Lesson #46

REVELATION AND THE SECOND COMING
LESSON #46
BABYLON THE GREAT — REV 18

• MEMORY VERSE: REV 18:4

• READ REV 18:1-19
• IN REVELATION 17 AND 18 THERE ARE TWO SYSTEMS OF BABYLON, MYSTERY BABYLON (REV 17) AND BABYLON THE GREAT (REV 18). THERE ARE MANY WHO CONSIDER THAT THEY ARE EXACTLY THE SAME. IN REALITY THEY ARE THE SAME. HOWEVER, ON CLOSE EXAMINATION, WE WILL SEE THAT THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENCES THAT WE MUST INTERPRET.
• MYSTERY BABYLON OF REV 17 IS FOCUSED ON THE WORLD FALSE RELIGION. (LESSONS #42 – #45)
• BABYLON THE GREAT OF REV 18 IS FOCUSED ON THE ECONOMIC SYSTEM.
• THE TWO SYSTEMS ARE LINKED BY THE NAME, BABYLON, AND BOTH ARE UNDER THE CONTROL OF THE ANTI-CHRIST AND THE FALSE PROPHET. THERE WILL BE NO MORE SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE (RELIGION AND GOVERNMENT) IN THE TRIBULATION PERIOD. THERE WILL BE NO SEPARATION OF ECONOMICS AND RELIGION.

• THE IDENTIFICATION OF THE SYMBOLS:
• “another angel come down from heaven, having great power” (1) =
• BECAUSE THERE IS NO DESCRIPTION GIVEN OF THIS ANGEL, OTHER THAN THE ATTRIBUTE OF POWER, AND THAT THE EARTH IS ENLIGHTENED WITH HIS GLORY, IT IS HARD TO DETERMINE HIS IDENTITY. SOME THINK IT IS JESUS CHRIST.
• “is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird” (2) =
• THE UNCLEAN AND HATEFUL BIRD (THE STORK) REFERS TO ZEC 5:5-11.
• WE IDENTIFIED THE WOMAN IN THE EPHAH AS THE WORLD FALSE RELIGION MOVED TO THE CITY OF BABYLON IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TRIBULATION PERIOD. (LESSON #45)
• “the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her” (3) =
• IN BIBLE PROPHECY, SEXUAL TERMS THAT ARE USED SYMBOLICALLY ALWAYS HAVE A RELIGIOUS MEANING THAT REFER TO AN UNFAITHFULNESS TO THE TRUE GOD, JEHOVAH.
• IT IS IN VERSE 3 THAT WE SEE ANOTHER ASPECT TO THE WORLD FALSE RELIGION THAT WE DID NOT SEE IN REV 17. WE SEE THE POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC ASPECTS JOINED TO THE WORLD FALSE RELIGION.
• WORLD LEADERS HAVE A POLITICAL ALLEGIANCE TO THE WORLD FALSE RELIGION OF MYSTERY BABYLON.
• “the merchants of the earth are waxed rich” (3) =
• BUSINESS AND COMMERCE ARE ALSO INVOLVED WITH THE WORLD FALSE RELIGION AND PROFIT GREATLY FROM THEIR RELATIONSHIP.
• “Come out of her, my people” (4) =
• IT IS INTERESTING THAT GOD CALLS CHRISTIANS TO COME OUT AND NOT BE A PART OF THIS SYSTEM.
• GOD ALWAYS WARNS BELIEVERS BEFORE JUDGMENT COMES.
• EVIDENTLY SOME CHRISTIANS WILL BE DECEIVED AT THE BEGINNING OF THE TRIBULATION PERIOD AND BECOME PART OF THE WORLD FALSE RELIGION.
• “For her sins have reached unto heaven,” (5) =
• THIS PHRASE IS A SUBTLE REFERENCE TO THE TOWER OF BABEL WHERE THE WORLD FALSE RELIGION BEGAN IN GEN 10.
• NIMROD THOUGHT TO BUILD A TOWER TO REACH INTO HEAVEN FROM WHERE HE WOULD RULE THE EARTH.
• “in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double” (6) =
• GOD WILL REWARD THIS WORLD SYSTEM WITH DOUBLE PUNISHMENT FOR THE SINS COMMITTED.
• REMEMBER THAT BIBLE PROPHECY IS FULFILLED TWICE. THEREFORE, THERE ARE TWO PUNISHMENTS ON THIS SYSTEM IN THE TRIBULATION PERIOD.
• =1= THE RELIGIOUS PART OF THE SYSTEM WILL BE DESTROYED BY THE ANTI-CHRIST AND THE POLITICAL LEADERS OF THE REVIVED ROMAN EMPIRE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TRIBULATION PERIOD. (REV 17:16) WHY?
• THE ANTI-CHRIST WILL USE THE RELIGIOUS SYSTEM TO HELP HIM GAIN WORLD POWER IN THE BEGINNING OF THE TRIBULATION. HOWEVER, ULTIMATELY HE WILL DECIDE TO SHARE WORSHIP WITH NO ONE.
• WHEN THE ANTI-CHRIST IS INDWELT BY SATAN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TRIBULATION PERIOD, HE WILL DESTROY THE SYSTEM THAT HAS THE OUTWARD APPEARANCE OF CHRISTIANITY IN ORDER TO PURIFY ITS PAGAN ASPECTS AND FOCUS WORSHIP ON HIMSELF (SATAN).
• THE ANTI-CHRIST WILL BURN THE CITY OF ROME, THE HEADQUARTERS OF THE WORLD FALSE RELIGION THAT CONTAINS APOSTATE CHRISTIANITY. HE WILL MOVE THE HEADQUARTERS TO BABYLON. THE SYSTEM THEN BECOMES BABYLON THE GREAT.
• THE BURNING OF ROME IS PRE-FIGURED IN HISTORY BY THE OLD ROMAN EMPEROR, NERO, WHO BURNED ROME AND BLAMED IT ON THE CHRISTIANS.
• =2= THE FINAL DESTRUCTION OF THE CITY OF BABYLON AND THE WHOLE BABYLON SYSTEM OF RELIGION, ECONOMICS, AND POLITICS LED BY THE ANTI-CHRIST WILL OCCUR AT THE EVENT OF THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST WHEN GOD WILL JUDGE HER AND HER LEADERS, THE ANTI-CHRIST AND THE FALSE PROPHET.
• “I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.” (7) =
• READ ISA 47:8-11
• THESE ARE CHARACTERISTICS THAT REFER TO THE WORLD FALSE RELIGION, MYSTERY BABYLON. (SEE LESSON #43).
• “Therefore shall her plagues come in one day” (8) =
• THE MOTIVATION OF THE SYSTEM IS SELF-GLORIFICATION, PRIDE, LUXURY FOR ITS LEADERS AT THE EXPENSE OF THE PEOPLE.
• THE ANTI-CHRIST WILL BURN ROME, THE HEADQUARTERS OF MYSTERY BABYLON, THE RELIGIOUS SYSTEM. IT WILL BE DESTROYED IN ONE DAY.
• GOD WILL DESTROY BABYLON THE GREAT, THE ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL SYSTEM IN THE CITY OF BABYLON IN ONE DAY.
• THE DESTRUCTION OF BOTH OF THESE CITIES WILL BE BY FIRE. (8-9)
• IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TRIBULATION, THE DESTRUCTION WILL CAUSE AN ECONOMIC COLLAPSE OF WORLD MARKETS.
• THIS ECONOMIC DEPRESSION WILL MAKE THE STOCK MARKET CRASH OF 1929 LOOK LIKE A MONOPOLY GAME.
• THERE WILL BE MANY SUICIDES, FAMINE, ECONOMIC LACK IN THE BASIC ELEMENTS OF LIFE, AND GREAT MOURNING.
• THIS ECONOMIC COLLAPSE WILL ENABLE THE ANTI-CHRIST TO GAIN CONTROL OF THE WORLD ECONOMY AND IMPLEMENT A NEW SYSTEM, THE MARK OF THE BEAST. (SEE LESSON #36-37).
• “Standing afar off for the fear of her torment” (10) =
• MANY BUSINESS MEN WILL TRY TO DISTANCE THEMSELVES FROM THE SYSTEM TO AVOID BANKRUPTCY, BUT TO NO AVAIL FOR THIS IS WORLD-WIDE ECONOMIC COLLAPSE (17).
• ALL COMMERCE WILL STOP.
• IN VERSES 12 AND 13 IS A LIST OF 25 LUXURY ITEMS.
• THE ECONOMIC DEPRESSION WILL HIT PRIMARILY LUXURY ITEMS AND THE VERY WEALTHY PEOPLE OF THE WORLD.
• THE LIST ALSO INCLUDES SOULS (13)
• THESE ARE THOSE WHO SOLD THEIR SOUL FOR LUXURY AND LUST.
• THE LIST INCLUDES A SLAVE TRADE OF HUMAN BEINGS. (13)
• “That great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls!” (16)
• NOTICE THAT THIS IS THE SAME DESCRIPTION OF MYSTERY BABYLON IN REV 17:3-4.
• THEREFORE, REV 17 AND REV 18 ARE RELATED AND PART OF THE SAME SYSTEM, THOUGH DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF IT.

