Get wisdom - seek for her as for silver
RichardHyland.net
1st Amendment of the U.S. Constitution
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
It just so happened that I came across an old lesson on Babylon, where I named Vatican City, a very popular theory, as is Washington DC, and New York City. I'm so glad that I said my decision wasn't written in stone. It is amazing how our perception can change. Islam was just beginning to appear on Christian's radar, and I didn't yet understand just how big a role Islam plays in the end-times.
We are going to look at Babylon with new perception. The identity of the Harlot must be very important to God, because He has dedicated 2 entire chapters to it. So let's get to it!
There are multiple suspects for Babylon, but if we stay true to our pick for the Beast/ Antichrist, on which she rides, as being Islamic, and our understanding that all 7 heads are on this Islamic Beast, Babylon must be Islamic as well.
Babylon is parabolic. The key to the understanding of Babylon comes from Proverbs and other Scriptures that teach us about the harlot or prostitute and the virtuous woman.
We can't just look at the descriptions of her on the surface and see who fits, like I and others have done, which led us to the Vatican. We must stay within the guidelines of Proverbs and the parable like teachings about prostitutes and harlots.
You see, all through proverbs, the reader is learning:
to tell the difference between the prostitute and the virtuous woman
the influence that both of these women have on a person's life
the life changing results of that influence
At the same time, the reader also learns about the spiritual counterparts of these women. The spiritual counterpart of a prostitute, or harlot, is religious lies and deception, false religion. The spiritual counterpart to a virtuous woman is God's Word, religious truths, Biblical true religion. There are many protestant denominations that adhere to God's truths. Catholicism also adheres to God's truths. That is not to say that some Protestant and Catholic groups don't have it wrong somewhere. Face it, we all have it wrong somewhere.
So at the same time, the reader learns:
to tell the difference between religious lies (prostitute), and God's Word (virtuous woman)
the influence of each on a person's life
the life changing results of following religious lies or God's Word
That is what a parable does, it takes something in the natural, and reveals both natural and spiritual principles.
In Ephesians 5, Paul talks about the marriage relationship and at the end he says:
Eph 5:32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
The human marriage relationship is a teaching parable about the relationship and commitment God has toward us and wants us to have towards Him.
The intimate relationship with a harlot, is similar to that of a harlot religion. Its thrust and purpose is to entices you to herself, a false god. God doesn't use the methods of the harlot, He has put the truth out there, and He wants you to make an informed decision. He knows that there is a chance that you or I might pick something like Islam instead of a faith that leads us to the truths in His Word and ultimately to Him; but He is willing to take that chance in order that the relationship is a willing one, not a forced one; so, He gave us the FREEDOM TO CHOOSE!
Do you understand that God is the originator of "freedom of choice?" The freedoms we have enjoyed in this nation are based on God's Word, and His true relationship with mankind. He wants your obedience to His commandments, but He wants you to obey willingly. It has been said that He will honor your "free will" to the point of allowing you to choose hell. That is true! Isn't it interesting that many of the religions today that do not include Jesus and His Father do not include freedom of choice for the people!
Let's look at Babylon. For the sake of time and space, I will list the reference and pull out the statement where I can.
Let's look at the angel's clues to John about Babylon first.
Rev. 17:1 = the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:
The angel later explains: Rev. 17:15 = "The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues". Her lies and followers are spread around the world.
Rev 17:2 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:
kings of the earth are in bed with her, favoring her desires while being unfaithful to their own people, for power, money and or political gain
inhabitants or common followers are completely intoxicated, to the point of being
a:
• fanatic
• militant
• radical
• rebel
• revolutionary
• zealot
by her religious wine, (teachings, lies, promises)
Rev 17:3 he carried me into a desert, I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, seven heads and ten horns.
This religion has a home base in a desert
Rev 17:4 the woman, clothed in purple, scarlet, gilded with gold, precious stones, pearls,
having a golden cup in her hand filled with abominations and unclean things of her fornication.
The garments of the harlot say that she is extremely wealthy and lavishes herself with luxury. She does not necessarily wear red and purple and gold clothing with beautiful jewelry, which on the surface seems to point to the Cardinals and leaders in the Vatican! The parabolic writing style says that those things mean she lives a life of luxury.
Her cup is being filled with her sins, (Bible says, when it is full, God will strike because God keeps a record)
Rev 17:5 on her forehead a name written, a name of mystery: Babylon the Great, Mother of Harlots and
(mother of) Abominations of the Earth
Her name is not Mystery Babylon, traditional error. Her name, is a mystery, for us to figure out.
Babylon the Great, Mother of Harlots and Abominations
Babylon the empire, the city, Babel the Tower all cover a vast amount of time, peoples, various religions and gods. There is no one religion or teaching or false God that is common to all of these various Babylons. So those former places and gods are not the key to the identity of our current Babylon. Our current Babylon is intimate with Islam!
God named her Babylon the Great; therefore, Babylon means something in particular, to God.
Babylon probably has to do with all the things practiced in these former Babylons. Things that God's Word says are an ABOMINATION to Him.
