The Great Whore of Babylon

Make haste into the Valley of Decision, the Day of the Lord draws near

The Whore of Babylon

Foreword

The world anxiously teeters on the precipice of the most dangerous time since the end of the Cold War I in 1991. Arguably, and owing chiefly to China’s ascendence, we have been in Cold War II for the last five years, as historian Niall Ferguson suggested.

The principal reason for this perilous predicament is that we, the U.S., have lost our credibility as a deterrent force: “The root cause being an inadequacy of a willingness to threaten - and ultimately to use - military force,” according to the Brookings Institution.¹

We all but invited Putin to invade the Donbass and then forced that easily avoidable war into its present condition. Similarly, we so far have failed to deter Iran, via her terrorist proxies, from attacking Israel and the vital maritime shipping straits at Bab-el-Mandeb, the waterway between Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.²

The Iranian sponsored Houthis recently fired 15 missiles and drones at container ships on December 16, 2023. Several major shipping lines have suspended or rerouted vessels en route to the Suez Canal. Everyday the world seems to inch further and further into unmitigated chaos as crisis beget crisis.

This piece aims to focus on spiritual preparation.

You are going to hear the noise of battles close by and the news of battles far away; but do not be troubled. Such things must happen, but they do not mean that the end has come.

Matthew 24:6

The Valley of Decision

Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. The sun and moon will be darkened, and the stars no longer shine. The LORD will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem; the earth and the heavens will tremble. But the LORD will be a refuge for his people, a stronghold for the people of Israel.

Joel 3:14-16

The Israeli-Palestinian War has led many to consider more seriously the various end times’ signs prophesied in the Bible. The multitudes in the prophet Joel’s “Valley of Decision,” for example, have metaphorically gathered together for one reason - to prepare spiritually for the day of judgement or the “Great and Terrible Day of the Lord,” as the prophet Malachi phrased it.

An edifying cross reference to Joel’s prophecy was written by the prophet Isaiah, his 8th century BC contemporary.

Listen, a tumult on the mountains, like that of a great multitude! Listen, an uproar among the kingdoms, like nations gathered together! The LORD of Hosts is mobilizing an army for war. They are coming from faraway lands, from the ends of the heavens - the LORD and the weapons of his wrath - to destroy the whole country. Wail, for the Day of the LORD is near; it will come as destruction from the Almighty.

Isaiah 13:4-6

The army being mobilized for this future war most likely refers to a coalition of forces prophesied by Ezekiel to attack Israel from the “far north.” In the Bible, this conflict is referred to as the Gog-Magog war. If the current war in Israel escalates into a regional conflict, we reasonably can expect these forces to be marshaled.

The consensus among Bible scholars today is that the Land of Magog represents Turkey, NOT Russia.

The Gog-Magog war, as described in prophecy, might not directly coincide with the Great Tribulation mentioned in Matthew 24:21. It might instead refer to 'Jacob’s Trouble,' as mentioned in Jeremiah 30:7.

While some theologians conflate these two tribulations, I consider them to be unrelated. Biblical prophecies allow for multiple fulfillments. The fulfillment of Jacob’s Trouble in our times, in my opinion, refers specifically to the nation of Israel and the conflict the with Iranian axis. The future ‘Great Tribulation’ will be a global, not a regional, multifaceted event. That is why it’s called great. And war might represent only one facet of it.

Biblical prophecies such as ‘Jacob’s trouble’ are confusing and ambiguous. They require prayer and contemplation to sort out. When exegetists appeal primarily to literal interpretations of the Bible, they are apt to skew their conclusions toward strange and whimsical concepts, such as living souls being whisked up into a safe haven among the clouds.

When interpreting biblical prophecy, one should be careful not to shoehorn one’s own biases or predicted outcomes into biblical texts, particularly if more realistic options are available.

Regardless, ‘Job One’ for prophets has always been to draw souls closer to spiritual truth (God). Both Joel, Isaiah and Ezekiel accomplished this while emphasizing urgency. The prophetic mosaic of the Bible provides vivid imagery, symbolic tales and allegories that illuminate the cosmic struggle between good and evil, accompanied always by the imperative to choose one over the other.

Central to the end times’ leitmotif³ is the apocalyptic figure of the Great Whore of Babylon, as described in Revelation 17. The apocalyptic Book of Revelation was written by John of Patmos, a Jewish-Christian prophet, around AD 90.⁴ It’s actually the same chilling story told twice and conflated, resulting in a double dose of mystifying visions.

The woman who symbolizes Babylon is depicted as sitting on “many waters,” an allusion to many nations, peoples, tongues, etc. She is adorned in luxury and is intoxicated by the ‘blood of the saints,’ which are emblematic of satanic false religious systems and secular powers that stand in opposition to the spiritual ascension of humanity. She symbolizes the pinnacle of worldly corruption, mendacity and spiritual deprivation.

The Whore rides upon a Beast with Seven Heads, symbolizing seven cultures or empires associated with false religions - six from the past and one yet to come. They are Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, The Medes (Media), Greece and Rome, and one in the future. All of these cultures displayed open hostility toward the Jews, and all except Greece sought to persecute or annihilate them.

Zoroastrian Dualism

Cosmological dualism, the eternal conflict between light and darkness, good and evil, is deeply embedded in the biblical narrative. The Great Whore personifies the dark and evil - the culmination of worldly allurements that lead souls astray. Yet this story is not simply a woeful tale of worldly excess, but one at the heart of a profound spiritual battle threatening our very existence as humans.

