Revelation 18:1-3 “After this I saw another angel descending from heaven with great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his glory. And he cried out in a mighty voice: “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a lair for demons and a haunt for every unclean spirit, every unclean bird, and every detestable beast. All the nations have drunk the wine of the passion of her immorality. The kings of the earth were immoral with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown wealthy from the extravagance of her luxury.”
The date was August 24, A.D. 79. The place was Pompeii, a seaport of 20,000 on the banks of the Sarno River and on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius. Around noon, a huge eruption from Mount Vesuvius showered volcanic debris over the city of Pompeii, followed the next day by clouds of blisteringly hot gases. Buildings were destroyed, the population was crushed or asphyxiated, and the city was buried beneath a blanket of ash and pumice. (Encyclopedia Britannica) All the inhabitants of Pompeii and several surrounding communities died where they were, smothered in ash or asphyxiated by the hot gases. Although Pompeii was later forgotten for centuries, at the time this tragedy was well known throughout the Roman world. As God was giving John this part of the vision, God might have quickened the story of Pompeii to John’s mind as an illustration of what was to happen to Babylon the Great.
Many times, God’s prophets had predicted destruction for great cities full of corruption. In Isaiah 13:19-22 we have the doom song of ancient Babylon:
And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the splendor and pride of the Chaldeans, will be like Sodom and Gomorrah when God overthrew them. It will never be inhabited or dwelt in for all generations; no Arab will pitch his tent there, no shepherds will make their flocks lie down there. But wild beasts will lie down there, and its houses will be full of howling creatures; there ostriches will dwell, and there satyrs will dance. Hyenas will cry in its towers, and jackals in the pleasant palaces; its time is close at hand and its days will not be prolonged. Jeremiah predicted very similar things for Babylon (Jeremiah 50:39 and 51:37) Other prophets decreed similar things for Nineveh and for Edom.
The angel making this pronouncement is descending from heaven with great authority, accompanied by so much glory that it illuminates the whole earth. This angel is coming from the Lord God Almighty with His Authority. God has given Babylon and all represented by the Babylon figure time to repent. Now judgment has come.
17:4-8 “Then I heard another voice from heaven say: “Come out of her, My people, so that you will not share in her sins or contract any of her plagues. For her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. Give back to her as she has done to others; pay her back double for what she has done; mix her a double portion in her own cup. As much as she has glorified herself and lived in luxury, give her the same measure of torment and grief. In her heart she says, ‘I sit as queen; I am not a widow and will never see grief.’ Therefore her plagues will come in one day— death and misery and famine— and she will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.”
Somehow, there is still a believing remnant left within this horrible place. Now God is repeating His Command that He has echoed throughout generations for believers to flee, to separate themselves before they wind up sharing in the sins and spiritual plagues. When Abraham and Lot had to choose where they would live because their herds were too large for the land, Lot chose the whole plain of the Jordan for himself because it looked so good. But Lot failed to realize that he was about to settle in the hideously immoral city of Sodom. The land that Abraham chose was not as well watered; however, spiritually it was far safer. Herein lies a warning for believers: many times we fail to pray before taking major decisions, relying instead of the advice of friends or family members. But in the end, Lot lost everything apart from his two daughters – the herds and home for which he was so concerned were consumed in the Lord’s wrath.
Romans 12:1-2 says, “Therefore I urge you, brothers, on account of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.” Today the news is full of reports of politicians and judges who may have compromised themselves by accepting money from various sources, including foreign governments. At the same time, people of faith are finding themselves under attack for hewing to their beliefs. Throughout the ages, from time immemorial, those who serve the One True Living God have never found it easy. But God has promised and is promising that their faith will be rewarded. To compromise or not? Each of us has a choice, but choose well! You are choosing for eternity!
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, help each one who reads this devotional to feel your calling to righteousness. Empower each of us so that we will follow hard after you, no matter how hard things become. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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