Revelation 18 exposes how mankind is affected by the spirit of this world and how it helps set one's mind and heart in opposition to God's authority. Join us as Steve Gallagher discusses how we can either be filled with the Lord and His Spirit or the enemy and the spirit of this world. Also, Steve breaks down the joy and hope we have in the coming of the Lord's Kingdom and the destruction of the spirit of this world, (the spirit of Babylon) in these last days.

Host: Steve Gallagher has joined us in the studio. Steve is the founder of Pure Life Ministries. Steve, thanks for coming in. It's good to see you again as always.

Steve: Yes, this will be a blessing today, I hope.

Host: I hope so, too. Well, all of our discussions in the Book of Revelation have been a blessing. They've been a challenge. As we've said a number of times, it's certainly a warning to us to prepare our hearts, to know where our hearts stand with God. We're going to be looking at chapter 18 today, Steve, and just to start off, tell us what the main focus of this chapter is.

Steve: Just like chapter 17, the main focus here is Babylon, the spirit of the world that's set against the authority of God in this world. And in this chapter, the commercial aspect of Babylon is what's being emphasized.

Host: So, there are different aspects of Babylon?

Steve: The Book of Revelation really shows different aspects of Babylon. But let me put it to you this way. Babylon is the spirit of the world, and it is affecting different aspects of earth life. You could think of it as a human being who has this sinful fallen nature, and that sin nature affects different functions of his inner world. So, in other words, he has an imagination, but his imagination has been corrupted by sin and can take him into fantasizing about all kinds of evil things. He has the power of perception, but it's been distorted by sin. So, it changes and alters and corrupts the way he sees things.

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      Think of the world in the same way. The world in and of itself is neutral, and then the spirit of the world comes in and affects mankind. It affects the functions and the capacities and so on. What the Book of Revelation is bringing out are these different aspects of this thing called Babylon, or the spirit of the world. So, like in chapter 13, it's affecting the government or the way that mankind reacts to God's law. In chapter 17, it's affecting the religious system, or in other words, the relationship between man and God. And then in this chapter, we're seeing the commercial aspect of mankind being affected by the spirit of Babylon.

Host: Well, in verse 2, it says that Babylon has become a “dwelling place of demons.” What does that mean?

Steve: You know, what's really interesting about the Greek term for “dwelling place” is that it’s only used one other time in the New Testament, and that's in Ephesians 2:22 where it's used to describe the believer who is a “dwelling place for God.” So, the picture here is that a believer is an entity that has the capacity for God to indwell him. And in the same respect, or along those same lines, mankind has the capacity to be inhabited by spiritual beings – God or the enemy. And that's what we're seeing here, is that the enemy is entrenched in mankind and mankind has become the dwelling place of the enemy.

      So, if we keep with that line of thought and take it down to the level of the individual, by the time we get to this point, people will have taken the mark of the beast and will be demon-possessed. That is an amazing thing to consider. Every single human being who isn't following Jesus Christ will become demon possessed. I mean, think about it. Think about the demon-possessed man on the other side of the Sea of Galilee who had a legion of demons. He was cutting himself and he was crazy. People couldn't go around him because he was so unpredictable and violent. Can you imagine 7 billion people being controlled in that way by the enemy? What kind of hell is going to be unleashed on this earth? But at the same time, I do believe that by that point, God's people will have come into the spirit of the living God in a way that we have never seen before. So, we are not going to be required to go through this hell in our current spiritual condition. We are going to be full of the Holy Ghost and fire and that is going to be an amazing thing.

Host: Wow, yeah. Amen. Well, Steve, in the second half of this chapter, John is shown three different groups of people. What can you tell us about these people?

Steve: Well, he labels them the “kings of the earth,” the “merchants of the earth,” and the “sea captains.” And I think for his limited understanding in his world at that time, he was just using people groups that made sense to him. He couldn't comprehend the world in which we live today. It is so complex and enormous. But when you look at these groups, they represent those people who are profiting the most from the commercial aspect of this world system. So, you have the field of politics, which he's calling the “kings of the earth.” You have the entire manufacturing world, which he's calling the “merchants of the earth.” And you have the entire transportation system, which he's calling the “sea captains.”

      So, what's really interesting about these different groups as you go through this chapter is that there are certain common denominators amongst all of them. Each one stands at a distance, for instance. Each one weeps and laments at the fall of the Babylonian system. And none of these groups mourns over its sin against God. Their mourning is because they are losing that which they've given their hearts to, which is this Babylonian system.

Host: And maybe that is the most significant point of who these people are.

Steve: That really shows where their hearts are. And so-called Christians who go to church on Sunday, who read all the right books and all that stuff, but whose hearts are given over to this world, they better take these as warnings to wake up and begin to disentangle themselves from the things of this world.

Host: So, Steve, we have kind of a dark picture here. They're mourning over the loss of all that has been near and dear to them, all that their hearts have been given over to, and then in verse 20, there seems to be a sudden change in tone. It reads, “Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, because God has pronounced judgment for you against her.” (Revelation 18:20, NASB 1995) What's the significance of this verse and why this change of tone?

Steve: Let me put it to you this way. When I read the headlines in the news, my heart grieves. Every time I look at CNN or Fox News, the stories of what people are into and what they're doing are grievous to me. It hurts me. And to think that this Babylonian, devil-infested system is going to come crashing down is just so marvelous. And these people here on earth are going to be witnessing it. The saints, the apostles, and the prophets who are alive, and those who are in heaven, along with the angels, are going to be shouting with joy and rejoicing when Babylon comes down. It is going to shake the universe, because for 6,000 years, the spirit of Babylon has usurped God on this planet and has caused untold misery and pain and suffering. And now we're seeing it come to an end. What a blessing.