I would like to take the time to go back and view the
original Babylon to get a better understanding of the customs, traditions, and
practices of the first Babylon in order to look for these very things taking
place in today’s world. I feel that doing this could really help us figure out
once and for all who Babylon the Great of the end days truly is. There must be
a reason that John, Jeremiah, and Isaiah mistook a new geographical location as
Babylon. Maybe YHHW told them to write down the name Babylon, or maybe it was
more than just that. In my opinion, they actually saw what they knew were the
customs and traditions of Babylon taking place, and therefore believed it was
one and the same, or because of the similarities, it didn’t matter that it was
not the same area because the traditions were exactly the same. Either way, I
say this because there are two verses that stand out to me every time I start
looking into the end days prophecies. Those verses come from the books of
Ecclesiastes, and Matthew.
Mathew 24: 37
As it was in the days
of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
Ecclesiastes 1: 9
That which has been is
what will be,
That which is done is
what will be done,
And there is nothing
new under the sun.
I am sure you have all heard this verse quoted before.
However, I believe it plays a big role in the end days. Considering that taking
the time to break down the events laid out in the book of revelation, and
comparing them to the events mentioned in the book of Exodus, it is not hard to
see that the plagues are very similar in nature. However, I do believe that in
Exodus, the locust and frogs were actual locust and frogs, and in Revelation
they are used as symbols for things that represent or act similar to those
creatures.
The ancient or original Babylon has many distinctive traits.
There are several things that stand out that I would like to look into.
We know that in ancient Babylon, as discussed in the book Daniel,
at the sound of a horn, all men were required to bow down and worship the
statue or image set up by the Nebuchadnezzar.
The book of Daniel gives us some very interesting insight
into a particular several custom that took place during the days of original Babylon.
Daniel 3:5
As soon as you hear
the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music,
you must fall down and worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has
set up.
The main thing we can take away from this is that in Babylon
at the sound of the horn or any other type of music, you must fall down and
worship the image. This is a very telling piece of information to look for in
the end times Babylon.
We also know that in ancient Babylon, they worshiped the
moon god named Sin. His primary symbol was the crescent moon and we see it
depicted throughout ancient Babylonian artifacts. It is also mentioned in the
clay cuneiform tablets. This god also had several other names, but I find it
interesting that the god representing the crescent moon was named Sin.
Ancient Babylon also worshipped the goddess Ishtar and
Semiramis. She was the goddess of love, war, fertility, and sexuality. This was
the very same goddess that later spread throughout the ancient world. She
became known as Isis in Egypt, Ashtoreth within the Hebrew group, and Diana of
Ephesus, and Aphrodite and Artemis according to the Greeks, among others. This
goddess, according to mythologies was usually adorned in a purple garment. Many
times she wore a veil. According to Mythencyclipedia.com Diana was “arrogant
and vengeful” because she was also known as the goddess of the moon, meaning
she had a changeable, unpredictable nature. This goddess was also associated
with a black stone that fell from heaven.
Acts 19: 35 (ESV)
And when the town clerk had quieted the crowd, he said, Men
of Ephesus, who is there who does not know that the city of Ephesians is a temple
keeper of the great Artemis, and of the sacred stone that fell from the sky?
So far, what we should be looking for in the end days
Babylon that may be directly linked back to original Babylon are these.
1. The worship of an image at the sound of a horn
2. The crescent moon symbol
3. The arrogant goddess adorned in purple
4. Association with a stone that fell from the sky
There are many more customs and traditions that could be
discussed, but I would like to focus on just these four for the moment. I have
heard the end times Babylon argument for several places in the world. However,
I know of only one that possesses these particular attributes. The Islamic
nation in Saudi Arabia, Mecca in particular.
In the city of Mecca, they have what is known as the Ka’ba.
This is a giant cube shaped mosque that sits in the middle of the Islamic holy
city. Muslim men are required to visit this city at least once in their life so
long as they can afford it. Once there they walk around the Ka’ba seven times
and at the sound of a horn, they fall down and worship this image.
The nation of Islam itself uses the symbol of the crescent
moon. This symbol is present on every flag that is associated with Islam.
Finally, we come to the goddess adorned in purple. In order
to show this, we must first discuss the black stone that fell from heaven.
Inside the Ka’ba sits a black stone known by Muslims as having fallen from
heaven. After the Muslims circle the Ka’ba seven times they touch, caress, and
kiss the stone that is visible through an opening in the corner of the Ka’ba.
This opening is surrounded by a vaginal shaped piece of metal. This in my opinion
coupled with the fact that the name Mecca means mother shows us where the
arrogant goddess is. The outside of the Ka’ba also has a veil that covers the
doorway known as the kiswah, similar to the veil that covers a Muslim woman’s
face known as a burka. The burka is the part of the veil that covers the face.
