Revelation Chapter 17 Verse 4

· The presentation of this false system of worship is a direct afront to God. Exodus 28:5-6 says of the priestly garments, “They shall take the gold, blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and the fine linen, and they shall make the ephod of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen, artistically worked.” Exodus 28:15 and 17 says, “You shall make the breastplate of judgment. Artistically woven according to the workmanship of the ephod you shall make it: of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen, you shall make it. And you shall put settings of stones in it, four rows of stones…” So, she is a copy, a counterfeit, a second option for man to come to for spiritual leadership and authority.

· Where’d she get all that? All those garments and garnishments of royalty? Payment for her services. It’s so incredibly interesting how sin promises to pay but ends up costing you so much! This is payment…

· Note the golden cup that she carries is filled with abominations, literally idolatries in the Greek, and the impurities/results of her fornications. The worship she received, the prayers, the sacrifices made to appease her. She presents as beautiful but delivers/carries with her that which is detestable…

Revelation Chapter 17 Verse 5

· That’s a big forehead! HA! Again, a complete afront to God! In Exodus 28, specifically verses 36-38, we read that a plate of pure gold bearing the inscription, “Holiness to the Lord,” was to be worn on the headpiece of Aaron the high priest.

· Two cities dominate the scriptures. One is Jerusalem of course. The city of God. Founded by God. The capital of Israel, literally the people that are governed by God. The other city is Babylon. Mentioned over 300 times in the Bible. The city of revolt. Founded by Nimrod whose name literally means, “one who rebels.” Here it is revealed what is the evil even behind Babylon…

· All of this wrapped up in her name. Mystery Babylon, Babylon the Great, the mother of the earth’s idolatries! And notice she is intoxicated. She appears drunk. In a stupor…from what? Look at verse 6…

Revelation Chapter 17 Verse 6

· Sin brings blood. It cuts, it bleeds you, it costs you… It leaves wounds, sometimes scars. This is the personification of all idolatry and idolatry is simply offering your faith to anything or anyone (including yourself) instead of putting your faith in God. So many folks over the years have thumbed their noses to that statement and then gone and bled… It’s what feeds The Fallen, makes her drunk, and she never gets enough…

· Teaching in the synagogue in Jerusalem on the Sabbath, Jesus raised His head and Mark writes for us in Mark 6:6 that Jesus marveled at their unbelief. I bring that up because I don’t want you to think John is admiring this beast and this evil that rides upon him. Jesus didn’t admire the unbelief of the people, He mourned over it…to the point that He had to take a step back and say, “What is the problem? I don’t get it…, these folks are lost, blind, weak and weary and yet they harden themselves…” and so He marveled. Great grief came upon Him and He departed…

· Here something clicks for John. First, the first century church was very poor. So to see this system of false worship so beautifully adorned must have shocked John, AND, John, filled with the Holy Spirit for 50 or 60 years by this time has seen great evil, great cruelty, great stupidity as folks have chosen to rebel against God, harden their hearts in refusal to humble themselves and choose Jesus and He has watched people be destroyed because of it…and now it has been revealed…this evil that has been at work the whole time…pride, rebellion, selfishness,…and he wonders in amazement that the whole time…every circumstance was spiritual…every argument he witnessed, every child he saw dirty and hungry, every single parent, every abandoned husband, every boasting religious elite…all the same…all spiritual…

· I’ll give you an example. The persecution of the Jew. Physical or spiritual? Well, Hitler was physical and so was Antiochus Epiphanes. As was Nero. But let me point something out to you. The Chinese people began at the same time as the Jew. There are about 1.4B Chinese on the planet today. How many Jews are on the planet today? Less than 16 million. Why? Because the hatred of the Jew is spiritual. Manifested in physical violence and physical people and physical circumstance but the wind in the sails, pure spiritual hatred. Why? Because if Satan can get rid of the Jew, no Messiah…

· And so, your issues at home. Your issues at work. Your issues at church. Your issues with your parents, with your children…physical or spiritual? Take a second look if you think they are physical. They are not. The worship of self is pervading, isn’t it? Something clicks here with John…and the angel sees that he gets it…sees that he sees…and so what’s next? What’s always next when truth is revealed and you face it…more revelation!!

Revelation Chapter 17 Verses 7 - 8

· Notice before she “rode” the beast and now he “carries” her…same with your sin…lest you turn from it…

· The full gamut of the beast revealed. He came on the scene. Was mortally wounded. Was seemingly resurrected which will deceive the nations into thinking and believing that he is indeed god, (who he claims to be), and yet his final destination is perdition or the Lake of Fire…

Revelation Chapter 17 Verse 9

· Only one city in history is known as the “City of Seven Mountains,” Rome. However, this could also speak of the entire earth. Seven being the number of completion and mountains being a type of earth. Both perspectives are supported by Biblical prophecy and are inclusive of each other.

· In fact, oddly enough, Peter referred to Rome as Babylon in 1 Peter 5:13 where he writes from Rome, “She who is in Babylon, elect together with you, greets you; and so does Mark my son.” Is Rome Babylon? In a mystery, spiritual sense, yes! Just like America, just like Canada, just like Persia, Tokyo, Moscow, London…, the entire world system is mystery Babylon! So, to focus on Rome alone is perhaps acceptable, however I would offer a bit myopic!

Revelation Chapter 17 Verses 10 - 14

· There are all types of ideas of these eight kings. Some say this is speaking of world empires, (Assyria, Babylon, Mede, Persia, Greece, Rome, revived Rome and then One World Rome or Mystery Babylon). Others say that this speaks of the original emperors of Rome, (five fallen, Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, Nero; One is, Vespasian; One is to come, Titus; And then the eighth Domitian).

· Whomever the eight kings are and whomever the ten additional kings are (most likely the world league of dominating nations in the Great Tribulation), the leader is the beast and he will overcome them, have all of their power, but it will only be a short while and the Lord will prevail!

Revelation Chapter 17 Verses 15 – 18

· This is interesting that the ten nations, represented by the ten horns which are the beast that she rides and then is carried by, the Great Harlot, the spirit of false worship, the fallen, she is united with the beast and then ten nations and yet the angel says to John here that they will hate her and make her desolate. So, in the very end, all other forms of worship will be rejected other than the worship of the Dragon, the authority of the Beast and the leadership of the false prophet.

· Here, spiritual Babylon is fallen, next time we’ll see the physical city fall…and that is the pattern of those who harden their hearts…they first fall spiritually and settle for a long-distance relationship with Jesus…then their city falls…