17:1
We have just had the final seven bowls, the completion of God’s wrath. Now we get a close-up of the effect on “the great prostitute”. There are some who see Babylon as being Jerusalem, this is part of “replacement theology”. This is complete nonsense, and unbiblical nonsense. God is not afraid to call out the sins of Israel, He is not afraid to judge Israel, and Jerusalem in particular, for her sins, but the end goal is always the redemption of Israel. The church is not a replacement for Israel, rather Israel and the church will be united in Christ. At the same time it is important to note that Israel will be saved through faith in Christ in the same way that you and I are saved through faith in Christ. Rome is a type of Babylon. I.e. Babylon represents the embodiment of evil in the world system, with Rome being an example of this, but not the full embodiment. The Roman Empire was the dominant power at the time. Today you can see elements of Babylon in America (this is not to say the US is totally evil!). America is the dominant power in the world, though currently its power may be on the wane, possibly to be overtaken by China (that could equally be seen as having elements of Babylon). So it is the general principles that are the most important. Her sitting by many waters indicates her influence on many nations.
17:2
The kings of the earth committed adultery with her. I,e they went along with Rome for political and/or economic gain, as do many nations with America and China. They were intoxicated by her adulteries. America was founded on broadly Christian values, as was Great Britain. Both countries are now rapidly rejecting Christian values as fast as they can, and seek to export ungodliness to other nations. Abortion and LGBTQ stuff are perhaps the clearest examples of this.
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