Bourland Family Blog

“Rejoice (celebrate) over her, O heaven! O saints (people of God) and apostles and prophets, because God has executed vengeance for you upon her! Then a single powerful angel took up a boulder like a great millstone and flung it into the sea, crying, With such violence shall Babylon the great city be hurled down to destruction and shall never again be found.” Revelation 18:20-21 ->me: Tonight I finished chapter 18. The whole chapter is on the final destruction of the harlot -> Babylon (civilized man apart from God). This voice from heaven asks all the Saints and all for heaven to rejoice because God has avenged us by destroying and hurling all the putrid things of this world into the sea like a great stone…never to be heard or seen ever again. This is the final act that cleanses the earth of iniquity, setting up the scene for the reign of the Almighty. What a day that will be when the world is no longer a welcome place for anything other than our God and His heirs. The one thing that this chapter really taught me is that God sees sin and worldly living as corrupting force that until it is gone, will be a threat to all who flirt with her. Such a strong message – a married man should NEVER place himself in a situation where might even be the hint of impropriety — So as the bride of Christ we (I) should apply same logic.

“I then heard another voice from heaven saying, Come out from her, my people, so that you may not share in her sins, neither participate in her plagues. For her iniquities (her crimes and transgressions) are piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her wickedness and [her] crimes [and calls them up for settlement].” Revelation 18:4-5 ->me: This passage has me chewing. This follows the description of the harlot (the representation of civilized man apart from God). This appears to be an indictment by association. ‘Come out of her’ – remember my QT from the 8th – RUN AWAY!. ‘that you may not share in her sins’ – I take this to mean that we have very little power within ourselves to withstand the temptations of this world when we allow ourselves to be rubbing shoulders with her. We must run away to our Father in Heaven to stay pure and holy. ‘God has remembered her wickedness’ means that if I don’t get away I could find myself in harm’s way as God’s wrath comes down on her. I don’t think John is talking about a physical closeness but a heart and treasure one. As part of our reading this month for my men’s study at church we have been reading The Treasure Project. This book really focuses on redirecting our treasure building forward, no investment here (earth)…at all. In the verses before this one it talks about the businessmen becoming rich with the wealth of her excessive luxury and wantonness – such a powerful warning and association with our dealings with the world to make money. How can I possibly think that unless I am steeped in God’s word and communal prayer with Him (this is how I define ‘to come out from her’) that I stand any chance of making any right decisions on my own. Without the Holy Spirit actively drawing me to the right decisions and life choices, I am doomed to participate in the harlot’s sinning and plagues. I put myself at risk of her evil and despicable wickedness rubbing off on me.

“They will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will triumph over them; for He is Lord of lords and King of kings—and those with Him and on His side are chosen and called [elected] and loyal and faithful followers.” Revelation 17:14 ->me: This is a topper to the message by Pastor Steve, phone call with my best friend, and the last week on this new project.  When Pastor Steve told us to ask ourselves what we were needing right now -> Courage or Strength; it was an automatic answer for me…STRENGTH!  This last week has been full of distractions, pressure, stress, hurriedness, and excitement…none of these things are bad unless they draw you away from the Almighty.  I was talking Teague (my best friend) on the phone this evening and explaining how quickly distant I had become from the Lord by just being…Busy.  I need the Lord’s strength to stay true to my ultimate hope which rests in Him.  God has given me the skills and job that I have, but He also deserves my obedience, focus, and surrender to Himself.  When I am in these places of structured focus work towards an objective, I can quickly start to use my own strength and know how to get the job done but God is the main focus of my desire and He should receive all the glory for the work I do…not me.  God has the end-all-be-all power in the Universe; the same power that will defeat satan and these rulers (the ‘they’ in the beginning of the verse today).  I need the Lord’s strength to remember Him through every moment, meeting, conversation, and work situation that is to come over the next months.

