmuch as he shall be paid the reward which he
himself tendered to the Poor. For
>>
The most interesting thing here is that the writer interprets some of the
symbols for us, to some degree. The Council of the Community, of Christians, I
assume. The simple of Judah, seen as simple for being "dumb" to follow
the law of God. We are known as the "poor" as well. The Temple was
indeed, defiled by the killing of Christ, the real "temple" if you
will. As always, this has a much more profound application near our day.
But you knew that, right? This was an interesting way to hand down much extra
information about Jesus and circumstances at the time. IN the days after Jesus,
it could have been dangerous to openly and plainly say anything about such
matters. So the message was left to us in code to interpret 2000 years later.
<<
Scripture:
[10]
Of what use is an idol that its maker should shape it, a molten image, a
falling of lies? For the craftsman puts his trust in his own creation when he
makes dumb idols (2: 18).
From page 485
Commentary:
Interpreted, this saying
concerns all the idols of the nations which they
make so that they may serve and worship them. But they shall not deliver them on the Day of Judgement.
Scripture:
Woe [to him who says] to
wood, 'Awake', and to dumb [stone, 'Arise'! Can [15] such a thing give guidance? Behold, it is covered with
gold and silver but there is no spirit within
it. But the Lord is in His holy
Commentary:
Interpreted, this concerns all the nations which
serve stone and wood. But on the Day of Judgement, God will destroy from the
earth all idolatrous and wicked men.
>>
The writer is back to foretelling the Day of Judgement at the end, as the vision
of Habakkuk was intended to do. <<
I
am going back to regular black text to finish commentary on the DSS of Habakkuk.
As you can see, scriptures can apply to many situations at many times, but do
have a primary principle application. The writer of the Habakkuk scroll used
some instances to pass on info about what happened to Jesus at the time. But he
also relates the vision has a principle fulfillment on the Day of Judgment, the
final generation of the very last days.
But to me, most worthy of our notice is how careful they were about explaining or revealing anything. They seemed to speak at all times in code, even as Jesus did. this should serve as an important example to us. Here in the USA, we tend to speak openly and freely, imagining we have freedom of speech. But we have been lied to and in secret, behind our backs, our every word is noted and tracked. That is why we should be more like our Lord and the writers of these scrolls and of the prophets who spoke in a veiled sort of way. for if we only speak in figures, it is hard to find as much fault or be seen as a great threat. Our message is not for just anyone. It is for those of the right heart.
Speaking in figures and symbols will reach who it is intended to reach and will not at all work with the "blind." Some want us to boldly and plainly declare all things but this is not the will of God. We speak in parable and figures and see who can grasp it and who can not. Let the fools openly speak if they like, but we shall go on obeying God and knowing that Babylon and all our other enemies shall get their due at the proper time by the hand of God and not His "elect."
Babylon's Profile Summary
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No brackets or colored text here. I am going black for this section. You have the scriptures here to reference. I will copy text where needed, without the numbered references.
Babylon was notable in a number of ways. It was the biggest city of its time. It was the most powerful. Daniel 4's description of Nebuchadnezzar's dream shows Babylon as a huge tree filling the earth and all the animals sheltered beneath it and the birds of heaven in its branches. It is the head of gold of the scary statue that Nebuchadnezzar had a nightmare about. It was the crowning glory of the march of empires. But it would fall. In fact, it fell by actions which were of its own doing. Babylon had once diverted the river to build a bridge and gates and line the river with bricks so that the river would be completely fenced in by the city walls and Babylon would always have a water supply available. But in having created the place to divert the waters, they inspired Cyrus of Persia to make use of the very same to divert them yet again and come in through the gates of the river, once it was diverted away.
So also, the modern symbolic Babylon may have done something to lay the seeds of its own destruction. After all, it is its lovers who turn on it and destroy it. There may even be more than that behind it all. If all the members of Babylon are to be rounded up and killed, one will need to make use of all that surveillance and technology which she herself helped build and made great use of. So there is a lot of irony to be dished out in this circumstance.
