Automated Transcript
<inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible> Good evening. We are, for those who may be visitors or joining us only online, we are all remote. This evening. We’re live streaming because unfortunately found out one of our members has COVID who was here at Bible study last Wednesday night. And so just as a precaution we’re we’ve asked everyone to, to stay home and just be on the stream for this evening,
but we’re glad you’re here. And we’re glad that we can have the ability to come together and have class. Well, we’ll still have class and we’ll have a short Divo right at the end of class, and then be dismissed. We are in the book of revelation. We’re closing out revelation, chapter 16 and going into chapter 17. As we get into our class this evening,
let’s begin with a word of prayer gracious father in heaven. We come before you grateful for the day that you’ve given to us grateful for the life that we have been blessed with, grateful for your many blessings that you shower upon us on a regular basis. We are so odd your majesty by your glory, by your creative power, by all that you have done in both the magnificence of this universe,
but also those things which are so tiny that the, I cannot even perceive them. We pray that you will be continually with us in this nation. We know that we’re going through a hard time and the struggle that we deal with in this country because of sin and because of many of the problems that exist, we know that we have rough days ahead matter what happens in our country.
And we pray that we might have the strength, the will to always stand up, to always preach the word. Always hold fast to the truth, no matter what happens, no matter what direction our country goes, we pray that you will be witnesses. We will creative study may the things that we read about in revelation, help us to understand the single lesson that you can emperor in this life.
And that is that you are on the throne. And one day we will stand before you in judgment as every nation and every individual who’s ever lived will do we ask that you forgive us when we sin and fall short of your glory, we pray that you be with those who are dealing with illnesses, with difficulties, injuries and, and sicknesses. We especially are mindful of those who have lost recent loved ones.
Recently, we pray that they might have comfort and strength in these difficult times, help us to always strive to remember that without Christ and without his blood, without his church that he purchased and redeemed with his blood, we would stand as sinners with no hope. And may we always be thankful for what your son did for us on the cross? All this,
we pray in Jesus name. Amen. So in chapter 16 of revelation, we noticed the first portion of chapter 16 on Sunday. And we noticed the six there, the first six bowls. Now this goes all the way back to chapter six and chapter six, we had introduced to us the seven seals that were on the revelation of God that was handed from the throne of God,
to the lamb. Now, before we get into chapter 17 and chapter 18, which are kind of fundamental To all of this, they’re the culmination of all these things we’ve read. We need to remember something when John in revelation, chapter six, and even in chapter four, when, when John gets invited into the throne room of God, and when he’s there at the throne room of God,
and he’s there seeing the throne of God, and he’s, they’re seeing the four beasts before the throne of God. And these they’re seeing the spirit of God as seven fires before the throne of God. And he sees 24 elders around the throne of God. We’re not supposed to understand Stand from that, that in heaven, when we get there, there will be a throne that will have great And,
and Emerald around it. And that there will be full Or physical representing BESE Run of the throne. And there, there will be 24 literal individuals as elders There before. That’s, that’s not what we’re supposed to understand. That’s not the picture we were supposed to get is that this is the exact Picture of heaven for us. So we know what to expect when we get there.
That’s not what John’s doing. That’s not what Jesus is revealing to. John. John is the same writer who in first, John chapter three, reveals to us that even as an old man, even as an apostle of Christ, the apostle whom Jesus loved the one who is the agent one who’s writing to the church. He says, when this life is over,
we don’t know what will even, Like he says, we know this will be like him like Christ. And that’s enough hope For us to pure VAR purify our lives and be ready for the day. So the same writer who says You don’t know what we B will be like, because it hasn’t been revealed Was yet is the same writer who reveals to us these things about rev In revelation and about the throne room of God.
Is that therefore to mean that in first John chapter three, he didn’t know what we’d be like. And somehow in revelation, chapter four, through the end of the book, he didn’t know what we would be like, No, they’re not contradicting one another. They’re not in opposition to one another, right?<inaudible> is not here to tell us what it will be like in heaven.
It is here to tell us and to tell those first century Christians, what God was going to do in their lifetime And to the church that was bout to in Undergo persecution. And each one of these things was a representation of truth to them, Right? Then, is it the case that Jesus Christ is a physical lamb where God, the father is a individual that can’t even be described,
but the spirit, the Holy spirit is seven tongues. No, we’ll do all, All of those things represent some truth, some aspects, some Attribute of the function of those parts of the Godhead. Yes. When we get over to chapter 16 and we’ve had seven or yeah, seven seals inside of the seventh seal, we have seven trumpets or which are partial judgment.
