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15 The merchants who became rich from selling to her will be afraid of her suffering and will stand far away. They will cry and be sad 16 and say: “Terrible! How terrible for the great city! She was dressed in fine linen, purple and red cloth, and she was shining with gold, precious jewels, and pearls! 17 All these riches have been destroyed in one hour!” Every sea captain, every passenger, the sailors, and all those who earn their living from the sea stood far away from Babylon. 18 As they saw the smoke from her burning, they cried out loudly, “There was never a city like this great city!” 19 And they threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and being sad. They said: “Terrible! How terrible for the great city! All the people who had ships on the sea became rich because of her wealth! But she has been destroyed in one hour! 20 Be happy because of this, heaven! Be happy, God’s holy people and apostles and prophets! God has punished her because of what she did to you.” ~ Revelation 18:15-20
Today, we return to our study of the fall of Babylon, the system of government that will be run by the antichrist in the final days. We have been learning of Babylon's destruction, and, in today's text, the businessmen of the world who will benefit greatly from the economics of the antichrist, they will be defined by their fear and they will watch from a distance the destruction of Babylon.
In v.15 we read, " The merchants who became rich from selling to her will be afraid of her suffering and will stand far away. They will cry and be sad."
Sadly, the businessmen of the world will weep, and, they will never stop weeping, because they will end up in a place where there is endless weeping and gnashing of teeth. Their passions will never be satisfied because they are of a fallen world that will not last. The supposed attraction of sin is that it will make us happy, but we have all lived long enough to discover, this postulate never comes to fruition.
The fight of biblical faith is the fight to stay satisfied with God. And, the only way to do this is by walking in His Spirit. In order to walk in His Spirit, it is imperative that we are in His Word daily and we are in the habit of praying without ceasing. I once thought this was impossible. I no longer believe that. It is not that we become perfect at it, it is that we are consistent with it. These two disciplines, the consistent study of God's Word and persistent prayer, are the lifelines for an effective walk with the Lord and an effective witness to this lost and dying world.
In v.16-17 we read, "They will cry and be sad 16 and say: “Terrible! How terrible for the great city! She was dressed in fine linen, purple and red cloth, and she was shining with gold, precious jewels, and pearls! 17 All these riches have been destroyed in one hour!” Every sea captain, every passenger, the sailors, and all those who earn their living from the sea stood far away from Babylon."
The only thing these businessmen of the world will be able to think about is the loss of all of their stuff. In Matthew 16:26, the Lord Jesus said, “What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his soul?” And, even though they heard the gospel preached by Jews and Gentiles who came to faith during the Tribulation, and they witnessed the judgment of God, they will cling to that which can not last into eternity. They will do this because they were long ago deceived by the devil.
In v.18-19 we read, "18 As they saw the smoke from her burning, they cried out loudly, “There was never a city like this great city!” 19 And they threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and being sad. They said: “Terrible! How terrible for the great city! All the people who had ships on the sea became rich because of her wealth! But she has been destroyed in one hour!"
When we only have the stunted abilities of this world to evaluate substance, we will always be kept from what is really real. Back in Revelation 13:4, when they were all in awe of the antichrist, they said, “Who is like the beast? And who is able to wage war with him?” That deception will sadly lead to their needless demise.
According to v.18, they will totally give way to their grief. In their culture the biggest sign of grief, pain and agony was to throw dirt all over themselves. And, they will not be able to get beyond their bank account. Today, we live in a world that is fostering this type of a mentality. And, sadly, mankind's dependence on the government will make them arrive at the wrong kind of love, a love for the darkness.
In v.20 we read, "Be happy because of this, heaven! Be happy, God’s holy people and apostles and prophets! God has punished her because of what she did to you."
This verse is included in this account for the benefit to all who have come to believe in the God of the Bible. God promised vindication, retribution and vengeance for all who would risk believing Him. And, when He fulfills His promises to destroy the kingdom of Satan, the motivation of the redeemed to rejoice over the defeat of evil will not be for the pain of the deceived, it will be for God's victory over sin and death. We will rejoice because righteousness will triumph. And, in the end, we will embrace the most valuable truth: We will not merely do what God says because he is God, we will desire and do what God says because He is good. It has always been the goodness of God that has led us to repentance.