Further, whether it is of meaning or not, Babylon was a crossroads for many tribes and people, and a good deal of trade. As such, Babylon was quite the intersection of trade and commerce. She enjoyed a lot of wealth and prosperity in this role and location. Babylon became a huge banking center as well. Give the summary below, that could be relevant. I also note that the Jews were carted away to Babylon, where they were influenced by the wealth and trade and maybe the spiritism as well. Maybe even some attitudes rubbed off. God dragged them away from Judah. His intension, as I see it, was to bring back the best of the lot and leave the rest to stay in Babylon long after the good ones left.
This was God's way of purifying the people and Judah so that it would be in good shape or at least the best shape possible in order to introduce His son and establish the New Covenant with Abraham's seed, the Jews and then, knowing He would be left short of what he require for an administration of earthly subjects in heaven to help rule over the earth, He would welcome Gentiles/Goyim/People of the nations, into the heavenly kingdom to assist His son in restoring God's kingdom on earth and heal mankind.
But even doing this purifying, God knew full well that He and His son would be rejected. The hearts of these latter day Jews was so far gone that they would kill God's son and hate God, though He Himself would be far out of reach. His followers would not be. We must keep in mind that Jews were and are under the same obligation to God as was given to their ancestors by Moses. Like all the world, They will all and always be accountable to God along with the rest of the world. But could it be that they represent a spiritual type who rejected God and the Bible and sought another god and another "bible," the Babylonian Talmud, whose message seems to differ in many places in a big way, with the Bible and sanction things God condemns. Could the Talmud be a source of sin, of counterfeit religion, just as there are a number of counterfeit Christian denominations.
All these various counterfeits may help usher in a counterfeit messiah, by means of what I call religious Zionism, whereby they claim the nation of Israel must be re-established by the will of God, which is false, and that the temple must be restored by God's will, along with the priesthood and sacrifices, and that Jews would be a separate but equal path to God for all to go to. Did this start in Babylon? It might have. It could have. I do not know. Originating in Babylon while Judah was in exile there, the Jewish Babylonian Talmud, like the Koran, seems rather suspect to me.
The Koran, as best as I understand it and the history of Mohammed, encourages real war to accomplish its goals if need be, to possibly even convert the world to Islam. The Talmud seems to despise all who are not Jewish and sees the other nations and races as simply objects to use. If this is so, then it is a complete rejection of Moses and the law which commanded Israel to be good and kind and respectful to slaves and foreigners since Israel was once a slave in Egypt. In addition, Moses and the prophets made it clear that in time, the nations, the Goyim, would also be welcomed by God and brought to salvation. To treat them as something to look down upon, or despise, or mistreat, lie to, cheat, or kill for no good reason, would indeed be a rejection of God, Moses, the Bible and it would seem to embrace the devil who despises mankind and hates them.
Whether this is all so or not, I have seen a lot of questionable things in the Talmud and accusations made. I hope it is not the case but, there are those printed pages of the Talmud. How Jews feel about some of these writings, I do not know but since I am unaware of any claims that God is ultimately author of the Talmud and even if they did, it would be a contradiction of Moses, to me, some of the Talmud should be openly, publically, and notoriously rejected by God fearing/respecting Jews. It would be sad, for really, the Jews themselves, have been hurt and attacked for what would appear to be nothing more than being Jewish. It would be a great horror and sadness if they were to do the same to non-Jews. But it is also possible that many Jews, like very many Christians, do not know their own "bible" or what is in it or not.
And I must point out that many Christians over the centuries have also used "God" as an excuse to employ violence, war, and extreme abuse of indigenous peoples of differing religions and enslave them, not to mention persecute science and whoever gets in their way. But in this case, though they may say God allows or encourages it, they are liars. The Bible forbids everything they do or have done. The Bible does not justify or allow it and condemns it. But they can not say the same about the Talmud or the Koran. There will always be phonies and hypocrites in all religions and political persuasions, and even academic and judicial practices. But in many such cases, they violate or ignore those constitutions said to govern or regulate and be binding upon them. what would be great concern is if even their foundation documents/constitutions also justify their abuses and cruelties.
But all who share in this hatred of their fellow man would be considered enemies of God. But as covenant breakers, there are only 2 groups who can qualify in that respect and it would seem that Judaizers, long a problem in the early days, are alive and well within Christianity, of all places. They say we must keep the law and restore Israel and rebuild the temple. They say we need to make the Holy names and God and His son conform to new, more accurate translations of those names, such as Yahweh/Yahuwah instead of Jehovah; and Yahoshua/Yashua for Jesus. They say we must keep the festivals and Sabbaths and who knows what else. But regardless of whether they are Christians or Jews who promote these things that I call Religious Zionism but which we cold just call Judaizing, they are both wrong and may both be harboring ill will toward those who will not go along with the "Zionism" leading to the Anti-christ. I do hope I am not right about this. But Judaizing and Zionizing are wrong and anyone doing them is an apostate and heretic and will answer to God.
Further, there are not 2 paths to God, Jehovah. There is only one through one sacrifice/mediator, God's son, Jesus, and one covenant, the one installed by the death of Jesus and the presentation of that sacrifice to God in heaven and verified by great and powerful signs, wonders, and miracles that take place in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. One God, one spirit, one faith, one Baptism. ONE,! Not two! ONE !!!
Whether these are intended as Babylon or part of Babylon, well, I wish I knew for sure, but I am suspicious. For I do know beyond the shadow of a doubt that the law has been fulfilled and a New Covenant installed. So it is certain. Further, that there is to be a religious Zionism, so to speak, which will bring in and introduce the Antichrist and Babylon, along with others, and will have plenty to do with it. So those who support Judaizing (back-to-the-law-movements) and "Zionizing" almost certainly will support the Antichrist (AntiJesus) as well. I believe that is why they try to drag us back into the Law, rather than embrace Christ and the New Covenant.
And behold, Israel has been restored, but not by the will of God, though He did say it would happen. It is a false sign and wonder with many more to follow. And I am sure the temple will be restored and the priesthood and sacrifices, too. Then there shall only be the Anti-christ to appear and establish a covenant, a deal, with all the world and he will proclaim peace and security and as soon as he does, then all hell will break loose.
So I say this with the greatest of warning. There is only one name under all heaven by which men can be saved. It is through Jesus the Christ, the son of God. Unless you accept the son and what he commands, you can not be saved. There is no 2nd path, or dual path, or alternate path or two Covenants, one for Jews and one for Christians. All peoples, and nations, and tongues must openly accept the son of God to be saved. One flock and one shepherd the Bible says! A singular narrow cramped difficult path that will not be easy to travel. But it comes with great reward in the long run. Don't pass up this opportunity.
But what remains is that much took place in Babylon and/or at the time of Babylon. How much symbolism and fulfillment is intended by the figure of Babylon is a work in progress, like the interpretation of all prophecy is never ending. But in another article I have written as an installment of my Prophecy series of the Last Days, The Sons of Light vs. The Sons of Darkness, and not only in the Bible but also even in the Dead Sea Scrolls. This symbol, sort of not appreciated by me nearly as much as it should have been, has dawned on me as of late. So this subject will maybe help throw some more light on the matters related to this article and others.
It is quite remarkable that God could see so far ahead and give us so much detail about Babylon, as well as the antichrist and the other characters as well. A miracle above all other miracles. It was God's wish that we should have something to give us comfort, knowing what we have to face. But why not look at the details in condensed form to see if we can form a picture, a completed puzzle, of what we are looking for in this symbol of Babylon the Great. But just as Satan knew of many of God's plans and moved to subvert some of them, God knew all Satan's plans and has revealed them as well.
Now keep in mind that Babylon is said to be God's primary enemy and His people's as well. It is she who manipulates these other parties in Revelation to do her will. For this reason, it is Babylon who is punished more than the rest for her greater guilt in taking action in killing Christians and imprisoning them as well as being the primary source of all suffering and violence in the world from her great ambitions to rule the world. That is why there is so much emphasis on her punishment. God knows that these prophecies will not deter her or make her change, though you would think they would. They are too arrogant and do not believe it could be possible that God could really exist and care. So they act without concern and with great arrogance.
