Revelation 18:9-24

Revelation chapter 18 verses 9 to 24, and the kings of the earth who have committed fornication and live deliciously with her, shall bewail her and lament for her when they shall see the smoke of her burning. Standing afar off for fear of her torment, saying, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city, for in one hour as thy judgment come, and the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her, for no man buyeth their merchandise anymore, the merchandise of gold and silver and precious stones and of pearls, and fine linen and purple and silk and scarlet, and all fine wood, and all manner, vessels of ivory and all manner vessels of precious wood and of brass and iron and marble and cinnamon and odors and ointments and frankincense and wine and oil and fine flour and wheat and beast and sheep and horses and chariots and slaves and the souls of men and the fruits and the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which are dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all. The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for fear of her torment, weeping and wailing. and saying, alas, alas, the great city that was clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, for in one hour so great riches is come to naught. And every shipmaster, and all the company and ships and sailors, and as many as trade by sea stood afar off and cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, what city is like under this great city? And they cast dust on their heads and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea, by reason of her costliness, for in one hour is she made desolate. Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets, for God hath abyss. avenged you on her. And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus, with violence, shall the great city Babylon be thrown down and shall be found no more at all. And the voice of harpers and musicians and of pipers and trumpeters shall be heard no more at all in thee. And no craftsman of whatsoever craft, he be heard. shall be found any more in thee. And the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee. And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee. And the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee. For thy merchants were the great men of the earth, for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived. And in her was found the blood of the prophets. and of saints and of all that were slain upon the earth. Now God bless to us, his sacred and holy word this morning. Now, as we said last week, an examination of chapter 18 reveals to us that it is a continuation of the continuation of the great whore that we read about in chapter 17, which is abbreviated in chapter 17. Here we have a little bit more detail in chapter 18. This all refers to Jerusalem’s destruction. We see the reasons for it, the various reactions to Babylon’s fall, and then how desolate the city will be. You will find in this chapter, I think, further proof that Babylon is indeed Jerusalem. Now last week, we looked at the fall of Babylon being announced in the first eight verses. And then we looked at the fall of Babylon being announced. that the reasons for Babylon’s fall in verses 1 through 3. In verse 2, we see it was because of demonic possession. We talked about chapter 9 and connected up with how much demonic activity was taking place in Israel at this time. And her fornication with the nations, the kings of the land, and her merchants. Verse 3. And here we talked about how. they were all involved in the false worship, but even a lot of the goods that they weep about here have to do with temple worship, and they made God’s house, a house of merchandise. The kings of the earth were involved in the building of Herod’s temple, which took 46 years and various kings to complete. But so they were involved in promoting the Jewish false worship of the time. and that, of course, the fornication with the other nations was that this worship at Jerusalem was carried on all the synagogues and so forth throughout the Roman Empire. We have a call for the faithful to leave in verses 4 and 5, and we said this is not merely a spiritual separation. Be not partakers of her deeds. That’s spiritual separation. But this is not partakers of her deeds. then it says that an actual physical separation is required come out of her. So there’s two things here. One, don’t get caught up in her sins, but two, there’s a time you have to leave, and now’s the time. Of all the cities of the Roman Empire, there’s only one specific city that Jesus Christ told the disciples to flee, and that was Jerusalem, according to Matthew, Chapter 23. and the Olivet discourse. Then we have the call for double punishment in verses 6 to 8. Notorously bad sins require a double recompense. In the law, and also in the prophets it’s mentioned. In the law, if you steal an ox, you might have to replace it with two oxen and