Posts by reachchurch
Inside Out
Read This Week: Genesis 4
Eve became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, “With the help of the Lord, I have brought forth a man.” Later, she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. Then the Lord asked Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” “I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. Now, you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.” – Genesis 4:1-2 & 8-12 NIV
The fall already comes to bear on Adam and Eve’s children and their family as a whole in Genesis 4. They follow the Lord’s command to be fruitful and multiply, so they come together to have two sons. Cain is their firstborn, and Abel is a little after him. The initial family served as the beginning of the populace and the leading view of how we relate to the earth and each other after the curse of sin. We also see the first crime of the heart acted out and how devastating it can be to the victim, perpetrator, and everyone involved.
Early in this chapter, we glimpse how Adam, Eve, Cain, and Abel not only interacted as people but also saw that they had to work by the sweat of their brows and perform jobs essential to their family’s viability and personal development. Verse 3 tells us that Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. Adam and his descendants did more than sit around in caves and hunt and gather; they had specific duties that were carried out purposefully and intentionally. They took on their work to generate desired results because God had given them the responsibility to be diligent and productive after the fall.
But just like people throughout the ages and us in modern times, our work can be confused with our identity, and we can use and pursue it to give us our worth instead of looking to our Creator and God for significance and meaning. In the next scene, we see this on full display, where Cain and Abel bring their offerings to God out of their work. The second part of Verse 3 says that Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. Both brought their offerings out of what they did, but only one had the heart attitude that honored God in their intent.
Verse 5 reveals God’s receptivity to the two men, their hearts’ posture, and their worship’s authenticity. It says that the Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering, he did not look with favor. The issue was the content of Cain and Abel’s hearts, not their hands. Their distinct actions revealed what was inside regardless of the quality of work or sacrifice. The Hebrews writer also explains why Abel’s offering was accepted, and Cain’s was rejected. Verse 4 of chapter 11 simply says, By faith, Abel offered up a more excellent sacrifice than Cain. By faith, he was commended as righteous when God spoke well of his offerings.
Faith in God, not his performance, made Abel’s offering more pleasing to the Lord. The faith of the heart always wins out over the presentation of the hand. But if the heart is right, the expression will be as well. It is inside out, not outside in. It is a mistake to try and moralize or govern our behavior with dogmatic activity when we should humbly seek God for His Holy Spirit to change our hearts. The change of the heart from the inside out leads to obedience and doing what is right. Cain’s heart was misguided, inauthentic, corrupt, and of the wrong motive. And it led to anger, hatred, murder, and wandering with no purpose coming from his work.
May we seek Jesus and always guard and check the condition of our hearts from the inside out.
The One Thing
Read This Week: Genesis 3
Now, the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and, pleasing to the eye and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then, the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked. Genesis 3:1, 6-7 NIV
Genesis 3 brings us to that ultimate moment of devastation in the annals of human history. That seminal instance where everything changed and altered the trajectory of the world and everyone who would live in it. As impressive and remarkable as reading the first two chapters and taking in the magnificence of God’s creative initiation and designs for the universe, planet, animal kingdom, and humankind, it is equally as crushing and disturbing to read about the fall of man.
Adam and Eve had it all. They wanted for nothing. They had an undeterred and unbroken relationship with God, walking and communing with Him daily. They had an unthreatened dominion over the entire ecosystem and enjoyed the companionship of the animals and the nourishment of fertile vegetation. The air was pure and non-polluted, and they didn’t have to expend needless energy to get food, nor did they toil in their work. They experienced no pain, sadness, guilt, depression, injury, or hint of discord. They lived in the most desirable utopic situation. There was only one thing they couldn’t have; unfortunately, it always seems to be the one thing that becomes the catalyst for destruction.
God told Adam in the last chapter that he must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it, you will certainly die (2:17). The one thing – the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. All they had to do was stay away from that one tree. But as fate would have it, the one thing intersected with an evil force, and as is always the case, when they come together, it usually doesn’t end well. We saw in our study of Revelation the origins of Satan and that he was cast out of heaven and thrown down to the earth. His main goal is to oppose God in every way and make every effort to destroy and corrupt. Satan was already evil and a deceiver when he appeared to Eve in the Garden of Eden. So, he is speaking to her and manipulating her out of his vile, wicked character and agenda.
