Revelation 17

Revelation 17 & Revelation 18 — The Mystery of Babylon

There are those who believe the Church will go through the Tribulation. In a way, they are right. There is a church that will.

This woman receives more attention than any other symbol in the book. She is surrounded by more identifying clues than any other symbol in the book.

Two Women: conspicuous antitheses of one another:

Many good scholars have differing views concerning the “dragon lady” of Revelation 17. Arguments over the identity of “Babylon” include Rome, Iraq, USA, NY, et al.

Is America “Babylon”?

There are some who regard “Mystery Babylon” as a symbolic allusion to the United States. Relying heavily on the Greco-Roman aesthetic traditions in Washington architecture, Columbia as a woman figure, Masonic influences on early heraldry, etc., there are some that believe that America is in view.

I personally have reviewed these notions and find them provocative and interesting, but don’t share this view. That doesn’t mean it isn’t valid, and I mention it only in passing.

[Some also believe Rev 17 & Rev 18 may be different: ecclesiastical and commercial Babylons...]

World System: Christ does not pray for the world (Jhn 17:9; Jhn 15:18-19).

The Relevance of Babylon

First mentioned in Genesis 2:14; mentioned over 300X in the Bible; alluded to three times in Christ’s genealogy; presently 100 kilometers (62 miles) south of Baghdad.

The Origin of Babylon: The first world dictator: Nimrod (“Rebel”). The classical translation of Genesis 10:9 is misleading: “a mighty hunter in defiance of the Lord.”

“Mystery Babylon”

All forms of occultic practices have had their origins in the original city of Babylon. Isaiah 47 brings this out clearly (see also Hislop in bibliography).

Tammuz, the son of Nimrod and his queen, Semiramis, was identified with the Babylonian Sun God, and worshipped following the winter solstice, about December 22-23. As Babylon was conquered by subsequent empires, this entire religious system was transplanted, first to Pergamos, (Rev 2:12-17) and then to Rome.

When Constantine established Christianity as the official state religion of Rome, many of the religious traditions and practices of the earlier pagan worship were adapted and incorporated into the resulting system. As the Babylonian religious system was integrated with Christian ceremonial observances, many of our traditions surrounding Christmas emerge.

The Babylonian worship of Ishtar, the Golden Egg of Astarte, and the fertility rites of spring give us Easter (“Ishtar,” the mother goddess of Babylon).

The calendar year-end on October 31, and its associated occultic rituals, gave us our Halloween. Many ancient cultures (Celts, Druids, et al.) observed October 31, the Eve of Samhain, as their year-end. This was related to worship of Baal (Mars) and may have been stimulated by the perturbation of the orbit of the earth associated with the planet Mars.

Babylon (beginning Eze 28:2, 6-10); Harlot (is there any worse label than that?) in control, at first; new (comprehensive) religion; one political beast in evidence (Dan 7:8, 20, 25; Dan 11:36; Isa 14:14; 2Th 2:4).

Babylon in Prophecy

The serious inquirer should read all six chapters at one sitting to capture the composite impact presented:

Babylon is to be rebuilt (Isa 13:19-20; Jer 50:39-40). Debates should be impacted by the reality that Saddam Hussein has begun rebuilding!

Ten Clues to Identification

1. A prostitute. Ultimate in promiscuous, unfaithful behavior; depicts unfaithfulness to God on the part of someone who claims to honor God.
2. Has universal influence; all over the world.
3. She is seated upon (steers, dominates) the beast.
4. Purple, Scarlet, Gold, and Jewels. She is conspicuously wealthy and expensively adorned; outwardly attractive.
5. Golden cup: precious, shining, pleasant to behold; ostensibly, a utensil in God’s service; yet a counterfeit, filled with abominable things.
6. Mystery, Babylon the Great. A mystery, linked with Babylon of Nimrod. Cf. Rev 11:8, as an idiom.
7. Mother of Prostitutes: has spiritual offspring. Not alone.
8. Persecutor of Christians (true believers). In fact, revels in their blood. (Cf. Dave Hunt.)
9. Seven Hills. Rome built on seven hills: Aventine, Caelian, Capitoline, Esquiline, Palatine, Quirinal, and Viminal.
10. The Great City that rules over the kings of the earth. In John’s day, could only be Rome.

Today: status of a separate, sovereign nation within the City of Rome: the Vatican. It has its own diplomatic embassies in the major capitals of the world. Its history of atrocities upon believers is unparalleled in history. [Dave Hunt, A Woman Rides the Beast, Harvest House, 1994, is a must-read for any serious student of this issue.]

Revelation 17

[1] “And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters”: Harlotry = false devotion, flatteries (Jer 3:6, 8, 9; Eze 16:32; Hos 1:2; Rev 2:22); feigned love, pretended affection, intimacy for favors. [Called a “harlot” four times in this chapter. Called a great “city” eight times.]

