A World View

Today is traditionally remembered as Palm Sunday… I find it interesting that as Jesus would ride the donkey into Jerusalem he would find that people were seeking:

A political king… rather than the King of kings

Freedom from Rome… rather than freedom from sin

Looking backwards to past glory days of David… rather than looking ahead to the Son of David and His Promises

A form of religiousness outwardly… rather than desiring a relationship inwardly

They had a temporary worldly view of ease & prosperity… rather than a biblical view of all God was offering eternally through His Son!

Jesus shattered their world view with statements like:

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve,”

“For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”

“render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

“In the world you have tribulation, but… take courage; I have overcome the world.”

As Jesus would present Himself as the Promised Messiah… He was REJECTED! Too many had a Worldly View of this life…

Truth be told, 2000 years later, we have not changed much and we hold the things of this world too tightly...

Let me illustrate:

How many times I have been asked, “Do you think there will be (X) in heaven?”

golf, fishing, sports, coffee, chocolate...

Or I have heard this too, “I hope I get to do (Y) before I go to heaven or before the Lord returns”

married, have kids, grand-kids, travel, college, skydive…

So let me ask YOU to consider… What lens do you view this life of yours through?

Is it a Biblical view of things, people, and this life

Is it a self view of people around you, the things you have, or your life focus

Is it a worldly view of what this world declares as important, who the world says is great, or what the world feels is worth living for

THE BIBLICAL VIEW is the one we ought to have yet I am sure we tend to trade out lenses from time to time and truth be told the BIBLICAL LENS may be the one we view things through the least.

As we VIEW chapter 18 today… how would YOU respond if these events unfold TODAY!

Recap Babylon in Chapter 17

In Chapter 17 we observed the world false religious system in place.

The Anti-christ uses this as he rises to power

At a certain point however (most likely 3.5 years into the 7 year tribulation) he cast aside the “Religious System of Babylon” as he demands ALL worship be directed at himself.

Not a far stretch really when one thinks about it… Let’s worship the Beast / Anti-christ because:

There is FASCINATION (false resurrection) popularity

There is one who is POWERFUL (able to make changes)

He offers PLEASURES (self-indulgence) your desires

He offers WEALTH (worldly things) stability

When the symbol of Spiritual Babylon fell, was cast aside, & burned up… the people did not really grieve, express sorrow, or any woe, because this NEW WORSHIP of the Beast offered POWER, COMMERCE, & TRADE!!! Revelation 18:1-3 will address these things however…

Babylon Will Fall!

Fallen… declared TWICE… it is emphatic it will happen!

THE MESSENGER:

This is not one of the seven angels pouring out bowls of wrath

This is “another angel”… !!! these angels and messengers of God that we see in Revelation just blow my mind!

This is not Christ rather a powerful, authoritative angel whose glory fills and illuminates the earth!

Illuminates: so all sin and evil is exposed! No longer hiding in the shadows

Babylon?:

Didn’t we deal with Babylon last week?

Remember: Babylon is both a physical place throughout history and symbolic of:

False religion, Political Power, and Commerce

1 Peter 5:13 we see Peter use Babylon as a symbol as he spoke of Rome

So the question we ask: “Is this a symbolic of global power, commerce and trade or is it a literal Babylon in Iraq, or is it a literal city representative of Babylon?”

In my studies I see this both a symbolic representation of a global system & Literal city

In seeing a literal place… where is it?

Is it Babylon resurrected in Iraq along the Euphrates river?

Is it some other great city that is indicative of Babylon?

I don’t know… some scholars say it can’t be in Iraq because the ships could not see it...

Fair point, but I also speak of Sept 11, 2001 and speak of where I was as I watched the smoke coming from the tower as I watched the second plane hit the other tower…

This aspect is not explicitly clear, what we do see is that this evil corrupt Great City Babylon and the global system of her godless rule is fallen, fallen! In this evil time we see God call out to those who still follow HIM… Revelation 18:4-7

Do Not Compromise!

In verses 4-7 we see God Himself calling those who are at this time NOT to compromise...

Be separated so you will not participate (there is fleshly appeal!)

There are consequences for those sins

To flirt with the world and its LURES is so dangerous...

There should be a MARKED DIFFERENCE for those who follow Jesus Christ!

James addresses this flirting in James 4:4

John clearly states where our affection and devotion should be as he writes 1 John 2:15-16

Paul calls for our FOCUS and MINDSET as he writes the Colossians 3:2 and to the Philippians he states “Our citizenship is in Heaven”

Did you notice the ARROGANCE & PRIDE coming from this city and system… “a queen but not a widow (self sufficient BABEL) never see mourning (arrogance untouchable)… Proverbs 16:18 comes to mind… “Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.”…

Throughout scripture we watch as God brings low the proud and arrogant and He does it one final time here with Babylon… Revelation 18:8-19

All Security Gone!

Is your security in your JOB… is it in your MARRIAGE… maybe your BANK ACCOUNT or INVESTMENTS… is it foolishly in those you VOTE FOR or ELECT…

These verses quickly demonstrate that the very things we have security in can vanish… John writes here “one hour”

Possibly referring to the earthquake God brought

It is ALL GONE… John goes into great detail to illustrate the overwhelming loss

ALL there hope and security was in this one great city Babylon and now she lay decimated as they stood and watched!

Her lust and power… Investments & wealth… products and goods… ALL GONE

John uses three groups here to illustrate this global collapse:

Kings or Rulers of the earth

The Merchants or Business of the world

The Ship-masters or Global Trade

In a moment, “an hour”, ALL POWER, COMMERCE, & TRADE are ALL GONE!!!

They are helpless to do anything “stand at a distance because of the fear of her torment”

“Woe, Woe” is their cry = intense hardship, heartache, and disaster

David would rightly declare in Psalm 20:7 “Some boast in chariots and some in horses, But we will boast in the name of the Lord, our God.”

The ONLY guaranteed security one will find is in a relationship with God Almighty through Jesus Christ...

This will be a collapse like never seen before, BUT...

If something similar happened today… HOW WOULD YOU RESPOND???

John writes next in Revelation 18:20 what our response should be and that God Almighty is doing this “for you and me”!!!

IF… THEN…

Let me close today with these few statements for us to consider and reflect on as it comes to our application of His Word today:

IF… God is in control and Jesus Christ is who He says He is

THEN… my security and hope should be in Him not things of this world (Lures & Luxuries)

IF… This life is but a vapor and all things will pass away “one hour”

THEN… I need to adjust my focus to eternal things and LIVE FOR HIM

IF… I live for HIM

THEN… I need to share the TRUTH, declare the GOSPEL, and live my life free of COMPROMISE!

John calls his readers to REJOICE… as we now move forward in Revelation there is much reason to rejoice, and things are much brighter

Jesus when He first came declared Himself as the “Light of the World” and as we move forward in the verses to come Jesus Christ is coming again and...

… things are going to get MUCH BRIGHTER!!!