Nazarene Israelite Two House Congregation of Port Elizabeth

The fall of Babylon the great.

Few people realize that the fall of Babylon is not only discussed in the book of Revelation chapters 17 & 18, but were originally prophesied by Jeremiah in Jeremiah 50 & 51. In fact to get the full account of what is prophesied to happen to Babylon we need to look at both these books of the Scriptures.Babylon is the name G-d gave to the false economic, political and religious system that originated in the ancient city of Babylon. This system was largely perpetuated by Satan and his agents in Europe as the so-called ‘HolyRoman Empire’, but its influence has through the passing of time, reached the ends of the earth as was evident in the revelry that could be seen via TV from one end of the earth to the other during the recent silly season, and is astestified in Revelation 12: 9, as follows:‘And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.’

We commence reading about the ultimate demise of this system that was against HASHEM from the start from Jeremiah 50: 1& 2, in this way: ‘The word which HASHEM spoke concerning Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans, through Jeremiah the prophet: (2) “Declare and proclaim among the nations. Proclaim it and lift up a standard. Do not conceal it but say, ‘Babylon has been captured, Bel has been put to shame, Marduk has been shattered; her images have been put to shame, her idols have been shattered.’”Babylon has several levels of meaning in the Scriptures. To start with, it refers to the ancient city of Babelin the land of Shinar about 70 miles southwest of Bagdad in Iraq. This city was one of the cities erected by one of the sons of Cush namely Nimrod. We read about it from Genesis 10: 8 & 9, as follows:‘Now Cush became the father of Nimrod; he became a mighty one on the earth. (9) He was a mighty hunter before (or against) HASHEM; therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before HASHEM.”’ Even though Babel was once overrun by the Medes and the Persians, it was never destroyed totally in the way described in the rest of Jeremiah 50 & 51. At the second level, Babel is seen throughout the Scriptures as a seat of rebellion against HASHEM. It was in Babel that men started to make ‘a name for themselves’ (meaning a name for the godthey worshipped), when they planned to build the tower of Babel to reach into heaven as per Genesis 11: 3 & 4. The tower of Babel was a prominent example of man trying to oust even G-d from His throne in heaven, similar to the way Satan did before the recreation of the world, as described in Isaiah 14: 12 - 14, in this way: “How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning (the KJV calls him Lucifer), son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, you who have weakened the nations! (13)  But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of G-d, and I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north. (14) I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’” A second witness to this comes from Ezekiel 28: 13 - 15, as follows: “You were in Eden, the garden of G-d; every precious stone was your covering: The ruby, the topaz, and the diamond: The beryl, the onyx, and the jasper; the lapis lazuli, the turquoise, and the emerald; and the gold, the workmanship of your settings and sockets, was in you. On the day that you were created they were prepared. (14) You were the anointed cherub who covers, and I placed you there. You were on the Set-apart mountain of G-d; you walked in the midst of the stones of fire. (15) You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, until unrighteousness was found in you.” Most of the ancient cities of Babylon had pagan temples withadjoining towers known as ziggurats,resembling the tower of Babel and similar to the tower of Babel, these towers served as stairways or ‘gates to heaven’. Thispagan custom of erecting towers or steeples next to or as part of temples or places of worship is still in use today as may be seen in most cities and towns in Christian countries.

At the third level, it is referring to the trading system thatoriginated in Babylon and has spread into every part of the world as mentioned in Revelation 18: 11 – 13, in this way: “And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargoes anymore;  (12) cargoes of gold and silver and precious stones and pearls and fine line and purple and silk and scarlet, and every kind of citron wood and every article of ivory and every article made from very costly wood and bronze and iron and marble, (13)  and cinnamon and spice and incense and perfume and frankincense and wine and olive oil and fine flour and wheat and cattle and sheep, and cargoes of horses and chariots and slaves and human lives.”This end time fall of Babylon seems to be the result of leaders of world governments breaking all ties with the worlds religious system centered in Rome, of which the Protestant Churches are all offshoots since they retained most practices introduced by Rome, such as: Xmas, Easter, Sunday worship, the immersion of infants instead of circumcision and the abolition of all things Jewish, to name but a few. The name Bel is the Babylonian pronunciation of Baal, meaning husband or lord – a title adopted and preserved by modern Christianity and other religions of the world for the ones they worship. There were many so-called middle Eastern gods known as Baal; one in particular was Baal-Gad (or Gawd) which has an uncanny resemblance to the title by which many religions use to address their deities namely Lord God.As can be seen from Isaiah 65: 11, it means the ‘Lord of Fortune (meaning Luck – which is short for Lucifer) or Destiny[1]’, in this way: “But you who forsake HaShem, who forget My holy mountain, who set a table for Fortune, and who fill cups with mixed wine for Destiny.” HaShem will destroy the economic, religious and political system called Babylon, immediately prior to Messiah’s coming as Messiah Ben David to rule the world from Jerusalem. This is why He warns those of us called out of the religious systems of the world to come totally out of the Babylonian systems, saying in Revelation 18: 4& 5, “Come out of her My people, that you may not participate in her sins and that you may not receive of her plagues; (5) for her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and G-d has remembered here iniquities.”

Talking about the coming destruction of Babylon, HaShem says in verse 3 of Jeremiah 50:“For a nation has come up against her out of the north; it will make her land an object of horror, and there will be no inhabitant in it. Both man and beast have wandered off, they have gone away!”  The beast power namely Europe under the auspices of the Roman Church (the king of the north) will by this time have attacked the combined Muslim world stretching from North Africa into the Middle East led by Iran (the king of the south) as per Daniel 11: 40, as follows: “And at the end time the king of the South will collide with him, and the king of the North will storm against him with chariots, with horsemen, and with many ships; and he will enter counties, overflow them, and pass through.” But a massive attack from the north – Asia, will devastate the beast power. This is the second woe spoken about in the book of Revelation. But as we read from verses 4 & 5 of Jeremiah 50, it will also be a time when the two houses of Israel will come together, in this way: ‘In those days and at that time, declares HaShem, “the sons of Israel will come, both they and the sons of Judah as well; they will go along weeping as they go, and it will be HASHEM their G-d they will seek. (5) They will ask for the way to Zion, turning their faces in its direction; they will come that they may join themselves to HaShem in an everlasting covenant that will not be forgotten.”’ This is when HaShem will make the New (marriage) Covenant with both houses of Israel, as mentioned in Jeremiah 31.

We see that HaShem holds the false shepherds in Israel responsible for His people who became like lost sheep in verse 6, saying: “My people have become lost sheep; their shepherds have led them astray. They have made them turn aside on the mountains; they have gone along from mountain to hill and have forgotten their resting place.”Y’shua said that He specifically came to bring back the lost sheep of the house of Israel to the covenant they made jointly with the house of Judah with G-d at Mount Sinai in Matthew 15: 24. The words ‘from mountain to hill’used in verse 6 refer to the places where the Gentiles worshiptheir gods, as can be seen from Deuteronomy 12: 2, where HaShem says: “You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations whom you dispossess serve their gods, on the mountains and on the hills and under every green tree.” This is therefore talking about shepherds (pastors) who lead their congregants away from worshipping HaShem into idolatry and even worshipping trees, such as the Xmas tree.Continuing in verse 7 of Jeremiah 50, we read: “All who came upon them have devoured them ((HaShem)’s people); and their adversaries have said, ‘We are not guilty, inasmuch as they have sinned against HaShem who is the habitation of righteousness. Even HASHEM, the hope of their fathers’” Brethren, this excuse was heard many times over by every persecutor of G-d’s people; from the crusaders to the Nazis in reference in particular to the tribe of Judah. But they will again use it during Jacob’s soon coming trouble, when both houses of Israel will again be persecuted. We are warned in verse 8 to “Wander away from the midst of Babylon, and go forth from the land of the Chaldeans; be also like male goats at the head of the flock.”Whilst we are presently forced to work and live in the economic system of Babylon, our hearts should not be focused on it and its greed, because in the not too distant future we will be required to get out of it completely, when it will become impossible to do business if we do not have the mark of the beast (as discussed in Revelation 13). Forerunners of this are already in place through identification numbers, without which we cannot buy or sell.  But we need to prepare our hearts and minds for that day, where we will have to make a decision not to be identified as the ones who support the beast, who will be given the right to work and to buy and sell, or not. A lot is presently being published world-wide about a DNA changing vaccine for the COVIT - 19 viruses that have caused the entire economy of the world to shut down for months, resulting in bankruptcy of many companies around the world and will be given to every citizen in the world. Those who refuse the vaccine will not be able to travel or enter banking halls and shops any longer. This will happen instantaneously, because the command given by HaShemhere is dependent on there being time to respond properly, if we have the insight to do so. Like Moses and Aaron, forerunners of Israel’s exodus from this system are already being called and trained to lead the rest out. Obviously this system will not bepleased to find out that there are some whose loyalty is toHaShem and not to it. But we need to be strengthened by the idea that even if we are killed for not having the mark of the beast, we will be resurrected to eternal life, if we remain loyal to HaShem to the end.

