Apocalypse Prophecy LVI: That Old Whore Babylon

Once A Whore, Always A Whore

In Chapter's 17 & 18 we see allusion to the rise and vivid description of the fall of Babylon. There are peculiar parallels throughout history that show when the "spirit of Babylon" rears her ugly head, God smack it back down. When the forces of Babylon unite to act in a united front against God in apostasy, God destroys it. So it was then, so it will be again.

In Genesis 11:1-9, Babylon (as Babel) historically symbolized by the tower reaching to heaven, proposed to maintain the union of the world through a common worship and a common tongue. God defeated this purpose by confusing the language and scattering the people.

Babylon, ecclesiastically (church-like) symbolized by the woman in Revelation 17, proposes a common worship and a common religion through uniting in a world church. This is destroyed by the beast in Revelation 17:16 who thus fulfills the will of God (Rev. 17:17). Babylon, politically symbolized by the great city of Revelation 18, attempts to achieve its domination of the world by a world common market and a world government. These are destroyed by Christ at His second coming (Rev. 19:11-21). The triumph of God is therefore witnessed historically in the scattering of the people and the unfinished tower of Genesis 11 and prophetically in the destruction of the world church by the killing of the harlot of Revelation 17 and in the destruction of the city of Revelation 18. With the graphic description of the fall of Babylon contained in chapters 17 and 18, the way is cleared for the presentation of the major theme of the book of Revelation, the second coming of Christ and the establishment of His glorious kingdom (Walvoord 267)

As mentioned in Genesis 11 there was unity of the world through a common worship and a common tongue. Based in this premise I would have to say that the prominence of Nebuchadnezzar who/which was the first world empire and was followed by a decline from which it would never official recover from after the Neo-Babylonian era is also influential to the thinking of the "Babylon concept".

There are mention of cult-like practices like the Babylonian Mysteries which gave birth to the ubiquitous Mystery Religions that were all over the Middle Eastern area that involved idol worship that inevitably led to Baal Worship. These satanic Mystery Religions of Babylon gave birth to countless others all of which offered a counterfeit religion and counterfeit God in opposition to the true God. They always have been in existence as an affront to God and according to Revelation, they will also be around in the end to flip-off God then too.

Through history we see the ubiquitous nature of these Babylonian mystery religions, practices and miscellany eventually even find their way into the Romanism or Romanization of Christianity and the inclusion or attempts to include features of this cult into the Christian faith—which continues until today. It can be seen in modern Roman Catholicism and modern "academic" liberalism. We see hints of this in the RC concepts of "the Queen of Heaven". Although this concept is oft denied it is clear that the RC has practically made Mary the equivalent of Jesus if not supplanted Him in some respects. To me this is abominable. It appears in the last death gasp of this satanic religion/cult it will resurface again in the last days in the period right before the return of the Lord to the world. This all appears to be the allusion on Revelation 17:5.

There seems to be a “worldwide Babylon” that will need to be dealt with by Christ also. This final destruction will be both in ecclesiastical (church/religious) and political forms. It is shown in John’s vision as representing false religion. Babylon is the name for a great system of religious error. To a lesser extent Babylon also has political, economic and as already mentioned spiritual aspects attached to it. All of these aspects make them unique “Babylon-esque” when they are specifically set-up, established or built upon the premise of usurping God’s rightful position above all of mankind. The overall principle becomes manifest in Chapter 17 in that man with the impetus of Satan makes a blasphemous attempt to institute a world religion completely contrary to divine revelation but also unwittingly fulfill God’s will that the kingdoms of the world will eventually come under the domain of the Beast which will crushed by the coming of Jesus Christ.

To me, it is clear Babylon appears to be the hotbed of Satanic/demonic activity as if it is a portal from Hell and is the abode of the demonic whether it be geographical Babylon or Babylon as a mindset. The power and wealth that comes from Babylon-type organizations like the Roman Catholic Church always seems to have been accumulated or acquired in the absence of God. Due to the nature of Babylon’s overwhelming apostasy, it is demanded that, “double unto her according to her works”. The city of Babylon politically is now destroyed historically, the power and religious character of Babylon are destroyed at the second coming. All will marvel at her fall.