WEBVTT 00:00:07.679 --> 00:00:11.759 You're listening to the road with Pastor Teacher Steve Holt. 00:00:12.800 --> 00:00:19.920 We will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them. 00:00:20.320 --> 00:00:31.600 For he is Lord of Lords, King of Kings, and those who are with him are called chosen and faithful. 00:00:31.760 --> 00:00:33.520 Now look around this room. 00:00:33.600 --> 00:00:36.640 Isn't that a wonderful title for this crowd? 00:00:36.960 --> 00:00:38.399 That's you guys. 00:00:38.799 --> 00:00:42.560 You are called chosen. 00:00:42.960 --> 00:00:43.759 Faithful. 00:00:45.759 --> 00:00:50.560 Today, Pastor Steve continues his series on the book of Revelation. 00:00:50.880 --> 00:00:56.399 At The Road, our vision is to raise up wholehearted disciples of Jesus Christ. 00:00:56.640 --> 00:01:00.960 For more information on The Road, visit the Road.org. 00:01:01.119 --> 00:01:06.319 We hope you are encouraged by today's message from Pastor Teacher Steve Holt. 00:01:08.640 --> 00:01:14.480 We're in Revelation chapter 17, and this is going to be a super hard chapter. 00:01:14.640 --> 00:01:16.079 So I'm just going to prepare you. 00:01:16.239 --> 00:01:22.159 If I stumble over myself, it is because it is hard, it's difficult to understand. 00:01:22.239 --> 00:01:23.680 It's about Babylon. 00:01:23.920 --> 00:01:26.640 And for this week and next week, we're talking about Babylon. 00:01:26.799 --> 00:01:28.480 We're talking about the last days. 00:01:28.640 --> 00:01:37.120 For you that are new today, you walked in in one of the weirdest sermons you could walk into, so I apologize beforehand that you go, wow, this is a weird church. 00:01:37.280 --> 00:01:44.480 And we are, because we go book by book, chapter by chapter, verse by verse, and we tackle hard chapters. 00:01:44.640 --> 00:01:50.560 And I think any almost every commentator says this is the hardest chapter in Revelation. 00:01:50.799 --> 00:01:55.760 Revelation's the hardest book in the Bible, so this might be the hardest chapter in the whole Bible. 00:01:56.000 --> 00:01:57.599 So it has been for me. 00:01:57.680 --> 00:01:59.439 I've grappled with it all week. 00:01:59.599 --> 00:02:02.159 And so I'm going to try to make it clear. 00:02:02.319 --> 00:02:03.920 And I want you to know I'm a literalist. 00:02:04.079 --> 00:02:14.800 So I am a literalist in the sense of a premillennial interpretation in my eschatology of Revelation. 00:02:15.199 --> 00:02:31.360 Yes, it's symbolic, but that it's literal in the sense of the things that John saw, he wrote down what he saw, but they were symbolic prophetically of something that was going to happen in the future. 00:02:31.680 --> 00:02:36.800 So, as I said last week, you can turn to your neighbor and say he could be wrong. 00:02:37.199 --> 00:02:38.879 Because I could be wrong. 00:02:39.120 --> 00:02:42.719 But from my understanding, I'm going to do the best that I can. 00:02:42.879 --> 00:02:48.319 This, there's a bunch of stuff we can say about Babylon, and we're going to do part two next week. 00:02:48.560 --> 00:02:54.800 But this is the spiritual Babylon, not the physical Babylon that I'm going to speak of today. 00:02:55.199 --> 00:03:03.680 And then next week I'm going to talk about the physical Babylon, which I believe is being rebuilt right now in Iraq. 00:03:03.919 --> 00:03:06.400 And so we'll talk more about that next week. 00:03:06.479 --> 00:03:15.439 But this is the spiritual Babylon, because Babylon can be seen spiritually, economically, and geographically. 00:03:15.680 --> 00:03:19.039 So I'm going to talk about the spiritual because that's what chapter 17 is about. 00:03:19.280 --> 00:03:22.319 You'll understand it in about 30 minutes when we get to the end of it. 00:03:22.400 --> 00:03:23.360 You'll see what I'm talking about. 00:03:23.439 --> 00:03:25.759 But let's look at chapter 17 of Revelation. 00:03:25.919 --> 00:03:38.240 It's on the app, or if you just have your Bible with you, just we're going to go verse by verse through this and do the best that we can in discerning what God's saying to us today. 00:03:38.560 --> 00:03:40.400 This, oh, let me just start before I say this. 00:03:40.560 --> 00:03:44.960 This is, for you that haven't been here, this is the 41st message in Revelation. 00:03:45.120 --> 00:03:53.280 And we're in the final three and a half years, the very end, the last days of the last days of the reign of the Antichrist. 00:03:53.360 --> 00:03:56.639 So the Antichrist has a one-world government at this point. 00:03:56.960 --> 00:04:06.960 He has amalgamated, and this is really the definition in a sense of the spiritual Babylon, he has amalgamated all religions into one. 00:04:07.280 --> 00:04:11.039 So that's really important as a precursor as we launch into this. 00:04:11.280 --> 00:04:29.199 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying to me, Come and I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters. 00:04:29.439 --> 00:04:37.199 So this is only the second time in Revelation that the angel has invited John to come and see something. 