Sent from my Windows Mobile® phone.
From: Pastor Tritten <pastort@gsls.org>
Sent: Monday, April 05, 2010 7:07 AM
To: nettirt.cire@blogspot.com
Subject: Revelation 17
Have you ever read a portion of scripture that, when you got to the end, you said, "What in the world was that?"
Yeah, that was Revelation 17 for me this morning. So I started doing some digging. I realized that what I was running into was some specificity in a largely vague book. The events of this book take place from the time of Jesus' ascencion to his second coming. However, the events of Revelation 17 are a specific example of the general principle that governments will oppress the church. So let's get specific today.
First notice the description of the Beast the woman rides - it is the beast of Revelation 13:1-10! So who is this prostitute?
Simply, she is Rome. Babylon was a church code word for Rome (and Babylon was famous for its canals between the Tigris and Euphrates.) The original readers may have easily associated her image with the goddess Roma (after whom the tomatoes are named?).
The 7 mountains of v. 9 likely refer to the 7 hills Rome is built on.
John says there are seven kings - these are caesars who were always embroiled in intrigue and often were replaced through assassination and political maneuvers. This displays that while these powers are united against the church they are also fractured against one another, and therefore doomed to fall.
These kings and events should not be forced into todays political powers. They are an example of the past to demonstrate that while the powers of the world will oppress the church they will all certainly fall to God's judgement and we will receive the victory we have been promised in Christ.
Father in Heaven, help us to see your faithfulness to your people in the past, and thereby be reminded that you are faithful to protect us as well. Help us to not place our hopes in political powers which are destined to fail, but help us to trust in you, and in our savior Jesus. Amen.
Sent from my Windows Mobile® phone.
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