apokalypsis

[Patriot]

Sign me up for tracking please please!"

THE NYPD attempts to register all new IPHONES in a lame attempt at yet another police state surveillance system.

http://theintelhub.com/2012/09/22/nypd-attend...


And they're lining up:
http://gothamist.com/2012/09/20/nypd_will_be_...

[Patriot]

FYI

URGENT! VIPS leaving Capitol for Mount Weather this seems serious and alarming

Be Prepared, especially Spiritually...

http://theintelhub.com/2012/09/23/notam-fdc-2...

[Patriot]

FYI

9/29/2012 — New Comet — NEXT YEAR ! C2012 S1 “brightest in human history”

“It’s thought that this is the first time this particular comet has ever passed through the inner solar system – meaning it’s never been blasted by the sun before.

Its brightness magnitude is expected to be -16. In comparison, the sun has a magnitude of -26, and Comet Hale-Bopp was magnitude -1.”

http://sincedutch.wordpress.com/2012/09/29/92...

“There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your Redemption is drawing near.” Luke 21:25-28

http://bible.cc/luke/21-25.htm

[Halycon]

Revelation 16:8-9 “Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and power was given to him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory.”

Hell and the fear of it can create remorse and move men to make a moral reform in their lives. This is a problem with many in the church. They did not hear the message of God’s love; rather they heard the message of God’s anger. They were not moved to His salvation; rather they were moved to their own moral reformation. The goodness of God leads to repentance. Remorse is not repentance. Moral reform is not repentance. Repentance is a change of mind from sin, dead works and unbelief. Repentance is a change of mind to faith in the gospel of God’s love. This is a lesson taught by these verses. There are many sores, much thirst, and the loss of commerce. But these things do not bring men to repentance. Wrath does not produce repentance. The world will respond to these plagues according to the natural instincts of the human heart. They will blaspheme God! They will refuse to repent and they will refuse to give God glory. The word ‘blaspheme’ means to revile or speak against.
It is interesting that for forty-two months the government has been holding itself
out as the only object of men’s worship. Yet when the crunch hits, men will
instinctively let it slip that they know better. They will aim their anger at the true
God.
We already see something quite similar to this, on a smaller scale, in our
own society. Men, because of their behavior, contract the HIV virus. But the
development of AIDS does not make them repentant toward God. Instead, as in
the case of Magic Johnson, the press and television news media make him a hero
and suggest him as role model for young children. The media makes no mention
of repentance from the sin that produced the disease. It is a sad case. It is the
same in the case of young people having babies out of wedlock. On the one
hand, prevention is taught and contraceptives are offered. But on the other hand,
abortions are offered if prevention and the contraceptives do not work. The idea
seems to be that we should attempt to eliminate, not the sins, but the consequences of them. And repentance is not even mentioned as an option. This too is sad!

[Halycon]

Revelation 16:10-11 “Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom became full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues because of the pain. They blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and did not repent of their deeds.”

The bowls will be poured out during the closing days of the forty-two
month reign of the beast. The beast who exalted himself above all that, is called
god now, and becomes the target for the wrath of the only true God. Those whom the
beast and false prophet deceived share the judgment. Darkness descends upon the
throne of the beast. Great pain is the order of the day. Men still gnash their
teeth from the pain and the sores caused by a previous plague. The sweltering
heat wave and lack of water create great agony. What is their response? The sad thing is that this world will respond to this plague according to their natural instincts, they will blaspheme God! They rail against Him because of their pain and sores. It never occurs to them that the judgments are just. They are beyond repentance. This is the world that that has rejected God. This is the world that has rejected His Son. This is the world that has rejected His love. This world that has rejected the blood of Jesus Christ must now bear the judgment for sin. This judgment is a direct result of their rejection of Jesus and a direct action of His Father.

[Halycon]

Revelation 16:12-14 “Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.”

When the sixth trumpet was sounded the four angels of the Euphrates
River were loosed. They were prepared for a specific hour, day, month, and year.
When the sixth bowl of wrath will be poured out the Euphrates River will dry up and this will allow the kings of the east to advance.
The obstacle to their military advance is removed. Then armies, under the
leadership of the kings of the east, will have open access to the land and throne
of the beast. The word, "east", is from a Greek word meaning, "the rising of the
sun". Veterans of the WWII Pacific Theater of Operation will remember the
phrase quite well. This indicates the army will come from the orient. The world
will be on the brink of another great world war. The new world order will not be
new at all. It will fail to attain world peace. The coming battle will be another great effort by the beast to impose its will upon the world.
There are always spiritual forces behind the great movements of history.
It will be no different in this case. Out of the mouth of the dragon, the beast, and
the false prophet, respectively, will come three unclean spirits. The have the
resemblance of frogs but are in reality spirits of demons. They are sent forth into
the world empowered with the ability to work signs. The targets of their evil
witchery will be the kings of the earth. Through the influence of signs they will
call the kings of the earth to battle. All talk of peace on earth, good will to men,
will be forgotten in the rush to war. Joel spoke of it in Joel 3:9-14,“Proclaim this among the nations: Prepare for war! Wake up the mighty men, Let all the men of war draw near, let them come up. Beat your plowshares into swords
And your pruning hooks into spears; Let the weak say, I am strong. Assemble and come, all you nations, and gather together all around. Cause Your mighty ones to go down there, O LORD. Let the nations be wakened, and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; for there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations. Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, go down; for the wine press is full, the vats overflow—
For their wickedness is great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision!
For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.” All things are ready. The cluster of the vine of the earth have been cast into the wine press. This will be the battle of the great day of God Almighty. It is Armageddon!

[Halycon]

and to give relief to you who are afflicted [a]and to us as well [b]when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with [c]His mighty angels in flaming fire, 8 dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, 10 when He comes to be glorified [d]in His [e]saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed—for our testimony to you was believed.

[Halycon]

Revelation 16:15-16 “Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes, so that he will not walk about naked and men will not see his shame. And they gathered them together to the place which in Hebrew is called Har-Magedon”(Armageddon).

When will it occur? The battle of Armageddon will exactly coincide with
the return of Jesus Christ. He will come unexpectedly as a thief. He will come
for those who watch and keep their garments. Those clothed in the fine linen,
which is the righteousness of the saints, will be neither naked nor ashamed.
Several things coincide in this chapter. There will be the close of the forty-two month
reign of the beast, there will be the gathering of the nations to Armageddon, there will be the treading of the winepress of the wrath of God, and lastly, but most importantly, there will be the return of Jesus Christ.
This will be both the rapture of the church and the revelation of Christ Jesus. 2nd Thessalonians 1:7-10 tells us “and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed—for our testimony to you was believed”.
The rapture of the church, the revelation of Jesus Christ, the destruction of the beast, the treading of the winepress, is all part and parcel of the same event. Although there are many who will disagree, there is no secret ‘rapture’ of the church; there will be no seven year period of tribulation between the rapture of the church and the revelation of
Christ. The armies of the world will be called to a place called, "Armageddon". All the participants will be in place, and we will find out later that they attempt to wage war against the Lamb and the Lamb will overcome them. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

[Halycon]

Revelation 16:17-20 “And the seventh poured out his bowl upon the air; and there came forth a great voice out of the temple, from the throne, saying, It is done: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunders; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since there were men upon the earth, so great an earthquake, so mighty. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nation’s fell: and Babylon the great was remembered in the sight of God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.”

The seventh bowl is poured out. Once again hear the ancient prophets, Isaiah 24:17-20 "Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, 0 inhabitant of the earth. And it shall come to pass, that he who flees from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that comes up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake. The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly. The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again." Long ago it had been written. Now it will come to pass. Simply and solemnly the great voice from the temple throne announces, "It is done."
There are voices, thunders, lightnings, and the greatest earthquake (the fifth in Revelation) ever to hit the earth. The earthquake is world-wide. The great city of Jerusalem is rent into three parts. The cities of the Gentiles will fall. Every island will be shaken from its mooring and flee away. Great hailstones weighing 125 pounds, troy weight each, will beat the earth to a pulp. The mountains will crumble and disappear. And great Babylon is held in remembrance before God. And men, once again, blaspheme God!
The bowls are empty. When the sixth seal was opened frightened world leaders proclaimed the great day of wrath had come. It was not so! The great day of wrath begins with bowl number one and ends when the seventh is emptied. The earth lies desolate. The few men who remain are cursing God. That is the ultimate state of mankind in rebellion against the Creator.
After a detailed account of the downfall of Babylon we will return to this point and pick up the return of Christ our Lord and the battle at Armageddon.

