The Judgment of the Great Harlot – Part 1
Revelation 17:1-18 (1-6)
March 26, 2017
This morning in our study of the book of the Revelation
We enter another parenthetical section.
Chronologically speaking we are now right up near the end.
• In fact, the only thing left to occur is the return of the Lord Jesus,
• The massacre known as the Battle of Armageddon,
• And the destruction of the beast and the false prophet.
But as we have commonly seen, there are times
When a statement is made that requires a little more information.
• In chapter 6 sinners under judgment asked “who is able to stand?” Chapter
7 answered that question.
• In chapter 9 sinners under judgment refused to repent leaving us to wonder if
our preaching is really worth it. Chapters 10 & 11 answered that question.
• In chapter 11 we saw an announcement that despite the rage and rebellion of
the enemy, Christ still reigns. In chapters 12-14 we saw that revealed.
So the parenthetical sections literally break into the chronological flow
To give us added information that God obviously wants us to have.
Chapters 18 and 19 are no different.
They are also a parenthetical section.
WHAT IS THEIR MAIN PURPOSE?
At the end of chapter 16, as that last bowl of wrath was being poured out, we read:
Revelation 16:19 “The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. Babylon the great was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath.”
If you’ve been with us from the beginning then you know that
Asking God to remember Babylon has been an important issue
With the saints and martyrs in heaven.
This history of the church has literally been filled with the blood of the martyrs.
And we have found that those martyrs in heaven crying out for vindication.
Revelation 6:9-10 “When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, ” How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”
Those who have been slain for their faithfulness to Christ have longed for the day
When their oppressors were remembered (or dealt with) before God.
We’ve even seen these same heavenly saints rejoicing as they have witnessed God’s wrath poured out on the earth.
Revelation 16:4-7 “Then the third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of waters; and they became blood. And I heard the angel of the waters saying, “Righteous are You, who are and who were, O Holy One, because You judged these things; for they poured out the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink. They deserve it.” And I heard the altar saying, “Yes, O Lord God, the Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments.”
The point being that God’s people have suffered greatly at the hand of the world and have longed to be vindicated before God.
• At the end of chapter 16 we found that the time has come.
• Chapters 17 & 18 go into greater detail to describe that event.
• Chapter 17 reveals the fall of the false religious system of the world,
• Chapter 18 reveals the fall of the corrupt political/economic system of the world.
So let’s look at this section together.
Chapter 17 can be broken into 4 points.
#1 THE EXALTED HARLOT
Revelation 17:1-2
“The one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me…”
The fact that it is one of those angels links this section with the previous.
This is about giving us more information.
We found that Babylon was remembered,
But it is clear that there is more that God wants us to understand
About this coming judgment.
This angels says to John, “Come here, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed acts of immorality, and those who dwell on the earth were made drunk with the wind of her immorality.”
So the purpose of the section is to show us
“the judgment of the great harlot”
How she will be judged, and why she deserves it.
Now let’s just stop there for a second
And make sure we understand what is going on.
We all know in a literal sense what a “harlot” is.
Today more commonly called an adulteress.
It is basically a woman who has used her body for sexual relations outside of the natural intention of God.
Genesis 2 teaches us that when God looked upon Adam it was not good that he should be alone, so God caused a deeps sleep to fall upon him, took a rib from his side, fashioned it into a woman, and gave her to Adam as a helpmate to him.
The response after the fact was this:
Genesis 2:24-25 “For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.”
We are well aware then of the natural intent of God.
God created man, God created woman
And God created for one man and one woman
To be together inside the covenant of marriage.
However we know that shortly after this
Sin entered the world and everything became corrupt.
By Genesis 4 we have polygamy show up in the great-great-great grandson of Cain.
Genesis 4:19 “Lamech took to himself two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other, Zillah.”
And it literally kept spiraling downhill from there.
By the time we get to Moses and Leviticus we have God exposing and condemning all sorts of sexual immorality.
Things like incest, polygamy, impurity, adultery, homosexuality, and bestiality.
When we get to the New Testament we have God specifically addressing sins like adultery and homosexuality referring to them as unnatural.
Romans 1:24-27 “Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.”
The point being, we recognize harlotry
As that which is a perversion of the original intent of God.
The world asks how can it be wrong if two consenting adults “really love each other”? Because it is a perversion of the Creator’s intention.
So when we talk about a harlot in a literal sense
We are referring to a woman who indulges in sexual immorality,
Or that which is outside of God’s original and natural intent.
WHY DO WE BRING THIS UP?
Because when talking about this “harlot” in Revelation 17, we understand that she is being used as an analogy to describe false religion.
Throughout the Bible false religion
Is also referred to by God as a form of spiritual harlotry.
There are in reality only 3 types of worship. 1 is true, the others are false.
• There is TRUE WORSHIP – when you worship the true God in the right way.
• There is IDOLATRY – when you worship the wrong God
• There is HYPOCRISY – when you worship the true God in the wrong way.
False religion here would encompass both of those last two.
It is certainly those who worship false gods, but it is also those who have corrupted the worship of the true God.
And throughout Scripture God has referred to both as spiritual harlotry.
Nineveh was referred to as a harlot for her false religion:
Nahum 3:1-4 “Woe to the bloody city, completely full of lies and pillage; Her prey never departs. The noise of the whip, The noise of the rattling of the wheel, Galloping horses And bounding chariots! Horsemen charging, Swords flashing, spears gleaming, Many slain, a mass of corpses, And countless dead bodies — They stumble over the dead bodies! All because of the many harlotries of the harlot, The charming one, the mistress of sorceries, Who sells nations by her harlotries And families by her sorceries.”
Tyre was referred to as a Harlot for her false religion
Isaiah 23:15-17 “Now in that day Tyre will be forgotten for seventy years like the days of one king. At the end of seventy years it will happen to Tyre as in the song of the harlot: Take your harp, walk about the city, O forgotten harlot; Pluck the strings skillfully, sing many songs, That you may be remembered. It will come about at the end of seventy years that the LORD will visit Tyre. Then she will go back to her harlot’s wages and will play the harlot with all the kingdoms on the face of the earth.”
Both of those would have been false religion, or worshiping the wrong god.
However, we also have Israel being referred to by God as a harlot,
Not because she always worshiped the wrong god,
But because she worshiped the true God in the wrong way.
Isaiah 1:21 “Zion Corrupted, to Be Redeemed How the faithful city has become a harlot, She who was full of justice! Righteousness once lodged in her, But now murderers.”
So you understand that in talking about this harlot
We are talking about more than an immoral woman,
We are talking about the false religion of the world.
Revelation 17:15 “And he said to me, “The waters which you saw where the harlot sits, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues.”
This is not just the false religion of Israel,
This is every the false religion of the whole world.
She is false religion and the whole world throughout time has
“committed acts of immorality” with her “and those who dwell on the earth were made drunk with her immorality.”
Just as we saw God create woman in Genesis 2,
Only to see that intention corrupted very quickly.
We see the same in regard to religion.
God created man and expected that He would be worshiped by man.
In Genesis 4 we have the first perversion of that.
• Abel is bringing an acceptable offering to God, but Cain (the first false worshiper) is bringing an unacceptable offering.
Genesis 4:4 “Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and for his offering;”
The earth then plunged into such great immorality
That God literally wiped them out with a great flood.
However, even the flood did not stop the spread of false religion.
The descendants of Noah’s son Ham were the first to try and organize false religion.
• Ham’s grandson was a man named Nimrod, and he was the man responsible for building the city of “Babel”
Genesis 11:1-9 “Now the whole earth used the same language and the same words. It came about as they journeyed east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. They said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly.” And they used brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar. They said, “Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” The LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. The LORD said, “Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them. “Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, so that they will not understand one another’s speech.” So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of the whole earth; and they stopped building the city. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of the whole earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of the whole earth.”
I have heard it explained that the intention of these men
Was literally to storm heaven and overthrow the Lord.
I’m not sure about that,
But what is clear is that these men were in defiance of God,
So God confused their language and scattered throughout the earth,
And they took the seeds of their pagan doctrines with them.
Even when we find Abraham in Genesis 12, he is pagan worshiper.
But the beginning of false religion was Babel, also known as Babylon.
