A reblog from winteric.wordpress

The Man of Sin Revealed

Mystery Babylon the Great

I wish to do a little write up on this topic, hoping that a sincere soul might be helped by my effort. I strongly believe that the ultimate purpose of exposing spiritual truth is to set a sin-sick soul free from bondage. It is important, therefore, for the reader to be earnest about this freedom, disregarding any perceived error on my part and holding back doubtful questioning that may stand in the way of this noble goal. 

The first mention of "Babylon" in the Holy Bible is in the book of Genesis chapter 10, verse 10.  In the Hebrew language, it is called Babel. In English, it is called "CONFUSION". Since the New Testament was mainly written in Greek, it will make sense to leave it in the Greek name, "Babylon", throughout this discourse. The next mention of it is in Genesis 11:9.

 "Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth." {Babel: that is, Confusion}

In the first mention of it, we learn it was the first kingdom founded by Nimrod, who "began to be a mighty one in the earth" and "a mighty hunter before the LORD". From the little recorded about this man, we can deduce that he started something new in his days. His contemporaries held him in high esteem. He was a king, in fact, the first one in history, and a tyrant for that matter. He invented a new way of life and influenced his generation to follow him. He changed the norms of the society he met, turning men away from God who was previously feared as the only Magistrate over mankind, thus introducing idolatry. He organized men into a sort of forms and order. At the climax of these enterprises, God overruled his preeminence and dispersed his whole company by confusing their language, which was the pillar of their connectedness.

In subsequent mention of this kingdom, which also goes by the name Asshur or Assyria, we find them great enough to swallow other kingdoms of the earth. Its most important conquest was the visible people of God on earth then, who were the offsprings of Jacob, a grandson of Abraham. The holy nation became scattered as slaves in foreign lands. 

The last mention of Babylon, which had become extinct, is in the apokalupsis or the book of Revelation in the New Testament. This is the part that concerns us most, so, we will just quote them below, and treat them later. Here they are:

 Re 14:8 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.

 Re 16:19 And the great city 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.

 Re 17:5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. {harlots: or, fornications}

 Re 18:2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.

 Re 18:10 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.

 Re 18:21 And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.

(KJV)

At the time of the writing of The Apokalupsis, the Babylonian Empire had already expired. The reigning world power then was Rome. In 1Peter 5:13, where the apostle mentioned a church that was at Babylon, bible commentators are divided as to the exact location referred. I suppose the purpose of this article is not to settle that contention. The salient question that comes to mind is why issues about an expired kingdom are brought to the fore in the book of Revelation. When you open the book the first words you read are:

¶ The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John...

The highlighted word: "signified" denotes the use of symbols or figures in a coded manner to convey a message. Since we are sure that the Babylonian kingdom had already expired before a warning is given to readers to flee from her, it is clear that something else is intended by its use here. How do we know what it is? We only have to go back to its usage in the ancient texts to ascertain its present meaning. From the earlier passages of this article we are told how Nimrod had turned the descendants of Noah away from God's rule to "man-rule"in the form of kingdom government (Babylon). We also saw that it had to do with confusion. God did not give up entirely on mankind. He sought a nation out of Abraham, his friend. But that nation was soon led into captivity under the great kingdom of Babylon.

Therefore, apart from Babylon being a synonym for confusion, we can also say it stands for any form or order that detracts from God's right to govern his children; or any system that causes them to lose their freedom or their right to govern themselves. Being the creator of mankind and life, itself, He alone knows how best to "run things". At the time of the writing of the Revelation, God's children were the redeemed souls, who were saved from sin by the shed blood of Jesus Christ, from all over the world. 

Romans 2:28 

For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:

Romans 2:29

But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

At the inception of the church of God, all the disciples were of one mind. They saw eye to eye and settled disputes in matters of variance concerning the faith. They had one Lord, who is Christ Jesus. They were all brethren, not esteeming one brother above another. This was about to change, as the apostles warned the whole church of a coming disaster, where "grievous wolves" would enter the sheepfold to disrupt the unity and purity of the body. We see an example of this warning in Brother Paul's address to the Ephesian elders in 

Acts 20:29 

For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.

Acts 20:30 

Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.

Acts 20:31 

Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.

In another place he stated that this event must precede the coming of the Lord. There he explained that this the mystery of iniquity was already working. Indeed, Babylon is a great mystery. Although it was expired as a physical government yet successive government took up its regalia. It only changed its form. It was a religio-politico system from the very beginning. Even the Roman Empire had inherited most of its paraphernalia. The symbols of the apokalupsis depict the Roman Empire that persecuted the early church of God as Satan the dragon. The dragon handed its power over to the beast, which is the popery Rome or Roman catholic church in the dark ages. When Brother Paul the beloved showed the Thessalonian Christians that there was a power restraining the mystery of iniquity, which we may identify as mystery Babylon, he was unwilling to mention the restraining power for obvious reasons. According to 2Thes 2:5,6, he had already mentioned who this power was, but he was unwilling to commit this same information into writing for obvious reasons. It could endanger the Christians in those days. Tradition has it that the apostle taught them that it was the Roman Empire that restrained "that man of sin" or "son of perdition" from being revealed then. It will turn out from the lessons of history that the "man of sin" was the pope himself, who took over the reins and became so power as to be declared ruler of the ancient Roman world. He overthrew the church of God, in fulfilment of prophecy, and put the people of God under subjection, lording it over them. Subsequent denominations that were formed after the fall of the popery government over the whole Christian world, took after the patterns of the catholic church, hence they are rightly referred to as harlots, being daughters of the mother church: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. We can safely conclude that Mystery Babylon is a false representation of the body of Christ on earth. Therefore, people of God, if you caught in the religio-politics of christendom, hear the voice of the Spirit and the Bride, calling you out of this confusion of vain religion. 

"...Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues."

In coming out of Babylon, you need not wander lost in the wilderness, oh saint. Search for your brethren and return to the unity and purity of the one body of Christ.

Re 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

(KJV)

Isa 51:11 Therefore the redeemed of the LORD shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.

(KJV)

 Isa 35:10 And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

(KJV)

(I hope to continue this article when questions are raised. Please, feel free to comment).