Let's go to the Lord in prayer. Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for this day which you have made. We thank you for the wonderful opportunity we have to gather together as the body of Christ and worship you. We thank you for this particular time we have to gather around your word and worship you through the study of your word. We thank you, Lord, for your word where you reveal yourself and your great plan of redemption throughout history, and in particular, this part of scripture where you tell us about the end times. With terrible warnings and wonderful blessings and we pray Lord that it would motivate us To reach out with the gospel of Jesus Christ to those that are perishing We see these things that are coming Lord in your word, and we pray that it would help us to be motivated to reach out to unbelieving neighbors and co-workers and family members and friends with the gospel of Jesus Christ. And we pray these things in Jesus' precious name. Amen. Okay, so part 32, so for those of you who've been with me from the beginning, we started seven and a half months ago with the beginning of Revelation and this nine-month course, 39 parts to walk through the book of Revelation, and we're coming near to the end of our time in Revelation. Today's lesson is called Babylon is fallen. So we're gonna go all the way through chapter 18 In terms of number of verses, this is the most verses that we're gonna pack into one lesson today talking about the fall of Mostly the commercial system the worldwide commercial system of the Antichrist So Babylon is full, and we'll talk about judgment pronounced, judgment avoided, judgment defined, judgment lamented, judgment enjoyed, judgment completed, and judgment justified. So we're going to look at this judgment that God brings on Babylon from all these different aspects. But first, let's take a look back at what we did last week. So last week we did chapter 17. It was the final destruction of the world religious system. So we talked about the fact that the Antichrist has this world system which involves not just political and economic system, but a religious system as well. And chapter 17 talked about the destruction of that part of it. Chapter 18 will have the destruction of the commercial system. So last time we talked about this the fact that Chapter 17 and 18 are stepping out of the the chronology and going back to just look at this world empire of the Antichrist and how the Lord targets that Empire with judgment So other than Babylon, there are other cities that are designated as harlot cities. So if there's a comparison of Harlotry, especially with false religion and that's what we see throughout chapter 17 But the as I've mentioned before many of these images are drawn from the Old Testament and the Old Testament uses this imagery of religious religious idolatry and false religion compared to harlotry with Nineveh, for example, in Nahum chapter 3, and Tyre in Isaiah 23, and also Jerusalem in Isaiah chapter 1. And then the image, the vision that John sees of this harlot sitting on a beast, and at first the harlot is who sits on many waters, and we get an explanation of that later, that the waters are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues. And so we have this false religious system. So the rulers of the world are obsessed with this false religion and all those who dwell on the earth. So that's all the unbelievers. So the unredeemed are caught up in this final false religion and they give their hearts and souls to this Babylonian harlot which is an image of false religion. Then in the vision that we saw last week, John is taken away into the wilderness and he sees this harlot sitting on the beast. And the beast, of course, we've seen this description previously, and the beast is the Antichrist. And the fact that the woman is sitting on the beast signifies that the Antichrist is supporting or supporting this false religious system. And then we've also got the the description of the beast was seven heads and ten horns and the seven Heads are seven mountains, but they're also seven kingdoms and we get an explanation of that and the ten horns are ten Kings And so this Babylonian harlot which which symbolizes false religion is pictured as drunk with the blood of the Saints and This is the blood of God's people. The fact that this false religion will persecute true believers in the true God. And John is appalled and shocked by this vision. And of course then the angel gives him an explanation of what it means. And we get this description of the beast, the Antichrist, who was and is not and will come, and that's a reference back to Revelation chapter 13 of the fake resurrection of the Antichrist. He seemed to have a fatal wound but recovered. That's a reference back to that same thing. We talked a little bit about these seven mountains and how people have gone astray thinking that this means it's Rome, even though the text clearly says that it's seven kingdoms. There's many things in Revelation that we have to wonder about, but this is not one of those. The text comes right out and tells us that the seven mountains are seven kingdoms not seven hills around Rome So the five Gentile empires that had fallen