Revelation 17 - Lord of lords and King of kings

Lord of lords and King of kings - Revelation 17

Revelation 17

You all know that I grew up playing sports, football in particular. The sport taught me self determination, and self discipline. Participating in sports taught me to rely on others and to respect those who were opposed to me. It taught me how to handle disappointment and victory. All of these and more indeed had an impact on my development as a human being, growing me into a productive adult, if indeed you think I am productive. But none of those things that impacted me was the reason I put on a helmet and pads in August when the temperature was 110 degrees. Not one of those outcomes was the reason I beat my body into submission each and every day nor why I put on the uniform of the Fighting Tigers of Mansfield, Texas. I practiced and lifted weights and took the field of play for only one reason; that the number on our side of the score board would be higher than the number on our opponent’s side. There was a singular purpose that brought about many outcomes.

With that as our backdrop I think I would like to stop and declare again the reason for the Revelation of Jesus Christ. In this letter to the church we see some prophecy declaring what is coming. But that is not the purpose of the letter. We find in this letter a call to holiness; to be set apart for the glory of God. But that is not the purpose of the letter. We also see in this letter a clear proclamation of Who Jesus is and we see His splendor and His majesty as the Lamb who was slain from the foundation of the world. But that is not the purpose of the letter. I could go on declaring what we find in this letter but the purpose of this letter is singular and the outcomes are multitudinous. The purpose of this letter is to encourage the first century church, the second century church, the 10th century church and yes the 21st century church that will face persecution, trials and tribulations that in the end, what God prophesied in the garden at the fall of man and secured on the cross, sealed at the resurrection and empowered at Pentecost will indeed be completed. In the end God reigns with Jesus as the Lord of lords and the King of kings. His people as saved. We have seen hints of that purpose throughout our study of Revelation but when we get to chapters 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22 we begin to see it so much clearer.

Today we will be looking at Revelation chapter 17. We will be seeing that the end is here, but not yet. Let’s pray then we will take a look at God’s Word.

Since we are covering the entire chapter this morning I am going to break down the reading to smaller sections as we move through the chapter. Revelation 17:1-6 1Then 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, 2 with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication.” 3 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. 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. 5 And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. 6 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. [1]

Last time we were in Revelation was a couple of weeks ago and at that time we looked at these verses so I’ll not spend too much time on those verses but I do need to do a quick review. This entire vision, beginning in chapter 15, is concerned with God’s judgment on the dragon (Satan), the Beast (Antichrist), the False Prophet, the harlot and the people of the earth; the unregenerate. This harlot or prostitute is not an individual or any real city but instead is the world culture that seeks to draw mankind, God’s creatures made in His image, away from God. She is a substitute for the things of God. This world system is alluring, captivating the attention of the inhabitants of the earth. John is taken to the wilderness, out of the allure of the harlot so that he can get a good look at her without the glimmer of seduction. It is kind of like going out to look at stars at night. They shine brightly because there is nothing to distract you. The stars are there in the day time but you cannot see them because the sun is too bright. That is the purpose of the wilderness, to take John’s eyes off of things that would distract him from God. It would be good for us to remove all the distractions from time to time so that we can hear God. The gold cup she bears would attract us towards what we would suppose to be good and beautiful things. Instead it is just more temptations to draw us into the abominations that this world system promotes. In this cup is idolatry and harlotry enticing mankind to join in the opposition to God seeking to supplant Him. This harlot/world system with her beauty and riches represents the allure of everything that would replace God in the hearts and minds of His creatures. Her name is a mystery because the natural man cannot discern the evil represented by her allure. Babylon represents all that is destructive for God’s creatures and especially His people. This evil world system has been represented by Nineveh, Babylon, Antioch, Athens, Rome, New York, Paris…This world system is carried along by the beast that is the antichrist empowered by the Dragon/Satan. This world system is so intent on destroying the people of God that she is overcome (drunk) with the passion of killing the saints and witnesses of Jesus. This world system is so distracting that even John admires it (he marveled).

