The More Sure Word
2 Peter 1:16-21
April 2, 2017

We are now in a new study together.
• I must confess, that I don’t really have a structure for how we’re going to work through this, or how long it will take, or even what it’s going to look like.

• I most certainly want to remain faithful to the call to exposit Scripture, after all Scripture is our authority. However, part of this study is going to require working through some of the issues of the past and present day to understand the importance of what took place 500 years ago.

The motivation for this study comes from the fact that this October 31,
We celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.
It was October 31, 1517 when Martin Luther nailed his 95 thesis on the door of the castle church in Wittenberg, Germany.

And most certainly at another time we will look more into the life of Martin Luther and what transpired which brought about his ministry.

We will also look at other reformers, for Luther wasn’t the only one.
Ulrich Zwingli Martin Bucer William Tyndale Philip Melanchthon
John Rogers Heinrich Bullinger John Calvin

They all have a place, and one of the goals of this study
Is to help you identify with them a little better.

HOWEVER, THIS IS NOT A STUDY FOR THE SAKE OF HISTORY.

This is a study primarily about
The importance and sacred nature of the gospel.

If you are not aware, the gospel is almost always under attack.
Some of those attacks are blatantly obvious,
Some are subtle and deceptively dangerous.

It is the primary work of the church to recognize those attacks, expose them, contradict them, and to preserve the true gospel for mankind.

This is primarily what the apostle Paul meant when he wrote to Timothy.
1 Timothy 3:14-15 “I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long; but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.”

That is what the church is.
She is “the pillar and support of the truth”

Jude put it like this:
Jude 3-4 “Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints. For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.”

I especially like how Jude spoke of the gospel there.
He called it “the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.”

We are talking here about “the faith”
Not “a faith”
It is a concrete, settled, absolute, system of truth.

When Paul wrote to the Ephesians he wrote:
Ephesians 4:4-6 “There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.”

There Paul also referred to it as “one faith”
That is, there is only one true system of belief.

The church’s calling is to cherish, understand, believe,
Proclaim, and defend the truth of the gospel.

NOW I SAY THAT BECAUSE I want you to be aware that there are many battles being fought in regard to the gospel,
And I fear that some of them we may not even be aware of.

Let me give you an example.
Are you familiar with the name Bloody Mary?
• She was actually Mary I, daughter of Henry VIII
• She was a strong Catholic and was bent on squashing Protestantism.
• Her first martyr was a man named John Rogers.
• He was burned at the stake.

Do you know why Mary had John Rogers burned at the stake?
• Because he denied the concept of “The Real Presence” in the Lord’s Supper.

That is that he denied the Catholic teaching that
The Lord’s Supper actually becomes the body and blood of Christ.

And yes that is a huge point!
It is question which hinges upon the sufficiency of the death of Christ.

Catholic doctrine says Christ suffers over and over again during the Mass.
Rogers held that the one death of Christ was totally sufficient.

Rogers died for that.
Led to slaughter before his wife and children
All because he would not allow the gospel to be distorted.

And yet today, there is a constant urge among evangelicals
Who want to include Catholicism as another branch of Christianity.
Today the cry is for unity at all cost.
People are willing to give up doctrine if we can just get along.

Rogers died to defend a point of the gospel that so many are seemingly willing to abandon just so we can have “unity”.

Now that is simply one example, but I use it to make a point.
These men of the reformation gave their lives to rescue for us
A gospel which had been abused and hidden and all but forgotten.

And we must not be willing to bury that gospel again.

AND SO THIS STUDY IS ABOUT THE GOSPEL
• It is about how the gospel had become concealed
• It is about how the gospel became revealed
• It is about what the true gospel really is
• It is about why we must defend it
• And it is about the men who did that 500 years ago

And tonight I just want us to start, with this question.
WHAT DICTATES WHAT YOU BELIEVE?
What is your ultimate authority?

You already have a standard by which you measure all things as true or false,
I merely want you to answer what it is.

In the dark ages, before the reformation that answer was clear.
What dictates what you believe? THE CHURCH

• The church sat as the supreme authority.
• Devised from a weird sort of supposed apostolic succession from Peter down through the popes.
• The Scripture was not really even accessible.
• The only Bible’s around were in Latin (which couldn’t even be understood by the common man) and in some cases were even chained to the lectern.

The real authority was the church.
Time after time in matters of dispute the answer was “The Church has said…”

To the world prior to the reformation God was the supreme authority
And that authority was revealed through the church.
So, if the church said it, you believed it, it was authority.

Now of course the reformation began to challenge that, as we will see.
The reformation challenged the authority of popes and traditions.

But going on at the same time as the Reformation
Was what is known as the Renaissance and the rise of Philosophy.

The Renaissance led to what is known as “The Age of Enlightenment”
And things like Modernism and Higher Criticism.

The idea that there is absolute truth
And it is discovered through scientific evidence and reasoning.

So during the dark ages if you ask what dictates truth, they would answer, “The church”.

But during the Age of Enlightenment if you ask “What dictates truth?”, they would answer “SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE AND REASON”

If you are curious about the effect this had on Christianity;
It is modernism that is the father of Liberal Theology.
• Liberal theologians began to apply higher criticism and scientific method to
Scripture
• Before long things like miracles were rejected
• As were things like a literal 7 day creation
• And even most Biblical authorship.

Higher criticism and modernism quickly led to
Theological liberalism and even rank unbelief.

Well now, we have entered a sphere which is referred to as
“POST-MODERNISM”

And basically post modernism has become the age of skeptics.
Post-modernism has rejected the absolute authority of things
Like science and reason.

For example, the science of biology is no longer authoritative to a culture which says gender is a matter of one’s own personal preference.

So Post-modernism has come along, and when you ask the world today “What dictates truth?” they will say, “PERSPECTIVE” or “I do”

It is the idea behind the statement,
“That may be true for you, but it’s not true for me.”

Modernism says we find truth through studying scientific facts, Post-modernism said, we can’t trust you to view the facts neutrally and fairly and accurately.

You see that mindset in our culture today to be certain.

The Post-Modern mindset has also had an effect on Christianity.
With post-modernism has come the rise of charismatic doctrine.

What dictates truth to a charismatic? “EXPERIENCE”
If I experienced it, then it is true.
It doesn’t matter if it can be explained Biblically,
It was real to me and therefore true for me.

I can give you an example of all of this playing out right here in Spur.
A few years ago Rudi Hernandez (then pastor of Community Bible Chapel) wanted to have “Unity” meetings among the pastors, so I went.

Part of the process was really just to sort of feel out where everyone was on the various issues of theology and faith. (You know we had to start somewhere).

At one point I began talking about the gospel and the importance of Scripture to which one pastor cut me off and said, “See, I don’t believe the Bible is true. I embrace higher criticism. You can’t get a systematic theology from Paul. Typically in AA our first goal is to push people to believe in a higher power, and that typically starts with the light bulb.”

He was expressing modernism.
It has to be scientific, it has to support reason.
Whereas a lightbulb can be scientifically explained,
God cannot and therefore it was rejected.

This man’s authority for truth was his own reason/logic/science.

While arguing with this pastor about my belief in the truth of Scripture another one of the leaders there said, “If the Bible was disproved today, it would not affect my faith in the least.” To which I responded, “Then what does your faith stand on?” And he said, “Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” To which he then began to relate to me how Jesus had appeared to him and would appear to me too.

In short, he didn’t need Scripture, he didn’t need logic or reason,
He only needed his experience.
That is in part post-modernism.

It was true to him regardless of whether or not it was true to anyone else
Because he had experienced it.

So you can see that determining what dictates what you believe
Is a very important issue.
In fact the very truth and accuracy of the gospel is at stake.

BEFORE you can really discuss any theology or doctrine,
You first have to settle the issue of
Where you go as your final authority for truth.

Well, 500 years ago the reformers settled that issue for themselves.

What was their answer to the question?
SOLA SCRIPTURA

Steve Lawson said, “The Reformation was essentially a crisis over which authority should have primacy. Rome claimed the church’s authority lay with Scripture and tradition, Scripture and the pope, Scripture and church councils. But the reformers believed that the authority belonged to Scripture alone.”(Taken from “Pillars of Grace” by Steven Lawson)

Philip Schaff said, “While the Humanists went back to the ancient classics and revived the spirit of Greek and Roman paganism, the Reformers went back to the sacred Scriptures in the original languages and revived the spirit of apostolic Christianity. They were fired by an enthusiasm for the gospel, such as had never been known since the days of Paul. Christ rose from the tomb of human traditions and preached again His words of life and power. The Bible, heretofore a book of priests only, was now translated anew and better than ever into the vernacular tongues of Europe, and made a book of the people. Every Christian man could henceforth go to the fountain-head of inspiration, and sit at the feet of the Divine Teacher, without priestly permission and intervention” (Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church, Vol. VII: Modern Christianity—The German Reformation [1910; repr., Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980],17)

It was SOLA SCRIPTURA

This is without a doubt the foundational stone
That came out of the reformation.

Without this one, none of the other solas or doctrines would have ever emerged or remained.

So as we begin our study, it is important that we begin with the understanding that SCRIPTURE ALONE DICTATES WHAT WE BELIEVE.

That does not mean that we never listen to anything else,
Or that Scripture answers every minute question of life.

But what it does mean is that Scripture is sufficient and authoritative.
It tells us everything we need to know regarding salvation,
And what it does say trumps everything else.

John MacArthur wrote: “Sola Scriptura simply means that all truth necessary for our salvation and spiritual life is taught either explicitly or implicitly in Scripture…Scripture is the highest and supreme authority on any matter on which it speaks. But there are many important questions on which Scripture is silent. Sola Scriptura makes no claim to the contrary. Nor does sola Scriptura claim that everything Jesus or the apostles ever taught is preserved in Scripture. It only means that everything necessary, everything binding on our consciences, and everything God requires of us is given to us in Scripture (2 Peter 1:3)…Scripture is therefore the perfect and only standard of spiritual truth, revealing infallibly all that we must believe in order to be saved and all that we must do in order to glorify God. That—no more, no less—is what sola Scriptura means.
(This excerpt is taken from John MacArthur’s contribution in Sola Scriptura: The Protestant Position on the Bible.) Sited at this website: http://www.ligonier.org/blog/what-does-sola-scriptura-mean/

And that is precisely what we learn from Peter here.

If you are familiar with Peter’s epistles you know that
Peter dealt with a church that suffered greatly,
And a church that dealt with many apostates, false prophets, & mockers.

Peter sought to bring resolve and clarity and conviction to his flock.

In a world of mockers he wants them to know what to believe.
There are two main things I want you to quickly see in this text
#1 OUR TESTIMONY IS TRUE
2 Peter 1:16-18

“We did not follow cleverly devised tales…”

Two things are implied there.
The stories originated with us (“we did not follow”)
The stories are not fabricated (“cleverly devised tales…”)

In other words, this is not just some good story
That has been passed down to us
That we feel the need to pass down to you.

This is not some “made up” story.

“when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, …we were eyewitnesses of His majesty.”

REMEMBER THE STORY?

TURN TO: MATTHEW 17:1-8

Peter says when we tell you about the “majesty” of Jesus,
You can rest assured we are not making it up. We saw it.

(17-18) “For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, “This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased” – and we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.”

This is not some made up testimony, we both saw it and we heard it.
This is not some clever tale, it was real.

Peter’s point here is that he is not a story-teller, he is a witness.

And their lives form tremendous proof for all of us.

I mean, let’s suppose Peter was actually making this up.
Well, do you remember what sort of things Peter endured for this story?

Peter,
• At what point while being flogged, do you admit you made up the story?
• At what point while being imprisoned, do you admit you made up the story?
• At what point while watching the crucifixion of your wife do you admit you made up the story?
• At what point while enduring your own crucifixion do you admit you made up the story?
How about you James?
• At what point James when you are being stabbed with a sword do you admit that you made up that story?
Or John?
• At what point John when you are being arrested do you admit you made up the story?
• At what point of being imprisoned at Patmos do you admit you made up the story?

DO YOU GET THE POINT?
If this is a cleverly devised tale,
Then why stick to it all the way to the death?

Obviously the point is that Peter didn’t create this story, he witnessed it.

And so here Peter tells the flock,
I tell you these things over and over because it is true.

But of course for many people that is not nearly enough.
• So what – Peter vows that it is true…
• So what – he died for that story…
• I still don’t believe it.

Well, if Peter’s experience is not enough for you,
Then listen to Peter’s second reason he knows it is true.

First – Our Testimony is True
#2 THE SCRIPTURE IS SURE
2 Peter 1:19-21

This is where we cry SOLA SCRIPTURA!

Now, Depending on the translation you read,
Verse 19 can be a little misleading.

The NASB says, “So we have the prophetic word made more sure”

And when you read it like that it sounds as if Peter is saying, “We know the prophets are true because we saw the glory of Jesus with our own eyes.”

In other words “Our experience validates the Scripture.”

But that is a tad bit misleading.

The actual and literal Greek translation says, “We have the even more sure prophetic word”

The KJV is actually more accurate when it says, “We have also a more sure word of prophecy”

That actual order indicates that Peter is saying,
“Even if you don’t believe my experience, so what,
We have something here more convincing than experience
And that is the Scripture.”

This is why I ask you: “What dictates what you believe?”
• Peter here makes the distinction.
• He is putting Scripture ahead of experience.

Our ultimate authority isn’t the church council
Our ultimate authority isn’t church tradition
Our ultimate authority isn’t scientific evidence
Our ultimate authority isn’t personal preference
Our ultimate authority isn’t mystical experience

All of those things can be wrong.

When Martyn Luther was called before the Diet of Worms and commanded to recant all that he had written, Luther responded:
“Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures or by clear reason (for I do not trust either in the pope or in councils alone, since it is well known that they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. Here I stand, I can do no other, may God help me. Amen.”

For Luther there was only one final authority and it was SOLA SCRIPTURA
And that is what Peter is saying here.

The Judgment of the Great Harlot – Part 2
Revelation 17:1-18 (7-18)
April 2, 2017

Last time we met we began this parenthetical section that deals with God’s final judgment of Babylon.

Throughout history, God’s people
Have cried for the destruction of this evil system.

Perhaps you are familiar with the imprecatory psalms.
The psalms where God’s redeemed cry for vengeance on their persecutors.

Psalms 35:1-8 “Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me; Fight against those who fight against me. Take hold of buckler and shield And rise up for my help. Draw also the spear and the battle-axe to meet those who pursue me; Say to my soul, “I am your salvation.” Let those be ashamed and dishonored who seek my life; Let those be turned back and humiliated who devise evil against me. Let them be like chaff before the wind, With the angel of the LORD driving them on. Let their way be dark and slippery, With the angel of the LORD pursuing them. For without cause they hid their net for me; Without cause they dug a pit for my soul. Let destruction come upon him unawares, And let the net which he hid catch himself; Into that very destruction let him fall.”

These have also been the prayers of those martyred saints
Who were below the altar of God.

Well, at the pouring out of the 7th bowl
WE FOUND THAT GOD REMEMBERED BABYLON.

That is to say that God finally dealt out vengeance
On the evil world system which has so mercilessly persecuted His people.

Chapters 17 and 18 are a greater explanation of that judgment.

Chapter 17 deals with the destruction of the evil world religious system,
Chapter 18 deals with the destruction of the evil world political/economic system.

We started looking at chapter 17 last week,
And the POINT OF THE CHAPTER IS CLEAR.

Revelation 17:1-2 “Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, “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 wine of her immorality.”

Not to rehash it too much, but the “great harlot”
Is symbolic of false religion.

The world has loved her because of the immorality she offers
And the way in which she satisfies the flesh.
THIS CHAPTER IS ABOUT HER DESTRUCTION.
Chapter 17 is about the destruction of all false religion.

And we began to look at this chapter last time.
#1 THE EXALTED HARLOT
Revelation 17:1-2

We simply saw that this harlot was one who “sits on many waters.”

Verse 15 says:
“And he said to me, “The waters which you saw where the harlot sits, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues.”

That is to say that the world exalts this harlot.
• The world loves false religion.
• We saw how it started at Babel and has flourished ever since.
• We even looked at that story in Zechariah about the wicked woman in the basket and how the world sought to rescue her from the judgment of the Lord and build her a temple for worship.

The world loves the sensual fulfillments of false religion.

In fact we learned that “those who dwell on the earth were made drunk with the wine of her immorality.”

#2 THE EXAMINED HARLOT
Revelation 7:3-6

After introducing this harlot,
John was then carried in a vision to have her explained.

We saw that she is riding that 7-headed, 10-horned beast,
Indicating that it is Satan who supports her.
All false religion is a lie and it is that which is propagated by the father of lies.

We saw that she was ADORNED “in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls”

Because after all, a prostitute tempts by the way she dresses.

And we saw what she OFFERS people, namely “a gold cup full of abominations and of the unclean things of her immorality.”

What she offers doesn’t edify, it defiles.
It appeals to the flesh, and appeals to the senses, but there is No Benefit found there.

When God spoke through Jeremiah about the false prophets of his day, He said:
Jeremiah 23:32 “Behold, I am against those who have prophesied false dreams,” declares the LORD, “and related them and led My people astray by their falsehoods and reckless boasting; yet I did not send them or command them, nor do they furnish this people the slightest benefit,” declares the LORD.”

There is no benefit to false religion.
• I don’t care if it is the sacrificial service commitments of Mormonism
• The self-abasement commitments of Catholicism,
• The zealous missionary efforts of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

There is nothing good in false religion.
There is nothing valuable.
There is nothing to offer.
It only defiles.

We also learned of this woman’s UNASHAMED ARROGANCE, for she had plastered on her forehead the name “BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”

It is one thing to be a prostitute
It is another thing to be proud of it.
It is still another thing to be boast about being the best prostitute ever
And it is even worse to brag about the fact
That you led your children into it as well.

This woman not only brags about being a great harlot,
But also that she is a mother of harlots.

False religion has no shame in its gaudy Mormon temples,
Or golden domed Mosques, or lavish TV cathedrals.
It is shameful, but it is in fact false religion.

And then we learned about the TRUE DIFFICULTY of this false religion which is that she was “drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus.”

This woman was responsible for the faithful who had been martyred.
She didn’t just kill a few, she craved it. She was drunk on it.

And we heard John say, “When I saw her, I wondered greatly.”

That is to say that John was horrified at what he saw.

And I might just add, that if you were able to peel back the façade
And see the true motives of false religion you’d be horrified too.

John just got a good look at the true nature of all false religions
And it was nasty and vile and corrupt and deadly.

You may think Mormonism is fine, but if you could peel back the layers you’d see just how filthy and corrupt and vile it actually is.

You may think Islam is fine, but if you could peel back the layers you’d see just how filthy and corrupt and vile it actually is.

You may think Catholicism is fine, but if you could peel back the layers you’d see just how filthy and corrupt and vile it actually is.

You may think the false prophets of Christianity are fine, but again if you could see behind the scenes, you’d see just how corrupt and vile they really are.

John just had his eyes opened to the fact.

So we’ve seen The Exalted Harlot, The Examined Harlot
#3 THE EXPLAINED HARLOT
Revelation 17:7-14

Well, John saw her true colors,
But he still rather confused as to exactly what he saw,
SO NOW THE LORD SETS OUT TO FULLY EXPLAIN HER TO HIM.

And it begins with the beast which she rode.
(7-8) “And the angel said to me, “Why do you wonder? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns. “The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and go to destruction. And those who dwell on the earth, whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will wonder when they see the beast, that he was and is not and will come.”

The beast is simply described as.
“The beast you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and go to destruction.”

When we studied chapter 13 we talked quite a bit about this “beast”.
He is none other than the Antichrist.

He is a Satan-possessed world ruler, who is used by the enemy
As a means of deceiving the world.

And the MAIN DECEPTIVE WORK which he will demonstrate
Is a supposed death and resurrection.

Revelation 13:3 “I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain, and his fatal wound was healed. And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast;”

Revelation 13:12 “He exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence. And he makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed.”

This beast is this Antichrist.

And this beast certainly will go “to destruction”,
HOWEVER: Before his destruction, “those who dwell on the earth, whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will wonder when they see the beast, that he was and is not and will come.”

The world will swoon over him after that great supposed miracle.

Now, one thing important to notice is that CURRENTLY John learns that the beast “was, and is not, and is about to come up”

This indicates that at the present time of this vision,
It would be the time when the Antichrist is supposedly dead.

This world ruler had emerged, but currently he is dead,
And soon he will come again, which will cause the world to follow him.

So in effect, as we look at this vision
We are dealing with the early part of the reign of Antichrist (the beast).
And this teaches us that in the beginning of his reign,
The Antichrist supported the harlot.
The beast promoted all false religion.

One thing we are learning in our world is that being exclusive or dogmatic
Is not the way to win over the masses.

Our post-modern world loves uncertainty and rejects absolutes.
• They love the idea of tolerance and just coexisting with any and everyone.

The only way for this figure to ascend to world power
Is if he is a man of universalism and tolerance.
He will in fact support all religions early on.

So the first thing John learns about this woman is that
In the beginning of the tribulation false religion will thrive
Under the leadership of this man known as Antichrist.

And then John gets even more explanation.
(9-12) “Here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits, and they are seven kings; five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain a little while. “The beast which was and is not, is himself also an eighth and is one of the seven, and he goes to destruction. “The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but they receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour.”

Well, that’s about as gumbled a description as you’re going to get,
But it’s really not that hard to unpack once you realize what is going on.

FIRST we deal with “the seven heads”

We are told they are “seven mountains on which the woman sits, and they are seven kings; five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain a little while.”

We have talked about this before, but there were 5 major kingdoms
Which persecuted Israel in her past.

Certainly many kingdoms threatened Israel and warred against her, but there were 5 world powers which specifically threatened her with annihilation.

Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Media-Persia, Greece.
These were the “five” who “have fallen”

John also said, “one is” which was the current kingdom in John’s day, namely Rome.

“the other has not yet come” and this will be the kingdom of the Antichrist. And John learns that “he must remain a little while.”

God has appointed his reign.
Which we also saw in chapter 13 as a 42 month reign.

Linking all of these kingdoms together as 7 HEADS OF THE SAME BEAST
Indicates that all of these kingdoms were fueled by the same evil force.

Satan was working behind them all.
• Behind Pharaoh who was drowning Hebrew babies
• Behind Sennacherib who exiled Israel
• Behind Nebuchadnezzar who exiled Judah
• Behind Haman who sought the annihilation of the Jews
• Behind Antiochus Epiphanes who sought to destroy Israel

Satan was behind them all, just as he was behind Rome
And will be behind the kingdom of the Antichrist.

Which also indicates that
Satan is the one who has been supporting false religion all along,
Since the woman rides the beast.

Based on this information we can then emphatically say that:
• Islam is Satanic
• Mormonism is Satanic
• Buddhism is Satanic
• Hinduism is Satanic
• Catholicism is Satanic

They are all “isms” that will one day be “wasms”

From there the angel describes the beast himself.
(11) “The beast which was and is not, is himself also an eighth and is one of the seven, and he goes to destruction.”

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
Well, the 7th kingdom mentioned is that of the Antichrist.
However, we just spoke of his supposed death and then resurrection.

What we are learning is that the guy who supposedly dies
And the guy who then rises
Are going to be two drastically different guys.

If you remember it all hinges around Satan being kicked out of heaven,
Which we studied in chapter 12.

IN ONE INSTANCE THIS GUY
Goes from being the proponent of peace to a proponent of war,
So much so that it’s almost like he is an entirely different person.

That’s why it can be said that he is “himself also an eight and is one of the seven”

And the point here being that the demon who works through him
Is the same one who has worked through all of those wicked world rulers throughout history.

It’s all Satan.

Then we find out about “the ten horns”
(12) “The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but they receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour.”

• We have talked about the 10 king European confederation
• It is in fact a revamped Roman empire.

But none of these kings will reign long,
For they will all sign over full control to the beast,
In fact that is why God appointed their reign.

