Discourse 77 – Mystery, Babylon The Great.




Mystery, Babylon The Great. / Article Barney Blankenship 00, 2003-05-12

Jerusalem can never be Babylon. / Comment MH00, 2008-09-20

Babylon the Great – the Global High-Finance? – Discourse 109


The following report is an article by Barney Blankenship from "Shalach Ministries" – a web site dedicated to the salvation of the Jewish people. For the permission of a publication at Immanuel.at I am very thankful. FH.

(See also Excursus 03: "The scarlet beast. – The great Babylon, the mother of harlots and of earth’s abominations.")


(Texts in a black frame are quotations from visitors to this site or from other authors.)

(Mystery, Babylon The Great. / Article BB00, 2003-05-12)

Shalach Ministries

OUR MISSION

We endeavor via the Internet to communicate to all Jews in the State of Israel regarding the necessity of accepting Yeshua as their personal Lord and Savior.

We wish to offer a collective and exhaustive resource of scriptural Hebrew prophecies regarding the previous coming of the Messiah (Jesus Christ, Yeshua) to Israel.

We hope to encourage all Jewish people in the State of Israel who have accepted Yeshua as their personal Lord and Savior to become a faithful and supporting member of a local Spirit Filled Church congregation.

Barney Blankenship word@shalach.org / www.shalach.org







MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS
AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH


Barney Blankenship: 05/12/2003
Shalach Ministries

The Bible (KJV) clearly declares that Mystery, Babylon The Great is a literal city with a geographical location from where the Antichrist will reign over many kings of the earth:

Rev. 17:18
"And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth."

Following are Biblical Scriptures that reveal future JERUSALEM as this symbolic (Mystery) city:

Rev. 17:5-6
"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."

Babylon is a symbolic name. Look at how Jerusalem is referred to by similar analogous names such as Sodom, Gomorrah, and Egypt. All of these, Sodom, Gomorrah, Egypt, and Babylon are all recorded enemies of God’s people.

Isaiah 1:1
"The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah."

Isaiah 1:9
"Except the Lord of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah."

Moses warns the Jews how God will punish them and destroy their land if they forsake His covenant.

Deut. 29:23-25
"And that the whole land thereof is brimstone, and salt, and burning, that it is not sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth therein, like the overthrow of Sodom, and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim, which the Lord overthrew in his anger, and in his wrath: [24] Even all nations shall say, Wherefore hath the Lord done thus unto this land? what meaneth the heat of this great anger? Then men shall say, Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord God of their fathers, which he made with them when he brought them forth out of the land of Egypt:"

Jeremiah 23:14
"I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies: they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness: they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah."

Romans 9:27-29
"Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved: [28] For he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth. [29] And as Esaias said before, Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we had been as Sodoma, and been made like unto Gomorrha."

In the Book of Revelation John continues this use of mystery names for the "Great City." He uses symbolism to refer to people who had betrayed God’s people.

Rev. 11:8
"And their dead bodies shall lie in the street


of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified."



Revelation 11:8 is extremely important because it tells us just where this "Great City" is. It is "where our Lord was crucified". It is Jerusalem.

DRESSED IN PURPLE, SCARLET, AND DECKED WITH GOLD

Rev. 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:"

Rev. 18:16
"And saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls!"

Jeremiah 4:30-31
"And when thou art spoiled, what wilt thou do? Though thou clothest thyself with crimson, though thou deckest thee with ornaments of gold, though thou rentest thy face with painting, in vain shalt thou make thyself fair; thy lovers will despise thee, they will seek thy life. [31] For I have heard a voice as of a woman in travail, and the anguish as of her that bringeth forth her first child, the voice of the daughter of Zion, that bewaileth herself, that spreadeth her hands, saying, Woe is me now! for my soul is wearied because of murderers."

A GREAT CITY WHO SAYS SHE IS NO WIDOW

Rev. 17:18
"And the woman which thou sawest is


that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth."


Here John compares "the great city "in his revelation with Rome, the largest city in his own time (about 100 AD), where the pope sat (from about 33 AD to 67 AD: Peter, as bishop of Rome). The pope later also "reigneth over the“ kings of the earth”. From 800 AD, emperors and kings were crowned by the Pope. The first: 800 AD (Pope Leo III / Emperor Charlemagne). The last: 1539 AD (Pope Clement VII / Emperor Charles V). The Pope - and with him the entire Catholic Church - could therefore believe this lie of the Antichrist and worship him as the “returned Christ” and slander the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, as a “deceiver and blasphemer”, as the Jews have been doing since their high priest Caiaphas.

Rev. 18:7-8
"How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. [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."

Rev. 11:8
"And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified."

Lament. 1:1
"How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people how is she become as a widow she that was great among the nations, and princess among the provinces, how is she become tributary..."

"BABYLON" IS CALLED THE GREAT CITY

Rev. 18:10
"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."

Jerusalem is also called the "Great City".

Jeremiah 22:4-8
"For if ye do this thing indeed, then shall there enter in by the gates of this house kings sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, he, and his servants, and his people. [5] But if ye will not hear these words, I swear by myself, saith the Lord, that this house shall become a desolation. [6] For thus saith the Lord unto the king’s house of Judah; Thou art Gilead unto me, and the head of Lebanon: yet surely I will make thee a wilderness, and cities which are not inhabited. [7] And I will prepare destroyers against thee, every one with his weapons: and they shall cut down thy choice cedars, and cast them into the fire. [8] And many nations shall pass by this city, and they shall say every man to his neighbour, Wherefore hath the Lord done thus unto this great city?"

"BABYLON" AND THE DEATHS OF THE PROPHETS

Rev. 17:5-6
"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."

Rev. 18:24
"And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth."

Compare the above Scriptures with the following Scriptures about Jerusalem.

Luke 11:47-51
"Woe unto you! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. [48] Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers: for they indeed killed them, and ye build their sepulchres. [49] Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute: [50] That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation; [51] From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation."

Luke 13:31-34
"The same day there came certain of the Pharisees, saying unto him, Get thee out, and depart hence: for Herod will kill thee. [32] And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected. [33] Nevertheless I must walk to day, and to morrow, and the day following: for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem. [34] O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!"

Matthew 23:29-36
"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, [30] And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. [31] Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. [32] Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. [33] Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?
[34] Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: [35] That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. [36] Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation."

Matthew 24:34
"Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled."

DESTROYED WITH FIRE

God promised blessings to the Jews if they obeyed, Deut 28:8, and seven curses if they disobeyed, verses 15 -20. God’s Covenant is effected by His Oath. The word "oath" is based on the word "seven." Thus, the number "seven" represents the Covenant. In Leviticus He threatens to punish the Jews with fire if they break His Covenant.

Leviticus 26:15-16
"And if ye shall despise my statutes, or if your soul abhor my judgments, so that ye will not do all my commandments, but that ye break my covenant: [16] I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it."

Leviticus 26:27-28
"And if ye will not for all this hearken unto me, but walk contrary unto me; [28] Then I will walk contrary unto you also in fury; and I, even I, will chastise you seven times for your sins."

It was prophesied that Jerusalem would be destroyed by fire in the following passages:

Ezekiel 16:2-3
"Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations, [3] And say, Thus saith the Lord God unto Jerusalem; Thy birth and thy nativity is of the land of Canaan; thy father was an Amorite, and thy mother an Hittite."

Ezekiel 16:35
"Wherefore, O harlot, hear the word of the Lord:"

Ezekiel 16:38
"And I will judge thee, as women that break wedlock and shed blood are judged; and I will give thee blood in fury and jealousy."

Ezekiel 16:41
"And they shall burn thine houses with fire, and execute judgments upon thee in the sight of many women: and I will cause thee to cease from playing the harlot, and thou also shalt give no hire any more."

Ezekiel 23:2-4
"Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother: [3] And they committed whoredoms in Egypt; they committed whoredoms in their youth: there were their breasts pressed, and there they bruised the teats of their virginity. [4] And the names of them were Aholah the elder, and Aholibah her sister: and they were mine, and they bare sons and daughters. Thus were their names; Samaria is Aholah, and Jerusalem Aholibah."

Ezekiel 23:17-19
"And the Babylonians came to her into the bed of love, and they defiled her with their whoredom, and she was polluted with them, and her mind was alienated from them. [18] So she discovered her whoredoms, and discovered her nakedness: then my mind was alienated from her, like as my mind was alienated from her sister. [19] Yet she multiplied her whoredoms, in calling to remembrance the days of her youth, wherein she had played the harlot in the land of Egypt."

Ezekiel 23:22-25
"Therefore, O Aholibah, thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will raise up thy lovers against thee, from whom thy mind is alienated, and I will bring them against thee on every side; [23] The Babylonians, and all the Chaldeans, Pekod, and Shoa, and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them: all of them desirable young men, captains and rulers, great lords and renowned, all of them riding upon horses. [24] And they shall come against thee with chariots, wagons, and wheels, and with an assembly of people, which shall set against thee buckler and shield and helmet round about: and I will set judgment before them, and they shall judge thee according to their judgments. [25] And I will set my jealousy against thee, and they shall deal furiously with thee: they shall take away thy nose and thine ears; and thy remnant shall fall by the sword: they shall take thy sons and thy daughters; and thy residue shall be devoured by the fire."

Ezekiel 23:44-47
"Yet they went in unto her, as they go in unto a woman that playeth the harlot: so went they in unto Aholah and unto Aholibah, the lewd women.
[45] And the righteous men, they shall judge them after the manner of adulteresses, and after the manner of women that shed blood; because they are adulteresses, and blood is in their hands. [46] For thus saith the Lord God; I will bring up a company upon them, and will give them to be removed and spoiled. [47] And the company shall stone them with stones, and dispatch them with their swords; they shall slay their sons and their daughters, and burn up their houses with fire."

Also see Lamentations 2:4, and 4:11 and Ezekiel 19:12, 21:2-3, 22:19-21,

In John’s prophetic vision future "Babylon" is to be destroyed by fire.

Rev. 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."

Rev. 18:17
"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..."

Jerusalem was a center for commercial trade, but true to prophecy it was completely destroyed by fire in 70 AD, whereas, Rome was only partially burned by Nero.

The burning of Jerusalem by fire also had theological significance. The City of Jerusalem is often referred to as a daughter.

Lament. 2:15-18
"All that pass by clap their hands at thee; they hiss and wag their head at the daughter of Jerusalem, saying, Is this the city that men call The perfection of beauty, The joy of the whole earth? [16] All thine enemies have opened their mouth against thee: they hiss and gnash the teeth: they say, We have swallowed her up: certainly this is the day that we looked for; we have found, we have seen it. [17] The Lord hath done that which he had devised; he hath fulfilled his word that he had commanded in the days of old: he hath thrown down, and hath not pitied: and he hath caused thine enemy to rejoice over thee, he hath set up the horn of thine adversaries. [18] Their heart cried unto the Lord, O wall of the daughter of Zion, let tears run down like a river day and night: give thyself no rest; let not the apple of thine eye cease."

Unfaithfulness to God is frequently compared to as sexual immorality.
The penalty for fornication by the daughter of the priest called for a special punishment. She was to be burned to death.

Leviticus 21:9
"And the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the whore, she profaneth her father: she shall be burnt with fire."

So, when Jerusalem was offered the opportunity to accept Christ, but instead rejected Him, she is referred to as the "Whore of Babylon" who is subsequently to be burned to death.

THE HARLOT

Just as "Babylon" is referred to as a whore, a harlot, Jerusalem is also called a harlot.

Rev. 17:1
"And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:"

Ezekiel 16:1-3
"Again the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, [2] Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations, [3] And say, Thus saith the Lord God unto Jerusalem; Thy birth and thy nativity is of the land of Canaan; thy father was an Amorite, and thy mother an Hittite."

Ezekiel 16:26
"Thou hast also committed fornication with the Egyptians thy neighbours, great of flesh; and hast increased thy whoredoms, to provoke me to anger."

Jeremiah 2:1-2
"Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, [2] Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the Lord; I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown."

Jeremiah 2:17-20
"Hast thou not procured this unto thyself, in that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God, when he led thee by the way? [18] And now what hast thou to do in the way of Egypt, to drink the waters of Sihor? or what hast thou to do in the way of Assyria, to drink the waters of the river? [19] Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord God of hosts.
[20] For of old time I have broken thy yoke, and burst thy bands; and thou saidst, I will not transgress; when upon every high hill and under every green tree thou wanderest, playing the harlot."

Isaiah 1:1
"The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah."

Isaiah 1:21
"How is the faithful city become an harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers."

Jeremiah 3:1-2
"They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man’s, shall he return unto her again? shall not that land be greatly polluted? but thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the Lord. [2] Lift up thine eyes unto the high places, and see where thou hast not been lien with. In the ways hast thou sat for them, as the Arabian in the wilderness; and thou hast polluted the land with thy whoredoms and with thy wickedness."

Jeremiah 3:6-8
"The Lord said also unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? she is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot. [7] And I said after she had done all these things, Turn thou unto me. But she returned not. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it. [8] And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also."

Jeremiah 5:1
"Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in the broad places thereof, if ye can find a man, if there be any that executeth judgment, that seeketh the truth; and I will pardon it."

Jeremiah 5:5-7
"I will get me unto the great men, and will speak unto them; for they have known the way of the Lord, and the judgment of their God: but these have altogether broken the yoke, and burst the bonds. [6] Wherefore a lion out of the forest shall slay them, and a wolf of the evenings shall spoil them, a leopard shall watch over their cities: every one that goeth out thence shall be torn in pieces: because their transgressions are many, and their backslidings are increased.
[7] How shall I pardon thee for this? thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods: when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots’ houses."

Ezekiel 23:1-5
"The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying, [2] Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother: [3] And they committed whoredoms in Egypt; they committed whoredoms in their youth: there were their breasts pressed, and there they bruised the teats of their virginity. [4] And the names of them were Aholah the elder, and Aholibah her sister: and they were mine, and they bare sons and daughters. Thus were their names; Samaria is Aholah, and Jerusalem Aholibah. [5] And Aholah played the harlot when she was mine; and she doted on her lovers, on the Assyrians her neighbours..."

Ezekiel 23:11
"And when her sister Aholibah saw this, she was more corrupt in her inordinate love than she, and in her whoredoms more than her sister in her whoredoms."

Ezekiel 23:17-19
"And the Babylonians came to her into the bed of love, and they defiled her with their whoredom, and she was polluted with them, and her mind was alienated from them. [18] So she discovered her whoredoms, and discovered her nakedness: then my mind was alienated from her, like as my mind was alienated from her sister. [19] Yet she multiplied her whoredoms, in calling to remembrance the days of her youth, wherein she had played the harlot in the land of Egypt."

MY PEOPLE

A very important verse is Revelation 18:4

Rev. 18:4
"And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues."

God said, "Come out of her, my people – " Who does "my people" refer to and where are they at? These are important questions. The term "my people" is the key.

Jeremiah 31:31-33
"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: [32] Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord: [33] But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people."

The term "my people" is covenant language. It is a reference of people who were in a covenant relationship with God. This becomes even more evident when we examine just what it means to be in a covenant. A covenant is very different than a contract. A covenant is as different from a contract as marriage is different from prostitution. In a contract two people exchange goods and services. "This becomes yours and that becomes mine, " or "I will do this for you and you will do that for me." However, contracts can and are broken.

A covenant is an exchange of persons. "I will become yours and you will become mine."

Ezekiel 37:26-28
"Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore. [27] My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people. [28] And the nations will know that I am the LORD who sanctifies Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst forever"

The important question here is, where were God’s people when John wrote this Book? They were still under the Old Covenant, in old worldly Jerusalem and God wanted them to leave that and come into the New Covenant. God could refer to them as "my people" because they were under His Old Covenant. Such will be the case for God’s chosen people when they rebuild the Temple and give themselves over to the dictates of the future Antichrist.

Hebrews 13:12-14
"Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. [13] Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. [14] For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come."

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CONCLUSION

The Whore of Babylon is a symbolic name for the future corrupt city of Jerusalem ruled by the Antichrist, upon whom God’s judgment of fire will fall.

Jerusalem is the only one according to Jesus that is responsible for all of the deaths of all the prophets and all of the apostles and all of the saints. Jesus said God’s vengeance would come against that people, in that generation. They would be judged for spilling all the righteous blood shed on earth.



(Texts in a black frame are quotations from visitors to this site or from other authors.)/h2>

(Jerusalem can never be Babylon. / Comment MH00, 2008-09-20)

This above view is supported by many biblical passages. In the end, however, this interpretation fails at the following passage:

Rev 18:22 And the voice of harpists, and singers, and flute-players, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more in thee; neither shall any artist of any art be found in thee any more; neither shall the voice of the mill be heard in thee any more;

Rev. 18:23 and the light of the candlestick shall shine no more in thee, and the voice of the bridegroom and the bride shall be heard no more in thee. For thy merchants were the great men of the earth, and by thy sorceries were all nations deceived;

Consequently, Babylon will then be empty, uninhabited, without people. Jerusalem, on the other hand, will still be there in Revelation even in the 1000YR. The Gentiles will have to come annually for sacrifice:

Zech 14:16 And it will come about that all the remnant of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem will come up year after year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.

