Saturday, March 7, 2015

Revelation 18 - Commercial Babylon

Before proceeding, read Mystery Babylon The Great: Who Is It? (http://www.calvaryprophecy.com/babylon.html) by Terry Malone in which he gives his view that the United States will be Mystery Babylon.
Also, I suggest reading The Debate over Antichrist Part 1 by Walid Shoebat and The Debate over Antichrist Part 2 by Walid Shoebat in which Walid, who used to be a radicalized Muslim willing to die for the cause of Jihad until he converted to Christianity in 1994, argues that the Anti-Christ will be a Muslim.


Above image from www.truthnet.org/Christianity/revelation/Revelation18/

Chapter 18 is an amplification of the last bowl described in Revelation 16:17-21: Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air. And a mighty shout came from the throne of the Temple in heaven, saying, "It is finished!" Then the thunder crashed and rolled, and lightning flashed. And there was an earthquake greater than ever before in human history. The great city of Babylon split into three pieces, and cities around the world fell into heaps of rubble. And so God remembered all of Babylon's sins, and he made her drink the cup that was filled with the wine of his fierce wrath. And every island disappeared, and all the mountains were leveled. There was a terrible hailstorm, and hailstones weighing seventy-five pounds fell from the sky onto the people below. They cursed God because of the hailstorm, which was a very terrible plague.

Revelation 17:15-18: Then the angel said to me, "The waters you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages. The beast and the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They will bring her to ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire. For God has put it into their hearts to accomplish his purpose by agreeing to give the beast their power to rule, until God's words are fulfilled. The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth."

Note above in chapter 17 that the prostitute (harlot) is defined as the great city - Babylon. So, when chapter 18 here talks about the fall of Babylon, is it still talking about the prostitute and the same city? There is a strong difference of opinion amongst Bible expositors on that very important subject. During Daniel's time, Babylon in Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) was Babylon. Alexander the Great even planned on making Babylon the capital of his empire. During John's time, Rome was the religious, commercial, political and military center of the known world. This is applied by some to Babylon rebuilt, to Rome of John's time, to Rome & the Vatican, to Jerusalem, to London, to New York City, to the EU. Many believe that the UN will move from New York City to a rebuilt Babylon, but personally, I don't really see that happening. However, if you walk around the great cities of the West - Rome, London, Berlin, Paris, Washington DC and New York, what kind of architecture do you see? What kind of governments do you see? What languages do you hear? The West is a child of the Roman Empire. Take a look at Russia - its alphabet is derived from the Greek (the Eastern Roman Empire). The original Babylon was a religious, political and economic power and system that was replaced by the Medo-Persian empire, then by Alexander the Great's empire and its daughters and then by the Roman Empire. No one country or city-state today is a religious, political, military and religious power altogether because the Roman Empire divided first into the Eastern and Western legs and then further divided as it is today. I would say that today Rome is the religious power, New York City is the economic power (followed by its mother London), Washington DC is the political power (USA and UN) and the USA is the military power of the world. According to the biannual Global Financial Centers Index in 2014, New York City has overtaken London as the top world financial center for the first time in seven years. According to the report, New York's two-point lead over London is "statistically insignificant". New York City (originally "New Amsterdam") is a "child" of London. London was founded by Rome around AD 47 and its original name was Londinium. Hong Kong and Singapore took third and fourth spots respectively followed by Zurich, Tokyo and Seoul.

As we read Revelation, we have to also wonder how the instability in the Middle East of today fits in - Persia with the atomic bomb and missiles, ISIS, Al Qaeda, the so-called Arab Spring, collapse of the governments in Iraq, Yemen, Egypt, Libya, etc. We also have to wonder about the growing influence if the Islamic religion on Europe and on the USA. We also notice the military and financial growth of China in the East.

(1) AFTER all this I saw another angel come down from heaven with great authority, and the earth grew bright with his splendor.

  • AFTER all this:
    • The opening phrase of chapter 18, "After all this," indicates that the events described in chapter 18 will not take place until after the events of chapter 17 have been fulfilled. In other words, the religious system collapses first followed later by the commercial system, showing the Babylon systems in chapter 17 and 18 may be related but they are not the same.
  • Another angel (Greek allon):
    • Another angel of the same type as the one in Revelation 17:1.
  • Bright:
    • Swete: "So recently has he come from the Presence (of God) that in passing he flings a broad belt of light across the dark earth."

