INTRODUCTION

Just before the Lord Jesus Christ came into my heart in the spring of 1978, everything in the world looked dreary and dismal. The Vietnam War I had returned from years earlier shattered all my dreams and ambitions for a peaceful life. Before my Vietnam days, I longed for a “Utopian fulfillment” like most other people. There just had to be a way to satisfy my deep inner desire for love, joy, and peace. I wanted more than anything to be fulfilled. But as I gazed across the horizon of human events, there loomed such huge barriers to obtaining those desires and dreams.

I remember sitting in a college classroom one afternoon thinking about what my life would be like five, ten, twenty years down the road. It all seemed so hopeless as I remembered the war, the death, destruction and the exploitation of people. It crossed my mind that if we could bring all the governments and nations together, what a better world this would be. We could better distribute the world´s goods. War and injustice would then only be a haunting memory.

I felt very strongly that the only hope for mankind rested in the unity of governments with one elected body of leaders. The world had become a smaller place due to such increasing technology and mobility of the people. The nations had become so dependent on one another. I even imagined the military would be united and instead of fighting each other, we would someday fight aliens from outer space. This imagination probably came from all the war and space movies that I loved to watch as a child. John Wayne and Flash Gordon were my heroes.

The mere mention of God and church in those post Vietnam days brought forth a flurry of anger deep within me. I was so tired of people preaching love and kindness while stabbing their neighbor in the back. The war had given me a hardened attitude toward God. I couldn´t fathom the loving God I heard so much about as a child was allowing such depravation and suffering to go on. To me, the churches were filled with people who went there because their parents did or to let everyone in town know they went. It was obvious their attendance was designed to increase sales in their businesses. I didn´t claim to be any better than they were, I just chose to live apart from them in my own mixed up world. The good life to me was money, partying, getting drunk and enjoying myself while I could. I had plenty of company, friends who I supposed I could depend on and they on me. What they turned out to be were superficial social acquaintances who were just as lifeless and lost as I. There were no honest sincere lasting friendships, for as soon as something went wrong we would turn to resentment and jealousy and part company.

I remember about a year prior to my conversion, a lady coming to my home, asking if she could take our children to church. As I heard her talking to my wife, a surge of wrath welled up within me and I vehemently denied the request. As I look back, it was from that day on that my life, family and business began to completely disintegrate. I had kept little children from hearing and knowing about Jesus Christ. Tears flood my soul each time I think of what I did and said. Praise God for His mercy and forgiveness.

But then April of 1978 was upon me. Like the freshness of spring, Jesus Christ came into my life. Everything began to look different, especially people, whom I had begun to hate and distrust. They looked different in my eyes. I felt a new love for them. I realized they were trapped in the prison of sin and only Jesus had the key. I wanted to help free them, not hurt them.

Suddenly, like a fresh breeze, unspeakable joy and peace filled my heart. It was really unexplainable, other than I knew Jesus was now my Lord and Savior. The one I had rejected all my life became my life. I felt clean, free and forgiven. The sin that had dominated and destroyed my life was now my enemy. I realized that sinning against men was really sinning against God. I wanted to stay away from sin, for I knew that my sins were the very nails that crucified Jesus. I was just as guilty as Pontius Pilate. It is this confession of sin against God that produces the Godly sorrow needed to bring repentance and new life. The same Jesus I murdered, forgave me and now holds me in His hands.

Even though the world was still crumbling around me, I began to realize that I was not part of that any more. The Bible became my very life. My family was put back together. The children were now learning about Jesus and His word. The truth that was being revealed to me was incredible. I began to see that God´s word was history written in advance. My eyes bulged with shock as the Holy Spirit began to teach me that all this pain and suffering in the world was prophesied centuries ago. And that it was going to get much worse as time passes and hearts get harder. Not because God doesn’t love the people, but because the people don´t love God. The cross is a vivid reminder of what this world system thinks of God! The nations are blinded and lie under the evil whip of the devil.

As I think back over my thoughts about uniting the world for a better place to live, I see the deep dangerous deception I was in. The devil was in control of my life then and he was teaching me that world peace and prosperity could come from uniting the governments of the world.

Little did I know, for that attitude of unity and oneness fits the description of two kingdoms in the universe. One is the eternal kingdom of God, the other the kingdom of Satan. God´s kingdom is represented by the city called New Jerusalem, a heavenly city where God the Father and God the Son occupy center stage. Satan´s kingdom has Babylon as its capital. Satan is counterfeiting God and His word through this Babylonian system and city, for he desires to be worshipped as God. But as in any copy or counterfeit it lacks truth and depth.

