The Fall of Babylon
They are called America’s Team. You know them. They are just up the road a bit. They are pompous and arrogant. They think they are better than every other team. They have the best stadium. The best cheerleaders. And what they believe to be the best quarterback.
But when you get right down to it and you look at them more closely, you see that all of that is a bunch of lies.
Here’s a meme that a friend sent me this week:
You see, when you are in Texas, you are either a Cowboys fan or a Texans fan. Here in Houston, we are Texans all the way!
When it comes to Revelation, it’s similar…There are 2 great cities highlighted: Team Babylon or Team Jerusalem. There is no in-the-middle.
Here’s the question – When you read Revelation, a question rises to the top --- Do I love and live for Babylon or Jerusalem?
-Babylon – represents the great system of godlessness that leads people away from the worship of God and to their own destruction. Babylon is the evil world who opposes all the things of God.
-Jerusalem – represents the city of God, chosen and set apart by the Lord. Glory and goodness!
What I want us to see today in 17-18 is the character and destiny of Babylon. Let’s get a snapshot // zoom in on the great city that drinks the fury of God’s wrath described in Chapter 16. Revelation 17 (today) is an extension of what’s happening in Revelation 16…There’s a lot going on. Look at the character of team Babylon with me:
Revelation 17:1-6
Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters, 2 with whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality, and with the wine of whose sexual immorality the dwellers on earth have become drunk.” 3 And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns. 4 The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality. 5 And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: “Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth's abominations.” 6 And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.
The first thing that I want you to see is…
I.Babylon is attractive and seductive.
-John is on the Island of Patmos and is introduced to the Great Prostitute, Babylon.
-The Great Harlot of Babylon – symbolizes unfaithfulness to God and false religion. James 4:4
She is seated on many waters. In vs. 15 we’re told who the many waters are –
Revelation 17:15
And the angel said to me, “The waters that you saw, where the prostitute is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and languages.”
So, she is seated on many waters…In other words, she rules over/has influence over the peoples of the world. Not followers of Jesus. But those who love Babylon, not Jesus. They love the world and it’s systems.
-Here’s the scene:
oShe has committed adultery/fornication/sexual immorality with powerful people - kings. And with regular people – earth dwellers.
oShe rides on a scarlet beast with 7 heads and 10 horns
oThis is the antichrist of chapter 13.
Notice that she rides on the beast…this to me indicates that the beast, the Antichrist, is using her to accomplish his purpose which is to rule over people and to prevent worship of God.
oLook what she is wearing – purple, scarlet, adorned with gold and jewels and pearls; and she wears a headband like the Roman prostitutes did… and on her headband: her name: Babylon– although John’s audience would have understood the evil of Babylon…what we need to understand is that Babylon represents the great system of godlessness and evil…
JAMES WALVOORD SAYS…“The Bible is full of information about Babylon as the source of false religion, the record beginning with the building of the tower of Babel (Gen. 10–11). The name “Babel” suggests “confusion” (Gen. 11:9). Later the name was applied to the city of Babylon which itself has a long history dating back to as early as 3,000 years before Christ. One of its famous rulers was Hammurabi (1728–1686 B.C.). After a period of decline Babylon again rose to great heights under Nebuchadnezzar about 600 years before Christ. Nebuchadnezzar’s reign (605–562 B.C.) and the subsequent history of Babylon is the background of the Book of Daniel."
DR. BRUCE FONG SAYS…"The great prostitute represents Babylon. What do we know about Babylon? We see Babylon a lot in the Old Testament but I will just give you two examples that I think will help us identify Babylon."
In Genesis 11, we find the story of the Tower of Babel. In Hebrew, the word Babel and Babylon are the same word. What happened at the Tower of Babel?
And then in Daniel 4, King Nebuchadnezzar…King of Babylon, get’s punished by God. Why? Because of what he said in Daniel 4:30.
Daniel 4:30
and the king answered and said, “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?”
FONG CONTINUES…HE SAYS…
King Nebuchadnezzar believed he had taken God’s place. Babylon represents the world system that seeks to replace God. When we talk about “the world,”…or about doing things God’s way or the world’s way…we are talking about Babylon--the world system run by Satan that seeks to deceive man and steal the worship that is rightfully God’s. Babylon is the world system where power and fame and wealth and pleasure are worshipped.
I was on a zoom call with a church leader this week. He had recently been to London and was working with a group of pastors. He said, “London is totally secular, yet God is really moving in the church.” He then proceeded to tell me about how London resists the things of God.
