"MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH" (Revelation 17:5), that is the name written upon the head of "the great whore" (Revelation 17:1) that John saw sitting upon "a scarlet colored beast… having seven heads and ten horns" (Revelation 17:3).

She was clothed in lavish apparel, "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" (Revelation 17:4), and she was "drunken with the blood of the saints, and the blood of the martyrs of Jesus" (Revelation 17:6), and all the inhabitants of the earth were "made drunk with the wine of her fornication" (Revelation 17:2).

When the apostle John saw her, he "wondered with great admiration" (Revelation 17:6). John was totally amazed at what he saw. The angel of the Revelation then said, "Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns" (Revelation 17:7).

The word "Revelation" comes from the Greek word apokalupsis, which means to unveil or uncover those things that were previously hidden. The angel now says he will clearly reveal to us the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her. After the explanation we should have no question as to what the woman and the beast signify.

The angel said the woman was sitting upon "many waters" (Revelation 17:1), which he explains are "peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues" (Revelation 17:15). Her evil influence has affected the whole world therefore it is fitting that she is called the "ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH".

The woman is seen sitting on a beast as well as the "seven heads" of the beast. The "seven heads are seven mountains" (Revelation 17:9), which represent "seven kings" (Revelation 17:10) or kingdoms. At the time that John wrote the Revelation five of these kingdoms had already come and gone. One presently existed ("one is" - Roman Empire - sixth), and the seventh kingdom was still to come (Revelation 17:9-10).

But the complete seven-headed ten-horned beast represented the "eighth" (Revelation 17:11) and final world kingdom before Christ returns. We are told that the eighth kingdom "was, and is not" (Revelation 17:8), that is, it existed in the past, but ceased to exist at the time when John penned the Revelation. However, one day the beast would "ascend out of the bottomless pit", and "they that dwell on the earth shall wonder … when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is" (Revelation 17:8).

After these descriptions the angel comes right out and tells John, "the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings (kingdoms) of the earth" (Revelation 17:18). We must wonder as John, what "great city" has influenced or reigned over the kingdoms of the world down throughout history? Is she Jerusalem, Washington, Moscow, or perhaps Rome? These and many other cities have been suggested, however, as we search the Scriptures, I believe we will find it absolutely indisputable as to what great city she signifies.

This great city must have existed prior to the seven kingdoms (represented by the seven heads of the beast) in order to exercise her influence over them. It is said that she "reigneth" (Greek echo: to have or hold in possession) over all the kings/kingdoms of the earth.

Although she did not exist as the predominant physical and geographical city at the time when John wrote the Revelation (Rome was the capital city of the Roman Empire, the sixth kingdom), she existed as a great city in the past and will rise up again only to be judged by God in the latter days. We must remember as well that the beast that carried her "was, and is not, and shall ascend" (Revelation 17:8). It appears then, that when this eighth kingdom ascends to power she too will be exalted as the great and mighty city of the beast.

What "great city" is she then? Is she Jerusalem? We must say no, for "Jerusalem … is the city of the great King" (Matthew 5:35) where the Lord said He would put His "name for ever" (2 Chronicles 33:7). The Lord may have lamented, "How is the faithful city become an harlot!" (Isaiah 1:21), but this woman is called the "MOTHER OF HARLOTS". While Jerusalem is called "the great city" (Revelation 11:8), it is not "that great city" (17:18).

Many have speculated that the USA is this great whore, but the USA is not a city, it is a nation. She may be a superpower today, but she has never reigned over all the kingdoms of the earth throughout history.

Is she then Rome? We must admit that the overwhelming majority of Christians (especially the so called "Protestants" and "Reformers") identify the great whore of Revelation 17 as Rome, or to be more precise, the Roman Catholic Church, but this is not so.

Rome's influence never reigned over the five kingdoms that had previously come and gone before her, nor is the Roman Catholic Church a city. Furthermore, John saw upon this woman's forehead "a name written … BABYLON THE GREAT", and was told quite clearly that the "woman which thou sawest is that great city" (Revelation 17:5, 18).

