{"id":30364,"date":"2024-03-14T22:00:17","date_gmt":"2024-03-15T05:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/revelation-17_1-21-copy\/"},"modified":"2024-03-05T15:43:11","modified_gmt":"2024-03-05T22:43:11","slug":"revelation-18_1-24","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/revelation-18_1-24\/","title":{"rendered":"Last Kingdom Standing"},"content":{"rendered":"

Revelation 18:1-24 \u00a0 (CLICK HERE FOR\u00a0BIBLE VERSES)<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today’s passage is\u00a0Revelation 18:1-24.\u00a0 As usual, I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit\u2019s help, then read the GAME sharing below.\u00a0 Let’s go!<\/p>\n

Revelation<\/em><\/strong>\u00a018<\/em><\/strong>:<\/em><\/strong>1<\/em><\/strong>-3 (NIV)\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\n1<\/sup>\u00a0<\/em>\u00a0After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor.\u00a0<\/em>
\n2\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0With a mighty voice he shouted: “Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great! She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird.<\/em>
\n3\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries.”\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses\u00a01-3:\u00a0 In\u00a0Revelation\u00a017 we read about a drunk prostitute dressed in fine clothes, riding on a beast.\u00a0 We learned that this woman is called Babylon the Great and, according to many commentators, represents a spirit of false religion that is all about man thinking he can reach God by his own effort.\u00a0 At the end of chapter 17 we learned that Babylon would be burned alive by the very kings who used her and slept with her.\u00a0 Now in chapter\u00a018\u00a0is heaven\u2019s description of her demise and how various groups including kings, merchants, and sea captains will respond to her death.<\/p>\n

Here in verses\u00a01-3 an angel with great authority and splendor shouts that Babylon has fallen and become a home for demons and unclean birds.\u00a0 The angel summarizes how she intoxicated nations, slept with kings and made merchants rich with her materialism.\u00a0 We will hear from these kings and merchants later below.<\/p>\n

Revelation<\/em><\/strong>\u00a018<\/em><\/strong>:4-5 (NIV)\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\n4\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0Then I heard another voice from heaven say: “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues;\u00a0<\/em>
\n5\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 4-5:\u00a0 Babylon, the spirit of false religion, influenced people to build the Tower of Babel in an effort to reach heaven by their own strength, but that plan failed (Genesis 11).\u00a0 The only thing of Babylon\u2019s that reaches heaven are her sins (v5).\u00a0 Thus a voice from heaven, that is, God\u2019s voice, implores His people to have nothing to do with Babylon (v4).<\/p>\n

Revelation<\/em><\/strong>\u00a018<\/em><\/strong>:6-8 (NIV)\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\n6\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0Give back to her as she has given; pay her back double for what she has done. Mix her a double portion from her own cup.\u00a0<\/em>
\n7\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0Give her as much torture and grief as the glory and luxury she gave herself. In her heart she boasts, ‘I sit as queen; I am not a widow, and I will never mourn.’\u00a0<\/em>
\n8\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her: death, mourning and famine. She will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 6-8: God commands that Babylon be paid back double for the damage she has done (v6), be given as much torture and grief as the glory and luxury she gave herself (v7), and be subjected to death, mourning, famine and fire as her judgment (v8).<\/p>\n

Revelation<\/em><\/strong>\u00a018<\/em><\/strong>:9-10 (NIV)<\/em><\/strong>
\n9\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0“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.\u00a0<\/em>
\n10\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off and cry: “‘Woe! Woe, O great city, O Babylon, city of power! In one hour your doom has come!’<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 9-10:\u00a0 Here the kings who had reveled with Babylon and slept with her will weep and mourn for her.<\/p>\n

Revelation<\/em><\/strong>\u00a018<\/em><\/strong>:11-17 (NIV)<\/em><\/strong>
\n11\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0“The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes any more–\u00a0<\/em>
\n12\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0cargoes 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;\u00a0<\/em>
\n13\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0cargoes 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 bodies and souls of men.\u00a0<\/em>
\n14\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0“They will say, ‘The fruit you longed for is gone from you. All your riches and splendor have vanished, never to be recovered.’\u00a0<\/em>
\n15\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0The merchants who sold these things and gained their wealth from her will stand far off, terrified at her torment. They will weep and mourn\u00a0<\/em>
\n16\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0and cry out: “‘Woe! Woe, O great city, dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet, and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls!\u00a0<\/em>
\n17\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin!’<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 11-17:\u00a0 The merchants who sold their expensive goods to Babylon will also weep and mourn, not so much over Babylon personally, but over the fact that they have lost access to their biggest consumer and her vast wealth (v14-17).\u00a0 Notice all the different goods in verses 12-13 that Babylon chased after (\u201cthe fruit you longed for\u201d – v14).\u00a0 It shows that while she was alive Babylon chased after \u201cexcessive luxuries\u201d (v3b). As Pastor Jon Courson so creatively and cleverly puts it, reading verses 12 to 13 is like reading a floor by floor directory of a luxury department store that Babylon would keep going to shop at:<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Thus when God says to His people in verse 4, \u201cCome out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins\u201d, in part this is a warning for us that\u00a0we are not to become obsessed with accumulating material possessions<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Revelation<\/em><\/strong>\u00a018<\/em><\/strong>:17-19 (NIV)\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\n17<\/sup><\/em>\u2026”Every sea captain, and all who travel by ship, the sailors, and all who earn their living from the sea, will stand far off.\u00a0<\/em>
\n18<\/sup>\u00a0\u00a0When they see the smoke of her burning, they will exclaim, ‘Was there ever a city like this great city?’\u00a0<\/em>
\n19\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0They will throw dust on their heads, and with weeping and mourning cry out: “‘Woe! Woe, O great city, where all who had ships on the sea became rich through her wealth! In one hour she has been brought to ruin!<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 17-19:\u00a0 All who travel by the sea will stand from a distance and be aghast at her destruction.\u00a0 It is verses like 17-19 and 21-24, in addition to\u00a0Revelation\u00a017:18, that lead some commentators to believe that in addition to representing false religion, Babylon may also represent an actual city or political kingdom.\u00a0 For more see my comments under verses 21-24 below.<\/p>\n

Revelation<\/em><\/strong>\u00a018<\/em><\/strong>:20 (NIV)\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\n20\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0Rejoice over her, O heaven! Rejoice, saints and apostles and prophets! God has judged her for the way she treated you.'”<\/em><\/p>\n

On verse 20:\u00a0 While the kings and merchants who used Babylon will mourn over her, God calls heaven to rejoice because in His justice God has judged false religion for the damage she inflicted on His people.<\/p>\n

Revelation<\/em><\/strong>\u00a018<\/em><\/strong>:21-24 (NIV)\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\n21\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone and threw it into the sea, and said: “With such violence the great city of Babylon will be thrown down, never to be found again.<\/em>
\n22\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0The music of harpists and musicians, flute players and trumpeters, will never be heard in you again. No workman of any trade will ever be found in you again. The sound of a millstone will never be heard in you again.\u00a0<\/em>
\n23\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0The light of a lamp will never shine in you again. The voice of bridegroom and bride will never be heard in you again. Your merchants were the world’s great men. By your magic spell all the nations were led astray.\u00a0<\/em>
\n24\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0In her was found the blood of prophets and of the saints, and of all who have been killed on the earth.”<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 21-24:\u00a0\u00a0Due to verses like 17-19, 21-24 as well as\u00a0Revelation\u00a017:18, some commentators leave open the possibility that Babylon may be a symbol for more than just false religion.\u00a0 Some commentators believe that Babylon in\u00a0Revelation\u00a017 and Babylon in\u00a0Revelation\u00a018\u00a0may actually represent two different things in\u00a0Revelation: the first being false religion (in\u00a0Revelation\u00a017) and the other being an actual political kingdom (in\u00a0Revelation\u00a018).\u00a0 Thus in addition to seeing Babylon as representing false religion, some commentators have also linked Babylon to a variety of cities and political kingdoms, such as Rome, the Roman Empire, the ancient city of Babylon (currently located near modern day Baghdad in Iraq), a future city that they may be built and take on the name Babylon, Nazi Germany, and even the United States of America, just to name a few.\u00a0 Other commentators have suggested that Babylon may also symbolize more generally any political kingdom that is powered by false religion.\u00a0 Indeed there is a great variety of interpretations concerning what exactly Babylon represents.\u00a0 In any event, the lesson we can learn from\u00a0Revelation\u00a018\u00a0is that\u00a0any kingdom, be it spiritual, political or economic, that leads people away from the Lord will eventually fall<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Father, may I not be influenced by the spirit of false religion, that tendency to think that I don\u2019t need You or that something else other than You can save me.\u00a0 May I not be caught up in building my own kingdom or chasing after material possessions, for these will not last.\u00a0 Thank You for showing us that Yours is the only kingdom that will stand in the end.\u00a0 In Jesus\u2019 name, AMEN!<\/em><\/p>\n

Copyright \u00a9 2021 Justin Lim. All rights reserved.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today’s passage is\u00a0Revelation 18:1-24.\u00a0 As usual, I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit\u2019s help, then read the GAME sharing below.\u00a0 Let’s go!<\/p>\n

Revelation\u00a018:1-3 (NIV)\u00a0
\n1\u00a0\u00a0After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor.\u00a0
\n2\u00a0\u00a0With a mighty voice he shouted: “Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great! She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird.
\n3\u00a0\u00a0For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

On verses\u00a01-3:\u00a0 In\u00a0Revelation\u00a017 we read about a drunk prostitute dressed in fine clothes, riding on a beast.\u00a0 We learned that this woman is called Babylon the Great and, according to many commentators, represents a spirit of false religion that is all about man thinking he can reach God by his own effort.\u00a0 At the end of chapter 17 we learned that Babylon would be burned alive by the very kings who used her and slept with her.\u00a0 Now in chapter\u00a018\u00a0is heaven\u2019s description of her demise and how various groups including kings, merchants, and sea captains will respond to her death.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":30366,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30364","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gametime-sharing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30364","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30364"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30364\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30367,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30364\/revisions\/30367"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30366"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30364"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30364"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30364"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}