He said, “Chick-fil-a was set to come to London, hoping to open five locations. They were making plans, and then they were stopped because they learned that Dan Cathy and Chick-fil-a is a Christian company.”
-Why is she wearing all of this symbolically? Don’t miss this first characteristic of Team Babylon – she is attractive and seductive. She wears the jewelry and the fancy clothes all in an effort to look good and to lure people in, to chew them up and spit them out.
oWe are being lured to lust.
oThe temptation to lust and to give in to be seduced has never been greater. Let me share a few statistics with you in this regard.
CONSIDER THE PERVASIVENESS OF PORNOGRAPHIC MATERIAL.
•As of October 2020, according to an analysis of the most trafficked websites worldwide, 2 porn sites are in the top 10 most visited sites, with a third porn site coming in at 11th (Xvideos, Pornhub, and Xnxx, at 8, 10, and 11 respectively). (SimilarWeb)
•9. According to data from a web traffic analytics tool, porn sites received more website traffic in 2020 than Twitter, Instagram, Netflix, Zoom, Pinterest, and LinkedIn combined. (SEMrush)
•16. Porn is a global, estimated $97 billion industry, with about $12 billion of that coming from the U.S. (NBC News)
•17. In 2019 alone, the equivalent of nearly 6,650 centuries of porn was consumed on one of the world’s largest porn sites. (Ponhub Analytics)
•20. The world’s second-largest free porn site also received over 42,000,000,000 site visits during 2019 alone. (Pornhub Analytics)
Also, think of our culture today …Sexual immorality has gone mainstream in our culture....Jeffery Epstein and P. Diddy with the charges of trafficking, abuse, kidnapping from over 120 people.
This week, the former CEO of Abercrombie and Fitch was arrested and charged with charges of human trafficking. Here is a part of the article.
Michael Jeffries was arrested earlier this week, along with his romantic partner Matthew Smith and another man, James Jacobson. Jeffries and Jacobson are scheduled to be arraigned Friday afternoon in Central Islip.
The 16-count indictment alleges Jeffries, Smith and Jacobson operated an international sex trafficking and prostitution ring from approximately 2008 to 2015.
Prosecutors say Jeffries and Smith paid for dozens of men to travel around the country and world "for the purpose of engaging in commercial sex acts."
"They spent millions of dollars on a massive infrastructure to support this operation," U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Breon Peace said earlier this week.
Babylon is ATTRACTIVE AND SEDUCTIVE! And it is so pervasive!
I want to show you something for just a moment to make sure you understand just how significant a tool of Satan sex is.
This GREAT HARLOT or PROSTITUE that Revelation 17 speaks of…what does this title mean?
GREAT -- IN THE GREEK, GREAT IS MEGA.
PROSTITUTE – IN THE GREEK, PROSTITUTE IS PORNEE , FROM WHICH WE GET PORN.
Do you see this?
The GREAT PROSTITUTE that rides the back of the Antichrist is expressed through MEGA or a Mass Distribution of PORNOGRAPHY and Illicit Sex Acts.
100 years ago, this was inconceivable! Today…it’s right on your phone…at your fingertips whenever you want it.
And if we are not careful, we will fall into the trap that is set for us.
Beyond Immoral sex and being bound in pornography:
We are being invited to idolatry.
Seduction can also refer to idolatry – getting us to worship good things over and above God – people, possessions, pleasure, power…to name a few.
The second thing I want to show you about this city, Babylon, is that…
II.Babylon is hateful and harmful.
-Look at verse 6
Revelation 17:6
“And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.”
The picture here is that she is drunk and drenched in the blood of those who follow Jesus.
The culture and climate is one of harming God’s people!
-Babylon has always existed. Remember, ultimately, it is the great system that Satan uses to promote godlessness –
oAdam and Eve – don’t trust and walk with God…
oPharoah in Exodus,
oHaman in Esther
oPeter crucified upside down;
oJames executed with the sword,
oThomas stabbed with spears,
oJames pushed off a building
oRome of this day was brutal – this is what the original readers of Rev. 17 would assume –
oNero threw Christians to beasts in the Grand Amphitheater…burned Christians and used their bodies as human torches to light the streets in Rome.
oOn December 11, 2016, a bomb killed 25 people and injured 49 others at the Coptic Orthodox cathedral in Cairo, Egypt.
oNorth Korea today – persecute followers of Jesus – withholding access to food, education, employment, prison camps
DANNY AKIN SAYS…“The twentieth century was the bloodies in Christian history. We should expect the twenty-first to be worse.”
