“The Great Unveiling: When in Rome …”
Revelation 17:1-18
You’ve heard the saying – “When in Rome do as the Romans do!” It means that to fit in wherever you are, do what the natives do. And, in the time Revelation was written, many people lived as the Romans lived. Some did not. But every person had a choice to make concerning his or her loyalty in life. And when we begin to understand what Rome stands for today, we recognize that we, too, have the same choice – when in Rome, will we do as the Romans do? When on earth will we do as the earthlings do? What will be our supreme loyalty? To help us with our thinking, let’s study this 17th chapter.
First, consider a WILDERNESS EXPERIENCE OF LEARNING. Verse 3 reads: “Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a desert. There I saw…” Wilderness experiences have always had great significance for God’s people. THE WILDERNESS STANDS FOR A TIME OF DRAWING APART FROM EVERYDAY LIFE IN ORDER TO EXAMINE AND SEE MORE CLEARLY. One cannot examine the effects of pollution or smog while in the middle of it; one cannot know the extent of a fire when in the middle of the flames; one cannot know the extent of the enemy army when in the middle of the battle. He or she must get outside and look at the wider picture. In a wilderness experience we can see life as it really is; there we can see good versus evil and discover what evil really is.
Think of ISRAEL. For 40 years she wandered in the wilderness. Yes, it was a time of PUNISHMENT; BUT IT WAS ALSO A TIME OF TEACHING about the privileges of life with God and the perils of life without Him. There she could see and learn. Think also of MOSES, who for 40 years was PREPARED AND EQUIPPED in the desert. There he learned the skills and insights which enabled him to lead his people through that desert wilderness. And what of ELIJAH who ran to the wilderness in his despair, REGAINED HIS COMPOSURE AND FAITH when he was met and refreshed by God? And JOHN THE BAPTIST was uniquely prepared as he grew up in the wilderness and there RECEIVED HIS MESSAGES AND INSIGHTS FROM GOD. And it was in the wilderness where JESUS, by being tempted, ESTABLISHED HIS CHARACTER. The wilderness is the place where God can speak to us, form us, and prepare us.
We must be intentional about building that significance into our lives. WE MUST TAKE TIME TO RETREAT AND BE RENEWED. Some pf you will say, “But Pastor Curry, you don’t understand. I’m busy.” I do understand – and I also understand that we take the time to do what we value. St. Francis of Assisi often went to the mountains – it’s where he found extraordinary power and strength. Lloyd Ogilvie used to spend a concentrated period of time each year studying while cloistered abroad – and from that came his sermons and books. Did you know that the faithful Muslims fast for one month each year? Jesus retreated to the mountains to rest and pray. I wonder if these people and so many others point us to something that we have lost? Whenever I have practiced what I preach about retreating for renewal, and actually do it, it has a profound affect upon me. All I need to do is do it.
WE NEED MORE OF THE QUIET LIFE, THE PROLONGED SOLITUDE, THE FASTING AND PRAYER, which the saints of the old practiced so faithfully. The only way we can receive the message of God is to make room for it. We prefer for God to speak in such dramatic ways that “we can’t help but notice;” but He seldom speaks that way. God much prefers to wait for us to be prepared. Why not fast a day a month? Why not spend a designated time each day and each week in prayer and meditation? Why not spend some vacation time just meditating and reflecting, where no knocks on the door, no phones, no email, no twitter, no Facebook will interrupt us? WE MUST BE CLOSER TO GOD AND THE HOLINESS OF HEAVEN IN ORDER TO SEE THE UNHOLINESS OF THE WORLD; we must be covered by Christ’s light in order to see the darkness of the world.
Remember Lot (Gen. 13: 12-13). He spent so much time away from the wilderness, with his heart in the midst of the world, that his heart was never really freed from Sodom and Gomorrah. If, like Lot, we pitch our tents in the wrong direction, we will not be strong enough to withstand the fiery darts of the evil one. We must build into our lives more wilderness experiences of learning.
