The title of my message tonight is – False Religion: The Great Whore. The wise man Solomon warned his son to carefully avoid the strange woman, the harlot with a subtle heart, saying, "Many strong men have been slain by her. Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death." (Pro. 7:1-27). To be sure, his words are applicable to the street corner prostitute. The man who goes to a prostitute to find sensual gratification is not wise. He is surely to be ranked among "the simple ones, void of understanding." But Solomon's warning is not about a mere hooker. He is warning his son, and us, of the danger of false religion, comparing it to a beautifully arrayed, enticing whore. He is telling us that those who embrace false religion sleep in the arms of the great whore. And they will wake up in hell. It is this great whore of false religion which John saw and describes for us in Revelation 17:1-18.
When John was carried away to see "the judgment of the great whore," he was carried away "in the spirit into the wilderness" (vv. 1,3). This description of her dwelling place is very expressive. Wherever false religion occupies the place of the true worship of God there is desolation and emptiness (Amos 8:11-12). There may be great worldly wealth and glory; there may be a fullness of power, influence and approval; there may be purple and scarlet, gems and gold, pomp and luxury and everything to gratify the sensual desires of the heart; there may even be worldwide acceptance and dominion; yet, where the Word of God, the gospel of his grace and the worship of Christ in all the fullness of his redemptive glory are despised and trampled under foot, there is a bleak, barren, empty, desolate wilderness. Who can doubt that the day in which we live is such a wilderness, except of course those who have been made drunk by the great whore herself? The political, governmental powers of this world (both the "free" world and the "communist" world) are ruled by the beast of hell. The only law recognized and honored in this generation is the hell-inspired self-will of every man. And the religion of this world is the gaudy, painted, pretentious religion of the great whore.
This great whore, false religion, is called by the name, "Babylon the Great." We have heard this name twice already (14:8; 16:19). In both places the name is mentioned as the object of God's great judgment upon her. In Revelation 17, 18 and 19, John describes that judgment, assuring us of the fact that all false religion, here represented by Babylon, will be destroyed and the truth of God shall prevail to the glory of Christ. The picture that is given is a picture of horrible woe for those who have been deceived by the harlot. But it is a picture of indescribable joy for those who worship the Lamb. Blessed be God, Babylon shall be destroyed!
Proposition:The Truth of God, the Church of God and The Lamb of God shall prevail over the conquer all false religion.
Divisions:I will not discuss the many, many fanciful interpretations given by men about Babylon, the beast and the kings of the earth. Let me only remind you that any attempt to interpret the Book of Revelation literally must be forced and will inevitably lead to absurdities. The vision which John describes in this chapter was as significant and instructive to his generation as it shall be to the last. And it is the Word of God to us at this present hour. Its message is the Church of God in every generation in the world. It must not be limited to one age or one place. We must not miss the forest for the trees. That is to say, We must not allow ourselves to become so involved in looking at the various symbols in this vision that we miss the message of the vision.
As we look at this chapter together, I want to raise and answer three questions.
Without question, there is in this vision a representation of Rome, its pagan culture, pagan government and pagan worship. Without question, Roman Catholicism, the superstitious, idolatrous religion of papacy is also involved in the picture before us. But it would be a serious mistake to limit the picture to Rome and Romanism.
This woman is called – "the great whore that sitteth upon many waters…And upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery, Babylon the Great, Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth" (vv. 1,5). This woman, Babylon, the great whore, represents all false religion in this world, no matter what name that religion bears: Paganism, Judaism, Protestantism, Islam, Catholicism, Liberalism, Conservatism, Fundamentalism, Mysticism, Pentecostalism, etc.
There are only two religions in this world. All religions when reduced to their essential elements, must be categorized under one of these two: Free-Grace and Free-Will, the religion of God and the religion of man, Light and Darkness, Grace and works. Truth and Heresy, the Church of God and the Synagogue of Satan. And these two religions, the true and the false are represented to us in The Book of Revelation by two women. In Revelation 12 we saw the Church of God, the religion of free-grace, which proclaims salvation by the blood and righteousness of Christ alone, who is the man Man Child, represented by "A Woman Clothed With The Sun! Here, in Revelation 17, we see the religion of satan, free-willism, man centered, works religion, represented by "The Great Whore…Babylon."
