“These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them because He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful” (Revelation 17:14).

The wicked ones have always been waging war against the church.  The principalities that gathered around the cross, thinking they were about to win, lost the war, but the battle rages on in this age.  The Creator of the universe, the Lamb, the King of kings will prevail.  Without Him nothing can exist.  That is what is so silly about the devil.  He cannot exist without the Lord.

Lord, You know how often I act as though I can do it on my own.  I can do nothing apart from You.  You have given me life.  You have created all things.  In this age, I will face adversity.  Let me be strengthened in the knowledge that in and through You alone can I do all things.  You are the Sovereign One and nothing will prevail against Your church.  You have said that the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.

Lord Jesus, in the hope You give, guide me in the truth of Your word.  Help me to know that in You is all hope and an eternal future.  Help me also to realize that I will fight against forces and principalities the whole of my time in this age.  Grant me fortitude to stand firm in the truth You have revealed and not to give in to the temptation of either moving from it or compromising the Good News You have given me in grace. Amen.

Lord Jesus, in the hope You give, guide me in the truth of Your word.  Help me to know that in You is all hope and an eternal future.  Help me also to realize that I will fight against forces and principalities the whole of my time in this age.  Grant me fortitude to stand firm in the truth You have revealed and not to give in to the temptation of either moving from it or compromising the Good News You have given me in grace. Amen.

“These have one purpose, and they give their power and authority to the beast” (Revelation 17:13).

Look at the great one!  Isn’t that what the minions say of tyrants?  Was Hitler a foreshadowing of what is to come?  It does not really matter.  The Lord has always remained the Lord.  He has and will prevail.  He was, is and is to come.  The ‘I AM’ is forever.  The seasons of this age will pass away, and the final sunset will come for us all.  When we awaken after the resurrection, we will be standing in the presence of the One who has redeemed those who believe.

Help my unbelief, Lord.  Guide me in the humble way of walking as a believer in the faith You give.  You know the hour and the season.  You have given us the signs.  As You taught us to pray, lead us not into temptation.  The faithful know You will go to whatever lengths are necessary to save those who believe and deliver them from evil.  Let me be on the narrow path of faithfulness and not on the wide path of sinfulness.  Yea, may we acknowledge by saying, “Thy will be done.”

Lord, You wrestled with sin, death, and the devil for our sake.  The frailties of humanity are numerous, but You are the Savior.  You know what I need.  You understand all that is before each one of us.  Lead me today to give praise and thanksgiving to You.  Lead me to humbly be thankful and gracious to others.  Guide me in Your wisdom to walk the narrow path all the days You give me in this age.  Amen.

“The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but they receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour” (Revelation 17:12).

What a mess!  The world is so convoluted.  They are not kings but have authority as kings.  Sounds like many of the political systems around the world.  Who is really in charge of things?  The Lord is telling us these things so that the worse it gets here, the closer we cling to the One who gives us true hope and promise.  Do not look to the world but look to the Lord and live.

Lord, I get caught up in all the news.  I do not know what is real and what is fake.  I just become confused and trust nothing nor no one.  But You, Lord, are trustworthy.  Is the wicked one trying to get me to doubt You?  God forbid! May it never be!  Lord, I may be duped by this world, but I can turn my eyes to You and see the Truth.  Lead me, O Lord, in the way of everlasting life and help me to keep my focus upon You.

Holy Spirit, You are with me and in me..  When my eyes wander and I become afraid of what is happening in the world, let my heart feel the hope of the resurrection.  When I wonder where You are, remind me that You are with me.  Whenever I wonder and look elsewhere, remind me with gentleness of the promise which is mine through Christ my Savior.  Keep reminding me, Spirit of life.  Amen.

“The beast which was, and is not, is himself also an eighth and is one of the seven, and he goes to destruction” (Revelation 17:11).

