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“The Fall Of Religious Babylon” • 11.8.20 • Calvary Christian Fellowship, Sunday Morning Service
Intro.
- Chapter 16 brings us to the end of the information that we need to know about the Great Tribulation. The Battle of Armageddon will be the final defeat of a world that is hostile to God.
- Chapter 17 is yet another break away from the linear narrative. God wants us to know how He enacted judgment upon the Kingdom of the Beast.
- When we talk about the "Beast," we are talking both about the Man, the Antichrist, as well as the system that he rules over. It has two facets to it, one is economic, the other is religious.
- Together, this religious/economic system falls under the title "Babylon." Today, as we examine the content of chapter 17, we'll get a detailed view of the fall of "Religious Babylon."
- What are it's traits? How will it rise to power? How can it possibly fail? The answers await us in chapter 17! Verse 1.
Text
• Revelation 17:1,2 : "Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying to me, 'Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication.'" : An angel that has just dispensed a portion of the wrath of God, approaches John with the opportunity to get a privileged view of one of God's particular judgments.
- The angel is eager to present this information to the Apostle. He wants him to look upon the condemnation that has come upon the "great harlot" or "prostitute."
- Certainly, when one considers "harlotry" or "prostitution," one knows that you are not dealing with "traditional values." The heart of prostitution is to market pleasure for a price.
- When you combine that ethic in combination with religion, you can know for sure that judgment is coming! The angel says, "Let me show you how this system fell!"
- Religious Babylon will hold great influence over the post rapture world! It is a system which "sits on many waters." This is specifically spelled out for us in verse 15.
- "Peoples, multitudes, nations and tongues" represents a world wide consitutency among the citizenry of Earth. Her influence will not be simply among the people, but also among the Princes!
- This harlot will be a partner with the Kings of the Earth who will drink deeply of the wine that she offers them. They will commit their fornication with her.
- The context when speaking metaphorically of nations is spiritual adultery. The Kings are drunk with it, as are the settlers of this Earth.
- Essentially, the harlot has sold men on the idea that they can have some form of religion without actually having to please God.
- She will sell the ultimate elixir of religion, which is to reach God on our own terms!
- The people of this Earth, whether rich or poor, owe their allegiance and their lives to the God of the Universe, but have betrayed Him and ultimately worshipped themselves!
- At the time of the Great Tribulation, the world will have gone after the Antichrist and ultimately the Devil himself.
- This system will be responsible for intoxicating men into believing that this Earth is the home that they want to settle in! They will be aided in buying into the "World Dream" at this time!
- Just like their predecessors from Genesis 11, the world will dream of a place in the Universe where they can live apart from the moral and ethical standards of their Creator.
- They will be drunk with this idea. When you see that concept, understand that this is a matter of joy. They are drinking to this idea and have become overcome in their senses against God!
- This is why this great, significant harlot must be judged by God! She promotes an idea that fools mankind into believing that it can reach God, while simultaneously driving them away! Verse 3.
• Revelation 17:3-6 : "So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication. And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement." : The angel bore him off and took the Apostle for a ride and a spiritual vision.
- John had just been peering into the Holy Place of heaven and now, thanks to the angel, he's in the wilderness, a solitary and desolate place. What a strange place to find such this woman!
- The irony will soon be that this woman seems to have a palace, but she belongs in the desert! She promises wealth but leaves her adherants in abject poverty!
- Religion promises mankind that she will take them to heaven, but leaves them lost in the middle of nowhere!
- We noted earlier that this harlot sat upon many waters. This is influence and power. Here, John sees her sitting on a scarlet beast.
- She seemingly has control or at the least, is in a cooperative relationship to this Beast, which we can readily identity as the Antichrist. He is scarlet red because of his relationship to the Devil.
- Revelation 13:1 matches the description that we see here of the seven heads and ten horns. The Antichrist's whole existence will be centered upon blaspheming the Name of God!
- Religion and the Antichrist are united in their attempt to insult the reputation of God! Don't miss that! Religion takes the generic name of "God" and smears it with their own definitions.
- Because all of them are man made definitions, religion necessarily blasphemes God's character by imposing their false view of God upon their congregations.
- She won't be alone in his blasphemy. The Antichrist and a confederation of nations will follow her lead. That is what is represented by his heads and horns, according to verses 9 and 10.
- We'll get to specific details about those nations and locations in a moment. For now, understand that this is a very convenient and cooperative relationship.
- This religious system is fed by the nations, which might be surprising to you. You might be thinking that the rapture of the Church might have quelled religion.
- You'd only be right if you were thinking about true religion, ie., the relationship that God has forged with the people who have put their faith and trust in His Messiah Jesus!
- That will be the only "religion" that will NOT really be represented upon the Earth. Every other religion will go on and likely flourish in ways that one would hardly believe were possible!
- Think of what holds religion back today. The only thing that restrains any evil is the presence of the Holy Spirit, through the proclamation of the faithful church!
