This week’s lesson contrasts two religious systems, symbolized by the woman in white, in Revelation 12, and the woman in scarlet, in Revelation 17. The contrast reveals the difference between these two systems. The first system is based on the Word of God, with Jesus Christ at its center. The second system is based on human reasoning, with human religious leaders at its center. The contrast is between truth and error, salvation by grace and salvation by works, obedience to God’s commands and submission to human decrees.
Further, we will identify the characteristics of spiritual Babylon. Revelation 17 describes Babylon as a harlot who has left her true love, Jesus Christ. She rides on a scarlet-colored beast, representing her political power. Rather than deriving her authority and power from Jesus and His Word, Babylon derives them from the kingdoms of this world. She administers a wine cup full of strange doctrines. Just as literal wine affects conscience, reason, and judgment, false doctrine affects our thinking so that we cannot clearly discern Bible truth.
In our exploration of the spiritual characteristics of Babylon, we shall focus on two characteristics specifically. The first characteristic is Babylon’s dependence on human wisdom and on human leaders to ascertain divine truth. Jesus said, “ ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me’ ” (John 14:6, NKJV). Jesus is the originator of all truth. Any truth that comes through human religious leaders must first originate in God’s Word. The second characteristic that we will study this week is that spiritual Babylon is the center of all idolatry. In the Old Testament, idols were common in Babylonian worship. But Jesus calls us to worship Him directly, not through an idol as a substitute for Him. This week we will discover Jesus anew, as the supreme Leader of His church.
Part II: Commentary
Revelation 12:17, one of the principal passages in our study this week, speaks of “the remnant” (KJV) or “the rest of her offspring” (NKJV). The concept of the remnant is found throughout Scripture. It is drawn especially from the Old Testament. There are three Hebrew words that are used for the “remnant.” Each of these words has its own shade of meaning. They can be literally translated as “what escapes,” “those who escape,” “what remains,” “the remnant,” “to be left over,” or “to remain.”
Let us now briefly consider a few examples of the use of this word in the Old Testament. Joseph’s family, preserved under his care in Egypt, are spoken of as a “posterity,” literally translated as “remnant.” Elijah cried out to God that he was the only one left faithful. Again, the word for “remnant” is used here. The Lord promised to leave a faithful remnant in Babylon to remember God and honor His name after the captivity. The SDA Bible Commentary describes the concept of the remnant in the Old Testament in these words: “The ‘remnant’ of OT times is thus composed of successive generations of Israelites—God’s chosen people. Again and again the majority apostatized, but each time there was a faithful ‘remnant’ that became exclusive heirs to the sacred promises, privileges, and responsibilities of the covenant originally made with Abraham and confirmed at Sinai. This ‘remnant’ was the formally appointed group to which God purposed to send the Messiah and through which He proposed to evangelize the heathen; it did not consist of scattered individuals as such, however faithful they might be, but was a corporate entity, God’s visible, divinely commissioned organization on earth.”—“Additional Note on Chapter 12,” The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 7, p. 814.
Revelation’s last-day remnant escapes from the spiritual apostasy of this world, remains faithful to God, does not compromise Bible truth, and clings to Jesus in earth’s final crisis. According to Revelation 12:17, “The dragon [Satan] was wroth [angry] with the woman [the church], and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Here John reveals that the final conflict between Christ and Satan revolves around loyalty to Christ and obedience to His law. Revelation 13 outlines how this conflict intensifies, exposing Satan’s strategy. The beast from the sea and the beast from the land join forces with the dragon to destroy God’s people. Revelation 14 unfolds God’s final message in this cosmic controversy between good and evil. Once again, this message concludes with God’s faith-filled remnant people keeping His commandments (Rev. 14:12).
The Mystery of Babylon Revealed
In contrast to Revelation 12’s woman in white, a symbol of God’s true church on earth, John describes in Revelation 17 a woman arrayed in purple and scarlet, riding on a scarlet-colored beast. This woman, symbolic of a church-state union, has a name inscribed on her forehead: “Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots.” Ellen G. White writes, “In Revelation 14 the first angel is followed by a second proclaiming: ‘Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.’ Revelation 14:8. The term ‘Babylon’ is derived from ‘Babel,’ and signifies confusion. It is employed in Scripture to designate the various forms of false or apostate religion. In Revelation 17, Babylon is represented as a woman—a figure which is used in the Bible as the symbol of a church, a virtuous woman representing a pure church, a vile woman an apostate church.”—The Great Controversy, p. 381.
