Photo by Colin Chong on Unsplash].
[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 18:4 ESV]
Here is a call or even a command to the people of God to 'come out of her.' This is referring to a woman who is described as a prostitute. God's people (and that includes those of us who have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb) are called to live separate lives from the world as symbolised by this woman. This woman is given a name which is described as a mystery which means something which has been hidden but is now being revealed. This prostitute is called Babylon the Great which helps us to identify this woman.
[5] And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: “Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth’s abominations.” [Revelation 17:5 ESV]
In chapter 17 of Revelation, John has a vision of this woman and we learn much about her. She is portrayed as a high-class prostitute who is tempting the kings of the earth to commit 'fornication'. Babylon was a nation who was an enemy of the people of God and was a powerful empire which attacked the nation of Judah and took God's people into exile. In the book of Daniel we read of how they were taken away from their country and were expected to abandon the worship of God and to serve powerful rulers such as Nebuchadnezzar who built a huge statue and insisted on everyone bowing down to worship that statue. Babylon is described as a city.
[18] And the woman that you saw is the great city that has dominion over the kings of the earth.
[Revelation 17:8 ESV]
This great city in Revelation is not confined to one period of history or to one particular ruler. Its origins were seen in the first book of the Bible, in a place called Babel where there were people who were building a tower to make a name for themselves in defiance of God. [See Dayshare blog for 14th February]
In Revelation 17 and 18 we can clearly identify the character of Babylon which is also described as a city.
SEDUCTIVE: this is a high-class temptress. She is portrayed as a well-dressed prostitute who is tempting people to be disloyal to God. And the message of chapter 17 for God's people is abundantly clear. We must resist the temptations of this woman. We must not copy those who are seduced by her charms.
[15] Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. [16] For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. [1 John 2:15-16]
We will try to unpack more practical lessons from this powerful image of the world in future blogs. It is important to clarify what is meant by 'the world' in this context. This is not speaking of God's created world - the hills and the valleys, the rivers and the seas as well as the amazing creatures which dwell in God's creation. This is not referring to the world of people whom God loves so much that he gave His only Son to die a vicious, brutal death to save us from our sins (John3:16). It is referring to the world system which is anti-God. In his first letter, John tells us that we have to avoid three aspects of the world:
1. The desires of the flesh
2. The desires of the eyes
3. The pride of life.
This is a huge subject which I consider briefly in a previous Day Share blog.
ATTRACTIVE
The woman with the mysterious title of Babylon is extremely well-dressed. We are told that she is arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls [Revelation 17:4]. In the next chapter we discover that 'the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxurious living' [Revelation 18:3]. These merchants became extremely wealthy because they were prepared to 'go into bed' metaphorically with her. It was necessary to compromise their ethics and morality to be on the side of Babylon. The list of cargoes that were carried by these merchants and shipmaster was extensive and extravagant and included cargoes of gold, silver, jewels, pearls, fine linen, purple cloth, silk, scarlet cloth, all kinds of scented wood, all kinds of articles of ivory, all kinds of articles of costly wood, bronze, iron and marble, cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots and slaves (human souls) [Revelation 18:12-13) These products were much sought after in the Roman Empire and were the commodities that distinguished the small minority that possessed the majority of the wealth. This represents the lust of the eyes - the desire to have material possessions. Are we not influence by the sight of the extravagance of the celebrities and the wealthy at their glittering banquets and the life in their huge yachts and country estates?
PERVASIVE: This woman is extremely powerful and influential. The text of chapter 17 tells us that this prostitute, Babylon is 'seated on many waters' [Revelation 17:1] and that the 'kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality' with her [Revelation 17:3]. We don't need to surmise what the phrase 'seated on many waters' means because we are told that the waters 'are people and multitudes and nations and languages.' She is able to cross national and international boundaries. Her influence is not restricted to the United Kingdom or to the United States of America. Babylon's influence stretches across the globe. She is Babylon the Great and she is seated on seven mountains [Revelation 17:9] and is riding on the beast (presumably the beast from the land which represents political power). She is powerful and influential as she can influence powerful politicians and rulers. But the Christian is called to be separate from all of this evil world system which is all powerful and influential.
DESTRUCTIVE : Despite her apparent respectability and sumptuous façade, she is corrupt and evil. She is bitterly opposed to God and the Lamb. The kings who are dominated by the beast and by the prostitute will make war on the Lamb [Revelation 17:13]. She is riding on a beast which is full of blasphemous names [Revelation 17:3]. She is holding in her hand a cup full of abominations and the impurities of sexual immorality. She is responsible for persecution of God's people - 'she is drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus' [Revelation 17:6].
What is apparent, however, is that Babylon has already fallen. It may not appear like that to us as we watch our television screens or visit any of our cities. The world seems very active and very much alive. We only need to pay a visit to the streets of Edinburgh or Glasgow on a Friday evening to witness the world at its worst. But the writer of the book of Revelation speaks as though Babylon has already been destroyed because her judgement is so certain. No wonder we are commanded to 'come out of her' and to be separate from the world. We need to unpack what that means and this will feature in future blogs. How can we be separate from the world without entering a monastery or taking a ferry to a remote Scottish island (where the influence of the world is still present)? We will take up these vital themes in future blogs.
It is a great encouragement to me this evening as I sit at my computer to know that this world's day is not going to last much longer. I am disillusioned with the world system. Have we not witnessed corrupt politicians, bankers, business tycoons, celebrities of the small screen and the large cinema screen all making us long to see the end of this world. The corruption and evil has even infiltrated our royal family and it has made its way into the church or at least the nominal church or Christendom.
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