Because of his insidious and cunning desires, the enemy takes the form of a snake, approaches Eve, and turns God’s clear and unwavering command into an ambiguous and indefinite question. Verse 1 tells us that he said to the woman, Did God really say you must not eat from any tree in the garden? That is all it took. Just turning a command to be obeyed into a question to be dismissed.
Since then, the question, Did God really say? has been the starting point of many slippery and detrimental slopes in life. Sometimes, it is all the enemy needs to create room for us to question the Lord’s authority, wisdom, and principles. This happened to Adam and Eve; that sliver of doubt led to the space where the one thing could gain the foothold that took them away from the word of God and from what was best for them.
Immediately, the situation changed once they both ate of the fruit. They knew they were naked, and it is more than fair to suggest they knew what they had lost. The effects of sin are never more devastating than in the moments when we realize it is not exactly what we thought it would be. But the most extraordinary thing about this whole sequence following the fall is God’s response. When he comes looking for them in the garden, his first question is not, what did you do? His first question is where are you? This initial question indicates God’s interest in them more than their behavior. He cared more about their hearts than their actions. He was chiefly concerned about being in relationship than exacting punishment.
Although God did have to punish Adam and Eve and hold them accountable for their rebellion, He remained faithful to them, and even at the end of the section, the Bible tells us that He made garments of skin for the man and his wife and clothed them. That’s the type of Father that He is. Even when our sin condition separates us from Him, and He has to discipline us as His children, His grace and mercy are reaching out to ask where we are and to clothe and provide for us. The one thing in our lives that causes us to stumble has never been and will never be more powerful than His love.
Soul Connection
Read This Week: Genesis 2
Then, the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden, and there he put the man he had formed. The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” But for Adam, no suitable helper was found. So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep, and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh. Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame. – Genesis 2:7-8 & 18-25 NIV
In the first chapter of Genesis, we see God as the supreme and sovereign creator of the universe. He has no equal and no material in the cosmos superior to Him nor possesses His mighty power to speak things into existence, curate, and sustain them. In Chapter 2, we begin to see an unfolding of God’s versatility and personal nature as the designer and initiator of all things. This section introduces the clarifying truth that while God is transcendent and incomparable, He remains ever-personal and relational to what He has made.
The idea of God’s relational nature to His creation is seen immediately in this chapter by a new attachment to His name. In Genesis 1, the text refers to Him only as God (Elohim), but in Genesis 2, He has the name Lord (Jehova) accompanied, which implies something else about His nature and character. Jehova is a personal name for God and means “I am the One who is,” indicating that God is not an almighty, aloof master of the universe who creates and then stands far back from His creation uninvolved. Instead, He has an ever-present nature that sees, knows, and is with us. The Bible commentator Bruce Waltke wrote:
In Scripture, the term God represents Him as a Sovereign Creator, while Lord shows Him as one who initiates a unique covenant commitment with Adam and Abraham and oversees its fulfillment in history.
This understanding of the Lord God seen in Chapter 2 is important to note and have in view as we read what develops in verses 7-25 with the creation of man and woman. Verse 7 says that man was formed from the dust of the ground, and God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being. The Lord God exhaled his very essence into man, showing that humans have the breath of God sustaining them and giving them life. It is an amazing thought that God cared for us and valued us so much that we would initiate our creation with His own life-giving breath. He didn’t just use the ground to form us but rather placed His vitality in us to bring us to life. To be a living being (v.7b) is to have a soul, eternal value, meaning, and purpose, not just a collection of cells made from the dirt barreling toward an inevitable end.
Now, this living man with a soul and purpose is put in this perfect place called Eden (v.15) to take care of and enjoy it. It has beautiful, fertile trees and plants nourished by four rivers. In the middle of all this is a tree that God tells the man he cannot eat from – the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He tells Adam explicitly that if he eats from it or partakes of its fruit, he will surely die (v.17). After this declaration, the Lord sees that it is not good for man to be alone (v.18), so he brings animals, birds, and livestock to him for companionship and to give them names. But Adam must realize that this will not satisfy God’s relational design for people and the longing for community placed in his heart. So, God waits until Adam is prepared to appreciate this most precious gift, and then He creates woman (v.22).
