Babel – A Confluence of Concepts, in Jerusalem?? 15-Jun-14

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Revelation 17:8-10 The beast that you saw was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. And here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sits. And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he comes, he must continue a short space. 1

December 2012 was my 1st and likely best Christmas Tour of the Holy Lands. There were many nice people Griffy

and I meet. Tops of the list was the taxi driver in Eilat who returned my backpack inadvertently left on back seat,

even refusing an extra tip. Then was the wonderful lady who entertained Griffy on the bus from Jerusalem to Eilat,

giving Griffy a nice harmonica that he enjoys playing. Also was the Rabi who posted a note to the Wailing Wall for

us. All our tour guides were very helpful. Especially considering that Griffy is a typical 3 year old who likes

exploring everything with zeal and gusto. The Palatine hotel provided a good taxi/guide to do Bethlehem, greater

Jerusalem, Jericho, Saint George, the Zoo, sundry museums, and seven hills of Jerusalem.

Israel is a land of contrasts; the blessing and the curse, the antiquity (Jericho oldest inhabited city due to spring)

and Tel-Aviv modern hi-tech center; Desert and Fertile plain, poor Palestine and opulent business people, metro

hustle and quiet country side, tension and peace. By and large, much the same as in time of Jesus, who scolded

the ruling elite as white washed tombs, den of vipers, unbelieving hypocrites, callous, beholden to tradition, but

yet there are those for whom Jesus came to heal, seek the lost, restore the contrite, uphold and lead to a fuller life,

that he gladly endured the shame of Crucifixion for whom we are forever indebted.

Our Arab guide was likely a Jebucite descendent (after Jebu, the name of ancient Jerusalem) living on Mt. Olivet.

“As for the Jebusites the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the children of Judah

could not drive them out: but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Judah

at Jerusalem unto this day. Joshua 15:63 ... the children of Benjamin did

not drive out the Jebusites that inhabited Jerusalem; but the Jebusites

dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem unto this day. Judges 1:21

As for all the people that were left … and the Jebusites, which were not of

Israel … whom the children of Israel consumed not, them did Solomon

make to pay tribute until this day. 2 Chronicles 8:7-8 … Therefore … I will

not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your

sides… I also will not from now on drive out any from before them of the

nations which Joshua left when he died”: Judges 2 v3 & 21

Tell me, you that desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law? For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one

by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the

freewoman was by promise. Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai,

which makes to bondage, which is Agar. For this Agar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and answers to Jerusalem which now is, and

is in bondage with her children. But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. For it is written, Rejoice,

you barren that bear not; break forth and cry, you that travails not: for the desolate has many more children than she who

has husband. Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. But as then he that was born after the flesh

persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. Nevertheless what says scripture? Cast out the bondwoman

and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. Galatians 4:21-30

Babel – A Confluence of Concepts, in Jerusalem?? 15-Jun-14

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Revelation 17:8-10 The beast that you saw was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. And here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sits. And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he comes, he must continue a short space. 2

Babylon is mentioned as an idiom for a city set on seven hills in the book of Revelation. Many say this refers exclusively to the Roman Catholic Church. Others view it as a reference to Jerusalem and Judaism. It is proposed that the reference to “Mystery Babylon” describes a convergence of the three monotheistic religions upon the physical city of Jerusalem. Already all three religions hold or claim some portion of Jerusalem. Uniting these claims is UN Resolution 181 passed in 1947 A.D. Whereby Jerusalem was decreed as a “Corpus Separatum” or separate entity. Separate in the fact that UN 181 declared a partition of Palestine into three zones; Jerusalem,

Arab, and Jewish, see below map.

The Arab states never accepted the “partition” and various wars have settled borders of what is today know as Israel and the Palestinian portions of the former, “greater Palestine”. What remains is the issue of Jerusalem.

