(The
objective of these ‘Frameworks' is to provide an easy-to-read
layout of the text in order then to use these individual verses
for verse-by-verse study or meditation. To focus each
verse we have also added in italic a description of what is happening)
FRAMEWORKS:
Revelation 17 & 18
GO
TO Ch.18
FRAMEWORKS:
Revelation 17:
Babylon, the Prostitute on the Beast
v.1-2
Invitation to watch
v.3-7
The Woman Babylon
v.8-13
Explanation
v.14-18
Her End decreed
v.1-2
Invitation to watch
v.1
(punishment
of a spiritual(?) adulterer) One
of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me,
“Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute,
who sits by many waters. [see v.15]
v.2
(this being
has led the earth astray) With
her the kings of the earth committed adultery, and the inhabitants
of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries.”
v.3-7
The Woman Babylon
v.3
(a woman on
a beast is the focus) Then the
angel carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness. There I
saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast
that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven
heads and ten horns.
v.4
(she is ‘dressed
up') The woman was dressed in
purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones
and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable
things and the filth of her adulteries.
v.5
(she is named
as Babylon) The name written
on her forehead was a mystery: Babylon the great
the mother of prostitutes and of the abominations of the earth.
v.6
(she has killed
many believers) I saw that the
woman was drunk with the blood of God's holy people, the blood
of those who bore testimony to Jesus. When I saw her, I was greatly
astonished.
v.7
(the angel offers
explanation) Then the angel
said to me: “Why are you astonished? I will explain
to you the mystery of the woman and of the beast she rides, which
has the seven heads and ten horns.
v.8-13
Explanation
v.8
(this ‘died
& resurrected' beast comes from the Pit and is clearly demonic
leads astray unbelievers) The
beast, which you
saw, once was, now is not, and yet will come up out of the Abyss
and go to its destruction. The inhabitants of the earth whose
names have not been written in the book of life from the creation
of the world will be astonished when they see the beast, because
it once was, now is not, and yet will come.
v.9
(the woman resides
in a seven-hilled city ?Rome?) “This
calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven hills
on which the woman sits.
v.10
(the ‘died &
resurrected' element is to do with its heads - ?world leaders
or nations) They are also seven
kings. Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; but
when he does come, he must remain for only a little while.
v.11
(this beast
is a ruler) The beast who once
was, and now is not, is an eighth king. He belongs to the seven
and is going to his destruction.
v.12
(it will be
helped temporarily by ten other kings) “The
ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom,
but who for one hour will receive authority as kings along with
the beast.
v.13
(they entirely
support the beast) They have
one purpose and will give their power and authority to the beast.
v.14-18
Her End decreed
v.14
(they will be
defeated by the Son of God) They
will wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will triumph over
them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with him
will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.”
v.15
(she impacts
all people of the earth) Then
the angel said to me, “The waters you saw, where the prostitute
sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages.
v.16
(yet the beast
& the leaders hate her dominance) The
beast and the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They
will bring her to ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her
flesh and burn her with fire.
v.17
(but God has
decreed the kings will prevail over the beast on whom she sits)
For God has put it into their hearts
to accomplish his purpose by agreeing to hand over to the beast
their royal authority, until God's words are fulfilled.
v.18
(the ‘woman'
is a mighty metropolis) The
woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the
earth.”
[Comment/Summary:
This chapters is all about powers, demonic & human.
The ‘woman' described as a prostitute sells herself and her false
anti-God beliefs and sways the world population to agree to her
thinking and ways. She is carried by the ‘demonic power' known
as the (first) Beast, initially manifest in seven kings but eventually
in one ‘supremo'. She exalts herself and kills God's people. Although
finally described as a great city, the seven hills may well be
symbolic of human administration that initially submits to her
but eventually turns on her to destroy her.]
Note:
The Beasts of Revelation: As
this word occurs again in the chapter, we remind ourselves of
their wider usage as we suggested previously, ‘entities' (it seems
it is more than a single being and may be more a philosophy or
demonic way of looking at things).
“The
Beast from the Abyss will emerge and fight them,
conquer, and kill them.” (Rev
7:11)
no further identification at this
stage
but clearly a demonic entity (from
the Pit)
“I
saw a Beast rising from the sea.” (Rev
13:1)
multi-headed, violent looking,
blasphemous, one head dies and raised again
worshipped by ‘the world', is
all-powerful for a limited set period
clearly a demonic entity because
it is only one of three cast into eternal punishment (20:10)
“I
saw another Beast rising out of the ground.”
(Rev 13:11)
identified as the False Prophet
(16:13, 19:20, 20:10)
also a demonic entity (see above)
supports and bolsters up the first
beast
“I
saw a woman mounted on a Scarlet Beast .”
(Rev 17:3)
supports or carries Babylon
this beast appears to be the first
of the two, multi-headed but eventually being expressed through
just one head or king (17:11)
FRAMEWORKS:
Revelation 18: The Fall of Babylon
v.1-3
Lament Over Fallen Babylon
v.4-8
Warning to Escape Babylon's Judgment
v.9-20
Threefold Woe Over Babylon's Fall
v.21-24
The Finality of Babylon's Doom
v.1-3
Lament Over Fallen Babylon
v.1
(another great
angel comes down to proclaim God's will over the earth) After
this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great
authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor.
v.2
(he declares
her end) With a mighty voice
he shouted: “‘Fallen! Fallen
is Babylon the Great!' [Isa 21:9]
She has become a dwelling for demons and a haunt for every impure
spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean
and detestable animal.
v.3 (because she has led astray the
whole earth) For all the nations
have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of
the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the
earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries.”
v.4-8
Warning to Escape Babylon's Judgment
v.4,5
(a further call
comes to God's people – who are clearly still on the earth – to
remain distinct from all unbelievers to avoid the judgment coming
on the ‘woman') Then I heard
another voice from heaven say: “‘Come out of her, my people,'
so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive
any of her plagues; for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God
has remembered her crimes. [Jer 51:45]
v.6 (she will be paid back double
for her sins) Give back to her
as she has given; pay her back double for what she has done. Pour
her a double portion from her own cup.
v.7 (the judgments will match in amount
the glory she gave herself) Give
her as much torment and grief as the glory and luxury she
gave herself. In her heart she boasts, ‘I sit enthroned as queen.
I am not a widow; I will never mourn.' [See Isa 47:7,8]
v.8 (therefore destruction will come speedily)
Therefore in one day her plagues
will overtake her: death, mourning and famine. She will be consumed
by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.
v.9-20
Threefold Woe Over Babylon's Fall
v.9
(her fall will
be mourned by many) “When the
kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared
her luxury see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn
over her.
v.10
(they will cry
out acknowledging her judgment) Terrified
at her torment, they will stand far off and cry: “‘Woe!
Woe to you, great city, you mighty city of Babylon! In
one hour your doom has come!' [1]
v.11-13
(economies of
all sorts will fall) “The merchants
of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys
their cargoes anymore— cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones
and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every
sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory,
costly wood, bronze, iron and marble; cargoes of cinnamon and
spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil,
of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages;
and human beings sold as slaves.
v.14
(their end will
be acknowledged) “They will
say, ‘The fruit you longed for is gone from you. All your luxury
and splendor have vanished, never to be recovered.'
v.15,16
(traders will
be in mourning) The merchants
who sold these things and gained their wealth from her will stand
far off, terrified at her torment. They will weep and mourn and
cry out: “‘Woe! Woe to you,
great city, dressed in fine
linen, purple and scarlet, and glittering with gold, precious
stones and pearls!
v.17 (all distributors will be in
mourning) In one hour such great
wealth has been brought to ruin!' [2]
“Every sea captain, and all who travel by ship, the sailors, and
all who earn their living from the sea, will stand far off.
v.18
(they will mourn
her past glory When they see
the smoke of her burning, they will exclaim, ‘Was there ever a
city like this great city?'
v.19
(they will be
in deep anguish) They will throw
dust on their heads, and with weeping and mourning cry out: “‘Woe!
Woe to you, great city, where
all who had ships on the sea became rich through her wealth! In
one hour she has been brought to ruin!' [3]
v.20
(the people
of God are called to rejoice recognising the justice in respect
of them has come) “Rejoice over
her, you heavens! Rejoice, you people of God! Rejoice,
apostles and prophets! For God has judged her with the judgment
she imposed on you.”
v.21-24
The Finality of Babylon's Doom
v.21
(a demonstration
of her fall) Then a mighty angel
picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone and threw it
into the sea, and said: “With such violence the great city of
Babylon will be thrown down, never to be found again.
v.22 (silence will fall on her)
The music of harpists and musicians,
pipers and trumpeters, will never be heard in you again.
No worker of any trade will ever be found in you again. The sound
of a millstone will never be heard in you again.
v.23 (darkness will fall on her)
The light of a lamp will never shine
in you again. The voice of bridegroom and bride will never be
heard in you again. Your merchants were the world's important
people. By your magic spell all the nations were led astray.
v.24 (she got what she deserved for
killing God's people) In her
was found the blood of prophets and of God's holy people, of all
who have been slaughtered on the earth.”
[Comment/Summary:
First a
reminder of how chapters 17 & 18 fit together:
Revelation
17: Babylon, the Prostitute on the Beast
-
introductions to these enemy activities
Revelation
18: The Fall of Babylon
-
the destruction of this ungodly and righteous activity on the
earth
Without
going deeply into the subject of interpretation of the various
prophetic symbols or beings in these chapters, may we suggest
the following that appear to us to come out of these chapters:
The impact that comes through
these chapters is of powers, organisations, kingdoms or whatever
other expressions of corporate humanity that could be considered.
But it's not merely about human
godless and unrighteous endeavours, for the mention earlier of
the Dragon (Satan) and then a great
beast (later seen in chapter 17 as the support or vehicle
for the Woman, Babylon) and later a secondary beast
known as the False Prophet, all suggest satanic or demonic powers
or influences bearing down on godless and sinful humanity who
go on to accept and even worship these beings or entities.
The ‘beasts' thus seem to be
human activities empowered and motivated by Satanic forces. What
we have been seeing in these later chapters is the way mankind
has been going while the earlier noted judgments fell.
These later chapters are thus
explanations of the forces underpinning, motivating and during
godless mankind throughout this period, energizing godless mankind
to resist and reject God despite the obvious nature of the judgments
(see 16:9,11)
Babylon appears to represent
a mixture of godlessness and unrighteousness mixed with spiritual
rebellion against God, especially in the way the world runs itself,
perhaps [going by the language used] especially in respect of
the world economy.]