Episode Details

Who is the great prostitute riding the scarlet beast? In the final part of the series, Andrew follows one of Revelation's most shifting symbols to its end, then steps back to the great white throne, the new creation, and what Jesus Himself told His disciples about His return.

**The great prostitute and the scarlet beast.** In Revelation 17–18 the woman is first a great prostitute, then Babylon the Great, then the one who sits on seven hills, the familiar description of Rome. Yet when she falls in chapter 18, she looks like a great port city, and everyone weeping over her is involved in commerce. Andrew suggests the change is deliberate: the prostitute is the economic system, and it sits on top of Satan, who has ruled through one great commercial city after another. In the end, all of it comes down.

**The end of the story.** Chapter 19 brings the wedding feast of the Lamb and Christ's return on a white horse. In chapter 20 Satan is bound for a thousand years, the beasts are thrown into the lake of fire, and after one final rebellion with Gog and Magog, Satan follows them. Then comes the great white throne, where earth and sky flee away and nothing is left to rebuild. Those who are not saved must give an account before the living God.

**The good news.** The saved stand instead before the judgment seat of Christ, where rewards are given for faithfulness (2 Corinthians 5:10; 1 Corinthians 3:10–15). Then God makes a new heaven and a new earth, and His people dwell forever in the New Jerusalem.

**What Jesus said.** In the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24–25), the disciples ask three questions on the Mount of Olives. From Jesus' answers, Andrew draws seven points: Jesus is coming again; no one knows when; we are to watch faithfully; His coming will be unmistakable to everyone; believers will be evaluated for rewards; the wicked will be judged before the great white throne; and a seventh, more disputed question about what the world will be like when He comes and how we should prepare.

That last question isn't settled by any chart or date. It comes down to how we use what God has entrusted to us, so that we hear Him say, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

This concludes the four-part series on Revelation.

The Bible in 3D is a Christ-centered Bible teaching podcast from Cogworks Media, hosted by Andrew. Find more shows and ways to give at cogworksmedia.org. Cogworks Media is a 501(c)(3) public charity, and gifts are tax-deductible.

Music: The Epic Hero by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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