Jovial (18 March 2014)
" Why America is not Babylon "

One thing that is certain is that Babylon will be utterly destroyed for her sin.

  • "her sins are piled up to heaven" (Rev 18:5)
  • "Give back to her as she has given" (Rev 18:6)
  • "In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin" (Rev 18:17)
  • "the great city of Babylon will be thrown down, never to be found again" (Rev 18:21)
  • "No worker of any trade will ever be found in you again" (Rev 18:22)

It will be punished with utter desolation - not one soul will live in it - because of her sin.

Is that really the USA?  Stop and think about it folks....

  • In Canada, you can go to jail for merely reading Bible passages that declare homosexuality to be a sin.  Which nation is more righteous in re this sin; the USA or Canada?  Who more greatly deserves punishment? 
  • In China, the athiestic state will jail you for being a Christian.  In the USA, it is your right.  Which nation has sinned more against Christianity; the USA or China?
  • In the Mid East, you can be put to death for being a Christian.   Which nations are sinning more against the kingdom of God; the USA or the Arab jihad nations?

Would God really utterly destroy the USA for being so sinful...and leave THESE nations alone?  Would He single the USA out for verbal chastisement and ignore/not mention nations who sin worse?

The USA is not the best or the worst nation in the world when it comes to sin.  We have declined and are not as in line with God's morality as we were in the 1950s.  But we are not as far away from His morality as many if not most other nations as well.

  • The USA protects your right to be a Christian.  Other nations jail or murder you for it.  Some nations are dedicated to pagan deities.  Would God destroy the USA and leave China and the Mid East standing?  Why would God tout the destruction of Babylon=America and omit the destruction of more sinful nations?  The "blood of prophets and of God’s holy people" is cited as one of the specific sins God will punish Babylon for, but this is not the conduct of the USA.  Spiritual adultery (idolatry) is another sin cited in Rev 18:3
  • While the USA allows abortion, it does not force them on people like China does.  Why would God destroy the USA for this and leave China alone?
  • Theft is illegal in the USA.  In parts of Africa, it is OK if the thief's need for an item exceeds the victim's need for the item. 
  • Murder is illegal in the USA. Brazil has a history of defending one's right to kill your spouse's lover "in defense of honor."  Most of the Mid East allows a man to murder his family members if they dishonor him.  For example, if a daughter refuses an arranged marriage, she might be killed by her father in some Mid-East countries.  Which nation is more righteous in this category?  Would God destroy the USA and leave these nations unpunished?
  • Babylon was guilting of promoting prostition; requiring it out of all female citizens, and prostitution is cited in Rev 17-18.  Prostitution is outlawed in most of the USA (except Nevada).  It is legal in Brazil, many parts of Europe, and many parts of the world.  Would God punish the USA for sexual promiscuity (against its own laws), but ignore punishing nations that legalize it ?
  • The USA has been one of the few friends Israel has had.  Most nations want to destroy Israel.  The UN would have voted to condemn them by now if it were not for the veto power of the USA.  The USA has blocked UN action to side with the Palestians, and was the only nation that gave Israel arms to defend itself in the 1970s when it needed it the most.  Is God out to punish Israel's best friend?

Of the various sins Babylon is cited for in Revelation 17-18, most are illegal in the USA.  They are;

  • Idolatry (Rev 18:3), which is legal, but not encouraged in the USA.  Idolatrous religions are the state religion in some countries.  Many nations are worse than the USA in this category.
  • Killing Christians (Rev 18:24), which is illegal in the USA, but allowed in parts of the Mid-East.
  • Prostitution, which is illegal in the USA, but legal in many other countries.
  • Selling slaves, which was outlawed in the USA in 1865.

Have I missed any sins?  Rev 17-18 spends a lot of time talking about how rich Babylon got, but that is not a sin.  The specific sins associated with Babylon in Rev 17-18 do fit the USA.  Idolatry is not state supported, but Christian references do still exist in our Governmental framework.  Our Government does not kill Christians, outlaws prostitution, and outlawed slavery.  None of the specific sins cited towards "Babylon" fit the USA, and there are many nations that are worse.

The main reason most people cite for seeing the USA in Rev 17-18 is class envy.  It talks about how rich Babylon is, and some people hate the rich.  They are envious of the rich and want to see rich men "get what's coming to them."  They want to see Donald Trump go broke or Warren Buffet make a bad deal and file for bankruptcy so they can laugh at him.  That is sin folks.  And if you are anxious to see all the rich Americans get "their due" and therefore see America as Babylon, perhaps you should examine your heart and ask God to cleanse it of envy.  But even then, the USA is not the richest country in the word either.

There are Americans who are guilty of murder or engage in prostitution, but it is illegal, and our Government is not to blame for that; it is a personal sin, not a national one.  And there are many nations far worse at offending against the sins Babylon is cited for; nations where idolatry, prostitution, slavery and murder of Christians is legal and / or encouraged.  Why would God destroy the USA - a nation that does not legalize the sins of Babylon of Rev 17-18, and leave unpunished the numerous nations on our globe that do the sins of Rev 17-18 openly and with the consent and encouragement of their Government?  Why would He verbally chastise the less sinful nation and make no mention of the more sinful nation(s)? It does not make sense.  Yet Babylon is not only guilty of these things, but deserving of being recognized as the pinnacle example of such sins and worthy of being destroyed completely because of them, and singled out as the only nation mentioned that is worthy of such sins.  In fact, Babylon is blamed for all other nations doing them, for she is called, "the MOTHER of all prostitutes."

The USA simply is not the extreme example of evil that God would single out for destruction, and blame for corrupting all other nations, and it is illogical to conclude that she is "Babylon."  And irregardless of how far America has fallen since the 1950s, it has not fallen so far as to fit the description of the sins of "Babylon" in Rev 17-18 either.

 

Shalom, Joe