Tale of Two Cities - Rev 17-18

The central message of this sermon is that spiritual corruption will culminate at the end times in a form that has been present all along, specifically a false religious system that peddles spirituality and pervades the world's systems. This "prostitute" represents the twisting and debasing of genuine good things to lesser purposes, where true worship of God is distorted and corrupted. The sermon argues that this system will eventually implode due to its own self-centered nature, allowing the final world government, represented by the beast, to rise to power and eliminate any rivals for its claim to be God. This message advances the belief that a false religious system is a critical component of the end times scenario, and that it will ultimately be judged and destroyed as a precursor to the Antichrist's rise to power. The takeaway the teacher wants listeners to understand is that spiritual corruption has been present throughout history, but it will reach its climax in a globalized, self-centered false religious system that will eventually be destroyed by its own evil nature.