[Halycon]

Here is a small background of Babylon. The word Babylon comes from the word Babel. Babel means "gate of Bel" or "gate of god" with a derived meaning of "confusion". In the King James Version of the Old Testament the word is most often translated, "Babylon". The Hebrew word is always "Babel". Babel is the place where an
attempt was made to build a tower dedicated to the heavens. Babel is where God confounded the tongues of the race. From that place he scattered mankind abroad upon the face of the earth. It was the confusing of the tongues that gives the word its derived meaning, "confusion". The tower was built on the location that later became the City of Babylon. The city was the center of the ancient Babylonian Empire. Babylon was established by Nimrod in the days immediately following the flood. It became the first great kingdom to be set up in the earth. Babel and several other empire cities were founded by Nimrod. His empire spread along the Tigress River and the Euphrates River and covered most of Mesopotamia, the land between the rivers. Nimrod's cities were Babel, Erech, Accad, Calneh in the land of Shinar. From the Land of Shinar Asshur went out and built Asshur (the predecessor of the Assyrian Empire), Nineveh, Rehoboth, Calah, and Resen, which became a great city. The original kingdom, founded by Nimrod, disappeared from history when the race was scattered. There is little record of its existence until centuries later. The ancient kingdom of Nimrod was later revived, however, and ruled the world with prominence during the days of
Daniel. The Destruction of Babylon was foretold in many Old Testament passages: Isaiah 13:19-22 tells us, "And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldean' excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there. But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures; and owls shall dwell there, and satyrs shall dance there. And the wild beasts of the islands shall cry in their desolate houses, and dragons in [their] pleasant palaces: and her time [is] near to come, and her days shall not be prolonged. "
Isaiah 21:9 also tells us, "….Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he sees. And he saw a chariot with a couple of horsemen, a chariot of asses, and a chariot of camels; and he hearkened diligently with much heed: And he cried, A lion: My lord, I stand continually upon the watchtower in the daytime, and I am set in my ward whole nights: And, behold, here comes a chariot of men, with a couple of horsemen. And he answered and said, Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all the graven images of her gods he has broken unto the ground.”
Isaiah 47:1 tells us,“Come down, and sit in the dust, 0 virgin daughter of Babylon, sit on the ground: there is no throne, 0 daughter of the Chaldeans: for you shalt no more be called tender and delicate.”
Isaiah 47:5 also tells us,“Sit you silent, and get into darkness, 0 daughter of the Chaldeans: for you shall no more be called, The lady of kingdoms.”
And Isaiah 47:9 also tells us,“But these two things shall come to you in a moment in one day, the loss of children, and widowhood: they shall come upon you in their perfection for the multitude of your sorceries, and for the great abundance of your enchantments.
For more prophecy, you might want to read the entire 50th and 51st chapters of Jeremiah.

****cont****

[Ashelah]

Brother Lee Love wrote:

Greetings, salutations and shalom.

This thread was started so that any one that desires to learn about the book called Revelation can enter in and do just that; LEARN.

Discourage disputes. Encourage respectful, congenial debate, especially if it's going to lead us to a better understanding of what's written.

This thread is NOT to discredit what's written. If you aren't a "believer," PLEASE, keep your comments to yourself. Believers, please do not respond to those that enter here only to discredit and deny because this will only encourage non-believers to continue. By responding, this will, inevitably, lead the conversation to a point where more time is spent defending what we "believe" than discussing the topic at hand. This "defense time" will only be a waste of all of our time. Of course, we'll have to discern whether a non-believer is just trying to cause confusion, or actually has a genuine question regarding the topic.

"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." James 1:5

Hello :) my most favourite book <3

[Brother Lee Love]

Juicylu wrote:

Hello :) my most favourite book <3

And I'm sure you'll enjoy this thread.

