(Revelation 18:23b-24) “For your merchants were the great men of the earth, because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery. And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints and of all who have been slain on the earth.”
In the Book of Revelation Chapters 17-18 we see the final punishment of Babylon the Great and its destruction. In these chapters it is described as a city but also has a wider application to the world today which reflects the culture, the character, the multi-religious multi faith associations, the hedonism, the sensuality and the wealth and opulence of the original City of Babylon.
Nimrod’s Babylon
We first see the city of Babylon in the Book of Genesis which was built by Nimrod. The Bible tells us that Nimrod was “a mighty hunter in the face of God,” however, the Hebrew text says that “he was a mighty hunter in the face of God” In other words he was a rebel. They say he was so enraged with God for sending the flood that he built the Tower of Babel as an affront to God (Genesis 10:9-10). We are also told he built Nineveh the capital of the Assyrian Empire (Genesis 10:11). In the Bible both the kings of Babylon and Assyria are major types of the future Antichrist. What Nimrod did teaches us about what the Antichrist will do at the end of the age when he seeks to build an empire of global proportions in defiance of God.
Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylon
Babylon re-surfaces again in the Bible with the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar who had a huge empire and who sought to be deified and worshipped as a god. He had an image built of himself and his empire and demanded everyone within the boundaries of his empire to bow down and worship the image. What he did teaches us also about what the Antichrist will do at the end of this age when he demands worship and obedience throughout his entire empire of global proportions. All of the Ancient empires that came after Babylon reflected its character traits. The Ancient Roman Empire itself was seen as Babylon by the first century Body of the Messiah (1 Peter 5:13). Today the Pontiffs of religious Rome are the extension of the Pontiffs of Ancient Rome that adopted Christianity as a religion from the time of the Roman Emperor and Pontiff Constantine. However down through the centuries the character of Babylon has been clearly seen in the ceremonies and traditions and practices of the Roman Catholic Church.
Babylon rises again
Prophetically the City of Babylon rises again in the last days and in the Bible it is described as a literal city in a desert (Revelation 17:3). Its destruction is heard at the Red Sea (Jeremiah 49:21). The City is described as being located in Edom which today sweeps down from Southern Jordan into the desert of Saudi Arabia. In fact the Book of Ezekiel mentions Edom as being a geographical region stretching from Teman and Dedan which in Ezekiel’s time were located in Saudi Arabia (Ezekiel 25:12-14). The city in a desert by the Red Sea today would have to be Mecca, a city the trades via the Sea primarily with the western nations of the world (Revelation 17:15). Mecca is the home of Islam and the Kaaba which houses the black stone venerated by Muslims around the world. The huge clock tower has a crescent moon at the apex of its spire. They call this huge tower “Mt Babel.”
Babylon is the Harlot
Historically Babylon was never destroyed but atrophied over time. Its location as a city prophetically is not in Iraq but in Saudi Arabia. It is a city that is viewed by hard line Islamists as the harlot of Islam which is destined to be burned by fire at the hands of the Islamic beast empire on whose back she rides (Revelation 17:16-18). Iran will be the one that will burn the city of Mecca more than likely with missile strikes (Isaiah 21:1-2). The only reason the Arab Gulf States are seeking to align with Israel is because they are scared of Iran. Mecca itself has been attacked in past history by fanatical Muslims. The hard-line Iranian regime sees the Saudis as the harlot of Islam.
Babylon is the World
So then we have the Babylon of Nimrod, the Babylon of Nebuchadnezzar, the culture and character of Babylon seen in the succeeding Ancient empires especially in Ancient Rome and the modern city of Babylon today which would have to be Mecca as the harlot city in a desert by the Sea whose destruction is heard at the Red Sea. Having said this, we need to understand that Babylon in the Bible can also have a wider and more comprehensive application to the world system at large. When you look at all of the Ancient Civilizations that followed Babylon, the culture, the mystery religions associated with the occult, the opulence and wealth, the immorality and the hedonistic lifestyles they are a conspicuous feature of the world in which we live today, they all collectively reflect the culture and society of Ancient Babylon. Today Babylon is all around us and coming everyday into our homes via the internet and the television and through the cyber world of virtual reality.
Babylon in Religion
Today ‘Babylon’ is seen in the world and especially in Israel and wider Christendom. In Israel you have a Judaism which is not the Biblical Judaism of Moses and the Torah and within Christendom you have the Roman Catholic Church, Ecumenism, Interfaith and Gnosticism within many Charismatic style churches. In all of the major religions you also have mysticism and supernatural manifestations which are questionable Biblically. The mystery religions and cults of Ancient Babylon were very sensual and mesmerising and music was a major part of the worship. We see this clearly when King Nebuchadnezzar had all kinds of musical instruments played when he commanded the people to bow down to worship the image (Daniel 3:4-7).
