Dear Friends,
In his book, The Holy Land Key (WaterBrook Press, 2014), Ray Bently talks about how Bible prophecy does not fit into a rigid timeline foretelling a single event. Rather, there are patterns that emerge and form a prophetic model. There may be several fulfillments that emerge and fit the prophetic model of a single prophecy. God’s practice is to give a material fulfillment first, then a spiritual fulfillment. For example, 1 Corinthians 15:45-46 says And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
last week in Isaiah 46, Isaiah prophesied an initial material fulfillment concerning the fall of Babylon. This prophecy came to pass about around one hundred years after Isaiah wrote it. This week in Isaiah 47, Isaiah develops his prophecy further concerning the spiritual nature of the new world order, ie MYSTERY BABYLON. It has been said that the Bible is a tale of two cities, Jerusalem and Babylon. The spirit of the Tower of Babel can be seen today at the United Nations (UN) building in New York, where UN ambassadors from around the world have speeches translated to them in real time through their earpieces. This same spirit can be seen in the European Union, the World Council of Churches, and the ecumenical multi-faith meetings they hold every year at the Vatican. This ecumenical spirit of the age tells us that the end times prophecies which Isaiah wrote thousands of years ago are upon us.
Father, give us understanding as we read thy word, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Isaiah 47
1 Come down, and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon, sit on the ground: there is no throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called tender and delicate.
In a sense, the USA is a daughter (or are daughters) of the UK, inasmuch as the founding fathers immigrated from there. There is even a reference to this in Ezekiel 38:13. The ‘young lions of Tarshish’ are thought to be the United States. Likewise, Babylon has daughters as well. In Revelation 17, Babylon is said to be a mother: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABONINATIONS OF THE EARTH (Rev 17:5).
After the fall of the tower of Babel, the mystery religions moved from the plains of Shinar down into Egypt and then eventually up into Rome. Beginning around the fourth century AD, these ‘mysteries’ were transferred from the priests of the Roman temples to the priests of ‘Christian’ Rome. Throughout history, this faith has spread across the globe in various forms. Therefore, I believe the terms virgin daughter of Babylon and daughter of the Chaldeans have much broader applications than just the ancient city-state of Babylon. Hislop’s The Two Babylons (Loizeaux Brothers, Inc, 1959) shows in great detail how the worship of Tamuz in Babylon spread out in different forms across the globe, and eventually germinated into a pseudo form of Christianity known as Roman Catholicism. Hislop’s classic used to be a standard work that was part of every pastor’s library. In the last days of this Laodicean age of apostasy, however, it has become fashionable for preachers to question Hislop’s conclusions.
2 Take the millstones, and grind meal: uncover thy locks, make bare the leg, uncover the thigh, pass over the rivers.
3 Thy nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, thy shame shall be seen: I will take vengeance, and I will not meet thee as a man.
4 As for our redeemer, the LORD of hosts is his name, the Holy One of Israel.
5 Sit thou silent, and get thee into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called, The lady [Heb gbereth] of kingdoms.
The word translated as lady, gbereth, is very close to the Hebrew gbiyrah; gbiyrah is translated six times in the KJV as queen. In fact, some versions of the Bible translate gbereth as queen as well. Semiramis, mother of the Babylonian mystery religion, called herself the virgin queen of heaven. She was eventually worshiped by apostate Israel (Jer 44) then later by apostate Christianity, as was her son, Tammuz. (Ez 8:14) The virgin queen of heaven is what the Catholic Church calls Mary. The worship of Baby Jesus as an idol is nothing more than the worship of Tammuz. Jesus is not a baby anymore and idolatry of any kind is a horrible sin against God.
6 I was wroth with my people, I have polluted mine inheritance, and given them into thine hand: thou didst shew them no mercy; upon the ancient hast thou very heavily laid thy yoke.
God used Babylon to judge Israel but the power went to their head. (This is one of the themes of the book of Habakkuk.) Again, there is a dual meaning here. God did give Israel into the hand of the Babylonians but later they suffered the Holocaust, which was a 20th Century Inquisition. This was written about and thoroughly documented by Dave Hunt in A Woman Rides the Beast. (Harvest House, 1994) Immediately after the publication of this book, the Catholic Church issued their first-ever apology for the Holocaust, although no direct reference was made to Hunt’s book. A few years later John Cornwell wrote a book called Hitler’s Pope. (Viking Penguin, 1999) Unlike the book by Dave Hunt, this book created a whirlwind of controversy and media attention with many disputing the book’s claims. Whatever people may say about books like these, however, the fact remains that Hitler was never excommunicated by the Catholic Church.