One of Satan’s own rises to the top.  Many have arisen, for there are ten heads.  This is the eighth which is really a seventh.  Okay, without getting into Hebrew numerology, there will come a day when a final tyrant unleashes hell on earth as has never been unleashed before.  But the Lord has already released uncrushable grace which saves.  Do not fear the one who can destroy the body, but the One who can destroy body and soul.

Lord, there are many books out about the beast and prognostications about what all of this means.  You have already told us that we are not fighting against flesh and blood, but against principalities and forces.  Lead me, O Lord, to walk humbly with You, knowing that all things have always been in Your hands.  Help me focus upon reaching out to others rather than believing all the drivel of the devil.

Lord Jesus, lover of my soul, You have wonderfully created us all.  You have called me to walk with You in faith by grace.  Empower me so that no matter what tyrant comes, I will walk faithfully with You.  Whether I live through the final days, or just live to my final day, teach me how to be humble, faithful, and a witness of Your great love.  You have called me to live into Your likeness.  Thank You, dear Savior.  Amen.

“Here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains upon which the woman sits, and they are seven kings; five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain a little while” (Revelation 17:9-10).

The great empires of old, one right after the other, came with rulers who were absolute.  The Roman empire and then, in the last days, one who will rule as absolute.  Wickedness seeks control.  God is love.  In a loving relationship with your neighbor and with the Lord, eternity is present.  Do not live in the one over the other wickedness of this world but live in love with the Lord forever.

Lord, You know the state of the rebellion.  Humans seek for themselves at the expense of others.  Kill the old Adam and resurrect the new person in the image of Christ.  Let love rule in our hearts.  This world will continue its path of destruction, but You have come so that we may have eternal life and have it abundantly.  Wickedness remains for only a moment, but Your love is forever.

Lord Jesus, unite me with You forever.  Guide me to learn how to live the abundant life of love.  Guide me to see that in You is hope and an eternal future.  Help me to see through the tyranny of this age and not to fall for its deception.  Aid me to seek the pure life of being like You.  You have given me the ability to become a child of God.  Let nothing hinder me in becoming like You.  Lead me always, Savior Jesus.  Amen.

“The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and go to destruction. And those who live on the earth, whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will wonder when they see the beast, that he was, and is not, and will come” (Revelation 17:8).

The illusion is that Satan has power.  All power and authority belong to our Lord.  The devil is a liar.  He lies about everything, especially about having power.  The beast who was and is not.  He is rebellion itself and comes to steal, kill, and destroy.  Those who do not know the Lord wonder and look for something in which to hope.  The lie will do.  But you have the hope of the Lord and so the truth is your hope.

Lord, why do I fear these things?  You have come and You have all authority and power.  That liar may be able to convince another human to kill me, but that just hastens the day when I will meet You face to face.  You have created my soul.  Not only that, but You have redeemed me from the pit.  Lead me, O Lord, in the eternal way of heaven so that I may not be fodder for the wicked one.

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for redeeming me.  You have a purpose for me, and I pray that You hold me to that purpose now and forever.  Guide me this day in those steps I need to take to become more like You.  You alone are the One who was, who is, and who is to come.  Lead me in the truth of eternity and hold me fast so that I may abide in You as You abide in me.  Amen.

“And the angel said to me, “Why do you wonder? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns” (Revelation 17:7).

Why do you wonder?  The Lord is telling us these things.  You look at Hollywood, Bollywood and the entertainment of the world and what is it?  We go to amusement parks (look up the meaning of the word amuse).  We have pumped into us all day long the garbage of the whore of Babylon and then we wonder at the state of the world.  If it is garbage in, then it means garbage out.

Lord, it is right in front of my eyes.  You are not talking about us being prissy, prudish, or uptight, for indecency and decadence is right before our eyes all the time.  I may not be able to do anything about what is out there, but I can do something about what goes on in my mind.  Perfection is in the Lord and not in what happens in this world.  Do not be deceived.  There it is:  do not be deceived.

