Lesson 9 Review: A City Called Confusion

 

Introduction

Memory Text: “ ‘These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful’ ” (Revelation 17:4, NKJV).

A pure woman symbolizes the bride of Jesus, or the true Church and the Bible likens apostasy to harlotry or adultery. There is the woman clothed with the sun and the woman dressed in scarlet from Revelation 12 and 17 respectively. This week’s lesson will be about these women, and more deeply, the conflict between truth and error.

How do Revelation 12:17 and Revelation 17:14 describe the faithful?

‘Revelation 12:17 describes the faithful as those who “keep the commandments of God,” and those who are elsewhere depicted as “ ‘called, chosen, and faithful’ ” (Rev. 17:14, NKJV).’

What does Babylon represent?

Babylon represents a false religious system that will have similar characteristics to Old Testament Babylon.

What does the woman dressed in purple and scarlet do?

She rides on a scarlet beast, she has left her true Lover, Jesus Christ. This power is the one with “ ‘whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication’ ” (Rev. 17:2, NKJV).

What is the contrast between the true church system and the fallen church system?

‘In the true church system, the church is united with Jesus Christ. The fallen church looks to the political leaders of the earth for power and authority. Rather than drawing her strength from Jesus as her true Head, she looks to the state for support.’

What does the pure juice of the grape represent?

The pure juice of the grape is used throughout the New Testament to represent the untainted, pure blood of Christ poured out for our salvation on the cross (Matt 26:27-29, NKJV).

Where does the wine of Babylon come in?

The wine of Babylon comes in when the pure, new wine of the gospel is distorted, and the teachings of the Word of God are replaced with the teachings of human religious leaders.

What is God’s message to His people?

God calls His people out of Babylon because of its corrupt and evil nature, this “ ‘dwelling place of demons’ ” and cage for every unclean and hated bird’ ” (Rev. 18:2, NKJV).

 What does Revelation 17 describe?

It describes an apostate religious system that introduces into Christianity many of the teachings of Old Testament Babylon.

What was the nature of Babylon from the Old Testament?

The Tower of Babel is the first reference to Babylon in the Old Testament, there they sought their own glory, and God confused their languages. The Tower of Babel is a symbol of human self-sufficiency, self-preservation, and independence from God ([Gen.] 11:1-4).

What does Spiritual Babylon represent?

Spiritual Babylon represents a religion based on human teachings, established on human ideas, and supported by human traditions.

How does the book of Revelation describe the true Church System and the Babylonian system?

The first reveals total trust in Jesus and dependence on His Word. The second reveals trust in human authority and dependence on human religious teachers. One is a Christ-centered faith, and the other is a humanistic approach to faith that replaces total dependence on Christ.

What promise did Jesus give His disciples regarding His church?

“ ‘The gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.’ ” (Matthew 16:18, NKJV). “ ‘ “These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.” ’ ” (Revelation 17:14, NKJV).

What will happen in the last days of Earth’s history?

A church-state system will arise, spiritual Babylon, with a spiritual leader claiming to speak as God. (see 2 Thess. 2:4).

What was one of the reasons for ancient Babylon’s demise?

One of the reasons for ancient Babylon’s demise was its idolatry. Idolatry was at the heart of Babylonian worship.

What was the nature of Babylon?

we can see Babylon as the center of idolatry, the Babylonians believed that these images were representations of their deities. The pillaging or destruction of idols was considered to be a loss for the people of divine patronage.

How does spiritual Babylon parallel ancient Babylon?

Spiritual Babylon does parallel ancient Babylon with the images introduced into its worship service. These images were introduced in the fourth century and ‘are often given the sacredness and homage that belongs to God alone, which makes the whole thing spiritually degrading.’

In Conclusion,

Ancient Babylon is long gone, the Roman Catholic Church is fallen, and the warning to “ “Come out of Her” ” is an individual call, it includes members of the protestant faith. I pray that we allow the Holy Spirit to guide us to distinguish between truth and error as we live in this time of confusion in Jesus’ name.