The Mystery of Babylon
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Introduction
Introduction
In chapter 16 we witnessed the final judgment of God against this world.
We saw God destroy this world through a series of powerful plagues. We also witnessed the defiance of fallen man. Even in the face of judgment, man refused to repent. Of course, this shouldn’t surprise us; man refused to repent in the face of Law and man has refused to repent in this age of grace. Man is an hardened sinner, and apart, from the grace of God, mankind is hopelessly lost!
The last plague in Rev. 16:17–21 brought about a great earthquake that destroyed the cities of the world. This final, great quake devastated all the places that man had created. This earthquake destroyed everything that represented the greatest accomplishments of humanity.
All of mankind’s centers of pleasure and profit are wiped out.
Since the dawn of time man has been in the business of trying to get by without God. Man rests on his power, his accomplishments, his ability to produce and his ability to enjoy pleasure. In that last great judgment, everything man trusts is taken away.
We are also told that “great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath,” Rev. 16:19.
Babylon is an actual city, but it is also a system. Babylon represents everything mankind has accomplished apart from God. This system is judged in the seventh bowl judgment. What we have in chapters 17 and 18 is another parenthetical passage. These two chapters give us the details of the destruction of the Babylonian system.
In chapter 17 we will see the destruction of religious Babylon.
In chapter 18 we will see the destruction of economic Babylon.
Tonight, I feel like I need to give you a foundation before going through Revelation 17…So let’s first look at:
The Origin of Babylon
The Origin of Babylon
In order to understand the significance of Babylon’s rise and fall in the last book of the Bible, we have to go back to its origin in the first book of the Bible.
- See, what I mentioned this morning about the books of Genesis and Revelation are coming into play tonight...
The cult of Babylon began in Genesis 11 as a state religion to serve political ends. Though it has taken on new forms from one century to the next, its essential character, doctrine, and purpose have remained the same.
The founder of Babylon was Nimrod. We meet him in Gen. 10:8-10.
And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord. And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.
Realize, this is after the flood. Nimrod was a mighty hunter who defied God’s decree to Noah and his family to “be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth.” (9:1)
Notice in Gen. 11:4
4 And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.
– They were building a city and a tower so that they would not have to be spread out over the earth. The decree from God through Noah, following the universal flood, was to disperse throughout the whole earth.
But along came the great-grandson of Noah, the world’s first tyrant, a man named Nimrod. Nimrod defied God’s command and attempted to build a one-world federation of nations.
The city was the political and economic structure. The tower was the religious structure.
They wanted the tower to be in the heavens. In other words, the top of this tower was dedicated to the universe. The first system of worship worshiped the heavens. The God of creation was denied and the creation became god. This is still happening in our day…People believe they can harness the power of the universe to give them what they want.
The universe has become god. Sun, moon, and stars are believed to give life and determine destiny.
Millions of people today are religiously devoted Babylonians– they believe their sign and the movements of the stars have something to do with their purpose and destiny on Earth.
– This was the first worship system of Babylon.
– So Nimrod would be the founder, along with his wife Semiramis and their child Tammuz in creating a blasphemous, idolatrous, one-world religion.
– Nimrod set himself “before the Lord” as a rival. Remember happened next? Look at:
5 And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.
6 And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.
7 Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.
8 So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.
9 Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the Lord did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the Lord scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.
This is very serious and very important for the whole story of redemption in the Bible and the setting up of the kingdom of the antichrist.
God judged them and confounded their languages so they were forced to spread out according to people groups.
– So the first federation – the first United Nations – was a society built to bring the human race together to exalt man and exclude God.
Nimrod became the prototype for all false state religions after him leading up all the way to the future kingdom of the antichrist.
– The legend grew that Semiramis had a son, conceived miraculously by a sunbeam. He was the promised deliverer of earth and named Tammuz. Tammuz was in effect a false fulfillment of the promise made to Eve of a deliverer born from the seed of woman – in other words, conceived without the involvement of man.
We can see how Satan, early in human history – in fact, in the very first religious and political rebellion – sowed the seeds of lies by wrapping them around kernels of truth.– Let me tell you just how deep this goes.
Every other false religion that has raised its ugly head through the centuries has a mother and son at the head.
The roots of the Roman Catholic Church are steeped in the Babylonian mystery religion...
In Phoenicia, for example, the mother was Astarte and the son was Baal.
Israel would actually fall for Baal several times.
In Egypt, the mother was called Isis and her son was Osiris.
In Greece, she was Aphrodite and her son was Eros.
In Assyria, the son’s name remained Tammuz, but the mother’s name was Ishtar.
– In fact, Ezekiel would record God’s judgment on Israel as they were sitting at the gate of the Temple weeping for Tammuz, the son of Semiramis.
14 Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the Lord’s house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz.
– If you caught all of that, and I know it’s a lot to take in at once...just combine that with the fact that history repeats itself.
Nimrod built a statue, Nebuchadnezzar built a statue, the antichrist will build a statue.
That’s what is being discussed in Revelation 17.
The Description of Babylon
The Description of Babylon
Now, we find ourselves in our text tonight…Revelation 17…In these verses, we are given some characteristics of this false religion called spiritual Babylon.
Her Influence
Her Influence
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:
There is world-wide influence here. This religious system will have the ear of the world! It already does by the way! When you reject the truth, it’s easy to get sucked into a lie!
The religion sits upon “many water”...
15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
There will be a growth of a false religious unity that will influence most of the world…We are already seeing more and more emphasis on the ecumenical church movement.
Her Partnerships
Her Partnerships
I don’t have the time to go through all of these phrases, but look at verse 3, 9, and 10...
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.
9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.
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.
– When we study world history, we learn that five western world empires have come and gone – Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Greece.
What empire is? Think about when John was living. It was during the reign of the Roman Empire.
Guess what – there is only one more empire to come that will rule the world – the antichrist’s, and it’ll be the last one there is!
Her Wealth
Her Wealth
4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
Purple and scarlet clothing was the most expensive that could be owned.
The false religions of our day and the kingdom of the antichrist will be rich and luxurious. It will be elaborate and awe-inspiring.
I find it interesting that this woman is decked out in things that heaven will have in abundance – gold, precious stones, and pearls. It made me realize allover again that compared to heaven, the religions of the world will look like trinkets.– I also find it ironic that while her golden cup is full of abomination and filthiness of fornication, God also has a cup that is full – full of His wrath.
Her Perversion
Her Perversion
5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
She is called a whore and here in verse 5 the mother of harlots. She proudly has this name displayed on her forehead.
The common temple prostitute in the first century – and it was a flourishing legal profession at the time – wore her name on a scarf on her head or on a colorful headband. This was the way she advertised; this was her attempt to be remembered and called for again by name.– In other words, it all started with Babylon!
The source of organized rebellion, creature worship, universe adoration, demon-inspired idolatry, and so on isBabylon.
She is the mother of spiritual prostitution – worship that should belong to God alone is given to another.
Her Agenda
Her Agenda
6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.
How many people have been killed in the name of religion? Whether by jihad, crusade, or inquisition, millions have believers have been killed.
Since the time of ancient Babylon to the current day, false religion has caused there to be one blood bath after another against the believer. By the time of the Tribulation, the woman is actually portrayed as drunk – totally inebriated by the blood of Christians.
Hatred, persecution and murder of the people of God is characteristic of theBabylonian cult. It’s always been the way of Cain to kill Abel.
Her Destruction
Her Destruction
14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.
15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
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.
These nations will come against the Lamb Himself.
When they attack Jesus, they are sure to lose!
Those with Him—Called, chosen and faithful—That my friends is you and me!
Organized religion will be utterly destroyed!
When their religion has served it’s purpose and offers them nothing else, then they will turn on the church will utterly destroy her!
They will strip her of her wealth, destroy and disfigure her places of worship and organized religion shall cease to exist on the earth!
Verse 17 reminds us that this is all part of the plan of God...
17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.
God’s in control!
Conclusion
Conclusion
There is an obvious contrast being drawn as the false religion of Babylon is represented as a harlot, while pure religion is represented by the Bride of Christ.
And in light of the universal scope of the cult of Babylon, described by “waters” of people and nations, that’s why you and I are commanded to go to the ends of the earth to tell people about Jesus Christ.
The symbolism of the waters is consistent with Christ’s statement that He wants us to be fishers of men and take the water of everlasting life to the floods of people around the globe.
One day God will judge and do away with false religion. Be sure that you are in Jesus Christ! Are you?