(13) “These have one purpose, and they give their power and authority to the beast.”

So John wondered greatly
When he saw this harlot drunk with the blood of the saints.

Perhaps John wondered who she was
That had unleased so much persecution on God’s people.
Here we find that she is all the Satan inspired false religions of all time.
Past, present, and even future.

God’s people haven’t been persecuted by many different peoples, God’s people have been persecuted by Satan over and over.

Remember what Paul said?
Ephesians 6:12 “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

It has always been the same enemy pushing the attacks.

And then comes the explanation to the SOLE REASON for his work.
(14) “These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful.”

Listen to me very carefully.
EVERY FALSE RELIGION WHICH HAS EVER BEEN INVENTED
ONLY HAS ONE PURPOSE.
“These will wage war against the Lamb”

That is their only purpose.
• Some false religions are violent and seek to threaten and persecute and physically destroy.
• Some false religions are deceptive and cunning and threaten merely to corrupt the gospel and misrepresent Jesus.

But all of them only have one goal and that is to war against Christ.
• They seek to distort His person
• They seek to distort His gospel
• They seek to deceive His listeners
• They seek to discourage His children
• They seek to destroy His plan

That is the only reason they exist.

Why do you suppose Jehovah’s Witnesses are so dedicated in their missionary efforts to present a false Jesus?
It’s because that is their mission from Satan, to distort the true Jesus.

Why do you suppose Islam is so militant and threatening?
Because that is their Satanic mission to discourage faith in Jesus.

• False religion is NOT for the purpose of ENLIGHTENMENT
• False religion is NOT for the purpose of FULFILLMENT
• False religion is NOT for the purpose of MORALITY
• False religion is NOT for the purpose of HOPE
• False religion is NOT for the purpose of RECONCILIATION WITH GOD
False religion only has one purpose and that is to war against Christ.

THAT IS WHY IT IS SO GRIEVOUS
TO HAVE SO MANY CALL FOR UNITY AND UNIVERSALISM.

To this thought Paul would undoubtedly say:
2 Corinthians 6:14-18 “Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, “I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM; AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE. “Therefore, COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE,” says the Lord. “AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN; And I will welcome you. “And I will be a father to you, And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,” Says the Lord Almighty.”

People always quote that verse in relation to marriage,
But it is really an admonition against tolerance and pluralism.

How can you take a Satanic religion meant to destroy the truth of Christ and unify with them?

And I can tell you this much, CHRIST ISN’T TOLERATING THEM.
(14) “and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful.”

I’ve heard of a growing notion today that Jesus will just save all religions.
You know if the Buddhist is sincere
If the Muslim is sincere
If the Hindu is sincere

BUT THAT ISN’T TRUE.
The Bible says Jesus will “overcome them”
Jesus will defeat them.

Why? “because He is Lord of lords and King of kings”

Isaiah put it this way.
Isaiah 42:8 “I am the LORD, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, Nor My praise to graven images.”

• Jesus will not share glory with Buddha
• Jesus will not share glory with Allah
• Jesus will not share glory with any of the 750 Hindu gods

Buddha isn’t Lord of lords
Allah isn’t King of kings

Those titles are exclusive to Jesus and so in the end,
He is not about to bring those along with Him.

And incidentally, He won’t save all people just because they are sincere.
John is told who Jesus will save.

“and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful.”
There’s a verse for an Arminian!

Those who are saved are those whom Jesus has “called” and “chosen”
And who are “faithful” as a result of that selection.

The point being that Jesus isn’t universally saving all people,
He is specifically saving His people.

BUT YOU NOW SEE THE HARLOT EXPLAINED.
• This harlot who is drunk on the blood of the saints is so,
• Because she has been controlled by Satan
• And all he ever does is war against Jesus.

So if you really want to describe false religion, it is easy.
It seduces sinners, it hates Jesus, and the world loves it.

But as we said, this chapter is about “the judgment of the great harlot”

#4 THE EXECUTED HARLOT
Revelation 17:15-18

Again we recognize that verse which indicates to us how the world loved the harlot.
(15) “And he said to me, “The waters which you saw where the harlot sits, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues.”

But notice what John sees next.
(16) “And the ten horns which you saw, and the beast, these will hate the harlot and will make her desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh and will burn her up with fire.”

DO WHAT?
• I thought Satan was the driving force behind her?
• I thought Satan promoted her?
• I thought Satan used her?

HE DID.
But do you remember what is going to happen after the Antichrist supposedly dies and rises from the dead?

Do you remember what he will do?
2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 “Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.”
In the end, false religion will have served its purpose
And the Antichrist will exalt himself over every other religion.

It won’t just be Christianity that will be illegal,
It will also be Islam, and Mormonism, and Buddhism, etc.

Remember, the only mark acceptable in that day is Satan’s mark.
(not a cross, not a crescent, not chubby Buddha)

These false religions that are so loved and seem to flourish,
They are all going to end, and it is Satan who will destroy them.

WHY?
(17) “For God has put it in their hearts to execute His purpose by having a common purpose, and by giving their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God will be fulfilled.”

Because God will cause it to happen.
God, the ultimate sovereign,
Will actually cause the enemy “to execute His purpose”

He can do whatever He wants, whenever He wants.
Even false religion is no threat to Him.

And then the chapter concludes with: (18) “The woman whom you saw is the great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth.”

• She is Babylon
• She is World and the world’s religious system.
• And here we find that she will be destroyed.

SO WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO WITH THAT?

That’s easy.
We’re supposed to rejoice!

• This is what the saints have prayed for.
• This is what the martyrs have prayed for.
• This is what those below the altar were rejoicing over.

In fact, let me skip ahead a little.
Revelation 19:1-4 “After these things I heard something like a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God; BECAUSE HIS JUDGMENTS ARE TRUE AND RIGHTEOUS; for He has judged the great harlot who was corrupting the earth with her immorality, and HE HAS AVENGED THE BLOOD OF HIS BOND-SERVANTS ON HER.” And a second time they said, “Hallelujah! HER SMOKE RISES UP FOREVER AND EVER.” And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne saying, “Amen. Hallelujah!”

Last Sunday night we talked about that parable of the prodigal son
And how the heart of the Pharisees was not in step with the heart of God.

Jesus said:
Luke 15:7 “I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.”

God rejoices when a sinner repents, the Pharisees did not,
And therefore we find that their heart did not march in step with God.

Well, here we find that a repentant sinner
Isn’t the only thing that causes heaven to rejoice.
Heaven also rejoices at the destruction of false religion.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’M NOT SAYING you should go out and bomb a mosque, obviously not.

But understand that we are commanded to war against those deceptions.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,”

We don’t war with earthly weapons.
How do we war?

We destroy “speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God”

We fight against deceptions.
We fight against error.
We expose false religion
We most certainly don’t unify with it.
We “contend earnestly for the faith”

And friend that is not only the calling of believers,
That is the heart of heaven.
Because false religions distort and dishonor Christ.

Do you really suppose heaven rejoices when some false prophet misrepresents Jesus?

• We are not to overlook the existence of false religion
• We are not to mourn the death of false religion
• We are not to fear the threats of false religion
We are to rejoice that false religion will not survive
And are to war against it even today.

Let that encourage your faith.

A Day For The Lord
Zechariah 14:1-21
March 26, 2016

The last couple of weeks we’ve been talking about “Bringing Israel Home”
Israel was broken off (called scattered sheep)
Because of their rejection of the Good Shepherd.

Since that day they have been a wayward prodigal literally forced to deal with the hardships that they have brought on themselves.
However there is coming a day when the Lord will in fact call them home.

We saw it in chapters 12 & 13 how the Lord will do this.
He will pour on them a Spirit of mourning and will cause them to look on the One whom they pierced, and then will forgive their sin.

This redemption will finally bring about the commitment
That God has wanted from Israel
Since the day He called them out of Egypt.

So we are seeing how God will bring them back.
And we’ve been comparing it to that story of The Prodigal Son
Which Jesus told in Luke 15.

HOWEVER, there is plenty of reason to believe that the story of the prodigal in Luke 15 DID NOT END WELL FOR THE FATHER.

