Revelation: The Hope - The Great Prostitute

Modern Coast of Turkey

When I was six, we took a family trip to New Orleans.  My grandmother Lanier went with us, and I remember her face staring up at the tall buildings and bright lights, just as captivated by the sights as I.  Memaw Lanier was my partner for the trip and my partner for most of my life.

Memaw Lanier

At one point, I remember walking down Bourbon Street.  People stood outside the many bars and clubs and beckoned all to come inside and partake in the wonders of New Orleans.  At one particular point on the street, a woman in a gold fringe mini-skirt and nothing up top but pasties danced around a pole.  I was captivated.  I left my secure family unit and headed straight for the fascinating dancer.  Not much else about the trip sticks in my brain, but the details of her dance still live in there - the way her fringe sparkled and swung, the way she rubbed her body up and down the pole, the color of her hair and the mask she wore.

Bourbon Street New Orleans, Louisiana

Then smack - a hand clamped over my eyes and my image disappeared.  I still hear my memaw’s voice hollering about sin and wickedness and the need to get her baby off that street.  I remember writhing in her arms, twisting to be released from her grip.  I wanted to see more!  I wanted to dance!  

I think my memaw lived in mild fear I may end up back in New Orleans dancing on a pole.  I was not an easy child to raise, and I admit her concerns were probably valid.  She talked a lot to me about sin.  We watched The Old Time Gospel Hour with Jerry Falwell every week.  She really put in the time to burn the New Orleans out of me.  Man I miss that little spitfire of a woman!

The allure of Babylon - How the devil loves to tempt us with bright and shiny things! So much so that my mind, 50 years later, can recall all the bright and shiny of my New Orleans' experience.

So why does John choose to utilize the image of The Great Prostitute right after the triumphant singing of the Song of Moses?

Rahab rescues Joshua

Prostitutes make many appearances in the Bible.  Rahab the prostitute, mother of Boaz, is part of Jesus’ lineage. (Matthew 1:5)  But prostitution also functions symbolically in the Bible.  Frequently, people or a tribe of people “sell” themselves and allow the trappings of the world to overtake them.  Their behavior may be called prostitution - placing worldly idols above the Lord God. 

In Revelation 17:3-6, John introduces the Great Prostitute.  I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, adorned with gold, jewels, and pearls. She had a golden cup in her hand filled with everything detestable and with the impurities of her prostitution. On her forehead was written a name, a mystery: Babylon the Great, the Mother of Prostitutes and of the Detestable Things of the Earth. Then I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the witnesses to Jesus. When I saw her, I was greatly astonished. 

I’m sure John was astonished at this vision.  Here sits the Great Prostitute, adorned with all the riches of the earth and drunk with the blood of the saints.  She acts as the embodiment of all the indulgent, self-serving behavior present on the earth.  She represents all the wealth of the earth, all the power of the earth, and all the sin humanity commits.  Her appeal calls to all inhabitants of the earth. “Place your faith in me,” she cries out.  “Only my wealth and power can provide the security and peace you desire!”

There are obvious reasons that John uses a the image of a prostitute to make his point regarding the selfish nature of humanity.  He invites us to ask ourselves questions. How do I offer myself to the world? How do I use my gifts and talents for purposes that do not reflect the character of God?  Where does Babylon exist in me?

The angel explains to John, “The waters you saw, where the prostitute was seated, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and languages.”  Revelation 17:15.  In other words, no one is exempt from the gravity of the Great Prostitute.  Just as the Bourbon Street pole dancer pulled on my base nature like a magnet, every one of us feels the allure of Babylon in some way.  Maybe the desire for comfort and wealth? Maybe the desire for earthly security? Maybe the desire for earthly fame? Maybe the desire to avoid suffering? And who pursues these promises of the world? People, multitudes, nations, and languages.  I really think everyone understands the desire for Babylon.

The Promise of Wealth and Fun!

But what happens in this story?  What happens to Babylon, the Great Prostitute?

“It has fallen,  Babylon the Great has fallen!” Revelation 18:2

Take a minute to read Revelation 18.  God’s punishment for Babylon deserves some time to digest.  God takes seriously the debauchery of those who indulge in their selfish desires and the over pursuit of wealth and power.  I don’t believe God says that having money and certain earthly comforts is wrong; however, the main idea of Revelation 18 stresses how we view God versus how we view the world and all the riches it contains.  Does our pursuit of wealth and power override our trust and faith in God?  Does our pursuit of comfort and ease override our service to others? What do we engage with most, God or the things Babylon values?

The passage could not get more clear than Revelation 18:4.  “Come out of her, my people,

so that you will not share in her sins or receive any of her plagues.”

At some point, every person makes the choice whether they place their faith in God or place their faith in Babylon.  The kings, merchants, and shipmasters all mourn the fall of Babylon.  They cry out that their wealth has been destroyed.  In other words, the entire economic system of the world collapses.  All who gained wealth from their allegiance to Babylon cry out because “They threw dust on their heads and kept crying out, weeping, and mourning, Woe, woe, the great city, where all those who have ships on the sea became rich from her wealth; for in a single hour  she was destroyed.” Revelation 18:19  

Read that again.  How long does it take God to destroy all the economic gains of the entire earth?  One hour.  Let that sink in.  One hour.  

All the Wealth of the World - Gone in One Hour

So why does God so harshly punish and take away the economic prosperity of the earth?  Because when people pursue wealth and power, the earth, including people, becomes expendable.  “Cargo of gold, silver, jewels, and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk, and scarlet; all kinds of fragrant wood products; objects of ivory; objects of expensive wood, brass, iron, and marble; cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, and frankincense; wine, olive oil, fine flour, and grain; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and slaves—human lives.”  Revelation 18:12  The pursuit of Babylon means careless regard for God’s creation and his precious children who live here.  Babylon desires the elevation of self above all else, and it does not care how or at what cost that elevation occurs - only that personal desires thrive.  

At the end of the day, we must choose.  Do we pursue Babylon or do we ask God to remove Babylon from our hearts?  God is very clear that he honors our individual will, even if we chose poorly.   “For God has put it into their hearts to carry out his plan by having one purpose and to give their kingdom to the beast until the words of God are fulfilled.”  Revelation 17:17

Ask God today where Babylon has taken root in your life.  Ask Him to remove the desire for Babylon from your heart.  He is extremely clear that He will destroy all of what The Great Prostitute deems valuable in one hour.  God wants to hold power and authority in our lives.  God wants to provide our needs. God wants to provide our peace and security. And what does He ask in exchange? "Love Him with all our heart soul, mind and strength, and love our neighbor as ourselves." Matthew 22:37-40. This is worthy of pursuit.

Having “stuff “is not a sin.  What we do with that “stuff “, and how we treat others reflects the path we have chosen.  Are you pursuing to God?  Or Babylon? Be honest with yourself, because everything could be gone in an hour.