Mm. You might be surprised to learn that the tribulation will see the Antichrist closely linked to the church. You might not be surprised to learn why. Today, on Turning Point, Dr. David Jeremiah examines the unholy relationship between the two.
How it ultimately plays out, and what it means to us here and now. Listen as David shares the conclusion of his eye-opening message: The End of World Religion.
Well, if you read the New Testament and especially the book of Revelation, you wrote into a personality called the false prophet. Interestingly enough, he's a part of the unholy trinity. Aligned with Satan and Antichrist, he develops, leads, and coordinates the religious aspect of the end times. And throughout all of the end times, you will see this religious theme running. But on this day that we're studying from the book of Revelation, chapter 17, all religion is ended.
It is an end like you would never believe. But you have to read it from the scripture. And remember, it's true. It is going to happen. And we're going to finish up our discussion of this 17th chapter in just a moment as we open our Bibles together.
First, let me tell you again: Vanished is the name of a fiction novel that. Sam O'Neill and I wrote together to tell the story of the coming of Jesus. I read an article some time ago that said 46% of the people who read religious literature only read fiction. And I realized we're missing a whole group of folks. I want to communicate this truth of the coming of Christ.
And so we've begun a three-book series. And the first book is called Vanished. It's 368 pages in hardcover presentation, timely and irrelevant. It creates a new way for readers to imagine the future. It's fast-paced, it's action coupled with biblical insight.
It's left behind for a new generation infused with sound biblical doctrine.
So ask for your copy when you send your gift to Turning Point during this month. And now here is part two of the end of world religion. In the text, The religious system is symbolized by a scarlet woman. If you have listened carefully in our study of the book of Revelation, you know that on a number of occasions, a woman has been used to illustrate a religious system. You remember back in the second chapter, we were introduced to Jezebel.
Jezebel was a representation of the pagan idolatry of history. In the 12th chapter, we met the woman clothed with the sun who represented the religion of Israel. In the 19th and 20th chapter, we're going to meet the bride of Christ. That woman is a symbol of the true faith. But here in the 17th chapter, we're introduced To a woman who is called, in the very plain language of the scripture, a whore.
The word horror in the Greek language is the Greek word porne. Not hard to put that together, is it? It is normally translated in the New Testament by the word harlot. Why would God use such an offensive word to describe a church system? Why would he call any system, any religious church, why would he call it by such an offensive name?
Dr. Walvert, in his commentary on the book of Revelation, has written these words: The picture of the woman as utterly evil signifies spiritual adultery, portraying those who outwardly and religiously seem to be joined to the true God, but who are untrue to this relationship. Please note that the symbolism of spiritual adultery is never used of heathen nations who do not know God, but always of people who outwardly carry the name of God while actually worshiping and serving other gods. In the New Testament, the church is viewed as a virgin destined to be joined to her husband in the future, and she is warned against spiritual adultery. James 4:4.
The harlotry, the reason why this false system of religion is referred to as a whore or as a harlot, the reason the church is a harlot in the last days is because she is going to join together in an alliance with the political system of her day, and in place of God, she is going to rest. Upon the political system of her day. Notice when you begin to read the text in verse 3, you see this woman. Who is seated upon The beast, she is riding upon the beast, she is resting upon the beast. The woman, which is the church, is depending upon the beast, which is the political system.
She has adulterated herself from God. She has now committed herself to the political system of her day. She has committed adultery. As far as the spiritual realm is concerned.
Now as we look at the first part of the 17th chapter, And we try to understand for sure who this woman is. I want to take just a few moments and give you a quick little outline as we go through this. And it's simple. You won't have any trouble getting it down. And we're going to just look at the verses and let the verses speak for themselves.
First of all, I want you to note the universal power of this woman, the universal power of this woman. The scarlet woman in this chapter represents an apostate religious system. This system once professed to be Christian, but it has traded its spiritual power for worldly power, and therefore it has committed spiritual fornication. The identity of this system is not left to question by the text. The interpretation is given to us throughout the chapter.
For instance, the last verse of the chapter tells us exactly who the woman is. And the woman, verse 18, which thou sawest is that great city which reigneth over all the kings of the earth. At the time when John wrote this, There could have been only one possible interpretation of that statement. Rome was the city that reigned over all the earth. John was talking about Rome.
