In the previous chapter we were shown a woman called a harlot, symbolic of idolatry (overweening love and reverence for someone or something other than Jehovah God, to the extent of worship); she represents some form of false, idolatrous religion. She was said to be a harlot to the kings of the earth (heads of state, hence government, dripping with her idolatry), and we were told she made drunk the inhabitants of the earth with the “wine of her fornication” (manifest, practiced, trickle-down idolatry, Revelation 17:2). She was described as decked out in purple and scarlet, gold, pearls, fine stones. Eye-popping stuff symbolic of the things the domain of sin and sorrow covets: pomp and power, prestige, wealth, all manner of pleasure, royal ease (here is betrayed to the discerning eye her falseness). She was described as holding a golden cup (highly valued) full of abominations (the above coveted flesh-things by which she tempts) and the filthiness of said fornication with the kings of the earth (the odium of her idolatry, her syncretic state religion), and is further described as sitting on a scarlet-colored (bloody) beast having seven heads (Egypt, Assyria, Babylonia, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, Revived Rome, a legacy of bloodletting as touching the people of God the former six, the latter to do even more so) and ten horns (an eighth kingdom consisting of revived Rome out of which antiChrist emerges to establish this eighth and final worldly kingdom; important to note, he is not on the scene in chapters seventeen and eighteen). On her forehead was inscribed “MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH” (not least to distinguish her from the former Babylon of the great Babylonian empire which was certainly not a mystery to anyone; separately, we said before that it meant that for all her outwardly “impressive” looks, she is not what she appears to be per the negative part of the inscription, thus a mystery). (Revelation 17:3-5.) And she was drunken with the blood of the saints and the martyrs of Jesus (she is a Church predator because the Church stands in the way of her idolatrous, state religion goals, and fundamentally, she hates Jesus Christ and strikes at His beloved Church as though striking at Him Revelation 17:6). Finally, we were told of her utter demise Revelation 17:12-18. (Her religion becomes burdensome, a nuisance, exceeding foolish, to arrogant, self-deified humankind at this determined time, who in unanimity turns on her and burns her with fire, representing consummate destruction and the hate that drove it—she truly became loathsome to the peoples she sat on who wanted no more to do with her religion or religion per se at this determined time.) We had come to the conclusion in our commentary on Revelation chapter seventeen that this harlot sitting upon many waters (peoples), and upon a scarlet-colored Beast (that of Revelation 13), could easily be understood to be the spirit of Roman syncretism in John’s day, idolatrous to the core, and ever propagating; propagating through human history by way of the great world kingdoms and their civilizations as depicted by the scarlet-colored Beast she sits on, which Beast we said abhorred carrying her. With her demise we see that God employed his very enemies to rid Himself of false religion. Following is how we put it in the commentary:
God is never mocked, not even a little bit—God has here ridded Himself of false religion at the hands of His enemies no less and through the very mortar of blasphemy particular to the proud neo-headed Beast (Psalms 2:4). What is left is the Beast and its crony kings, all of which our God will ultimately destroy personally: These with the Lamb shall make war, and the Lamb shall overcome them, because Lord of lords he is, and King of kings, and those with him are called, and choice, and stedfast. (Revelation 17:14, cf. Dan 7:9-14, 21-22), but no more harlot sitting upon many waters when this phase of human history consummates—the contestants for human souls at this point are overtly only two, ‘face to face’ if you will: Jehovah God, and Satan. Jehovah God has always presented Himself openly to the worshiper (“A Letter of Invitation-2”), so there is no change there; not so with the latter—here is a new twist, and many will choose Satan in that sore day owing to the wicked labors of antiChrist and his false prophet crony.
Our chapter seventeen commentary ends with that, which brings us to chapter eighteen of God’s Revelation. What we will learn is that God similarly rids Himself of wicked, Godless, commerce and government at this determined time, creating a massive, religio-political-economic vacuum into which antiChrist will step for his overlord Satan bringing about the final chapter of human history. This commentary will not address the latter, but rather the former, the demise of wicked, Godless, commerce and government.