00:04:37.360 --> 00:04:39.360 The other one was chapter 4, verse 1. 00:04:39.519 --> 00:04:47.920 In chapter 4, verse 1, the angel says to John, come up, I've got something to show you that's going to happen in the future. 00:04:48.079 --> 00:04:49.439 And then he sees heaven. 00:04:49.680 --> 00:04:57.040 And I've said this before, and I'll emphasize it again: that chapter 4 and 5 of Revelation is a picture of heaven. 00:04:57.199 --> 00:04:58.560 And so he sees heaven. 00:04:58.639 --> 00:04:59.360 So that's huge. 00:04:59.519 --> 00:05:04.639 Well, he doesn't use the phrase, come and see again until here, and it'll come one more time. 00:05:04.800 --> 00:05:05.680 So this is huge. 00:05:05.839 --> 00:05:24.800 This is something that for some reason John wrote down for us an angel, these angels in chapter 16 we covered last week, who had just dispensed the seven bowls of wrath upon the face of the earth, says, now come up. 00:05:24.959 --> 00:05:26.000 I want to show you something. 00:05:26.160 --> 00:05:27.839 So this is important, men and women. 00:05:28.319 --> 00:05:31.040 This is an important thing that he's going to see. 00:05:31.120 --> 00:05:39.920 And he says, there is this judgment coming on the great harlot who sits on many waters. 00:05:40.160 --> 00:05:44.720 Now, go down to verse 15 and explains the many waters. 00:05:44.959 --> 00:05:55.360 Then he said to me, The waters which you saw where the harlot sits are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues. 00:05:55.600 --> 00:06:02.800 So we're looking at this one world government that this harlot sits upon. 00:06:02.959 --> 00:06:09.040 The spiritual Babylon church is the harlot all through Scripture. 00:06:09.519 --> 00:06:26.480 Babylon, and we'll cover this in just a moment, is this harlot of fornication, spiritual fornication upon the earth through false religion, false spirituality. 00:06:27.040 --> 00:06:29.519 We're in the midst of it right now. 00:06:29.600 --> 00:06:33.439 And really, I think since then it's been true through all time. 00:06:34.399 --> 00:06:39.600 But America is unique in being one of the only countries. 00:06:39.839 --> 00:06:42.800 Now there's a few in Africa now that are really modern. 00:06:42.879 --> 00:06:48.959 In other words, they've been established in the last 15 or 20 years, but they have so much tribal issues, it's totally different. 00:06:49.120 --> 00:07:03.040 But in a category of itself is the United States of America that was established through our Constitution, our Declaration of Independence, on this idea of one nation under God. 00:07:04.079 --> 00:07:06.639 So here's what's unique, and here's what's interesting. 00:07:06.800 --> 00:07:27.759 When we look at what's happened really since the 1960s onward, and I would say probably around 1962, as prayer was taken out of schools, as the civil rights movement was growing, as we saw liberal education take a turn to the left that was different, actually, than the definition of liberal education. 00:07:28.079 --> 00:07:38.160 Liberal education, in and of itself, is the idea of being open to all sides, being open to all discussion, and that's what made our country great. 00:07:38.240 --> 00:07:40.959 We've always been a country that was open to discussion. 00:07:41.199 --> 00:07:47.839 Well, now it's open to discussion only if you fall into this particular category. 00:07:47.920 --> 00:07:53.600 And so there's been this shift, and that's the spirit of Babylon of coming in to our nation. 00:07:53.839 --> 00:08:07.759 From whom and with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication. 00:08:07.920 --> 00:08:09.120 Now, interesting. 00:08:09.279 --> 00:08:14.639 Chapter 12, verse 3, turn there, chapter 12, verse 3. 00:08:16.319 --> 00:08:17.600 Stay right there. 00:08:18.160 --> 00:08:19.439 Hold your finger there. 00:08:19.519 --> 00:08:20.800 Here's the deal. 00:08:21.519 --> 00:08:25.839 People are incurably religious. 00:08:26.879 --> 00:08:33.279 So Lennon had it right when he said religion is the opiate of the people. 00:08:34.240 --> 00:09:02.559 So this Antichrist figure, this one world leader, now has the earth, as we saw on the sea of the ocean, this picture of a sea of all the kings and nations and ethno groups coming together to fornicate, to spiritually commit adultery against the living and the one true God. 00:09:04.320 --> 00:09:06.080 And then look at verse 3. 00:09:06.399 --> 00:09:11.440 He carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness. 00:09:12.799 --> 00:09:24.080 And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. 00:09:24.159 --> 00:09:29.840 So in chapter 12, verse 3, it's a fiery red dragon. 00:09:30.000 --> 00:09:35.679 Look at that, chapter 12, verse 3, a fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns. 00:09:36.080 --> 00:09:43.279 Then in chapter 13, look at chapter 13, verse 1, it's the beast with seven heads and ten horns. 00:09:43.919 --> 00:09:57.840 So the Antichrist is personally embodying this Babylonian system that I believe is a synergy of the false prophet. 00:09:58.000 --> 00:10:01.200 Remember, we talked about, we talked about the unholy trinity. 00:10:01.360 --> 00:10:09.279 This unholy trinity of the beast, the Antichrist, this false prophet, and then Satan himself. 00:10:09.440 --> 00:10:24.080 And so they're amalgamating into whatever this means of seven heads and ten horns, this, I would call it the beast religious system, kind of the beast religious system. 00:10:25.440 --> 00:10:46.960 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. 00:10:48.799 --> 00:11:02.240 And on her forehead a name was written, Mystery Babylon, the great, the mother of harlots and the abominations of the earth. 00:11:02.320 --> 00:11:03.279 So there you have it. 00:11:03.519 --> 00:11:22.320 This mystery Babylon, this great city, which we'll talk about next week, this great economic powerhouse, we'll talk about that next week, but this spiritual mother of all harlots and of the abominations of the earth. 00:11:22.480 --> 00:11:25.440 Now it says she had a forehead with her name on it. 00:11:25.679 --> 00:11:31.600 Roman prostitutes had to wear a headband with their name on it. 00:11:31.919 --> 00:11:39.840 And this is obviously not a real harlot because I think she wouldn't be very successful if she said, if she had seven heads and ten horns. 00:11:40.720 --> 00:11:42.720 I'm not real smart, I figured that out. 00:11:42.879 --> 00:11:46.320 Okay, so it's not a real, it's not a real prostitute. 00:11:46.559 --> 00:11:55.679 But what's interesting about Mystery Babylon is that it's mentioned, listen now, it's mentioned six times in the book of Revelation, six times. 00:11:56.000 --> 00:11:59.919 Six always represents carnality in the Bible. 00:12:00.159 --> 00:12:02.080 Seven represents perfection. 00:12:02.240 --> 00:12:03.759 Seven represents God. 00:12:03.919 --> 00:12:06.159 Remember the sign of the beast? 00:12:06.559 --> 00:12:08.960 Six, six, six. 00:12:09.519 --> 00:12:13.519 Mentioned, Babylon mentioned six times in the book of Revelation. 00:12:13.600 --> 00:12:22.240 And listen to this: six chapters of the 66 books of the Bible, and all the chapters that encompasses, six chapters in the Bible are given to Babylon. 00:12:22.320 --> 00:12:24.879 I encourage you to read this this week. 00:12:25.039 --> 00:12:30.399 You'll find it fascinating when we study the next chapter next week, but let me give it to you. 00:12:30.559 --> 00:12:33.840 That would be Isaiah 13 and 14 is about Babylon. 00:12:34.080 --> 00:12:44.799 Isaiah 13 and 14, Jeremiah 50 and 51, and Revelation 17 and 18. 00:12:44.960 --> 00:12:49.200 Six chapters, the number of carnality, are all about Babylon. 00:12:49.360 --> 00:12:53.600 Babylon was the eastern capital of Alexander the Great, which is quite interesting. 00:12:54.159 --> 00:13:03.840 Actually, Babylon has been taken over many times, but not virtually and completely destroyed like it will be in the last days. 00:13:04.720 --> 00:13:12.799 So he sees this woman arrayed in purple and scarlet and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls. 00:13:12.960 --> 00:13:16.320 And I believe this is the economic power of the Antichrist. 00:13:16.480 --> 00:13:28.720 This is the beauty from a carnal, fleshly perspective of his control over the seaports and his control of all the trade in these last days. 00:13:30.000 --> 00:13:32.240 She's holding a cup of abominations. 00:13:32.320 --> 00:13:35.919 She's involved in the wealth of the globe. 00:13:37.039 --> 00:13:44.639 Church, really, the Bible could be defined as a tale of two cities. 00:13:45.679 --> 00:13:53.519 So more than just a Charles Dickens novel, there's a tale of two cities, and it's Jerusalem and Babylon. 00:13:54.000 --> 00:14:10.720 Jerusalem representing the one true God, Jesus Christ, Yahweh, a Jewish nation, a nation built on the foundations of the Torah, built on the books of the Bible that we now have as our Christian Bible, Jerusalem. 00:14:11.519 --> 00:14:12.799 And then there's Babylon. 00:14:12.960 --> 00:14:16.240 Babylon is always seen as a spiritual fornicator. 00:14:16.799 --> 00:14:22.320 Babylon is always seen of all those things that are evil and unjust and wrong. 00:14:22.480 --> 00:14:28.320 And so in the scriptures, you have Babylon mentioned 287 times. 00:14:28.879 --> 00:14:32.960 And you have Jerusalem mentioned 821 times. 00:14:33.440 --> 00:14:40.559 Jerusalem, God's plan and salvation, and Babylon, the antithesis of God's plan. 00:14:40.799 --> 00:14:44.960 So we can almost see it as, you know, the great city and the anti-city. 00:14:45.519 --> 00:14:48.639 The great salvation, the anti-salvation. 00:14:48.879 --> 00:14:50.960 Jerusalem and Babylon. 00:14:51.600 --> 00:14:55.600 Now, turning your Bibles to Genesis chapter 10. 00:14:55.679 --> 00:15:00.399 So Genesis chapter 10, and this is the table of nations. 00:15:00.799 --> 00:15:01.120 Dr. 00:15:01.200 --> 00:15:01.679 William F. 00:15:01.919 --> 00:15:15.519 Albright, not a believer, but a world-class archaeologist and anthropologist, has said, and I quote, the table of nations in Genesis 10 is unparalleled and unsurpassed in its accuracy. 00:15:16.399 --> 00:15:20.559 Didn't pick that one up in your archaeology class in college, did you? 00:15:21.679 --> 00:15:26.320 Genesis chapter 10, and I want you to look at verse 8. 00:15:26.480 --> 00:15:36.799 So what we're dealing with here is what happened to the sons and the grandchildren and the great-grandchildren of Noah after the flood. 00:15:36.879 --> 00:15:37.919 And this is important. 00:15:38.559 --> 00:15:42.879 Cush, verse 8, begot Nimrod. 00:15:44.240 --> 00:15:49.360 Nimrod began to be a mighty one on the earth. 00:15:49.519 --> 00:15:52.879 He's the great grandson of Noah. 00:15:53.279 --> 00:15:57.120 Now here's what's interesting about Nimrod. 00:15:57.360 --> 00:16:06.480 Nimrod in Hebrew, the verb form is Marad, which means the one who rebels, the rebellious one. 00:16:06.639 --> 00:16:08.000 Now look at verse 9. 00:16:08.320 --> 00:16:11.200 And we've read verse 9 before on some of my hunting trips. 00:16:11.360 --> 00:16:13.440 I will not do this in the future. 00:16:14.320 --> 00:16:18.720 He was a mighty hunter before the Lord. 00:16:19.519 --> 00:16:25.120 Therefore, it is said, like Nimrod, the mighty hunter before the Lord. 00:16:25.279 --> 00:16:26.799 Now here's what's interesting. 00:16:27.120 --> 00:16:36.960 Most commentators, evangelical commentators who study this say that the translation might be more accurate to be this. 00:17:04.400 --> 00:17:06.640 Now look at the next verse. 00:17:06.960 --> 00:17:09.839 And the beginning of his kingdom was what? 00:17:10.720 --> 00:17:11.359 Babel. 00:17:12.640 --> 00:17:13.119 Babel. 00:17:13.359 --> 00:17:20.880 This is the beginning of the systems and the actual city of Babylon. 00:17:21.200 --> 00:17:22.640 But he doesn't end there. 00:17:22.880 --> 00:17:32.400 It says then Erech, Akad, and Kalina in the land of Shannar, which is present-day Iraq. 00:17:32.640 --> 00:17:34.559 So here's what's interesting. 00:17:35.119 --> 00:17:44.160 Many people who have studied this stuff will say that they believe Nimrod was the first world dictator. 00:17:44.559 --> 00:17:50.000 That he was a type of antichrist in the days to come ahead in the future. 00:17:50.400 --> 00:17:53.359 In the sense that he controlled the economies. 00:17:53.680 --> 00:17:54.960 Remember, everybody's still there. 00:17:55.039 --> 00:17:56.000 We just had the flood. 00:17:56.160 --> 00:18:01.519 These are the great, these are the grand, these are the sons, the grandsons, and the great-grandsons of Noah. 00:18:01.680 --> 00:18:05.200 And here he begins to build at Babel what? 00:18:06.319 --> 00:18:07.920 A great tower. 00:18:08.799 --> 00:18:10.799 And that's covered in chapter 11. 00:18:10.880 --> 00:18:18.240 We're not going to go into that because of time, but he begins to build this tower against God, to oppose God. 00:18:18.400 --> 00:18:20.720 And he begins to set up this system. 00:18:21.440 --> 00:18:22.559 It doesn't end there though. 00:18:22.799 --> 00:18:25.039 Now it's going to really get spooky for you. 00:18:25.359 --> 00:18:26.000 Ready? 00:18:26.400 --> 00:18:26.720 Okay. 00:18:27.440 --> 00:18:32.960 Tradition has it that Nimrod was the leader who built the Tower of Babel. 00:18:33.519 --> 00:18:37.839 And it is said that he had taken a wife, and her name was Samirimas. 00:18:38.160 --> 00:18:40.160 I could be mispronouncing that, but Simarimis. 00:18:40.480 --> 00:18:44.640 Legend has it that she was impregnated by a sunbeam. 00:18:46.240 --> 00:18:47.519 Not a mixer. 00:18:47.839 --> 00:18:49.279 Okay, a sunbeam. 00:18:49.519 --> 00:18:52.480 So she was impregnated by a sunbeam. 00:18:54.720 --> 00:19:00.880 And she became a god-like image in ancient legends. 00:19:01.119 --> 00:19:06.720 And she was called the queen of heaven and the mother of the earth. 00:19:07.039 --> 00:19:08.640 Now follow me in this. 00:19:09.119 --> 00:19:14.400 Supposedly she had a son by a miraculous birth from the sunbeam. 00:19:16.000 --> 00:19:18.000 She named him Tamus. 00:19:18.079 --> 00:19:20.319 How many have heard the name Tamus? 00:19:20.640 --> 00:19:20.960 Okay. 00:19:21.279 --> 00:19:24.240 You that are kind of maybe you've studied cultures, you know that term. 00:19:24.799 --> 00:19:25.680 It's going to become familiar. 