Everyday Life in Revelation Part 9: Delivered JusticeSample

Revelation 18:4–8 takes the announcement of Rome’s coming fall as a warning to believers. In language reminiscent of texts such as Isaiah 48:20 and Jeremiah 50:8, believers are exhorted to flee Rome lest they share in her destruction. Recall that earlier in Revelation, congregations such as those at Thyatira and Laodicea were condemned for the willingness of many of their members to profit by engaging in the pagan rituals associated with trading guilds. The coming fall of Rome would be a disaster for anyone dependent on Rome, and they would be destroyed as well.

The call to separate ourselves from evil that we read in Revelation 18:4–5 reminds us of our responsibility not to be conformed to this world. While we must live in this world, we must take care not to adopt the sinful values and evil practices of this world. This requires continual vigilance, for often we adopt the world’s way of thinking without ever noticing it occurring.