(“Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is he who stays awake and who keeps his clothes [that is, stays spiritually ready for the Lord’s return], so that he will not be naked—spiritually unprepared—and men will not see his shame.”)
This is the eighteenth week in our study of Revelation. Time flies. I’m so glad you’ve come to study with me as the awful news is not yet completed. That makes it hard to read, but the best is yet to come. So stick it out, you can do it. I’m going to do it. Let’s grow our faith.
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“Rejoice over her, you heavens!
Rejoice, you people of God!
Rejoice, apostles and prophets!
For God has judged her
with the judgment she imposed on you.” 18:20 NIV.
Before we begin Revelation 18, let’s pray:
Lord Jesus, help us to Know, to Trust, to Believe, to Expect, to Worship You all of our days, for we know, everything written in this chapter will occur, just like everything written in the other books of the Bible has or yet will happen. As Crowder puts it, Lord, I hope You’ll find me Praising Your Name no matter what comes. Guide us and lead us through this chapter, Lord. I lay it all at Your feet, Lord help us.
Please read Revelation 18:1-3
Babylon Is Fallen
1 After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, possessing great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his splendor and radiance. 2 And he shouted with a mighty voice, saying, “Fallen, fallen [certainly to be destroyed] is [a]Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place for demons, a dungeon haunted by every unclean spirit, and a prison for every unclean and loathsome bird. 3 For all the nations have drunk from the wine of the passion of her [sexual] immorality, and the kings and political leaders of the earth have committed immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth and economic power of her sensuous luxury.”
After these things… previous chapter, go back there if you don’t remember… I saw another angel coming down from heaven, possessing ______________________________, and the earth was _______________________________________________
_________________________________________________________.
Such a beautiful description. Splendor and Radiance. He has made everything beautiful in its time. Praise His Name.
Please read Revelation 18:4-5
4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not be a partner in her sins and receive her plagues; 5 for her sins (crimes, transgressions) have piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her wickedness and crimes [for judgment].
“Come out… my ________, so that you will not be a _________ in her ______ and receive her __________;” This is why we have to listen. Listen so you can hear Him when He calls you.
Please read Revelation 18:6-8
6 Repay to her even as she has repaid others, and pay back [to her] double [her torment] in accordance with what she has done; in the cup [of sin and suffering] which she mixed, mix a double portion [of perfect justice] for her. 7 To the degree that she glorified herself and reveled and gloated in her sensuality [living deliciously and luxuriously], to that same degree impose on her torment and anguish, and mourning and grief; for in her heart she boasts, ‘I sit as a queen [on a throne] and I am not a widow, and will never, ever see mourning or experience grief.’ 8 For this reason in a single day her plagues (afflictions, calamities) will come, pestilence and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire and completely consumed; for strong and powerful is the Lord God who judges her.
For strong and _____________ is the _______________ who judges her.
He is the Almighty.
Good God almighty
I hope You’ll find me
Praising Your name no matter what comes
’Cause I know where I’d be without Your mercy
So I keep praising Your name at the top of my lungs
Please read Revelation 18:9-10
Laments for Babylon
9 “[b]And the kings and political leaders of the earth, who committed immorality and lived luxuriously with her, will weep and beat their chests [in mourning] over her when they see the smoke of her burning, 10 standing a long way off, in fear of her torment, saying, ‘Woe, woe, the great city, the strong city, Babylon! In a single hour your judgment has come.’
“In a single hour.” That’s quick. But that double portion is not all this place is going to get. He is Holy. And He will not leave the guilty unpunished. Keep reading.
Please read Revelation 18:11-19
11 “And merchants of the earth will weep and grieve over her, because no one buys their cargo (goods, merchandise) anymore— 12 cargoes of gold and silver and precious stones and pearls and fine linen and purple and silk and scarlet; all kinds of citron (scented) wood and every article of ivory and every article of very costly and lavish wood and bronze and iron and marble; 13 and cinnamon and spices and incense and perfume and frankincense and wine and olive oil and fine flour and wheat; of cattle and sheep, and cargoes of horses and chariots and carriages; and of slaves and human lives. 14 The ripe fruits and delicacies of your soul’s desire have gone from you, and all things that were luxurious and extravagant are lost to you, never again to be found. 15 The merchants who handled these articles, who grew wealthy from [their business with] her, will stand a long way off in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning aloud, 16 saying, ‘Woe, woe, for the great city that was robed in fine linen, in purple and scarlet, gilded and adorned with gold, with precious stones, and with pearls; 17 because in one hour all the vast wealth has been laid waste.’ And every ship captain or navigator, and every [c]passenger and sailor, and all who make their living by the sea, stood a long way off, 18 and exclaimed as they watched the smoke of her burning, saying, ‘What could be compared to the great city?’ 19 And they threw dust on their heads and were crying out, weeping and mourning, saying, ‘Woe, woe, for the great city, where all who had ships at sea grew rich from her great wealth, because in one hour she has been laid waste!’
The market for all their goods is gone.
Repeated 3 times… in one hour…judgement has come.
Please read Revelation 18:20
20 Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints (God’s people) and apostles and prophets [who were martyred], because God has executed vengeance for you [through righteous judgment] upon her.”
Rejoice believer, God’s judgement has come, he has repaid them all for the evil done against you, vengeance belongs to the Lord. The best can’t come until evil is vanquished. But watch, wait, it is going to come.
Please read Revelation 18:21-24
The Divine Sentence upon Babylon
21 Then a single powerful angel picked up a boulder like a great millstone and flung it into the sea, saying, “With such violence will Babylon the great city be hurled down [by the sudden, spectacular judgment of God], and will never again be found. 22 And the sound of harpists and musicians and flutists and trumpeters will never again be heard in you, and no skilled artisan of any craft will ever again be found in you, and the sound of the millstone [grinding grain] will never again be heard in you [for commerce will no longer flourish, and normal life will cease]. 23 And never again will the light of a lamp shine in you, and never again will the voice of the bridegroom and bride be heard in you; for your merchants were the great and prominent men of the earth, because all the nations were deceived and misled by your sorcery [your magic spells and poisonous charm]. 24 And in Babylon was found the blood of prophets and of saints (God’s people) and of all those who have been slaughtered on the earth.”
What was the subtitle to this section?
The blood of all of those who have been slaughtered on earth was found in this city… meaning God has collected it and the blame for it all placed on whatever this place is. Think about that. Even if it’s just all the blood of the faithful that has been spilled over all of time it would be a lot. But the numbers of those who have been ‘slaughtered’ throughout history is an astonishing number.
Rejoice for He is not slow to respond, just patient and one day He will judge all the evil in the world.
I can’t count the times
I’ve called Your name some broken night
And You showed up and patched me up like You do every time
I get amnesia, I forget that You keep coming around
Yeah, ain’t no way You’ll ever let me down (me down)
Good God almighty
I hope You’ll find me
Praising Your name no matter what comes
’Cause I know where I’d be without Your mercy
So I keep praising Your name at the top of my lungs!
Watch and Listen here…
Footnotes
- Revelation 18:2 Whatever the exact city, Babylon here indicates human civilization arrayed in opposition to God and ready to be judged.
- Revelation 18:9 In the following verses, the kings (vv 9, 10), merchants (vv 11-17), and sailors (vv 17b-20) mourn the fall of Babylon, just as the same three groups mourn the fall of wicked Tyre in Ezek 26; 27.
- Revelation 18:17 Lit one who sails to a place.
We made it, through another chapter. Come back next week for the nineteenth. If you haven’t done the rest of them, go back and read them, they’re all still here.