Have you ever had one of those mornings where you're just trying to get ready? You put on the sweater, you don't think that looks right, or it doesn't feel right, or something, you keep changing clothes. Then I was trying to decide what shoes to wear. I wanted to look halfway decent. Christy always wears these cute shoes when she's speaking. But I need support on my feet, so I thought, I'm just going to wear my tennis shoes, nobody's going to care. And then I was trying to do my hair and my hairspray sprayed everywhere, but on my hair, it didn't matter if I put it under hot water or wiped it off. I mean, the hair on my arm is going to stay in place today. Finally, I just said, Lord, it does not matter. I'm just going. So here we are. We are back again after just a week, so thank you for coming out. Christie's lessons from Revelation 15 and 16 was pretty sobering, wasn't it? Those bold judgments are at the very end of the tribulation, and horrific things are going to happen during that time. And while she was talking, I had to think of what Jesus said in Matthew 24, 22. He said, if those days had not been cut short, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be shortened. And what we learned last week, you can really understand that, that if God hadn't say, OK, this has to end, no one would survive. And it also made me think of one of my memory verses, Psalm 46, 1 and 2, Where it says, God is our refuge and strength and ever present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea. You know, when she was talking about the mountains just disappearing, you read this verse and you think that's just an extreme that God gives us, but it's really going to happen. You know, the mountains are going to be, it's just hard to wrap your mind around. It really is. But God's word is true. And um, So we need to just keep in mind the gospel for people. Hopefully, they'll get out of this situation. So we move on to Revelation 17 and 18. And before we get started, let's pray. Father, we just thank you for who you are. We need you so badly. This world is in such turmoil, Lord, from the war in the Ukraine, those dear people, to shooting of kids in our own state. We just need you desperately. And I just pray that as we look at these end times, it would challenge our hearts with the truth of your word. Help us to be more zealous for your truth. And I pray, Lord, that you would guide and direct in this talk and help us to honor you and to be accurate with your word. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. Okay, these two chapters, Revelation 17 and 18, it's again giving us a break in the chronology of the times. They offer more detailed information about two things that are going to happen during the tribulation. One is the one world religion, and the other is the one world economy. Revelation 17 is about the religious system. And Revelation 18 is about the economic system. And do you realize that the setup for those things are already in place? We have the United Nations that is the goal to trying to unite the whole world in politics. We have the World Bank, which would be the economic system. That's where we as Americans owe them trillions of dollars. We're in debt to. And then there's the World Council of Churches, trying to unite the world spiritually. So those things already exist. And you'll be hearing a lot about Babylon in these two chapters. And I want to make it clear from the outset that it is a reference sometimes to a system, and at other times it is a reference to a city. So we'll get into that more in detail as we go through these chapters, but trying to think of a way to make us understand that. The thing I could think of as Americans, we often refer to Wall Street. We know that it's an actual place. But we also know that when people talk about what's happening on Wall Street, they're talking about the markets all over our nation. So that's kind of a reference that you can think of when you think of Babylon as those two things. OK, Revelation 17 is a chapter on the one world religion. In 1844, Karl Marx described religion as the opium of the people. He viewed all religion as man-made. He viewed it as a crutch to help people escape all that is wrong in their lives. And in many ways, that's true. But the problem is that he lumped Christianity into all of those religions. And Christianity is not a man-made religion. Christianity is God seeking man. Romans 3.11. says, there is no one who understands no one who seeks God. And then in Luke 1910, Jesus said, for the son of man came to seek and to save what was lost. Now there are verses in the Bible that talk about man seeking, and we do. But we need to understand that unless God draws us to himself, we will not come to him. In John 6, 44, Jesus said, no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. So God is the one. He's the initiator. He is the one who wants us to respond to him, to come to the truth of him. And then when he reveals himself to us, it's our choice of what we are going to do with what God has revealed to us, whether to believe him or not. But God made us to be worshipers. So if we turn our back on God, we will worship something. And it is interesting to me that Babylon begins in the book of Genesis, and it ends in Revelation. It's all through the Bible. So let's go back to that very beginning. This was after the flood. The story of the flood is in Genesis chapter 7 and 8. And then in Genesis 9, 1, it said, then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth. The same command that he gave Adam and Eve to do that. So, and then chapter 10 talks about the sons of Noah. Genesis 10, 8 through 10, it says, Cush was the father of Nimrod, who grew to be a mighty warrior on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord. That is why it is said, like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the Lord. The first centers of his kingdom were Babylon, and then it lists some other cities. But Babylon is the first city that it names. Now, the word Babylon means gate of the gods, not gate of God, gate of the gods. So that tells you something right there. And we move on to Genesis chapter 11, verses 1 through 4. It says, now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there. They said to each other, come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly. They used brick instead of stone and tar for mortar. Then they said, come, let us build ourselves a city with a tower that reaches to the heavens so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth. So this is where they were building the Tower of Babel. Babel means confusion. I'm sure most of you know the story. That is when God came down, saw what they were doing, and gave them all different languages. So they were forced to scatter across the earth because they went with the people who they could understand. So why was building that tower sinful? Well, first of all, they were being disobedient, disobedient to God's command. Notice a motive was that so they would not be scattered over the whole earth when God said to go and fill the whole earth. But secondly, it was humanism. It was pride in themselves. It says they did it so that we can make a name for ourselves. There's nothing about God in it at all. So Babylon, from the very beginning, was about worship, but not toward God. It was a man-made religion. So we go back to Revelation 17. This is a chapter where, thankfully, in some of it, God gives us the interpretation of what some of it means. But I must admit, it's still a tough chapter for me, so give me some grace here. But we're going to read This whole chapter, verses 1 through 18. Revelation 17, if you want to follow along. One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute who sits on many waters. With her, the kings of the earth committed adultery, and the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adultery. Then the angel carried me away in the spirit into a desert. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. She had a golden cup in her hand filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries. This title was written on her forehead, Mystery. Babylon the Great, the mother of prostitutes and of the abominations of the earth. I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus. When I saw her, I was greatly astonished. Then the angel said to me, why are you astonished? I will explain to you the mystery of the woman and the beast, she writes, which has the seven heads and the ten horns. The beast which you saw once was, now is not, and will come up out of the abyss and go to his destruction. The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast, because he once was, now is not, and yet will come. This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits. They are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come. But when he does come, he will remain for a little while. The beast who once was, and now is not, is an eighth king. He belongs to the seven and is going to his destruction. The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but who for one hour will receive authority as kings along with the beast. They have one purpose and will give their power and authority to the beast. They will make war against the lamb, but the lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of Lords and King of Kings. And with him will be his called, chosen, and faithful followers. Then the angel said to me, the waters you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and languages. The beast and the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They will bring her to ruin and leave her naked. They will eat her flesh and burn her with fire. For God has put it into their hearts to accomplish his purpose by agreeing to give the beasts their power to rule until God's words are fulfilled. The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth. So is that me, Bethany? Let's try that. Well, we'll see how that works. That chapter is clear as mud, right? I tell you, ladies, this one took a little work. And we'll see what we can learn from it. So first, we're going to focus on some terms that are used in this chapter. In verse 1, it talks about the great prostitute. Some of your translations may say harlot. That is the worldwide religious system. Everyone will be worshiping in one religion, and that will be it. That is the great prostitute. Notice in verse 18, though, that it says that the woman you saw is a great city. So which is it? Is it a worldwide religious system, or is it a city? Well, it is both. The woman is a symbol of false religion. And we will get more about the city later. But remember that with this worldwide religion, Antichrist eventually demands that all worship is going to go to him. He supports this religion for a while. We see on here that she sits on top of the beast. The beast is supporting it for a while. Until he comes to the point where he's going to say no that has to stop you will worship me So keep that in mind We've already talked in the past about that point when the Antichrist does that Daniel call it the abomination of desolation When Antichrist sets him up himself up as God and that's when God told the Jews to get out Okay So when he sets himself up as God That would be the economic and the religious center, because at the tribulation, it's all about him. So wherever his capital city is, that will be the economic and religious center of the world. The ancient city of Babylon was the political, it was the commercial, and it was the religious center of the world empire. And this new Babylon will be the same for the Antichrist. Okay, there was another term. It says many waters there in verse 1 and this one's easy. Verse 15 tells us that it is peoples, multitudes, nations, and languages. In other words, it is the whole world that is following with this religion. In verse 3 it talks about the beast and we've learned throughout these chapters that the beast is the Antichrist. In verse 3, it also talks about the seven heads, and it says this is seven kings, as explained in verses 9 and 10. Now, we'll talk about that more when we get there. But back to verse 1, notice that the angel tells John that the false religion is about to be punished. Verse 2 tells us that from the rulers on down to the normal people of the earth, They are intoxicated with this false religion. This isn't just, you know, I'm telling you need to believe this, so I guess I have to type a deal. They are into this religion. It's a feel-good religion. They are intoxicated with it. You know, I've heard, thankfully I haven't been there myself, but I've heard when someone is intoxicated, they feel pretty good for a while. But then it ends, it doesn't last. But they are passionate about this religion. Satan has completely deceived them. They are into this. And look at what Jeremiah 51 7 says. It says Babylon was a cold gold cup in the Lord's hand. She made the whole earth drunk. The nations drank her wine, therefore they have now gone mad. And that is kind of what is happening at this time. You know, once in a while, we see people go to great lengths for things that they are passionate about in their religion. We think of those that commit jihad, or jihad, or however you pronounce it. And that's a false religion. But they are so into it, they are so passionate about it, that they are willing to give up their life for what that religion teaches. And, you know, this really challenged Miguel's thinking about that. You know, I have the truth. How passionate am I about that? You know, I just had this stuff and prayed, Lord, give me more passion. I have the truth. Help me to see that. Others give their lives for something that's false. Help us to be more passionate about what we believe. And notice in verse three that the woman is sitting on the beast. Like I said before, in other words, for a while, religion will be supported by the Antichrist. But as we said earlier, eventually he will demand that it goes to him. We'll see that later in the chapter. The description of the beast in verse 3 is of Scarlet. Scarlet is a reference to luxury and royalty. He will be the ruler, but notice that he's covered with blasphemous names. In chapter 13, we learned that he will be horribly blasphemous against the one true God. And we see in verse 4 that this religion is also wealthy and attractive, just like a prostitute makes herself out to be. She tries to be as attractive as she can. But notice the content of the religion in verse 4. It is full of abominable things. built from her adulteries, looks good on the outside. People are hearing what they want to hear. But on the inside of it, it is full of abominable things. You know, gals, we need to take a close look at religion. What are churches teaching? Do they stand on the word of God? Are they true to the word of God? You know, it can sometimes deceive us because they may read some out of the Bible sometimes, but in the end, is it standing on the whole truth of the Word of God? You know, I'm one of the last 12 of us who started LBC. Others are with the Lord and others have moved away. Some of you weren't too far behind us. But when us six couples started it, we got a lot of questions. Why did you become a Bible Church? And the answer was we didn't want to be under a denomination telling us what to do. And I'm not, please understand me, not all denominations are bad. There's a lot of good ones out there that are teaching the true word of God. So there's nothing wrong with the denomination. But we all know We could each tell of some churches that we knew years ago were true to the word of God. But now they aren't even close, because the denomination tells them what they have to believe, what they have to teach. And we just wanted a church that stood on the true word of God, just the word of God. So that's why we did that. Now, when we started out, We got a lot of questions in the community because this was foreign to them. How can you be a church without a denomination? We got asked that a lot. Sometimes we got, how do you get a pastor? Because they were so used to their denomination. Sending them a pastor. But my absolute favorite question was, I was in a store one time and a lady came up to me and she said, you're part of that new group, right? And I said, yeah, yeah, we're starting a Bible church. And she looked me straight