In the beginning, God created…. When finished, He called His creation very good (Gen 1:31, KJV). [1] Seemingly, the center of God’s creation was the Garden of Eden where he placed the man He had formed (Gen 5:8). It was here that Lucifer, the one who would exalt his throne above the throne of God, struck (Isa 14:13). He began his journey of deception by convincing Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit which she gave to her husband Adam, and he did eat (Gen 3:6). Some believe the serpent, who was energized by Satan, resided in Babylon, which was near to Eden. Therefore, God had placed man in Eden, and Satan had chosen Babylon as his center of operations. Understanding this beginning is crucial to understanding the ending which rapidly approaches.
The goal of this article is to demonstrate that while God has always desired that man multiply and fill the earth with offspring who worship Him as the Most High, Satan has also sought the worship of all men who defy God and unify under the leadership of one who would have them coalesce into one cohesive world government just like the first world government at the Tower of Babel.
The Tower of Babel
The Tower of Babel, the image of the first kingdom of man, which was at the heart of Babylon, was constructed by the descendants of Noah after the flood. In fact, Nimrod, the son of Cush, the son of Ham, the son of Noah, was the leader of the endeavor to build a city with a tower so high it would reach unto heaven. The stated purpose of the building project was to make a name for themselves so they would not be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth (Gen 11:3-5). What does ‘make a name for themselves’ really mean?
The historian Josephus provided clarity about the mindset of Nimrod in the following statement:
He persuaded them to attribute their prosperity not to God but to their own valor, and little by little transformed the state of affairs into tyranny, holding that the only way to detach men from the fear of God was by making them continuously dependent upon his power. He threatened to have his revenge on God if He wished to inundate the earth again; for he would build a tower higher than the water could reach and avenge the destruction of their forefathers. [2]
This cause was not only ludicrous; it was also in direct opposition to God’s command to “Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth” (Gen 9:1). The reason men were able to prosper in this endeavor was the fact that they had one language (Gen 11:1). Therefore, God’s method of dealing with this rebellion was to simply confuse their language, which caused them to leave off from building and subsequently scatter abroad upon the face of ALL the earth (Gen 11:8-9, emphasis mine).
Once the languages were confused, mankind migrated away from those who spoke different languages and toward those who spoke their own language. This caused the settling of the nations of the world along with national boundaries, which God saw fit as the best solution to keep men from doing anything they put their mind to (Gen 11:6). This construct has worked for over four thousand years. But Satan has been chipping away at the boundary established by God ever since. His desire is to see man come together once again with one mindset on defying God and building a kingdom of self-rule at, you guessed it, Babylon. In fact, those who speak of Building Back Better could actually be speaking of rebuilding the kingdom of Satan, headquartered in Babylon.
Babylon’s Return
Babylon, according to some, has been the command post for evil forces since the very beginning of the story of man. God planted a garden in Eden, and Satan countered by establishing his base of operations in the nearby Shinar valley, also known as Babylon. Charles Larkin supplies some insight into this premise:
The river Euphrates, on which the city of Babylon was built, was one of the four branches into which the river that flowed through the garden of Eden was divided, and Satan doubtless chose the site of Babylon as his headquarters from which to sally forth to tempt Adam and Eve. It was doubtless here that the Antediluvian apostasy had its source that ended in the Flood. To this center, the ‘forces of Evil’ gravitated after the Flood, and ‘Babel’ was the result. [3]
Scripture also speaks of Babylon being present at the very end of the book of Revelation. In fact, Babylon is depicted as a woman sitting on the beast, which shall ascend out of the bottomless pit (Rev 17:1-9). She is also depicted as a great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth (Rev 17:18). This woman has a name inscribed on her forehead, “MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH (Rev 17:5).”
The original Babylon is believed to be the true originator of harlotry and abomination by way of establishing the mother-child cult. Since this is the last time all languages were the same, the legend developed there that the wife of Nimrod, Semiramis, had a son named Tammuz who was begotten through an alleged miraculous conception. Dr. Andy Woods explains that when God confused the languages, the legend spread throughout all of the world, and the mother and child had different names:
The legend of Semiramis and Tammuz spread around the world. Their names were changed in different places, but the basic story remained the same. In Assyria, the mother was Ishtar, and the son was Tammuz. In Phoenicia, the mother was Astarte, and the son was Baal. In Egypt, she was Isis, and her son was Osiris, or Horus. In Greece she was Aphrodite, and her son was Eros. For the Romans, the mother was Venus, and the son was Cupid. [4]
This is proof positive that Babylon is the only entity possible of being ‘the mother of harlots and abominations,’ which in some mysterious way will reappear in the last days.
How will Babylon return? Scripture indicates that Babylon is in the valley of Shinar, which is modern-day Iraq. Interestingly, the wars of the past twenty years and the subsequent withdrawals left great resources at the disposal of the enemies of Israel and Christians alike. This should not be considered coincidental. Instead, consider these actions as part of the master plan of Satan to rebuild Babylon. He intends to reestablish his earthly kingdom right where he started it long ago.
Perhaps the greatest obstacle has been the very thing God put in the way when He visited the Tower of Babel, “nationalism.” This obstacle is currently under heavy attack. Especially with the advent of the recent pandemic, which has served to reduce, and in some cases remove, national boundaries. Simultaneously, people are being resettled all around the globe in a concerted effort to cause all people to once again speak the same language or, said another way, come into one mind and one accord.
Additionally, another purpose of the pandemic is to cause people to look to one form of leadership or another for direction. As the pandemic progresses, centralization comes to the fore as individual freedom is lost. This is all by design. Remember, the ultimate goal is to cause all to come under the leadership of a one-world government, using one world currency while having one world religion (Rev 13). Babylon will be the central location from which the forces of darkness fulfill their dastardly deeds.
Forcing the Focus Back to Babylon
Just as God, shortly after the flood, scattered the people to the far ends of the earth to keep them from doing things they ought not, He will force them back to the Middle East where all things began. Shortly after the rapture of the church, marking the end of the age of grace, God will restart the prophetic clock spoken of by the prophet Daniel concerning the seventy weeks of Israel. Sixty-nine weeks passed until the ‘cutting off’ of the Messiah, Jesus. The last two thousand years have been the marvelous mystery of a period of grace extended to all who believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died for all who believe, and He was raised by the Father, and He will return soon to take His bride to the place He has prepared in His Father’s house (John 14:1-3).
Once Jesus concludes the age of grace and the prophetic clock restarts with one seven-year week remaining, the narrative will shift back to Israel, and God will use the forces of evil, which are currently coalescing in the Babylon region, to cause Israel to turn back to Him.
How will the return to Babylon happen? How will the city of Babylon become one that is so influential that the kings of the earth mourn her demise at the end of the tribulation period? (Rev 18:9). How is this possible when the United States is the reigning superpower with great influence in all areas of life? What is the simple explanation?
Most do not want to hear what comes next. The only thing that can explain the absence of the United States in Bible prophecy is the United States will indeed be absent from the world stage. This is not to say the United States will be completely destroyed. However, this once great nation will no longer be a superpower. The rise of world governance is one of the greatest indicators that the nationalistic United States will fall.
What if the information so many have sought for so long has been in plain sight all along? What if the United States is part of the earth that will become irrelevant in the closing moments of world history? Is it possible that the United States and other so-called Christian nations are suddenly made insignificant, seemingly overnight? Perhaps these nations are greatly impacted by two separate but closely related events; the rapture and the subsequent destruction of a fourth part of the earth brought forth by the seal judgments in the early days of the Tribulation. This study is not rapture centric; therefore, this biblical definition should provide enough clarity to continue the dialogue about the return of Babylon:
“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thess 4:16-17).
One-Fourth of the Earth
When looking at the earth from the four-mile perspective or when looking at the earth from above, it becomes clear that one-quarter of the earth stands apart from the supercontinent that contains the Middle East. In fact, Canada, the United States, Mexico, Brazil, and Australia make up statistically one-fourth of the earth’s surface:
World Land Mass – 57,510,000 square miles – divided by 4 = 14,377,500
Canada – 3,855,101
U.S.A – 3,618,783
Mexico – 758,449
Brazil – 3,287,955
Australia – 2,969,906
Total – 14,490,194 – That is incredibly close to ¼ of the earth’s surface (14,377,500). Especially when adding in the remaining inhabitable islands of the earth.
What if the United States is in Bible prophecy? What if all of the countries listed above are greatly diminished by the rapture, then further abated by the chaos which will undoubtedly ensue?
Perhaps these once great nations will be so affected by the sudden removal of the good among them that they begin to succumb to the riders of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. The first being one who will conquer; the second removing peace from the world, causing those left on earth to kill one another; the third causing great famine; all culminating with the fourth horseman who with Death as a rider is followed by Hell, and they have authority to destroy one-quarter of the earth? John provided more detail:
“And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth” (Rev 6:7-8).
Notice this passage does not say one-fourth of the population. Instead, it says, “the fourth part of the earth.” Ironically, the destruction of this part of the earth would have the effect of forcing the focus of world events back to the Middle East and for those who love this world, back to Babylon, the new seat of government, commerce, and religion.
With these things in mind, it is clear to see how the narrative would shift from Western-centric to Middle Eastern-centric. If ‘Death’ visits the aforementioned countries in the magnitude mentioned, they would become inconsequential to the last days narrative. One could even envision the complete annihilation of all inhabitants of these countries. This, however, would not affect the scenarios depicted in the book of Revelation in the least, as none of these countries are mentioned. In fact, this actually clears up many questions posed by theologians about the players involved or, perhaps better said, not involved in the last moments of history.
With this in mind, is there any good news?
The Good News
So, where is the good news? Ah, this news is good indeed. As noted earlier, the church, the bride of Christ, will be raptured before the tribulation begins. However, this good news is accompanied by some bad news. Those who knew ‘about’ Jesus, but did not ‘know’ Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior, will not be taken in the rapture. This event is reserved for those who believed but did not see. Those who do not go in the rapture have affectionately come to be known as ‘left behind,’ and they will also become the “tribulation saints.” This massive group of people are those who are depicted in seal judgment number five and later when the great multitude is seen in heaven in Revelation chapter seven:
Revelation 6:9-11
“And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.”
Revelation 7:13-14
“And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”
Unlike the church, raptured because they chose to live for Jesus, these will have to die for Jesus in the tribulation:
Revelation 20:4
“And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.”
One last thought about the nations mentioned as the fourth part; these nations are predominantly Christian. Therefore, the pretribulation rapture will cause many to escape death which comes during the coming seal judgments. However, these nations are also where many of those who populate heaven, having come out of great tribulation, come from. Perhaps, those left behind will realize they missed the call upward and quickly turn, with all their hearts, to the Lord to such a degree that they are willing to die for their faith. This is precisely how the tribulation saints are depicted:
Revelation 12:11
“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.”
This article has only touched the surface of the very deep subject of eschatology, “the study of last things.” In fact, reading this has no doubt raised many unanswered questions, such as: Will the church be raptured before the Tribulation begins? How will the rapture impact the world? Will the sudden departure of the faithful cause the chaos from which the antichrist system comes to power by bringing order? How do the judgments of the Tribulation shape the geography of the world just before the return of Christ?
Undoubtedly, more questions could be added to this list. Future articles will address many of these issues in order to raise awareness of the impending change which will impact the entire world.
If you do not ‘know’ Jesus, now is the time to accept Him as Lord and Savior. The following passages provide vital information which will get you started on the straight and narrow path:
John 3:16-21
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.” (emphasis mine).
Romans 10:8-17
“But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
“How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (emphasis mine).
Conclusion
The last days are clearly upon us. The stage is being set for the return of Christ for His bride and the subsequent return of focus to the kingdom of Satan headquartered in Babylon. These facts are on clear display for all who desire to know what is happening. Someday soon, everything will change in an instant. The world will never again be like it is right now in the age of grace. The powers of darkness are coalescing in order to assume absolute command, which one could argue the pandemic is a test run for. Fortunately, the Lord has constricted the enemies’ rule to a seven-year period which will essentially separate the good from the bad. Revisiting the Apostle Paul’s words about the rapture while adding verse eighteen is appropriate here:
“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words” (1 Thess 4:16-18, emphasis mine).
Be encouraged; the saved have nothing to fear. Be encouraged; reach out to the lost before it is too late for them. Be encouraged; you may just be the one who is to share God’s Word to one who is to become a brother or sister in Christ. Be encouraged; you may lead some away from the returning Babylon and toward the returning Christ. Be encouraged; if you have never known Jesus, reading this article could be the beginning of something great for you; this could be your new beginning – now is the time – call on the name of Jesus.
Website: In His Commission
Sources:
[1] “Unless otherwise noted, all biblical passages referenced are in the King James Version.”
[2] Josephus Antiquities 1.4.2. See also E.W. Bullinger, The Apocalypse or “the Day of the Lord” (London: Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1909; reprint, London: Samuel Bagster & Sons, 1972), 506-07.
[3] Charles Larkin, The Book of Revelation (Glenside, PA: Larkin, 1919), 151.
[4] Andrew C. Woods, Babylon: The Bookends of Prophetic History, (Dispensational Publishing House, Inc.), p. 12. Kindle Edition.