And I heard another voice from Heaven, saying, Come out of her my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. Revelation 18:4
Two brave young prospectors had become weary of their failure to find any sign of gold in the hills where they were working. Determined to find gold at any cost, they travelled at night to avoid detection and made their way into the remote section of an Indian reservation. For months, they managed to avoid detection, and mined a sizable fortune in gold from a lode they discovered. On one of their infrequent trips to a trading post to buy supplies, they met a trusted friend, and told him where they were mining. He informed them that a war was about to break out with the tribe on that reservation, and he advised them strongly to abandon their work. Wisely, they heeded his advice and were content with what gold they had already found. They were like those who received the warning in today’s text, and also like Christians today who limit their exposure to the evil designs of this world.
The context of today’s text is the great tribulation, specifically, the judgment of Babylon the great. That great evil entity that comprises the religious, economic, and societal pinnacles of sinful man, is about to be utterly destroyed. A solemn warning is issued for God’s people who are in that city as they are commanded to flee. They are told not to partake of the sins of Babylon, so that they will not be partakers of the plagues that are about to be poured out on that great city. This end-times picture is frightening, as we consider the horror of judgments that the sins of Babylon have earned. We wonder what people God will have in that city as this warning is issued. But the warning they received is good advice for us today, as the Lord’s people live in perilous times.
Today’s apathetic world has no fear of judgment. Atheistic fools mock the very existence of God. Scoffers joke about the rapture, fuelled by the folly of date-setters such as Harold Camping. There is no fear of God before their eyes – this verse from Romans 3 has never been more true than today. Because of their denial and apathy, sinners are flaunting their very worst of sins, assuming there is no repercussion. All around us is the carnage of those who use the slaughter of the unborn to promote promiscuity, and those who use convenience to exterminate the aged. We see the destruction of morality and family values, the strident promotion of homosexuality, and the elimination of punishment for what used to be heinous crimes. All of these things are a danger to Christians. We need to not only avoid these things but to also view them as God does. We need to stand against such sins, knowing that God will one day call those sinners to account. Unless we stand, we will fall with them.
This is a good day to start our march out of the perilous atmosphere of Babylon, and to shed our affiliation with the perishing world. -Jim MacIntosh