Last Time We Looked at God's Judgment On

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INTRODUCTION: • Last time we looked at God’s judgment on Spiritual Babylon referred to as mystery Babylon, the mother of harlots • Babylon was the birthplace of all false religions, the first created by Nimrod who deified himself and his mother Semiramis into the worship of the Queen of Heaven and her son Tammuz. • False religions have destroyed countless numbers of lives throughout history • This week we look at the fall of another evil system that has destroyed countless number of lives throughout history... commercialism • Commercialism is built on greed and it promises to satisfy the hunger in men’s hearts • God created in the heart of man a thirst for God and Jesus refers to this in John 7:37 when He said... if any man thirsts, let him come to Me and drink • He wasn’t talking about emotional or physical thirst, but a thirst in the spirit of man for God • The Commercial Advertisers recognize that people are trying to satisfy this deep inner longing with some experience or material possession • The vape companies used social media to hook the youth by selling them the lie that vaping will improve the lives of adult smokers • They post images on Instagram with beautiful people, looking cool, kissing and they sell the image if you vape, you’ll be cool and beautiful and find the girl or guy of your dreams • They don’t tell you vaping causes irreparable lung damage that is far worse than smoking • The documentary on the Fyre Festival showed how commercialism created the image of being with famous people, beautiful models, licentious living and in the end it was all a lie • God hates any system that takes advantage of people • The angel calls this system Babylon the great • The Code of Hammurabi established rules and procedures that have influenced modern day banking institutions. • The first banks were established in Babylonian Temples, • The first real estate loans, venture capitalists, commercial investments • The Babylon of Chapter 18 represents political Babylon, the center of commercialism during the time of the antichrist

Revelation 18:1–2 (NKJV) 18 After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory. 2 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!

Chapter 18 begins with meta tauta... after these things • After God judges the mystery Babylon, God will judge Babylon the great • The spiritual is always the cause of the physical • John sees another angel coming down from heaven with great authority and the earth was illuminated with his glory • Ezekiel saw a vision of the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east in Ezekiel 43:2 and Ezekiel says the earth shone with His glory • John hears the angel say Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen and has become a dwelling place of demons • This is not the same fall in Revelation 17:16-17 • Isaiah prophesied Babylon is fallen, is fallen and all the carved images of her gods He has broken to the ground (Isaiah 21:9) • Jeremiah prophesied Babylon would become a dwelling place for jackals, an astonishment and a hissing • It’s interesting how the Bible depicts demons with animal like characteristics... snakes and birds, thus birds always represent evil • There is a rule of interpretation called expositional constancy that states the symbols of the Bible are consistent • For instance, leprosy is always a type for sin • Seed is always a type for the Word of God • Birds are always a type for evil

Revelation 18:3 (NKJV) 3 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.”

• Here we have the reason for the fall of Babylon the Great • The seductive power of commercialism... all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication

• The pull of commercialism is powerful and it will be the motivation behind the one world government of the antichrist • The corrosive influence of commercialism... the kings of the earth commit fornication • Commercialism fosters an environment of moral compromise and constantly attacks the integrity of people with the lure of money • The deceptive influence of commercialism... the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury • Luxury means unrestrained sensuality and thus Babylonianism is the philosophy of pleasure • To the church at Laodicea, Jesus said you say I am rich and have need of nothing and you do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked... that is the deception of commercialism

Revelation 18:4–8 (NKJV) 4 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. 5 For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. 6 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. 7 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.’ 8 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.

• Another angel calls for believers in the Tribulation to separate themselves from the Babylonian global commercial system • Throughout scripture, people have been called to come out of this Babylonian system... it is an urgent imperative... come out now! • Isaiah 48:20 says... go forth from Babylon! Flee from the Chaldeans! • Isaiah 52:11 says... Depart! Depart! God out from there • Jeremiah 50:8 says... Move from the midst of Babylon • As believers we are not to be identified with the Babylonian commercial system that takes advantage of people for profit • If we do, we will share in the judgment God will bring on this system • Share means to partner with, connect with, fellowship with • God says He will repay double according to her works and will repay in torment and sorrow, death, mourning and famine in the same measure THROUGH THE BIBLE / REVELATION © 2019 Holland Davis ______REVELATION

• The reason is because of the arrogance of commercialism... Babylon says in her heart I sit as queen, am no widow (I am producing) and I will not see sorrow • But God says Babylon will be utterly burned with fire

Revelation 18:9–10 (NKJV) 9 “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, 10 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.’

