in the book of Revelation chapter
17 is a description of false religion, the false church who
is called the great whore because so many are in love with her
and in bed with her, in league with her. Verse 1, the Lord showed
John The great judgment of the great whore that sits upon many
waters, it says. It says she sits upon many waters. And down in verse 15, it says
these waters. It looks like water, but it's
people. A multitude of people, nations,
and tongues. So very many people as water
are in league with and bed with and love with this great whore,
false religion. Verse 2 says the kings of the
earth, the rulers, commit fornication with her. Inhabitants of the
earth are drunk with the wine of her fornication. Inhabitants
and rulers are all made drunk or intoxicated by her and have
part with her and made rich by her and with her. It says in
another place, merchants of the world do great business with
her. There's much money today in false religion. And it's significant,
people, those who listen, this is significant, that false religion
is portrayed as a woman. Since the leading religion in
the world, Roman Catholicism, worships a woman named Mary,
calling her Queen of Heaven, Mother of God, and the co-redeemer. In verse 3 it says that this
woman has names of blasphemy. Names of blasphemy. And those
things attributed to Mary are absolute blasphemy. Queen of
Heaven. There is no such person. Mother
of God. There is no such person. Co-redeemer. That is blasphemy. That is anti-Christ. Jesus Christ is the sole Redeemer,
the only Redeemer of His people. The King of kings. There is no
queen in heaven. And verse 3, it says she sits
upon a scarlet-colored beast. And it's also significant, people,
that this great whore, a woman, is a woman because mainstream
Christianity, so-called, is now predominantly women, and suffer
women to preach and teach, which is expressly forbidden by God's
Word, warned to the church in Revelation 2 verse 20, and expressly
forbidden in 1 Corinthians 14, 34, and 35, and 1 Timothy 2,
11 through 14, which people totally disregard. Don't care what God's words say.
God's people do. Christ said, he that is of God,
heareth God's word. Verse 4, this woman was arrayed
and sat on a colorful beast and was arrayed in purple and scarlet
color and decked with gold and stones and precious jewels and
so forth. And a golden cup in her hand.
She was all decked out in her finery in order to allure people. Proverbs 7 goes in great detail
about this woman who allures the simple to come into her with
fair words and speeches and with her flattery and with her beauty
and so forth. A clear picture of how modern
religion today with all of its beautiful makeup or buildings
and trimmings and trappings of religion tries to allure people
into bed with them. Verse 5, she is called, and on
her forehead was a name written, Mystery, Babylon the Great, the
mother of harlots and abominations of the earth. Mystery is her
name, Babylon. Why is this name Mystery attributed
to her? Why? Because she is a mystery
to most. Those who are fooled by her Those
whom God Almighty, in 2 Thessalonians 2 says, God sends them strong
delusions because they receive not the love of the truth, but
they hold the truth in unrighteousness, twist and pervert and corrupt
it. Higher men heap to themselves teachers having itching ears,
turn their ears away from the on the fables, telling them to
give them what they want to hear and prophesy smooth things and
don't tell us of this God of the Bible, but make one up for
us who loves us and needs us and so forth. And so God sends
them strong delusions they believe a lie and love it, love to have
it so. And so she, her nature, the true
nature of false religion is a mystery to most. And verse 6 says, I
saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, with the
blood of the martyrs of Jesus, drunken with the blood. From
the beginning, false religion killed the prophets, killed the
apostles. Now, I remind you, the Jews who
had true worship given them by God, the Word of God, they mixed
it, began to mix it with the worship of Baal. And so it was
such a mixture, not the pure, unadulterated Word, truth of
God, worship of God in truth and Spirit in truth, God alone. But they mixed it with other
things that they liked and softened it. Well, it began with the Jews
and this mixed religion. They killed the prophets. They
killed the apostles and the martyrs and so on. Even John here in
verse 6 was fooled by her beauty. It says he had her in great admiration. John was amazed and admired this
woman's great beauty. He was taken up with her. The
apostles one time, Matthew 24, they were impressed with the buildings
of the temple and so forth and began to try to give the Lord
a tour. And the Lord rebuked them by
saying, there's not going to be one stone left standing on
another. This is all wood, hay and stubble is what this is.
All of this, the trappings and buildings of religions, nothing,
just buildings. And the angel rebuked John and
said, why did you marvel? Why do you marvel at a harlot
who's in league with a beast? He said, I'll tell you the mystery
of the woman, the beast that carrieth her, the beast is the
one carrying her, undergirds her, supplies her with all her
finery, which certainly speaks of Satan and his ministers, carried
that religion is undergirded by him. He wants people to get
religion as long as it's not truth. He doesn't mind people
cleaning up their act and so forth as long as they don't worship
the true God and true Christ. Get religion all you want to.
Join any kind of so-called church you want to. That's fine and
well with Satan because his preachers are in the pulpit. Verse 8, the angel said to John,
the beast ascended out of the bottomless pit and those that
are with him are those that dwell on earth Their names were not
written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world.
That's who's in league with her, and that's who's under the control
of him. Those whose names are not written
in the Book of Life before the world began. Now, I didn't say
that, and John Calvin didn't say it, but Jesus Christ said
it. Do you believe it? That there's
a book, the Book of Life, from the foundation of the world,
the Lamb's Book of Life, in which the names of God's people were
written before the world began? Do you believe that? Chosen,
the elect of God. Do you believe that? You don't
believe it? You must not be a believer then. You must not be of God
then. You must hate the truth. You
don't receive the love of the truth. That is the truth. That's
what Jesus Christ said here in John Revelation 17, 8. If you
don't believe that, you're not of God. That's what Christ said.
They hated Him then when He said that, and men hate it now. I
wish it were not so, but it is. Well, near the end of this chapter
on the great whore, this chapter on false religion, the Lord tells
us who his true people are, who are with him. They're not with
her. They're with him. Their names were found in this
book, this book of life. They're not with her. They're
not in bed with her. They're not in league with her.
They refuse to worship her like old Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
like Daniel. They refuse to do homage to the
beast and this great whore. Verse 14 says, in the last part,
I don't have time to comment on all these verses, but the
last part of this, verse 14 says, those that are with Him, those
that are with Christ, are called, chosen, and faithful. Well, these that are with the
Lamb, with Christ, with the Lord in heaven and on earth are called,
chosen, and faithful. Our Lord said, many are called,
but few are chosen. Many are called. Romans 1 tells
us the heavens declare the glory of God, the heavens declare the
glory of God, the firmament showeth His handiwork, day unto day others
speak, Romans, I'm sorry, Psalm 14 says. Scripture declares God's
eternal power and Godhead, His creatorhood, His Godhead, the
fact that He is sovereign creator and controller benefactor of
all things, provider of all things. But do men and women give him
the glory? No, no. So they are called in that sense
every day. Day unto day uttereth speech,
the sun, the moon, night unto night uttereth knowledge. God has spoken once, yet twice
men perceive it not. Heavens declare his glory. Scriptures
declare his person. God's Word clearly declares his
person, who he really is, his personality, his attributes.
His power is glory. The Word of God declares God's
holiness, His justice, His righteousness, His sovereignty, His immutability.
That is, He doesn't change. He hasn't changed. The same God
of the Old Testament is the God of the New. He hasn't changed.
His wrath, His anger. Yes, His wrath, His anger. His
love, His mercy, His grace. But most hold the truth in unrighteousness. These wicked men, evil men and
seducers, Attribute only one attribute to God, and that is
love. And it's a weak, ineffectual sentimentalism is all it is.
A love that can't save anybody. A love that fails. A multitude
of people in hell right now whom God supposedly loved, but couldn't
save them. That's blasphemy. That's utter
blasphemy. Folks, you don't need love like
that. It won't do you any good. Now, those that are with Christ,
though, have this calling, and it's an effectual call, a sovereign
call, a saving call, of which Joel 2.32 says, As many as the
Lord our God shall call to those He made willing in the day of
His power to say yes to this call. Those who are drawn by
all the Father giveth me shall come to me, Christ says. All
that the Father drew, all that the Father chose shall come.
This gives all the glory to God. Not the man, not the will of
man, but the will of God. Not the love of man, but the
love of God. Not the response of man, but the call of God.
Many are called, but few chosen. And therewith Christ is chosen.
For whom He did foreknow, He did predestinate. Whom He did
predestinate, He called. Whom He called, He justified.
Whom He justified, He glorified. chosen, elected to be saved,
given to Christ in a covenant to redeem them, given by Christ
to the Holy Spirit to draw and bring them. And they are faithful.
Faithful to God's glory, faithful to God's honor, faithful to God's
praise, faithful to God's Word, true to His Word, faithful to
give Christ all the glory, faithful to worship God as God, faithful
to each other, faithful to others, telling them the truth. at the
expense of being hated by them. What about you? Are you called,
chosen, faithful? I hope you are. Until next Sunday,
Amen.