by the time of John's vision Egypt to Syria Babylon Medo-Persia and Greece The one that existed during the time of John's vision was Rome and the one yet to come as the Antichrist Which will be only for a short time 42 months as we saw in Revelation chapter 13 So the ten kings have one agenda, and that's to make war against the Lamb. The Lamb overcomes. We'll see details of how that happens in chapter 19. Let's see the ten horns or ten kings that rule under the Antichrist and then they use this false religion to rise to power and then they turn on her they hate her They destroy her burn her flesh with fire violently over get rid of this false religious System that they use to rise to power and of course set up Antichrist as the one and only object of worship And of course all of this is in accordance with God's sovereign plan. So at the very end of that passage of scripture, it says that God has put it into their hearts. And so in spite of these The Antichrist, who's an agent of Satan, the false prophet, all the things that they do they think are of their own accord for their own purposes, and perhaps they are, but ultimately they serve the sovereign purposes of God, and we see that at the end of the chapter from last week. So any questions about what we did last week to set up this week? Okay, let's dive into Revelation chapter 18, Babylon is Fallen. So, if you'll take out your Bibles and turn with me to Revelation chapter 18. So, we're going to read the entire chapter. So, Revelation chapter 18, starting in verse 1. So, we've just had all the events of chapter 17 with the fall of the false religious system. 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. 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 mixed, mix twice as much for her. To the degree that she glorified herself and lives sensuously, to the same degree give her torment and mourning. For she says in her heart, I sit as 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. And the kings of the earth who committed acts of immorality and live 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 cargoes 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 and fine flour and wheat and cattle and sheep and cargos 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 and saying, whoa, whoa, the great city. She who has 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 shipmaster 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 and 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. Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, because God has pronounced judgment for you against her. 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." So that's our passage, a passage of profound judgment, of God's wrath being poured out in judgment. And so as we've done with each of these lessons, I'll start out with a few paragraphs from John MacArthur's commentary on this section of scripture. And so here's what John MacArthur has to say to introduce chapter 18. He says, throughout the history of the petty kingdoms and empires built by proud, arrogant, God-rejecting rebels have come and gone. The spirit of humanism first expressed at Babel has permeated human history ever since. Unshakably optimistic despite centuries of war, slaughter, injustice, and cruelty, people still seek a utopia to be brought about by humanity's upward scientific progress. Having taken control, so they think, of their own destiny through science, sinners have no use for God and haughtily replace him as self-styled gods devoted to their own sovereignty. From beginning to end, the Bible warns of coming judgment on sinners who reject God and blaspheme His holy name. Job declared that the wicked is reserved for the day of calamity. They will be led forth at the day of fury. David noted that the Lord has established His throne for judgment and He will judge the world in righteousness. Psalm 96, 13 warns that God is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his faithfulness. Isaiah wrote, according to their deeds, so he will repay wrath to his adversaries, recompense to his enemies, to the coastlands he will make recompense. In his kingdom parables, Jesus also described the coming time of judgment in Matthew 13. But nowhere in Scripture is there a more detailed description of the coming judgment than in Revelation 6 to 18. Although those judgments will be worldwide in scope, they will focus particularly on Antichrist's world empire of Babylon. That empire will involve both a religious and a commercial aspect. At the midpoint of the Tribulation, Antichrist will destroy the false Babylonian religious system, which will be absorbed into commercial Babylon. Religion will not cease to exist, but will be restricted to the worship of Antichrist. The Babylon in view in chapter 18 is Antichrist's worldwide commercial empire, which will rule the world during the last three and a half years of the Tribulation. God's destruction of commercial Babylon is the theme of chapter 18. Though some commentators view it as a symbol for Antichrist's whole godless system, the Babylon described in chapter 18 is most likely an actual city. It is called a city five times in the chapter, and other features in the text imply that