You'll notice that not too long after the start of this thread, I departed. My friend Halycon has been keeping it going, though, for which I am most grateful. By the time I had returned, much had been discussed. And because of that, I thought it best that I not interfere with what Halycon had already accomplished, besides a minor statement from time to time. Halycon is a very smart man.

Until next time, my friend...

Shalowm.

[Ashelah]

Brother Lee Love wrote:

<quoted text>And I'm sure you'll enjoy this thread.
You'll notice that not too long after the start of this thread, I departed. My friend Halycon has been keeping it going, though, for which I am most grateful. By the time I had returned, much had been discussed. And because of that, I thought it best that I not interfere with what Halycon had already accomplished, besides a minor statement from time to time. Halycon is a very smart man.
Until next time, my friend...
Shalowm.

Yeah I like his posts. You know, this is one of few Books I will openly discuss. Why did you depart?
Deus te Abencoa Irmao no Jesus & Shalowm <3

[Brother Lee Love]

Juicylu wrote:

Yeah I like his posts. You know, this is one of few Books I will openly discuss. Why did you depart?
Deus te Abencoa Irmao no Jesus & Shalowm <3

I depart from time to time in order to evaluate self. At that time, I spent an excessive amount of time in Topix, and I found that toward certain posters, I wasn't doing so well with keeping my composure. A friend of mine brought it to my attention and revealed, to me, how surprised she was to read such negative posts from me, towards these other, particular posters. I agreed with her and decided it best to depart for a while, or at least until I can keep myself in better check.

I became ashamed of myself, not being a perfect representative of our 'Elohiym, because I was always one of the first to point out that we must mean what we post, because we're given the first option to <Backspace>, <Delete>, or what-have-you, if we have to. The second would be, simply, not to insert the numerical image in the text-field and hit <Enter>. But, I was guilty. And when it came to these certain posters, I would change their names in the introductory quote, hoping it would cause a negative feeling in them. I would post things hoping to cause a negative reaction. With them, I seemed more concerned with provoking them than spreading any message of love to them. And if they provoked me? I took the bait- hook, line, and sinker. My thoughts, actions, reactions, and speech, were shameful. I had to do something. I had to go. So, I went.

Today, I'll depart even before such shameful behavior begins, just because I feel that a personal evaluation is spiritually healthy from time to time. It helps.

Until next time, my friend...

May the shalowm of our 'Elohiym remain with you and yours.

[Halycon]

Some history of Babylon. After the flood – Nimrod established Babylon. Genesis 10:8-10. Later - Asshur left Babylon and built Assyria. Genesis 10:11-12.
714 B.C.– Babylon replanted by Assyria. Isaiah 23:13
691 B.C.– Sennacherib, King of Assyria razed the city to the ground, but it was promptly rebuilt.
600 B.C.– Nebuchadnezzar came to power. Under his rule, Babylon reached its peak of power, culture, influence and wealth. His empire lasted 70 years. He carried the Jews into exile.
539 B.C.– Cyrus and Darius the kings of the Media/Persia Empire defeated the nation of Babylon, released the Jews, and many of them returned to Judah.
323 B.C.– Alexander the Great of Greece conquered Persian armies at the age of 33 and died upon the sight of Nebuchadnezzar’s Palace. It is said that he died there weeping that there were no more worlds to conquer.
312 B.C.– Selecus Nicator, Alexander’s former general and bodyguard, razed the rebuilt city of Babylon and claimed its stones to build the city of Selencia. Jeremiah 51:26
275 B.C.– Most inhabitants of the city moved away and the recorded history of the city ended for a long period of time.
70 A.D.-- Titus, a Roman General, destroyed Jerusalem. Many
Jewish scholars fled to Babylon. There they opened
three seminaries for teaching and preserving the
Torah (The first 5 books of the Bible).
599 A.D -- The Jewish scholars produced the Babylon Talmud which
is in use today by Jews everywhere.
Time Unknown -- Simon Peter was at Babylon and from there, during the New Testament period wrote the Epistle of 1 Peter.
See (l Peter 5:13).
1987 - Iraq celebrated the reopening and rebuilding of ancient Babylon. Invitations were sent out. Memorial medallions were coined. I included this brief outline of Babylonian history to make a point. The point is that demise of Babylon was gradual and not sudden. The earlier verses from Old Testament prophecies have not yet been fulfilled. The language of the prophets is quite graphic and specific. The downfall which they described is to be both sudden and permanent. This point is vital to a present understanding of chapters seventeen and eighteen of the Book of Revelation. Jeremiah, chapters fifty and fifty-one, are nearly identical to these two chapters of Revelation. A comparison of these four chapters show too many parallels to list here and too
many details to be coincidental. If the words of the Old Testament, as some claim, have already been fulfilled then we are forced to a completely different understanding of what John writes.
In such a case the Babylon of John's vision is symbolic and we are left to seek the meanings of the symbols. If, on the one hand, the Old Testament words concerning Babylon were to unfold in the future then we may take John's vision as a description of that time.''And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, pan of potters 'clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry
clay. And [as] the toes of the feet [were] pan of iron, and pan of clay,[so] the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay. And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people,[but] it shall
break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream [is] certain, and the interpretation thereof sure." Daniel 2:41-45

