Transcript of Sabbath Meeting - 09/15/2000

The thing that I am going to be speaking about this evening is the Babylon of Revelation 18

but first, let's turn to Ezekiel chapter 33...

Ezekiel 33:1 - Again the word of YHWH came unto me, saying,

Ezekiel 33:2 - Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman:

Ezekiel 33:3 - If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people;

Ezekiel 33:4 - Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head.

Ezekiel 33:5 - He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul.

Ezekiel 33:6 - But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand.

I am not claiming to be a prophet, but I believe that YAHWEH has placed this message on my heart to share with His people.

I hope that the following is a help to all who are seeking the truth.

This is a study concerning the question..."What is the Babylon spoken of in Revelation 18"? Is it possible to identify Babylon the Great? Is there any place in the world today that would qualify?

In the 18th Chapter of Revelation, it talks about the Destruction of Babylon the Great.

The first thing that I will address is concerning the question, "Is Revelation chapters 17 and 18 talking about the same thing?"

Let's examine some passages...

1. In 18:1 it says, "I saw another angel coming down from heaven". Events of chapter 17 were introduced by "one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls" (17:1).

It appears to be two different events.

2. Mystery, Babylon the Great of (17:5) is destroyed by the kings of the earth (17:16).

The Babylon of chapter 18 will be destroyed by the cataclysmic judgements of YAHWEH (18:8).

It is possible however, that after the kings fulfill the will of YAHWEH (17:16-17), that they afterwards lament (18:9).

If that is the case, then it would appear that the two events could be the same.

3. It seems that most believe that Revelation 17 is talking about the Roman Catholic Church.

I have also heard the idea that it could be talking about the abomination that the Statue of Liberty represents (the idol Ishtar, the queen of heaven) [Jer 7:18; 44:16-19].

If Revelation 17 is refering to Ishtar, it would not only be Christianty, as would be the case with the Roman Catholic Church, but it would include all false religions on the face of the earth.

The next question that needs answering ... is the destruction of Babylon in Revelation 18 the same event that is spoken of in Jeremiah and Isaiah?

The following verses suggest that when Babylon is destroyed, it will be destroyed forever, never to arise again...Isa 13:19-20; Jeremiah 50:39-40, 51:62; Rev 18:22,23.

The question that I have, how many times will YAHWEH destroy Babylon forever, never to rise again?

Now for the study on Revelation 18...

Revelation 18:1 - And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.

Revelation 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.

Jeremiah 51:37 - And Babylon shall become heaps, a dwelling place for dragons, an astonishment, and an hissing, without an inhabitant.

The first thing it talks about is her fornication and how she has been a world leader to bring other nations to worship strange mighty ones, and to promote her fornication.

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.

Jeremiah 51:7 - Babylon hath been a golden cup in YHWH's hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad.

The next thing it talks about is how rich she is, so rich that the merchants of the whole earth can be made rich with the abundance of her delicacies, and I can think of no other place that this can be talking about other than the United States!

Babylon must be a consumer country without equal, repeatedly buying, using, discarding, and buying again.

Look at your Car or T.V. from Japan, or your shirt or skirt from China, or your socks from Mexico, or your tools from Taiwan or from Korea, or from Western Europe.

YAHWEH CALLS HIS PEOPLE OUT OF BABYLON BEFORE HE EXECUTES JUDGMENT.

Revelation 18:4 - And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

Isaiah 48:20 - Go ye forth of Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans, with a voice of singing declare ye, tell this, utter it even to the end of the earth; say ye, YHWH hath redeemed his servant Jacob.

Jeremiah 50:8 - Remove out of the midst of Babylon, and go forth out of the land of the Chaldeans, and be as the he goats before the flocks.

Jeremiah 51:6 - Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his soul: be not cut off in her iniquity; for this is the time of YHWH's vengeance; he will render unto her a recompence.

Jeremiah 51:45 - My people, go ye out of the midst of her, and deliver ye every man his soul from the fierce anger of YHWH.

Jeremiah 51:50 - Ye that have escaped the sword, go away, stand not still: remember YHWH afar off, and let Jerusalem come into your mind.

Revelation 18:5 - For her sins have reached unto heaven, and YHWH hath remembered her iniquities.

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: for her judgment reacheth unto heaven, and is lifted up even to the skies.

