Thursday: The Harlot Is Judged
Daily Lesson for Thursday 17th of April 2025
Read Revelation 19:1-9. Two things are celebrated simultaneously: the end of the harlot and the marriage of Christ with His bride. How is it possible that both events are actually demonstrations of God’s righteous and loving character at the same time?
Infidelity comes with a very painful price tag. The fallout spills over into the lives of children and others. Even the most patient of wronged spouses may eventually discover that there is a moment of no return, past which the marriage can no longer be redeemed.
Image © Pacific Press at Goodsalt.com
When our world reaches a point where hearts have hardened deeply enough that there will be no more repentance, no point exists in continuing history and allowing the unbridled suffering of sin to continue. Even though there is heartbreak over the lost, those who have suffered under this world’s dispensation of sin can celebrate that it is finally over—and that the world is being restored to the way God originally designed it. This time there will not be a turning away from God, because we have learned, the hard way, that God was correct about the devastation that comes from separating ourselves from Him.
Read Revelation 21:1-4. What does the marriage imagery here mean, and why is it full of hope and promise? What is our assurance of the hope presented in these verses?
“Marriage, a union for life, is a symbol of the union between Christ and His church. The spirit that Christ manifests toward the church is the spirit that husband and wife are to manifest toward each other.”—Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 7, p. 46.
Christ suffered unimaginable pain as the human race rejected Him and gave the affection that belongs to Him to other gods. And yet, even then, He gave Himself for us, paying in Himself for our infidelities and adulteries so that, if we repent and turn away from them, we have the promise of eternal life.
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Read 1 Peter 1:18-19. What are we told in these verses that gives us the assurance of the end as depicted in Revelation 21:1-4? |
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On April 10, 2025, an American Baptist Missionary, from Maryville, Tennessee, was kidnapped at gunpoint while preaching in South Africa. The terrorists that had abducted him had hoped to collect a hefty ransom from the Baptist church in America. Immediately prayer vigils were started.
On April 15th, having determined where he was being held captive, South African security forces conducted a rescue mission. In the ensuing gun battle between the terrorists and the security force, the terrorists were killed and the Missionary was miraculously spared being injured or killed in the crossfire. Perhaps you saw this story of miraculous deliverance in the news.
Similarly this world had been abducted by a terrorist named Satan. Jesus paid the ransom for our release with his own blood and life. The terrorist has refused to release his captors in spite of the ransom being paid, which has inflicted a mortal wound upon Satan. An aerial invasion and rescue has been planned and is soon to be executed to once and forever deliver the ransomed captives from the captivity of the intransigent enemy. Soon God's people will hear the roar, not of approaching helicopters, or planes, but of the approaching King of Kings and His entourage of angels, and will look up to see the One who has redeemed them with the costliest of ransoms, His own blood and life.
What a day of deliverance that will be. Let's all determine to be ready to be delivered. "Heaven will be cheap enough." This world has nothing for us.
“Marriage, a union for life, is a symbol of the union between Christ and His church. The spirit that Christ manifests toward the church is the spirit that husband and wife are to manifest toward each other.”—Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 7, p. 46.
Whether you are married or single, we have all been blessed by married friends and their families. A healthy marriage is a blessing to the church and community as well as to the married couple themselves. How can you affirm, encourage, and strengthen your married friends this week?
During the judgement of the harlot, God will be delighted in his faithful people!for overcoming the Lier! The imagery of a marriage banquet speaks to the intimate relationship God enjoys with us. Throughout Scripture, God uses marital language to describe his covenant with the church which is an intimate, deep, and personal.
God’s love is a passionate, all-consuming love that pursues his people and will not stop short of being together forever.
God's love for His bride has endured a series of unfaithfulness, the weight of continued sinning, and a clear judgment well deserved by sinners who have emerged victorious of accepting the sacrifice He made. No Father has ever been prouder to celebrate his Son and his bride than our God will be; no satisfaction as deep as the one to be felt at the marriage supper of the Lamb.
He is our God the host as seen in Psalm 23 has prepared a table for us in the presence of our enemies a great banquet in form of the marriage supper all we need is a proper wedding garment (Matthew 22:11-13).
The bride must make herself ready; she is to be clothed with fine linen, bright and pure which is “the righteous deeds of the saints”(Revelation 19:8).... even this gift has been granted to us (Revelation 19:8).
The marriage supper will be a moment of celebrating the victory of the Lamb, who was slain but now reigns as the conquering King. As we anticipate this meal, every meal before then can remind us that God’s purposes will not be thwarted -His victory is assured.
What is so special about the church that Christ uses marriage, the most intimate human relationship as its metaphor? The Church is made of redeemed believers who have been rescued by Christ Himself. These are special people because of what Christ has done for them. Christ died for the Church. The Church is the object of Christ's love. The Church is the recipient of Christ’s grace. The ransomed Church will rule with Christ forever. The Church is Christ’s eternal partner. What a privilege and blessing to be part of Christ’s Church! Let us continue to be faithful to the bridegroom. He is coming soon to be united with us forever.
“Let us be glad and rejoice, and let us give honor to him. For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself” – Revelation 19:7, NLT
I imagine that everyone here has felt betrayed in life. It is such a difficult feeling to manage. But I don't think that we could ever feel the pain that God did when His perfect-to-be creatures betrayed His everlasting Love towards them when His perfect and steady-sin-free Son was killed by His freaking-weak other children. No matter how deep our betrayal pain could bleed us, "God so loved the world that He gave us His only Son!" That's pretty amazing!
I have two comments. First, the destruction of the harlot and the marriage of Christ to His bride demonstrate God's mercy by bringing the destructive forces of the harlot to an end, and by the marriage to the bride bringing closure to the misery of persecution and the beginning of eternal wedded happiness as the bride of Christ will be forever within a perfect environment of love in God's presence.
Secondly, the verse in Rev 19:8 mentions the fine linen of the saints as being the righteous acts of the saints. Those acts are there only because of the new covenant promise mentioned in Hebrews 8:10-13. That robe is composed without one stitch of man's devising. "Woven in the loom of heaven". MH 362 and COL 311
Yes, the harlot is judged — but how? What exactly does God judge when He warns everyone to come out of her? Though we remain in this world, we must not be of it. To be "of the world" is to live selfishly to serve our desires — to be unloving and uncaring of the needs of others. In contrast, to come out of the world is to become loving, caring, considerate, faithful, meek, and humble — being a true friend of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
When Jesus met with His disciples in the Upper Room for their final meal together, He used the occasion to prepare them for His impending suffering and death. He wanted them to understand that, though He would suffer at the hands of others, they were not to harbor hatred toward those responsible. Instead, they were to love them — as He loved them — and willingly laid down His life for them.
In those final moments together, Jesus chose to speak about the greatest commandment: loving one another. This remained the most important Truth He had taught and demonstrated throughout their time together. But He also wanted them to know that all who love Him are His friends — those following their Redeemer with a loving, willing, pure, and faithful heart.
The two kingdoms after Solomon (Israel and Judah) become spiritual harlot, qualified to be divorced. But still loved by the Lord (Jer. 3: 6-8).
Is the Seventh-day Adventist church at present not at that status?
Though the Lord loved the Israelites, time had come that they were no more God's people. We must beware as claiming to be remnant people of God. If the Israelites were rejected because of continuous harlotry, claiming to be the remnant church might only be a claim not recognized by God.