It is hard to find a more beautiful and intimate picture in all of the Scriptures than God creating woman from man and bringing her to him to form this holy union. It encapsules all that is good about relationships and human connection. It sets the tone for how we are designed to be with one another and to experience a bond and intimacy between us that no other living thing on earth can fully feel. It is also the first picture of marriage and the interdepency that it should express when done according to God’s will. The scene is so poignant and moving that Adam recites a poem to honor Eve and the relationship they will share. He says in verse 23:
This is now bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called ‘woman,’
for she was taken out of man.
May we value our relationships with the same care, appreciation, and consideration. May we see people as living beings with an eternal purpose that God beautifully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14). May it enrich, deepen, and strengthen all of our connections and see them as our relational Lord does.
Beginnings
Read This Week: Genesis 1
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. So God created mankind in his own image; in the image of God, he created them; male and female. – Genesis 1:1 & 27 NIV
The book of Genesis deals with the beginning of all things. In fact, the word genesis in Hebrew actually means in the beginning. In other languages, it is translated as origin or source. Any of these translations make sense as this first book of the Bible unpacks and describes in literary, historical, and spiritual form the beginnings of the cosmos, of human beings, of cultures and people groups, as well as their interaction with, relationship to and separation from God and one another. All the while, Genesis is the telling of the eternal story of God, his sovereignty, and his plan of redemption for humanity.
As it begins, Genesis 1:1-2 is a banner heading and a summary of creation as he makes the universe and the earth. It moves from general to specific: In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth (general). The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep (specific). At the start of Scripture, this text progression establishes three important things about God and the whole of the cosmos.
One, God is pre-existent and transcendent. He is uncreated and matchless as a being. Two, nothing existed before Him as there was no material or chaos before His spoken word. And lastly, God is supreme over his material and creation. He is not under it or inside of it but over it. Furthermore, we see that the Lord is not only the creator, but he is the designer and sustainer of what he alone has made and given life. He has the authority, power, and capacity to be all three.
God then creates light for three specific purposes, as seen in v. 14-17. To distinguish between day & night, to mark the passage of time, and to illuminate the earth. But He does not name the two sources of light. He does not ascribe names, which shows that they are created things not worthy of the glory and worship that belong only to Him. Elohim goes on to make land, sea, and sky animals according to their own kind and blesses them to multiply and reproduce (v.24-26).
Finally, God creates his most prized formation in the universe – mankind. The one he takes the most meticulous care with by creating them in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them (v.27). This detail cannot be overlooked in reading Genesis or the whole of Scripture. The basic and central principle to the creation of man and woman is that we are made in the image of God. It is the unique reference and characteristic given to people above animals and any other living thing. The imago dei (image of God) distinction of human beings and their nature sets us apart from all of God’s designs. It establishes our identity, purpose, meaning, and connection to the divine.
One cannot help but be filled with wonder, humility, and joy at the truth and knowledge that we are image bearers of God and a reflection of his person. In light of the entirety of this chapter and reading about all God created and designed, it is overwhelming to think that we are the only ones he specifically made this way. It should cause us to do nothing more than worship Him and praise His name in spirit and truth while radiating His glory to the rest of creation. As we go through Genesis together over the next year, consider and reflect on these moving words from one biblical commentator:
“Let your heart take in the grandeur of God’s wisdom and power. Let your soul rest in jaw-dropping awe of his majesty. Let yourself be humbled by how little you know and how few things you are able to do. Begin to embrace the utterly laughable irrationality of ever thinking that in any situation, location, or relationship, it would ever be possible for you to be smarter than God. Laugh at the delusion of your own grandeur. Mock the illusion of your own glory. And in humble gratitude for the grace that humbles, bow down and worship. After you have bowed down and worshiped, get up and serve this One of awesome glory. Refuse to question his will. Refuse to let yourself think that his boundaries are ill-placed. Be thankful his majesty is your protection, his glory is your motivation, his grace is your help, and his wisdom is your direction.”
Gone Is The Curse
Read This Week: Revelation 22
No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign forever and ever. – Revelation 22:3-5 NIV
The tour of the City of God and the believer’s forever home moves inside the gates in chapter 22. The HGTV show, House Hunters, has never had or dreamed of an episode like this. The interior resembles an exquisite garden, remindful of the Garden of Eden, where it all started. But instead of four rivers like Eden, this holy city has one, indicative of its only life source, God himself. It flows down directly from His throne and contrasts all things that became of Eden. Here, people will have access to the tree of life without consequence.
The river, the garden, and the actuality of a single source of life are among several comparisons and antitheses to the awful tragedy of what happened at the beginning and what it rendered for human beings throughout the ages. Even the name of God written on the foreheads of the redeemed stands in sharp contrast to the mark of the beast that will adorn the heads of those who pledge their allegiance to him. But the most notable difference is the curse of original sin that infiltrated the utopic reality of Eden.
John declares in verse 3 that there will no longer be any curse. This conflict with the curse absolutely reflects back to Genesis 3, where it enacted, befell humankind, and plagued everyone who has drawn breath since. However, in the new heaven and earth, the curse is gone. What Jesus died for and made permanent through the resurrection is certain in chapter 22. Creation has been made new, the enemy, who perpetrated the curse, is banished to hell, and the effect of sin and death is gone forever.
Men and women in Christ will no longer be tempted, taunted, and threatened by the darkness but will exist victoriously in perpetual light and, with the Lamb, reign forever and ever (v.5). Revelation ends its narrative of our life in the future with a correction of the past and in doing so encourages those who do right to continue to do right, and holy people continue to be holy (v.11).
This is our takeaway, to live as children of light in anticipation of the curse being gone for all time. To live like we know it. Like we know that one day, there will be no more night. May we reflect on the words of this indelible book and on these lyrics of Walter Harrah’s epic hymn, No More Night:
The timeless theme
Earth and heaven will pass away
It’s not a dream
God will make all things new that day
Gone is the curse
From which I stumbled and fell
Evil is banished to eternal hell.
No more night
No more pain
No more tears
Never cryin’ again
And praises to the great “I Am”
We will live in the light of the risen Lamb.
The City of God
Read This Week: Revelation 21
Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth.” And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” – Revelation 21:1-5 NIV
The entire book of Revelation has been building to this point. Building to the forever reign of the Great I Am. The One who is was and is and is to come. All the death, darkness, destruction, good versus evil, grace versus judgment, chaos, confusion, and pain will now fall away in the face of Almighty God and eternal glory and majesty. What was lost in Eden ages ago will be reclaimed and ultimately set right in the end for God’s people. Verses 5 and 6 sums this up when the Lord triumphantly says I am making everything new. It is done.
He will indeed make everything new. When we consider the creation and the fall and juxtapose it with Revelation 21, it is apparent that God intends to holistically correct, repair, and restore the natural order of His original design for creation and people. He will administer and enact a new thing that was planned for the old.
Here are a few examples of the new heaven and earth (v.1) and how they contrast with the world’s current reality. There will be no more curse from sin; therefore, there will be no more pain and tears (v.4) and no more death (v.4). Because the curse is gone, there will be no more need for the elements to balance the ecosystem and environment. The glory of God will sustain it, so we will not need the sun (v.23), the seas (v.21), or the moon, as there will be no more night. It will be a new experience for the inhabitants of this unbelievable city.
Imagine what this will be like for the family of God. It is nearly too wonderful to grasp that Christians will live in a place where the great street of the city is of gold, as pure as transparent glass (v.21), and its foundations are made of twelve layers of the most precious jewels and priceless metals (v.19-20). The light of God will shine continuously, and there will be no churches, denominations, theological infighting, divisive debates, or separation. There will be no more crime, strife, injury, and abuse of others or relational discord, for in this city, nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful (v.27).
This encompassing newness of life and worship is what the believer in Jesus Christ has to look forward to. We are expectant citizens of a new city. One where God has restored, renewed, and cleansed His people and where He has lavished his untold beauty and poured out His amazing grace for all time. Living there will be worth everything we have and will endure in this old world. May we go about our lives now as hopeful and eager citizens of the future city of God, loving others, serving our neighbors, being kind, and joyfully singing as those who have gone before us the lyrics of the Isaac Watts’ hymn:
We’re marching to Zion, beautiful, beautiful Zion. We’re marching upward to Zion, the beautiful city of God.
End Game
Read This Week: Revelation 20
And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations and gather them for battle. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night forever and ever. – Revelation 20:1-3 and 7-10 NIV
There is something so satisfying and fulfilling about the moment at the end of a novel, short story, long-running show, or movie when the villain is defeated. We all feel a sense of relief and atonement when the antagonist finally meets their end and when they collide with their inevitable and permanent failure. Throughout a narrative, we can develop more of a vested interest in seeing how the enemy goes down than how the hero comes out on top.
