It’s indisputable that the greatest time to be a kid was the 1980s and 1990s. We had the TV shows ALF, Saved by the Bell, and Full House. We had Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. We had Grunge Rock music. We had the greatest era of country music, including Alan Jackson, Garth Brooks, George Strait, and Brooks and Dunn. We rooted for sports greats like Dan Marino, Barry Sanders, Larry Bird, and Nolan Ryan. We had popular clothing brands like Vans, Starter jackets, and No Fear t-shirts.
No Fear was a brand of shirts that had these attempted clever sayings to communicate that you were tough. Here are a few examples.
This one says, “Second place is the first loser.”
Another said, “Does not play well with others.”
Here’s a third: “If it were just about attitude everyone would have it.”
For a while, so many teenagers wanted to get a No Fear shirt. No Fear was on top of the world. I would weed the flowerbeds and wash my mom’s car to get allowance money so I could spend way too much on one of those t-shirts. It seemed like nothing could bring down No Fear. However, you don’t see anyone wearing those shirts any longer. You see, even though No Fear was at the top, now they are gone among the trendy fashions of the day.
Throughout the Book of Revelation, we have heard about the might, power, and dominance of the city called Babylon the Great. Babylon seemed to be an unstoppable evil force.
Yet, in Revelation 17, we learn that Babylon will be destroyed.
Today, in Chapter 18, we learn more about the fall of Babylon. Indeed, even though she was once on top, Babylon would fall like a sunken stone in the ocean.
Let’s pray together before we go any further.
(prayer)
Let’s recall that we’re not exactly sure who or what Babylon the Great is.
Perhaps she’s an actual city, such as Rome.
Perhaps she is a future city yet to be known.
Perhaps she represents all evil cities throughout all time.
Minimally, Babylon the Great represents the empire of evil among humanity.
Revelation 18 serves sort of as a poetic description of the fall of Babylon the Great.
As we study this chapter, we must remember this truth: Sin will be destroyed and Jesus will win.
Judgement will come to Babylon, and she will fall.
So, let’s look at this judgment.
First, notice . . .
I. The severity of the judgment.
The judgment that will be poured out on Babylon the Great will be terrible and severe.
Look at verses 1-8:
1 After this I saw another angel with great authority coming down from heaven, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor. 2 He called out in a mighty voice:
It has fallen,
Babylon the Great has fallen!
She has become a home for demons,
a haunt for every unclean spirit,
a haunt for every unclean bird,
and a haunt for every unclean and despicable beast.
3 For all the nations have drunk
the wine of her sexual immorality,
which brings wrath.
The kings of the earth
have committed sexual immorality with her,
and the merchants of the earth
have grown wealthy from her sensuality and excess.
4 Then I heard another voice from heaven:
Come out of her, my people,
so that you will not share in her sins
or receive any of her plagues.
5 For her sins are piled up to heaven,
and God has remembered her crimes.
6 Pay her back the way she also paid,
and double it according to her works.
In the cup in which she mixed,
mix a double portion for her.
7 As much as she glorified herself and indulged her sensual and excessive ways,
give her that much torment and grief.
For she says in her heart,
“I sit as a queen;
I am not a widow,
and I will never see grief.”
8 For this reason her plagues will come in just one day—
death and grief and famine.
She will be burned up with fire,
because the Lord God who judges her is mighty.
Notice in verse 2 that the city will become a place of uncleanliness and evil.
What was once seemingly thriving with prosperity and goodness will one day be a place occupied by demons and darkness.
The mighty power of Babylon will fall.
In verse 3, we see that the sin of Babylon will bring on wrath.
Make no mistake, this wrath is from God, and it is severe.
Rulers and people of power who participated in the sin of Babylon will be caught up in God’s wrath because they were caught up in Babylon’s sin.
In verse 4, God tells His people to leave the area so that they will be spared from the terrible judgment that will be leveled against Babylon the Great.
God will protect His people, but He will judge those who are not His people.
In verses 5-8, we learn that Babylon sinned greatly, so she will be judged greatly.
It says that her sins piled up to heaven.
It says that God remembers her crimes.
It calls for God to pay her back for her sins according to how she committed them.
It says that her judgment will come upon her swiftly; “in just one day,” according to verse 8.
Her judgment will be so severe that death, grief, famine, and burning will come upon her.
All of these severe judgments will happen because, according to verse 8, “ . . . the Lord God who judges her is mighty.”
Listen, brothers and sisters: God will judge sin, and He will judge it severely.
Galatians 6:7 says, “Don’t be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a person sows he will also reap.”
You may have heard it said, “If you play with fire, you may get burned.”
I tell my boys when they’re messing with me, “Don’t poke the bear.”
You see, God sees every sin, and it is terrible in His eyes. When we sin against Him, we earn judgment against us.
Sin is a terrible thing, and the judgment of God is terrifying.
Hebrews 10:31 says:
“It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”
May we run to Jesus for forgiveness of our sins, and may we take comfort that God will deal with those sins committed by the evil empire of our world.
Second, . . .
II. The sorrow of the judgment.
When sinners begin to see God’s judgment against sin, they often feel sorrow because of the brokenness that results.
I want you to catch something, though, church. Sorrow is not the same as repentance.
To feel sad about the effects of sin is not the same as making a purposeful decision to turn away from sin.
This sorrow will not save these people from God’s judgment. However, it does remind us how ugly and terrible sin is.
Look at verses 9-20:
9 The kings of the earth who have committed sexual immorality and shared her sensual and excessive ways will weep and mourn over her when they see the smoke from her burning. 10 They will stand far off in fear of her torment, saying,
Woe, woe, the great city,
Babylon, the mighty city!
For in a single hour
your judgment has come.
11 The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargo any longer—12 cargo of gold, silver, jewels, and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk, and scarlet; all kinds of fragrant wood products; objects of ivory; objects of expensive wood, brass, iron, and marble; 13 cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, and frankincense; wine, olive oil, fine flour, and grain; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and slaves—human lives.
14 The fruit you craved has left you.
All your splendid and glamorous things are gone;
they will never find them again.
15 The merchants of these things, who became rich from her, will stand far off in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning, 16 saying,
Woe, woe, the great city,
dressed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet,
adorned with gold, jewels, and pearls;
17 for in a single hour
such fabulous wealth was destroyed!
And every shipmaster, seafarer, the sailors, and all who do business by sea, stood far off 18 as they watched the smoke from her burning and kept crying out, “Who was like the great city?” 19 They threw dust on their heads and kept crying out, weeping, and mourning,
Woe, woe, the great city,
where all those who have ships on the sea
became rich from her wealth;
for in a single hour she was destroyed.
20 Rejoice over her, heaven,
and you saints, apostles, and prophets,
because God has pronounced on her the judgment she passed on you!
Notice a few verses that point out the sorrow:
Verse 11 says:
The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargo any longer . . .
Verse 15 says:
The merchants of these things, who became rich from her, will stand far off in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning . . .
Verse 19 says:
They threw dust on their heads and kept crying out, weeping, and mourning,
Woe, woe, the great city,
where all those who have ships on the sea
became rich from her wealth;
for in a single hour she was destroyed.
Much of the sorrow that the people show toward Babylon the Great is connected to their own personal loss, primarily through finances and possessions.
In other words, it is not even so much that they are going to miss the great city; rather, their mourning is more connected to the fact that they will no longer be able to benefit from the great city.
Listen, friends: Sin will destroy you. It will bring brokenness to every area of your life.
There may be a temporary pleasure that comes from sin. There may be temporary gain that comes from sin. Be sure of this, though: Sin will end in sorrow.
There will be sorrow that results from God’s judgment.
Notice this also; look at verse 20 again:
Rejoice over her, heaven,
and you saints, apostles, and prophets,
because God has pronounced on her the judgment she passed on you!
Though judgment brings sorrow to those who suffer the consequences of sin, verse 20 calls God’s people to rejoice at this judgment.
We should never celebrate sin, but we should celebrate God’s judgment.
God’s judgment demonstrates His fairness, His holiness, His power, His wisdom, and His glory. God’s judgment reminds us that He is God.
Babylon the Great had done harmful things to God’s people. Now, God is doing harmful things to her.
Finally, let’s see . . .
III. The steadfastness of the judgment.
Look at verses 21-24:
21 Then a mighty angel picked up a stone like a large millstone and threw it into the sea, saying,
In this way, Babylon the great city
will be thrown down violently
and never be found again.
22 The sound of harpists, musicians,
flutists, and trumpeters
will never be heard in you again;
no craftsman of any trade
will ever be found in you again;
the sound of a mill
will never be heard in you again;
23 the light of a lamp
will never shine in you again;
and the voice of a groom and bride
will never be heard in you again.
All this will happen
because your merchants
were the nobility of the earth,
because all the nations were deceived
by your sorcery.
24 In her was found the blood of prophets and saints,
and of all those slaughtered on the earth.
By the way, steadfastness means resoluteness or firmness.
Here’s what we can gather from these verses: God’s judgment in Revelation 28 is firm; it is resolute; it is permanent.
Just like a large stone that is thrown into the depths of the ocean, Babylon will not come back; it will not be found again; it will be gone forever.
There will be no more musicians in the city.
There will be no more workers in the city.
There will be no more lights in the city.
There will be no more shopping in the city.
There will be no more recreation in the city.
God will totally destroy Babylon the Great. God will totally destroy sin and sinners.
God’s judgment is steadfast.
Chapter 18 tells us of the destruction of the great earthly empire of evil. Chapter 19 will tell us of the destruction of evil itself.
That leads to our bottom line:
Bottom Line: God’s judgment will come.
Make no mistake, God will deal with sin. God is not mocked. That which we sow, we will reap.
The sureness that God’s judgment is coming should bring fear to sinners and comfort to God’s children.
It should be a call to repent from sins and to trust God.
Remember, church: Sin will be destroyed and Jesus will win.
Challenge yourself this week in this one way:
Weekly Challenge: Pray for those under God’s judgment.
There are millions and millions of people who will suffer the judgment of God. Without Jesus, there is no escape.
Hebrews 9:22 says:
“ . . . without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”
Jesus shed His blood so that we wouldn’t have to shed our blood.
However, there are some who are still under God’s wrath. If they were to die today, or if the end of the earth were to come today, they would face God’s judgment.
I want you to think about someone who doesn’t know Jesus as their Lord. Think about their face and name.
In just a moment, I want you to pray for that person. Pray that they would turn from their sins and turn to Jesus.
Pray for our church, that we would be a church who is about the business of seeing sinners saved from judgment.
(Gospel presentation)
(closing prayer)
(Benediction)
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