Throughout Scripture, Babylon represents the oppressor of God’s people. Babylon is the citadel of error, the center of apostasy. It stands for rebellion against God and disobedience to the divine commands. God’s judgments on Old Testament Babylon represent His final judgments upon the world. For an end-time people, the story of Babylon’s fall is instructive. You will recall that Babylon attacked Jerusalem and forced many of the leading young men into captivity, including Daniel. Cyrus, the king of the East, eventually attacked Babylon and freed the Jewish captives and allowed them to return to Jerusalem and worship the true God.
Once again, at the time of the end, God’s people will be afflicted and persecuted by a religious oppressor called Babylon the Great (Rev. 17:5). The book of Revelation predicts that at a time of social chaos, political crisis, natural disasters, and economic collapse, Jesus will return to triumph over the oppressive powers of the world and liberate His people. He will reign eternally. He will establish His throne securely in the universe forever. In the battle for the throne, He will be the victor. His people will journey with Him through limitless space to worship in the New Jerusalem.
A Contrast Between Revelation’s Two Women
● The pure woman, in Revelation 12, is clothed with the sun. She is adorned with the glory of Christ’s righteousness.
The impure woman, in Revelation 17, is dressed in purple and scarlet garments. She is adorned with human falsehood and tradition.
● The pure woman has a garland of stars on her head. She is guided by the teachings of the apostles in her mission.
The impure woman is adorned with gold, precious stones, and pearls. She depends on her lavish wealth and outward adorning to impress and attract her followers.
● The pure woman stands on the moon. She derives her power from the prophetic Word.
The impure woman sits on a scarlet beast. She derives her power from the state, or the political powers of the earth.
A Human Leader, or a Divine Head?
When King Nebuchadnezzar sat in his temple on his royal throne, he spoke as a god. His commands were, supposedly, the voice of a god. Once again, in the last days, a church-state system (called spiritual Babylon), whose spiritual leader will claim to speak as God, will arise. His authority will be declared to be the very word of God. The apostle Paul exposes this power in these words: “Who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God” (2 Thess. 2:4, NKJV). Spiritual Babylon’s leader would claim that his word had the authority of the very God of heaven. The papal power fits this description.
Babylon Was the Center of Idolatry.
Babylon was the center of image worship. Christ invites us to come directly to Him. Images limit the ability of the Holy Spirit to impress upon our minds the things of eternity. Images are often accorded the sacredness and homage that belongs to God alone. We do not need to come to Jesus through the image of a saint. Jesus is our intercessor, our great High Priest.
Further, “Babylon” also encompasses all apostate religious powers that have drifted from the clear teachings of God’s Word.
Part III: Life Application
This week’s lesson study is more than a theoretical discourse on the identity of the true church and of Satan’s strategy to destroy the people of God. There are at least three very practical lessons for your students to consider:
1. Jesus and His Word are our only safeguards in the coming crisis. We must be anchored in Jesus and the Scriptures. Jesus and His Word are our sure defense, our impregnable place of refuge, and our security in the coming crisis. This understanding leads to vitally important questions: Is my life totally anchored in Christ? How can I know for sure? Do I depend on Him in the daily decisions of life? If not, why not? Have I set my affections on things above, not on things on earth (Col. 3:1, 2)? What can I do to shift my priorities if they are not what, or where, they should be?
2. For sure, our safeguard in the coming crisis is to saturate our minds with God’s Word. We are told that in the final crisis: “So closely will the counterfeit resemble the true that it will be impossible to distinguish between them except by the Holy Scriptures. By their testimony every statement and every miracle must be tested.”—Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p. 593. An important question is simply this: “Am I daily filling my mind with the Word of God and earnestly seeking the guidance of His Holy Spirit?” Think of ways to spend more time in the Word each day. How can sharing with others what you learn from God’s Word help you to strengthen both your understanding of God’s will and your commitment to study His Word more deeply?
3. In preparation for the coming crisis, we must recognize that Babylon is fallen and that Christ’s church will triumph in the end. Anchored in Christ, our minds filled with His Word, the remnant church most assuredly will triumph at last. What wonderful hope does this thought give you in light of the trials ahead?
