Revelation 18:1-10.
Double-Trouble for the One-World Government.
1 After all this I saw
another angel come down from heaven with great authority, and the earth grew
bright with his splendour.
2 He gave a mighty
shout: “Babylon is fallen—that great city is fallen! She has become a home
for demons. She is a hideout for every foul spirit, a hideout for every foul
vulture and every foul and dreadful animal.
3 For all the nations have fallen because of the wine of her enthusiastic
immorality. The kings of the world have committed
adultery with her.
Because of her desires for extravagant luxury, the merchants of the world have grown rich.”
4 Then I heard another
voice calling from heaven, “Come away from her, my people. Do not take part in
her sins, or you will be punished with her.
5 For her sins are piled as high as heaven, and God remembers her evil
deeds.
6 Do to her as she has done to others. Double her penalty for all her evil deeds.
She brewed a cup of terror for others, so brew twice as much for
her.
7 She glorified herself and lived in luxury, so
match it now with torment and sorrow. She boasted in
her heart, ‘I
am queen on my throne, I am no helpless widow, and I
have no reason to mourn.’
8 Therefore, these plagues will overtake her
in a single day, death and mourning and famine. She
will be completely consumed by fire, for the Lord God
who judges her is mighty.”
9 And the kings of the
world who committed adultery with her and enjoyed her great luxury will mourn
for her as they see the smoke rising from her charred remains.
10 They will stand at a
distance, terrified by her great torment. They will cry out, “How terrible, how
terrible for you,
O Babylon, you great city! In a single
moment God’s judgment came on you.”
In the 1929 stock market crashed, in a matter of a few
minutes, hours, multitudes lost their fortunes, life savings, jobs as
unemployment skyrocketed, and the great depression came about. Many could not
handle it and ended their lives.
Chapter 18 describes a financial crash that will make
all that look like a mere market fluctuation! That was just over100 years ago:
unbelievable, but now we see how! We may not know the difference about all the
terms of finance, but we can all recognize we are living in a day of a global
economy, and how each stock market affects the others, and it will be true of
the tribulation period.
The nations of the world will complete their evolution
into a “one world economy/government,” under the direction of the antichrist.
I say complete because it has been happening for over
a century! Both horrors: of one world church, and one world government, are
referred to as Babylon.
Consider the possibility of the assets of the true
churches being seized by the one world church or government! That is more
reason to keep God’s money in circulation, working, not stockpiling in our bank
accounts, (though having reserve and savings is good).
Verses 1-3. The
sin of the “One world government.”
1 After all this I saw another
angel come down from heaven with great authority, and the earth grew bright
with his splendour.
2 He gave a mighty
shout: “Babylon is fallen—that great city is fallen! She has become a home
for demons. She is a hideout for every foul spirit, a hideout for every foul
vulture and every foul and dreadful animal.
3 For all the nations have fallen because of the wine of her enthusiastic
immorality. The kings of the world have committed
adultery with her.
Because of her desires for extravagant luxury, the merchants of the world have grown rich.”
A.
Demonic.
B.
Disgusting.
C.
Damnable.
D.
Deceiving.
One. A Demonic system, verse 2.
2 He gave a mighty shout: “Babylon
is fallen—that great city is fallen! She has
become a home for demons. She is a hideout for
every foul spirit, a hideout for every foul vulture and every
foul and dreadful animal.
The world is infested with demons at this point, with
full reign, power, and influence. We saw in chapter 9 demons proceeding
out of the bottomless pit, so vile, filthy wicked, they have been incarcerated
since they fell from heaven.
(1/3rd
fell, and many are freely on the earth now (Ephesians 6 principalities, powers,
rulers of darkness, spiritual wickedness in high places), but 1 Peter
says there are some reserved in chains of darkness, reserved for the Great
Tribulation period, and for judgment!).
People will begin to realize that society has not
created a perfect utopian world after all, we have not evolved upward
and together, but spiraled downward and apart! and in their frustration.
People will turn to mysticism, new age movement, witchcraft,
occult and inviting demons into their lives unwittingly! Imagine a filthy bird
cage with way too many in it, angry, fighting each other!
Two. A
Disgusting system, verse 2.
2 He gave a mighty shout: “Babylon
is fallen—that great city is fallen! She has
become a home for demons. She is a hideout for
every foul spirit, a hideout for every foul vulture and every
foul and dreadful animal.
A spiritual fornication, immorality, adultery, in
which something false is embraced. Rulers of the world, heads of state, kings
of the earth, will come together making unholy alliances, in thirst and hunger
for power! And it is happening today as even superpower nations gives away their
power to the United Nation, European Union, and other leagues and coalitions!
In February 1990 George H. W. Bush said: “Time and
time again the political map of the world has been transformed, and in each
instance a new world order came about through the advent of a new tyrant
or the outbreak of a global war.” Six months later Iraq invaded Kuwait.
Then in September 1990 he said, “The collective
strength of the world community, expressed by the United Nations is a historic
movement toward a new world order.”
Strob Talbot (President Clinton’s roommate at Oxford)
wrote in a Time magazine article: “All countries are basically social
arrangements, no matter how permanent or sacred they may seem at any one
time…in fact, they are all artificial and temporary. Perhaps national
sovereignty was not such a great idea after all. But it has taken the events of
our own wondrous and terrible century to clinch the case for world
government!”
The WFA Organization dedicated to advancement of One
world government, one of their articles reads: “Let the UN establish new
agencies, such as a criminal court. National sovereignty will be gradually eroded
until no longer an issue. Eventually a world federation can be formally
adopted with little resistance!” President Clinton wishes them future success!
Norm Cousins said: “World government is coming, in
fact, it is inevitable, no argument for or against it can change that
fact!” [true]
In October 1997 President Clinton said, “What I am
trying to do is promote a process of reorganization of the world, so that human
beings are organized in a way that takes advantage of the new opportunities of
this era. If we can prove that you can merge integrated economies / democracies,
then we will be more likely to build a global system of this kind.”
In the US 1998 state of the union
address: “It is long past time to make good on our debt to the UN. In this new
era, our freedoms are enriched, not impoverished, by our increasing
interdependence with other nations. As we move into a global economy, an
utterly new world, America must stand against the poisoned appeals of extreme
nationalism (patriotic Americans!). We have moved past the sterile debate
between those who say government is the enemy, answer, my fellow Americans, we
have found a 3rd way, a global system!
World leaders are already planning and
hoping for a “One World Government.” Tell me, is not prophecy being fulfilled
before our eyes or not?
Demonic, and disgusting, “they have drunk the wine
of her fornication.” Notice word “delicacies” at end of verse 3,
there will be wealth for many businessmen to gain at this time if they will
cooperate with the one world government.
Good business is defined today by lying, stealing,
cheating, bad ethics all in the name of fast buck! But Christians should live
by the standard of the Word! We should not allow the world to shape our
business practices.
Demonic, disgusting, and now.
Three. Damnable. Verses 4-6.
4 Then I heard another voice
calling from heaven, “Come away from her, my people. Do not take
part in her sins, or you will be punished with her.
5 For her sins is piled as high as heaven, and God remembers her evil
deeds.
6 Do to her as she has done to others. Double her penalty for all her evil deeds.
She brewed a cup of terror for others, so brew twice as much for
her.”
The sins of Babylon have reached unto heaven! (Like
the tower of Babel!). Literally though, God is fed up, He is ready to judge,
the cup of sin is brim-full, and it is causing an abominable stench in the
nostrils of God, and in verse 6 they will receive a double portion of
her works!
God’s laws of sowing and reaping are
in effect here! You cannot escape the consequences of one’s actions, more than
you sow, later than you sow! (What we do: we sow wild oats, then pray for crop
failure!).
Demonic, disgusting, damnable, and now:
Four. Deceiving. Verses 7-8.
7 She glorified herself
and lived in luxury, so match it now with torment and sorrow. She boasted in her
heart, ‘I am
queen on my throne, I am no helpless widow, and I have
no reason to mourn.’
8 Therefore, these
plagues will overtake her in a single day, death and mourning and famine. She will be completely
consumed by fire, for the Lord God who judges her is
mighty.”
In verse 7 she says “nothing can touch me! I
am Invincible.” Yet in one day she is consumed by fire, verse 8. Satan
wants us to develop the same attitude toward sin! (God will be patient,
forgiving, I am an exception!). Sin will eventually turn on you!
So, the one world church and government are coming, we
should not bury our heads in the sand, for we see it coming! And Revelation
18 predicted it all.
1 Thessalonians
5:1-6:
1 But of the times and the
seasons, brethren/sisters, you have no need that I write to you.
2 For yourselves know perfectly
that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.
3 For when they shall say, Peace
and safety; then sudden destruction comes upon them, as travail upon a woman
with child; and they shall not escape.
4 But you, brethren/sisters, are
not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
5 You are all the children of
light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do
others; but let us watch and be sober.”
