Babylon the Great is NOT the world empire of false religion, the Watchtower is using only chapter 17 of Revelation to arrive to its conclusion but totally disregards chapter 18, where Babylon the Great is clearly portrayed as a REAL city. Like Babylon of old was a city having dominion over the Babylonian Empire so will Babylon the Great has dominion over the whole world , it is the End Times capital of the world.
What other alternatives for the meaning of Babylon the Great ?
by enoughisenough 16 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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smiddy3
In my time as a JW, 32 years and the amount of articles lambasting ,critisizing ,heaping crap on the Roman Catholic Church every chance they had ,didn`t they at one stage say the RCC were the most promiminent part of the counterfeit kingdom of God on earth in Christendom ?
Wouldn`t that constitute them being Babylon The Great ? According to the WT?
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BoogerMan
Revelation 17:5 - “The name written on her forehead was a mystery: Babylon the great, the mother of prostitutes and of the abominations of the earth.”
'She' is the mother of the prostitutes, i.e. the worst of the world's religious entities - Christendom.
Revelation 18:4 - “Then I heard another voice from heaven say: “ ‘Come out of her, my people,’ so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues.”
God's people are Christians - believers in His son. Christendom has/is perverting & corrupting Christianity.
1 Peter 4:17 - “For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God.” (Hebrews 3:6)
Revelation chapters 2 & 3 elaborate.
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Jeffro
'Babylon the Great' as used in Revelation was Rome, that is ancient Rome during the first (and early second) century. The Roman Empire, administered from the city of Rome, ruled over its various client kingdoms, one of which was Judea, each with its own king. The Greek word used for "kings" (basileus, βασιλεύς, Strong’s G935) at Revelation 17:2 is the same word for "king" (Herod) at Matthew 2:3 and Mark 6:14. Revelation 17:18 quite accurately describes “Babylon the Great” (that is, Rome) as a city with a kingdom over other kings. (Hence, the JW 'reasoning' that 'Babylon the Great cannot be a political power because it engages with other kings' is an obvious lie.)
Other attempts at saying "Babylon the Great" represents anything else are simply attempting to make it sound relevant, almost always to generate interest in a particular religious denomination.
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Bartolomeo
Good argument!
I believe that BTG is an entity that has played multiple roles over time, and I am of the opinion that it can currently be related to Big Pharma:
- exercises its power over governments
- commits immorality with national authorities
- she lives in the most extreme luxury and corrupts others with her wealth
- Rev. 18:23 says "...and by your spiritistic practices all the nations were misled" - spiritistic practices in the original greek is "pharmakeia" which literally means "the use of medicines, drugs"
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Jeffro
🤦♂️
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Elle2
@Vanderhoven7
I'm from the Netherlands and was disfellowshipped almost 40 years ago because of apostacy from the teachings of the GB brothers..... Now I am a free-christian also almost 40 years. I'm 78 years old and a man, widowed 4 years ago. Greetings to all the members of this Discussion-Forum.
You wrote: I believe Babylon is the great city where Christ was crucified which presupposes an early date for the writing of Revelation.
I believe that too. But that doesn't mean that I am a full-preterist :) .In Rev. 18:24 I read that in BdG was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all who have been slaughtered on earth (or in the land). I see in Mat. 23:27-38; Luke 11:47-51 together with Rev. 6:9-11 and 17:6 together with Rev. 18:20 things which are alike and have to do with the martyrs, just as in Rev. 11:7-8 and context, the Two Witnesses who were also killed in the great city that is spiritualy called Sodom and Egypt in the Old Testament. The two witnesses were justified. Their message was/is fulfilled.....
I think that the Two Witnesses in Rev. 11 are a figure of the Law and the Prophets which were prophesying 1260 days (3 1/2 year) in sackcloth against the great city Jerusalem where their Lord (Jesus) and also John the Baptist were killed.
Jesus was also called a prophet just like John the Baptist who was called by Jesus Eliah who would come before the great and terrible day of Jahweh, Mal. 4:1, 5, that day also in Rev. 6:16 and context, the days of vengeance as a fulfillment of al that is written in the Law and the Prophets (Luke 21:22 ,20-24). John the Baptist was also, just as Jesus, both named in a prophetic way in the Law or in the Prophets and called people to repent (Luke 3:15-17).
John the Baptist and Jesus both were killed in Jerurusalem. BTW, Jerusalem had also seven hills, just as Rome and some other cities. Rome was used to punish and destroy Jerusalem and their temple in 70 AD.
I am aware that there are some other explanations, and that my explanation is just one of them......
And yes, I think too that the Revelation was written before 70 AD. I know that this is also explained differently.....
My two cents.....
Elle2