Babylon is referred to in the book of the Revelation as an actual city not just a symbol, and there is no reason to believe it is other than literal Babylon. It is referred to as "that great city" six times (Revelation 14:8, 17:18, 18:10, 16, 19, 21), "Babylon the great" twice (Revelation 17:5, 18:2), "great Babylon" (Revelation 16:19) once and "this great city" (Revelation 18:18) once.

Babylon is clearly identified as "that great city". Rome is not mentioned once in the Revelation. If the angel of the Revelation meant Rome He would have revealed that to John. But John recorded that the woman was "that great city Babylon" (Revelation 18:10).

You would have to spiritualize the Scriptures rather than taking a contextual, and therefore, literal interpretation to come up with Rome. Some have alleged that "Babylon" was a "code word" used to refer to Rome. However, there is nothing to substantiate that claim. When Paul wrote his letter to the church at Rome he used no such code word and Peter's referral to the "church at Babylon" (1 Peter 5:13) was to the Christian Church that was established in Babylonia. There is no reason to believe otherwise.

When we look at "the beast" that carries the "great whore", we are given further revelation into this mystery. The seven heads of the beast represented seven kingdoms, but after this there was an "eighth" kingdom. We are told that this eighth kingdom "was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit".

This eighth kingdom existed in the past and would be revived again. The "woman" who is carried by this beast represented "that great city Babylon", which will be the capital of the "eighth" kingdom. We must conclude therefore that this eighth kingdom be Babylon revived.

We must remember that before any of the kingdoms (seven heads) of the world were ever formed, Babylon was "the beginning of [Nimrod's] kingdom" (Genesis 10:10). This was the first city and kingdom that was built upon the plains of Shinar, approximately 100 years after the worldwide Flood in Noah's day.

After the Flood washed the earth clean of all corruption, violence and wickedness, God told Noah and his sons, "Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth" (Genesis 9:1). It was God's will for man "to dwell on all the face of the earth" (Acts 17:26). But here Nimrod, the great grandson of Noah, organized another great rebellion, no doubt instigated by Satan, saying, "let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth" (Genesis 11:4).

Rather than fill the earth, they disobeyed God's command and began to build their own kingdom beginning with a city and a tower to unite and bind them together. This would be the center for their new political, commercial and religious world order. However, God's purpose would not be undone so He intervened and confused the language of these rebel's, "and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth" (Genesis 11:9), "every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations" (Genesis 10:5).

Each family was now given a new language that distinguished them as a nation. However, when these rebels were scattered to form the nations of the world, they brought with them their corrupt religious, political, architectural and commercial philosophies that were formed at Babel, filling the earth with her abominations.

A study of the world's religions will show that they are all quite similar, only that their gods have different names because of the different dialects that were produced at Babel. This is clearly revealed in the venerable work of Alexander Hyslop in his book entitled "The Two Babylon's".

Babylon's influence grievously affected all the nations of the world. "All nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her" (Revelation 18:3). She is without a doubt the fountainhead and architect of all corruption and false religion and all the nations followed her ways.

This "great city" is truly "THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH" (Revelation 17:5). This was a great mystery, which perhaps the people of God should have already recognized, but now it is clearly unveiled in the book of the Revelation.

This woman is also called "the great whore". The word "whore" comes from the Greek word porne, which is similar to pornos and porneia that is translated "fornication" and "fornicator". To commit fornication is to commit any sexual act outside of marriage. She is the great fornicator for "she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication" (Revelation 14:8), and her spawn was spread out from Babel.

In a spiritual sense a fornicator would refer to anyone who worships or serves other "gods" rather than the one true God and Creator. This woman has truly spawned all the false religions of the nations that departed from the one true God. The religions of polytheism, pantheism, animism, or any of the modern religions of today, whether they understand it or not, all have their roots that go back to Babel where mankind turned away in rebellion against their Creator.

Babylon's influence has unquestionably reigned over the kingdoms of this world and this is why she is called the "ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH". She influenced Israel in the Old Testament as Isaiah lamented, "How is the faithful city become an harlot" (Isaiah 1:21). And since New Testament times, the "church" has jumped into bed with her, primarily the Roman Catholic Church which became the "state church" when Christianity was legalized in the fourth century by the Roman Emperor Constantine.

Roman Catholicism clearly does not fit the description as the originator or mother of all false religion. She may have committed fornication, adopting many of the tenants of paganism and become a harlot, much like Israel did in the Old Testament, however, Babylon is clearly the "MOTHER OF HARLOTS".

Many have concluded that Rome is "that great city" because she is situated on "seven hills". Encyclopedia Britannica identifies Rome as "The city of the seven hills, of treasures and tourists…" (26:980), and the Bible tells us, "The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth" (Revelation 17:9).

It should be noted however, that Rome is said to be the city of seven "hills" [Greek bounos], not "mountains" [Greek oros] as recorded in the Bible. There is a difference between a mountain and a hill! As well, the Roman Catholic Church does not sit on the Seven Hills of Rome, its headquarters are in Vatican City, and Rome is actually situated on more than seven hills.

Furthermore, the mountains actually symbolize seven kingdoms for we are told that the "seven heads [of the beast] are [Greek eisi] seven mountains [Greek oros], on which the woman sitteth. And there are [Greek eisi; translated at least 23 times as "they are" or usually just "are"] seven kings" (Revelation 17:9-10). So, the "seven heads are seven mountains", and "they are seven kings".

There is no need to step outside of the Scriptures to interpret what these seven heads and mountains represent. The angel of the Revelation plainly reveals to John that they are "seven kings" or kingdoms. Elsewhere in the Bible "mountains" are often used to symbolize kingdoms or government (Isaiah 2:2, 13:1-2, 40:4, Daniel 2:34-35, Jeremiah 51:24-25, Zechariah 4:7, Micah 4:1-2). Therefore, in this specific context, the "mountains" are symbolic and we are told what they signify.

Of these seven kingdoms, "five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come" (Revelation 17:10). When John wrote the Revelation five of these kingdoms were already fallen. Rome was the sixth kingdom and the seventh was "not yet come". The seventh kingdom would be a revised or divided Roman Empire ruled by a 10-king confederacy represented by the "ten horns" on the seventh head of the beast. And in the days of this ten king confederacy the "eighth" (Revelation 17:11) and final kingdom would ascend, represented by the complete seven-headed, ten-horned beast, for "the beast is… is the eighth" (Revelation 17:11).

Many have come to the conclusion that the beast represents a revived Roman Empire, however this cannot be for we are told that this "beast … was, and is not; and shall ascend … [and of the] seven kings: five are fallen, and one is [sixth], and the other is not yet come [seventh] … And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth" (Revelation 17:8, 10-11).

When John wrote the Revelation the sixth kingdom was the Roman Empire ("one is"). At the same time we are told that the beast "was, and is not". We are told "one is" and the other "is not". The language is very clear. The beast existed before the Roman Empire but "is not" the Roman Empire but would be revived in the last days as the "eighth" kingdom.

As with every kingdom, they all have a capital city where the king resides and rules. The capital of the beast will neither be Rome or Washington, neither will it be Jerusalem, but Babylon rebuilt as seen in a vision by the prophet Zechariah.

An angel showed Zechariah a "woman" in an "ephah" with a "talent of lead" covering the mouth. An "ephah" was a measuring basket and a "talent of lead" was a weight. Both of these were used in commerce. The angel then said this was "their resemblance throughout all the earth … This is wickedness" (Zechariah 5:6, 8).

The Bible tells us, "the love of money is the root of all evil" (1 Timothy 6:10). When economy and commerce becomes the most important thing to a nation and corrupt religion permeates society, "This is wickedness" (Zechariah 5:8). In the last days Zechariah says this would be "their resemblance throughout all the earth" (Zechariah 5:6).

He then saw the "woman" inside the "ephah" with the "talent of lead" on the top of her being lifted up by two other women with wings as storks. Zechariah then asked, "Whither do these bear the ephah?" And the angel replied, "To build it an house in the land of Shinar: and it shall be established, and set there upon her own base" (Zechariah 5:11).

Zechariah saw that the whole world would be caught up in this "wickedness". It would be "their resemblance throughout all the earth". However, this great commercial and religious system began back in Babylon and was carried throughout the whole world on the backs of the nations when the Lord confused their language and scattered them upon the face of all the earth. Once it had permeated the whole earth its headquarters would be reestablished upon her old foundation back in the "land of Shinar" (Zechariah 5:11).

The "land of Shinar" (Daniel 1:1-2) is also referred to as, "the land of Babylon" (Jeremiah 51:29) and "the land of Nimrod" (Micah 5:6). Nimrod became the world's first dictator organizing a single government under his rule and the "beginning of his kingdom was Babel… in the land of Shinar" (Genesis 10:10).

This was the beginning of mankind's empire building schemes to make a name for himself, in direct conflict with the will of God. The consummation of man's self willed ambitions will be Babylon rebuilt and reestablished as the Antichrist's center of world government as described very lavishly in Revelation chapters 17 and 18.

The rebuilding of Babylon will make many filthy rich when it is restored "by reason of her costliness" (Revelation 18:19). However, when "success" becomes the primary focus of mankind, and their hope is in the riches of this world, they will be ripe to worship the Antichrist, for he will cause "all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name" (Revelation 13:16-17).

In effect, if they want to participate in this economic stimulation package they will have to sell their souls to the devil. But it will be all in vain for the merchants of the earth shall wail greatly saying, "What city is like unto this great city!" (Revelation 18:18) when she is judged by God and quickly and finally brought to desolation and overthrown as "Sodom and Gomorrah" (Jeremiah 50:40) and "utterly burned with fire" (Revelation 18:8), then finally "cast … into the sea" (Revelation 18:21).

The prophet Jeremiah said that Babylon would be overthrown as "Sodom and Gomorrah" (Jeremiah 50:40). This has never been fulfilled in the history of the world. Many prophecies in the Bible have a near and far application and sometimes all of the details are not fulfilled in the first application.

When Babylon was conquered, she was not overthrown as Sodom and Gomorrah. She was "divided, and given to the Medes and Persians" (Daniel 5:28). However, one day in the future, Babylon shall "be utterly burned with fire" (Revelation 18:8).

The Middle East is known for its great oil reserves, and perhaps you will remember the Gulf War of 1991, when many oil wells were left burning after the liberation of Kuwait. It took over a year with the help of the International Community to get all of those wells put out.

Kuwait oil wells burning (1991)

With such a great overthrow, how could this fire ever be put out? It will take more than an international effort, it will take the intervention of God, and so we read, Babylon shall be "cast… into the sea" (v. 21). "Thus shall Babylon sink, and shall not rise…" (Jeremiah 51:63-64).

Jeremiah also said that Babylon "shall be no more inhabited for ever; neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation" (Jeremiah 50:39). This has not yet been fulfilled either. Even recently, the fallen dictator of Iraq (location of ancient Babylon) has invested much effort to rebuild and revive the Babylon of King Nebuchadnezzar's antiquity. And since his overthrow, the "Future of Babylon Project" has been launched by the World Monuments Fund and UNESCO, which intends on making Babylon "fit for the coveted title of World Heritage site", with funding by the US Dept of State and in collaboration with Iraq's State Board of Antiquities and Heritage.

There are many Scriptures in the Old Testament concerning Babylon and its future establishment that are reiterated in the New Testament. John was told that this harlot "sitteth upon many waters" (Revelation 17:1). Jeremiah said the same, "O thou that dwellest upon many waters, abundant in treasures, thine end is come, and the measure of thy covetousness" (Jeremiah 51:13). John also repeated (Revelation 17:1-2) what Jeremiah said long ago. "Babylon hath been a golden cup in the LORD'S hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad" (Jeremiah 51:7).

The ancient cry was, "My people, go ye out of the midst of her, and deliver ye every man his soul from the fierce anger of the LORD" (Jeremiah 51:45). This cry will be echoed in the future when God judges Babylon for the final time. "Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities" (Revelation 18:4-5).

As God called Lot out of Sodom and Gomorrah before its destruction, so too will God call his people out of Babylon before her final judgment.

This is what the Bible says concerning Babylon, then and now, we just need to believe God for, "the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple" (Psalms 19:7).

Just as we are told the mystery of the woman, we are also told the mystery of the "beast". It is quite obvious what the beast signifies, for the angel plainly tells John that "the beast … is the eighth" king/kingdom (Revelation 17:11). Further details tell us that this beast "was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition" (Revelation 17:8), and many will be amazed when "they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is" (Revelation 17:8).

The language is clear that this "eighth" kingdom existed in the past, but did not exist at the time John wrote the Revelation but finally it "shall ascend". The beast then, is evidently a revived kingdom, but could not be a "Revived" Roman Empire for the Roman Empire existed ("one is") at the time when John wrote the Revelation and at that time "the beast" did not exist ("is not"). Furthermore, the Roman Empire never really ceased to exist, rather, it has been "Revised" down through the past two millennia and lives on in the nations of this day.

The prophet Daniel said that the Roman Empire "shall be divided" (Daniel 2:41), and that it would "be partly strong, and partly broken". The Roman Empire was never defeated like its predecessor kingdoms but became fragmented. It was first divided between east and west represented by the two legs of Daniel's vision (Daniel 2:33), and in its final form it would be divided into a ten-king confederacy as represented by the "ten toes" of Daniel's image (Daniel 2:41-42). The "ten toes" of this image correspond to the "ten horns" of the beast as seen in Daniel chapter 7 and Revelation chapters 12, 13 and 17.

The "beast … which hath the seven heads" is said to be the "eighth", but at the same time it is also said to be "of the seven" (Revelation 17:11). These "seven heads", as we have stated, are "seven kings" that represent the successive kingdoms down through the history of the world. As each kingdom ascended to power they were eventually succeeded and refined by the next kingdom up until the eighth whose final form is portrayed by the seven-headed, ten horned beast.

In the book of Daniel we see a similar formation of this final kingdom. Daniel saw the kingdoms throughout history being built one upon the other, molded together to form one great abominable idol that the Lord will smash when He returns.

Daniel saw an image whose "head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay" (Daniel 2:32-33).

Daniel had another vision after this of "four great beasts" (Daniel 7:2-3) that came up from the sea, which represented these same kingdoms. Daniel was told, "These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth" (Daniel 7:17). He was also told that the fourth beast (representing the Roman Empire) would devour the whole earth and it had "ten horns" (Daniel 7:7). It was then explained that "the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall arise after them" (Daniel 7:23-24).

If we go back to John's Revelation concerning "the beast … which hath the seven heads and ten horns" (Revelation 17:7), we will see the relationship between Daniel's vision and the Revelation of John. The seven heads were seven kingdoms. In the Apostle John's day the Roman Empire was dominant over all the earth but five kingdoms were already fallen (Revelation 17:10).

For certain, at least from Daniel's time, the Babylonian, Medo-Persian and Grecian Empires had all come and gone. This leaves two more that were before the time of Daniel that had already fallen which were likely Assyria (Jeremiah 50:17) and Egypt (Exodus 1:1-14). All of these kingdoms were in opposition to the one true God and against His people.

In Daniel's vision these "ten kings" are said to arise "out of this kingdom" (Daniel 7:24, the Roman Empire), rather than conquering it. So the seventh kingdom (ten kings) in John's Revelation is really a revision of the Roman Empire, not a revived Roman Empire for the ten kings are said to arise "out of" the Roman Empire.

Edward Gibbons, a great historian, wrote a popular book entitled "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire". Although it is very good in its estimation of Rome, the title is a little misleading for the Roman Empire never really fell, rather, as Daniel said, it "shall be divided; but there shall be in it the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with clay … the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken" (Daniel 2:41-42).

The Roman Empire was "divided" as indicated by the two "legs of iron" of Daniel's image. The eastern leg of the Roman Empire was centered at Constantinople and the western leg was centered at Rome. At the knees, the Empire was transformed from a political to ecclesiastical structure consisting of the Roman and Byzantine Catholic churches. The western leg became the Holy Roman Empire that spread throughout Western Europe and expanded into the Americas. The eastern leg became the complex of Orthodox churches that spread throughout northern Eurasia.

The Roman Empire may have been weakened by the clay mixed with the iron and become "partly broken", but according to God's Word it did not cease to exist, rather it would be transformed, and in its final form it would be divided into a ten king confederacy represented by the ten toes and ten horns. Although it was divided, its essential character remained the same and its culture, government, language, legal structure, civilization, stretched around the world.

With the dividing of the Roman Empire, it no longer had a centralized government, however, Daniel saw another horn "arise after" the ten, "another little horn" (Daniel 7:8) which is synonymous with "the beast that was and is not, even he is the eighth" (Revelation 17:11).

When this beast rises upon the scene, the ten king confederacy are said to "give their power and strength … [and] their kingdom unto the beast" (Revelation 17:12-13, 17). Under "the beast" there will be a centralized government and the rule of the world will be brought under Antichrist, but from where shall he reign? Where will the Antichrist's throne be?

As we have discussed, this beast/kingdom (eighth) existed in the past and shall be revived. The greatest kingdom that ever existed "was" Babylon, described by God as "the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency" (Isaiah 13:19), and "the golden city" (Isaiah 14:4). It was also described as the "head of fine gold" (Daniel 2:32). The kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar was only a refinement or reincarnation of ancient Babel, which was the "beginning of [Nimrod's] kingdom" (Genesis 10:10).

Nebuchadnezzar revived Nimrod's religion and kingdom, however, this great kingdom with its beautiful capital fell in one night under the reign of Nebuchadnezzar's grandson, Belshazzar. The decree of God had come forth, "God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it … In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain" (Daniel 5:22-30), and his kingdom was taken by the Medes.

When the beast that "was and is not" arises to power again many will wonder when "they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is" (17:8). Before we go on, it should be clarified that this beast is both a king and a kingdom. Every kingdom has a king, and who is really a king without a kingdom? These terms are synonymous (example: Daniel 7:17, 23), and this is how we have used this term (king/kingdom) throughout this article. So we will find that "the beast", who is a king, also represents the eighth kingdom.

Now twice we are told that this beast ascends "out of the bottomless pit" (Revelation 11:7, 17:8), but how can a king or a kingdom ascend out of Hades? It is quite remarkable if we turn to the prophet Isaiah, we find a very interesting proverb.

The Lord said, "take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased" (Isaiah 14:4)! Here we have the "king of Babylon" (likely Belshazzar, Daniel 5:30) and his "golden city", which are both about to come to an end. But what is the end of this great king and his kingdom? We are told, "Hell (Hebrew Sheol, equivalent to Greek Hades) from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming … Thy pomp is brought down to the grave (Hebrew Sheol), and the noise of thy viols" (Isaiah 14:9, 11).

Here we have the king of Babylon who represents the kingdom brought down to Hades, but can he ascend out of Hades and rise again a great king and kingdom? Can he "ascend out of the bottomless pit"? We think not, for "it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment" (Hebrews 9:27). As well, Jesus Christ has the "keys of hell (Greek Hades) and death" (Revelation 1:18), and no man has the power over these but Jesus.

However, further reading of Isaiah's proverb reveals to us that not only is the king the power behind Babylon, but there is someone behind the king, and it is none other than the archenemy of God and His people, Lucifer. "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer … thou shalt be brought down to hell (Hebrew Sheol), to the sides of the pit" (Isaiah 14:12, 15). It appears that Lucifer accompanied the king of Babylon down to Hades and one day he will be "bound" (Revelation 20:1-2) there for a thousand years, but for now he is free to roam about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8).

So the human king, who represented Babylon, was really possessed and energized and brought to power by Lucifer. As the Bible says, one day this beast will "ascend out of the bottomless pit", at least symbolically, revived and energized by Satan, to become a great world kingdom. God put a stop to the building of Babylon when He confounded their language and scattered the rebels upon the face of the earth. This was Satan's masterpiece and ever since that time he has been seeking to revive it.

The "beast" must represent the Babylonian Empire and its king. The beast/kingdom existed in the past, prior to the Roman Empire, and will be revived as it was previously by Nebuchadnezzar. Satan shall revive them, but in the end the beast shall "go into perdition" (Revelation 17:8, 19:20, 20:10).

