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The Bowl Judgments closed
with killing hail and blaspheming humanity, leaving us primed and ready to
welcome our Lord coming with the clouds to rule and reign [Revelation 1:7]. The events of chapter 16 would seem a fitting
end of wrath. But God’s purpose is more
perfect and complete. There are yet two
areas of profound judgment that demand particular attention in the
next two chapters. They have been saved
for the end of the narrative because they represent the final form of an ancient
and historic rebellion against God’s rule and authority. The bottom
line? God’s purpose in chapters
17 and 18 is to
destroy rebellion where it began!
Chapter 17 details the
destruction of Mystery Babylon, Antichrist’s religious system.
Chapter 18 details the
destruction of
Babylon, the capital
of Antichrist’s economic/political system.
MYSTERY
BABYLON
THE GREAT—The One-World Religious System of Antichrist, Revelation
17:
In the year it has taken to
reach this point in our series, heresy and apostacy in what identifies itself as
the Christian church has increased exponentially. I took the time to review the Seven Letters
to the Churches from Revelation chapters 2 and 3. Every error and false teaching found in these
churches can be identified today—in post-modern Christianity. These errors have reinvented themselves under
different labels, but they are basically the same liberal, humanistic,
works-based, licentious lies Satan has always told and man believes. This error manifests itself in its
accumulated apostacy in the final Church age known as
Laodicea. I believe we are there—the final days of the
Church. What comes next? The Rapture of those in
Christ.
When the Church is taken
out [1 Corinthians 15:50-58; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; John 14:1-3], those left
who profess to be “Christian” will easily assimilate into the false, one-world
religion of Antichrist and his False Prophet.
Their understanding of truth is quickly transferred to the religious
unity the world believes will solve all humanity’s problems. The “world” will embrace
syncretism—the lie that there are many paths to heaven/God. Because they reject Christ, who limits truth
to His narrow way [John 14:6], they are doomed to destruction, and so is the
self-righteous system they follow.
[Revelation 13]
The global religious system
will quickly take shape in the void left by true believers. Corruption spreads when salt and light are
absent.
In chapter 17, our Lord
describes this unified religious structure as Mystery Babylon, pictured as God
sees false religion. He presents her as
a lewd but successful prostitute, dressed to seduce and impress. She sits on many waters, a symbol of her
power over the nations of the world. The
angel says to John, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great
harlot…” She is not just a harlot, just
another Jezebel. She is a GREAT
harlot—the epitome of her profession.
She represents not only the last apparition; she is the embodiment of the
accumulated lies of all the ages.
Mystery Babylon
is the ROOT of all false religion, the beginning and the end; and the Lord
determines it is time to destroy the tree at the root.
THE ROOT OF
ALL FALSE
RELIGION
The
key to understanding why God summarizes false end-time religion in this image is
the name of the woman riding the Beast in Revelation 17—
MYSTERY, BABYLON THE
GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS
AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE
EARTH.
The
woman represents Mystery Babylon, a pagan, occult religion that surfaces
throughout history and can be traced back to
Babel in Genesis
11. Tim LaHaye notes that the religion
began at the Tower of
Babel under the leadership of Nimrod
who rebelled against God. In defiance of
God’s command to spread out and repopulate the earth after the great flood,
Nimrod led a spiritual rebellion to make a name for himself and his people by
rooting himself to the plane of
Shinar and
growing great in numbers and power. He
built a ziggurat or pyramid to reach heaven without looking to the one true
God. This tower was possibly a temple
for worship of the stars accord to Mark Hitchcock. What irony that the European Union uses the
Tower of
Babel as a POSITIVE symbol in
their publications. A search of internet
sources will even reveal another popular symbol of a woman representing
Europe, riding a beast.
The globalists see unity as positive and pragmatic—not as something that
received the judgment of God at
Babel.
After
the death of Nimrod, his queen, Semiramis, secured for herself a place with the
people by creating a mother-child cult.
