Revelation: A Vision of the Coming King The No More s of Babylon - Revelation 18:21-24

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1 Revelation: A Vision of the Coming King The No More s of Babylon - Revelation 18:21-24 Introduction to the Text Cohesiveness of Scripture Its Unity Written between BC Jeremiah 51:59 The word that Jeremiah the prophet commanded Seraiah the son of Neriah, son of Mahseiah, when he went with Zedekiah king of Judah to Babylon, in the fourth year of his reign. Seraiah was the quartermaster. 60 Jeremiah wrote in a book all the disaster that should come upon Babylon, all these words that are written concerning Babylon. 61 And Jeremiah said to Seraiah: When you come to Babylon, see that you read all these words, 62 and say, O Lord, you have said concerning this place that you will cut it off, so that nothing shall dwell in it, neither man nor beast, and it shall be desolate forever. 63 When you finish reading this book, tie a stone to it and cast it into the midst of the Euphrates, 64 and say, Thus shall Babylon sink, to rise no more, because of the disaster that I am bringing upon her, and they shall become exhausted. Thus far are the words of Jeremiah. Written around 95AD Revelation 18:21 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; `Graphic and Final Phrases has gone from you, - 18:14 are lost to you, - 18:14 are lost to you, - 18:14 Found in you no more 18:21 Heard in you no more 18:22 Found in you no more 18:22 Heard in you no more 18:22 Shine in you no more 18:23 Heard in you no more 18:23 Just as in Edgar Allan Poe's famous poem The Raven, the Raven could only say one sad word - "NEVERMORE, this mighty angel repeats itself (six times in all) the fateful refrain that the great city Babylon will disappear, never to be found again (Greek ou me... eti). With this, the mighty angel reinforces and drives home the earlier lament of the merchants of the earth to Babylon that "all your riches and splendor have vanished, never to be recovered" (v. 14).

2 The Silence at the ending of Revelation 18 Revelation 18 has 9 focal points and they are connected to the graphic and final phrases that we just touched on. has gone from you, - 18:14 are lost to you, - 18:14 are lost to you, - 18:14 Found in you no more 18:21 Heard in you no more 18:22 Found in you no more 18:22 Heard in you no more 18:22 Shine in you no more 18:23 Heard in you no more 18:23 In the Greek with 7 of these, the same Greek word is used (phone), and this word means sound and in these 7 times, the emphasis is on no, not found, etc. One of the underlying things that the end of Revelation 18 communicates is that there will be an indelible silence that will fall upon Babylon. The absolute silence of any kind of city life will be staggering, as God s judgment upon Babylon will silence the cities of the world The Defeat of Babylon Beginning to End From Genesis 11 to Revelation 18, God has defeated Babylon over and over in all her efforts to mock and destroy God and His people and God does so once again here. Let s step deeper into our text today and see these finals words concerning Babylon. 1. No Escape for Babylon Revelation 18:21

3 Revelation 18:21 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; Once again we encounter a mighty angel! I love the fact and find great encouragement that every time we meet an angel in Revelation they are shown to be exactly who they are: mighty, immediately obedient to God, & worshipers of the Lamb. When they act in obedience to God huge things take place even in the moments when their role is a messenger to the whole world (Revelation 14:6ff). We also see that they cannot be stopped by the demonic. One of them alone has the power to seize satan and bind him for 1,000 years (Revelation 20:1-3). You see, satan and God are not on the same level regardless of what our culture has often portrayed. Some have this sense in our culture that satan and God are on the same level and you have the good God and the bad god in a cosmic battle and the outcome is still undetermined. While satan is called the god of this world, he is a created being whereas God is self-existent and has never had a point of origin, for He is I AM. In that wrong scenario, only God himself has the power to deal with satan, but that is not what the Bible communicates and reveals to us. God s angels have the power under His Sovereign power to deal with satan and the demons. So this mighty angel takes up a stone that to John appears to look like a great millstone and he is seen throwing it into the sea. A millstone was a huge, round stone used to grind grain. A typical millstone was around four to five feet in diameter and about a foot thick and most often could only be turn by oxen. A stone of that nature would sink to the bottom of the sea and it would not float back to the surface. This stone is being used to clearly highlight the final and impending judgment that is coming upon Babylon. Babylon will be destroyed and it will not rise to power ever again. This is what Jeremiah prophesied many years ago. Jeremiah 51:64, And thou shalt say, Thus shall Babylon sink, and shall not rise from the evil that I will bring upon her: and they shall be weary. Thus far are the words of Jeremiah. The judgment of Babylon will be sudden, swift and sure as well as one that is forever settled! The destruction of Babylon is so complete that no one will find any inkling of this system anymore. It sinks like a millstone to the bottom of the sea to be lost forever. As it sinks and settles on the bottom of the ocean, it will be impossible for it to rise to the surface ever again.

4 This actions indicates: (1) God s might - He holds the power to create and destroy (2) Permanency (3) Suddenness of its demise We have already seen in 18:10, 17, 19 that the kings, merchants, and sailors are dumbfounded at the suddenness of it all as they each say for in a single hour. (4) The violent nature Thrown down, not gently set down or dropped!. Fitting as a Millstone This is quite the symbol as Babylon has been a strong power that has ground and crushed many a nation and God s people throughout history to be seen here as a Millstone that is destroyed and disappears. This picture should take us back to some words of Jesus in Matthew 18. Matthew 18:5 Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, 6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin,[a] 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. 7 Woe to the world for temptations to sin![b] For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes! a. Greek causes to stumble; This applies to Babylon in Revelation 18, because she led others into sin. It is a terrible thing to sin unto yourself; it is even more terrible to lead others into sin. This is one of the main reasons God s judgment will fall upon Babylon. The Transition As she falls, it will also mean that everything else with her will fall. Everything connected to her will be gone, no longer to be experienced. Everything that we know to be normal in our life here on earth will be gone. The text lists these no mores out for us. We will now see what her fall removes and is lost forever. Four specific things are mentioned and none of them are in and of themselves evil, but just as it is with most things No More Music or Entertainment 18:22a 18:22a and the sound of harpists and musicians, of flute players and trumpeters, will be heard in you no more, As we read these reads, we should remember that we go from the praise of heaven in 18:20 Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, for God has given judgment for you against her! to absolutely no music on the earth.

5 As God s judgment falls, music will no longer be heard upon the earth. Musicians will never play again and music will never be used for entertainment again. Music is typically a picture of the happiness of the soul. We sing when we are happy. Music has a way of bringing comfort in times of distress. Music may express joy, sorrow, patriotism, love for God, or love for another person. A soft lullaby has a soothing effect on a child, but there will be no singing, no lullabies, no happiness found upon the earth. People often go to music venues to get away from it all and even these type of places will not be able to be found. Everywhere we go you can hear music playing. When we moved to Germany and went to our first grocery store in our neighborhood, 70 s music was playing and we discovered that was the case everywhere we went. Can you imagine the somber mood of a world without music or happiness? The reality of their fate has begun to set in and despair fills men s souls. Music today often glorifies immorality, drug use, alcohol abuse, and violence. But after the fall of Babylon the great, it will never be heard on earth again - ever. There will be no more reason for rejoicing. Music will cease. No Trade or Industry 18:22b 18:22b 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 a craftsman of any craft will be found in you no more, There will be no more craftsmen forever in the city of Babylon. The craftsmen of the world have already been mourning their loss of everything. When it is all said and done, the craftsmen will not be in it to practice their trade as well as there being no one to who

6 would be able purchase anything they produce. There will be no more manufacturing. People have always been industrious and he has always found a way to work with his hands and provide for his family. We work because there is a hope in the present and one for the future. When Babylon falls thought, all hope for the future vanishes with her. and the sound of the mill will be heard in you no more, The mills and plants will be shut down, destroyed and never to be heard of again. All commerce will come to an end. Q: Is it any wonder the commercial world will be weeping and mourning? This will also result in the reality of that no one has any place to go no entertainment and no industry to work at anything. No Light Can Be Found 18:23a 18:23a and the light of a lamp will shine in you no more, The lights of the city will go out - forever. Glittering lights will not shine in the Babylonian system any more. What a graphic picture of the wrath of God. The candle will no more give forth its light. The warmth and security that lights bring upon people will be forever removed as men will live in the ultimate darkness of despair as they will be separated from the mercies of

7 God. It is incredible to think of the absolute heaviness that will pervade the darkness of that day as the reality of God s final judgment begins to set in on them. They will have been warned for a minimum of 3.5 years of this coming day that is now upon them. There is no escape from the darkness that will have be brought. As we have seen, there will be no music, no work, and now no light. The light of a lamp speaks of habitation and home. A light in the window of a home suggest happiness, hope, family and home. All these are taken away when Babylon falls. The homes of the world will be plunged into darkness and despair! Where there is no light, there is no warmth. There is No More Hope if Light can t be found The cities of the world will be ones of darkness and extreme cold in relationships. No Hope Filled Weddings 18:23b 18:23b and the voice of bridegroom and bride will be heard in you no more, Weddings are awesome to go to as every aspect of them is a celebration and every one has feels the hope of the two as they begin the covenant of marriage. Thoughts of love, children, growing old together, laughter, singing, & dancing mark the wedding celebration. It is a great experience to be at a wedding as we feel the hope and freshness of a loving relationship. In God s judgment, these feelings, sounds, and hope-filled dreams will be gone. Marriage vows will never be exchanged again. These readers might well have recalled the words of God through Jeremiah 7:34 And I will silence in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice

8 of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, for the land shall become a waste. Jeremiahs 25:8 Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: Because you have not obeyed my words, 9 behold, I will send for all the tribes of the north, declares the Lord, and for Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants, and against all these surrounding nations. I will devote them to destruction, and make them a horror, a hissing, and an everlasting desolation. 10 Moreover, I will banish from them the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the grinding of the millstones and the light of the lamp. The days of joy and excitement at weddings will be no more. There will be no more young couples standing before an altar prepared to make a vow for a new life together with the hopes of building a family together. There will be no more beautiful brides in their white dresses. There will be no more nervous grooms in their tuxedos. There will be no flower girls, ring bearers and wedding bells. God began creation with the ordinance of marriage and now that holy ordinance will be no more before His return. With the collapse of Babylon, all hope for the future will dissolve. The great expectations accompanied at weddings will be lost. When Babylon falls, there will be no more love, no more marriages and no more hope for the future! The streets will be quiet with no celebrations as all sounds of life will be gone Music Work Light Marriage The cities of the world will be silent, empty, dark, and joyless! This is what you get when you leave Jesus out completely. Solomon a very long time ago already warned us this reality Ecclesiastes 12:1 Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say, I have no pleasure in them ; 2 before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return after the rain, 3 in the day when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men are bent, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those who look through the windows are dimmed, 4 and the doors on the street are shut when the sound of the grinding is low, and one rises up at the sound of a bird, and all the daughters of song are brought low 5 they are afraid also of what is high, and terrors are in the way; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags itself along,[a] and desire fails, because man is going to his eternal home, and the mourners go about the streets 6 before the

9 silver cord is snapped, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is shattered at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern, 7 and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it. 8 Vanity[b] of vanities, says the Preacher; all is vanity. 13 The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil. 2. Three Final Reasons for the Fall of Babylon 18:23c-24 18:23c 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. As Revelation 18 concludes, we find three final reasons given for the forever fall of Babylon. They are not new reasons, but simply the last as well as a repeat of things we have seen already from Revelation 6 till now. They are both instructive and insightful as they give unto us a clear and concise commentary on the world today. They give us reasons for all of this judgment and removal of all of these things we have just looked at previously. These reasons are found in 18:23c-24 and they come on the heals of the word for or because in 18:23c. Again, they define for us the reason God is bringing His judgment. It is important to note this as God is the One Who is defining for us the Because. Babylon is going to face the utmost judgment for / because : 1. All this will happen because your merchants were the nobility of the earth,

10 2. Because all the nations were deceived by your (Babylon s) sorcery, and because 3. The blood of prophets and saints, and all those slaughtered on earth, was found in you. Let s now look at these reasons: 1. Valued the Wrong Things in People 18:23c 18:23c for your merchants were the great ones of the earth, For your merchants (leaders of the commercial system of Babylon) were the great men of the earth. What the people of the world system valued, God did not as they were completely different from one another. Unfortunately, this valuing of the wrong kind of people has found its way inside the church. James, who was Jesus half-brother wrote of this issue already in the 1 st century James 2:1 My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. 2 For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, 3 and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, You sit here in a good place, while you say to the poor man, You stand over there, or, Sit down at my feet, 4 have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called? 8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, You shall love your neighbor as yourself, you are

11 doing well. 9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. The expression great ones of the earth in the Greek is megistanes (plural), which means the chief, noble, the magnates of society. These men will be/are the men who are looked up to, worshipped, honored, adored, and presented to everyone as the ultimate models of integrity. They will have power in society and in many ways they will control the destinies of men. As they live in the lap of the greatest of luxuries, they will be the highest models for what everyone is supposed to be like and aim toward. Note that it is because of this lifestyle that judgment will come. God does not honor this kind of life at all. This worldview is a absolute perversion and a prostitution of God s standards, values and priorities as seen in 1 Corinthinans 1: People worship and long for the wealth and luxury and in the pursuit of them so many people including Christians compromise Biblical principles and priorities to play the harlot with the merchants of Babylon. Money and luxury have become the world s most important god, and it will be the people with money who will become the most important people in the last days culture. Things like character, righteousness, integrity will mean nothing during the Tribulation. In the Tribulation, businessmen are the great men of the earth as their wealth and position will impress everyone. This is also a huge problem in our western culture! So these kind of men will drive the world in this ever maddening pursuit of stuff. Here is how James described this 1 Corinthians 1:26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.

