"Babylon Falls"

In 1817, Percy Shelley wrote this famous poem.

I met a traveler from an ancient, from an antique land who said,

Two vast and trunkless legs of stone stand in the desert, near them on the sand.

Half sunk, a shattered, rigid lies, whose frown and wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command

tell that its sculptor well read, well those passions read,

which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things.

The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed, and on the pedestal these words appear.

My name is Ozymandias, King of kings, look on my works, ye mighty and despair.

Nothing beside remains.

Round the decay of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare, the lone and level sands stretch far away.

Shelley was a poet during the height of the British Empire, and he was not a fan of the empire.

And so he wrote this poem to talk about the ephemeral nature of the kingdoms of this world.

I've had the privilege of being in Berlin at the Pergamon Museum.

If you've ever been there, it's a great museum with lots of stolen treasures from the rest of the world.

That's not a good thing, but it's just true.

And one of the things that is there is something called the Gate of Ishtar, or the Ishtar Gate,

which is a reconstruction of one of the gates of the city of Babylon.

And it's about 30 feet high, a mosaic with symbolism of dragons and lions and the greatness.

But friends, where is that great city of Babylon today?

We wonder what happens to the kings of this world.

The church has always thought, what is our relationship to these kingdoms?

In the first century, as we turn to the book of Revelation,

we remember that during that time, the great kingdom of the world was not Babylon,

but it was Rome.

And they battled to know, how do we respond or how do we relate to this?

How do we resist the allure of becoming a partner in these kingdoms that will fall?

So we've read at the beginning of the book of Revelation, remember the letters.

This is way back in the fall.

Some of you weren't even here yet.

Way back in the fall, we looked at the letters to seven churches.

And to the church of Thyatira, the Lord said this,

but I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel,

who calls herself a prophetess,

and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality

and to eat foods sacrificed to idols.

There was false teaching connected to the Roman Empire

that was inducing Christians away from worship of God to serving Rome.

Similarly, to the church in Laodicea, chapter 3, Jesus says this,

Because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.

For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, I need nothing.

Not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.

I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire so that you may be rich,

and white garments so that you may clothe yourself,

and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen,

and salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.

In the first century, there was this pull to be a part of the Roman Empire

because it would give you what seemed to be wealth, security, prosperity, and power.

The pressure to be a part of this church, part of this world, if you remember,

was a pull on the church.

And one of the reasons why the book of Revelation was written

was to remind us that we are to resist that pull.

Maybe some of you feel that pull in the kingdoms of this world that we live in today.

The pull of pride in the wealth of your accomplishments, connections, or belongings.

Your investment in building a world here and now,

thinking that you might become one of those who would be immortal by the things that you achieve.

Your hope in this life is for more comfort, more pleasure, more success.

Or your desire for acceptance and meaning becomes wrapped up

in conforming to the world around you so that you will fit in and be recognized.

Friends, as we turn to Revelation 18 today, God has words for us.

Revelation 18 is on page 974 in your pew Bible.

And God has something to say to us as we think about living in the worlds,

the kingdoms that we live in today.

So if you're there, Revelation chapter 18, we're going to read through the whole chapter,

Revelation 18 · chapter mention

and then we're going to make a few observations about it before we go to the Lord's table.

So let's read together God's word.

After this, I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority,

and the earth was made bright with his glory,

and he called out with a mighty voice,

Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great.

She has become a dwelling place for demons,

a haunt for every unclean spirit,

a haunt for every unclean bird,

a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast.

For all the nations have drunk the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality,

and the kings of the earth have committed immorality with her,

and the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxurious living.

Then I heard another voice from heaven saying,

Come out of her, my people,

lest you take part in her sins,

lest you share in her plagues.

For her sins are heaped high as heaven,

and God has remembered her iniquities.

Pay her back as she herself has paid back others,

and repay her double for her deeds.

Mix a double portion for her in the cup she mixed.

As she glorified herself and lived in luxury,

so give her a like measure of torment and mourning.

Since in her heart she says,

I sit as a queen,

I am no widow,

and mourning I shall never see.

For this reason her plagues will come in a single day,

death and mourning and famine,

and she will be burned up with fire.

For mighty is the Lord God

who has judged her.

And the kings of the earth

who committed sexual immorality

and lived in luxury with her

will weep and wail over her

when they see the smoke of her burning.

They will stand far off in fear of her torment

and say,

Alas, alas, you great city,

you mighty city Babylon,

for in a single hour your judgment has come.

And the merchants of the earth

will weep and mourn for her

since no one buys their cargo anymore,

cargo of gold, silver, jewels,

pearls, fine linen, purple cloth,

silk, scarlet cloth,

all kinds of scented wood,

all kinds of articles of ivory,

all kinds of articles of costly wood,

bronze, iron, and marble,

cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh,

frankincense, wine, oil,

fine flour, wheat, cattle,

and sheep, horses, and chariots,

and slaves, that is, human souls.

The fruit for which your soul longed

has gone from you,

and all your delicacies

and all your splendors

are lost to you,

never to be found again.

The merchants of these wares

who gained wealth from her

will stand far off in fear of her torment,

weeping and mourning aloud.

Alas, alas, for the great city

that was clothed in fine linen

and purple and scarlet,

adorned with gold,

with jewels and with pearls.

For in a single hour,

all this wealth has been laid waste.

And all shipmasters

and seafaring men,

sailors,

and all those who trade on the sea

stood far off

and cried out

as they saw the smoke of her burning,

what city was like

the great city.

And they threw down,

they threw dust on their heads

as they wept and mourned,

crying out,

alas, alas,

for the great city

where all who had ships at sea

grew rich by her wealth,

for in a single hour

she has been laid waste.

Rejoice over her, O heaven,

and you saints

and apostles and prophets,

for God has given judgment

for you against her.

And then a mighty angel

took up a stone

like a giant millstone

and threw it into the sea,

saying,

So will Babylon,

the great city,

be,

thrown down with violence

and will be found no more.

And the sound of the harpists

and musicians

of flute players

and trumpeters

will be heard in you

no more.

And a craftsman of any craft

will be found in you

no more.

And the sound of the mill

will be heard in you

no more.

And the light of a lamp

will shine in you

no more.

And the voice of the bridegroom

and bride will be heard in you

no more.

For your merchants

were the great ones

of the earth

and all the nations

were deceived

by your sorcery.

And in her was found

the blood of the prophets

and of saints

and all who have been slain

on the earth.

Well, let's pray

and ask for God's help.

Lord, thank you

for this word.

Lord, we know

that your word

is living and active

sharper than a two-edged sword.

And I pray

that as we consider

this word to us

this morning

that you would

help us.

Lord, give us

minds to understand

and hearts to receive.

Lord, help me

to speak clearly

as I ought.

Lord, that we might

sit together

under your word

this morning.

We pray this

in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Amen.

Well, what are we

to make of this?

I believe

that

the point

of this chapter

is to give us

one command

and three reasons.

So, if you're

taking your outline,

there it is,

four points,

one command

and then three reasons

for it.

And the command

is simply this,

come out.

Come out

from among her.

Come out

from Babylon.

Come out

from the world

systems.

come out

for three reasons.

Because you will

lament all you

will lose

if you don't.

Second reason,

because you will

face God's

right judgment

if you don't.

And thirdly,

because you will

be filled

with great joy

at God's

greater kingdom.

We'll repeat

those as we go.

So first,

let's consider

the command.

Come out

of her,

my people.

We've talked

about her,

Babylon,

already.

And if you

haven't been here

before,

I'm going to

encourage you

to go back

and listen

to some

of the earlier

sermons,

particularly

Nick's sermon

last week,

or not last week,

but about

Revelation 17.

That was three

weeks ago

because he spent

a lot of time

talking about

the nature

and contours

of Babylon

and we don't

have that here.

So I'm not

going to spend

a lot of time

but just to say

her big picture,

you can see it

in verse three,

right,

that the kings

have drunk

of her sexual

immorality

and her pleasures

and her wealth

and what we see

is that Babylon

is a symbol

for the world

systems,

political,

societal systems

that entice

or seduce us

to put our hope

and find our life

in this world

rather than

in others.

