StudyGrowKnow

Revelation 18 Part 2

June 5, 2023 at 8:32 PM Leave a comment

The video with PDF transcript of this lesson is here: SermonAudio.com/StudyGrowKnow

In this section, we’ll cover Revelation 18:9-20, which provides details regarding the destruction of Babylon. I’ll say at the outset that numerous commentators believe Babylon is not necessarily a physical place but is spiritual or allegorically defines the system that has come to represent a mix of politics, religion and economics. I believe that Babylon will end up being both.

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!” (NKJV)

In this section, Babylon is destroyed and the kings of the earth (likely politicians, since the 7 remaining kings along with Antichrist turn on the “whore” of Babylon and destroy her). So the important people who gained fortunes from their involvement with Babylon “weep and mourn” over the loss. They are in anguish over the fact that their ability to enrich themselves is gone. That’s what they are grieved about. They bemoan the death of Babylon – such a “great” and “mighty city” that is now gone, in a heap of destruction.

Verse 11 includes the reaction of the merchants, who mourn due to loss of their riches and sales at the destruction of the physical Babylon, because business with the city was the source of their riches. These merchants are saddened at the loss of customers…yet they also supported the mandate that kept people from buying or selling without the mark of the beast (Revelation 13). The “whore” is destroyed and the religious system remains with Antichrist as its head.

Babylon will truly be THE trading center of the world and many of the items listed were luxury items in John’s day. There are 7 categories:

1. Precious metals and gems
2. Clothing
3. Furnishings
4. Spices
5. Food
6. Animals and implements, and
7. Bodies and souls of men (!)

Persons are ’bought and sold’ (and even traded!) by athletic teams; and our great corporations more and more seek to control the lives of their officers and workers. As people become more enslaved to luxury, with more bills to pay, they find themselves unable to break loose from the ’system. (Wiersbe)

Verse 14 is made up of two double negatives in the Greek:

1. –Merchants lose their luxurious possessions, and
2. Will never get them back again

The words “luxurious” (or “rich”) and “splendid” refer specifically to food and clothing respectively [Note: Swete, p. 235; Charles, 2:108.].

Verse 15 is again the merchants bemoaning their fate. Selfishness and greed characterize these individuals. They do exactly what the kings do when they stand at a distance viewing the destruction of Babylon (cf. Revelation 18:10; Revelation 18:17).

In one hour (repeated in verse 17), reminds us how much of a loss the city’s destruction is to those who financially benefited from their association with Babylon. Four groups of people are mentioned who were involved in the sea:

1. –Helmsmen
2. Passengers
3. Sailors
4. Fisherman/divers

These four groups of people put their hope, faith, sweat, tears and money in a city that would be destroyed. This is really the collapse of a future tremendously large commercial headquarters and system and the implied response to their question is nothing can compare with Babylon and her material greatness.

In verse 19, we read just how much they mourned.

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.’

They actually mourn the death and destruction of Babylon – the city and system! People did the same thing over the destruction of Tyre (Ezekiel 27:30). Again we see the phrase “one hour” to remind us of the swiftness of destruction and that it will be a surety. Good question for the believer: how tied are you to the things of this world?

Verse 20 informs us what the destruction means from God’s perspective.

Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you holy apostles and prophets, for God has avenged you on her!

The upshot of Babylon’s demise is that –God will have avenged believers who have been used, misused and destroyed physically because of Babylon. –Consider today’s increasing “wokeness” spreading like a virus. –Even Chick-Fil-A has now added “diversity, equity and inclusion” to its corporate agenda. –Christians are being pushed to the fringes with all manner of perversions being lionized all because the world wants to eliminate God (Psalm 2). –It will only worsen before our Lord returns.

Entry filed under: 9/11, agenda 2030, Agenda 21, alienology, Atheism and religion, christianity, Demonic, devil worship, eternity, Posttribulational Rapture, Pretribulational Rapture, Religious - Christian - End Times, Religious - Christian - Prophecy, Religious - Christian - Theology, salvation, Satanism, second coming.