Here is a map of the Jerusalem partition from the 1947 document. (Also see ref. page 174 2

nd paragraph, last sentence) It is

entirely likely that a final settlement will see Jerusalem divided into Jewish, Christian, and Arab quarters. Another Jerusalem outcome could be; Jewish, Arab/Palestine, International. In either event Jerusalem will remain a city on seven Hills and remain significant to a vast swath of the worlds’ population.

Babel – A Confluence of Concepts, in Jerusalem?? 15-Jun-14

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Revelation 17:8-10 The beast that you saw was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. And here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sits. And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he comes, he must continue a short space. 3

The Seven Hills

Several substantial world cities lay claim to be built on 7 hills. Besides Jerusalem, the seven hilled sister cities are Rome, Mecca, Istanbul, Moscow, Tehran, Athens, and Ancient Babylon.

The linking of Islam and modern Jerusalem is well explained in New Testament literature. A uniting of the monotheist religions, as represented by these major cities, would be a modern tower of Babel.

“If one starts with the Mount of Olives just to the east of the main City of Jerusalem (but still reckoned to be located within the environs of Jerusalem), there are three summits to that Mount of Olives:

The northern summit is called Scopus [Hill One],

The middle summit (hill) was called Nob [Hill Two],

The highest point of Olivet itself, and the southern summit (hill) was called in the Holy Scriptures the "Mount of Corruption" or "Mount of Offence" [Hill Three] (II Kings 23:13).

On the middle ridge between the Kedron and the Tyropoeon Valleys there was (formerly) in the south "Mount Zion" [Hill Four] (the original "Mount Zion" and not the later southwest hill that was later called by that name),

The "Ophel Mount" [Hill Five],

To the north of that the "Rock" around which "Fort Antonia" was built [Hill Six],

And finally, there was the southwest hill itself [Hill Seven] that finally became known in the time of Simon the Hasmonean as the new "Mount Zion.“

This makes "Seven Hills" in all”.

Babel – A Confluence of Concepts, in Jerusalem?? 15-Jun-14

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Revelation 17:8-10 The beast that you saw was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. And here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sits. And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he comes, he must continue a short space. 4

Babel

Babylon is a name taken from root word Babel. The tower of Babel was a confluence of people who thought to raise themselves up to God by building a tower up to God. This collective work displeased God. Subsequently, God scattered the people by giving people many languages; lest mankind try to make themselves as equals to God. In the concept of Babylon as Jerusalem , this represents mankind again attempting to unite, into a confluence, the universal God concept for all peoples. Hence a Babel of religions or a Babel of the God concept, united under a false prophet and false messiah. The book of revelation indicates such a system will initiate supernatural wrath on earth from heaven.

Using, “The Balfour Century”, concept, (1917-2017), it is predicted these events will commence prior to December 2017. The Balfour Century time line concept is based on 7,000 years total of determined time. Four thousand years of determined time had elapsed up to the anointing of Jesus the Christ by St. John, about 27 AD. There are one thousand years reserved as a future Sabbath Day of millennial peace. This leaves 2 millennial days of Messianic work, of which 1,985 years had passed in 2012 since Messiah anointing in 27AD. The remaining 15 years of Messianic work are envisioned as: five years of preparation, 2012 to 2017; 2520 days of tribulation, 2017-2024; about three years of confusion and war, 3024 to 3027. After 3027 follows “eternal righteousness” and “time no more”. The Balfour Century from 1917 until 2017 is a hundred year warning Generation, similar to the warning time from Noah. The hundred year generation of judgment and redemption is also indicated by the generations of Israel from Egypt to Canaan.

http://sdrv.ms/VOU5fB

Babel – A Confluence of Concepts, in Jerusalem?? 15-Jun-14

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Revelation 17:8-10 The beast that you saw was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. And here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sits. And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he comes, he must continue a short space. 5

Israel, A Land of Milk and Honey?

Another striking feature of Israel’s geography was how great a portion of the land is arid desert. Because of the desert only a small portion of Israel and the Palestine Authority’s land are presently inhabited. This is one source of antagonism between the Jewish and other populations. Improved irrigation of selected arid parts of the land is one way to reduce these tensions between the population groups. The missing element is a suitable water supply. The present water supply is stretched beyond capacity when rainfall is sparse. New reverse osmosis seawater to potable water system is slated to be commissioned in 2013. However more water sources would be required to make the arid lands fertile. One possible source would be thermal desalination, were a suitable energy supply available. An Extensive supply of offshore gas is slated to become available by year 2017 . With such gas, thermal desalination could become a viable option to produce a copious supply of irrigation water from seawater. That could truly transform the desert of Palestine and alleviate

the land issue for the population.

Hebrew as a National Language

Another interesting aspect was the normal use of Hebrew language. A visitor to Israel will find Hebrew and Arabic used as the norm, with English and Russian as the second tier languages. Russian is used due to the large influx of Jewish peoples from that area.

A 1927 British mandate era coin (right) photo shopped to year 1917. This is intended to illustrate foundation of re-birthed Hebrew speaking Israel with the 1917 Balfour Declaration and Allenby’s capture of Jerusalem in December 1917.

And here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sits. And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he comes, he must continue a short space.

That smoke up from Jerusalem is visible from Mediterranean Sea coast can be easily confirmed. The mean elevation of Jerusalem is 2500 feet. The horizon distance in miles is approximate root of elevation in feet, or 50 miles. Distance to Jaffa or Ashdod is about 35 miles. Thus ships offshore up to 15 miles can see smoke from Jerusalem. The following info-graphic explains in detail.

Babel – A Confluence of Concepts, in Jerusalem?? 15-Jun-14

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Revelation 17:8-10 The beast that you saw was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. And here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sits. And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he comes, he must continue a short space. 6

Babel – A Confluence of Concepts, in Jerusalem?? 15-Jun-14

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Revelation 17:8-10 The beast that you saw was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. And here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sits. And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he comes, he must continue a short space. 7

Explanation of Info Graphic The above info graphic is given as some doubt the claim that those offshore from Jerusalem shall see the smoke of her burning. The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, And saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls! For in one hour so great riches is come to naught. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off, And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city! Rev18.15-18

The 1st table gives consideration to the recorded fact that Mediterranean Sea is visible from some Judean mountains. But as witnessed by Prof. Adam Zertal of Haifa this is recorded in the case of Mount Ebal. This observation is thus mathematically extended to city Jerusalem by means of geography and the Distance-to-Horizon-Equation. This analogy concludes that one could see between 14 and 25 miles offshore, depending on atmospheric conditions. The next fact is that seeing a cloud from ‘afar off’ is much easier that seeing through a cloud to some distant point. For the view when looking out from a cloud can be obscured by the cloud haze. Seeing a cloud from afar only requires a clear view from the sea inland, I C U, U not C Me.

The second table considers obstruction of view by line of sight hills or buildings. This is done using similar triangles. The question is how high a barrier must be placed in the line of sight to obscure the view ‘from afar’? The answer depends upon the distance between the observation point and the viewed point. The greater that distance the higher an allowed obstruction can be. Secondly, more atmospheric haze can be tolerated the closer an observation point is to the viewed object. This effect is considered in the latter columns of Table 2. For example at only 1 mile offshore, only 68% opacity is needed but an object of a mere 68 feet could hide the cloud. Conversely, at about 12 miles offshore (the afar off case) one needs an average atmospheric opacity of 80%. From this view it would require a building or hill of 645 feet onshore to obscure the view. This holds only for objects onshore. The further inland a hill the higher it must be to block the cloud view. As seen by the scaled relief such elevations are not found between sea shore and Jerusalem.

Comparison of Jerusalem to Humanity Some ignore the depravity of humanity or consider fallen Jerusalem above humanity. In truth the saying rings out like a bell at midnight, we have turned each to our own way and none seeks His council. Even within Solomon’s lifetime, did the cankerworm of idolatry set to work in the infant city of Jerusalem. Five short years after Solomon’s death and after dedication by Shekina Glory in Jerusalem, was the city sacked and the temple ornaments carted off to Egypt. No surer confirmation of apostasy could be made than this judgment. No truer foreshadow could be issued upon the city’s future than this fast judgment. For in the following 3,000 years this scene has repeated itself on a predictable basis. Yet for all this, Jerusalem remains ‘the city of ‘The Great King’. So also with man and humanity, for shortly after Eve’s creation was the fall and promise of redemption. That man in the likeness of God is where will be the dwelling of ‘The Great King’. So also with the Church have been a predictable past of honor and decay of renewal and falling away. So with redeemed man the cycle of fire and ice is predictable. But of those ‘you have given me have none been lost except Judas’ and ‘he that comes to me will I in nowise cast out’ To Peter were the words of assurance, Satan hath desired to shift thee as wheat but I have prayed that your faith fail not. Know that He ever lives to make intercession until that day when the tempter is assigned his final rest never to shift people again.

Babel – A Confluence of Concepts, in Jerusalem?? 15-Jun-14

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Revelation 17:8-10 The beast that you saw was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. And here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sits. And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he comes, he must continue a short space. 8

Starry starry day; paint your palette blue and grey; look out on a summer’s eve; with eyes that know the darkness in our soul: Now I understand what you tried to say ; and how you suffered for our loss; that you died to set us free: They would not listen then, they did not know how; perhaps they will listen now: For they could not love you then; but still your love is true; and when no hope was left in sight; on that starry starry night; You gave you life as lovers often do: Like the strangers you have met, the ragged men in ragged clothes; The silver thorn on bloody brow, lies crushed and broken upon the virgin snow: They would not listen then: perhaps they’ll listen now.

Underfoot a haunt for every unclean creature Some object to physical Jerusalem being called Babylon upon the basis of this: ‘And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.’ (Rev18.2). Consider the Messianic era prophesy of Zech.14:1-2 upon Jerusalem:

Behold, the day of the LORD comes, and your spoil shall be divided in the midst of you. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.

The half refers to an exact division. But what divides these two halves? I propose it to be the division of good and evil. What captivity is mentioned? May I suggest it to be the captivity of ‘the bottomless pit’ and the captivity of the ‘Lake of Fire’ reserved for the punishment of unjust sinners, with the devil and his angels. It is there they shall be tormented day and night in the presence of the Lamb. For it is said, sit Thou at My right hand until I make Thy enemies Thy footstool. For under the feet of Jesus, sitting upon His throne is where Hades shall reside. From Hades those captive there will forever look up and see the righteous King sitting in glory and they in the lake of tormenting fire, forever reminded of the choice made. That they choose not the good and just way. But unlike those who choose to enter into the joy of the master; they, like the rich man, turned a blind eye to future good in choice of temporal gains to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. Look what was said to the rich man, ‘and seeing afar off’ (Lu16:23). From the pit of Hades there can be no greater torment than to be eternally in view of the choice made when looking always upon the forfeited joy.

Mystery Babylon as meaning the Ancient City No such comparison is possible, for ancient Babylon is too far inland and neither is it elevated. Thus this concept is dismissed out of hand.

Seven Hills Seven is also a number indicating totality or completeness. That modern Jerusalem is a city situated entirely upon hills is easily determined. For all one need do is ride a bus about that city. By thus doing, one will see a ride that is composed of traveling from one hill to another. The little flat lands are either hill sides or a valley and every valley has a hill..

Where Peter wrote from Peter was mentioned as the Apostle unto the Jews, Paul unto the gentiles. Thus Peter’s epistle mention of Babylon is a reference unto Jerusalem. For in Jerusalem is where Peter’s tomb was found.