[Halycon]

A brief history of Babylon. After the flood – Nimrod established Babylon. Genesis 10:8-10. Later - Asshur left Babylon and built Assyria. Genesis 10:11-12.
714 B.C.– Babylon replanted by Assyria. Isaiah 23:13
691 B.C.– Sennacherib, King of Assyria razed the city to the ground, but it was promptly rebuilt.
600 B.C.– Nebuchadnezzar came to power. Under his rule, Babylon reached its peak of power, culture, influence and wealth. His empire lasted 70 years. He carried the Jews into exile.
539 B.C.– Cyrus and Darius the kings of the Media/Persia Empire defeated the nation of Babylon, released the Jews, and many of them returned to Judah.
323 B.C.– Alexander the Great of Greece conquered Persian armies at the age of 33 and died upon the sight of Nebuchadnezzar’s Palace. It is said that he died there weeping that there were no more worlds to conquer.
312 B.C.– Selecus Nicator, Alexander’s former general and bodyguard, razed the rebuilt city of Babylon and claimed its stones to build the city of Selencia. Jeremiah 51:26
275 B.C.– Most inhabitants of the city moved away and the recorded history of the city ended for a long period of time.
70 A.D.-- Titus, a Roman General, destroyed Jerusalem. Many
Jewish scholars fled to Babylon. There they opened
three seminaries for teaching and preserving the
Torah (The first 5 books of the Bible).
599 A.D -- The Jewish scholars produced the Babylon Talmud which
is in use today by Jews everywhere.
Time Unknown -- Simon Peter was at Babylon and from there, during the New Testament period wrote the Epistle of 1 Peter.
See (l Peter 5:13).
1987 - Iraq celebrated the reopening and rebuilding of ancient Babylon. Invitations were sent out. Memorial medallions were coined. I included this brief outline of Babylonian history to make a point. The point is that demise of Babylon was gradual and not sudden. The earlier verses from Old Testament prophecies have not yet been fulfilled. The language of the prophets is quite graphic and specific. The downfall which they described is to be both sudden and permanent. This point is vital to a present understanding of chapters seventeen and eighteen of the Book of Revelation. Jeremiah, chapters fifty and fifty-one, are nearly identical to these two chapters of Revelation. A comparison of these four chapters show too many parallels to list here and too
many details to be coincidental. If the words of the Old Testament, as some claim, have already been fulfilled then we are forced to a completely different understanding of what John writes.
In such a case the Babylon of John's vision is symbolic and we are left to seek the meanings of the symbols. If, on the one hand, the Old Testament words concerning Babylon were to unfold in the future then we may take John's vision as a description of that time.''And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, pan of potters 'clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry
clay. And [as] the toes of the feet [were] pan of iron, and pan of clay,[so] the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay. And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people,[but] it shall
break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream [is] certain, and the interpretation thereof sure." Daniel 2:41-45

[Brother Lee Love]

Now, THAT'S a very informative post, Halycon! Excellent!