00:19:26.000 --> 00:19:34.720 Tamose was supposedly gored by a wild boar, and after 40 days, so well, I said that wrong. 00:19:34.960 --> 00:19:46.480 He was gored by a boar and died, but then 40 days later, through the mourning of Samirius, was raised from the dead. 00:19:46.880 --> 00:19:53.119 And the symbol of Tamus is Tao, which is a cross. 00:19:54.400 --> 00:19:56.559 Does any of this sound familiar to you? 00:19:57.759 --> 00:20:14.160 The ancient art that we have of the legend of Nimrod and Samirimas is of a Madonna holding a child, Samirimas, Tamus, with a halo over both of their heads. 00:20:15.279 --> 00:20:17.279 Ever seen those pictures before? 00:20:17.599 --> 00:20:19.279 So there's two ways to look at it. 00:20:19.359 --> 00:20:30.880 And I remember being in a discussion with someone, a really close friend of mine, and they say, well, I mean, the whole idea of the of the virgin birth of Mary, I mean, that there's all kinds of cultures that have that and the flood and all that. 00:20:31.039 --> 00:20:35.359 And I remember saying, right, to my point. 00:20:35.920 --> 00:20:48.319 So on the one hand, they took it as just a copy, what they should have taken, and at the end of our discussion, I think they walked away at least shaking their head a little bit, is that Satan's doing the copying. 00:20:48.720 --> 00:20:58.960 So before Jesus is born, before Mary was impregnated by the Holy Spirit, there was this spirit of Babylon. 00:20:59.039 --> 00:21:00.559 Because listen to what it says. 00:21:00.799 --> 00:21:09.359 Mystery Babylon the Great, listen, the mother of harlots and the abominations of the earth. 00:21:10.640 --> 00:21:15.279 Church, starting at Babel, was the mother of harlots. 00:21:15.839 --> 00:21:20.079 It's been a part of the systems of the world ever since then. 00:21:20.720 --> 00:21:27.200 Pervading and idolatry, pervading and all kinds of abominations of spirituality. 00:21:27.920 --> 00:21:44.319 And the imagery of the Madonna being impregnated by a sunbeam or being impregnated by the sun god to be the mother of the earth or the mother of the sun, the sun god, which is what we we called her in Japan, the sun goddess. 00:21:45.200 --> 00:21:59.759 And many of you don't know this, but the emperor actually enters into a holy chamber, tradition has it, and he literally does this to have relations with the sun goddess in Japan. 00:22:01.440 --> 00:22:04.960 So here's what here's what I mean it pervades cultures. 00:22:06.160 --> 00:22:10.160 Follow it to Egypt and you have Isis and Osarius. 00:22:10.960 --> 00:22:14.880 Follow it to Assyria and you have Ishtar and Tamus. 00:22:15.839 --> 00:22:25.759 Same thing in Babylon with Nebuchadnezzar, the Ishtar gates, and 180 Ishtar idols in Babylon at the time. 00:22:25.920 --> 00:22:31.039 In Persia, Ishtar and Ashtar, and Baal as Tamus. 00:22:31.519 --> 00:22:34.799 In Greece, you have Ashtarite and Erath. 00:22:34.960 --> 00:22:37.440 In Rome, you have Venus and Cupid. 00:22:38.000 --> 00:22:45.920 There are over 200 cultures, men and women, on the earth today that have written about a worldwide flood. 00:22:46.640 --> 00:23:06.000 And there's 40 nations, 40 cultures, I said that wrong, not nations, 40 cultures that have in their tradition a worldwide flood and a Madonna figure with a miraculous birth and a child that's raised from the dead. 00:23:06.160 --> 00:23:11.680 In India, it's Eseth and Ashwara, and in Asia, Subila and Alias. 00:23:12.319 --> 00:23:16.720 All coming, church, from the fountainhead of Babylon. 00:23:17.920 --> 00:23:31.039 Read in your spare time Jeremiah 44 and Ezekiel 8, and you'll see even Israel mourning the worship of the God of heaven, Tamus. 00:23:31.680 --> 00:23:35.839 Even Israel fornicated, because this is that spirit. 00:23:36.640 --> 00:23:39.440 The spirit of Babylon. 00:23:41.359 --> 00:23:48.079 I saw the woman, verse 6, back to Revelation 17, drunk with the blood of the saints. 00:23:48.319 --> 00:23:50.960 This is about we're about we're moving into some comic relief here. 00:23:51.200 --> 00:23:58.079 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. 00:23:58.960 --> 00:24:10.559 So what John sees is he sees that the spirit of Babylon is, oh my goodness, that's what was happening in Israel all in the past. 00:24:11.599 --> 00:24:15.039 That's what's happening with the saints in the New Testament, too. 00:24:15.359 --> 00:24:21.759 The slaughter of the believers is the spirit of Babylon. 00:24:23.359 --> 00:24:34.319 And so he sees that, and he and he must have thought about Babylon and Egypt and Persia and Rome, these religious systems, and he's staggered by Mystery Babylon. 00:24:34.400 --> 00:24:36.240 And then now, look at verse 7. 00:24:36.720 --> 00:24:37.680 Angels are. 00:24:37.920 --> 00:24:43.119 I mean, angels are cool, but I don't know where they're coming from sometimes. 