Revelation 18:4-8

Revelation 18:4-8

And I heard another voice out of heaven while saying, “Come out, my people, out of her in order that you all should not participate with her sins and in order that you all should not receive out of her plagues.”  Since the sins were being united with her until heaven and God called to mind her crimes.  Give to her even as she gave and pay back double the doubled things according to her works.  Mix for her in her cup a double portion that she mixed.  As much as she glorified herself and she wantonly lived, give to her as much torture and mourning.  Since she says in her heart that, “I sit as a queen, I am not a widow, and I should surely not see mourning.”  For this sake her plagues will arrive in one day: death, mourning, and famine.  And she will be burned up in fire, since the Lord God who judged her is strong. 

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

As Babylon is condemned and consumed, God calls His people out of her.  There is a message her that reaches to the core of what it means to be a Christian.  Grace is costly.  God does not bid a man to accept him academically and remain the same.  God did not send His Son to die for our sake so that we would go on sinning.  God bids us to be changed.  He calls us out of our sinfulness.  He calls us away from the metaphorical Babylon.  We need not share in the fate of sin and those who abide in in.  But that inherently means receiving the call away from our sin.

Where has God called you to change?  Where has God called you to abandon your sinfulness and come to Him?

Second Thought:

Within this passage we can also see a very prominent theme in God’s Word.  We reap what we sow.  Babylon is paid back according to what she has done.  There are consequences for every choice that we make.  Some consequences are more severe than others.  But the Bible is clear over and over.  One day, judgment will come.  One day, our deeds will be repaid.

When have you ever reaped good consequences from making good choices?  When have your choices led to bad consequences?

Third Thought:

Third, notice John’s warning against the sin of pride.  Not only has the symbolic woman tempted humanity to participate into sinfulness, but she has allowed that to cause her to swell with pride.  She has come to see herself as queen because she has dominated over so many for so long.  John’s message is clear.  It’s bad enough to sin, knowing that we reap what we sow.  However, it is so much worse to become proud when we make choices and don’t get immediately get caught!

How often do you think pride is a danger when we sin and seemingly get away with it?  How does this help us understand another dimension about why it is better to receive correction in our sin before things have an ability to snowball?

Passage for Tomorrow: Revelation 18:9-20