Return to the LAUNCH PAGE for our study of Revelations

-CHAPTER 18:4-24-
Introduction to the Nineteenth Rendering of (The authors' on-line book the Clock of the Ages is a study of Matthew 24 & 25, a lengthy passage which contains the most thorough prophetic teaching given by our Lord Jesus. Because those prophecies will affect the Church and because those prophecies are essential to our understanding of the Book of Revelation, it is recommended that Clock of the Ages be read before entering this study.) Jesus gave us the key to understanding the prophecies of the Book of Revelation in His discourse to the disciples in Matthew 24 and 25. (This key applies to other major prophetic portions of the Bible as well.) We discussed the key in some detail in chapter twenty-nine of our book The Clock of the Ages, where we referred to His prophecies as "Spiritual Replays." (Click here to go to Clock of the Ages, booklet eight, chapter 29--use the "back" button on your browser to return to this page.) In that discourse Jesus gave us ten important end-time prophecies, each prophecy to take place at the end of our age, and each prophecy ending with the same event; i.e., the Rapture of the Church. Because the prophetic portion of Revelation covers the time period from the Rapture of the Church to the end of the world at the end of the Kingdom Age, the period for each replay includes the two remaining "night watches" assigned to Israel: i.e., "the cockcrowing"--the first 3 1/2 years of Daniel's 70th Week just prior to the installation of the Kingdom Age, and "the morning watch"--the second 3 1/2 period of Daniel's 70th week at the end of the Kingdom Age. (For a study of the prophetic watches of Israel's night, click here to go to Clock of the Ages, booklet seven, then scroll to chapter 28--use the "back" button on your browser to return to this page.) |
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SET NINETEEN
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And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not
partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
6 Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to
her works: in the cup which she hath
7 How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment
and sorrow give her: for she saith in her
8 Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.
9 And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,
10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.
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Rev. 18:11 And the merchants of
the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:
12 The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble, 13 And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men. 14 And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all. 15 The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,
16 And saying, Alas, alas that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls! As with the first half of this set, the people will not have their priorities right. Instead of weeping and wailing for the plight of their souls and their families and friends, they will be mourning the loss of their wealth. 17 For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off, For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. As with the first half of this set, all of this will come about during "one hour." ... And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off, Like the merchants, the shipping industries will be trying to distance themselves from this "sinking ship." 18 And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city! Also, as with the merchants, the shipping industries will be mourning the source of their wealth. We're not given any indication that they will experience personal grief or repentance. 19 And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate. And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing... Casting dust on one's head before God is a Hebrew custom indicating humility and trust. Click here for a brief overview of "dust" in the Bible. However, in this instance, it is the "citizens" of "Babylon" who will be casting dust on their heads. Does this indicate that they will be "carefully seeking a place to repent" (Cf. Heb. 12:16-17.) or does it mean that they will have Hebrew blood on their heads? Because we're only given that the people will be weeping and wailing for the city that made them wealthy, we can probably assume that the dust on their head does not indicate godly sorrow and repentance. s aying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate. This indicates more lamenting; also, we are given again to understand that Babylon the Great's demise will come suddenly i.e., in one "hour."especially a season. Easton's Bible Dictionary hour: ...used in the New Testament frequently to denote some determinate season (Matt. 8:13; Luke 12:39).-- 20 Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her. This brings to mind the Scripture: "Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord (Rom. 12:19). As with the Jews of the first half of this set, God will avenge those who have been mistreated by the ungodly in the world. However, this time, the angels of heaven, the Church (represented by the "holy apostles"), and the Jews (represented by the "prophets) will rejoice because those who put their faith in God will have finally been avenged. (By the way, Jesus Himself gave us the reason that the world would hate the believers. |
21 And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all. And a mighty angel took up a stone... This analogy would make sense to John. He understood that Christ Jesus was the true "stone" that the builders had rejected. And he understood that the beast would be trying to counterfeit Christ. ...like a great millstone... Also, in his day (as in Old Testament times), each family had a pair of millstones (the "nether" [the lower stone] and the "upper" stone) with which to grind up their seed into meal and flour. (Note that for reproductive use, the "ground" seed is useless. Similarly, the Word of God the seed of the Kingdom of God has to be intact and faithfully spread to do the work of God. For our understanding of the millstone of prophecy, CLICK HERE.) Undoubtedly, Satan's version of "the Word" will be so mangled that it will have little if any resemblance to the Bible. Consequently, we could say that this "stone" that the angel cast into the sea stands for the devil being cast to the earth as per Rev. 12:12; and that the "great millstone" is the religious organization under the control of the beast. ...and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all. As we've said repeatedly, in prophecy, the sea is the mass of people without a covenant with God. However, in this particular verse it seems as though the sea and the great city of Babylon are treated as being synonymous. Of course, Babylon the Great will be found no more because it will go up in flames with the rest of the world according to II Pe 3:10. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. 22 And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee; This first list of things that will be no more includes the gifts that were given to Jubal (The gift of music) and his brother Tubalcain (The gift of working with metal Genesis 4:21-22) as well as the gifts of all crafts. Also, the millstone here probably represents manufacturing of foods, its original purpose being the grinding of meals and flours for cooking purposes. 23 And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived. And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee... This could be referring to the fact that there will be no more "church" (called-out-ones) in her midst, but it could also be a very poetic way of saying that there will be no more human life. Pro 20:27 The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly. Pro 24:20 For there shall be no reward to the evil man; the candle of the wicked shall be put out. cf. Ec. 12:7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. ...and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee... No more will man have opportunity to hear the witness of the believer and the wooing of the Holy Spirit; for there will be no more earth and no more seed of Adam to walk upon it. ...for thy merchants were the great men of the earth... This is self - explanatory: i.e., the men wanted to be "great" to one another instead of "great" in faith toward God. Consequently, they were open to lying spirits. ...for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived. Remember, spiritual Babylon the Great will be a very religious rule, a "counterfeir theocracy" if you will. 24 And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth
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