00:24:43.279 --> 00:24:44.400 I mean, I really don't. 00:24:45.279 --> 00:24:48.720 The angel said to me, Why do you marvel? 00:24:49.839 --> 00:24:55.440 I will tell you the mystery of the woman of the beast that carries her, which has seven heads and ten horns. 00:24:55.680 --> 00:24:56.640 You know what this reminds me? 00:24:56.720 --> 00:24:57.039 I read something. 00:24:59.119 --> 00:25:05.279 It's like, here comes Mary and the ladies to the tomb. 00:25:05.519 --> 00:25:17.200 They got spices for Jesus, and then here's two shining guys, angels, and they say, Why are you why are you seeking the living among the dead? 00:25:18.720 --> 00:25:21.759 I mean, nobody's told them anything, right? 00:25:22.319 --> 00:25:23.920 That's not fair. 00:25:24.880 --> 00:25:29.039 And then, you know, and then we see Jesus ascending to heaven. 00:25:29.359 --> 00:25:34.319 And then in Acts it says an angel showed up and said, Why are you staring up into heaven? 00:25:34.960 --> 00:25:37.759 I mean, if you were just hanging out with Jesus right there, right? 00:25:37.920 --> 00:25:43.759 And he just and he decided to rise up, I can't think of anything better to do than watch him go up. 00:25:44.319 --> 00:25:46.079 Then why are you doing that? 00:25:46.480 --> 00:25:48.720 And so John sees this staggering thing. 00:25:48.799 --> 00:25:57.759 He means he sees this harlot on a beast, and there's seven heads, and there's ten horns, and then the angel says, Why are you marveling at this? 00:26:00.799 --> 00:26:03.759 And then I love what the angel does next. 00:26:04.000 --> 00:26:06.559 Here's the angel's explanation. 00:26:07.680 --> 00:26:08.319 Alright? 00:26:08.640 --> 00:26:09.440 Here we go. 00:26:09.599 --> 00:26:11.039 Y'all ready for this? 00:26:11.359 --> 00:26:13.599 So I marvel with great amazement. 00:26:13.680 --> 00:26:15.759 The angel said, Why do you marvel? 00:26:16.240 --> 00:26:19.519 I will tell you, I will tell you now the mystery. 00:26:19.680 --> 00:26:21.119 I'm gonna tell you the mystery. 00:26:21.279 --> 00:26:26.960 I'm gonna let you know the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has seven heads and ten horns. 00:26:27.039 --> 00:26:28.799 Now listen to the angel's explanation. 00:26:29.200 --> 00:26:29.920 Ready for this? 00:26:30.160 --> 00:26:34.960 The beast that you saw was and is not and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition. 00:26:35.119 --> 00:26:43.680 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. 00:26:43.839 --> 00:26:49.039 Here is the mind which has wisdom, the seven heads and seven mountains on which the woman sits. 00:26:49.200 --> 00:26:53.279 There are also seven kings, five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come. 00:26:53.440 --> 00:27:08.240 And when he comes, he must continue a short time, and the beast that was and is not is himself also the eight, and of the seven, and is going to perdition, and the ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they received authority for one hour as kings of the earth. 00:27:08.319 --> 00:27:09.359 Thank you, Angel. 00:27:09.519 --> 00:27:11.519 I really appreciate that explanation. 00:27:13.200 --> 00:27:15.519 That's really, really helpful. 00:27:19.119 --> 00:27:22.480 I'm glad angels didn't write scripture. 00:27:22.720 --> 00:27:23.039 Okay? 00:27:23.759 --> 00:27:25.200 But let's try to tackle it. 00:27:25.519 --> 00:27:26.319 What's going on here? 00:27:26.480 --> 00:27:27.440 Look at verse 8. 00:27:27.680 --> 00:27:34.160 He does say the beast that you saw was and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition. 00:27:34.319 --> 00:27:42.559 If you recall in chapter 13, when we looked at the qualities and the characteristics of the Antichrist, and you can go back and find that message. 00:27:42.720 --> 00:27:49.039 I mentioned this deadly wound, this deadly head wound that was healed. 00:27:49.359 --> 00:27:58.880 So I believe as we read this, he says, he is, he was, but then he was not, but then he ascends out of. 00:27:59.359 --> 00:28:08.079 It's this picture, I believe, of the of this world dictator, the Antichrist, who's been, I don't know if he was shot or somehow he was dead. 00:28:08.240 --> 00:28:10.720 It appears that he was dead, and then he resurrected. 00:28:10.799 --> 00:28:14.880 And you can go back and listen to my explanation of that. 00:28:15.200 --> 00:28:16.079 Verse 9. 00:28:16.319 --> 00:28:23.039 Here is the mind which has wisdom, the seven heads are the seven mountains on which the woman sits. 00:28:23.200 --> 00:28:26.400 Now, anybody at the time of John would have said this is Rome. 00:28:26.799 --> 00:28:29.599 Because Rome is known as a city on seven hills. 00:28:29.759 --> 00:28:34.240 And so the explanation to them, but it's so much broader than that. 00:28:34.559 --> 00:28:41.279 And that's because of the rest of what he says about these seven heads and these seven mountains. 