Harlot Babylon Series
Session 6: The Global Political, Economic & Religious Network
I. Intro:
The Harlot will be a complicated inter-connected worldwide religious economic and political network. This will put her at the center of the world stage. She will not however go by the name “The Babylonian System.” In fact she will seem to serve everyone’s interests including the possibility of not formally having a formal name at all but that her ways will simply become the new way of life thus avoiding the sting of seemingly being proprietary. This makes nailing down the precise identity of the Harlot difficult, and of knowing exactly how she will operate unclear. We can know that Babylon will have global prominence and we can identify the spirit in which she will flow but specifying ahead of time exactly what this will look like is tricky.
II. Overview of Revelation Chapter 17 & 18:
The prophecy recorded in Revelation chapters 17 & 18 is one of the primary sources in scripture where we can clearly see Babylon’s global prominence. Perhaps no place lays out Babylon’s international platform so clearly making a close look at these chapters invaluable.
A. Chapter 17:
1. The Harlot’s global intoxication (Re. 17:1-2).
2. The Harlot’s leadership over the nations of the Beast (Re. 17:3).
3. The Harlot’s great wealth (Re. 17:4).
4. The mystery of Babylon in the Earth (Re. 17:5).
5. The Harlot’s martyrdom of the saints (Re. 17:6).
6. Her unique relationship to the Beast (Re. 17:7-18).
B. Chapter 18:
This chapter speaks about Babylon’s position on the world scene in seven distinct sections.
1. Angelic global proclamation of the fall of Babylon (Re. 18:1-3).
2. Jesus’ global warning and direction for His Church (Re. 18:4-8).
3. The lament and proclamation of Earth’s kings (Re. 18:9-10).
4. The lament and proclamation of Earth’s merchants (Re. 18:11-17a).
5. The lament and proclamation of Earth’s sea traders (Re. 18:17b-19).
6. Heaven’s celebration of God’s judgment on the global Babylonian empire (Re. 18:20).
7. Angelic proclamation of the final fall of Babylon in the Earth (Re. 18:21-24).
C. The Primary Message of this Prophecy:
In Revelation chapter 17, we primarily saw the religious aspects of the Harlot city and system with a few mentions of her economic side. Yet in chapter 18, the angel gives John an up close look into the financial collapse of the empire and the shifting of power from the Harlot to the Antichrist. Chapter 18 predominantly deals with the economic side of the empire with little mention of the religious. At the end of chapter 17 the ten horns judge the Harlot, so in chapter 18 Babylon is no longer identified as a Harlot because the focus has shifted from religion (the Harlot) to economics (the Great City).
III. Identifying Specifics of Babylon’s Global Role:
A. Deep Involvement with the Kings & the Merchants of the Earth:
By looking at what is written regarding the relationship that the kings of and the merchants of the Earth have with Babylon we can see a clear 3-fold global empire (Re. 17:2, 18, 18:3). We will take a deeper look at this in the following sections.
B. Babylon is Called the Great City of the Earth:
1. In our session on Israel we identified that Babylon is called the great city (Is. 13:19; Re. 17:18, 18:10, 18, 19, 21).
“The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth (Re. 17:18).”
2. We didn’t give much attention by what is meant by that phrase however. To be considered “great” is a statement about her grandeur. This phrase is a commentary on how the nations view Babylon (e. 17:2, 18, 18:3, 7, 9-11), the Earth sees her as great
“When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning…they will stand far off and cry: “‘Woe! Woe, O great city, O Babylon, city of power (Re. 18:9-10)!”
C. She is Said to be Over Many Waters:
1. The waters speak of her worldwide influence (Je. 51:13; Re. 17:1, 15).
“Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits on many waters (Re. 17:1).”
"The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues (Re. 17:15).”
2. John had heard the twenty-four elders and the living creatures singing of how the Lord redeemed men to God by His blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation (Re. 5:9). Just as a spirit of revival will permeate every sector of society and every people group of the earth, the influence of the harlot will also prevail among the nations of the earth.
3. This matters for us because it means that each person who will be redeemed by God at the end of this age will be responsible for resisting the sway of the Babylonian culture that will pervade the planet.
D. The Babylon Worldwide Empire will Receive Judgment:
By looking at some of the judgment passages it is super clear that the punishment of Babylon is going to be a global reality and not localized to the city or region of Babylon proper.
“An oracle concerning Babylon…from faraway lands, from the ends of the heavens—the LORD and the weapons of his wrath—to destroy the whole country...See, the day of the LORD is coming…to make the land desolate…I will punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their sins…I will make man scarcer than pure gold, more rare than the gold of Ophir (Is 13:1, 5, 9-12).”
“Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits on many waters (Re. 17:1).”
E. Babylon will be the Boast of the Earth:
Babylon is called and depicted as the boast of the entire Earth (Is. 13:19; Je. 51:41; Re. 18:3, 9-11, 16-17). This is a vast statement about Her place of prominence.
“How Sheshach (cryptogram for Babylon) will be captured, the boast of the whole earth seized! What a horror Babylon will be among the nations (Je. 51:41).”
F. Babylon Boasts of Her Own Prominence:
Since she sits in such greatness, she brags about her global role and invincibility (Ps. 10:2-7; Is. 47:7-10; Je. 51:41; Da. 4:30; Re. 18:7).
“In her heart she boasts, ‘I sit as queen; I am not a widow, and I will never mourn (Re. 18:7).’”
G. The Whole World will Mourn Over Her Judgment:
The whole world doesn’t often give it’s attention to much of anything, and for the Earth to be unified in mourning over something the subject must have global significance (Re. 18:9, 11, 15, 19).
