Revelation 18:9-20 – “When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn over her. 10 Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off and cry: “‘Woe! Woe to you, great city, you mighty city of Babylon! In one hour your doom has come!’ 11 “The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes anymore— 12 cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble; 13 cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and human beings sold as slaves. 14 “They will say, ‘The fruit you longed for is gone from you. All your luxury and splendor have vanished, never to be recovered.’ 15 The merchants who sold these things and gained their wealth from her will stand far off, terrified at her torment. They will weep and mourn 16 and cry out: “‘Woe! Woe to you, great city, dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet, and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls! 17 In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin!’ “Every sea captain, and all who travel by ship, the sailors, and all who earn their living from the sea, will stand far off.18 When they see the smoke of her burning, they will exclaim, ‘Was there ever a city like this great city?’ 19 They will throw dust on their heads, and with weeping and mourning cry out: “‘Woe! Woe to you, great city, where all who had ships on the sea became rich through her wealth! In one hour she has been brought to ruin!’ 20 “Rejoice over her, you heavens! Rejoice, you people of God! Rejoice, apostles and prophets! For God has judged her with the judgment she imposed on you.”
“The merchants who sold these things and gained their wealth from her will stand far off, terrified at her torment.” Again, perhaps they stay far away because of fear of nuclear fallout? That would be a good natural explanation of divine will in this case. However, it could also be in fear of a supernatural punishment from our supernatural God. They know there is nothing that can be done to help Babylon. Nothing should be done by man to attempt to alter the judgment of God when it falls. The act of doing so would be asserting that we understand and know better than God does. God forbid that we should ever be so blind! Since we know God is good and that He loves us, there is no need of rescuing anyone or anything from His judgment, other than to bring salvation to them as we present the Gospel. Jesus really is the answer every…single…time! Praise God!
“They will weep and mourn 16 and cry out: “‘Woe! Woe to you, great city, dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet, and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls! 17 In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin!’” Fine linen would represent the color white. Scarlet would represent red. When thinking of these colors, what flag would come to your mind? And if that nation were to be attacked, what kind of attack could overcome her? Would that type of attack take long or would it happen quickly?
“’Every sea captain, and all who travel by ship, the sailors, and all who earn their living from the sea, will stand far off.18 When they see the smoke of her burning, they will exclaim, ‘Was there ever a city like this great city?’ When they see the smoke of her burning, they will exclaim, ‘Was there ever a city like this great city?’” Those who are alive during this time, and the time leading up to it, will know beyond a credible doubt who is being discussed here. Just as when Rome ruled during the time of the writing of this book, there would be no doubt of which nation was most powerful, most affluent, and most corrupt, so will it be obvious to people in the End Times who is being described here. Today, who would you say is the most powerful nation on the earth? Who would you say has the military might? The financial leader? The one who buys and sells more than other nations? Who is the mostly culturally influential? Who put Coca Cola in China? Where did the jeans people wear originate? Now which of the nations, if there is more than one, has oceans along both its western and eastern coasts so that large freight and tanker ships may be off her coast and witness her destruction? Which nation fits all of these descriptions which were written over two thousand years ago? Really, if one tries to be unbiased, there is a nation that rises to the top as the one being described. If we want to understand, let’s just call things as they are.
“They will throw dust on their heads, and with weeping and mourning cry out: “‘Woe! Woe to you, great city, where all who had ships on the sea became rich through her wealth! In one hour she has been brought to ruin!’” A fraction of the population of the earth remains. The world has been wracked with plagues on non-believers and on all the animals and plants of the world, and also on the oceans and all the life within them. Merchant ships and merchant men have also been largely destroyed. Many who remain are off the coast of this “great” city and they are crying about her destruction. Are they crying for the great loss of lives? Are they crying because of their great love for her? No, they are crying because she made them wealthy and now they will be financially destroyed. They have no exhibited sympathy for her, they cry for themselves. Like people at the funeral of an unbeliever they know it is a fearful thing what has happened to their friend and the death of the friend is a reminder of their own mortality, and what awaits those who are not cleansed by the blood of Jesus. Yes, the crying is indeed loud wailing. The horror is real. For those who remain, the answer to “For whom the bells toll” remains the same. It tolls for all. All will die. All who refuse Jesus Christ will share the same fate.
““Rejoice over her, you heavens! Rejoice, you people of God! Rejoice, apostles and prophets! For God has judged her with the judgment she imposed on you.”” So, after considering the Word of God in Revelation what do we think? Who is in charge? Who is all-powerful and incapable of being defeated? It is our God, our Father, our Savior and Lord Jesus, and God’s Holy Spirit who lives within us. Family, what we know, what we confess to all, what we all want all the world to know is that every single Word that God has given us is true, whether we can see it now or we will see it later. God is true. He never changes. His Word will never change. People decry the Bible as an old book with old truth that needs to change. They don’t realize what they ask. If the Word of God that God gave us needs a change, any change, just one change, then the God that we believe in is not the God that we believe in. It would mean that He was wrong or that He did not know something. If that is so in any measure then He is not the God He has revealed Himself to be. God is perfect and He is never wrong. Perfect cannot be improved upon and does not need any change whatsoever. Being always right means never being wrong. If one thing that God uttered needs to be changed, just one thing, then God does not know all things, then He was wrong, and all that He said now is open for doubt. Family, when people say that “times had changed” and so the “church” needs to change, they just don’t know what they are saying. Or they do and they don’t care. The Body of Christ lives by His Word and His Spirit and by nothing else. Nothing! God told the devil in the Garden of Eden that defeat and judgment would come to him and now the devils time in this dispensation of mankind is short indeed. Family, hold on! All these things are not evidence of any defeat to us, but of the victory of our God and thereby the Victory that He provides to us. Rejoice and be glad because our Lord returns, in victory. And we shall be with Him. Praise God! Oh, praise God!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown You, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, And to walk humbly with Your God.