Judgment Completed (Rev. 18:21-23a)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9/11/2015 8:22 AM

My Worship Time                                                                             Focus:  Judgment Completed

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                            Reference:  Rev. 18:21-23a

            Message of the verses:  “21  Then a strong 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 not be found any longer. 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;”

            Before we get started on this section I want to comment on the words “angel” and “angels” as far as how many times we see these two words in the book of Revelation.  I am quoting the number from the NAST95 version of the Bible.  I found “angel” 50 times and found “angels” 22 times.  Now from Genesis to Jude the word “angel” is found 140 times and the word “angels” is found 67 times so we can see that as far as the book of Revelation there is a very high number of times that these words are used as the Lord uses the services of His angels many times in what unfolds in the book of Revelation.  We also have to remember that there are times when these words refer to the “bad” angels or demons as on third of all the angels that God created fell and went on to be a part of Satan’s kingdom.  At any rate this passage begins with another “strong angel.”  Let’s us look at Rev. 5:2 and also 10:1.  “2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the book and to break its seals?"”  “1 I saw another strong angel coming down out of heaven, clothed with a cloud; and the rainbow was upon his head, and his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire.”

            This strong angel is depicting what is going to happen to Babylon by picking up a large stone as big as a millstone and then throwing it into the sea in essence drowning it.  Babylon will have this same thing happen to her as the angels explains Babylon will be thrown down with violence, and the result is that it will not be found any longer.  Now we want to go back to the OT book of Jeremiah and look at 51:61-64 for a similar look.  “61  Then Jeremiah said to Seraiah, "As soon as you come to Babylon, then see that you read all these words aloud, 62  and say, ’You, O LORD, have promised concerning this place to cut it off, so that there will be nothing dwelling in it, whether man or beast, but it will be a perpetual desolation.’ 63  "And as soon as you finish reading this scroll, you will tie a stone to it and throw it into the middle of the Euphrates, 64  and say, ’Just so shall Babylon sink down and not rise again because of the calamity that I am going to bring upon her; and they will become exhausted.’" Thus far are the words of Jeremiah.”

            Now as far as the rest of this section of Revelation chapter 18 that we are looking at we can see that this destruction will be so complete that none of the activities that John lists here will ever again happen in Babylon as there will be a complete destruction of it.  John MacArthur writes that “Babylon will be so thoroughly destroyed that it will never rise again, as predicted by the Old Testament prophets (Isa. 13:19-22; 14:22-23; Jer. 50:13, 39; 51:27).”  We will look at these verses in a moment, but first I want to ask the question and hopefully give an answer to the question why complete destruction to Babylon at this point?  As I think about this I have to say that this “system” and Babylon is a system that began back in the 11^th chapter of the book of Genesis and has been going on ever since then will be destroyed, in my opinion, because God, through Jesus Christ, is taking back control of planet earth and as we see one of the results of this that Jesus Christ will reign for a 1000 year Kingdom on planet earth He does not want any remnants of this false religion hanging around.  Now I see another parallel in this situation that happens later on in the book of Revelation and that is the complete destruction of planet earth along with all of the stars and planets that God made during creation.  Same question “Why?” and I believe a similar answer.  Satan has had access to heaven as he does now and will have until he is thrown out with a fight as we have already seen in our study.  I believe that one of the reasons that God gets rid of or un-creates planet earth and the stars he created is because of sin for since He makes everything new then there is no reminder of the stench of sin in the new world that He creates which is seen in the end chapters of Revelation.  Indeed there is a “New World Coming.”

            Well we have one more short section to look at in chapter eighteen and then we move on to chapter nineteen and this is a chapter that we all should anticipate looking at for in this chapter we see the glorious return of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Peter is the one who speaks of how the world and all the stars will be destroyed, as they will burn up, and the reason that he brings that up is because he tells his readers that since this is going to happen in the future and we know about it now what sort of people should we be.  As John had to eat the scroll which was sweet in his mouth because he knew what was going to happen it became bitter when he realized that he had to tell people of all the awful things that were soon coming.  I as a believer have this same opportunity and I want to make the most of it as long as I am on planet earth.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  I had the opportunity of sharing my faith with a man yesterday and he was very ready to hear the good news of the gospel and for that I am thankful.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “Acts” (7:56).

Today’s Bible question:  “Who said, ‘God thank thee, that I am not as other men are?’”

Answer in our next SD.

9/11/2015 9:00 AM

           

Judgment Enjoyed (Rev. 18:20)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9/10/2015 8:37 AM

My Worship Time                                                                             Focus:  Judgment Enjoyed

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                            Reference:  Rev. 18:20

            Message of the verse:  “20 “Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, because God has pronounced judgment for you against her."”

            On October 24, 2005 I wrote the following on both verse 20 and 21 of Revelation chapter 18:  “The last few verses of this chapter are different than the rest of it because in the first part people were lamenting because of the fall of Babylon and now in these last verses heaven is rejoicing over the fact that Babylon is destroyed.  Dr. Wiersbe points out that believers are to rejoice over the things that God rejoices over and in this case God rejoices over His Righteous Judgments and not those who are being judged.  “We are never to cultivate personal revenge (Rom. 12:17-21), but we must rejoice at the righteous judgments of God.”  (Be Victorious)  “17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody.  18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.  19 Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.  20 On the contrary: ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.’  21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”  (Rom 12:17-21)”

            As I begin this very short section on verse 20 of Revelation chapter 18 I have to say that there are some mixed feelings over what I read about here about Babylon being judged and how the heavens and the people who are in heaven react to this judgment.  The verse says that the saints and the apostles and the prophets are to rejoice over this judgment, and when we go back to the fifth seal judgment found in Revelation 6:9-11 we read “  9 When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; 10  and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" 11 And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also.”  The little while longer has not come and God has judged Babylon and all that it has represented throughout the history of the world.  We wrote then about the vengeance of God and now we have seen it in action and we are told to rejoice over it and the reason is because God has pronounced judgment upon it. 

            We see in this verse that the story is a bit different than what it was in the first part of this chapter when there was no rejoicing going on over the judgment of Babylon, but only lamenting over her judgment because the people of the earth who all had the mark of the beast and had given themselves over to the worship of Antichrist had a much different prospective on the judgment of Babylon than those who are in heaven during that time, for many of them had been killed because they did not go along with what Babylon represented, so yes the scene is different here, no lamenting, only rejoicing.  John MacArthur writes “The long-awaited moment of vindication, retribution, and vengeance, for which the martyred Tribulation believers prayed for (Rev. 6:9-10) (see above) and for which all the redeemed hoped, will have arrived.  Heaven rejoices, not over the damnation of sinners, but because of the triumph of righteousness, the exaltation of Jesus Christ, the elimination of His enemies, and the arrival of His kingdom on the earth.”

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  As I studied the attributes of God on different occasions I learned that His attributes are who He is as they help us as believers understand exactly who God is.  I learned that God is just, and that God is Holy, and that God is a God of wrath, and I also learned that all of His attributes bring glory to Him, and that is what I see in verse 20 of Revelation chapter 18.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  As I see all of the wrong going on in our country, and by all the wrong I mean the things that are against what the Bible teaches like abortion, gay marriage, the worship of things, and are not backing up the nation of Israel, I want to see judgment upon those who are making these things happen, but I have to be like the saints who were martyred from Revelation chapter six and wait upon the judgment and the righteousness of God to happen on them, and I know it will.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “Sin” (1 Corinthians 15:56).

Today’s Bible question:  Which book records ‘Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the son of man standing on the right hand of God’?”

Answer in our next SD.

9/10/2015 9:06 AM

 

More Judgment Lamented (Rev. 18:9-19)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9/9/2015 9:33 AM

My Worship Time                                                                     Focus:  More Judgment Lamented

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                Reference:  Revelation 18:9-19

            Message of the 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- 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 “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. 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!’ 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!’”

            We begin this SD by looking at the next mourners who will appear on the scene and they are “the merchants of the earth.”  We are talking about the businessmen of the earth, the salesmen, and others who provide merchandize for the people around the world.  Now I realize that by this time the earth will have survived all of the seal and trumpet judgments and even some of the bowl judgments, but it seems that there will still be some type of buying and selling  going on during this time. 

