Revelation 18:11-13 | SermonIndex

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deltadom Jan 30, 2010

Revelation 18:11-13

11And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:

12The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble,

13And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.

I have always been interested in this list? Why does it have a detailed list? Such as Ivory which is not used in todays culture?

Why does it detail the slaves and souls of men? do any of you have any insight more into these verses?

sermonindex Jan 30, 2010

Some thoughts.

Psa 45:8,

Ivory lasts very well. We know there is still an ivory trade, and, there may be some very expensive ivory pieces still in existence, which, for those who value it, would indicate their general wealth.

Look at verse 11: the list, is of things that 'no man buyeth ... any more'.

The merchants are weeping because they can no longer sell 'slaves', or, the 'souls of men'.

Note that the slaves are listed immediately after the chariots. This suggests a cheapness of human life. That those with power send those with none, to fight for and die in their earthly battles for material gain.

In scritpure there are many happy servants, but clearly, God is disapproving here, of the sacrifice of one human life for another human's unregenerate desires.

I think it's just a very honest list of things which represent wealth, temptation and human misery, which kind of trafficking God intends to destroy in that day.

EDIT: Carter Conlon quotes Amos, on ivory, in his recent sermon
~~[url=https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/mydownloads/visit.php?lid=19235]~~A Final Warning to the Indulgent Church[/url].

S

SHMILY Jan 30, 2010

Interesting you should post this.

I have had 1 Corinthians through Revelation (NIV)in CD player in my truck for several months. Each time the reader reaches this portion it seems I regularly hear it more clearly than some of the other things. Perhaps it is the way he reads it. He reads the list and then seems to pause a bit and slowly read, "and bodies ...and souls.. of men."

The list seems to be all the things the world seeks rather than God ~ wealth, fine clothes, rich furnishings and homes, perfumes and cosmetics, the best foods, pets and livestock, fast cars, "and bodies and souls of men" ~ status and ease.

I have been asking the Lord about that part too ~ "the bodies and souls of men".

I think of all human trafficking as if people were a commodity to be used and discarded. Children, women, men. Household workers, factory and field workers, sex trade, the LRA, ... and the list goes on.

Human beings created in the image of God a commodity to be bought and sold, discarded and replaced with a newer model. How the "god of this age" has turned things upside down.

Sorry, not a lot of insight just my thoughts.
REJOICE! =)

H

HeartSong Jan 30, 2010

Is it not the church that has adorned herself with the things of the world rather than Christ? Relying upon the external rather than the internal? Has she not begun to rely upon the ways of merchandising rather than the providence of God? Selling this and buying that in order to raise money instead of going before the throne of Grace? And sorrow upon sorrows, has she not begun to deal with the bodies and souls of men in that numbers of bodies in attendendance has become more valuable than the actual saving of souls? Whatever will the church do when all of these things are cut off and all that there is to rely upon is Christ.

sermonindex Jan 31, 2010

Could it be that the current Babylon is the exact historical extension of her authentic Mother? Think in terms of Rome in biblical days, or Paris during the heady and bawdy excesses of Hedonism that prevailed during the French Revolution. Babylon is a perverted mindset that worships self , and idolizes the lusts of mankind.

When I think of Babylon I think of Sodom. I think of her attempted rape of the angelic messengers; total unmitigated selfish and perverted lust with no mercy or compassion upon the offended.

Ezekiel 16

48. "As I live," declares the Lord GOD, "Sodom, your sister and her daughters have not done as you and your daughters have done.

49. "Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had arrogance, abundant food and careless ease, but she did not help the poor and needy.

50"Thus they were haughty and committed abominations before Me Therefore I removed them when I saw it."

Yes Babylon is very rich, with an abundance of wealth, but many of the cities on the Earth today would qualify... as the child, but none more than New York city. Queen Diana greets all who enter her with the torch of liberty...which has developed into nothing more than the freedom to fulfill every lust one could imagine.

They also had the largest slave auction block there in the world.....for a season.