May the shalowm of our 'Elohiym remain with you and yours!

[Halycon]

In this passage the times of the gentiles are depicted under the symbolism of a giant statue. We are only concerned here with Babylon. Babylon is represented by the head of gold. Note that when the stone falls upon the feet of the statue it is not just the feet that are destroyed. The entire statue crumbles, including the head of gold. The stone cut out of the mountain is Christ and the mountain it becomes is the kingdom of Christ. That forces a conclusion that Babylon must exist at the time of the setting up of Christ's kingdom. "The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz did see" (Isaiah 13:1)
"Howl ye; for the day of the LORD [is] at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty." (Isaiah 13:6) "And Babylon, the glory of kings: the beauty of the Chaldea’s excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there. But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures; and owls shall dwell there, and satyrs shall dance there. And the wild beasts of the islands shall cry in their desolate houses and dragons in {their] pleasant palaces: and her time {is] near to come and her days shall not be prolonged." (Isaiah 13)
Babylon shall be overthrown suddenly like Sodom and Gomorrah. Babylon shall never again be inhabited from the time of its downfall. This sudden, climactic overthrow has not yet happened. In our brief summary of Babylon's history there is gradual decline, not a sudden overthrow in one day.
The day of the Lord begins with the revelation of the man of sin and closes at a great white throne of judgment. The fall of Babylon is to take place during the day of the Lord. Some may object that Babylon has disappeared from history. That objection is not valid. As noted in the summary of Babylon's history, the city is presently being rebuilt. Hear once again another Old Testament prophet, "Then the angel that talked with me sent forth, and said unto me, Lift up now thine eyes, and see what {is] this that goeth forth. And I said, what is it? And he said, this {is] an ephah that goeth forth. He said moreover, this is
their resemblance through all the earth. And, behold, there was lifted up a talent of lead: and this {is] a woman that sitteth in the midst of the ephah. And he said, This [is] wickedness (feminine form: thus "the wicked woman "). And he cast it into the midst of the ephah; and he cast the weight of lead upon the mouth thereof Then lifted / up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came out two women, and the wind {was] in their wings; for they had wings like the wings of a stork: and they lifted up the ephah between the earth and the heaven. Then said I to the angel that talked with me, whither do these bear the ephah? And he said unto me, To build an house in the land of Shinar: and it shall be established, and set there upon her own base." (Zechariah 5:5-1)

[Halycon]

This passage is the key to the yet unfinished business of Babylon. In Zechariah's vision the pronouns are all feminine. There is a woman cast in the ephah, lead is used to cover it, and the ephah is borne away to the land of Shinar (Babylon). There it will be set upon its own base. The phrase, "This is wickedness" is equally accurate if translated, "This is the wicked woman". This is a prophecy of Babylon first becoming invisible. The covering of lead denotes that. But the woman is still there, though covered. She will remain invisible, thus in mystery form, until a prepared time and place. This is the mystery of iniquity which already works as mentioned by Paul. John's vision corresponds to the vision of Zechariah. John is shown the woman under the name of, Mystery Babylon. The mystery concerning Babylon is already beginning to unfold. Invisible Babylon is turning into visible reality through the efforts of Iraq. John restates the same sudden and swift judgment upon the mistress of the world as foretold by the Old Testament prophets.

[Halycon]

Revelation 17:1-2 “And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will show unto you the judgment of the great whore that sits 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.”
This vision gives insights into both the character and judgment of Babylon. She is a
harlot of great proportions. She is seen sitting upon many waters. The waters
represent many people, tribes, and nations. The kings of the earth practiced
fornication with her and the inhabitants of the earth became drunk on the wine of
her fornication. The tense of the verbs are both in simple past tense. The term fornication represents spiritual fornication or idolatry. The kings of the earth and the people of the earth had joined in her sin and wickedness, and by her riches and grandeur, and sitting as queen over many nations, and by her power and dominion over these kings and nations of earth, she has influenced many to follow in her sin.
And John is told to come with the angel, as he is carried in spirit to the location of the great harlot Babylon.