TRUE WEALTH IS IN JESUS
REVELATION CHAPTER 18
THE COMING GLOBAL FINANCIAL COLLAPSE
Lesson 1
First an over view. Revelation 18 is a twin to Revelation 17. In Revelation 17 we
find the collapse of the apostate world church. In the process we see Satan’s
harlot bride, the delusion of religion.
Revelation 18 is the other member of Satan’s family. Religion in all its many
varieties is one branch.
The other of the twins is found in materialism, worldliness
or covetousness.
From the Garden of Eden onward Satan has been offering to
humans the elusive greener grass. If only you eat this fruit you will have it all. If
only you earn this income you will be happy. If only you reach this level of
popularity, power or success you will have it all. Hand in hand with Satan’s fall is
the insatiable desire for more.
Lucifer was discontented with the highest position
in Heaven, he wanted more.
Humans are born with a thirst for more of whatever
they desire. This is the IDOLATRY OF COVETOUSNESS.
The most visible sign of covetousness is materialism.
Materialism is the desire for things as opposed to spiritual worship, which is the desire for God.
Materialism is seen in money, possessions, and endless pursuits of physical
pleasures and recreations. All of that physical pursuit is going to end.
In Revelation 18, God turns off the party. The music stops. The money fails. The
party is over and in a moment the lights go out! As we read Revelation 18 listen
to the description of the coming global financial collapse.
* JESUS CONDEMNING WORLDLINESS (18:1-3)
* JESUS CALLING FOR SAINTS TO COME OUT OF WORLDLINESS (18:4-8)
* JESUS DESCRIBING THE WORTHLESSNESS OF WORLDLINESS (18:9-19)
* JESUS CELEBRATING THE END OF WORLDLINESS (18:20-24)
WHAT IS THE BACKGROUND OF REVELATION 18?
When we come to Revelation 18 we are looking at the fully-grown evils of this
World. As we saw in our study of Revelation 17, Babylon is at the same time an
ancient city, a kingdom of the past, as well as a system of religion and a present
way of life. Babylonian1 materialism in Revelation 18 may be distilled down to
one word in the Bible covetousness.
Covetousness is idolatry. It is the worship of
Mammon (money, possession and so on) instead of God.
In John’s day Rome had gone to the limits in extravagance. The Caesar’s would
spend fortunes on a single meal demanding the most exotic and rare dishes for
their personal consumption. Nero decorated his banquets with roses from Egypt
costing $70,000 and wore an outfit (he only wore things once) costing $40,000.
Caligula demanded meals of hummingbird and flamingo tongues, pearls costing
$200,000 dissolved in wine and the livers of pike fish, the brains of peacocks and
so on.
Look with me at Zechariah 5:9-11
9 Then lifted I up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came out two women
and the wind was in their wings; for they had wings like the wings of a stork:
and they lifted up the ephah between the earth and the heaven.
10 Then said I to the angel that talked with me, Whither do these bear the ephah?
11 And he said unto me, To build it an house in the land of Shinar: and it shall
be established, and set there upon her own base.
* The woman is used to give the idea of birth.
* The weights and all to give the idea of commerce.
* Two may be because of Revelation 17-18 twin evils of religious and material corruption.
St. Augustine noted the problem of Revelation 18 in the 5th century. Idolatry is
when we use what we are supposed to worship and worship what we are
supposed to use.
Just put all the evils of our world into that grid: IDOLATRY IS
WHEN WE USE GOD AND WORSHIP MONEY, SEX, PLEASURE, ETC.
Anything can be worshiped. Worship simply stated is anything, which captivates
and draws us toward something.
* A person may be so captivated by work that they are irresistibly drawn to
work all the time, thus the workaholic. WORK WORSHIP
* Another may worship alcohol or drugs, and thus the alcoholic and drug addict.
ESCAPE WORSHIP.
* Another may worship pleasure in the sensual realm, and thus the sex addict,
pervert and whore-mongering fornicator. PLEASURE WORSHIP.
* Another may be drawn by the allurements of wealth and possessions, thus
the materialist, the greedy and selfish rich fool Jesus spoke of who only
planned for prosperity, eating, drinking, and enjoying life. WEALTH
WORSHIP.
* Another may be drawn to the praise of man, and thus the proud, inward
seeking, callused and unfeeling self-centered person. SELF WORSHIP.
The test of whether or not you worship something is quite simple. Can you give it
up? Try this on each of the areas we have covered.
* Can you give up your career and the accomplishments of your goals in your
field, to the Lord today?
* Can you stop drinking alcohol, smoking whatever, taking whatever
substances that help you escape reality – stop them completely – today and
give your life to the Lord?
* Can you end all selfish sensual pleasure pursuits, pornography, fornication,
sodomy, and adultery today and give your pleasures to the Lord to fulfill in His
perfect time and way?
* Can you give up your money, security, power, all of it, today, into the Lord’s
control?
* Can you give up your pride, self seeking, self absorption, self focus and so
on, today and humble yourself, deny yourself and take up your cross following
Jesus today?
WHAT IS COVETOUSNESS?
Covetousness is “to long for, be preoccupied with having what God has not given
us”. Possessiveness is “to be selfish and un-sharing with what God has given
us”.
Barclay, Revelation, volume 2, p. 157.
Alcorn, p. 55.
A sure sign of the materialism of covetousness is its INSATIABILITY. “The
legitimacy of a desire lies in the ability to satisfy or fill it. All true needs — such as
food, drink, and companionship — are satiable. Illegitimate wants — pride, envy,
and greed — are insatiable. By their very nature they can’t be satisfied.” 4
The Bible has many grim markers that show where illegitimate desire has given
birth to immense disaster:
* Achan’s lust for more lead to his death by stoning and a similar death for all
his family. [Joshua 7]
* Balaam’s greed made him fail to hear his own message. [Numbers 22:4-35]
* Delilah betrayed a man who trusted her, for a payoff. [Judges 16]
* Solomon’s insatiable desire for more of everything led him away from God.
[Deuteronomy 17:16-17]
* Gehazi was not content with serving God; he lied to get more and paid dearly
for it. [II Kings 5:20-27]
* Judas measured the inestimable value of Jesus in pieces of silver. (Mt. 26:15)
* Annanias & Saphira could not let go of the money they possessed nor the
applause they coveted so God killed them! [Acts 5:1-11]
JESUS WAS WARNING HIS DISCIPLES ABOUT
COVETOUSNESS
What can we conclude? Covetousness or greed is not just a harmless pastime
but also a serious offense against God. Just as the lustful man is an adulterer in
Matthew 5:28; The hateful man a murderer in I John 3:15; so the greedy man is
an idolater in Col. 3:5.6
JESUS CONDEMNING WORLDLINESS (18:1-3)
Revelation 18:1-3 1 And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power;
and the earth was lightened with his glory.
2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen,
is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit,
and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication,
and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and
the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
4 Barnett, Wealth p. 139.
5 When Jesus was preparing His disciples for life after His departure,
a major part of their training had to do with living daily life in contentment.
Our Lord said we can’t serve God and Money.
Luke 16:13
13 No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one,
and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the
other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
(“No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will
be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”)
Randy Alcorn, Money, Possessions, and Eternity, p. 55.
WORLDLY POSSESSIONS CAN’T BUY SPIRITUAL LIFE.
The rich and powerful families of the World from Rockefeller to Rothschild, from Getty to
Gates will stand and watch their billions go up in the smoke from the wrath of
God. This scene depicts graphically what Jesus said in Matthew 16:26 “For what
profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what
will a man give in exchange for his soul?
* James 5:1-6 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are
coming upon you! 2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.
Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a
witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up
treasure in the last days.
Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your
fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers
have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.
You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened
your hearts as in a day of slaughter. You have condemned, you have murdered
the just; he does not resist you.
