Revelation 18: And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. 2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. 3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication" ..... 4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
This passage of scripture describes for us the religio-political system of Babylon, where the forces of evil are concentrated on the earth, and it also tells us that all nations of the earth have been adversely affected by her doctrines and activities, to the point where they have now become drunk. When a person becomes drunk, their judgment and their ability to clearly discriminate between good and evil becomes severely impaired, hence the reason why the earth is said to be lightened with the glory of God, so that the truths that were hidden under the cover of gross spiritual darkness, can now be seen in their clarity. And the accompanying call that is made by the angel urges us to act immediately on the enlightenment thus given.
The word "Habitation" describes where people or angels reside, and in the context of what is written in the 18th chapter of Revelation, pertains primarily to the many religious organizations that promulgate and practice the gross errors that arise from the erroneous interpretations and false teachings, supposedly derived from scripture. However, that word habitation also includes all venues and places where the practice of Babylonian errors and sins are fostered and encouraged. These venues run the entire gamut from night clubs, where lust, pride, and covetousness are freely indulged and encouraged, to places like bars, where spirituous liquors are sold and consumed without restraint. Also included in that word habitation, are those churches and religious organizations that deliberately choose to teach erroneous doctrines that are like poison to the soul.
In all of these venues the forces of satan are firmly entrenched, and should be avoided as far as possible, except God instructs us to go, for the purposes of carrying the gospel to those who are sitting in darkness. The Bible describes the enemy of souls as the prince of the power of the air, and therefore when we go unbidden to those places where his forces are known to reside, we imperceptibly partake of the moral and spiritual atmosphere that exists there, and we become tainted and cross-contaminated by evil spirits and doctrines of devils. Let's read:
Ephesians 2:1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
A prominent example of what the Bible is referring to occurred when Balaam persuaded the children of Israel to visit the site where pagan worship, and all of the many gross and sensual activities associated with it were being held. What is worthy of note is that God Himself had not long before testified that there was no voodoo that could derail the Hebrews at that time, since they were walking according to all of the commands of God, the only safe path that any human being can take Let's read:
Numbers 23:16 And the Lord met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, Go again unto Balak, and say thus. 18 And he took up his parable, and said" ..... 20 Behold, I have received commandment to bless: and he hath blessed; and I cannot reverse it. 21 He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel: the Lord his God is with him, and the shout of a king is among them.
But after paying a visit to satan's enchanted ground, where the "Habitation" of devils was to be found, the Hebrews came back with greatly depreciated concepts of duty, and the pagan rites they witnessed were now firmly infused into their hearts, so that they began practicing what they then beheld. Let's read:
Numbers 25:1 And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab. 2 And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods. 3 And Israel joined himself unto Baalpeor: and the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel.
In our day we are counseled to avoid as far as possible those places where we know the forces of evil proliferate and reside. Those X-rated night clubs that feed into our lower carnal nature, and which cause men and women to become inflamed with lusts and vices of every sort, should not be visited or patronized by Christians for any reason, for by so doing we literally invite satan to tempt and harass us. Neither should we take it upon ourselves to listen to false doctrines and fanciful interpretations of scripture, that are served up daily by a plethora of false prophets parading as ministers of righteousness, for according to the Bible, satan also has many ministers standing in the pulpits of our land, spreading "Another gospel" and infusing "Another spirit" to those who dare to attend. Let's read:
2nd Corinthians 11:13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
It is the will of God that the urgent call of the angel of Revelation 18 be heeded, so that all who will, may flee for their lives. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which urges us to depart from the Babylonian system of religion and practice, for those who remain will perish with the hosts of evil, as the same angel has clearly stated. Let's read:
Revelation 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. 8 Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.
May God add His blessing to the study and practice of His word. "Good night" and God bless!