God says, none of this should surprise us as it comes
together, the curtain begins to rise. Is not that something? Bible believers
gathered here in a room know more about the end of the world than the most powerful
leaders in their offices and palaces.
Another powerful sign of the end is the
transportation/technical explosion, predicted in Daniel 12:4 “But you, Daniel, keep this prophecy a secret; seal up the
book until the time of the end, when many will rush here and there, and
knowledge will increase.”
This is the concluding chapter of human history
reading out before us!
1 After all this I saw
another angel come down from heaven with great authority, and the earth grew
bright with his splendour.
2 He gave a mighty
shout: “Babylon is fallen—that great city is fallen! She has become a home
for demons. She is a hideout for every foul spirit, a hideout for every foul
vulture and every foul and dreadful animal.
3 For all the nations have fallen because of the wine of her
enthusiastic immorality. The kings of the world have
committed adultery with her.
Because of her desires for extravagant luxury, the merchants of the world have grown rich.”
4 Then I heard another
voice calling from heaven, “Come away from her, my people. Do not take part in
her sins, or you will be punished with her.
5 For her sins are piled as high as heaven, and God remembers her evil
deeds.
6 Do to her as she has done to others. Double her penalty for all her evil deeds.
She brewed a cup of terror for others, so brew twice as much for
her.
7 She glorified herself and lived in luxury, so
match it now with torment and sorrow. She boasted in
her heart, ‘I
am queen on my throne, I am no helpless widow, and I
have no reason to mourn.’
8 Therefore, these plagues will overtake her
in a single day, death and mourning and famine. She
will be completely consumed by fire, for the Lord God
who judges her is mighty.”
9 And the kings of the
world who committed adultery with her and enjoyed her great luxury will mourn
for her as they see the smoke rising from her charred remains.
10 They will stand at a
distance, terrified by her great torment. They will cry out, “How terrible, how
terrible for you,
O Babylon, you great city! In a single
moment God’s judgment came on you.”
11 The merchants of the
world will weep and mourn for her, for there is no one left to buy their goods.
12 She bought great
quantities of gold, silver, jewels, and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk, and
scarlet cloth; things made of fragrant thyine wood, ivory goods, and objects
made of expensive wood; and bronze, iron, and marble.
13 She also bought
cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, olive oil, fine flour,
wheat, cattle, sheep, horses, wagons, and bodies, that is, human slaves.
14 “The fancy things you
loved so much are gone,” they cry. “All your luxuries and
splendour are
gone forever, never to be yours again.”
15 The merchants who
became wealthy by selling her these things will stand at a distance, terrified
by her great torment. They will weep and cry out,
16 “How terrible, how
terrible for that great city! She was clothed in finest purple and scarlet
linens, decked out with gold and precious stones and
pearls!
17 In a single moment all the wealth of the city
is gone! “And all the captains of the merchant ships and their passengers and
sailors and crews will stand at a distance.
18 They will cry out as
they watch the smoke ascend, and they will say, “Where is there another city as
great as this?”
19 And they will weep and
throw dust on their heads to show their grief. And they will cry out, “How terrible, how
terrible for that great city! The shipowners became
wealthy by transporting her great wealth on the seas.
In a single moment it is all gone.”
20 Rejoice over her fate,
O heaven and people of God and apostles and
prophets! For at last God has judged her for your
sakes.
21 Then a mighty angel
picked up a boulder the size of a huge millstone. He threw it into the ocean
and shouted, “Just like this, the great city Babylon will be thrown down with
violence and will never be found again.
22 The sound of harps, singers, flutes, and
trumpets will never be heard in you again. No craftsmen and no trades will ever be
found in you again. The sound of the mill will never be heard in you again.
23 The light of a lamp will never shine in you again. The happy
voices of brides and grooms will never be heard in you
again. For your merchants were the greatest in the
world, and you deceived the nations with your
sorceries.
24 In your streets flowed the blood
of the prophets and of God’s holy people and the blood
of people slaughtered all over the world.”
We have already spoke about this “one world
government,” a national sovereignty outdated, with no borders, all allegiance
to something like the UN, EU, etc. it is all in the works today and has been
for 100 years, more in the last few than ever.
We also looked at:
One. The Sin
of the one world government:
Demonic/disgusting/damnable/deceiving.
Now let us move on.
Two. The Separation of true believers.
4 Then I heard another voice
calling from heaven, “Come away from her, my people. Do not take
part in her sins, or you will be punished with her.”
These are those saved during the Great Tribulation.
They had not heard or rejected the gospel prior to the rapture but believe on
Jesus DURING the Tribulation. They are admonished not to take the mark of the
beast. They will pay with their lives but will go to heaven!
They are told not to go along with the antichrist’s
one world system. Why?
A. Pollution (spiritual), Verse 4a.
4 Then I heard another voice
calling from heaven, “Come away from her, my people.
“Be not
partakers of her sins”
1st half of Tribulation there will be
actual prosperity for those who participate with this system.
Verse 12. 12 She bought great quantities of gold, silver,
jewels, and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk, and scarlet cloth; things made of
fragrant thyine wood, ivory goods, and objects made of expensive wood; and
bronze, iron, and marble.”
None of these are necessities!
Gold through to
pearls = investment portfolio, in John’s language: stocks and bonds.
Linen through to
scarlet = fashionable dress: Gucci/Calvin Klein/Liz Claiborne.
Wood through to
marble = fine furniture. All you must do is play the game, take mark, etc.
Verse 13. 13 She
also bought cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, olive oil,
fine flour, wheat, cattle, sheep, horses, wagons, and bodies, that is, human
slaves.”
Cinnamon through
to frankincense = perfumes: Chanel #5/oeu de toilette.
Wine through to
sheep = quality food: delicacies.
Horses and
chariots = rolls/jags/BMW etc.
Slaves and souls
of men = if you have men on your payroll, they will be bound to you like
slaves, and will sell their souls for just a little more prosperity!
That is some window shopping in Babylon, the treasures
of the Tribulation! We need these warnings today, as we walk past shop windows.
What do we need and what do we want?
B.
“Or you will be punished with her.”
There is a price to pay for compromising, capitulating,
caving in, and consequences come to those that do! God’s judgment is coming
surely and suddenly.
Proverbs 29:1 “He, that being often reproved hardened
his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.”
Jeramiah 51:6-8 “Flee out of the midst of Babylon
and deliver every man his soul: be not cut off in her iniquity; for this is the
time of the LORD'S vengeance; He will render unto her a recompence. … the
nations have drunken of her wine; therefore, the nations are mad. Babylon is
suddenly fallen and destroyed: howl for her.”
And this sudden destruction is preceded by a false
sense of security. According to verses 8,10,19: this entire economic empire is
destroyed in 1 day, in 1 hour actually!
8 Therefore, these plagues will
overtake her in a single day, death and mourning and famine. She will be
completely consumed by fire, for the Lord God who
judges her is mighty.”
10 They will stand at a
distance, terrified by her great torment. They will cry out, “How terrible, how
terrible for you,
O Babylon, you great city! In a
single moment God’s judgment came on you.”
19 And they will weep and
throw dust on their heads to show their grief. And they will cry out, “How terrible, how
terrible for that great city! The shipowners became
wealthy by transporting her great wealth on the seas.
In a single moment it is all gone.”
The crash of 1929 was like a market fluctuation by
comparison!
Three. The Sadness of the people,
Verses 9-11, 15-19.
9 And the kings of the
world who committed adultery with her and enjoyed her great luxury will mourn
for her as they see the smoke rising from her charred remains.
10 They will stand at a
distance, terrified by her great torment. They will cry out, “How terrible, how
terrible for you,
O Babylon, you great city! In a single
moment God’s judgment came on you.”
11 The merchants of the
world will weep and mourn for her, for there is no one left to buy their goods.
15 The merchants who
became wealthy by selling her these things will stand at a distance, terrified
by her great torment. They will weep and cry out,
16 “How terrible, how
terrible for that great city! She was clothed in finest purple and scarlet
linens, decked out with gold and precious stones and
pearls!
17 In a single moment all the wealth of the city
is gone! “And all the captains of the merchant ships and their passengers and
sailors and crews will stand at a distance.
18 They will cry out as
they watch the smoke ascend, and they will say, “Where is there another city as
great as this?”
19 And they will weep and
throw dust on their heads to show their grief. And they will cry out, “How terrible, how
terrible for that great city! The shipowners became
wealthy by transporting her great wealth on the seas.
In a single moment it is all gone.”
All is lost, because of the love of
money and the greed of goods that it can buy.
Three classes of people will grieve each
says “alas”!
1.
Monarchs
verse 9, the kings of the earth = the leaders of this one-world
government, who gave their power unto the antichrist, realize it was a Titanic
they had contributed to, indestructible!
2.
Merchants’
verses 11,14-15, all that they had sold their souls for turns to dust,
in 1 hour. Jesus said, riches take wings and fly away!
3.
Mariners’
verses 17-19, a reference to all in the transport industry, cargo, with
nothing to haul: ships, planes, trains, trucks all idle in yards, docks, and
airports.
