THE OBITUARY CONTINUES

Revelation 18

Here in chapter 18 the obituary…or the death notice accompanied by a short biography continues.

In chapter 16 the 7 bowls of God’s wrath have been poured out on Rome.
The pouring out of the bowls signifies that there is no more talking about it…there is no more warning…the bowls say, “It is done.”
Judgment has come…as sure as God said it, “Rome is destroyed.”

And in chapter 17 we had the first part of the obituary where we were told who the deceased was…what she did…and why she died.

And now, we have the second part of the obituary which will continue to do the same.
And as it does it will teach us some lessons to remember.
So, let’s continue with the obituary.

Rev 18:1-19:1

After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illumined with his glory.

Here you have another work from heaven that says God is sovereign.
And this is a lesson we need to remember.
In this book the Lord never tires of telling His people who is sovereign.
This was a reassuring message to these Christians.
It seemed to them that Rome was sovereign…and that perhaps God had forgotten about them.
Well, continuously…over and over again they are reassured that Rome and its emperors are subject to the judgment of God.

2 And he(the angel) cried out with a mighty voice, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! And she has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird.

When the angel cries out with a mighty voice, “Fallen, Fallen is Babylon the great!” it is like he is making a proclamation for all to hear and remember.
And that is true…everyone needs to remember that this city that was so powerful…so influential…that seemed so invincible…has fallen through and by the will of God.

And notice the description: she has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird.

This is descriptive of a spooky graveyard.
Here was a proud and glorious world empire bragging about her glory.
And God says, “I will desolate you so that you will never rise to power again.”
And so He describes it like this.

3 “For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality.”

She was responsible for other nations falling into ungodly ways. How?
She made great claims, professed her gods, her ways, and accomplished her goals.
Everyone wanted to be a part of her.
She raped the earth and no one stopped her.
No one spoke out against her.
She was ruthless and few resisted her.

4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, “Come out of her, my people…

Some were beginning to partake of her ways.
They were compromising their principles.
Worldliness was setting in.
Some were indifferent, just wanting to live and let live.
Now, they must decide if they want to follow God…or Rome.

4And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, “Come out of her, my people that you may not participate in her sins and that you may not receive of her plagues; 5 for her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.

6 “Pay her back even as she has paid, and give back to her double according to her deeds(give her a double dose. There is no vindictiveness here. She deserves all she gets); in the cup which she has mixed, mix twice as much for her.

Here is a good reason not to be bad…the payback is tough.
“Reap what you sow”…some times you reap more.

7 “To the degree that she glorified herself and lived sensuously, to the same degree give her torment and mourning; for she says in her heart, ‘I sit as a queen and I am not a widow, and will never see mourning.’

God says here, “the more she struts…the more she suffers
“The more she swaggers…the more she hurts.”
“The more arrogance she manifests…the more she will moan.”

And notice she says: “I sit as a queen and I am not a widow, and will never see mourning.”

There is a lesson for us here and that is: Keep your words few and sweet for you may have to eat them.
Look at this verse found in Ecclesiastes 10: 14:

14 Yet the fool multiplies words. No man knows what will happen, and who can tell him what will come after him?

Rome bragged arrogantly about how powerful she was.
The more she talked…the more humbled she would be.
Her fall would have been easier if she would have not said so much.

Now, watch verse 8. Because of her arrogance her destruction will be total and complete.

One minute she is glorious…and the next she smells.
Pride and haughtiness do go before a fall.

8 “For this reason in one day her plagues will come, pestilence and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire; for the Lord God who judges her is strong.

9 “And the kings of the earth, who committed acts of immorality and lived sensuously with her, will weep and lament over her when they see the smoke of her burning,

Now, don’t make a mistake here and think they are lamenting out of love for her.
They are not mourning out of love.
He tells us why they are mourning in the next two verses.

9 “And the kings of the earth, who committed acts of immorality and lived sensuously with her, will weep and lament over her when they see the smoke of her burning, 10 standing at a distance because of the fear of her torment, saying,’ Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the strong city! For in one hour your judgment has come.’ 11 “And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargoes any more;

They are lamenting because they have just lost their meal ticket.
They are mourning out of a sense of loss and fear. (see vs. 11).

Now, notice in the next couple of verses the commercial power she had.

It is all taken from her.

12 cargoes of gold and silver and precious stones and pearls and fine linen and purple and silk and scarlet, and every kind of citron wood and every article of ivory and every article made from very costly wood and bronze and iron and marble, 13 and cinnamon and spice and incense and perfume and frankincense and wine and olive oil and fine flour and wheat and cattle and sheep, and cargoes of horses and chariots and slaves and human lives. 14 “And the fruit you long for has gone from you, and all things that were luxurious and splendid have passed away from you and men will no longer find them.

Rome’s days as a commercial power are gone.

15 “The merchants of these things, who became rich from her, will stand at a distance because of the fear of her torment, weeping and mourning, 16 saying,’ Woe, woe, the great city, she who was clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls;

17 for in one hour such great wealth has been laid waste!’

It took so long to get it…and now it is gone so quickly.

And every shipmaster and every passenger and sailor, and as many as make their living by the sea, stood at a distance, 18 and were crying out as they saw the smoke of her burning, saying,’ What city is like the great city?’

19 “And they threw dust on their heads and were crying out, weeping and mourning, saying, ‘Woe, woe, the great city, in which all who had ships at sea became rich by her wealth, for in one hour she has been laid waste!’

These verses stress the thoroughness and totality of destruction that will take place.

20 “Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, because God has pronounced judgment for you against her.”

The saints are vindicated.
Her downfall is cause for celebration.
Lesson for us: God says, “Hurt my people and pay the price.”

21 And a strong angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, “Thus will Babylon, the great city, be thrown down with violence, and will not be found any longer.

This speaks of finality…Rome will never again be a world empire.

22 “And the sound of harpists and musicians and flute-players and trumpeters will not be heard in you any longer; and no craftsman of any craft will be found in you any longer; and the sound of a mill will not be heard in you any longer; 23 and the light of a lamp will not shine in you any longer; and the voice of the bridegroom and bride will not be heard in you any longer; for your merchants were the great men of the earth, because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery.

Her great success would determine her punishment.

24 “And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints and of all who have been slain on the earth.”

Her cruel way led to bloody war.
160 million people died in the wars of Rome.
She didn’t just kill anyone.
She killed God’s saints and messengers.
When she touched God’s people she was hurting the apple of His eye.
She would die for it.

The messages of chapter 18:

God is sovereign
We must decide if we are for God…or for Rome.
Don’t be bad…the payback is rough.
The higher we exalt ourselves…the greater our fall.
The more we strut…the more we will suffer.
Keep your words few and sweet for you may have to eat them.
“Hurt my people and pay the price.”