seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Revelation 18:9 “When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn over her. 10 Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off and cry:
“‘Woe! Woe to you, great city,
you mighty city of Babylon!
In one hour your doom has come!’
you mighty city of Babylon!
In one hour your doom has come!’
11 “The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes anymore— 12 cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble; 13 cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and human beings sold as slaves.
14 “They will say, ‘The fruit you longed for is gone from you. All your luxury and splendor have vanished, never to be recovered.’ 15 The merchants who sold these things and gained their wealth from her will stand far off, terrified at her torment. They will weep and mourn 16 and cry out:
“‘Woe! Woe to you, great city,
dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet,
and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls!
17 In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin!’
dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet,
and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls!
17 In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin!’
“Every sea captain, and all who travel by ship, the sailors, and all who earn their living from the sea, will stand far off. 18 When they see the smoke of her burning, they will exclaim, ‘Was there ever a city like this great city?’ 19 They will throw dust on their heads, and with weeping and mourning cry out:
“‘Woe! Woe to you, great city,
where all who had ships on the sea
became rich through her wealth!
In one hour she has been brought to ruin!’
where all who had ships on the sea
became rich through her wealth!
In one hour she has been brought to ruin!’
20 “Rejoice over her, you heavens!
Rejoice, you people of God!
Rejoice, apostles and prophets!
For God has judged her
with the judgment she imposed on you.”
Rejoice, you people of God!
Rejoice, apostles and prophets!
For God has judged her
with the judgment she imposed on you.”
Here's a link to the commentary I use.Standing at distance for fear of her torment: So great is the heat and smoke of her burning that these kings must stand at a distance. Some think this may be an indication that nuclear weapons are used in the judgment of these commercial centers.
“Whether this is to be understood of the literal destruction of the city of Rome by fire, is surely doubtful, considering the mystical character of the whole prophecy.” (Alford)
Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! “With a touch of grim humour he paints them as standing at a safe distance from the conflagration, and contenting themselves with idle lamentations.” (Swete)
And bodies and souls of men: The profits of commercial Babylon have come through cruelly using others. They sold the bodies and souls of men. This idea has many applications, none less so than today’s widespread human trafficking, prostitution, and pornography.
You shall find them no more at all: Those who lived for the luxuries of commercial Babylon will be tormented their eternal absence of those luxuries all the more: you shall find them no more at all. Ultimately, hell will be a place of unfulfilled desire.
Today, as I write this, the bridge still lays across the bow of a ship in the harbor there in Baltimore. The harbor was closed by the incident. Only small boats can get through. People all over the US and some people around the world are all waiting for the bridge and the ship to be removed, so the harbor can reopen and the luxuries can flow again.Did you see how quick that bridge came down??? I am just frickin amazed by how fast that much steel could fall!
So, this morning, when I read "within one hour, great wealth has been brought to ruin" I thought of Baltimore. How quickly the lives of everyone working or traveling in the area, and everyone depending on the freight stuck in the harbor, or everyone depending on the boats stuck in the harbor, were changed by one blow at the right spot in that expanse.
The commentary mentions the fall of Rome. I don't think these verses are about the past. But yeah.... No one could lend a hand when Rome went up in flames. Didn't Nero fiddle while Rome burned because it was a controlled burn, meant to make room for Nero to construct buildings to his architectural taste? Come to think of it, I think I heard or read, after the fire finally went out.... the cities were built back in stone... so, they were safer. It took years to build Rome. It took only a week to burn to the ground... or so I read somewhere.
Isn't it more likely that the city in these verses is in the future, like New York, Moscow, Paris, Berlin, or perhaps John was actually watching the destruction in Gaza. After all, there are a lot of people just wringing their hands as they watch the destruction. They aren't helping because they don't know how to stop it. It's causing so much damage to the global flowchart of man. They can't do anything but watch.
The verses say we should rejoice [verse 20]. I don't think the Children of God will be rejoicing on earth... but they will be rejoicing in Heaven.
Remember, by the time Babylon is destroyed.... Humans will be boiled up, bitten by a bug that makes them wish they were dead, hangry, thirsty, and wheezing to get a good clean breath of air.
"In one hour, she has been brought to ruin"