Lord Jesus, You saw this world first-hand.  You see it for what it is.  Lead me, O Lord, to hold fast to Your goodness and mercy.  Guide me away for the prostitution of this world to live a life that is holy.  Teach me purity and decency and then help me to live that way in my daily life.  Keep me wondering about the decadence of this world and then begin pondering the goodness You have revealed through the Gospel.  Amen.  

“And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus. When I saw her, I wondered greatly” (Revelation 17:6).

Our sin is the wine of the demons.  We give them what they desire every time we wallow in the death of sin.  Our entertainment sells it.  Our companies merchandise with it.  Our books, stories, and education is filled with it.  The garbage is everywhere.  We breath it, eat it, see it and we often act as if unaware of the situation.  Cry out to the Lord and let Him strip you of the garbage in order to be cleansed.

Lord, I cry out to You amidst all the garbage of this world.  You have come, lifted me up, and what I see, when I am lifted up, is You.  You give me a new life.  You give me a clean life.  You remind me what I was made for and Who’s I am.  I no longer need to eat, breathe, nor live the life of garbage.  I can live a life that is holy and dedicated to becoming like You.  Lead me in the hope of this promise, Lord Jesus.

You died, Jesus, so that I could be redeemed from the pit of death.  You have called and I have heard Your voice.  You have lifted me up and given me a new life.  Guide me in the way You would have me go.  Lead me according to Your purposes to become more like You each day that I live in this age.  Let me know today and every day that I am Yours.  Teach me to love You as You love me. Amen.

“The woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold, precious stones, and pearls, holding in her hand a gold cup full of abominations and of the unclean things of her sexual immorality, and on her forehead a name was written, a mystery: “BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”

How much will it take for you to sell you integrity?  It is not a matter of whether or not you will, but of looking to the Lord to save you.  Those who believe they would never do such things lie to themselves more than the ones who know they are wicked.  We all have a price that is enough to cause us to sell out.  The tug of this age is strong.  It may be worthless and nothing, but it still tugs at us.  The prostitute will do whatever she can to strip us of decency.

Lord, keep me from the place where I would sell my soul.  Let me be neither rich where I believe I would not need You, nor poor, where in desperation I would commit all kinds of sin.  I am weak, Lord, though I want to pretend I am strong.  I need to be saved though I often act as if I do not need to be saved.  The abominations of this earth are strong and they daily tug at me to sell out to them and not live the life of grace You have given me.

Lord Jesus, hold me fast to what You have revealed as true.  You are truth.  This world is full of illusion.  I know that every time I give into sin, it does not satisfy.  Guide me, Lord, to live fully awake, ready, and expecting the attacks of the wicked one.  Lead me by grace to see what is right and true in every situation.  Let me not put Your name to shame, nor be indecent, but live a holy and pure life by Your grace.  Amen.

“And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness; and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, full of blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns” (Revelation 17:3).

Oh the tangled webs we weave.  But are they so tangled?  How often is it the same story of sex, lust, and indecent behavior?  Throughout history, the mighty fall because of the same indecent harlotry.  Like Esau, we sell our birthright for a moment of nothingness.  The Lord has come offering everything and we give it away for nothing.  This is a blasphemy of this age.

Lord, help me to better understand the predicament.  Nothing has changed.  People fall for the same thing over and over.  We give away what is good and right for things that do not matter.  Help me, Lord, so that I see through the devilish tricks that are used over and over again.  Guide me away from the way the world thinks to think as a child of God.  Lead me up and out of this age’s way of doing the same thing and expecting a different result.

Lord Jesus, You died so that I could be freed from this age’s trap of death.  Grant me knowledge of the peace You have already given me.  Let me live freely in the grace which is mine which enables me to learn how to live into the eternal life which is promised in and through You.  May I never give away the new birth right of grace by faith for the pottage of nothingness this world offers.  Keep me in You, Jesus.  Amen.