Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

How many of you get the idea that God is trying very hard to get your attention.

It is like a fire that is rolling over the hills coming closer and closer to your town and so far we have three alerts an email and text alert, then a call from civil authorities, then the fire department, then a sheriff.

All were saying, Hey a fire is coming.

Are you the person who says when it takes out my neighbors I will think about evacuating or do you take the first warning seriously and get out of town.

This is the dilemma with Revelations.

Background

In Chapter 15-16 we see what happens to the ones who have the mark of the beast.

It seems like they do not wake up the next day and go that was a mistake.

We see a stubbornness and a hard heart toward God

We also see that none of these plagues fall upon the 144,000 - which makes you wonder where are they - how does God protect them ?

As we move into Chapter 17 we are going to see more information about the Harlot who is Babylon.

This section of revelations is really three Chapters 17-19

Lets begin by reading Chapter 17

Lets cut this up into pieces.

vs 1-6

God is going to deal with the beasts global religious (belief) system

She is called the harlot and her sin is immorality

She is also a picture of what the world looks like - Instead of a pure relationship with God- it has become the opposite.

Some say she is the apostate Christian church ( a church which abandons its beliefs)

We can see alot of what we would call mainline churches have now fallen in this category.

They would call themselves Christians but the Holy Spirit has been replaced with a different kind of Spirit.

Some still think it would be the Roman Catholic Church

Some would say it has nothing to do with Christianity.

It is a completely different belief system like Islam.

Which ever it is....

The harlot always opposes the bride -

The harlot is dressed like one of the elites - with Gold , jewels and pearls

She holds a cup - this cup is filled with the blood of the saint

This is in contrast to the cup in the throne filled with the prayers of the saints

She sits upon waters and a very weird looking beast.

Her posture makes it look like she is enthroned or having great authority.

Revelations 17:18 says she is a city.

This city is prosperous and powerful, but also idolatrous (“blasphemy”) and dangerous.

It pollutes the nations with its filth and abomination and persecutes Gods people.

It is a sickening city - in light of Gods holiness

On her forehead is Mystery and the Mystery is Babylon

Original Babylon built by Nimrod - In this city the tower of Babel was built and God destroyed it.

This is the Babylonian center.

Then remember Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel - It was the city of indulgence and excess.

Babylon became a great empire before finally falling to Media-Persia.

But from the beginning of Nimrod’s city in Genesis 10, an insidious anti-God “Babylonian influence” has been felt throughout history.

It is a symbol of that which draws people away from God.

One theologian says it is the embodiment of the lusts of the flesh, lust of the eyes and the vainglory of life.

In Johns day this would have looked like Rome.

It represents a political system that is all about itself and not about God.

The Prophet Isaiah called Jerusalem a Harlot

In Is 1:21

Now lets look at the beast that she sits upon - the beast is the AntiChrist

7 heads -= 7 mountains = which are seven kings (Empires)

5 are Gone Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, and Greece

1 is present - which would be Rome ( Domitian is the emperor)

The other is to come A rising empire that was counted out but came back to life.

The last kingdom will rival the Roman Empire

10 horns = 10 kings or world leaders ( future leaders) AntiChrist and 10 other leaders.

They will fight against Jesus and Jesus will win

So who is it?

Readers in John’s day would identify this with the Roman Empire.

Readers in the Middle Ages might identify it as the Roman ecclesiastical system.

Today, some believers see “the harlot” and the Babylonian system in an apostate “world church” that minimizes doctrinal truth, rejects the authority of the Word, and tries to unite professed believers on some other basis than faith in Jesus Christ.

Other s believe it is Islam.

The beast and the woman are situated together

But in the end the Harlot which is a city is destroyed.

The city that takes world stage comes down to dust.

This system will be replaced by a world dominating system.

Babylon is destroyed.

we will talk about it in Chapter 18.

Lets look at the theme verse for this Chapter

Conclusion

In the end it is all about Pride -ego- power - greed- do what you want to do when you want to do it .

It is also about deception and rebellion.

It is prostituting oneself with the world.

In the end it becomes all about you

How about we use the word faithfulness.

Can I tie this into Fathers day sure.

You want to be a great dad it starts by loving and being faithful to your wife.

Not only a faithful husband but a Good Good Father.

We are going to close with one of the most sung worship songs a couple of years ago.

It gives us a glimpse of the character of God.