Rev 18:6 Reward Her Even As She Rewarded You 6/11/2006 ßà
#1. The End Time Church
(Jer 2:12-13, Isa 23, 47, Jer 50, 51, Eze 27, Nah 3, Rev 2,3,9, Isa
1:21)
- And They Shall Burn Her With Fire (Rev 17:16-18:3, Jer 25:15,27-29,
Rev 19:17-18, 21)
#2. For
Her Sins Have Reached Unto Heaven (Rev 18:4-5, 19:13, Psalm 119,
Isa 43, Mat 13, John 6, John 17, Rom 9, Eph 1, Col 1, 2Cor 6:14-18)
- Double Inheritances and Double Rewards (Deut 21:15-17,
Heb 12:23, Col 1:18, 1Sam 2:8, Isa 40:1-2, Ex 4:22-23, Rom 6:23, Rev
18:6-13, 17:6)
#3. Merchandizing
the Souls of Men (Rev 18:13-24,
Jam 3:1, Rev 13:17)
- A stone like a great millstone (Rev 18:21-24, Jer 51:61-64)
Please open your Bibles to the Prophecy of Jeremiah, Jer 2:12 (2X). When we dove into Rev
chapters 17 and 18 we have seen that God used symbolic language to describe the
condition of
#1. The End Time Church
(Jer 2:12-13, Isa 23, 47, Jer 50, 51, Eze 27, Nah 3, Rev 2,3,9, Isa 1:21)
God pictured the church as a great whore that sitteth upon many waters.
God also pictured her as the woman in the wilderness who sits upon the beast
with 7 heads and 10 horns, who is representing Antichrist. God also called her
“Mystery Babylon
the Great, the Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth”. God not
only called her “the Mother of Harlots” for the spiritual fornications that the
end time church will be engaged in, but God also called her “the Mother of
Abominations of the Earth” for the many false gospels that she is going to
produce, and God also called her “Babylon the Great” for the many idols that
she is going to worship, and for her enormous influence over all the people of
the world. And how the mighty church of God is going to degrade herself into
such a cursed condition is a great “Mystery”, but God already indicated this in
the OT in the words of Jer 2:12-13, “Be astonished, O ye heavens, at
this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the LORD. For my
people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living
waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no
water.” But there are many more passages in the OT that are pointing to Rev
17 and 18 as the condition of the end time church. We have already seen in Isa
21:1-10 that God showed us a parable about “Babylon
is fallen, is fallen”. But God also shows us the equivalent of Rev 17
and 18 in Isa 23, and Isa 47, and Jer 50 and 51, and Ezek 27, and Nahum
3. These chapters are all speaking about the same subject matter as Rev 17
and 18, the city representing the end time church. But let me make one thing
clear: I did not say that true believers must depart out of their
faithful church. I did not say that God’s wrath is upon all churches
worldwide. I did not say that there are no longer any faithful churches.
I did not say that we should not celebrate the Lord’s Supper or perform
Water Baptisms any more. We do not have a God with a calendar in His hand who
states that on a certain date all churches in the world suddenly have become
abomination before God. We have a God who is a just God, who is a
merciful Father for all those whom He is drawing to Christ, and who has praise
for those churches that remain faithful to Him as indicated in Rev 2 and 3,
but who has wrath upon all churches who turn to idolatry by inventing false
gospels of their own, as indicated in Rev 2 and 3. And why do entire
churches fall away into another gospel? Why is it that congregations are so
easily deceived? It is because they do not read the Bible any more. They listen
to their Pastor, rather than listen to God. And thus they leave themselves open
to all kinds of false teachings that are symbolically spawned by the 200
million demons that were released in Rev 9. And so, when we look at most
churches today we are reminded of the words in Isa 1:21, where God says,
“How is the faithful city become an harlot! It was full of judgment;
righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers”. And the murderers that God
refers to are not those that murder the body, but those that murder the souls
of men. It was so in the days before Jerusalem
was destroyed, and it has again become so today, by which we know that WE are
living in the FTP, the days of the harlotry of the end time church. And just
like in the days of Jerusalem’s
spiritual harlotry, even so today there is no repentance in view on the part of
the corporate church. They have become unteachable, which is nothing but dirty
rotten pride. Please turn now to the Revelation of Jesus Christ, Rev 17:16 (2X). We have seen that the
woman, the harlot church, sits upon the beast with 7 heads and 10 horns, which
represents Antichrist. And since Antichrist rules in the name of Satan and
rules over all the nations of the world, Antichrist cannot be one person, but
must be many persons ruling in governments and in churches all over the world.
