1 00:00:11,840 --> 00:00:15,680 Revelation chapter 18 and beginning at verse 9. 2 00:00:16,960 --> 00:00:20,200 And the kings of the earth who committed sexual immorality and lived 3 00:00:20,200 --> 00:00:24,960 in luxury with her will weep and wail over her when they see the 4 00:00:24,960 --> 00:00:26,080 smoke of her burning. 5 00:00:26,790 --> 00:00:31,510 They will stand far off in fear of her torment and say, alas, 6 00:00:31,750 --> 00:00:35,190 alas, you great city, you mighty city, Babylon. 7 00:00:35,510 --> 00:00:39,350 For in a single hour your judgment has come. 8 00:00:40,390 --> 00:00:44,510 And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her, since no 9 00:00:44,510 --> 00:00:46,150 one buys their cargo anymore. 10 00:00:46,150 --> 00:00:50,470 Cargo of gold, silver, jewels, pearls, fine linen, purple cloth, 11 00:00:50,550 --> 00:00:54,950 silk, scarlet cloth, all kinds of scented wood, all kinds of articles 12 00:00:54,950 --> 00:00:59,090 of ivory, all kinds of articles of costly wool, brawn, iron 13 00:00:59,090 --> 00:01:04,690 and marble, cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, 14 00:01:04,770 --> 00:01:10,730 oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots and 15 00:01:10,730 --> 00:01:13,650 slaves, that is, human souls. 16 00:01:15,010 --> 00:01:19,450 The fruit for which your soul longed has gone from you, and all 17 00:01:19,450 --> 00:01:23,650 your delicacies and your splendors are lost to you, never 18 00:01:24,220 --> 00:01:25,100 to be found again. 19 00:01:26,700 --> 00:01:30,300 The merchants of these wares who gained wealth from her will stand 20 00:01:30,380 --> 00:01:34,860 far off in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning aloud, 21 00:01:35,260 --> 00:01:39,780 alas, alas for the great city that was clothed in fine linen, in 22 00:01:39,780 --> 00:01:43,580 purple and scarlet, adorned with gold, with jewels and with pearls. 23 00:01:44,220 --> 00:01:48,380 For in a single hour all this wealth has been laid waste. 24 00:01:49,590 --> 00:01:53,070 And all shipmasters and seafaring men, sailors and all whose 25 00:01:53,070 --> 00:01:57,070 trade is on the sea stood far off and cried out as they saw the 26 00:01:57,070 --> 00:02:01,910 smoke of her burning what city was like the great city. 27 00:02:02,710 --> 00:02:06,670 And they threw dust on their heads as they wept and mourned, crying 28 00:02:06,670 --> 00:02:07,750 out, alas. 29 00:02:07,910 --> 00:02:12,430 Alas for the great city, where all who had ships at sea grew rich 30 00:02:12,430 --> 00:02:13,350 by her wealth. 31 00:02:13,830 --> 00:02:16,710 For in a single hour she had been led waste. 32 00:02:17,510 --> 00:02:21,430 Rejoice over her, O heaven and you saints and apostles and prophets, 33 00:02:21,430 --> 00:02:25,190 for God has given judgment for you against her. 34 00:02:25,990 --> 00:02:30,270 Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and 35 00:02:30,270 --> 00:02:34,230 threw it into the sea, saying, so will Babylon, the great city, 36 00:02:34,230 --> 00:02:37,990 be thrown down with violence and will be found no more. 37 00:02:38,470 --> 00:02:42,630 And the sound of harpists and musicians, of flute players and trumpeters, 38 00:02:42,630 --> 00:02:44,250 will will be heard in you no more. 39 00:02:44,490 --> 00:02:47,610 And a craftsman of any craft will be found in you no more. 40 00:02:47,770 --> 00:02:50,730 And the sound of the mill will be heard in you no more. 41 00:02:51,210 --> 00:02:54,410 And the light of a lamp will shine in you no more. 42 00:02:54,730 --> 00:02:57,330 And the voice of the bridegroom and bride will be heard 43 00:02:57,330 --> 00:02:58,490 in you no more. 44 00:02:58,970 --> 00:03:01,850 For your merchants were the great ones on the earth, and all 45 00:03:01,850 --> 00:03:04,570 nations were deceived by your sorcery. 46 00:03:05,450 --> 00:03:09,270 And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints and of 47 00:03:09,270 --> 00:03:12,190 all who have been slain on earth. 48 00:03:13,230 --> 00:03:13,870 Amen. 49 00:03:14,190 --> 00:03:16,430 This is the word of God. 50 00:03:18,350 --> 00:03:22,430 For a period of time I lived in the West African country of Ivory 51 00:03:22,510 --> 00:03:22,990 Coast. 52 00:03:23,070 --> 00:03:27,110 And so I was very excited the other night when they went one up 53 00:03:27,110 --> 00:03:30,390 quite quickly and then it all fell apart in the World Cup. 54 00:03:30,390 --> 00:03:34,910 However, the elephants will come top of their group, I am sure. 55 00:03:35,790 --> 00:03:38,030 But that's the football aside for tonight. 56 00:03:38,460 --> 00:03:39,700 But I did live in Ivory Coast. 57 00:03:39,700 --> 00:03:42,380 I lived in the middle of the country in the political capital, 58 00:03:42,380 --> 00:03:46,300 Yamasukro, surrounded by cocoa farms and coffee farms. 59 00:03:46,620 --> 00:03:49,100 And I served there with new tribes mission. 60 00:03:49,900 --> 00:03:53,500 And Yamasukru was the new capital that the founding president, 61 00:03:53,900 --> 00:03:58,380 Felix Hufwe Boigny built because of its proximity to his family 62 00:03:58,380 --> 00:04:00,780 and to his people group, the Baoli people. 63 00:04:01,260 --> 00:04:04,700 And right at the center was his presidential palace. 64 00:04:06,620 --> 00:04:10,380 Hufwe Boynye was known to be ruthless. 65 00:04:11,180 --> 00:04:14,060 He executed those who opposed him. 66 00:04:14,780 --> 00:04:17,340 And the presidential palace had a kind of moat. 67 00:04:17,340 --> 00:04:18,940 That's the best way to describe it. 68 00:04:19,980 --> 00:04:23,620 Yamasuka was built on lagoons, so I'm sure it flooded into somewhere 69 00:04:23,620 --> 00:04:24,420 one way or another. 70 00:04:24,420 --> 00:04:27,900 But it was like a moat at the side of this presidential palace 71 00:04:27,900 --> 00:04:30,540 in which he kept crocodiles. 72 00:04:31,300 --> 00:04:35,300 And these crocodiles were sacred, or believed to be sacred 73 00:04:35,460 --> 00:04:35,940 animals. 74 00:04:35,940 --> 00:04:40,220 I had to go and dig out my slides, do a scan of them and prove 75 00:04:40,220 --> 00:04:44,060 that the crocodiles that I saw every now and again were really there. 76 00:04:44,060 --> 00:04:45,460 And this is only some of them. 77 00:04:45,940 --> 00:04:50,140 If you disagreed with the President, rumor had it you ended 78 00:04:50,140 --> 00:04:55,780 up amongst these crocodiles and you were never to be seen again. 79 00:04:57,150 --> 00:05:00,830 After the President died, there was a question as to what to 80 00:05:00,830 --> 00:05:02,910 do with the crocodiles. 81 00:05:03,390 --> 00:05:06,110 My answer would have been kill them and bury them with them. 82 00:05:06,350 --> 00:05:08,750 But that was not the stance they took. 83 00:05:08,750 --> 00:05:12,990 The crocodile handler was kept on to look after them and to feed 84 00:05:12,990 --> 00:05:13,310 them. 85 00:05:13,710 --> 00:05:18,430 This he did from 1994 until his death in 2012. 86 00:05:18,990 --> 00:05:23,350 He not only got a wage and state pension, but rose to fame amongst 87 00:05:23,350 --> 00:05:26,990 locals and tourists and would be seen twice daily feeding them 88 00:05:27,560 --> 00:05:32,520 chickens, sometimes live chickens, which added to the spectacle. 89 00:05:33,000 --> 00:05:37,520 He had photos taken with tourists and videos were made of 90 00:05:37,520 --> 00:05:38,680 his daily routine. 91 00:05:38,680 --> 00:05:44,440 He became famous, all because of Hu Fwey Bonye's crocodiles. 92 00:05:45,320 --> 00:05:50,200 Tragically, in August 2012, he was killed by the very crocodiles 93 00:05:50,440 --> 00:05:51,800 that he benefited from. 94 00:05:53,170 --> 00:05:57,770 They didn't care that he had fed them, even though they knew his 95 00:05:57,770 --> 00:05:58,130 call. 96 00:05:58,530 --> 00:06:02,130 And they came immediately as soon as they heard his whistle. 97 00:06:03,250 --> 00:06:08,650 What tragically happened, Diku Toke, was that his long robe caught 98 00:06:08,650 --> 00:06:12,050 in one of the teeth of a crocodile. 99 00:06:12,050 --> 00:06:16,170 As he walked past, the crocodile grabbed him and within 100 00:06:16,170 --> 00:06:20,860 seconds had taken him to the bottom of the water, never to be 101 00:06:20,860 --> 00:06:22,060 seen again. 102 00:06:23,580 --> 00:06:27,860 I'm sure Diku Tooki, whom I saw many times feed the crocodiles, 103 00:06:27,860 --> 00:06:29,900 didn't expect to end this way. 104 00:06:30,540 --> 00:06:34,620 He perhaps saw his days enjoying the continued notoriety 105 00:06:34,940 --> 00:06:40,420 of his work, the agilent crowds cheering him on, and to benefit 106 00:06:40,420 --> 00:06:44,660 from his work for these caring for these sacred crocodiles, of which 107 00:06:44,660 --> 00:06:48,100 he was given not only that government salary, but also many 108 00:06:48,100 --> 00:06:51,020 tips and gifts from the tourists who came to see him. 109 00:06:52,780 --> 00:06:57,220 And so, instead of living out that long life that he believed he 110 00:06:57,220 --> 00:07:02,340 would continue, he was devoured by the very thing that gave 111 00:07:02,340 --> 00:07:03,100 him his wealth. 112 00:07:04,140 --> 00:07:07,940 And as we continue in chapter 18 and the final punishment to fall 113 00:07:07,940 --> 00:07:12,780 on the Babylons of this world, we see those who benefit from that 114 00:07:12,780 --> 00:07:17,250 great city stand back as she faces her punishment and her defeat. 115 00:07:18,600 --> 00:07:22,320 They have benefited from her, but now they stand at a distance, 116 00:07:22,320 --> 00:07:23,720 not willing to help her. 117 00:07:24,040 --> 00:07:27,880 They simply watch on, understanding that the life they 118 00:07:27,880 --> 00:07:29,800 knew would be no more. 119 00:07:30,520 --> 00:07:35,480 John is shown a reality of what is yet to come in human history 120 00:07:36,200 --> 00:07:41,160 as Babylon, once and for all is defeated and punished. 121 00:07:41,800 --> 00:07:44,960 And the first eight verses of chapter 18 told of what John was 122 00:07:44,960 --> 00:07:48,080 told would happen and how the destruction of Babylon would be final 123 00:07:48,080 --> 00:07:52,980 and complete because of her rejection of the Lord's way, of the 124 00:07:52,980 --> 00:07:53,460 Lord's ways. 125 00:07:53,460 --> 00:07:55,940 But also she was, as described, the great prostitute or 126 00:07:55,940 --> 00:07:56,700 the great harlot. 127 00:07:56,700 --> 00:07:58,900 And we'll think a little bit more about that later. 128 00:07:59,940 --> 00:08:05,580 She enticed people, she lured people so that they would ignore 129 00:08:05,580 --> 00:08:09,940 the things of God and fully embrace the things of the city. 130 00:08:11,620 --> 00:08:15,540 And the first people we see who stand back and watch her destruction 131 00:08:15,860 --> 00:08:17,460 are the kings of the earth. 132 00:08:18,220 --> 00:08:22,060 Now, they've been mentioned before in chapter 17 as giving their 133 00:08:22,060 --> 00:08:24,300 power and their authority to the beast. 134 00:08:24,540 --> 00:08:29,180 And in chapter 18, how they committed immorality with Babylon. 135 00:08:29,900 --> 00:08:33,900 This tells us that they sought the ways of the city, the ways of 136 00:08:33,900 --> 00:08:37,420 the world, to satisfy themselves, to keep themselves popular, 137 00:08:37,420 --> 00:08:38,780 to be on the side of the people. 138 00:08:39,340 --> 00:08:42,620 The kings of the earth also benefited from Babylon's wealth, 139 00:08:42,700 --> 00:08:45,780 enabling them to live in luxury and to believe that they were 140 00:08:45,780 --> 00:08:48,430 beyond any sense of revolt or. 141 00:08:48,580 --> 00:08:50,820 Or any sense of it ever ending. 142 00:08:52,340 --> 00:08:56,100 But their delight and joy of the city now turn to weeping and 143 00:08:56,100 --> 00:08:58,900 wailing as she burns before them. 144 00:08:59,380 --> 00:09:04,379 And verse 10 tells us they will stand far off in fear of her 145 00:09:04,379 --> 00:09:05,940 torment and say, alas. 146 00:09:05,940 --> 00:09:09,780 Alas, you great city, you mighty city, Babylon. 147 00:09:10,580 --> 00:09:14,670 For in a single hour your judgment has come. 148 00:09:16,110 --> 00:09:19,590 Now John is given an image here of a city that was known in 149 00:09:19,590 --> 00:09:20,070 his time. 150 00:09:20,070 --> 00:09:23,310 But for us Today, Babylon is nowhere to be found. 151 00:09:24,430 --> 00:09:28,350 Babylon even ceased to be of any influence or power by the time 152 00:09:28,350 --> 00:09:28,950 of Jesus. 153 00:09:28,950 --> 00:09:32,470 But yet she would have been known to the children of Israel because 154 00:09:32,470 --> 00:09:35,470 of how God used her to bring them into exile. 155 00:09:36,430 --> 00:09:39,670 And so now, seeing the smoke rising from a Babylon, they would 156 00:09:39,670 --> 00:09:43,470 have been very aware of as an image of the sin of the world. 157 00:09:44,820 --> 00:09:50,340 Babylon's judgments fill the kings with fear, but also with foreboding, 158 00:09:50,980 --> 00:09:54,940 because as they see her torment, they don't want to get too 159 00:09:54,940 --> 00:09:55,300 near. 160 00:09:56,340 --> 00:10:02,180 Sensing that the same fate awaits them, they quite literally 161 00:10:02,180 --> 00:10:05,380 rue and regret what has happened, and they cry out, alas 162 00:10:05,540 --> 00:10:06,460 for the mighty. 163 00:10:06,460 --> 00:10:09,700 And the great city of man has been destroyed so quickly. 164 00:10:10,440 --> 00:10:12,840 The time frame given here is nothing. 165 00:10:13,640 --> 00:10:14,840 How short is an hour? 166 00:10:15,640 --> 00:10:17,080 It passes just like that. 167 00:10:17,080 --> 00:10:19,240 And so the judgment executed in an hour. 168 00:10:19,320 --> 00:10:23,320 What seemed to be invincible has vanished before their very eyes 169 00:10:23,560 --> 00:10:24,840 in no time at all. 170 00:10:25,880 --> 00:10:30,000 For these kings of the earth, the leaders and rulers of humanity, 171 00:10:30,000 --> 00:10:32,280 they can't believe what they're seeing. 172 00:10:32,600 --> 00:10:35,960 And they understand that the fate of Babylon is their own fate, 173 00:10:36,690 --> 00:10:38,850 and there is nothing they can do about it. 174 00:10:39,490 --> 00:10:45,810 The most powerful are here presented to us as the most helpless. 175 00:10:47,010 --> 00:10:50,970 And this complete helplessness of humanity continues as John now 176 00:10:50,970 --> 00:10:54,290 sees the merchants of the earth stand and watch on as well. 177 00:10:54,770 --> 00:10:58,050 The merchants were spoken of in verse 3 of chapter 18 and were 178 00:10:58,050 --> 00:11:02,610 described as having grown rich from Babylon, specifically her par 179 00:11:02,690 --> 00:11:04,370 in her luxurious living. 180 00:11:05,520 --> 00:11:06,800 Wealth brings power. 181 00:11:07,680 --> 00:11:11,160 It brings a sense of people wanting to be your friend, and therefore 182 00:11:11,160 --> 00:11:13,960 they'll do whatever you want them to do simply to be in your good 183 00:11:13,960 --> 00:11:16,080 favor, in the hope that they will benefit from you. 184 00:11:16,080 --> 00:11:20,080 And these merchants were the trade routes that made all this happen. 185 00:11:20,960 --> 00:11:25,960 But they too weep and mourn because what they offer through commerce 186 00:11:25,960 --> 00:11:29,600 is no longer needed by those in the city that has been destroyed 187 00:11:29,600 --> 00:11:30,280 before their eyes. 188 00:11:30,280 --> 00:11:34,520 In fact, not only can they not get to it, they don't want to get 189 00:11:34,520 --> 00:11:37,320 to it, much like the kings of the earth, for the fear that they 190 00:11:37,320 --> 00:11:38,720 will face the same punishment. 191 00:11:39,600 --> 00:11:42,240 And verse 12 gives us a long list of their wares. 192 00:11:42,640 --> 00:11:45,920 These include gold, silver and precious jewels and pearls. 193 00:11:46,080 --> 00:11:49,680 The finest and most expensive clothing was also for sale, including 194 00:11:49,680 --> 00:11:51,520 purple, silk and scarlet. 195 00:11:52,000 --> 00:11:55,920 Various products of ivory, expensive and attractive woods, bronze, 196 00:11:55,920 --> 00:12:00,280 marble and iron were all sold, as well as other delightful products 197 00:12:00,280 --> 00:12:04,600 such as cinnamon, spices, incense, frankincense, wine, wheat, 198 00:12:04,600 --> 00:12:06,600 cattle, sheep and horses. 199 00:12:07,640 --> 00:12:11,680 Now, there's nothing wrong with trade, and we need to buy things 200 00:12:11,680 --> 00:12:12,320 to survive. 201 00:12:12,320 --> 00:12:16,120 And within this list you will find things that you need to survive. 202 00:12:17,880 --> 00:12:21,680 In fact, such products make human Life more enjoyable and at 203 00:12:21,680 --> 00:12:23,240 times more tolerable. 204 00:12:24,450 --> 00:12:31,050 John's not condemning trade and production, but what he is saying 205 00:12:31,050 --> 00:12:34,290 is that there was something radically wrong with the trade that 206 00:12:34,290 --> 00:12:38,050 was practiced, for they also marketed human beings. 207 00:12:39,010 --> 00:12:43,010 Human beings were sold as slaves, demonstrating that profit 208 00:12:43,010 --> 00:12:49,730 had become a God where people were completely dehumanized and simply 209 00:12:49,730 --> 00:12:52,730 treated as a commodity. 210 00:12:53,290 --> 00:12:56,370 What these merchants were doing to themselves as well as to 211 00:12:56,370 --> 00:13:00,730 the people that they traded with, they were displacing any moral 212 00:13:01,050 --> 00:13:01,930 considerations. 213 00:13:03,210 --> 00:13:07,930 They failed to value the very people made in the image of God. 214 00:13:09,130 --> 00:13:14,330 And verse 14 is a verse given to us by the voice of heaven, speaking 215 00:13:14,410 --> 00:13:15,370 of the merchants. 216 00:13:16,180 --> 00:13:20,660 The fruit for which your soul longed has gone from you, and all 217 00:13:20,660 --> 00:13:24,980 your delicacies and your splendors are lost to you, Never 218 00:13:25,460 --> 00:13:26,580 to be found again. 219 00:13:28,100 --> 00:13:31,500 And for the rest of this chapter, this is a theme we're going 220 00:13:31,500 --> 00:13:36,260 to read again and again, Never to be found again. 221 00:13:38,500 --> 00:13:43,970 John is presenting to us an understanding that this is the end. 222 00:13:44,930 --> 00:13:47,090 There's no rebirth of Babylon. 223 00:13:47,410 --> 00:13:49,890 She will be punished and she will be destroyed. 224 00:13:49,890 --> 00:13:52,650 And the kings of the earth, and now these merchants who have 225 00:13:52,650 --> 00:13:56,570 benefited from her and who have abused her and the people who 226 00:13:56,570 --> 00:13:59,170 live within her stand back once again. 227 00:13:59,490 --> 00:14:03,650 The powerful are now powerless because these merchants enjoyed the 228 00:14:03,650 --> 00:14:07,290 exquisite beauty, fine craftsmanship and artistry of the 229 00:14:07,290 --> 00:14:09,570 beautiful things that they bought and sold. 230 00:14:10,880 --> 00:14:13,440 But this is all now a thing of the past for them. 231 00:14:13,760 --> 00:14:18,040 The day of the harlot's judgment has come, and now they can 232 00:14:18,040 --> 00:14:21,920 only think nostalgically about a past that will never come again. 233 00:14:22,480 --> 00:14:27,560 They too stand far off because they fear that they will receive 234 00:14:27,560 --> 00:14:28,720 the same punishment. 235 00:14:28,720 --> 00:14:34,200 And they cry now in verses 16 and the first half of verse 17, alas. 236 00:14:34,200 --> 00:14:37,960 Alas for the great city that was clothed in fine linen, in purple 237 00:14:37,960 --> 00:14:41,120 and scarlet, adorned with gold, with jewels and with pearls, 238 00:14:42,250 --> 00:14:45,530 for in a single hour all this wealth had been laid waste. 239 00:14:48,090 --> 00:14:50,170 It's almost a cry of a statement of fact. 240 00:14:52,570 --> 00:14:57,569 It's not a cry of regret or remorse or understanding that this 241 00:14:57,569 --> 00:14:58,010 is it. 242 00:14:59,770 --> 00:15:03,130 They say what she traded whenever they go through the list 243 00:15:03,130 --> 00:15:04,890 of what they sold. 244 00:15:06,090 --> 00:15:10,000 But all they're concerned about that once again the speed with 245 00:15:10,000 --> 00:15:11,240 which he is destroyed. 246 00:15:12,200 --> 00:15:16,520 Perhaps they think we'll simply move on, not understanding 247 00:15:16,520 --> 00:15:20,920 that what they're witnessing by the Babylon before them is the 248 00:15:20,920 --> 00:15:25,640 same punishment that all the Babylons of this world will face. 249 00:15:27,560 --> 00:15:31,040 You see, they do cry out as they see the judgment poured out 250 00:15:31,040 --> 00:15:35,730 on the city formerly decked with beauty, because they had made 251 00:15:35,730 --> 00:15:41,330 this city a seductive harlot wearing stunning clothing and beautiful 252 00:15:41,330 --> 00:15:43,010 Gold, jewels and pearls. 253 00:15:43,810 --> 00:15:48,250 Yet now this city, Babylon and the sin that it has is unmasked and 254 00:15:48,250 --> 00:15:50,610 has been unmasked by the judgment of God. 255 00:15:51,330 --> 00:15:55,650 Almost as if she were a wicked witch, a notorious prostitute, a 256 00:15:55,650 --> 00:15:56,850 woman without honor. 257 00:15:57,490 --> 00:16:01,250 Her reign of beauty and glory has collapsed in a moment. 258 00:16:01,330 --> 00:16:03,550 And the true nature of the harlot has been. 259 00:16:04,980 --> 00:16:07,380 And like the kings, they cannot believe it. 260 00:16:07,700 --> 00:16:10,540 The reason for their very existence is now gone, and their 261 00:16:10,540 --> 00:16:11,940 trade is no more with her. 262 00:16:12,740 --> 00:16:16,100 And so once again you have people standing off, unable to do 263 00:16:16,100 --> 00:16:20,340 anything, unable to even provide for themselves moving forward. 264 00:16:21,300 --> 00:16:25,420 And we move now to the third image, which sees the shipmasters 265 00:16:25,420 --> 00:16:33,460 and seafaring men witness what the merchants and what others have 266 00:16:33,460 --> 00:16:33,820 seen. 267 00:16:33,900 --> 00:16:35,180 The kings of the earth. 268 00:16:36,300 --> 00:16:40,460 So they're too, standing far away from Babylon and watch in disbelief. 269 00:16:40,940 --> 00:16:43,260 They are the ones who facilitated trade. 270 00:16:43,660 --> 00:16:46,300 They carried the precious goods across the seas with which 271 00:16:46,300 --> 00:16:49,740 Babylon, the kings and the merchants knew such luxury and such 272 00:16:49,740 --> 00:16:50,140 wealth. 273 00:16:50,620 --> 00:16:54,380 They stand in wonder, reminiscing also of the great city 274 00:16:54,380 --> 00:16:58,100 that she was in, the great city to which they came to with all 275 00:16:58,100 --> 00:16:58,860 of their wares. 276 00:17:00,220 --> 00:17:04,220 And they stand fearing their own fate, because they now cry out 277 00:17:04,220 --> 00:17:08,980 in verse 19, and they drew dust on their heads, or sorry, they 278 00:17:08,980 --> 00:17:12,220 threw dust on their heads as they wept and mourned, crying out, 279 00:17:12,220 --> 00:17:12,780 alas. 280 00:17:12,860 --> 00:17:17,460 Alas for the great city where all who had ships at sea grew rich 281 00:17:17,460 --> 00:17:18,300 by her wealth. 282 00:17:18,460 --> 00:17:21,900 For in a single hour she has been led waste. 283 00:17:23,510 --> 00:17:28,310 The cry of these seafarers and these shipmasters is one of lament 284 00:17:29,590 --> 00:17:33,310 that's different from the kings and the merchants because they 285 00:17:33,310 --> 00:17:36,990 acknowledge that their trading days are over, because there's no 286 00:17:36,990 --> 00:17:41,350 one to benefit from their shipment of goods and precious commodities. 287 00:17:42,390 --> 00:17:45,750 The shipping lanes that they once ran are now gone because there's 288 00:17:45,750 --> 00:17:46,790 no purpose for them. 289 00:17:47,840 --> 00:17:50,880 The shipmasters and the shipbuilders have no work. 290 00:17:52,320 --> 00:17:55,360 And so in seeing the sudden destruction of the prostitute, the 291 00:17:55,360 --> 00:17:58,080 uniqueness of this city pierces to their hearts. 292 00:17:58,080 --> 00:18:00,000 That's why they cry out, alas. 293 00:18:00,080 --> 00:18:00,720 Alas. 294 00:18:01,120 --> 00:18:03,520 That's why they throw dust on their heads. 295 00:18:04,000 --> 00:18:07,280 They're bold enough to exclaim that no other city is comparable 296 00:18:07,520 --> 00:18:10,000 to the city that is being destroyed before them. 297 00:18:10,720 --> 00:18:14,000 But the reality is there is a greater city that they're choosing 298 00:18:14,000 --> 00:18:14,720 to ignore. 299 00:18:15,450 --> 00:18:18,490 They're choosing to ignore the new Jerusalem that they've been warned 300 00:18:18,490 --> 00:18:21,770 about, a new Jerusalem coming down from heaven. 301 00:18:21,770 --> 00:18:26,450 But those who love Babylon fail to see that more excellent city 302 00:18:26,450 --> 00:18:27,530 that they've been told about. 303 00:18:28,250 --> 00:18:31,930 And so those who work the sea have fallen in love with the harlot 304 00:18:32,410 --> 00:18:34,810 and their Lives are entwined with hers. 305 00:18:35,530 --> 00:18:38,890 Hence the judgment of the harlot spells the doom of their own 306 00:18:38,890 --> 00:18:40,090 economic enterprises. 307 00:18:40,740 --> 00:18:44,140 And the desolation of the harlot means that their livelihoods 308 00:18:44,140 --> 00:18:50,340 have come to an end, something spoken of by both Isaiah and Ezekiel 309 00:18:51,220 --> 00:18:52,420 thousands of years before. 310 00:18:54,420 --> 00:19:00,340 But the seafarers continue their cry in verse 20 and say, Rejoice 311 00:19:00,420 --> 00:19:05,060 over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, 312 00:19:05,540 --> 00:19:07,630 for God has given judgment for. 313 00:19:07,860 --> 00:19:09,780 For you against her. 314 00:19:10,740 --> 00:19:14,180 We're given a bit of a contrast here, the contrast between 315 00:19:14,180 --> 00:19:15,980 the people of the world and the people of God. 316 00:19:15,980 --> 00:19:17,620 And it couldn't be more dramatic. 317 00:19:18,180 --> 00:19:22,380 The people of the world wail and weep and grieve over the destruction 318 00:19:22,380 --> 00:19:26,780 of Babylon, but the people of God rejoice, and the call to rejoice 319 00:19:26,780 --> 00:19:28,020 begins in heaven. 320 00:19:28,500 --> 00:19:32,300 And the saints and apostles and Old Testament prophets are summoned 321 00:19:32,300 --> 00:19:38,540 to rejoice before God as God judges Babylon and the world of sin. 322 00:19:39,660 --> 00:19:43,220 And what John is doing here, he's picking up and he applies the 323 00:19:43,220 --> 00:19:48,300 words of Jeremiah from Jeremiah 51 and verse sorry, 51, 324 00:19:48,300 --> 00:19:49,180 verse 48. 325 00:19:49,499 --> 00:19:52,260 Then the heavens and the earth, and all that is in them shall 326 00:19:52,260 --> 00:19:56,780 sing for joy over Babylon, for the destroyer shall come against 327 00:19:56,940 --> 00:19:57,340 them. 328 00:19:57,580 --> 00:20:00,160 Out of the north, declares the Lord. 329 00:20:01,830 --> 00:20:05,630 And so how we are to respond to what John is presenting to us 330 00:20:05,630 --> 00:20:09,750 is we are to pray, and we're to long for the salvation of all 331 00:20:09,830 --> 00:20:12,550 people as long as life lasts. 332 00:20:12,950 --> 00:20:17,150 But we're also to pray for God's kingdom to come, for his will 333 00:20:17,150 --> 00:20:20,990 to be done, because this is the central tenet of the Lord's prayer 334 00:20:20,990 --> 00:20:22,710 in Matthew 6, verse 10. 335 00:20:23,350 --> 00:20:27,670 When God judges the wicked, believers rejoice because they see 336 00:20:27,670 --> 00:20:29,780 God's justice vindicated. 337 00:20:30,180 --> 00:20:34,420 And what revelation is doing is it's showing us what the future 338 00:20:34,420 --> 00:20:39,940 will be, so that today we will understand that we must pray for 339 00:20:39,940 --> 00:20:44,500 those who are lost, that while there is yet time, as long as life 340 00:20:44,500 --> 00:20:47,780 lasts, there is that chance of repentance and salvation. 341 00:20:47,780 --> 00:20:51,540 But we're also to pray, as Jesus taught us to pray in Matthew 342 00:20:51,540 --> 00:20:55,740 6:10, that God's kingdom will come, that it is his will will be 343 00:20:55,740 --> 00:20:58,010 done on earth as in heaven. 344 00:20:59,290 --> 00:21:03,250 The kings of the earth, the merchants and the shipmasters and 345 00:21:03,250 --> 00:21:07,130 seafarers and sailors all watch on in disbelief that the mighty 346 00:21:07,130 --> 00:21:07,930 has fallen. 347 00:21:09,050 --> 00:21:14,290 Quite literally, the rulers of all facets of the world stand back, 348 00:21:14,290 --> 00:21:15,610 helpless and powerless. 349 00:21:17,210 --> 00:21:21,770 They may think they hold the power, but within one hour, that 350 00:21:21,770 --> 00:21:22,650 power is gone. 351 00:21:23,780 --> 00:21:27,620 And like them, we can easily depend on the things of this world 352 00:21:28,020 --> 00:21:32,580 for our satisfaction, for our purpose, and for our enjoyment. 353 00:21:33,300 --> 00:21:37,260 And this Text is not saying that we are to step away from the 354 00:21:37,260 --> 00:21:41,180 things of the world that are good and helpful for us, but it is 355 00:21:41,180 --> 00:21:41,940 challenging. 356 00:21:42,020 --> 00:21:46,900 Our greatest love for those mentioned in Revelation 18. 357 00:21:47,060 --> 00:21:50,540 They love the things of the world, and they ignored the person 358 00:21:50,540 --> 00:21:52,820 of Christ and the salvation that he offers. 359 00:21:53,590 --> 00:21:56,470 And we're warned this evening not to follow them. 360 00:21:57,590 --> 00:22:02,390 We are to love Christ first and above all other things so that 361 00:22:02,390 --> 00:22:07,190 we can be assured of our salvation and our eternity in heaven. 362 00:22:07,590 --> 00:22:11,950 And with this assurance, we won't be standing far off in mourning 363 00:22:11,950 --> 00:22:14,710 and weeping when the great city of Babylon is destroyed. 364 00:22:15,270 --> 00:22:20,830 Rather, we will be waiting for the coming of Christ to take us home 365 00:22:20,830 --> 00:22:25,030 and eagerly look to him as we rejoice over the punishment that 366 00:22:25,030 --> 00:22:29,390 this world deserves for their rebellion against God. 367 00:22:29,870 --> 00:22:33,070 It's the writer of Hebrews in Hebrews, chapter 9, verse 28 that 368 00:22:33,070 --> 00:22:34,230 tells us so. 369 00:22:34,230 --> 00:22:37,670 Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will 370 00:22:37,670 --> 00:22:41,550 appear a second time not to deal with sin, but to save those 371 00:22:41,790 --> 00:22:43,790 who are eagerly waiting for Him. 372 00:22:45,400 --> 00:22:47,400 You see, that is the day to which we look. 373 00:22:48,040 --> 00:22:49,400 We don't look to the city. 374 00:22:49,400 --> 00:22:50,920 We don't weep, we don't mourn. 375 00:22:50,920 --> 00:22:53,240 We don't miss Babylon. 376 00:22:54,520 --> 00:22:57,400 Rather, we eagerly wait for the coming of Christ. 377 00:22:58,680 --> 00:23:02,040 And if we're not eagerly waiting for the coming of Christ, 378 00:23:03,000 --> 00:23:05,000 then our hearts are for the world. 379 00:23:06,360 --> 00:23:07,960 So tonight, where is your heart? 380 00:23:07,960 --> 00:23:10,840 And don't think you can lie, because you can't. 381 00:23:11,840 --> 00:23:14,320 There's only two people who know your heart. 382 00:23:15,840 --> 00:23:19,120 That is God and that is yourself. 383 00:23:20,160 --> 00:23:22,080 We can all fool each other quite easily. 384 00:23:23,120 --> 00:23:24,800 We can all tell a good story. 385 00:23:25,440 --> 00:23:27,279 We can all put on a good display. 386 00:23:28,320 --> 00:23:30,240 But deep down, we know our hearts. 387 00:23:31,120 --> 00:23:34,440 And we must know that God knows our hearts. 388 00:23:34,440 --> 00:23:38,410 Therefore, we cannot fool him or play him for a fool. 389 00:23:39,610 --> 00:23:41,050 So tonight, where is your heart? 390 00:23:41,770 --> 00:23:44,810 Is your heart weeping and mourning over the sense that the 391 00:23:44,810 --> 00:23:47,690 world around us will be gone, that Babylon will be destroyed? 392 00:23:48,170 --> 00:23:51,090 The great harlot, the great prostitute, the great agent of the 393 00:23:51,090 --> 00:23:56,050 beast who lured people in so that they could be seduced and drawn 394 00:23:56,050 --> 00:23:56,290 away. 395 00:23:56,290 --> 00:23:57,290 Is that what you love? 396 00:23:57,290 --> 00:24:01,130 Because if it is, you will face the same fate, only you'll not 397 00:24:01,130 --> 00:24:03,130 be standing at a distance. 398 00:24:04,290 --> 00:24:07,730 The punishment, we're told in these last chapters of Revelation, 399 00:24:08,450 --> 00:24:12,530 will be on all humanity that rejects God and His salvation. 400 00:24:13,570 --> 00:24:17,890 But if our heart is for the King, if our heart is for Christ, 401 00:24:18,850 --> 00:24:23,410 then we will eagerly await his coming and rejoice in the punishment 402 00:24:23,410 --> 00:24:24,770 of this fallen world. 403 00:24:25,570 --> 00:24:28,290 Because he is making something new. 404 00:24:28,850 --> 00:24:33,510 He is coming to save those who are eagerly waiting for him, to bring 405 00:24:33,510 --> 00:24:36,670 them to the new heaven and the new earth. 406 00:24:37,870 --> 00:24:39,550 Tonight, you must know your heart. 407 00:24:40,670 --> 00:24:44,390 You must know it, and you must know it honestly and truthfully so 408 00:24:44,390 --> 00:24:49,950 that you can respond to Christ and know his goodness and his salvation 409 00:24:50,350 --> 00:24:51,550 for you. 410 00:24:52,670 --> 00:24:54,910 But this passage is not yet finished. 411 00:24:55,150 --> 00:24:59,990 And verse 21 tells us that John sees a mighty angel taking a 412 00:24:59,990 --> 00:25:03,520 stone which looks like a great millstone. 413 00:25:03,920 --> 00:25:05,280 Now, I'm too young. 414 00:25:05,280 --> 00:25:09,280 Normally I say I'm old enough, but tonight I'm too young to know 415 00:25:09,280 --> 00:25:10,120 a millstone. 416 00:25:10,120 --> 00:25:11,560 I never grew up with a millstone. 417 00:25:11,560 --> 00:25:14,520 There's none hiding in the manse that I've taken from somewhere 418 00:25:14,520 --> 00:25:16,080 and going to pull it out sometime. 419 00:25:16,240 --> 00:25:21,400 The closest I believe I've seen is down at Cornmill Quay, where 420 00:25:21,400 --> 00:25:24,320 we see on the grass what I believe is a great millstone. 421 00:25:24,320 --> 00:25:28,200 If it's not, I'm so sorry I've been misled and now I'm misleading 422 00:25:28,200 --> 00:25:28,480 you. 423 00:25:29,230 --> 00:25:30,830 But there's no way I could lift it. 424 00:25:31,070 --> 00:25:33,750 And imagine if you could lift it and throw it into the harbor, 425 00:25:33,750 --> 00:25:34,590 what's going to happen? 426 00:25:35,310 --> 00:25:38,110 Well, it's going to sink immediately to the bottom. 427 00:25:39,390 --> 00:25:41,150 And will it ever come up again? 428 00:25:42,670 --> 00:25:43,070 No. 429 00:25:43,790 --> 00:25:46,350 And that's the image that we're being presented with. 430 00:25:48,190 --> 00:25:51,870 This great millstone is thrown into the sea. 431 00:25:51,870 --> 00:25:57,070 And as this mighty angel does this, in verses 20 to 24, we're told 432 00:25:57,150 --> 00:25:57,950 what he says. 433 00:25:59,260 --> 00:26:03,100 Because this mighty angel confirms the destruction of Babylon 434 00:26:03,340 --> 00:26:08,900 and that she will be wiped off the face of the earth, for she will 435 00:26:08,900 --> 00:26:10,740 be found no more. 436 00:26:10,740 --> 00:26:13,580 Just when you thought everything before this was bad enough, 437 00:26:13,580 --> 00:26:15,020 there was worse to come. 438 00:26:15,580 --> 00:26:20,540 Because verses 22 and 23 tell us that this will be complete. 439 00:26:21,420 --> 00:26:25,530 Because all those who made her happy, the musicians, the creatives 440 00:26:25,530 --> 00:26:30,130 in the arts who decorated her beautifully, and those who fed her 441 00:26:30,210 --> 00:26:35,090 through their milling, will be gone, either through destruction 442 00:26:35,490 --> 00:26:39,210 or by fleeing away, but only for a short time, because they will 443 00:26:39,210 --> 00:26:41,250 face the punishment that they deserve. 444 00:26:42,050 --> 00:26:44,690 All of these are complicit in her sin. 445 00:26:46,050 --> 00:26:50,610 Babylon will become a barren place where there'll be no more light 446 00:26:50,610 --> 00:26:54,160 at night, and there will be none of the normal passages of life, 447 00:26:54,320 --> 00:26:57,680 the normality of marriages, and everything like that. 448 00:26:58,160 --> 00:27:00,800 And verse 23 ends with a mention of the merchants. 449 00:27:00,800 --> 00:27:03,280 Again, the day of judgment has come. 450 00:27:03,360 --> 00:27:08,160 For although the merchants of Babylon were renowned, they deluded 451 00:27:08,160 --> 00:27:12,800 the nations, along with Babylon and her sorcery. 452 00:27:14,000 --> 00:27:19,740 At its heart, the city was anti God, having rejected his authority 453 00:27:19,980 --> 00:27:24,140 to turn instead to false gods that were no gods at all. 454 00:27:24,860 --> 00:27:29,740 But verse 24 concludes this chapter by saying, and in her was 455 00:27:29,740 --> 00:27:32,220 found the blood of prophets and of saints. 456 00:27:32,700 --> 00:27:35,140 And of all who had been slain on earth. 457 00:27:35,140 --> 00:27:39,660 What happens when there's no more to the destruction of Babylon? 458 00:27:40,540 --> 00:27:44,620 Well, when John looks, he sees the blood of prophets and of saints, 459 00:27:45,530 --> 00:27:48,490 of all those who'd been persecuted and martyred for their 460 00:27:48,490 --> 00:27:49,770 faith in Jesus Christ. 461 00:27:50,570 --> 00:27:51,450 They are there. 462 00:27:51,850 --> 00:27:55,930 And so the judgment of murderous Babylon is warranted, for 463 00:27:55,930 --> 00:27:58,650 she put to death both saints and prophets. 464 00:27:59,130 --> 00:28:02,290 Her opposition to the people of God reflects her rejection of 465 00:28:02,290 --> 00:28:05,890 God's rule, manifested in putting to death those opposing the 466 00:28:05,890 --> 00:28:06,810 great harlot. 467 00:28:07,290 --> 00:28:11,050 The rest of the slain in this verse may refer to the death of other 468 00:28:11,050 --> 00:28:15,370 people, even unbelievers, because Babylon could not abide anyone, 469 00:28:15,370 --> 00:28:18,750 believer or unbeliever, who stood in her path or resisted her 470 00:28:18,750 --> 00:28:19,270 ways. 471 00:28:19,590 --> 00:28:24,470 She insisted on totalitarian devotion and worship and was enraged 472 00:28:24,470 --> 00:28:28,950 to the point of shedding the blood of those refusing to participate 473 00:28:29,350 --> 00:28:30,550 in her idolatries. 474 00:28:31,910 --> 00:28:35,390 As I read that this week, and thinking upon it, I couldn't help 475 00:28:35,390 --> 00:28:42,710 but think of North Korea, a totalitarian regime where the leader 476 00:28:42,950 --> 00:28:44,150 must be worshipped. 477 00:28:45,720 --> 00:28:50,680 And when that Babylon will be destroyed and punished for being 478 00:28:50,680 --> 00:28:53,640 anti God, what will we find in her? 479 00:28:54,920 --> 00:28:58,240 What will we find in the very heart where a hundred years ago the 480 00:28:58,240 --> 00:29:02,880 great Korean revival began, but is now the capital of that communist 481 00:29:02,880 --> 00:29:03,240 state? 482 00:29:04,440 --> 00:29:07,800 We will find, as John tells us here, the blood of prophets and of 483 00:29:07,800 --> 00:29:11,160 saints of all who had been slain on earth. 484 00:29:12,850 --> 00:29:18,690 Because God will stand by his people, and from the cries of Revelation 485 00:29:18,850 --> 00:29:23,650 3, he will hear them and he will answer them on that final day. 486 00:29:25,490 --> 00:29:29,130 And so we see a picture of great hope in a God who continues 487 00:29:29,130 --> 00:29:30,770 to love and care for his people. 488 00:29:32,210 --> 00:29:34,890 So as we finish this evening, we have our warning in this passage 489 00:29:34,890 --> 00:29:38,930 for here and now, so that we will not stand in sorrow when the 490 00:29:38,930 --> 00:29:42,690 day comes for the destruction of the Babylons of this world. 491 00:29:43,330 --> 00:29:46,890 She's called a prostitute because her purpose is to draw us 492 00:29:46,890 --> 00:29:49,850 into sin as an agent of the beast. 493 00:29:49,850 --> 00:29:54,250 Babylon wants us to pull people, or wants to pull people away 494 00:29:54,250 --> 00:29:58,530 from God and convince them that she is the true way. 495 00:29:58,530 --> 00:30:00,490 But she is no true way. 496 00:30:00,490 --> 00:30:01,490 She is subtle. 497 00:30:01,490 --> 00:30:05,650 And she will not cease until the day of her destruction. 498 00:30:06,370 --> 00:30:13,450 And so tonight we are to wake up, whether it be North Korea, whether 499 00:30:13,450 --> 00:30:19,890 it be China, whether it be Iran, or the stands in the Middle 500 00:30:19,890 --> 00:30:22,650 east that are closed countries, or whether it be our own 501 00:30:22,650 --> 00:30:24,090 Westminster Parliament. 502 00:30:24,090 --> 00:30:29,690 In these united kingdoms where the people of God have been punished 503 00:30:29,850 --> 00:30:35,530 and abused for standing up for the faith, we will know Christ victorious 504 00:30:35,610 --> 00:30:39,930 because of their blood and because of the blood that he shed 505 00:30:39,930 --> 00:30:45,010 on Calvary as he makes right the wrongs that were committed to 506 00:30:45,010 --> 00:30:45,610 his people. 507 00:30:47,450 --> 00:30:49,450 So we must wake up. 508 00:30:50,250 --> 00:30:53,210 We must know that there is a winning side. 509 00:30:53,210 --> 00:30:55,450 And we are told that here tonight. 510 00:30:56,010 --> 00:30:57,930 And we must be on that winning side. 511 00:30:58,730 --> 00:31:01,290 And that winning side is not the world. 512 00:31:01,770 --> 00:31:03,420 It is only Christ. 513 00:31:04,940 --> 00:31:08,180 And so I finish with other words of John that he wrote in First 514 00:31:08,180 --> 00:31:11,420 John, chapter two, when he says, do not love the world or the 515 00:31:11,420 --> 00:31:12,460 things in the world. 516 00:31:12,860 --> 00:31:16,620 If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 517 00:31:17,020 --> 00:31:20,500 For all that is in the world, the desires of the flesh and the 518 00:31:20,500 --> 00:31:25,820 desires of the eyes and pride of life, is not from the Father, 519 00:31:26,780 --> 00:31:28,950 but is from the world. 520 00:31:30,950 --> 00:31:32,630 We have been warned. 521 00:31:33,990 --> 00:31:39,190 Don't ignore what God says to us through his Word, so that this 522 00:31:39,190 --> 00:31:44,430 night we may have true glorious hope in a Savior such as 523 00:31:44,430 --> 00:31:50,910 Christ, who forgives sins, who will make right the martyrdom and 524 00:31:50,910 --> 00:31:54,150 the persecution of our brothers and sisters in all generations, 525 00:31:55,180 --> 00:31:58,900 that we will join with them not in weeping and mourning of a 526 00:31:58,900 --> 00:32:04,580 Babylon that is destroyed, but rejoicing in heaven that God has 527 00:32:04,580 --> 00:32:09,900 done exactly what he said he will do, punished sin and redeemed 528 00:32:09,900 --> 00:32:11,980 his people through Jesus Christ. 529 00:32:13,180 --> 00:32:17,260 Respond to him well this night and know this great truth. 530 00:32:17,900 --> 00:32:18,700 Let's pray. 531 00:32:19,580 --> 00:32:23,500 Our Father God, we thank you for your word that challenges us 532 00:32:23,660 --> 00:32:25,820 to know who it is we're living for. 533 00:32:26,870 --> 00:32:28,870 Living for the world or living for Christ? 534 00:32:30,070 --> 00:32:32,150 And so help us to live for Christ. 535 00:32:32,950 --> 00:32:35,790 Help us each day to be attentive to your Holy Spirit, that 536 00:32:35,790 --> 00:32:37,910 we will live for what is right and true. 537 00:32:38,150 --> 00:32:42,470 That we will reject the world and how it wants to lure us away 538 00:32:42,470 --> 00:32:46,710 by making itself important rather than what is true. 539 00:32:47,750 --> 00:32:48,630 Jesus Christ. 540 00:32:49,670 --> 00:32:52,230 So, Father, help us to understand and help us to respond. 541 00:32:52,230 --> 00:32:55,760 And look ever to Jesus, and it's in his name we pray. 542 00:32:56,640 --> 00:32:57,280 Amen.