By Pastor Greg...
A few years ago my daughter and I were
traveling home from Enola – a small residential section west of
Harrisburg. We went there to pick up a dining room table she had purchased. And once we had it loaded into her van, we
headed back toward home, deciding to take interstate 83 instead of the back
roads. What I didn’t know was that recent
construction had altered the entrance ramps onto the highway and, to make
matters worse, the new signs giving drivers clear directions had not yet been
installed. So, I turned left onto a ramp
thinking it would take us south, but once I saw the how the road continued to
sweep to the left, I realized it was an off-ramp. I stopped where I was and immediately started
to turn around. A few drivers
“graciously” helped me realize I was
headed in the wrong direction. And I
kindly thanked them for their gestures.
It was nice to discover such friendly people who readily pointed out my
error; they showed me that I was on the wrong path.
If only Christians today would be as
helpful.
Jesus has described
a person’s life as a journey; we pilgrims travel along one of two separate
paths. And He says we must choose which
pathway to follow. 13 “Enter through the
narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to
destruction, and there are many who enter
through it. 14 For the gate is small and the way is narrow that
leads to life, and there are few who find
it”[1]
(Matthew 7:13-14). This “broad path” is
the way of the world. It is the pathway
that follows our basic human instincts.
It entices us with pleasures and promises personal happiness; it is the
“way” that permits us to do as we wish and succumb to greed. It is the pathway of selfishness. And, as announced by an angel, it is the
pathway of “Babylon.”
(Revelation
14:1-13) Then I
saw the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him were 144,000 who had his name
and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. 2 And I heard
a sound from heaven like the roar of mighty ocean waves or the rolling of loud
thunder. It was like the sound of many harpists playing together.
3 This great choir sang a wonderful new song in front of the throne of
God and before the four living beings and the twenty-four elders. No one could
learn this song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. 4 They
have kept themselves as pure as virgins, following the Lamb wherever he goes.
They have been purchased from among the people on the earth as a special
offering to God and to the Lamb. 5 They have told no lies; they
are without blame.
6 And I saw another angel flying through the sky, carrying the eternal
Good News to proclaim to the people who belong to this world—to every nation,
tribe, language, and people. 7 “Fear God,” he shouted. “Give
glory to him. For the time has come when he will sit as judge. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and
all the springs of water.”
8 Then another angel followed him through the sky, shouting, “Babylon
is fallen—that great city is fallen—because she made all the nations of the
world drink the wine of her passionate immorality.”
9 Then a third angel followed them, shouting, “Anyone who worships the
beast and his statue or who accepts his mark on the forehead or on the hand 10 must
drink the wine of God’s anger. It has been poured full strength into God’s cup
of wrath. And they will be tormented with fire and burning sulfur in the
presence of the holy angels and the Lamb. 11 The smoke of their
torment will rise forever and ever, and they will have no relief day or night,
for they have worshiped the beast and his statue and have accepted the mark of
his name.”
12 This means that God’s holy people must endure persecution patiently,
obeying his commands and maintaining their faith in Jesus.
13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this down: Blessed
are those who die in the Lord from now on. Yes, says the Spirit, they are
blessed indeed, for they will rest from their hard work; for their good deeds
follow them!” [2]
Our world today seems
to think there are no consequences for our actions… at least no eternal consequences. Sociologists have decreed that we determine our own personal standards
of right and wrong. Governments have passed
laws granting people the freedom to decide which lifestyle makes them happy, while
it appears God sits by and does nothing.
However, as announced by these three angels, a day of reckoning is
coming; God will finally judge the people of this world based upon the choices
they have made. In this section of
Revelation, we find that those who choose to worship the beast will drink of
God’s wrath. Those who follow the easy
way – the broad way – will find
themselves being tormented with fire and brimstone in the life to come. And there will be no rest for their misery.
You simply cannot live any way you want and expect a happy ending; anyone who claims we can is a liar.
This “broad path”
is the way of Babylon. Of course, the
second angel is not speaking of a
specific city but of a way of living. It
is a lifestyle filled with sinful
passions; it is a mindset and a way of living that is contrary to the way of
God. The Apostle Paul warned that these
days would come. In his second letter to Timothy, Paul writes, “3 For the time will
come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears
tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their
own desires, 4 and will turn away their ears from the truth and will
turn aside to myths”[3]
(2 Timothy 4:3-4). And as we draw
closer and closer to this tribulation period, the world will look more and more
like that ancient empire of Babylon.
People will turn away from truth and instead will turn aside to whatever feels right in their own
heart.
When faced with a
choice, many will choose the broad path.
Rather than restraining their
passions, those who choose the easy way
will give in to their basic human urges.
And when the Antichrist is in power, these seductions of the flesh will
lure them to receive the Mark of the Beast.
In his Great Deception, Satan deceives people into thinking that there
are no consequences for their actions. Oh,
they may live a life of ease for a while, but one day they will suffer for the
choices they made in this life. It is
not a very pleasant image. In contrast,
those who choose the narrow way restrain their urges. They “put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking [inside them].”
Those who walk the narrow path “Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust,
and evil desires.” They are
not greedy; they do not “worship the things of this world”[4]
(Colossians 3:5). These are the ones who
will face many hardships in this life
but find great rewards in the life to come.
What we learn in this section is that there is only one way that leads
to life, and that is the “way of the cross.”
This revelation
becomes a wakeup call for the person traveling along the path that leads to
destruction. Unfortunately, as the Lord has
reminded us, few people headed for destruction will find the road to the Cross on their own (Matthew 7:14).
… which is why those headed for destruction need faithful believers to
call out their name – to get their attention – and point them to the narrow
way.
And so, this
Revelation is also a wakeup call for the Church. It seems God pulls the Church aside and says,
“Here is what awaits those who have been seduced by ‘Babylon’” (verse 8). The Lord’s words seem to call the Church to
action. Seeing that many are being
deceived and seduced, the Church today should be stirred to even greater action than the Church of
yesterday. It doesn’t take a theologian
to realize our time is short. The
influence of “Babylon” is growing stronger every day. Christians need to call the people of this
world to repentance; to show them that only the narrow way leads to life. The
Church today should be driven to rescue as many as it can from the broad road that leads to destruction.
Christians have chosen
the narrow gate; the road less traveled.
And since the Lord has shown us here where the other road is headed, this disturbing revelation
should awaken us to the perils that await the traveler on the other path.
The real question here is whether we will call them to the narrow way or
sit idly by and watch them head to destruction.
Do not allow your
journey down the narrow path to be filled with regrets and sorrows; not sorrows
for the things you have done, for the Lord is able and willing to forgive the
sins which we commit. Rather, let there
be no remorse or sadness for the things we failed
to do or say along the way. Call out to
a lost person wandering along the wrong path; help them find the road that leads home.
[1] New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). (Mt 7:13–14). La
Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[2] Tyndale House Publishers.
(2013). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Re 14:1–13). Carol Stream,
IL.
[3] New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). (2 Ti 4:3–4). La
Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[4] Tyndale House Publishers.
(2007). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (3rd ed., Col 3:5). Carol
Stream, IL.
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