ArchivedWho is the Babylon mentioned in Revelation?Peace all,
I pray you are all well.
Here's some points to consider.This is taken from an article/book some friends and brothers are working on.I should make it clear, that I am giving this view a serious look, but I still have many questions myself, and I want it to be clear, that I don't *necessarily* agree with it entirely, but I am studying it.If anyone has questions about it, I will forward them to the author.
Saudi Arabia fits much more then Rome:
1) Saudi Arabia has influence via Oil over the kings of the earth (Rev.17:18).
2) Corrupts the nations (17:2; 18:3; 19:2) with Islamic influence.
3) Even Mecca is called The city of seven hills today.
4) Persecutes the saints (17:6). Do you see any persecution in Rome today? Yet in Saudi Arabia believers are beheaded, exactly as Revelation stated I see the ones who were beheaded. Saudi Arabia is even mentioned in Jeremiah 49:33 (Kedar and Hazor) by NAME which will suffer this destruction. Iran (Persia or Elam) will suffer destruction as well with her (Jeremiah 49:34-39) which fits perfectly with the Gog of Ezekiel 38 since Persia is included. Isaiah 13 as well fits Jeremiah’s prophecies. Revelation 18:3: “For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.” Through the abundance of oil, ALL the nations prospered. Jeremiah 51:9: “We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed: forsake her, and let us go every one into his own country.”
All labourers in Saudi Arabia are IMPORTED and have no right to obtain citizenship, so they will flee each into his own country. Revelation 18:7: “How much she hath glorified herself, and lived in luxury.”
No one on earth lives as luxurious as the Saudis - golden shower handles, castles, and great wealth.
Isaiah 47:8 “Therefore hear now this, thou that art given to pleasures.” They enjoy so much pleasures, gambling in Vegas and Monte Carlo, and even the King of Saudi Arabia has a private 747 Jumbo Jet with all the facilities in it.
Isaiah 47:10 For thou hast trusted in thy wickedness: thou hast said, None seeth me.. The Saudis commit sins and live in pleasures and lusts, yet they think that since it is all hidden, that it is ok, but God sees them.
This cannot be New York since sin is out in the open. This city is sinning in secret. Revelation 18:9... “And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning.”
They will cry for Oil and is no more, since the oil was the reason they all prosper. Revelation 18:11 - "And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore.” Saudi Arabia and the Islamic world will no longer import the products that the West makes.
Isaiah 47:15 “Thus shall they be unto thee with whom thou hast laboured, even thy merchants, from thy youth: they shall wander every one to his quarter; none shall save thee.”
Here's more,
THE SEVENTH KING
Now, to the mystery. Regarding Antichrist, in Chapter 17 of the Book of the Revelation we are provided with some key information which is generally overlooked. In that Chapter, Antichrist is referred to as the beast. In verse 3 we are told the beast has seven heads and ten horns (verse 3). Fortunately, verses 9-10 give some indication of what this means. "The seven heads are...seven kings..." Then we get a further explanation of these kings:
“Five have fallen, one (the Sixth) is, the other (the seventh) has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain a little while."
Then we learn from verse 11 that the end-time beast an eighth is also "one of the seven." That is to say, he will be a repeat of one of the seven.
If, on the other hand, kings refers to world empires and/or their rulers (i.e., Alexander/Greece, Caesar/Rome, Hitler/Germany, etc.) then we have the following picture:
Five (empires) have fallen One is (Roman) another (the seventh) will come and remain only a little while is the Islamic Empire that took over the Roman. Remember that the Roman Empire ceased to exist in the West and moved to the east (Byzantium in Turkey).
"And the beast which was and is not is himself also an eighth and is one of the seven, and he goes to destruction". Do you see the "WAS" above? Do you see the "and IS NOT"?
At the time John wrote Revelation The Roman Empire was ruling, yet John specifically says "is not". This rules out the Revived Roman Empire theory. Some say that this beast is Satan who will be shot and revived, so he is not at the time when John was writing, and we ask: was Satan ruling before and stopped at the time of John, and later he will take control again? It will not fit in this context at all. This indeed sounds absurd, Scripture states of the beast that "The BEAST which was and is not" verse 11.
The Beast is and always has been a world government with a king, or a government with many kings. In verse 10 "AND THEY ARE (the seven heads, mountains) seven kings, FIVE HAVE FALLEN, one IS, the OTHER has NOT YET COME, he must remain a little while". Do you see "AND THEY ARE"?
Many have idea that Rome is the city of seven hills, and it may have been built on seven hills, but the word in the Greek in that verse is OROS which means mountain. This is distinct from BOUNOS, which is the Greek word for hill.
That's all I have time for now.I know this is some different views than alot of us have been taught, but this source, uses the Scriptures as his base, and that's always important.
YbiC
ILJ/Y
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