11-24-2019 Celebrate Good Times Revelation 18:20-19:5
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Introduction:
As we have been going through the book of Revelation for this past year there has been plenty of passages dealing with gruesome suffering, intense pain, and premature death both on the side of the believers as well as the unbelievers. Up to this point, there has not been a whole lot of positive things happening when compared to all the negative things so far. Things are about to change dramatically!
Transition:
We now enter the wrap-up stage of Babylon’s destruction that started back in chap. 17. The laments of Babylon’s codependents we looked at last week, are now contrasted with the rejoicing of the righteous in our passage this morning. God’s people are to now celebrate God’s judgment of the “great city” (18:20). This command is followed by the announcement of Babylon’s certain destruction (18:21), which focuses upon what is now forever gone six times with the repeated phrase “no more” from the wicked city.
Scripture Reading:
Revelation 18:20–19:5
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.”
1 After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,
2 for his judgments are true and just; for he has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality, and has avenged on her the blood of his servants.”
3 Once more they cried out, “Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up forever and ever.”
4 And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who was seated on the throne, saying, “Amen. Hallelujah!”
5 And from the throne came a voice saying, “Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, small and great.”
Babylon’s wickedness is more specifically arrogance, deception of the nations, and the murdering of the saints. The “rejoicing” of chap. 18:20 extends to heaven in chapter 19 as a great multitude praises God for condemning the great prostitute and avenging the blood of his servants. Finally, all of heaven worships God and offers him praise. This passage is a big transition! It concludes the judgment, and it also introduces the next major section on the final victory of God beginning in 19:6. The celebration of heaven at the overthrow of Babylon prepares for even more rejoicing at Jesus’s return (19:6–8).
Transition:
There have been times when God has dramatically defeated the enemies of his covenant people, resulting in praise and rejoicing. After the Lord rescues Israel from the pursuing Egyptians, Moses and the Israelites sing a song of praise to God (Exod. 15:1–21; cf. Deut. 32:43). Speaking of God’s coming judgment against ancient Babylon, the prophet Jeremiah speaks words echoed years later in Revelation 18–19: “For the time will surely come when I will punish the idols of Babylon; her whole land will be disgraced and her slain will all lie fallen within her. Then heaven and earth and all that is in them will shout for joy over Babylon, … Babylon must fall because of Israel’s slain, just as the slain in all the earth have fallen because of Babylon” (Jer. 51:47–49). In other words, there are times when the most appropriate response to God’s judgment of evil is rejoicing.
I. A Call to Rejoice 18:20–24
I. A Call to Rejoice 18:20–24
Whereas in chapter 11:10 the earth dwellers rejoiced at the death of the two witnesses, now the heavens and God’s people (and her leaders: apostles and prophets) are commanded to “rejoice” over his judgment of Babylon.
Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, for God has given judgment for you against her!”
They are not rejoicing at the suffering of the wicked or satisfying any kind of lust for revenge but celebrating God’s victory over evil and his faithfulness to his suffering people. Their faith wasn’t in vain. God is faithful. Evil will not win! They rejoice “because [NIV: “for”] God has judged the judgment of you from her” (author’s literal translation) or “God has judged her judgment of you.” God has finally answered the saints’ cry for vindication first presented in 6:9–11 (cf. also 11:18; 15:4; 16:5–6; Jer. 51:49). A legal scene is in view. Since God’s people have already been condemned in Babylon’s “courtroom,” now Babylon will be condemned in God’s courtroom
We rejoice when God judges evil, not when people suffer
We rejoice when God judges evil, not when people suffer
In Drama: Perhaps you’ve experienced it yourself. An amazing piece of theater has played a tragic story. You have been moved. You feel outraged. You have felt compassion and the connection that comes when the fiction of characters on a stage touches something true and deep about your life.
The curtain falls. A silent pause. A burst of applause. Is the audience applauding the tragedy and brokenness? No, they are applauding the truth and rightness of the play. They applaud how story has looked at life unflinchingly and given it an explanation.
On the day God brings judgment, we are not called to applaud the tragedy of human lives under judgment. We are to applaud the God who does all things well.