The goddess Ishtar started in Babylon after the Queen
Semiramis, goddess of the moon, took on that personification. She was known as
the moon goddess because her husband, Nimrod, became the Sun god. She quickly
spread to other cultures and became known by many names, as stated earlier. This
is quite interesting considering she was originally was the moon goddess and
there is a link there with the Islamic symbol. This is even more intriguing
considering Allah was originally known as the moon god in pre-Islamic history.
According to religion encyclopedia, “Allah is a pre Islamic name…corresponding
to the Babylonian Bel". Speaking about the gods of Babylon, Isaiah says
this.
Isaiah 46: 1
Bel bows down, Nebo
stoops low; their idols are borne by beasts of burden. The images that are
carried about are burdensome, a burden for the weary.
Jeremiah 50: 2
“Announce and proclaim
among the nations, lift up a banner and proclaim it; keep nothing back, but
say, ‘Babylon will be captured; Bel
will be put to shame, Marduk filled with terror. Her images will be put to
shame and her idols filled with terror.’
Based on what religion encyclopedia tells us coupled with
Isaiah and Jeremiah, we can see that not only does the Islamic nations share
traditions with ancient Babylon, but they also share a god.
Another interesting point concerning the Ka’ba is that it is
full of different golden objects. According to http://www.sacred-destinations.com/saudi-arabia/mecca-kaba
there are columns that support the roof that are decorated in gold. There are
also golden lamps that are suspended from the ceiling. The upper part of the
interior walls is covered with a green cloth decorated with gold embroidered
Quranic verses.
To take this a step further, the Kaaba predates Islam
itself. Historian P.N. Oak believes that the Kaaba was originally a Hindu
temple that was taken over by Muhammad. I point this out, and plan to go into a
bit more detail about it, simply to discredit Islam as the true religion they
believe they are. The hajj that all Muslims must perform at least once in their
lifetime consists of a trip to Mecca and it one of the five pillars of Islam. The
five pillars are a set of rules of sorts. According to P.N. Oak, there is a
library in Turkey that contains west Asian literature. In the Arabic section of
the library there is an anthology of ancient poems. P.N. Oaks says,
“It throws considerable light on the social life, customs,
manners and entertainment modes of ancient Arabia. The book also contains an
elaborate description of the ancient shrine of Mecca, the town and the annual
fair known as OKAJ which used to be held every year around the Kaaba temple in
Mecca. This should convince readers that the annual haj of the Muslims to the
Kaaba is of earlier pre-Islamic congregation.
But the OKAJ fair was
far from a carnival. It provided a forum for the elite and the learned to
discuss the social, religious, political, literary and other aspects of the
Vedic culture then pervading Arabia. ‘Sayar-ul-Okul’ asserts that the
conclusion reached at those discussions were widely respected throughout
Arabia. Mecca, therefore, followed the Varanasi tradition (of India) of
providing a venue for important discussions among the learned while the masses
congregated there for spiritual bliss. The principal shrines at both Varanasi
in India and at Mecca in Arvasthan (Arabia) were Siva temples. Even to this day
ancient Mahadev (Siva) emblems can be seen. It is the Shankara (Siva) stone
that Muslim pilgrims reverently touch and kiss in the Kaaba. ”
Knowing that Islam was not in existence until Muhammad
showed up to Mecca, and considering that they still follow traditions that pre
date it should throw up red flags. We also see that the goddess Diana made her
way into the Hindu culture as well.
Something else to point out is the white sheets Muslims must
wear. Again, P.N. Oak has something to say,
“As the pilgrim proceeds towards Mecca he is asked to shave
his head and beard and to don special sacred attire that consists of two
seamless sheets of white cloth. One is to be worn round the waist and the other
over the shoulders. Both these rites are remnants of the old Vedic practice of
entering Hindu temples clean- and with holy seamless white sheets.”
No other place in the entire world do Muslims practice this
tradition. I have shown that the seamless white sheets come from a Hindu
tradition, the Kaaba itself was a former Hindu temple, and the hajj to Mecca
was also a tradition held by Hindus. There is more to get into but that is
beyond the scope of this writing. I was simply trying to show that Islam, Mecca
specifically, has taken its traditions from other cultures throughout history
so it only stands to reason that ancient Babylonian culture could have also
been adopted as well. Which in turn could have been mistaken for original
Babylon, meaning in John’s day, it would make sense that he would call this
place a mystery. In his day, he would know the stories from the bible about the
traditions and practices of ancient Babylon, and he would also know that it had
been taken over. So to see these very things taking place again would be
mysterious to him.
I still plan to do another blog that focuses on the whore of Babylon herself.
If you are interested in joining my facebook group centered on end times search "Tribulation of END days" on Facebook.
If you are interested in joining my facebook group centered on end times search "Tribulation of END days" on Facebook.
