11-Admired by World

Revelation 18:17-21,

17)”For in one hour so great riches are come to nothing. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by seas, stood afar off, 18)And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city? 19)And they cast dust on their heads, and cried weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, in which were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! For in one hour is she made desolate. 20)Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her. 21)And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city, Babylon, be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.”

These verses depict the supernatural destruction of Babylon by God Himself. He doesn’t need nuclear devices of men to do His work. There are three elements to the destruction of America. First, according to Revelation 16:19, a great earthquake will shake the entire earth and all cities will crumble. Babylon will be split into three sections, with bodies of water separating the sections. Most likely, Babylon will be the epicenter of the great quake. All of America will be leveled.

Secondly, it is clear God will send fire from heaven to burn the rubble and men will see…the smoke of her burning. Thirdly, once all the landmass is burned to ashes, it appears God will cause mighty tidal waves to completely submerge the nation of ashes. What else could be meant by…a stone…cast into the sea? This is not mere speculation, for Jeremiah says the same thing concerning Babylon.

Jeremiah 51:42,

“The sea is come up upon Babylon; she is covered with the multitude of its waves.

A large stone or meteor cast into the sea at the right angle would cause tremendous waves of destruction. As the waters recede, the salt and sand in the water will settle on the land that was known as the United States of America. It will look like a desolate desert. No trace of its pompous culture will be found. Like Sodom and Gomorrah, it will vanish from sight.

As God’s judgment is falling on Babylon at the end of the 70th Week, the men on ships headed toward Babylon will stand in a state of shock. They will look at one another and ask, “What city is like unto this great city?” If you take this scripture which describes the world’s admiration and adulation of Babylon the great, and add to that the complimentary adoration of the people toward the Beast in Revelation 13:4 “…Who is like the Beast? Who is able to make war with him?”, you have inescapable evidence again that the Beast and Babylon are different names identifying the same nation.

Additional proof of this claim is found in Revelation 17:18, where the woman is described as “…that great city which reigneth over the kings of the earth.” We know that the Beast is the nation, with its president, that rules the earth for 42 months or 3 1/2 years, according to Revelation 13:5. So John is not talking about two different ruling nations when he says Babylon the Great rules over the kings of the earth.

The Beast and Babylon are synonymous. The fact that John says the woman is the great city is easily explained, for the political empires are often referred to as women, as are the religious systems. In Isaiah 47:5, Babylon the Great is called…”the lady of kingdoms.”

Some teach that John is referring to just one city in Revelation 18:18. But let’s understand that John is describing a nation of cities, not just one specific city of the world. Jeremiah gives proof of this.

Jeremiah 50:32,

“And the most proud shall stumble and fall, and none shall raise him up; and I will kindle a fire in his cities, and it shall devour all round about him.”

Jeremiah 51:3,

“O thou that dwellest upon many waters, abundant in treasures, thine end is come, and the measure of thy covetousness.”

What country in the world today is more admired than America? Who controls the economic community? Even Russia is dependent on America in many areas. America has treaties in the world which call on it to defend 42 nations in the event of trouble. If America ceased to exist as a nation, the economy of the world would crash and that scares the natural man. Whoever controls the banks and pocketbooks controls everything, even the military.

Before the nuclear age, whoever had the strongest army and navy was the power to be reckoned with. But the nuclear arsenals of America and Russia have lessened the importance of conventional armies and navies. The real power in the last days is in economic might. Nations around the globe are awed and impressed by the influence of America, both militarily and economically.

Christians, we are citizens of Heaven first. That’s our real home. I’m not advocating violent revolution because we live in Babylon. For God commands us to obey the laws of whatever government, as long as they don’t cause us to disobey God. But we must revolt nonviolently and spiritually against anything that would teach us to sin. We must not fear our leaders in government, but pray for them.

The admiration that many of this world have toward America can be further shown by asking one simple question. Where do most people immigrate to when they leave their own country? You don’t see to many people beating down the doors of the Russian embassies, hoping to become citizens. America is the “land of the free and the home of the brave” in the eyes of the natural unregenerated man. Remember the two-headed serpent. One of its heads seems free and happy, but it is still the serpent.

The freedom that natural man needs is from sin and the devil. The cross made that possible. Jesus said,”…you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.” Many mixed up Christians have been taught that Jesus makes one free from pain, poverty and Communism. But is that what our Lord is saying? Think on these questions. Can you be injured and sick, and still be free from sin’s grip? Can you be poor, not knowing where your next meal is coming from, and still be free from sin? Can you live in Russia, and be free from sin, and go to Heaven if you die?

Jesus died to set us free from the very fears of pain, poverty and Communism. He enters our hearts so that we may rejoice and take pleasure in the midst of these things. That’s the testimony of Christ which all people need to see. The afflictions and sufferings of the saints are the very things that cause the power of Christ to rest upon us, for in these things we learn the power of His resurrection. The affliction and suffering is not self-inflicted, but a direct result of the Lord who lives in us. It is He who Satan hates and tries to hurt. Study II Corinthians 11 and 12. The kind of wisdom revealed there is not found in America’s educational institutions of higher learning. As a matter of fact, it is rarely found in schools that are supposed to produce the preachers of the Gospel. Jesus is the truth and when you know Him, you are free whether you live in Russia or America.

Though America is adored and admired by the world, this doesn’t mean Christians should. The only object of our admiration should be the Lord Jesus Christ.