TURN TO: LUKE 15
(I know several of you studied this passage a few years ago when I was out for the summer)

The key to understanding the real point of the story of the Prodigal Son
Comes in reading the reason why Jesus gave the parable to begin with.

Most just assume that it is a story about salvation, and a sinner’s repentance,
But that wasn’t the main reason the story was given.

The context here matters greatly.
(READ LUKE 15:1-3)

The setting finds Jesus doing the unthinkable.
He is eating with tax collectors and sinners.

Now of course the Pharisees and scribes took great issue with this.
And there are a few reasons why.

1) They didn’t care about the salvation of tax collectors and sinners.

2) They did not understand who Jesus was. Had they spotted Him as the Savior, they would have understood that tax collectors and sinners were exactly who He should have been with.

3) They didn’t care about the desire of God. It did not matter to the Pharisees if God desired the salvation of sinners.

And that is what prompts these 3 parables from Jesus.

The first is the parable of the lost sheep and the point is clear that rejoicing should occur when a lost sheep is found.
(READ 15:7)

Then comes the parable of the lost coin, and the point is the same.
(READ 15:10)

And then comes the parable of the prodigal.

Now, understanding the players is key to understanding the parable.
We’re pretty sure we know who the YOUNGER BROTHER is.
• He is the tax collectors and the sinners.
• He is the one who is so offensive to the Father that there is no way anyone
would expect the Father to give him a second chance.

The OLDER BROTHER then is clearly the Pharisees and the scribes w
• Ho just can’t seem to rejoice over salvation.

The Father is the one we typically get wrong. Everyone wants to call the Father – God.
But the reality is that THE FATHER in this parable is Jesus
Who is welcoming these sinners in even when they don’t deserve it.

Well, you know the story.
• The son leaves,
• The son comes to his senses,
• The son returns
• The Father (Jesus) rejoices and welcomes and throws him a banquet (a.k.a. dines with him)

But then the story becomes relevant.
(READ LUKE 15:25-32)

I love the way John MacArthur pitched his book “A Tale of Two Sons”
He pitched it as “An ending you’ve never heard before.”

That almost sounds like a heresy alert,
But if you read the parable, THERE IS NO ENDING.

But there is…if you read the rest of Luke’s gospel.

Remember this story stemmed from Jesus eating with tax collectors and sinners and the Pharisees were grumbling about it.

Jesus told these parables to address their lack of joy
Over the return of a wayward brother.

Let me ask you, how did the Pharisees and scribes end up responding to Jesus after He pleaded with them?

They killed Him.
That’s why if you’ve read MacArthur’s book
He speaks of how if the story were to continue it would say that
The older son at once picked up a club and beat the father to death.

THE POINT I am making for our purposes tonight is to reveal that the story of the prodigal son did not end well for the Father in that story.
AND THAT WAS REALLY WHO THE STORY WAS FOR.

Well that is where these two stories part ways.
Because what God is going to do in the future salvation of Israel
Will most certainly end well for God.

IN FACT, THAT IS THE POINT.

I often try to warn you about the dangers of Humanism.

Humanism says “the chief end of all things is the happiness of man.”

But the truth is that “the chief end of all things is the glory of God.”

Well, don’t take a humanistic approach
To this future salvation of Israel.
Their future salvation is not about their happiness,
It is about God’s glory.

And that is why I love the way this chapter begins.

(1) Behold, a day is coming for the LORD…”
• We are not just talking about The day OF the Lord here.
• Nor are we talking about a day for Israel.
• We are talking about a Day FOR the LORD.

What God has been doing in Israel is about His pleasure and His glory.
Indeed that is the reasoning behind all salvation.
And that is where the book of Zechariah comes to an end.

So…Last time
We saw all the struggle and turmoil that God will put Israel through
In order that He might draw them to Himself and redeem them.

And then He ended that section with a sort of summary.
Zechariah 13:8-9 “It will come about in all the land,” Declares the LORD, “That two parts in it will be cut off and perish; But the third will be left in it. “And I will bring the third part through the fire, Refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, And I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are My people,’ And they will say, ‘The LORD is my God.'”

That summary ended with God alone
Getting the glory that He deserves from His people Israel.
Tonight we look at that reality in a little more detail.

We actually can divide this chapter up into 6 points.
As we look at this Day FOR The Lord.
#1 A DAY OF PERIL
Zechariah 14:1-2

Here we are talking about this day through which God will be glorified,
And as it was alluded to in chapter 12, it won’t begin well for Israel.

It begins with Jerusalem under attack.
“Behold a day is coming for the LORD when all the spoil taken from you will be divided among you.”

This does not mean that people are giving all the spoil back and dividing it evenly among the people.

What is being referred to here is the reality that they aren’t afraid of the remaining remnant.

One could read it “the spoil taken from you will be divided in front of you.”

And we know this based on verse 2.
(2) “For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be captured, the houses plundered, the women ravished and half of the city exiled, but the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city.”

God speaks of a day when the city will be so plundered
That they will be able to stop and divide the spoil
Right there in the midst of the city square.

Now, of course this is referring to that day of great tribulation.
• This is Israel who has made that firm covenant with Antichrist, but at the 3 ½ year period has seen that covenant broken and have come under his attack.
• You will remember from Revelation 12 that God is helping them escape, but for those who remained in Jerusalem it is a dark day indeed.

These people are being handed over to great tribulation.

WHY?
Well it is exactly for the purpose that God revealed back in chapter 13.
“I will bring the third part through the fire, refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested.”

God is preparing them to return to Him.
This is where that prodigal is wishing he could eat the pods that he is feeding to the pigs.
God is purposely walking them through a day of peril.
This obviously isn’t being done for Israel’s happiness,
It is being done for God’s glory.

We are aware then that many of the difficulties we walk through
Are not meant to make us happy.
They are meant to make us holy, which brings glory to God.

#2 A DAY OF POWER
Zechariah 14:3-5

Soon we find that the peril is really more of a setup than anything.

Remember how we said in chapter 12 that those who attacked Israel would do so to their own hurt, well that is certainly the case here.

“The LORD will go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fights on a day of battle.”

Just when Israel looks defeated, and just when the enemy is at ease counting the spoil, the LORD will show up “and fight”

This is yet another reference to that battle we know as Armageddon.
(4-5) “In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south. You will flee by the valley of My mountains, for the valley of the mountains will reach to Azel; yes, you will flee just as you fled before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the LORD, my God, will come, and all the holy ones with Him!”

It will look hopeless for Jerusalem.
In a moment, Christ returns and the armies of heaven return with Him.

This is also as story told by Isaiah.
(For them Assyria was the background)

But through this analogy, God actually used Assyria as a picture of Antichrist
And the way in which God would bring him down.

TURN TO: ISAIAH 10:5
In verses 5-19 we have the arrogance of the Assyrian (Antichrist) and we have the promise of God to chop him down to size.

And we see how God is going to use this all to turn Israel back to Him.
(READ 20-23)

The sermon continues. (READ 24-34)

At the last moment, when it appears that Jerusalem will fall,
It is then that the LORD will intervene and return with His holy ones
To deliver His people Israel.

This is the day being told of here in Zechariah as well.

And it is not primarily being done for Israel’s sake,
It is being done for the Lord’s sake.

Listen to what God has to say to Israel about her deliverance.
Isaiah 48:1-11 “Hear this, O house of Jacob, who are named Israel And who came forth from the loins of Judah, Who swear by the name of the LORD And invoke the God of Israel, But not in truth nor in righteousness. “For they call themselves after the holy city And lean on the God of Israel; The LORD of hosts is His name. “I declared the former things long ago And they went forth from My mouth, and I proclaimed them. Suddenly I acted, and they came to pass. “Because I know that you are obstinate, And your neck is an iron sinew And your forehead bronze, Therefore I declared them to you long ago, Before they took place I proclaimed them to you, So that you would not say, ‘My idol has done them, And my graven image and my molten image have commanded them.’ “You have heard; look at all this. And you, will you not declare it? I proclaim to you new things from this time, Even hidden things which you have not known. “They are created now and not long ago; And before today you have not heard them, So that you will not say, ‘Behold, I knew them.’ “You have not heard, you have not known. Even from long ago your ear has not been open, Because I knew that you would deal very treacherously; And you have been called a rebel from birth. “For the sake of My name I delay My wrath, And for My praise I restrain it for you, In order not to cut you off. “Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. “For My own sake, for My own sake, I will act; For how can My name be profaned? And My glory I will not give to another.”

