FALSE RELIGION DESTROYED, PART 2

Revelation 17:6-18 (NASB)
David Bruce Linn, Pastor-Teacher
9 April, 2000
All Rights Reserved

In our last study in Revelation 17:1-5 we saw a vision of a woman who represents false religion, riding upon a scarlet beast who represents Antichrist, and sitting on many waters which represent the worldwide character of her influence. We also saw that all false religion through history is marked by some version of self-worship. Entire branches of so-called Christianity have gone over to this self orientation, and it even infects Bible-believing churches like a leech upon an otherwise healthy animal. The remainder of this chapter reveals the fate of this final form of the Great Harlot during the last days.

1. MEETING THE ENEMY OF FALSE RELIGION
   
   Her method of operating is also revealed: "And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus" (Rev. 17:6a). She has been the fountainhead of persecution of believers for all time. This is instructive with regard to the nature of our spiritual battles. One might be inclined to look about the spiritual landscape today and see attacks upon the church coming from many sources. It would be easy to become frantic with the sheer number and variety of them, yet this Scripture reveals the attacks upon God's people as having a unified source in the Great Harlot.
   
   The Apostle Paul wrote about this to the troubled Corinthian church, which was under attack from the seductions of false religion in many ways: "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ..." (2 Cor. 10:3-5) Knowing our true enemy keeps us from attacking people for whom Christ died, and directs us to take up the spiritual weapons of prayer, Bible study, and love to help people receive and obey Christ. The impulse to strike back at our attackers cannot advance the cause of Christ, and distracts us from our true goals: "'But I say to you, do not resist him who is evil; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also'" (Mat. 6:39).
   
   This means that behind all of our problems with secular authorities lies Satan, because it is his world system. He works deceptively, so that most of the church's persecutors do not recognize the source of their own activities. We should watch for "fellow travelers" with the Great Harlot, who deny the source of their activities, such as the followers of the religion known as Wicca. These self-described witches are eager to deny that they worship Satan, claiming to worship nature, specific trees, rocks, and geographic features. One might call this the "we worship anything but God" religion. Yet their activities support the Great Harlot, for as Jesus said, "'He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me, scatters.'" (Luke 11:23). For this reason, we must have spiritual discernment, not worldly-wise ways, as we present the truth of God to an increasingly ungodly culture in western society. We must watch, pray, and speak the truth in love, not seek to shape public opinion with press releases and fight political battles. And while few believers have actually had their blood spilled for their faith in America until recently, the martyrdom described here as the work of the Great Harlot continues to increase around the world and has begun even here.
   
   
2. THE BEAST WHICH CARRIES THE GREAT HARLOT
   
   Thankfully, the text goes on to show how world history is utterly in the hands of our Great Father, who cares for his children in every age: "And when I saw her, I wondered greatly. And the angel said to me, 'Why do you wonder? I shall tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns. The beast that you saw was and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and to go to destruction. And those who dwell on the earth will wonder, whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast, that he was and is not and will come.'" (Rev. 17:6b-8) These words were spoken by an angel, one who was holding one of the seven bowls containing the final judgment of God on the earth (:1). The angel makes reference to the great trick of the Beast (Antichrist), who either personally appears to have been raised from the dead or whose empire appears to be one which has been gloriously revived, or both. This trick will garner worship for the Beast and the Great Dragon (Satan) from everyone except true believers. To encourage us in the middle of present difficulties we are again told that God's destruction of the Antichrist and the Devil is certain. Hallelujah!
   
   The next few verses clarify the identity of the Great Harlot and the Beast kingdom upon which she rides: "'Here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits...'" (Rev. 17:9) Searching the ancient world for cities with seven hills turns up two likely prospects, Rome and Constantinople (modern Istanbul). Constantinople was the capital of the Roman empire after Rome (starting in 330 A.D.), and these cities also became the headquarters of Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy. Here is the place where, as John just exhorted us, we need minds with wisdom. There has been a tendency in Protestantism to identify the Great Harlot concretely as Roman Catholicism, yet the text clearly calls for a far more sweeping fulfillment than any one group. In fact, as we studied in verses 1-5 of this chapter (cf. Part 1), Protestantism is heavily infected with the features of this false religion, even the evangelical and Bible-believing wing. Rather than being a particular earthly religious organization, the Great Harlot has representatives in every group, who will work together to create one as yet unseen world religious organization during the seventieth week of Daniel. Perhaps it will occur under the auspices of one of our "likely suspects," but perhaps not.
   
   John moves on in the vision to give a summary of sweeping political events which can only be understood with reference to more explicit prophecies in the book of Daniel. God, who sees all of history simultaneously, sometimes gives his children a quick overview to comfort us with his command of all things: "'...And they are seven kings; five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain a little while. And the beast which was and is not, is himself also an eighth, and is one of the seven, and he goes to destruction.'" (Rev. 17:10-11) By reference to Daniel 2, 7, and 9, we discover that these seven "kings" are actually empires (see attached chart). The first two, Egypt and Assyria, are not mentioned by Daniel because the visions he either received or interpreted were for the future. The third empire was Babylonian, the fourth Medo-Persian, and the fifth Greek. John says that of these seven kings "one is", which at the time of his writing was the Roman empire (the sixth beast empire).
   
   John tells us that the empire of the Beast who is to come would be numbered eighth, and is in some way also one of the seven. This is more evidence for it being a revived empire. The seventh is simply not mentioned since the Roman empire was in power during the completion of the writing of the Bible. Is it the Soviet empire, or the British empire, or the brief but vicious rule of Hitler called the Third Reich? Robert Van Kampen argues that it is probably Hitler's empire (in The Sign), since all the previous empires share one trait in common: they were all persecutors of God's people. The Third Reich, while not lasting very long, has certainly done the most harm to the Jewish people of any empire since the fall of Rome. Nevertheless, we are well into the realm of speculation and should not be dogmatic.
   
   This last empire, numbered eighth, belongs to Antichrist and is described in the next verse: "'And the ten horns which you saw are ten kings, who have not yet received a kingdom, but they receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour'" (Rev. 17:12). Their "authority" is given them by the ruler of the evil world system, Satan, but is granted permissively by the Ruler of the Universe, God. When we say that the Great Tribulation (from the midpoint of seventieth week until the rapture and beginning of the day of the Lord) is marked by Satan's wrath, we speak of the permissive will of God allowing the full development of evil on earth as one aspect of his judgment (cf. Romans 1:18ff). That this is the case is shown by God's removal of all restraint against evil (2 Thess. 2:7-8) at the middle of the seventieth week. This ten-nation blasphemous confederation under Antichrist's leadership will be revealed at the beginning of the seventieth week or even before, but the world will be deceived about its true nature until the midpoint of the week when worship of Antichrist will be demanded of everyone on pain of death. None of this happens without the permission of the sovereign God.
   
   "'These have one purpose and they give their power and authority to the beast. These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful.'" (Rev. 17:13-14) Again we are encouraged to know that God will destroy this evil kingdom in the end when his final direct judgment is revealed at the day of the Lord. No false competitors to the rule of God will be left standing. The Lamb is victor and brings his children with him--every last one! Hallelujah again!
   
   
3. THE KEY TO VICTORY FOR THE CHILDREN OF GOD
   
   The manner in which the children of God are here identified is a wonderful incentive to peace in our hearts and zealous obedience in our lives. They are "the called and chosen and faithful." This is one of those times to put down our tools of theological analysis and rejoice exuberantly that our salvation is all of God, from beginning to end. The blessed logic is simple: the Lamb conquers all, and we are with him. It is not because we are worthy, performed good works, or were clever, but because he chose us, he called us, and he granted us the grace to be faithful to him! Our chosenness is our prime comfort in the midst of trials and temptations of every sort and degree, including the intense persecution of Antichrist in the last days. When we feel like we cannot face the pressure of our persecutors, when we feel like we cannot hang on any longer, we can take our refuge in the profound fact that God has chosen us, and will see us through to glorification without fail! (cf. Rom. 8:28-30) In the end we shall see that it is he holds us, not we him. Do not trust your faith--trust God only!
   
