Mystery Babylon, Influence and Money

Sometimes we have the most naive views of how things work. The media often portrays wars or revolutions or great political movements as spontaneously arising out of nowhere. Movements of the “will of the people,” is a phrase we often hear. The truth is that very little is spontaneous in either war or the political world, in “democracies,” or under kings or dictators.

Almost everything requires funding to work

Revealing the Christian Age, talks in detail of examples of money in public affairs, all in the chapter “Excursus: What this might look like in history.”

Where does food come from for your family? And clothes? And medical care when it is needed. It does cost money, and at times, a great deal of money. Still at times we may think as if a guerrilla movement of several thousand men can just happen. Or several hundred apparently unemployed men can make a “sit-in” for days or weeks, months, and it can just happen.

Start with a squad of say twelve men. Price uniforms for them, and boots and socks and underwear. Then automatic weapons for all twelve. Then figure out how many bullets and hand grenades they will need for six months of combat, and how to buy all of that. Then figure out what it will cost to feed twelve hungry and active young men for six months. That is just a start. Then multiply those figures by an army, and you are beginning to understand the most elementary of costs for even a small war.

The truth is that wars or revolutions cost too much money, and require too much organization and planning for them to ever happen “by accident.” They have to be carefully planned and financed, or they will soon fall apart.

Take Hitler’s Storm Troopers, the “brown shirts.”

At their height Hitler had millions of such unemployed men in uniform. Just take a million such unemployed men. What do you think it would cost to merely put them into uniform (remember, one million men), and pay them at least a token amount so they will make the time to march and train, and then street fight together. Then you have an idea of how much money Hitler had behind him, and you are beginning to think of how much money mass political movements cost anywhere in the world.

Dues are not enough in most organizations

Some organizations, like churches, are able to be very influential long term, especially if their members all tithe (10%) as is often promoted. Even then, most of that money goes for local maintenance and expenses, and paying local workers, with generally lesser amounts be devoted to slow-going mission works in far off places.

Or think of the primaries before the 2016 elections

Jeb Bush, if I remember right, raised over 100 million dollars for a disastrous presidential primary bid. We are talking here about temporary pushes just to win a primary election.

Most fast growing movements require dramatic
infusions of resources.

Such must come from the productive activities of men, or businesses, or the printing of money.

These are basics to understand our world,
and what prophecy tells us about our world.

Mystery Babylon makes others rich, Rev 18:3.

Mystery Babylon the Great and Commerce

Mystery Babylon the Great is first introduced in Rev 14:8 as “Babylon the Great has fallen.” Before she is discussed, we are told she is fallen.

She is a fount of crazy immorality

She has forced immorality on the nations. She “has made ALL the nations to drink of the wine of the wrath of her sexual immorality.” Rev 14:8 WEB, emphasis added. As ancient Babylon made all of the would be brides into sexual immorality, so Mystery Babylon forces ALL nations into immorality.

As was discussed earlier, she is evidently a mystery religion, a religion that is either secret or semisecret. See the previous post, “Mystery Religions: An Overview.” Evidently Mystery Babylon is sits on a substrata of seven other religions. It has always been common for mystery religions to superimpose themselves on other public religions. Even on Christianity.

Mystery Babylon is a business entity: religio-commercial

There is more about Mystery Babylon in Revealing the Christian Age, and what she might look like when we see her.

The language of the book of Revelation concerning Mystery Babylon seems to come from two primary sources. Old Testament prophecies concerning ancient Babylon and her wealth and power, and the Old Testament prophecies concerning ancient Tyre and Sidon. These were Phoenician trade cities which dominated east-west trade in the ancient world for many centuries. Also they were worshipers of the ancient Baal and Asherah cults. It was the Phoenicians who established Carthage, Rome’s final contender for domination of the ancient world.

The images that we see from the Old Testament are those of wealth and power and large scale business enterprises which span both many nations and continents.

She is the ruler of the kings of the earth, Rev 17:18

Actually it is common for the business face of society to direct the government face of society. Commerce and agriculture and mining produce the wealth of nations. Kings depend on that wealth.

Babylon makes OTHERS rich

“For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her sexual immorality, the kings of the earth committed sexual immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from the abundance of her luxury.”
Rev 18:3 WEB

She does not conquer the kings of the earth. She seduces and uses them.

