Tag: many waters

8.c. “Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth’s abominations.”

Revelation 17:1   Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality, and with the wine of whose sexual immorality the dwellers on earth have become drunk.” And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality. And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: “Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth’s abominations.” And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.

Babylon of old seems to be the birthplace of many false teachings and worship and is spiritually void of God.  We have a political system established by the Antichrist and a religious system established by the false prophet.  Babylon, both politically and religiously, has once again become great and not in a good way.  The spiritual adultery people are graving and lusting after will give them their fill of false hopes, false ideas, and a false sense of security.  This unfaithfulness toward God is voluntary and intentional.  People during the tribulation, like now, have a choice to commit or not commit adultery with the world and what it has to offer.  Every day we have choices we make that take us deeper with God or not.  Do not be swayed by the eloquent speech of those who have an outward appearance of godliness but inwardly they are void.  Do not we taken in by the cultural thoughts that lead to a lukewarm watered down Christian life.  Do you want to grow spiritually and have a deeper understanding of God’s word?  Spend as much time in it as what you spend watching sports, reading news, or surfing the internet.  You will find an amazing release from world influence and will see a maturing of your faith over and over again.  Watering down the gospel now points to a time in the near future where people will not even be aware of their adulterous acts against God.

7.r. These have been redeemed from mankind

Revelation 14:1  Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven like the roar of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. The voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps, and they were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins. It is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These have been redeemed from mankind as firstfruits for God and the Lamb, and in their mouth no lie was found, for they are blameless.

The Book of Revelation can get heavy on our hearts at times.  The amount of death, judgment, and tribulation is extensive and can be overwhelming.  Our hearts should break with the knowledge of what we are reading is going to impact real people someday. The violence recorded in Revelation is both a warning and before it happens and foretelling of what will happen.  This great tribulation is God’s wrath and anger and judgment, and where Satan has been given leeway on earth to carry out God’s plan of persecutions, destruction, death, famine, disease, war, and false prophecy.  Here in Chapter 14, we see a message of hope, a break from these judgments, not that there is a break in what is happening on earth but more for the reader to keep their eyes on the Lamb of God and the importance of this over pending judgment. With all that we have read so far during the tribulation period and the death of those who have been martyred for their faith, these 144,000 having been sealed by the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, have been kept whole.  What a glimpse of God’s grace.  He keeps His messengers safe and from harm to proclaim salvation in and throughout the tribulation time.  It may not seem like it with all that we have read so far.  However, during this time of the wrath, anger, and judgment of God we still see His grace.  Those who will listen and open their heart, mind, and soul to the message of Christ will be eternally saved but will suffer the consequences of their delayed obedience.  It is their delayed obedience in trusting Jesus Christ, repenting, seeking forgiveness, redemption, and salvation, which has resulted in them missing the time of God’s grace on earth with the presence of the Holy Spirit.