1One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, “Come here. I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who sits on many waters, 2with whom the kings of the earth committed sexual immorality. Those who dwell in the earth were made drunken with the wine of her sexual immorality.” 3He carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness. I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet-colored beast, full of blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns. 4The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of the sexual immorality of the earth. 5And on her forehead a name was written, “MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF THE PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” 6I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. When I saw her, I wondered with great amazement.
7The angel said to me, “Why do you wonder? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns. 8The beast that you saw was, and is not; and is about to come up out of the abyss and to go into destruction. Those who dwell on the earth and whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel when they see that the beast was, and is not, and shall be present.
9Here is the mind that has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. 10They are seven kings. Five have fallen, the one is, and the other has not yet come. When he comes, he must continue a little while. 11The beast that was, and is not, is himself also an eighth, and is of the seven; and he goes to destruction. 12The ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour. 13These have one mind, and they give their power and authority to the beast. 14These will war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with him are called, chosen, and faithful.” 15He said to me, “The waters which you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and languages. 16The ten horns which you saw, they and the beast will hate the prostitute, will make her desolate, will strip her naked, will eat her flesh, and will burn her utterly with fire. 17For God has put in their hearts to do what he has in mind, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God should be accomplished. 18The woman whom you saw is the great city which reigns over the kings of the earth.”
Trust in God and Live According to His Word
Trust God and Live According to His Word
4 The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of the sexual immorality of the earth. 5 And on her forehead a name was written, “MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF THE PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” 6 I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. When I saw her, I wondered with great amazement.
This chapter introduces the mystery Babylon, the mother of harlots, and of the abominations of the earth. We will seek to understand what Babylon represents and who this harlot (Porne in Greek) is. In a nutshell, “Babylon” broadly represents “Satan’s agenda” worked out on the earth. That agenda is the opposite of God’s agenda. The whore or harlot of Babylon represents the devil’s spiritually adulterous system of religion. A harlot is a woman who sells illegitimate intimacy for gain. Adherents of this counterfeit version of Christianity might appear to be joined to the one true God, but in reality, their hearts are far from Him, and they are unfaithful to Him. So, the question becomes, “What exactly is Babylon?” Jeremiah the prophet said: 7 Babylon was a golden cup in the Lord’s hand, that made all the earth drunk. The nations drank her wine; Therefore the nations are deranged. (Jeremiah 51:7, NKJV). Did you know that Babylon is mentioned more in the Bible than any other city other than Jerusalem? Jerusalem is the city of peace. Babylon is the city of confusion.
We are then introduced to this “woman,” dripping with wealth. She is adorned with gold, precious stones, and pearls. She is arrayed in “purple and scarlet,” which indicates she has set herself up as “royalty.” She is a beautiful sight to see, but she is rotten to the core with her filth. She is drinking abominations from her vessels of gold. She is filled with the filthiness of her whoring. If you look at some institutional churches today, you'll see they've become all about money and wealth. They have pursued wicked paths of so-called “wokeism,” and they promote sin that is directly opposed to biblical principles and lives of holiness. The strange thing about that word is that they are not “awake” at all. Rather, they have gone to sleep regarding the empowered Word of God. They do not teach the Bible. They do not teach the Gospel. They do not preach holiness in behavior. They do not teach the redemptive work of Jesus. Instead, they teach what many call a “social gospel” that has nothing to do with the redemptive work of Jesus on the cross. They do not mention sin or man’s need for a Savior. They are now a centerpiece of abomination. They profess to present something holy and righteous on the right side of things, but they are promoters of perversion and wickedness. This spirit first manifested itself in the story of Babel.
Pride is at the root of the account of the Tower of Babel. The Hebrew text tells us that Nimrod was a mighty hunter “in the face of” Yahweh. As we would say, “He was in God’s face.” That’s the bottom line of Babylon in all of its forms. It is a world system that seeks to replace God. God took care of the Babel problem by confusing the one language of mankind, scattering the peoples of the earth, but this branded the name of Babylon with rebellion forever. From that time forward, “Babylon” has stood for man’s defiance and rebellion against God. This defiance manifests in many ways around the world. It is “man’s system,” not God’s. It is man’s priorities, plans, and agenda, as opposed to God’s agenda. There is an interesting religious myth entangled in this whole origin-of-Babylon tale. It is believed by many that Nimrod’s wife, Semiramis, was part and parcel of his schemes. She was an evil and wicked woman who gave birth to Tammuz, whom the Bible calls “detestable”. (Ezekiel 8:14). A quick internet search will take you down an unbelievable rabbit hole that ends up with Ishtar, Isis, Venus, Aphrodite, and even Ashtoreth and Baal. These gave rise to sex cults coupled with political power. Reader, the bottom line for you and me is that we are to avoid Babylon. Seek the spiritual safety and security in following the One True God who is, and know that all else is fake. It is Babylon. Trust in God and live according to His word.