The nations of this world system are deceived and controlled by the devil. He has ever been preparing one nation or empire to be his vehicle of power to occupy the land of Israel and Jerusalem, and then declare to all that he alone is God. God allows Satan to be the god of this world because men have chosen to sin and reject the rulership of Jesus Christ.

Babylon is a political, religious and economic system that has been in the world since the fall of Adam and Eve. This system has changed its name with every historical empire, but at their foundation lies the spirit of Babylon. Its basic characteristics are pride, piousness, power, popularity and prosperity. This book deals with uncovering the mystery of Babylon as it relates to the coming again of our Lord Jesus Christ. I firmly believe that the word of God very clearly points to the political, religious, and economic system of America and Western Europe as “Mystery Babylon the Great” in its final form.

A major characteristic of the Babylonian religious system is its refusal to recognize the coming again of Jesus Christ to rule over the nations for 1,000 years. The Babylonian mind wants to rule itself and the world. You see, men will never desire for Jesus to return and rule as long as they think they can. This proud attitude explains why most of Christendom in America´s history has always been post-millennial in its world view. This view thinks the organized church and the government of America (Rome) can Christianize and civilize the entire world and then Jesus will come. Even most who today would call themselves pre-millenialists are really not, because they too look to America´s government and church to overcome the world instead of looking to the return of Jesus Christ. The word of God is saturated with the truth that all nations and governments are deceived and controlled by Satan. Also, that all nations will be brought to Armageddon, to be destroyed by our returning Lord.

Democracies and dictatorships are both against the government of God. In fact, they represent two heads of the same serpent. One head that appears free and happy; one that enslaves and oppresses. The heads antagonism toward one another is designed to deceive true believers into following the head that is the closest counterfeit of the kingdom of God. Our message is to call people out of this world system of Babylon.

If it can be shown and proven Biblically that America and Western Europe are not true Christian nations, that will discredit the post-millennial view of the prophetic word of God. This is not to say that there aren´t true Christians in the western world, but the religious systems of the western democracies are either counterfeit or compromised. We are seeing today a repeat of what happened around 320 A.D. when the visible church and the Roman Empire came together. It was at this time when Christians stopped looking for the Lord and started looking to the Roman Caesar and his government for the fulfillment of the kingdom of God on earth. Please study what Jesus says about this unholy mixture in His remarks to the church at Pergamos, (Rev. 2:12-17).

As a child, I was never taught you must be born again to see or understand the kingdom of God. I was never taught in church that Jesus Christ would bodily return to earth to rule the nations. All I was ever told was there would be a judgment day and the earth would be destroyed and everyone would then go to Heaven or Hell. It all seemed so far away. No one really knew for sure where they were going either. Prophecy to them was a taboo that only caused division. I know now that the reason no one seemed to care that Jesus was coming, was because they couldn´t see the kingdom of God. They were never born of the Spirit of God, even though they sat in church every Sunday.

I fully realize that the power for salvation comes from God´s grace (His Blood and Spirit) and believing in the person and work of Jesus Christ. But it appears that most who name Jesus as Lord neglect to understand that the imminent return of Jesus is a vital part of His redemptive work. This truth has been largely ignored by most professing Christians. It is not a living reality in their hearts.

Those who do not long and look for His coming have not looked at and understood His cross. The doctrine of the bodily Second Coming is penned by God more than any other New Testament teaching. Why then do most teachers put it at the bottom of their doctrinal bag?

I believe that if we keep the vision of the imminent return of Christ, we can maintain and hold to that sense of urgency which is needed to tell others the Good News. Otherwise we begin to revert to placing our faith and hope in the Babylonian world system which is God´s enemy. We then become friends with the world and enemies of God.

I am filled with anticipation as I watch events in the world that point to the return of our glorious Savior, Jesus Christ. One main motivation that all born again Christians should have is to seriously warn others that unless they repent and turn to Jesus, to His love for them, they are going to be caught up in the approaching judgment. When the King comes, so does His wrath on all who reject Him. The love of God in Christ must be shouted across the land. To love is to warn. We must expose the lies of God´s enemy.

The followers of Jesus Christ want Him to come, not to escape from trouble or tribulation, not to then just sit in a mansion in the sky, but to see Him and be with Him. We are like soldiers on the front lines who know we´re going home soon to be with our loved ones. While in combat we have a spiritual tie to those at home, but it´s not like being there. The knowledge that we´ll be with Him, that we´ll soon be home, motivates us to stay alive, to be good soldiers of Jesus Christ, who alone is our Commander in Chief.