Psa. 137:9 拿你的嬰孩摔在磐石上的，那人便為有福！
Psa. 137:9 Happy shall they be who take your little ones
and dash them against the rock!
聖經》中奇怪的（乍一看）經文見於《詩篇》137：7-9，其中我們讀到以下內容。
“主啊，你要記念以東的子孫，他們在耶路撒冷（被毀）的日子，曾說：’疏散她，疏散她，甚至疏散到她的根基’。巴比倫的女兒啊，你這可憐的人；他是有福的，他必以你報答我們的方式報答你。他是有福的，他必勝過你，將你的嬰孩丟在磐石上。”
從這節經文中可以理直氣壯地想到的問題是。 上帝怎麼可能祝福那個要把巴比倫的嬰兒扔到岩石上的人呢？那些可憐的嬰兒做了什麼，值得這樣做？
這節經文很快就被各種真理的敵人、新異教徒和無神論者攻擊了，他們試圖表明，據說《聖經》鼓勵人們做出野蠻的行為。自然，由於他們的這種立場，他們的消極意圖非常明顯，因此從《聖經》中得出了符合他們個性的信息。
但是，正如我們已經說過的，《聖經》是一口 “雅各布之井”，人們可以根據自己的意圖，好的或壞的，從中汲取。 因此，讓我們讓那些心懷不軌的人繼續歡呼吧（據說他們在《聖經》中發現了一些險惡的東西），讓我們看看我們基督徒將從這口真理之井中汲取什麼吧
我們將從三個方面來解釋這節經文–歷史的、預言的和精神的；因此讓每個基督徒根據自己的需要來汲取。
那個時代的歷史事件
首先，讓我們仔細研究這節經文的內容。
這首詩是在公元前587年耶路撒冷被毀之後，公元前539年巴比倫被居魯士的波斯軍隊摧毀之前，被轉移出耶路撒冷的俘虜們所吟唱的。如果我們從一開始就讀這首詩，我們就會發現猶大難民的懷舊之情，以及他們對巴比倫的憤慨，我們也會發現他們對遣返的希望，根據他們相信的相對預言。
他們憤慨的對象是巴比倫–當時的國際大國，他們抗議的正是巴比倫。在這首詩中，他們在回憶巴比倫對他們所做的一切；他們也在回憶他們的孩子，巴比倫人用石頭砸死了他們，他們感到憤慨之情溢於言表。因此，他們傾向於補充說，誰向巴比倫人施以他們對猶大人所施以的同樣的惡意，誰就值得被祝福。這將使他們為自己的災難感到平反。
這是那些目睹自己的孩子被巴比倫士兵用石頭砸死的父母的憤怒呼喊，他們渴望得到報復和正義。 我們應該記住，在當時，正義是通過 “以眼還眼，以牙還牙 “的格言來實現的，因此這種渴望對他們的時代來說實際上是一種相當 “進步 “的渴望；在一個復仇者通常要求對其敵人進行七倍懲罰的時代，以色列已經被自己的律法教導，如果要報復，不應該超過敵人的行為範圍–只需要以同等的方式回應。 幾個世紀過去了，基督才會教導他們，完全的正義根本不是報復，而是寬恕 因此，在這種情況下，在那些人所處的時代，在當時的心態下，那些目睹自己的孩子被巴比倫人用石頭砸死的父母渴望得到同等的正義，認為誰能把巴比倫人所做的惡事還給他們，誰就是 “有福的”，這也是符合他們當時的正義觀念的。
但我們怎麼知道巴比倫人確實對那些嬰兒犯下了這樣的罪行？
這一點在詩篇本身的字裡行間得到了非常清楚的揭示。它說：”…..，他將以你報答我們的方式來報答你。他是有福的，他必勝過你們，將你們的嬰孩丟在岩石上……”。 吟唱的以色列人確實看到他們的嬰兒被巴比倫的偶像崇拜者以這種方式殺害，這解釋了他們為什麼要求報復，通過報復來恢復正義。
然而有趣的是，他們自己並不希望成為報復他們所遭遇的悲劇的人；也許是因為他們沒有這個能力，也許是因為他們知道關於這些事件的預言，以及在巴比倫人70年的統治結束後，報復會真正發生。那些在此吟唱的人稱 “有福 “的人將通過向巴比倫人歸還同樣的措施來實現正義。注意這裡他們並不是為了謀殺嬰兒而將 “有福 “一詞歸於復仇者；他們是在稱那將普遍實現這種報復的人為 “有福”。他們在詩篇中強調嬰兒的原因是，當他們回憶起他們如何被殘忍地砸死在岩石上時，那是他們最痛苦的地方。提到 “岩石上的嬰孩 “是對他們個人痛苦的強調，表現為父母看著自己的孩子以這種方式死去後的抱怨，以及他希望以同樣的方式懲罰有罪的一方。
