An angel tells John to come and see the punishment of the great prostitute who committed adultery with the kings of the earth.
3a) The angel will show John the punishment of the great prostitute.
b) The woman influenced the kings and inhabitants of the earth (usually unbelievers).
4) The adultery is putting the woman before God and bowing down and worshiping her. Adultery here is synonymous with adultery.
5) Good question. I’d say no public figure. I’m just not influenced by them. I can be distracted by social media and other activities and hobbies rather than devotion to God mainly because I’m just lazy and it’s easy.
We must always be wary of putting things above God.
We’ve already seen Babylon’s fall. Now, in Revelation 17 and 18, we’ll see the fall of Babylon in detail.
Fun Fact: Babylon is mentioned in the Bible 287 times. This is more than any other city except Jerusalem. So, you can see it’s importance.
Babylon was one of the first ancient civilizations. It had one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, which was supposed to be very beautiful. Babylon was used by God to punish Judah’s sins. They carried off God’s people into captivity.
Babylon is often used in the Bible as a symbol of idolatry, a lifestyle of sin, blasphemy, and an entity that persecutes God’s people.
The prostitute rules over many nations. The waters are most likely the Euphrates River, where Babylon sat. Her power can make kings and others drunk.
Marriage metaphors are popular in the Bible, especially in the Old Testament, where God’s relationship with mankind is described as such.
The prostitute represents sin and the allure of sin.
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