Who Is The Beast
The Bible says the woman rides or sits on a scarlet beast . This beast is described in Revelation 13:2 as being like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority.
This scarlet beast is not a description of a church. Instead, it represents the civil government of the Roman Empire.
This beast was mortally wounded, but later this deadly wound was healed . Historically, the Roman Empire was overrun and came to an end in A.D. 476. Ten horns representing restorations of this empire were predicted to occur. The first revivals included the Vandals , the Heruli and the Ostrogoths .
The next revival was the Imperial Restoration in 554 when Justinian, emperor of Byzantium, the Eastern Roman Empire, restored the western provinces to his domain.
Through succeeding restorations, Catholic popes conferred the title of Holy Roman Emperor to Charlemagne , Otto the Great , Charles V and Napoleon .
The most recent revival was the German-Italian alliance , which tried to unite Europe by force in the 1930s and 1940s. Adolf Hitler considered Nazi Germany an extension of past German-dominated revivals of the Holy Roman Empire, while Benito Mussolini saw himself as a modern Caesar over a revived Roman Empire.
A Final Warning: Come Out Of Babylon
The end of Babylon comes with a warning to all believers to act before it is too late. And I heard another voice from heaven saying, Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues .
Coming out of spiritual Babylon includes coming out of her sins and false doctrines and not compromising with the truths taught in the Bible.
May we all heed this warning so we will not share in the sins of end-time Babylon or receive her plagues described in detail in the book of Revelation.
For more about the end-time Babylon the great, see our article Mystery, Babylon the Great. For additional study on the false religious leader prophesied to appear at the end of this age, read our article Antichrist.
About the Author
Jim Haeffele
Jim Haeffele is a church pastor in the Church of God, a Worldwide Association. He currently pastors congregations in Fort Myers, Miami and West Palm Beach, Florida. He has served in the ministry of the Church of God for over 46 years. During those years he and his wife, Lois, have served congregations from Portland, Oregon, where he grew up, to Utah, Ohio, North Carolina, and now Florida.
Prophecies Of Conquests By
- 2 Kings 20:16-19 And Isaiah said unto Hezekiah, Hear the word of the LORD. 17 Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store unto this day, shall be carried into Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the LORD. 18 And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon. 19 Then said Hezekiah unto Isaiah, Good is the word of the LORD which thou hast spoken. And he said, Is it not good, if peace and truth be in my days?
- Also Jeremiah 20:4-7 21 22 25:1-11 27 28 29 32:28-29 34 36:29 38:17-18 43:8-13 46:13-26 Ezekiel 12 17 19 21 24 26 29:18-20 30 32.
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Port City & Hammurabi
The earliest mention of the city comes from an inscription from the time of Sargon of Akkad. It seems to have been a small, but profitable, port city on the river by this time. Under the later Akkadian king Shar-Kali-Sharri , it is recorded that two temples were built at Babylon, and it later fell under the control of the city of Kazallu until liberated by the Amorite chieftain Sumu-abum whose successor, Sumu-la-ilu , was founder of the first dynasty of kings in Babylon. The city was still a small port at this time, overshadowed by neighboring city-states.
King Sin-Muballit beautified the city but could not elevate it above the others and finally led a military campaign against the most powerful of the neighboring city-states, Larsa, but was defeated. He was forced to abdicate in favor of his son, Hammurabi, who quietly submitted to the king of Larsa and busied himself with strengthening Babylon’s walls and beautifying the city while, secretly, building and training an army.
When Larsa called on him to supply troops to repel the invading Elamites, Hammurabi complied but, as soon as the region was secured, he took the cities of Isin and Uruk from Larsa, formed alliances with Lagash and Nippur, and conquered Larsa completely. He then continued his campaigns, issuing his law codes, conquering Mesopotamia, and establishing his empire.
The Origin And Explanation Of Mystery Babylon
Its Location
As you undoubtedly know, the city of ancient Babylon is in Iraq, about 50 miles south of Baghdad on the Euphrates river. What you may not know is that prior to Desert Storm and the conflict in Iraq, Saddam Hussein had for several years been working to uncover the ancient ruins of Babylon with a view to rebuilding the city and establishing himself as practically the incarnation of Nebuchadnezzar, the great Babylonian king who took Judah captive from 606 to 586 B.C. This captivity by Nebuchadnezzar began the times of the Gentiles , the period of gentile domination over Jerusalem and Israel which has and will continue to keep all descendants of David from sitting on the throne of Israel until the return of the Lord Himself.
Babylons Biblical Beginnings
Babylon comes from the Hebrew Bab-el which some say is a Hebrew form of the Assyrian Bab-ili, which meant Gate of God, and is used of the ancient city on the banks of the Euphrates River. However, in Hebrew Bab-el means confusion.
Genesis 10-11
Babylon is first found in Genesis 10 in the table of nations. Here Moses traces the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. We have here the Japhethites, those least connected with Israel, then he traces the Hammites, those responsible for a great deal of sin and trouble in the world, and then the line of Shem, those who became Israelites.
Genesis 14
Historically, we can summarize Babylons early history in Genesis with the following:
Isaiah 36-37
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The Prophecies Of Isaiah Concerning Babylon
Apart from a reference to a Babylonish garment in Joshua 7:21, there is no Biblical reference to Babylon after Genesis 11 until the great prophecies of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel unfolded Gods plan for the ancient city. Most of the Biblical prophecies relating to Babylon are in relation to the captivity and Gods revelation to Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel concerning the ultimate end of the captivity both for Israel and for Babylon. Most remarkable, however, are the prophecies of Isaiah delivered a century before Babylon had risen to power and recorded at a time when Babylon was still in obscurity with no indication of its coming greatness. Outstanding chapters in Isaiahs predictions are 13, 14, and 47 with scattered references elsewhere .
The predictions of Isaiah have to do with Babylons ultimate destruction in the Day of the Lord. The near and the far view are often mingled as in chapter 13. The destruction of Babylon is pictured in Isaiah 13:1-11 as part of Gods program to punish the entire world . The historic conquering of Babylon by the Medes and the Persians is mentioned specifically in Isaiah 13:17-19.
The prophet seems to refer to the far view, that is, the destruction of Babylon in relation to the second coming of Christ in 13:20-22. Here it is declared:
The Identity Of Mystery Babylon The Great
The Bible identifies this woman clothed in purple and scarlet and sitting on a scarlet beast in the last verse of chapter 17, And the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth .
At the time John wrote this verse, and in the centuries that followed, the city that reigned over the kings of the earth was Rome. And the church associated with Rome is the Roman Catholic Church, which is headquartered in Vatican City in Rome.
The Adam Clarke Commentary adds this statement, It has already been shown that the woman sitting upon the seven-headed beast is a representation of the Latin Church here we have the greatest assurance that it is so, because the woman is called a city, which is a much plainer emblem of a Church, as the word is used unequivocally in this sense in so many parts of Scripture that we cannot well mistake its meaning .
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Future Actions Of Babylon The Great
So far, we have looked briefly at the prophecies of Babylon that have taken place over the last 2,000 years and at what it will do in the future. But what else does the Bible say about the future of this apostate church that is called Babylon the great?
Jesus, speaking of events before His return, said, For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be . He followed this by saying there would be strong religious deception so as to deceive, if possible, even the elect .
The apostle Paul explained how this deception would come about in writing to the church at Thessalonica.
He wrote, Let no one deceive you by any means for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God . The popes have claimed the title vicar of Christ, which means to stand in the place of Jesus Christ.
God reveals that prior to the return of Jesus Christ many will be deceived by this coming individual and the false religious system that is behind him.
Political Babylon To Be Rebuilt On The Euphrates In The Tribulation
The announcement of the fall of Babylon in chapter 18 which comes immediately after the destruction of the harlot in chapter 17, causes many to think that these are one and the same event. However, there are several things which show they are two different events, though described in similar terms. We have here the fall of religious Babylon followed later by the fall of political and commercial Babylon.
The woman of chapter 17 is made desolate, naked, and burned with fire by the beast with the ten horns, whereas the fall of chapter 18 is accomplished directly by God at the end of the Tribulation . The fall ofreligious Babylon occurs when the beast assumes his religious role in the middle of the Tribulation andassumes world political power. The world apostate ecumenical system is destroyed in favor of the new world religion which worships the political dictator of chapter 13 whose capitol city will be in rebuilt Babylon.
The destruction of Babylon in chapter 18 should be compared with the preceding announcement in 16:19 where the great city is divided and the cities of the Gentiles fall. This event comes late in the great Tribulation, just prior to the second coming of Christ, in contrast to the destruction of the harlot of chapter 17 which seems to precede the great Tribulation and paves the way for the worship of the beast .206
As Walvoord suggests,
Scripture also predicts that the destruction would be sudden, quick .