And inside of that seventh trumpet, we have the full judgment of God brought about and described here in chapter 16, we are not to suddenly start looking for physical literal implementation of these things In history. We’re Being consistent all the way through the book we’re being consistent in handling this book the same way we’re supposed to handle every other book of the Bible written with this kind of visionary language,
apocalyptic language, as we call it, where figures are used to supply truth, instead of literal events written has his Oracle events. Okay? So we just need it, Keep reminding ourselves of that. So that as we go through this, we are being consistent. We’re looking at these things and we’re always, always, always keeping them in their context,
their local context in the verses and chapters that they’re in and their greater biblical context, especially the context of the old Testament prophets that used many of these signs and imagery, imagery in the old Desmond. So verse 12 of chapter 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 repaired.
And we talked about the Kings from the East, being the people of God on Sunday. 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. And we mentioned on Sunday that in a chapter, a chapter 13, we have the dragon and the two B’s.
But over here in chapter 16, we have the dragon and the beast and the false prophet and the false prophet here is third is the second beast in John chapter 13. That is the land beast, the earth beast that comes up because he’s the one who declares the religious prophecies, that deceive people. Okay. So he’s referred to here as the false prophet for,
they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the Kings of the earth of the whole world to gather them to the battle of the great day of God almighty. Isn’t it interesting that God’s going to bring his judgment and yet it’s going to be the work and the deception of the dragon and the beast and the false prophet that brings the people To be judged.
So often When you see this in history, you see God using the wicked people in their wickedness, doing their wicked deeds to accomplish his will. He does. He did it all the time in the old Testament, and he’s going to continue to do it here in revelation, dealing with Rome, God is going to allow them to sow their own destruction and bring themselves through their own actions to their own destruction.
But then we read verse 15, behold, I am coming as a thief. Now this is a phrase that is used a number of times in the new Testament. Jesus uses it in the new Testament we read over. I believe it’s in Matthew chapter 24. I’m coming as a thief in the night. Is it the case that every time we read the God is coming as a thief,
that we’re automatically to assume that we’re talking about the day of judgment. We’re talking about the final day. We’re talking about that day, where there’s no signs. There’s no warning God’s coming as a thief. No, certainly not. God’s point here Is these people. And the point of the analogy itself is these people are going to come together. They are going to believe they’re going to be victorious.
They are going to believe that they are going to win the battle. They are going to win the day they are undefeatable. They are unstoppable only to find out. So when God comes, you’re never ready. We are to be those who hear the word of God are sober-minded are prepared and are ready for us Coming at any hour and any day. But the wicked will never be ready because The only thing that prepares you to be ready for the coming of God,
in judgment in this physical life, coming of God, on the day of judgment, when, when time is over, the only thing that prepares you for that event is obedience to the word of God. So if you’re living a life of wickedness, if you’re giving in to those things, which are the loss of the flesh, if you’re doing those things,
which God says not to do, you will Ever be ready and you can’t be. Because the only thing that can prepare you is the word of God. And notice the rest of the statement. He says, behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed it is he who watches. There are people watching. There are people who will be ready,
but they’re going to be watching and they’re going to be ready because they know what God said. He says behold Or blessed. It is he who watches and who keeps his garments lest he walk naked and they see his shame. Now hold on to verse 15. And this statement about the garments, because you remember back over in revelation, chapter three, we need to see this revelation chapter three,
beginning in verse 14, and to the angel of the church of the layout of seasons, right? These things says the amen, the faithful and true witness. The beginning of the creation of God. All right, first and foremost, God says, I want them right to these layout of see in brethren, these Christians, this church. And I want them to know I’m the creator.
I’m God of heaven. I’m the one who made everything. That’s the first thing they need to understand because they’re not Living like it. There’s a whole lot of people right now in our, Our world, in our community who aren’t living as though God is the creator of everything, because they’re only living for themselves. You see If you live, as though you understand that God created everything and that God is the ruler of everything.
And that God will judge you for everything you do and say, and think You live differently than if you live for yourself. The first thing he wants them to understand is these things is the faithful and true witness. The beginning of the creation of God. I know your works, that you are neither cold, nor hot. I wish you were cold nor hot,
cold, or hot. So then because you are lukewarm and neither cold or hot, I will vomit you out of my mouth because you say, I am rich, have become wealthy, Have need of nothing. Notice this, the layout of CNN’s Christian’s mindset was I don’t need anything. I’m good. I’ve got everything I want. I’ve got prosperity. I’ve got comfort.
I’ve got wealth. I have everything I need. We need, we should never reach a time as Christians where we live as though we have everything we need, because possessions has nothing to do with the things that we need. Jesus told a rich ruler who came to him, wanting to new, wanting to know what to do to inherit the kingdom of God.
He told him, go take everything you have sell it, give it to the poor. Come and follow me. If you had asked that individual, do you have everything you need? He would have probably said, I have everything I need. I just need, just need one thing. I just need to know what I need to do. But as soon as he heard the word of God and knew what he needed to do,
he didn’t want the one thing that he claimed he wanted. He says, as he writes to these Christians, because you say, I am rich, have become wealthy and have need of nothing and do not know. And those, the description here that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. He says, you, you, you don’t even know you have done no self examination to realize in light of the word of God,
that you are nothing like what you need to be. So over here in chapter 16, he says, blessed is he who watches? He’s aware he’s awake. He’s cognizant of what’s going on. Blessing her blessing. As he who watches and keeps his garments. He’s ready. He’s clothed in righteousness, not his own righteousness. Christ’s righteousness. He’s clothed in the garments that are washed white in the blood of the lamb.
Isaiah and Isaiah chapter one would write to the crib to the church or sorry, I’m going to get my tongue untied. He would write to Israel. And he would say to Israel, speaking for God, verse 16, come let us reason together, though, your sins be as Scarlet. They shall be as white as wool. God says, I’m offering you redemption Israel.
I’m offering you salvation, but you’re covered in your sins right now. And the only way that you can leave that state is to be clothed in my righteousness. So here we see a Christian. Who’s aware who’s watching, who’s keeping his garments. That’s active. He’s doing this actively. He’s keeping his garments lest he walk naked and they see his shame and they gathered them together to the place in the Hebrew Armageddon.
Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air and allowed voice came out of the temple of heaven from the throne saying it is done. The seventh angel with a seventh bowl, pours it out. And God says, it’s finished. This is reminiscent of Christ on the cross. When Christ, as he is about to give up the ghost, as he about as he is about to die as he is about to complete what he came here to do.
He says it is finished here. The declaration from the throne of God is it’s done. Now just like with Christ, his, his coming on to, to die was finished, but not everything he was coming to do was finished. Because three days later he was going to rise up from the grave. That was still something he had left to do.
But the culminating work of what it was that he had come to accomplish was done. And the same way with God, God’s going to declare here it is finished yet. It’s still going to play out. The results of God’s work is going to play out. And there were noises and thunderings and lightenings. There was a great earthquake and mighty and great earthquakes as had not occurred since men were on the earth.
Are we needing to now go into Roman history and look for in earthquake that was greater than every earthquake that had ever happened in all of his? No, no, no. This terminology similar to Matthew chapter 24, Luke chapter 21, similar to earlier on in the book of revelation, similar to revelation, chapter six, similar to the old Testament, his terminology describing the destruction of a nation.
God says it is done and a nation falls and it falls light. No other nation had ever fallen. Before you remember that in Daniel, God says these Kings are going to grow greater and greater and greater. And yet they’re going to be of lesser value, the head of goal. And it will be the greatest, but, but it will not be the largest in size.
Rome will expand to the greatest size and the greatest of power of all of these nations getting significantly more and more and more. And yet it will be the most flawed of all four of those nations in the book of Daniel. So this great nation is going to fall verse 19. Now the great city was divided into three parts. Great city. We read about that in chapter.
We’re going to read about it again in chapter seven, Teen, there’s a breaking up of the city, not Looking for a time in Roman history where the city of Rome was divided into three sections. Now we’re looking at a time where God says, all right, I’m going to split you in pieces Because I’m in control. And then I’m going to bring my judgment upon you.
