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.
