Intro: We have seen in our study of the Book of Rev how in the last days during the Trib. The AntiChrist is going to set up a Kingdom
A)
A Kingdom that is
going to be Characterized by two things : A Political & Economic
system that will consist of a 10 Nation Confed.
B)
And a Religious system that is going to be led by a Man
Known as here in Rev. as the False Prophet
1)
He is going to use signs, wonders & Miracles to help the AntiChrist
gain World Wide
ACCEPTANCE
A) In the name of Religion he
is going to seek to APPEAL to all those
people who are left on the Earth who are into Spiritual things
Now we talked about
how there is a growing interest in Religion today in Spiritual issues / Books
Angels / after life / Movies Spiritual theme
A) In fact the Problem here in
America & in other places is not that People are not interested in
Spiritual things but that they are not interested in truth
I Tim. 4 1Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will
depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of
demons, 2speaking lies in hypocrisy,
2Tim. 4:3 For the time will come
when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires,
because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4and
they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.
B) Paul says the day is coming when people will be interested in
Spiritual things but not interested in the Truth !!!
1) I think that day has arrived !!!!
C) What is the Popular Message today? Not truth but TOLERANCE
D) Which basically means that we are supposed to Tolerate everything
1)
That is the Message that I believe is going to be
employed to an even greater Degree in the Last days
C) So that this False religious system that is going to be set into Place is going to be a MIXED BAG of the Religions of the World
1) All under the Banner of Unity, togetherness & One World
Theme Song . We are the World
So the Kingdom that
the AntiChrist sets up is going to have both a Religious side to it & a
Political side to it .
A) Ch.
17 & 18 of the Book of Revelation gives us insights into Both of these
features read
v.1-6
B)
Now Ch.17
is divided into two sections :
1)
In v.1-6 we have the
Vision of Mystery Babylon and in v.7-18 we are given some Insights &
Interpretation into the Vision
A)
Lets Start w/ the
Vision : In v.s 1-6 we are given a VIVID description
of this False religious System that is set into to Place . Note 6 things
1st She is Called Mystery Babylon Mother of Harlots : Why ?
A) Understand that when Babylon is referred to in the Book of Rev. it is speaking of a System / not Necessarily a Place / But why Babylon?
B) The Origin of Ancient Babylon Started way back in the book of Gen at the Tower of Babel
1)
The Building Project
was headed up by a man named Nimrod name means WE WILL REVOLT
A)
Nimrod was Described
as a Mighty Hunter of mens souls in defiance to the Lord
B) Nimrod Became the
first Dictator / he decided to engage in a Building Project that was going to
reach up to the Heavens
1)
In one sense they were
building an Astrological Observatory
It was
there are Babel that men started to look to the Stars to discover ones destiny
A) In fact many centuries later in Isa.47:9 the Lord was Pronouncing Judgement upon Babylon He declared that :
That the nation was being Judged because of the Multitude of
her Sorceries & the Abundance of her enchantments which she had labored in
from her youth or her inception
B) You
recall that when King Neb. Had his dream & he couldnt figure out what it
meant so he called for the magicians, the
astrologers, the soothsayers
C)The Magicians
practiced Black magic/
1)
the soothsayers were specialist at Seances ,
making people miraculously appear by calling the spirits of the dead
D)
And Demons would impersonate the Dead person being summoned
A) Now These are practices that are still taking place today however the Soothsayers are called CHANNELERS
1)
All a part of the
Babylonian Practices that have been revisited
Now some would say
that only a bunch of fools would believe
in that Stuff.
