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Revelation 18:4-8
In Revelation 18:4, the Apostle John hears yet another voice coming from heaven crying out to humanity to flee from the woman who is representative of the sinful nature. Her sins have mounted up to heaven and are not going unnoticed. Revelation 18:5 (NKJV) declares, “5For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.” This could also be a reference to the tower of Babel as we read about in Genesis 11:1-9.
In Revelation 18:6-8 describes the punishment for the woman/sinful nature of this world as being double for her role in leading others astray from God. The Bible teaches us in James 3:1, “My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.” And in Matthew 18:6 Jesus declares, “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.”
This is a call from heaven for all to repent and leave the sinful nature to escape the wrath of God.
The Apostle Paul spent three days in solitude, blind and alone, but with God’s Holy Spirit teaching him of how wrong his past life of persecuting Christians was and of what he was to become for Christ in leading the Gentiles, and Jews to salvation in Jesus. It was during this time in which I believe God gave him insight, wisdom, knowledge, and understanding for God’s great plan of salvation. I believe it was during this time in which Paul learned the words he spoke in Romans 3:19-26 proclaiming, “Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
“But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, who God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”
Dear LORD,
You chose the Apostle Paul to be an example to the world of how You can change the life of anyone and everyone from participating in the pit of sin to becoming one of the leaders of the early Church. You revealed Yourself to Paul and You can reveal Yourself to us; please do so LORD so that we may turn from the sinful ways of this world and answer the call that rings out from heaven to come out of the sinful nature in escaping Your wrath and becoming a new, born-again child of God. In Jesus name I pray, amen.