John sees to his great amazement a vast political and religious system that is centered at Rome and is reaching out in all directions to grasp power. The ninth verse of the chapter discloses that the city which the woman symbolizes is situated upon seven hills. Notice, and here is the mind. Which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sitteth.
Now. All of us, if we've had any history at all growing up in school, are aware of the fact that Rome was built upon seven hills. In fact, I'm so old that when I was in school, we had to memorize the names of the hills. And I didn't realize that until I dug up their names and realized I'd seen them before. I memorized them.
I didn't know what I was memorizing, but just in case you've forgotten, the seven hills of Rome are Aventine, Kalion, Capitoline, Esquiline, Palatine, Quinol, and Viminol.
Now, don't forget that. You might be asked that someday. The seven hills of Rome.
Now, just clearly understand, we're not trying to make this say anything that it doesn't say. The scripture says that the woman is the city which ruled over all the earth. That's Rome. The scripture says the woman is resting upon seven hills.
Now, the vastness and the universality of this woman's power is mentioned in the very first verse. Here we are told that she sitteth upon many waters. And we wonder what that means until we read the 15th verse. And we read, and the waters which thou sawest. where the horse sitteth are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues.
In other words, this woman has a vast outreach into the whole world. This is a universal dominion which has come to her.
Someone has mentioned that Rome is the logical place for a concentration of power. It was from Rome that the Caesars reached out to all the world. It was from Rome that the church reached out to all the world. Let's notice, secondly, the unique position of the woman. It says in verse 3: I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet-colored beast, full of the names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
Now, I mentioned to you at the beginning that the woman is in partnership with the political system of the beast. They have committed themselves to aid one another in their pursuits, and they have agreed to combine their powers and take over the West. The seven heads and the ten horns speak of the political organization that the beast has set up during the tribulation period. Notice, thirdly, the unlimited prosperity of the woman. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand.
So the Scripture says, This woman is bedecked. Notice how she is described, arrayed in purple and scarlet color, decked with gold, precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand, full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication. Notice, fourthly, the unholy passions of the woman. The Bible says she has a golden cup in her hand. And the cup is full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication, and upon her forehead was written Mystery Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth.
This woman is called Mystery Babylon, and we are reminded that all idolatry began in Babylon way back in the beginning of history in the building of the Tower of Babel. The system of idolatry, which began in Genesis chapter 10, has continued unto this day, and it is generally believed that it has been centered in Rome since the day when Julius Caesar was elected Pontifex Maximus. The title was held by each of the Roman Caesars down to Gratian, and when Constantine professed to become a Christian, the ancient Babylonian mysteries were simply transferred completely into the professing Christian church, and the entire pagan system was incorporated into Christianity. That brings us to the next point about this woman. And this is one that is quite amazing to many people when they see it in verse 6.
And that is the unequaled persecutions of the woman. And we read, 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. John was overwhelmed when he saw that part of the vision. He was not surprised that pagan Rome Would kill the believers, but what he saw was religious Rome killing the believers.
And he is amazed that religious Rome should do so. The Bible says this harlot church. is drunk with the blood of the saints. And with the blood of those who were the martyrs of Jesus.
Now in the last part of the chapter We get away for just a moment from the Roman church and we discover that this Roman church is in league with a beast. If you have your Bibles open, be sure to follow verse by verse. There is some very interesting language that sounds like a riddle. In fact, if I were going to write a riddle, I might write it something like this. Verse 7 says, 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 have the seven heads and ten horns. 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.
Now that sounds like a bunch of mumbo jumbo until you stop for a moment and think about it. There are three things in these last few verses that I want you to note in the text. First of all, note number one: the beast that was, is not, but shall be. When we first met the beast, we were told that he came up out of the sea, remember? Back in the 13th chapter, the beast that came out of the sea.
But here in this chapter, we are told that he comes up out of the abyss. How can these two records be true? How can they coordinate?
Well, it's very simple. If you remember the 13th chapter, you know the beast or the Antichrist first appears and he comes out of the sea. In other words, he comes out of the mass of people. If you remember our discussions from that chapter, you know that the beast is going to be killed, he's going to be inflicted with a deadly wound. But then on the power of Satan, he's going to be brought back to life.
From then on, the beast is more than a human being. He is now a supernatural being, and he comes not from the sea, but he comes from the abyss, the bottomless pit. In his supernatural state now, this beast will command the worship of the masses of people still on earth at that time.
