Get Out of Babylon the Great!

What is Babylon the Great?

Babylon the Great, a mysterious woman.

1. What does she signify?

2. Who are the kings and merchants that deal with her?

3. Why should we get out of her?

4. How can we be sure we have gotten out?

What Does Babylon the Great Signify?

The symbolical city.

2 With a mighty voice he shouted: "Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great! She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird.... 4 Then I heard another voice from heaven say: "Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues - Revelations 18:2,4

Thus, we are presented with the Great Harlot! A mysterious woman, named after an ancient city, where those who want to serve God should come out. Who is she and why is she called by the name of the ancient city of Babylon?

The name "Babylon" has the following etymology according to the Wikipedia- "The Greek form Babylon (Βαβυλών) is an adaptation of Akkadian Babili. The Babylonian name as it stood in the 1st millennium BC had been changed from an earlier Babilli in early 2nd millennium BC, meaning "Gate of God" or "Gateway of the God" (bāb-ili) by popular etymology."

While in the Bible the word "Babel" means "confusion" or "to confuse" - Genesis 11:9.

This ancient city was prosperous, fortified by a river around it and was once the seat of a great empire dominating various people.

Babel was also the location where man have tried to build a tower that would reach heaven. Until God intervened and mixed the language so that the workers wouldn't be able to understand each other in order to finish the said gigantic project.

With the aforementioned, we are given a clue on why a woman is named Babylon the Great in the book of Revelations.

Like Babylon of old, she sits on many rivers of humanity, she confuses, she dominates and she claims that thru her, people can reach the heavens.

Who has these characteristics? It is the worldwide empire of religions that is not righteous with God. Every religion, every denomination, every ministry. The biggest to the smallest of non-obedient-to-the-LAW-of-YHWH-religion belongs to this empire.

Her Glory and Fall!

Image: molonlave2012.blogspot.com, Babylon the Great, the Harlot

What is the proof that the Babylon the Great is referring to the empire of false religion?

Let us study what the Bible says at Revelations chapter 18:

2 With a mighty voice he shouted: "Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great! She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird.

Here in verse 2, she is said to be home of demons, evil spirits and unclean birds.

3 For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries."

While in verse 3 "the kings of the earth" committed adultery with her, "kings of the earth" refers to the existing government on earth that have intimate relationship with this harlot. Being in an intimate relationship with the kings, a harlot woman can easily get rich and wear luxurious clothing and jewelries. Those who also use her to get to those kings with whom she is a mistress will also get rich. It is indeed like the contemporary news we read on the papers. She is rich and influential. Until...

4 Then I heard another voice from heaven say: "Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues;

Then God calls out to His people to get out.

5 for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes.

The harlot has many crimes that reaches up to heaven. And God is now executing her judgement.

7 Give her as much torture and grief as the glory and luxury she gave herself. In her heart she boasts, 'I sit as queen; I am not a widow, and I will never mourn.'

This woman claims that she is a queen, with a husband and will never be sad. In the Bible God is spoken as a husband to the people who worship Him. Therefore this claim is with regards to having a god that she also treat as her husband. (Hosea 2:2)

11 "The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes any more--

The merchants of the earth or the commercial segment of the world is also weeping, therefore she is not the businessmen.

20 Rejoice over her, O heaven! Rejoice, saints and apostles and prophets! God has judged her for the way she treated you.' "

Here in verse 20, this woman is said to have treated the "saints, apostles and prophets" badly. This is another clear clue that she is religious in nature.

21 Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone and threw it into the sea, and said: "With such violence the great city of Babylon will be thrown down, never to be found again.

When God executes His will against this harlot, she will be destroyed forever! Why is God so angry towards her? Is there no chance of repentance? No, Because she have been doing this with impunity for a very long time before God. She is guilty for so long against God and did not change her course.

24 In her was found the blood of prophets and of the saints, and of all who have been killed on the earth."

She is the reason why everyone died. False worship of God and lies. Therefore, she deserves the vengeance of God for all the blood she spilled.

Why Should We Get Out of Her?

Because this harlot leads everyone to death. She leads those that believe her to worship other gods instead of the real God YHWH. She uses her guile, her lies and let everyone who gets near her get drunk of those poisonous lies!

Because of that she is under God's judgement of destruction. That's why we are admonished: "..."Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues;- Revelations 18:4

How Could We Get Out of Her

Having identified this harlot as the collection of all false religions and faith, how can we get out of her? Is it easy to spot if our own religion is within this Great Babylon? Yes, it is. God has given us the guide, we only have to follow and we can surely escape the plagues that will soon fall to this harlot of the world.

What is that guide? It is His WORD. Christ is His Word. The commandments of God is His Word and the inspired scriptures that were written by His prophets are His Word. Take that and follow them by heart.

Can your religion claim that they really follow Christ? To OBEY the commandments??

"...If you want to enter life, obey the commandments"- Matthew 19:17

Can your religion claim that they are following God's commandments? (Even the 10 most famous of those commandments)

Can your religion claim they follow God's word as they guide to the correct understanding?

If your answer to the questions above is NO, then it is the time to "get out of her".