Zech 14,17 But those of the families of the earth who will not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, on them no rain will fall.

Zech 14,18 And if the generation of the Egyptians will not come up, then also upon them will come the plague with which the LORD will strike the nations who will not come up to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.

Zech 14,19 This will be the punishment of the Egyptians and the punishment of all the Gentiles who will not go up to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.

Zech 14,20 On that day it will be written on the bells of the horses, "Holy to the LORD"; and the pots in the house of the LORD will be like the sprinkling pots before the altar.

Zech 14,21 Every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah will also be holy to the LORD of hosts, so that all who want to sacrifice will come and take from it and cook in it. In that day there will no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts.

In this respect, therefore, Jerusalem can never be Babylon and this interpretation is to be rejected.

(M. H.  www.bibel-info.net)



I share this opinion and have already discussed it with Barney Blankenship, the author of this article. However, as I have already explained in great detail in the year 1995, in Excursus 03: "The scarlet Beast.", also the interpretation on the Catholic Church, as Martin Hufnagel offers it on his website Bibel-Info, cannot be the last wisdom.

In excursus 03 I have analyzed in particular the role of the Catholic Church from a political and religious point of view in the past centuries and have also found very strong indications of a comparability with Babylon. However, this similarity is limited to chapter 17 of Revelation. The second part, chapter Rev 18, cannot be realistically reconciled with an interpretation on Rome and the Catholic Church.

Exactly those passages which M. Hufnagel cites above – rightly – as counter-arguments for an interpretation on Jerusalem speak of course also against Rome and the Roman church. So he quotes among other things Rev 18,3.

For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality.

Rev 18,1 After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illumined with his glory. 18,2 And he cried out with a mighty voice, saying, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird. 18,3 " For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality." Rev 18,1-3;


That all (grie: panta) nations drink from the wine of wrath of the fornication of Rome would certainly be wished by the Catholic Church, but the nations of the world with Islamists, Buddhists, Hinduists and all other non-Catholic religions – by the way also all orthodox Christians! – will hardly be persuaded to do so. Unless the ongoing attempts to establish an international ecumenism "under the umbrella of the one and only Catholic Church" would be successful in the future and we would move towards a worldwide Roman Catholic unity religion.

This chapter 18 of Revelation also repeatedly mentions the "merchants of the earth" who became rich through the whore Babylon and now complain because after Babylon’s fall no one will buy their goods. The shipmasters and steersmen also lament because all those who had ships on the sea have also become rich through their abundance.

And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargoes any more.

Rev 18,9 And the kings of the earth, who committed acts of immorality and lived sensuously with her, will weep and lament over her when they see the smoke of her burning, 18,10 standing at a distance because of the fear of her torment, saying, ‘Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the strong city! For in one hour your judgment has come. 18,11 11 " And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargoes any more : Rev 18,9-11;

And every shipmaster and every passenger and sailor, and as many as make their living by the sea, stood at a distance, off.

Rev 18,16 Woe, woe, the great city, she who was clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls; 18,17 for in one hour such great wealth has been laid waste!’ And every shipmaster and every passenger and sailor, and as many as make their living by the sea, stood at a distance, off, 18,18 and were crying out as they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, ‘What city is like the great city?’ Rev 18,16-18;

For your merchants were the great men of the earth.

Rev 18,23; and the light of a lamp will not shine in you any longer; and the voice of the bridegroom and bride will not be heard in you any longer; for your merchants were the great men of the earth, because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery. 18,24; "And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints and of all who have been slain on the earth." Rev 18,23-24;;


And Rev 18,23 even says: "For your merchants were the great men of the earth; for by your sorcery all nations were deceived". The normal trade relations of the Vatican are certainly not sufficient for such a classification. Therefore, if one does not want to impute an intensive connection to the mafia to the Vatican, these statements cannot be referred to Rome either.

If one therefore looks at these texts realistically, their contents are clearly global in nature and can therefore be interpreted to a single city only if this city were the control center of an economic-political world power. Which is currently true neither for Rome nor for Jerusalem. Also the circumstance that the characterization moves away more and more from a religious environment and aims more and more concretely at a worldwide operating economic and political power speaks objectively against an interpretation to the Catholic church. – Unless it succeeds exegetically to separate these two chapters 17 and 18 of Revelation and to find another destination for chapter 18 with evidence from Scripture. Then chapter 17 could be interpreted with a certain justification to the Roman Catholic Church.