Tag: come out of her
Weeping on earth!
Scripture reading for December 27th: Revelation 18
Key Scriptures: Revelation 18:9-12, “And the kings of the earth, who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her, will weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning. They will stand far off, in fear of her torment, and say, “Alas! Alas! You great city, you mighty city, Babylon! For in a single hour your judgment has come.” And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her, since no one buys their cargo anymore, cargo 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, that is, human souls.””
John is shown by another angel the fall of Babylon, the great city representing the false religious and governmental system of this world. At the fall, happening suddenly and of short duration, the kings and rulers on earth weep and mourn as they see the city on fire and smoke rising. The merchants of earth weep because of the lost business from their trading in all kinds of goods and luxuries and food and meat. They also weep at the loss of trades in slavery–human souls that are bought and sold for profit. The sea captains and those trading on the waters of the earth also weep and cry out over the loss of the great city who had brought them much business and wealth. Weeping and mourning consumes those left on earth at the hour of destruction they are witnessing! This is a call to God’s people to come out of Babylon now!
Revelation 18:17-19 “And all shipmasters and seafaring men, sailors and all whose trade is on the sea, stood far off and cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning. “What city was like the great city?” And they threw dust on their heads as they wept and mourned, crying out, “Alas, alas, for the great city where all who had ships at sea grew rich by her wealth! For in a single hour she has been laid waste.””
Faith confession and prayer: Father God, I weep now for those caught in the lies and deception of the great prostitute and the wicked system of Babylon. I know that You desire that none be lost and be deceived and I say “Amen!” to Your will. Have mercy on the kings, rulers, merchants, and shipmasters and sailors of earth! Send laborers to reach them with the call to come out of Babylon! Give mercy to my children and grandchildren to hear and repent!
Revelation 18:4-5 “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, for her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.””
Gone in one hour!
Scripture reading for December 27th: Revelation 18:1-24
John’s visit to heaven continues with the appearance of a shining angel with great authority. This angel announced the fall of Babylon the Great. God’s judgment would come upon her because she had become home to every demonic power and had used her evil to cause all nations and kings to become drunk on her evil wine of adultery. This is the spiritual adultery of idolatry!
“Come out of her, My people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues; for her sins are piled up to heaven and God has remembered her crimes. . . .Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her: death, mourning and famine. She will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.” (Revelation 18:4-5, 8) God called His people out of Babylon. Babylon was to be suddenly destroyed. In just one day her plagues would overtake her. She would be given back double for all her sins! This verse echoes the warnings from Jeremiah six hundred years before Christ! ” Flee from Babylon, run for your lives! . . .Babylon will suddenly fall and be broken.” (Jeremiah 51:6-11)
John next heard the report of the kings of the earth mourning because of the fall of Babylon. They would see the smoke of her burning and weep and lament over her downfall: “Woe! Woe, O great city, O Babylon, city of power! In one hour your doom has come! (Revelation 18:10) The kings of earth now speak of this destruction taking place in one hour! In just one hour all the glittering wealth of Babylon had come to ruin and the world system of humanistic power and trade was gone forever.
The saints were called to rejoice because of the judgment of God on the system that had mistreated them. “Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone and threw it into the sea, and said: With such violence the great city of Babylon will be thrown down, never to be found again.” (Revelation 18:21) John saw this mighty sign in heaven and was probably reminded of the prophesy of Jeremiah. He also had something similar to do in Babylon with his prophesy. (Jeremiah 51:59-64) The end of all will come suddenly and violently for those who are in rebellion against God!