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;
For the third time in this book, we see a “mighty angel” (cf. 5:2; 10:1). This time, the angel participates in throwing a huge boulder into the sea to illustrate symbolically the judgment of Babylon (cf. Jer. 51:63–64; Ezek. 26:12, 21). The millstone was not a small stone used to grind grain by hand but a huge stone that weighed several tons and was turned by a donkey or mule hence Jesus’ warning in Mark 9:42:
“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.
But Babylon, just like these twisted adults, is still part of Jesus’ creation
Illustration:
Sadly, when God’s judgment falls, the good things of life are lost along with the bad
Bible: The book of Jonah is interesting for many reasons—a clueless prophet meets repentant pagans, sparks a revival, encounters a supernatural plant, and, in the end, still doesn’t get it. One of the more curious parts of the book comes at the very end in Jonah 4:11. God speaks of the pity he wants to show Nineveh, counting not only the people of the city but the cattle as well.
And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?”
In other words, God himself pities the world he has made when he must bring judgment—the people and the cattle! His concern extends to all the works of his hand, humans and animals alike.
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.
“The music … No worker of any trade … The sound of a millstone … The light of a lamp … The voice of bridegroom and bride will never be heard in you no more.”
The violent defeat of the wicked city results in the loss of the city’s life. Just as Babylon (first-century Rome) had persecuted Christians economically (e.g., exclusion from the trade guilds), so God’s judgment of Babylon now affects the entire economic system. Six times the phrase “NO MORE” or in some translations: “never … again” occurs in 18:21–23 to display what has been taken from the city: music, commerce, food, light, and not even marriage.
Here we see three reasons why God has judged Babylon. First:
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.
“your merchants were the great ones of the earth”
her merchants were the “great ones of the earth.” In other words, her representatives and chief promoters glorified themselves rather than God, and such arrogance and the complete absence of humility calls for judgment.
Second,
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.
“all nations were deceived by your sorcery.”
through her magic spell or sorcery she deceived the nations. Although the practice of magic was a major problem in first-century Asia, the reference here is probably figurative, equating Babylon’s idolatrous materialism with a spell she cast over the nations to deceive them.
Third, Babylon has murdered God’s people
And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all who have been slain on earth.”
God’s servants are listed in a variety of ways throughout this section: “my people” (18:4), “people of God,” “apostles and prophets” (18:20), “prophets” (18:24), “God’s holy people” (18:24; 19:8), “his servants” (19:2, 5), and “brothers and sisters who hold to the testimony of Jesus” (19:10). What’s more, Babylon’s passion for death extends beyond God’s people. She is now held responsible for murdering unbelievers also. Beale notes that “nothing will be found in Babylon in the future because blood was found in her in the past” (note the wordplay using “was found” in 18:21–22 and 18:24).
Transition:
The exhortation for God’s people to rejoice in 18:20 becomes the basis for the hallelujah chorus in 19:1–5.
II. A great multitude in heaven praises God (19:1–3)
II. A great multitude in heaven praises God (19:1–3)
After the destruction of Babylon, John hears this group that represents the church triumphant and had appeared in 7:9.
After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,
This is the only place in the New Testament where the word hallelujah is found, and it occurs in verses 1, 3, 4, and 6. The word is from a combination of two Hebrew words, halal and Jah, meaning “Praise Yahweh”. They shout more literally: “Praise Yahweh” for his judgment of the wicked city, and they attribute to YHWH not only “glory and power” but also “salvation”, that signifies something larger than personal deliverance here—namely, “the safeguarding of God’s entire redemptive program.” —from beginning to end
God deserves praise because his judgments flow out of his character as a faithful and righteous God
for his judgments are true and just; for he has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality, and has avenged on her the blood of his servants.”
“has avenged on her the blood of his servants.”
He has not excused or ignored evil, and he has not failed to rescue his suffering people. Now, because Babylon is punished for the martyrdoms earlier attributed to the earth dwellers, it appears that Babylon is also a corporate image for the earth dwellers.
The cry of Rev 6:10:
They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”
It has at last been answered
Once more they cried out, “Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up forever and ever.”
God’s judgment of the adulterous and corrupting prostitute is fair, decisive, and final.
Transition:
III. The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures praise God (19:4)
III. The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures praise God (19:4)
For the last time in Revelation we meet the elders and the living creatures, the angelic worship leaders who in this context lead all of creation in celebration of God’s justice
And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who was seated on the throne, saying, “Amen. Hallelujah!”
