Revelation 17:1-6
Today’s Passage: Revelation 17:1-6
We are once again faced with the question, who will you worship? Will you be seduced to worship the world, represented by the Prostitute (revealed to be Babylon), or will you worship God? This passage today reveals two truths about the world—it is attractive and it is deadly.
It’s easy to read these chapters and say, “Who in the world would worship the prostitute?” But chapter 17 clarifies that this way of life is more than just appealing, it’s attractive. She leads not only the kings but “the dwellers of the earth” to become drunk with the wine of her sexual immorality (v2-3). They have committed spiritual adultery. Daniel Akin writes, “The lust for power, material possessions, sex, and pleasure has intoxicated the world. No one under the sin has escaped her enticing allurements.”
It’s not hard to see how we can fall into this trap. This is the way the world works—it holds up the dark temptations of our hearts and calls for us to come and indulge. Chapter 17 makes it crystal clear that God’s wrath stands against the world and those who have become intoxicated with her wine. This way of life leads to judgment and death.
Pr 5:3–5
“For the lips of an immoral woman are as sweet as honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil. But in the end she is as bitter as poison, as dangerous as a double-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to the grave.
The prostitute is not tolerant of our non-compliance. Verse 6 says she is “drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the witnesses to Jesus.” Not only is the godless world attractive, it is deadly to those who oppose it. This opposition started with Jesus himself, but we can see the world’s attempts to silence believers throughout history. If we are to make a stand to worship God and him alone, we must be aware of the cost. It might demand our life. But we must not forget the cost of our souls. Jesus died by our hands that we might have salvation, forgiveness, and eternal life. How could we worship anything else?
So the question for you today is who will worship? Take inventory of your life right now, are you chasing after the Babylon (money, a job, success, a relationship), or are you pursuing the Lord? One leads to life and the other ends in judgment.
“That's what the whole book of Revelation is about. That's the point of all God's judgments, all God's dealings with the world. All God's plans for history from beginning to end have this one goal—WORSHIP GOD! Don't worship the wealth of Babylon, don't worship the power of Babylon, don't worship the pleasures of Babylon, and don't even worship the holy messenger who brings you the news that Babylon has fallen forever. WORSHIP GOD!
( John Piper, ”Worship God")
Written By: Joe Weaver
We are once again faced with the question, who will you worship? Will you be seduced to worship the world, represented by the Prostitute (revealed to be Babylon), or will you worship God? This passage today reveals two truths about the world—it is attractive and it is deadly.
It’s easy to read these chapters and say, “Who in the world would worship the prostitute?” But chapter 17 clarifies that this way of life is more than just appealing, it’s attractive. She leads not only the kings but “the dwellers of the earth” to become drunk with the wine of her sexual immorality (v2-3). They have committed spiritual adultery. Daniel Akin writes, “The lust for power, material possessions, sex, and pleasure has intoxicated the world. No one under the sin has escaped her enticing allurements.”
It’s not hard to see how we can fall into this trap. This is the way the world works—it holds up the dark temptations of our hearts and calls for us to come and indulge. Chapter 17 makes it crystal clear that God’s wrath stands against the world and those who have become intoxicated with her wine. This way of life leads to judgment and death.
Pr 5:3–5
“For the lips of an immoral woman are as sweet as honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil. But in the end she is as bitter as poison, as dangerous as a double-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to the grave.
The prostitute is not tolerant of our non-compliance. Verse 6 says she is “drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the witnesses to Jesus.” Not only is the godless world attractive, it is deadly to those who oppose it. This opposition started with Jesus himself, but we can see the world’s attempts to silence believers throughout history. If we are to make a stand to worship God and him alone, we must be aware of the cost. It might demand our life. But we must not forget the cost of our souls. Jesus died by our hands that we might have salvation, forgiveness, and eternal life. How could we worship anything else?
So the question for you today is who will worship? Take inventory of your life right now, are you chasing after the Babylon (money, a job, success, a relationship), or are you pursuing the Lord? One leads to life and the other ends in judgment.
“That's what the whole book of Revelation is about. That's the point of all God's judgments, all God's dealings with the world. All God's plans for history from beginning to end have this one goal—WORSHIP GOD! Don't worship the wealth of Babylon, don't worship the power of Babylon, don't worship the pleasures of Babylon, and don't even worship the holy messenger who brings you the news that Babylon has fallen forever. WORSHIP GOD!
( John Piper, ”Worship God")
Written By: Joe Weaver
1 Comment
Amen, brother. Worship God!