The Fate of Babylon of the Great
Notes
Transcript
We are going to try cover chapter 17
QUESTIONS:
Who does Babylon the Great Represent?
She stands for the dominant world system of ungodliness.
This system also includes a religious system that claims faith in the One true God yet practices unfaithfulness with idols.
This is why she is called a harlot. She draws away the people of God from true faithfulness to spiritual adultery.
Who is she jojned with in chapter 17?
The beast
Who is the beast?
The Antichrist
What attribute of God does chapter 17 give that will be the reason for His victory over Babylon and the beast?
He is Lord of Lord’s and King of Kings
He is the supreme Ruler over ALL
At the end of the chapter, evil turns on itself and the ten horns (10 kings) hate the harlot and make her desolate. What is the reason Scripture gives for this?
Because God has put it in their hearts to do it
Which means even the evil of this world serves God
INTRODUCTION
Chapter 18 tonight continues the Fate of Babylon the Great.
The fall of Babylon
The fall of Babylon
Revelation 18:1–3 “After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illumined with his glory. And he cried out with a mighty voice, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird. “For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality.”
Explanation
This is a pronouncement by an authoritative representative of God. It is to announce to the world with God’s absolute authority as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords (and us) that the world system is doomed.
Who is Babylon the Great?
Babylon again is a representation of a world System that is against God. Power, pleasure, wealth, wordiness, and a false religious system.
It will be the grand empire that the Antichrist will rule in these final days during the tribulation period.
It also represents the world system that we see in our day that draws people away from the one true God to seek fulfillment in sinful things such as wealth, luxury, power, and pleasure, and arrogant pride.
This began all the way back in Gen 11 with the Tower of Babel. Men who rebelled against God and created ways to reach heaven on their own such as building the Tower of Babel. it was in their pride, self reliance, and defiance that received the judgement of God.
It is also the nation by which King Nebuchadnezzar led (Babylon) who conquered Jerusalem, burnt the temple, killed many of God’s people, and tried to force God’s people to worship its idols.
It would have also been Rome who conquered Israel, destroyed the second temple in AD, and influenced many to become unfaithful.
“For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her
v 3 gives us the reason she will fall: Because of her influence to cause people to commit adultery against God. That is why she is called a harlot in chapter 17. A harlot draws away a faithful spouse to be unfaithful with her.
QUESTION: What is spiritual adultery? How is it committed?
ANSWER: Adultery is to be unfaithful to one’s spouse. Marriage is a covenant commitment. A husband and wife commit themselves to each other, and the overflow of that commitment is a lifelong relationship of love and self-sacrifice. So our relationship to God is called in Scripture the church (bride) the groom (Jesus Christ). It is a marriage covenant we make with God and if we act unfaithfully, we commit spiritual adultery.
The call for God’s people who are committing spiritual adultery with Babylon is to come out of her so they will not be judged with her
The call for God’s people who are committing spiritual adultery with Babylon is to come out of her so they will not be judged with her
Revelation 18:4-8 I heard another voice from heaven, saying, “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues; for her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. “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. 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.’ “For this reason in one day her plagues will come, pestilence and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire; for the Lord God who judges her is strong.”
Explanation
“Come out of her my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive her plagues”
QUESTION: How do people commit spiritual adultery today? How are people unfaithful to God today?
Participating in patterns of sin
Unfaithfulness to the body of Christ and to the mission that Christ gave to the body
Rejecting the will of God
Supporting anti-God propaganda, even under religious terminology
Compromising their faith under worldly pressures
The call here by God for those people to come out of her (Babylon) so that they will not be judged with her
Principle: Those who live like the world lives are going to be judged with the world.
The deception in worldliness is that we can get away with it! we can be unfaithful to God and will not be judged by God for whatever reason! And that may seem to be true for many years in the lives of people.
People do get by with sin! People in the church who pretend to be lovers of God yet in reality love the world seem to get by with their sin!
But look what she says: “‘I sit as a queen and I am not a widow, and will never see mourning.”
