The Destiny of Babylon
The prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah each spend two chapters detailing the catastrophic destruction that awaits this fabled city. The result of this final devastation will leave it uninhabitable; even the building materials will never be reused. This clearly has never happened in its history-its rebuilding was begun by Saddam Hussein, and it apparently is yet destined to reemerge on the world scene to receive the destruction which is so detailed by Isaiah and Jeremiah.
What further complicates this perspective are the details that are added in the Book of Revelation. These passages alone have prompted numerous books, and many fanciful conjectures, regarding the potential allegorical and metaphorical applications from the Patmos vision John recorded. It is illuminating to read-at one sitting-the six principal chapters dealing this topic: Isaiah 13 and 14, Jeremiah 50 and 51 and Revelation 17 and 18. (Some of the specific issues that emerge are summarized in this chart.
Clearly Babylon, as a literal city on banks of the Euphrates, has a climactic destiny yet ahead of it. The destruction described in both the Old and New Testaments has never happened , and if we take the Bible seriously then Babylon is destined to rise again to power to receive the judgment that Isaiah, Jeremiah, and the Apostle John have described.
We also need to recognize that during the successive empires, the "mystery religions" that began in Babylon were subsequently transported to the various world capitals: to Pergamos under the Persians1 and subsequently to Rome, where they became the foundation of all that was (and still is) pagan in that city.
And, of course, when Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire under the second successor after Constantine, Theodosius II (A.D. 378-398), many of these idolatrous trappings were repackaged with "Christian" labels.
Many of these traditions are still very visible in the practices of the Roman Catholic Church, but are also visible, in more subtle forms, in many other denominations as well. Perhaps the most significant study of these practices and their history is Dave Hunt's milestone work, The Woman That Rides the Beast 2, which is a modern response to Alexander Hislop's classic, The Two Babylons , published in 1916.3
Are the prophetic references to "Babylon" to be taken literally-an actual city on the banks of the Euphrates-or metaphorically, to include the Vatican and the final apostate ("ecumenical") world church? There are many good scholars on both sides of this debate. It may well be that both views are true.
A Return to Origins?
The key to this apparent paradox seems to be hinted at in the enigmatic vision given to Zechariah, in which he sees a woman, labeled "wickedness," sealed in an ephah (the standard commercial volumetric measure in those days), with a lead lid enclosing her for transport:
Then lifted I up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came out two women, and the wind was in their wings; for they had wings like the wings of a stork: and they lifted up the ephah between the earth and the heaven. Then said I to the angel that talked with me, Whither do these bear the ephah? And he said unto me, To build it an house in the land of Shinar: and it shall be established, and set there upon her own base.
Zechariah 5:5-11
(Remember, this vision is Jewish: the "wings of a stork" implies something sinister: the stork was an unclean bird.)
This vision seems to portray the woman, labeled "wickedness" (perhaps the same woman portrayed in Revelation 17 as the "Mother of Harlots"), being relocated to where it all began: the plain of Shinar, the original location of Babylon and its sinister occultic religion. It would seem that it is located there to again rise to power and to receive God's final judgment.
Smart Bombs?
Incidentally, Jeremiah includes a detail that would seem to be a technology statement:
For, lo, I will raise and cause to come up against Babylon an assembly of great nations from the north country: and they shall set themselves in array against her; from thence she shall be taken: their arrows shall be as of a mighty expert man; none shall return in vain.
Jeremiah 50:9
The word "arrow" is #xe chets, which can mean a dart, arrow, or javelin; or "any missile fired from an engine of war." In the Septuagint, the Greek boli.j can mean anything thrown: a missile, such as an arrow or javelin. Notice, however, that the adjective clause "as of a mighty expert man" is a descriptor of the arrow, not the shooter of the arrow. The key Hebrew word is lk;f'sakal, which means prudent, wise, circumspect; with insight and comprehension. It is the arrow itself that has the intelligence! This, indeed, is further emphasized in the final clause: "none shall return in vain." They can't miss !
Sounds like "smart weapons": a guided missile or smart bomb. And this was written over two thousand years ago.
Whence Babylon?
The future of its modest rebuilding will be instructive to follow. The Shiites in Iraq are agitating to take over Babylon as their capital-in contradistinction to the Jewish Jerusalem.
My friend Tim LaHaye has indicated that there is even talk of the UN moving to Babylon. At first this may sound fanciful, but it seems that the UN is highly desirous of moving out of New York for several reasons: they feel too cramped to contain badly needed growth; and, they also have a desire to get out from under the domestic policies there. But where to go? There are numerous suggestions that are too politically complex to analyze in this brief review.
It is interesting to recognize that there are also scattered pockets of Assyrian communities throughout the world that have been without a national homeland for 2400 years! Some have expressed elation in the impending changes in Iraq as harbingers of more changes yet to come.
Let's keep in mind that there are a number of passages that indicate that the Antichrist will be-in some sense-an Assyrian.4 It is a good time to set aside our presuppositions and prejudices of the past, and carefully reexamine all the prophetic passages that pertain to the end times. (The only certain barrier to truth is the presumption we already have it .)
Another Signpost: Turkey
Last month, ten nations joined the fifteen that had previously made up the European Union. They are now twenty-five, with a population base 60% larger than the United States and with a combined economy that is-today-20% larger.5 In 2007, Rumania and Bulgaria are also scheduled to join the EU.
There is another country that has been very serious about joining, but whose membership continues to appear problematical: Turkey. For over 80 years, Turkey has changed its laws, its alphabet, its calendar, etc., all in a determined effort to be accepted by "the West." They have joined the UN, the IMF, the OECD, NATO, and were also accepted as an "associate member" in the precedent European Community under the specific stimulation that they would be allowed full membership eventually.
Yet, after more than a decade of deferrals, it appears to many that they really are not welcome. Their entrance into the European Union is a hotly debated topic, especially in the private chambers of power.
It seems likely that this will all come to a head before the end of this year. Either they will be allowed membership or they will have to face the reality that their future is eastward rather than westward-toward the Islamic Middle East rather than with the West.
There are some of us who have assumed that their denial of entrance to the EU, and their subsequent embracement of the Islamic East, would seem to set the stage for the "Magog Invasion" that is detailed in Ezekiel 38 and 39.6 All the other allies described by Ezekiel would seem to be in position, except for Meshech and Tubal, which were prominent cities in Anatolia, the country that makes up the eastern two-thirds of modern Turkey (see map). (Some scholars are concerned over a disturbing hint of a possible intercontinental ballistic missile exchange in Ezekiel 39:6.)
On the other hand, if the European Union does admit Turkey, that might suggest a longer-term view: perhaps subsequent EU acquisitions could ultimately include additional neighbors to the east: Syria or Iraq. The pragmatics of Europe's desperate dependency on Middle Eastern oil would play a strategic role in such considerations. It would also bring them into a consistency with borders of the original Roman Empire, and that should give us all serious pause for scholastic reflection.
Further, a deliberate strategy of either controlling the UN, or eclipsing it, is undoubtedly a dynamic behind many EU political agendas.