YAHWEH DOUBLES The Punishment Which This Nation Is To Receive.

Revelation 18:6 - Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.

Jeremiah 50:15 - Shout against her round about: she hath given her hand: her foundations are fallen, her walls are thrown down: for it is the vengeance of YHWH: take vengeance upon her; as she hath done, do unto her.

Jeremiah 50:29 - Call together the archers against Babylon: all ye that bend the bow, camp against it round about; let none thereof escape: recompense her according to her work; according to all that she hath done, do unto her: for she hath been proud against YHWH, against the Holy One of Israel.

Father YAHWEH has in times past, used other nations to carry out his judgements, as in the case of Assyria invading the 10 northern tribes of Israel.

BABYLON BOASTS PROUDLY IN HER HEART OF HER RICHES, BELIEVING SHE WILL CONTINUE FOREVER IN HER PROSPERITY.

Revelation 18:7 - How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.

Isaiah 47:1 - Come down, and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon, sit on the ground: there is no throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called tender and delicate.

Isaiah 47:2 - Take the millstones, and grind meal: uncover thy locks, make bare the leg, uncover the thigh, pass over the rivers.

Isaiah 47:3 - Thy nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, thy shame shall be seen: I will take vengeance, and I will not meet thee as a man.

Isaiah 47:7 - And thou saidst, I shall be a lady for ever: so that thou didst not lay these things to thy heart, neither didst remember the latter end of it.

Isaiah 47:8 - Therefore hear now this, thou that art given to pleasures, that dwellest carelessly, that sayest in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me; I shall not sit as a widow, neither shall I know the loss of children:

The number of billionaires per country.

USA 69 Germany 17 Japan 12 Hong Kong 7 Saudi Arabia 6 United Kingdom 5 Canada 4

American businessmen still hold the predominate wealth in the world. What is the attitude on the part of Americans toward this wealth? They believe they need nothing else and that this good time will never end.

This passage also implies that, at the time of the Almighty's destruction, this nation will be at her Height of power and monetary influence. Is America at her economic zenith now, or are we in serious decline?...

"...The average American has NEVER HAD IT SO GOOD. By almost any measure of health and wealth...we are demonstrably better off now than in the...50's and 60's.

Incomes are up...

We have more opportunities

We can choose among more things to buy..

The average American commands TWICE AS MUCH buying power today as in 1962, despite inflation and higher taxes..."

Employment benefits are twice as large a share of total compensation as they were 35 years ago...

Counting government subsidies, 1 in 10 Americans today is poor, versus 1 in 5 in 1960..."

Yahweh's JUDGMENTS FALL IN ONE DAY UTTERLY DESTROYING BABYLON.

Revelation 18:8 - Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is YHWH Elohim who judgeth her.

Isaiah 47:9 - But these two things shall come to thee in a moment in one day, the loss of children, and widowhood: they shall come upon thee in their perfection for the multitude of thy sorceries, and for the great abundance of thine enchantments.

Isaiah 47:10 - For thou hast trusted in thy wickedness: thou hast said, None seeth me. Thy wisdom and thy knowledge, it hath perverted thee; and thou hast said in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me.

Isaiah 47:11 - Therefore shall evil come upon thee; thou shalt not know from whence it riseth: and mischief shall fall upon thee; thou shalt not be able to put it off: and desolation shall come upon thee suddenly, which thou shalt not know.

Jeremiah 50:31 - Behold, I am against thee, O thou most proud, saith the Sovereign YHWH of hosts: for thy day is come, the time that I will visit thee.

Jeremiah 50:32 - And the most proud shall stumble and fall, and none shall raise him up: and I will kindle a fire in his cities, and it shall devour all round about him.

"This conquest of Ancient Babylon by Medes and the Persians in 538 B.C. however did not follow the normal pattern:

it was without a parallel of practice of the Ancient Orient.

For this time there were no columns of smoke rising from behind shattered walls, no temples or palaces razed to the ground, no house plundered, no man was butchered or impaled."

Jeremiah 50:32 describes this Babylon as being destoryed with fire.

EARTH'S LEADERS BEMOAN BABYLON'S DESTRUCTION.

Revelation 18:9 - And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lameint for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,

Does America really buy from all other nations of the world to such a degree?

"...The Third World now relies upon the United States to buy 65% of its manufactured exports, compared with only 45% in 1979."

The USA imports more than both Japan and Germany combined. Remember the words, "...no one will buy their cargo anymore...")

Country..... Exports ..... Imports

USA...... 663 Billion... 912 Billion

Germany...510 Billion... 426 Billion

Japan..... 440 Billion... 319 Billion

Remember, the key to this prophecy is on imports from other nations. This Economic Babylon undoubtedly has a very large Import imbalance, as she imports so much merchandise from the rest of the world.

Finally, look at the phrase 'smoke of her burning'--could that be the inevitable plumes formed by a nuclear explosion?

EARTH'S BUSINESSMEN BEMOAN BABYLON'S FATE. IMMENSITY AND COMPLEXITY OF BABYLON'S ECONOMY IS DESCRIBED.

Reading Revelation 18 verse 9 again...

Revelation 18:9 - And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lameint for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,

Jeremiah 50:46 - At the noise of the taking of Babylon the earth is moved, and the cry is heard among the nations.

Jeremiah 50:12 - Your mother shall be sore confounded; she that bare you shall be ashamed: behold, the least of the nations, a wilderness, a dry land and a desert.

Is it not England?

The meaning of the word "hindermost" (strong's #319) is "last" or "latter".

The United States is the youngest and the greatest of all the world's nations.

Historically, no nation has ever been utterly destroyed in one day.

The single-day destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, who were destroyed by a small primitive nuclear weapon, was actually a destruction which occurred within a SINGLE HOUR. As we look ahead to verse 10, YAHWEH further narrows Babylon's destruction to a single hour.

Will it be from nuclear destruction?

This is the first and only time in world history, that an ENTIRE nation could literally be destroyed in a single hour.

Continuing on in Revelation 18:10, when they shall see the torment of her burning...

Revelation 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.

Jeremiah 51:8 - Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed: howl for her; take balm for her pain, if so she may be healed.

Revelation 18:11 - And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:

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.

Revelation 18:12 - The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble,

Revelation 18:13 - And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.

Revelation 18:14 - And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all.

Revelation 18:15 - The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,

Revelation 18:16 - And saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls!

Jeremiah 51:8 - Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed: howl for her; take balm for her pain, if so she may be healed.

I. In verses 10 and 15, it says that the rulers and the businessmen are standing a "long way off" in their intense lamenting over the loss of this great nation. Look at a world globe. The North American continent is UNIQUELY SURROUNDED on all sides by immense bodies of water.

The great majority of our commercial trade is done with two major parts of the world--Asia to the West, across the Pacific Ocean; and Europe, to the East, across the Atlantic.

II. Verse 11: this great nation was unique. She alone bought such a huge amount of the cargo from the other nations of the world. No nation could replace her.

Only America is EXTREMELY DEPENDENT upon consumer purchasing for the health of her economy. Two-thirds of our total economic activity is generated by consumer spending.

3. America's loss to the world's economy would be devastating. The world would lose THE MOST PRODUCTIVE agricultural exporting continent in the WORLD.

The economy of this great nation is described in Revelation 18:12-13 and 16, as a vast, multifaceted economy. The key emphasis is on the volume of merchandise which this economy IMPORTS.

SHIP CAPTAINS, NAVIGATORS, AND CREWS BEMOAN BABYLON'S FATE

Revelation 18:17b...And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,

18:18 And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What [city is] like unto this great city!

Isaiah 13:19 - And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, shall be as when Elohim overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.

Revelation 18:19 - And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.

In Revelation 18:9, 15, and 19: the leaders, businessmen, and ship-owners are able to see the smoke of this nation's burning.

Not even huge pillars of nuclear smoke, rising over America, could be seen with the naked eye 2,000-4,000 miles away.

It would seem logical to say, that the viewing of the smoke from such great distances can only occur via TV transmissions from orbiting satellites.

The very end of Revelation 18 verse 19... This destruction has made this nation

a desert. One of the effects of nuclear explosions, especially at the point of impact, is the formation of glass and sand.

Jeremiah 51:43 - Her cities are a desolation, a dry land, and a wilderness, a land wherein no man dwelleth, neither doth any son of man pass thereby.

