Watch out

DEVOTION

THE REVELATION

WATCH OUT

Rev 17:3-6

3 Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a desert. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. 4 The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries. 5 This title was written on her forehead: MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. 6 I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus.

NIV

Many of those old scholars of past years, with their deep roots in hatred for the Roman Catholic Church, see this as a perfect description of the Latin Church. Which they have also found using Latin numbers in its name as 666. Could it be true? Again for them it was history without the knowledge of what has occurred since their death. It certainly has a resemblance to the great pomp and ceremony of the church with all its trappings in Gold and with its cardinals all adorned in scarlet. They have in the past before the dawn of automobiles road in carriages also adorned with purple and scarlet alone with all the horses blankets being of the same. This is a historical fact and with the dawn of this more modern age, a slightly less display is portrayed. It is also true, historical fact that during certain periods of her grandeur the Church burned heretics alive tied to a stack. But as this may not be the most accurate interpretation it does bear some resemblance to what has happened. Yet again if all this revelation is history then it has no bearing on our lives whatsoever. It is not like the rest of scripture which shows us the truth, giving us insight to how God has redeemed us and set before us a way of life, living by faith rather than sight. But if this is yet to come, it clearly gives us, once again, an insight into how God is going to finish his creation. It also gives us a view of how we are to be on guard against any of the schemes of the devil. Although the Catholic Church has a great deal of influence within certain areas of the world, it does not dominate the doctrines or ideologies of the whole world, as this description would imply. This great mother of prostitutes is the abominations of the earth. This is the mother of all prostitutes, those who commit adultery against God. From her is spawned the worst abominations against God. This is something that can even devour the saints, those of us who bear testimony to Jesus. This is a warning to all the saints of God to be on guard against her seductive ways. Not to beat a dead horse, but this may very well be the whole of the picture of great wealth. We remember how we were warned not to give that person dressed in fine clothes to sit in the best seat while telling the poorer dressed to sit on the floor. We remember that Jesus told the people that they did not go out in the wilderness to listen to a man dressed in fine clothes for they live in palaces. But the most striking evidence of this prostitute being wealth comes later in this revelation.

Rev 18:16-17

"'Woe! Woe, O great city, dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet, and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls! 17 In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin!'

NIV

Wealth can strike at the hearts and minds of every person on this earth. No matter what type of economy a person lives in, whether it be of great prosperity such as America, or in some remote corner of the world where people still live mostly in poverty, at least by our standards of success and wealth, every person can strive for more. Each person no matter their particular situation can be intoxicated with the desire to have more, to increase their worth. Although it is true we have also been warned about false teachers, false doctrines of faith, even those who use the name of Jesus, which can only apply to the Christian faith. It does not apply to the whole world as wealth does. This beast she sits upon with the seven heads and ten horns simple shows us how invasive this ideology is. It strikes everywhere, everyone, even the believers. Wealth can be at the forefront of many people, either of those who have much or of those who lack it. Wealth, or at least the love of it, is the one thing which scripture speaks about drawing us away from God. That we cannot desire both, it is either one or the other, and we will love one and despise the other.

Matt 6:24
24 "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money . 

NIV

 How can we not see this great dangerous ideology knocking at our door? How can we be deceived by this? Yet it appears some saints, some believers will be deceived and devoured by this great prostitute, perhaps under the guise of being good stewards. We cannot afford to be incited by her ways, her deceptive practices. We must remain true to God, to believe him, to trust him, to look to him for all things concerning our lives. Nothing, no adulterous ideas are worth being drawn into. We must always see God for who he is. We must always be on guard.