It was divided into three parts in 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 away and the mountains were not found and great hail from heaven fell upon men, each hailstone about the weight of a talent men blaspheming God, because of the plague of the Hale,
since that plague was exceeding. Great. So the culmination of this bowl, as we’ve noticed the other bowls, most of which hearkened back to Exodus, this one, hearkens back to the Hale And the book of Exodus in the time that God judges Pharaoh and the nation of Egypt. So then chapter 17, As we’re talking about Babylon, we’re talking about the great City.
This chapter break Really doesn’t belong here, but it’s here anyway. So we’re going to deal with it. Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me saying, come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters. So as John is witnessing the pouring out of the seventh bowl and the pouring out of the seventh bowl is the dividing of the city,
the great city into three parts. And then the falling of these hailstones, which by the way, a talent of, of these hailstones weighed about a talent, that’d be about a hundred pound Hales. So again, we’re, we’re not gonna Back to history and looking for a time and a record of a hundred pound Hale Storm that occurred in no we’re not doing,
And we’re not looking for it either. We’re the pre-millennial is, are waiting for a day where a hundred pound hailstones are gonna fall from the sky There. It’s not happening. It’s not meant to Instead we are to understand that what God did in Egypt, he’s going to do in such a greater way Away in Rome. And yet they won’t repent. Notice that yet,
Even this there, the picture is God’s judgment coming down from heaven as hundred pound balls of hail coming to the earth and still mankind, right? Fuses to repent and instead blasts Femes God. Okay. So then one, the seven angels who had the seven bowls comes to John and says, I’m going to show you something, come with me. And I will show you the judgment of the great harlot.
Get ready, John, because I’m going to show you, she looks like she’s victorious. She looks like she’s winning. She looks like she’s enjoying all the pleasures of life, but she’s judged. And she stands condemned. She’s It says, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters. So the very first thing we need to ask is,
Oh, okay, wait a minute. Now we’ve got a harlot. We were just talking about a great city. Who’s the hardest Go to the end of the chapter After 17 verse 18. And the woman whom you saw is that great city, which reigns over the Kings of the earth. We haven’t changed subjects. This wasn’t an interjection where one of the angels comes up and says,
Hey, ignore what you just saw. Let’s go focus on something else. This is the angel with the bowl, coming to John and saying, let me show you the judgment of the great City, but he’s describing her as a harlot That’s characteristic all the way back into the old Testament, but also earlier on in the book of revelation concerning the wickedness of the nation of Rome.
Okay? So he says, I’ll show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters. We’ll see. Later on in the chapter, the many waters are many nations. We look at the end of the chapter and the woman is the gray city who is reigns over the Kings of the earth. We’re just using two different analogies here for Rome,
with whom the Kings of the earth committed fornication and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the line of her fornication. The picture is of a harlot and she entices those who are her clients with wine, and she gets them drunk. And once they’re drunk on their, her pleasures and on her luck, they’ll do anything Thing that she says. And how many times do we find Off one side and down the other in society where people will I’ll do anything for money,
power, fame, fortune, and once they get a taste of it, they’ll do anything to keep it. This woman, this city, Rome enticed the world with a riches with her economy, with her glory, with all of the things she promised Asked, and she brought These nations to their destruction With her in the process. So This is the great harlot with whom the Kings of the earth committed fornication and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk or were,
excuse me, 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 10 horns. Here’s the woman, she’s the harlot. She’s sitting on a beast. The beast has seven heads.
And on the seven heads are 10 horns. The seven heads are going to come from the imagery in Daniel, Daniel chapter seven. There is horns here. It’s heads, the horns in this picture or something different. Okay. So, so hold on to that. There’s a little bit of difference between Daniel’s picture and John’s 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. This is a picture of the riches and the glory and the majesty of Rome and what Rome would offer the world. If they would just do what Rome says, if they would just give in to Rome’s methods, if they would just bow before Caesar and call Rome, God, Then they too could take part in the riches and the glory and the magic.
And the pleasures of Rome, woman was Raid and purple and Scarlet and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls. Having in her hand, a golden cup full of abominations and the filled thickness of her fornication and on her forehead, a name was written and here’s what was written mystery word mystery in the original language, just carries with it. That which has yet been unrevealed,
but often in the context is being revealed. Okay. It, the curtains being pulled back, this is God saying, I know who you are. I know what you’ve done. I know what you think you can do, but you’ll be judged and said, mystery Babylon, the great, the same way Babylon fell. So would this woman Babylon the great,
the mother of harlots and 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. Now wait just a minute, just a minute ago, we read, she had this golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication. And now we get the picture of what’s in the cup Picture of what’s in the cup is the death,
the destruction, the murder of Christians. Those who would stand in the way of Rome’s abomination, those who, Who would turn the world upside down for the name of Christ, those who would change and would convert people, even in the house of Caesar in Paul’s day, stood in the way of Rome and her desire to rule the world. They stood in the way of Rome and her desire to fulfill Her fleshly loss.
And they would be killed because of it. 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’m Marvel with great John seeing this and he’s astounded, but notice Reaction to the angel. But the angel said to me, why did you Marvel? Why didn’t you Marvel?
I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has seven heads and 10 horns. John’s told, Whoa, don’t, don’t be surprised. Don’t don’t Marvel at this. Don’t be astounding. I did. I’m going to tell you the mystery, Andrew, Her destruction, her judgment. Okay. So 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 beach that was and is not. And yet is Here. He says, you’re going to see the beast.
The beast here is pictured. As the persecutor, Rome Sits upon, sits on top of the persecuting beast that kills the Christian. And he says the state of the beast. At one time, he was active. He Was persecuting. He was killing the Christians, But now he’s not, he’s not active, but he’s going to come back up. So don’t be surprised.
Don’t be amazed. Don’t Be like those in the world who dwell on the earth, who are unrighteous, who will look at this and think it’s a miracle that, that the beast has risen back up and is Resurrected like Christ was. Don’t be surprised at that because that is exactly what’s going to happen. And I’m telling you ahead of time, that’s,
what’s going to happen here. The mind, which has wisdom, he says, get a grip on this. Understand the word of God is the declaration. Here. Here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits this declares With extreme clarity, the dishes, Rome. This can be Jerusalem. Jerusalem. Didn’t sit on seven mountains.
The city of Rome from its earliest time was recognized as a city that sat on seven Hills, seven mountains. It is Rome. It’s not America In the 21st century. It’s not some other nation. That’s still yet to come and it’s not China. And it’s not Russia. It’s it’s Rome. And it’s in the days Of John, because God says this is the East was and is not right now and is coming back.
Not 2000 years later, it was coming back. When those Christians were going to experience that difficult time, that torture and that martyrdom here Mind, which has wisdom, the seven heads or the seven mountains with on which the woman sits. There are also seven Kings Five have fallen. One is, and the other has not yet come okay. In Daniel,
you have 10 Kings. And then 11th that comes up Revelation 17, three of the Kings in Daniel’s prophecy, which are outbreak Are ignored. Okay. In John’s day in time, those three Kings came And went in less than two years. All three of them came, were gone immediately. And it was a time of civil war. They’re ignored. Okay.
Instead we’re in the time of the mission and we’re dealing with a time where eight Kings are important, The seven substantial ones that leads up to Titus. And then the eighth that will come Up that we’re going to read about here in just a moment. So the seven heads, he pictures, the seven mountains. He also pictures, the seven heads of seven Kings.
Okay. It’s okay. One piece of imagery. Doesn’t just have to stand for one thing in a pop apocalyptic literature. It can stand for two things. It’s seven mountains. Oh, and it’s seven Kings. Okay. But both of them identify this as Rome. He says, there are also seven Kings five Have fallen. One is, and the other has not yet come When he comes,
he must continue a short time. That’s Titus. The, that was And is not. It was in the past. Nero is not Right now. Investigations de Titus is about to come up. The bees that was and is not, is himself also the eighth following a short grain of Titus for tube. And a half years Vespasian would come or, sorry,
not Vespasian. Domitian the brother of Titus. The son of Vespasian would come to the throne and would begin persecuting again Is all of the seventh and is going to perdition 10 Kings, which you saw are 10 Kings, which have received no kingdom as yet. But they receive authority for one hour as Kings with the beast. So we’ve got those Kings, but who are these Kings?
Go back to the prophecy of Daniel and Daniel chapter two that prophecy, that, That as Nebuchadnezzar saw in that vision. And he saw the iron mixed with clay. One of the attributes of Rome is unlike many of the other nations that came before it. And the other Kings that came before and the other great world powers that came before it, they didn’t necessarily go in and pull everybody out of their land and bring them into subjugation and take them captive and move them to another place.
