Come Out of Babylon!
Dan Krall – "Dirty City"
I HEAR once again words which are becoming louder and stronger:
Come out of Babylon!
Babylon is symbolic of a culture of sin and indulgence. Christ is calling us OUT of the world—out of the decadence, materialism, and sensuality which has plugged its gutters, and is overflowing into the hearts and homes of His people.
Then I heard another voice from heaven say: "Depart from her, my people, so as not to take part in her sins and receive a share in her plagues, for her sins are piled up to the sky… (Revelations 18:4-5)
Christ is calling us to concrete steps today! It is time to be radical-–not fanatical—radical. And the sense is urgent. As I have already written, there is a coming purification of "Babylon".
Come out of her streets! Come out of her dwellings lest they collapse upon you!
We would do well to turn off the noise around us for a moment, and enter swiftly into the meaning of this warning. Once again, Jesus holds a scale before us, and says "Weigh carefully…"
If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed than with two hands to go into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire. (Mark 9:43)
It is time to quickly withdraw our hands from the excesses of this generation, the indulgence in alcohol, food, tobacco etc. and above all, material consumerism. This is not a condemnation, but an invitation—an invitation to freedom!
And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life crippled than with two feet to be thrown into Gehenna. (v. 45)
It is time to walk, or even run from those associations, parties, and socializations which lead us into evil. Jesus sometimes dined or visited the places of notorious sinners—but did not sin. Most of us are not that strong, and so must do our best to "avoid the near occasion of sin" (words from the Act of Contrition). Besides, He wasn’t there to indulge, but to lead those captive to the flesh into freedom.
Happy indeed is the man who follows not the counsel of the wicked; nor lingers in the way of sinners,nor sits in the company of scorners.(Psalm 1)
And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. Better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into Gehenna
.(v. 47)
The inundation of most modern images today pollutes the soul, distracts the mind, and hardens the heart. Like scentless and deadly carbon monoxide, the spirit of the world is seeping into our homes through television, the internet, and gossip magazines, slowly killing our souls and the souls of our families. Indeed, such media can be used for good. But if television is causing you to sin — cut the cable! If your computer is opening you to the portals of hell — get rid of it! Or put it in a place where you cannot sift through sin. Or delete the tempting software. Better to have little or no access to a browser, than to lose your soul. Better to go over to your friend’s house to watch the football game, than to dwell for eternity separated from God.
Come out! Quickly, come out!
But beware of the lies of the devil. His deception is simple, and has been working well for millennia. He whispers to us consciously or subconsciously: It is too big a sacrifice! You are going to miss out! God is unfair, rigid, and narrow-minded. And you will become just like him…
The woman answered the serpent: "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; it is only about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden that God said, ‘You shall not eat it or even touch it, lest you die.’"
But the serpent said to the woman: "You certainly will not die!" (Genesis 3:3-4)
Is that true? What are the fruits of pornography, drunkenness, unrestrained passion, and material indulgence? Do we not die a little inside each time we "eat of this fruit"? Indeed, it looks good on the outside, but it is rotten through and through.
God, instead, offers the tree of life, the supernatural life of Jesus Christ to dwell within us through faith and repentance. He offers freedom, peace, and true happiness. There is no cost, for we have nothing to give. We need merely let go and allow him to heal us and nourish us unto eternal life..
"Therefore, come forth from them and be separate," says the Lord, "and touch nothing unclean; then I will receive you and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty." (2 Corinthians 6:17-18)
