December 3, 2012

WHEN THE WHYS ABOUND

Revelation 17

Kay Wyma
Monday's Devo

December 3, 2012

Monday's Devo

December 3, 2012

Central Truth

GOD IS IN CONTROL.

Key Verse | Revelation 17:14

". . . and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings . . . ." (Revelation 17:14b)

Revelation 17

The Great Prostitute and the Beast

Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality, and with the wine of whose sexual immorality the dwellers on earth have become drunk.” And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality. And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: “Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth's abominations.” And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. 1 17:6 Greek the witnesses to Jesus

When I saw her, I marveled greatly. But the angel said to me, “Why do you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her. The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit 2 17:8 Greek the abyss and go to destruction. And the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the beast, because it was and is not and is to come. This calls for a mind with wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated; 10 they are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he does come he must remain only a little while. 11 As for the beast that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to destruction. 12 And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast. 13 These are of one mind, and they hand over their power and authority to the beast. 14 They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.”

15 And the angel 3 17:15 Greek he said to me, “The waters that you saw, where the prostitute is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and languages. 16 And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the prostitute. They will make her desolate and naked, and devour her flesh and burn her up with fire, 17 for God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by being of one mind and handing over their royal power to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled. 18 And the woman that you saw is the great city that has dominion over the kings of the earth.”

Footnotes

[1] 17:6 Greek the witnesses to Jesus
[2] 17:8 Greek the abyss
[3] 17:15 Greek he

Dive Deeper | Revelation 17

Sometimes . . . okay, often, it can be hard to understand the whys in life. Why do bad things happen to good people? If God is in control, why would He allow unspeakable atrocities to occur every day all over the world?

Revelation 17 paints a disturbing picture. As horrible as the "great prostitute" is, she doesn't hold a candle to the beast upon whom she is anchored. She's just a cog in his wheel. One of his puppets used to wage war against the Almighty. Like all the cogs before and after her, she will be discarded. Well, a little more than that. The beast and his nations "will make her desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh and will burn her up with fire." (Revelation 17:16)

In the midst of this disturbing chaos, we learn much about God:

• The mystery is God's to reveal.
• God knows everything.
• He explains.
• God tells what has happened, is happening, and will happen.
• He knows everyone's name.
• He is fully aware of the fate of his saints.
• Vengeance is His.
• His mind is wisdom.
• All is as God has permitted to accomplish His ultimate purposes.
• He is Lord of Lord and King of Kings.
• He triumphs over all.

If God is this (and so much more) . . . then why? Why does He allow these things to happen? Why the suffering? Why the evil?

For His divine purpose, God allowed sin to enter the world. It will continue "to execute His purpose . . . until the words of God will be fulfilled" for His Name's sake (Revelation 17:17). Yet, in the midst of it all, He is in absolute control. God is not only behind it, He's around, under, surrounding, and, most importantly, over it all. He, unlike the beast, is in complete control.

So when my life seems full of whys (Why am I unemployed? Why am I still single? Why is my child failing? Why death? Why sorrow? Why loneliness?), might I rest in and seek the truth so steadfastly revealed in this and countless other passages throughout Scripture. Irrespective of my ability to understand or explain -- God is in control.

Discussion Questions

1. What's going on in your life today that makes you question "why"?

2. In what ways can you rest in God's power and control?

3. With whom do you share life and struggles? How do you point each other to God's sufficiency??

WEEKLY FAMILY ACTIVITY

December 3-7 (Revelation 17-21)

Read Revelation 19:1-10.

Remember: In the Book of Revelation, John is being given visions of what it will be like before, during, and after Jesus returns. In Revelation 19:

• What does John hear?
• What are all of the voices saying?
• Who were they worshiping?
• Why were they worshiping God?
• Who is the Lamb? (John 1:29)
• Who is His bride? (2 Corinthians 11:2)
• Who do you think is invited to the wedding feast? (Revelation 3:20, John 14:6, John 3:16)

Because Jesus came to die for the sins of every person, have you accepted His gift of salvation for yourself? Will you be at the Wedding Feast of the Lamb?

Parents: Walk your kids through the gospel if they have not already accepted Christ as their Savior. (Romans 3:23, 6:23, Romans 5:8, John 3:16, Romans 10:9-13, 1 John 5:11-13)

Activity: All the voices were praising God because of who He is and what He has done. As a family, write a song or poem praising God for who He is and what He has done.