Revelation 18:4-8

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. Pay her back as she herself has paid back others, and repay her double for her deeds; mix a double portion for her in the cup she mixed.  As she glorified herself and lived in luxury, so give her a like measure of torment and mourning, since in her heart she says, ‘I sit as a queen, I am no widow, and mourning I shall never see.’ For this reason her plagues will come in a single day, death and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire; for mighty is the Lord God who has judged her.”

Since judgment on the great city and system of Babylon has been pronounced, another angel steps forward to give advice to the people who are living in this condemned place.  These words are instructive to those who find themselves living in the middle of a corrupt society.  We cannot control the world in which we live, but we can control our response to that world.

SEPARATION FROM SIN: The most helpful response when one finds themselves surrounded by sin is to remove oneself from that context.  Curiosity about sin, tolerance of sin, and ignoring sin are all dangerous ways of placating sin.  The instruction of the angel is to come out of Babylon to prevent taking part in the sin of the place.  The longer we expose ourselves to a sinful context, the more likely it is that we will be tempted to participating in it.  Another danger to remaining physically present in a sinful context is being exposed to the judgment that will come down from God on that place.  Lot and his family would have been consumed in Sodom and Gomorrah had they not fled from that place.

REPARATIONS FOR SIN: The angel declares that there will be payback for all of the evil that this city and its inhabitants have practiced.  A double measure of vengeance and judgment will come upon this place.  It may seem that evil goes unpunished because of the patience, grace and mercy of God.  God may allow sin to go unchecked for long periods of time.  The wicked may even seem to prosper for a season.  This reality should not cause us to imagine that this will always be the case.  God’s wrath on sin will eventually be demonstrated, and His justice will be satisfied. 

EXPLAINATION OF SIN: The reasons for this wrath are the attitudes and actions demonstrated by the people and their leaders.  They have been living in luxury and seeking to promote their own glory.  God created us for His glory so when we begin to exalt ourselves instead of Him, we are subject to His wrath.  Pride begins to well up in the hearts of people who refuse to recognize their sin, demonstrate remorse, or repent from sin.  They gain a false sense of security as they think that their sinful, idolatrous practices will never have any consequences.  This pride in the practice of sin will bring about the wrath of God in ways that they could never imagine.

APPLICATION: Don’t tolerate sin in our lives or grow insensitive to the seriousness of sin.  Run from temptation and get away from those who are practicing sin.  Trust in God’s sovereign plan to judge sin in His time and His way.  Don’t get comfortable in the presence of sin or allow pride to cause us to seek for glory that belongs to God alone.