Anyway, both yesterday's reading and today's was a full chapter.... SO I think I'm gonna be relatively short again.
Rev 17 The Great Prostitute and the Beast
Here, one of the angels that carried a bowl of wrath takes John in the Spirit, meaning a vision or transcendence probably. He is taken to a wilderness type place, which has been a place of sanctuary for God's people, especially in this book (remember the pregnant woman who was protected from the dragon in the wilderness?). Anyway, perhaps from the Spirit influenced perspective that Paul has at this moment, he sees a prostitute on a beast. The beast is much like the beast mentioned earlier, having seven heads and ten horns. The woman is well adorned with beautiful colors and jewelry, so apparently attractive, but John sees that her cup is "full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality." and her forehead had written on it, "Babylon the great, mother of pprostitutes and of earth's abominations." She is drunk with the blood of saints. Now this is scary to me because this image is how I see non-christians, or at least my bc (before Christ) days, because I was wretched and sinful but covered myself with a good gpa, "fellowship," fake service, and generally nice guy (or I tried to be). But those were just adornments, white washed tombs. And yet this image is what delights, in drunkeness, not realizing what they do, in the death of Christians.
Even John when he first saw the woman "marveled greatly." But then the angel slapped him upside the head (not literally, I'm just in a bit of a playful mood) and was like, I'll tell you whats up. So the angel explains that the beast is the one that will rise from the bottomless pit and will be destroyed, along with the unsaved who worship it. I guess I was wrong awhile back when I said the heads weren't likely kings because here the angel explains that 5 of the heads were, that one is, and one more is a king to come. The ten horns are kings who have not come to power. These are "of one mind" and give their authority to the beast. They will fight against the Lamb and lose.
Interestingly at the end of the chapter, the angel reveals that he is talking about everyone, all nations. But the ironic thing here is that the ten horns and the beast will destroy the prostitute, even though she is evil too!. And the angel assures John that this is God's intent and His sovereign plan.
What I realize: Well first of all, evil is deceiving, adorned with nice things, but carrying wicked things. I know this already but I feel we are all still prone to crave what our earthly eyes see. Second, I think it's interesting that the enemy would be of one mind. Perhaps God asks us to do the same to fight against the enemy. If they're going to be united then we need to be also. (Yes I'm still memorizing Philippians, and what came to mind is ch 2:2 "complete my joy by being of the same mind, with the same love, being in full accord and of one mind." and Phil 2:5 "Have this mind among you, which is yours in Christ Jesus.") Last, sin and evil is self-destructive. Obviously. God didn't send fire or legions or Sata to destroy the prostitute, though under His command they all certainly would have done the job, but rather God will allow sin to destroy evil. Awesome. God will finish up what sin fails to do though when He judges all.
And honestly its late again, I will catch up!!!!! eventually.....
tomorrow blog Ch 18 read 19:1-4
"God didn't send fire or legions or Sata to destroy the prostitute, though under His command they all certainly would have done the job, but rather God will allow sin to destroy evil. Awesome."
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