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
Some acquaintances of ours were travelling through one of the southern areas of the United States when they arrived one evening in a busy little town. Being hungry, they entered a place with a flashy sign that promised good food, and ordered their supper. As they were eating, they barely noticed the activities of the other people in the place, until suddenly the doors burst open and a squad of policemen dashed in. Everyone in the restaurant was ordered to put up their hands, and were taken outside and placed in police vans and taken to the local police station. The police raid occurred because the place was a known location for drug deals. Although our friends were eventually able to convince the police that they were innocent victims, they still had to pay a steep fine for being found in a place that sold illicit drugs. There can be a high price to pay for Christians, too, who are not careful to stay out of wrong places.
Our text is speaking of the tribulation period during which the great harlot is judged. Identified primarily as the church of Rome, the harlot in the tribulation will be the amalgamation of all of the world’s religions. As the harlot was about to be judged, those who were faithful to God were being warned to avoid her, or else be swept up in her evil and in her punishment. The judgment of the great harlot is not going to occur in our day, and yet, God calls us today to avoid any contact and participation with her, or else we will pay the price. The great harlot is certainly among us today. Rome is once again rearing its ugly head, after a period of decline because of scandals and crimes, and the latest pope is attracting many new followers. And yet, Rome has a history steeped in the slaughter of the Lord’s people, idolatry, and deviation from the Word of God. Another large religion, Islam, is also rapidly growing. This religion is also defiled in false doctrine and in the slaughter of Christians. Many of the cults and also of the so-called Christian denominations are in a smaller way involved in similar defilements. So it is safe to lump all of those religions together and identify them as the great harlot. And any participation on our part is also participation in the judgment that God will place upon them.
God never called the Christians to religious organizations or rituals or activities. He called us to His son. Unto Him alone do we gather, in the simplicity of the pattern of Scripture. The religious world has rejected this simple pattern, just as they have rejected the One to whom we gather. And if they have rejected Him, what business can we possibly have with them? They are the enemies of the cross, and we must avoid them.
God has delivered us from the folly of the world’s religious systems, and calls us to avoid contaminating ourselves with them. Instead, we are to affiliate ourselves with His Son and His people. -Jim MacIntosh