They all have one goal, and that is to rule and reign without Christ,
regardless of which religion they hold. That is why together they are called
Antichrist. The “great falling away” within the corporate church has
reached its crest. The church has opened its doors and has received with open
arms all those who call themselves Christian, along with all their abominations
and sins against God. They hoped to enlarge their congregation, but in the end
they will be destroyed by those same people whose tongues they do not
understand. For we read in Rev 17:16-17
that the ten horns of Antichrist shall hate the whore,
- And They
Shall Burn Her With Fire (Rev
17:16-18:3, Jer 25:15,27-29, Rev 19:17-18, 21)
Re 17:16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the
beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and
shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.
Re 17:17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfill
his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words
of God shall be fulfilled.
Please turn to the Prophecy of Jer 25:15 (2X). This event
that was prophesied here in Rev 17:16,
the physical destruction of Babylon,
the harlot church, is being fulfilled in Rev 18. First occurs the great
falling away and the spiritual degradation of the church, who becomes the
harlot church, Babylon, and then
the physical destruction of this Babylon,
the harlot church, and then the physical destruction of all the nations of the
world. This is the sequence of events in the end time, indicated by God
in Jer 25.
Jer 25:15 For
thus saith the LORD God of Israel
unto me; Take the wine cup of this fury at my hand, and cause all the nations,
to whom I send thee, to drink it.
And now please drop down to verse 27, (2X), Jeremiah 25:27-29,
Jer 25:27-29
Therefore thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the
God of Israel; Drink ye, and be drunken, and spue, and fall, and rise no more,
because of the sword which I will send among you. And
it shall be, if they refuse to take the cup at thine hand to drink, then shalt
thou say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Ye shall certainly drink. For, lo, I begin to bring evil on the city
which is called by my name, and should ye be utterly unpunished? Ye shall not
be unpunished: for I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the
earth, saith the LORD of hosts.
The nations shall see the destruction of the church, and this is a
sign to them that they too shall be destroyed and then be brought before
the judgment throne of Christ, and not one of them shall escape, “for we
must all appear before the Judgment seat of Christ”. Please turn again
to the Revelation of Jesus Christ, Rev 18:1 (2X). Right at the beginning
of this prophecy of the physical destruction of the church God gives us the
time frame when this shall come to pass. God speaks about an Angel, or
better a Messenger, coming down from heaven, whose coming will be like the 2nd
coming of Christ. Obviously this is not an angel, but is Christ Himself,
taking vengeance on all them that know not God.
Re 18:1-3 And
after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great
power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. 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. 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.
Verse 2 speaks of the church having fallen into apostasy,
and having fallen under the curse of God, and having become the dwelling
place of devils, and having become a prison of every unsaved person,
and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird. When a church abandons
the Bible, she has in fact abandoned the only true God and is worshipping
another god; regardless what name she assigns to the god she worships, he is
always another god. And thus, when a church abandons the Bible, even if it is
only a small portion of the Bible, she has become a dwelling place of devils,
and has become the prison of every unsaved person. Why? Because the place that
was originally designed to be to the glory of God, has now been converted to a
place of contempt for God, a place where God will not find any glory for Him. And
this the devil and all his demons like very much. But why did God add to this
verse that the church has become a favorite stomping ground of every unclean
and hateful bird? The answer lies in the unusual Greek word that God
uses for “bird” <3732> in this place. That particular Greek
word appears only in two other verses in the Bible, both of these in Rev 19
where it is translated “fowls”. Please turn one or two pages to
your right to Rev 19:17 (2X).
Re 19:17-18 And I saw an angel
standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls <3732>
that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the
supper of the great God; That ye may
eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men,
and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men,
both free and bond, both small and great.
And now please drop down to the last verse in this chapter, Rev 19:21 (2X).
Re 19:21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of
him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and
all the fowls <3732> were filled with their flesh.
What is this? Does this mean that instead of Hell the unsaved will
be devoured by vultures and that will be the end of them? No possibility
whatsoever. When this world has come to an end there are no more vultures. These
vultures represent demons, or the fallen angels. God uses the picture of
vultures devouring carcasses of the unsaved, to drive home the principle that
Satan and his demons shall be the tormentors, executing God’s wrath upon all
the unsaved in Hell. Please turn back to Rev 18:2 (2X). The harlot
church, Babylon, has become the
favorite stomping ground for demons who are like vultures eagerly waiting for
human beings to be cast into Hell. What a horrible prospect for the unsaved in
Hell.
Verse 3 speaks of “all nations” who have been deceived by
the false gospels coming from the end time church. God’s wrath is on them.
Verse 3 also speaks of “the kings of the earth”. When we search the
Bible we find that the expression “the kings of the earth” can be understood
two different ways, the good guys, or the bad guys. Here in Rev 18:3 the
context indicates that these are the bad guys. Verse 3 also speaks of “the
merchants of the earth”. When we search the Bible we find that “merchants”
can be understood two different ways, the good guys, or the bad guys. Here in
Rev 18:3 the context shows that these merchants are the bad guys. Now please
drop down to verses 4 and 5, and there we read:
#2. For
Her Sins Have Reached Unto Heaven (Rev 18:4-5, 19:13, Psalm 119,
Isa 43, Mat 13, John 6, John 17, Rom 9, Eph 1, Col 1, 2Cor 6:14-18)
Re 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.
Re 18:5 For her
sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
Please turn one page to your right, to Rev 19:13 (2X). At any time throughout our
life as a child of God, but especially during the FTP, we must not be unequally
yoked with unbelievers. We all are well aware of this general principle. But who
are unbelievers? It means nothing if anyone claims to be a Christian. It
means nothing if anyone says that he or she believes in Christ. Even Jews and
Moslems believe in Jesus Christ. But they do not believe that He is God. And
why not? It is because they do not believe the whole Bible, like we do. God
says in Rev 19:13 (2X), “And
he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called
The Word of God”. Now we know that the whole Bible is also called “The
Word of God”. And thus it stands to reason that the Lord Jesus Christ, our
Jesus Christ, is circumscribed by the whole Bible, and by the Bible alone. By
this definition of Rev 19:13 anyone
who believes that the Bible plus something else is the Divine infallible Word
of God, worships another god, but he is not the God from the Bible whom we
worship. For example, anyone who believes that the words from one of the
Popes or the words from one of the saints of the past are infallible because
they are words inspired by God, believes in the Bible plus something, and thus by
the definition of Rev 19:13 this person is an unbeliever. Anyone who
believes that God brings additional Divine revelations today in dreams, or in
visions, or in angel visitations, or in tongues, believes that his package of
Divine messages from God constitutes of the Bible plus something else, and thus
by the definition of Rev 19:13 this person is an unbeliever. On the other hand,
anyone who believes in the theory of evolution has in his mind relegated
the first 11 chapters of Genesis to the category of mythology. This person does
not believe the whole Bible is the Word of God, and thus by the definition of Rev 19:13 this person is an unbeliever. He
worships another god, but it is not the God of the Bible. Another example: a
person who does not believe Psalm 119, or Isa 43, or Mat 13, or John 6, or
John 17, or Rom 9, or Eph 1, or Col
1, does not believe the whole Bible is the Word of God, and thus this
person is an unbeliever. He worships another god, but it is not the God of the
Bible. I am not making this up now, for these principles and conclusions are
thoroughly supported by Rev 22:18-19,
which you know already. These are the sins of the church which have reached
unto heaven. They are worshipping all kinds of other gods. And this is the
present day situation. But will churches repent and return to the God of the
Bible? No way! They like it where they are now, and they have no intentions to
change their beliefs. Please turn in your Bibles to the 2nd
Epistle to the Corinthians, 2Cor 6:14
(2X). And so, what constitutes a Believer? A Believer believes that the whole
Bible is the Word of God, nothing more and nothing less than the whole Bible.
