Revelation (Written)

Monday, 7 June 2021

For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury.” Revelation 18:3

John just heard the word of the Angel from heaven, saying, “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen.” The Angel then gave a description of what it had become like, meaning a place of great desolation. Now the reason for this is given, saying, “For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.”

The word translated “For” signifies “because.” Also, the first use of “of” is the Greek word ek, meaning “out of.” Essentially, it says, “Because all the nations have drunk out of the wine.” This is now the third time this sentiment is seen in Revelation. The first was in verse 14:8 –

“And another angel followed, saying, ‘Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.’”

Again in 17:2 we read a similar note. We are reminded that “all the nations have drunk” from her cup and thus all nations are guilty of religious harlotry. The cup she holds includes idol worship, the worship of many gods, incorrect and twisted worship of the true God, etc.

Here, the reason why Babylon has become a desolate ruin is given. She had a cup of fornication, and she shared it with the nations. But, as Vincent’s Word Studies notes, “The wine of fornication has turned to wrath against herself.” Because of her own practices, she is destined to receive wrath for her actions, but what she shared with them will also affect them. In her actions, she does not bring them closer to God, but drives them away from Him.

As has been noted before, “fornication” is used in a spiritual sense here. Just as a person commits fornication with other people outside of a covenant marriage relationship, so people, institutions, and nations commit fornication with a religious expression not in line with the covenant between God and man. He is the Creator and, therefore, we are obligated to seek Him out and honor Him with true worship, adoration, and humility.

The Angel states that these nations had drunk the wine of the wrath of her fornication, but He then specifically says, “the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her.” It isn’t just that the nations, in general, had been influenced by this harlot, but that the kings of the nations have as well.

She, this harlot, is the one who has been instrumental in seducing them and leading them away from God. And more, the Angel next says, “and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury.”

The word translated as “abundance” signifies power. The word translated as “luxury” is found only here in the Bible. It signifies self-indulgent luxury or wantonness. As the entire thought so far perfectly matches the condition of Rome, and specifically the Vatican, it should be considered that the words “become rich” may be taken literally to some extent because the reach of the Roman Catholic Church has enriched innumerable people throughout the years.

However, there is certainly a spiritual element to this as well. Jamieson-Fausset-Brown seems to have rightly stated, “The reference is not to earthly merchandise, but to spiritual wares, indulgences, idolatries, superstitions, worldly compromises, wherewith the harlot, that is, the apostate Church, has made merchandise of men.”

Obviously, this is not limited to the Roman Catholic Church, but it is a defining condition of it. The wantonness, in both physical and spiritual corruption, is on prominent display to anyone who will simply open their eyes and simply look.

Life application: It is true that as society prospers, then those who minister to the society will also prosper. Unfortunately, this prospering leads to indulgence instead of service; it leads to coveting instead of sharing; it leads to idolatry instead of thanks. This is the normal state of religion as it prospers.

In turn, the people see the accumulated wealth and power of these institutions, and they then turn and align themselves with them politically, through business, or even through sexual or physical exploitation of others. This in turn leads to status, position, and luxury for those who enjoin themselves to these apostatizing institutions. Eventually, nothing of true religious expression is left, but only a hunger and a lust for greater and greater increase.

It is a trap in any form, but when connected to religion, it is a corrupting influence even on those who would seek the truth. Precious souls are stolen away from the right mark. Such is the case throughout the religious world of the past and of our present day. In the future, it will lead to God’s final judgment and destruction.

Take heed not to fall into this trap. Instead, look unto the One who is pure and undefiled. Pursue Him and constantly realign your heart and thoughts on Him. Never cease looking unto JESUS.

Heavenly Father, how easy it is for us to be enticed by riches and ease. But you have called us to be servants and to carry our cross – not to lay idle, eating grapes and polishing gold. Help us to act out our faith in right religion and to bring the exalted name of Jesus the honor and glory that He is due. Surely in this You will be glorified. Amen.

Sunday, 6 June 2021

And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird! Revelation 18:2

Chapter 18 opened with the note of the Angel (certainly a revelation of Jesus Christ) coming down from heaven having great authority and illuminating the earth with His glory. Of Him, it now says, “And he cried mightily with a loud voice.”

This is reminiscent of the cry of the Angel in Revelation 10 –

“He had a little book open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, ³ and cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roars. When he cried out, seven thunders uttered their voices.” Revelation 10:2, 3

It is a distinct and assertive cry, “saying, ‘Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen.’”

