Queen's Road Cell

  5. The angel's explanation of the "mystery" (secret) of the beast (17:7-17) may leave us more perplexed than before. Still, what do we know about the beast (his identity, character, and actions) from these verses? Scarlet, full of blasphemous names, with seven heads and ten horns (v.7, cf. the dragon in 12:3 with seven diadems, the second beast in 13:1-9, with ten diadems) it  was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit  and go to destruction (v.8, cf. 13:3 and the healing of its mortal wound) Those "whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world" (v. 8, cf. 13:8) will marvel, just as they worshipped. They experience wonder and awe. They are 'impressed'. The beast's seven heads are seven hills, also seven kings (v.9-10) The beast itself is an eighth king,  but it belongs to the  seven, and it goes to destruction.(v.11) The beast's  ten horns are ten kings who have not yet received royal ...

 "God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath" (16:19). Babylon's fall was promised in 14:8 and glimpsed in 16:19, but it is so important to the message of the Revelation that two chapters are now devoted to it." Chapter 17 and 18 expand on the effect of the seventh bowl   Why is prostitution wrong? It disconnects pleasure from everything else the  the totality of sex act is meant to include: intimacy/relationship, responsibility, spiritual union. The act of sex is inappropriate reward for payment of money. An artist who 'prostitutes' himself/herself compromises creative vision, or personal values in exchange for money, fame, commercial success or social approval. Something deeply personal has become a commodity.     These 2 acts have in common the giving up of something of great significance for an inappropriate price. The 'great prostitute' (v.1) is not an innocent victim. She revels in her sta...

 The seals represent the world as 'it is' in history (present), the trumpets, the warnings of God (present). The bowls are the judgments of God (future). The seals and trumpets had a 4+3 structure, but the bowls have a 3+2+2 structure.    1. What happens when each of the seven bowls of wrath is poured out?  16:2  poured on land. sores on worshippers of the beast and his image 16:3  the sea became like blood; sea creatures died 16:4  the rivers and springs becamse blood 16:8-9  the sun burns people 16:10-11  the kingdom of the beast is plunged into darkness 16:12-16 the Euphrates is dried up in preparation for invasion from the east 16:17-21  God speaks, an earthqyate and Babylon is destroyed . Hail.   2. The first four trumpet-judgments destroyed a third of the earth (and trees), the sea (and sea creatures), the fresh waters, and the light (8:6-12). How are the bowl judgments different? They are total. 3. a. How is the first plague ...