Living Way Church
The Bowls of Wrath

      • John 14.6ESV

  • Advent Hymn
  • O Come All You Unfaithful
  • Messiah
  • Joy to the World (Unspeakable Joy)
  • Good afternoon! We are continuing in our series on the book of Revelation. Look I know for most of us this study has not been easy. And I don’t believe that it should be easy. But we are almost done. After today we have only six more chapters to look at. And the last few are all super positive so just hang in there. It is almost finished. But Today we are going to be looking at Revelation chapter sixteen and the seven bowls of wrath. At first we are going to see some similarities between the bowl plagues and the trumpet plagues. However as similar as they are. They are far from the same. And I want us to be careful, because it is so easy for Christians to only see judgment upon humanity for worshiping the beast. This is not untrue. However, what we need to see today more than anything else is that the real struggle that is being shown is not between God and humanity. The plagues that we are going to see poured out today are representative of the struggle between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan. What we are going to look at today is the outpouring of Gods wrath upon the beast, who seeks to deter Gods divine purpose within this world, and also upon those who have pledged their loyalty to the beast.

    The First Bowl

    The pouring out of the first bowl is found in verses one and two. In verse one we read.
    Revelation 16:1 ESV
    Then I heard a loud voice from the temple telling the seven angels, “Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God.”
    The loud voice from the temple appears to be God Himself Why do I say this? Because he is the one who dwells within the temple. Just makes sense to me, I think.
    So what is contained within this first bowl.
    In verse two we read.
    Revelation 16:2 ESV
    So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth, and harmful and painful sores came upon the people who bore the mark of the beast and worshiped its image.
    Unlike the first plagues of both the seals and the trumpets that affect the environment and so indirectly affect mankind. This one falls directly upon all of those who are faithful to the beast. At this point we have seen that all of mankind has declared itself as either faithful to Christ Jesus or faithful to the beast. And in the end it is only those who are faithful to Christ Jesus that will be spared from the outpouring of Gods wrath in the end.
    I have mentioned several times throughout this series a very real truth that is revealed throughout the book of Revelation. And that is that all of humanity throughout history has been choosing to follow either the one true God, Jesus Christ, or they have chosen to follow Satan. There is no in between. No one gets to sit on the sidelines. Essentially if you choose not to follow Christ. Then the default is Satan.

    The Second Bowl

    The second bowl is found in verse three.
    Revelation 16:3 ESV
    The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became like the blood of a corpse, and every living thing died that was in the sea.
    In the first plague in Egypt the Nile was turned into blood, and we saw something similar at the sounding of the second trumpet where we saw a third of the waters of the seas become blood and a third of the creatures of the sea died. This time there is no limitation placed upon the plague and every drop of water within the oceans and the seas of this world become blood and every animal living within them dies.

    The Third Bowl

    The third bowl is found in verses four through seven. In verse four we read.
    Revelation 16:4 ESV
    The third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of water, and they became blood.
    The third trumpet plague affected a third of the rivers. This time, as we have already seen, there is no such limitation placed upon the third bowl. We were told with the third trumpet that the plague brought death to people due to the bitter water. We are not told here the immediate affects that this would have upon life. However, if all the water in the world turns to blood I think we can guess what the aftermath might be. And whatever we might imagine I suspect isn’t close to what this would really be like.
    Then in verses five and six we read.
    Revelation 16:5–6 ESV
    And I heard the angel in charge of the waters say, “Just are you, O Holy One, who is and who was, for you brought these judgments. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink. It is what they deserve!”
    The angel of water or as the ESV puts it here the angel in charge of the waters is an expression that is found no where else in scripture. However at this point we have seen several angels that oversee so to speak certain aspects of nature. In chapter seven we saw the four angels who control the winds, and in chapter fourteen we were introduced to the angel who has power over fire. This angel, the angel of the waters, declares that God is just to bring about such judgment upon humanity. Why does he say this? He explains. Because they are responsible for the shedding of the blood of the martyrs. And so he says, this is exactly what they deserve. That’s the last line that the angel concludes with. They deserve this judgment.
    Then in verse seven connected to this proclamation we read.
    Revelation 16:7 ESV
    And I heard the altar saying, “Yes, Lord God the Almighty, true and just are your judgments!”
    This is the only time in the book of Revelation that we are told that the Altar speaks. We have heard voices come from under the altar, and these voices were calling for vindication for those who had been martyred. In another instance we see that the prayers of the persecuted saints rise up from the altar. What we should see or perhaps hear in these words is that Gods judgment is neither arbitrary nor capricious. Instead they are both true and just. God’s judgment is an act of vindication for the persecuted church throughout time.

    The Fourth Bowl

    The fourth bowl is found in verse eight and nine and we read.
    Revelation 16:8–9 ESV
    The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was allowed to scorch people with fire. They were scorched by the fierce heat, and they cursed the name of God who had power over these plagues. They did not repent and give him glory.
    This bowl causes a plague of intense heat which burns people. What I find most interesting about this bowl is that mankind recognizes the source of the plagues. They know where the judgment they are experiencing comes from. However, just as Pharaoh had hardened his heart against God. So many in the end as well as today have hardened their hearts to the truth of the Gospel. And as a result all that they experience in relation to God is anger and hatred. This is exactly what we see today in much of our culture. It is not some passive disdain that people have towards Christianity and the Church. It is anger and hatred towards God and His church. This is the hardening of their hearts towards God just as we see in our passage today. People would rather curse God and refuse to repent and give God glory. Because if they did then they would have to identify and admit to the sin within their lives.

    The fifth bowl.

    The fifth bowl Is found in verses ten and eleven and we read.
    Revelation 16:10–11 ESV
    The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in anguish and cursed the God of heaven for their pain and sores. They did not repent of their deeds.
    This bowl is poured out directly upon the center of the beast’s power. This judgment is unique in that it is poured out upon the seat of government that has power over the world during the end times. Which is interesting because I suspect that Government from the beginning has sought to solve all the worlds problems. But that is not what government is meant to do at all. Government simply maintains civil structure and order. Period. It never has been able to solve most of the problems that we face. I mean honestly how much impact did our government have on the spread of COVID-19. They like to think they did. But they were pretty powerless in the face of the pandemic.
    I digress.
    This plague, the fifth bowl not COVID, plunges the kingdom of Satan into total darkness. And this darkness is accompanied by something that causes significant pain and sores and men literally gnaw at their tongues because the pain is so great. It is also possible that the extreme darkness and the anxiety and anguish that that would cause simply magnified the previous judgments that caused boils and searing heat. It’s not exactly clear. What really is important here is that again men recognize the source of their anguish as God Almighty and they curse God. When what they really needed to do is repent of their sin. Turn from their sin and the beast and turn to God. Now, I’ll be honest at this point in the end times. I do not believe that such repentance may even be possible. Just as Pharaoh comes to a point that repentance is beyond his ability. Mankind will also reach a point of no return we might say.

    The sixth bowl.

    The sixth bowl is found in verses twelve through sixteen.
    In verse twelve we read.
    Revelation 16:12 ESV
    The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, to prepare the way for the kings from the east.
    This bowl is very different from the previous bowls. It is not poured out upon mankind. Instead it is meant to completely dry up the river Euphrates. This is done in order to prepare the way, essentially for the final battle that is yet to come. We saw something similar in the sixth trumpet. There four angels lead a massive demonic cavalry across the Euphrates who killed a third of mankind.
    One of the struggles of this passage is that the the kings from the east are never defined for us. The most natural, I believe, reading of this is that the kings of the east, who are somehow most likely a part of Satans inner circle or are supportive in some special way, are going to join forces with the kings of the whole world in order to do battle against the Messiah at His final coming. This joining of forces is seen in the drying up of the Euphrates which was seen as a barrier between Israel and the rest of the world. So God removes the barrier that keeps his enemies apart so that they might truly muster their forces against him and array themselves completely against Him.
    We will se later a reference to ten kings that support the Beast in the next chapter, and it is very likely that these ten kings are the kings of the east.
    And as quickly as these kings arrive on the scene they are gone from our story and in verse thirteen we read.
    Revelation 16:13 ESV
    And I saw, coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs.
    Okay so this is the first time that we get this reference to the false prophet. This is the second beast that essentially props the first beast up as a false messiah, thus making him the false prophet.
    But what really matters is what the heck are these three unclean spirits that are like frogs that come from their mouths.
    So, these are a way of representing the demonic inspiration of those that are arrayed against God in the last battle. These three are going to inspire fallen mankind to give their support to these three in order to wage war against Jesus.
    We see this in the next verse. In verse fourteen we read.
    Revelation 16:14 ESV
    For they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty.
    The great day of God the Almighty is that moment in history when the redemptive purpose of God will be made complete. And that completion will be seen in both salvation and in judgment. And it will be seen and experienced by individuals, by the church, and by creation itself. So complete is this final day. This is why often times the word consummation is used in reference to this last day. Consummation means the ultimate goal or end of something. Or that thing that brings final fulfillment to something. That’s why sex should only be experienced between two married people. It is seen as the act of consummation of the marriage. It is that thing experienced on ones wedding night that is meant to complete the act of getting married. Similarly the final battle between God and Satan and then the salvation of the saints and the judgment of sinners is seen as the final consummation of history. We are going to come back to this word consummation when we get to the final chapters of the book. So, it’s important to understand it’s meaning.
    What we see in this verse is the hatred that has expressed itself throughout human history through the hostility and persecution of the people of God it now all comes to a grand finale when all the rulers of the world join together in one single final battle against God Himself.
    Then in verse fifteen there is a brief shift and we read.
    Revelation 16:15 ESV
    (“Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!”)
    This shift is often times seen in many translations in the parentheses being placed within the text. They are not present in the original writings. They are placed here in order to separate this verse from those around it.
    So why does Jesus all of a sudden interject this statement within the passage. I believe that it is two fold. First it is a warning, but it is also a means of assuring His people of the realities that exist behind every historical event we experience both now and in the end times.
    Look this war that is going to take place with every country in the world united against God is not the ultimate reality that we need to be focused on or worried about. We simply need to keep our eyes on the prize so to speak. Jesus, Himself, is coming back. This is supposed to be the focus of all of our hopes and expectations. This interjection within all of this junk about the world should help us gain a proper perspective.
    Far too many of us are focused on what is happening in the government and the culture around us. That we have lost focus on the fact that Jesus is coming back.
    And he will return like a thief. This is not about His return being sly or stealthy like a thief. And it is not relating is return to being sudden like a thief might be. But rather His return will be unexpected by most.
    Paul refers to Jesus return as being like a thief in first Thessalonians chapter five. In verse two we read.
    1 Thessalonians 5:2 ESV
    For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.
    In this passage Paul wants to ensure that we are prepared for the return of Jesus. And in verse four we read.
    1 Thessalonians 5:4 ESV
    But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief.
    So long as we are awake to the coming of Christ we will not be surprised when He arrives.
    Instead that day will be a glad deliverance from this messed up fallen world that we find ourselves in at present.
    In the KJV and the NKJV is says that the blessed one is the one who watches. And unfortunately this has lead many to look for signs of the end. They are watchers for the end times. The NKJV in verse 15 reads.
    Revelation 16:15 NKJV
    “Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.”
    This translation fits well with the argument that we need to be ready at “any-moment” for the return of Jesus. However heres the problem with this translation. It make no sense to “watch” for something unless that event is capable of occurring at any time. And right now some of you are looking at me like I have lost my mind. I mean hey. The return of Christ could occur at any moment, right? Well if you are an amillenialist, which is the view that there is no seven year tribulation and that there is no millennial rule of Christ, he is going to simply resurrect the saints and return. However, if you’re like me a premillennialist. Which simply means I see a period of Great Tribulation still yet to come and then a thousand years when Christ will reign and that occurs after the Great Tribulation and then we see the final resurrection of all of humanity to face their final judgment and then the final reign of Christ here on earth.. So, if that is the case, then why am I watching for the return of Christ tomorrow if we are not in the Great Tribulation now. Oof. That through a wrench into the gears didn’t it. So, I don’t believe we are told to be watching for the return of Jesus.
    Look the greek word here simply means to be awake. And I believe that what it means to be awake to an idea, or a concept, or some piece of knowledge. Simply means that you are aware of the reality that it is still yet to take place.
    And I believe that verse three of 1st Thessalonians five supports this idea. We read there.
    1 Thessalonians 5:3 ESV
    While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
    Look when we lose sight of the ultimate issues of life and assume that security is found on some sort of human level rather than only in one’s relationship with Jesus. Then we are asleep to the reality of this fallen world that we live in.
    And yet so much of the church is asleep. And the truth is that many of us here today are probably asleep in varied ways as well. Whenever we lose sight of the spiritual values laid out within the scripture we will slowly begin to agree with the values of the beast rather than the values of Jesus. And I suspect that right here, right now, the Holy Spirit brought at least one of those values to mind. And if he did I would suggest that you do something about it. Because he just asked you to.
    Then in verse sixteen we read.
    Revelation 16:16 ESV
    And they assembled them at the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.
    We now return to our original story of the three unclean spirits who gather the kings of the world to battle. And we now see that the final battle is to take place at Armageddon. No the word doesn’t mean the end times, which is how many today use it. Instead it is the place of the last battle between the beast and Jesus. So this word Armageddon does present us with some difficulties. First thing we need to understand is that it is actually two Hebrew words slammed together. The first word is har which means mountain. And the second word is megiddon which is a reference to what we call Megiddo. So the mount of Megiddo.
    But that’s a problem. Yep! Because Megiddo isn’t a mountain. Megiddo is the plains area that is located between the Sea of Galilee and the Mediterranean. It was however a very famous battle ground in the history of Israel with many battles being fought in the area. Barak and Deborah defeated the Canaanites there in Judges chapter five. Jehu in second kings chapter twenty-three defeated Ahaziah there as well. So why is it called a mountain here. No one knows. There are many guesses out there, but in the end they are all just that, and I have to admit that most of them are quite unconvincing but that’s why we call them guesses isn’t it.
    All of that aside the plains of Megiddo will be the location of the final battle that will be waged. And it is here that the worlds government will array itself against Christ in a last ditch attempt to overthrow their creator. Which to be honest is what they have attempted to do every day of their lives from the fall until today and will continue to do until the end..

    The seventh bowl.

    The seventh and final bowl is revealed in verses seventeen through twenty-one.
    It is different than the previous seventh seal and trumpet. Both of those contained the next group of judgments.
    There is not another seven judgments to be revealed. Instead this is the final judgment that is to be released. And this judgment is going to fall specifically upon what is referenced as Babylon. Babylon here represents essentially the base of the power of the first beast.
    The next few verses are going to essentially give an overview of that judgment. And then in chapters seventeen and eighteen we are going to be given more details concerning the destruction of Babylon.
    So lets begin at the beginning of the end. In verse seventeen we read.
    Revelation 16:17 ESV
    The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple, from the throne, saying, “It is done!”
    This appears to be the same voice that we heard in the first verse. The phrase translated “It is done” is actually a single word in Greek that in it’s verbal form represents a completed action. And so what actually comes from the throne is simply the word “Done!” And so God has announced that everything that he has set out to do comes to it’s final conclusion in the pouring out of the seventh bowl.
    We want to connect this to Jesus final words upon the cross where he says, “It is finished.” It is very similar and I do believe there are similarities and so connections. But there are some very significant differences. When Jesus states that it is finished, God Himself dies. Here when God says that it is done, then those who stand against the death of Jesus upon the cross will now face their own death.
    Then in verse eighteen we read.
    Revelation 16:18 ESV
    And there were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, and a great earthquake such as there had never been since man was on the earth, so great was that earthquake.
    All of what we see in this verse is simply the combined manifestations that we find in the scriptures of the glory and power of God. The lightning, the thunder, the earthquakes. These are all announcements to the very presence of the glory and power of God being revealed.
    Then in verse nineteen we read.
    Revelation 16:19 ESV
    The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell, and God remembered Babylon the great, to make her drain the cup of the wine of the fury of his wrath.
    The result of the manifestation of the glory and power of God is the complete collapse of human civilization. The capital of the beast will be completely split into three parts by the earthquake. We have all seen the devastation that an earthquake can bring. Can you imagine what an earthquake powerful enough to split a city into three parts would do. Such an earthquake would simply flatten the city. Every building would crumble. And this violence is felt throughout the world, so that every city of the earth is left destroyed.
    Look next time you read something on Facebook where someone says oh I think this is the end. This looks like it is straight out of chapters seventeen or eighteen of Revelation. Fro some reason people like to connect those two chapters in particular to history today. But now you can officially ask them if they are capable of reading. Or at least understanding what they’ve read. Because really come on. We are not in the end times. We have seen nothing even remotely close to this.
    And then it says that God remembered Babylon. Oh such found remembrances of Babylon. Oh wait. That’s not it is it. This phrase occurs several times throughout the scriptures. However, what usually we see is that God remembers His judgment and then shows grace and mercy by removing that judgment. But this is very different instead it is saying that he remembers the sin of Babylon and basically forces Babylon to continue to drink from the cup of His wrath. When Babylon is doing all that she can not to drink of the cup of the wrath of God Almighty.
    Then in verse twenty we read.
    Revelation 16:20 ESV
    And every island fled away, and no mountains were to be found.
    Wow! This is the power of the fully revealed glory of God upon a sin filled world. God in his wrath against sin brings such destruction that the islands disappear and the mountains are laid flat not just cities. I mean cities are easy low hanging fruit. God brings islands and mountains to nothing. Now is this truly what is going to happen. Maybe not. But maybe. It is very possible that this is simply a means of hyperbole to describe God’s glory revealed. Either that or it is the complete destruction of everything as we know it today. Which is, honestly and this is a hard thing for us to hear and accept, this is the end goal of God’s plan. Everything that we see today is to be destroyed. And then by God’s grace our world is to be recreated without sin.
    Then finally in verse twenty-one we read.
    Revelation 16:21 ESV
    And great hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, fell from heaven on people; and they cursed God for the plague of the hail, because the plague was so severe.
    Ok, so it’s funny how commentators want to go on and on about whether or not the hailstones actually weigh one hundred pounds. It says in the greek that they weigh a talent. And in todays measurements in America at least that would be about a hundred pounds. Here’s the thing these are the biggest hailstones ever seen, and hailstones the size of a baseballs have been known to kill a person that is struck in the head. Who cares what they actually weigh. This is what matters, they are so large that anyone struck by one is going to die and I don’t want to ask you to imagine what something a hundred pounds traveling at such speeds would do to a human body. Like I’ve got one word. Splat. This is going to be disgusting. But, here’s the thing, none of those details really matter. But we like so much to get caught up in the little details all to the detriment of what God really wants us to see.
    Mankind knows the exact source of the hail. And they curse God because of it. This is how the beginning of the Day of the Lord is announced. Humanity curses God because of His justice upon their evil. We are all innocent when we look through our own eyes. Eyes tainted by sin and by the influence of Satan. But eyes tainted by the gospel of Jesus see the world and ourselves very differently.

    So What?

    Just one point today.
    I want to discuss divine judgment and its purpose.

    Divine Judgment

    At the very outset our passage states that God’s judgments are just. They are the right thing from a righteous God. The world in which we live has always sought to oppress, in one way or another, the people of God. And in todays society any discussion concerning divine judgment upon sin is simply not allowed. As a result many who call themselves Christians even refuse to apply such realities to God at all. However, given the season, there is a phrase that I have heard used that is I believe fitting. This Santa Claus theology is incapable of coping with the reality of evil. But not only that. It is incapable also of coping with so much of the suffering that we see throughout the world. If we approach life with this kind of theology, which is what many of us often times do, it makes it nearly impossible to deal with the hardships of life. Why? Because there is no assurance that God has a purpose behind all of it. And when we see life like this it only leads to some form of fatalism. We cannot turn God into some kind, grandfather figure, who is never firm. To do so denies his lordship and omnipotence over a world that is full of so much suffering.
    If we choose to see a God who never brings judgment upon this world for its sin, then what we have done is to create a false idol whose source is satan. Because this kind and only loving god is simply not the God of the Scriptures.
    I want to be careful now. I am not saying that every suffering that an individual goes through is some sort of judgment that God is bring upon that individual. It is possible that the suffering being experienced may be judgment. But for many, and if you are a believer, it is most likely a test of ones faith in Christ Jesus. And this is the struggle that all of us always have. The specific suffering that we experience will never reveal the true purpose of the suffering. What the suffering is meant to do is to get our eyes off ourselves and the situation at hand and to cause us to turn our gaze upon Jesus. When we do this, I believe that we will then begin to understand the purpose of the suffering.
    And so we shouldn’t simply see judgment as a means of correction or discipline. Though those are purposes behind Gods judgment. But it is also a way that God uses to grab the attention of the world with the goal of repentance in mind. Look, churches were overflowing after the suffering that we as a nation experienced during the tragedy that is remembered as 9/11. The world came seeking answers and most churches gave them exactly what they needed to hear, and guess what? Many of them did not like it. You see sinful mankind doesn’t want a righteous and just God. They think they want Santa Claus.
    Santa Claus theology will always fail us though. And in the end they don’t really even want Santa Claus. Because for most it doesn’t matter if God brings justice or mercy they will refuse to believe. The story of Lot and Soddom and Gamorah is telling in this regard. Lot tried to warn them about the coming destruction, but they though he was just kidding around. In fact when Lot tried to prevent some of the men of the city from attempting to rape the angels that had come to warn Lot, they essentially accused him of being judgmental.
    Look mankind doesn’t even want Santa Claus theology let alone the one true God of the Bible. What they want is what we might call self-theology. A theology in which all of us are our own gods and we make the rules and everyone else just needs to abide by our rules. But that just doesn’t work now does it.
    In fact we are seeing the culmination of this reality in America today. And it just isn’t working. It is this idea of self-theology and everyone can have their own theology and that theology must be accepted by everyone else. And the result is that this though process has driven us to absurdity. Today we are completely incapable of defining with any certainty words any longer. It all started with the word truth. And once we lost the concept of what is true, everything else must, by the absence of any truth, fall.
    But this isn’t simply about words. The inability today to actually define words is simply a small picture of the inconsistency and sin and hatred within the hearts of mankind. The end goal of all of this for Satan is to create enmity between His followers and the followers of Christ Jesus.
    Truth is important. And the source of our truth can only be found within the Scriptures. This is why today more than ever we all need to live by the rallying cry of the reformation.
    We are to live life:
    By the word of God alone
    By faith alone
    By grace alone
    By Christ alone
    All to the Glory of God alone.
    Amen.
    Amen
    Let us pray.
    Benediction.
    Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
    ​

      • Revelation 16:1ESV

      • Revelation 16:2ESV

      • Revelation 16:3ESV

      • Revelation 16:4ESV

      • Revelation 16:5–6ESV

      • Revelation 16:7ESV

      • Revelation 16:8–9ESV

      • Revelation 16:10–11ESV

      • Revelation 16:12ESV

      • Revelation 16:13ESV

      • Revelation 16:15ESV

      • Revelation 16:15ESV

      • 1 Thessalonians 5:3ESV

      • Revelation 16:16ESV

      • Revelation 16:17ESV

      • Revelation 16:18ESV

      • Revelation 16:19ESV

      • Revelation 16:20ESV

      • Revelation 16:21ESV

  • Good afternoon. Last week we saw kind of the thousand foot view of the final battle that is yet to come. And now we are going to spend the next two weeks at around the hundred foot mark. We are going to be given a more detailed picture of what is to happen during that final battle between Jesus and Satan. But because we are still a good ways overhead there are going to be a lot of details that we simply will not be able to see clearly.
    The next two chapters are dedicated to the fall or destruction of Babylon. And Babylon is representative of all of the worldly systems that stand against Christ Jesus as King. And the big question that the next two chapters is going to beg us to ask and in fact one of the questions that the entire book begs us to ask over-and-over again is. Whose side are you really on?
    This world is and has always been spiritually bankrupt. And yet we all at times seem to go to the world in order to find those things that only Jesus is able to provide. Look. If you end your day feeling good about yourself because the world respects you or sees value in you? What is that truly worth?
    Or perhaps we find security in the fact that we have been diligent in saving enough money to ensure a nice retirement?
    Or perhaps we feel good about where we are in life because we know what our agenda is, our goals are set, and we are chasing our dreams.
    Now hear me out and I need you to listen well. Please don’t tune me out just yet. I am not saying that these things in and of themselves are necessarily evil or bad. What I am saying is that all too often we allow the world and its lies to distract from the true source of respect, or security, or self worth. Just to name a few very subtle ways that our world seeks to replace Jesus with the lies and distractions of Satan.
    What we need is to be freed from the spiritually bankrupt and broken promises of this world, and instead we need to see God’s power to provide freely everything that the world is trying to sell us.
    One of the most difficult things for us to see and understand is that this world doesn’t love us. It says it does, but it simply does not. Fallen humanity loves only themselves.
    And we need to see every foothold that Babylon has in our lives fall away. We need to hear the clear call of Jesus to come out of Babylon and to find rest and refuge in the Land of Promise.
    And my hope is that we can see here in Revelation chapter eighteen exactly what we need.
    So let’s begin. In the first three verses we read the announcement so to speak of Babylon’s Fall
    In verse one we read.
    Revelation 18:1 ESV
    After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was made bright with his glory.
    An angel from heaven appears and we are told that this angel has great authority. That is because it has been sent by God Almighty. It has come in the authority of God Almighty. Also I would say that this angel comes forth from the very presence of God and that is why it says that the earth was made bright with the glory of the angel. We saw something similar but on a much smaller scale when Moses descended from the mountain after speaking with God. He literally glowed from the glory that had been revealed to Him by the mere presence of God almighty. And I believe that here we are seeing a very similar experience.
    Then in verse two the angel calls out and we read.
    Revelation 18:2 ESV
    And he called out with a mighty voice, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast.
    One of the traps that we have a tendency to fall into when reading these last several chapters is not seeing Babylon clearly. Here we are told that Babylon has already fallen and that Babylon has become a dwelling place for demons, unclean spirits, birds, and detestable beasts. We need to remember that this is speaking of the world in which we live right now, not simply the seat of power of Satan during the end times. We need to remember that we are living today in Babylon. This is how we should see this passage here and now today.
    Most of us don’t like to look for or see the demonic powers that are at work all around us each and every day. I also want to argue caution in regards to this as well. We can not go through life blaming Satan for everything bad that occurs within our lives.
    Then in verse three we read just why such judgment is going to come upon Babylon and we read..
    Revelation 18:3 ESV
    For all nations have drunk the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxurious living.”
    This says that ALL nations have drunk the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality. This means ALL nations. No nation is separated out. Not Israel. Not America. We like to look at our founding principles and say that they are based upon Christian principles and so therefore we live in a “Christian” nation. But, this says that America has been seduced by Babylon and is fallen.
    Also this statement concerning sexual immorality is simply speaking of only those sins that are sexually immoral, but rather this is used symbolically of the myriad of sins that our world is caught up in. Now, we might claim that it is very interesting that our world has truly been caught up in a very unique in striving to give a stamp of approval on sexual immorality in a way that we have never seen in the history of our world. Is there a connection? I don’t know, there are certainly similarities.
    This essentially says that those who are the political leaders (the kings) and the economic leaders (the merchants) of the world have been seduced by worldly desires and passions and they have succumb. They have ALL fallen. Not one stands apart from the world as a truly godly leader.
    David the greatest king of Israel was seduced by power and riches to make foolish sinful decisions concerning his rule. Solomon his son who is said to be the wisest man to have lived was just as easily seduced by the false promises of the world. And rather than looking to Jesus to fulfill their every need, they sought fulfillment in the seductions of Babylon, the worldly systems in which we find our lives so entangled every day.
    We will one day have the opportunity to see David and Solomon face-to-face in heaven. Because our salvation from the seductions of Babylon do not come from our great deeds. Instead our hope is found only in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
    Then there is a shift and there is a warning that comes from a voice from the heavens. This warning is found in verses four and five where we read.
    Revelation 18:4–5 ESV
    Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues; for her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.
    The fall of Babylon has been announced and a voice calls out to the people of God to flee from the destruction that is to come upon Babylon. There are very clear allusions here to the angels who were sent to Lot and told Lot to take his family and flee from Sodom.
    And here’s the question we should each ask ourselves. First, are we fleeing from Babylon and the world. Are we actually trying to flee from the seductions of the world to sin? Are we like Lot? Or are we like his wife, who longingly looks back and only sees the loss of where her heart truly wants to be. Don’t be like Lot’s wife. Because if you are you will take part in her sins and you will share in her plagues. This is a picture of repentance. When we repent are we truly turning away from the world and the sins of this world and turning to Jesus and Jesus alone to fulfill the needs that we have in life.
    There is another shift in verses six through eight and the voice from heaven now cries out for vengeance against Babylon. And we read in verse six.
    Revelation 18:6 ESV
    Pay her back as she herself has paid back others, and repay her double for her deeds; mix a double portion for her in the cup she mixed.
    This is language that is very similar to what we saw in chapter six where the martyred saints cried out for God to enact vengeance upon those who martyred them. Now we need to all remember today that this cry for vengeance is not the enactment of vengeance by those who were martyred.
    In Matthew chapter five we are told by Jesus to walk kindly and in love towards our enemies. This should be a characteristic that marks the life of a disciple of Jesus.
    In fact in Romans chapter twelve verse nineteen where God tells us to never take vengeance into our own hands, but rather God says “Vengeance is mine, I will repay.”
    God alone knows the heart of the person who wronged us and He alone will act justly. We simply do not and will not. And so when this fallen world falls all over your life. Cry out for vengeance while allowing the Holy Spirit to control your life.
    This cry continues and we read in verses seven and eight.
    Revelation 18:7–8 ESV
    As she glorified herself and lived in luxury, so give her a like measure of torment and mourning, since in her heart she says, ‘I sit as a queen, I am no widow, and mourning I shall never see.’ For this reason her plagues will come in a single day, death and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire; for mighty is the Lord God who has judged her.”
    Babylon has seduced the world into believing that safety and security and prosperity will surely follow wherever she treads and so just follow in her footsteps she says and receive the blessing of her presence. However all those who follow here have been deceived and they walk each day of their lives straight towards destruction all the while thinking they are living the good life.
    And when God chooses to finally act he will act swiftly. This will not all come to pass in a single day. But those several years that His wrath is felt will feel by the end as though it had been one endless nightmare.
    The destruction of Babylon will be complete. So, I ask what in this world, within this Babylon are you hanging on to?
    Now there is yet again another shift in our passage and the kings of the earth, the merchants of the earth, and the seafarers (I don’t know where they came from in our passage, but they are going to pop up) they are all going to mourn the destruction and fall of Babylon. But, this is what I want each of us to see. Are these individual groups of the world concerned that Babylon is destroyed? Or are they only looking at their own personal loss? Do they really care about Babylon? Or do they only care about themselves? This is why when we started this whole thing I stated that the world around you doesn’t truly care about you. In the end they only care about themselves. We can discuss this later if anyone wishes. This is the nature of of our world that we have come to call the sin nature. The very nature of humanity is to sin. And ultimately that means to be self-centered not other-centered.
    Alright so let’s cruise through this woeful mourning that we have in verses nine through nineteen.
    In verses nine and ten the kings of the earth are found and we read.
    Revelation 18:9–10 ESV
    And the kings of the earth, who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her, will weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning. They will stand far off, in fear of her torment, and say, “Alas! Alas! You great city, you mighty city, Babylon! For in a single hour your judgment has come.”
    I know some of you right now are saying Garey they sure do seem to be mourning over the loss of Babylon. I would ask the question are they mourning the loss of Babylon or are the mourning the loss of sexual immorality and the luxurious lifestyles that have been lost.
    Look we have all seen far more about politicians in the last several years than we had ever hoped to see and hear. Do you think they love the source of the power more than they do the power? I couldn’t come up with another analogy and it’s not a pretty one and it’s hard for perhaps many in this room to hear. But every addict acts like their pusher is their best friend until the drugs dry up. The seller doesn’t really care about the buyer and the buyer doesn’t really care about the seller. Because either one would quickly turn on the other if they didn’t get what each one of them wanted out of the relationship. And what we are seeing here is no different. That’s why our verses begin by describing what the kings really see as their loss.
    They stand far off it says they didn’t actually come to the funeral. And it says they stood far from Babylon in fear of her torment. We are not reading this correctly if we think they are afraid that something that just died is able to react with torment towards them. They are afraid of sharing in the torment she experienced as she drank of the cup of the wrath of God. That’s what they’re really afraid of.
    Then in verse eleven we read
    Revelation 18:11 ESV
    And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her, since no one buys their cargo anymore,
    Okay they weep, why? Because Babylon has fallen? Nope. Because no one is buying what they are selling.
    Verses twelve and thirteen list a ton of goods that would have all been quite expensive during this time.
    And we read.
    Revelation 18:12–13 ESV
    cargo of gold, silver, jewels, pearls, fine linen, purple cloth, silk, scarlet cloth, all kinds of scented wood, all kinds of articles of ivory, all kinds of articles of costly wood, bronze, iron and marble, cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and slaves, that is, human souls.
    It’s the end of that that is really important. Now remember Babylon is seen as all that is sinful in regards to our world which is almost everything. And so if you want to do business with Babylon you must become a slave of Babylon and essentially sell your soul to Satan.
    Again, I have to ask the question? Who or what are we chasing after for fulfillment in our lives is it Babylon or is it Jesus?
    Verse fourteen bears the truth of what is really within the heart of the merchants and reads.
    Revelation 18:14 ESV
    “The fruit for which your soul longed has gone from you, and all your delicacies and your splendors are lost to you, never to be found again!”
    It wasn’t Babylon that they missed or longed for or are even mourning. It’s all the stuff of the world that they are chasing after that has now been lost.
    Then in verse fifteen we read
    Revelation 18:15 ESV
    The merchants of these wares, who gained wealth from her, will stand far off, in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning aloud,
    No different than the kings of the earth. They fear the wrath of God more than they truly care for Babylon.
    Then in verses sixteen through eighteen we read about the shipmasters and the seafaring men.
    Revelation 18:16–18 ESV
    “Alas, alas, for the great city that was clothed in fine linen, in purple and scarlet, adorned with gold, with jewels, and with pearls! For in a single hour all this wealth has been laid waste.” And all shipmasters and seafaring men, sailors and all whose trade is on the sea, stood far off and cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning, “What city was like the great city?”
    Oh woe is me! I have lost everything of value to me in but a moment! Oh what a great city this was to provide for me all of this wealth. But I won’t go close because I might be struck just as she was.
    Then in verse nineteen their grief at the loss of Babylon becomes too much and we read.
    Revelation 18:19 ESV
    And they threw dust on their heads as they wept and mourned, crying out, “Alas, alas, for the great city where all who had ships at sea grew rich by her wealth! For in a single hour she has been laid waste.
    Here today. Gone tomorrow.
    Alas, Alas, me hearties, where do you find your value? Don’t be like these scally wags.
    Then there is another shift in our passage and in verse twenty we read.
    Revelation 18:20 ESV
    Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, for God has given judgment for you against her!”
    There could not be a greater contrast presented. Now pay close attention, because this is not meant to be a means of personal joy for personal vengeance right. This is the announcement of the destruction of all that has stood against God within this world. God has won. His judgment is true and his justice is right. We should see this as a cry of rejoicing that God in the end will show himself to be God Almighty in the face of all Satanic forces within this world.
    It’s not until the final four verses of the chapter that we actually read about the final destruction of Babylon.
    In verse twenty-one we read.
    Revelation 18:21 ESV
    Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, “So will Babylon the great city be thrown down with violence, and will be found no more;
    This verse is, I do believe, is a reference to Jesus speaking about those who lead little children who believe in him to sin. And in Matthew 18:6 he says.
    Matthew 18:6 ESV
    but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.
    Here Jesus saying that it would simply be better to drown to death than to cause a child to sin.
    And yet this is exactly what Babylon has done since the fall. And now the full weight of the judgment of God will be felt like a millstone around her neck as she sinks to the depths and gasps for her last breath.
    And her destruction will be complete. It says that she will be found no more.
    Then in verses 22 and the first part of 23 we read.
    Revelation 18:22–23 (ESV)
    and the sound of harpists and musicians, of flute players and trumpeters,
    will be heard in you no more,
    and a craftsman of any craft
    will be found in you no more,
    and the sound of the mill
    will be heard in you no more,
    and the light of a lamp
    will shine in you no more,
    and the voice of bridegroom and bride
    will be heard in you no more,
    The regular human activities of life will simply cease to occur in Babylon, because Babylon will simply cease to exist. Babylon is a dead and dying city. And Babylons coming death and decay is seen all around us even now.
    Then in the last part of verses 23 and 24 we read.
    Revelation 18:23–24 (ESV)
    for your merchants were the great ones of the earth,
    and all nations were deceived by your sorcery.
    And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints,
    and of all who have been slain on earth.”
    The ones that society all too often see as the greatest of the greats, the smartest of them all, they were all deceived by the sorcery, the trickery, the deception, the lies, the seduction of Babylon. It is as though Babylon has cast a spell upon mankind and she has seduced them to become her lover. This is what sin is.
    And now she stands destroyed because she was the cause of the deaths of the prophets and the saints.
    But more than that. Death did not exist within this world until sin came from the deception of that great serpent, who is satan. And from that moment on all of humanity has faced the reality that one day death must come. And so all who have faced death at the hands of sin, which is and will be nearly all of humanity, their blood is on Babylons hands.
    This is the pervasive nature of sin.
    Please see that there is nothing today that comes close to what we see within the book of Revelation. No empire throughout time has ever spanned the entirety of the globe. Babylon or whatever she will call herself in the end times will however control everything within our world. We are not in the end times yet.
    But, each of us are still faced with the same questions that one day the saints will be faced with then.
    Who do you follow Babylon or Jesus?
    I would say so what? And try to come up with some cultural connections to our text. But I think that all of that would simply take away from the question that this text ultimately poses to the church.
    Who do you follow the World or Jesus?
    Let us pray.
    Prayer
    Benediction
    Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
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