Babylon in Music
So much of the music today in the world appeals to the sensual fleshly appetites of the fallen human nature especially among the young people of this generation. While there is nothing wrong with modern styles of music and all kinds of instruments in Christian worship it must always be governed by the Holy Spirit. Satan uses music today as one of the means to evoke the fleshly and sensual appetites of fallen man and he seeks to do this in the wider Body of the Messiah if he can. This is why worship leaders especially must be under the firm control of the Holy Spirit.
Before he rebelled against God, Satan, known then as Lucifer, was given the power and ability to create beautiful music by which to worship God in the Garden of Eden. Lucifer was in charge of the worship in Eden. This was a gift infused into him by the Lord when He created him. We are told that Lucifer was in Eden, the garden of God and that in him the workmanship of his timbrels and pipes was prepared for him on the day he was created (Ezekiel 28:13 NKJV). Timbrels and Pipes are musical instruments.
Mesmerising music that captivates the mind and the fleshly senses has always been a major part of the culture and lifestyles of secular society and in religious and cultic worship down through history and today it is more so with the advent of technology. While God’s Word encourages all kinds of worship styles with all kinds of musical instruments Satan also recognises the power of music to sway the emotions and evoke the passions and desires of the flesh. Babylonian culture is everywhere today.
Babylon in the Media
Babylon is seen in the materialistic and hedonistic lifestyles which are often emulated from television drama and from the media and via the internet. All kinds of occult and mystical and supernatural experiences and themes are becoming common place in many TV dramas and movies. Virtual reality games in cyber space with their emphasis on violence, sensuality and supernatural experiences are captivating the imaginations of unnumbered millions of young people around the world. It is just like it was in the time of Noah where we are told that “every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all of the time” (Genesis 6:5). The imagination was involved!
Babylon in the Drug Culture
Today people are also being controlled by drugs. It is a big business with the drug cartels and with the Pharmaceutical Conglomerates. I would also like to suggest that drugs are big business today not only with the with ‘the merchants’ of the large drug cartels but also with ‘the merchants’ of the Pharmaceutical conglomerates producing the Covid-19 vaccines which are not really traditional vaccines but experimental drugs with no data available on the long term effects of these ‘new’ so called ‘vaccines’ on people’s health. The drug culture is escalating with Boosters now being thrust on people especially in light of so called ‘new variants’ that seem to be popping up very conveniently when it looks like the nations are starting to progressively deal with the virus and are seeking to live with it.
It is interesting that we are also told about ‘Babylon’; “For your merchants were the great men of the earth, because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery. And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints and of all who have been slain on the earth” (Revelation 18:23b-24).
The word “sorcery” is an interesting word in the Greek language of the New Testament. The word is “Pharmakeia” from which we get the English word “Pharmacy.” In the Greek text of the Bible the word is defined as “poisoning” and as “magic arts” and often found “in connection with idolatry and fostered by it.” It is “poisoning with drugs connected with the occult.” As a metaphor the word describes “the deceptions and seductions of idolatry.” We know from the Bible that the worship of any idol is in fact the worship of demons (Deuteronomy 32:16-17). Idols come in many forms today. Any form of idolatry exposes the idolater to demonic power and control.
I would also like to suggest that behind the whole global vaccination push that it is Satan’s instrument in getting people to rely upon a centralised form of totalitarian control for their security and lifestyles. He knows that people will always give up their independence and freedom to keep their security and convenient lifestyles. He also knows what is really in the current vaccines and that he can use fear-mongering and alarmism to get people to where he wants them so that, as the prince of the Power of the Air, he can control people through the medium of the mainstream media outlets using wicked, unprincipled and greedy Media Moguls he has raised up to do his bidding in order to indoctrinate the masses.
Who is really in control?
Through the general drug trade by the Cartels and by the Big Pharma drug companies producing largely unproven vaccines people are being ‘poisoned.’ Satan is seeking any method he can to stop unsaved people from hearing the truth as it is in the Lord Jesus and to keep them from the salvation He brings from the clutches of Satan who is a master of deception. As the Lord Jesus said about Satan; “He was a murderer from the beginning, refusing to uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, because he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). We also know that “the whole world lies in the power of the wicked one” (1 John 5:9). While the wicked one has control over the unsaved he does not have any control over the sovereignty of the Triune God who owns and controls the earth and everything in it. We are also told in the Bible “The earth is the LORD’s, and the fullness thereof, the world and all who dwell therein” (Psalm 24:1).
The ‘Mark’ of ‘Babylon’
While the current vaccines are not the mark of the beast empire, the vaccines more than likely are the precursor of the mark to come which may well be through nanotechnology which would see one’s personal ID, information and banking details inserted under the skin that can be scanned electronically. The real ‘poison’ though will be in worshipping the Antichrist and taking the identifying ‘mark’ of his beast system of totalitarian government without which one will not be able to buy or sell within the domain of his empire (Revelation 13:16-17). Those who take this mark will end up in the lake of fire forever and ever which is a very long time. In fact eternity is timeless. There is no end to it! This too will be part of embracing ‘Babylon.’ Knowing this calls for the patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God’s commandments and remain faithful to Jesus (Revelation 14:9-12). It will also take God’s wisdom to recognise this mark of the ‘Babylonian’ beast system of government when it comes (Revelation 13:18). When the time comes God will give us that wisdom if we ask for it and give it liberally when sought by faith (James 1:5-6) (Hebrews 11:6).
