2006-8-8 05:23:00
For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. Revelation 18:3
Because of this verse many assume that modern Babylon is either the United States as a whole or New York City. After all, New York rests upon water as did Babylon of old and the whore of Revelations.
This statement in particular is cited: "the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies." This does seem to describe the United States more than other nations, as it is a center of wealth. But what is not considered in this interpretation is that the U.S. did not even exist until about 1700 years after this was written.
"But John was seeing our time so it could be the United States," says one.
Sounds possible until we look further in the chapter at the last verse:
And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth. Revelation 18:24
Notice the word "all?" Babylon, or the great whore, is responsible for the blood of ALL the prophets and saints ever slain. This would include many holy men and women who were martyred thousands of years before the United States, or even Rome ever existed.
While it is true that Babylon of ancient times, then Rome and finally the United States seem to loosely fit the description of John's Babylon, none of them killed all the saints.
What did kill the saints then?
It was nothing more than the corrupt use of money and power. The saints, prophets, inventors, innovators always disrupt the power of the privileged. Because the corrupt in power want to preserve their power and investment they will destroy those who threaten them.
It has been this way from the beginning. The Babylon of Revelations has been with us from the beginning, but the interesting thing is that Revelations predicts here that within the body of the beast will grow ten horns which will hate the corruption and seek to destroy it. These horns (socialism) we are told did not exist in the days of John (Revelation 17:12) but would exist in a future age.
Let's look at the rest of the verse: "For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her..."
Fornication in the Old Testament means to take your heart away from the living God and place it upon a false god that has no life. This is what happens when a person is corrupted by money and power. Money and power become first in his mind, even before God, making them spiritual fornicators.
The kings and leaders of the earth are also guilty of fornication with the woman. This means they placed the value of money and power above God or the welfare of their own people.
Next we have this interesting verse:
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. Revelation 18:4
A voice from heaven speaks, or the voice of higher or Christ consciousness. "Come out of her, my people."
How are the lights among humanity supposed to come out of Babylon or the various corrupt systems of money and power?
The first thing to remember is that not all money, power and free enterprise is represented by the prostitute Babylon. It is the corruption of money and power she represents. Therefore, the first step in coming out of Babylon is to place the values of God, or the spiritual life, over the attraction of money and power. Do not let money and power be your God, or your main purpose and motivation in life.
Eventually the lights of the earth will take a second major step and gather out of Babylon into communities of their own where they will create their own system where money and power are put to constructive use for the benefit of the whole with little or no corruption.
Why should the lights gather out of Babylon?
Answer: "that ye be not partakers of her sins..." If a person stays within a corrupt system then he becomes corrupt, often without even realizing it.
"...and that ye receive not of her plagues." The plagues of corrupt money and power are many - murder, robbery, theft, war, famine, unrest and lack of personal peace of mind.
The peace of the Spirit, which passes all understanding, is something that corrupt people with money and power cannot buy at any price. This is the priority to which the disciple must seek.
Like a golden butterfly which flies in the face of the sun, I find myself poised upon the lotus petal of the earth. I hover; I stay a little moment and then I fly-into the golden pathway that leads unto the sun. DK
Discipleship in the New Age, Vol 1 Page 460
Copyright © 2006 by J J Dewey, All Rights Reserved