This is an attitude of being untouchable! If I haven't been judged yet, then I will never be judged!
Application: And that is a danger that we all face with sin and unfaithfulness to God (to whatever degree of unfaithfulness we may find ourselves in) that we think consequences will never come.
That is the exact lie Satan would love for us to believe. I have a relationship with God therefore I can do what I want And nothing will ever come as a result of it.
But look what happens next:👇🏻
The judgement on Babylon is nearly instantaneously
The judgement on Babylon is nearly instantaneously
Revelation 18:9–19 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.’ “And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargoes any more— cargoes of gold and silver and precious stones and pearls 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, and 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 human lives. 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 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, the great city, she who was clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls; for in one hour such great wealth has been laid waste!’ And every shipmaster and every passenger and sailor, and as many as make their living by the sea, stood at a distance, and were 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 laid waste!’
Explanation
Three times in the section the phrase “in one hour” is repeated to emphasis the swiftness of her destruction.
The picture is of this great world empire that was so strong it was unstoppable! It had all the wealth, it had all the power, and it had the support of the entire world! All the kings of the earth supported it, looked to it, benefited from it. No one would have ever thought it could fall.
And God who is “strong” brought it to rubble in “an hour”
An hour is not to be taken literal, but symbolically.
But the point is that it will be swift, quick, unexpected, And shocking
Application
This is often the way God’s judgement comes. It comes suddenly, it comes after a great period of mercy, and then it comes harshly And irreversible
You take a look at the flood waters that came across the eastern United stages last week. It really is almost unbelievable how much destruction can come so quickly and instantly and unexpectedly.
I’m not saying that is part of God’s judgement, I’m just saying that is an example of how quickly things can fall apart.
I don’t think anyone expected that kind of destruction within a 24 hour time period
We need to understand the swiftness of God’s on sin
It may or may not take place in this
But make no mistake it will Absolutely take place
If not in ways like we see in this vision
Then certainly at the Great White Throne , when with a single word God will judge all who practice lawlessness
What was the nature of most of those who mourn over her? WEALTH AND PROSPERITY
The kings of the earth mourn because, “no one buys their cargo anymore”
The merchants stand back who became rich by her mourn “because in one hour her great wealth was laid to waste”
The shipmasters mounted over her “because all who ships at sea became rich by her wealth”
Point: Those who live for greed and riches will be judged with her.
We must never allow our lives to become one primarily guided by gaining riches, for that is a certain mark of one who has departed from their faithfulness to God.
Matthew 6:19–20 ““Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal”
The call to rejoice over her destruction
The call to rejoice over her destruction
Revelation 18:20-24 ““Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, because God has pronounced judgment for you against her. Then a strong 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 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 a lamp will not shine in you any longer; and the voice of the bridegroom and 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.””
Explanation
The love for justice
Has anyone just secretly desired deep down inside for people to get what they deserve?
It feels wrong to feel that way most of the time.
But justice is a part of God’s nature, and that justice is divine judgement.
It is not wrong to hope for the evil of this world to receive justice.
We must be careful that we do not become hateful and resentful
How do we have a right way to view justice?
I think it must be governed by is a love for the things that are right and a holy hatred for the things that are wrong. That is we love what God loves and we hate what God hates.
And we know what God loves because He tells us in His word!
And we know what God hates because He tells us plainly in His Word!
It must be trusted by the hands of God:
Psalm 19:9 “The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the Lord are true; they are righteous altogether.”
God judges righteously and perfectly
It must be exercised to some degree by mankind
Our Government is to execute justice
Romans 13:3–5 “For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil. Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience’ sake.”
Genesis 9:6 ““Whoever sheds man’s blood, By man his blood shall be shed, For in the image of God He made man.”
We must not overlook or trivialize or agree with what God calls sin
Proverbs 24:24–25 “He who says to the wicked, “You are righteous,” Peoples will curse him, nations will abhor him; But to those who rebuke the wicked will be delight, And a good blessing will come upon them.”
This does not mean hate people
It means call it what it is!
We are to stand against all wickedness no matter who is doing it.
