@ LibertyGal

Sometimes I’m reading the Bible and see a connection and go off chasing a rabbit trail. I type up my idea to organize my thoughts and see if there is actual Biblical support for it. Although it feels a bit weird to share Biblical ideas that I’m not certain about, it also seems a waste of lots of work to not share my speculations. Feel free to give me feedback if you disagree, especially if you have Scripture or historical evidence showing I’m wrong. In this case, I’ve seen a portion that seems to be prophecy about our future, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that this entire group of chapters is future predictions. Sometimes prophecy mixes events that happens soon after the prophecy with events that will not be fulfilled until the distant future (like prophecies about Jesus’s first and second comings). I try to be open about what ideas I feel I have strong Biblical evidence to support and when my ideas have some evidence, but not conclusive evidence. This is one of my more speculative posts, but I hope you will find it thought provoking. I was recently reading Isaiah 18-22. I had always assumed these prophecies of warning were in reference to things that had happened in the distant past (not that I knew any particular historical fulfillment), but this time I saw some major parallels with Revelation. > Now behold, here comes a troop of riders, horsemen in pairs.” And one said, “**Fallen, fallen is Babylon**; And all the images of her gods are shattered on the ground.” (Isaiah 21:9) {emphasis mine} From Revelation: > And another angel, a second one, followed, saying, **“Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great**, she who has made all the nations drink of the wine of the passion of her immorality.” (Revelation 14:8) {emphasis mine} > And he cried out with a mighty voice, saying, “**Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great**! She has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird. (Revelation 18:2) {emphasis mine} Of course it is possible that Babylon and Babylon the great are parallel, but different nations, but the similarity of statement is hard to deny. > **All you inhabitants of the world** and **dwellers on earth**,\ > As soon as a standard is raised on the mountains, **you will see it**,\ > And as soon as the trumpet is blown, you will hear it. (Isaiah 18:3) {emphasis mine} This passage talks about all inhabitants of the world seeing a standard raised. Until the past 20 years or so, this was not possible. Now that almost every person on earth has a smart phone, we can know what is going on around the world in real time. This passage also refers to “*dwellers on earth*” which is a phrase used numerous times in Revelation. In Revelation 11, it speaks of the two witnesses who testify to Jesus and call down plagues on the earth. After their death: > And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which mystically is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. **Those from the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will look** at their dead bodies for three and a half days, and will not permit their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb. And **those who dwell on the earth** will rejoice over them and celebrate; and they will send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth. (Revelation 11:8-10) {emphasis mine} Both passages refer to those who dwell on the earth and both talk about every person on earth seeing what is happening. This doesn’t sound like a prophecy fulfilled in ancient times, but about a prophecy that could not be fulfilled until modern times. If these prophecies are about the end times and if the end times are now or very soon, what could they be referring to? Isaiah 18 begins with: > Woe to the land of whirring wings\ > along the rivers of Cush,\ > which sends envoys by sea\ > in papyrus boats over the water.\ > Go, swift messengers,\ > to a people tall and smooth-skinned,\ > to a people feared far and wide,\ > an aggressive nation of strange speech,\ > whose land is divided by rivers. (Isaiah 18:1-2) [Cush](https://www.openbible.info/geo/preview/isa.18) was located where modern day Sudan is located on the western edge of the Red Sea. Right across the red sea is Yemen which has been involved in missile and drone strikes on ships in the Red Sea. Traditionally the “*land of whirring wings*” is interpreted to mean locusts, but could it be referring to modern technology like drones? Who is Cush sent to seek? Who are the people “*over the water,*” “*tall*[1](#footnote-1) *and smooth-skinned*,” “f*eared far and wide*,” and “*an aggressive nation of strange speech,\ whose land is divided by rivers*.”? I wonder if it could be the US. The US is over the Atlantic Ocean, “*feared far and wide*,” “*an aggressive nation of strange speech*” (involved in the business of almost every nation on earth), and divided by the Mississippi River (and to a lesser extent the Missouri and Ohio Rivers). The US also likes to act as the world’s policeman and get involved in every international dispute in the world. If Sudan was in fear of attack by the Houthis in Yemen, it would be expected for the US to be called in and get involved. At the end of this prophecy: > At that time gifts will be brought to the Lord Almighty\ > from a people tall and smooth-skinned,\ > from a people feared far and wide,\ > an aggressive nation of strange speech,\ > whose land is divided by rivers—\ > the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion, the place of the Name of the Lord Almighty. (Isaiah 18:7) This same nation will bring a gift to Mount Zion (Jerusalem/Israel). The US has been regularly giving Israel weapons to defend itself from attacks by the enemies around it. If this nation is the US, then this would make sense, especially with our change in leadership. When I read Isaiah 19, it made me think of the Muslim Brotherhood takeover of Egypt starting in 2011. > “I will stir up Egyptian against Egyptian—\ > brother will fight against brother,\ > neighbor against neighbor,\ > city against city,\ > kingdom against kingdom.\ > The Egyptians will lose heart,\ > and I will bring their plans to nothing;\ > they will consult the idols and the spirits of the dead,\ > the mediums and the spiritists.\ > I will hand the Egyptians over\ > to the power of a cruel master,\ > and a fierce king will rule over them,”\ > declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty. (Isaiah 19:2-4) The next part of this passage talks about the Nile drying up and the canals stinking and the fields becoming parched. I did a web search related to drought in Egypt and found an article about drought fears from 2020. The building of the Grand Ethiopia Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile is causing a fear of major drought in Egypt. There are negotiations between Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia to deal with this, but it looks like an ongoing issue for Egypt. An interesting fact is that Ethiopia started building this dam in 2011 -- the same year of the Muslim Brother Hood overthrow of Egypt. The biggest problem with my theory is Isaiah 20, which talks about Assyria leading Egypt and Cush (Sudan) away as captives. [Assyria](https://www.openbible.info/geo/preview/isa.20) was located in what is currently Northern Iraq. It is hard to fathom Iraq conquering Egypt and Sudan. The area of Assyria did include a little bit of Turkey, which would be more believable as a conqueror. Now we get back to the verses in Isaiah 21, which started this musing. First there is a description of terrorists attack: > A prophecy against the Desert by the Sea: > > Like whirlwinds sweeping through the southland,\ > an invader comes from the desert,\ > from a land of terror.\ > A dire vision has been shown to me:\ > The traitor betrays, the looter takes loot.\ > Elam, attack! Media, lay siege!\ > I will bring to an end all the groaning she caused. (Isaiah 21:1-2) Elam is the Eastern edge of Iraq on the Border of Iran and Media is in Iran. Could this be an attack from Iran that includes some of its Shia allies in Iraq? What kind of attack could it be – conventional or nuclear? Who are they attacking? > Look, here comes a man in a chariot\ > with a team of horses.\ > And he gives back the answer:\ > ‘Babylon has fallen, has fallen.\ > All the images of its gods\ > lie shattered on the ground!’ ”\ > My people who are crushed on the threshing floor,\ > I tell you what I have heard\ > from the Lord Almighty,\ > from the God of Israel. (Isaiah 21:9-10) In ancient times, Babylon was located in the location of modern Iraq, but if we look at the words “*Babylon has fallen, has fallen*,” and associate them with the almost identical words in Revelation, “*Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great*,” and we consider how Revelation also refers to “*Mystery Babylon*” then we are likely talking about an attack on a different nation. (Why would Babylon be a mystery if it was the same people in the same location? It would be a mystery if it was a country and peoples that didn’t exist at the time of the prophecy, but would have the spirit of Babylon in them.) If you take into account my arguments in “[Speculation on Babylon the Great](https://trustjesus.substack.com/p/speculation-on-babylon-the-great)” and associate this nation with the people “*over the water,*” “*tall and smooth-skinned*,” “f*eared far and wide*,” and “*an aggressive nation of strange speech, whose land is divided by rivers*.” then this could be an attack on the US (I’ll admit there is a fair amount of speculation here). Although the US has become quite anti-God and has been pushing a lot of evil around the world, it still has one of the largest populations of believers in the world. The statement “*My people who are crushed on the threshing floor*” also fits for the US. I know some people won’t consider the possibility that the US could be Mystery Babylon or Babylon the Great because they can’t consider the US being an evil nation, but the US has been pushing many unbiblical ideas on the nations around the globe, like LGBTQ ideology and abortion. It is also possible I am looking too hard for my own country in the scriptures because if the US isn’t mentioned, then something has to happen to the US before the Tribulation occurs to make the US become unimportant in international affairs. We all have our biases. I’d love to hear your thoughts on my speculations. I’d also like to hear whether people benefit from my speculations or prefer me to stick to the clear and more easily understood Bible passages and Bible truths. Trust Jesus.\ \ your sister in Christ,