Welcome to our continuing Bible, our Bible study here at Glendale Baptist Church. And we are continuing in our study in the book of Revelation. Now today I'm gonna cover a lot of information, but it's from a condensed portion. We're gonna begin our study of chapter 18. So I'm gonna read verses one through four, and we'll make reference to other portions of the chapter, but our focus is gonna be in the first four verses. After this, I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was made bright with his glory. 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, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast. 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. And 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." Now the content of chapter 18 of Revelation enlarges on three things that are touched on in other portions of the vision, but especially in chapter 17. And the three things that are touched on in chapter 17, but are somewhat enlarged upon in chapter 18 is one, the true character of the great prostitute. We saw a little bit of that where she's described in one way, but then we see her true character in chapter 17. Well, that's gonna be enlarged upon in chapter 18. Secondly, the extent and the depths of her influence among men. And when I say among men, among the nations at all different levels. We've already seen the influence primarily among those who rule and even those who are the perpetrators of false religion. We've seen her influence in the actions, excuse me, the actions of people within the earth, but it's going to be teased out in a little bit greater detail in chapter 18. And then thirdly, the details of her judgment that we have seen the judgment coming. In fact, we will see it introduced as if it's already happened. but the details of the judgment of the prostitute is gonna be fleshed out a little bit more, preparing us for what follows in the next couple of chapters. And to that end, I want to also emphasize that the content in chapter 18 does not follow a particular chronology. So it's not a particular sequence, and for that reason, We'll kind of dip and cut, especially after next week. We'll kind of pull from different sections because it's not given in sequential order. In fact, you'll notice that the chapter opens with John seeing an angel coming down from heaven with great authority, whose glory is brightens the whole world. And then he makes this this great announcement and the great announcement is that Babylon, Babylon, the great is fallen. And that's the first thing. So the angel itself, by the way, the angel is given particular authority and I want to single this out because some people have Suggested that the angel might be a Christophany Because of the the reference to the glory of the angel The bright being so bright it brightens up the whole world but this is simply that the angel seems to be just a messenger who is given great authority and and he is reflecting both the glory and the authority of another. So this is a vision and it's not what actually takes place physically, but this is what John sees. And what John sees is this messenger who speaks with great authority and his glory, the glory of the one who appointed him, is reflected in the angel in the same way that the glory and the power of God was reflected in Moses as he went before Pharaoh. In fact, the Lord tells Moses that you will be in the eyes of Pharaoh as me, and Aaron will be your prophet. So this angel comes forth with great authority, reflecting the glory of God as an expression of both the authority and the glory of the one that he represents. But here's the first thing to note. The announcement that Babylon the great has fallen. Now, he hasn't, I mean, the fall hasn't occurred yet. And that's why we wanted to make the point about chronology. In verse two, he says, Babylon, a fallen, fallen is Babylon the great. And in terms of the chronology of her fall and judgment, these things are yet to come. But I think what's underscored here is the certainty, as we've expressed in other places, when the Bible speaks or when John speaks definitively, about the destruction of the dragon or the beast, even though chronologically it hasn't occurred yet. It's a certainty. And so here in verse two, he says that the fall of Babylon essentially is certain. And that's important for the audience to know, the audience to whom he's writing, that just as sure as you will be rewarded understand that Babylon, the great prostitute, her judgment is sure and it's certain. The second thing that we see in the balance of verse two is the true character of Babylon, the true character of the whore or the prostitute of Babylon. It's exposed as opposed to in chapter 17 verse four where the woman is described as being arrayed in purple and scarlet and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls. Here in the bottom part of verse two, she is described as being a dwelling place for demons and a haunt for every unclean spirit and unclean thing. So on the one hand, she is alluring. because of the outward features and later we'll see probably next week we'll look at her perception of self. But she's seen outwardly and one of the reasons that she is appealing is because outwardly she has all of the trappings that seems like she's attractive and successful. And hold in mind we're talking about a worldview and not a real person. So externally, it seems as if everything is good. So what John does, or what this angel does, is he exposes, not only does he announce the certainty of Babylon's fall, but he also exposes the reality of what her true self is. The third thing that we see in verse three, is a reiteration with more detail concerning those who have been seduced by the harlot. And it falls out in three basic categories. First, it says in verse three, for all the nations have dropped from her, and that indicates that the influence of the harlot is