This whole thing is not about Israel, it is about God.
It is a day for Him!

A day of peril, A day of power
#3 A DAY OF PREEMINENCE
Zechariah 14:6-11

And all of a sudden we find that the return of the Lord
Was not just about the deliverance of Israel.

The return of the Lord is about the glory of the Lord.
On this day “the LORD will be the only one, and His name the only one.”

(6-7) “In that day there will be no light; the luminaries will dwindle. For it will be a unique day which is known to the LORD, neither day nor night, but it will come about that at evening time there will be light.”

Indeed, the sun and moon and starts will even be ashamed at His coming.
But there will be no need of them because the Lamb will be the light.

Revelation 21:22-23 “I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb.”

The point is that He alone is the center of all things.
Everything comes from Him.
And His glory is finally evident to the world.

(8) “And in that day living waters will flow out of Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea and the other half toward the western sea; it will be in summer as well as in winter.

Revelation 22:1-2 “Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.”

We are talking now about a return to the state of the Garden of Eden.
Sin is judged, the curse removed, Christ on His throne,
And everything is back to the way in which it was supposed to be.

(9-11) “And the LORD will be king over all the earth; in that day the LORD will be the only one, and His name the only one. All the land will be changed into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem; but Jerusalem will rise and remain on its site from Benjamin’s Gate as far as the place of the First Gate to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king’s wine presses. People will live in it, and there will no longer be a curse, for Jerusalem will dwell in security.”

Revelation 22:3 “There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him;”

We are talking now about the day in which Jesus reigns.
It is for Him.

Certainly we long for that day and we will enjoy that day,
But primarily it is a day about Him and not us.

This will be the day when Jesus will be the preeminent one on the earth.
This is the day when every knee bows and every tongue confesses.

It is a day of peril, which leads to a day of power, which leads to a day of preeminence.

Then we backtrack just a little to explain HOW God is going to defeat His foes.
#4 A DAY OF PUNISHMENT
Zechariah 14:12-15

Here we have it.
The LORD has returned and the armies of earth
Are gathered in the plain to kill Christ and rule the world.

But we’ve often said that it won’t be much of a battle
And that certainly is revealed here.

(12) “Now this will be the plague with which the LORD will strike all the peoples who have gone to war against Jerusalem; their flesh will rot while they stand on their feet, and their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongue will rot in their mouth.”

Do you remember those bowls of wrath we saw in the book of the Revelation?

Revelation 16:1-10 “Then I heard a loud voice from the temple, saying to the seven angels, “Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God.” So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth; and it became a loathsome and malignant sore on the people who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image. The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became blood like that of a dead man; and every living thing in the sea died. 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 fourth angel poured out his bowl upon the sun, and it was given to it to scorch men with fire. Men were scorched with fierce heat; and they blasphemed the name of God who has the power over these plagues, and they did not repent so as to give Him glory. Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom became darkened; and they gnawed their tongues because of pain,”

• We aren’t given a lot of detail in Revelation about the specifics of those plagues.
• We don’t exactly what those sores are, or what it means that the kingdom is darkened, or why they are gnawing their tongues.

But I tend to think, without having many specifics,
That we are talking about the same days here.

God will cause “their flesh [to] rot while they stand on their feet, and their eyes will rot in their sockets; and their tongues will rot in their mouth.”

You really don’t want to fight against the Lord.

There will be absolutely no doubt
Who the deliverer was or who is now in charge.

There will be no longer a confusion regarding who deserves the worship.
It will be Christ and Christ alone.

And at this point the Lord takes His seat upon the throne.
#5 A DAY OF PRIORITY
Zechariah 14:16-19

The Feast of Booths was one of the feasts that every Jewish male was required to attend.
• It was the feast after the harvest when you came to Jerusalem and lived in a booth or a tabernacle for a week and remembered God’s deliverance from Egypt when the children of Israel dwelled in tabernacles in the wilderness.

Well here we find that it is a feast which will again be celebrated
By all the world throughout the Millennium.

Every nation on the planet will come to worship King Jesus
And to celebrate the feast.
In fact, if you don’t go up, you don’t get any rain.

The Lord will be glorified by all people on the earth.
• Nothing will take priority over worship of Him.
• Nothing will take priority over His glory.
• The idols of man will be gone.

Revelation 21:24-26 “The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed; and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it;”

Some have wondered why it even mentions the possibility that someone might not come and worship Christ.
• After all, everyone who enters the millennium will certainly be believers, for all those who did not believe will have been killed.
• That is true, but it is also true that over the course of the 1,000 years there will be those who will cease to believe and who will cease to desire to worship Christ.
• In fact, it is these non-believers whom Satan will rally at the end of the millennium when he is loosed for one more attempt to overthrow Christ.
• But even though there may be some who may not want to worship, it will not be optional, for drought is what they receive if they refuse.

This world will be united under worship of King Jesus alone.
IT IS FOR HIM

And then finally we read:
#6 A DAY OF PURITY
Zechariah 14:20-21

When you read the Old Testament Law you find that
It was the turban of the priest which read HOLY TO THE LORD.

And you remember that God set apart the Levites for Himself.
• And then you had certain utensils and pots that were for Levitical use which had to be cleansed and then they were also holy to the Lord.

But on this day there will be no need for a distinction
For everything will be “HOLY TO THE LORD”

That is to say that there will no longer be any notion of a segregated life.

Today we seek to give God part of our money, part of our time,
Part of devotion, part of our love, etc.

On that day, it is as He intended, everything is His.
It is all His for His use and His glory.

“And there will no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts in that day.”

That is to say that no one unclean is ever going to defile it.

This place will be exactly and only what God desires.
TURN TO: ISAIAH 35

AND THIS IS A FITTING END TO THE BOOK.
Here you have a group of refugees who have returned from Babylon to rebuild a temple and they have been met with hardship on every side.
• The inhabitants of the land don’t want them there.
• The temple doesn’t look all that spectacular.
• Most of the Jews wouldn’t even return.

And perhaps those refugees are wondering
If it is really worth it to stick it out and continue.

Well God first reminds them that He is for them
And He will cause them to succeed.

BUT EVEN THAT ISN’T THE ULTIMATE REASON TO CONTINUE.

THE ULTIMATE REASON TO CONTINUE
IS BECAUSE EVERYTHING IS ABOUT GOD’S GLORY.
EVERYTHING IS MEANT TO BE FOR HIM.

And if God wants this temple in this land,
Then God’s people should understand the calling to give it to Him.

That is the real motivation to this book.
And that is the chief motivation of our lives.

We can never place the happiness of man at the center of all things,
For then we stop when we cease to find enjoyment in our calling.

We must always place the glory of God at the center of all things,
For then we endure no matter the cost.

Romans 11:36 “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.”

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.

Bringing Israel Home – Part 2
Zechariah 12:1-13:9 (13:7-9)
March 19, 2017

Last time we met we began continued in this section in Zechariah
Which deals with Israel’s future,
Namely the means in which God will bring them back to Himself.

We likened this operation to that of the prodigal son in Luke 15.
There we have a son who insults his father, and then squanders his wealth, but in the pig pen the Bible says he came to his senses and returned in humility to his father.

Well that is precisely what we are seeing here.
• We have a son (Israel) who has greatly insulted their Father (God), namely by rejecting their Good Shepherd (Jesus) who was sent to deliver.
• And in this rejection they then found themselves in squander (instead of a pig pen, it is under the reign of Antichrist)
• And we found that God is using this act to bring Israel to their senses that the might return to Him.

And we actually started working our way through this passage last time.

We saw the first point which was:
#1 GOD’S SUPERNATURAL DEFENSE
Zechariah 12:1-9

And just to outline it simply we saw this:
• Jerusalem is attacked and under siege by the world.
• But God supernaturally defends her (it actually harms those who attack her)
• The clans of Judah recognize this and they begin to return to God as well
• God also delivers the clans of Judah and Jerusalem
• God makes their warriors supernaturally powerful to defeat their foe

It is God rising up to deliver Israel
Even though they most certainly do not deserve it.

