Some have tried to argue that the Statue of Liberty is a sign that America is Babylon, because it comes so close to the description of the Whore of Babylon - well - except that she isn't riding a beast, and isn't holding a cup in her hands, and isn't dressed in "purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls" (Rev 17:4), and doesn't have "Babylon the Great, et al" (Rev 17:5) written on her forehead, and gives no appearance of being drunk off blood (Rev 17:6), and she doesn't sit on 7 hills (Rev 17:9).....but other than that, she's a perfect resemblance, right?  Well....only if you WANT it to be since you have to ignore so many dissimilarities.

And everytime I've heard someone argue that, they ignore the fact that the original Statue of Liberty is in Paris, and there is another in Tokyo.  That is largely because those who suffer from Americitis - the thought process that everything centers around America and if it doesn't happen in America, it doesn't happen - often don't even know that there's another statue.

The purpose of the Statue of Liberty was a thank you note from the French for inspiring them.  The American revolution inspired the French revolution, and they thanked us by building a pair of statues in both countries that were identical, and symbolic of what linked America and France together.  The two statues in New York and Paris were meant to commemorate how the USA and France stood in unison with each other in the belief in freedom.  It was not meant to be a lone standing symbol of America, but a dual standing symbol the connection between France and America, initiated by the French, not us.

So if those who claim the Statute of Liberty is a sign of what city is the "Whore", then I guess it would be easy for most people living in Paris to conclude that Paris is Babylon.

But of course, the whole thing is a man made doctrine.  There is nothing in the Bible to point towards America as having much of any role in End Times Events, let alone being the primary city of it all; Babylon.  And those in Bordeaux might conclude that Bordeaux, France is Babylon.  In fact, the French built the statue twice for themselves and put one in Paris and another in Bordeaux and sent one to America.  A Frenchman designed the statue, which gives the French more claim to it than America.  And the French have 2 compared to one for America.  So again, they have more claim to it than we do.

The Nazi's destroyed the one in Bordeaux.  The French decided to replace it in 1998 but sent the replacement to Tokyo for a year and called it the "French Year in Japan."  It was so popular, that when it came time to send it back to Bordeaux, Japan wanted to keep it and the French decided they would simply build another and put the other one in Bordeaux in 2000.  But the Japanese understood the statue of liberty to be a symbol of France, not a symbol of America.  It was part of their celebrating a sense of commonality with France, not with America.  It was part of the "French Year in Japan", not the "American Year In Japan".

This was big news in most parts of the world, although the American press didn't say much about it since they don't report on much of anything that happens unless it happens in the USA or Israel.  But it may have been the trigger event that led  to the re-release of Abraham HaLevi's commentary on Nachman Chatufa in 2005, since the French sending the statue of Liberty to Japan may have triggered discussion in Israel of how Nachman Chatufa said that when "that French statue" fell, it would signal the end of the Roman Empire.

So the Statue of Liberty is not understood world wide to be a symbol of America.  It is understood as a French symbol of freedom or a symbol jointly shared by both.  But it is hard to tell that to someone who is suffering from Americitis.

Both statues at Paris and New York were cast out of the same mold.  The only difference is the writing on the tablet she is holding, since the French one has the date of the French revolution on it.

The Statue of Liberty is not a symbol of superiority over every other nation.  It is a symbol of two nations sharing a bond of brotherhood.  And as of 1998, a bond France decided to extend to sharing with Japan; well - it was their idea - that can include Japan in if they want to.  Babylon is claiming superiority over every other city / nation / etc.  How could a symbol of common brotherhood between 2 or 3 nations be used as a symbol of superiority?  Surely, if a statue was a symbol of Babylon, it would be a statue unique to that city only if it is trying to communicate superiority over every other location.

If we take Scripture at face value, we would conclude that the False Messiah will rise out of Rome and move his capital to Babylon sometime after he rises to power.  Yet some people , desperate for a way of convincing people that America is the real Babylon, want to use a statue designed by a Frenchman and which resides in Paris as proof that America is Babylon.  WOW...that sure is convincing to people who have a broad world view, huh?  I'm being satirical of course....it is not.  But it is convincing to people who only understand what is happening in America and think America is where everything happens.

At http://www.fivedoves.com/letters/feb2013/jovial27.htm I explained why I think the USA is indeed the nation discussed in Isaiah 18, and went through a logical explanation as to why no nation on earth fits the description in Isaiah 18 better than the USA.  If the USA is Babylon, they why wasn't the USA referred to in Revelation the same way as in Isaiah 18?  It could have been identified in such a way that there would be no confusion over who it is.  And for the most part, I think G-d DID identify the USA or Babylon so that there would be no confusion who it is.  But some people simply cross out the name of the city and introduce confusion by claiming that Babylon isn't Babylon.

There's a simple reason Babylon needs to be Babylon.  If G-d did not name the city of the End Times correctly, people would dismiss it.  If America is Babylon, then when the End Times gets here, people will dismiss the Bible because they can easily attribute the Bible to not fitting the description of where the seat of power is at.  G-d was very specific, naming the city in question, so there would be no confusion and so that unbelievers could believe what they read.  It is not G-d will for the unbeliever in the End Times to be easily misled by what the bible is saying.

Statue of Liberty in Paris	Statue of Liberty in New York (1890)

There's also one of her sitting down at Lviv, Ukrain, that was sculpted by the same man (Frederic Auguste Bartholdi) who sculpted the ones in Paris and New York.  So it is not some sort of knock off, but something done by the same scultor and part of the vision as to how the sculptor of each statue saw her as a symbol.

Let's also ask ourselves this....what looks more like the "Woman riding the beast" in Revelation 17 and 18?  The above statute of liberty (Who is not riding a beast), or what is on the back of European currency, as shown below.....

 

 

Shalom,

Joe