HaShemcontinues warning us through Jeremiah 50: 9& 10, saying: ‘“For behold, I am going to arouse and bring up against Babylon a horde of great nations from the land of the north, and they will draw up their battle lines against her;from there she will be taken captive. Their arrows will be like an expert warrior who does not return empty-handed.(10) And Chaldea will become plunder; all who plunder her will have enough,” declares HaShem.’ This horde of great nations from the land of the north can only be Russia and China together with other nations which will join their power bloc. A scary thought is that South Africa and Brazil have recently joined Russia and China in a trade agreement. The devastating attack of this group from the north on Babylon is described in detail in Revelation 18: 2 – 19, but the end result is given in detail in verses 17 - 19, as follows: ‘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, (18) and were crying out as they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, “What city is like the great city?” (19) And they threw dust on their heads and were crying out, weeping and mourning, saying, “Woe, woe, the great city, in which all who had ships at sea became rich by her wealth, for in one hour she has been laid waste!”Continuing in verses 14 - 16 of Jeremiah 50, HaShem tells this army from the north: “Draw up your battle lines against Babylon on every side, all you who bend the bow; shoot at her, do not be sparing with your arrows, for she has sinned against HASHEM. (15) Raise your battle cry against her on every side! She has given herself up, her pillars have fallen, her walls have been torn down. For this is the vengeance of HaShem: Take vengeance on her; as she has done to others, so do to her.(16) “Cut off the sower from Babylon, and the one who wields the sickle at the time of harvest; from before the sword of the oppressor they will each turn back to his own people, and they will each flee to his own land.” G-d is behind the counter attack and He inspires the armies to spare nothing. We are all aware that both the Russians and Chinese have nuclear weapons and when we read about the destruction unleashed upon Babylon, there can be no doubt that it will be attacked with nuclear arms.

G-d clearly says here that this is His vengeance. HaShem instructs these Asiatic armies to attack Babylon in the same way she attacked others. We understand from verse 16 that most of the laborers in Babylon are not natives of the land. Revelation 9: 13 – 21 describes the second woe in its proper time sequence. Reading from verse 16 we are given the number of the men in this Asiatic army, as follows: ‘And the number of the armies of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them.’ We know that such a sizeable army can only come from the combined forces of Russia and China today. Verses 17 – 19 of Revelation 9, describe the gory destruction to occur during this second woe, in this way: ‘And this is how I saw in the vision the horses and those who sat on them; the riders had breastplates the color of fire and hyacinth and of brimstone; and the heads of the horses are like heads of lions; and out of their mouths proceed fire and smoke and brimstone. (These were obviously armored cars that Yochanan saw in his vision). (18) A third of mankind was killed by these three plagues, by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone, which proceeded out of their mouths (more than 2 billion people will be killed during this attack, which is most of the population of Europe). (19) For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents and have heads; and with them they do harm.’ Rav Yochanan describes modern engines of war here which in addition to cannons in front have tail gunners at the rear.

HaShem talks about His people and how they were mistreated, but how He will bring back a remnant of them to the Promised Land after forgiving their sins and dealing with Babylon in verses 17 – 20 of Jeremiah 50, as follows:“Israel is a scattered flock, the lions have driven them away. The first one who devoured him was the king of Assyria, and this last one who has broken his bones is Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.(18) Therefore thus says HASHEM of hosts, the G-d of Israel: Behold, I am going to punish the king of Babylon and his land, just as I punished the king of Assyria(Babylon and Assyria meaning Italy and Germany). (19) And I shall bring Israel back to his pasture, and he will graze on Carmel and Bashan, and his desire will be satisfied in the hill country of Ephraim and Gilead.(20)In those days and at that time,’ declares HaShem, ‘search will be made for the iniquity of Israel, but there will be none; and for the sins of Judah, but they will not be found; for I shall pardon those whom I leave as a remnant.” HaShemwill forgive His people their iniquity because most of it was due to the deception of Satan and his counterfeit religious systems.

