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PrintDAY 1 - SESSION 3
Revelation 18:4-10
It has been clearly stated that those addressed in verse 4 are believers who are in Babylon after the rapture of the saints. This raises a question, 'how is it possible that in such a depraved system there could be any believers at all after the rapture?' The answer is that immediately after the rapture of the saints the gospel of the kingdom will be resumed, the gospel which John the Baptist announced before the public ministry of the Lord Jesus. We are told in Matthew 24:14 "This gospel of the kingdom shall be announced all over the earth". This gospel will be preached by born again Jews. Another question is, 'how is it possible that after the rapture people can be born again?' The answer is that the activity of the Holy Spirit will continue. It will be available for all with this exception that everyone, according to 2 Thessalonians 2:10, who has rejected the gospel of grace in our day, and remains on earth after the rapture will not have a second opportunity. But there must be millions today who have never heard the gospel of grace, and for those, immediately after the rapture, the opportunity will be there to believe in a coming King, the gospel of the kingdom 'Repent for the kingdom of God is drawing nigh'. There will be a great number according to Rev.7 who nobody can count, who will be saved after the rapture, who will not belong to the assembly. They will await the Lord Jesus in His appearance as the King of kings, and some of them will be, according to Revelation 18 verse 4, in that depraved system of Babylon. The grace of God will still have fruit in the time of the tribulation. Believers will go into the millennium on earth, or if they die as martyrs, they will reign with us, according to Revelation 20:4.
This would be the largest response to the gospel at any moment since Pentecost, at least so far as numbers are concerned, although the character of the gospel will be different and the character of the blessing will be different. In numbers, it is a very great multitude, and when we consider that the period involved is only about seven years, how successful these preachers will be in the coming day!
In the light of this, is it not a reproach upon us, that after 1969 years, there are still those who have not heard the gospel of the grace of God?
Certainly. We have ALL to search our hearts as to whether we are diligent to preach the word in season and out of season (2 Tim.4:1-2).
There are other points in regard to verse 4. The first one is that it is not a question of eternal security in this particular verse. If they are born again, there is no question of their being ever lost. This verse brings home the importance of association. Association with evil does defile. We ought to get a clear understanding of the fact that those who remain behind in defiled association will suffer loss, not eternal loss, but loss of the blessing of God, so far as that particular dispensation is concerned. This is so important I would like to back it up with the three Scriptures that have been quoted.
The first is in 2 Corinthians 6:17 "Come out from the midst of them and be separated saith the Lord". This is separation in regard to the unconverted world, but we see here the great gain of separation because we immediately get the promise "I will receive you, and will be to you for a father (verse 18) and ye shall be to Me for sons and daughters, saith the Lord God Almighty". The practical enjoyment of God known in these ways is the portion of those who are separated from an unconverted world.
The second is in 2 Timothy 2:19-20. Here it is the matter of withdrawing from iniquity. If anyone is prepared to take a step in separation, notice the promise, "Ye shall be a vessel to honour, sanctified, serviceable to the master, prepared for every good work" (v.21). I do not believe it is possible to be prepared for every good work so long as the believer remains in associations which are not according to God.
The third Scripture is in Hebrews 13. Following verse 13 "Let us go forth to Him, without the camp, bearing His reproach", we get seven points, positively, which should mark those who do answer to this separating call. There is true pilgrim character in verse 14; praise, fruit to God, "confessing His name", verse 15; bountiful in doing good and communicating their substance, verse 16; obedience to their leaders; submissive, verse 17; marked by prayer, verse 18; perfect in every good work, doing His will, verse 21; and able to bear the word of exhortation, verse 22. It is to not only separation from, but also separation to. If we keep the positive side in mind it becomes a greatly increased exercise.
In Genesis 19, 'How are we going to influence those who are not walking in separation?' Lot gave the message to his household, but it seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed him not. The challenging matter to all of us is 'are we like Lot, linked so much with Sodom, that our appeals likewise are as idle tales?' It is a sobering consideration.
It is helpful to put this call alongside the Babylon of the Old Testament, Jeremiah 50 and 51. These two chapters will throw up a large number of parallel points. For example the call to go out, is similar to Jeremiah 50, verse 8 "Remove out of the midst of Babylon, and go forth out of the land of Chaldeans", and then in chapter 51, verse 6, "Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his soul; be not cut off in her iniquity: for this is the time of the Lord's vengeance: He will render unto her recompense", and verse 45, it says "My people, go ye out of the midst of her and deliver ye every man his soul from the fierce anger of the Lord". The motivation is similar to verse 4, to escape from the place and the punishment. Two other Scriptures give a positive motivation to go out, both in Isaiah. First in 52:11, "Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing, go ye out of the midst of her, be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the Lord"; notice the very positive incentive, they will be qualified to bear these vessels of the Lord. And finally, in chapter 48, verse 20, it says "Go ye forth of Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans, with a voice of singing". That seems to suggest that as soon as the step is taken, the forbidden link is cut, there is the increased ability to praise.
The plagues at the end of verse 4 are those in verse 8 that come to her in one day, "death and grief and famine, and she shall be burnt with fire". In that day separation should be welcomed, as with Lot.
Proceeding to verse 7, we find how much she has glorified herself. There is nothing of Christ. It is Christianity without Christ. This is the final state of that system. But it can be one of our dangers, also glorifying ourselves instead of giving glory to the One who is the Lord of glory. It says in verse 7 "I sit a queen, and am no widow". There is no mention of the King, and no mention of the kingdom. Her words are true. She was never married to the One who is glorified and has no connection whatsoever with the Man in the glory. Hence the emphatic word "Come out of her, My people".
Returning to the question, our deficiency in proclaiming the gospel, is that an aspect of forgetting our first love?
In a way, it certainly is.
As to 'first love', it is worth reminding ourselves that this word first is translated elsewhere with a different English word. It is the best robe of Luke 15, and in Timothy "This is a faithful saying, worthy of all acceptation, Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief". So whether it is 'chief', or 'best', it is the same word as 'first'. Not first in time order, but first in quality. "To whom much is forgiven, the same also loveth much". The apostle Paul never forgot his initial encounter with the Lord, and his appreciation of the mercy shown to him deepened with his advancing years. This made him an ardent preacher of the gospel even to prison days.
A word in regard to sins "heaped up on one another to the heaven", verse 5. In Babel in Genesis 11, they built a tower to reach up to heaven. They wanted to reach God by their own efforts, but what they actually did was to heap up sins. This was a climax. The system was bad from its very start, but judgment was deferred. This reminds us of the patience of God. We might be tempted to ask ourselves 'does God really mind what is now going on?' In 2 Peter 3:9 we read "The Lord does not delay His promise, as some account of delay, but is long-suffering towards you, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance". The Lord is long-suffering, but the time will come when the Lord will judge the system.
This expression "sins heaped on one another up to heaven" is also found in another place. In Ezra 9:6, in one of the great intercessory prayers of the Old Testament, Ezra at the evening oblation, his mantle rent, fell on his knees, and prayed - "I am ashamed, O my God, and blush to lift up my face to Thee, my God; for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is gone up to the heavens". This is one of the reasons for our failure today, we do not realise how far short we have fallen of the standard that God expects from a people who have returned from Babylon. We are in the privileged position of being gathered to the Lord's name alone.
This verse 4 has the intention of separating us from the world which is ripening for judgment. The Moravian brethren in the 1700's, so we read, according to the measure of light they had, separated from the world and the various systems of the day, and remembered the Lord as brethren. They also gave themselves to prayer night and day, with the result that 25% of their number, one in four, went out into the mission field, often at great sacrifice. Today the Moravian Church is not much separated from the world, and not much engaged in the gospel. We have to ask ourselves where we stand today in regard to these things.
This verse 4 not only gives us incentive to spread the gospel, but it also enables us to bring a clear gospel. The gospel has two aspects, on the one hand preaching the grace of God, and on the other hand, preaching the consequences of rejecting it. Sometimes I minister on the occasion of a funeral, and in general people still listen politely as long as we preach grace, but as soon as we point to the consequence of rejecting it, then they say 'you are not being a tactful preacher'. Our objective is not to be tactful, but to present the whole truth. We have the perfect example in our blessed Lord who did not fail to warn of the place where the worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched.
It has also to be pointed out why such a serious judgment comes over Babylon as described in chapter 18. It is a matter of the commercial aspect of Babylon. We focused on the religious side in chapter 17, but what is so abominable to God is that a matter of faith is turned into business. When the Lord Jesus was on earth, and saw that the house of His father was made into a place for merchandise, then He was zealous, "The zeal of Thine house hath eaten Me up" (John 2:17). It is a warning for us also in these last days, because there are some who think that godliness is a means for making money. Faith is turned into a business, and there is a severe judgment for this which is final.
There is something very serious in verse 5, sins have been heaped upon themselves "up to the heaven", and at the end of the chapter, the blood of prophets and saints and of all the slain upon the earth during the whole time of the Church period is found in Babylon. God remembers her sins and the time is come for judgment.
Some of us may be puzzled as to how religion and commerce can go on together. There is an interesting verse in Hosea 12, where God says "Ephraim feeds on wind, and pursues after the east wind" and goes on to speak about Ephraim and Judah, and then in verse 7 it says "He is a merchant, the balances of deceit are in his hand; he loves to oppress (Mr. Darby's footnote "to defraud")". So we see Ephraim is irreligiousness, but here God accuses her of being a merchant.
The matter of connecting money with the blessing of God comes out quite early in the Church's history. In Acts chapter 8, Simon "having seen that by the laying on of the hands of the apostles the Holy Spirit was given, offered them money saying, Give me also this power, in order thereon whosoever I may lay hands he may receive the Holy Spirit". In the English language the word Simon, a noun, is actually being turned into a verb. You can say 'simonise'.
Note, this was right in the early stages of the Church's history. By the time we reach Revelation 18:11, gold is the first mentioned, and the souls of men the last mentioned in the long list in verse 13. Money is the chief object of this system, and they do not mind even if the souls of men are sold in order that they may make money. But let us notice the significance of this word "Recompense her, even as she has recompensed and double to her double". Last year there was a helpful exchange in regard to an eruption of God's anger. This is what we have here. In the light of this awful system, when it comes into remembrance before God, there is an eruption of God's anger; and this word 'double' is to be noticed. It has been put in contrast with the law, "eye for eye, tooth for tooth", etc., "Judge not that ye be judged not, for with what measure ye meet, it shall be judged to you" - equal payment. But here we read 'double'. It is an eruption of God's anger in regard to that which is intensely hateful in His sight. Perhaps in some measure we feel the same at times when what is so precious in the sight of heaven is turned into mere money making. No doubt this is why we have been taught to take no collections at our gospel meetings, "taking nothing of the Gentiles".
We have had encouragement to preach the gospel this afternoon, which is important. On the other hand, we see clearly in v.6 that we are in another dispensation, "Recompense her even as she has recompensed". To Christians of the present dispensation the Lord says "Vengeance belongs to Me. I will recompense, says the Lord" (Rom.12:19). The judgment is particularly heavy. In verse 6 we read "the cup which she has mixed, mix her double". This is really a play on words here. There is the cup of Babylon, the cup which she has mixed, but on the other hand in chapter 16:19, "And great Babylon was remembered before God to give her the cup of the wine of the fury of His wrath".
Who is being addressed in verse 6? "Reward her, even as she rewarded you"? Is the answer found in Psalm 137:8 "O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed; happy shall he be, that rewardeth thee as thou has served us"? Is this verse addressed to the remnant of Israel?
I think this verse is a general statement, and not addressed to anyone in particular. The JND translation leaves out "you". Scripture often speaks in this way in order to state a principle. We see quite clearly that the judgment here in chapter 18 comes from the Lord Himself.
In verse 8, "She shall be burnt with fire" is to be put alongside chapter 17, verse 16. There the ten kings burn her, but that is not the full story. Here in verse 8 "She shall be burnt with fire" seems to suppose another component brought in to the judgment. It is not what comes from the hand of men only, but what comes directly from the hand of God.
In v.6 it is not the remnant that is referred to here. It seems to be an answer to the imprecatory prayers of the remnant.
The "smoke of her burning" finds further reference, not only in verses 9 and 18, but also in chapter 19 verse 3 "her smoke goes up to the ages of ages". This is quite clearly something that is not accomplished by a man. It is an answer from God, and it raises an interesting question as to whether there is not an eternal witness to the fact that God has dealt so completely with that which is hateful in His eyes.
The voice who speaks here is certainly a voice of God Himself. This is confirmed by the end of verse 8, and this last judgment is confirmed in chapter 19, where we have the final words, the loud voice in the heaven, verse 2 "For He has judged the great harlot which corrupted the earth with her fornication and has avenged the blood of His bondmen at her hand".
