My Sheep Hear My Voice- Rev. 17:18

My Sheep Hear My Voice- Rev. 17:18

Before Jesus was crucified He told the disciples to watch and pray, something so simple, but they let their physical bodies take over and they fell back asleep. In these last hours of time you need to hear His voice. When He tells you something, it is very important, but most ignore my voice or just discuss it and go on with what they were doing. You will see many things start to happen shortly and if you do not hear and obey His voice,... it will mean death for some of you....Jesus has only your best interest in mind. Christ knows you heart, and if you are truly His you will hear His voice. He awakes many of you at 3am on the dot, but most will roll over and go back to sleep. There are a few who will get up and pray. Your day is filled with so many things and Jesus is the last thing many of you give your time to. But Christ needs to talk to you,... to fellowship with you and only when you are still and quite (3am) can you hear Him,... the rest of your day is so busy you do not have time for Him,... but you need to make time, for time is short and the Lord has instructions for you.

Revelation 17

And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth. Rev 17:18

And the woman... Mystery Babylon

Thirteen proofs the whore is a religious system:

1. Playing the whore in symbolic language always refers to religious fornication and idolatry (Rev. 17:1-4; Isa. 23:1-18; 17:1-14; 57:3-7; Jer. 3:2-9; Eze. 16:1-63; 20:30-32; 23:7-49; Hos. 4:12-19; Nah. 3:4; literal fornication must also be understood in some of these).

2. Her causing the many nations to commit fornication with her proves that idolatrous religious practices are being referred to, as in passages above.

3. She is not a political power for she is not classed as one with "the kings of the earth." She only causes the kings and inhabitants of the earth to be drunk with the wine of her fornication (Rev. 17:2, 17:4). Since fornication here refers to religious harlotry then her influence over the nations is through religion.

4. The beast which the woman rides is the 8th kingdom, made up of the many waters or peoples inside the old Roman Empire territory (Rev. 17:1, 17:3, 17:11, 17:15). Since the beast itself is the kingdom, the woman must be religion dominating the kingdom until she is destroyed by it (Rev. 17:12-17).

5. The attire of the great whore identifies her as a religious system or as a whore committing spiritual fornication, duping political powers by her whoredoms and idolatries (Rev. 17:4). The purple, scarlet, precious stones, pearls, and golden vessels indicate the wealth of the system (cp. Eze. 23:40-41).

6. The golden cup in her hand, full of her uncleanness, spiritual fornication and abominations by which she dupes political powers, proves her to be a religious power (cp. Eze. 23:29-31).

7. Her name, mystery Babylon, indicates that she is not literal Babylon. The word "mystery" identifies her with the religious rites and mysteries of ancient Babylon. According to Hislop’s "The Two Babylons" (which quotes 260 sources), the ancient Babylonian cult, started by Nimrod and his queen, Semiramis, spread among all nations. The objects of worship were the Supreme Father, the Incarnate Female, or Queen of Heaven, and her Son. The cult claimed the highest wisdom and the most divine secrets. Besides confession to priests there were many mysterious rites. Julius Caesar became head of the Roman branch of the Babylonian Cult in 63 B.C. Other emperors held the office until 376 A.D. when the emperor Gratian, for Christian reasons, refused it because he saw that Babylonianism was idolatrous. Demasus, bishop of the Christian church at Rome, was elected to the headship in 378 A.D. and from here on Babylonianism and organized Christianity became one. The rites of Babylon were soon introduced into the Christian church. Heathen temples were restored, beautified, and their rituals encouraged. Worship and veneration of images, saints, relics, private confessions, penances, scourgings, pilgrimages, sign of the cross, Christmas, Lady Day, Easter, Lent, and other pagan rites and festivals, little by little, became a part of Christian worship.

8. The name, mother of harlots, identifies the whore as a religious system (Rev. 17:5). The harlots refer to many branches which have sprung from her and have become as apostate as the great whore herself. She is a symbol of apostate religions being linked together after the rapture of the true church to dominate the 10 kings of the Revised Roman Empire until Antichrist comes to full power over the 10 kingdoms by the middle of Daniel’s 70th week (Rev. 17:1, 17:3, 17:9-17).

9. The name, mother of abominations of the earth, identifies her to be a religious system fostering and tolerating all the abominations that go with idolatry and spiritual fornication. The word abominations is used many times of idolatry and whoredoms associated with pagan worship (Deut. 18:9-12; 29:17-18; 32:16-17; 1Ki. 14:24; 2Ki. 16:3-4; 21:2-11; Eze. 16:22-58; etc.). The great whore of the future tribulation will be the mother of abominations in God’s sight because she will exceed all others in wickedness.

10. Her drunkenness—being drunken with blood of the martyrs of Jesus—proves beyond doubt that she is a religious institution. Only religion has killed the martyrs of Jesus in all ages. Governments have carried out the dictates of leaders in religion, doing the actual killing of saints because of religion. Although this prophecy speaks of the future drunkenness of mystical Babylon after the rapture of the church, who among us does not know of the martyrdom of 200 million people in the past because they would not conform to organized religion?

Five classes that have martyred saints:

(1) Jews (Acts 7:51-60; 8:1; 9:1). Their religious prejudice caused many to be put to death.

(2) Pagans of the old Roman Empire. History records the martyrdom of many Christians by pagan emperors because of religious differences.

(3) Muslims killed Christians in all their conquests.

(4) Greek Catholics have also persecuted and martyred Christians.

(5) Roman Catholics have been guilty of martyrdom's in many centuries and many lands.

Martyrdom of saints will again be revived in the old Roman Empire territory between the rapture and the second coming. In the first 3 1/2 years of Daniel’s 70th week, the great whore will murder the saints of Jesus (Rev. 17:6). In the middle of the week when Antichrist comes to power over the 10 kingdoms the great whore will be destroyed and martyrdom of Christians will be carried on by the beast and the 10 kings until the second coming (Rev. 13:1-18; 14:9-11; 17:9-17; 19:11-20:6).

11. The hatred and destruction of the great whore by 10 kings inside the Roman Empire territory prove her to be a religious system dominating them until they tire of her and give their power to the Antichrist. They turn on the great whore and destroy her so that the Antichrist might establish beast worship the last 3 1/2 years (Rev. 17:12-17).

12. The woman sits on the beast itself, not on the heads and horns in succession (Rev. 17:1, 17:3, 17:7, 17:15). The 7 heads and 10 horns on the beast are a part of him and this is the only sense in which she rides the heads (Rev. 17:9). Since the beast is the 8th world empire (Rev. 17:11), it is clear that she is something separate from the empire, and only rides or dominates the peoples of that empire. What could she be other than religion?

13. The angelic explanation of the great whore proves her to be a religious system reigning over kings spiritually. The Greek reads, "And the woman whom thou sawest is the city the great, which has a kingdom over the kings of the earth" (Rev. 17:18). She has a kingdom within the kingdoms and over them. She is to be a religious system inside the old Roman Empire territory; one that has headquarters in a great city; and one that has a religious kingdom or reign over the kings of the earth.

We must recognize in the symbol two things: a great religious system and a great city where she has headquarters. The great whore will hold power over her loyal subjects, not through superior military forces, but by the deceptions of her spiritual harlotry and abominations.

Eighteen reasons why Babylon is the city:

The above facts (together with the mysteries of the Roman part of Christendom which includes baptismal regeneration, supposed changing of the bread and wine into the body and blood of Jesus Christ, holy wafers, holy waters, lights, candles, confessions, and other ceremonies, all mumbled in a language that tends to mystify) have caused the majority of Bible students in all generations to hold that Rome is the city of the prophecy. But there is another city which could be the intent of the prophecy—literal Babylon itself, for the following eighteen reasons:

1. Literal Babylon is definitely the subject of Rev. 16:17-21 and Rev. 18:1-24.

2. Mystical Babylon is another subject inserted between these two passages, a parenthetical one to explain the religious aspect of Babylon.

3. The fact that the great whore is called mystery Babylon proves a connection with literal Babylon (Rev. 17:5).

4. Literal Babylon is the site of the first great rebellion against God after the flood of Noah (Gen. 11:1-32) and it will be the site of the last great rebellion (Rev. 14:8; 16:17-21; 18:1-24).

5. Literal Babylon is always associated with demonic religions and idolatry in Scripture (Isa. 21:9; 47:9-10; Rev. 18:2-3, 18:23).

6. Many prophecies concerning literal Babylon in both testaments are yet unfulfilled (Isa. 13:1-22; 14:1-27; 43:14; 47:1-15; 48:20; Jer. 50:1-46 :51; Zec. 5:5-11; Rev. 14:8; 16:17-21; 18:1-24). On the other hand, the city of Rome is not once mentioned in any prophecy, fulfilled or unfulfilled.

7. Of all the empires taking part in the times of the Gentiles—Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, Revised Rome and Revived Greece—the capital city of only one (Babylon) is mentioned in prophecy with a latter-day fulfillment. Memphis, Nineveh, Shushan, Rome, etc. are completely ignored in prophecy, while the capital city, Babylon is mentioned repeatedly.

8. Never has it been necessary to re-identify any city named in prophecy. Predictions in Scripture about Sodom, Gomorrha, Nineveh, Tyre, Sidon and others have been fulfilled regarding the cities known by the names referred to in the various passages. (Where Jerusalem is identified with Sodom and Egypt in Rev. 11:8, we are specifically told that the city is "spiritually called Sodom and Egypt," proving clearly that this is not the literal Sodom or Egypt.) Why should Babylon be an exception? The word mystery simply defines the religious aspect of the literal city—Babylon.

9. Literal Babylon is the only city called the lady of kingdoms (Isa. 47:5, 47:7).

10. Babylon is the only city of the last days that will be the headquarters for every demon and unclean spirit (Rev. 18:2). If this is true, then Rome or no other city will be the center of false religions fulfilling prophecy.

11. Babylon is the only city named making all nations drunk with the wine of her fornication (Rev. 18:3). The great whore unnamed is the only other Babylon causing nations to be drunk with the wine of her fornication, so the references must be to the same city—mystery Babylon being the religious aspect of literal Babylon (Rev. 17:2).

12. Babylon is the only city in the last days to be the center of sorceries, enchantments, etc. (Rev. 18:23; Isa. 47:9-10, 47:12-13). Rome could not take Babylon’s place in this.

13. Babylon is the only named city singled out as the object of God’s wrath and plagues (Rev. 16:19; 18:4, 18:6). If Rome was to be the great city fulfilling such prophecy it surely would have been mentioned instead of Babylon, for Rome was well known at the time John wrote the Revelation. The very absence of the name Rome is no mere accident. God never leaves us in doubt as to the true meaning of His revelation of events to come.

14. Babylon is the only city God commands His people to come out of, in the last days (Rev. 18:4; Jer. 50:4-9; 51:4-8, 51:45). The application of this to Rome cannot be proved by Scripture.

15. Heaven is commanded to rejoice over the destruction of literal Babylon because God has taken vengeance on her (Rev. 18:20). This is the same as judging the great whore of Rev. 17:1-18, proving that the great whore or mystical Babylon is the same as literal Babylon as far as a place or a city is concerned (Rev. 19:2). The only difference is that the great whore is the religious aspect of the city of Babylon.

16. Babylon is the only city named which is to be judged in the last days for martyrdom's (Rev. 18:24). Since both mystery and literal Babylons martyr the saints there must be some relationship. If two different cities as far from each other as Rome and Babylon were to be guilty of the same things after the rapture, then two places would be referred to and not one only as in Rev. 18:24.

17. The 16 points of contrast, 7 points of similarity (Rev. 18:2), and Thirty-one Facts about Literal Babylon are in harmony with the idea that the one Babylon, a literal city, is the headquarters of the other, mystery Babylon, a religious system.

18. Antichrist will be king of Syria with Babylon as his capital (Isa. 14:4). This will fulfill Dan. 8:8-9, 8:10-25; 11:35-45. The great whore will ride the beast (Antichrist’s kingdom) in his rise to power over the 10 kingdoms (Rev. 17:3, 17:7). It should be recognized then, that she symbolizes a religion in his capital even before he gets power over the 10 kingdoms of Revised Rome (Rev. 17:12-17).

What religion is symbolized by the great whore with headquarters at Babylon? Could apostate Christendom have headquarters in Babylon? That is possible, but not probable due to the fact that the religion predicted is anti-Christian. Could it be Islam, the religion of the eastern part of the Roman Empire territory? It could be as there are about 416,600,000 Moslems compared to 480,000,000 Roman Catholics in the world. Muslims control the northern part of Africa, including Egypt, all of Arabia, Trans-Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Turkey and other parts of the old Roman Empire territory. Catholicism is the prevailing religion in Albania, Bulgaria, Romania, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Austria, Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, and some other parts of the old Roman Empire territory. Between the two religions most of the old Roman Empire territory is covered religiously, but this does not prove a thing regarding mystery Babylon of Rev. 17:1-18.

Babylon’s could be a new religion entirely, or a revival of ancient sorcery, witchcraft, enchantments, and astrology which characterized the ancient city. It is clear that such will be the prevailing religion of the whole Roman Empire territory in the last days, as in point 12, above.

Jesus predicted many false prophets who would show great signs and wonders to deceive people just prior to His coming to earth again (Mat. 24:24). Paul predicted the coming to earth again (Mat. 24:24). Paul predicted the coming of Antichrist with all power, signs, and lying wonders by the power of Satan (2Th. 2:8-12; Rev. 13:1-18; 19:20). All nations will be deceived by the sorceries and manifestations of demon powers concentrated in future literal Babylon (Rev. 9:20; 14:8; 16:13-16, 16:19; 18:23; Isa. 47:9-10, 47:12-13).

If Antichrist can start a religion and martyr millions during the last 3 1/2 years of this age (Rev. 7:9-17; 13:1-18; 14:9-11; 16:2, 16:6; 16:13-16; 19:20; 20:4-6), then it stands to reason that mystery Babylon as a revival of ancient mag-ism backed by a concentration of demon power dominating the nations of the old Roman Empire territory from Babylon could martyr many followers of Jesus during the first 3 1/2 years of Daniel’s 70th week and until Antichrist comes to full power over the 10 kingdoms of Revised Rome (Rev. 17:1-2, 17:5-6, 17:12-17).

As to Catholicism and Islam, both these religions would have to change completely to fulfill prophecies of these events. Neither religion is anti-God.

One thing seems certain—mystery and literal Babylons are two aspects of the same city and power that will fulfill prophecy in the last days after the rapture of the church. Mystery Babylon is a religious system with headquarters in literal Babylon and will fulfill Rev. 17:1-18 until Antichrist comes to full power over the 10 kingdoms of Revised Rome in the middle of Daniel’s 70th week (Rev. 17:12-17). Then Antichrist, who will be king of Babylon (Isa. 14:4) and the Assyrian (Isa. 10:20-27; 30:18-33; Isa. 31:4-32:20; Mic. 5:3-15), will destroy this religious system and start his own worship the last 3 1/2 years of this age (Rev. 13:1-18; 14:8-11; 15:2-4; 16:2, 16:6; 17:12-17; 20:4-6).

One thing must be kept in mind, all these events will take place after the rapture of the church, so mystery Babylon need not be some religion now prominent inside the Roman Empire territory any more than the religion Antichrist will start must be some prominent religion now in existence. Religions can begin in one day and so it will be easy for two religions (Antichrist’s and Babylon’s) both to start and martyr millions between the rapture and the second coming of Jesus Christ.

that great city... Here is another identification of the capital city of Babylon, centerpiece of Antichrist’s empire (compare 18:10, 18, 21).

Many have taken this to mean that the woman represents the capital city of Antichrist's kingdom, but his cannot be, for Antichrist himself rules over the kings of the earth.
If then, the woman is not the Antichrist, what other possible explanation can we have for such unanimous world dominance? The only answer is the one system before which all kings, dictators, and nations have been forced to bow down throughout history, that is, the Babylonian religion of idolatry. One cannot go anywhere in the world without being confronted with some semblance of the idolatry.
No system in the world's history has enslaved more people than this awful religion. It should not take us by surprise that this prostitute woman, the religious system, is referred to as a city. When used symbolically, a woman is always intended throughout the Scripture to signify a spiritual or religious movement. If a good woman, it is "Jehovah's wife" or "the bride of Christ". If an evil woman, such as "a prostitute," it represents the evil religious system of idolatry.
Here we see again, Rome. In its heyday, Rome was thought of as the capital of the world. They truly did reign over all of Europe.
We conclude then, that chapter 17 describes the destruction of the religious system, whereas chapter 18 denotes the destruction of "Satan's seat," the commercial and governmental city of Babylon, marking the prelude to the consummation of the Tribulation.
No longer does the seer John have the ecclesiastical religious system in view but now turns the spotlight of God's judgment on the commercial and governmental systems that originated there. Babylon has had the most harmful effect on mankind of all the cities of the world. For all idolatrous religion, greed-based commerce, and secular government were begun there. At the end of the Tribulation, God will destroy them all in the seventh or last vial judgment in fulfillment of the prophecy (in Isaiah 47:1-9; 21:9).

The final description of the woman is given in Rev. 17:18 : The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth. The reference to the woman as a city is another link with ancient Babylon, this time regarded as a religious center for false religion. The apostate church represented by the woman was a combination of religious and political power. As stated in Rev. 17:5, the city and the woman are a “mystery,” and are therefore a symbolic presentation. Rev. 17:18, however, introduces the next chapter which seems to refer to Babylon more as a literal city than as a religious entity.