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| Earl Gillespie |
A Study of The Book of Revelation
Chapter 18
The merchandising of salvation will be nothing new in the final
disposition of things. This damnable
system first exposed itself in the relationship between Cain and Abel, and it
came into full fruition with the builders of the tower of Babel.
The Babylonians were guilty of attempting to build a marketable pathway
to heaven, thus the name Babylon became a metaphor for this type of practice in our study today. Building a marketable pathway to heaven might seems a little far-fetched on the
surface, but take a closer look at the practices of some of our esteemed
Religious leaders. The operative word is, “plant a seed and watch it grow.” This
verse, Mark 4:26 And he said, So is the
kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; along with many other related verses have been
perverted to build a system where the Word of God is sold. In todays society even a simple request for
prayer is a saleable asset.
In Revelation 18, God is bringing this damnable system of
merchandising Christianity to a close.
Babylon, a metaphor symbolizing this type of system was guilty of
promising what she could not deliver. She had
written checks in the name of God Almighty and her checks and promises had been dishonored. Those that once bought her wares began to see
through her fakery and her destruction became imminent. I urge you to open your eyes and ears as you study this chapter of Revelation, what we learn might be surprising.
Verses 11-13: “And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn
over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more: 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, 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.”
The merchants of the earth sorrow over the destruction of Babylon, not
because of their love for the system, but because of the promises she made and
the trade they had with the system. This gigantic system brought much wealth to
the merchants of the earth, and now the source of their wealth is destroyed.
Notice the varied character of the merchandise: The products named signify and
symbolizes that it is a world-wide system.
The fact that she trades in these many commodities signifies that she
has great influence over commercial Babylon as well as the civil setup of the
day. She attracts to herself the world’s riches. Think of the gigantic setup of
this great combination of secular and religious trading in the different
commodities named, even to the souls of men.
The various articles named here
are listed under seven divisions:
1. Valuables and ornaments such as gold, silver, diamonds, rubies,
pearls . . . all kinds of precious stones.
2. Costly wearing apparel. Fine linen is named, with purple, silk and
scarlet. One need not stretch the imagination to point out that certain
religions outstanding in our day and growing like wildfire in America deal in
these commodities . . . Scarlet, purple, linen, all kinds of religious garb!
3. Furniture is named . . . Vessels and different pieces of furniture
manufactured from precious wood, ivory and precious metals. Churches today are
more and more becoming places of furniture, ornaments, etc.
4. Rich odors are named . . . Ointments of all kinds, frankincense,
cinnamon.
5. Items that make for luxurious living are named. . . Fine meat,
sheep, beasts of all kinds, wheat, flour, oil, wine, intoxicating drinks. More
and more religions are eating and drinking today. That is no secret.
6. Horses and chariots are named.
(Fine modes of transportation)
7. The last commodity named is “the souls of men.” Certainly today
religion is making merchandise of the souls of men.
Religions that sell the right to Heaven are growing in numbers by the
thousands, religions that teach that you
can live like you please, do anything you want to do, come to church at the
appointed time, make an offering, confess your sin and then go right back and
commit the same sin over and over and over again. That is making merchandise of
the souls of men. Religious leaders accepting money to pray for and intercede
in behalf of wicked sinners is nothing short of merchandising in souls. This is
the age of big business, big politics, big religion. As prophesied in God’s holy Word, in the very
end of time there will be a world government and a world church. All other
aspects of life will head up under these two main world powers.
Verses 14-17: “And the fruits that thy soul lusteth 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. 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! 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.”
The weeping of the merchants is interrupted by an episode given to us
in verse 14, but the mournful strain continues in verse 15 . . . the complete
and entire ruin of the merchandise of Babylon. The merchandise and commodities
that bound to her both king and peasant having been destroyed, now leave her
wrecked. Her resources are gone. She is utterly and entirely despoiled of her
former means of self-indulgence. Her source of enjoyment is gone - in fact, all
that ministered to her haughtiness and pride is cut down. Everything essential
to her existence has perished and it all came with one sudden blow from the
hand of divine judgment.
In verse 14 she is directly addressed from Heaven above: “And the
fruits that thy soul lusteth 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!” Heaven is here announcing to
this woman that her playhouse is wrecked forever, and she is down, never to
rise again.
In verse 15 we see the merchants standing afar off, crying out,
bewailing the fact that the riches they enjoyed are taken away. Their testimony is recorded in verses 16 and
17: “Alas, alas that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple,
and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones and pearls! FOR IN ONE HOUR SO GREAT RICHES IS COME TO NOUGHT.
Verse 18: “And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying,
What city is like unto this great city!” And then the whole company goes into a
spasm. Note the descriptive language of verse 19: “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.” The merchants express their
lamentation in words similar to those of the kings as recorded in verse 10.
However, there is one difference: The kings, in their lamentation, cried out,
“In one hour is thy judgment come.” But the merchants cry out, “In one hour so
great riches is come to nought.” The merchants are thinking only of the gain
they derived from the systems of religion set forth by this terrible woman. The Lord Jesus told us when He was on earth,
“Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Paul added, “The love
of money is the root of all evil.”
Verse 20: “Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and
prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.”
We have heard the voice from Heaven, first in verse 4 and now in verse
20. In this latter case Heaven is called upon to rejoice and be exceedingly
glad. Note the difference: On earth there is lamentation, weeping, moaning,
groaning; but in Heaven, there is rejoicing and praise. All Heaven unites in
the song of victory and triumph. There are three classes pointed out in Heaven:
1. “Thou heaven.” I believe this to mean all the angels, cherubim and
heavenly creatures.
2. The holy apostles.
3. Prophets.
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.
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;
23. 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.
24. And in her was found the Blood of prophets, and of saints, and of
all that were slain upon the earth.
I trust you will study carefully Jeremiah chapter 51 and Revelation 18
together. In Jeremiah 51 we have a similar dramatic description of the
overthrow of Babylon; however, here an angel of might is the great destroyer.
Both the literal and the mystical cities are to be utterly destroyed by
violence. In verse 21 we read, “And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great
millstone.” I believe this is the same angel referred to in Revelation 10:1. I
believe it is none other than the Lord Jesus in angelic form. The stone is cast
down with terrible violence into the sea, signifying that thus will Babylon be
utterly and totally destroyed, never to rise again. Such destruction Sodom and
Gomorrah suffered in the days of old - no trace of those two cities has ever been
found. They were totally destroyed, and Babylon will suffer the same fate.
In verse 22 we learn that the musicians will play no more in Babylon.
The voice of harpers, trumpeters and pipers will be heard no more. No craftsmen
will be there. All industries, all music, will be utterly crushed and destroyed.
In verse 23 we learn that the light of the candle will shine no more.
The voice of the bridegroom will be heard no more in Babylon. The merchants of
the earth and the great men were deceived through the sorceries of Babylon. All
the nations were deceived. And when the last check will be made, according to
verse 24, much blood will be found . . . the Blood of prophets, the Blood of
saints, and the Blood of all that were slain upon the earth. (The last statement
refers to the terrible, bloody slaughter during the height of the reign of
Babylon - both civil and religious.) How
complete the destruction! Babylon is left joyless in utter darkness and total
silence. She stands out as a giant monument of the vengeance of Almighty God.
All species of wickedness and ungodliness had sat enthroned in the midst of
that great city which religiously bore the name of Jesus Christ; but at last
when she has filled her cup to the brim, God rises in His fierce anger to perform
His strange work. His indignation burns. His vengeance is poured out upon
Babylon. The great city falls, never to rise again.
As we look around us today it seems that wickedness is winning the
victory. Ungodliness is growing on every hand. Unrighteousness is flourishing.
The wicked are flourishing, but they shall soon be cut
down. They shall wither as the grass.
The day of the vengeance of Almighty God is just ahead of us. The righteous
will win in the end. If God be for us, who can be against us? The meek shall inherit the earth because the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness
thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.
God did not create this earth to be inhabited by demons. God created
this earth to be inhabited by the meek, and one glorious day righteousness and
the knowledge of the Lord will cover the earth as the waters now cover the sea.
There will be no Babylon, no harlot, no bloody Beast, no Antichrist, no devil
on earth. They will all be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone
(Revelation 20:10).
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