BIG IDEA: Babylon is diseased and dying from the inside out!
“What can be deduced about Babylon?”
- It’s bigger than one nation, ruler, or moment in history.
- It’s inspired by spiritual evil (cf. Genesis 3; Ephesians 2:2; 6:10-20).
- It’s a transhistorical symbol for humanity organized apart from God.
- It’s a system/culture of idolatry, exploitation, violence, arrogance, and seduction.
This text describes how Satanically inspired human systems function, struggle, and always collapse. We’ll see how Babylon:
- May appear ultimate or godlike
- Never outlasts the King of Kings
- Always self-destructs
Hopefully, you’re seeing there’s more to Revelation than “discerning literary perspectives.” It offers readers wisdom to identify the spirit of Babylon in our world so we can resist it and participate in God’s renewal project. To that end, we’re closing each Revelation 17-18 lesson with eye-opening questions to help us discern ways Christians are unwittingly captivated by Babylon’s allure. God wants us to consider the systems that wound us versus the Savior who heals us. So, contemplate these questions:
- “How does an autopsy of your past reveal wounds from broken human systems? Did those come from participating in the cruelty, being crushed by it, or both?"
- “How would you describe the toll those seasons took on you physically, emotionally, spiritually, or otherwise?"
- “During that suffering, how did the Lamb meet you in your pain, perform a restorative work, and call you to partner in bringing similar healing to others?"
Our sin nature makes Babylon seem attractive, but this autopsy reveals that it’s deadly to climb into bed with her.