A) But
apparently they are WELL EDUCATED FOOLS
B)
A Recent article
Stated that New-agers represent the most Affluent,
well Educated &
Successful segment of the Baby Boomer Generation
1)
95% of the readers of
the Newage Journal are College Educated
( The Fool is right in his own
eyes)
A) Corporations today spend an estimated 4 Billion Dollars a
Yr. On New age consultants
1)
One man who was doing
research on this subject went to a New age Convention & was listening to
one of the Featured speakers
A)
He summed up the
Speakers Lecture w/ this Quote : It all started in Babylon Folks
The
tower of Babel was man at his best unified & trying to reach out to God
but the problem was it was on Mans own terms
A) Man was so
proud of his Great accomplishments & Technological advances we will build a
tower that will reach to the heavens
B)
What is interesting is
the Phrase the
Lord came down to look at what man had done is really a humorous expression
1)
In the Original
language it means that God had to really stoop down to see this great tower
A)
Like when you lose a Contact you have to get on
your hands & knees to find it/ to see it ( that
is the idea there)
1)
That is how
ridiculous the Tower of Babel appeared to God
Man said We are going to build a tower that is going
to reach into the heavens / we are going to build our own religion / do our own
thing
A) We are so sophisticated / so cutting edge
watch out God there is a new Kid in town
B)
God responds here let me get
down on my hands & knees so that I can see this little tower that man has
built ( Better not Breathe)
1)
Oh look at the Cute
little tower of Babel
But
Man does a similar thing today Men take pride in our technology Boasting look at our Power look how sophisticated we
have become
1) ( Power to Blow
17 times over) Progress or Stupidity
All goes back to
Babel this idea We are going to do it our way we are going to deal w/ God
on our own terms Mindset is Prevalent today
A) You know the Problem today isnt Atheism people believe in a form of God Higher power / supreme being / Force
B)
Im into God People say: Quest. Which God ?
1)
That mentality is more Dangerous than
Atheism because it is a Pseudo
belief system that soothes a guilt
ridden Conscience
b)
But doesnt solve the
Problem of why people feel Guilty SIN
A)
And like what was
initiated at Babel So much of the man made Religion
of
today is Characterized by a makes up
the rules as you go along mentality
1)
This type belief system is going to gain more acceptance during the Trib.
WHAT IS also sad it
is a Belief system that has infiltrated
the Church today caused many to turn their back on the truth
A) I will come to God on my terms He exist for me So people the truth that works best for me at the time ignoring the Rest
B) So consequently we see people walking out of
Marriages w/out any biblical Grounds why ? Well Because God wants me to be Happy
1)
That is true But God
is more interested in our Holiness than our Happiness
A)
Holiness comes from
Obeying the truth no matter what the circumstances may bring
1)
And that Holiness can
Translate itself into Happiness even in the mist of Difficult situations
because I know that I am right w/ God !!!
2nd thing
to note about this System is it is called THE Great Harlot & THE MOTHER OF
HARLOTS
A) Which seems to indicate that this is not talking about one Specific religious System but a compellation of many !!!
B) But The imagery here is interesting because just as a man uses a Harlot to satisfy his pleasures &Fantasies then discards her
1)
The AntiChrist does the same
thing w/ this false Religious system He will use it to seduce the Masses
A)
He will use this
system to help get him into power
/ to help influence the heads of other nations
but soon they turn on her
1)
V. 16 we are told that
the 10 Kings hate the Harlot - See why
in a minute
3rd thing : Universal
Influence
A)
The woman is seen sitting on many waters / Now in v.15 we
are told exactly what that means
15 Then
he said to me, "The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are
peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues.
B)
One Commentator put it this way : She will have power over the leaders of nations -
"the kings of the earth" & she makes the common people
"intoxicated w/ the wine of her adulteries." In other words, they are
misled by the heady wine of religious illusion which results from the teaching
of the woman.
4th thing Notice where she is seated : v.3 She is seated upon the Beast
A) Speaks of how she is going to be riding upon his power
B) She is going to use the AntiChrist to gain power, Acceptance & a Following but he is also going to use her as Well note v.7
1)
The beast is seen carrying the
woman
A)
This is a small but
important Change in terminology Signifying
how the A.C. will employ the false religious system to serve his own Agenda
5th Notice HER WEALTH V.4
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.
