Daily Lesson for December 31, 2020

 Today's Daily Lesson comes from Revelation chapter 18 verses 1 and 2:

After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority; and the earth was made bright with his splendor. 2 He called out with a mighty voice,

“Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!

During the darkest days of Apartheid Desmond Tutu used to speak at funerals and rallies and say to the presidents and other high ranking leaders of the South African government, "Come, come over to the winning side!"

The very last section of the entire Bible opens with the kingdoms of the world belonging to the beast who wreaks desolation upon the earth and its people.

But then into this desolation and darkness comes the voice of the angel, who brings with it brightness.

"Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!"

And then the empire falls.

We've come to the end of year. And what a year it has been. What many years it has been. Sometimes it seemed that the darkness would prevail. Sometimes it still seems that way.

But God sends us messengers -- that is the meaning of the word "angels" in Greek, "messengers". And these messengers tell us again, and again of the end, of evil's defeat, and of God's victory.

"Fallen, fallen is Babylon." It's time is up. It's reign is over. It's fate is sealed. And so the invitation goes out from the messenger to "come over to the winning side."

We've been reading the whole Bible through this year. What a year to choose to do so. We had no idea in January when we were reading about how to stop epidemic outbreaks in Leviticus just how relevant it would all be in March. And it has seemed, over and over again that the Scriptures have spoken to our times, for such a time is this. This is what is meant by the Living Word.

And the final word is this: there is a final defeat of the beast, and the adversary, and the raising and judgment of the dead, and the coming of the kingdom of heaven -- a new heaven and a new earth.

Babylon loses. And God wins.

Remember that, friends, in 2021. It will be a tough year too. But in the end, God wins. Good wins. Love wins.

And the messenger says, "Come to the winning side!"

Ryon Price is the Senior Pastor of Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas.