•Revelation contains God’s last loving call to the people
on earth (Rev.
14:6-14). It also
expresses satan’s plots and snares and describes the organization through
which he works. No book has ever been written that is more important to
modern man today. Its message is so important and imperative that God
pronounces fearful sentences upon all who in any way tamper with it (Rev. 22:18, 19).
•Listen
to these awesome words from Rev.
14:8 and Rev. 18: “Babylon is fallen and is become the
habitation of devils.” “Come out of her my people that ye receive not of
her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered
her iniquities.”
•The message is clear “Come out of Babylon or be
lost”. Do you know what Babylon is? Is there a chance that you might be in
Babylon and not know it?
•In
this lesson we identify Babylon. May God’s blessed Holy Spirit speak to us
all. You should have already read Revelation 17 & 18 - it will make the lesson
much easier to understand.
Symbol of Spiritual Apostasy
•1.
What is the second part of God’s great three-point message? Rev. 14:8
•
•“Babylon
is fallen.”
2. What is God’s command regarding Babylon? Rev.
18:4
•“Come
out of her my people.”
•Note:
•The
command is to God’s people. Many are still in Babylon. God is lovingly
calling them out before
the plagues fall upon Babylon. (Babylon will not be reformed but destroyed).
3. What reasons does God give for calling His people out?
Rev.
18:2 - 5
•Babylon:
•a. Habitation of
•DEVILS
•b. Hold of every foul
•spirit
•c. Nations drink her
• wine (false
doctrines)
•d. Kings committed
•fornication with her
•e. Don’t partake of her SINS
•f. Receive not her
•PLAGUES
•g. Her sins reached to
•HEAVEN
•h. God remembers her iniquities
•Note:
•There is no question that God means business
about Babylon. Whatever Babylon may be, God’s people had better be making
their exodus (way out).
4. Some say Babylon is the literal city restored. What
does the Bible say about this?
Isaiah 13:19-21
•“And
Babylon … shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from
generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there;
neither shall the shepherds make their fold there.”
•Note:
•Restored
literal Babylon is not a possibility; God said it would never happen.
5. Under what symbolism does God
picture Babylon?
Rev. 17:1-5
•“… I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet colored
beast.”
•Note:
•God
pictures Babylon as a whore riding upon a beast. As we have previously
learned, a pure woman represents God’s true church (Lesson 16). A corrupt
woman represents a fallen church (Jer. 3:1-8, 20, Eze. 16:26,27, Isa. 50:1, Jer.
13:27, Hosea 2:2-5, Eze. 23:2-21 & Rev. 14:4).
6. What is “Babylon the Great” called in
Revelation
17:5?
•Answer:
•“The
mother of harlots.”
•Note:
The symbolism
here is of a great mother church and her daughters. It takes no genius to
figure who this is. The great Roman church claims to be the mother- church.
The daughters who came from her “protested” and pulled away and became
known as “Protestants”. The name Babylon is a family name which includes
both mother and children. It is shocking and sobering to realize that God is
clearly indicting both mother and daughters as fallen.
•This
does not mean that those who are still in Babylon are not sincere
Christians. In fact Jesus refers to them as His people
(Rev. 18:4).
But He is calling them out of Babylon, and His people will
gladly obey the Master’s voice.
•Many,
many are coming out! Praise the Lord!!
A Universal Religious System
•7. Let us review other evidence that “Babylon” is
the Papacy.
A. The beast the woman rides (Rev.
17:3), is the same beast
pictured in Rev. 13:1
which was identified as the Papacy in Lesson 19.
B. She persecutes as did the
beast of Rev. 13 (see
Rev. 17:6).
C. Rev. 17:18 says she is the
power that was ruling in John’s day, which was Rome (Luke 2:1).
•Note:
Pagan Rome’s power and authority was assumed by Papal Rome, and since then
she has ruled in the place of pagan Rome. The prophecies of both Daniel and
Revelation clearly identifies the beast and Babylon as the Papacy. Virtually
all the Reformation preachers taught it! Even the “New Catholic
Encyclopedia” says Babylon here represents Rome.
8. What is the source of the name
“Babylon”?
Gen.10:9,10
& Gen. 11:5-9.
•The
name is “called Babel because the Lord did there confound the language of
all the earth.”
•Note:
•After
the flood wicked men defied God by beginning to build a tower that would
reach high enough God could not destroy them by another flood. In response
God confused their speech so they could not understand one another.
•The
city of ancient Babylon became the center and origin of all satan’s false
systems of religion that have confused God’s people and that have stood in
opposition to God and His truth.
