Where or what is Babylon? What is this place that Yehovah’s people have gone to that they must now leave? I have heard many say Babylon is the United States or New York City. Others have said it was Rome or even the real city of Babylon in Iraq.
[Note: This is Part 3 of a series of blogs on “Coming out.”]
Is Babylon A Place Or A System Of Government?
In the King James version, the second messenger’s / angel’s cry to Yehovah’s people, just after Satan and his angels are cast to the earth, is in Revelation 14:8; it seems to talk about a great “city” that has fallen. But on a closer look, it appears that the word “city” may be an addition to the text.
(ASV) And another, a second angel, followed, saying, Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, that hath made all the nations to drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
(BBE) And a second angel came after, saying, Destruction has come to Babylon the great, which gave to all the nations the wine of the wrath of her evil ways.
(CJB) Another angel, a second one, followed, saying, “She has fallen! She has fallen! Bavel the Great! She made all the nations drink the wine of God’s fury caused by her whoring!”
(Darby) And another, a second, angel followed, saying, Great Babylon has fallen, has fallen, which of the wine of the fury of her fornication has made all nations drink.
Babylon has made all peoples drink of the wine of rebellion and whoredom. Whoredom is when we, Yehovah’s people, those who are supposed to serve Him exclusively, make covenant with men instead and serve them.
Concerning the identity of Babylon I would like to suggest another idea that seems to fit more accurately with the word of Yehovah.
Babylon Is All About Rebellion
Babylon from the beginning was all about rebellion to Yehovah and His ways; could it be the same spirit of rebellion that was brought to us in the garden by Satan himself? Instead of acknowledging Yehovah’s greatness, we promote our own greatness instead.
For Elohim knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like Elohim, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her man with her, and he ate. (Gen 3:5-6)
The Spirit Of Babylon Is Everywhere!
The spirit of Babylon, the spirit of rebellion to Yehovah’s eternal and unchanging system of government is everywhere. But Noah did not have this mindset; he only served Yehovah. The scriptures say:
But Noah found grace in the eyes of Yehovah. This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God. (Gen 6:8-9)
In the post-diluvian world (after the flood), when Noah and his sons came off the ark, Elohim told Noah to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.
So God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.” (Gen 9:1)
But Nimrod, the grandson of one of the cursed seed of Ham began to be a profaned mighty one on the earth. Men began to follow him instead of Elohim, the True Mighty one.
Babylon from the beginning was all about rebellion to Yehovah and His ways. Babylon gets its name from Babel, a city which was built and ruled by Nimrod, a man whose very name means rebellion to Yehovah and His eternal and unchanging ways. So he and his people said:
Now the whole earth had one language and one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there. Then they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar. And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” (Gen 11:1-4)
The creator told them to fill the earth and the creation said, “let us not be scattered!” But Yehovah’s will is always going to be done in the end.
So Yehovah scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city. Therefore its name is called Babel, because there Yehovah confused the language of all the earth; and from there Yehovah scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth. (Gen 11:8-9)
The Creator’s people, Israel, are still in rebellion to this day. He has kicked them out of their land and cast them throughout all the nations. Listen to the sarcasm as Yehovah speaks of His people who commit whoredom, adultery, harlotry with other nations and kings.
“Come down and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon; sit on the ground without a throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans! For you shall no more be called tender and delicate. Take the millstones and grind meal. Remove your veil, take off the skirt, uncover the thigh, pass through the rivers. Your nakedness shall be uncovered, yes, your shame will be seen; I will take vengeance, and I will not arbitrate with a man.” (Isa 47:1-3)
But, in direct contrast to this verse; Yehovah is now drawing His people back to Himself and His ways. He refers to His people often as “the holy city,” “Zion” and “Jerusalem”.
Awake, awake! Put on your strength, O Zion; Put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city! For the uncircumcised and the unclean Shall no longer come to you. Shake yourself from the dust, arise; Sit down, O Jerusalem! Loose yourself from the bonds of your neck, O captive daughter of Zion! (Isa 52:1-2)
In Isaiah 47 He says “sit on the ground without a throne” and now after we awaken to His ways, we are to loose ourselves, rise up out of the dust and sit on our thrones. Yehovah continues in the same chapter:
Depart! Depart! Go out from there, touch no unclean thing; go out from the midst of her [Babylon], be clean, you vessels of Yehovah. For you shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight; for Yehovah will go before you, and the Elohim of Israel will be your rear guard. (Isa 52:11-12)
We are not to leave hastily and without planing; nor are we to leave because of fright! But we are to leave, and the sooner the better! The good news is, Yehovah will go before us and after us. Praise Him for that!
Their are only two choices. We either stay in Babylon, under the spirit of rebellion and whoredom that we have known our whole life; or we can choose to come out and join ourselves to Yehovah and His previously called out men. The choice has always been the same, rebellion or obedience, the spirit of Babylon or the spirit of Yehovah. The two cannot coexist and, like Yehovah’s spirit, the spirit of Babylon is worldwide.
After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory. And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird! For all the nations [all peoples] have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury.” (Rev 18:1-3)
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. (Rev 18:4)
Remember, Yehovah’s will is always going to be done in the end; love it or perish.
Part 3 of the “Coming out” series continues with “Who are your elohim?