We have come full circle back to Revelation 4–5 and the magnificent worship of the sovereign Lord, seated on his throne.
The twenty-four elders and the four living beings we’ve seen before in chapter 4. They join the vast crowd in praise to God. They fell down in worship, indicating a position of total humility and subservience — this is true worship!
The term “amen,” meaning truly or “let it be so,” affirms the preceding praise in 19:1–3
Today there is praise going on around the Throne and toward the Father in Heaven – can you imagine it?
Stop for a moment-- Can you picture your loved ones who have gone before us waiting to show this to you?
- If ever there was a reason to finish the race, this worship service is it
-- It is what we wait for … it is the reward for our faithfulness
Illustration:
Human Experience:
When buying a home, one is usually required to offer an earnest payment, a kind of deposit indicating an honest intention to purchase. The payment signals to the seller that the buyer “means business.” God has done much more than that for us in his promise to vindicate his people. After all, he demonstrated his commitment to this vindication in the blood of his own Son. More than that, he vindicated his Son, bringing him back from the grave. Surely, he is earnest
We have got to get serious about worship in this life.
SO starting next week, we will start to “Pass the plate” during the main service in order to give our offerings a proper place as a part of worship. This is a decision that the Deacons and I made together so that we might prove our monies as belonging to our Father and as a true form of worship.
-- APP: If we are not willing to do this, how can we, as a church, claim Him as our Lord?
So What? (19:5)
So What? (19:5)
So it is okay to celebrate! We are commanded by the Father to praise and to rejoice:
And from the throne came a voice saying, “Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, small and great.”
As a result, we see three groups praising God for His justice:
the great multitude in heaven (19:1),
the elders and living creatures (19:4),
and now all of God’s servants on earth (19:5)—those from every class of society who fear the Lord or reverence him in a manner that results in worship and obedience
While this passage conveys important truths about rejoicing and judgment, a caution is first in order.
We should not confuse rejoicing over God’s judgment of evil powers with the suffering of sinners. The celebration comes because God’s justice has finally been administered, not because we seek revenge or delight in seeing deceived people suffer. We praise God because He is faithful to bring down evil rulers and kingdoms that have deceived the nations and ruthlessly oppressed His people. YHWH has shown Himself faithful and vindicated His people. For this, He deserves authentic, enthusiastic praise!
1. We must resist the temptation to join in the sins of Babylon: arrogance, deception, and murder.
1. We must resist the temptation to join in the sins of Babylon: arrogance, deception, and murder.
We have to be careful not to allow the luxury and power of any present-day power house Babylon to draw us into idolatry and immorality. Babylon deceives by promising life and happiness and prosperity, while fostering greed and delivering bondage and death. Her prideful rejection of the one true God, her selfish misleading of humanity, and her uncompromising intolerance of those who confess Jesus as Lord should be enough warning, but God’s people still need to be commanded, “Come out of her, my people” (18:4). This passage presents a clear opportunity to help people come to grips with what they are really pursuing in life. Where do our loyalties and priorities lie? Joining in Babylon’s sins leads to certain judgment, a judgment that also includes the loss of good and wholesome things such as music, work, food, light, and marriage.
2. The righteous must continue to trust that God will bring justice on the earth.
2. The righteous must continue to trust that God will bring justice on the earth.
Most scholars/commentators see this passage linked in some way to God’s answer to the prayers of the martyred saints in 6:9–11. How long, O Lord? Answer: a little longer. But one day God will bring justice. One day God will answer. It’s reminiscent of Jesus’s conclusion to the parable of the persistent widow in Luke 18:1–8: in verse 7 Jesus says:
7 And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? 8 I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
In the meantime, believers who are persecuted and oppressed continue to trust and pray and endure, knowing that God will one day vindicate his suffering people because he is true and just in character. We can rest assured that wicked tyrants will be brought to justice.
So What?
So What?
IN Conclusion:
God’s people are called to rejoice at the demonstration of God’s righteous judgments.
Evil power centers are guilty of arrogance, deception, and murder.
God will avenge the suffering of his people.
God is to be praised for his just and true judgments as reflections of his righteous and faithful character.
We must give proper, wholistic worship!