7 And thou saidst, I shall be a lady [Heb gbereth] for ever: so that thou didst not lay these things to thy heart, neither didst remember the latter end of it.
8 Therefore hear now this, thou that art given to pleasures, that dwellest carelessly, that sayest in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me; I shall not sit as a widow, neither shall I know the loss of children:
These verses sounds very similar to the passage concerning MYSTERY BABYLON in Revelation 18: 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. (Rev 18:7) This is one of those ‘patterns’ I referred to in opening remarks above.
9 But these two things shall come to thee in a moment in one day, the loss of children, and widowhood: they shall come upon thee in their perfection for the multitude of thy sorceries, and for the great abundance of thine enchantments.
10 For thou hast trusted in thy wickedness: thou hast said, None seeth me. Thy wisdom and thy knowledge, it hath perverted thee; and thou hast said in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me.
This statement, I am, and none else beside me, was made twice by God in Chapter 45. Now Isaiah tells us twice, just so we don’t miss it, that the virgin daughter of Babylon also says this of herself. The pope claims to be the ‘vicar of Christ’. He calls himself the ‘Holy Father’. Therefore, the virgin daughter of Babylon is Rome.
11 Therefore shall evil come upon thee; thou shalt not know from whence it riseth: and mischief shall fall upon thee; thou shalt not be able to put it off: and desolation shall come upon thee suddenly, which thou shalt not know.
Again the pattern fits what is said of MYSTERY BABYLON in Revelation 18: 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. (Rev 18:10)
12 Stand now with thine enchantments, and with the multitude of thy sorceries, wherein thou hast laboured from thy youth; if so be thou shalt be able to profit, if so be thou mayest prevail.
13 Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels. Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up, and save thee from these things that shall come upon thee.
Another interesting observation made by Ray Bentley in his book, The Holy Land Key, is how the tower of Babel was an observation tower for the stars. It was at the Tower of Babel that God’s beautiful message of the gospel written in the stars was perverted into astrology. (1)
When people think of the Vatican they usually think of old cathedrals and clerics in long robes. However, the Vatican is also deeply involved in astronomy. The Vatican owns one of the most advanced telescopes in the world, located on top of Mount Graham in southeastern Arizona. This telescope, known as the Large Binocular Telescope, is also called Lucifer. This is the explanation for its name given on the telescope’s Wikipedia page: “LUCI (originally LUCIFER: Large Binocular Telescope Near-infrared Spectroscopic Utility with Camera and Integral Field Unit for Extragalactic Research) is the near-infrared instrument for the LBT.”
God gives Babylon a sarcastic rebuke concerning her trust in her astrology and sorcery. It will not be able to save her.
14 Behold, they shall be as stubble; the fire shall burn them; they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame: there shall not be a coal to warm at, nor fire to sit before it.
15 Thus shall they be unto thee with whom thou hast laboured, even thy merchants [cf Rev 18:11], from thy youth: they shall wander every one to his quarter; none shall save thee. [cf Dan 11:45]
Isaiah 47
Babylon means ‘confusion’. Today if somebody is speaking gibberish we say they are ‘babbling’. James wrote For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. (James 3:16, 17) The confusion of Babylon has infected the entire globe. Every day the headlines are filled with stories that defy all reason, as if a mass hysteria has swept the planet. It seems as if the new world order has unlimited power. They have the power to silence their opposition on social media. They have the power to destroy people’s lives when they feel challenged or threatened. They seem to control the airwaves, the courts, and the very machinery by which society operates, but things are not as they seem. Chapter 47 ends with a dire warning. This world is going to burn one day and the Bible says the meek will inherit the earth. Whatever power the new world order has will only last as long as Satan is the god of this world. The time is coming soon when he will no longer hold that title. So in closing, consider these things carefully; don’t sell your soul to the new world order as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. (Heb 12:16) The new world order wants your soul, but what it offers in return is not worth it. Your soul is priceless. Everybody has a soul and its worth is beyond measure.
Father, thank You for showing us these things and warning us about the nets and snares that the enemy has laid for us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. If anyone is reading this who has never received the free gift of everlasting life through faith in your Son, give her or him the courage to do so. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
(1) The Holy Land Key, pp 123, 124.