The abominations birthed by our current Babylon, must be greater than any before her. She has excelled in abominations, and her cup is filling.
Being a mother, she births more harlots to spread her abominations (lies and sins). She has birthed an army of these religious prostitutes in many countries, and they spread and multiply her acts of abominations, everywhere they go.
Rev 17:6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: This is self explanatory but I want you to notice that this could only apply to a false religion after Jesus came and left. There were no martyrs of Jesus before He came. That leaves out any false religion before that point, including false gods of all previous Babylons.
This next description of the harlot is poorly done in King James, and it is important because it describes her relationship with the kings of the earth.
King James says: Rev 17:18 = And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.
great city in Greek is: megas (large, but also has importance), polis (a town, city).
reigneth is two Greek words, 1st: echō (a direct or remote possession, ability, relation or condition)
2nd word: basileia (royalty).
I believe the best translation of this verse would be closer to something like this:
Rev. 17:18 = The woman you saw is the important city which has a possessive, dominant relationship as royalty over the kings of the earth."
The King James and other older translations imply that this city actually rules over the kings of the earth. I don't see that in these words, nor in many of the older traditional commentaries.
They say there is some sort of influence or dominion that is implied.
Another very important point is that she must have some important sway over the Islamic kings on which she rides.
The Islamic kings would be under her spell, first and foremost. Then the kings of the West, as long as they have something to gain.
Just for example:
Why does Russia stick up for Iran and Syria against the US and rest of the West? Because she is making billions, maybe even trillions making nuclear reactors, and selling arms and equipment. From Syria, she obtained a warm water, Mediterranean Sea Coast Port. Something she has wanted a very loooong time. Russia is growing by leaps and bounds to being much more than she was before her collapse, in her military, arms capabilities, sea capabilities, and finances just for starters. This is just a small sampling, but it shows how a king, Putin, can be in bed with Islam, for his own gain. In return, he gives them a pass when voting in the UN.
Why are we in bed with the Muslim Brotherhood? I can tell you in three words, Saudi Arabian oil! That is the first and foremost reason, but there are others. Their advisors have convinced this administration that cozying up to and defending the honor of Islam, along with and doing whatever else they suggest will greatly help in keeping the US and our men abroad safer from attack than they would be otherwise. So, just like Putin, we are in bed with Islam, for our own reasons and gain. We are even running arms, and have been long before Libya! Right now though, the US is getting the "you know what end of this stick", to say the least.
This current administration also believes that Islamic peoples are disadvantaged BECAUSE OF AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY. That is another reason why we are doing some of the foolish and dangerous things we are doing.
There are many countries in South America, Europe, Far East, and all around the world that are in bed with Islam, in one way or another, for the gains they think they will receive. By being in bed with Islam, the kings of the Earth are in bed with Islam's Harlot and Mother, Babylon the Great!
Unfortunately, the US and some of Europe is truly fornicating with Islam, but Russia and China handle Islam a little differently. It is not likely, that these two nations will be part of Antichrist's followers. He has a variety of nations that oppose him. This is how China and Russia handle Islam in their countries:
How Russia and China Deal With Islam | FrontPage Magazine
March 23, 2013
While China and Russia do their share of pandering to Islam, they also tend to be inflexible in mandating the supremacy of the state over Islam....
The message is quite clear. Muslims in China must make their allegiance to the state clear. The administration has lately issued a circulation decreeing that Chinese flags be hung at mosques and that the flags be protected by the mosque imams tied to the Communist Party... The Chinese administration passed a decision in recent days prohibiting youths under 18 years old, women, and Muslim Uyghurs who are Communist Party members and civil servants from going to mosques. And China is cracking down on any mixture of mosque and state by keeping government officials and party members out of mosques.
Putin has saidthat Islam is an inseparable part of Russia tipping a nod to his Eurasian ambitions, but he has come out in opposition to Hijabs in schools suggesting that Russia should follow France’s lead and resist Islamization of public spaces. But that’s largely PR. Like China, Russia keeps a tight grip on its Muslim leaders, as it does on the leaders of all religions, who ultimately answer to the authorities. Official Muslim leaders in Russia can call for terrorism in the West, but never inside Russia. And what they can and can’t say is closely monitored and controlled by the authorities. And while Putin has made all the appropriate statements about Islam’s contribution to Russia, Russia is still Russia, and Putin is still a KGB thug.
It was interesting article.
Here in America, we have rolled out the red carpet to the White House, Pentagon, Dept. of Defense, Homeland Security, Immigration, and State Dept. You name the government agency and Islam is there and pandered to. Now, they are trying to get the American public to pander Islam by curbing all free speech about Islam. Just how far will it go? The things the government is now proposing is fornication against the Constitution, our rights and the best interests of the American people, including our security.
So, I think you have an idea, what the Bible means when it says, the kings of the Earth are fornicating with Babylon the Great, even though we still have not named her home base, her city in the desert!
Next time, we move to Revelations 18, where we see she is judged by God and He uses the 10 kings of the Beast to do it. There are more clues about her that we will look at. We will also name Babylon's city in the desert, the home base and mother of Islam.
Rhonda