Revelation 18 -
(Excerpt taken from
Daniel and Revelation by Uriah Smith 1897-1911 Editions)
VERSE 4. And I heard
another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not
partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. 5.
For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
6. Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double
according to her works; in the cup which she hath filled, fill to her double.
7. How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so
much torment and sorrow give her; for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen,
and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. 8. Therefore shall her
plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be
utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.
*
The voice coming
from heaven denotes that it will be a message of power attended with heavenly
glory. How marked becomes the interposition of Heaven, and how the agents for
the accomplishment of God's work multiply, as the great crisis approaches!
This voice from
heaven is called "another" voice, showing that a new agency is here
introduced.
We now have five
celestial messengers expressly mentioned as engaged in this last religious
reformation.
These are the first,
second, and third angels of chapter 14; fourth, the angel of verse one of this
chapter; and fifth, the agency indicated by the "voice" of verse 4
now before us. Three of these are already in operation. The second angel has joined
the first, and the third has joined them. The first and second have not ceased.
All three now have the field. The angel of verse 1 is entering upon his
mission, as the conditions which call for his work are supplied; and the divine
call from heaven must take place in connection with his work.
p 717 -- Proof has
already been offered to show that the message of verses 1 and 2 of this chapter
is to be given in connection with the now current third message, and will mark
a new era in this work.
An idea of its
extent and power may be gathered from the description of the angel there given.
The first message is said to go with a "loud voice;" the same is also
said of the third message; but this angel, instead of simply flying "in the
midst of heaven," like the others, is said to "come down from
heaven." He comes, as it were, nearer to the earth, with a message more
pointed and direct; and he has "great power," and the earth is
"lightened with his glory."
No such description of a message from heaven
to man is elsewhere to be found in all the Bible.
This is the last;
and as is meet, it comes with surpassing glory and unwonted power. It is an
awful hour when a world's destiny is to be decided, - a most solemn crisis when
an entire contemporaneous generation of the human family is to pass the bounds
of probation, as the last note of mercy is sounded in their ears. In such a
time, the world must not be left without warning. So amply must the great fact
be heralded, that none can plead a reasonable ignorance of the impending doom.
Every excuse must be taken away. The justice and long-suffering and forbearance
of God in delaying threatened vengeance till all have had an opportunity to
receive a knowledge of his will, and space to repent, must be vindicated. An
angel is sent forth, panoplied with Heaven's power.
The light that encircles the throne enshrouds
him. He comes to the earth. None but the spiritually dead - yea, "twice
dead, and plucked up by the roots" - would fail to realize his presence.
Light flashes everywhere. The dark places are lighted up. And while his
presence dispels the shadows, his voice in thunder tones utters a warning. He
cries "mightily." He speaks in no feeble tones, and with no uncertain
sound. It is no parlor announcement, but a cry, a mighty cry, a cry with a
strong voice. The fatal defects in the profession of a worldly church are again
pointed out. Their errors are once more, and for the last time, exposed. The
inadequacy of the present standard of godliness to meet the final crisis is
emphasized beyond all mistaking. The inevitable
p 718 -- connection
between their cherished errors and irretrievable and everlasting destruction is
heralded till the earth resounds with the cry.
Meanwhile, great
Babylon's sins mount up to the heavens, and the remembrance of her iniquities
comes up before God. The storm of vengeance gathers. The great tidal wave of
supernal wrath rolls onward. The feathery foam plays along its crest,
indicating that but an instant remains ere it will burst upon the great city of
confusion, and proud Babylon will go down as a millstone sinks in the depths of
the sea. Suddenly another voice rings out from heaven, "Come out of her,
my people!" The humble, sincere, devoted children of God, of whom there
are some still left, and who sigh and cry over the abominations done in the
land, heed the voice, wash their hands of her sins, separate from her
communion, escape, and are saved, while Babylon becomes the victim of the just
judgments of God. There are stirring times before the church. Let us be ready
for the crisis.
The fact that God's
people are called out so as not to be partakers of her sins, shows that it is
not till a certain time that people become guilty by being connected with
Babylon; and this explains how it can be said of the 144,000 (Rev. 14:4), many
of whom are the very ones here called out, that they were not defiled with
women.
Verses 6 and 7 are a
prophetic declaration that she will be rewarded or punished according to her
works. Bear in mind that this testimony applies to that portion of Babylon
which is subject to a moral fall.
As already pointed
out, it must apply especially to the "daughters," the denominations
who persist in clinging to the personal traits of the "mother," and
keeping up the family resemblance. These, as pointed out on a previous page, are
to attempt a sweeping persecution against the truth and the people of God. By
these the "image of the beast" is to be formed. These are to have
what will be to them a new experience, - the use of the civil arm to enforce
their dogmas. And it is doubtless this first intoxication of power that leads
this branch of Babylon to cherish in her heart the boast, "I sit a queen,
and am no widow;" that is, I am no longer chra, "one bereaved,"
or destitute of power, as I
p 719 -- have been;
but now I rule like a queen; I shall see no sorrow; God is in the Constitution;
the church is enthroned, and shall henceforth bear sway. The expression,
"Reward her even as she rewarded you," seems to show that the time
for this message to be given, and for the saints to be called out, will be when
she begins to raise against them the arm of oppression. As she fills up the cup
of persecution to the saints, so the angel of the Lord will persecute her (Ps.
35:6); and judgments from on high will bring upon her, in a twofold degree, the
evil which she thought to bring upon the humble servants of the Lord.
The day in which her
plagues come, mentioned in verse 8, must be a prophetic day, or at least cannot
be a literal day; for it would be impossible for famine to come in that length
of time. The plagues of Babylon are without doubt the seven last plagues, which
have already been examined; and the plain inference from the language of this
verse, in connection with Isa. 34:8, is that a year will be occupied in that
terrible visitation.
*******
We are WARNED,
FOREWARNED. We are not going to be able to say we didn't know. We will be shown
EVERY opportunity we've been given to know the truth. The truth is there for all to find, it's not
hiding. We may not comprehend every single word, but ALL we need to belong to
our Savior, to be His and for Him to know us, is in His word to us. The Holy
Spirit will guide us to ALL truth. God's
word is SO incredibly powerful that in many countries today it is not easily
allowed.
"Regrettably,
there are many countries with legal or customary restrictions on the Bible.
While a total ban is comparatively
rare (e.g., North Korea punishes any possession
of religious literature by death or imprisonment), it is more common for
ownership or distribution to be limited:
- To certain government-approved groups only. For example, China allows distribution of Bibles for churches or seminaries that are part of the Three-Self Patriotic Movement / China Christian Council, and they are sold in some bookshops, but cannot generally be mail-ordered by individuals or unregistered churches. Several other nations require government approval before religious books (or any books) can be printed.
- To foreigners only. Maldives says citizens must be Muslim, and foreigners are allowed to practice their religion in private; Bibles can be imported for personal use.
- In certain languages only. Morocco allows Bibles in French, English, and Spanish, but not Arabic.
- Can't publish, but can import. Turkmenistan does not allow publication of Bibles. They can be imported, in limited numbers and with permission, by registered churches.
Restrictions on
attempts to convert members of other religions may also result in de facto bans
on Bibles. Similarly, government actions in the name of "public
order" may have the same effect, even if there is no law specifically
banning Bible publication or ownership. In several cases, effective bans on
religious freedom take place despite supposed constitutional guarantees to the
contrary. Experiences may vary in different parts of the same country, or at
different times.
So
"illegal" is perhaps the wrong word, and we should instead be
thinking of "Can anyone easily obtain a Bible in this country without
attracting official difficulties?". Any such list will have fuzzy edges,
of course. One indicator might be the ease with which Bible societies are able
to do their work. They are organized groups with a missionary element and so
the bar is higher for them than for private individuals.
The Gideons have
a list of countries where they are not allowed
to operate:
Afghanistan,
Algeria, China (People's Republic), Comoros, Djibouti, Iran, Iraq, Libya,
Maldives, Mauritania, Morocco, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Tunisia,
Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Yemen
However, for some of
these countries, other groups exist: there are United Bible
Societies chapters for Algeria, Iraq, Morocco, and China, and some
presence in Comoros, Djibouti, Mauritania and Somalia. The Catholic Bible
Federation also operates in Iran. Not all of these efforts may be entirely
government-approved.
For more detailed
information, the US State Department issues annual reports on religious
freedom with detailed assessments of the conditions on the ground in each
country. In particular, they distinguish between what the country's law says,
how the government acts, and how the wider society responds."
*
Tell me WHY the
Bible would be hard to find? Tell me what is wrong with reading the BIBLE? What
are those governments afraid of?! THE
TRUTH!
So why aren't we
TREASURING what is so readily available to us?
More tomorrow by the
GRACE and MERCY of our LORD, our SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST!!!!
Now and forever!!!
AMEN.
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