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Mystery, Babylon The Great

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Samuel Smith
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LESSON 10

"MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT"

You are welcome to another edition of Insights from God's Word, a Bible Study Programme that is committed to sharing God's Word by allowing the Bible to speak for itself.

In this edition, we continue with our series on The Final Events of Bible Prophecy. The topic for this study is: "MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT". In this study, we are going to look at the last phase of the identifying characteristics of the antichrist power. Since we have considered in detail many of the characteristics of this power in our previous studies, I will outline the characteristics that are familiar to us in Revelation 17, and explain in detail the new ones in the passage. In Revelation 17, God once again takes us from the known to the unknown, repeating factors He has made known to us in earlier passages, and expanding upon that with fresh details about the antichrist power. I believe God utilises this method so we can follow, understand and ultimately be able the identify the antichrist power without any doubts whatsoever. Our caption once again is: "MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT".

1. Friends, the word Babylon is derived from the ancient word Babel, which means confusion (Genesis 11:9). From Genesis 11:1-9, we learn that the inhabitants of the earth who were left after the universal flood, decided to build a tower whose top may reach up to heaven. The motivation behind the building of this tower was to make a name for themselves, lest they be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. We learn from the account in Genesis 11, that God came down to confound the language of the people, bringing the grand undertaken to an abrupt end.

2. Friends, it is interesting to note that Babylon, the first superpower of the ancient world, was also built with a similar mind set to glorify and honour man, instead of the Creator God. In Daniel 4:30, we read the following words of king Nebuchadnezzar: "The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?"

3. Because the kingdom of ancient Babylon was built to glorify the creature instead of the Creator, it soon became a haven for several satanic practices. The Babylonians worshipped several gods, and engaged in a myriad of activities that the Scripture refers to as abominations.

4. One key custom in ancient Babylon that the Bible considers an abomination was their worship of the sun god Shamash. The worship of this sun god became so widespread to the extent that some of God's people in ancient Israel were enticed by this pagan practice. From Ezekiel 8:16-18, we read the following in connection to sun worship in ancient Israel: "16 And he brought me into the inner court of the LORD's house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east. 17 Then he said unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here?... 18 Therefore will I also deal in fury: mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them."

5. Friends, our study today on Revelation 17, capture another power in the Bible that is also referred to as Babylon. In fact, this power is the same antichrist power we have been studying about for some time now. I believe the background we have considered so far will help us to understand the real nature of this modern day Babylon.

6. At this point, we will consider the characteristics of the antichrist power as revealed in Revelation 17:1-9. We will focus on one text at a time, bringing out the necessary explanations as we go along. In Revelation17, the apostle John records the following:

17:1 "And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:"

a. The Bible refers to this power as a whore. A whore is used in reference to a prostitute or a woman who is not faithful to her husband. In the Bible, God has often used the analogy of marriage to depict the relationship He has with His people (Jeremiah 6:2; 2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:31-32). When the people of God are unfaithful to Him, he refers to them as a whore (Hosea 2:1-13).

The antichrist power, as the Scripture describes here, is actually a religious system that was once faithful to the principles of God. However, with the passage of time, she gradually forsook these godly principles until she became corrupted and worldly.

b. We are also told in Revelation 17:1 that this power sits upon many waters. The Bible explains this phrase in Revelation 17:15: "And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues."

In other words, the angel explained to John that this power will be a universal or worldwide power. She will preside over the multitudes of people across the nations of the world. Her influence will actually be felt across the entire world.

The verse 2 of Revelation 17 reads:

17:2 "With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication."

a. In this text, we are told that this power commits fornication with the kings of the earth. This basically means that this religious system became corrupted as she combined religion with politics, seeking support and favour from the political leaders of the world.

b. We are also told in Revelation 17:2 that the inhabitants of the world have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. This phrase basically means that the people of the world will be intoxicated with the false doctrines (wine of fornication) of this apostate religious system.

The verse 3 of Revelation 17 reads:

17:3 "So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns."

a. In this text, the apostle John tells us that he saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast. We have already noted that a woman in Bible prophecy refers to a church. A faithful woman will refer to God's true church or people while an adulterous woman will refer to an apostate church. In our previous studies, we have also captured the fact that a beast in Bible prophecy refers to a kingdom, a king, or a nation (Daniel 7:17, 23). Thus, in Revelation 17:3, we see a union of church and state. We see a picture of this false religious system actually meddling in politics or state affairs. But we also see clearly from this text in Revelation 17 that it is the woman that rides the beast. In other words, this religious system will not just be seeking the favour and support of political leaders forever. A time comes when she actually rises to control these political leaders; giving her a sphere of dominion that expands over the church as well as the state.

b. We also learn in Revelation 17:3, that the beast that this woman rides is full of names of blasphemy. This characteristic of the antichrist power is not new to us. We have been meeting it in almost all the passages we have studied so far. From our previous studies, we defined blasphemy from the Bible as claiming equality with God (John 10:30-33) or claiming to forgive sin (Mark 2:5-7). As we will discover later, this false religious system actually claim these prerogatives that belong to God alone, thus fulfilling this characteristic of blasphemy.

c. In Revelation 17:3, we also see a picture that is familiar. We are told that the beast that this adulterous woman rides has seven heads and ten horns. From our previous study, we noted that the sea beast in Revelation 13 also had seven heads and ten horns. We understood the nature of this composite sea beast by making inferences from our study in Daniel 7. We have studied earlier that the ten horns refer to the ten nations that sprung up from the collapse of the ancient Roman Empire. However, we are yet to know the meaning of the seven heads. In Revelation 17:9, the angel tells the apostle John the meaning of the seven heads. We read from Revelation 17:9 the following: "And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth".

Friends, it is important for us to note that the Greek word 'oros' which is translated as mountains in Revelation 17:9 can also be translated as hills (see Strong's Concordance, G3735). In fact, the word 'oros' has been translated as hill in the KJV three times. From this background, it is not out of place for some interpreters to view the word 'oros' in Revelation 17:9 as hills; a translation that we will see later as clearly fitting the identity of the antichrist power in the book of Revelation. Besides the word 'oros', another key Greek word 'kathemai' which is translated as sitteth in the text also means to dwell or to have a fixed abode. This fact helps to make it clear that the text in Revelation 17:9 basically alludes to the geographical location of the antichrist power, and thus is differentiated from the message on the seven kings which comes after it (see Revelation 17:10-11). In fact, the last verse in Revelation 17 states that: "And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth" (Revelation 17:18). Beloved, it is clear how this particular text fits the context of the verse 9 in respect to the issue of the geographical location of the antichrist power. Soon, we are going to discover clearly in an upcoming study how the antichrist power is physically located on seven different hills. And that on these seven hills is built a great city which actually reigns over the kings of the earth.

The verse 4 of Revelation 17 reads:

17:4 "And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:"

a. In Revelation 17:4, we learn that the woman was clothed in purple and scarlet. Biblically, purple denotes riches or royalty (Luke 16:19; Judges 8:26), while scarlet is a symbol of sin (Isaiah 1:18). Unlike the humble Carpenter of Nazareth, this apostate woman is extremely wealthy; and adorns herself in royal apparel. Moreover, since she is a fallen church, the colour of scarlet which denotes sin, is also a fitting symbol of her. Friends, in addition to the fact that the biblical meanings of purple and scarlet are fitting symbols of this fallen church, we are also going to discover in our upcoming studies, that the official physical colours of this apostate religious system are actually purple and scarlet. Beloved, I believe this is not mere coincidence, but God really wants to tell us something. He wants us to take heed in regard to the knowledge He has given us in His Word concerning this apostate woman. This knowledge is what will save us from the great deception that has broken upon the whole world.

b. Friends, we are also told in Revelation 17:4, that the woman is decked with gold and precious stones and pearls. This basically means that this apostate religious system, as we have noted already, is an extremely rich organisation.

c. We are also told in Revelation 17:4, that this adulterous woman has got a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication. This basically means that this false religious system is composed of several false doctrines and abominations that she shares with the inhabitants of the world. It is for this reason that we were told in Revelation 17:2 that the inhabitants of the world have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. Beloved, it doesn’t take much study to see the confusion and chaos in the religious and political world today. Most people, even though see these things, and are concerned about them; yet they do not understand the issues because the power behind the confusion and chaos is hidden before their eyes. It is not that this power is not familiar to them; it is only because they have been seriously deceived to the extent that in their wildest imagination, they cannot associate these things with this religio-political power. Beloved, it is for this reason that God is giving us all these identifying characteristics, so we can know without a doubt, as to who or what power represents the antichrist.

The verse 5 of Revelation 17 reads:

17:5 "And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH."

a. Friends, this power is referred to as mystery not just here in Revelation 17:5. In our previous study on 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12, we noted that the antichrist power is also referred to as "mystery of iniquity". Beloved, why the name mystery? From what we have studied so far, I believe it will not be difficult to explain this to you. You see, even though this power is the great antichrist power that spearheads the deception, confusion and falsehood in our world today, she is also clothed in a religious garb, making her true identity very difficult to uncover. This power works craftily and intelligently, advancing her universal agenda without the spotlight on her as the antichrist. Her true wicked character will be revealed once she has total control or dominion over the world. She is amazingly mysterious or puzzling, utilizing virtue or vice, as and when one or the other becomes a suitable method.

b. In Revelation 17:5, this power is also referred to as Babylon the great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth. Beloved, just as ancient Babylon was built on human traditions, this power is also built on human traditions. Just as ancient Babylon was built to honour and glorify man, this religious system is also set up to honour and glorify mankind instead of the living God. All the abominations that the people of ancient Babylon committed can also be found in this apostate religious system. One key abomination that you will not fail to see in this modern day Babylon is her custom of sun worship. As the people of ancient Babylon revered and worshipped the sun god, this modern power, Babylon the great, also worships the sun god but in a more subtle way. We will discover later on that the worship of the sun god is actually the ecclesiastical mark of authority of this antichrist power. Unfortunately, this pagan system of sun worship, together with other abominations is being dished out from the golden cup of this adulterous woman, to multitudes in our world today.

c. Another characteristic we learn from Revelation 17:5 is that this apostate woman is a mother church. She is referred to as the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth. In other words, this false religious system has got daughters under her. These daughters are also churches that have left the plain truths of Scripture and have united in alliance with this apostate mother church. Once, we name who or what this antichrist power is, you will be able to see this picture very clearly.

The verse 6 of Revelation 17 reads:

17:6 "And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration."

a. In this text, we are told that this power actually persecutes the people of God. Even though this power is a religious system, it however persecutes the true children of God. There has always been a contention between this false religious system and the true children of God. The saints of God who go to the Bible, and discover the truth of God's Word for themselves, have always come back to question the false unbiblical teachings of this apostate system. The protests of these saints have always been met with accusations of heresy. They are often portrayed as the worst of sinners who do not want to walk according to the treasured traditions of the church. They are usually coerced by this apostate power to accept the creeds of the church or face imprisonment, torture and death. As we will see later in our study, millions of people across the world have suffered the terrible persecuting power of this adulterous woman. And the Bible predicts that she will persecute the saints of God once again, in the soon coming future (Revelation 13:15-17).

b. In Revelation 17:6, we are told that as the apostle John beheld this woman in vision, he wondered with great admiration. The whole character and make-up of this antichrist power seemed to fascinate the prophet.

The verses 7 and 8 of Revelation 17 continue with this:

17:7 "And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns."

17:8 "The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is."

a. In Revelation 17:8, we learn an important characteristic in connection with the beast which carried this adulterous woman. The angel told the apostle John that; this beast "was, and is not, and yet is". The "was" part of this phrase basically means that the antichrist once possessed power or dominion over the multitudes of the world. This refers to her past reign. The "is not" part of the phrase basically means that at a point in time, the antichrist lost her dominion or power that she exercised over the multitudes of the earth. The last part of the phrase, which is; "yet is", also mean that this antichrist power will regain the control, influence and power that she exercised over the inhabitants of the earth in the past. To put the above explanation differently, the phrase "was, and is not, and yet is" is basically telling us that; it is as if this power was once alive, and then died, and came back to life once again. In our previous study on Revelation 13, we learnt about another phrase which is parallel to this phrase in Revelation 17:8. From Revelation 13:3, we learnt that the antichrist power received a deadly wound, and that this deadly wound was healed. From what the Bible is revealing here, we should expect the antichrist power to have ruled in the past; to have lost her power or dominion; and finally, to regain her power, influence and dominion over the world once again.

b. We also learn in Revelation 17:8 that the antichrist power will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go into perdition. We will discover later in our subsequent studies that this power actually went into perdition or captivity (Revelation 13:10).

c. We are also told in Revelation 17:8 that: "... they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not and, yet is". This part of the text in Revelation 17:8 is basically telling us that majority of the inhabitants of the earth will be fascinated and influenced by the antichrist power. Such people will actually give their allegiance to the antichrist instead of God. However, there are few who are differentiated from the masses. These are people who decide to worship the Creator God no matter the consequences. The Bible states that their names are written in the book of life from the foundation of the world.

Exhortation: "We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts" (2 Peter 1:19).

In our next study, we will map out a summary of the identifying characteristics of the antichrist as we have studied from various passages in the Bible. This will enable us to recap what we have studied so far, and place us on a better pedestal to identify from Scripture the truth about the antichrist power.

Stay blessed and keep shining for King Jesus.

Maranatha!

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