June 15, 2024
Last time we discussed the 6 Last Plagues and the gathering of the Satanic armies for the final battle. Today we will focus on the collapse of End-Time Babylon.
• Plague 7 – the Satanic Trinity is shattered (16:17-21)
The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and out of the temple came a loud voice from the throne, saying, "It is done!" Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since man has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake.
The result…. the Satanic Trinity (Dragon, Sea Beast, Earth Beast), who were united in their war against God and his people, is shattered. All the entities that supported the Satanic Trinity also collapse.
God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath.
Three verses in Revelation speak of the wine of Babylon, which caused all who drank it to commit spiritual adultery:
o Revelation 14:8 - And another angel, a second one, followed, saying, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who has made all the nations drink of the wine of the passion of her immorality."
o Revelation 17:2 - with whom the kings of the earth committed acts of immorality, and those who dwell on the earth were made drunk with the wine of her immorality.
o Revelation 18:3 - "For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality."
Now God gives her and all who sided with her the unmixed wine of his wrath.
Every island fled away and the mountains could not be found.
The earthquake of the 7th Plague will be so powerful that things we have always thought of as “immoveable” disappear.
The author of Hebrews speaks of the final shaking of creation,
"Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens." The words "once more" indicate the removing of what can be shaken -- that is, created things -- so that what cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our "God is a consuming fire." - Hebrews 12:26-29
And Daniel tells it this way….
While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were broken to pieces at the same time and became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer. The wind swept them away without leaving a trace. But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth….. In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. – Daniel 2:34-35, 44
The only thing that remains is the unshakeable kingdom God.
Finally, huge hailstones – weighing about 100 lbs. each – fall on the enemies of God.
o The largest hailstone ever recorded was 8 inches in diameter and weighed 1.9375 pounds. It fell in a severe hailstorm in Vivian, South Dakota, on July 23, 2010.
o The heaviest authenticated hailstone ever weighed 2.25 pounds. It fell in the Gopalanj district of Bangladesh on April 14, 1986.
It is not clear if these are literal hailstones or symbolic. In the Old Testament, hailstones were used as judgments:
o Exodus 9:18-26 - Therefore, at this time tomorrow I will send the worst hailstorm that has ever fallen on Egypt, from the day it was founded till now. (see also Joshua 10:11; Psalm 18:12-14; Ezekiel 13:13-16; 38:22)
In the same way, the hailstones of the 7th Plague are used as judgment upon the enemies of God and his people.
As with the other plagues, the wicked respond by cursing God – revealing their true character and hardness of heart.
John has announced the fall of End-Time Babylon:
Revelation 14:8 - A second angel followed and said, "Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great, which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries."
And its actual collapse:
Revelation 16:19 - The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath.
Chapter 18 will provide the details. Before describing her demise, John describes her and gives the reason for her fall.
One of the 7 angels invites John to witness the punishment of the great prostitute who sits on many waters (nations) – later identified as “BABYLON THE GREAT THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” (v. 5)
John is carried away in vision to the desert where he sees a woman.
The last time John saw a woman in the desert, she was “clothed as the sun” and she was being pursued by the Dragon (Satan - 12:1-17).
As we know, in scripture, a woman is often a representation of God’s people – both faithful (Jeremiah 2:1-3a) and unfaithful (2 Chronicles 21:11; Jeremiah 2:20-21; 3:20; Ezekiel 16:30-32; Hosea 3:1).
The woman of Revelation 12 represents the pure/faithful church.
As John looks, he does not see the woman “clothed as the sun.” Instead, he sees “a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had 7 heads and 10 horns.”
- The Scarlet Beast -
Where have we read this description before?
The Red Dragon of Revelation 12:3 - The Sea Beast of Revelation 13:1 - The 4th Beast of Daniel 7:7,24.
