He Reigns
Bible reading
11 ‘The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no-one buys their cargoes anymore – 12 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; 13 cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and human beings sold as slaves.
– Revelation 18:11-13 (NIVUK)
Devotional
In general, I think cities are great places and I love living in the city! But I must admit, after spending some time in these chapters in Revelation I’ve had to re-think my attraction to the city. Cities aren’t “bad” in and of themselves. In fact, we are destined to live in a city, the New Jerusalem. But there are specific dangers in the city and we need to open our spiritual eyes, look around and understand the spirit of the city.
John is discovering how bad the city really is and in chapter 18 the full picture comes into view as Babylon is falling apart. Remember that Babylon is a symbol of all cities and cultures that leave God out. Babylon’s identity is made up of the things that she can produce, that she can sell, and that she can consume. She wants her money and her riches, and she doesn’t care how she gets it!
There are two great marks of Babylonian culture seen in this chapter. First there is greed and with it, injustice. Verse 13 tells us that in Babylon, people are still being sold as slaves. Babylon is built with slave labour! And then notice the value system of Babylon… listen to how the people mourn (v. 12-13). They go from mourning what they value the most to what they value the least. The list begins with gold and ends with people! Babylon values goods more than people; a total reversal from God’s priorities.
The second mark of Babylonian culture is consumerism. Babylon makes no distinctions between necessity and desire. Babylon worships products and decisions are made on how much and how fast “stuff” can be produced.
So, how do we live in Babylon but not embrace its culture? We will only overcome Babylon if we live in a close relationship with Jesus and heed His warnings – Don’t forget your first love; don’t be apathetic; don’t compromise; don’t be wrongly tolerant; don’t try to be self-sufficient and don’t replace Jesus with things (the luxuries of Babylon). Come close to Jesus and He will come close to you!
– Connie Main Duarte
This devotional is part of a series that helps us navigate the texts of the book of Revelation with fresh eyes. A new devotional every Saturday.
These devotionals are available in Portuguese and in English.