Is America the great prostitute of Revelations?

[mattfivefour]

Normally we would not permit this kind of post because it violates RF rules (rule 13 specifically prohibits suggesting that the United States is "Mystery Babylon"). This is for a very good reason— Biblical exposition on this site must remain sound.

I have decided to allow a post on this subject this one time in order to demonstrate the wishful thinking that goes into such exegeses as those proposing America is Mystery Babylon. (I am ignoring the numerology and the WTC portions of the OP, because they are just too fanciful to consider seriously. When you have to play with some English names to get them to add up, then you have to know you are reaching. Beyond which, Hebrew numerology is for Hebrew letters. You are applying them to English letters—an error made by most people. It does not work that way. Especially since not all letters are correlative between Hebrew and English.) So let's look at four of the topics raised in the OP:

First, America does not sit on seven mountain ranges. According to geography texts, the continental USA (the lower 48 plus Alaska) has THREE:

1. The Rocky Mountains,
   
2. The Appalachian Mountains
   
3. The Cascade Range
   
   

All of the other ranges are sub-divisions of these. And there are more than seven sub-divisions. In fact there are dozens.

Second, John did not use the word "a little space" instead of "a little time" in Revelation 17:10. He used the word ὀλίγος (oligos) which means "a little while". Had he meant "space" (which is merely a 17th Century English word which is now obsolete, but meant "time") or "a little distance" he would have used another Greek word, likely ἐγγύς (eggus).

Third, Isaiah 18:1 is mistranslated. The word translated "shadowing" is a complete misunderstanding of the Hebrew צְלָצַל (tslatsal). It is a Hebrews onomatopoeic word meaning "whirring" or "buzzing" as of the wings of a mass of insects, such as locusts. Even the Jews themselves in their own translations of the Hebrew into English understand that meaning of the word. For example, the JPS reads, "Ah, land of the buzzing of wings, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia."

Fourth, you are reaching way too far, and distorting the original Hebrew Text of Ezekiel 39:6 when you suggest it refers to a land with much coastline and then suggest that is the USA. First, you have added the word "much", implying that Ezekiel had "a land of much coastline" in mind, when indeed, he may as equally have had in mind "any". Indeed, the Hebrew word האיים means either coastlines or islands. It implies distant lands bordered by water where, by reason of their location, they feel safe. And, even if we were to decide that this reference were to the country with the longest coastline, it would not be America. The US is greatly surpassed in length of coastline by Canada. And it is followed closely by Russia. If you add in the coastline for Russia's satellites, I believe you will find Russia surpasses the US. On that basis, if it were to relate to coastline, I would suggest we should look to Russia as the target of this verse because that is the land of Gog and Magog which is the topic in this prophecy of Ezekiel.

But, frankly, I do not think the idea of coastline is what God had in mind in inspiring Ezekiel to use the word He did. I think the great Bible expositors of the past had the right idea.

Albert Barnes said, "And among them that dwell carelessly in the isles - The judgment is extended to "the isles" (or, seacoasts) to show that it should fall not only on Gog and his land, but on those who share Gog's feelings of hatred and opposition to the kingdom of God."

Adam Clarke wrote, "And among them that dwell carelessly in the isles - The auxiliary troops that came to Antiochus from the borders of the Euxine Sea."

John Gill, offered, "And among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: That belong to the Turkish dominions; not only the habitants of the Continent shall be consumed, but those that dwell in islands, and think themselves safe and secure, and so live carelessly; or such who live on the sea coasts, it being usual in Scripture to call such places isles; and may intend those who dwell near the Exine and Caspian seas."

The old Geneva Bible commentary explained, "and among them that dwell securely in the isles: That is, among all nations where the enemies of my people dwell, no matter how separate they seem."

Jamieson, Fausset, & Brown suggested, "the isles - Those dwelling in maritime regions, who had helped Gog with fleets and troops, shall be visited with the fire of God's wrath in their own lands."