One might ask as this point, since we only have to look for who is the great enemy of Christianity, why all this effort? Well, for one, is it not amazing that God foresaw a situation in detail, 2000 or more years before it happened? Further, since it is possible that this enemy is very subtle and sneaky, it might not be at all obvious who she is or that she is behind all this malice. On the other hand, maybe it is not so subtle or hard to see, if one is better informed. Remember that most are asleep today and Jesus said it would be this way. Maybe the few not asleep can see it easy.
Further, mainstream Christianity is totally corrupt and bought off. So she would not be a serious enemy. The real Christianity will be a relatively small population compared to the rest of the world or even just compared to the body of Christianity as a group.
But for whatever the situation, God gave us a lot of info because He believed we needed it. Look at it this way. How many are preaching the message you are reading here? Hardly any! And of the few who are saying what I do, how many reading are believing it? Hardly any! Of course, that will change when it starts to happen as I and the few with me start having our words and interpretations come true while all the others have failed. Then it will get interesting. Below is a condensed list of things mentioned in the Bible. I am going to consider a few highlights that should not be overlooked. Most are self evident.
Phrases from Revelation
* The great city, Babylon,
has fallen, has fallen; because of the wine of the anger of her
fornication, she made all nations to drink.
* The great harlot sitting on the many waters, which are peoples and crowds and nations and
tongues
* The Harlot and the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the
ones inhabiting the earth became drunk from the wine of her
fornication.
* The waters where the harlot
sits, are peoples and crowds and nations and tongues.
* Mystery,
Babylon the Great, the Mother of the Harlots and of the Abominations
of the Earth
* Drunk from the blood of the saints,
and from the blood of the witnesses of Jesus
* The
mystery of the woman, and of the beast supporting her, the one having
the seven heads and the ten horns.
* The seven heads are seven
mountains, where the woman sits on them
* The ten horns on the beast will hate the harlot, and will make her desolated
and naked. And they will eat her flesh, and will burn her down with fire.
* The woman whom you saw is the great city, having a
kingdom over the kings of the earth.
* Babylon the great
has fallen, and it has become a dwelling-place of
demons, and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every
unclean bird; and hated because of the wine of the anger of her fornication which all the
nations have drunk, even the kings of the earth have committed
fornication with her; and the merchants of the earth became rich from
the power of her luxury.
* Her sins are heaped high as heaven
* She says in her
heart, I sit as a queen, and I am not a widow; and I do not see
mourning at all.
* Those having fornicated and having luxuriated with her
* The merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargo any more. Cargo of gold, and silver, and of precious stone, and of pearls, and of fine linen, and of purple, and of silk, and of scarlet, and all thyine wood, and every ivory vessel, and every vessel of very precious wood, and of bronze, and of iron, and of marble, and cinnamon, and incenses, and ointment, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine meal, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and of bodies and souls of men. And the ripe fruits of the lust of your soul went away from you, and all the fat things, and the bright things went away from you, and you will find them no more, not at all. The merchants of these things, the ones being enriched from her, all those having ships in the sea were rich, from her costliness.
Phrases from Isaiah and Jeremiah (and the 1st one from Daniel)
* Is not, this,
* In her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints,
and of all the ones having been slain on the earth
* You shall
no more be called tender and delicate
* You
shall no more be called the mistress of kingdoms
* You showed Christians no mercy; on the aged you made your yoke exceedingly
heavy
*
I will cause the arrogance of the proud to cease; and I will humble the
pride of tyrants
*
Babylon
, the glory of the kingdoms, the beauty of the pride of the Chaldeans, shall be
destroyed
* How
the exacter, the gold gatherer, has ceased!
* Jehovah has broken the rod of the wicked, the staff of rulers, who struck the peoples in wrath, a blow without turning away, ruling the
nations in anger, dealing out
persecution without restraint.
* You have said In your heart, I will go up to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God,
and I will sit in the mount of meeting, in the sides of the north. I will rise over the heights of the clouds; I will be compared to the Most
High.
* Because you rejoice, because
you exult, O destroyers of My inheritance, because you are fat like the
heifer in grass, and neigh like strong ones
* The proud one shall
stumble and fall
* I will give to
Phrases
from Habakkuk
( These have been at times slightly
paraphrased or summarized for clarity and brevity )
Chapter
1
3 For destruction, violence,
strife, and contention rises up and are everywhere.
