2014. 11. 19 |Spiritual Idolatry (Revelation 17:1~8)

1 One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits on many waters.
2 With her the kings of the earth committed adultery and the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries."
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. When I saw her, I was greatly astonished.

7 Then the angel said to me: "Why are you astonished? I will explain to you the mystery of the woman and of the beast she rides, which has the seven heads and ten horns.
8 The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and will come up out of the Abyss and go to his destruction. The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast, because he once was, now is not, and yet will come.

Reflection

Babylon, the Prostitute (17:1~5) 

Babylon the Great is portrayed as a lavishly-adorned prostitute, laden with jewels and gold to make her attractive to the world. Here, we see that the Bible again parallels marital unfaithfulness and sexual immorality with spiritual unfaithfulness and immorality. This prostitute has led the kings of the world astray with false religions and idols, leading people to worship all sorts of gods other than the one true living God. She represents all of the ungodly filth and idolatry of this world. She leads people away from God and to their own destruction; she is therefore God’s enemy and will be punished accordingly. May our hearts and our faith stay pure in our devotion to Christ.

- Whatever is first in your heart, no matter how harmless or even how good it may seem, is still an idol if it displaces God. May we have an undivided heart for God alone.

The Beast (17:6~8)  

The prostitute and the beast work together to destroy God’s people. They are united in their goal to deceive, kill, steal, and destroy believers. The passage tells us that the prostitute is drunk from the blood of God’s people. In other words, the spiritual war is manifested in a very real way in the physical world. False religions and the battles that rage on claim millions of lives and souls. As Christians, we must be able to recognize the enemy’s strategy to divide and conquer. To that end, may we be ever united with Christ and with the body of believers through the Holy Spirit. May no prostitute or beast ever come between us and our first love, Jesus Christ.

- We must be aware of the spiritual war that rages around us. Let us never underestimate the enemy’s cleverness or diligence in attempting to overrun this world with his influence. But remember: God is greater.

A letter to God 

Father, bind the enemy. Win for us each battle through Your Spirit and give us the wisdom and strength to fight this battle on our knees in prayer. Give us the victory for Your name’s sake, for Your glory and Your kingdom. In Christ’s name. Amen.