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Does the Bible identify "Babylon"?

reddogs

Member
In Hebrew, whether its the tower, the city, the empire, and its meaning in prophecy down to the close of human history and Christs return, are all the same Hebrew word babel , Babylon. Babel is Babylon and Babel is confusion.

The name Babylon is derived from BAB-ILU which was “gate of the gods” or "the portal of the gods", and in a sense it thus portrays a means of access to the gods that is contrary to God's prescribed plan of salvation. Access is granted through the system and not by faith in Jesus Christ. It is a system where salvation by works replaces salvation by faith and the Protestant Reformers realized it and the system behind it.

The Babylonian system of worship has ever been a snare to God's people, as it is more in tune with human nature to rely on salvation by works than on salvation by grace. From the very beginning, these two systems of worship have been in confrontation with each other. The story of Cain and Abel illustrates this point. Abel listened to the divine directive and brought a lamb without blemish as an offering, but Cain brought the fruits of his labor. When the offering of Abel was accepted by God, the anger of Cain was aroused and ever since, this first confrontation between these two systems of worship, has been in conflict on this planet.

Ancient Babylon serves as a type of a much greater end-time confederacy of religious apostasy and intolerance that would seek to control conscience before the close of earth's history, and yet it will meet its end. We see in Revelation 14:8...
"And there followed another angel saying, 'Babylon is fallen is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.'" Revelation 14:8

The Bible warns against Babylon, and urge God's people to come out of Babylon, and we see it also reflecting the spiritual decay of the system...

"And he cried mightily with a strong voice saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird." Revelation 18:2

The unclean and hateful birds appears to reference a counterfeit Holy Spirit that would power the system and lead people to believe that they are working with the power of God when it is a deception masquerading as truth. In verse 4, we see it with a warning..

"Come out of her My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues." Revelation 18:4

God would not urge His people to come out of Babylon if it were impossible for them to identify Babylon. During the early Christian centuries, Jewish and Christian literature referred to the city of Rome as Babylon. 1 Peter 5:13 also refers to Rome as Babylon, as Peter wrote these words whilst in Rome, and literal Babylon no longer existed....

"The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you; and so doth Marcus my son." 1 Peter 5:13

In Revelation 17, John is invited to witness the judgment of the great prostitute who sits on many waters, seductively deceiving the inhabitants of the earth. This woman is subsequently identified as “ ‘Babylon the great, the mother of harlots’ ”. In the scriptures, a prostitute symbolically refers to God’s people in their apostasy. The portrayal of the prostitute in Revelation 17 shows that she represents an entity that was once faithful to God before aligning herself with the end-time opponent of God and His faithful remnant. Babylon is thus a corporate name for an end-time apostate entity.

The Protestants of the Reformation knew who it was and referred to it as spiritual Babylon, the antichrist entity and enemy of God's people. The woman that rides the beast in Revelation 17 also has all the identifying features which make it easier to find...

"1 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: 2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication." Revelation 17:1-2.

The woman is first referenced to as sitting on “many waters” and according to Revelation 17:5, the waters upon which the prostitute was seen symbolize the civil, secular, and political powers of the world. Just as the ancient Babylon depended on the Euphrates River for its existence, so will the end-time Babylon depend on the civil, secular, and political powers of the world to enforce its plans and purposes.

"And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: and upon her forehead was a name written: Mystery, Babylon the great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth." Revelation 17:4-5.

In the Bible the symbol of a woman represents the church. Isaiah the prophet extends the symbol of a woman to that of a bride. The pure bride represents the pure church..

"As the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee." Isaiah 62:5.

We find in the New Testament the same symbolism is employed...

"...for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ." 2 Corinthians 11:2.

Babylon is described in Revelation 17:5 as the "mother of harlots" an apostate religious systems or church, "Mystery" and the "abominations of the earth". Obviously if God's people are the chaste woman faithful to her husband, then Babylon is the opposite of this symbol or that system of worship which is unfaithful to God, and has a mystery religion and teaches and practices abominations.

Its not hard to figure out who persecuted the saints, and brought in the paganism and abominable practices into the church...
 
