Thru the Bible

Steve Schwetz: All around the world, people live under the shadow of fear, of violence, of terrorism, of the unknown. But in this study on *Thru the Bible*, our teacher, Dr. J. Vernon McGee, reminds us that our greatest enemy isn't one that we can see on the news. It's something really far more dangerous and much closer to home.

I'm Steve Schwetz, welcoming you to our journey through Revelation 16 as we peek into the coming false religion that Dr. McGee called Mystery Babylon. Together, we're going to see how God will deal with evil, and I'll give you a hint: it's complete and victorious. So find your seat on the Bible Bus, and as you do that, *Thru the Bible*’s president, Greg Harris, is here with an update on our ministry in Peru. I don't think we've talked about this country for a long time.

Greg Harris: I don't think we have either, Steve. One of the themes that we've been sharing with our listening family over the last years is that we're doing everything we can to get more of the Word to more of the world because, believe it or not, radio signals have always been physically limited. Even though we've used some incredible opportunities, there have been parts of the world where we haven't gotten a good signal. Peru would be one.

So we partnered with the Gideons Canada—they give out Bibles. They're called ShareWord Global, and they said, “Hey, we give out the Bible, we lead people to Christ, and then you have great discipleship materials.”

Steve Schwetz: Let's work together!

Greg Harris: So we've been putting *Thru the Bible* teaching in Spanish along with the Bible, the audio Bible, on these media players and giving them to pastors. You and I just looked at a list of almost 50 churches all over the country that the pastors were given media players, and you pointed out one interesting part of that list.

Steve Schwetz: Yeah, they've got it broken up into regions. So you have the Andes in there, they've got central, and then they've got the whole jungle. It just says "jungle." Okay, so we're going to hear a story today that's pretty amazing. It's a church led by Pastor Jeremias Nunta in the jungle. It takes a six-hour journey from the city to get to his little town where he lives.

Greg Harris: And let me just say that's not six hours on the freeway. That's, I can guarantee you, it's six hours getting beat up on a dirt road and by boat too. So it's no planes and trains, but it's a boat. So he and his wife have used the media player in their home. They started in their home with their own children. And the media player, this report we have, says it has deeply impacted their lives, allowing them to witness the transformative power of God through its teachings.

One of their sons had been struggling with homosexuality, and of course, they were very grieved by that, and they were praying for him to find a way back to the Lord. Well, when the media player entered their lives—I love that, you know, we had a chance to enter the life of this pastor in a jungle in Peru that takes hours to get to from the city—and he saw it as an answer to his prayers. He would sit down with the family, they'd listen together, and his son just came to understand the immense love of God. He gave his life to Christ and has turned away from the lifestyle that he had been living. Isn't that amazing?

Steve Schwetz: It starts with his own family, but then it goes on. One of the things I love about this story is how the Bible and the teaching of God's Word has impacted every area of this person's life, this particular pastor. One, it starts in his heart and with his family members, and then it extends beyond that. It says Pastor Jeremias also uses the media player's teachings to prepare sermons and discipleship for his church. I mean, this is a guy who probably didn't go to the official seminary track that most US and Canadian listeners would be accustomed to, and yet he's pastoring a church, and *Thru the Bible* helps him with that.

Greg Harris: During Sunday services, he amplifies the teachings through speakers and then explains the message and opens the floor for a time of questions. That's interesting. Three times a week, he invites five to six people from his neighborhood to the church to listen to the teachings together. He has noticed a deeper engagement from his congregation since they began using this resource.

Steve Schwetz: When I read that, I was amazed. I mean, what a great idea that he plays Dr. McGee's teachings in Spanish and then he helps answer their questions. We actually have seen this pattern in Russia—remember how they do that? At the end of the week, they do a live call-in. I think you and I have both participated in those. This is a great idea. I love that we may look and say this gentleman doesn't have a lot of education, but he has the Holy Spirit, and I think it's a great strategy.

Greg Harris: He also goes to other remote communities located four to five hours from his home. He always brings the media player with him. On a recent visit, a pastor friend in a neighboring community, he played the teachings during a vigil, and the entire church along with the local pastor were really grateful for all of this. Pastor Jeremias just says he cannot stop sharing the profound impact the media player has had on his family and congregation, and he's always telling other pastors, and they're all praying that we can get more to them. So let's just ask the Lord to help us to continue to fling the seed in Peru.

Steve Schwetz: Let's do that now. Heavenly Father, we are so thankful for the opportunity and the doors that You've opened in Peru for Your Word to be both taught and explained and given out. I pray that that would continue to flourish, that You continue to use people like Pastor Jeremias all around that country and that there would be great revival as a result of it. Bless Your Word as it goes out and our study now. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: Now we had gotten down to the pouring out of the seventh bowl of wrath, and I'm going to read that again, but we had gotten almost through these two verses, 17 and 18. But let me read them. "And the seventh poured out his bowl upon the air, and a great voice came out of the temple from the throne saying, 'It's done.' And there were lightnings and voices and thunders, and there was a great earthquake such as was not since there were men upon the earth, so great an earthquake, so mighty."

Now the Word of God makes it very clear that in the Great Tribulation period—and this is at the end of it—there is to be an earthquake that probably will shake the entire world. And we gather that from verses 19 through 21, and I'll read them. "And the great city became divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And Babylon the great was remembered before God, to give to her the cup of the wine of the indignation of His wrath. And every island fled away, and mountains were not found. And great hail, as it were a talent weight, comes down out of heaven upon man. And men blaspheme God because of the plague of the hail, for the plague thereof is exceeding great."

Now this concludes the Great Tribulation period, this great earthquake, and it divides the great city, which is Jerusalem, into three parts. And though the center of the earthquake is in Jerusalem, it apparently is not confined there because the cities of the nations fell. That tells us something of the extent and vast destruction of the earthquake.

And Babylon is mentioned specifically again. It was mentioned back in chapter 14, verse 8, and we take it up in the next two chapters, so I'll reserve our comment for those two. And every island fled away, and it reveals that even the islands are shifted from one place to another by the earthquake. And then the final act of judgment is the hailstorm and the size of the hailstones: a talent weight.

Now the Greek talent was 56 pounds. The Jewish talent was 114 pounds. Well, down in Texas, we used to have hailstones sometimes as big as baseballs, but this beats the Texas story altogether. But the very interesting thing is that we have that at the time of Joshua, you will recall, that we're told in Joshua 10:11, "It came to pass as they fled from before Israel and were in the going down to Beth-Horon, that the Lord cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah and they died."

But the Roman catapults threw stones this size into Jerusalem at the time that Titus came, and that's according to the historian Josephus. So that this is something that is miraculous, but it ends the Great Tribulation period. Now we have given to us here in chapters 17 and 18 the two Babylons that are to be judged. We see the apostate church first in the Great Tribulation, chapter 17. And then we'll see not only the religious Babylon but commercial Babylon in chapter 18.

Now we see first of all the great harlot riding the wild beast, and then the wild beast destroys the great harlot. That's the picture that's before us. Now I want to read before I begin to comment in this particular section in verses 1, I think I'll read down through verse 5. And I'm going to read from my translation again. I don't recommend it, but we are giving you the literal.

"And there came one of the seven angels that had the seven bowls and spoke with me saying, 'Come hither, I will show thee the judgment of the great harlot that sitteth upon many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and they that dwell in the earth were made drunken with the wine of her fornication.'

And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting upon a scarlet-colored wild beast full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was clothed in purple and scarlet and gilded with gold and precious stone and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations, even the unclean things of her fornication, and upon her forehead a name written: Mystery, Babylon the Great, the mother of the harlots and of the abominations of the earth."

Now, friends, in many ways this is the most frightful chapter that there is in the Word of God. There's nothing quite equal to this. Here in the Great Tribulation period, as we've indicated, many great issues are brought to a crisis. And it is difficult to keep them separated. And many fine expositors disagree on details here in the Great Tribulation period as we've gone through it. I know that there have been several that take a little different position although the system of interpretation they agree with. But we disagree on details. And may I say that I do not think is too important.

That is evident here in the two Babylons in chapters 17 and 18. Now there are several questions that arise here. Are there two Babylons, and are they in two different geographical locations? Are they representative of two different systems? Are they two literal systems or are they the same? The answers to these questions, I think, will become clearer as our redemption draweth nigh.

But it appears at the present time—that is, in my judgment—that two distinct cities are in view. Now in chapter 17, it's Mystery Babylon, the cosmic church, the apostate church of Thyatira, which permitted Jezebel to teach, which becomes the apostate church of the Great Tribulation. It has attained the goal of the present-day apostates of all of the great systems of the world. Romanism, Protestantism, pagan religions, and the cults and the isms.

And may I say to you, even in our independent and so-called Bible churches today, there will be those that are not believers that go into a great organization in the Great Tribulation period. It may call itself a church, but it's not. The Bible calls it a harlot. The Word of God labels it a harlot, and you can't have it any worse than that. This is ecumenical ecclesiasticism of the one-world church.

And the location of this system? Well, it could be in Rome. I think that's the city that's in mind here. But, friends, Geneva, where the World Council of Churches is, is also included. And I think that many other places also. Los Angeles can make a healthy contribution to it if I know Los Angeles, and I think I do. Now it's called Mystery Babylon because of its origin.

You see at the Tower of Babel, man attempted to rally against God under Nimrod. Babylon became the origin of all false religion. Now the dream of Nimrod will be realized in the first half of the Great Tribulation when the cosmic church dominates the wild beast. The church that should have been the bride of Christ is a harlot here. You see, this church is guilty of spiritual fornication, selling herself to the world for hire.

This is the church that says, “I am rich and increased with goods and I have need of nothing.” Now when we were looking back at the seven churches, you remember I said I believe it's the church in Philadelphia that goes out at the time of the rapture of the church before the Great Tribulation period. And He said to that church, “I'm going to keep you from the hour that's coming on the earth.”

Now His church does not go through it, it's raptured. But who's raptured? Not denominations or not individual churches, but His church are believers, those that are in Christ. Now that's the group that are taken out, and the rest of the crowd of church members are left here on this earth. As Dr. George Gill used to put it, he says some churches the day after the rapture when they meet on Sunday—well, that would mean it's coming on Saturday—but regardless, the next Sunday, many of the churches will meet and won't miss a member.

And that group will go into the Great Tribulation period. But let's understand, they're not believers. That is not the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, and it's never labeled His church. This is called a harlot, and you can't make it any worse than that. This is the pseudo-religious system. Now Babylon is to be rebuilt, as we have already seen that from Isaiah and also Jeremiah.

And we see here this destruction of Babylon in Revelation 17 and 18. Now ecclesiastical Babylon is destroyed by the wild beast. Commercial Babylon is destroyed by the return of Christ. Ecclesiastical Babylon is hated by the beast. Commercial Babylon is loved by the world. Ecclesiastical Babylon is destroyed at the beginning of the last three and a half years of the Great Tribulation. Commercial Babylon is destroyed at the end of the last three and a half years of the Great Tribulation, that is, at the very end.

Now Zechariah had something to say about that in the fifth chapter, and I'm not taking time to turn to that. Now as we come here to this great harlot riding the wild beast, and it's frightful and frightening. The wild beast has been identified as Antichrist and the empire over which he rules, the restored Roman Empire. Now the woman is identified for us here in verse 18: the woman is a city and the city is Rome, the religious capital of the world.

Probably we should pick that up. "For God hath put it into their hearts to fulfill His will and to agree and give their kingdom unto the beast until the words of God shall be fulfilled. And the woman which thou sawest is that great city which reigneth over the kings of the earth." So that we can identify her: it is religious Rome, which has inherited all of the religions of the world at that time.

You see, all of them. Because the true believers out of Romanism, and there are many real believers there—the real believers today that are in liberal churches, and there are many, by the way, I've discovered that through this radio program. And they're believers today in some very weird systems, I'm convinced of that. Now they'll all be raptured, and that leaves a church that's totally apostate, not the bride of Christ but it's called a harlot here, and full of the names of blasphemy.

And that will show how far religion has departed from the living Christ. And it's clothed in purple and scarlet. And purple was the predominant color of Roman imperialism. Every senate and knight wore a purple stripe as a badge. And scarlet is the color that was also used. And gilded with gold shows the beauty of the outward display, but like the Pharisees, it is within full of dead men's bones and of all uncleanness.

And the precious stone and pearls are pretty cold, though they may be genuine and are a sorted imitation of genuine heartfelt religion. The Lord Jesus said to the Pharisees, "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye make clean the outside of the cup and the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess." And a golden cup full of abominations is the religious intoxication of the antichurch.

Now not Antichrist, but antichurch. And a pseudo-religion, counterfeit Christianity, a fake and false gospel, and a sham and spurious system. This is the cup which makes the world drunk. "Babylon hath been a golden cup in the Lord's hand that made all the earth drunken. The nations have drunken of her wine, therefore the nations are mad." That's Jeremiah 51:7.

And upon her forehead is a name written, and this is startling: Mystery, Babylon the Great. I'm going to have to reserve until next time that, but I want you to know that there's something revealed here that reveals that this one-world church is not going to really be a one-world church. We'll see that next time. Until then, may God richly bless you, my beloved.

Steve Schwetz: Well, that's a great teaser for our next study in Revelation 17. Until then, if you want to contact us, you can drop us a note in our app. That's super easy. Or you can call 1-800-65-BIBLE. Or if you like email, we do too. Just email us at biblebus@ttb.org or visit our website ttb.org. And you can always write us a letter to Box 7100, Pasadena, California, 91109. In Canada, Box 25325, London, Ontario, N6C 6B1.

I'm Steve Schwetz, and as always, I'll be here saving you a seat through every stop and start as the Bible Bus makes its way through God's entire Word. *Thru the Bible* is a five-year study of God's entire Word. And together, we discover God's purposes in history and our lives, found only when we believe in Jesus Christ. Do you know Him yet?