Revelation 18:1-8

Revelation chapter 18. I want to read the first eight verses of the chapter. And after these things, I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power, and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice saying, Babylon, the great, is fallen, is fallen, and has become the habitation of devilism. devils. And the hold of every foul spirit in a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. For all nations have drunk of the wine, of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. And I heard another voice from heaven saying, Come out of her, my people. that she be not partakers of her sins, and she receive not of her plagues. Her sins have reached unto heaven, God hath remembered her iniquities. We reward her even as she rewarded you, and double under her double, according to her works in the cup, which she hath filled, she filled, filled, filled, fill to her daughter. bubble. How much she hath glorified herself and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her. For she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, shall not, and shall see no sorrow. Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death and mourning and famine. She shall be utterly burned with fire, for strong as the Lord God who judges her. God bless to us His sacred and His Holy Word this morning. If you take an exam, if you look at this chapter, you examine it carefully, you’ll notice that it’s really an expansion of the picture that we had in Chapter 17, in that we’re going to talk about still the downfall of the great harlot. Now this chapter goes into greater detail about Jerusalem’s destruction. We see the reasons for it, the various reactions to Babylon’s fall, and how desolate the city will be. You will also find in this chapter further proof that Babylon is indeed Jerusalem. But the first eight verses has to do with the fall of Babylon, and we find the fall of Babylon announced here in these verses. The first three verses give us the reasons for Babylon’s fall. John sees here another angel, separate from the one that had the seven, one of the seven vials that he mentions in chapter 17 and verse one, come down from heaven. Now his description would lead us to believe that this angel is actually the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the angel of the Lord, so to speak, the messenger of Jehovah. First we read about his great power, and Jesus has told us that all power in heaven and earth is given unto Him. This is no ordinary angel. I don’t believe. The earth was lightened, we’re told, also with his glory. Now this word glory is doxa, where we get the word doxology. It is an attribute only used in reference to God and the Lamb. And so because of that, I think it is a divine attribute that we should look and see. related to Christ. Now the illumination of the earth by the divine glory here is, I believe, an allusion to the book of Ezekiel and chapter 43, where God’s glory is seen when he came to destroy Jerusalem. So if you want to hold your spot here and look at Ezekiel 43, and we’ll look at the first three verses. Ezekiel chapter 43 in the first three verses. Afterward he brought me to the gate, even the gate that look toward the east, the gate of the city here, Jerusalem. And behold, the glory of Israel came from the way of the east, and his voice was like the noise of many waters, and the earth shined with his glory. And it was according to the appearance of the vision which I saw, even according to the vision which I saw, when I came to destroy the city and the visions were like the vision that I saw by the river Chi Bar. And I fell upon my face. So it is a vision that relates to the destruction of the city. And so it is a vision that relates to the destruction of the city. appropriate here. I think that the glory is seen, this glory is seen with the present fall and destruction of Jerusalem, sort of mirroring what we see in Ezekiel. So the proclamation of God’s messenger is this. And that is Babylon is fallen. Babylon the great is fallen. This doom is spoken of as if already completed because it is certain. It’s a prophecy. It’s so certain it’s spoken of it’s already done. We ran the same idea in Revelation 14, where that phrase was also used. One reason for Jerusalem’s downfall we see is the demonic possession that is spoken of. with regard to its inhabitants in the second part of verse two. It’s the habitation of devils, the hold of every foul spirit, and the cage of every unclean and hateful bird. Habitation. God no longer dwells in that place. He has abandoned it. He has abandoned it. did in Ezekiel. And so what happens is it becomes the dwelling place or the hold or the cage or the place of confinement or prison if you would for unclean spirits of every type. You know, the word, we can see it in the unclean spirit and in the word devils there. But even the unclean and hateful birds. I remember the parable or the sober. where the birds come and snatch up the seed of the word. And you see the same idea, I think, here is that Satan’s activity connected here with this. Jesus declared that this was the condition of the present wicked generation. We looked at this in the past at Matthew 12, 23 to 25. when he talks about his generation, which it’s like the man who cleans up his act, and all of a sudden, when the demon leaves him for a time, he reforms and he has this outward religious shell of the life. So, things get improved. And then the demon comes back with seven even worse than him and end dwell the man. and the later last condition of the man is worse than the beginning. And