(2) He gave a mighty shout, "Babylon is fallen -- that great city is fallen! She has become the hideout of demons and evil spirits, a nest for filthy buzzards, and a den for dreadful beasts.

  • Babylon the great (as translated in the KJV):
    • From http://mystery-babylon.org/: "Almost four thousand years ago, a couple hundred years beyond the flood of Noah, there was an attempt by people to unify their world into a 'one world' government, as well as religion. This first, great, unification of mankind marked the synchronization of their political and religious thought into one conglomerate - one ideology. This conglomerate became the foundation for the establishment of the famous Tower of Babel, also known as Babylon. The founders of this 'one world' system were a couple of characters in the Bible: Cush and Nimrod. This tower became mankind's symbol of vanity - a declaration of independence from any authority of God. Cush and Nimrod also began to push for control over all the proceedings. Utilizing the religious and political thoughts they helped establish, a system began; a system which would continue to pass on from one government to the next."
    • Obviously, this is not referring to the fall of Nebuchadnezzar’s capital city. It had already been destroyed before John's day and Sadam Hussein tried to rebuild it. “Babylon the Great” is God’s code name for the future capital of the world. Babylon will be the world’s foremost financial and commercial center. In John's day, that was Rome.
    • According to chapter 17, Mystery Babylon, representing the end-times one-world religion, is the Prostitute who rides the Beast. But here, in chapter 18, the emphasis is on the commercial/financial aspect of the end-times central power - as shown in verse 11 by the merchants of the world who "weep and mourn for her". Babylon the Great represents all world government and religious systems under Satan.
    • Mystery Babylon (Revelation 17)
      • Symbol: Prostitute
      • Identified with Rome (inland)
      • Woman, prostitute, mother
      • Guilty of religious abominations
      • Destroyed by a political power (the Beast) that previously supported her   
    • Commercial Babylon (Revelation 18)
      • Symbol: Great city
      • Identified with a port city (coastal)
      • Habitation, great city, marketplace
      • Guilty of greed and self-indulgence
      • Destroyed by sudden act of God
  • Babylon is fallen:
    • The word order is reversed in the Greek to emphasize her fall: It is fallen, it is fallen, Babylon the great.
    • Religious Babylon of Revelation 17 is judged at the mid-point of the seven-year period of tribulation. Commercial Babylon is judged at the end of that period.
    • In Revelation 17:18, we read "And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the Kings of the earth." In reality the "woman" was the corrupt religious system and not a city. The same applies here. Commercial Babylon is a corrupt commercial, social and political system that will be destroyed at the end of the Tribulation.
    • Isaiah 21:9: Now at last – look! Here come the chariots and warriors!" Then the watchman said, "Babylon is fallen! All the idols of Babylon lie broken on the ground!"
    • Revelation 14:8: Then another angel followed him through the skies, shouting, "Babylon is fallen -- that great city is fallen -- because she seduced the nations of the world and made them drink the wine of her passionate immorality."
  • Is:
    • Notice the word "is". That is present tense. In Verse 4, this same angel will tell believers in effect to "Get out of Babylon". This angel is telling the future as if it has already happened.
  • Fallen...fallen
    • When a word is repeated twice, it is done for emphasis.

(3) For all the nations have drunk the wine of her passionate immorality. The rulers of the world have committed adultery with her, and merchants throughout the world have grown rich as a result of her luxurious living."

  • Drunk the wine:
    • Revelation 17:2: The rulers of the world have had immoral relations with her and the people who belong to this world have been made drunk by the wine of her immorality."
  • Merchants ... luxurious living:
    • In the days of the tribulation period, men will build an economic empire never equaled in this world. There will be astounding wealth and affluence. However, it will all come to a violent end.

(4) Then I heard another voice calling from heaven, "Come away from her, my people. Do not take part in her sins, or you will be punished with her.

