THE DAY GOD SAYS "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!"

Revelation 18 (NASB)
David Bruce Linn, Pastor-Teacher
28 May, 2000
All Rights Reserved

Are you weary of the "powers that be?" Are you tired of being taxed to death, lied to, and manipulated all at the same time? Are you sick of the dominant media culture which refuses to tell the truth about anything which dies not fit its agenda? Sick of being used and abused by the heavy marketing of everything, including religion? Weary of the pervasive immorality which has come to define modern life? As the poet wrote; "The world is too much with us."

A key consolation for believers in the One True God is the knowledge that the day will come when he says: "Enough is enough!" On that day, God will stop the world, and force everyone to get off. The world system of interlocking powers which are fleshly and diabolical will be broken in a single day by the unmatched power and authority of God. This is the burden of the vision in Revelation 18, which describes the breaking of the ungodly commercial and political world, prophetically described as a city called "Babylon the great." (The religious aspect of the same world system will already have been destroyed by Antichrist and his ten-nation confederacy prior to these events [cf. Rev. 17:16-17].)

The events in chapter eighteen occur during the seventh bowl judgment (Rev. 16:17ff), which probably occurs just after the end of the seventieth week of Daniel during the thirty-day extension of the week (Dan. 12:11). By this time the church has been taken off the earth, along with the believing saints of every age who have been resurrected for the rapture (Rev. 7:9-17). The world will be in a state of devastation from the trumpet and bowl judgments. The two witnesses will have completed their work of testifying to the Almighty God, been martyred, and resurrected (Rev. 11:7, 11). Mass conversions of Israelites will have occurred by this time (Hos. 6:2; Rom. 11:25-26). Most importantly, the mediatorial rule of God over the earth and all its peoples will have been reestablished (Rev. 11:17). Antichrist's power will have been reduced to a mere pretense which he will continue until his final destruction in the Battle of Armageddon (Rev. 16:12-16; 19:20). The inauguration of the millennium awaits.

In the mean time, what is a believer to do with this vision of the destruction of "Babylon the great?" We will break our answer into three parts. Believers in Christ need to understand the nature of the world system, understand the destiny of the world system, and respond appropriately to the world system in the present time.

1. UNDERSTAND THE NATURE OF THE WORLD SYSTEM
   
   1. The first thing to know about the world system is that it is intrinsically anti-God: "...For her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities" (Rev. 18:5). Many Christians struggle with this, because they want things the world offers, but find themselves denied because of their testimony. The only way to gain traction for success in some arena of the world system is to compromise your testimony. You either become an "undercover" Christian or simply agree with the world's demand that you compromise. The world can make compromise feel positively delicious! But watch out--you cannot serve two masters.
      
   2. The second thing to understand about the world system is that it is comprised not of people as people but of people committed to sinful ways of thinking and living. These sinful impulses, when acted upon, have been built into entrenched structures and patterns of power which reflect that godless perspective. We know this because when God destroys the city which represents the whole system, the people who were part of that system are seen standing apart from the destruction: "'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, 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.' ...The merchants of these... [fine products], who became rich from her, will stand at a distance because of the fear of her torment, weeping and mourning. ...And every shipmaster and every passenger and sailor, and as many as make their living by the sea, stood at a distance and were crying out as they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, 'What city is like the great city?'" (Rev. 18:9-10, 15, 17b-18). The fact that the people who are part of the system are left standing apart from it at its destruction means that they can be saved out of it, but it can only come by a complete inward transformation of heart through Christ and the indwelling Holy Spirit. The fact that the people quoted above have gone into mourning over the demolition of their god reveals the condition of their hearts. They are not likely to receive Christ.
      
   3. The condition of the heart is the key to understanding people caught in the world system. When God is excluded from life, every human pursuit becomes subservient to the deceptive impulses of the fallen heart. This chapter reveals the nature of political, commercial, and artistic pursuits apart from God which comprise "Babylon the great." What are the marks of its true nature?
      
      1. a lust for power (:3, 9-10): "For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality. ...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, 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.'"
         
      2. immorality (:3)
         
      3. sensuality (:3)
         
      4. self-glorification (:7a): "To the degree that she glorified herself and lived sensuously, to the same degree give her torment and mourning..."
         
      5. self-deception (:7b): "...For she says in her heart, 'I sit as a queen and I am not a widow, and will never see mourning.'" The false world system has convinced itself that in godlike fashion it will never fail. The only thing in the universe that will never fail is God himself.
         
      6. greed and materialism, which are an idolatry (:11-19): "And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargoes any more; 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, 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. And the fruit you long for has gone from you, and all things that were luxurious and splendid have passed away from you and men will no longer find them. 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 scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls; 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, and were crying out as they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, 'What city is like the great city?' 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!'"
         
      7. sorcery (:23b): "because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery." Sorcery is the attempt to manipulate events in the physical realm by the use of spiritual powers. Neither the Holy Spirit nor the angels nor the dead are available for this, so if it works, the sorcerer has, by definition, conjured a demonic spirit.
         
      8. hatred and persecution of God's people (:24a): "And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints..."
         
      9. murder (:24b): "And in her was found the blood...of all who have been slain on the earth."
         
   4. The way to understand the intensity with which ungodly people love the world is by knowing that every person was created by God to worship him. We are built for worship, and when we do not worship our true Creator we substitute something else. By definition, every substitute for God is paltry and pathetic by comparison. Sex, money, and power all have a place in God's kingdom on earth, but when they are made into objects of worship they become grotesque and misshapen. So the next time you are struck by the grotesqueness of the world, remember that you are perceiving it as it really is. The impression that the fallen world is solid, lasting, and wholesome is part of the self-deception. No one thinks that his god is a fake, so he attaches his noblest feeling and expression to it. Do not be fooled! The emperor has no clothes, no matter how much he expostulates about his rich brocades and supple leather accoutrements.
      
      
2. UNDERSTAND THE DESTINY OF THE WORLD SYSTEM
   
   How many ways can God say that he is going to utterly demolish the world system in order to convince us not to love it?
   
   1. God will turn the geographic centers of the world system over to demonic spirits and carrion birds: "After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illumined with his glory. And he cried out with a mighty voice, saying, 'Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! And she has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird.'" (Rev. 18:1-2) This gives some credence to the idea that demons are localized in geographic areas, but it is a finer insight to see that this shows that demons are associated with many aspects of the world system.
      
   2. God will double the punishments for the sins of the world system, presumably because they are "aggravated," that is, these deeds are more evil for their having been planned with malicious intent: "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" (Rev. 18:6). Perhaps you have seen a sign while driving in a construction zone that speeding fines are doubled in that area. Why? Because speeding in an area where people are known to be working increases the level of guilt over mere negligent speeding. Speeding in a construction zone means the speeder has demonstrated a willingness to threaten the lives of others for no good reason. When human beings have had thousands of years to build sinful power structures, the sinful deeds become amplified in their heinousness and also their guilt, and therefore God increases the punishment.
      
   3. God will perform his judgment on the sins of the world system in a sudden, death-dealing, breath-stealing fashion to display his view of the depth of the world's evil and to display his strength: "For this reason in one day her plagues will come, pestilence [death] and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire; for the Lord God who judges her is strong" (Rev. 18:8). The direct conflict of the kings of the earth with the authority of God is seen in their complaint in verse ten: "'Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the strong city!'" The world system had given them an amplification of their human power so that they thought of themselves as the strong ones. The utter demolition and death to "Babylon the great" is God's way of saying: "No, I am the strong one!"
      
   4. God will utterly rub out the sinful world system from the face of the earth: "And a strong angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, 'Thus will Babylon, the great city, be thrown down with violence, and will not be found any longer. 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; and the light of a lamp will not shine in you any longer; and the voice of the bridegroom and bride will not be heard in you any longer; for your merchants were the great men of the earth, because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery.'" (Rev. 18:21-23) Everything that seemed so good and wonderful will be thrown away by God because it was not raised up for him but against him. Gone--all gone! The emptiness will seem like a yawning pit with no bottom. This is all the more sad, since the production of the mind, hand, and heart of man could have been directed at the good, and the pure, and the beautiful because it is all the result of the image of God in mankind. The self-same accomplishments, apart from the unrighteousness, could have been intended for the glory of God, but since they were intended for the glory of the lost world, God discards them. There is no use for them in eternity, other than to provide evidence for God's righteous judgment of every person. Even after they are destroyed, God remembers them all (:5).
      
      
3. RESPOND APPROPRIATELY TO THE WORLD SYSTEM IN THE PRESENT
   
   There have been many confused responses to the world system down through the history of the church. Some people have tried to hide from the world in monasteries, some have set up rigid rules for avoiding evil people and things. Neither of these responses works because we all bring the sinful impulses which give birth to the world system in our hearts wherever we go. Others have gone the false route of saying that we should live just like the sinners and rejoice that the more we sin, the more grace is displayed by our forgiveness. To this confusion the apostle Paul wrote: "May it never be!" On the contrary, Jesus gives believers explicit instructions in this chapter:
   
   
   1. First, we need to teach ourselves not to set our hearts on the stuff the world loves. This is how we fulfill the command in verse four: "And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, 'Come out of her, my people, that you may not participate in her sins and that you may not receive of her plagues...'" (Rev. 18:4). The way to disconnect from the world system is to choose not to participate in its sins. Once again, this is a heart issue--an issue of intent. We are commanded to dedicate our hearts to the love of God, not the love of the stuff of this earth: "Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God abides forever." (1 John 2:15-17) The rich food, clothing, homes, cars, the good jobs, influence in the community, physical attractiveness--none of this matters to God, and none of it will last. We must take great care to reserve our hearts for the God who loves us as his own children.
      
      
   2. Second, we need to care about the things God cares about. This is reflected in the command given in verse twenty: "Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, because God has pronounced judgment for you against her" (Rev. 18:20). God cares about his own glory first and foremost. The world system tries to steal the glory which is due only to God. The world system also sets out to defile everything that God loves. The children of God therefore have cause to rejoice that God is finally getting his due after thousands of years of being ignored, lied about, and spat upon. It is appropriate for us to rejoice in the final triumph of righteousness. It is also necessary during the church age to fight to keep our focus on the things God cares about. As Paul wrote to the Philippians: "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things; and the God of peace shall be with you." (Phil. 4:8-9)
      
      Have you ever understood the logic of those verses? If we want the present experience of the presence of God in our lives, we must move in the things God cares about. He is concerned for his own glory, for people, for the truth, and for holiness, to name the major things. When we set the energies of our hearts and minds to God and his things, we shall smell the fragrance of Christ near us. We shall feel the warm, guiding hand of our Heavenly Father. And we shall feel the whispering wings of the Holy Spirit. Nothing this world has to offer compares to that.