Secondly, we are confronted with a WONDERFUL EXPOSURE OF LOVE. We may not see it said directly, but it’s the umbrella covering the whole chapter. Be aware, as we look at these chapters on Babylon, that GOD IS THE LOVER. The strong, vivid language of harlotry reminds us that there is someone who loves – and that someone is God. Throughout the Old Testament the picture of sexual looseness is common. There, God is the lover and His people Israel is the bride. And within that context God repeatedly reminds and shows them how He tenderly creates, takes care of, protects, defends, and meets the needs of His bride. That’s why, when they reject Him to follow some other lover, God chides them for their unfaithfulness; He accuses them of adultery. The apostle John – who wrote Revelation – knew this great love of God. In his first letter (I Jn. 3:1) “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God. And that is what we are!”
Understand that TO HAVE ANOTHER LOYALTY THAN CHRIST IS MORE A SIN AGAINST LOVE THAN IT IS A SIN AGAINST LAW. In fact, what did Jesus say is the very essence of our life? That we should love God with our heart, soul, mind, and strength! And we cannot love him this way if we also have loyalty to another. That’s why God says that those who oppose Him, who walk after other gods, are harlots, prostitutes. (I Jn. 2:15) “If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him.” Period. God is the lover who demands and deserves to be loved.
But we see once again that not everyone responds positively; in fact MANY PEOPLE DO NOT RESPOND LOVINGLY TO THIS LOVING GOD. Verses 9-10 point us to ROME. John’s readers knew of her evil ways. In fact, the picture John draws of Rome is far more mild than that which the historians of his day drew; it was wicked beyond wickedness! And yet we are pointed beyond Rome here. THE 7TH KINGDOM IS THE BONDING TOGETHER OF ALL THOSE WHO CHOOSE EVIL, the total of all who are opposed to Christ. Babylon, begun after the great flood, continues in force today, encouraging compromise with the worlds’ way of life. When in the world, do as worldly people do; when on earth do as earthlings do. This 7th kingdom is THE SEDUCTIVE ATTRACTIVENESS OF THE WORLD, which invites, seduces, lures, and persuades us to follow. It deludes us into thinking that personal power and luxury are the goals of life. It appears to be interested in our welfare when in reality it is not!
And note that in verse 11 there is an EIGHTH, YET ONE OF THE 7. THAT MEANS EVERYTHING COMES FROM SATAN. Satan even imitates Pentecost; on Pentecost the Holy Spirit enabled Christ to be anywhere His people were; so Satan is now anywhere his people are. He is in control of all this opposition. He empowers the others. Before Christ, he had great freedom and was loose; at the cross he was bound; before the end he will be released one last time for a short time. But he’s doomed.
And still today many of those who are loved by God follow the way of Rome. But our society tries to disguise it. Our culture calls sin an accident, a mistake, an error, a weakness. It faults heredity and environment. Our culture changes other terms as well. It calls adultery “affairs”; idolatry is simply a matter of “wrong priorities”; when someone covets we simply say they are looking out for themselves in these hard times; “marriages” without any official wedding are just called “open”. And what about those who go around in the name of Christianity and claim that God expects and wants everybody to be rich – or will heal all who have enough faith – and then proceed to build their own little kingdoms off what all the poor and elderly people send to them? And what of those who say to the hungry of the world, “If they’re hungry, let them get a job!” And so it goes.
Perhaps Dan Rather put it very well some years ago when he did a feature on the lack of remorse. Prompted by John Hinckley’s behavior following the verdict of his trial for attempting to assassinate the President of the United States, Rather said the greatest thing which upsets people is that those who do such terrible deeds never seem to feel sorry anymore. Hinckley didn’t; political leaders don’t; athletes don’t; actors and actresses don’t. Why should we be surprised that our young people do not know much about remorse? We’ve been lulled to sleep by the permissiveness of our day! Lenin once said that religion is the opiate of the people. A parallel here is that BABYLON MAKES PEOPLE DRUNK WITH THE WINE OF THE WORLD. An opiate puts people to sleep and drunkenness puts them into a stupor. And only the love of Christ – which is so much more than a religion – can awaken and sober us!
And be aware – in this battle there is no demilitarized zone, no sacred sanctuary. The battleground is our very souls; it’s for our hearts and our allegiances. Let Proverbs 5 & 7 be the guide for our living in the midst of this age. Never forget the wonderful exposure of love, which comes from the God who creates, protects, defines us and meets our needs. Jesus is the proof! “Oh, how He loves you and me; Oh, how He loves you and me; He gave His life, what more could He give? Oh, how He loves you and me.”
