Revelation 17, Reading Through the NT 2015

Chapter 17 of Revelation is the text for today.

One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls wanted to show John another vision, and took him away into a wilderness. A new phase of prophesy is about to begin, and the sight John sees is of the punishment of the “great prostitute” with whom the kings of the earth committed adultery. This is portrayed as a woman sitting on a scarlet beast covered with blasphemous names, with seven heads and ten horns. She is covered in precious jewels with a gold cup in her hand, and this cup contains abominable things. The name written on her forehead was a mystery (and it still is today!) She is “Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of the abominations of the earth,” and is drunk with the blood of the saints and martyrs of Jesus.

These characters are symbols of great wickedness, immorality, idolatry and rejection of God. The beast represents the Antichrist, and the angel explains who he is and what his horns and heads represent. All of this may seem confusing, and none of us will fully understand it completely until the final reckoning with God. What we do know is that the beast was plunged into darkness by the fifth bowl, and is now gone from the earth temporarily. The angel describes him as one who once was, now is not, and yet will come up out of the Abyss and go to its destruction. When it rises up again, those with the mark of the beast will be astonished and think he has been resurrected and once again in power. They couldn’t be more wrong! We need not fear this rising, for we are safely sealed with God’s mark – the Holy Spirit. Our fate is secure, and we can rest in confidence with the hope of eternity on our side.

A short explanation of the seven heads is that they are the hills where the woman sits. This could be Rome – city of seven hills. The time this was written would point to this interpretation, and we have no reason to think otherwise.  They are also said to be seven kings, five of which have already fallen, one is ruling at the time of this vision, and one is to come. The risen beast makes up an eighth king and will go to his destruction when he comes out of the Abyss again. Do we need to know the exact meaning of each of these symbols? The answer is no, because we know the outcome of things for us as believers. What happens to those who don’t have faith in Christ will be terrible and sad, but they all had the same chance as we did to put their trust and hope in God.

The ten horns represent ten kings. Each king will rule for one hour (a relative time frame) and then they will give their power to the beast. They will wage war against the Lamb, but He is King of kings and Lord of lords, and will win, with His called, chosen and faithful followers alongside. We will be with Him, and share in the victory cheer on this great day!

The final paragraph in this chapter tells of the beast turning against the prostitute and destroying her. Even in the end, evil will turn against itself resulting in destruction. God had this all planned, from before time began, and His followers only need to be obedient to His purposes, until the things that have been prophesied come to pass. We can consider each day how we will live, and carry out the plan for our life that God has revealed to us in His Word and through the Holy Spirit. We can stay the course, and be victorious as we wait for all of these events to play out. God is faithful to His children and will keep His promises to us. We don’t know all the details, and really don’t need to – for God is omniscient and sees the big picture. We can stand strong in this fact, and live joyfully each day with the hope of life everlasting!

2 Timothy 4, Reading Through the NT 2015

We finish up 2 Timothy today, ending with chapter 4.

Paul ended this second letter to Timothy with a charge to preach the Word and use it to correct, rebuke and encourage the believers in the church. Timothy was to be patient and careful in his instruction, so that everyone would understand the truth of the gospel message he was sharing. There are so many different ideas, philosophies, and false teachings put forth in our world today, and with information available at the click of a mouse, we can read and hear many points of view that are not supported by the sound doctrine in the Bible. Often, these ideas feed exactly what we want to hear and believe, because we are not grounded in Scripture, and are looking for value and significance anywhere we can find it. We are drawn to those worldly ways and are deceived by their appeal to our selfishness and desire for instant gratification. This was what Paul wanted to convey to Timothy as he ministered in a place where false teaching was replacing the truth of God’s Word. He went on to tell him to keep his head on straight, endure the hardships that came his way and continue to evangelize and do the work of his ministry. We must be continually going back to our Bible’s to learn and study how Jesus taught us to live. We need to know the truth and what we believe so that we can share it with others. It is so easy for someone young in their faith to turn away and follow a different path. This was the caution that Paul was issuing, because he understood people and their propensity for living for themselves.

As he concluded this letter, Paul knew his time on earth was limited. He had run the race set before him, and was ready for the finish line. Having kept his faith strong, Paul looked forward to his final reward – a crown of righteousness for eternity  This is what we will also receive when we put our faith and trust in Jesus. It is the hope we have and the strength we need to endure whatever happens in our earthly life. We are living in our temporary home, and our final destination is secure in Christ. Just as Paul did, we can long for Jesus to come again and take us home. In the meantime, we can stand strong and keep the faith!

Because Paul knew his time was short, he eagerly desired to see Timothy once again. He was lonely and felt many had deserted him with only his companion Luke left to comfort him. He asked a couple of favors from Timothy, and hoped he would be able to help him out. He wanted him to bring Mark (whom he had earlier had a conflict with, but they had reconciled) and he wanted his warm cloak and some papers he had left in Troas. What a sweet relationship these two men must have had. Paul wanted to see the one whom he had called “my beloved son,” before he died. He had taught him, given him much advice and traveled with him as he led by example in his ministry. He was now tying up loose ends, giving him advice about some of the people he would encounter, and how to treat them. He gave glory to God for standing by him in all his sufferings, and for helping him live out his calling to preach the gospel to the Gentiles. He was confident that no matter what happened to him, God would rescue him and bring him safely into His heavenly kingdom. All he did and said was for God’s glory. This is the testimony of a true servant of Christ. He was sold out to Jesus and lived every moment for Him. He was certain of his faith and the hope for his future. Paul is such a good example for all of us to follow. His zeal and passion for God and the gospel permeated everything he did. How sold out are we for God? Do we live each and every day for Him to fulfill the calling He has placed on our lives? Are we confident that no matter what happens, God is with us and will help us through the hard times? Is our hope in our eternal future and not in what we can have today? These are the tough questions that are raised by reading this passage.

The body of Christ is such a powerful thing, and as Paul closed this writing, he asked Timothy to greet some of his friends for him, and sent greetings from other mutual brothers and sisters who would read this epistle. Telling others about our faith, supporting it with God’s Word, sharing the gospel and doing everything for the glory of God is the work of each of us as we attempt to live a Christian life. This was Paul’s goal, and what he wished for Timothy and those he had the opportunity to lead and mentor. When we focus on God’s purposes for our lives and live out our calling to the best of our abilities, we bring honor to His name. We may face opposition or rejection, and even persecution. We can rest in the knowledge that this is not our final home, and we can look forward to what God has in store for us in heaven. Grace and peace to you today.