Last Time We Looked at God's Judgment On
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____________________________________________ REVELATION 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 THROUGH THE BIBLE / REVELATION © 2019 Holland Davis ____________________________________________ REVELATION 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 THROUGH THE BIBLE / REVELATION © 2019 Holland Davis ____________________________________________ REVELATION • 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?’ THROUGH THE BIBLE / REVELATION © 2019 Holland Davis ____________________________________________ REVELATION • 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 ..