Study In Revelation 27 The Judgment Of Babylon Begins Series

STUDY IN REVELATION 27

Vision 3 Rev. 17: 1-6

The Judgment of Religious and Political Babylon

Part I

In the first six verses of chapter 17 we are given the description of religious Babylon or false religion.

If anything is false we consider it a lie, which is the opposite of the truth.

False religion has done more to destroy people than any other thing known to man. How can this be true?

Through deception, false religion promises life, salvation, peace and hope in some kind of life hereafter.

In verse one John is approached by an angel. Remember that John is having a vision of the last days of human history. He has just been shown, in his vision the final battle, which is called the battle of Armageddon. The angel tells John to come with him and he will show John the future judgment of false religion.

In verse one John see two things.

v. 1 John sees Babylon [false religion] as a great harlot.

In scripture the term harlotry is seen as false gods, false worship, and false devotion. It stands for worshipping something other than the only living and true God.

A person commits spiritual prostitution when he/she,

1. Makes an image of God, whether it be real or simply in the mind and follows that image.

2. Follows an earthly religion, instead of following the Jesus of the Bible.

Spiritual harlotry means to follow a false religion and worship a false god.

Scripture: Rom. 1: 22 - 23 * 1Tim. 4: 1 * 1Jn. 5: 21 * Dt. 11: 16 * Is. 42: 8 * Is. 45: 20

2 Timothy 3: 5 says: “Having a form of godliness [ritual, ceremony, worship], but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.”

v. 1 John sees false religion sitting on many waters.

Do you remember what the term “many waters” means? [Look at verse 15 for the answer]

The picture we are given is one of false religion literally filling the world. Millions of people from all parts of the earth will be caught up in some form of false religion.

Let’s bring this closer to home. Think of how many people who profess Christ and yet they refuse to believe or teach Christ and the Word of God.

We use the term Christian in such a way that everybody is a Christian yet not everybody believes in the Christ of the Bible. My question is. How can one profess to be a Christian and not believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God? FALSE RELIGION!!!!!!

In other words, “I’m saved because I said so, not because of anything Jesus could do for me.”

v.2 False religion will be supported by the kings of the earth.

In the last days, the governments of the world will encourage the worship of the antichrist and his false religion.

Think about this. How many people, today, would rather belong to a religion or church that allows worldliness and that does not teach or preach separation?

Scripture: Rom. 12:1-2 * 2Cor. 6: 17-18 * 1Jn. 2: 15-16

v. 3 False religion will receive power from the beast or the antichrist.

The false religion of the end time will be supported by the antichrist and his government. Notice 3 things.

1. Religious Babylon sits upon a scarlet colored beast. When you sit in a chair you are supported by the chair.

The term here shows that by sitting on the beast, religious Babylon is supported by the beast.

2. The scarlet colored beast is the antichrist. How do we know this?

The beast is full of names of blasphemy. The governments of the world will be unified in rebellion against God.

3. The beast has seven heads and ten horns. We saw that the seven heads are seven nations that will voluntarily surrender to the antichrist. Remember that the antichrist has already conquered three nations. The three conquered nations and the seven surrendered nations will give the antichrist the power of ten horns or nations.

For many, even today, religion is and will be determined by their desires for the world. The world and its possessions are put first and they use religion like a salve to ease their consciences.

Scripture: 1Cor. 6: 19-20 * Lk. 21: 34 * Col. 3: 2 * Tit. 2: 12 * Jas. 4: 4

v. 4 The wealth and corruption of false religion will in the end time will be tragic.

1. The false religion of the end time will be extremely wealthy.

Today one of the hottest topics is the amount of money you can make serving God.

What concerns me is the fact that every 5 seconds a child, somewhere in the world, dies from hunger. That comes to somewhere in the neighborhood of 16,000 every day.