Revelation 18:1
After the vision of chapter 17, John saw another angel with great authority to carry out his mission. The brightness surrounding him shows his greatness and the greatness of his task.... [ Continue Reading ]
After the vision of chapter 17, John saw another angel with great authority to carry out his mission. The brightness surrounding him shows his greatness and the greatness of his task.... [ Continue Reading ]
That angel announced the certainity of the wicked city's doom. She would become a place inhabited by unclean spirits and foul, hateful birds. This would be because she led others into spiritual fornication by teaching them to love the things of this world.... [ Continue Reading ]
-5 Christians, or God's people, are told by a great voice to come out from such worldly pursuits lest they participate not only in the pleasures of sin but also its terrible rewards. (2 Corinthians 6:17-18; 2 Corinthians 7:1; Ephesians 5:11) Like pieces of paper glued together to form a roll, the si... [ Continue Reading ]
To whome is the voice directing these remards? Perhaps the kings of Revelation 17:16-17. In any case, it will be God doing the rewarding, even if it is through the agency of some other. Since Babylon is to be rewarded in exactly the same way she delivered, it seems she must have delivered a double p... [ Continue Reading ]
Many scriptures warn of the dangers of pride. (2 Samuel 22:28; Provers 11:2; 16:18; 29:23) The wicked city, like her ancient counterpart (Isaiah 47:7-8), boasted of her high position, the fact that she was no widow and would see no sorrow. Of course she was a queen of wickedness and, like allharlots... [ Continue Reading ]
In one swift movement, the queen, who boasted of being seated as in a perpetual reign, would be dead. She would be brought to mourning, just like a widow mourns, and famine would cause her real sorrow. She had overlooked her most powerful enemy, the Lord.... [ Continue Reading ]
-10 Even though they killed her (Revelation 17:16-17), the kings cry loudly and beat the breasts in grief, or bewail and lament. Their sorrow is for their own loss, it would seem, more than the harlots death. They would not dare to go close out of fear and expressed regret over her sudden end.... [ Continue Reading ]
The merchants, or wholesalers, also weep over the death of the harlot for a selfish reason, there is no one left to buy. Purpole and scarlet were the colors of royalty and the wealthy. It will be remembered that the harlot wore these colors. (Revelation 17:4) Silk came from the Far East, so the trad... [ Continue Reading ]
All the ripe fruits and costly treats she had developed a taste for would be forever withdrawn.... [ Continue Reading ]
a There was nothing the merchants could do but stand fearfully in the distance and mourn their own loss of a great customer. Like the prodigal who had many friends while the money lasted (Luke 15:13-16), the harlot finds no one to help her when sin's rewards come crashing down upon her. Agian, we no... [ Continue Reading ]
Dust upon the head is a symbol of grief. (Job 2:12; Ezekiel 27:30) They grieve over the collapse of their trade and fortune, not the death of the harlot.... [ Continue Reading ]
God's people, in contrast to the worldly minded, are told to rejoice over the punishment of sin. Just so, the readers of the book could rejoice because the ultimate victory of good and righteousness had been assured. Remember, the wicked had earlier celebrated the death of the two witnesses. (Revela... [ Continue Reading ]
Here we have a symbolic representation of the harlot's destruction. A great millstone would be the one turned by animals in contrast to one women turned by hand. A mighty angel (Compare Revelation 5:2; Revelation 10:1) casting such a stone into the sea would clearly demonstrate the finality of Babyl... [ Continue Reading ]
As Harkrider says, "There will 'no more' be the amusement life, business life, or even the home life which existed in the arrogant, rebellious" city of John's revelation. The reason all this comes to an end is threefold. The merchants of the wicked, worldly city had made profit their sole ambition,... [ Continue Reading ]