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5. BABYLON In the following section, we will engage insome speculation about how some future events could unfold. Therefore, these ideas should be held somewhat lightly as we wait to see what will actually occur. But, if and when these things begin to become real in our world, when the news is full of stories along these exact lines, then it is time to take seriously the warnings contained in this series of books about the end times. The future Antichrist will have a problem, a very formidable problem. He will want to consolidate his power in the Middle East. His ambition is to dominate the world and make the inhabitants of the earth do his will. But, if he is manifested in these days, there is one nation which will stand in his way. That pesky “world policeman,” the United States, will no doubt oppose his rise to power and also his control over the oil fields. They, as they have done in the past, would certainly send troops, ships and missiles to try to stop any such endeavor. So, if he is to accomplish his will, he must eliminate the United States from the picture. At the time of this writing, the U.S. is involved in a very messy war in Iraq. They suppose that they are going to bring peace and stability to this region. It is a very volatile part of the world where almost anything can and does happen. The chances of their establishing a lasting peace are very, very slim. The peoples which compose Iraq are very divided and warlike. Although the U.S. may from time to time seem to have some successes, the likelihood of some kind of victory which would definitively pacify the population is almost nil. When the American troops leave, the chances for further conflict are huge. Further, this war is having a psychological impact on the American people. The longer it continues and the more soldiers are killed, the less the American people will want to be involved in a conflict in this region. It is possible that before this is over, they will be sick and tired of it. It is conceivable that if the situation deteriorates in the future, the U.S. would never want to send its armies there again. For example, I don’t believe that America would ever send troops back to Viet Nam. Almost anything could happen there, and the United States would not go to war. The emo- tional pain over the past is too great. Something very similar could easily occur in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Middle East. This has already happened with the mighty Red Army of Russia. A humiliating, or less than satisfactory exit from Iraq could play into the hands of the coming Antichrist. He could use the power vacuum which this would create, along with the unlikely possibility of the U.S. returning, to rise up and overthrow the governments of three nations. This is not an unthinkable possibility in view of current events. Osama bin Laden, just to take him as an example, certainly realizes this. Consequently, he and his cohorts will do everything in their power to make sure that this happens. The terrorist attacks will not stop, but probably only escalate. He, or someone like him, could easily take advantage of the current state of affairs to springboard himself into power and influence in this region. Let us suppose that someone like Osama succeeds in taking power and uniting ten countries. Even so, he would still sooner or later, have the threat of the United States resisting him if and when he tries to begin controlling the rest of the world. Therefore, the Antichrist must find a way to paralyze her and/or eliminate this threat to accomplish his agenda. This will be absolutely essential. Due to her overwhelming military might, the United States would have to be removed from the world picture if the Antichrist is to accomplish all his will. In order for any Middle Eastern dictator to consolidate power and use his oil resources to control the world, the U.S. would definitely have to be taken out of the way. Another piece of this puzzle is the tremendous hatred that the Islamic zealots have for the U.S. Supposing her to be a Christian country and witnessing the luxury in which she lives along with the enormous amount of sexual impurity and filth in which she indulges, Osama and others have developed an intense hatred for her. In their hearts they have a firm purpose to destroy her. This should be evident to anyone who is familiar with the present world situation. Don’t think that 9-11 was enough to satisfy them. The radical Muslims’ goal is the total destruction of the United States. WEALTHY, INDULGENT BABYLON These thoughts harmonize exactly with what we have studied about Babylon in the first book of this series. There, from the book of Revelation, we saw her revealed as a self-indulgent, opulent, sinful location. She is proud, world-dominating and unrepentant. Her wealth, extravagance and lust for more and more things requires the services of every ship, ship owner and mariner in the sea (see Revelation 17 and 18). Babylon is isolated from the rest of the world and mainly thinks about herself. Her sinfulness, in terms of adultery, fornication, murder of the unborn, homosexuality and other such things, has become rampant. She has abandoned God as her Protector, casting Him out of her government and schools and turned instead to idols of so-called science and humanism. Consequently, God decides to judge her. (For a more thorough analysis of this subject, please refer to the previous book entitled