The (Other) City

July 9, 2023

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Pastor Tom Olson - Barrington

Revelation 18:1-10 ESV

18 After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was made bright with his glory. 2 And he called out with a mighty voice,

“Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!
    She has become a dwelling place for demons,
a haunt for every unclean spirit,
    a haunt for every unclean bird,
    a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast.
3  For all nations have drunk[
a]
    the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality,
and the kings of the earth have committed immorality with her,
    and the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxurious living.”

4 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;
5 for her sins are heaped high as heaven,
    and God has remembered her iniquities.
6 Pay her back as she herself has paid back others,
    and repay her double for her deeds;
    mix a double portion for her in the cup she mixed.
7 As she glorified herself and lived in luxury,
    so give her a like measure of torment and mourning,
since in her heart she says,
    ‘I sit as a queen,
I am no widow,
    and mourning I shall never see.’
8 For this reason her plagues will come in a single day,
    death and mourning and famine,
and she will be burned up with fire;
    for mighty is the Lord God who has judged her.”

9 And the kings of the earth, who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her, will weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning. 10 They will stand far off, in fear of her torment, and say,

“Alas! Alas! You great city,
    you mighty city, Babylon!
For in a single hour your judgment has come.”

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The Orchard Itasca shared the following testimony about how they are ministering at Forest View Nursing Home. A man named Christian is a resident at the Forest View Nursing Home where our people go to minister quarterly. He likely has some form of Parkinson’s Disease and because of this has lost most of the function in his hands and feet. Some of our people have visited with Christian on previous trips. At our July visit, a couple from our church Mike and Deb Marunde went to his room. Since it had been a few months since our last visit, they didn’t think he would remember them. However, when they introduced themselves, Christian looked up and said “Mike!” He remembered! He looked at Mike and said, “I miss you.”