4
Law and justice are
non-existent, completely corrupt, a total farce.
4 The wicked hems in the righteous. The righteous are surrounded and completely
outnumbered.
5 The cockiness of the Chaldeans, and their faith in their military prowess, and
their disregard for God and Law.
5 They do not fear or believe in God and Law. It causes them not to believe the
messages of the prophets of God from the Bible.
6-9
The Chaldeans are called a bitter, fierce, impetuous nation. They inspire great
fear and dread among the nations.
6-9
They have an amazing military system of
immense power symbolized and they seek to conquer and devour everyone, all land,
and everything.
6-9
They are full of desire for what
others have. And nothing is going to get in their way. They love plunder. It is
why they carry on war.
10 They do not fear other nations. They laugh and make light of the greatest of
leaders and officers. No fortress can stand against them.
11 "He" incurs much guilt and transgression in his avarice for war. It
is not out of defense or protection that he attacks. It is greed pure and
simple.
11 He credits his god for his victories. But whether it is his true pagan god or
him claiming that Jehovah is his God,
he is a liar but perhaps pretends to holiness and
righteousness.
11 Its all nothing but lies and pretenses. It is no god that does this but his
own military might. We need not fear him and his alleged god.
12 He, the Chaldean, is appointed for judgment, correction, punishment,
discipline by order of Jehovah.
13 The Chaldeans are described as wicked, deceitful, treacherous, tyrannical. We
could add manipulative with justification.
14-15 The Chaldeans as in "he," see mankind as just something to
harvest and use like the fish of the sea caught in nets and with lines and
hooks.
14-15 What is more, they rejoice and enjoy what they do. No remorse or
compassion to be found here.
16 "He" sacrifices and worships his nets, his means of harvest and
exploitation and he gets very rich from this and gets fat from it.
This is his real god and religion.
17 It seems like there will be no end to his harvest and exploitation and his
constant slaying of the nations.
Chapter 2
4 The soul of the Chaldean is puffed up and not upright at all. Not a pretty
sight.
5 His pride is betrayed by wine. He is indulgent. Never content or satisfied. He
wants all the nations and peoples.
5 A handful of nations would never do. Incredible greed and avarice.
6 He gains and increases from what is not his and what he is not entitled to.
6 He loads himself with pledges, collateral, loans, mortgages, interest, taxes, and the like.
7 He is going to be attacked and struck suddenly without warning and become
prey.
8 Because he has plundered so many nations and people, they will also plunder
him in return.
8 But also because of the blood of many men and the violence to the land, cities
and people.
9 He robs and collects unjust evil booty and gain to build his house with safety
and security so he won't be plundered or harmed.
9 He harms others but does not wish to be harmed himself. Such a one way street
and hypocrite, wouldn't you say?
10 He has brought great shame on his "house" by ending many peoples
and sinning in his soul.
11 The building materials in his house cry out against him.
12 He builds a town with blood and a city with sin and corruption. It will come
back to haunt him.
15 He gets his friends drunk merely for sport and to mock them and laugh at them
and their degraded condition of nakedness. Nice guy, huh?
16 But he will experience the same shame and mocking in time. Will be seen as
naked and "uncircumcised."
18-19 They are full of pagan idolatries and idol worship. It is the devil they
ultimately pay homage to.
Chapter 3
12-14 promise that God will surely act against the Chaldeans and the nations. We
can be certain of it.
I want to point out in Habakkuk that this book also describes the situation
we would have in the last days and gets into a sort of personality profile of
Babylon/Chaldeans and shows how there is absolutely no good or decency in
him/her whatsoever. As bas as you could possibly imagine with no redeeming qualities at
all. This is pretty severe but it is God who has make the assessment. Who are we
to argue? This list compares quite well with the other summary/extract lists. It
just adds a few more insights into what we are facing and dealing with now. Keep
in mind that prophets have always been hated and killed and Jesus himself was
hated and killed, as were most Apostles. The world has never liked goodness or
decency. So it must be judged and destroyed by God.
Some might think there are contradictions between some things in Habakkuk compared to the other prophecies. Not contradictions, but more colors and details that do harmonize when all the pieces are put together. For instance, Revelation calls HER a whore. Habakkuk says its a HE and a Chaldean. But Jeremiah also says Chaldean. But some parts of the identities are changed to confuse. But key features link them all together. Now Revelation says Babylon wields a secret control and kingdom over all the kings of the earth. Habakkuk says Babylon rules all the earth with her military. It does not say, but does imply from the other prophets, that the military is not directly hers but is ruled by her. She is the motivating driving force. But all agree she rules the world in the last days.
So do not get fooled by Habakkuk leaving out some things or adding others. He is just there to add more details to the many aspects of this Babylon who is a world menace in the last days. The overall pattern he gives is very much the same as the others. With all this vast information at hand, it should be very easy to note the world political and financial system today and figure out who is who and what is what and who the beast, false prophet, Babylon, and all the other prophetic characters are and what they will do. In fact, one can even make future predictions of actions or more thoroughly see behind current actions for what they are really intended for. Its like having a crystal ball or a direct phone line to God since He has chosen so very long ago to send us these messages that would only be able to be interpreted shortly before they happen. Urgency of study and action is needed as soon as you begin to discern this real world situation.
A consideration of this list should show that Babylon lived in great luxury, and bitterly oppressed Christians and even the entire world, but especially Real Christians. She is responsible for the blood shed of saints and witnesses of Jesus and most of the blood spilled in the whole earth for possibly most of the last 2000 years if not more. What I find more interesting is that she seems to be guilty of various spirit practices, occult type stuff, and sorceries. She has become a lurking place of demons, unclean spirits, and every vile unclean thing. We are talking about a woman, a symbol for a group, a network of people who hate God and ultimately, given their evil practices, are worshippers of the dragon, Satan the devil. How obvious this would be, I am not sure. I doubt it is that hard to spot. Given her arrogance, I doubt it is subtle at all. Secret societies with their questionable icons and imagery, are likely involved. By their fruits you will know them! But if they lie, hate and kill, and do all things in secret and hiding, then they worship the devil.
Also interesting is this luxury she lives in. She lives like a king or queen and is certain that will never change. And she has a special connection with business and commerce. Involved are the merchants of all the earth, with all their cargo of every valuable commodity in existence, listed in detail in Revelation, so it must be important. All those those having ships in the sea were rich from her. That is no small statement! She is called an exacter and gold gatherer. I wonder how much is implied in that. But her financial and business interests are considerable as the whole world seems to profit from her. Holy smoke, man! This gal has some money. That is likely how she buys her influence and control. I say that because most countries today are controlled by elected officials who are beholden to lobbyists and business men who have considerable wealth to dispense and lots of agendas to accomplish. No doubt that Babylon will be found in these many secret activities and transactions.
This business / money aspect is one perhaps missed by many "interpreters" of prophecy. We all know about the political aspects and her allies and hate for God and Christians. We know her allies, the beast, the image of the beast who is dependant on the beast, the false prophet / antichrist, and of course, the dragon, Satan the devil, who controls all these. But the business money stuff deserves more attention than it gets. She has a lot on control and influence over commerce.
And then there is that other interesting aspect, her dirty little bedroom secrets. She is the Mistress of Kingdoms, the darling of the bedroom of kings. She wields this very substantial power over the kings of the earth so that she is able to get her way and get the kings to act against God's people in a brutal way. Her means of influence is subtle, her kingdom a secret kingdom. It is not overt and obvious. She manipulates from the secret bedrooms, so to speak, much like a queen or princess might manipulate a king to accommodating her wishes. So she is able to remain hidden, unseen, undetected. The most effective enemy is the one you do not know about. But God has revealed her to us if we search carefully. We do not have to get caught off guard.
The world we live in is not as it appears. It is deceptive, and clandestine. Said to be one thing when it is entirely another. But most people do not discern this. They take everything at face value and believe it all, for they have been dulled in their senses by the schools run by the system and Babylon. They have been fooled by the lies and pretenses. But if we look beyond the pretense, which do not make sense, we can begin to discern the real mechanisms that run the world and control it. The secret kingdom starts to come out of the fog and mist. God gave us what we need to see beyond it all, if we dare.
