A Message For The End Time
by Jim Lisenby
Babylon The Great
In the last chapter we went through the seven last plagues, in this chapter the subject matter changes. In chapter 14 we touched lightly on Babylon the Great and there is much more on her in this chapter where she is depicted as a fallen woman. Her name implies that at the least she goes back to the time when Judah was held captive in Babylon, but very likely even further back to Nimrod and ancient Babylonia, and perhaps even more. Today, she sits astride and attempts to direct the beast that controls much of the world.
Before we continue with this lesson on Babylon the Great a point must be made. We are all somewhat part of her creation, and she has a profound influence on everything we do whether we realize it or not. She is an admixture of many things, people and institutions, religion and politics, but one small group of people are dominant within her. They are the tares of Matthew 13. She is the unseen manipulator of world happenings, especially within western civilization. God doesn't like her and later in this book of Revelation He implores us to come out of her. Let's continue now and learn more about her.
Rev. 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:Waters here means people as we shall see shortly in verse 15. Sitting upon many waters implies that she controls the people, as the equestrian controls the horse. She is about to get what she deserves, in spades, as we say.
Rev. 17:2 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.This unclean and ungodly woman has attempted to control commerce, religion, politics, and education throughout history with considerable success. She has a sweet, delicious, intoxicating wine that she gives out to anyone who will drink. Like fornication, it is very lustful and heady.
Rev. 17:3 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.Wilderness here is not a desert or barren place, but a place away from God, or a spiritual wilderness. It in fact refers to the world in general which basically is a spiritual wilderness from a biblical perspective. The beast that she sits upon is the same beast in Revelation 13 that John saw rising up out of the sea. She rides and controls, or at least attempts to control, that beast which dominates the people of the world. That is why verse 1 says that she sits upon many waters. The beast that she rides is in the water, or the sea, as it were, and waters symbolically represent the masses.
So, what are the names of blasphemy? Remember the definition of blasphemy that I have given before? It is anything, said or done, that is insulting or offensive to God. Men offend and insult God everyday and everywhere on a continual basis. It never stops.
Politically speaking, there are certain unrighteous powerful men within this beast system who do things that are wrong or immoral. Such as attacking poor, weak, or defenseless third world nations to occupy them, and to seize their natural resources, and then put much spin on it to try to convince the world that what they did was for the betterment of the people of that nation, and for the world. That could be construed to be sort of blasphemous when these powerful leaders feign righteousness to the world, pretending to be godly men.
Religiously speaking, there are those who claim to represent God while spiritually manipulating and robbing their fellow man, and that is blasphemy. They are truly "men who would be kings". Men who bestow upon themselves, and among themselves, titles and names that sound so religious and righteous but they are just like the Pharisees in Christ's day. Hypocrites!
Indeed, those who absolutely rule over the people today and those who have ruled over them in the past are, and always have been, hypocrites who continually blaspheme. So don't look upon any of those hellions with admiration because that would indicate that you agree with them and support them. That is one sure way to receive the mark of the beast, by admiring and supporting its leaders. No person who admires the beast and receives it's mark is the servant of God!
Rev. 17:4 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:She is a much admired high class whore attired in royal splendor, and the cup is filled with the wine of her passion and spiritual fornication.
Rev. 17:5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.She's a mystery because she is founded on ungodly nonsense, the ideas of unrighteous men and Lucifer. What's this? She's a mother? Yes, but she's no lady, that's for sure. She has offspring called harlots and other offspring called abominations as a result of her fornications. These are the commercial, economic, cultural, political, educational and religious institutions of the world, primarily those that sprang from within western civilization. That includes corporate churchianity. That statement will undoubtedly offend some, but it is not meant to offend. If you are angered by that statement, try to channel that anger to investigate and prove me wrong. I want you to begin to think for yourself concerning these things and not to just accept conventional thought and tradition.
Rev. 17:6 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.John is not admiring this great harlot in the way we understand admiration today. He is shocked, dumbfounded even, at her power and influence in the world. She is responsible for delivering up the true servants of God for prosecution and death throughout time. The scriptures warn of her in Proverbs 7, 8, and 9. In these chapters a comparison is drawn between the righteous woman called Wisdom, and the strange woman that we are studying here in Revelation 17. Go there and consider the two, and their differences. Wisdom is the knowledge and application of God's truth, while the strange woman offers traditions of men designed to intoxicate and ensnare.
