Revelation 18 Babylon the government and commerce systems

SLIDE 16 Revelation 18 Babylon the government and commerce systems

The destruction of the religious Babylon takes place about the middle of the seven years after the Antichrist declares himself to be God and no longer needs the woman representing the One World Religion. Satan is right where he has longed to be since creation of the world: to be worshipped as God. Satan will use the beast to gain favor and power of the 10 Kings. But he has two personas. As soon as he has achieved his goal, he will cast aside those he has used.

The son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped, so that he sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is god. 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 

He will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome him.

SLIDE 17 In chapter 18 we will read about the destruction of the commercial, political Babylon when takes place at the end of the Tribulation. The symbolism is that she is a city but it much more that one city she is a world system. Imagine the fine goods and extravagant cargo needed to supply the luxurious and affluent lifestyle of the rich and powerful kings. (photo of Tarshish to Solomon)

 For all adulterous based commerce and secular government was begun here at the end the tribulation, God will destroy them all with the seven and last vile judgment in the fulfillment of prophecy in Isaiah 47: I will take vengeance, and I will spare no one.

SLIDE 18 1After this I saw another angel comes down from heaven, and the earth was made bright with his glory2 And he called out with a mighty voice,"Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!

She has become a dwelling place for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, unclean bird, unclean and detestable beast. 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."

SLIDE  19 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 ;5for her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her

iniquities 6Pay her back as she herself has paid back others, and repay her double for her deeds; 

By now it is hard to believe any Christians survived the reign of the beast. Perhaps some saints bent on saving others have been hidden away. It could also mean that Christ is using this scripture to warn us as he did Lots family.

7As 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.'

8For this reason her plagues will come in a single day, death and mourning and famine, and 9

SLIDE  20 8b she will be burned up with fire; for mighty is the Lord God who has judged her."

​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.

Who will weep and mourn for her?

• Kings who have coupled with her 

• Merchants who gained wealth from her luxurious lifestyle

• Shipmasters-no one to buy their goods

• Seafaring men, Sailors-Who will by their cargo? 
As you look at verse 11 there is a list of her imported goods

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

12cargo 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,

13cinnamon, 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!" 15The 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!17For 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 off18and cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning, "What city was like the great city?"

19And 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.20Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, for God has given judgment for you against her!"21Then 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;22and 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,23and 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.24And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all who have been slain on earth."

Who will celebrate the Lord’s judgment. Those saints under the alter that have echoed through the ages,”When O Lord. “20 Rejoice over her, thou heaven and ye holy apostles and prophets, for God hath avenged you on her.”

SLIDE  21 21Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, “Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, The kingdom of the under antichrist will be utterly destroyed. 

**For years I have been told of a sermon deliver over 1200 times by a pastor from SC. 

Robert Green Lee  I will not read the poem but it will be on the blog.

Slide 22 "Payday - Someday!" God said it - and it was done! Yes, and from this we learn the power and certainty of God in carrying out His retributive providence, the men know that His justice slumbereth not. Even though the mill of God grinds slowly, it grinds to powder. Yes, the judgments of God often have heels and travel slowly. But they always have iron hands and crush completely 

Slide 23 Ladies would you choose to take your payday from Jesus Christ?

RG Lee "Payday Someday!"  ... And the only way I know for any man or woman on earth to escape the sinner's payday on earth and the sinner's hell beyond - making sure of the Christian's payday - is through Christ Jesus, who took the sinner's place on the cross. becoming for all sinners all that God must judge, that sinners through faith in Christ Jesus might become all that God cannot judge."

1886-1974 He was born in South Carolina and educated at Furman University in Greenville, SC.  http://www.newsforchristians.com/classics.html 

“Pay Day Someday remains his most famous sermon. First preached as a Wednesday night devotional it still stands as what could only be called a classic. In all, Lee preached it 1,275 times in every venue from small churches to state legislatures to foreign countries. The closing words of that great sermon demonstrate the power of Lee's preaching:”