by Reverend Anthony R. Locke Sermon Series in Revelation # 35 Revelation 18:1-24 English Standard Version

3    For all nations have drunk the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxurious living.”

4    Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues;

5    for her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.

6    Pay her back as she herself has paid back others, and repay her double for her deeds; mix a double portion for her in the cup she mixed.

7    As she glorified herself and lived in luxury, so give her a like measure of torment and mourning, since in her heart she says, ‘I sit as a queen, I am no widow, and mourning I shall never see.’

8    For this reason her plagues will come in a single day, death and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire; for mighty is the Lord God who has judged her.”

9    And the kings of the earth, who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her, will weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning.

10  They will stand far off, in fear of her torment, and say, “Alas! Alas! You great city, you mighty city, Babylon! For in a single hour your judgment has come.”

11  And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her, since no one buys their cargo anymore,

12  cargo of gold, silver, jewels, pearls, fine linen, purple cloth, silk, scarlet cloth, all kinds of scented wood, all kinds of articles of ivory, all kinds of articles of costly wood, bronze, iron and marble,

13  cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and slaves, that is, human souls.

14  “The fruit for which your soul longed has gone from you, and all your delicacies and your splendors are lost to you, never to be found again!”

15  The merchants of these wares, who gained wealth from her, will stand far off, in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning aloud,

16  “Alas, alas, for the great city that was clothed in fine linen, in purple and scarlet, adorned with gold, with jewels, and with pearls!

17  For in a single hour all this wealth has been laid waste.” And all shipmasters and seafaring men, sailors and all whose trade is on the sea, stood far off

18  and cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning, “What city was like the great city?”

19  And they threw dust on their heads as they wept and mourned, crying out, “Alas, alas, for the great city where all who had ships at sea grew rich by her wealth! For in a single hour she has been laid waste.

20  Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, for God has given judgment for you against her!”

21  Then a mighty 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 be found no more;

22  and the sound of harpists and musicians, of flute players and trumpeters, will be heard in you no more, and a craftsman of any craft will be found in you no more, and the sound of the mill will be heard in you no more,

23  and the light of a lamp will shine in you no more, and the voice of bridegroom and bride will be heard in you no more, for your merchants were the great ones of the earth, and all nations were deceived by your sorcery.

24  And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all who have been slain on earth.” ^[1]

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Last Sunday we learned that judgment begins at the household of God. This world’s corrupt religious systems will be called to account for trusting the Dragon for their blessedness, instead of trusting God. This week’s chapter is the last warning to the world that it’s judgment is soon.

1 After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was made bright with his glory.

Anytime a messenger comes from God to the Earth the light of Heaven spreads upon mankind. Jesus is the light of the world and His messengers are angels of light. And with great authority the message of God is declared. When we share the Gospel we become angels of God’s light to our neighbors.

2 And he called out with a mighty voice, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! This is the city that tried to build a tower high enough to reach into the Heavens and confront God. Their judgment was to be scattered throughout the Earth when God confounded their language. But she never stopped trying to fight with God. The innate corruption of the human heart eventually takes every organized human society into conflict with God.

These verses are a quote from Isaiah 21:9. Since Old Testament times God has been declaring that the power and influence of Babylon will be shattered by His power. The Dragon and his minions will not scale the walls of God’s impregnable Majesty.

Babylon represents the organized world in opposition to God. This world is on a constant slide into greater and greater depravity. She has become a dwelling place for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast.

All the nastiness of our hidden fallen nature finds a home in the wickedness of Babylon.

Homosexuality has found a home within the American culture. Abortion has found a home. Pornography and unfaithfulness to our marriage vows is common within our social structures.

The Holy Spirit is vexed when pride, greed, lust, envy, anger, gluttony and laziness are at home within our hearts. When this happens we know that the end of our civil society is near.

A religious Babylon is judged in chapter 17, and a Commercial Babylon is judged in 18. Judgment begins with the household of God, but it spreads to the world systems in this chapter. These are the final words of judgment uttered in the Bible against the ungodly human structures in the world.

From here forward in the Book of the Revelation are only verses of finality. God tells how He captures His enemies and sentences them, sending them out from His presence into Hell.

Verse 3, For all nations have drunk the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxurious living.”

What does God mean that the the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxurious living? This sounds like the Occupy Wallstreet slogan. This world is in a materialistic stupor. Hearts are stuffed with stuff and don’t know that they are in need of Jesus.

Our culture has buzzwords for these categories of people who have, or do not have, stuff.  Our culture speaks of industrialized nations and third world countries. Whole people groups are identified as having or not having the riches of luxurious living. Air-conditioning, purified water for $1.50 a bottle. Expensive hair cuts, designer clothes, power boats, $3,000 mattresses, gold watches and cars that cost as much as many homes.

Friends, America lives on the pillow of luxury. Did you hear about the lady whose purse was stolen this last week? Her $400 purse was stolen containing her $200 wallet, $800 in cash and her food stamps. Our nation’s poor have wide screen High Definition televisions in at least two rooms, game consoles, cable, two cars, cell phones and are obese from all the excess of food.

the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxurious living. Living luxuriously is power over the less fortunate. Money is power and influence. This world uses these things to tear us down, not build us up.

