seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Revelation 18:1 After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor. 2 With a mighty voice he shouted:
“‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!’[a]
She has become a dwelling for demons
and a haunt for every impure spirit,
a haunt for every unclean bird,
a haunt for every unclean and detestable animal.
3 For all the nations have drunk
the maddening wine of her adulteries.
The kings of the earth committed adultery with her,
and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries.”
She has become a dwelling for demons
and a haunt for every impure spirit,
a haunt for every unclean bird,
a haunt for every unclean and detestable animal.
3 For all the nations have drunk
the maddening wine of her adulteries.
The kings of the earth committed adultery with her,
and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries.”
4 Then I heard another voice from heaven say:
“‘Come out of her, my people,’[b]
so that you will not share in her sins,
so that you will not receive any of her plagues;
5 for her sins are piled up to heaven,
and God has remembered her crimes.
6 Give back to her as she has given;
pay her back double for what she has done.
Pour her a double portion from her own cup.
7 Give her as much torment and grief
as the glory and luxury she gave herself.
In her heart she boasts,
‘I sit enthroned as queen.
I am not a widow;[c]
I will never mourn.’
8 Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her:
death, mourning and famine.
She will be consumed by fire,
for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.
so that you will not share in her sins,
so that you will not receive any of her plagues;
5 for her sins are piled up to heaven,
and God has remembered her crimes.
6 Give back to her as she has given;
pay her back double for what she has done.
Pour her a double portion from her own cup.
7 Give her as much torment and grief
as the glory and luxury she gave herself.
In her heart she boasts,
‘I sit enthroned as queen.
I am not a widow;[c]
I will never mourn.’
8 Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her:
death, mourning and famine.
She will be consumed by fire,
for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.
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.”
21 Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone and threw it into the sea, and said:
“With such violence
the great city of Babylon will be thrown down,
never to be found again.
22 The music of harpists and musicians, pipers and trumpeters,
will never be heard in you again.
No worker of any trade
will ever be found in you again.
The sound of a millstone
will never be heard in you again.
23 The light of a lamp
will never shine in you again.
The voice of bridegroom and bride
will never be heard in you again.
Your merchants were the world’s important people.
By your magic spell all the nations were led astray.
24 In her was found the blood of prophets and of God’s holy people,
of all who have been slaughtered on the earth.”
the great city of Babylon will be thrown down,
never to be found again.
22 The music of harpists and musicians, pipers and trumpeters,
will never be heard in you again.
No worker of any trade
will ever be found in you again.
The sound of a millstone
will never be heard in you again.
23 The light of a lamp
will never shine in you again.
The voice of bridegroom and bride
will never be heard in you again.
Your merchants were the world’s important people.
By your magic spell all the nations were led astray.
24 In her was found the blood of prophets and of God’s holy people,
of all who have been slaughtered on the earth.”
a. Revelation 18:2 Isaiah 21:9
b. Revelation 18:4 Jer. 51:45
c. Revelation 18:7 See Isaiah 47:7,8.
This commentary comes from the easy English site.
I started to put another commentary on here.... but it's all conjecture and none of it really made much more sense than this one. None of the other commentaries added anything to the party. The testimony is the same.... Babylon is a government seat, a center of commerce, and or a religious center.... and it's gone.... in an instant.
In the visions that John is having.... the earth has already been destroyed. There have been earthquakes that flatten mountains and move islands. An Angel has been flying over the heads of humans preaching the Gospel. Hey... if an Angel showed up hovering over my town... preaching the Gospel.... after a devastating earthquake on the scale that flattens mountains..... I think I would listen. But these humans don't.
The air is impossible on the lungs. While there are no longer gas guzzling SUVs and trucks blowing exhaust, a third of the vegetation on earth is gone... and as we learned from the news..... when the Amazon was burning.... humans need the vegetation to clean the air of human breath! Our breath.... full of CO2 is toxic to humans. Humans need the vegetation to clean the air. The Oceans have turned to a thick bloody stew of dead fish. The freshwater is poisoned by a wormwood meteor falling from the sky.
Most of the human population on earth is already dead before this particular vision would take place. There are no Christians on earth any more. They are all in Heaven.... there are those who have been murdered because of their faith.... and there are all those who accepted Jesus as their personal Savior before all the destruction started. There are those who came to Believe because of that Gospel preaching Angel.... they have a harp now.... they have to play the harp 24/7 in a place with no clocks.... they waited so long. And of course there are the 144,000 who are so famous. They are the army of virgin descendants of Jacob [Israel] who have impeccable reputations.
So they only humans who are alive on the planet in this vision..... are the humans sporting 666 [or the name of Satan itself instead of this symbol] and worshipping the Anti-Christ. They have been hunted by hungry wild animals. They have been bitten by a bug that left them begging to die. They can hardly breath.... they are thirsty.... they are hungry.... and they are shaken.... they are an angry lot.
By this time... all the rushing to find survivors in the chaos has ended. People are just sitting wherever they can find a semi level surface and watching the earth shift and burn.
Verse 21 it says a strong Angel is going to throw a rock at the earth. This is not a nuke.... or it's a nuke that got loose in all the turmoil. I'm pretty sure the earthquakes might altar the make up of any silos that are hidden in mountains or desserts around the world. I figure this huge millstone is a meteor.... but the scripture must have occurred to them when they thought back.
A millstone is a big heavy stone that is used to grind wheat or rice. Jesus used the millstone to explain why humans need to keep the Gospel straight.
So.... humans weren't rushing to look for survivors anymore. Humans just sat wherever they could find a semi level place and hated. They hated not being able to go to work. They hated not being able to breath. They hated being hungry. They hated being thirsty. They hated not having their homes and cars and media rooms and luxurious clothes. They hated not being able to take a bath or brush their teeth. This is a vision of humans in a deplorable condition being hit with yet another layer of demise.
Something came from the sky and destroyed government, commerce, and religion. There were no Christians to pray. This is a vision of one horrific day on earth after the first six seals, the first six trumpets, the first two woes, and the seven bowls.
This vision shows.... it will suck being a human on earth when this comes about.
That huge rock is going to sink a city.
b. Revelation 18:4 Jer. 51:45
c. Revelation 18:7 See Isaiah 47:7,8.
This commentary comes from the easy English site.
This chapter is in the style of a song at the funeral of Babylon. Of course, Babylon was a city and there would not normally be a funeral for a city. But the end of Babylon will be very sudden. People will feel as if someone important has died. They will speak about Babylon in the same manner as people speak about a great queen.
The song is in three parts. In the first 8 verses, it describes the ruin of Babylon. And the song tells God’s people to leave Babylon. In verses 9 to 20, three groups of people cry and are sad because of the ruin of Babylon. These are the kings, the merchants and the sailors. The third part describes the ruin of Babylon (verses 21-24).
An angel came down from heaven. He came with great authority from God. As he came, he shone with a great light. That light was so bright that it lit up the whole world.
With a strong voice, the angel shouted the news. His voice was so loud that all people on the earth could hear him. He declared that Babylon had fallen. That great city was now in ruins. Nothing remained there and nobody could still live there.
The reason for the ruin of Babylon is her sin. Babylon was like an evil queen who caused the nations, the kings and the merchants to sin. She attracted the nations to share in her sins. The kings of the earth joined her in her evil ways. The merchants made a profit and they became rich by their trade with her.
The word from God calls to his people. They must come out of the city. They must run from the fate of the city. They must escape while they have the chance. They must not involve themselves in the evil deeds that are round about them.
The sins of Babylon are like a vast pile, which reaches up to the sky. God knows all that she has done. He will punish her for all her evil actions.
Babylon is like a woman who deserves a terrible punishment. And the voice from heaven now speaks to those who must destroy Babylon. They must do to her as she had done. They must give back to her double the trouble for all that she has done. They must punish her with twice the pain that she had caused. To give back double the amount means that the payment will be complete. The cup that she must now drink means the anger of God.
Verses 9 to 20 are the second part of the song. Here are three groups of people whom the loss of Babylon affects. They are the kings, the merchants and the sailors.
The kings of the world had shared sex with the woman. This means that Babylon’s evil ways had spread through their kingdoms. Because of Babylon, they had worshipped the beast. They had lived with Babylon in luxury and sin. They had turned from God and become his enemies. They had fought against God’s people.
The fire will destroy Babylon and the kings will see the smoke. It will be as if the woman called Babylon will die in the flames. As they see this, the kings will weep. They will be sad but they will not try to help Babylon. They just stand at a great distance.
They know that God punished Babylon because of sin. Babylon was so strong but the end came in only one hour. God had destroyed that great city. One hour means that this will happen quickly and in a short period.
The merchants weep for Babylon. They did not really care about the city. They will weep aloud because they have lost trade and profit. They know that this will mean the loss of their wealth.
All this rich trade had gone. It will never be the same again. Babylon will not recover and nobody will ever buy such things again.
Fire burned in Babylon and destroyed the city. The sailors and those who travel by ship could see the smoke. What they saw was a shock to them. And they cried out aloud. They said that there has never been a city as great as Babylon.
This part of the song ends with joy in heaven. God the judge has found Babylon guilty of many crimes. Babylon has been an enemy of God’s people. Babylon opposed them. Babylon fought against them. And Babylon was responsible for the deaths of many of them. God has punished Babylon for its evil deeds.
This is the third part of the song and it describes the ruin of Babylon (verses 21-24).
A strong angel took a huge stone. Then, he threw it into the sea. The stone sank quickly in the water with a great splash. It had gone below the surface and nobody will see it again.
With such force, God will destroy Babylon. It was a great city but in a moment, its end will come. Nobody will ever see that city again.
The passage describes some effects of the end of Babylon. All that people enjoyed has gone. There is no music. There is only silence in the streets of the city.
The sounds of the skilled workers have stopped. They have all gone. There is no sound from the mills. They do not produce flour. There is no more food in the city. Normal life will not be possible. There is no light in the houses. All is in darkness. There will be no happy events like weddings. Nothing will remain.
All the nations had believed the lies of Babylon. They all followed Babylon’s evil ways. This is a second reason for the ruin of the city.
Here is the main reason for the ruin of Babylon. Babylon was guilty of the deaths of many of God’s people. People all over the world died because they did not worship the beast. Babylon fought against God. So, God punished Babylon severely.
I started to put another commentary on here.... but it's all conjecture and none of it really made much more sense than this one. None of the other commentaries added anything to the party. The testimony is the same.... Babylon is a government seat, a center of commerce, and or a religious center.... and it's gone.... in an instant.
In the visions that John is having.... the earth has already been destroyed. There have been earthquakes that flatten mountains and move islands. An Angel has been flying over the heads of humans preaching the Gospel. Hey... if an Angel showed up hovering over my town... preaching the Gospel.... after a devastating earthquake on the scale that flattens mountains..... I think I would listen. But these humans don't.
The air is impossible on the lungs. While there are no longer gas guzzling SUVs and trucks blowing exhaust, a third of the vegetation on earth is gone... and as we learned from the news..... when the Amazon was burning.... humans need the vegetation to clean the air of human breath! Our breath.... full of CO2 is toxic to humans. Humans need the vegetation to clean the air. The Oceans have turned to a thick bloody stew of dead fish. The freshwater is poisoned by a wormwood meteor falling from the sky.
Most of the human population on earth is already dead before this particular vision would take place. There are no Christians on earth any more. They are all in Heaven.... there are those who have been murdered because of their faith.... and there are all those who accepted Jesus as their personal Savior before all the destruction started. There are those who came to Believe because of that Gospel preaching Angel.... they have a harp now.... they have to play the harp 24/7 in a place with no clocks.... they waited so long. And of course there are the 144,000 who are so famous. They are the army of virgin descendants of Jacob [Israel] who have impeccable reputations.
So they only humans who are alive on the planet in this vision..... are the humans sporting 666 [or the name of Satan itself instead of this symbol] and worshipping the Anti-Christ. They have been hunted by hungry wild animals. They have been bitten by a bug that left them begging to die. They can hardly breath.... they are thirsty.... they are hungry.... and they are shaken.... they are an angry lot.
By this time... all the rushing to find survivors in the chaos has ended. People are just sitting wherever they can find a semi level surface and watching the earth shift and burn.
Verse 21 it says a strong Angel is going to throw a rock at the earth. This is not a nuke.... or it's a nuke that got loose in all the turmoil. I'm pretty sure the earthquakes might altar the make up of any silos that are hidden in mountains or desserts around the world. I figure this huge millstone is a meteor.... but the scripture must have occurred to them when they thought back.
A millstone is a big heavy stone that is used to grind wheat or rice. Jesus used the millstone to explain why humans need to keep the Gospel straight.
Matthew 18:6 “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea."
So.... humans weren't rushing to look for survivors anymore. Humans just sat wherever they could find a semi level place and hated. They hated not being able to go to work. They hated not being able to breath. They hated being hungry. They hated being thirsty. They hated not having their homes and cars and media rooms and luxurious clothes. They hated not being able to take a bath or brush their teeth. This is a vision of humans in a deplorable condition being hit with yet another layer of demise.
Something came from the sky and destroyed government, commerce, and religion. There were no Christians to pray. This is a vision of one horrific day on earth after the first six seals, the first six trumpets, the first two woes, and the seven bowls.
This vision shows.... it will suck being a human on earth when this comes about.
That huge rock is going to sink a city.