SEPTEMBER 11, 2001
SIX months have elapsed since the tragic event when the twin towers of the World Trade Centre were attacked and fell with many lives lost as a result. It is perhaps time to reflect on this event and its consequences, in light of the Scriptures. In the Book of Revelation, the Lord Jesus Himself revealed the identity of the ruling world power immediately before His Return in Glory. This power is referred to as Babylon the Great in this manner:
“And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; and I will show unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: 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. So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness, and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden. cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: and upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” – (Revelation 7:1-5.)
The woman is identified in Revelation 17:18:
“And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.”
There is a further identification in Revelation 11:7-8
“And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.”
Now Babylon was the beginning of the Times of the Gentiles, when the surviving remnant of Israel began her captivity. Judah and Benjamin, by then confined to Jerusalem and its environs, suffered three defeats by Babylonian forces, firstly in 604 BC when hostages including Daniel were transported to Babylon, followed by a further rebellion in 595 BC, which resulted in the so called Great Captivity. Ezekiel was one of those taken away at that time. A further eleven years passed, with a further siege of Jerusalem ending in 594 BC. The temple was destroyed and the city itself was sacked. The walls were thrown down, leaving the city quite defenceless, and all inhabitants save the poorest farmers were left to care for the land.
The Bible teaches us, through Daniel, that the Babylonian succession persisted in and through conquering nations, namely Persia, Greece and Rome. Rome as an imperial power fell but was continued in and through the Papacy and its subsidiaries such as the Holy Roman Empire. Rome still holds sway in and through the European Community. The Babylonian succession persists! The other engine of oppression is the World Financial System, which is controlled by financiers and bankers with little if any control by Governments, whether these be elected or set up dictatorially. The creation of credit rests in the hands of bankers. Theoretically, they lend monies on deposit, but the Fractional Reserve system permits the creation of credit out of nothing, and this credit must be repaid together with interest, which together are counted as an asset of the lender.
IS THIS THE TIME Of JUDGMENT?
We hold that Babylonian domination persists. This is a multifaceted authority, using several means to continue its domination. The power behind Babylon is Satan. Satan is the enemy of God, and as such attacks the LORD God by undermining the structure of Israel. Were Israel to be destroyed, then the Plan and Purpose of the Lord God will fail, for His Promise guarantees the perseverance of Israel. Rome herself discards Israel, saying that the Church of Rome is the New Israel, and inherits all the Promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Babylon therefore incorporates a religious authority, a military wing, an economic arm, and a worldwide political structure. The King and Ruler of Babylon is Satan.
At least two attempts were set in place to destroy Israel by military might, in the two World Wars of 1914 and 1939.
Following the defeats of the German led alliances, the Post War political methodology was set up, in the United Nations Organisation. Decrees of the UN have substantially affected the political constitutions of Israel, in the form of International Covenants, which in operation remove power from Parliament. The Ruling Power of Parliament is now subject to orders issued
by Covenant authorities which act often in secret, but whose orders are binding. This submission of Israel has been continued in the European Community, wherein the orders of the unelected appointed European Commission have become binding on the
Parliament of the United Kingdom and on all citizens of the British Isles under the Crown.
Since the Ecumenical Agreement of the British Churches with the Church of Rome, that organisation has a political voice in British Constitutional matters. Yet it is in the economic sphere that the most significant oppression is now applied to Israel. Modern international Finance operates through the international Monetary Fund and the World Bank. The principles of modern finance originated in the pagan temples of ancient Egypt, Assyria and Babylon. The whole system is Babylonian.
THE RIVER OF LIFE!
In Ancient Egypt, the River Nile was worshipped as a life giving god. Everything in Egypt was dependent upon the Nile, whether this was agriculture, water supplies, fish, or even transport. The flow of the Nile brought immense benefits to Egypt. When the flow was restricted, as in the time of Joseph, there was famine. It was only the appointment of Joseph as national Food Controller during the seven years of plenty that saved the Nation by his wise administration of resources.
