Revelation | Pt. 25 - MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT | Pastor Jackson Lahmeyer

Revelation 17 = Spiritual Babylon (One World Religious System)
Revelation 18 = Commercial Babylon (One World Economic System)
17 & 18 go together to describe 2 systems with 1 HQ

Revelation 17

Revelation 17:1-6 says, "One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits by many waters. 2 With her the kings of the earth committed adultery, and the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries.” 3 Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. 4 The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls.She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries. 5 The name written on her forehead was a mystery: babylon the great the mother of prostitutes and of the abominations of the earth. 6 I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of God’s holy people, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus.
Let's start w/Babylon
To understand future Babylon you need to understand historic Babylon
Except for the city of Jerusalem, Babylon is mentioned the most in the Bible (300x)
404 verses in Revelation; 42 verses about Babylon
Ancient Babylon was incredible
1 of the 7 wonders of the Ancient world with its' hanging gardens
Built off the Euphrates River in Modern Day Iraq
Walls were 35 stories high and 87 feet wide; chariot races
Impenetrable city
60 years before Babylon fell, the prophet Isaiah prophesied the Great Empire would be overtaken by another
150 years before the fall of Babylon the prophet Isaiah stated it would fall and even named the King who would do it, Cyrus
Scripture predicted its' fall but Scripture also predicts its' coming resurgence
The reason Babylon is so important is because it is the birthplace of man-made religion (important about the prostitute)
Genesis 10:8-10
Nimrod is Noah's great-grandson
He leads the building of the Tower of Babel at Babylon
Nimrod = Rebellious One
"Before" in Hebrew means "in the face of" God; Nimrod is not a good guy
Genesis 11:1-8
Here is something interesting: occult worship and false religion traces back to Babel
Foundations of Man-Made Religion
1. Faithlessness - Rejection of God's Promises
2. Disobedience - Rebellion against God's commands
3. Legalism - Refusal of God's grace
Ancient legend came out of Babel
Nimrod married Semiramis
Son Tammuz who was gored to death but supernaturally resurrected
Mentioned in Ezekiel 14:8 "
In Shinar, the worship of Tammuz and His mother became a real thing
Mother-Son combo
Assyrians = Ishtar & Tammuz
Caninities = Ashtoreth & Baal
Egypt = Isis & Horus
Greek = Aphrodite & Ares
Romans = Venus & Cupid
False Religion of Mother-Son combo is birthed in Babylon
Babylon = Birthplace of false religion and the death place of false religion
False Religion is powerful
In 1844, Karl Marx described religion as "the opium of the people."
Religion is one of the most powerful drugs available
Kings have always used religion as a means of control
The Prostitute
The Prostitute represents False Religion (past, present & future)
Revelation 17:1
Many Waters = Global Influence
In Scripture, sea or waters = humanity
Revelation 17:15
False Religion is global
Revelation 17:2
This is referring to spiritual adultery
Idolatry = Adultery
Revelation 17:3
Wilderness = False Religion
We have already been introduced to this image with 7 heads and 10 horns
Revelation 13 & Daniel 2
Revelation 13:1-2
7 heads and 10 horns
7 = 7 Empires that persecute the nation of Israel
1. Egypt
2. Assyria
3. Babylon
4. Persia
5. Greece
6. Rome
7. Future Empire consisting of 10 horns
Resembled a leopard, bear and lion
Daniel 7
4 Beasts = 4 Kingdoms & 4 Kings
1. Lion w/Eagle Wings = Babylonian Empire (Fierce)
2. Bear = Persian Empire (Strong)
3. Leopard = Grecian Empire (Swift)
4. 10 Horns = Roman Empire (revised)
Daniel 2:31-45
Head of Gold = Babylon
Breast & Arms of silver = Persian
Belly & Thighs of Bronze = Grecian
Legs of Iron = Roman Empire
10 toes of Iron mixed w/clay = what is coming
Revelation 17:4
This represents wealth and royalty
Not the Catholic Church
Revelation 17:5-6
Violence against believers like Islam
Revelation 17:7-14
She sits on 7 Mountains aka 7 Kingdoms
5 have fallen
1 is
1 is to come
5 Fallen = Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persian, Greek
1 that is = Rome
1 that is to come = Confederation of 10 Nations (regions)
Globe will be divided into 10 regions
Each will have a king
They will rule for a short time
Out of the 10 will come the antichrist
Revelation 17:14
Who wins?
Revelation 17:15-18
The beast will put an end to all false religions and enforce all to worship him
Religion is not a bad word
The Latin word where we get relationship
False Religion is bad
James 1:19-27