in the eyes and all serious and she said, how do you get buried? And I go, um. What do you say? We call the funeral home. They put us in a casket. She was so used to her church doing the rites and stuff like that that she just couldn't imagine how you'd even be buried without a denomination telling you what to do. So we just need to be careful of what is being taught out there. When I was a student at Grace University, we were required to go to chapel service. We could be allowed so many a semester to miss. But it was a requirement. And I remember one chapel I went to, and the speaker was kind of far out. for Grace standards, I thought. And right after that chapel service, I had my Hebrews class with Dr. Russell Jones. And the first thing he did is he was up on his podium, and he goes like this. He goes, so, do you believe him? And we all sat there thinking, this is Grace. Aren't we here to learn the truth? Aren't you supposed to? And finally, one student tentatively put his hand up, and he said, aren't we taught here to examine everything that we learn? And Dr. Russell said, absolutely. He goes, I don't care if it's me. I don't care if it's Grace. Ladies, I don't care if it's LBC. Our pastors tell us to do this all the time. Examine everything you learn from the word of God, which means we have to know it. So get into the word of God, know what it says, and know how to refute religion. Those that are teaching things not on the word of God. So enough of my soapbox. But it's so important, especially in this day and age. There's so much deception. We're getting ready for the tribulation where that one-world religion will be a feel-good religion, accepting everything. Notice verse 6. Once again, in the name of religion, true Christians will be martyred. And these religious people will do it with great joy. It's as if they are drunk with the blood of Christians. Now, John here says that he is greatly astonished. And the angel says, why are you astonished? Now, I read a lot of commentaries. And I am still not clear as to why John was astonished. It really couldn't be because he was surprised that organized religion would slaughter true believers because he lived in a time when it was happening. Jewish people were trying to kill the believers. The story of Paul, he was a Pharisee, he was out killing Christians. So I don't think it could be that, that he was surprised organized religion would do that. Maybe it was that he saw the amount of people that were being killed. I just don't know. Someday I'll ask him. I hope God's writing down all my questions, because I'm going to forget them when I get up there. I'm sure you're on a long list. Here's the questions you had, Nancy. Oh, dear. It'll be interesting to talk to these people when we get to heaven. and know really what was going on in their minds. So let's move on to verse 8. It says that the beast, the Antichrist, once was, now is not, and will come up. This is a reference back to his fatal wound. Remember that we talked about in chapter 13, that he was imitating Christ's death and resurrection. He was killed to that fatal wound on the head, but then he came back to life. So that's what it means when he once was, now is not. He's yet to come. So in verse 9, it talks about the seven hills that are seven kings. It says, five have fallen. Now remember, the angel is talking to John. So in his past, there were five fallen empires, or hills or rulers, which were Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Greece. It says one is when John was alive, that was Rome. That was the empire that he was living in. That's the one that is. And then There is one yet to come, which is, during the tribulation period, the Antichrist rule and reign, this Babylon that we've been talking about. Some call it the revived Roman Empire. And it says that Antichrist, the beast, is the eighth king. But he is also the seventh king, if you count it up there. And again, this is a reference to his death and resurrection. He was the seventh king. He died. So the seventh king was dead. Then he came back to life. So he's now the eighth king. Oh, ladies, this took some time. No wonder the verse says, this calls for wisdom. And I don't have any ladies, so forgive me. But hopefully, it's making it a little bit understandable. Verses 12 and 13 talk about the 10 horns. Now, these are the rulers that were under the authority of the Antichrist. The world will be divided into 10 regions, and the Antichrist will have rulers over those regions, kind of like our governors. We are the United States of America, but we're divided into states. And the governors are the rulers over that state, but they answer to the president. These people will answer to the Antichrist. In verse 14, it says that they will make war against the lamb. but that the Lamb will overcome them." Of course he will. They don't stand a chance. Notice that when it says, with him will be his called, chosen, and faithful followers in verse 14. That's us, ladies. That's us believers who are in heaven. This is the second coming of Christ. When he comes back and sets foot on this earth, we will be right behind him. And it will be a blessed day. Christie will be talking about this battle and that second coming next time you meet. So be sure to be here in two weeks, because it's a marvelous time. Verse 16 shows us. that the moment when the Antichrist will not support the religion that he had for a while, because he will insist that all worship go to him. Notice that it says the beast and his governors, the 10 horns, will hate the prostitute. They will smash that false religion to the ground. He uses false religion for a while, But eventually, he wants the worship to go to him. So he's going to bring it to ruin. And ladies, I love verse 17. Let me read that again. It said, for God has put it into their hearts to accomplish his purpose by agreeing to give the beast our power to rule until God's words are fulfilled. Isn't it amazing that God uses the Antichrist to smash the false religion? Even though he demands worship of himself, it's God's way of dealing with that false religion. He's in control. It reminds me of Acts 428, when it's talking about the crucifixion. It says, they did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. The cross didn't take God. By surprise, he had it in control all the time, and he still is in control. And if he wants to use the Antichrist to bring down false religion, he will use the Antichrist. As I said earlier, verse 18 sets us up for chapter 18, which talks more about this city. So the question is, what city is this? Some think it's Rome. Some think that it will be Babylon rebuilt. And the truth is, ladies, I don't know. I'm just going to tell you that. I want to remind you here. that there are many things in Revelation that we just will not understand until the time comes, I think. I think there will be a lot of things that God will surprise us with. And please don't think that Chrissy and I have all the answers to Revelation. We're doing the best we can to interpret it accurately. And we pray that we will handle it accurately. But when it comes to things like this one, I don't know. I'm going to tell you, I don't know. I'm just not fixed in my mind what it will be. Moving on to Revelation chapter 18, this chapter is likely at the very, very end of the tribulation, probably during the bowl judgments. And we will see more about that as we get into it. As Revelation 17 saw the destruction of the religious system, Revelation 18 tells us of the destruction of the economic system. And that seems to give people a whole lot more sorrow than the religious system going down. We'll see that in this chapter. But let's be honest with ourselves. The things that affect our bank accounts, seem to have a way of giving us concern, don't they? You know, we see the ripple effects of things that happen when Russia invades the Ukraine. Our gas prices go up. I hear they're going to go up another dollar. sanctions that keep the Russian people from being able to buy what they normally do. It affects them. But also that affects our markets over here because we can't do the exports. So it affects farmers. It affects others that send exports over there. It affects many different groups of people. Sometimes I'm on Twitter and they have different major news things off to the side that I look at once in a while and this is what it said in the Markets Insider report and I quote, elite investors on Wall Street say privately that the market is about to undergo a cataclysmic shift and many won't survive the washout, unquote. Now, I don't do market stuff, but if that would happen, it will affect all of us in one way or another. I mean, that can cause us to worry about what's going to happen with our future. If we're honest with ourselves, we're probably a lot more attached to the things of this world than we care to admit. And sometimes it's just hard to say, Lord, that all belongs to you. I'm just going to trust you. But that's where we need to be in our Christian walk so we can pray for each other that we will be there. We talked about Babylon being a real city in this chapter. And I do lean toward that interpretation instead of it being a system because of a couple of reasons. First of all, it is called a city five times in this chapter, in verses 10, 16, 18, 19, and 21. It's called a city. So I think it really means that it is a literal city. But secondly, there is terminology used that make it appear that it's a certain place going down and others see it happening from a distance. Verse 10, it says they stand far off and cry because it's going down. Verses 14 and 17 use the same terminology of standing far off in the distance and watching it happen. So if it was a system, it would be worldwide and they would all be affected by it. And they wouldn't be standing far off. But keep in mind that when this city is destroyed, the economic system of the world goes with it, as we will see. And I've already mentioned again that I really don't know what this city is. Whatever city it is, it will be the capital of the Antichrist empire. And I want to mention something here, because like I said, some think it's Rome, and others think it will be Babylon rebuilt. Right now, where that Amazing city of Babylon once was back in the Babylonian Empire It is which is in present-day Iraq. It is still in ruins today And listen to what God said in Isaiah 13 19 and 20 Babylon the jewel of kingdoms the glory of the Babylonians pride will be overthrown by God like Sodom and Gomorrah and She will never be inhabited or lived in through all generations. No Arab will pitch his tent there. No shepherd will rest his flocks there. So that's what God said about Babylon. Now, some think that maybe that it could be rebuilt in that verse when it's destroyed means then. But I think it's now. For one thing, it would be hard for me to imagine that