Babylon

Date: July 27, 2025

Title: Coming out of Babylon

Passage: Revelation 18:1-5

Why, in a series on practical aspects of the Christian life, are we looking at a passage in the most symbolic and most difficult to understand books of the Bible?

It’s immensely practical!

Not just a book to satisfy our curiousity about the future.

It’s a book to tell us what we’re up against so that we might be well prepared and equipped to fight the spiritual battle we’re all called to fight.

The chief enemy is Satan, pictured as a Dragon, attacking the church in many ways. Many agents of Satan that serve His purposes and seek to carry out his will: beast from the sea, beast from the land (false prophet), but then there is this mysterious woman, called the great prostitute. She’s also identified as Babylon.

Almost three chapters are devoted to this same theme.

Rev 17-19:6 is all about this thing called, Babylon.

Rev 17: The character and history of Babylon.

Rev 18: The irreperable ruin of Babylon.

Rev 19: The rejoicing over the destruction of Babylon.

Many details about Babylon—this godless woman we won’t get into today… but that’s not to say we’re not going to pay attention to any of her features, otherwise we’re not really going to grasp what we’re up against.

What I mainly want to focus on is the responsibility we have to flee Babylon’s alluring invitations.

Revelation 18:1–5 “After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was made bright with his glory. And he called out with a mighty voice, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast. For all nations have drunk the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxurious living.” 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.”

INTRODUCTION

The call to come out of something is a frequent call in scripture.

Babylon is a fallen city.

When John speaks of Babylon, he is speaking about spiritual adultery in bright colors.

This woman (prostitute) is not an oppressed woman, unlike the woman in Rev 12 (bride).

You can have union with one of these two women (Rev 18-19).

Highly symbolic, graphic imagery to show you the scene behind the scenes.

Great city = city of man

Holy city = city of God

“Prostitute” / pórnē = Pornography.

Babylon is attractive (17:4).

Has a waredrobe of clothes.

1 - Babylon was great! Rev 18:1

2 -

3 -