One Stop Shopping at the Mall of the World

I don't know about you but I love to visit malls. Especially when visiting new cities, I love to see what their malls have inside, and for me the best ones are the all inclusive malls or one stop shopping malls, like the Mall of America. You have everything inside one location, food courts, banks, shops, entertainment venues of all kinds, you name it, you can pretty much find it here. One day in New Babylon, in Iraq, this will make all those malls pale by comparison.

In fact, rebuilding efforts are already underway to rebuild Iraq from the war, so this alone makes the Book of Revelation, as not being fulfilled as some have suggested. There are some who have been taught that this book of prophecy from the Bible has been fulfilled already and we are living in the Millennium right now. As you will hopefull see by the conclusion of this study, this is not true. This is a future event.

We need to realize that catastrophic things can happen at any time in a single hour, like they did on 9/11 when the World Trade Centers fell. People left for work, thinking it would be like any other day and they would be coming home. That would not be the case for some. This is why our choices we make in the next hour are not guaranteed that we will have any future in our day. Today in the weather, we have extremes like never before, super cells, super storms, super quakes and things are changing rapidly. Nothing in this world is permanent. Our soul and spirit operates our physical body but it will live on in eternity when we die. The choice of where we spend that eternity is up to us alone. No one else can make that choice for us.

Revelation 18:9-11 ~ "And the kings of the earth, who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her, will weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning. They will stand far off, in fear of her torment and say, 'Alas! Alas! You great city, you mighty city, Babylon! For in a single hour your judgment has come.' And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her since no one buys their cargo anymore,"

This will be the destruction of New Babylon as the new global commercial trade organization of economic commerce. These kings of the earth will in love with what they got from her. This will be the global center of commerce based on the reviling of the people for the antichrist, claiming to be god. They will absolutely love and adore him and fall for this hook, line and sinker. This will be the world's largest city of import and export trade in the globe. Not even New York or Hong Kong will be able to compete, and ships will be responsible for this from all over the world to make this possible.

So now lets take a look at the one stop shopping in the future Mall of the world! Climb aboard our elevator!

First floor is the jewelry department!

Revelation 18:12a ~ "cargo of gold, silver, jewels and pearls,"

Second floor is linens and things!

Revelation 18:12a ~ "fine linen, purple cloth, silk, scarlet cloth,"

Third floor is home furnishings!

Revelation 18:12b ~ "all kinds of scented wood, all kinds of articles of ivory, all kinds of articles of costly wood, bronze, iron and marble,"

Fourth Floor is Gourmet and Health Foods!

Revelation 18:13a ~ "cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle and sheep,"

Fifth Floor is the Automotive section!

Revelation 18:13b ~ "horses and chariots,"

Sixth and final floor is the trafficking in the bodies and souls of men.

Revelation 18:13b ~ "and slaves, that is, human souls."

Slavery will ravage the world in the future. Marketing and selling will be based on desire and the black market trade will have nothing on this commodity in the future. Prices will be based on shape and ages, and will lead the world in a pornographic lifestyle and trade. Nothing will be off limits for the right price. Even in Los Angeles, in Northridge, is the largest pornographic studios in the world today.

Revelation 18:14-19 ~ "The fruit for which your soul longed has gone from you, and all your delicacies and your splendors are lost to you, never to be found again! The merchants of these wares, who gained wealth from her, will stand far off, in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning aloud. Alas, alas for the great city that was clothed in fine linen, in purple and scarlet, adorned with gold and with jewels and with pearls! For in a single hour all this wealth has been laid waste. And all shipmasters and seafaring men, sailors and all whose trade is on the sea, stood far off and cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning. What city was like the great city? And they threw dust on their heads as they wept and mourned, crying out, 'Alas, alas for the great city where all who had ships at sea grew rich by her wealth! For in a single hour she has been laid waste."

Notice the shift now to heaven. This single city of Babylon, located in Iraq will NEVER be inhabited again, by humans. That is not the case now. People are rebuilding and living in Iraq today. This is why the Book of Revelation, can not be fulfilled today. It is a future event yet to come, not one that has come and gone.

Revelation 18:20-24 ~ "Rejoice over her O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, for God has given judgment for you against her! Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, "So will Babylon the great city be thrown down with violence, and will be found no more; and the sound of harpists and musicians, of flute players and trumpeters, will be heard in you no more, and a craftsman of any craft will be found in you no more, and the sound of the mill will be hard in you no more, and the light of a lamp will shine in you no more, and the voice of the bridegroom and bride will be heard in you no more, for your merchants were the great ones of the earth, and all nations were deceived by your sorcery. And in her was found the blood of the prophets and saints, and of all who have been slain on earth."

As believers, we will never see these things come to pass, this is what awaits those who remain left behind throughout the Tribulation Period. Evil and darkness are coming. You might still think you have time, but how do you know you'll go home today to heaven? Don't you want that assurance that we as believers in Jesus have? Which road are you on today?

Matthew 7:13-14 ~ "Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few."

Luke 6:39 ~ "He also told them a parable, "Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit?"

That's exactly what you're doing if you're not listening to the Lord today.

John 14:6 ~ "Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

John 3:3,5 ~ "Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of heaven." Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God."

One thing we are guaranteed in this world, beside taxes, is that we all will die one day. Unless Jesus comes back and takes his believers, those will escape death who put their faith and trust in Him. Are you ready to face eternity? You can know with 100% certainty that you will go to heaven when you die.

1 John 5:13 ~ "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life."

Our assurance of heaven is not based on works we do but in putting our faith and trust in Jesus Christ, and what He did by His death on the cross. We must be born again to enter heaven. If you pray to Him, He has promised to listen to you! Won't you take the time to make that guarantee today?

Judgment Comes in An Hour

(Image courtesy of Huffington Post)

We serve a God who is always there, anytime, day or night. We can call upon Him whenever we need to. Today, we find ourselves close to wrapping up the final moments of the Tribulation judgment that is coming to the world and God is still calling out to us, wishing none should perish. The patience of the LORD whether Old Testament or New Testament is beyond remarkable. His enduring mercy and grace and love for His people is amazing. It will run its course however when He deems it so, much like the door on the Ark for Noah. God extends His grace and mercy to us every single day, but He won't wait forever for you.

Revelation 18:5 ~ ""for her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities."

This the most remarkable verse and speaks of something ancient, something current, something futuristic and it is an amazing verse. The meters been running since the creation of the tower of Babel. The sin has finally reached God's breaking point and He finally says, "Enough is enough. "Reached" her sins have been laid one upon another until a great tower has been made. It is like when you overload the circuits in your home and the circuit breaker is tripped. You don't have any more electricity until you reset it.

The sin of humanity from the beginning of the tower of Babel has reached the end of God's mercy and God is saying, "No more!" His judgment will come, make no mistake about it. Don't think because God hasn't judged you from the way you've been living your life apart from Him as acceptance because nothing bad has happened to you. That is simply His grace, love and mercy for you, hoping you'll turn to Him before His patience with you runs out and the only way to correct your bad behavior is punishment. Its the same way parents discipline their own children. Why wouldn't God care enough about us to get us back on track? Don't wait thinking you still have time to turn to God one day while you continue to live your life apart from Him. You might just wind up like Pharaoh and God will harden your willful, sinful heart and you won't be able to make that choice because you denied Him for far too long.

You'll know when you are born again, because it is something that God does. You don't have to change your own life to be a Christian. We don't become holy by our works, but in trusting in the power of Christ. God will begin to clean your house, your mind, your heart, one room at a time. And the older we get, there comes a time when He discovers rooms in our life that we have padlocked. He has to take that Hazmat suit and power washer and really get to those places in our life, we had hoped He might just overlook. That is what it means to grow spiritually old in the Lord. All we have to do is present ourselves to Him. He'll take over from there.

Genesis 11:3-4 ~ "And they said to one another, "Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly." And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. Then they said,'Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth."

They had begun to build a tower of sin! What was their sin?

Revelation 18:2-3, 24 ~ "And he called out with a mighty voice, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast. For all nations have drunk the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxurious living. And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all who have been slain on earth."

Its the love that is devoted to that thing or system that brings it about. The Babylonian system, rather than giving God the glory, is a worship system of the earth. Babylon will come to know that God is just to the unbeliever because they'll have their reward.

