The Fall of Babylon

Rev. 18:1-24

 

 

Last time we looked at

I.      The Sin of the 1-world government:

Demonic/disgusting/damnable/deceiving…

 

II.            The Separation of true believers

v. 4  These are those saved during the tribulation.  They had not heard/rejected the gospel prior to the rapture, but believe on Jesus DURING the tribulation.  They are admonished not to take the mark of the beast.  They will pay with their lives, but will go to heaven!

 

They are told not to go along w/ the antichrist’s one world system.

 

Why?

1. Pollution [spiritual]

“Be not partakers of her sins”

        1^st half of trib.—there will be actual prosperity for those who participate w/ this system.

v. 12        none of these are necessities!

 

Gold thru pearls=investment portfolio, in John’s language: stocks and bonds. 

Linen thru scarlet=fashionable dress: Gucci/Calvin Klein/Liz Claiborne.

Wood thru marble=fine furniture.  All you have to do is play the game, take mark, etc.

v. 13

cinnamon thru frankincense=perfumes: Chanel #5/oeu de toilette

wine thru sheep=fine food:  delicacies

horses and chariots=rolls/jags/beemers

slaves and souls of men=if you have men on your payroll they will be bound to you like slaves, and will sell their souls for just a little more prosperity!

 

That’s some window shopping in Babylon…the treasures of the tribulation!

 

1^st reason to separate…pollution [should we heed these warnings today?  Sure!]

 

2. Plagues

4b    There is a price to pay for compromising/capitulating/caving in…consequences come to those!  God’s judgment is coming surely/suddenly.

 

Hosea 5:14
For I will be unto Ephraim as a lion, and as a young lion to the house of Judah: I, even I, will tear and go away; I will take away, and none shall rescue him.

Judgment comes as a lion.

 

Pr 29:1 -

He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.

Jer. 51:6 Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his soul: be not cut off in her iniquity; for this is the time of the LORD'S vengeance; he will render unto her a recompence. … the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad. 8 Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed: howl for her…

 

And this sudden destruction is preceded by a false sense of security.

 

According to v. 8, 10, 19:  this entire economic empire is destroyed in 1 day…1 hour actually!

[read each]

 

The crash of 1929 was like a market fluctuation by comparison!

 

The sin of this gov’t/separation of believers…

 

III.        The Sadness of the people

v. 9-11     Also v. 15-19  [love of money!]

        3 classes of people will lament…each says “alas”!

• Monarchs—v. 9—kings of the earth=the leaders of this one-world government, who gave their power unto the antichrist, realize it was a Titanic they had contributed to/indestructible!
• Merchants—v. 11, 14-15—all that they had sold their souls for turns to dust, in 1 hour… Jesus said, riches take wings and fly away!  [money talks]
• Mariners—v. 17-19—a reference to all in the transport industry/cargo, w/ nothing to haul:  ships/planes/trains/trucks.

 

That’s the sadness of those left here on earth, but notice the contrast:

 

IV.        The Singing of the Saints

v. 20-23   Millstone is figurative of a tidal wave of judgment that will utterly wipe it all out…but meanwhile, heaven is rejoicing, full of those who would not bow, take the mark…these are rich now…so are you!

        Take everything you have that money cannot buy, and that death cannot take away…that’s how rich you are!

 

19:1         only 2 words that are same in any language:

hallelujah/amen [so be it/it is truth!]

 

Hebrew:  hallel=praise  jah=God

 

They sing 4 stanzas of alleluia…

 

1. Redemption

Word “salvation”.  This word solicits a response from the human heart

 

Gratitude…for now our salvation is complete!  You should understand it is not now complete.  It IS secure, but not complete.

 

When saved, you were justified [positional righteousness]…you are in the process of being sanctified [practical righteousness/daily walk/lifelong process]…but thirdly, someday we will be glorified!  New bodies/new song/new city/new name!

 

So, I have been saved, am being saved, and will be saved!

 

Salvation…the word solicits a response of gratitude.  Let’s never forget what it was like to be lost/let’s not take it for granted.  [what WAS it like?]