So that's the beast that was. is not But shall be, all right? That has to do with the Antichrist having been wounded. Having had an apparent resurrection, he's back now. He was.
He is not, he shall be. Notice secondly, There is another kind of interesting phraseology. Here we have seven heads, seven mountains, and seven kings. In the text, we are told, I will tell thee the mystery of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads. The seven heads are seven mountains.
We already know what that is. That's Rome, on which the woman sitteth. And there are seven kings.
Now, watch carefully. Here's some more riddle language. Five are fallen. One is. The other is not yet.
And when he cometh, he must continue a short space. And the beast that was and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and he goeth into perdition.
Now if you read that, you say, what in the world is that all about? According to this prophecy, five of the seven kings or emperors had already been on the scene and are now gone. Remember, John is writing this at a point in history. One of the kings was reigning at the time that John wrote it, and one was yet to come into the future.
Now, listen carefully. There are five Roman emperors that had already fallen when John was writing. Who were they? Julius Caesar, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero. The king who was reigning at the time when John wrote this was the wicked man Domitian.
Domitian was a cruel and lustful man who liked to be addressed as our Lord God. When John wrote his prophecy, one king was yet future. The last head of the revived Roman Empire will be who? The Antichrist or the beast who was alive, is now dead, but who comes to life again. The influence of this Antichrist, Roman ruler, will stretch to the whole earth because he is going to join forces with the harlot woman, and the reign is going to be short, just three and a half years, but it will be powerful.
So we have the beast that was, is not, but shall be. We have the seven heads, the seven mountains, and the seven kings. And finally, there is one other reference here that we need to touch on just quickly, and that is the ten horns and the ten kings. In verse 7, 12, and verse 16, we read these words, I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, which hath ten horns. 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.
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.
Now we are told in the text that these ten horns are ten kings.
Now listen carefully. What we are given here in this text is an overall picture of what it's going to be like in the final days of the tribulation. And here's the picture. There will be the Antichrist ruling over the political domain. He will be working with the false prophet who's heading up the religious sector.
And they will have a coalition of 10 heads of state who will help them govern the whole area which was once controlled by Rome. Do you remember in the book of Daniel we saw the image and we saw in the image that the image had legs of iron, that was Rome, and then it had ten toes. The ten toes were the future government of Rome, which we have never seen. People have tried to say that the ten nation confederacy of Rome has been in history, but nobody can ever find it. Mussolini tried it, others have tried it, and it's never worked.
But what we are seeing today, men and women, is this. In the European common market, we are beginning to see at least the vestigial stages of a coalition kind of government that could very easily fulfill this prophecy of 10 kings who will be able to rule with the Antichrist and the false prophet during those days and literally reign over all the world. And that's what the prophecy is talking about. It's talking about that end time when there will be a religious coalition. A political coalition and a ten-king confederacy that reigns over all the earth.
Now, there's a surprising ending to this rather strange story. The conclusion of it is in verses 16 through 17. And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast shall hate the whore.
Now, the whore is the church or the religious sector, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh and burn her with fire. For God hath put in their hearts to fulfill his will and to agree and give their kingdom unto the beast until the words of God shall be fulfilled.
Now, here's what's going to happen. We are told in the third verse of this chapter That the harlot woman is riding upon the beast or upon the Antichrist. In other words, the church has rested upon the political system to keep it moving. She is carried by him in her dealings with men. But here at the last, we see the beast turn on the woman and ravage her to death.
It is obvious that the Antichrist, listen carefully, the Antichrist has only leaned up with the church because it is useful to him. The Antichrist, even though the church is pagan, even though it is the full-orbed abomination. Of paganism. The Antichrist doesn't want the church, but he sees the religious influence as very helpful. And so he leagues up with the church and he gets the strength of the church till he doesn't need it anymore.
And at his first opportunity, the Antichrist turns on the religious system. and destroys the religious system in a matter of days. And if you have followed closely in the recent studies of the book of Revelation, you know that this sudden ending of the Babylonian system is clearly predicted. You have your Bibles open at chapter 17. Let me just show you two verses: chapter 14 and verse 8.
And there followed another angel saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city. Because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. There's the first prophecy in chapter 14. Look at chapter 16 and verse 19. And that great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell, and great Babylon came in remembrance before God to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.
So at the end of it all, if you think back through the chapter, what you have in summary form is this: in that final stage of the tribulation. In that seven-year period, during a very important three and a half section, you will have a very, very vast religious system in operation.
Some people say, well, when the tribulation starts and the church goes, religion's dead. Hey, listen, when we get out of here, religion's going to flourish. We stand in the way of the flourishing of religion today. You know why? Because we're not a religion, we're a relationship.
Religion is trying to measure up to some deity. We already know we can't do that. A relationship is knowing that God's already measured up for you in the person of Jesus Christ. You know, we're always in the way of religion. When we're gone, religion is going to flourish under the direction of the false prophet.
They're going to be Baptists and Lutherans and Presbyterians and Methodists and Pentecostals and all of the people who've just gone to church but never knew Christ are going to join in this great outward religious system. And then all of a sudden, they're going to do, as somebody asked me this year, they're going to join together with the political system. And they're going to say, why? This is just what we always wanted to see. The church.
and the government working together. The false prophet And the Antichrist, my isn't this going to be wonderful? And then the Antichrist is going to happen right here. And at the moment, just at the moment, when they're no longer useful to him, he will destroy them totally. And I need to stop there.
Before I do, I want to make some concluding statements. One of our men came to me and he said, Pastor, and I knew this was coming, so I didn't answer him. I wanted to get better prepared to give this whole background. He said, Pastor, you know, there's a group of folks who are getting together to talk about how. We can Get all the Christians together.
And kind of Make all the Christians And the government won. And he named some pretty prominent people whose names I know: how we can bring the government and the church together.
Now, I'd be the first one to tell you that I want to see as many Christians get involved in serving. As servants in the government as possible. But I got to tell you this, folks, the history. of bringing the government and the church together. Doesn't encourage me.
Please hear me. I am not saying we shouldn't be politically active. But let me tell you what I think is critical. It's critical for us to understand that we can only have a ministry to politics. when we stand to some degree apart from it.
I would encourage you, if you haven't done it, to read Charles Coulson's book, Kingdoms in Conflict. He deals with this most difficult issue and he touches both sides of it. I have read it almost twice, and I learn something every time I read it. I don't agree with everything he said. But he has pointed out the dangers.
if we are not careful of trying to perform a wedding that God never intended. And let me just say to you, do you know what the church is? The word for church is Ek clacea. You know what that means? Ek out of claceia called.
You know what the church is? The church is a group of people who are called out of... The world. And if we try to go back and get married again into the world, we've lost our opportunity to speak to what the world needs to hear.
Somebody has said, and I think he said it well: there's so much church in the world and so much world in the church, you can hardly tell the difference between the two. But it seems to me that Revelation 17 has given us a clear picture of what happens if we go too far. And we need to ask God to give us wisdom.
Well That really is true, isn't it? We need to ask God to give us wisdom. And you know, this is a good time for me to say to you. If you think your religion is going to get you to heaven, you have another thing coming because religion never will get you to heaven. Only a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Who said, I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no man comes to the Father except through me.
So if you haven't put your trust in Christ, don't get caught up in the image of religion. Get into a relationship with the Lord Jesus, and He will give you the gift of eternal life and give you absolute certainty that one day you'll spend eternity with Him. Hey friends, don't forget we're doing something very special in October. We're going to New England and Canada on a cruise conference. Many have already responded, but there's still a place for you if you want to come.
I hope you'll do it. Come and be with us as we go to see some of the beautiful sights here in our own country. And don't forget to join us tomorrow for the next edition of Turning Point. Our message today originated from Shadow Mountain Community Church and Dr. David Jeremiah, the senior pastor.
If this ministry is an encouragement to you, let us know by writing to Turning Point PO Box 3838 San Diego, California 92163, visiting our website at davidjeremiah.org slash radio or calling 800-947-1993. Ask for your copy of David's exciting new novel Set in the End Times. Vanished. It's yours for a gift of any amount. You can also download the free Turning Point mobile app to instantly access our content.
Or search in your app store for the keywords Turning Point Ministries. Visit davidjeremiah.org slash radio for details. That's davidjeremiah.org slash radio. This is David Michael Jeremiah. Join us tomorrow as we continue the series Escape the Coming Night on Turning Point with Dr.
David Jeremiah.