• READ REV 18:20-24
• THE REJOICING IN HEAVEN AT THE DESTRUCTION OF BABYLON.
• READ ISA 14:1-11, 18-23 AND JER 51:63,64
• THESE ARE THE OLD TESTAMENT PROPHECIES OF THE DESTRUCTION OF BABYLON.
• THE WORD, “SORCERIES” (23) =
• THE WORD IMPLIES THE DRUG CULTURE WITH ABORTION.
• GOD’S VENGEANCE ON BABYLON:
• GOD WILL AVENGE THE DEATH OF ALL THE SAINTS THROUGH ALL HISTORY FROM GEN 10 UNTIL THE END OF THE TRIBULATION PERIOD THAT DIED AS A RESULT OF THE PERSECUTION OF MYSTERY BABYLON.
• THE CITY OF BABYLON WILL EXIST NO MORE AFTER ITS DESTRUCTION AT THE END OF THE TRIBULATION PERIOD. (21-22)
• SUMMARY:
• HOW THESE TWO SYSTEMS OF RELIGIOUS AND POLITICAL BABYLON FIT TOGETHER:

• SINCE ABOUT 1770 TO 1800 THE MYSTERY BABYLON RELIGIOUS MOVEMENT CROSSED OVER FROM FROM THE RELIGIOUS TO THE POLITICAL AREAS OF GOVERNMENT. TODAY MYSTERY BABYLON IS ALL INVASIVE IN THE GOVERNMENTS OF THE WORLD. HOW DID THIS OCCUR? WHERE IS THE LINK BETWEEN THE RELIGIOUS AND POLITICAL SYSTEMS TODAY? THAT IS THE TOPIC OF OUR NEXT LESSON.

• APPLICATION:
• “COME OUT OF HER MY PEOPLE”
• READ JER 50:8-10 JER 51:45
• GOD INDICATES THAT THERE’S A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ECONOMICS AND RELIGION
• THAT THEME GOES ALL THROUGH THE BIBLE SINCE THE TITHE WAS FIRST INITIATED IN GENESIS. THAT RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MONEY AND RELIGION WILL GET MORE TIGHTLY WOVEN AT THE END OF THE AGE. IT WILL BE INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT FOR CHRISTIANS TO REMAIN AS FREE AS POSSIBLE FROM THE WORLD SYSTEM–THAT MEANS BEING FREE FROM DEBT (PRO 22:7)
• HOW YOU HANDLE YOUR MONEY, AND YOUR ATTITUDE TOWARD MONEY, WEALTH, AND MATERIAL POSSESSIONS IS A THERMOMETER OF YOUR SPIRITUAL LEVEL OF MATURITY
• IT IS NOT HOW MUCH YOU HAVE OR DO NOT HAVE. IT IS YOUR ATTITUDE TOWARD IT AND WHAT YOU DO WITH IT
• DEBT MEANS YOU HAVE BOUGHT INTO THE WORLD SYSTEM
• AS BELIEVERS IN JESUS CHRIST WE ARE TO BE IN THE WORLD AND NOT OF IT. (ROM 12:2 1JOH 2:15)

HOMEWORK
RELIGIOUS AND POLITICAL SYSTEMS UNITED
THIS IS A SELF-STUDY. PLEASE DO NOT SEND HOMEWORK ANSWERS TO THE TEACHER FORCORRECTION.

• APPLICATION OF REV 18
• WHAT CHANGES DO YOU NEED TO MAKE IN REGARD TO YOUR STEWARDSHIP OF FINANCES? PRAY AND ASK GOD TO HELP YOU START MAKING THESE CHANGES THIS WEEK.