“the kings of the earth…will weep and mourn over her (Re. 18:9).”
“The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her (Re. 18:11).”
“The merchants…will weep and mourn (Re. 18:15).”
“Every sea captain, and all who travel by ship, the sailors, and all who earn their living from the sea…will throw dust on their heads…with weeping and mourning (Re. 18:17-19)...”
H. The Nations will Express their Horror at Her Judgment:
On top of expressing mourning over Babylon the nations will be terrified and tell of their horror (Is. 13:7-8, 14; Je. 50:36, 51:32, 41; Re. 18:9-11, 14-19). This horror comes because it was assumed Babylon was impenetrable, invincible, and good for all. Babylon’s destruction will be a statement to the world that is watching.
“the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared her luxury…will (be)…Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off (Re. 18:9)…”
IV. Prominence as a Global Political Network:
Since we understand that Babylon will at least be a city, it will also be good for us to aquatint ourselves with the information that clarifies that she will also be a global empire (Is. 13:1, 11-14, 19, 22; Je. 50:11-12, 51:25; Re. 14:8, 16:19, 17:1-2, 15, 18:3, 9, 11, 14-15, 17-18, 19:2).
A. She will Rule Over the Kings of the Earth:
To rule over means that she will be giving leadership to these kings. This will affect political policies impacting the decisions being made in the international community.
“The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth (Re. 17:18).”
B. Political Union Influenced by Religion and Economics:
1. One network with three faces:
Earlier in this session when we looked at Revelation 17 & 18 we saw where the angel spoke to the Apostle John about the Harlot. He divided the information into two fairly distinct categories, to help distinguish these sections a chapter break was added making Revelation 17 mostly about the religious and political elements of future Babylon and chapter 18 to deal more with the economic side of how she is run and financed by the nations.
2. Testimony of Ahab & Jezebel:
This is similar to how Ahab and Jezebel joined together. Ahab, the king of Israel, joined himself through marriage to Jezebel, the Sidonian princess, who worshiped Ashtoreth. Ahab was the political leader of the nation of Israel, and Jezebel promoted the religion of Baal worship. The two joined in marriage for political protection, but also for financial benefits. As a result Israel gained access to the Phoenician ports and valuable trade routes as so their marriage brought about a convergence of the political, economic, and religious areas of life. Ironically, during their reign, the city of Jericho was rebuilt (1Ki. 16:34), which had been left desolate for over 500 years since the ancient city had been destroyed with a curse (Js. 6:26). This is similar to the end of the age when the long forgotten city of Babylon will be rebuilt in conjunction to the emergence of the Antichrist.
C. A One World Government will be Formed:
She will bring unity to the political systems and the nations of the Earth (Re. 17:1-2, 9-14, 18, 18:3). It will be a one-world government, with a global political infrastructure.
1. In the Old Testament Babylon was a worldwide empire. Ancient Babylon is the model for End Time Babylon.
2. It is clear that she will have deep global influence and international ties (Re. 14:8, 17:1-2, 15, 18:3, 9, 11, 14-15, 17-18).
3. Babylon is the place where the basket of iniquity is set (Zch. 5:5-11) which represents the sins of the people throughout the Earth (Is. 13:11).
4. She is called a mother of many nations (Je. 50:11-12).
IV. Prominence as a Global Economic Network:
Babylon will unify global economics for the greatest measure of human prosperity the world has ever known (Re. 17:4, 18:3, 9, 16, 19-23). This economic network is seen quite clear Revelation 18 but can also be found throughout the Old Testament (Je. 51:13, 25, 41, 53).
A. Her Role Over the Merchants of the Earth:
“The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries (Re. 18:3).”
B. Her Merchants will be the Great Men of the Earth:
“Your merchants were the world’s great men (Re. 18:23).”
C. She Holds the Industries of Labor, Music, & Trade in Her Palm:
“the great city of Babylon will be thrown down…The music of harpists and musicians, flute players and trumpeters, will never be heard in you again. No workman of any trade will ever be found in you again. The sound of a millstone will never be heard in you again (Re. 18:21-12).”
D. All the Nations will be in Participation with Her:
“For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries (Re. 18:3).”
E. Babylon’s Worldwide Wealth Unsurpassed in History:
Babylon will amass resources in ways never before possible due to shear scope of participation. Because of the measure of her influence she will bring forth a shocking amount of wealth (Is. 13:19; Je. 51:13; Re. 18:3, 7, 11-13, 16, 17, 19).
““‘O great city…glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls…(with) such great wealth…‘Was there ever a city like this great city (Re. 18:16-18)?’”
“Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms, the glory of the Babylonians’ pride (Is. 13:19)…”
“You who live by many waters and are rich in treasures (Je. 51:13)…”
F. The World Becomes Rich Because of Her:
The planet is enamored by Babylon because the world is getting rich off of global trade (Re. 18:3, 14, 19).
“The kings of the earth…and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries (Re. 18:3).”
G. She is Clothed in Splendor & Royal Dress:
“The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls (Re. 17:4).”
“Woe! Woe, O great city, dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet, and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls (Re. 18:16)!”
H. Babylon is Described as a Lofty City:
Many places paint Babylon as an exalted city in the Earth (Je. 51:53; Re. 17:18, 18:10, 16, 18, 19, 21).
“Even if Babylon reaches the sky and fortifies her lofty stronghold, I will send destroyers against her,” declares the LORD (Je. 51:53).”
IV. Babylon’s Merchant Goods:
There are several different ways to categorize the 29 items found in the following passage listed as the items of Babylon’s shipping industry. Looking at these items that will be used in the city of Babylon from multiple angles will prove helpful.