biblestudying.net

Printer Friendly Version

Particulars of Christianity:
314 End Times Prophecy (Eschatology)

Prophetic Symbols: The Great Prostitute (Part 6)

Prophetic Symbols: The Great Prostitute (Part 1)
Prophetic Symbols: The Great Prostitute (Part 2)
Prophetic Symbols: The Great Prostitute (Part 3)
Prophetic Symbols: The Great Prostitute (Part 4)
Prophetic Symbols: The Great Prostitute (Part 5)
Prophetic Symbols: The Great Prostitute (Part 6)
Prophetic Symbols: The Great Prostitute (Part 7)

Articles 7-12
Articles 13-18
Articles 19-25
Articles 26-29

Earlier in our study we found the existence and prominence of the mystery cult that Revelation 17 and 18 describe as the harlot working in the various empires represented by the seven-headed beast. What we did not take time to look at then, but which we will now show is that in many of these cases we know specifically that these men resided in the capital or most prominent cities of these empires, which were the leading cities of the kingdom and their activities were based out of these locations. The two most prominent and clearest examples of this are Rome and Nineveh.

In the case of Rome we have the very likely scenario that the name Babylon is used by the Apostle Peter in his first epistle to refer to the capital of the Roman empire, Rome, Italy. This demonstrates that Rome, Italy, at least in the days that the Roman empire had dominion was Mystery Babylon.

But as we also saw from Nahum 1 and 3, Nineveh, the capital and leading city of the Assyrian empire was also identified as a harlot, the mistress of witchcraft.

Nahum 3:1 Woe to the bloody city! it is all full of lies and robbery; the prey departeth not; 2 The noise of a whip, and the noise of the rattling of the wheels, and of the pransing horses, and of the jumping chariots. 3 The horseman lifteth up both the bright sword and the glittering spear: and there is a multitude of slain, and a great number of carcases; and there is none end of their corpses; they stumble upon their corpses: 4 Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the wellfavoured harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts, that selleth nations through her whoredoms, and families through her witchcrafts. 5 Behold, I am against thee, saith the LORD of hosts; and I will discover thy skirts upon thy face, and I will shew the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thy shame. 6 And I will cast abominable filth upon thee, and make thee vile, and will set thee as a gazingstock. 7 And it shall come to pass, that all they that look upon thee shall flee from thee, and say, Nineveh is laid waste: who will bemoan her? whence shall I seek comforters for thee?

From this description there can be little doubt that Nineveh was the Mystery Babylon in the days of the Assyrian empire. Like Rome it was the leading city of the day. It was the seat of rule over the nations during the dominion of Assyria. And like the Babylon of Revelation 17 and 18 it is a city of blood, of lies, and of sorcery and witchcraft. (The word translated as "witchcraft" in verse 4 can mean either sorcery or witchcraft. It is translated 4 times as witchcraft, and 2 times as sorcery.)

However, if we were to continue to verse 8 of this same chapter we see an interesting question posed to the harlot Nineveh, the great city of the Assyrian empire.

Nahum 3:8 Art thou better than populous No, that was situate among the rivers, that had the waters round about it, whose rampart was the sea, and her wall was from the sea? 9 Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength, and it was infinite; Put and Lubim were thy helpers. 10 Yet was she carried away, she went into captivity: her young children also were dashed in pieces at the top of all the streets: and they cast lots for her honourable men, and all her great men were bound in chains.

In this verse Nineveh is compared to a city called No. No is another name for Thebes, the ancient capital of the Middle Kingdom of Egypt. It is situated on the Nile River and was destroyed by the Assyrian king Sargon. Remember Egypt was the first empire of the seven-headed beast and the Assyrians were the second. Nahum 3:9 confirms that this is what is being discussed where it states that Egypt and Ethiopia were the strength of No. Egypt and Ethiopia were the central territories of the Egyptian empire. From the comparison of No (Thebes, Egypt) to the harlot, the mistress of witchcraft, Nineveh, Assyria, we can see that No, Egypt, the capital and leading city of the Egyptian empire, was in God's eyes the great harlot city of its day.

And beyond this we know that the mystery cult is known to have enjoyed prominent position in each of these empires.

In the book of Daniel we saw a great deal of description of these men in the Babylonian and Media-Persian empires. In both cases these men lived and operated in the capital cities of these kingdoms. That this was the case in Babylon is evident in Daniel 3.

Daniel 3:1 Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.

Besides the fact that the events described in the portion of the Book of Daniel, which takes place during the Babylonian empire all took place in the city of Babylon, which was the capital and leading city of the Babylonian empire, we see also that it was there that Nebuchadnezzar set up his golden image for the people to worship. Daniel 3:1 tells us plainly that the image is set up in the plain of Dura. This place is a flat area near the city of ancient Babylon, which is still today known by this ancient name.

Yet in Daniel 8:2, during the reign of Belshazzar who would be the last king of Babylon, we find Daniel in the city of Shushan, not Babylon. (Shushan is Susa, which is the name often used to refer to this city.) This is worth noting since Daniel 1 tells us that Daniel and his associates were taken captive to the city of Babylon and made part of the king's court there. Also we must remember that Belshazzar's reign was abruptly ended in chapter 5, when he is slain and the kingdom passes to Darius the Mede who was the first king of the Media-Persian empire.

Daniel 8:1 In the third year of the reign of king Belshazzar a vision appeared unto me, even unto me Daniel, after that which appeared unto me at the first. 2 And I saw in a vision; and it came to pass, when I saw, that I was at Shushan in the palace, which is in the province of Elam; and I saw in a vision, and I was by the river of Ulai.

As we pointed out earlier it is likely that Darius the Mede appointed many of the members of the mystery cult from the Babylonian empire to prominent positions in his own kingdom. This was definitely the case with Daniel. And what do we see near the end of the Babylonian kingdom, Daniel the chief of the wise men of Babylon is in the city of Shushan in the province of Elam. Elam is in modern day Iran and is part of the heart of the Persian empire. The city of Shushan was the capital of Elam, Persia.

That Shushan is the capital of the Persian empire is corroborated by the Book of Esther.

Esther 1:2 That in those days, when the king Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom, which was in Shushan the palace,

Therefore what we see here in Daniel 8 is that just prior to the removal of the Babylonian kingdom and the rising of the Persian empire, Daniel the chief over the wise men (those who knew the times and changing of kingdoms) is no longer residing in the city of Babylon, the capital of Babylonian empire, but was now in Shushan, the capital of the soon-to-be Persian empire.

It is interesting to note that the wise men of Babylon and Persia are accredited with knowing when the kingdoms would rise and fall and that we see these men present in each of these kingdoms, and we see them moving around from capital to capital as the empires change. In the case of Daniel it even seems as if these people may have moved preemptively from the city of Babylon to the city of Shushan in anticipation of the soon changing of times (kingdoms). If this is the case it is a profound testimony of the understanding these men had regarding the removing and setting up of kings.

There is one final scripture passage that may also touch on this topic.

Zechariah 5:5 Then the angel that talked with me went forth, and said unto me, Lift up now thine eyes, and see what is this that goeth forth. 6 And I said, What is it? And he said, This is an ephah that goeth forth. He said moreover, This is their resemblance through all the earth. 7 And, behold, there was lifted up a talent of lead: and this is a woman that sitteth in the midst of the ephah. 8 And he said, This is wickedness. And he cast it into the midst of the ephah; and he cast the weight of lead upon the mouth thereof. 9 Then lifted I up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came out two women, and the wind was in their wings; for they had wings like the wings of a stork: and they lifted up the ephah between the earth and the heaven. 10 Then said I to the angel that talked with me, Whither do these bear the ephah? 11 And he said unto me, To build it an house in the land of Shinar: and it shall be established, and set there upon her own base.

In Zechariah 5, Zechariah is shown what is referred to as wickedness depicted as a woman held within a basket. This woman is said to be taken away to the land of Shinar to a house there for her.

There are two things that are interesting about this passage that are relevant to our study. First, "wickedness" is portrayed as a woman. The word "wickedness" has both civic and religious overtones, which would fit nicely with the mystery cult of Mystery Babylon who operate as both civic and religious authorities in the kingdoms of the seven-headed beast. Furthermore the imagery that is employed here to symbolize wickedness seems strikingly similar to that of Revelation 17 and 18 and of Nahum 3 where we see spiritual depravity portrayed as a harlot.

What makes this passage even more noteworthy is where this woman is said to be taken. Verse 11 states that she is taken to the land of Shinar where a house is to be prepared for her. The land of Shinar is just a more ancient name for Babylon or Chaldea.

Therefore it seems that Zechariah 5 may be describing the actual transportation of the spiritually corrupt and adulterous harlot from her previous location to a new location. This chapter may be demonstrating the relocation of "Babylon" the harlot in accordance with the changing of the times and kingdoms, from one empire's whose time is ending to another, which is being prepared to take over the imperial dominion.

From the preceding study we have seen that the mystery cult, the Babylonian harlot, moves their center of operations with the changing of empires to the capital and leading cities of the current head of the succession of seven empires. This was the case in Thebes (No), Egypt during the Egyptian empire, the first empire, which is likened to the harlot city of Nineveh, Assyria, the capital and leading city of the second empire. And this was the case in the city of Babylon, the capital of the Babylonian empire. And likewise in the Media-Persian capital of Shushan. Similarly, the pattern is confirmed by the Apostle Peter's referring to Rome, Italy, the capital city of the Roman empire, the sixth empire, as Babylon in his first epistle.

While we have not looked at any information on the Grecian empire we have seen that the harlot moved its world headquarters to the capital city of the other five heads of the succession of seven empires. This being the case there is sufficient precedent to conclude that it is very likely that the great harlot city, Mystery, Babylon the Great of Revelation 17 and 18, which will exist in the last days will, in fact, be the capital or leading city of the empire of the False Prophet, the empire of clay, the seventh and final empire of the seven-headed beast that the harlot has rode through each of its kingdoms. We say capital OR leading city because in modern times, in the era of the mega-tropolis, it is possible that the leading city of an empire may not, in fact, be its official capital of government, while still being the wealthiest city of the kingdom and a place where world politics is controlled.