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		Why do the prophecies use the word “Babylon” to describe anti-Christ's Power? Why not Egypt, for it’s Pharaoh had lifted
himself above Heaven in the days of Moses.

 What about Sodom? The inhabitants of that city were visited by the fiery judgments of God because of their violence and immorality. Now both these cities were indeed evil, but they can never fully reflect the work of the final rebellion as the city of Babylon. In order to gain the best understanding of Babylon we must drill down to its roots. For they are roots which go back to Noah and his family.

 For 120 years, Noah’s family fulfilled God’s holy mission to the world before the flood. But after the flood, the were presented with a new task, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth” (Genesis 9:1) Beginning with only eight survivors, their mission was to repopulate the entire earth. Note that God’s message was specific, they were not to centralize in one location.

 Imagine Noah and his family stepping off into the new world after enduring a year of chaos on the Ark. The old world, and it’s civilization had been violently erased from the earth. The once lush environment was replaced by a barren landscape. Bitter cold winds blew over the tall mountains where the Ark had come to rest. All these things served as sad reminders that irreversible changes had come. But uppermost in their minds was the thought that corruption might re-enter the world and they could experience another fearful retribution of God’s judgment.

 But God comforted Noah’s family with His divine promise, “Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth” (Genesis 9:11). And God signed his declaration with the Rainbow. Although His promise was believed by Noah and his family, it did not remove the hardships of starting over in that forbidding new world. Adjusting to the new earth took its toll on Noah’s spirit. As he grew grapes from his orchard, he fell to the temptation of winemaking. Fermentation takes time, so it appears that he went through a dark period of backsliding from God. "When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent. Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father's nakedness and told his two brothers outside” (Genesis 9:22).

 What an embarrassing episode this was for Noah’s family to witness! It was during this brief period of weakness that the door of sin was reopened. The corruptive practices that existed before the great flood came back to the mind of Ham (Noah’s youngest son’s) mind. The Bible implies that there was some type of deviant action performed by Ham while they were alone together in Noah’s tent. "When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him...” (Genesis 9:24). Noah was enraged! And after considering the long term effect of his son’s action, Noah pronounces a curse, but not upon Ham. He cursed Ham’s children. “Cursed be Canaan! The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers” (Genesis 9:25).

 And how was this curse fulfilled? The descendents of Ham began to freely partake in the degrading practices that existed before the flood. After three generations of steady defiance, Ham’s family line became increasingly corrupt. But the remembrance of God’s judgments echoed in the back of many minds. Their stubborn connection with sin was combined with their terror of the judgment to come. This produced a spiritual vacuum that needed to be filled.

 But instead of letting God fill their spiritual void, a man entered the scene who capitalized upon the spiritual ignorance of the people. “Nimrod...grew to be a mighty warrior on the earth...the first centers of his kingdom were Babylon…” (Genesis 10:8).  Today “Nimrod” has become a common

word for an imbecile. But there is another enduring word we use that still signifies his greatness;             - “Hero” - (He who is royal).  Nimrod founded and ruled Babylon along with eight other ancient cities. He began the great rebellion that led the world away from the knowledge of the true God.

 And how was this accomplished? Nimrod knew that a government based on lawlessness would eventually explode into anarchy. So he and his wife Semiramis, cleverly inserted into their government, a system of impressive religious ceremonies that allowed the people to indulge their sinful passions, but not too much! Nimrod would use guilt along with man’s natural fear of eternal punishment as a tool to bind their loyalty to him and his wife's purposes.

 Nimrod continued to magnify the legend of himself until he was viewed as a god upon the earth. Once he had gained the sufficient confidence of his followers, he put them to a test. He sent the multitudes on a course contrary to the Word of God. Instead of spreading out among the earth as God directed, he led the people to say, “Let us...make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth” (Genesis 11:4). His objective created an uneasy feeling throughout his following. Some knew in their hearts that blatant rebellion against the Word of God would eventually result in the outpouring of His Judgment.

 To secure a unified rebellion, Nimrod would need to include a plan that would ease the concerns of the conscientious segment among his following. “Come, let us build ourselves a city with a tower that reaches to the heavens…” (Genesis 11:4). Giving Nimrod’s conscientious followers a secure place to go, just in case God sent another flood disaster, was a very important move. Nothing in his rebellious initiative was left out. He even had  the tower designed to be water tight, "They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar" (Genesis 11:3). Now that his plan was acceptable, his followers must show allegiance by committing their souls to him and construct his magnificent structure. Brick by brick, segment by segment, Nimrods arrogance grew as he openly warred against God!

 But God’s Spirit still could not be extinguished in the hearts of some who participated in the rebellion. Many came to their senses and determined to cease laboring on the tower and departed from Babylon altogether. News of their defection stirred up the anger of Nimrod. His grand objective was not to be interrupted by cowards! What began as a unified movement among the people, quickly degraded into an oppressed labor force. Had Nimrod been allowed to continue his work unopposed, he would have succeeded in extinguishing the light of God from the earth. But this was not God’s plan! “The LORD said...Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other” (Genesis 11:6-7).

  Miscommunication throughout the immense structure  began to occur. Frustrated laborers immediately suspected that this confusion was the direct judgment of God! As the men grouped together with those who spoke their own language, confusion erupted and all construction stopped. The anticipated curse of God did indeed fall, but not in the way they expected. Nimrod, was seen as a deceiver of the people. He was later captured, cut into pieces and distributed throughout his kingdom, signifying that the people of earth must be scattered according to the Word of God.

 Today, our world is captivated by the “Hero” located in Rome. Pope John Paul II will unite those who dwell in spiritual darkness throughout the earth to participate in the unification of broken Europe, just as Nimrod led his world to build the tower of Babylon. He shall deceive men and women into believing that he is - God upon the earth -  and unifying Europe is his divine mission. "Let us strive to build a city worthy of man”  - Pope John Paul II - (Ecclesia in Europa). He will require all to submit to his plan. Yet his initiative trespasses against the Word of God, for it is written, “Babylon is fallen” (Revelation 14:8).

Written by Tim Czapiewski