“And I heard another voice from heaven saying, ‘Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues'” (Revelation 18:4).
We can often identify a self-oriented worldview with a look at the way it frames the issues and circumstances of life. For instance, a mindset that prioritizes self-interest might ask some, or all, of the following questions exclusively when confronting life’s challenges…
- “What’s best for me?”
- “What do I want?”
- “How will this impact me?”
In contrast, a God-honoring mindset first asks a different set of questions. Those questions might include some, or all, of the following:
- “What Biblical teaching or principle can I apply to this situation?”
- “How would God have me respond?”
- “How does this reflect on my relationship with Christ?”
These latter questions (and others like them) can help us maintain the right attitude and avoid the negative repercussions that flow from the godless philosophies we find here in Revelation chapter eighteen.
“For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. Render to her just as she rendered to you, and repay her double according to her works; in the cup which she has mixed, mix double for her. In the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, ‘I sit as queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow.’
Therefore her plagues will come in one day–death and mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her” (Revelation 18:5-8).
This reference to a “double repayment” draws our attention to the Old Testament legal mandate for the restitution of stolen property. According to that statute, a convicted thief had to repay twice the value of the property he or she had stolen (see Exodus 22:9). Since a corrupt economic system is unlikely to prioritize righteousness and justice, it may explain why there will be a double repayment “…according to her works.”
We should also consider the mindset that characterized these purchases. The best illustration of that thought process appears in verse seven, where we read, “As she glorified herself and lived in luxury, so give her a like measure of torment and mourning…” (ESV). Here in Revelation 18:7, this reference to glorification encompasses a range of ideas, including the acts of praise, magnification, and honor with respect to oneself. (1) If we were to express those qualities with a one-word definition, we might so so with the word “pride.”
(1) G1392 – doxazo – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (kjv). (n.d.). Blue Letter Bible. https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g1392/kjv/tr/0-1/