  • Come away:
    • “Come away” is an aorist imperative of urgency - it means “do it now without delay.”
    • If the call to God’s people to come out of Babylon immediately precedes the time of destruction under the seventh bowl (Revelation 16:19), then the requirement to take the mark of the Beast for commercial participation has already been imposed. Since it is impossible to take the mark and be among the elect of God, the remaining believers are in hiding because they lack the mark.
    • Alford compares the command to come out of Babylon to the warning to Lot to leave Sodom (Genesis 19:15-22). The purpose of leaving Babylon is twofold: first, by separation from her they will not partake of her sin, and second, they will not have her plagues inflicted on them.
    • Jeremiah 51:6,45: Flee from Babylon! Save yourselves! Don't get trapped in her punishment! It is the LORD's time for vengeance; he will fully repay her. ... "Listen, my people, flee from Babylon. Save yourselves! Run from the LORD's fierce anger.
    • John 17:16: They are not part of this world any more than I am.
    • Romans 12:2: Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.
    • 2 Corinthians 6:14:  Don't team up with those who are unbelievers. How can goodness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness?
    • Ephesians 5:11: Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, rebuke and expose them.
  • My people:
    • Some suspect the speaker is Jesus Himself due to the "My People" reference and must be referring to people saved during the Tribulation period, especially Jews, since the Church has already been removed.

(5) For her sins are piled as high as heaven, and God is ready to judge her for her evil deeds.

  • Piled as high as heaven:
    • The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah reached up to God (Genesis 18:20-21; 19:13). Nineveh’s wickedness came up before the LORD (Jonah 1:2). Particularly heinous acts are said to reach up to heaven (2 Chronicles 28:9). As guilt compounds, it is said to grow up to the heavens (Ezra 9:6).
    • In the establishment of Babel, the people had attempted to make themselves a name by constructing a tower which reached to heaven or had the zodiac on its top representing heaven or perhaps even was an attempt to establish a gateway to and from heaven (Genesis 11:4) - like Jacob's ladder (Genesis 28:12).

(6) Do to her as she has done to your people. Give her a double penalty for all her evil deeds. She brewed a cup of terror for others, so give her twice as much as she gave out.

  • Double penalty:
    • Under the Law of Moses, the thief was required to pay double what was stolen (Exodus 22:4).

(7) She has lived in luxury and pleasure, so match it now with torments and sorrows. She boasts, 'I am queen on my throne. I am no helpless widow. I will not experience sorrow.'

  • No helpless widow:
    • As contrasted to Israel who, at times in Scripture, is pictured as divorced.
  • Isaiah 47:6-9: For I was angry with my chosen people and began their punishment by letting them fall into your hands. But you, Babylon, showed them no mercy. You have forced even the elderly to carry heavy burdens. You thought, 'I will reign forever as queen of the world!' You did not care at all about my people or think about the consequences of your actions. You are a pleasure-crazy kingdom, living at ease and feeling secure, bragging as if you were the greatest in the world! You say, 'I'm self-sufficient and not accountable to anyone! I will never be a widow or lose my children.' Well, those two things will come upon you in a moment: widowhood and the loss of your children. Yes, these calamities will come upon you, despite all your witchcraft and magic."

(8) Therefore, the sorrows of death and mourning and famine will overtake her in a single day. She will be utterly consumed by fire, for the Lord God who judges her is mighty."

  • In a single day:
    • This is saying that Babylon's destruction will not be progressive and it has not yet taken place. The wicked city (system) will be instantly destroyed. Daniel 5 records a similar fate that befell ancient Babylon; the city fell the very night that God wrote its doom on the wall of the king's palace, but it was not consumed by fire.
    • This may be indicative of the advancement of the 200,000,000 man army which may attack the city and uses nuclear weapons. Or, this could be the time period when Christ has returned and executes judgment.
    • In Chapter 16, this sudden judgment from God was announced as coming at the time of the great earthquake described there.
    • What could destroy a city or a nation or a group of nations by fire in one day? The implication would be a nuclear attack. Iran desperately wants nuclear weapons and ICBM's - not just to attack Israel, but the USA as well. Because Saudi Arabia sees Iran eventually becoming a nuclear power, it know it must do the same, along with its allies in the region. Additionally, Russia under Putin is rapidly reverting to the days of the USSR rearming, threatening and expanding. Moreover, on January 20, 2015, Russian defense minister Sergei Shoigu and his Iranian counterpart, defense minister Hossein Dehghan, signed an agreement on "military cooperation" between the two countries. Russia is planning on building nuclear reactors for Iran, even while Moscow works with Western powers on negotiating a deal to curb Iran's nuclear program. Russian Colonel General Leonid Ivashov stated, "A step was taken in the direction of cooperation on the economy and arms technology, at least such defensive systems such as the S-300 and S-400. Probably we will deliver them."

(9) And the rulers of the world who took part in her immoral acts and enjoyed her great luxury will mourn for her as they see the smoke rising from her charred remains.

  • Rulers of the world:
    • Do not confuse these rulers with the ten rulers. They are not the same. The rulers here refer to a wider group of rulers than the ten nation confederation of 17:12-16. This reaches out to all the other rulers of the earth who are caught up in the web of the commercialism of the day. They all mourn because of the destruction of Babylon. Why? Because the loss of her commercialism means the loss of control of the people and luxury in their courts.
    • Bullinger: "We have before noted that “the ten kings” are never seen apart from the Beast; and “the kings of the earth” are never seen apart from Babylon. It is the former who hate and burn Babylon; it is the latter who weep and wail over her. In both chapters (Revelation 17+ and 18+) the city is called “Babylon the great.” God and man both so call her. This great city cannot be separated from her own corrupt religion. They must be connected together, just as chapters 17+ and 18+ are connected; and yet distinguished as they are there distinguished."
    • The destruction of the Antichrist's political and economic power will strike a fatal blow to his empire. The fall of Babylon will be a symbol of the fall of the entire evil world system. And again Babylon is pictured as a prostitute whose death causes her lovers (clients) to weep and lament over her.
  • Mourn:
    • We see here the difference between religious Babylon and commercial Babylon. Religious Babylon was hated by the kings of the earth. Religious Babylon reigned over the rulers of the earth (17:18), and they hated her (17:16). But commercial Babylon is loved by the kings of the earth and they will weep and lament over her.
  • Smoke ... charred remains:
    • The time of this destruction is near the end of the Tribulation.

(10) They will stand at a distance, terrified by her great torment. They will cry out, "How terrible, how terrible for Babylon, that great city! In one single moment God's judgment came on her."

  • At a distance:
    • So great is the heat and smoke of her burning that these kings must stand at a distance. Some think this may be an indication that nuclear weapons are used in the judgment of these commercial centers.
  • How terrible ... how terrible
    • Repeated for emphasis.

(11) The merchants of the world will weep and mourn for her, for there is no one left to buy their goods.

  • Merchants:
    • Merchants is emporoi (where we get our word "emporium") - wholesale dealer in contrast to a retailer. The word emphasizes those who travel in merchandising; in other words, international trading companies, especially powerful multinational corporations.
    • While rulers wield political power, merchants wield great financial power, with many companies worth more than most countries. Moreover, the merchants use their money to influence and corrupt the rulers - where does all the money come for election campaigns? Their business is ruined by the destruction of this city or system.
    • Unlike religious Babylon whose beginning appears to occur soon after the rapture of the church and ends before the mid-tribulation, commercial Babylon will be fully functioning during the latter half of the tribulation. By then, commercial Babylon will be a magnet for all of the world’s riches.
  • Weep and mourn:
    • Both the rulers of the world and the merchants of the world mourn their loss of power and money.
  • Goods:
    • Goods or merchandise is gomon, indicating a cargo or “freight load of goods.” Although material goods are not inherently evil, an abundance of material wealth often contributes to covetousness and idolatry. As people turn their attention increasingly towards making money and obtaining goods, they neglect the more important things of God.
    • They are not mourning because Babylon has been destroyed. They are not mourning that their own souls are now in danger. They are mourning that no one is buying their stuff!
  • Whatever economy there had been will end and so will any semblance of normalcy on this devastated planet that was already in serious trouble brought on by the divine judgments of God.

(12) She bought great quantities of gold, silver, jewels, pearls, fine linen, purple dye, silk, scarlet cloth, every kind of perfumed wood, ivory goods, objects made of expensive wood, bronze, iron, and marble.

(13) She also bought cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, olive oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle, sheep, horses, chariots, and slaves -- yes, she even traded in human lives.

  • There are twenty-eight commodities mentioned in verses 12-13; fifteen of these are mentioned in the lament over Tyre in Ezekiel 27, which parallels the lament here. Like Babylon of old and the last days, Tyre was the commercial center of its day. Tyre, “the gateway to the sea,” was the leading city of Phoenicia during the first millennium B.C. Ezekiel’s lament against Tyre and prophecy against its king are a foreshadowing of the horrible end of Babylon, the Antichrist and Satan (Ezekiel 27-28). Since the beginning, pride and covetousness have blinded people to God and His judgment.
    • Ezekiel 27:27: Everything is lost -- your riches and wares, your sailors and helmsmen, your ship builders, merchants, and warriors. On that day of vast ruin, everyone on board sinks into the depths of the sea."

(14) "All the fancy things you loved so much are gone," they cry. "The luxuries and splendor that you prized so much will never be yours again. They are gone forever."

  • The commercial system is completely shut down. It will probably be a time when it will be next to impossible to even find enough to feed your family. Even if you did find enough for them to eat, it would probably take all you could possibly make just to have even bread for your family. This may be the time when a loaf of bread would cost a whole day's wages.  There will be no money at all left for luxuries. Even if you have a tremendous amount of money, there will be great shortages of real items necessary to live on not to mention the things the rich consume will be entirely unavailable.

(15) The merchants who became wealthy by selling her these things will stand at a distance, terrified by her great torment. They will weep and cry.

  • These greedy merchants are a classic illustration of those in all times who gain the whole world only to end up forfeiting their own souls.

(16) "How terrible, how terrible for that great city! She was so beautiful -- like a woman clothed in finest purple and scarlet linens, decked out with gold and precious stones and pearls!

  • Terrible ... terrible:
    • Once again, repeated for emphasis.

(17) And in one single moment all the wealth of the city is gone!" And all the shipowners and captains of the merchant ships and their crews will stand at a distance.

  • In a single moment:
    • The destruction will come suddenly and quickly. The world's pagan economic system will collapse. God at last judges the Babylonian system for its treatment of God's people through the ages.

(18) They will weep as they watch the smoke ascend, and they will say, "Where in all the world is there another city like this?"

(19) And they will throw dust on their heads to show their great sorrow. And they will say, "How terrible, how terrible for the great city! She made us all rich from her great wealth. And now in a single hour it is all gone."

  • Terrible...terrible:
    • Notice the double use of the word "terrible" for emphasis here and in verses 10 and 16.

(20) But you, O heaven, rejoice over her fate. And you also rejoice, O holy people of God and apostles and prophets! For at last God has judged her on your behalf.

(21) Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder as large as a great millstone. He threw it into the ocean and shouted, "Babylon, the great city, will be thrown down as violently as I have thrown away this stone, and she will disappear forever.

  • The Babylonian system began in Genesis 10, and has continued uninterrupted in one form or another to the present day. But one day it will suddenly "sink," never to return.
  • Jeremiah 51:61-64: He said to Seraiah, "When you get to Babylon, read aloud everything on this scroll. Then say, 'LORD, you have said that you will destroy Babylon so that neither people nor animals will remain here. She will lie empty and abandoned forever.'  Then, when you have finished reading the scroll, tie it to a stone, and throw it into the Euphrates River. Then say, 'In this same way Babylon and her people will sink, never again to rise, because of the disasters I will bring upon her.' "This is the end of Jeremiah's messages.
    • Seraiah was a prince who accompanied Zedekiah into Babylon.

(22) Never again will the sound of music be heard there -- no more harps, songs, flutes, or trumpets. There will be no industry of any kind, and no more milling of grain.

  • No music, no industry, no grain:
    • Literally everything grinds to a halt everywhere. The world's economic system, here called Babylon the Great, will be completely and thoroughly destroyed.
    • Isaiah 13:19-21: "Babylon, the most glorious of kingdoms, the flower of Chaldean culture, will be devastated like Sodom and Gomorrah when God destroyed them.  Babylon will never rise again. Generation after generation will come and go, but the land will never again be lived in. Nomads will refuse to camp there, and shepherds will not allow their sheep to stay overnight. Wild animals of the desert will move into the ruined city. The houses will be haunted by howling creatures. Ostriches will live among the ruins, and wild goats will come there to dance.
    • Ezekiel 7:19: "They will throw away their money, tossing it out like worthless trash. It won't buy their deliverance in that day of the LORD's anger. It will neither satisfy nor feed them, for their love of money made them stumble into sin.

(23) Her nights will be dark, without a single lamp. There will be no happy voices of brides and grooms. This will happen because her merchants, who were the greatest in the world, deceived the nations with her sorceries.