And a Believer has a fervent desire to live a life that reflects what he
believes, and is always open to correction if justified from the Word of God. A
believer has an ongoing desire to do those things that are pleasing to God. A
Believer desires to obey what God says in 2Cor 6:14,
2Co 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with
unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and
what communion hath light with darkness?
2Co 6:15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or
what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
2Co 6:16-18 And what agreement hath the temple
of God with idols? for ye are the
temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them;
and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye
separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will
receive you, And will be a
Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord
Almighty.
We must not be unequally yoked with unbelievers, means if we are
not married we must choose a mate who is also a Believer. And if we choose a
partner in our business he or she must also be a Believer. If we become saved
and we find that our marriage partner is still unsaved, we must remain with
that unsaved spouse till death do us part, for God hates divorce. But God hates
it when we deliberately choose a marriage partner who is in the army of Satan,
while we claim to be in the army of Christ. This is an act of treacherous
treason. And thus we read in 2Cor 6:17,
“Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord”.
It is the same call to separation that we find in Rev 18:4, “Come out
of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive
not of her plagues”. Throughout the Bible God calls us to be separate from
the heathen. Please turn now to the Prophecy of Deuteronomy, Deut 21:15 (2X). Now we are going to
discover God’s rules about:
- Double
Inheritances and Double Rewards (Deut 21:15-17, Heb 12:23, Col
1:18, 1Sam 2:8, Isa 40:1-2, Ex 4:22-23, Rom 6:23, Rev 18:6-13, 17:6)
In the OT God laid down the principle that when an inheritance is divided
among the children, the firstborn always receives a double portion. This
was a Ceremonial Law since this was a law that looked
forward toward
the nature of salvation as explained in the NT. God says in Deut 21:15-17,
De 21:15 ¶ If
a man have two wives, one beloved, and another hated, and they have born him
children, both the beloved and the hated; and if the firstborn
son be hers that was hated:
De 21:16 Then
it shall be, when he maketh his sons to inherit that which he hath, that
he may not make the son of the beloved firstborn before the son of the hated, which
is indeed the firstborn:
De 21:17 But he shall acknowledge the son of the hated
for the firstborn, by giving him a double portion of all that he hath:
for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn is
his.
The firstborn among the children is special. He is the one
on whom special favors rest. It reminds us of the elect of God on whom His
special favors rest. Certainly God is not a respecter of persons, in the sense
that He chooses whom He wants to save from all nations and people and tribes
and tongues without considering if they are poor, or blind, or lame. But once
He has decided to save a person, on that person His special favors rest. And
what is the favor of God? It is grace, for grace is unmerited
favor. And thus God typifies all His elect people as being firstborn. God
calls them in Heb 12:23, “The church of the firstborn, which are
written in heaven”. Of course, Christ was also the firstborn, for we read
in Col 1:18, “Who is the beginning, the
Firstborn from the dead”. All of God’s elect receive from Him a double
inheritance. Our first inheritance is “Mercy”. What is mercy? Mercy is
when God withholds the penalty that we do deserve. We do deserve
to go to Hell on account of all our sins. But when Christ paid for our sins the
penalty that we would have to pay, the equivalent of an eternity in Hell, our
obligation to go to Hell is completely erased, for our sins have been
completely paid. When His payment was applied at the moment that we became born
from above, our status was changed from the deepest depth of Hell to neutral
ground. That in itself was already an enormous blessing, for we do not have to
suffer the torments of Hell. But then God added our second inheritance, which
is “Grace”. What is grace? Grace is when God gives us what we do
not deserve, for grace is unmerited favor. What does God give us? He gives
us all things we need in this life, and in the life hereafter He literally
gives us all things that He owns. He gives us an eternity in heaven. He gives
us the status of sons of God. Yea, He tells us in 1Sam 2:8, “He
raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the
dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne
of glory”. Did you hear that? He makes them (plural) inherit the throne
(singular) of glory, His throne. We inherit God Himself. How could
anyone ask for a greater gift than that? That is why God says in Isa 40:1-2,
Isa 40:1 ¶
Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.