Here is what you can count on…
Babylon (the great system of godlessness)– hopes to…
oCease the worship of God
oCreate an atmosphere of terror for followers of Jesus.
The third thing about Babylon, this great system of godlessness is this…
III.Babylon is powerful and proud
-Look at verses 6-13
Revelation 17:6b-14
When I saw her, I marveled greatly. 7 But the angel said to me, “Why do you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her. 8 The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit and go to destruction. And the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the beast, because it was and is not and is to come. 9 This calls for a mind with wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated; 10 they are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he does come he must remain only a little while. 11 As for the beast that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to destruction. 12 And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast. 13 These are of one mind, and they hand over their power and authority to the beast.
A characteristic to know about Babylon – this evil godless system is that she is powerful and proud.
oThe woman rides on this beast and people marvel, can’t believe what they’re seeing and experiencing.
oPeople who are not followers of Jesus worship and are in awe of the power of Babylon – this great system of godlessness.
oPeople are amazed because of the promise of peace and solutions it offers. All lies and deception, but they can’t see it.
oPOWER: Riding on a beast with 7 heads and 10 horns – Power.
o7 heads: People reading this would have pictured Rome – 7 hills, or thought about the 7 kingdoms (5 of whom have fallen)
•Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece – current one would be Rome, and the one to come – the kingdom of the antichrist that was coming…
o10 horns – 10 future kings, 10 powerful rulers – who would all come together in a 1 world alliance under the great system of godlessness.
Friends, we are in an election season. Early voting is happening now. Election day is just NINE days away. And we have been studying kings, and governments, and authorities, and world systems as we have looked at the book of Daniel and the book of Revelation.
And here is what is true…the world and its godless systems are headed to a moment where all power is concentrated in the Antichrist.
You and I are hearing that this election is the most important one in our lifetime. And maybe that’s correct. Or maybe there is an even more important one that is to come. I don’t know. But what we can see is that history is marching toward a moment where there is a clear demarcation…you literally will have to take a mark on your forehead or on your hand.
And if you don’t take the mark, you will be devoured…you will be destroyed.
There is a coming moment where the choice of “America” or “democracy” won’t be the choice people are making. Those who are on the earth at this time will have to choose – Babylon or Jerusalem...The Beast or the Messiah…the Antichrist, or Christ.
But the truth is, this is the real vote we get to cast even now, with our hearts and our lives. These kingdoms are put before us and we have to choose…will I follow the way of the world and the Antichrist, or will I follow Christ?
The fourth thing I want you to see about this godless system that deceives, lures, and captures us is the fact that…
IV.Babylon is broken and bankrupt
-Look at verse 14
Revelation 17:14
They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.”
So Babylon – representing the great system of godlessness throughout the world – is attractive and seductive; she is hateful and harmful; she is powerful and proud…and here we see she goes to war in all of her power and glory with the Lamb (Jesus).
oAnd what does the angel say to John – who needs encouragement, who is banished to Island of Patmos by a type of antichrist (Domitian), who needs hope, who has questions…
-The angel reveals that she will make war on the Lamb and the Lamb will conquer!
John, be not afraid! I know you’re struggling. I know you’re lonely and sitting with scars…Be not afraid because:
The Lamb is Lord of lords
The Lamb is King of kings
You have been called chosen
You are called faithful.
-Same encouragement for you and I today…Be not afraid in life…
oThe Lamb is Lord of lords
oThe Lamb is King of kings
oYou are called chosen
oYou are called faithful.
Chapter 18
-And he called out with a mighty voice, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!” (18:2)
-Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, “So will Baylon the great city be thrown down with violence and will be found no more.” (18:21)
So there it is. Babylon is broken and bankrupt. Take heart. Use wisdom. Love and live for Jerusalem (we’ll see her characteristics and destiny in the coming chapters, contrasted with Babylon). Who are you living for? One will stand, the other is broken.
You may be saying, “So what do I do with all of this?”
That’s a great question.
Notice the instruction to God’s people in Revelation 18.
Slide: Revelation 18:4-5
4 Then I heard another voice from heaven saying,
“Come out of her, my people,
lest you take part in her sins,
lest you share in her plagues;
5 for her sins are heaped high as heaven,
and God has remembered her iniquities.
