What Is The Chief Crime Of Babylon?

 

Whore of Babylon - Blake

My acquaintance with eschatology goes back many decades. I grew up hearing many different men speak on the subject. I loved to hear all of their varied interpretations of the Revelation and Daniel and other books thought to contain glimpses of our future.

One interesting topic that came up quite often and still does is the use of the word "sorceries" in the Book of Revelation:

Re 9:21  Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.

Re 18:23  And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.

Early on there was not much expounding on this word and it was simply passed off as some form of witchcraft used to beguile the world. 

But eventually I picked up on the fact that the Greek word behind "sorceries" is more interesting than most give it credit for being.

The Greek word used in those two passages is φαρμακεία, transliterated as pharmakeia. You notice this is the word from which we derive pharmacy and pharmaceutical.

 The word φαρμακεία is found in Strong's Concordance reference # 5331:

1) the use or the administering of drugs
2) poisoning
3) sorcery, magical arts, often found in connection with idolatry and fostered by it
4) metaph. the deceptions and seductions of idolatry

This indicates that the global administration of some sort of drug(s) plays a key role in the end time.

But there is a lot more to this word φαρμακεί.

In general, both the Greek (φαρμακεία) and the Latin term (veneficium) indicate a type of homicide or attempted homicide: so in Greek themes the charge of φαρμακεία is essentially interchangeable with φόνος, as well as with ἐπιβουλή; - Law and Ethics in Greek and Roman Declamation, p. 157

φαρμακεί (sorceries) is interchangeable with φόνος and ἐπιβουλή?

What is the meaning of these two words?

φόνος: murder 

ἐπιβουλή: plot (conspiracy)

for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived

I believe that the metaphorical sense (deception) is active in the meaning here, but there is also a strong possibility that it also involves a world wide conspiracy to commit mass murder with drugs.

This is the chief crime of Babylon.

And what is the punishment for her crimes?

Re 17:16  And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.

Who is this Babylon?

Germany is the largest pharmaceutical exporter. Switzerland is #2 and the U.S. is #3.

Seems Babylon is a multi-polar operation.

Who pays leaders of other nations to push their drugs?

All makers of pharmaceuticals it seems: (ex.1, ex.2, ex.3, ex.4 (several examples in #4), ex.5 and many more).

Who controls the poppy fields? Seems as though a multinational conglomerate does.

Who controls the heroin and coca trade? Another coalition of the willing. Same with ice and every economically viable illicit drug. 

Many hands upon the poisoned chalice.

Many nations sitting upon many waters and many peoples, multitudes and tongues are joined together as Babylon.

Do not kid yourself about cartels. Cartels cannot exist without a lot of aid and comfort from government. As the book says, the whole earth lieth in evil ruled over by vessels fitted unto destruction. 

There is always a price to be paid. They shall pay it to the flame.

Also of note is the fact that φαρμακεία refers to criminal poisoning. The word virus is from the Latin meaning poison.

The chief god of Modern Babylon is Apollo, who both casts the plague and heals it. The arrows of Apollo are flying.

It is probable that the United States is Babylon The Great.