Modern Day Babylon
by Claudio Giannoccari
EXCERPT
Chapter 1
Introduction: Modern Day Babylon
The rise of science has meant the rise of secularism and
the decline of faith. The high and mighty of high society
have been using the field of science – gift from God
– to challenge and even deny the existence of God. Human
Rights, Freedom, civil society, and science are blessings
from above, however, when God is not recognized and praised
as the provider of these gifts then God’s laws will
be routinely violated. Democracy is a blessing from God, however,
when it lacks filtering mechanisms that capture spiritual
and moral impurities before they enter a nation’s political,
economic, and social institutions, as well as living rooms,
then this great blessing becomes misused and abused.
There are other ideologies and theories that have created
a social environment within which the Ten Commandments are
routinely and unabashedly violated: pluralism, which opposes
the doctrine of “one God”; consumerism; individualism;
and evolutionism. Because these ideologies and theories, formed
and disseminated by the dominant groups and classes of a nation,
have superseded the sacred laws of our Supreme Being, then
the commandment in Exodus 20:3 “Thou shalt have no other
gods before me” is violated. The word “god”
taken in this context encompasses both the tangible and intangible,
since it is possible to worship an ideology and partake in
its ungodly rituals: excessive shopping, excessive stock trading,
cut-throat competition, careerism, compulsive gambling, excessive
preoccupation with dieting and appearance.
Relativism, pluralism, and individualism are a result of
the secularization of society. Individualism encourages the
self to be the moral authority - within the constraints of
a nation’s laws - not God. Therefore the individual
is impelled to form his or her own moral rules of conduct
and behavior. The unrestrained individual, who is influenced
by the secular norms of society and by the imperfections acquired
from the fallen Adam, will inevitably decide on numerous occasions
that what is good, is bad or evil; and what is bad or evil,
is good, popular, or rational.
Today, there are countless examples of moderns embracing
things that are evil, dark, bad, or bitter - as good: “If
our movie-stars are doing it - drug abuse, profanity, cheating,
promiscuity, and conspicuous consumption - then it must be
good.” “If it feels good, then it must be good.”
“If it enriches me financially - stealing, fraud, casinos,
get rich quick schemes – then it must be good”.
“If reality TV promotes and extols the spirit of competition
and improves the network ratings, then its production and
viewing must be good, despite its glorification of cut-throat
competition, promiscuity, money, betrayal, cheating, and deception.”
“If it is legal and lucrative – being a producer
of porn – then it must be good.” “If it
makes a corporation more competitive – massive layoffs,
chronic downsizing, sweatshops, and slave labor - then it
must be good.” “Since a large percentage of married
couples file for divorce, and since it will maximize my personal
freedom, then it must be good”. “If casinos generate
substantial revenue and profits for the government and corporations
respectively, then legalizing and promoting them is good,
despite the countless lives that are destroyed.” “Since
cigarettes generate tax revenues for the government and because
of their profitability to corporations, then the legalization
and selling of these addictive products is good, despite the
countless deaths resulting from their consumption.. “Since
society measures and evaluates things, including human beings,
impersonally, quantitatively, and scientifically, then not
hiring the long-term unemployed and those with employment
gaps is good”. A good majority of those involved in
the hiring process think and feel this way, sympathy and compassion
become obsolete. “Since the elite of big business have
made self-interest sacred in society, then corporate greed
is good.” “If it makes people consume more, and
leads to an increase in sales, then creating advertisements
and commercials that are misleading, overblown, or blasphemous,
is good.” “Since it yields easy money –
being a bookie – then it’s good, despite the many
lives that bookies destroy.”
The “great harlot” -- Modern Day Babylon –
calls it “freedom,” but the Creator of the vast,
ever expanding universe calls it “immorality,”
“sins” and “abominations” Revelation
18:3-5, and 17:4-5. Whatever is believed to be good in Modern
Day Babylon then its opposite logically becomes bad, evil,
irrational, or unpopular: “Since society supports free
enterprise then it’s good or normal to pay celebrities
and CEOs ludicrous salaries worth millions of dollars.”
This is rationalized and justified in a world where soldiers,
firefighters, and police officers – regularly risking
their lives for others – earn a trifle; and in a world
where an overwhelming majority of its people live in abject
poverty. “If deregulated global trade is good”,
which leads to environmental degradation, “then governmental
regulation, environmental protection, and conservation are
bad.” Since the relentless pursuit of wealth is good,
then subsistence and contentment are bad or unpopular.”
“Since we live in a secularist and consumerist society
where God is increasingly being brushed aside, then not participating
in excessive consumption is bad. The less you buy and own,
the lower is your self-worth and the lower is your value to
others and society.” “Since society’s value
and belief system has become generalized and vague, and since
there are no absolute moral principles, then monotheism is
bad or unpopular; and Catholics, Born again Christians, Latter
Day Saints, Orthodox-Jews, Baptists, Presbyterians, Jehovah
Witnesses, Muslims, and other people of faith are bad or unpopular”
- Secular Inquisition?
The farther a nation falls away from God, the greater will
be the frequency and enormity of these transgressions and
sins. Isaiah 5:20 gives a clear illustration of how our Supreme
Judge deals with, and feels towards those who plant the seeds
of a Godless environment. Isaiah 5:20: “Woe unto them
that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for
light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet,
and sweet for bitter.” This spiritually dark system
of values and beliefs has not at the moment reached the apex
of godlessness, but eventually globalization will become fully
established and entrenched. When reading Revelation 18 anyone
can accurately surmise that it’s only a matter of time
before the nations of the world become corrupted by the “great
harlot.”
In the book of Revelation, John the revelator ascribes several
names or titles to this end-time nation/system: Revelation
17:1 “the great harlot” (NASB) and “the
great whore” (KJV); Revelation 17:5 “…THE
MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH”;
and Revelation 18:2 “…Babylon the great.”
Modern Day Babylon will rise to global dominance in the latter
days. This is illustrated in Revelation 17:18 “…reigns
over the kings of the earth.” She will establish a global
hegemony in five major spheres of modern society: economy,
politics, military, culture, and mass media. The aforementioned
names, titles, and descriptions all have an ominous aroma
attached to them. Her symbolic intimacy with harlotry and
international predominance indicates that she will form a
global minefield of temptations. There is evidence of this
pandemic dispersion of immorality in Revelation 18:3: “For
all nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality,
and the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality
with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich
by the wealth of her sensuality.”
The abominable acts committed by the lady of easy virtue
will not go unpunished forever. According to Revelation 18:5,
“her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and God has
remembered her iniquities.” The number and severity
of her sins will have reached an intolerable level that He
could no longer refrain Himself from intervening. God will
not allow the entire earth to become contaminated by the sinful
woman who glorifies her power, wealth, and culture to the
world; and who lives sensuously and beyond her means. Revelation
18:8 describes how “Babylon the great” will be
chastised and who issues the chastisement: “…in
one day her plagues will come, pestilence and mourning and
famine, and she will be burned up with fire; for the Lord
God who judges her is strong.” As we turn the doom-laden
pages, behold the nature of the “great harlot,”
and marvel at her transformation by the Word of God.
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