Revelation 18
Notes
Transcript
The Great Fall...
The Great Fall...
Hey guys, good morning, I hope each of you are doing well today.
What a joy it is to come to God’s house today and worship. We have the profound joy of praising, singing and then responding to the Word as it is spoken.
There is joy in those events my friends…
This week, we witness the change in weather, the season is drifting closer and closer to the coming of winter.
But we also observe the world around us and can see change taking place… And much of this change, the events we see and witness makes us shake our head, we say, “what in the world...” We certainly don’t understand.
And I would remind you friends, this world is passing away, it is like a tomato that has sat in the window to long… it is falling a part, decaying and soon it will be gone.
Thank heavens the church will not be here, but heaven help those who remain in this earth in these last days.
John as been telling us, as God revealed to him the events leading up to judgment and the end of the world.
But chapters 17 and 18 is like a pause for a moment. We get right up to the edge of destruction happening, but then we see the fall and destruction of this world system Babylon that is directed bu the Anti-christ, so we are seeing his downfall. But we will also examine the political and economic system as well as it collapses.
So I think it is interesting, but realize we are moving each week toward the end of the book, with only about 4 weeks left before we begin some Christmas messages.
So today here is our first thought....
1. A Great Announcement...
As we open the text, there is a great announcement, but it is one of judgment. Lets look at verses 1-3
1 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
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.”
So opening the text my friends, look at what we see…a mighty angel is descending from heaven. This angel is different, far different than those 7 we just saw pour out their bowls of wrath upon the earth.
And look, 3 things are described about this angel, 3 points that stand out far above the others..
A. He has great authority… Now we know from whom this authority comes, this power, mission of sorts comes from the Father himself. So this one angel, may be of a higher rank than the 7 we just witnessed a couple chapters ago. Is this angel an Arch angel or not? we do not know but He has great authority.
B. His radiance was great… this angel was truly as bright as the sun, we know this because the text says he illuminates the entire earth.
The splendor, the radiance is the word “doxa” which means glory. The glory of this angel fills the earth.
Again to help us comprehend the idea of the holy glory of God, we could think back to Moses when we came down from the mountain where he met with God. Or in Matthew 17, where Jesus is on the Mount of Transfiguration and is changed and glorified in front of Peter, James and John.
It was a beautiful bright radiance that this angel bore, a reflection of the Father for all to see...
C. Lastly, Speaks or shouts , cry's out with a loud or mighty voice… His message is to relay the message, what God has instructed this angel to say, the time as come for the fall of Babylon.
It was a message that was long waited for.. like when a great wrong has taken place and people wait patiently for judgment.
And listen to the first part of that message, - Fallen, Fallen is Babylon the great…
There is great meaning, a emphasis when a word is repeated. Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great. It is decisive, certain and devastating. Babylon is destroyed.
Now we are told, the city, Babylon has now become a home for demons…what does that mean..
The Angels point is this, the judgment is so great, that nothing good, nothing human can remain… it has become a a prison for that which is unclean, detestable, those unclean animals.
Babylon is cursed, nothing would live there ever again and even to this day the ground upon which Babylon sat, only ruins remain....
The city is cursed and destroyed because the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries.
But don’t forget Babylon represents an unholy alliance, a spirit of evil that all that is unclean and unholy can join as well....
The kings of the earth have joined with this rebellious spirit and formed a unholy union between religion and politics...
The world has chased after the desires of the flesh, people, merchants, kings and other leaders have done this and they stand judged along with this Babylon.
My friends there is a overwhelming warning here, those who align themselves with the spirit of this world, it only leads us to their judgment.
Jesus tells us plainly in Matthew 12:30
30 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.
You are either all in or not… which one are you? examine your heart my friends...
Now secondly today lets consider this..
2. Believers are called to Remain Separate....
The destruction of Babylon, both spiritually and physically as a world political and economic system will be sure and sudden.
And God is calling for believers to be sure and separate from her. To come out from here...
Lets look at verses 4-8 Rev 18:4-8
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.”
As you read those verses, we read about the voice of God calling for His people to come out of Babylon...
Now, remember the church,, born again believers are not present during this time, those saved prior to the Lord’s return are not here.
They have been caught up to heaven in the rapture of the church.
But some people will be saved during these awful days of the Tribulation.
This message is directed toward them, these new believers, God is calling for these young believers to come out and not to participate in her (Babylon’s) sin…
Look at the word, God says lest you “take part… in here sin… it has the idea of being caught in sin, being stuck and unable to remove oneself.
Babylon is about to be overtaken by plagues, judgment is coming upon her, it is certain, and God is making sure they do not fall into her sin and thus share in her punishment....
In verse 5 God says their sins have piled up to heaven, they have literally been so many that is one were to stack them one upon the other.
it is another look back to Genesis 11 where the people of God try to build a tower to God, they were in disobedience, each block piled up upon another represents the sin of the people.
These sins have been stacked up, God says avoid that..
These unrighteous acts can be thought of as crimes against God and thus there is judgement that waits them.
God says that he will pay her back..They will receive a double portion of what the inflicted upon others.
Babylon may have once thought of herself as a Queen, one that would never mourn, or suffer. But suddenly God will strike her with plagues and punish her for her sin.
God will put her on her sick bed and she will not recover…
Sin must be dealt with my friends, understand even in today’s world God will hold us accountable for sin, sins we have not dealt with...
You might ask, What do you mean pastor?
Please remember, those of us who have received Christ as our Savior, who have been forgiven, the old world those who are saved. Our sins have been forgiven.
But each day after that, we are called to deal with present sin, maybe something we did or said that was not Christ like, maybe a impure thought… we must seek His face and deal with sin that we can remain right and pure in front of the father.
Jesus reminds us in 1John 1:9
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
We must strive for holiness my friends, in every way of our lives.
But let me remind us of one other point.... As a nation, as the people of this nation we should humble ourselves in front of God asking God to forgive us, to forgive our people for the sins we have committed. As a nation corporately we are responsible… Oh God forgive us for our sins, forgive us for our disobedience, forgive us!
We can prevail as a nation, but oh God’s people need to humble themselves each day
3. Many will mourn Babylon’s Fall...
My friends, one of the saddest things we see in our world today, is how much this world loves sin, they love the desire of their eyes, the lust of their minds and greed.
I imagine it will be much worse in that day. But when Babylon, this evil spirit and world system falls, the world will mourn,
They will mourn because they have lost what they love...
Look at verses 9-11
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.”
11 And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her, since no one buys their cargo anymore,
Do you see it?
Those who participated with her and in her sin, they will weep and wail, literally mourn over her when they see her destruction.
God tells John that three groups will join in the mourning, the weeping for the collapse.
A. The Kings will Mourn… those who committed sexual immorality with her, they followed Babylon and worshipped the beast, they mourn because they will also share in her sorrow.
Some have thought that the great earthquake that was poured out upon this world in the 7th bowl of judgment in chapter 16 may be part of all of this destruction.
Fires are raging, their kingdom destroyed and they mourn the people and the pleasures and greed they have lost.
This became their God..
And think of our world today, the number one selling product of our nation, it isn’t beef, or eggs, or steel or petroleum, it is sex and the crimes associated with it.
Sexual immorality has a two fold part my friends, it is the unnatural desires of the flesh and robs and sells those made in the image of God in unnatural ways.
But it is also, like the Book of Hosea, were by we love life and others/things more than God. false gods and those things we make like god.
They will mourn…God’s people will rejoice in her downfall...
B. The Merchants will be full of Anguish… Their livelihood was dependent upon Babylon, and they weep over her destruction because they can no longer do business.
In one hour, verse 17, those who relied on the buying and selling of good in the Babylonian market, all of these well bear the market of the beast, that is the only way they could do any of this… they will all mourn.
And look at all they mourn about, we see that in verses 12-16
Sadly, even there you see the trade of human beings, how sad to see the depravity of slavery of all sorts..
