“…envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God”
revelries,
Whenever you have drunkenness, you also have revelry. “Revelries” are carousals. These are wild parties at night by people who parade through the streets with torches in honor of Bacchus (the god of drink and revelry) or some other deity. These drinking bouts go on until late in the evening with dancing and frolicking in the streets.
Today, the idea would be wild drinking parties involving unrestrained intoxication and immoral behavior. “Revelries” can include the idea of orgies. This is why Paul says we need to “conduct ourselves as people in the day.
“Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts” (Romans 13: 13-14).
“Drunkenness” and “revelries” were characteristic of pagan worship.
and the like;
Paul again points out that this long list of sins is not exhaustive but only representative of a longer list of possible sins. This list scratches the surface of sins.
Principle:
People in rebellion against God go for the wild side of life.
Application:
Revelry is the equivalent of living on the wild side in nightclubs in our society. Many of these people are running from God by trying to blunt the pain of their rebellion with booze. They fly in the face of God by wild immorality. Still, others let themselves be given completely over to their passions.
“For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles—when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries” (1 Peter 4:3).
