Faith Baptist Church
4258 Botetourt Road
Fincastle, Virginia 24090
(540) 473-2325
In our last lesson covering verses 4-8 we noted that the saints of the tribulation were warned to separate from the sins of the earth or else God’s wrath would visit them as well. We spoke concerning today’s Christian. That even though we have a responsibility to the world, we have a greater responsibility to heaven. If we entangle ourselves with the materialism and human good philosophy of mankind we will find ourselves at odds with God. We have spoken on several occasions regarding liberation theology which puts the emphasis on social justice and poverty and saving the planet, not on saving souls and obeying God’s word. It is through liberation theology that the Roman Catholic Church is seeking an entrance into and acceptance into Protestant denominations and organizations.
We noted that often times when God allows something bad to happen to us or someone else, especially if that someone else is a loved one that people say God doesn’t care; that when a disaster strikes a family or community or nation that God doesn’t care. This is precisely what Satan wants us to think; that God doesn’t care. Then we turn within ourselves as a people and we exalt our human goodness, our human righteousness, and we dare to compare ourselves to the righteousness of God. Only God has all the answers to why sorrowful things happen at times, and as sinners we dare to charge God with carelessness and folly. He has already been to the end of time. He has already seen all that will ever be. As I have said before he attended your birth and your funeral in eternity past. He is omniscient [all knowing - omnipresent, everywhere at once, not in nature, but in person, he is omnipotent, he is all powerful and he is able to console the most broken of hearts.
Sin has lead to the earth’s demise, and to mankind’s sorrows.
Earth pulls us downward, and heaven pulls us upward. And until we make a conscious effort to acknowledge our condition as lost sinners and receive Christ as Savior we will be pulled down by the world. As believers until we let go of the dictates of the world and the inner selfishness of the soul we too will go down with the world. We will never be lifted to heights of joy and purpose apart from a growing faith in Christ Jesus, Prov.3:13-18 read.
During the seven year tribulation period the apostate Christian church will pay for her wickedness and her counterfeit claim to the earth and God’s people.
Rev.18:8- says her plagues will come in one day. Death mourning and famine will come. These are the opposite of the life, laughter and fullness which she has experienced from the world.
The city of seven hills which represents mystery Babylon and the harlot church that sets in her midst will burn to the ground by the hand of God.
The financial institutions which have benefited from her will collapse. The wealth the Antichrist thinks is his will dissolve like an Alka-Seltzer in a glass of water. Like dominoes the economies of the world will go down. As Adrian Rogers said in his book, Unveiling The End Times in Our Time, “The after effects will make the Great Depression seem like a Sunday School picnic.” p.203
18:9 The world economies which today use wealth for the most vile of pleasures will soon fall and when the money goes so goes the power of the leaders of the world. During the tribulation period there will be no godly men or women leading in any government position as these will all be ruptured with the church, and the folks who receive Christ in the tribulation period will be considered the filth of the world, as were the early church believers. They will hold no power in the world in that time.
The angel says to the Apostle John the world rulers will weep over their losses and they will wail. This word wail is a [ Fut.Middle Indicative verb] from kopto, an old verb meaning to beat, and cut oneself. Apparently a lot of suicides will stem from people loosing everything dear to them. They will not mourn over seeing God’s people tortured and beaten; no, as Rev.11:10 says they will make merry; that is they will have a big party when God’s servants are killed in the streets. People strictly of this world place a higher value on things and pleasure than those folks who have received Christ.
Today we put more emphasis on the price of an object than we do on the price of a soul. Many a soul has met an untimely death because some folks have put a price on something they wanted from them, or the life of a child meant less than a career or their wants. When the things of this world are gone some just can’t go on living. What a shame. This is all a part of the Babylonian system. It is a system of me first in all things both from a religious, political and materialistic standpoint. It sucks us in with empty promises and after its sucks us dry it spits us out.
Rev.18:10-19
The stock markets all over the world will crash and all the goods mentioned here will have no value. All the trappings of men and the gadgets we think we so desperately have to have will be worthless. Factories will shut down, workers will stop working, and the dream of having it all will go up like a puff of smoke.
Folks I am telling you, the book of Revelation is not presenting simply a symbolism of hard times that people endure in life. Nor is this book of Revelation supporting socialism or even communism. It is presenting a definite time in the not to distant future when the world will have to account for its transgressions. I believe the world is quickly headed toward the tribulation period. I pray that you are saved and you will not have to live in those most dreaded of days.
Why do you suppose the merchants of the world morn over this Babylonian system? Do they love her? Of course they don’t. But the Babylonian system, man’s system of independence from God, a system of good works, a system of materialism and human power, this system supplies the means for power and pleasure, and when that is taken away the lost have no hope since they have chosen to turn from God. Where does your hope lie today? Is it in Jesus Christ or is it in this world.
Looking at the (28) articles of trade found in vs.12-13 this passage lists an international trade, even down to the selling of slaves and the souls of men. Men will do whatever they are told for fame and fortune. Some men will turn over their souls to strike it rich. They will say all manner of filth in the movies and they will do despicable acts to get a laugh. From a religious standpoint some folks have sold their souls to religions idealism and they will slay their own family members if these members convert to Jesus Christ. During the tribulation period the world will be much worse off than it is now.
The 7 year tribulation period is a real time period, not a figurative time period. The world is not going to be saved for Jesus Christ, not in this dispensation any way. This is not an excuse for us to stop witnessing in the name of Christ, but the Bible is very clear that in the last days before the Church is raptured to heaven; “This know also that in the last days perilous time shall come. For men will be lovers of themselves, covenant breakers, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady , high-minded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God, Having a form of godliness, but denying the power of it; from such turn away.” II Tim.3:1-5.
We have this grand idea that we can create a wonderful clean world and then invite Christ back to claim it. This is not what the Bible teaches at all. This world is hopeless apart from the intervention of our Lord, and so are our lives. Until Christ binds Satan in the bottomless pit we are mostly fodder to him and it is only by the grace of God that any of us believers are still alive. If Satan had his way all those who follow Christ would be killed.
The only reason to try to interpret the book of Revelation to say a literal seven year tribulation period is not going to occur and that Jesus Christ is not going to literally come back to the earth to establish his one thousand year reign would be to make us look like we can fix the problem of sin ourselves and that we can save the world alone. It would only be that we would find a more human friendly interpretation which would put us in a more favorable light than which the word of God puts us.