 

Ill.—you brushed your teeth today, right?  You could flush the toilet.  Maybe you drank some water? [not from the toilet!] The very consistency of a blessing sometimes tends to cause us to take it for granted…that is, until it’s gone.

 

Thank you Lord, for saving our souls!

 

Now, the next 2 words:  glory, and honour…we’ll call this reverence.

 

Alleluia:  Redemption/reverence=awe for Almighty God.  We don’t fear Him like we should…we're not awestruck as we once were!

 

Rev. 1, John got his first glimpse at Jesus, who was a best friend to him in the inner circle/leaning head on breast/mt. of transfiguration/in the garden…but when he saw this Revelation of the glorified Christ w/ feet of brass/eyes of fire/voice of a trumpet, he didn’t give him a high 5 or a pat on the back, but he fell on his face as dead!  Awestruck!

        We need to get that back…it will change our:  lives/priorities/attitudes/music/TV habits/jokes/way we dress/friends we keep

 

Last word… “power”…should solicit the response of trust…for our powerful God who can handle our circumstances/stresses/problems.

 

1^st stanza=redemption

2^nd stanza=retribution=divine vengeance

v. 2-3       Satan is sailing a sinking ship/ruling a doomed domain [primary interpretation of these verses]

 

Practical app.: 

1. The inescapable consequence for sin is always judgment.

[10 commandments—you don’t break them, they break you…you violate them, perhaps…but like the law of gravity, you can’t break it!]

God the Creator is perfect, and sin won’t fly!  Your sin WILL be judged.  Has it been judged at Calvary, or will it be in hell?!

 

2. “true and righteous”=God’s judgments are always perfect.  He’s never more severe/lenient than He should be.  Never too harsh/unfair…always just right!

3 reasons why:

• His perception—only He can see the human heart/what will stand the fire!  We all see the outside only, but God sees the heart!  Thus we aren’t qualified to judge each other, though some seem to want to die trying!

 

Ill.—kids do something blatantly wrong, get caught, know they’re in for it/then they back peddle and say, I didn’t mean to/we let them get away w/ it/they skip away/they do it again!/you realize you’ve been played!

[our judgments aren’t always correct, true and righteous!]

 

His perception…

• His purity

If I try to judge one of you, my human judgment will be tainted w/ hypocrisy, for chances are, I’ve done the same thing in some fashion.  [takes one to know one!]

        I’m not cheap, I’m frugal

        I’m not a motormouth, I’m just outgoing

rebellious/high spirited…fat/big boned!

 

Human judges make huge mistakes all the time, but not the Judge of the Universe!

 

Perception, purity…

• His power

v. 3  Babylon will never again rise from her ruins…God’s judgment is final and forever!

 

1^st stanza=redemption

2^nd=retribution

3^rd=relationship

 

v. 4-5       Happy as a servant of God?  Like that relationship?  He doesn’t exist for our pleasure…we exist for His, but you’d never know it by our selfish vision of what church is…for me, me, me!  Instead of for Him, Him, Him!

 

“I work in kid’s ministries/choir/nursery, etc., just to see all those smiling faces!”  Is that doing it for Him or for you?

 

God gets glory when we don't need credit or thanks.  Then we receive a heavenly reward instead of an earthly one.

 

Psalm 84:10
For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.

 

4^th stanza=rule and reign

v. 6          “Lord God Omnipotent [Almighty]” 1 Greek word, used only 10 x’s in NT…9 of them in Revelation…word is “pantocrator”.

        This is significant because it means, the one who controls everything!

 

The one world church exists today, though not yet named.  The one world government is already in operation, though we still use the faces of old presidents on our currency, make no mistake...there's new guys in town, and they won't stop until they have reshaped the world the way they think it should be, and those old presidents roll in their graves. 

But they are all pawns in God's hands.  He sits on the throne in full control of His creation.

 

Man is doing the same thing he did at Babel...building himself up and up, and not needing God...but it is all going to come crashing down...and there will a great division among the people...and God will be glorified that justice has been done, and we will give Him glory forever!

 

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