God's Holy Spirit ( in a way that we cannot explain ) took John away to the wilderness. We do not know exactly what wilderness this is other then it was a wilderness. It may well have been the one the children of Israel were taken into following their deliverance from Egypt, we simply don't know.
Upon his arrival there, he saw what is recorded for us in 17:3-6. A woman ( by the way, later in this chapter, the Lord explains in great detail who this woman is ), but, John saw her there sitting on a scarlet beast, and the beast was full of names of blasphemy, it had 7 heads, and 10 horns.
She was arrayed in purple and scarlet and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication. More is said of her in the next few verses.
But, for now can we just look at the phrase, "names of blasphemy" for a moment today.
To blaspheme is to speak against someone or something in a derogatory and inappropriate way, deriding them, and essentially cursing them etc.
Jesus spoke of the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, as being the unpardonable sin. That is, to speak against the work of the Holy Spirit, in His work of conviction, seeking to bring someone to the knowledge of Jesus Christ, and upon that knowledge being brought to them, for them to resist that witness of God, and deny the truth as it is in Christ, and thereby refuse salvation.
That is unpardonable. Because, God cannot forgive a person who will not believe. Believing is the way that a person comes to faith. This is the way God has chosen to save people. By their believing in Jesus Christ as their savior.
This woman John sees is full of names of blasphemy. In other words, not just one, but rather being full of it. This woman, believed to be a religious system, of global reach, under the power of, or in great cooperation with the antichrist, is full of these names.
Hard to believe that a religious system could be so adverse to the truth, so much so as to blaspheme it. We will learn more about this woman as we go through the chapter.
But, the simple thought this morning, is that the devil, working through the man of sin, the antichrist, will explode with opposition to the true and the living God in the last days of man's governing of the earth as we know it.
What a change takes place in a person who receives Christ, and becomes a person who is in love with God. Haters of God can become lovers of God. That may have happened to you already. I hope it has. It's happened to me. Well over 39 years ago.
Blasphemers, become Blessers of God. Speaking against and denying to believing and receiving.
Grace alone, love alone, mercy alone, Jesus alone, does this in a person's life.
May God's Holy Spirit work today in our lives to fill us with such an appreciation of who He is, that we are bursting with blessing today. Imagine that , "Bursting with blessing"
He can do it.
Pastor Bob Grenier
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