“And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.”
Revelation 14:8
Historically Babylon was a physical place centered in modern day Iraq:
Babylon was the capital city of the ancient Babylonian Empire... built along both banks of the Euphrates river... remains of the city are in present-day Hillah, Babil Governorate, Iraq, about 85 kilometres south of Baghdad. ” "Babylon" via Wikipedia
The kingdom was continually at war with God's people and we see when God's people transgressed God's law, God removed His protection and the darkness captured them:
“So all Israel were reckoned by genealogies; and, behold, they were written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah, who were carried away to Babylon for their transgression.”
1 Chronicles 9:1
“Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they are a rebellious house... My net also will I spread upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare: and I will bring him to Babylon to the land of the Chaldeans; yet shall he not see it, though he shall die there.”
Ezekiel 12:2,13
:
“In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old.”
Daniel 5:30-31
After this kingdom fell, God declared that the city would never again be rebuilt:
“And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation...”
Isaiah 13:19-21
So while this physical location has been desolate, the Bible continues to reference it not as a literal place but in a spiritual or metaphorical sense for when people reject God.
“The word that the Lord spake against Babylon… My people hath been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray... Remove out of the midst of Babylon… Behold, I will punish the king of Babylon and his land.”
Jeremiah 50:1,6,8,18
Any false doctrine is considered Spiritual Babylon or reference to spiritual confusion coming from the word "Babel". We may recognize this from the Tower of Babel which was lead by Nimrod.
We can start by seeing what the Bible has to say about Nimrod:
And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord. And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. ” Genesis 10:8-10
And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be mighty upon the earth. ” 1 Chronicles 1:10
Because of his rebellion and distrust in God, we learn that he was responsible for the building of the Tower of Babel; we also learn that he founded many major cities and was a great ruler of Mesopotamia.
And they shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof: thus shall he deliver us from the Assyrian, when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our borders. ” Micah 5:6
Here we see Nimrod linked with Assyria. This is also the conclusion of Alexander Hislop, as published in The Two Babylons (1853), where linked identified Nimrod with Ninus, who founder Zoroastrian cult and according to Greek mythology was a Mesopotamian king and husband of Queen Semiramis. Hislop attributed to Semiramis and Nimrod the invention of polytheism.
Nimrod was also known as
If we link together his other pagan identities it all starts to come together and we see that there is not a bunch of disconnected myths, but instead a localized version of the same Pagan sun god.
“Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the Lord did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the Lord scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.”
Genesis 11:9
The term Babylon, derived from Babel, and signifying confusion, is applied in Scripture to the various forms of false or apostate religion. ” The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 4 (4SP 232.2)
We find that Babylon is described as the "Great City" is divided into three parts:
“And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.”
Revelation 16:19
Which are these three parts that form the apostacy?
“ And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. ”
Revelation 16:13-14
In Revelation 17 these are identified as kings, whore, daughters.
“ I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters... And upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery, Babylon The Great, The Mother Of Harlots And Abominations Of The Earth. 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. ”
Revelation 17:1,5,2
In Revelation 13 these three are also identified as dragon, sea beast and land beast:
“ And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea... And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon... ...and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. ”
Revelation 13:1, 11, 2
So there is a Beast out of the Sea (which in the Bible represents a populated area, we will show shortly this is referring to the Papacy) and a new beast which comes out of the earth (which based on the timing is clear is referring to the Protestant movement in the United States which never fully rejects the day of worship pushed by the Papacy)... these are given their power by the devil.
Devil
via Civil Powers
Roman Catholic Papacy
Apostate Protestantism
The Bible is very clear that the dragon is the devil or satan:
“And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the devil, and satan, and bound him a thousand years...”
Revelation 20:2
“And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the devil, and satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”
Revelation 20:9
What we find is that the dragon uses the civil powers to carry out his work:
“And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.”
Revelation 12:4
The woman referring to God's church, the Jews at the time, the child referring to Jesus. How did satan try and kill Jesus?
“ Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men.”
Matthew 2:16
So we see how satan used the Herod, the ruler of the Roman Empire to do his work. So we can translate the Dragon to being the devil through civil powers.
The dragon is said to be satan (Revelation 12:9); he it was that moved upon Herod to put the Saviour to death. But the chief agent of Satan in making war upon Christ and His people during the first centuries of the Christian Era was the Roman Empire, in which paganism was the prevailing religion. Thus while the dragon, primarily, represents Satan, it is, in a secondary sense, a symbol of pagan Rome. ” The Great Controversy (GC 438.2)
We read how various forms of civil powers including kings, rulers and governors are lured in by power or greed and enlisted in the bidding of the devil:
Kings and rulers and governors have placed upon themselves the brand of antichrist, and are represented as the dragon who goes to make war with the saints. ” Testimonies to Ministers (TM 38.2)
“And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.”
Revelation 13:1
A clue is that the beast speaks great blasphemies against God.
“And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies.”
Revelation 13:5
What does it mean to blaspheme?
Blaspheme
/blasˈfiːm/
Claim to be God, or speak irreverently about God or sacred things.
So to blaspheme is to claim to be God, which power makes this claim? Here is a well known claim by Pope Innocent III (1198-1216):
We may according to the fullness of our power, dispose of the law and dispense above the law. Those whom the Pope of Rome doth separate, it is not a man that separates them but God. For the Pope holdeth place on earth, not simply of a man but of the true God.” 1 Book of Gregory 9 Decret. c. 3
Speaking of Constantine, Pope Nicholas I stated:
...the appellation of God had been confirmed by Constantine on the Pope, who being God, cannot be judged by man.” Labb IX Dist.: 96 Can 7 Satis Evidentur Decret Gratian Primer Para
Another blasphemous quote from Pope Nicholas, this time speaking about himself:
I am in all and above all, so that God Himself and I, the vicar of God, hath both one consistory, and I am able to do almost all that God can do... wherefore, if those things that I do be said not to be done of man, but of God, what do you make of me but God? Again, if prelates of the Church be called of Constantine for gods, I then being above all prelates, seem by this reason to be above all gods. Wherefore, no marvel, if it be in my power to dispense with all things, yea with the precepts of Christ.” Decret. par. Distinct 96 ch. 7 edit. Lugo 1661
From the Fifth Lateran Council, Session IV (1512), Christopher Marcellus addressing Pope Julius II::
Take care that we lose not that salvation, that life and breath which thou hast given us, for thou art our shepherd, thou art our physician, thou art our governor, thou art our husbandman, thou art finally another God on earth.” Council Edition. Colm. Agrip. 1618
And it goes on and on...
The Pope and God are the same, so he has all power in Heaven and earth.” Pope Pius V, "Cities Petrus Bertanous" Barclay, Chapter XXVII, p. 218
...We hold upon this earth the place of God Almighty...” Pope Leo XIII, in Praeclara Gratulationis Publicae (promulgated on June 20, 1894)
I acknowledge no civil superior, I am the subject of no prince, and I claim more than this, I claim to be the supreme judge on earth and director of the consciences of men, I am the last supreme judge of what is right and wrong.” Cardinal Manning, Sermon in the Pro Cathedral, Kensington, Tablet Oct 9, 1864
The Pope takes the place of Jesus Christ on earth...by divine right the Pope has supreme and full power in faith, in morals over each and every pastor and his flock. He is the true vicar, the head of the entire church, the father and teacher of all Christians. He is the infallible ruler, the founder of dogmas, the author of and the judge of councils; the universal ruler of truth, the arbiter of the world, the supreme judge of heaven and earth, the judge of all, being judged by no one, God himself on earth.” New York Catechism
The Catholic church teaches that they can forgive sins!
In the teaching of the Catholic Church, an indulgence is "a way to reduce the amount of punishment one has to undergo for sins". The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes an indulgence as "a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain prescribed conditions through the action of the Church which, as the minister of redemption, dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and all of the saints.” Indulgence via Wikipedia
What does the Bible say about this?
“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus...”
1 Timothy 2:5
See also: 1 John 1:9, Isaiah 43:25 and Hebrews 4:14
So from their own admission, they make blasphemous claims to be God... What did the early say about this?
You must be armed with the scripture so that you cannot only call the pope the Anti-Christ but also know how to prove it so clearly that you could die with this conviction.” Martin Luther
I deny that See to be Apostolical, wherein nought is seen but a shocking apostasy. I deny him to be the vicar of Christ, who, in furiously persecuting the gospel demonstrates by his conduct that he is Antichrist.” John Calvin
...your Roman Church as it is now corrupted... I no more doubt that it is the synagogue of satan and the head thereof, called the Pope, to be that man of sin, of whom the apostle speaks.” John Knox
From these quotes, we could assume that the Protestant churches would be considered God's people, however the sad reality is that the Protestant Reformation has been defeated by the Counter Reformation efforts of the Roman Catholic Church.
Another blasphemous quote from Pope Nicholas, this time speaking about himself:
The Counter-Reformation, also called the Catholic Reformation or the Catholic Revival, was the Catholic response to the Protestant Reformation. It was a comprehensive effort composed of apologetic and polemical documents and ecclesiastical configuration, and finally included the efforts of Imperial Diets of the Holy Roman Empire, exiling/forcibly converting Protestant populations, heresy trials and the Inquisition, anti-corruption efforts, spiritual movements, and the founding of new religious orders. A primary emphasis of the Counter-Reformation was a mission to reconvert the world to Papal control as seen during the Dark Ages.” Counter-Reformation via Wikipedia
The Counter Reformation has not ended! It is still being waged by Pope Francis:
Pope Francis told the thousands of people who filled the Basilica of St Paul for the evening prayer service that it is unacceptable to consider “divisions in the Church as something natural, inevitable”, because “divisions wound Christ’s body [and] they impair the witness which we are called to give to him before the world.” Catholic Herald, January 27, 2014
How did Pope John XXIII at 2nd Vatican Council refer to Protestantism?
She to be an affectionate, kind and patient mother, she is moved by compassion and goodness towards her alienated children.” John Ernesto Balducci "The Transitional Pope" p.269
The Catholic church, prophetically, considers themselves as the mother and the protestant churches her children. Was this prophesied in Revelation?
“And upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery, Babylon The Great, The Mother Of Harlots And Abominations Of The Earth.”
Revelation 17:5
“Babylon is said to be ‘the mother of harlots.’ By her daughters must be symbolized churches that cling to her doctrines and traditions, and follow her example of sacrificing the truth and the approval of God, in order to form an unlawful alliance with the world.”
The Great Controversy (GC 382.3)
The false prophet is Apostate Protestantism:
“The “image to the beast” represents that form of apostate Protestantism which will be developed when the Protestant churches shall seek the aid of the civil power for the enforcement of their dogmas.”
The Great Controversy (GC 445.2)
“...Babylon is fallen, is fallen.”
Revelation 14:8
Quick answer, it is describing the Harlot (Papacy) which fell and her daughters (Apostate Protestantism) which also has fallen...
BEWARE of churches which say they follow God but do not follow His Commandments!
“As the churches depart more and more widely from the truth, and ally themselves more closely with the world, the time will come when those who fear and honor God can no longer remain in connection with them.”
The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 4 (4SP 239.3)
“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.”
Revelation 18:4
Finally, we can ask, why then was Babylon fallen?
“...Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.”
Revelation 14:8
Let's answer this further in the next article: