Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure: Isaiah 46:10
In the end of days, there is a destruction of Babylon, that great city who rules 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 - Rev 18.
In my humble opinion, man likes to rush God, in order to 'adjust God's time clock' and 'move things along.' Impatience is a human character flaw, contrasting with the fruit of the spirit: Galatians 5:22. But, in the end, our God, who is infinite, beyond the constraints of time and space, is the one in control, and all things are done according to His will.
His timing is not our timing, for his ways are not our ways and his thoughts are higher than our understanding. For as the heavens are higher than earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts: Isaiah 55:9.
Delays can be seen as preparations, preparing for events that will soon transpire and come to pass. Some delays are things that affect us personally, while others are part of a bigger picture, pointing to future prophetic events.
One of these future events is the convergence of prophecies found in Revelation 13, 17 and 18, which lay out a series of events which transpire during the time of tribulation. -Revelation 13 presents an overview of the Antichrist kingdom, the beast of ten horns (iron) who rises from the sea R 13:1-4, with its religious system - a beast of two horns who rises from the earth (clay). These two systems rise to seize world power, in the latter days:
The beast of ten horns can be traced back to the Book of Daniel, which provides additional information about the fourth beast, the tribulation - antichrist kingdom. Daniel 7: 7-25. The beast is a kingdom, and the ten horns are his kings. Daniel 2 provides a parallel to the beast of ten horns seen by the feet and toes of iron and shard clay, which establishes the background, and, historical timeline for the antichrist kingdom, which rises in the latter days: Daniel 2:40-44. The book of Daniel lays the foundation for the tribulation kingdom, which has not yet come.
The beast of ten horns, the antichrist kingdom from Daniel 7, rises from the sea R 13:1-4; while a second beast of two horns, the religious system of the first beast, rises out of the earth: R 13:11. These two beasts, one political (iron) and the other religious (clay), work as one, to serve the red dragon. These two systems rise to global control, establishing the antichrist world system, the beast kingdom, in the latter days.
But, there is one more piece of the puzzle:
In the end of days, there is a destruction of Babylon, that great city located in the wilderness, carried upon the seven heads of a scarlet beast, 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 - Rev 18. Revelation 17 & 18 documents the judgement of Babylon, that great city, the merchant system who fornicates with the kings of the earth: R 17:2; 18:3,9.
But, before we get to the great city in the wilderness, we need to look at another tribulation marker: the mark of the Beast. The mark connects to the religious system of Babylon in the latter days. There is an increase of awareness surrounding the mark, even among non-Christians, and those who barely skim the pages of the Bible.
The mark of the beast is as mysterious as the identity of the little horn aka: antichrist, and the rise of his kingdom, the beast out of the sea: Rev 13:1-4; Daniel 7:7-25. But one thing is clear, the mark controls the ability to buy and sell and, the mark isn't just tied to commerce, it's tied to religion too!
The mark is implemented by the second beast, the beast out of the earth, the false prophet, the religious system of the first beast - connecting the mark to religious harlotry. This religious harlotry is in the form of worship; submission to the beast kingdom. The religious system of the first beast, requires worship - submission and allegiance to an image, the name of the beast or, the number of the name: R 13:14-17.
This is reminiscent of the golden image set up on the plains of Dura; Daniel 3. The image was from a dream that haunted King Nebuchadnezzar's waking hours, and he tossed and turned in his bed. Nebuchadnezzar, the prideful king, had a recurring dream that centered around the future of Babylon, and the final kingdom that would rise in the latter days: Daniel 2:28,29; 4:20. At the time of the King's dream, the entire middle east was ruled by Babylon - the kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar. The King's entire dream focused on Babylons future, and the kingdom that would rise in the latter days. Once you understand the nature of the dream, you understand the image. The image represents Nebuchadnezzar, and the future of Babylon.
Nebuchadnezzar's dream image was prophetic in nature, presenting a historical timeline of Babylon and future kingdoms, which would rise to rule the middle east. The image not only foretold of two additional kingdoms, one silver and one of brass, which ruled the middle east with Kings who lived in Babylon - but, it's imagery foretold the prophesized fall of Babylon: Isaiah 13:17; Jeremiah 50:1-17; 51:11,12 - a time of God's judgment - which resulted in Babylon's decline and desolation - which can be seen to this day.
The fourth and final kingdom rises in the latter days, as the feet and toes of iron and shard clay: Daniel 2:40-45. The feet and (ten) toes of the image parallel the fourth beast of ten horns - ten kings: Daniel 7:7-25. Daniel's fourth beast rises out of the sea: R 13:1-4, as the political power of the antichrist kingdom (iron), while the beast out of the earth (clay) is the religious system - pointing back to Daniel 2, and the feet and toes of iron and clay.
When envisioning the time period of the image, and the focus of the King's dream - the future of his kingdom - it's easy to see how the order of events focus on Babylon. There are four kingdoms and four kings, but five time periods. The fall of Babylon is a 'time period' which was set into motion with the conquest of Babylon: Daniel 5, and over a course of 2500 years, Babylon fell into decline and desolation. The fourth kingdom rises, after the time period of God's divine judgment - the fall of Babylon, is fulfilled. God establishes when this will be.
We are closing in on the fulfillment of that now, as a repugnant political and religious system fights for world power, and Babylon's future looks bright and prosperous - just as prophecy indicates.
But, we are not there, yet.
The king was pleased by Daniels interpretation and he praised the God of Daniel as the God who reveals secrets: Daniel 2:46-47. He was so impressed that he erected an image, covered in gold, and set it up on the plains of Dura. The image represented the King and the future of his kingdom: Babylon the Great. The King summoned high official's from miles around to gather and witness the dedication to the image. At the King's command and 'at the sound of music', all people, of every nation and language, were to fall down (prostrate) and worship the image. Those who refused, were marked for death: Daniel 3.
The worship of the image mid-tribulation, follows the same pattern with some additional modern perks - the image speaks, has the power to kill those who refuse to worship it, and comes with a mark of allegiance: R 13:15-17.
.... if any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark on his forehead, or on his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God.... R 14:9,10a.
The mark of the beast is connected to worship, a declaration of faith, submission to an image, the name of the beast or the number of the name of it: Greek: αριθμον τον ονοματος αυτου translates into English as: 'the number of the name of it'. Similar to the image on the plain of Dura, refusal to worship the image results in certain death. That is the purpose of the mark - worship or death, weeding out non-compliance to the beast, and his king.
The mark is initiated mid-tribulation when the political (iron) and religious (clay) systems of the beast kingdom, rise to seize world power. The mark is worn on your forehead or, right hand and if you don't have the mark, you can't buy and sell. The mark becomes the new currency, requiring allegiance to an image, the name of the beast or the number of the name of it, to buy and sell.
And, we think, that's it, that's all scripture tells us about the mark of the beast, and we run with it. But then we realize just four chapters later, there is a great city, Babylon the Great, metaphorically depicted as a woman, full of religious harlotry, drunk on the blood of the saints, and the martyrs of Christ Jesus: R 17:6. Worship the image or die R 13:15b - just as in the days of Nebuchadnezzar.
The religious harlotry, the worship of the image, the name of the beast or the number of the name, is linked to the great prostitute: R 17:1, Greek: πορνος - the commercially corrupt one, aka: that great city: 17:18 - Babylon the Great, who rises to power in the same time period as the beast with the seven heads and ten horns; the latter days.
Not only is Babylon drenched in religious harlotry but, Babylon is also an economic powerhouse, an international merchant system, regulating the flow of merchandise, aka: Greek: γομον cargo. Babylon provides the merchant system, that fornicates with the kings of the earth: R 17:2; 18:3,9, delivering goods to those who are compliant to the order of the new world: Revelation 18.
At the end of the great tribulation, there is a destruction of Babylon the Great, that great city who rules over the kings of the earth:17:18 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.
**Symbolism of Iron: Iron represents strength, authority, and judgment in biblical texts, serving as a metaphor for God’s power and divine governance. Psalms 2:9, Rev 12:5 - legs of iron - a single time period of divine judgement. Babylon's second judgement is shown in Revelation 17 and 18, at the end of great tribulation.... Babylon is fallen, is fallen.
Part 2: Enter Babylon the Great:
The Judgement of Babylon: 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: R:14:8.
The Seventh Bowl Judgement: And the seventh angel poured out his vail (bowl) into the air, and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne saying "It is done," ... And the great city (Jerusalem) 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. R 16:17,19
Out of all the cities in the world, great Babylon was singled out exclusively by God. Why does the text say great Babylon and not, 'Mystery Babylon' if that is her name?
Revelation 17 presents an interlude, a break in the events of the great tribulation to fill in some blanks surrounding the city, and the rising beast kingdom. John is in the midst of the great tribulation when an angel arrives. The angel has arrived to show John why Babylon has been remembered by God, and why her judgement has come:17:1-2.
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. 17:7
The entire chapter provides an overview, a backstory of that great city: Babylon the Great, and her connection to the beast with the seven heads and ten horns. The interlude continues into chapter 18, when a second Angel comes down from heaven announcing a second fall of Babylon - Babylon is fallen, is fallen, which occurs a the end of the great tribulation R 18. In order for a destruction of Babylon to occur, there needs to be a great city - Rev 17 which is also a merchant port - Rev 18.
Revelation 17 defines a great city in metaphoric terms as a woman, dressed in scarlet and purple, adorned with the riches of the world. The woman sits upon many waters, people, multitudes, nations and tongues, fornicating with the kings of the earth: R17:1-2, 15. The woman is also carried upon the seven heads of the beast, seven world kingdoms, ruling over the kings of the earth: 17:3,7,9,18:3. In her hands is a golden cup full of her fornication and vile things: R17:4. The kings of the earth have made the inhabitants of the earth drunk with the toxic wine of her fornication, for all nations have drunk of her cup; R 14:8; 17:2, 18:3. And for this harlotry, her judgement awaits: R 14:8; 16:19b; 17:1; 18:2,10,21.
The woman is located in the wilderness, with her companion, a scarlet beast with seven heads and ten horns, who reeks of the stench of blasphemy: 17:3. The wilderness, can be further defined by the Greek: ἔρημος - a barren and desolate wasteland - a desert. The ten horns connect this beast to Daniel's fourth beast, which is a kingdom: Daniel 7:7-25. The ten horns are ten kings who rise out of this kingdom: Daniel 7:24; Rev 17:12. The beast is a kingdom and the horns are his kings: Daniel 7:23,24.
John witnesses the woman and the beast together, in the wilderness, rising to seize world power in the latter days. The seven heads (seven world kingdoms) and ten horns (ten kings) indicate that this is the same beast that rose from the sea: R 13:1-4; making the beast from the sea, the tribulation kingdom of Antichrist. In Daniel 7, the antichrist is the little horn, who rises up among ten horns - ten kings - who have not yet received kingdoms: R 17:12. In Daniel 2:44 the ten kings who rise from the beast, parallel the (ten) toes of the image -placing the fourth kingdom into the time of tribulation, before the second coming of Christ Jesus. ... In the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed...
The woman, that great city: R 17:18, has a name of mystery written upon her forehead, Babylon the Great, The Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth. The name, written upon her forehead - indicates that she wears the mark of the beast, the kingdom, the name or, the number of the name of it, signifying her allegiance to the authority of the beast which carries her: Babylon the Great.
During the time of tribulation, she becomes drunk on the blood of the saints, and the martyrs of Christ Jesus: R17:6. She is a 'great' city named Babylon the Great, suggesting a middle eastern location, in the heart of the ancient Babylon kingdom. After the Angel reveals her identity as 'that great city' R 17:18, the narrative of the same woman, with the same name: Babylon, the great Babylon, that great city Babylon, or, that mighty city!, continues into chapter 18 - 18:2,10,16,18,19,21 - connecting the same city to chapter 17.
Note: *Chapter breaks were added in 1560, with the first English copy of the Geneva Bible. Prior to the addition of chapter breaks, the books of the Bible were a series of letters, documents and gospels, written by their respective authors.*
Looking back at Revelation 13 and the mark of the beast which controls the buying and selling, we see the refusal of this mark means you can not buy or sell: R13:16,17 and, refusal to worship the image of the beast means certain death. This is the pugnacious nature of the beast kingdom, the little horn and the false prophet - worship the image or die. Revelation 17:6 connects the blood of the saints, and the martyrs of Jesus to the same spiritual harlotry.
In Revelation 18 she is further defined as the commercially corrupt merchant port, tied to the buying and selling, the religious harlotry of the beast kingdom. And for her religious and commercialized harlotry, she will face judgement. Revelation 18 provides a list of her merchandise, many of these things such as gold, and silver, precious stones and pearls, fine linen of purple, and silk of scarlet: R 18:12 connect the merchant port to the great city in Revelation 17.
As the judgement of Babylon continues into Revelation 18, a second angel comes down from heaven and loudly proclaims Babylon's judgement has come: R 18:1-3. And if that wasn't enough, another voice from heaven warns that God's judgement is about to fall, and you better get out of Dodge err, Babylon, or you become part of her judgement. Then, as judgement falls, the kings of the earth and the merchants of the earth watch as Babylon, that mighty city, burns. Everyone is filled with grief and deep sorrow, and they begin to weep and mourn, and throw dust on their heads as they watch the fire consume the great city, and burn it all: R 13:15-19. And heaven rejoices as the judgement of God has come: R 19:1-3
The perspective shown by the second Angel in Rev 18, is that of a great commercialized system of buying and selling, a merchant port city named Babylon. The merchant port connects her to the buying and selling and, the mark issued by the false prophet. While the first Angel in chapter 17, began near the beginning of tribulation to show John why Babylon fell under judgement - the narrative continues into chapter 18 with the fall of Babylon.
The second angel descends from heaven with great authority announcing the fall of Babylon. The chapter 18 narrative begins near the end of the great tribulation, giving John a preview of the merchant system: the ship masters, the various amounts of cargo and some of the abominations the city is involved in - the cargoes of slaves and human souls and sorcery aka: pharmakeia, pharmaceuticals.
For a scriptural fulfillment of prophecy, there needs to be a merchant system in Babylon: the land of Shinar, the ancient Babylonian kingdom. Today, there is a brand new merchant port in Basra, Iraq, on the tip of the Persian Gulf. As the time period of Daniel's fourth kingdom is drawing closer, it appears as though an economic transformation is about to unfold in the ancient Babylon kingdom; one that will affect the entire world and move the prophetic timeclock into Revelation - the time of tribulation.
The Al Faw Grand Port: Coincidence or Divine Orchestration?
What began in 2010 took 16 years to build and prepare, seemingly undetected in the western world, as the majority of prophecy teachers haven't uttered a peep about the merchant port. The Al Faw Port is brand new, one of the largest in the world, located on the Persian Gulf. This will literally transform the barren wilderness desert of Iraq into a major merchant hub, providing regional trade as well as international trade, throughout the world.
Now that the Al Faw Grand Port is near completion, a second project called the Dry Canal or Development Road, is in the early stages of planning. The Development Road will provide a major trade corridor for the middle east, connecting the Al Faw Grand Port to Turkey. The trade corridor will consist of 745 miles of highways and rail systems, to ship merchant cargo into Turkey. From Turkey, it will continue into Asia and Europe.
This entire project travels right through the heart of the ancient Babylon kingdom. This merchant port, along with the road and rail system will generate an economic boom of prosperity and wealth for the middle east - the focus of this specific end-time prophecy. And, without the mark, you can not buy or sell.
Is the world catching up to Bible prophecy? Babylon is being rebuilt as a global market, complete with a merchant port, which aligns with the Revelation prophecies. What happens when we read scripture as written and remove the use of 'code words' in the interpretation? Does that change your prophetic viewpoint of Babylon, in the end of days? Sometimes we just have to step back and let the Bible interpret itself.
Remember, God's timing is not our timing. While there is much speculation about the last days, the mark, and the fulfillment of Daniel's fourth kingdom, which rises in the latter days and, the physical location of the great city of Babylon, who rules over the kings of the earth - which also rises in the latter days - everything is in God's hands. He is the narrator, declaring the end from the beginning.
And, as far as I know, He never said to use 'code words' or, replace one city with another when interpretating the prophetic Word of God.
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