In Part 7 of the Revelation Series video, we discussed the whore of Babylon discussed in Revelation Chapter 17. There are some characteristics about her that should be held in your analysis.
There are 10 details about the Whore of Babylon
1) She is a great prostitute;
This isn’t physical prostitution, but spiritual. In the Bible, Prostitution often symbolizes idolatry or religious apostasy, spiritual adultery. There are a lot of instances like in Isaiah Chapter 1 verse 21 when Jerusalem was called a harlot or whore. She is selling an apostate religion that pushes people away from the Most High. We are not talking about a literal woman, but an idolatrous church.
2) She sits on many waters;
The “waters” represent the various peoples and nations of the earth like verse 15 tells us quite clearly. Being that she sits on them, it’s saying that she has worldwide influence.
3) With her the kings of the earth committed adultery;
The kings of the earth, the rulers and political leaders of world history have opened their arms to her influence. The whore of Babylon will ally herself with these world’s political leaders. Adultery not in the sense of physical marriage but meaning going after other gods.
4) The inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries;
The Whore of Babylon’s influence will extend beyond the world’s rulers to the rest of mankind. Again, this imagery does not describe actual wine & sexual sin, but pictures the people of the world being swept up into the intoxication & sin of a false system of religion.
5) A woman sitting on a scarlet beast;
The scarlet beast the woman is sitting on is the Antichrist. For a time he will support and use the whore’s false religious system to effect world unity. But he will then take more political control like verse 16 eludes to. Scarlet is the color of luxury, splendor & royalty.
6) Dressed in purple and scarlet;
The whore is also dressed in purple & scarlet. She is portrayed as a prostitute who has plied her trade successfully and become extremely wealthy.
Now on a side note this is one huge reason why people tie the Roman Catholic Church into solely being the Whore of Babylon and rightfully so, as we see that the ministers of this faith mimic this dress often. Just because they are showing us their connection to this wickedness does not mean they should solely be linked to this Chapter. Now please understand, they absolutely should be linked. You cannot separate them from the Whore, it’s just that, they should not solely be linked to the Whore alone.
7) Glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls;
Prostitutes often dress in fine clothes and precious jewels to allure their victims like Proverbs Chapter 7 verse 10 says “And there a woman met him, With the attire of a harlot, and a crafty heart.” The religious harlot Babylon is no different. She dresses herself in luxury to lure the nations into her grasp. People are attracted to wealth and power and she displays it to lure the adulterous inhabitants of the earth in.
8) She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries;
This is just more evidence of the harlot’s great wealth. Just as a prostitute might first get her victim drunk, so the harlot system deceives the nations into committing spiritual fornication with her.
9) On her forehead: Mystery Babylon the Great, the Mother of Prostitutes and of the Abomination of the Earth;
During those times it was normal for prostitutes to wear a headband with their name on it for they were not ashamed. In the end all false religion stems from Babel. The place of the first one world religion and one world government. This label shows us this is the foundation of this wickedness.
10) Drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of those who bore testimony to Yahshua.
Very simply, the harlot has killed many of God’s saints and Christian martyrs throughout the ages, and will do so again during the Tribulation period.
