The Fall of Babylon, Part 3

Turn with me in your Bible to Revelation chapter 18. We're going to finish this chapter this evening, Lord willing. And the only way we won't finish it is if the Lord returns. And that would be a good thing. But we're talking about the fall of Babylon and God's judgment upon this city and upon this system that's controlled by the Antichrist. You know, the Bible speaks a lot about. The day of God's judgment. The Bible has warned man, even from the oldest book in the Old Testament, the book of Job.

Way back in Job chapter 21, verse number 30, it says, For the wicked is reserved for the day of calamity. They will be led forth at the day of fury. God is a God who will judge the world. He will judge all the ungodly. He will judge all the unrighteous. He will repay them, for he says that vengeance is his, and he will repay. When you come to the book of Revelation, through Revelation chapter 6 all the way through chapter 16, we have been studying about the judgments of God upon this world. When you come to Revelation 17 and Revelation chapter 18, you have the world system as it exists during the time that God judges.

The world. Revelation 17 speaks of the religious establishment that's set up by the false prophet. And then overrun by the Antichrist. And in Revelation chapter 18, you had the political and economic structure of the world and exactly what's going to be taking place on earth as the seal, bowl, and trumpet judgments. Are being unleashed upon the world. We've been studying Revelation chapter 18, which talks to us about the world's economic and political structure. At the time that God judges the world.

Chapter 19, you have the return of Jesus Christ. But before he returns, he wants you to understand ex what is going to take place in the world and how the world's government is going to be established and set up, and how man is going to have his day. In fact, the greatest of all man's day will be during the seven-year tribulational period. Although it's a time of fury and wrath. It is still man's greatest day. It's man's greatest day because man loves his sin more than he loves God, and Satan will help him have a heyday, even though the world is falling apart around him.

Before God has his day, man has his. And when Jesus Christ returns, God will set up. His kingdom. We've been looking at the judgment of that structure by looking at, first of all, the announcement of that judgment in verses 1 to 3 of Revelation chapter 18.

We move from there to look at the avoidance of judgment, how the people in Babylon were to come out of that city so that they might not participate in her iniquities nor Participate in the plagues that will come upon the people who dwell there.

And we left off last night with point number three: the analysis of judgment. As we analyze this judgment, there's a decree that's given. It's a decree given by the angel that says, God, they need to get what they deserve. So, Lord, we want you to give them exactly what they des. It's Lex Tel, the law of retaliation: an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. And now, Lord, it's time for you to finally pay back the evil in the world, to pay back man for all that he has done as he blasphemes the name of God.

So the angel comes and gives the dec, and then you have the degree of that judgment. And we want to pick that up at the end of verse number 6. It says, pay her back. even as she has paid, and give back to her double according to her deeds. In the cup which she has mixed, mix twice as much. For her, as we look at the degree of this judgment, you must understand that the angel is asking God to give back double.

Or double the double things, literally in the Greek. It's important. Because her iniquity is excessive, her judgment then must be. Excessive. So double the double things. There's no more time, no more room for repentance. There has been ample opportunity for man to turn from his sin, but now it's time to pay him back. That's where we are in Revel chapter 18. People who decide they want to disobey the Lord. This is the sixth reference to the cup of wickedness. And it's the third to the cup of God's wrath, and both of them are used in the same verse.

When you come down to verse number seven, it says To the degree that she glorified herself and lived sensuously, to the same degree, give her torment and mourning. For she says in her heart, I sit as a queen, and I am not a widow, and will never see. Mourning. Oh, the arrogance of the city, the arrogance of the system, the arrogance of those who buy into the system. I am a queen. I will never be a widow. I will never be childless. I will always have what I want. The angel addresses primarily her self-glorification.

her self gratification, her self ex. This woman has lived sensuously. She has done whatever she wanted to do. The lusts of her life have been filled up. She says in her own self that I am a queen. Nobody can move me. Nobody will thwart my purposes. Nobody will change my life. I sit as a queen, and therefore I can do whatever it is I want to do. And so verse 8 comes: for this reason, what a reason? Because of her self-exaltation, because of her self-gratification, because of her self-glorification.

For this reason, the text says, in one day, her plagues will come, pestilence or death. and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire. For the Lord God who judges her is Strong in one day. Question comes: Is that a literally just one day, one twenty-four hour period? Or one sixty minute period, one twenty four hour day. What is that? Personally, I believe it's in one day. There are some commentators who think it's just representative of a brief period of time. But the text says, The Lord God who judges her is strong.

Even though there is a deadly disease, such as pestilence, which would lead to mourning, which would lead to famine, which would lead to the burning up of this city. Because God is strong, I believe he can make all that happen in one day. The Bible says in Job 42:2, I know that you can do all things, and no purpose of yours can be thwarted.

