THE WORLD IS PASSING AWAY “And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof…” I John 2:17
In the Book of the Revelation a reference is made to a city called Babylon no less than six times. Statements such as “Babylon the great is fallen”. In Revelation 18:21-22 we read, “And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all. And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee…” Babylon the great stands as a symbol for the city of man. A city is a society of people. The city of man, or we could say man’s kingdom, which is made up of multiple societies worldwide, is in direct opposition to the city and kingdom of God. The Book of the Revelation sets forth the on-going battle and conflict between the City of God and the city of man. Therefore this world as we know it is passing away. We see it in pictures, like the spring flowers that shoot up to display their beauty and fragrance. They do not spring up to live, they spring up to die. They wither and fade. So fades this world my dear readers. Solomon, the greatest in wisdom of all the sons of Adam said, “One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh….” Life is like a dream that passes away with the night. Or like the cool mist of the morning that is soon evaporated by the warmth of the sun. This world is passing away. This is the message from heaven, “…All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field:…” This world is passing away, but God lives on. He ever has been and ever shall be, “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” The question is do you experimentally know God, do you, through the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit, know Jesus Christ, the only Savior of sinners. This world is passing away, but man is immortal. Eternity lies before each of us throughout the duration of our lifetime. Death will not terminate life; we live on, in light or in darkness forever! We live on, in joy or in sorrow forever! This world is passing away, what then? Is this question of significance to you? It should be. If this world is to pass away, and man is to live on, then the question “WHAT THEN?” should be addressed with great diligence. Someone said a celebrated physician once sought to cheer a despondent patient saying, “Treat life as a plaything.” Terrible counsel! Life is not a plaything, and we are not to treat it as a child’s toy, but to make use of it in preparation for the life to come.
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