A Daily Walk

Guest (Male): Pastor John Randall shares these hopeful words:

John Randall: Listen, I don't know what's going to happen this next week. I don't know what's going to happen to the state. I don't know. Every day you wake up, something new happens. Some new thing comes out, some new word is given, some new mandate is put. Listen, I don't know what's going to happen, but I do know something that's going to happen for sure. And that's Jesus coming and His kingdom's going to be established, and I'm ready to go when He comes.

So, I'm telling you in advance: God is still in control, His plans will be accomplished, and the church is still here, and the gates of hell can't prevail against it. Remember that.

Guest (Male): Calvary South OC welcomes you to A Daily Walk. There are quite a number of religions in the world today. Statistics tell us that Islam is growing in great numbers. Buddhism is very popular, too. Actually, there are only two belief systems in this world: belief in Jesus or belief in a false religion.

As we study Revelation 17 today, keep that in mind because as we see the judgment of Mystery Babylon, we notice the results of mankind's decision to follow and worship the Antichrist instead of Jesus Christ. Here is Pastor John Randall.

John Randall: People are worshipping this false religious system. She is the embodiment of Satan's ecumenical movement. And again, in our world, with its "it doesn't matter what you believe as long as you believe" philosophy, they are ripe for the harlot's seductions. We see the casual disregard for the truth crippling the world and the church even today.

But she's referred to as the mother of harlots, which means, again, the founder, if you would. From Babylon, she gave birth to all of these other false religious systems. You know, it's estimated that there are some 4,200 different false religious systems today, and they don't all believe the same thing, and they are not right. There is one way, the Bible says, one way that leads to heaven, and that's through Jesus Christ. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through Me."

Jesus didn't say, "I'm one of 4,300 different, just pick one." No, He said, "I am the exclusive way, truth, and life. The only way you're going to ever see heaven is by turning from sin and turning to Christ and being saved." That's the only way. There is no other way. But praise the Lord today, there is a way, and it's through Christ.

But the apostle continues. He sees this description of the hideous harlot and points out the crimes that she committed. Look at verse 6: "Then I saw the woman, she was"—this is gross—"drunk with the blood of the saints, with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement."

In previous studies in Revelation, we noted those who were martyred for their faith because they had not chosen to embrace this harlotry of false religion. They missed the rapture. The church is gone. But there are people who get saved during the tribulation period, and their eyes are open, and suddenly they realize what's going on. Rather than embrace the lies of the harlot and the false religious system and the Antichrist, they turn from it, and they die. They lose their life. They refuse to side with the beast. They refuse to take his mark, and they are put to death.

And so John says, "I saw her, and I knew, in essence, that she had murdered and martyred the saints who were saved during that period of time, those who were followers, became followers of Jesus. I saw it, and I marveled. I was amazed at what had happened." After John sees this vision, he is obviously astonished. He's dumbfounded. And in the midst of his amazement, the angel then speaks to John, giving him the interpretation of what he has seen. John's thinking, "What am I looking at here? What am I seeing? This false religious system, what does it all mean?"

Notice what the angel says in verse 7: "The angel said to me, 'Why did you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has seven heads and ten horns.'" Imagine John saying, "Hey, what does this mean?" Look at what the angel says to him: "The beast that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition. 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, and when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is."

Of course it means "was and not is and it isn't." I mean, just John hearing this, and you might be saying the same thing. "What does this mean?" Let me help you out. The beast, which again is another name for the Antichrist, gets his power from Satan. He will be the devil incarnate, and the earth will be in awe of him. We know at some point he receives a mortal wound. He dies and then rises again, and the world embraces and even worships the beast as their god.

But their names, they're not written in the Book of Life. Something happens to him. He dies and suddenly he rises from the dead. It's a counterfeit, folks. It's a counterfeit, but people are quick to buy into counterfeits. "This is the one! This is the one!" And suddenly they believe it. They take his mark. They begin to worship his image. But here's the thing: their names aren't written in the Book of Life.

Listen, there's one book that you definitely want your name in, and that is the Book of Life. The Bible tells us that one day, when you stand before God, the books (plural) will be opened, and anybody whose name is not found written in the Lamb's Book of Life will not enter into heaven. You say, "Wait a second. How do I get my name in that book?" You receive Christ as your Savior. That's how you know that your name is written there. And when you stand before God, you'll see your name is there, and you'll be welcomed in, and He'll say, "Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of the Lord."

Is your name written in that Book of Life? Because if it's not, you'll hear, "Depart from Me, I never knew you." But friend, you can know today. Before our time is over, I'm going to give you a chance to know for sure that your name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life. But here in verse 9: "Here is the mind which has wisdom." Now pay close attention here. Here's where it gets exciting. "The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. There are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come. And when he comes, he must continue a short time. And the beast that was and is not is himself also the eighth, and is 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 receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast."

Okay, let me see. That's ten, take away the, carry the two over to the seven, which minus the—what does this mean? I'm going to explain. We see a reference, first of all, to seven hills. Seven hills. Some believe that this is in reference to Rome and that Rome will be the headquarters of this false religious system. And there are those that I will say have done extensive research, DVDs on YouTube, that Rome is connected to the Antichrist. What do you think, John? I don't know.

I just know there's going to be an Antichrist, and I'm not going to be there when he's here. I mean, I know that there's going to be a false religious system. I will also say that I have personally visited the Vatican, as we were on tour there in Rome. And I've never seen so many idols in one place like I saw there. And it was an astonishing thing when I saw all of these false idols lining the halls. And I turned to my tour guide and I said, "What does this mean? Why are there so many idols in here? Why do you have—" I mean, pagan idols of Ashtoreth, all of them. They were all there. It was like the Hall of Idols. It was like going to the Hall of Fame for idols.

And I asked her what does it mean? And her response to me astonished me. She said, "We just want to remember where we came from." I was like, "Well, okay, interesting." Regardless of whether it's connected to Rome, and you can do your own study, here's what I know for sure: it's connected to a false religious system. And any religious system that says or preaches you can get to heaven by something you do as opposed to what Jesus has done is a false religious system.

I don't care what the title of it is, what the name of it is. If somehow you can earn your way or pay your way in or get your way out, whatever it is that you think you can do, or listen, that's not biblical. So you need to know what you believe and why you believe it. The church doesn't save you. Jesus Christ alone can save you, and that's it. He's the Savior.

I attended a memorial for a very close friend who died. And they became a believer before they died, but they grew up in Catholicism. Now please hear me out on this. I do believe that there are those who can be saved if they believe in Jesus Christ. But I'll tell you this: as I sat in that memorial and I listened to what was being said, I saw a difference. And this was the difference: there was no assurance of where that person had gone.

As the individual was reading scripture and talking and apparently trying to comfort us all, there was no real assurance. It was as if he was saying, "We hope they're there. We're not sure if they're there." And I just wanted to—and of course I didn't—but I wanted to stand up and say, "Excuse me real quick. You know, the Bible says—" And it was interesting because there were certain passages of scripture that were read and cut short. And the rest of that scripture gave you the assurance, but it didn't—it wasn't read in context. It wasn't read fully and completely.

So I was thinking, "Hey, wait a second. You left out the next three verses that give assurance to the one who believes." That was a total side note. But what I'm saying to you is there is a way to heaven, and it's only through Jesus Christ. And maybe you—maybe this is for you. And maybe God had me pause right now at this moment because in your mind you're thinking, "Hey, I went to church. I was confirmed. I did this. I took holy this or that." And you think that that is what saved you. "I know they sprinkled me as a baby. I'm in." No, no, no, friend. Listen, none of those things save you. Jesus Christ alone.

His work on the cross can save you. Religion can't save you. Jesus can save you. And that's the difference, friend, between false religions and a relationship with a living God. False religion says you need to do your best to try to reach God. Give it a shot, see what happens. You'll find out when you get there. It's man seeking to reach out to God and do his best. Oh, friend, but Christianity is God reaching down to man and saving him where he's at, sending His only Son to deliver us. That's the difference. And I'm so glad that He sent His Son to save a wretch like me.

And here we find the total of seven rulers, but five have fallen. And again, some will say, "Hey, this is the most difficult passage in Revelation." You ready? Focus in. Here it comes. Now, some suggest that when it talks about the five that had fallen, that it is referring to the five world empires before John's day, which were Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Greece. And then when it says "the one that is," it referred to the world empire that was in power during John's day, which was Rome. And then "the other that has not yet come" is a reference to the revived Roman Empire. It's the empire of the Antichrist.

