Mystery Babylon

The Bible tells us about the first empire on earth after Noah’s flood.  I propose the area dominated by this original Babylonian Empire (known to scholars as the Uruk Expansion) is vital to our understanding of “mystery Babylon” in Revelation.  Erech=Uruk

And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: why it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD. And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. (Genesis 10:8-10)

Shinar into Sumer

Mesopotamia litterally means “middle river” in Greek, but is extrapolated to mean the land (khora) between two rivers. This land was called Shinar in the Bible from Genesis to the time of the prophets (Isaiah 11:11, Daniel 1:2, Zechariah 5:11). Shinar is a composite word of the Hebrew words for “two” (shenayim) and “river” (nahar); and also implies the “land” (erets). Thus Mesopotamia and Shinar are geographically equivalent. Shinar was derived from the Akkadian (Ancient Hebrew) word Shumeru, but scholars have shortened it to Sumer; exchanging /sh/ for /s/ as in Shemite to Semite. Over time the upper portion became distinct and was called the land of Akkad, while just the southern part retained the title of Sumer.  But neither Uruk’s empire nor “mystery Babylon” are limited to southern Mesopotamia  

Cush of Ur as Gishur/Gasher in Sumerian King Lis

Cush built the city of Ur and was known as Cush of Ur, or Gishur in the Sumerian King List.  Cush also built his capital city of Kish (a derivative of his name) and the biblical city of Erech which is called ancient Uruk by scholars.  I propose Cush gave his son Nimrod a small city to govern (later called Babel) before Nimrod overthrew his father’s kingdom.

Then Kish was defeated and the kingship was taken to Eanna. In E-ana, Mesh-ki-ang-gasher, the son of Utu, became lord and king; he ruled for 5 ges, 2 u, 5 dis years.
Mec-ki-aj-gacer entered the sea and disappeared. Enmerkar, the son of Mec-ki-aj-gacer, the king of Unug, who built Unug, became king; he ruled for 7 ges years. . . . (Sumerian King List)

Mesh-ki-ang-gasher is the “prince of measured earth, Cush of Ur,” who built Ur and Unug (Uruk = Erech in the Bible).  E-Ana was the ziggurat in Uruk which was most likely built by Cush to worship Inanna. Cush of Ur was the first ruler of Kish and reigned there for 100 years. Utu was the sun god (Ra/Re) whom Ham worshipped in Egypt. Cush of Ur then entered the sea and disappeared, and I propose that he sailed back to his kin in Africa in the land of Cush, later called Ethiopia.

In Sumerian en-me-er-kar₂ mean the following: en is a lord (ensi is a city ruler), me is an office of responsibility or the phenomenal area of a diety's power; er is a lament, tears (woeful waters) or a complaint (whereas ur means warrior); and kar means embankment, harbor, or port authority. Most of these words seem appropriate titles for Nimrod. Together Enmerkar, “lord who storms fortresses,” was the epithet of Nimrod, who conquered all of Shinar and beyond.

Nimrod’s Religious Idolatry

Noah and his family worshipped Creator Elohim (Hebrew for God which is often shortened to El).  Nimrod’s first city was even called Bab-El, meaning ‘gate of God’.  But Ham later chose to worship the sun (Utu), and eventually Nimrod called himself Marutuk, derived from amar-Utu ("bull calf of the sun god Utu"),[i] later pronounced Marduk.  Marduk is often pictured with his snake-dragon.  Nimrod’s father, Cush, worshipped Inanna (in Sumerian, but Ishtar in Akkadian).  Marduk’s wife, Sarpanitu (‘shining one’) represented the moon; and together they usurped biblical Elohim as creator of the Earth.  Their new religion required extravagant offerings and sacred prostitution.  So, yes, the first religion of Babylon was a great whore and the mother of prostitution which spread to many nations and languages.

