The Use of Code Words? Are They Scriptural?:
... Babylon the great was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath: Revelation 16:19b.... And the woman whom you saw is that great city, which has kingship over the kings of the earth.
In the end of days, there is a destruction of Babylon, the great city who sits on many waters, ruling over the kings of the earth. In order for a destruction to occur, there needs to be a great city - Rev 17, which is also a merchant port city - Rev 18.
Babylon aka: Babel, the land of Nimrod, is located in the land of Shinar, the land between the rivers, the Euphrates and the Tigris. In Zechariah 5:5-11 a woman named Wickedness is sealed inside an ephah (measuring basket for commerce) and transported to the land of Shinar where a temple is built for her. Inside the temple, the woman in the ephah is placed upon a pedestal: for worship. It is easy to see where the woman and the ephah are going by reading scripture as written - the land of Shinar, the region of Babylonia. The woman is wickedness, trapped in the ephah which represents commerce = wicked commerce.
The Bible is consistent with the location of Babylon, man, not so much. In scripture, Babylon is always Babylon. But when we get to the prophetic significance of Babylon found in Revelation 14:8; 16:19b; 17:1-18; 18:1-24, something changes; Babylon is no longer Babylon. The prophetic significance of Babylon in the last days has been removed, and Babylon becomes a 'code word', indicating that Babylon is somewhere other than Babylon.
And it's easy to see how Babylon is interpreted as anything other than what was recorded by John. Many look to see what location would fulfill prophecy now, the present age, in their lifetime, even though the tribulation is yet future. But, we like to speed up God's time clock, and move things along.
Even from John's first century perspective, the name written upon the woman's forehead: Babylon the Great was a mystery; hence the adjective 'Mystery' before her proper name: Babylon the Great. John was perplexed. Afterall Babylon was in decline, a mere shadow of the great and mighty city she had once been; Babylon had fallen under the authority of God's judgement.
On the night of the writing on the wall, the prophesied judgement of Babylon: Isaiah 13; Jeremiah 51, was called by the hand of God. After the armies of Cyrus the Great captured Babylon - 539 B.C.: Daniel 5, King Darius took the Babylonian throne, and ruled the Babylon kingdom: Daniel 5:31; 6:28. Not only did Babylon fall due to conquest, but the time period of God's divine judgment, and the deterioration of Babylon continues to this day.... the fall of Babylon. 539 B.C. - 2026 A.D. = 2,565 yrs.
When John received his visit from the angel: R 17:1, Babylon had fallen to the Mede-Persians 600 years prior, and was a city in decline, which accelerated after the death of Alexander the Great 323 B.C., 2,349 years ago, making Alexander the last king.
Alexander ruled the middle east from his second home in Babylon, where he later died. He was the last ruling king connected to the dream image which prophesied the future of Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom: Daniel 2. Alexander's Grecian kingdom was the belly and thighs of brass, the 3rd kingdom. After his death, Babylon had no king. The fourth kingdom provides the final king: the little horn aka: Antichrist, which rises in the later days, after the time period of Babylon's judgement, the fall of Babylon, is fulfilled - in God's timing.
So, from John's perspective, the woman was a mystery. How could this brazen woman - dressed in scarlet and purple, adorned with the riches of the world, ruling over the kings of the earth, in the last days, be Babylon the Great? Afterall, judgment was called, and Babylon had fallen.
And yet, John was taken into the wilderness, by the spirit, to witness a woman carried upon the seven heads of a scarlet beast, who is full of blasphemy: R 17:3,7,9. The woman is full of spiritual harlotry and drunk, with the blood of the saints, and the martyrs of Christ Jesus. There is a name of mystery written upon her forehead: Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots and Abomination of the Earth. The name indicates that the woman, with the golden cup full of abominations and vile things, and the beast who carries her, are located in the middle east - the ancient Babylonian kingdom.
How can that be?
John is serving as a witness, recording events that will occur in the latter days, during the time of tribulation. There is a beast of seven heads, and ten horns, and a scarlet harlot, with a name of mystery written upon her forehead: Babylon the Great. The woman is intoxicated with the blood of the saints, and the martyrs of Christ Jesus - and John is perplexed. The angel sees John's reaction of wonderment and contemplation, and he says to John:
"Why do you wonder? 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. R 17:7
And, he does just that, beginning with the beast kingdom which was, and was not, and yet is: R17:8. The narrative of the woman is carried over to chapter 18 where John discovers that the great city, which sits on many waters, ruling over the kings of the earth - is also a merchant port. (The woman is a metaphor for a great city: R 17:18; 18:10,16, and the beast is a kingdom: Daniel 7:7,23,24.)
What the angel is showing John, through the use of symbolic metaphors is a great city, connected to a brutal and vicious kingdom. The kingdom is a beast kingdom connected to Daniel's prophecy: Daniel 7:7-25. Daniel's fourth beast kingdom is located in the wilderness - a barren and desolated desert. It is the fourth beast of ten horns, who rises to world power, in the latter days. The great city belongs to the beast, as she is carried upon his seven heads: R 17:7,9; which are seven mountains and seven kings - seven world kingdoms.
Of course the old Babylon kingdom and her ruins, will continue to stay desolate and all will hiss at her plagues: Jeremiah 19:8; 50:13, but, as the appointed time of judgment - the fall of Babylon, comes to an end, certain developments are occuring which align with the prophetic significance of Babylon, in the last days.
Babylon is mentioned 287 times in 253 verses,.... making Babylon the second most mentioned city in the Bible. Jerusalem is #1 with 800 mentions and, Rome brings up the rear with 9. In scripture, Babylon is always Babylon - the kingdom and its city. Even over the course of several millennium, the name remains the same, and has not changed.
At the end of twelve months he walked in the palace of the kingdom of Babylon. The king spoke, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honor of my majesty? Daniel 4:29,30
In the past, Revelation 17 had been taught by using 'code words,' suggesting that Babylon the Great was not Babylon but, a code word for Rome - replacing one city for another. The use of 'code words' later carried into the modern church and became incorporated into the teaching of Revelation 17. When Babylon is seen as a code word, the prophetic significance of Babylon in the last days, is relocated somewhere other than what is written, and defined by scripture. It's easy to see the results of that today, as Babylon has become a 'code word' for various locations across the globe: Tyre, Tehran, Abu Dhabi, Istanbul, Mecca, New Yorkistan, Jerusalem, Dubai and even America - which is not a great city. Looking back, it's easy to see 'how' this was done, but, why does it continue today?
Revelation 17 is the only chapter in the entire Bible where 'code words' are used to relocate Babylon somewhere other than what is implied by her name. What does Revelation 22:18,19 say about altering, adding to or, removing any portion of the words of the book of prophecy, that John had written? Think about that for a minute, take your time.
In the Bible, Babylon is always Babylon, except in Revelation 17 where Babylon has been transformed into a 'code word', relocating it somewhere other than what the angel has defined and, John had recorded. Does anyone else find that a bit odd or, is everyone good with that? Was this something you picked up in church or, something you came up with on your own?
So, now, there seems to be a scriptural dilemma; is Babylon still Babylon or, is the angel with one of the seven bowls, relaying a secretly coded message to John by using Babylon as a 'code word.'? Would an angel sent by God, use a 'code word'? When did Babylon stop being Babylon, other than in these two chapters in Revelation?
And the angel said to me, “Why do you wonder? 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. R 17:7
The name of mystery - Babylon the Great, is written upon her forehead. The location of the name, upon her forehead, indicates a sign of submission and loyalty to the image of the beast, the name of the beast and the number of the name of it - connecting the woman to the beast kingdom and, the buying and selling: R13:16-17. Since the woman, the great city, is also a merchant port R 18, this makes the relationship between the woman and the beast kingdom very interesting.
Would an Angel sent by God, appear before John to show him the judgement of the great commercially corrupt one, Babylon the Great and use code words? I would suggest that they would not. Would John distort anything that the angel showed him while in the spirit, knowing the consequences? Again, I would think not. - And now, as this prophetic time period of God's judgement, the fall of Babylon is nearing its end, significant events are taking place in, and around, the barren wilderness, that will change the entire world, and push the prophetic clock forward.
Sometime we just need to step back, and let the Bible speak for itself. What happens when those 'code words' are removed and scripture is read as written? What does the Bible reveal about the prophetic significance of Babylon in the latter days?
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