CHAPTER 18
v. 1 after these things, I saw another angel descending out of heaven, having big authority, and the earth was brightened by his glory.
v. 2 and crying with a loud voice saying,
“fallen, fallen is Babylon the Big, and has become the dwelling place of demons and housing for all unclean birds and a dwelling for every unclean and hatable beast. v. 3 for out of wine of her fornication all nations have drunk and kings of the earth have committed fornication with her and the merchants of the world grew wealthy through her luxuries.”
v. 4 and I heard another voice from heaven saying
“Come out of her my people, so that you will not commune in her sins and that you may not receive from her plagues, v. 5 for her sins are gathered up all the way to heaven, and God has remembered her unrighteous acts. v. 6 Give back to her double for her works the full portion from her cup pour to her double. v. 7 as she has glorified herself and lived riotously, give to her torment and mourning, for she says, ‘I sit queen and, I am not a widow, and I will never see mourning’. v. 8 for this in one day shall come on her: plagues, death, and mourning, and famine, and in fire burning, for mighty is the Lord God who will judge her.”
v 1 Light 1 Tim 6:16; Ps 104:2; Ex 34:29-35; Is 13:19; 4:4-19.
v 2 Fallen see 14:8 and Is 21:9. Hang out Is 13:20-22.
v 3 Wine see 14:8. Wantonness v 7, 9, deliciously, implies great extravagance.
v 4 Come out Gen 19:12; Acts 16:18.
v 5 The picture is the sins, laid end to end, reach to heaven.
v 6 v 24; Is 47:7-8. You can read the whole chapter of Isaiah 47 & get that perspective on the same events.
v 7 The judgment that comes matches the attitude of the day-those who are proud of their delicate lifestyles must be warned that such boasting is foolish.
Evacuation Orders
Last week on the West Coast of the United States, evacuation orders were issued in Santa Barbara in anticipation of rainfall and anticipated mudslides. On the East Coast the same week evacuation orders were considered ahead of a severe snowstorm that pummeled Massachusetts, Virginia, New York and Rhode Island. When hurricane Irma was bearing down on the Florida coast, more than 700,000 residents were ordered to leave the cities of Miami and Dade County.
God is giving His evacuation orders to us. There is a storm of judgment coming that will make every hurricane, earthquake, war, volcano eruption, and tsunami in human history combined look like child’s play. As God rescued Lot and his daughters before the destruction Sodom and Gomorrah, He calls His people to come escape the destruction to come.
This is not a new message.
John the Baptist warned his generation
“You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 10 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
Jesus said
“Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap. For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth. Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.” Luke 21:34-36 (NIV)
Paul put it this way
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
I believe we live in the last days and our generation may very well be the last. Yet this message is not only to those who live till the time of the final judgment. It is relevant for all of us in every generation, and much more so as we see the Day approaching. Every day is the day to set aside our hearts, minds, lives and bodies for the LORD’s service; in every age that commitment runs against the current of the mainstream. Having said that, there are many warning signs that we are living in the days when Christ will come again in judgment.
Warning Signs vs. Signs of Encouragement
As Bill and Melinda Gates recently argued, there are many good reasons for being optimistic about the future (https://www.gatesnotes.com/2018-Annual-Letter) . There is less famine, less poverty, less violent crime, more education, better general availability of health care, and, arguably, less war right now than any time in human history. On the other side of the argument there are many reasons for concern, including Cyborg Human/AI Integration, the Artificial Intelligence Threat, Birth Rates plummeting, Marriage Rates falling, Ageing Populations, Genetic Modification of Humans and the Robotics Revolution (please see my message on signs we are living in an age unlike any previously in human history https://sermoncentral.com/sermons/the-unchanging-gospel-in-a-changing-world-ken-henson-sermon-on-abortion-224962?ref=ManageSermons). Professors Angus Deaton and Anne Case, and many others, warn that there is reason for concerns, and sings of the decay of the social and spiritual fabric of the US and other parts of the West (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXf-xcR8bdA). This is where the danger lies. While technological solutions and political stability have continued to advance, the soul of the world is in flux, and the Church is not immune to the changes. In this atmosphere, God calls us to evacuate-not to leave the urban areas, but to separate ourselves from the priorities and foci of this world. We are to be holy-set aside for God’s service-pure-light-forces for good. For this, we must heed the evacuation call and turn our hearts and minds toward Jesus.
Prayer for Today
Father, we confess that we are often distracted and distressed, overwhelmed and enamored with the entanglements of this world. Please, Lord, untie the knots that tie us to this world. Set us free from those weights, chains, and cuffs that serve like a straight jacket to our souls. Like Lazarus, whom you called from the grave, set us free from the grave cloth wrappings so we can be free to walk and run on your straight and narrow pathway. Infuse Your endurance and mettle into our souls so that in this day of spiritual instability we can stand and face the enemy with courage and faithfulness.
Give us the strength and wisdom to face each new day holy, separated for Your service
In the name of our Lord and Leader, Jesus
Amen!
