The lesson discusses the figurative war between Jerusalem (representing God’s chosen people/church) and Babylon (representing the church influenced by demons/gentiles) prophesied to occur at the time of the Second Coming. This is not a physical war with weapons, but a war of doctrines and words, where the “weapon” to win is the word of testimony confirming the fulfillment of prophecies. Historically, physical Jerusalem broke their covenant with God, allowing Babylon to destroy them – foreshadowing the spiritual war to come. In Revelation, three wars are described: 1) The 7 churches lose to the beast/Babylon 2) God’s chosen “male child” overcomes the dragon/Satan with the blood of the Lamb and testimony 3) God’s kingdom wages war against Satan’s kingdom. The goal is to be part of the faithful “New Jerusalem/Mount Zion” by keeping the covenant, rather than being destroyed like unfaithful historical Jerusalem was by Babylon. The main focus is on understanding the spiritual/figurative meanings behind places like Jerusalem and Babylon in order to identify the participants and dynamics of this prophesied doctrinal war surrounding Christ’s return.

 

Study Guide SCJ Bible Study

Secrets of Heaven: Figurative War between Jerusalem and Babylon

I pray that everyone is excited about encountering the word. As we know, it’s always an exciting time when we’re able to learn something new in God’s word. And I pray that today will really help give us some context as to what we should be expecting in our time and evaluate or expand on the way God uses figurative language so that we aren’t confused or looking in the wrong direction from where things are happening.

 

So, what do we mean by figurative war? What do we mean by figurative Jerusalem? And what do we mean by figurative Babylon? That’s what we’ll be discussing today.

Let’s look at the type of war it is and the weapons that are used in that war. Jerusalem and Babylon, what do these represent?

 

Jerusalem represents the denomination or church of the chosen people. 

Babylon represents the denomination or church of the Gentiles where demons dwell, according to Revelation 18.

 

What is the figurative war? It is not a war fought with guns, bullets, swords, shields, arrows, and bombs – not that kind of war. Instead, it is a war of words, a war of doctrines that is fought at the time of the second coming.

 

As you’re considering this, you should already be thinking that you should not be looking at physical wars as evidence that things are happening. We’ll look into that as we study further, and what are the weapons that are fought with?

 

Of course, the weapons used in a war of doctrines are words, and the word that is used as a weapon on the good side is the word of testimony. This war is special because it is a testimony that ends arguments. Why? Because the details of who, what, when, where, why, and how are given.

 

That’s the weapon to win in a war of doctrines. When some are saying it may be like this and others are saying no, it may be like this, the word that says it is this supersedes them all. This is what we should be waiting for. This is what was fulfilled according to scripture, not what may be like, but what it was, what happened.

 

Does that make sense? So, at the time of the first coming, if someone said no, the virgin may be this person, everyone would say no, it was definitely Mary, it was definitely Mary and Jesus, and there’s no one arguing as to who the virgin and child is today. A very small group of people may still be arguing over something like that, but that has already been confirmed.

 

Does that make sense? That argument’s over, that war is done, we know. So, for revelation’s fulfillment, the same thing needs to happen as well. Keep in mind with Jerusalem and Babylon, you might be thinking, but there’s a place called Jerusalem today, and there was a place called Babylon in history.

 

Remember how prophecies work: Objects, People, Animals, Geographic locations, and Historic events (OPAGH). Geographic locations are also used figuratively in prophecy, and we’ll see that as well today.

 

Our hope should be to belong to New Jerusalem, also known as Mount Zion, and become God’s army of hope. A thing that is sorely lacking in our world today is hope, as there are many things that seem grim. People talk about the climate, the wars happening today, the economy. Many people feel like there is no cause for hope in our time, that it seems like things are falling apart all around us. And guess what? They are, because like we learned in the past lessons recently, an entity has been over this world, making our lives awful. That entity has been making our lives very difficult.

