A Better Way

Revelation 17:15-18 Then the angel said to me, “The waters you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages. 16 The beast and the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They will bring her to ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire. 17 For God has put it into their hearts to accomplish his purpose by agreeing to give the beast their power to rule, until God's words are fulfilled. 18 The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth.”
 
IN chapter 17, God has revealed a time of sin’s rule in the world. The prostitute symbolized nations in partnership with Satan, the beast, to violently oppose God’s church. Seven rulers and ten rulers, too, have pointed to God’s ordained time of evil governments throughout world history. Why is it, then, that these verses point to the beast and the ten horns destroying the prostitute?
    Evil destroys evil, doesn’t it? Read of the evil nations in the Old Testament. What happened to them? They are gone; they destroyed one another. Evil rulers conquered Rome. We see today many corrupt governments that are destroyed from within as greed, pride and power motivate people to rebellion.
    Destruction is the sum of all sin: Psalms 5:9-10 Not a word from their mouth can be trusted;
their heart is filled with destruction. Their throat is an open grave; with their tongue they speak deceit. 10 Declare them guilty, O God! Let their intrigues be their downfall. Banish them for their many sins,
for they have rebelled against you.  
    Satan hates everyone and everything. His purpose is to infiltrate and destroy God’s church. He will influence the world and rule many hearts to destruction until God declares the end.
    Be of God. Your task as Jesus’ church is to show the better way of Christ. Philippians 2:3-8 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death —  even death on a cross!  
    Our Lord is true. He has shown us the true way involves love, obedience and sacrifice. This is your eternal way to life.
 
Prayer: Lord God, deliver us from evil. Empower us to be true leaders of your true kingdom. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.