My friends there is a false security in wealth.
28 Whoever trusts in his riches will fall,
but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf.
Riches are here today and gone tomorrow, we cannot seek it but we can seek God.
Those who seek after the things of this world, will be sadly disappointed.
Remember in Matthew chapter 6 Jesus tells us to seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness… the rest will come...
And also, Jesus says store up for yourselves treasure in heaven...
And then one last group will mourn
And finally we are told of the seafarers.
C. The Seafarers will mourn...
The seafarers are those in the shipping industry, they will mourn as well Look with me at verses 12-18 Rev 18:17-18
17 For in a single hour all this wealth has been laid waste.”
And all shipmasters and seafaring men, sailors and all whose trade is on the sea, stood far off 18 and cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning,
“What city was like the great city?”
They mourn the city, the institution that once was a blessing to them, is now gone. They stood a far off and cried, for all they put there hope in was gone.
Look at verse 19 Rev 18:19
19 And they threw dust on their heads as they wept and mourned, crying out,
“Alas, alas, for the great city
where all who had ships at sea
grew rich by her wealth!
For in a single hour she has been laid waste.
They were mourning her death, Babylon is fallen...
I was talking to a friend the other day about the great depression, 1929, the stock market collapsed and suddenly, people were helpless and hopeless.
People jumped out of building windows having no hope, because their hope was in self, in wealth and other things.
17 As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.
Our trust should be in God our father and nothing of this world, for it can all pass away.
Now one last thought today my friends,
4. God’s Justice Exercised...
The Scriptures declare that God will act with justice toward those who have abandoned God, and chased after evil.
Lets look at the final passage this morning...
20 Rejoice over her, O heaven,
and you saints and apostles and prophets,
for God has given judgment for you against her!”
21 Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying,
“So will Babylon the great city be thrown down with violence,
and will be found no more;
22 and the sound of harpists and musicians, of flute players and trumpeters,
will be heard in you no more,
and a craftsman of any craft
will be found in you no more,
and the sound of the mill
will be heard in you no more,
23 and the light of a lamp
will shine in you no more,
and the voice of bridegroom and bride
will be heard in you no more,
for your merchants were the great ones of the earth,
and all nations were deceived by your sorcery.
24 And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints,
and of all who have been slain on earth.”
Verse 20 is important my friends, God’s people can rejoice for God’s justice is being carried out.
Babylon this great city, this unholy system has done nothing but persecute the church. The have shed the blood of the saints ..
Those who follow God were not welcome, they could not buy or sell, they could not do anything except suffer and now God is exercising Judgement.
And those who follow Jesus will rejoice.
And mighty Angel took up a giant stone, one that looks like a mill stone, those huge heavy stones that crush the grain and reduce to a powder..
Just as this is thrown down, so Babylon is thrown down and do rise no more.
Here sin is sorcery, in that she enticed, lured and led the nations to death like a sacrifice to slaughter.
She and all those who inhabited her borders, those who loved her are gone, no matter if they were musicians, the skilled craftsmen, the couples, they are all gone, they will perish as the city perished..
Her evil ways and those who loved her are thrown down.
And she will rise no more...
Sin will one day be put away, that which entered the world with Adam will one day be completely gone and the church of the living God will be at rest.
Yet, lets ask a question.... what can we do today as God’s people.
We can make sure, inspecting our hearts and make sure we are following the Lord and his ways and not our own.
We can pray and seek the face of God daily, growing and and asking Him to make us, mold us into the person he has purposed us to be.
We can help stop the lure that this world casts to those around us. We can speak truth in love to those who need to hear God’s word.
We can be the church in a dark world.
But it always begins in us… Even Roberts after hearing God’s word, felt drown to God and prayed for God to bend him, bend him and use him
And God did.. and one of last great revivals took place in the last 100 years...
Oh God send us revival, revive your church today, help us to see you as Isaiah did that day...
Lets pray