Isa 40:2 Speak
ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and
cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned:
for she hath received of the LORD’S hand double for all her sins.
Our iniquity is pardoned, for we have received of the Lord’s hand double
for all our sins. We are Christ’s firstborn and this is our double inheritance:
Mercy and Grace. On the other hand, God speaks of those that are
condemned also as firstborn. We see both usages in Ex 4:22-23. Please listen:
Ex 4:22 And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith
the LORD, Israel
is my son, even my firstborn:
Ex 4:23 And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he
may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even
thy firstborn.
Therefore, just as the double inheritance for Believers means the
highest possible blessing from God, so the double reward for the unsaved
means the most grievous punishment possible. Please return now to the
Revelation of Jesus Christ, Rev 18:6 (2X). For saints God speaks of an
inheritance, since none of these gifts is given by merit. But for the unsaved
God speaks of rewards, for all they receive was earned by them through their
works. Their rewards are the wages for their works, for God said in Rom 6:23, “The wages of sin is death”.
We read in Rev 18:6,
Re 18:6 Reward
her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her
works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.
The title of this sermon is taken from this verse, “Reward Her Even As She Rewarded You”
(2X). Who does “You” refer to? In the KJV when we see the personal pronouns
Thou and Thee it addresses a singular person, and when we see the personal
pronouns You and Ye it addresses plural persons. So, here in Rev 18:6
the voice from heaven says, “Reward her even as she rewarded you, my people”,
or when we add Rev 17:6 we can say paraphrased, “Lord, reward the harlot
church, Babylon, double for all the evil she has done to your people, for she
is drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of
Jesus. And give her double on top of her double rewards for her works, for she
has filled the cup of the wrath of God to deserve double for all her
fornications. She has not at all glorified God in her works, for she has
glorified herself.” We read in verses 7 and 8,
Re 18:7 How
much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and
sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow,
and shall see no sorrow.
Re 18:8
Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and
famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the
Lord God who judgeth her.
Re 18:9-11 And
the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously
with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke
of her burning, Standing afar off for the fear of her
torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in
one hour is thy judgment come. And the merchants of the earth shall weep
and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:
Re 18:12 The
merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine
linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner
vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass,
and iron, and marble,
Re 18:13 And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and
frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and
sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.
#3. Merchandizing
the Souls of Men (Rev 18:13-24,
Jam 3:1, Rev 13:17)
What a horrible profession; merchandizing the souls of men. But this is
what the harlot church is presently doing. That is why God has the hottest
place in Hell reserved for pastors and teachers who preach a false gospel,
leading many unto a slippery slide into Hell. God says in Jam 3:1, “My
brethren be not many masters (or Bible teachers), knowing that we shall receive
the greater condemnation”. The merchants of the earth are merchandizing the
souls of men. We have seen in Rev 13:17
that the only ones who are buying and selling during the FTP are those who bear
the mark of the beast. We have also seen that those who bought and sold in the
temple were those whom Jesus called a den of thieves. They were called thieves
because what they sold should have been given free of charge, or not given at
all, for many are in the business of deceit. The charismatic movement is even
greater business today than that of the TV evangelists. The unsaved are
peddling the souls of men. Those who come with false gospels for personal gain
are effectively selling the souls of men to Satan. We read in the following
verses,
Re 18:14 And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are
departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed
from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all.
