While pondering what this cup of Revelation 18:4-8 holds concerning the false religions hypocrisies and apostasies the measure of which runs far and wide I scarce could take them all in, because so many are those known as common to man already. You know such things as covetousness, avaricious men, and so forth are the fruits of selfishness. These things are all to be in subjection to the anointing within us, as we will soon see. This one remember Paul had a deep personal struggle with as he records in Romans 7.
Covetousness, is condemned,
Exodus 20:17; Psalm 10:3 of 3-4, Proverbs 28:16 of 14-21 "You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's."
Psalm 10:3 of 3-4 "For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul, and the one greedy for gain curses and renounces the LORD. In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts are, "There is no GOD."
Proverbs 28:16 of 14-21 "Blessed is the one who fears the LORD always, but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity. Like a roaring lion or a charging bear is a wicked ruler over a poor people. A ruler who lacks understanding is a cruel oppressor, but he who hates unjust gain will prolong his days. If one is burdened with the blood of another, he will be a fugitive until death; let no one help him. Whoever walks in integrity will be delivered, but he who is crooked in his ways will suddenly fall. Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty. A faithful man will abound with blessings, but whoever hastens to be rich will not go unpunished. To show partiality is not good, but for a piece of bread a man will do wrong."
Jeremiah 6:13 of 9-16 "'Thus says the LORD of hosts: "They shall glean thoroughly as a vine the remnant of Israel; like a grape gatherer pass your hand again over its branches." To whom shall I speak and give warning, that they may hear? Behold, their ears are uncircumcised, they cannot listen; behold, the word of the LORD is to them an object of scorn; they take no pleasure in it. Therefore I am full of the wrath of the LORD; I am weary of holding it in. "Pour it out upon the children in the street, and upon the gatherings of young men, also; both husband and wife shall be taken, the elderly and the very aged. Their houses shall be turned over to others, their fields and wives together, for I will stretch out My hand against the inhabitants of the land," declares the LORD. "For from the least to the greatest of them, everyone is greedy for unjust gain; and from prophet to priest, everyone deals falsely. They have healed the wound of My people lightly, saying, 'Peace, peace,' when there is no peace. Were they ashamed when they committed abomination? No, they were not at all ashamed; they did not know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; at the time that I punish them, they shall be overthrown," says the LORD. Thus says the LORD: "Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls. But they said, 'We will not walk in it.'"
Ezekiel 33:31 of 30-33 "'As for you, son of man, your people who talk together about you by the walls and at the doors of the houses, say to one another, each to his brother, 'Come, and hear what the word is that comes from the LORD.' And they come to you as people come, and they sit before you as My people, and they hear what you say but they will not do it; for with lustful talk in their mouths they act; their heart is set on their gain. And behold, you are to them like one who sings lustful songs with a beautiful voice and plays well on an instrument, for they hear what you say, but they will not do it. When this comes—and come it will!—then they will know that a prophet has been among them.'"
Micah 2:2 of 1-5 "'Woe to those who devise wickedness and work evil on their beds! When the morning dawns, they perform it, because it is in the power of their hand. They covet fields and seize them, and houses, and take them away; they oppress a man and his house, a man and his inheritance." Therefore thus says the LORD: "behold, against this family I am devising disaster, from which you cannot remove your necks, and you shall not walk haughtily, for it will be a time of disaster. In that day they shall take up a taunt song against you and moan bitterly, and say, "We are utterly ruined; He changes the portion of my people; how He removes it from me! To an apostate He allots our fields." Therefore you will have none to cast the line by lot in the assembly of the LORD.'"
Habakkuk 2:9 of 9-11 "'Woe to him who gets evil gain for his house, to set his nest on high, to be safe from the reach of harm! You have devised shame for your house by cutting off many peoples; you have forfeited your life. For the stone will cry out from the wall, and the beam from the woodwork respond.'"
Luke 12:15 of 13-21; Ephesians 5:3 of 3-5 "Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me." But He said to him, 'Man, who made Me a judge or arbitrator over you?' Then He said to them, 'Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.' And He told them a parable, saying, 'The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, "What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?" And he said, "I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry." But GOD said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward GOD.'"
Ephesians 5:3 of 3-5 "For sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and GOD."
Colossians 3:5 of 5-11; 1Timothy 3:3 of 1-7, Hebrews 13:5 of 1-6 "Put to death (mortify, deprive the power, destroy its power of right) therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of GOD is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but (the anointing is Messiah) Christ is all, and in all."
1Timothy 3:3, 6 of 1-7, Hebrews 13:5 of 1-6 "The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for GOD's church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a (religious, political and financial) snare of the devil."
Hebrews 13:5 of 1-6 "Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for GOD will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for He has said (in Deuteronomy 31:6, 8) "'I will never leave you nor forsake you.'" So we can confidently say (Psalm 118:6's), "The LORD is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?"
Natural Fruits of,
Oppression, Genesis 31:41 of 36-42
Theft, Joshua 7:21 of 16-21
Disobedience, 1Samuel 15:9 of 4-9
Robbery, 1Kings 20:6 of 1-6
Meanness, 1Kings 21:2 of 1-4
Unscrupulousness, 2Kings 5:20 of 20-25
Scoffing, Luke 16:14 of 14-15
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