A Daily Walk

John Randall: Things go from bad to worse on this earth after the rapture takes place. You talk about a frightening place of absolute unprecedented evil, that's what will be upon the earth when the church is removed.

There will be no preserving influence any longer. There is nothing holding back the tide of evil like we see at the present time. You think it's bad now, you look in every direction of this world and you can see things unfolding. Listen, it's nothing compared to what's coming once the church is taken, once the ambassadors of Christ are called home. It's serious. It's time to get serious about your relationship with Jesus Christ. This is a warning of things that are to come in the future, friend.

We're told in Revelation that commercial Babylon, an economic system and political structure, will be destroyed. Who is it? Stay tuned for an enlightening study in the word on A Daily Walk. The world calls out to us with its amusements and attractions, and it is powerful, so we must be on our guard. It's our tendency to fall for the unceasing advertising campaign of the world and before long, we're loaded down with its trinkets. Wouldn't you like to know how to not get taken in by it? We'll point the way today on A Daily Walk. Here is Pastor John Randall in Revelation 18.

If you'd open with me now to the book of Revelation, chapter 18. We have been traveling together through this book of Revelation, finding ourselves today in the 18th chapter, with a message entitled, "When Kingdoms Fall." And beginning in verse 1 of Revelation chapter 18, if you'd follow along with me,

"After these things, I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory. And he cried mightily with a loud voice saying, 'Babylon the Great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird. For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her. The merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury.' And I heard another voice from heaven saying, 'Come out from her, my people, lest you share in her sins and lest you receive of her plagues.'"

When you observe the volatility in the world at this moment, it's really not difficult to imagine a continued gradual decline that will lead to a coming collapse. Throughout man's history, there have always been nations, empires, political powers at war with one another. There have been civil wars, tribal conflicts, world wars, in a struggle to either gain or maintain power and control.

The Bible tells us that one day all the kingdoms of man will come to an end, and that the only kingdom that will remain will be the Kingdom of God. Yet until the Lord establishes His kingdom on the earth, man will continue in his quest for dominion and power.

But the book of Revelation prophetically unfolds a day that is coming when the long-suffering of God will be replaced by the judgment of God. For once the Lord comes for His church within the rapture, the world will enter into a seven-year tribulation period. And at that time, there will be an obvious need for the remaining nations and peoples of the world to come together and form a union of nations for the purpose of survival.

In order to bring this about, there will be a one-world religious system, as well as a one-world political government. And if you are unaware of it, many of the world's leaders have been and are currently talking about and longing for this kind of political structure, and they often refer to it as the new world order. The book of Daniel prophesied concerning it by saying that there will be a revived Roman Empire, which will consist of a ten-nation confederacy led by the Antichrist, who will reign upon the earth during the tribulation for a brief period of time.

And the world will be subject to his governing authority. However, this political structure with its global impact, this new world order that will come, will be short-lived for on the heels of its success, the Bible says the return of the Savior will come to establish His kingdom upon the earth, and He shall reign forever and ever.

But last week, we looked at how Revelation chapter 17 and 18 are linked together. It was in chapter 17 where we witnessed the destruction of this one-world religious system that will permeate the earth during the Great Tribulation period. And this religious system will be uniquely tied to the political system. But once the religious system has served its purpose of furthering the political agenda, it will be dismantled, it will be destroyed.

And in chapter 18 this morning, we will observe the destruction of this one-world political, economic, commercial system that will be upon the earth. Throughout the Bible, the Lord has warned of this coming destruction that the Apostle John sees here in the future. For example, in the book of Psalm chapter 9, it says in verse 7, "But the Lord shall endure forever." "He has prepared His throne for judgment. He shall judge the world in righteousness and He shall administer judgment for the peoples in uprightness."

In Psalm 96, this time the Psalmist declared, "For He is coming and He is coming to judge the earth, and He shall judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with His truth." Even in the New Testament, we find an expectation of this day of judgment that will come. In Acts chapter 17, it says, "Truly these times of ignorance, God has overlooked, but now He commands everywhere all men to repent because He has appointed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this by raising Him from the dead."

