5. Where does
John see the last-day Babylon in Revelation 17:3?
The desert signifies a lack of heavenly blessing--a spiritually desolate
condition. The woman (fallen Jerusalem) is sitting on top
and being carried along by the seven head and ten horn political beast. The
scarlet color signifies the spiritual evil (Isaiah
1:16-18), and
the blasphemy against the Holy One of Israel her outspoken and deceptive
statements. The "great city" is the pinnacles city of the united nations, and
the beast carries her, giving her constant attention and recognition.
She is clothed with sin and decked with jewels, as one involved in
prostitution. She is given royal treatment; she is dressed with the best her
political lovers can give her. She is a picture of wealth, extravagance and
luxury for she is arrayed in gold and pearls, but in her hand is the golden cup
with the intoxicating wine of abominations (idolatries) and adulteries to which
she bids the nations to drink with her.
7. How does she
contrast the New Jerusalem to come, the beautiful woman who will replace her on
the new earth (Revelation
21:2,
10-11)?
Her attractiveness will be God-given, not man-made.
8. What is
stamped in the harlot's forehead, as mentioned in Revelation 17:5?
MYSTERY BABYLON
THE GREAT THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
9. Why has her
identity, the "Mystery Babylon," been hidden from the masses through the ages
until the end of time?
Jerusalem
is the beloved city for three major religions of the world. She has been
trampled upon through the centuries; how much more if the nations had known that
she would displease God in the end all the more? No. God would hide her name
behind the mask of Mystery Babylon, Sodom and Egypt (Revelation
11:8);
then when the time of her sin is nearly upon her, she would be exposed for who
she is along with those who climb into bed with her. How sad that the beloved
city and her people will forsake God to worship dumb idols and the demons who
cause them to speak, and invite Antichrist into her with his abomination.
The small nation of Israel and the great city
Jerusalem are the focus of the world. She is the hope of the nations, the
International City of Peace. But as the "mother" of prostitutes, she will have
daughters who will follow in her foot-steps. The cities around the globe will
join her in deceits and sin, and the world's religions will join in her
affection for Antichrist.
According to Revelation 17:6
the woman is drunk with the blood of the saints, and martyrs--those who lived by
and proclaimed the testimony of Jesus (the Revelation message of faithfulness to
Christ) even at their own peril.
In her is found the blood of the prophets (Moses and Elijah), and of the
saints, and all killed on the earth. She has much to blame for the martyrdom of
the faithful.
11. Consider
the passage Luke 13:33-35.
What insight does this offer?
Because of Jerusalem's
killing of God's prophets throughout the centuries (including the true Messiah),
Jesus promised that "desolation" is her final destiny.
Revelation 17:6-7
indicates that John was amazed by the splendor of the woman being carried on top
of the seven head, ten horned beast (7X10=70 Gentile Nations). Even John felt
the lure of the beautiful woman, even to the point of entrapment, but the Angel
brought the prophet back to his senses by asking pointedly, "Why are you
astonished?" John was then promised a disclosure of events which would seem to
focus less on the woman and more on the beast that carried her--the manly power
which lifts up the seductive woman to her position of honor.
Our studies have shown that
the seven head and ten horn beast represents modern nations, as found in
both Daniel and Revelation. The information that follows--The New World Order
in Daniel and The New World Order In Revelation--visually illustrates the
nations involved and the harmony between the two books, written hundreds of
years apart. Revelation is a commentary on Daniel--both explain the same future
events.
Lion With Eagle's
Wings represents .............United States/United Kingdom
Bear With Three Ribs
represents ..................Russian Federation--Old Soviet Union
Leopard With Four
Heads/ 4 Wings ..............Eastern Asia
Terrible Beast With
Ten Horns ......................Western European Union
While Daniel
describes the four end-time powers as separate and distinct beasts, John
later saw them combined and working as one. In Daniel 7 the fourth and
most dreadful beast is the European Union; however, in Revelation the sea
monster only has just hints of the Lion, Leopard and Bear--again
signifying the European Union's overwhelming power as it emerges the
dominate power of the final days.
This is the New
World Order, or Grand Design, described in both the Old and New
Testaments. In both Daniel and Revelation, the emergence of the beasts
from the sea heralds the world leader who will rise up out of the New
World Order to rule for 1260 days.
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