False Doctrine Intoxicates.
•9. What causes the confusion of spiritual Babylon?
Rev. 17:2,4
•
•“The
inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her
fornication.”
•Note: Her
wine is her false doctrines or teachings
(Jer. 51:7). Her wine brings spiritual drunkenness. It causes
people
to not see the truth (Mal.
2:8); to flounder
spiritually (Eph.
4:14); and to
become dull of understanding
(Heb. 5:11-14).
•10.
Why will God punish Babylon?
•Revelation 14:8
•
•Answer:
•“Because
she made all nations to drink of the wine of the wrath of her
fornication.”
•Note:
Her false teachings are God’s reason for punishing her and calling His
people out.
11. What are some of Babylon’s unscriptural teachings?
•Ten commandments not binding (see
Lesson 11)
•b. Sunday sacredness (Lessons 10 &
11)
•c. Second chance (Lesson 7)
•d. Secret rapture (Lesson 6)
•e. Eternal torment (Lesson 20)
•f. Immortality of the soul (Lesson 13)
•g. Counterfeit baptism (Lesson 16)
•Note: There is a great danger when a person reads
clear Bible truth on these and other important subjects and is taught
something different by his / her church. This causes many to think they are
unable to understand the Bible. The truth is that they understood correctly
but had been taught falsely.
Papacy - Past, Present and
Future
•12. How does God describe the beast in
Revelation 17:8?
•Answer:
•“The beast that was, and is not and yet is.”
•Note:
•Both
chapters 13 & 17 of Revelation depict the Papacy. In chapter 16 no
distinction is made between the religious and political aspects of this
power. In chapter 17 a distinction is made. The fallen woman is the apostate
church. She rides upon the beast (state or Government), which indicates she
is supported by the state and is in control. Here a combination of church
and state is clearly indicated.
Here is Understanding
•The mysterious phrase “was and is not and yet is”
refers to the Papacy at different time periods. Since the specific setting
or “time frame” for verse 8 occurs just after the Papal persecutions of
Revelation 17:6, we suggest the following:
•Was - During the 1260
years of Papal control (Rev. 13:5,7)
•Is Not - Time of Papal
dormancy “deadly wound” until full recovery (Rev. 13:3)
•Yet Is - Time of last day,
miraculous discovery from “deadly wound” until 10 kingdoms give power to
the beast for one hour (Rev. 13:3; 17:12,13).
13. What powers are represented by the seven mountains?
Rev. 17:9 - 11
•“The
seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sitteth”.
•Note:
•A
mountain in prophesy represents a king or nation (Jer. 51:24,25).
Satan’s counterfeit system of worship has existed since Babylon and has
been openly supported by all major world governments. Since the “time
frame” for Revelation 17 occurs after the 1260 years of Papal persecution,
we suggest the following applications.
•Revelation
17:10:
•“Five
are fallen”:
•1.
Babylon
•2.
Medo-Persia
•3.
Greece
•4.
Rome
•5.
Papacy
(during 1260 years)
•“One
Is” (verse 10):
•6.
Papacy (from “deadly wound” until recovered).
•“Not
Yet Come” (v. 10):
•7.
Papacy (From Recovery till 10 kings support).
•He
is the 8th (v. 11)
•8.
Papacy (during 10 horns confederacy).
14. What do the ten horns
represent?
Rev. 17:12
•“The
ten horns are ten kings.”
•
•Note:
•These
kings refer to the nations of modern Europe.
15. Why do many say, “My church
is so cold and worldly?”
Rev. 14:8
“Babylon is fallen.”
16. Some say “let’s reform the
churches”. What does God say?
Rev.
18:4
•“Come out of her my people that ye receive not of
her plagues.”
•Note:
•The
fallen churches will not accept reformation. They will receive the seven
last plagues and be destroyed. So God commands His people to get
out before the plagues fall.
(We will study the plagues in our next lesson).
17. What does Jesus say about His
sheep?
John
10:16
“Them also I must bring, and
they shall hear My voice: and there shall be one fold and one Shepherd.”
•Note:
•Jesus
says: “My sheep hear My voice … and they follow Me” (John
10:27). God’s
sheep in Babylon today will also hear Him calling and will enter His fold.
Amen!
It is just as
necessary for a person to enter God’s true church today as it was for people
to enter the ark in Noah’s day.
•18.
Will you answer God’s call and enter into God’s ark (church) of safety?
•
•Your
answer: __________________
Lesson
10 Lesson
12