COMMERCIAL BABYLON (part 2) Revelation 18:9-24 August 9, 2015 Dr. Danny Forshee

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1 1 COMMERCIAL BABYLON (part 2) Revelation 18:9-24 August 9, 2015 Dr. Danny Forshee - Most in our country are familiar with former radio personality Paul Harvey who passed away in 2009 at the age of 90. His catchphrases were Good day and That s the rest of the story. He read the following quote on his radio broadcast written by a man named Lee Pitts entitled These Things I Wish and it was an immediate favorite to his listeners. He writes, And, I really hope nobody gives you a brand new car when you are sixteen. It will be good if at least one time you can see puppies born and your old dog put to sleep. I hope you get a black eye for fighting for something you believe in. I hope you have to share a bedroom with your younger brother. And, it s all right if you have to draw a line down the middle of the room, but when he wants to crawl under the covers with you because he s scared, I hope you let him. I hope you have to walk uphill to school with your friends and that you live in a town where you can do it safely. On rainy days, when you have to catch a ride, I hope you don t ask your driver to drop you two blocks away so you won t be seen riding with someone as un-cool as your Mom. If you want a slingshot, I hope your Dad teaches you how to make one instead of buying one. I hope you learn to dig in the dirt and read books. When you learn to use computers, I hope you also learn to add and subtract in your head. I hope you get teased by your friends when you have your first crush on a girl, and when you talk back to you mother that you learn what Ivory soap tastes like. May you skin your knee climbing a mountain, burn your hand on a stove, and stick your tongue on a frozen flagpole. I don t care if you try a beer once, but I hope you don t like it. And, if a friend offers you dope or a joint, I hope you realize he is not your friend. I sure hope you make time to sit on a porch with your Grandpa and go fishing with your Uncle. May you feel sorrow at a funeral and joy during the holidays. I hope your mother punishes you when you throw a baseball through your neighbor s window and that she hugs you and kisses you at Christmas time when you give her a plaster mold of your hand. These things I wish for you tough times and disappointment, hard work and happiness. To me, it s the only way to appreciate life Do not move an ancient boundary stone When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do? (Provers 23:10a; Psalm 11:3) PRAYER: Lord Jesus, recognizing the fact that we are living in an increasingly godless society, grant me the wisdom and the will to raise my children on a biblical foundation in such a manner and that they not only will be equipped, but also desirous of following Christ in such a world. Paul Harvey - You and I probably agree with Mr. Pitts and Mr. Harvey. Our society by and large has embraced moral relativism and secular humanistic values and there

2 are evidences of this nearly everywhere. We all long for the days when life was simpler and much more moral. I have got good news for the follower of Jesus Christ. True, times will continue to get worse; the moral fiber of our country will continue to erode and weaken, but the good news is Jesus Christ is with you and for you! He will empower you parents and grandparents to help do these things Harvey mentions for your children and grandchildren even in perilous days. In the end He will prevail over evil and reign over this earth when He comes again. - Revelation 18 tells us where we are heading. This is a prophetic book, a book about the future. During the end of time on earth as we know it Babylon will play a vital role. There are three entities in this one word Babylon; first a literal city rebuilt in modern-day Iraq; a religious system characterized by idolatry, syncretism, and compromise. This one world religion will tolerate most any teaching except biblical Christianity. And a third part of Babylon will be a commercial/political socio-economic Babylon that we looked at last time in Revelation 18:1-8. This will consist of a one-world government under the leadership of the Antichrist. It will be a system or way of life predicated on greed, commercialism, and humanism. As chapter 17 delineates the demise and destruction of religious Babylon, chapter 18 records the destruction of commercial Babylon. - Read the text. 9 The kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her will weep and lament for her, when they see the smoke of her burning, 10 standing at a distance for fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come. 11 And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore: 12 merchandise of gold and silver, precious stones and pearls, fine linen and purple, silk and scarlet, every kind of citron wood, every kind of object of ivory, every kind of object of most precious wood, bronze, iron, and marble; 13 and cinnamon and incense, fragrant oil and frankincense, wine and oil, fine flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and bodies and souls of men. 14 The fruit that your soul longed for has gone from you, and all the things which are rich and splendid have gone from you, and you shall find them no more at all. 15 The merchants of these things, who became rich by her, will stand at a distance for fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, 16 and saying, Alas, alas, that great city that was clothed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls! 17 For in one hour such great riches came to nothing. Every shipmaster, all who travel by ship, sailors, and as many as trade on the sea, stood at a distance 18 and cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What is like this great city? 19 They threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and wailing, and saying, Alas, alas, that great city, in which all who had ships on the sea became rich by her wealth! For in one hour she is made desolate. 20 Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you holy apostles and prophets, for God has avenged you on her! 21 Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence the great city Babylon shall be thrown down, and shall not be found anymore. 22 The sound of harpists, musicians, flutists, and trumpeters shall not be heard in you anymore. No craftsman of any craft shall be 2

