We see the beginning of false religion back in Genesis 11:4 in none other than Babylon. We read, "...Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the earth." Though God had placed His message in the stars, this is where the perversion of astrology and the horoscope began. We read in Revelation 17:1-2, "...Come I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication."

We see the result of this in verse 6, "I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement." Chapter 17 in Revelation talks about spiritual Babylon and its eventual destruction. People take infidelity, seriously in marriage. Whenever anyone merges God with anything else they are committing spiritual infidelity. Therefore, all the use of words like harlot, fornication, etc. People now like to call themselves "spiritual", a little Jesus, a little Buddhism, a little Hindu, etc. God has never and will never allow this, He will not be added to. In this passage we will see false religion hit its apex in the person of the Antichrist and the False Prophet. Chapter 18, deals with economic, commercial and political Babylon. Notice the strong words in Revelation 18:2-3, "...Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit,...For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury." Newsweek broke a story in 2014 showing that ISIS was selling oil at $20/barrel against the prevailing rate of $78/barrel, in so doing it was making 2.5 million dollars/day. When you realize people and nations had to be buying it to make a profit, it shows how money and luxury blinds people.

Pilate asked Jesus a very important question in John 18:38, "..,What is truth?" Jesus said in John 8:31-32, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." Jesus came to free us. He never preached religion, but a true relationship with Him. The word, religion, actually means to bind. Religion is the opposite of the freeing relationship that Jesus offers and desires for us. The masses are easily swayed by well-articulated arguments. Only by being rooted in God's Word can we withstand all of the pull to compromise our walk with Him and merge with the world religious and commercial system.