Jesus says, so shall it be with this generation. That’s Matthew 12, 23 to 25. And so this is a reflection of what Christ has spoken off. We encountered this also in Revelation chapter 9. I’m not going to spend the time to go over this. We talked about the locust demon. Chapter 9. verses 1 through 11 to come out of the bottom of this pit. Josephus, the Jewish historian who provides detailed account of the conditions within the city at this time, said this. In his wars, book 5, chapter 10, paragraph 5, I shall therefore speak my mind here at once briefly that neither did any other city ever suffer such miseries, nor did any age ever breed a generation more fruitful and wickedness that was this from the beginning of the world. Also in his wars, book 7, chapter 8, paragraph 1, we read, indeed, that was a time most fertile in all manner of wicked practices, in so much that no kind of evil deeds were then left undone, nor could anyone so much as devise any bad thing that was new. So deeply were they all infected and strove with one another in their single capacity and in their communities who should run the greatest lengths and in piety towards God and in unjust actions toward their neighbors. The men of power oppressing the multitude and the multitude earnestly laboring to destroy the men of power. The one part were desirous of tyrannizing over others, the other, the rest of offering violence to others, and of plundering such as were richer than themselves. Here’s his conclusion, and we can mention in his wars. Book 5 Chapter 13, Paragraph 6. I suppose that had the Romans made any longer delay in coming against these villains, the city would either have been swallowed up by the ground opening upon them, or been overflowed by water, or had else been destroyed by such thunder as the country of Sodom perished by, for it had brought forth a generation of men much, more atheistical than were those that suffered such punishments. Or by their madness, it was that all the people came to be destroyed. And so truly, Jerusalem was a habitation of demons. And we see the result in their treatment of one another. Another reason for her destruction is her for her four fornication with the nations, and even with, in some manner, the merchants of the earth. We see that in verse 3. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth or land have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. Now, we have committed fornication with her. have talked about the fact that Jerusalem had tremendous influence among the nations in chapter 17 and verse 15. Having synagogues in every city throughout the Roman Empire, and they spread an erratical form of the Jewish religion. It was based upon works righteousness, as we are familiar with, with the Pharisees. in the New Testament in their teaching. As Jesus said, you compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and what he is made, you make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves. Matthew 2315. Of course, whatever proselytes they have are going to follow, the religion that’s false. So instead of being a light to the nations, the Jews oppose Christ in his kingdom. Throughout all the Roman. Empire. When Paul arrived at Rome, you’ll recall, he called the chief of the Jews together. This is what the Jews told him at that time. As concerning this sect, meaning the Christians, we know that everywhere it is spoken against Matthew 28, 22, because the Jews were opposed. And so the synagogues and the leadership of synagogues followed along with what Jerusalem. Jerusalem did. So the nations drank of the wine of Jerusalem’s false worship her fornication. The kings of the earth or the land were also infected by this fornication. Do you recall the name of the present temple? It’s called Herod’s temple. Why is it called Herod’s temple? Because Herod the great, the king. King of Judea, according to Luke 1-5, undertook to rebuild the modest temple that the Jews originally had. When they came back from the captivity in Babylon, they built a rather modest temple. Remember how some people were crying of joy because it was getting built. The other, some people who knew the older temple were crying because it didn’t match the magnificence of Solomon’s temple was much more modest. Well, Herod the great wanted to ingratiate himself with the Jewish religious leaders and the people. Josephus and his antiquities, book 15, Chapter 11, states that Herod wanted to make it a much larger territory, an area, the whole temple compound. and for it to be the most magnificent and glorious of all his building projects. Josephus says in book 15, chapter 11, paragraph 1, this would be sufficient for an everlasting memorial to himself, because that’s what he was all, that’s what it was all about for him. The Jews had told Jesus that the temple had been on construction, remember, for 46 years. There’s a lot of… a time, energy being put into the building of this temple. And it was still being built and wasn’t completed right away. All speak of the grandeur of the building and its surrounding compound. Beautiful white marble stones of huge size were used, and its eastern front. was covered with these gold plates that would shine when the sun hit it and give off this glow. Around the inside walls ran porches. The finest one was on the south side. The royal porch had four rows of dazzling white marble columns in Corinthian style, 162 columns in all. The eastern porch. called Solomon’s porch in John 10 in Acts 3 and 5 was also magnistic. You’ll recall how Christ’s disciples, as they came out of the temple, were remarking to the