Prayer – Lord, open my eyes that I would see what is
really going on in the world today…and help me not to be deceived, even in little
ways.
So the angel took me in the Spirit into the
wilderness. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that had seven heads
and ten horns, and blasphemies against God were written all over it. The woman
wore purple and scarlet clothing and beautiful jewelry made of gold and
precious gems and pearls. In her hand she held a gold goblet full of
obscenities and the impurities of her immorality. A mysterious name was written
on her forehead: "Babylon the Great, Mother of All Prostitutes and
Obscenities in the World." I could see that she was drunk—drunk with the
blood of God's holy people who were witnesses for Jesus. I stared at her in
complete amazement. "Why are you so amazed?" the angel asked. "I
will tell you the mystery of this woman and of the beast with seven heads and
ten horns on which she sits." Revelation 17:3-7
Meditate. Focus on the Truth.
Is this another passage of Revelation over which you
struggle to comprehend? God provides
answers to His mysteries. He doesn’t leave us in the dark.
"Why are you so
amazed?" the angel asked. "I will tell you the mystery of this woman
and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns on which she sits. The beast
you saw was once alive but isn't now. And yet he will soon come up out of the
bottomless pit and go to eternal destruction. And the people who belong to this
world, whose names were not written in the Book of Life before the world was
made, will be amazed at the reappearance of this beast who had died. This calls
for a mind with understanding: The seven heads of the beast represent the seven
hills where the woman rules. They also represent seven kings. Five kings have
already fallen, the sixth now reigns, and the seventh is yet to come, but his
reign will be brief. The scarlet beast that was, but is no longer, is the
eighth king. He is like the other seven, and he, too, is headed for
destruction. The ten horns of the beast are ten kings who have not yet risen to
power. They will be appointed to their kingdoms for one brief moment to reign
with the beast. They will all agree to give him their power and authority.
Together they will go to war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will defeat them
because he is Lord of all lords and King of all kings. And his called and chosen
and faithful ones will be with him." Then the angel said to me, "The
waters where the prostitute is ruling represent masses of people of every
nation and language. The scarlet beast and his ten horns all hate the
prostitute. They will strip her naked, eat her flesh, and burn her remains with
fire. For God has put a plan into their minds, a plan that will carry out his
purposes. They will agree to give their authority to the scarlet beast, and so
the words of God will be fulfilled. And this woman you saw in your vision
represents the great city that rules over the kings of the world." Revelation
17:7-18
The woman sitting on the scarlet beast is none other than
the New World Order, the economic system that has been in place since the tower
of Babel, representing Babylon. This system thinks it has control of the world—or
certainly want to, but as we see here in the focus scripture for today that she
destroys Christians, martyring them, and then she is destroyed by the beast.
People may think that the economic system is in a partnership with the Antichrist.
Wasn’t the Harlot sitting on the Beast? But, we are told here in Revelation that Satan
and his adversaries don’t like the harlot, the economic system, and they will destroy
it.
The beast is explained in the Lexicon of the Blue Letter
Bible as being the Antichrist. Seven kings are represented by the seven heads
of power. Five kings, or kingdoms, were already part of history as John wrote
this passage. Note that the seventh king rules briefly, dies, and then is
resurrected as the eighth king. This is a bit confusing—there are ten kings,
ten horns, mentioned that will reign with the beast and go to war with Christ,
the Lamb of God. Of course, Christ is victorious along with His faithful
followers. That is the army of which we want to be a part—ruling, reigning, and
serving with Christ.
 |
| Which is the key to your heart? Choose to open your heart to the Lord. |
Verse of Salvation ~ Now the Holy Spirit tells us
clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they
will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons. These people
are hypocrites and liars, and their consciences are dead. They will say it is
wrong to be married and wrong to eat certain foods. But God created those foods
to be eaten with thanks by faithful people who know the truth. Since everything
God created is good, we should not reject any of it but receive it with thanks.
For we know it is made acceptable by the word of God and prayer. 1 Timothy
4:1-5
Friday’s Feast at the King’s Table
There we have it…everything God created is good. So,
eat up of all the unprocessed foods—those that are still as close as possible
to what God created. Choose fresh foods—so readily available at this time of
the year. Fresh fruits and vegetables. I hope that you’ve been able to have even
a small garden, or a pot of tomatoes and peppers, growing in your yard or
patio. I’ve got a few tomatoes ripening on the vines in my little garden plot
now. Fresh veggies are always so much tastier—and nutritious when you grow them
yourself! At any rate—choose fresh—choose nutritious. Pass up the processed
foods, cereals, candies, cookies and cakes—and try making a fresh raw or cooked
concoction of veggies and fruits today. Eat hearty…eat healthy. You can do it! Everything
that God created is good!
Happy Anniversary to Joe & Debbie
© 2023 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All
rights reserved.
All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless
otherwise noted.
New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale
House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream,
Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.
Books by Mickey M.
Hunacek
Available as e-books or paperbacks at Amazon.com
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