REVELATION
Listen to this study TH2247
Please turn in your Bibles this evening to Revelation chapter 17 as we continue our study through the Word of God. As we saw last time in our study of Revelation, back in chapter 16, as the seventh bowl judgment was poured out, the wrath of God will be complete! Now, as we move into Revelation chapters 17 and 18 John is going to fill in some of the details of other things that will take place during this period of time, besides the wrath of God being poured out.
In Revelation chapter 17 we will see the destruction of religious Babylon. Then, in Revelation chapter 18 we will see the destruction of commercial Babylon. It is as Revelation 14:8 tells us, “And another angel followed, saying, ‘Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.’” That is what we will see happen in these chapters, Babylon will be destroyed!
You would think that man would not be religious in the days we are living in, but the exact opposite is true. You see, built into man, built inside of us is a hunger for God, and this false religious system will have a powerful appeal to satisfy that need apart from the true and living God. Ever since the fall of man, Satan has twisted and perverted the things of God, drawing people into a false religious system instead of a relationship with the true and living God.
One more point before we read out text this evening. Babylon is mentioned some 287 times in the Scriptures, second only to Jerusalem. Now keep in mind, ever since its beginnings in Genesis 11:1-10, Babylon is associated with organized idolatry, blasphemy and the persecution of God’s people. Thus, the end time’s apostate church, the one-world religion, will be no different, as we shall see. With that said, let’s begin reading in Revelation chapter 17, starting in verse 1 and see what the Lord has for us as we look at the destruction of religious Babylon.
Here we see the apostate church along with all the false religions of the world united together and this false church is called or seen as a harlot. Obviously this is the exact opposite of what the true church is all about. The true church is called the virgin bride of Christ. Paul, in II Corinthians 11:2 put it like this, “For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.”
Religion is a system where man tries to reach god by various means. While Christianity is God reaching down to sinful man and pulling him out of the mire of sin that he is in. One leads to death the other to life, abundant life. Thus, religion and religious activity will play a major role in the Tribulation Period. But the true and living God, Jesus will be removed and thus, the world will be going after false gods, they are committing spiritual fornication!
We are also told that this “great harlot” or this false religious system “sits on many waters,” what does that mean? We don’t have to guess because we are told in Revelation 17:15, “Then he said to me, ‘The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues.’” In other words, this false religious system encompasses the world, this ecumenical movement will encompass all the religions of the world and they will acquire great wealth! It is the unification of all false, idolatrous religions and within that we also see the apostate church with apostate Catholicism and Protestantism!
We are also told that the people of this world will be drunk, intoxicated with her fornication. Remember what Karl Marx said, “Religion is the opiate of the masses.” He is partly right. You see, people will not be able to get enough of this false religious system, they will be attracted to it and thus, empty religion is the opiate of the masses while Christianity is a faith that brings us to abundant life!
Malachi Martin is a Catholic writer who made these interesting remarks regarding the emergence of the European Super State. He said:
It will include all the lands occupied by the ancient Romans, but the religion will not be Christianity or Catholicism, Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism or any religion known today. It already has its own religion, if we want to call it that. It is called the New Age. . . . The New Age movement is at this moment influencing our present policies. If you listen to Prince Edward or Prince Charles of England, it is very obvious that they speak from a New Age background, and it bodes a lot of trouble for traditional Christianity.
- Malachi Martin
As we are going to see, this one-world religious system will help to empower the one-world government headed by the Antichrist, but only for a time!
Notice that this woman or this false religious system is sitting upon a beast or the Antichrist, the revived Roman Empire! The church will bring about his rise to power! It is also interesting to note that the European currency unit and the stamp of the European Parliament both have on it a woman riding a bull or a beast! Also, back in 1991 Time magazine did a special report for its Canadian edition on the new Europe. The new Europe in this Time’s report was symbolized as a woman riding upon a beast. A coincidence? I don’t think so!
John Walvoord puts it like this, “Her position, that of riding the beast, indicates on the one hand that she is supported by the political power of the beast, and on the other that she is in a dominant role and at least outwardly controls and directs the beast.”
