Tag: Revelation 17

Called, Chosen and Faithful

OLD TESTAMENT: Zephaniah 3

POETRY: Psalm 120

NEW TESTAMENT: Revelation 17

Zephaniah 3:17 (LEB):

“Yahweh your God is in your midst,

a mighty one who will save;

he will rejoice over you with gladness;

he will quiet you by his love;

he will exult over you with loud singing.”

Psalm 120:1-2 (LEB):

“In my distress, I called to Yahweh,

and he answered me.

O Yahweh, deliver my soul from lying lips,

from a deceitful tongue.”

Revelation 17:14 (LEB):

“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.”

In the final chapter of Zephaniah, we see a beautiful promise of restoration for God’s people. Despite the judgments and warnings throughout the book, Zephaniah reveals a God who delights in His people. The imagery of God rejoicing over His people with gladness and singing conveys a profound message of love and hope.

This promise is especially comforting when we feel weighed down by our failures or the struggles of life. No matter the circumstances, God’s presence is a source of strength and salvation. He quiets our fears and anxieties with His love, inviting us to experience His peace. Reflecting on this passage encourages us to trust in God’s ability to restore and redeem our lives, no matter how lost we may feel.

Psalm 120 begins with a cry for help from a place of distress. The psalmist’s plea reflects the reality of living in a world filled with deceit and conflict. This prayer for deliverance from lying lips and a deceitful tongue resonates deeply in a society where truth is often obscured.

In our own lives, we may face similar challenges—misunderstandings, falsehoods, or manipulation. Like the psalmist, we are reminded that we can call upon God in our times of need. He hears our cries and is ready to deliver us from the influences that seek to lead us astray. This passage encourages us to bring our concerns to God, trusting in His protection and guidance as we navigate the complexities of our world.

Revelation 17 presents a stark contrast between the forces of evil and the sovereignty of the Lamb. Despite the tumult and the power struggles depicted, the ultimate victory belongs to Christ, the King of kings. Those who stand with him are described as “called and chosen and faithful,” highlighting the significance of our relationship with him in the face of adversity.

This truth empowers us as believers. While we may encounter challenges and opposition, we can find solace in knowing that our Savior reigns supreme. The victory of the Lamb assures us that evil will not prevail in the end. This passage calls us to remain faithful, trusting in God’s promises and living out our calling as His children.

-Jeff Ransom

Reflection Questions:

How does the promise of God’s rejoicing over you impact your understanding of His love and presence in your life?

In what areas of your life do you feel distressed or overwhelmed? How can you bring those concerns to God in prayer?

Reflect on the theme of deceit in Psalm 120. How can you guard your heart and mind against falsehoods in your daily life?

What does it mean for you to be called, chosen, and faithful in light of Revelation 17? How can you live out this identity in your community?

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“Why are you so amazed?”

Revelation 17

Friday, December 2, 2022

I once heard a preacher ask the audience, “Does anyone enjoy sinning?” As one who enjoys asking questions like this from the pulpit, my interest was piqued. You are faced with an internal dilemma – be honest and vulnerable or give the church answer that you think is the right answer. (I am always looking for the honest answer.) He followed up that question by telling  everyone, “Of course you do. Why else would you do it?” Temptation would not be tempting if it was not desirable. 

Sin has it’s appeal. It is tempting. Abstaining can be difficult at times.

In chapter 17, John is carried away by the spirit with an angel. He is taken into the wilderness where he sees the great prostitute. This prostitute has stolen the attention of all the people of the world. As he describes her, we see all the things that the people of this world crave after: power, prestige, wealth and attention. 

John stared at this with complete amazement. The angel asked in vs 7 – “Why are you so amazed?” 

All that this prostitute offers is temporary and ultimately leads to destruction – yet like John, we can stare in amazement. 

We need to heed one of John’s other writings. 

“Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.”

1 John 2:15-17 NLT

Do not get caught up in the pursuit and temptations of this world. For the prostitute, the beast and all those that fall into their temptation will be destroyed and eternally separated from God.