Antichrist could build an entire city in as short a time as the Tribulation is. I mean, that would be quite an undertaking. So I don't really think it's a rebuilt city. Sometimes I wonder, and this is just speculation from me, I wonder if he might take over the Antichrist take over a city in that area, declare it as capital, and he could rename it Babylon if he wanted to, just out of defiance. Or it might be that God just calls it Babylon here to know what is associated with that scripture, that it is the capital city of a wicked kingdom and it's coming down. So, whatever it is a city. Let's read Revelation 18 verses 1 through 3. It said, after this, I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority and the earth was illuminated by his splendor. With a mighty voice, he shouted, fallen, fallen is Babylon the great. She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird. For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries. So this angel lights up the heavens and proclaims judgment. And the angel describes here what this city is like. The first thing that the angel says is that it has unbelievable demonic activity. And that should not surprise us because this is Antichrist's capital city. His power comes from Satan. So demons obviously are going to be there. It will be a horrible place to live. Believe me, demonic activity is alive and well in our world today. But remember that in past chapters in Revelation we talked about it told us That a lot of demons were going to be released from the abyss So there's more demons on the earth than there had been in the past and it will be awful during the tribulation especially in this capital city a home for demons, I just can't imagine and then I'm fascinated by what it tells us next. It says it's a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird. Why is that in there? You know, and it got me to thinking, which can be a dangerous thing sometimes, but it got me to thinking of Revelation 19, verse 17. Revelation 19, 17 says, And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried out in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, come gather together for the great supper of God, verse 18, so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals and mighty men of horses and their riders and the flesh of all people, free and slave, small and great. I've always wondered where do all those birds come from? Well, maybe they come from here. I don't know. Christy teaches that next time, so I'm going to leave it at that. You know, that's kind of an ugly picture. Hopefully she won't describe it too bad. But it's interesting to think about why God would mention that it's a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird. It's interesting. Okay. It says that the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. This city is an epicenter of debauchery. It's the economic and political center of the world, but it is also the headquarters for demonic activity and all that goes with it. And the world, it says, loves this place. Why is that? Because, in verse 3, it says they grew rich from her excessive luxuries. If anything makes us happy, it's because it affects our pocketbook. And that's why they love this place. We'll move on to Revelation 18, verses 4 through 8. It says, then I heard another voice from heaven say, come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins. so that you will not receive any of her plagues. For her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes. Give back to her what she has given. Pay her back double for what she has done. Mix her a double portion from her own cup. Give her as much torture and grief as the glory and luxury she gave herself. In her heart, she boasts, I sit as queen. I am not a widow, and I will never mourn. Therefore, in one day, her plagues will overtake her, death, mourning, and famine. She will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her." This is God's warning to any believers who are in that city. Notice that it says, come out of her, my people. It's a call to those believers to get out and get out fast. It just reminds me of the story of Lot and his family with Sodom and Gomorrah, that the angel had to get them out of Sodom and Gomorrah because it was going to go down, they were going to be destroyed. And that's what God is telling believers, get out of there. Notice that she will be consumed by fire, just like Sodom and Gomorrah were. Verse six talks about paying back double. Pay her back double, make sure a double portion. Paying back double was what God required in the law. We won't take time to go there, but if you'd look back, for example, at Exodus chapter 22, it states there that if someone stole something from somebody, for example, they had to give back double of what they had stolen. So that was what God required. Notice in verse 8 it says that it will happen in a day. Verses 10, 19, and 17 that it happens in one hour. The idea behind both is just that it's very quick. It will just be like a snap of the finger. It won't be a slow fade. It's going to come down fast. Verses 9 through 20 show us three different groups who mourn the fall of this Babylon. This great city and these groups are finally sorry about something But they're not sorry about their sins. They're sorry about their pocketbooks In verses 9 and 10. The first group is the kings of the earth will read verses 9 and 10 Says when the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning they will weep and mourn over her and Terrified at her torment, they will stand off and cry, whoa, whoa, oh great city, oh Babylon, city of power, in one hour your doom has come. So, these kings, there's no more job security for them. It's over and they know it. The second group is the merchants in verses 11 through 17a. Those verses say the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes anymore. Cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls, fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth. Every sort of citron wood and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron, and marble. Cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh, and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and carriages, and bodies and souls of men. They will say, the fruit you long for is gone from you. All your riches and splendor have vanished, never to be recovered. The merchants who sold these things and gained their wealth from her will stand far off, terrified at her torment. They will weep and mourn and cry out. Whoa, whoa, oh great city, dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet, and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. In one hour, such great wealth has been brought to ruin. You know, the cargo mentioned here seems pretty innocuous until you read that last one. That, to be honest, makes my skin crawl. Part of their merchandise is the bodies and souls of men. slavery, sex trafficking, prostitution. They're going to make a lot of money off of that. That's part of their business. And we know that those things happen today in our world, and it's just ugly stuff. But we need to remember that mankind without Christ is just ugly. You can just imagine how bad it will be during the tribulation just and it's mentioned so casually with all those other things just in the bodies and souls of men. That's our merchandise. It's really a sad thing. Verses 14 through 17 are just more genuine sorrow, sorrow for their stuff. And you know, I guess there will be people in that city. And in all these things that they're sorrowful about, not once does it mention that they're sorry for all the people that are going to die in that city. It just mentions that because of the wealth, they are going to be sorry. Then the third group is the sea captains in verses 17b through 19. It says, every sea captain and all who travel by ship, the sailors, and all who earn their living from the sea will stand far off. When they see the smoke of her burning, they will explain, was there ever a city like this great city? They will throw dust on their heads and with weeping and mourning cry out, whoa, whoa, oh, great city, where all who had ships on the sea became rich through her wealth. In one hour, she has been brought to ruin. Now this is why I believe that this will be at the very, very end of the tribulation, because remember last time Christie and the Bull judgments taught that all the oceans are all of a sudden going to be turned to blood. So this has to be before that time, right before the end. And it's the same story as the others. You know, they're feeling sorry because this hit was on their income. And then let's read verse 20. It says, Rejoice over her, O heaven. Rejoice, saints and apostles and prophets. God has judged her for the way she treated you. Talk about an opposite reaction from the people of the earth. Those of us in heaven know that God's judgment has come at last. His judgment is just and true. And I love the fact that this verse says rejoice saints and apostles and prophets. Look at Ephesians 2 verses 19 and 20. It says consequently you are no longer foreigners and aliens but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ himself, Jesus himself, as the chief cornerstone. Paul said in Ephesians 1, 1, he was writing to the saints who were in Ephesus. That means believers. So this verse is saying that the saints, the apostles, the prophets, all are going to be rejoicing together in heaven. That will be quite a moment. And then Revelation 21 through 24, the grand finale, it says, then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone and threw it into the sea and said, with such violence, the great city of Babylon will be thrown down, never to be found again. The music of harpists and musicians, flute players and trumpeters will never be heard in you again. No workman of any trade will ever be found in you again. The sound of a millstone will never be heard in you again. The light of a lamp will never shine in you again. The voice of bridegroom and bride will never be heard in you again. Your merchants were the world's great men by your magic spell. All the nations were led astray. In her was found the blood of prophets and of the saints and of all who had been killed on the earth." That tells us that normal life in Babylon is over. There's no concerts, no going to work in the morning, no preparing food, no quiet evening by the light of your lamp reading your book, no weddings. It is over. Antichrist reign is done. And I can't wait to get to chapter 19. We're getting to the good stuff, ladies. Let's pray. Father, we're so grateful for your word. And thank you for your revealing yourself to us. Lord, we do pray for the lost. We just pray that people would come to know you. Would you build your church? Would you draw people to yourself? And help us to be a part of that. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.