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This week’s lesson contrasts two religious systems, symbolized by the woman in white, in Revelation 12, and the woman in scarlet, in Revelation 17. The contrast reveals the difference between these two systems. The first system is based on the Word of God, with Jesus Christ at its center. The second system is based on human reasoning, with human religious leaders at its center. The contrast is between truth and error, salvation by grace and salvation by works, obedience to God’s commands and submission to human decrees.
Further, we will identify the characteristics of spiritual Babylon. Revelation 17 describes Babylon as a harlot who has left her true love, Jesus Christ. She rides on a scarlet-colored beast, representing her political power. Rather than deriving her authority and power from Jesus and His Word, Babylon derives them from the kingdoms of this world. She administers a wine cup full of strange doctrines. Just as literal wine affects conscience, reason, and judgment, false doctrine affects our thinking so that we cannot clearly discern Bible truth.
In our exploration of the spiritual characteristics of Babylon, we shall focus on two characteristics specifically. The first characteristic is Babylon’s dependence on human wisdom and on human leaders to ascertain divine truth. Jesus said, “ ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me’ ” (John 14:6, NKJV). Jesus is the originator of all truth. Any truth that comes through human religious leaders must first originate in God’s Word. The second characteristic that we will study this week is that spiritual Babylon is the center of all idolatry. In the Old Testament, idols were common in Babylonian worship. But Jesus calls us to worship Him directly, not through an idol as a substitute for Him. This week we will discover Jesus anew, as the supreme Leader of His church.
Part II: Commentary
Revelation 12:17, one of the principal passages in our study this week, speaks of “the remnant” (KJV) or “the rest of her offspring” (NKJV). The concept of the remnant is found throughout Scripture. It is drawn especially from the Old Testament. There are three Hebrew words that are used for the “remnant.” Each of these words has its own shade of meaning. They can be literally translated as “what escapes,” “those who escape,” “what remains,” “the remnant,” “to be left over,” or “to remain.”
Let us now briefly consider a few examples of the use of this word in the Old Testament. Joseph’s family, preserved under his care in Egypt, are spoken of as a “posterity,” literally translated as “remnant.” Elijah cried out to God that he was the only one left faithful. Again, the word for “remnant” is used here. The Lord promised to leave a faithful remnant in Babylon to remember God and honor His name after the captivity. The SDA Bible Commentary describes the concept of the remnant in the Old Testament in these words: “The ‘remnant’ of OT times is thus composed of successive generations of Israelites—God’s chosen people. Again and again the majority apostatized, but each time there was a faithful ‘remnant’ that became exclusive heirs to the sacred promises, privileges, and responsibilities of the covenant originally made with Abraham and confirmed at Sinai. This ‘remnant’ was the formally appointed group to which God purposed to send the Messiah and through which He proposed to evangelize the heathen; it did not consist of scattered individuals as such, however faithful they might be, but was a corporate entity, God’s visible, divinely commissioned organization on earth.”—“Additional Note on Chapter 12,” The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 7, p. 814.
Revelation’s last-day remnant escapes from the spiritual apostasy of this world, remains faithful to God, does not compromise Bible truth, and clings to Jesus in earth’s final crisis. According to Revelation 12:17, “The dragon [Satan] was wroth [angry] with the woman [the church], and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Here John reveals that the final conflict between Christ and Satan revolves around loyalty to Christ and obedience to His law. Revelation 13 outlines how this conflict intensifies, exposing Satan’s strategy. The beast from the sea and the beast from the land join forces with the dragon to destroy God’s people. Revelation 14 unfolds God’s final message in this cosmic controversy between good and evil. Once again, this message concludes with God’s faith-filled remnant people keeping His commandments (Rev. 14:12).
The Mystery of Babylon Revealed
In contrast to Revelation 12’s woman in white, a symbol of God’s true church on earth, John describes in Revelation 17 a woman arrayed in purple and scarlet, riding on a scarlet-colored beast. This woman, symbolic of a church-state union, has a name inscribed on her forehead: “Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots.” Ellen G. White writes, “In Revelation 14 the first angel is followed by a second proclaiming: ‘Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.’ Revelation 14:8. The term ‘Babylon’ is derived from ‘Babel,’ and signifies confusion. It is employed in Scripture to designate the various forms of false or apostate religion. In Revelation 17, Babylon is represented as a woman—a figure which is used in the Bible as the symbol of a church, a virtuous woman representing a pure church, a vile woman an apostate church.”—The Great Controversy, p. 381.
Throughout Scripture, Babylon represents the oppressor of God’s people. Babylon is the citadel of error, the center of apostasy. It stands for rebellion against God and disobedience to the divine commands. God’s judgments on Old Testament Babylon represent His final judgments upon the world. For an end-time people, the story of Babylon’s fall is instructive. You will recall that Babylon attacked Jerusalem and forced many of the leading young men into captivity, including Daniel. Cyrus, the king of the East, eventually attacked Babylon and freed the Jewish captives and allowed them to return to Jerusalem and worship the true God.
Once again, at the time of the end, God’s people will be afflicted and persecuted by a religious oppressor called Babylon the Great (Rev. 17:5). The book of Revelation predicts that at a time of social chaos, political crisis, natural disasters, and economic collapse, Jesus will return to triumph over the oppressive powers of the world and liberate His people. He will reign eternally. He will establish His throne securely in the universe forever. In the battle for the throne, He will be the victor. His people will journey with Him through limitless space to worship in the New Jerusalem.
A Contrast Between Revelation’s Two Women
● The pure woman, in Revelation 12, is clothed with the sun. She is adorned with the glory of Christ’s righteousness.
The impure woman, in Revelation 17, is dressed in purple and scarlet garments. She is adorned with human falsehood and tradition.
● The pure woman has a garland of stars on her head. She is guided by the teachings of the apostles in her mission.
The impure woman is adorned with gold, precious stones, and pearls. She depends on her lavish wealth and outward adorning to impress and attract her followers.
● The pure woman stands on the moon. She derives her power from the prophetic Word.
The impure woman sits on a scarlet beast. She derives her power from the state, or the political powers of the earth.
A Human Leader, or a Divine Head?
When King Nebuchadnezzar sat in his temple on his royal throne, he spoke as a god. His commands were, supposedly, the voice of a god. Once again, in the last days, a church-state system (called spiritual Babylon), whose spiritual leader will claim to speak as God, will arise. His authority will be declared to be the very word of God. The apostle Paul exposes this power in these words: “Who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God” (2 Thess. 2:4, NKJV). Spiritual Babylon’s leader would claim that his word had the authority of the very God of heaven. The papal power fits this description.
Babylon Was the Center of Idolatry.
Babylon was the center of image worship. Christ invites us to come directly to Him. Images limit the ability of the Holy Spirit to impress upon our minds the things of eternity. Images are often accorded the sacredness and homage that belongs to God alone. We do not need to come to Jesus through the image of a saint. Jesus is our intercessor, our great High Priest.
Further, “Babylon” also encompasses all apostate religious powers that have drifted from the clear teachings of God’s Word.
Part III: Life Application
This week’s lesson study is more than a theoretical discourse on the identity of the true church and of Satan’s strategy to destroy the people of God. There are at least three very practical lessons for your students to consider:
1. Jesus and His Word are our only safeguards in the coming crisis. We must be anchored in Jesus and the Scriptures. Jesus and His Word are our sure defense, our impregnable place of refuge, and our security in the coming crisis. This understanding leads to vitally important questions: Is my life totally anchored in Christ? How can I know for sure? Do I depend on Him in the daily decisions of life? If not, why not? Have I set my affections on things above, not on things on earth (Col. 3:1, 2)? What can I do to shift my priorities if they are not what, or where, they should be?
2. For sure, our safeguard in the coming crisis is to saturate our minds with God’s Word. We are told that in the final crisis: “So closely will the counterfeit resemble the true that it will be impossible to distinguish between them except by the Holy Scriptures. By their testimony every statement and every miracle must be tested.”—Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p. 593. An important question is simply this: “Am I daily filling my mind with the Word of God and earnestly seeking the guidance of His Holy Spirit?” Think of ways to spend more time in the Word each day. How can sharing with others what you learn from God’s Word help you to strengthen both your understanding of God’s will and your commitment to study His Word more deeply?
3. In preparation for the coming crisis, we must recognize that Babylon is fallen and that Christ’s church will triumph in the end. Anchored in Christ, our minds filled with His Word, the remnant church most assuredly will triumph at last. What wonderful hope does this thought give you in light of the trials ahead?