THE BOOK OF REVELATION
Part 36
The Doom of Babylon the Great
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One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to
me, "Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who
sits on many waters. With her the kings of the Earth committed adultery and the
inhabitants of the Earth were intoxicated with the wine of her
adulteries."
Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a desert.
There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with
blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was dressed in
purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls.
She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth
of her adulteries. This title was written on her forehead:
MYSTERY
BABYLON THE GREAT
THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES
AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints, the
blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus.
When I saw her, I was greatly astonished. Then the angel said to
me: "Why are you astonished? I will explain to you the mystery of the
woman and of the beast she rides, which has the seven heads and ten horns. The
beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and will come up out of the Abyss
and go to his destruction. The inhabitants of the Earth whose names have not
been written in the Book of Life from the creation of the world will be
astonished when they see the beast, because he once was, now is not, and yet
will come.
"This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are
seven hills on which the woman sits. They are also seven kings. Five have
fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; but when he does come, he must
remain for a little while. The beast who once was, and now is not, is an eighth
king. He belongs to the seven and is going to his destruction.
"The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet
received a kingdom, but who for one hour will receive authority as kings along
with the beast. They have one purpose and will give their power and authority
to the beast.
They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome
them because He is Lord of lords and King of kings — and with Him will be His
called, chosen and faithful followers."
Then the angel said to me, "The waters you saw, where the
prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages. The beast and
the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They will bring her to ruin and
leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire. For God has
put it into their hearts to accomplish his purpose by agreeing to give the
beast their power to rule, until God's words are fulfilled. The woman you saw
is the great city that rules over the kings of the Earth."
Rev. 17 NIV
"Mystery Babylon the Great" is composed of
"the great prostitute" and "the scarlet beast" which “the
woman” sits upon.
‘The woman is the great city that rules over the
kings of the Earth’ (v. 18)—the city with the most vibrant economy in the
world; the only city in which the occult statue of the symbol of “Mystery
Babylon the Great” (‘the statue of liberty’) is situated—New York.
The woman (city) sits on the scarlet beast covered
with blasphemous names having seven heads and ten horns (v.3).
In chapter 13, this “beast” is like a leopard with
seven heads and ten horns, feet like a bear and a mouth like a lion’s mouth.
Vatican in Rome was built to sit upon seven hills.
Rome is the religious seat of “the mystery of
iniquity” and New York is its economic capital.
In chapter 17 verse 9, a mind with wisdom is called
for. Only the mind with wisdom understands “the mystery of the woman and the
beast” – “and here is the mind which hath
wisdom”: “The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits.” They are also seven kings.
Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; but when he does come, he
must remain for a little while. The beast who once was, and now is not, is an
eighth king. He belongs to the seven and is going to his destruction. "The
ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but who
for one hour will receive authority as kings along with the beast (vv.9-12
NIV).
'The king that must continue a short time' (v.10 KJV)
is the Antichrist.
Verse 11 says, “And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the
eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition” KJV
“The beast that goeth into perdition” is the
Antichrist. He is “the beast that was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the
bottomless pit, and go into perdition” (v.8 KJV).
The five kings who have fallen ruled five empires.
These five empires had ruled the Middle East, and
each had fallen to another:
Egypt
Assyria
Babylon (of ancient time)
Persia
Macedonia / Greece
The “one” that is, during the time of John, was, of
course, Rome.
After those six, another is to come.
In any case, after the seventh, an eight empire must
come, and this empire will be the one that “was, and is not.”
Each of the defeated empires had a distinct
identity—Syria, Egypt, Persia and Greece. Each also has continued largely
unabated to this day. Even though their empires have collapsed, each has
imparted culture, to the world it left behind, and the people who inhabited it
continue to have a distinct identity.
The great empire that ‘was not’ during the time of
Rome (and only recently has re-emerged as an identity) is “Babylon the Great.
For all intents and purposes it was gone. A revived Roman empire is coming on
the world stage.
The eight empire is the empire of “the Antichrist.”
As we learnt in the book of Daniel, the Antichrist
will attain power through intrigues, politics and diplomacy.
The ten kings have not yet received power, but they
will flow into power with the ascendancy of the Antichrist. They will, in turn
cede their power to him, and they will with one mind work to accomplish all his
goals.
The ten kings (represented by ten horns) in
"one prophetic hour" received authority as kings along with the beast
(17:12).
In verse 13, they have one purpose and will give
their power and authority to the beast. The ultimate fulfillment of their prophesied
doom, and that of Babylon and the beast and the false prophet shall be on the
great Day of God Almighty— when they shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb
shall overcome them: for He is Lord of lords, and King of kings (16:14; 17:14).
Prophet Daniel inquired and studied closely to know
about the "ten horns" and "the little horn" that came up.
I also wanted to know about the ten horns on its head and about
the other horn that came up, before which three of them fell — the horn that
looked more imposing than the others and that had eyes and a mouth that spoke
boastfully.
Dan. 7:20
In verse 19, he described “the little horn” that
blasphemes, as a “fourth beast,” which was different from all the others and
most terrifying. Daniel also wanted to know its true meaning.
At the end of the determined time of the reign of
terror of the beast, God Almighty will vindicate His people, giving them
worldwide Powers of government (Dan 7:21-22).
Presently, Babylon sits over peoples, multitudes,
and nations; described in prophecy as "waters." She even sits over
languages (Rev 17:15).
How does she do this?
Babylon presides over many waters; and these waters
are so many multitudes of people, and nations, and languages. Just as naturally
occurring water picks up color and taste from substances in its environment,
so, vast multitudes of divers languages and tongues in the Earth pay obedience
and subjection to “the beast” and to “Babylon.”
Second Thessalonians 2 reveals that ‘God sends them a powerful delusion’
(vv.11-12).
Babylon controls a large fraction of the world’s
educational and learning systems; including the several systems of
communication. Presently, there are over 6 thousand
languages in the world, yet none of them is without meaning.
Babylon reigns not only over kingdoms, but over
kings that are her tributaries and vassals. Most rulers and leaders of nations,
kingdoms, and territories pay tribute to Babylon. She
rules over cultures and empires.
"The beast" will be given authority over
every tribe and kindred, people and nations, languages and dialects (Rev.13:7).
Remember that in Revelation 10:11, Apostle John was
instructed, “…Thou
must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings” (KJV).
There is a connection between Revelation 17:8 and
13:3.
In 17:8 the inhabitants of the Earth whose names are
not written in the Lambs Book of Life from the Creation of the world will be
astonished when they see “the beast,” because he once was, now is not, and yet
will come.”
In 13:3, one of the heads of “the beast” had a fatal
wound, but its fatal wound was diabolically healed. The ‘whole world’ was
astonished and followed the beast.
Here is something to note from the two separate
verses:
In Apostle John's time "the beast" “was
not”; thus recorded in (17:8) with the phrase: "now is not."
The beast ‘that once was, and now is not,’ is an
eighth king (17:11).
The ungodly inhabitants of the Earth will wonder
after "the beast"—and follow "the beast" which is ‘an eight
king.’ They will wonder after the diabolical healing of the wound of "the
beast" 'that once was.'
The “beast” that once was, and is not, and yet will
come—shall ascend out of the Abyss; this same beast will finally go into
perdition.
Babylon the Great is a city. It is “the mother of
prostitutes”—the center of idolatry and of the abominations of the Earth—the
domain of sin and wickedness. It is ‘the woman drunk with the blood of the
saints’ (17:6). She will be judged for her multitude of harlotries (Hab.3:4);
and for her sins against Israel (Jer.51:13).
The Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and
whose feet are like burnished bronze says, “Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit
adultery with her into Great Tribulation, except they repent of their deeds” (Rev
2:22 KJV).
The ten kings under the Mystery Babylon emperor will
“make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them.” The armies of the
triumphant Christ will be ready and faithful in the battle of that great Day of
God Almighty.
The kings who lent their power to the beast will hate
“the whore” and shall make her desolate and naked—they shall burn down the
kingdom of Babylon—they will make Babylon desolate. In this, they will fulfill
GOD’s Divine Purpose.
And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall
hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh,
and burn her with fire.
For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil His Will, and to
agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the Words of God shall be
fulfilled.
Rev 17:16-17 KJV
When the Seventh Bowl of God's Wrath is poured upon
the Earth, the great city (New York) will be terribly devastated by a great and
mighty earthquake—this great city will split into three parts.
The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and out of
the Temple came a loud Voice from the Throne, saying, "It is done!" Then
there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe
earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since man has been on Earth,
so tremendous was the quake. The great city split into three parts, and the
cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her
the cup filled with the wine of the fury of His Wrath.
Rev 16:17-20 NIV
Babylon’s plague as
described in Revelation 18:8 will overtake her in “one prophetic day.”
Christ will be sure
to meet with many enemies, and much opposition, but He with His redeemed saints
and His angelic armies of Heaven will also be sure to gain the Victory.