We understand that the heads represent the kingdoms who oppressed God’s people throughout history:
• Egypt
• Assyria
• Babylon
• Medo Persia
• Greece
• Rome
• Medieval Church
What John sees here is an expansion of his previous vision regarding the union of religious and political powers at the end of time (ch.13).
Throughout history, political power and religious authority went hand in hand – nations were governed by religious-political powers. However, at the time of the end, politics and religion appear to be distinct entities.
At the end-of-time these entities – The Prostitute (religious power) and the Scarlet Beast (political power) – will come together and work for a common purpose – the destruction of God’s people and the establishment of the Dragon’s throne.
As we know, the 7th head received a deadly wound that was miraculously healed.
The description of this in Revelation 13:3 is repeated in Revelation 17:8: “The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and will come up out of the Abyss and go to his destruction. The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast, because he once was, now is not, and yet will come.”
The angel tells John that this will require (spiritual) wisdom to understand. The 7 heads are 7 hills or 7 kings. 5 of the kingdoms have fallen. 1 kingdom is currently in power and 1 kingdom has not yet been established.
The 7 heads/kingdoms are consecutive. Since John is the point of reference, the 5 kingdoms that have fallen are:
• Egypt - fallen
• Assyria - fallen
• Babylon - fallen
• Medo Persia - fallen
• Greece – fallen
The current kingdom is (John’s time):
• Rome
The kingdom to come is (after John’s time):
• Medieval Church – this kingdom, established after the fall of the Roman empire, will be in power for a limited time (538 -1798)
- The Prostitute -
Returning to the description of the woman, John sees that she is “dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls.”
The prostitute is wearing purple – the color of royalty – fitting her claim to be queen (18:7) and scarlet.
In ancient times, prostitutes wore scarlet clothing and lavish ornamentation for the purpose of seduction.
Jeremiah 4:30 - What are you doing, O devastated one? Why dress yourself in scarlet and put on jewels of gold? Why shade your eyes with paint? You adorn yourself in vain. Your lovers despise you; they seek your life.
Her garments match the color of the Beast she sits on – indicating the seductive nature and coercive character of the end-time religious/political system.
There are also parallels between the Prostitute and the High Priest in the Old Testament (Exodus 28) and her ornamentation reminds us of the description of the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21:19-21
"The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone….. 21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass."
In her hand she holds a golden cup, filled with abominable things. She is drunk with the blood of God’s people.
All the above information points to one inescapable truth - the goal of the Satanic Trinity is the very throne of God – and they will use seduction and coercion and bloodshed to further that goal.
When John sees this woman, he reports that he is utterly astonished. Why? Because he recognizes her. The pure woman of Revelation 12 has become the Prostitute of Revelation 17.
This suggests that God’s End-Time opponent was once Christ’s faithful church. Its “Christian” appearance becomes Satan’s powerful tool to deceive and seduce the world.
Now out of the 7th kingdom comes an 8th – the deadly wound has been healed.
The angel further reveals to John that the 10 horns represent 10 kingdoms that will appear in the future (Daniel 2:40-44). They will reign for a short time during the time of the 8th kingdom (the religious power whose deadly wound had been healed).
They give their power and authority to the beast and have one purpose – to make war against the Lamb (Rev. 16:14,16; 19:11-21).
But who wins? The Lamb! Because he is Lord of lords and King of kings -- and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers (Rev. 19:11-16).
This is a brief revisit to the Battle of Armageddon, which will be detailed further in ch. 19.
In the final stages of the battle, something unexpected happens:
Revelation 17:15-16 - Then the angel said to me, "The waters you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages. The beast and the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They will bring her to ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire.
This matches up with the drying up of the Euphrates River in the 6th Plague, but more than that, the graphic language reveals how the Prostitute will meet her end – at the hands of those who had once supported her.
The scene concludes by reminding the reader that it is God who is ultimately in control. He will use the rage of the nations to carry out his judgments against the Prostitute/Babylon the Great.
A more graphic description of the Fall of Babylon the Great will come next week. Stay tuned.
