THE VICTORY OF THE LAMB
What is "victory"?
The Webster dictionary says of "victory": Conquest; the defeat of an enemy in battle, or of an antagonist in contest; a gaining of the superiority in war or combat. Victory supposes the power of an enemy or an antagonist to prove inferior to that of the victor. Victory however depends not always on superior skill or valor; it is often gained by the fault or mistake of the vanquished.
You see Satan made a mistake BUT THAT IS NOT WHY HE WILL LOSE THE WAR:
The Lord God says:
Eze 28:6 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; [Because thou hast set thine heart as the heart of God];
Eze 28:7 Behold, therefore I will bring strangers upon thee, the terrible of the nations: and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of thy wisdom, and they shall defile thy brightness.
Eze 28:8 They shall bring thee down to the pit, and thou shalt die the deaths of them that are slain in the midst of the seas.
You see God has His number one commandment. In the words of Jesus Christ our Lord:
Mat 22:36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
Mat 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Mat 22:38 This is the first and great commandment.
Mat 22:39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Mat 22:40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Again in Luke:
Luk 10:25 And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
Luk 10:26 He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?
Luk 10:27 And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.
What has this enemy of God done?
Paul wrote:
Eph 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, [that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil].
Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
I submit to you that this is Mystery Babylon that our study will now take us through in the next two chapters.
Our Lord Christ was blatantly shown this thing during his temptation by Satan himself:
The Bible says:
Luk 4:5 And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
Luk 4:6 And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.
Luk 4:7 If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.
Luk 4:8 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
Satan was showing Our Lord his Mystery(to us not God) Babylon!
The Apostle Paul wrote to us these words:
2Th 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
2Th 2:5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
2Th 2:6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
2Th 2:7 [For the mystery of iniquity doth already work]: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
We must not forget, this battle was not for Christ, or The Father or the Holy Ghost. This battle has been for the entire creation of God and especially the humans that live on the Earth. God's greatest creation! God has set the rules and wrote all these things down for us to see from that very first day back in Genesis some 6000 years ago. The Holy Ghost has kept a leash on Satan for all these years but once the Lord raptures His Church He will allow Satan to be part of this "Judgment" also.
Our Text:
*****Rev 17:1 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:
We need to get a better understanding of this word "judgment" as it is used in this verse.
Mat 7:1 Judge not, that ye be not judged.
Mat 7:2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
The way this word is used in both of these verses is:
1.) Condemnation
2.) Punishment
3.) Sentence
4.) And Eternal Damnation.
What was a reason Christ came to this world?
Joh 9:39 And Jesus said, [For judgment] I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.
We have seen and will see righteous "judgment" from our Lord:
Rom 2:2 But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.
Rom 2:3 And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?
Rom 2:4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
Rom 2:5 But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;
Rom 2:6 Who will render to every man according to his deeds:
What we have seen and will see is that Satan and his followers will receive "judgment" the same way he and they have dished it out all these years.
The word "Judgment" is used in many other ways such as the Greek word "dikaioma" which means justification. These are important differences when we study God's word.
Rom 11:33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!
Rom 11:34 For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?
In the second and third chapters of Revelation we saw how God judged His Church. We now see how God will judge Satan and his powers and principalities and his religious system.
The Apostle Peter wrote:
1Pe 4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
1Pe 4:18 And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?
1Pe 4:19 Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.
The same Greek word (krima) is used in all these verses:
What does this word "whore" mean in this verse? (Greek porne)
Unfaithfulness!
To put it in the way it is meant here is to say being rewarded for unfaithfulness. The evil use of God's people to make a profit for Satan and his followers. The unseen Mystery Babylon.
Our text:
*****Rev 17:2 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.
It's easy to see from this verse that it says for the most part the kings of the Earth have also gone the way of this false religion. We may not have many kings in our day but this word is used as the sovereign of any nation. We like to disagree with these things but in the time of the Great Tribulation this will be an absolute fact and is more true than not even in our day.
We can also see that that the inhabitants, all the people that are not the sovereign rulers are being made to drink of this relationship. In other words the people that say they free are not really free.
