seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Revelation 18:4 Then I heard another voice from heaven say:
“‘Come out of her, my people,’
so that you will not share in her sins,
so that you will not receive any of her plagues;
5 for her sins are piled up to heaven,
and God has remembered her crimes.
6 Give back to her as she has given;
pay her back double for what she has done.
Pour her a double portion from her own cup.
7 Give her as much torment and grief
as the glory and luxury she gave herself.
In her heart she boasts,
‘I sit enthroned as queen.
I am not a widow;
I will never mourn.’
8 Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her:
death, mourning and famine.
She will be consumed by fire,
for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.
Here's the link to the commentary I use.Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins: It is inconceivable that a child of God could be a part of religious Babylon (though elements may creep in). But commercial Babylon, with its materialistic lure, is a constant threat to be guarded against.
Lest you receive of her plagues: The warning is focused towards saints who are in the position Lot was in while he lived in the city of Sodom (Genesis 19). These are God’s people in a place they shouldn’t be, a place ripe for destruction.
Render to her just as she rendered to you: The ancient Greek word for render (apodidomi) means literally “to pay a debt” or “to give back that which is due.” God will give Babylon exactly what she deserves.
Repay her double according to her works: This passage presents a three-fold sin. First, self-indulgence (lived luxuriously). Second, pride (glorified herself… sits as a queen). Third, avoidance of suffering (am no widow, and will not see sorrow). All these things are characteristic of worldliness and materialism.
Someone accused me of being the "Whore of Babylon" on one of these threads. Then this morning, the commentary talks about Lot. Of course I'm thinking of Lot's wife.... rather than the whore... she was just "not willing to give up". I bet Lot's wife sat through "worship" services with Lot. I bet she knew all the critical verses from the tales of God's opinion on what her neighbors were up to. I bet Lot's wife was a good neighbor who would loan anyone a cup of sugar or a loaf of bread. I bet she was very understanding. I bet she was like the ladies who work feeding the homeless. I bet if anyone got sick... someone would send of Lot's wife. I bet Lot's wife was a good woman.... and yet she was turned into a pillar of salt. She moved too slow... she didn't run from ramped sin. She was willing to try to help others escape as well.I bet when Lot was grabbing whatever he could to get the evacuation going... She was worried about all those who would not escape. I bet she even told Lot and herself that she had a duty to help the others evacuate too. I bet when she looked back... It was because her mission wasn't complete and she sure didn't want to leave.
I wonder, did she ever question Lot's "religious zeal". Did she ever tell Lot she thought his cousin Abraham was full of hooey? After all, she heard all about how Lot's cousin Abraham took his son Isaac out to "sacrifice" him! Who does that?
These verses are about what happens to good people who get stuck in evil surroundings.
Lot's wife was not a whore. She looked back because she was "concerned" about those she cared about. Lot's wife was a good woman.... and the evil of Sodom covered her... and killed her.
Babylon will have no survivors. There will be no one to be "concerned" about them. The world as we know it.... will not exist. The people who would be burned by the fire that takes out Babylon... have boils driving them mad. The people who will meet their demise in Babylon... have been bitten by some bug that made them wish they were dead.... but they can't die... it's their fate. The people who will be destroyed with Babylon are hangry, thirsty, people craving a breath of fresh air. They will have no peace.
They will be better off dead....
