Babylon the Great; living in a world in which all is dominated by money.

Babylon the Great; living in a world in which all is dominated by money.

Economy (literally household knowledge) is basically a theory of human action to make choices in relation to the needs of people and the resources.
Already for a longer period, it isn’t that simple anymore.
The modern economic thinking has become a debt and profit driven ideology.
It is this new way of measuring, to which the current market models are set up to, growth is essential and the relevant financial factors such as efficiency and minimal (labor-) costs are measured.
So they treat the earthly things very limited, things that are precious to Christians,  such as the protection of and care for the society, the planet Earth with its mineral resources, nature, caring for animals, etc.
The current economic market models are presented by prominent economists (such as the central banks) as valid, correct, as the truth and are scientifically based.
One is supposed to have full confidence in these, but then you have to believe them and that’s what is happening.
The financial world has the greatest interest in this debt economy and employs an extensive lobby to the responsible persons -such as politicians- to influence them.
The population is gradually and imperceptibly prepped for this debt and market economy ideology.
In this respect, the market economy becomes a new religion, with in the lead the central banks who are turning the knobs and what is carried out by the financial world and is accepted by a very large part of the people.

But this market economy, has it  been found to be a solution for a happy society?
The global notifications do not lie about families who have been placed out of their homes, families with large debts, poverty or hidden poverty. Not to mention the destruction of the planet.
The reality is, that this new economy is adding to the highest possible profits and prices, to greed of money and greed of (multinational) companies and in which the role of the big banks has become crucial.
These are no longer allowed of falling over and will always need to be rescued with taxpayers  money.

How do Christians fit in such a world?
Christians are not a part of this world, the truth – that Christians are searching for – can be found in God’s Word:

KJ21 (John 17: 14-17) 14 I have given them Thy Word, and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 15 I pray not that Thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that Thou shouldest keep them from the evil. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy Word is truth.

The love of money

KJ21 (Matthew 6: 24) 24 No man can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

From Jesus  conclusion that one cannot serve God and mammon (money or wealth), it turns out that ‘be greedy’ is compared to idolatry.

KJ21 (Mark 10: 24-25) 24 And the disciples were astonished at His words, but Jesus answered again and said unto them, “Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the Kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God.”

KJ21 (Luke 14:33) 33 So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsakes not all that he hath, he cannot be My disciple.

KJ21 (Luke 16:14-15) 14 the Pharisees, who were covetous, heard all these things, and they derided Him. 15 And He said unto them, “Ye are they who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.

The above is clear language. According to Jesus, love of money and greed are at odds with being a disciple of him, which is impossible. It’s directly contrary in loving your neighbor.
Paul also writes something similar to Timothy:

KJ21 (1 Timothy 6:9-10) 9 But those who would be rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10 For love of money is a root of all evil.…

KJ21 (2 Timothy 3: 1-2) 3 This know also: that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous,…..

How will this greed for money evolve according to Scripture?
The book of revelation describes the events related to the end times.
First, Revelation lists the 7 world powers with a ‘crowned’ King, the political world powers:

KJ21 (Revelation 13: 1) 1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

As the 6th world power (according to the counting of Revelation) represented the Roman Empire, then the 7th power is undisputed the American Empire, the current world power.
(for additional information see: http://www.dojc.nl/?p=462&lang=en)
In the book of Revelation then appears a scarlet colored wild beast on which a prostitute is sitting.
Because we have here again about a beast with 7 heads and 10 horns as with the previous wild beast in Revelation, we are talking again about powers.

The Scarlet colored wild beast with 7 heads and 10 horns

In the book of revelation appears a scarlet colored wild beast on which a prostitute is sitting.
‘The wild beast was, but is not’:

KJ21 (Revelation 17: 7.8) 7 …… “Why dost thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns. 8 The beast that thou saw was, and is not, and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit and go into perdition; ……

KJ21 (Revelation 17: 11, 12) 11 and the beast that was, and is not, is himself also the eighth. 12 And the ten horns which thou saws are ten kings, who have received no kingdom as yet, but will receive power as kings for one hour with the beast.

