Sunday Morning Service (Revelation 18)

Revelation 18

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“Come Out Of Her!” •  11.15.20  •  Calvary Christian Fellowship, Sunday Morning Service

Intro.

- For the sake of review, I remind you that the Lord refers to the Kingdom of the Antichrist as "Babylon." It is comprised of two facets, the first of which is religious in nature.

- World religion will thrive behind the Antichrist until he declares himself to be God. At that point, the nations that are a part of the Antichrist's Kingdom, will rise up and crush religion forever.

- The Antichrist will rule with a single arm of his Kingdom left, the arm known as "Commercial Babylon," which is also centralized near Rome and monopolized by those who bear his mark.

- Babylon has always operated under a single charter: "Let us make a name for ourselves!" Whether in religion or in commerce, Babylon exists to convince men that they are their own end!

- Satan's Kingdom has either sought to persuade men to reach God by their own works or he has distracted men from the only pursuit that matters by setting their eyes on lesser things.

- Today, we watch the end of that Kingdom. We'll begin with "Heaven's Revelation." Verse 1.

Text

• Revelation 18:1-3 : "After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory. And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, 'Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird! For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury.'" : Another angel descends from heaven to Earth having "great authority. He has the liberty to act at will and his presence is hardly subtle.

- The entire Earth is filled with the light of his presence, a necessity given the darkness that had been imposed upon the Beast's Kingdom! (Revelation 16:10)

- His announcement to the world is marked with finality: "Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen!"

- This is the second time that we have seen this recorded in Revelation, the first being in 14:10. The first is a simple announcement. This precedes the answer given for it's fall.

- Commercial Babylon may have seemed to be benign in nature, but it's true power comes from the spirits that empower her influence. Babylon is a dwelling place for demons.

- Demons have found a comfortable home to settle themselves in. Every foul or lewd spirit is imprisoned here. Every unclean and hated bird has come to nest there.

- If you have ever wonder why it is that business is often attended by unusual wickedness, look closely at what the text is revealing! These are the spirits which move the wicked hearts of men.

- This has always been and is certainly true even now! Demonic lies abound as we crush ourselves to purchase things that will satisfy. Foul and lewd spirits tantalize our senses in advertising.

- Birds are often types of wicked spirits who oppose God's activity in the heart of men.

- They are allowed by God to continue to operate against God's people on Earth. A prime example of this is referred to in the Parable of the Sower.

- It is the birds that steal away the seed from it's recipient, a figure interpreted by Christ as being of Satan. (Mark 4:4,15) Is this not an apt picture? Babylon sells a false bill of goods.

- They swear that "This item will bring fulfillment." or that "This piece of gadgetry is all that you really need!" This is not a system of freedom and joy, but of bonds and bitterness.

- The imprisoned and the caged wish to drag you into their own environment and materialism is the perfect trap.

- Satan has used this system to draw men, nations, Kings and merchants, or "emporos" away from their God directed destiny, into full fledged and foul adultery!

- These capitalists have been in bed with Babylon and have been richly rewarded. They lived in an "abundance of her luxury," which refers to possessions above and beyond need.

- There is nothing wrong with having a prosperous business and being endowed with wealth, until it compromises you! This is the spirit behind verse 4.

• Revelation 18:4,5 : "And I heard another voice from heaven saying, 'Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities." : In the original language, there is no subtlety: "Get out now!" This is written in command language. This is not an invitation, but a final call to those that belong to God.

  - "You must come out of her now!" There can be no loyalty to a system that exists to distract men from yielding their hearts and attention to God! To remain united to her is a precarious notion.

- God is calling His people out in order for them to avoid "sharing" in her sins or receiving of her plagues. At some point, the people of God could not plead ignorance.

- There are times in a Christian's life when they are ignorant of complicity in sinful activity. However, when they are properly ingesting the Word and attending church, awareness rises quickly.

- For any that would be God's people at this time, there will be a clear understanding that to continue to cooperate with the Beast system will leave them in a compromised position before God.

- If they would stay, they would be partakers with Babylon's sins. Our word "communion" is tied up in this word. They would be partners, fellows in sin if they remained tied to Babylon.

 - When you align yourself with something that is so easily corrupting, before long, you are willing to share in it's values to maintain your position and soon, you are guilty of it's sins.