Revelation 20 describes the end of Satan, the ultimate villain, in great detail. He is the adversary at the top of the heap of sinister, menacing, and horrifying opponents, the bad guy from which all other bad guys spawn. And we learn in this chapter how his seemingly endless regime of terror finally concludes for all time. John shows us the end game, the two final stages of the devil’s fate, and we anticipate it more than any other evildoer in the annals of history or literature.
The first stage involves Satan being bound and chained in a bottomless pit or abyss. This chasm is not hell but a place of outer darkness where the devil is banished for a thousand years. It is something of a cosmic prison or holding place that God has reserved for him while Jesus enacts his thousand-year reign on earth. The Lord establishes His righteous and glorious kingdom for a millennium with the enemy and his cohorts exiled and neutralized. Verse 3 tells us:
He threw him into the Abyss and locked and sealed it over him to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.
The second stage is akin to the sequence in a movie where we think the villain is dead but inexplicably rises back up to pose one final threat to the protagonist. God will release Satan from the darkness of the pit to have one last go at Him and mankind. Verses 7-8 explain this dreadful moment: When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth and gather them for battle.
But just like the bad guy in a film, the devil is quickly put down, never to get up again. The Bible goes on to say that fire comes down and consumes the enemy and his dark armies. And he is thrown into a lake of fire, where he will experience the torment he inflicted on all men and embodied forever. This is God’s end game for the devil. This awful demise is the culmination of his evil rebellion in heaven from ages past that resulted in unfathomable chaos, pain, and destruction on earth by his hands.
Yet, Christ prevails once again and for all eternity. He is the hero. He is the conquering champion, redeemer, and savior that we are more interested in rooting for than we are in rooting against his enemies. All eyes are on Him and his power and authority to execute his perfect end game for us.
Warrior King
Read This Week: Revelation 19
I saw heaven standing open, and there before me was a white horse whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice, he judges and wages war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen. Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword. He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and his thigh, he has this name written: king of kings and lord of lords. – Revelation 19:11-16 NIV
How does it all end? It is the enduring question of humanity. It is the lasting inquiry of philosophy. It is the ultimate wonder in theology and the origin of all our doubts, demands, and times we lay awake at night. People have tried to decipher what the end of the world looks like for centuries. They have looked for evidence throughout history and gone to great lengths to answer how it all resolves. This question intrigues and haunts every human being who has the ability to think and reason. Revelation 19 gives the ultimate answer.
This chapter begins with praise and worship. The crowds of heaven celebrate the Lord for ending the existence and rule of Babylon and its evil influence. They are honoring and worshipping God’s triumph and anticipating His eternal sovereignty and supremacy. Verses 2 and 6-7 capture these scenes:
Hallelujah! Salvation and glory, and power belong to our God, for true and just are his judgments. Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory!
We see that God is prevailing and the bride of Christ is ready. The church is ready to be reclaimed and vindicated by the King of kings. Verse 10 captures John’s amazed reaction to the marriage supper of the Lamb, the Bridegroom preparing to take His bride and intercede for her one last time.
The Revelator falls on his knees in worship before the angel as an act of submission to this powerful culmination of Christ’s return. John is so overwhelmed that the angel has to tell him to get up and refocus his worship on the worthy one. He said, Worship God! For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus. Imagine being so overcome with awe that you forget what you are doing. That’s how amazing God can be in our lives; we are so awestruck by His power that we lose ourselves in the majesty of the King.
Finally, this section describes the hope of a glorious ending. It ends with Jesus Christ the King, the Heavenly Warrior, returning to claim His bride, and establish His mighty reign on earth. It is the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise in John 14:3. This chapter shows the greatness of Christ in His name (v.16), the righteousness of His judgment (v.11), and as a conquering King (v.12-16). The hope of Christ and the brilliance of the end is found in the Heavenly Warrior and that He is and will forever fight for and claim His children. He has the power, authority, and capacity to not only fight but win for all time. He determines how it ends.