These warnings, not only given in the Old Testament, in prophecy, and in the gospels of the New Testament and the epistles, but also in the book of Revelation itself, we have seen these warnings consistently throughout our study together. Through the ministry of the 144,000, these evangelists, they will be proclaiming that this day is coming, and people need to turn and repent. There are two powerful witnesses that will come onto the scene during the tribulation period, also warning of this coming judgment. We read of an angel that will be flying to and fro throughout the earth, also declaring these warnings.

In light of these prophetic passages, we begin chapter 18 by considering, first of all, the proclamation of the fall of Babylon. In verse 1, "After these things, I saw another angel coming down from heaven with great authority and the earth was illuminated with His glory, and He cried mightily with a loud voice saying, 'Babylon is fallen.'" It's fallen.

When John uses the words "after these things," it's a phrase that is repeated throughout the book of Revelation, and it informs us that John is now seeing another vision. And within this vision, another or a different angel. And he gives us a brief but informative description of this heavenly messenger. For he tells us that he comes down from heaven, that is he comes from the presence of God. He has great authority, and the earth is illuminated with His glory.

Like so many of the other angelic messengers that we have observed in our study of Revelation, this angel has a powerful message to proclaim. And his message is of a coming destruction of the kingdom of the Antichrist, which is referred to here as Babylon, or Babylon the Great. It's the biblical name for the political, commercial, economic, one-world government under the leadership of the Antichrist. It's referred to as Babylon the Great. It represents the world system of the Beast.

John also refers to Babylon in Revelation as an actual city at least eight times. So the question that is often asked has to do with the location, where will this Babylon the Great be located? Where will the capital city be? Is this speaking of the actual literal city of Babylon that will be rebuilt and thus becomes the capital of the religious and political structure? That's one opinion. Others say, is it the literal city of ancient Babylon revived and rebuilt or is it located in Rome?

And the reason why they suggest it's located in Rome is because of the seven hills that John talks about. And if you like, you can do all of the research, and you can read the arguments and the presentations and connect the dots. And I will say, it is a rather fascinating study. But here's what you can take for sure, regardless of its geographical location, it will have global impact, and it will serve as the symbol of the former Babylon in its idolatry, in its power, in its rebellion against God.

And for me, I'm not so concerned about the location of coming Babylon, but I am interested in the Bible's prediction of its ultimate destruction, and that is what the angel declares here. Not only does John hear the announcement of the Antichrist kingdom about to fall, but the results of its falling and the reason for its falling are also mentioned.

He tells us of a frightening description as Babylon begins to fall, it says, "Babylon the Great is fallen," verse 2, "is fallen." And notice what it becomes. It becomes the dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird. That's a frightening place, a dwelling place of demons. It was back in Revelation chapter 9 where we read of the formerly bound demonic spirits being released at the sound of the sixth trumpet, Revelation chapter 9, in verse 13 through 16.

And there along with those demons that will be released, there will be those from the abyss that will come out who have been incarcerated with the sound of the fifth trumpet. Then there are those that were cast from the heavenly realm with Satan, Revelation chapter 12. And here's the thing, guess where they all land? They all land in this capital city amidst this political structure of the Antichrist. That's where they all will be confined to. Demonic principalities, wicked, evil, spiritual powers who are behind the deception and destruction of the masses, convincing them to be a part of this political and economic system of the Antichrist, and this becomes the temporary holding place of these demonic hordes.

You talk about a frightening place of absolute unprecedented evil, that's what will be upon the earth when the church is removed. There will be no preserving influence any longer. There is nothing holding back the tide of evil like we see at the present time. You think it's bad now, you look in every direction of this world and you can see things unfolding. Listen, it's nothing compared to what's coming once the church is taken, once the ambassadors of Christ are called home. It's serious. It's time to get serious about your relationship with Jesus Christ. This is a warning of things that are to come in the future, friend. You need to be aware of it. You need to be concerned about it. It should concern you. It should startle you. You say, "Are you trying to scare us?" No, I'm just reading to you what the Bible says. And it's scary.

But there is a way of escape that comes through Jesus Christ. John hears the reason why does this political structure fall? He tells us in verse 3, because all the nations, all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. The kings of the earth, that is the leadership of the earth, have committed fornication with her. The merchants of the earth have become rich through her abundance.

You see, folks, the nations of the world will become intoxicated with this political system. They will drink, as it were, the poisonous wine of the political system. They will enter into perverse political relations, and they will suffer the judgment of participation within it. And this is something that I believe we need to be careful of even today. It is easy to be enticed by the temptations of this temporary world. The world system is so pervasive and so alluring that it can be difficult to stand and to resist amidst the pressure. It's easy to be drawn in and to take the bait, but it leads to destruction.

Following this first announcement of the angel of coming destruction, the Apostle John hears a second announcement, which is a call to separation. Look at verse 4. "And I heard another voice from heaven saying, 'Come out from her, my people, lest you share in her sins, lest you receive of her plagues. For her sins have reached to heaven and God hath remembered her iniquities.'"

The sins of the political and commercial Babylon, this Antichrist regime, reach an all-time high during the tribulation period. Because it says they actually reached the heavens. It's an interesting word that is used here for "reached." It's a word that means "glued" or "welded together." And the picture that it presents is that the sins of this system have piled up one on top of another like bricks on top of a building, reaching up toward the heavens. Reminds us of Babylon of old in that tower that was built there in the book of Genesis.

And there will be plenty of people who will gladly be part of this building process of sin in Babylon the Great. But in light of the fact that it's about to crumble and be destroyed and come to nothing, there is a warning given from heaven, and the warning is directed toward my people. And the Lord says, "Come out. Come out from her." Escape. Be separate. Don't partake in that sin.

Now, the words "my people" could be referring to the tribulation saints, who were not Christians at the time of the rapture, they missed it, but they came to faith in Christ during the tribulation. And they've given their lives to Christ, and it's difficult to know what they would be doing in the political capital city, but it's a possibility. The Lord's saying, "You need to escape." Others suggest that it's referring to the Jewish people, which by the way, part of the tribulation period, the purpose of it is to bring the Jewish people back to their Messiah.

But now that the commercial and political structure is falling, it's toppling, it's coming to nothing, they need to get out of there. They need to be separate from it. Needless to say, this is a warning that if they don't get out, then they will share in the sins and the consequences and the judgment that will befall this coming Babylon.

But I'll tell you something, folks, I believe that this application, this cry of warning has an application even to us today. This call to God's people to come out of the world is mentioned throughout the scriptures. In every age of the church, the Lord has called to men to come out of sin. To be free from it, lest they suffer the consequences that follow it. The call to depart from Babylon and the worldliness that it represents is a theme repeated throughout both Old and New Testament.

You remember it was there in Genesis chapter 19 when the Lord spared Lot, who was the nephew of Abraham. He was there in Sodom and Gomorrah, and Abraham prayed for Lot to be delivered. And the grace of God was shown to Lot. He came out before judgment came down. He separated himself before he suffered the consequences. I think of what the Lord said through His prophet Isaiah, in Isaiah chapter 52, when He said, "Depart, depart, go out from there, touch no unclean thing, go out from her, be clean who bear the vessels of the Lord." The prophet Jeremiah said in Jeremiah chapter 50, "Flee from the midst of Babylon. Everyone save his life." Jeremiah 51:45, "My people, go out of the midst of her, lest everyone deliver himself from this fierce anger of the Lord."

Paul said in 2 Corinthians chapter 6, "Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers, for what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness?" Ephesians chapter 5, Paul said, "Have no fellowship with unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them." And finally, in Romans chapter 12, Paul said, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is good and the acceptable, perfect will of God." God is saying to the church today, "You need to come out." You've grown comfortable inside. You need to come out. You need to be separate.

