Woe To You, Great Babylon

Babylon, the Great City, is a prominent theme in Revelation as the prophecies begin to hone in on the very last days. It is referred to by other names, as well – Babylon the Great, the prostitute, and Mother of prostitutes. It is visualized to John, “in the spirit”, as a woman sitting upon a scarlet beast with seven heads and ten horns. The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, glittering 

with gold, precious stones, and pearls, and holding a golden cup filled with her filthy abominations and adulteries (Rev 17:3-4).

The mention of Babylon the Great is scattered over chapters 14 to 19 in Revelation. It is very helpful to bring these together in one flowing compilation to see and understand what God has to say about this great city of the end of the age, New York City.

A second angel followed and said, ‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great, which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries.” (14:8).  God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath. (16:19). The name written on her forehead was a mystery: babylon the great; the mother of prostitutes and of the abominations of the earth. (17:5). The beast and the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They will bring her to ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire. (17:16). With a mighty voice {the angel} shouted: “Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!’ She has become a dwelling for demons and a haunt for every impure spirit….  For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries.” (18:2-3). Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off and cry: “Woe! Woe to you, great city, you mighty city of Babylon! In one hour your doom has come!” (18:10). The merchants… will weep and mourn and cry out…  When they see the smoke of her burning, they will exclaim, ‘Was there ever a city like this great city?’….  “Rejoice over her, you heavens! Rejoice, you people of God! Rejoice, apostles and prophets! For God has judged her with the judgment she imposed on you.” Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone and threw it into the sea, and said: “With such violence the great city of Babylon will be thrown down, never to be found again” (18:15-21).

Babylon the Great is not merely symbolic. It is a literal, specific city of the last days. The name may be symbolic, obviously, but not the city. Just as historical Babylon was the capital city of the Babylonian empire, each of the seven beast nations has had a capital. The seventh beast, the beast of the last days, has as its “de facto” capital New York City. NYC is the great city that has dominated the world for the last century or more. NYC is the great city being spoken of in Revelation. NYC will be destroyed, both by the eighth beast (Rev 17:16), and by the hand of God (Rev 18:8). Its destruction is judgment for the adulteries, abominations, and bloodshed that brought it such great wealth and power. Hard to believe, yes! When it happens, though, we should not be surprised. Americans, are we ready for the judgment that God has ordained? Are we ready for death, mourning, and famine?

The Rapture

 

The Rapture is eagerly anticipated by Christians around the world. It is the incredible event when the dead in Christ will be resurrected and those still alive in Christ will be caught up to be with the Lord forever (I Thessalonians 4:13-18). It is a mystery that is almost inconceivable. That much we all agree upon. Unfortunately, though, there is a whole lot of false teaching about the rapture. Christians are being misled into a false sense of security and bliss.

Christians are told that the rapture is the next thing on God’s agenda. Not so -- suffering and turmoil comes first. The rapture is not a blissful escape before tribulation, rather, it will be a rescue, a blessed redemption from the midst of great suffering.

Christians are told that the rapture is when Jesus will return for His church, while the Second Coming is when He will return with His church. Not so -- nowhere does the Bible say that the second coming of Jesus will be split into two parts, first in hover mode, then seven years later to plant His feet on the Mount of Olives. Jesus didn’t say that, Paul didn’t even hint at that, nor the Apostle John in all of Revelation.

Christians are told that the rapture is not mentioned in Revelation, because Revelation is all about the unbelievers who are left behind to endure the Great Tribulation. Not so -- Paul said that the rapture would occur at the last trumpet (I Cor 15:52). And there it is, in Revelation 14:14-15, exactly like Jesus described His second coming (Mt 24:30-31). And there it is again in Revelation 16:15, right before the seventh bowl, which parallels the seventh trumpet. I really think a person has to be somewhat blinded, or brainwashed, not to see the rapture in Revelation.

Christians are told that they are not destined for the judgment of God, so Jesus raptures the Church prior to the judgments of the Great Tribulation. Not so -- that is wishful thinking, predominant only in America. Jesus wants a pure bride, not a lukewarm, idolatrous bride. Only suffering will produce that. If the Jews were never exempt from judgment, why would we expect God to spare the Church (I Pet 4:17)? Furthermore, the trumpets are not judgments upon wicked unbelievers, during a fictitious Great Tribulation. They are warnings to all mankind of impending doom and destruction, and they are already happening.

And there you have it. The rapture is not an early installment of Christ’s second coming, a blissful escape before suffering and tribulation unfolds in the last days. That is a fabrication, in partnership with the Great Tribulation hoax. Sorry to burst your bubble, but you need to know the truth.

 

120 Years

 

While Jesus was teaching his disciples about His second coming, He made a strategic comparison to God’s judgment at the flood, saying, “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.” (Mt 24:37). This statement may have more implications than just the fact that people were carrying on, life as usual, right up to the very last day.

Jesus made it very clear that the people of Noah’s day were warned, but they ignored the warning. They couldn’t believe that anything would change the course of the world to which they were accustomed. And it’s the same, today.

Over a long period of time the wickedness of mankind grew ever greater. Their hearts were evil all the time (Gen 6:5). So, God said that His spirit would not put up with man forever, therefore his days are limited to 120 years (Gen 6:3). That was a prophetic pronouncement ­­-- judgment was on the horizon. The sign of that prophecy was the giant ark being built, probably over the span of the 120 years. When the animals began walking up the gangplank it was clear that judgment would begin any day now.

As in the days of Noah, God has a time frame for fulfilling his warnings of impending judgment upon this generation. The signs to mankind are made clear in the prophecies of Revelation. And it just may be that the same 120-year time frame is part of the meaning of the phrase, “as in the days of Noah.”  One reason for such a long warning period is that God is patient, not wanting any to perish, but everyone to come to repentance (II Pet 3:9).

God revealed to John the apostle that there would be seven trumpets, the first six warning mankind that judgment was imminent. The seventh trumpet is the actual outpouring of His judgment upon the whole earth, and like the flood it will transition into a new era in His redemptive plan, namely, the Millennial Kingdom. These seven trumpets are not judgments of God to be meted out during the Great Tribulation, as many have taught for nearly 200 years. In fact, the time span of the trumpet warnings is actually similar to the days of Noah. The trumpet warnings have been occurring for over 100 years. The first trumpet was World War 1, the second trumpet was Word War 2, the third trumpet was Chernobyl, the fourth trumpet was climate change, and the fifth trumpet was the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait by Saddam Hussein. The sixth trumpet is yet to sound, which will be the build up to Armageddon, masterminded by the lawless one who will lead a large Arab army against Israel.

If the time frame of 120 years is a legitimate component of Jesus’ statement, “as in the days of Noah”, then we have a possible time frame of God’s warnings leading up to the second world judgment. World War 1 began in 1914, and the next four trumpet warnings occurred throughout the twentieth century. If the coming of Christ in judgment occurs 120 years after the beginning of the trumpet warnings, that would place it about 2034. Christians will be rescued from that great outpouring of God’s wrath, being gathered up to meet the Lord in the air when He returns, at the last trumpet. But we, the Church, will be here through the trumpet warnings and the extreme tribulation of the last few years leading up to Christ’s return. Part of that extreme tribulation will be ever increasing wickedness, the destruction of America, and the rise of the eighth beast and the oppressive buildup to Armageddon. We need to understand the prophecies of Revelation accurately so that we can be ready to stand firm in faith when tribulation comes.