And remember,

again,

you can go back

for the full

explanation

but in the

Old Testament

and here

we see

the images

of sexual

immorality

is also

a clue

to say

this is about

idolatry,

this is about

worshipping

other things

more than

we worship

God

and making

other things

ultimate

in our affections.

and the command

is to come

out of her

because she

has fallen.

This is what's

announced

in verse 2

and this is

what is described

in chapter 17.

Fallen so

completely

in verse 2

that it's become

a desolation

that the only

living things

that would remain

would be wild

animals

and wild spirits.

nothing good.

So the command

is to come

out of that

but what does

it mean

to come out?

In the original

context

going back

to Jeremiah

50 and 51

you would see

that the prophet

was speaking

to the people

of God

who were literally

living in Babylon

and they were

predicting

the fall

of Babylon

as the Persians

would come in

and overthrow

their kingdom

and he's literally

saying you need

to leave the city

before it falls

under destruction.

But that is not

what's happening

here in Revelation.

That historical event

has now become

a symbol

of coming out

from participation

in a world

to forsake a land,

a culture,

and its religion.

Now listen,

we need to be

very careful in this

because there have

been times

when the church

has heard this call

and thought we need

to totally separate

ourselves out.

So monks

would go live

on pillars

in the desert

in the 4th century,

right?

Or in the early

20th century

we would create

the great

holy huddle

fundamentalist movement

that would separate

from everybody

in every way.

And so we would

only eat at

Christian restaurants,

only read Christian books,

only attend Christian schools,

only listen to Christian music,

only have Christian friends,

and live in this

completely separate bubble

that was not

in the world.

But friends,

listen to what Jesus

prayed for his

disciples

and for the world

in John 17.

He said,

I do not ask

that you would

take them out

of the world,

but that you would

keep them

from the evil one,

for they are not

of this world,

just as I am not

of this world.

And again,

go back to

Pastor Nick's sermon

three weeks ago,

these kind of pair

because he talked about

we're called to be

a city within a city.

We're called to be

a different community

within the community

of the world

while we live here

on earth.

Nancy Guthrie

had a really helpful

way of phrasing this

that I thought

was really good.

It's not separation

that requires

physical distance,

but distinction,

a difference

in how we live,

in what we love,

and what we worship.

It's not about

where we do our life,

but how we do our life

that makes us

those who come out.

So again,

the Apostle John

writes this

in his first letter,

1 John 2,

1 John 2:15

verse 15 and following.

He says,

Do not love the world

or 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 desires of the flesh

and the desires of the eyes

and the pride of life

is not from the Father,

but is from the world.

And the world

is passing away

along with its desires.

But whoever does

the will of God

abides forever.

So coming out

is a matter of

what we worship

and what we love.

what do we value

above all things?

What authority

do we seek

to ultimately please?

What do we set

our hearts on

in devotion?

What do we invest

our time,

our money,

our relationships in?

And what is

the meaning

of our success?

I'm sorry,

the measure

of our success

or the source

of our meaning.

Do we get these things

from the world around us?

We get this

from God

in heaven.

This is the word.

Come out.

Come out

from this world

and your dependence upon

and your investment

in this world.

Be distinctive

so that the aroma

of the kingdom

of Jesus

would capture

our hearts

more

than those

of this world.

Why does he say this?

Well, he gives

three reasons.

We'll look at these

briefly, hopefully.

See how we do.

First,

come out

because you will lament

of all you lose

if you don't.

Starting in verse 9

and going through

verse 19,

there is a picture

of three peoples.

They're kings,

merchants,

and seamen.

And each of them

were full participants

in the world

of Babylon.

Right?

In this picture

of this,

they're investing

in the world.

The kings

invested in the power

and the wealth.

The merchants

with the luxury

and comfort

of their wealth.

The seamen

and the accumulation

of wealth.

And what happened

was they see

Babylon fall.

The things

that they had

set their hearts

on and invested

their lives in

were gone.

And you see

a pattern.

Each of them

stand far off,

somehow trying

to distance themselves

at the last minute

from this

cataclysmic destruction.

They stood far off.

They wept

and mourned aloud

for the ending

of the things

they had invested

so much in.