a literal city is in view. Babylon will have received plenty of of warnings of its impending doom by the occurrence of the events in chapter 18. The 144,000 Jewish evangelists, the two witnesses, the rest of the redeemed, and an angel flying in the heavens will have proclaimed the gospel message. That message includes the truth that God will judge those who refuse to repent. But despite the repeated warnings, the people of the world will refuse to repent, and God's judgment will fall on Babylon. Thus John MacArthur setting up the events in chapter 18. So let's take a look at these verses verse by verse. So, starting with verse 1 and 2. So, 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. So, as we've seen before, there's these markers in Revelation of a new vision, and this phrase, after these things, is one of the common markers in Revelation to say, here comes a new vision. So after these things, what we saw in chapter 17, here comes a new vision in chapter 18. And so we're still in the general theme of Antichrist's world empire. In chapter 17 we were talking about the world religious system that accompanied Antichrist's rise to power. Now we're going to talk about his commercial empire. And so John sees another angel. And this is distinct from the one that he saw in chapter 17 because of this word, another. Alos is the word, and the Greek word means another of the same kind. So the same kind of angel he saw before. If it was something different, it would be Edoras, which is another of a different kind. But this is another of the same kind. So it's the same kind of angel he saw in chapter 17, but a different one. This is the same type May well have been the same angel that predicted Babylon's downfall in Revelation chapter 14. We saw that And we're gonna go we're gonna see that the angel reveals three features of His or the text reveals three features about the angel his power and his importance So first he comes down from heaven with great authority So he left the presence of God with delegated authority to act on God's behalf When he arrives on earth, he illuminates it with his glory. He illumined it with his glory. So remember the fifth ball brought darkness. Well, here comes an angel with great light. He illumines the earth. An awe-inspiring sight for the people of the world that have been through this terrible time of darkness. So the angel cries out with a mighty voice. And so no one is able to ignore him everyone can hear him and his message causes fear So he brings words of woe particularly to the Antichrist and his followers By announcing fallen fall in his Babylon the great And so this judgment was predicted we saw in Revelation chapter 14 and now here it is in Revelation chapter 18 and so this is a There are. many Old Testament references to the destruction of Babylon. And, in fact, there was a partial destruction of Babylon in the Old Testament, kind of a gradual destruction. The city wasn't destroyed all at once, and so this is different. It's going to be destroyed all at once, but it did fall, to a certain extent, in the Old Testament. And so Isaiah chapter 21, for example, pronounces the fall of Babylon. and so most likely the this is talking about events that will accompany most likely the Seventh Bowl. So, he cries out with this mighty voice, and she has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird. So, unclean spirits, demons and unclean spirits, two ways of saying the same thing. So, the first cause of the destruction is there's this tremendous gathering of demons there. Remember, in Revelation chapter 9, we saw that it was in the vicinity of Babylon that 200 million formerly bound demons were released at the sound of the sixth trumpet. And so, demons have demons present. We have those demons, those 200 million demons, along with demons that were released from the abyss at the sounding of the fifth trumpet, also those cast down from heaven with Satan in chapter 12, and those previously on earth, and we have them all confined. It's become the prison for these demons, and so we have them all confined there. Also a prison of every unclean and hateful bird. That phrase symbolizes the city's total destruction. Similar imagery and languages used in Isaiah chapter 34. The description of carrion birds. That's what this is talking about. So birds flying over the dead corpses is the picture. Depiction of demons as unclean and hateful reflects heaven's view of them. So we have unclean spirits and we have unclean birds. And then verse three, 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. So these are the descriptions of why Babylon is being destroyed. Because the Babylon has been the head of this commercial system, this worldwide system that has led the nations astray. So his evil religious and commercial empire spreads its influence to all the nations of the world And this has been the recurring theme. We've seen this over and over again that this is a worldwide Empire and it's consistent here as well and so the people of the world will fall into Not only a religious stupor which you saw in chapter 17, but a materialistic stupor as well in chapter 18 So there's universal terms here, all the nations, all the kings of the