That is a quick look at the first 6 verses how the world would seek to draw mankind away from God and how it even has an effect on the redeemed, now let’s look at verses 7-8. 7 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. 8 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. The angel reprimands John for being attracted to this harlot. It is basically like the angel is saying; “I know she catches your eye but she is not what she appears to be.” We know this beast from chapter 13. He is the beast that comes out of the sea indicating that he arises out of the chaos of the world to bring order out of disorder. He is the Antichrist. If you will remember he demands the worship of the people of the earth and even has a statue made of his countenance and forces people to worship it. All who refuse (the people of God) are killed. He is the beast that had seven heads and one of them had received a wound unto death but had recovered. This Beast worked many wonders and miracles so much so that people were convinced that he is the messiah, the savior of the world. He is the consummate counterfeit Christ. That is why John states that he was, and is not and will ascend out of the bottomless pit. He is counterfeiting the Lamb who was and is and is to come. The inhabitants of the earth, those whose names are not written in the Book of life from the foundation of the earth are so deceived that they marvel or admire this beast. All of this is interesting but the most important part of all of this description of the beast (there will be more descriptions) is where he will go. He will go to perdition. That is not a word we use much anymore so let me define it for you. He will go to the destruction of eternal misery in hell. Those who are unregenerate, those whose names are not written in the Book of Life admire this beast that will be cast into hell for eternity. And that fact gets repeated again in verse 11. For the church going through persecution, trials and tribulation that is great encouragement.

Let’s look at verses 9-11. 9 “Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. 10 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. 11 The beast that was, and is not, is himself also the eighth, and is of the seven, and is going to perdition. This is the second time in the Revelation that we are told that we need wisdom to understand something. In chapter 13:18 we read; 18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666.[2] We know that people have sought to understand the meaning of six hundred and sixty six since this was written and there are no definitive answers. When we looked at it a while back we determined that when the time came for believers to fully understand the meaning they would be able to do so. I believe this information about the beast that the woman sits on is similar. I would be lacking in my commentary if I did not mention Rome at this point. Historically the city of Rome has been known as the City of Seven Hills. And to the first century reader of this letter it would make sense that Rome would represent the center of all decadence that this world system, the harlot, demonstrates. Rome would have been the Babylon of the first century but today I would most likely call it Los Angeles but that shows my prejudice. This verse represents that the world system that opposes God to supplant Him in the lives of His creatures is supported by the political and military power of the world. It is a union between the political and the spiritual. John goes on to tell us that the seven heads are not only the union between government and the spiritual world but it also represents seven kings, five of which have fallen, or they have come and gone, one is and the other has not yet come. Some have tried to determine who these six kings have been and who the seventh is but I think the point being made here is that we are close to the end. Five have come and the one that was present in John’s time is gone so there is one more that will arise that will be the embodiment of the world system that will oppose God. For the first century Christians this would have been great news, they were 5/7 of the way there. And notice what else is said: And when he comes, he must continue a short time. The question is, is this God’s short time or our short time? I would have to say it is God’s short time but either way the point is that this leader of the world system that opposes God and kills the saints and the martyrs will not last forever, in the grand scheme of things it is only a short time. Verse 11 is somewhat of a riddle but I think the point is that times of persecution and trials and tribulations from the political and military power will come and go throughout history but in the end the one who is the last, and most likely the worst will go to the destruction of eternal torment in hell.

To be honest I think that verses 12-14 says much the same thing as it relates to kingdoms and kings that oppress the people of God. 12 “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. 13 These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast. 14 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.” People have tried for 2000 plus years to determine who these 10 kings or kingdoms are. I remember back in the 60’s and 70’s the European Common Market was the main culprit but there were only 9 countries in the organization until 1973 when Great Britain was finally allowed to join. I remember how almost every preacher I heard proclaimed that these 10 “kings” would be the ones who ushered in The End. But then in the 80’s 4 more countries joined and there were not 14 kings in this passage only 10. Then the Common Market became the European Union with 27 “kings”. The point being that there is no reason to try and determine which kings or kingdoms that will be the ones that join with the beast. What we need to be sure we know and I mean really know is that world political and military powers that support the world system that seeks to supplant God will make war against the Lamb and the Lamb will destroy them, all of them. And the only reason we are given for the Lamb’s victory is that He is the Lord of lords and the King of kings. Our Lord God will conquer with the Lamb and look at who comes along with Him. Those who come with Him are the called, the chosen and the faithful. Notice how that is stated, the called, chosen and faithful are with Him they are not fighting alongside, they are not covering His flanks, they are not support troops they are simply more than conquerors, they are there to see their Redeemer overcome the enemy that has opposed God and His people since the fall of man. This is important when you consider that the purpose of the Revelation is to encourage a church that has, will or is suffering persecution, trials and tribulations. In Chapter 13 we read this about the beast that will lead these “kings”; Revelation 13:6-8 6 Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. 7 It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. 8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.[3] Jesus said there would be tribulations but that He had overcome the world. Since the fall it has appeared that evil would conquer but evil only succeeds where it serves God’s purpose and the Lamb who was slain from the foundation of the world for those who are the called, the chosen and the faithful will conquer as the Lord of lords and the King of kings.