 

So, what does God want people to know? That He is still at work, that He is not asleep, that He is doing things today. And when people come to this understanding, their hearts quicken, and they get excited. I hope that’s how all of us have been feeling as we’ve been learning the open word so far. We’re getting excited. Oh my goodness, things are already taking place. This is not a time of waiting anymore but a time of doing, a time of running, a time of fleeing. So, let’s be those who can even spread that hope to other people as it is being spread to us.

About the Test

Question 9: Give the three conditions people must meet for their sins to be forgiven.

 

And the answers:

1. We must drink the blood of Jesus (Matthew 26:28; John 6:53-57).
2. We must understand the parables (Mark 4:10-12).
3. We must keep the new covenant (Hebrews 8:10-12).

 

Now, I pray that as we’re going through the test, we’re not just memorizing the answers and moving on, but we’re going through and reading the verses as well, really trying to understand why the answer is the answer. This is what I mean about having a complete understanding where every single verse matches, and it makes sense. Believing in Jesus is much more than believing that he existed.

 

That’s the floor. That’s the ground. That’s the foundation. Believing that he existed is the smallest, lowest bar to jump over. Most people stop here, “I believe that he existed, but I don’t know much about him.“ What?

 

The demons believe that he existed. They believe in him and God. Is our standard the demons?

The demons also believe in God’s existence and tremble, right? So obviously, believing in God’s existence is the first requirement.

 

However, the demons merely believe that God exists; they do not submit to Him or have a relationship with Him. They chose separation from God. So how can we, as humans, do better than the demons? Believing in God’s existence is the starting point, but we must go beyond that by choosing to have a relationship with Him and submit to His will, rather than separating ourselves from Him like the demons have done.

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The passage mentions “the word” in verse 8. Some versions might use the term “word” instead of “message.” It states that “the word is near you.” The question then arises: What is it that people are to confess? How can one confess “the word” concerning Christ? According to verse 17, there is a prerequisite for a person to be able to confess “the word.”

You must hear the word first before it is even possible to have faith, before it is even possible to confess. You must hear the word first, then when someone hears that word, the hearing of that word builds faith, and then a person can confess that Christ is the Lord. Well, if we look back at the test question, what is the test question really explaining? Can we confess? Let’s go back to the test question.

 

Let me go back to the test question. What is number one: We must drink the blood of Jesus. What is the blood of Jesus, everyone? Okay, what does it mean to understand the parables? Where are the parables taught in detail? Oh, got it. What about number three: We must keep the new covenant. Where is the new covenant detailed, everyone? So, we’re understanding in more detail.

 

We’re breaking it down. We need to understand all of Jesus’s words – what he said, what he did, what he promised, what are we waiting for? That’s what we need to believe in, not a faith that is flimsy. Many people, all it takes is a small trial, and their faith is gone because it’s not based on something solid – an understanding of the word and an understanding of who Jesus is and what he came to do. That’s what people need to hear and understand. And in our time, Jesus’s words are coming to life, so things will be a little bit different for us than those for which 2,000 years passed before Jesus’s words came to pass.

 

God and Jesus are going to hold us to a slightly different standard, as if we lived at the time of Noah, for example. The people at that time needed to get on the ark – that was their standard of salvation. You don’t get on the ark, you die. If you were in Egypt, put the blood on your doorframes and quickly exit Egypt, eat the lamb. If you don’t, your son dies, and then you die with Egypt. Get to the promised land, or you die in the desert. What are God’s instructions for us today? That’s our focus in the course. Are we understanding? Not different, more detail. This is important to talk about so that we are not confused.

Main Reference

When you see Luke 21, you should think, “Oh, that sounds very familiar. It’s the same story as Matthew 24.” Luke 21 and Matthew 24 share a similar narrative. In this story, what did it say the people should do when they see armies surrounding Jerusalem? It said they should flee to the mountains.