The term “Babylon” is oft used in this chapter. In John’s Day it was a code-name for Rome used by the (Rome-persecuted) early Church, what should it mean to modern readers? It is understood that “Babylon” stands for a one-world religious order (Revelation 17), and as concerns us in this chapter, a one-world economic and governmental order. One word, Babylon, represents these two world orders.
Before we begin, our position is that we are pre-Tribulation here, as also in chapter seventeen just summarized. We are assuming this because the one-world religion and one-world economy/government particular to these chapters set the stage for the rise of antiChrist, which is decidedly pre-Tribulation; he is not on the scene in these chapters. The removal of this Babylon—false religion in chapter seventeen, wicked commerce and government in our chapter eighteen—is pre-Tribulation is meant. (We think these events are outliers to the Tribulation as expounded upon later in the commentary.) It means that this Babylon is in our midst, no less than she pervaded the scene in John’s Day. She will disappear before the second coming of Jesus Christ and the onset of Tribulation. To repeat what was already said, there will be a considerable vacuum left by the removal of worldwide false religion and wicked commerce and government, and this vacuum we propose presents the opportunity for Satan’s antiChrist, precisely now on the scene, to woo a befuddled, distraught, and grieving (for Babylon) world to his overlord Satan.
Oftentimes in the commentary and endnotes we use “her” and “she” when describing something, we do so to follow the biblical pattern which does likewise.
We must make it clear before beginning that we are not advocating the demise of any nation or its cities, and certainly not the precious souls therein. In what follows we are prayerfully interpreting the text vis-à-vis the times in our day as seems apparent to us. Rhymes and other such nuances are for emphasis only.
We will follow this format:
Verse of Scripture utilizing the KJV text followed by an NKJV mouse over of that verse. Key words in the KJV text will be footnoted with a link to a word study based on the Greek text, and/or a general discussion relative to the given word (we are not biblical Greek or Hebrew scholars, please consider our grammatical constructions with a critical eye).
Commentary We shall always be commenting on this passage keeping before us the crucial fact that every jot and every tittle comprising these verses came forth under the inspiration of the blessed Holy Spirit. We pray that He, by His grace, helps us along the way.
18:1-3- Who is This Babylon?
1 And after these things I saw[1] another angel[2] come down[3] from heaven[4], having great power[5]; and the earth[6] was lightened[7] with his glory[8]. 2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice[9], saying, Babylon[10] the great[11] is fallen[12], is fallen, and is become[13] the habitation[14] of devils[15], and the hold[16] of every foul[17] spirit[18], and a cage[19] of every unclean and hateful[20] bird[21]. 3 For all nations[22] (have drunk of the wine of) [23] (the wrath of her fornication)[24], and (the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her)[25], and the (merchants of the earth) are (waxed rich) [26] through the (abundance of her delicacies) [27]. (Revelation 18:3 KJV, Revelation 18:1-3, NLT)
COMMENTARY: The apostle John is here carried away by the Spirit of God and placed just so to behold God’s majestic messenger. It is a continuation of the dreadful vision of Judgment he is receiving (e.g., Revelation 17:1 similarly). We have had tremendous judgment passed on the earth up to this chapter (Revelation 6ff), if the Book is laid out chronologically, which it surely is, how did we get from there, to here? How can we have, coming out of all that destruction, even a semblance of humanity left, let alone viable enough to set up a world economy and system of government that is well populated, prominent, and of course still manifestly evil in its structure and thrust? In fact, how did we get to Revelation chapter seventeen even, given the destruction that had already occurred? There is a general chronology that the Book follows, yes, but there are considerable (by earthly standards) time gaps between some of the judgments. Time gaps make sense of the judgments as they unfold, and there is nothing unusual about that, biblically or otherwise, for example, we await Daniel’s seventieth week having beyond any reasonable doubt realized the first sixty-nine (1-69 have come to pass is meant, the subject of another study); moreover, time gaps are in keeping with Jehovah’s mercy—He is not bent on judgment, He allows room for repentance, of which we find none as the judgments continue one after the other. Clearly, the Book covers quite a span of time. (“Quite a span of time” is a thoroughly human notion and is meaningless from the I AM’s perspective of “time.”) But please note, as concerns specifically this chapter and the previous one, we hold that the events related are pre-Tribulation, time gaps do not entirely account for the jump forward unto a revitalized earth and its thriving one-world orders.
The Flesh. Satisfying the myriad cravings of the Flesh. Flesh is what the Babylon of this determined time is. That is what she is all about satisfying, in herself, in others by way of allurement. Flesh-bait. And the world swallows it, can’t get enough of it:
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.
Tasty, tasty, is the wine, I shall make it mine, mine, mine all mine, yon tasty wine yea, care not, ha, be my soul confined, confined, with the foul devil-swine.
Ease. Pleasure. Pomp-strutting. Greed and hegemon-power motivated by ego and ease and pleasure and pomp. Thus she baits. Thus she seduces unto Sin and damnation on a massive scale. Thus, yea, particularly so, she incurs the Divine Wrath. But nay she says. For greed she posits survival, for power she posits security. It must needs be; ease and pleasure and pomp motivate nothing here… She is a liar, and the mother of lies.
She is fallen. It bespeaks not least a better beginning; there came a turning point in her spirit, a decided inflection point. She has a Godly heritage is how we have come to understand it; and it is like a fingerprint at the scene of the crime. It makes sense, this fallenness, both post priori, and somewhat a priori her ruin. She is fallen, apostatized, become the habitation of devils, the hold of foul spirits, a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. Somewheres, at some point along the way, in her ease and marry-making, she abandoned Jehovah, her first love; in lockstep her new lover possessed her and shall forever hold her captive:
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.
Who could it be? Who is this Babylon? Who is the Babylon of this determined time? She is alive and appears to be well on the outside today but is diseased and quite dead on the inside for some time now, this Babylon. And her Judgment recently began, it recently visited her, tragically, in an unprecedented way going by her history.
18:4-5- Come Out of Her My People
4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come[28] out of her, my people[29], that ye be not partakers[30] of her sins[31], and that ye receive[32] not of her plagues[33]. 5 For her sins have reached[34] unto heaven, and God hath remembered[35] her iniquities[36]. (Revelation 18:4-5 KJV, Revelation 18:4-5, NLT)
COMMENTARY: Here speaks Jesus we think in a glorified voice, hence John did not recognize who spoke, but he recognized the Glory in it, and therefore he identified it as coming from heaven:
And I heard another voice from heaven, saying…
Christians are Jesus’ people; He speaks here to them through John. It is a warning for them to get out of Babylon lest they suffer Judgment with the rest when it comes in all its ferocity. Their safety does not come “automatically,” they must get out. Thus it was with Lot and family when God judged Sodom, they were warned and they had to act on that warning to be spared (Gen 19:15):
Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
Please notice that God acknowledges that His people are in Babylon. Babylon is an accomplished seductress unto Sin, and God’s people are in her midst, they (we) will succumb to her allurements, God knows it full well, that is why He wants us to get out of there. If Judgment comes upon her for her sins, God’s people in her midst, sinning like the rest, must expect the same judgment from a holy and righteous Judge. He always acts in accordance with His holiness. (They will be caught up in Babylon’s doom whether they are partaking of Babylon’s sins or not—they must get out as commanded to be spared.) God wants to spare His people this Judgment (the anxiety, fear, suffering, torment; as for Babylon, she cannot be spared, she will not repent, she is too proud, self-assured). Flee the scene; pack up and go, do not stay there lest we be caught up in Babylon’s doom. If we are caught up in Babylon’s doom we are doomed indeed along with her.
How do we get out? Does it involve moving to other acquaintances and dropping some of the old, another job, residence, city, country? It very well could involve any of those changes. In this specific context, God had in view, at least, the Rome of John’s Day. It would have been hard to escape the Godless and wicked allurements of the Roman Empire. The mobility necessary to flee was limited, and the Mediterranean environs dominated by Rome were just about as bad wherever one might have gone. It is a difficult move for anybody at any time anywhere. This text speaks to us as much as it did to the brethren at that time; most of us are probably in the same predicament—where to go and how. By-and-by Rome was indeed judged, but she revived, and as we shall see, our text unmistakably predicts her consummate doom. That is surely in the offing, so if the text speaks to us, where do we go to put distance between her and ourselves? Maybe the best thing to offer the reader is a modernity[37] cue—stay out of it, stick with conservative, fundamental, principles, biblically, and otherwise, live simply, gratefully, untethered to commercial Babylon as much as possible. Modernity is Babylon in shoe leather; modernity smacks of Babylon, both in religion and economics/government, and in lifestyle/worldview. The western world is largely bought into it, more than that even, these regions are committed to it. There are places in this world today that do not worship modernity, that is the safest place to be spiritually and physically. Jehovah’s Israel comes to mind. There are other places—they are the less affluent places that do not cater to ease and pleasure, life is more difficult there. The list of possible escapes is dwindling fast because everybody wants to “be like Babylon,” hey, “that’s where it’s happening baby…”.
We do not want to be there, we do not want to be exposed to her and influenced by her, because this Babylon has filled the cup of iniquity, and she is unforgiven. To fill the cup of iniquity covers all bases—no sin-stone left unturned here. She has done it all and continues in it unchecked as though it were her inalienable right to do so. Such a one as her receives the harshest of Jehovah’s judgments. Why? Her exceeding iniquities are unforgiven, Jehovah God specifically says so—God hath remembered her iniquities:
For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
18:6-8- Woe Baby lon
6 Reward[38] her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according[39] to her works[40]: in the cup[41] which she hath filled fill[42] to her double. 7 How much she hath glorified[43] herself, and lived deliciously[44], so much (torment and sorrow)[45] give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit[46] a queen[47], and am no widow[48], and shall see no sorrow. 8 Therefore shall her plagues come in one day[49], death[50], and mourning[51], and famine[52]; and she shall be utterly burned[53] with fire[54]: for strong[55] [is] the Lord God who judgeth[56] her. (Revelation 18:6-8 KJV, Revelation 18:6-8, NLT)
COMMENTARY: Vengeance is the Lord’s and His only (Matthew 5:39, Luke 6:28, Romans 12:19), here He delegates it to His persecuted people:
Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the which she hath filled fill to her double. How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously so much torment and sorrow give her. (cf. Leviticus 24:20.)
The brethren in John’s Day were nowise able to do this, they were comparatively weak, outnumbered, and outmuscled, so why delegate such as this to them? What they could not do, He the Lord God, even Jehovah Jesus here speaking, was going to do—for the Lord God who judges her is strong. Thus the Lord God judged ancient Rome, and will judge the Babylon of this determined time. Notice that this Babylon sits (=eased back), as a queen (=powerful):
for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.
it begs the question, who is the king so-called? It is the prince of this world system, very he who controls and powers the seven-headed world-system scarlet-colored Beast (Egypt through revived Rome, in order); it is that odious usurper and fool and would be king Satan. Notice how she boasts of his supposed invincibility and immortality; her own power and presumptuousness derives from him, and she knows it (…says in her heart…) and flaunts it; she “sticks it” in God’s face as though He were of naught over against her sugar-daddy lover Satan: “…I am no widow, and shall see no sorrow…”. She, the Babylon of this determined time, is in league with Satan, it follows that only the Lord God, strong, can make her eat the humble pie, only He can judge her into oblivion given her satanic power. The Lord God strong laughs whilst He sharpens His arrows with her name on them (a side-splitting no contest Psalms 2:4):
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.