Rev. 17:7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.This beast is clearly the same one in Rev. 13.
Rev. 17:8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.Substitute shall be for yet is in the last clause. Revelation 13 broaches the subject of the beast and there are two of them revealed, one in Rev. 13:1 and another in verse 11 of that chapter. Go back to the lesson on that chapter and study it again if you are not clear on it. Actually, both beasts of Revelation 13 are the same in the sense that they both are the brainchild of Lucifer, and that is what this verse is telling us. The beast system of Rev. 13:1 has existed for thousands of years controlled by different heads at different times, and will continue to exist under the current seventh head until it receives a deadly wound. That's right, at this time now at the beginning of the 21st century the beast exists under its seventh and final head. The other six heads have long since been gone. The seventh head will soon receive a deadly wound and the existing beast will basically fall apart. But it will be quickly replaced by another similar system which the forces of Antichrist will quickly construct under his direction and direct supervision.
Rev. 17:9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.Now, we are back to the first beast which the woman sits upon and controls. Because of this verse some have linked this beast and the whore with the city of Rome, which is said to be situated on seven hills, and the Roman Catholic Church. But this doesn't have to mean seven mountains literally. The mountains could just as easily be seven kingdoms, empires, or governments whether in place or time, or both. In fact, that is what they are.
Rev. 17:10 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.The first beast has seven heads, which are synonymous with the seven mountains in verse 9, and they are also synonymous with these seven kings, or kingdoms. Remember, this angel is talking to John nearly two thousand years ago. At that time, five kingdoms had already fallen and one was, and the great whore probably controlled all of them. The one that was during John's day was the Roman Empire, the sixth king(dom). This reinforces the idea that the mountains are not literal, but are extremely powerful governmental systems ruling most of western civilization from time to time but always manipulated by this fallen woman. The one not yet come during John's time is the one that exists now during our time today. It is the seventh king, or kingdom, and is also synonymous with the seventh head.
Rev. 17:11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.There is also to be one more to come, an eighth. Substitute an eighth for the eighth. Here we see the last iteration of the beast. This eighth entity is mentioned in Rev. 13:11, and it is led hands-on by Antichrist. Notice that he is of the seven. He has always been the spirit behind the beast from its very inception. It was, and is, his brainchild. How do you think he is able to restore it so quickly when the seventh head receives a deadly wound as stated in chapter 13?
Rev. 17:12 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.Here are ten more kings (or kingdoms) who, though not clearly identified, are part of western civilization because they are part of the beast. They are not like the seven kings, or kingdoms, mentioned above which are actually seven different eras of rulership and governmental iterations of the beast. They are more likely vassal kingdoms, nations, or groups of people. One hour here is not literal but it is a short period of time
Rev. 17:13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.With regard to these ten kings, in the second chapter of the book of Daniel we find Nebuchadnezzar had a dream. It consisted of a great image of a man with a head of gold, chest and arms of silver, abdomen and thighs of brass (probably bronze), legs of iron, and feet and toes of clay and iron. Go there and read about his dream and Daniel's interpretation of it if you have forgotten, because it concerns these ten kings we are reading about here. You see, these kings, or kingdoms, are the feet and toes of the image in Daniel 2 which were made of iron and clay. As you probably already know, iron and clay basically don't stick together well enough to form a good strong alloy.
Daniel 2:43 And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.So, iron and clay don't stick together very well, and that brings to mind that there may be something else to consider within this verse. What if the feet and toes were actually a mixture of part Israel (iron) and part Esau (clay)? They were fraternal twins and they have always had to deal with each other, but they have never gotten along well. Common clay is basically red. Esau was nicknamed Edom, a variation of Adam, meaning red. His modern descendants, the Russians and their kindred nations, have been called reds in recent times. Is it just a coincidence that clay is also red? Maybe, maybe not.
Russia today is predominately the descendants of Esau, and Europe along with the United States are predominately the descendants of Jacob. There are other countries involved as well but those are the main ones. The descendants of these two brothers make up a large portion of western civilization today. Of course, there are other people unrelated to Jacob and Esau who also live within western civilization, but Jacob and Esau are the superpowers. They don't think alike perhaps, and are basically unfriendly to each other, but they both support the beast that exists today.
