Rev #56~17:1-5 Origin Of Religious Babylon Series

Rev #56~17:1-5 ORIGIN OF RELIGIOUS BABYLON 5-29-10

Today I want to lay a foundation to a most important subject, the {ORIGIN OF RELIGIOUS BABYLON} there are countless people around the world that will not agree or except what I’m going to say, let me be sure and say right here at the beginning that I am not mad at any one except the devil, so please listen and pay close attention and then after the broadcast look these truths up for your self as I did, there was a time that I had never heard tell of what we’re going to talk about, but once we find out the truth lets tell it every time we have an open door.

We’ve come to chapter 17 of our study, chapter 17: portrays Babylon as a religious system and chapter 18 is dealing with Babylon as a political & commercial system.

Two different aspects of Babylon are viewed in these two chapters, two separate aspects of Babylon and her fall (perhaps suggested by the repetition of the phrase “is fallen is fallen” in 18:2 and 14:8).

Chapter 17 describes Babylon in its mystery form, as a religious system or spirit of false worship; chapter 18 describes Babylon as a political and commercial system.

Chapters 17 and 18 are amplifications of one of the main features of the Tribulation, the place, function, and final judgment of Babylon.

Chapter 17, which deals with the destruction of religious Babylon, would have to occur somewhere around the middle of the Tribulation when the Antichrist is finished using her as a means to his rise to power.

Chapter 18 describes the destruction of political (economic or commercial) Babylon as it is portrayed in the term referred to as Babylon, [ROME} the headquarters of the Antichrist.

The Headquarters of the great political and commercial system of the last half of the Tribulation after the woman is destroyed (the religious system), when the Antichrist assumes his great power, Rome will continue to be his primary headquarters also, though a secondary headquarters will be Jerusalem, when he carries out the abomination of desolation OF Matt. 24:14

Rome will be the headquarters of the religious system in the first half of the tribulation, which is also over the political realm as she has always been to a great degree. But she will be destroyed when the Antichrist has finished using her for his political purposes.

Chapter 17 is in part an amplification of chapter 13 in that it shows us one of the ways the Antichrist and his political system rises to power. He uses the religious influence and power of the woman, the religious system of mystery Babylon.

This religious system will have its tentacles in every part of the world where there is any kind of religion at all, which will be apostate Christendom,***{the big umbrella of all religions that pretend to be Christian and are not, all that are not of God} (the Roman Catholic Church, the Greek Orthodox Church, Protestant unbelieving churches), the Jewish religion, and the cults and any and all Christ less religions you might think of.

These will all come together in one great ecumenical movement, a super world religion, and the Antichrist will use this to extend his authority and power throughout Europe, parts of Africa and into the Americas.

Babylon is mentioned about 260 times in Scripture, and is second in importance only to Jerusalem. Biblically it is viewed as the Devil’s city while Jerusalem is viewed as God’s city. They are always seen in opposition to each other.

Babylon is the result of apostasy against God’s plan of salvation; Jerusalem is the result of God’s call of a man and a nation to perpetuate His plan of salvation. {ABRAHAM AND ISRAEL}

So we find that there is to be two aspects or faces of Babylon, one is religious and is in existence today, and one is political and commercial. Babylon embodies one great Satanic system.

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Here in chapter 17: we’ll read about the destruction of “religious Babylon” and in chapter 18: we’ll read about the destruction of “political & economical Babylon” And let me say again that we certainly have no hatred of people that may be involved with other religions, but we do hate what their involved in.

The great religious harlot is about to be destroyed, along with its political and economic counterparts. This and the next chapter show how God judges a system that had its beginnings way before the New Testament Church was even formed.

This system is a wicked counterfeit system that is both religious & economic in nature. With it being a system that involves both the religious and the economic, it also has influence with the political systems upon the earth.

This chapter shows how God will finally deal with this system that has long deceived worshipers upon the earth. This system has often looked very Christian while involving both apostate Catholic and apostate Protestant groups.