Tag: great prostitute

8.i. Great multitude in heaven, crying out.

Revelation 19:1  After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for his judgments are true and just; for he has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality, and has avenged on her the blood of his servants.” Once more they cried out, “Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up forever and ever.” And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who was seated on the throne, saying, “Amen. Hallelujah!” And from the throne came a voice saying, “Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, small and great.”

Those in heaven offer three reasons for their praise. First, “because His judgments are true and righteous.” Second, “because He has judged the notorious prostitute who corrupted the earth with her sexual immorality.” Third, because “He has avenged the blood of His slaves that was on her hands”. The vast multitude again sings, “Hallelujah! Her smoke ascends forever and ever!”.

We should not lose sight of the fact that the rejoicing multitude exults not merely in the defeat of God’s enemies – and theirs – but in the just and true nature of His judgments. The destruction of the great prostitute is a proper act of vengeance for her martyring the servants of God. This judgment, however, is only the beginning of the everlasting punishment of the wicked, as testified by the statement that her smoke “ascends forever and ever” (v. 3). “We do not rejoice at the sinfulness of Babylon,” writes Warren Wiersbe, “or even the greatness of Babylon’s fall. We rejoice that God is ‘true and righteous’ and that He is glorified by His holy judgments”

Phillips, Rob. The Searcher’s Guide to the Apocalypse:

8.c. “Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth’s abominations.”

Revelation 17:1   Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality, and with the wine of whose sexual immorality the dwellers on 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 gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden 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 of earth’s abominations.” And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.

Babylon of old seems to be the birthplace of many false teachings and worship and is spiritually void of God.  We have a political system established by the Antichrist and a religious system established by the false prophet.  Babylon, both politically and religiously, has once again become great and not in a good way.  The spiritual adultery people are graving and lusting after will give them their fill of false hopes, false ideas, and a false sense of security.  This unfaithfulness toward God is voluntary and intentional.  People during the tribulation, like now, have a choice to commit or not commit adultery with the world and what it has to offer.  Every day we have choices we make that take us deeper with God or not.  Do not be swayed by the eloquent speech of those who have an outward appearance of godliness but inwardly they are void.  Do not we taken in by the cultural thoughts that lead to a lukewarm watered down Christian life.  Do you want to grow spiritually and have a deeper understanding of God’s word?  Spend as much time in it as what you spend watching sports, reading news, or surfing the internet.  You will find an amazing release from world influence and will see a maturing of your faith over and over again.  Watering down the gospel now points to a time in the near future where people will not even be aware of their adulterous acts against God.