earth, all the merchants of the earth, reveal that once again this is the worldwide empire that we're talking about. And this destruction of Babylon is because Babylon is the symbol, the head of this worldwide empire. And so the unredeemed, unregenerate people of the world will rush headlong into these acts of spiritual immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth will have become rich by the wealth that's accumulated because of this system, this world system. So, any questions or comments so far with what we've seen here, these first three verses? Okay. Verse number four I heard another voice from heaven so separate from the angel that's been speaking I heard another voice from heaven saying come out of her my people so that you will not participate in her sins and receive her plagues For her sins have piled up as high as heaven and God has remembered her iniquities So there's a way to avoid the judgment that's coming. But the only way to avoid that is to be one of God's people and to come out of her. So the voice now is speaking to God's people to come out of this system And so once again another This Greek word alas means another of the same kind so it's another voice like the voice of the powerful angel Suggested the speaker is an angel like the one in verse 1 And the message has come out of her my people. It's a call to God's people to disentangle themselves from the world system so what this implies is that all this has gone along and there are some of God's people are Entangled in this commercial system Let me put it that way And this is a call to disentangle themselves from that system. Yes Correct Yeah, so I don't know how that works. How is it that God's people can be entangled? Is it black market, the black market that is somehow an offshoot of this system? That's the first thing that I thought of, that there's never been any such thing as a command economy that didn't grow a black market. And no matter how clever the government is, it's impossible to shut down all black markets. And so that's my guess, is that there's some kind of black market that's also entwined with this system. That's just my guess. But somehow there is a danger to God's people of being entangled in this system and and the the angel is saying hey Don't be entangled in this system And so there is there are once again parallels with Old Testament prophets warnings to flee ancient Babylon Isaiah 48 Jeremiah 50 Jeremiah 51 God's people were to flee Babylon and to not become entangled with Babylon. And of course, there's a message for us as well, so there's a message to first century Christians, there's a message that will flow all the way out to the end times, and there's a message for us today to avoid the temptation to get sucked into the world system. Paul in Romans chapter 12 said, do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. Do not be conformed to this world. And so that's a warning for us. So believers are to flee Babylon so that they will not participate in her sins. That's the particular warning. And thereby not receive her plagues. And so we've got a materialistic, demon-infested city and it will evidently exert an almost irresistible influence. even on believers to participate in her sins. So they must flee to avoid succumbing to the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life that we see in 1st John chapter 2 that describes all sin all the way back to Adam and Eve in the garden. So this is a warning. This is a warning that was given to God's people in the Old Testament This is a warning that's given in the New Testament by the Apostle Paul This is a warning that's being given by the angel to believers in the end times don't be conformed to the world. So God's people must flee Babylon so that they don't receive her plagues. So the plagues are coming. So the plagues, of course the bowl judgments were specifically described as plagues. in Revelation chapter 15 and chapter 16. The bold judgments, however, themselves are worldwide, and these appear to be specific judgments just on Babylon. And so these plagues are specific manifestations, perhaps, of the worldwide plagues that will be in the bold judgments. And so and the final reason that people are supposed to God's people are supposed to flee is Because her sins have piled up as high as heaven That's language reminiscent of Genesis chapter 11. They were trying to build a tower up to heaven And of course that tower never reached anywhere near heaven, but these sins are piled up as high as heaven. And so it's a word picture that's similar to the Tower of Babel, but worse somehow. And so God has remembered her iniquities Just as God took note of the rebellion at Babel. He's taken note of this Rebellion this rebellious godless God-hating System and so therefore he's saying I've taken note of this the judgment is coming More is a warning to God's people that are there at the time Continuing along, the angel says, pay her back even as she has paid, and give back to her double according to her deeds. And so remember that she was holding a cup which was mixed with the wine of her adulteries. 