Will you fall with the world or stand with Jesus?
GIST: Though the sinful world is appealing, it is also destructive and will fall. Where will you be standing when it does?
SCRIPTURE: Revelation 17-19:5
Last week we looked at chapters 15 and 16. 15 gave us a heavenly perspective of the seven plagues, and 16 zoomed in to the earthly outcome. Today, we’re going to look at 17 through the first part of 19 where we have a ton of imagery pointing us to what I would call a spiritual look at the nature of these final judgments.
It is easy to get lost in all of the imagery here, but the main point being made is that though the sinful world is appealing, it is also destructive and will fall. Therefore, it is vital that we’re standing with Jesus when it does.
- THE APPEAL OF THE SINFUL WORLD (17:1-6, 18:1-3)
17“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.” 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.”
18 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.”
The Prostitute and Babylon- Ok, so let’s start by breaking down the imagery here a bit. Who is this prostitute being described? The text actually answers this question for us: “ 5 And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: “Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth's abominations.” So, who is Babylon then? :D
All throughout the OT, nations who have been defined by sin are used symbolically to represent “the sinful world”. We see this with Egypt, Sodom, and Babylon (amongst others). We have the same kind of reference here. This is the sinful world, the world that has rejected Christ and embraced selfish desires instead. The two images used in these passages to describe that are those of a prostitute and a corrupt city. This is no accident.
- Parallelism- We’ve talked a lot about parallelism in this study because it’s one of the
primary literary techniques used in the letter, so you’re probably not surprised to see it mentioned here, again. Constantly, we’re seeing concepts balanced and compared. Here is no different. Think about how the Church, God’s people, has been described. They’ve been called His temple, His witnesses, and the two used most toward the end of this book: His city and His bride. See the contrast here? Those who follow Him are the pure brid and the holy city, not by their merit, but by His blood. In contrast, those who follow the world are compared to a prostitute and a corrupted city.
- Prostitution- This is a very common image used in the Bible to describe life away from
God. In fact, check out Hosea. That imagery runs through not only his entire life, but his message to God’s people. We were made for an intimate relationship with God. Giving our love to anything else is akin to adultery. Now, there are a couple points to make in our modern context to clarify this imagery. This is not talking about people trapped against their will in the atrocity of sex trafficking, nor is this picturing God as a needlessly jealous husband. This is a picture of willfully rejecting what is best for you--the love of God--for that which destroys you--sin.
- Communities- Likewise, the city imagery is used because Christianity is designed to be a
community of believers connected and thriving together in Christ. By contrast, Babylon is a place of individualism and self-destruction.
Their Appeal- And yet, the sinful world is appeal. Look at some the imagery.
...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”.”(17:2, 18:3)
No one is exempt. All walks of life, rich and poor, are drawn into her intoxicating presence. Why? It’s→ 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 ...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 (17:4, 18:3) Sin looks good (look at how she’s dressed). It looks beneficial (they grow rich from her power and luxury). It feeds our selfish desires. Even the bad parts of this picture (abominations and sexual impurities) are in a golden cup.
We cannot for a second deceive ourselves into think sin is only something “bad people” fall into. We “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” (Romans 3:23) and it is only by the free gift of God through Jesus Christ that we can have eternal life (Roman 6:23). Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall (1 Corinthians 10:12).
- THE POWER OF SINFUL LEADERSHIP (17:7-14)
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. 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.”
The Beast and the Connected Imagery- Here we have one of the more complicated pictures in Revelation. Some of this, we’ve already discussed. The beast is part of the unholy trinity. It’s the counterfeit for Christ that the world will follow. However, this reign will not last (look at all the imagery of destruction and the fact that he is and is not and is to come...).
We see the prostitute pictured riding on the beast’s horns and sitting on his mountains. The picture we have here is of more of an institutional rule giving a place for the sinful culture to thrive. Then, we have the more complicated numbering of the kings and horns. Much ink has been spent trying to narrow down the details here. However, as in many of the visions of Revelation, I think the manifestations are multifacet. This is how the leadership will work. It will manifest itself throughout time in many different nations, powers, and influences (corporate and individual--which is usually the interpretation of the eighth king which belongs to the seventh) until Christ returns.
These powers will war on the Lamb, BUT 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 (17:14).
- THE SELF-DESTRUCTION OF SIN (17:15-18)
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.”
The Beast Devours the Prostitute?- Here is the great irony of sin--it is sought for pleasure, but only brings destruction. We’ve been told all along that this destruction is going to come in judgment on sinful mankind. Now, we have a little glimpse of how this will come about. Just like in chapter 8-9 where we see the forces of Satan attacking those following after him (click here to read more), we are told now that God will use the powers of sin to judge...itself. I don’t want to speculate too much on how this will happen, but given the imagery we’ve had in this chapter so far, it is the very institutions which are empowered by sin that will in turn destroy humanity caught in sin. These rulers, which the culture supports, will be their own downfall. Sin might be appealing, but it is self-destructive--and God’s hand is 100% on this destruction (17 for God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose).
TAKEAWAYS
- Will you mourn or rejoice? (18:9-20 versus 18:4-8, 21-22 & 19:1-5)
18:9-20 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.[a]
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!”
18:4-8, 21-22 & 19:1-5 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.”
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,
19 After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out,
“Hallelujah!
Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,
2 for his judgments are true and just;
for he has judged the great prostitute
who corrupted the earth with her immorality,
and has avenged on her the blood of his servants.”
3 Once more they cried out,
“Hallelujah!
The smoke from her goes up forever and ever.”
4 And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who was seated on the throne, saying, “Amen. Hallelujah!” 5 And from the throne came a voice saying,
“Praise our God,
all you his servants,
you who fear him,
small and great.”
There are two conflicting pictures provided for us in chapter 18 and the first part of 19. In chapter 18:9-20, we see the world weeping for fallen Babylon. In 18:4-8 and 19:1-5, we see the saved rejoicing in the triumph of Jesus.
What causes you to mourn and rejoice tells a lot about your heart. Are you more concern with your personal prosperity, position, and popularity, or God’s will being accomplished in the world?
- Will you get out of Babylon? (18:4)
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;
Kevin DeYoung said the thesis or purpose of chapter 18 could be found in verse 4. I agree with him. Jesus tells His people to come out of Babylon, so as not to take part of her sins and judgments. We’re called to flee sin, not embrace it. Too often, we allow ourselves to get wrapped up in Babylon. We’re like Lot’s family. We still might claim allegiance to God, but our lives demonstrate otherwise.
Look at how you spend your time? Are you consumed with everything this enticing world has to offer, or Jesus? And don’t think about stereotypically “evil” things. How much time do you spend trying to be entertained by what the world puts out there? TV, Movies, Social Media, Various Cellular Distraction. Sure, these are not all bad, but are they consuming your time? Could you live without them? What Babylon do you need to flee?
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