Babylon is the seller of all manner of wickedness

Demons work in her (1Tim 4:1), and “ … she has become a habitation of demons, a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird!” Rev 18:2 WEB.

Wealth and prosperity falls when Babylon falls

Like Tyre of old, she is not all of international commerce, but she seems to be the one who makes it work. So when Mystery Babylon falls, and it does fall WITHIN history, it speaks as if it is end of all prosperity.

“The merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise any more; ”
Rev 18:11

Thus we are looking at things which will reach their conclusion just before the end of this present universe.

First, because of sin, the church falls/is “overcome.” Then Mystery Babylon falls. Lastly the man of lawlessness and the mystery of Lawlessness fall at the Second Coming of Christ.

WEB is the World English Bible, a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

Ancient Babylon: Power and Confusion

God Used Ancient Babylon

An ancient world of nations deserved to be punished for their many sins against Yahweh the Lord of hosts. God used Babylon, among others, for these purposes.

“It shall happen, that the nation and the kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, … that nation will I punish, says Yahweh, with the sword, and with the famine, and with the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand.”
Jer 27:8 WEB

She was powerful. She was the hammer of the whole earth, Jer 50:23. And she was wicked.

Babylon is Confused

She does not know what is best. Perhaps no better example can be given of her depravity than some of the things from secular history. The Greek historian Herodotus tells us that in Babylon the potential brides were put up for bid at a public auction, with the most beautiful commanding the highest price, and the most homely being offered to poorer men with a dowry as a reward for marrying the girl, Book 1, 196.

Worse, Herodotus talks about what he calls the detestable Babylonian law/custom that required girls to commit fornication before they would be allowed to marry! All marriageable women had to go to what he calls the temple of Aphrodite (the Greek goddess of love). I assume he speaks of the Babylonian goddess Astarte, the Babylonian fertility goddess, whom he calls by the Greek equivalent. It seems some assumed that purity in a woman had distasteful results, so all had to stay in the court of “love” until someone agreed to have relations with them. The ugliest sometimes had to remain in the court three or four years. Then they would be “qualified” to be married. Book 1, 199, 1-5. Abominable confusion about what is right and wrong, what is good or bad.

Babylon’s immorality has further ruined the nations. It has driven everyone just a little bit crazy.

“Babylon has been a golden cup in Yahweh’s hand, who made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunk of her wine; therefore the nations are mad.”
Jer 51:7

A type no doubt, of we will see later of Mystery Babylon the Great. Further, Babylon has set herself again God Himself.

But Babylon has sinned against the Lord, Jer 50:24

“ … for she has sinned against Yahweh.” Jer 50:14 WEB

“We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed: … for her judgment reaches to heaven, and is lifted up even to the skies.”
Jer 51:9 WEB

Babylon is to be destroyed and desolate FOREVER

“Call together the archers against Babylon, … let none of it escape: … for she has been proud against Yahweh, against the Holy One of Israel.”
Jer 50:29 WEB.

“Because of the wrath of Yahweh she shall not be inhabited, but she shall be wholly desolate: everyone who goes by Babylon shall be astonished, and hiss at all her plagues.”
Jer 50:13 WEB

Babylon will be a desolation forever, Jer 25:12.

Babylon has always been about confusion. Symbolic no doubt of Mystery Babylon the Great.

WEB is the World English Bible, a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

Babylon has Always Been About Confusion

Two key things came about in the immediate aftermath of the flood.

The foundations of civil government

These were laid in the covenants imposed on mankind and the creatures of the earth.

“5 I will surely require your blood of your lives. At the hand of every animal I will require it. At the hand of man, … 6 Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man will his blood be shed, …”
Gen 9:5 WEB

So a communal duty was established to put to death anyone who unlawfully kills a man, whether man or beast. The ways and means are not specified, but the duty is given to all men. This laid a foundation for limiting the increase of wickedness, an instrument for protecting the life and span of men.

The Tower of Babel

There is more about the origins of civil government and ancient Babel in Prophecy Principles.

Originally “The whole earth was of one language and of one speech.” Gen 11:1 WEB. They were supposed to spread out and “Be fruitful, and replenish the earth.” Gen 9:2 WEB. Even so, that was not the inclination of our forefathers. It seems they were traveling eastward as a group, and found what was then a fertile land in Shinar.

“They said, “Come, let’s build us a city, and a tower, whose top reaches to the sky, and let’s make us a name; lest we be scattered abroad on the surface of the whole earth.” ”
Gen 11:4 WEB

Men were already confused about what was good to do, now God sees these directions and says they are not good ones.