3 3 found in you anymore, and the sound of a millstone shall not be heard in you anymore. 23 The light of a lamp shall not shine in you anymore, and the voice of bridegroom and bride shall not be heard in you anymore. For your merchants were the great men of the earth, for by your sorcery all the nations were deceived. 24 And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who were slain on the earth. I. REMORSE (VS. 9-19) - There are three groups of people mentioned in these verses that mourn and have great remorse for the destruction of Babylon. - A. THE LEADERS (VS. 9-10) - The kings of the earth or world leaders are mentioned first. The kings committed fornication (Greek root word is porneias) with Babylon. They have made the commercial system of wealth and prestige their god and as one writer states (Thomas, p. 328), Apparently sharing in Babylon s luxury is a part of committing fornication with her. - They mourn for her destruction but stay at a distance perhaps in fear that the fire too will consume them. They are shocked and dismayed that this mighty Babylon could fall in so short a period of time. - B. THE MERCHANTS (VS ) - They also mourn and weep and show great remorse as a result of Babylon s fall. Dr. Thomas, p. 329, writes, Babylon is the epitome of luxury, so with her gone, no one remained to buy their commodities. They had made money their god, using unscrupulous means to accumulate material good and placing their whole confidence on this center of commerce. - Vs contain a list of 28 items that were most important in the ancient world. John Phillips writes, (MacArthur, p. 188), What a catalog of opulence! What a vivid picture of a great, commercial city, trafficking every luxury the heart could desire. This is the world s great Vanity Fair. It offers articles of adornment and display, beautiful things to grace the mansions of the world s millionaires. It deals in exotic spices and perfumes, in delicacies for the table, in provisions for banquets, in slaves, and in the souls of men. And Babylon imported all these things Babylon s demand for this world s good was insatiable; ever it clamored for more and more! - We do not have time today to look at all 28 items but we can look at a few. The precious stones in verse 12 were imported from India. Women wore them and men had them set in their rings. The purple mentioned also in verse 12 was a fabric treated with purple dye and it denoted lavish wealth. The citron or thyine wood in verse 12 is a sweet-smelling North African citrus tree valued because of its coloring. Its use in costly doors and dining tables colored the items like... the stripes of a tiger, or the spots of a panther. (Thomas, p. 332) - Vs. 13 cinnamon kinnamomon is mentioned. This substance came from bark from a tree in East Asia or South China. The Romans used it for incense, medicine, perfume, and in wines. (Thomas, p. 334)

4 - Another item mentioned in verse 13 is chariots. These are four-wheeled carriages that provided transportation for the wealthy like the Roman senators. (Ibid. p. 335) - And the final commodity listed is slaves. I like the way the New Living Translation has it, and slaves yes, she even traded in human lives. - Look again at verse 14. The material, fruit (Greek word opora, not normal word for fruit) or things that the merchants longed for, yes the rich and splendid things, are gone. The last phrase contains the strongest way to state a negation in the Greek language. It is a double, double negative. MacArthur states, These greedy merchants are the classic illustration of all those in all times who gain the whole world, but forfeit their souls. (Mark 8:36). (MacArthur, p ) - Opulence, wealth, and greed this makes me think of Donald Trump. Yes ago I read his book How to Get Rich, certainly more to learn about the person than how to be rich. I respect his work ethic and he has some wise words to share in his book but at least at that time in his life in 2004, his god was money. Part III of his book is entitled, Money, Money, Money, Money. In his chapter on revenge he says he was speaking one time to a group of about 2,000 people and a group of priests were in the audience. He told the group that sometimes they just have to get even, and one of the priests told him, My son, we thought you were a much nicer person. Trump responded, Father, I have great respect for you. You ll get to heaven. I probably won t, but to be honest, as long as we are on the earth, I really have to live by my principles. (Trump, How to Get Rich, p. 138) Recently however, Trump claims to be a Christian and loves God and His Presbyterian church. He states that he has not asked God for forgiveness of his sins but says in Communion he sees that as asking for forgiveness. ( ) I like this later Trump more than the former. - C. MARINERS (VS ) - Those in the shipping industry will greatly profit from Babylon s lust for wealth. And they too, like the kings and merchants, will weep over her destruction. Vs. 19 they throw dust on their heads. This is a way of expressing great grief and sorrow. They do not weep over their sins and repent; rather, they weep over the destruction of their false god money. Today if you want to see the worst in people even among families then watch the way they argue and fight over money. - What makes us weep and wail reveals much about us. There was much more weeping and wailing over the death of Cecil the lion than over the trafficking of human body part obtained from abortions of unborn babies. This horrifies me but I am not surprised. When Satan deceives a person, there is no moral compass and reason and logic are disregarded like a filthy rag. I recommend you download and listen to Dr. Al Mohler s daily podcast as he does a very fine job addressing current events from a biblical worldview. - The mariners or sailors lament, as did the leaders and merchants over the quickness of her demise, in one hour. This refers to the speedy downfall of this powerful commercial Babylon. (MacArthur, p. 189.) 4