So five have fallen, one is, and one is coming. That's what John sees. But here's what we know for sure: Jesus wins and conquers all. So if you want to take anything, there's one kingdom that's going to last forever. Oh, there's those that'll come and go, but there's one that lasts forever, and that's the kingdom of God. And so the Antichrist, who is the beast, he rules this revived Roman Empire, and he seeks to make plans and war with the Lamb, who is Jesus Christ.

Look at verse 13. We're almost through. "These are of one mind." They're united. And notice they give their power and authority to the beast. This revived Roman Empire gives all of their authority to the Antichrist. And notice what they do in verse 14: "They will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will"—I love this—"overcome them. And why? Because He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called chosen and faithful."

Friend, pay close attention here. The Antichrist rallies the kingdoms of this world at the end of the tribulation, where they'll go into the Valley of Jezreel for the Battle of Armageddon. Somehow he'll deceive them to fight alongside of him against God. And it says that He will come back—Jesus comes back—and notice this King of kings and Lord of lords comes back, and those who are with Him are called chosen and faithful. Can I tell you that those that come back with Him, chosen and faithful—do you know who that is? That's us. That's the church coming back with Him. Here's a preview of coming attractions, friend. You definitely want to be coming back with Him, chosen and faithful.

And then it says that there will be an eventual end of the beast, an eventual end of this one-world religious system. For in verse 15, "Then he said to me, 'The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits'"—that is the false religious system symbolized as the harlot, where she's seated—"'are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues. And the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire.'"

Here's what happens: the political system, seen as the beast, with the false religious system above it, seeming to control it, at some point in that tribulation period, the political system devours the religious system, destroys it, gets rid of it. It's served its purpose. It's no longer needed. The Antichrist turns on the false prophet, and the religious system is destroyed. And after this takes place, now the Antichrist has the dominance and control. No longer anybody riding upon his back, as it were. It served its purpose, and then he destroys it.

But this is what I want you to see. This is really important, not just for in the future, but for right now. Look at this verse. This is a key verse here, folks. In verse 17: "For God has put it into their hearts to fulfill His purpose, to be of one mind, to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled. And the woman who you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth."

Folks, listen to this part. All of this is unfolding. Why is this happening? What's going on? Please notice who's in control. Who's really in control? Oh, the woman is riding the beast, she's in control. No, she's not in control. It says this: "God has put it into their hearts to fulfill His purpose, to be of one mind, to give the kingdom to the beast." Why? So that God's words will be fulfilled.

In other words, God knows exactly what He's doing. He's put it into their hearts. They have rebelled against Him, they are fighting against Him, but God is using what the enemy is doing for His purpose, His ultimate purpose, which is to redeem the earth, to establish His kingdom. It's all shaping up. It's all going in this particular direction. And we think, "What's happening? Why is this happening? How could this happen?" And God is doing what He's doing because He's going to fulfill His purpose.

Christian, listen. We have got to get our eyes fixed upon this truth right here: God has purposes, God has plans that are being fulfilled. He's doing it. He's working all things together for good. His kingdom will be established. But right now, in the process, there are things unfolding that we question, that we don't understand. Why would God allow this, and how could this happen? Ultimately, God is in control. He knows what He's doing.

Listen, I don't know what's going to happen this next week. I don't know what's going to happen to the state. I don't know. Every day you wake up, something new happens. Some new thing comes out, some new word is given, some new mandate is put. Listen, I don't know what's going to happen, but I do know something that's going to happen for sure. And that's Jesus coming and His kingdom's going to be established, and I'm ready to go when He comes.

So, I'm telling you in advance, listen carefully: God is still in control, His plans will be accomplished, and the church is still here, and the gates of hell can't prevail against it. Remember that. God is in control. And we will continue to live in defiant joy against what goes on in this world. And we will stand, and we will be bold, and we will take our place, and we will do exactly what God's called us to do for such a time as this. We were created for such a time as this. God has put us here for now to reach people with the gospel.

And no matter who your governor is, he's not God. The gospel changes lives. And here we see in this chapter, although there are so many false religious systems that come and go, over 4,200 different religions in the world, one day they will come to nothing. What do we do? In light of the deception that constantly circulates around us, how do we respond? What are we to do? Can I encourage you with something today before I give you the invitation to respond to the gospel?

Listen to believers today. We need—the best way to recognize what is false from what is true is to read the truth, is to know the truth, is to live the truth, and is to share the truth. If you didn't get that, I'm going to say it one more time for you. Read the truth, know the truth, live the truth, share the truth. And if you do that, you won't be deceived. You won't be deceived.

There may be some of you here today that you've never received Christ as your Savior. You've known about the Lord, you've known about church, you know something about a Bible, but you don't know Jesus. You don't know the Author. But I want you to know something today that maybe you never heard or you don't understand, and it's this: God loves you. In fact, God loves you so much that He sent His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, to this earth to go to a cross and to die for your sins. All the sins that you've committed, everything that you're ashamed of, all the dark things that you were involved with. Jesus went to the cross and He hung there and He paid for your sin and for mine.

And then He was buried in the ground. And three days later, He rose from the dead. And by the way, that is what separates Jesus from many other so-called religious leader or Messiah. Jesus is alive. Buddha's dead, Muhammad's dead, Jesus is alive. He resurrected. He lives, and He can save you today. The resurrection, the gospel hangs upon the resurrection. Jesus died, He rose again, and listen, friend, He's coming again. He wants to save you. He wants to forgive you of your sin. He wants to give you a new life.

Do you want to be forgiven? Do you want the blood of Jesus to cleanse you? Do you want the hope of heaven? Do you want to know that when you take your last breath here on this planet, you'll take your first breath there in heaven? You don't have to wonder, "Maybe I might, I'm not really sure." You can know for certain. For the Bible says, "These things we have written unto you that you might know that you have eternal life."

And so if that's something you desire as we close out our service here today, that's the truth, friend. And that truth can set you free. It can change your life. Or maybe some of you, you've walked away from the Lord. Man, you've been living a carnal life, a sinful life. You've gone back to the old practices, and God's calling you out. He's calling you to repent, to change your direction, to turn from sin and to turn to Christ. If you need to come back to the Lord, oh, the Lord says in His word, "Return," even more than He says, "Turn."

And He's the God of the second chance. And I'm going to challenge you and encourage you to get up and come. You say, "Why publicly, John? Why openly?" Because Jesus hung publicly and openly for you. And when He called people, He said, "Come and follow Me" publicly and openly, and they came. And if that's what you desire and you want to respond to the love of God today, if you can hear the voice of the Spirit, no matter where you're parked or where you're seated, get up and come and respond to God's love today and be saved in Jesus' name.

Will you pray with me? Let's pray now. Heavenly Father, we thank You this morning for the truth of Your word. Lord, although the world is filled with lies, You are the truth. And Your truth prevails. And Lord, I pray today that there—if there are any here today who have not yet received Jesus, there may be one, there may be more than one, I don't know, Lord, but if there are any here who have not yet received Christ, that don't know that their names will be written in the Lamb's Book of Life, that today they would get up and come and receive Jesus.

Lord, I pray against the spiritual battle that's going on right now over the souls of men and women, and I pray that You would win the day. God, that the wayward, the backslidden would come back to You, Lord. Lord, that the unsaved would respond and be saved. Lord, I ask it in faith. You're the Savior. So bring people to Yourself, Lord, in Jesus' name. Amen.

Guest (Male): Pastor John Randall on A Daily Walk, and what you just heard is a small portion of our journey through Revelation. You can hear it again at adailywalk.org or wherever you get your podcasts, or download our church app so you can listen through your mobile device. Just search for Calvary South OC.

When a listener takes the time to write or call, it really blesses us more than words can tell. And yes, Pastor John reads your emails and letters. The Lord deserves all the credit for anything good that comes from and through this ministry, and it's an opportunity to praise and thank Him for what He's doing. Share a praise report or a prayer request at adailywalk@gmail.com. That's adailywalk@gmail.com.

Our featured resource right now is a book from Jack Marino Chen, Ensnared. This encouraging book will help you recognize spiritual deceptions, respond with biblical clarity to those who are ensnared, and point people to the freedom only Christ can give. Discover how to overcome the darkness of the New Age and occult with the light of God's truth. The cost is just $12. You can order it right now at 877-242-0828. That's 877-242-0828. You can also get it online at adailywalk.org.

And if you believe in what we're doing here at A Daily Walk and would like to get behind us, we'd very much appreciate your prayers and financial support. While there are substantial costs of being on the radio and internet, God has proven to be faithful to provide where He's guided us. So we continue to rely upon Him and look to our listeners for help. To make a donation today, drop by adailywalk.org or again call 877-242-0828. Come back tomorrow when Pastor John returns to Revelation and opens chapter 18, which predicts the fall of Babylon. Do we know where this Babylon is? Find out next time on A Daily Walk with Pastor John Randall.

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