"Fallen, fallen, is Babylon the great...And the kings of the earth, who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her, will weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning. They will stand far off, in fear of her torment, and say, 'Alas! Alas! You great city, you mighty city, Babylon! For in a single hour your judgment has come.'And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her, since no one buys their cargo anymore" (Revelation 18:1,9-11). From Genesis 3 to Revelation 20 there is a conflict between the kingdom of God and Satan. This conflict is often pictured by two different cities: the City of God (Jerusalem) and the City of Man (Babylon). The City of Man manifested itself in Cain's building his city in rebellion against God, in the post-dilvuian building of Babel with its humanistic religion, in the corruption of Sodom and Gomorrah, in the luxurious decadence of Tyre, in the wickedness of Babylon, in the violence of Rome. I have a habit of getting songs stuck in my head, and recently it's been the catchy 1980s tune "We built this city on rock and roll" - it's made me reflect on the fact the City of Man is built on idolatry, immorality, injustice, inhumanity. Against this city God speaks His "NO".
In echoes of the OT prophets oracles of judgement against Babylon and other pagan cities, John describes God's judgement against the final manifestation of the City of Man, the capital city of the Antichrist's empire. God is purging the world of the City of Man in order to prepare the world for its transformation when the City of God, descends - a city built on the true worship of King Jesus, purity and holiness, justice and justification, peace and human flourishing.
Through the centuries theologians have noted that we are citizens of the City of God today, you and I have a title deed saying we've a home there - although we're not yet its inhabitants. We are also citizens and inhabitants of the City of Man. The challenge and call for each of us is to live in the City of Man as distinct citizens of the City of God, seeking to live out and work out the will of God in the midst of a world in a mess. We are a city set on a hill shining as lights in the darkness, we are salt and light to hold back the decay. We can make a difference here now as we serve those around us, show people the things God values, and share with them the good news of how they can be saved from the judgement that is to come.
Praise God Today: "City on a Hill"
Pray Today:
- For the Discovery bible study this morning for men and women in the city centre community to learn more about Christ and grow as disicples.
- For the Festival outreach preparations for Chat65 and Puppet Shows, as we seek to use our position in the city to creatively share with the visiting world the gospel.
- For your home group Missionaries as they labour for Christ around the world today.