            We can see a list of 28 items or categories of merchandise that are comprised in the merchants cargoes that they will mourn over.  This list begins with verse twelve and goes to the end of verse thirteen, ending with human lives.  A thought has just occurred to me that may help us understand the last category “human lives.”  Since before that slaves were mentioned perhaps we are speaking of the terrible tragedy of what has been going on in our country over the last few years and that is the selling off of baby body parts from the aborted babies which are being killed in our country and around the world each and every day, babies who are made in the image of God. 

            Many of the commodities that are listed were common in the past and John MacArthur writes that many of them are included on the list in Ezekiel 27:12-24.  “12 “Tarshish was your customer because of the abundance of all kinds of wealth; with silver, iron, tin and lead they paid for your wares. 13 “Javan, Tubal and Meshech, they were your traders; with the lives of men and vessels of bronze they paid for your merchandise. 14 “Those from Beth-togarmah gave horses and war horses and mules for your wares. 15 “The sons of Dedan were your traders. Many coastlands were your market; ivory tusks and ebony they brought as your payment. 16  "Aram was your customer because of the abundance of your goods; they paid for your wares with emeralds, purple, embroidered work, fine linen, coral and rubies. 17 “Judah and the land of Israel, they were your traders; with the wheat of Minnith, cakes, honey, oil and balm they paid for your merchandise. 18 “Damascus was your customer because of the abundance of your goods, because of the abundance of all kinds of wealth, because of the wine of Helbon and white wool. 19 “Vedan and Javan paid for your wares from Uzal; wrought iron, cassia and sweet cane were among your merchandise. 20 “Dedan traded with you in saddlecloths for riding. 21 “Arabia and all the princes of Kedar, they were your customers for lambs, rams and goats; for these they were your customers. 22 “The traders of Sheba and Raamah, they traded with you; they paid for your wares with the best of all kinds of spices, and with all kinds of precious stones and gold. 23  "Haran, Canneh, Eden, the traders of Sheba, Asshur and Chilmad traded with you. 24 “They traded with you in choice garments, in clothes of blue and embroidered work, and in carpets of many colors and tightly wound cords, which were among your merchandise.”

            MacArthur writes that “They are only representative of the great wealth of Antichrist’s future commercial empire.  John Philips writes:  ‘What a catalog of opulence!  What a vivid picture of great, commercial city, trafficking in every luxury the heart could desire.  This is the world’s great Vanity Fair.  It offers articles of adornment and display, beautiful things to grace the mansions of the world’s millionaires.  It deals in exotic spices and perfumes, in delicacies for the table, in provisions for banquets, in slaves, and in the souls of men.  And Babylon imported all these things…Babylon demanded for this world’s goods was insatiable; ever it clamored for more and more.’”

            Next we see the merchants now addressing Babylon directly in verse fourteen:  “14 “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.”  All the things that people long for are now gone in one short time period that has been described as one hour in different places in chapter 18.  John MacArthur writes this of the words Luxurious and splendid “(Gk. Lampros, a word that may refer to clothing).”

            Now before I get too far into this SD I want to point out that the lament from Ezekiel 27 which is quoted above is a lament over Tyre.

            We can see that there is much lamenting going on by these leaders and “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 , saying, ‘Woe, woe, the great city, she who was clothed in fine linen and purple and sacred, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls; for in one hour such great wealth has been laid waste!”  We can see in the verses we have been looking at there is a great deal of emotion going on, and the emotion is going on over material things.  MacArthur writes “The weeping that begins then will last for eternity in hell (Matt 8:12; 13:42, 50; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30).  These greedy merchants are the classic illustration of all those in all times who gain the whole world, but forfeit their souls (Mark 8:36).”

            Verses 17b through 19 speak of another group of people  in this vision who join the funeral dirge for Babylon:  “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!’”

            We can see that this city seemed to have it all as it was the head of the political system along with the worship of Antichrist and also military might, and now we can see it was the one of the important distribution centers as well.  We see those who carried the merchandise to other places mourning as well, those who ran the great ships that were on the sea delivering the merchandize around the world will also mourn. 

            MacArthur concludes this section by writing “Then, in a typical ancient expression of gref, the sailors threw dust on their heads’ (cf. Josh. 7:6; 1 Sam. 4:12; 2 Sam. 1:2; 15:32; Job 2:12; Lam. 2:10; Ezek. 27:30).  Like the rulers (vv. 9-10) and the merchants (vv. 15-16), they too will cry out, ‘Woe, woe, the great city.’  That is an expression of pain, suffering, and grief, but not of repentance.  The sailors do not mourn over their sins, or those of Babylon, but because of their lost business, since ‘all who had ships at sea became rich by’ Babylon’s ‘wealth.’  Like the rulers (v. 10) and the merchants (v. 17), the sailors also express amazement at the swiftness of Babylon’s downfall, exclaiming, ‘In one hour she has been laid waste!’  In an astonishingly short period of time, the city that was the source of their wealth was destroyed.”

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I mentioned in an earlier SD that after reading a book by Dr. David Jeremiah entitled “I Never Thought I’d See the Day!” that he gives nine things that he never thought he would see in his lifetime happen in our country that at the end of the book, the last chapter he says that in order to help us survive these awful things that are going on we have to give ourselves to the Lord as Romans 12:1-2 tells us.  I have also mentioned that when I first became a believer the man that was mentoring me said that you have to keep your enfasus on the right sylyable in other words you have to keep your emphases on the right syllable, keep your priorities in the right place, and that is on the Lord. 

            I am reading another book entitled “Before Amen” written by Max Lucado.  In the book he goes over a prayer that we call the Lord’s Prayer to help us understand it better.  “Father, You are good.  I need help.  Heal me and forgive me.  They need help.  Thank you.  In Jesus’ name, amen.”  That is the prayer in his words that is found in Luke 11:1-4 “1 It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples." 2 And He said to them, "When you pray, say: ’Father, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. 3 ’Give us each day our daily bread. 4  ’And forgive us our sins, For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.’"

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Continue to read this book on prayer and learn the principles that are taught in it so that I can be prepared for what the Lord has for me.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “Yes” (Genesis 42:7).

Today’s Bible question:  “What is the sting of death?”

Answer in our next SD.

9/9/2015 10:35 AM

              

Judgment Lamented (Rev. 18:9-19)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9/8/2015 10:50 AM

My Worship Time                                                                             Focus:  Judgment Lamented

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                        Reference:  Revelation 18:9-19

            Message of the 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 anymore- 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 “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. 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!’ 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!’”

            I wrote the following on October 19, 2015 “These two verses and all the way to verse nineteen describe the morning over this “great system” of Babylon.  Rulers and merchants will morn alike as they see the city destroyed in one single moment’s judgment from God.  This was their whole life, all they had to live for, and now it is all gone, gone from them forever.  They once live for and lived in luxury and now that that is gone they morn over its loss like a person morns over a loved one who meant a lot to them who is now passed away.  One day as Jesus and His disciples were going through a grain field on the Sabbath day they began to rub the grain together in order to get something to eat and the Pharisees accused them of break a law because they were “working” on the Sabbath day.  Jesus told them that the Sabbath day was made for man not man for the Sabbath day.  I can see a similar thing here in this section of Revelation 18 because in both cases men had their lives out of balance.  The Pharisees were in fact worshiping the Law and therefore missed the most meaningful Person who would come their way and the merchants and rulers described in this section of chapter 18 were worshiping their lifestyle of money and luxury and missed out on worshiping the Lord Jesus Christ who was trying to draw men of this time to Him through these judgments, but they would not listen.”

            I remember the first time that I was taught from this section of Revelation as I was listening to a tape by Hal Lindsey who was teaching different sections of the book of Revelation and when he got to verse 13 which speaks of horses and chariots he inserted the word “Volkswagen” for the word chariot making sure that everyone who was listening to him was awake.  He also said that at the end of verse thirteen that it was talking about the souls of men as there seems to be slavery in the Tribulation period which men will make money over.

            John MacArthur begins his commentary on this section by writing “Nothing so clearly reveals the hardness of sinners’ hearts as their lack of sorrow over their sin.  Through the years of devastating judgments, the Tribulation sinners will relentlessly refuse to mourn over their sin.  But through they will not lament over their sin, they will cry over the destruction of Babylon.  When the glorious centerpiece, the head of Antichrist’s empire, is judge and destroyed, there will be worldwide dismay and mourning.”  As we have been looking at the different judgments that God will bring upon the people of planet earth, and remember that these judgments will be used by God to bring people to repentance, we have not seen much repentance for after some of the judgments we read that people actually cursed the Lord for bringing these judgments on them.  There is one place where we read that people turned to the Lord after a judgment where there was a great earthquake in Jerusalem as a part of a judgment and 7,000 people were killed in that earthquake, and then we read that people in Jerusalem actually turned in repentance to the Lord.

            As we look over this rather long series of verses, probably the longest we have ever attempted to look at in one section, we see that the first to lament were the “kings of the earth.”  This group will include the ten kings that we have looked at earlier those who were true to Antichrist to the very end.  There will be leaders under them as well and they will mourn over the destruction of Babylon too.  This is the very seat of Antichrist’s political, economical, and religious empire that God will destroy.  The destruction will be different than when we first meet Babylon or Babel at the tower of Babel where God confused the languages, but here He will completely destroy the city as the OT prophets also spoke of will happen.

            Verse three tells of the sins that these leaders committed against the Lord, “acts of immorality and lived sensuously with her” (Babylon).  Now I believe that this destruction of Babylon will be a part of the last bowl judgment and perhaps as the rulers of the world are coming to Jerusalem to fight against the Lord they will see this destruction take place as they see if off from a distance.  John MacArthur writes “Obviously, the entire world is not destroyed at this point, since those watching Babylon burn are safe for the moment.  Babylon’s destruction is, however, a precursor to the doom that will soon fall on the entire world.”

            We see the anguish from these leaders as they watch Babylon burning and being destroyed “Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the strong city! For in one hour your judgment has come.”  I am not totally sure that Babylon will be destroyed in exactly one hour, but I am sure that it could be if God chose to do so, but to say the least it will be swift as verse eight predicted, “"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.”

            We will look at the next mourners in our next SD.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  As I was listening to the fourth chapter of Amos in preparation of my Spiritual Diary from the book of Amos I kept hearing “Yet you have not returned to Me.’” God said this statement after the different judgments that He brought on Israel, the Northern Kingdom, and this reminds me of some of the things that will not only happen during the tribulation period, but things that are happening on our country today.  As stated earlier God brings judgment on people and nations to get their attention, so that they will repent.  I remember after 911 that the leaders of Washington came out to as the Lord to keep us safe, and they even had a service to seek the Lord, but it seems to me that most of it was as phony as the people who took a part in it, (not all of them, but a great many of them). 

My Steps of Faith for Today:  I never want to conceal my sins from the Lord, but to confess them to Him and seek His continuous forgiveness. 

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “All powerful.”

Today’s Bible question:  “Did Joseph recognize his brothers when they first came to Egypt?”

Answer in our next SD.

9/8/2015 11:25 AM

 

PT-3 Judgment Defined (Rev. 18:6-8)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9/7/2015 8:21 AM

My Worship Time                                                                        Focus:   PT-3 Judgment Defined

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                          Reference:  Revelation 18:6-8

            Message of the verses:  “6 “Pay her back even as she has paid, and give back to her double according to her deeds; in the cup which she has mixed, mix twice as much for her. 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.’ 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.”

            At the end of our last SD we looked at the three sins that were charged against Babylon by the angel who is the one speaking to John in this section of Revelation chapter 18.  We now begin to look at verse eight where the angel begins with “For this reason” which speaks of the sins catalogued above. And for those reasons “in one day her plagues will come.”  What we see here is that Babylon will be instantly destroyed; it will not be a gradual destruction that happens to it.  In the fifth chapter of Daniel we read of a time when Babylon was destroyed or taken over in one night.  When we look at how the ancient city of Babylon was built and what it contained inside the city one would never believe that it would be taken over by an enemy in one day, but that is exactly what Daniel said would happen and that is exactly what did happen so there is no reason to believe that Babylon cannot be destroyed in one day as this verse speaks of.  John MacArthur writes about the word plagues “the plagues that will destroy Babylon are specific judgments on that city, possibly in connection with the seventh bowl.  Three plagues will result in Babylon’s complete devastation:  pestilence and mourning and famine---heaven’s fitting answer to her proud boast in verse 7.  After these three plagues have run their course, Babylon will be burned up with fire.”

            We see in the remaining phrase “for the Lord God who judges her is strong,” and this speaks of the certainty of the destruction of Babylon.  As we looked at the reasons for the destruction of Babylon we can better understand what it is that the Lord does not like, of better yet what the Lord hates.  One of the sins that we have mentioned is the trust of people in the economic system and I believe that the Lord hates this sin because many people with great wealth first of all take advantage of the poor and secondly trust in their riches instead of trusting in the Lord.  I wrote the following on October 17, 2005 in conjunction with these verses:  “God hates pride, for pride was probably the first sin that was ever committed in that Lucifer, who is now called Satan said five “I wills” which were all prideful statements against God.  Babylon has also seduced the nations that were around her to be just like her.  A third sin is her love for luxury and pleasure, for she worshiped these pleasurable things and all the while there were very poor people around her that she would not help.  In verse eight God promises to judge Babylon in a single day.

            “One of God’s attributes is that of judgment, for God will always judge in righteousness, and He never does things to get even, but has great patience in His judgment, waiting for the people to repent of their sins, but in this case they would not even though they had seen all of the judgments that God has sent upon the whole world.”

            We can be assured that what is written in these verses will come to pass.  “"I know that You can do all things, And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted (Job 42:2).”  “Many plans are in a man’s heart, But the counsel of the LORD will stand (Proverbs 19:21).”  “"For the LORD of hosts has planned, and who can frustrate it? And as for His stretched-out hand, who can turn it back?’ (Isa. 14:27).”  Nebuchadnezzar affirmed that God “does according to His will in the host of heaven And among the inhabitants of earth; And no one can ward off His hand Or say to Him, ’What have You done?’ (Dan. 4:35b).”  John MacArthur concludes “All power of wicked men and demons will not be enough to deliver Babylon from God’s judgment.”

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  When I look around at all the things, the bad things that are going on in our country and have been going on since our last President was elected I can see that Satan has been working hard in our country to destroy it, to destroy its relationship with Israel and other terrible things, but none of this could have happened without it being in the plan of God as He is in control and will work all of this out for our good and for His glory.  I just have to be patience to find out how this will happen.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Proverbs 3:5-6 “5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “Barnabas” (Acts 9, 26-27).

Today’s Bible question “What do we mean when we say that God is omnipotent?”

9/7/2015 8:55 AM

SS Have a great B-day.

 

             

           

PT-2 of Judgment Defined (Rev. 18:6-8)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9/6/2015 9:00 AM

My Worship Time                                                                 Focus:  PT-2 of Judgment Defined

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                Reference:  Revelation 18:6-8

            Message of the verses:  “6 “Pay her back even as she has paid, and give back to her double according to her deeds; in the cup which she has mixed, mix twice as much for her. 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.’ 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.”

            We are wadding through these three verses in Revelation 18 that define the judgment of Babylon, the world system of the Tribulation Period, and also the time when all the world will be worshiping the Antichrist with the exception of those who have not taken the mark of the beast.  We will begin with the phrase of the angel “in the cup which she mixed,” God would “mix twice as much for her.”  Now in our last SD we looked at the meaning of the concept of double as mentioned here and other places in the Scripture.    The angel speaks of the cup that Babylon has mixed to deceive the nations and now the angel wants God to give her a double portion.  We have seen the imagery of the cup of God’s wrath in Revelation 14:10 and also in 16:19.

            Now the next phrase, the third time the angel speaks to the Lord he wants to exact complete vengeance on Babylon:  “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.’”  When we look at the words “to the degree” it is saying that the punishment should match the crime, something we also looked at in our last SD.  In this section we can see that there are three sins that call for Babylon’s judgment.  The first is that she was proud, “she glorified herself,” and we know what God thinks about pride.  Isaiah 42:8 says “"I am the LORD, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, Nor My praise to graven images.’”  Proverbs 6:16-17 says “16 There are six things which the LORD hates, Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: 17 Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood.”  James 4:6 “But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, "GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.’”  The next sin is that she pursued self-gratification; “she lived sensuously.”  Paul writes to Timothy about this sin in 1Timothy 5:6 “But she who gives herself to wanton pleasure is dead even while she lives.”  Thirdly she was guilty of being self-sufficient for she said in her heart “I will sit as a queen and I am not a widow, and will never see mourning.”  John MacArthur writes “That proud boast echoes that of ancient Babylon, who said ‘I will be a queen forever…I will not sit as a widow, nor know loss of children’ (Isa. 47:7, 8; Ezek. 27:2; 28:2; Zeph. 2:15).  Yet God’s devastating reply was that ‘these two things shall come on you suddenly in one day; Loss of children and widowhood.  They shall come on you in full measure in spite of your many sorceries, in spite of the great power of your spells’ (Isa. 47:9).

            “For those three sins Babylon will receive ‘torment and mourning.’  Basanismos (torment) literally means torture (cf. vv. 10, 15; 9:5; 14:11).  Mourning refers to the grief that the torture produces.  Hell will be a place of both unimaginable torment (20:10; Luke 16:23-24, 28) and crushing grief (Matt. 8:12; 13:42, 50; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30).”

            It is hard to get your arms wrapped around what the angel is asking God to do to Babylon, but as I stated before this is a part of the attributes of God as He is a just God, and He is a God of wrath, but thanks to Him that He is also a God of great grace and mercy, holding back what we do deserve and giving us what we do not deserve because of what Christ has done on the cross as He experienced the great wrath of God so that God can be just in offering salvation to those whom He calls.  Who is listening?

            We will give an all out effort to finish this section in our next SD.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  As I look at what these verses are telling me I can get a little bit of better understand of what Christ endured on the cross for me.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Be thankful for what Christ accomplished for me on the cross.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “Jerusalem” (Luke 2:25-26).

Today’s Bible question:  “Who persuaded the disciples in Jerusalem that Paul had been converted?”

Answer in our next SD.

9/6/2015 9:33 AM  

PT-1 Judgment Defined (Rev. 18:6-8)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9/5/2015 10:42 AM

My Worship Time                                                                        Focus:  PT-1 Judgment Defined

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                           Reference:  Rev. 18:6-8

            Message of the verses:  “6 “Pay her back even as she has paid, and give back to her double according to her deeds; in the cup which she has mixed, mix twice as much for her. 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.’ 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.”

            I have to begin by saying that this section of Revelation chapter 18 has some very, very strong language in it and when one studies the attributes of God and finds that wrath, and justice are a part of His attributes one will be able to see those attributes in this passage.

            This is an angel speaking what John writes down in this section of Revelation chapter 18, and the angel asks God to “pay her back even as she has paid.”  We have seen this kind of language in the book of Revelation before:  “9 When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; 10  and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?’ (Rev. 6:9-10).”  John MacArthur writes “The angel’s prayer for justice is based on the Old Testament principle of lex talionis, the law of retaliation, the principle of ‘an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth’ (Matt. 5:38; cf. Ex. 21:23-24; Lev. 24:19-20; Deut. 19:21).  Babylon has been extended enough grace and heard enough warnings, It is time for vengeance.  It is time for her destruction.”  I want to also remind you of what is written in the 15^th chapter of Genesis where God tells Abraham that in 400 years His grace will run out for those nations in the Promised Land and God will then use His people Israel to judge them for Him. 

            We will now look at several OT passages which is reminiscent of the OT saints pleas for vengeance on ancient Babylon:

·       Psalm 137:8 “O daughter of Babylon, you devastated one, How blessed will be the one who repays you With the recompense with which you have repaid us.

·       Jeremiah 50:14-15 “14 “Draw up your battle lines against Babylon on every side, All you who bend the bow; Shoot at her, do not be sparing with your arrows, For she has sinned against the LORD. 15 “Raise your battle cry against her on every side! She has given herself up, her pillars have fallen, Her walls have been torn down. For this is the vengeance of the LORD: Take vengeance on her; As she has done to others, so do to her.”

·       Jeremiah 50:29 “29 “Summon many against Babylon, All those who bend the bow: Encamp against her on every side, Let there be no escape. Repay her according to her work; According to all that she has done, so do to her; For she has become arrogant against the LORD, Against the Holy One of Israel.

·       Jeremiah 51:24 “24 “But I will repay Babylon and all the inhabitants of Chaldea for all their evil that they have done in Zion before your eyes," declares the LORD.

·       56  For the destroyer is coming against her, against Babylon, And her mighty men will be captured, Their bows are shattered; For the LORD is a God of recompense, He will fully repay.”

Now we as believers are not the ones to bring retaliation on others for that belongs to God alone.  As believers we are not to take vengeance out on our enemies, even though at times we may feel that way.  Believers must ‘not say, ‘I will repay evil’”; instead they are to ‘wait for the Lord, and He will save [them] (Prov. 20:22).  They are to ‘bless those who persecute [them]’ as seen in Romans 12:14, and they are ‘never paying back evil for evil to anyone,’ as seen in Romans 12:17.  As believers we are to leave room for the wrath of God as it is written “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord.”  What then are we to do “19 Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY," says the Lord. 20 “BUT IF YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, FEED HIM, AND IF HE IS THIRSTY, GIVE HIM A DRINK; FOR IN SO DOING YOU WILL HEAP BURNING COALS ON HIS HEAD." 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good (Rom. 12:19-21).”  Both Paul and Peter have something more to add “See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people (1 Thes. 5:15).”  1 Peter 3:9 says “not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing.”

I want to conclude this SD by commenting on what the angel says when he says “give back to [Babylon] double according to her deeds.”  John MacArthur writes (“literally in the Greek ‘double the double things’) is a request that Babylon’s punishment fit her crimes.  Double has been her iniquity; double must be her punishment.  Babylon’s sins have overflowed, piling up as high as the heavens, and the angel calls for God’s judgment to overflow on her in equal measure.”  This has been enlightening to me as I listened to MacArthur’s sermon and read his commentary on this subject.  He goes on to write “Double has the sense of fullness or completeness.  In the Mosaic Law, wrongdoers were often required to pay double restitution for their crimes:  ‘"4 If what he stole is actually found alive in his possession, whether an ox or a donkey or a sheep, he shall pay double.’ 7 "If a man gives his neighbor money or goods to keep for him and it is stolen from the man’s house, if the thief is caught, he shall pay double.’  ‘9  "For every breach of trust, whether it is for ox, for donkey, for sheep, for clothing, or for any lost thing about which one says, ’This is it,’ the case of both parties shall come before the judges; he whom the judges condemn shall pay double to his neighbor.’  The prophets note that Israel received double for her sins (Isa. 40:1-2; Jer. 16:18).  Jeremiah prayed that God would ‘crush [his persecutors] with twofold destruction!’ (Jer. 17:18).”

Just one more comment and that is on what we have seen in the OT about “an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.”  What this is talking about is that the punishment must fit the crime and not go over it.  For instance if a fight breaks out and a man has a tooth knocked out then it would not be right for him to cut off his opponents arm for the loss of the tooth.  Maybe not the best example but I hope it makes this clear.

Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Sometimes it is difficult for me to leave the Lord care for the wrongs that are going on in our country at this time, but I know that when He decides to act the action will be perfect.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Trust the Lord to judge those who are destroying our country.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “Job” (Job 42:6).

Today’s Bible question:  “In what city did Simeon see the baby Jesus?”

Answer in our next SD.

9/5/2015 11:34 AM