A Deliberate Division of Men Inclined to Wickedness

“6 Yahweh said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language; and this is what they begin to do. Now nothing will be withheld from them, which they intend to do. 7 Come, let’s go down, and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” ”
Gen 11:6-7 WEB

Now the rightful power to kill the evil doer would never be a monopoly of one group of men, thus another hedge against the evil doers. That power would be divided by tribe and nation.

“Therefore the name of it was called Babel, because Yahweh confused the language of all the earth, there. From there, Yahweh scattered them abroad on the surface of all the earth. ” Gen 11:9 WEB

Sin is often confused about what is right ro good.

Sin often deliberately confuses right and wrong,
so it may do whatever it wishes.

Sin often brings a curse of confusion
because of our evil desires.

“Yahweh will send on you cursing, confusion, and rebuke, in all that you put your hand to do, until you are destroyed, and until you perish quickly; because of the evil of your doings, by which you have forsaken me.”
Deut 28:20 WEB

And so it will be at the end that,

“11 Because of this, God sends them a working of error, that they should believe a lie; 12 that they all might be judged who didn’t believe the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. ”
2Thes 2:11-12 WEB

Babylon has always been about confusion. Symbolic no doubt of Mystery Babylon the Great.

WEB is the World English Bible, a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

Strategic Powers of Our Age: Part III, The Mystery of Lawlessness

Not always the most obvious, but of central importance.

An important man of lawlessness is to come.

The KJV calls him a “man of sin,” but remember that “Sin is lawlessness,”1Jn 3:4, WEB. Paul says that this man has to come before Jesus comes again, and calls this man “the son of destruction” WEB. This man is characterized by “perdition,” destructive behavior, and he brings destruction on many people.

He suppresses all religion except the
worship of Satan and himself.

Both Revealing the Christian Age and Prophecy Principles have more information on the “beast”/ the man of lawlessness and of an occult competition to see who will finally be the “real” beast.

“he who opposes and exalts himself against all that is called God or that is worshiped; so that he sits as God in the temple of God, setting himself up as God. ” 2Thes 2:4 WEB

This man does not just put himself up as some sort of “god.” He puts himself up as the one and only “god.” He does not just put down Christianity, but will put down ALL religion of any sort, except himself. The only other description that matches this is called a “beast” in Revelation 11 through 20. It says men “worshiped the beast,” Rev 13:4, and that he is “given authority” over all of the earth, and to make war with the church and to overcome it, Rev 13:7.

Before we go any further, I must remind you that Rome and the caesars NEVER overcame the church. Instead, the church overcame Rome and the caesars, exactly as prophesied in Daniel 2.

This man is brought to power by a “mystery of lawlessness”
which “already works.” 2Thes 2:7 WEB

Taken at face value, Paul is describing either the teachings of a mystery religion characterized by lawlessness, or a mystery religion itself (an organization) that is characterized by lawlessness. See the previous post on “Mystery Religions: An Overview.” Paul is writing this around say 51 AD, and says this mystery “already works,” 2Thes 2:7. This teaching, this religion, seems to be the “beast” organization of Rev 13:1-2, 17:7, etc. This religion continues to work until it is able to unveil its exclusive god/man to be worshiped by the entire world. This religion has a ruling council of seven men, and seems to have a power base of ten nations. Mystery Babylon and the Mystery of Lawlessness run private intelligence operations that often dwarf those of many nations. They frequently run Deep State operations jointly.

The beast organization, makes Mystery Babylon a world wide success.

“… I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns.” Rev 17:7.

These are competing mystery religions that work together for world domination, and the destruction of Christianity.

The “man of lawlessness” will destroy Mystery Babylon WITHIN history.

This is described in Revelation 17 and 18 as being a total and final destruction. This occurs after the church is “overcome,” and it leaves the mystery of lawlessness as the undisputed master of the entire world.

Revealing the Christian Age has more information the fall of Mystery Babylon.

The “man” of lawlessness is destroyed by Jesus’ Second Coming.

The beast is captured and thrown alive into hell, Rev 19:20. Jesus will kill him “by the brightness of his coming.” 2Thes 2:8. So these are things which come to a climax just before the end of this present universe.

KJV is the King James Version, 1611

WEB is the World English Bible, a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901