The waters which you saw, where the whore sits, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. (Rev. 17:15)

Uruk Expansion

During the Uruk Period, millions of bevel-rimmed bowls (BRB's) 

were mass produced likely to feed slave and corvee workers their daily rations of barley, and possibly to pay soldiers their ration of salt.  At Uruk strata IV-VI, BRB's are accompanied by an influx of cylinder seals; some of which depict scenes of the En (lord) presiding over torture, such as tying arms at the elbows behind the back, possibly inflicted on tax delinquents.[ii] These BRB's are found in abundance throughout Iraq (the Sunni “beast of the sea”) and Iran (the Shia “beast of the earth”).

         Uruk is #42, Judeida is #1, Hama(th) is #2

Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL)

. . . I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image . . . (Rev. 20:5)

These Muslims are following the Koran’s instructions.

“When your lord revealed to the angels: I am with you, therefore make firm those who believe. I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve. Therefore strike off their heads and strike off every fingertip of them.” (Koran 8:12)

“Therefore, when ye meet the Unbelievers (in fight), strike off their heads; at length; then when you have made wide Slaughter among them, carefully tie up the remaining captives: thereafter (is the time for) either generosity or ransom: Until the war lays down its burdens.” (Koran 47:4)

                    Islamic State also controls portions of Yemen and Libya.

The empire of “Mystery Babylon” is the Islamic State.

And on her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus . . . (Revelation 17:5-6)

---

[i] Helmer Ringgren, (1974) Religions of The Ancient Near East, Translated by John Sturdy, The Westminster Press, p. 66.

[ii] Mark A. Brandes, Siegelabrollungen aus den Archaischen Bauschichten in Uruk-Warka, Freiburger Altorientalische Studien 3; Wiesbaden, Frank Steiner, 1979, pp. 17-166.

If the trumpets and vials move in tandem, and if the Islamic State (IS) represent the locusts of the fifth trumpet; then it corresponds with the fifth vial which is darkness and gnawing tongues (a symptom of dehydration; article) over the beast's kingdom (Sunni Islam; aka Babylon).  Thus the sixth trumpet and vial would commence after the five months of locusts end.

The last five years of drought in the Middle East have beaten records over 100 years old. article
 
"12One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter. 13And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, 14Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. 15And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men. 16And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them. 17And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone. 18By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths. 19For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like to serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt. 20And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: 21Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts." (Revelation 9:12-21)

"10And the fifth angel poured out his vial on the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain, 11And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds. 12And the sixth angel poured out his vial on the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. 13And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. 15Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. 16And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon." (Revelation 16:10-16)

The sixth trumpet and the sixth vial are the only two passages in the New Testament which mention the Euphrates River.  The news portrayed the Mosul Dam on the Tigris River as very poorly built and difficult to maintain.  What if there were FOUR key dams on the Euphrates River which God graciously sent angels to protect?  Will they soon be relieved of duty so that IS can completely restrict the flow of water in order to control the people, thus enabling an army of 200,000,000 to cross it?

The IS has threatened Turkey to give them control of a dam, and IS now has 49 Turks from Mosul to bargain with. article

"Since January 2014, the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq has succeeded in taking control of several dams. To date, the group controls the Haditha Dam (the second-largest in the country), the Samarra Barrage and the Nuaimiyah Dam. Between January and April, the IS also controlled the strategic Fallujah Dam.
The dams are an essential element of the group’s military strategy. The IS has already proved its determination to use the dams as a weapon by deliberately drowning government forces around the Nuaimiyah Dam. When in control of the Fallujah Dam, the group closed eight of the ten doors of the dam, reducing water levels in the south and flooding land upstream." article

"In April 2014, fighters of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria captured the Nuaimiyah Dam in western Iraq, despite earlier efforts to defend the site. They then overflowed it to dislodge Iraqi soldiers dug in upstream of the site—and to deny drinking water to civilians downstream." article

"The [Haditha] dam, which regulates the waters of the River Euphrates, is located north of the city of Haditha, approximately 150 miles (240 km) northwest of Baghdad. It is a major source of hydroelectricity for Iraq’s national grid behind Mosul Dam, which was recaptured by Kurdish and Iraqi forces backed by US air power on Monday." article

It would be an interesting twist if the red, yellow and blue uniformed army gathered in the Jezreel Valley was actually invited by Israel to use that area as a base from which to launch a campaign against IS.  Then if Israel launched rockets against Iran's nuclear facilities, this coalition army turned and attacked Israel instead.  There are so many ways this could play out, and several have nothing to do with prophecy.
I'm just continuing to watch for my Lord's return.

