Read Revelation 14:6–13
What do you seek rest in? In a world riddled with anxiety, overstimulation, and distraction, where do you look for comfort and peace? Today’s passage presents two different options for seeking rest, and it tells us what both will ultimately lead to.
The first part of today’s passage describes the consequences of seeking rest in anything outside of God. That is part of what it means to drink the wine of Babylon’s sexual immorality or to worship the beast and its image. It is pretty easy to see idolatry—the worship of anything other than God—here. The people are looking to a false god for their needs, and they think their economic prosperity depends on their obedience to someone or something that pulls them away from God (see 13:17). Now, that does not mean we should only work for Christian companies, but we should be careful not to confuse our CEO with the One who provides all our needs. Let’s back up. What about the image in verse eight of those who drink Babylon’s wine of sexual immorality? Is it just talking about drunkenness or sex outside of marriage? Not quite. It includes those things, but it is not just because they are bad in and of themselves (which they are). The Bible, especially the Old Testament, frequently uses sexual immorality as an image of idolatry. Leaving the one true God to pursue other false gods is like leaving your true spouse to pursue other false lovers. Sin is not bad simply because of its negative consequences on earth. It is bad because we are looking for satisfaction outside of God, when it can only truly be found in Him.
So, how do we pursue that rest and satisfaction in God? What does that look like on a day-to-day basis? This
passage mentions a few key principles for us to apply to our different situations. First, while you are living, endure in keeping God’s commands and placing your faith in Jesus. The restlessness of idolators in verse 11
contrasts with the faithfulness of the saints (which means all true Christians) in verse 12, which leads me to believe obedience to God is the path to true rest. Second, know that our hope is not ultimately in this world. Even the obedient will die, some more peacefully than others, but our true rest is found in the coming Kingdom of God.