Also, Jerusalem was called a harlot (Isa 1:21); Tyre was a harlot (Isa 23:16-17); as was Nineveh (Nah 3:4).

“Waters”: see Rev 17:15.

2] “With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication”: Lenin was correct: religion is the opiate of the people: “drunk with wine.”

The control of the state by “religion” is one of the most dangerous trends in view. The enforced paganism in our government and our schools is frightening—and just the beginning.

3] “So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.”

“...carried me away” (detachment necessary): “wilderness?” (Isa 47; Isa 48). John=>Heaven (Rev 4:2); high mountain, (Rev 21:10).

4] “And the woman was arrayed in purple...”: Purple was the predominant color of Roman imperialism; every senator and consul wore a purple stripe as a badge of his position; the emperor’s robes were purple.

Scarlet is the color adopted by Roman Catholicism.

“Golden cup” (Cf. Jer 51:7). Religious intoxication of the anti-church (not antichrist), a pseudoreligion counterfeit.

“Abominations” = idolatry (Isa 44:19); high places (2Ki 23:13); Mt. of Olives = “Mt. of Corruption”; one of 7 mountains? of desolation (Dan 12:11; Dan 9:27)

The Church was not meant to rule until her rejected Lord returns in power.

Blasphemy includes any doctrine that attempts to add to what God has completed: Salvation by works denies God’s glory = blasphemy.

5] “And upon her forehead [was] a name written, Mystery, Babylon the Great, The Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth”: musterion = secret revealed. Mystery Babylon vs. Mystery of the “True Church” (Eph 3:1-9).

Mother of Harlots (note the plural: a brothel!) Thus, also, Mother of protestants? Ecclesiasticism leads to idolatry (Rev 18:7) “am no widow”?

[6] “And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints...”: Drunk with blood of saints. (Why did John “wonder”? It would have been no surprise if pagan Rome should persecute believers. The love of a harlot is a feigned love; a pretended affection to gain favors.)

[8] “The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit...”: Out of the pit (abousso) is not simply a “revival” of an earthly empire: it is supernatural (Rev 9:1-2, 11; Rev 11:7; Rev 20:1, 3). Be not ignorant of Satan’s devices (2Cr 2:11).

Seed of serpent (Gen 3:15); Serpent = Satan (Rev 12:9); Man-child = Christ (Gal 3:16).

Brood of serpent: “Generation of vipers” (Mat 12:34). Not Gentiles; children of wrath, disobedience (Eph 2:2-3); children of Satan (Jhn 8:44; 1Jo 4:1-3).

9] “And here [is] the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth”:

“...seven mountains”: Mountains = governments in prophecy (Dan 2:25, 44 et al.). Horace wrote, “The gods, who look with favor on the seven hills...” Ovid: “But Rome looks around on the whole globe from her seven mountains, the seat of empire and abode of the gods”: Augustine wrote, “Babylon is a former Rome, and Rome is a later Babylon.” Even Peter is regarded as using Babylon as a “code name” for Rome (1Pe 5:13), although some take it as literal.

[10] “And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, [and] the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space”:

“They are 7 kings”:

1. Egypt (Isa 52:4; Isa 10:24; Isa 27:13; Hos 9:3; Hos 11:11; Zech 10:10-11)
2. Assyria
3. Babylon [Daniel from here on..]
4. Persia
5. Greece
6. Rome - Phase 1
         —Church “gap”—
7. Rome “revived” - Phase 2
8. Incarnated Satan: the Coming World Leader

Newell and Govet:

1. Julius Caesar - assassinated
2. Tiberius - poisoned or smothered
3. Caligula - assassinated
4. Claudius - poisoned
5. Nero - committed suicide

One is: Domitian, living in John’s day; later assassinated.

Others (Walter Scott, Scofield, et al): Forms of government: kings, consuls, dictators, decimvirs, and military tribunes. The “one is” is the sixth, the imperial form set up by Julius Caesar. (It is interesting that the Kaiser of Germany, the Tsar of Russia, and Qaysars of Islam, take their labels from him.) John was banished under this form. The seventh will be the last.

[11] “And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition”: A key riddle. The “Little Horn” of Daniel 7 (Dan 7:8, 24). [Favors the “form of government” view... or refers to some other link; genealogical? We’ll have to wait and see...]

[12] “And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast”: Daniel 7:7.

[15] “And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues”: Isaiah 8:7, et al.

[16] “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”: Kings eventually destroy the harlot. The harlot is not the beast: it rides, but then is destroyed by, the beast.

[18] “And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth”: The great city—Rome then; could be relocated to the plain of Shinar (7X = literal Babylon). Rome existed in John’s day.