She claimed her child, Tammuz, was conceived miraculously and that the
child was raised from the dead after a wild animal attack. The legend of
Semiramis and Tammuz spread from
Babel throughout the
world, possibly when God dispersed the people by creating multiple
languages. Their names
were changed in different
cultures, but the roots of the religion were the same. In Assyria, the mother
was Ishtar and the son was Tammuz. In
Phoenicia, she
was Astarte and he was Baal. In
Egypt, she was
Isis and he was Osirus or Horus. In
Greece, she was
Aphrodite and he was Eros. In
Rome, she was Venus and he was Cupid
[Hitchcock, p. 42]. In this way
Babel and its queen, which evolved
into ancient Babylon, became the
“mother of harlots”—the root of all the religions that followed. This infectious occult religion began because
one man defied God’s command and unified civilization against Him.
UNITY IS SATAN’S
PLAN—NOT GOD’S
Satan
continually seeks to unify mankind against God through false religion. At
Babel, the Lord
scattered men by confusing language.
Population then naturally migrated into regions or nations. God orders mankind by national boundaries to
establish a kind of checks and balances system against syncretism, universalism,
and the abuse of power through the domination of empires [
Deut. 32:8; Acts 17:26]. When man unites, he quickly thinks himself
greater than God. Satan’s purpose is to
bring the world together globally so that mankind can be controlled through one
man, Satan’s man, Antichrist [Hitchcock, p. 43].
ROME
AND THE REVIVED ROMAN
EMPIRE
Daniel
2 reveals that the final empire in place at Christ’s return will be a revived
form of the Roman Empire with the world
divided into ten regions.
Rome was the empire that
existed at the time of Christ’s first coming.
It is elegantly satisfying to God’s perfect plan that many of the
conditions of Christ’s first coming will come around again at His second coming,
including a revived form of the Roman
Empire.
Just
as the Babylonian Mystery Religion took hold in ancient
Rome, so it will be
manifested again in the Revived Roman Empire of Antichrist. Clarence Larkin in his book
The Book of
Revelation,
p. 151-152,
describes just how prominent Mystery Babylon was in ancient
Rome: “Julius Caesar was made Pontiff of the
Etruscan Order in BC 74. In BC 63 he was
made ‘Supreme Pontiff’ of the ‘Babylonian Order,’…Thus the first Roman Emperor
became the Head of the ‘Babylonian Priesthood,” and Rome became the successor of
Babylon.” The plot thickened in the
early days of the Christian church, when Caesar Constantine introduced
Christianity into popularity. The spread
of Christianity threatened the pagan Babylonian practices of
Rome. In order to UNIFY the empire, a system was
created to infiltrate Christian religion with pagan rites and symbols, including
the worship of the Virgin Mary as a type of Semiramis, the Queen of Heaven,
whose worship is forbidden in
Jeremiah 44:17.
Many see parallels in chapter 17 with the Roman Catholic Church as the
foundation of Antichrist’s religious system, or a strong contributing
element. Larkin also believes the
symbolism of the “city” in
17: 17-18 is
evidence the prominent city central to the religion in the Tribulation is
present-day
Rome because the city is
built on seven hills.
John
MacArthur cautions that the Tribulation one-world religion should not be limited
to the Roman Catholic Church. All
religions, including all Protestant Christian denominations, will be apostate
existing structures—devoid of true believers—after the Rapture because all true
believers within their walls will be gone.
However, the colors and wealth of the woman of chapter 17 do parallel the
color of the vestments of Catholic ritual; and the city of
Rome, the seat of the
Roman church, does sit on seven hills.
Because the Catholic church is the largest denomination in the world and
is growing rapidly in the Latin American countries, and because the Roman church
has great wealth and infrastructure in place, it likely will have great
influence in the final system. Pope John
Paul exerted much effort during his papacy to unite
Europe under the banner of peace—and the Holy Roman
Church. He saw the church as the most
logical means to bind diverse peoples of Europe
together.
Constantine identified the
same logical approach. The result was
the Holy Roman Empire where the church and the government
became one and the same.
HISTORY WILL REPEAT ITSELF
WHEN ANTICHRIST’S ONE-WORLD
GOVERNMENT, ONE-WORLD ECONOMY
AND
ONE-WORLD RELIGION BECOME
ONE BEAST SYSTEM.
MYSTERY
BABYLON
DEFEATED:
- Revelation 17:1—“one
of the seven angels”: The reference in
verse one to these angels links chapters 17 and 18 to
the Bowl Judgments. Just as the Bowls
extend to the Second Coming of Christ, so these final judgments will finish
wrath. The judgment of
Babylon, both the
economy and the religion it represents, is previewed in 16:19 and also in 14:8 as a key purpose of God.
Babylon is
significant as a symbol of man’s
rebellion against God. God’s wrath
CANNOT BE RESOLVED without attention in particular to
Babylon.
- Babylon’s judgment,
especially the city of Babylon in
Iraq [Rev. 18],
is linked to the “great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the
earth” in Revelation 16:18. “And great
Babylon was remembered before God,
to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath.” [16:19]
- We will look at
Babylon as both a
historic root of false religion and as Antichrist’s Tribulation capital
city. But both are part of a greater
Beast system that is not limited to any one spot on earth. Chapter 17 is also referred to as Religious
Babylon and chapter 18 is called Commercial Babylon.
- “the great harlot
who sits on many waters”: A prostitute
is used to symbolize the false religion.
She is not just a harlot; she is a great harlot. The Greek word for “great” is also translated
“exceeding great.” In our Western
culture, we tack the word “great” onto anything we want to emulate. What does it mean to be a great harlot? We can only imagine she represents the
highest pinnacle of her profession, debase as it may be, and the wealth she
drapes on her body is proof of success at what she does [vs. 4]. Prostitution symbolizes idolatry or religious
apostasy [Jer. 3:6-9; Ez. 16:30ff; 20:30; Hos. 4:15; 5:3; 6:10; 9:1].
Therefore, she is exceedingly successful at converting followers. She sits on many waters, symbolizing she has
authority/influence over the nations of the world. This is a global system of religion. Syncretism will blend all religions, which
would seem impossible except for the level of compromise we now witness. For the sake of peace and unity, belief
systems are centering on what they DO agree on rather than what they do
not. Only true Christianity will be too
dogmatic and narrow to “fit,” because truth cannot accept compromise. The persecution of true believers will be a
logical progression because our truth will threaten world unity. Believers will be guilty of hate crimes,
divisiveness and treason.
- 17:2—“kings…committed adultery”: The great harlot will align herself with the
world’s political leaders by skillfully seducing them with her wealth and
ability to put mankind into spiritual bondage.
The kings will use her to further their own hold on power. Every great world leader seeks a spiritual
hold on his people to put their hearts in bondage as well as their lives through
military and government control.
Adultery is a spiritual image of idolatry. The world rulers will be captivated with an
ideology that furthers their political ambitions. Truth will be inverted [Isaiah
5:20], as the prophet
foretold, replaced with pragmatism and relativism. As it was in Noah’s day, everyone will do
what is right in their own eyes because religion will be based on whatever works
and truth will be whatever man wants it to be [Matthew 24:37; Genesis 6:5].
- 17:3—“in the
Spirit”: The Holy Spirit transports John
into a wilderness place, a deserted, lonely wasteland, perhaps to give him
perspective regarding the vision. She is
presented on a backdrop of desolation, a reflection of her true nature, rather
than the splendor she attributes to herself.
- a woman—As we have
seen, organized false religion had its roots in Babel/Babylon of Genesis 11
through the devices of Semiramis, a pagan ancient queen. Because of her institution of goddess
worship, the woman has become a symbol of paganism. Fallen women such as Jezebel reinforce the
symbolism.
- scarlet beast
covered with blasphemous names—She rides Antichrist and his global system
[Revelation 13:14],
which is a picture of dominance by the harlot.
The religion will ride for a time, enjoying Antichrist’s support, but only for the
first half of the Tribulation, or until the world’s masses are enslaved. Religion has been used historically to
influence peoples; the False Prophet will orchestrate this deception and turn it
into Antichrist worship after his false resurrection [Rev. 13]. The Beast is a beast, a horrible monster,
because he cannot be identified with any one animal; he is a composite of many
animal body parts, like Frankenstein’s monster [Revelation 13:2]. Past Gentile empires, identified as a lion,
bear, or panther, contribute to Antichrist’s final form,
along with Satan, the red dragon. He is
a composite of all the best and all the worst of man’s power.
- names of
blasphemy—His pride manifests itself in names of blasphemy he flaunts arrogantly, names he takes for himself and
wears to promote his self-deification [Revelation 13:1; Daniel 7:25; 11:36; 2 Thess. 2:4]. Will he call himself Pope,
Christ, Messiah, Caesar, Czar, President of the New World Order, Buddha, Madhi,
God—or all of the above? His blatant
heresy seals his condemnation.
Antichrist’s blasphemy is destroyed at Christ’s return when Christ Jesus,
King of Kings and Lord of Lords, returns to take His rightful place, Revelation 19:16. The brightness of His holiness
will annihilate the Beast’s claim to any authority.
- The seven heads and
ten horns are explained beginning in verse 7.
- 17:4—she is arrayed
in purple and scarlet, the colors worn by royalty and high-ranking
clergy—expensive clothing because of the rarity and expense of the purple and
red dyes in John’s day. The gold,
precious stones, pearls and golden cup are also trappings of great wealth and
evidence of her power and success. But
the cup is “full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication.” Whatever is in the cup is abhorrent to the
Lord because it represents the intoxication of her idolatrous system. What is sweet in the cup to the world is
putrid to God.
- 17:5—Mystery
Babylon—We know she is the end-times equivalent of all other Mother Goddess
religions, but her exact final form is a New Testament “mystery,” or truth once
hidden in scripture that will be revealed.
Although we can only speculate, this final Goddess religion of the
Tribulation will surpass all others [2 Thess. 2:9-10]. Mariology, the worship of Mary, the mother of
Jesus Christ, is already gaining popularity in religions that have little else
in common. Mary may be emulated and
promoted to Goddess status by modern Mystery Babylon worshippers.
- 17:6—drunk with the
blood of the saints: The harlot religion
finds the blood of innocent martyrs, probably Tribulation believers, to be as
intoxicating as wine. She celebrates her
corruption, completely without remorse.
John is amazed at a religion that thrives on the murder of the
righteous. He is shocked that man could
sink so low after the Jesus he knew so well paid the ultimate price for man’s
eternal redemption. Compare with verse 8
where the lost marvel in adoration and worship for the so-called “risen”
Antichrist [Revelation 13:8]. In both
17:8 and 13:8, those who are deceived by Satan’s whores and Antichrist’s lies
are called those whose names are NOT written in
the Book of Life. The point is
clear. ONLY those elected to salvation,
whose names ARE written in the
Book of Life, will be able to resist the Antichrist’s deception—it will be that
intoxicating.
THE ANGEL
EXPLAINS:
The Lord does not leave the
reader without an explanation of something so
significant as the relationship between Mystery Babylon and Antichrist
[17:7-15].
·
17:8, 11—“The beast that you saw WAS,
AND IS NOT,
AND WILL ASCEND OUT OF THE BOTTOMLESS PIT
[THE ABYSS]
AND GO TO PERDITION
[DESTRUCTION].” MacArthur sees this as a
reference to the Antichrist’s false resurrection [
13:3,4, 12-14]. After his
resurrection, the Antichrist will become possessed by a great demon from the
abyss, which changes him into Satan’s demon-possessed man, destined for eternal
damnation. The Beast is also the Beast system.
MacArthur: “The Antichrist’s
kingdom is said to be both the seventh and eighth kingdoms because of his
supposed demise and resurrection. He is
the seventh king before and the eighth king after his resurrection when he
destroys the harlot’s religious empire and demands exclusive worship of
himself.” In verse 10, as the eighth
king, Antichrist and his empire will “continue a short time,” the last half of
the Tribulation, before he and his system are destroyed by Christ at His
return.
·
17:9-11:
seven heads/seven hills/seven kings—[also vs. 7]: The seven heads of the Beast are the seven
hills on which the woman sits while on the Beast, and they represent seven
kings. This multiple meaning is to
present a composite of the history of the Babylonian Mystery Religion. Just as the Beast system is composed of parts
of the Daniel 2 empires of
Babylon,
Medo-Persia,
Greece and
Rome, so Mystery Babylon is composed
of a heritage from seven historic empires dominated by the Mystery Religion from
its origins. Seven is the number of
completeness. The
seven empires are
Egypt,
Assyria,
Babylon,
Medo-Persia,
Greece,
Rome, and the final stage—the
Revived Roman Empire of Antichrist. This
explains
verse 10: “five have fallen” which are Egypt, Assyria, Babylon,
Medo-Persia, and Greece, because they were PAST in John’s day. “One is,” would
be the Roman Empire of John’s first century; “the other has not yet come” refers
to the Revived Roman Empire of the Tribulation that is yet future. [Ref. MacArthur].
·
17:12—ten horns/ten kings: The ten horns on the head of the Beast
represent the division of power under Antichrist in the Tribulation when the
Revived Roman Empire will exist. The
kings of these global regions will receive their authority for “one hour,” which
represents a short time for such authority [
12:12; 13:5]. The
key to the swift rise of Antichrist is that he assembles a base of men who “are
of one mind” with him. They are unified
in their purpose and their worldview, and in their devotion to Antichrist as
their leader. This “one mind” is global
unity. They declare war on the Lamb,
Christ, which means they are already defeated.
·
17:15-17—Although the “harlot” religion now
controls peoples from all nations, when the Antichrist demands worship of
himself, his minions are eager to destroy the religious system of Mystery
Babylon and turn all attention to Antichrist.
Eating her flesh may refer to plundering the wealth of the system in
order to finance Antichrist’s global aspirations.
·
17:18—“the woman whom you saw is that great city…” Mystery
Babylon is also a city, but not the
city of
Babylon in
Iraq. LaHaye, Froese and Dyer believe Babylon is
the candidate for Antichrist’s commercial capital because of the description in
chapter 18 and Old Testament passages of the final destruction of Babylon yet to
be fulfilled [
Isaiah 21:9; Jer. 51:64].
As mentioned earlier, the descriptions of the religious system make the
city of
Rome a logical choice for
the religious headquarters of the end-time religion. There are two cities that
serve as headquarters for global operations.
The city in chapter 17 is destroyed by the beast and his ten kings
[
17:16], but the city in chapter 18
is destroyed as a direct result of the judgment of God [
18:5-7].
·
In Beth Moore’s study of Esther, she points
out the use of a literary device known as a reversal of fortunes. As our Lord reconciles all things to His original purpose
and intention in The Revelation, we witness many reversals of fortunes as an
elegant method of judgment:
The harlot, so accustomed
to luxury and importance,
is reduced to shame—desolate, naked and burned
with fire.
The very leaders who elevated her, depose her.
The Lord uses those closest
to her perversion as pawns to judge her.
The old evil is cut off at
the root.
In the next chapter, Antichrist’s cosmopolitan capital
of Babylon is
described as it is being destroyed. All
the material promises of the Beast system are burned up in “one hour.” Antichrist’s grandiose plans last a very
short time when overcome by the Lamb.
In Him We Wait, Work, and Watch,
Sharon Clemens
[Prophecy Chat is a commentary of current events in light of Bible prophecy. Sharon L. Clemens is an evangelical, premillennial, pre-trib teacher of eschatology. She can be reached for comment or questions by e-mail at farmgrove@frontier.com]
