Morning Y'all! I pray this post encourages you and gives God glory! Got suggested topics you want me to write about? Please comment below or email me at info@mocatoday.com.
Babylon... There are many similarities and common attributes between the ancient city of Babylon referenced more than 100 times throughout the Old and New Testaments in the Bible and today's United States of America (also called America in this post).
Like ancient Babylon, we live in a nation today that ultimately rejects and rebels against the teachings and principles of the One True God.
Because of the awful destruction caused by the Babylonians, Babylon became a symbol for the stereotypical enemies of God and His people. (Sodom and Egypt are also used in this way.) Babylon figures prominently in the book of Revelation as the ultimate enemy of God and persecutor of His people... The difference is that ancient Babylon destroyed Jerusalem as God’s judgment for her unfaithfulness. In the last days, "Babylon" persecutes believers who are being faithful, and it is Babylon who will be judged. ~Babylon in the Bible, gotquestions.org
Like ancient Babylon, many of our American cities are filled with great wealth, the latest technology, impressive tools and resources all at our fingertips... Yet at the same time, massive devotion to idols (of various kinds), false gods worship, sexual immorality, greed, pride, murders, covetousness, disregard for the poor and needy, and other detestable things are also widespread and hugely popular.
I was listening to a sermon the other day and Pastor Tony Evans mentioned true followers of Jesus Christ no longer have "home team advantage" in America. Instead, we're the "visiting team" (or simply visitors) now. It's sad, but true Jesus followers are indeed the minority influence in this country as rebellion against God is rampant and the majority influence today.
This reminds me of the time when many Jews were carried off into Babylon as exiles due to God's judgment on them for their unfaithfulness and sin (2 Kings 17-25, 2 Chronicles 32-36). During their exile season (70 years to be exact), the Jews were forced to live in a foreign land (Babylon) and King Nebuchadnezzar desired the Jews to turn their backs on their God and worship his pagan gods, conform, and assimilate into the wicked Babylonian culture.
Thankfully, God brought Jeremiah (a prophet) to advise the Jews on what God desired them to do while exiled in Babylon. Considering we face a similar reality because our unfaithfulness and sin as God's people, we can learn several things from Jeremiah's letter to the exiles:
So says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the captives whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, "Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there and do not decrease [in number]. Seek peace and well-being for the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf; for in its peace (well-being) you will have peace." For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, "Do not let your [false] prophets who are among you and your diviners deceive you; pay no attention and attach no significance to the dreams which they dream or to yours, for they prophesy falsely to you in My Name. I have not sent them," says the Lord. Jeremiah 29:4-9 (AMP)
Four things we're called to do while living in a "Babylon-like" country:
1. Build homes and dwell in them. Plant gardens and eat their fruit. (Jeremiah 29:5) While we wait for Christ's Second Coming, we are called to build homes dedicated to the Lord and live in them. Notice, the Bible didn't say to simply build a house (a structure where a person lives). Instead, the Bible says to build or make a home (often regarded as a place of peace and comfort, place of refuge, an intimate place where a person feels belonging).
And of course, in order to build or make anything, you need income and resources. Therefore, we're called to be productive (produce things), do all things as if serving the Lord (Colossians 3:23), work to make a living, and represent Jesus Christ in how we think, act, and feel wherever we go (2 Corinthians 5:20).
We're also called to plant things in Babylon, as the Holy Spirit leads, and enjoy the fruit of what we've planted.
This building and planting are to be done as an expression of the faith that the Lord will redeem them when the time is right. Even though they are in a foreign land, they can dedicate their houses to the Lord (Deuteronomy 20:5) and the first fruits of their crops (Deuteronomy 26:2) (Pilkington, 433). ~Biblical Commentary, sermonwriter.com
2. Marry and multiply. (Jeremiah 29:6) Even in "Babylon-like" America, we are still called to love our neighbors, love our brothers and sisters, marry and multiply.
"Be fruitful, multiply" has been a recurring admonition from the beginning (Genesis 1:28, 8:17, 9:1, 7, 35:11; Leviticus 26:9). The Lord’s concern here is that the people of Judah grow in numbers and strength in this exile even as they did in their sojourn in Egypt. They are not to wither and disappear as did the people of the Northern Kingdom during their exile a century and a half earlier. ~Biblical Commentary, sermonwriter.com
3. Seek the welfare [or peace] of our cities and pray for them. (Jeremiah 29:7) We are called to seek peace within our cities. In other words, we should be known as the "peacemakers" within our cities. And, we should be praying that eyes are opened; cities and their inhabitants turn away from darkness and turn back to God.
In the New Testament, Jesus says, "love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you" (Matthew 5:44) and "Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing." (Luke 23:34).
Now he [Jeremiah] embarks on his most controversial advice— encouraging Judeans to pray for the shalom (peace and prosperity) of their captors and to recognize that their own shalom is dependent on the shalom of the Babylonian people. But Jeremiah’s counsel does not constitute "a directive to assimilate into the dominant culture and to embrace its maxims, values, and patterns of behavior". They are to continue following Yahweh [God] and to observe His laws faithfully even as they pray for those who do not. ~Biblical Commentary, sermonwriter.com
Prayer and good works of all sorts are ways to seek the peace [shalom] of the city. Yet, proclaiming the good news of God’s rescue in Jesus the Messiah is also part of seeking the peace of the city. ~David Guzik, enduringword.com
God calls the church to be a counter-culture. Figuratively speaking, we build, plant, marry, and pray. We develop a Christian community whose home is the exile. We live here. But within the "Babylonianism" of North America, we are to help the other peoples of this culture recognize how they can be blessed. We are to live as a light to the Gentiles. ~Ronald J. Allen, preaching.com
4. Do not be deceived and led astray by false prophets. (Jeremiah 29:8-9) In these last days, false prophets are everywhere! Therefore, we must always be cautious and test the spirits to confirm they are indeed from God.
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world. ~1 John 4:1-3 (NKJV)
Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. ~Matthew 7:15 (ESV)
For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. ~Matthew 24:24 (ESV)
In summary, although we may live in a "Babylon-like" America, we are called not to be of it. We are called to be light in the darkness (Matthew 5) and vessels that God can use as He desires that not any should perish (2 Peter 3:9).
Therefore, let us keep building and planting, multiply, be peacemakers and good citizens in our cities, pray for the lost, and watch out for false prophets!
Please share your thoughts below. Remember, it's about progression not perfection!
God loves you! With Him, you got this!
Until next post, may God give you His peace and blessings!
~Natasha
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