- Paul warned Timothy that the love of money was the root of all kinds of evil! (I Timothy 6:10)

- What would be worse is that these who would have decided to stay would have also shared in her judgment! The boils, the darkness, the gnawing of their tongues? Anyone want a part of that?

- It is possible to be saved and still be scarred by keeping oneself too close to the flames!

- God warns His people not to be in the same area! Don't be found near them or else you put yourself in danger of being harmed. Think about Lot and his family.

- He stayed close to Sodom and when judgment came, he barely had the spiritual stamina to escape. His wife was a casualty for the price of the greed that was sown in her. (Genesis 19:16-26)

- The beast's economic system will have piled their unrighteousness high enough to reach heaven! The Judge of all the Earth must take action and render judgment.

- We have made note of "Heaven's Revelations" of the insidious, demonic nature of the Beast's system and it's necessity for judgment. Verse 6 unveils "Heaven's Reasons."

• Revelation 18:6-8 : "Render to her just as she rendered to you, and repay her double according to her works; in the cup which she has mixed, mix double for her. In the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, ‘I sit as queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow.’ Therefore her plagues will come in one day—death and mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her." : The payment due to the Beast's system is to be what had been paid out. What had been paid out? She had executed millions of believers!

- This economic capital city of the end times will have consolidated all enterprise into a single location and from that location, authority had been granted to snuff out righteous life.

- God deems it right for her to be judged with a double portion. Double for her works and double for the cup of suffering that she has mixed for her enemies, God's people!

- Her cruelty and disregard for the lives of God's people have set her in line to be judged with great severity. The beast had touched the apple of God's eye! (Zechariah 2:8)

- God designs for Babylon to suffer in the same measure that she glorified herself. Her opulent life was tied to the wealth that she stole from mankind, which gave her an unequaled position.

- She has lived luxuriously or, as it reads literally, "deliciously!" The word picture is related to living off of delicacies. Every meal was gourmet and one of a kind. Her judgment will be one of a kind!

- It will be a reciprocal judgment of torture and grief! Why? Because of her haughty heart!

- Listen to her pride.She thinks herself beyond being touched with such sadness and misery! Her pride and insolence makes her believe that she will never face judgment.

- She will always have a husband. She won't know what it is like to mourn. The rich and godless have always believed this about themselves. Believers have often been fooled as well.

- Psalm 73 is a testimony of just such a person. A believer who only sees the temporal will soon be vexed in their spirit. Once they enter into the assembly of the Lord, their eyes are opened!

• Psalm 73:18-20 : "Surely You set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction. Oh, how they are brought to desolation, as in a moment! They are utterly consumed with terrors. As a dream when one awakes, so, Lord, when You awake, You shall despise their image." : And it will happen in one day! Death, mourning and famine. Isn't funny that financial systems still profit from these events?

- Commercial Babylon will no longer stand by and watch others experience death, mourning and famine. They will experience it by the very fire of God! Is this not a touch of irony?

- Last week, we learned that commercial Babylon burned religious Babylon to the ground with fire! The world will happily turn on religion, but it will be God who destroys commerce! How?

- Babylon has dwelt in uninterrupted luxury since the beginning of time! Men have poured their incomes into her banking systems over the entire life of this planet, to their soul's detriment.

- Mankind has bankrupted it's own soul over the love of her money! How could it all come crashing down in a single day? Because mighty is the Lord that has judged her!

- God's power in effecting change when the time is right will never be questioned again, as He chooses a day that Commercial Babylon will fall and fall mightily!

- "Heaven's Reasons" for commercial Babylon's judgment are just because of the cruelty she has imposed upon God's people and because of her pride at believing herself to be above God.

- As we come into this next section, we'll take note of "Humanity's Response." Verse 9.

• Revelation 18:9-14 : "The kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her will weep and lament for her, when they see the smoke of her burning, standing at a distance for fear of her torment, saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come.’ And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore: merchandise of gold and silver, precious stones and pearls, fine linen and purple, silk and scarlet, every kind of citron wood, every kind of object of ivory, every kind of object of most precious wood, bronze, iron, and marble; and cinnamon and incense, fragrant oil and frankincense, wine and oil, fine flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and bodies and souls of men. The fruit that your soul longed for has gone from you, and all the things which are rich and splendid have gone from you, and you shall find them no more at all." : The Kings of the Earth, the closest partners of Commercial Babylon and the most powerful of men, are reduced to helpless mourners!

