People's New Testament And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. 18:1 The Doomed City
SUMMARY OF REVELATION 18: The Fall of Babylon Decreed. The People of God Commanded to Come Out of Her. The Kings of the Earth Lament Over Her Fall. The Merchants and Traffickers Also Lament. The Millstone Cast into the Sea. After these things. Those described in chapter 17. Another angel. Some have urged that this is Christ. There is no proof of their correctness. Having great power. There was assigned to him great authority. And the earth was lightened with his glory. This was a proof of power proceeding from God. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. 18:2 And he cried... Babylon the great is fallen. Compare this description with Isa 21:9 14:23 13:21 The fall of Babylon has been already declared, Re 16:19 17:16 but now it is developed. This picture is intended to portray her utter desolation.
For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. 18:3 For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath. Partaken with her in her sins.
Of her fornication. See PNT Re 17:5. Merchants of the earth are waxed rich. Her luxurious living had made great markets. 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. 18:4 Come out of her, my people. This invitation is given to the people of God yet in captivity, lest by remaining they should be involved in her destruction. As God once had a captive people in the old Mesopotamian Babylon, so he has a people in the spiritual Babylon. Ever since the Reformation began, his voice has called on them to come out of her. Nor can it be doubted that he has many true and earnest worshipers still who have found enough of Christ in the mazes of the Papacy to have given him their hearts. The condemnation of the great spiritual despotism is not a declaration that all whom she has enslaved are the children of the devil.
For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. 18:5 Her sins have reached unto heaven. They call therefore for God's remembrance of her iniquities in judgments.
Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double. 18:6 Reward her even as she rewarded you. This is addressed to those who have meted out her judgments. The divine principle of judgments is that every one shall be rewarded according to his works. What they sow, that shall they reap.
And double unto her double according to her works. This power shall have returned upon it in double portion what it has meted out to others. How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. 18:7 I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. This verse describes her former pride. Compare Isa 47:8,9.
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. 18:8 Therefore shall her plagues come. Notwithstanding her pride and exultation.
She shall be utterly burned with fire. See Re 17:16. When an ancient city was taken and destroyed it was burned with fire. 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, 18:9 And the kings of the earth... shall bewail her. There will be mourners. Those who have sinned with her, or profited by her will bewail her fall.
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. 18:10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment. The picture represents these mourners looking from a great distance, afraid to approach nearer.
For in one hour is thy judgment come. It has come suddenly. And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more: 18:11 And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her. All who had made gain in any way from the sins or the luxury of Babylon shall mourn. There follows, then, an enumeration of the articles in which there was traffic.
The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble,
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. 18:13 And bodies, and souls of men. The Greek reads, the bodies and souls of men. The first seems to refer to the traffic in slaves, a common traffic until modern times and sanctioned by the Papacy. The latter expression seems to me to refer to a spiritual traffic. What is the whole system of masses for the dead, paid for out of the money drawn from mourning relatives, but a traffic in the souls of men?
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. 18:14 The fruits that thy soul lusted after. These things for which Babylon so lusted are all gone from her forever.
The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, 18:15-19 The merchants of these things... shall stand afar off. The lamentation of the kings over the fall of the city has been given in Re 18:9-14. The lamentation of the merchants is now given. They are also represented as standing afar off. With them join the shipmasters and mariners who have been engaged in her trade. These all mourn because their profits from her are brought to an end.
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! 18:15-19 The merchants of these things... shall stand afar off. The lamentation of the kings over the fall of the city has been given in Re 18:9-14. The lamentation of the merchants is now given. They are also represented as standing afar off. With them join the shipmasters and mariners who have been engaged in her trade. These all mourn because their profits from her are brought to an end.
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, 18:15-19 The merchants of these things... shall stand afar off. The lamentation of the kings over the fall of the city has been given in Re 18:9-14. The lamentation of the merchants is now given. They are also represented as standing afar off. With them join the shipmasters and mariners who have been engaged in her trade. These all mourn because their profits from her are brought to an end.
And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city! 18:15-19 The merchants of these things... shall stand afar off. The lamentation of the kings over the fall of the city has been given in Re 18:9-14. The lamentation of the merchants is now given. They are also represented as standing afar off. With them join the shipmasters and mariners who have been engaged in her trade. These all mourn because their profits from her are brought to an end.
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. 18:15-19 The merchants of these things... shall stand afar off. The lamentation of the kings over the fall of the city has been given in Re 18:9-14. The lamentation of the merchants is now given. They are also represented as standing afar off. With them join the shipmasters and mariners who have been engaged in her trade. These all mourn because their profits from her are brought to an end.
Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her. 18:20 Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets. While there are mourners, another company is called upon to rejoice. She had exalted herself against God. All who have been for God, and who have suffered from her, are called to rejoice.
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. 18:21 And a mighty angel took up a stone. See Jer 51:61-64. This symbolical act implies an utter destruction. In Jeremiah the stone is cast into the Euphrates. Now it is cast into the sea, because another Babylon is designed.
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; 18:22 And the voice of harpers. It is this third angel who declares the silence and desolation of the city now.
And the sound of a millstone. In the mills grinding food for the people. The mills were hand-mills, usually worked by women as a domestic duty. 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. 18:23 For by thy sorceries were all nations deceived. This accounts for the fact that all nations poured their treasures into her lap.
And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth. 18:24 In her was found the blood of prophets, and of the saints. It is because she has slain the saints of the Most High that these judgments come upon her. As Jerusalem in the time of Christ filled up the measure of the sins of Israel (Mt 23:29,35,36 Lu 11:51 13:33), so the spiritual Babylon, the great persecutor, fills up the measure of the sins of the beast and false prophet, and is required to account for the blood of slaughtered prophets and saints of all ages. The People's New Testament by B.W. Johnson [1891] Bible Hub |
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