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. So the angel now speaks not to John but to God. So he's speaking on behalf of God and then he speaks back to God saying, pay her back. So the one that's going to be doing the paying, the judgment, the wrath, is God. And so defining Babylon's judgment, pay her back even as she has paid. So, this angel's plea is similar to Old Testament saints' pleas for judgment and vengeance on ancient Babylon. This is a repeat of what we see in Psalm 137, Jeremiah 50, Jeremiah 51, these Old Testament prophets. pleading to God to avenge himself on ancient Babylon. And it's very similar word pictures here that this angel is using to to plea with God essentially to take his vengeance on the new Babylon. And so we see this over and over again, not direct quotes from the Old Testament, but imagery from the Old Testament used here in this book of Revelation. And the angel is doing the same thing. So it is also important to remember and to take note that retaliation belongs to God alone. Vengeance is mine, says the Lord. I will repay. Christians are to see that no one repays another evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people, 1 Thessalonians 5. Not returning evil for evil, or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead, 1 Peter 3. And so, this is God taking his vengeance. And so, as we'll see, we can rejoice in that, but it is definitely not our business to take vengeance. And the word's really clear about that. But of course, those commands don't preclude a holy God, from exercising his righteous judgment on sinners. Commands to us are not commands or constraints for God. But it is important to remember that vengeance belongs to the Lord and not to us. As much as that may be a temptation sometimes, when somebody has wronged us, somebody has frustrated us, somebody has done something that harms our ministry, But what does the word say? The word says, see that no one repays another evil for evil. It says, not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead. And so this is a very difficult command that the Lord has given, but it is in fact a command. Yes? Yeah, well, so it could be anything you know anything that is somebody has done evil to you and your Natural inclination is want to get them back I want to get them back and and our culture tells us that that's good that we you should you know An eye for an eye justice justice, you know an eye for an eye that's in the Bible, right? Yeah So yeah, so we're there's kind of this egging on if somebody's done something to you you should get them back And that's not what the scripture says we're supposed to do as followers of Christ And so there I mean there's interesting connections here, and so what has God instituted among men for for retributive justice like that Government right for that purpose. He's instituted government Civil government is to punish evildoers so We're not supposed to do that the government's supposed to do that right you know if the guy breaks into your car the police should come and You know you shouldn't take you know the retribution to your own hands. That's a that's a function of government Okay, any other questions, comments? Yeah, so self-defense is different. And self-defense of your family, for example. You know, if somebody attacks your wife and kid, you defend your wife and kid. So that's different. Self-defense is not retaliation. Right, it's it's preventing harm to yourself and others That's not retaliation. Yes, that's that's good. Okay So, let's see. Where are we? we are in chapter verse 6 so so then further stating the angel then goes on to to request that God fully punish Babylon by saying in the cup which she has mixed God would mix twice as much for her. So that's the same cup or this imagery using the same kind of imagery of a cup that we saw of her in the past in verse chapter 14, chapter 17. But also going back to Jeremiah 51 we see Babylon Depicted as a harlot holding a gold cup all the way back in Jeremiah chapter 51 And she is to receive a double portion of God's wrath and so using the same cup imagery. And so then the angel calls a third time to exact complete vengeance on Babylon and says to the degree that she glorified herself, to the same degree give for her torment and mourning. And so this, to the degree, is a call to match the punishment to the crime, and that fitting the punishment to a crime is a biblical principle. We see that in Isaiah chapter 3, Proverbs 29, Luke chapter 1 and 14, that the punishment should fit the crime. We see that in secular justice systems, but it's rooted in scriptural principles, and we see it here in Revelation as well. Okay, and so there's three sins that call for Babylon's judgment that are listed here. First, she glorified herself. And so God said, I will not give my glory to another, Isaiah 42. God hates pride, Proverbs 6, James 4. And so she is guilty of the sin of pride, of glorifying herself. Second, she pursues self-gratification. She lives sensuously. And so the Bible pronounces those who do so to be dead even while they're alive, 1 Timothy 5. And thirdly, she's guilty of self-sufficiency and overestimating her own power. She says, I sit as queen and I am not a widow and will never see mourning. And that proud boast is very similar to the same boast that is prophesied of Babylon in the Old Testament. And so, for example, Isaiah 47, Babylon said, I will be a queen forever. I will not sit as a widow, nor know loss of children. It's exactly the same. It's the exact same imagery of ancient Babylon in the Old Testament that we see here in the book of Revelation. It is amazing. Yeah, it really is amazing how much Old Testament imagery is here in the book of Revelation. And almost never as a direct quote, but the imagery is always the same. And so for those three sins, Babylon will receive torment and mourning. That's what the angel's cry is for. And then the angel continues for this reason in one day her plagues will come so for this reason for the reason of all these sins 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 That's an understatement So the angel notes for this reason the sins catalogued before in one day so in it's a very swift judgment It's not progressive. It's not drawn out over a long time like it like the first judgment of Babylon was Babylon kind of I mean the There was it there was in one sense There was a swift judgment in the the Babylonian Kingdom fell right away in one night in Daniel chapter 5 but the city of Babylon actually fell over long period of time and So Daniel 5, of course, the handwriting on the wall, it was that very night that the Babylonian kingdom fell to the Medes and the Persians. But the city itself, it persisted for quite some time after that. But not in this case. The city is not going to persist. It's going to fall in a big hurry when this future Babylon falls. so the plagues that will destroy Babylon are specific judgments on that city and Probably in connection with the the plagues of the Seventh Bowl, but very specific ones just for the city of Babylon and so the the three plagues are listed as pestilence and mourning and famine and this is heaven's answer to the proud boast of Babylon And so and even after those three plagues then Babylon will be burned up with fire So and this doom is certain the Lord God who judges her is strong and so no one can frustrate God's plans God has determined that this will happen and there's no way that it can possibly be avoided everything that he proposes comes to pass Then verse 9, and the kings of the earth who committed acts, so after this we get the mourning. So there's a big long passage of scripture about all these unbelievers that were so invested into this system and thought it was the greatest thing in the world, well now it's all come crashing down and they're lamenting and mourning over it. So the kings of the earth first committed acts of immorality and lived sensuously with her under this system, weep and lament over her as they see the smoke of her burning. standing at a distance because they're terrified of this calamity that's fallen on this great city. They stand at a distance and say, whoa, whoa, the great city. And so the glorious centerpiece of this Antichrist worldwide empire gets judged, destroyed. There's lamenting and mourning. So the first ones are the kings of the earth. That would probably include the ten kings and then others that ruled under them. And these leaders are the ones who committed acts of immorality and lived sensuously with her. In other words, they were all in to this world empire. And so those that were fully invested into the empire, leaders of this empire, they're weeping. And, of course, we saw in chapter 16 the way being opened, the Euphrates dried up so that the armies of the east could come over. Now, if that is happening at the same time as the destruction of Babylon, of course, those would see, most likely, at least some of them would see the smoke rising from the city of Babylon, which is right there on the Euphrates. As they watch her burn, the leaders will cry out in anguish, woe, woe, the great city, the strong city. And they continue, for in one hour your judgment has come. So this is a rapid, very rapid destruction of the city. And then we get the merchants of the earth weeping and mourning because no one buys their cargoes anymore, because this commercial system has been destroyed. So they're shocked and amazed at the swiftness of the fall. So this empire only lasted a short time and boy it fell in a big hurry. So rapid judgment, just as predicted in verse 8. And so the next mourners that appear on the scene after the kings and rulers is the merchants. They're weeping because nobody's buying their cargo. So they had a great thing going. They were making money hand over fist, and now it's all gone. And that's what they care about. And so the only thing they care about is their wealth, and now their wealth has been taken away from them, and now they're whining and complaining about that. So of course we've had all these judgments, and so whatever activity was left, this catastrophe has brought it to a screeching halt. And then in the text there's a list of 28 items or categories of merchandise. And so this is a, it's meant to be a big long list to see that there was lots and lots and lots and lots of stuff in this commercial system and now it's all gone. It starts with gold and silver and it ends with bodies and souls of men. The translation I'm using here is NASB and it says slaves and people. It's literally bodies and souls of men. is listed as one of the cargos, bodies and souls of men. So it's quite a list of things that the commercial system has been engaged in, up to and including bodies and souls of men. And so these are, of course, representative of the great wealth of the Antichrist's future commercial empire. And the fact that it's come crashing down has caused the weeping of the merchants. And then it continues, 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." So you'll notice that each one of these groups that's weeping and mourning, they're keeping their distance because they just saw whatever it was that destroyed this city, they don't want to get too close to it. They're sad that it's gone, but they don't want to get, whatever it was that just fell on that city, they don't want any part of it. So the merchants continue their lament that men will no longer find these luxurious items. Luxurious and splendid possessions have passed away and men will no longer have them or find them. Gone forever as God has destroyed this system. So in the Greek, the English here says no longer. It's actually a really strident Greek phrase. It's a double, double negative in the Greek, which is the strongest form of negation in the Greek language. So nobody's ever going to find, Babylon's done and it's not coming back, is what the Greek is telling us here. These items will never be found again never never never never never never never never That's what the Greek says And so there's of course these merchants are joining the the leaders that have previously lamented And they they were rich and they're weeping over their lost profits Seeing an end to their lucrative trade. So what is it that they care about? They don't care about hundreds of thousands of dead people over there. What they care about is their money, the source of their cash, is now dried up. That's what they care about. And then we get another group. And every shipmaster and every passenger and sailor and as many as make their living by the sea stood at a distance. Once again, they don't want to be too close to where it is that God's wrath has just poured down. So they stayed a distance and were crying out as they saw the smoke of a burning saying, what city is like the great city? So this is the third group that joins the lament, the shipmasters, those that had commerce at sea. And so Babylon will evidently be an important distribution center for goods that are coming from overseas as well. And with the destruction of Babylon, now there's no more market for the goods that are coming by sea. And so those who made their living by bringing goods across the sea to Babylon, they're also sad and lamenting. And so, notice that once again they're careful to stay at a safe distance. They gaze on this ruined city and they lament, what city is like the great city? It was so wonderful. And it was seemingly indestructible. And they had a seemingly invincible ruler. And we're going to see his fall in chapter 19. So we've seen the destruction of the religious system, chapter 17. Commercial system, chapter 18. Chapter 19, we'll see the final fall of the political system as well. And then we get a totally different reaction. So we've had these groups that are lamenting, oh no, the great city has fallen. And then in chapter 20, we get rejoicing instead. So what group is rejoicing? So chapter verse 20. Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, because God has pronounced judgment for you against her. So for you. So who's taken judgment, who's pronounced judgment, who's taken vengeance is the Lord on the behalf of saints and apostles and prophets. who have called for judgment all this time, and here it is. This is what the angel is saying here. And so it's time to rejoice over that. Your prayers have been answered. So heaven will have quite a different perspective on Babylon's judgment than Antichrist's followers. They see it as a sad and devastating turn of events, and heaven sees it as an occasion for rejoicing. so The angel who began speaking in verse 4 addressed the redeemed in heaven The Saints was a general term for all believers Apostles and prophets a special class of Saints given to the church as we see in Ephesians chapter 2 and Ephesians chapter 4 He calls on them to rejoice over Babylon's fall Because it's God who has made a righteous judgment, and we're to rejoice over God's righteous judgments And so this is of course a long-awaited moment of vindication. We saw the the tribulation saints under the altar in Revelation chapter 6. They had prayed for this event and now here it is, God's judgment. And of course, heaven rejoices not over the damnation of sinners, but because of the triumph of righteousness, the exaltation of Jesus Christ, the elimination of his enemies, and the arrival of his kingdom on earth. That's what's being celebrated here. that this is all coming to fruition. God's plan for the end times is coming about, including His judgment is now taking place, and that's a matter for saints to rejoice. And then we get a different, a new scene, a new angel. 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." So we get another angel. We have depicted it as a strong angel, and we've seen that phrase before in chapter 5 and chapter 10, that a strong angel comes and we get this dramatic picture, another vision, another word picture of Babylon's destruction. He takes up a stone like a great millstone. Great millstones were used to grind grain and they were typically, the big ones were four or five feet in diameter, a foot thick, and hundreds or thousands of pounds. And so this is a huge stone and it's thrown into the sea. And the angel explains that so will Babylon the great city be thrown down just like this millstone is thrown down into the sea and so in one moment as the stone disappears in the sea Babylon will disappear so a gigantic heavy stone will sink very quickly into the ocean and that's how quick Babylon's going to be destroyed and Interestingly enough, once again, we get a very similar word picture in the Old Testament of a predicted doom of ancient Babylon. In Jeremiah chapter 51, it says this, You, O Lord, have promised concerning this place to cut it off, talking of Babylon, so that there will be nothing dwelling in it, whether man or beast, but it will be a perpetual desolation. And it will come about, as soon as you finish reading the scroll, you will tie a stone to it, and throw it into the middle of the Euphrates and say, just so shall Babylon sink down and not rise again because of the calamity that I am going to bring upon her. That's Jeremiah 51. Same thing, a stone thrown into water is a symbol of Babylon being destroyed. Now, in the Old Testament, it was a little stone tied to a scroll. In the New Testament, it's a giant millstone, thousands of pounds, thrown into the ocean. So what does that tell you? There's a there's a level here of of destruction and judgment That's that's another level here in this destruction of the final Babylon. All right, let's continue on to verse 22 and so a description of the things that are no longer in Babylon and the sound of the harpists and musicians and flute players and trumpeters and will not be heard in you any longer, and no craftsman or any craft will be found in you any longer, and the sound of a mill will not be heard in you any longer." So Babylon's destruction is complete. That's what it's saying here. There's no normal activities of human life. There's no music. There's no work. No craftsman of any kind. There's no one preparing food. The sound of a mill is not heard. There's not even any lamplight. Any longer? There's no more falling in love the voice of the bride and bridegroom is not heard So Babylon is so thoroughly destroyed that it will never rise again as predicted by the Old Testament prophets we saw that in Isaiah 13 and 14 and Jeremiah 50 and 51 as we just saw that eventually Babylon would be destroyed very completely and so that's the description here in Revelation is showing that this destruction is very very complete no normal human activity Occurring and then there at the very end. There's a another added Justification if you will for this judgment 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, so a very at the very end justification for this very severe judgment, so there's Three final reasons given for Babylon's judgment. First, the merchants were the great men of the earth, using their wealth to ascend to positions of power and prominence in Antichrist's anti-god empire. And the second reason is that all the nations were deceived by her sorcery. Sorcery is pharmakeia. It's a word used in the New Testament to refer to magic and occult practices. And so magic and occult practices were part of daily life in Babylon. And then the final reason was because of her murderous slaughter of God's people. So in her was found the blood of the prophets and the saints. And so they were persecuting and murdering God's people. And so that was the final reason for the judgment given here. Any questions? All right, let me close this with a word of prayer. Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you so much for your love and mercy and grace in each and every one of our lives. We thank you for your sovereign control over every inch of your creation and every second of world history. beginning in your creation all the way to the end with the creation of a new heavens and a new earth. We thank you for this particular passage which we got to see today. We thank you that you are a just judge and that you will judge and that you will avenge anything that's, any kind of wrongdoing and especially anything that's done to your people that you will take vengeance, that vengeance is not ours, but vengeance is yours, and that you will perfectly repay everything. We thank you, Lord, for the opportunity that we have today to worship you as a body of Christ here at Hope Bible Church, and we pray that the worship that we offer you here soon will be acceptable in your sight. We thank you Lord for your great plan of redemption in Jesus Christ And we pray Lord that you would give us opportunities to share this good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ with with our Unbelieving friends and family members and neighbors and co-workers who so desperately need the hope That is found only in Christ and we pray these things in Jesus precious name Amen