Revelation 18:4
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
The crucial insight here is that the command to "come out" isn't just about physical location, but about a deeper separation. God calls His people out of "her" not just to avoid punishment, but to prevent their complicity in her sinful actions, highlighting that true discipleship means active disassociation from sin, not just passive avoidance of consequence.
Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues;
English Standard Version (ESV)
Just before this verse, an angel descends from heaven with great glory, announcing the impending destruction of "Babylon," a symbolic representation of a deeply corrupt world system. This verse then features another voice from heaven, likely God's or Christ's, directly calling out to those who belong to Him. This urgent plea urges them to separate themselves from Babylon's sinful practices and influences, lest they share in its impending divine judgment.
The voice from heaven isn't just issuing an order; it's speaking to a relationship. Who is being addressed, and why does that matter?
The command, "Come out of her, my people," is deeply personal. The term "my people" signifies a covenant relationship. Even amidst the corruptions of "Babylon" (a symbol of oppressive, idolatrous systems), God still claims a people.
A Tender Relationship
This isn't a cold decree to strangers. It's a loving warning to those who belong to God. It acknowledges their presence within the corrupt system but calls them to separation, not because they are inherently bad, but because God's love seeks to preserve them from destruction.
The Call to Separation
The urgency of the call highlights God's desire for His people to be distinct. Remaining entangled in the sins of the system risks sharing in its ultimate judgment. This call is a demonstration of God’s faithfulness to His covenant, reaching out to rescue His own.
The warning comes with two stark consequences for staying put. What are they, and how do they connect?
The command to "come out" is driven by a twofold danger: partaking in sins and sharing in plagues.
The Hazard of Complicity
'Lest you take part in her sins' means more than just avoiding personal sin. It’s about avoiding complicity – by remaining within a corrupt system, one risks endorsing its practices, even if not actively participating. Association can easily lead to assimilation. The system's sin becomes a spiritual contagion.
Ask a follow-up
The Certainty of Judgment
'Lest you share in her plagues' points to the unavoidable consequences of the system's judgment. Just as Lot’s wife was destroyed by lingering near Sodom, remaining in "Babylon" means being caught in the divine retribution poured out upon it. The plagues are the inevitable outcome of the sins.
Understand the original words
hamartia · Greek Noun
Missing the mark of God's standard; an act of rebellion or disobedience against the holy will of God.
plēgē · Greek Noun
Divine judgments or calamities sent upon the wicked; they function as signs of God's wrath against sin.
The command to 'come out of her, my people' draws deeply from Old Testament precedents where God's people were warned to leave spiritually corrupt cities like Babylon and Jerusalem before divine judgment fell, highlighting a consistent pattern of separation for preservation.
c. 586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem and Babylonian Exile
Jerusalem is destroyed by the Babylonians, and many Jews are exiled. This event serves as a significant Old Testament precedent for God's people being called out of a spiritually corrupt city before its destruction.
538 BC
Cyrus' Decree Allowing Return from Exile
Cyrus the Great allows the Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem. This marks a turning point where staying in Babylon becomes a matter of choice rather than necessity.
c. 70 AD
Destruction of Jerusalem by Rome
Jesus' warning about fleeing Jerusalem before its destruction is fulfilled. This event is seen as a historical parallel to the call to separate from a doomed spiritual and political system.
Late 1st Century AD— this verse
Writing of the Book of Revelation
The Book of Revelation is written by the Apostle John, likely while in exile on the island of Patmos, to churches facing persecution and internal corruption.
c. 313 AD
Edict of Milan and Rise of Imperial Christianity
Christianity gains imperial favor, leading to its integration with political power. This is seen by some interpreters as a step towards the spiritual corruption later described as 'Babylon'.
16th Century
The Protestant Reformation
Reformers call for separation from the Roman Catholic Church, citing corrupt practices and doctrinal errors, echoing the command to 'come out of her'.
This Old Testament passage is a direct precursor, warning God's people to flee from Babylon to avoid sharing in its destruction, mirroring the call in Revelation.
2 Corinthians 6:17The Apostle Paul echoes this command, urging believers to 'come out from them and be separate' to avoid impurity and judgment, reinforcing the spiritual separation called for in Revelation.
Genesis 19:12-13The story of Lot and his family being rescued from Sodom before its destruction illustrates the urgency and necessity of heeding God's call to separate from sin to escape judgment.
Matthew 24:16Jesus' warning to the disciples about fleeing Judea when they see the abomination of desolation provides a parallel to Jesus calling His people out of a doomed system.
ellicottRevelation 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."
(4-20) The voice out of heaven warns the faithful to leave her, and describes her fall. (4) Voice from heaven . . .—Read, Voice out of heaven, saying, Come forth out of her, my people, that ye partake not in her sins, and that of her plagues ye receive not. The voice is not said to be that of another angel. It is not necessar…
pulpitRevelation 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."
Verse 4. - And I heard another voice from heaven, saying. Probably the voice of another angel in succession to the one mentioned in ver. 1. Another angel takes up the theme, because the message is now directly addressed to Christians. Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of…
The crucial insight here is that the command to "come out" isn't just about physical location, but about a deeper separation. God calls His people out of "her" not just to avoid punishment, but to prevent their complicity in her sinful actions, highlighting that true discipleship means active disassociation from sin, not just passive avoidance of consequence.
Just before this verse, an angel descends from heaven with great glory, announcing the impending destruction of "Babylon," a symbolic representation of a deeply corrupt world system. This verse then features another voice from heaven, likely God's or Christ's, directly calling out to those who belong to Him. This urgent plea urges them to separate themselves from Babylon's sinful practices and influences, lest they share in its impending divine judgment.
Just before this verse, an angel descends from heaven with great glory, announcing the impending destruction of "Babylon," a symbolic representation of a deeply corrupt world system. This verse then features another voice from heaven, likely God's or Christ's, directly calling out to those who belong to Him. This urgent plea urges them to separate themselves from Babylon's sinful practices and influences, lest they share in its impending divine judgment.
"Then I heard another voice from heaven saying,
“Come out of her, my people,
lest you take part in her sins,
lest you share in her plagues;" — The crucial insight here is that the command to "come out" isn't just about physical location, but about a deeper separation. God calls His people out of "her" not just to avoid punishment, but to pr…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026