The End Times as God Reveals Them Pt. 53 Babylonian Idolatry will be Punished.

 

Photo of a 2 euro coin that has a woman seated on a beast. The woman is Europa being abducted by Zeus in the form of a bull. Thus modern currency seems to promote the ancient Babylonian/Greek/Roman idolatry. 

Our God graciously revealed what is going to take place during the "End Times." The phrase  "great day of the LORD"  is found 31 times in the Bible and this refers to the End Times when God will put down all rebellion. 

Let us think about 4 of these "day of the LORD" texts from Isaiah because they give us a good foundation to understand what that day will be like. This day of the LORD will come in Revelation 19 and is connected with the battle of Armageddon. 

Proud rebels will be crushed.

Isaiah 2:12  For the day of the LORD of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low:

Notice who will be the object of Jehovah's wrath in the Day of the LORD. It will be directed at Satan because his heart was lifted up with pride. It will be directed at all the nations composing the kingdom of Antichrist because they are filled with pride and rebellion against Holy God. Jehovah will bring them all down low. They shall all be humbled before the righteous indignation of God.

The world will howl in bitterness.

Isaiah 13:6  Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.

The devil and demons and all nations will howl in the day of the LORD. All things that they believed, trusted in and loved will be utterly destroyed. 

God's wrath will destroy sinners.

Isaiah 13:9  Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.

Notice how this day is going to come about. The name Jesus means "Jehovah saves" and the Lord Jesus Christ shall return to earth for this final battle  with unmitigated wrath and fierce anger against Satan, the fallen angels, the Antichrist, the false prophet and all the nations. Christ will end it all by speaking His Word to undo it. He will leave the land desolate and all sinners will be destroyed out of the earth. 

God will take vengeance upon Israel's enemies.

Isaiah 34:8  For it is the day of the LORD'S vengeance, and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion.

This day of judgment is when Jehovah avenges His people. He is going to pour out His wrath upon all the Gentiles who persecuted the Jewish nation for many centuries.

There are very descriptive adjectives used where the phrase "day of the LORD" is found. It will be a day of destruction, panic and trembling. It will be a day where the sun and moon go dark. Jehovah will punish all the wicked in the world. His judgment will cause bitterness as His fiery anger is poured out. He will rid the world of all sinners in that dreadful day. 

For the believer, it will be a day of deliverance, of salvation and a day of Jehovah's victory over all enemies.

Religious Babylonian system will be judged.

Revelation 17:1-2  And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: 2) With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. 

One of the angels pouring out vials of judgment came to John to show him something. It will be the judgment upon all false religion, idolatry and paganism. From a Biblical view, the city of Babylon has always been portrayed as the source of idolatry, paganism and false religion. 

John saw the final judgment of the global, one world religious system imposed by the Satanic trinity of the Devil, Antichrist and False Prophet. The implementation of the one world religion goes hand in hand with the one world government of the Antichrist. 

Revelation 17 tells us about judgment on Babylon personified as a prostitute being the seat of false religion and Revelation 18 tells us about judgment on Babylon as the seat of political and economic power. 

This future one world religious system will be called a great whore that will seduce all the nations to be drunk with idolatry. The idea is of people committing spiritual adultery by worshipping the antichrist as "god" or taking the mark of the beast instead of worshiping the  One, True God of heaven.

Overthrow of the one world religion is foretold.

Revelation 14:8  And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. 

The overthrow of the world religious system depicted as the Babylonian harlot was foretold in Revelation 14. John is providing us with more detail of what that will look like. 

Revelation 17:15 tells us that the waters symbolize people and nations.  Use of the phrase "sitteth on many waters" means that the Babylonian religious harlot will dominate all nations with her brand of idolatry. 

Israel commanded not to follow other "gods"

Deuteronomy 6:13-15  Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name. 14) Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you; 15) (For the LORD thy God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth. 

Israel entered into a marriage contract with Jehovah (Deuteronomy 5:1-3; 6:10-15). The nation was viewed as the wife of Jehovah and when they followed after other "gods" they were committing spiritual adultery. God warned the people not to go after other gods because being unfaithful to Him would bring His judgment. 

Israel punished for spiritual adultery

Jeremiah 3:1-5  They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man's, shall he return unto her again? shall not that land be greatly polluted? but thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the LORD. 2) Lift up thine eyes unto the high places, and see where thou hast not been lien with. In the ways hast thou sat for them, as the Arabian in the wilderness; and thou hast polluted the land with thy whoredoms and with thy wickedness. 3) Therefore the showers have been withholden, and there hath been no latter rain; and thou hadst a whore's forehead, thou refusedst to be ashamed. 4) Wilt thou not from this time cry unto me, My father, thou art the guide of my youth? 5) Will he reserve his anger for ever? will he keep it to the end? Behold, thou hast spoken and done evil things as thou couldest. 

Jeremiah 3:20  Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, saith the LORD. 

By the time Jeremiah and Ezekiel prophesied, Israel had followed after other gods many times and this is why God sent them into foreign captivity for 70 years. 

Thus, John tells us that in the future one world religious system, all nations and people except the believing remnant will be guilty of committing spiritual fornication against God and will be judged for their idolatry.

Thoughts to Ponder...

These two judgments will happen fairly quickly and right before Christ returns to earth as Conquering King. 

The notable take away is that God hates idolatry and will judge it. Now, for most of us today, idolatry is not going to a pagan temple and engaging in wine and debauchery as we bow down before lifeless idols. 

Rather, idolatry should be thought of as any object, any status or any person that we love more than we love God. 

Therefore, how we live our life as believers right now matters to God. This is why the New Testament epistles give us sound doctrine followed by our duty or obligation to faithfully live by the truth that we are given. 

As this year draws to a close I pray that we will vow to live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. 

I pray that God will help us all grow in our knowledge of the Lord and that we will be stirred in heart to wholly serve Him.

Bob