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Zechariah 5-Whore of Babylon’s TEMPLE
One of the most mysterious prophetic books in the Bible is the book of Zechariah. The imagery and language in Zechariah is difficult to understand and yet it provides important Biblical prophecies. Such as the vision of the woman in the basket which theologians have attempted to interpret.
The woman is none other than the Whore of Babylon and the prediction is that she will have a building or temple in Shinar or Babylon that is the Vatican in Rome that we will examine in further detail. The passage names her Wickedness and also makes indirect reference to her coming judgement.
We are in an exciting time in end time Bible Prophecy, with the explosion of information and research that can literally be conducted at the touch of a mouse, and online concordances and Bible’s, the deeper mysteries of the Word of God are able to be deciphered including the one of Zechariah’s vision of the woman in the basket. Zechariah’s book was written in 520-518 BC after the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians under the reign of Darius.
Vision of the Woman in a Basket
Zechariah 5:5 records:
5 Then the angel who talked with me came out and said to me, “Lift your eyes now, and see what this is that goes forth.”
The word for goes forth in the original Hebrew is yatsa and it also means exit. Zechariah is told to look at what is about to exit, depart the land.
Zechariah 5:6 continues:
The word for basket used is ephah, which was not only a basket but a basket of measurement. We see in Daniel 5:25-26, Daniel interpret the writing on the wall in the Kingdom of Belshazzar, the son of Nebuchadnezzar and tell him that he is numbered and weighed and God is putting an end to his kingdom.
We see the set of balances in Revelation 5:6 and measurement of wheat depicting the judgement of God of famine onto the earth. I have also written in previous articles that the significance of being numbered is always negative and when one has a number versus a name they are numbered for death, such as those who take the mark of the Beast or the Antichrist who is given a number for a name because he is numbered for death from his birth.
This is why the woman is in the ephah, it is a basket of measurement or judgement by God. The ephah going forth means both that this is about to exit as well as judgement is decreed on what is in the basket.
The passage continues, He also said, 7 “This is their resemblance throughout the earth:
Here is a lead disc lifted up, and this is a woman sitting inside the basket9
The woman is sitting on this basket. The KJV renders it, “and this is a woman that sitteth in the midst of the ephah.”
In Egypt the Queen of Heaven is shown sitting in a basket. According to historian Max Dashu, “This ties in with a lot of the basket ceremonies that women were doing in the women’s mysteries in the Greek world.” In other civilizations we see the Queen of heaven wearing a basket headdress. It was in part over the worship of the Queen of Heaven that God’s judgment came onto Israel and they were taken into captivity by the Babylonians. Consider this passage from Jeremiah 44:15-23:
15 Then all the men who knew that their wives had burned incense to other gods, with all the women who stood by, a great multitude, and all the people who dwelt in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, answered Jeremiah, saying: 16 “As for the word that you have spoken to us in the name of the Lord, we will not listen to you! 17 But we will certainly do whatever has gone out of our own mouth, to burn incense to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her, as we have done, we and our fathers, our kings and our princes, in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. For then we had plenty of food, were well-off, and saw no trouble.
18 But since we stopped burning incense to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything and have been consumed by the sword and by famine.” 19 The women also said, “And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, did we make cakes for her, to worship her, and pour out drink offerings to her without our husbands’ permission?”
20 Then Jeremiah spoke to all the people—the men, the women, and all the people who had given him that answer—saying: 21 “The incense that you burned in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, you and your fathers, your kings and your princes, and the people of the land, did not the Lord remember them, and did it not come into His mind? 22 So the Lord could no longer bear it, because of the evil of your doings and because of the abominations which you committed. Therefore your land is a desolation, an astonishment, a curse, and without an inhabitant, as it is this day. 23 Because you have burned incense and because you have sinned against the Lord, and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord or walked in His law, in His statutes or in His testimonies, therefore this calamity has happened to you, as at this day.”
Along with Baal worship, the worship of the Queen of Heaven was clearly identified and condemned.
Zechariah 5:7 reads, “Here is a lead disc lifted up,” This is to show the significance of the lead disk. and this is a woman sitting inside the basket”; we have already determined this is the Queen of Heaven who Israel sinned against God with Zechariah 5:8 continues, “then he said, “This is Wickedness!”
Spiritual adultery is wickedness. This is a violation of the first commandment that one should have any other gods before the God of Glory. The woman represents false religion i.e. idolatry that takes one from the true God and which Israel sinned with and committed the sin that God hated and judged.
The verse continues. “And he thrust her down into the basket, and threw the lead cover[over its mouth. “
Notice it is the angel who pushes the woman down into the basket and takes the lead disk and covers it so that she will not escape from the basket. Removing it far from Israel the lead disc representing the weight of her evil or its measurement that is judged in the ephah. The disc also acts to separate her from the land of Israel in which she has no part.
Zechariah 5:9 next describes:
9 Then I raised my eyes and looked, and there were two women, coming with the wind in their wings; for they had wings like the wings of a stork, and they lifted up the basket between earth and heaven.
The two women would represent Israel’s Northern kingdom- Samaria is Oholah, and Southern Kingdom-Judah -Jerusalem is Oholibah of Ezekiel 23 and both are identified as spiritual harlots.
This was the sin that brought God’s judgement and these two women represent the judged land. This was in contrast to the woman in Revelation 12 who also represents Israel, but she represents the believing and obedient remnant. She is clothed with the sun and moon beneath her feet and wears a garland of 12 stars. She also delivers a male child. She is given the wings of a great eagle that she might flee into the wilderness to escape the fiery red dragon with seven heads and ten horns. An eagle while an unclean bird is also the one of the largest and most powerful birds of prey.
These two women have the wings of a stork which is an unclean bird but also one that glides in the air and cannot fly very far, this would suggest no rush in getting it to its destination, but they are heavy birds with huge wing spans so the women with the wings of a stork would be some spectacle in the air and also be able to sustain the weight of the basket. It also represents the uncleanness of the unrighteous of Israel and Judah for worshipping the Queen of Heaven.
God had judged Israel for its sin of spiritual adultery and the north and south of Israel, which had been judged represented now by the two women with the wings of a stork are departing along with the mother of harlots who’s judgement is yet future.
Notice the basket is lifted “between heaven and earth” which is in he air and she is part of the demonic spiritual world which works in the air. Ephesians 2:2 confirms, “in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience.”
Zechariah 5:10 tells us where the basket is going it reads:
10 So I said to the angel who talked with me, “Where are they carrying the basket?”11 And he said to me, “To build a house for it in the land of Shinar;[c]when it is ready, the basket will be set there on its base.”
They were taking the basket to Babylon to build a house, dwelling or a place for it. The word in the Hebrew bayith also means temple, dungeon, prison. They were taking her to a specific temple or house as a place for her. This is where she would reside until we see her in Revelation 17 and 18 emerging with the Beast of Revelation.
From the time of the Kingdom period in Israel, worship of her would spread to all the lands, and literally become a world religion. Depictions of her adapted to the various places, cultures and time periods. She would be worshipped in Greek and Roman society. When Constantine ended persecution of Christians and adopted Christianity, she would merge with the faith and become part of it.
According to historian Max Dashu, the “greatest competitor to Christianity was the Magna Mater, which was extremely popular and widespread and had roots in all the countries along the empire.” In Christianity she became Mother Mary. Although nowhere in Scripture exonerates Mary to any level of worship, in Catholicism she is raised to the importance of Christ Himself and as intercessor. She would be prayed to as one would pray to God the father. She would retain her Babylonian role as the Queen of Heaven. The house that was built for her would be the Vatican.
Before we look at the Vatican in relation to Revelation 17 and 18, which is in Rome, we will first look at the Scripture and how we know the city referred to is Rome.
Rome, which is symbolized by Babylon and is going to usher in the Tribulation.
This is an excerpt from the free online version of my book Whore of Babylon in Bible Prophecy: A Book of Revelation Mystery Revealed
To Continue Reading see the articles below
Would you like to understand the Whore of Babylon prophecy described in Revelation 17 and 18? Why does the Whore Wear Purple and Red, and ride a Red Beast and why is her name branded on her forehead?
The Whore of Babylon in Bible Prophecy: A book of Revelation Mystery Revealed examines this passage while revealing new details of “Mystery Babylon” along with compelling evidence of the Whore of Babylon’s identity along with her role in the Revived Roman Empire and her coming judgment.
The book uncovers:
Hidden details of Babylon’s origin
How the little horn points to the Harlot and the revived Roman Empire.
The names of blasphemy on the seven heads and their correlation to the woman riding the 7 to 8 headed Beast.
You will also learn historical and often missed details of the Queen of Heaven, the Vatican, and the tie to the mysterious Zechariah 5 prediction and how the ten king prophecy showcases modern politics. Disclosed is overwhelming proof the city of seven hills is Rome and many other details missed by other Bible expositors.
Scholar, Analyst, Bible Prophecy Expert, Journalist and Commentator; Erika Grey once again delivers a fact filled, information rich expose.
The above book is also for free here and you can read it chapter by chapter on my website, just follow the links. Some of the titles have been slightly from the book but the material is the same.
Whore of Babylon All Your Questions Answered, Free version of the Whore of Babylon in Bible Prophecy” A Book of Revelation Mystery Revealed.
Introduction -The Whore of Babylon-All Your Questions Answered
1-The Origin of Babylon in the Bible-New Details Revealed
2-The King of Babylon is Lucifer and the Antichrist
3- Babylonian Society Old and New Judged in the Revelation
4-The Mother of Harlots in Revelation 17
5-Zechariah 5 Predicts Whore of Babylon’s Temple
6-The Little Horn of Daniel Points to Revived Roman Empire
7-The Seven Heads on the Beast of Revelation
8-City of Seven HIlls in Revelation 19:9 is Rome
9- The Vatican is the Whore of Babylon
10-Why the Whore of Babylon Wears Purple and Red
11-Why the Whore of Babylon Rides a Red Beast
12-10 Facts That Prove the Roman Empire Revived
13-Whore of Babylon’s Religion in the Revived Roman Empire
14-Daniel’s Ten Kings Predicts Modern Politics
15-The Whore of Babylon’s Coming Judgement in Revelation
16-The Whore of Babylon Vs the Bride of Christ in Revelation