Savior, how glorious it was. They admired the beautiful buildings and what Herod was doing. Luke’s gospel states that they were. They were adorned with goodly stones, some type of gifts of some sort. Josephus provides a description of the temple, and I am not going to read all this this morning, but if you want to read it, it’s in his wars, book 5, chapter 5, paragraphs 4 and 6 in particular. Give us a nice description of some of the things I just mentioned, and you can see the detail. there. As I said, King Herod didn’t finish the project. And so the other kings of the land which followed him, the governors, continued to build on the temple. So the temple was only completed in the days of King Agrippa under the reign of Nero, according to Gil, in his comments on John 2 and verse 20. And so we see that they were involved. the kings of the land helped to promote the apostate religion of the Jews. So they were involved in this fornication. For you can imagine the glory of the temple drew adherence to the Jewish faith, even though it was a false faith, because of the buildings and so forth. We see this with regard to the Roman Catholic Church and all the, you know, the Vatican and all the, you know, the things that they have that attracts people’s attention. It was the same situation. Then, of course, there were the merchants. They also were involved in the fornication. They made much profit selling things at the temple. The word delicacies has to do with some type of wanton luxury. But they, you remember how Jesus had to tell them not to make my fault. Father’s house, a house of merchandise. Because of all the selling and the buying and the whole aspect of making money as it was connected with temple worship. There was money to be made for exchanging currency for people from all over the world. Would come to the temple, especially during the feast days. And when they come during the feast time, they would have money from their own country. They would need money for the circulation in Israel. And so they could make money exchanging coins and so forth. They made money selling sacrificial animals, like the doves and the sheep and so forth. As we will see later in this chapter, there are all kinds of products listed in verses 11 through 17, and a lot of these were associated. with temple worship or temple service. And so they were making money. So they were involved. They were caught up as merchants in promoting a false religion because there was money to be made in it. So these are the reasons for Babylon’s downfall. Any questions on these first three verses? Yes. Can you explain? Can you explain? The wife says the wine of the wrath of her fornication. It seems like the word wrath is kind of surprising by being placed in the middle of the phrase. The only thing I can think of is it is the wine that the intoxication of and involved in this fornication that she’s dealing with leads to the wrath of God falling. And I would seem to think that that is the indication here. In other words, they drank the wine that she did and the wickedness that she engaged in, and therefore you get the same, you get the judgment here. These nations have followed in course and involved themselves in this, and they too will have a judgment fall upon them, which eventually happens in Chapter 19. I don’t know if that fully answers your question, but that’s the direction I would head in. Okay. Any other questions? All right. Then there’s a call for the faithful to leave the city. Here we go with verses four and five. And heard another voice from heaven saying, come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that you receive not of her plagues, for her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. God’s voice from heaven commands his people to flee out of Jerusalem. Now this is a call for physical separation from the city, lest they be partaker. of the plagues of wrath that are going to be poured out upon it. It’s sort of like lot, having to be told to leave the city and then hustled out of the city by the angels before the destruction fell upon the cities of the plain. This voice corresponds perfectly with the command that Christ gave his disciples in the Olivet discourse. that when they saw, according to Luke 21, when they saw Jerusalem come pass with armies, then let them which be in Jerusalem flee into the mountains, let him which is on the house top not come down to take anything out of his house, neither let him, which is in the field, return back to take his clothes. History courts that God’s servants, Heeded the message of Christ, and they fled from Jerusalem and Judea into the mountains near Pelah. Now, of all the cities of the Roman Empire, there is one specific city that the Christians were told to physically leave. And that city is Jerusalem. There’s no question about that. As they were told to physically leave, we leave. Gospels make very clear, and it should be clear and obvious if we look at this carefully. While spiritual separation is always necessary, be not partakers of her sins, that’s spiritual separation. Don’t get involved in what she’s doing. But then there’s physical separation, too, when he says it’s essential in this case to come out of her because of the destruction. Judaism was a vain attempt to continue the old covenant in its corrupted form while rejecting Christ and the new covenant that he has instituted. Christians were not to seek to reform Jerusalem, the temple worship there. They were instead to abandon it. The time for Israel’s repentance has run out. her sins have piled up or been joined together till they have reached