A Turbulent Year Ahead
There are several other factors that threaten the global horizon this year. With (a) Al Qaeda's likely agenda-prior to or subsequent to-our own national election this November; and (b) with the emergence of Saudi Arabia's nuclear ballistic missile capabilities,7 and, thus, (c) the likelihood of a preemptive strike by Israel on El-Solayil (which could also include both Mecca and Damascus), many in the strategic community are becoming increasingly apprehensive.
Clearly, it is a crucial time for each of us to dig in and do our Biblical "homework." It is important to review and study these issues, and they, in turn, should have an impact on our personal priorities. It is time to take God seriously, and determine His agenda for each of us, personally and professionally, in the days ahead. Our Grand Adventure continues!
Another Angel (v1)
Verse 1 says, "After these things I saw another angel, who possessed great authority, coming down out of heaven, and the earth was lit up by his radiance"
Chapter 17 was revealed to John by one of the seven angels who had released the seven bowls of judgment. Now he sees another angel who appears to be especially glorious, lighting up the earth with his radiance. This implies that the prostitute's punishment, as revealed in this chapter, is a great revelation of God's glory from the perspective of God's people.
Angelic Proclamation (v2-3)
The angel shouts with a powerful voice. Angels are also seen to shout loudly in Revelation 7:2, 14:7, and 14:15. And 1 Thessalonians 4:16 says, "For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a shout of command, with the voice of the archangel…" Loud shouts imply dramatic events are about to take place.
In verse 2, his proclamation begins, "“Fallen, fallen, is Babylon the great! She has become a lair for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detested beast".
"Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great" is a direct quote from Isaiah 21:9. When Jesus hung upon the cross and was about to die, he cried out "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me" in the words of Psalm 22:1 (Matthew 27:46). As well as uttering a genuine cry of anguish, Jesus was pointing to his death as a fulfilment not just of Psalm 22:1, but of Psalm 22 as a whole. Quote of a single verse points to the prophecy that contains it. So here in Revelation, this quote of Isaiah 21:9 implies that the fall of the Great Prostitute fulfils the prophecy of Isaiah 21 as a whole. Isaiah 21 is the passage which most clearly identifies end-time 'Babylon' with Saudi Arabia, and with 'Kedar' (Mecca). It is introduced in Isaiah 21:1 as an oracle about the 'Desert by the Sea'. This is a reference to the Arabian Peninsula that is surrounded on three sides by the waters of the Persian Gulf, the Indian Ocean, and the Red Sea. Three of the places named in Isaiah 21 are Dumah, Tema, and Kedar. According to the genealogy of 1 Chronicles 1:29-30, Dumah, Tema and Kedar were three of the sons of Ishmael. So the whole chapter is a prophecy about the Ishmaelites of Arabia. And yet it is within this context that the declaration is made, "Babylon is fallen, fallen", an ensuing Arabian refugee crisis is envisaged, and Kedar is destroyed after one calendar year.
The second half of verse 2 alludes to Isaiah 13:20-22 and to Isaiah 34:11, implying that the fall of Mystery Babylon also fulfils these prophecies.
Although Isaiah 13 was partially fulfilled in the fall of ancient Babylon in 539 BC, it is ultimately an end-time prophecy about the fall of Mystery Babylon (Saudi Arabia) in the 'Lord's Day of Judgment' (Isaiah 13:9). Isaiah prophesied that Babylon would be destroyed by God, just as Sodom and Gomorrah were, that no Arab would pitch his tent there again, and that its ruined palaces would be left as dwelling places for the wild animals and birds (Isaiah 13:19-22). This was not the case after Babylon's fall in 539 BC, as it continued to be inhabited for about another 1,000 years.
Isaiah 34 is a prophecy about God's end-time judgment of Edom. Verse 11 says, "Owls and wild animals will live there, all kinds of wild birds will settle in it. The Lord will stretch out over her the measuring line of ruin and the plumb line of destruction". Edom was originally the region around the mountains of Seir, extending from the southern tip of the Dead Sea, down to Aqaba at the northern tip of the Red Sea. It was settled by Esau and his descendants (Genesis 36:8 and Joshua 24:4). According to Ezekiel 25:13, by the sixth century BC, Edom was seen to extend south into Arabia as far as Dedan (modern-day Al-Ula in Saudi Arabia), presumably because the Edomites had by then spread that far south. It is therefore reasonable to understand Edom as synonymous with northern Saudi Arabia and southern Jordan, and that it is part of Mystery Babylon in its broader sense as the nation of Saudi Arabia, not just as a great city in Arabia. So not only are end-time prophecies about Babylon applicable to Saudi Arabia, but also those about Edom. Being the descendants of Esau, the Edomites and the Israelites were relatives. But in 586 BC, when the Babylonians conquered Judah, Obadiah 1:10-14 records that the Edomites joined in the slaughter and behaved as though they were in league with the Babylonians. They entered the city, joined in the looting, and slaughtered those who were trying to escape. Because of this great act of betrayal, the bible contains more prophecies of condemnation and judgment against Edom than against any other nation (Psalm 137:7-9, Isaiah 11:14, 21:11-12, 34:5-17, 63:1-6, Jeremiah 9:25-26, 25:17-26, 49:7-12, Lamentations 4:21-22, Ezekiel 25:12-14, 35:1-15, Joel 3:19, Amos 1:11-12, 9:11-12, Obadiah, Malachi 1:4). One of these is Psalm 137 which provides another important link between Mystery Babylon and Arabia. It refers to Edom as as 'Daughter of Babylon'. See my commentary on Psalm 137 for an explanation as to why this name was appropriate.
Isaiah 34:9-10 tell us Edom's streams will be turned to pitch and the land become blazing pitch. Given that it is talking about a region within Saudi Arabia, this is surely a reference to burning oil fields. The streams are not water but oil which is set alight. In the First Gulf War, Saddam Hussein set alight to Kuwait's oil fields, as shown in the photo below:
In verse 3, the angel says, "For all the nations have fallen from the wine of her immoral passion, and the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have gotten rich from the power of her sensual behaviour".
As I explained in my commentary on Revelation 17, Babylon's 'immoral passion' represents her worship of Allah, the false god of Islam. Worship of a false god is portrayed metaphorically in the bible as sexual immorality, adultery, or prostitution. The 'wine of her immoral passion' represents Saudi Arabia's evangelisation of the world with the message of Islam, funded by her great wealth. She is seen to offer her cup of wine to the nations in order to seduce them (Revelation 17:4). So the 'kings of the earth committing sexual immorality with her' represents her spiritual seduction of world leaders through the export of her wine, the message of Islam. The 'merchants getting rich from her sensual behaviour' represents her economic seduction of the nations through the export of her oil and import of their goods. Both spiritually and economically, the nations get sucked into an immoral relationship with her. Just as men who commit adultery or use prostitutes find ways of justifying their actions, so the nations justify their relationships with Saudi Arabia. For example, since Saudi Arabia intervened in the Yemen War in 2015, she has committed numerous documented war crimes against innocent civilians. Western nations continue their lucrative trade of selling her arms, despite the clear risk that she will use them to commit even more war crimes.
Come out of her my people (v4)
Verses 4 to 5 say, "Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, so you will not take part in her sins and so you will not receive her plagues, because her sins have piled up all the way to heaven and God has remembered her crimes".
