Chapter 2
BABYLON? WHICH BABYLON?
The pronouncements of coming judgment upon “the daughter of Babylon” should capture our full attention, or at least our curiosity. Who is this “Babylon” described by the prophets and destined to become like Sodom and Gomorrah? Actually, there are several different “Babylons” identified throughout the Scriptures.
ANCIENT RELIGIOUS BABYLON:
The first “Babylon”, of course, is the oldest, which I refer to as “ancient religious Babylon”. The original city was established by Nimrod and was characterized by the “tower whose top may reach heaven”. This ancient society can be found on the pages of Scripture in Genesis, chapter 11.
The ruins of ancient Babylon reveal that it was a highly developed civilization. By 2900 B.C. they had invented the wheel, dug canals from the Euphrates River in order to irrigate their crops, and had already established the sixty minute hour plus the 360 degree circle.
Relics found at the site of the Tower of Babel reveal that they had made many remarkable advancements including a written language and advanced studies in mathematics.
Of course they were into astrology, thus the probable reason for erecting the high temple tower called a ziggurat. According to World Book Encyclopedia, the ancient Babylonians were even able to predict eclipses in the sun and moon! These people were not cavemen by any stretch of the imagination!
Speculation abounds as to why God confused the people by sending forth many languages. Genesis 10:6 reveals – “And the LORD God said, Behold, the people are one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do; and now nothing will be withheld from them, which they have imagined to do.”
It was once observed – “Whatever man can conceive in his mind, he will someday be able to achieve.” Is it possible that whatever man can imagine is technically possible? Perhaps so.
It is interesting to observe that the majority of all modern day inventions have taken place during the past century. Up until the early 1900’s, man was limited to horse-drawn carts and wood-burning fires for heat and cooking. It has been that way since the dawn of human history.
Now, suddenly, during the past 100 years knowledge has literally exploded, and we have made amazing technological advancements. In fact, man has developed so much that he now has the ability to destroy himself and the entire earth he lives in with weapons of unimaginable power.
Had man continued as he was going during the time of ancient Babylon, he might have attained the same destructive power long ago. Perhaps God, in His mercy and wisdom, confused the languages in order to keep man alive long enough to send a Redeemer and Savior!
It is especially noteworthy that the pagan religion of the ancient Babylonians has permeated nearly every religion on earth. After Nimrod’s death, his wife, Semiramis, gave birth to a child that she named Tammuz. She claimed that his birth was by a miraculous conception by the sun god and that the baby was the reincarnation of Nimrod. Soon people began to worship her and her infant son, and she became the symbol of fertility and the “queen of all heaven”.
The ongoing influence of the worship of Nimrod’s wife and her “miracle” baby has impacted most of the world’s religions, and many still worship the “queen of heaven” in one form or another even to this day.
The Greeks also worshipped the goddess Aphrodite who was shown with child in arms.
Many of the pagan idols were considered the “queen mother of heaven”.
Even the Egyptians worshipped the man made goddess of heaven and her son. Their idol was called Isis. The Hebrews were well aware of this pagan worship as they were slaves in the land of the pharaohs for 400 years.
Later, the Romans also became involved with the same demonic religion and worshipped Venus and her male child, Jupiter. The list goes on and on. At the pagan city of Ephesus, the first century preacher Paul encountered the same worship when he confronted the people who worshipped the goddess Diana. A great temple had been erecter for her in Ephesus and the people considered her “queen of heaven”.
Finally, the false goddess worship which began at the Tower of Babel, infected the Christian church. After winning a great battle against his enemies under the sign of the cross, Roman Emperor Constantine the Great declared “Christianity” as the official religion of Rome. He “baptized” his Roman legions by marching them through a river. Of course, the pagan masses brought their idolatrous worship into the church with them and it was only a matter of time before the bishops met at the Counsel of Ephesus in A.D. 431 and approved the worship of the Virgin Mary as official church dogma. That practice thrives in the Roman church to this day.
Regardless of the name, the worship of the “queen of heaven” began at Babylon as Satan’s great counterfeit of the virgin birth of the Lord Jesus Christ.
It is surprising that even the ancient people of Israel became entangled in this ungodly practice of goddess and baby worship. When confronted with their sin of idolatry, the people rejected Jeremiah’s message to repent – “As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the Name of the LORD, we will not hearken unto thee. But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense unto the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, as we have done, we, and our fathers, our kings, and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem; for then had we plenty of food, and were well, and saw no evil.” (Jeremiah 44:16-17)
This was God’s covenant people, the children of Israel, worshipping a pagan goddess at the Temple in Jerusalem!
