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BABYLON THE CITY, ITS LOCATION, AND ITS COMING DESTRUCTION

By Alan Yusko

In this article we will take a brief look at Mystery Babylon and the city of Babylon. This city and false religion will be a major part of the soon coming kingdom of the antichrist.

WILL IT BE IRAQ?

Some think that in the days ahead the ruined city of Babylon in Iraq will rise to world prominence. I do not hold that view myself. The land of Iraq has already been destroyed by nuclear weapons. All people and all the soldiers in Iraq will be dead within 1 to 15 years. The reason for this poisoning of the land is depleted uranium ammo used in Iraq. As of last February 2004, I heard that the current amount of DU used in Iraq was over 4000 tons. This alone is equal to 250,000 nuclear explosions similar to those in Japan at the end of World War 2. However, DU does not explode in a big mushroom cloud. Instead DU vaporizes upon impact. It then contaminates with radiation that will last with a 1/2 life of 4.5 billion years. Only 1 speck of DU the size of a piece of dust when inhaled, is needed to kill. Once inhaled the dying person is constantly affected by radiation. Think of it like a continuous X-ray in your body. Death can come quickly depending on how many DU particles are inside the body. People heavily infected can die within 1 year. A light infection (1 particle) can cause death within 15 years. This is why the population of Iraq is doomed to die deaths in the form of cancers and other terrible but related diseases. The DU poisoning plus the fact that Babylon, Iraq is not a seaport that sits on seven hills eliminates this city from being part of the end times. At the destruction of the city of Babylon the merchants at sea will see the devastation and mourn. This cannot happen with Babylon in Iraq. Later in this article, we will cover what the Bible says about the city of Babylon and where it is located.

RELIGION OF BABYLON

The religion of Babylon is not new. It has existed through the ages from the time of Nimrod and the tower of Babel to today. The religion of Babylon has never died but it has changed faces and used different names for the same things over the centuries. Below is Scripture that describes this false Babylonian religion:

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:
2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.
3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
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:
5 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.
7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.
8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.
10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.
11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.
12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.
15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.
17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.
18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

In the above verses a WOMAN is described. She is a very evil woman and is referred to as a harlot. This woman represents a false religion which is spiritual adultery before the Lord. She is a prostitute of false religion. When a person participates in her false religion, they are committing spiritual fornication with this woman. This woman hates God and His people. Over the centuries this woman and her false religion has killed many of God's blood bought people. Now who is this woman and were can we look in the world right now to see her? Read the following verses with that thought in mind:

Rev 17
3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
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:
5 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.

The woman is a good description of the current Roman Catholic church. This Babylonian religion started way back in the days of Nimrod. In those days Nimrod married his mother and they started up a religious system. It was described throughout the ages as a statue of a motherly lady holding her baby. This was originally a representation of Nimrod who married his mother. This false religion lasted throughout the centuries and was eventually brought into the Roman Catholic church. The concept of a mother/baby statue and religion is not new. It has existed over the centuries and in our time it still exists in the Roman Catholic church. The Romanists did not create the idea of the Virgin Mary holding baby Jesus where the mother is the queen of heaven. Instead, the mother holding her son came from the ancient Babylonian religion. You see it really never died out. Instead it merely changed forms with different names.

This religion has always been an enemy of God and His people. This is why verse 6 above mentions that this woman was drunken with the blood of the saints. This means the saints killed through the ages were murdered by those following this false religious system!

Also notice verse 4. The woman is arrayed in purple and scarlet colour and has many jewels. The woman is dressed like a harlot as that is what she is in the spiritual realm. These are also the colors adopted by the Roman Catholic Church. Do you think the colors of Romanism is a coincidence in that they match verse 4? I don't!

A final bit of interesting information is given about the woman:

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

That woman is also a city that reigns over the kings of the earth. The woman and her false religion is directly tied into a city. This will make identifying the city much easier once we know that. This fact also eliminates the city of Babylon in Iraq. That city has been a broken down desert wasteland for thousands of years. However, the Bible indicates this woman has been active all the time from the days of Nimrod to this present time. Again, this eliminates Iraq, Babylon.

In the next chapter we will read about the judgment and final destruction of this woman Babylonian whore. Both her false religion and her city will be completely destroyed. In the following verses there are clues given about that city and its location.

THE JUDGMENT OF BABYLON

Rev 18
1 And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.
2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
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.
5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
6 Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.
7 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.
9 And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,
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.
11 And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:
12 The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble,
13 And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.
14 And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all.
15 The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,
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!
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,
18 And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city!
19 And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.
20 Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.
21 And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.
22 And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee;
23 And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.
24 And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.

The religion of Babylon is in a great city that reigns over the kings of the earth. This eliminates Babylon of Iraq as that city has been a wasteland for thousands of years. Lets look at the above verses and get some clues as to where this city is located.

CLUES ABOUT THE CITY

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

This is a city that holds a false religion that reigns over kings of the earth. Kings are equal to today's presidents and premiers of countries.

Rev 17
9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.

The city has 7 mountains on which it sits. How many cities are built around 7 mountains and is home to a false mother/child type of false Babylonian religion? Think about it!

This city will become a prosperous world trade center. Currently this city is home to a Babylonian mother/child false religion. In the days ahead during the reign of the antichrist, look for this city to become a major trade center of the world. See the following verses:

Rev 18
3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.

Rev 18
11 And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:
12 The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble,
13 And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.
14 And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all.

This city can be seen by ships at sea:

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,
18 And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city!

CONCLUSION

Let me say this before we conclude. On this side of the rapture, we are speculating. We can't see all the end times prophecies as well as those who will be living during the 7 year tribulation period and reign of the antichrist.

So what city is the City of Babylon? I have heard some speculate that it could be New York City. This is a massive trade based city. However, it is not home to the Babylonian false religion. It is however, home to the UN and is currently a major world center. As a result some have thought that Babylon is New York. One thing for sure, when it is destroyed, New York can be easily seen by sea!

I know many have speculated that Iraq, Babylon is that great city. However, the evidence from Rev 17 and 18 suggest that it is not. That city has been 'dead' now for thousands of years. It is not a home to a Babylonian false religion and currently no one even lives there! Also, Iraq has been totally contaminated with depleted uranium poisoning. The land of Iraq is currently a desert wasteland unsafe for human life. Can Satan heal the poisoned land and restore Babylon to its greatness? I would say no he can't. The devil can do lying miracles and wonders but he cannot create. Only God can create with His almighty power. Changing the nuclear wasteland of Iraq into a habitable land would require creative power over the elements which Satan does not have. So Iraq is not Babylon referred to in Revelation 17 and 18!

Myself, I don't think New York is Babylon either. Instead I believe Rome Italy, is that city spoken of in Revelation 17 and 18. This city is home to the Babylonian religion which has been preserved since the days of Nimrod. The Babylonian religion is essentially the same but it uses different names for its paganism. However, today Rome is not a major trade city. I can only assume that in the days to come that Rome, Italy will become a major trading port as it once was during the Roman Empire.




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