Babylon is apostate Israel.
God's people Israel comes out of apostate Israel at the end times while apostate Israel worships the Israeli government and it's kingdom .
The seven hills the prostitute sits on represents Jerusalem.
 
Good documentation and I definitely agree with most of it. Revelation chapter 17, it's one world religious system. The son of perdition, satan, comes in his role as antichrist 6th trump. Babylon means, confusion. The majority will worship antichrist, because of lack of knowledge. And denominations are teaching traditions of men and misleading people. The churches have failed in their capacity to prepare their flocks for antichrist. Jesus spoken of the hirelings in John and 10, who run away when wolf comes. Bottom line, ephesians chapter 6, many people don't have the gospel armour on, it's wisdom and knowledge of Gods word. The pastors and priests have failed to warn, and nourish their flocks. Ephesians chapter 6 is the key past antichrist.
 
In Rev 17 as in how mystery Babylon is describe and compare this with the four Empires with the last one whose deadly wound was healed we see that it has always been a Luciferian system that controls world wide economics, political, military, educational, environmental and false religious system as we will see in the end of days during the seventh trumpet sounding as then son of perdition will take his seat and moving it to Jerusalem and reign there for 3 1/2 years deceiving those with a false peace and safety to all who bows down and takes the mark of this beast, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12, Rev 13.
 
In Rev 17 as in how mystery Babylon is describe and compare this with the four Empires with the last one whose deadly wound was healed we see that it has always been a Luciferian system that controls world wide economics, political, military, educational, environmental and false religious system as we will see in the end of days during the seventh trumpet sounding as then son of perdition will take his seat and moving it to Jerusalem and reign there for 3 1/2 years deceiving those with a false peace and safety to all who bows down and takes the mark of this beast, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12, Rev 13.
It's the two witnesses that occupy Jerusalem for those 3.5 years.
After which the beast that ascends out of the bottomless Pitt kills them.
3 days later Christ comes and resurrects the dead and the kingdom becomes his.

The son of perdition doesn't stay in Jerusalem for those 3.5 years the two witnesses occupy Jerusalem.He lives in his palace in the north.
 
Revelation 17:18
The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth.”

This is how the drunken prostitute who sits on the beast is described in revelation.Its a city that sits on seven hills.A mind which has wisdom would understand.

Revelation 17:9
And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven hills, on which the woman sitteth.

The beast and the ten horns hate the prostitute and attack her.

Revelation 17:16
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.

That's why they attack Jerusalem and kill the two witnesses.

Revelation 11:7
7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.

The prostitute doesnt reign over them after the two witnesses are killed.
 
There are two meanings behind the word "Babylon". a) the Old Babylon Empire, b) the New Babylon Empire.

For the Old Babylon Empire, you can read the exercept below from (https://www.gotquestions.org/Babylon-in-the-Bible.html):

Ancient Babylon was located in modern-day Iraq. Ancient Babylon rose to dominance after throwing off the bonds of the Assyrians. The short period of Babylonian dominance that has biblical significance is referred to as the Neo-Babylonian Empire, as Babylon had been a dominant force at an earlier time.

Babylon and King Nebuchadnezzar figure prominently in the Old Testament, as it was Babylon that invaded Judah, destroyed Jerusalem and the temple, and carried off many Jews to Babylon as exiles. These events are recorded in 2 Kings 17—25 and 2 Chronicles 32—36. Several of the prophets revealed that Jerusalem would fall to the Babylonians as God’s judgment on Judah for her sin. Notably, Jeremiah counseled surrender to the Babylonians in acceptance of God’s will: “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I am about to turn against you the weapons of war that are in your hands, which you are using to fight the king of Babylon and the Babylonians who are outside the wall besieging you. And I will gather them inside this city. I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and a mighty arm in furious anger and in great wrath. I will strike down those who live in [Jerusalem]—both man and beast—and they will die of a terrible plague. After that, declares the Lord, I will give Zedekiah king of Judah, his officials and the people in this city who survive the plague, sword and famine, into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and to their enemies who want to kill them. He will put them to the sword; he will show them no mercy or pity or compassion. . . . This is what the Lord says: See, I am setting before you the way of life and the way of death. Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine or plague. But whoever goes out and surrenders to the Babylonians who are besieging you will live; they will escape with their lives. I have determined to do this city harm and not good, declares the Lord. It will be given into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he will destroy it with fire” (Jeremiah 21:4–10).

