Time to begin teaching our post-graduate training school as we open up our Bibles and begin a deep look into chapters 17 and 18 from the Book of Revelation. While it may seem futuristic in nature, it is not that far into the future. It is dealing with religion and government in light of world events we see happening today. Be aware because God is already setting up the world's stage for the culmination of the things we are going to study in Revelation 17 and 18. We are beginning to see things that should wake us up as we are seeing things we would have never imagined 20 years ago happening in nations around the world and even in our own nation. As we open up today's study, I would ask that you be intellectually honest with yourself and keep an open mind as we explore what the Bible has to say.
Revelation 17:1-18 ~ "Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality and with the wine of whose sexual immorality the dwellers on the earth have become drunk. And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality. And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: "Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth's abominations." And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.
When I saw her, I marveled greatly. But the angel said to me, "Why do you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her.
The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit and go to destruction. And the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the beast, because it was and is not and is to come. This calls for a mind with wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated; they are also seven kings, five of who have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come, and when he does come he must remain only a little while. As for the beast that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to destruction. And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast. These are of one mind, and they hand over their power and authority to the beast. They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is the Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.
And the angel said to me, "The waters that you saw, where the prostitute is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and languages. And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the prostitute. They will make her desolate and naked, and devour her flesh and burn her up with fire, for God has put into their hearts to carry out his purpose by being of one mind and handing over their royal power to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled. And the woman that you saw is the great city that has dominion over the kings of the earth."
It is so clear what we are reading in chapters 17 and 18 that many churches today avoid teaching on it. Its infiltration is so clear into the religious systems of the world today. Satan's soul purpose is the destruction of souls, and he is using a religious system that he has engineered since the creation of the world. He has commandeered it.
Chapter 17 reveals things with such clarity, that we don't want to read it or entertain it out of fear. This is the very reason some churches refuse to study the Book of Revelation is based on chapter 17. They don't want to take the risk of dealing with what is in this chapter. The result of this is that many people are being led away by the dangerous system found in this chapter. The question you need to ask yourself before going any further is:
Are you going to believe in the truth of God's Word from the Bible or the traditions of man?
John was shocked or marveled at what he was seeing and hearing. The angel is replying to John's reaction is sarcastic with him. John has no problem understanding the symbolism being represented here. What he is marveling about is what the woman turns and does! She devours the martyrs and believers of Christ.
We need to hear this with eyes wide open and hearts prepared. Nearly every biblical author of the Bible from Abraham to John in Revelation, excluding a few, have warned against what is mentioned in Revelation 17. What we study and read about today is ancient! All but one book in the Bible from the Old Testament to the New Testament warns against a false religious system and all that it represents. It is dangerous and it is massive. The Bible warns that spiritual deception will occur and it will only get worse and increase in time. It will keep getting worse and worse as we move closer to this event being fulfilled.
2 Corinthians 11:26 ~ "on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers;"
2 John 1:7 ~ "For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist."
2 Peter 2:1 ~ "But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction."
1 John 4:1-3 ~ "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming, and now is in the world already."
This last verse was written for believers in Christ, not non-believers.
Matthew 24:10-11 ~ "And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray."
Matthew 24:24 ~ "For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect."
We live in a dangerous world, where religious leaders even now are trying to impress the world. Satan deems every single soul valuable. He is a created fallen angel and Michael is his equal, not God. It is how he inflicts pain on the heart of God, when he deceives us to follow his lies over the truth of God's Word.
We are caught in this tug-o-war between God and Satan. There are more religious people in hell than there are atheists and evolutionists. It's religion that leads men away from God. The true definition of religion is man's attempt to reach God. But God came down to meet us, when Jesus Christ came from heaven to earth.
Satan deceives by diving the Word of truth, this is how cults form. Notice that they always have their own form of the Bible with them. That is why we need to understand and know that the Bible really says so we can't be deceived or led astray. These people will often quote a verse from the Bible and its meaning is twisted.
Didn't Satan use the Bible when he tempted Jesus in the wilderness?
That is precisely why we have to use the Sword of the Spirit!
The spirit of antichrist has always been. Those who don't see or deny the deity of Jesus Christ. If anyone you know, Jehovah's witnesses or Mormons, while they might be nice people, will deny the Spirit or deity of Jesus Christ. They're of the spirit of the antichrist.
It is an interesting time to believe and see what is happening in world today. Exciting times indeed!
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment