02.50. LECTURE No. 50 -- Rev_17:1-7
LECTURE No. 50 -- Revelation 17:1-7 This Book Brings Needed Light and Truth to Those Who Will Accept It - All True Christians Are Children of Light - The Cities of the Nations Will Fall - Mystery Babylon an Important Subject - The Real Meaning of Babylon - The Rebellion Which Occurred Against God at Babel - The First Leader of the Rebellion at Babel Was Nimrod - The Result of the Rebellion at the Tower of Babel - Mystery Babylon Stands for Political, Commercial and Religious Confusion - Mystery Babylon Headed for Judgment - The Unchaste Woman Up the Beast - This Two-fold Symbol Signifies a Future Union of the Church and State For a Brief Period of Time Ecclesiastical Babylon Will Dominate the Political Scene and Ride the Beast - She Will Later Be Overthrown
Needed Light and Truth
ALL who have followed us in our studies thus far will, acknowledge, I am sure, that there was a need for the light and truth, contained in this Book, or else God would never have caused it to be written. Anyone who is making a study of current events in the light of scripture prophecy, when they read the things which are written in this Book, cannot help but see that the world stage is being set for the enactment of those very things which are recorded here for our instruction.
All devout Christians who will make a study of this Book, and will take heed to the things which are written therein, will receive a blessing unto themselves and will be able to understand those things that are coming upon the earth in these days.
Indeed, there is a certain comfort in knowing what will come to pass in the future. Therefore, Christians who understand the truth of this Book can well be called “children of light,” but unsaved people and mere professing Christians who neglect their privilege of studying the things which are written in this Book may well be classified as “children of darkness,” who are walking amidst the shadows of earth’s ever-darkening night and are ready to stumble and to fall under the very judgments that are predicted in the Book of Revelation.
Children of Light But in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-8, the Apostle Paul said,
“But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
“For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
“Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep, sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.” In our last lesson which was based upon Revelation 16:17-21, we studied concerning those judgments which will come to pass under the seventh vial of the wrath of God, when it is poured out into the air.
We learned that when this comes to pass, there will be great commotion in the heavens above and that there will also be a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake and so great. It will be so terrible that the cities of the nations will fall and the topography of the earth will be changed.
We learned also that under the judgments of the seventh vial, there will be a great hailstorm, which will bring great destruction upon the earth, by reason of which men will blaspheme God.
Lesson Text: Mystery Babylon
We are now ready to advance in our study by reading what is written in Revelation 17:1-7, where it says,
“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: 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.
“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.
“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: and upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
“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. 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.” The Subject of Babylon Very Important In these words just read, we have introduced to us a subject that is at once very interesting and at the same time very difficult to understand. We need to pray, therefore, that God will lead us into a true understanding of His Word, so that we can learn what these words are intended to teach.
This is not the first time in the Book of Revelation that we have heard about Babylon. In Revelation 14:8 the Apostle John said,
“And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.”
Also, in Revelation 16:19, speaking of the great earthquake, the Apostle said,
“And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.”
Judging from these references, the subject of Babylon is of no small importance and one which we would do well to understand. The Real Meaning of Babylon
Few people realize the true meaning of the word “Babylon” as used in the scriptures. When the word “Babylon” is used most people think only of the ancient city of Babylon, which was situated on the Euphrates River, but the word also has a mystical meaning so that we often speak of “political Babylon” and “religious Babylon,” and “commercial Babylon.” These terms are all an outgrowth of what the city of Babylon stood for in the beginning. Where Men Rebelled Against God
You will remember that the River Euphrates, on which the city of Babylon was built was one of the four branches into which the River that flowed through the Garden of Eden was divided. We know also that after flood the whole earth was of one language and of one speech, and according to the account given in the eleventh chapter of Genesis, they came to a plain in the land of Shinar, which was Babylon. It was there, under the leadership of Nimrod that the people rebelled against God and sought to build the tower of Babel.
This is confirmed in Genesis 11:4-8 where it says,
“And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.
“And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.
“Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech. So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.”
Nimrod Was the Leader of This Rebellion A very interesting comment on what happened at that time is written in Genesis 10:8-10, where is says,
“And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord. And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.”
In this passage, when it says that Nimrod was a mighty hunter before the Lord, we understand it to mean that he was a mighty hunter against the Lord, which brands him at once as a rebel, against the Lord, which is well confirmed in the scriptures.
