Thursday, August 27, 2015
TEXT: REVELATION 17:1-8
KEY VERSE: “The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is” (Revelation 17:8).
Much early before the time of Jesus’ revelation to Apostle John, God declared to Isaiah that He would judge Babylon, the whore, for her sin. “Therefore shall evil come upon thee; thou shalt not know from whence it riseth: and mischief shall fall upon thee; thou shalt not be able to put it off: and desolation shall come upon thee suddenly, which thou shalt not know... Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up, and save thee from these things that shall come upon thee. Behold, they shall be as stubble; the fire shall burn them...” (Isaiah 47:11,13,14).
Now, Revelation 17 is announcing the coming of the fulfilment of this prophecy on Babylon. Cast in the figure of a woman well-dressed outside but full of abomination and filth within, sitting upon an equally colourfully-clad beast, the imagery is the story of the evil partnership between apostate religion and the corrupt political system of the world. They will pursue a globally unified religious arrangement wedded to a unified international political system. This is a satanic objective that will seek to repudiate all the basic tenets of the Christian faith. This scheme would wage a mortal war against those who are loyal to Jesus Christ and the word of God.
God abhors unholy unity that would desire to subject the Church to the control of the devil, the Antichrist and the false prophet. Unstoppable judgment will break upon them and those who share in their doctrines. God is urging: “Come out of her (the satanic world system), my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues” (Revelation 18:4). Avoid compromise and shun the path of least resistance in your pilgrim’s journey. The way of holiness is never cheap but grace is always available for those who dare to plod this glorious path.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: ZEPHANIAH 1 - 3
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: “A prudent man foreseeth the evil and hideth himself”
Higher Everyday for Youths - Link: http://highereveryday.dclm.org/
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