- Once these "intolerant" ones are out of the way, religion will finally be able to "Coexist!" All the other religions, because they are essentially united in their principle ethic, will pour in!
- Because they will be dedicated to being able to reach "god" like consciousness, they will work wonderfully together under this blasphemy! Thus, this harlot will be wildly successful!
- Look at how this harlot is dressed! She looks like a Queen! Scarlet and purple were very expensive materials to procure. Her everyday clothing is beyond compare!
- Gold, precious stones and pearls adorn her fingers and neck. She is the picture of opulence, but her vintage is dangerous!
- As with any royal member, she holds a chalice that she shares with her circle of friends.
- It is a brand mixed with idolatry and unclean, spiritually pornographic material. She is the Mother of everything foul and detestable religious practice upon the Earth!
- We don't have time to examine all of the connections that Babylon has to the false religions of this world, but her fingerprints are seen in many aspects of religious practice and symbology today!
- The world will revere her, but her reputation in heaven is that she is a dirty prostitute! She is an enemy of profound infamy.
- John reports that she is drunk with the blood of the saints and the martyr of Jesus! She revels in eliminating those that oppose her religion!
- The Queen of Tolerance is only intolerant of one thing and that is a Christian's intolerance of falsehood! The harlot will be responsible for mass murder and execution of the people of God.
- For the Apostle's part, he stared at her and "wondered, greatly wondering!" I prefer the NLT's rendering: "I stared at her in complete amazement!"
- John looks at something that doesn't make sense to him. He knows of a government system that ruthlessly cut down Christian lives, but a religious system?
- How could people who seem so pious and good be the people with the most avarice toward Christian people? How could that be possible?
- It's because this religious system will be run by goats covering their wickedness in a robe of religion, but who have no power to fend off their vile flesh! The angel will help to explain in verse 7.
• Revelation 17:7,8 : "But the angel said to me, 'Why did you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns. The beast that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition. And those who dwell on the earth will marvel, whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is." Perhaps the angel should just stick with feats of strength! Did that explanation help you!?
- You may wonder how a religious system could be so messed up, but you have to understand the connection of this religion to the Beast that carries her along.
- The beast is politically powerful. Seven heads will relate to his pedigree, the ten horns, his prominence. But then, it's the Beast's personality that will really be the clincher.
- Read this slowly with me: The beast that you saw was and is not. I hope that you remember our previous study of the Antichrist and the content of Revelation 13.
- Revelation 13:3 reveals that the Antichrist will be the victim of an assassination attempt. He will either survive what should kill a person, or he will be raised, resuscitated from an actual death.
- Many believe that he will seem to have been resurrected from death and they use this verse to justify that. He was, is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit!
- After he is "resurrected," he will be indwelt by the Devil himself and his end will be perdition or the state of being eternally lost! That will not dissuade men from gravitating toward this religion!
- He will be admired and have an instant audience among those that dwell on the Earth. They will continually marvel at him! Here is the great evil of religion!
- It will promote the worship of things that are of lesser value than Christ! Their attention will be away from the true Savior and onto this charlatan!
- Men will marvel at him, but fail to realize that in so doing, they will seal their fate! Their choice to worship him will reveal that they are not found in the Lamb's book of life! Verse 9
• Revelation 17:9-11 : "Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. There are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come. And when he comes, he must continue a short time. The beast that was, and is not, is himself also the eighth, and is of the seven, and is going to perdition." : Great! More explanation!! Our minds need wisdom and the angel is going to try to give us some of his.
- Remember that the scarlet colored beast, the Antichrist, had seven heads. These are seven mountains that form the seat that the woman sits upon.
- Many have sought to identify this "seven mountain" location with the "seven hills" of Rome. Rome WILL come into play but not here and not like you think.
- Prophetically, one can make a case that mountains refer to Kingdoms. Please turn in your Bibles to Daniel 2. This was the dream which changed Daniel's life.
- Nebuchadnezzar refused to share the dream that he had, opting instead to make his wise men both tell the dream and it's interpretation. After a night of prayer, Daniel received both.
• Daniel 2:31-35 : "You, O king, were watching; and behold, a great image! This great image, whose splendor was excellent, stood before you; and its form was awesome. This image’s head was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together, and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth." : The stone that struck the image became a great "mountain" or Kingdom, that filled the whole Earth, replacing the other Kingdoms.
- There are seven Kings of this kind of world dominating Kingdom. Many men have had great influence upon this earth, but haven't been world rulers. Only five have fallen at John's time.
- This refers to five world dominating empires that have passed off the scene: Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia and Greece. "One is." This refers to Rome, which ruled the world at John's time.
- "The other has not come." This brings us back to Nebuchadnezzar's dream. Babylon was the head of fine gold, Persia, the chest and arms of silver. Greece was the belly and thighs of bronze.
- Rome, as she stood in John's day, was the Roman Empire which never really lost it's place.
- In the sight of God, the next world dominating Empire will be the one which is made partly of iron and partly of clay! That will be a revived Roman Empire of sorts.
- It will be partly iron and partly clay. It won't have the same exact force of the old Empire.
- When the Antichrist comes on the scene, he will be a part of this seventh Empire and will become the 8th and final "Emperor" before the Lord comes to crush him and his Kingdom!
- The angel has explained and encapsulated all of Kingdom history in his response to John. I'd recommend you go back and read all of Daniel 2. For now, let's get back to the angel. Verse 12.
• Revelation 17:12-14 : "The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have
received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast. These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.'" : The ten horns represent a confederation of Kings that at John's time, did not yet exist and may or may not exist in our time. Some believe this to be the European Union.
- Whoever they are, these will have authority in the final hour with the Antichrist. They will have a collective resolve and will be united in their purpose together. What will be their purpose?
- Together, they will rule the world and will choose to make war with the little Lamb! Doesn't that sound scary? The Antichrist will be armed to the teeth against the little Lamb!
- It seems like an epic mismatch of cosmic proportions and let me assure you, it is!
- "And the little Lamb will overcome them!" He will be victorious! It will be just as simple to effect as it is to say it! They will try to unseat Him, but it will be fruitless! Why?
- "For." This is the reason that they cannot win: On account of the fact that Jesus is the Lord of Lords and King of Kings! His description is His definition and the reason for His domination!
- When I read of verses like this, I always think of the words of King David in Psalm 2.
• Psalm 2:1-4 : "Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, 'Let us break Their bonds in pieces and cast away Their cords from us.' He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The Lord shall hold them in derision." : When Jesus interrupts the Battle of Armageddon, the Nations will see the King of Kings and the faces of people they've seen before!
- The Lord will be coming WITH His people! Those that He chose from before the foundation of the World, who had proven themselves faithful until the end of their lives!
- Some will be coming with their Lord who had just "left" the Earth after their execution!
- The Antichrist's administration will have to face Christ and the ones that they thought they defeated! Those who remain loyal to Christ will truly be victorious over the Beast!
- I mentioned last week that the saints were victorious over the Beast because they stood in heaven, unharmed. That is only part of the truth because they will stand victorious over him on Earth!
- All this is important, but, don't you wonder what happened with the religious system? Why is it that they are not mentioned as being defeated with the nations at Armageddon? Verse 15.
• Revelation 17:15-18 : " Then he said to me, 'The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues. And the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire. 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 fulfilled. And the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth.'" : The harlot will have an enormous following that the ten nations will be unable to ignore, but their unity with her will not issue from love for her.
- In fact, the ten nation confederation will hate the harlot and will move to destroy her at the first opportunity! This is why she isn't in the picture at the end. When will she be deposed?
- Remember when we talked about the "Abomination of Desolation?" At the mid point of the Tribulation, when the Antichrist declares himself to be "god," all other religion will be wiped out!
- The nations will use that event to strip her of her treasures and devour her. The Kings of the Earth will happily burn her to the ground!
- The "All Love, All Tolerance, All Paths Lead To Heaven" religion will be annhilated. It will have run it's course and served it's purpose. She will be betrayed by her closest friends!
- These people will have believed that their lives were safe because they took every exclusive claim out of their equation. In attempting to save their lives, they will have lost them!
- In the end, they will be as worthless to the Antichrist as they are to people who seek refuge in them! The Beast and his followers only have loyalty to themselves!
- When you link yourself to something less than God, you are vulnerable to being devastated!
- Where will their hostility come from? It will come from God Himself! God set their hearts to bring His purpose to an end. He will unite their hearts to hate the religious system.
- In this way, He will use them as He once used Babylon the nation to judge idolatrous Judah!
- Then, He will unite their minds to surrender their authority to the beast so that His every wish will be fulfilled! Babylon, the woman who rides the beast will reign over the Kings of the Earth.
- You'll notice here that she will rule from "that great city which reigns over the Kings of the Earth." At John's time, that was Rome.
- This is why many evangelicals have believed that Roman Catholicism will lead the way for "One World Religion" to flourish in the end times. I'm not denying that there may be a connection.
- But the real criminal in all of this is man centered religion! That has been the enemy of God since the beginning! Think of Cain's beautiful bouquet and Abel's slaughtered lamb!
- Think of the men of Babel seeking to build a waterproof tower that raised men to heaven!
- Think of every religion that has promised fulfillment and peace through constant works of appeasement toward God.
- This end time religion might be centered in Rome and may include leaders from it's current church, but it will be far more broad and inclusive than that!
- In the beginning of religion, God refused to look upon it and recognize it in Cain's offering. At the end, God will use political power and force to destroy it upon the world stage forever!
- The only "religion" that God respects is built around a humble trust and belief in His Savior Jesus Christ, who took our sins upon Himself and satisfied the wrath of God eternally.
- May we be sure that we are found safe in Jesus Christ from this day to eternity!
Conclusion
- Let's pray!
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