Making it big in Babylon

There is a big question among Christians what God wants us to achieve in this world.

This world is called “Babylon” in symbolic language of the New Testament. Babylon stand juxtaposed to the Kingdom of God.

Babylon

The bible has nothing good to say about Babylon. This is scary, because we were born in Babylon and don’t really understand the “Kingdom of God” to begin with.

In the Book of Revelation the world in rebellion against God is called “Babylon.”

The Hebrew prophets often prophesied the fall of Babylon, the capital of an empire that destroyed God’s city, Jerusalem, and carried His people away as captives. So in Revelation, Babylon is a word-picture for a society that persecuted God’s people but that God will eventually destroy.

When the Book of Revelation was written, Babylon may have been a kind of code name for pre-Christian Rome, which was built on seven hills (Rev. 17:9) and which was already persecuting the church. Since that time, generations of Christians have been able to identify their own Babylons and have found reassurance in Revelation’s message.

For us Babylon is Hollywood and Wall Street and all that entails.

The Kingdom of God

God’s rule of grace in the world, a future period foretold by the prophets of the Old Testament and identified by Jesus as beginning with His public ministry. The kingdom of God is the experience of blessedness, like that of the Garden of Eden, where evil is fully overcome and where those who live in the kingdom know only happiness, peace, and joy. This was the main expectation of the Old Testament prophets about the future.

John the Baptist astonished his hearers when he announced that this expected and hoped-for kingdom was “at hand” in the person of Jesus (Matt. 3:2). Jesus repeated this message (Matt. 4:17; Mark 1:15), but He went even further by announcing clearly that the kingdom was already present in His ministry: “If I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you” (Matt. 12:28). Jesus was the full embodiment of the kingdom.

The entire ministry of Jesus is understood in relation to this important declaration of the presence of the kingdom. His ethical teachings, for example, cannot be understood apart from the announcement of the kingdom. They are ethics of the kingdom; the perfection to which they point makes no sense apart from the present experience of the kingdom. Participation in the new reality of the kingdom involves a follower of Jesus in a call to the highest righteousness (Matt. 5:20).

Success in Babylon and in the Kingdom of God?

Is it possible to be successful in both kingdoms?

This is a million dollar question !

Jesus and the rich

23. Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.24. “And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”25. When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?”26. But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”27. Then Peter answered and said to Him, “See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?”28. So Jesus said to them, “Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.29. “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.

Matthew 19:23-29

The short is “yes” ... sort off, but be careful.

Do not love the world

15. Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.16. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.17. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

1 John 2:15-17

Tithing opens our hearts to Babylon

As much as Christians may think that tithing shows we love God more than Babylon, it actually shows the opposite. Because money is so important us we think it is important to God, and if we give 10% to God that really is very big of us, right?

Secondly the pastor obviously wants the money, so that confirms how important it is, right?!

Well, actually money collection is not important to New Testament church.

Neither Jesus nor Paul or any Apostle preached tithing or any other systematic collection. The only mention of money collection in the New Testament for the poor and that was mostly not systematized.

Tithing is a big problem

Does God promote Christians in Babylon?

Yes he does, but scripture also shows that often God’s people get seduced in Babylon and end up liking it too much. Babylon caters for the flesh and for the old Adam. The New man, which we are in Christ simply dies slowly when we love Babylon (the world)

The Promised Land vs Egypt, Babylon and Germany

The Old Testament abounds with tales of Gods people being outside the Promised Land, which is symbolic of the Kingdom of God. The Jews are often taken out of the Promised Land by tough circumstances, like Jacobs son’s fleeing to Egypt because of famine, or the Jews being taken captive to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar. After a while they flourish there however, because of God’s blessing and prosperity, and then get comfortable and ultimately seduced by success.

Getting the Jews out of Egypt, Babylon or even Germany, back to the Promised Land then takes persecution and great trial.

The short of it is than God does bless and prosper us in the foreign land we find ourselves in and very easily God’s people then get comfortable and don’t want to get back into Gods eternal and profoundly “spiritual” purpose. We mus keep longing for our eternal home however as well as the deliverance of creation form Babylon.

This so clear in the parable of the sower too, where the cares of this worlds drown the gospel of the Kingdom out of the thorny hearts.

Beware the prosperity beloved and don’t love Babylon.

Deceitfulness of Riches

22. “Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.

Matthew 13:22

Creation yearns

18. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.19. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.20. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope;21. because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.22. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.23. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.

Romans 8:18-23

14. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland.15. And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return.16. But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.

Hebrews 11:14-16

Come out of Babylon

1. After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory.2. And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird!3. “For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury.”4. 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.5. “For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.6. “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.7. “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.’8. “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 18:1-8

More passages for context.

1. Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you!2. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten.3. Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days.4. Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.5. You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter.6. You have condemned, you have murdered the just; he does not resist you.

James 5:1-6