REVELATION
SIMPLIFIED
CHAPTER 18.1
Gleanings from the Book of
Revelation:
A Weekly Verse-by-Verse Bible Study Series
The
REVELATION TO JOHN
Chapter
Eighteen
The Great Tribulation
Parenthesis
Mystery Babylon
(Political Babylon)
Introduction
Apart
from Jerusalem, Babylon is mentioned more than any other city in the Bible,
about 260 times.
The
Lord stops the flow of chronological events at the end of Chapter 16, inserts a
parenthesis, and presents two chapters with a description of Babylon.
Subsequently, He resumes with the Second Coming of Jesus Christ at the Battle
of Armageddon. Two anti-God systems are embodied and revealed as determined:
A. Chapter
17 - A Babylonian religious system that has infiltrated and infected the
history of mankind
B. Chapter
18 – A great commercial system representing world cities throughout many eras
in the history of mankind
Locations
Many
believe Religious Babylon will have its seat in Rome because it was built on
seven mountains (cf. Revelation 17:9), however, since Jerusalem is also built
around seven mountains, the latter seems more likely since it fits the context
of the narrative. Others believe the two descriptions are the same, yet the
descriptions of their locations are stated differently (see also Revelation 18:17-19).
It
is extremely likely, once Antichrist overthrows the religious system, he will
be more interested in money and power. As a result, he will move the capital to
a centralized commercial location. Most scholars agree a one-world commercial
Babylon will re-emerge as a literal city on the plain of Shinar in the land of
the Chaldeans. And, since Antichrist will be worshipped as a god, the false
religious system's headquarters at Babylon would be apropos.
Babylon’s
Prophecy of Doom
God
planned that Babylon is rebuilt two times, historically and eschatologically. As
a consequence, prophecy here has a double fulfillment, it will surely come to
pass once again.
Her
final demise will mirror the first:
Isaiah 13:19-22 - And Babylon, the
glory of kingdoms, the
beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation:
neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make
their fold there. But wild
beasts of the desert shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful (hooting, howling) creatures; and owls shall dwell
there, and satyrs (wild goats) shall
dance there. And the wild beasts of the islands (hyenas) shall cry in their
desolate houses, and dragons (jackal, sea serpent or monster) in their
pleasant palaces: and her
time is near
to come, and her days shall not be prolonged.
The prophet Jeremiah reiterates in like fashion:
Jeremiah 51:24-26 - And I will render unto Babylon and to all the inhabitants of Chaldea all their evil that they have done in Zion in
your sight, saith
the LORD. Behold, I am
against thee, O destroying mountain, saith the LORD, which destroyest all the
earth: and I will
stretch out Mine hand upon thee, and
roll thee down from the rocks, and will make thee a burnt mountain. And they shall not take of thee a stone for a corner, nor a stone for
foundations; but thou
shalt be desolate for ever, saith
the LORD. [See also Jeremiah 51:61-64 (emphasis
mine)].
Hence,
the consummation of materialism and the destruction of worldliness shall be
finally met.
The
Two Babylons
Comparisons
of Likenesses
1. Both
organizations share Antichrist’s rule and power at the same time (cf.
Revelation 16:10, 17-21; 17:3, 17-18; 18:1)
2. Both
systems hate the saints and shed their blood (cf. Revelation 17:6; 18:24)
3. Both
entities come under the divine judgment of God (cf. Revelation 17:1, 16-17;
18:2, 6-8)
Comparisons
of Differences
A. Chapter
17 – Babylon is a religious network called Mystery Babylon the Great, the
Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth. Babylon is also an ecclesiastical city as a whorish woman is seen sitting on
the beast of government (cf. 17:1-5)
B. Chapter
18 – Babylon is a commercial organization noted as Babylon the Great. She stands
as a mighty city because of her system of commerce (cf. 18:2-3; 11-19)
A. Chapter
17 - Babylon being an ecclesiastical entity is envied and hated by the kings of
the earth and they rejoice at her destruction
B. Chapter
18 – Babylon being a political and commercial establishment is loved by the
kings of the earth and they lament over her desolation
A. Chapter
17 – Babylon is guilty of religious apostasy, designed and then destroyed by
man (cf. 17:4, 7)
B. Chapter
18 – Babylon becomes abominable because of her system of commerce and is
destroyed by God (cf. 18:3, 19)
Outline
1. The
Pronouncement of Babylon’s Punishment (Vv. 1-3)
2. The
Plea to the People of God (Vv. 4-5)
3. The
Payment Babylon Procures (Vv. 6-8)
4. The
Profits Babylon Forfeited (v.9)
5. The
People Affected by Babylon’s Pride (Vv. 10-19)
6. The
Praise of Persecuted Believers (v. 20)
7. The
Punishment of Babylon Justified (Vv. 21-24)
1. The Pronouncement
of Babylon’s Punishment (Vv. 1-3)
(Verse 1)
And after these things I saw another angel come
down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his
glory.
