In One Hour

[Sturuj]

It also seemed like America for me....

Who has the most powerful currency in the planet?
Rev 18:15 The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,

Who is the center of the physical material?
Rev 18:16 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!

Who has the great control over ocean? naval power? sea domination?
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...

 

[birdie]

[h=2]In One Hour[/h]

Revelation 18
10 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:

I don't understand Revelation much, but the fall of Babylon clearly refers to the (imminent) collapse of the Banking system, does it not?​

Hi Spurgeoncy,

Babylon is the 'great city' Rev 18:10. For that matter Jerusalem is the 'great city' (Rev 21:10). Jerusalem is a parable word for the people associated with God. It represents the saved persons (Jerusalem above), and the ones who are associated with God but who are unsaved (Jerusalem below). Remember how those from Jerusalem in the Old Testament went into captivity in Babylon? This is a parable picture painted for the church age of how the congregations of the church age fall away spiritually. Only a small remnant of true believers is left. In Rev. 18, they are told to come out of spiritually fallen Babylon. Babylon represents those who claim to be in Christ but who are not. You can not find a physical city on a map and say that is Babylon, and you cannot find a banking system and say that is Babylon. However, the congregations of the church age that are fallen is the closest approximation to the idea that one could give. Of course, those who belong to these congregations no doubt have bank affiliations and systems but that is not really the whole idea being conveyed by Babylon. Babylon is drunk with the blood of the saints, meaning each time a true believer went to witness to the religious groups, the congregations, they were rejected. After rejecting Christ for so long, her judgment finally comes. The judgment is the unsaved condition. The physical plagues we find associated with her are simply parable language for the unsaved condition. The voice of Jesus (the bridegroom) used to be heard spiritually in her unto salvation (Rev. 18) but is not heard in a saving way there any longer. That is because the Holy Spirit is taken out of that arena, if you will. Fallen, fallen are the congregations of the church age. Good thing God still saves a remnant out of the spiritual fall. Incidentally, the term 'hour' is just parable language for the time of the great tribulation. Not a literal hour of 60 literal seconds. It is also called that day... the day of the Lord.

If you want another picture of the fall of the congregations of the church age, refer to the fall of Sodom or the fall of the walls of Jericho. Both picture the same thing. Remember that Abraham interceded for these cities. If there were just a few righteous (saved) persons left in Sodom, God said he would spare the whole place for their sakes, but in the end he got the few true believers out of there, and spiritual judgment fell upon Sodom.

 

[GaryA]

You can not find a physical city on a map and say that is Babylon, ...

"Sure you can --- it is called 'Babylon' --- and, it is fast becoming - if it has not reached it already - the richest city on Earth..."

( Something new to think about now? )

 

[Ahwatukee]

Babylon is the 'great city' Rev 18:10. For that matter Jerusalem is the 'great city' (Rev 21:10)

Hi Birdie,

Jerusalem cannot be mystery, Babylon the great. And the reason that she cannot be, is because Mystery Babylon, the woman who rides the beast, is destroyed sometime after the middle of the seven years, so much so that no one will ever inhabit that literal city again. But regarding Jerusalem, according to scripture, after Satan is released from the Abyss he gathers those people representing Gog and magog who surround the "camp of God's people, the city that he loves," which would demonstrate that Jerusalem will be inhabited during and at the end of the millennial period. Therefore, Jerusalem cannot be Mystery Babylon for that reason alone.

Babylon represents those who claim to be in Christ but who are not. You can not find a physical city on a map and say that is Babylon, and you cannot find a banking system and say that is Babylon.

You can indeed find a physical city on a map and says that it is "Mystery, Babylon." God put the provided clues in the book of Revelation and elsewhere in order to point the reader to who the woman who rides the beast is. If you ignore those clues and instead symbolize or spiritualize the information, you will miss meaning.

