Transcript Document

Antichrist and the End Times
AET-071 and 072: Babylon’s
Destruction
Revelation 18 - Babylon
• In Chapter 18 the destruction of the great
prostitute/Babylon the Great in 17:16 is now
expanded into a full-fledged vision, further
fulfilling the promise of the angel in 17:1 that
he would "Show [John] the judgment of the
great prostitute."
• The overarching theme of this section is the
judgment on Babylon for its economic
oppression.
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Revelation 18 - Babylon
• 1After these things I saw another angel descending
from heaven, having great authority, and the earth
was illumined with his glory. 2And he cried out with
a strong voice "Fallen, fallen, is Babylon the Great.
It has become a home for demons,a prison for
every unclean spirit and a prison for every unclean
and hateful bird.
• For all the nations have fallen because of the wine
that leads to passion for her immorality. The kings
of the earth have committed adultery with her, and
the merchants of the earth have grown wealthy
because of the power of her luxuries."
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Revelation 18 - Babylon
• 4Then I heard another voice from heaven
saying, "Come out from her, my people,lest
you share in her sins, lest you receive her
plagues,5because her sins have reached to
heaven, and God has remembered her
crimes.6Give back to her as she has given.In
fact, pay her back double according to her
deeds; give her a double portion in the cup
she has mixed.
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Revelation 18 - Babylon
• 7To the degree that she has glorified herself and
lived in sensuous luxury,to the same degree give
her torment and sorrow. For in her heart she said,‘I
sit as a queen,I am not a widow,I will never see
grief.’ 8Because of this her plagues will come in one
day, pestilence and grief and famine,and she will
be burned with fire, because mighty is the Lord God
who has judged her. 9Then the kings of the earth
who committed adultery and lived in sensuous
luxury with her will weep and wail over her when
they see the smoke of her burning.
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Revelation 18 - Babylon
•
10They
stand far off because they are afraid
of being tormented with her and say, 'Woe,
woe, great city, Babylon, mighty city,
because in one hour your judgment has
come."
• 11The merchants of the earth weep and
mourn over her, because no one will buy
their cargo any longer:
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Revelation 18 - Babylon
•
12cargo
of gold, silver, precious stones, and pearls;
of fine linen, purple, silk, and scarlet fabrics; of
every kind of citron wood, every type of ivory
product, every type of costly wood, bronze, iron,
and marble; 13of cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh,
and frankincense; of wine, olive oil, fine flour, and
wheat; of cattle, sheep, horses, and carriages; of
bodies, that is, human souls. 14典he fruit you lusted
after has gone away from you. All the expensive
and beautiful things have disappeared from you.
They will no longer be found."
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Revelation 18 - Babylon
•
15These
merchants who have become wealthy from
her will stand far off because they are afraid of
being tormented with her, weeping and mourning
16and saying, 'Woe, woe, great city, clothed in fine
linen, purple, and scarlet, and glittering with gold,
precious stones, and pearls; 17for in one hour all
this wealth has been made desolate."
• Every sea captain and everyone who sails to a
place, the sailors and as many as make their living
from the sea, stand far off 18and cry out when they
see the smoke of her burning, saying, "Who is like
this great city?"
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Revelation 18 - Babylon
•
19They
throw dust on their heads and cry out,
weeping and mourning, saying, "Woe, woe, great
city where all those who had ships in the sea
became rich because of her wealth, in one hour
you have been made desolate." 20"Rejoice over
her, heaven, and the saints, apostles, and
prophets, for God has judged her for the way she
judged you." 21Then a mighty angel took a stone
like a large millstone and cast it into the sea,
saying, "In this way Babylon, the great city, will be
cast down with sudden violence, Never to be found
again."
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Revelation 18 - Babylon
•
22The
sound of harpists, musicians, flutists, and
trumpeters will never be heard in you again. No
craftsman of any trade will ever be found in you
again. The sound of a millstone will never be heard
in you again. 23The 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 great men of the earth; all the nations were
deceived by your sorcery. 24In her was found the
blood of the prophets and saints and of all who
have been killed on the earth."
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Revelation 18 - Babylon
• Here "Another angel" (after the angel of chap. 17)
is seen καταβαίνοντα ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ (katabainonta
ek tou ouranou, descending from heaven—another
present tense participle dynamically stressing the
action), probably in contrast to the beast
"Ascending from the abyss" in 17:8.
• Also in contrast to the beast, this angel has two
characteristics.
• First, he possesses ἐξουσίαν μεγάλην (exousian
megalēn, great authority), compared to the derived
authority of the beast (from the dragon, 13:2, and
from God, 13:5).
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Revelation 18 - Babylon
• Second, the earth was illumined with his
glory), while the members of the false trinity
do not possess "Glory" in the Apocalypse.
• In fact, no celestial being, angelic or
demonic, has "Glory" in the book except
here.
• Therefore, it is likely that the angel reflects
the glory of God, implying he has come
directly from the divine presence.
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Revelation 18 - Babylon
• In 10:1 the "Mighty angel" who also "Ascended
from heaven" was "Clothed in a cloud, and a
rainbow was upon his head. His face was like the
sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars."
• Both there and here, the angels reflect the power
and splendor of God, especially his authority over
earthly affairs (in 10:2 he "Placed his right foot on
the sea and his left on the land," indicating control
over this world).
• Also, in both places some scholars believe we have
Christ rather than an angel.
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Revelation 18 - Babylon
• But as stated at 10:1, there is too little evidence
that language used of angels in the Apocalypse
ever refers to Christ; it is more likely that it always
refers to celestial beings.
• Most agree that Ezek. 43:2 is echoed here, "The
land was radiant with his glory."
• In Ezek. 43 the measurements of the temple have
been completed (42:15–20), and now a solemn
procession occurs as Yahweh enters the restored
temple through the east gate (43:1).
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Revelation 18 - Babylon
• Here the glory of God once more returns to
the temple (43:2–9) and illumines the whole
earth (43:2).
• In that narration, Israel is reminded of the
past and warned of future judgments if she
persists in her sin (43:3, 7–9).
• The twin motifs of Yahweh’s glorious
presence and the warnings of judgment are
also present here, and it is likely that John
intended these parallels to Ezek. 43.
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Revelation 18 - Babylon
• The angel in 18:2 cries out in ἰσχυρᾷ φωνῇ (ischyra
phōnē, a strong voice—found only here but
compare "A great voice" in 5:2; 10:3; 16:1; etc.) in
keeping with his authoritative pronouncement and
repeats the message of the second angelic herald
in 14:8, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the Great" (with
the aorist emphasizing the certainty of the event).
• As stated there, this alludes to Isa. 21:9a, where
Isaiah prophesied the destruction of Babylon via a
messenger in a chariot who cries, "Babylon has
fallen, has fallen," followed by "All the images of its
gods lie shattered on the ground" (21:29b).
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Revelation 18 - Babylon
• Thus, the judgment on the empire includes
the destruction of its idols, specifically the
Antichrist, who has set up an idol of himself
(Rev. 13:14–15).
• Moreover, it is not seen as a new
announcement but one foretold by Isaiah
himself, grounded in God’s eternal decree.
• The absolute desolation of Babylon … is
then described in three parallel poetic lines.
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Revelation 18 - Babylon
• Mounce (1998: 324) notes that "A major poetic
feature in this section is the repeated sets of three
lines."
• This is the first of several.
• The depiction of it as a deserted city inhabited by
demons and unclean birds is taken from Isa.
13:21–22 (Babylon); 34:11–14 (Edom); Jer. 50:39;
51:37 (both Babylon); Zeph. 2:14–15 (Assyria).
• All these depict the destruction of those cities that
have flaunted God’s laws and fallen under his
judgment.
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Revelation 18 - Babylon
• First, Babylon is κατοικητήριον δαιμονίων
(katoikētērion daimoniōn, a home for demons;
δαιμονίων is a subjective genitive meaning demons
now "Make their home" there), the direct opposite
of the only other place the term occurs in the NT,
Eph. 2:22, where Christians are "Dwelling places of
God."
• Often in biblical literature, demons live in deserts or
lonely places (Isa. 34:14; Tob. 8:3; Matt. 12:43
par.).
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Revelation 18 - Babylon
• The meaning of this is expanded in the next
two lines, where Babylon is transformed into
a phylakē, (prison), an unusual term for "Lair,
haunt," derived from the ancient view of "The
underworld as the prison of evil spirits"
(Kratz, EDNT 3:441).
• First, it becomes the prison house of "Every
unclean spirit," the basic term in Jewish
literature for demons as detestable
creatures.
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Revelation 18 - Babylon
• Second, it is the prison house of "Every unclean
and hateful bird," building on the presence of
scavenger birds in Isa. 13:21 and preparing for the
carrion birds of Rev. 19:17–18, 21 who will feast on
the bodies of the Antichrist’s army.
• The reason (ὅτι, hoti, for) for this terrible judgment
in 18:3 is the sins of the wicked, again found in
three lines, with the three groups anticipating the
three of verses 9–19 but with "Nations" instead of
"Sea captains."
• The first line is drawn from 14:8 and 17:2 but alters
the "Made to drink the wine" of 14:8.
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Revelation 18 - Babylon
• First, the angel announces the "Fall" of
Babylon and then proclaims that "All the
nations have fallen because of the wine that
leads to passion for her immorality".
• In other words, the nations will be destroyed
along with the evil empire because they have
freely participated in her debauchery.
• She is "The mother of prostitutes and
abominations," leading her offspring, the
nations, to fall into the same depravity.
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Revelation 18 - Babylon
• Now they are both destroyed because of those evil
acts. In a wonderful play on words, "Drinking the
wine that leads to passion (τοῦ θυμοῦ) for her
immorality" in 14:8 results in "Drinking the wine of
the wrath (τοῦ θυμοῦ) of God" in 14:10.
• The results of this divine wrath are now displayed.
As in 14:10, this probably alludes to Jer. 25:15–18,
27–28; Isa. 51:17; and Zech. 12:2, where God
commands that the nations get drunk on his wrath
after drinking the cup of sin.
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Revelation 18 - Babylon
• As throughout Revelation, "Immorality" refers to
both sexual immorality and religious apostasy (esp.
idolatry).
• The second line virtually repeats the first: the
"Kings" of the nations have led their people in
immorality and idolatry.
• Some (Beale 1999: 895; Aune 1998b: 988) believe
that this line alludes to Isa. 23:17 (where Tyre is
condemned as a "Prostitute" selling herself to "All
the kingdoms of the earth" for profit, a commercial
rather than a religious metaphor) and that therefore
this is more a commercial than a religious image.
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Revelation 18 - Babylon
• These were wholesale dealers (EDNT 1:446)
who traveled all over the Roman world
selling merchandise in huge quantities.
• They “Have grown wealthy" from all the trade
(see also 18:15, 23).
• C. Smith (1990c: 30) says these merchants
engaged in “Unrestrained debauchery," by
which he means excess consumption of
goods, with gross ostentation the order of the
day.
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Revelation 18 - Babylon
• Much of the material in chapter 18 relates to
Ezek. 27, a lament for Tyre.
• As Block (1998: 51) says, “This island city,
renowned for maritime commercial
enterprises, is imagined as a magnificent
merchant ship loaded with the products of
the world, only to be shipwrecked on the high
seas." Thus, it is a perfect type of [Babylon]
and a perfect picture for the destruction of
[Babylon].
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Revelation 18 - Babylon
• Ezekiel 27:12–25 centers mostly on the trade of
Tyre, and 27:12 is close to the text here, “Tarshish
did business with you because of your great wealth
of goods."
• Here the merchants grow rich because of the
power of her luxuries.
• [Babylon] seduced the nations due to her incredible
wealth and the luxurious living it purchased.
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Revelation 18 - Babylon
• This bound them to [Babylon] more securely by far
than its armies could, for wealth brought them into
the [Babylonian] fold willingly.
• Edgar (1982: 338) believes that Babylon the Great
is not a religious but an economic symbol, as seen
in the merchants who symbolize the kings of the
earth (18:23).
• Thus, chapter 18 focuses on the economic sins of
[Babylon] and the luxurious ostentation that brings
about the wrath of God.
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Revelation 18 - Babylon
• Heavenly Voice Commands Believers to Leave
(18:4–8)
• The other “Voices from heaven" have occurred in
10:4, 8 and 14:2, 13, and refer to a direct message
from the throne itself (God or Christ;6 see 10:4).
• This voice commands, Come out from her, my
people.
• Only here and in 21:3 are believers called God’s
“People," a semi-technical term in the OT and NT
indicating a special [Jewish] relationship with God.
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• The command to separate oneself from depraved
society is frequent in the OT (Isa. 48:20; 52:11; Jer.
50:8; 51:45, 50; Ezek. 20:41) and NT (e.g., 2 Cor.
6:14, 17).
• In the narrative picture of Rev. 18, it means to get
out of the city lest they be destroyed with the
pagans.
• In Jer. 50:8–9 the people of God are commanded
to “Flee out of Babylon" because God was about to
destroy her; and in 51:45 they are told to “Run for
your lives! Run from the fierce anger of the Lord"
soon to fall on Babylon.
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Revelation 18 - Babylon
• Basis of Judgment (18:5)
• Callahan (1999: 58–59) says that 18:4b is
the divine command, with 18:5 the author’s
interpretation explaining why the [Jews] must
distance themselves or be implicated in the
judgment (modeled on Jer. 51:45).
• The reason for this danger (ὅτι, hoti,
because) is that the sins of Babylon the
Great have reached to heaven.
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• Therefore, God has remembered her crimes.
• Normally this verb commands the people of God to
“Remember" their past relations with God (see Rev.
2:5; 3:3), but here it is God “Remembering" the
transgressions of Babylon.
• When God “Remembers," he acts (part of the
meaning of the verb).
• When he remembers his people, he works on their
behalf (Ps. 105:8–11; 111:5–6; Ezek. 16:60); when
he remembers sin (Ps. 109:14; Jer. 14:10; Hos.
8:13; 9:9), he acts in judgment.
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Revelation 18 - Babylon
• In Rev. 16:19 “God remembered Babylon the Great
and gave her the cup of wine, namely his furious
wrath."
• The term for sin here, τὰ ἀδικήματα, refers to
“Unrighteous deeds" or “Crimes."
• While there is definitely a religious aspect here, in
Acts 18:14 and 24:20 (the only other NT
occurrences of the term) it has a legal connotation
of criminal activity, and that is probably the primary
thrust here as well. The wrath of God is a judicial
response to the “Crimes" of wicked humanity.
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Revelation 18 - Babylon
• Just Judgment Explained (18:6–8)
• This section is dominated by the lex talionis (law of
retribution) theme.
• Since the sins of Babylon have “Piled up to the
heavens," God will pay them back in kind.
• The whole scene could be likened to a universal
courtroom, in which a class-action suit takes place.
Plaintiffs in this suit are [Tribulation Believers]
together with all those killed on earth (18:24); the
defendant is Babylon/Rome, who is charged with
murder in the interest of power, [money] and
idolatry; and the presiding judge is God.
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Revelation 18 - Babylon
• As announced previously in 14:8, Babylon has lost
the lawsuit and therefore its associates break out in
lamentation and mourning, while the heavenly court
and [Believers] rejoice over the justice they have
received.
• God pronounces a legal sentence on Babylon in
18:6–8, perhaps given to the heavenly bailiff (see
further the additional note on 18:6) who is to carry
out the sentence.
• It contains both the sentence and the legal basis for
the verdict, all expressed in terms of the Roman
(and biblical) “Law of retribution."
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Revelation 18 - Babylon
• First, the severity of the sentence is described
(18:6).
• The heavenly bailiff must “Pay her back as she has
paid back [to others]").
• There can be no better definition of lex talionis than
this.
• It is likely that this is taken from Jer. 50:29, where
the judgment of Babylon is stated in similar terms,
“Repay her for her deeds; do to her as she has
done."
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Revelation 18 - Babylon
• Yet there is a rich and varied history behind this.
Jeremiah could well have been alluding to Ps.
137:8, which says of Babylon, “Happy is he who
repays you for what you have done to us."
• As Aune (1998b: 993) points out, there are many
examples of “The retributive justice proverb, ‘each
will be repaid " in accordance with his or her
works’ " (Ps. 28:4; Prov. 24:12; Isa. 3:11; Lam.
3:64; Sir. 16:12, 14; Ps. Sol. 2.34; 17.8; 1 Macc.
2:68; Rom. 2:6; 2 Cor. 11:15; 2 Tim. 4:14; 2 Clem.
17.4).
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Revelation 18 - Babylon
• Strand (1982a: 56) adds that this may well also
allude to “The law of malicious witness" from Deut.
19:16–19, in which those who bear false witness
(Babylon) will suffer the very penalty their slander
has forced on others.
• More difficult is the next command, “Pay her back
double according to her deeds."
• At first glance, this seems overly harsh, as if God
has gone overboard in his vengeance, and justice
has been forsaken.
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Revelation 18 - Babylon
• In this sense, it means that God will pay them back
fully for all they have done, in keeping with 14:10,
which speaks of the “Wine of the wrath of God that
has been poured full strength into the cup of his
anger”.
• Yet at the same time, the idea of double the penalty
was a common theme.
• In Exod. 22:4, 7, 9 certain transgressions
demanded a double payment (a stolen animal,
stealing, illegal possession of an animal), and the
prophets did emphasize double retaliation (Isa.
40:2; Jer. 16:18; 17:18).
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• In Exod. 22 the double penalty for theft would
be especially apt in light of the economic
exploitation that is central to this chapter (so
Callahan 1999: 59).
• Thus, this could be a call for a double portion
of judgment due to the severity of the sins of
the nations (see Chilton 1987: 450).
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Revelation 18 - Babylon
• The “Portion in the cup" refers back to the
cup “Filled with abominations, namely, the
impurities of [the great harlot’s] immorality" in
17:4, which itself referred back to the cup
with which she "Made all the nations drink of
the wine that leads to passion for her
immorality" in 14:8.
• Thus, since she seduced the world into
drinking the cup of sin, she must drink the
cup of God’s wrath “Full strength" (14:10).
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Revelation 18 - Babylon
• The next two verses (18:7–8) give examples of this
cup of sin and the full recompense that follows.
• The format means “To the degree that " to the
same degree (BAGD 586).
• Her sins are twofold here.
• First, she has “Glorified herself" rather than God.
• Such arrogance is frequently derided in Scripture.
Luke 14:11 says, “Those who exalt themselves will
be humbled" (cf. 2 Sam. 22:28; Job 40:11; Prov.
3:34; 29:23; Isa. 2:12, 17; 5:15; 1 Pet. 5:6).
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• Those who seek their own glory will not only lose all
glory in the life to come but also face the judgment
of God.
• One of the major themes of this book is that glory
belongs only to God (see the introduction to 4:1–
16:21), and all who refuse to acknowledge him will
face his wrath.
• Second, she has lived in sensuous luxury, a term
that means both sensual and luxurious living (both
aspects are probably present here).
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• Their sensuality is expressed not only in immorality
but in opulent living.
• This is another primary theme of the chapter, for
both sensuality and materialism flow out of a selfcentered greed that is the antithesis of holiness.
• Due to this sensual lifestyle, the avenging angel is
to “Give" (a cognate of “Pay her back" in 18:6) her
torment and sorrow.
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• In Revelation the first term occurs six times (9:5
[twice]; 14:11; 18:7, 10, 15) and its cognate verb
five times (9:5; 11:10; 12:2; 14:10; 20:10), always
of the “Torment" awaiting those who stand against
God.
• Five of the six times “Sorrow" occurs (18:7, 8, 11,
15, 19; 21:4) are in this chapter, describing the
“Grief" that will attend the judgment of Babylon.
• Grief" is obviously the result of the “Torment," but it
is too late.
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Revelation 18 - Babylon
• The judgment on this hubris is found in 47:9–11,
“These will overtake you on a single day" .
• They will come upon you in full measure."
• The parallels between these Isaianic themes and
the rest of Rev. 18 are obvious (note the full
recompense in 18:6, “One hour" in 18:10, 17, 19).
• Her pride and security will be revealed in all its
delusion, and the “Grief" (the second use of πένθος
in this verse) she swore she would never “See" is
soon to fall upon her.
• All such boasting will come to naught.
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• Because of this arrogant boasting, her plagues will
come upon her (18:8), the same “Plagues" that in
18:4 led to the call to believers to flee.
• Moreover, they will come in one day, again
echoing Isa. 47:9, where the judgment of Babylon
was also to come “In a single day."
• [The type for this occurred] when Darius killed
Belshazzaar and destroyed Babylon in a single day
(Dan. 5:30).
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• As stated in Rev. 17:17, it is God who is in control,
and he causes the depravity of Babylon the Great
to turn upon her and destroy her.
• All these images of war function as they did in 6:1–
8; lust for conquest and power must come full circle
and self-destruct.
• That has been the history of sinful humankind from
the beginning.
• Thus, the final point of this section is the ultimate
cause: because mighty is the Lord God who has
judged her.
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• It is not the beast or his allies who are "Mighty" but
God alone, and this is proven in the virtually
instantaneous destruction of the evil empire.
• While God is not called ἰσχυρός elsewhere in the
Apocalypse (though his angels are in 5:2; 10:1), he
is called "Mighty" often in the LXX (2 Sam. 22:31–
32, 48; Neh. 1:5; 9:31, 32; Job 36:22, 26; Ps. 7:12;
Jer. 27:34 [50:34 MT]; 39:18 [32:18 MT]; Dan. 9:4;
2 Macc. 1:24), and there is a direct contrast with
the pretentious "Mighty city" of 18:10.
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• Three Laments Over Babylon the Great(18:9–19)
• The three funeral dirges are sung by three groups
who profited most greatly from the largesse of
Babylon: the kings who grew rich from her, the
merchants who shared her expanding markets, and
the shipping people who carried her cargo all over
the world.
• Now they see her destruction and weep at the
same time that they “Stand far off" so they do not
have to participate in her judgment.
• In other words, those who grew fat on her wealth
now desert her in her time of agony.
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• Aune (1998b: 978–79) points to four form-critical
elements that the three laments have in common:
each “Stands far off"; each “Weeps and wails";
each begins the lament with “Woe, woe"; each
exclaims on the suddenness (“In one hour") of the
destruction.
• These laments are again built on Ezek. 27, the
lament over Tyre, the great maritime and
commercial giant of Ezekiel’s day.
• Many of the details come from there, like the three
groups of mourners themselves, their fear and
sorrow, the list of cargo, and details in the
lamentations
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• The purpose is to show the final end of those who
participate in evil, the deep mourning for all that will
be lost.
• Yet in this as well is the terrible hardness that
depravity produces.
• None of these groups mourns their sin, only all the
luxurious living they have lost.
• In other words, they remain self-centered to the
bitter end.
• There is no true sorrow for Babylon, only sorrow for
all they have lost.
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• Lament of Kings of the Earth (18:9–10)
• The reason “The kings of the earth"12 weep over
Babylon is twofold. First, they have committed
adultery with her, referring to the immorality and
idolatry they have shared with [her] in 14:8; 17:2, 4;
18:3 (cf. 2:14, 20–21.
• They have lost their paramour and are bereft.
• Second, they have lived in sensuous luxury with
her, a reference back to the “Sensuous luxury"
condemned in 18:7.
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• There had never been such extravagance as
developed during the [End Times], and the kings of
the earth share in all this wealth gathered at the
expense of the common people.
• As said in Ezek. 27:33, the “Great wealth" of
Babylon “Enriched the kings of the earth."
• Much of the rest of the chapter will focus on this
sin.
• The kings see the smoke of her burning.
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• In this book there is a contrast between smoke as
incense and prayer (8:2–3) and smoke as a symbol
of fiery judgment (9:17–18; 18:9, 18).
• The two aspects are combined in 14:11, where the
“Smoke of their torment rises [to God as incense]
forever and ever."
• This is part of the motif that says the judgment of
the sinners is God’s answer to the prayers of his
saints for vengeance and vindication.
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• The kings, however, lament the destruction of their
“Gravy train."
• Thus, they 努eep and wail over her," a sign of
mourning and sorrow. This alludes to Ezek. 27:35,
in which the kings “Shudder with horror, and their
faces are distorted with fear" at the destruction of
Tyre.
• Yet at the same time, they are standing far off in
18:10, meaning that they distance themselves “Far
away" from the burning city.
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• This is not out of respect but out of self-serving
interest.
• They want nothing to do with the judgment
“Because of fear of her torment"), with the objective
genitive and a genitive of accompaniment,
respectively: “They were afraid of being tormented
with her.”
• They too were guilty of the same sins and so tried
to remove themselves as much as possible from
the scene of devastation, for they were terrified that
they were next (they were right!).
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• The rulers of the earth have been seduced by the
earthly power and might of [Babylon] and have
ignored the evidence showing the temporary and
partial nature of all such worldly splendor (note the
emphatic repetition of the connection between “On
the throne" and “Who lives forever and ever" in
4:9–10).
• Beale (1999: 907) notes the background behind the
suddenness of the judgment in one hour in Dan.
4:17a, 19 LXX.
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• There Nebuchadnezzar is told that God would
make him temporarily deranged so that people
might “Know that the Most High is sovereign over
the kingdoms of men."
• Like [Babylon], Nebuchadnezzar in Dan. 4
arrogantly set himself up as a god and “Refused to
acknowledge God’s sovereignty."
• Therefore, the “Judgment" of Babylon has arrived
suddenly.
• This is the judicial act of the "Mighty " Lord " who
judges" in 18:8.
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• This is the third of four times κρίσις (krisis,
judgment) occurs: the angel in 14:7
announces, “The hour of his judgment has
come," and in 16:7 “One from the altar" says,
“Your judgments are true and just" (repeated
verbatim in 19:2).
• It is interesting that it is the kings who decry
the “Judgment" of Babylon, for it is they who
have been the judges in this earthly sphere.
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• Lament of Merchants (18:11–17a)
• Now the "Merchants," wholesale dealers made rich
through [Babylonian] trade (see v. 3), “Weep and
mourn" over the destruction of Babylon.
• While the kings weep and “Wail," the merchants
and seamen weep and πενθοῦσιν14 (penthousin,
mourn) over her, focusing on the “Grief" (note the
noun cognate in 18:7–8) they felt.
• This alludes to Ezek. 27:27, where the merchants
and all on board the great ship Tyre “Sink into the
heart of the sea," and “Hiss" at the destruction, "An
expression of intense grief" (Block 1998: 84
n. 190).
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• The reason for their sorrow again has no
connection with love for [Babylon] but rather is
entirely focused on the loss of trade.
• As Bauckham (1993b: 373) points out, the
merchants were usually citizens of the exporting
cities and may even include the shipowners who
sold cargoes at the ports (they are missing from the
list in 18:17b).
• These merchants did not have high social status
(the nobility did not sell but instead controlled the
profits) but became quite wealthy.
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• The purpose here is to show why God’s wrath has
descended on them—ostentatious, self-centered
materialism.
• Provan (1996: 87–88) argues that this reflects not
only the economic exploitation of Ezek. 27 but also
the sin of luxurious living exemplified by Solomon.
• The list is arranged in groups of four to six, with six
categories of goods: precious stones and metals,
luxurious fabrics, expensive wood and building
materials, spices and perfumes, food items,
animals and slaves.
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• In 18:14 we hear the voice of the merchants
summarizing the list and mourning the passing of
all these luxuries.
• While it is unusual for there to be no introductory
formula, this is probably because the list of cargo
(vv. 12–13) is a parenthesis, and verse 14
continues the idea from verse 11 of the merchants
“Weeping and mourning" over the loss of cargo and
then lamenting it directly.
• It is presented as a poetic lament with three lines,
and the absence of the formula heightens the
rhetorical force of the lament.
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• First, they mourn the disappearance of "Your fruit,
the desire of your soul".
• The "Fruit" is obviously the list of luxuries (the
"Good things" life has to offer; so Louw and Nida
1988: 1:33) and staples in 18:12–13.
• In apposition is “The desire of your soul,"
undoubtedly meaning “The fruit you lusted after."
• It has all “Gone away."
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• Second, in a poetic alliteration, (all the expensive
and beautiful things) have “Disappeared"16 ἀπὸ
σοῦ (apo sou, from you; repeated in both lines for
emphasis).
• The first noun stresses the cost of the extravagant
luxuries, the second the “Bright, glittering" appeal of
them to the senses.
• The result is that these luxuries “Will no longer be
found," combining the emphatic future negative οὐ
μὴ (ou mē, never) with the negative particle οὐκέτι
(ouketi, no longer) to mean "Will never be found
any longer."
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• They are gone forever, a warning to those in our
society who have given themselves over to the folly
of conspicuous consumption (which describes most
of us).
• As Jesus said in Matt. 6:19–20, seek “Treasures in
heaven" rather than “Treasures on earth."
• In 18:15 we now return to the merchants of 18:11,
and they are described as having “Become wealthy
from her," certainly true in light of the vast numbers
of wealthy merchants, some of the richest people in
the whole empire.
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• But this also means that they share the guilt of
[Babylon], for they have not only been a major
cause of the ostentation but have also participated
in it themselves.
• The rest of the verse repeats the litany of the kings
in 18:9–10.
• They “Stand far off" to distance themselves from
the fate of the [Babylonian] empire.
• Then they "Are afraid of being tormented with her".
• There is no actual sympathy but a self-centered
sorrow at all they have lost and a terror of suffering
the same fate (which they will).
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• Their "Mourning" in 18:16 (see 18:11) is now
expressed in a similar lament to that uttered by the
kings.
• The opening cry, “Woe, woe, great city," found in
18:10, 16, 19, expresses the horror of those who
see the destruction occur.
• The “Great city" has become a wasteland (see
18:2, 22–23).
• The description of Babylon in the rest of the verse
adds "Fine linen" to a nearly verbatim copy of the
description of the great prostitute in 17:4, “Clothed
in purple and scarlet, and glittering with gold,
precious stones, and pearls."
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• The kings mourn the loss of her power (18:10), the
merchants the loss of her wealth.
• Finally (18:17a), the merchants decry the sudden
(“In one hour") desolation of the “Great wealth,"
using the same term (ἠρημώθη, ērēmōthē, make
desolate) as used in 17:16.
• In the same way that a city is left in ruins, so the
wealth of Babylon is stripped away, leaving it all a
wasteland (the verb is the cognate of ἔρημος,
erēmos, desert).
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• The third group that “Stands far off" is all those who
have profited from [Babylon’s] sea trade.
• The list builds on Ezek. 27:29 ("All who handle the
oars " the mariners and all the seamen") but with a
different list of personnel.
• The list is the most extensive of the three in this
chapter, with four groups: (1) the sea captain, the
person who commands or pilots the ship rather
than its “Owner" (2) 兎veryone who sails to a
place,"17 the passengers (most) or merchants (3)
the sailors; and (4) those who "Make their living
from the sea.
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• Like the kings (18:9), they “See the smoke of her
burning" in 18:18, but this group exclaims, Who is
like this great city?.
• This parallels 13:4, “Who is like the beast?" and
has the same obvious answer, “No one."
• Behind this is Ezek. 27:32b, “Who is like Tyre,
surrounded by the sea?"
• All who center on earthly wealth without
consideration of God are doomed to destruction,
like Babylon, Tyre, Rome, and the final evil empire
of the beast.
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• This group demonstrated their sorrow even more
visibly in 18:19, throwing “Dust on their heads" as a
sign of mourning (Josh. 7:6; 1 Sam. 4:12; 2 Sam.
13:19; 15:32; Job 2:12), echoing Ezek. 27:30,
where the seamen also “Sprinkle dust on their
heads" at the destruction of Tyre.
• Their lament begins similarly to those in 18:10, 16,
“Woe, woe, great city," but then focuses explicitly
on the fact that "All those who had ships on the sea
became rich because of [causal ἐκ, ek] her wealth,"
a reference now to the ship owners (see 18:17b)
who profited from the “Rich" sea trade.
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• They have participated in the economic sins of
Babylon and so share her fate.
• The cry regarding the suddenness of her
destruction (“In one hour you have been made
desolate") follows closely the wording of 18:17b.
• All the glory, the magnificence, and the
extravagance are gone forever, and the seamen
realize their future has gone with it.
• As Michaels (1997: 207) says, “They do not know it
yet, but before long the sea itself will be gone" (cf.
21:1).
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• Call for the Heavens and Saints to Rejoice
(18:20)
• At first glance, this verse seems out of place in a
section focusing on the effects of the destruction of
Babylon on her followers, but the jarring effect is
intended.
• While those who participated in the sins of Babylon
mourn her passing, those who were faithful to God
rejoice that the name of God has triumphed and his
people have been vindicated.
• Thus, both heaven and the believers are enjoined
to Rejoice.
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• Again, while a call to rejoice over the destruction of
a whole group seems strange and offensive at first
glance, we must realize that the overriding concern
in the book is to defend the justice of God and
vindicate the suffering saints.
• The rejoicing occurs because divine justice is being
served and because the oppressors of God’s
people are finally receiving what their evil deeds
deserve, as the last line says (“God has judged her
for the way she judged you”).
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• As in 12:12, two groups are called on to
rejoice, building on Ps. 96:11; Isa. 49:13; and
Jer. 51:48, in which heaven and earth are
called on to rejoice in God’s righteous deeds.
• Jeremiah is especially behind this, for there
too the heavens and earth rejoice over the
destruction of Babylon.
• In this passage, the “Heaven-dwellers" of
12:12 are specified as the saints, apostles,
and prophets.
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• The reason for the rejoicing (ὅτι, hoti, because, for)
is that God has judged her for the way she judged
you; lit., “God has judged the judgment of you
[objective genitive] from her").
• This theme of lex talionis recurs throughout the
Apocalypse (most recently 18:6, “Give back to her
as she has given"; cf. also 2:23; 6:9–11; 11:5, 18;
14:8, 10; 16:5–7; 19:2; 20:12–13).
• It is justice that is being celebrated, not …the
punishment itself.
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• Similar to verse 6, this is a legal scene, and the
spectators at the trial are rejoicing as the just
sentence is handed down and the just penalty
imposed on the guilty.
• Babylon has condemned the saints in their
courtroom, so they in turn have been condemned in
God’s courtroom.
• Since they have murdered the saints, apostles, and
prophets (Rev. 6:9; 7:14; 11:7; 13:7, 15; 14:13;
17:6; 18:24; 19:2), God has justly destroyed them.
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• Therefore, the same ones who suffered under her
repression and persecution are the ones who
rejoice over her destruction (see Krodel 1989: 306;
Mounce 1998: 336).
• As Beale (1999: 916–17) says, “The rejoicing does
not arrive out of a selfish spirit of revenge but out of
a fulfilled hope that God has defended the honor of
his just name by not leaving sin unpunished and by
showing his people to have been in the right and
the verdict rendered by the ungodly world against
his saints to be wrong."
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• Destruction of Babylon (18:21–24)
• This is the third and last time an ἄγγελος ἰσχυρός
(angelos ischyros, mighty angel) appears in the
book.
• In 5:2 the "Might" was seen in the portentous
message regarding the one worthy to open the
seals, and in 10:1–2 it was seen in the authority the
angel wielded over earth and sea.
• In both cases, the "Mighty angel" was the herald
who held the great “Scroll" detailing the end of the
age.
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• Here the sentence depicted in that scroll is
carried out, and his "Might" is seen as he
picks up "A stone like a large millstone."
• This millstone is not the small stone used by
women “Grinding [grain] with a hand mill"
(Matt. 24:41) but the “Large millstone" of
Mark 9:42 (and par.), a stone so large it had
to be driven by a donkey.
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• It was used to grind large amounts of grain and
weighed several tons.
• The angel “Cast [this stone] into the sea"—another
prophetic, acted parable (see 10:8, 10; 11:1–2),
which looks back to Jer. 51:63–64, where Jeremiah
is told to “Tie a stone to the scroll" and throw it into
the Euphrates, saying, “So will Babylon sink to rise
no more."
• Echoing the Jeremiah passage, this angel says, “In
this way Babylon the great city will be cast down
with sudden violence."
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• Chapters 17–18 in this sense celebrate, 1) the
judicial verdict, with, 2) the sentence imminent.
• In both cases, the key terms function to heighten
the rhetorical power of the judgment.
• Babylon will first be “Judged" and then “Cast down"
for slandering God’s name and murdering the
saints.
• The same violence that occurred when the huge
boulder was “Cast" into the water will occur when
God’s wrath “Casts down" the empire of the beast.
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• The extent of the destruction is introduced in
18:21b and then amplified in 18:22–23.
• The city will “never be found again”, continuing the
future orientation of the action.
• When a millstone sinks into the oceanic depths, it is
never seen again.
• Thus also Babylon is cast down by God, “Never to
be found again."
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• This last phrase (“Never to be found") becomes the
model for the next five lines, all of which utilize the
[same] format and detail what “Will never be again"
after God’s wrath falls on Babylon.
• These five losses expand on the merchants’ lament
of 18:14, “All the expensive and beautiful things
have disappeared from you. “They will no longer be
found.”
• First, the “Sound of harpists, musicians (μουσικῶν,
mousikōn), flutists, and trumpeters will never be
heard in you again.”
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• These are the artists who brighten everyday life
and make the simple moments joyous.
• Any city without them would be desolate indeed.
• This builds on Isaiah’s bleak picture in 24:8 (“The
gaiety of the tambourines is stilled, the noise of the
revelers has stopped, the joyful harp is silent"; and
on Ezekiel’s diatribe in 26:13, “I will put an end to
your noisy songs, and the music of your harps will
be heard no more."
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• Music has always been the special provenance of
the wealthy class, and so this is an economic
judgment as well.
• As Beale (1999: 919) says, "Babylon’s economic
system persecuted Christian communities by
ostracizing from the various trade guilds those who
did not conform to worship of the guilds’ patron
deities."
• Thus, Babylon has now lost the very thing they
used against the Christians.
• This leads to the second deprivation: “No craftsman
of any trade will ever be found in you again."
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• Cities in the ancient world were subdivided so that
different sections of the town would belong to the
various trades (see the introduction to the letter to
Thyatira, 2:18–29).
• The removal of the craftsmen means the
abandoning of the city itself.
• Without them there would be no economy, and
here we see the fulfillment of 18:6–7, the “Double
portion" that God would return upon Babylon for the
“Glory" and “Sensuous luxury" she heaped on
herself.
• She lived for her material pleasures, and so God
has now taken them all away.
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• Not only is there to be no economy, there will not
even be food.
• That primary staple of life in the ancient world,
grain, will also disappear forever, for there “The
sound of a millstone will never be heard in you
again.”
• In light of the centrality of economics in this
chapter, however, the broadest interpretation is
better, namely, the production of food for the
populace with the “Large millstone."
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• The last three items of this list are probably taken
from Jer. 25:10, where in his prophecy of the
seventy-year captivity, he presents them in slightly
different order: “I will banish from them the sounds
of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and
bridegroom, the sound of millstones and the light of
the lamp."
• Again, the judgment theme from Jeremiah comes
to the fore.
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• The fourth deprivation is “The light of a lamp."
• While the millstone was heard during the day, the
lamp was seen at night.
• These are not the torches that lit the way for groups
traveling at night (there were no street lamps in the
ancient world) but rather the small lamps of the
home (see Thomas 1995: 346, building on Swete
and R. Charles).
• Thus, these are pictures of everyday life, those
elements that define normal existence. They are to
be seen no more.
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• Finally, “The voice of bridegroom and bride" will be
“Heard no more."
• There is no stronger metaphor for “Joy and
gladness" (Jer. 25:10, where the “Voice of the
bridegroom and the voice of the bride" is placed
first as the primary example of joy; see also Jer.
7:34; 16:9; 33:11) than the wedding, so the stilling
of such sounds of joy has a special poignancy.
Also, note the contrast: The nations will never again
know the joy of a wedding, while the church will
become the “Bride" of Christ (Rev. 19:7–8; 21:2, 9).
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• In the ancient law court, the crimes were always
read as the sentence was carried out.
• Thus, in addition to the other lists of her crimes in
18:2–3, 7, one final enumeration is given.
• In summary there are three primary sins: economic
tyranny, sorcery, and murder.
• First, the merchants are described as the great
men of the earth). This sums up all the emphases
on wealth, luxury, and greed in the chapter.
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• This line refers back to Isa. 23:8 in the prophecy
against Tyre, “Whose merchants are princes,
whose traders are renowned in the earth."
• In other words, like Tyre the merchants have
exalted themselves as the “Rulers of the earth" and
left God out of the picture.
• Beale (1999: 921) calls this self-glorification
“Economic self-idolatry," linking it also with
Ezekiel’s condemnation of “The prince of Tyre" in
Ezek. 28:1–9 for “Lifting [his heart] up because of
your riches," which in effect was saying, “I am a
god."
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• The second judicial basis for judgment is that "All
the nations were deceived” by your sorcery.
• “Sorcery" or "Magic potions" is listed as one of the
vices in 9:21; 21:8; 22:15, but here the term is
metaphorical.
• While magic was a major problem in Israel,
Judaism, and the early church (Deut. 18:10; Isa.
47:9, 12; Nah. 3:4; Mal. 3:5; Acts 8:9–13; 13:6–11;
19:13–20; Gal. 5:20;), this text uses “Sorcery" as a
figure of speech (though some see a literal “drug”
interpretation) for the demonic deception of the
nations by Babylon.
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• Elsewhere in Revelation they were deceived
speaks of Jezebel’s “Teaching" and
“Seducing" believers into immorality and
idolatry (2:20) and the false trinity’s
“Deceiving" the nations (12:9; 13:14; 19:20;
20:3, 8, 10) into worshiping the beast.
• Thus, idolatry and immorality are clearly
connoted in the concept (in 21:8 and 22:15 it
is connected with both vices).
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• This makes sense, because Scripture
frequently links idolatry with demonic
influence (Deut. 32:16–17; Ps. 106:35–37; 1
Cor. 10:20), and idolatry often included
immorality as part of the pagan rites (e.g.,
sacred, or cultic, prostitution).
• Finally, Babylon/Rome/the empire of the
beast stands condemned by God because
she murdered the saints.
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• This last reason is given special emphasis because
the ὅτι is not repeated (as in the first two reasons)
and because the tone shifts from the secondperson style of 18:22–23 back to the third-person
style of 18:1–20.
• Thus, this becomes not only the third reason but a
separate indictment on its own, summarizing the
emphasis on Babylon’s martyrdom of the saints
(6:9–11; 7:14; 11:7; 13:7, 15; 14:13; 16:6; 17:6;
19:2).
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• Yet there are two groups here. There are “The
prophets and saints," probably an adaptation of the
list in 18:20, “Saints, apostles, and prophets," and
reversing the order of 16:6, “Shed the blood of your
saints and prophets."
• There is a close connection between 18:20 and
18:24. The “Prophets and saints" rejoice (v. 20)
because God is vindicating them against those who
shed their “Blood" (v. 24).
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Revelation 18 - Babylon
• Then there are also "All who have been killed on
the earth," most likely meaning not just the saints
but all, believer and unbeliever alike, who have
died at the hands of the evil empire.
• Jer. 51:49, "Babylon must fall because of Israel’s
slain, just as the slain in all the earth have fallen
because of Babylon."
• This is similar to Rev. 11:18, where the elders
praise God that the time has come “To destroy
those who destroy the earth.”
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Revelation 19 - Rejoicing
• Rev 19
• In 18:20 the heavens and the saints are told to
rejoice at God’s judgment of Babylon the Great.
• That call to celebration is now expanded into a
series of “Hallelujah" choruses sung by the
heavenly multitude (19:1–3) and the elders and
living creatures (19:4), and finally by an invitation to
those “Servants" on earth to participate in the joy
and praise of God.
• Only here in the NT does the word Ἁλληλουϊά
(Hallēlouia, Hallelujah = praise Yahweh) occur, and
it governs 19:1–8.
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• There could be no greater contrast than the
mournful laments of the three groups most
affected by Babylon’s demise (18:9–19) and
the great joy of these who were most hurt by
the murderous policies of the evil empire
(18:20; 19:1–5).
• The interconnecting series of hymns reminds
one of chapters 4–5 and the great praises to
God and the Lamb there (see also 7:10–12;
11:15–18).
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Revelation 18 - Babylon
• 1After this I heard as it were a loud voice of a
great multitude in heaven saying, “Hallelujah!
Salvation, glory, and power belong to our
God, for his judgments are true and just, 2for
he has judged the great prostitute who
corrupted the earth by her immorality, and he
has avenged the blood of his slaves shed by
her hand." 3Then they said a second time, 滴
allelujah! The smoke of her torment is going
to ascend forever and ever."
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• Praise for God’s Just Judgment (19:1–2)
• “After this" (namely the destruction of
Babylon in chaps. 17–18), John has another
auditory vision and “Hears" a “Loud voice,"
namely, the praise of the heavenly multitude.
• The only other occurrence of the great
multitude is in 7:9, where the group stands
before the throne and praises God for his
salvation.
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Revelation 18 - Babylon
• The reason (ὅτι, hoti, because, for) for this
celebration is a virtual quotation of 16:7, “His
judgments are true and just" (the order is reversed
in 15:3, “Just and true are your ways").
• God’s justice is “True" because it is based on his
own covenant faithfulness and “Just" because it is
based on his holy character.
• In other words, his judgments are both morally true
and legally just (see on 15:3; 16:7). Babylon is
being destroyed because her evil deeds demand
such an extreme punishment.
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Revelation 18 - Babylon
• The legal basis of the judgment is that she
corrupted the earth by her immorality.
• Babylon has not only “Corrupted" the earth
but “Destroyed" it, as seen in the persecution
mentioned in the next line.
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Revelation 18 - Babylon
• The corrupting presence of the evil empire is
stressed in 14:8 ("Made all the nations drink of the
wine that leads to passion for her immorality"); 17:2
(“The inhabitants of the earth were drunk with the
wine of adultery with her"; cf. 17:4); 18:3 (“All the
nations have fallen because of the wine that leads
to passion for immorality"); and 18:9 (“The kings of
the earth who committed adultery and lived in
sensuous luxury with her").
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Revelation 18 - Babylon
• In each of these, we see how the great prostitute
has seduced the nations by utilizing Satan’s great
weapon, “Deception" (12:9; 20:3, 8, 10). Now she
must pay the price for her evil folly.
• The final reason is God’s response to the
imprecatory prayers of the saints for “Vengeance"
(ἐκδικεῖς ekdikeis) in 6:10.
• Now we see that the destruction of the great
prostitute is another answer to those prayers, as
God has avenged the blood of his slaves [see
11:18 on this term] shed by her hand).2
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Revelation 18 - Babylon
• Since God’s slaves were martyred “By the hand of"
persecution, the perpetrators will shed their own
blood in return.
• The OT states that God “Will avenge the blood of
his servants" (Deut. 32:43; 2 Kings 9:7; cf. Ps.
79:10; 94:1), and this is an extension of that
covenant promise [to Israel].
• [The Great City of Economic, “Religious”, Drug,
Commerce, Luxury and Murder has now been
destroyed by God’s Justice.]
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