universal. Now remember what we've said about the harlot or the world, because that's really what it is. The world is the collective expression of fallen humanity. So it is the worldview, it is the spiritual platform, it is the definition of self and human purpose, according to our fallen nature, collectively. It is so it's not just an individual's corrupt and flawed thinking, but it is the collective expression. a fallen humanity that's captured in institutions and other things. This is universal. So from every tribe, tongue, and nation, which by the way parallels the place from which the church is gathered, that God calls us from every tribe, nation, and tongue, and language. And so it is with the beast, or this harlot, that she had seduced, she has caused people from Every place, all nations, they have been made intoxicated by drinking or really by viewing themselves in the world and God through the lens of the world and not through the lens of God's word. So it is the collective expression of the corruption and immorality of fallen humanity, which has now been justified by institutions and ideas in a collective community sense. The second thing he says is that all the nations of the earth, or excuse me, all the kings of the earth have committed immorality with her. So the kings of the earth, and it's interesting when we look at the concept of the sovereignty of God, We know that from Romans 13, that those who govern, govern because God has sovereignly allowed them to govern. That does not mean that every governor or ruler or king or president is godly. And he accomplishes his purpose through their deeds, whether they are good or bad. But there is a view, of worldly and political and military power, where individuals see themselves as being the consummation or the epitome of power. They think they are in and of themselves. Alexander the Great, who had the desire to conquer the whole world. Hitler who thought he could conquer the whole world. So they are seeking and using political power and military power to enhance and undergird their own purposes. That's what's indicated here. But then thirdly, not only the kings of the earth, but then he also says the merchants of the earth. And I'm going to get into this one in a little more detail later, but the merchants of the earth. But here's what I'll say right now. John is not saying that the merchants and their trade or their commerce is in and of itself wicked. But I think what he is identifying is the idea that commerce or commercial success, financial success, Defining it apart from the Word of God again as an end in itself We're going to see that in a moment here. So those are the three he enlarges those the image of those who have been seduced and Influenced by the beast. So the first thing we see is that the beast is declared to be Fallen or not the beast. I'm sorry the harlot of or the prostitute of Babylon. Great Babylon has fallen. It hasn't occurred yet, but it is going to occur. It is certain. So it's almost like walking backward. We're going to say, here's the end, but now here's why. The reason Babylon is going to be overthrown is because in spite of her outward appearance, this is what she really is. She is the haunt of demons and unclean spirits and The reason we say, and the influence of those demons is seen in terms of the general populace, humans that define themselves and truth apart from God's word. So it reinforces the individual rebellion that is native to our fallen corrupt state. But it also, she is also going to be overthrown because she has influenced the kings of the earth. They are rebelling, they are continuing that individual rebellion and establishing themselves as the ultimate consummate authority over the power and authority of God. They are seeking power for its own sake and defining the purpose of the state in eternal terms or their own particular political or military power as an end in itself. And then thirdly, she's had a corrupting influence even in commercialism or in economic terms. Now that brings us to the fourth thing that we'll spend a little more time on, and that's in verse four. In verse four, the believers, those who belong to the Lord, are called to come out of her, come out of Babylon. So what I wanna do, in opening that up, we'll look at what it doesn't mean as well as what it does mean. So what does it mean or what he does not mean when he says, come out of her versus what he actually does mean. And I think those things are actually fleshed out throughout the whole of scripture. So let's begin with what it doesn't mean. What it doesn't mean is that Christians need to physically separate in terms of commerce and culture. It does not mean, because when we say commerce and culture, if you look in the verses that follow when it goes on to talk about those who have been influenced by her, he speaks of, for instance, in verse 11, it says, beginning in verse 11, and the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her since no one buys their cargo anymore. Cargo of gold, silver, jewels, pearls, fine linen, purple cloth, silk, scarlet cloth of all kinds of scented wood, all kinds of articles. To come out of Babylon does not mean, because remember, the merchants are those who have been seduced by her. So to come out of Babylon does not mean don't buy this product or don't buy from this person. He's not calling for Christians to physically separate from the temporal things of this world. He's not saying don't go to movies. He's not saying don't listen to this music. Let me just give a pattern of the reason I say that's not the case. Using Paul's words in 1 Corinthians. In 1 Corinthians 5 verses 9 through 10, Paul says this about something that he had written to the Corinthians earlier. He says, I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people. not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy, or the swindlers, or idolaters. Since