Re 18:15-16
The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand
afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, And saying, Alas, alas, that great city,
that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold,
and precious stones, and pearls!
Re 18:17-18
For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster,
and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood
afar off, And cried when they saw the smoke of her
burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city!
Re 18:19-20
And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing,
saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships
in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate. Rejoice over her, thou
heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on
her.
Re 18:21 And a mighty angel took up a stone like a
great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence
shall that great city Babylon be
thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.
Re 18:22 And
the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be
heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be,
shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no
more at all in thee;
Re 18:23-24
And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the
voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee:
for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were
all nations deceived. And
in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were
slain upon the earth.
- A stone
like a great millstone (Rev
18:21-24, Jer 51:61-64)
Re 18:21 And a mighty angel took up a stone like a
great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying,
Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon
be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.
This very heavy stone was cast into the sea, representing Babylon
which must be cast into Hell. 2000 years ago it was Christ, who often is
pictured as a rock or a stone, and who had to endure Hell for those He came to
save. But now it is Babylon who
must endure Hell for her own sins. Let us find out if this is really the
metaphor used by God in this passage of Rev
18:21? We find a similar passage in Jer 51:61-64. Please
turn to the Prophecy of Jeremiah, Jer 51:61 (2X). Jeremiah was never
taken as a captive to Babylon, but Jeremiah
instructed one of the princes, named Seraiah, who went to Babylon
with king Zedekiah in the fourth year of his reign. And then we read in Jer
51:61,
Jer 51:61-62
And Jeremiah said to Seraiah, When thou comest to Babylon, and shalt
see, and shalt read all these words; Then
shalt thou say, O LORD, thou hast spoken against this place, to cut it off,
that none shall remain in it, neither man nor beast, but that it shall be
desolate for ever.
Jer 51:63 And
it shall be, when thou hast made an end of reading this book, that thou
shalt bind a stone to it, and cast it into the midst of Euphrates:
Jer 51:64 And
thou shalt say, Thus shall Babylon
sink, and shall not rise from the evil that I will bring upon her: and they
shall be weary. Thus far are the words of Jeremiah.
Here we see that the Word of God is bound to the stone that is
cast into the River Euphrates. The Word of God represents Christ, and the River
Euphrates represents Hell. The implication is that Christ, by enduring Hell for
the sins of His people, has established the principle that all sinners must
suffer the wrath of God in Hell. Please turn again to Rev 18:22 (2X). And there we read, “the
sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee”. It means that
the sound of the Lord as the Word of God shall not be heard any more in the
harlot church, Babylon. The Word of
the Lord shall not be preached at all in the harlot church. “The light of a
candle shall shine no more at all in thee”, indicates that the church as
the appointed light of the world shall not let her light shine any more. The
voice of the Bridegroom, which is the voice of Christ, and the voice of the
Bride, which is the voice of the faithful in the church, shall not be heard any
more in the harlot church. And then God says, “For thy merchants were the
great men of the earth”. Man was created to glorify God. But instead he
worships the idols of his own liking. These are impotent idols that cannot
save. “For by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.” Through the
sorceries of the Charismatic Movement all nations were deceived into believing
that God indeed is bringing Divine messages today. But they have not read the
Bible, for the Bible clearly says in Rev
22:18-19 that God’s messages ceased when the last page
of the Bible was written. And then we read in Rev
18:24, “And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of
saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.” Satan was a murderer
from the beginning. All throughout time he and his servants, the unsaved of the
world, have persecuted and martyred the followers of Christ. “Rejoice over her,
thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath
avenged you on her.” AMEN.
Let us turn to the Lord in prayer.