Revelation 18
Babylon is fallen
When I read through Revelation 18…again and again and
again. One particular verse was highlighted and that is the warning in verse 4
which reads like this from the Classic Amplified Bible: “I
then heard another voice from heaven saying, Come out from her, my people, so
that you may not share in her sins, neither participate in her plagues.”
This is not a new command, in the Old Testament
the Lord also spoke through the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah and give the exact
command 3 x times:
1.
Isaiah 48:20 “Go forth out of Babylon, flee
from the Chaldeans!
2.
Jeremiah 50:8 “Flee out of
the midst of Babylon, and go forth out of the land of the Chaldeans”
3.
Jeremiah 51:6 “Flee out of the midst of Babylon!”
With the urgency of the command that the LORD God Almighty bothered to
repeat this message over millennia to flee from Babylon_ I asked the
Lord: ‘’What does this verse say to me personally? How do I (one of God’s
people, set apart for and chosen by Him) come out from Babylon?’
To answer these questions, first we have to understand
what does Babylon refer to/represent here in the book of Revelation.
Yesterday from Revelation 17 we learned that Babylon represents:
· a
system – that is a corrupt worldly system, full of compromise, pride,
materialism, false worship, IDOLATORY, traditions, acceptable practices by
many, false religion and we can add GREED.
·
Anything that pulls our hearts away from Jesus Christ
is Babylon.
Yesterday we also learned the why we should
come out of Babylon? This reason is also repeated in Revelation 18:4b “so that you may not share in her sins, neither
participate in her plagues.” This reason was also given to the people of
God in Old Testament times through Jeremiah 51:6b “Save yourselves! Don’t get trapped in her
punishment!”
Dear brother and sister in Christ, the LORD our God loves us so much that He does not want us to
get trapped and suffer the wrath of His punishment that He will pour out on
this system. Revelation 18:10b states: “…Woe and alas, the great city, the
mighty city, Babylon! In one single hour how your doom (judgment) has overtaken
you!” and Rev 18:19b “In one single hour she has been destroyed and has
become a desert!” It is clear from Scripture that the LORD will destroy this worldly system, that people sell
their souls for so to speak to attain as much money and fame and self-worship (idolising
self). In one single hour the Lord will destroy all of this.
This grave realisation led me to ask again… ‘LORD, how do I detach myself from this worldly system, how
to I come away from it?’
See, in my mind it was unfathomable to know how to be
separated from this worldly system and how to flee from it. The way we live in
the natural realm is that we are inevitably a part of this worldly system
whether we like it or not. As a born-again of the Spirit follower of Jesus, set
apart for Him, I felt like I faced a dilemma.
BUT GOD…
Gave us an example of how we can live for Him, as
being set-apart. As I searched for further reference to Babylon in the Bible,
God revealed to me the example of Daniel. Daniel and his friends Hananiah,
Mishael & Azariah was some of the first Israelites taken captive by king Nebuchadnezzar
to serve him in his palace in Babylon. Throughout his life Daniel demonstrated
four principles which set him apart from the Babylonian system, amidst the fact
that he was confined to living in the courts of the Babylonian kings of the
time.
1. Here
we have a young Israelite (Daniel) forced to serve a pagan king in the city of
Babylon. Yet he (Daniel) and three of his friends, Hananiah, Mishael &
Azariah did not conform to the Babylonian ways. Instead, they chose not to
defile themselves (Dan1:8). They chose to eat only vegetables and drink water
and not to share in the rich foods served in the king’s palace (Dan 1:12-13).
We too, can choose to only feed
ourselves with the healthy provision from God’s hand to sustain us naturally.
Spiritually we can choose to only feed ourselves from the purity of God’s Word
and abstain from the “rich food, the entertainment, the things that
pleasures our carnal sinful minds”.
2. Hananiah,
Mishael & Azariah did not bow down to the king’s statue, amidst being
threatened by death (Dan 3:16-18). Their trust in God was so bold that they
declared God would save them from the furnace prepared to destroy them
(Dan3:17), and they trust in the Sovereignty of God to further declare that
even if the LORD does
not rescue them from the furnace, they will not compromise and serve another
God (Dan3:18).
Where is our trust? Who do we
fear…the worldly system or God? The LORD
invites us to trust Him with our everything, no matter the cost. Here in
history in the book of Daniel, God shows that He and Him only can be trusted.
He is faithful to those who put all their trust in Him and not in the power of
kings, governments and leaders in the world.
3. Daniel
was a man of prayer, three times a day he consistently prayed, giving thanks to
God (Dan 6:10 & 13). Even when his adversaries were jealous of him and
tried to trap him, The LORD redeemed him for the glory and honour of His name’s
sake.
A prayerful person will not
be ensnared by the world, the Lord is faithful and will redeem those who seek
Him earnestly in prayer (Jer 29:13). Prayer is our direct communication with
the living God, do not take it for granted or diminish the power of prayer.
Even if you do not see the results of what you are asking God for in prayer
straight away, know that you know that you know that God will answer in His
perfect timing for the honour and glory of His name. Here in the book of Daniel
we see that even though he prayed and was seeking God, he was thrown in the
Lion’s den, …
But how wonderfully amazing was
God’s answer to prayer when He sent His angels to lock the mouths of the Lion’s
and shown His power to a pagan king, king Darius – whose heart was convicted
the God of Daniel is the living God and that everyone through his kingdom
should tremble and fear the God of Daniel (Dan 6:26).
With this I want to challenge you
to ask God:
What still keeps me trapped in the
worldly system? As the Holy Spirit reveals this to you surrender this thing
back to God and give it to him.
Pastora Hesma - Jcrc Capetown
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