And on her forehead a name was written:
MYSTERY,
BABYLON THE GREAT,
THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS
AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS
OF THE EARTH.
(Revelation 17:5)
I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement.
(Revelation 17:6)
Who is this woman, Mystery Babylon the Great?
There are only three verses in the Bible where 'great' and 'mystery' occur in the same verse. The one already mentioned I will put first, though it is in the last book, Revelation:
And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
(Revelation 17:5)
The second is in Paul's letter to Timothy, as a kind of poem about our glorious Lord Jesus Christ:
And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness:
God was manifested in the flesh,
Justified in the Spirit,
Seen by angels,
Preached among the Gentiles,
Believed on in the world,
Received up in glory.
(1 Timothy 3:16)
But the one that we find first, is in Paul's letter, called "Ephesians". This is the only place where the two words occur together as a "great mystery":
This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
(Ephesians 5:32)
In this letter, Paul has just been teaching the church how husbands and wives should relate to each other, but then he lets them know that he is not speaking just on a human, natural or physical level, but that rather, as a deeper and fuller meaning he is speaking "concerning Christ and the church." And this is a great mystery.
A 'mystery' in scripture speaks of something that was hidden. Something that was not known in the past. This 'great mystery' that Paul is talking about is about a woman, the Bride of Christ.
So we have two women who are referred to with the words 'great' and 'mystery.'
One is a pure virgin Bride, and the other is a harlot, a prostitute! What a contrast!
In her title she is called "THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS." But she is a harlot herself, as she is described in the first verse of the chapter:
Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters,
(Revelation 17:1)
The one, the Bride of Christ, is hidden, unknown to the world, kept in secret. She is the 'great mystery,' a great secret.
But the other, is known to the whole world, she is "GREAT," not hidden at all. The mystery is that people don't know what she really is, that is the mystery of her. The world thinks she is great. They see her gold, and her precious stones, but they don't understand that she is a "great harlot" and is "drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus."
So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication.
(Revelation 17:3-4)
In order to understand this Mystery Babylon, we need to look in the Old Testament. Paul explains that the children of Israel in the Old Testament are examples of us, God's children following Christ. What Paul is describing in the following passage is the disobedient children of Israel in their forty years of wandering in the wilderness:
Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.” Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell; nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents; nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer. Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.
(1 Corinthians 10:6-11)
There are quite a number of places where God speaks of Israel as a harlot. These pictures in the Old Testament are very informative for us today. Paul says to the Corinthian church; "Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did." This is the primary characteristic of a prostitute.
Now go back and read carefully what Revelation 17:2 says; "So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness."
Did you catch that?
This is the great harlot in the wilderness, just as the children of Israel were committing fornication in their forty year wilderness wanderings.
These are the kind of clues, hints that help us understand this mystery.
There are other examples of harlots in the old testament. Some of the descriptions of harlots in the Old Testament are backwards, not like other harlots:
You are the opposite of other women in your harlotry, because no one solicited you to be a harlot. In that you gave payment but no payment was given you, therefore you are the opposite.”
(Ezekiel 16:34)
What was backwards? How were they the opposite?
Harlots receive payment from the men who want to buy their "services." But the harlot in Ezekiel's description pays those who come to her!
We can read another description, similar to the "opposite harlot" in Ezekiel, in the book of Proverbs:
My son, keep my words,
And treasure my commands within you.
2 Keep my commands and live,
And my law as the apple of your eye.
3 Bind them on your fingers;
Write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
And call understanding your nearest kin,
5 That they may keep you from the immoral woman,
From the seductress who flatters with her words.
6 For at the window of my house
I looked through my lattice,
7 And saw among the simple,
I perceived among the youths,
A young man devoid of understanding,
8 Passing along the street near her corner;
And he took the path to her house
9 In the twilight, in the evening,
In the black and dark night.
10 And there a woman met him,
With the attire of a harlot, and a crafty heart.
11 She was loud and rebellious,
Her feet would not stay at home.
12 At times she was outside, at times in the open square,
Lurking at every corner.
13 So she caught him and kissed him;
With an impudent face she said to him:
14 “I have peace offerings with me;
Today I have paid my vows.
15 So I came out to meet you,
Diligently to seek your face,
And I have found you.
16 I have spread my bed with tapestry,
Colored coverings of Egyptian linen.
17 I have perfumed my bed
With myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, let us take our fill of love until morning;
Let us delight ourselves with love.
19 For my husband is not at home;
He has gone on a long journey;
20 He has taken a bag of money with him,
And will come home on the appointed day.”
21 With her enticing speech she caused him to yield,
With her flattering lips she seduced him.
22 Immediately he went after her, as an ox goes to the slaughter,
Or as a fool to the correction of the stocks,
23 Till an arrow struck his liver.
As a bird hastens to the snare,
He did not know it would cost his life.
24 Now therefore, listen to me, my children;
Pay attention to the words of my mouth:
25 Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways,
Do not stray into her paths;
26 For she has cast down many wounded,
And all who were slain by her were strong men.
27 Her house is the way to hell,
Descending to the chambers of death.
(Proverbs 7)
Before we dig down into this interesting chapter in Proverbs, it is helpful to learn what the Proverbs are for. We don't have to guess, because the book of Proverbs tells us in the first chapter:
The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel:
2 To know wisdom and instruction,
To perceive the words of understanding,
3 To receive the instruction of wisdom,
Justice, judgment, and equity;
4 To give prudence to the simple,
To the young man knowledge and discretion—
5 A wise man will hear and increase learning,
And a man of understanding will attain wise counsel,
6 To understand a proverb and an enigma,
The words of the wise and their riddles.
On the surface the proverbs are easy to understand. But in verse 6 it says:
To understand a proverb and an enigma,
The words of the wise and their riddles.
So if you look a little deeper, there are keys to understand "enigmas" and "riddles." There is more to understand than just the surface reading.
Now if we read carefully we learn that this harlot has a husband. In verse 19 it says:
For my husband is not at home;
He has gone on a long journey;
She seems to be rich, not like a common harlot who is struggling to survive, and eek out a living by her trade:
16 I have spread my bed with tapestry,
Colored coverings of Egyptian linen.
17 I have perfumed my bed
With myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
These are not dirty old sheets and threadbare blankets! Tapestry is expensive, as are all the items mentioned here.
She says,
“I have peace offerings with me;
Today I have paid my vows.
What does that mean?
Where is her husband?
19 For my husband is not at home;
He has gone on a long journey;
20 He has taken a bag of money with him,
And will come home on the appointed day.”
Another reading for the last line is; "And will come home at the full moon."
There are many details packed with meaning. But let us look at some other scripture portions.
Going back to Ezekiel's prophecy:
“You erected your shrine at the head of every road, and built your high place in every street. Yet you were not like a harlot, because you scorned payment. You are an adulterous wife, who takes strangers instead of her husband. Men make payment to all harlots, but you made your payments to all your lovers, and hired them to come to you from all around for your harlotry. You are the opposite of other women in your harlotry, because no one solicited you to be a harlot. In that you gave payment but no payment was given you, therefore you are the opposite.”
(Ezekiel 16:31-34)
So we see that the harlot in both Proverbs and Ezekiel are adulterous wives. Both of them give payments to their "lovers." Both are the opposite of other harlots. They are both rich, and would even scorn payment.
The word harlot is used over a hundred times in the New King James Version. Ezekiel has the word over forty times, including "harlotry."
Ezekiel speaks more about this harlot than any other book in the Bible. There are primarily two chapters in Ezekiel that describe this harlot. First is chapter 16, it is Jerusalem who is the harlot, then in chapter 23, Ezekiel speaks of two sisters Oholah and Oholibah who were both harlots, and he explains; "Samaria is Oholah, and Jerusalem is Oholibah." (23:4)
The word of the Lord came again to me, saying:
“Son of man, there were two women,
The daughters of one mother.
They committed harlotry in Egypt,
They committed harlotry in their youth;
Their breasts were there embraced,
Their virgin bosom was there pressed.
Their names: Oholah the elder and Oholibah her sister;
They were Mine,
And they bore sons and daughters.
As for their names,
Samaria is Oholah, and Jerusalem is Oholibah.
(Ezekiel 23:1-4)
For Samaria, the name Oholah means "Her Own Tabernacle", and for Jerusalem, the name Oholibah means "My Tabernacle Is in Her," (according to the note in the NKJV.)
After the reign of King Solomon, Israel became a divided kingdom. The northern tribes retained the original name Israel, and the southern kingdom had the name of the leading tribe "Judah." Israel was also called Samaria, the capital city. After some time, the northern kingdom, Israel was carried away by the Assyrians, and other peoples were brought into their land to replace them.
The southern kingdom, Judah, also called here Jerusalem, for its capital city, continued after the northern kingdom had been taken away, until they were carried away to Babylon.
It is this history, and these descriptions in the Old Testament that give us the insight we need, to understand what Mystery Babylon the Great is, in Revelation.
While I could elaborate much about all the details in these descriptions of these harlots in Proverbs and Ezekiel, I rather pray that the Lord speaks to those who read. But there are more things in the history that help to fill out the picture for us to see what this Babylon is today.
After the southern kingdom, Judah, and those living in Jerusalem, where the temple of God was, were taken to Babylon, there was a call for those who were willing to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the wall and the temple. This happened during the time of Ezra and Nehemiah. Only a small number of people returned to Jerusalem. This small group is called a "remnant". Of all of God's people who were carried away to Babylon, only a small number had a heart to return to rebuild the house where God had chosen to put His name, in Jerusalem.
There is a call today for the same thing!
After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory. And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird! For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury.”
And I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. Render to her just as she rendered to you, and repay her double according to her works; in the cup which she has mixed, mix double for her. In the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, ‘I sit as queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow.’ Therefore her plagues will come in one day—death and mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her.
(Revelation 18:1-8)
In the old Testament the temple in Jerusalem was a physical temple made by men. It was only a picture of a much greater reality, for it says:
“However, the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says:
‘Heaven is My throne,(Acts 7:48-50)
And earth is My footstool.
What house will you build for Me? says the Lord,
Or what is the place of My rest?
Has My hand not made all these things?’
and,
God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands.
(Acts 17:24)
The two harlots described in Ezekiel 23, are references to two "tabernacles" (according to the meanings of the two names, Samaria is Oholah, and Jerusalem is Oholibah, as noted above.) Near the beginning of David's reign, he had the ark of God moved into a small tent he had set up for it, called the "Tabernacle of David." But after the kingdom was divided, the kings of the northern kingdom set up places to worship so they didn't have to go to Jerusalem, and that became a sin of Samaria. But it is interesting to hear the conversation Jesus had with the Samaritan woman at the well:
The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.”
Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
(John 4:19-24)
Just as Jerusalem, and the temple there were only a picture of a much higher reality in "spirit and truth," so also we need to get out of "Mystery Babylon" and return to the "Jerusalem which is above." This is the New Jerusalem which comes down out of heaven.
but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all.
(Galatians 4:26)
He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name. (Revelation 3:12)
Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
(Revelation 21:2)
So again we see this great contrast of Mystery Babylon, the Great Harlot, in stark contrast to the New Jerusalem, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
(There is so much more to say, but I have been pondering what to write, how to present it, and how to make it clear. I hope to write more soon.)