Yes - God calls His people to separate themselves from the world's ungodly lifestyle, not from contact with people.
God tells His people to 'Come out of her' so they will not be partakers of the world's sins and will not receive her plagues. Les Feldick explains that God does not expect the unsaved world to abandon that lifestyle, but He expects His own people to shun it. Yet this separation is not total isolation - believers are to be different from the world while still living in it.
2 Corinthians 6:17 — God directly commands His people to come out from the world and be separate, making it the clearest New Testament answer to why believers should separate.
Revelation 18:4 — God explicitly connects separation from Babylon's ungodly lifestyle with avoiding participation in her sins and receiving her plagues.
Scripture clearly calls God's people out of the world's ungodly system. In Revelation 18:4, John writes, '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.' The command to come out is tied to avoiding the sins and judgments of the world's rebellion against God. Paul gives the same direction in 2 Corinthians 6, writing, 'Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?' He then applies the Old Testament call to separation directly to believers: 'Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.' Scripture also explains the spiritual condition of the world that believers are called to leave: 'But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.'
Les Feldick teaches that separation from the world is a consistent biblical principle. He points to Israel's separation from Egypt as the Old Testament pattern: just as God brought Israel out and made them a separated, holy nation, God draws a line of demarcation between the believer and the world today. He says you cannot serve two masters - the believer serves Christ, not the world's system. Les explains that God's command in Revelation 18:4 is addressed to 'My people': 'Come out of her.' God does not expect the unsaved world to stop living in its ungodly lifestyle, but He does expect His own people to shun it. The reason is that remaining involved makes believers partakers of that lifestyle and vulnerable to its plagues. At the same time, Les is careful not to make separation mean isolation or oddball behavior. He says believers are not to be complete oddballs or go around asking for persecution; rather, the world should see a real difference in how believers live and know where they stand. He also notes that the Christian community was fairly separated from the world until around 1900, but has since overlapped and joined with the world, even as the world has come into the church and the church has gone out into the world. Les also applies separation to church discipline: believers who claim to be saved but keep living in sin are to be shunned for a season, with explanation, because Scripture admonishes against fellowship with them.
No. Les Feldick says believers are not to be 'complete oddballs' or go around asking for persecution by their actions. The world should see a real difference in their behavior and know where they stand, but that does not mean refusing to live in the world or deal with the people around them. The call is to come out of the world's ungodly lifestyle, not out of the physical world.
Les says the lesson of Israel's separation from Egypt comes right in for the believer today. Just as God brought Israel out of Egypt and made them a separated, holy nation, God wants believers separated from the world. Paul gives the same directions in 2 Corinthians, and all those Old Testament things were written for our learning (Romans 15:4). God puts a line of demarcation between the believer and the world, and you cannot serve two masters.
Les reads Revelation 18:4 as a direct warning: God tells His people to 'Come out of her' so they will not be 'partakers of her sins' or 'receive of her plagues.' He applies this to the world system of wealth and immoral living. Joining that system means participating in its sin and being subject to its judgment. Les also notes that since about 1900 the Christian community has increasingly overlapped with the world, with the world coming into the church and the church going out into the world - a reversal of what God intends.
Les says this is a different situation from relating to the world. The Scripture admonishes us not to have fellowship with people who claim to be believers but are living in sin. When a born-again believer goes out into sin, the Lord deals with them, and if fellow believers shun them for a while, the purpose is to get their attention and show how serious the situation is. It is not about being nasty; it is about following God's direction and giving the person an explanation.
Les reminds us that the unsaved world is blind: the god of this world has blinded the minds of those who do not believe. The unsaved are unconcerned and live only for today, with no thought for eternity. Even while people think they are 'living it up,' the old body can only take 10-20 years of that lifestyle, and then they face an eternity of regret and doom. God is still patient tonight, but His command to His people still stands.
Come Out of Babylon's Lifestyle
Les teaches that God's command in Revelation 18:4, 'Come out of her, My people,' means believers must separate from the world's ungodly, wealthy lifestyle so they do not share in its sins and plagues.
Israel's Separation as Our Pattern
Les shows that God separated Israel from Egypt to be a holy nation, and the same principle applies today: believers are to be different from the world, not oddballs, but visibly different in behavior and joyful in the process.
God Draws a Line of Demarcation
Les uses 2 Corinthians 6 to show that God wants believers separated from the world, the world should know where believers stand, and being 'not unequally yoked' is part of the outworking of that separation.
Old Testament Written for Our Learning
Les explains that Israel's separation from pagan Gentiles is the Old Testament analogy for the New Testament command to be separate; God's Word was written for our learning and God sets a clear line between believer and world.
Separating From Sinning Believers
Les clarifies that separation also applies within the church: believers who claim to be saved but remain in sin are to be shunned for a season, with explanation, because fellowship with them is not what God prescribes.
Separated No More: The Church's Overlap
Les observes that until about 1900 the Christian community was fairly separated from the world, but since then the church and the world have overlapped and joined together, which shows the need to recover biblical separation.
The World's Blindness
Les cites 2 Corinthians 4 to show the world is blinded by the god of this age and lives only for today, which is why believers should be distinct, and why they should not expect the unsaved to live by godly standards.
The Futility of Worldly Living
Les shows that the world's brief 'living it up' ends in eternal regret and separation from the Creator, making it foolish and tragic for believers to want to be part of that world.
2 Corinthians 6:14: Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
Paul grounds the call to separation in the fundamental incompatibility between believers and the world's unrighteousness.
2 Corinthians 6:17: Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
This is God's direct command to separate from the world and the basis for the believer's distinct life.
Revelation 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.
God explicitly connects coming out of Babylon's world system with avoiding her sins and plagues.
2 Corinthians 4:3-4: But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
This reveals why the world cannot see the truth and why believers are not to take on the world's blinded lifestyle.
Romans 15:4: For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
Les uses this verse to show that Israel's separation from Egypt in the Old Testament is intended to teach believers today.
2 Corinthians 6:15: And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
Paul continues the rhetorical contrast showing believers have no partnership with unbelievers.
No. Les explains that God does not expect the unsaved world to drop its ungodly lifestyle; that command is for His people. Believers are told to 'Come out of her' because they are the ones who belong to God.
No. Les says believers are not to be oddballs or go around asking for persecution. We live in the world and must deal with the people around us, but the world should see the difference and know where we stand.
Les says Scripture admonishes believers not to have fellowship with professing believers who continue in sin. That is a church discipline issue, not a call to isolate from the unsaved world. The goal is to help the sinning believer realize how serious the sin is.
The world is blinded by the god of this age, living only for today, and facing an eternity of regret and doom. God is still patient tonight, but His people are told to come out so they do not share in the world's sins and plagues.
Watch the Teaching: What Does "Babylon the Great" Really Mean in Revelation 18?