Wisdom Wednesday: The Mind of Wisdom
Submitted by Debbie’s Dad
Here is the mind which has wisdom…
(Revelation 17:9a NASB 1995)
I recently took a class on the Book of Revelation—the revelation of Jesus Christ written by the Apostle John, describing the vision that he experienced in old age while on the Isle of Patmos. The vision is recorded as John saw it, a step-by-step description of what he visualized: glorious scenes of worship and praise in heaven, and scenes of terror and pain on earth. The scenes on earth are filled with imagery of a beast, a dragon, a harlot, and more.
- Some believers view this imagery as describing the terrible horrors experienced by Christians that were martyred in the early church, and even up to today.
- Other believers see this imagery as a clear prophetic description of things yet to come at the end of the age before Christ’s return. (This is my view)
All believers see the benefit of studying this book to be reminded of the spiritual conflict in our world. Our purpose today is to see the need for wisdom to read this book and seek the Lord to help us understand and apply even such an imagery-filled text of Scripture.
In chapters 17 and 18 of the Book, John was able to view the judgment of a “great harlot” who participated with the leaders of the earth and killed many martyrs who witnessed to their belief in Jesus. The imagery is vivid. John said he, “… Saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus.” (17:6) As the angel showed him this vision of the harlot, he explained that she is named” Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots and of the Abominations of the Earth”. (17:5) John was astounded, and the angel explained that understanding this imagery requires wisdom (17:9a; the verse for today).
This woman rode on a Beast that was introduced earlier in Revelation chapter 13, a man of global authority and again, in 13:8, as an angel explained this Beast to John, the need for wisdom was emphasized to understand that the Beast is referring to a man.
It is good to read chapters 17 and 18 to see the description of this Harlot and the Beast–which refers to the false religion that opposes Christ and His believers, and the governments and leaders that embrace false religions to enable their authority. In reading, we must seek wisdom from the Lord to understand and apply. We must be careful because these are the most difficult of Scriptures to comprehend.
Today, students of Scripture still ponder the alternative views of Babylon. Is it a description of the past false religions and governments or a portent to a future end-time religion that kills those who profess their faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior from sin? Or both? Peter told us that even the Old Testament prophets wondered, as John, about their own visions of the future–not understanding how the Messiah of Israel they were describing would both suffer and receive glory… a seeming contradiction. (1 Peter 1:10-12)
When studying these parts of Scripture, we must pray to have a “mind which has wisdom. “