- Their partner in fornication, spiritual adultery, is gone! They lived as she lived, in utter luxury. They are the first to be given the picture of their future, as Babylon goes up in smoke!

- They won't be able to control themselves. They will sob convulsingly and lament for her. This second word refers to beating one's breast.

- They'll be looking at their world go up in smoke, standing close enough to witness the burning, but far enough to view at a safe distance. Some believe this to refer to nuclear detonation.

- I believe that it will be far more potent than that! The Kings stand helpless and are forced to confess the truth. "In one hour, Your judgment has come!" This can only be the Lord's hand!

- The Kings have spoken and the Merchants add in their sorrow at the loss of their opportunity.

- Every precious commodity is gone. Every type of trade is over. Look at this list. The world of finance is crushed. Gold, silver, precious stones and pearls.

- The fashion world is bereft of fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet. Furnishing is devastated.

- Citron wood, "thyine" was a rare and prized North African tree, used in construction as an ornamental wood. From citron to marble, finish carpentry is finished!

- Add in the industries related to fragrances, food and fine transportation. It's all wasted!

- Each item represents the basis for the riches that these merchants valued the most. Notice at the end of the list though, the darker side. They traded in the bodies and souls of men!

- Given the moral state of men during the Great Tribulation, it isn't crazy to believe that men will once again literally be openly enslaved and sold into bondage.

- It may also mean that these precious items were all used as bait for the bodies and souls of men! Men gave their strength and vigor for these items.

- They sacrificed for them and made them the objects of their worship. Ultimately, the men of this world were willing to part with their souls to have these things!

- That's why the merchants are weeping: They have nothing to offer these worshippers any longer! They are bankrupt and hopeless!

- Their greatest desires, which were wrapped up in these luxury items, are gone and will never again be in their possession! All the rich, or "fatty" items and the splendid, "bright" objects are gone!

- They are vanishing from before their eyes! Listen to their response in verse 15.

• Revelation 18:15-19 : "The merchants of these things, who became rich by her, will stand at a distance for fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, and saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city that was clothed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls! For in one hour such great riches came to nothing.’ Every shipmaster, all who travel by ship, sailors, and as many as trade on the sea, stood at a distance and cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, ‘What is like this great city?’ They threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and wailing, and saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city, in which all who had ships on the sea became rich by her wealth! For in one hour she is made desolate.’" : Like the Kings, the merchants have derived their wealth from Babylon.

- Like the Kings, they stand helpless, weeping and wailing at the prospect of such a fine entity being judged in a single hour! Listen closely to their words:

- "For in one hour, such great riches came to nothing!" Can what you live for be taken away from you in a single hour? Can you be brought to nothing by losing something here on Earth!?

- We must be careful of where our treasure is! Where our treasure is, our hearts will be also! (Matthew 6:21) The Kings and the Merchants have spoken. Listen to the ship captains.

- Commercial Babylon will be centralized somewhere near Rome, by a port city. There are several options. The docks are usually festive places, with men returning home from great success.

- When these men returned, all they found was a burning heap! The home they thought they were returning to is gone and their hearts are broken! Where else are they going to go?

- All commerce begins and ends with this city and now, it's gone! They have no other prospect to maintain their wealth!

- As you can see, the mood on the Earth is bleak and depressing. Unredeemed humanity is weeping as one that has lost a family member. The tone in heaven is quite different. Verse 20.

• Revelation 18:20 : "Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you holy apostles and prophets, for God has avenged you on her!'" : Babylon's fall is not a cause for mourning in heaven! It is an occasion for great joy! All of heaven will be celebrating on this day!

- Every saint, every holy apostle and every prophet is invited to enjoy this victory! Why?

- For the entire history of mankind, God's people have sought to persuade men that the only worthy recipient of worship is the Lord Jesus. The only place worth our investment is heaven!

- I stand in this line, practically begging those who are listening, not to give in to the temptation to believe that this world holds value above the value of God.

- I will not garner much of an audience, but there are men, holy Apostles and prophets, who have lost their lives on account of this testimony.