However, the devastation that HaShem pronounces against Babylon is continued in verses 21 - 28where He says: “Against the land of Merathaim (meaning double rebellion), go up against it, and against the inhabitants of Pekod (meaning punishment). Slay and utterly destroy them,” declares HASHEM, “and do according to all that I have commanded you. (22) The noise of battle is in the land, and great destruction. (23) How the hammer of the whole earth has been cut off and broken! How Babylon has become an object of horror among the nations! (24) I set a snare for you, and you were also caught, O Babylon, while you yourself were not aware; you have been found and also seized because you have engaged in conflict with HaShem.” (The false religion of Babylon is not only confusion, but it is also in conflict with HaShem.) (25) HaShem has opened His armory and has brought forth the weapons of His indignation, for it is a work of HaShemG-d of hosts in the land of the Chaldeans. (26) Come to her from the farthest border; open up her barns, pile her up like heaps and utterly destroy her,let nothing be left to her. (27) Put all her young bulls to the sword; let them go down to the slaughter! Woe be upon them, for their day has come, the time of their punishment. (28)There is a sound of fugitives and refugees from the land of Babylon, to declare in Zion the vengeance of HaShem our G-d, vengeance for His temple.” HaShem is going to punish Babylon severely, because she has become arrogant against Him as He continues in verses 29– 32, saying:“Summon many against Babylon, all those who bend the bow: Encamp against her on every side, let there be no escape. Repay her according to her work; according to all that she has done, so do to her; for she has become arrogant against HaShem, against the Holy One of Israel. (30) Therefore her young men will fall in her streets, and all her men of war will be silenced in that day,” declares HaShem. (31) Behold, I am against you, O arrogant one,” declares HaShemG-d of hosts, “For your day has come, the time when I shall punish you.(HaShem is personally against Babylon for its treatment of His chosen people.)(32) And the arrogant one will stumble and fall with no one to raise him up; and I shall set fire to his cities, and it will devour all his environs.”

HaShem keeps going back and forth between the punishment He is planning to meet out to Babylon and His people Israel who were oppressed by this false religious system of the world, as witnessed from verses 33 & 34: ‘Thus says HaShem of hosts, “The sons of Israel are oppressed, and the sons of Judah as well; and all who took them captive have held them fast, they have refused to let them go.”(Like Pharaoh it will not let the house of Israel go, when it realizes how empty and depleted it would become without them, once HaShem staked His claim on them.) (34) “Their Redeemer is strong, HaShem of hosts is His name; He will vigorously plead their case, so that He may bring rest to the earth, but turmoil to the inhabitants of Babylon.”In verses 35 – 37 HaShem talks about swords pointed at Babylonand its inhabitants, its officials, its priests and even the foreigners in her midst, as follows: “A sword against the Chaldeans,” declares HaShem, “and against the inhabitants of Babylon, and against her officials and her wise men! (36) A sword against the oracle priests, and they will become fools! (The KJV reads: ‘A sword is upon the liars; and they that dote.’) A sword against her mighty men and they will be shattered!(37) A sword against their horses and against their chariots, and against all the foreigners who are in the midst of her, and they will become women! A sword against her treasures, and they will be plundered!” In verse 38 HASHEM says: “A drought on her waters, and they will be dried up! For it is a land of idols (The KJV reads: ‘for it is a land of graven images’), and they are mad over fearsome idols.” This is scary but true, these people show passion and enthusiasm for their idols, which is worthy only of HaShem the Creator and sustainer of all mankind.

The remainder of Chapters 50 & 51 continues to describe the destruction that HaShemis going to meet out on this false economic, religious and political system through Russia and China. From this point on I will only make comments on a few pertinent verses throughout chapter 51. Starting with verse 9 where we read: ‘We applied healing to Babylon, but she was not healed; forsake her and let us each go to his own country, for her judgment has reached to heaven and towers up to the very skies.”  The protestant reformers have been trying to heal this false religious system for 2,000 years, but it has not worked. Instead of staying in the false system, it has become time to get out of this false system and go back to being Israel and return to the Promised Land, where (HaShem)’s righteousness is at home. Continuing in verses 11 - 13 wesee that the Medes (namely Iran and Iraq) will be aligned with the Asiatic hordes, in this way: ‘Sharpen the arrows, fill the quivers! HaShem has aroused the spirit of the kings of the Medes, because His (HaShem)’s purpose is against Babylon to destroy it; for it is the vengeance of HaShem, vengeance for His temple.(12) Lift up a signal against the walls of Babylon; post a strong guard, station sentries(watchmen), place men in ambush! For HaShem has both purposed and performed what He spoke concerning the inhabitants of Babylon. (13) O you who dwell by many waters, abundant in treasures, your end has come, the measure of your end.’ Verse 14 tells us that the army that will attack Babylon will be like locusts, as follows: ‘HaShemof hosts has sworn by Himself: “Surely I will fill you with a population like locusts, and they will cry out with shouts of victory over you.”

