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The Beauty of Holiness—The Book of Revelation

 

This week we continue with Revelation 19:9:  

 

                  

       Then he said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!'" And he said to me, "These are the true sayings of God" (NKJV).

      

      The text before this was about the destruction of Mystery Babylon, and how the bride of Christ has made herself ready for marriage. As we are told in the Gospels, she will be “without spot or wrinkle” (see Ephesians 5:27). To be without spot is her purity, without flaws. To be without wrinkles is how she is perpetually youthful—age does not deteriorate her. For this reason, we can expect a great move of God to compel His followers to be holy as He is holy, and to love “the beauty of holiness.” This will also keep her perpetually youthful.

 

      The way that holiness has been taught by some seems more about how to have a religious spirit than true biblical holiness. A religious spirit seeks to gain God’s approval through works. True holiness serves Him from a position of already having His approval through what His Son did, not what we can do. It is the difference between serving out of fear or out of love.

     

      This is the difference between a bride driven to be perfect because she is afraid of rejection and one  so passionately in love with the bridegroom that she simply wants to be perfect for him. True holiness is motivate by love, not fear.

 

      Here we also see the call that goes out to those invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb. These are obviously not the bride, but they are guests at the marriage. Who are they?

 

      There is substantial biblical testimony that those invited to the wedding feast are Christians who trust in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus for their salvation and thus have eternal life. They also walk uprightly before the Lord, but they did not pursue the passionate relationship to Him that would compel them to be a part of the bride.

 

      Are there such classes of Christians in the Bible? They are indeed found throughout the Bible and Revelation. We also have the “friends of the bridegroom” that are like the groomsmen in modern weddings. We also see the wise and foolish virgins in scripture that today we would call bridesmaids. Of course, to be standing with the bride or groom like this would be a higher honor than those who just attend the feast as guests. Yet, those invited to the feast are still honored above those who have not been invited.

 

      Isn’t this favoritism, or even discrimination? Yes. You cannot read the Bible without seeing that God has favorites and that He discriminates. He has chosen vessels of honor, and those who are not. God loves everyone, but His Word is clear that He does not love everyone the same, as offensive as that may be to some. God is not politically correct. If we see Him through the eyes of what is considered politically correct, we badly distort Him and end up worshiping a god of our own creation.

 

      Out of the multitude that followed Jesus, He called some to be closer to Him than others—the seventy, the twelve, and the three. There were levels of relationship to Him, and differences to the level of teaching that each group received. That is discrimination, but it is based on truth and justice. Why should we think that those who trust in His cross and have eternal life but live their lives doing little or nothing for Him receive the same as those who sacrifice their own will and desires to serve Him?

 

      So what do we do with this knowledge? Seek to get closer. Though the Lord had indisputable levels of relationship to Him, we are all told that if we seek Him we will find Him. If we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us. We are all as close to the Lord as we want to be. The veil has been torn asunder, and through Him we can come boldly into the throne room and have a personal audience with Him whenever we want. The issue is how many want it bad enough to do it?

 

      For you to read something like this, you are a seeker of God—and I would think one of uncommon devotion. The Apostle Paul wrote near the end of his life that he did not think he had yet attained the high calling (see Philippians 3), but rather that he pressed on in pursuit of it. He was not talking about salvation, which he had the day he believed. Paul saw a calling so high that he, possibly the most devoted follower of Christ of all time, became devoted to doing more. Are we?

Making Ourselves Ready—The Book of Revelation

 

   Now we are coming to some of the most encouraging prophecies from the Book of Revelation, beginning with Revelation 19:6-8:  

 

          And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, "Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!

          Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready."

          And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints (NKJV).

 

   First, a “great multitude” declares that the Lord reigns. This is the gospel of the kingdom not just going to the multitudes, but coming from a multitude. The whole earth will resound with this greatest of all messages to be preached on the earth.

 

   The gospel of the kingdom is not the same as the gospel of salvation. The gospel of salvation makes Him known as Savior, but the gospel of the kingdom reveals Him as King. The gospel of salvation is about what God has done for us—which is so wonderful that we will celebrate it forever—but the gospel of the kingdom is about what we are called to do for Him.

