Author Archive for: meiling

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Revelation 19:1-10.  As usual, I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help, then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go!

Revelation 19:1-4 (NIV) 
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!”

On verses 1-4:  Earlier in Revelation 17-18 we read of Babylon, a prostitute who according to many commentators symbolizes the spirit of false religion.  The spirit of false religion is all about people thinking they can reach God on their own effort.  In Revelation 17, Babylon’s fall is predicted.  In Revelation 18, we read of how the kings and merchants who dealt with Babylon will mourn after her death.  Now in Revelation 19 we hear heaven’s response to Babylon’s fall.  John hears the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting praises to God because He has judged Babylon and avenged the blood of His servants whom Babylon was responsible for killing (v1-3).  The 24 elders and 4 living creatures in heaven join in this great worship.  They cry, “Amen” (a word spoken to affirm the trustworthiness of what has just been said) and “Hallelujah!” (which means “Praise the Lord”) (v4).
 

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Revelation 18:1-24.  As usual, I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help, then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go!

Revelation 18:1-3 (NIV) 
1  After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor. 
2  With a mighty voice he shouted: “Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great! She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird.
3  For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries.” 

On verses 1-3:  In Revelation 17 we read about a drunk prostitute dressed in fine clothes, riding on a beast.  We learned that this woman is called Babylon the Great and, according to many commentators, represents a spirit of false religion that is all about man thinking he can reach God by his own effort.  At the end of chapter 17 we learned that Babylon would be burned alive by the very kings who used her and slept with her.  Now in chapter 18 is heaven’s description of her demise and how various groups including kings, merchants, and sea captains will respond to her death.

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Revelation 17:1-21.  As usual, I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help, then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go!

Revelation 17:1-2 (NIV) 
1  One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits on many waters. 
2  With her the kings of the earth committed adultery and the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries.” 

On verses 1-2:  The key to properly interpreting the book of Revelation is correctly identifying the characters that appear in the book.  Who is “the great prostitute, who sits on many waters” (v1), who committed adultery with the kings of the earth and intoxicated earth’s inhabitants with her adulteries (v2)?  Many commentators believe that this great prostitute represents false religion.  What false religion are we talking about?  In this sharing, I will use the term “false religion” to mean every system of belief in the world that preaches that man by his own effort can reach God or become his own God.  The great prostitute of false religion has affected people all over the world for millennia.  It gives people a false hope and a false comfort that can be fairly described as “adultery” (v2a), for it involves running from the mercy and grace that God, our true lover, offers to us and running into the arms of a false religious system that is all about one’s own effort and exalting oneself.  The comfort of this false religion is like the false comfort of being “intoxicated” (v2b) in that the comfort is fleeting and does not last.