Furthermore, the women of Judah gathered at a standing idol erected by the Temple in Jerusalem and prayed the most heathen of prayers – “Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the LORD’s house, which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz.” (Ezekiel 8:14) Some believe that these deceived women were praying that they would be instrumental in giving birth to yet another reincarnation of Nimrod! Perhaps they were praying that the messiah would be born supernaturally through them.
STANDING IDOLS
A common practice among many of the ancient civilizations was to erect a “standing idol” also known as the “ashteroth” in front of their pagan temple or on high places throughout the countryside. These disgusting symbols were called phalli, and were stone images of the male sex organ. They have been found by the thousands all over the world. The degenerative pagans worshipped these idols that represented the heathen fertility gods.
Later cultures became “refined” and changed the vile appearance of the phallus to the more acceptable obelisk.
Of special interest is the fact that one of two identical obelisks that originated in Heliopolis, Egypt, has the inscription – “I, Dionysus, dedicated these phalli to Hera, my stepmother.” The other obelisk was taken to Rome by Emperor Caligula where it was erected on a hill called his “circus”. This is the hill where the Vatican was later built. In 1586 Pope Sixtus V had it moved to the front of the church at St. Peter’s Square where it still stands to this day.
The symbol of the fertility cult of Nimrod has been associated with Baal worship and with the temple of Diana in Ephesus. The symbol of the phallus is even apparent at Mecca, the most sacred site of Islam and at mosques throughout the world. Most people have no idea that the symbolism originated in ancient Babylon and was associated with the pagan fertility gods.
The largest obelisk in the world is located right here in the United States of America. The impressive five-hundred-fifty-five foot high Washington Monument is displayed in front of our national capital in Washington D.C. Some people are convinced that the significance of America’s national obelisk is that it too represented the heathen fertility gods and that in the minds of the designers it was an appropriate symbol in paying tribute to the “father” of our nation. This is very unfortunate, especially in light of the fact that the aluminum top cap displays the words “Laus Deo” which means “Praise Be To God.”
In all fairness, it should be noted that the obelisk in Washington D.C. did not represent anything having to do with ancient paganism. Placed within the cornerstone of the monument laid on July 4, 1848, is a Holy Bible presented by the American Bible Society and other items that attest to our dependence upon God and to our national motto – “One Nation Under God.”
To most of us living today, the Washington Monument has absolutely nothing to do with the detestable symbols of the pagan world but we should be aware of what it represented in days gone by.
According to The Two Babylons by Hislop, these obelisks, or standing images, are mentioned in 1 and 2 Kings as part of Baal worship. Baal is one of the names for Nimrod. This was the false religion that Jezebel brought into ancient Israel along with all of it’s immoral practices. And the heathen practice of idolatry and goddess worship is still alive and well today!
Dr. Noah Hutchings, founder of Southwest Radio Church, has done a monumental work on the research of Nimrod’s ancient religion, and he has dedicated a good portion of his books “Petra” and “U.S. in Prophecy” to that study. Much of the material used here was gleaned from his writings and this author, for one, appreciates his many years of faithful research and ministry to Biblical truth.
HISTORIC BABYLON:
Historic Babylon was the first great world empire which came to the zenith of it’s power under the leadership of King Nebuchadnezzar. After the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 B.C., Daniel and a number of other young promising Jews were taken to the City of Babylon. It was there that God allowed Daniel to greatly prosper in the King’s palace, and God gave him many wonderful opportunities to be a spokesman and witness of the greatness of the One True God, Jehovah.
King Nebuchadnezzar had a troubling dream of a huge statue whose head was pure gold, the arms and chest were silver, the
belly was brass, the legs were iron, and the feet were part iron, part clay. Daniel interpreted the dream for the king, and he revealed the sequence of all the future gentile world kingdoms.
Daniel declared that Nebuchadnezzar and his Babylonian Empire were symbolized by the head of gold. His empire would give way to the divided and inferior empires of the Medes and Persians (arms and chest of silver). The third world empire would be that of Alexander the Great as he would lead his Greek army to world conquest. Then, of course, would come the Roman Empire and, finally, the revived Roman Empire depicted by the ten toes made of iron and clay.
With remarkable accuracy, the predictions of Daniel have all come to pass with the exception of the revived Roman Empire which will be the kingdom of the Anti-Christ and his reign of terror during the future seven years of Tribulation. One day, perhaps very soon, the Roman Empire will be revived under Satanic empowered leadership of a false messiah who will deceive Israel and the peoples of the world by promising them universal peace. For a short time he will make good on his promise and will apparently allow them to rebuild the Third Temple in Jerusalem. Then suddenly, after the Temple is complete, his true character will be revealed and his reign of terror will begin.
