Feminism and the Whore of Babylon (Part 2)

In the first part of this series, we looked at Isaiah 47 and the fall of the original Babylon. We examined what women symbolized in scripture, as well as the defining features of this particular woman, Babylon, as given by Isaiah. In this part, we pick back up with the description of wickedness given by the prophet Zechariah.

photo credit: dynamosquito All photos via photopin cc

The book of Zechariah (whose name means "Yahweh remembers") was written during the second year of the reign (Zechariah 1:1) of Darius the Great (550–486 BC). Babylon, where the Jews had been taken into captivity, had fallen and the Jews had begun to return to Judea. Among them was Zechariah.


Zechariah believed that all of his people should return to Israel. He calls back the stragglers, saying, "Escape, you who live in Daughter Babylon!"(Zechariah 2:7) He buoys them by promises of Yahweh's protection and the defeat of their enemies. Even better, he passes on Yahweh's greatest promise yet: "[...]I am coming, and I will live among you[...]"(2:10) There is no need to fear the other nations surrounding Israel, as His coming will join the nations to Him as His people.(2:11)

Chapter 3, describes this coming in more depth,

"Listen, High Priest Joshua, you and your associates seated before you, who are men symbolic of things to come: I am going to bring my servant, the Branch. See, the stone I have set in front of Joshua! There are seven eyes on that one stone, and I will engrave an inscription on it,’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will remove the sin of this land in a single day. (Zechariah 3:8-9)

The implications of this passage could not be more clear. Joshua (Yehoshua,  יְהוֹשֻׁ֣עַ) is symbolic of the Branch who will come. Joshua's name means "Yahweh saves" and he is the high priest. However, unlike Joshua, who must offer repeated sacrifices for the sins of his people, this man who will come will remove the sin of the land in a single day. It doesn't take all that much to figure out that the Branch is Christ Jesus, who bore the same name as Joshua, and achieved the salvation of man through His sacrifice..

photo credit: Christopher Chan

The identity of the Branch with Christ is confirmed in Chapter 4, where a lampstand with seven lamps, the seven eyes of Yahweh, and two olive trees, all tie together with Jesus's appearances in the book of Revelation. Therefore, we can see that the rebuilding of Judah in Zechariah's time is being analogized to the Messianic period to come.

Having set the frame and gotten some idea of where we are in salvation history, we pick back up in Chapter 5 with another figure that should seem familiar to us, one far less beloved than the First.

"Then the angel who was speaking to me came forward and said to me, “Look up and see what is appearing.”  I asked, “What is it?” He replied, “It is a basket.” And he added, “This is the iniquity of the people throughout the land.”  

Then the cover of lead was raised, and there in the basket sat a woman! He said, “This is wickedness,” and he pushed her back into the basket and pushed its lead cover down on it.  

Then I looked up—and there before me were two women, with the wind in their wings! They had wings like those of a stork, and they lifted up the basket between heaven and earth. 

“Where are they taking the basket?” I asked the angel who was speaking to me. He replied, “To the country of Babylonia to build a house for it. When the house is ready, the basket will be set there in its place.” (Zechariah 5:5-11)

The first thing we should note is that even though the Babylonian Empire had fallen, and would never return as such, that Babylon (here in the Hebrew refered to geographically as Shinar, שִׁנְעָ֑ר) is considered by the Bible as the archetype of wickedness. Although Christ's sacrifice had removed the sins of the people (Chapter 3) and is here removing iniquity from the land of Israel, this iniquity is not dead, but would come back, set up in a house built for it. Even having been offered salvation, man would continue to rebel against God.

Something interesting to pick out from this is the word "iniquity" in 5:6. The Hebrew has עֵינָ֖ם einam, derived from 'ayin "eye" and translated in many sources as "resemblance." The Septuagint, on the other hand uses ἡ ἀδικία, he adikia, injustice or iniquity. So which is it, a resemblance or inquiry?

To find this out, we must look at who the "they" in Zechariah 5:6 is referring to. The quote from the Septuagint reads, αὐτῶν ἐν πάσῃ τῇ γῇ ("of them in all the earth") . In the Hebrew we get, זֹ֥את עֵינָ֖ם בְּכָל־הָאָֽרֶץ ("this, their resemblance in all the land"). However, neither this passage, nor the one before it has a clear antecedent. To find out "they", we must go back to Zechariah 5:3-4:

And he said to me, “This is the curse that is going out over the whole land; for according to what it says on one side, every thief will be banished, and according to what it says on the other, everyone who swears falsely will be banished.The Lord Almighty declares, ‘I will send it out, and it will enter the house of the thief and the house of anyone who swears falsely by my name. It will remain in that house and destroy it completely, both its timbers and its stones.’”

photo credit: stavos

It is both iniquity and resemblance. It is the resemblance of those who steal, those who lie, and of those particularly who lie in the name of God. They are so identified with their iniquity, that iniquity is what they look like. But does this iniquity look like feminism, or something else?

While excessive alimony and child support fees are certainly theft, and feminism is built on lies, told both to the outside world as well as its own adherents, feminism would seem to fall short on lying in the name of God. Although it has, in many ways infiltrated the Church, it still often times holds itself at arms length from God, turning instead to goddess worship, or outright rebellion. (such as praising the name of the murderess (1 Kings 18:4) of His prophets) As such, Zechariah would seem to point us elsewhere to the identity of Great Whore.

But just where to look? A point worth noticing is that these iniquities come from those in all the world, not just the land of Israel in particular. Since the collection of iniquities comes Christ's salvation, my mind is drawn to John 3:19

This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.

Where as before, all were doomed to death, now some will find salvation. This generates separation, no longer between Jew and Greek, but between hoi hagioi and the world. Now all of mankind has a choice. Now there is cause for a judgment, and those who fall short face punishment. The whole world must choose for or against Christ.

photo credit: Lawrence OP

Those who choose wisely go to and dwell in the land of Israel, while the wicked have their house in Babylon. Everything finds its level. In a sense, this is the dichotomy raised by Deuteronomy 28's blessings and curses. It also calls to mind the tower of Babel in Genesis 11. Satan is trying to reverse Babel on his own, bringing all the nations together in wickedness, building one house for them all to dwell.

In our next part, we will see what Satan's success in recreating Babylon looks like, as described in the Book of Revelation. Hopefully this will give us more of a clue at just who or what she is. I look forward to seeing you there!