And they trembled

in fear

that they too

might burn

along with it.

I don't know

if you heard it

but as we read through

did you notice

it happens

in an hour?

In a day?

Like that?

You think

of the parable

that Jesus told

in Luke 12

about the man

who had great barns

and they were getting

so,

he was so wealthy

that he didn't have

enough barns

so we had to tear

him down

and build more ones

and Jesus comes

to him that night

and says,

you fool.

Tonight,

your soul

is demanded of you.

He had invested

his soul

in the pleasure

and wealth

of this world

and yet,

as we all know,

we don't take it

with us.

And so,

this is why

we're called

to be distinct

from this world

because God

wants to spare us

from the lament

and from the loss

but even more

than that,

well,

from the lament

and the loss

that we will experience

when we invest

in things

that won't last.

When we build

our house

on a foundation

of sand

that gets washed away

in the stresses

of life,

there will only be

woe

and mourning

and lamenting

if we've invested

in these things.

So,

that's the first reason

because God wants

to spare us

from this loss,

from being in this

but there's more

behind it

than there isn't there

because what we see

is that

in the midst

of this lamenting

and loss,

there is also

again the picture

of God's judgment,

God's right judgment.

There's a commentator

that said,

to share in her wickedness

is to reap

her recompense.

if we invest

ourselves

in the lives

of this world

then the judgment

that God has

proclaimed and pronounced

against the world

that stands up

against him,

we will be

those who will

suffer that as well.

And it's a terrible

judgment.

You see this

in verses 5

through 8

as it describes

this,

says that their sins

are heaped

as high as heaven,

even as tall

as the Tower of Babel

way back in Genesis 11,

reaching up to heaven.

Verse 7,

did you hear the pride

where she says,

I'm a queen,

I'm not going to suffer

any consequences,

I am going to live

in this place

of power and privilege

forever,

I will have no mourning,

I won't lose my husband

and be a widow

and be in vulnerable

positions,

I have all of these

things and I will

never give them up.

And then if you heard

at the very end,

verse 24,

recognize that

this world system

that we so easily

invest in

is always at war

against the church.

Not always literally,

not always physically,

but certainly

throughout the ages

and as we've seen,

more likely

as we continue

that those

who live

for the kingdom

of God

will die

at the hands

of this world

because they're

following Jesus.

And so our,

and these people,

those who have died,

cry out,

remember Revelation 6,

10?

Oh sovereign Lord,

holy and true,

how long before you

will judge and avenge

our blood

on those who dwell

on the earth?

Babylon has earned

God's wrath.

It is a right judgment

against them

and it will come upon them

like the plagues

of Egypt

came upon Pharaoh.

You see the language

of plagues

being used here.

Plagues of mourning

and death

and famine

in verse 8.

Just like Pharaoh

who said,

I will not bow

my knee to this king.

I will seek

to maintain

my kingdom.

God will say no

and he will bring

judgment

in order to show

that these world's kingdoms

will not last

and will not stand

forever.

And then as we look

at the end

of this passage,

we see how complete

the destruction is.

This kingdom

that's characterized

by wealth

and pleasure

and power

such that people

are drunk with it,

what does it look like?

Starting in verse 21, 22,

there will be no music.

There will be no work.

There will be no food.

There will be no light.

There will be no love

and no celebrations

of marriage.

There will be desolation.

When we invest

in Babylon,

we will get

the dividends

that Babylon

will earn.

We tend to think

that God doesn't care

what we do

with our everyday lives,

how we spend

our time,

our money,

our sex,

our power,

our possessions,

our social capital,

but all of our investments

will bring some return

somewhere.

God will be sure

to make it so.

Let us invest well,

my friends.

Let us set a heart

on not this kingdom

that will ultimately

end and fall.

Did you see

the threat of hope?

Did you hear it?

Because there is

another kingdom.

There is a greater kingdom

and a greater one,

a greater king

to love and worship.

And this is the third reason

to come out of Babylon.

It's in verse 20.

You will be filled

with joy

in God's greater kingdom.

Now the ESV

is really unhelpful here

because it looks

very much like

verse 20

is a part of the speech

of the seamen

and the merchants.

But many commentators

think this is not,

this does not make sense.

This is not consistent.

Instead,

they separate this out

and say,

this is a thread

where the voice

says something

not to,

not in the mouths

of the seamen,

but the voice

from heaven

is now speaking

to the heavenly realms,

to the angels

and the saints

and saying,

rejoice.

Verse 20,

rejoice over her,

O heaven,

and you saints

and apostles

and prophets,

for God has given

judgment for you

against her.

Come out

because you will be

filled with a joy

that comes from being

a part of God's kingdom,

a song of praise.

When we look ahead

in the first five verses

of chapter 19,

we'll start to see

what will happen

as Babylon falls.

I don't want to steal

Nick's thunder,

but it's a beautiful picture

where God's going to invite us

to a great wedding feast

and it's going to be,

we will be the bride of Christ

and he will invite us

into this victorious,

triumphant,

eternal glory

of being his people.

We've seen the first five verses.

I'm going to summarize this,

but just compile

the songs of praise

that will be sung

at that moment.

Hallelujah,

salvation and glory

and power belong

to our God

for his judgments

are just and true

for he has judged

the great prostitute

who corrupted the earth

with her immorality

and has avenged on her

the blood of his servants.

Hallelujah,

the smoke goes up

from her,

goes up forever and ever.

Praise our God,

all you his servants,

you who fear him,

small and great.

friends,

this is the great triumph

and the great kingdom

that God promises

and as we continue

in the series in Revelation,

we will see what God will do

for as he brings low the Babylon,

the kingdoms of this world,

as he judges the serpent

and the dragon

and the devil

and the beast

and the prostitute,

as you see all of them

finally experience

the fullness of recompense

for all of the evil

that they have done.

You will also see God

recreating the heavens

and the earth.

He will make all things new

and there's a kingdom

that is worth living for

and a kingdom worth dying for.

For friends,

here's the thing,

we worship a savior

and on Good Friday,

just a week ago,

we celebrated something

unbelievable

because he fell for us.

He,

as he went to the cross,

experienced

and took upon himself

the sin of the world

so that all who believe in him

would know that he has fallen for us

and yet on Easter Sunday,

we worshiped him

because he did not stay dead

because his desolation

was not forever

but was for a moment

and then God raised him

from the dead

so that he might be

the eternal one,

the lamb of God slain,

the lion of Judah risen,

the one who sits on the throne

who is worthy to open the scrolls

and bring judgment

against the evil of this world,

the one who comes and says,

behold, I am making all things new.

Oh, friends,

let us not continue

to invest our lives

in this world

but let us see

that both out of avoiding

lament and judgment

and because there is

a greater kingdom for us,

let us come out

and be distinct

so that we might love him rightly.

if you are here this morning

and you haven't put your faith

in Christ,

know that you live

in the kingdom of this world.

There are only two kingdoms.

There is no in-between space.

And Christ says,

come out.

Put your faith in me.

Enter my kingdom.

Become one of my children.

And for those of us

who have been Christians

and followers for Jesus,

we know how easily

we fall into

that

proverbial pot

on the stove

and like frogs

we will

become like the place

around us

and be burned up.

Friends,

let us

consider

and examine ourselves

to see whether

we have entered

into partnership

with this world.

And may God

give us the grace

to bring clarity

to our devotion

and to our worship

and to our loves

because of what

he has done for us.

Let's pray together.

Oh Lord,

we came to you now.

Lord,

this is not an easy word

to read

and it is

sobering for us.

Lord,

for we do live

in this world

and we confess

how often

and how easily

our hearts,

our attention,

our affections

are turned away

Lord,

from you.

Lord,

to love the things

of this world more.

But Lord,

we pray,

we pray this morning

that by your spirit

we would be renewed

Lord,

so that we might see

the glory of your kingdom.

We'd be renewed

in our commitment

to and desire

for

living for you

in this kingdom.

Oh Lord,

we

ask for you

to help us

Lord,

as we go

to the Lord's Supper,

that you would

shine your spotlight

on our hearts,

reveal

where there may be

wickedness

and unbelief,

compromise

in our hearts.

We pray this

in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.