• John speaks of the great city Babylon and the smoke of her burning • 3 woes are recorded... Alas, Alas is translated Woe, Woe • The first woe is declared by the kings • The second woe is declared by the merchants • The third woe is declared by the shipmasters • This will happen in one hour which suggests a sudden catastrophe • The kings of the earth, which conducted business with Babylon, will stand at a distance for fear of her torment...

Revelation 18:11–18 (NKJV) 11 “And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore: 12 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; 13 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. 14 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. 15 The merchants of these things, who became rich by her, will stand at a distance for fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, 16 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! 17 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 18 and cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, ‘What is like this great city?’

• Not only will the kings of the earth be affected financially by the destruction of Babylon, but the merchants (businessmen) and the shipmasters (distributors) of the earth will be affected as well • NOTE: They are mourning over the loss of perfumes, beef, jewelry, designer clothing, money, the transportation industry and employees

Revelation 18:19–20 (NKJV) 19 “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.’

• NOTE: The lament of the merchants is completely selfish • They are weeping and wailing because they became rich by her wealth • They are not weeping and wailing because the city was judged by God • They are only mourning their financial loss • I find this to be true today ... • Christians who seek to make money through the Babylonian System (which includes real estate investment), motivated by greed and who lose their investments due to an unstable market • They don’t mourn their greed that led them to take risky investments • They blame God for taking their money and mourn the loss of their money

Revelation 18:20 (NKJV) 20 “Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you holy apostles and prophets, for God has avenged you on her!”

• Scriptures encourages us to rejoice when God judges • Deuteronomy 32:43 Moses sings... Rejoice O Gentiles, with His people; for He will avenge the blood of His servants • Jeremiah 51:48 Jeremiah prophesies... the heavens and the earth will sing joyously over Babylon • John says the holy apostles and prophets are to rejoice because God has avenged their martyrdom

Revelation 18:21–24 (NKJV)

21 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. 22 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. 23 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. 24 And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who were slain on the earth.”

• A mighty angel throws a great millstone into the sea to illustrate the destruction of the Babylonian system of commercialism • The destruction is so complete that it will not be found anymore • 7 times the phrase “not to be found anymore” occurs in Revelation indicating the finality of the defeat of Babylonianism • Jeremiah prophesied Babylon will sink and not rise (Jeremiah 51:64) • Vs. 22 John says the sound of harpists, musicians, flutists and trumpeters will not be heard, no craftsman of any craft will be found • It’s interesting how commercialism uses music and craftsmanship to wage war against God • Levi-Strauss cut off their support to the Boy Scouts of America because the Boy Scouts would not allow homosexual leaders • Under the pressure of commercialism... the Boy Scouts caved and now allow homosexual leaders • Zaxby’s Super Bowl Commercial directly attacked Chick-fil-A’s closed on Sunday policy by saying they serve chicken on Sunday and everyday • Wal-mart has a new pro-gay agenda commercial centered around a same sex couple having a blind date in Wal-Mart and at the close one guy gives the other guy a Crème Pie • John says the light of a lamp will not shine in you anymore and the voice of bridegroom and bride will not be heard in you anymore • Interesting how the Bible says commercialism will result in darkness and the exclusion of the traditional view of marriage • All deceived by the sorcery of commercialism • The Destruction of the Babylonian System marks the end to the times of the Gentiles (Luke 21:24) • The Babylonian System is a religious system built around the worship of mammon which expresses itself through commercialism THROUGH THE BIBLE / REVELATION © 2019 Holland Davis ______REVELATION

Revelation 19:1–2 (NKJV) 19 After these things I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God! 2 For true and righteous are His judgments, because He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication; and He has avenged on her the blood of His servants shed by her.”

The phrase meta tauta occurs 8 times in Revelation • Revelation 4:1 – After The Church Age... the Rapture occurs • Revelation 7:1 – After the 6th Seal the 144,000 are sealed • Revelation 7:9 – After the 144,000 are Sealed the tribulation begins • Revelation 9:12 – After the 5th Trumpet 2 more Trumpets are announced • Revelation 15:5 – After the 7th Trumpet is 2nd Half of the Tribulation • Revelation 18:1 – After the Spiritual Fall is the Political Fall of Babylon • Revelation 19:1 – After the Political Fall of Babylon the Second Coming • Revelation 20:3 – After the 1000 year reign, Satan is released for a season • Meta Tauta signifies a progression in the prophetic timeline

This Meta Tauta announces the end of the Great Tribulation Period • Seal by seal, the Lamb of God opened the scroll, reclaiming the land • Seven Trumpets announcing God’s movement of Israel into the land • Seven Angels pouring out Seven Bowls of Wrath driving out the enemies of Israel from the land • Now, the Holy Spirit takes our attention to the last of seven visions of heaven • We see a great celebration that is marked by four Alleluia’s which means Praise God!!! • This is the only place in the New Testament where Alleluia is used • Why are we praising God? o Because Salvation Has Come – Revelation 19:1 o Because Rebellion Has Ended – Revelation 19:3 o Because Justice Prevails – Revelation 19:5 o Because the Omnipotent God Reigns – Revelation 19:6

The First Alleluia Revelation 19:1–2 (NKJV)

19 After these things I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God! 2 For true and righteous are His judgments, because He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication; and He has avenged on her the blood of His servants shed by her.”

John hears a great multitude singing a song of praise to God • They are probably the martyred dead of the Tribulation period • They praise God singing salvation, glory, honor and power belong to the Lord our God! • They also praise God for judging the great harlot, mystery Babylon who corrupted the earth • God’s judgments are always in accord with His character • The more we understand God’s character, the more we understand His judgments • His character is also the basis of His justice

The Second Alleluia Revelation 19:3 (NKJV) 3 Again they said, “Alleluia! Her smoke rises up forever and ever!”

• The smoke rising from Babylon is the symbol of God’s eternal justice • Globalism in all it’s forms is destroyed – religious globalism and political globalism is ended • Rebellion is ended once and for all

The Third Alleluia Revelation 19:4–5 (NKJV) 4 And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sat on the throne, saying, “Amen! Alleluia!” 5 Then a voice came from the throne, saying, “Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!”

• When Justice Prevails, Praise is released • The 24 elders and the 4 living creatures (Seraphim) fall down and worship God saying Amen, Alleluia • Amen means Yes, we agree • What are they agreeing to? God’s judgments that have restored justice

The Fourth Alleluia Revelation 19:6 (NKJV) 6 And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!

• Now the thunder of praise fills the heaven for the Omnipotent God who reigns in preparation of His soon return

Revelation 19:7–10 (NKJV) 7 Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” 8 And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. 9 Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’ ” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.” 10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

John refers to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb • This is the culmination of the Alleluia’s • Throughout the New Testament, marriage is used to depict the relationship of Jesus to His Church • Jesus is depicted as the bridegroom and the Church is depicted as the Bride Of Christ • John is referring to the Jewish Wedding • The first step in establishment of the marriage covenant was the Ketubah or Betrothal • This happened when the prospective bridegroom negotiated the price (mohair) he must pay to purchase the bride • Once the bridegroom paid the purchase price, the marriage covenant was established... the bride was consecrated, set apart for the groom • Then the groom left his bride and returned to his father’s house to make a place for her... which took around 12 months to build • During this time, the groom would send his friends to tell the bride, get ready... the groom is on his way! • When the place was prepared, the Groom returned THROUGH THE BIBLE / REVELATION © 2019 Holland Davis ______REVELATION

• Usually at night and although the bride knew this day would come, she didn’t know the time of his coming • The groom would arrive preceded by a shout and the bride with her female attendants would return to the father’s house where the wedding guests had assembled • Shortly after their arrival, the bride and groom were escorted to the bridal chamber (huppah) to consummate the marriage... all this time, the bride’s face remains veiled • After the marriage was consummated, the groom would announce the consummation of the marriage and then return to the bridal chamber • For 7 days, the members of the wedding party and the wedding guests would celebrate with a great wedding feast called the Marriage Super • During this time, the bride and groom remained in the bridal chamber (Genesis 29:21-23, 27-8) • At the end of the 7 days, the Groom would come out of the bridal chamber and present his bride to the world with her veil removed so everyone could see her • The Rapture is when Jesus, the Groom comes for His bride • It is also the consummation of the marriage • The Marriage Supper of the Lamb will occur during the Tribulation Period and it lasts for 1 week or in prophetic time 7 years • After the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, the Bride is presented to the world... this will happen at the Second Coming of Christ • She is arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright • NOTE: John falls at the feet of the angel and the angel corrects John • Don’t Worship Me, Worship God! I am your fellow servant

Now what does the angel mean, the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy? • All prophecy centers around the person of Jesus • The Old Testament testified of Messiah who would come • The New Testament testifies of Jesus who will return • All prophetic words center around the ministry of Jesus in the life of an individual... this is how you test the spirits... does it reveal Jesus or His work in a person’s life. If it does it is a true word from God.

AFTER EASTER, WE WILL LOOK AT THE SECOND COMING OF JESUS CHRIST