And the woman was dressed in purple and scarlet and adorned with gold, precious stones, and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand filled with abominations and the unclean acts of her sexual immorality. A name was written on her forehead, "Mystery, Babylon the Great, the mother of prostitutes and of the abominations of the earth." Rev. 17:4, 5.
Many years ago I was attending a professional conference in Boston during the late stages of my wife's final pregnancy. My flight home to Andrews University was scheduled for 2:00 in the afternoon on a Tuesday. At 6:00 in the morning the phone rang in my room at the Sheraton Boston. It was my wife. "Jon, come home quick--the contractions have begun!"
I dressed and packed with uncommon speed. Hurrying through checkout, I grabbed a cab and sped off to Logan Airport. Arriving at the United Airlines desk a little after 7:00, I breathlessly announced the blessed event and asked if there was some way I could get home immediately. The woman behind the counter smiled and quickly put me on the 8:00 flight to Chicago, with a two-hour layover before the next flight to South Bend.
Arriving in Chicago a little after 9:00, I went to the departure board and noticed that the earlier flight to South Bend was not scheduled to take off for another 10 minutes. But the gate was about a mile away in the vastness of O'Hare Airport. With the help of moving walkways and accommodating pedestrians (it's amazing how accommodating people can be when a man runs wild hollering "My wife is having a baby!") I covered the mile in six minutes flat.
Racing up to the gate, gasping for air, I waved my ticket and shouted, "My wife is having a baby!" Can I get on this flight?" The attendant waved me on, glancing quickly at the ticket as I thundered by (the good old days before elaborate security).
I arrived in South Bend 10 minutes before 11:00 Boston time (an all-time record for Boston to South Bend, I suspect). Heading straight to a phone and still breathing hard, I called my wife. "False alarm!" she announced cheerily! "They were false contractions and stopped a couple hours ago." Slumping into a chair, I decided to wait until my baggage arrived that afternoon.
Things are not always what they seem! A beautiful woman is dressed in clothing reminiscent of Israel's high priest (see highlighted text above). But the appearance deceives. She is Babylon the Great, the mother of prostitutes. Not everyone who declares the name of God really serves Him. We should never place our full trust in human beings and institutions. God's Word is our safest guide.
Lord, give us clear discernment to know the difference between truth and error.
Many years ago I was attending a professional conference in Boston during the late stages of my wife's final pregnancy. My flight home to Andrews University was scheduled for 2:00 in the afternoon on a Tuesday. At 6:00 in the morning the phone rang in my room at the Sheraton Boston. It was my wife. "Jon, come home quick--the contractions have begun!"
I dressed and packed with uncommon speed. Hurrying through checkout, I grabbed a cab and sped off to Logan Airport. Arriving at the United Airlines desk a little after 7:00, I breathlessly announced the blessed event and asked if there was some way I could get home immediately. The woman behind the counter smiled and quickly put me on the 8:00 flight to Chicago, with a two-hour layover before the next flight to South Bend.
Arriving in Chicago a little after 9:00, I went to the departure board and noticed that the earlier flight to South Bend was not scheduled to take off for another 10 minutes. But the gate was about a mile away in the vastness of O'Hare Airport. With the help of moving walkways and accommodating pedestrians (it's amazing how accommodating people can be when a man runs wild hollering "My wife is having a baby!") I covered the mile in six minutes flat.
Racing up to the gate, gasping for air, I waved my ticket and shouted, "My wife is having a baby!" Can I get on this flight?" The attendant waved me on, glancing quickly at the ticket as I thundered by (the good old days before elaborate security).
I arrived in South Bend 10 minutes before 11:00 Boston time (an all-time record for Boston to South Bend, I suspect). Heading straight to a phone and still breathing hard, I called my wife. "False alarm!" she announced cheerily! "They were false contractions and stopped a couple hours ago." Slumping into a chair, I decided to wait until my baggage arrived that afternoon.
Things are not always what they seem! A beautiful woman is dressed in clothing reminiscent of Israel's high priest (see highlighted text above). But the appearance deceives. She is Babylon the Great, the mother of prostitutes. Not everyone who declares the name of God really serves Him. We should never place our full trust in human beings and institutions. God's Word is our safest guide.
Lord, give us clear discernment to know the difference between truth and error.
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