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
A question on my mind the entire 4th of July weekend was: “Why do the Antichrist and the ten kings seek to destroy Babylon the Great?” Revelation 17’s opening imagery of the harlot riding the beast initially suggests that there is some degree of cooperation between the Antichrist (the beast-Rev 17:11), the ten kings (ten horns-Rev 17:12), and the harlot (Babylon the Great).
- 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.
In contrast, Revelation 17:16 tells us that the Antichrist and the ten kings will eventually hate the harlot and destroy the harlot with fire:
- Rev 17:16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.
Revelation 17:17 suggests that the beast and the ten kings will execute God’s will by destroying the harlot with fire:
- Rev 17:17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.
- Do the ten kings and the Antichrist wake up one day and decide to destroy the harlot with fire or is this a decision that develops over a long period of time?
- What reason(s) do the ten kings and the Antichrist have to want to destroy the harlot, the great city which rules over the kings of the earth (Revelation 17:18)?
- Do the ten kings and the Antichrist choose to destroy harlot for the same reason(s) or do their reasoning differ? In other words, do the ten kings choose to destroy the harlot for the same reason(s) that the Antichrist chooses to destroy the harlot?
One reason why I’m interested in attempting to find out why the ten kings and the Antichrist will decide to destroy the harlot is that the destruction of the harlot may be the ultimate example of Satan rising up against himself and reaching an end:
Mat 12:25 And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:
Mat 12:26 And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?
|
Mar 3:23 And he called them unto him, and said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan?
Mar 3:24 And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
Mar 3:25 And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.
Mar 3:26 And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end.
|
Another reason why I’m interested in attempting to find out why the ten kings and the Antichrist will decide to destroy the harlot is that uncovering the potential reason(s) behind their decision may help increase our understanding of what role Babylon the Great city will play in the End Times.
- Perhaps there is something about the nature of Babylon the Great city that over time frustrates and angers the Antichrist and the ten kings to the point that they want to destroy the city.
A third reason that I’m interested in attempting to find out why the ten kings and the Antichrist will decide to destroy the harlot is that the process of trying to find out why may lead to the discovery of some Bible verses which could help in the process of identifying the location of Babylon the Great city.
- Sometimes when you engage in a Bible prophecy study you end up discovering details about a topic that was not the main focus of your original study.
I am curious to hear any theories you may have about why the Antichrist and the ten kings will want to destroy the harlot. I spent much of my July 4 searching various websites and reading various scholarly articles for potential explanations of why the Antichrist and the ten kings will decide to destroy the harlot. Surprisingly, very few websites and articles I encountered discussed the subject with much depth. Unfortunately, it seems to be a subject that is not a high research priority for a lot of people...
Again, any feedback is appreciated. I plan to spend some time studying the topic later today.
6 comments: (+add yours?)
I guess the reason for the animosity would depend upon who you view the antichrist as being. If you think of the antichrist as coming from Rome, then it is hard to
explain as a Roman antichrist would be controlled by the Illuminati and Babylon is most
surely their baby, so not an enemy. After much study, both of Scripture and other sources, I am of the opinion that the antichrist, and the beast that is dreadful and terrible from Daniel 7, are the Mahdi and Islam. I see Babylon as the Illuminati stronghold. While they have been working in league with each other to some extent up to this point, I see the Mahdi as breaking away and becoming rogue and out of the control of the Illuminati. As I think America is Babylon (the home and headquarters of much of the Illuminati - think Bohemian Grove and Molech worship by our politicians and bigwigs for instance), and we know how Muslims feel about us, it would explain the hate of the ten, (his Muslim cronies) as well as the Mahdi wanting to rid himself of his masters (who have a different "religion" - although it's all Satan worship) and establish himself as the ultimate power and controller of the world. Radical Islam crushes everything in its path. The Middle East is falling to these radicals as we speak. Europe is close to falling to their control, and America is in grave danger. There are far more radical Muslims here than people realize. They are just waiting for the word to start killing and taking over. The Mahdi will give that word. As to a house divided, Satan merely wants to kill everyone, including his own. He wants to beat God any way that he can, and killing as many as possible is a good way to start. To force people to either die or join a radical religion that worships Satan would leave nobody for the millennium, thereby making God a liar and thus Satan would win. Satan has no loyalties to his own. Fortunately for us, God has told us we win. This is merely my own interpretation, but it does make for a logical reason for the two to be at odds.
Why would a dominant evil entity want to destroy another? That's a really good question. A couple of thoughts, using the whore metaphor I guess maybe when they (they agree) were done using her they want to destroy her. Why do these sort of crimes happen? Maybe in order to discard evidence, out of desire for control, out of revenge for jealousy, to remove evidence, or ??? Maybe the whore was lusted after and simultaneously held in contempt, and used while useful, but after receiving gratification and no longer useful is discarded in a cruel way.
I think that the antichrist will decide to destroy the harlot because he is using the harlot to accomplish his goals, and vise versa. I think that the antichrist and the harlot both want to control the world and are working together, after the world is dominated by the harlot and the antichrist both would try to get control of it from the other. The enemy of my enemy is my friend until there are no enemies left.
Thank you everyone who has commented so far. You've given me some possibilities to consider.
The harlot (porne) has traditionally been understood to be Rome with the seven hills. But Rome no longer conveys authority and power of a worldwide Trading network. The Whore=the great city it seems to me refers to New York City (the Big Apple) because that city more than any other commands power worldwide as a seafaring capital. The seat of the World Trade was the WTC complex, with specifically the two towers. Perhaps this is the desolation referred to in chapter 18 which comes about literally in less than an hour, the businessman around the world mourned, and many got ashes on the heads. Notice how in that hour it is not only the towers but within them all of the wealth.
Most of people who've commented on this blog with regards to Babylon the Great's identity think it is New York like you do.
Post a Comment