Be a Witness of Jesus
(Rev 17:1~6)
Be a witness of Jesus means to be a witness not only for poor wretches but also for those who live in a big city like Babylon. We all need salvation. Yet how can we have pity on those who seems to have everything? In order to be a witness, however, we need to sympathize with them? Why?
1. The great prostitute has her own portion of Gods judgment. The fall of Babylon, the great prostitute, who rules in Satans political and religious domain called for the blood of many witnesses of Jesus. God told the Israelites to come out of Babylon the great city which was to fall. God had told them to get out of Egypt, the cradle of civilization. However, they dragged their feet from the comfort zone of slavery to a world power. Finally, being persecuted, they were forced out still dragging their feet because they listened to their stomach. So it is with us. Gods witnesses are called to comfort others just as Jesus, on his way to crucifixion, cured Malchus ear that Peter stroke with a sword. Jeremiah also comforted Baruk even in his imprisonment. Recent news about a chaebol family, shouting and hurling things at their employees remind us the great prostitute, who sits by many waters, The family seems to have great power, but actually cannot enjoy it, The great prostitutes favorite phrase is 'How dare you do this to me!' because she has no heavenly life. What witnesses of Jesus need to do is to show the judgment on the great prostitute and make their application that the world is not worthy of sharing in.
2. She makes people drunk with evil. She makes people drunk and blind with her fatal wine of adultery, turning their eyes from God. In Col. 3:1ampsim5, God commands us to put to death our earthly nature. Yet we say but... but. Our earthly nature seeks sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Greed for sex leads to adultery and evil desire. Greed for money causes impurity and lust. Greed is the root of all our sins, which makes us unsatisfied with God. Our favorite family members, money, sexual pleasure, and hobbies belong to our earthly nature no matter how attractive they are. God wants us to put them to death. If we dont, God will. We think we follow GOD until we find that we are actually following GOLD. As. C.S. Lewis said, self-righteousness and pride are worse than adultery. Money feeds our self-righteousness and moreover conceals our evil nature. Non-Christian marriage is the source of the five big human evils. Yet we dive into it, chasing money, job, and appearance, saying No other choice. Notice how big an evil it is to make a non-Christian marriage out of our passive and secretive greed. What about you? Are you going to dive into the non-Christian marriage or let your kids dive into it? Or are you going to have a Christian marriage in name only?
3. Her reality is revealed to us when we are driven to the desert by the Holy Spirit. The great prostitute looks gracious in her purple and scarlet clothes, glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. In reality, however, she is a golden goblet filled with abominable things. Satans power like the Antichrist, false prophets, and the great prostitute currently seems to have hold of the political, economic, and religious domain of the world. However, they are on the track of an eternal fall. Its almost impossible for them to repent and return to God. Only in the desert, is their reality revealed to Gods people. The great prostitute keeps blaspheming God and never repents, declaring 'I can do it.' We need to take the cross as our road, spreading the values of the beatitudes. Without being trained in our desert school, we can hardly discern things. The splendid clothes of the great prostitute are contrasted with the bright clean, shining linen of Gods people. Gods mission calls for holiness and cleanness above all. Those who recognize this are qualified as a witness of Jesus. What is your desert? Can you discern the great prostitutes reality?
4. Her power is called a mystery. The title on her forehead is mystery to be revealed, not secret for concealment. The Hebrew meaning of this word is both secret and mystery. Only those who recognize Christs mystery can discern the secret of the great prostitute. The evil power permeates everything in the world but its hidden to us. Thats why its secretive. No matter how splendid we look, we are on the way of destruction without Jesus, who we say 'No' to. Only our big understanding of the mystery of the gospel enables us to discern the great prostitutes secret. Cancer, death, bankruptcy, and disease are evil in themselves, but they can drive us closer to the mystery of the gospel. Deacon Lee, who had been stubborn towards the gospel despite his 28 cancer treatments, finally surrendered to the gospel on hearing the recurrence of his cancer. The life of Babylon captivity may seem to be endless, but it helps us spiritually grow into a witness for Jesus, who shares with others his mystery that restores our souls through the Word. Notice that our present power, money, patience, and even our willpower can be the power of the great prostitute. The best policy of sharing Christs mystery is no blaming under all circumstances. Are you ready to show it even in your tough situation of cancer, death, bankruptcy, and disease?
5. Becoming a witness of Jesus calls for blood. The great prostitute is to fall because she made many Christians and witnesses of Christ bleed. In order to overcome our last days, we need to show our bleeding. We also need to do our best to live out today, showing our message that the great prostitute must fall. The great prostitute may look like shes winning the world while she is drunk with the blood of the saints. However, God will make her pay for the blood of the witnesses of Christ. After all, Christians blood and the devotion of the witnesses of Christ make the great prostitute fall. Thus the holy community of divine blood is important. When we have money and power, we enjoy our life apart from people. However, those who dont belong to the holy community are to be under Gods judgment. Apostle Paul advises us to do our best in our daily life through the books of Peter I and II, Colossians, and Ephesians which he wrote in his imprisonment. He tells us to be obedient to our spouses and bosses and be good to our servants in our place of persecution. The great prostitutes main agenda is breaking our family. We can make her frustrated by living out our godly life every day. This is our best way to prepare for our last days. Our faith life starts from our family life. For what do we need to be blood-witnesses?
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 (Rev 17:1).