Matthew Henry commented, "and among those that dwell carelessly (confidently) in the isles - That is, the nations of the Gentiles. He (Gog) designed to destroy the land of Israel, but shall not only be defeated in that design, but shall have his own destroyed by some fire, some consuming judgment or other. Note, Those who invade other people's rights justly lose their own."

All told, I respectfully suggest that the idea you floated in your OP is the product of eisegesis, not exegesis. You developed an idea in your mind and then began to see possibilities and evidences of it everywhere in Scripture. This, of course, is not the way to approach scripture. A balanced comparison of eschatological scriptures will indicate the proper focus and the proper identification of the participants.

Thank you for taking the time to share some ideas; but, as you have seen, significant portions of your ideas do not stand up to closer scrutiny. Which is why the idea you put forward was banned from RF a long time ago. But Gary, please do not be discouraged by its reception here. I note you have been a member since the middle of last year, yet this is your first post. I worry that you might be afraid to post in future. Please do not hesitate. We will discuss what you put up (provided it does not run afoul of board rules) and hopefully will try to do so constructively and gently—as God would have us do. We are all learning here. Please take part, and don't wait another 10 months for your next post.

[Littlejoe]

No Rome,the vatican is the harlot of Revelation 17,18. 'Mystery Babylon'..

[LivnForChrist]

Welcome to RF Gary. I agree with littlejoe. I'm pretty sure that it's the Vatican.

[Patiently...]

I agree that it is the vatican

[Robert]

The prostitute of Revelations is described as a woman who is rich, has many lovers and is drunk with the blood of the saints. She sits atop a scarlet beast with 10 horns (kings/nations) and seven heads (7 hills of Rome or something else?). And even though this impies that she initially has control of the beast, it begins to hate her and eventually turns on and kills her, burning and devouring her skin (surface). But before the beast can kill her, it seems that God's elect will punish her as the Bible states they will fill up a double portion of wrath compared to what she did to them. What does this mean? How will they administer this revenge? Supernaturally? Militarily? Perhaps with a cyber attack using a "Robin Hood" computer virus that completely confuses the monitary system by robbing from the rich and distributing their money to small or average bank accounts? She is surrounded by many waters and mingled with many people. New York? In fact, the Biblical story of the destruction of the tower of Babel in ancient Babylon may have been a simple case of unregulated illegal immigration where it got so bad that citizens could not understand one another because of all the different languages. Does this remind you of America? If not, just go to any big city and hop on a bus, subway or just walk down the street and listen. Babylon, the prostitute, is a land "shadowed by wings." The eagle? Or have you ever watched the news showing the daily air traffic with images of little planes silhouetted on a map of the United States? One day as I watched, they showed about 7,000 planes in the air at one time, almost completely blotting out (shadowing) the outline of the country. Another justification for God's judgement of the prostitute is by reason of her sorceries. The original Greek word in the Bible for sorcery is pharmicia or pharmacy...drugs. In any city in America, at almost every major street intersection there is a nationwide chain drugstore. Not to mention the tons of illegal drugs coming in from Mexico. Babylon the prostitute is destroyed by fire in the space of one hour, according to Revelations, as sailors far out at sea weep and wail for her because they can no longer trade there. They are afraid to come too close by reason of the "smoke of her torment." This seems to indicate a very large seaport city which has just been nuked and is contaminated by radioactive fallout. Additionally, in at least one passage of the Bible, Babylon is referred to not as just one city, but "cities" - plural. Will a 10 nation confederacy under the influence of a revived Roman Empire launch a nuclear first strike some time in the future on the USA?

Revelation 17 - Mystery Babylon the prostitute

9. And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.

There are 7 major mountain ranges in the United States of America:

1 - Rocky Mountains
2 - Appalachian Mountains
3 - Ozark Mountains
4 - Cascade Mountains
5 - Sierra Nevada Mountains
6 - Alaska Range
7 - Brooks Range (White Mountains - Alaska)

Revelation 18

8. Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.