A. TAKE A MOMENT TO NOTICE THE COMPARISON AND CONTRAST BETWEEN THESE TWO WOMEN.
The true Church of God is represented throughout the Scriptures as the Bride, the Lamb's Wife, a Pure, Spotless, Clean Virgin, Arrayed in White. All false religion is in garments dyed red with the blood of the saints. In Revelation chapters 12 and 17, the two are distinctly described.
1. Both of these women are mothers. The Church brought forth a man child, the Messiah, who must rule the world. That speaks, of course, of the incarnation of Christ. This Harlot is "the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth."
2. Both of these women are dressed with gorgeous attire. The Church of Christ is "clothed with the sun." Her garment is the light of heaven. This harlot is "arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls." All her ornaments are from below, the gaudy tapestry of the earth and the sea.
3. Both women are in a very influential position. The Church has "the moon under her feet." The powers of darkness are brought into subjection to her, and have no power of darkness are brought into subjection to her, and have no power over her. The harlot holds her influence, by deception, over the kings and inhabitants of the earth.
4. Both of these women meet with opposition and are made to suffer. The Church is persecuted by the dragon, Satan, driven into the wilderness, and tormented. The harlot, in time, becomes the object of hatred in the eyes of those who have been deceived and mocked by her. And she is ultimately destroyed by the power of God.
5. Both of these women live upon the earth at the same time. They both fill the space of history. In all ages and in all places both are to be found. And at all times the Church, The Pure Woman, is hated and persecuted by the powers of the earth, while the Harlot is loved, flattered and caressed by them.
The woman clothed with the sun is God's symbol of the Church of Christ, the Lamb's wife, bone of his bone, flesh of his flesh, born out of his wounded side, washed in his blood and robed in his righteousness. The great whore, Babylon, is the rival, the false church, the antichrist church, a universal congregation of false believers and false worshippers, gathered by the power of satan for the destruction of men's souls.
B. THE CHARACTER OF ALL FALSE RELIGION IS DESCRIBED IN JOHN'S VISION OF THE GREAT WHORE.
Remember, the picture is a symbol of false religion. Do not try to get a literal picture in your mind. But try to grasp the spiritual meaning of the whole picture. Here are seven features of this woman, by which we are instructed and warned, lest we be deceived by the great whore, who with her much fair speech" and "the flattering of her lips" has caused so many to follow her "as an ox goeth to the slaughter" – (Pro. 7:21-22).
1. ONE OF HE MOST PROMINENT FEATURES OF THIS WOMAN IS THE FACT THAT SHE IS A WHORE. (v. 1).
The angel calls her "the great whore." Not only is she a harlot, she is the mother of all spiritual harlots and abominations in the world. Whoredom is the standing symbol in the Word of God for false religion. When men and women worship for God that which is not God, give their hearts to false gods, or institute doctrines, ordinances and practices into the church to replace what God has revealed and appointed, they have begun to practice adultery and fornication. Their religion is whoredom. Their church is a whore. And when they going to worship in the name of God, they are going to a brothel to buy gratification for their carnal hearts – (See – Jer. 3:6-9; Ezek. 16:28-37; Hosea 1 and 2; Rev. 2:22). This woman is called the great whore and the mother of harlots, because she is the embodiment and representative of all idolatry, false worship and false doctrine in the world.
I would be remiss in my responsibility to God and to the souls of men, if I did not plainly identify the most wicked and damning forms of idolatry in our day. It is not the worship of sticks and stones. It is the worship of –
She was not born yesterday. This old gal has been around a very long time. She is the mother of all harlots and all the abominations' in the world. The imagery goes back to the beginning. All false religion, all false worship, all abominable doctrine comes forth from the womb of this great whore.
3. TO GIVE AN INDICAITON OF HER AGE AND HER VILENESS, SHE IS GIVEN THE NAME, BABYLON THE GREAT. (v. 5).
This is not a prophecy that the ancient city of Babylon will be resurrected and rebuilt. Babylon will no more be rebuilt than the Jewish temple and priesthood will be re-established by God. God destroyed that ancient city in his wrath, and swore that it would never be inhabited again (Isa. 13:19-20). This great whore is not the ancient city of Rome, or the ancient city of Babylon, or any other city, though all the abominations of all the cities of the earth spring from her. This Babylon is any and all religious systems that are opposed to God. Babylon is the religion of man. It is that religion which teaches salvation of man. It is that religion which teaches salvation by the works of man's hands and the power of man's will.