00:28:42.480 --> 00:28:46.480 Church, there's some interesting stuff happening right now. 00:28:47.119 --> 00:28:51.599 And there's so much we could cover, and I'm way over time, and I'm not even done yet. 00:28:51.759 --> 00:28:58.480 But let me just say this that there is, how many of you are familiar with the Ark of Hope? 00:28:58.720 --> 00:29:00.319 Anyone familiar with the Ark of Hope? 00:29:00.480 --> 00:29:01.440 That's what I thought. 00:29:01.680 --> 00:29:10.240 The Ark of Hope was put together and it's been shown at the UN, and it's actually gone all over the world. 00:29:10.319 --> 00:29:13.680 And the Ark of Hope is a copy of the Ark of the Covenant. 00:29:13.839 --> 00:29:17.759 It's actually, it was created by John D. 00:29:17.839 --> 00:29:25.279 Rockefeller and his friends along with Maurice Strong and Mikhail Gorbachev. 00:29:25.839 --> 00:29:35.440 And it and it and when you go in, you can just put an Ark of Hope, you can look it up, and you can see this chest that looks exactly like the Ark of the Covenant. 00:29:36.000 --> 00:29:39.920 I don't believe it's, I'm not sure if it's acacia wood or not that you carry it with. 00:29:40.000 --> 00:29:44.559 It might be, but inside is a new Ten Commandments. 00:29:44.880 --> 00:29:49.359 A Ten Commandments for a one world religion. 00:29:49.920 --> 00:29:56.799 And this Ark of Hope is gaining popularity among different groups, different political groups. 00:29:57.039 --> 00:30:02.000 But the idea is of a one-world government and a one-world religion. 00:30:02.160 --> 00:30:05.680 This is, men and women, this is the system of the Babylonians. 00:30:05.839 --> 00:30:07.759 This is the Babylonian system. 00:30:08.799 --> 00:30:10.079 Don't miss this. 00:30:11.039 --> 00:30:13.279 If you get this, you got the main point. 00:30:13.599 --> 00:30:18.480 All of the Babylonian religious system is inclusive. 00:30:20.160 --> 00:30:23.359 Christianity is exclusive. 00:30:24.400 --> 00:30:29.920 As you start to take a stand, John 14, 6, where Jesus said, I am the way and the truth and the life. 00:30:30.079 --> 00:30:33.440 No one comes to the Father but through me. 00:30:33.680 --> 00:30:39.200 In the years ahead, you will be persecuted, you're derided for that. 00:30:39.519 --> 00:30:46.960 Because it smacks and opposes everything about the Babylonian system that's beginning to pervade the globe. 00:30:48.720 --> 00:30:50.640 And here's what's exciting, though. 00:30:50.799 --> 00:30:54.000 What's exciting is there's going to be revival. 00:30:54.240 --> 00:30:58.960 There's going to be a mighty, mighty move of God in the last days. 00:30:59.119 --> 00:31:12.319 The Catholic Church is right now, Time Magazine reports, working on a catechism for the universal church that brings Islam, Christianity, and Judaism together into one religion. 00:31:13.200 --> 00:31:14.079 Verse 10. 00:31:14.240 --> 00:31:15.759 There are also seven kings. 00:31:15.920 --> 00:31:19.680 Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come. 00:31:19.759 --> 00:31:22.640 And when he comes, he must continue a short time. 00:31:23.039 --> 00:31:35.599 So this at the time of John hearing this, I believe that he would be speaking of the religious systems of Egypt, Syria, Nebuchadnezzar's Babylon, Mesopotamia, Greece, and Rome. 00:31:35.759 --> 00:31:37.200 Five have fallen. 00:31:38.079 --> 00:31:42.640 And then five have fallen and now is, and that would be Rome. 00:31:42.720 --> 00:31:44.640 So Rome is in control at that time. 00:31:44.720 --> 00:31:49.839 And then this next kingdom that he's about to talk about, I believe, is the Antichrist system. 00:31:50.240 --> 00:31:58.000 The beast that was and is not is himself also the eighth and is of the seventh and is going to perdition. 00:31:58.160 --> 00:31:59.519 I love this going to perdition part. 00:31:59.599 --> 00:32:00.720 That's really encouraging. 00:32:00.880 --> 00:32:09.279 The ten horns, which you saw, are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they've received authority for one hour as kings with the beast. 00:32:09.519 --> 00:32:15.920 Now I remember back years ago, people talking about Europe representing these ten nations. 00:32:16.160 --> 00:32:19.839 I would say that I believe today it's ten regions of the world. 00:32:20.000 --> 00:32:25.359 There's probably ten regions of the world that will rise up and amalgamate into one. 00:32:25.759 --> 00:32:28.079 But then here's the trump card. 00:32:28.799 --> 00:32:30.000 Verse 14. 00:32:30.799 --> 00:32:38.079 These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them. 00:32:38.400 --> 00:32:49.680 For he is Lord of lords, King of Kings, and those who are with him are called chosen and faithful. 00:32:49.839 --> 00:32:51.519 Now look around this room. 00:32:51.680 --> 00:32:54.720 Isn't that a wonderful title for this crowd? 