9. And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,

10. Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.

17. For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,

18. And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city!

These sobering verses from Revelation 18 represent an obvious, graphic illustration of a port city, near a coastline which has just been nuked and is so contaminated with radioactive fallout that nobody can come near it "for the fear of her torment"... New York City? And, where A = 6, B = 12, C = 18, D = 24 ..... Z = 156, which is similar to the ancient Babylonian sexagesimal alphanumeric system:

"Computer" = 666

"Mark of Beast" = 666

"Witchcraft" = 666

"U.S. of America" = 666

"New York" = 666

"A New Babylon" = 666

WTC Towers - The Seven Kings of Revelation 17?

10. And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.

All 7 WTC Buildings were destroyed as a result of the 9/11 terror attacks. Five WTC Buildings are under construction at this time. One has been completed. (WTC-7 in 2006) There is no clearly defined WTC-6 in the new World Trade Center master plan however it is most likely that one will be eventually included and constructed parallel to the others in the plaza. "Five are fallen" (WTC-1 thru WTC-5)..."and one is" (WTC-7)..."and the other is not yet come" which "must continue a short space." (WTC-6?) It also may be of interest to mention that WTC-1, the Freedom Tower, will be erected on the original site of the 8 story WTC-6 building and will be the tallest in the Western Hemisphere.

WTC 1 - Opening 2014
WTC 2 - Opening 2014
WTC 3 - Opening 2014
WTC 4 - Opening 2013
WTC 5 - Opening 2013

WTC 6 - ???
WTC 7 - Completed 2006

These kings are also referred to as "mountains". The towers being representative of financial power through world trade, in large part, control the free market economy of the entire world, even affecting countries that are not free. In this respect they are "kingly" as well as being "mountainous" forms of steel and concrete. Might this possibly mean that time is limited for the new WTC buildings along with the entire city of New York? And why did John the Revelator use the word "space" rather than the word "time" if the intention was to imply a period of time? I think he meant just what he said...space would indicate area, not time. Building 6 may break ground, perhaps even get partially built, and "continue a short space", before something happens...but what? Whatever it is, I don't think it will be good.

In all fairness, however, it must be mentioned that the traditionally accepted interpretation of this prophetic passage goes as follows:

The "five are fallen" represent 5 kingdoms or empires that came and went previous to John the Revelator's time.

1. Egyptian Empire

2. Assyrian Empire

3. Babylonian Empire

4. Medo/Persian Empire

5. Grecian Empire

The "one is" was the empire present during John's writing of Revelation.

6. Roman Empire

The "other" which "is not yet come" will be:

7. Revived Holy Roman Empire (Europe-Rome-Vatican)

OR

7. Turkey (Constantinople-Istanbul-Islam)

OR

7. A combination of both represented as the two legs of the metallic image from Daniel chapter 2, an Islamic/Roman Catholic interfaith false religious empire. 

And if anyone be in doubt about the seriousness of Turkey being seen as an empire, the Turkish military is the 4th largest in the world and 2nd largest in NATO which some estimates put as greater than Britain and France combined.

The next verse mentions a beast that was, and is not, who is an eighth king which is one of the seven or belongs to the seven. Most theologians equate this verse to the anti-Christ of the 10 horned beast spoken about in the next few verses of chapter 17.

11. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.

The entire chapter concerns Babylon and her destruction. If indeed the 7 kings are the 7 WTC buildings then it would not be any further stretch of the imagination to think that the 8th king could represent the U.N. Headquarters building in NYC. Might the coming anti-Christ have, or had, or will have an office in this building? And why would the Bible say that this 8th king is "of the seven"? If you go to the U.N. website at: Welcome to the United Nations: It's Your World you will find several statements of purpose including worldwide governance, economic and social development. It is easy to recognize the similar goals between world trade and the U.N. charter. I can't help but think that something as earthshakingly significant and world changing as the 9/11 destruction of 7 major structures in the most economic influential megatropolis on the globe would not be mentioned in endtime prophecy of biblical scripture. Any time you see the number 7 tied into an event of such magnitude, there's a good chance it IS in the Bible. Of course, the whole crux of this theory rides on the question of whether a new WTC-6 building will happen, or not, which brings up an obvious paradigm of sorts...what happens WHILE the "five are fallen" (still under construction), WHILE the "one is" now (WTC-7), and BEFORE "the other is not yet come" (WTC-6)? The rapture...perhaps?

Is America "the land shadowing with wings" in Isaiah 18?

Isaiah 18

1. Woe to the land shadowing with wings, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia:

If you have ever seen an air traffic map of the United States on a busy day, it's hard to make out the outline of the states boundaries because of all the little plane silhouettes that "shadow" the country.(Air Traffic - NextGen Briefing) There are as many as 7,000 aircraft in the skies over the United States at any given time.

Many Bible scholars believe the U.S. is mentioned in the book of Ezekiel and say that this particular passage may allude to a nuclear war between Russia and America.

Ezekiel 39

6. And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD.

The word "isles" in Hebrew ('iy) can be interpreted to mean a land with much coastline -

Strong's #339: 'iy (pronounced ee)
from 183; properly, a habitable spot (as desirable); dry land, a coast, an island: country, isle, island.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon: 'ı̂y
1) coast, island, shore, region
Part of Speech:noun masculine
Relation: from H183

Frankly, this is FUD for the following reasons:

1) the criteria listed can also be applied to Rome and several other cities/nations

2) The WTC buildings listed as being built are ones destroyed; keep note that the others not listed were not damaged, so they aren't listed as being built. Not all the WTC buildings were destroyed on 9/11

3) References to America "the eagle" or "wings" in scripture are doubtful. Keep in mind that Rome's standard was an eagle and Rome was never referred to as "the eagle". Not to mention the US is not the only one with a bunch of aircraft flying.

4) Why is it when any biblical prophecy mentions fire and a great deal of devastation, we automatically think it just HAS to be nuclear weapons? God doesn't need an atomic warhead when he has volcanoes, solar flares, fire and of course, sheer divine might.

5) The verses taken for this idea are snippets taken out of context: whenever we take one verse, we can pretty much twist it as we see fit. We need to read the entire passage, sometimes the entire chapter, to get the proper meaning of a verse.

I know this will upset some, and I'm sorry if it does. But FUD kills, and it is the spirit that it murders.

[daygo]

Frankly, this is FUD for the following reasons:

1) the criteria listed can also be applied to Rome and several other cities/nations

2) The WTC buildings listed as being built are ones destroyed; keep note that the others not listed were not damaged, so they aren't listed as being built. Not all the WTC buildings were destroyed on 9/11

3) References to America "the eagle" or "wings" in scripture are doubtful. Keep in mind that Rome's standard was an eagle and Rome was never referred to as "the eagle". Not to mention the US is not the only one with a bunch of aircraft flying.

4) Why is it when any biblical prophecy mentions fire and a great deal of devastation, we automatically think it just HAS to be nuclear weapons? God doesn't need an atomic warhead when he has volcanoes, solar flares, fire and of course, sheer divine might.

5) The verses taken for this idea are snippets taken out of context: whenever we take one verse, we can pretty much twist it as we see fit. We need to read the entire passage, sometimes the entire chapter, to get the proper meaning of a verse.

I know this will upset some, and I'm sorry if it does. But FUD kills, and it is the spirit that it murders.

Well said robert good on yer.

[eddanco]

4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:

5 And upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery, Babylon The Great, The Mother Of Harlots And Abominations Of The Earth.

6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.

Yes I say the Vatican too. That church has the blood of the Saints on her hands . its sad what they have done in the past .
purple and scarlet colour Its like a no brainer- And the USA is red white and blue
After the rapture what will the USA do I dont know but it wont be The False Prophet .
Dave Hunt nails that for me
Dave Hunt - A Woman Rides The Beast - The Catholic Church And The Last Days Part 1 - YouTube

[maryrae]

NO. America is not the "great prostitute".
Others have said it much better than I.
From what I understand, this woman is symbolic of a false religious system, not a nation.

[JC1949]

Welcome to RF Gary. I agree with littlejoe. I'm pretty sure that it's the Vatican.

Ze Vatikan? I asked Ratzinger Pope and he said no.
I say YES!

[WalterNZ]

Its too hard to say exactly whats what...

Blood of saints implies Catholic Church / Vatican /

America like Australia like NZ, Canada etc have largely been responsible for the modern Christian Church.
Although these Western countries have many "Vices" theres still around 50 percent Christian and about 80 believe in God

It makes sense that the condemnation is towards the false religion...

In Saying that...... allot of people in the Catholic Church will be saved ....

Perhaps were talking about more of a spiritual beast within all these factions that actually cause harm , and may not be a physical but metaphorical ...

I dont really know exactly...

2 Peter 3:1-18:

1 Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking.

2 I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles.

3 First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.

4 They will say, "Where is this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation."

5 But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water.

6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed.

7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.

9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.

11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives

12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.

13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.

14 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.

15 Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him.

16 He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.

17 Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position.

18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

[YeuEmMaiMai]

The USA is not speficically mentioned in Biblical Prophecy and I take it to mean that the USA is irrelevant in the end times sceneario.

[WKUHilltopper]

Is America the great prostitute of Revelations?

You mean Revelation. Not Revelations. Sorry, but a pet peeve of mine. If we can't get the proper name of the book right, I have to wonder if the conclusions are based on solid study and detailed or proper focus.

[Elijah's Mantle]

Revelation 17 - Mystery Babylon the prostitute

9. And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.

The beginning context of Revelation 17 is the Judgment of the great ***** who sits upon many waters

the great ***** refers to "ALL" the religions of the world that ever have been which are devised by men as a substitute for Jesus Christ and him crucified and the term ""Many waters"" are a symbol for multitudes of people as you can find in verse 15 also which states and he said unto me the waters which you saw where the ***** sits are people and multitudes and nations and tongues .........so you see it refers to a whole plethora of religions that are false .... anotherwords if it is not the one Gospel God gave , Jesus Christ and him crucified then God refers to it as the Great *****

you did maybe name some of those seven empires I see you listed which are controlled by false religions ....demon spirits

if you carefully read verse 11 you can realize it is telling you that this fallen Angel it speaks of will help the Antichrist and will head up the EIGHTH empire to persecute Israel

the other not yet come speaks of the the ten nation confederacy symbolized by the ten horns which in Johns day had not yet come and in fact still has not yet come


Now this ten Nation will obviously have to come to power before the Anti-Christ making up the seventh head read Daniel 7:7

Rebuilt Babylon will not just be one of the commercial centers of the world but as well the religious center the Anti-christ will have replaced Islam and other religions with himself as the one being worshiped It all began at Babylon and it will end there Genesis 11:1-9 and as you stated also in part Revelation 18:10

there is a literal city called Babylon and then there is Mystery Babylon the false religions of the world

the future rebuilt city of Babylon will suffer the Judgment "Of the AGES" .......
THE EFFORT BY PRESIDENT BUSH TO CHANGE THE GOVERNMENT IN IRAQ IS A PART OF THE PROCESS THAT ENABLES BABYLON TO BE REBUILT

[Elijah's Mantle]

The ten horns will be the seventh head ,and refers to ten nations

in verse 11 the fallen Angel referred to as THE BEAST that was and is not even HE is the eighth so you see the fallen Angel will help the AC head up the eighth empire to persecute Israel ..........and is of the seven speaks of the fact that he helped all the empires of the past giving the greater help to the Grecian empire we know this because John in his vision said
""""and the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard"""""""""

Revelation 13:2 and Danial 7:6

[livin_in_the_Son]

Well, what really peaks my interest about this post is the statement in regards to Rev. 18....and all of a sudden there's a mention of some 'similar to ancient sexigesimal system' (hey mathman, is sexigesimal even a mathmatical numbering system?)