And that’s why in verse 5 she is called “The Mother of Harlots”
AND ALL FALSE RELIGIONS CAN BE TRACED TO HER.
John MacArthur wrote:
“From various ancient sources, it seems that Nimrod’s wife, Semiramis (the First), apparently was high priestess of the Babel religion and the founder of all mystery religions. After the tower was destroyed and the multiplicity of languages developed, she was worshiped as a goddess under many different names. She became Ishtar of Syria, Astarte of Phoenicia, Isis of Egypt, Aphrodite of Greece, and Venus of Rome – in each case the deity of sexual love and fertility. Her son, Tammuz, also came to be deified under various names and was the consort of Ishtar and god of the underworld.
According to the cult of Ishtar, Tammuz was conceived by a sunbeam, a counterfeit version of Jesus’ virgin birth. Tammuz corresponded to Baal in Phoenicia, Osiris in Egypt, Eros in Greece, and Cupid in Rome. In every case, the worship of those gods and goddesses was associated with sexual immorality.”
(MacArthur, John; The MacArthur New Testament Commentary Series: 1 Corinthians, Moody Publishing, Chicago, IL, 1984; pg. 279-280)
It all started in Babylon and spread throughout the earth ever since that day.
It has been the birthplace of all false religions.
AND THE SPREAD HAS BEEN EXTREME.
• Every continent, every people, every nation, every tongue.
• Sadly we even find it among those who should be God’s people.
For example, you have Paul’s letter to the Corinthians,
One of the main concerns he has is that the Corinthians
Have mixed Christianity with the pagan religions of the day.
This was the explanation for so much of their chaotic behavior.
• They were visiting prostitutes
• They were eating meat sacrificed to idols
• They were getting drunk at the Lord’s supper
• They were seeking all manner of visions and ecstatic speech, etc.
• They were even denying the resurrection
Their religion had become pagan, only using Christian labels.
1 Corinthians 12:1-7 “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware. You know that when you were pagans, you were led astray to the mute idols, however you were led. Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is accursed”; and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”
EVEN TODAY
Things like being slain in the spirit
Speaking gibberish as a so-called “unknown tongue”
Visions, trances, euphoria, and ecstasy
Those things are not Christian, they are pagan in origin.
But the point I am making is that what started in Babel
HAS THRIVED in the world ever since.
THE WORLD LOVES IT.
In fact, those of you who are studying Zechariah with us on Sunday nights will be familiar with this one.
TURN TO: ZECHARIAH 5:5-11
• This was one of Zechariah’s famous night visions which he had.
• And here he saw a woman in an ephah which was a basket that held about a
bushel.
• And what we are emphatically told is that this woman represents wickedness,
and it was the desire of the angel to keep her contained in this basket under
a heavy lid.
• However, she was rescued by the stork (unclean bird) and carried to Shinar
(Babylon) where a temple was built for her and she was set on her own
pedestal.
• The idea being that the world loves their false religion and has no interest in
parting with it.
False Religion satisfies the world’s sensual cravings
And the world loves it.
That is what this angel meant when he told John regarding the harlot:
“and those who dwell on the earth were made drunk with the wine of her immorality.”
That is why we call her THE EXALTED HARLOT
She sits upon the world, she is loved by the masses.
Like a harlot who satisfies a natural function in an illegitimate way,
These false religions also produce worship in an illegitimate way.
From God’s perspective it is like harlotry.
It is actually unfaithfulness.
It is a perversion of what He intended.
BUT THE WORLD LOVES IT.
Jeremiah 5:31 “The prophets prophesy falsely, And the priests rule on their own authority; And My people love it so! But what will you do at the end of it?”
The Exalted Harlot
#2 THE EXAMINED HARLOT
Revelation 17:3-6
After introducing her, and pointing out that the world loves her,
Now the angel carries John away
That he might help him see her a little better.
(3) “And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness; and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, full of blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns.”
Here we find this woman sitting on “a scarlet beast, full of blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns.”
We’ll talk about this a little later, but hopefully you remember from previous studies that these seven head represent seven kingdoms, and the ten horns represent the 10 king confederation in the end who will give their power to the beast.