Thus, my friends, we see that Babel or Babylon was built by Nimrod and that it was the seat of the first great apostasy, when men turned away from God and instituted a system of political and religious rebellion against the Lord.
A very interesting comment upon what occurred at that time is given by the Apostle Paul in Romans 1:21-25.
In reasoning concerning the guilt of all men before God, he said that they were without excuse for making idols,
“Because, that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful: but became vain in their imaginations and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, Who is blessed for ever! Amen.”
The Apostle Paul also explained the result of this former apostasy in a portion of Romans 1:26, where he said, “For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections.”
Also in Romans 1:28, he said, “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient.” The Final Outcome
Now, when God had given them up to uncleanness and to vile affections, and to a reprobate mind, what was the final outcome?
The answer to this question is recorded in Romans 1:29-32, where it says:
“Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding covenant-breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.”
Thus, my friends, we have discovered from the scriptures the origin of Babylon “Mystery Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth.”
Mystery Babylon, therefore, is nothing more or less than the ancient historical system of political and religious and commercial rebellion which had its origin at Babel! The word, “Babylon,” therefore, since it comes from the word “babel” stands for political confusion, religious confusion, and commercial confusion!
In other words, all that is wrong in politics, belongs to this system. All that is wrong in religion has sprung from the idolatrous system which was introduced by Nimrod at Babel; and all that is wrong in the commercial world belongs to this system also. Is it any wonder, therefore, that in due time great Babylon will come “in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.” The Judgment of the Unchaste Woman
Now, let us return to our lesson text. In Revelation 17:1-2 John said,
“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: 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.”
Interesting Comparisons
We must recognize that in the Book of Revelation, both the true and the false are set forth in contrast, so that the whole truth may be known.
In this Book, both the true Christ and the false Messiah are revealed and made known in such a way that no one could be mistaken as to their identity. Just as the city of Jerusalem is the city of the true Messiah, so will Babylon be the city of the false Christ.
These two cities, therefore, spoken of in the Revelation represent in a comparative way, both true and false religion. True religion is always represented by a chaste virgin. An unchaste woman, therefore, would represent all false religion.
In the scriptures, the New Jerusalem is spoken of as the bride of Christ. This is confirmed in Revelation 21:9-10, where it says,
“And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife. And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God.” The True Bride and the Harlot
Thus, my friends, if the New Jerusalem, as the future home of the saints of God is called “the bride, the Lamb’s wife,” in a comparative sense, the city of Babylon may be likened to the bride of the Antichrist. The one, we may say, is the true Bride and the other is the harlot. She is so-called because of her unchastity in all matters pertaining to religion, politics, and commerce.
All idolatries, whether ancient or modern, have had their origin in Babylon. Therefore, she may rightfully and justly be called, “the great whore that sitteth upon many waters [or upon many peoples], 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.” The Woman Upon the Beast In Revelation 17:3 of our lesson text the Apostle said, “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.”
In simple language, what you have presented here is a union of church and state during the tribulation period, which will occur after the true church, which is the bride of Christ, has been raptured away to heaven as indicated in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.
We may say, therefore, that the woman of this passage represents religious Babylon. There is no doubt but what after the rapture of the true church has taken place, many if not all, of the apostate religions and systems of idolatry will combine into one great ecclesiastical system, in order to bring ecclesiastical pressure to bear upon the state, which will then be under the control of the Antichrist! Since the woman is described as sitting on the beast, which had seven heads and ten horns, her temporary dominance or control of the beast is affirmed. The Beast Represents the Antichrist
We should have little trouble identifying the beast described in this passage, for we have already had a description of the same beast given to us in Revelation 13:1, where John said,
“And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.”
In our study of the thirteenth chapter, we discovered that the symbolism used here was descriptive of none other than the Antichrist, who will become the final world dictator, in whom all civil authority of the world will, be headed up. The Woman Represents Ecclesiastical Power
Understanding these things, it is perfectly clear that the woman of Revelation 17:3, who will represent all ecclesiastical authority after the true church has been raptured away, will sit upon the scarlet-coloured beast full of names of blasphemy representing all civil authority, and will control the beast for a time.
In other words, the time is coming, during the tribulation period, when, for a short time, the ecclesiastical power of false religions will dominate and control the civil authority of those times.
Is it any wonder, therefore, that John described the woman saying,
“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: And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. 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.”
~ end of lecture 50 ~