Also, notice the religious trappings that adorn this false religious system. There is an abundance of wealth within this system. Religion is big business. And as man looks at this great wealth he rejoices, but God looks at her and calls her a harlot, for He sees her as she really is! Barnhouse said, “We find the course of church history that one of the deadliest marks of ecclesiastical corruption is the lust for temporal power.”
Now the “MYSTERY” is not part of her name but it speaks of a hidden truth that is spiritually discerned. Thus, her name is placed upon her forehead just as the harlots had their names placed upon their foreheads during John’s time. Her name is as follows:
This hidden truth takes us back to the beginning, to the book of Genesis. Back to Bab-el, which means, “the gate of god,” and to a man named Nimrod, whose name means, “we will rebel.” And this man is said to be a mighty hunter, not of wild animals, but of men’s souls. It is here that Nimrod and his followers built a tower, not to reach God or the stars, but to the spirit world, occult activities. It was a tower in defiance of God!
Nimrod (a great-grandson of Noah) had a wife named Semiramis and she claimed to be a powerful prophetess of god, and after Nimrod died, she claimed to have been visited by Nimrod and conceived a child without sexual relations, an immaculate conception you might say! This child was to be the savior of the world, or so she claimed, and she was the queen mother of heaven. A title that the Catholic Church has given to Mary and now the Protestant Church is also embracing this false god!
The son she gave birth to was called Tammuz. And one day, as he was out, a wild beast killed him and 3 days later he was resurrected. But Tammuz could only be approached in his resurrected state through his mother, Semiramis. You had to go through her to get to him. Sound familiar! Also, many ancient artifacts that have been found have mother Semiramis holding the savior-infant Tammuz! That too should sound familiar!
It doesn’t end there. Each spring the people colored eggs in honor of the miraculous conception of Tammuz. In the wintertime they would deck evergreen trees with silver and gold in honor of his resurrection from the dead. Jon Courson says of this, “In Canaan, Semiramis was known as Ashtoreth, and her child as Baal. In Rome, she was known as Venus, while Tammuz was known as Cupid. In Greece, they were Eros and Aphrodite; in Egypt Isis and Horace, in virtually every culture around the world, this same story is told of a mother, ‘the queen of heaven’ and her miracle baby - a story so uncannily close to the Gospel story that it’s almost as though someone knew the truth and wanted to twist it.” And of course, Satan knew of Genesis 3:15 and he began to twist it very early on, during the time of Nimrod!
Also, in Babylon, the chief priests wore crowns made in the shape of a fish’s head to honor the fish god. The crowns had the words “keeper of the bridge” which was symbolic of the “bridge” between man and Satan, not God. This was adopted by the Roman Emperors who used the Latin title PONTIFEX MAXIMUS, which means, “major keeper of the bridge.”
Now how in the world did these pagan practices, like Christmas and Easter and many other things that we don’t have time to get into this evening, get incorporated into the church? It began with Nimrod and then the Babylonians picked up on it, establishing their kingdom in the same area that Nimrod lived. Then, when the Medo-Persian Empire defeated the Babylonians, the religious leaders moved from Babylon to Pergamos.
Remember the letter that Jesus wrote to the church of Pergamos back in Revelation chapter 2. He said “I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan's throne is. And you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.” Revelation 2:13.
Satan’s throne was located in Pergamos because that is where these Babylonian priests moved to after the fall of Babylon. It was located there when John wrote this book. Then, we see in 312 AD Constantine uniting the church to the world as he makes Christianity the state religion. It was while he was involved in a fierce battle and short on troops, that he had a dream of a cross and the writing above the cross said; “In this sign conquer.” It was then he had his so called conversion experience to Christianity and utilized a large group of men to help him in his fight which he did not utilize before, Christians!
Thus, we now see Satan’s throne move from Pergamos to Rome as Constantine marries the church to the world. He allowed these pagan priests to come right into the church, even continuing to practice their own religion! That is one of the reasons Roman Catholicism is so messed up, they have merged many pagan practices with Christianity, and they don’t mix! And please, I am not picking on the Catholic Church, I was involved in it, so I do understand many of these practices that are not supported by the Scriptures, but come from man, and really are nothing more than doctrines of demons that don’t bring a person to Jesus.