12 2. Evil Deception of the Nations 18:23d 18:23d and all nations were deceived by your sorcery. 18:23d says that all of the nations will/have been deceived by her sorceries. This word 'sorcery' in the Greek word is 'pharmakia', and it is used to describe a life of druginduced occultic practice. It is a word that described the use of medicine, drugs or potions as in casting spells, and metaphorically, to deceive and disorient. The word was used of poisoning and witchcraft, or trafficking in the demonic. It is the Greek word where we get our word pharmacy /Pharmocological, meaning drugs. It is a really strong word in its meaning. This system will be like taking a drug and in a sense they will be the most powerful drug dealers the world has ever known! This reference is not just about illicit drugs, but any and all things designed to rob people of life, dignity, purpose and a relationship with Christ. This worldly system of Babylon has/will trade in people, make slaves of them, it has/will continue to delude people, and trick them by offering pleasure and material possession as the sole source of life and salvation. Evil deception is what Babylon is and it is what Babylon does, and that's just the

13 description of the apostle Paul as he wrote that in the last days, people will be lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. They will not be able to help nor control themselves. This system was/is very deceptive as describes in vs 23b, as people will be led to believe that salvation is found in achieving riches and success. This is one of the grandest lies of satan! It is better to have none of this world s goods, than for this world s goods to have you. Listen to these powerful verses from Proverbs: Proverbs 11:4 Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death. Proverbs 11:28 Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf. Because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery will pertain to the entire system from the kings, merchants, shipmasters, etc. They will all participate in the pushing of this evil deception. The Babylonian system will use whatever method it can to poison the minds of people for the express purpose of deceiving them demonism, drugs, and various forms of propaganda will be the norm.

14 3. The Shedding of the Prophets and Saints Blood 18:24 18:24 And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all who have been slain on earth. The third and final reason is the murder and martyrdom of the people of God over the centuries of time. Blood is plural which stresses the many deaths and the magnitude of Babylon s crimes against the people of God. This system has always been quite barbarous and deadly as revealed in 18:24. The Babylonian system has been responsible for the deaths of countless millions of God s precious people throughout the annals of history. In many ways this is true: most of the faithful martyrs that have been killed have been sacrificed on the altar of power and profit. The extent of this charge is an indication that this great city is symbolic of the world system at large. There is no one literal city that is responsible for all who were slain on the earth. In her was found the blood of prophets and saints. This reveals that God takes the persecution of His people as an utmost personal matter and concern. In the first reason we have a perversion of values portraying the moral degeneracy of the world. In the second reason we have the cause sorcery, the demonic. In the third

15 reason we have what amounts to a further effect of poisoned minds the murder of the saints. Politically - Babylon symbolizes prideful rebellion against God... Religiously - Babylon symbolizes the mother of idolatrous religion and worship that has infected all the nations with its satanic dogma and practice. Economically - Babylon symbolizes the pride of wealth and sensuality; the worship of money, power, and prosperity; the spirit of covetous commercialism that dominates worldwide commerce. All of this will be destroyed at the Second Coming of Christ. The phrase "Babylon...shall be found no more" (v. 21) says it all." The Call of the Barnyard Becoming a Barnyard Duck A flock of wild ducks were flying in formation, heading south for the winter. They formed a beautiful V in the sky, and were admired by everyone who saw them from below. One day, Wally, one of the wild ducks in the formation, spotted something on the ground that caught his eye. It was a barnyard with a flock of tame ducks who lived on the farm. They were waddling around on the ground, quacking merrily and eating corn that was thrown on the ground for them every day. Wally liked what he saw. It sure would be nice to have some of that corn, he thought to himself. And all this flying is very tiring. I d like to just waddle around for a while. So after thinking it over a while, Wally left the formation of wild ducks, made a sharp dive to the left, and headed for the barnyard. He landed among the tame ducks, and began to waddle around and quack merrily. He also started eating corn. The formation of wild ducks continued their journey south, but Wally didn t care. I ll rejoin them when they come back north in a few months, he said to himself. Several months went by and sure enough, Wally looked up and spotted the flock of wild ducks in formation, heading north. They looked beautiful up there. And Wally was tired of the barnyard. It was muddy and everywhere he waddled, nothing but duck doo. It s time to leave, said Wally. So Wally flapped his wings furiously and tried to get airborne. But he had gained some weight from all his corn-eating, and he hadn t exercised his wings much either. He finally got off the ground, but he was flying too low and slammed into the side of the barn. He fell to the ground with a thud and said to himself, Oh, well, I ll just wait until they fly south in a few months. Then I ll rejoin them and become a wild duck again. But when the flock flew overhead once more, Wally again tried to lift himself out of the barnyard. He simply didn t have the strength. Every winter and every spring, he saw his wild duck friends flying overhead, and they would call out to him. But his attempts to leave were all in vain. Eventually Wally no longer paid any attention to the wild ducks flying overhead. He hardly even noticed them. He had, after all, become a barnyard duck. Edited from More Hot Illustrations for Youth Talks by Wayne Rice. Copyright 1995 by

16 Youth Specialties, Inc.