5 5 II. REJOICE (VS. 20) - While the earth-dwellers weep and wail over Babylon s destruction by God the people of God are commanded to rejoice over her destruction. - Some translations have saints included in verse 20. I read a powerful statement last week. It said, The same thing that causes deep sorrow on earth brings great jubilation to heaven. (Thomas, p. 341). - That is true today as well. As we race toward Armageddon and the day of God s wrath and vengeance we will see even more examples of where people will call evil good and good they will call evil. Read Isaiah 5: Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! - Keep in mind God will win; justice will prevail; yes, the hammer of God s judgment will fall violently on those who oppose Him. Since we know this as the truth how does it impact us? It should grant us confidence in our walk with God and also great compassion for those who are on a path to be judged by God. I think of what atheist Penn Jillette said that if we believed there was a hell how much would we have to hate someone not to warn them? Keep in mind God continues to save and no one is outside His saving ability! - I had read about Rosario Butterfield but was able to hear her testimony a couple of weeks ago here in Austin when she shared her story at the Austin Stone Church. She was a professor and expert in 19 th century literature and a very outspoken lesbian. She was researching for an article to write on the religious right when Pastor Ken and his wife invited her to dinner. Over two years of meeting with her and sharing truth she came to faith in Christ and now is married to a pastor and a powerful speaker and author on the very things she once despised. III. RETRIBUTION (VS ) - Vs. 21 a strong angel gives the world a major object lesson. I believe those on earth during the Great Tribulation will hear him and see him just like they will hear and see the angel in 18:1. The people will be furious and not repent, but instead they will follow the Antichrist s leadership and march to Israel and prepare for battle against Jesus Christ at the Battle of Armageddon. And there they will be defeated and destroyed. - The stone the angel picks up and hurls into the sea was like a great millstone that had to be turned by a donkey. It was 4-5 feet in diameter, 12 inches thick, and weighed tons, literally thousands of pounds. And as the stone was cast into the sea and disappeared so too will wicked Babylon. (Thomas, p. 344) - Pastor Adrian Rogers says Babylon the city could be destroyed by an atomic blast and those who see the mushroom cloud from a distance will fear the radiation that emanates from it. He says no one knows how it will happen but reassured it will be devastating. - Verses list three reasons why God destroys Babylon. One, because of the merchants. The for in verse 23 is the Greek word hoti and can be translated

6 6 because. Babylon produced leaders who did not fear the one true living God, but exalted themselves, and as you know, God hates pride and will not share His glory with anyone. Second, because of her sorcery, Greek pharmakeia, where we get the English words pharmacy and pharmaceutical. Babylon was involved in drug abuse and the occult and as today the two go together. Babylon will use sorcery and witchcraft as part of her deception of the nations. (Patterson, p. 338) Third, God destroys Babylon because she murdered the people of God. (vs. 24). God vindicates the blood of His people and annihilates the perpetuator of this crime. Dr. Rogers (p. 201) says, Satan sails a sinking ship. His doom is announced and will be carried out. Sin cannot win, and faith cannot fail. If you are a lover of Babylon, you are following a lost cause. Babylon will be destroyed by a devastating collapse. It will happen cataclysmically fast.... In an hour, God will judge the sin of Babylon that has been piling up for centuries. His vengeance will come howling through the streets of Babylon. CONCLUSION AND INVITATION - I urge you today to come to Jesus Christ and repent of your sin and be saved. Believe on Him for salvation before it is too late. God loves you and invites you to be born again. - Others here today know the Lord, but all the sin and anti-god sentiment so prevalent in this world discourage you, like me. Do not lose heart, keep your gaze and focus on the Lord Jesus Christ. He wins. - I read (see Rogers, p ) about what happened to one preacher by the name of Gene McCombs. I was getting off an airplane and reached up to get my things from the overhead when my hand fell on a stack of paper. I pulled it out and discovered it was a stack of hundred dollar bills. I put my hand up there again and found another stack of one hundred dollar bills. There was twenty thousand dollars in cold cash. I had never held that much money in my hands. I waited until everybody got off the plane and went to the pilot and said, I found a substantial amount of money on this plane. What should I do? The pilot directed me to a certain office in the airport. I went to the office and put the money on the desk of a man and said, Here is the money. The man was filling out a report. I said, What is going to happen to his money? He said, Well if nobody comes to claim it, it will be yours. About that time a man came into the office. He was shabbily dressed with disheveled hair. He said, I lost some money on that airplane. Has it been reported? The man behind the desk said, Describe it exactly. He said, Twenty thousand dollars. Two packets. He described it perfectly, so the man gave him the two stacks of bills. That man picked up that money and left. He never said thanks, just turned around and walked out. I was at least expecting a thank you, but not a word. I got in a cab to go to my meeting, and the devil got in the cab with me. I was sitting in the back seat and the devil began whispering. Sir, you are a fool. You know that was drug money. You know this man was no good. That money could have been used for good or for your family. You are a fool to have given it back. He didn t even say thank you. The devil was working

7 on me, and I got to thinking about what I have in the Lord Jesus Christ: how He called, saved, bought me, keeps me, gives me joy day by day, and there is laid up for me a crown of glory. I began to talk back to the devil, and I spoke out loud, I said, But look what I ve got. The cab driver knew no one else was in the back seat, and he said, What is that buddy? What did you say? And I said, Never mind, I was just talking to the devil. The cab driver never took his eye of the rear view mirror from that time on. 7