The Burning of Babylon

The old Babylon, in present day Iraq, was destroyed by fire at various times throughout the ages.

JER 51:25 “Behold, I am against you, O destroying mountain, says the LORD, who destroy all the earth: and I will stretch out my hand upon you, and roll you down from the rocks, and will make you a burnt mountain.”

This “destroying mountain” destroys all the earth! The perverse spirits of this old Babylon have expanded their domain to worldwide in our day and age. (See “On Many Waters”.)

A prophecy from the Book of Revelation in the New Testament repeats the same fate for a different “Babylon”.

REV 18:8 Therefore her plagues will come in one day—death and mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her. (6th vision)

Therefore, the Old Testament Scripture is a double-prophecy which ultimately deals with the end-times. Many OT prophecies have double (or maybe more) meanings: for that period in ancient times that made the prediction valid; AND AN END-TIME MEANING.

ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION

For example, Yeshua the Messiah prophesied that there would be an “abomination of desolation” in the temple. He was more or less re-echoing a prophecy by Daniel the prophet about 540–530 BCE.

Daniel’s prophecy came true: Antiochus IV Epiphanes desecrated the temple by setting up an altar to Zeus (167 BC) in Jerusalem.

Yeshua’s prophecy came true (for that time period to prove that it had validity): Roman General Titus besieged Jerusalem in 70AD and set up idols of Caesar in the temple. The city and temple were left in ruins.

Yeshua’s prophecy will come true in the future because some of the things mentioned in the whole prophecy have not happened yet. For example:

MATT 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

Now, the gospel has been made known to many in the world. We are getting to this point! The end-times are upon us!

Additionally, the Apostle Paul wrote of a future desecration about the “man of lawlessness”. He takes a “seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.” This would be the Antichrist! 2THES 2:3-4

ONE DAY = ONE LITERAL YEAR

REV 18:8 Therefore her plagues will come in one day—death and mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her. (6th vision)

How can this be in “one day”? One will not starve in a day! But this prophecy reads “one day”! Surprise! The “one day” equals one literal year. It’s logical that there could be famine for a year! So, in the Book of Revelation, it seems to use the Day for a Year Concept:

EZE 4:4-5 (CEV) After that, lie down on your left side and stay there for 390 days as a sign of Israel’s punishment —one day for each year of its suffering.

This is the concept of “a day for a year”:
1 day = one literal year or 360 days.
1 hour = 15 literal days (360 divided by 24)
about half an hour = about 7 days

ONE HOUR = 15 LITERAL DAYS

A teaching from a Messianic rabbi helps to understand. An “hour” is 15 literal days. This is the time between the Feast of Trumpets, when the church will be resurrected, and the Feast of Tabernacles! This is during Christ’s Second Coming when He will fulfill the fall feasts. While Babylon and its abominations are burning, we will be with the LORD!

Now, in this passage, it’s “one hour”. The burning of Babylon is “one hour” or 15 literal days!

REV 18:17 For in one hour such great riches came to nothing.’ Every shipmaster, all who travel by ship, sailors, and as many as trade on the sea, stood at a distance 18 and cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, ‘What is like this great city?’ 19 “They threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and wailing, and saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city, in which all who had ships on the sea became rich by her wealth! For in one hour she is made desolate.’

So the city of Babylon will experience “death and mourning and famine” for a literal year, but the burning of Babylon will be for 15 literal days.

End-time Babylon

Which city represents this new “Babylon”? Why do I believe this city of Babylon is Rome? It has seven hills. It has a port. It fits the criteria of Scripture. And the Vatican is in Rome.

SYMBOLIC REFERENCE

St. Peter had been living in Rome and most likely was crucified upside-down there.

1PET 5:13 She who is in Babylon, elect together with you, greets you; and so does Mark my son.

From Study Bible: “By the time of the New Testament, Babylon had declined, and some scholars suggest that “Babylon” here is a symbolic reference to Rome, a common practice in early Christian writings to avoid persecution. The use of “Babylon” as a metaphor for Rome is seen in Revelation 17-18, where it represents a center of worldly power and opposition to God.”

SEVEN HILLS

The great harlot sits on seven mountains. Rome has seven mountains.

REV 17:9 “Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits.

Other cities have seven hills including Jerusalem. But Jerusalem has no seaport!

PORT OF ROME

REV 18:17 For in one hour such great riches came to nothing.’ Every shipmaster, all who travel by ship, sailors, and as many as trade on the sea, stood at a distance 18 and cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, ‘What is like this great city?’

Port of Rome, also known as Port of Civitavecchia, is the seaport for goods and passengers to Rome and lies northwest of the city. The burning of Rome could be seen from here.

Some people think that Jerusalem is “Babylon”. However, there is no port in Jerusalem! There is also no port in old Babylon, Iraq.

BODIES & SOULS OF MEN

In ancient Rome, the slave trade seemed “perfectly acceptable” so much so that they had “centralized marketplaces where legitimate and illegitimate traffickers could openly gather.”

Ancient Rome had traffickers and so does modern Rome.

“In 2010 Italy was a destination and transit country for women, children, and men trafficked transnationally for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor. Women and children were trafficked mainly from Nigeria, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova, Albania, and Ukraine but also from Russia, South America, North and East Africa, the Middle East, China, and Uzbekistan. Chinese men and women were trafficked to Italy for the purpose of forced labor. Roma children continued to be trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation and forced begging. Reportedly, an increasing number of victims were trafficked for labor, mostly in the agricultural sector.”

The Port of Rome is the major port into Italy. Unfortunately, many port towns across the globe engage in human trafficking.

But what about the souls?

The second “beast” in Revelation 13 is also the false prophet (REV 16:13). He performs signs and leads people to worship the first beast, the Antichrist. This would be a religious leader. It could be a pope, for who else has power and influence over many nations and peoples?

REV 13:11 Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon.

Pulpit Commentary: “That is, while simulating an appearance of Christ, his words betrayed his devilish nature. The aim of this beast throughout is to assume a plausible exterior, that men may be beguiled by him.”

This second “beast” presents itself as a model of Christ but his words expose him as an enemy of God and His children.

REV 13:15 He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. 16 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, 17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

PROFANE IMAGES

An old obelisk from Egypt sits in St. Peter’s Square. An obelisk is a phallic symbol. The original Egyptian hieroglyphics include dedications to the sun god Ra. To “Christianize” the monument, and make it more acceptable to the Catholic masses, in 1586, Pope Sixtus V added a cross to the top and an inscription in Latin concerning the cross. But is this enough with all the inscriptions to Ra? What is this doing in the Vatican? This is an example of the RCC being syncretic, combining paganism with “Christianity”!

The Vatican is also idolatrous having carved images of false gods. The Vatican museums have statues of Artemis of Ephesus, the many-breasted goddess; the River Nile god; the Egyptian god Anubis; and others. What are they doing in the Vatican? Do you think the Heavenly Father is fine with this?

ISA 21:9b “Babylon is fallen, is fallen!
And all the carved images of her gods
He has broken to the ground.”

CONCLUSION

Pagan practices have invaded the RCC and the hierarchy allows it, and even encourages it! That’s why many commentaries on the Scriptures consider the RCC to be the great harlot. And the great harlot sits upon seven mountains which could be Rome.

FYI: REVELATION SCRIPTURES on the Fall of Babylon

See here for “visions”

REV 14:8 And another angel followed, saying, “Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” (4th vision)

REV 16:19b And great Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath. (5th vision)

REV 17:16-17 And the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire. 17 For God has put it into their hearts to fulfill His purpose, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled. (5th vision)

REV 18:1 After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory. 2 And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird! 3 For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury.” (6th vision)

REV 18:8 (NKJV) Therefore her plagues will come in one day—death and mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her. (6th vision)

REV 19:19 And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him [Yeshua] who sat on the horse and against His army. 20 Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. (7th vision)

Part of a series:

The LORD’s Warning: “Come Out!”

The GREAT HARLOT is an apostate religion.

#1 – “On Many Waters” – worldwide influence

#2 – Mother of Harlots – some denominations

The Great Harlot & Kings

#3 – the kings of the earth committed fornication

#4 – nations made drunk

Ba’al Worship: Then & Now

#5 – REV 2:14 eating “things sacrificed to idols”.

Purple, Scarlet & a Cup of Gold

#6 – Purple & Scarlet