One of the angels invited John to see how God would punish Babylon. The angel called Babylon a great prostitute who sells her body for sex. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her. The inhabitants of earth were intoxicated with her adulteries. (Rev. 17:1-2). Her beauty is only skin deep. She many look good, but soon her evil will soon be reveled. Someone who is drunk has no idea what they are doing. This is like these kings. They were so wrapped up in the wealth, greed and evil that they didn’t realize the magnitude of what they were doing.
When
and how have you been intoxicated with desires of the world?
This
prostitute is not a literal woman. The
woman is Babylon and may represent the city of Rome. Babylon can be looked at as a world system
that is against God or as the city of the Antichrist. She turns good into evil. She controls many rivers meaning many
nations. All the kings of the earth
shared the trade and culture with her.
They desired wealth, luxury and false gods. She caused the nations and people of earth to
worship the beast.
John
was taken by the Spirit into a desert where he saw a woman sitting on a red
beast covered with blasphemous names and had 7 heads and 10 horns. She is dressed in purple and adorned with beautiful
expensive jewels on the outside, but inside she was anything but
beautiful. True beauty in found in Jesus
alone. She carried a golden cup filled
with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries. On her head was written, “Mystery Babylon the great the mother of prostitutes and the
abominations of the earth” – Rev
17:5. She was drunk with the blood
of the saints, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus. (Rev. 2-6)
She is a killer of believers.
She represents all who hate God, but someday will face His justice.
This
golden cup could mean that all this evil and immorality of the world has been
brought into the church. The church was
tolerating almost anything and everything.
They were watering down Jesus and God’s truth.
We see
that today. We see some churches
watering down Jesus and the gospel. They
are tolerating life styles and choices that God does not approve of, because
they don’t want to hurt people’s feelings or because it’s the popular thing to
do. They say times have changed and we
need to accept those changes. I think
they need to read the Bible to see what God says.
The
beast is the Antichrist who was great enemy of Christ and God’s people. The woman was drunk not with wine, but the
blood of God’s people. Babylon was
responsible for the death of God’s people.
They died because they were loyal to Jesus.
The
angel explains to John. The beast we saw
in chapter 14 is the Antichrist. He was
killed yet rose from the dead to deceive the people of the earth. He is red like the red dragon, Satan. He is full of blasphemous names against
God. The people of the earth whose names
are not written in the book of life will worship the beast. Scripture calls for us to be wise. The 7 heads are mountains. They are also 7 kings. Five had fallen and one had not come
yet. Some believe the five fallen are
Julius Caesar, Tiberius Caesar, Caligula, Claudius and Nero. Domitian was alive in John’s day. The 7th is the Antichrist, the
coming leader revived from the Roman Empire.
He will also be the 8th and rule the entire world. (Rev. 17:9-11)
How do
you gain wisdom? We gain
wisdom by asking God for it. We stay in
His Word and Him to help you understand it. Then we will be able to discern between a lie
and the truth. Stay in prayer. Our faith will be strengthened and our trust
in God will become stronger and stronger.
The
description of the beast and the Lord is very different. The beast once was, now is not, and yet will
come and will be destroyed. (Rev.
17:10) The Lord is and who was, and
is to come. He will live forever. (Rev.
1:4; 8; and 4:8) The beast is a
counterfeit of Jesus. The beast comes to
destroy and Jesus came to save. Jesus triumphed
over Satan on the cross. Satan’s final
days will end to total destruction.
The 10
horns are the 10 kings. They will
receive authority as kings for 1 hour along with the beast. Their purpose it to make war against the
Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because He is Lord of Lords and King of
Kings. With Him will be His chosen and
faithful followers. (Rev. 17:12-14)
Then
the angel said to John that the waters he saw where the prostitute (Babylon) sits
are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages.
The beast and the 10 horns will hate the prostitute and will bring her
to ruin. The beast seems to have used
her for his purposes, but now he and the 10 kings will destroy her. (Rev.
17:15-16)
“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.” – Rev. 17:17
This was God’s plan in order to punish Babylon. God is in control and His plans will succeed,
because He is the only real God.
We can
see Babylon traits in the world today.
There is a cultural system that pulls people away to ungodliness. It encourages sin, selfishness, tolerance of
all things, greed, love of money and material things. But remember, God will still achieve His purposes
in the world. He is sovereign and in
control – and – He wins in the end!
What
seductive influences are present in your life?
Do you
let Jesus shape and influence your heart or are you captured by an intoxicating
Babylon?
Principle: God turned man’s evil into His beautiful purposes.
Jesus
never sought power or authority, but lived as a servant and lived to glorify
God. True beauty is in Jesus. His punishment on the cross for us brought us
peace that is true beauty.
Next week we will study Revelation 18. Hope to see
you here.
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