Though it is seen in the sacrifice of Cain, it began as an organized religion, an organized system of worship in opposition to God, in the fourth generation after Noah, with Nimrod, the cursed son of Noah's cursed son Ham (Gen. 10:8-11)
The Bible tells us that Nimrod was "a mighty hunter before the Lord! That is a very poor translation of the text. Literally, it means "Nimrod was a mighty rebel before the Lord, the mightiest rebel before the Lord in the earth." His name, Nimrod, means "a rebellious panther." It was this "rebellious panther," Nimrod, who built the city of Babel, on Babylon, and began the religion of confusion – (Gen. 11:1-9).
NOTE: Idolatry is not a gradual decline from truth by well-meaning, but unenlightened men. It began at Babel in intentional rebellion. It was the invention of a proud race who refused to come to God by faith in a Substitute and refused to trust God's grace alone. Babylon was born in defiance of God and his Word.
a. The men of Babel despised.b. They attempted to build a tower to heaven by the works of their hands, with no regard for the glory of God.
c. God scattered these men and brought their religion to confusion. d. Yet, wherever these idolaters have been spread through the earth, their religion is essentially the same.All the pagan mythologies, idolatrous images, and religious rituals of the world, no matter how much they differ, have an underlying sameness, which proves that they are all from one original source. And that source is Babel, or Babylon, Nimrod's plan to defeat the purposes of the God of Noah. The one foundational tenet that always remains the same in the worldwide religions of Babylon is this: Man's salvation ultimately depends upon and is determined by man himself. Any doctrine that:
Is the doctrine of the great whore. It is Babylonian, idolatrous, blasphemous, and abominable.
4. WE ARE TOLD THAT THIS WOMAN HAS MADE THE INHABITANTS OF THE EARTH DRUNK WITH THE WINE OF HER FORNICATION (v. 2).
The religion of old Babylon is not limited to one race, one time, one place, or even one religious order. It encompasses all. The kings of the earth and the inhabitants of the earth, from one generation to another, commit fornication with her and drink from her cup until they are thoroughly drunk, beyond the reach of reason.
a. The cup which she holds out is a golden cup – (v. 4). To the carnal, sensual heart, the world's religion is very appealing, It is bright, glittering, full of blessings, promising happiness, health, peace and prosperity to all who drink from its cup. Clubs – Events – Beauty – Wealth – Numbers!
b. But the cup is full of abominations, filthiness and fornication. You can mark it down as a fact that cannot be disputed that, wherever false religion gains popularity and acceptance, moral corruption follows. The doctrines of self-righteousness, free-willism and works salvation always produce moral degradation. We are told that the preaching of free-grace produces licentious behavior. But history declares that the preaching of works and free-willism produce licentiousness.
c. The cup is always the same – The old harlot has only one cup. It is always filled with the same, head-spinning wine. It is the wine of free-will, self-righteousness, and good works – You have seen many drunk on this wine.
She is drunk "with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus." "In her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth." (18:24).
Throughout history, past and present, persecution and the murder of God's saints and prophets has been the work of this great whore. It is old Nimrod trying still to destroy the kingdom of God. Persecution is not the work of God's church. It is the work of Babylon. False religion seeks power by any means available. It cannot wait upon the Lord. Instead, it seeks to rule men and women in the name of the Lord, by political power, legislative power, and even the power of the sword. It is always a religion of bondage, fear, tyranny, and oppression.
6. NEXT, WE ARE TOLD THAT THIS WOMAN SITS UPON MANY WATERS (v. 1).
The angel tells us plainly that these waters are not literal bodies of water. They are "peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues." (v. 15). That is to say, "The false religion signified by this great whore is universal in its acceptance." The prostitution of Divine truth, is supported and accepted by the fallen sons of Adam wherever and whenever they are found upon the earth. While the false religions of the world may fight among themselves, at times, they will always be found united in their opposition to the Lord Jesus Christ and the gospel of the grace of God revealed in him.
