Revelation 17 - Babylon The Great (notes)

Revelation 17 - Babylon The Great

The Systems of the World:

Revelation 17:9 mentions the seven mountains. There are seven major systems that influence the world.

1. Business
2. Religion
3. Government
4. The Media
5. Family
6. Education / Science & Technology
7. Arts & Entertainment

The Meaning of The Great Prostitute:

• For generations protestant theologians said that it was the Roman Catholic Church. I believe it is the “one world” religious system at the time of the tribulation.
• Could it be that a world wide religion will be a major force that will influence all other major systems in the world during the tribulation?

One of The Seven Angels

• Who had the seven bowls of judgment came and speaks to John.
• I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute.
• The kings of the earth committed adultery with her. This is idolatry that will be rampant in this time.

John is carried away in the Spirit into a wilderness

• He sees a woman (the one world religious system) on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. (Rev. 17:3-4)
• This is talking about the influence this religious system will have over the ten kings of the revised Roman Empire.
• The seven heads could be the seven systems of influence in the world.

The name of the world wide church is:

• “Mystery Babylon” the mother of prostitutes and of the abominations of the earth.
• This church persecuted and killed the tribulation saints.

The Explanation

• The beast is the antichrist (which some believe is assassinated but comes back to life by the power of satan). The people living at that time will be amazed.
• The seven hills are seven kings. This could be the major empires of the past. 1) Assyria 2) Egypt 3) Babylon 4) Medo-Persia 5) Greece 6) Rome.
• All these empires were idolatrous in religion. This woman symbolizes idolatry.
• Symbols: Mountains are kingdoms, horns are kings and prostitutes symbolizes idolatrous religions.

A Possible Explanation

• The one who has fallen could be ancient Rome and the other not yet could be the revived Roman Empire, but when he comes he will only remain for only a little while, seven years.
• The beast who was is the antichrist killed but rose from the dead but will only reign for seven years. Then he will be cast into hell.
• The ten horns are ten kings (the revised Roman Empire of ten nations) They will give their authority to the antichrist.
• They will wage war against Jesus but Jesus and His church will defeat them.

God Will Cause a division between the one world church (prostitute) and the political system of the antichrist. That church will be defeated by the antichrist and God is the one who caused this to happen. (Rev. 17:17)

In Revelation 18

• We find the destruction of the economic system of the world at this time.
• In Revelation 17 we see the rise and fall of the idolatrous religious system of the world in the tribulation.
• This shows us that God is the one who rules not the devil, not man, not republicans or democrats, not the antichrist or the whore or the world’s economic system.

There Is

• A period of judgment coming upon the planet that will be the result of the evil in the world. Evil will become viler and people will become more rebellious as we get closer to the second coming of Jesus Christ.
• A period of refreshing is coming for the people of God as things become viler and people become more rebellious towards God.