====== Symbolism ========================= Literal =================

The Woman who rides the beast --------------- The great city that rules over the kings of the earth

The seven heads of the beast ------------------- Seven hills upon which the woman sits

When you ignore the God given clues and spiritualize, allegorize, symbolize, you miss the meaning. Since the wrath of God will be in full swing during the time of the dragon and the woman who rides it, then the church cannot possibly be in view, as believers are not appointed to suffer God's wrath and therefore would not be present on earth during this time period.

As I said in an earlier post, Rome was literally built on and is famous for her seven hills. Though she is claiming to be the true church, within her can be found the practices of the mystery religions stemming from Babylon.

At the time that John was receiving that information from the angel, Rome was that great city that ruled over the kings of the earth.

The woman is said to be dressed in purple and scarlet. These are the exact colors of the bishops and cardinals, which is another clue pointing to Rome and her pagan system.

With all of these clues, God is painting us a picture of who the woman is, that great city that rules over the kings of the earth and that city (Vatican of Rome) which sits on seven hills.

Those saints who will be on the earth after the church has been gathered and during that last seven years, will be those introduced by the elder in Rev.7:9-17 who are those white robed saints which no man can count, also known as the great tribulation saints. These will have come to Christ after the church has been gathered, which will consist of those who came to Christ who will have gone back to living according to the sinful nature, those who heard the gospel, but continued to reject Christ, the religious, etc., etc.

if you will. Fallen, fallen are the congregations of the church age.

Fallen, fallen! is that woman who represents the great city that ruled over the kings of the earth during John's time and said city which sits on seven hills. The church is not on the earth during this time, having been gathered before the 1st seal is opened and that because God's wrath will be in operation, which believers are not appointed to suffer.

 

[Adstar]

Revelation 18
10 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:

I don't understand Revelation much, but the fall of Babylon clearly refers to the (imminent) collapse of the Banking system, does it not?

I think babylon will be destroyed bya natural disaster (meteor strike) and will be destroyed within one hour..

 

[birdie]

In One Hour

Revelation 18
10 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:

I don't understand Revelation much, but the fall of Babylon clearly refers to the (imminent) collapse of the Banking system, does it not?​

Hi again Spurgeoncy,

I see the thrust of your question is about whether a banking system collapse is what is being addressed. The Bible uses the language of a merchant to speak of the sending forth of the gospel. We read: "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price."

In the above verse, wine and milk (the spirit and the gospel) are bought. Those who are thirsty means those who are thirsty not for physical water but for salvation. Through the gospel those thirsty for salvation may buy without price, because Jesus has paid the price. When a person is saved, they are said to be bought for a price, but that price was Christ on the cross of course. Further, when a person falls from grace, they are said to be sold into slavery or sold in bondage. Thus, the gospel is about buying and selling souls. That is why Babylon is said to merchandise in the 'souls of men' (Rev 18:13). Notice the list of merchandise that Babylon dealt with when it could hear the voice of Jesus: "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,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." Gold, and silver and wheat are obvious examples of parable Bible lingo for the people of God, as are the other things. Jesus for example is described as a pearl. Jesus and the believers are pictured as wheat, sheep, horses, and so forth. You see, the description in Rev 18 is not a literal physical description but a Bible lingo (parable language description) of Babylon and its activities. Remember how the kingdom of heaven is as a merchant man: "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man" (Mark 13:45)

 

[Spurgeoncy]

The original Babylon sought to unify the entire world in one religion. Bear in mind that the earth was still in a state of Pangea at this point, so the idea was to bring everybody to one centre of worship.

So the fundamental principle of Babylon is the unification of the World in false worship.

The next issue is having a wrong relationship with money.
Deuteronomy 24
7 If a man be found stealing any of his brethren of the children of Israel, and maketh merchandise of him, or selleth him; then that thief shall die; and thou shalt put evil away from among you.

When we see Mystery Babylon, we see this is the heart of the problem, everything has a price.

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.

The original Babylon was an architectural effort to rule man, Mystery Babylon is a financial architecture designed to enslave men and cut them off from God