Chapter 18 (pdf)
Download1 After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was made bright with his glory. 2 And he called out with a mighty voice, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every detestable beast. 3 For all nations have drunk the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxurious living.”
The Woman in chapter 17 is marked with the words BABYLON THE GREAT, MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF EARTH'S ABOMINATIONS, just as God marks his own. Babylon is a mindset, a system of worship. Babylon is also a city, and here Babylon is interpreted as the Woman. The Babylon mindset rules the Woman, which is the papacy, thereby also the the dragon beast with the 10 horns. The name Babylon can't be limited to just the Woman (papacy), Babylon is the kingdom of darkness, just as the Father and Jesus is the kingdom of light. Any nation, church or person that follows the mindset of Babylon, IS Babylon, just as nations, churches or people that follow Jesus are considered Christian.
Babylon is the mother, it is the source of any religious mindset that is not from God through Jesus. Religions such as witchcraft, occult, paganism, Thelema, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and others are Babylon at their core. The Secret Society religions are also based in Babylon, and for a extensive list, see Wikipedia "Secret Society." At it's essence this is fallen angel worship. This worship existed before the flood, and with the release of the dragon, has become prevalant in today's world. The mother has many, many children. Read the book of Enoch to understand how demons exist. They are the disembodied spirits of the fallen angel's offspring. You don't have to understand all the workings of the fallen angels to recognize Babylon, in case you want to protect your innocence. It is good to understand the kingdom of darkness enough that you see how Babylon defiled Jerusalem, and how to rid yourself and others of demons and unclean spirits. Unclean spirits are associated with sin. In Mark 7 Jesus speaks about what defiles, or makes unclean: “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. 21 For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” Paul explains this concept as well in the entire book of 2 Timothy.
The first Babylon was the tower of Babel. There Nimrod wanted to find a high place and build for himself a city. Babylon requires a priest, a king and a city in order to worship the fallen angel at the high place (Genesis 11:4). The high places that were around Jerusalem were there before the flood. Mount Carmel was where the fallen angels would descend to the earth. Nimrod and his wife (also his mother) took on witchcraft to start the pagan worship of the fallen Elohim, a Hebrew word for the lesser angels. That's where we get the word "elites" or El-ites. They are also referred to as annunaki. The obelisk is a temple to Nimrod's phallus, the asherah groves were the temples with many columns and a roof where idols were housed and temple prostutes were used for worship. Asherah was called the "wife of God" in the old testament, and the asherah tree/pole was set by an altar set up to God which was an abomination. Jesus was crucified on a tree. Tammuz was the god-child of Asherah, and his birthday was the 25th of December, 3 days after the winter solstice. Charlemagne used this day to be crowned Holy Roman Emperor when the head of the dragon was restored in 800 AD. Whenever you see "hewn stone" in the old testament, it is referring to a tower of stone, like an obelisk, or part of a high place built by the annunaki/fallen angels/elohim before the flood. Baal and Moloch were two forms of Babylonian worship, and they required blood and human sacrifice. Jeremiah 19: Proclaim there the words I speak to you, 3 saying, ‘Hear the word of the LORD, O kings of Judah and residents of Jerusalem. This is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: I am going to bring such disaster on this place that the ears of all who hear of it will ring, 4 because they have abandoned Me and made this a foreign place. They have burned incense in this place to other gods that neither they nor their fathers nor the kings of Judah have ever known. They have filled this place with the blood of the innocent. 5 They have built high places to Baal on which to burn their children in the fire as offerings to Baal—something I never commanded or mentioned, nor did it even enter My mind. 6 So behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when this place will no longer be called Topheth or the Valley of Ben-hinnom (Gehenna in the New Testament), but the Valley of Slaughter. 7 And in this place I will ruina the plans of Judah and Jerusalem. I will make them fall by the sword before their enemies, by the hands of those who seek their lives, and I will give their carcasses as food to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth.
Unclean birds and beasts are nations that embrace Babylon. Here is a good read on the prophetic meaning of birds: https://biblehub.com/topical/ttt/b/birds_of_hostile_nations.htm. Beasts are nations that devour, so they have military forces to conquer. Both feast on flesh and are considered unclean. In Jeremiah 34 those that were in such debt that they had to be slaves were not given the justice God demanded, so God sent the birds of the air as their consequence to this sin in 17 “Therefore, thus says the Lord: You have not obeyed me by proclaiming liberty, every one to his brother and to his neighbor; behold, I proclaim to you liberty to the sword, to pestilence, and to famine, declares the Lord. I will make you a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth. 18 And the men who transgressed my covenant and did not keep the terms of the covenant that they made before me, I will make them like the calf that they cut in two and passed between its parts— 19 the officials of Judah, the officials of Jerusalem, the eunuchs, the priests, and all the people of the land who passed between the parts of the calf. 20 And I will give them into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of those who seek their lives. Their dead bodies shall be food for the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth.
The progression of this cup of wrath starts in chapter 14:8-10. Verse 10 it gives a warning to those that worship the beast, the image and the mark that they WILL drink the wine of God's anger. Verse 10 is just before the two great sickles and the great winepress, which are fulfilled in WWI and WWII. "She" drinks the wine in 16:19 and just after that is the two great hailstones. Both sea and earth beasts were handed the cup and made to drink, meaning that Babylon is not just the papacy, not just the dragon, but also both beasts in chapter 13. This fulfills the phrase "Babylon the great city." By using "her" to describe Babylon is not a complete idea when descriptions were given in chapters 14 and 16 that describe the beasts. The beasts are thrown in the lake of fire in chapter 19, and the dragon in chapter 20. Babylon is thrown down not only with fire but also with a great millstone later in verse 21.
The cup of wrath is a process of judgement. Read John 14-15 about those that love Jesus are obedient to him, and produce fruit of the vine. The juice from the grape is also called blood of the grape in Deuteronomy 32:14. When grapes (followers of Jesus) are cut from the vine it's speaking of being martyred for your faith. Jesus had his own cup prepared for him, and when we drink of his cup, we profess our willingness to be martyrs for the faith as well. In Isaiah 51 Jerusalem was given the cup of staggering in verse 22. Jerusalem had killed her prophets and were able to live in a druken stupor of delusion that they would be prospered and not judged. The two beasts that revere Babylon, and any other nation that is their allies, is given this cup of staggering as well. The killing of their adversaries, including followers of Jesus, will go to their head, make them feel powerful and raucous, their ego inflated and their senses become wasted. In the case of a drunken woman, her fornication and nakedness becomes evident. The el-ites of Babylon are in a stupor, and their nakedness is being shown to anyone who looks upon her, she will have no modesty or decorum. Soon the millstone of suffering will be around Babylon's neck.
4 Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues; 5 for her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. 6 Pay her back as she herself has paid back others, and repay her double for her deeds; mix a double portion for her in the cup she mixed. 7 As she glorified herself and lived in luxury, so give her a like measure of torment and mourning, since in her heart she says, ‘I sit as a queen, I am no widow, and mourning I shall never see.’ 8 For this reason her plagues will come in a single day, death and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire; for mighty is the Lord God who has judged her.” 9 And the kings of the earth, who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her, will weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning. 10 They will stand far off, in fear of her torment, and say, “Alas! Alas! You great city, you mighty city, Babylon! For in a single hour your judgment has come.”
The intensity of the plagues are also in relation to the amount of wealth Babylon has. See verses 11-17, and the parable of the sheep and goats.
The plague of death, Jeremiah 15:2-3 If they ask you, ‘Where shall we go?’ you are to tell them that this is what the LORD says: ‘Those destined for death, to death; those destined for the sword, to the sword; those destined for famine, to famine; and those destined for captivity, to captivity.’ / I will appoint over them four kinds of destroyers, declares the LORD: the sword to kill, the dogs to drag away, and the birds of the air and beasts of the earth to devour and destroy.
The plague of mourning, Isaiah 47:7-9 You said, ‘I will be queen forever.’ You did not take these things to heart or consider their outcome. / So now hear this, O lover of luxury who sits securely, who says to herself, ‘I am, and there is none besides me. I will never be a widow or know the loss of children.’ / These two things will overtake you in a moment, in a single day: loss of children, and widowhood. They will come upon you in full measure, in spite of your many sorceries and the potency of your spells.
The plague of famine, Deuteronomy 28:48 you will serve your enemies the LORD will send against you in famine, thirst, nakedness, and destitution. He will place an iron yoke on your neck until He has destroyed you.
Burned with fire, Isaiah 66:15-16 For behold, the LORD will come with fire—His chariots are like a whirlwind—to execute His anger with fury and His rebuke with flames of fire. / For by fire and by His sword, the LORD will execute judgment on all flesh, and many will be slain by the LORD. Zephaniah 1:18 Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to deliver them on the Day of the LORD’s wrath. The whole earth will be consumed by the fire of His jealousy.” For indeed, He will make a sudden end of all who dwell on the earth. Luke 17:29-30 But on the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. / It will be just like that on the day the Son of Man is revealed.
11 And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her, since no one buys their cargo anymore, 12 cargo of gold, silver, jewels, pearls, fine linen, purple cloth, silk, scarlet cloth, all kinds of scented wood, all kinds of articles of ivory, all kinds of articles of costly wood, bronze, iron and marble, 13 cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and slaves, that is, human souls. 14 “The fruit for which your soul longed has gone from you, and all your delicacies and your splendors are lost to you, never to be found again!” 15 The merchants of these wares, who gained wealth from her, will stand far off, in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning aloud, 16 “Alas, alas, for the great city that was clothed in fine linen, in purple and scarlet, adorned with gold, with jewels, and with pearls! 17 For in a single hour all this wealth has been laid waste.” And all shipmasters and seafaring men, sailors and all whose trade is on the sea, stood far off 18 and cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning, “What city was like the great city?” 19 And they threw dust on their heads as they wept and mourned, crying out, “Alas, alas, for the great city where all who had ships at sea grew rich by her wealth! For in a single hour she has been laid waste.
