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| Photo of Jon Tracy, by Jim Tracy |
1 And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.
2 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.
Remember, Babylon is Jerusalem.
3 “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.”
Judah sits on the major trade route between Europe, Asia and Africa. They took advantage of this and had become rich, but not through honest means.
4 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.”
In Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21 Jesus told His followers they would need to evacuate Jerusalem when they saw the foreign armies surround the city. Also, Josephus tells us that there were voices heard coming out of the temple just before Titus arrived saying “Let’s get out of here.” (Or the equivalent.)
5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
God and Israel had formed a covenant at the time of the Exodus. God had promised to protect and bless Israel if she would worship Him and Him alone. That covenant contained curses detailing what would happen if Israel broke her side of the covenant.
Israel repeatedly broke the covenant. God would punish her with subjugation to other countries; she would repent and come back to her “Husband.”
Finally God sent His Son to finish the plan of salvation. Israel (now called Judah) crucified Him and then proceeded to kill all His followers. She pursued her own gods, writing her own rules and ignoring the true God.
God has finally had it. He issues a divorce decree. (Jeremiah 3:8, Isaiah 50:1) But He had put in the Mosaic Law and in His covenant with Israel that the punishment for adultery was execution.
So now that the divorce is final, Israel has been convicted of behaving like a prostitute, and the sentence must be carried out. Israel must be executed.
“26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.
28 He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:
29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?
30 For we know Him that hath said, “Vengeance belongeth unto Me, I will recompense,” saith the Lord. And again, “The Lord shall judge His people.”
31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Hebrews 10:26-31
6 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.
Israel killed the prophets and the Messiah and His followers. She will receive double this for punishment.
7 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.”
Israel was in denial over her state as a divorcée. Instead of evangelizing the world she had cheated them and taken advantage of the merchants coming through her cities. And in the grand Law of Consequences that God has put into place in this universe, what she has done to others will be done to her- only worse. (Some call this Karma, the Asian name of this law. Paul worded it “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatever a man sows, that shall he also reap.” Galatians 6:7)
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.
The fanatics inside Jerusalem burned the stores of grain in order to make the people fight the Romans harder.
When Titus finally broke into the city, his soldiers burned it.
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.”
The world was rather shocked at what happened to Jerusalem. Many had benefited financially from trade with her.
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 thyine 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 odors, 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.
Luxury was ended.
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,
I am sure all the other countries under Roman rule tread very lightly after this. They certainly didn’t want the same fate.
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!”
Though these are the decorations common for the rich, they are also what the priests and the temple in Jerusalem were decorated with.
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,
18 And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, “What city is like unto this great city!”
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.”
20 Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.
Remember the martyrs under the alter in front of God's throne way back in chapter 6? They called for revenge for their murders (they weren’t pacifists!) God told them to be patient.
Now that revenge has been carried out. Jerusalem has been destroyed.
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.”
Jerusalem was destroyed.
Though the physical city will be inhabited by one group or another throughout history (including today), she will never again be “The City of God.” And will never again achieve the same level of glory. Israel broke the Covenant. It is ended, disappeared.
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;
Life will never be the same.
The Romans flattened the city and then occupied it. Even by AD130 it was reported that all that was left was a few houses and a fort the Romans had created out of Herod’s castle.
Jerusalem has never returned to her former glory.
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.
24 And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.
This gives us the positive identification of the City Babylon. It was in Jerusalem that the prophets and saints were all murdered.