JESUS CALLING FOR SAINTS TO COME OUT OF WORLDLINESS (18:4-8)
Revelation 18:4-8
And I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of
her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.5
“For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.6
“Render to her just as she rendered to you, and repay her double according to
her works; in the cup which she has mixed, mix double for her.7 “In the measure
that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same measure give her
torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, ‘I sit as queen, and am no widow,
and will not see sorrow.’8 “Therefore her plagues will come in one day—death
and mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is
the Lord God who judges her.
This is a repetition of the continually repeated call of God. He wants us His saints
to live out our high calling. We are called to be holy in all parts of our lives!
Separate from and get out of Babylon is called for 7 times in the Word of God8.
Some of the key calls of God were for men to get out of worldliness.
GOD CALLED ABRAHAM OUT OF HIS WORLD TO FOLLOW GOD’S WAY.
Genesis 12:1 Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your
country, from your family And from your father’s house, to a land that I will
show you.
GOD CALLED LOT TO TOTALLY ABANDOM THE SINFULNESS OF SODOM.
Genesis 19:12
Then the men said to Lot, “Have you anyone else here? Son-in-law,
your sons, your daughters, and whomever you have in the
city—take them out of this place!
THIS IS A SOBERING CALL TO PATIENCE IN ALL CHRISTIANS as Revelation 14:12
Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep
the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. So we do not chase those things
which will only be left behind to burn!
Isaiah 48:20
Go ye forth of Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans, with a voice of singing declare ye, tell this, utter it even
to the end of the earth; say ye, The LORD hath redeemed his servant Jacob.
Isaiah 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.
Jer. 50:8-9; 51:6,8;
Remove out of the midst of Babylon, and go forth out of the land of the Chaldeans, and be as the he goats before the flocks.
9 For, lo, I will raise and cause to come up against Babylon an assembly of great nations from the north country: and they
shall set themselves in array against her; from thence she shall be taken: their arrows shall be as of a mighty expert man; none shall return in vain.
Jer. 51:6-8
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 a recompence.
7 Babylon hath been a golden cup in the LORD’S hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad.
8 Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed: howl for her; take balm for her pain, if so be she may be healed.
Zech. 2:6-7
6 Ho, ho, come forth, and flee from the land of the north, saith the LORD: for I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heaven, saith the LORD.
7 Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon.
Revelation 18:4
And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
* GOD CALLED MOSES TO STAY OUT OF THE VERY PRESENCE OF
THOSE REBELLING AGAINST THE LORD.
Numbers 16:23-24 So the Lord
spoke to Moses, saying, 24 “Speak to the congregation, saying, ‘get away
from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.’ ”
* GOD PROMISES GREAT BLESSING FOR LIVING A LIFE OF AVOIDING
THE UNGODLINESS AROUND US. Psalm 1:1-3 Blessed is the man who
walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor
sits in the seat of the scornful; 2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in
His law he meditates day and night.
* JESUS PRAYED FOR OUR REALIZATION OF THIS WORLD AS NOT OUR
HOME. John 17:14-16 “I have given them Your word; and the world has
hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.15
“I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should
keep them from the evil one.16 “They are not of the world, just as I am not of
the world.
* GOD EXPECTS HIS CHILDREN TO COME OUT AND STAY OUT OF
WORLDLINESS. 2 Corinthians 6:14-17 Do not be unequally yoked together
with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness?
And what communion has light with darkness? 15 And what accord has Christ
with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? 16 And what
agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the
living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will
be their God, and they shall be My people.” 17 Therefore “Come out from
among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean,
and I will receive you.”
* GOD CALLS US TO BE CAREFUL IN NOT ASSOCIATING WITH SIN. 1
Timothy 5:22 Do not lay hands on anyone hastily, nor share in other people’s
sins; keep yourself pure.
“Only one life to live and soon is past
Only what’s done for Christ will last!”
Hoping to make the time I have left count for the glory of God.
REVELATION CHAPTER 18 LESSON 1