Daniel was a young man who was taken to Babylon as an exile. He rose to prominence in the administration of King Nebuchadnezzar and his successors (see Daniel 1—6). Babylon was overthrown after only several decades of prominence. The Lord had promised that the Jewish exile was only temporary, and, after the fall of Babylon, the Persian king allowed the exiles to return to Judah to rebuild the city and the temple. These events are recorded in Ezra and Nehemiah.

Because of the awful destruction caused by the Babylonians, Babylon became a symbol for the stereotypical enemies of God and His people. (Sodom and Egypt are also used in this way.) Babylon figures prominently in the book of Revelation as the ultimate enemy of God and persecutor of His people. “Babylon the Great” will be overthrown, but here is how she is described: “Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries. The name written on her forehead was a mystery: Babylon the Great, the mother of prostitutes and of the abominations of the earth. I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of God’s holy people, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus” (Revelation 17:3–6). Revelation also records the downfall of Babylon, lamented by people of the world (chapter 18), along with the rejoicing of the saints at her demise (chapter 19).

For years, many dispensationalists interpreted Babylon as Rome, center of a revived Roman Empire. With the ascendency of Saddam Hussein and war in Iraq, many changed their interpretation, thinking that Babylon might actually refer to a revived Babylonian Empire. For a while, Saddam Hussein attempted to rebuild Babylon, and he even fancied himself as the new Nebuchadnezzar. However, as events unfolded, it became evident that Hussein was not the final enemy of God and that he would not be successful in restoring a Babylonian Empire. It is usually risky to interpret the Bible in light of current events.

In summary, Babylon destroyed Jerusalem and the temple and became a symbol for the enemy of God and His people. Revelation uses this imagery, so Babylon in Revelation most likely does not refer to a revived Babylonian Empire but to a national entity that will persecute and destroy in “the spirit of the Babylonians.” The difference is that ancient Babylon destroyed Jerusalem as God’s judgment for her unfaithfulness. In the last days, “Babylon” persecutes believers who are being faithful, and it is Babylon who will be judged.
 
There are two meanings behind the word "Babylon". a) the Old Babylon Empire, b) the New Babylon Empire.

For the Old Babylon Empire, you can read the Exercept below from (https://www.gotquestions.org/Babylon-in-the-Bible.html):

Ancient Babylon was located in modern-day Iraq. Ancient Babylon rose to dominance after throwing off the bonds of the Assyrians. The short period of Babylonian dominance that has biblical significance is referred to as the Neo-Babylonian Empire, as Babylon had been a dominant force at an earlier time.

Babylon and King Nebuchadnezzar figure prominently in the Old Testament, as it was Babylon that invaded Judah, destroyed Jerusalem and the temple, and carried off many Jews to Babylon as exiles. These events are recorded in 2 Kings 17—25 and 2 Chronicles 32—36. Several of the prophets revealed that Jerusalem would fall to the Babylonians as God’s judgment on Judah for her sin. Notably, Jeremiah counseled surrender to the Babylonians in acceptance of God’s will: “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I am about to turn against you the weapons of war that are in your hands, which you are using to fight the king of Babylon and the Babylonians who are outside the wall besieging you. And I will gather them inside this city. I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and a mighty arm in furious anger and in great wrath. I will strike down those who live in [Jerusalem]—both man and beast—and they will die of a terrible plague. After that, declares the Lord, I will give Zedekiah king of Judah, his officials and the people in this city who survive the plague, sword and famine, into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and to their enemies who want to kill them. He will put them to the sword; he will show them no mercy or pity or compassion. . . . This is what the Lord says: See, I am setting before you the way of life and the way of death. Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine or plague. But whoever goes out and surrenders to the Babylonians who are besieging you will live; they will escape with their lives. I have determined to do this city harm and not good, declares the Lord. It will be given into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he will destroy it with fire” (Jeremiah 21:4–10).

