The Potential Relationship Between Babylon the Great and the Nations of the Earth

Update: I recently published an article questioning the assumption that both the ten kings and the beast hate Babylon the Great and destroy Babylon the Great with fire. Instead, I mention the possibility that the ten kings alone hate Babylon the Great and destroy her with fire. This article is available at the following: link

Revelation 17 and Revelation 18 suggest that there will be interaction between Babylon the Great and the nations of the earth. Today I will offer a theory detailing how Babylon the Great may interact with the nations of the earth.

Revelation 17:1 introduces us to a harlot (later to be identified as Babylon the Great in Revelation 17:5) who sits on many waters:

• Rev 17:1 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:

Revelation 17:15 suggests that the harlot rules over practically every type of population group on Earth as it sits over: “peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues”.

Rev 17:1 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:

Rev 17:15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.

Revelation 17:18 gives us more insight about the harlot’s position in the world. The verse tells us that the harlot is a “great city”, which rules over the kings of the earth”.

• Rev 17:18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

Revelation 17:15 and Revelation 17:18 indicate that the harlot is going rule over the kings of the earth and the inhabitants of the earth, so we can conclude that the harlot is going to be a very important location in the world during the End Times. However, a curious person about the End Times may want to know how the harlot uses its authoritative position to influence the nations of Earth.

• I’ll attempt to address this topic next…

Revelation 17:3 tells us that the harlot sits on a beast while Revelation 17:7 tells us that the beast carries the harlot:

Rev 17:3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.

Rev 17:7 And the angel said unto me, 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.

The detail that the harlot sits on the beast and that the beast carries the harlot suggests there is some degree of accord between them (at least initially).

• The beast has the power to rid itself of the harlot from its back like a bull has the power to throw off a person from its back when they do not want a person riding it (imagine a bull rider at a rodeo). In fact, the beast and its ten horns will eventually exercise its power to rid itself of the harlot since they will eventually destroy the harlot with fire (Revelation 17:16). However, until that event occurs the beast and the harlot likely are going to work with each other.

The accord suggests that the harlot may work on behalf of the beast and that the beast may help to sustain the authoritative position of the harlot.

The harlot most likely will tempt people to worship the beast and to encourage people to persecute the beast’s enemies if she works on behalf of the beast. For instance, Revelation 17:6 tells us that the harlot will be drunk with the “blood of the saints” and “with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus”.

• Rev 17:6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.

This suggests that the harlot is at least willing to go along with the beast’s desire to eliminate his enemies.

The Book of Revelation suggests that the harlot will be involved in some form of “fornication” with the kings of the earth and with the inhabitants of the earth. Revelation 17:2 and Revelation 18:3 tell us that the harlot will commit “fornication” with the kings of the earth:

Rev 17:2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.

Rev 18:3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.

Meanwhile, Revelation 17:2, Revelation 14:8, and Revelation 18:3 tell us that the inhabitants of the earth will be drunk from drinking the wine of harlot’s "fornication".

Rev 17:2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.

Rev 14:8 And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.

Rev 18:3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.

The detail that the kings of the earth will commit "fornication" with the harlot while the inhabitants of the earth will drink from the wine of the harlot’s "fornication" suggests that the two groups may interact with the harlot differently. Interestingly, there are different Greek words used to distinguish between the “fornication” the harlot commits with the kings of the earth and the “fornication” that concerns the inhabitants of earth.

• The Kings of the Earth: According to Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries, the Greek word to mark the “fornication” the harlot commits with the kings of the earth is “porneuō” which means “to act the harlot, that is, (literally) indulge unlawful lust (of either sex), or (figuratively) practise idolatry: - commit (fornication)”.[1]
• The Inhabitants of the Earth: According to Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries, the Greek word to mark the “fornication” that concerns the inhabitants of the earth is “porneia” which means “harlotry (including adultery and incest); figuratively idolatry: - fornication”.[2]

The main reason I mention this distinction is that the use of different words further suggests that there is a difference between the harlotry Babylon the Great commits with the kings of the earth and with the inhabitants of the earth (granted the difference may not be too big).

Each case of “fornication” that the harlot is involved in is not physical-it’s figurative. The harlot is likely going to commit unlawful acts with those she interacts with.

• The kings of the earth may follow/cooperate with the harlot/beast because the harlot may offer them attractive benefits for their obedience (i.e. economic compensation and/or enhanced power). Revelation 18:9 suggests that the kings of the earth are well-compensated for following the harlot/beast: 

Rev 18:9 And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,

• The inhabitants of the earth may follow/cooperate with the harlot/beast because the harlot convinces/deceives them into believing that it is in their best interest to be obedient. Revelation 18:23 suggests that the harlot is able to deceive the nations of the earth:

Rev 18:23 And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.

It is possible that the “fornication” between the harlot and the kings of the earth may play some role in compelling the people of the earth to follow the harlot/the beast. Revelation 17:4 tells us that the harlot possesses a golden cup full “of abominations and filthiness of her fornication”.

• Rev 17:4 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

The Greek word for “fornication” in Revelation 17:4 is “porneia”, which recall is a word associated with the wine of the harlot’s fornication that the inhabitants of the earth become intoxicated with. I suspect the golden cup that the harlot possesses is a wine cup filled with the wine of harlot’s fornication since the contents of the golden cup include the “filthiness of her fornication”. The “filthiness of her fornication” may be a result of the fornication the harlot commits with the kings of the earth. The following is theory that may explain what role the kings of the earth could play in compelling the people of the earth to follow the harlot/the beast:

• The kings of the earth are in charge of their respective populations. They are compelled by the harlot to follow/carry out the beast’s orders, which likely involves the worship of the beast and the persecution of the beast’s enemies. The kings instruct their subjects to worship the beast and to persecute the beast’s enemies, and their subjects comply with the kings’ instructions.

The Basic Theory Summarized

Summarizing the theory I present today, Babylon the Great may entice the kings of the earth and the inhabitants of the earth to worship the beast and to persecute the beast’s enemies. The kings of the earth may also play a role (after being compelled by the harlot) to instruct their subjects to worship the beast and to persecute the beast’s enemies. Revelation 19:2 tells us that the harlot will corrupt the world and that the harlot shares responsibility for bloodshed of the Lord’s servants.

• Rev 19:2 For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.

I hope this explanation was easy to follow and made some sense. My concern writing this article was that this explanation would be difficult to follow. I originally diagrammed this explanation on a piece of paper. The process of translating what I diagrammed on the paper into words was much more difficult than I originally anticipated and took much longer than I originally anticipated…

• Remember, this explanation is just a theory. Theories can be disproved. If you find a problem with this theory or parts of this theory feel free to voice your critique.

References

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[1] G4203 πορνεύω Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries
[2] G4202 πορνεία Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries