Ephah

“Zechariah lets us know that this “church” had its beginning before Christ appeared in the first century. And if this church was before Christ appeared, then it is not his: Zechariah 5: 7-11 says “And, behold, there was lifted up a talent of lead: and this is a woman that sitteth in the midst of the ephah. And he said, This is wickedness. And he cast it into the midst of the ephah; and he cast the weight of lead upon the mouth thereof. Then lifted I up mine eyes, and looked, and behold, there came out two women, and the wind was in their wings; for they had wings like the wings of a stork: and they lifted up the ephah between the earth and heaven. Then said I to the angel that talked with me, Whither do these bear the ephah? And he said unto me, To build it an house in the land of Shinar: and it shall be established, and set there upon her own base.” Babylon had already fallen by the time Zechariah was writing this prophecy. This passage is speaking of another ‘Babylon’, not a literal Babylon, but Mystery Babylon. As stated before, ‘Mystery Babylon’ was first century Jerusalem. After the Babylonian exile Judah mingled their practices with ancient Babylonian customs. But Peter gives us more insight on this spirit of Babylon: 1Peter 5: 13 says “The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you; and so doth Marcus my son.” It is known throughout history that Peter was in Rome when he wrote his letter, but he calls Rome ‘Babylon’, letting us know that Rome would become the new Babylon. At the time Jerusalem was Babylon. Even though it had not happened yet, Rome like Babylon would destroy the Jewish Temple, the Jews as well as Christians would be under the yoke of the Romans like Babylon. But unlike Babylon, Rome would not be conquered from without, but divided from within into fragmented nation states.”

-Anthony D. Booker