Revelation 18:6 ~ "Pay her back as she herself has paid back others, and repay her double for her deeds; mix a double portion for her in the cup she mixed."

God says to take the cup of the woman who is riding the beast, mix it up, doubly strong. That's the wrath that I'm going to give her. This Babylonian system will reap what it sows and Babylon will come to know destruction.

Revelation 18:7-8 ~"As she glorified herself and lived in luxury, so give her a like measure of torment and mourning, since in her heart she says, I sit as a queen. I am no widow, and mourning I shall never see. For this reason her plagues will come in a single day, death and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire; for mighty is the Lord God who has judged her."

We already know that according to Jeremiah 44, she has declared herself to be the Queen of Heaven. It will be destroyed because it will be a system without God. Remember the worship of Nimrod, Semiramis and Tammuz in Jeremiah's day, promised prosperity. It's a dangerous thing to be self sufficient. When you see yourself like Nebuchadnezzar, when he proclaimed to the city, "IS this not the great city of Babylon that I have created?!!" In Daniel, God judged his arrogance and pride and he spent 7 years without a kingdom living like an idiot among the animals. Only after 7 years did God have mercy on him and restored him to King again. Then He realized that he needed to give God the glory and that is when you can see the real attitude change that being humble had on him.

When the Lord is in it, you love where God has placed you. You can't wait to get there. When He is not, everything is difficult, and it becomes judgment from God. We know in the Tribulation Period, this city will be greater than any city in the world. It will be utopia, heaven on earth for those who see it and dwell there in their own eyes. But since it doesn't have God in it, it will face destruction.

Isaiah 47:1,5, 7-9 ~ "Come down and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon; sit on the ground without a throe, O daughter of the Chaldeans! For you shall be no more be called tender and delicate. Sit in silence, and go into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans; for you shall no more be called the mistress of kingdoms. You said, "I shall be mistress forever, so that you did not lay these things to heart or remember their end. Now therefore hear this, you lover of pleasures, who sit securely, who say in your heart, I am, and there is no one besides me; I shall not sit as a widow or know the loss of children." These two things shall come to you in a moment, in one day; the loss of children or widowhood shall come upon you in full measure, in spite of your many sorceries and the great power of your enchantments."

This woman, Babylon, is going to have another son, the antichrist.

2 Thessalonians 2:4 ~" who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God."

Matthew 24:15 ~ "So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand),"

Matthew 4:8-9 ~ "Again the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me."

Babylon will come to know destruction and will be destroyed because she has led the world astray.

Revelation 18:8 ~ "For this reason her plagues will come in a single day, death and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire; for mighty is the Lord God who has judged her."

This is all going to happen in one single day.

Remember 9/11 and everything that happened that day, it all took place in a couple of hours. Prior to this day, we never imagined how things could happen suddenly to change our world in a matter of under 2 hours. If man can do this in a couple of hours, imagine what God will be able to do in one single hour!

America is hated for supporting Israel! That is why Jihad began in 1990, despite what they would have you believe, to bring us down financially from being able to support Israel. Why? Because according to the Qu'ran, Allah can't capture the earth as long as Israel exists. Did you know that?

There is no promise given to America to succeed or fail, but there is a promise to Israel, that it should never again be uprooted from its land, says God from the Bible. This is the agenda today. It's all about Israel and destroying those who support her. Israel must stand alone in the last days. (Ezekiel 36-38). All the nations of the world will condemn a Russian-led attack by its Islamic neighbors according to Ezekiel 38. It might be by a UN resolution. That coalition will come down from the north to swoop down on Israel in the last days and it will fail! God said, I will not let my people be destroyed.

Revelation 18:8-9, 17, 19 ~ "For this reason her plagues will come in a single day, death and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire; for mighty is the Lord God who has judged her. And the kings of the earth, who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her, will weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning. For in a single hour all this wealth has been laid waste. And all shipmasters and seafaring men, sailors and all whose trade is on the sea, stood far off...And they threw dust on their heads as they wept and mourned, crying out, Alas, alas, for the great city where all who had ships at sea grew rich by her wealth! For in a single hour she has been lad waste."

On 9/11 people were told who were still in the buildings of the Twin Towers, that the fire department would not be able to reach them, as we have heard in the stories of those who communicated this by phone to family and friends. So what do you do in that hour? You tell them about Jesus, like one man named Al did. Makes you wonder how many people went to heaven that day by making their decision to accept Jesus in that final hour. We believe in a God who moves in a split second. God further asked one man in a Century 21 building to stop fleeing that day and instead go back in the shadow of his building and begin to pray for each person who jumped that day. Why? Because judgment can come in a single hour.

What will you do with yours?

Babylon Awakens

We have been learning about a two-fold system that has its roots in ancient Babylon from the creation of the Tower of Babel to the coming one world global, political, economic and religious system. There will be a reawakening in Rome regarding politics in the very near future and I believe we are seeing the stage being set for all this to happen even today.

God will one day condemn Jerusalem again in the last days for going after and following a pagan worship system. He will call Jerusalem, spiritual Babylon! This system is vast, it is broad, it has infiltrated and is alive in our day today if you simply know where and how to look for it. It is what we have been studying lately.

To sum up our study from yesterday, we learned what Babylon will come to know that the end is near because (1) Babylon lives in darkness, (2) Babylon lives in sinful practices, and because (3) Babylon lives in idolatry. We learned that the scriptures tell us that Rome will play a great part politically, Jerusalem will play a great part spiritually and Babylon will play a great part economically. The world's headquarters for the anti-christ.

We know that there is a chronological order to things between Revelation 17 and 18. Remember that the world at this time is being held in a supernatural darkness based on the 5th bowl judgment, much like the ancient plagues of Egypt.

We know that the world will one day have a political, economic and religious system that will all be based in ancient Babylonian practices under the control of the antichrist during the Tribulation Period. The antichrist will captivate the world by his belief system to lead the world astray. That has always been his agenda. Babylon will know that God is just to the believer and they'll have His appeal.

Revelation 18:4-5 ~ "Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, "Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues; for her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities."

The European Union's vision is to be a one global unified world with no wars. The believers will make a mass exodus and leave Babylon when God calls them to do so. It is Jesus speaking to the believers, or Tribulation Saints in this verse, and this has been His word to all His children throughout the ages.

What will be said to them then?

What could be said to us today?

How does this warning affect us? It means for us to keep a light touch in this world.

What do I need to change today in my life? Are you being used by the world or are you using the world for the glory of God?

Is there something I need to separate myself from? Something we need to be free from? A thinking, an action that has kept us bound to this world like smoking or some type of addiction that you are struggling with? Did you know that 27% of women are admitting to being addicted to pornography? We need to pick our Bibles up, not put them down. God will do the work and He'll get all the glory. Find ways to make yourself accountable to others to help you.

Galatians 5:1 ~ "For freedom Christ has set us free, stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery."

Post this scripture where you can see it everyday. Make it your screen saver!

Why does God want believers to leave Babylon?

1. Because judgment is coming
2. He doesn't want you to share in her sins. Don't get involved in that stuff. Remember how susceptible Israel was and how often God warned them to steer clear of their enemies idols and practices? It was because He knew if we allowed them to be nearby, we would get sucked into their practices and make compromises in keeping our faith to God pure!

This world should have no governing powers over us. Make sure if you've been blessed in your life, that you are possessing your possessions and that your possessions are not possessing you. Use them to the glory of God. Make sure you own them and they don't own you instead. We need to learn how to use this world all to the glory of God. We want to make sure that we are really in God's family. What evidence is there in your life that you belong to Jesus Christ?

John 3:1-5 ~ "Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him." Jesus answered him,
Truly, truly I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." Nicodemus said to him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?" Jesus answered, "Truly, truly I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God."

More on this tomorrow as we finish up our study in Chapter 18 and prepare for the great news coming in Chapter 19!

Do Your Put Your Trust in God with a Big G or a Little g?

When you consider the question, do you need money, what do you need the money for? Is it for that second vacation house, or a sport's car? Or do you need the money to buy food to feed your family? There is a fine line between worship and a need for money. When people get blessed, most of time when that happens, we can forget God in the process and then we turn that blessings into an idol instead. How many times can you honestly say, "If I had an extra hundred dollars, I'd give it to the church or support a ministry?" It doesn't even have to be a specific amount. What do you do with all that God has blessed you with. Are you furthering yourself or furthering God's kingdom?