I admit that I only checked one version of my bibles....but that copy didn't mention some mathematical code. It certainly didn't assign numerical values to any letters....kinda reminds me of how people try to point out the anti-christ by assigning random numbers to letters in their name. To state that certain phrases equal one number, i.e. 666, means I have to buy into your man-made code, and specific wording....yeah, well that only makes me dismiss everything else you claim because of that one un-reliable, and shaky point. Like I have pointed out to a fellow believer, if the math fails...the whole theory falls through. God's word is perfect, so it will NEVER prove shaky.

[JC1949]

May be ONE DAY we will finally come to realize that AMERICA is not quoted in THE BIBLE.
America got its name from AMERIGO VESPUCCI. Amerigo Vespucci - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
there are NO CHRISTIAN NATIONS......
there are CHRISTIAN BELIEVERS in various nations....
We,if we are truly born again believers,belong to the NEW JERUSALEM,don't we?

I honestly think that we should just preach the gospel and wait for Jesus while we do that and forget all this America in the Bible stuff.
sorry,do not want offend anyone,but may be it is me.....sorry.

[Littlejoe]

Mystery Babylon is Rome......The mother of harlots..This false religion of Revelation 17, 18 has offspring (or daughters) of Revelation 17:3-7.This is the Roman Catholic church.Who considers itself the mother church.Iraq has nothing to do with Mystery babylon.Babylon in Jeremiah God said would never be rebuilt.The Pope at the time of the AC will be the false prophet.

[livin_in_the_Son]

I agree that 'mystery babylon' is the false one world religion....but Babylon, the city, will be re-built because it was never destroyed in a single day like Sodom and Gomorrah. Isa 13:19, and acording to Isa 13:20, once destroyed it will never be inhabited again, but right now you can not only tour Babylon, but until his capture and death, Saddam Hussein was in the process of rebuilding it.....so Babylon will be rebuilt, and will be destroyed completely, and finally, according to the word of God.

[Littlejoe]

I agree that 'mystery babylon' is the false one world religion....but Babylon, the city, will be re-built because it was never destroyed in a single day like Sodom and Gomorrah. Isa 13:19, and acording to Isa 13:20, once destroyed it will never be inhabited again, but right now you can not only tour Babylon, but until his capture and death, Saddam Hussein was in the process of rebuilding it.....so Babylon will be rebuilt, and will be destroyed completely, and finally, according to the word of God.

Another prophecy of Babylon’s Destruction
The entire ministry of the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah was devoted to prophesying the destruction of Jerusalem and the carrying away of Israel into Babylonian captivity. He also prophesied the return of Israel to Jerusalem after 70 years and foretold the ultimate destruction of Babylon.

The prophecy against Babylon is found in Jeremiah 50:1-23.

“The word that the LORD spake against Babylon and against the land of the Chaldeans by Jeremiah the prophet. Declare ye among the nations, and publish, and set up a standard; publish, and conceal not: say, Babylon is taken…For out of the north there cometh up a nation against her, which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell therein… Because of the wrath of the LORD it shall not be inhabited, but it shall be wholly desolate: every one that goeth by Babylon shall be astonished, and hiss at all her plagues.”

Verses 17 and 18 establish for certain when this destruction of Babylon was to occur:

“Israel is a scattered sheep; the lions have driven him away: first the king of Assyria hath devoured him; and last this Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon hath broken his bones. Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will punish the king of Babylon and his land, as I have punished the king of Assyria.”