The economic system of this day is also a river of life to all peoples. Curiously, financial terminology includes many “water” terms. The very word currency (for money) implies a flow, and there are terms such as floating a loan, or the flow of credit, or of floating a national currency, of increasing the flow, or of restricting the flow of credit, or even as President Nixon once said, of trickling down to lower levels. In fact, money is counted as a liquid asset, or a bankrupt company is liquidated. There may be other similar terms used, yet sufficient has been adduced to identify the financial system in its role as the River of Life in this age. The god of the river is gold, sometime worshipped as Mammon. The Power behind this god is Satan. Plagues affected Egypt by Divine Intervention at the time of the Exodus. In this day, is there to be a repetition of such plagues on Babylon, which is symbolically identified with Egypt in Revelation 11:6?
THE IMPACT OF THE PLAGUES UPON BABYLON
The disaster of the Towers of the World Trade Centre in New York was an attack on the Financial Structure of the World. Is it not odd that this disaster caused blood to flow in the deaths of several thousand innocent people? On September 11, last year, financial markets were closed for seven days, reopening on the day of the Hebrew Feast of Trumpets. Since then, there have been several collapses of apparently solid and secure corporations. In Australia, Ansett Airlines went into receivership on 12th September, while KLM Airlines in Amsterdam was in trouble, Sabena Air in Brussels dropped out of the skies, Swiss Air had to call for Government assistance, while in the United States many airlines faced extraordinary difficulties. Look at ENRON, a vast supplier of energy in the US, now almost inoperative.
Was September 11 then the beginning of the Plagues upon Babylon? It is of interest to observe that beginning with the earthquake in Palestine in 11th July, 1927, an interval of 27060 clear days ended on 11th September, 2001. This is 3 times 7 times 1290 days, where 1290 is the Number of the Desolation, in Daniel 12:9-Il:
“And he said, Go thy way, Daniel. for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried, but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand. And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate setup, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.”
The earthquake in 1927 affected Jerusalem. Seismologists examining the Mt. of Olives after this tremor ascertained that a seismic fault existed in the middle of the Olivet Hill, running from East to West. The conditions therefore now exist so that in the event of a major earthquake in that place, the Mt. of Olives may well split into two, half to the north and half to the south.
Are we in the Last Days preceding the glorious Return of the Lord Jesus Christ? The numbers seem to indicate this. But the day and the hour are hidden from our view.
We must remember that the plagues afflict Babylon for one day, but that here one day may represent one seventh part of the Seven Times, on the minor scale, or 2520 days. If literal days are implied, one day ON THIS SCALE is 360 literal days, thus ending on September 2002. Revelation 18:7-8 states:
“How much she hath glorified herself and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her. for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine, and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.”
It appears that even after 360 days of plagues, Babylon says in her heart: “I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.”
Yet in ONE HOUR, Babylon is destroyed – One Hour in this scale being 15 days, ending on 21st September, 2002. This year, the day of the Feast of Tabernacles is 22nd September!
There are a number of events still to come. Elijah is to return to ISRAEL. Israel must enter into the terms of the New Covenant.
Israel must undergo the experience of the Holy Spirit moving over the dry bones of the Nation bringing renewed spiritual life to the people. Above all, the Lord Jesus Christ is to return as in I Thessalonians 4:13-18
“But I would not have you to be Ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them In the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”
Note that three things are to take place:
1. There is a cry — Behold the Bridegroom Comes?
2. There is the voice of the archangel – sending out the angels to gather the tares?
3. The Trump of God, the resurrection of those in Christ Jesus.
Does Elijah come before this, or later? I do not think that the Scriptures provide this information. But Elijah does come before the Great and Terrible Day of the LORD. This seems to be equated with Revelation 19:9-16:
“And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God. And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse, and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns, and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with It He should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.”
