196
The Revelation of Jesus Christ "And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication : and upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus" (verses i-6).
We are not surprised that John "wondered with great wonder" (verse 6, R. V.) ! The woman represents a religious system-that system which prevails officially in those nations that now occupy the Roman Empire, a system that is even now grasping for the reins of government in Europe. The head of it has been made temporal sovereign, numbered among the sovereigns of the earth; he has his principality; he has his own coinage, his own mint. This speaks of the time when that system, at least temporarily, will dominate. We shall consider the significance of the name that with out doubt makes known to us the identity of this woman. But if the name were not known, the very description of her would make clear just what is in the mind of the Spirit of God re garding her. She is bedecked with silver and gold; she has in her hand a cup which is full of abominations; she is called "a whore," which means, in the spiritual sense, one who gives herself to idols. This woman is drunken with the blood of the saints, the martyrs of Jesus. She not only represents the Roman papacy as it is yet to be, but she also represents all the systems of Protestantism that are going to be "spewed out" of the mouth of the Lord when the true church is taken away. (See Rev. 3: 16.) At that time, just as there will be a great union of nations under the coming "man of sin," so there will be a union of all the religious movement~ that are godless, Christless, bloodless. They are going to be "spewed out" of the mouth of the Lord when He takes away His true bride. In that day when the Antichrist reigns, there will be a union of church and state. NIMROD-THI! FOUNDER OF ANCIENT BABYLON The name, "MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT," takes one back in thought to the apostasy of the human race at Babel, as recorded in the tenth chapter of Genesis. There
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker