Why was John greatly astonished when he saw Mystery Babylon the Great?
This title was written on her forehead: MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus. When I saw her, I was greatly astonished (Revelation 17:5-6).
MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT that John saw was in the eyes of God, “THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” Whenever the people of God turn away from God and seek after the lusts of their own hearts and eyes, God says that they have prostituted themselves. Here is what is written.
… remember all the commands of the LORD, that you may obey them and not prostitute yourselves by going after the lusts of your own hearts and eyes (Numbers 15:39).
And the LORD said to Moses: "You are going to rest with your fathers, and these people will soon prostitute themselves to the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will forsake me and break the covenant I made with them (Deuteronomy 31:16).
Yet they would not listen to their judges but prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped them. Unlike their fathers, they quickly turned from the way in which their fathers had walked, the way of obedience to the Lord's commands (Judges 2:17).
But they were unfaithful to the God of their fathers and prostituted themselves to the gods of the peoples of the land (1 Chronicles 5:25)
Mystery Babylon did not always seek after the lusts of her heart and eyes. In the beginning she sought after God.
Her Founding Fathers:
For example, many signers of her "Declaration of Independence" appeared to be Bible believing Christians. Her Continental Congress formed the American Bible Society and purchased 20,000 copies of Scripture for the people. Supporting information form the following links.
http://toulonbaptist.com/foundingfathers.htm
www.coralridge.org/TTT/ActionSheets/1128Kennedy.html
Patrick Henry said: "An appeal to arms and the God of hosts is all that is left us. But we shall not fight our battle alone. There is a just God that presides over the destinies of nations. The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone. Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it Almighty God. I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death."
http://www.americanchristianhistory.com/christianhistory10.html
"It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great Nation was founded not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For that reason alone, people of other faiths have been afforded freedom of worship here."President Adams said, "The highest glory of the American Revolution was this: "It connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity."
http://www.lampholderpub.com/new_page_80.htm
Calvin Coolidge wrote, "The foundations of our society and our government rest so much on the teachings of the Bible that it would be difficult to support them if faith in these teachings would cease to be practically universal in our country."
United States Congress - 1782, approved this resolution: "The Congress of the United States recommends and approves the Holy Bible for use in all schools."
Harvard University’s original Student Handbook, said, "Let every student be plainly instructed and earnestly pressed to consider well, the main end of his life and studies, is, to know God and Jesus Christ, which is eternal life, John 17:3; and therefore to lay Jesus Christ as the only foundation for our children to follow the moral principles of the Ten Commandments."
James Madison said, "We have staked the whole future of all our political constitutions upon the capacity of each of ourselves to govern ourselves according to the moral principles of the Ten Commandments."While she sought after God in the beginning, John saw that in the end she had become detestable to God. Mystery Babylon was following the biblical pattern of Israel. In the beginning, she obeyed God and God blessed her. But, as time passed she turned away from God to seek after the lusts of her heart and eyes. God always warned her, but when she failed to heed the warning, she was punished by God.
We see in this prophecy that Mystery Babylon ends much like Israel. Because of Israel’s disobedience in not recognizing Christ at the First Coming, Israel was destroyed and ceased to exist for over 1,900 years. Read how it is written.
"If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace--but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God's coming to you" (Luke 19:42-44).
Mystery Babylon, even though she started to walk with God, later turned away form God to please herself. Like Israel, because of her disobedience, she will be destroyed. This destruction will happen exactly as written in Revelation 17-18 and Jeremiah 50-51.
In the last days people will say,
“God Bless Mystery Babylon”
God will say,
“Mystery Babylon, Obey Me”
John saw that Mystery Babylon either did not hear God’s warning or she doesn’t believe who God is.
Richard H Perry