This is effectively a quote from Jeremiah 51:6 which says, "Get out of Babylonia quickly, you foreign people. Flee to save your lives. Do not let yourselves be killed because of her sins". As such, it points us to the long prophecy of Jeremiah 50-51 as yet another that is ultimately about Mystery Babylon, even though it was originally about Ancient Babylon.
Here in verse 4, this is apparently the voice of God speaking, since he addresses Christians as 'my' people. With the previous angel having alluded to Isaiah 13, in which 'Babylon' is destroyed by God like Sodom and Gomorrah (Isaiah 13:19), God now calls for his people to come out of her. This is like the angels calling Lot and his family to hurry and get out of Sodom before God's judgment fell (Genesis 19:15). An estimated 37% of Saudi Arabia's population are foreign expatriate workers. A significant proportion of these are Christians, and God warns them to get out so they do not take part in her sins or receive her plagues.
But when is the fall of Saudi Arabia likely to happen, and when should her Christian expatriate workers heed this warning and leave? Many of those Christian expatriates feel called by God to be there as a witness for Christ, and are not simply there to earn high salaries. So it would not be helpful to say, 'Why don't they just leave now?' There comes a time when abandoning a sinking ship is the right thing to do. But until that point, it is not wrong to remain onboard and try to help every last passenger and crew into a lifeboat.
Her final destruction seems to occur at the seventh bowl judgment (Revelation 16:19), and it is reasonable to equate this with the destruction of Kedar in Isaiah 21:16. The bowl judgments are released in the 30 day period after Jesus returns at the end of the three-and-a-half year Great Tribulation (see my commentary on Daniel 12:11-12), and it is reasonable to equate the seven bowls with 'her plagues'. Isaiah 21:16 indicates that her initial fall occurs one year before the destruction of Kedar, resulting in a year-long Saudi-Arabian refugee crisis. So her initial fall comes about two and a half years into the Great Tribulation.
By the time of her judgment, Saudi Arabia is seen to be 'drunk with the blood of the saints' (Revelation 17:6). Does this imply that when the Great Tribulation begins she will launch a new persecution of Jews and Christians, like Hitler did against the Jews when he came to power? Or is she already drunk with the blood of the saints because for decades she has been exporting her murderous ideology of Wahhabist Islam, driving fundamentalist Muslims around the world into a drunken frenzy of violent jihad against non-Muslims? I suspect the latter is the more correct answer, and that their drunken frenzy will become ever more extreme as we enter the Great Tribulation. But if the former is correct, then Christians would be well advised to get out of Saudi Arabia and the Muslim world before the Great Tribulation begins, and perhaps as soon as Antichrist confirms his international peace treaty (Daniel 9:27). People will be saying "There is peace and security" at that point (1 Thessalonians 5:3), much like Neville Chamberlain declared 'Peace in our time' in 1938. But Hitler began persecuting the Jews in Nazi Germany from the moment he came to power, so there certainly wasn't 'peace in our time' for Germany's Jews, either in 1938 or several years before that. Likewise there may not be 'peace and security' for the Christians in Saudi Arabia during the three and a half years before the Great Tribulation. Unless God clearly guides them otherwise, and they are happy to die for their faith, my advice to Christians would be to leave Saudi Arabia as soon as the international treaty is signed. Even then, it may not be easy for many of them to leave, especially those from non-Western countries.
Saudi Arabia is divided into 13 provinces, with the Province of Mecca in the south-west being the most highly populated region. According to Isaiah 21:13-15, it seems that during the Saudi refugee crisis, the population will flee in a northerly direction towards Tema in Edom. According to Ezekiel 25:13, from Dedan northwards was considered part of Edom. By fleeing in the direction of Edom, it seems that they flee 'out of the frying pan into the fire'. For when Jesus comes back, it is Edom in the north-west of Saudi Arabia (and possibly southern Jordan) that he afflicts most with plagues (Isaiah 34 and 63:1-6, Habakkuk 3). Habakkuk 3:7 identifies them especially with the land of Midian. This was the region on the east of the Gulf of Aqaba in the far north-western corner of modern-day Saudi Arabia. It is a part of Edom, in accordance with the definition of Edom in Ezekiel 25:13.
The following slides show a likely sequence of events related to the fall of Mystery Babylon:
Verse 5 says, "because her sins have piled up all the way to heaven and God has remembered her crimes". This is given as justification for her plagues. Revelation 17 already gave a vivid description of her sins, and why she is deserving of God's condemnation. Not only is she guilty of gross idolatry, she is also seen to be drunk with the blood of the saints whom she has murdered. Even today, Saudi Arabia is one of the world's worst nations for persecuting Christians. Although she shows a degree of tolerance towards expatriate Christians, leaving Islam and becoming a Christian is punishable by death, in accordance with Islamic law. God tells us that he has remembered her crimes.
Pay her back double (v6)
Verse 6 says, "Repay her the same way she repaid others; pay her back double corresponding to her deeds. In the cup she mixed, mix double the amount for her". In the Law of Moses, a thief who was caught had to pay back double what he had stolen (Exodus 22:4-7). Describing the beginning of the Great Tribulation, the Apostle Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5:2, "For you know quite well that the day of the Lord will come in the same way as a thief in the night". Many people will suffer great loss in the Great Tribulation, including many who will lose their lives. Mystery Babylon (Saudi Arabia) and the beast (the Antichrist and his empire) will be held responsible for much of that loss. As such, when Jesus comes back at the end of the Great Tribulation, Mystery Babylon and the Antichrist will be made to pay double for their crimes. And just as she becomes drunk on the blood of the saints through the export of her wine (the message of Islam), so she will be made to drink double from the wine of God's anger. In Jeremiah 25:23-24, the peoples of modern-day Saudi Arabia are listed among the many nations who will have to drink the wine of God's anger. And last of all the king of Sheshach (the Antichrist) will drink it (Jeremiah 25:26).
Exaltation and Humiliation (v7)
Verse 7 says, "As much as she exalted herself and lived in sensual luxury, to this extent give her torment and grief because she said to herself, ‘I rule as queen and am no widow; I will never experience grief!’ For anyone with any knowledge of Saudi Arabia, it should be obvious and appropriate to describe her as 'exalting herself and living in sensual luxury'. So I won't bother to list examples of her ridiculous excesses and luxuries. The discovery of oil in Saudi Arabia and neighbouring Gulf States like Qatar, Kuwait, and the UAE, has brought about a meteoric 'rags-to-riches' rise that is unprecedented and extreme. Her end-time fall will bring about a reversal that is every bit as extreme, leaving her tormented, grieving, and pitiful. The statement, ‘I rule as queen and am no widow; I will never experience grief!’ is a quote from Isaiah 47:7-8. As such it implies that the whole of Isaiah 47 is a description of her end-time fall. In that chapter she is pictured being thrown down from her throne into the dirt, and instead of being called 'delicate and pampered', she has to pick up millstones and grind flour like a poor woman. Her prostitute's veil is removed, her skirt is stripped off, her legs exposed, and her genitals are put on display! In other words, she is utterly humiliated!
