Dictionary of Bible Themes Often pictured as an immoral city or a world of evil, it is regarded as corrupt and godless, hostile to true faith and therefore destined for judgment. Revelation 18:2-3The city as a symbol of corrupt society See also Genesis 11:1-9; 19:1-13Babylon stands for the corrupt Roman state and also for godless society in general. Ezekiel 22:1-5Matthew 23:37-39 Revelation 14:8 pp Lk 13:34-35 Galatians 3:22"The world" as a description of society alienated from, and hostile to, both God and his people See also John 15:18The Greek word translated "world" often means not the physical world, but the world of human life. Ephesians 6:121 John 5:19 Revelation 12:9 Joshua 23:6-8 Fallen society becomes pluralistic See also Israel was continually threatened by the pluralism of the surrounding societies Exodus 23:32-33Joshua 24:14-23 1 Kings 11:1-6; 18:16-40 Ezra 9:1-2 Isaiah 2:6-8 Baal was a name used for a variety of local Canaanite deities Daniel 3:1-12Acts 17:16-23 See also Pluralism was also a feature of the societies of the NT 1 Corinthians 8:4-62 Timothy 4:3-4 1 John 5:21 1 Timothy 2:5 See also Pluralism is to be resisted and faith in one God and Saviour maintained Isaiah 43:10-11John 14:6 Acts 4:12 Romans 1:21 Fallen society becomes secular See also Life in a godless society becomes spiritually futile and morally depraved Romans 1:18-322 Timothy 3:1-5 Revelation 18:1-3 Psalms 81:11-12 See also Israel ignores warnings about becoming a society which has forgotten God Jeremiah 3:19-21Hebrews 3:7-11 Amos 5:21-24 Israel became an example of a society which, though outwardly religious, lived without reference to God See also Amos 2:6-7; 5:4-15Amos here summarises, and rejects, current religious practices in Israel in the 8th century B.C. Amos 8:4-10See also Bethel and Gilgal were popular national shrines, where religion had taken the place of righteousness and relationship 4030 world, behaviour in4215 Babylon 4263 Rome 5001 human race, the 5256 city 6169 godlessness 8710 atheism 8768 idolatry 8848 worldliness |
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