Babylon.) Interestingly, He chooses the Antichrist and his ten nations to be the instruments of His judgment. They are the ones who will attack her and thoroughly burn her with fire. We read: “And the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. For God has put it into their hearts to fulfill his purpose, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled” (Rev 17:16,17). Let us look at the phrase “hate the harlot.” It is certain that many of the countries which will probably take part in the Antichrist’s schemes already hate the United States. Iran, for exam- ple, attacked the U.S. embassy and took some hostages a number of years ago, calling America the “Great Satan.” The hatred in the Middle East towards the U.S. is tremendous and increasing every day. The terrorist acts being perpetrated against America and her allies today are motivated by a great, deep-seated hatred. These individuals see her as a corrupt, immoral society doing whatever she wants to on the world scene, trampling on anyone who gets in her way. The Antichrist’s military efforts against Babylon will probably occur in two stages. First he must back her off until he consolidates his power. Then, biblically, he will destroy her completely. No matter who he turns out to be, the U.S. will certainly oppose the Antichrist’s rise to power in the Middle East. She has a long history of interfering in that region. So, how could the Antichrist neutralize this threat while he is consolidating his power?. The first stage of “backing her off” might be done by some humiliating attacks with weapons of mass destruction, either chemical, biological or nuclear. This could be what the Bible is referring to when it says that the Antichrist will “make her...naked” (Rev 17:16). The connection here is that when you strip someone of their clothes or “make them naked” you humiliate them. If the Antichrist could acquire some nuclear bombs or other such weapons, he could then put some on old cargo ships and sail them into American harbors. Or he could smuggle some biological weapons into the country. Next he could attack in one place and then say to the U.S., “I have more weapons in your country. You either leave me alone or I will do it again.” Through the fear that this kind of attack could create, he could possibly get the U.S. to tolerate his agenda, at least for a while. Finally, after humiliating her and getting her reluctant cooperation for a time, he will then destroy her with great hatred. Of course, no one can predict how these events might occur. Such speculations are only given to show how such things might be possible in today’s world. Although many Americans don’t really think such events are likely and believe that their government and even God will protect them, the fact is that God is on the other side. God Himself will help the Antichrist execute His judgment upon Babylon. That’s right. God will put His power behind the Antichrist and use him to do His will. The Almighty Himself will empower the coming man of sin to bring down the world’s most powerful, wealthy nation and judge her. We read again: “...for God has put it into their hearts to fulfill his purpose...until the words of God are fulfilled” (Rev 17:17). With such a divine anointing, all the protection in the world, all the intelligence gathering, along with all the safety measures will not be enough to avoid her eventual destruction. Please, for your own sake, don’t depend upon human government or resources to protect you. WEALTHY, SINFUL BABYLON DESTROYED A passage in Daniel chapter 8, verses 23-25, says a lot to confirm that a wealthy, powerful, sinful nation, such as the United States, will be destroyed by the Antichrist. Let us take some time and analyze this passage together. We read: “And in the latter time of their kingdom [the kingdoms of the other three beasts, possibly England, Russia and Germany] when the transgressors have reached their fullness, [here we see that the sinfulness of the prostitute must reach a peak as it did in the land of Canaan before the Israelites destroyed them (Gen 15:16)] a king shall arise, having fierce features, who understands sinister schemes.” “His power shall be mighty, but not by his own power. [We have already seen how the Antichrist will be empowered by the devil.] He shall destroy fearfully [possibly referring to the use of terrorist attacks], and shall prosper and thrive; He shall destroy the mighty, [this could be the U.S.] and also the holy people [this would refer to the coming slaughter of the saints].” Going on in this passage we read: “Through his cunning he shall cause deceit to prosper under his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart. He shall destroy many in their prosperity. [This too is probably speaking about the destruction of prosperous Babylon.] He shall even rise against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without human hand.” Another verse which indicates the destruction of some especially strong nation or nations is Daniel 11:39 where we read: “Thus he [Antichrist] shall act against the strongest fortresses.” Today, in the area of the globe once occupied by the Ottoman Empire (from which will come the kingdom of the Antichrist) there are several countries which have or soon will have nuclear armaments. These same countries also have and are further perfecting missiles which can deliver these warheads. Some of these countries also have ships and “decommissioned” nuclear submarines bought from the