I do not believe that the tragic events that have transpired were a specific fulfilment of this prophecy, but in light of these events, it is easy to see how such a prophecy could easily be fulfiled in the future. Also, I hope I do not come across as being smug, for I too have been deeply affected by the recent acts of violence. Tragically, however, the Bible is once again accurate. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! <i><b>"And <u>the kings of the earth</u>, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her [prophetical "Babylon"], </u>shall bewail her</u>, and lament for her, <u>when they shall see the smoke of her burning</u>, <u>Standing afar off</u> for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! <u>for in one hour is thy judgment come</u>. And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for <u>no man buyeth their merchandise any more:</u>" ... "The <u>merchants</u> of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, <u>weeping and wailing</u>, And saying, Alas, alas, that <u>great city</u>, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls! <u>For in one hour so great riches is come to nought</u>. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off, And cried when <u>they saw the smoke of her burning</u>, saying, What city is like unto this great city! And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, <u>Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.</u>"</i></b> ~Caleb P.S. Pray for the victims, the rescuers, the families, friends, and relatives, and yes, even pray for the Muslims, because God loves them too -- they need prayer and love.
If this is an accurate interpretation it looks like we're getting to the end of the book. "And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all." I still see New York City. A city being wipped out in an hour is quite likely if we go to war. Considering it will be a "Holy War" and as such it will be incredibly bloody and violent. Course this could have refered to the nuclear bombing of Japan as well. We may be farther along than you think. Ben
>>Caleb, that is food for thought. Yes, it certainly is. >>We may be farther along than you think. I really doubt that it is an actuall fulfilment of Revelations, because Revelations predicts that this will occur right before the very end, which will be at the end of the Tribulation. If it is at the end of the Tribulation, then the Abobination of Desolation that Daniel, Jesus, and Revelations all speak of, must occur before it. The Abobination of Desolation has not yet occured (neither has the mark of the beast, or other events which must preceed Babylon's destruction), leading one to conclude that this prophecy has not yet been fulfilled (after all, the actual prophecy predicts the destruction of the entire city) >>Course this could have refered to the nuclear bombing of Japan as well. That's a good point, except that the cities we bombed weren't considered "great cities" by which "all the world" was made rich. As I understand the cities we bombed in WW2 were relatively small, as we were aiming to make a warning statement, hoping they would surrender before we wiped them out, which they did. Howevr, many believe that when this prophecy is fulfiled, it will be a nuclear strike. Though in light of recent events, it is obvious that there are other weapons of mass destruction Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! The question hinges around the interpretation of "Mystery Babylon" One possibility is that it refers to the literal region -- ie modern Iraq/Bagdad. While this is possible, I believe the chances are slim, at least if it is to be fufiled any time soon. When you look at the verse, the city is portrayed as a major trading center, and has major world relations (it is said to commit fornication with them, in the sense of controlling them economicaly, or raping the nations of the world) In its present state, kings and merchants would not exactly bewail the destruction of Bagdad, or term it "that great city." Another very popular view is that it is the catholic church in Rome. There are many ways in which the descriptions fit (eg. portrayed by a women -- Mary; sitting on seven hills; owning great wealth; and other specific descriptions). I think this is a very likely (but not the only) interpretation. A final interpretation calls Babylon the U.S because of its apparent super-power status, and econimc/military powers. America is the machinery behind the world, etc... This being true, the WTC represented the symbol of our world's economy. Whenever I thought about this possibility, I envisioned a picture in my mind <i>extremely</i> similar to the one above. When I saw it on live television, my blood nearly stopped cold! The question also exists as to when we are raptured. Traditionally, I would consider myself Pre-Trib. but I am not completely devoted to this, and am currently researching a little-known theory known as "Pre-Wrath" which I believe seems to hold promise. It holds that Christians will be around for the majority of the Trib. (including the Abom. of Des. at the 1/2-way point.) But will be raptured before its climax, somewhaere in the second half. ~Caleb
"Pre-wrath." Interesting term. I refer to such an idea as "what the Bible says." We will be here until the angels collect us with the wicked watching and then God will pour down his wrath. There will be no time to repent. When God returns with his angels to collect the wheat and burn the weeds, everyone will know. There is no secret rapture. We will be here for the worst of it as it was in the days of Noah. Fontunatly it won't last too long. Course, that doesn't translate into a "long version" well unless you're Dante. Anyway onto the point. We have a ways to go. Babylon with all the prophets is thought to be Rome. Which would make sense. Though Utah seems to be wanting to take part in that department. Course they're prophets obviously don't have a clue. They havn't attempted a real prophecy since the late 1800's. If this turns into a major Holy War as Afganistan intends, we could very well witness that prophecy happening with major religious cities being wiped out. Ben
Does that mean Jesus is coming? Caleb-- You wouldn't seem smug if you were not the bazillionth person to claim this or that event to be this or that Biblical allusion. Truthfully, though, Babylon-myths have been exploited for a long, long, time, and I might as well subscribe to the Nostradamus prophecy that might, actually, stand as slightly more accurate. So you're just another in a long line of faithful pointing to an event and claiming the prophecies to be coming true. But really, the Nostradamus one is good, but, like the Bible, it's a matter of faith. If you choose to see this event as a beacon of hope alluding to the coming of your Savior, I'll not object. But it's only what you choose to take from the tragedy. peace & harmony, Tiassa Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
Actually, Nostradamus' accuracy rate is 20% (in other words, an F on any grading curve that I am aware of) compared to the Bible's 100% (for those that were to be fulfiled in the past). In fact, the Nostradamus prophecy that is referred to in regards to this particular event wasn't even written by Nostradamus. It was written by a student doing an essay on him in 1991, as an example of how to make a prophecy so general that many events could fulfil it. This reference is then mixed with reference is to a prophecy in a book written in something like 1654 -- just consider that Nostradamus died in the 1500's, and so could probably not have written it. I'm sorry you see me as being arrogant, but I do admit that I don't know how the future prophecies will be fulfilled. As I've said, this event doesn't even meet all the qualifications -- but it's close enough to act as a warning call. Kalvin, I see Rome as a very likely candidate, but the only one posssible. Also, an interesting point is that Daniel says the Antichrist will "confirm the covenant" with Israel at the beginning of the 70th week. In order for a covenant to be confirmed, there must first be a war. ~Caleb
Perspectives .... This is a matter of faith. If we say that X events fulfilled Y prophecies, we must also account for A thru W, in which people wrongly proclaimed that X=Y. That knocks the rate down considerably, and casts the Biblical prophecy in its proper light. Oh, I don't think it's the typical superlative arrogance I deride constantly. Rather, I think it's an arrogance inherent in all of our individual worldviews; an application of those things most important to our perspectives. thanx, Tiassa Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
This is what those thugs, the terrorists want from us. To start questioning religion, and to give serious consideration to this even beyond the simple fact that thousands are dead. Short and sweet just like I prefere.
