The Fall of Babylon (Revelation 18)

We mentioned earlier (from Revelation 16:19) that in the midst of the seventh bowl judgment, “Babylon the Great was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath.” Here, in chapter 18, are the details of His wrath, which we call the fall of Babylon.

Just as chapter 17 contains the religious and spiritual nature of Babylon, this chapter speaks of the visible, material and commercial part of Babylon. More specifically, it speaks of the place (or city) of Babylon, which is the capitol of the world and the headquarters of the world leader—the Antichrist. This city, as we discussed earlier, is, I think, the city of Rome.  I think the best way to look at this eighteenth chapter is to view it in its five parts just as it is in the text.

Verses 1-3. An angel’s description of Babylon (Rome).The angel described it as a dwelling place of demons and a prison of unclean spirits. Moreover, it is a place where kings and merchants have made immoral dealings with demons and have become wealthy on their corruption.

Verses 4-5. Here, a heavenly voice warns believers to leave the city and not participate in sinful dealings. These verses remind me of what angels said to Lot to warm him of the soon coming judgment of God on Sodom.

When morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Up, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away in the punishment of the city.” 16 But he hesitated. So the men seized his hand and the hand of his wife and the hands of his two daughters, for the compassion of the Lord was upon him; and they brought him out, and put him outside the city. 17 When they had brought them outside, one said, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you, and do not stay anywhere in the valley; escape to the mountains, or you will be swept away” (Gen. 19:15-17).

Verses 6-8. In these verses, the same heavenly voice (probably an angel) calls on God to pay her (Babylon) back (take revenge on her): to give her the same torment and mourning as she gave out to others—in her sinful deeds. And because of her pride, thinking that she will never see mourning, in one day God will bring to her plagues, pestilence, famine, and will be burned up with fire.

I’m not sure that we can know positively how Babylon will be destroyed, but here are three ideas: 1) Babylon will fall just as all other cities, as it is described in Revelation 16:19-21; 2) besides the events of the seventh bowl, there may be a nuclear strike on the city; 3) the city may be leveled by God just as Sodom was destroyed (Gen. 19:23-25).

Verses 9-19. Those who will be most affected by Babylon’s fall. These three groups of people will be the most affected by Babylon’s fall:

Kings (vs 9-10). All kings, including all political leaders, will weep and lament over Babylon—because it will mean the end of Antichrist’s empire and of their power with him. They also may be weeping over their fear of Christ’s coming and of their certain punishment (Rev. 1:7).

Merchants (vs 11-17). All the merchants of the earth (traders, suppliers, importers, exporters, retailers and shopkeepers) who are tied to the Antichrist system will weep and mourn, because no one buys their goods any more (verses 12-13). The Scriptures are not specific as to what happens to them. We can only say what the Scriptures say—from verses 14-17: the fruit you no longer have has gone from you; and all things that were luxurious and splendid have passed away from you; and men will no longer find them.…In one hour such great wealth has been laid waste” (v. 17). Hence, we may sum it up by saying this: when the new kingdom comes the old kingdom of Satan is no more. It will be “passed away,” and “laid waste.” God will make all things new.

Transporters of the cargo (vs 17-19). The bible labels this group as those who “make their living by the sea.” But I think we may understand it as all the transporters of the cargo. In that day cargo was transported mainly by ships. But today, even though the city (of Rome) is located on the sea, transportation would be by ships, planes, trains, and trucks. And this group would obviously be affected because they make their living transporting the cargo—and that would all end. And this group and all others, as the Scriptures say, will stand and cry as they see the smoke of her burning. I don’t know how literal that is, but I’m sure they all will be devastated at the quick and thorough destruction of the city and of the Antichrist’s empire.       

Verses 20-24. Rejoicing over Babylon’s fall. All those in heaven will rejoice over Babylon’s fall, not because of all who will be doomed to hell, but because of God’s justice that will prevail. Hence, they will rejoice because they will hear no more music played for the devil; and because there will be no more industry to make the Antichrist rich; and because there will be no more food prepared for all who take the mark of the beast; and because there will be no more laughter and weddings for all who partake of immorality and demonism; and because there will be no more deceptions and false teaching by which the prophets and the saints were slain.