Next HASHEM tells us that He made everything and that mankind who trust in images are stupidin verses 15 - 18, saying: ‘It is He who made the earth by His power, Who established the world by His wisdom, and by His understanding He stretched out the heavens. (16) When He utters His voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, and He causes the clouds to ascend from the end of the earth; He makes lightning for the rain, and brings forth the wind from His storehouses. (17) All mankind is stupid, devoid of knowledge (this almost sound like the silly season we’ve just experienced); every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols, for his molten images are deceitful and there is no breath in them.(18) They are worthless, a work of mockery; in the time of their punishment they will perish.’ Mankind trusts in things with no life in them. Babylon’s secret to survive was to keep the people blind, by withholding information that could easily topple it, and feeds their congregants ‘knowledge’ that dulls it to the more important truths. Its idols were usually made from gold and silver and today’s gods are no different, taking only a different form so the connection is not that obvious.

In verses 19 - 23 HaShem mentions Jacobs’s portion and purpose, as follows:‘The portion of Jacob is not like these; for the Maker of all is He, and of the tribe of His inheritance; HaShem of hosts is His name.(20) He says, “You are My war club, My weapon of war, and with you I shatter nations, and with you I destroy kingdoms.(21) And with you I shatter the horse and his rider,  (22) and with you I shatter the chariot and its rider, and with you I shatter men and women, and with you I shatter old man and youth, and with you I shatter young man and virgin,(23)and with you I shatter the shepherd and his flock, and with you I shatter the farmer and his team, and with you I shatter governors and prefects.’ Jacob’s portion is not like other people. While other people may be placed under the jurisdiction of lesser spiritual rulers, Israel is allotted the privilege of answering directly to HASHEM. However, with this comes greater responsibility to go through no others and have dealings with no one, but HaShem. Continuing in verses 24 & 25 HaShem says: “But I will repay Babylon and all the inhabitants of Chaldea for all their evil that they have done in Zion before your eyes, ‘declares HaShem.’ (25)Behold, I am against you, O destroying mountain, who destroy the whole earth,” declares HaShem, “and I will stretch out My hand against you, and roll you down from the crags and I will make you a burnt out mountain.” The Babylonian system is only a counterfeitof the real thing. The ‘one new man’ that is formed by all those who are being called out of the nations, with Messiah as Head, is the restored image of G-d, that was lost at Adam’s fall. In Daniel 2 Messiah is pictured as a stone that will topple the false image of Nebuchadnezzar, and then turn into a mountain that fills the earth. Yes, He will come to put an end to all rule and authority, and start ruling the world from Jerusalem.

We pick up in verses 47& 50 where HaShem says through Jeremiah:‘Therefore behold, days are coming when I shall punish the idols of Babylon; and her whole land will be put to shame, and all her slain will fall in her midst. (48) Then heaven and earth and all that is in them will shout for joy over Babylon, for the destroyers will come to her from the north,” declares HaShem. (49) Indeed Babylon is to fall for the slain of Israel, as also for Babylon the slain of all the earth have fallen. (50) You who have escaped the sword, depart! Do not stay! Remember HaShem from afar, and let Jerusalem come to your mind.’HASHEM told Israel that a sword would follow them into exile, and continue to destroy many there. But HASHEM saw fit to keep a remnant alive and He tells them to remember Jerusalem and let it take precedence in their hearts. Jerusalem as mentioned here is a larger concept than the mere city and is meant to embody the headquarters of (HaShem)’s Kingdom. The remnant of Israel should not let the Babylonian system steal their hearts, but should be committed to the way of G-d only.

G-d’s anger is fueled against Babylon and it will be utterly destroyed, never to rise again as we read  from verses 60 – 64 of Jeremiah 51, in this way: ‘So Jeremiah wrote in a single scroll all the calamity which would come upon Babylon, that is, all these words which have been written concerning Babylon. (61) Then Jeremiah said to Seraiah, “As soon as you come to Babylon, then see that you read all these words aloud, (62) and say, ‘Thou, O HaShem, hast promised concerning this place to cut it off, so that there will be nothing dwelling in it, whether man or beast, but it will be a perpetual desolation.’ (63)And it will come about as soon as you finished reading this scroll, you will tie a stone to it and throw it into the middle of the Euphrates, (64) and say, ‘Just so shall Babylon sink down and not rise again, because of the calamity that I am going to bring upon her; and they will become exhausted.’” Thus far are the words of Jeremiah.’The final sentence tells us that chapter 52 is a scribal addendum for explanatory purposes only. Having had this prophecy repeated in both Jeremiah 50 & 51 and Revelation 9, 17 & 18, should inspire us to put in every effort to serve and obey G-d fully.We cannot continue condoning paganism amongst the lost sheep of the house of Israel who HaShem is calling back. Think carefully about it!

 

 

[1] The Afrikaans Bible uses the words ‘god of luck’ in place of ‘Fortune’ and the ‘goddess of fate’ in place of ‘Destiny’ as quoted here from Isaiah 65: 11 in the New American Standard Bible.