Time’s Up
Wk 20 “Religious Babylon, Mystery Revealed.”
Revelation 17
Oct 22, 2023
John Arobio
MESSAGE NOTES
Revelation 17:1-6
Then one of seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the judgement of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters and whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality, and with the wine whose sexual immorality the dwellers on the earth have become drunk.” And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness: and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names and it had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet and adorned with the gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality. And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: Babylon, the great, mother of prostitutes and earth’s abominations. And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.
WHO IS SHE?
She is first called a prostitute who sits on many waters.
This clearly is not a human woman, who is committing human sexual immorality.
Revelation 17:15
And the angel said to me, “The waters that you saw, where the prostitute is seated, are the peoples and multitudes and nations and languages.
The woman has power from and over many different people around the world.
The woman is the leader of a very rich and powerful religious authority over the world. This is the false prophet before he is completely turned to the worshipping of and the leading of others to worship the beast.
She also has some authority over the beast.
She has a relationship with the governments of the world and is involved with them in the way the people are ruled.
It says she is Babylon the great, the mother of prostitutes and earth’s abominations. The bible considers it prostitution when you leave God and get involved with idols and false worship.
WHAT DOES SHE DO?
The first thing that she does is to lead people away from Jesus and the worship of the true God.
The second thing that she does is to get drunk with the blood of the saints, the martyrs of Jesus.
WHO IS THE BEAST?
Revelation 13:1
And I was a beast rising out of the sear, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on it horns and blasphemous names on its head.
He is the antichrist. He has seven heads which are also seven mountains on which the woman is seated. It also states that they are seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, and one is yet to come and when he does it will be only for a little while.
WHO ARE THE TEN KINGS?
Revelation 17: 12.
And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast.
WHAT DO THEY DO?
Revelation 17:13-14.
These are of one mind, and they had over their power and authority to the beast. They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of Lord and King of Kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.
Bottom Line:
Babylon is the false religions and will work with the antichrist
to lead people from Christ and destroy them.
Recap the book of Revelation so far with the group without using your notes. If unable to fill in the *timeline, use your notes to fill it in. (*Timeline provided in “Revelation” Handout available at the church)
- Read Revelation 17:1-6
a. Who is the “great prostitute who is seated on many waters”?
b. What is the significance of her clothing?
c. What does prostitute mean in the spiritual meaning?
d. What is her role?
e. What is an idol?
f. What are some of the ways we worship idols?
g. Is it possible to never have an idol in your life?
2. What is meant by the term “tribulation saints”?
3. Who is the beast mentioned in this chapter?
a. What are some of the characteristics of this beast?
4. Read Revelation 17:7-14
a. What does a horn typically represent in scripture?
b. What is represented by “10 horns”?
5. What does it mean that they will “make war on the lamb”?
a. Have you ever fought against God?
b. How does that usually turn out?
c. What are some of the reasons people live their life against God?
6. What are some of the things we can do when we come across people who seem like they are adamantly against God?
7. Jesus is the perfect living illustration of love, grace, and mercy. It is the very fiber of His being. In The Book of Revelation, where can we see this love, grace, and mercy?
8. We are 20 weeks into the teaching series, “Times Up!”
a. What is something that you didn’t know before?
b. Has the Book of Revelation Changed you in anyway?
c. Understanding in greater detail what is going to happen to those who do not believe in Jesus, has this changed the way you witness to people who do not know Him?
9. Looking back on the past 20 weeks, what stands out to you the most in the Book of Revelation?