Jesus asked this question of Peter one day:
Mat 17:24 And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay tribute?
Mat 17:25 He saith, Yes. And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers?
Mat 17:26 Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. [Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free].
Mat 17:27 [Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them], go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee.
Jesus lived in Capernaum yet He still had to pay tribute that was do from strangers. Are the children then free? We can see in our day it is the strangers that are not charged tribute but the local people(taxes) and NO ONE IS FREE. Jesus still taught us to be obedient to those that are in power. In fact in America it is the stranger that does not have to pay tribute!
Rom 13:1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
To drink of this "wine" would be like drinking poison. To be made drunk is to be intoxicated. IN-TOXIC-ATED. That word toxic means poison. These inhabitants of the Earth will be poisoned by the Apostasy of this Satan inspired religion.
Our text:
*****Rev 17:3 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.
This verse leaves no doubt that this false religion has rode on the strength of the Devil to reach her importance in this world. She is riding that "Bloody Red Dragon" of Chapter 13.
It can also be said that Satan is carrying this false religion as far as he can for his own purpose, for Satan's religion is his own self and he has no regard for anyone but himself.
Our text:
*****Rev 17:4 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:
Rev 17:5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
**This Mystery.
We can see from this verse that the world had donated heavily into the coffers of this false religion. Maybe we need to look around and see how God's money is spent in our own church before we criticize this "whore".
In this time of John a "whore" or "harlot" was proud of what she was and wore some ornament or jewel on her forehead. This church of apostasy wears her name proudly for the world to see. She has been a "Mystery" a behind the scenes working of Satan. She is everything that the "True Church" is not.
The Bible says of the True Church:
Act 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, [which he hath purchased with his own blood].
Act 20:29 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.
Act 20:30 Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.
again:
Heb 9:11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
Heb 9:12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
Heb 9:13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:
Heb 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
Heb 9:15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.
Peter tells us of this false religion:
1Pe 1:18 Forasmuch as ye know that [ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers];
1Pe 1:19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
You see this is the falseness of Satan that you can be redeemed by things of this Earth, the "corruptible things".
If you are not washed in the "Blood of Jesus" your home will be that burning lake of fire of the Book of Revelation.
To teach any other way is "APOSTACY" and the way of Satan.
Gal 1:8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, [let him be accursed].
**This Babylon the Great.
If we just take the name Babylon we can see why this word is in the Bible so often.
In some places we can find that this term "Babylon" means [confusion or mixture]
In another place we can find that this term "Babylon" means [gate of the gODS](notice that's little "g".
We can see again that the Holy Spirit has led us to the Book of Genesis:
Gen 10:8 And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth.
Gen 10:9 He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD.
Gen 10:10 And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.
Nimrod, this is the first of the World's rulers or at least a "want to be world ruler" as we still have them around in our day now.
This immediately caused confusion in the world just after the world wide flood. It does'nt take Satan long to get back to his agenda. It was Nimrod that tried to make Babel, now Babylon, the "gate of false gODS". We can see from this term "Babylon the Great" that the Bible is not mentioning Babylon at all but is telling us of that Apostate led Synagogue of Satan. This will be the churches under the umbrella of Satan that stems from the Laodicean church and will include all religions in the time of the Great Tribulation.
**The Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth:
We think of a "mother" as a woman that has and raises children. This the exact way this word is used in this verse. Then this "whore" (unfaithful to the word of God) has spawned many children that are:
1.) Harlots:
There is a difference between a harlot and a spiritual harlot.
Hos 4:11 Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart.
Hos 4:12 My people ask counsel at their stocks, and their staff declareth unto them: for the spirit of whoredoms hath caused them to err, and they have gone a whoring from under their God.
Hos 4:13 They sacrifice upon the tops of the mountains, and burn incense upon the hills, under oaks and poplars and elms, because the shadow thereof is good: therefore your daughters shall commit whoredom, and your spouses shall commit adultery.
