Last 5 Days
The Lamb will conquer all
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, 2 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.” 3 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. 4 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. 5 And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: “Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth's abominations.” 6 And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.
When I saw her, I marveled greatly. 7 But the angel said to me, “Why do you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her. 8 The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit and go to destruction. And the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the beast, because it was and is not and is to come. 9 This calls for a mind with wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated; 10 they are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he does come he must remain only a little while. 11 As for the beast that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to destruction. 12 And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast. 13 These are of one mind, and they hand over their power and authority to the beast. 14 They will make war on the Lamb, and 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.”
15 And the angel said to me, “The waters that you saw, where the prostitute is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and languages. 16 And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the prostitute. They will make her desolate and naked, and devour her flesh and burn her up with fire, 17 for God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by being of one mind and handing over their royal power to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled. 18 And the woman that you saw is the great city that has dominion over the kings of the earth.”
After the seven bowls of God’s wrath were poured out, one of the angels revealed a new vision to John. In the vision, there was a great prostitute (v3) and she was clothed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold, jewels and pearls. (v4) The angels said that she was going to be judged because she was addressed as Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth’s abomination. (v5) She had committed sexual immorality with the kings of the earth, and the dwellers on earth have become drunk. This woman too was drunk, but from drinking from the blood of the martyrs of those who followed after Jesus. (v6)
There are many ways of describing the relationships that God has with His people, and one of the relationships commonly used is the relationship of the husband and wife. In the Old Testament, Israel’s disobedience to God was often described as committing adultery or harlotry (Jeremiah 3:8-9; 5:7; 13:27; Ezekiel 16:32) and they are being disciplined for being unfaithful to God.
Here, the great prostitute who belonged to God in name, had conducted herself unfaithful to God. She had given herself completely to the world to the sensuous desires of the world and those in power, and in exchange, for the material luxury of the world. She was the mother of all prostitutes and of earth’s abomination, and to the extend where she was willing to use the lives of the people of God to exchange for such enjoyment.
This great prostitute was seated on the a scarlet beast. This beast is the same beast that had been described in chapter 13, for it had the same seven heads and ten horns (13:1) and also is blasphemous names against God (13:5-6). This beast was often being referred to the different empires of power and authority that had control over the people (refer to devotion on chapter 13:1-10). In the context of John’s time, this beast seem to point to the Roman empire. The seven heads of the beast or the seven hills in verse 9 draws parallel to the city of Rome, which physically sits on 7 hills. This beast also refers to an empire which the Antichrist will use as the final kingdom to go against God in the end of age.
There will come a time and age when the unfaithful will ride on the great political power of its time to conduct treacherous acts on the people of God for her own gains. The prostitute clothed in scarlet and purple, might look rich and desirable from worldly standards, and powerful as she rides on the beast, but do not be mistaken, for it will only be for a short period of time.
The passage reminds us that they will make war on Christ and His people at the end of age. They will look like a formidable force and fighting against such power seemed to be like throwing an egg on a rock. However, the Word of God tells us that the lamb will conquer them because he is the LORD of lords and the KING of kings! He himself is sufficient to take them down in the final war. We as His children who are faithful, will enjoy reigning with Him in the final kingdom that is to come.
Dear brothers and sisters, be faithful to the end! Even when the nights feels seemingly long, and our faithfulness in following Christ does not make any sense in the environment we are in or our efforts seem small and futile in the bigger scheme of things, be faithful to the end. We will see great hope and delight when Christ comes again. Psalms 30:5 tells us weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning. Be faithful to Him all the way!
