'When thou hast made an end

'And a mighty angel took up a

of reading this book, that thou

stone like a great millstone, and

shalt bind a stone to it, and cast it

cast it into the sea, saying, Thus

into the midst of Euphrates:and thou

with violence shall that great city

shalt say, Thus shall Babylon sink,

Babylon be thrown down, and shall

and shall not rise from the evil that

be found no more at all' (18:21).

I will bring upon her: and they shall

be weary' (63,64).

These references should cause the reader to pause before committing

himself to the idea that 'Rome' is the 'Babylon' of the book of Revelation.

We say no more here, but take up the question of Babylon and its place in

Prophecy in a separate study (see p. 63).  More time and space can then be

devoted to this most important key to the unlocking of Prophetic Truth.

Two cities dominate the prophetic teaching of Scripture, Babel,

afterward called Babylon, built by Nimrod, the rebel, and Salem, afterward

called Jerusalem, served by Melchizedek, Priest of the Most High God.  As in

so many other cases (i.e. Esau before Jacob, Saul before David, Antichrist

before Christ) Satan's city is mentioned before the city of God.  The first

reference to Jerusalem is found in Genesis 14:18, where it is called Salem.

'Salem.  Called, on the bricks of the ruins of an ancient city in S. of

Palestine, Uru -salim = the city of Salim.  The Tablets show that

Palestine was at this time in possession of Egypt, and the Tablets are

letters to the Pharaohs Amenophis III and IV.  One is from Ebed -Tob,

the successor of Melchizedek.  Three times he says "not my father, not

my mother installed me in this place but the Mighty King" (cf. Heb. 7:1

-4), i.e. he did not inherit by succession, but by the gift and "the

arm of the Mighty King (the deity)"' -- The Companion Bible.

Salem is the name given to Jerusalem in Psalm

76:2, and Josephus (Ant. 1.10.2) says, when speaking of Genesis 14: 'they

afterward called Salem, Jerusalem'.  Melchizedek was the King -Priest of

Salem (Gen. 14), his name meaning 'King of righteousness', Adoni -zedek was

the King of Jerusalem (Josh. 10:1), his name means 'Lord of Righteousness'.

Adoni -zedek was an Amorite (Josh. 10:5), the city of God having fallen to

the evil one in Joshua's day.  When Abraham was called to make the supreme

sacrifice on one of the mountains of Moriah (Gen. 22:2), he was led to the

same place that was chosen afterward by Solomon as the site of the temple at

Jerusalem (2 Chron. 3:1).  These early references to Jerusalem associate the

city with the King -Priest and with sacrifice, and in both passages Abraham

is blessed.  By the time Joshua entered the land, Jerusalem had become one of

the cities of the Amorites (Josh. 10:1,5), and the battle and miracle that

accompanied the taking of Jerusalem and execution of Adoni -zedek, set forth

in symbol the final deliverance of Jerusalem in the day of the Lord.  While

this prophecy is sure, it yet awaits fulfilment, but Jerusalem was not then

entirely freed from the Canaanite, for we read 'The Jebusites dwell with the

children of Judah at Jerusalem unto this day' (Josh. 15:63).