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Daily Devotionals
Day by Day Devotional - Year 5 of 5
Revelation 17:1-18
The last vial contains the judgment of Babylon (Revelation 16:19), a subject which is presented in detail in ch. 17, 18. It concerns the apostate Church, professing Christendom, from which all true children of God will have been taken away when the Lord comes. Unfaithful to Christ, it has been corrupted by unholy alliances with the world and its idols. It has been said: "Corruption of the best is the worst form of corruption." This "whore" is sitting on the beast, drawing her strength from political power (v. 3). Although the Lord Jesus declared: "My kingdom is not of this world", she wanted to rule on earth (John 18:36). Finally and most important of all, she persecuted and put to death the true saints (v. 6).
The apostle was totally stunned by this spectacle. Is that what would really happen to the responsible Church? Sadly, her history over the centuries confirms the fact only too well, even before her final state described here. However, vv. 17, 18 show us how this "mother of . . . abominations" will perish. She will meet with the same fate which she made the "martyrs of Jesus" suffer. This latter expression indicates all the tenderness of the heart of God (v. 6; see also Revelation 2:13).