Let’s move on to our last section of Scripture for the morning; Revelation 17:15-18 15 Then he said to me, “The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues. 16 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. 17 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. 18 And the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth.”[4] I don’t know why the angel waits until this point to make this clear but he does make it clear that there is not even a small part of humanity that is not influenced by the world system that would seek to supplant God, to overthrow Him. “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” “There are none who do good no not one” “The heart of man is wicked above all things”. This harlot, the love of the world and the things in the world holds sway over all peoples of the earth. But still God showed His love towards us (the called, chosen and faithful) in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.

Remember I said a moment ago that it has appeared since the fall of man that evil would prevail? Do you know why evil cannot completely win? Because evil devours itself. Look again at verse 16: 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. We can bring that in to a practical frame of reference. Evil Communist China and evil Communist Soviet Union were always at odds with one another restricting their ability to dominate the rest of the world. I like this example better: Evil Democrat Party is always at odds with Evil Republican Party trying to destroy one another. Just think of the evil either party could do if they were not fighting one another. The reason that evil devours itself is revealed in verse 17. It is God’s will for them to seek to destroy one another. He put it in their hearts to fulfill His purpose and that will continue until all the words of God are fulfilled. God used evil Babylon to destroy evil Judah. He used evil Medo-Persia to destroy Babylon and then used them to restore Judah. The one thing we need to make sure we understand is that mankind cannot thwart God’s plan. A world system represented by a harlot that seeks to supplant God by drawing His creatures away from Him cannot thwart God’s plan. The beast supported by all the kings of the world cannot thwart God’s plan. The Lamb who is the Lord of lords and King of kings will fulfill all of God’s intents.

I have said it before and will continue to say it. I am not as concerned with knowing what is going to happen in the future as I am with knowing how to live while it is happening. So what principles for Christian living can we draw for this passage? First we need to remember to beware of the allure of the world. The angel warned John in verse 7 and John warned us in 1 John 2:`5-17 15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.[5] This world and the things in the world are not what they seem and are aimed at replacing God in the life of God’s creatures, you and me, so beware.

Second; All of the enemies of God, the harlot (that world system that opposes God), the Beast, Satan, will all go to perdition, eternal torment in hell. The same is true for those whose names are not written in the Book of the life of the Lamb. But those whose names are written in the Book, the called, chosen and faithful will be with the Lamb when He conquers His enemies. Since we will be with Him then we should live as if we are with Him now.

Third: When we do live our lives that show that we are the called, the chosen and the faithful we should expect to suffer, Jesus did and the Apostles did. But remember that in the end The Lamb is the Lord of lords and the King of kings and He will conquer.

Finally: We must remember that mankind cannot thwart God’s plan. A world system represented by a harlot that seeks to supplant God by drawing His creatures away from Him cannot thwart God’s plan. The beast supported by all the kings of the world cannot thwart God’s plan. The Lamb who is the Lord of lords and King of kings will fulfill all of God’s intents. And His intent is to save His people. Let’ pray.

[1] The New King James Version. (1982). (Re 17:1–18). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

[2] The New King James Version. (1982). (Re 13:18). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

[3] The New King James Version. (1982). (Re 13:6–8). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

[4] The New King James Version. (1982). (Re 17:1–18). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

[5] The New King James Version. (1982). (1 Jn 2:15–17). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.