201 Ross, p. 234.
203 Dyer.
205 Hislop, p. 166
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The Assyrians & Nebuchadnezzar Ii
Following Hammurabi’s death, his empire fell apart and Babylonia dwindled in size and scope until Babylon was easily sacked by the Hittites in 1595 BCE. The Kassites followed the Hittites and renamed the city Karanduniash. At some point between the 14th and 9th centuries BCE, the great ziggurat of Babylon was built which would later become associated with the Tower of Babel. This connection is thought to have been made owing to a misinterpretation of the Akkadian bav-il for the Hebrew bavel .
In the Genesis story, the people hope to make a name for themselves to be remembered after death and so begin to build a great tower to reach the heavens. God is angered by this as he worries that, if the people are allowed to reach their goal, they will then be empowered to attempt others and so disrupt the natural order. He therefore decrees they shall no longer speak the same language, confuses their tongues, and since they cannot understand each other anymore, the tower is left unfinished. Scholar Samuel Noah Kramer explains the story as an attempt to account for the many ziggurats, including Babylon’s, found in ruin and seen by or described to Hebrew scribes .
Every ancient writer to make mention of the city of Babylon, save for the biblical scribes, references it with awe in describing the great ziggurat Etemenanki â “the foundation of heaven and earth” â the immense walls, the Ishtar Gate, and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Herodotus comments on the city’s size:
Babylon And The End Times
While many people disregard the prophecies of the Bible, those who have studied their fulfillment believe that the fall of Babylon will take place as it is written. Some people claim our world is approaching the end times however, we have no way of knowing when that time will come. What we can do is prepare ourselves for Christs return whenever it may occur.
Babylon of the Old Testament and the New Testament shared a common downfall. Idol worship was their main sin. Babylon idolized itself and it did not acknowledge or glorify God in any way.
This is no different from today. We are constantly consumed with multiple idols that turn our focus away from God, His faithfulness, and plan for our lives. Idol worship leads to immorality when you are so consumed with the worship of other gods instead of the one true God.
We can become obsessed with worshipping money, careers, economic status, education, or politics. When you become focused on striving for success in these areas and not on God, you begin to rely on their role in your life rather than Gods provision.
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Is America Babylon The Great
The prophetic community is somewhat divided over whether or not America is the Babylon the Great mentioned in Revelation 17-18. Others believe this term was the Roman Empire of Jesus day and/or the modern-day Catholic Church based in Rome.
Many believe that Babylons origin goes all the way back to Babel in Genesis 11. Babylon is also mentioned in the Old Testament in places like Isaiah 21:1-10 and Jeremiah 50-51. There was also Babylon in Daniels time, which some believe will literally be restored in the future, since the city of Babylon still exists in modern-day Iraq. Still others believe that Babylon is a metaphor for the rampant End-Times Apostasy, the False Church of the last days.
It can be exhausting and frustrating to consider each viewpoint. Even more troubling is the fact that Babylon the Great is expeditiously and completely destroyed.
Lets look at some aspects of Babylon the Great that are mentioned in Revelation. It is easy to see how America has brought prosperity to the earth, yet has caused the world to get drunk on her adulteries . It also has a vast shoreline that would put its destruction in plain view . There are several other compelling similarities. However, our country has not yet come even remotely close to persecuting and martyring Christians . Currently in America there are only rare cases of persecution, and they pale in comparison to what millions of believers in other countries have endured and continue to endure on a daily basis.
Hanging Gardens Of Babylon
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, a colossal maze of terraced trees, shrubs, flowers and manmade waterfalls, are one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
Yet archaeologists have turned up scant evidence of the gardens. Its unclear where they were located or whether they ever existed at all.
Some researchers have uncovered evidence that suggests the hanging gardens existed, but not in Babylonthey may have actually been located in the city of Nineveh in upper Mesopotamia.
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Prepare For End Times By Renouncing Your Sins
Daniel 4:27 Nebuchadnezzar worshipped his own greatness. He ordered the people of Babylon to bow down and worship a golden statue he created. Daniel told the King to turn away from his sins and do what is right. The King was sent away for seven years and his kingdom was taken from him. He was humbled and praised God for turning him away from his sins.
In Acts 2, Peter tells the new believers to turn from their sin, to repent. Believing in God is not enough, you must turn away from the sins that keep you chained to another god.
Babylon In Jewish History
After the Babylonian conquest of the Kingdom of Judah in the sixth century B.C., Nebuchadnezzar II took thousands of Jews from the city of Jerusalem and held them captive in Babylon for more than half a century.
Many Judeans returned to Jerusalem after the Neo-Babylonian Empire fell to Cyrus the Greats Persian forces. Some stayed, and a Jewish community flourished there for more than 2,000 years. Many relocated to the newly created Jewish state of Israel in the 1950s.
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