Title: God of Judgment / Revelation 18:1-24
Contents The God of Judgment / Revelation 18:1-24
Today's reading is a continuation of chapter 17, and it is about the horrors of Babylon's destruction. God used Babylon as a scourge of punishment when the Israelites sinned. So, when the Babylonian nation becomes a powerful nation and conquers and afflicts Israel, it is only then that they realize it and repent. If you forgive him only once, he will never sin before God again. We promise to forsake idols and obey God's Word.
Then God has mercy on Israel, forgives them, raises up leaders, and defeats the enemies and gives them victory. God often uses the rod of love so that the people he loves can live a blessed life according to the truth without sinning.
Babylon was mainly used as a rod for Israel. God uses the wicked for his chosen people. That is why evil may prevail and become powerful in this land. That's why the Psalm says, "Do not envy the prosperity of the wicked." God must judge the wicked, but there is a set day.
If we look at today's text, we see that when the time is right, God will judge Babylon.
Verses 1-3 contain the angel's sentence against Babylon. This angel came to this earth as God's representative, so God's glory was shining. Babylon, which has been darkened by sin for a long time, in other words, this sinful world is a welcome declaration of judgment, breaking down the forces of darkness with the glory of God that has been revealed in this way. God always judges sin. This is the justice of God.
The end of their final judgment is Hell. Without Hell and Heaven, a life of faith and righteousness would be meaningless. Rather, it would be wise to live wickedly and foolish to live righteously. But because God is a God of love and justice, He does not leave the world like that.
As evidence of that, God has shown a pattern of judgment in history, such as Assyria, Babylon, Mede, and Persa, the nations that oppose God and plan evil. Because of God's judgment, it has been destroyed to such an extent that there is no trace of it on this earth. God's judgment is sure to come. Therefore, we are told not to become discouraged when doing good
Hell, the culmination of God's judgment, is said to be "the dwelling place of demons and the gathering place of various unclean spirits." This is where the wicked and the demons are punished.
Here are three reasons why Babylon, or this ungodly world, should be judged.
(One). It is a sin of fornication.
Verse 3 says, “The wine of the wrath of her fornication.” Here, fornication is spiritual or mental fornication, which refers to a life without chastity before God.
James 4:4 says, “Women who commit adultery, do you not know that friendship with the world is the enemy of God? “Women who commit adultery” here mean betraying God and having a relationship with the world. In other words, "humanism". That's why great theologians like Macychen referred to "liberal faith" as "heretical" based on this.
(2). It's a luxury.
Luxury is the product of selfishness. It means living a life that goes against the will of God and is self-centered. It is an act to satisfy one's greed. “When lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.” Luxury is the accumulation and waste of wealth to satisfy one's greed and vanity. So it is like an unrighteous steward. Here the judgment must fall.
(3). It is the sin that killed the saints.
Verse 24 says, “In this city was seen the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all who were slain on the earth.” The sin of persecuting and killing the saints and the servants of the Lord will surely be judged. Our ancestors, including Daewongun, killed the first missionaries and made them bleed and killed many saints. As a result, how much persecution and suffering have you suffered because of the great power? The sin of killing the saints must be judged.
Verses 4-5 say that He will not destroy His chosen people along with the wicked.
In some cases, even the chosen people share in tribulation along with the evil crowd. Because it is not aimed only at the wicked, but general tribulation. The common tribulation also includes the saints, so it is beneficial to the saints by working together. That is why we receive the refinement of our faith, and through this, the gospel is also spread. However, in the judgment that destroys the wicked, like Noah and his family, He uproots them from among them.
Verses 6-8 show how Babylon will be judged.
The first said, "As he gives, he gives to him." You receive what you sow. It is a judgment without mercy for these people because they ignored and rebelled against the opportunity of grace. So this world like Babylon will be punished for its sins.
The second said, "I will repay him double according to his deeds." This is a severe punishment. The reason is that what they have done is so evil. Because he took the glory of God and made it his own. Even three times and four times the punishment would not be enough.
In verses 9-19, we see those who mourn over the fall of Babylon. They are people who have been living since Babylon. Namely, kings, merchants, and sailors. Babylon, on which they relied, is destroyed and all its treasures are burned down, and they are weeping out of desperation. Those who lived with hope in this world will groan and weep when all the riches of the world are burned down. However, the saints who live with hope in the kingdom of heaven will rather give thanks and glorify God for having stored up treasures in heaven.
We must not live foolishly like the people of the world. You must live a life of wise preparation. In Luke 12:19-20, we see a foolish person. It says, "And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come. Rest in peace, eat, drink, and be merry." But God said, "You fool, tonight your soul will be required of you. “So is the man who lays up wealth for himself and is not rich toward God.”
Therefore, I hope that you will become wise and blessed saints who do not put your hope on earth, but firmly put your hope in heaven and accumulate treasures in heaven.
In verse 20, on the other hand, there is a group of people who rejoice and rejoice in God's judgment.
“Heaven and the saints and the apostles and the prophets.” They will experience the reward of believing, persevering, and obeying God's Word. When athletes work hard and train and practice, they envy people who work comfortably and are tempted to live comfortably in various ways.
But the time will come when the runners who persevere and keep looking forward will finally receive the crown of glory. That's why the Apostle Paul likens our saints to athletes. I hope that you will finally be able to receive the crown of spirit and the crown of life by overcoming hard and difficult things and all temptations and doing well in the race of faith to the end.
Don't be fools who give up tomorrow because of today's gratification. I hope you all become wise and wise blessed saints who value tomorrow more than today.
They suffered a lot of persecution from the world. But at that time, they prayed for blessings and did not ask for anger for those persecutors. The reason is that it was not yet a time of judgment, but a time of waiting for repentance. However, since it is the time of the final judgment, it is not a time of mercy waiting for repentance, but a time of judgment, so the saints who acknowledge God's judgment as right have no choice but to rejoice and glorify God.
Finally, verses 21-24 are the angel's declaration of the Babylonian punishment.
Verse 21 says, “Then a strong angel picked up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, “Babylon the great will fall so terribly that it will never be seen again.”
Babylon is the one who caused others to sin, and it is said that they will receive such severe punishment and will be destroyed forever.
He said that all the music of hedonism will disappear. The fallen civilization of secularism is sure to perish. And the Tower of Babel built in ignoring God will surely perish.
The science of Aceilism is on the verge of destruction, but it is not profitable. And all human-centered civilizations and wealth will be burned like a stubble before God's judgment.
Dear saints,
The saints living in the world should not be afraid of Babylon's persecution at all, but rely only on the Lord and fight boldly. And we must boldly resist the abundance of Babylon and the temptations of the world, and like the Apostle Paul, we must consider all such things as strife and boldly abandon them. And I pray in the name of the Lord that you will become wise and blessed saints who accumulate many treasures in heaven by doing good works according to the word of the Lord.