This blog is based on the message shared by Senior Pastor Dr. Roger Patterson on Sunday October 27, 2024. Check out the full message below!
But when you get right down to it and you look at them more closely, you see that all of that is a bunch of lies.
Here’s a meme that a friend sent me this week:
You see, when you are in Texas, you are either a Cowboys fan or a Texans fan. Here in Houston, we are Texans all the way!
When it comes to Revelation, it’s similar…There are 2 great cities highlighted: Team Babylon or Team Jerusalem. There is no in-the-middle.
Here’s the question – When you read Revelation, a question rises to the top --- Do I love and live for Babylon or Jerusalem?
-Babylon – represents the great system of godlessness that leads people away from the worship of God and to their own destruction. Babylon is the evil world who opposes all the things of God.
-Jerusalem – represents the city of God, chosen and set apart by the Lord. Glory and goodness!
What I want us to see today in 17-18 is the character and destiny of Babylon. Let’s get a snapshot // zoom in on the great city that drinks the fury of God’s wrath described in Chapter 16. Revelation 17 (today) is an extension of what’s happening in Revelation 16…There’s a lot going on. Look at the character of team Babylon with me:
Revelation 17:1-6
Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters, 2 with whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality, and with the wine of whose sexual immorality the dwellers on earth have become drunk.” 3 And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns. 4 The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality. 5 And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: “Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth's abominations.” 6 And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.
The first thing that I want you to see is…
I.Babylon is attractive and seductive.
-John is on the Island of Patmos and is introduced to the Great Prostitute, Babylon.
-The Great Harlot of Babylon – symbolizes unfaithfulness to God and false religion. James 4:4
She is seated on many waters. In vs. 15 we’re told who the many waters are –
Revelation 17:15
And the angel said to me, “The waters that you saw, where the prostitute is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and languages.”
So, she is seated on many waters…In other words, she rules over/has influence over the peoples of the world. Not followers of Jesus. But those who love Babylon, not Jesus. They love the world and it’s systems.
-Here’s the scene:
oShe has committed adultery/fornication/sexual immorality with powerful people - kings. And with regular people – earth dwellers.
oShe rides on a scarlet beast with 7 heads and 10 horns
oThis is the antichrist of chapter 13.
Notice that she rides on the beast…this to me indicates that the beast, the Antichrist, is using her to accomplish his purpose which is to rule over people and to prevent worship of God.
oLook what she is wearing – purple, scarlet, adorned with gold and jewels and pearls; and she wears a headband like the Roman prostitutes did… and on her headband: her name: Babylon– although John’s audience would have understood the evil of Babylon…what we need to understand is that Babylon represents the great system of godlessness and evil…
JAMES WALVOORD SAYS…“The Bible is full of information about Babylon as the source of false religion, the record beginning with the building of the tower of Babel (Gen. 10–11). The name “Babel” suggests “confusion” (Gen. 11:9). Later the name was applied to the city of Babylon which itself has a long history dating back to as early as 3,000 years before Christ. One of its famous rulers was Hammurabi (1728–1686 B.C.). After a period of decline Babylon again rose to great heights under Nebuchadnezzar about 600 years before Christ. Nebuchadnezzar’s reign (605–562 B.C.) and the subsequent history of Babylon is the background of the Book of Daniel."
DR. BRUCE FONG SAYS…"The great prostitute represents Babylon. What do we know about Babylon? We see Babylon a lot in the Old Testament but I will just give you two examples that I think will help us identify Babylon."
In Genesis 11, we find the story of the Tower of Babel. In Hebrew, the word Babel and Babylon are the same word. What happened at the Tower of Babel?
And then in Daniel 4, King Nebuchadnezzar…King of Babylon, get’s punished by God. Why? Because of what he said in Daniel 4:30.
Daniel 4:30
and the king answered and said, “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?”
FONG CONTINUES…HE SAYS…
King Nebuchadnezzar believed he had taken God’s place. Babylon represents the world system that seeks to replace God. When we talk about “the world,”…or about doing things God’s way or the world’s way…we are talking about Babylon--the world system run by Satan that seeks to deceive man and steal the worship that is rightfully God’s. Babylon is the world system where power and fame and wealth and pleasure are worshipped.
I was on a zoom call with a church leader this week. He had recently been to London and was working with a group of pastors. He said, “London is totally secular, yet God is really moving in the church.” He then proceeded to tell me about how London resists the things of God.
