The Harlot is Luxurious and Sensuous Living
Part 18 of the Harlot of Babylon Series
Wealth. Luxurious and sensuous living. This is the second nickname of the harlot. She is called Egypt and it is worldly desires. This is the desire for wealth and possessions. Worldly living. The harlot gives her people wealth. Great wealth. Revelation chapter 18 describes her wealth and sensuous living in detail. When the harlot is judged, it says, for in one hour such great wealth has been laid waste! Society today, worldwide, is geared to achieving wealth and possessions.
Sensuous living means to live in a way that pleases the senses. The harlot glorifies herself and lives sensuously. This is the good life. The easy life. A life of pleasure. We love to have our senses pleased.
We have heard the stories in the Bible about riches and the love of money. We have heard the story of Lazarus and the rich man. We know that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom. I am not going to go back over all that teaching.
I want to focus on the harlot’s ability to draw us away from God with the desire for worldly possessions and pleasure. We need to read all of chapter 18. Consider the world that we live in today when John reveals the fundamental nature of the harlot to us. This chapter is a description of the entire world just before the coming of Messiah. Consider also, that all this immorality and wealth and sensuous living will be burned with fire a short time from now.
Rev 18: 1 After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illumined with his glory. 2 And he cried out with a mighty voice, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird. 3 For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality.”
She has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit. This is the final worldwide corruption of mankind. The final manifestation of what Nimrod started at the tower of Babel. Mankind gone mad with sexual immorality, wealth, and pleasure.
4 I heard another voice from heaven, saying, “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues; 5 for her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. 6 Pay her back even as she has paid, and give back to her double according to her deeds; in the cup which she has mixed, mix twice as much for her. 7 To the degree that she glorified herself and lived sensuously, to the same degree give her torment and mourning; for she says in her heart, ‘I sit as a queen and I am not a widow, and will never see mourning.’ 8 For this reason in one day her plagues will come, pestilence and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire; for the Lord God who judges her is strong.
Come out of her! Get out! She is about to be judged! Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! This refers to her double judgement. Give back to her double according to her deeds. She is so evil that she gets double torment and mourning.
She glorifies herself. Think about this. This is mankind reveling in their own glory. They are so deceived that they say in their heart that we will never see mourning. They actually believe that this glorious lifestyle of sin and pleasure and rebellion against God will go on forever!
9 “And the kings of the earth, who committed acts of immorality and lived sensuously with her, will weep and lament over her when they see the smoke of her burning, 10 standing at a distance because of the fear of her torment, saying, ‘Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the strong city! For in one hour your judgment has come.’
Standing at a distance because of the fear of her torment! The strong city! They all thought nothing could come against Babylon. Nothing was stronger than the great city. No wonder they will weep and lament over her. How could this have possibly happened?
11 “And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargoes any more— 12 cargoes of gold and silver and precious stones and pearls and fine linen and purple and silk and scarlet, and every kind of citron wood and every article of ivory and every article made from very costly wood and bronze and iron and marble, 13 and cinnamon and spice and incense and perfume and frankincense and wine and olive oil and fine flour and wheat and cattle and sheep, and cargoes of horses and chariots and slaves and human lives. 14 The fruit you long for has gone from you, and all things that were luxurious and splendid have passed away from you and men will no longer find them.
This is a description of everything of value that existed when John wrote Revelation. This is everything that brings people pleasure. This is sensuous and luxurious living at its finest. The fruit you long for has gone from you. All your splendid living has passed away from you. All this sensuous and luxurious living is about to be taken from the earth.
15 The merchants of these things, who became rich from her, will stand at a distance because of the fear of her torment, weeping and mourning, 16 saying, ‘Woe, woe, the great city, she who was clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls; 17 for in one hour such great wealth has been laid waste!’ And every shipmaster and every passenger and sailor, and as many as make their living by the sea, stood at a distance, 18 and were crying out as they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, ‘What city is like the great city?’ 19 And they threw dust on their heads and were crying out, weeping and mourning, saying, ‘Woe, woe, the great city, in which all who had ships at sea became rich by her wealth, for in one hour she has been laid waste!’
Fine linen and purple and scarlet and gold and precious stones and pearls. The great city is beautiful. She is so lovely. Who would not want to be a part of her? Who would not want to enjoy the pleasures and lifestyle that she has to offer? Come out of her? Why would anyone want to do that? She is so stunning.
20 Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, because God has pronounced judgment for you against her.”
The judgement of the harlot is for us. Rejoice over her all you saints and apostles and prophets. Your blood is on her.
21 Then a strong angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, “So will Babylon, the great city, be thrown down with violence, and will not be found any longer. 22 And the sound of harpists and musicians and flute-players and trumpeters will not be heard in you any longer; and no craftsman of any craft will be found in you any longer; and the sound of a mill will not be heard in you any longer; 23 and the light of a lamp will not shine in you any longer; and the voice of the bridegroom and bride will not be heard in you any longer; for your merchants were the great men of the earth, because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery. 24 And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints and of all who have been slain on the earth.”
Her merchants are the great men of the earth. We know who these great men are. They are the CEO’s, board members, and stockholders of major corporations. Why are so many major corporations and companies going woke today? They have been deceived by her sorcery. They have submitted to the harlot. The social media, entertainment, retail, and other companies are fully on board with her corruption.
Notice back in verse thirteen that the merchants are marketing slaves and human lives. The harlot is responsible for slavery. From ancient times to today she has been enslaving people for wealth. She also markets human lives. Much of this is the abortion industry. Millions of innocent babies have been slaughtered for wealth. The harlot is pure evil. The misery she has unleashed on the earth is unfathomable. Come quickly, Lord Jesus.
All the nations are deceived by her sorcery. Sorcery means drugs (both legal and illegal), magic, or witchcraft. Metaphorically it can mean idolatry. I asked the Lord, which definition of sorcery does John mean in this verse? He said all of them. The harlot is a drug infested, satanic world full of idolatry, witchcraft and satanism.
Much of the entertainment world today is focused on the occult, witches, and supernatural power. All the characters are portrayed as good people. They are the stars of the shows. They always just want to help people. Satanism is being glorified today. Mankind is being drawn into this deception, little by little. The entertainment world is preparing the way for the antichrist. From board games to video games to movies, TV shows, and music. And the worst part is it’s so enjoyable…
We must get the picture here. All of mankind has come together to build the great city. A society drunk with sexual immorality, wealth, and sensuous living. No God. No morality. Abundant wealth. Abundant pleasure. Abundant sin. This is the harlot and Nimrod’s ultimate glory! Their final rebellion! The harlot and the antichrist who carries her, rule over the whole planet. All mankind revels in their corruption. What could possibly go wrong?