Austin Bible Church
The Tribulation will be a time of maximum ecclesiastical and ecumenical religion that opposes the plan of God and God's grace. Rev. 1:7.
“BEHOLD, HE IS COMING WITH THE CLOUDS, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen.” (Revelation 1:7, NASB)
The Tribulation will be the most religious period of all human history. The Holy Spirit’s restraint on earth will be removed. There will be no universal indwelling of the Holy Spirit in Tribulational believers. 2 Thess. 2:7.
“For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way.” (2 Thessalonians 2:7, NASB)
Religion’s greatest problem will be to explain the Rapture, so this is attacked. Religion will claim unbelievers, the Gospel will claim believers. Rev. 13:6.
“And he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, that is, those who dwell in heaven.” (Revelation 13:6, NASB)
Ecumenical religion in the Tribulation will be international in scope. It will be glamorous, wealthy, powerful, and will have lots of pleasure with a program of entertainment. It will gain converts by appealing to emotion, to lust patterns of the old sin nature such as approbation lust, power lust, and religious lust. This is called “immorality” in Revelation 18:3. Rev. 17:12.
“"For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality."” (Revelation 18:3, NASB)
“"The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but they receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour.” (Revelation 17:12, NASB)
Ecclesiastical religion in the Tribulation is called Babylon. In the Old Testament, Babylon referred to the original city that was destroyed. An account is given in Isaiah. In the New Testament, Babylon refers to Rome (the Revived Roman Empire), the last headquarters for the ecclesiastical religion system of the Tribulation.
The Dictator of the Revived Roman Empire will be the political head of the ten-nation confederation. He will also be the head of the ecclesiastical religious system. Religion gains political ascendancy and in the Revived Roman Empire religion will control the state and will be the state. There will be great loss of freedom.
Ecclesiastical religion will have very high adherence in all nations, sometimes 90%, sometimes 100%, but at least lip service will be given. Religion will dominate national entities, but national entities will exist politically.
The religious system in the Tribulation will form following a maximum saturation of the Gospel. When people exercise negative volition at the point of God-consciousness and Gospel hearing, they create a vacuum in their souls for an alternative, any alternative. In the Tribulation, they will have more chances to say “no” to salvation in Jesus Christ than at any other time in human history.
People will be attracted to religion in the Tribulation as many are in all dispensations. Religion will infiltrate the newly constructed Jewish temple in Jerusalem, making it impossible to teach the truth, therefore the necessity to evangelize outside the temple (the 144,000 and the Two Witnesses). There will be the Beast who will also be the Dictator of the Revived Roman Empire who will have an outstanding personality and leadership skills.
Ecclesiastical religion of the Revived Roman Empire will demand acceptance (at least on the surface) in the Land (Palestine). This will be done by setting up a statue of the image of the Beast in the Jewish temple in Jerusalem and will also be called the Abomination of Desolation. There will be a mandatory system of ritual and worship under pain of death. The Mark of the Beast will be required to conduct any type of societal activity and will bring enormous danger to anyone who does not have the mark. Rev. 13:17; Rev. 14:11. See category on The Mark of the Beast.
“and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name.” (Revelation 13:17, NASB)
“"And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name."” (Revelation 14:11, NASB)
Those negative to the Gospel will worship the Beast as part of the religious system of the Tribulation. Rom. 1:21; Rev. 13:4-8.
“For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.” (Romans 1:21, NASB)
“they worshiped the dragon because he gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?" There was given to him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies, and authority to act for forty-two months was given to him. And he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, that is, those who dwell in heaven. It was also given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them, and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him. All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain.” (Revelation 13:4-8, NASB)
God will use two approaches to make their need clear for the Savior, Jesus Christ. There will be evangelism by love (grace) and evangelism by disaster (judgment). Many religious people will remain negative to the Gospel of Jesus Christ no matter what system is used. They will be evangelized by four waves of Gospel proclamation. Rev. 16:17-21.
“Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl upon the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne, saying, "It is done." And there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder; and there was a great earthquake, such as there had not been since man came to be upon the earth, so great an earthquake was it, and so mighty. The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. Babylon the great was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And huge hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, came down from heaven upon men; and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, because its plague was extremely severe.” (Revelation 16:17-21, NASB)
Religion will be permitted to operate without restraint in the Tribulation for two reasons. It is part of the Angelic Conflict and as such Satan will be allowed a free hand by God in certain areas. It will be a challenge to believers to learn Bible doctrine in the Tribulation. Lack of Bible doctrine in their soul’s causes believers to get into false teaching and religion.
Religion of the Tribulation does what all religion has always done in every dispensation – promote the thinking of Satan. Satan is the author of “being good” to achieve heaven. Any religion that seeks to solve man’s problems by man’s efforts is satanic in nature. In the Tribulation, religion will be able to use political power in order to persecute and destroy those who are born-again.
All judgments on religion in the Tribulation are designed to awaken the unbeliever to their need for the Lord Jesus Christ and, therefore, will be fair. Most of the judgments will be against religion and those who adhere to it – specifically the Fifth and Sixth Trumpets, the Second and Third Angels, and all of the Vial Judgments. Believers who do not separate from religion will get involved in the judgments of religion. Rev. 18:4-5.
“I heard another voice from heaven, saying, "Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues; for her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.” (Revelation 18:4-5, NASB)
Ecclesiastical religion will fall at the peak of her power at the end of the Armageddon Campaign. Judgment from God takes place in one day. The destruction will be so great that all unbelieving humans will be wiped out - only demons will be left. This is the judgment of religion at the end of the Tribulation. Rev. 18:8; Rev. 18:2; Rev. 19:2-3.
“"For this reason in one day her plagues will come, pestilence and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire; for the Lord God who judges her is strong.” (Revelation 18:8, NASB)
“And he cried out with a mighty voice, saying, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird.” (Revelation 18:2, NASB)
“BECAUSE HIS JUDGMENTS ARE TRUE AND RIGHTEOUS; for He has judged the great harlot who was corrupting the earth with her immorality, and HE HAS AVENGED THE BLOOD OF HIS BOND-SERVANTS ON HER." And a second time they said, "Hallelujah! HER SMOKE RISES UP FOREVER AND EVER."” (Revelation 19:2-3, NASB)