A Revelation Invitation

When I saw her, I marveled greatly. But the angel said to me, “Why do you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her. The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit and go to destruction. And the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the beast, because it was and is not and is to come. (Revelation 17:6b-8 ESV)

In my high school days I was hired one summer to referee at a local basketball camp. Because the director of the camp had connections with the Boston Celtics, players from the team would visit the camp to talk to the campers. What a thrill to meet the guys I watched play on TV. During one break I found myself on a court shooting around with Don Nelson whose number has been retired by the Celtics. During his career he played along side greats like Bill Russell and John Havlicek. And here we were, just the two of us, shooting at the same basket. I was so awestruck by his celebrity that I didn’t say a word to him. I was too intimidated. I couldn’t believe I was shooting around with the Don Nelson. Looking back my reticence seems silly. Looking back I would ask myself, “Why do you marvel?”

As human beings we tend to marvel at the wrong things. We marvel at what we see while the qualities and character that are unseen are overlooked. To John’s readers how did Rome appear? Powerful and seemingly invincible. Prosperous and seemingly self-sufficient. Glorious and seemingly divine. But unseen by the masses (and even by the Christians if they didn’t open their eyes) was how fragile Rome’s power, how fleeting its prosperity and how insidious its nature. No wonder the angel asked, “Why do you marvel?”

The angel knew the corrective for their blindness. He unveiled the mystery to expose the woman and the beast she rode upon. Where did the beast come from? From the bottomless pit, the home of evil. Where was it destined to go? To destruction. The prostitute and the empire it represented were morally corrupt, disgustingly self-indulgent and ostentatiously proud. Not anything to marvel at. The world was impressed by its rise from the bottomless pit which appeared to them as a resurrection of sorts (“it was and is not and is to come”). But this only showed how transient her power and influence really were.

What do we marvel at today in our world so dominated by social media? Celebrity, wealth, beauty, athleticism, status, military power, even violence—all the wrong things. These are idols of our society. We whose names have been written in the book of life must not be taken in by them. We better recognize the veiled evil behind these idols that gives them life. They arise from the bottomless pit and are going to destruction. If we marvel at idols such as these, we will find ourselves riding with the dwellers of the earth on the beast headed to destruction. Instead, we glory in our King. We stand with him marveling at his purity, truth and grace.

Lord Jesus, you and you alone are marvelous to me. You entered the world of the great prostitute and emerged untainted and victorious. You were tempted by wealth and power and fame and rejected them seeing them for the fleeting glory they offered. Thank you for revealing to me the way of purity and truth. Thank you for extending grace to a sinner like me. I do not need to marvel at what the world offers because I marvel at you and you alone. Amen.