Part 3b - The Second Scroll: Seven Visions of Victory [17-19]

note: these are very brief notes

C. Seven Visions of Victory

  1. Description of Babylon [17]
    • If Jerusalem represents the people of God, the bride of Christ adorned for her husband [21:2]
    • Babylon is the prostitute, the evil counterpart to Jerusalem
    • She is the fake bride [17:3-4]
    • She represents the seduction of wealth and sex and has damaged the people of God [17:6]
    • 10 kings will rule for one hour and turn on Babylon
  2. Babylon will fall in a single day, a single hour [18]
    • There is a surprisingly long description of the weeping and mourning for the loss of this city
    • Many people have identified Babylon with the Roman empire because of the 7 hills on which Rome was built [17:9]
      • When Rome fell, the whole world was plunged into centuries of dark ages
      • The Roman empire was an empire of trade, of luxury, and of increasing sexual corruption
      • [v.8-9] tell us that (along with the beast that carries it) it “was”, “is not” and “is to come”
    • Some have speculated that in many ways our world system is like the Roman empire both in wealth and corruption
      • If this were true, this event could be world economic collapse
    • What is Babylon?
      • probably the culture of sensual luxury, entertainment, sexual immorality, idolatry, earthly and fleshly pleasure that “rides on the back of the beast”, i.e. is supported by its economic/power system
  3. A vast throng praises God for his judgements [19:1-5]
  4. The wedding of the Lamb and his bride is announced [19:6-10]
  5. Christ appears with army dressed in white [19:11-16]
  6. Announcement of battle [19:17-18]
  7. Great battle: Beast & False Prophet thrown into lake of fire [19:19-21]
    • Note the order of destruction is the reverse of the order they are introduced in this scroll
    1. Dragon
    2. Beast
    3. False Prophet
    4. Babylon
    • Note also that the images are consistent throughout all 4 visions of the second scroll, re-enforcing the idea that they form a unity, separate from the first scroll

Parallel’s with the History of Israel

  • There are some Interesting parallels between the events of Revelation and the history of the nation of Israel in the O.T.

Updated on 2011-05-27 by Andrew Fountain - loveintruth.com/teaching