REVELATION CHAPTERS 17 and 18 The “Woman” on the “Beast” The Great Prostitute The Great City

INTRODUCTION Christians are raptured – (At the last Trumpet) God’s Wrath is being poured out on the world – (Bowls) (Chap. 16) But here in Chapter 17 (and 18) John is given a detailed look at one aspect of this “Wrath” of God, upon a particular entity. Chapter 15 - is the INTRODUCTION to Chapters Chapter 16 – THE 7 BOWLS of WRATH – “The Great Day of The Lord” Chapters 17 – 18 – Back up and more focused on the (The Great Prostitute or The Great City or “Babylon”) and her SPECIFIC punishment under the Wrath of God! READ CHAPTER 17 - all

Verse 1 – one of the 7 angels who had the 7 Bowls! – We are still in the “Bowl times!” - This is a clue to the “backing up” and taking a more focused look at this time. The purpose of the backing up – is to show the “punishment of the Great Prostitute” What do we know about the Great Prostitute? 1. It is an “entity” – “Prostitute” is symbolic. (We will explore this in more depth in the Sermons to come!) 2. Sits on many waters – (peoples, languages, nations, multitudes – v.15) – Power over many nations of the world 3. Kings of the earth committed adulteries - (compromised with her wickedness) – Collusion with Governments 4. The “inhabitants of the earth” were intoxicated with the “wine” of her adulteries – (people BELIEVED lies!) 5. Sits on the “beast” – (intimately connected to the antichrist with some power over him) 6. The colors Scarlet and Purple & gold, stones and pearls – (riches) are closely connected with this entity. 7. This entity is responsible for the death of many TRUE Christians – worldwide (blood of the saints) 8. This entity is a City that sits on “7 Hills” (v. 9) 9. The antichrist will come from the lineage of one of its “Kings” (v. 10) 10. Ten Kings of certain nations in the last days will make up a Coalition of nations that back up the Antichrist (v.12) 11. Their ONE purpose is to “make war” against the Lamb! (v ) - they will be ferociously anti Judeo/Christian! 12. The antichrist & 10 king coalition will eventually turn on this entity and destroy it – by burning it down! ( v. 16) 13. The “woman” is the “great city” that RULES over the KINGS OF THE EARTH! (v. 18) 14. When the word Prostitute was used symbolically in the Old Testament (the Bible of the early Christians) it was used to describe a “False Religious System!” God’s people were commanded not to compromise their intimate relationship with God with one of these “prostitute” religions. More than likely – the prostitute here is a Huge Religious System – that influences Governments of the World. MORE ON THAT IN SERMON (s) to COME! OBSERVATIONS

1. Jesus is GOD IN THE FLESH and is the ONLY way of Salvation. 2. The BIBLE is the Only and Final Word of The Living God. 3. Salvation is found through God’s GRACE alone – provided for by the atoning death of Jesus Christ on Calvary’s Cross. The 3 FUNDAMENTALS of the BIBLICAL Christian Faith

Major Cults and False Religions of the World Today Secular Humanism – There is no God – “Evolution” (abortion holocaust, homosexuality, other sexual permissiveness and perversion and a socialistic, communistic worldview – survival of the fittest.) Mormonism – Jesus and Satan are brothers – A Mormon man can attain to “godhood”. Jehovah’s Witness – Jesus is NOT God – he is our “teacher” Islam – Allah is greater than ALL Gods – Jesus is just minor “prophet”. Freemasonry – The heresy of “universalism” – Fatherhood of God, Brotherhood of Man. Jesus is just one of many ways to “salvation”. Buddhism – There is no supreme creator. All things evolved through “natural law”. Life is a cycle of reincarnation. Jesus was a “Buddha” – he was a teacher of true Buddhist principles. Hinduism – There is a supreme creator – creation goes through cycles of continual re-creation. You may earn your way to a better life through the reincarnation process. Heavy emphasis on “spirit guides”. Jesus was a Hindu “guru” among the Jews. Wicca - Witchcraft – Halloween –THE sacred High Holy Day. (The witches New Year) The religion and the holiday existed BEFORE the U.S.A. and was imported to the U.S. in the 1800’s with mainly the French immigrants who had been heavily influenced by this religion. Jesus is an “enlightened being” – equal to Buddha, Mohammed, etc.

Josh 24:15 (NIV) 15But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." I Kings 18:21 21Elijah went before the people and said, "How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him." But the people said nothing. Matthew 24:11 – Jesus – many false prophets, deception. II Thess. 2:3ff – Paul – The last days – much deception. I John 4 - The spirit of the antichrist is in the world now! I Timothy 4 – Last days full of demonic deception.