former Soviet Union. As we have speculated in the book Babylon, it would be very possible for the U.S. to be “destroyed in one hour” “by fire” through a nuclear attack. This attack could be accomplished with only about ten ships and another ten submarines, each carrying ten missiles apiece. Such ships do not even need to be military vessels. Average cargo ships can carry missiles in their holds. They can be fired by simply removing the hatch covers and pushing a button. These vessels could keep well outside the territorial waters of the United States and yet hit every major city, even in the interior of the country. Such an attack of 100-200 nuclear missiles, hitting many or most of the major cities would completely destroy the country. As an example of how this could happen, we have seen recent news reports on the web which indicate that Iran is placing some of its long-range missiles in cargo ships. Further, the current president of the country Georgia has revealed that in 1999, his country sold Iran twelve cruise missiles left over from the Soviet era. This means that they have had six years (until today) to copy and reproduce them. If and when they succeed in producing nuclear bombs, these could easily be fitted as warheads. Although we cannot know the future or if Iran will be involved in the end-time scenario, they certainly are in the right place geographically. I am told by a friend of mine who is a scientist that someone with a really evil intention could make this attack even worse. If a significant amount of the metal cobalt is included in a warhead (for example the casing around the actual bomb) the area where the missile hits would be contaminated by radiation for as long as seven to eight hundred years or even longer. This means that that region would be uninhabitable and no one could safely travel through it or near it for centuries. At this moment, the United States is working very hard to develop a missile shield. They are inventing various means to intercept and shoot down incoming missiles. But, if these attacks are launched close to her borders, it may be that there will not be enough time to detect them, activate the defenses and then intercept the missiles. The Bible says that God will work against Babylon and help her enemies destroy her. He will anoint the Antichrist and his ten kings to execute His judgment against Babylon. Don’t put your hope in some kind of missile defense. Some may argue with me that at least parts of the U.S. military would certainly survive such an attack and would retaliate, thus eliminating the Antichrist or his kingdom. Of course I cannot say what they might or might not do. But, I do know that during the “cold war” era, there was a large debate as to whether or not the U.S. would respond to a full-scale Soviet nuclear attack. Many thought that they would not. The loss of life and the lack of any benefits besides revenge might mitigate against it. Also, if the leadership of the country were destroyed, or if the president or any leader who survived was rather indecisive, a retaliation might not take place. Certainly, because it is God who is judging Babylon through the Antichrist, He knows what will happen. God Himself will be orchestrating the entire situation. THE DESTRUCTION OF BABYLON The reader may wish to take some time here and read Jeremiah, chapter 50 and 51. Here we have detailed for us the destruction of Babylon. But while you are reading, please remember that part of this prophecy refers to the ancient Babylon and part to the modern one. Some of these verses have already been fulfilled and some have a future fulfillment. It is very possible that many have a dual significance and apply to both “Babylons.” Which exact verses refer to each one and which to both is almost impossible to tease out. As you read, you will no doubt see in some verses events which could easily happen today. Among them are a few points which seem very clear. Babylon is destroyed by someone who comes “out of the north” (Jer 50:3), “an assembly of great nations from the north country” (Jer 50:9) and “a people” who “come from the north” (Jer 50:41). You may remember that much of the old Ottoman Empire was “north” of Israel. These passages do not seem to demand that the nations which destroy the “end-times Babylon” be literally “north” of her geographically. For example, the only nation literally north of the U.S. is Canada. It could merely indicate where they are located in relationship to Israel, therefore demonstrating a geographical position which the Jews of that day could understand. This interpretation corresponds exactly to what we have been seeing about the Antichrist empire coming from the Middle East. DESTROYED BY “ARROWS” As you read these two chapters, you will no doubt notice that there is a strong emphasis on “arrows.” Babylon is principally destroyed by arrows. We read: “Their arrows shall be like those of an expert warrior” (Jer 50:9). “...against Babylon all around, all you who bend the bow; shoot at her, spare no arrows” (Jer 50:14). “Call together the archers against Babylon. All you who bend the bow, encamp against it all around” (Jer 50:29). The attackers from the north “shall hold the bow and the lance” (Jer 50:42). “Against her let the archer bend his bow” (Jer 51:3). “Make the arrows bright” (Jer 51:11). These verses about arrows could refer, and probably do refer to missiles being launched at Babylon. For example, missiles fly through the air like arrows and are often “bright” because of their metallic skins. Of course, this idea cannot be proven. In the days of Jeremiah, there were no missiles. Arrows or lances would have been the closest thing to a missile that the people of that day would know or understand. So it is not impossible that God used the word “arrows” to symbolize something in the future. But it is worth considering that ancient Babylon was not destroyed by arrows. It was conquered by shovels. The Medes and Persians spent their time digging a canal to divert the Euphrates River. This river ran under the wall of Babylon, through the city and out the other side. By diverting the river, the attacking armies lowered the level of the river enough so that they could come in under the wall, thus conquering the city. These invaders encountered little resistance. The defenses of ancient Babylon were rendered useless. Since ancient Babylon was not literally destroyed by archers or arrows, we are led to conclude that these verses probably apply to the end-times Babylon. Another feature of these two chapters is the destruction of Babylon by “fire” and the desolation that results. The result of being uninhabitable is also mentioned. Jeremiah 50:3 says that the attack “will make her land desolate.” “Because of the wrath of the Lord she shall not be inhabited, but she shall be wholly desolate. Everyone who goes by Babylon shall be horrified and hiss at all her plagues” (Jer 50:13). We are told that Babylon will “become a desolation among the nations” (Jer 50:23) and that her attackers will “destroy her utterly” (Jer 50:26). God will “kindle a fire in his [Babylon’s] cities [it is significant here that this says more than one city] and it will devour all around” (Jer 50:32). Babylon “shall be inhabited no more forever, nor shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation” (Jer 50:39). The destruction of Babylon is compared to Sodom and Gomorrah in which a fire fell from heaven that made it uninhabitable (Jer 50:40). God will make Babylon “a burnt mountain” and she “shall be desolate for ever” (Jer 51:25,26). She will become “an astonishment and a hissing, without an inhabitant” (Jer 51:37). “Her cities [again plural, indicating a nation] are a desolation, a dry land and a wilderness, a land where no one dwells, through which no son of man passes” [possibly because of the residual radiation] (Jer 51:43). If this author is correct and modern Babylon will be destroyed by an atomic attack, this would produce all the effects about which we have been reading. No doubt such a large scale strike would also contaminate the air, which as it moves across the globe, will have some effects on other nations also. It may be that other countries will make attempts to deal with the fires and the sources of this radiation, as they did when the Chernobyl accident occurred in the Soviet Union, but they will have little success. Perhaps this is why “The people will labor in vain, and the nations, because of the fire, and they shall be weary” (Jer 51:58). GET OUT OF BABYLON The consequences of this attack are extremely severe and lethal. Therefore, God constantly warns his people to get out of Babylon. God says: “Go forth from Babylon!” (Is 48:20). And again he says: “Move from the midst of Babylon” (Jer 50:8). He warns: “Flee from the midst of Babylon, and every one save his life!” (Jer 51:6). God further exhorts: “My people, go out of the midst of her! And let everyone deliver himself from the fierce anger of the Lord” (Jer 51:45). Finally, God admonishes us with a 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). It may be possible that after this attack, some inhabitants of Babylon will still be able to escape. As mentioned in the book, Babylon, it is probable that many millions will survive this attack. Some of them, because of where they live, may be able to get across the borders or put to sea and still escape some of the aftermath of the plagues and death. To them God says: “You who have escaped the sword, get away! Do not stand still!” (Jer 51:50). This means that those who survive should take every opportunity to leave and keep going until they get to somewhere safe. Incredibly, even after such an attack, some still seem to be reluctant to leave! But God urges them to do so for their own good. Since writing the book, Babylon, I have had some feedback from various brothers and sisters. One comment which has been stated several times is the opinion that no one really needs to leave Babylon. God will surely protect Christians where they are. Since there are so many believers in America, God must love them and would not let anything really bad happen to them. This thought process is foolishness. If our identification of Babylon is correct, then God’s judgment on her will be prolonged and severe. His instructions to His people who live there are extremely clear: “Get out, get out, get out, get out!” If we do not obey His voice, then we will suffer the results of our disobedience. We will participate in the judgments which God is going to give her which are: fire, mourning, death and famine. Today is the time to begin preparations to leave the place which will be judged by God in the near future. The more prepared you are, the easier it will be for you to flee when you see the signs mentioned in this book begin to happen. The longer you wait, enjoying the ease and pleasures of Babylonian society, the more difficult and stressful the situation will become when the end-time events begin to unfold. |