Cloak and Dagger:
The Anti-Christ as described in Daniel chapters 8 and 11 plus Revelation chapter 13, will lead a horrendous blood bath against the people of Israel and all peoples of faith, three and one half years after he has confirmed a covenant with the Jews and promises them protection and peace – “And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week; and in the midst of the week, he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.” Daniel 9:27
Jesus spoke of the abomination committed by the man of sin in Matthew 24:15-16 – “When ye, therefore, shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place (whosoever readeth, let him understand), Then let them who are in Judea flee into the mountains;”
It should be noted that, according to the Scriptures, the Temple sacrifices will once again be practiced. Thus we know that one day, the Temple will be rebuilt. This will occur under the deception of the wicked world leader who will enter the Temple and demand to be worshipped.
Just As The Prophets Said:
As predicted by Daniel, all of the world kingdoms have come and gone and the world now awaits the final chapter of gentile world rule under the revived Roman Empire and tyranny of the Anti-Christ.
Historically, as prophesied, the ancient Babylonian Empire was given to the Medes and Persians as they quickly took the city without bloodshed and then killed King Belshazzar. The point is, historic Babylon was never destroyed by fire and turned to ash like Sodom and Gomorrah as was prophesied in Isaiah 13:19 – “And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldeans excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.”
The prophecies given about the destruction of Babylon remain prophetic and are events yet to be fulfilled.
SADDAM’S REBUILT BABYLON:
Some Bible students believe that all of the prophecies have either been fulfilled or are related to the destruction of a rebuilt Babylon. There has been a modern rebuilding effort that has taken place in recent years at the historical site of Babylon located in Iraq 50 miles south of Baghdad. The reconstruction efforts of Saddam Hussein, the infamous “Butcher of Baghdad” may be destroyed in the future but this will be just a partial fulfillment of the many prophesies against Babylon.
Saddam made quite an impressive attempt to rebuild the famous city of Babylon, but the restored city is anything but a great economic and military power that impacts the rest of the world as described in the Scriptures. With the fall of Saddam and his tyrannical government, it is uncertain what the future of the ancient city will be, but it is doubtful that it will ever equal the splendor or power of the city under King Nebuchadnezzar.
The deposed leader of Iraq may have thought he was the reincarnation of the ancient King Nebuchadnezzar, but his attempts to restore the glory of the ancient City of Babylon have been meager, at best. The Prophets obviously had something else in mind when they predicted that “the daughter of Babylon” would become like the destroyed cities of Sodom and Gomorrah
and the world would weep “for no man buyeth their merchandise any more . . .” (Revelation 18:11)
END-TIME, RELIGIOUS BABYLON:
Revelation chapter 17 deals with end-time religious Babylon which will permeate religious thought at the time which the false messiah Anti-Christ will come to power. Attempts will be made to bring the world under a “New World Order” of religious unity. It is interesting that this end-time religious system is called – “Mystery Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth.” (Revelation 17:5)
A study of the seventeenth chapter of Revelation reveals that this powerful religious system will be beautiful in the eyes of the world but is a harlot; that is, she will sell the truth for political power and her “lovers” are the kings of the world. The final verse in the chapter declares – ”And the woman whom thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.”
This great city of religious Babylon will be built on seven hills and shall apparently be burned with fire as we read in verse 16 – “And the ten horns (ten kings) which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the harlot, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.”
Many believe that the religious “harlot” may refer to the Vatican with all of it’s pageantry and idolatry. Whoever “Mystery Babylon, the Mother of Harlots” is, it will eventually be destroyed by the anti-Christ, or “man of sin”, as he declares himself to be “god” and demands worship.
END-TIME, POLITICAL BABYLON:
There are so many vivid descriptions of “the daughter of Babylon”, that we will devote the entire next chapter to the subject and lay out each description point by point as they are presented in the Scriptures.
When I began this research many years ago, I was unaware that Dr. Franklin Logsdon wrote on the subject. Dr. Logsdon was the pastor of the famed Moody Church in Chicago, and his book, “Is The U.S. A. in Prophecy?”, was published in 1968 by Zondervan Publishing Company. His work has now been reprinted with additional comments by Dr. Noah Hutchings.
Dr. Logsdon probably discovered, as I have, that revealing unpleasant things that appear to be pointed to our own beloved country is not well received. However, I feel that to be true to one’s convictions is more important than the approval of man.
The words of Ezekiel have prompted me to finally make my own findings known:
“Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore, hear the word at my mouth and give them warning from Me. When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.” Ezekiel 3:17-18
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