   A crucial question at this point is: How can we know if we are chosen? Our only hope is to take hold of the means which God has provided to receive the grace of salvation and continue in it. This is why it is essential to believe God's word, the Bible, because there is no other way to discover the means we must employ. There are many passages in the New Testament designed to help us with this question, but we may summarize. How do you know if you are chosen?
   
   1. You believe the true gospel that the blood of Christ was shed to pay for your sin (Rom. 5:8-9).
   2. You place your entire trust for eternal life in that gospel (cf. 1 John 5:9-13).
   3. You love God. Belief is not enough, since even the demons believe in God, yet clearly do not love him. A feeling of trust is not enough, because you may be trusting in a concept rather than the person of God. Love makes it clear that God is the focus of your faith. (1 John 4:16-21)
   4. You want to obey God, and you demonstrate your new inward desire by actually obeying. This includes abandoning sinful thoughts and behaviors and adopting holy ones. (cf. 2 Peter 1:1-11)
   5. When you fail God, instead of running away, you run to him for forgiveness and restoration by the blood of Christ (1 John 1:9).
   
   In the New Testament, people who live in this way are seen with an unshakable assurance of their chosenness which carries them through all manner of difficulty and persecution. This is the only way we shall find peace in persecution as well. If we are trusting in ourselves to any extent, we will certainly break down under the pressure. No, our safety is found by sticking near the Lamb of God (cf. Rev. 14:4), and through him we have certain victory.
   
   One way God brings this victory is to have our enemies consume themselves, as happens to the false religious system of the Great Harlot: "'And the ten horns which you saw, and the beast, these will hate the harlot and will make her desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh and will burn her up with fire. For God has put it in their hearts to execute His purpose by having a common purpose, and by giving their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God should be fulfilled.'" (Rev. 17:16-17) Here again we see the supreme sovereignty of God revealed in performing his will even through creatures destined for wrath. Religious Babylon will reach her zenith during the first half of the seventieth week of Daniel when Antichrist is still pretending to be the savior of mankind and protector of Israel. When he unveils his image in the temple of Jerusalem to demand worship for himself, he will use the combined power of his ten-nation confederacy to crush the false religious system. He can have no competitors for the worship of the people, and so the Harlot must be destroyed. The sinful consume themselves, and God is again vindicated in his supreme might!
   
   The characteristic of the first Babylon was the combining of human energies and technologies to raise up a tower which symbolized man's self-deification. The vaunting of man's abilities against God was the reason for God's confusing of the languages, as shown by Genesis 11:6b: "And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them." It is a characteristic which is described also in Revelation: "'And the woman whom you saw is the great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth'" (Rev. 17:18). It has been a feature of mankind since the fall to seek to raise up human power structures against God, and the Great Harlot reveals to us that religion is part of that effort. She reaches her peak during the last days, and then is destroyed by her traitorous lovers.
   
   
4. CONCLUSION
   
   Thus we battle even in evangelical churches against the raising up of religious powers which the Evil One can hijack and ride to his own destination. Luther should have realize this when he began persecuting the anabaptists. Calvin should have recognized the ugly head of false religion as the torch was put to the logs at the feet of Miguel Servetus to burn him to death for doctrinal departures. The Inquisition and Crusades should have set off strident alarms in the hearts of God's people. Jesus said: "My kingdom is not of this world," meaning that for the church age to come, the kingdom would be in the hearts of his people. Its marks are the same as the marks of its ruler, Jesus Christ: grace, truth, and love. Through these we gain the victory, and in no other way. Departures from the way of Christ into coercion, browbeating, political influencing, or guilt manipulation are all foul concessions to the Great Harlot, and inestimable failures for the kingdom of Christ. The Jesus way is our way, and there is no other way!
   
   Are you afraid that your faith may fail when confronted with deadly persecution? Your strength for that day will not be found in the strength of your faith, but in the knowledge that your name has been "written in the book of life from the foundation of the world" (:8). The Holy Spirit will help you see in the moment of dire distress that the world system which arrogantly demands your allegiance is built on quicksand and is about to collapse under the mighty hand of God. So stand firm--your salvation is drawing near!
   
   [chart from Van Kampen, The Sign, on the eight beast kingdoms inserted here]