That is the sadness of those left here on earth, but
notice the contrast:
Four. The Singing of the Saints, Verses
20-23.
20 Rejoice over her fate,
O heaven and people of God and apostles and
prophets! For at last God has judged her for your
sakes.
21 Then a mighty angel picked up a
boulder the size of a huge millstone. He threw it into the ocean and shouted, “Just
like this, the great city Babylon will be thrown down with
violence and will never be found again.
22 The sound of harps, singers, flutes, and
trumpets will never be heard in you again. No craftsmen and no trades will ever be
found in you again. The sound of the mill will never be heard in you again.
23 The light of a lamp will never shine in you again. The happy
voices of brides and grooms will never be heard in you
again. For your merchants were the greatest in the
world, and you deceived the nations with your
sorceries.
Millstone is figurative of a tidal wave of judgment
that will utterly wipe it all out, but meanwhile, heaven is rejoicing, full of
those who would not bow, take the mark, these are rich now, so are you! Take
everything you have that money cannot buy, and that death cannot take away, that
is how rich you are!
I remember the story I heard of an
extraordinarily rich man’s death, and his friends keep asking the question
“What did he leave?”
The simple answer is “Everything he ever had on earth,
his bank account, his homes, his cars, his yachts etc. He left it all
behind.”
Only two words that are same in any language: hallelujah
and amen. In Hebrew it means: hallel = praise/jah = God. Praise God, so let it
be! They sing four verses of hallelujah’s here.
1. Redemption.
Word “salvation.” This word requests a response
from the human heart. Like gratitude, for now our salvation is complete! You
should understand it is not now complete. It is secure, but not complete.
When you were saved, you were justified (positional
righteousness), you are in the process of being sanctified (practical
righteousness, by a daily walk, and a lifelong process), but thirdly, someday
we will be glorified! New bodies, a new song, anew city, and a new name!
So, I have been saved, am being saved, and will be saved!
Let us never forget what it was like to have been lost
and let us not take it for granted. Thank you, Lord, for saving our souls!
Now, the next two words: glory, and honour, we will
call this reverence. Alleluia: Redemption and reverence = awe for Almighty God.
We do not fear Him like we should, we are not awestruck as we once were!
We noted in Revelation 1, John got his first
glimpse at Jesus in Heaven seated on His throne, John who was a best friend to Him
in the inner circle, leaning head on breast, at the mount of transfiguration,
with Christ in the garden. But when he saw this Revelation of the glorified
Christ with feet of brass, eyes of fire, voice of a trumpet, he fell on his
face as dead! Awestruck!
We need to get that back, it will
change our: lives, priorities, attitudes, music, TV habits, jokes, way we dress,
and the friends we keep.
Last word… “power” …should beseech the response of
trust, for our powerful God who can handle our circumstances, stresses, and problems.
Practical application:
1. The inescapable consequence for sin is
always judgment.
God the Creator is
perfect, and your sin will be judged. Has it been judged at Calvary, or will it
be in hell?!
2. “True and righteous” = God’s judgments are
always perfect. He is never more severe or lenient than He should be. Never too
harsh or unfair, always exactly right!
3 reasons why:
a. His perception.
Only He can see the human heart, what will stand the
fire! We all see the outside only, but God sees the heart! Thus, we are not
qualified to judge each other, though some seem to want to die trying!
b. His purity.
If I try to judge one of you, my human judgment will
be tainted with hypocrisy, for chances are, I have done the same thing in some
fashion. Human judges make huge mistakes all the time, but not the Judge of the
Universe!
c. His power
Verse 3. Babylon will never again rise from her
ruins; God’s judgment is final and forever!
What a relationship we have with God. He does not
exist for our pleasure; we exist for His! Psalm 84:10 says “For a day
in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the
house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.”
Lastly let us look at the Lord = “rule and reign.” “Lord
God Omnipotent (Almighty)” 1 Greek word, used only 10’s in New Testament, 9
of them in Revelation, the word is “pantocrator.”
This is noteworthy because it means,
the “one who controls everything!” The one world church exists today, though
not yet named. The one world government is already in operation, though we
still use the faces of old leaders on our currency, and they will not stop
until they have reshaped the world the way they think it should be.
But they are all pawns in God’s hands. He sits on the
throne in full control of His creation. Man is doing the same thing he did at
Babel, building himself up and up, and not needing God, but it is all going to
come crashing down, and there will a great division among the people, and God
will be glorified that justice has been done, and we will give Him glory
forever!
This is the end of Revelation chapter 18.
