Daily Devotional For November 3, 2025
The light of a lamp will not shine in you anymore, the voice of a bridegroom and a bride will not be heard in you anymore, because your merchants were the great men of the earth, because with your sorcery all nations were deceived. In her was found the blood of prophets and saints and of all who were slaughtered upon the earth. Rev 18:23-24.
The injustices of Babylon are many (Rev 18:1-7) and her doom, therefore, is sure. But there is an even greater tragedy in all of this. Those who identify with Babylon in any way are destroyed with her (Rev 18:4). Many, like the kings, merchants and seamen of this chapter, are not committed to Babylon’s agenda in their hearts. They co-operate with Babylon because they hope to better their own short lives on this earth (Rev 18:9-19).
The choice is foolish but understandable. We simply want what is best for ourselves and our families. Yet the consequences of even casual participation in “Babylon” are catastrophic. How does God expect us to respond to the injustices of today’s Babylons? Is it enough to live quiet and simple lives? Or do we need to “come out of Babylon” in more significant ways?
At its height, the West Indies slave trade employed 5500 sailors and 160 ships. It was a massive and socially accepted practice. But William Wilberforce and his allies, acting out of Christian conviction, fought in Parliament until slavery was abolished throughout the British Empire. In America, the voices of abolitionists, including some early Seventh-day Adventists, gave legitimacy to efforts to free the slaves in the South.
While our ability to change our nation’s behavior is often limited, that is not true of our ability to change our own behavior. The disciples of Jesus are told not to value possessions, instead we should be ever ready to give them up (Luke 14:33). James tells us that failure to care for fellow Christians in need may indicate a lack of saving faith (Jam 2:14-17). Paul’s central mission was preaching the gospel, but he did not forget the needs of the poor (2 Cor 8:13-15; Gal 2:10).
Sometimes our hearts are hard until we have first-hand exposure to human need. Tony Liston, a young pastor from Oklahoma, spent two days in a private hospital room in the Philippines at a cost of $47. As he entered the hospital, he barely noticed a beggar woman near the outside entrance. When he was released two days later, he saw her naked corpse stuffed into a nearby dumpster. She had died of the same affliction for which he had just been treated. “She had no money,” the nurse replied in a matter-of-fact tone. Tony was so shaken that he has never been the same since.1
Lord, help me prioritize my resources according to what matters most to Your heart.
1 Based in part on Keener, 440-447.