In the 18th chapter of 2 Kings, the Assyrian army attacked Jerusalem, and you should know, most cities of that day simply surrendered because the Assyrian army was the cruelest and most savage army in history.
It was hopeless, and in the 33rd verse, the Assyrian commander asked the leaders of Jerusalem, “Did the gods of any other nations save their countries from the emperor of Assyria?”
But in Chapter 19:
“Isaiah sent a message telling King Hezekiah that in answer to the king's prayer the Lord had said, ‘The city of Jerusalem laughs at you, Sennacherib, and makes fun of you.’” — 2 Kings 19: 20-21
Then in verse 35, an angel went into the Assyrian camp and killed 185,000 men — and the Assyrian army packed its bags and went home!
And now we’ve come to the end of religious evil in Revelation 17 and the end of secular evil in Revelation 18.
“After this I saw another angel coming down out of heaven. He had great authority, and his splendor brightened the whole earth. He cried out in a loud voice: ‘She has fallen! Great Babylon has fallen! She is now haunted by demons and unclean spirits; all kinds of filthy and hateful birds live in her. This is the end of evil on the earth; both religious evil and secular evil have failed and fallen!” — Revelation 18: 1-2
“Then I heard another voice from heaven, saying, ‘Come out, my people! Come out from her! You must not take part in her sins; you must not share in her punishment!’” — Revelation 18: 4
The words “come out” define what it means to be “holy” and those who are holy — those who stand apart from evil — will not share in her punishment.
The two words describing the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are “love” and “justice.”
Paul Brand, in “Fearfully and Wonderfully Made,” says we are made in the image of God, and that includes our bodies.
Our flesh reflects God’s love and our skeleton reflects God’s justice. Without flesh or love, we are cold, hard, and without life; without a skeleton or justice, we are a puddle on the ground.
So, for thousands of years, God loved and forgave us and even gave his son’s life for us.
But in the end of the end times, God’s justice will step in and require an accounting — not for our sins, but for our refusal to accept his forgiveness and his mercy and his amazing grace, and for our refusal to allow him to re-create us in his image and return us to the garden of Eden.
And that is the message of Revelation.
Charles “Buddy” Whatley is a retired United Methodist pastor serving Dawson Street Methodist Church in Thomasville, Ga.