Money should be considered as tools to be used in the building up the kingdom of God. "In God We Trust." Our founding fathers realized that money is a blessing from God. In our prosperity we'd better not forget that, especially in America. That's why so many people are trying to get rid of that on our money even today.

Isaiah 13:19-20 ~ " And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the splendor and pomp of the Chaldeans, will be like Sodom and Gomorrah when God overthrew them. It will never be inhabited or lived in for all generations; no Arab will pitch his tent there; no shepherd will make their flocks lie down there."

What Babylon will come to know because the end is near is because Babylon lives in idolatry.

Revelation 18:3 ~ "For all nations have drunk the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality; and the kings of the earth have committed immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxurious living."

Matthew 6:24 ~ "No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money."

Why do we put "In God We Trust" on our money. You should do some research and see what a true blessing it really is.

James 5:1-3 ~ "Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire."

1 Timothy 6:10 ~ "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs."

It is not wrong to be wealthy or to invest our money or even to be wise with it. Is it wrong to lean on it, trust on it, or depend on it? One way to find out is to get rid of God, stop going to church, burn your Bible and then see  how it affects your life? Then get rid of all money, stop relying on it, trying to earn more of it, give what you have away, and see how it impacts your life. Which one in your life is more important? Which one do you need in your life? The Big G or the little g? Be very careful where and what you put your trust in.

What Babylon will come to know in man's final stand, is that God is just.  He is just to the believer, they'll have His appeal.

Revelation 18:4-5 ~ "Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, "Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues; for her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities."

There will be believers, Tribulation Saints, not only all over the world during the Tribulation, but also in New Babylon in Iraq. God is telling them to get out, before He destroys it, just like He did with Lot when it came to Sodom and Gomorrah. Do we as believers deal with non believers every day? Yes we do.

2 Corinthians 6:14-18 ~ "Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, 'I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God and they shall be my people. Therefore, go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty."

This doesn't mean you can't do business with non believers, it is not getting involved with others who are not of the Lord in personal matters, like marrying non-believers. Don't marry them thinking one day you will convert them to God. Many relationship problems we have today is because we disregarded God and became disobedient to His word.

Isaiah 26:19-21 ~ "Your dead shall live, their bodies shall rise. You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy! For your dew is a dew of light, and the earth will give birth to the dead. Come, my people, enter your chambers, and shut your doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until the fury has passed by."

Those who have died believing in God, their bodies lie in the dust until the day of the rapture! Some of your Bibles may say indignation or fury, but it simply means God's wrath, not hell but the earthly judgment coming in the Tribulation Period. This is God's declaration that He will deliver His people from it.

We also read "reached to heaven" which translated means to lay one brick upon another until you reach heaven. Sound familiar? Nimrod built a tower of Babel intent on reaching heaven in Genesis. God is saying here, that "You've been building a long, long time, building your sin, and don't think I've forgotten all those bricks upon bricks you've been laying. It has reached a point that I need to deal with this once and for all. What began in Genesis, God deals with finally in Revelation.

Have you been building a life for yourself without God, brick by brick? What does your life look like? Don't say it, do it! Conduct yourself in such a way unto the Lord, that will draw people to you and they will want to work for you. They will want to draw near to you.

Who is your God? The One of the Bible or the one of the world, part of the system?

If you're living a  life or a lifestyle that isn't acceptable to God, don't think because nothing bad has happened to you, that He approves. You are receiving His mercy right now. There will be a day when His mercy reaches its intended goal, it was given for a limited time and then His judgment will come. Don't wait for His judgment and get swept away with what is false. 

The Rebuilding of Babylon Has Begun!

As believers, we look at things happening in the world today as bad, while the world sees them as good. But when we put it in Biblical perspective, we can see that everything that is happening has all been accounted for in advance in perfect detail, so for us, it should be awesome! We see the things coming in the future as of Satan, as of man, and as of the world, which the world will see as fantastic!

We are seeing these very things preparing the way for that to happen like chip implants. People think this type of technology is amazing and they are embracing it! They think it's wonderful and offers great conveniences, while we shake our heads in amazement. Don't people see this as being wrong? There are branches in the special forces that are using this type of implants in covert campaigns and other groups are using this to open doors and keep their identities from being falsified. It has great benefits when it comes to drying up the money supply for terrorist activities, to stopping human trafficking, but this is simply a bad idea with the wrong motive attached to it, but you can see how the world will fall for the lies.

God's judgment comes in stages. The destruction of Babylon in Iraq as the Bible predicts has not happened yet. It will become commercially larger than Hong Kong, Europe and even New York city all put together in the very near future.

Dr. Henry Morris wrote more than 25 years ago, "That which is today modern Iraq, will be some method or mode be brought to a place of dramatic change. The world community, headed up by the west and the powers of the antichrist, will make this now barren place, the International Headquarters for Global Commerce."

Even today, the US is pouring money into Iraq to make it a viable power in the world's economy. The Bloomberg Reports says, "There's talk that Iraq will be converting to either the US dollar or the European Euro as a currency to introduce it into the global world."

Here are some questions to consider:

1. Is Iraq/Babylon in the Bible?
2. Is Babylon/Iraq to be a topic in the world we are living in today?
3. Is Babylon/Iraq in the news today?
4. Is Babylon/Iraq to be rebuilt?
5. Is there a rebuilding process happening now?

The answer to all of these questions is Yes! Did you know that there are streets and sidewalks being paved; that hospitals are coming back online; some schools are being restored with electrical power; water plants are being installed; woman are going back to school and all of these improvements and more since the freedoms have been restored to that region?

When will Babylon be rebuilt? That is an easy question to answer! It must be rebuilt prior to being destroyed and we know that it will be destroyed at the end of the Great Tribulation Period. The timing then is very important to us as believers, and before Jesus returns in the Second Coming.

Revelation 18:1-8 ~ "After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was made bright with his glory. And he called out with a mighty voice, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast. For all nations have drunk the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxurious living." Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, "Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues; for her sins are heaped as high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. Pay her back as she herself has paid back others, and repay her double for her deeds; mix a double portion for her in the cup she has mixed. As she glorified herself and lived in luxury, so give her a like measure of torment and mourning, since in her heart she says, 'I sit as a queen, I am no widow, and mourning I shall never see.'"

What Babylon will come to know is that the end is near, because Babylon lives in darkness.

Revelation 18:1 ~ " After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was made bright with his glory."

Notice a couple of things. "After this," this simply means after Revelation 17 has happened. There is an another angel, this is not one of the seven who was pouring out the bowl judgments. We know it is not the LORD because this angel is having given great authority, God has always had authority. We know one of the bowl judgments was plunging the world into darkness. This is not a spiritual darkness but a physical darkness. Then all of a sudden an angel appears in the heavens coming down illuminated and they can see this. In fact it is the only thing they can see and the people will know that something very, very bizarre is going on.

Be very careful when you begin researching some of this stuff on your own from the roots of ancient Babylon, Tammuz, Nimrod and Semiramis, on your computer, because you will find yourself at websites dealing with black and white witchcraft, demonism, and things that can be very dangerous is you are not rooted in the truth of God's word. You will find yourself in Nineveh and Babylon!

What will be of Babylon? We know for sure that it is certainly a system of spiritual doctrine and influence according to Revelation 17. If you want to compare things look at the European Union's Constitution versus the United States Constitution. The US Constitution contains 13 pages if you count the signature page, but the EU Constitution is 551 pages long. Ours begins with the words, "We the people," which means a government ran by the will of the people. When you read the EU Constitution, it is unbelievable. It asks for all the EU participants to pledge their allegiance to the government, that the government presides over and will take care of you. It is the government that demands the agreement of the people. It is a demonic agenda. God is mentioned in the US Constitution while God is NEVER mentioned in the EU Constitution. This EU Constitution will be the basis of a system that will be the perfect platform to allow man to be his own god. How do we know this? Because it is the antichrist that in that time will declare himself to be God and all the people will believe it.

This is a humanistic doctrine. We are talking about a global system, a Babylonia political power = Rome, a Babylonian religious headquarters = Jerusalem and a physical Babylonian city = New Babylon, Iraq. In totality, it is the Babylonian system! An all encompassing global attempt by man to create a utopia on earth. A world without God. The trees are god. The fish are god. The earth is god and man is god.

This is humanism defined and the world is currently en route to Babylon and it will be mankind's final stand. Babylon will come to know the end is near because Babylon lives in sinful practices.

Revelation 18:2 ~ "And he called out with a mighty voice, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast."

Note that there is now a new messenger that is bringing a most important message and his rank is tremendous.

Revelation 14:8 ~ "Another angel, a second, followed, saying, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who made all nations drink the wine of passion of her sexual immorality."

This event was announced previously in Revelation. This is the same event. So why does the angel say that Babylon has fallen twice?

Remember the woman riding on the back of the beast, which we know is the false religious system, and in the end, the beast will turn and consume her with fire. He will use her as long as he needs her. This takes place during the first 3 1/2 years of the Tribulation Period. Midpoint he will turn and consume her why? Because when he consumes her, he will turn to the world and declare himself to be God. In what city in Israel does this happen? In the newly built temple in Jerusalem. This commences the last 3 1/2 years of the Tribulation Period.

It is announced twice because (1) that false religious system is fallen and now (2) that commercial Babylon is fallen as well. Babylon is not only a geographical location, it is not only a false belief system, but it is also these entities of worship and of this economy. In essence to restate what the angel is declaring is "Chapter 17 has fallen and now Chapter 18 has fallen. Babylon is over! This is the announcement!

Isaiah 21:9 ~ "And behold, here come riders, horsemen in pairs! And he answered, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon; and all the carved images of her gods he has shattered the the ground."

This was written nearly 3000 years ago and 1000 years before the New Testament. The two Babylons are like a single coin with two faces. When we look at the Greek Euro we can see the woman riding the beast. To the right is the symbol for the European Union, 12 stars. Symbolism is important. On the US flag we have 50 stars with 13 stripes which represent the 13 original colonies with the 50 states that make up the USA. This coin is an active currency in the world today, and we know that it takes approximately 1.31 US dollars to buy 1 Euro. This is changing very rapidly and the dollar is slowly coming in second in the world.

The woman riding the beast on the coin represents the past. The European Union is mentioned as reunification of Europe why? Because Europe was unified once before. When was the last time Europe was unified? Under the Roman Empire. This currency has symbols that goes back thousands and thousands of years ago. Depending on the culture, the woman and the beast, represent Europa an Zeus or Europa and Jupiter. This are the ancient religions of Babylon.

You have thus a coin with a religious system being represented by Revelation 17. You have an economic system represented by Revelation 18 and currently we have a system of ancient Babylonianism working right now as a current usable currency in the world. How can you doubt any of this as either a believer or non believer living in the world? This is all being played out before our very eyes. But like I have also said, research it for yourself.

Coming Global Commercial Influence of the Babylonian System

If the Bible says that something will happen, trust me, it will happen. As we spent quite a few studies going through Revelation 17 in detail, we learned that it spoke about an ancient religious system found in Babylonian roots. We see that those roots are still flourishing in some of the religions today, that have adapted some of those images, rituals and practices and made them a part of their worship system without questioning its origins.

Revelation 18 on the other hand is about the global commercial influence of the political and economic Babylonian system. It is interesting to note that Jesus spoke and said that you will either serve God or mammon. Mammon was the ancient god of commerce and wealth. We know that the antichrist will deceive the world with peace and prosperity and he will be absolutely convincing as these events are coming to a very near future.

There was a banner in Frankfurt, Germany with a picture of a tower of Babel, with the 12 stars at the top that today make up the national flag of the European Union. At the bottom of the banner were the words, "Never Again" and (building global communication - ATT). This actually makes sense if you remember our study of the Tower of Babel in Genesis 10 and 11, because before that time, there was only one language. God sent confusion upon the people because He knew what they were up to and if He didn't there would be no stopping them. By causing confusion and creating multiple languages. This all happened in a location known as the cradle of civilization. So if you think about the wording on this banner for communication to never pose an issue for civilization, the hidden message is quite clear.

The word "Babylon" appears or is alluded to in the Bible 290 times and is second only to Jerusalem. A key to understanding what Babylon is, we know from reading and studying of the Bible that "Babylon" in general represents the overall spirit of a satanically driven, worldwide system, focused on a life without God.