then, you would have to leave the world. So Paul, when he says, stay away from sexually immoral people, he's not saying, Don't, you know, shun your neighbor because they're living in sin. He's not saying that. Don't patronize that business because, you know, he's this, that, and the other. He says, no, that's not at all what I meant. So to come out of Babylon, as John is told by the angel here in chapter 18, does not mean to avoid individuals or to not do business with those who have been seduced by the harlot. But rather what it is saying, this is a call for the people of God to view and to value politics, commerce, and culture with the mindset of being in Christ and not the mindset of the world. I'm gonna flesh that out with some scriptures. So in other words, when he says, come out of Babylon, He's not saying don't participate in the political process, but instead start your own political thing. He's not saying don't do business with the people who are atheists or the people who are Mormons, but start your own thing. No, that's not what he's saying. What he is saying is to use these things not with the mindset and put evaluation on them, not with the mindset of your fallen nature where you see ultimacy in these things. but rather view these things in light of your union with Christ and your being a part of the kingdom of God. Now, let's look at a number of passages here because I think this is the continual message. And I'm only gonna look at a couple generally and then show how this has been the thinking of John in the writing of the letters, especially in the individual letters to the individual churches. This is what he means by come out of her. Get this, let your mind be governed and trained and oriented towards the things that are, in light of your position in Christ, rather than your fallen nature. So two places. One, Psalms 20, verse seven. Very familiar passage of scripture, Psalm of David. And he says this, some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. Now this is David. And when he says some trust in chariots and horses, he's not saying that individuals are actually believing that their horses are divine or that their chariots are divine. When he says, what he's alluding to is some nations trust in their military power and they define themselves by their military power. And so David, who has chariots and who has horses, is understanding that he, as a king, when he engages in battle, that his strength is not his armor and his strength is not his armed troops, but his strength. is in the name of the God that he represents. So he's not saying, oh, we don't trust in chariots and we don't trust in horses so they don't just walk into battle. No, David is saying this as he is about to gear up his horses and put on and get in his chariot and go to war. But he's basically saying that our confidence is not in these external things. Our confidence, we're going to use these external things because you're engaged in temporal warfare. But we know that ultimately our strength is in God. Now in the New Testament, Jesus says this in Matthew 6 verse 24, no one can serve two masters. For one will either, he will either hate the one and love the other or He will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. So let's begin with what Jesus doesn't mean. Jesus doesn't mean that those who believe in God have no use for money. That's not the point that he's making here. And that's not the point that Paul makes when he warns the rich Christians to not trust in their money. He's not saying that money is evil. He says it's the love of money. And you could sort of put a little twist on this. why you can't serve God and money. It's not that you, if you have God, you can't have money, and if you have money, you can't have God. But here's basically what Jesus is saying, is that if you, one is to be served, and the other one is to be used. So we make the choice, and in our fallen state, we have a tendency, even if we don't say it, use God and serve money. But the sum total of what Jesus is presenting here is you can't have two masters. Because even if you think you have two masters, you're actually serving only one of them. And the other one you're merely using. But in either case, Jesus is, again, he's not saying that Christians are not to have money or that Christians shouldn't desire to have money or large sums of it. Nor is he saying that there is some virtue in being impoverished. Jesus also says elsewhere in Matthew's gospel that where your heart is, That's where your treasure will be. And so he's not saying that, again, Christians shouldn't be concerned about physical possessions, and that's the way we present it. And everyone wants to run to the rich young ruler where Jesus told him to sell everything that he had and follow him. That was just to the rich young ruler. He's not telling us to do that. There is no virtue in poverty. But on the flip side of it, our worth is not defined by our net worth. An example that Jesus gives in the Gospel of Matthew is a farmer who had a bumper crop and he had such a great harvest that he had to tear down his old barns. and to build because they weren't sufficient to take in all of his crops. So he tore down his old barns and built new barns to handle all of the overflow. And then he sits back and he says, soul eat, drink, and be merry. And the scripture says that Jesus calls that man a fool. He died. And he says, the assessment was you fool. What provision have you made for the soul? None of this is good for, it doesn't define your soul's, you know, it doesn't prepare you for your eternal judgment. The man wasn't sinful because he had a bumper crop. The man was a fool because he defined his overall well-being and his strength and identity those temporal things. Now let's see how this thinking is fleshed out in the individual letters again so that we can have a better understanding what John means when he says come out of Babylon But I think the thinking that's couched in those two phrases, those two passages, both from Psalms and Matthew 6, the words of Jesus, it kind of gives us a better understanding of a continual message throughout all of Scripture that we are to define ourselves not by those external things, but by our union with Christ and fellowship with God. And it's only through being in fellowship with God. that we will have the ability to properly evaluate whether it's politics, the place for politics, whether it's commerce or our own financial success or financial state, or our engagement with culture. So let's look at some examples, three examples from the letters to the individual churches. The church of Smyrna was poor. according to the standard of the world. But Jesus said, you are rich. And part of the reason for that letter to the church of Sardis or Smyrna is so that they would not be self-conscious and define themselves by the standard of either more financially sound and prosperous churches or the standard of the world. So when John says, come out of Babylon, when the angel, he hears the angel say to his people, tell my people, come out of Babylon, that speaks to Smyrna. Step away from the standards of the world and see yourself, not according to your bank account, but to what I say about you. And Jesus' words to the church of Smyrna is in spite of your low balance, you are rich. Look at what he says also to the church of Sardis. The church of Sardis had a reputation of being alive. And since Jesus' words are different than what their reputation is, then one has to assume that the people that were saying they were alive were those who were not either in the kingdom or they were evaluating them by some artificial standard. Maybe the neighborhood. Maybe City Hall had given them all of these commendations. Maybe they were written up as the church, you know, the church of the year. But Jesus says, here's what they said, here's what their reputation was according to Babylon. You are alive, but Jesus says you are dead. The third one is the Church of Laodicea. Church of Laodicea saw themselves as rich and prosperous. That's the way they saw themselves. They saw themselves as rich and prosperous and boastful to the point that they have no need of anything. And what Jesus says about this church is you are neither hot nor cold, and I just wanna spit you out. Because actually, you are wretched, you're pitiable, you're poor, you're blind, and you're naked. So I think when the angel who has been given the authority of God and who reflects the effulgence of divine glory, speaks in the first person when he says, he doesn't say tell God's people, he says tell my people to come out of Babylon. In other words, you need to see this world for what it is. Don't measure yourself and don't measure others according to the standard of the world Because they are motivated whether they know it or not by demons this is a haunt for demons and every detestable beast and What he is saying in verse 4 and is the same thing that he's saying to the churches that we listed. Smyrna, Sardis, Laodicea. Come out of her. Because if you think that you are something because of size and money, Come out of her if you think that you need to go back to the drawing board because your budget is not as big as the church across the street. If you think that you are something because the people in the community love the little programs that you do, come out of her and see yourself, not through the lens of the harlot, but see yourself through the lens of the lamb because your reality is greater than your situation and your circumstance. He's not saying don't buy in the market, but he is saying don't define yourself by the stores that you can afford to go to. He's not saying, now, by the way, he does, and we'll look at that in greater detail later, but he does talk about even the slave trade. Don't think that this is okay. He says, come away, see the souls of humans in a way that's different from a world that sees them as commodity that can be sold or bought. The challenge that Jesus is giving to the church through this angel is that we don't define ourselves or others by the things that give substance to the world because you can't serve two masters. So don't serve the world and then try to use God to justify your serving of the world. come out of her and see her for what she is and see yourself through the lens of the Lamb. Let's close and ask God's blessings. Father, we do thank you for your word and the reminder that you are our God and you are the sovereign Lord over all of human history. And there is no moment that you have unfurled in which you are not in control. So we pray that as we consider the things that are going on around us, that your people would not fret and we would not lose a sense of who we are or whose we are. We pray, Father, that you would steady our minds and our thoughts. that even when religious validity is given to those things that are corrupt, those things that are temporal, we pray that you would grant us such a knowledge of your grace and an understanding of your will that we would not be persuaded, that we would know truth for truth, and we would be able to discern error. Pray that we would not evaluate ourselves or anything that we possess by the collective fallenness and corruption of humanity. Let us see your world and let us see us as your image bearers through the lens of our position in Christ. We thank you for your word and we thank you for the reminder that you have given us the ability to coexist in a world that is always rebelling against you, but you feed us and nurture us so that we could be faithful witnesses even in times such as these. Clear our thoughts and our focus so that we could serve you without compromise and we can serve you without corruption. Thank you again for your grace in Christ and it's in his name that we pray. Amen.