But the point simply being here that
This woman is supported by the beast.
That evil spirit that has been at work throughout history in those other nations is the same evil spirit that is supporting this woman.
That is why as John MacArthur pointed out, all of those religions
Basically have the same gods just called by different names.
It is the same evil force supporting them.
We also find (4) “The woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a gold cup full of abominations and of the unclean things of her immorality,”
The picture here is one of lewdness and earthly prosperity
And worldly gratification.
When Peter wrote about false prophets he wrote:
2 Peter 2:13-15 “They count it a pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are stains and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, as they carouse with you, having eyes full of adultery that never cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having a heart trained in greed, accursed children; forsaking the right way, they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;”
This makes sense.
Harlots typically dress to draw attention to themselves,
And this false religious harlot will be no different.
They attract through sensual desires and gratifications.
Peter would go on to say:
2 Peter 2:18 “For speaking out arrogant words of vanity they entice by fleshly desires, by sensuality, those who barely escape from the ones who live in error,”
Men don’t go in to a harlot because it is the wise move,
They go to a harlot because they are enticed by fleshly desires.
And so it is with false religion.
It doesn’t add up, it isn’t the wise move,
It just feels so darn good that men can’t resist it.
The problem of course is that it isn’t pure, it isn’t holy, it isn’t of God,
And therefore it never satisfies, it only serves to defile.
The cup she holds doesn’t edify men, it corrupts them.
“having in her hand a gold cup full of abominations and of the unclean things of her immorality,”
Jeremiah 51:7 “Babylon has been a golden cup in the hand of the LORD, Intoxicating all the earth. The nations have drunk of her wine; Therefore the nations are going mad.”
The next thing John notices is her name.
(5) “and on her forehead a name was written, a mystery, “BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”
The picture here is of absolute unabashed pride and pomp and defiance.
Coupled with the problem of idolatry commonly in Israel
Was the fact that not only did they do it, but they weren’t ashamed of it.
Jeremiah 6:15 “Were they ashamed because of the abomination they have done? They were not even ashamed at all; They did not even know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; At the time that I punish them, They shall be cast down,” says the LORD.”
That is also true of this harlot.
She’s a prostitute, but she isn’t ashamed.
She declares exactly what she is and that she is good at it.
“BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”
There is no shame, there is no fear.
Now listen again to Peter talk about the false prophets:
2 Peter 2:13 “They count it a pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are stains and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, as they carouse with you,”
Listen to Jude describe them:
Jude 13 [False prophets are] “wild waves of the sea, casting up their own shame like foam; wandering stars, for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever.”
They don’t just defile, they “defile in style”.
• Whether that’s false prophets in crystal cathedrals and high dollar suits spewing heresy on their television networks.
• Or whether it’s a gaudy Mormon temple…
• Or whether it’s a massive golden dome on top of a Muslim shrine…
THERE IS NO SHAME
This harlot isn’t secretive, she’s proud of what she is.
And then we find the issue relating to the book of the Revelation.
(6) “And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus. When I saw her, I wondered greatly.”
Perhaps you’ve had a little confusion as we have studied some of those statements by the martyred saints in heaven.
Statements like:
• (6:10) “How long O Lord will you refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”
• (11:17-18) “We give you thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty…because You have taken your great power and have begun to reign…and Your wrath came, and the time came for the dead to be judged…”
• (16:5-7) “Righteous are You…O Holy One, because you judged these things; for they poured out the blood of saints, and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink. They deserve it…True and righteous are Your judgments.”
Those are somewhat harsh statements.
How is it that heaven could ever rejoice over the destruction of sinners and false religion?
We actually live in a day where “evangelicals” are doing everything they can to include false religions in the atonement.
It’s the whole “many roads up the same mountain” concept,
Where Jesus will be the Savior of all religions.
Our world seems shocked that God would pour out such wrath on sinners
And that those in heaven would actually rejoice in it.
Well that is why God is revealing this parenthetical section.
He is revealing to you not only that the harlot is being judged,
BUT WHY SHE DESERVES IT.
Look at the statement here.
(6) “And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus. When I saw her, I wondered greatly.”
John was literally shocked by what he saw.
“drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus.”
She didn’t just kill a few, she gorged herself on them.
She drank their blood and enjoyed it to the point of drunkenness.
This woman isn’t just about satisfying the flesh of men,
She is out to destroy all those who oppose her.
And throughout the ages she has become
“drunk with the blood of the saints”
• It was the pagan nations that continually oppressed Israel throughout the times of the Judges.
• It was the pagan nations of Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome who also attacked her.
• It was apostate Judaism which first attacked the church.
• We know of the reign of bloody Mary and the attack of the Catholic church on true believers.
• We see what Islam seeks to accomplish today.
THIS FALSE RELIGIOUS SYSTEM OF THE HARLOT HAS ALWAYS BEEN OUT TO GORGE HERSELF ON THE BLOOD OF THE SAINTS.
It’s also no wonder that John says,
“When I saw here, I wondered greatly.”
He was confused, he was shocked,
He was probably even a little frightened by this vision.
It was a horrific sight, to see not only her presence,
But also how successful she had been throughout time
In deceiving the masses and in killing the saints.
And I HATE TO LEAVE IT HERE, for we haven’t even started to see her demise yet, that will have to come next week.
This morning I would just remind you that
Everyone who claims to speak the truth does not do so.
I’ve walked through the Sermon on the Mount again recently and I was again struck by that timely message Jesus gave.
Matthew 7:13-20 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. “For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it. “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. “You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? “So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. “A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. “So then, you will know them by their fruits.”
Jesus spoke of two gates.
• One is small and difficult and hardly used.
• The other is wide and easy and heavily used.
Jesus spoke of two roads.
• One is narrow and lonely and hardly traveled.
• The other is wide and easy and traveled by everyone.
Jesus spoke of two destinations.
• One is life and the other destruction.
The problem of course is that the wide gate with the easy way
Is the one that leads to destruction.
And the reality is that one of the main reasons
People are so eager to run through that wide gate
Is because of those FALSE PROPHETS who are ushering them through it.
They aren’t true shepherds, they are wolves in sheep’s clothing
And they will lead you to destruction.
This is the danger of false religion.
And if you learn anything this morning,
• Know that it has been around since the beginning,
• And it has been widely popular,
• But that does not mean it is a good idea.
• All roads do not lead up the same mountain.
• Just because something smells pretty and looks pretty and offers what you want does not mean that it is good for you.
• It may be a harlot and the end will be destruction.
Let me leave you with this one story in Proverbs
About the dangers of a harlot (both physical and spiritual)
Proverbs 7:6-27 “For at the window of my house I looked out through my lattice, And I saw among the naive, And discerned among the youths A young man lacking sense, Passing through the street near her corner; And he takes the way to her house, In the twilight, in the evening, In the middle of the night and in the darkness. And behold, a woman comes to meet him, Dressed as a harlot and cunning of heart. She is boisterous and rebellious, Her feet do not remain at home; She is now in the streets, now in the squares, And lurks by every corner. So she seizes him and kisses him And with a brazen face she says to him: “I was due to offer peace offerings; Today I have paid my vows. “Therefore I have come out to meet you, To seek your presence earnestly, and I have found you. “I have spread my couch with coverings, With colored linens of Egypt. “I have sprinkled my bed With myrrh, aloes and cinnamon. “Come, let us drink our fill of love until morning; Let us delight ourselves with caresses. “For my husband is not at home, He has gone on a long journey; He has taken a bag of money with him, At the full moon he will come home.” With her many persuasions she entices him; With her flattering lips she seduces him. Suddenly he follows her As an ox goes to the slaughter, Or as one in fetters to the discipline of a fool, Until an arrow pierces through his liver; As a bird hastens to the snare, So he does not know that it will cost him his life. Now therefore, my sons, listen to me, And pay attention to the words of my mouth. Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways, Do not stray into her paths. For many are the victims she has cast down, And numerous are all her slain. Her house is the way to Sheol, Descending to the chambers of death.”
SO IS FALSE RELIGION,
AND NEXT TIME YOU’LL SEE
GOD’S PLAN FOR STOPPING IT ONCE AND FOR ALL.