Having said all that, this false religious system is much bigger than just the Roman Catholic church, it also embraces Protestant churches as well as all other religions. You see, this is the one-world church or the one-world religious system, made up of those who have fallen away from the truths of God’s Word and have embraced another Gospel, a false Gospel that leads to death and not to life!
And it is this religious system, the one that Nimrod started and was picked up by the Babylonians, which has given birth to all other religious systems, MYSTERY BABYLON! That is why she is called the mother of harlots, for she has given birth not only to the final worldwide false religious system, but all the ones in between. Thus, Babylon is the symbol of apostasy and it is a blasphemous substitution to the true and living God!
Walvoord rightly said, “False religion is always the worst enemy of true religion.” Folks, this is one of the sad commentaries on the church or the false church that many think is Christian. They are Christian by name only. You see, the church throughout the ages has put to death those that disagree with them, the false Christians trying to destroy the true Christians. The Church in the Inquisition put over 50 million Christians to death! They lost their lives by those involved in the Church!
Now, the word “drunk” speaks of a continual state. And as you look at church history you see the blood of the faithful flowing at the hands of the church, as I have said. You see, when light exposes the darkness of a false religious system, they strike back and try to extinguish the light. Marin Luther, in 1517 posted his Ninety-Five Thesis, those things he saw within the Catholic Church that were contrary to the Scriptures, like buying your way into heaven, the infallibility of the Pope. He believed in a salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone! And what did the church do? They sought to kill him. Now if you have the truth, why are you worried about the lies of a man? The point being, they did not have scriptural support for what they held onto, and they tried to silence Marin Luther by putting him to death! And this practice will continue even during the Tribulation Period, as many will be put to death by this false religious system for their faith in Christ. An amazing thing, and a very sad thing!
What has been going on for many years, the persecution of the people of God by those who call themselves Christians, will reach its peak during the Tribulation Period as millions of Christians will be put to death for their faith in Jesus Christ by this false religious system. We are told in Revelation 20:4, “And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.”
Also, in Revelation 7:13-17 we are told of this group of people who will be martyred for their faith, “Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, ‘Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?’ And I said to him, ‘Sir, you know.’ So he said to me, ‘These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’”
The false church is always thirsting for the blood of the saints of God as they try to silence them, silence their witness, but they can’t, even in death! David Guzik makes these interesting remarks. He wrote:
We should never forget that some of the most vicious persecution conducted against true Christians has been done in the name of the church. In the days when the Roman Catholic Queen Mary ruled England (known as “Bloody Mary” for good reason), some 288 Christians were burnt at the stake for their stand for Christian truth between 1555 and 1558. The first of these martyrs was a man named John Rogers, who, as he stood chained to a stake, and the fire rose around him, up to his legs and shoulders, he rubbed his hands in the flames as if he were washing his hands in cold water. Then he lifted his hands to the heavens and held them high until he was completely consumed by fire. This barbarity was committed in the name of religion, in the name of the church. But Rogers went to the stake with such calm and dignity that the French Ambassador wrote that he went to his death “as if he was walking to his wedding.” His courage was so evident that the huge crowd burst into applause when they saw him walking to the stake.
- David Guzik
I want you to notice this point that John makes here, it is important. Back in Revelation 17:3 the woman was ridding the beast but here in Revelation 17:7 we see that the beast is carrying the woman, why the difference? I believe that this false religious system helped to bring to power the Antichrist and his world kingdom but at one point, the kingdom will control the false religious system!
Now, what does this beast represent – the Antichrist or his kingdom? It is hard to separate them because he is in control of this one-world government. And as you look at history, you will see that when tyrants come into power, many times they have used religion as a tool to accomplish their purposes, until they were not needed any longer and then they were discarded, they were destroyed!
Now, what does it mean when we read, “the beast that was, and is not, and yet is”? Some say it is referring to the pseudo-death and resurrection of the Antichrist. It could be, but I don’t believe that is what John is saying here. We know that in the last days the Roman Empire will be revived and it will encompass the world, not just Europe. Thus, when John wrote this book, Rome was in power and thus, the phrase “that was” applies. Now, this world power of Rome was not going to last, it would fade and it did, thus the phrase “and is not” applies. Lastly, and the fascinating point is that this Roman Empire will be revived and thus the phrase “and yet is” applies. It is the power of Satan that will bring together this last world empire, one that is in rebellion against God and then the Lord will crush it and He will establish His kingdom on this earth.