A)
This description
speaks of the Fact that from an outward appearance she is very Wealthy
B) Similar to the Prosperity teachers of today If you were as
Spiritual as I am you would be doing as well as I am ( Lexus faith / vs. Honda
faith)
1)
And in this
Materialistic Culture in which we live many are going to be enamoured by the
Wealth that is a part of this Religious System
6th Notice her Pursuit - She
Persecutes the Church
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.
A)
She is going to
persecute & Murder those who get in her Way !!! Why is John Amazed
1)
Reason is that this
Religious system will be so Violently opposed to those who
become True Believers in the trib.
So that is the vision
that John saw now lets consider the interpretation of that Vision in v.7-18
7But 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. 8The
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. PAUSE here what
does that last Phrase mean ?
A) I think it is quite
possible that what John is saying is We have seen him before
B)
Some Bible
Commentators believe that there have been times in History where Satan
himself has Possessed a leader to do great Evil
1)
Two Examples are
Caesar Nero & Adolf Hitler
A)
Both Charismatic men
both are men who at first didnt seem as weird
& demented as they eventually were
discovered to be .
In fact in the case
of Caesar Nero we read in the Scriptures in Acts 25:11 that Paul appealed his
case to Caesar Nero
A) History
tells us that after Paul met w/ him & no doubt preached the gospel to him
that Caesar Nero went on a Rampage MAD MAN
B)
He was responsible for
the Martyrdom of tens of thousands of Christians
1) So Bizarre were his practices he would take
Christians tie them up in his Garden light them on fire Human Torch /
rode naked screaming
C)
Some believe that
Caesar Nero after rejecting the gospel preached by Paul
was then Possessed by Satan himself
1)
The Same thing was
said of Hitler whos evil atrocities against Christians & Jews far out
weighed Neros
A)
Be that as it may
this clearly identifies that the Beast is Power is going to come from straight
out of the pit !!! READ V.9-18
Now
there are several ideas as to what this is talking about 7 heads are 7 MST
( some suggest talking Rome City 7 Hills )
A) The 7 Kings = 7 Roman emperors 5 have fallen = Starting w/ Julius Caesar, Tiberias Caesar, Caligula, Claudius all who were murdered
B)
The fifth was Caesar
Nero who committed Suicide . According to this theory
those are the 5 who were fallen / ONE IS : - Domitian
b) Domitian
was in Power at the time of Johns writing / ONE IS YET TO
COME
= Anti-Christ
C)
Several problems w/ this interpretation : First the line
of the Caesars didnt stop at Domitian he was followed by Diocletion very
wicked
1)
Rome reigned all the
way through to Emperor Constantine
A)
2nd Although Rome has always been known as the city
of the 7 hills
Mountains
in Scripture are often used symbolically to speak of Kingdoms
1)
For that Reason many
Bible Teachers including John Walvoord / John MacArthur / David Hocking / Even
Pastor Brian interpret it this way
The Seven Mts. Speak
of 7 Previous World Governing Kingdoms 5 of which have Fallen : Starting w/
Egypt / Bab. / Assyria/ Medes Persia
A) Which was followed by Greece Those are the 5 that have fallen
B)
ONE IS: who came after
Greece & was in Power at the time of Johns writing ? ROME !!!!
1)
One is yet to come
That would refer to the kingdom of the AntiChrist
A)
That 10 nation
confederacy that is going to come into Power in the Last days that is going
to mark A REVIVED ROMAN EMPIRE
B)
It will be a World
Governing Power similar in nature to
these 6 Previous Empires that all trace their Roots back to Babel
1)
Man Governing on his
own terms man doing things his way man thinking he is better than God
having no need of God
I believe that this interpretation seems more
Logical & FITS better w/ the Visions that are recorded in Daniel Chapts 2
& Ch. 7
A)
In Dan. Ch. 2 Neb. Has a Dream of a Giant Statue that
represents these empires of the Past
B) Then in Ch.7 Daniel saw 4 beast
B
1) We noted in our
study of ch. 13 of Rev. how John saw a beast that was similar to the beasts
that Dan. Saw 4 beast 4 world empires
C)We
learned in Dan. Ch. 7 that the beast
that Dan. Saw represented 4 great world empires . The first beast which was like a lion
Babylon
A)
The
2nd Beast like a bear represented
the Medo Persian empire that followed
Babylon / which was Later replaced by the Leopard
Greece
B)
Which
spoke of the swiftness
of Alexander the Great in his conquering of the Known world at the
time
1)
The
4th Beast w/ its 10 horns & seven heads is identifiable as the Roman empire
All of these are
Drawn upon to show how the Antichrist is going to combine the features of these
Prominent empires of the past
A)The lion-like
fierceness of Babylon, the crushing bear-like
power of Medo-Persia, and the swiftness
of the Grecian leopard,
A)
All
combined & appearing in the last
days in a restored form of the Roman Empire.
