The Great Harlot
CHAPTER 17:1-18
THE JUDGMENT OF THE GREAT HARLOT
Review Last Lesson: Last lesson in Chapter 16 of Revelation, we covered the judgment and the wrath of God being poured out on all sinners.
LESSON
This lesson we will cover the special judgment of the Great Harlot. It is clear that this great Harlot is a false religious system. Those caught up in this false system will suffer greatly as God has prepared as special judgment for her. Chapter 17 says “they shall wonder, whose names were not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world when they behold the beast that was and is not and yet is.” They will realize that they had followed a false god. This religious is a very powerful system in the world today.
The fall of Babylon is a continuation of the same judgment. God said to Babylon (which means confusion): 21And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all. 22And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee; 23and the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived. 24And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.
Lesson
“This religious system was pretending to be the bride of Christ.” God will set things straight and all will understand. This is not just one church. It is all churches that do not overcome and all who practice things that God finds abominable. God has had it with the world pretending to worship him, when all they are doing is mocking Him and robbing his children for their gain.
The true test for any church is to honestly examine your spiritual state in relation to the seven churches. It will be your only chance to get it right. Salvation is nothing without repentance. Jesus did not just say, “be baptized”. He said “Repent and be baptized.” Repentance does not mean continuing in the action you are repenting for. It means to have a change of heart and stop doing the things that God says is wrong.
The Bride of Christ must not be whore, sleeping around with someone else’s husband (or wife). She must be pure for her husband. When you are promised by God to marry His Son, you are to act as if you are married already by the promise, and to commit fornication, physical or spiritual, or idolatry, is enough for you to be committed straight to hell and damnation, if you do not repent and stop doing these things.
Remember what Christ said to Thyatira, ”and I will cast her into a bed and, and those committing adultery with her into great affliction, unless they repent, and I will kill her children with death, and all the churches will know that I am he that searches the inner parts and hearts.” God’s not stupid, and you cannot continue to ignore Him as if he does not matter. His patience is getting very thin. Be forewarned!
The Judgment of the Great Harlot
1 And one of the seven angels having the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying to me, Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot sitting on the many waters, 2 with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the ones inhabiting the earth became drunk from the wine of her fornication.
3 And he carried me away into a desert, by the Spirit. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, filled with names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. 4 And the woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and being gilded with gold and precious stone and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominations and unclean things of her fornication.
5 And on her forehead was a name having been written: Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of the Harlots and of the Abominations of the Earth. 6 And I saw the woman being drunk from the blood of the saints, and from the blood of the witnesses of Jesus. And I marveled, seeing her with a great marveling.
7 And the angel said to me, Why did you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast supporting her, the one having the seven heads and the ten horns. 8 The beast which you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss, and goes to perdition. And those dwelling on the earth will marvel, the ones whose names have not been written on the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, seeing the beast, that it was a thing, and is not, yet now is.
9 Here is the mind having wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains, where the woman sits on them. 10 And the kings are seven. The five fell, and the one is, and the other has not yet come. And when he does come, he must remain a little.
11 And the beast which was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goes to perdition. 12 And the ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but will receive authority as kings one hour with the beast. 13 These have one mind, and their power and authority they shall give up to the beast.
14 These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and the ones with Him are the called and elect and faithful ones. 15 And he says to me, The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples and crowds and nations and tongues.
16 And the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will hate the harlot, and will make her desolated and naked. And they will eat her flesh, and will burn her down with fire. 17 For God gave into their hearts to do His mind, and to act in one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. 18 And the woman whom you saw is the great city, having a kingdom over the kings of the earth.
Review Chapter 17
A. Judgment of the Great Harlot
B. She sits on seven mountains with ten kings filled with blasphemy.
C. She is clothed in purple and scarlet and precious stones.
D. She has a golden cup in her hands.
E. Her name is MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
F. She is drunk with the blood of the saints and the blood of the witnesses of Jesus.
G. She rides Satan.
H. Those dwelling on the earth will wonder whose names are not written in the scroll of life when they whore after her.
I. All the kings of the earth will give their power to Satan and go into perdition.
J. They will make war with Christ and Christ will overcome them. Those with Christ are called, elect, and faithful.
K. The waters are many peoples, crowds, nations, and languages.
L. The 10 kings will hate the Harlot and make her desolate. They will eat her flesh and burn her down with fire.
M. God gave into their hearts to do his will and they all act in one accord to give their kingdom to Satan. Sons of Israel, hear the Word of God, for God has a quarrel with the inhabitants of the land; for there is no truth and no mercy, and no knowledge of God in the land. Lying and swearing, and killing, and stealing and the committing of adultery increase, and blood touches against blood.
On account of this the land shall mourn, and every one living in it shall droop, with the beasts of the field, and the birds of the heavens; yes, also the fish of the sea shall be removed. Yet let not a man strive with nor reprove a man. For your people are as a priest striven with. And you shall stumble in the day; and the prophet also shall stumble with at night, and I will cut off your mother.
My people are cut off for lack of knowledge. Because you rejected knowledge, I also rejected you from being priest to Me. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I will forget your sons; even I. As they were increased, so they sinned against Me.
I will change their glory into shame. They eat up the sin of My people, and they lift their vitality to their iniquity. And it will be, like people, like priest. And I will visit their ways on them, and repay them for their deeds. For they shall eat and not have enough. They shall fornicate and not increase because they have ceased heeding God. Fornication and wine, and new wine take away the heart.
My people seek advice by their wooden idols, and their rod declares to them. For the spirit of harlotry has led them astray. And they fornicated under their God. They sacrifice on the tops of mountains, and burn incense on the hills, under oak and poplar and terebinth, because its shade is good. Therefore your daughters shall be harlots, and your brides shall commit adultery. For the men themselves go aside with harlots and they sacrifice with temple prostitutes.
The people who do not understand are thrust down. Israel, though you do harlotry, do not let Judah become guilty. And do not come to Gilgal, nor go up to Beth-aven, nor swear, As God lives. For Israel is stubborn, like a stubborn heifer. Now God will feed them as a lamb in a roomy place. Ephraim is joined to idols. Let him alone. Their drink is sour. They are continually fornicating; her shields dearly love shame. The wind binds her up in her wings; and they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices. Hear this, O priests, and listen house of Israel. And give ear, house of the king. For the judgment is toward you because…..
Chapter 17 Test
- Who committed fornication with the Great Harlot?
- What is her name?
- Describe the beast and what it does?
- What are the seven heads?
- What are the ten horns?
- Who will be with the Lamb?
- What will the ten horns do?
- Who is the woman?
- What is she wearing?
- How long will the beast have the kingdom?