15th Meeting - Revelation Chapter 18 - Continued

Without the apostate church part of Babylon, verse 4 does not make sense. In verse 2 Babylon is said to be home for demons, evil spirits and every unclean and detestable bird. Demons, and evil spirits, and people with the mark of the beast would not listen to the voice of heaven calling them out of Babylon. The only ones who would listen would be the posers of the apostate church. These are people who hold to some of the teachings of God, but think that the apostate church is the real one. Only when confronted with the voice out of heaven do they realize they are following the wrong group. This is like what happened to Saul on the road to Damascus, when he was confronted by Jesus Christ and forced to make a decision, to remain in his unbelief or follow Christ. Saul became Paul, and wrote two thirds of the New Testament; and in doing so became one of the loudest voices for Jesus Christ in his day.
If you continue with verse 4 of chapter 18, they are told that if they turn now, they will be free from sharing in the sins of Babylon, and her judgment. God will give her a double portion of His wrath, for all she has done. Words and actions matter. When you become a Christian, you are not sinless, you only sin less! God tells Babylon that all the sins and luxury she made herself available to will be added in grief back to her. She will reap what she has sowed. It took her a long time to accumulate all she has it will be destroyed in one day. Then she will know that the Lord is Lord of all and in control. All of the kings of the world that followed her will she her destruction, and know that their's is only a matter of time, before they will stand before the same God, and get the same fate. The merchants also will mourn, because they made huge profits while they were doing her bidding. Even the merchants who travel by sea, will not be free from God's wrath. He will strike everywhere at once. Verse 23 talks about the light of the lamp; this is symbolic of the lampstands taken out of the 7 churches. God is Still on the Throne.