Revelation 18:11-14

11          The merchants of the world will weep and mourn for her, for there is no one left to buy their goods.

12          She bought great quantities of gold, silver, jewels, and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk, and scarlet cloth; things made of fragrant thyine wood, ivory goods, and objects made of expensive wood; and bronze, iron, and marble.

13          She also bought cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, olive oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle, sheep horses, wagons, and bodies – that is, human slaves.

14          “The fancy things you loved so much are gone,” they cry. “All your luxuries and splendor are gone forever, never to be your again.”

Accumulating things like money, possessions, and items for comforted living should not be your primary focus as a Christian. Gathering wealth is not how we bring God’s kingdom now, nor is it the way to God’s eternal kingdom. There are many times in the Bible says to not hoard the things of this world. When we do that, we commit greed. We should be guarding against greed – a sin that tries to overwhelm our lives and distract us from living our lives as Jesus taught.

Of course, God wants us to provide for ourselves and our families and to enjoy everything he created and the wonderful parts of life. We just have to make sure that we don’t abuse his provision. The message of Jesus’ love is through self-sacrifice. Dedicate everything that you have to God and take time to see where he wants you to give of his time, talents, and treasures. We have to make sure that we aren’t enslaved to greed. We must make sure that we honor God with everything we. As long as we are using our resources for God, we’re good.

The voice from heaven continued to prophesy against the greedy merchants. “The fancy things you loved” and the “luxuries and splendor” were gone. The list of the materials listed in verses 12 and 13 illustrates the extreme materialism of this world. If we think about it on our world today: cars, homes, clothes, technology, cell phones, watches, experiences, and more. Few of these goods are necessities – but most are luxuries. There are needs for some things, but not the most expensive, latest release, everyone must have for the clout items.

People were becoming commodities. Humans were sold as slaves to Babylon. The desire for non-essential luxuries was driven by these merchants. We have easily allowed capitalism and manipulative marketing to disrupt our lives. We must recognize that the simple – works just as well, if not better, than the expensive options. We have been brainwashed to assume that the latest is best and what we have is obsolete, broken, and wrong. We must resist and learn to live with little, so we can serve God and others with more. There are actually 4 ways to make sure that our desires are being led in the right direction.

Put boundaries on them. Don’t allow them to control or dominate your life. Allow yourself to enjoy and experience those luxuries but be able to manage them in a way that allows you to do the necessities of life. Don’t go after everything you see. Not everything is something you need. Not everything is something that you were meant to have. Allow those desire to be given to God and if he knows that it’ll help his plan for you, then it will be. It will cause chaos or harm, then be thankful you never touched. Think carefully about the difference between necessities and luxuries. Necessities are items needed to survive. Luxuries are items that you can live without. Each item has this line of demarcation. You don’t need that Gucci shirt, but a Hanes one. You don’t need an iPhone 16, but a 10. Each of these areas has those areas to differentiate between what you need and what you want. Keep your desire focused on serving God and building his Kingdom through helping others. Help someone pay their rent or a bill. Spend the day with them because you know they’re struggling with loneliness. Listen to the grief they’ve experienced. Jesus led his life and ministry through self-sacrifice. He made sure he had enough to live his life healthily, but he gave it to anyone and everyone that was in.

Next Part – The Fall of Evil – Part 5