This transcript was generated by whisper.ai.

This is day five of our look through Revelation 18, and we've walked together
through four voices this week of God's perspective on Babylon, God's perspective
on our prideful, selfish system of life. We've looked at the voice of
condemnation. God tells us very, very clearly that Babylon is going to fall.

The voice of separation, "Come out from her, my people. " The voice of
lamentation, "Woe, woe, in one hour it's all going to be fallen. " And there is
a fourth voice.

In verses 20 to 24, it is the voice of celebration. In fact, let me read for you
verse 20, this great celebration. Here's how God ends this chapter about Babylon
falling.

In verse 20, "Rejoice over her, O heaven! Rejoice, saints and apostles and
prophets! God has judged her for the way that she has treated you.

" God's perspective in this voice of celebration is that one day justice will be
done. It will be completed. If things seem unjust in this world to you today,
that's the way we have a perspective in this world today, because all we have is
what we can see for this moment.

But God says, "I want you to trust me. One day there will be a celebration and
one day justice will be done. " In fact, he pictures for us how it will happen.

Let me read for you verse 21. "Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size
of a large millstone and threw it into the sea. And he said, 'With such
violence, the great city of Babylon will be thrown down, never to be found
again.

'" What a picture. It's like a huge rock being thrown into the sea. And
immediately you have turbulence and violence, but then it's gone.

It's as if it was never there. You don't see it at all. That's what this system
is going to be like.

That's what's going to happen to the world system that sets itself up against
God. That's what's going to happen to the heart that sets itself up against God.
The Bible tells us in verses 22 to 23 some more details about how exactly this
is going to happen.

"The music of harpists and musicians and flute players and trumpeteers will
never be heard in you again. No workman of any trade will ever be found in you
again. The sound of a millstone will never be heard in you again.

The light of a lamp will never shine in you again. The voice of bridegroom and
bride will never be heard in you again. " In these verses he just goes through a
list of the normal routine items of life.

The music that we sing, the workmen that are out working, the millstone where
the grain is being trowned out, the light that shines in the city, the bride and
bridegroom, a wedding is happening. You look at this world today and you think,
"Well, it's not such an evil place. " I mean, all these things are happening.

People are getting married and street lights are shining and people are getting
their work done and people play beautiful music. You look at this world today
and you think, "Oh, it's just life as normal. " But one day even that will be no
more.

Don't fool yourself into thinking that because God has allowed us to live in his
presence in some way in this world, right now in this world there is evil.
There's no doubt about it. But there is also in this world, there's also in this
world today the goodness of God.

We get to experience both. And don't fool yourself into thinking because I get
to experience the routine of this world and the goodness of God today that
that's always going to be there. It is not always going to be there.

One day we will be separated. And the voice of celebration is not the voice of
celebration that somehow everything is going to be okay. The voice of
celebration is that God is at the center and I want to trust in him.

And that the injustice that's done is going to be lost. So don't let the routine
of the world fool you into thinking that this world is always going to be as it
is. It is not.

There is a new heaven, a new earth. There has to be a new heaven and new earth
that's coming someday because as much as you might live the routine of life,
there are people today in this world by the millions who are living the evil of
life, the evil of starvation, of a government that's oppressing them, of a
slavery in their life, they're living the evil of life. God's going to do away
with that one day.

Justice will be done. In fact, the last half of verse 23, verse 24, here's what
God says, "Your merchants were the world's great men. By your magic spell,
Babylon, all the nations were led astray.

In her was found the blood of prophets and of the saints and of all who have
been killed on the earth. " He talks in these verses, the picture is of great
men. Babylon is a great place, great leaders, great business, great impact,
great influence.

The problem is it misuses its greatness for selfish opportunity rather than for
serving and loving God. For some people, the biggest question in life is, "Can I
be great? Can I be noticed?

Can I be important? " And out of my greatness, another question often arises and
that is, "Can I get everything that I want? " God's question is, "What are you
going to do with whatever greatness I give you?

" That's the biggest question of life. You see, Babylon uses its greatness to
lead others astray. First he said, "By her magic spell, all the nations were led
astray.

" Babylon uses its greatness to satisfy its own selfish whims. Babylon in verse
24 uses its greatness to murder prophets and saints because they would dare to
live for different values. They would dare to make me feel convicted that I'm
living just for myself by just living the life that God has given them.

So I've got to get them out of the way. I don't want to listen to that. So
they're murdered.

They're taken out of the way. Babylon uses its greatness for itself and God
says, "I have a different way. In the end, justice will be done.

The voice of celebration is that in the end, you can live for me. " In fact,
back to the beginning, chapter 17 and 18 of Revelation is all about Babylon and
in chapter 17, at the beginning of that chapter, we talked about a place called
Babel, a place where the people said, "We're going to make a city. We're going
to make ourselves a name.

We're going to make sure that we never get scattered. Let us do this. " At the
end of these two chapters, it's really all about God.

It's not about what we have made. It's about the fact that God has made us. It's
not about the fact that we're trying to make a city.

It's about the city that God is making of us. It's not about the name we're
trying to make for ourselves. It's the name that God has given us.

Let us make bricks. Let us build a city. Let's make a name for ourselves.

But in the new Jerusalem, the heavenly city, the place that we're really going
to focus on this next week, this entirely different place, it's a place where we
say instead God made us. It's a place where we say instead of let us make a
city, God makes us a new city called the new Jerusalem. Instead of saying let's
make a name for ourselves, God gives us a name, a new name to live with for all
eternity.

Instead of saying let's make sure that we won't be scattered, we're going to say
God's going to gather us together for all of eternity. Do you see how God ties
his word together from beginning to end? This place called Babel at the
beginning is where everyone was scattered in the book of Genesis.

And in the book of Revelation, Babylon is destroyed and all of God's people are
gathered back together again. That is good news. That is the voice of
celebration.

So let's celebrate together for a moment in prayer. Our Father, we thank you. We
thank you first of all that justice will be done.

We don't always see that in this world. And sometimes, you know, we doubt, we
wonder, will it ever be done, but you promise and we trust your promise. You're
the creator.

You made everything. You made us. And your promise has always been true.

So although we don't see it yet, we trust that justice will be done. And God, we
also trust that what we build for ourselves in this world based on our pride and
selfishness, it's going to fade away. You have built into our lives through your
grace, through your mercy.

That's going to last. You have a city for us to live in for all of eternity. You
have a name that we're going to live with, a name of joy and of celebration for
all of eternity.

New creation in Christ. You're going to gather us all together. We look forward
to that day.

We look forward to who you are. Thank you that we can celebrate even in this
world that we look forward to. Thank you in the name of Jesus, amen.

Please do not miss next week. We've made it all the way to chapter 18 of the
book of Revelation. These are the most difficult chapters we just walked
through.

Don't miss chapter 19 where we begin with the victorious worship of the King of
Kings. You need this to set everything in perspective we read in the book of
Revelation. So see you next week for Revelation 19.