All Things New: A Study in RevelationSample

What does it say?

John saw an angel announcing that God would destroy Babylon for its many sins.

What does it mean?

The city of Babylon, described by John, represents the world’s most influential political and commercial system. God will bring destruction to this city for several reasons. It is filled with demonic activity, immorality, materialism, pride, deception, and slavery. God will command His people to evacuate before He destroys the city. Believers will be spared and rejoice with gratitude and praise. The unsaved, however, will despair when they lose all their material belongings.

How should I respond?

Materialism is one of the biggest hindrances to having an eternal perspective and a true sense of your identity. While material success is not innately harmful, it can feed pride and cause insecurity if you look to it for fulfillment and self-worth. God created you in His image, giving you dignity and worth – nothing is more valuable than that. When your focus is on what the world offers, you miss God’s plans for you. God wants to develop Christ’s character in you and give you fulfilling work. If you look at the world from God’s perspective, material things hold less value and significance. What do you look to for a sense of identity? Will your perspective be temporal or eternal today?