“Flee Babylon!”
We are told in the Bible by the Lord “Flee from Babylon! Escape with your lives! Do not be destroyed in her punishment. For this is the time of the LORD’s vengeance; He will pay her what she deserves” (Jeremiah 51:6). And again the apostle John writes, “Come out of her, My people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues” (Revelation 18:4).
While we are to be in the world as believers we are not to be a part of this world’s system and participate in its Babylonian pursuits pleasures and pastimes that turn people away from the truth as it is revealed in the Lord Jesus. A famous preacher once said; “A ship in the water is okay but water in the ship isn’t.” Judgement and wrath is coming upon a Messiah hating, Messiah rejecting world and to avoid this fiery judgment to come we must now, by the strength and power of the holy Spirit, be seeking to flee from Babylon. While we are to be in the world we are not to be of the world. A boat with a tiny hole in the bottom will not make much progress on its journey on the sea and if the hole is not plugged to keep the water out it will seep into it bit by bit and eventually the boat will sink. We are to be “fleeing Babylon” now, because the time is rapidly approaching when it will be too late! The ‘Babylon’ of this world and those who choose to sail in it will ultimately hit the iceberg of the wrath of God and then sink into the murky dark depths of perdition and that without reprieve for those “who go down with the ship.”
Babylon or the New Birth?
If you are reading this and have never been saved and born again by the Spirit of God you need to “flee from Babylon” and come to the Lord Jesus to save you right now from the power and the penalty of sin and from out of this present evil Babylonian age according to the will of God the Father (Galatians 1:4). Through a heartfelt repentance towards God and by turning to and trusting in the Lord Jesus to save you and cleanse you from all sin by His atoning blood, you can escape the lake of fire which initially God prepared for the devil and his angels and not for man (1 John 1:7-9) (Matthew 25:41). The ‘Babylon’ of this world will be burned up or laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must all give an account and only what God has established on earth will remain intact (Romans 14:12) (2 Peter 3:10-14).
We are also told that ‘Babylon’ is judged because “in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints and of all who have been slain on the earth.”
When you look at Babylon in the Bible it has always persecuted God’s people. Today we see Islam persecuting God’s people and the roots of Islam go all the way back to the Babylon of Nimrod. Ultimately the saints will be persecuted globally to a greater or lesser degree and those who refuse to worship the image and take the mark will also be killed (Revelation 13:15-17). Babylon the Great will be judged by the Lord, both the physical city in the desert by the Red Sea, and the wider system of ‘Babylon’ being the whole world, not only because of its affront and rebellion towards the Triune God, but also because of the blood it has shed of prophets, of the saints and of all who have been slain on earth.
Babylon the Great will be destroyed!
The beast system that is killing the saints today is Islam. The globalists within the western democracies seeking to establish a New World Order and the so called “Great Reset” may think they have control but as yet they have to face Islam, the modern ‘Babylonians!’ We also need to ask God to help us to discern what is really going on with the global vaccination push. It would seem there is more to this than people by and large recognise in the midst of all the fear-mongering and alarmism fuelled by the mainstream media and by greedy and power hungry politicians. Babylon will fall! As Isaiah the prophet declares; “Babylon has fallen! It has fallen!” (Isaiah 29b). As the apostle John also affirms; “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the Great, who has made all the nations drink the wine of the passion of her immorality” (Revelation 14:8).
The Joy of the Redeemed!
Be re-assured, be encouraged! The Messiah our Lord Jesus is coming back to destroy all opposition, to rescue his elect saints, to rescue Israel and to save the planet (Matthew 24:21-22). In His coming Messianic Millennial kingdom those whom the Messiah our Lord Jesus has redeemed will know a boundless joy beyond anything they can imagine of think of in this life having also received their new immortal glorified bodies (1 Corinthians 15:51-55). His coming kingdom must be our focus brothers and sisters as this world is surely doomed! The only purpose we have here is to share the gospel of the kingdom with as many as we can, to encourage and strengthen our brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus, to keep ourselves unspotted from the world through living moment by moment by faith, by keeping ourselves sheltered under the atoning and cleansing blood of the Messiah through the power of the blessed Holy Spirit and the Word of God! As New Covenant blood-redeemed believers we have a great future ahead of us to look forward to that will last for a thousand years of peace and prosperity and then after that a new heaven and earth to enjoy for all of eternity!
As Isaiah the prophet declares; “Therefore the redeemed of the LORD shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away!” (Isaiah 51:11). As for Babylon it will be no more!