 

   He came the first time to be the Lamb, but He is coming back to be the King. When we see the message going forth that emphasizes His kingdom coming, then we will know that the time is indeed short to conclude this age and prepare for the next one.

 

   After declaring that the Lord reigns and proclaiming His glory, the emphasis turns to the immediate and first great event of the kingdom—the marriage of the Lord to His bride, the church. The kingdom age will begin with the biggest celebration and feast there will ever be.  

 

   Because this is such an event for the ages, one of the signs we can look for is the bride becoming focused on preparing for her King. As we are told here, she has “made herself ready,” and to be ready she must be “without spot or wrinkle” (see Ephesians 5:27). Without spot speaks of her purity, as she is to be a pure chaste virgin. This is the basic contrast between her and the “great harlot” that married herself to the spirit of this age rather than keeping herself pure for the King.

 

  Of course, the bride is the whole church, not just the church in any one country or period of history. Even so, at this time a case could be made that the church overall is in bad shape, far from this picture. There are some great churches and great church movements that are doing well, but if we’re going to become the pure bride we are called to be—and the timeline suggests we’re fast coming to the end of the age—then what has to happen?

 

   I think Don Potter has great insight into this. Don has officiated a number of weddings, and he once told me about a remarkable miracle he witnessed in many of them. He said that just five minutes before the wedding was supposed to start, he saw brides in such bad shape that he didn’t think there was any way for the wedding to start on time. Then a miracle happened and she emerged perfect and right on time, seemingly transformed in the last five minutes!

 

There does seem to be a special miracle that the Lord gives to brides to be such a mess just minutes before their wedding, but then everything comes together and she emerges as the glorious bride. This could be the way will seem at the end of the age with the bride of Christ.

 

Even though there may be a special miracle for brides, I don’t think it is all miracle. As the Scripture above stated, she “makes herself ready.” All of the preparation she has done to prepare for the most special event in history got her to the place where it seemed like it would take a miracle, but everything comes together quickly at the end. My point is that we should not judge the church just by appearances. She may be closer to everything coming together than we think.    

The City God is Building—The Book of Revelation

         Next we will cover Revelation 19:1-5:    

 

       After these things I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, "Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God!

       For true and righteous are His judgments, because He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication; and He has avenged on her the blood of His servants shed by her."

       Again they said, "Alleluia! Her smoke rises up forever and ever!"

       And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sat on the throne, saying, "Amen! Alleluia!"

       Then a voice came from the throne, saying, "Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!" (NKJV)

 

Now we come to some of the most exciting prophecies of the end of the age and of the unfolding of the age to come—the kingdom of God coming to the earth.

 

First we see a great rejoicing that the Lord has judged the great harlot that had so corrupted the earth, and that He has avenged the blood of all of His saints that were slain by her. We are told that the smoke from her destruction will rise forever. “Forever” is not quite an accurate translation of the Greek word aion. It is more accurately and often translated, “age” or “ages.” Nonetheless, we can conclude from this that the smoke from her destruction will be obvious for a long time.

 

As the next age is the millennium reign of Christ on the earth, we could conclude that the smoke from the destruction of this harlot church will be obvious through that age. Why is this important? Because the lessons of this most terrible episode of human history must be remembered and learned for all time.

 

      Next we see that the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures before the throne of God join the worship for this great event of the destruction of the great harlot. Then the exhortation comes from the very throne of God for all servants of the Lord to join the celebration. That is how the destruction of this harlot is seen in heaven—it is a cause for great celebration.

 

      So, how should this affect us now? Obviously, it is right to rejoice at the destruction of evil. We also see that the ones who lament the destruction of this great harlot are those who had business interests with her. Again, there is a reason why the “mark of the beast” is an economic mark that determines whether we can buy, sell, or trade with the present powers of this age. If we are for or against something based on business interests, then we are wide open for deception and ending up on the wrong side.

 

      In Revelation 18:4, the call goes out for God’s people to “come out of her.” First, that indicates that God’s people are in this “Mystery Babylon,” also called “the great harlot.” History reveals that during the times of the greatest corruption and evil being done by this system, some of the greatest saints arose within her, and remain within her to this day.

 

      One of the most truly remarkable Christians in the Middle Ages was Francis of Assisi. Even his critics wrote after his death that before him, the beatitudes were considered an ideal for the age to come but that it was not possible to attain such spirituality in this age. This could not be said after Francis because he truly lived the beatitudes of Christ. Remarkably, this great saint lived during a time of some of the most corrupt popes, some of whom were his friends. How could this be? Well, didn’t Jesus teach that it was not those who were well who needed a physician?

 

Then we have a multitude of some of the most effective evangelists in history who were Catholics but preached Jesus, and the Holy Spirit was mighty within them. It is well documented that most of these moved in the power and gifts of the Spirit like the apostles did in the beginning. Some converted and discipled whole nations on a level that has not often been duplicated.

 

 Pope John Paul II was one of great Christian leaders of our time. His courage and prophetic stand against Communism helped shatter the Iron Curtain and set hundreds of millions of people free from the worst human bondage. He had a remarkable gift of healing and miracles and exhorted all Catholics to seek the baptism in the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit. The result was over one hundred million born-again charismatic Catholics.

 

       So, is it time to call the true saints out of this system? As we read in Revelation 18, it was a great angel, or messenger, that made the proclamation that “Babylon is fallen.” It was after this that the Lord’s people were told to “come out of her.” This has not happened yet, so it is not time to call God’s people out. It is my opinion that this will not happen until there is a new wineskin not of the nature of that system to call them into.

 

      So what should we do now? Seek the new wineskin and seek the “new Jerusalem,” the city that God is building.

Considering Our Investment—The Book of Revelation

     We will now cover Revelation 18:21-24, which continues with the prophecy of Babylon and its final destruction:

   Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, "Thus with violence the great city Babylon shall be thrown down, and shall not be found anymore.

   The sound of harpists, musicians, flutists, and trumpeters shall not be heard in you anymore. No craftsman of any craft shall be found in you anymore, and the sound of a millstone shall not be heard in you anymore.

   The light of a lamp shall not shine in you anymore, and the voice of bridegroom and bride shall not be heard in you anymore. For your merchants were the great men of the earth, for by your sorcery all the nations were deceived.

   And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who were slain on the earth."

     Here we see that the complete destruction of Mystery Babylon is coming. The “sea” in prophetic symbolism often refers to mass humanity, indicating that Babylon will ultimately be swallowed up by the people. A number of times in history, it appeared as if this would be the case, such as during the French Revolution. However, although Babylon’s power over the nations is now but a fraction of what it once was, it continues to this day, so this has not happened yet.

     The great cathedrals were the primary building projects in Europe during the Middle Ages. These cathedrals were probably the best acoustically designed buildings of the period and were where the great musicians of the time played. The institutional church was the primary supporter of music, the arts, and of the great architects of the time. Of course, institutional churches are also the primary place that brides and bridegrooms are to be found to this day. So it is clear what this points to.

     Institutional churches were the center of life and culture, with much of the art and music still impressing and inspiring us today. Even so, no amount of good works can pay for our sin, and it is also true that the blood of more martyrs and saints are found on the hands of the institutional church than by the hands of all other sources combined.

     In the next chapter of Revelation, we are told how to respond to this Mystery Babylon, and we will cover this next week. In the meantime, we should consider if we want to keep investing our time and resources into something with a doom that is sure. We also need to consider what we do invest in—the city that God, not men, is building, the one whose foundations cannot be shaken. All of this is so we know how to distinguish the two.

The Right Path—The Book of Revelation

       Next we will cover Revelation 18:11-20, which continues with the prophecy of Babylon and how we should respond to this system:

    And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore:

    merchandise of gold and silver, precious stones and pearls, fine linen and purple, silk and scarlet, every kind of citron wood, every kind of object of ivory, every kind of object of most precious wood, bronze, iron, and marble;

    and cinnamon and incense, fragrant oil and frankincense, wine and oil, fine flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and bodies and souls of men.

    The fruit that your soul longed for has gone from you, and all the things which are rich and splendid have gone from you, and you shall find them no more at all.

    The merchants of these things, who became rich by her, will stand at a distance for fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,

    and saying, 'Alas, alas, that great city that was clothed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls!

    For in one hour such great riches came to nothing.' Every shipmaster, all who travel by ship, sailors, and as many as trade on the sea, stood at a distance

    and cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, 'What is like this great city?'

