CHAPTER 18

(A.D. 96)

BABYLON

¹And after these things I saw another Angel come down from Heaven (this Angel seems to be different from the Angels of Rev. 17:1), having great power (he is greater than any one of the Seven); and the earth was lightened with His Glory (represents the fact that this Angel, who immediately precedes the Coming of Christ, must of necessity be one of, if not the greatest Angel in the Creation of God, due to the magnificence of that Coming and especially of the One Who is Coming; it could be either Gabriel or Michael).

²And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen (he is speaking of literal Babylon, the city, and, as well, of Mystery Babylon, the religion), and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird (proclaims the city in the last of the last days as an infestation of demon spirits of every sort; in other words, it will be the capital of evil in all the world; vultures and such like are used at times in the Word of God as symbols for demon spirits [Mat. 13:32]).

³For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her (pertains to the time of the Antichrist, but, as well, to all that Babylon has represented from the very beginning of time, i.e., false religions), and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. (From his headquarters in Babylon, the Antichrist will make it possible for many to get rich during the time of the Great Tribulation, therefore, ingratiating himself to many nations of the world.)

⁴And I heard another voice from Heaven (presents that which is different from the Angel of the first Verse), saying, Come out of her, My people, that you be not partakers of her sins (the short phrase, My people, refers to all Believers all over the world for all time, but the primary thrust is to Israel; in fact, the entire Book of Revelation, even though broadly addressing itself to the entirety of mankind, is primarily for Israel; this is the time of Jacobs trouble [Jer. 30:7]), and is designed to bring Israel back to God), and that you receive not of her plagues. (If Believers fail to come out from among the world, i.e., the worlds system, we will experience Judgment the same as unbelievers.)

⁵For her sins have reached unto Heaven (carries the idea of rebellion against God, which is the ruin of mankind), and God has remembered her iniquities. (The only way God will forget sins and iniquities is by man placing his Faith and Trust in Christ and what Christ has done for us at the Cross [Heb. 8:6,12].)

⁶Reward her even as she rewarded you (Saints are not called to render vengeance, but rather the statement is made that God will do such; the idea is that every act of hurt by the world or the apostate Church against Gods People will be answered in kind; but in this case, it pertains more so to the Jews than anything else [Gen. 12:3]), and double unto her double according to her works (in a sense pertains to the fact that the future rebuilt city of Babylon will suffer the Judgment of the ages; the effort by President Bush to change the Government in Iraq, which, in fact, was the right thing to do, is a part of the process which will enable Babylon to be rebuilt): in the cup which she has filled fill to her double. (Gods answer to mans rebellion will be the destruction of Babylon, and in a cataclysmic way.)

⁷How much she has glorified herself (pertains to the characteristics of religion), and lived deliciously (refers to the earthly rewards of religion; at its base, one will always find money), so much torment and sorrow give her (refers to the fact that Judgment has been laid up for this city of Babylon, symbolic of mans system, which is a system without God; we reap what we sow [Gal. 6:7]): for she said in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. (She calls herself a queen, while the Lord refers to her as the great whore, which pronounces her doom.)

⁸Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine (points to the great earthquake of Rev. 16:18); and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God Who judges her. (The idea is that Satan, through the Antichrist, will boast of his great strength, so the Lord will, in effect, show the Antichrist and the world what strength really is.)

BABYLONS FALL

⁹And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication (speaks of spiritual adultery; the worship of anything other than God and trust placed in anything except Christ and Him Crucified is spiritual adultery) and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her (Babylon, and we speak of the system, is their god, so they lament for their god), when they shall see the smoke of her burning (signals far more than the destruction of one city; it is the end of a system, a way, a false way, a terrible way, and will be carried out at the very conclusion of the Great Tribulation, which will usher in the Second Coming),

¹⁰Standing afar off for the fear of her torment (the destruction of this city will, no doubt, be Televised all over the world; as well, much of the world will fear the same Judgment is coming upon them, knowing that God has done this), saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! (Proclaims the lament, knowing that her destruction signals the end of Satans rule and reign.) for in one hour is your judgment come. (Ancient Babylon gradually decayed, but this Babylon will be totally destroyed in one hour, proving that this city must be rebuilt.)

¹¹And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buys their merchandise any more (those who have sold their souls to this system will now weep and mourn over her destruction):

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. (The last phrase probably refers to the drug business.)

¹⁴And the fruits that your soul lusted after are departed from you, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from you, and you shall find them no more at all (this proclaims the fallacy of investing in a system of this world instead of the things of God [Mat. 6:19-21]).

¹⁵The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing (the idea is that the system of this world, symbolized by rebuilt Babylon, is about to end, with another system taking its place, which will be the Kingdom of our Lord),

¹⁶And 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! (This points to a conclusion regarding the word great, which is not shared by the Lord.)

¹⁷For in one hour so great riches is come to nought (should serve as a warning to all who put their trust in such things). And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off (God took out in one hour what men took many years to build),

¹⁸And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city! (They cried over their financial loss, but seemed to show no concern for their lost souls.)

¹⁹And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all who had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate. (The casting of dust on their heads does not point to Repentance, but rather to the sorrow of their financial loss.)

²⁰Rejoice over her, you Heaven, and you Holy Apostles and Prophets; for God has avenged you on her. (While men cry over the destruction of Babylon, the Lord tells Believers to rejoice.)

²¹And a mighty Angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea (is a fulfillment of Mat. 18:6), saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all (proclaims the manner in which the era of evil will end; it will be with violence, which, in effect, speaks more so of the Second Coming of Christ than anything else).

²²And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in you (the merriment has ended); and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in you (refers to the way business is normally done; a few get filthy rich on the backs of the helpless poor); and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in you (refers to grinding poverty, which characterizes much of the world; it is not that poverty will characterize Babylon, but that much of its riches will come from ill-gotten gains);

²³And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in you (Satans false light will shine no more); and the voice of the Bridegroom and of the Bride shall be heard no more at all in you (refers to a false foundation, exactly as the false light; in fact, everything about the system of the world is false, built on a lie): for your merchants were the great men of the Earth; for by your sorceries were all nations deceived. (Witchcraft and the drug business, referred to by sorceries, constitute the foundation of this commercial enterprise, which will be totally destroyed.)

²⁴And in her was found the blood of Prophets, and of Saints, and of all who were slain upon the earth. (The literal city of Babylon is symbolic of the Babylonian spirit, which has opposed the Work of God from the beginning until now.)