The Soon Coming Crisis

The CrisisREVELATION 18:11-19 (KING JAMES VERSION) 11And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:12The 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,13And 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.14And 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.15The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,16And 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!17For 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,18And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city!19And 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.The Warning (Isa 52:11 NIV) Depart, depart, go out from there! Touch no unclean thing! Come out from it and be pure, you who carry the vessels of the LORD.(Rev 18:4-5 NIV) Then I heard another voice from heaven say: "COME OUT OF HER, MY PEOPLE, SO THAT YOU WILL NOT SHARE IN HER SINS, so that you will not receive any of her plagues; {5} for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes.THE AGENTS OF THE CRIME Rev 17:18 The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth." Firstly, we must understand what Babylon means before we can come out of her. Babylon in Revelation is not a place, otherwise it would be an easy matter to come out of Babylon. In Revelation her rule is worldwide, her reign is over peoples, multitudes, nations and languages (17:15), she rules over the king's of the earth (17:18). She is to be contrasted with that other city in Revelation the New Jerusalem, compare Rev 17:1 with Rev 21:9-10. The first is called the great prostitute, the other is the bride the wife of the Lamb. She is an earthly counterfeit of that heavenly city, she is covered in precious jewels, pearls and gold, as is also the New Jerusalem. She is the earthly copy of God's heavenly society, which is His church. She is the world, that is, human society organised independently and in defiance of God. As the great prostitute, Babylon seduces and tempts men away from God. Let us examine in more detail, the characteristics of Babylon, the prostitute. Her mugshot and identifying marks * All the kings of the earth committed adultery with her (Rev 17:2). * The inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries 17:2 * She hold's out a gold cup but it is full of with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries. 17:4 * She had great wealth Rev 17:4 and splendour 18:14 * She persecuted the saints 17:6, 18:24 * She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird. 18:2 * She indulged in excessive luxury 18:3 all the goods the merchants deal in are luxuries 18:12 * She gave herself glory 18:7, she boasts 18:7 * She is a source of temptation 18:21 (millstone cf. Luke 17:2) * She is associated with culture eg. music 18:22 * She derived her wealth from trade 18:23 * Those who trade with her became rich 18:15, 19 * She had great power 18:10 * She leads all the nations astray 18:23. * She corrupted the world by her adulteries 19:2 * She will come to ruin 18:8 * The world will mourn her destruction18:9 * Those in heaven, the saints and apostles and prophets will rejoice at her destruction 18:20 Historically, she has been identified with the Rome of the Roman Empire or the Roman Catholic church at the height of its wealth and power. Both enjoyed great power, great wealth and luxury, both covered a large geographical area and both persecuted Christians. There is some truth to both of these views, but these are just historic manifestations of Babylon. Her first appearance in scripture was in Babel (Gen 11:1-9). In Revelation she is contrasted to the church or God's people, the Bride. She persecutes God's people, she has great wealth and power and tempts people away from God, she corrupts the world. She is the enemy of God's people. The tools of deception Babylon is used to corrupt the world in old times are the same use to destroy God's people today. Those who will here His voice will eventually come out from Babylon totally. Revelation 12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. Dragon =Satan and his forces. Woman = The church. Remnant= the remainder who keep the commandment ( ALL 10) and TESTIFY OF Jesus, no other "prophet, bishop or swami. None but the Son Of The Living God.