In Revelation the anti-God world system is characterised as ‘Babylon’ alluding to the ancient empire that took the Jews captive for 70 years from around 600BC. The oracle against Babylon here echoes those in Isaiah 13 and 21. Also significant is the connection with the Babel of Genesis 11 in which a united human race signalled their rebellion against God in the building of the great tower. The call here in Revelation 18 for God’s people to, “Come out of her” (vs.4) has a number of resonances with Old Testament imagery. It reminds us both of Abraham’s call to leave his Chaldean (Babylonian) family to go to the promised land (Genesis 12:1), the call to Lot and his family to leave Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:15), the call to the Israelites to come out of Egypt and the call to the Jews to leave Babylon and return to Jerusalem after the 70 year exile. Throughout the story of the Bible God’s people are being called out of the world system and into God’s purpose. We are called to be a distinct people who are not to make ourselves too much at home in the world. We are citizens of God’s Kingdom to which this world system is very much opposed. Don’t ever expect it to be easy to be a Christian in this world. Get used to living against the current. Don’t be needy of the world’s accolades. Don’t play the games of this world; don’t compete for attention and success. For even if you win this game, you ultimately lose, because it’s the wrong game.
Examine your ambitions, priorities and motives in what you will do today.
Read Revelation 18:4-8.