They didn’t do that if they could go in and cause the nation that was already in the land to just Flip And Gill, their power to Rome, Rome would allow them to retain their place, retain their home and retain some power so long as they worshiped Rome so long as they became subject To Rome. And so these are the client Kings. These are the Kings that were the nations that Rome would you SERP,
They would retain, they would, they would have no real kingdom. They would retain a place. A good example of this is Herod. Herod is here in, in Israel in the days of Rome. But Harriet is a puppet King. Herod is not the King who makes the decisions because the governor in Rome has more power or is he to be the governor in Jerusalem has more power than him Does.
He’s a puppet King. That’s what these are. These are Kings, who are Our puppets. They have no kingdom and they received no kingdom as yet, but they receive a foresty for one hour as Kings With the beast. Okay? So They derive their authority from Rome. These are of one mind and they 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. At some point, we’re going to spend some time looking at those three words in view of revelation, because those three words are incredibly interesting. Those who are with the light Are called,
they are chosen and they are faithful and they do not move from that state, that status. They are those who will remain called Chosen and faithful and ultimately victorious Christ is not only victorious over Rome, the harlot, but he’s going to be victorious over everything that belongs to Rome from the client Kings all the way to the one sitting on the throne, Christ will be victorious.
Then he said to me, the waters, which you saw go back there to verse seven or chapter one, chapter 17, verse one, the great harlot, which sits on many waters. This the waters, which you saw, he says were the, where the harlot sits are peoples multitudes, nations and tongues. All right. So the angel is showing John here’s what these things mean.
Here’s this the B she rides. Here’s the seven heads. Here’s what the seven heads mean. Here are the horns. Here are the Kings that those are signifying. Here’s the woman she’s sitting on the waters. Here’s the waters. Here’s what they mean. He’s explaining the picture. He’s explaining the vision and the tip In horns, verse 16, which you saw on the beast.
These will hate the harlot notice. Here are the Kings. They’re raining Under Rome. They get their power from Rome, but the hater, Hey, they love her riches, but they Hater. And the moment they can tear her, apart from the inside out, They will. And notice the picture that we get the 10th Horns, which you saw on the beast.
These will hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked. And remember verse 15 of chapter 16. Bless it. Those who keep their garments because they won’t be found naked. They won’t be found desolate. They won’t Be like Laodicea was, they didn’t know they were naked. They didn’t know they were destitute. They didn’t know they were blind and poor and lane,
But they were. And Here’s the harlot. She knows she is, But she’s getting Horn apart from the inside because of her own iniquity. That doesn’t have to be That way. But the only way to resolve the problem is the word of God. And that was refused already. So 17 forgone 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 Here.
Again, we’re being reminded. God’s going to use these Kings own hatred of Rome and their own willingness to tear apart what they think gives them power for their own glory, their own power, their own Mick. God’s going to allow them to use their own iniquity, to bring about their own judgment. And he does it time and time again, to bring about his will and his ends.
So for God, put into their hearts to fulfill his purpose, to be of one mind, and to give her 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. Not which will rain, not which rain in the past, John, this is the city,
which reigns right now, it’s Rome. And God says this harlot and those who follow after her and those who dwell on the earth that worship her, there’ll be judged. And I’m going to do it by using them to bring about their own destruction and all of the things that God would do as well. All right. So that’s chapter 17. We’ll go through chapter 16 and 17 questions on Sunday.
Appreciate your attention. We’ll have a short devotional here. So take your songbooks. If you will, or a will. I’ll tell you what I’m going to make this easy on us. Jesus loved me. You don’t need the, you don’t need the Psalm, but for that one, Jesus loves me. This I know for the Bible tells me so little ones to him be long.
They are weak, but he is strong. Yes. Jesus loves me. Yes. Jesus loves me. Yes. Jesus loves me. The Bible tells me so All throughout our class tonight, we really talked about one primary idea. The only thing that prepares us for eternity, the only thing that prepares us for the judgment of God is the word of God.
And that song right there. Jesus loves me. It ends with those words. The Bible tells me. So when you and I look at our lives, we are Do as, as James described and we are to hold ourselves up to the mirror of the soul. We are to Examine ourselves in light of scripture. Sure. And sometimes we’re going to look at scripture and we’re going to look at it Ourselves.
