THE MYSTERY OF BABYLON _ Part 1

THE MYSTERY OF BABYLON – Part 1 “And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH” Revelation 17:05 http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-new-cole-next-pope-20130312,0,1339463.story Reading the above scripture, makes it clear that this power – religious organization is enshroud in “MYSTERY” – Secrecy! It is also called “BABYLON”, this is where we shall pick up our subject. In our Babylon Series, James Arrabito describes plainly who and what organizations have been represented as Babylon in the past. However, here the term is reiterated with even greater force. Revelation 17:1-7 describes a religious – political power that was wounded but survived and comes to notice, and not just notice but prominence among the Nations of the Earth. On verse 8, we are told that they who dwell on the Earth shall wonder after it. How much is the religious world wondering at this point and time after this process called: “conclave”, and why? “As some have strongly advocated the view that Rome is the Babylon of the book of Revelation, we will examine the reasons that are adduced in support of this view. The argument stands thus:The angel told John that the woman which he had seen was the great city which reigneth over thekings of the earth. And that the seven heads of the beast are seven mountains upon which thewoman sitteth. This explanation of “the mystery of the woman,” is regarded as decisive testimony that Rome is the Babylon of the book of Revelation. To the foregoing reasons some add the statement that a woman is used in every other instance in thebook of Revelation as the symbol of a literal city, and consequently must mean a literal city in this case. But we are compelled to dissent from this view, by the following reasons.” The 3 Angels of Revelation 14:6-12, p 41.1 -- JNAndrews, 1855 “The grand principle assumed by the foregoing view is this: the interpretation of a symbol must always be literal, and can never consist in the substitution of one symbol for another. Hence the interpretation of the woman as a city, and of the heads of the beast as mountains upon which the woman sitteth, must be literal. That there are exceptions to this rule, and that the case in question furnishes a manifest exception, we will now show. InRevelation 11:3, the two witnesses are introduced. The next verse is an explanation of what is meant by the two witnesses: “These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.” There can be no question that in this case the explanation of the symbol consists in the substitution of other symbols. In other words, the explanation consists in transferring the meaning to other symbols which are elsewhere clearly explained.” IBID, 41.2 “That this is the case in Revelation 17, we will now show. The angel introduces his explanation of the heads by saying, “Here is the mind which hath wisdom;” plainly implying that wisdom was needed in order to understand what he was there communicating. With the fact before us that inRevelation 11 the explanation consists in substituting one symbol for another, and with the caution of the angel as he gives the explanation in this case, let us consider what he utters.” IBID, 42.1 “The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.” “The woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.” Verses 9, 18. The wisdom which is needed to rightly comprehend the words of the angel, would doubtless lead us to compare the different instances in which the same facts are referred to in the book of Revelation. If we do this, the following points will appear.” IBID, 42.2 1. Chap. 13 informs us that one of these seven heads was wounded unto death, and that this deadly wound was healed. Or, as the same fact is stated again, it had a wound by a sword and did live. Now it would be supreme folly to assert this of a literal mountain. Hence the heads are not mountains of earth. IBID, 42.3 2. Each of the seven heads is represented with a crown upon it in Chap. 12, even as each of the ten horns are thus represented in Chap. 13. Each of the heads must therefore represent a kingdom or government, even as the horns represent governments, or else we must understand that each of the seven hills of Rome is represented in this prophecy with a crown upon it! And the lion’s mouth of this beast would be a singular feature indeed, if joined to a mountain of earth! The ten horns upon the head of this beast are not set in mountains of earth. IBID, 42.4 3. It is evident that the seven heads are successive (that is, the beast has but one head at a time) in distinction from the ten horns which are cotemporary. But the seven hills of Rome are not successive; for it cannot be said of them, “five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.” The beast itself is the eighth, and is of the seven, which proves that the beast is a literal mountain, or that the heads are not.” IBID, 43.1 4. The heads of the beast must, according toDaniel 7:6, compared with Daniel 8:8, 22, be explained as kingdoms or governments. Mountains, according to Daniel 2:35, 44; Jeremiah 51:25, denote kingdoms. But the version of Prof. Whiting, which is a literal translation of the text, removes all obscurity from Revelation 17:9, 10. “The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sitteth, and they are seven kings.” Thus it will be seen that the angel represents the heads as mountains, and then explains the mountains to be seven successive kings. Thus we see that the angel transferred the meaning from one symbol to another, and then gave the explanation of the second symbol.” IBID, 43.2 “Having proved that the mountains are not literal, but symbolic, it follows that the woman which sitteth upon them cannot represent a literal city. For a literal city cannot sit upon symbolic mountains. Hence it appears that the angel transfers the meaning from one symbol to another, as in verses 9, 10; Chap 11:4. And it is certain that the woman of Chap. 12, represents the church, and not a literal city. Hence it is a mistaken idea that a woman in the book of Revelation, as a symbol, always represents a literal city.” IBID, 44.1 “Another evidence that the city of Rome is not the Babylon of the Apocalypse, is found in the following important fact. Rome was and is “the seat of the beast;” therefore the city of Rome cannot be the woman seated upon the beast. For Rome cannot be both the seat of the beast and the woman that sits upon the beast. Lest any should deny that Rome is the seat of the beast, we will prove that point from the New Testament. The seat of the beast is the same that had been the seat of the dragon. Revelation 13:2. This dragon is the power that ruled the world at the time of our Saviour’s birth. Revelation 12. Consequently it is imperial Rome. The seat of the imperial power, the throne of the Cæsars, was at Rome in Italy. Luke 2:1; Acts 25:10-12, 21; compared with 16:32; 27:1, 24; 28:14-16. The fact being established that Rome is the seat of the beast, it follows that Rome is not the woman Babylon seated upon that beast.” IBID, 44.2 “The fact that Rome is not the Babylon of theApocalypse, may also be demonstrated from Revelation 16. The fifth vial is poured out upon the seat of the beast, which we have shown to be Rome. But the great city Babylon does not receive her cup of wrath until the seventh vial is poured out. Verses 10, 11, 17-19. Then Babylon and Rome are not the same.” IBID, 44.3 “Were Babylon a literal city, but few of the people of God at most could be found in it, and but a portion of any class of the wicked. So that almost all of every class of men would in that case be outside of the Babylon of Revelation. But it is very evident that at the time of the cry, “Come out of her my people,” the people of God as a body are in that great city. It is also worthy of notice that if Babylon is a literal city it must be a place of the greatest commercial importance; for in Revelation 18, it is represented as the great center of commerce; and its destruction causes universal mourning among the merchants and sailors of the world. It is certain that Rome is as far from being a commercial city as any one upon the globe. And the destruction of Rome would not in the smallest degree affect commercial business. Nor could the sailors and shipmasters of the earth lament over her, saying, “What city is like unto this great city!” For New York or London is equal to a great number of such as Rome in commercial importance. And indeed there is not a city upon the globe whose destruction would cause all commerce to cease, and all the sailors and merchants of the earth to mourn. These arguments we think demonstrate that Rome is not the Babylon of the Apocalypse.” The 3 Angels of Revelation 14:6-12, page 45.1 JNAndrews, 1855 See also: (The Three Messages of Revelation 14:6-12, p. 39.1 - 43 JNAndrews, 1892 “And the Beast with seven heads and ten horns, on which the Woman is seated, represented, “thekingdoms of this world drunken with the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” The Woman a symbolof the fallen Church, and the ten horned beast a symbol of the kingdoms of this world, just as closely united and connected together as thewoman is seated on the beast: witness the unionof Church and State supported by civil, Military and Naval power throughout all Christendom. Still it is difficult for many to distinguish between the woman and the beast she is seated upon. They confound it and make both one. Now to illustrate by a simple figure, for instance, a beautiful, gay dressed woman seated upon a great red horse; now who would run the risk of being laughed at for his ignorance by saying that the horse and woman were one, and there was no distinction. Would it not be perfectly plain that they were two. The woman riding and thehorse carrying the woman, - so closely connected together that when the horse moved, the woman moved also. Would it not be obvious, also, that they were born separate, and at a certain period of time the woman mounted the horse, and became thus united and closely connected with him by riding about the world at her pleasure. Well then, in thesame point of view, look at this mystery Babylon, which is called a Woman, and this ten horned beast (which represents the kingdoms of this world) carrying her. In Revelation 12:6, 14, John sees her entirely separate from the beast, struggling with these beastly kingdoms to maintain her honor and purity. She was then the pure Church. In the 17 chap. the Angel directs John to look at her again. She is now about 1260 years older than when he last described her. What a mighty change. She has now become a drunken harlot. With wine? No. But with the blood of God’s dear children, 5:6. - Matthew 23:34, 35. She has made the inhabitants of the earth drunk with her poisonous cup, and the kingsof the earth while thus intoxicated, have unlawfully united with her, and she rules, guides, and directs them as the rider does the red horse. She is now riding at her leisure full of names of blasphemy, with this blasphemous name written on her forehead,MYSTERY BABYLON, THE GREAT, THEMOTHER OF HARLOTS, AND ABOMINATIONSOF THE EARTH. The 15th v. interprets the 1st v. and says, “the waters she sets upon are peoples, and multitudes, and nations and tongues.” These are what the beast represent.” J Bates’ Pamphlet #2 Second Advent Way Marks and High Heaps) p. 63.1 “The woman which thou sawest is that great city which reigneth over the kings of the earth. That is they are perfectly under her control. This is the Mother, Papacy, Catholicism, or the Roman Catholic Church. She has harlot children, what do they represent, the Protestant and Greek Church, in all their organizations, represented in the 18 chap. The Angel says they were divided into three parts, 16:19. It is brought to view again in the 11:13th v, where it says “a tenth part of the city fell.” This we have invariably taught, transpired in the Revolution in France not far from 1790. The tenth part of what city fell then? We say the tenth part of Babylon. How did it fall, did the territory of France fall? No. O, that would be a tenth part of the beast. Did the people fall? No. What then? why Ecclesiastical power both in the Catholic and Protestant Church was destroyed. Was that the coming of the Lord? No, it was the fall of the tenth part of Babylon. Here then is further proof that the fall of Babylon is not the coming of the Lord. But it is demonstrated to be the organized Churches.” IBID, 64.1 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/01/new-pope-election-conclave_n_2792722.html