1 Nephi 14, 22 |
Revelation17, 18 |
Isaiah 13, 14 |
1 Nephi 14:Verse 15 15 And it came to pass that I beheld that the wrath of God was poured out upon that great and abominable church, insomuch that there were wars and rumors of wars among all the nations and kindreds of the earth. 1 Nephi 14:Verse 16 16 And as there began to be wars and rumors of wars among all the nations which belonged to the mother of abominations, the angel spake unto me, saying: Behold, the wrath of God is upon the mother of harlots; and behold, thou seest all these things-- 1 Nephi 22:Verse 18 18 Behold, my brethren, I say unto you, that these things must shortly come; yea, even blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke must come; and it must needs be upon the face of this earth; and it cometh unto men according to the flesh if it so be that they will harden their hearts against the Holy One of Israel. |
Revelation 17:Verse 16 16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. Revelation 18:Verse 8 8 Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong [is] the Lord God who judgeth her. Revelation 18:Verse 9 9 ¶ And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning, Revelation 18:Verse 10 10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come. |
Isaiah 13:Verse 6 6 ¶ Howl ye; for the day of the LORD [is] at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty. Isaiah 13:Verse 7 7 Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt: Isaiah 13:Verse 8 8 And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces [shall be as] flames. Isaiah 13:Verse 9 9 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. Isaiah 13:Verse 10 10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. Isaiah 13:Verse 11 11 And I will punish the world for [their] evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. 19 ¶ And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. 19 But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, [and as] the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcase trodden under feet. Isaiah 14:Verse 20 20 Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land, [and] slain thy people: the seed of evildoers shall never be renowned. Isaiah 14:Verse 21 21 Prepare slaughter for his children for the iniquity of their fathers; that they do not rise, nor possess the land, nor fill the face of the world with cities. Isaiah 14:Verse 22 22 For I will rise up against them, saith the LORD of hosts, and cut off from Babylon the name, and remnant, and son, and nephew, saith the LORD. Isaiah 14:Verse 23 23 I will also make it a possession for the bittern, and pools of water: and I will sweep it with the besom of destruction, saith the LORD of hosts. |
The "work and glory" of the Father is to "bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" (Moses 1:39). The "blessings of the fathers" or "Abrahamic Covenant" consists of the sacred covenant and promise of endless posterity, priesthood or power of God, and the celestial inheritance. These are the blessings and covenants that Abraham sought for and obtained during his lifetime as recorded in the Pearl of Great Price (Abraham 1:2-4). The continuation of these blessings upon the exalted posterity of our Father in Heaven comprise the fundamental purpose of His work and glory. By the exaltation of the offspring of God, His work is endless and eternal "and by this law is the continuation of the works of my Father, wherein he glorifieth himself" (D&C 132:31).
The scriptures exist to convey two key concepts. First, the doctrines, covenants and eternal truths of exaltation are taught in scripture that the offspring of God might fulfill the measure of their creation wherein God glorifies himself. The fundamental doctrine and foundation of all scripture, lies in the ordinances of exaltation found in the Temple and contained in the endowment of power. Second, to provide a vision and understanding of evil and wickedness, and how the Satanic influences will try to stop the work and glory of God. Scripture consists of "history" or a protology that contains the truths of things as they were before, and also "prophecies of the future" or eschatology which is a study of things that are to come. Without protology there is no purpose or connection to eschatology. Connecting history to prophecy in scripture, are the covenants and ordinances of exaltation. These are made by the righteous in life's "real time" in the temple where time and space intersect and the three worlds of: the dead, the living, and the Gods come together, and the ordinances and covenants bind on earth and in heaven, our past, present and future life together. The ordinances and covenants, of which we participate in the Temple connect our future life and exaltation to the council in heaven where we learned of our potential, and the probationary state in which we would prove our obedience and worthiness that will connect our spiritual history to an exalted future.
The goal of Satan is to "disconnect" our future exaltation and glory from our valiancy in the first estate or pre-earth life, making us unworthy to participate in the ordinances and covenants of exaltation by the stumbling block of sin and wickedness. The scriptures also reveal the works and wickedness of Satan and the pride and enmity of mankind, so that the offspring of God may know how to resist the influences of Babylon. The two fundamental and doctrinal elements that lay at the foundation of all scripture are "exaltation and eternal life" and conversely "damnation and spiritual death" all canonical and noncanonical scripture contain the "details" that integrate the daily exercise of free agency, to mankind's acquisition of exaltation or his fall into damnation.
When we read the scriptures and contemplate their meaning for the "here and now," or search the prophecies for an understanding of future apocalyptic events, we must keep in mind those two doctrinal elements upon which scripture is founded. By doing this, the meaning and purpose of scripture may be opened with a new simplicity of understanding.
The Book of Revelation, is often considered the most difficult to understand in "time and space" however, the destruction, death, tribulations, upheavals of nature, wars, and bloodshed cause and describe the "fall of Babylon." There would be no wars or great destructions by man or nature, if Babylon did not exist. Chapter Seventeen and Eighteen lie at the heart of the "apocalypse" of John, and all that surrounds these two chapters relate to the fall of Babylon and binding of Satan, or the salvation and exaltation of the righteous. These must be kept in mind to read and discuss the scriptures that apply to the destruction of Babylon and the fall thereof.
Based on the above thesis, and without congruent or concurrent commentary, it is felt by the author, that from the opening of the "sixth seal" (Rev. 6:12) including Revelation Chapter 6: verses 12 through 17; Chapter 8: verse 1 through chapter 9: verse 21; Chapter 11: verses 1 through 19; Chapter 13: verses 1 through 18; Chapter 14: verses 8 through 20; and Chapter 16: verses 1 through 21, are details of the same event, the fall of Babylon, albeit in different perspectives and a dimension of time, that conclude in the final verses of Chapter Eighteen.
20 Rejoice over her, [thou] heaven, and [ye] holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.
21 And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast [it] into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.
22 And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft [he be], shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee;
23 And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.
24 And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.
Again, Chapters Seventeen and Eighteen of the Book of Revelation constitute the nucleus of of every dispensation, as every prophet in every age longed for the ablution of evil and the destruction of Babylon, the great and abominable church of the devil. (See Moses 7:41, 48-49; J.S. Matt. 4).