1)
That will consist of a 10 nation Confederacy which is what the 10
horns represent /
A)
In Daniels Vision a
little horn rises up from the 10 & Knocks off 3
Which
seems to fit better w/ what John is seeing here v.10-13
The beast is of the 7
He comes in the same fashion as the 7 World empires of the Past but He
himself will be the Eighth
A) What does that mean ? The Kingdom of the AntiChrist is going to begin as a Confederacy of Nations
B)
Dan. 2 represented by
10 toes / Dan. 7 & here in Rev. ten horns
b) It will be a World Governing empire like the Empires of the
Past but it is going to be a Confederacy of 10 Kings at First
A)
But after a Short time
the AntiChrist is going to Rise in Prominence / He will become a World DICTATOR
1)
In Dan . 7 his little
horn knocks off 3 of the Kings in what is seen as a Political
Power Struggle
A)
Here in v. 12,13 We
read where the 10 kings are going to give their Power over to him /
V.14 He is going to ultimately lead them into Battle against Jesus at
Armageddon
Now v. 16 is interesting : Why do we read here that these kings now hate the woman this False religious system ( 2 Scenarios)
A) 1st it is possible that just as she used them to gain power and acceptance for the AntiChrist in their Nations / w/ their people
B)
They used her to get into good standing w/ the AntiChrist to become a part of
his confederacy -
1)
& now that they
have achieved the place of power they desired they have no need of her - & her Philosophical ramblings
C)
So they turn on her which is really the focus of the Chapter v.1 come, I will show you the judgment of the
great harlot who sits on many waters, 2with whom the kings of the
earth committed fornication,
That is one Possible
scenario another is that they realize that they have been trapped by her
A) They
followed her leading into embracing & jumping in Bed w/ the AntiChrist and now they know they are Trapped
B)
Like a Man who goes into a harlot and comes up w/ a Disease / they
have been infected w/ a Disease that they cannot get rid of Called A.C.
1)
consequently that is
the reason for their Hatred of the Harlot
A) And because the religious system served his purpose of
getting him into power the AntiChrist No longer has need to her /
1)
So he allows these
Kings to make her desolate & destroy her
Now v.18
is a transition verse that tells us that the Woman representing Mystery Babylon
is not only a Religious system /
A)
But there is a
Political side as well / a Political base a city that is going to be the head
quarters of This revived Roman Empire / Ch.18 is about !!
B) So we read in Ch.18 After these things AFTER WHAT - after the religious system is brought down read v.1-8
Now The Focus of
Ch.17 is the Woman the False Religious system where as the focus of Ch.18 is
the City Economic Empire of the A.C.