Daniel was a young man who was taken to Babylon as an exile. He rose to prominence in the administration of King Nebuchadnezzar and his successors (see Daniel 1—6). Babylon was overthrown after only several decades of prominence. The Lord had promised that the Jewish exile was only temporary, and, after the fall of Babylon, the Persian king allowed the exiles to return to Judah to rebuild the city and the temple. These events are recorded in Ezra and Nehemiah.

Because of the awful destruction caused by the Babylonians, Babylon became a symbol for the stereotypical enemies of God and His people. (Sodom and Egypt are also used in this way.) Babylon figures prominently in the book of Revelation as the ultimate enemy of God and persecutor of His people. “Babylon the Great” will be overthrown, but here is how she is described: “Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries. The name written on her forehead was a mystery: Babylon the Great, the mother of prostitutes and of the abominations of the earth. I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of God’s holy people, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus” (Revelation 17:3–6). Revelation also records the downfall of Babylon, lamented by people of the world (chapter 18), along with the rejoicing of the saints at her demise (chapter 19).

For years, many dispensationalists interpreted Babylon as Rome, center of a revived Roman Empire. With the ascendency of Saddam Hussein and war in Iraq, many changed their interpretation, thinking that Babylon might actually refer to a revived Babylonian Empire. For a while, Saddam Hussein attempted to rebuild Babylon, and he even fancied himself as the new Nebuchadnezzar. However, as events unfolded, it became evident that Hussein was not the final enemy of God and that he would not be successful in restoring a Babylonian Empire. It is usually risky to interpret the Bible in light of current events.

In summary, Babylon destroyed Jerusalem and the temple and became a symbol for the enemy of God and His people. Revelation uses this imagery, so Babylon in Revelation most likely does not refer to a revived Babylonian Empire but to a national entity that will persecute and destroy in “the spirit of the Babylonians.” The difference is that ancient Babylon destroyed Jerusalem as God’s judgment for her unfaithfulness. In the last days, “Babylon” persecutes believers who are being faithful, and it is Babylon who will be judged.
For the New Babylon, It will be a global city led by the Antichrist in the future One-World One Currency Totalitarian System. After the Antichrist literally conquer the entire world with his army from Europe, The capital city of the Antichrist will be shifted from Rome in Italy to a newly rebuilt New Babylon in Iraq. During the Antichrist rule, New Babylon will be considered the richest and the most glamorous city throughout all history, with wealth overflowing in mind-boggling amounts. However, it is also a hotbed for all sort of depravity, where unbelievers get to enjoy (and engage) in every single form of entertainment that encourage sin in unfathomable ways. It is a city neck-deep in the occult, where people unashamedly practice and sell their magick activities for a living, deceiving others and themselves in a never-ending cycle. Leaders from all across the world will engage in idolatry in Babylon in their quest (and unrestrained lust) for power and money, thus obtaining great luxury as a reward for their servitude toward the Antichrist. They will play a key role in the global influence and affluence of New Babylon. Business people will grow filthy rich from their connection with New Babylon. Anyone can sell anything to New Babylon, even literal slaves. Interestingly enough, goods will be shipped to New Babylon not by air, but by merchant ships (Cargo Ships) on the ocean. Perhaps the judgments from God have rendered the planet’s atmosphere too hostile for pilots to carry out airborne commercial activities. The false religion (Roman Catholicism mixed with Freemasonry Paganism) will encourage such immoral behavior and lifestyle among all citizens living in Babylon. Thus, making it appealing to those who want to live a life unconstrained by God’s given conscience and moral values, using their religion (wherever or not they actually believe in it is another matter) as justification for their degenerated way of life. Thus, it is a city that is utterly unfaithful to God, and completely committed to evil (Revelation 17). Also at the same time, the Antichrist will destroy the USE global religion in favor of direct worship to the Antichrist himself (Revelation 17:16). This city will probably resemble Old Babylon in terms of governance, society, and commerce. Except it is modernized in every single way that helps increase the splendor and allure of the city.

Source: https://theendtimeiscoming.wordpress.com/
(That is from my blog)

You are free to share this link with anyone or cite it in your research project as long as you give credit to me as the original author.

God Bless!
 
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