Revelation 17:1-6

November 15, 2020

Lord’s Day Worship

Sean Higgins

The sermon starts around 20:15 in the audio file.

Or, The Great Joyride of Unrighteousness

Series: Just Conquer Part 45

Introduction

Because we are always becoming more of what we are, we’re not wrong to look down the road and see what’s coming. It’s as true for cultures and nations as it is for individuals.

God Himself promises to “restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish” His people (1 Peter 5:10), having chosen us in order “to be conformed to the image of His Son” (Romans 8:29). True Christians, are “by God’s power…being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:5). For all who believe, we trust that the testing of our faith makes our believing bolder, and the trials and contests increase our courage.

The reality works the other way as well. Hard hearts get harder. Willful bitterness swims into the deeper waters of Wormwood. Hatred mothers more hatred; the leech is never satisfied (Proverbs 30:15). Death produces more death, and the stench can be as thick as hell’s unquenchable smoke.

We are all becoming more of what we are. Christians are being made more like Christ, with more endurance and courage. Earth-dwellers are being made more like the world, more like the dragon, more hardened in sin against the Lamb. These next couple chapters of Revelation give a good look at what happens when God removes His restraining grace.

The apostle John isn’t the only one moved by the Spirit to write about such a day. The apostle Paul wrote about the time of “rebellion,” when “the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction.” “The mystery of lawlessness is already at work,” and “the coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and be saved.” They are dying to death because they loved their life of lies. “God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12)

There is not only a man of lawlessness, there is likewise a woman that throws off all restraint.

Revelation 17 provides a vision of the great joyride of unrighteousness. It’s an international ride. The kings and the commoners embrace any lie necessary for a little more pleasure. This chapter is a “better” look, at least a more specific look at the world gone wild. It is a vision given by the Spirit to John to give to us. This is God’s message, these are God’s metaphors, this is part of the prophecy God wants us to hear and keep for sake of our blessing.

It shows the beauty and the beast, though the beauty is as fake as a successful Marxism, though more dangerous. Chapters 17 and 18 give this expanded explanation of the seventh bowl judgement. Per the end of chapter 16, all the bowls have been poured out, but these chapters fill in more about what it looks like when restraining grace is gone and why the bowl judgments are so fitting. Chapter 17 shows Babylon’s drunken “glory,” chapter 18 shows Babylon’s drunken ruin. Chapter 17 opens with the vision (verses 1-6) and then the rest of the chapter provides the interpretation (verses 7-18).

The Woman Introduced (verses 1-2)

We know that the bowl judgments of chapters 15-16 are connected to this scene because “one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came” to John (verse 1). This is one of the seven, not an extra angel, because “one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels” the bowls of wrath (Revelation 15:7). Perhaps it was the angel with the final bowl who in[...]