Some like to say that Rome is the seven mountains spoken of here, for Rome has been called “the city on seven hills.” First of all a hill is not a mountain, that seems obvious to me. Think about our hills in Wisconsin and then the Rocky Mountains, they don’t compare. Some also say that 2 more hills have been associated with Rome, making it a city on 9 hills! I am not sure on that one, but that is what I have heard.
Mountains, I believe, refer to kingdoms. David said in Psalm 30:7, referring to his kingdom, “LORD, by Your favor You have made my mountain stand strong . . .” We saw in Daniel chapter 2 how the kingdom that Jesus will establish is likened to a great mountain which covers the whole earth. Also, in verse 10, the word “there” is better translated “they.” Thus, this should read “ . . . The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. They are also seven kings . . .”
Now some like to see these seven kings as seven Roman emperors: Julius Caesar, Caesar Augustus, Tiberias, Caligula, Claudius, Nero and Domitian, who was in control during John’s imprisonment on Patmos. But there were more than seven of them, more than what I have just listed. Keep in mind that when John wrote this book, five world empires had come and gone. These empires were as follows: Egyptian, Assyrian, Babylonian, Medo-Persian, and the Grecian. Thus, “Five have fallen.” John goes on to say that “one is.” That was the Roman empire that was still in existence when John wrote this book. “And the other has not yet come.” That is the revived Roman Empire that will only continue on for a short time, it is still future!
Verse 11 tells us that the Antichrist will come out of the revived Roman Empire and he will lead this confederacy of 10 nations, but around the 3½-year mark of the 7-year tribulation period, he takes over with force. In a sense he creates a new empire, and he is the dictator of this empire. Daniel 7:8 tells us “I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words.”
You see, he is of the seven, and his empire is the eighth. But even his empire will be brought down to destruction. In speaking of his fall, we are told in Daniel 7:26-27, “But the court shall be seated, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and destroy it forever. Then the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him.”
Keep in mind that when John wrote Revelation these kings were not in power yet. Their kingdom was still in the future, some 2,000 years down the road. And thus, we are told that they “have received no kingdom as yet.” But when the Antichrist comes, they will have a kingdom and for a short time they will have this power and they will give this power back to the Antichrist. Now it seems that three of these kings want to hold onto their power and thus, the Antichrist will take it from them with force! (Daniel 7:20).
And notice the unity they have, “one mind.” But to do what? They are in unity with the beast or the Antichrist and they are in unity against the Lamb, to fight against God! Folks, anyone who rejects Jesus is at war with God whether they agree with that or not!
Now for us as Christians, Paul also calls for us to be like-minded. In Philippians 2:5-8 we are told, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.”
May the love of Christ be the motivating force in our life in all that we do as we put on the mind of Christ! How can we accomplish that, how can we put on the mind of Christ? Paul tells us in Romans 12:1-2, “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. And 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.” The Amplified Bible puts these verses like this, “I APPEAL to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of [all] the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies [presenting all your members and faculties] as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you].”
In other words, give your life over to the Lord, humble yourself before Him so that He may mold and shape your life into His image through the Word of God opened up to us by the Spirit of God! You see, it is not just reading God’s Word; it is applying it to your life, being obedient to His will and allowing it to saturate your life.
As we said earlier, this is a worldwide religious system, but that system has fulfilled its purpose. You see, governments will use religion to promote its goals until it is no longer useful, and then the government, which it supported, will destroy it.
And it is not just the ten horns that will destroy this religious system, as verse 16 seems to imply. That verse should read, “And the ten horns which you saw [‘and’] not [‘on’] the beast, these will hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire.”
It is at the 3½-year mark of the 7-year tribulation period that the Antichrist goes into the temple of God and demands to be worshiped as God. There is a dramatic change in his ministry. Now all religious worship will be centered on him and this other religious system will fall by the wayside. The false prophet will now lead the world in the worship of the beast.
And this religious system that was clothed with fine robes will now be naked. The great wealth she had acquired will be removed and she will be desolate. The flesh that she consumed by killing the faithful Christians, will be paid back as her flesh is consumed. And with the fire of her judgment that she has placed upon the people, she will be burned with it till she is found no more. Everything is then given to the beast, according to the plan of God!
Isn’t it interesting that all the hope people place in the false religious systems of the world will come crashing to the ground, and it doesn’t matter how sincere you are about it, if it is false, it will not stand nor will you! It is as the Lord said in Jeremiah 2:11-13 to His people, the Jews, “‘Has a nation changed its gods, Which are not gods? But My people have changed their Glory For what does not profit. Be astonished, O heavens, at this, And be horribly afraid; Be very desolate,’ says the LORD. ‘For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, And hewn themselves cisterns — broken cisterns that can hold no water.’” Don’t place your hope in that which can’t hold water, but put your trust in Jesus, the fountain of living water!
Now here I do believe that the “great city” is speaking of Rome, for it is the revived Roman Empire that will burst onto the scene and take captive the hearts of the people of this world. As much as the Catholic Church is involved in this false religious system, and many Bible scholars like to point their finger at the Catholic Church, we must understand that the Protestant church is also involved, as well as every other cult, as well as every other false religious system. Many churches today have watered down the Gospel message and added a works theology to get into heaven, and that is wrong. In the Catholic Church the Pope is not even sure if he is good enough to get into heaven until after he dies and finds out. And many Protestant churches have picked up on this theme of a works salvation. And yet Paul tells us that it is not by our works, but by His works on the cross of Calvary that we have been saved. In Ephesians 2:8-9 we are told, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
Jude was warning his readers years ago about the apostasy that was coming into the church and destroying our common salvation. Today we need to listen and heed his warnings, for our faith is being challenged at an alarming rate, and people are falling for the lies of these men. Jude tells us “Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.” Jude 3-4. May we contend for the faith we hold onto and not compromise what we believe! The faith that has been entrusted to us!
As I begin to close this evening, let me leave you with this to think about. The false church will unit together because they have “one mind” and yet the Christian church seems to be fighting and dividing over non-essential doctrines, why? Because we don’t have the mind of Christ! Folks, as Christians we need to be united in our faith and not fight over non-essentials, but instead, take a stand on the essential doctrines of the Christian faith and the only way to do that is to be like-minded, to put on the mind of Christ! Paul put it this way in Colossians 3:1-4, “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.” Put on the mind of Christ and walk in unity!
Listen to what Charles H. Spurgeon had to say regarding unity in his day, words we should heed today. He said “To remain divided is sinful! Did not our Lord pray, that they may be one, even as we are one? (John 17:22). A chorus of ecumenical voices keep harping the unity tune. What they are saying is, ‘Christians of all doctrinal shades and beliefs must come together in one visible organization, regardless . . . Unite, Unite!’ Such teaching is false, reckless and dangerous. Truth alone must determine our alignments. Truth comes before unity. Unity without truth is hazardous. Our Lord’s prayer in John 17 must be read in its full context. Look at verse 17, ‘Sanctify them through thy truth, they word is truth.’ Only those sanctified through the Word can be one in Christ. To teach otherwise is to betray the Gospel.” May we not forget that! The great harlot, this false religious system is about to be born! The great apostasy or the falling away from the truths of God found in the Word of God is upon us and the only way to stand strong is by being in Christ, by being in His Word and being united together, but that unity MUST be in TRUTH, the truths of God found in the Word of God!
As I close, let me leave you with these words from John MacArthur. He wrote:
The one-world unification government so long sought by the humanists will have finally arrived, only to be destroyed in one great act of divine judgment. All the words of God – every prophecy of Christ’s return and the setting up of His kingdom – will be fulfilled completely. God hates every form of false religion and will not tolerate those who seek to rob Him of His glory (Isa 42:8). Antichrist’s religious empire will be judged and destroyed. So also, as chapter 18 of Revelation reveals, will be the political and economic aspects of that evil empire.
- John MacArthur