30 - Mystery Babylon
In the book of Revelation, the term "Babylon" specifically applies to the religion of ancient Babylon in its popular modern forms.
1. Babylon is divided into how many parts?
"The great city was divided into three parts" Revelation 16:19
2. Unclean spirits came out of the mouths of what three apocalyptic figures?
"Out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet" Revelation 16:13
Seducing spirits and doctrines of devils (1 Timothy 4:1) would come out of the mouth of each member of this threefold ecumenical union. The religion of the dragon is paganism. The beast is described in Revelation 13:1-10 and represents the papacy (See Faith Point 23 - The Great Apostasy).
3. The "false prophet" is identified as the one that did what before the beast?
"That wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image" Revelation 19:20
4. Where does Revelation talk about that?
"And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.... And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, and deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live." Revelation 13:11-14
This second beast of Revelation 13 is the United States (See Faith Point 24 - America in Prophecy). The "false prophet" would therefore be the predominant religious powers in America, the evangelical churches.
5. This threefold religious union will result in the gathering together of whom?
"The kings of the earth and of the whole world" Revelation 16:14
6. John was shown the judgment of whom?
"The great whore" Revelation 17:1
7. What did He see?
"I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy" Revelation 17:3
Just as the pure woman of Revelation 12 represents God’s true church, this impure woman represents a corrupted religion. Seated upon a beast (the symbol of political power), she thus holds sway over the kings of the earth.
8. When God’s people turn away from Him, how does the Bible describe them?
"Backsliding Israel…hath played the harlot" Jeremiah 3:6
"How is the faithful city become an harlot?" Isaiah 1:21
9. With whom has the great whore committed fornication?
"The kings of the earth" Revelation 17:2
10. The inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with what?
"With the wine of her fornication" Revelation 17:2
11. How is this woman’s appearance described?
"The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls" Revelation 17:4
12. With what was she drunken?
"And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus" Revelation 17:6
Her union with the kings of the earth, her elaborate array, and her persecution of the saints, identify this harlot as the papacy.
13. What name is written on the woman’s forehead?
"MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH" Revelation 17:5
14. What have her daughters become?
"Harlots" Revelation 17:5
These would be those religious bodies which came out of her, yet no longer protest her errors. We may label this class as apostate Protestantism.
"Babylon," being composed of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet, is therefore the united influence of paganism, Catholicism, and apostate Protestantism in the last days.
15. What warning message does the second angel of Revelation 14 proclaim?
"Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication" Revelation 14:8
16. In what vivid terms is the moral fall of Babylon described?
"Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird" Revelation 18:2
17. What other charges are laid against her?
"For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies" Revelation 18:3
18. What final call is heard from heaven?
"Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues" Revelation 18:4