So Babylon is not principally or primarily a single nation. Her influence and control comes from many areas, perhaps none more so than money, business, commerce, and financing. She is not principally a religion, though she is full of corrupt spiritism and idolatry herself. She no doubt influences and controls most religions today. She battled the Catholic Church for such control of the kings. And through her very sophisticated network, she seems to control and rule the world from her ivory tower where she believes she is untouchable.
Perhaps we might do well to ask why she has so much hatred for God and Christians. Well, we know that nearly all humanity is descended from Adam and were/are inclined to want to do what they want, without regard for others. We all act selfishly. But Some act more selfishly than others. Some see the rest of humanity as just things to use for their own selfish benefit. And in attempting to manipulate and rule the world, they find God's word, the Bible, and His people, obstructions and annoyances of the worst kind. They do not like having their consciences continually pricked and tormented. Hence, the hate, I suspect. The more hideous your plans and evil your works, the more you resent correction and righteousness. And they do not like people exposing their plans and schemes, either.
But if you want to know Babylon and it is not clear to you yet, just keep watching, for things are moving fast now and it will become ever more obvious who is living good and causing trouble and making trouble for those who call for good and condemn bad. Its not rocket science when you get down to it. By their fruits you will know them. But I would say, pay more attention to the subtle things that are daily revealed or beheld. From these will come answers. The advantage as I see it, is that Babylon is not that subtle at all. And she is quite arrogant, bold, and brazen. She does not bother to hide what she does all that much. Seek and you shall find.
If you just ignore what people and the media say, and start to pay far more attention to what they do, and realize that contradictions between words and actions mean that the actions are the truth. Follow the evidence wherever it goes. If the contradictory evidence suggests lying, deceit and treachery, believe it, accept it, don't ignore it. We have been told all our lives the world is such a great and wonderful place and people are good. Its not true. Once you can accept that, then you can believe it when you find actions hard to justify or write off. What people are doing, they are not doing unintentionally. They have sold their souls and they know it.
Remember that Satan rules the world still, for the moment. Given that fact, we must assume the world and those in it are primarily wicked. Further, if we are heading for the worst tribulation in the history of the world and mankind, then it can't be very good or we would not be that close to such a horrible time and circumstance. We are near to completely falling apart. We are being set up for the most despicable deliberate cruelty ever perpetrated upon humankind. Those who rule over us are truly wicked, almost beyond conception or belief. This is the message of the Bible and its prophets. And Babylon is a big reason why it is heading that way. She has far worse plans for humanity than humanity could ever guess or imagine possible.
But God has let all mankind know of the evil designs that Babylon has planned for us all. None who would like to avoid this, need to fall victim to it. We can avoid it. God can save us. We might have to temporarily die, but we will live again if we die for our witness to Christ. So we do have a way out from it all. We have been told everything, right under their noses. So renounce bad, do what is good, and have nothing to do with politics or anything evil. Trust that God can protect you and will. We who serve God by our testimony might have to get our reward through a resurrection but that is no big deal. But we don't want to be guilty of fighting or resisting evil people and powers. God tells us to turn the other cheek to them, instead. God can and will make things right!
By remaining ever so blameless, the actions of the wicked will be all the more inexcusable. That is what God wants. He wants to show how far gone much of humanity is. This is what happens when we disobey even the slightest command of God such as eating a piece of fruit from a tree forbidden to us. But if we fight and resist, we give our enemies a partial excuse for eliminating us. God has the right to ask of us what He wants. He wants us completely free of any and all fighting, war, resistance, and the like. That way, no actions against us could be justified. Despite that, actions will be taken against us and that is why God will punish those who hate beyond all reasonable excuse; and attack, imprison or kill without justification.
Join me in saying no to war, no to military service, no to violence, deceit, treachery, meanness, nastiness, or any other sort of evil. Embrace what is good and accept death if need be, to maintain this honorable stance and let God make it up to us afterward. We know what is coming. Lets get ourselves ready now for the worst period in the history of the world. We can do it! God will help.
Now is the time to wake up.
Matthew 7:7 Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will
find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
Luke 11:9 And I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you;
seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
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