***Hos 4:14 I will not punish your daughters when they commit whoredom, nor your spouses when they commit adultery: [for themselves are separated with whores, and they sacrifice with harlots: therefore the people that doth not understand shall fall].
To be a spiritual harlot is much worse because it brings damnation.
To be a harlot can be forgiven!
1Co 6:9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
1Co 6:10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
1Co 6:11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
2.) Abomination:
a.) To God an "abomination" is a thing of disgust:
Lev 18:22 Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.
b.) A detestable act:
Eze 22:11 And one hath committed abomination with his neighbour's wife; and another hath lewdly defiled his daughter in law; and another in thee hath humbled his sister, his father's daughter.
c.) A ceremonial pollution:
Gen 43:32 And they set on for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians, which did eat with him, by themselves: because the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews; for that is an abomination unto the Egyptians.
d.) Especially when someone claims Christ and goes after Idols:
1Ki 11:5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.
1Ki 11:6 And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his father.
1Ki 11:7 Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon.
e.) Things offered to false gODS:
Zec 9:7 And I will take away his blood out of his mouth, and his abominations from between his teeth: but he that remaineth, even he, shall be for our God, and he shall be as a governor in Judah, and Ekron as a Jebusite.
Zec 9:8 And I will encamp about mine house because of the army, because of him that passeth by, and because of him that returneth: and no oppressor shall pass through them any more: for now have I seen with mine eyes.
Pro 21:27 The sacrifice of the wicked is abomination: how much more, when he bringeth it with a wicked mind?
f.) God makes it simple:
Pro 6:16 These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
Pro 6:17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
Pro 6:18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,
Pro 6:19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.
These and many more things are the children of the Harlot religion of Satan.
Our text:
*****Rev 17:6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.
Rev 17:7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.
Who is this woman, this "mother" with such a reputation as this? Who is this woman that could get drunk on the death and destruction of the saints?
1.) She is called a "great whore".
2.) She rides a wild beast we know of as Satan.
3.) She is as a drunk.
4.) She is mysterious.
5.) She sits on seven mountains.
6.) She sits worldwide on peoples, multitudes, nations and tongues.
7.) She will be hated by the nations ruled by the Devil.
8.) She is a "City", a great city.
When God calls a nation a whore or a religion a whore or harlot He means they have left His Teaching!
Isa 1:4 Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.
Forsaken: means Deserted; left; abandoned.
In other words at one time this whore would have worship the true God, Jehovah, The Lord. We know that Israel left Him at one time for "idolatry". They learned the error of this when the Lord gave them over to Nebuchadnezzar.
When we first began our study of the "Church Age" we also met another whore:
Rev 3:14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
Rev 3:15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
Rev 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
Jesus Christ is outside this church because they have forsaken Him. This the modern day liberal, so called church that is engulfing the modern world and trying to put all religions under one roof. This is the church that will endorse the Anti-Christ during the tribulation period, for they will not repent.
John marvelled at this thing that could look like royalty, act like royalty but be so full of hatred for the true God and His children!
Our text:
*****Rev 17:8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
We know that it is the Anti-Christ that ascended out of the "bottomless pit"
Rev 11:7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.
We know he will go to final destruction:
Rev 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
And all those that follow him. All those that reject Jesus Christ. To accept Him as Savior is the only way to have your name written in the "Lamb's book of life"!
1.) We know the Bible tells us of the Devil, Lucifer.
2.) We know that he has taken great pain to remain hidden behind his evilness all these years.
3.) There is no doubt that he exist.
Our text:
*****Rev 17:9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.
Rev 17:10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.
Rev 17:11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.
Rev 17:12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
Rev 17:13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
Notice the Holy Spirit will always show us some wisdom from time to time to keep us on track.
Before we go further it should be known that there now at least 63 cities that claim to be built on "seven hills".
One writer writes these words:
"Building cities on seven hills has become a cultural unifying factor for societies across the world. Through open communication based on a common history peoples have come to understand the beauty of diversity and the strength of shared experience".
When we look to verse 15 we find that where this spiritual whore sits is actually the entire world at the time of the Great Tribulation. Which one of these cities will be the headquarters as such is yet to be known but her children, her harlots, her abominations are world wide at this time.