He said, “Chick-fil-a was set to come to London, hoping to open five locations. They were making plans, and then they were stopped because they learned that Dan Cathy and Chick-fil-a is a Christian company.”
-Why is she wearing all of this symbolically? Don’t miss this first characteristic of Team Babylon – she is attractive and seductive. She wears the jewelry and the fancy clothes all in an effort to look good and to lure people in, to chew them up and spit them out.
oWe are being lured to lust.
oThe temptation to lust and to give in to be seduced has never been greater. Let me share a few statistics with you in this regard.
CONSIDER THE PERVASIVENESS OF PORNOGRAPHIC MATERIAL.
•As of October 2020, according to an analysis of the most trafficked websites worldwide, 2 porn sites are in the top 10 most visited sites, with a third porn site coming in at 11th (Xvideos, Pornhub, and Xnxx, at 8, 10, and 11 respectively). (SimilarWeb)
•9. According to data from a web traffic analytics tool, porn sites received more website traffic in 2020 than Twitter, Instagram, Netflix, Zoom, Pinterest, and LinkedIn combined. (SEMrush)
•16. Porn is a global, estimated $97 billion industry, with about $12 billion of that coming from the U.S. (NBC News)
•17. In 2019 alone, the equivalent of nearly 6,650 centuries of porn was consumed on one of the world’s largest porn sites. (Ponhub Analytics)
•20. The world’s second-largest free porn site also received over 42,000,000,000 site visits during 2019 alone. (Pornhub Analytics)
Also, think of our culture today …Sexual immorality has gone mainstream in our culture....Jeffery Epstein and P. Diddy with the charges of trafficking, abuse, kidnapping from over 120 people.
This week, the former CEO of Abercrombie and Fitch was arrested and charged with charges of human trafficking. Here is a part of the article.
Michael Jeffries was arrested earlier this week, along with his romantic partner Matthew Smith and another man, James Jacobson. Jeffries and Jacobson are scheduled to be arraigned Friday afternoon in Central Islip.
The 16-count indictment alleges Jeffries, Smith and Jacobson operated an international sex trafficking and prostitution ring from approximately 2008 to 2015.
Prosecutors say Jeffries and Smith paid for dozens of men to travel around the country and world "for the purpose of engaging in commercial sex acts."
"They spent millions of dollars on a massive infrastructure to support this operation," U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Breon Peace said earlier this week.
Babylon is ATTRACTIVE AND SEDUCTIVE! And it is so pervasive!
I want to show you something for just a moment to make sure you understand just how significant a tool of Satan sex is.
This GREAT HARLOT or PROSTITUE that Revelation 17 speaks of…what does this title mean?
GREAT -- IN THE GREEK, GREAT IS MEGA.
PROSTITUTE – IN THE GREEK, PROSTITUTE IS PORNEE , FROM WHICH WE GET PORN.
Do you see this?
The GREAT PROSTITUTE that rides the back of the Antichrist is expressed through MEGA or a Mass Distribution of PORNOGRAPHY and Illicit Sex Acts.
100 years ago, this was inconceivable! Today…it’s right on your phone…at your fingertips whenever you want it.
And if we are not careful, we will fall into the trap that is set for us.
Beyond Immoral sex and being bound in pornography:
We are being invited to idolatry.
Seduction can also refer to idolatry – getting us to worship good things over and above God – people, possessions, pleasure, power…to name a few.
The second thing I want to show you about this city, Babylon, is that…
II.Babylon is hateful and harmful.
-Look at verse 6
Revelation 17:6
“And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.”
The picture here is that she is drunk and drenched in the blood of those who follow Jesus.
The culture and climate is one of harming God’s people!
-Babylon has always existed. Remember, ultimately, it is the great system that Satan uses to promote godlessness –
oAdam and Eve – don’t trust and walk with God…
oPharoah in Exodus,
oHaman in Esther
oPeter crucified upside down;
oJames executed with the sword,
oThomas stabbed with spears,
oJames pushed off a building
oRome of this day was brutal – this is what the original readers of Rev. 17 would assume –
oNero threw Christians to beasts in the Grand Amphitheater…burned Christians and used their bodies as human torches to light the streets in Rome.
oOn December 11, 2016, a bomb killed 25 people and injured 49 others at the Coptic Orthodox cathedral in Cairo, Egypt.
oNorth Korea today – persecute followers of Jesus – withholding access to food, education, employment, prison camps
DANNY AKIN SAYS…“The twentieth century was the bloodies in Christian history. We should expect the twenty-first to be worse.”
Here is what you can count on…
Babylon (the great system of godlessness)– hopes to…
oCease the worship of God
oCreate an atmosphere of terror for followers of Jesus.
The third thing about Babylon, this great system of godlessness is this…
III.Babylon is powerful and proud
-Look at verses 6-13
Revelation 17:6b-14
When I saw her, I marveled greatly. 7 But the angel said to me, “Why do you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her. 8 The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit and go to destruction. And the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the beast, because it was and is not and is to come. 9 This calls for a mind with wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated; 10 they are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he does come he must remain only a little while. 11 As for the beast that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to destruction. 12 And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast. 13 These are of one mind, and they hand over their power and authority to the beast.
A characteristic to know about Babylon – this evil godless system is that she is powerful and proud.
oThe woman rides on this beast and people marvel, can’t believe what they’re seeing and experiencing.
oPeople who are not followers of Jesus worship and are in awe of the power of Babylon – this great system of godlessness.
oPeople are amazed because of the promise of peace and solutions it offers. All lies and deception, but they can’t see it.
oPOWER: Riding on a beast with 7 heads and 10 horns – Power.
o7 heads: People reading this would have pictured Rome – 7 hills, or thought about the 7 kingdoms (5 of whom have fallen)
•Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece – current one would be Rome, and the one to come – the kingdom of the antichrist that was coming…
o10 horns – 10 future kings, 10 powerful rulers – who would all come together in a 1 world alliance under the great system of godlessness.
Friends, we are in an election season. Early voting is happening now. Election day is just NINE days away. And we have been studying kings, and governments, and authorities, and world systems as we have looked at the book of Daniel and the book of Revelation.
And here is what is true…the world and its godless systems are headed to a moment where all power is concentrated in the Antichrist.
You and I are hearing that this election is the most important one in our lifetime. And maybe that’s correct. Or maybe there is an even more important one that is to come. I don’t know. But what we can see is that history is marching toward a moment where there is a clear demarcation…you literally will have to take a mark on your forehead or on your hand.
And if you don’t take the mark, you will be devoured…you will be destroyed.
There is a coming moment where the choice of “America” or “democracy” won’t be the choice people are making. Those who are on the earth at this time will have to choose – Babylon or Jerusalem...The Beast or the Messiah…the Antichrist, or Christ.
But the truth is, this is the real vote we get to cast even now, with our hearts and our lives. These kingdoms are put before us and we have to choose…will I follow the way of the world and the Antichrist, or will I follow Christ?
The fourth thing I want you to see about this godless system that deceives, lures, and captures us is the fact that…
IV.Babylon is broken and bankrupt
-Look at verse 14
Revelation 17:14
They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.”
So Babylon – representing the great system of godlessness throughout the world – is attractive and seductive; she is hateful and harmful; she is powerful and proud…and here we see she goes to war in all of her power and glory with the Lamb (Jesus).
oAnd what does the angel say to John – who needs encouragement, who is banished to Island of Patmos by a type of antichrist (Domitian), who needs hope, who has questions…
-The angel reveals that she will make war on the Lamb and the Lamb will conquer!
John, be not afraid! I know you’re struggling. I know you’re lonely and sitting with scars…Be not afraid because:
The Lamb is Lord of lords
The Lamb is King of kings
You have been called chosen
You are called faithful.
-Same encouragement for you and I today…Be not afraid in life…
oThe Lamb is Lord of lords
oThe Lamb is King of kings
oYou are called chosen
oYou are called faithful.
Chapter 18
-And he called out with a mighty voice, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!” (18:2)
-Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, “So will Baylon the great city be thrown down with violence and will be found no more.” (18:21)
So there it is. Babylon is broken and bankrupt. Take heart. Use wisdom. Love and live for Jerusalem (we’ll see her characteristics and destiny in the coming chapters, contrasted with Babylon). Who are you living for? One will stand, the other is broken.
You may be saying, “So what do I do with all of this?”
That’s a great question.
Notice the instruction to God’s people in Revelation 18.
Slide: Revelation 18:4-5
4 Then I heard another voice from heaven saying,
“Come out of her, my people,
lest you take part in her sins,
lest you share in her plagues;
5 for her sins are heaped high as heaven,
and God has remembered her iniquities.
This blog is based on the message shared by Senior Pastor Dr. Roger Patterson on Sunday October 27, 2024. Check out the full message below!
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