Satan's agenda from the very beginning has been to be worshiped. He wanted Jesus to bow down and worship him when tempted Jesus in the wilderness. He promised Jesus if he would only bow down and worship him, that Satan would give him all the kingdoms of the world. He will be hiding in the future inside the shell of a man known as the antichrist, peeking out the eyes as the world bows down and commits to their worship of him.

In the Tribulation Period, we know that people will have to make a choice. to serve the God of the Bible, or to not do so and by default worship the antichrist. When they do this, they will be required to receive the mark of the beast, which we know is 666.

As a Christian, we need to be discerning what we see and what we hear happening in the world in order to test where the origins come from.

1 John 4:1-3 ~ "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confessed that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already."

The spirit of the antichrist and his agenda is already in the world and has been for quite some time. If you think about it, how long has this been at work? Since the creation of the world! We are now much closer than ever before to see this all unfold before our very eyes and the stage is being set.

The Babylonian system in Revelation 17 and 18 have several meanings. There is no doubt is is a historical system. Babylon is modern day Iraq today. It will have three main corporate offices in Rome, Jerusalem and New Babylon. We know that it was established in Rome from our previous studies in Revelation. This coming world leader will set up his religious throne by sitting in the newly built Temple in Jerusalem according to 2 Thessalonians, but we will learn more about that later.

New Babylon will be located in Iraq. There are three things we should be looking for as the stage is being set.

1. Looking for a global political system that will be based in Rome. The Babylonian political system will have its corporate headquarters in Rome, Italy. It is where this coming world leader will have his career begin. It is interesting that the European Union established its Constitution and where it was signed was in Rome, Italy.

2. Looking for a global religious system that will be based in Jerusalem. The Babylonian religious system will have its corporate world headquarters in Jerusalem, Israel. It is important to realize that when anything happens in Jerusalem, it impacts the peace in the world. All 3 major religions of the world claim to have their roots in Jerusalem, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. It is also interesting to note that in all of Islam's writings, Jerusalem is never mentioned. Until 1948, then they began talking about Jerusalem. It is the focal point of the global religion and will be increasingly so under the influence of the antichrist.

3. Looking for a global commercial system that will be based in Babylon. The Babylonian Global Trade System will have its corporate headquarters in New Babylon, Iraq. If it is to be a global trading center, you would think in looking at the region that it is landlocked. But if you look at the small city of Kuwait, you have access through the Persian Gulf, which makes this very possible. The Bible doesn't say specifically how it will happen, just that it does. The prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah and Zechariah, all specifically mention this that the city of Babylon will be rebuilt but only for a short time. It will be great in its wealth and power, but only for a short time.

The Bible says that all of a sudden in one day, it will be utterly destroyed and never to be inhabited by humans again. Some people claim that the Book of Revelation has already been fulfilled and all of these things have happened, but that is incorrect. We have people defending Iraq and thousands of people are becoming born again from Iraq and it is only increasing. It is currently inhabited today, but one day, the only inhabitants will be demons and foul spirits. No human life will live there. It will be devastated.

We need to ask ourselves three questions:

1. Is Rome important? Yes, politically according to our Bible Study through Revelation, it plays a huge part in the coming world's political issues.

2. Is Jerusalem important? I'll let you consider that question for yourself.

3. Is Babylon happening all over again? Could it be that France is upset with us, Germany is upset with us? We know that when the nation of Iraq was attacked, 22 nations made up the coalition that went to war against them. The media failed to mention this. That nations that were NOT part of that original coalition, were not allowed to be part of the rebuilding effort by President Bush. His concept was that the nations that were involved in the effort, should be the first to get the construction contracts. Australia, Poland and Spain got contracts, to name a few, but France and Germany weren't. Why? They didn't pull their weight in the effort against Iraq, now they are upset by this.

The global cry right now is to be allowed to help in the rebuilding efforts of Iraq, and that is what is going on in the global news today. Everyone suddenly wants to help. Makes you wonder why? The picture above shows the rebuilding efforts of the rebuilding effort of Babylon in modern day Iraq today.

More on our study tomorrow....