Money isn’t the problem, but love of money is a curse. How much time to do you give every day to your comforts? Do you hold Jesus as a high priority or television, music, sleep and food? Jesus said that if we gain the whole world, and fail to nurture our own soul in Heavenly graces, then we have profited nothing? You might be wealthy, you might have all the creature comforts you desire, but without a daily walk with Jesus, your life is in great poverty.

Don’t let this world waste your life convincing you to pursue worthless things.

4 Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues; 5 for her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.

About half a dozen times the Revelation calls Jesus a Faithful and True Witness. When He stands to testify about us to the Father, He forgets nothing. Every deed we ever did is remembered. We may have blocked our sins from our memory, but Jesus remembers and testifies to our deeds done in the body, whether they be good or bad. If we are saved, then Jesus also reminds the Judge that His own blood has covered any transgression of God’s Law.

But in love, God’s messenger cries out Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues. Come out of the lustful life, come out from living jealous, come out from the gluttonous living. Don’t be intoxicated by her delicacies!

1 John 2:15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

The Devil took Jesus to to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” (Matthew 4:8-9). And every day people agree with the Devil to not love God, but to love the world and worship the Beast.

Verse 6 Pay her back as she herself has paid back others, and repay her double for her deeds; mix a double portion for her in the cup she mixed.

Her punishment will be double for she sinned, and led others into the same rebellious living, against God. The might Lord God will make these judgments. Wow.

Now, I try not to write future American history into the reading of the Revelation, but to help the passage come alive, let’s try reading the passage a little different.

Did you know that America sits on the biggest natural gas deposits in the world? We are pumping sea water into the ground to force the gas up. In some areas of our country oxygenated air has gone into the ground allowing the gas to catch fire.

Whole communities have had to move because of the ground being on fire. Other communities have moved from the coal under the ground catching fire.

Imagine if all that natural gas where to explode all at once? Something like that happens to the economic engine of the world. The world then mourn that country’s absence. I don’t think that’s going to happen to America, but it might, and it gives perspective to our passage.

Verse 7 As America glorified herself and lived in luxury, so give her a like measure of torment and mourning, since in her heart she says, ‘I sit as a queen, I am no widow, and mourning I shall never see.’

8 For this reason her plagues will come in a single day, death and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire; for mighty is the Lord God who has judged her.”

9 And the kings of the earth, who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her, will weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning.

10 They will stand far off, in fear of her torment, and say, “Alas! Alas! America You great city, you mighty city, America! For in a single hour your judgment has come.”

11 And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her, since no one buys their cargo anymore,

12 cargo of gold, silver, jewels, pearls, fine linen, purple cloth, silk, scarlet cloth, all kinds of scented wood, all kinds of articles of ivory, all kinds of articles of costly wood, bronze, iron and marble,

13 cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and slaves, that is, human souls.

14 “The fruit for which your soul longed has gone from you, and all your delicacies and your splendors are lost to you, never to be found again!”

15 The merchants of these wares, who gained wealth from her, will stand far off, in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning aloud,

16 “Alas, alas, for the great city that was clothed in fine linen, in purple and scarlet, adorned with gold, with jewels, and with pearls! 17 For in a single hour all Americas wealth has been laid waste.” And all shipmasters and seafaring men, sailors and all whose trade is on the sea, stood far off

18 and cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning, “What city was like the great city America?”

19 And they threw dust on their heads as they wept and mourned, crying out, “Alas, alas, for the great city where all who had ships at sea grew rich by her wealth! For in a single hour America has been laid waste.

And in Heaven the inhabitants are encouraged to rejoice when the Commercial Babylon, the godless materialistic systems of this world, are brought down.

20 Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, for God has given judgment for you against her!” 21 Then a mighty 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 be found no more; 22 and the sound of harpists and musicians, of flute players and trumpeters, will be heard in you no more, and a craftsman of any craft will be found in you no more, and the sound of the mill will be heard in you no more, 23 and the light of a lamp will shine in you no more, and the voice of bridegroom and bride will be heard in you no more, for your merchants were the great ones of the earth, and all nations were deceived by your sorcery. 24 And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all who have been slain on earth.”

So all normal activity like new construction, marriage, music and electrical lights cease after Almighty God steps in to bring judgment.

We have now finished our prophesies about God’s coming judgment on the Dragon, the Beast, the False Prophet and their followers. We will see them a little more, but only as God captures them and sets them in their final eternal destiny.

Let me end with a family illustration. My son Eli has a nice room that my wife and I prepared for him. He has dinosaur sheets and bed spread. He has custom paintings on the walls. He has two dressers. One from my great grandmother. He has shelves and bins for all his toy.

It is a very nice room, but very often we walk into his room and find a mess. We try and tuck him into bed and we step on LEGO pieces. We set clean clothes in his dresser and find the drawers filled with other things.

So we chew him out. We threaten him to throw it all away if he doesn’t clean it up. We show him a little bit of our anger to motivate him to change.

What we also do is clean it up with him. We help, but we keep warning him of a day that will mark the end of our patience. God is offering us the same final warning. This chapter is the last chance to hear God.

Have you heard the call to repent? Are you ready for that final moment? Are you saved? Have you repented of your sin and walked away from loving this world?

God loves you so much. God has been patient for so long. Will you keep testing His long-suffering compassion, or seek His forgiveness. May God give us the grace to repent right now. Amen.