Moving Toward A Different America: More Transgenderism, Less Christianity

I was listening to a conversation between Newt Gingrich and Tucker Carlson today, and the question came up as to why Biden and the Democrats want to hurt America, because everything the Dems want will hurt this country in measurable ways. For instance, why are they letting in illegals without any health checks? Many of them would or have tested positive for covid-19; we know that. Newt Gingrich said that they want a different America, that they despise America the way it is. They want an America with more transgenderism and with less Christianity. They want a socialist America, not a capitalistic America.

It sounds to me that they want to spend lots of money on whatever they want, like more marijuana, etc. And it sure seems like America (and the World) is sinking into what it once was before the flood, when “every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Gen. 6:5). And with all the emphasis on the welcoming in of transgenders and the LGBTQ’s, America is becoming more like Sodom and Gomorrah, and like what we see in Romans 1, where God gives man over to his degrading passion or homosexuality, and how his mind becomes depraved. Yes, I see that before long, if America does not repent of its sins, we will collapse just as Rome did.

I also see from Bible prophecy, that the world will merge into globalism. That means that every country must give up its individualism. We are hearing now from the voices of the Great Reset and from Big Tech. Yes, they are now working toward a one world government and also toward a single religion for all. Then soon the Antichrist will come into view and all the tribulation that follows.

So, if this globalism is coming soon for the world, then we know why America is giving up its autonomy and its Christianity and its freedoms (I am speaking in the sense of following Bible prophecy).

However, lets pray that many will choose to repent of sins and follow Christ. The time is short and we wait expectantly for His coming.

God Will Rescue the Godly and Punish the Wicked – 2 Peter 2:1-9

This passage (2 Peter 2:1-9, at the end) has brought me great comfort in these evil times, knowing that God will rescue and comfort me, but that He will not allow the wicked to go unpunished!

For the last few years, since I have been more tuned in to political things, and paying more attention to what is happening in the world, and particularly in America, I have been grieved and distressed by all the evil going on. It seems like the entire democrat party was, and is, out to get the President with a variety of unjust practices, including an unjust impeachment. Such hatred and lawlessness and lying—particularly by Adam Shift, Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer and Jerry Nadler. And such underhandedness and corruption and evil scheming by the former president Barack Obama, and also by the Clintons. Then we have seen the continual attacks by Antifa and BLM and all that they stand for: their supporting of homosexuality and queers and transgender folks, and their attacks against the traditional family and against the police.

And now, in just the last few days we have seen an election falsified, and the entire democrat party and all the media will not admit to it. And this for me is the most egregious, because if it isn’t corrected, we could see America fall in no time at all. With what we see now in the Democrat party, how evil it has become, in no time at all we will lose our constitution to liberalism; and lawlessness and homosexuality will be what is normal. Hence, all that was good about America will be gone. Rioting, lawlessness and lasciviousness will take its place. It will be just like the ancient world before the flood and like Sodom and Gomorrah.

But after reading 2 Peter 2:1-9, I feel so much better. This passage gives me perspective and assures me with comfort that He will save me out of it all, and will keep all the unrighteous ones like prisoners, awaiting their final eternal prison. Yes, this passage reminds us of how God did not spare the fallen angels, or the evil ancient world, but destroyed all of them, except Noah and his family in the great flood. And then later He destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and turned them into heaps of ashes. Thus, He made an example of what will happen to ungodly people.

My contentment and comfort now is realizing that just as God rescued Lot out of Sodom, and how at the same time He rightly judged the evil ones, He will surely do the same for America. He will comfort the righteous and will bring His righteous judgment on all who are evil—on all those that I have been grieved over. Yes, none of those who plotted evil will get away with it. Their punishment awaits them!!

Here is the passage I have been talking about:

2 Peter 2:1-9

 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. 2 And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; 3 and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep. 4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment; 5 and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; 6 and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly thereafter; 7 and if He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men 8 (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day with their lawless deeds), 9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment.