REVELATION LESSON 46

REVELATION

LESSON 46

ARE WE LIVING IN THE END TIMES?

Revelation 18:16   ¹⁶ And saying, Alas, alas that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls!

It’s not often that you see grown men weeping and wailing at least not in public, but at this time there will be no pride left in any man. Everything they have will be lost.

Babylon’s great power will not protect her. They will cry because her beauty and wealth will also fail to protect her. It matters not how powerful an entity is, or how beautiful or how rich. If God decides it should fall it will surly fall.

Jesus said, do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, rather lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven. We must start thinking about these things. The only permanent investments are spiritual. Giving to the Lords work is the most careful money management of all.

Revelation 18:17   ¹⁷ For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,

Verse 17 demonstrates a whole lot of crying going on. Each group, the kings, merchants and seamen begin with “woe-woe”, describing the city according to their own relationship with it. For kings it is the power, for the merchants it is the commodities, for the sea captains and sailors it is their income from the vessels carrying the commodities. All will see the fate of the city and will be shocked by the destruction of it.

This aspect of a world economy of globalism is already upon us. We are at a point that no developed nation of any kind can survive today without networking with the global economy. There is almost no such thing as an American product that is not totally dependent on parts, trade or investments from foreign countries.

Revelation 18:18   ¹⁸ And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city!

Babylon was burning down and people are saying, how could this happen to our great city. God will take out in one hour what it took seven years to build. They were crying over financial loss but seem to show no concern for their lost souls.

Revelation 18:19   ¹⁹ And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.

This is a very good sign of what the love of money will do to people, when money becomes your god and all of a sudden, your god of money is gone, there is nothing left but godless grief. The casting of dust on their heads does not point to repentance but rather to the sorrow of their financial loss.

Revelation 18:20   ²⁰ Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.

This is something the old testament prophets prophesied and the new testament apostles predicted. And the tribulation saints will pray for. We should join the angels in heaven in rejoicing when Gods word is fulfilled and the prayers of Gods people are answered.

Here we have a difference between Gods people and the godless. One group will rejoice and sing the praises of God. The other will grieve and mourn the loss of their god, money. In the end Babylon will have brought this judgment on herself by mistreating Gods people.

Revelation 18:21   ²¹ And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.

This verse sounds somewhat like Sodom and Gomorrah, Jericho and the flood of Noah. They were all listening but none were hearing. The final destruction of Babylon come after an angel throws a millstone in the sea and says, with such violence the great city of Babylon will be thrown down, never to be found again.

Revelation 18:22    ²² And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee;

Everything from entertainment to manual labor jobs will cease. There will be no more music in Babylon. No people going to work and no craftsmen on the job. She will be silenced forever.

Your merchants were the worlds great men by your magic spell. All the nations were led astray. In her was found the blood of prophets and of saints. And of all those who have been killed on the earth.

Revelation 18: 23-24   ²³ And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.

²⁴ And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.

The forces of darkness will reign until the return of Jesus. Jesus warned that false prophets will deceive many in the last days. The winds of deceit will reach gale force during the tribulation period. Be aware of any religious leader who speaks ill of Jesus and opposed the scriptures or of any message that contradicts the bible, no matter how sweet it sounds. If it is not of Gods word, it is the wrong message.

 Until our next lesson

Stay in the word.

Brother Andy.