Beast of Revelation.pdf - Friends of the Sabbath Australia

Chapter 6
historic counterfeit of God’s government and Kingdom. After
God’s intervention at the Tower of Babel, Babylon’s prominence
rose and fell over the centuries that followed. Finally, in the seventh
century B.C., Nineveh, the Assyrian capital, fell to invaders
and Babylon came to prominence once again as the chief city of
Mesopotamia. The Chaldean Nebuchadnezzar became king of
Babylon and launched an expansion drive that gave his kingdom
dominance over the entire Middle Eastern world. Some of his
conquests included Judah and its capital city of Jerusalem.
Around 586 B.C. Jerusalem and the temple of God there were
destroyed by the invading Babylonians.
Later, as we saw, the prophet Daniel stood in a hushed banquet
hall and interpreted the “handwriting on the wall.” The city
of Babylon fell that night. After a period of centuries it became a
desolate, uninhabited location. Yet as we’ve learned, the system
that originated there didn’t end. It continued through many successors,
just as Daniel recorded in advance so many centuries ago.
Though the ancient city Nimrod built was long ago reduced
to dust and ruin, the political, economic and religious system that
began there became universal. And as we know, in the near
future, Babylon is destined to arise once more—in its final endtime
embodiment.
What Lies Ahead?
Right now we are living in a turbulent world. There is fear and
apprehension about the future. For while science and technology
may promise a dazzling “glitter-world” of prosperity, mounting
global crises endanger the very continuation of Western civilization
and threaten to plunge our world into a new Dark Age. Throughout
the world, raging wars burn out of control, transforming local
conflicts into international affairs. Populations are dislocated in the
face of resultant mass deprivation. This rips at the social fabric of
those nations that receive the refugees—as those in Western
Europe are now doing. In addition, with the dismantling of the
Soviet Union and the subsequent availability of sophisticated
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