Simultaneous to God’s supernatural defense we also began to see
That God was using this to draw Israel back to Himself.

For we began the second point:
#2 GOD’S SPIRITUAL DELIVERANCE
Zechariah 12:10-13:1

As Israel came under siege they also began to cry out to God.
This went hand in hand with His deliverance.

In this process not only did they recognize God had left,
But also that they needed God’s Son whom they had pierced.
We actually worked through Isaiah 63 & 64
Where we saw the thought process behind Israel’s return.

The main point being however exactly what Zechariah said:
(10) “I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn.”

In short, through all this affliction God will drive Israel back to Jesus.

Now, if you’re sort of putting all that we are studying together,
Then you know that this was precisely the promise
John stated in the book of the Revelation.

Revelation 1:7 “BEHOLD, HE IS COMING WITH THE CLOUDS, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen.”

No doubt those 144,000 Jews who are sealed during the tribulation are a tremendous evangelistic crew directing right at their Jewish relatives.

God will use the events of the end surrounding this foolish shepherd known as Antichrist to bring Israel back to her senses and cause her to return to Christ.

AND THIS IS REALLY WHERE WE LEFT OFF LAST TIME.
What we see tonight is THE EFFECT that this return will have on Israel.

And this is so important to recognize.

Too often times today we hear of “so-called” salvation
That doesn’t seem to really have any effect on a person’s life at all.

That is to say, they seem to be the exact same person
They were after conversion that they were before conversion.
And of course that just should not be!

2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”

Far too long we have heard salvation described in terms of
“A Decision to Follow Christ” or “A Decision to Accept Christ”
We even sing, “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus”
(and I don’t necessarily dislike that song, so long as we understand the truth)

When salvation is portrayed as a “decision”
Then all the emphasis is on the will of the sinner.

And that reality makes not only salvation the sinner’s decision,
But also things like discipleship, faithfulness, and even security.

The sinner who must “decide” to follow Jesus, is also left with the burden of continuing to “decide” this every day.

And what we’ve often seen is that
A person may very well “decide” to follow Jesus
Under the conviction of a church service and then
As soon as that very afternoon “decide” to go back to their old life.

The reality is that true salvation is not a decision of the mind.
Salvation is a regeneration of the heart.

SALVATION IS NOT SOMETHING THAT THE SINNER DECIDES, SALVATION IS SOMETHING THAT GOD ORCHESTRATES.

In salvation God moves a dead soul to life.
In salvation God regenerates a dead heart of stone into a living heart of flesh.

In salvation man doesn’t change his thinking, God changes his heart.

(And obviously when God changes the heart, it will change man’s thinking,
And this is why man then decides to follow Christ)

THE POINT TO BE MADE is that
We not settle for the decision apart from the regeneration.

For when God truly regenerates a person; when God truly saves a person;
What we find is a totally new creation.

We find that God’s Spirit moves into that old man
And totally transforms him from the inside out.

This sinner is certainly now deciding daily to follow Christ, but only because God has transformed his heart into a heart that beats for Christ.

And if we wanted to really chase this rabbit tonight we could take a journey through the book of 1 John.

This is really John’s argument throughout the book.
(James does the same for that matter)
There is concern over whether or not true regeneration has concerned.

For example, listen to some of these statement from John:
1 John 1:6-7 “If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.”

1 John 2:3-4 “By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him;”

1 John 2:19 “They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us.”

1 John 3:7-10 “Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.”

1 John 3:15 “Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.”

1 John 4:20 “If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.”

1 John 5:1 “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him.”

And of course John uses all of this litmus tests to help the reader
Determine whether or not true regeneration has occurred.

1 John 5:13 “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.”

Now we’ve already strayed a little farther than we probably should have,
But I just want you to understand the point that we are making.

When God regenerates a life there is a definite change that must occur,
Otherwise we have good reason to question the validity of the conversion.

WELL TONIGHT, after seeing Israel cry out to the One whom they pierced
We begin to see God’s transformation take place in their lives.

What you will find is that after this moment
Israel will in fact be totally new and totally different.

Now, for the sake of our outline we are still in that second point.
GOD’S SPIRITUAL DELIVERANCE

And Israel just cried out to Jesus in repentance.
Well, look at GOD’S RESPONSE to this in chapter 13.

(13:1) “In that day a fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for impurity.”

Perhaps you are familiar with the old hymn
“There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel’s veins. And sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains.”
The picture is that of the washing of regeneration.
Pictured here as “a fountain” being opened.

God is taking these repentant sinners
And washing them of all their “sin and…impurity”

It is the equivalent of what the father said to the prodigal upon his return.
Luke 15:22-24 “But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’ And they began to celebrate.”

It illustrates what John said in his epistle:
1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

It was the exact thing being demonstrated by John the Baptist as he preached repentance and people were coming for baptism.

On this day, God poured out His Spirit upon Israel
Which caused them to repent,
And upon their repentance
God opened a fountain for cleansing and renewal.

God took this wayward prodigal,
Caused him to come to his senses,
Brought him home,
And then washed him off.
It is the joy and beauty of regeneration

For the first time in her history Israel is finally clean.
• How many times has she ceremonially washed?
• How many times has she offered some goat or bull?

But on this day, after finally turning to the true sacrifice for sin,
Israel is not washed with water,
But is washed and regenerated by God’s own Spirit.

Titus 3:4-7 “But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

This is a glorious day!

Incidentally, it is not the first time Zechariah mentioned this coming day.
We actually already saw it back in chapter 3.

Remember chapter 3 was the chapter about when God justified Joshua the High Priest?

Satan was accusing him and Joshua was filthy,
But the Lord rebuked Satan, and cleansed Joshua.

The explanation was given later:
Zechariah 3:8-10 “’Now listen, Joshua the high priest, you and your friends who are sitting in front of you — indeed they are men who are a symbol, for behold, I am going to bring in My servant the Branch. ‘For behold, the stone that I have set before Joshua; on one stone are seven eyes. Behold, I will engrave an inscription on it,’ declares the LORD of hosts, ‘and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day. ‘In that day,’ declares the LORD of hosts, ‘every one of you will invite his neighbor to sit under his vine and under his fig tree.'”

That is what we are seeing.
Israel is being redeemed.

So you’ve seen God’s Supernatural Defense
And you’ve seen God’s Spiritual Deliverance

Now let’s look at the effect this regeneration will have on Israel.
#3 ISRAEL’S SINCERE DEVOTION
Zechariah 13:2-9

Well the first thing that jumps out at us is that
When God transforms the heart of Israel
They will never again turn to another god.

(2) “It will come about in that day,” declares the LORD of hosts, “that I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, and they will no longer be remembered; and I will also remove the prophets and the unclean spirit from the land.”

Do you remember the first and foremost commandment that God gave to Israel?

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 “Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. “These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. “You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. “You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. “You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

Of course this is the passage Jesus quoted
When He was asked what the greatest commandment was.
God’s most sincere desire was to be loved before and above all others.

And if you’ve noticed,
He also spelled that out clearly even in the Ten Commandments.

1) No other gods before Me
2) No graven images (don’t dumb God down)
3) Do not take My name in vain
4) Remember My Sabbath

All of those commands can easily be summed up in
“Love the Lord your God”

Of course the problem was that false prophets would soon arise
And do their best to call the children of Israel away
To follow their own sinful lusts and worship the false gods of the nations.

In part God allowed this test:
Deuteronomy 13:1-4 “If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes true, concerning which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods (whom you have not known) and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the LORD your God is testing you to find out if you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. “You shall follow the LORD your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him.”

Of course the problem is that Israel failed this test continually.
False prophets throughout their history continued to lead them astray.

Psalms 106:34-39 “They did not destroy the peoples, As the LORD commanded them, But they mingled with the nations And learned their practices, And served their idols, Which became a snare to them. They even sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons, And shed innocent blood, The blood of their sons and their daughters, Whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan; And the land was polluted with the blood. Thus they became unclean in their practices, And played the harlot in their deeds.”

Even by the time Jesus arrived Israel was saturated with false prophets knowns as the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Chief Priests.

The presence of all of this idolatry only served to prove that
Israel’s heart never truly belonged to God.

But on this day, after regeneration occurs, God “will cut off the names of the idols from the land, and they will no longer be remembered”

On this day Islam will be called “Was”lam.

And God “will also remove the prophets and the unclean spirit from the land.”

We read earlier about those false prophets being a test to Israel.
Here is what God said should have happened
To those false prophets who brought the test.

Deuteronomy 13:6-9 “If your brother, your mother’s son, or your son or daughter, or the wife you cherish, or your friend who is as your own soul, entice you secretly, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods’ (whom neither you nor your fathers have known, of the gods of the peoples who are around you, near you or far from you, from one end of the earth to the other end), you shall not yield to him or listen to him; and your eye shall not pity him, nor shall you spare or conceal him. “But you shall surely kill him; your hand shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people.”

Did you catch that?
I don’t care if it’s your sibling, your child, or even your spouse.
If anyone causes you to pull away from God, that person shall be put to death.

WHAT IS THAT?

It is the same thing Jesus said when He arrived.
Matthew 10:37 “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.”

Luke 14:26 “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.”

The idea is that our love for God transcends every other relationship.

And on this day, after God regenerates Israel,
This love will be firmly in place.

(3) “And if anyone still prophesies, then his father and mother who gave birth to him will say to him, ‘You shall not live, for you have spoken falsely in the name of the LORD’; and his father and mother who gave birth to him will pierce him through when he prophesies.”

There will be a new found and devoted love for God
And an absolute intolerance for anyone who works against that.

False prophets and false gods will be removed from the land.

And not only will there be a wholesale assault on false prophets,
But the false prophets themselves will now lose their boldness
And go into hiding and early retirement.

(4-6) “Also it will come about in that day that the prophets will each be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies, and they will not put on a hairy robe in order to deceive; but he will say, ‘I am not a prophet; I am a tiller of the ground, for a man sold me as a slave in my youth.’ “And one will say to him, ‘What are these wounds between your arms?’ Then he will say, ‘Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.’”

All of these symbols and cosmetics indicate the office of a prophet.
• The “hairy robe” was indicative of Elijah and it was a costume the false prophets would wear in order to distinguish themselves.

On this day, they are getting rid of that robe!
They will instantly begin to say, “Not me! I’m not a prophet!”

However, Israel is so intent on ridding them from the land that
They will begin to investigate.

Someone will see the cultic scars or tattoos on the arms and say, “What are these..?”

And those former false prophets will make up a story
So as not to be uncovered.

The point being that false prophets will be removed.

And I don’t mind telling you that
This reality gives great comfort to my heart.

I don’t know if people genuinely realize it
But America is under extreme spiritual and theological attack.
(No, it’s not primarily abortion or homosexuality)

We have all heard of those horrific days in the past when the word of God was made off limits to the people.
• Days like the dark ages when the Catholic church literally chained the bible to
the lectern so the common man couldn’t have it.
• Days like communist Russia where the Bible was illegal, and people literally
fought and scrapped for just pieces of the written word.

America is under attack just like that.
(But I thought we have access to the Bible?)

True, our attack has not come from choking out access to the word,
But by diluting it with massive amounts of deception.

We have churches popping up on every corner,
And you don’t have to have any credential or experience to start one.
Just claim to hear from God and you’re in.

I was at my mom’s earlier this week and she has Dish Television.
I was flipping through one night, and I couldn’t believe the number of religious television stations that do nothing more than propagate false doctrine.

• I saw Joel Olsteen’s wife preaching…
• I saw Creflo Dollar preaching…
• I saw Kenneth Copeland’s daughter and wife preaching…
• I even saw that Jimmy Swaggert has his own television station now…

And that was just the tip of the iceberg.

I scroll through Facebook and I see all sorts of quotes
Posted from Joel Olsteen, Joyce Meyer, Joseph Prince, Creflo Dollar, and a host of new ones I didn’t even previously know.

But they’re all doing the same thing.
They are eager to rise to the top, get their television program, fill the role of a prophet and start blaspheming the true gospel.

The true gospel is not being censured,
It’s just be choked out by all of the weeds growing around it.

Well, that day will come to a screeching halt for sure and certain.
Especially in Israel, they will go on a full out war
To remove the false prophets from the land.

They will love God only and God’s word only.

Now, do you see what I am talking about when I talk about Israel’s Sincere Devotion?
• These weren’t just people who decided to follow Jesus for a little while.
• These were people who were fully and totally regenerated to love God with their whole heart.

And that love is evident.
• They want nothing more to do with idols…
• They want nothing more to do with false doctrines…
• They only want God and His gospel.

They didn’t just decide to love God,
God poured His love for Him into their hearts.

THE POINT there being that
We are not seeking to get men to make a decision for Christ,
We are seeking for men to hear the true gospel
So that God can do His work of regeneration in their lives.

This is done by God’s Spirit through the preaching of God’s gospel.
That is what will finally bring the prodigal Israel home.

And then we get to the final 3 verses,
Which serve as a summary of the entire process.
(7-9) “Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, And against the man, My Associate,” Declares the LORD of hosts. “Strike the Shepherd that the sheep may be scattered; And I will turn My hand against the little ones. “It will come about in all the land,” Declares the LORD, “That two parts in it will be cut off and perish; But the third will be left in it. “And I will bring the third part through the fire, Refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, And I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are My people,’ And they will say, ‘The LORD is my God.'”

God is describing His total redeeming work
Which He will do in bringing Israel home.

It begins with a “sword against My Shepherd”
• It all started with the death of the Good Shepherd.
• It all started with the slaughter of the Son of God.

This of course was of absolute necessity
Since He would be the propitiatory sacrifice for sin.

However, the death of the Shepherd
Also indicated the scattering of the sheep.
“Strike the Shepherd that the sheep may be scattered; and I will turn My hand against the little ones.”

This refers to the breaking off of Israel.
• They rejected Christ, and as Paul outlined in Romans 9-11, they were broken off that the Gentiles might be grafted in.

And as the sheep were scattered
God would unleash severe persecution upon them.

(8) “It will come about in all the land,” Declares the LORD, “That two parts in it will be cut off and perish; But the third will be left in it.”

And here we can see the persecution on Israel throughout the ages.
• Holocausts under Stalin and Hitler.
• The continual attacks in the Middle East.
• And certainly the persecution of the foolish shepherd.

And God promised that “two parts in it will be cut off and perish”

The rejection of their Shepherd can only mean destruction for the sheep.

AND YET GOD WILL SAVE A REMNANT.
“But the third will be left in it.”

And this “third” God will redeem and restore, and bring back home.

(9) “And I will bring the third part through the fire, Refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, And I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are My people,’ And they will say, ‘The LORD is my God.'”

The end result is that God will bring this prodigal to his senses
And then bring him safely home.

Now, the question is: WHAT ARE WE TO GAIN FROM ALL OF THIS?
(especially since it deals with Israel)

Well again I remind you of the name of the prophet
And the theme of the book.
“The Lord Remembers”

This is God’s faithfulness put on display.
He honors His word, He keeps His promises.

Romans 11:25-29 “For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery — so that you will not be wise in your own estimation — that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, “THE DELIVERER WILL COME FROM ZION, HE WILL REMOVE UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB.” “THIS IS MY COVENANT WITH THEM, WHEN I TAKE AWAY THEIR SINS.” From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.”

Now, you may not be Jewish,
And that statement may not seem to mean much to you.
But, are there any promises from God that you are counting on?

Then, even though you may not be Israel,
The issue of God’s faithfulness is of extreme importance to you.

God’s faithfulness to Israel, is a great encouragement
That God will remain faithful to us.

• God does not forget His people whom He foreknew.
• The Lord Remembers.
• And that goes for all of His people and all of His promises.

There has never been a prodigal that the Lord could not bring home,
Even if that prodigal was as rebellious as Israel.

God has a means and God has a plan.
He can and He will accomplish His purposes.

This is the encouragement to you and me as well.