John, still a spectator, witnesses a new vision containing
three things:
1. He sees another angel
2. He sees an angel having great power
3. He sees an angel illuminating the world
After what things (meta tauta)? Notwithstanding, It
follows a point in the future, after the destruction of the false apostate
worldly religious system that began at Babel. Now the Apostle envisions (stares
at) yet another (of the same kind, different from 17:1) angel (or messenger) descending
out of Heaven with great power, enough to illuminate the whole earth with his
glory.
Significantly,
the purpose of the angel’s visit is to show John the ruination of the
Babylonian system’s later-day metropolis, i.e., Babylon’s commercial emporium
of the world. So, this becomes a pronouncement of impending judgment.
(Verse 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.
The authoritative angel does three additional things in this
verse:
1. The angel cries
a. Denoting a loud shrieking or screaming
b. Demonstratively in the future, described in the past, but in
the predetermined will of God (i.e., Greek aorist tense)
2. The angel cries mightily
a. Denoting extreme forcible shouting
3. The angel cries with a strong voice
a. Denoting an overwhelmingly and powerfully loud voice
So, everyone alive in the world can take heed to this
important heavenly announcement: Babylon
the Great is fallen, is fallen.
Having been used by writers for several millennia, the
repetition of a word or phrase is used as a tool to communicate an idea or
something distinct to remember. Therefore, repetitiveness enhances memory.
Besides, the expression is taken from Isaiah’s prophecy:
Isaiah 21:9 -
And,
behold, here cometh a chariot (team, cavalry) of men, with a couple of horsemen. And he (the watchman) answered and
said, Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all the graven
images of her gods He hath broken unto the ground.
And
(commercial Babylon) is become the habitation of devils, and
the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird
Interestingly, the seat or throne of Babylon’s religious
empire, antagonistic with God since Babel, is suddenly overthrown (cf.
predictions of Isaiah 21:9; Jeremiah 51:8; Revelation 14:8). And, the
commercial city left behind is an uninhabitable heap of rubbish – A loathsome
state to which the capital city of Babylon is reduced. Isaiah depicts this graphic
scenario per se:
Isaiah 13:21 - But wild beasts of the
desert (desert howling creatures) shall lie there; and
their houses shall be full of doleful (whining, crying of afflicted) creatures; and owls (their
daughters) shall dwell there, and satyrs (by
analogy, a shaggy wild hairy he-goat) shall dance
there.
Hence, Babylon’s fate shall become the dwelling place for
wild beasts never more to be inhabited by man.
(Babylon) is become; i.e., as three things have already happened:
1. The habitation of devils
(evil supernatural spirits)
This
phrase has the implication that demons have already been abiding by and utilizing
the Babylonian system the entire time. Counterpoint the believer’s old nature
to his new:
Ephesians 2:2 - Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air (Satan), the (evil)
spirit(s) that now worketh in the
children of disobedience.
2. The
hold of every foul spirit
A hold, more or less, is a watchtower or guard
post of a prison that houses inferior, lewd, and demonic spirits (cf. Isaiah
34:11-15).
3. The
cage of every hateful and unclean bird
Cage is the same word
in Greek as hold [φυλακή (phulakÄ“), G5438]. So, along with the evil spirits, hateful,
vicious, vile, and ceremonially unclean birds are caged
Birds
(An
abbreviated exposition)
God’s
initial intention for birds, covered with feathers and wings, was to be
fruitful and multiply (cf. Genesis 1:20). He created them on the fifth day,
blessed them, and in His eyes, they were considered (a) good (thing).
However,
before the Flood, Noah was instructed to take seven pairs of clean animals and
birds and one pair of unclean animals and birds upon the Ark (cf. Genesis
7:2-3). God’s purpose was to keep alive all species of beasts and birds, clean
and unclean upon the face of the earth for their preservation.
So,
the Levitical Law concerning clean and unclean animals did not originate with
Moses but was determined long before the Flood. From extant literature, it is researched
that animals and birds, as well as man, were unnaturally and ungodly corrupted,
the reason for the deluge (cf. Genesis 6:1-7, 11-13).
Clean
and Unclean Birds
There
are numerous literal and metaphorical references to birds in the Bible. To
comprehend their value, God has designated them into two categories:
A. Clean
– A bird considered clean is meant to be pure,
Levitically sound in a physical sense, uncontaminated, morally innocent,
or ceremonially holy. Birds that eat grain or seed naturally conform to this
family, as such:
1. Doves
John
1:32 - And John [the
Baptist] bare record, saying, I saw the [Holy] Spirit descending
from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon
Him (Jesus Christ).
2. Sparrows
Luke
12:6 – Are not five
sparrows sold for two
farthings [Latin, assarius
(one-tenth of a denarius), Roman coins of little value], and
not one of them is forgotten before God?
3. Pigeons
and turtledoves (similar but often used interchangeably) were necessitated in
the Old Testament sacrificial system.
For example:
Leviticus
12:6 – And when the days of her purifying are fulfilled, for a son,
or for a daughter, she
shall bring a lamb of the
first year for a burnt offering, and a young pigeon, or a turtledove, for a sin offering, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, unto
the priest.
Unable to bring a lamb as
atonement for giving birth, Mary offered the Levitical substitute:
Luke
2:24 - …a sacrifice according to that which is said in the Law of the Lord (Leviticus 12:8), A pair of turtledoves,
or two young pigeons.
From Their Creator
Considerably, Scripture
encourages and rewards a compassionate spirit amongst humanity toward the
tiniest good birds. Thus recorded:
Deuteronomy
22:6-7 - If a bird's nest chance to
be before thee in the way in any tree, or on
the ground, whether they be young ones, or eggs, and the dam (mother) sitting upon
the young, or upon the eggs, thou shalt not
take the dam with the young: But thou shalt in any wise let the dam go, and take the young to thee; that it may be well with thee, and that thou (you) mayest prolong thy days
(have a long and prosperous life).
On
the other hand, there are detestable birds of the air:
B. Unclean
– Forbidden as food, is a bird of prey that is foul or in a ceremonially morally
sense contaminated or defiled. Some large unclean birds are considered hostile carnivorous
preying scavengers, analogous to being evil or hateful. Some include:
1. Vultures
– Most are carrion and eat the flesh of dead animals or humans:
Isaiah
34:15 - There
shall the great owl make her nest, and lay, and hatch, and gather under her
shadow: there shall the
vultures also be gathered, every one with her mate.
2. Eagles
- Although a symbol of power, the eagle is a carrion bird:
Matthew 24:27-28 - For
as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west, so
shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For wheresoever the carcass is, there
will the eagles be gathered together.
3. Ravens
– A shrewd and cunning bird known by their cries, and also a sickly or
cadaverous smell that arises:
Job
38:41- Who
provideth for the raven his food? when his young ones cry unto God, they
wander for lack of meat.
Predictively,
Jeremiah equates Judah, Jerusalem, and ultimately Babylon becoming this void
habitat for humanity:
Jeremiah 9:11 - And I will make Jerusalem heaps (of rubble or ruins), and a den of dragons (jackals); and I will make the cities of Judah desolate, without an
inhabitant.
Analogies
In
the parable of the Sower and the Soils, Jesus compares four different ways
people react to the Word of God or the Gospel to birds of the air in a negative
fashion.
Mark 4:4 - And it came to pass, as he (the
farmer) sowed
(seeds), some
fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.
Mark 4:15 - And these (people) are they by the way side, where
the Word is sown; but when they have heard,
Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the
Word that was sown in their hearts.
So,
seeds sown on the path were eaten by birds, thus likening birds to Satan (the
evil one), false teachers, and false religions. Consequently, Satan covertly uses
detriments or stumbling blocks to prevent God’s Word from penetrating the
hearts and minds of unbelievers.
(Verse 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.
Cause and Effect
The aftermath of destruction allows three entities to become fully
exposed:
1. The nations drinking
The Principle: Drinking leads to degradation (cf. Proverbs
20:1). After abandoning God, the ungodly world alliances join together and
convert Babylon’s religious system into commercialism. Nations become
intoxicated with her influence resulting in insolence and wantonness along with
global pride (cf. Revelation 14:8).
2. The kings fornicating
Now, through idolatries, the kings of the earth commit
spiritual adultery with Babylon’s political system and additionally lure others
to do likewise (cf. Revelation 17:2; Revelation Study 17.1). Doom and utter
destruction loom on the horizon.
3. The merchants profiting
Nations with richness and wealth have abandoned God,
connoting the merchants’ are exploiting, not carnal, but spiritual merchandise of
the apostate church by accumulating illegal indulgences for delicacies (i.e., luxuriousness,
wealth). God speaks against such
extremes of materialism:
1 Timothy 6:10 - For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some
coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced
themselves through with many sorrows.
In the following study, John receives a message from another
heavenly angel to deliver a warning for God’s people to flee from Babylon.
QUESTIONS:
1. What is Babylon’s fate?
2. Why is Babylon detested by God?
3. What is Antichrist’s role?
4. What is the angel’s main message?
5. What has Babylon become?
6. Differentiate between clan and unclean birds.
7. What is the outcome of Babylon’s fall?
If this study was a blessing to you, make it a blessing
to others.
SAVE AND FORWARD THIS LINK
