December 16, 2023 - Revelation 17-18

Here is the great prostitute, of whom John writes:  “And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus” (17:6).  She sat on “a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns” (17:3).  These individual items do have significance, but it seems to me that the overall picture is one of grotesqueness and chaos.  Of course, the woman is the great Babylon, which seems to me be a picture of the worldly and satanic powers that are always, but particularly at the end of the age, opposing God and his people.

Babylon prospered for awhile – “the great city that was clothed in fine linen, in purple and scarlet, adorned with gold, with jewels, and with pearls!” (18:16).  However, “in a single hour all this wealth has been laid to waste” (18:17).  The prophets asked, and the Psalmists asked, “Will God look the other way while his people are unjustly treated?  Will he vindicate them?”  The answer is “Yes, God will vindicate!”  For instance, see Psalm 37:  “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.  He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday” (Psalm 37:5-6) & “The wicked plots against the righteous and gnashes his teeth at him, but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he sees that his day is coming” (Psalm 37:12-13).  And, right here, John answers:  “Of course, God will vindicate his people, and he will judge those who have so wrongly treated them!”

The angel asked John, “Why do you marvel?” (17:7)  Why should we marvel?  For although, the enemies of Christ will make war on him and on all who are his, “The Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful” (17:14).

Look, ye saints, the sight is glorious:

see the Man of Sorrows now;

from the fight returned victorious,

every knee to Him shall bow.

Crown Him! Crown Him!

Crowns become the Victor's brow.   --Thomas Kelly (1809)