 

This sounds familiar, just like Matthew 24:15-16, where the abomination enters the holy place. It’s the same armies, the same abomination, and the same destination they’re instructed to flee to – the mountains. Let’s break down the Jerusalem that people need to flee from and the Jerusalem they need to flee to.

 

Before we proceed, I want to quickly review a description from the Book of Revelation that will help us understand how geography is often used figuratively in prophecy.

The passage in Revelation 11 mentions the two witnesses being killed in the ‘great city,’ which is figuratively called Sodom, Egypt, and the place where their Lord was crucified (Golgotha). These locations are not geographically close or even from the same time period. Therefore, the ‘great city’ in Revelation 11, and the Book of Revelation in general, must be understood figuratively or symbolically, rather than literally.

 

The ‘great city’ represents characteristics similar to Sodom, Egypt, and Golgotha in their spiritual or moral nature, rather than their physical locations. Just as places like Jerusalem, Israel, Mount Zion, and Babylon have distinct characteristics, the ‘great city’ mentioned in the prophecy will manifest the same characteristics as these historical places during the time of fulfillment.

 

This means we should not focus on identifying literal places with the same names today, as they may not embody the characteristics God intended when making the prophecy. To understand the figurative meaning of ‘Jerusalem,’ we need to examine its historical context and spiritual significance.

 

Figurative Jerusalem

1. Physical Jerusalem

We will examine the historical and physical Jerusalem, and draw connections to understand the spiritual significance that Jerusalem figuratively represents. 

Wow, how awesome David was! When God is with someone, that person is unstoppable. David helped establish and take back parts of the promised land from the Gentiles, and he established them as cities of David, also known as the city of God. This is where the chosen people gathered and placed their stand – that’s the history. However, Israel went through many changes and quite a bit of strife over their history. Many things happened to this nation of chosen people, who also go by a few different names figuratively in prophecy. 

 

When looking figuratively, when you see Israel, Judah, Jerusalem, or Zion, think of the chosen people or God’s dwelling place. Wherever God’s current chosen people are, there He is among them. Those who have His covenant become His chosen people. So the covenant must be established between them, and that place is called Jerusalem, His chosen people. This was the history, but let’s now look at Jerusalem spiritually.

2. Spiritual Jerusalem

ONE – The verse starts with a famous phrase from that era, indicating we are reading a prophecy. This means figurative language is being used. Jerusalem is referred to as the throne of God, representing wherever God’s presence resides, rather than the physical geographical location bearing that name. 

The real Jerusalem, from God’s perspective, is the place where His throne currently dwells. Importantly, people often do not realize that God’s throne can move to those who are obeying His covenant. Let us now examine the book of Zechariah.

TWO – Then God will return to Zion, return to Jerusalem, and that place will be called the city of truth, the mountain. God is using a lot of figurative language that we’ve studied, isn’t He? Who is it that God returned to? Was it everyone, including those that shunned and killed His Son? 

He certainly tried, but He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him. So, who did He come to instead? 

 

Those who did, those who accepted His Son who appeared, those who decided, “I’m going to keep my covenant with God.” That’s who God wants to establish as a city of truth. This is the reason why Jesus said to His disciples in Matthew 5, “A city on a hill is not easily hidden,“ why? 

 

Because it’s on a hill, similar to a mountain. Is that an accident? No, of course not, like a mountain, so God’s dwelling place becomes His Jerusalem, very important. Let’s see how God also describes another special kind of Jerusalem in the book of Revelation.

Then I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem. Pay attention, the holy city, new Jerusalem, is coming down out of heaven from God, and it will come to the place where the Lamb is, Revelation 14, Mount Zion. So the Jerusalem up there, God’s holy city, will join the Jerusalem down here, and they will become one. That’s God’s intention. Are you understanding the logic? Is it making sense? I don’t see any hands, so we’ll keep going. Okay, what about Babylon? Let’s look at Babylon, its history, and its spiritual meaning in Revelation.

Figurative Babylon

We know that Babylon is not a good place. The word ‘Babel’ or ‘Babylon’ means ‘mixed’ or ‘confusion.’ This should remind us of the time of Genesis, where the story of the Tower of Babel represents the confusion of languages. In Revelation 17:5, we see that a person gains the title of ‘mother of prostitutes’ and is also called ‘Babylon.’ 

 

This figurative language represents the fulfilment of the prophecy and parable of Babylon, which symbolizes confusion and mixing of truth with lies and false hope. The word ‘Babylon’ here serves as a lesson, pointing back to the era of Genesis and the open rebellion against God, now sealed in the form of this symbolic ‘mother of prostitutes.’

The title ‘prostitute’ was given to represent Babylon. Let’s understand why this figurative title was given and what it represents for us. The prostitute represents Babylon, although she is called a ‘mother,’ which means that she gives birth to children who also become part of Babylon. So, how can we avoid the Babylon that is prophesied to appear at the time of the second coming? We can avoid it by understanding why it’s called that. Let’s now look at the historical, physical Babylon from that time era.

 

1. Physical Babylon from history

A tragedy took place with the people of Israel, and something must have happened for God to allow this to happen to them. What happened to the people of Israel that God allowed gentile nations to consume them? They were not worshipping gentile gods outside of Israel in a different country; instead, they brought those gentile gods into Israel and built temples for them within Israel. This happened during the time of Solomon, as mentioned in 1 Kings 11. God was very upset because they broke the first commandment: “Do not worship any other gods before me.” The first rule of the law, the covenant, was broken in a significant way, not just with the golden calf incident long ago, but by bringing those gods into Israel. God was not happy.

 

So, what happened to Israel after the betrayal mentioned in 1 Kings 11? Consider the sea, the water on the west, and the north at the top. Israel is in the north, and Judah is in the south. After Solomon’s betrayal, God split the nation into two: northern Israel took 11 of the 12 tribes, and southern Judah was, of course, the tribe of Judah. Jerusalem is actually located in the south.

 

Interestingly, in the north, we had places like Samaria and Galilee. We should start thinking about the time of Jesus, as there was strife between those in the south in Jerusalem and elsewhere, wondering, “Why is Christ up there with those gentile people?” There was a lot of strife.

 

Israel was split into two: northern Israel and southern Judah. What happened next? Babylon and other gentile nations invaded the two. The primary gentile nations that invaded were Babylon and Assyria. Babylon invaded the south, as we read in 2 Kings 24, and the nation of Assyria invaded the north. Those in the north, the 11 tribes, were much more likely to intermarry with the gentile nations that invaded them. By the time of Jesus, people in Samaria were not seen as true Jews, which is why they didn’t talk to each other. Those who considered themselves true Jews went to the south, while everyone else stayed in the north. There was so much historical drama.

 

What are we understanding here? When they broke the covenant, betrayal of the covenant, God allowed them to be destroyed. Babylon, in history, was one of the nations that destroyed God’s chosen people. Of course, spiritual Babylon in the book of Revelation will do a similar thing, but this time spiritually.

 

You can read about Assyria’s invasion of the north in 2 Kings 17.

2. Spiritual Babylon

At the time of the second coming, a place called Babylon appears. This Babylon is a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit. As we read in verse 4, this place captures God’s people, just like the historical Babylon captured God’s chosen people at the time of the revelation’s fulfillment. Just as the historical Babylon did the same thing, God says in verse 4, “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins.

Figurative War

We know that the biblical wars take place on two fronts: the spiritual realm above and the physical realm below. Those who belong to Satan fight against those who belong to God.

 

In this war and battle, they use words spiritually. From God’s perspective, the place that belongs to God is called Israel, Jerusalem, Zion, or Judah. However, the place that does not belong to God is figuratively called Babylon, Egypt, or Syria. As we look in the book of Revelation, we should think not of a physical nation that is part of the United Nations, but rather a chosen people that God decides Satan tries to destroy.