    They threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and wailing, and saying, “Alas, alas, that great city, in which all who had ships on the sea became rich by her wealth! For in one hour she is made desolate.'

    "Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you holy apostles and prophets, for God has avenged you on her!" (NKJV)

         This text especially focuses on the character of the counterfeit church as a major source of commerce. During the Middle Ages the church was not only a major source of commerce, but the primary source. There were others, but by far the church was the largest. There is nothing wrong with commerce, but it was something that the Lord rejected for His Father’s house. This was probably because of how easily it corrupted the spiritual purity His house of prayer required.

         The two pillars of the temple of Solomon were named after a priest and a businessman. Business was therefore intended to be a pillar in the temple as it represents basic human interchange. However, it is one thing to love and promote fair trade and commerce, and quite another to turn the church into a business. Doing this would bring in many with motives different from the holy purpose of the church, leading to idolatry. Remember that money is an ultimate idol of the human heart. An idol is both what we love more than God and what we put our trust in in more than God.

         The corruption the church in the Middle Ages experienced when it was made into the state church and given political power was just as great. The church was intended to have prophetic influence with governments , culture, and commerce, but it lost its prophetic authority in these realms when it became part of them. Even worse, it drew into its leadership corrupt people who wanted to use the church to make money or promote their political ambitions.

         These sources of corruption and compromise were so devastating that they quickly turned the church into the opposite of what she was called to be. This Mystery Babylon is called a harlot because she had many partners. Harlots give themselves for gain, not love, and that is what the counterfeit church became. There is more in Revelation about the corruption of this counterfeit church, but what should we do to avoid making our churches today into “houses of merchandise?” As one who writes and sells books, I have considered this issue deeply for over thirty years. I don’t claim to have all of the answers, but I think I’ve learned some of them.

         First, I consider it dangerous to use the church as a marketplace. Of course, virtually everything we do is dangerous, but this should caution us to be circumspect. Are the products we sell in our bookstores spiritually beneficial to the people, or are we just trying to make money?

         I also must search my heart about things like conferences, or churches I agree to speak at. I check my motives to see if I am taking them because of the potential income or because the Lord is sending me. I have never demanded anything for speaking, and I do not invite those to speak at our conferences or churches who demand a certain amount. We well understand the expenses they incur and want to bless them generously, but it’s the demanding part that can separate the true messengers from the hirelings.

         There are other things we do as well to combat this tendency to make the Lord’s house a house of merchandise. I do not claim that we are doing this perfectly, but we know how important this is. When I started MorningStar Publications, we would not accept money for our books, but rather gave them away. Then the Lord said that He had not told me to do this, but that a religious spirit had. He instructed me to check the impact of giving the books away. Upon investigation, I found out that only about 10% of the books we gave away were being read. When we started charging a modest price for them, this was reversed—about 90% of what was purchased was read. However, good stewardship compelled me to sell them for a modest price, and we still give them away to any who cannot afford to pay for them.

         Again, there is a ditch on either side of the path of life. Legalism is not the answer to lawlessness. We can overreact and fall into the ditch on the other side. I have done this on both sides of this issue. It may have been easier if the Lord had given us clearer guidelines in His Word, but He did not do this for a reason. The Lord did not give us clear guidelines about many important issues because He wanted us to follow His Spirit and do what we do from the heart.

         Now consider that Jesus did not turn over the tables of the money changers in the temple because they were money changers, but rather because they were in the temple. There are indications that these had become greedy and started taking advantage of the pilgrims. They started outside, but then they moved inside and took more and more of the space intended for ministry. The temple needed money changers because so many came from foreign lands to worship. They also needed those who sold the sacrificial animals because the pilgrims could not have carried these animals with them. However, the merchants needed to stay outside of the place reserved for ministry to the people. They also needed to be fair traders if they were going to market to worshippers.

         It is along such spiritual and moral lines that it can be the most difficult to stay on the right path and avoid extremes. We should not try to walk or live close to them unless we are called to, and then we must do it with the utmost care and vigilance. We should seek to know and understand the devastation brought to the church in history by this issue. That is why these things are illuminated in Revelation.

Be Careful How You Build—The Book of Revelation

         Next we will cover Revelation 18:1-10, which focuses on the fall of “Babylon the great”:   

     After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory.

