Revelation 18:1-24

1. an angelic message – 1-3
1. a new angel appears – 1
1. "another" because we have not seen this one yet
2. another angel that has a specific task assigned by God
3. he is one of the highest angels [great power, the earth was lightened with his glory]
4. Babylon had been in darkness since the judgment of the fifth bowl
5. any relief that the light might have brought will quickly turn to terror
2. from this mighty angel goes forth the words: "Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen" – 2
1. the destruction will be a complete annihilation of all the inhabitants
2. the twice-repeated word describes two separate parts or stages of the fall
1. the twice-repeated "fallen, fallen," means two distinct falls
2. the first fall of Babylon is accomplished through the agency of the Beast in confederation with the ten kings (Rev 17:16-17)
1. this occurs soon after the antichrist is fully revealed
2. the last fall is more than three years after the first
1. the reign of the Beast is three and one-half years
2. the enforced worship of his image is set up at this time
3. the first great Babylonian disaster occurs at the beginning of those years
4. the final catastrophe occurs at the pouring out of the last bowl of wrath
5. this sweeps the Beast as well as Great Babylon to perdition
3. the cause for her judgment – 3
1. man’s religious practices didn’t change much after the destruction of the false religious system by the 10 kings
1. Satan is the power behind every false religion this world has ever known
2. the only difference is that now he is openly worshipped and served, whereas before he had to deceive the people
2. even in the midst of all the terrible plagues, it is business as usual for the merchants of the world
1. shortages abound, inflation is rampant, but the money kings know how to turn it all to their advantage
2. though there is nothing intrinsically wrong with money and commerce, it can easily become the object of inordinate affection
3. the love of money can and does lead to many evils
2. a voice from heaven – 4-5
1. before the words of this angel goes into effect upon Babylon, a voice from heaven says: "Come out of her, my people" - 4
1. is it not surprising to find believers still living in Babylon at this late stage
2. this is the very source of the world wide persecution that had been unleashed against believers
3. the time context seems to be shortly after the midpoint of the tribulation period
1. before the worship of the beast was fully instituted
2. before they had to receive the mark of the beast
3. before the start of the seven last plagues
2. why would there be any believers living in Babylon - 4
1. spiritual Babylon has always had a strange attraction for believers
2. one of the saddest commentaries on the Christian witness through the ages has been its tendency to compromise with the false religious system of the world
3. Christian intellectuals, Christian entertainers, Christian businessmen, and even Christian ministers have often sought for recognition and approval by their colleagues in "Babylon"
4. apparently the same worldly allurement will attract many believers in this final stage of world history
1. it might be the enticement of high wages
2. they may rationalize their move by saying it will be an opportunity to be a witness
3. what these kind of Christians fail to realize is that they can not have an effective witness through compromise
4. God’s message has never been "be like her, and try to appease her and attract her"
5. God’s message has always been, " come out of her, and be not partakers of her sins"
5. the judgment of God cannot fall upon Babylon until every believer is completely out of her
1. not one drop of rain fell until Noah and his family were safe in the ark and "God shut them in"
2. not one spark of fire and brimstone fell upon Sodom and Gomorrah until Lot and his daughters were safe outside the city
3. God is a just God -- He is righteous, He cannot perform unrighteousness
4. even in this terrible hour those who believe in Him as the true and only God must come out of Babylon before judgment can be poured out
3. the sins of Babylon have reached Heaven – 5
1. suggests that the sins of Babylon are many
2. Nimrod led the first Babel rebels in a great temple building project "unto heaven," but the only thing that reached heaven was the stench of their rebellion
3. now it seems that they have built an empire of sin that has reached Heaven and God is about to crush this giant, evil force
3. Babylon’s just reward – 6-8
1. the payback of God’s vengeance is a double portion – 6
1. Babylon is to be rewarded as she has rewarded the people of God, and double the reward
2. in severity, God is going to pour out double what Babylon has meted out to the saints of God
3. the meaning is not to inflict upon her a punishment doubly greater than her sins, for this would be contrary to the justice of God
1. no earthly punishment could be double what is deserved for sin, which is eternal death
2. eternal death will be her punished hereafter; therefore she will not have her full punishment now, and much less a greater than her sins required
3. this will be according to her works, therefore it will not exceed the demerit of her sins
4. God will use her with double severity, as she had used God’s children
2. her pride will be destroyed – 7-8
1. her proud ways
1. "she hath glorified herself"
2. "lived deliciously"
1. an offensively luxurious standard of living
2. the prosperity of Babylon blinded her to the judgment of God
3. "I sit a queen, and am no widow"
4. "shall see no sorrow"
2. she will be judged not only for what she has done (v6), but also for what she is (v7)
1. "torment" means physical pain, or even torture
2. proud Babylon boasted that she would see no sorrow, and that she lived deliciously; but then the plagues came – 8
3. the wicked residents of Babylon began to experience death, sorrow, and hunger
3. the Bible does not indicate the source of the fire that destroys Babylon, but it is surely no ordinary fire
1. the kings of the earth burned the mystery Babylon, the harlot religious system with fire
2. these same kings mourn the burning of commercial and political Babylon – 9
3. obviously these are not the same burnings, but the last will bring utter destruction [utterly burned]-8
4. we should also notice how quickly judgment was administered [in one day] - 8
5. the source of judgment [for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her] - 8
1. it is God who destroys this city because he alone is able to do it
2. God has always promised, "vengeance is mine, I will repay"
4. the response that comes from the world over Babylon’s destruction – 9-19
1. the kings of the earth will weep over her, but they cannot help her – 9-10
1. the kings of the earth stand in awe and fear
2. they witness the awful destruction of the mighty system of evil with which they had been so closely identified
3. they tremble and fear at the awfulness and suddenness of the judgment of Babylon – 10
2. the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for nobody will buy their merchandise any more – 11
1. they sorrow over the destruction of Babylon, not because of their love for the system, but because of the trade they had with the system
2. this gigantic system brought much wealth to the merchants of the earth, and now the source of their wealth is destroyed
3. the downfall of Babylon will seriously affect the whole commercial and social life of the world at that time – 12-14
1. the merchandise listed as having to do with Babylon is twenty-eight different articles
1. the first listed is gold
2. the twenty-eighth is souls of men
3. the bodies and souls of men are named last, as if they are of least account
2. Heaven announces to this woman that her playhouse is wrecked forever, and she is down, never to rise again – 14
4. their sorrow was caused by their lose of business and wealth – 15-19
1. the merchants express their lamentation in words similar to those of the kings as recorded in verse 10; however, there is one difference
1. the kings, in their lamentation, cried out, "In one hour is thy judgment come"
2. the merchants cry out, "In one hour so great riches is come to nought" – 17
2. the merchants are thinking only of the gain they derived from the religious system set forth by this terrible woman
3. the Lord Jesus told us when He was on earth, "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also"
4. there is not a single note of repentance or sorrow for sin
1. men who repeatedly ignore the conviction of the Holy Spirit, will one day find that He no longer strives with them
2. those ruled solely by self-interest and by the things they can acquire, will one day be confused when it is all gone
3. neither silver nor gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of God’s wrath
5. joy in heaven – 18:20-24
1. while despair and terror fill the earth, there will be great jubilation in heaven – 20
1. they are called upon to rejoice and sing praises because God has judged the greatest enemy of righteousness that has ever existed
2. though all heaven is called on to rejoice, there are two classes who will experience special joy [apostles and prophets]
1. these had a special ministry for God on earth
2. these have suffered special hardships and persecutions for God on earth
2. even the remembrance of Babylon was to be cut off, so that her ruins could never be found – 21-23
1. as a stone will sink to the bottom of the sea, never to be seen again; so will Babylon be thrown down into everlasting oblivion
1. all of Babylon’s activities, whether commerce, pleasure, or just living, will be still and silent
2. for Babylon and its inhabitant "is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever"
2. all weddings and other social and cultural events will cease forever in Babylon
1. the "beautiful people" are dead
2. the powerful families are broken
3. her citizens had been earth’s elite: the greatest financiers, intellectuals, and rulers that an ungodly culture could produce
3. the reason for Babylon’s awful judgment – 23-24
1. because she deceived all nations by her "sorceries"
1. "sorceries" involves the inducement of religious visions and states of altered consciousness by use of drug
2. the word "sorcery" means drug, potion, or medications
2. because she was guilty of killing the saints - 24