It is a System
Revelation 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.
It is first and foremost a system! A purposeful structure that is a collection of elements or components that are organized for a common purpose.
There are two systems: Babylonian and God’s
God’s is the way of life that we are aiming to live by now. It is the plan by which He will bring many sons to glory Hebrews 2:10. It is the one that we expound on the Sabbath and Holy days.
The Babylonian system is counterfeit that is in place to try to thwart the plan of God
It is a Mystery
This one of the reasons it is so effective.
Revelation 17:5 And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
It has been HIDDEN in plain sight! Carrying out her plans under the noses of world – in front of everyone
Let’s unravel the identify who Babylon is by her characteristics and descriptions in the Bible
True Leader of Babylon
Satan is the author and king of this false and pagan system
Isaiah 14:4 that you will take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say: “How the oppressor has ceased, The golden city ceased!
Isaiah 14:12 “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations!
Isaiah 14:13 For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north;
Isaiah 14:14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’
Revelation 12:9 So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
System goes all the way back to Genesis
Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylon
Daniel 2:28 But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream, and the visions of your head upon your bed, were these:
Daniel 2:31 “You, O king, were watching; and behold, a great image! This great image, whose splendor was excellent, stood before you; and its form was awesome.
Daniel 2:32 This image’s head was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze,
Daniel 2:33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay.
Daniel 2:34 You watched while a stone was cut out without hands [Jesus Christ at his return], which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces.
One point to make here: There is only one image until the time of Christ’s return — So therefore this system will be around until then.
False Religion
A woman is a symbol of true religion
But not just any woman–a virgin
2 Corinthians 11:2 For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. (Matthew 25:1; Revelation 14:4)
Ephesians 5:23-24 the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church (Also see: Revelation 12:6, 13-17; 19:7)
So what does that make a woman that is a harlot or a prostitute?
A Harlot is a Spiritually Unclean and Defiled Church
Revelation 17:1 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,
Revelation 17:2 with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication.”
Revelation 17:3 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.
Revelation 17:4 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 [all the trappings of true religion without the substance of it] and the filthiness of her fornication.
She makes them spiritually drunk; fornication is her impure doctrine and practices; and she deceives through sorceries.
Revelation 18:23 The light of a lamp shall not shine in you anymore, and the voice of bridegroom and bride shall not be heard in you anymore. For your merchants were the great men of the earth, for by your sorcery all the nations were deceived.
She Will Spawn Other Harlots
Revelation 17:5 And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
This church has generated “daughter churches” that follow her in similar ways! This is yet another criteria that can be used to determine who Babylon will be.
She Persecuted the Saints
Revelation 17:6 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.
Revelation 17:7 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.
Revelation 18:24 And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who were slain on the earth.”
Estimates are between 2,000,000 and 50,000,000 deaths that she is guilty of.
She Thinks of Herself as a Queen
Revelation 18:7 In the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, ‘I sit as queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow.’
She is Over Peoples, Multitudes, Nations, and Tongues
Revelation 17:1 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,
Revelation 17:15 Then he said to me, “The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues. .
So this is another indicator..her reach goes beyond national borders and unites under a religious system.
Political
This woman is also intimately involved with world leaders.
Revelation 18:3 For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her
They were willing to follow her spiritual lead because of the benefits they would glean from it.
Revelation 18:9 “The kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her will weep and lament for her, when they see the smoke of her burning,
They benefit greatly from the relationship with the Harlot. It is because there is something in it for them: wealth, favors etc. They were willing participants as they have been in the past — simply they saw an opportunity took it.
She Literally Reigns Over Other Rulers
The cost of this affair, is submission — to her and her ways!
Revelation 17:18 And the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth.”
Economic
Back again to verse 3:
Revelation 18:3 For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication….and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury.”
Even though the next section is after the fact, we see how profitable the accord with Babylon will be to those that engage in business with it.
Revelation 18:11 “And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore:
Revelation 18:12 merchandise of gold and silver, precious stones and pearls, fine linen and purple, silk and scarlet, every kind of citron wood, every kind of object of ivory, every kind of object of most precious wood, bronze, iron, and marble;
Revelation 18:13 and cinnamon and incense, fragrant oil and frankincense, wine and oil, fine flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and bodies and souls of men.