The items in this verse are all associated with the priesthood. Fine linen is the clothing of the priest. The Proverbs 31 woman, who is a blessing to her husband, clothes her household in scarlet and herself in purple and fine linen. Gold is the precious metal that Jesus wishes for us to purchase from him in the Laodicean church. Jewels are on the ephod of the priests and the pearl is finding the kingdom - Matthew 6:33 But seek ye the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and Matthew 13:45-46 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. When he found one very precious pearl, he went away and sold all he had and bought it."
This is speculation, but in Chapter 8, silence for about half an hour was 24 years. It could be likely that the single-hour fall of Babylon takes close to 42 years. I'm not putting this here to set a date, but to remind the "7-year tribulation" crowd that they will not have enough oil to last if their mindset isn't right.
Ezekiel 27:30-31 They will raise their voices for you and cry out bitterly. They will throw dust on their heads and roll in ashes. / They will shave their heads for you and wrap themselves in sackcloth. They will weep over you with anguish of soul and bitter mourning. Matthew Henry commentary: Ezekiel 27 27:26-36 The most mighty and magnificent kingdoms and states, sooner or later, come down. Those who make creatures their confidence, and rest their hopes upon them, will fall with them: happy are those who have the God of Jacob for their Help, and whose hope is in the Lord their God, who lives for ever. Those who engage in trade should learn to conduct their business according to God's word. Those who possess wealth should remember they are the Lord's stewards, and should use his goods in doing good to all. Let us seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.
20 Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, 21 Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, “So will Babylon the great city be thrown down with violence, and will be found no more; 22 and the sound of harpists and musicians, of flute players and trumpeters, will be heard in you no more, and a craftsman of any craft will be found in you no more, will be heard in you no more, 23 and the light of a lamp will shine in you no more, and the voice of bridegroom and bride will be heard in you no more, for your merchants were the great ones of the earth, and all nations were deceived by your sorcery. 24 And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all who have been slain on earth.”
Jeremiah 51:63-64 When you finish reading this scroll, tie a stone to it and cast it into the Euphrates. / Then you are to say, ‘In the same way Babylon will sink and never rise again, because of the disaster I will bring upon her. And her people will grow weary.’” Here end the words of Jeremiah.
Ezekiel 27:27 Your wealth, wares, and merchandise, your sailors, captains, and shipwrights, your merchants and all the warriors within you, with all the other people on board, will sink into the heart of the sea on the day of your downfall.
The millstone was judgement from causing the little ones to stumble in Luke 17:1 And he said to his disciples, “Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! 2 It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin.
The musical worship of the church will be silenced, as was when Judah was taken into captivity in Jeremiah 25:8 “Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: Because you have not obeyed my words, 9 behold, I will send for all the tribes of the north, declares the Lord, and for Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants, and against all these surrounding nations. I will devote them to destruction, and make them a horror, a hissing, and an everlasting desolation. 10 Moreover, I will banish from them the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the grinding of the millstones and the light of the lamp. 11 This whole land shall become a ruin and a waste, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. They did not repent of their idoltry, as shown in verse 5 saying, ‘Turn now, every one of you, from his evil way and evil deeds, and dwell upon the land that the Lord has given to you and your fathers from of old and forever. 6 Do not go after other gods to serve and worship them, or provoke me to anger with the work of your hands. Then I will do you no harm.’
Read Jeremiah 51 and see the utter destruction of Babylon of Nebuchadnezzar. The prophecy given to Nebuchadnezzar by Daniel showed that Babylon would be destroyed by a rock not made with human hands. God himself desolated Babylon and that entire region of Iraq. Ninevah was once a mighty city, a sister to ancient Babylon, and God decreed that city would be ruins in Zephaniah 2:13 And he will stretch out his hand against the north and destroy Assyria, and he will make Nineveh a desolation, a dry waste like the desert. 14 Herds shall lie down in her midst, all kinds of beasts; even the owl and the hedgehoge shall lodge in her capitals; a voice shall hoot in the window; devastation will be on the threshold; for her cedar work will be laid bare. 15 This is the exultant city that lived securely, that said in her heart, “I am, and there is no one else.” What a desolation she has become, a lair for wild beasts! Everyone who passes by her hisses and shakes his fist. There are still ancient ruins in that area, no one bombed them or destroyed them. It's just like God decreed, the sands blow through them just as was predicted by the vision. In chapter 6, Rome was a mountain thrown into the sea and for 1500 years the city itself was just a shell of it's former glory.