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!’
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!’
“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!’
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.”
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Here's a link to the commentary I read.
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.
Merchandise of gold and silver: This long list needs little explanation, except to note these are all luxuries, not necessities. It is plain that the mourning is rooted in self-interest: for no one buys their merchandise anymore.
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.
Alas, alas, that great city, in which all who had ships on the sea became rich by her wealth: Again, little comment needs to be made on this, other than to notice that their sorrow at commercial Babylon’s fall is selfish.
Rejoice over her: Should God’s people rejoice when judgment comes? Yes, but we don’t rejoice in the destruction in judgment. Rather, we rejoice in the righteous resolution God’s judgment brings.
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Well, these verses seem to be about the economy. I remember reading about men jumping out of windows when the stock exchange went nuts at the beginning of the Great Depression. I remember thinking "the rich don't take losing very well".
My rent goes up the first of the month. My neighbor has to move; she can't afford to live here anymore. These are not luxury apartments. Don't worry, she won't have to stay gone, she just got Section 8 approval, but to use it she has to move to California [far away] for a year. Then Section 8 funding will follow her back to Arizona. Her kids all live in Arizona.
I stopped buying fabric from Walmart or JoAnn's or Michaels. It's way too expensive. I don't change the needle in my machine every project as suggested on my embroidery machine. Now I use fabric in harvested from clothes that are too big for me. Now I buy sheets at yard sales and use them to make my dolls and critters. I'm worried about my Redheart Yarn because I found out that Redheart is made in Turkey!
I'm not complaining, mind you. I can still afford my rent, as long as Hubby and I have our Social Security. I am thrilled that I have fabric because I have lost weight! I find myself thanking God for things like partial skeins of yarn at the Purple Heart or Goodwill Stores. Yep, it's still expensive but it saves me a little so I can give some of my dolls and critters to kids.
I'm not financially set. I do know some people who are. They are quite upset with the way the stock market is going. They are having a hard time learning to cook the tougher, cheaper cuts of meat. They are having a hard time getting that new car this year. I know a preacher who insists he has to get a new car every year so the people in his church feel comfortable with the financial stability of the church!!
Check out verse 13. There's the human trafficking. We don't call it Slavery anymore. It seems to be easier to swallow if we call it "human trafficking".
When God took out Sodom, Lot stood on the hillside. When God takes out "Babylon" in End Times, it'll probably leave a hole big enough to make people think it's the human constructed nuclear device. It'll be natural though. God doesn't need humans to make bombs. He can just blow up a mountain, or twist up a firenado.
I'm glad I'm not rich. I don't have to worry about which window I have to jump out of when I lose all my shiny duckets. I don't have very many duckets to cry over. I've been homeless before. I know what it's like. The rich man around the corner... well, he's never had to do without.... He's going to jump!!!!
It'll be harder on the rich. They don't know how to do without.
Woe, woe, woe.... The rich will throw temper tantrums when they have to do without.
It'll be harder on the rich, when the Global Economy goes down the tubes.
It'll be harder on the rich. They will shake their fists at God, but they won't repent.
It'll be harder on the rich!
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