And we’re not going to see two images that match. We’re not going to see the reflection of God in us because sometimes We find we’ve walked away from Him, but it doesn’t have to stay that way. We mentioned Isaiah chapter one and God’s plea with Israel to reason together. God’s not unreasonable. Doesn’t put upon us things that we can’t handle. And God doesn’t give us commands concerning salvation that we can’t achieve.
God doesn’t require everyone who lives in the earth to come make some great journey to some remote part of the world to achieve some great goal and climb some magnificent mountain and achieve illumination. No. So God said, hear the word of God and believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God, because Except you believe that I am. He, Jesus says you will die Or sins not might not.
Maybe you will. It doesn’t matter what nation you were born in. Doesn’t matter what skin color you have. It doesn’t matter what language you speak. It doesn’t matter what, what your blood lineage is. It doesn’t matter if you’re rich. If you’re poor, if you’re mighty, if you’re, if you’re weak, if you can’t walk or if you can run faster than the fastest person who’s ever walked on the face.
So the planet doesn’t matter. Thanks. Do you believe that I am, he, you will die in yours, But he doesn’t stop there. He goes on to make it incredibly clear that when he established his church, when he died and When he ascended back into heaven, he did it to fulfill all righteousness, to bring about his kingdom into this world that could never be destroyed and to bring about salvation that could be preached to every nation Under heaven.
So In Luke chapter 24, Jesus said he had to die. So that repentance and remission of sins could be preached to every nation under heaven. Jesus died. Not so that you could believe because you could believe if he had never died. He was the son of God. He didn’t have to die to prove that he died to bear your sins so that you could repent and change your life.
You could change your mind that brought about a change of life. And then you could confess his name all throughout revelation. As we’ve studied the book of revelation. One, one group of people is, is confessing the name of the beast or confessing the name of the dragon or confessing the name of the harlot. But long before they ever do that, we see those who confess the name of God.
Those who wear his name. And that’s what confession is. It is putting on the name of Jesus Christ and saying, I will have allegiance to him and him alone, no matter what comes, no matter what it costs. But he also said Mark, chapter 16, verse 16, he, that believes and is baptized. God makes it clear and Christ made it clear while he was on this earth.
He came to a, stablish establish a plan of salvation whereby one hears and believes and has a change of life. That brings about a death is buried in the watery grave of baptism and is risen to walk in newness of life, having the remission of sins. And that was to be preached to every nation under heaven. If you’re here, if you’re where you are this evening,
and you’re not a member of the body of Christ, if you’re not a part of the bride of Christ, we’re, we’re about to get to the end of revelation. And, and one of the things you get at the end of revelation is the bride of Christ. If you’re not a member of the church, the church of Christ that Christ died for to purchase with his own blood,
you can change that. You can be immersed in water for the remission of your sins. If you’re local here, we’ll meet you here at the building and we’ll, we’ll baptize you. If you’re somewhere else in the world, we’ll find someone, we’ll find a church of Christ near you and will help you obtain the salvation Christ came to purchase. If you’re a member of the body of Christ and you’ve become wayward like layout of see ya,
you need to repent. You need to be restored. There’s anything that we can do or any way we can help feel free to reach out to us and let us know we’re going to close tonight with a prayer. Let us bow our gracious father in heaven. We humbly come before you so incredibly grateful for your word, which reveals to us who you are.
We have said before, and we are always reminded every day that we know you exist by the things that we see around us for accident and chance could never produce what we have. But knowing that you exist and knowing who you are, are two very different things. And it is through your revealed will. And through your revelation, given to us in scripture that we know who you are and how to obey you.
We pray that we might always be mindful of your commandments. Rightly divide your word and be faithful to you. No matter what comes, we ask that you watch over us and care for us throughout this week, may we always do what is right in your sight, be with our nation, as it continues, going through the process of this election, be with every nation all over the world.
That as well goes through their own difficult times and transitions of power and authority. We pray that it will be peaceful. We pray that people will listen to you more than they listen to the voices of insanity around them. We pray most, especially that they will hear the gospel and be obedient to it. We ask that you watch over us care for us and protect us as we go throughout this night.
And the rest of this week, all this we pray in Jesus name. Amen.