Revelation 18:20 - Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for YHWH hath avenged you on her.

Jeremiah 51:47 - Therefore, behold, the days come, that I will do judgment upon the graven images of Babylon: and her whole land shall be confounded, and all her slain shall fall in the midst of her.

Jeremiah 51:48 - Then the heaven and the earth, and all that is therein, shall sing for Babylon: for the spoilers shall come unto her from the north, saith YHWH.

Revelation 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.

Jeremiah 51:63 - And it shall be, when thou hast made an end of reading this book, that thou shalt bind a stone to it, and cast it into the midst of Euphrates:

Jeremiah 51:64 - And thou shalt say, Thus shall Babylon sink, and shall not rise from the evil that I will bring upon her: and they shall be weary. Thus far are the words of Jeremiah.

Revelation 18:22... And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee;

23a... And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee:

Jeremiah 51:29 - And the land shall tremble and sorrow: for every purpose of YHWH shall be performed against Babylon, to make the land of Babylon a desolation without an inhabitant.

Revelation 18:23b... for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.

Isaiah 47:9 - But these two things shall come to thee in a moment in one day, the loss of children, and widowhood: they shall come upon thee in their perfection for the multitude of thy sorceries, and for the great abundance of thine enchantments.

I don't know, but I do believe that Revelation chaper 14 gives the sequence of events in their proper order...

In verses 6 and 7 of Revelation 14, it talks about the true message of Yahushua the Messiah being preached here on the earth...

Revelation 14:6 - And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,

Revelation 14:7 - Saying with a loud voice, Fear YHWH, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.

Revelation 14:9 - And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,

Revelation 14:10 - The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of YHWH, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:

Revelation 14:11 - And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.

Revelation 14:12 - Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of YHWH, and the faith of Yahushua.

I have often wondered how the great Anti-Messiah will come to power in the world in this day and time.

We have a lesson in recent history of how Adolph Hitler came to power in Germany in the 1930's.

The country was in the middle of a great depression brought on by the First World War.

And I'm sure that is what is going to be necessary again for this to take place.

When people get hungry and scared they will do anything.

If some one rises up and convinces them they have the answers, they will follow them anywhere.

Have you ever thought of what kind of depression this world would be in, if the United States would be destroyed all of a sudden?

It would be hard to imagine!

Not only would there be a world wide depression, but there would be fear that can not be imagined.

People would loose the kind of security that they feel now.

Also, the United States feeds a big proportion of the world.

Not only that, but the smoke and dust in the atmosphere would be a catastrophe world wide, it would be the beginning of the End as we know it.

Now, for the last verse of Revelation 18...

Revelation 18:24 - And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.

The United States is known as the melting pot of the nations.

On the back of the one dollar bill, it says, "epluribus unum", which means in Latin, "Out of many, one".

When we read the story of the "Tower of Babel" in Genesis 11, it tells how the earth was all one language, and how the people built a tower...

Genesis 11:4 - And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.

Genesis 11:5 - And YHWH came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.

Genesis 11:6 - And YHWH said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.

Genesis 11:7 - Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.

Genesis 11:8 - So YHWH scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.

Genesis 11:9 - Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because YHWH did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did YHWH scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.

I also believe that what Yahushua said to the scribes and Pharisees in Matthew 23 concerning the blood of the righteous prophets can also apply to the people of this nation concerning everyone slain upon the earth...

Matthew 23:29 - Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous,

Matthew 23:30 - And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.

Matthew 31:32 -

Matthew 23:31 - Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets.

Matthew 23:32 - Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.

Jeremiah 51:35 - The violence done to me and to my flesh be upon Babylon, shall the inhabitant of Zion say; and my blood upon the inhabitants of Chaldea, shall Jerusalem say.

Jeremiah 51:36 - Therefore thus saith YHWH; Behold, I will plead thy cause, and take vengeance for thee; and I will dry up her sea, and make her springs dry.

People all over the world have yearned to be like America, as they have seen our wealth, success, and power.

Such a position draws people to emulate, to allow themselves to be deceived.

I believe that the United States of America is Babylon the Great, and I believe that it is going to be destroyed forever.

I will close with an admonition from the word of YAHWEH...

Ecclesiastes 8:5b "...A wise man's heart discerneth both time and judgement."

May YAHWEH bless you all

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