Here in Revelation 17 John has a vision of the world rising up in all its splendour one last time. The ‘world system,’ which John knew then as the Roman empire (but which takes many forms) is pictured here as a splendid city (Babylon the great) supported by the beast, ultimately, Satan. There is a symbol within a symbol here, for the city in turn is personified as a gaudy prostitute drunk on the blood of God’s people yet doomed to be destroyed by the beast. She holds out her cup seeking to lure in the inhabitants of the earth but, though the cup is golden on the outside, it is filled with abominable things. The world system draws people in with many promises. It advertises itself well, but, once you are drawn in, it defiles and enslaves. Later, in Revelation 21, the new heavens and the new earth is also pictured as a city, and again in contrast to what we see here, is described as a pure bride. The implied question that arises out of these graphic visions of the two cities is this: Which city will we choose to live in? Will we be lured by the pursuits of our culture; will we allow ourselves to be seduced by its promises, or will we hold out and remain faithful to the one who remains faithful to us? This is a choice that we must make every day and be conscious of throughout the day. We must remember who we are and of which city we are citizens.
Ask God to help you live as a citizen of heaven today.
Read Revelation 17:1-8.