Rev. 17:11,12 states that this beast is itself the eighth, along the previously described 7 world powers in the book of Revelation, it is an eighth world power, but in a completely different manner.
It is, however, no power of a Kingdom as before (but is not), however it looks like such a Kingdom.
It’s remarkable, that there is no reference to public identification of the crowns of the kings such as with the previous wild beast.
It is also not referred to as a religious power form, after all, the woman as a symbol of idolatry is worn on the back. Then remains a financial power. This financial power is portrayed as an ‘uncrowned’ King ‘ and has a close relationship with the ‘image’ of the first wild beast for which is valid that no one can buy or sell except who has the mark. (Rev.13:16-17)
(for additional information see: http://www.dojc.nl/?p=497&lang=en)
They are the 10 (= completeness or total of everything) Kings of the central banks that receive óne hour royal power. (Rev.17:12)

HerzSt (Rev. 17: 3-5) 3 ….. and I saw a woman sitting upon a scarlet-colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, and having seven heads and ten horns. 4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and bedecked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication; 5 and upon her forehead was a name written: Mystery, Babylon the Great, Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth.

Who then is this prostitute, who is sitting on the scarlet colored beast?
Scripture speaks about her as Babylon the Great or the great Babylon. (Rev. 17:5)
To get a better understanding of the concept of ‘Babylon the great’ we first must go back to the time (+/-587 BC) in which Jews were deported to Babylon.

Babylon

During the reign of the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar, the Jewish people were deported to Babylon. Over time Nebuchadnezzar became arrogant:

KJ21 (Daniel 4: 29-32) At the end of twelve months he walked in the palace of the kingdom of Babylon. 30 The king spoke and said, “Is not this great Babylon that I have built for the house of the kingdom, by the might of my power and for the honor of my majesty?”31 While the word was in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, “O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from thee.

Because Nebuchadnezzar had become arrogant by despising the God of Daniel, he had – by a decree of God – to stay 7 times with the beasts of the field.
After this period his mind came back and Nebuchadnezzar glorified the King of heaven:

KJ21 (Daniel 4:37) Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth, and His ways judgment. And those that walk in pride He is able to abase.”

After Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar became the new King of Babylon.
Daniel Chapter 5 describes that King Belshazzar gave a great feast for his nobles, his wives and concubines. During that party they used – on the orders of Belshazzar – the vessels that his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken away out of the Temple of Jerusalem and praised their gods.
Suddenly appears a hand that writes a text in unknown writings on the wall.
Daniel explains the meaning of these:

KJ21 (Daniel 5: 22-30) 22 And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart though thou knewest all this, 23 but hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven. And they have brought the vessels of His house before thee, and thou and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines have drunk wine from them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not nor hear nor know. And the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified. 24 “Then was the part of the hand sent from Him, and this writing was written. 25 And this is the writing that was written: Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin.,,.

Then Daniel deciphers  the written text and foretells the end of the Babylonian Kingdom.
That same night Babylon falls and Belshazzar is killed.

KJ21 (Jeremiah 51: 12,13) 12 Set up the standard upon the walls of Babylon! Make the watch strong! Set up the watchmen! Prepare the ambushes! For the Lord hath both devised and done that which He spoke against the inhabitants of Babylon.13 O thou that dwellest upon many waters, abundant in treasures, thine end is come, and the measure of thy covetousness.

Ancient Babylon was according to Jeremiah rich in treasures and was very greedy.
Which contemporary Babylon is rich in treasures/assets and has a high degree of greed?
Those are clearly the financial institutions such as banks, insurance companies, investment companies,  etc. In summary the financial world.
And now once again, to return to the book of Revelation, who is this woman, this prostitute and what is meant with Babylon the Great?

Babylon the Great

KJ21 (Rev. 17: 1-5) 1 And there came one of the seven angels, who had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, “Come hither; I will show unto thee the judgment upon the great whore who sitteth upon many waters, 2 with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.” 3 So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness; and I saw a woman sitting upon a scarlet-colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, and having seven heads and ten horns. 4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and bedecked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication; 5 and upon her forehead was a name written: Mystery, Babylon the Great, Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth.

