Those who marvel at him, are those who have believed the lie of satan through the anti christ, and they have come now to the place of worshipping the beast.
The mind that has wisdom takes what's said here in this chapter and understands that God is describing a false and ungodly religious system, that will have global effect, and is in direct league with the anti christ.
Harlotry, fornication and such, are used in the Bible to describe spiritual defection from the true and the living God. It's when people leave the truth of Christ, and give heed to doctrines of demons, departing from the Bible etc, etc.
Satan has been at work, even before the world began, dividing through deception, and drawing angels away from God and into darkness. He has worked through men down through time to accomplish his jealously driven goals, and will find his ultimate pleasure and hope in the revelation of the anti christ and the anti christ's affirmation of this spiritual defection.
What will this spiritual Babylon actually be, and where is it centered, and who is also supported by etc, etc?
Great questions. It has been proposed by some that perhaps there will be some general agreement to let all religions live in peace and harmony, ( to the exclusion of the truth as it is in Jesus Christ, that is Christianity in it's true Biblical form ) being outlawed.
So, perhaps Spiritual Babylon is not one religion, as much as it is one agreement by many religions to tolerate and appreciate one another's beliefs. But, all coming together in league with the anti christ.
I really don't know. But, there is going to be this global unity of spiritual thought and belief in concert with anti christ.
And, there will be it's destruction by God. It will come to a crashing end.
Satan's hopes and plans will fail under the hand of God's judgment.
The next chapter deals with commercial babylon. And we will see it coming to and end also. We see the world this very day and in this very period of time teetering on the edge of disaster right before our very eyes. Security is no longer a reality. But, worry and stress have replaced the financial peace and prosperity that man has known.
Finally, it is interesting to see that God will once again accomplish his purposes through men, by putting His will into their hearts and then let them do what they will do.
17:17 tells us this truth.
"For God has put it into their hearts to fulfill His purpose, to be of one mind and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are full filed"
God is the potter, and God will superintend the affairs of this world, all the way through till Jesus comes to rule upon the earth, and beyond into eternity, just as He has from eternity past.
One thought I've been encouraged with, is that I can say to God, "here's my heart Lord, and will You please shape and mold it according to Your will, and guide me to do Your will, and give me understanding of Your Words and of Your way, and Your will"
God take a heart and works in it.
May He take our hearts and work in them.
May it be at the end of our lives, that it can be said, "God was at work in that man or woman's heart"
Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia
