The angel comes down from heaven to earth, the great stage on which the drama of redemption is acted out. It is fitting that this announcement should be made by an angel of great authority, for the downfall of Babylon, which is about to be described in this chapter, is an event which signals the end of Satan’s long tyranny over the earth.
This seducer should worry us. Maybe you wonder why preachers should emphasise separation, not only from sin, but from extremes of riches that we own: home, car, possessions. Is it not cult-like legalism to warn against these things? Yes, it could be, and of course it would be quite wrong to set limits and look at each other and frown. There is ample scope for variation between believers. One spends more on quality, and another tries to spend less, but we must be reasonable. Why are faithful pastors concerned about this? Because the great seducer is at work to fix our passions on material things. Do you imagine he wants to trap us less than to trap the world? No, the opposite it the case. Therefore we must not talk ourselves into accumulating things that will harm us. Self-control and watchfulness are vital.