各人要謹慎怎樣建造─啟示錄
接下來我們來看啟示錄十八章1-10節，聚焦在『巴比倫大城』的傾倒：
此後，我看見另有一位有大權柄的天使從天降下，地就因他的榮耀發光。
他大聲喊著說：巴比倫大城傾倒了！傾倒了！成了鬼魔的住處和各樣污穢之靈的巢穴（或作：牢獄；下同），並各樣污穢可憎之雀鳥的巢穴。
因為列國都被她邪淫大怒的酒傾倒了。地上的君王與她行淫；地上的客商因她奢華太過就發了財。
我又聽見從天上有聲音說：我的民哪，你們要從那城出來，免得與她一同有罪，受她所受的災殃；
因她的罪惡滔天；她的不義 神已經想起來了。
她怎樣待人，也要怎樣待她，按她所行的加倍的報應她；用她調酒的杯加倍的調給她喝。
她怎樣榮耀自己，怎樣奢華，也當叫她照樣痛苦悲哀，因她心裡說：我坐了皇后的位，並不是寡婦，決不至於悲哀。
所以在一天之內，她的災殃要一齊來到，就是死亡、悲哀、饑荒。她又要被火燒盡了，因為審判她的主神大有能力。
地上的君王，素來與她行淫、一同奢華的，看見燒她的煙，就必為她哭泣哀號。
因怕她的痛苦，就遠遠的站著說：哀哉！哀哉！巴比倫大城，堅固的城啊，一時之間妳的刑罰就來到了。
貫穿整本聖經，『天使』常常可以被翻成『使者』。有時指的是天使，有時使者指的是先知。在這處經文中，似乎指的是主在世界舞台所興起的先知，宣告巴比倫的傾倒。雖然有些先知是擁有全世界的影響力，但似乎還沒有先知傳達這樣的信息。
十八章的其餘部分描述巴比倫的倒塌，裡面給予如何回應的指示，以及世界將如何回應。再一次，罪的敗壞引致如此毀滅性的後果，在這裡用大『淫婦』來形容。教會被呼召成為主耶穌純潔、貞節的新婦，她卻與世界的權力陷入屬靈上的姦淫關係。我們被呼召成為世上的鹽和光，要像主一樣來愛世界，卻不是嫁給其體制或法則。
巴比倫這名字起源於巴別塔，倘若我們把此巴別塔的原罪聯繫起來，我們便會得到進一步的洞見：
他們往東邊遷移的時候，在示拿地遇見一片平原，就住在那裡。
他們彼此商量說：來吧！我們要做磚，把磚燒透了。他們就拿磚當石頭，又拿石漆當灰泥。
他們說：來吧！我們要建造一座城和一座塔，塔頂通天，為要傳揚我們的名，免得我們分散在全地上。
在這裡他們想要的主要動機：1) 為要傳揚他們的名。2) 用一個計畫來聚集人們，使他們連結。有多少計畫、事工、教會、運動和教派是被建造在同樣的動機上？我們可能奉主耶穌的名傳揚福音，卻利用此為要傳揚我們自己的名聲，為了讓人高興而不是帶領他們與主有個別關係。這可能會有一時的果效，但若是此根源，終將像巴別塔一樣帶來分裂與分散。
在啟示錄三章20節，我們看見耶穌站在祂自己教會門外叩門，看看是否有任何人會為祂開門。祂真的住在我們的教會嗎？祂是我們主要的吸引嗎？倘若主在祂的殿中，不管殿有多雄偉，都不可能吸引你的注意。人們來到教會，是對殿感到驚奇，還是對在那裡與他們相遇的主？
正如使徒保羅所警告的：『各人要謹慎怎樣在上面建造』（參考哥林多前書3:10）。我們可能有著許多好動機，但我們服事的動機若真的想要傳揚自己的名聲，或聚集人們在我們所建造的事物上，我們不過是在建造終將分散人們，徒增那是巴比倫的混淆。
(摘自喬納 word for the week, Week13, 2018)
Be Careful How You Build—The Book of Revelation
Week 13, 2018
Rick Joyner
Next we will cover Revelation 18:1-10, which focuses on the fall of “Babylon the great”:
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' (NKJV).
Throughout Scripture, the word often translated as “angel” could be translated as “messenger.” Sometimes they are angelic beings, and sometimes the messengers are prophets. In this case, it seems likely that it is a prophet that the Lord raises up with a worldwide platform to declare that Babylon has fallen. Although there have been prophets with a worldwide influence, there does not seem to have been one with this message.
The rest of Chapter 18 describes the collapse of Babylon. It gives instructions for how to react to it, and also how the world will react to it. Again, the devastating sin that led to such a devastating consequence is implied in the description of the great “harlot.” The church is called to be a pure, chaste virgin betrothed to the Lord Jesus, but she fell into a spiritually adulterous relationship with the powers of this world instead. We are called to be salt and light in this world and love the world as the Lord does, but not to marry its systems or its ways.
If we link this to the original sin of the tower of Babel that the name Babylon is derived from, we get further insight:
And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there.
Then they said to one another, "Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly." They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar.
And they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth" (Genesis 11:2-4 NKJV).
The key motives here were that they wanted to 1) make a name for themselves and 2) use a project to gather people and keep them united. How many projects, ministries, churches, movements, and denominations have been founded on these same motives? We may preach the gospel in the name of Jesus but really be using this, and other things, to make a name for ourselves and to excite people instead of leading them to a personal relationship with the Lord. This may work for a little while, but if this root will ultimately bring division and scattering, just like the tower of Babel.
In Revelation 3:20, we see Jesus standing outside of the door of His own church and knocking to see if any will open to Him. Does He truly inhabit our churches? Is He the Main Attraction? If the Lord is in His temple, it will not be the temple that gets your attention regardless of how great it is. Do the people who come leave marveling at the temple, or at the Lord whom they encountered there?
As the Apostle Paul warned, “Be careful how you build” (see I Corinthians 3:10). We can have many good motives, but if the root of our work is really an attempt to make a name for ourselves, or to gather people around what we are building, we are only building what will ultimately scatter the people and add to the confusion that is Babylon.