60-70 years ago, the concepts of recycling were championed as conservative, frugal values. Coke bottles were reused, encouraged by the 5 cents you'd get for returning the bottle. Flour came in cloth, reusable sacks. Victory gardens gave us fresh vegetables for cheaper. During WWII, the recycling of essential materials was rampant, seen as a patriotic duty to gather rubber, nylon, etc for supporting the troops. We even lived regulated by ration coupons - think of them as the foil of liquid currency that regulated overconsumption.

Now those values are seen as left-wing, communist ideals. Self-sustenance is a hippie thing. Recycling is for yuppies with a coffee shop conscience. Regulating food industries is seen as a leftist agenda of control by the so called conservatives.

All of this to say what God has already revealed - Babylon is such a whore. She'll switch sides for whatever reason suits her. Her political parties are like paying lovers who bargain for the best deal. And she is a metaphor for systems of bad government, greed, corporations, merchants. She's a counterfeit church of materialism and selfishness, welcoming and including all who want some of her delights. Now she entices us with her markets to not produce anything we can actually use.

Do we actually produce anything? Have you raised a chicken? Have you grown your own food? Have you tried making your clothes? -All, let me say again, All of these areas of production we outsource to that whore, that system of commerce, lies and sales - all of these areas are now humanitarian disasters. Factory chicken production is something that destroys the earth not only by perverting the life of a poor chicken, but also from the excess disease and super concentrated nitrogen runoff from feces that suffocates plant life. Clothing - you know what a sweatshop is and yet we still buy the stuff from the social backstabbing suppliers. Gardens are something that old people have - so passe. And yet, if Babylon failed, could you stand?

Revelation 18 stands as a solemn prophet. Excerpts:

"After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor. With a mighty voice he shouted: "Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great! She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird. For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries."

"The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes any more— " ""

"Your merchants were the world's great men. By your magic spell all the nations were led astray. In her was found the blood of prophets and of the saints, and of all who have been killed on the earth."

Would you be weeping at her demise? I know I would, and that is a very sad thing to admit. I want to pull out of Babylon. I want to plug into Jesus - and He made the earth and its production elements something not to be exploited, but to be enjoyed in relationship with Himself.

May God grant us the grace and wisdom to seek to depend on Himself, for His glory - not for the glory of Babylon.