In my last post, I established the fact that Revelation’s Mystery Babylon is not a city in a specific locale as convention would dictate. When our bible talks about a city and events related to it, it’s primarily addressing the inhabitants of the city, not the brick, mortar, and streets that make up its material structure. Let me give you a couple examples. When Jesus said; “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, …. How often I wanted to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.” (Matthew 23: 37). Jesus was not wanting to gather the brick and stone of Jerusalem under His arms, but His people, including the rebellious leadership. Another example from Revelation; “Come, I’ll show you the bride, the Lambs wife…. and he showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem descending out of heaven from God.” Of course, Jesus is not betrothed to a bejeweled structure, but the inhabitants of that holy city. It’s the residents of that city that are the city. Many similar examples can be found throughout scripture.
Mystery Babylon is no different. Though it will burn with physical fire, it is the leadership and the inhabitants that make up this end-time city who will be judged wherever God finds them on this earth. And, as demonstrated, they will not be found in one central locale. Revelation describes the leadership of Mystery Babylon; “Your merchants were the great men of the earth.” (Revelation 18:23). It’s these “great men” (Gr.- Megastanies)-magistrates, lords, exceedingly great men) who conduct the business of MB. She (MB) is further described as a harlot and the mother of abominations of the earth. Her morals typify ancient pagan deities that were worshipped in Babylon during the days of Daniel and hence the association with that name. These “great men” are those wealthy businessmen and politicians who exercise control over the course of events in our modern world. Together they constitute a loosely knit class of people that collectively have power over the nations through political influence, control of monetary policy, and even religious enterprise. They are the inhabitants of this “city” that is ubiquitous on this earth. This class of men is being controlled by the sorcery of spiritual entities consistent with ancient Babylon carrying out Satan’s plan for mankind through a pervasive economic system. Remember, our battle is not against flesh and blood, but spiritual authorities in heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:12).
These great men are the merchants of Mystery Babylon who have created a system that has unknowingly enslaved mankind to the point where dependency on their system (MB) is dominant. Yet, we are commanded by our Lord to come out from her.
In my next post (Part 3), I’ll provide more detail about this class of men that constitute this “city”. We need all the information we can get so that we can accurately determine what we need to do to “come out of her”. To be continued in part 3.
Maranatha, Jim