E6 F1 m1 1,2. Babylon's Judgment. Announcement of it.
n1 3. Babylon's associates. Their sin.
G1 4. God's people. Call to "come out of her".
F2 m2 5-8. Babylon's judgment. Reasons for it.
n2 9-19. Babylons inhabitants. Their lamination.
G2 20. God's people. Call to "rejoice over her".
F3 m3 21. Babylon's judgment. Manner of it.
n3 22,23. Babylon's inhabitants. Their silence.
G3 24. God's people. Their blood "found in her"
Revelation 18)
1: After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven (not the speaker of ch.17, but one invested with great authority and glory), having great power (= authority); and the earth was lightened with his glory.
2: And he cried with a mighty voice, saying, "Babylon is fallen, is fallen (see 14:8. Isa. 21:9. Jer. 51:8), and is become a habitation of demons, and the cage of every unclean spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
3: For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath (= furious wine) of her fornications (= idolatry), and the kings of the earth committed fornication with her (= worshiped the one world system), and the merchants of the earth waxed rich by the abundance (Gr. dunamis = dynamite, explosive, powerful tricks) of her delicacies.” (This identifies the city with that of Ch.17. In addition, it is here implies that Babylon [= confusion] will become the head-quarters of Spiritism, the habitation of demons, and the hold of every unclean spirit. Jer. 50 and 51 should be carefully studied in connection with these two Chapters [17,18] as many of the things predicted will await fulfillment in the coming evil days.)
4: And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, "Come forth out of her, My People (see Jer. 50:4-9, and cp. Isa.10:20,24), in order that you all not be partakers of her sins, and in order that you all receive not of her plagues. (Come into God's Word, not man's)
5: For her sins built together up to heaven, And God remembered her iniquities.
6: Render her even as she rendered others (Cp. Mark 12:17 and Jer. 51:2), and double her double according to her works: in the cup which she mixed, mix to her double.
7: How much she glorified herself (looks so religious), and lived deliciously (see v.3), so, much torment and sorrow give her: for she says in her heart, 'I sit as a queen (A queen who is not a widow, implies a king-consort. She is not a virgin, she's in bed [spiritually speaking] with anti-Christ = Satan, she didn't wait for the True King, the oil ran out of her lamp [i.e. the truth]), and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.' (See Isaiah 47:8)
8: For this cause shall her plagues come in one day (i.e. suddenly, on the Lord's Day, the 7th trump. See 2 Pet. 3:10), death (spiritual death), and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire (i.e. the Truth of the Holy Spirit): for mighty is the Lord God Who judged her. (The suddenness and completeness of Babylon's judgment and disappearance from the face of the earth is the prominent feature of this prophecy, proving that that judgment has not yet taken place in this day that we live in. Isa. 13:20. Jer. 50:13,39,40; 51:29,37,43: &c., await fulfillment)
9: And the kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived deliciously with her (= idolatry), shall bewail her, and lament over her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning.
10: Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, 'Woe, woe, the great city Babylon, the mighty city! for in one hour (see v.8) is your judgment come. (These "kings of the earth" are those of 17:2. The ten kings are never seen by John apart from the beast, and the "kings of the earth" are always seen in connection with Babylon)
11: And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her; for no one buys their merchandise no longer.
12: The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thymine wood (so sweet and religious), and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble.
13: And cinnamon, and odors, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and cattle, and sheep, and horses, and chariots (Gr. rheda, a Gaelic word for a four-wheeled coach or vehicle, a sign of luxury), and slaves (lit. bodies), persons of men.(all of the above are of v.3)
14: And the fruits of your souls desire are departed from you (i.e. the ripe fruit which falls off the tree out of season, see Zech. 5), and all things which were dainty and goodly are perished from you, and your men shall never more at all find them.
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, (poor me baby's - biblicaly illiterate)
16: Saying, 'Woe, woe, the great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stone, and pearls! (That great "Church". Man's church, religiosity. Its not God's Church)
17: For in one hour (i.e. the 7th trump, see v.8) so great riches is come to naught.' (see v.19). And every ship-master (how's you Christian boat doing my friend?), and everyone that sails any where (indicating travelers of all kinds), and sailors, and as many as trade by sea (lit work the sea, i.e. for a living), stood far of, (Remember the seas represent the peoples of the world, and it is these false teachers, always begging for money, who mislead the fishes [i.e. Christians], teaching their traditions, and not teaching the True Word of God)
18: And cried as they looked upon the smoke of her burning, saying, 'What city is like the great city!" (i.e. the one world system. Answer to this question. Our Father's City)
19: And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, 'Woe, woe, the great city, in which were made rich and had all the ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour (see v.8, and cp. Isa.47:11. Jer.50:26. Jer.51:8. Ancient Babylon, after its capture by Cyrus, gradually diminished. Here she [i.e. the one world system & confusion will be eliminated almost immediately) was she made desolate.'
20: Rejoice over her, you heaven, and all you saints and apostles and prophets; for God has avenged you on her. (i.e. has fully avenged you. Now has come the time of avenging, see Luke 18:7,8.)
21: And a mighty angel took up a stone as it were a great millstone (remember the story of David and Goliath), and cast it into the sea (the one world system, Satan's kingdom), saying, "Thus with a furious rush shall the great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all. (This system is stripped away from Satan forever. Cp. Jer. 51:64. Ezek. 26:21)
22: And the voice of the harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be hard no more at all in you; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found no more in you; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in you; (totally silent and vacant)
23: And the light of lamp shall shine no more at all in you; and the voice of bridegroom and of bride shall be heard no more in you: for your merchants were the great men of the earth; for by your sorcery (see 9:21) were all the nations deceived." (Cp. Isa. 47:9)
24 And in her (i.e. sister Babylon) was found the blood of the prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.