A thorough study of the Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show his servants things which must shortly come to pass. (Rev. 1:1)
Welcome to our study of the Revelation of Jesus Christ given unto Apostle John.
I am Phillip Smith, your host and fellow servant of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
As we continue our study in the Revelation of Jesus Christ, as given to John, we begin in chapter 18.
Chapter 17 introduced the beast on which the woman, Mystery, Babylon The Great, sat. We will learn more about this beast in chapter 18.
Rev. 18:1-3. 18 And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. 2 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. 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.
John has seen another angel, one with great power. This angel has been given higher authority perhaps over many other angels performing their tasks of which he might be commander. He has a great magnificent illumination of light about him. This signifies his authority is given by God who through his son illuminates great ‘light’--righteousness.
The message, from this angel with authority, witnesses that Babylon The Great has fallen. This Mystery woman, the whore of Babylon, has fallen. Her power over filthiness and abominations against God has collapsed. The ten horns–ten kings who hate her–have made her desolate and naked. (17:16)
Her domain has become a habitation for devils, evil peoples dominated by evil spirits of Satan. (the hold of every foul spirit) It discloses her hold on binding and holding these people and their evil spirits as in a bird cage holds a bird. (every unclean and hateful bird)
Remember, Satan tried to bind every soul in Hell–the grave. (Sheol) Jesus, upon his resurrection, broke the bonds of Hell (gates). He has kept Satan from permanently holding any saint from the resurrection by God.
By the power over weak minded men, Mystery and her fornications enticed men to sell their souls to her for earthly gain and pleasure. She caged them, holding them from the possibility of escape. She shielded them from hearing the truth of God and Jesus Christ.
Do we see men doing this same thing today in our earthly realm?
Verse 3 tells of the things she held over mankind of which she tempted evil men. These men became rich from her ‘delicacies’. The fornication the men committed with her is the idea of turning our righteous soul to partaking of the delicacies of the world; all forms of debauchery, filthiness, greed, thievery, lies, etc. Perhaps many of these men who partook of her filthiness held a form of godliness but denied the power thereof. (2 Tim 3:2-5)
Rev. 18:4-6. 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. 5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. 6 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.
A warning has been declared from heaven by another angel doing the task of God to all the ‘called’ of God. “Come out of her!” God has called us to righteousness. We are not to sin willfully when we know our deeds are evil. Are we to sin more that grace may abound more? “God forbid.” This angel is trying to make the believers recognize her fornications and not become a party to her wrath. God has remembered her iniquities and he is going to reward her double what she has done to the saints of earth. (vs. 6) (parallel passage; 2 Cor. 6:14-18)
God has declared unto His spirit servants, angels, to double unto her double according to her works. In this realm, before the Judgment Day, there will be a time of wrath upon the unjust who have partaken of her delicacies and unto her the wrath of God shall be doubled.
Remember this has come from one of the angels having the last vials of God’s Last Wrath upon evil mankind. Vs. 1 says it was told to John after ‘these things’ which was from the declaration that Babylon has fallen. It is after John was shown the woman riding upon the beast. (17:1)
The Pride Of The Woman, Mystery, Babylon The Great
Rev. 18:7. 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.
She has glorified herself above all others. She is proud, boastful and arrogant about her position. We witness many evil, vial men today who boast of themselves and their wealth and power over others; including ruling nations and earthly governments by bribes and threats.
God shall give unto them a harsher punishment and unto her, double His wrath.
The Mourning of Partakers of The Great Whore of Babylon
Rev. 18:8-20. 8 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. 9 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, 10 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. 11 And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more: 12 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, 13 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. 14 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. 15 The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, 16 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! 17 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, 18 And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city! 19 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. 20 Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.
Scripture, here given a time stamp of ‘one hour’. Again, this is a reference of time given in the realm of the Spirit nature based upon eternity. It represents an extremely very, very, short duration of time as we understand time. REMINDER: If our life is but a vapor, which appeareth for a short time, then vanisheth away, one hour defined by eternal time is extremely short. God wants us to understand this event, the fall of Mystery, Babylon The Great, will happen in a short time based upon eternity.
The plagues God shall rain down upon her and those who shared in her iniquities will be severe. It includes death, mourning, and famine, and she shall be burned with fire. The hatred of these kings who bargained with her destroyed her. The merchants who became wealthy from her will see no more business; no one will buy from them of her precious goods. Her riches will be consumed, taken away in a very short time. Those who made wealth from her shall weep, but remain afar off not wishing to receive of her suffering and torment. They will wail and mourn over her.
God tells heaven to rejoice over her fall because God has avenged the holy apostles and prophets. Rev. 6:9-10. 9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: 10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? Remember the mystery woman had drank of the blood of the saints. Now the souls under the throne are to rejoice because they have been avenged.
Rev. 18:21. 21 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.
As a great wave of the sea destroys whatever is in its path, and wipes it clean, the great city of abominations, including all that are bound in cages, all evil and vile spirits sponsored by the great evil city, shall be wiped from the earth. (be found no more).
Rev. 18:22-24. 22 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; 23 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. 24 And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.
Joy and happiness shall be heard no more from the city of iniquity, Babylon (The government which thrives from all abominations of God) Workers, builders, and people who prepare food will not be found. A light will not burn there. Marriages will not be performed there. This government has killed the saints and have become drunk from their blood (death).
From this passage, many believe this is a rewrite of the fall of Babylon of old. The city, literal physical city, stands no more. However, this is a writing using the symbol of the ancient city of Babylon and its government ruled by King Nebuchadnezzar. The destruction of the earthly Babylon was a shadow of things to come. This is symbolic of the ancient city so we can understand the spiritual realm fulfilling the wrath of God at the end destroying the filthiness and abominations of the evil city and the great whore which they perpetrated against Godly men.