但這種懲罰不是由受委屈的猶大人自己實施的；它最終將由另一個野蠻的、崇拜偶像的民族–波斯人實施，他們也有這種崇拜偶像的傳統。
巴比倫人和其他偶像崇拜者的這種可怕的、非人的傳統在那個時期是慣例。我們可以在《馬加比書》B篇5:13中看到這種野蠻行為
“也有殺老幼的，毀壞男女老幼的，宰殺處女和嬰孩的。”
因此，這是那個時代熟悉的習俗–偶像崇拜者的習俗–當時給人的印象並不像今天這樣；換句話說，每當偶像崇拜者征服一座城市時，這就是他們的標準做法。
對這節經文的預言性解釋
但有人可能會說：”好吧，這首詩可能是被驅逐的猶大人發出的憤慨的呼聲，但它在聖經里有什麼用？把這首詩放在聖書中，對我們今天有什麼好處？
讓我們研究一下這個預言的一個參數，然後是第二個參數….
首先，我們可以指出，《聖經》是一本預言書；然而，對其預言的理解–這些預言被故意掩蓋–不會透露給不熟悉《聖經》的人，當然也不會透露給心懷叵測的新異教徒和無神論者。
要想正確地解釋《聖經》，他首先必須在東正教教義和傳統的框架內，然後要麼從《聖經》本身尋找這種解釋，要麼從神聖的教父那裡尋找，他們是神恩的承載者，擁有上帝對這種要求的啓示。
在繼續討論通過上帝的聖徒進行啓示的問題之前，讓我們看看《聖經》本身是如何解釋這段有關的經文的。來回顧一下。
“他是有福的，他必勝過你們，將你們的嬰孩丟在磐石上。”
在這裡，《聖經》中 “岩石 “這個詞背後的推論是什麼？ 讓我們來看看。
3…….，因為耶和華是仁慈的，4接近他就像接近一塊活石–這塊活石確實不被人們所認可，但對上帝來說是精選的，是寶貴的6這就是為什麼經文中寫道。”看哪，我在錫安放了一塊基石，是特選的，是寶貴的；凡信它的，必不至羞辱。 7 因此，你們信的人應當得著尊榮；但那些不孝順的人，就是那些建造的人所不贊成的’石頭’，也成了房角石、絆腳石和醜惡的石頭，8 因為他們不孝順，就絆倒了他們所受命的道……”（彼得前書2：3-8）。
我們在這裡清楚地看到 “磐石 “一詞背後的推論是什麼：它是耶穌基督！他是許多人受命於他的人。 他是許多人不贊成的人，但他卻成為支撐他的普世教會的 “基石”；他是敵人被他的真理之言絆倒、跌倒並感到羞愧的人。
那麼，誰是被擊打岩石時壓碎的人呢？ 自然是那些 “敲打 “過它的人! 很明顯，如果你打了一塊石頭，受傷的不是石頭，而是….you! 敵基督的國家也是這樣寫的，它們將攻擊基督。”他要用鐵杖管理他們；他們要被打碎，像陶器一樣。” (啓示錄2:27）。 正如摩西所預言的（關於基督）。 “……我必從他們弟兄中興起一位先知，就像你們一樣，我必將我的話交在他口中，他必將我所吩咐他的向他們說出來。不聽先知奉我的名所說的話的人，我必向他報仇……”（申命記18：18-19）。
然而，我們在這裡研究的經文也提到了 “巴比倫的嬰孩”。 因此，哪一個是預言中提到的 “巴比倫”，誰是她的嬰兒？
在以前的研究中，我們提出了所有的數據，表明預言中提到的 “巴比倫 “是猶太復國主義的耶路撒冷–敵基督的政治-宗教首都。 請花點時間看看那份研究報告，以便你能覈實關於這個特定主題的所有信息。
但是 “巴比倫 “在聖經中也被稱為 “妓女和地上可憎之物的母親”（啓示錄17：5）。從這些話中，我們首先必須推測她的 “嬰孩 “是 “地上可憎之物”，但是，我們還必須認識到另一點：通過被稱為 “之母”，這些話還通過時間將巴比倫聯繫起來；換句話說，敵基督的 “巴比倫 “與古代巴比倫直接聯繫/相關。 因為古巴比倫才是地球上可憎行為的母親。正是從古巴比倫開始，不敬神的偶像崇拜傳播到整個已知世界。
