In the 1997 film ‘The Devil’s Advocate’, Satan, in the person of John Milton (played by Al Pacino), says to his victim, ‘Who, in their right mind, Kevin, could possibly deny the twentieth century was entirely mine?’

Who indeed? Has there ever been a century, since the Flood – in the advancement of its civilization, in its bloodshed, in its wickedness – like the 20th century?

This century was the bloodiest in all history. More than 170 million people were killed by governments with 10 million being killed in World War I and 50 million killed in World War II. In regard to the 50 million killed in World War II, it is significant that nearly 70 percent were innocent civilians…This number of 50 million deaths does not include the estimated 6 to 12 million Russians killed by Stalin before World War II, and the several million people he killed after the war ended when Roosevelt delivered to him one-third of Europe as part of the settlement conferences…the greatest tragedy of Western civilization erupted with World War I in 1914.   ‘A Century of War ‘ by John V Denson

The only century ever – in the past and in the future of man’s history – that will greatly outdo the 20th in its horrors and global human suffering will be our present century.

On May 30, 2002, I was sitting in front of the tv and watching the ceremony to mark the official ending of the cleaning up of the world trade center site. A CNN news reporter was recounting his visit to the Twin Tower’s rubble soon after the fall, and a video clip of that visit was being shown. As he walked with his camera amidst the debris he saw a Bible with pages open under a piece of concrete. He focused his camera closer to the passage on the open page and the first thing he saw was the caption ‘The Tower of Babylon’.

All the viewers, including me, could see clearly that particular passage on the open page that was being telecast. The reporter then remarked he considered this a positive sign and that he felt God was involved and watching over the events. As for me, my thoughts were different. I was thinking then it was a sign that God considered the trade center as the tallest symbol in the world today of Babylon, the power or system described in the Bible as ‘the great harlot’ that rules over all the nations of the earth and that is drunk with the blood of the saints and martyrs of Jesus. Rev 17:5,6

Another CNN news reporter said the ceremony marked the end of a dark chapter. I was thinking it marked the beginning of the darkest chapter in Western and Christian history.

As I watched the closing ceremony, I took the Bible and opened the pages at random and my eyes fell upon Jeremiah chapter 4 starting with verse 13 and upto 31. Coincidence or providence, what I read was astonishing in that it revealed exactly what are the other disasters that are going to happen to America and several other nations after this first 911 emergency call to them.

God certainly did not cause the Twin Towers to collapse and kill thousands, just as he is not going to cause the other greater disasters about to fall on those prophesied nations. He just is not going to anymore stop Satan from causing these disasters, as God has stopped so many times since the founding of these nations.

As that passage in Jeremiah prophesies what is going to happen to America and all other nations that are descended from the 12 tribes of Israel – the nations that profess themselves, even if nominally, to be Christian nations – it is vital that you understand what God’s Word reveals about these coming events. I shall quote these verses in Jeremiah and make them plain later in this message.

The Twin Towers was the loftiest symbol of the might and sway of the power that runs today’s society. This power is referred to in the Bible variously as ‘Babylon the great’, ‘the great city’, ‘the great harlot’. Babylon is ‘the great harlot with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication’ Rev 17:1,2; ‘that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth’ Rev 17:18; ‘Babylon the great…the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury’ (Rev 18:2,3); ‘the mother of harlots and of the abominations of the earth’ Rev 17:5.

This power controls – or in the least, greatly influences –  the system that runs, every facet of society – the national and local governments, the trading, the businesses, the banks, the lifestyle, the entertainment, the education, and even all the religious institutions (except the true Church of God). And who is this controlling or influencing power?

‘All these authority [‘all the kingdoms of the world’] I will give you and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.’, said the devil to Christ who did not refute his statement. Lk 4:6

If one wants to be successful in Babylon, he has to be subject to and follow this system. God’s people today are subject to the laws of Babylon today, and that is perfectly ok, and in fact that is what God expects his people to do, unless some of those laws are in conflict with his laws, which, mercifully, is usually rare. (See Romans 13:1-7 on subjecting ourselves to the governing authorities.)

Realize that it is not the laws of Babylon that are the main problem for God’s people in this age, but the influence that the devil has over every facet of the Babylonian system that runs the global society.

The fall of the World Trade Center is the first direct warning sign to God’s people of the eventual total collapse of Babylon prophesied to happen in this very generation of ours – the generation that is already seeing many other signs of the end times happening around them.

Assuredly, I say to you, this generation [that sees these signs beginning to happen] will by no means pass away till all these things take place.   Mt 24:34

Babylon the great is fallen…the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury…Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgment is come. And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her   Rev 18:2, 3,10,11

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A CNN news reporter focused his camera closer to the passage on the open page and the first thing he saw was the caption ‘The Tower of Babylon’.

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Before the total collapse of global Babylon – governments, economy, trade, religions, and all other facets of human civilization – human interaction, commerce, and knowledge will continue to increase at a dizzying rate of acceleration worldwide.

