The Judgement of the great harlot
There's A Man Going 'Round Taking Names • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 17 viewsThe Harlot and the Beast. The doom of Babylon.
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Transcript
On the heals of the four 7s; Seven - Letters, Seals, Trumpets, Bowls
Comes God’s judgment shown in the symbolic language of a Harlot on a Scarlet beast.
God’s does not hold back his judgment against this harlot. Within all the symbolism is a message for any nation or city of any age.
It is clear in this text that God is angry, and he is going to justly deal with the the Harlot and beast for their idolatry and violence against the church, also having deceived other nations and Kings to join her.
Let’s read together (Chair Bible pg. 834) Revelation 17:1-6
1 And one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, “Come here, I shall show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters,
2 with whom the kings of the earth committed acts of immorality, and those who dwell on the earth were made drunk with the wine of her immorality.”
3 And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness; and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, full of blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns.
4 And the woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a gold cup full of abominations and of the unclean things of her immorality,
5 and upon her forehead a name was written, a mystery, “BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”
6 And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus. And when I saw her, I wondered greatly.
Are you ready for the message God has for us?
Cool let’s dig in!
The Harlot
The Harlot
The harlot sitting on many waters is a symbolic reference to Rome.
Rome was certainly inland up the Tiber River, but this is less geographical and more a symbolic reference to Rome’s power over the Mediterranean Sea.
The vision of Rome has now changed from a predator conquer to a seductive harlot.
The kings and the wealthy inhabitants of the earth had benefitted from lying with Rome and sharing in her immorality.
Verse 4 is an allusion to the wealth of Rome as she conquered other lands and empires absorbing their wealth into her store house.
Scot McKnight (Revelation for the rest of us pg. 42), “This prostitute was intoxicated, not with alcohol, but the blood of the faithful witnesses to Jesus. Her idea of a fun night on the town was finding some Jesus followers and draining their blood into a bowl to drink and feed her raging lust for power.”
This reminds me of Nero lighting his chariot races, or the terrible things that Domitian and Diocletian did to the people of God. Things to terrible to repeat.
The scarlet beast she is ridding has seven heads which are seven hills (mountains) - Verse 9
This does fit with how Rome was known. Rome was known as the city of seven hills.
McKnight (pg. 42), “The ten horns are ten kings who will be short-lived kings, and their entire mission is to accumulate power and glory.”
The symbols of the world are sword and shield, for acquiring power and protecting power. That is what this vision reveals. Rome fits with this idea.
The central purpose of its power is to fight and destroy the lamb and his followers.
Again a point to remember we read from victory not to victory. The very point of Revelation 17:14
14 “These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful.”
Seven features of Empire in Revelation 17
Seven features of Empire in Revelation 17
Michael Gorman points out that in chapter 17 there are seven features of an Empire that emerge
Empire is a system of domination that both seduces the powerful, with a promise of power and it intoxicates people with a false sense of security - verse 2
By definition an empire is both territorially grand and ideologically expansive. Also it makes claims about itself that are rightly made about God alone - verses 3
An empire self presents as pleasing and full of benefits to its citizens, both great and small. In fact the appearance covers many abominations which constitute imperial character - verse 4
Despite claims to divine statue, an empire is always ultimately opposed to God and those who represent God. An empire will do whatever it takes either by violence or death to silence the pro-God counter imperial witness of the faithful - verses 6 and 14
Empires grow because they conquered others - verse 15
Empires often die of self inflicted wounds; their subjects revolt and destroy the very thing that empowered them - verses 16-17
Empires (plural), that is, the particular historical realities, are in fact simply short- term manifestations, or incarnations, of something much more powerful and permanent empire of Satan - verse 18
Rome then is being judged for multiple forms of idolatry and injustice.
Gorman (pg. 146), “Babylon is guilty of sins against God, people, and the earth. It engages in a sort of corporate corruption of conventional obligations.”
The Scarlet Beast
The Scarlet Beast
In consideration of the scarlet beast which we should also recognize as Rome, gets confusing if we try to assign specific Roman emperors to the seven heads and 10 horns.
It is possible that the numbers are symbolic.
The seven kings stand for the apparent perfection of the beastly kingdom.
The eighth who will appear to take the kingdom forward into a new season will instead lead it to its destruction.
N.T. Wright (Pg. 155), “In other words, don’t try to match up the emperors precisely. What matters is that the monster’s kingdom looks perfect and impregnable, but forces from within its own ranks will destroy it.”
Historian Will Durant noted, “ A great civilization is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself within.”
How many times have we seen this in history?
We are doing it now her in the US.
As for the ten kings, N.T. Wright, “It is far more likely the ten kings who part of the monstrous system, and who eventually round on the whore herself and destroy her, are different ruling elites within the larger Roman empire who will finally tire of Mistress Rome herself, and will use the bestial monstrous power of Rome’s own empire to attack.”
Yet the power is only a symbolence and thus the lamb will over come them - Revelation 17:14
14 “These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful.”
Conclusion
It is interesting how often God uses one nation to bring judgment against another.
15 And he *said to me, “The awaters which you saw where the harlot sits, are bpeoples and multitudes and nations and tongues. 16 “And the aten horns which you saw, and the beast, these will hate the harlot and will make her bdesolate and cnaked, and will deat her flesh and will eburn her up with fire. 17 “For aGod has put it in their hearts to execute His 1purpose 2by bhaving a common purpose, and by giving their kingdom to the beast, until the cwords of God should be fulfilled.
God did this before consider what he told Habakkuk
5 “Look among the nations! Observe! Be astonished! Wonder! Because I am doing something in your days— You would not believe if you were told.
6 “For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans, That fierce and impetuous people Who march throughout the earth To seize dwelling places which are not theirs.
However, even the evil nations used to judge another will not escape the judgment of God.
Brethren, how is God speaking to us today?
Again we are more than conquerers - Revelation 17:14
14 “These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful.”
Are we listening?
He who has ears to hear let him hear what the Spirit says to the Churches!
Think about this Jesus has already won, the battle is over.
There is power in the name of Jesus, to break every chain!
Your life need not end in death but life, eternal life
If Jesus were to come today would you be ready?
Have you given your life to him? Why not today? Why not now?