Saudi Arabia's extreme exaltation, leading to her extreme humiliation, parallels Antichrist's attempted self-exaltation but eventual humiliation in Isaiah 14:13-15. This is set within a passage that presents Antichrist as a kind of Satan-incarnate. In verse 13 he boasts, "I will climb up to the sky. Above the stars of El I will set up my throne. I will rule on the mountain of assembly on the remote slopes of Zaphon". Mount Zaphon in this context was the Canaanite equivalent of Mount Olympus to the Greeks, and metaphorically-speaking was like the seat of the gods. Antichrist's boast that he will set up his throne above the stars of El means he will usurp the place of God. Isaiah 14:15 says, "But you were brought down to Sheol, to the remote slopes of the Pit". In other words, Satan-incarnate as the Antichrist seeks to overthrow God and exalt himself to the heights of heaven, but ends up in the depths of hell.
Plagues in a single day (v8)
Verse 8 says, "For this reason, she will experience her plagues in a single day: disease, mourning, and famine, and she will be burned down with fire, because the Lord God who judges her is powerful!” In the old days of siege warfare, famine and disease were used as deliberate tactics of war to achieve a surrender. In the Yemen War since 2015, Saudi Arabia has employed a strategy of siege warfare to strangle the Houthi rebels into surrender. She has blockaded Yemen's coastline with her navy and the skies with her aircraft. She has bombed the Port of Hodeidah in order to cut off supplies, including food and medicine. Not surprisingly, Yemen has experienced the biggest recorded outbreak of cholera, and is predicted to experience the worst famine in a hundred years. Already it has been estimated that 85,000 children have died of starvation. Military bombardment, disease and famine, have all been part of its strategy of war. God promises to combine all of these elements into his punishment of Saudi Arabia, all in a single day! As already stated, it is apparent from Isaiah 21:16 that the final destruction of Kedar follows a one-year Saudi Arabian refugee crisis that follows the announcement in Isaiah 21:9, "Babylon has fallen, fallen!" Which occasion does this 'single day' point to. The verses that follow imply that it is the destruction of the city, not of the nation's government, and is best equated with the destruction of Kedar. The fall of the government (Babylon) occurs a year earlier, before Jesus comes back. The destruction of Kedar occurs during the time of the seven bowl judgments, after Jesus has returned at the seventh trumpet. Jesus conducts his Edom campaign (Isaiah 63:1-6, Habakkuk 3) in the north of Saudi Arabia during that same period of time.
Reaction of the Kings of the Earth (v9-10)
Verses 9 to 10 say, "Then the kings of the earth who committed immoral acts with her and lived in sensual luxury with her will weep and wail for her when they see the smoke from the fire that burns her up. They will stand a long way off because they are afraid of her torment, and will say, “Woe, woe, O great city, Babylon the powerful city! For in a single hour your doom has come!”
World leaders who have been involved in immoral acts with her are seen to weep and wail when they see the smoke that burns her up. In a spiritual sense, these immoral acts imply that at least some of them worship Allah, the false god of Islam. In a political sense, these immoral acts imply their political alliances with her for the sake of economic advantage and political security, but overlooking her corruption, oppression, and human rights abuses.
What is the source of the fire that burns her up? Isaiah 13:19 says, "Babylon, the most admired of kingdoms, the Chaldeans’ source of honour and pride, will be destroyed by God just as Sodom and Gomorrah were". Does that mean God will use the same method of destruction that he used against Sodom and Gomorrah when he rained down sulphur and fire (Genesis 19:24)? Or does he use a human agent to destroy the city with a nuclear missile? Whichever is the case, it is still a judgment of God who can use either natural disasters or human agents to deliver his judgments. The picture of them standing a long way off, watching her burn and pronouncing woe over her, reminds us of Genesis 19:28. It says of Abraham, "He looked out toward Sodom and Gomorrah and all the land of that region. As he did so, he saw the smoke rising up from the land like smoke from a furnace".
Reaction of the Merchants (v11-17)
This is the longest and most detailed reaction. It depicts the reaction of the world's business people and the world's stock markets. They weep over her, asking who will buy all their luxury products that she always imported. Verses 12 to 13 give a long and detailed list of all her imports. Most of these are luxury items. Something like 'objects made of ivory' shouldn't be taken too literally. This is a listing of all the kind of luxury products the excessively rich of the 1st century AD might have wanted. Interpreting things in modern language, horses and four-wheeled carriages speaks of luxury cars. Wheat, cattle and sheep imply her import, not just of luxury items, but also of more basic food items. They confirm Mystery Babylon as a nation that is reliant upon the world's exports and produces very little of her own, other than oil and Islam. 'Slaves and human lives' reflects Saudi Arabia's import and exploitation of cheap foreign labour, and her extensive association with people traffickers. It may have been abolished long ago in most of the world, but slavery certainly exists today in Saudi Arabia.
Verse 14 emphasises that her fall is permanent. The luxuries she desired have gone forever, and will never ever be found in her again.
In verse 15, the merchants stand a long way off because they are afraid of her torment. This probably describes the reaction of business people around the world who fear that the same kind of disaster might befall other important economic centres, such as New York, London, Tokyo and so on. Or do they stand a long way off in a more literal geographic sense, afraid of the spread of nuclear fallout?
The language of verses 16 to 17 reaffirms her royal status and excessive royal luxuries, and laments the destruction of such great wealth in a single hour. Saudi Arabia is known for its huge royal family, with roughly 15,000 princes and princesses, owing to the polygamy of its rulers. Its founder, Ibn Saud, had about 100 children, and one of his sons, Saud, has 115 children. Isaiah 34:12 says, "Her nobles will have nothing left to call a kingdom, all her princes will disappear".
Reaction of the Seamen (v17-19)
Verses 17b to 19 say, "And every ship’s captain, and all who sail along the coast – seamen, and all who make their living from the sea, stood a long way off and began to shout when they saw the smoke from the fire that burned her up, “Who is like the great city?” And they threw dust on their heads and were shouting with weeping and mourning, “Woe, Woe, O great city – in which all those who had ships on the sea got rich from her wealth – because in a single hour she has been destroyed!”
These verses are very important because they identify this great city as being located by the sea, or sufficiently close that the smoke of her burning is visible from the sea. If we identify the destruction of this great city with that of 'Kedar' in Isaiah 21:16, it is reasonable to associate it with Mecca, the birthplace of the Prophet Mohammed who is believed by most Muslims to be a descendant of Ishmael's second son, Kedar. Mecca is not exactly by the sea, but is located 70 km inland from the City of Jeddah, which is an important business city located by the Red Sea. About 100 km north of Jeddah, and also located by the sea, lies the new King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC). KAEC was conceived in 2005, with completion estimated in 2020. It is likely to become a great economic powerhouse during the next decade, rivalling Dubai which lies on the east side of the Arabian Peninsula. In just a few years after the discovery of oil in the UAE, Dubai was transformed from a quaint Arab fishing village into a great business centre that is used as a hub by much of the world's shipping. It is likely that KAEC will rapidly become the next Dubai. As such, you have a triangle of Mecca, Jeddah and KAEC, all located within Mecca Province, the mostly highly populated of Saudi Arabia's thirteen provinces. Connected by high-speed rail links, it is reasonable to see these three cities as effectively forming one megacity that relates to the religious, business and shipping communities as characterised by Babylon the Great in Revelation 17-18. The following video gives an introduction to King Abdullah Economic City:
Verse 20 says, "Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, for God has pronounced judgment against her on your behalf!"
The speaker here is not identified. It may be an angel, or possibly the voice of God himself as in verse 4 when he addressed Christians as 'my people'. This reaction contrasts dramatically with that of the kings, merchants and seamen. Instead of expressing woes, believers in heaven are called upon to rejoice. The city's destruction is God's judgment on their behalf. In other words, it is payback for her murderous campaign against God's people, in which she became drunk on their blood (Revelation 17:6).
Angel's dramatic pronouncement (v21-24)
Verse 21 says, "Then one powerful angel picked up a stone like a huge millstone, threw it into the sea, and said, “With this kind of sudden violent force Babylon the great city will be thrown down and it will never be found again!"
This alludes to Jeremiah 51:61-64. Jeremiah pronounced a long and detailed prophecy about the fall of Ancient Babylon, as recorded in Jeremiah 50-51. He then gave it to Seraiah, whom he sent to Babylon and charged as follows: "When you arrive in Babylon, make sure you read aloud all these prophecies. Then say, ‘O Lord, you have announced that you will destroy this place so that no people or animals live in it any longer. Certainly it will lie desolate forever!’ When you finish reading this scroll aloud, tie a stone to it and throw it into the middle of the Euphrates River. Then say, ‘In the same way Babylon will sink and never rise again because of the disaster I am ready to bring upon her; they will grow faint.’" What this implies is that although the prophecy was primarily about the fall of Ancient Babylon, it is ultimately about the fall of Mystery Babylon. Whereas Seraiah was simply told to tie a stone to the scroll and throw it into the River Euphrates, now the angel picks up a huge millstone and throws it into the sea. So the prophecy is re-interpreted in relation to end-time Babylon the Great which is located not by the River Euphrates, but by the sea. The magnitude of her fall compared to that of Ancient Babylon is dramatically demonstrated in the difference between the huge millstone that the angel uses, and the simple stone that Seraiah used.
After Ancient Babylon fell to the Persians in 539 BC, it continued to be inhabited for another 1,000 years. When Mystery Babylon falls, it will become an uninhabited ruin, left as a dwelling place for wild animals and birds (Revelation 18:2). In verses 22 to 23, the angel emphasises this fact. The sound of musicians will never be heard in her again (v22a). No craftsman or trade will be found in her (v22b). No light from a lamp will ever shine in her again (v23a). Neither will the voices of bridegroom and bride (i.e. the sounds of happy rejoicing) be heard in her again (v23b).
The Final Verdict (v23-24)
Verse 23 says, "…For your merchants were the tycoons of the world, because all the nations were deceived by your magic spells!" This again emphasises her dual-role as a great centre for business, and also for religion. The Greek word 'pharmakeia' translated 'magic spells' in the NET bible implies a type of sorcery. As such it is a description relating to her religion. The earth's inhabitants are seen to have become intoxicated with the wine of her immorality (Revelation 17:2). The message of Islam intoxicates them and bewitches them under Satan's power like a magic spell.
Verse 24 says, "The blood of the saints and prophets was found in her, along with the blood of all those who had been killed on the earth". This is a portrayal of a wicked sorceress, sacrificing God's people and mixing their blood to create a magic potion.
This is like a courtroom scene in which the judge sums up what a vile creature she is, and why she is deserving of the heavy sentence he pronounces upon her. The phrase 'along with the blood of all those who had been killed on the earth' portrays her as ultimately an earthly manifestation of Satan himself, who will ultimately be held responsible for the blood of all those killed on the earth. In his summing up, God completely demonises her. This demonisation is also seen in the sense that in Revelation 17 she rides the beast. Like the dragon (Satan) in chapter 12, the beast has seven heads and ten horns. The beast is Satan's kingdom on earth, and Saudi Arabia as the Great Prostitute rides upon it. She is therefore Satan's accomplice, and is judged accordingly for Satan's crimes.
In stating that God and the bible effectively demonise Saudi Arabia and Islam, it is important to point out that God loves individual Muslims. It is ultimately Allah himself and the religion of Islam that God demonises. He doesn't demonise ordinary individual Muslims who succumb to the Islamic deception. According to Revelation 14:6-8, an angel proclaims the Gospel to every nation, tribe, language, and people immediately before the fall of Mystery Babylon. This demonstrates God's mercy before judgment, and I believe that many Muslims will repent and turn to Jesus at that point. When God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son (John 3:16), Jesus died for Muslim people as much as for anyone else. He longs for them to repent and believe in Jesus as the Son of God, their true God and Saviour.
On Open Doors' Watchlist of the top 50 nations where Christians face the most extreme persecution, Saudi Arabia is currently ranked 15 out of 50 in 2019. After North Korea which is the worst of all, the next 15 worst nations are all Muslim nations, except for India where persecution is partly by Muslims and partly by Hindus. Out of the top 50 nations, 35 are Muslim-majority nations.
Saudi Arabia is not currently the worst persecuting nation. But here in Revelation, perhaps because she is the original source of Islam, and because she has so effectively used her oil wealth to export her wine, the message of Islam, she is viewed as being accountable for all who are persecuted and killed in the name of Islam.
To further understand the fall of Mystery Babylon, it is important to follow the pointers that Revelation 17-18 gives us to the prophecies of Isaiah 13, 21, 34, 47, Jeremiah 49, 50-51. All of these are ultimately prophecies about the fall of Mystery Babylon.
Symbols: Prostitute, Purple, Scarlet, Court, Sorceress, Witch
Tags: Islam, Fall of Islam, Cup of intoxicating wine of judgment, Fall of Babylon, Antichrist as Satan-incarnate, Plagues, Babylon will be destroyed like Sodom and Gomorrah, Sorcery, Persecution of Christians, Martyrdom, Mystery Babylon
18 After these things I saw another angel, who possessed great authority, coming down out of heaven, and the earth was lit up by his radiance.
2 He shouted with a powerful voice:
“Fallen, fallen, is Babylon the great!
She has become a lair for demons,
a haunt for every unclean spirit,
a haunt for every unclean bird,
a haunt for every unclean and detested beast.
3 For all the nations have fallen from
the wine of her immoral passion,
and the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality with her,
and the merchants of the earth have gotten rich from the power of her sensual behavior.”
4 Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, so you will not take part in her sins and so you will not receive her plagues,
5 because her sins have piled up all the way to heaven and God has remembered her crimes.
6 Repay her the same way she repaid others; pay her back double corresponding to her deeds. In the cup she mixed, mix double the amount for her.
7 As much as she exalted herself and lived in sensual luxury, to this extent give her torment and grief because she said to herself, ‘I rule as queen and am no widow; I will never experience grief!’
8 For this reason, she will experience her plagues in a single day: disease, mourning, and famine, and she will be burned down with fire, because the Lord God who judges her is powerful!”
9 Then the kings of the earth who committed immoral acts with her and lived in sensual luxury with her will weep and wail for her when they see the smoke from the fire that burns her up.
10 They will stand a long way off because they are afraid of her torment, and will say,
“Woe, woe, O great city,
Babylon the powerful city!
For in a single hour your doom has come!”
11 Then the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn for her because no one buys their cargo any longer –
12 cargo such as gold, silver, precious stones, pearls, fine linen, purple cloth, silk, scarlet cloth, all sorts of things made of citron wood, all sorts of objects made of ivory, all sorts of things made of expensive wood, bronze, iron and marble,
13 cinnamon, spice, incense, perfumed ointment, frankincense, wine, olive oil and costly flour, wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and four-wheeled carriages, slaves and human lives.
14 (The ripe fruit you greatly desired
has gone from you,
and all your luxury and splendor
have gone from you –
they will never ever be found again!)
15 The merchants who sold these things, who got rich from her, will stand a long way off because they are afraid of her torment. They will weep and mourn,
16 saying,
“Woe, woe, O great city –
dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet clothing,
and adorned with gold, precious stones, and pearls –
17 because in a single hour such great wealth has been destroyed!”
And every ship’s captain, and all who sail along the coast – seamen, and all who make their living from the sea, stood a long way off
18 and began to shout when they saw the smoke from the fire that burned her up, “Who is like the great city?”
19 And they threw dust on their heads and were shouting with weeping and mourning,
“Woe, Woe, O great city –
in which all those who had ships on the sea got rich from her wealth –
because in a single hour she has been destroyed!”
20 (Rejoice over her, O heaven,
and you saints and apostles and prophets,
for God has pronounced judgment against her on your behalf!)
21 Then one powerful angel picked up a stone like a huge millstone, threw it into the sea, and said,
“With this kind of sudden violent force
Babylon the great city will be thrown down
and it will never be found again!
22 And the sound of the harpists, musicians,
flute players, and trumpeters
will never be heard in you again.
No craftsman who practices any trade
will ever be found in you again;
the noise of a mill will never be heard in you again.
23 Even the light from a lamp
will never shine in you again!
The voices of the bridegroom and his bride
will never be heard in you again.
For your merchants were the tycoons of the world,
because all the nations were deceived by your magic spells!
24 The blood of the saints and prophets was found in her,
along with the blood of all those who had been killed on the earth.”
Traditionally pretribulationists have held one of two major views of the identity of the political Babylon the Great, which all acknowledge is described at least in Revelation 18. These are the proposals that Babylon the Great is Rome and that it is old city of Babylon in Iraq. The identification of Babylon the Great as Rome was originally developed by Protestant Reformers who saw the Roman Catholic Church as the primary source of evil in the world; now, its major proponents are critical (liberal) scholars and other preterists who believe that John was describing the politics of his own day, rather than prophesying. If one believes that John was prophesying of an eschatological entity, and that the Roman Catholic Church is not the primary source of evil in the world, then there is virtually no basis whatsoever for the identification of Babylon the Great with Rome; thus, few pretribulational dispensationalists now hold this view. The view that Babylon the Great is the city of Babylon in Iraq is more widely held by pretribulational writers. This view is based almost exclusively on the use of the name “Babylon.” However, the assertion that this name must refer to a rebuilt city of Babylon in Iraq falls apart quickly upon analysis.
First, it is striking that in Revelation 17:5, John says the name of the prostitute is a “mystery,” even though he reads it plainly. That verse is best translated, “And on her forehead a name was written, a mystery: ‘Babylon the Great, the Mother of the Prostitutes and of the Abominations of the Earth.’ ” Although some translations attempt to alleviate this difficulty by making the word μυστήριον, mystērion (“mystery”) the beginning of the prostitute’s name, this is an extremely improbable interpretation. Babylon the Great is never called “Mystery” elsewhere, as would be expected if this word were part of its name. The only other occurrence of μυστήριον, mystērion in Revelation 17:1–19:4 is in 17:7, in which the angel tells John that he will reveal “the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carries her.” Thus, it is the woman’s identity that is a mystery; mystery is not part of her character, as if she represents a mystery religion (i.e., a religion with occultic secrets).
If Babylon the Great were a reference to the rebuilt city of Babylon in Iraq, its name would be no mystery. Even if it were a reference to Rome, the name would not be especially mysterious, since Rome was the great world power of John’s day, and Peter even refers to Rome as “Babylon” in 1 Peter 5:13. Instead, Revelation 17:5 indicates that the name refers to some future entity whose identity was entirely unknown in AD 96, which was therefore represented symbolically—as with other eschatological entities in the book of Revelation. The characterization of the name “Babylon the Great” as a mystery shows that it is consistent with the literal hermeneutic to understand the name as referring to something other than a rebuilt city of Babylon in Iraq.
Virtually all writers refer to Babylon the Great as “Babylon,” which tends to leave the impression that Babylon the Great is the old city of Babylon, rebuilt. However, an examination of the occurrences of this name in Revelation reveals that John never follows this practice. The book of Revelation calls this entity “Babylon the Great,” “the great city, Babylon,” and “Babylon, the great city,” but never “Babylon” absolutely, alone and without modifiers (Rev 14:8; 16:19; 17:5; 18:2, 10, 21). Four times, it is simply called “the great city,” without the use of the name “Babylon” (Rev 17:18; 18:16, 18-19). Conversely, in the Old Testament, Babylon is only called “great Babylon” (= “Babylon the Great”) once, in Daniel 4:30, and there in a speech by a pagan king. It is never called “the great city, Babylon,” “Babylon, the great city,” or even “the great city.” If a rebuilt city of Babylon were in view in Revelation, it ought to be called “Babylon” without modifiers at least once, if for no other reason than to make it clear that Babylon the Great is indeed the old city of Babylon, rebuilt. Instead, the consistent use of the descriptive adjective “great” accompanied by the definite article indicates that a different entity is in view in the book of Revelation. Following the biblical terminology, this article always uses “Babylon the Great” for the eschatological entity in Revelation 17:1–19:4.
The primary reason that the book of Revelation calls the prostitute “Babylon the Great” is that she represents an entity that did not exist and was wholly unknown at the time the book was penned. Hence, the Revelator chose to use a metaphor and state that the real name was a mystery (Rev 17:5). Similar naming conventions are used in the Bible for other future entities: Russia is called “Gog,” and many of the modern countries mentioned with it in Ezekiel 38:1-6 are called by other now-defunct names. The antichrist’s ten-nation confederation is represented by the Roman Empire (Dan 2:40-43; 7:23-24). The name of Antiochus IV was not given in his descriptions in Daniel 8 and 11. The name of the antichrist is never given, only the number of his name (Rev 13:18). But even though none of those names is given, there has been and will be no doubt as to the identification of these persons or nations when they come, for the Bible gives identifying information that is far more specific than a name. The name “Babylon the Great” was chosen, rather than some other name, to show that the entity it represents is the pinnacle of the glory, wealth, power, and wickedness of the kingdoms of man.
Babylon the Great Is not Destroyed at the End of the Tribulation Period
It is commonly held that Babylon the Great is destroyed at the end of the tribulation period, either at or just prior to the second coming of Christ, due to the placement of Revelation 17:1–19:4 in the narrative and the mention of Babylon the Great in the description of the seventh bowl (Rev 16:19). If this view is correct, then Babylon the Great would have to stand for the antichrist’s kingdom or base of power, since the antichrist dominates the world economic system throughout the second half of the tribulation period (Rev 13:16-17) and is the most powerful ruler on earth (Rev 13:7). On the other hand, if Babylon the Great is destroyed at any time before the second coming, and especially if it is destroyed before the midpoint of the tribulation period, it could not be identified with the antichrist’s kingdom, since the antichrist remains in power until Armageddon (cf. Rev 13:5-7). Babylon the Great must refer to some other entity that is even more powerful than the antichrist’s kingdom at the start of the tribulation period. The destruction of this entity is therefore necessary to facilitate the antichrist’s rise to power. A number of reasons will be presented in favor of the latter position.