    And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, "Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird!

    For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury."

    And I heard another voice from heaven saying, "Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.

    For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.

    Render to her just as she rendered to you, and repay her double according to her works; in the cup which she has mixed, mix double for her.

    In the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, 'I sit as queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow.'

    Therefore her plagues will come in one day — death and mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her.

    The kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her will weep and lament for her, when they see the smoke of her burning,

    standing at a distance for fear of her torment, saying, 'Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come' (NKJV).

         Throughout Scripture, the word often translated as “angel” could be translated as “messenger.” Sometimes they are angelic beings, and sometimes the messengers are prophets. In this case, it seems likely that it is a prophet that the Lord raises up with a worldwide platform to declare that Babylon has fallen. Although there have been prophets with a worldwide influence, there does not seem to have been one with this message.

         The rest of Chapter 18 describes the collapse of Babylon. It gives instructions for how to react to it, and also how the world will react to it. Again, the devastating sin that led to such a devastating consequence is implied in the description of the great “harlot.” The church is called to be a pure, chaste virgin betrothed to the Lord Jesus, but she fell into a spiritually adulterous relationship with the powers of this world instead. We are called to be salt and light in this world and love the world as the Lord does, but not to marry its systems or its ways.

        If we link this to the original sin of the tower of Babel that the name Babylon is derived from, we get further insight:

    And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there.

    Then they said to one another, "Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly." They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar.

    And they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth" (Genesis 11:2-4 NKJV).

         The key motives here were that they wanted to 1) make a name for themselves and 2) use a project to gather people and keep them united. How many projects, ministries, churches, movements, and denominations have been founded on these same motives? We may preach the gospel in the name of Jesus but really be using this, and other things, to make a name for ourselves and to excite people instead of leading them to a personal relationship with the Lord. This may work for a little while, but if this root will ultimately bring division and scattering, just like the tower of Babel.

         In Revelation 3:20, we see Jesus standing outside of the door of His own church and knocking to see if any will open to Him. Does He truly inhabit our churches? Is He the Main Attraction? If the Lord is in His temple, it will not be the temple that gets your attention regardless of how great it is. Do the people who come leave marveling at the temple, or at the Lord whom they encountered there?

         As the Apostle Paul warned, “Be careful how you build” (see I Corinthians 3:10). We can have many good motives, but if the root of our work is really an attempt to make a name for ourselves, or to gather people around what we are building, we are only building what will ultimately scatter the people and add to the confusion that is Babylon.

Mystery Babylon—The Book of Revelation

         Next we will cover Revelation 17:7-18, which further elaborates on and identifies this “Mystery Babylon,” the “great harlot” and her works:    

       Then the angel said to me, "Why did you marvel? 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 will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition. And those who dwell on the earth will marvel, whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

       "Here is the mind that has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits.

       There are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come. And when he comes, he must continue a short time.

       The beast that was, and is not, is himself also the eighth, and is of the seven, and is going to perdition.

       "The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast.

       These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast.

       These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful."

       Then he said to me, "The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues.

       And the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire.

       For God has put it into their hearts to fulfill His purpose, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled.

       And the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth" (NKJV).

         Many books have been written on the subject of this “Mystery Babylon”—the “great harlot”—as well as on the “beast” with ten horns and seven heads. The seven heads are identified in verse 9 as “the seven mountains on which the woman sits.” To the ancients, including John and his direct disciples, this clearly identified Rome as the place where the woman would sit. Rome was known as the “city on seven hills” and was also identified at the time of John’s Revelation as the city that reigned over the kings of the earth, as stated in verse 18. So, everyone seems to have concurred that the identity of this harlot was Rome until the 1855 Advent Movement. It was during this movement that eschatology was developed that projected everything in the Book of Revelation as being fulfilled in the future.

         Again, this harlot is called “Mystery Babylon” because of the way that it models what happened at the tower of Babel. Men foolishly thought that they could build a tower to heaven by their own wisdom and strength, so the Lord scattered their languages so that they could not go on with this folly. The same thing happened when Christendom was united under one head in Rome. They thought they could establish the kingdom of God on earth by their own wisdom, might, and power, so the Lord thwarted this folly in the same way—by scattering their languages. We now have over ten thousand different denominations, or “languages.”

