8. The beast you saw has been, though it IS not. It will come up from the abyss and then go to perdition. What a surprise for the inhabitants of the earth whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the creation of the world! They will marvel on discovering that the beast who has been IS not and passes away.
Revelation 17 is a chapter that talks about the great prostitute, representing a world system of false religions and governments that oppose God and pursue the true followers of Christ. To find five verses related to the topics covered in Revelation 17, we can look for references to false religions, persecution of the faithful, the destruction of the world system, among others.
Jeremiah 51:7-8: "Babylon was a glass of gold in the hand of the Lord, who drunk the whole earth with his wine. The nations drank from his wine, so they were crazy." This verse refers to Babylon, which is often used in the Bible to represent a world system of sin and rebellion against God. Like the great prostitute in Revelation 17, Babylon also seduced the nations and made them divert to God.
2 Timothy 3:12: "In fact, all who wish to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." This verse shows that the persecution of the faithful is an inevitable part of the Christian life. This is seen in Revelation 17, where the great prostitute pursues the true followers of Christ.
Matthew 24:29-31: "Immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun shall darken, the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from heaven and the powers of heaven will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of man will appear in heaven. And all the nations of the earth will regret and will see the Son of man coming upon the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with great sound of trumpet, and they will gather his chosen from the four winds, one end of the heavens to another. " This verse refers to the destruction of the world system and the return of Christ to judge the world. This destruction is seen in Revelation 17, where the great prostitute is judged and destroyed.
1 John 2:15-16: "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If someone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in it, because all that is in the world, the greed of the flesh, the greed From the eyes and the pride of life, it does not proceed with the Father, but proceeds from the world. " This verse warns against love for the world system, which is opposite to God and leads to perdition. This is similar to the warning in Revelation 17 for the faithful to leave the Great Prostitute's world system to avoid its destruction.
Isaiah 47:5-7: "Feel in silence and enters darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans, because you will never be called the lady of kingdoms. Thy hand; but you did not show them mercy; even upon the elders you have imposed your extremely heavy yoke. And you said, "I will be a lady forever." You have not considered these things, nor did you remember their end. " This verse refers to Babylon, which is used as a metaphor for a worldwide system of pride and arrogance. Like the great prostitute in Revelation 17, Babylon is judged and destroyed by its wickedness and rebellion against God.
“Sigamos o caminho que nos conduz a Deus.” São Padre Pio de Pietrelcina