XVIII. THE FALL OF BABYLON. — In the commencement of the last chapter the angel (one of the vial-bearing angels) had promised to show the seer the judgment of the harlot (Revelation 18:1); he was accordingly shown first the vision of the scarlet-clad woman seated on the wild beast. The seer was fill... [ Continue Reading ]
AND AFTER THESE THINGS... — Or, better, _After these things_ (omit “and”) _I saw another angel coming down, having great power_ (or, _authority_ — entrusted to him for the work against Babylon); _and the earth was illumined by_ (literally, _out of_)_ his glory._ The light which shines from the heave... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE CRIED... — We must omit “mightily,” and render, _And he cried in a mighty voice, saying, Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, and is become an habitation of demons, and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hated bird._ Those who walk in darkness, and whose eyes... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR ALL NATIONS HAVE DRUNK... — Better, _Because by the wrath of her fornication_ (comp. Revelation 14:8, and Note there) _all the nations have drunk_ (or, according to another reading, _have fallen;_ the readings are akin: the drinking of it leads to their degradation and fall), _and the kings of t... [ Continue Reading ]
VOICE FROM HEAVEN... — Read, _Voice out of heaven, saying, Come forth out of her, my people, that ye partake not in her sins, and that of her plagues ye receive not._ The voice is not said to be that of another angel. It is not necessary to say whose voice it is; that it is a voice of divine love gi... [ Continue Reading ]
(4-20) The voice out of heaven warns the faithful to leave her, and describes her fall.... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR HER SINS HAVE REACHED... — Better, _For her sins have reached as far as heaven._ The idea is of a great heap firmly fastened, and towering, like another Babel, as far as heaven. (Comp. 2 Chronicles 28:9, and Ezra 9:6.) The idea is more than that of the cry of sin reaching heaven, as in the case... [ Continue Reading ]
REWARD HER EVEN AS SHE REWARDED... — The same voice which bids the people of God come forth, summons the agents of vengeance. Revelation 17:16 tells whence these may arise. Read, _Give back to her, as she herself also gave back_ (the word “you” should be omitted; it is not the saints, or those who h... [ Continue Reading ]
The thought of retribution is carried on in this verse. It should not read, “How much...,” but, _In as many things as she glorified herself and luxuriated, so much give to her torment and grief; because in her heart she saith_ (comp. Psalms 49:11; Luke 14:30), _I sit a queen, and am not a widow, and... [ Continue Reading ]
THEREFORE SHALL HER PLAGUES COME... — Read, _For this cause in one day shall come her plagues, death and mourning... and_ with _fire shall she be burnt, for strong is the Lord God who judged her._ God, the mighty God, has passed sentence. She thought herself strong; she forgot the strength of the Al... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE KINGS OF THE EARTH.... — Read, _And there shall weep and mourn over her the kings of the earth, who with her committed fornication and luxuriated, when they see the smoke of her burning, standing afar off because of the fear of her torment, saying, Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon the stron... [ Continue Reading ]
(11-13) AND THE MERCHANTS OF THE EARTH... — Better, _The merchants of the earth weep and mourn_ (not “shall weep;” the vividness of the description is intensified by the use of the present tense) _over her; because their cargo no one buyeth any longer_ — the cargo of gold, &c. The list of the cargoe... [ Continue Reading ]
Directly addressed to Babylon herself. AND THE FRUITS THAT THY SOUL... — Rather, _And the fruits_ (or, _the harvest_)_ of the desire of thy soul_ (that, namely, which thy soul lusteth after) _departed_ (not “are departed:” the word expresses the thought that these things “departed once for all_”_)_... [ Continue Reading ]
(15-17) THE MERCHANTS OF THESE THINGS... — The description is resumed. The merchants stand like the kings (see Revelation 18:10) afar off, because of the fear of her torment, saying, “Woe! woe! (or, alas! alas!) the great city, because in one hour so great wealth was desolated.” The words of this la... [ Continue Reading ]
THE LAMENT OF THE SHIPMASTERS (Revelation 18:17). — On the whole passage read Ezekiel 27:32, &c. (17, 18) AND EVERY SHIPMASTER.... — Or, better, _And every shipmaster, and every one who sails for a place, and sailors, and all who work the sea, stood afar off, and cried when they saw the smoke of her... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THEY CAST DUST... — Comp. Ezekiel 27:30. The casting of dust or earth on the head is a token of sorrow and humiliation; it bears relation to the sitting in the dust. The one upon whom the sorrow had fallen sat in the dust or ashes. The attitude expressed that he had been brought very low, even t... [ Continue Reading ]
THE CALL TO THE HOLY TO REJOICE. (20) REJOICE OVER HER.... — Better, _Rejoice over her, O heaven, and the saints, and the apostles, and the prophets, because God has judged your judgment on_ (or, _out of_)_ her._ The second portion of the chapter closes with this invitation to the saints to rejoice:... [ Continue Reading ]
THE IRREMEDIABLE OVERTHROW OF BABYLON SYMBOLICALLY DECLARED. (21) AND A MIGHTY ANGEL... — The taking up of the stone and casting it into the waters is a symbol drawn from Jeremiah (Jeremiah 51). Jeremiah enjoined Seraiah to bind the prophetic roll to a great stone, and cast them together into the Eu... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE VOICE OF HARPERS... — Better, _the sound_,.. The sounds of mirth and triumph, &c., cease: _the sound of harpers, and musicians, and flute-players, and trumpeters, shall not be heard in thee_ ANY MORE: the power of wealth has gone; her own right hand has forgotten her cunning: _every craftsma... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR THY MERCHANTS WERE THE GREAT... — The judgment does not fall because the merchants were great: it is the sorcery of the next clause which is the true cause of her fall: the merchants are those who traded with her, as well as those who dwelt in her: by “her sorceries” we must understand her artfu... [ Continue Reading ]
AND IN HER WAS FOUND... — It is not by seductiveness only that her guilt is measured: her hands are defiled with blood: the blood of prophets, who had witnessed against her: of saints, whose holy lives were a protest against her sins, and so hateful to her; and “_of all who have been slain on the ea... [ Continue Reading ]