 

Now, let’s examine the type of war being fought.

The mention of birth pains is found in another similar place, referring to the same concept. In Matthew 24:6-8, it is prophesied that there will be wars and rumors of wars, and nation will go against nation. This has often been interpreted literally.

 

However, consider this: these words are 2,000 years old. How many wars have been fought in the last 2,000 years? It’s an innumerable amount of wars, so much so that even historians argue with each other about the exact number of physical wars that have taken place over the last 2,000 years. It’s a vast number of wars, and people of that time, when a war was happening, would often equate the great war they were experiencing physically with the coming of Christ. Yet, Christ did not come. World War I was thought to represent the coming of Christ, but still waiting. World War II was thought to represent the coming of Christ, but still waiting. Certainly, any current war today is thought to represent the coming of Christ, but still waiting. So, is this a physical representation? What was Matthew 24 compared to? It was a mini revelation, and Jesus was prophesying about what would come at the sign of his second coming.

 

Hear this well, everyone: no one knows, not the angels of heaven, and not the Son of Man, as Jesus said, but only God in heaven. This means we cannot predict the exact date that it will take place. Anyone who claims it will happen on a specific date will definitely be wrong, most certainly wrong. But what did Jesus say? You will notice the signs and know that it is near, meaning when things start to be fulfilled, that should ring in your head, “Oh, the coming is near.” Have things begun to be fulfilled? Yes.

 

So, what should that mean for us? It’s time to get to work. We must sow. Which nations are going to war spiritually? Jerusalem and Babylon are going to war, but which Jerusalem and which Babylon? And what type of war will be waged between these two spiritual nations, not physical nations, but spiritual nations? And what is a spiritual nation?

 

A spiritual nation is like a denomination or a church, and a nation is often ruled by a leader like a kingdom, and the king is like a pastor. So, this war is not against nations of the UN or any specific country, but a people who believe they belong to God. They go to war, and it’s not a war of bullets and guns but a war of words, a fierce and furious battle of words. 

Okay, so how do we understand this in a little bit more detail? Let’s look at how Paul describes the war that must take place, the war that we are waged in, for it is not the same as the way the world wages its wars.

What kind of war are we waging? Everyone, it is a spiritual war. This is the reason we need to be armored, as mentioned in Ephesians 6. And what is our sword in that war? Verse 17 states that our sword is the word of God. Of course, and we use the word of God to do what? To demolish arguments and demolish falsehood with the truth. We understand, and we make every thought obedient to Christ, like that. 

 

Oh, I realize this is not correct; throw it out. No, thank you, no more. Oh, but I thought it was like this. Oh, but the word says this. Let me take the word and do this: throw it out so that I can be right with the word and right with Christ, and be part of God’s army of hope, not the ones fighting against God because I didn’t understand, but fighting with God in that battle. There is certainly a battle that takes place at the time of revelation. In the book of Revelation, three wars are detailed.

Three Wars in Revelation

 

There are really two main wars discussed, but the second and third are very similar and can be seen as continuations of each other. So, we’ll consider them as three distinct wars.

 

ONE – The notes seem to be raising the question: “What is the first war and what plays out in this first war?” 

It then indicates that we will examine the combatants involved in this war by looking at Revelation 1:20, which likely identifies “the ones that this war is fought between.”

Jesus is holding in his right hand the seven stars, also known as the seven lampstands, representing the seven churches. We’ll understand this in more detail as we continue to study, but keep this in mind: the seven stars were the ones that Jesus was initially working with. However, something happened to these seven stars. In Revelation 2 and Revelation 3, Jesus breaks down what they did well and what they did not do well. 

 

The reason why the letters were written is that Jesus said things like, “I know your deeds, I know your hard work and your perseverance, yet I hold this against you: you have forsaken your first love. Repent and do the things you did at first.” 

 

What does that sound like? Remember the three events of revelation: rebellion, betrayal. That’s what happens to these people, and when that happens, like Israel of the past, their veil of protection goes down like this (goes down). 

 

When they refuse to repent, then who comes in to destroy them? Babylon. Are we understanding? Does that make sense? So, the first war is fought between the seven stars. Unfortunately, they betray, and who comes in to destroy them? The beast with seven heads and ten horns.

The beast with seven heads and ten horns enters a place called heaven (verse 6). He opened his mouth to blaspheme God and to slander His name, His dwelling place Jerusalem, and those who live in heaven. These people are unable to overcome the beast, for they said in verse 8, “All the inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast, all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world.” Even in verse 4, it says, “Who is like this beast? Who can make war against him?” They lose who wins in the first battle: Satan.

 

They lose that first war. What about the second war that plays out in Revelation?

 

TWO – God does not take it lightly when His chosen people are destroyed. God avenges and extracts those few who are holy, so that He can fight and defeat Satan. This happens in the second war.

In Revelation 12, we are quickly introduced to those who are fighting in this war. 

In verse 3, it mentions an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns, which must be the same beast from Revelation 13. This dragon with seven heads and ten horns tries to destroy a special individual. 

 

Let’s read about this special individual in verses 4 and 5. The dragon’s tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that he might devour the child the moment it was born. This sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Satan doesn’t change his tactics; he has been doing the same thing for thousands of years – kill it before it can destroy me, kill it when it’s a baby. He has been doing the same thing from the beginning.

 

Verse 5 states that the woman gave birth to a son, a male child who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. This is interesting; the iron scepter should ring a bell, and we should be thinking of something else, another place where we heard about an iron scepter, as we have studied, so that we can identify who the male child actually is. Who is this male child that receives an iron scepter?

 

Revelation 12 introduces those who are fighting in this war.

This provides evidence to help us understand who the one who overcomes is. Is it one who overcomes, or is it those that overcome? Is it multiple people, or is it one? One way we can identify and know for sure is what was given both to the male child and the one who overcomes – the iron scepter. This represents that it is actually one who overcomes.

 

Like a male child, he then fights against the dragon. We see this war take place in Revelation 12, and by God’s grace, the male child is not alone in this war. The dragon, of course, is in the spiritual world, but we should be thinking of it as a figurative representation with seven heads and ten horns. However, the male child is not alone either.

 

So, let’s go back to Revelation 12 and see who else is helping the male child.

Glory to God, they overcame the dragon’s group by the blood of the lamb, which represents everyone, and the word (Bible) and the word of their testimony. We keep saying “word” and “testimony,” so it must be important. It must be the weapon to win in the war, as mentioned in Revelation 12:11. Please note this and make it a big point in your notes: the weapon to win in this fight of Revelation is the blood of the lamb plus the word of testimony.

 

The blood of the lamb and the word of testimony, that’s the weapon to win. You are the reality of the beast with seven heads and ten horns. You invaded and destroyed God’s chosen people. The chosen people are the ones being destroyed. Wake up! That’s what the testimony sounds like, so people can realize, “Wait a minute, am I this verse right here? Huh? Am I this verse?” Their actions identify who they are.

 

THREE – The third war that is fought is mentioned in Revelation 16. In Revelation 12, when Satan loses, he gets angry and stands on the seashore, gathering up the armies of the world to go against God and His chosen people – the new chosen people that God establishes. They will make war against the Lamb, but they will not overcome the Lamb. This third war is detailed in Revelation 16 and Revelation 17:14, where God’s kingdom, the Kingdom of God, goes to war against the kingdom of the devil, the Kingdom of the Dragon, in Revelation chapters 16 and 17.

 

We have covered a lot of new content today, and we will revisit this content many more times as we continue to study.

Memorization

Let’s Us Discern