Death, mourning, famine, and fire awaits the Babylon of this determined time. It is a grim picture; we reckon it to be caused by a limited nuclear exchange wherein one of the participants, this Babylon, is outsmarted and outgunned and loses (there may be more than two participants, it seems likely). Our supposition is that the Babylon of this determined time (pre-Tribulation) will disappear before the second coming of Jesus Christ and the commencement of Tribulation. It means that saints that are still in this Babylon (that could not or flat would not come out per our Lord’s command) will suffer and perish with the rest. For them to have been raptured and escape it, would mean that Jesus’ second coming was at hand, so why command them to come out and avoid experiencing the plagues? It would further mean that sore Tribulation was imminent, and antiChrist had before stepped onto the world’s stage, dominating the world’s one-world religion and economy/government, here and in chapter seventeen introduced! Thus, the notion of raptured saints at this juncture puts the cart before the horse vis-a-vis our text. The demise of this Babylon is an outlier to the Tribulation; we think it catalyzes, is a vehicle for, antiChrist’s “beloved” appearance on the world’s stage by way of the massive religious and economic/governmental vacuum left in Babylon’s wake after her demise as he, no slouch in international politics by this time, brokers peace and institutes widespread cleanup and reconstruction programs. Therefore, we hold that this Babylon will disappear before Jesus’ return. If correct, that outlier event could happen at any time. The time of Jesus’ second coming remains uncertain, but this outlier event must happen first. Reiterating God’s particular sorrow over this, the tragedy is that despite HIs plenteous heads-up here, there are many saints who will find themselves in the wrong place at this determined time and will perish very sad to say. Their circumstances, endearments, and entanglements in this wicked Babylon will have kept them there as though in chains.
18:9-19- In One Hour Is She Made Desolate
9 And (the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her)[57], shall bewail[58] her, and lament[59] for her, when they shall see the smoke[60] of her burning[61], 10 Standing[62] afar[63] off for the fear[64] of her torment, saying, Alas[65], alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour[66] is thy judgment[67] 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[68], and silver[69], and precious stones, and of pearls[70], and fine linen[71], and purple[72], and silk[73], and scarlet[74], and all thyine[75] wood, and all manner vessels of ivory[76], and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass[77], and iron[78], and marble[79], 13 And cinnamon[80], and odours[81], and ointments[82], and frankincense[83], and wine[84], and oil[85], and fine flour[86], and wheat[87], and beasts[88], and sheep[89], and horses[90], and chariots[91], and slaves[92], and (souls of men)[93]. 14 And the fruits[94] that thy soul lusted[95] after are departed[96] from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find[97] them ( no more at all) [98]. 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[99], and all the company[100] 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)[101], 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[102]! for in one hour is she made desolate[103]. (Revelation 18:9-19 KJV, Revelation 18:9-19, NLT)
COMMENTARY: My O my, just look at how her lovers carry on and clamor and curse God at her demise. Gone, gone, beloved baby lon is gone. All the thrills, the pills, the deals, the meals, the cash, the stash, gone all gone, beloved baby lon is gone. Bewail her, lament, O the smoke, how she is rent. What to do? What to do? O forever be blue. Gone, gone, beloved baby lon is gone. Cry, howl, weep, bemoan, thus grieve…beloved baby lon is gone:
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.
O how lonely we, no more baby lon glee, she and we, sweet, sweet, idolatry,
So delicious yea, ease, pleasure, pomp hey, in ashes yonder, yonder, along the way.
And they be a shakin’ in their high-tops way out yonder as fer away as them ‘ol Romanish boys can git baby lon cause they be next they be a thinkin’ cause ya’ll bin a partnerin’ in them dirty deeds ya’ll done did—they be a sayin’ we gonna’ keeps our rearward perticulers unscorched baby lon—we outta’ here back on o’er to our side a’ the big pond (which no doubt has been lit up too, for it is all alike “Babylon”):
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.
Please notice that her doom comes in one hour; is that literal? Absolutely:
The merchants of these things [goodly things, dainty things, fleshly needful things, cinnamon and spice and everything nice 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.
The slang would put it so: Fleecing. That is how they got rich. This Babylon and the merchants from around the world had it all figured out. A duty here, a tax over there, a surcharge for this, an unwarranted, goodly price hike again and again for that. Gouging. Aside, they wail over lost riches, not souls and suffering—how’s that for a twisted crowd? Rome of John’s Day is in view, but the vision extends beyond that because Rome did not fall in one hour, which is literal we think. It could be a metaphor for a rapid fall and not a literal hour, either way, it fits not the Rome of John’s Day—that Rome stood for hundreds of years hence. John is being shown another Rome code-named Babylon, it is the revived Rome as we have posited throughout, at the head of which is the United States of America, itself founded from that stock. Satan’s darling NATO unambiguously betrays these bedfellows, as does the EU unambiguously betray revived Rome; the U.S. was central to the EU’s formation. With these removed or disabled per our text, brother Ezekiel’s prophecies would fall in line for fulfillment next, but that is too far off topic for now.
Scripture is exceedingly redundant here: afar off, wailing, smoke, weeping, riches lost, her prices, gone in one hour. Scripture is redundant for a reason—it’s coming, and in one hour. The timing is entirely in God’s hands:
And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off, 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.
18:20-24- God Hath Avenged Ye Elect on Her, Rejoice
20 Rejoice[104] [over her, [thou] (heaven, and [ye] holy apostles and prophets)[105]; for God hath avenged[106] you on her. 21 And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone[107], and cast [it] into the sea, saying, Thus with violence[108] shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all. 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)[109]; for by thy sorceries[110] were all nations deceived[111]. 24 And in her was found[112] the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain[113] upon the earth. (Revelation 18:20-24 KJV), Revelation 18:20-24, NLT)
COMMENTARY: The people of God are to rejoice over this Babylon’s demise. It is a present, imperative verb. Rejoice, and keep rejoicing (despite all the crying and wailing; when God is the Avenger and commands it, we may, we must rejoice Deuteronomy 32:43, otherwise no, Proverbs 24:17). Before we saw that God delegated His vengeance upon her to His people, here we realize that He has in fact avenged their blood for them, as expected (Deuteronomy 32:35, Psalms 94:1, Nahum 1:2, Romans 12:19). We knew it was coming, we just had to wait for Him to do it:
Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.
And so it shall be to the tee. But rejoice over exactly what right here? Rejoice that there is a Righteous Judge who punishes evil—now, and later (the literal sense of the avenge verb is with respect to judgment). Jesus Christ is that Righteous Judge (John 5:22-27, 2Corinthians 5:10). Please note that the text has God Himself avenging for—precisely His people. Let us call it the Divine Favor; a Child of God must rejoice over that, by God’s imperative, certainly, but also by one’s own imperative. No less God is avenged of our sins on Jesus become “Babylon” (God’s wrath fell on Jesus, judged in our place, Matthew 26:39, 2Corinthians 5:21). Here is the quintessence of the Divine Favor; a Child of God must rejoice over that by their own imperative.
Those Beloved whom Judaism did not kill, Rome did. Vicious killers of God’s people these two, rejoicing, partying, as the Beloved pass away. Thus they, enemies of God and His people, wicked, “must” rejoice, by their own imperative (and Satan’s).
Why must heaven rejoice too and why is heaven mentioned first (so it is in the Greek):
Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.
Heaven, the abode of God and the holy angels and holy elders and saints of God, awaiting with bated breath the culmination of the greatest Love Story ever told, that of Salvation and eternal rejoicing per the marriage festivities confirming that Love, is here brought one step closer to that reality, for our God must needs vanquish Evil and Sin before the festivities commence. God says to them here—go ahead and get it going on, because my work is well nigh finished, that is how sure this Judgment is. There remains then one last great battle in which God will act personally, will bare His righteous right arm, and rid His Creation of all Evil and Sin forever and ever.
Heaven is where the victory parade gathers and readies and arrays itself behind the Bridegroom Conqueror leading the way (even at this very moment), should it not be privileged first?
The redundancy of this Babylon’s utter demise, as in total devastation, to the extent that she will disappear, is thick. It is repeated yet again, and the violence of it no less:
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.
Notice that an angel of God executes this judgment, it is pointed out by the text to make it clear to the reader that Jehovah God is behind her destruction. Jehovah shall raise up the peoples to do it, particularly those whom this Babylon abused, bled, fleeced, gouged, and ran roughshod over to satisfy her myriad lusts; to service and sustain her myriad lusts. She is cast into the sea by which she lived deliciously—these are peoples in the biblical metaphor, no doubt those just mentioned—to drown in it, thus at their hands, violently; in this way her sins fold back on her in kind at the hands of her many victims. God is never mocked, not even a little bit. And again, it is pointed out that her destruction shall be violent, the text makes that clear again, and again very graphically—God never lets up on that theme, it is consistent and persistent in our text.
She lives in ease and pleasure, plenteous merry making of all stripes, Godless (at best, no praise in it; praise of man, things, self, schedules/tomorrows, nasty fun, fun, fun), to be shut down in lockstep with her demise, forgotten, remembered no more but as dregs settling with her at the bottom of the sea (of humanity, yea the bottom), there to crust over with her and morph into the dark, cold environs, environs like unto herself since her turning when she abandoned her Founder and Blesser:
And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee.
And her beloved tech, which she worships above God, which dominates and controls her society, her workforce, her pleasures; her tech which she thinks will ever prevent her from becoming a widow (thus she elevates Satan’s power in this tech above that of God, for she is the bride of Satan); her tech that she thinks will allow her to ever sit oblivious, yea sit, as an arrogant queen, distant and safe from all eventualities that might harm or hinder her, distant and safe from God’s wrath even, but it is judged too, gone. Allowed to see it fail, shown to her fat eyes to fail her, up front, she watches, yea, helpless to stop, or even slow down in any effectual way, the doom raining down on her from all angles at that determined time. Gone, all of it as nothing before God’s Judgment:
and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee.
And the food, see how the staff of life is broken, to add to the torment meant precisely for her, as God avenges for His Name and His people:
and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee.
Lights out, the lights put out, darkness, physically now as well; fumbling, groping, just to get from here to there; no power grid, no solar cells per the blockage of the sun’s light, batteries spent, candles spent, darkness; she must die a slow, tormented death, as determined for this arrogant, satanic witch, this seductress unto Sin, this habitation of devils and foul spirits, yea thus determined by God:
And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee.
She bastardized holy marriage instituted by God, embraced and legalized homosexuality and transgender in direct violation of His Word, an offense to God and herself as related to her by God aplenty, an unnatural insanity in keeping with her own deranged satanism (she is the bride of Satan), and she is judged for it:
and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee.
Her businessmen and women are great in the world, their respective businesses have a dominant market share worldwide, in this way she controls international commerce, she leverages the markets through them, and waxes fat, whilst the poor waste away for all her greed as it trickles down to them in the dress of cost, at best they struggle day by day. In no small way, her seduction unto Sin (Fig. 1) very much propagates by way of commerce, by way of these “great” businessmen and women and their business models and worldviews, not least seductive subliminal, and outright, Godlessness-promotion in her advertising, that ever so satisfyingly appeals to the Flesh—she is an accomplished advertiser in this regard, leveraging the flesh for gain. Her dominant position in the world’s economy, and not least her leading businesses and businessmen and women, her advertising in support of those businesses, is a telling piece in the identification puzzle (of her) for the reader. She dares to put God’s Name on her dirty coins by which she leverages her greed, “In God We Trust,” but spits in His eyes by way of her sanctioned Godlessness—in her legislature, in her jurisprudence, in her law enforcement. She trusts not in God, not anymore (she used to, but she is fallen). She is the mother of hypocrisy because she has become the mother of lies in her fallenness:
for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.
She was and shall always be a Church hunter. Her kin in the day spilled the blood of the saints outright, she bleeds the pulpit today. She strikes at the Church from the inside, perhaps her deadliest blows are delivered in this way—she infiltrates the Church to do this. Look about, and you will find her, Babylon, planted in the Church. From that position, she presumes to do the greatest damage to God. She is a Church hunter, a saint killer, because she is a God hater. (She used to love Him; she is apostatized.) She is a killer of humankind, a paranoid war monger constantly at war, or outfitting it, a bloody beast is in her lineage, her DNA. She bleeds others to shape the world just so in keeping with her heartless and selfish interests, and to ease her freak paranoia. (She is much hated around the world for it.) She is central to conflict, sorrow, suffering, and death, worldwide:
And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth. [A bloody beast is in her lineage.]
How you have fallen since the days of your founding by God and Godly people. You are too far down past the tipping point now.
Praised be your Name in all the earth great Jehovah God. Amen.