Thirdly, near the end of chapter 17, we are reminded again about THE WICKEDS’ EXTINCTION OF LIFE. In verse 6 we encounter the STATE OF THE BEAST IN THE WOMAN WHO IS RULING; she has killed the martyrs and the saints, and she’s spawning evil throughout the world. It’s a case of “like mother, like daughter.” And we’re given the picture that she’s enjoying it all! Like a drunkard revels in his drunkenness, BABYLON REVELS IN HER DESTRUCTION of good.
But things begin to change. Verse 14 reminds us SHE WILL LOSE the battle at Armageddon. In verse 16 we are surprised when the beast and the horns turn against the woman and devour her! What’s this? We thought they were working hand in hand! But it’s like the common theme of a movie – once the thief has what he wants, he kills his accomplice. What was it Jesus said? (Mt. 12:26) “If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then shall his kingdom stand?” The beast is in it for himself. Once the world is under his spell, through the efforts of the woman, he doesn’t need her anymore. He turns on her so he alone can have complete control.
And that merely points us again to the SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD. One way God maintains control is that He knows evil sets itself up to be destroyed, so he can let evil have its day. EVIL CONTAINS WITHIN ITSELF THE SEEDS OF SELF-DESTRUCTION.
A great case in point is a summary of the 5 REASONS ROME FELL, as put forth in the Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire. Listen to them. FIRST - THE DECAY OF RELIGION WITH FAITH FADING INTO MERE FORM. How many people are on the church rolls today only because it’s a safe place to have their name when the chips are down? SECONDLY - THE BREAKDOWN OF THE SANCTITY OF THE HOME, WHICH IS THE BASIS OF SOCIETY. How has all of our divorce and spouse/child abuse come about? Why is it there is as so much marriage difficulty and divorce within the church? Why are there so many “contract” marriages and prenuptial agreements? Because of unwillingness to give of self and the desire of self to receive! THIRDLY - THE BUILDING OF GIGANTIC ARMAMENTS, WHILE THE REAL ENEMY WAS WITHIN THE DECADENCE OF THE PEOPLE. Wasn’t part of Russia’s hope that if she could keep us busy counteracting her public moves that we’d eventually rot on the inside? FOURTHLY – HIGHER AND HIGHER TAXES, TO MEET THE DEMANDS OF THE POPULACE FOR FREE BREAD AND CIRCUSES. No comment needed. And FIFTHLY – THE MAD CRAZE FOR PLEASURE, WITH SPORTS EVENTS BECOMING MORE AND MORE BRUTAL AND MORE AND MORE EXCITING. Again, no comment! Do you catch the tone? When we leave our loyalty to God behind, when we pursue our own pleasures and desires, we fall. We are on a course of self-destruction!
And we see God’s sovereignty in that, far from opposing God, THE BEAST WAS WORKING FOR GOD! God put it in the hearts of beast and horns to turn on the woman! (Vs. 17) He is in charge! As Walter Scott says, “God works unseen, but not the less truly, in all the political changes of the day. The astute statesman and clever diplomat are simply agents in the Lord’s hands, though they know it not. Self-will and motives of policy may influence action, but God is steadily working toward one end: to exhibit the heavenly and earthly glories of His Son. Thus, instead of kings and statesmen thwarting God’s purpose, they unconsciously forward it. God is not indifferent, but is behind the scenes of human action.” The wicked may extinguish life for a while – but eventually they extinguish their own!
Having said all this, do we catch the significance of life? EACH OF US IS A LINK IN A GREATER CHAIN OF DESTINY. We either pass on evil and death, or Christ and life. Make no mistake about it. We will leave something in the world. The only question is, “What will it be?” A legacy to the power and wiles of Satan? Or living memorials to Jesus Christ? Embrace some wilderness experiences, focus on the wonderful exposure of love, and remember the extinction of the wicked. And make your only loyalty Jesus Christ. As John wrote in his letter (I Jn. 2:6 NEB), “Here is the test by which we can make sure that we are in him: whoever claims to be dwelling in him, binds himself to live as Christ lived.” So when in Rome, do not do as the Romans do; rather, when in Christ, do as Christ does. Amen.
