John Marveled

“When I saw her, I marveled greatly.”

Revelation 17:6 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.

Greek 2296, thaumazo: to marvel, wonder. NASB Word Usage: am amazed (1), amazed (15), amazement (1), astonished (3), being amazed (1), flattering (1), marvel (4), marveled (5).https://biblehub.com/topical/m/marveled.htm

However, this is not the first time the Bible records that John had marveled at something. In Matthew chapter 4, Jesus called John, the son of Zebedee, and his brother who immediately left the boat they were working in and their father to follow Jesus.

Matthew 4:21 And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them.

Therefore, I must assume that John was among the disciples that followed Jesus onto the boat where Jesus later slept during a great storm that arose upon the sea in chapter 8 of Matthew. When things got worrisome and their boat was being swamped by the waves the men woke Jesus, saying, “Save us Lord; we are perishing.”

Matthew 8:25 And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.”

Jesus rose and calmed the sea by rebuking the winds and the sea. “And the men marveled saying, ‘What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?’”

It is the same Greek word “thaumazo – to marvel, wonder” that is used to describe how John looked at the BEAST.

Matthew 8:27 And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”

As John explained, “And he carried me away in the Spirit . . . and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet BEAST. . . When I saw her I marveled greatly. But the angel said to me, ‘Why do you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast . . .’”

Revelation 17:3 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.

Revelation 17:6-7 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. 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.”

More importantly, the Angel of the Lord warns John that the “dwellers on the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the beast . . . This calls for a mind with wisdom.” For John, personally knowing Jesus was not enough to protect him from marveling at the beast. Instead, the Angel of the Lord had to tell John the mystery of the BEAST, and I am no different.

Revelation 17:8 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.

Revelation 17:14 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.

At Seek First we simply want to encourage you to not only know Jesus personally, but to also seek His Wisdom. So you too can hear a voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues, . . . [because] salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for his judgments are true and just. . .”

Revelation 18:4 Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues;”

Revelation 19:1-2 After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for his judgments are true and just; for he has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her sexual immorality, and has avenged on her the blood of his servants.”