In Revelation 17, the Apostle John warned of the mystery of Babylon, the great mother of harlots. Join us as Steve Gallagher unpacks this profound chapter and warns us of how if we do not separate ourselves from the lawlessness of this world that has even crept into church culture, we will be seduced into the spirit of Babylon.

Host: Steve, we are going to continue our discussions in the Book of Revelation and we are looking at chapter 17 today. Why don't we start off with you giving us sort of a summary of how this chapter fits in with the rest of the book.

Steve: Well, the Book of Revelation is really a storyline and it goes along pretty much chronologically. Then suddenly, chapter 17, chapter 18, and the first few verses of chapter 19 are almost like a parentheses. It's an interlude where we are taken out of the storyline as it's flowing along and given a deeper more profound look into what's happening in the spiritual realm as the judgments from God begin all the way through to the end. We also get a look into what the spirit of Babylon is and what happens to Babylon and the world forces set against God as well as what happens as this godless civilization on earth begins to unravel.

Host: Steve, in the first verse of this chapter, it reads, “Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, “Come here, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters,” (Revelation 17:1, NASB 1995) What's the significance of what's happening there?

Steve: In my mind, this is one of the most important statements in Revelation. There is a definite contrast throughout the entire book of Revelation between the bride of Christ and this harlot that is being spoken of here. And it's like a mystery there hidden in this book that one of the big things that is going to really come out in the last period of mankind is this harlot church and the true church of the living God.

Host: Steve, you mentioned Babylon, and for those who have not read your excellent book, Intoxicated with Babylon, I would encourage people to read it. But talk to us a little bit about what Babylon represents.

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Steve: You have to go back to the early days of mankind's history in Genesis, where Nimrod began a civilization gathered in a place called Babel. They built a tower and it was all in rebellion to God's authority and out of that tower is where all the world religions began. So, when John calls Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots, what he's saying is that this world system is what spawned all these false religions throughout the history of mankind. But primarily when it comes to the Book of Revelation, the great harlot being talked about here is really, as we already said, this false Christianity that becomes a faithless bride to Jesus Christ.

Host: You mentioned in verse 5 where she is called “Babylon, the great mother of harlots,” that this name is called a mystery. But why is it a mystery?

Steve: It's interesting. The word mysterion in the Greek is used a number of times in the New Testament. But the only other occurrence that it's used regarding the end times is in 2 Thessalonians, where Paul said, “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. Then that lawless one will be revealed.” (2 Thessalonians 2:7-8a, NASB 1995) Now, what we're seeing here is a picture of the harlot on the back of the Antichrist beast. What is being expressed here is that these two have something in common.
      This false church has something in common with this pagan devil worshiper. What they have in common is they are not willing to submit to God's authority. And that is the mystery here, that John cannot reconcile in his mind. How can Christians who are ostensibly following and obeying God be in the same spirit of lawlessness that the Antichrist is in? He can't comprehend that. So, it's a mystery to him. And mystery in the way it's used in the New Testament means that it's something that's buried that has not yet been revealed for what it is. And that's what we're going to see. And actually, if you look around in the church today, you see it right now, the lawlessness that is in the middle of God's church.

Host: Yeah. Man, how we need the Holy Spirit in our hearts today. Because really, the spirit of this world comes naturally to us. It's rooted in our sinful nature, which is what we don't understand. We need God to protect and keep us from that. Steve, verse 6 says that she is drunk with the blood of saints. How does this fit in with the scenario of The Great Tribulation?

Steve: You know, when I was thinking about this, it reminds me a lot of Germany in the late 30s, where Hitler and his henchmen created an environment in that nation where it was acceptable to turn against one particular group of people. And that is what we're going to see in the end times. The Antichrist is going to create a culture that will make it acceptable to hate Christians. And all these worldly-minded Christians who have not really surrendered themselves to Jesus Christ and who have given their hearts to the spirit of the world are going to fit right in with that cultural mindset. And they are going to be the ones to turn against the people who are really sold out for the Lord and who look out of place with our culture.

Host: You know, we talk about this as if it's something that's going to happen in the future. But if we look at our culture in America today, it's already there. We are the fanatics and we're the last group on earth that people are allowed to hate.

Steve: Yeah, the seeds are definitely there. It's germinating. It's happening right now in the church and in the culture. But by the time we get to this point, it's going to break out into open hostility and violent persecution.

Host: Well, just another warning of so many, Steve, that we've got to have our hearts right. We've got to know where we stand with the Lord.

Steve: Yeah, because you don't want to be on the wrong side of this war, that's for sure.