Revelation 18:14 The fruit that your soul longed for has gone from you, and all the things which are rich and splendid have gone from you, and you shall find them no more at all.
Revelation 18:15 The merchants of these things, who became rich by her, will stand at a distance for fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,
This may be one of the main ways that Babylon can exert control — a two pronged combination of religion and economy.
Revelation 13:16 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave [transcends economic boundaries], to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads,
Revelation 13:17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
Golden rule: He who has the gold makes the rules. If you want to deal with Babylon in the future then you have to do what they say.
Another point that we can throw in here:
Babylon is a Great City
In addition to being prosperous, Babylon is identified as a “great city.”
Revelation 18:16 and saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city that was clothed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls!
Revelation 18:18 and cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, ‘What is like this great city?’
It is notable that the Bible refers to it so often in this fashion and not as a state or country (Revelation 14:8, 18:10, 16, 18, 19, 21).
Sits on Seven Hills
Revelation 17:9 “Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits.
Other translations use the word “hills” instead of mountains. Also, the Bible sometimes uses the a mountain as a symbol of government — so while this verse can be somewhat unclear, we will see at the conclusion why the use of the word “hills” would be significant.
Will Only Rule for a Short Time
Revelation 18:10 standing at a distance for fear of her torment, saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come.’
Revelation 18:21 Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, “Thus with violence the great city Babylon shall be thrown down, and shall not be found anymore.
Revelation 17:12 “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.
Revelation 18:17 For in one hour such great riches came to nothing.’ Every shipmaster, all who travel by ship, sailors, and as many as trade on the sea, stood at a distance
Revelation 18:19 “They threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and wailing, and saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city, in which all who had ships on the sea became rich by her wealth! For in one hour she is made desolate.’
Militaristic
In addition to being called a great city in Revelation 18:10, she is called a “mighty city.”
This is the nature of the image. It starts with the Babylonian empire and ends as Babylon…and this system all throughout was a military entity that conquers.
Image of Daniel
Daniel 2:37 You, O king, are a king of kings. For the God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power, strength, and glory;
Daniel 2:38 and wherever the children of men dwell, or the beasts of the field and the birds of the heaven, He has given them into your hand, and has made you ruler over them all—you are this head of gold.
Daniel 2:39 But after you shall arise another kingdom inferior to yours; then another, a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth.
Daniel 2:40 And the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron, inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything; and like iron that crushes, that kingdom will break in pieces and crush all the others.
Daniel 2:41 Whereas you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; yet the strength of the iron shall be in it, just as you saw the iron mixed with ceramic clay.
Daniel 2:42 And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile.
IN the End They Will Fight Jesus Christ
Daniel 2:44 And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.
Daniel 2:45 Inasmuch as you saw that the stone [Jesus Christ] was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold—the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure.”
Revelation 17:14 These [the woman riding the beast] 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.”
So they are antichrist — literally, in that fight “against Christ” and have no hesitation in engaging him in battle.
Summation
Babylon is a Way of Life
Revelation 18:22 The sound of harpists, musicians, flutists, and trumpeters shall not be heard in you anymore. No craftsman of any craft shall be found in you anymore, and the sound of a millstone shall not be heard in you anymore.
Revelation 18:23 The light of a lamp shall not shine in you anymore, and the voice of bridegroom and bride shall not be heard in you anymore. .
We are not to be a Part of the Babylonian System
It has become a lifestyle, a way of life that people want and we must heed the admonition that we started out with in Revelation 18:4.
Who does Babylon Have to Be?
When we analyze all the criteria that scripture has outlined for us:
It has to be the false religion from which others have come that has fooled the rest of the world into believing that they are the true religion. Other religions have come from her.
Rules over many peoples and nations and kings thinking of themselves as a queen.
Has persecuted the saints (true religion) to the extent it is a reason for their judgment
In time it will become a worldwide, economic and militaristic power – that will make war with Jesus Christ at His return.
Will rule for only a short time as a great city, on seven hills — though the system has been in place since Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylon.
The final rule of the Babylonian system will be with resurrection of the holy Roman empire before the return of Christ with the Roman Catholic Church riding this beast.
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