MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT

 Temple Baptist Church - 9-19-2021

Revelation 17:5

 

A.  For the last 2 weeks, we have taken a close look at the phrase: “The Great Whore.”  This is not language that the Holy Ghost used loosely.  It is language that we, as children of God, normally refrain from but the Bible is very specific in its usage.  The end-time religious system has deserved every word of the phrase as it is anti-Bible, anti-God, and anti-Christian!

 

B.  In verse 5, we find further clarification of who and what the end-time religious system will be.  “MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT.”  Notice with me the usage of all capital letters.  This usage is not found often in the Bible but, when it is used, it us used to closely draw our attention to the precise wording.

 

A mystery in the Bible is something that cannot be discerned by the unsaved.  A mystery is a family secret.  It can only be fully understood by God’s children.  For this cause, when we set forth the Bible truth concerning a mystery, the religious world believes that we are hard hearted, hateful people and maligns us.  The child of God can clearly see the spiritual truth set forth by the Holy Ghost in the Bible through revelation of the Holy Ghost.

 

The Mystery of both Babylon the Great and The Great Whore has blinded the minds and, therefore, the spiritual eyes of the world.  What we see, they do not see.  Truly, the god of this world has blinded their minds to all that is going on, so do not think that what the Bible is saying will be popular with the masses.

 

C.  Now, let us back up to verse 3, where we find “the great whore” “sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.”

 

1.  The “seven heads” represent the seven world powers of human history.  Babel, Assyria, Egypt, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome.

 

2.  The first of the “seven heads” or world powers was Babel.  Babel’s founder was Nimrod, the beginning of his kingdom: 

 

Genesis 10:8-10  And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth.  (9)  He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD.  (10)  And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.

 

3.  The word “Babel” comes from a Hebrew root word meaning “confusion.”  It was there in the land of Shinar that the Tower of Babel was built. 

 

Genesis 11:1-4  And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.  (2)  And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there.  (3)  And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter.  (4)  And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.

 

4.  What made this first world power stand out in world history is their organized rebellion against God.  Men have always rebelled against God, but the first mention of organized religious rebellion against God is found here.  The words “they” and “us” show the anti-God unity of these people.  Prior to this, the “sons of God” (the Messianic Line of Seth) looked upon and took for wives the “daughters of men” (the ungodly line of Cain).  This was an individual sinfulness of mankind, not an organized one.

 

5.  At Babel, God did “confound the language” of the earth as, in the beginning, there was only one language which allowed men to work together to bring about an intended end, a tower “whose top may reach unto heaven, and make us a name.”

 

6.  The middle or fourth world power, was Babylon.  The word “Babylon” comes from a combination of 2 Hebrew words meaning “out of” and “Babel” which means “out of confusion.”  Babylon was simply an extension, both political and religious, of Babel!

 

7.  The seventh and last of the world powers was and is Rome.  The First, Middle, and Last of the world powers being the same: Babel – Babylon – Rome.

 

8.  The 10 crowns will be the revived Roman Empire or Babylon or Babel! 

 

D.  Verse 5.  MYSTERY - a secret or “mystery” (through the idea of silence imposed by initiation into religious rites). 

 

2 Timothy 3:13-17  But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. 

 

1.  Deceiving relates to 2 Timothy 3:1-9.  Those who follow this anti-Bible, anti-God religion of the end-time have no Bible comprehension.  They are “bought in” to this religious system because they can live any way that they choose and still be a part of it.

 

2 Timothy 3:1-9  This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.  (2)  For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,  (3)  Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,  (4)  Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;  (5)  Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.  (6)  For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,  (7)  Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 

 

2.  Being Deceived relates to 2 Timothy 3:8-9.  This speaks of knowledge of its upper echelon.  There are those who know and understand exactly who and what this religious system is comprised of: from the beginning to the end.  I do not think for one moment that the religious leaders of “the great whore” do not know exactly what the system is and teaches.  The ultimate deception is found here.  “Deceiving and being deceived.” 

 

2 Timothy 3:8-9  Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.  (9)  But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was.

 

3.  Paul ends the chapter with an admonition to the believers.  You and I, who know and study the Bible, are to be “steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord!”

 

2 Timothy 3:14-17  But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;  (15)  And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.  (16)  All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:  (17)  That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

 

E.  BABYLON THE GREAT.  Both politically and religiously, she is here! 

 

1.  The Vision of the world powers from Daniel’s time to the end. 

 

Daniel 2:31-35 Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible.  (32)  This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass,  (33)  His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.  (34)  Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.  (35)  Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth. 

 

2.  The Interpretation of the world powers from Babylon to the end-time and BABYLON THE GREAT and its destruction prior to the Kingdom Age. 

 

Daniel 2:36-47  This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king.  (37)  Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.  (38)  And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold.  (39)  And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.  (40)  And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.  (41)  And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.  (42)  And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.  (43)  And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.  (44)  And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.  (45)  Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.  (46)  Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, and worshipped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an oblation and sweet odours unto him.  (47)  The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret.