Revelation 16-18
Mystery Babylon
Judged
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TMS Ephesians 5:3 Holiness or No Inheritance
Observations
It's inappropriate for immorality or materialism to be associated with followers of Jesus Christ. Believers are warned against both sins by John in Revelation 17 and 18 (below). Paul goes on to say those believers who engage in such practices will not only lose their inheritance/reward, but will experience the wrath of God which will come upon His disobedient children. He doesn't say that they won't do such things, but that they will be punished for such sin. Covetousness is equated with idolatry in 5:5, because a person looks to money rather than God for the provision of his/her needs. Uncleanness is a deed of the flesh (see Galatians 5) which is a desire for the temporal. Earlier in Ephesians 4:18-19 Paul gave some insight in uncleanness, saying it came from being ignorant of (as in ignoring) God, and developing a calloused, insensitive spirit. The next step was to give themselves over to the fulfillment of gratifying their desires, resulting in doing all manner of uncleanness, which frequently, but not always has a sexual connotation. Failure to fully follow God opens the door for deadly desires to grow. If we don't kill them, they will destroy us. See comments on Ephesians 5 and the sermon series on Deadly Desires, and the sermon“Sanctification: It Ain't Gonna Reign No More” on Truthbase.net for help on destroying these sins at the root.
Application
Holiness isn't a suggestion; it's commanded, and God's commands not only carry blessings, but sanctions.
Prayer
God, help me live in purity and holiness, trusting You for meeting my physical and emotional needs as well; guide me in rooting out the things which will diminish my eternal joy. Thanks. Amen.
Revelation 16-18 Mystery Babylon Judged
The final seven judgments, the Bowl or Vial Judgments are poured out on the earth in preparation for the Messiah's reign. The recipients of judgment curse God rather than repent, but God promises blessings to those who are faithful to Him. Two chapters detail the judgment of Mystery Babylon, the religious and economic world systems that keep people from a relationship with God, as preparation for the Kingdom. In Revelation 19 (next post) Jesus finally comes to earth as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Revelation 16 Seven Bowls of Judgment
The First Six Bowls of Wrath
1 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.” 2 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. 3 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. 4 The third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of water, and they became blood. 5 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. 6 For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets,
and you have given them blood to drink.
It is what they deserve!”
7 And I heard the altar saying,
“Yes, Lord God the Almighty,
true and just are your judgments!”
8 The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was allowed to scorch people with fire. 9 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. 10 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 11 and cursed the God of heaven for their pain and sores. They did not repent of their deeds. 12 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. 13 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. 14 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. 15 (“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!”) 16 And they assembled them at the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.
The Seventh Bowl of Wrath
17 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!” 18 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. 19 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. 20 And every island fled away, and no mountains were to be found. 21 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.Application
If you don't like your circumstances, consider if you are the cause of them, and are just reaping negative consequences for your sin; if so, repent and seek God's mercy while you can; if not, seek His grace to endure righteously.
Prayer
God, You are awesomely just, and will always pay back the good and evil according to what I've sown; please guide me in sowing righteousness, so You will remember me for blessing. Amen.
Revelation 17 Religious Babylon Judged
The Woman on the Beast
1 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters, 2 with whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality, and with the wine of whose sexual immorality the dwellers on earth have become drunk.” 3 And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns. 4 The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality. 5 And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: “Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth's abominations.”The Mystery Explained
6 And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.When I saw her, I marveled greatly. 7 But the angel said to me, “Why do you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her. 8 The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit and go to destruction. And the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the beast, because it was and is not and is to come. 9 This calls for a mind with wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated; 10 they are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he does come he must remain only a little while. 11 As for the beast that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to destruction. 12 And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast. 13 These are of one mind, and they hand over their power and authority to the beast.
The Victory of the Lamb
14 They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.” 15 And the angel said to me, “The waters that you saw, where the prostitute is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and languages. 16 And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the prostitute. They will make her desolate and naked, and devour her flesh and burn her up with fire, 17 for God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by being of one mind and handing over their royal power to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled. 18 And the woman that you saw is the great city that has dominion over the kings of the earth.”Application
Knowing that there is a pervasive, popular and deceptive religious system opposed to the true worship of God should give us pause for reflection and evaluation to be sure that our worship of God is based upon His word, not that of men (or women).
Prayer
Lord Jesus, You are the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, and Lord and Master of my life; may I be loyal to You and faithful, regardless of the cost or attractiveness of the alternatives. Amen.
Revelation 18 Economic Babylon Judged
Babylon Is Fallen
1 After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was made bright with his glory. 2 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. 3 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.”
4 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; 5 for her sins are heaped high as heaven,
and God has remembered her iniquities. 6 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. 7 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.’ 8 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.”
Lament over Babylon
9 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. 10 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.”
11 And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her, since no one buys their cargo anymore, 12 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, 13 cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and slaves, that is, human souls.
14 “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!”
15 The merchants of these wares, who gained wealth from her, will stand far off, in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning aloud,
16 “Alas, alas, for the great city
that was clothed in fine linen,
→ in purple and scarlet,
adorned with gold,
→ with jewels, and with pearls! 17 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 18 and cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning,
“What city was like the great city”?
19 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. 20 Rejoice over her, O heaven,
and you saints and apostles and prophets,
for God has given judgment for you against her!”
The Doom of Babylon
21 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; 22 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, 23 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,
for your merchants were the great ones of the earth,
and all nations were deceived by your sorcery. 24 And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints,
and of all who have been slain on earth.”
Application
Believers must be careful not to be seduced by false teaching nor unholy living, both the sponsors of and participants in unfaithfulness will be judged, be they believers or not.
Prayer
God, thanks that You judge righteously and will vindicate all those who follow You at the expense of worldly pleasures; may I always fear living independently of You in any manner. Amen.
Digging Deeper
God in a nutshell: God is the judge of all the earth, and all that is in it, from the depths of the sea to the heights of the mountains. He will destroy the earth, and its religious and economic systems, executing just vengeance for those faithful to Him. He gives rebels opportunities to repent as He judges, but they curse Him instead, reaping the full measure of His wrath.
Build-a-Jesus: Jesus is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords who will vanquish all pretenders to His throne when He returns, with His faithful ones to set up His Millennial Kingdom.
Us in a nutshell: Believers, whose names are written in the book of life, are still in danger of experiencing judgment if they allow themselves to be swept into false religious practices and materialism.
Where to go for more
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