What we now witness in this verse is that Anti-Christ will break ranks with his own endorsed religion because we already know Satan worships hisself.
Daniel wrote:
Dan 11:36 And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.
Dan 11:37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.
Dan 11:38 But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.
Dan 11:39 Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain.
Our text:
*****Rev 17:14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.
The victory! There is no way to win a war against the Lamb of God!
Who is that with Him?
Rom 8:30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
Rom 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
Rom 8:38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Rom 8:39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
2Ti 2:4 No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.
The Prophet says:
Isa 25:7 And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations.
Isa 25:8 He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it.
Isa 25:9 And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.
Paul wrote:
1Co 15:57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1Co 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
Our text:
*****Rev 17:15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
We can see that this false religion has spread it self throughout the world. All nations, all languages, all peoples and all multitudes.
Our Text:
*****Rev 17:16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.
Rev 17:17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.
Rev 17:18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.
Satan will destroy this false thing himself.
Let's see if we can see what Jesus saw:
Mat 4:8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
1.) Jesus saw a great whore:
In Isaiah God called Israel a "whore", "harlot".
Isa 1:21 How is the faithful city become an harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers.
This term was used for Idolatry! When we turn away from God and others follow us because of this we are then "murderers" if these never turn to God for salvation!
God said this would all change one day:
Isa 1:25 And I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin:
Isa 1:26 And I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counsellors as at the beginning: afterward thou shalt be called, The city of righteousness, the faithful city.
Isa 1:27 Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her converts with righteousness.
Isa 1:28 And the destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners shall be together, and they that forsake the LORD shall be consumed.
Rev 17:5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
Why do we see these things?
Isa 1:4 Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: [they have forsaken the LORD], they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.
Many cities in the Bible have been openly called this name of God but now we have "Mystery" involved.
A "mystery" is: A profound secret; something wholly unknown or something kept cautiously concealed, and therefore exciting curiosity or wonder.
Let's pray!
What is "victory"?
The Webster dictionary says of "victory": Conquest; the defeat of an enemy in battle, or of an antagonist in contest; a gaining of the superiority in war or combat. Victory supposes the power of an enemy or an antagonist to prove inferior to that of the victor. Victory however depends not always on superior skill or valor; it is often gained by the fault or mistake of the vanquished.
You see Satan made a mistake BUT THAT IS NOT WHY HE WILL LOSE THE WAR:
The Lord God says:
Eze 28:6 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; [Because thou hast set thine heart as the heart of God];
Eze 28:7 Behold, therefore I will bring strangers upon thee, the terrible of the nations: and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of thy wisdom, and they shall defile thy brightness.
Eze 28:8 They shall bring thee down to the pit, and thou shalt die the deaths of them that are slain in the midst of the seas.
You see God has His number one commandment. In the words of Jesus Christ our Lord:
Mat 22:36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
Mat 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Mat 22:38 This is the first and great commandment.
Mat 22:39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Mat 22:40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Again in Luke:
Luk 10:25 And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
Luk 10:26 He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?
Luk 10:27 And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.
What has this enemy of God done?
Paul wrote:
Eph 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, [that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil].
Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
I submit to you that this is Mystery Babylon that our study will now take us through in the next two chapters.
Our Lord Christ was blatantly shown this thing during his temptation by Satan himself:
The Bible says:
Luk 4:5 And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
Luk 4:6 And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.
Luk 4:7 If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.
Luk 4:8 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
Satan was showing Our Lord his Mystery(to us not God) Babylon!
The Apostle Paul wrote to us these words:
2Th 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
2Th 2:5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
2Th 2:6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
2Th 2:7 [For the mystery of iniquity doth already work]: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
We must not forget, this battle was not for Christ, or The Father or the Holy Ghost. This battle has been for the entire creation of God and especially the humans that live on the Earth. God's greatest creation! God has set the rules and wrote all these things down for us to see from that very first day back in Genesis some 6000 years ago. The Holy Ghost has kept a leash on Satan for all these years but once the Lord raptures His Church He will allow Satan to be part of this "Judgment" also.
Our Text:
*****Rev 17:1 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:
We need to get a better understanding of this word "judgment" as it is used in this verse.
Mat 7:1 Judge not, that ye be not judged.
Mat 7:2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
The way this word is used in both of these verses is:
1.) Condemnation
2.) Punishment
3.) Sentence
4.) And Eternal Damnation.
What was a reason Christ came to this world?
Joh 9:39 And Jesus said, [For judgment] I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.
We have seen and will see righteous "judgment" from our Lord:
Rom 2:2 But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.
Rom 2:3 And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?
Rom 2:4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
Rom 2:5 But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;
Rom 2:6 Who will render to every man according to his deeds:
What we have seen and will see is that Satan and his followers will receive "judgment" the same way he and they have dished it out all these years.
The word "Judgment" is used in many other ways such as the Greek word "dikaioma" which means justification. These are important differences when we study God's word.
Rom 11:33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!
Rom 11:34 For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?
In the second and third chapters of Revelation we saw how God judged His Church. We now see how God will judge Satan and his powers and principalities and his religious system.
The Apostle Peter wrote:
1Pe 4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
1Pe 4:18 And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?
1Pe 4:19 Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.
The same Greek word (krima) is used in all these verses:
What does this word "whore" mean in this verse? (Greek porne)
Unfaithfulness!
To put it in the way it is meant here is to say being rewarded for unfaithfulness. The evil use of God's people to make a profit for Satan and his followers. The unseen Mystery Babylon.
Our text:
*****Rev 17:2 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.
It's easy to see from this verse that it says for the most part the kings of the Earth have also gone the way of this false religion. We may not have many kings in our day but this word is used as the sovereign of any nation. We like to disagree with these things but in the time of the Great Tribulation this will be an absolute fact and is more true than not even in our day.
We can also see that that the inhabitants, all the people that are not the sovereign rulers are being made to drink of this relationship. In other words the people that say they free are not really free.
Jesus asked this question of Peter one day:
Mat 17:24 And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay tribute?
Mat 17:25 He saith, Yes. And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers?
Mat 17:26 Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. [Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free].
Mat 17:27 [Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them], go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee.
Jesus lived in Capernaum yet He still had to pay tribute that was do from strangers. Are the children then free? We can see in our day it is the strangers that are not charged tribute but the local people(taxes) and NO ONE IS FREE. Jesus still taught us to be obedient to those that are in power. In fact in America it is the stranger that does not have to pay tribute!
Rom 13:1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
To drink of this "wine" would be like drinking poison. To be made drunk is to be intoxicated. IN-TOXIC-ATED. That word toxic means poison. These inhabitants of the Earth will be poisoned by the Apostasy of this Satan inspired religion.
Our text:
*****Rev 17:3 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.
This verse leaves no doubt that this false religion has rode on the strength of the Devil to reach her importance in this world. She is riding that "Bloody Red Dragon" of Chapter 13.
It can also be said that Satan is carrying this false religion as far as he can for his own purpose, for Satan's religion is his own self and he has no regard for anyone but himself.
Our text:
*****Rev 17:4 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:
Rev 17:5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
**This Mystery.
We can see from this verse that the world had donated heavily into the coffers of this false religion. Maybe we need to look around and see how God's money is spent in our own church before we criticize this "whore".
In this time of John a "whore" or "harlot" was proud of what she was and wore some ornament or jewel on her forehead. This church of apostasy wears her name proudly for the world to see. She has been a "Mystery" a behind the scenes working of Satan. She is everything that the "True Church" is not.
The Bible says of the True Church:
Act 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, [which he hath purchased with his own blood].
Act 20:29 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.
Act 20:30 Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.
again:
Heb 9:11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
Heb 9:12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
Heb 9:13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:
Heb 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
Heb 9:15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.
Peter tells us of this false religion:
1Pe 1:18 Forasmuch as ye know that [ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers];
1Pe 1:19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
You see this is the falseness of Satan that you can be redeemed by things of this Earth, the "corruptible things".
If you are not washed in the "Blood of Jesus" your home will be that burning lake of fire of the Book of Revelation.
To teach any other way is "APOSTACY" and the way of Satan.
Gal 1:8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, [let him be accursed].
**This Babylon the Great.
If we just take the name Babylon we can see why this word is in the Bible so often.
In some places we can find that this term "Babylon" means [confusion or mixture]
In another place we can find that this term "Babylon" means [gate of the gODS](notice that's little "g".
We can see again that the Holy Spirit has led us to the Book of Genesis:
Gen 10:8 And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth.
Gen 10:9 He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD.
Gen 10:10 And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.
Nimrod, this is the first of the World's rulers or at least a "want to be world ruler" as we still have them around in our day now.
This immediately caused confusion in the world just after the world wide flood. It does'nt take Satan long to get back to his agenda. It was Nimrod that tried to make Babel, now Babylon, the "gate of false gODS". We can see from this term "Babylon the Great" that the Bible is not mentioning Babylon at all but is telling us of that Apostate led Synagogue of Satan. This will be the churches under the umbrella of Satan that stems from the Laodicean church and will include all religions in the time of the Great Tribulation.
**The Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth:
We think of a "mother" as a woman that has and raises children. This the exact way this word is used in this verse. Then this "whore" (unfaithful to the word of God) has spawned many children that are:
1.) Harlots:
There is a difference between a harlot and a spiritual harlot.
Hos 4:11 Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart.
Hos 4:12 My people ask counsel at their stocks, and their staff declareth unto them: for the spirit of whoredoms hath caused them to err, and they have gone a whoring from under their God.
Hos 4:13 They sacrifice upon the tops of the mountains, and burn incense upon the hills, under oaks and poplars and elms, because the shadow thereof is good: therefore your daughters shall commit whoredom, and your spouses shall commit adultery.
***Hos 4:14 I will not punish your daughters when they commit whoredom, nor your spouses when they commit adultery: [for themselves are separated with whores, and they sacrifice with harlots: therefore the people that doth not understand shall fall].
To be a spiritual harlot is much worse because it brings damnation.
To be a harlot can be forgiven!
1Co 6:9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
1Co 6:10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
1Co 6:11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
2.) Abomination:
a.) To God an "abomination" is a thing of disgust:
Lev 18:22 Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.
b.) A detestable act:
Eze 22:11 And one hath committed abomination with his neighbour's wife; and another hath lewdly defiled his daughter in law; and another in thee hath humbled his sister, his father's daughter.
c.) A ceremonial pollution:
Gen 43:32 And they set on for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians, which did eat with him, by themselves: because the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews; for that is an abomination unto the Egyptians.
d.) Especially when someone claims Christ and goes after Idols:
1Ki 11:5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.
1Ki 11:6 And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his father.
1Ki 11:7 Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon.
e.) Things offered to false gODS:
Zec 9:7 And I will take away his blood out of his mouth, and his abominations from between his teeth: but he that remaineth, even he, shall be for our God, and he shall be as a governor in Judah, and Ekron as a Jebusite.
Zec 9:8 And I will encamp about mine house because of the army, because of him that passeth by, and because of him that returneth: and no oppressor shall pass through them any more: for now have I seen with mine eyes.
Pro 21:27 The sacrifice of the wicked is abomination: how much more, when he bringeth it with a wicked mind?
f.) God makes it simple:
Pro 6:16 These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
Pro 6:17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
Pro 6:18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,
Pro 6:19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.
These and many more things are the children of the Harlot religion of Satan.
Our text:
*****Rev 17:6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.
Rev 17:7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.
Who is this woman, this "mother" with such a reputation as this? Who is this woman that could get drunk on the death and destruction of the saints?
1.) She is called a "great whore".
2.) She rides a wild beast we know of as Satan.
3.) She is as a drunk.
4.) She is mysterious.
5.) She sits on seven mountains.
6.) She sits worldwide on peoples, multitudes, nations and tongues.
