MYSTERY BABYLON TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Scenario Outline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . History of Mystery Babylon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mystery Babylon the Religion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mystery Babylon the System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Scripture Verses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Supplement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 INTRODUCTION Much has been written in recent years on the subject of Bible prophecy, in particular "Last Days" prophecy based on the books of Daniel and Revelation. This is not an attempt to go over the same material yet again but an investigation into a single component of the general subject. That component is Mystery Babylon, as described in Revelation 17. Most writers treat Mystery Babylon as something peripheral to the subject of a revived Roman Empire or one-world government. Building on the image of the "great whore", Mystery Babylon is usually interpreted as an anti-God religious system and left at that. There is much more to the story. By searching the Bible for common themes and then comparing the scriptures therein, a picture emerges that traces the history of Mystery Babylon from the time of Nebuchadnezzar to the present day. It is an unbroken, historical phenomena with a continuous existence rather than a godless religious system set to appear in the last days. It is most definitely NOT the anti-God system that will exist under the rule of the Anti-Christ, although it is certainly in- strumental in setting the stage for that system. What follows is not an exhaustive treatise on Mystery Babylon. Information is still coming in and there is much more study to do. However, what follows should be sufficient information to identify Mystery Babylon in its past and present forms. Mystery Babylon is an evolving entity. Its basic character is unchanged but its out- ward appearance is changing. The main reason for understanding Mystery Babylon is that God has condemned it to destruction and has called His people to come out of her (Rev.18:1-4). 2 MYSTERY BABYLON SCENARIO OUTLINE The general outline for this study guide is found in three pas- sages of Scripture. They are Daniel chapter 7 and Revelation chap- ters 13 and 17. In Daniel 7 we have the prophecy given to Daniel in a vision where he sees four beasts which represent four, consecutive world empires. It is very important to note here that this vision is about events as they relate to the nation of Israel. This con- nection is stated in a related passage of Daniel where he is told: "Seventy weeks are determined upon your people and upon your holy city . ." Daniel 9:24 This is not to say that the events foretold have no bearing on the rest of the world. They certainly do. The point to see here is that the prophecies in Daniel and Revelation are given in context with the nation of Israel. In Daniel 7 the four beasts are a Lion, a Bear, a Leopard and a "dreadful and terrible" beast. These are later explained to Daniel as representing the Babylonian empire, the Media-Persian empire, the Greek empire and the Roman empire. Turning to Revelation 13:1-2 we see another beast that is a composite of what Daniel saw: "And the beast that I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like that of a bear, and his mouth like that of a lion . ." CHRONOLOGY At the time that Daniel received his vision, the nation of Israel was living in Babylon and nearing the end of their 70 year exile. This was about 539 B.C. When the apostle John received the Revelation, Rome was the existing empire and the time was about 90 A.D. The beast that John saw was yet future in his time. In the 600 years between the two prophecies, the four beast empires that Daniel had seen had all come and gone with the fourth, Rome, still in power. The relationship to the nation of Israel is as follows: During the Babylonian empire, Israel was in exile. With the coming of the Medes and Persians, Israel began to return to their homeland in Palestine. The time during the Greek empire is known as the intertestament period because it occurred between the completion of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New Testament. During this time, one of the most significant events that happened to Israel was the appearance of Antiochus Epiphanes. As recorded in the Book of the Maccabees, Antiochus committed the "Abomination of Desolation" described in Daniel 11:31 and 12:11. Finally, in the time of the Roman empire, two more significant events occurred af- fecting the nation of Israel; the Messiah came and Jerusalem was destroyed, scattering the Jews abroad. From this point on, there is no nation of Israel, and a few centuries later the Roman empire ended and there is no more world empire in existence. This condi- tion continued until the middle of the 20th century. Although people like Napoleon and Hitler attempted to rebuild the old Roman empire, none succeeded. It was a period of almost 2,000 years during which there was no world empire and there was no nation of Israel in existence. This situation began to change when in 1945 the United Nations was founded as a form of world government and in 1948 the nation of 3 Israel was reborn in Palestine. A simple table of these events looks something like this: THE FOUR SUCCESSIVE WORLD EMPIRES THE NATION OF ISRAEL =================================================================== Babylon Israel in exile. (Jer. 27) Babylon fell 539 BC Medes & Persians Israel returning home. 2d Temple dedicated 516 BC (Ezra & Nehemiah) Jerusalem decree 483 BC Ezra 7:6-7,9:9 Ezra returns 457 BC Nehemiah returns 446 BC Greeks 331 - 143 BC Antiochus appears, abomina- Abomination 167 - 164 BC tion of desolation, faith- full flee to wilderness. (Book of Maccabees, Dan.8:8- 12, 11:30-35, Rev.12:6&14) Romans Messiah appears, is rejected Messiah born 4 BC Jerusalem destroyed. Ministry began 27 AD Jerusalem destroyed 70 AD ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ No World Empire No Nation of Israel ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ United Nations formed 1945 Nation of Israel Reborn 1948 APPLICATION If we now look at the beast in Revelation 13 understanding that it is pictured as being like the four ancient empires, we can theorize that's its relationship to Israel will also be like that of the four ancient empires. It is significant that the last world em- pire, Rome, destroyed the nation of Israel and that the first successful attempt at world government since then, the U.N., was responsible for creating the nation of Israel by its declaration of May 5, 1948. A second element in this theory is that the Beast in Revelation is a revived form of the old Roman Empire and that the main events that happened to Israel during the four ancient empires will happen again during the time of the last world empire; but in a much shorter period of time. If this is true, we can expect to see some- thing like the following: 1. The majority of the Jewish people living in "exile", or out side of Israel (Diaspora) especially in "Mystery Babylon"; followed by: 2. A gradual, then accelerated return of the Jews to Israel. If true to form, the largest number of Jews should return immediately following the beginning of the destruction of 4 Mystery Babylon. 3. The appearance of the Anti-Christ in a manner analogous to that of Antiochus Epiphanes during the old Greek Empire. 4. The return of the Messiah to Jerusalem. With regard to (1), there has been a steady influx of Jews to Israel since 1948, with large groups coming in the last few years from Russia and Ethiopia. Presently (Spring 1994), the largest population of Jews in the world is in America, the greatest number of these in New York City.1 If the command of Revelation 18:4 to "Come out of her my people . ." is a command to the people of Israel to come out of Mystery Babylon, it strongly suggests that New York City is the city called Mystery Babylon in Revelation 17:18. We have more than just this suggestion. In the material that follows, a substantial body of evidence will be presented to document this conclusion. And if the sequence of events described above is ac- curate, the next major event on earth will be the destruction of Mystery Babylon. If the ancient sequence of world empires in Daniel is also a composit of the final world empire described in Revelation, then the picture in Revelation 17:3 is the "finished product". ". . and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns." Chapter 17 then explains that the woman is the city - Mystery Babylon. The beast represents the Anti-Christ's political and military power which initially includes ten subordinate kings (verses 12-13). These ten kings, we are told, destroy Mystery Babylon (verse 16). Recall that of the four ancient world empires in Daniel, Babylon was the first to be destroyed. So also here. We know from both Daniel and Revelation that during the last 3 1/2 years and just prior to his destruction by the Lord, Satan will present himself to the world as god and demand worship. It follows then, that not even the Babylonian religions will be tolerated at that time. The ten nations allied with the beast are the same as the ten toes on the image in Daniel 2:31-45. Remember that the whore in Revelation is separate and distinct from the beast in Revelation. The image in Daniel 2, although representing four distinct em- pires, is presented as a whole, or unit. There, Babylon is the head or beginning of this unit. Mystery Babylon is also at the head of things in Revelation as evidenced by the whore riding upon the back of the beast and by the language of Rev.17:15 where it says, ". . The waters that you saw where the whore sits are peoples, and multitudes and nations and tongues." The imagery is that of a city that exercises power over most, or all of the people on the earth. The ten kings then interrupt this rule and destroy this city. In ancient times, the kings that destroyed Babylon were the Medes and the Persians. So also it will be with Mystery Babylon: -------------------- 1. Currently there are about 3,500,000 Jews in Israel. 5 "Make bright the arrows; gather the shields: the LORD has raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes: for his device is against Babylon, to destroy it; because it [is] the venge- ance of the LORD, the vengeance of his temple. Set up the standard upon the walls of Babylon, make the watch strong, set up the watchmen, prepare the ambushes: for the LORD has both devised and done that which he spoke against the inhabitants of Babylon. O you that dwell upon many waters, abundant in treasures, your end is come, and the measure of your covetousness." and "Set up a standard in the land, blow the trumpet among the nations, prepare the nations against her, call together against her the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni, and Ashchenaz; appoint a captain against her; cause the horses to come up as the rough caterpillers. Prepare against her the nations with the kings of the Medes, the captains thereof, and all the rulers thereof, and all the land of his dominion." Jeremiah 51:11-13 & 27-28 Geographically, the area described above equates with modern day Iran, Iraq, Turkey and the former Soviet states of southwest Russia. These areas are predominantly Moslem today. The headquarters of the Islamic International Terrorist network is in Tehran, Iran.2 It is sufficient here to point out these Moslem nations are com- mitted enemies of the United Nations and the United States. The latter they refer to as "The Great Satan". The terrorist activities of the last decade have almost always originated among the Islamic groups and have always been aimed at Europe and the West in general. Presently, Iran is equipping itself with missiles from China and missile submarines from Russia. This indicates the potential of an escalation in the level of warfare directed against the west. Note also that their first major attack in North America was in New York City. If a major attack is launched against New York City and America that included nuclear weapons, the destruction would likely complete the fall of America as a major power. Already the economic aspects of that destruction are well advanced. Such events would trigger other events on the prophetic scenario. First, Israel's greatest ally would cease to exist. This would have a profound effect on their national security and the designs of their enemies. Second, the center of power on earth would shift. The European community would necessarily pull together and perhaps ally themselves with others. Japan would find itself suffering gigantic financial losses as well as the loss of a major market. Russia would be without a source of foreign aid and food. The whole planet would be in a tur- moil as various nations jockyed for position. The situation would be ripe for the appearance of a "Messiah". In our four-empire prophetic scenario, the Medes and Persians are followed by the Greeks. The signal event here being the appearance of the Anti-Christ, as prefigured by Antiochus Epiphanes. The principle Scriptures dealing with the Anti-Christ are found in Daniel and Revelation. In Daniel chapter 2 we have the story of the -------------------- 2. The folks that brought you the World Trade Center bombing. See the book Terror by Bodansky. 6 image in Nebuchadnezzar's dream that represents the four world em- pires. The very next chapter is, I believe, the story of the Anti- Christ. The King sets up an image and commands all to worship it. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refuse and are thrown into the fire where God delivers them. This is basically the same story as in Revelation 13 where those who refuse to worship the image of the beast are killed. The next reference to the Anti-Christ is in Daniel 7:24-26 where he is described as coming out of the 10 kings of the fourth and last kingdom. In chapter eight more detail is added. There the Anti-christ is described as coming up out of the remains of what was formerly Alexander's Greek empire. Verse 23 says this will happen in the "latter time of their kingdom." The Hebrew word here is Akhareet which means "last" or "end time". Further descriptions of the Anti-Christ and his work appear in Daniel 9:26-27 and 11:36-45. Taken together with the information in Revelation, the Anti-Christ is described as a powerful political ruler who will initially emerge in Europe with ten "kings" or "kingdoms" under his control. He will then move against Israel and declare himself to be god. His next act, in conjunction with the rise of the false prophet, will be to implement the "Mark of the Beast" described in Revelation 13. This begins the period described variously as "time, times, and half a time", 42 months or 1260 days. It concludes with the return of Jesus to destroy His enemies and es- tablish His kingdom on earth. The following chapters will explore Mystery Babylon in more detail by examining the religious, political and economic details provided in the Bible and comparing them with their present and historical manifestations. This material is not exhaustive; volumes could be and have been written. There is, hopefully, enough infor- mation to establish the concepts presented and with enough evidence to demonstrate their viability. 7 BABYLON THE SYSTEM HISTORICAL EVOLUTION To describe the operating system of modern day Babylon is to describe Babylon itself. It is this system that makes Babylon unique in history and among the nations of the earth. Ordinarily, when one describes a nation, present or ancient, one is involved in describing things like geographic location and size, industry and agriculture, language, religion, and economic and social customs. These form the characteristics that distinguish one nation from another. This method of description has only limited application to Babylon. Geographically, Babylon has no borders. It encompasses every form of human endeavor. The principle language of Babylon is English.3 The principle religion is anything anti-Christian, in- cluding atheism. Economics, particularly trade and credit, are the life blood and reason to exist in Babylon. The system itself has evolved over many centuries but its present form is less than one hundred years old. To trace its evolution from the beginning is to go back to ancient Babel, the fabled city founded by Nimrod in the land that is now called Iran. Nimrod was a great-grandson of Noah and lived between 2300 and 2200 B.C. Babel was the name given to the place where the tower of that same name was made. As the story goes, the people where all of one language and set out to build a city and a tower for themselves, ". . lest we be scattered abroad over the whole earth."4 God had other plans and the end result was that the people were scattered abroad. One of the goals of present day Babylon is to reverse this event by bringing all nations, languages and peoples under the con- trol of one government. The city and empire of ancient Babylon continued to around 539 B.C. when it was destroyed by Cyrus, King of the Medes and Persians. Just prior to that, Babylon was at the pinnacle of its glory, famous for its hanging gardens, gigantic walls and tremendous wealth. This time speaks more to Babylon the religion, but even then the mercan- tile system was well established and the source of much of Babylon's wealth. From here the trail leads to the land of Canaan, on the eastern end of the Mediterranean. This was the land of the Phoenicians or the "Sea Peoples".5 The system here appears fully mature in the island kingdom of Tyre. For hundreds of years Tyre was the commer- cial trading center of the Mediterranean and the middle east. The Tyrian specialty was maritime commerce and their trading ships, the largest of their day, sailed to all corners of the known world. There is even evidence to indicate that they reached the North American continent as early as 500 B.C.6 It was here, during the time of this far reaching trade, that evolved what is today the principal characteristic of the Babylonian system - the system of buying and selling without money.7 -------------------- 3. Throughout the world, English is considered the international language and the American Dollar is the international currency. 4. Genesis 11:4 5. The Hebrew word for Cannanite means a merchant or trader. 6. See America B.C. by Barry Fell 8 In a scenario that parallels that of England and America, cer- tain colonists departed from Tyre and founded a new capital called Carthage. One story says that they were seeking religious freedom. Later, as Tyre began to decline in power, Carthage rose to dominate Mediterranean trade until it was finally destroyed by the Romans in one of the greatest sea battles of ancient times. Both Tyre and Carthage shared common characteristics with modern Babylon in that they had no real geographic borders; only a capital city from which they ruled their trading empire. In fact, the word "Carthage" means "New Capitol City". Neither did they have a large military force, relying instead on foreign mercenaries. Hannibal, the famous general who crossed the Alps with elephants and defeated the Romans, was a Carthaginian general leading a mercenary army. Wars were costly however; and there was then no commercial incentive to prosecute them unless a greater monopoly or expansion in trade could be gained. After the fall of Carthage, the Babylonian merchant system sur- faced in Italy and then Europe. In Italy the system was connected with the northern region of Lombardia because by the twelfth century A.D. these Italian merchants were known throughout Europe as "Lombards". These moneylenders and merchants from Genoa, Lucca, Florence and Venice established themselves on Lombard Street in Lon- don and in the capital cities of Europe. They remitted money to Italy by bills of exchange, paying the Pope and the Roman church the fees due from the English church. They also loaned money to the government, taking a mortgage on tax receipts as security.8 In 1215, the Roman church demanded that all Jews wear a badge. Henry III used the anti-Jewish sentiment created by the Roman church as an excuse to plunder the Jewish bankers of the time by forcing them to make loans to the government and then refusing to pay them back.9 The Lombards displaced the Jews as moneylenders and the Jews were subsequently banished from England. London was founded by the Romans as a trading center about 45 A.D. They eventually made it a walled city, like Babylon; the walls remaining until the 1800s and marking the boundaries of the merchant and financial district which has remained more or less independent of the rest of England. Today, the main street in the financial district of London is Lombard street. It is there that you find some of the biggest names in international banking and insurance, including Lloyds of London and the Bank of England. A gold-market is held every morning at Rothschild's Bank. The gold bullion market is handled by four brokers, one of which is Rothschild's, who also represents the Bank of England.10 These financial interests have long had a profound influence on -------------------- 7. See chapter on SYSTEM OPERATION 8. The U.S. Internal Revenue Service operates on this same proceedure. Loans of credit to the U.S. government are secured by the income tax which is collected by the IRS and paid to the Federal Reserve Banking system. 9. A History of London by Robert Gray. 10. The City of London by Mary Cathcart Borer. 9 life in America. In the 1820s, many of the leading families of New England, including the Cabots, Higginsons, and Sedgwicks had been recruited as junior partners in the British East Indies opium trade, and were, in philosophical outlook as well as political allegiance, outright traitors to America. They were quite willing to promote their own wealth at the expense of those addicted to drugs. And like the merchant elite of London, they had no political allegience to any country. Their country, their god and their reason to exist was the accumulation of wealth and power. In a word, they chose to serve Mammon. The connection between English and American banks with the drug trade is an old one. The history of the word Apothecary illustrates this. The Latin word Apothecarius means "a storekeeper". In England up to the 17th century, an apothecary sold general merchan- dise. After that time, they separated from the Company of Grocers and limited themselves to the sale of drugs only. There must have been a financial reason behind this. The city of Hong Kong was originally founded as a British port from which to distribute opium grown in India. These were the years in the period after the Battle of Waterloo when the British Empire, victorious in war and unchallenged economically, had truly emerged as a ``One-World'' empire. In June of 1825, the German republican and economist Friedrich List arrived in the United States at the in- vitation of the Marquis de Lafayette. In America, List found the American Constitutional Republic, which mandated lawful money of gold and silver, was under assault from an alliance of pro-British opium merchants, slave owners, and bankers. Their goal was the abolition of the National Bank, the removal of tariffs and a finan- cial system based on usury and speculation. These goals were the product of a London-based conspiracy of merchant bankers. The leaders of the conspiracy were members of ``free trade clubs''(Like NAFTA), many of which were official branches of free trade societies headquartered in London, and many of these individuals later joined the infamous pro-Confederacy Cobden Clubs, which were also based in London. Evidence surfaced in 1991 that Congressman Richard Gephardt is a member, or at least a supporter, of the Cobden Clubs. In Sep- tember of that year a meeting was held in Des Moines, Iowa, spon- sored by the Cobden Clubs. The subject matter of the meeting was titled "Initiative for ECO-92 Earth Charter" and under the title of "Secretariat for World Order" was Gephardt's office phone number. One statement taken from their paper is particularly pertinent: "We are the living sponsors of the great Cecil Rhodes will of 1877, in which Rhodes devoted his fortune to: `The extension of British rule throughout the world . . . the colonization by British subjects of the entire continent of Africa, the Holy Land, the Valley of the Euphrates, the islands of Cyprus and Candia, the whole of South America, the islands of the Pacific not heretofore possessed by Great Britain, the whole of the Malay Archipelago, the seaboard of China and Japan, and the ultimate recovery of the United States of America as an integral part of the British Empire'". It appears that they are well on their way to achieving their goal. The final step on our journey takes us from London to Manhattan Island in New York City. This is the home of the United Nations, Babylon's political/military arm, the New York Stock Exchange and several international banks. This is the home of the world's power 10 brokers, the people who buy and sell kings and kingdoms and for whom war and conquest are matters of daily business. This is the home of the World Trade Center, the Council on Foreign Relations and the Trilateral Commission. And although there are still connections with the parent city of London, New York City is the political, military and commercial capital of the Mystery Babylon of Revelation 17. Or, to state it in Biblical terms, New York City is the "Daughter of Babylon". This is not to say that America is Babylon, although American politicians and merchants are certainly among the major players. The American Republic that was founded upon the principle of elected representation has been replaced with a puppet government inhabited by merchant politicians that migrate between political office and corporate board rooms. Legally speaking, the United Nations property is not U.S. property. It is politically independent of all nations and sovereign in its own right. A foreign island off the coast of America. There are two other similar "islands" on earth. One is the "City of London". Located within London proper, it is a small enclave of merchants, bankers and insurers that are independent of the British Crown. The "City" is a sort of financial capitol of the world. It is here that the daily price of gold is set. The third "island" is Vatican City in Rome. About one-sixth of a square mile in size, it contains St. Peters and the Papal Palace. It has its own government, independent of Italy, and functions as a religious capitol for the world. And not just for Catholics. The Vatican figures promenently in the religious history of past and present Babylon (See chapter Babylon the Religion). Today, the Pope is one of the key players in the global movement toward a one-world religion. In concert with Gorbechev of Russia and the Tibeten Dali Lama, the Pope has been speaking to large audiences on "our common spiritual heritage". The rulers of Mystery Babylon are unlike any others. They give allegiance to no nation, king or government. On the contrary, they own a good many nations, kings and governments. Their form of government is more like a global Chamber of Commerce than a politi- cal body. The only law they recognize is the Law Merchant, by which they enforce their conquest and subjugation of the rest of the world through the vehicle of credit and debt. Their military force is composed of people drawn from the nations that they control, com- bined under the banner of the U.N. Police force and directed from the U.N. Security Council. Understand that the security referred to here is the security of the Babylonian System, and has nothing to do with protecting the people of the earth, or individual nations. Up until about 1950 it was necessary to preserve the illusion of independent nations and governments on earth. Babylon did not at that time have its power consolidated enough to come out in the open. Today, however, the mask is coming off. Using trickery, deceit, propaganda, terror and military force, Babylon is asserting itself as the master of the earth under the flag of the New World Order. Not new, really. The plan is as old as Nimrod and their stated intentions have been printed on the back of their currency for decades, to wit: "Novus Ordo Seclorum". And, like the people of Nimrod's time, they have again failed to take into consideration the fact that God has other plans. 11 BABYLON THE RELIGION To describe the religious character of Babylon we will begin with the description of Mystery Babylon given in the book of Revela- tion. Revelation 17: 3 "So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. 4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: 5 And upon her forehead [was] a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. 9 And here [is] the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sits. 18 And the woman which thou saw is that great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth." Revelation 18: 3 "For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are made rich through the abundance of her delicacies." Babylon is here described as a city seated on seven mountains which rules over and commits fornication with the kings of the earth while enriching the merchants of the earth. Right off we should notice that this city is an asset to merchants but a ruler over kings. But what does this have to do with religion? The two principle deities of ancient Babylon were Baal and Ish- tar. Baal was the god of war and the elements and Ishtar the god- dess of fertility - both human and agricultural. These two deities have roots going back before Babylon to Nimrod at Babel and to Assyria. Through the ages they were imported into other nations and under different names but always retaining the same basic charac- teristics. Baal was also called Bel, Baalat, Molech, Merodach, Mars and Jupiter, and was frequently represented as a bull. Ishtar was also called Aphrodite, Astarte, Ashtoreth, Cybele or Sybil, Diana, Europa, Isis, Semiramis and Venus. The two main elements in the worship of Baal were fire and human sacrifice, usually children. Ishtar was worshipped via offerings of produce and money as well as though fornication with temple prostitutes. It is this last charac- teristic that helps make the tie between religious Babylon and kings and merchants. In his book The Secret of Crete, H.G. Wunderlich reports that before marriage, every woman in Babylon was required to go to the temple of Ishtar and lie with a stranger. We have a similar report from Gerhard Herm in his book, The Phoenicians11 , where women in the Canaanite cities of Tyre, Sidon and Byblos were required to be- come prostitutes for a day and give themselves to foreign guests -------------------- 11. See also Herodotus' Histories 12 during the spring festival. This festival survives today in the name of "Easter", which is derived from the word "Ishtar". Note that the women were to prostitute themselves with strangers or for- eigners. In ancient times, the foreigners in these cities were mostly composed of traveling merchants and political dignitaries. In the third century A.D. the historian Eusebius described the patrons of these temples in this way: "It was a school of godlessness for those dissipated men, who had ruined their bodies in the pursuit of luxuriousness. The men were soft and effeminate, were no longer men; they had betrayed the honor of their sex; they believed they must worship their god with impure lust." This association between temple prostitutes and merchants and kings gives insight into the imagery of Revelation 18:3, Isaiah 23:17, 47:12-15 and Nahum 3:4. Perhaps the best picture we have of the great Harlot of Revela- tion is in the story of the ancient kingdom-city of Tyre. The golden age of Tyre was in the ninth century B.C. At that time the merchant princes of Tyre enjoyed a near monopoly on maritime trade in the Mediterranean. Merchants and caravans of goods from all over the world converged at Tyre to trade. Ezekiel 27 gives a good description of Tyre's merchant empire including language that closely parallels that in Revelation 18. It was at this time also that Tyre figured prominently in the history of Israel. King Ahab of Israel married Jezebel, the daughter of Ethbaal, king of Sidon. According to Josephus, Ethbaal was originally a priest of Astarte who gained the throne by murdering the last descendant of Hiram I, king of Tyre; eventually becoming king of both Tyre and Sidon. Ahab earned the distinction of ". . doing evil in the sight of the Lord above all that were before him." (I Kings 16:30). Ahab, no doubt with strong encouragement from Jezebel, introduced the worship of Baal and Astarte in Israel, which lead eventually to the confronta- tion with Elijah as described in I kings 18. This is the same Elijah who is to appear "before the coming of the great and dreadful Day of the Lord." (Malachi 4:5) And later Athalia, Jezebel's daugh- ter, married Jehoram King of Judah. Athalia promoted the worship of Baal in Judah as her mother had done in Israel. So we have here, on a little island off the coast of Palestine, a powerful kingdom of merchant princes that ruled by trade over much of the civilized world of the time. Their deities were Baal and As- tarte and their system of law was the law of merchants, with the pagan temples serving also as banks.12 The basis of life was busi- ness and profit was the supreme goal. Later, these characteristics were just as prominent in Carthage which began as a colonial outpost of Tyre and later grew in power and wealth to surpass its parent. Carthage too, was a city devoted to Baal and Astarte. Near the end of its life and at war with Rome, the citizens of Carthage sacrificed their children in the fires of Molech to gain the favor of this god in their battles. Appropriately, they lost, and the Romans destroyed the city and sowed the land with salt. Returning to Revelation 17 at verse 9, we see that this city, Mystery Babylon, is sitting on seven hills or mountains. This is the clue that leads to the next manifestation of the Babylonian -------------------- 12. See chapter "Notes". 13 religion. Thus far we have traced it from its source in Mesopotamia to the Canaanite cites of Tyre and Sidon, on to Carthage and next to Rome. Since ancient times, Rome has been known as the city on seven hills. The Roman poet Propertius called it, "The lofty city on seven hills, which governs the whole world." Recall that it was the Romans that destroyed Carthage, but even before that time the Babylonian deities had found a home in Rome. For a really complete study of this subject the reader is invited to read The Two Babylons by Alexander Hislop. For now, it is sufficient to note that by the time of the Roman empire, Baal and Ishtar were flourishing under various names throughout the Mediterranean. One interesting example of Ishtar was the goddess of Crete - Europa. According to Herodotus, Europa was the daughter of the king of Tyre and was kidnapped by Greeks and carried across the sea to Crete. It was after this par- ticular goddess that the continent of Europe is named. To the Greeks she was Aphrodite; to the Romans she was known as Venus. With the decline and fall of the Roman empire, the City on Seven Hills became the seat of a new type of power. New in form, but the same in substance and speaking the same language - Latin. The most ancient characteristics of Ishtar again came to the fore as the Goddess-Mother. Again, Hislop's book gives a detailed story of the rebirth of this religion as the Roman Church. One example that illustrates is a coin struck by Pope Leo XII in 1825. On one side is the pope's own image. On the other side is the image of a woman holding a cup with the legend "Sedet super universum" or "The whole world is her seat. "And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication." Revelation 17:4 "And he said unto me, the waters which you saw, where the whore sits, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations and tongues." Revelation 17:15 That the Roman church was once a great political power is a histori- cal fact. As late as the 15th century A.D., decrees from the Pope called upon European kings to raise armies against individual kings and countries that refused to submit to the authority of Rome. In much the same way today, decrees go forth from the United Nations Security Council which assembles armies from member nations and sends them out to punish "disobedient" nations. Witness Sadam Hus- sien or Somolia. To get back to the religious theme, we have the "Queen of Heaven" from ancient Babylon reborn as the Roman Madonna. Worship that belongs to the Son of God is being directed at a Roman goddess. So then, where is this "religious Babylon" today? Certainly, the Roman church and the worship of Mary are still major components of the world's religion. Among the religions experiencing a growth in popularity are the ancient pantheistic religions. Generally, these beliefs see the universe as god, rather than His creation. A recent newspaper story illustrates: (From the Pittsburgh, Pa. Post-Gazette) A conference held 11/93 in Minnesota by a coalition of liberal Protestant churches and Catholic groups, entitled 14 "Re-Imagining...God, Community, The Church", has spawned con- troversy about those churches' central offices' propagation of leftist political doctrine and ancient paganism in the name of equality for women in religion. The conference honored the World Council of Churches' "Decade of Churches in Solidarity with Women." This conference, which was attended by 2,200 women, has created a major backlash in the denominations that were the conference's main sponsors, particularly the Presbyterian Church USA and the United Methodist Church. Many individual local clergy, together with congregants and local lay leaders, are sharply questioning both the conference and their denomination's role in funding and organizing it. The dispute centers on participants' invoking "Sophia" as a substitute for Jesus in their prayers: `"Our maker Sophia, we are women in your image. With the hot blood of our wombs we give form to new life...Sophia, Creator God, let your milk and honey flow." "Our sweet Sophia, we are women in your image; With nec- tar between our thighs we invite a lover...with our warm body fluids we remind the world of its pleasures and sensa- tions..." "We celebrate the sweat that pours from us during our labors...our oneness with earth and water."' Members of the denominations involved who oppose the con- ference accuse these prayers of worshiping a pagan goddess. The prayers quoted above represent an effort by con- ference participants to create a new Protestant liturgy from a group of ancient Mideastern pagan goddess religions that originated in what is now Iraq thousands of years ago and spread widely throughout the central Mideast. Religious rituals performed by participants in those goddess religions worshiped idols, sacrificed children by throwing them from stone idols into live fires, and performed ritual prostitu- tion. At this conference, a professor from Union Theological Seminary opposed the classic Christian doctrine that Jesus died for human sin on the grounds that doctrine offended black women due to their oppression by substitution as mammies. She also stated that Paul's support of slavery gave `"black women ... historical license for ignoring Paul."' The Presbyterian Church USA provided $66,000 in denominational funds to promote the conference. Its director of its Women's Ministry Unit was on the conference's steering committee. The United Methodist Church provided $30,500 in denominational funds to send 56 people to the conference, in- cluding staffers from its national Women's Division and regional vice-presidents. Both yuppie New Agers and American Indians revere "Mother Earth". At the 1986 Fourth World Wilderness Conference held in Colorado13 , which was advertised as a symposium on ecology, there -------------------- 13. Detailed printed and video documentation of the Fourth World Wilderness Conference is available from George Hunt, 95 Camino 15 were delegations present representing the Catholics, all the major Protestant denominations and also Hindu and "earth" religions. And if that wasn't incongruous, one of the principal speakers at the conference was Baron Edmund de Rothschild, president of the Bank of England. What is it that they all have in common? Just this: they are all opposed to Jesus Christ and His Word. Another illustration was the "Earth Day" celebration in 1990 where all the world's major religions participated in ceremonies honoring "Mother Earth." The religious leaders at theses conferences are for the most part, pawns. The merchant interests, represented by Rothschild, David Rockefeller and Maurice Strong of Canada, have since been manipulating both the religious and political powers on earth under the guise of "saving the earth". Witness the growth of environmen- tal regulation and ecology movements. Rest assured that these men care nothing about protecting the earth or its resources. What they care about is control. They desire to control the earth and all of its wealth. To that end they are empowering governments to police and enforce their will and promoting a religious mindset that will minimize resistance among the masses. Like the various forms of Baal and Ishtar in the past, the religion of modern Babylon is a synthesis of the anti-God religions of today. They openly acknow- ledge that the only people who will not fit into this "New World Order" are the Christians. The real Christians who are born of the Spirit of God and who recognize no king but Jesus. If there is one basic theme that is pictured in the great pros- titute described in Revelation it is idolatry. Many times in the Old Testament God uses adultery or prostitution as an analogy to describe the religious defection that occurs when people worship false gods. One of the oldest examples is that of Egypt. Originally, God called Abram out of "Ur of the Chaldees", the land of Babylon. Later, He called the nation of Israel out of Egypt and after their 70 years in exile He again called them out of Babylon. It is a recurring theme in the Bible. There is yet one more occa- sion to come out of Babylon. In ancient Egypt, one of the principle deities was Ra, the sun god. Ra was represented in different ways and these images have been found painted or carved on the monuments in Egypt. The most common being the obelisk. An obelisk is a tall, narrow stone monu- ment with four sides and a pyramid point on top. The Washington Monument is an obelisk. Obelisks, it turns out, also figure in the story of Mystery Babylon. The ancient Egyptian city of Heliopolis, just north of present day Cairo, was dedicated to the sun god Ra and contained many obelisks. Other obelisks were erected around Egypt at places like Thebes, Memphis and Tanis. Some of these have been transplanted. One was imported by the Emperor Constantine from Thebes around 357 A.D. Originally it was destined for Constantinople but Constantine died before this was accomplished and his son Constantius brought it to Rome where it now stands in the Piazza San Giovanni in Laterano. The obelisk at St. Peter's Basilica was originally brought to Alexandria by Caesar Augustus. In 37 A.D. the emperor Caligula transfered it to Rome and set it up in the Vatican Circus. It was moved to its present location on May 9, 1586. May 9th is one of three days that the Romans reserved for worship of the dead; called Lemuria. -------------------- Bosque, Boulder, Colorado 80302 16 All total, there are presently 13 Egyptian obelisks in the city of Rome. Seven were inscribed by pharaohs and two more by Roman em- perors. All were brought to Rome before 400 A.D. and their his- tories show that they were associated with the Temples of Isis. A pair of obelisks called Cleopatra's Needles were imported in the late 19th century. This pair originally stood in front of the Temple of the Sun in Heliopolis where they had been erected by Tuth- mosis III in 1468 B.C., about the time of the exodus. About 10 B.C. they were taken to Alexandria. There they were set up before the Caesarium, the temple of the deified Julius Caesar, mounted upon bronze crabs which were symbols of the Roman sun god. They were moved one more time. One now stands by the Thames river in London, near the financial center, where it was set up in 1878. The other is in Central Park in New York City. On October 9, 1880 a ceremony was held when the pedestal was set in place for the obelisk in New York City. Presiding over that ceremony was the Grand Master of the Masons of New York. Later, the obelisk itself was set upon the pedestal and on February 22, 1881 a presentation ceremony was held. At that ceremony a long speech was made by then U.S. Secretary of State, William Maxwell Evarts. In that speech Evarts commented on the fact that in the past, the As- syrian, Roman and Byzantine empires had also taken Egyptian obelisks and set them up in their own land and subsequently their empires came to an end. "What" he asked, "would become of England, France and the United States, who had also taken Egyptian obelisks?" Yet another obelisk is in Paris. It was brought from the Temple in Luxor (Thebes) and erected in Paris on October 25, 1833.14 It is difficult to escape the impression that these ancient monu- ments to the gods seem to be following the gods as they move from kingdom to kingdom. All the more incredible when you consider that the average weight of each is well over 200 tons. There are other religious monuments from the past that require mentioning. As noted earlier, the first banks were located in pagan temples. One of the more famous was the temple of Diana (Artemis)15 located in ancient Ephesus. It was considered one of the wonders of the ancient world and it has been estimated that as many as one thousand cult prostitutes served there. The temple served also as as a bank for kings and merchants as well as an asylum for fleeing criminals. The original Bank of England was patterned by the architect after the Temple of Sybil in Tivoli (near Rome), complete with Corinthian columns. Building banks to look like Greek and Roman columned temples was also common practice in America up until the turn of the century. The name Sybil means "soothsayer". It is from the Latin Sibylia which means "witch, sorceress or fortuneteller". How appropriate: "And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in you; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in you; for your merchants were the great men of the earth, and by your sorceries were all nations deceived." Revelation 18:23 -------------------- 14. Obelisk data from The Obelisks of Egypt by Labib Habachi. 15. See Notes. 17 Note here that the City of London was originally founded as a walled city, like Babylon, by the Romans about 45 A.D. From its inception it was a commercial trading center. The Roman historian Tacitus records that by 60 A.D. London was "famed for commerce and crowded with traders." Early in the 8th century, Venerable Mede, a monk of Northumbria, refered to London as "a marketplace for many peoples, who come by land and by sea."16 Early in the 13th century the City gained royal recognition of its right to govern itself independent of the Crown and even after the walls came down in the 18th century, the City retained its independence from the rest of the capital.17 Today, the City is a small but powerful "island" off the coast of Europe; much like ancient Tyre was a powerful merchant capital off the coast of Palestine. Both, in their time, have been world renowned as capitals of a merchant marine empire that ruled the seas. And both contain(ed) temples and monuments dedicated to idols. For example, the cult of Isis and Osiris and their son Horus were established early in Roman London along with Cybele, the Great Mother Goddess of Asia minor.18 Near London Bridge, a statuette of Harpocrates, son of the Egyptian goddess Isis was dredged from the Thames river.19 To help see the connection between pagan religion and wealth as basic components of Babylon, the Bible gives an interesting "snap- shot" in Acts 19:21-28. The setting is the city of Ephesus. A con- flict arose between the Apostle Paul and the local silversmiths who made their living making silver shrines for the worship of Diana.20 This event that happened in a city of the first century A.D. is a small scale picture of the conflict that is coming upon the entire world now. At its most basic level, it is Christianity against Babylonian idolatry. And God has embedded a clue in the text. In verse 25, Demetrius the silversmith is addressing his fellow craftsmen and he says, ". . you know that by this craft we have our wealth." The word "wealth" is translated from the Greek "euporia". Each of the Greek letters in this word have a numerical value, which, when added up, equal 666. Idolatry and wealth are trademark characteris- tics of Babylonian type world empires throughout the Bible. Isaiah 14:4 "You shall take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How has the oppressor ceased! The golden city ceased!" -------------------- 16. A History of London by Robert Gray. 17. A History of London by Robert Gray. 18. The City of London by Mary Cathcart Borer. 19. The Obelisks of Egypt by Labib Habachi. 20. The central European banking computer in Luxemburg connects all European banks with banks around the world using a system called DIANE which stands for Direct Information Access Network Europe. 18 Ezek.27:33 ". . What city is like Tyre, like the destroyed in the midst of the sea? When your wares went forth out of the seas, you filled many people; you enriched the kings of the earth with the multitude of your riches and your merchandise." Isaiah 47: 1." Come down, and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon, sit on the ground: there is no throne, O daughter ofthe Chaldeans: for you shall no more be called tender and delicate. 5. Sit in silence, and get into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for you shall no more be called, The lady of kingdoms. 6. I was angry with my people, I have polluted my in- heritance, and given them into your hand: you showed them no mercy; upon the ancient you have heavily laid your yoke. 7. And you said, I shall be a lady for ever: so that you did not lay these things to heart, neither did remember the latter end of it. 8. Therefore hear now this, you that are given to pleasures, that dwell carelessly, that say in your heart, I am, and none else beside me; I shall not sit as a widow, neither shall I know the loss of children: 9. But these two things shall come to you in a moment in one day, the loss of children, and widowhood: they shall come upon you in their perfection for the multitude of your sor- ceries, and for the great abundance of your enchantments. 13. You are wearied in the multitude of your counselors. Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognos- ticators, stand up, and save you from these things that shall come upon you. 14. Behold, they shall be as stubble; the fire shall burn them; 15. Thus shall they be unto you with whom you have labored, even your merchants, from your youth: they shall wander every one to his quarter; none shall save you." Nahum 3: 4. "Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the wellfavored harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts, that sells nations through her whoredoms, and families through her witchcrafts." Revelation 18: 3. "For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are made rich through the abundance of her delicacies." These and similar Bible passages take on a whole new meaning when the historical connection between idolatry and commercial/political power is understood. 19 BABYLON THE SYSTEM SYSTEM OPERATION To really understand the mechanics of the Babylonian system, the reader will need to develop a much bigger perspective than is commonly held. The first thing to comprehend is: THERE IS NO MONEY Whether you define it from American law, Common law or the example of history, the only valid definition of "money" is gold or silver; and that usually in coined form. So then, when we say that "There is no money", it is to be understood that there is no gold and sil- ver presently circulating as money in the marketplace. So where is the money? Therein begins the tale. It is known from archaeological works that contracts for the payment of money go back to before 1,000 B.C. Once business and trade expanded beyond a local barter level, it demanded a means wherby loans, extensions of credit and title to goods could be ac- comodated. Loans where contracted with a promissory note and secured by a lien or mortgage. In similar fashion, payment for goods or services might be deferred to a later date by the seller extending credit (trust) to the buyer. Again, a promissory note or similar written obligation was used. Where a sale was made without the immediate delivery of the goods to the buyer, the seller could tender a Bill of Exchange. Likewise, a buyer might tender a Draft, which is an order to pay money. These and other written documents evolved over time among merchants. They were the custom and later the law among merchants and the rules governing the use of these documents became known as the Law Merchant. The first thing to note here is that this body of law was not local to any one nation but governed among all nations. Second, the law was not the work of legislative bodies (government) but of private individuals. The Law Merchant, therefore, is PRIVATE INTERNATIONAL LAW.21 When and where does the Law Merchant apply? Whenever and wherever people engage in the use of Commercial Paper (Bills, Notes, Checks, etc.), their actions are governed by the Law Merchant. Today, the Law Merchant is codified in each State within the Uniform Commercial Code and enforced by all courts, both State and Federal.22 Prior to about 1965, commercial paper functioned in the marketplace alongside money with the understanding that the final completion of every transaction would be the payment of money. It had been thus for thousands of years. Even with this understanding, though, people began to treat commercial paper as though it were money and the distinction between the two was lost. A one Dollar U.S. silver certificate was understood to be exchangable for one U.S. Dollar of silver. A check that ordered the payment of "Ten Dollars" was exchangable for ten U.S. Dollars of silver or gold. As long as the promise of redemption was good, people were content to buy and sell with the paper and let the bank or the government hold the gold and silver. It was just a matter of time then, before the real money stopped circulating and all business was accomplished with the "money substitutes". It is at this point that Babylon en- -------------------- 21. History of the Law Merchant by Helen West Bradlee, Suffolk Bar, Boston 1929 (See Supplement) 22. See U.C.C. 1-103 or your State's analog. 20 ters the picture by way of fraud. In their own words: "At one time, bankers were merely middlemen. They made a profit by accepting gold and coins brought to them for safekeeping and lending them to borrowers. But they soon found that the receipts they issued to depositors were being used as a means of payment. These receipts were acceptable as money since whoever held them could go to the banker and exchange them for metallic money. Then, bankers discovered that they could make loans merely by giving borrowers their promises to pay (bank notes). In this way, banks began to create money."23 In case it isn't obvious, to loan a promise is not the same as to loan money. Nevertheless, since very few people can distinguish be- tween money (gold or silver) and a promise (paper), the Babylonian system was soon accumulating wealth and power through the simple process of loaning fraudulent promises. For as long as people believe that promises on paper are money, the system will thrive and grow. The final evolutionary step in this system will be complete when the paper promises (checks, CDs and bank notes) are completely replaced by electronic accounting entries in a bank's computer. As of January 1994, this process is 91% complete; which is to say, that 91% of the U.S. "money" supply exists ONLY as an electronic book- keeping entry.24 On the world scene, the above situation is the same in every country on earth. Each country has a central bank which issues the currency of that country. Through various institutions and agree- ments, like the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the Bretton Woods Agreements, these central banks are interconnected and controlled. And since all governments and most people are financed by loans from this system, the governments, and hence the people, are also controlled. Presently, there is an implantable microchip in the final stages of design and testing that will enable implanted people to interact directly with the system.25 Besides storing personal and identification data, the chip will take the place of checks, credit cards and tangible money. The system described in Revelation 13:16-17 is, therefore, a present day reality, awaiting only full implementation. Wealth is not the only goal of the System. It is a quest for absolute power and control of the earth. The power behind it is the Devil himself: Isaiah 14: 4. You shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How has the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased! 5. The LORD has broken the staff of the wicked, [and] the sceptre of the rulers. -------------------- 23. From Modern Money Mechanics, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, 1982. 24. Richard D. Porter of the Federal Reserve Board, Reader's Digest February 1994, page 25. 25. Described by Dr. Carl Sanders, Trumpet Ministries 510 Main St. #4 Cottage Grove, Oregon 97424 21 6. He who smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he that ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted, [and] none hinders. 12. How art you fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! [how] are you cut down to the ground, which did weaken the nations! 13. For you have said in your heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. The earthly manifestations of this satanic scheme may be seen in such institutions as the previously mentioned World Bank and IMF and in political structures, most notably the United Nations. The U.N. is the visible component of the World government. Since its incep- tion in 1945, its makers have worked steadily to increase its pres- tige and power in the world. Whether by treaty or through the exer- cise of brute force, the U.N. has brought most of the people of the earth under its control. It is probably accurate to say that the U.N. building in New York City is the literal throne of Babylon. The power behind the throne lies with the international merchant and banking interests, who, through their control of all economic ac- tivity, manipulate governments so as to suppress all liberties and freedoms, especially economic freedom. In a Russia or an El Sal- vador, freedoms are suppressed by communist force of arms. As a system, communism is incapable of even feeding itself so it should be obvious that to acquire the level of expensive armaments common to communist tyrannies, an outside source of funding is required. That source is the merchant bankers and has been since the beginning of communism.26 In countries like England or America, freedom and productivity are suppressed via taxation and regulation. Taxation functions in America as a device to keep the producers poor while directing their wealth to the support of oppresive foreign govern- ments. Under the U.S. Constitution, the federal government was never empowered to levy a tax directly on a citizen. They were to be levied on the states in proportion to their populations. The stated purpose of the tax would have to first be approved by the people, through their representatives, before the tax was levied and collected. Under the Babylonian system, funding for all federal ac- tivity is obtained by "borrowing" credit from the merchant bankers (Federal Reserve System). The bill is then passed on to the citizens in the form of federal debt and taxation. The effect is to transfer the real wealth and goods of the people into the hands of bankers as payment on a "debt" that is composed only of bookkeeping entries. Further, since the only "money" is monetized debt equal to the principal amount of the loan, it is mathamatically impossible to pay off the debt because no "money" exists to pay the accumulated interest. War is big business. Wars are fought between governments, financed by bankers and paid for by people. Since the late 18th century, banks have made large profits financing war. Sometimes they would even finance both sides of a conflict. With the coming of the first and second world wars, the profit from war reached -------------------- 26. See Trading with the Enemy by Charles Higham or The Praetorian Guard: The U.S. Role in the New World Order by John Stockwell 22 unimaginable levels. The profits were reaped by the military and industrial businesses and the banks that financed the governments who bought from them. Dupont, General Motors, I.G. Farben, Standard Oil, British Petroleum and hundreds of others all grew to global proportions through war profits. Note the Scripture, "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." Ephesians 6:12 The Greek root words for "principalities" and "powers" are ARCHO and EXON. And like the ancient "Ships of Tarshish" that carried the wealth of Tyre, the biggest ships today are petroleum supertankers. To summarize, the power of the Babylonian System is based on the absolute control of credit (considered money by the masses), which in turn gives it absolute control of wealth, political power and military might. Attendent to this system is the belief system which preaches that the State is god and therefore absolute in its decrees over the individual or the masses. To those who believe it, the State has displaced God as Lawgiver, Provider, Protector, Savior and Judge. This claim brings the ultimate question for every in- dividual into sharp focus, "WHO IS LORD?" 23 NOTES THE GODS 1.DIANA In Roman mythology, Diana was paired or "coupled" with Her- cules. The same as the Diana in Acts 19, and essentially the same as Ceres in function. In Rome she was second only to Jupiter. Her cult day was August 13. Strong's # 0735 Artemis AV - Diana 1) Artemis, that is to say the so called Tauric or Persian or Ephesian Artemis, the goddess of many Asiatic people, to be distinguished from the Artemis of the Greeks, the sister of Apollo. A very splendid temple was built to her at Ephesus, which was set on fire by Herostratus and reduced to ashes; but afterwards in the times of Alexander the Great, it was rebuilt in a style of greater magnificence. 2. EUROPA In greek mythology, Europa is the daughter of the King of Tyre, Agenor. She was carried away by Zeus to the island of Crete. The name Europe was originally given to central Greece and later to the continent. 3. HERCULES First established in the Roman Empire at the city of Tivoli as the protector of traders. Coincidentally, the architect for the Bank of England patterned his design after the temple of Sybil in Tivoli. 4. ISHTAR Considered the greatest goddess of Assyria and Babylonia. She was the goddess of love and fertility and her temples were served by cult prostitutes. She was also considered the goddess of war and is sometimes represented riding a lion. 5. ISIS The greatest Egyptian goddess. Revered as the "Great Mother" and goddess of fertility. Sometimes represented by a star, she was adopted by the Greeks and Romans as a sky goddess. Her cult spread throughout Europe and Britain. 6.JUNO The priests were the bankers in Babylonia 4,000 years ago, and later on in Greece and Rome. And like our own institutions of today the temple banks would make loans on all sorts of collateral and store the documents pertaining to loans or sales in their ar- chives. Forty centuries ago they were accepting orders to pay from the account of one client to another. They acted as commission men, buying up products for customers. They attached crops to cover loans. They stored goods and other valuables in their vaults, and accepted deposit fees. They entered into partnership with local and foreign traders, advanced the money for various enterprises, and later on took their share of the profits. As a matter of rather interesting record the first Egyptian bankers and even the earliest English moneychangers conducted their business sitting on a bench, and this word bench gave us our term "bank," The bench was usually located in a courtyard of the temple, and it was from just such a temple-bank that Christ drove the moneychangers. The Old Italian word for bench is "banca", borrowed incidentally from Germanic, and this easily gave us our modern word bank. In the days of Babylon and Egypt there were those unfortunate men who go bankrupt. The "rupt" part of this word meant "broken" in 24 Latin, so when a man is bankrupt his "bench is broken." In Roman mythology Juno Regina was supposed to be the wife of Jupiter and Queen of the Heavens. Juno assumed many characters and had a host of divine responsibilities. She watched over women, protected maidenhood, guided girls through the rites of marriage. She was the savior, the war-goddess, the moon-goddess, but, most im- portant of all, she was the goddess of warning. The Romans were so grateful to Juno for telling them about the dangers ahead on various occasions that they built a temple to her on the Capitoline Hill and when coinage was devised they set their mint in her temple, and as Juno Moneta, the goddess became the guar- dian of finances. Her name Moneta was derived from the Latin word moneo, "warn", and finally entered Old French as "moneie", and thus eventually be- came our word "money". 7.JUPITER (From Zeus-pater). As Jupiter or Zeus, the supreme god in Rome and Greece. There was a temple to Jupiter in Tyre where King Hiram dedicated a golden pillar. Hiram also built temples to Her- cules and Astarte. The Samaritans under Antiochus named their temple for Jupiter Hellenius.27 8. MERCURY Hermes in the Greek, Mercurius in Rome. Honored on May 15th as the god of trade. 9. MITHRA The most renowned of all pagan cults followed in Roman London was Mithraism. Mithra being the "God of Light".28 Mithra was a god that originated in ancient Persia whose name means "Contract" and "Friendship". In the third century A.D., Diocletian declared Mithras "Protector of the Roman Empire". Statues of Mithras had "rays" emanating from the crown, like the Statue of Liberty. In the east, Mithra is known by the name of Maitreya among the Bud- dhists. This is highly significant. First because the idea of con- tracts and trust (friendship) is the FOUNDATION for the commercial law system (Law Merchant) upon which the global merchant empire is based. The Law Merchant is codified as the Uniform Commercial Code. At the beginning of that code we find: I-203. OBLIGATION OF GOOD FAITH Every contract or duty within this Act imposes an obligation of good faith in its performance or enforcement. The banker J.P. Morgan said that loans were made secure not so much with collateral as with character. The idea of "credit" is based on this. "Credit" is from the Latin credo, meaning "I believe". The second point to note is the name Maitreya. This is the name used currently in the New Age community to define their "lord" or "messiah" that is supposed to appear soon. Mithra had a powerful following among Roman soldiers. Mithraic temple remains have been found extensively in Rome and also in Ger- many and London. Some Roman Catholic basilicas were erected over Mithraic caverns in Rome. -------------------- 27. Josephus - Antiquites of the Jews. 28. A History of London by Robert Gray. 25 10. PANTHEON A term to describe all the deities. In Rome, a great columned building built in 27 AD and dedicated to all the gods. It was rededicated to the Virgin Mary in 609 AD and is still standing with an Egyptian obelisk in front of it. 11. SEMIRAMIS According to Greek mythology, the daughter of a Syrian goddess. She married Ninus (Nimrod?), King of Assyria and built Babylon. 12. SERAPIS The state god of Egypt during the rule of the Greek Ptolemies whose worship spread along the Mediterranean and to Britain. Represented in different ways, he was considered the god of fertility and the underworld. 26 HISTORY World War II In order to document the existence of a supra-national commer- cial organization operating as a global governmental/military power, the following footnotes from history are offered. Prior to the start of World War II, a military-industrial- banking complex operating in the United States, Europe and Japan was already well established. It was comprised of names that were then, as now, household words. Without going into great historical detail, a few brief snapshots should serve to clearly define their goals and activities. During WWII, one of the frontline aircraft operated by the Luftwaffe was the Junkers JU-88 nightfighter and bomber. Approx- imately 50% of the engines for this plane were manufactured in Rus- selsheim, Germany by General Motors-Opel. Later, this factory also built the engines for the Messerschmitt ME-262, the first mass produced jet aircraft of the war. GM of Germany also built trucks and cars for the Nazis. Later, in 1967, the U.S. government awarded GM a $33 million tax exemption to compensate them for losses sus- tained when Allied aircraft bomber GM factories in Germany and Austria during the war. Henry Ford, who was very pro-Hitler and anti-Jewish, also had business in Europe. Directed by his son Edsel, Ford operated fac- tories in occupied Poissy, France; Algiers (supplying Rommel), and in Germany that built trucks and armored cars for the Nazi army. SKF Ball Bearings of Sweden had a branch factory in Pennsyl- vania that was under contract to the U.S. military. SKF Sweden sold bearing to both Britain and Germany throughout the war. Standard Oil of New Jersey, part of the Rockefeller empire, sold aviation gasoline, Tetraethyl, diesel and fuel oil to the Nazis by shipping it to South American ports where it was transhipped to the Canary Islands and then on to Germany. Sailors of the time reported seeing these tankers refueling German U-Boats in the Canary Islands. The Paris branch of Chase Bank of New York (Rockefeller) was protected by and did business with the Nazis throughout the war. Funding for the Nazis was handled primarily through the Bank for International Settlements. The BIS also handled the gold looted from European countries by the Nazis. Controlled by Hitler, the BIS was originally founded in 1930 as a joint creation of the Federal Reserve System, the Reichsbank, First National Bank of New York (Morgan), and the Banks of England, Italy and France. In February of 1941, England's Duke of Windsor was interviewed for Liberty magazine regarding the war in Europe. Windsor said, "Whatever happens, whatever the outcome, A New Order is going to come into the world . . . It will be buttressed with police power . . When peace comes this time, there is going to be a New Order of Social Justice - don't make any mistake about that - and when that time comes, what is your country going to do with its gold?" A more current manifestation of the ruling Merchant class are the GATT and NAFTA trade agreements. Although sold to the public under the guise of treaties, the General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs and the North American Free Trade Agreement are in fact trading agreements between and among the world merchant class. 27 Nothing within them is intended to benefit the working class. These agreements are part of the overall plan to eliminate national boundries and create a "Global Plantation". SELECTED SCRIPTURE LIST Tower of Babel Genesis 11. Jezebel I Kings 16:29-34. Return of Israel Ezra 1:1-11, Jeremiah 16:14-15, Micah 4:9-10, Zecheriah 2:1-9. Babylon - Past and Future Isaiah 13:1 - 14:23, 21, 47, 48:12-22, Jeremiah 25:12-33, Jeremiah 50, 51, Habakkuk 2:1-8, Zecheriah 5:5-11. Fall of Babylon Daniel 5, Nahum 3, Revelation 17 & 18. Tyre Isaiah 23, Ezekiel 26, 27, 28, Zechariah 9:3-4. Four Empires Daniel 2:31-45, Daniel 7, Hosea 13:7-8, Revelation 13:1-4. Anti-Christ Daniel 8, 11:30 - 12:12, Revelation 13. Seventy Weeks Prophecy Daniel 9:24-27. 28 SUPPLEMENT The following text is taken from A Student's Course on Legal History by H.W. Bradlee. Within the text I have inserted commentary in italics to stimulate the reader's thinking as well as to tie the relevant portions to the subject matter of Bible prophecy and cur- rent events. In some cases emphasis has been added in the form of underlining or bold print that did not appear in the original text. A STUDENT'S COURSE ON LEGAL HISTORY by Helen West Bradlee of the SUFFOLK BAR Boston 1929 Section II HISTORY OF THE LAW MERCHANT 29 THE LAW MERCHANT or LEX MERCATORIA Common Law The expression "Common Law" has several meanings. First it is used to distinguish law as practiced in the common law courts from equity. Second, it is used to distinguish the so-called unwritten law, that is, traditional law, law which from custom has become the law of the land, from the statute law or law declared by parliament. Third, it is used to distinguish this law which is the law of England, from the civil law which is the law of those countries who have founded their system upon Roman Law. There is also another distinction. In examining the reports of the 17th century, hardly any commercial cases will be found. For example, under charter parties and bills of lading, there are very few cases concerning merchants and ships despite the fact that these matters have always been productive of litigation, the reason being that the common law did not govern these types of cases; they were left to be governed by the law merchant, a branch of the law of na- tions. Commercial matters were dealt with by special courts in and un- der a special law which was at that time a well established law and largely based on mercantile customs. The Law Merchant The history of the law merchant or Lex Mercatoria is therefore really the history of private international law which grew in great degree out of the transactions between different nations. And at one time, without doubt, it was the law of England simply because it was the law of other nations. Its Origin The exact place and time of its origin is uncertain. Many writers have stated that it began in Italy in the central part of the Middle Ages. But investigation of early documents show that it goes back much further. For instance, to the time when the Arabs29 dominated the Mediterranean. But they invented little and many of the terms which they used came from the Romans, Greeks and Phoenicians, who for many hundreds of years monopolized the sea com- merce. The cities of Tyre and Sidon which figure prominently in Bible prophecy were Phoenician cities. Magnitude of Trade of Arabs The magnitude of the trade of the Arabs between the time of Mohammed and the Crusades was great. They made voyages to China and to India where they established colonies. This trade was tem- porarily interrupted by the Chinese insurrection of 875 A.D., but the intermediate commerce was not disturbed and trade with Indo China, East Persia and India continued. By land there was a great deal of traffic with Persia, India, Bokhara and Samarkand. Until the 11th century both their caravans and vessels carried their mer- chandise along the North Coast of Africa while traders from Arabic -------------------- 29. Hebrew `arab {aw-rab'} a primitive root; v 1) to pledge, exchange, mortgage, engage, occupy, undertake for, give pledges, be/become surety, take on pledge, give in pledge. 30 Spain and Sicily trafficked to Egypt and the intervening ports. At the time of the Crusades, the Arabs had an immensely heavy trade. This is attested by the fact that in 1191 during the Third Crusade, Richard, Coeur De Lion, captured one of Saladin's caravans, rashly traveling west of the Jordon and became possessed of "very rich spoil of spices, gold, silver, silks, robes, arms of every kind, together with 4700 camels, besides asses and mules without number". This reciprocal trade was almost entirely between those of the same religion. When the Arab fleets went elsewhere, they sailed not for trade, but for rapine and conquest. But the intercourse be- tween the Christians and the Saracens of South Italy and Sicily was not always hostile. Frederic II was especially friendly to the lat- ter, and there were many treaties of peace and commerce between Aragon and El Mogreb. It was into this rich eastern trade that the Italians and others came to share; the first Genoese fleet bringing supplies ar- riving in 1198, followed by the Pisans and Venetians and the men of Amalfi. Each nation seemed to have had its viscount with consuls in several cities for the purpose of self government and protection, observing their own laws and customs. Whether before this time they had adopted the sea law of the East or not, it is clear that it soon became part of the law of the Western Mediterranean. Venice, as the chief distributing mart of the Middle Ages, be- came in the 14th century the southern terminus of a great land trade route. First Treatise on Merchant Law in England - 1622 The first work on merchant law in England was written by Gerard Malynes published in 1622, entitled "Consultudo Vel Lex Mercatoria" or the Ancient Law Merchant. In his preface to this work, he stated that he had entitled it Lex Mercatoria instead of Jus Mercatorum be- cause it is customary law provided by the authority of all kingdoms and Commonweals, and not a law established by the sovereignty of any prince. Blackstone stated that the affairs of commerce were regu- lated by a law of their own called the Law Merchant or Lex Mer- catoria "which all nations agree in and take notice of and it is particularly held to be part of the law of England which justifies the causes of merchants and the general rules which obtain in all commercial countries." Still later, Lord Mansfield stated that "Mercantile law is not the law of a particular country but the law of all nations". On What Law Merchant Based The Lex Mercatoria would seem to be in part based on Roman law, in part maritime custom, in part the law of the Medieval European fairs, and to a great extent upon the last. Here we have coupled together Roman Law (the State is God), maritime law (International law of war and commerce) and Merchant law which is the present day law of national and international bank- ing. Contents of Lex Mercatoria There is some obscurity as to what constituted the substance of the Lex Mercatoria, but it is definitely defined as the law ad- ministered as between merchants and the consular or commercial courts, some of it being substantive law and some rules of evidence and procedure. 31 Distinctive Elements in the Law Merchant In every land during the 12th and following centuries, the towns began to record their laws and customs, which everywhere con- tain legal rules for commerce that differ from the common law of the land. In most of the Italian cities, commercial law is to be found mainly in the Statutes of the Merchant Guilds. These once con- firmed, tacitly or expressly, had all the authority of state law, binding on all who traded within the city. As heads of the Guild, the consules mercatorum administered the law, but the city magistrates were under a strict obligation to which they had to swear on entering upon their office, to aid if necessary, the Guild Consuls with all the powers of the state in securing the execution of their judicial sentences. Here begins the concept of using the power of the State to en- force the decrees of the Merchants OVER the local law of the land. Note the "Consuls", who were forerunners of today's consulate ambas- sadors that officiate in the United Nations. No country on earth today has a sovereign gold or silver coin circulating in its marketplace - all use bank paper and credit which is governed by the Law Merchant. The effect is to replace local sovereignty in economics with with the power and authority of international law as administered by bankers and U.N. ambassadors. Effect of the Law Merchant on Common & Statute Law Many of the rules of the Law Merchant were directed to evade inconvenient rules of the common law. For example, one of the first rules of the common law is that a man cannot give what he himself has not. Hence, a man who has no title to goods cannot give title. Consequently, when you buy a thing, if you are to be sure that you have title to it, you must in- quire into the title of that thing back to its remote possessors, to make sure that no one in the chain of title stole it or obtained it by fraud. Whereas, the merchant said that commercial business "cannot be carried on if we have to inquire into the title of everybody who comes to us with documents of title." Lord Justice Bowen in Sanders v. McKlean, 11 Q.B.D. page 343 said, "The practice of merchants is not based on the supposition of possible fraud. The object of mercantile usage is to prevent the risk of insolvency, not of fraud; and anyone who attempts to follow and understand the Law Merchant will soon find himself lost, if he begins by assuming that merchants conduct their business on the basis of attempting to insure themselves against fraudulent dealing. The contra is the case. Credit, not distrust, is the basis of com- mercial dealings. Mercantile genius consists principally in knowing whom to trust and with whom to deal . . ." The Law Merchant dealt with many choses in action, and it would have been very inconvenient, for example, when a man took a bill of exchange, if he were not able to sue on it in his own name or would have to inquire into the title of all previous endorsers. It is a uniform practice of banks, when processing checks, to stamp their endorsement on the back with the note "P.E.G." which stands for "Prior Endorsement Guaranteed". Hence, the Law Merchant established certain documents or choses in action which were transferable by delivery and endorsement, or by 32 delivery, so that the holder could sue in his own name and which passed good title to the transferee who took them in good faith, notwithstanding the transferor had no title. They could be sued on by the holder in his own name and were not affected by previous lack of title. This instrument was the original negotiable instrument. Hence, the law of negotiable instruments, with a few exceptions, is founded entirely upon the customs of merchants. The law of negotiable instruments is known today as the Uniform Commercial Code and is a part of every state's law. The Fairs of the Middle Ages A fair was an imposing assemblage occurring as rule once a year, attended by merchants who traveled from far distant countries, bringing wares from perhaps even more distant countries. It would be conducted for a consecutive period of several weeks, would cover large space of ground on which would be erected temporary buildings and streets for the booths, etc., the sale of things in the different streets being carried on in the different booths and offered every conceivable commodity which could be made and sold. To regulate the currency and secure the country against the loss of specie, as well as to prevent importation of spurious or debased coin, the officer of the King's Exchange examined into the mercantile transactions of the foreign traders. Consuls and Consulados It is impossible to fix with certainty the origin of the in- stitution of consuls, but it certainly goes back to the ancient Greeks, since the proxenia of ancient Greeks corresponds to the modern consular system. The proxenoi, like the consul, supplied in- formation to the government that appointed them, and also furnished advice and assistance to the citizens who were subjects of that government while residing temporarily in the territory of another country. The more modern institution of consuls is probably more of Italian growth. The duties of these consuls at first was merely to attending the traveling merchants to the fairs, represent them generally in all matters connected with the fairs, with jurisdiction to settle all fair disputes which might arise between members of the same nationality. Hanseatic League 1241 - 1269 This was a combination of merchants which provided rules and regulations for their conduct and which was to protect them when the law did not protect or recognize the rights of the traders. It was a merchant guild formed in Germany in 1241 to protect the merchants. It came to control all the trade of Northern Europe and included eighty-five leading cities, among which was London. At its height it had considerable power; it maintained an army and a navy, guarded roads from city to city, kept a fortress and a storehouse in each city, waged war, enforced the merchant's laws at the various fairs. Its last general assembly is said to have been held about 1669. A very analogous situation exists in the way that the United Nations maintains and employs military forces to protect the mercan- tile interests of the international merchant/bankers. The invasion of Panama was to protect the drug trade; Desert Storm was to protect oil interests, etc. 33 Fairs in England It is probable that the Romans introduced fairs into England as they did into so many other places. Alfred directed alien merchants to come only to the four fairs of London, York, Bristol and Win- chester and to their remaining at each fair not more than 40 days. Athelred II proclaimed peace for ships of merchants, even though they be enemies, coming with goods into any port. Henry II granted to the citizens of London freedom from lestage, a due for leave to sell at fairs and from other tolls. During the Viet Nam war, U.S. pilots were routinely sent to at- tack inland targets at great personal risk to themselves, while at the same time being forbidden to attack the merchant ships of several nations that were offloading war materials in Hai Phong har- bor. Fifty miles outside of Hai Phong is an oil refinery owned by Standard Oil. It was never bombed, nor were the Goodyear rubber plantations. Bills of Exchange The earliest form of negotiable instrument was the Bill of Ex- change. Blackstone (2 Com. 467) says in regard to their origin, "This method (bills of exchange) is said to have been brought into general use by the Jews and Lombards30 when banished for their usury and their vices, in order to more easily draw their finances out of France and England into those countries in which they had chosen to reside." But the invention of it was earlier, for the Jews were banished from England in 1290, and in 1236 the use of paper credit was introduced into the Mogul Empire in China. Daniels, in his work on Negotiable Instruments states that "There is reason to believe that bills of exchange were known in England as early as 1307 at least since in that year King Edward I ordered cer- tain money collected in England for the Pope and it was to be remitted to him not by way of coin or bullion, but by way of ex- change." The Jewish Encyclopedia suggests a much more probable origin of bills of exchange, viz: "The practice seems to have begun among the Arab traders31 of the Levant in the 8th century and from them passed to the Italian traders who followed the Crusades." Obviously, it was impossible for caravan commerce to be carried on after the age of barter (sic) had passed, without some form of documentary credits, the distances to be traveled and the dangers traveled and the dangers of the routes making bills of some sort im- perative. The relics which have come down to us, however, are few since every great commercial center of the east has been thoroughly destroyed more than once. But there are some instances of certain forms of bills of exchange at very early dates. -------------------- 30. Lombards - A name given to the merchants of Italy, numbers of whom, during the 12th and 13th centuries, were established as mer- chants and bankers in the principal cities of Europe. (Lombard Street, London). Black's Law Dictionary, 5th Ed. 31. Strong's 6148 `arab {aw-rab'} a primitive root; v 1) to pledge, exchange, mortgage, engage, occupy, undertake for, give pledges, be/become surety, take on pledge, give in pledge. 34 Five tablets32 were some time ago dug up in one of the ancient Assyrian capitals, the first of which expresses a certain simple obligation by debtor to creditor, which was duly signed and wit- nessed and payable with interest; the second in which was an obliga- tion payable at short maturity with a penalty clause; third was an obligation secured by a credit on a third person, who was to pay in case the debtor did not; fourth, reciting that signer had delegated to third person the right to recover the debt; and fifth, was a fully developed bill of exchange drawn up by one person at one place on another at another place and containing the name of the payee, date when payment was to be made, the bill being signed and wit- nessed. These clay documents were evidently issued before the use of coins.33 There are other examples extant of Babylonian letters of credit or bills of exchange in other tablets dating from 677 to 179 B.C. Habakkuk 2: 6 Shall not all these take up a parable against him, and a taunting proverb against him, and say, Woe to him that increaseth [that which is] not his! how long? and to him that ladeth himself with thick clay! The terms "thick clay" are the english rendering of a Hebrew word that refers to mortgage pledges. Second Instrument to be made Negotiable The Promissory Note was the next document which obtained the feature of negotiability. The first case in which a promissory note was recognized by the courts of England as negotiable instruments was that of Sheldon v. Hently, 2 Showers 160, decided in 1680, in which case the court held a promissory note to be a negotiable in- strument expressly stating ". . it was the custom of merchants that made them good." Bank Notes become Negotiable The next instruments to become negotiable were the promissory notes payable on demand issued by bankers, that is, bank notes. To this again, the custom of merchants very speedily gave nego- tiability, and in the leading case of Miller v. Race, Lord Mansfield decided that bank notes also were negotiable instruments, holding that it was necessary for the purposes of commerce that their cur- rency be established and secured. Next, the banks besides issuing their promissory notes payable on demand, accepted and honored bills of exchange drawn on them by their customers payable on demand, that is, the check came into ex- istence, and the practice of merchants made it negotiable. Conclusion The influence of the fairs on the public law and their in- fluence on the relationship of international law was great. The term fair was practically equivalent to the term peace. The reac- tion against the principals of primitive hostility was working under the influence of commercial needs. Thanks to the progress of the peace of the fairs and their safe conducts, the communications of -------------------- 32. There are now (1993) thousands of such tablets in existance. 33. But not, however, before the use of gold and silver money.) 35 foreigner with foreigner became more certain; international rela- tions multiplied; transactions were surrounded by guarantees, and the idea of good faith and of the loyalty which should preside over commerce were more and more developed. Means of transport were per- fected. Men, hitherto thrown back upon themselves in a family group came into contact with each other; original mistrust was weakening. Little by little the last vestiges of primitive hostility disap- peared. They are the first places where the exchanges for value were able to develop; the law of supply and demand, the law of the balance of trade, find there their first application. It was at the fairs and markets that money ceased to be mere objects of consump- tion, and became capital. Due to them, traffic was regularized and submitted to the great law of competition.. Due note should be given to he above comment about "balance of trade." Trade imbalances between the U.S. and other countries are frequently used by the government to hammer the people into accept- ing policies and programs that they would not otherwise yield to. Understand that a trade imbalance is NOT a problem for the average U.S. citizen. It is a concern for the international merchant and banker. Also remember that when people due business with money (gold & silver), there can be no "imbalance". 36