We are in Revelation chapter 18 and we are in the middle of the judgment on the great harlot who sits on many waters also called the great city. Two chapters of this prophetic book book are devoted to telling John about this judgment. At the end of chapter 17, the 10 horns or 10 Kings and the beast burned the great city with fire in fulfillment of God's purpose. Let's see what happens next.
I'm in Revelation chapter 18 verse 1 reading from the New American Standard Version. After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven having great authority and the earth was illumined with his glory and he cried out with a mighty voice saying fallen fallen is Babylon the great she has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird. For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality and the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her and the merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality. In chapter 17 one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls was showing John the judgment of the great harlot.
Now John sees another angel coming down, this angel having great authority and the earth lights up with his glory. The angel cries out, fallen, fallen is Babylon the great. In chapter 14, the angel flying in mid heaven said this, the angel basically gives a proclamation of judgment.
It has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison of every unclean spirit, a prison of every unclean and hateful bird. It also repeats what we've seen in previous chapters that the nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality. The kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her and merchants have become rich.
by the wealth of her sensuality. All branches of the earth from political to commercial have been swept up in the idolatry and immorality of this great city. Continuing verse 4, I heard another voice from heaven saying, come out of her my people so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues. For her sins have piled up as high as heaven and God has remembered.
her iniquities. Pay her back even as she has paid, and give back to her double according to her deeds. In the cup which she has mixed, mix twice as much for her.
To the degree that she glorified herself and lived sensuously, to the same degree give her torment and mourning. For she says in her heart, I sit as a queen, and I am not a widow. and will never see mourning.
For this reason, in one day her plagues will come, pestilence and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire. For the Lord God who judges her is strong. Another voice from heaven speaks now, telling God's people to come out from her. Don't be caught up in her sins, which could also cause you to get caught up in the plagues that are coming against her. This reminds of 2 Corinthians 6 17. Therefore come out from their midst and be separate says the Lord and do not touch what is unclean and I will welcome you.
In Revelation again we see this imagery of a cup of iniquity. It is full. The sins have piled up so high that they reach heaven and God remembers all of the iniquities.
Using the analogy of a cup, it says she has mixed her cup, mixed twice as much for her in return. In dispensing judgment, God says he will give back to her double according to her deeds. It's a terrifying judgment.
She glorified herself and lived sensuously. In return, she will receive torment and suffering. She boasted she would never see morning, but in one day her plagues will come. She will see mourning and pestilence and famine.
It says, for the Lord God who judges her. is strong. That's something to keep in your heart about your God.
He is a God of judgment and he is strong. Continuing verse 9, and the kings of the earth who committed acts of immorality and lived sensuously with her will weep and lament over her when they see the smoke of her burning, standing at a distance because of the fear of her torment saying, whoa, Whoa, the great city Babylon, the strong city, for in one hour your judgment has come. And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargos anymore. Cargos of gold and silver and precious stones and pearls and fine linen and purple and silk and scarlet and every kind of citron wood and every article of ivory and every article made from very costly wood and bronze and iron and marble and cinnamon and spice and incense and perfume and frankincense and wine and olive oil and fine flour and wheat and cattle and sheep and cargoes of horses and chariots and slaves and human lives the fruit you long for has gone from you and all things that were luxurious and splendid have passed away from you and men will no longer find them.
The merchants of these things who became rich from her will stand at a distance because of the fear of her torment, weeping and mourning, saying, Whoa, whoa, the great city, she who was clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls. For in one hour such great... wealth has been laid waste and every ship master and every passenger and sailor and as many as make their living by the sea stood at a distance and were crying out as they saw the smoke of her burning saying what city is like the great city and they threw dust on their heads and were crying out weeping and mourning saying whoa Whoa, the great city in which all who had ships at sea became rich by her wealth, for in one hour she has been laid waste. We have this section with three representative groups, kings, merchants, and shipmasters and others who make their living by the sea. Each of these which participated in benefited from the immoral acts of this great city.
is reacting to the fall of the great city. The kings committed acts of immorality with her and lived sensuously with her. They're weeping and lamenting as they see her burning with smoke. They're saying, whoa, whoa, the great city, Babylon, the strong city, in one hour your judgment has come. And the merchants are weeping and mourning because it says no one is buying their cargoes anymore.
It tells what sort of rich and lavish cargoes they had, but suddenly those luxurious cargoes are no more. They too are standing at a distance as they weep and mourn for fear of her torment. And they too are saying, Whoa, Whoa, the great city. They're noting as well how swiftly judgment has come in one footstep.
Our, she's been laid waste. Then the shipmasters, passengers, sailors, and others who make their living by the sea. They too are weeping and mourning as they see the smoke from a distance. They throw dust on their heads in their mourning and they too say, Whoa, whoa, the great city. Their lament is that all who had ships at sea became rich by her wealth.
And they too note. how swiftly judgment has come. In one hour, she has been laid waste. That's how quickly God can change things. Psalm 30 verse 5 says, weeping may last for a night, but joy comes in the morning.
As believers, we love that no matter how difficult life may be, we have the promise that the Lord's joy is right there with us. Here, when judgment comes, joy merriment ceases and it's replaced quickly by weeping and mourning. Continuing verse 20, Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, because God has pronounced judgment for you against her. For several verses, we saw the weeping and mourning by all those who had been a part of the idolatry and immorality of the great city. In sharp contrast, verse 20 says, Rejoice over her, O heaven.
Rejoice, you saints and apostles and prophets. This is God's judgment on your behalf. This is God fulfilling his word.
This is his vindication. This is his promise that he would avenge. Our God executes justice and righteousness. Our God is faithful. It's saying let the unbelievers weep and mourn.
All the righteous in Christ, this is a time to rejoice. Continuing verse 21. Then a strong 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 not be found any longer. And the sound of harpists and musicians and flute players and trumpeters will not be heard in you any longer. And no craftsman of any craft will be found in you any longer.
and the sound of a mill will not be heard in you any longer, and the light of a lamp will not shine in you any longer, and the voice of the bridegroom and bride will not be heard in you. any longer. For your merchants were the great men of the earth because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery.
And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints and of all who have been slain on the earth. Now as a symbol of what is happening to Babylon, a strong angel throws a great stone into the sea. And it's to show that likewise the great city will be thrown down with violence and not just thrown down, it will not be found any longer.
No more merry music to be heard in the city. No craftsmen, no sound of the mill, not a light will shine. No voice of bride or groom.
It says all the nations were deceived by her sorcery. And here's why the saints, apostles, and prophets were told to rejoice, because their blood was found there. Their blood and the blood of all who have been slain on the earth. Key words repeated in this chapter are one hour, emphasizing how swiftly God moved.
in judgment. It was recognized by all who were weeping and mourning that in one hour the great city was laid waste. As believers, I pray we remember how swiftly God can move.
We can wait and wait and wonder why God has not moved in response to our prayers, has not moved in response to the trials that we are enduring. We wonder why he hasn't moved. in the hearts of those we've been praying for and so on.
But we have to remain steadfast knowing that God is faithful and that he can turn a situation around in one hour. Nothing is too hard for God. If you've been going through and praying and waiting, be encouraged that God knows he sees and his timing is perfect. He can accomplish everything. his will in a moment.
We rejoice when he moves mightily, but always we cling to him in the midst. Thank you so much for watching. I would love for you to subscribe if you haven't already. Don't forget to hit the notification bell so you will know when I upload a new video.
I will see you in the next one. Meanwhile, keep clinging.