Revelation 18 - "Come out of her, my people..."

Read Revelation 18.

This last week I had the privilege of teaching both the youth and the adults on Wednesday Night. We took a look at God’s “Redemptive History”. That is a phrase I heard a lot growing up, but never really understood what it meant. I think that a good definition is “the history of God redeeming a people, for Himself, by calling them out of unrighteousness and making them righteous”. The result is a redemptive pattern…which we looked at by comparing the Exodus plagues with the Revelation imagery of God’s 7 Bowls of Wrath being poured out. There are SO MANY amazing parallels, by which God seems to communicate to His people, “I am drawing you out.” “Come out of her, my people”.
In my preparation for this lesson I ran across something that I am almost embarrassed to admit I have always overlooked. Moses’ name in the Hebrew means “draw out”!!! How in the world, in all of my studies, in all of my teaching, did I not pay attention to how huge that was?! As I considered this I began to see this redemptive pattern in Moses’ life that is indicative of the same pattern seen in the lives of all of God’s children.
Moses was…by the hand of God…
- Born to a Levite woman under Egyptian oppression and ordered to be killed. GOD DREW HIM OUT.
- And as a baby he was placed into a basket and put into a river. GOD DREW HIM OUT.
- At which point he was given the name Moses’. Which means DRAW OUT.
- Moses was placed into the Egyptian family! GOD DREW HIM OUT.
- And as God dealt with Israel and Moses, He remembered His covenant with Abraham. Abraham and his wife Sarah were older than dirt, unable to “father many nations”. And as they were laughing about the idea of it GOD DREW THEM OUT and blessed them with a child, Isaac.
- Who was later ordered to be sacrificed (that is killed) but, you guessed it. GOD DREW HIM OUT.
But getting back to Moses…
- After being drawn out of the Egyptian family, Moses was appointed by God, from a bush that wouldn’t burn, to take the lead as GOD DREW ISRAEL OUT OF THE OPPRESSION FROM EGYPT.
- So then came the horrible plagues, at which time the Israelites are DRAWN OUT BY GOD TO THE LAND OF GOSHEN.
- And not only the Israelite people, but even their livestock are DRAWN OUT BY GOD FROM AMONG THE LIVESTOCK OF EGYPT.
- And at the final plague of the Passover, when the angel of death will wipe out each of the first born, the sacrificed blood of the lamb covers the first born of Israel whom GOD DRAWS OUT.
- At which point, Pharaoh has had enough and says, “Fine, Israel. Go serve your God! Get out of here!” So God lead them through the wilderness and into the Red Sea…
Now, at this point I can’t help but wonder if Moses thought, “Huh, this feels oddly familiar. I sure hope God draws me out of this water…”
- So the water parts, and as the Egyptians are swallowed up and killed, GOD DRAWS ISRAEL OUT OF THE WATER!
We could keep going, and going, and going… Instead let’s skip toward the end, back to Revelation 18:4, at which point we have Babylon, engulfed in wickedness, unbelief, and idolatry and God DRAWS OUT HIS PEOPLE! “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues…”
This command has been said in many other ways throughout the Scriptures. “Set your mind on the things above”. “Come out of her my people.” “Do not be conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.” “Come out of her my people.” “Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy.” “Come out of her my people.” “Put no other gods before me.” “Come out of her my people.” There is a foundation that under girds these commands. That foundation is seen in God’s words to John in Revelation, to Moses in Exodus, and to all of His children throughout redemptive history. “I AM GOD. YOU ARE MY PEOPLE. WORSHIP ME AND SERVE ME.”