Verse 1-2
“And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.”
“And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.”
Again we have the double reference “is fallen, is fallen” meaning it happened very quickly.
In Matthew 13 we see the birds in the parable of the sower described as the ministers of Satan.
Some commentators say that this refers to the Millennium and Satan and his demons are to be held here.
Verse 3
“For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.”
She will be a centre for trade and commerce, many get very rich through trading with her.
Verse 4
“And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.”
This makes us think of Lot when the angels were sent to get Lot out of Sodom, in fact they could not destroy Sodom until they had got Lot out of the city.
Here again God sends an angel to get his people out of the city, but this time warns them, that if they do not come out then they will become as one of the inhabitants and receive the plagues along with everyone else.
Verse 5-6
“For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.”
“Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.”
Psalm 137 ties in with this.
Verse 7
“How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.”
This is a strange statement that they woman makes here “I am no widow” Here she is putting herself in contrast with Israel, because Israel was portrayed as the widow of Jehovah. A widow, or any non virgin was an unacceptable bride to any priest, that is why the Church is referred to as the Virgin Bride of Christ. Christ’s blood cleanses us from our sin and makes us new like a virgin.
Verse 8-9
“Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.”
“And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,”
Those that trade with her will suffer great lose when her sudden destruction comes, note it says her destruction will take place in one day. This term can also be used, not only to describe a 24 hour period, but to say that it will happen sometime in the furture.
We will notice in the next verses a pattern, a repetition. The passage occurs three times, three different groups of people lament her destruction.
Verse 9 - 10
“And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,”
“Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.”
The kings are the first.
Verse 11 - 13
“And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:”
“The 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,”
“And 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.”
The merchants are the second to lament.
There are 28 types of goods mentioned here. 4 is the number of the world - 4 x 7 = 28
I believe the reason that they are detailed is to ensure that we know that this is literal, not symbolic.
Verse 14 - 17
“And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all.”
“The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,”
“And saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls!”
“For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,”
We have had two of the groups and see starting in verse 17 the third - Shipmaster.
Verse 18 - 19
“And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city!”
“And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.”
So we have three groups of people who lament at the destruction of people - kings, merchants and shipmasters.
What does this tell us?
It suggests that the foundation of this city is world trade.
What is the foundation of the European Union? - A one market economy.
Verse 20
“Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.”
This is the first time in the Book of Revelation that we are commanded to rejoice.
What do we rejoice over? Our earthly belongings and successes?
Verse 21 - 23
“And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.”
“And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee;”
“And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.”
The factories are destroyed, production has ended, trading is finished, it is all over!
Verse 24
“And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.”
Her judgement has come for all that she has done in the past.
It seems that Babylon will once again be built up and become a major power centre in the world, Zech 5:5 - 11 seems to indicate that the power of Rome will be transferred back to Babylon. It will become once again the false worship centre of the world it is where all pagan worship began and it will return there.
Some of what you see in this photo was restored by archaeologists, but Saddam Hussein just built on top historical sites. Hussein likened himself to Nebuchaddnezzar and was rebuilding Babylon.
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