The above scriptures teach us that this particular prophesied destruction of Babylon would occur during the era of the Babylonian empire of Nebuchadnezzar.

Furthermore, verses 39-40 declared that Babylon would never again be inhabited. “Therefore the wild beasts of the desert with the wild beasts of the islands will dwell there, and the owls shall dwell therein: and it shall be no more inhabited for ever…”

Literal Babylon vs. Mystery Babylon
The physical city of Babylon was originally built by Nimrod after the flood. It was located on the Euphrates River, about 55 miles south of where Baghdad, Iraq stands today. The name Babylon came from the Tower of Babel that was constructed there.

Babylon became a large city of global prominence around 1728 B.C. during the reign of Hammurabi. The glory years of Babylon were achieved under Nebuchadnezzar II (604-562 B.C.). The city declined during the reign of Belshazzar, and came to ruin when Xerxes, the Persian king, destroyed it in 478 B.C.

Thus, Jeremiah’s prophesied destruction of Babylon was accomplished, and, just as the prophecy said, it has never been inhabited to this day. Saddam Hussein launched a project to rebuild Babylon in the late 1980’s, but the effort was halted by Gulf War I and has yet to be resumed.

The Babylon described in Revelation is called “Mystery Babylon.” The prophecy of Mystery Babylon is found in Revelation 17:3-5.

“So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”

Who is Mystery Babylon?—4 clues
A mystery is something secret or hidden— a thing that some understand while others do not. In Revelation 17, there are several clues given to the identity of Mystery Babylon.clue #1—Mystery Babylon is a city
Notice in the above prophecy that a woman is used to symbolize Mystery Babylon. Verse 18 of the chapter tells us that the woman is a city. “And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.”

Clue #2—Mystery Babylon presides over a vast international system
In verse 1, we are told that the woman sits on many waters. Verse 15 explains the meaning of the waters. “And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the ***** sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.”

Not only is this woman a city, but the city is apparently the headquarters over a vast international system.

Clue #3—The city sits on 7 hills
In verse 3, we are told that the woman rides on a beast with 7 heads. Verse 9 reveals the meaning of the heads. “And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.”

Remember, we’ve already learned that the woman is a city. This passage tells us that the city sits on seven mountains. There is a city on earth that is known as “The City of Seven Hills.” It’s the city of Rome.

But is Rome the headquarters for an international power that rules over “peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues?”

The Vatican claims to rule over one billion Roman Catholics worldwide. Remember, this prophecy was written long before the Catholic Church existed and long before Rome became her headquarters.

Clue #4—She is clothed in purple and red
Revelation 17:4 “And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:”

There are two ruling bodies in the Roman Catholic Church: The College of Cardinals and the College of Bishops and Archbishops. These two bodies are somewhat like the Senate and the House of Representatives here in the U.S.

An article appeared in The Criterion, a Roman Catholic publication, July 1, 1988. The article was entitled, “More than You Want to Know About Cardinals.” It stated, “Cardinals wear red, while non-Cardinal Bishops and Archbishops wear purple.”

So let’s review. Mystery Babylon is a city that sits on seven hills. Rome is known worldwide as “The City of Seven Hills.”

[David T. McKee]

This leads me to a question - and if this question is being discussed on another thread, then I apologize up front.

What do you all think of guys like Hank Hanegraaff, and R.C. Sproul - who say they are not preterists, but sure sound like them. I can't quite figure out what they are with regards to their particular understanding of Revelations.

At least Spoul attempts to talk in an understandable way. Hanegraaff likes to show off how much of the dictionary he has memorized by spouting the biggest word he can for whatever simple concept he, ostensibly, is trying to convey (ie: "Panoply" being one of his favorites... Hey Hank, most of us usually like to say "alot" - it's easier).

Just wondered.

-DTM