Don't worry too much about the title
Revelation (72) Don't worry too much
(Rev 17:15-18)
<Keep the purity of your faith>
The harlot in Revelation 17 represents a ‘false prophet’. The harlot stands in a position of leading many (verse 15). Using that location, the harlot builds up the power of Satan with the beast that symbolizes the Antichrist, but the collaboration between the harlot and the beast is soon broken. Eventually, the Antichrist betrays and destroys, shames, and kills the power of the false prophet (verse 16). After that, the power of the Antichrist will become stronger and stronger, but only for a certain period of time when the Word of God is fulfilled (verse 17).
See how the false prophet who is a harlot colludes with the political forces of the Antichrist to gain power for a short time, but is ultimately destroyed by the forces of the Antichrist. Religion colluding with politics usually ends up being that disastrous. When religion loses its purity and associates with power or political forces, it is only used for a long time, and in the end, only wretched gloom remains.
We must strive to preserve the purity of our faith in our personal lives as well. If you serve God diligently, you should believe that God's blessings will be given to you, and you should not try to use God to receive blessings as a human being. True faith that pursues the ‘God of blessing’ and the undulationism that seeks ‘God’s blessing’ are 180 degrees different. Ups and downs, no matter what you gain for a while, will eventually destroy your soul.
The biggest reason some churches are criticized these days is because of their ups and downs attitudes. Ups and downs are twins with quantityism. The problem is that the number and quantity were large to receive grace. Those who know how to be grateful even for little things are the ones who have truly received grace. Jesus gave thanks for the five barley loaves and two fish. Through that thanks, the miracle of Oh Byeong-Eye appeared. Gratitude for the little things has amazing power.
<don't worry too much>
No matter how strong the antichrist's power is, it is temporary and God who controls all situations will eventually accomplish God's will step by step. Difficult things that sometimes happen do not happen by chance, but are accomplished within the providence of God. With a little patience, there are amazing blessings that God has surely prepared for you. Don't be too impatient and leave it all to God. If you need it, God will help you find the person you need, and if you need it, He will provide you with the need at the most appropriate time and in the most appropriate way.
In the early days of the Bundang ministry, there was a female deacon who was full of concern for everything. Sometimes I was concerned that the church had nothing to worry about. People are kind, honest, pure, and well moved, but they always have a lot of concerns, so their facial expressions are always impressive. As I was concerned about doing church work at the forefront, on the one hand it was a great help to the church, but on the other hand, there was tension and it was not easy to deal with.
Worry is called ‘worry’ in English. As with most languages, English often means similar when sound is similar. According to that principle, if there is a word warry (in a state of war) that is a variant of war (war), worry and warry, which have the same pronunciation, will have similar meanings. According to that principle, after all, worry means “the mind is in a state of war.” As James 1:8 puts it, ‘being double-minded and undecided in all things’ is anxiety.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus did not say, “I hope you don’t have to worry,” but in a powerful command, “Don’t worry!” Worry is a kind of distrust. Anxiety is distrust and is the root of all diseases. Why are you concerned? It is because they lack faith in the providence of God and the final victory of the saints. No matter how lavishly you worship and boast of your splendid gifts, faith that cannot shake off your worries is not true faith.
The greatest grace among graces is the grace of entrusting them well. When Jesus said not to worry, he was not telling us to ignore the problem, but to surrender our worries completely to God. There is no life in this world without worries. The important thing is to have faith not to worry even if there is something to worry about. With that kind of faith, even if there are problems, be sure of the final victory of the saints, sleep peacefully, and under any circumstances, resolve to live a life of gratitude rather than complaining or worrying.