7.) She will be hated by the nations ruled by the Devil.
8.) She is a "City", a great city.
When God calls a nation a whore or a religion a whore or harlot He means they have left His Teaching!
Isa 1:4 Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.
Forsaken: means Deserted; left; abandoned.
In other words at one time this whore would have worship the true God, Jehovah, The Lord. We know that Israel left Him at one time for "idolatry". They learned the error of this when the Lord gave them over to Nebuchadnezzar.
When we first began our study of the "Church Age" we also met another whore:
Rev 3:14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
Rev 3:15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
Rev 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
Jesus Christ is outside this church because they have forsaken Him. This the modern day liberal, so called church that is engulfing the modern world and trying to put all religions under one roof. This is the church that will endorse the Anti-Christ during the tribulation period, for they will not repent.
John marvelled at this thing that could look like royalty, act like royalty but be so full of hatred for the true God and His children!
Our text:
*****Rev 17:8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
We know that it is the Anti-Christ that ascended out of the "bottomless pit"
Rev 11:7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.
We know he will go to final destruction:
Rev 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
And all those that follow him. All those that reject Jesus Christ. To accept Him as Savior is the only way to have your name written in the "Lamb's book of life"!
1.) We know the Bible tells us of the Devil, Lucifer.
2.) We know that he has taken great pain to remain hidden behind his evilness all these years.
3.) There is no doubt that he exist.
Our text:
*****Rev 17:9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.
Rev 17:10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.
Rev 17:11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.
Rev 17:12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
Rev 17:13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
Notice the Holy Spirit will always show us some wisdom from time to time to keep us on track.
Before we go further it should be known that there now at least 63 cities that claim to be built on "seven hills".
One writer writes these words:
"Building cities on seven hills has become a cultural unifying factor for societies across the world. Through open communication based on a common history peoples have come to understand the beauty of diversity and the strength of shared experience".
When we look to verse 15 we find that where this spiritual whore sits is actually the entire world at the time of the Great Tribulation. Which one of these cities will be the headquarters as such is yet to be known but her children, her harlots, her abominations are world wide at this time.
What we now witness in this verse is that Anti-Christ will break ranks with his own endorsed religion because we already know Satan worships hisself.
Daniel wrote:
Dan 11:36 And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.
Dan 11:37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.
Dan 11:38 But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.
Dan 11:39 Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain.
Our text:
*****Rev 17:14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.
The victory! There is no way to win a war against the Lamb of God!
Who is that with Him?
Rom 8:30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
Rom 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
Rom 8:38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Rom 8:39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
2Ti 2:4 No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.
The Prophet says:
Isa 25:7 And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations.
Isa 25:8 He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it.
Isa 25:9 And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.
Paul wrote:
1Co 15:57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1Co 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
Our text:
*****Rev 17:15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
We can see that this false religion has spread it self throughout the world. All nations, all languages, all peoples and all multitudes.
Our Text:
*****Rev 17:16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.
Rev 17:17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.
Rev 17:18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.
Satan will destroy this false thing himself.
Let's see if we can see what Jesus saw:
Mat 4:8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
1.) Jesus saw a great whore:
In Isaiah God called Israel a "whore", "harlot".
Isa 1:21 How is the faithful city become an harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers.
This term was used for Idolatry! When we turn away from God and others follow us because of this we are then "murderers" if these never turn to God for salvation!
God said this would all change one day:
Isa 1:25 And I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin:
Isa 1:26 And I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counsellors as at the beginning: afterward thou shalt be called, The city of righteousness, the faithful city.
Isa 1:27 Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her converts with righteousness.
Isa 1:28 And the destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners shall be together, and they that forsake the LORD shall be consumed.
Rev 17:5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
Why do we see these things?
Isa 1:4 Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: [they have forsaken the LORD], they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.
Many cities in the Bible have been openly called this name of God but now we have "Mystery" involved.
A "mystery" is: A profound secret; something wholly unknown or something kept cautiously concealed, and therefore exciting curiosity or wonder.
Let's pray!
