PaulSacramento wrote:For the 1st century reader it was probably quite clear that the Babylon of Revelation was Rome.
It was called that for one thing and they way it is described in Revelation is consistent with Rome.
Rome was viewed as the "whole world" in the ANE and AME ( by Rome I mean of course the Roman Empire).
That said, we also know that Prophecies have more than one level and a prophecy that is aimed at current and near-future situations CAN also refer to what may happen in the far distant future.
Here is one verse that is troubling...
Dan 11:38 "
But instead he will honor a god of fortresses, a god whom his fathers did not know; he will honor him with gold, silver, costly stones and treasures." NASB
Ancient Rome assimilated other nations gods and attached their Latin names to the pantheon. They did not have a god their fathers did not know, Just finished a big history study on the ancient gods of Cypress, Canaan, Edom, Moab, Mindina; then Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, and Rome. These all shared the same pantheon of gods and merely changed the names.
Interesting history is of Mecca and the black meteorite known as a place where the goddesses Al-Uzza/ Ishtar was worshiped along with the goddesses Al-Lat and Menat. Al-Uzza/ Ishtar are well known, even today. What makes a god not know by his fathers indicates and new religion. This religion will be war like as indicated by god of fortresses. It would have blended many of the pagan themes as there were three deities whose goal was to resurrect the serpent/dragon to take over the earth and universe. They shared the shapes of a lion with eagles wings and a man's heart/head, a Leopard with wings, and a Bear and were all related or bound to in some way to the the moon god Nanna / Sin.
Al-Uzza/ Ishtar stood on top of a lion and leopard and had both male and female side. The female side was worshiped and she loved to wade in blood, and behead folks, and go about in war. I find it interesting that Muhammad left the meteorite in Mecca intact and continues some of the same rituals like the walking around the stone and erotically kissing it. the Tenants of Islam is submission under the crescent moon and star symbol. Their colors are white, black, red, and green. However, Islam is a new religion made from old religious sources the chap's fathers in Daniel 11:38 would not have known because the sexual acts of worship were removed and saved, instead, for the afterlife 70 virgins in a land of delights. Islam also has one head god not many. Its one god is a form of the many pagan deities complied into one new one making it far worse than brutal Rome was.
Mecca was known as demon central as that is the area of Midina where according the pagan myth, a serpent /dragon came to land nearby and freed man from the great sky god's rule by giving man wisdom /knowledge in turn for service for him. Iron was forged there and metal smithing/arts of warfare spread. The other three deities mentioned above came with him along with their cohorts becoming the pagan pantheon you read about in history books.
In Islam, look up the Islam 'Green Man' in a google search and see what you shall see... and then look of the deity Nabu. Nabu was the prophet for Marduk (serpent dragon)... And the green man appears where and lives near...???
There has not been a religion like Islam in world history where all the ancient deities are untied as one for the purpose of the serpent dragon appearing. Now look in Rev 13:1-5 and you see a blended beast made from the parts of the three mentioned in Daniel chapter seven making one beast to stand before the dragon.... and then the Antichrist chap comes worshiping a god of fortresses, a god whom his fathers did not know...
Enough said...
These is a new picture out with Obama and the pope and Obama has horns...
However, I absolutely do not think these two are the false prophet or antichrist as some other folks may assume. While we look at that Rome connection, one can be blindsided from another direction which is common in the art of warfare. How all the players play out, remains to be seen, and we may just see the beginnings of the play and the stage is the Middle East and Rome a mere side show to draw attention away from the main blow mirroring the same prophetic themes because the world is under the sway of whom?
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