The King of Babylon

“That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased! The LORD hath broken the staff of the wicked, and the sceptre of the rulers. He who smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he that ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted, and none hindereth. The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet: they break forth into singing” Isaiah 14:4-7 (KJV)

The Babylonian System

The Babylonian system is composed of government, commerce and worship. The Babylonian system of government is headed by a king. And because he doesn’t have creative abilities, he has to use what is available to him. He has to work within the human construct because God gave man dominion over the earth and over the works of his hands. The Serpent has to work through people to build up his kingdom.

We could name the different forms of government as

The Babylonian system of government

The Babylonian system of commerce/economics

The Babylonian system of worship/religion

The city of Eden is the governmental throne of God. God planned a garden In the eastern part of the city of Eden. It was God’s will for Adam had finished his 1000 year assignment of reproducing the garden of Eden on earth, God would moved the city of Eden to earth and live them for all eternity.

We know Adam failed and he walked away from God but God never walked from Adam or his plan. According to Revelation 20:1-10, Christ will reign on earth for 1000 years completing Adam’ original assignment.

According to Revelation 21, After which, we see God’s government, the new Jerusalem and God’s tabernacle described in great detail.

“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.” Revelation 21:1-5 (KJV)

The Oppressor

In Isaiah 14:13-15, the personality known as “Lucifer, son of the morning,” said, “…I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.”

Oh how hath the oppressor ceased and the golden city ceased! The oppressor weakened the nations. He made the world a wilderness, he destroyed the cities and opened not the house of his prisoners. He made the nations to tremble.

I was born and raised in the city of Detroit, Michigan. I was born in the late 1950s. I grew up on golden age of Hollywood. I loved watching the monster movies, Frankenstein, Count Dracula, and sci-fi movies. But I also grew up in the sixties with all its political intrigue and assassinations, sex, drugs and rock and roll. Could you image growing up in the city where Motown Sound was given birth? You heard music in the streets all the time. As the sixties were coming to an end, Detroit experienced the 1967 rebellion. The riots lasted about 10 days; 40 people were killed and billions of dollars of properties were destroyed. I saw army troops walking down my street. After the riots, when the schools were opened, I remember walking to school seeing the broken glass, boarded up building, and the smell of burned wood. I was trying to understand what caused this devastation.

As the sixties were coming to an end and the 1970s came in, the 1967 riots opened a door to unimaginable rage and hatred. Detroiters began to murder one another on an industrial scale. Detroit became the murder capital of the United States. During the 1970s, Detroit was averaging 700 murders a year. Some years, the murder rate reached over 900 people. The eighties didn’t lightened up, Detroit was hit with crack cocaine epidemic. Drug gangs turned the streets of the city into a war zone.

When the 1990s came in, it seemed as if Detroit was finally beginning to turn the corner until a major door was opened. No one could have image the destruction that would come as a result. Detroit was given approval for its first casino in 1997. Detroiters had previously voted down casinos three times. The casino owners made back door deals with our religious leaders which convinced the citizens of Detroit to allow casinos in. Detroit got three casinos, MGM, MotorCity and Greektown. In June 2010, casino revenue for MGM was $46.2 million, MotorCity $36.5 million and Greektown $27 million dollars.

(“Detroit Casino 2010 revenue up a quarter percent for June and up 3 percent for July in comparison to 2009- MGM Grand Detroit lead the way both months”) Source Michigan.gov

Somewhere around 2015, maybe earlier or later, Detroit’s eastside looked like someone dropped a bomb on it. The devastation was 100 times more destructive than 1967 rebellion. This time houses, churches, businesses and schools were destroyed. Whole neighborhoods and communities were destroyed.

People were gambling away their social security and disability checks. The boys in the hood started stripping house for medal scrap. Houses were knocked off their foundations, brick work crumbled. Vacant fields and street overgrown with weeds nine feet tall. I remember walking down the sidewalk and I a weed a weed had grown about six feet tall in between the cracks of concrete. Weeds have overtaken many streets and houses. But no one dare say what the cause is, because too many people are making money from weak minded people. Even as we dealing with the Covid pandemic, the Detroit News reported:

“Detroit casinos report 109 million in April revenue amid industry rebound”, “Detroit’s three casinos netted nearly $109 million in revenue in April” Source: Jordyn Grzelewski/ Detroit News, 3:31pm EDT May 11, 2021

The big new thing is legalized marijuana, both medical and recreational use. Marijuana is a mind altering drug. We are seeing more people suffer from mental issues and psychotic episodes than in previous generations.

A new generation

When I received Jesus Christ as my Lord and savior back in the mid 1970s, most of my discipleship centered around the New Testament; the emphasis was on right living. My faith really began grow when I understood that as long as I majored in the middle of Bible, I will only know half of the truth. Thank God Jesus died for my sins on the cross. But somehow I came to the conclusion, If you want a good understanding of the Bible, study Genesis chapters 1, 2, 3; John 3 and Revelation 20, 21 and 22. You will get a sense for the will, plan and purposes of God.

God gave you dominion over the works of his hands. God gave you seed by which you can determine your own future. It was never his will for man to become a victim of somebody’s else twisted dreams. Isaiah 58:1-14, talks about the fast that is well pleasing to the LORD. I took out of portion of it below:

“And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday: and the LORD shall guild thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations: and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of the paths to dwell in.” Isaiah 58:10-12 (KJV)

What is in your hands?