The Judgment of Babylon the Great
The great Harlot (Revelations 17:1-18)
- Babylon, the Prostitute on the Beast
- Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, “Come here, I will show you the judgment and doom of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters [influencing nations],
- she with whom the kings of the earth have [c]committed acts of immorality, and the inhabitants of the earth have become intoxicated with the wine of her immorality.”
- a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was entirely covered with blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns.
- The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold, precious stones and pearls, [and she was] holding in her hand a gold cup full of the abominations and the filth of her [sexual] immorality.
- on her forehead a name was written, a mystery: “BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES (false religions, heresies) AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”
- the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints (God’s people), and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus [who were martyred].
- the angel said to me, “Why do you wonder? I will explain to you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and ten horns.
- “The beast that you saw was [once], but [now] is not, and he is about to come up out of the abyss (the bottomless pit, the dwelling place of demons) and go to destruction (perdition).
- the inhabitants of the earth, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, will be astonished when they see the beast, because he was and is not and is yet to come [to earth].
- Here is the mind which has wisdom [and this is what it knows about the vision]. The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits;
- they are seven kings:
- five of whom have fallen
- one exists and is reigning
- the other [the seventh] has not yet come, and when he does come, he must remain a little while.
- the beast that [once] was but is not, is himself also an eighth king and is one of the seven, and he goes to destruction (perdition).
- The ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but [together] they receive authority as kings for a single hour [for a common purpose] along with the beast.
- These [kings] have one purpose [one mind, one common goal], and they give their power and authority to the beast.
Victory for the Lamb
- They will wage war against the Lamb (Christ)
- the Lamb will triumph and conquer them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him and on His side are the called and chosen (elect) and faithful.”
- Then the angel said to me, “The waters which you saw, where the prostitute is seated, are:
- peoples
- multitudes
- nations
- languages.
- the ten horns which you saw, and the beast
- will hate the prostitute
- will make her desolate and naked [stripped of her power and influence]
- will eat her flesh and completely consume her with fire.
- For God has put it in their hearts to carry out His purpose by agreeing together to surrender their kingdom to the beast, until the [prophetic] words of God will be fulfilled.
- The woman whom you saw is the great city, which reigns:
- over
- dominates
- controls the kings
- the political leaders of the earth.”
The Great City (Revelations 18:1-24)
Babylon Is Fallen
- After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, possessing great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his splendor and radiance.
- he shouted with a mighty voice, saying, “Fallen, fallen [certainly to be destroyed] is Babylon the great!
- She has become a dwelling place for demons, a dungeon haunted by every unclean spirit, and a prison for every unclean and loathsome bird.
- For all the nations have drunk from the wine of the passion of her [sexual] immorality
- the kings and political leaders of the earth have committed immorality with her
- the merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth and economic power of her sensuous luxury.”
- And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not be a partner in her sins and receive her plagues;
- for her sins (crimes, transgressions) have piled up as high as heaven
- God has remembered her wickedness and crimes [for judgment].
- Repay to her even as she has repaid others, and pay back [to her] double [her torment] in accordance with what she has done
- in the cup [of sin and suffering] which she mixed, mix a double portion [of perfect justice] for her.
- To the degree that she glorified herself and reveled and gloated in her sensuality [living deliciously and luxuriously],
- to that same degree impose on her torment and anguish, and mourning and grief;
- for in her heart she boasts, ‘I sit as a queen [on a throne] and I am not a widow, and will never, ever see mourning or experience grief.’
- For this reason in a single day her plagues (afflictions, calamities) will come,
- pestilence
- mourning
- famine
- she will be burned up with fire and completely consumed; for strong and powerful is the Lord God who judges her.
Laments for Babylon
- the kings and political leaders of the earth, who committed immorality and lived luxuriously with her
- will weep and beat their chests [in mourning] over her when they see the smoke of her burning
- standing a long way off, in fear of her torment, saying, ‘Woe, woe, the great city, the strong city, Babylon! In a single hour your judgment has come.’
- “And merchants of the earth will weep and grieve over her,
- because no one buys their cargo (goods, merchandise) anymore— cargoes of:
- gold
- silver
- precious stones
- pearls
- fine linen
- purple
- silk
- scarlet
- all kinds of citron (scented) wood
- every article of ivory
- every article of very costly and lavish:
- wood
- bronze
- iron
- marble
- cinnamon
- spices
- incense
- perfume
- frankincense
- wine
- olive oil
- fine flour
- wheat
- of cattle
- sheep
- cargoes of horses and chariots and carriages
- of slaves and human lives.
- The ripe fruits and delicacies of your soul’s desire have gone from you, and all things that were luxurious and extravagant are lost to you, never again to be found.
- The merchants who handled these articles, who grew wealthy from [their business with] her
- will stand a long way off in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning aloud, 16 saying, ‘Woe, woe, for the great city that was robed in fine linen, in purple and scarlet, gilded and adorned with gold, with precious stones, and with pearls; because in one hour all the vast wealth has been laid waste.’ And
- every ship captain or navigator, and every passenger and sailor, and all who make their living by the sea,
- stood a long way off, 18 and exclaimed as they watched the smoke of her burning, saying, ‘What could be compared to the great city?’
- they threw dust on their heads and were crying out, weeping and mourning, saying, ‘Woe, woe, for the great city, where all who had ships at sea grew rich from her great wealth, because in one hour she has been laid waste!’
- Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints (God’s people) and apostles and prophets [who were martyred], because God has executed vengeance for you [through righteous judgment] upon her.”
The Divine Sentence upon Babylon
- Then a single powerful angel picked up a boulder like a great millstone and flung it into the sea,
- saying, “With such violence will Babylon the great city be hurled down [by the sudden, spectacular judgment of God], and will never again be found.
- the sound of harpists and musicians and flutists and trumpeters will never again be heard in you
- no skilled artisan of any craft will ever again be found in you
- the sound of the millstone [grinding grain] will never again be heard in you [for commerce will no longer flourish, and normal life will cease]
- never again will the light of a lamp shine in you
- never again will the voice of the bridegroom and bride be heard in you
- for your merchants were the great and prominent men of the earth
- because all the nations were deceived and misled by your sorcery [your magic spells and poisonous charm].
- in Babylon was found the blood of prophets and of saints (God’s people) and of all those who have been slaughtered on the earth.”
The rest of the Eternity of God Bible Study is here
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