so forth. If you look at Deuteronomy 22, 4, for example, there’s a case, there’s a case. there so that you have to pay double if you steal and so forth. And we looked at Jeremiah 16, 18, and Jeremiah 17, 18, where God talks about giving her double for her sins, the city and the nation. So Jerusalem was guilty of killing Jesus Christ, his prophets, his apostles, and his people in general, and therefore they are worthy of double punishment for what they’ve done. That brings us to today’s study. That is the reactions to Babylon’s fall. We want to see next section here in verses 9 to 20. Now in verses 9 and 10, we have the reaction here of the kings of the land or the earth. Jerusalem was like the crown jewel of the Palestine area. So that the kings of the land enjoyed all the luxury that was associated with this city. It was like being head over New York or something. You know, this was the main city. All prestige and everything was associated with this city and ruling it. So these local rulers will lament Jerusalem’s fall because they see a source of their prosperity and prestige is going to be lost. It’s not that these kings had any particular affection for Israel itself, but they will mourn over what they will personally lose riches, and as I said, the prestige of ruling over the great city. So they end up watching from a distance. They had to flee, they had to leave, as the rebellion of the Jews took over, and they had to get out of the area. So they watch at a distance and they’re frightened at how severe God’s judgment is and how leveled the city is and how quickly it all happens. The kings of the earth. Then we have the merchants of the earth in verses 11 through 17A. Jerusalem being a great city attracted many merchants, who realized, that there was a potential for profit. When you have a lot of people, you know an opportunity to sell things to. And we know that tens of thousands of visitors would come from around the Roman Empire to Jerusalem on the special feast days, three times a year at least. And so these people would be loaded with cash to purchase sacrifices and goods associated with. worship and provide provisions for themselves and so forth. And so it was a great opportunity to make money. Jesus Christ himself recall, had to deal with the merchants in the temple. And they have setting up their tables and selling all their wares. Even the sheep and different animal, doves and so forth, they were selling all these sacrificial animals. He made the whip and drove them out. John 2, 13 to 16, they made God’s house a house of merchandise, which Jesus was angered about. Alfred Edersheim in his book, The Life and Times of Jesus, the Messiah, writes of Jerusalem’s extensive commerce. He said, in these streets and lanes everywhere might be purchased the production of Palestine or imported from foreign lands, nay, the richest, articles from the remotest regions, exquisitely shaped, curiously designed and jeweled cups, rings, and other workmanship of precious metals, glass, silks, fine linen, woolenstuffs, purple, costly hangings, essences, ointments, and perfumes, as precious as gold. Articles, articles, of food and drink from foreign lands. In short, what India, Persia, Arabia, media, Egypt, Italy, Greece, and even the far-off lands of the Gentiles yielded might be had in these bazaars. Ancient Jewish writings enable us to identify no fewer in 118 different articles of import from foreign lands, covering more than even modern luxury has devised. Now, this great source of trade, and all this money that the merchants were making, is going to be lost. The city’s going to be gone, leveled. And so this whole marketplace, this big, huge marketplace, get shut down. So, no wonder they’re lamenting the fall of Jerusalem, because they’re going to cut into their profits for the year. A huge dent in their sales takes place. More than a dozen products are named here in our text. A lot of them are costly products. And when you think about some of the spices here, the linens and things like that, a lot of these things were not cheap. There was a great number of items, as I mentioned, before, that were used in the temple worship. And they’re making the various incense that was used. There was a particular form. formula that God gave in his law for it, the animals that were sold, things of this nature, the cinnamon, and things like that. So you have all these kind of things that are used in the worship itself. If you compare this list with Exodus 30, or First Chronicles 9, 27 through 29, you’ll see some of the connection between the items and the worship. of the temple. The final phrase, verse 13, is interesting, because it adds here, the souls of men. Now, we would contrast that maybe with the bodies of men if they were in slave trade. You’re involved in slave trade. The bodies of men are involved. But they mentioned slaves prior to this. And then they say, the souls of men, which indicate to us. something else. The most basic trade here has to do with the spiritual bondage that Jerusalem kept the people in. Bondage over men’s souls. Galatians chapter 4, verses 25 and 26, talks about the earthly Jerusalem and how that the people are kept in captivity because of the false teaching. of the Jews. So the destruction of Jerusalem was such a shock to the marketplace from which it would not easily recover. It was a blow to them. The merchants of the earth. And then the shipmasters and the sailors, verses 17B through 19. Just because Jerusalem is not a sea port, does not mean that she’s not unassociated with sea trade. Because Jerusalem was a huge commercial, center, it would import goods from all over the world. Much of it would come by sea to one of its coastal ports and then, of course, be carried up to Jerusalem, where it would be sold at the main marketplace. Richard Horsley, in his book Bandits, Prophets, and Messiah’s records, there were camel cameras. Aravans, sometimes composed of 200 beasts passing from places like Tyre to Jerusalem. So, you know, Tire and Siding area sent camels down. Joppa, one of the coastal ports of around Jerusalem there would get, you know, they would get stuff in and then up to Jerusalem would go. Remember how they, when Solomon was building the temple, and they cut down all the cedar trees and so forth, and they floated them down the Mediterranean, down to Joppa, and then they took them from Joppa and hauled them up to Jerusalem. Well, that was a main route for sea-going fair. Josephus writes in his wars, Book 3, Chapter 3, Paragraph 5, nor indeed is Judea destitute of such delights as come by sea. Since it’s Maritra 5, maritime places extend as far as Ptolemus, it was parted into 11 portions of which the Royal City, Jerusalem, was the Supreme, and presided over all the neighboring country as head over the body. So with all the imports that would be brought to Jerusalem by sea, the sea trade was brisk. And so there was a great loss of business to ship masters and ships. and the movement of merchandise and so forth, then, so they have a good reason to mourn too. So here are the shipmasters and the sailors. And then verse 20, Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and the holy apostles and prophets, for God hath avenged you on her. Now let’s talk about the righteous. Are the righteous going to mourn? No, they’re told to rejoice. Well, everybody else is mourning. The righteous are rejoicing. So not everybody laments. The people of God, having been persecuted, having been maligned, having been put in jail, are avenged when Jerusalem is punished. The Holy Apostles and prophets were martyred. And now God is going to hold the city accountable for all the blood that they have shed. The saints have been crying out to God to avenge them. Remember in chapter 6th, they’re under the altar, crying out, when are you going to avenge us? They will be satisfied when they see Jerusalem in ruins. It’s another indication of the contemporary nature of the book that apostles and prophets are mentioned here. They are the foundation of the new, Testament Church, according to the book of Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 20. Therefore, we can’t be taking the church 2,000 years down the road. We have to see this as the initial aspect of the New Testament Church. So here are the reactions to Babylon’s fault. The kings of the earth, the merchants of the earth, the sailors, the ship masters, and the righteous. Any questions on this section? All right. Let’s go to the last section, and that is the desolations of Babylon. Versus 21 to 24. And a mighty angel took up a stone, like a great millstone, and cast into the sea, saying, thus with violence, shall the great city Babylon be thrown down and shall be found no more at all. And the voice of harpers and musicians and of pipers and trumpeters shall be heard no more at all in thee. And no craftsman or whatsoever craft he be shall be found any more in thee. And the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee. And the light of a candle shall be shine no more at all in thee. And the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee. For thy merchants were the great men of the earth. For by their sorceries, were all nations deceived. And in her was found the blood of the prophets and of saints, and of all them that were slain in the earth, or upon the earth. Jerusalem’s destruction is symbolically portrayed here as the casting of a giant millstone into the sea by a strong angel. The millstone sinks to the bottom of the sea, never to be seen again. and that’s what is going to happen to Jerusalem of John’s Day. It is going to be gone forever. Josephus records in his wars, book 7, chapter 1, paragraph 1, it was so thoroughly laid even with the ground by those that dug it up to the foundation, meaning the Romans, that there was left nothing to make those that came thither believe it had ever been inhabited. It is gone. So while a city of Jerusalem exists today, it’s not the city of Jerusalem that existed long ago. That holy city, the great city is no more. It’s gone for good. The temple, which resided there, classified as the house of God is gone forever as well. God will never reside there anymore in the sense that he did before, and there will no more these sacrifices made to him from the temple. For that, of course, has been replaced by Christ’s great sacrifice on the cross. As Isaiah 66 talks about in verses 1 to 3, it’s an abomination. now to make such sacrifices to the Lord. The Church of Christ is God’s true temple, and the new Jerusalem is the Holy City, and we’ll look at that later in chapters 21 and 22. The three common aspects of Jerusalem’s everyday life are going to cease. Their amusement life, verse 22a here, no more sound of music. The harp is. the musicians, the pipers, the trumpeters. In other words, the merriment and pleasure, come to an ant. The business life comes to an act. Verse 22B. No craftsman of any kind. The sound of the mill will no longer be heard in her and so forth. And then that’s the business life. And thirdly, the home life, verse 23. No house will have a lamp because no one will dwell. there, nor will there be any new home life established. There are no brides and bridegrooms to rebuild, you know, with new families and so forth. That won’t happen. So Jerusalem, which should have provided light for the Gentiles, instead, infected the world with her spiritual sorcery, with her false worship. The reference here to the blood of the prophets and of the saints. In verse 24, being required of Babylon provides another indication that the city is Jerusalem, is a fulfillment of Matthew 23, verses 34 to 36. Jesus emphasized that all these things shall come on this generation, meaning his own and not one in the future. Therefore, this is the Jerusalem of John’s Day that we see destroyed, the desolations of Babylon. Now let me make a few practical observations from the chapter. God always calls his people to separate from the world around them. They’re not to be partakers of their sins. They’re to come out from among them and to be separate. as 2 Corinthians 617 indicates. Sometimes physical separation is necessary when God’s judgment is impending. Lott had to get away out of Sondon. Cora, remember in their rebellion, there were people that lived next to the tents of Cora, and Moses says, you guys need to move out of the way, because remember the ground was going to open up and swallow them. And here, God tells the people of God to get out of Jerusalem because the city is going to be devastated. Secondly, the exalted wicked often think nothing bad is going to harm them. And we see in verse 7 they’re thinking about what a great position they enjoy and all the benefits they have. And she sits as a queen. She’s not going to see any. sorrow, everything’s going to continue the way it was. They always enjoy the good things of life, so they thought. And God would never allow his temple or his city to be overwhelmed. Well, this confidence will be completely shattered when God sends sudden destruction one day upon them, as verse 8 indicates to us. Thirdly, what the world mourns over, the people of God rejoice over. You see that in verses 11 to 20. See how much different the mindset of the people of God is from the world. The world’s saying, oh, we’re going to lose all these benefits. The people of God are thinking, finally, my persecutor has been put out of the way, has been put down by God. So the world looks at things completely different than the people of God. So the people of God are told to rejoice. Not to mourn, but to rejoice. The world mourns, but the people of God rejoice over this destruction. The fourth thing is this. Scripture says, touch not mine an anointed and do my prophets, no harm in 1st Chronicle 1622. God’s people will be avenged by God. Those who reach out and harm God’s people can be assured of their own destruction. somewhere along the line, God is not going to let that go unchecked. Fifthly, some of God’s judgments come as warnings to repent. Some are fatal, and there will be no hope of recovery. In verses 21 to 23, when we read about the destruction of Jerusalem, it’s gone forever. It sinks as a millstone. It’s not coming back. There’s no restoration of the old Jerusalem. Scripture says today if you hear his voice, harden not your hearts. Repent, while there’s an opportunity to repent because there is a day coming when you may not have that opportunity. And thus we see here. Sixly, lastly, God always fulfills his threats. Christ’s generation was an exceedingly wicked generation, and it is severely judged, and Jerusalem and the temple completely destroyed just as Jesus said it would happen in the Olivet discourse. So God always fulfills his threats. Any thoughts or comments, or maybe even some practical ideas from this chapter? before we close this morning. Russell, you want to close us with…