And the woman that is carried by this beast must be "that great city Babylon, that mighty city" (Revelation 18:10). She is the epitome of false religion and commercialization. She sat on the seven heads of the beast representing all the kingdoms of history, past, present and future. She rode on the backs of the nations into the whole world filling the earth with her abominations. Her influence reigned over the kingdoms of the earth even though she had declined as a great city. But she had her spawn of "harlots" representing her through the ages whose agenda they fulfilled.

These seven kingdoms all have roots that go back to Babel in the land of Shinar, where that first great rebellion took place, when the post Flood population sought to build a city and a tower unto heaven. But one day the Lord will return and "The kingdoms of this world [will] become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever" (Revelation 11:15), and the children of iniquity will no longer "fill the face of the world with cities" (Isaiah 14:21).

More details regarding "the beast" can be found in Revelation chapters 12 and 13. "And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads" (Revelation 12:3). Here we have a similar picture of the "scarlet colored beast" mentioned in chapter 17, but here the beast is called the "great red dragon", and is identified as "that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world" (Revelation 12:9).

The fact that the seven heads (kings) are on the Dragon explicitly reveals that he was in control of the seven kingdoms. When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness by the Devil, he showed Him "all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time" (Luke 4:5), and said, "All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine" (Luke 4:6-7).

Then, in chapter 13, John "saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns" (Revelation 13:1). But now it says, "the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority" (Revelation 13:2). The beast is now identified as a man who receives the "power" previously offered to Christ in His temptation in the wilderness.

Satan finally finds his man to whom he can give the "power" over kingdoms of the world and He is none other than the "antichrist" (1 John 2:18), "that man of sin … the son of perdition" (2 Thessalonians 2:3), "that Wicked" (2 Thessalonians 2:8), the "little horn" (Daniel 7:8), the "prince that shall come" (Daniel 9:26) and "the beast" ( Revelation 13:1). He may be fittingly described as Satan incarnate, the man who offers his own soul to gain the whole world. Antichrist shall be possessed and energized by Satan much like when he "entered" Judas to fulfill his will (Luke 22:3).

But then we read, "And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast" (Revelation 13:3). Here we have another picture of what John saw all along, the kingdom that "was, and is not, and yet is" (Revelation 17:8).

The third head of the beast represented the Babylonian kingdom (which was a revival of Nimrod's kingdom) and the Medo-Persian Empire conquered it, but now it is revived again. But this beast also represents a king, "whose deadly wound was healed" (Revelation 13:12). This, no doubt, is a mock resurrection for it says he was "as it were wounded to death" (Revelation 13:3).

In Revelation 11:7, "the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit" is a man who slays God's two witnesses, while in Chapter 17, the beast that "shall ascend out of the bottomless pit" (Revelation 17:8) is a kingdom. Both of these are revived by Satan, and the whole world will "wonder" (Revelation 13:3, 17:8) when they see Babylon the Great, and its king which "was, and is not, and yet is" (Revelation 17:8), revived and "brought back to life" so to say, and energized by the Dragon. It should only be fitting then that the ten kings should "give their kingdom unto the beast" (Revelation 17:17), "whose deadly wound was healed" (Revelation 13:12).

This eighth beast/kingdom is civic and geographical Babylon revived, and Antichrist shall have his throne there (Revelation 16:10, 13:2), which he receives from the Dragon. The great city Babylon will be rebuilt back on its old foundation in the "land of Shinar" (Zechariah 5:5-11), and when John sees all this, he wonders with great amazement when he sees "the woman", Babylon the Great, as she influenced the nations and the kingdoms of this world down through the ages, revived once again. She rode into the world on the backs of the nations and now she is carried prominently by this seven-headed ten-horned beast.

Satan has energized this eighth and final world kingdom and its king. It is his infernal design and the consummation of his desire to sit as king of the universe, reigning through Antichrist. Long ago he had said in his heart, "I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High" (Isaiah 14:13-14).

Satan is called "the god of this world" (2 Corinthians 4:4) for he has deceived the nations (Revelation 20:3), "And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast" (Revelation 13:4)? But Christ is soon to return in divine glory and might to destroy the kingdoms of this world and rid the earth of all His enemies (Isaiah 13:9-13), and then He will set up His everlasting kingdom. The saints have prayed down through the centuries "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10), and finally the Lord will come and not tarry.

The Bible says that Satan is "the god of this world" (2 Corinthians 4:4). Seeing that the kingdoms of this world are greatly influenced by him, it would be a good time to ask: what is your place in the kingdoms of this world with its religious, political and commercial systems? Are you of the world, or can you sincerely say I am not of this world? Jesus told his disciples, "If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you" (John 15:19).

He said of His disciples, "I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world" (John 17:14). To stand with Christ is to stand apart from the lusts of this world, and quite honestly it will result in much enmity with those you cross paths with, primarily with those closest to you (Matthew 10:32-40).

If you are a disciple of Christ, continuing in His Word (John 8:31), "ye shall have tribulation" (John 16:33). "For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake" (Philippians 1:29). "Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution" (2 Timothy 3:12). It is a fact of the matter that if you "abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul" (1 Peter 2:11), and turn away from all ungodliness, you will suffer persecution. The Bible says, especially in the last days, that men shall be "despisers of those that are good" (2 Timothy 3:3).

But, "our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:17-18).

Dear brethren, "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world" (1 John 2:15). It is impossible to sit on the fence so to say when you become a Christian. One cannot continue on in the ways of the world and walk with Jesus at the same time. "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other" (Matthew 6:24).

We must ask ourselves, where then do our affections lie? What in life are we seeking? Are we a "lover of pleasure" (2 Timothy 3:4), seeking to entertain ourselves with the CARNALvals of this world? "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory" (Colossians 3:1-4).

We are told, "be not conformed to this world" (Romans 12:2), for "the whole world lieth in wickedness" (1 John 5:19), and "the works thereof are evil" (John 7:7). Therefore we are admonished, "No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier" (2 Timothy 2:4).

A church that calls itself Christian and yet courts alliance with the godless system of this world commits spiritual adultery. The apostle James says, "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God" (James 4:4). It is Jesus "who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father" (Galatians 1:4), "wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air" (Ephesians 2:2).

Have you "escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust" (2 Peter 1:4)? Or are your affections on the things of this world? Is your time consumed with the programs, activities and organizations of the world no matter how "good" they may appear to be? One can never be an effective witness for Christ if your affections are on the things of this earth for "the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word" (Mark 4:19). Therefore, James says "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this … to keep himself unspotted from the world" (James 1:27). "And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever" (1 John 2:17).

When we look to the great faith chapter we find that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob sojourned in the land as in a strange country dwelling in tents. Abraham would not secure anything more than his tent pegs to this earth. He was not interested in building cities as the rebels shortly after the Flood, but rather he "looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God" (Hebrews 11:9-10). They too were looking for the coming kingdom of God and "confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth" (Hebrews 11:13). Their home was in heaven where they longed to be, with Christ, "wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city" (Hebrews 11:16).

Speaking of Moses, "when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward. By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible" (Hebrews 11:24-27).

It appears that there were two paths before Moses, a position of great esteem in the house of Pharaoh where he could enjoy the pleasure of sin for a season with all the treasures of Egypt. But leaving this there only remained "suffering", "affliction", "reproach" and "wrath".

But, "our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:17-18).

Friends, if you are a believer, a cross is all that this Babylonish world system has to offer you. Do not seek to be friends with the world and ruin your testimony for Christ, but as Christ said, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me" (Matthew 16:24). And to "him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne" (Revelation 3:21).

Remember too that it is the Devil that is the deceiver of the nations (Revelation 20:2-3). He is the enemy of God and His people and many are caught in "the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will" (2 Timothy 2:26). So, "the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth" (2 Timothy 2:24-25).

So "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you" (Matthew 5:44). "Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good" (Romans 12:20-21). "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 5:16).

But now, "the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works" (Titus 2:11-14).