-John Wincapaw

Reflection Questions

  1. What are you amazed by when you read Revelation 17? What questions do you have? What is the greatest “take-away” or lesson from Revelation 17?
  2. How would you describe the woman on the beast and what she represents?
  3. How often do you consider the eternal consequences of your choices? Would it be easier making wise choices if you thought of it more often?
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Revelation and Double Fulfillment

Revelation 17

Revelation 17 14 .png
Today is a bit longer. Please bear with me to the end.
Before we start this devotion, please go read Isaiah 7:14. 
Is that verse about Jesus? 
According to Matthew 1:23, the answer is a clear and resounding yes. Now, go back and read Isaiah 7:14, 16-17, 8:3-4, 10. It would seem that Immanuel is also a reference to Isaiah’s son, Maher-shalal-hash-baz, who is the child of a/the young woman, and his title (Immanuel) shows the people that God is with them (Immanuell literally means “with us is God”). 
I know that may be some new information for you, but this is what I want you to see : When Isaiah gave the Immanuel prophecy, he wasn’t JUST talking about something that would happen hundreds (700+) of years in the future. He was talking about something that was going to happen SOON, that would impact King Ahaz’s life in just a few years time. Did he speak about the future as well? Matthew says yes, but that’s not all he speaks about.
This bit of insight is helpful to have in mind as we read Revelation 17 (or if you have already read it, as you go now and re-read it). Many who read the text of Revelation focus on the future aspects of the book. When will it happen? (Some people say : “Always just around the corner!”) Who are Gog and Magog? (“Always enemies of our country, like Germany, China or Russia!”) Am I prepared? (“Buy your food kit now!”) But, just as the prophecies of Isaiah meant something for the people of his day, we MUST recognize that the prophecy and revelation of John meant something to readers of John’s day.
And John’s readers knew what he meant. There are things that are hard to understand about the scene he saw, but he made it clear enough that they would have understood at least SOME of it. The picture is of a prostitute/harlot/whore sitting upon a beast. She commits sexual immorality with kings, she rides upon a beast, gets drunk on the blood of the saints. She has many names.
Woman who rides upon the beast, through hints we see in this text, is Rome (and by extension, the Roman Empire). Rome is a city sat upon seven hills (v.9). Rome is the great city that has an empire over the kings of the earth (v.18). Rome, like Babylon the Great before her, destroyed the Jewish Temple, and therefore Rome was acting in the “spirit of Babylon”. (v.5) The sexual immorality committed by the kings of the Earth is their worship of the Emperor as “the son of the gods” and “god-in-flesh”, which was discussed in an earlier devotion on Revelation, when the author spoke about the imperial cult. (v.2) Most importantly for the first readers, this woman was drinking the blood of the saints; that is a poetic description of what they were experiencing under the persecution of Rome.(v.6) 
When John uses all these images, we are given a powerful picture of the spirit of any empire that moves against Christ. And that is true in every age and in every place where there are empires drinking deeply the blood of saints and worshipping that which is not God. What we must always realize is that both in the day of John and our own, the truth is that Christ will conquer them all. Verse 14 says “These will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will conquer them because He is Lord of lords and King of kings. Those with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.” 
Could there be another city that will sit upon 7 hills, with kings, and be Babylon the great? Maybe. All of Revelation 17 could happen again in the future, with other systems, empires, and rulers. But verse 14 will be always and forever clear : whoever makes war against the Lamb will be defeated. The Lamb will conquer them by his power.
 

Brothers and sisters, we stand with him. We are called. We are chosen. No matter the persecution of the Dragon, the Beast or the Harlot, let us remain faithful. (v 14)

 

Jake Ballard
(Jake Ballard is Pastor at Timberland Bible Church in South Bend, IN. He lives in the Michiana Area with his wife and daughter. If you’d like to say hi you can find him on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/jacob.ballard.336  You can also hear more teachings at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs_awyI1LyPZ4QEZVN7HqKQ Otherwise, he is available on all hailing frequencies, by using the Palantir, and via carrier pigeon, though it’s getting colder in South Bend. God bless you all!)