“This calls for a mind with wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated” Revelation 17:9 ->me:  Revelation 13:18 also uses this same requirement for understanding “This calls for wisdom: let him who has understanding reckon the number of the beast, for it is a human number, its number is six hundred and sixty-six”.  Putting this together with “Keep awake” in Rev. 3:2, 3:3, and 16:15; it is a call to how we should live in these last days.  God is the Giver of wisdom and the start of that wisdom begins with fearing God -> The reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord brings instruction in Wisdom (Proverbs 15:33).  I must remain alert and awake, not going into the sleepy dream state of this world around me.  Even though I operate in this world I must live every moment awake in the Lord.  With a reverential and worship filled heart I must fear the Lord (fear disappointing him, fear of looking bad before Him, fear of losing my time with Him).  It is through living in this way that the wisdom required here, is possible.  I am reading a lot of commentaries and petitioning the Lord for understanding but I can rest without fear or worry knowing He is in control regardless of whether I understand the things in Revelation or not.

“I also saw that the woman was drunk, [drunk] with the blood of the saints (God’s people) and the blood of the martyrs [who witnessed] for Jesus. And when I saw her, I was utterly amazed and wondered greatly.” Revelation 17:6 ->me:  This is so vivid of the brutality of the world in persecuting the Saints/Martyrs.  The fact that she was drunk means that the blood flowed freely and that the amount was great in quantity.  It also implies that she enjoyed the process.  When she persecuted the church she did not think of herself as performing a distasteful but necessary duty…She rejoiced in it as a drunkard rejoices in his wine.  So when we turn to entertain the ways of this world and the signals it so enjoyably sends our way to coax us in, the world stands ready to pounce, to slay without thought, and even out of enjoyment.  The world longs to consume and squash the spiritual lives of those Saints she is able to pull in, pull in with false doctrine, pull in with poor company/friends, pull in with demands of work, pull in with pornography and sex addiction.  This seems to paint a bleak picture for one who is caught up in her schemes…the amount of blood is so great it appears that few get away.  RUN AWAY BEN! Do not open yourself even a little bit; the speed and violence of her grip is true to even the smallest target!

“The woman was robed in purple and scarlet and bedecked with gold, precious stones, and pearls, [and she was] holding in her hand a golden cup full of the accursed offenses and the filth of her lewdness and vice and on her forehead there was inscribed a name of mystery: Babylon the great, the mother of prostitutes (idolatresses) and of the filth and atrocities and abominations of the earth.” Revelation 17:4-5 ->me:  Well, today’s quiet time after 2 days missed is quiet appropriate and I feel even more convicted because of the content of my QT on Dec 3 (the last one).  Why?  Because I have been consumed with earthly work under the sun…worse, is that it is work that I sincerely enjoy meaning that my dedication to my job overrode my dedication to the Lord through setting aside time for quiet times.  Am I crazy busy, more so than anytime in the last 24 months? Yes, but I have learned over and over that when I give God time first He always helps me get what need done completed or gives me the strength and rest in less time than it would usually take.  The verses today talk about how seductive the world is, but she also has her name stamped on her forehead so when you chose her over they time with the creator of the earth you know exactly who you are choosing.  So, moving forward, even though I will be working 14 to 16 hour days (at work + work at home) for the next 7 weeks, I am committing to giving God the first fruits of my time.  Lord, forgive me for turning to work and leaving you out during the last 2 days.  My relationship with you is more important to me than all these things and I have not demonstrated that.  Give me the strength and prodding of the Holy Spirit to turn to You and pray throughout the day even when I am in meetings or walking between buildings.  I love You and You have never failed me.

“And [the angel] bore me away [rapt] in the Spirit into a desert (wilderness), and I saw a woman seated on a scarlet beast that was all covered with blasphemous titles (names), and he had seven heads and ten horns.” Revelation 17:3 ->me:  This verse comes from the account of John being taken by one of the seven angels who had the bowls to see the doom that would become the great harlot.  The great harlot -> Babylon – civilized man apart from God, man in organized but godless community.  What I am about to say is what came to my mind as I read this passage – something I know God has revealed to me for me, but not necessarily all that there is to this passage to be taken away.  The angel swept John up ‘in the spirit’ and took him into the wilderness…and there he was then able to see the true power behind the prostitute…the beast.  Isn’t this what God has done for us that seek Him daily in His word and follow Him?  This world and all of its identities it wants me to take for myself, to define me, are found in the city and as long as I live there I cannot see the harlot for who she is and who she represents.  It is when I am chosen by God and whisked to the wilderness that all of the influences of the city are removed and I can see the prostitute and her steed.  I can see the wickedness in idolatry of possessions, self-worth, secular identity, and who “I” wanted to be.  Now, in the wilderness alone with God, my mind is clear to understand that He is Who I live for—looking to Him, not others in the city, for my identity and purpose.  I am not my own – I am His and can now see the idols for what they are->intoxicating immoral wine from the prostitute I can easily become intoxicated on if I don’t stay retreated to the shelter of God’s sacred tent for me in the desert.

“And they [evil frog spirits] gathered them [kings/rulers and their followers] together at the place which in Hebrew is called Armageddon.  Then the seventh [angel] emptied out his bowl into the air, and a mighty voice came out of the sanctuary of heaven from the throne [of God], saying, It is done! [It is all over, it is all accomplished, it has come!]” Revelation 16:16-17 ->me: Couple of things were impressed upon me from this last passage of chapter 16.  1) That no matter how strong the forces of evil may appear, and however hopeless the position of those of good, God will win the victory.  He will resoundingly overthrow evil.  2) Humans will curse God until the very very end.  In the last verse of this chapter John says that he saw hailstones the size 100lbs boulders falling on people and that those who were still alive blasphemed and cursed God because the torture of the hailstorm was so great.  I sincerely hope to be gone when this happens.  Even God and the heavenly hosts say that it will be better to have died than to be on the earth when the horsemen, trumpets, and bowls are unleashed.  This is one of those passages that left my mind fighting for an application to my life.  I will say that last night I used the transforming condition of my heart to help me make a decision, in regards to work, and I can’t describe to you the peace I have knowing where the Lord has brought me in my continuing sanctification.  I let my heart decide…not my mind.  Logic was telling me that it was too risky; my heart told me this was the path on which the waterfall of God’s grace, mercy, and blessing was flowing.

“Behold, I am going to come like a thief! Blessed (happy, to be envied) is he who stays awake (alert) and who guards his clothes, so that he may not be naked and [have the shame of being] seen exposed!” Revelation 16:15->me: What a great admonishing verse nestled right into the story of the bowls!  In Ephesians 5:14 and 15 we are reminded of some of these clothes – The Belt of Truth, The Breastplate of Righteousness, and The Shoes of Gospel Witness.  Additionally, Isaiah 59:17 tells us that the Messiah will be in clothing clad with zeal (for the joy set before Him – Hebrews 12:2).  When the Lord returns I better not be caught naked…meaning…I better not be in a movie theater watching an inappropriate movie when He comes. I better not be yelling at my children exasperating them when He returns.  I better not be at odds with my wife; not living by the instruction given in Ephesians 5:25-33.  As a redeemed child of the King, a child of the promised nation of Israel, I will live a life of worship and constant transformation of my heart so that the words that I speak and the decisions I make come from a heart saturated in God’s word and ownership.

“Then the fifth [angel] emptied his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom was [plunged] in darkness; and people gnawed their tongues for the torment [of their excruciating distress and severe pain], and blasphemed the God of heaven because of their anguish and their ulcers (sores), and they did not deplore their wicked deeds or repent [for what they had done].” Revelation 16:10-11  ->me: While reading this passage today I was struck by the stubbornness of these people.  They had all the information they needed to understand that if they simply repented from their sin and wickedness they would be spared.  But here we have over and over again John witnessing the absolute disgust and disdain of these people for the God of Heaven.  Then…I stopped to pose this inwardly.  In what areas of my life do I turn my back on God and even though painful as the situation might be I still cling to the things of this world and not recognize Him?  I am a born again Christian and I love the Lord my God; I know how much He has done for me and I am so undeserving (we know what I deserve from yesterday’s QT).  Yet, there are still times, situations, places, and states of mind that I try to own and make my own way….because of course I know better, right?  I have to learn that there is sinful tendencies of this flesh even in the things that seem like good efforts -> managing the future of my job, managing God’s resources that have been put in my control, assuming I know what is best for my kids in my own mind without consulting what God says in His word.  Holy Spirit, please reveal these places in my life that I hold from You.  Help me to have the strength and presence of mind to stop and let You guide in Your perfect way.