In Revelation 14:8, which is the first verse to mention Babylon the Great in the book of Revelation, an angel proclaims “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the Great, which has given all the nations to drink of the wine of the wrath of its sexual immorality.” The two verbs ἔπεσεν ἔπεσεν, epesen epesen (fallen, fallen) are in the aorist tense, which is typically used to indicate past action. Within the narrative context of the book of Revelation, this proclamation is issued at the midpoint of the tribulation period. Even if one does not accept that the book of Revelation is organized chronologically, it should be noted that the sequence of angelic announcements in Revelation 14:6-11 is very specific. The angel who warns against receiving the mark of the beast is said to have “followed” the angel who proclaimed the fall of Babylon the Great in the past (Rev 14:9). The mark of the beast is implemented after the midpoint of the tribulation period, which marks the time of these angelic announcements as the midpoint. Thus, Revelation 14:8 is a clear statement of the fall of Babylon the Great before the midpoint of the tribulation period.
According to Revelation 17:16-17, Babylon the Great is destroyed by the antichrist and the ten kings in the European alliance that comprise his base of power (cf. Dan 2:42; 7:7-8, 24; Rev 13:1). Prior to this time, Babylon the Great has dominated world politics and has controlled the world economy. Since Revelation 13:3-7 presents the antichrist’s kingdom as the dominant world power during the second half of the tribulation period, and Revelation 13:16-17 shows that he controls the world economic system throughout the second half of the tribulation period, Babylon the Great must be destroyed before the midpoint of the tribulation period. Certainly the fact that Babylon the Great is destroyed by the antichrist’s militaries, rather than directly from heaven, argues strongly for its fall occurring before the second advent.
If Babylon the Great is destroyed before the midpoint of the tribulation period, this raises the question of how this momentous event is related to the judgments of the first half the tribulation, namely, the seal judgments and the first six trumpet judgments. While the seal judgments do not directly mention Babylon the Great, there are many textual indications that Babylon the Great is destroyed early in the tribulation period, as a major part of the first four seal judgments. The first seal judgment pictures the antichrist conquering through war (Rev 6:1-2), and it is entirely in accord with Revelation 17 to understand this to signify his destruction of Babylon the Great.
While Babylon the Great is mentioned in the narrative of the seventh bowl judgment (Rev 16:19), that verse does not state that Babylon the Great itself is destroyed with the cities of the nations after the seventh bowl is poured out, but rather that Babylon the Great called to remembrance before God, for the purpose of finishing God’s wrath against her. To use the terminology of the book of Revelation, Babylon the Great caused all the nations to drink of the wrath-bringing wine of her sexual immorality (Rev 14:8; 18:3; cf. 17:2). According to Revelation 16:19, it is exactly this wine that is poured out in the seventh bowl judgment. By judging the nations that drank of Babylon the Great’s cup, God is judging Babylon the Great itself, destroying and condemning all that she has produced.
Revelation 17:1–19:4 is placed between the narrative of the seventh bowl (Rev 16:17-21) and the narrative of the second advent (Rev 19:5-21) because the entire world system created by Babylon the Great will be judged at the second advent. However, Revelation 17:1–19:4 is a topical unit, not a narrative unit. The introduction of Babylon the Great and the description of its fall are dramatically placed just before the final judgment. Yet while the final judgment is universal, the destruction of Babylon the Great is a targeted judgment which occurs at an early stage of the tribulation period.
The Identification of Babylon the Great as the Great World Superpower of the End Times
A study of Revelation 17:1–19:4 shows that Babylon the Great is the world’s great superpower in the end times. The following facts emerge from an analysis of this section of the book of Revelation: (1) Babylon the Great has the largest economy of any entity in the world. It is the center of wealth in the world, and it is responsible for an extended period of global wealth creation in the end times. (2) Babylon the Great has shaped global culture in the end times, in a directly antichristian manner. (3) Babylon the Great has the greatest political power of any entity in the end times. (4) Babylon the Great is considered to have the strongest military in the world of the end times. All of these characteristics uniquely and definitively match the United States of America. For exegetical details, see the larger paper.
Most commentators assume, based on the use of the Greek word πόλις, polis with reference to Babylon the Great, that Babylon the Great is a city, not a large nation-state composed of many cities, towns, and villages. However, “city” is only one possible meaning of word πόλις, polis. The lexicon LSJ gives “country,” “state,” and “community” as other possible meanings, with numerous examples from Classical Greek. In fact, πόλις, polis was the normal word for “state” in extrabiblical Greek, and typically carried political implications. It is hard to think of a better term that the angel could have used to describe the United States than ἡ πόλις ἡ μεγάλη, “the great polis.” The term ἔθνος (nation) generally denotes a racial or ethnic group, and there is no American race. The term βασιλεία (kingdom) encompasses all the domains ruled by a state, not just the state itself—which in the case of Babylon the Great could refer to the entire earth (Rev 17:18). The term βασιλεύς (king) would create confusion as to whether a nation or a its leader is in view, and is not the normal Greek term for a political entity. The term χώρα (country) refers to a tract of land or a district, and does not carry political implications. Thus, there is no better term in the Greek lexicon to describe a modern sovereign state than πόλις, polis.
Babylon the Great is a world hegemon, a country which dominates world politics, economics, and culture in the end times. Further, the text of Revelation indicates that it is a unique entity in the world, ἡ πόλις ἡ μεγάλη the great polis. It uniquely makes all the nations of the world wealthy, reigns over the nations of the world, imposes its culture on all the nations, and leads them in a massive downward spiral of materialistic depravity that culminates in worldwide worship of Satan and the antichrist during the second half of the tribulation period. These are things that can only be done once, and the United States is now doing them. Never before in history has a single country dominated all the other countries of the world and enjoyed such preeminence in comparison to all the others. The United States finds itself in the historically unique position of monopolizing every significant power source in the world—a position it began to occupy since the end of World War II, and which was greatly enhanced by the end of the Cold War.
In summary, the book of Revelation describes Babylon the Great as the dominant superpower in the world of the end times—so dominant, that it actually shapes the culture and economy of the world as it exists at the start of the tribulation period. The nature and scope of Babylon the Great’s dominance is such that only one such entity could ever exist in the history of the world, and there is no doubt that the United States of America is this entity. While some aspects of the prophecy remain to be fulfilled—most notably the prophecies of Babylon the Great’s attempts to put Christians to death worldwide (Rev 17:6; 18:20, 24; 19:2)—enough aspects already match so as to leave no doubt as to the fulfillment of the rest.
#1. Mystery Babylon is not a mixture of all religions merging together with an apostate Pope as its leader. The Word of God clearly describes a harlot religion that comes out of the desert, promotes worship to a satanic god, and demands a loyalty mark. Beheading is the punishment for refusing the beast system. Mystery Babylon is ISLAM.
#2. The End Time battle is over Jerusalem, not America, not Europe. The anti-christ will propose a covenant to divide the Land of Israel for peace, but the real intent is to destroy the Jews. The Bible prophesies Jesus is coming back to punish Edom because they love to shed the blood of the Jews. Ishmael has a forever enmity against Isaac and partners with Esau in a forever hatred against the Jews. The more we learn about Esau and Ishamel’s family lines and the lands they settle the easier it becomes to identify the End Time enemies of Israel, of Jehovah, of His Son Jesus, and of His followers, the Church. #3. Saudi Arabia’s role in Bible prophecy is a fairly new discovery. Since Islam is the End Times Enemy of God, what role will Saudi Arabia play? Identifiers in the Bible: • Ishmael, • Midian • Paran • Tema • Dedan • Sheba • Kedar • Dumah • Esau -Edom - Seir • Arabia • Kings of East • Hagar Genesis Chapter 25 – Birth of Esau and Jacob – Abraham’s Descendants 1 Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah. 2And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah. 3And Jokshan begat Sheba, and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim. 4And the sons of Midian; Ephah, and Epher, and Hanoch, and Abidah, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah. 5And Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac. 6But unto the sons of the concubines, which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts, and he sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, eastward, unto the east country. 7And these are the days of the years of Abraham's life which he lived, 175 years. 8 Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people. 9And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is before Mamre; 10 The field which Abraham purchased of the sons of Heth: there was Abraham buried, and Sarah his wife. 11And it came to pass after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac; and Isaac dwelt by the well Lahairoi. 12Now these are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's handmaid, bare unto Abraham: Remember God’s prophecy about Ishmael, Abraham’s son with Hagar – Gen 16:12 “He will be a wild donkey of a man, and his hand will be against everyone, and everyone’s hand against him; he will live in hostility toward all his brothers”. 13And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam, From Nebaioth comes the Nabateans, the Arabs who built the City of Petra 14And Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa,15 Hadar, and Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah: 16 These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their towns, and by their castles; twelve princes according to their nations. 17And these are the years of the life of Ishmael, 137years: and he gave up the ghost and died; and was gathered unto his people. 18And they dwelt from Havilah unto Shur ( in Saudi Arabia) that is before Egypt, as you go toward Assyria: and he died in the presence of all his brethren. (in enmity with all his brothers) 19And these are the generations of Isaac, Abraham's son: Abraham begat Isaac: 20And Isaac was 40 years old when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padanaram, the sister to Laban the Syrian. 21And Isaac intreated the Lord for his wife, because she was barren: and the Lord was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived. 22And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of the Lord. 23And the Lord said unto her, 2 nations are in your womb, and 2 manner of people shall be separated from your bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger. ( 2 nations at war in he womb) 24And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb. 25And the first came out red, all over like a hairy garment; and they called his name Esau. 26And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau's heel; and his name was called Jacob: and Isaac was 60 years old when she bare them. God’s Wrath against Saudi Arabia “From Dedan to Teman” - Saudi Arabia is included in Ancient Edom Ezekiel 25:11-14 And I will execute judgments upon Moab; and they shall know that I am the Lord 12Thus says the Lord GOD; Because that Edom hath dealt against the house of Judah by taking vengeance, and hath greatly offended, and revenged himself upon them; 13Therefore thus says the Lord GOD; I will also stretch out mine hand upon Edom, and will cut off man and beast from it; and I will make it desolate from Teman; and they of Dedan shall fall by the sword. 14And I will lay my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of my people Israel: and they shall do in Edom according to mine anger and according to my fury; and they shall know my vengeance, says the Lord GOD. Jeremiah 25: 17-24 17Then took I the cup at the LORD'S hand, and made all the nations to drink, unto whom the LORD had sent me: 18To wit, Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah, and the kings thereof, and the princes thereof, to make them a desolation, an astonishment, an hissing, and a curse; as it is this day; 19Pharaoh king of Egypt, and his servants, and his princes, and all his people; 20And all the mingled people, and all the kings of the land of Uz, and all the kings of the land of the Philistines, and Ashkelon, and Azzah, and Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod, 21Edom, and Moab, and the children of Ammon, 22And all the kings of Tyrus, and all the kings of Zidon, and the kings of the isles which are beyond the sea, 23Dedan, and Tema, and Buz, and all that are in the utmost corners, and the kings of Arabia, and all the kings of the mingled people that dwell in the desert.” Isaiah 21:12-14 12 The watchman said, The morning comes, and also the night: if you will enquire, enquire: return, come.13 The burden upon Arabia. In the forest in Arabia shall you lodge, O you travelling companies of Dedanim.14 The inhabitants of the land of Tema brought water to him that was thirsty, they prevented with their bread him that fled. Job 6:19 19 The troops of Tema looked, the companies of Sheba waited for them.
Jeremiah 49:7-22 God’s Judgment in Saudi Arabia 7 Concerning Edom, thus says the Lord of hosts; Is wisdom no more in Teman? Is counsel perished from the prudent? Is their wisdom vanished? 8 Flee turn back, dwell deep, O inhabitants of Dedan; for I will bring the calamity of Esau (Edom) upon him, the time that I will visit him.9 If grape-gatherers come to you, would they not leave some gleaning grapes? if thieves by night, they will destroy till they have enough. 10 But I have made Esau (Edom) bare, I have uncovered his secret places, and he shall not be able to hide himself: his seed is spoiled, and his brethren, and his neighbors, and he is not.11 Leave thy fatherless children, I will preserve them alive; and let your widows trust in Me. 12 For thus says the Lord; Behold, they whose judgment was not to drink of the cup have assuredly drunken; are you he that shall altogether go unpunished?
You shalt not go unpunished, but you shalt surely drink of it.13 For I have sworn by Myself, says the Lord, that Bozrah shall become a desolation, a reproach, a waste, and a curse; and all the cities thereof shall be perpetual wastes. 14 I have heard a rumor from the Lord, and an ambassador is sent unto the heathen, saying, Gather together, and come against her, and rise up to the battle.15 For, lo, I will make you small among the heathen, and despised among men. 16 Your terribleness has deceived you, and the pride of your heart, O you that dwell in the clefts of the rock, that hold the height of the hill: though you should make your nest as high as the eagle, I will bring you down from thence, says the Lord. 17 Also Edom shall be a desolation: every one that goes by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss at all the plagues thereof.18 As in the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbor cities thereof, says the Lord, no man shall abide there, neither shall a son of man dwell in it. 19 Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the swelling of Jordan against the habitation of the strong: but I will suddenly make him run away from her: who is a chosen man, that I may appoint over her? For who is like Me? Who will appoint Me the time? Who is that shepherd that will stand before Me? 20 Therefore hear the counsel of the Lord, that he has taken against Edom; and his purposes, that he has purposed against the inhabitants of Teman: Surely the least of the flock shall draw them out: surely he shall make their habitations desolate with them.21 The earth is moved at the noise of their fall, at the cry the noise thereof was heard in the Red sea 22 Behold, he shall come up and fly as the eagle, and spread his wings over Bozrah: and at that day shall the heart of the mighty men of Edom be as the heart of a woman in her pang
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