- The Beast's system will have snuffed out many lives, but God will have the final say!

- We have looked upon "Heaven's Revelation" regarding the nature of Commercial Babylon and "Heaven's Reasons" for it's judgment.

- We have witnessed "Humanity's Response," as unredeemed men mourned on Earth and redeemed men celebrated in heaven! As we close, witness "Heaven's Revenge!" Verse 21.

• Revelation 18:21-24 : "Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, 'Thus with violence the great city Babylon shall be thrown down, and shall not be found anymore. The sound of harpists, musicians, flutists, and trumpeters shall not be heard in you anymore. No craftsman of any craft shall be found in you anymore, and the sound of a millstone shall not be heard in you anymore. The light of a lamp shall not shine in you anymore, and the voice of bridegroom and bride shall not be heard in you anymore. For your merchants were the great men of the earth, for by your sorcery all the nations were deceived. And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who were slain on the earth.'" : Millstones were flat stones that were used for crushing grains into flour. This is the closest object that John could compare this with.

- With one mighty thrust, Commercial Babylon is crushed under the weight of a heavenly millstone and is buried at sea! Do the Lord's words not burn in your ears?

• Matthew 8:6 : "But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea." : God has seen the little ones who have been stumbled in their walk with Him. He has seen the sin that has resulted and He has not forgotten!

- There are six chapters in the Bible that address the fall of Babylon, the two were have just studied and their counterparts: Isaiah 13 and 14, as well as Jeremiah 50 and 51.

- Chapter 18 is truly the fulfillment of Jeremiah's words in particular. Listen to his conclusion.

• Jeremiah 51:60-64 : "So Jeremiah wrote in a book all the evil that would come upon Babylon, all these words that are written against Babylon. And Jeremiah said to Seraiah, 'When you arrive in Babylon and see it, and read all these words, then you shall say, ‘O Lord, You have spoken against this place to cut it off, so that none shall remain in it, neither man nor beast, but it shall be desolate forever.’ Now it shall be, when you have finished reading this book, that you shall tie a stone to it and throw it out into the Euphrates. Then you shall say, ‘Thus Babylon shall sink and not rise from the catastrophe that I will bring upon her. And they shall be weary.’" : Like a stone thrown into the ocean, Babylon will never again resurface! All of it's fanfare will have gone with it!

- Entertainment, technical service, and food service will all be gone. You won't be able to find a small light here, neither will you hear the joy of honeymooners!

- The joy and the livelihood that this city brought to men is no more because it is no more!

- Their merchants exerted the greatest influence! They were the great, the significant men who laid out a deceptive course for mankind! They led is spreading Babylon's sorcery!

- Virtually every time we run into the word "sorcery," we run into the word for "pharmacy." The world was led astray by her drug induced revelry. This does include actual drug use.

- In the world, the most profitable commodities are "weapons." The second most profitable commodity are illegal drugs, followed by prescription drugs!

- That being said, this sorcery is the maniacal drug addicted state of a world that exists in an altered state of reality! They are led to believe that their holdings are real and untouchable.

- No wonder it was a place of violence against the prophets and the saints, as well as all the other men who forfeited their lives for Babylon's gain!

Conclusion
- "Heaven's Revelation" is that there is a spiritual host that drives our coveting hearts. "Heaven's Reasons" for commercial Babylon's judgment is merited because of her cruelty.

- She has been responsible for taking the lives of men and women who belonged to Him, cutting their lives short because they would not bow their knees to her.

- "Humanity's Response" on Earth will be excessive, as they mourn the loss of their wealth and opportunity, while redeemed men cheer in heaven at God's justice!

- "Heaven's Revenge" will be complete when God eradicates this corrupt system and drowns it in the sea forever! What is our word for today? "Come out of her!"

- Don't let yourself be contaminated by her virtues and thus be guilty of her sins. Don't let your hearts be entangled with her, lest you share in the grief that will come her way!

- Ultimately, it is your call to check your hearts before God, to ask Him to reveal to you, where your true treasure is. Can it be taken from you in an hour or will it survive for eternity?

- Jesus, the One who left eternity to take on human flesh, died to free us from this commercial bondage and to set us in the heavenlies with Him.

- He tells us to consider these words: "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also!" May that word grant us the wisdom we need for this day.