In Luke's Gospel, Jesus employs the metaphor of "The days of Lot" to point to a world oblivious to impending judgment. The story of Lot from the Old Testament is also a dramatic account of the city of Sodom. The Sodomites were engulfed in wickedness and vice that brought about their fiery destruction.

Jesus warned that conditions at the close of our age (the days we are now living in) would mirror Sodom: "Just as it was in the days of Lot...it will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed." (Luke 17:28-30)

To understand this analogy, we should examine the environment during the days of Lot. Sodom was a place of profound moral decay, where the line between right and wrong was blurred, if not erased. However, it's crucial to remember that the inhabitants of Sodom lived in a state of complacency, indulging in their excesses, unaware of the looming divine judgment. The similarities with our own times and circumstances are persuasive. The key difference being that we have been warned.

The allure of worldly pleasures, epitomized by the Great Whore, paints a disconcerting picture. Contemporary society has embraced secularism, often disregarding spiritual values in favor of materialism and self-indulgence. The rapid advancement of technology, while bringing numerous benefits, has led to heightened individualism and detachment from communal and spiritual values.

If we interpret biblical allegories as signposts, it appears evident that humanity has arrived at a crossroads. One direction leads to a monumental spiritual upheaval, the other to total annihilation. The frequent discord, societal fragmentation and challenges to traditional Western values illuminate the birth pangs (sorrows) of an era transitioning into a new paradigm, one of multipolarity as opposed to Western dominance.

Flowers and Butterfly, painted by Margit Koretzova while at Theresienstadt ghetto and concentration camp during World War II. She died in 1944, aged 11, not long after painting this work.

Israel: The Judeo-Christian Spiritual Battleground

The ongoing tensions and conflicts in Israel should be viewed not just as geopolitical struggles, but as a consequence of the larger cosmic war between good and evil. Israel, given its profound spiritual significance, becomes the emblematic heart of this spiritual battle, which also saturates the physical realm.

In the physical realm, the nation of Israel is a spiritual metaphor for the people of God. The miraculous history of Israel, including its triumphs and failures, serves as a bottomless well of spiritual lessons. The faithfulness of God, despite Israel’s many shortcomings, is often viewed as a metaphor for the divine grace available to all believers. The moral and spiritual struggles of Israel, and of the Jewish people, reflect the challenges faced by individuals and communities in their spiritual lives.

While I recognize the immense suffering endured by the Palestinian people, it’s essential to acknowledge that their plight is intricately connected to historical and geopolitical complexities. The longstanding conflict in the Middle East involves multifaceted factors. Islam’s historical relationship with Judaism has indeed been marked by periods of tension, animosity and an institutionalized hatred of Jews.

This piece is not only about pinpointing the end times based on current events. It also is about recognizing and taking to heart the struggle between righteousness and wickedness, between civilization and barbarism. End times’ prophecies are not intended to induce fear, but rather serve to remind believers of their ultimate hope and call to live a good life.

They should inspire introspection, repentance and a renewed commitment to spiritual awareness and personal growth. And should beckon us hastily into the Valley of Decision.

But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites⁵ in whose land [Israel] you are living.

But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.

Joshua 24:15

N.B. This article is dedicated to the children of the Shoah. In autumn of 1944, art instructor Friedl Dicker-Brandeis and the majority of her students, including Margit Koretzova, whose painting ‘Flowers and Butterfly’ appears above, were deported to the dreaded ‘East.’ Nearly all of them perished in the gas chambers of Auschwitz, including Margit. Of the 15,000 children who passed through the Theresienstadt (Czechoslovakia) ghetto, cynically known as the “Paradise Ghetto,” only around 100 survived.

I suppose I’ve watched “War and Remembrance,” Herman Wouk’s splendid 1988 mini-series at least dozen times.⁶ One character, the aged and wise Aaron Jastrow, played by Sir John Gielgud, was sent by the Nazis to Theresienstadt, which ironically was the town of his youth.

From Theresienstadt, Jewish prisoners, along with the fictional Jastrow, were primarily transported to the East via overcrowded and fetid cattle cars to Auschwitz-Birkenau (Oświęcim) in Poland, where their lives were summarily ended.

Theresienstadt thus became a place of paradox - a site of unspeakable atrocities, yet also a silent witness to the indomitable human spirit, as embodied in Margit's painting. Her artwork remains a testament to the enduring strength of hope and beauty during the darkest of times, a reminder of innocence persisting amid the horrors of a world gone mad.

[The practice of] Drawing was seen as a key to understanding and a way of developing basic principles of communication, as well as a means of self-expression and a way of channelling one’s imagination and emotion. From this perspective, art classes also functioned as a kind of therapy, in some way helping the children to endure the harsh reality of ghetto life.⁷

God bless you and your family wherever you may be during these difficult days.

1. America’s Real Deterrence Problem (article)

2. The Houthi Assault on Global Shipping (WSJ)

3. All of Rational Spirituality’s articles on the ‘end times’ are accessible via our Substack home page tab, here.

4. The Book of Revelation is replete with symbolic and allegorical language and its interpretation has been a subject of theological debate for centuries.

5. The Bronze Age Amorites, like other ancient Canaanite peoples, practiced polytheism and worshipped a pantheon of gods and goddesses.

6. War and Remembrance (IMDb)

7. Artistic Representations of the Holocaust (article)