In Revelation 16 I wrote about the seven bowls of wrath. The
last bowl released an earthquake so strong that the Great City was split into
three parts (Rev 16:19). As we get into Revelation 17 we see that the Great
City is the harlot, or prostitute, who rules over the kings of the earth (Rev
17:18). This split, therefore, is spiritual. It is a shaking by the Lord,
written about in the following scripture: “At that time his voice shook the earth,
but how He has promised, ‘Once more I will shake not only the earth but also
the heavens.’ The words ‘Once more’ indicate the removing of what can be shaken
– that is, created things – so that what cannot be shaken may remain.” (Heb
12:26-27). We see that created things, such as buildings and structures, will
be shaken as well as spiritual things, such as motives and agendas (as an
example). That which the Lord has built will endure to establish His kingdom.
At the beginning of Revelation 17 we meet the great prostitute who sits on many waters. She is the representation of a body of people who are unfaithful to the One they are betrothed to. God does not need to call the sinners a prostitute, for they have never promised themselves to Him. The many waters are “peoples, multitudes, nations and languages.” The waters support her, and include those whose names have not been written in the book of Life. These people are in awe of her and have given the prostitute their vote of confidence over the ages. They do not notice that she is misleading the inhabitants of the earth.
Though she is not the Beast, nor the False Prophet, the prostitute’s falsehood towards her Betrothed, Jesus, has lulled Christians to sleep, making them ineffective witnesses to the inhabitants of the earth. She is the harlot church of God, and her unfaithfulness causes many Christians to be ineffective in their witness to the inhabitants of the earth. Instead of being a light on a hill for the nations, she has made them intoxicated with lies. The greatest lie is that they can remain in the world, serve the world, love their flesh, and still be accepted by the Lord. In truth, the prostitute accepts men without giving them the power to become sons of God. Those in sin seek her approval and receive it, only so that they can be received of men.
It is significant that John is carried to the desert to see the harlot church, the prostitute, for God has dried up the Holy Spirit so that men might be tested by the release of the deceiving spirits (Rev 16:12-15). The kings that are gathered to Armegeddon are the same kings the harlot deceived, and are leaders in the church who become influenced by deceiving spirits. Before this time, in His mercy, God will bring out every wrong motive, hidden agenda, and sinful act so that every leader of the Church can be cleansed. However, when the time for the releasing of the deceiving spirits comes, those who have resisted the Holy Spirit will not find His counsel. Therefore they will agree to give their authority to the harlot church until God’s words are fulfilled (Rev 17:17). Just as the False Prophet and Beast were instrumental in separating those with the mark of the Beast from those who gained victory over it, so do these kings have a role in furthering the cause of the harlot church, until they come to hate what she is, and destroy her very existence (Rev 17:16-18). As in Ezekiel’s prophecy against unfaithful Israel, the Lord will hand the unfaithful church over to her lovers for destruction (Ez 16:35-42). The hatred of the harlot church and her demise is influenced by the Beast she rides.
At the beginning of Revelation 17 we meet the great prostitute who sits on many waters. She is the representation of a body of people who are unfaithful to the One they are betrothed to. God does not need to call the sinners a prostitute, for they have never promised themselves to Him. The many waters are “peoples, multitudes, nations and languages.” The waters support her, and include those whose names have not been written in the book of Life. These people are in awe of her and have given the prostitute their vote of confidence over the ages. They do not notice that she is misleading the inhabitants of the earth.
Though she is not the Beast, nor the False Prophet, the prostitute’s falsehood towards her Betrothed, Jesus, has lulled Christians to sleep, making them ineffective witnesses to the inhabitants of the earth. She is the harlot church of God, and her unfaithfulness causes many Christians to be ineffective in their witness to the inhabitants of the earth. Instead of being a light on a hill for the nations, she has made them intoxicated with lies. The greatest lie is that they can remain in the world, serve the world, love their flesh, and still be accepted by the Lord. In truth, the prostitute accepts men without giving them the power to become sons of God. Those in sin seek her approval and receive it, only so that they can be received of men.
It is significant that John is carried to the desert to see the harlot church, the prostitute, for God has dried up the Holy Spirit so that men might be tested by the release of the deceiving spirits (Rev 16:12-15). The kings that are gathered to Armegeddon are the same kings the harlot deceived, and are leaders in the church who become influenced by deceiving spirits. Before this time, in His mercy, God will bring out every wrong motive, hidden agenda, and sinful act so that every leader of the Church can be cleansed. However, when the time for the releasing of the deceiving spirits comes, those who have resisted the Holy Spirit will not find His counsel. Therefore they will agree to give their authority to the harlot church until God’s words are fulfilled (Rev 17:17). Just as the False Prophet and Beast were instrumental in separating those with the mark of the Beast from those who gained victory over it, so do these kings have a role in furthering the cause of the harlot church, until they come to hate what she is, and destroy her very existence (Rev 17:16-18). As in Ezekiel’s prophecy against unfaithful Israel, the Lord will hand the unfaithful church over to her lovers for destruction (Ez 16:35-42). The hatred of the harlot church and her demise is influenced by the Beast she rides.
The harlot ignored that the Beast was covered with
blasphemous teachings . . . teachings that are against God and His nature. The
Scarlet Beast is the same as the Dragon, and the Beast from the Sea, with seven
heads and ten horns. Scarlet has its spiritual roots as representing one being
of the priesthood and performing priestly duties (Lev 14:4; Num 19:6; Heb
9:19). This color is inappropriate for the Beast and shows us that the harlot
rides corruption: a mixture of holiness and the carnal ways of men. The
harlot’s clothes are scarlet also, with purple, a color indicating royalty and
great wealth. From her statements in the next chapter we see that she believes
herself to be a queen (Rev 18:7), married into the royalty of the priesthood of
believers. Because she rules the leaders of the Church, she owns their talents
and labors; the gold, precious stones, and pearls. Just and unjust are within
her. Good and evil works are within her. Her gold cup was given to her by the
Lord to give the nations His new wine to drink. Yet she filled it with
abominations and the fruits of her adulteries with the world.
The title written on the harlot’s forehead begins with the word “mystery”. This tells us that her name is a spiritual name, not a physical name. The next part of the name, “Babylon”, is symbolic, and derives its origin from the town of Babel, or “confusion”. The harlot has mixed her priorities as God’s intended Bride by making allegiances with the world and polluting them by her compromise. None can look at her for a clear message of the will of God, nor His nature. It is confused within the corruption of the false service she offers to God. Because of her pollutions, she begets spiritual prostitutes like herself, and abominations. Indeed, she causes those who are true to God to be slain, for it is satan himself that pursues those with the testimony of Jesus by using the harlot to execute his purposes.
The title written on the harlot’s forehead begins with the word “mystery”. This tells us that her name is a spiritual name, not a physical name. The next part of the name, “Babylon”, is symbolic, and derives its origin from the town of Babel, or “confusion”. The harlot has mixed her priorities as God’s intended Bride by making allegiances with the world and polluting them by her compromise. None can look at her for a clear message of the will of God, nor His nature. It is confused within the corruption of the false service she offers to God. Because of her pollutions, she begets spiritual prostitutes like herself, and abominations. Indeed, she causes those who are true to God to be slain, for it is satan himself that pursues those with the testimony of Jesus by using the harlot to execute his purposes.
No comments:
Post a Comment