Tag: Mystery Babylon
The Great Prostitute
Scripture reading for December 23: Revelation 17
“Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality, and with the wine of whose sexual immorality the dwellers on earth have become drunk.” And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and impurities of her sexual immorality. And on her forehead was written a mystery: “Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth’s abominations.” And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.” Revelation 17:1-6
Following the seven bowls of God’s wrath and the declaration “It is done!”, one of the seven angels called to John to witness the judgment of the ‘great prostitute.’ This ‘woman’ is described by the angel as seated on many waters. These waters are the nations of the earth and she is described as committing sexual immorality with the kings of the earth and offering the wine of sexual immorality to the dwellers of earth to make them drunk. This ‘woman’ was an enticing deception leading to drunkenness and death.
In this vision and description, God is using what is common on the earth among the unsaved ‘earth dwellers’ and their rulers: beautiful women to entice them into sexual immorality. Gold and jewels entice people to false worship and idolatry. The wine of alcohol and intoxicants frees inhibitions and creates a false sense of pleasure and reality in a state of ‘drunkenness’. This is the essence of sin and rebellion, for in reality, the woman is a prostitute. Her rich clothing and jewels are a covering for her nakedness and rottenness. The cup of wine in her hand is really a cup of abominations. The mystery of her identity is revealed by the angel: “Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth’s abominations.” She was drunk on the blood of Jesus’ martyrs.
Have you ever been enticed by the ‘great prostitute’? How does this description help you to understand the current world system and its rulers? Why does this world system persecute and kill those who choose to follow Jesus?
Prayer: Father God, thank You for delivering me from the enticement of this ‘great prostitute.’ Help me to see those in need of deliverance from her wine and immorality and to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with them. I want them to be in the bridal company of pure virgins awaiting Jesus’ return. Amen.
Mystery Babylon–gone in one hour!
Scripture reading for December 24th: Revelation 18
“After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor. With a mighty voice he shouted: “Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great! She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird. For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries.” (Revelation 18:1-3)
John again saw a mighty angel announcing with a loud shout the fall of Babylon the Great. Babylon the Great is pictured here as full of demons and evil spirits. This city or corrupted system powered by the beast has been the source of pollution and drunkenness of all the nations and their kings. Babylon is a business system that trades in valuable commodities: Gold, silver, precious stones, fine cloth and the bodies and souls of men! Getting money and riches has become idolatry for those involved. God has decreed that He would judge Babylon and bring her down and it would take place in just one hour! (Revelation 18:10, 17, 19)
“Then I heard another voice from heaven say: “Come out of her, My people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues; for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes.”” (Revelation 18:4-6) God again warns His people to come out of that wicked world system that is ripe for His wrath. That system is seductive and participation in it’s sins will bring God’s wrath. As the people of Babel built a tower up to heaven, so in the end times, the sins of the people in corrupt Babylon the Great have piled up to heaven! God must judge because in her is found the blood of prophets and saints and the slain of the earth! (Revelation 18:24)
The end of the great Prostitute!
Scripture reading for December 23rd: Revelation 17
Adultery and idolatry go hand in hand in the Bible. Sexual promiscuity was always a practice of those who worshiped other gods. God, the Creator, had so designed sexual nature to be used in a monogamous relationship between a man and a woman, faithful to each other for life. He also longed for a faithful covenant people that would worship Him alone as His Bride! In rebellion, man violated the covenant by disobeying God’s commandments against idolatry and adultery!
“One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits on many waters. With her the kings of the earth committed adultery and the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries.” Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a desert. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns.” (Revelation 17:1-3)
This ‘great prostitute’ is a corrupt world system that sits upon the waters of the earth. Revelation 17:15 describes the waters as peoples, nations, and languages. This ‘great prostitute’ was revealed to John by the Spirit as riding on a great scarlet beast with seven heads and ten horns. She was dressed in stunning clothes and jewels and held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things. This woman was drunk with the blood of the saints who had born the testimony of Jesus! This corrupt world system of the prostitute had corrupted all the kings of the earth and the remaining people of earth. This ‘adultery’ had made them and the peoples of the earth spiritually dull and drunk! In the end, God will fulfill His promise to completely destroy Babylon and reduce it to nothing! (Isaiah 21:8, Revelation 14:8, 16:19) God is merciful to His faithful ones, but His justice must punish Satan and the wicked who refuse His grace!