00:32:55.039 --> 00:32:56.480 That's you guys. 00:32:57.119 --> 00:33:02.400 You are called chosen, faithful. 00:33:03.599 --> 00:33:06.799 You are called chosen and faithful. 00:33:07.039 --> 00:33:18.400 And the only reason you are is because he who knew no sin became sin on your behalf that you might be the righteousness of God. 00:33:19.119 --> 00:33:27.200 The Bible tells us, the book of Revelation tells us that Jesus is the one who was and is and is to come. 00:33:27.599 --> 00:33:31.759 Because he is the one who was, he can say you are justified. 00:33:32.559 --> 00:33:36.960 Because he is the one who is, he can say you are sanctified. 00:33:37.200 --> 00:33:41.359 And because he is the one that is to come, he can say you will be glorified. 00:33:42.079 --> 00:33:45.599 The dragon is at war, church. 00:33:46.799 --> 00:33:48.720 We are in a war. 00:33:50.880 --> 00:33:56.480 My prayer every Sunday is to equip the saints. 00:33:56.960 --> 00:34:10.079 Through our worship, through our prayers, through our mission teams, even through our announcements, that you would come out of here more equipped than you came in for the battles ahead, because life is hard. 00:34:10.239 --> 00:34:12.960 If life's been easy for you, just hang in there. 00:34:13.039 --> 00:34:14.239 It'll get harder. 00:34:15.519 --> 00:34:24.800 But as we discover how to walk in victory, it's trusting in Christ and knowing that he's the Lord of Lords and the King of kings. 00:34:24.880 --> 00:34:27.119 And here's what I think he means by Lord of Lords. 00:34:27.440 --> 00:34:31.360 He is the Lord over your overlords. 00:34:32.800 --> 00:34:46.480 If you are addicted to some substance, if you're addicted to sex, if you're addicted to pot, if you're addicted to cocaine, you have a Lord in your life. 00:34:47.280 --> 00:34:50.239 And it's a cruel taskmaster. 00:34:50.639 --> 00:34:54.320 Sin is always a cruel taskmaster. 00:34:54.960 --> 00:34:58.320 Pride is a cruel taskmaster. 00:34:59.119 --> 00:35:03.199 Your way or the highway is a cruel taskmaster. 00:35:03.440 --> 00:35:07.199 He can be Lord of that Lord in your life. 00:35:07.360 --> 00:35:08.480 Will you give it to him? 00:35:08.880 --> 00:35:17.360 When you give it to him, capital L, Jesus Christ becomes Lord over that taskmaster, and he begins to set you free. 00:35:18.000 --> 00:35:20.079 And he's the king of kings. 00:35:21.360 --> 00:35:30.159 And so he is the king of all the presidents and all the prime ministers and all the emperors and all the leaders of the earth. 00:35:30.480 --> 00:35:35.760 He is actually moving and forming a direction for his greater glory. 00:35:35.920 --> 00:35:37.519 And we get to be a part of it. 00:35:37.760 --> 00:35:39.679 And then we are called. 00:35:40.159 --> 00:35:45.280 And we're called, not because we have a calling into full-time vocational Christian work. 00:35:45.519 --> 00:35:52.960 Very few of us, 99.1%, are not called to that, but we're all called to mission. 00:35:53.840 --> 00:36:01.679 Whatever job you're in, whatever work you do, you're called to be a wholehearted disciple right there. 00:36:02.719 --> 00:36:05.679 You're called to be a part of the Springs Initiative. 00:36:06.400 --> 00:36:13.440 To show up with a paintbrush in your hand and a rake and gloves and get dirty for Jesus. 00:36:13.760 --> 00:36:24.400 One of the things that my dad gave me, and I'll share this more next week, was a love and a compassion for the underprivileged. 00:36:24.880 --> 00:36:28.559 For those who had not been blessed with as much as I'd been given. 00:36:28.800 --> 00:36:34.800 And in the South, where I grew up, in South Carolina, near my granddaddy's ranch, we had everything. 00:36:35.920 --> 00:36:40.960 He drove a Pontiac, Bonneville, baby blue. 00:36:41.679 --> 00:36:43.360 Only on Sunday. 00:36:44.079 --> 00:36:45.360 We'd all get in there. 00:36:45.519 --> 00:36:49.599 And then he'd go park it in the garage, and we'd never see it again until next Sunday. 00:36:49.920 --> 00:36:56.800 But right across the tracks, literally railroad tracks, were those in shanties and shacks. 00:36:57.840 --> 00:36:59.760 And I'll tell you more about that next week. 00:36:59.920 --> 00:37:02.960 But we're called to love people. 00:37:03.199 --> 00:37:05.360 We're all called on a mission. 00:37:06.719 --> 00:37:10.639 And he says, you're not only called, what does he say? 00:37:11.119 --> 00:37:12.800 He says you're chosen. 00:37:13.920 --> 00:37:15.360 Folks, you're beloved. 00:37:16.320 --> 00:37:25.920 You've got Jesus Christ's genes flowing in your spiritual bloodstream. 00:37:26.639 --> 00:37:28.239 You're a child of God. 00:37:30.000 --> 00:37:34.000 Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. 00:37:34.480 --> 00:37:37.519 Jesus said, the works you've seen me doing, they've been really great. 00:37:37.760 --> 00:37:38.880 Greater works. 00:37:39.119 --> 00:37:41.199