REVELATION LESSON 40

REVELATION

LESSON 40

Are We Living in the End Times?

Revelation 17:1   17 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:

In chapter 17 we will be looking at the punishment of Babylon, the mother, the great religious harlot and what God plan to do with this harlot religious system.

In the bible, seas and waters represent great masses of people. They represent the people, nations and tongues. The fact that this wicked woman is pictured as sitting upon these great masses is an indication that she will be supported by them, and she will exercise control over them. She will exercise control over them during the tribulation period.

An extensive study of the religions of Babylon demonstrates that many of them were carried over in part into Roman Catholicism, forming the background for some of the ceremonies. The Babylonian influence however is always contrary to the truth. Her final hour will be described in this chapter.

Revelation 17:2   ² With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.

From the very beginning most nations have been ruled by some type of religion. The harlot religious system will commit adultery with the kings of the earth, she will conspire with world leaders to produce a merger of religion and government. Here is a final religious system, united with a political system to manipulate the people of the earth into a false government approved religion.

The wine of her fornication is referring to demonic possession. This wicked woman will cause people to be led astray by deceiving spirits. Teachings of eastern religions have infected even the church itself.

Driving it increasingly toward apostasy and a false interpretation of Gods word. There will be world wide religious deception so out of control that it is easy to understand how worldwide ecclesiastical trends are even now leading to the dawn of a one world church controlled by Satan.

The one world religion will have a lot of Catholics in it but it will also have a lot of protestants and other religions. The people that are saved regardless of religion or denomination will be raptured and the lost regardless of their false religious beliefs will be left behind.

Revelation 17:3   ³ So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.

John saw a woman on a scarlet colored beast with seven heads and ten horns. We already know the beast with the seven heads and the ten horns is the antichrist. Since the woman will be sitting on the beast, we must assume that her harlot religion and the antichrist will exist on earth at the same time. The political power of this day is supporting this apostate church.

At first the antichrist will support her one world religion and be under her authority. Things will eventually turn bad between the two, the relationship will be hindered by the woman’s double identity. Remember she is both mother, the false religious system and the great city Babylon. We can see from this that all three, the false religious system, the city of Babylon and the antichrist will exist during the first half of the tribulation period.

Revelation 17:4   ⁴ And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:

When it peaks here of the woman arrayed in purple and scarlet colors it pertains to Israel, with a carry over into the church age. The purple represents the dominion of these religions over nations, the scarlet color represents the persecution of Israel.

Decked with gold and precious stones and pearls means this woman is a rich harlot of royal stature. Look at the golden cup she will be holding. This cup will be filled with abominable things and the filth of her fornication.

When the false religions drink from this cup they will drink the wine of fornication. This is symbolic of deceiving spirts and demons.

Today many people think our modern society is too enlightened to believe in the existence of demons. These demons are no less dangerous than Satan. They are his cohorts, doing his will. It is unfortunate but this includes many of the worlds religious and political leaders.

Until our next lesson, 

Stay in the word.

Brother Andy.