Babylon vs "My All for God Alone"
Babylon vs “My All for God Alone”
Revelation 17
SS Class March 23, 2019
Larry R Evans
Quick review of last week’s study regarding the 7 Last Plagues
1. We emphasized that the focus book of Revelation is a revelation about and by Jesus and how His love for His people prior to His coming is manifested.
2. We emphasized that Jesus identified with His people as seen in Matthew 11:28 when called to them by saying, ““Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” This was never more important than what was about to be revealed in this historical and prophetic book of the Bible.
3. Our attention is directed to the experience of Revelation 12:17. We spoke of a key principle of interpretation referred to repetition (recapitulation) and enlargement. We saw this principle at work when the “war” of Rev. 12:17 was repeated but enlarged with greater detail in chapters 13 and 14 – a spiritual war designed to break or separate the loyalty of God’s people with Him.
“And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” (NKJV)
4. We saw that the 7 last plagues are poured out upon those who seek to harm the Lord’s people (e.g. Rev. 13:15). When seen this way, we see that God’s love for His people has not abated at all! He is and will act in their behalf!
5. The question that follows is what happens to the very power that attempts to insert itself between God and His people. That power is identified in the 6th and 7th plague as Babylon in 16:19.
6. Revelation 17 is an enlargement of the picture of the world’s crisis that is presented in Revelation 16.
“Babylon, the Great”
Babylon’s History
The book of Daniel provides some invaluable insights into the characteristics of Babylon. We don’t have a lot of time to expand on this but for our purposes today, let me point out that Babylon never asked Daniel and his companions to forsake their religious beliefs but to only compromise them. Because of its national and military expansion, the city of Babylon harbored refugees from many countries. To maintain unity and control all its inhabitants, those living there were asked to simply privatize their beliefs. They could worship as they pleased in private but when it came to public worship, they were to honor the principle of pluralism as seen on the Plain of Dura. For the sake of unity, they were to bow with the others for the sake of the “common good.” Today we call that pluralism but another word for it is syncretism:
Syncretism: the amalgamation (combining or uniting) or attempted amalgamation of different religions, cultures, or schools of thought.
Babylon in Revelation 17
We must keep in mind that this is a revelation about Jesus and His love for his people. In doing so, let’s remember the promise of Jesus (John 10:14 & 28):
“I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. . . And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.”
It is for this reason that there is such a struggle or conflict referenced in Revelation 12 and following. Jesus will not permit anyone or any power to pluck His people from His hand. The very mention of this by Jesus suggests that an effort would be made so as to loosen the grip of the people on the hands of Jesus! Christ does not take away the power of choice but, as we can see in Revelation, the odds are being stacked against God’s people. God intervenes in chapters 17 and 18. We are introduced to this with a summary verse in 16:19 which is later expanded in chapters 17 and 18.
“Now the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And great Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath.” Rev. 16:19
Babylon the Harlot
Chapter 17 elaborates on the sixth and seventh plagues. John begins with a vision of a woman riding on a beast. Note the descriptions:
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. 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. (Rev. 17:3,4)
John introduces this harlot as sitting upon many waters (17:1) and as riding upon a scarlet beast that has 7 heads and 10 horns (17:3) but he doesn’t stop there.
Babylon, or the woman, is pictured as sitting upon the beast. Babylon uses her religious system to dominate the political powers during the end-time crisis! Babylon majors in pluralism or syncretism. She uses an amalgamation not only of various religious persuasions but also mixes in with them political influences and powers. It is no wonder that the woman and the scarlet beast have an awesome influencing power.
“While the prostitute represents the end-time union of religion, the beast symbolizes the world confederacy of political power. . . . Babylon, the woman sitting on the beast, will use her religious system to dominate the political powers during the end-time crisis.” (Ranko Stefanovic, The Book of Revelation, p. 110-111)
In Rev. 17:5 John tells what is written on her forehead:
“MYSTERY,
BABYLON THE GREAT,
THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND
OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH
The inscription on her forehead resembles the inscription “Holy to the Lord” on the miter of the high priest (Ex. 28:5,6). The lavish dress in purple and scarlet, and adorned with ornaments of gold and precious stones has a striking resemblance to dress of the high priest. (vss. 5,6). There are many analogies suggesting that this religio-political power is attempting to be the replacement of God’s sovereignty on earth.
Babylon, even though she is dressed in religious garb, is a prostitute and the mother of prostitutes who seduces the world away from God! This is clearly reminiscent of the beast power in Revelation 13 who seeks to both make an image to the beast while leading many to a false worship in the name of religion (Rev. 13:14,15).
And he [the beast from the earth] deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived. He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.
At this point it would be well for us to remember the text we read earlier about the good Shepherd:
(John 10:14 & 28):
“I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. . . And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.”
Every attempt will be made to discourage and to deceive God’s people. We need to be sure that we are so well acquainted with the true Shepherd that we will recognize the difference between the real Shepherd and the disguised shepherd.
No wonder, as we reflected in our study last week, that Jesus calls us and says, “Come to Me” (Matt. 11:28)
The Seven Heads of the Beast
The beast upon which the woman rides has seven heads which are seven mountains on which the woman, the harlot, sits. Mountains in the Bible often symbolize world powers or empires. Kings represent kingdoms (Dan. 2:37-39). The seven mountains symbolize seven great successive empires that dominated the world.
From John time perspective, five of these empires had already fallen, one was present, and another was yet to come. Rome was the world power of John’s day and the previous five were: Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Media-Persia and Greece. The seventh mountain, yet to come, is the sea beast of Revelation 13, the papacy but John says there is actually an eighth head or world power.
Ranko Stefanovic, our lesson author, suggests “
“. . . that the eighth must be the seventh head that received the deadly wound. It is at the time of this eighth world power that the scarlet beast appears, carrying and advancing the goals of the harlot Babylon. Today we live at the time of the healing of the deadly wound. This eighth world power will appear on the scene right before the end.” (Study guide, p.96)
The Judgment of Babylon
“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. These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast. 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.”
Rev. 17:12-14l
Revelation does not tell us who these kings are, but it is a short-term political confederacy just before the end. The number 10 signifies the totality of world powers and their unwavering allegiance to the beast power. John in vision simply says, “They will make war with the Lamb.” (17:14). This “war” was introduced in chapter 16 as the battle of Armageddon. The context of chapters 16 and 17 make it clear that battle is not a military battle but the final conflict between Christ and Satan just before the Second Coming!
Conclusion
What better way to conclude this brief study than to quote from the Good Shepherd who knows each of us by name, who knows our strengths and weaknesses, who has the power to deliver us from deceptions and evil powers.
“I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. . . And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.”
Stay tuned for next week’s study. What an assuring climax that will be for us as we remain faithful to the Lamb of God who sacrificed Himself that we might live with Him throughout eternity.
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