Wednesday, April 23, 2025
Scripture Readings
- Primary Reading: Revelation 17
Key Verse
Revelation 17:10 — “And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.”
Devotional Thought
John is carried in the Spirit into a wilderness, and there he sees a woman seated on a scarlet beast with seven heads and ten horns. She is dressed in purple and scarlet, glittering with gold and precious stones, holding a golden cup. On her forehead is written a name: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. The angel explains that the waters she sits upon are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues — her influence reaches across the whole earth. The kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the inhabitants of the earth are drunk on the wine of her seduction. She is not merely a distant symbol; she is the spirit of a world that trades its loyalty to God for splendor, pleasure, and power.
What strikes John most is verse six: the woman is drunk with the blood of the saints and the martyrs of Jesus. He wonders with great admiration — not admiration as we use the word today, but astonishment, deep shock. The angel asks him why he marvels and then unfolds the mystery. The beast “was, and is not, and yet is”; the seven heads are seven mountains and seven kings; the ten horns are ten kings who receive power for one hour and give their strength to the beast. They make war with the Lamb — and the Lamb overcomes them, “for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.” Even here, in the darkest chapter, the victory is already settled.
There is something sobering in verse seventeen: God puts it in the hearts of the beast’s allies to fulfill His will, and they turn on the harlot themselves, making her desolate and burning her with fire. Evil is not only defeated from without; it devours itself from within. In late April, when gardens are greening and the world looks inviting, this chapter reminds us that outward beauty can conceal a golden cup full of abominations. The harlot’s purple and pearls are real, but they are borrowed and doomed.
For the believer, the comfort here is not in decoding every horn and head, but in verse fourteen. The Lamb wins. Those with Him are “called, and chosen, and faithful” — not because they are impressive, but because they belong to Him. Whatever Babylon promises today, her end is written, and the Lamb’s is not.
Reflection
- Where in my own life am I tempted to drink from the golden cup of the world’s approval, and what would it look like this week to set it down and cling to the Lamb instead?
- If I am among the “called, and chosen, and faithful,” how should that identity change the way I respond to the pressure of the nations and the fear of the beast?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, Lamb of God who overcomes every beast and every Babylon, keep us from the wine of her fornication. We confess that her purple and gold have often dazzled us, and we have wanted the approval of the kings of the earth more than Yours. Write Your name on our foreheads instead of hers. Make us called, chosen, and faithful in the small hours of ordinary days. When the world rages and the horns gather, remind us that the victory is already Yours, and hold us steady until the words of God are fulfilled. Amen.