Revelation Study

Revelation Study — Chapter 17

BABYLON THE GREAT

(There is a great deal of controversy in regard to whether "Babylon" is literal Babylon of Chaldea, or a figure describing Rome or the city of Jerusalem. Arthur Ogden has written extensive articles defending the use of "Babylon" as Jerusalem. I have examined the arguments and find Ogden's arguments are more logical and more harmonious in context than the rest and I have used "Babylon" as my figure of Jerusalem. They appear on the internet with more of his works and the address is http://www.aogden.com/aveng-eb.htm. If you are on the internet or know someone who is, be sure to check it out. Or, read brother Ogden's book, "The Avenging of the Apostles and Prophets." You can order it from the above address.

Analysis Before Chapter 17

"Chapter 14 closes with the winepress of God's wrath being trodden without the city. Chapters 15 and 16 take a closer look at the Roman-Jewish war as developing in fulfillment of God's promised judgment upon Israel and Jerusalem. In each case, Babylon is remembered and judged (14:8, 16:19). To this point, no attempt has been made to identify Babylon to John, but now an angel comes to make her identity known. Many commentators believe Babylon symbolizes Rome but, as previously observed, the fulness of the characteristics revealed can only fit Jerusalem" (Arthur M. Ogden).

Revelation 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: 2 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."

Which one of the angels makes no difference, he says, "I have something to show you. This is kind of an aside sort of thing. Remember, the Book is primarily for the benefit of the Jews of that day. They are the ones who need to be reminded of the duplicity of those who had gone before. In verse 15 we learn that many waters has reference to "peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues." This spiritual fornication by Israel covered a wide territory. Remember Acts 2:4: "... Jews. devout men, out of every nation under heaven." Jerusalem was a capital city of a nation within a nation.

The fornication here is figurative language that indicates her friendship with other people. James said in ASV James 4:4: "Ye adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore would be a friend of the world maketh himself an enemy of God." Of course, this is from the New Testament but it conveys the idea very well. Israel had made friends with the nations and especially the Roman Empire. In so doing they had become unfaithful to their spouse, God, and become guilty of spiritual adultery or fornication. Many had sold themselves into the service of the Empire thus they, under the figure of the woman, become guilty of harlotry or, as the prophets so often put it, "gone a whoring." Read the book of Hosea and you hear the accusation over and over in specific terms. Here's a list of references for the word whoring: Exod. 34:15; Lev. 17:7; Lev. 20:5-6; Num. 15:39; Deut. 31:16; Jdg. 2:17; 8:27, 33; 1 Chr. 5:25; 2 Chr. 21:13; Ezek. 6:9; Ezek. 23:30; Hos. 4:12; 9:1.

Vss 3-5 "So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. 4 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: 5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH."

One outstanding error in making the woman, Babylon, represent Rome, is the fact that the woman is sitting on the Roman Empire. Rome sitting on Rome? Not hardly. The error may be in grammar. The phrase "having seven heads and ten horns" modifies the "scarlet colored beast," not the woman. So, this woman is Babylon, figuratively, Jerusalem.

Vs 6 "And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration."

This description fits Jerusalem. Jesus said, "O Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets and stonest them that are sent thee." He was speaking especially of the Old Testament saints but it also fits the New Testament saints. Remember Stephen? Remember what Saul was doing? Remember those that were scattered abroad because of persecution in Jerusalem?

Vss 7-8 "And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns. 8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is."

The beast, Roman Empire, appears, disappears and reappears. Vespasian began the battle with the Northern invasion but left the fight to go back to Rome. The Jews think they have a victory but he (the Empire) reappears and Titus carries the battle to it climax. The apostate Jews, those whose names were NOT written in the book of life, will wonder why he would reappear but those who served not the beast knew why he was reappearing because they had been warned -- for judgment on Jerusalem.

Vss 9-11 "And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. 10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. 11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition."

Mountains, in prophetic language, represent governments or sovereignty or kings. Remember from Isaiah 2: "The mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains ..." The five fallen Roman kings are Julius, Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula and Claudias. The one that is, would be Nero. The one not yet come and when he does it will be a short reign, exactly fits Galba. He reigned a few months. And not counting Vitellius and Otho, and few historians even consider them, Vespasian would be that eighth and he is the one who is reigning when Jerusalem falls. Those who put the Revelation at the later date, 96 A.D., have a hard time reconciling these king numbers. They want Domitian to be the eighth and make it work out by disregarding Julius along with Galba, Vitellius and Otho. Julius, of course, was not an emperor, but he was a king, the first ruler of the Roman Republic which later became the Roman Empire. Remember the woman is not the beast, she sits on the beast or is carried by the beast..

Vss 12-13 "And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. 13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast."

The puppet king rule had been in existence for some time. Kings such as Pilate and Agrippa but their power was not fully evidenced until they joined with the beast in the desolation of Jerusalem. This power would be temporary, a short time indicated by the phrase, "receive power as kings for one hour." These ten kingdoms have a big play in the books of Lindsey and Walvoort and nearly all future kingdom advocates. They tell of the ten northern kingdoms, usually European countries, which will come together in some kind of treaty arrangement and make up the new Roman kingdom that invades Israel either in the miscalled "battle of Armageddon" or the battle of the last days.

Vs 14 "These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful."

This verse looks beyond the conflagration of Jerusalem when these kingdoms will combine with the beast in the forthcoming conflict with the Lamb. When the warfare with Jerusalem is over, they will also join the beast in his warfare against the Lamb. The Lamb is Jesus and to fight with the Lamb is to fight with his people. When Saul persecuted the saints Jesus asked, "Saul, why persecutest thou me?" But the Lamb wins that battle, just as He does all others. His kingdom continues while others fall.

Vs 15 "And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues."

The woman not only sat on the beast, the Roman Empire, and had a great influence on it, but also sits on "the waters," has
influence on the whole world.

Vs 16-17 "And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. 17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled."

God had promised destruction to the nation of Israel because of their departure from his covenant. These puppet kings were working together to destroy Jerusalem and Judaism and in so doing were fulfilling the prophecies.

Vs 18 "And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth."

That "great city" is identified explicitly in chapter 11:8 and 21:10. Her reign over the kings was that of her position of favor in God's sight and the power of intimidation by her place in the world of commerce, trade and religion. She still has power over the nations, especially the U.S., as they consider her to still be God's favored nation. This was very evident in President Carter's time in office.