Rev. 17:14 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.At the last day, these ten kings, or kingdoms, will stand with the beast against the One who comes to ultimately save them. But, why would they want to fight against their Savior? The answer is stunningly simple, they don't know Him, they only know Antichrist. He pretends to be Jesus and has appeared on Earth before the true Lamb of God appears. He has deceived the western world into believing that he is the Savior. They don't know who the true Lord of lords, and King of kings is, but they are about to find out in a most convincing way.
The last clause of this verse bears consideration also because it is talking about those who overcame the beast and Antichrist while in the flesh. Notice that they are faithful regardless of whether they were called during this Earth age, or chosen before this Earth age at the overthrow of the last one. If you don't know what I am talking about go to ourfathersword.org and study my lesson entitled, What Is The Meaning Of Life?.
Rev. 17:15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.This verse is very important in that it contains one of the keys to understanding prophecy. Waters in prophecy
Rev. 17:16 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 ten horns, or kings, or kingdoms, or groups of people, have grown to hate the great whore for whatever reason. They don't hate the beast upon which she sits as she controls the seventh head, but they abhor her. This verse states openly that they are the ones who will bring her down physically. Let's open our minds here and "speculate" a little.
At some point in time she is attacked by the ten horns on the beast which are actually ten powerful kingdoms who rebel against her chafing control. But, since she controls the head of the beast, how can they harm her without affecting it? In reality, anything that affects her will also affect it. In Rev. 13:3 the head of the beast receives a disabling wound. Notice that it is the head that is struck, not the main body of the beast, and not the ten horns on the beast. Could it be that the same stroke that wounds the head also destroys the woman? I think so. When will it happen exactly? Certainly it will occur in the very near future around the time of the appearance of Antichrist.
Rev. 17:17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfill his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.These ten kings are part of the beast, they have no quarrel with it, only with the head and the woman who rides it. Near the end of this age these ten kings will only grudgingly put up with Babylon the Great until they have had enough of her, then they will rebel and attack her. The events that precipitate such extreme action is not totally clear, but it may have a lot to do with her and the head of the beast acting unilaterally throughout the world and generating much hate and discontent among the nations. So much so that these ten kings will eventually openly reject their authority and rebel with overwhelming military force.
Even though the original beast,
with its
seven heads and ten horns, was ultimately conceived and built under the
inspiration of Antichrist, it is my strong suspicion that it is
he
(the Antichrist) who will secretly be behind the attack on the woman
and
the seventh head. If that proves to be true that begs the
question
why would he do that? It is simple really. He has no
choice.
He has been deported from Heaven to Earth by the archangel Michael and
now he must control things here hands-on, so to speak. To do that
he must quickly establish himself as the one in charge. Things on
Earth must rapidly change. Institutions must fall, governments
must
cooperate, nations must be convinced for him to rule absolutely, but
there
are obstacles.
In order to establish himself as the one in total command, he has to first get rid of those currently in power. They must step down, even if that means that some of his children and old friends have to be stripped of their power. He will take them down regardless of who or what they are, especially the head of western civilization which has profoundly influenced much of the world, and the whore who guides it. Why? Because she and the others who control things won't be that willing to relinquish their power, so they will have to be removed by force if he is to rule with total control. It is entirely plausible that the seventh head of the beast and Babylon the Great who guides it will be put down at the same time by Antichrist with the help of these ten horns, or kings.
After becoming manifest on the Earth, Antichrist quickly pretends to be Jesus, proclaims peace on Earth, good will to men, and placates the nations of the world, at least within western civilization. He then quickly restores the beast system of which he then becomes the eighth and final head. All is now well, order is restored, commerce flourishes, the people are happy. Big mistake because Antichrist has got them right where he wants them, and God is not happy.
Preposterous assertions? Maybe, maybe not, but don't be shocked. It's all plausible, and I remind you that we are only "speculating" here. Regardless, one thing is certain and two things are sure (to quote my mother), Babylon the Great and the seventh head of the beast are going to go down just as these Bible verses say.
Rev. 17:18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.This verse indicates that Babylon the Great is some ruling or controlling entity which reigns over the other authorities, or kings, of the Earth. This is not talking specifically about Rome or any other city, or a great church, but about the powers that control the Earth. Where are they located primarily today? Find out in chapter 18.
God bless with
understanding
of His word.
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Copyright © 2004 by Jim Lisenby. All Rights Reserved