  • Nights ... dark:
    • No electricity!
  • Merchants:
    • Notice that the merchants are mentioned as the great men of the world. That's why this is talking of a commercial system as well as a political system. They are not from the city of Babylon, but from all parts of the earth.

(24) In her streets the blood of the prophets was spilled. She was the one who slaughtered God's people all over the world."

  • Blood of the prophets:
    • Since she is the mother of all "prostitutes" (Revelation 17:5), the blood of the godly shed by all her daughter prostitutes is put to her account. One such daughter prostitute was Jerusalem in the days of Jesus (Luke 11:47-51; Acts 7:52; 1 Thessalonians 2:15). Many other daughter prostitutes have been birthed from her. At the bottom of her cup is the blood of Abel (Genesis 4:10). The cup of the Babylonian system continues to fill this very hour.

Revelation 19:1-5: After this, I heard the sound of a vast crowd in heaven shouting, "Hallelujah! Salvation is from our God. Glory and power belong to him alone.  His judgments are just and true. He has punished the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality, and he has avenged the murder of his servants." Again and again their voices rang, "Hallelujah! The smoke from that city ascends forever and forever!" Then the twenty-four elders and the four living beings fell down and worshiped God, who was sitting on the throne. They cried out, "Amen! Hallelujah!" And from the throne came a voice that said, "Praise our God, all his servants, from the least to the greatest, all who fear him."

Standing on the floor of the Senate of the United States one day after 9/11, the Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle said, "It is with pain, sorrow, anger, and resolve that I stand before this Senate - a symbol for 212 years of the strength of our Democracy - and say that America will emerge from this tragedy as we have emerged from all adversity - united and strong ... Nothing can replace the losses that have been suffered. I know that there is only the smallest measure of inspiration that can be taken from this devastation. But there is a passage in the Bible, from Isaiah, that I think speaks to all of us at times like this. 'The bricks have fallen down, but we will rebuild with dressed stone; the fig trees have been felled, but we will replace them with cedars.' (NIV) That is what we will do. We will rebuild and we will recover. The people of America will stand together because the people of America have always stood together, and those of us who are privileged to serve this great nation will stand with you. God bless the people of America." He did not know the quotation from Isaiah was not meant for inspiration nor that there could be no more Blessing from GOD without repentance. Repentance means to acknowledge our unrighteous acts and CHANGE! Instead Tom Daschle was defiant. Three years later, another prominent Democratic Party leader again quoted this little known prophecy of Judgment thinking it was inspirational. On the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Senator John Edwards, the Democratic Party candidate for Vice President, again quoted the Judgment in Isaiah 9:8-10: The Lord has spoken out against that braggart Israel, and the people of Israel and Samaria will soon discover it. In their pride and arrogance they say, "Our land lies in ruins now, but we will rebuild it better than before. We will replace the broken bricks with cut stone, the fallen sycamore trees with cedars."

From prophezine.com: Many believed that the events of 9-11 were a clear warning from God. Just as Israel of old, the only other nation dedicated to God, they did not heed God's warning. America the only other nation dedicated to God in its infancy, also has not heeded what I believe to be a warning from God. 9-11 was an event that should have caused our nation to take stock in itself. Instead of humbling ourselves before God, we spoke in defiance. Fast forward to today and we see something amazing. What many people do not know is out of the destruction of 9-11, there was only one building that did not suffer any damage. That one building that was not damaged at Ground Zero was St. Paul's Chapel. The very same chapel where our nation was dedicated to God. How can this building, which is facing Ground Zero not be harmed? The answer, a sycamore, that was planted about 120 years prior saved the chapel. The days after 9-11 it was discovered that a falling steel beam from the North Tower flew across Ground Zero heading straight for St. Paul's Chapel. It was that sycamore that was planted at the northwest corner that saved and protected the very spot where George Washington prayed a prayer dedicating our nation to God. It was on April 30, 1789, that George Washington prayed that prayer dedicating our nation to God in the very chapel, St. Paul's, that was saved by a sycamore that was cut down by a steel beam. When the workers were surveying the surrounding damage, it was honestly expected to find St.Paul's to be pile of stone and rubble, but nothing was damaged at St. Pauls. In fact the only damage that was found out of all the destruction caused by 9-11 was a single cracked window. Today the remains of the fallen sycamore has been specially treated and it is on displayed at the northeast corner of the graveyard behind Saint Paul's Chapel. What is ironic is that the sycamore's roots were taken and cast in bronze (a symbol of judgment) by a sculptor named Steve Tobin. These bronze roots are also on display but in front of the Trinity Church, which is near to St.Paul's Chapel. On November 22, 2003 a 21 foot tall Norway Spruce, named "the Tree of Hope," was air lifted into the very same spot which the sycamore that saved St.Paul's Chapel once stood. That being the northwest corner of the Saint Paul's chapel near the grave yard. In Isaiah 9:10 it states that "We will put "Cedars" in their place." The type of tree spoken of here in Isaiah is that of a pine type cedar tree. In fact both the pine tree and the cedar tree come from the same biological family, that being "Plantae." Within the family class of "Plantae" is the family of trees that fall under what is called the "pinophyta" class. The tree spoken of in Isaiah is a "Pinaceae." The Hebrew word used in Isaiah 9:10 is the word "arez" which means cedar. This refers to a conifer type of tree, the same type of trees as the cedars of Lebanon. But why a Cedar tree? Why not replace the sycamore with another sycamore? Why? Because the Scripture says "We Will Put Cedars in Their Place." These were the words proclaimed by our leaders in office. A few days later this cedar (arez) tree was decorated for Christmas. Now I know that many do not see the harm in having a Christmas tree, but we all know that it is a pagan symbol (Jeremiah 10:2-4). It isn't by chance that a tree saved the very building our nation was dedicated in. It wasn’t by chance that the very tree that saved that chapel was a sycamore. And it wasn't by chance that the tree that replaced the sycamore was a cedar.

In an interview on CSPAN January 27, 2009 former Representative Paul Kanjorski (Democrat from Pennsylvania), then Chairman of the Subcommittee on Capital Markets, revealed the almost collapse of everything not only in America but worldwide: "I was there when the Secretary (of the Treasury, Henry Paulson) and the Chairman of the Federal Reserve (Ben Bernanke) came and talked with members of Congress about what was going on. … Here’s the facts. We don’t even talk about these things. … On Thursday [9/11/2008] at about 11 o’clock in the morning, the Federal Reserve noticed the tremendous drawdown of money market accounts in the United States to the tune of $550 billion was being drawn out in a matter of an hour or two. … We were having an electronic run on the banks. They decided to close down the money accounts and announce a guarantee of $250,000 per account [to reduce panic]. If they had not done that, their estimation was that by 2 o’clock that afternoon, $5.5 trillion would have been drawn out of the money market system which would have collapsed the entire US economy, and within 24 hours the world economy would have collapsed. It would have been the end of our economic and political system as we know it.”

APPLICATION:

It's hard not to read this and think of the "Sodom and Gomorrah" story in Genesis. In that story, Abraham raised his nephew named Lot and were both being blessed by God and growing rich. But, Lot decided to part company and decided to live in Sodom as the land looked good. (Genesis 13:10). In other words, Lot didn't care about the sins of Sodom. He just saw that place as "good for business". But, in all the time Lot lived in Sodom, he didn't influence anyone for God. Within that story is a part where Abraham asks God to spare Sodom if there are "righteous" people living in that city, but there is no one "righteous" (i.e., seeking God) and Lot was not an influence on anyone. (Genesis 18:23-33). Even though "righteous Lot" was saved (2 Peter 2:7), he was an ineffective witness for God. Lot was one of "God's people" living in Sodom, which was destined to be destroyed for wickedness. Here in Revelation, God is telling "His people" to get out of Babylon before God can judge it. What does it have to do with my life? Think of this chapter as a warning not to be too "entangled" in the commercial world. There is nothing wrong with Christians working among nonbelievers. The danger is if our job is causing us to compromise our faith. Then we too, need to "Get out of Babylon before it is destroyed". If the only way to make a living in a town is to deny God, it is time to move to another town. If your job requires you to do something immoral, it's time to get another job. We are to have the right perspective about money. We are to be grateful for the finances God provides. We are to work hard to make a living. At the same time, we need to put wealth in perspective and not put any trust in it when it comes to our salvation.

Matthew 6:21-24: Wherever your treasure is, there your heart and thoughts will also be. Your eye is a lamp for your body. A pure eye lets sunshine into your soul. But an evil eye shuts out the light and plunges you into darkness. If the light you think you have is really darkness, how deep that darkness will be! No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."

NOTES:

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