Monday, March 18
Read Revelation 17:3. One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues offers to show John the judgment of the harlot who sat on many waters. When John sees her, she is riding the scarlet beast. In what ways do the symbols of water and beast suitably describe the supporters of Babylon?
As John is carried in vision into the wilderness, he sees a woman on a scarlet beast. While the harlot represents a religious entity, the beast symbolizes a political power. The picture of religion riding the secular and political powers points to two separate entities, something that was not the case in the past, when religion and politics were integrated. The prophecy shows, however, that these two entities will join together at the end time. The concept of riding a beast denotes dominance; as the rider of the scarlet beast, this end-time religious system will dominate the secular and political powers.
Which characteristics of the harlot point to the dragon, the sea beast, and the beast coming out of the earth in Revelation 12 and 13?
The harlot is pictured as extravagantly arrayed in purple and scarlet and adorned with ornaments of gold and precious stones and pearls; such adornment was a practice of harlots in antiquity to enhance their power of seduction (Jeremiah 4:30). As the color of blood, scarlet corresponds to the oppressive character of this religious system.
The harlot’s dress counterfeits the attire of the high priest in the Old Testament, attire that included the colors purple, scarlet, and gold (Exodus 28:5-6). The blasphemous inscription on the harlot’s forehead also replaces the priestly inscription, “HOLINESS TO THE LORD” on the miter of the high priest (Exodus 28:36-38). The cup in her hand reminds us of the vessels of the sanctuary from which Belshazzar, king of Babylon, and his guests drank wine (Daniel 5:2-4). The cup in the harlot’s hand uses the appearance of truth to conceal the wine - the falsehoods of Satan’s end-time religious system - in order to seduce the world away from God.
The harlot Babylon is further described as drunk with the blood of the saints and the martyrs of Jesus who died as a result of their witness to Christ. This bloodguiltiness links end-time Babylon to medieval apostate Christianity, which was led by the papacy and responsible for the deaths of millions of Christians who remained faithful to the gospel.
The description of the harlot Babylon reflects the image of Jezebel in the church of Thyatira (Revelation 2:20-23). How do the parallels between these two women elucidate the character of end-time Babylon?
