3/13/07
In
the April, May, and June 2001 issues of the Free Presbyterian Magazine a series
of articles ran on The
Establishment Principle written by Rev. John Macleod of the Free Presbyterian Church of
Scotland. . This insightful comment
about the USA appeared in the articles:
"Across the Atlantic, the Presbyterian Church
of America in 1788 saw fit to alter The Westminster Confession of Faith
, her subordinate standard, in order that its terms might be in conformity with
the false view that Church and state are totally separate and that all
religions are to be regarded as equal before the law. Little wonder
that most of the cults which have spread plague-like throughout the nations
originated in that land which by the First Amendment to its Constitution
repudiated the Establishment Principle and laid down that "Congress shall
make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free
exercise thereof". How far removed is the oath of office which
the President of the United States takes on his inauguration from that which
the framers of our National Covenant required of such as aspired to sit on the
Scottish throne."
That description of
the USA is strikingly similar to the way the mysterious Babylonian whore in
Revelation 17:5 is portrayed: "…
MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE
EARTH."
Of course, the USA
is symbolized by Lady Liberty in the Statue of Liberty, entitled “Liberty
Enlightening the World”. This
pseudo-Liberty is really wicked rebellion against God and the casting off of
the true religion of its past, and this pseudo-Liberty has indeed been
propagated throughout the world, with the USA as its model. It has been formalized in the constitution
of the United Nations, created by Lady Liberty. Lady Liberty refers back to Libertas, the Roman goddess of
“freedom”. And we seem to find an image of Lady Liberty
in Zechariah 5: 7-8, 11: a woman representing wickedness standing upon a
pedestal in "the land of Shinar", a synonym for Babylon. Her appearance in Revelation 17 was thus
foreshadowed in Zechariah.
When we think of the ancient Babel/Babylon, these
things come to mind:
- Heightened communication among the peoples of the world, including a
"universal language" of the empire (An interesting insight into this
was provided in an article at http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/04/09/asia/englede.php
: “Experts on the English
language like David Crystal, author of "English as a Global Language,"
say the world has changed so drastically that history is no longer a
guide. "This is the first time we
actually have a language spoken genuinely globally by every country in the
world," he said. "There are no precedents to help us see what will happen." John McWhorter, a linguist at the Manhattan Institute, a research
group in New York, and the author of a history of language called "The
Power of Babel," was more unequivocal. “English is dominant in a way that no language has ever been
before," he said.”)
- E pluribus unum (Translated
from Latin, it means "One from Many" or "One out of many":
'E' = out of, from; pluribus = many; unum = one, and it appears
on the Great Seal of the USA of 1782.
The phrase originally came from Moretum[1], a poem
attributed to Virgil. Moretum is a
type of salad; the poem contains a description of the ingredients being ground
in a pestle which includes the phrase, color est e pluribus unus (the
color is, from many, one) which refers to the combining of the different
colored ingredients combining into a harmonious mixture. It suggests an empire of different ethnic
nations.)
- Heightened commerce among the peoples, and with it greater wealth
- "Freedom of religion and speech"
- Profligacy
- Widespread humanism
- Widespread materialism
- Effort to reach the stars
- Heightened technological advances
These attributes strikingly describe the USA. Indeed, my
guess is that the USA is the end-time “Babylon” described in Revelation
17-18. While I believe the Papacy is
the Man of Sin described in II Thessalonians 2, and the Papal kingdom (i.e.,
the Roman Catholic Church) is the beast “of 7 hills” described in Revelation 13
and Revelation 17:8-9, just as the Westminster Standards attest, I think in the
context of Revelation 17-18 that the mysterious Babylonian whore is most likely
the USA. (It should be noted that the
Westminster Standards never state a position as to the identity of the end time
mysterious Babylonian whore described in Revelation 17-18, though the vast
majority of reformed people in history have believed it was the Roman Catholic
Church.) I think my guess better
explains why we read that the Romish beast “of 7 hills” helps destroy the end
time mysterious Babylonian whore, and then rule in its place for a time
(Revelation 17:16-17), having pre-dated the Babylonian whore in its existence
(Rev 17:8). I am not satisfied with
explanations having Rome somehow destroy Rome, having pre-existed Rome, and
then Rome rule subsequently.
Furthermore, I think the USA better fits how this end time mysterious
Babylonian whore is described in Revelation 17-18. For example: “all
nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings
of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the
earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies” (Rev 18:3). Many nations have grown rich through the
USA, but the Romish Church has tended to impoverish people economically.
But, alas, if my guess is right, and the USA is the end-time ‘Babylon’ of Revelation 17-18, what an ending she will have. We read in Revelation 17:16 that the Romish Beast “of 7 Hills”, in alliance with “ten nations”, will eventually destroy the mysterious Babylonian whore: “And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.”
Note: For resources elaborating on the above, please see articles at http://www.puritans.net/news/ and books at http://www.puritans.net/curriculum/ .