7. THEN JOHN DESCRIBES THIS WOMAN AS ONE SITTING UPON A SCARLET BEAST, FULL OF THE NAMES OF BLASPHEMY HAVING SEVEN HEADS AND TEN HORNS – (v. 3).
a. The beast is the same one we saw in chapter 13. It tells us that this woman, the religion of this world, is inspired by and empowered by satan himself - (v. 8). (See – II Cor. 11:1-5, 13,-15).
b. The seven heads of the beast are the kingdoms and empires of this world, by which false religion is both protected and advanced – (vv. 9-10).
(1.) The five which are fallen are Greece, Persia, Babylon, Assyria and Egypt.
(2.) The one which stood in John's day was Rome.
(3.) The one which shall come is not identified; but it will continue only a short time.
NOTE: The number seven may be merely a symbolical, figurative number, implying the complete, universal acceptance of false religion, all under the demonic influence of the beast (v. 11). William Hendriksen suggest that, The seventh head might be the collective title for all antichristian governments from the fall of Rome unto the second coming of Christ, existing in that short space of time we call "The Gospel Age" (Rev. 11:2,3; 12:6,14; 13:5). But the entire political world is now, always has been, and shall remain until the coming of Christ under the influence of satan himself, the prince of this world.
c. The ten horns of the beast are kings, rulers of the world, raised up by satan for brief periods of time to make war with Christ and his Church (vv. 12-14).
They are not mighty emperors, just little presidents, senators, congressmen, governors, legislators, prime ministers, etc., etc. etc. to whom satan gives a brief time of power to oppose the cause of Christ.
This woman, the great whore, is the religion of this world, which reigns over the kings and people, and nations of the earth in opposition to Christ and his Church – (vv. 18, 14).
II. WHAT SHALL BECOME OF THIS WOMAN?When John saw this great whore, this great antichrist religious system, ruling over the people and nations of the earth, making the kings of the earth drunk with her idolatry and will worship, he was astonished. He says, "When I saw her, I wondered with great admiration" (v. 6). A better reading would be, "I was astonished with great terror." And well he might be! But he is comforted and encouraged by the realization that this great whore shall be brought to destruction by the will of God, and that even she is under the dominion of our great God and Savior and shall serve his purpose – (vv. 16-17).
Take courage children of God, Christ shall prevail! And in him we shall prevail too. We are, in Christ Jesus, more conquerors.
A. THIS GREAT WHORE, WITH ALL HER HELLISH POWER, SHALL HAVE NO INFLUENCE OVER THE CHURCH OF GOD'S ELECT – (vv. 8, 14).
Though all the world is deceived by the charms of false religion, the mother of harlots cannot deceive or destroy any of God's elect.
1. Our names were written, immutably, in the book of life before the world began.
2. We are called of God; and the gifts and callings of God are without repentance.
3. We have been chosen as the objects of God's mercy, love and grace; and the purpose of God in election must stand.
4. God makes his elect faithful to Christ by the power of his grace; and faithful men and women cannot be turned away from their Master.
5. And our Redeemer and Savior is Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, who is the almighty Lord of lords and King of kings – (II Tim. 1:12).
B. AND IN THE END, BY THE WILL OF GOD, THIS WOMAN SHALL BE DESTROYED – (vv. 16-17).
It seems at times that antichrist will prevail. But as our God sent confusion to the people of Babel and turned them against one another, as he overthrew Egypt, Babylon, Assyria and Rome, he will utterly destroy all false religion, and make the great whore desolate in the end, so that even those who once carried her upon their shoulders shall despise her and devour her.
1. In God's time Babylon shall fall.
2. And even Babylon shall prove, in the last great day, to have been the servant of God to perform his will in the earth – (I Cor. 11:19; II Thess. 2:1-14; Ps. 76:10).
There are many, many things taught in this picture of False Religion: The Great Whore. But I want to give you just four things to take home with you.
A. THE LORD OUR GOD IS SOVEREIGN OVER ALL THINGS.B. POPULARITY IS NO INDICATION OF THE WILL OF GOD OR THE TRUTH OF GOD.
If you would follow Christ, you must be prepared to swim against the tide, always be in the minority, and always face bitter opposition from the world.
C. GOD'S ELECT ARE SECURE AT ALL TIMES, BEING KEPT BY THE POWER OF HIS GRACE – (Rom. 8:28-39).
D. THE RELIGION OF THIS WORLD WILL PROVE TO BE EMPTY, FRUSTRATING AND LOATHESOME IN THE END.
Those who revel in it today will despise it at the last – But it will be too late!
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