Riots and Debt according to Habakkuk

Habakkuk once warned Israel of impending violence from the Chaldeans (Babylonians of the Euphrates), because the Israelites had committed violence which had gone unpunished.

“. . . for wasting and violent acts are before me: and there is fighting and bitter argument. For this reason the law is feeble and decisions are not effected: for the upright man is circled round by evil-doers; because of which right is twisted.” Habakkuk 1:3b-4 (Bible in Basic English-BBE)

The Chaldean “makes little of kings, rulers are a sport to him; all the strong places are to be laughed at; for he makes earthworks and takes them. . . . and there is no end to his destruction [slaughter] of the nations.” (Hab. 1:10+17b BBE) The Babylonians would lay siege to walled cities and starve them out. Those in the Middle East now are making little of their rulers through mob protest and riots.

“And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence [hormema] shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.” (Rev. 18:21 AKJV)

“Hormema” is only used this once in Scripture. It means a rush, as in “they rushed with one accord into the theater” (Acts 19:29c). It means an assault or a mob causing a riot. It looks as though the entire ancient Babylonian empire will be brought down through riots. Then Osama bin Laden and his mujahadeen, empowered by the pit of hell (Rev. 9), will take five months beginning March 26th to organize through violence the last Islamic caliphate known as “the beast” (Rev. 13).

“And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain on tables, that he may run [rush] that reads it.” (Hab. 2:2)
“And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that you be not partakers of her sins, and that you receive not of her plagues.” (Rev. 18:4)

Though many Christians have voluntarily left the Muslim Middle Eastern countries, or have been driven out. God is making His final call to those believers remaining to hurry up and leave because His plagues are about to be poured out.
For “that wicked” “man of pride”, who is weighed down by debt, is gathering the nations to himself. What did you think all of that bowing to Muslim and fascist leaders was all about? His creditors will suddenly turn on him. The great city of Babylon (Mecca-Jeddeh, Saudi Arabia) will fall, and the nations will gather for war against Israel at Armageddon.

“A curse on the cruel and false one! the man full of pride, who never has enough; who makes his desires wide as the underworld! he is like death; he is never full, but he makes all nations come to him, getting all peoples together to himself. Will not all these take up a word of shame against him and a bitter saying against him, and say, A curse on him who goes on taking what is not his and is weighted down with the property of debtors! Will not your creditors suddenly be moved against you, and your troublers get up from their sleep, and you will be to them like goods taken in war? Because you have taken their goods from great nations, all the rest of the peoples will take your goods from you; because of men's blood and violent acts against the land and the town and all who are living in it.” (Hab. 2:5-8)

“And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” (Rev. 14:8)
“For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.” (Rev. 16:14)

The war will last for one year, one month, one day, and one hour (Rev. 9:15) until midnight of Rosh Hashannah in 2012, and then the glory of Jesus returning to earth with flashes of lightning and great earthquakes will end the battle as He crushes the nations to save Israel.

“He was shining like the light; he had rays coming out from his hand: there his power was kept secret. Before him went disease, and flames went out at his feet. From his high place he sent shaking on the earth; he saw and nations were suddenly moved: and the eternal mountains were broken, the unchanging hills were bent down; his ways are eternal. . . . You went stepping through the land in wrath, crushing the nations in your passion. You went out for the salvation of your people, for the salvation of the one on whom your holy oil was put; wounding the head of the family of the evil-doer, uncovering the base even to the neck. Selah." (Hab. 3:4-13)