PART 16 BABYLON AND THE BEAST REVELATION 17

TEXT- REVELATION 17:1-18

INTRODUCTION

BEFORE WE BEGIN TO STUDY THIS CHAPTER IT IS BEST THAT WE HAVE A GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF THE MANY CHARACTERISTICS OF THE BABYLON MENTIONED IN THE SCRIPTURES.

THE WORD "BABYLON" MEANS, "CONFUSION",

THIS CONFUSION THAT WAS FOUND IN THE ANCIENT CITY OF BABYLON WAS ONE OF LANGUAGE, BUT THE CONFUSION FOUND IN THE SPIRITUAL BABYLON WILL BE ONE OF RELIGION.

GENESIS 11:5-9  THE LORD CAME DOWN TO SEE THE CITY AND THE TOWER WHICH THE SONS OF MEN HAD BUILT. 6THE LORD SAID, "BEHOLD, THEY ARE ONE PEOPLE, AND THEY ALL HAVE THE SAME LANGUAGE. AND THIS IS WHAT THEY BEGAN TO DO, AND NOW NOTHING WHICH THEY PURPOSE TO DO WILL BE IMPOSSIBLE FOR THEM. 7"COME, LET US GO DOWN AND THERE CONFUSE THEIR LANGUAGE, SO THAT THEY WILL NOT UNDERSTAND ONE ANOTHER'S SPEECH." 8SO THE LORD SCATTERED THEM ABROAD FROM THERE OVER THE FACE OF THE WHOLE EARTH; AND THEY STOPPED BUILDING THE CITY. 9THEREFORE ITS NAME WAS CALLED BABEL, BECAUSE THERE THE LORD CONFUSED THE LANGUAGE OF THE WHOLE EARTH; AND FROM THERE THE LORD SCATTERED THEM ABROAD OVER THE FACE OF THE WHOLE EARTH.

THE ANCIENT CITY OF BABYLON WAS LOCATED ALONG THE BANKS OF THE EUPHRATES RIVER.

THE FOUNDER OF THIS CITY WAS A MAN NAMED NIMROD.

HIS NAME MEANS, "A MIGHTY REBEL BEFORE THE LORD,"

IN ONE OF THE JERUSALEM TARGUMS HE IS MENTIONED AS A MAN "MIGHTY IN SIN, LYING IN WAIT TO CATCH AND OVERTHROW MEN; DRAWING THEM AWAY FROM THE WORSHIP OF THE TRUE GOD, AS TAUGHT BY SHEM, TO THAT WORSHIP TAUGHT BY NIMROD," THAT WORSHIP WOULD OF COURSE BE IDOLATRY.

IN THIS WE CAN SEE THAT THE CITY ITSELF WAS NOT ONE THAT GLORIFIED GOD, BUT RATHER ONE THAT TURNED AWAY FROM GOD.

WITH THE BEGINNING OF THE BUILDING OF THE TOWER OF BABEL WE FIND THE START OF ORGANIZED FALSE RELIGION.

BABYLON WAS A VERY IDOLATROUS CITY WHICH HAD MANY BEAUTIFUL TEMPLES DEDICATED TO VARIOUS IDOLS.

IN STUDYING ABOUT THE BABYLON OF REVELATION IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WE DO NOT CONFUSE IT WITH ANCIENT BABYLON AND MAKE THEM ONE IN THE SAME.

JEREMIAH 50:13  "BECAUSE OF THE INDIGNATION OF THE LORD SHE WILL NOT BE INHABITED, BUT SHE WILL BE COMPLETELY DESOLATE; EVERYONE WHO PASSES BY BABYLON WILL BE HORRIFIED AND WILL HISS BECAUSE OF ALL HER WOUNDS.

IN FACT IT IS BEST TO TAKE THIS CITY AS FIGURATIVE OF SOMETHING ELSE.

KNOWING WHAT KIND OF CITY BABYLON WAS IT IS MY POSITION THAT WE TAKE THIS GREAT CITY AS BEING FIGURATIVE OF THE FALSE RELIGIOUS SYSTEM THAT WILL BE PREVALENT DURING THE TRIBULATION PERIOD,

WHERE WILL THIS RELIGIOUS SYSTEM HAVE ITS HEADQUARTERS?

SOME SAY THAT IT WILL BE IN ROME, OTHERS SAY IN REBUILT CITY OF BABYLON AND OTHERS SAY IN THE CITY JERUSALEM,

I BELIEVE THAT IT WILL BE IN THE CITY JERUSALEM WHERE THE ANTI-CHRIST WILL RULE FROM AND THE FALSE PROPHET WILL BE.