Based on Revelation 18:1-20 (New King James Version)
“After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory. 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! 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.’ 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. For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. 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. 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.’ 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. ‘The kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her will weep and lament for her, when they see the smoke of her burning, standing at a distance for fear of her torment, saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come.’ ‘And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore: merchandise of gold and silver, precious stones and pearls, fine linen and purple, silk and scarlet, every kind of citron wood, every kind of object of ivory, every kind of object of most precious wood, bronze, iron, and marble; and cinnamon and incense, fragrant oil and frankincense, wine and oil, fine flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and bodies and souls of men. The fruit that your soul longed for has gone from you, and all the things which are rich and splendid have gone from you, and you shall find them no more at all. The merchants of these things, who became rich by her, will stand at a distance for fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, and saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city that was clothed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls! For in one hour such great riches came to nothing.’ Every shipmaster, all who travel by ship, sailors, and as many as trade on the sea, stood at a distance and cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, ‘What is like this great city?’ ‘They threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and wailing, and saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city, in which all who had ships on the sea became rich by her wealth! For in one hour she is made desolate.’ ‘Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you holy apostles and prophets, for God has avenged you on her!’”
Do you remember this very famous quote most parents use to tell their kids: “If everyone else jumped off the bridge, would you jump too?” Even though many of us laughed, or got angry when we were told this, especially when we wanted to do something, I think this saying should be brought back into the repertoire. The issue today is that no one is trying to be better or different to the rest. Instead, everyone is trying to imitate or fit in with the rest of the world. I’m going to sound like an old man, but once upon a time, there was this mentality of bettering oneself that no longer exists. People before wanted to be better, especially as a family. Manners, good customs, morality, etc. use to exist. What happened with our society? Now more than ever exists the desire to imitate and to fit in with the rest; and unfortunately, not for anything good. Even though it is true that much hypocrisy existed or there was some hidden stuff, but, at least the desire to look decent existed. And if that kind of mentality existed, there was a social limit to immorality. Many things were not accepted before because they were viewed as wrong. The issue is that what is wrong has turned into a matter of opinion or perspective. And of course, after applying relativism, what was wrong has been turned into something acceptable. Something that was wrong or unacceptable before is not seen like that anymore, but rather, it is seen as an option or as an alternate lifestyle. And everything is justified with: “If it’s not hurting anyone, then, carry on!”
The tool that has been used to promote this phenomenon (per se), is the media. I’m not going to say that the inventions of radio, television, or the internet are evil within themselves (because they are not). They are tools. A tool is only an object, without reasoning, and without free will. The problem is how the tools are being used. And well, the whole world attentively tries to imitate the evil that is transmitted through these tools. Through the media, a lot of evil has been propagated to all parts of the world. As an example, someone uploads some garbage into youtube here in the US, and in moments or in days, there is someone else imitating it in China. Some may say then, “Down with youtube!” But that is not solution, because the imitation would happen just as immediate once they were exposed to it personally. The only thing difference is that it would take a little longer to happen.
The issue is: “Why are people not teaching anymore to be different?” Things like: “I don’t care if Peter’s parents let him do whatever; you are not going to do the same!” Or, just because thousands of people “come out of the closet” does not mean that it’s acceptable, or least of all, seen as something good before the eyes of God. Neither fornication (having sexual relations with someone before or outside of marriage) or adultery is acceptable either. What is wrong, is wrong, just as the Bible teaches (not opinion or human exaggeration; because there are also things that religious people say that they are wrong, and they are not). The point is that you should be careful with following the crowd nowadays, no matter how shiny, powerful, or untouchable it may seem (as we read about Babylon). An inevitable judgment is coming upon every nation, and even more importantly, upon every person that commits abominations against themselves, and against the Holy God of the universe. Just because your eyes have not seen it up to now (or maybe you have not noticed yet), does not mean that it will not come. Therefore, God says this: “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” Matthew 7:13-14. God, through Jesus Christ is the only one that possesses the eternal, for it also says: “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’” John 14:6. The divine wisdom teaches this also: “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.” Matthew 16:25-27. The world will only bring you destruction. God loves you and wants good for you; that you repent and avoid what is coming; while there is still time. So, are you following the crowd, or following God? Lord bless! John