If we look more like the world than the world, there's a problem with the church of Jesus Christ. And God is using the present circumstances. If you wonder what's going on in the world right now, why are these things happening the way that they are? How come this took place, and why didn't we get this victory? And what is this deal? What is? I'll tell you why, because God is using this to shake the church to its core. To get back to Christ.

Political powers are failing. Leadership is failing. The economic system failing. The world crumbling. But God remains the same. He is steadfast, and listen, He's calling you to come out and be separate. It's time to come out. It's time to come out.

But I will say that there are some who haven't decided to come out or at least all the way out. You're trying to live a double life. And the Lord is saying, "Come out." You say that you're a Christian, but your life denies it. You say you believe the Bible, but you refuse to live according to it. But God loves you so much that He is gracious and long-suffering. And He's saying, "Don't participate and share in those sins any longer. Come out." And before our time is over here today, I'm going to give you a chance to come out and receive Christ as your Savior. You be thinking about that this morning.

But the circumstances in this world clearly unprecedented, and yet so many, even today, they don't see it. Do you ever feel, Christian, like you're living in a different universe? An alternate universe? Do people not seeing this? And it's true. There are people who are being misled, willfully ignorant of the signs of the times that are all around us, but the Lord is calling us out. To come out of hypocrisy, to be what He's called us to be.

As the chapter continues, we discover the reason for Babylon's destruction. Notice what it says here. "Render to her," verse 6, "just as she rendered to you. And repay her double according to her works. In the cup which she has mixed, mixed double for her. In the measure that, notice this, glorified herself, lived luxuriously, in that same measure give her torment and sorrow. For she says in her heart, 'I sit as a queen, I'm no widow and will not see sorrow.' Therefore her plagues will come in one day, death, mourning, and famine, and she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her."

Several reasons listed for this coming decline and destruction of the Antichrist kingdom. For one thing, she will reap what she has sown. She has rendered out and now she will reap the consequences. There is a principle, folks, in the Bible that says you reap what you sow. If you sow to the flesh, you will reap corruption. If you sow to sin, you'll reap the consequences that follow. But the opposite is also true. If you sow to the spirit, if you sow to the things of God, you'll reap the benefits of that as well.

You reap what you sow. Maybe today you're reaping what you sow. You think, "Why is my life the way that it is?" Let me ask you this question, what have you been sowing to? What have you been pouring into your life? Is it godly or is it ungodly? Is it sinful or is it righteous?

Something to think about as we close. What have you been sowing to? This is A Daily Walk, and Pastor John Randall has been covering Revelation chapter 18 in his message titled, No More Politics. You can listen to today's message from Revelation again or catch up on what you may have missed at ADailyWalk.org or OnePlace.com. And you can hear Pastor John's messages shortly after they're delivered by getting our app. It's free. Just do a search for Calvary South OC to download our app and start listening to the latest teachings from Pastor John.

Pastor John, by the way, records encouraging video daily devotionals. They're accessible at ADailyWalk.org. Start the day with Pastor John, a cup of coffee, and your Bible. Our offer to you throughout the month of August is Ensnared by Jack Marino Chen, astrology, crystals, tarot, witchcraft. They promise spiritual power and peace, but behind the appeal is darkness and a snare only Jesus can overcome. As you read Ensnared, you'll come to understand the basics of New Age and occult teachings and see what really happens behind closed doors. Learn how to identify the demonic elements behind practices involving numerology, alien contact, witchcraft, and more.

Discover how to compare popular spiritual claims with the truth of the Bible, and learn how to speak with compassion to loved ones caught up in deception. You can get a copy from us at A Daily Walk for the cost of just $12. We can take your request at 877-242-0828, or if you'd rather visit our e-store, it's at ADailyWalk.org. That's 877-242-0828 and at ADailyWalk.org. And if you could include a little extra, that would be a huge help as we are listener-supported. No gift is too small for God to use in great ways. Again, donating online is super easy at ADailyWalk.org. We'll continue our through the Bible study next time on A Daily Walk with Pastor John Randall. May God richly bless you and strengthen you in your daily walk.

This program is made possible through your generosity and brought to you by Calvary South OC.