The Fruit Is Gone
Read This Week: Revelation 18
The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes anymore—cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones, and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk, and scarlet cloth; every sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron, and marble; cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh, and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, refined flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and human beings sold as enslaved people. They will say, “The fruit you longed for is gone from you. All your luxury and splendor have vanished, never to be recovered.” The merchants who sold these things and gained wealth from her will stand far off. They will weep and mourn. – Revelation 18:11-15 NIV
Revelation 18 is the finality of what the previous chapter sets up – the fall of Babylon. As stated before, Babylon was a powerful empire. This section details the city’s economic, social, and political vitality and prowess. It tells of all the merchandise, clothing, food, spices, and jewelry sold and traded there. Babylon was, by all accounts, an epicenter of the ancient world. It was also a literal and figurative symbol of man’s rebellion against God and the ultimate representative of what it means to be secular. That is why the description of its fall and ultimate demise is so compelling and devastating to the beast’s mission and evil desires.
Because of Babylon’s immense status as a formidable city and as an emblem of the world and anti-God philosophy, John records the warning to followers of Jesus to get out of Babylon before its ultimate end. Verses 4-5 say: Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins or receive any of her plagues; her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes.
This warning is a physical and spiritual alert to the believers during Babylon’s fall and a warning for all Christians across generations. It is a reminder that there is nothing the world has to offer to match life with God. No money, wealth, possession, or affluence can provide the meaning and purpose of a relationship with Christ. No status or social standing can bring the value or worth that comes with knowing you are God’s child and made in His image. No position can give one eternal salvation that comes through the blood of the Lamb.
God cautions us to get out of Babylon because it offers nothing of eternal significance for our lives, just temporal, counterfeit pleasure that will not last and will lead to destruction. The Lord makes it clear through John that what Babylon offers will disappear and vanish just like the lies of the enemy and his overtures of a better future. The fruit the world tempts with will be gone. The opulence and comfort that it promises will go away. The glory and fulfillment the world advertises will soon vanish. Only a relationship with God through Jesus Christ and what is done for Him will last forever.
The words of verse 14 should always serve as a reminder of this: The fruit you longed for is gone from you. All your luxury and splendor have vanished, never to be recovered.
The End of Babylon
Read This Week: Revelation 17
The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom but who will receive authority as kings along with the beast for one hour. They have one purpose and will give their power and authority to the beast. They will wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will triumph over them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with him will be his called, chosen, and faithful followers. – Revelation 17:12-14 NIV
Revelation 17 describes the categorical victory that Jesus will exact over the beast, his followers, and the totality of his empire. The enemy and his domain will be overthrown, and the religious system he has set up and confused and deceived people with will also be torn down. This demolishing of the false religious scheme is important because it is not enough to eliminate the evil players but to destroy the root of all deception and corruption that has plagued and sought to control people for ages.
The Lord will annihilate Babylon, which has been the epicenter of anti-God philosophy, politics, and activity since Nimrod founded it in Genesis 10. New Testament commentator Warren Wiersbe wrote this about Babylon’s origins and wicked generational influence. He said, “It is ‘the great harlot’ and ‘the mother of harlots.’ The Babylonian system has, in one way or another, given birth to all false religions. She has also seduced people into opposing God and persecuting His servants.” Verses 5-6 of this chapter describe Babylon this way:
The name written on her forehead was a mystery: Babylon the Great, the mother of prostitutes and of the abominations of the earth. I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of God’s holy people, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus.
The spirit of Babylon is alive and well in the modern world. It is seen in the willful denial of the truth and subjective moral reasoning. That which is seemingly deplorable, wrong, and misleading is viewed as admirable, correct, and honorable. Service and benevolence to one’s neighbor are pushed aside for self-interest and egoism. Faith is mocked as a crutch for the mentally weak, and pursuing God is jeered as a thing of the past.
But the Holy Spirit is also alive and powerful in our day. He banners and highlights objective truth as it wins out. He captures minds and hearts to see and recognize what is suitable, appropriate, and virtuous. He places inspiration and guidance in the lives of people to put themselves aside and serve others as Jesus did despite the natural desire to seek their concerns. The Spirit keeps believers strong in faith and emboldens them with passion and persistence when the world persecutes and derides their conviction.
Babylon will be conquered at the end of days, but the blood of the Lamb has effectively defeated it at this very moment. The Lamb of God has already disarmed the powers and authorities; he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross (Col. 2:15). Followers of Jesus have and will endure the wrath of the beast and harlot. Still, they stand behind the cross victorious now and forever. Verse 14 tells us definitively of the enemy’s eternal fate:
They will wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will triumph over them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with him will be his called, chosen, and faithful followers.