In (Rev. 18:9) is written that after the destruction of this whore ‘the Kings of the Earth’ will mourn about her.
Because of this fornication with the Kings it is therefore not logical that she herself is a political power:

KJ21 (Rev. 18:9) 9 “And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived wantonly with her, shall bewail her and lament for her when they shall see the smoke of her burning,

Since the merchants of the world because of her have become rich, it is not logical that she portrays the business world.

HerzSt (op. 18: 15) The merchants of these things, who were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing

The woman has a name on her forehead; Babylon the great, the mother of HARLOTS and of the abominations of the Earth. Babylon was a city of sin with several temples dedicated to many forms of idolatry:

HerzSt (Jeremiah 50: 1-2) 1 The word that the Lord spoke against Babylon and against the land of the Chaldeans by Jeremiah the prophet: 2 “Declare ye among the nations, and proclaim and set up a standard; proclaim and conceal not. Say, ‘Babylon is taken, Bel is confounded, Merodach is broken in pieces! Her idols are confounded, her images are broken in pieces!’

In the introduction to this article, it is written that the market economy has become a new religion.
This can mean nothing else as idolatry.
Out of which does this idolatry consist nowadays?
Then we return again to ‘The love of mammon’. Being greedy of money is idolatry and desiring to be rich is also idolatry. (Matthew 6: 24, 1Timotheüs 6: 9-10).

It becomes clear that the prostitute from Revelation represents the idolatry, by love of money and wealth, it is an image of the global fornication by the adulterous relationship with respect to the Creator who legitimately deserves this love.

KJ21 (Ezekiel 6:9) 9 And they that escape from among you shall remember Me among the nations whither they shall be carried captives, because I am broken with their whorish heart which hath departed from Me, and with their eyes which go a whoring after their idols….

The fall of Babylon the Great, the financial world

(1 Timothy 6:17-18) 17 Charge those who are rich in this world that they be not haughty, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; 18 that they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate,

In Revelation is written that the debt economy, this financial world, with its wealth and pursuit of profit cannot continue and will fall:

KJ21 (Revelation 14:8) 8 And there followed another angel, saying, “Babylon is fallen! Fallen is that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.”

KJ21 (Rev. 18: 6-7) 6 Reward her even as she has rewarded you, and unto her double according to her works; in the cup which she hath filled, fill to her double. 7 How much she hath glorified herself and lived voluptuously! That much torment and sorrow give back to her; for she saith in her heart,‘I sit a queen and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.’

As the financial world must fall, so what can we expect?

Go out of her

KJ21 (Jer. 51:6-8) 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 the Lord’S vengeance; He will render unto her a recompense. 7 Babylon hath been a golden cup in the Lord’S hand, that made all the earth drunken; the nations have drunk of her wine; therefore the nations are mad. 8 Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed……

KJ21 (Rev. 18:4) 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;

How many people are put out of their homes by this financial world or have large debts? How many people have the money – which was meant for the study of their children – lost on the stock exchanges?
How many people world-wide have poverty by the pursuit of profit of the financial world?
The plagues as described in Rev. 18:4 are already in full swing and will be fiercer when the financial system falls apart.

The persecution of Christians

KJ21 (2 Timothy 3: 1-2) 1 This know also: that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, etc..

Before the financial system collapses a period of trade agreements will come with the 7e world power, the US of America. The Scripture calls this ‘the picture’ or image of the wild beast.
(for additional information see: http://www.dojc.nl/?p=2482&lang=en)

KJ21 (Revelation 13: 15-17) 15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause to be killed as many as would not worship the image of the beast. 16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand or in their foreheads, 17 that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark or the name of the beast or the number of his name.

As a result Christians will come under great pressure. They don’t want to accept the financial mark of ‘the image’ of the 7e world power under any circumstances  and therefore they cannot buy or sell anything. Who will accept the mark will also drink of the wine of God’s wrath. (Rev. 14:10)

KJ21 (Matthew 24: 21) 21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

KJ21 (Lukas 21: 27-28) 27 And then shall they see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up and lift up your heads, for your redemption draweth nigh.”

Only our fully rely on our heavenly Father and His Son can help us to survive this difficult period