That's how strong God is. Isaiah 14, 27 says, For the Lord of hosts has planned, who can frustrate it, and as for his stretched out hand, who can turn it back? God is strong. God's purposes will not be changed. God's purposes will be accomplished. And God will burn the city. God will destroy. The city. That is the analysis of judgment by looking at its decree and looking at its degree. Pay her back. Pay her back fully. Pay her back completely, God, for all that she has done. Which leads us to point number four: the acknowledgement of judgment.

The acknowledgement of judgment. The world's going to acknowledge the fact that this great city, Babylon, is being judged. The monarchs will acknowledge it. The merchants will acknowledge it, and the mariners will acknowledge it, and all men will acknowledge the fact that Babylon is being destroyed. It says in verse number 9, and the kings of the earth who committed acts of immorality and lived sensuously with her will weep. And lament over her when they see the smoke of her burning, standing at a distance.

Because of the fear of her torment, saying, Woe, woe, the great city Babylon, the strong city, for in one hour your judgment. Has come. Notice that they weep over the city.

They don't weep because of their iniquity. That's very interesting. God has given them opportunity, ample opportunity, to mourn over their sin, to weep because of their iniquity, but they love their sin. And the focal point of their empire is being destroyed. And so the monarchs, the kings of the earth, begin to weep. And then, not only the monarchs, but the merchants. It says, and the merchants of the earth. Weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes any. I can think of a lot of things to cry about during the tribulational period.

One of them is not whether or not I could buy or sell anything. But these people are weeping not because. Of their lost souls, but because of their lost sal. It's interest the things that are listed here. Purely mon. John sees them through his eyes. John is able to understand a little bit about the wealth of the system as he observes what They mourn over. It says cargoes of gold and silver and precious stones and pearls. We pretty much know what that is. And fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and every kind of citron wood, and every article of ivory, and every article made from very costly wood, and bronze, and iron, and marble.

Everything that can be put together because of very, very valuable wood, and because of iron, and because of marble, all kinds of furniture, all kinds of buildings, all kinds of objects. Put together by very valuable materials are all being destroyed. They begin to mourn over them. Scarlet is a colored garment. Citron wood is a North African wood that comes from the citrus tree. It was valued because of its color. But I read through this and I begin to realize that business is as usual for these people.

Nothing changes for them despite the fact that the sky has fallen. des the fact that one third of the sea is destroyed, despite the fact that many of them have been stung by scorpions, despite the fact that many of them have died, despite the fact that the world is falling apart, They are still into building furniture.

They are still into business transactions. They are still into the almighty dollar. There's still that lust for greed, that lust for gain. They still want to get more. It says in verse. Number 13, in cinnamon and spice, and incense and perfume, and frankincense, and wine, and olive oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and cattle, and sheep, and cargoes of horses, and chariots, and slaves, and in human lives. I find it very interesting that the word for chariot is the word for four-wheel wagons. John saw SUVs, man.

Suburbans, expeditions, explorers. He didn't know how to describe them. He just said they were four-wheeled wagons, man. And evidently, they would be able to get to and from places because of. Of ships and mariners who would be able to take them wherever they needed to be, but that was no longer going to happen because everything was being destroyed. Slaves. Slaves? Yeah. Antich will be in the slave market. It says in verse number 14, And the fruit you long for has gone from you, and all things that were luxurious and splendid have passed away from you.

And men will no longer find them. The Bible is so true. The world is passing away, and the lust thereof. It's all going to be gone. He who does the will of God abides forever. That's why Christ says, Don't love the world.

It's all going to be gone. It's all going to be burned up. Christ said, What's done a profit of man if he gains the whole world? Yet loses his own soul. Yet man is still into the gain of the world in him. He's still into possessions. He's still into buying more and more things. Then it says In verse number 15, the merchants of these things, who became rich from her, will stand at a distance because of the fear of her torment. weeping and mourning, saying, Woe, woe to the great city, she who was clothed in fine linen.

in purple, scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls for in one hour such great wealth has been laid waste this great city See, we've missed this. Babylon is in that fertile crescent. Babylon is that center location of the world. Listen very carefully. Babylon is where the Garden of Eden once was. It's in the central location of the world. It's the hub of the world. You have. Asia to the east. You have Europe to the west. You have Africa to the south. You have the great masses of people located there.

This is the central location of the world. And these merchants look back and say, oh, this great and lovely city, this beautiful place, nothing has ever been adorned like the great city Babylon. And it's being destroyed. It's being devastated. And they stand at a distance. Because of its torment. Again, it's that word to torture. Can you imagine they're hearing the cries of people being tortured? Being burned and being destroyed because of pestilence and disease, because of famine, and because God is strong and paying them back double for all their iniquity.

The cries echo through the valley of Armageddon. They echo through the valley of Jehoshaphat. They echo throughout the land of Jerusalem. Because of the torment, the torture that God brings upon them. So you have the monarchs, you have the merchants, and you have the mariners. Verse number. 17. And every shipmaster, and every passenger, and sailor, and as many as make their living by the sea, stood at a distance. Stood at a distance. And we're crying out as they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like the great city?

And they threw dust on their heads, and were crying out, weeping, and mourning, saying, Woe, woe, the great city in which all who had ships at sea became rich by her wealth For in one hour, she has been la waste. But there is something else. You move from the acknowledgment of judgment to the acclaim. For judgment, there is an applause, there is a rejoicing. It says in verse number twenty: Rejoice over her, O heaven! And you saints and apostles and prophets, because God has pronounced judgment for you against her.

Two things I want you to see about the acclaim for judgment. Number one, the rejoicing, and number two, the reason.

Oh, heavens. O heavens, all that are in heaven, all the heavenly hosts, all those of the church age, all those who are martyred saints. All believers, all apostles, all prophets, all missionaries, all preachers, all you in heaven rejoice! Because everything you have looked forward to, everything you have longed for, is now happening exactly as God said it would God is faithful. The reason God has pronounced judgment for you For you. God did exactly what He said He was going to do. He did it for you.

You were killed because of your stance. You were mocked because of your stand. And God says, if you do it to the least of these, my brethren, you've done it as unto me.

He did it for you. For you. So get happy, heaven. Rejoice when the earth suffers. Why? What's the reason? Because righteousness has triumphed. That's why. And lastly, Number six, the accomplishment of judgment. We've looked at the announcement of judgment. The avoidance of judgment, the analysis of judgment, the acknowledgment of judgment, the acclaim for judgment, and now the accomplishment of judgment And three things I want you to see. Number one, the calamity.

Number two, the consequences. And number three, the ca. First of all, the calamity. And a strong angel took up a stone, like a great millstone, and threw it into the sea, saying, Thus will Babylon, the great city, be thrown down with violence. And will not be found any longer. And the sound of harpists and musicians and flute players and trumpeters will not be heard in you. Any longer. And no craftsman of any craft will be found in you any longer. And the sound of a mill will not be heard in you any longer.

And the light of the lamp will not shine in you any longer. And the voice of the bridegroom and the bride will not be heard in you. Any longer. For your merchants were the great men of the earth. Because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery. And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints. And of all who have been slain on the earth. First of all, notice with me the calamity.

It says, That this angel takes a great millstone and throws it into the se. Thus, Babylon, the great city. Will be thrown down with violence and will not be found any longer. And the voice of the bridegroom and the bride will be No longer. What the writer is telling us is that as life is, the normal things of life, lights, marriage, Sales, those normal things will cease to exist because the consequences for sin are great. It says That the sound of harpists, musicians, flute play, and trumpeters will no longer be heard in you.

There's a part of me who would like to, I wish God would do that now. Some of the music that we listen to is so bad. But one day, you know what? There's not going to be any more music. God's going to stop all worldly music. It's going to be over. He's going to destroy all those who write it, all those who sing it, and all those who love it. He's going to destroy them all because it will not be found any longer. Why? It's ungodly. It goes against what God stands for, it doesn't glorify his name. It glorifies man's sin.

And the cause, the cause for all this, very simply this: because all the nations were deceived. They were deceived by sorcery, and in her was found the blood of prophets. And of saints, and of all who have been slain on the earth. It was a materialistic system. It was a murderous system. It was a me, myself, and I system. It was all about me. And God says, because of that.

Because of your worldwide deception, because you worry about truth, you worry about me, you will no longer exist. Vengeance is mine. I will repay, says the Lord. If you look down just to verse number two of chapter nineteen.

It says, hallelujah, into verse number one, salvation and glory and power belong to God. Because his judgments are true and righteous. For he has judged the great harlot who is corrupting the earth with their immorality. And he has avenged the blood of his bonds on her. Hallelujah. Praise the Lord. Next week, we're going to talk about what it means to praise the Lord. Revelation 19:1 to 6 give you the full, the four reason for praising God. And one of the things you praise Him for is because of His vengeance, because of His power.

Because of his ability to destroy, ability to destroy evil, its influence, and sin. This is where the world's going. This is a good chapter for us to understand. For those of us who love money. For those of us who love materialism, for those of us who love the world, for people who love music. For people who love marriage, for people who love what the world has to offer, it's all going to be gone. God says so, because the world's passing away and everything in it, and the only thing that last are the people who do the will of God.