In the Greek, the double repetition is in the emphatic position and reads, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great.” These words now are the fulfilling of the words that anticipated this event in Chapter 14 –

“And another angel followed, saying, ‘Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.’” Revelation 14:8

Both accounts record substantially the same words, and it is certain that they are referring to the same event. Chapter 14 was spoken in anticipation of what is now recorded here in Chapter 18. This great Babylon is coming to its end, something that was typologically pictured by the fall of ancient Babylon. That was recorded in Isaiah 21 –

“And look, here comes a chariot of men with a pair of horsemen!
Then he answered and said,
‘Babylon is fallen, is fallen!
And all the carved images of her gods
He has broken to the ground.’” Isaiah 21:9

Of Babylon the great, the Angel continues with His words, saying, “and has become a dwelling place of demons.”

This is a statement anticipating its final condition. In its falling, there is nothing left to allow human habitation. Thus, the thought is that of a desolate city, forsaken by humans, that has then been overtaken by haunting spirits. The Lord speaks of such a place in Matthew 12:43 –

“When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none.”

Not only is Babylon to be a dwelling place for demons, but it will also be “a prison for every foul spirit.”

The word translated as “prison” is phulaké. It signifies “a guarding.” Thus, this could either be a prison for the foul spirits, or it could be a place guarded by foul spirits. As it has become a dwelling place of demons, it appears that the latter is the intent here, unless the demons are guarding the foul spirits. However, one would think of them as being united in purpose. Finally, the Angel says, “and a cage for every unclean and hated bird!”

The same word just translated as “prison” is again used here and is now translated as “cage.” Rather than a prison and a cage, it seems that these should be translated as a “watch,” such as in Luke 12:38. In this, it would signify a place devoid of humans and left to only that which is foul and loathsome. That would then conform to the symbolism here which comes from Isaiah 13 –

“And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms,
The beauty of the Chaldeans’ pride,
Will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.
²⁰ It will never be inhabited,
Nor will it be settled from generation to generation;
Nor will the Arabian pitch tents there,
Nor will the shepherds make their sheepfolds there.
²¹ But wild beasts of the desert will lie there,
And their houses will be full of owls;
Ostriches will dwell there,
And wild goats will caper there.
²² The hyenas will howl in their citadels,
And jackals in their pleasant palaces.
Her time is near to come,
And her days will not be prolonged.” Isaiah 13:19-22

In this 18^th Chapter of Revelation, a connection to the 18^th letter of the Hebrew aleph-bet is seen. The letter tsadde pictures a trail and has the meanings of trail, journey, chase, and hunt. The letter, however, speaks of righteousness, such as when God is known as tsaddik v’yashar, or Righteous and Upright, in Deuteronomy 32:4. The Lord is the righteous Judge, and He will bring an end to Babylon in due time. The word is written, and it shall come to pass.

Life application: The concept of Babylon being a place of spiritual opposition to God goes back to the earliest chapters of the Bible. Throughout the Bible, the two prominent cities of note are Jerusalem – the city which reflects right religion and fellowship with God, and Babylon – the city which reflects defiled religion, uncleanness, and enmity with God.

These two cities aren’t just physical locations, but are also spoken of as concepts of these things. Whereas Jerusalem will endure forever, as we will see in the coming chapter, Babylon will come to an end. This end will be with great destruction and carnage. Because these two cities are used both literally and symbolically, it is unknown what the destruction coming upon Babylon fully entails.

Will it be a worldwide destruction of all false religions simultaneously, or is it an actual location which, in the end times, is the symbol for all false religion? If the latter, several options have been suggested throughout the years. The first is that it is actually a political, social, and religious center in the location of Babylon in the Mideast – a rebuilt Babylon in the end times.

The second is that the location is Rome where the antichrist, false prophet, and one-world government are centered. And then of course there are those who have suggested New York, Jerusalem, or some other great city as well. What is certain is that Babylon is fallen – even though this is future to us. It is as certain as the ground under our feet. Babylon will be judged.

She is an abomination in the sight of God, and she must be completely removed before the pure and holy religion of the true God can come in its fullness. An end to all false religion will be replaced with worship that is pure and undefiled. In that day, the world will come before the King, God’s Messiah, and they will acknowledge that He rules. He is great. He is glorious. He is JESUS!

Lord, You have shown us what is right, what is pure, what is undefiled, and what is good. Help us to think on these things, talk about these things, and hold fast to them. Help us to fix our eyes on Jesus so that nothing impure or defiled enters our sight. Keep us safe from the wickedness of worldly things and from the doctrines of demons. Thank You for watching over us. Amen.

Saturday, 5 June 2021

After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory. Revelation 18:1

Chapter 17 detailed and explained the vision of the woman sitting on the beast – MYSTERY BABYLON. With the turn of the page, a new vision comes into John’s view, saying, “After these things.”

Each time one vision ends, another immediately comes into focus as the panorama of history quickly unfolds before his eyes. With the change in scene, John says, “I saw another angel coming down from heaven.”

This would be in regard to what was said in Revelation 10:1 –

“I saw still another mighty angel coming down from heaven, clothed with a cloud. And a rainbow was on his head, his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire.”

That was clearly a vision of the Lord. The Old Testament symbolism from Ezekiel of the Lord, Yehovah, was being brought forth to reveal the glory of the Lord, Jesus. This vision now will be no different. Of him, John next says, “having great authority.”

This signifies the moral authority to judge Babylon and to call for its destruction. It is the Lord Jesus who has earned the right to judge the great harlot and to bring it to ruin. Of Him, it then says, “and the earth was illuminated with his glory.” This is a reference to the Lord, Yehovah, as was described by the prophet Ezekiel –

“Afterward he brought me to the gate, the gate that faces toward the east. ² And behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east. His voice was like the sound of many waters; and the earth shone with His glory.” Ezekiel 43:1, 2

So glorious is this presentation of the Lord that the radiance emitting from Him literally causes everything around Him to be illuminated.

Life application: John’s point of reference has changed numerous times during the past 17 chapters of Revelation. He is on earth and then in heaven, then back on earth and then back in heaven. Things pass in front of his eyes and then new things quickly come into view.

In this new vision, it seems his vantage point is from back on earth because he sees this glorious being coming down from heaven. Scholars argue over whether this is actually Jesus or not. Those that argue against it claim that the vision doesn’t match that of other such visions.

That makes no sense. Each vision of Christ is given to reveal another aspect of Him. The vision of the Lamb, by necessity, does not match the vision of the Lion. The thought of Him being the Door will not be the same as when thinking of Him as the Shepherd. We are seeing the glory of God in Christ being revealed according to the aspect of what is being conveyed at any given time. It is no different in this new vision of Chapter 18.

In this presentation of Him, there is a radiance shining forth from His very being. As Daniel says –

“He reveals deep and secret things;
He knows what is in the darkness,
And light dwells with Him.” Daniel 2:22

And again –

“This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.” 1 John 1:5

The glory and radiance of God fills the earth when it is revealed. And it is that Light which came and dwelt among the people of the world to bring them from darkness into this marvelous light once again. In their rejection of Him, only judgment and condemnation can result.

Let us look to God by looking unto the One whom He has appointed to reveal Himself to us. Let us look unto JESUS.

O God, how magnificent You are and how awesome and splendid is the unfolding of Your word. To read of the splendor and power displayed in it is glorious. And to think that someday we will be in Your presence – all because of the work of Jesus! Thank You for this wonderful promise and the hope of glory. Hallelujah and Amen!

Friday, 4 June 2021

And the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth.” Revelation 17:18

To complete the contents of the chapter, the angel speaking to John now makes an explicit statement concerning the harlot who rides on top of the beast. She is “that great city.” The identity is set and there is no reason to assume that Mystery Babylon, the great harlot, is anything but as is described here. When symbolism is explained by the Bible, that is its interpretation. Nothing more needs to be inserted to bend or twist what has been made evident. Understanding that the woman in the vision represents a city, the angel then says, “which reigns over the kings of the earth.”

At John’s time, this would be Rome. However, the vision is referring to a future entity. Can this still be said of Rome? The answer is, “Yes.” The Vatican (the Holy See) is its own city within Rome. It has all the rights and benefits of being a city-state, and it is considered a permanent observer state of the UN as of 6 April 1964. Thus, it is a part of the body that reigns over the kings of the earth.

Further, this does not say “all the kings of the earth.” Thus, it is a general statement. There are, at any given time, leaders of the world who claim to be Roman Catholic. Thus, the influence of the Vatican over them in their political decisions is broad-ranging. And another note is that the word translated as “over” is epi. It signifies “on” or “upon,” implying something that fits. One can think of the epidermis (skin) fitting on a person.

With this understood, and using that in the translation, it can be rendered, “which reigns upon the kings of the earth.” It is not that there is a sovereignty over them, but guiding body upon them. Just as Islam directs the Muslim nations, without being an actual ruler, so the Roman Catholic Church directs these Catholic (and other) nations, directing them without being an actual ruler.

Life application: When the destruction of Mystery Babylon comes, all false religion will be ended, and the true worship of God will be instituted on earth. Babylon the great will be remembered no more. All non-Christian religions will be proven false. The false identification with Christ, by supposed but apostate Christian denominations, will be eradicated. The world will find only a pure and untainted faith in Christ.

Until then we should keep our noses in the Bible, studying it and weeding out any falsity from our doctrine. Let us hold fast to the truths recorded there, and let us glorify God through proper faith in the Lord. He is great. He is worthy. He is JESUS.

It is marvelous to know that someday the world will be unified in worship of You, O God. There will no longer be division and fighting within the church, there will no longer be false teachers to lead Your people astray, and there will no longer be false religions outside the church. We long for the day when our worship of You is perfect and undefiled! Amen.

Thursday, 3 June 2021

For God has put it into their hearts to fulfill His purpose, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled.  Revelation 17:17

The Greek has different words in it that are not noticed in this translation. For example, it says “fulfilled” twice, but two different Greek words are used. The first signifies “to accomplish,” as if working towards a goal. The second means to “fulfill,” as if in having met an end purpose.

Further, the words translated as “purpose” and “mind” are the same. The LSV translates it as “for God gave into their hearts to do His purpose, and to make one purpose, and to give their kingdom to the beast until the sayings of God may be fulfilled,”

Having noted this, the verse begins with, “For God has put it into their hearts.” This is a similar thought to that of the strong delusion of 2 Thessalonians 2 –

“And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, ¹² that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” 2 Thessalonians 2:11, 12

In such cases, the action is passive. Things are arranged in such a way that the intents and purposes of God are met as people pursue the logical path of that arranged course. One can think of coming to a new land and finding it immensely suitable for farming. We might say, “God put it into their hearts to farm.” In this, He didn’t actively do it, but things were set in such a way so that they followed the logical path that led to their farming the land.

With this understood, the verse next says, “to fulfill His purpose.” God arranges things so that an exacting outcome will result. There is nothing deceptive or wrong about this. He controls the flow of lava from volcanoes, and He directs the winds in their courses. Meteors come from the sky according to His will. Everything is set in order to bring about an end purpose, thus meeting His will.

On the way, things will be set in place, and the people will have it in their hearts to fulfill His purpose. Even though this sounds directive in nature, the same truth applies to each and every person. Paul writes of being predestined in the book of Romans. God has predestined all things. And yet, he has done it in such a way that we still must exercise our free will in the process.

In the case of these ten kings, it is God’s purpose for them “to be of one mind.” Their one mind (17:13), a united effort of these kings (and thus their individual kingdoms drawn together as one), will make war on the Lamb (17:14). They will also “hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire.”

These things were God’s intent in order to arrange the world for Christ’s second coming and for the ensuing millennial reign of Christ. Therefore, all is in a specified order so that they will “give their kingdom to the beast.” Joining in this way, God’s plan will, in fact, come to pass. The all-knowing and infinitely wise Creator is bringing everything to a point that has been predestined by Him, even from the very beginning. And these things will continue on “until the words of God are fulfilled.”

His word is written, and it will come to pass. And yet, during the entire process, the free will of those involved is highlighted. God simply knows the choices that will be made as time and history unfold.

Life application: This verse shows us the omniscience of God in all things, including the wicked choices and actions of man. This in no way implies God actively causes these things. He has given man freewill, and we exercise it to our own benefit or loss. Though He knows our choices before they occur, this in no way negates freewill. We can choose to do evil, we can choose to do right, and we can choose to accept or reject Jesus.

Freewill in man is a principal tenet in the Bible. In the case of this verse, the words indicate that their actions have come about by their willful rejection of Him, not His will being forced upon them. Their hearts suppress the knowledge of God, and – by default – they move in an expected way because of this rejection. It is a way that came about by free will and yet it was a part of how God has designed them and their circumstances.

Paul gives a general description of this type of action in Romans 1:18-27. In their rejection of God and their consolidation of world power, they have united in their aims and conferred their power upon the beast which is led by the antichrist. And the path they are headed down will lead them to the final point that God knew before He created anything. There is only one possible avenue and one possible termination point, which is the fulfillment of God’s word.

It is an amazing thing to ponder, but the important thing to understand is that when these things have come to pass, those who have rejected Him will have no one to blame but themselves. The destruction of the beast is assured; the book is written; and yet it still needs to happen.

Passages such as the one today show us the immense wisdom and foreknowledge of God. And the highest expression of that is in the giving of His Son. Even from the very foundation of the earth, He promised to correct the wrongs that came about through the fall. It is the plan of redemption, and it is this plan that shines forth in the coming of JESUS.

Great are Your workings, O God! How amazing it is to ponder that You know all things before they occur, and yet they still have to come about by our free will choices. It is hard for us to understand, and yet it is an indication of Your great love for us – allowing us to choose Jesus, but knowing the choice we will make. What a great and awesome God You are. Amen.