Sermon Tone Analysis

Text: Revelation 17:1-18:3

Theme: Babylon the Great and the false religious system that supported it have fallen.

The Great Babylon and the false religion that prostituted itself in the Antichrist's service is about to be judged.

Date: 10/21/2018 File name: Resurrection35.wpd

ID Number:

The seven last plagues of Revelation 16 represents the outpouring of God’s wrath upon the Beast and those who have given him their loyalty.

The angles of God pour down catastrophic calamity after catastrophic calamity upon the earth in the closing days of the Great Tribulation.

Chapter 16 opens with the Apostle John hearing, “ ... a loud voice from the temple, saying to the seven angels, “Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God.”” (Revelation 16:1, NASB95).

These plagues are world-encompassing in scope and brutal in nature.

And yet twice in the chapter, (vs.

9, 11) we are told the humanity refused to repent and glorify God, and three time in the chapter, (vs.

9, 11, 21) we read that men cursed God.

Then, in the middle of the chapter we hear the voice of Christ himself ... “ (“Behold, I am coming like a thief.

Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes, so that he will not walk about naked and men will not see his shame.”)”

(Revelation 16:15, NASB95).

It’s an encouragement to believers who have escaped martyrdom to stay strong and to keep an eye on the Eastern sky, because the time of his advent is near.

Finally, the seventh plague is poured out.

With it the peoples of the earth experience something akin to what Israel experienced at Mt. Sinai when God appeared.

A voice announces “It is done!”

And there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder; and there was a great earthquake, ... ” (Revelation 16:18, NASB95).

History has drawn to the end that God has always planed for it.

Evil is vanquished, Satan and his followers are throne down, and the righteous are vindicated.

Amen and amen.

The seventh plague hastens us to the end — the destruction of Great Babylon.

An angel invites John to witness the destruction of the great whore.

That destruction is described in detail in chapters 17-18, and that’s our focus for this morning.

The Great Babylon and the false religion that prostituted itself in the Antichrist’s service is about to be judged.

That false religion is pictured as a woman ... arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication.

In these chapters John tells us about this woman ...

Her Mysterious Character

Her Mischievous Children

Her Murderous Conduct

Her Monstrous Consort

Her Momentous Calamity

At the very beginning of our text, an angel tells John what this next vision is all about.

It’s all about the punishment of the great prostitute that has just been revealed in chapter 16.

All of the catastrophic calamities of that chapter are the punishment of the Great Whore of the following chapters.

I. THE WOMAN AND HER MYSTERIOUS CHARACTER

“One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits on many waters.

2 With her the kings of the earth committed adultery and the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries.”

3 Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a desert.

There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns.

4 The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls.

She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries.

5 This title was written on her forehead: MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”

(Revelation 17:1–5, NIV84)

1. the first thing I want you to see is the woman and her mysterious character

a. the big question, of course, is who or what does this woman represent?

2. the fact that the whore of Babylon is referred to as a mystery (vs.

5) means that we cannot be completely certain as to her identity

a. the passage does give us some clues, however

1) Revelation 17:9 explains, "This calls for a mind with wisdom.

The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits"

a) many commentators immediately link this passage with the Roman Catholic Church because in ancient times, the city of Rome was known as "the city on seven hills" because there are seven prominent hills that surround the city

ILLUS.

This became the dominant view of Luther, Calvin, Knox and other Protestant reformers of the 16th century.

It remains the dominant view of many fundamentalist Christian groups, including a lot of Baptists.

2) however, vs. 10 goes on to explain that the seven hills represent 7 kings or kingdoms, five of which have fallen, one that is and one that is to come

a) therefore, the "whore of Babylon" probably does not refer to Rome or the Roman Catholic Church

3. so, can the mystery of the whore of Babylon be solved?

Yes, at least partially

a. the whore of Babylon represents an evil apostate worldwide religion or pseudo-religion, controlled by the Antichrist, during the last days before Jesus' return

b. what John sees is a world humanity in total rebellion against God

1) they are more than willing to worship the great idol that the False Prophet has set up with the beast being the focus of an ungodly, end-times religious system

2) even though God has repeatedly revealed Himself as sovereign Lord over creation and over humanity, men choose to worship the creature rather than the Creator

A. THE GREAT PROSTITUTE WILL SEDUCE THE NATIONS

1. her character, is to say the least, questionable

a. vs. 2 tells us “ ... the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication”

2. John has already introduced mystery Babylon to us before, but here we get a detailed portrait of a world ruled by the Antichrist from one of the world’s great mega-metropolises

a. it’s a city that will become the political, commercial, and religious center of the world, and it will be such an enticing city that it will be like a seductress, draw all the world to her

ILLUS.

Throughout the history of the world certain great cities have been synonymous with the empire they represented.

Consider six of the great ancient cities of the past:

Memphis - capital of the Egyptian kingdom.

Nineveh - capital of the Assyrian Empire.

Babylon - capital of the Babylonian Empire.

Persepolis - capital of the Persian Empire.

Antioch - capital of the Seleucid Empire (Hellenistic power after Alexander the great).

Rome - capital of the Roman Republic and the Empire.

Each of these cities was the "Babel" of its own day.

Each rose as an expression of engineering ingenuity, supported by military might and political scheming.

Each was a commercial, religious, and cultural center.

Each was profoundly opposed to God and the people of God.

Roll them all together, and they become the perfect forerunner for one future final great city and civilization opposed to God — John calls it "Babylon the great," mistress of the world.

And God will judge her directly and dramatically.

3. the woman John sees is false religion in service to the Antichrist, and that includes apostate Christianity

II.

THE WOMAN AND HER MISCHIEVOUS CHILDREN

“And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT,”—now watch this—“THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”

(Revelation 17:5, NIV84)

1. many students of prophecy are convinced that during the seven-year Tribulation period that there will emerge a one-world religion

a.

I think that’s entirely possible

2. however, I think what John sees in this vision is simply religion in service to the state, and in particular, religion in service to the Antichrist

a. the Mother of Harlots is simply false religion in general and she has spawned many children across the ages and throughout the world

3. what are some of these children she has given birth to?

a.

New Age religion, Satan worship, Mother Earth worship, Globalism, Secularism, Hinduism, Islam, and Apostate Christianity

b. all of these “daughters” are false religions

1) false because they point people away from Christ who is the way, the truth and the life