…the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.   Dan 12:4

When an ancient people pooled their knowledge and skills to build the first Tower of Babylon, progress became so rapid that God said, ‘the people are one…and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them.’ Gen 11:6  Even so now, as the end of this age draws near, the synergized pool of global knowledge will make it possible of humans to achieve literally anything that they propose to achieve. And what are some of these proposals mankind has set themselves to achieve?

Probably the greatest of all man’s quests today is the creation of Artificial Intelligence (AI). More than space exploration, and more than any other technological innovation, AI – once man has achieved the breakthrough needed to manufacture it with a brain capability that exceeds that of man – will usher in a  new world order more than any other past invention or event in human history. The point when this happens is referred to by scientists as ‘The Singularity’. The Singularity will be the tallest and mightiest of the sooncoming Towers of Babylon.

Here is what Ray Kurzweil, the well-known futurist and the most ardent of the Singularity proponents, says about this coming event:

By 2029…intelligent machines will combine the subtle and supple skills that humans now excel in with ways in which machines are already superior…By the mid-2040s, the nonbiological portion of the intelligence of our human-machine civilization will be about a billion times greater than the biological portion…So what will we do when our intelligence is in the range of a googol (numeral 1 followed by 100 zeros) calculations per second? One thing we may do is to engineer new universes   Foreword to The Intelligent Universe by Ray Kurzweil

One of Kurzweil’s readers posted the following comment on this subject:

Our logic systems put us at the helm, as our own gods…maybe we are gods after all, baby gods only just now waking up to our true power.

That reader’s statement sums up the crux, the very core purpose of all of man’s great quests from the very beginning of history.

From the moment that Eve and Adam desired to become ‘like God’, Gen 3:5 mankind’s greatest desire and quest was to be in full control of the whole universe and to ‘engineer new universes’. It was this desire that propelled the ancient people to set up a tower in Babel that reached up to the skies. It is this unfulfilled desire that is driving man in all his technological progress and in all his space explorations. It is this innate driving force that is building the global towers of world trade and that, in our own generation, will culminate in the creation of a world government.

So what can we expect next of this generation as they continue to build their ultimate towers of Babylon?

In next couple of decades – based on Daniel 12:4 and on the present rate of knowledge growth, as well as on the predictions of AI scientists – technology, commerce, communication and transportation will see paradigmatic growths, aided by Artificial Intelligence that will far exceed human brain capabilities. You will see awesome global trade towers, both literally in concrete and globally in activity, rising in several nations. The World Trade Center edifice has fallen, but the spirit of the original Tower of Babylon is rising again – more magnificent and more towering than before. It was the Twin Towers before. Now it is the One World Trade Center, named aptly in faithfulness to their builders’ inherited desire to be one people (see Genesis 11:6). The 104-story One World Trade Center is the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere and the sixth-tallest building in the world, with its spire reaching a symbolic 1,776 feet (541.3 m) in reference to the year of American independence.

But as in the days of Noah, and as in the days of the original Tower of Babylon, God is once again going to look down upon earth, and intervene to save man from destroying himself. For that is the final outcome of all of man’s grandest dreams – his own total destruction. But for God’s merciful intervention at the first Tower, humanity would have become so wicked after a few generations (if we reckon the time it took for the degeneration of human nature from Adam to Noah’s civilization) that either they would have completely destroyed themselves, or God would have had to directly intervene to put an early end to their misery. Once again, when the final Tower of Babylon is built, God will have to intervene, or ‘no flesh would be saved’ Mt 24:22

But before God intervenes, he is going to allow man to continue with his grand plans for some time. Then, suddenly, just as the first World Trade Center fell when the whole nation was going about their daily lives as usual, all the majestic edifices of human endeavor are going to fall when least expected. This is coming upon a people that God chose above all other nations to be a righteous model to the Gentiles, but instead has become so depraved that even pagan nations are disgusted with the perverted ways of the ‘Christian’ nations.  Eze 16:27

For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.   1 Thes 5:3

Now I would like to show you a passage that gives certain details of what will happen to America, Britain, Australia, New Zealand and other English speaking nations, France, Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Belgium, Switzerland, and a few others, collectively known as Jacob in the Scriptures. These are the most naturally, geographically, and materially blessed of all the nations on earth.

Before you read that passage, understand that the names Judah and Jerusalem in the present age refer respectively to the Christian nations and their cities. (For a detailed understanding of the identity of these nations, please read, ‘How to Understand Bible Prophecies for Today’ in this section).

Here is the passage in Jeremiah 4:

“O people of Judah and Jerusalem, surrender your pride and power. Change your hearts before the Lord, or my anger will burn like an unquenchable fire because of all your sins. Shout to Judah, and broadcast to Jerusalem! Tell them to sound the alarm throughout the land: ‘Run for your lives! Flee to the fortified cities!’ Raise a signal flag as a warning for Jerusalem: ‘Flee now! Do not delay!’ For I am bringing terrible destruction upon you from the north…Warn the surrounding nations and announce this to Jerusalem: The enemy is coming from a distant land, raising a battle cry against the towns of Judah. They surround Jerusalem like watchmen around a field, for my people have rebelled against me,” says the Lord…For I have heard the blast of enemy trumpets and the roar of their battle cries. Waves of destruction roll over the land, until it lies in complete desolation. Suddenly my tents are destroyed; in a moment my shelters are crushed…At the noise of charioteers and archers, the people flee in terror. They hide in the bushes and run for the mountains. All the towns have been abandoned – not a person remains!…The allies who were your lovers despise you and seek to kill you.” NLT

Presently unthinkable terrors and horrors are going to suddenly fall upon a people who have forsaken their true God and are living in such a state of depravity that Sodom’s and Gomorrah’s sins look mild in comparison. Mt 10:15

So great will be the suffering of these nations that both Daniel and Jesus prophesies that ‘there shall be a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time’; ‘there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be’. Dan 11:1; Mt 24:21

The suffering that’s soon coming upon the ‘Christian’ nations of the West, and subsequently upon the whole world, will exceed that of any previous century in human history. The 20th century, till now, was the most radical of all centuries in changing human behavior and attitudes.

The twentieth century was a period of radical departure from almost every previous area of human activity. Accelerating scientific understanding, better communications, faster transportation transformed the world in those hundred years more than any time in the past. It was a century that started with steam-powered ships as the most sophisticated means of transport, and ended with the space shuttle…Terms like ideology, world war, genocide, and nuclear war entered common usage and became an influence on the lives of everyday people.   Wikipedia

The 20th century was also the most violent in history in the number of lives lost in wars. World War I started in 1914, inaugurating the age of total war. It was the first global war in history. And soon after, World War II, the second global war.

War reached an unprecedented scale and level of sophistication; in the Second World War alone, approximately 57 million people died, mainly due to massive improvements in weaponry…Arguably, the 20th century re-shaped the face of the planet in more ways than any previous century.’   ibid

According to Voice of the Martyrs,

More Christians have been killed for their faith in the 20th century than have been martyred in the total history of Christianity.

But if Daniel and Christ’s words are true, what’s coming in our lifetime will far exceed the horrors and sufferings of the 20th century in its darkest years. But, mankind, drunk with their technological marvels and the pursuit of mastering the universe, cannot foresee today the calamities that are coming upon themselves, although the signs are so clear to those who are willing to open their eyes and ears to God’s revelation in his Word. ‘He who has an ear, let him ear’, says your Savior. Mt 11:15

The horror of the twentieth century could hardly have been predicted in the nineteenth century, which saw the eighteenth century end with the American Revolution bringing about the creation of the first classical liberal government…The nineteenth century largely remained, in practice, a century of individual freedom, material progress, and relative peace, which allowed great developments in science, technology, and industry.   ‘A Century of War’ by John V Denson

Humanity as a whole today, enjoying progress like never before, is oblivious to the warnings of God about the coming world events. But you need not be. You can be among those who have God’s promise of protection during the time of the greatest tribulation ever. When the towers begin to fall, you can be kept away in a safe place.

On September 11, 2001, the lives of thousands of people were spared because of unusual obstacles that stalled them. To mention a specific case: Joe Andrew, a Washington lawyer and former chairman of the Democratic National Committee, had a ticket for seat 6-C on the ill-fated American Airlines flight 77 from Dulles International Airport to Los Angeles, but switched to a later flight at the last minute. ‘I happen to be a person of faith’, says Mr Andrew.

For hundreds of other people in the cities affected by the deadly terrorist assault, Tuesday morning turned out to be an incredibly ‘lucky’ time to oversleep, reschedule a meeting or take time off to sneak in a haircut. On that morning, there were scores of unexpected traffic delays, subway delays, and commuter train delays. A train packed with commuters was stopped at a signal just short of the WTC and was able to return to Jersey City. The four flights together could accommodate more than 1,000 passengers, yet there were only 266 aboard on that day. Of the more than 50,000 people who worked in the two towers, only 20,000 were at their desks on September 11. The two towers held up for a half hour, enabling many people inside them to escape. Finally, the towers fell inward rather than topple over, which would have killed far more people. The foundations of six surrounding buildings were demolished by the fall of the towers, but the buildings held up for enough time for all the occupants to be safely evacuated.

Possibly, many of those who escaped might have done so by sheer luck, for ‘time and chance happen to them all. For man also does not know his time: like fish taken in a cruel net, like birds caught in a snare, so the sons of men are snared in an evil time, when it falls suddenly upon them.’ Eccl 9:11,12 But if God’s promises to deliver the people who put their trust in him in the time of disaster are of any value, then he must have delivered his people out of, or prevented them from entering, the World Trade Center site.

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty…He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge…You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow [or bullet, or plane] that flies by day…Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday [or at 9:59 a.m., or at 10:28 a.m.].

A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not come near you…Because you have made the Lord…your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you…For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.’  Ps 91:1-12

And just before the final collapse of all of Babylon’s global majestic towers, God is going to say to the people who have taken refuge under his wings,

Come, my people, enter your chambers, and shut your doors behind you; Hide yourself, as it were, for a little moment, until the indignation is past.   Is 26:20

 

Pappa Joseph