4 March Revelation 18

Come out of her, my people

Revelation 18:4(NIV) reads: 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.

Come out of her, is an admonition to embrace liberty and safety. The heavenly voice demanding separation from Babylon also explains the reason: Come out of her, my people, to avoid participating in her sins and consequently, not to bear the brunt of her plagues.

Sharing in sin equates to sharing in guilt. God desires His people to preserve their purity and remain free from judgment.

In the Old Testament, God instructed Israel to distance itself from physical Babylon. After being captives in Babylon for seventy years, when the moment arrived to return to Jerusalem, God urged them to depart.

Jeremiah 51:6(ESV) says: "Flee from the midst of Babylon; let everyone save his life! Be not cut off in her punishment, for this is the time of the LORD’s vengeance, the repayment he is rendering her.

Isaiah 52:11(ESV) instructs: Depart, depart, go out from there; touch no unclean thing; go out from the midst of her; purify yourselves, you who bear the vessels of the LORD.

Jeremiah 50:8(ESV) proclaims: “Flee from the midst of Babylon, and go out of the land of the Chaldeans, and be as male goats before the flock.

In moments of judgment, God creates a divide between His people and those facing judgment. When He plagued the Egyptians, He differentiated His people from those being afflicted.

Exodus 8:22-23(ESV) says: But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where my people dwell, so that no swarms of flies shall be there… Thus, I will put a division between my people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall happen."

We, as God's children, are fundamentally advised to come out of her, meaning to distance ourselves from the world's wickedness.

2 Corinthians 6:14-17(AMP) Do not be unequally bound together with unbelievers . For what partnership can righteousness have with lawlessness? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and Belial (Satan)? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said: “I WILL DWELL AMONG THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM; AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE. “SO COME OUT FROM AMONG UNBELIEVERS AND BE SEPERATE,” says the Lord, “AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN; And I will graciously receive you and welcome you ,

Being God's children, we should abandon the world's sinful paths. Shed the former ways of existence, and embrace the new life offered by Christ. In doing so, we won't partake in their sins or the ensuing punishment. Moreover, this stance serves as a testament to them about Jesus and His nature.

I conclude with 2 Corinthians 5:17(AMP) Therefore if anyone is in Christ , he is a new creature ; the old things have passed away. Behold, new things have come .