Just a Thought on Revelation 17! Part 1

Revelation 17:1-7

Just a Thought on Revelation 17

Part 1

Revelation 17:1-7

Introduction: We have now seen how the Lord works by sevens through the Book of Revelation, 7 seals (Rev. 5), 7 trumpets (Rev. 8), 7 thunders (Rev. 10:3), 7 vials (Rev. 15). Now we come to the 7 Dooms (Larkin). We shall consider the 1^st Doom beginning in Revelation 17.

• Ecclesiastical Babylon (Revelation 17) “mystery Babylon the great”
  • Revelation 17 and 18 are not the same Babylon.
    • Mystery deals with religious Babylon (Rev. 17)
    • Identified in Revelation 17
  • Called mystery because hidden in OT (cf. Eph. 3:1-21)
    • “mystery” that Christ has a bride (cf. Eph. 5:23-32 with Rev. 21:9-10)
    • “mystery Babylon” is the antichrist’s bride.
• Babylon
  • Built on Euphrates, 1 of 4 rivers that flowed through the Garden of Eden.
  • Built by Nimrod (Gen. 10:8-10)
    • Headquarters of idolatry.
    • Idolatry of graven images, confession, priests, and nuns.
    • Origination of the Pontiff of Rome; worship of the queen of heaven.
• John Called to “Come, hither” (Rev. 17:1)
  • “I will show unto thee”
    • One of the 7 angels that had the 7 vials.
  • “the judgment of the great whore”
    • This which John was about to see was a religious prostitute
      • Sold herself to the world leaders.
  • “sitteth upon many waters”
    • We will see the interpretation the “waters” in verse 15/
• John Is About to See this “Whore” (Rev. 17:2)
  • “With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication”
    • She is guilty of fornication with the world leaders
  • “the inhabitants of the world have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication”
    • The world is intoxicated with her.
• John is “carried…into the wilderness” (Rev. 17:3)
  • There he sees “a woman sit on a scarlet coloured beast”
    • Connection to the devil (cp. Rev 12:1-4,9)
  • “full of the names of blasphemy”
    • They are both blasphemers of God and His words.
  • “having seven heads and ten horns” (cf. Rev 13:1)
• Filthy and Filthy Rich (Rev. 17:4)
  • “the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls”
    • Is rich in the things of this world (cp. Rev. 3:17)
  • “purply and scarlet colour”
    • Colors of the Papacy.
  • “having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication”
    • Connection to Babylon (cf. Jer. 51:7)
    • Literal icon produced showing the queen of heaven holding the cup on the back of the beast.
      • Flip side the image of the Pope.
• So, like the Antichrist (Rev. 17:5)
  • “upon her forehead was a name written”
    • As God marks His own (Rev. 14:1)
    • So, antichrist marks his own (Rev. 13:16,17)
  • “the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth”
    • Out of her come harlots and abominations.
    • Identified with idolatry and rebellion against God (cf. Gen. 10:10; 11:9)
      •  Idolatry is associated with sexual immorality and wickedness.
• Hatred Made Manifest (Rev. 17:6)
  • I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints…of the martyrs of Jesus”
    • She is a drunk.
    • See this in history: the Inquisition
  • “when I saw her I wondered with great admiration”
    • John is shocked at what he sees.
      • Could not just be speaking of pagan Rome of john’s day, no shock there
      • Shocked at religious Rome.
• Mystified by John’s Marveling. (Rev. 17:7)
  • “the angel…Wherefore didst thou marvel?”
    • The angel is shocked that John does not understand.
  • “I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.^”
    • Four id’s about to be revealed!

Conclusion: We will pick up our study next time. What we have seen:

• John is shown a woman that is seen in the OT as “the queen of heaven” (see. Jer. 7:18)
• Babylon is identified with religious Rome.
• A filthy religious organization and filthy rich like Laodicea.
• A woman on the back of the beast (antichrist).