A)
What we see here is
the Swift & Severe Destruction of the
AntiChrist Headquarters his city of
operation
B)
Swift Because it is going to take place in One Day
actually One hour as we are told in V. 10 , v.17 & V.19
1)
And it is going to be
SEVERE: v.6 the Lord declares that they
are going to receive a Double portion of His WRATH
2)
And in v.17 - 7In the measure that she
glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment
and sorrow;
A)
The Kingdom of the
AntiChrist is not going to hold back at all in its Pursuit of Pleasure &
Luxury
1)
Consequently God is not going to hold back at all in
His Judgement upon them as a City READ V.9-19
Now the Swiftness of
the Judgement upon the City the fact that it is consumed in one hour
A) And the fact that the nations watch from a Distance
not wanting to go near the City has led some to Speculate Nuclear warfare / Radiation
B) Although I think that is possible / I dont believe it is PROBABLE because I think this
is the work of God w/ No human Intervention
1)
If you are one who
likes to study something that is interesting study how the Bowl Judgements Correlate w/ Plagues in Ex. On Egypt
A) PLAGUES NO HUMAN
INTERVENTION it was all God !! Same
thing w/ the Bowl Judgements
1)
In my opinion this is Sodom & Gomorrah revisited !!!
A) The Reason that People stay back is because of the
Utter Horror / fear in seeing this City obliterated Burned to ashes before
their very Eyes
Notice the focus in
v.9-19 the weeping & wailing of the Kings / the Merchants the Shipmasters
is not for the Lives lost in the City
A) It is not for the Friendships that are going to be no more but they weep because their meal ticket has just been destroyed
B) This
just shows the Depths to which men will fall during the Trib. Time - ( They mourn
Because they cant shop there anymore)
1)
Equivalent to someone
setting Bombs off all over SO. Coast Plaza leveling the whole mall Killing
thousands
A)
And outside in the
Parking lot People are mourning I cant Shop at Imagnums any more Cant shop at Nordstoms
/ Cant Eat Restaurant
B)
That is what these
people are doing which shows the Shallowness &
the Selfishness to Which men are going to stoop
1)
Possessed by a
Mentality that says what is in it for me !!!!!! that is all that I am
Concerned about
A)
How can I do better /
how can I get more / I can I be more Fulfilled
1)
That mentality is so Prevalent even today -
So that is going to
be the reaction of those who are on the Earth at this time But notice also the
reaction of those who are in heaven v.20-24
A) Now although the Empire is destroyed it is not the end of the Beast or the False Prophet they were not there Show up in ch.19
B) Before we go I want to draw your Attention back to v. 4 & what the Lord says to Believers here : Application for us - read again
Come out of her, my
people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.
C)
The Lord issues a
warning to those who have come to Christ living in that City Come out lest
you share in her sins / result in Receiving of her Judgement
I think that this speaks to us of two things : 1st It is yet another illustration of how the Lord likes to get his People out before Divine Judgement takes place - ( Evidence of a Pre- trib Rapture )
A) That Before the Judgement comes in the Trib. The Lord will take us out of here
1)
In much the same way
when a nation declares war on another nation before the bombs start to fall
Get Ambassadors out
A) But 2ndly I think it also serves as a Good warning & reminder to us who are living at this time & in this world System
1)
The Lord declares to
us Come out
from among them & be ye Separate says the Lord
A)
We are to be in the
World but not of the World not getting wrapped up in
that mentality that is so Prevalent today
1)
LIVE TO PLEASE SELF You are #1 - / Do what You need to do to get ahead / Go
for the gusto /
D)
Our focus is to be to Live to Please God : Paul
put it this way in Rom. 12
I
beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your
bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable
service. 2And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed
by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and
acceptable and perfect will of God.
Dont let the World
Squeeze you into its mold How Present your life daily to the Lord as a
Living Sacrifice Lord I am living for You
A) Lord this day I want to please you I want my life to Glorify You My desire is to please you & Glorify You
B)
Seeking not
be Conformed to this world ( squeezed
into its mold following after the mindset & system of this World )
1)
But Instead Desiring
to be TRANSFORMED word there is a form of
Metamorphosis DESCRIBING HOW A
Caterpillar to Butterfly
A)
It speaks
of a Change that begins on the inside /
that becomes visible on the Outside
1)
How does that
transformation come ? Through the renewing of Your mind
A)
A Complete Change in
my thinking & in my approach to this life
1)
How is my mind renewed
as I look to Christ through the Scriptures
2 Cor. 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the
glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to
glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.