Hallelujah!
1 After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting:
“Hallelujah!
Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,
2 for true and just are his judgments.
He has condemned the great prostitute
who corrupted the earth by her adulteries.
He has avenged on her the blood of his servants.”
3 And again they shouted:
“Hallelujah!
The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever.”
4 The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried:
“Amen, Hallelujah!”
5 Then a voice came from the throne, saying:
“Praise our God,
all you his servants,
you who fear him,
both small and great!”
6 Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:
“Hallelujah!
For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
7 Let us rejoice and be glad
and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has made herself ready.
8 Fine linen, bright and clean,
was given her to wear.”
(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)
9 Then the angel said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!’” And he added, “These are the true words of God.”
10 At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
My Understanding: Babylon the Great had just fallen in John’s vision of the future. She had become a home for demons. All the nations of the world had drunk from the maddening wine (seduction) of her adulteries (infidelities; disloyalty; treachery; betrayal; deceitfulness). The kings of the earth had committed adultery (treachery and betrayal) with her, and the merchants of the earth had grown rich from her excessive luxuries. She was proud and lofty and thought she could not be brought down. She was wealthy and indulgent. She mistreated God’s servants, and the blood of the saints of Almighty God was on her hands. A voice from heaven warned the followers of Christ to come out of her, so that they would not share in her sins and in her judgments.
We have a similar warning in 2 Corinthians 6:14-16, where we are told to not be yoked together with unbelievers, but that we are to come out from them and be separate, for what do righteousness and wickedness have in common, or what agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? Babylon the Great is considered to be the political and religious center of a global empire. Certainly it is a picture of worldliness and corruption in government and in the church. This calls for much wisdom and discernment so that we are not caught in the snare of her deception. God is going to judge her for her wickedness. And, John saw this judgment in the future in his vision.
Hallelujah!
Following this vision of judgment on Babylon the Great John heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to God, for true and just are his judgments…” He had condemned the great prostitute who had corrupted the earth by her adulteries. A prostitute is one who offers sex (intercourse) for hire. Intercourse can be defined as “exchanges between people or groups, especially conversation or social activity,” (Encarta) and prostitution can be defined as “the use of a skill or ability in a way that is considered unworthy, usually for financial gain” (Encarta). Involved in prostitution is allurement and seduction. Seduction involves “the act of persuading somebody to do something wrong” (Encarta), and allurement can mean, “to exert a very powerful and often dangerous attraction on somebody” (Encarta). Involved in this can be deception, disguise, and cover-ups, etc.
The prostitute corrupted the earth, nonetheless, by her “adulteries” – “voluntary sexual relations between a married person and somebody other than his or her spouse” (Encarta). So, this represents a government entity or church entity (or a combination of both) that is in a contractual (covenant) relationship with one partner, but is cheating on that partner with someone else, such as our government promising to abide by our constitution in protecting the rights of its citizens all the while it is making agreements with people of other nations to overtake our nation, and other nations, and to bring us all under a global rule of government.
Or, this can involve the church, who is married to Jesus Christ, going after other lovers – the world, government, entertainment, etc., and alluring naïve Christians to follow suit. That is why this calls for much wisdom and discernment, so we don’t get caught in the prostitute’s allurement. She is very deceptive and subtle, and she may even appear as a Christian, or even as a Christian minister of the gospel, yet if you read carefully and prayerfully what she stands for, what she teaches, and what she is involved in globally, I believe God will open your eyes and help you to see who she is so that you don’t fall into her trap.
This prostitute is in the church, and she is antichrist, even though she may profess otherwise. And, she is against the true servants of the Lord who bear testimony for Jesus Christ and for the true gospel of repentance. Yet, she will turn and twist the word of God to her advantage to try to make those who are truly following Jesus Christ out to be disunifiers or criticizers of the “good” she is trying to do. The good she is trying to do may look and sound good on the surface, but you have to look more closely to see what is really going on, so that you can see past the deception, because she is really good at deception.
She will try to convince you that all faiths should join hands together and should work for the common good and we should respect one another’s differences and should not ask people of other faiths to compromise their beliefs, yet that is contrary to the teachings of scripture and the Great Commission. We are commanded to make disciples of Christ of all nations, teaching them the things Jesus Christ commanded us, not join forces with people of other faiths in some global effort for the common good, if that common good leaves out sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with people so that they can be saved.
This is why, when God judges her, his judgments are just, because she led the people of the world astray, and she corrupted the people of the nations, and she killed the prophets and the saints of Almighty God who bore the testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Wedding
Sometime after God judges this whore of Babylon, Jesus will receive his bride, the true church, for the wedding with her husband. That will be a glorious day when we are finally with our Lord forever in eternity. The time of tribulation will be a time in which the true church, the saints of God, will be purified and made ready for her husband. The bride will be dressed in fine linen, representative of the righteous acts of the saints. The angel said for John to write: “Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And, the angel added, “These are the true words of God.” Blessed means to be “made holy;” or “bringing happiness; bestowing joy;” (Encarta) and/or sanctified; consecrated; set apart; approved (by God) and/or commended. Then, the saints of God will reign with Jesus on the earth for a period of 1,000 years, known as the millennium, and they will be forever with their Lord. Amen!
The way the bride makes herself ready for the wedding with her husband is first of all through faith in Jesus Christ via turning from her sinful past, and turning to walk in faithful obedience to Jesus Christ. This, the Bible says, is the way in which we come to know Christ, and no other way. She must forsake the ways of the world, including the ways of the worldly church, and she must come out from the world and be separate, set apart, consecrated and dedicated to following Jesus Christ in obedience wherever he leads her.
The time of tribulation will help facilitate this, because, like no other time in history, this will not be a time for riding the fence or for complacent and lukewarm Christians. There will be a clear line drawn in the sand which God has drawn throughout Biblical history. The time of great persecution on the saints of God, nonetheless, will bring it to light, and we will have to choose to worship the one true God or to worship the beast. There will be no in-between. So, it is essential that we now ask God for wisdom and discernment to know who this great prostitute is, so that we can come out from her and be separate, and so we can be on the right side of that line right now. Take the time today to examine your heart before God and make sure you are on the right side of the line, and that you are truly following Jesus Christ.
In Truth / An Original Work / January 10, 2012
Fellowshipping with my Lord, Savior, King.
He is Lord of all; Lord of ev’rything.
He is with me through ev’ry hour of day,
List’ning to me speak, as I humbly pray.
He cares for my needs,
and He intercedes for me,
‘cause He loves me in ev’ry way.
Obey His commands, and do all He says.
Sitting at His feet, daily in His word,
Let His word speak to me in ev’ry way,
Giving comfort and healing through each day.
Oh, how Jesus loves,
And He cares for you,
Which is why He died for our sins, in truth.
Love our Lord God, Savior, and King of kings.
Worship Him in truth, for He reigns supreme.
He created us with a plan in mind
For us to be His servants, and Him mind.
Follow Him in truth;
Go where’er He leads.
Share His love with others, and their needs meet.
Others: their needs meet.
http://www.godcares.tv/video/1376/In-Truth
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