Babylon the Great Part II (links to original Babylon)

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. 

Why prophecy matters

Prophecy is vital to the way we live our lives. Depending on what we believe, guides our decisions. Meaning, if we believe that we will not have to face the time of tribulation, we will not choose to learn about the end time’s events that we believe happen after the point of the “rapture”. However, if we believe that we will live through the tribulation period, we will choose to take the time to learn and understand what to expect before the second coming of Yeshua.

Matthew 24: 42-44

“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

This verse is seemingly telling us that we should keep a lookout for the signs that are to come. If we do this, we will be ready upon the return of our Savoir.

1 Thessalonians 5: 1-6

Now, brothers and sisters, about times and seasons we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober.

It is obvious that when using both of these verses together we can see that it is possible for us to know the “season” or times in which He will return. However, in order to know this we need to do something. We cannot just continue to do what everyone else does, but rather look into the matter, set ourselves apart from the none believers. The only people that will be shocked by the return of the Messiah are those that are walking in darkness. In other words, if you are not studying the Bible and prophecy, you have no chance to know when He will return.

I do say this though, that the biggest reason to study the book of revelation and its prophecy is written in the beginning of the book itself.

Revelation 1:3

Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.

There are several other verses in the bible the lead us to believe that not only is prophecy important but even more so, something that we must study and remember. Doing so could help us know what to look for and where to look.

1 Corinthians 14: 24

But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an uninformed person comes in, he is convinced by all, he is convicted by all.

Prophecy helps to convict the sinner and help to convert over to give their lives to Christ. This is what it is all about. Prophecy is the best tool we have to show that YHWH is the One True God. To ignore it is to set aside our best weapon in the battle for souls.

Amos 3: 7

“For the Lord God does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets.

Amos tells us plain and simple that YHWH’s will ALWAYS tell His prophets what He is about to do, before He does it. How then can we ever say that prophecy is unimportant? All prophecy can and should be read, studied, and used. If we know what is to come, we can prepare. How do we prepare for something that we have no idea about? How do we prepare for something if we don’t know what to expect? Wouldn't this also seem to indicate that as long as we are believers in Christ, that we would not be caught by the "thief in the night"? Doesnt it seem more likely that our God would give us a way to know when, and how to be prepared for His return?

Jude 1:17

But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold.

We are told to remember what was prophesied. Shouldn’t this verse alone keep us studying 

prophecy? According to “The Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy” by J. Barton Payne, there are 1,239 prophecies in the Old Testament and 578 prophecies in the New Testament for a total of 1,817. These prophecies are contained in 8,352 of the Bible’s verses. Since there are 31,124 verses in the Bible, the 8,352 verses that contain prophecy constitute 26.8 percent of the Bible’s volume. This means that a quarter of the Bible is prophecy. That being said, how come so many people ignore these prophecies?

We should all take the time to really review study and try to understand what all these prophecies are trying to let us know. If we do this, we should be able to prepare for the second coming of Yeshua Hamachiac.