up to heaven. Now was the time for God to remember her iniquities. In other words, it’s his time to meet out punishment on this wicked and degenerate generation as Christ promised in Matthew 23 and verses 32 to 35. So here’s a call for the faithful to leave. any questions about that. And then in verses 6 to 8, we have the call for double punishment. Let’s look at that. Reward her even as she rewarded you and double under her double according to her works in the cup which she hath filled, fill her, fill to her double. Sorry I’m having trouble with that. Let me read that again. In the cup which she has filled, fill her fill her. she hath filled, filled to her double. How much she hath glorified herself and lived deliciously. So much torment and sorrow give her. For she seth in her heart, I sit a queen and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death and mourning and famine, and she shall be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord. God who judges her. God is the righteous judge. He demands a double punishment for her sins. Literally, double to her double things is verse 6th. Now, if we read God’s law, there are occasions when some type of restitution has to be made and you have to pay back double. For example, in Exodus 22, 4, you stole an ox or an ass or a sheep, and you got caught, you have to pay twice that back to the person you stole from. And God declares some sins are so notoriously bad, double bad, if you would, that they require a double recompense. Jeremiah 18, or 16, verse 18, says this. Speaking of Israel, I will recompense her iniquity and her sin double, because they have defiled my land. They have filled mine inheritance with the carcasses of their detestable and abominable things. Also, Jeremiah chapter 17, verse 18, bring unto them the day of evil and destroy them with double destruction. Here, it seems to relate to the attacks that they made on Jeremiah the prophet. And he calls for a double destruction, and that’s what we find here in Revelation. Jerusalem was guilty of killing Christ, killing the prophets and the apostles. We mentioned chapter 17, verse 6, and chapter 18, verse 20. Doesn’t he deserve doubles? destruction. And so because her sins were this great, they deserve double. Like ancient Babylon before her, Jerusalem thinks of herself as indestructible. She thinks, in verse 7, that she sits as a queen and no widow and will see no sorrow. She doesn’t think anything bad is going to happen to her. Israel and Jerusalem saw themselves as married to God. And they could not conceive of God abandoning them. They’re always going to be a queen. The city of the royal house of David, the king. That’s where they were. And they never would be a widow because God would never desert us. Micah, chapter 3, verses 9 to 12, says this. Hear this, I pray, ye heads of the house of Jacob, and princes of the House of Israel that abhor judgment and pervert all equity. They build up Zion with blood and Jerusalem with iniquity. The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money. Yet will they lean upon the Lord and say, is not the Lord among us? None evil can come upon us. Therefore shall Zion, for your sake, be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps and the mountain of the house as the high places of the forest. Josephus says the high places of the forest. the Jews, even while the Romans were besieging the city of Jerusalem, they had Titus pleading with them, the surrender, that he didn’t want to have to destroy the whole city. And so the temple, and so the Jews hurled down insults from the walls against Caesar, his father, and Titus himself, who was the general and commander. They viewed God as their allies. ally as the preserver of their city so that they could do all the harm they could against the Romans while they had breath within them because God would never abandon them. But as Josephus tells us in his book 5, Chapter 11, 2 of wars, that yet this temple would be preserved by him that inhabited therein, whom they still had for their assistant in this war, and did therefore laugh at all Titus’s threatenings, which would come to nothing, because the conclusion of the whole depended upon God only, and their thinking was, he’s never going to let that happen. God assures Jerusalem, she shall not escape his judgment, but will be burned. with fire, as we see in verse 8. Now, I’m not going to go through this. You look at Matthew 22.7 in the parable of the king, the king having the wedding feast for his son, when the first people that were invited didn’t show up, they didn’t want to come, they had all the excuses. He’s going to send forth his armies, the king, and burn their city with fire. And that’s exactly what he’s saying he’s doing here. Almighty, God cannot be thwarted regarding his purposes. They’re sure to come to pass. One day indicates here the fact that all at once, like all the surviving servants reporting to Job one after another, that calamity has fallen, his flocks, his hards, his family, and so forth. So death and mourning and famine, will suddenly come upon Jerusalem. After this awful judgment, Josephus reports, in his wars, book seven, paragraph, I’m sorry, book seven, chapter one, paragraph one. There was left nothing to make those who came there believe it had ever been inhabited. So here is the fall, the fall, the fall. of Babylon announced, and we looked at the various aspects related to it. Any other questions now before we stop this morning? We’ll pick up with the reactions to Babylon’s fall in verses 9 to 20 in our next study, Lord William. Well, let’s close with…