Acts 24:1-9
24: And after five days the high priest Ananias came down with some elders and a spokesman, one Tertullus. They laid before the governor their case against Paul. 2 And when he had been summoned, Tertullus began to accuse him, saying:“Since through you we enjoy much peace, and since by your foresight, most excellent Felix, reforms are being made for this nation, 3 in every way and everywhere we accept this with all gratitude. 4 But, to detain you no further, I beg you in your kindness to hear us briefly. 5 For we have found this man a plague, one who stirs up riots among all the Jews throughout the world and is a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes. 6 He even tried to profane the temple, but we seized him. 8 By examining him yourself you will be able to find out from him about everything of which we accuse him.”
9 The Jews also joined in the charge, affirming that all these things were so.
Reflection
The case against Paul opens with several false accusations presented to the governor, Felix (Acts 24:1–8). As with Stephen and Jesus himself, Paul is accused of things he neither claimed nor did (cf. 6:13–14; Mark 14:57–59).
When Christians are falsely accused of evil, we can trust that the true judge is watching closely and that he will “stand at the right hand of the needy one, to save him from those who condemn his soul to death” (Ps. 109:31). Ultimately, our fate and peace of mind do not lie in the hands of human judgment. They lie in the courtroom of a God who has accepted the finished work of Jesus Christ on our behalf. There is now no condemnation, nor will there ever be (Rom. 8:1).
Revelation 17:1-18
17: Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters, 2 with whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality, and with the wine of whose sexual immorality the dwellers on earth have become drunk.” 3 And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns. 4 The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality. 5 And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: “Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth's abominations.” 6 And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.When I saw her, I marveled greatly. 7 But the angel said to me, “Why do you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her. 8 The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit and go to destruction. And the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the beast, because it was and is not and is to come. 9 This calls for a mind with wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated; 10 they are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he does come he must remain only a little while. 11 As for the beast that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to destruction. 12 And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast. 13 These are of one mind, and they hand over their power and authority to the beast. 14 They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.”
15 And the angel said to me, “The waters that you saw, where the prostitute is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and languages. 16 And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the prostitute. They will make her desolate and naked, and devour her flesh and burn her up with fire, 17 for God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by being of one mind and handing over their royal power to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled. 18 And the woman that you saw is the great city that has dominion over the kings of the earth.”
Reflection
In Revelation 1:4 God was described as “him who is and who was and who is to come”; the beast is described in 17:8 as the One who was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit. The beast tries to be God, but unlike God the beast goes to destruction.
Only the true gospel of the true God saves. As in 13:8, in 17:8 the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will worship the beast. Yet God is able to preserve his own from all satanic deception. This is what we see when the Lamb conquers (v. 14), and those with him are called and chosen and faithful. Jesus chose them, called them to himself, saved them, and now enables them to be faithful to him.
Psalm 38:19-22
19 But my foes are vigorous, they are mighty, and many are those who hate me wrongfully. 20 Those who render me evil for good accuse me because I follow after good.
21 Do not forsake me, O Lord! O my God, be not far from me! 22 Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation!
Pray that God’s grace will produce honesty, integrity, and faithfulness to the gospel in your life. Do not fear when Christ’s enemies falsely accuse you, for God himself will set everything straight when each of us are assessed in the only courtroom that truly matters.