An
“angel”
from heaven showed John the apostle many things which will occur in
the tribulation time on the earth, and John wrote,
“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. And I heard another voice from heaven,
saying, Come out of her, my people, that you be not partakers of her
sins, and that you receive not of her plagues. Reward her even as she
rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in
the cup which she has filled fill to her double. How much she has
glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow
give her: for she says in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow,
and shall see no sorrow. 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 judges her. 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
your judgment come. And the merchants of the earth shall weep and
mourn over her; for no man buys 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
odors, 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. And the fruits that your soul lusted
after are departed from you, and all things which were dainty and
goodly are departed from you, and you shall find them no more at
all.”
In chapter eighteen and verse fifteen of Revelation we see the
“merchants
of these things”
“weeping and wailing” over
the
city of “Babylon”
where
we read:
The
merchants of these things, which were made rich by her,
The
verse reads, “The
merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, ...”
John began with the words, “the
merchants”
which means “the wholesale tradesmen” “of
these things”
or “of the wares of Babylon” “which
were made rich”
which means “who had abundance of outward possession and were
affluent in resources” “by
her”
or “through Babylon”. The “voice from heaven” referred to the
“tradesmen” who were made wealthy by the city of “Babylon”.
The
verse continues, “...
shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and
wailing,”
John added the words “shall
stand”
which means “will be set, placed, fixed and established” “afar
off” or
“from a distance far away” “for
the fear” or
“because of the dread, terror and being exceedingly afraid”
“of her torment”
which means “of the torture within Babylon”, “weeping”
which means “mourning, lamenting and bewailing as for the dead”
“and
wailing”
or “grieving”. John saw how the “rich merchants”
in Babylon were “standing,
wailing and grieving” as they stood a great distance away from the
city because of the “torture” she endured.
When
we consider John's words in this verse, we see how the loss of
temporary riches caused these “merchants”
to “weep, wail, grieve and lament”. Jesus said, “Lay
not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust
corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal, But lay up for
yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust corrupt,
and where thieves do not break through nor steal. For where your
treasure is, there will your heart be also.” These
men did not follow Jesus' words and were greatly upset when they lost
their wares and way of making them. God desires to give “everlasting
treasure” to those who will submit to His Son Jesus and ask Him
into their lives to be “Savior and Lord”. The “merchants”
of Babylon did not follow His words, and prayerfully everyone who
reads these words will submit their “hearts”
to Jesus Christ today.
Next
time
we learn how “the
merchants” will
say “alas, alas, that great city”
of these things”,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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