“Mystery Babylon” in the book of Revelation is an illuminating title for the false church—man’s church that man tried to build—and it became an antithesis and persecutor of God’s church. This title reveals the roots and nature of this false church, which are in man. Mankind has not ceased to try to build what was begun in Genesis 11:1-4: 

       “Now all the earth used the same language and the same words. And it came about, as they journeyed east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. Then they said to one another, ‘Come, let’s make bricks and fire them thoroughly.’ And they used brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar. And they said, ‘Come, let’s build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let’s make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of all the earth.’”

       The Tower of Babel was men’s attempt to build a city for themselves and to make names for themselves. When these are the true motives for our projects, the conclusion will be the same as in Genesis 11, regardless of how much we say the Lord is our motive. They thought that they would be able to reach heaven by their own wisdom and might and that the people would gather to their project so they would not be scattered. We may think this was an outlandish, impossible endeavor—and it is—but men have not quit trying to build what are truly their own attempts to reach heaven, to make names for themselves, and to gather people to themselves.

       The church of God has many titles in Scripture, but one of the most common is “the city of God.” This is what Abraham saw that compelled him to leave perhaps the most advanced and cultured city in the world at the time to be a part of what God is building. Man’s city is of the earth, built by the earthly minded. God’s city is built in heaven, composed of sojourners who were so heavenly minded that they were strangers on the earth.

       After the great folly of mankind has run its course, God’s city will come down out of heaven to rule over the earth. It will rule until all that was lost by the Fall has been restored, and all that has been built by the pride of man will be replaced by what is infinitely superior: the paradise God created the earth to be, ruled by His city, the seat of true righteousness and justice that is the foundation of His kingdom.

       Again, even if we claim that what we’re doing is for the Lord and attach His name to our projects, they will inevitably end up like the Tower of Babel if our motives are to build names for ourselves and gather people to us rather than to Him. The Lord looked down upon their folly at the Tower of Babel and confused their languages so that they could no longer continue in their madness. He has also done that to the institutionalized church when it has done the same.

       After the Western church became institutionalized, its people thought they could establish the kingdom of God on earth by their might and power, instead of by His Spirit. They thought that their project would gather all of Christianity together in the city they would build. God looked down upon this ultimate arrogance and dealt with it the same way He did with the Tower of Babel. He confused their languages so that what they thought would gather men scattered them over the face of the earth into the 20,000+ denominations we now have.

       The period when institutionalized Christianity was dominating Western civilization, while veering further and further from the teachings of Christ, is now referred to as “the Dark Ages.” This is a fitting title for what was the darkest time the world has yet endured—even darker than what the Nazis and Marxists did in the last century—all done in the name of Christ when it was the opposite of His nature and teachings.

       How could this happen? This was all foretold in the book of Revelation, along with how and why. To understand some of the most important lessons of history—and what is unfolding in our own time—we need to understand this. To keep our hearts from being darkened by the worst darkness yet to come upon the earth, we must keep our hearts and minds fixed on God’s city—the one He is building Himself—and on the glory of what we’re called to in Him.

© 2025 Rick Joyner. All Rights Reserved.