甚至在古代偶像崇拜的希臘，其所有褻瀆的偶像崇拜和淫亂的’神’都源於巴比倫–既直接，也間接地通過埃及；淫亂的’神’和’女神’，如阿斯塔特、阿芙洛狄忒和許多其他的神。
因此，”巴比倫 “除了在《聖經》的預言中扮演末世妓女的角色外，還承擔著歷史上那個拜偶像和不敬神的 “虛假的巴比倫 “的位置，它使人類遠離真神，陷入偶像崇拜和不道德。就像敵基督雖然預計在世界最後的日子成為肉身，但 “敵基督的精神”（約翰一書2:18，4:3）已經滲透到世界，因此，以同樣的方式，在 “巴比倫 “的末世論化身為猶太復國主義、偽 “教會 “和政治宗教資本之後，其淫亂的精神已經瀰漫在世界，超過時間。 它的 “嬰兒 “是地上的可憎之物，以及所有反對和衝撞岩石–耶穌基督的人。
巴比倫 “的人類後代無疑是淫亂的後代。
4我必不憐憫她的子孫，因為他們是淫亂的子孫；5因為他們的母親是個娼妓”。(何西阿書2: 4,5)。何西阿的預言正是針對那個叫做巴比倫的妓女，她可能把她的孩子說成是上帝的孩子，但實際上他們只不過是她與撒旦通姦的後代。 關於這一點，基督自己已經向我們提供了足夠的細節。
34 耶穌回答說：”我實實在在地告訴你們，凡犯罪的人就是罪的奴僕，35 奴僕不是永遠留在家裡，兒子才是永遠留在家裡。 36因此，子若使你們自由，你們就真得自由了。 37我知道你們是亞伯拉罕的後裔，但你們卻要殺我，因為我的話在你們中間沒有地位。 38 我說的是我在我父身邊所看見的，所以你們是在做你們父身邊所看見的。”
39 他們回答說：”我們的父是亞伯拉罕”。
耶穌對他們說：”你們若是亞伯拉罕的子孫，就該做亞伯拉罕的事。 40 但現在你們要殺我，我是一個向你們說出我從神那裡聽到的真理的人；這一點，亞伯拉罕沒有做過。41因此，你們是在做你們父親的事”。
他們就對他說：”我們不是從淫亂中生的。我們有一個父親。神。”
42 耶穌對他們說：”如果上帝是你們的父，你們就會愛我，因為我是從上帝裡面出來，到這裡來的；我也不是自己來的（主動），而是他派我來的。 43你們為什麼不認識我的聲音呢？因為你們不忍心聽我的話。 44 你是屬你父親魔鬼的，你要遵行你父親的意思。他從一開始就是個殺人犯，他不停留在真理上，因為他裡面沒有真理。他說謊話的時候，是自己（主動）說的，因為他是個說謊的人，是謊言之父。 因此，因為我把真理告訴你們，你們卻不相信我”。 (約翰福音8: 34-45)。
所以，這就是誰是淫亂的孩子，巴比倫的孩子和魔鬼。他們是所有拒絕主的話語和反對主的人。他們是罪的僕人，執行 “地上的可憎行為”。
但是，為什麼所研究的這節經文特別提到了巴比倫的子民？ 那位要把她可憎的孩子砸在 “石頭 “上的 “有福之君 “是誰呢？
在每一個城市和土地上，都是由孩子們來確保下一代的生存。同樣，在巴比倫的情況下，是她的孩子（=她的精神後裔和繼承人）確保她不敬神的論戰和假話在整個時代的每一代中繼續下去。 這就是為什麼預言中稱那個將結束巴比倫淫亂後代常年存在的人是 “有福的”；那個將在地球上不留下任何虛假的痕跡的人，這樣基督的真理才能在此後佔上風。 自然，第一個也是最重要的 “受祝福的 “是基督自己，”受祝福的唯一潛能者，萬王之王，萬主之主”（提摩太前書6:15），他將粉碎一切虛假。
巴比倫的孩子們多次戰勝了上帝教會的孩子們，每當上帝的教會與他疏遠，失去了他的保護。但上帝確保總會有 “孩子 “留給他的教會，作為她的救贖的 “余數”。
25 但耶和華這樣說。”因為大能者的俘虜必被除掉，可畏者的戰利品必被奪去；因為我必與爭戰你們的人爭戰，我必救你們的兒女。(以賽亞書49:25)
但到了巴比倫的時候（也是時機成熟的時候），基督不會留下她的任何一個余黨。
1 耶和華如此說。”看哪，我要向巴比倫和居住的迦勒底人興起炙熱的毀壞之風；2我要差遣誹謗者到巴比倫去，他們要徹底誹謗她，霸佔她的地。巴比倫受害的日子，四周都有禍害。3凡願意拉弓的要拉弓，有兵器的要帶兵器，不要放過她的少年人，消滅她一切的力量。” (耶利米書51:1-3)。
當巴比倫最後衰落的時候，將沒有 “後人 “繼續她不敬神的政治。她所有的權力都將消失，就像東西被火焚燒一樣。
18他們看見她燃燒的煙，就大聲喊著說：”什麼城像這大城呢？ 19他們把土丟在頭上，哭喊著說：’禍哉！禍哉！這大城，凡在海裡有船的人，都是用她的貴重物品發了財，因為在一小時之內，她就廢了。 20 天上的人啊，你們這些聖徒、使徒和先知，要為她歡呼，因為神已經決定為你們，對她作出判決。21 有位大能的天使舉起一塊石頭，大如磨石，投在海裡，說：’這樣，那大城巴比倫必被打倒，永不可再得’。 (啓示錄》18：19-21）。
因此，提到巴比倫的子孫是為了指出，巴比倫最後不會有任何殘餘，她的墮落–這將是對她所有淫亂行為的補償–將是最終的、不可逆轉的。
最後，為什麼用 “嬰孩 “這個詞來形容巴比倫的孩子？
這個詞並不是為了表示任何的清白。與神交戰的淫亂後代沒有任何清白之處，而且，神不會懲罰無辜者。
嬰孩 “這個詞有另一種含義。讓我們再次讓《聖經》來解釋它的含義。
14 我們不再像嬰孩一樣，隨著各樣的道理搖擺不定，在人的詭計里，在狡猾里，向著詭詐的路走，….” (以弗所書4:14)。
3因此，我們在幼年的時候，也是屈從於世界的元素8但那時，你們不認識神，就服侍那些天生不是神的人。
(加拉太書》4：3和8）。
因此，這就是他們被稱為 “嬰孩 “的原因：聖經想強調他們對虛假和偶像崇拜的順從，遠離真神。
綜上所述，在我們所研究的預言中，一切都變得清晰了；要被砸死在 “岩石 “上的 “嬰孩 “是拜偶像的人和地上可憎的人，他們是妓女巴比倫的真正後代，將與基督對抗–他們將被絆倒並壓死的絆腳石。
屬靈的–異教徒的解釋
然而，精神分裂者也是從這節經文中汲取他們的力量，為他們的屬靈課程服務。 他們也是從同一個基礎上汲取的。
基督又是 “磐石”；”巴比倫 “是屬靈的混亂和墮落，”巴比倫的嬰孩 “是邪惡的思想，這些思想到了成年後就變成了罪孽。這就是為什麼基督徒必須在惡念產生的那一刻起就消滅它們，當它們還是 “嬰兒”，還是 “思想 “時–在它們 “長大 “並變成犯罪行為之前。 這些邪惡的想法可以被壓在基督這塊石頭上，當一個基督徒–用心靈的祈禱–念出所有名字中最甜蜜的名字，即我們的主耶穌基督，從而轉移邪惡的想法。
有了清醒的頭腦和敏銳的觀察，人可以戰勝罪惡，從而成為 “有福之人”。
然而，鑒於我們靈性的容器很小，它不夠寬敞，無法從這節經文中發現的取之不盡的生命之水井中汲取更多的水；然而，一個靈性的人可以汲取更多的水，用於教會的教育。
因此，請看這節經文存在於聖經中的原因；以便我們每個人都能汲取他所需要的東西。
歷史學家可以得到關於古代拜偶像的野蠻行為的資料。
忠實的解釋者瞭解其預言的內容
而傳教士則是為了獲得那些能引導他走向 “nepsis”（意識）的要素。
至於這篇文章的惡意讀者，可以預見的是，他將被醜化，被這塊叫做基督的石頭絆倒，因為他仍然是一個 “嬰兒”–仍然屈從於這個世界的元素，對精神的元素視而不見。他將尋找針對基督的邪惡想法。這就是為什麼當他絆倒他所蔑視的基督時，他的死亡將是被壓垮。
The infants of Babylon and the rock
strange (at first glance) verse of the Holy Bible is found in the Book of Psalms 137:7-9, where we read the following:
Psa. 137:9 拿你的嬰孩摔在磐石上的，那人便為有福！
Psa. 137:9 Happy shall they be who take your little ones
and dash them against the rock!
The question, justifiably, that comes to mind from this verse is: How is it possible for God to bless the one who will throw down the infants of Babylon against the rock ? What did those poor infants do to deserve it?
This verse was promptly attacked by various enemies of the truth, neo-Pagans and atheists, in their attempt to show that the Holy Bible allegedly encourages people to act barbarically. Naturally, with this stance of theirs, they have made their negative intentions very obvious and have thus drawn from the Holy Bible the message that befits their personality.
But, as we have already said, the Holy Bible is a “Jacob’s well“, from which one can draw according to his intentions, good or bad. Let us therefore leave the ill-intentioned to their rejoicing (that they have supposedly found something sinister in the Holy Bible), and let us see what we Christians will draw from this Well of Truth!
We shall be giving three aspects of interpretation of this verse further down – Historic, Prophetic and Spiritual; let every Christian therefore draw according to his needs.
The Historical events of that era
First of all, let us carefully examine the content of the verse in question:
This psalm was chanted by the captives who had been transferred out of Jerusalem, after its destruction in the year 587 b.C. and before the destruction of Babylon in 539 b.C. by the Persian armies of Cyrus. If we read this psalm from the beginning, we shall discern the nostalgia that the Judean refugees felt, as well as their indignation towards Babylon, and we shall also discern their hopes for repatriation, according to the relative prophecies that they believed in.
The object of their indignation is Babylon – the international power at the time – and it is against Babylon that they are protesting. In this psalm, they are recalling everything that Babylon had done to them; they are also remembering their children, whom the Babylonians had killed by dashing them against rocks, and they feel their indignation overflowing. As a result, they are inclined to add that whoever renders unto the Babylonians the same malice that they had shown to the Judeans, will be worthy of being blessed. This would make them feel vindicated for their calamity.
This is the cry of anger by parents who had witnessed their children being dashed to death against rocks by the Babylonian soldiers, and their yearning for retaliation and justice. We should remember here that, at the time, justice was meted out through the maxim “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth”, therefore this yearning was actually a rather “progressive” one for their time; in an era when an avenger normally required that his enemy be punished with a sevenfold punishment, Israel had been taught by its own Law that it should not exceed the extent of the enemy’s actions if it were to retaliate – only to respond with something equivalent. Centuries would have to pass, before Christ would teach them that full justice was not retaliation at all, but forgiveness! Thus, in this context, in the era that those people were living, and with the mentality that prevailed, it was only normal for those parents who had witnessed their children being dashed against rocks by the Babylonians to desire an equivalent justice to be meted out, considering as “blessed” whoever would return the evil that the Babylonians had done – again, in accordance with the notion of justice they had at the time.
But how do we know that the Babylonians had indeed inflicted such a crime on those infants?
This is very clearly revealed in the words of the Psalm itself. It says: “…..who shall repay you with the same repayment that you repaid us. Blessed be he, who shall prevail over you and shall throw down your infants against the rock …”. The chanting Israelites had indeed seen their infants being killed in that manner by the Babylonian idolaters, which explains why they were demanding retaliation, and the restitution of justice through retaliation.
It is interesting to note however, that they themselves did not desire to be the ones to retaliate for the tragedy that had befallen them; perhaps because they didn’t have the power, or perhaps because they were aware of the prophecies regarding these events, and that retaliation would actually take place, after the end of the 70-year domination by the Babylonians. Those chanting here are calling “blessed” the one who will bring justice by returning the same measure to the Babylonians. Notice here that they are not ascribing the term “blessed” to the avenger for the sake of the murders of the infants; they are calling “blessed” the one who will generally fulfill that retaliation. The reason they stress the infants in their psalm is because that is what pained them most, when they recalled how they had been cruelly dashed to death against the rocks. The mention of “infants on the rocks” was a highlighting of their personal suffering, expressed as a parent’s complaint after watching his child die in that manner, and his desire for the punishment of the guilty party in the same manner.
But this punishment was not to be meted out by the wronged Judeans themselves; it was to be executed eventually, by another barbaric, idolatrous people, the Persians, who had that same, idolatrous tradition.
This gruesome, inhuman tradition of the Babylonians and other idolaters was customary during that period of time. We can see such barbarities in Maccabees B, 5:13
“There were also killings of young and old, a destruction of men and women and children, and slaughtering of virgins and infants.”
This was therefore a familiar custom during that era – a custom of idolaters – and it did not make the same impression then as it does today; in other words, it was a standard practice of idolaters whenever they conquered a city.
Prophetic interpretation of the verse
But someone might say “OK, this psalm may have been a cry of indignation by the expatriated Judeans, but what business does it have in the Holy Bible? How does it benefit us today, to have this psalm in a sacred book?
Let us examine one of the parameters of this prophecy, and then a second one….
First of all, we could point out that the Holy Bible is a prophetic book; however, the understanding of its prophecies – which are purposely veiled – is not revealed to people who are not acquainted with the Holy Bible, and certainly not to ill-meaning Neo-Pagans and Atheists.
For someone to interpret the Holy Bible properly he must first of all be within the framework of Orthodox dogmatics and tradition and then either look to the Holy Bible itself to provide that interpretation, or look for it in the holy Fathers, who are bearers of Divine Grace and possess God’s revelation for such requirements.
Before moving on to the matter of revelation through God’s Saints, let us see how the Holy Bible itself interprets this verse in question. To recall:
“Blessed be he, who shall prevail over you and shall throw down your infants against the rock .”
What here is the inference behind the word “rock ” in the Holy Bible? Let’s see:
3…….for the Lord is benevolent, 4 approaching Whom as though unto a living rock – one disapproved indeed by people, but to God a select one, and precious 6 This is why it is contained in the scripture that: “Behold, I place in Zion a cornerstone : a select one and valuable; and whoever believes in it shall not be disgraced. 7 Honour, therefore, is befitting to you who believe; but to those who are undutiful, the ‘rock ’, which those who build have disapproved, the same has become the cornerstone and the stumbling-block and the rock of scandal, 8 for, by being undutiful, they stumble upon the Logos, unto Whom they were appointed…” (1 Peter 2:3-8)
We see here clearly what the inference behind the word “rock ” is: it is Jesus Christ! He is the one Whom the many disapproved of, but Who became the “cornerstone ” that held up His Universal Church; He is the One whose enemies trip over and stumble and are scandalized by His words of Truth.
Who, then, are the ones that are crushed when striking a rock ? Naturally those who have “struck” it! Obviously, if you hit a rock , the rock is not the one that will be hurt, but….you! The same is written about the nations of the Antichrist that will be attacking Christ: “He shall rule them with a rod of iron; they shall be smashed, like a potter’s vessels.” (Revelation 2:27). And as prophesied by Moses (regarding Christ): “…I shall raise unto them a Prophet from among their brethren, just as with you, and I shall give My utterance in His mouth and He shall utter to them whatever I shall instruct Him to. And the man who does not hearken to what the Prophet says in My name, I shall seek revenge of him…” (Deuteronomy 18:18-19)
However, the verse we are examining here also mentions “infants of Babylon”. Which, therefore, is the “Babylon” referred to prophetically, and who are her infants?
In a previous study, we have presented all the data indicating that the “Babylon” prophetically referred to is Zionist Jerusalem – the political-religious capital of the Antichrist. Please take a moment to check out that study so that you can verify all the information on the specific topic.
But “Babylon” in the Holy Bible is also called “the mother of whores and of the abominations of the earth” (Revelation 17:5). From these words, we must firstly surmise that her “infants” are “the abominations of the earth”, but, we must also realize something else: that by being called “a mother of”, these words also link Babylon through Time; in other words, the Antichrist’s “Babylon” is directly linked/related to ancient Babylon. Because it is ancient Babylon who was the mother of the earth’s abominations. It was from ancient Babylon that godless idolatry spread throughout the known world.
Even in ancient idolatrous Greece, all its profane idolatrous and licentious ‘gods’ had originated from Babylon – both directly, but also indirectly, through Egypt; lewd ‘gods’ and ‘goddesses’, such as Astarte, Aphrodite and many others.
Thus, apart from her role as an eschatological whore in the prophecies of the Holy Bible, “Babylon” also holds the place of that historical, idolatrous and godless “Babylon of falsehood”, which leads mankind away from the true God and into idolatry and immorality. Just as the Antichrist who, although expected to become incarnate during the last days of the world and yet, the “spirit of the Antichrist” (1 John 2:18, 4:3) has already permeated the world, thus in the same manner, beyond the Eschatological incarnation of “Babylon” into a Zionist, pseudo “church” and political-religious capital, the spirit of its whoredom has already pervaded the world, over Time. Its “infants” are the abominations of the earth, along with all those who oppose and clash with the rock – Jesus Christ.
The human offspring of “Babylon” are most assuredly the offspring of whoredom:
4 And I shall not be merciful to her children, for they are children of whoredom; 5 for their mother was a whore.” (Hosea 2: 4,5). Hosea’s prophecy is addressed precisely to that whore called Babylon, who may present her children as children of God but in reality they are nothing more than the offspring of her whoredom, with Satan. And we have been provided sufficient detail on this, by Christ Himself:
34 Jesus replied to them, “Verily, verily I say to you, that anyone who commits sin is a servant of sin, 35 and a servant does not remain in the household forever: the son does remain forever. 36 If the Son therefore shall set you free, you shall indeed be free. 37 I know you to be Abraham’s seed; and yet, you seek to kill me, because my words find no place among you. 38 I speak of that which I have seen near my Father; you therefore are doing that which you have seen near your father.”
39 They replied, saying to Him, “Our father is Abraham.”
Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works of Abraham. 40 But now you seek to kill me, a man who spoke the truth to you which I heard from God; this, Abraham did not do. 41 You are therefore doing the works of your father.”
Then they said to him, “We were not born of whoredom. We have a Father: God.”
42 Jesus therefore said to them, “If God was your Father, you would have loved me, for I came forth from within God and have come here; and neither did I come of my own (initiative), but He has sent me. 43 Why do you not recognize my voice? It is because you cannot bear to listen to my words. 44 You are of your father the devil, and you will do the wishes of your father. He was a man-killer from the beginning, and he does not remain in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he utters a lie, he utters it of his own (initiative), for he is a liar, and is the father of lies. 45 Thus, because I tell you the truth, you do not believe me.” (John 8: 34-45).
So, that is who the children of whoredom, the children of Babylon and the Devil are: They are all those who reject the words of the Lord and oppose them. They are the servants of sin, who perform the “abominations of the earth.”
But why does the verse being examined refer SPECIFICALLY to the children of Babylon? And who is that “blessed potentate” who will dash her abominable children against the “rock ”, Christ?
In every city and land, it is the children that ensure the survival of the next generation. Similarly in the case of Babylon, it is her children (=her spiritual descendants and successors) who ensure the continuation of her godless polemics and falsehood in every generation throughout Time. That is why the prophecy calls “blessed” the one who will put an end to the perennial existence of Babylon’s offspring of whoredom; the one who will leave no traces of falsehood on the planet, so that the Truth of Christ can prevail thereafter. Naturally, the first and foremost “blessed” one is Christ Himself, “the blessed and only Potentate, the king of kings and lord of lords” (1 Timothy 6:15), Who will crush all falsehood.
The children of Babylon have repeatedly vanquished the children of God’s Church, whenever the Church of God alienated Herself from Him and forfeited His protection. But God ensured that there would always be “children” left over for His Church, as the “remnant” for Her salvation:
25 But thus said the Lord: “For the captives of the mighty shall be removed, and the booty of the formidable shall be taken away; for I will contend with him that contends against you, and I will save your children.” (Isaiah 49:25)
But when it comes to Babylon (and when the time comes), Christ will not leave a single remnant of hers behind:
1 Thus said the Lord: “Behold, I shall raise up against Babylon and against the inhabitant Chaldeans a scorching, destructive wind; 2 and I shall send slanderers unto Babylon, who shall thoroughly slander her and shall overrun her land. Woe be to Babylon all around, on the day of her injury. 3 Let him stretch his bow who will stretch it, and let him who has weapons gird himself with them, and do not spare her young men and eliminate all her power.” (Jeremiah 51:1-3).
When the time for Babylon’s final fall is come, there will be no “descendants” left to continue her godless politics. All of her power will have vanished, just as something is cremated by fire:
18 And they cried out loud when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, “What city is like this great city? 19 And they threw earth upon their heads, and they cried out, weeping and mourning, saying, ‘woe, woe to the great city, in which were made rich all those who had ships in the sea out of her precious goods, for in one hour has she been laid waste.’ 20 Rejoice over her o heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, for God has decided to render His judgement on your behalf, on her. 21 And a mighty angel lifted up a rock as big as a millstone , and cast it into the sea, saying, ‘Thus, with force, shall that great city Babylon be cast down, and shall never be found again’. (Revelation 18: 19-21).
Reference therefore to the children of Babylon is made in order to point out that there will be no remnant of Babylon left over in the end, and that her fall – which will be the repayment for all her whoredom – will be final and irreversible.
And finally, why is the word “infants” used, for the children of Babylon?
This term is not used in order to denote any innocence. There is no innocence in offspring of whoredom who war against God, and furthermore, God does not punish the innocent.
The word “infants” carries another meaning. Let us again allow the Holy Bible to explain what it implies:
14 That we no longer be as infants, wavering and shifting about with every wind of doctrine, within the sleight of men, in cunning, towards the ways of deceit….” (Ephesians 4:14).
3 thus also we, when we were infants, were subservient to the elements of the world 8 but then, by not knowing God, you served those who are gods not by nature.
(Galatians 4: 3 and 8).
This, therefore, is why they are called “infants”: the Bible wants to stress their subservience to falsehood and idolatry, away from the true God.
With the above, everything becomes clear in the prophetic landscape that we are examining; the “infants” that are to be dashed to death against the “rock ” are the idolaters and the abominations of the earth, who, being the genuine offspring of the whore Babylon, will confront Christ – the stumbling block on which they will trip and be crushed.
Spiritual – hesychast interpretation
It is from this same verse however, that hesychasts also draw their strength, for their spiritual course. They too draw from the same foundation:
Christ is again the “rock”; “Babylon” is spiritual confusion and corruption, and the “infants of Babylon” are wicked thoughts, which, when reaching adulthood, become sins. That is why a Christian must exterminate evil thoughts from the moment they are generated, while they are still “infantile” and still “thoughts” – before they “grow up” and turn into a sinful act. These wicked thoughts can be crushed on the rock that is Christ, when a Christian -with the prayer of the heart- recites the sweetest of all names, that of our Lord Jesus Christ, and thus deflects evil contemplations.
With sobriety and a keen watch over one’s mind, Man can vanquish sin and thus become “blessed”.
However, given that the vessel of our spirituality is a tiny one, it is not spacious enough to draw even more water from the inexhaustible water-well of life found in this verse; however, a spiritual person can draw far more, for the edification of the Church.
Behold the reason therefore, for the existence of this verse in the Holy Bible; so that each one of us can draw whatever he needs:
The historian for the data on the idolatrous barbarity of ancient times,
The faithful interpreter for its prophetic elements
And the Hesychast, for those elements that will guide him towards “nepsis” (awareness).
As for the ill-intentioned reader of this article, it is only to be expected that he will be scandalized and stumble over this rock called Christ, because he is still an “infant” – still subservient to the elements of this world and oblivious to the spiritual ones. He will be looking for wicked thoughts against Christ. That is why his demise will be to be crushed when he stumbles over Christ, Whom he has scorned.
