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MYSTERY BABYLON

REVELATION 17

Chapters 17 and 18 of the book of Revelation focus on the rise and destruction of Mystery Babylon the Great: the ungodly heathen religion and the man-centered economic system that has its origins in ancient Babel (which means confusion - Gen.11:1-9), supported by Satan; chapter 17 is concerned with the religious aspect and chapter 18 with the economic side.

The city of Babylon was built in the land of Shinar (Dan.1:1-2), where Nimrod, a great-grandson of Noah, had started his ancient kingdom which later extended throughout Mesopotamia. Shinar became known as Babylonia and later as Mesopotamia; here the Euphrates and Tigris rivers had built up rich deposits of earth that could produce crops in abundance. It is now property of Iraq.

Nimrod (his name comes from marad which means he rebelled (the Jewish Encyclopaedia says that Nimrod was he who made all the people rebellious against God) became famous as a mighty hunter, and a mighty one on earth (Gen.1:8-9.): a leader in worldly affairs, his kingdom is the first to be mentioned in the Bible.

In depth studies of history, legend and mythology reveal that the Babylonian religion developed around traditions concerning Nimrod, his wife Semiramis and her child Tammuz: when Nimrod died, Semiramis claimed he was now the sun-god. Later, when she gave birth to a son, she claimed that he, Tammuz, was Nimrod reborn, supernaturally conceived, and that he was the promised seed of Eve, the "saviour". In the religion that developed, not only was the child worshipped, but his mother also. Much of the Babylonian worship involved mysterious symbols - it was a "mystery" religion. A symbol of Tammuz was a golden calf. Nimrod, the Lord (translated Baal), as sun-God was considered as represented on earth by fire, so candles and ritual fires were lighted in his honour. In other forms, Nimrod was symbolised by sun images, fish, trees, pillars and animals (Rom.1:21-26). This system of idolatry was carried out to the nations as they left Babel (Gen.11:9), the names changed as new languages were spoken, but they took with them their worship of the sun-God, the mother and child, and the various mystery symbols. Herodotus, a Greek scholar, traveller and historian of antiquity, witnessed the mystery religion and its rites in numerous countries and mentions how Babylon was the primeval source from which all systems of idolatry flowed. Layard, an archaeologist of early last century, notes in his work Nineveh and its Remains, that we have the united testimony of sacred and profane history that idolatry originated in the area of Babylonia - the most ancient of religious systems. When Rome became a world empire, it is a known fact that she assimilated into her system the gods and religions from the various pagan countries over which she ruled: the early religion of pagan Rome was but the Babylonian worship that had developed into various forms and under different names in the countries to which it had gone.

In chronological order, immediately after the pouring of the seventh bowl, Christ returns to destroy the beast and to assume His millennial kingdom (chapter 19). But before proceeding, we have the revelation of another mystery, initiating the seven dooms of God's enemies, which are:

1. The false religious system: Mystery (chapter 17).
2. The Godless economic system: Babylon the Great (chapter 18).
3. The Beast and the False Prophet (chapter 19 verse 20).
4. The remainder of anti-Christian nations (chapter 19 verse 21).
5. The rebels after the millennium (chapter 20 verse 9).
6. Satan (chapter 20 verse 10).
7. The ungodly dead (chapter 20 verses 14 and 15).

In chapter 17 we have the description of a harlot, as well as her name written on her forehead: it is known that, when this book was written, in the larger cities of the Roman empire it was customary for prostitutes to write their names on their foreheads for easier identification. Male and female prostitution, or fornication, were an integral part of many heathen religions, including the Roman, and in the language of the Bible, they are symbols of apostasy and idolatry (Isa.23:17; 57:3-7; Jer.3:2-9; Eze.16:1-63; 20:30-32; 23:7-49; Hos.4:12-19; Nah.3:4). The word prostitution has an ample range, covering all illicit (ex-marriage) sexual activity, including adultery.

The harlot is not a civil power, for:

• covering a large part, if not all, the world (verses 1 and 15).

• which pleases and deceives the powerful (verse 2).

• which is very rich, and spreads its false doctrines in abundance (verse 4). Abominations is a word that is often used in the Bible for idolatry and apostasy derived from pagan cults (Deut.18:9-12, 29:17-18, 32:16-17, 1Kings 14:24, 2Kings 16:3-4, 21:2-11, Eze.16:22-58, etc.).

• supported by the beast (Rev.13:1-6), this false religion is spread over the world by Babylon, through the leaders of the nations.

• identified with the rites and mysteries of the religion of ancient Babylon, to which were attributed the greatest wisdom and most divine secrets. Its priests, celibate and dressed in black robes, were endowed with great power, partly due to the practice of receiving secret confessions from the people, and to the secrets and mysteries they said they kept.

• which has originated all others: mother of harlots.

• which supplants all others in its idolatry and apostasy: mother of the abominations of the earth.

• responsible for the persecution of the saints and the death of the martyrs for Jesus.

The description of the beast identifies it with that in chapter 13, and the colour red - like the dragon from whom the Antichrist receives his power - is added to it.

The angel reveals the following:

1. the Beast supporting the harlot is an embodiment of Rome: for those present at the time of the fulfilment of this prophecy it was, it is not(the Roman empire, as such, disappeared centuries ago), yet is, for its religion continues and will be supported by the Beast: its origin is from Satan and is destined to perdition.

2. further identification with Rome is the fact that the woman sits on seven mountains: Rome has since before Christendom been known as the city on the seven hills. She is also identified as the great city that reigns over the kings of the earth: Rome at that time.

3. there are also seven kings: a reference to the seven "kings" dominating over the Jewish nation: Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, Confederation of Ten. The sixth, Rome, still is, the Confederation is still to come, but only for a short time (seven years of the tribulation period). The beast starts conquering on his own as the eighth, but is of the seven because he will dominate the Confederation, and is going to perdition. He and the false prophet are apparently the first to be thrown into the lake of fire burning with brimstone (Revelation 19:20).

4. the Confederation will hate this apostate religion, and fulfilling God's purposes will take away her power and possessions, and destroy her. This will happen at the time the Beast assumes all power, and requires all to worship him, at the middle of tribulation.

5. the leaders of the Confederation will hand over their authority to the Beast after one hour.

6. the Confederation will make war against Christ, and will be overcome by Him (Daniel 2:44, 7:20-22, 8:24-26, Revelation 19:19-21).

 

 

 

The Scarlet Woman and the Scarlet Beast

1 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying to me, "Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters,
2 "with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication."
3 So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
4 The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication.
5 And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
6 I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement.

The Meaning of the Woman and the Beast

7 But the angel said to me, "Why did you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns.
8 "The beast that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition. And those who dwell on the earth will marvel, whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
9 "Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits.
10 "There are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come. And when he comes, he must continue a short time.
11 "And the beast that was, and is not, is himself also the eighth, and is of the seven, and is going to perdition.
12 "The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast.
13 "These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast.
14 "These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful."
15 Then he said to me, "The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues.
16 "And the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire.
17 "For God has put it into their hearts to fulfill His purpose, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled.
18 "And the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth."
Rev 17:1-18 (NKJV)