         We must renounce the folly that we can bring about the kingdom of God on earth by our own wisdom, strength, or power. We must keep in mind that the Lord will bless many things He will not inhabit. Because Abraham was His chosen vessel, God blessed Ishmael, but it was not His intent to bring Ishmael forth—rather, it was Abraham’s attempt to help God out in bringing forth His purposes. Thus, we must resolve that we will pursue His presence, not just His blessings.

         Jesus will build His church and will be the only Head of the church. He is the only basis for the unity of His church. Every other doctrine or method that we try to use to unite God’s people will only end up scattering them further. It is only by lifting Him up that men will truly be drawn together in unity. This is why the apostolic gospel “preached Christ and the resurrection from the dead” (see I Corinthians 15:12).

         The whole church needs to recognize and repent of our history, acknowledging it as “our history,” not just the Catholics’ history. Virtually every other church movement has fallen to the same things the leaders during the Middle Ages fell to, and we will continue to do so if we do not recognize and repent of these same things. We must return to the apostolic gospel, preaching Jesus Christ and the resurrection and resolving to live by the apostolic faith that is in Jesus, not ourselves.

 

The Revelation of Jesus Christ—The Book of Revelation

       Next we will cover Revelation 17-1-6:    

 

       Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying to me, "Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters,

      with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication."

   So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.

   The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication.

   And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

    I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement (NKJV).

 

       Throughout church history, many considered this “great harlot” to be the institutional church that arose from the union between the church and the Roman Empire. This church married the powers of this world, taking on earthly ways and forming a great abomination that would persecute the faithful church.

       That this counterfeit church would be “arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold, precious stones, and pearls” seems a fitting description of the Roman church that quickly became one of the most ostentatiously wealthy institutions in the world. To this day, it is wealthier than all but a few nations.

       That she was “drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus” seems an apt description of the onslaughts against the faithful, such as The Inquisition that was against any who did not submit to the Roman church and acknowledge the Pope as the head of the church.

       As virtually every reformer in history held this view of the Roman church, what should we do with this knowledge? I have already shared my position that this may have been literally fulfilled in the church that joined itself to worldly authority, but it is also much bigger than that. Possibly every Protestant movement went on to do the same thing on some level, or to fall to some of these traps. We may be outraged that an institution such as the papacy would claim to be the head of the church in Christ’s rightful place, but which church has not placed leaders in that position, even if not doctrinally? We may be appalled at the practice of praying to dead saints, but many churches do not even wait for them to die before making them mediators in the place of Christ, the only mediator between God and men (see I Timothy 2:5). Therefore, it is crucial that we not condemn other movements or denominations, but rather that we learn from them and embrace the lessons of history so that we do not continue to fall to them.

       We must also keep in mind that some of the greatest movements, evangelists, messengers, and true saints emerged from the Roman Catholic Church and remained true to the Lord. Some of the people that I think may have the closest walks with the Lord are Roman Catholics. There are now over 100 million born again, Spirit baptized Roman Catholics. Throughout history, the Roman church seems to have been open to the Holy Spirit as much or more than any other church or denomination.

       My point is that we cannot gloss over or cover up the history of the church, but we must repent of what led to these great tragedies of history. We should also take seriously what led the church to institutionalize and then go down the road to the point where it became “Babylon, the great harlot.” We must learn these lessons so we do not make the same mistakes in our own lives, churches, or movements (see II Corinthians 5:16-17).

Standing on Solid Ground—The Book of Revelation

     We will now cover Revelation 16:17-21:

     “ Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, "It is done!"

     There were noises and thundering and lightning, and a great earthquake, such a powerful earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth.

     Now the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And great Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath.

     Then every island fled, and the mountains were not found.

     And great hail from heaven fell upon men, each hailstone about the weight of a talent. Men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, since that plague was exceedingly great (NKJV).

     This is the seventh and last of the wrath of God poured out by these angels, and it is the most devastating. We have not yet seen an earthquake of this magnitude, or hail of this size. However, if we take what is represented by these bowls of the wrath, it seems that we are fast approaching all that is foretold.

     It is right to look at the physical fulfillment of these things first, but there are also spiritual implications. Thunder can represent prophetic messages that go forth, and lightning often speaks of revelation, especially revelation that exposes things hidden in darkness. Islands sometimes represent cultures or societies in prophetic symbolism and the sea can also mean humanity, as we see in places such as Isaiah 17:12.

     Earthquakes sometimes represent revolutions. In the early 1990s, there was a revolution on the scale that the world had not seen when the communist yoke was thrown off and the iron curtain collapsed. That might seem to be the spiritual fulfillment of this, but I look for the natural to happen first, and it also does not seem that we have had a natural earthquake yet of the magnitude described.

     We can expect these things to happen physically, but we must not miss what they reflect in the spirit. These are all foretelling massive destruction, disruption, and civilization-wide changes. We cannot prevent these biblical prophecies from being fulfilled, but there are things we can do to prepare for them. We have a kingdom that cannot be shaken. If we build our lives on the kingdom as instructed, we will not be shaken regardless of what happens in the world. We will only be able to help others if we are standing on such solid ground.

     There are instructions for how to prepare for this in Hebrews 12, of which we will look at the last few verses here:

   For you have not come to the mountain that may be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness and darkness and tempest,

   and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, so that those who heard it begged that the word should not be spoken to them anymore.

   (For they could not endure what was commanded: "And if so much as a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned* or shot with an arrow.” 

   And so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, "I am exceedingly afraid and trembling.")

   But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels,

   to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect,

   to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.

      See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven,

    whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, "Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven."

      Now this, "Yet once more," indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain.

   Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.

   For our God is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:18-29 NKJV).

     If we walk in the pure and holy fear of God, then we will not need to fear anything else, even His wrath that He promises to protect His faithful from.

Watching for the Lord: The Book of Revelation

       We will continue with Revelation 16, in which the bowls of wrath are poured out on the earth:

      So the first went and poured out his bowl upon the earth, and a foul and loathsome sore came upon the men who had the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image.

   Then the second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it became blood as of a dead man; and every living creature in the sea died.

   Then the third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood.

   And I heard the angel of the waters saying: "You are righteous, O Lord, The One who is and who was and who is to be, because You have judged these things.

   For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink. For it is their just due."

   And I heard another from the altar saying, "Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments."

   Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and power was given to him to scorch men with fire.

   And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory.

   Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom became full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues because of the pain.

       So they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and did not repent of their deeds (Revelation 16:2-11).

 

         Here we see some of the most terrible judgments to come upon the earth. The end result is not that men turn to God, but rather that they blaspheme His name and do not repent.

 

Contrary to the belief of many, judgment, or the fear of judgment, is not very effective in bringing repentance. This is a principle not a law, and there are exceptions to principles, such as the sermon by Jonathan Edwards entitled “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” and sermons by Charles Finney and others. Repentance is grace from God orchestrated by the Holy Spirit who convicts of sin and points to the cross as the only remedy for our guilt. However, for the people on earth during this time of the wrath of God who do not repent, it indicates that they have been hardened in their corruption. For such, destruction is the only remedy. 

 

       We continue with Revelation16:12-16:    

 

       Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared.

       And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.

       For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.

       “Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.”

And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon.

We see here that when the sixth angel pours out his bowl, it dries up the Euphrates River and releases demonic forces from the mouth of the dragon (Satan), the beast, and the false prophet. The Euphrates River begins in modern Turkey, runs through Syria and into Iraq. It is the drying up of this river that makes the way for the armies to march to Armageddon. If the river literally dries up, it could make it easier for armies to cross. However, as there are already many bridges across it and every modern army has the capability of building bridges swiftly, the drying up of this river is not likely just to physically enable these armies to pass. Therefore, we should consider the drying up of this river to be more than just physical.

 

According to this prophecy, this region is where we should look for great evil to emerge. The release of demonic forces from this region is very real at the present time. They have drawn in major forces from the U.S. and other countries. These have yet been unable to extricate themselves because of the way evil so quickly fills the vacuum when they try to pull out.

 

The coming chapters of Revelation give more insight into this, so we will wait to go deeper. For now, we should keep our eyes on what is happening in these countries. Yet even more so, we should watch for the Lord and what He is doing, even more than what Satan, the beast, and the false prophet are doing.