THE BOOK OF REVELATION

Revelation Chapter 17

THE WOMAN OF REVELATION

Chapter 17 is explicitly described by the name written on her forehead. MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. Scripture says She is representative of both a System and a City that goes back to Nimrod’s Babylon. (For greater detail and the historical proofs, see Alexander Hislop’s “The Two Babylons” and/or G.H. Pember’s “Mystery Babylon the Great.”) So here in the Book of Revelation Chapter 17 we are given enough information to rightly discern from Scripture, who she is. And also her origin. Verse 7 ….”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.”  Compare with Jeremiah 51:7, Genesis 10:9,10.

Here in Revelation 17 and 18, we are not directly instructed by the Spirit in dealing with her origin or her millenniums of wicked history but are here focused on her final destruction by God’s Judgment. As God’s Age of Mercy and Grace are running parallel with His future Harvest. “…until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in.” (Revelation 14:12-16 with Romans 11:25)…So does Mystery Babylon and Gentile dominance run together until the Vintage destruction in the winepress of God’s Wrath.  “…and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.” [Luke 21:24 with Revelation 19:17-21]

* The Scriptures in Revelation 17 & 18 are interposed between the last Judgment Vials of Chapters 15 &16 and the Second Coming of Christ in Chapter 19:11-16.

Chapter 17 & 18 deal in greater depth of the who and the why the Vial Judgments are poured out on. That is on Mystery Babylon and her constituents, those who took the mark of the Beast, and upon the City and upon the seat of the Anti-Christ. Some detail answering briefly to before in Chapter 14:8 where it is proclaimed by “another angel…”, that is to say the 2^nd angel…. “….saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great City, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” So chronologically we are able to place the time of the WOMAN/CITY destruction as, after the First-Fruits offering, but before the compulsory mark of the Beast, as the 3^rd angel’s exhortation against it is yet to sound (Revelation 14:9), and before the Harvest of 14:12-16 and the Vintage following it in 14:17-20.

So the 17th & 18th Chapters give us more detail of the characters and events happening during that time frame of the pouring out of the Vials of Judgment previously described and discussed as the 3^rd and final woe. Starting in Revelation 11:15 and skipping over the parenthetical Chapters of 12-14 to Chapters 15 & 16 where the 3^rd Woe is picked up again. That time following quickly but not immediately after the killing of the Two Witnesses (Revelation 11:3-14) as partially in answer to their blood. This 3^rd WOE/Vials of last Judgments are directed towards that Beast personified, seen now as carrying the WOMAN, who had previously ascended out of the Abyss (Revelation 11:7) and his co-conspirators and towards the WOMAN and her World-wide paramours (lovers).

The opening scene in Chapter 17:1,2 “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: 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.” The Great Whore is referred to as great because of her great wickedness and influence over the entire World, seen in her sitting upon many waters. The angel defines that meaning for us in verse 17:15.

The next scene in Verse 3 we see Her sitting upon a scarlet colored Beast, (This identifies her with the Red Serpent of 12:3.) ….full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads (identifying Her with the anti-Christ Revelation 13:1) and ten horns being 10 kings says verse 12.  (Now identifying Her with the 10 king confederation.) What is seen then is the Harlot has great political influence in the geographical areas of the 10 kings.

Who these 10 kings are is disclosed for us in those corresponding Scriptures of Daniel 7 where it is written in verse 7. “….behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly…and it had 10 horns…”  This fourth beast Daniel sees is End Time Mystery Babylon, now in its 4^th and most fierce iteration.

It is that manifest great kingdom in End Time form, that Daniel first predicted would come in Daniel 2:40. Read. This beast that John sees in Chapter 17 we have already identified with the Red Serpent/satan by comparing Revelation 12:3, the description of satan, with Revelation 13:1, the description of the Beast/anti-Christ. This Beast of Chapter 17 is that 4^th beast of Daniel then predominate in the earth personified. This is even more clearly understood as we see the 4^th kingdom beast described by Daniel in Daniel 7:3-7 by comparing its fearful character as seen progressively with the 3 previous kingdoms characteristics: lion, bear and leopard. Now see the description of the anti-Christ/Beast’s exact character traits in Revelation 13:2.

All these kingdoms also being manifestations of Mystery Babylon through the ages, but now this 4^th and last, most terrible kingdom, with its 10 king confederation within it, is to be ruling in the end time upon the earth. When this Beast arises out of the Abyss, as the little horn among the 10 kings (Daniel 7:7,8) embodying all 3 of the previous Babylonian dominating characteristics in the 4^th.  He is the Beast of the beast.

The manifest 4^th kingdom Beast personified, resurrected out from the Great Cavern located in the center of the earth, arising into an affiliation with that which is now almost fully developed.  John gives us that  snap-shot in time of the Whore in her greatest moment. She is collaborating in a joint effort of World dominance, sitting on the Anti-Christ in greatest splendor. And just before she is cannibalized by the Beast she is riding. Together this unholy alliance fiercely persecutes the remaining witnesses of Christ, gorging themselves on their blood. The ecclesiastical System, of MYSTERY BABYLON represented in the Whore is now hated and expendable.

LOOKING AT MYSTERY BABYLON, THE ANCIENT SYSTEM, CLOSER….

That system is satan’s adaption and perversion of God’s Salvation plan for man without GOD. In the substituting of gods that were more in nature with that of fallen man’s, having then a great appeal. That WOMAN here being emblematic of that Whorish System that Kings had been fornicating and getting drunk on for over two thousand years, since at least the flood of Noah’s day, who John here sees around 90 AD. That, by the way, precedes Roman Catholicism by over 200 years, for those who see nothing but Rome’s Catholicism in these Scriptures. That 200 plus year period was the time of  first adding of the blood of the martyrs of Jesus (AD 33 to 320 AD) to that of the thousands of years before of the blood of the saints. [Revelation 17:6]

The Whorish System is designed, by copying and using God’s components, for perverting the saving (ecclesiastical) and governing (civil) of man, thereby circumventing God, the delusion of fallen man. That is to say by satan’s System introduced in BABEL/Babylon by Nimrod in his being “saved” that is by different means, in that he may seek his need for spiritual intercourse in the brothel instead of the bridal chamber. He may get his satisfaction without the burdens of the sacred Holy Covenant. And the System’s government, like its religion; is with seared conscience. (See Romans 1)

The Babylonian Whorish religious System is the evil counterpart designed by the Serpent. His offers are to counter God’s. He sets up a kingdom where Church and State, ecclesiastical and civil rule together. He offers to men then kingly-priestly offices, with sacrifices for the propitiating of false deities. A System that is based on strictly carnal works for favor and promised salvation.  (Void of the God-liked kind of faith in Habakkuk 2:4.) The Whore System provides something for every one of the fleshly appetites of man: Blinding philosophical speculations (Colossians 2:8), great productions, ritual with beautiful buildings and décor, and eye candy for those prone to the aesthetic outward appeal. These being the replacement for worship in spirit and truth, and the inward beauty of spirit and soul. Priests that would preach Cheap Grace to the huge masses, promises of eternal bliss without much Truth or accountability, themselves, as priests being more wily fleecing the flock, teaching doctrines of men and devils, and retaining as much power, wealth and preeminence as possible.

NOW THE BEAST, using the System to achieve his goals, is not to be confused with IT (the system). Although the WOMAN was once useful for his purposes, she is despised and destroyed by him. Rather, he is the embodiment of the Designer of that System…satan.

The Beast being one of the Un-Holy trinity, (satan, anti-Christ and the false prophet) is at enmity with that mixed religious System.  (As God hates the mixture of good with evil, so he hates evil mixed with traces of good. Which is that which makes up the WOMAN) The Beast, thinking himself to ascend above God, who would have no other God or gods before him, will desire to destroy the WOMAN. And with her destruction, also all her ancient manifold mixed manifestations.  (i.e. Christianized Paganism and Pagan-ized  Christianity, Allah worshipers, followers of Budda etc.) And he will forcefully unite all mankind in the worship of him.

(The ideal of this unity can only be reached in Jesus Christ, King and Priest and His perfected government of resurrected and glorified overcoming kings and priests, who had overcome satan, the flesh and World.)

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