Rev 15:1 - And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.

      We have seen several sevens to this point. Seven trumpets, judgments and now we’re coming to the concluding seven judgments – the seven vials. These vials are termed by John as being “filled up” with the wrath of God. In other words these will complete the great wrath of God upon the planet.

      We will take a brief look at these in this study as well as the rebuilding of Babylon and the three unclean spirits which will prepare the way of the great Battle of Armageddon which will take place prior to the coming of Christ.  The events we have studied so far have taken place throughout the seven-year period known as the Tribulation. These events we are studying in this lesson take place during the last three and half years. The Antichrist is in full power; the world is more than likely embroiled in war as the Antichrist bids for world domination and the slaughter of possibly millions of Christians saved after the rapture will be underway by the beast. The two witnesses will be prophesying in Jerusalem and be opposing the Antichrist, just as Moses and Aaron opposed Pharaoh. They will be instrumental in bringing plagues upon the seat of the beast just as Moses did upon Egypt. These vials of wrath will be sent from God. There will be no question to their source. The plagues in Egypt were literal plagues. So will these be as well. No matter how hard man tries to put himself in the place of God and deny the supernatural of His kingdom, this does not erase the fact that God will pour out his wrath upon the earth.

The Great Voice Out of the Temple

Rev 16:1 - And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.

      To say it again without sounding redundant. These events that John sees are scenes in the spirit world which basically controls that which takes place on earth in the physical world. These vials will take place during the last half of the Tribulation period, more than likely the last two and half years. Several times John hears a voice that would speak to him or else a “great voice,” that he would hear.

      Everything that happens on earth takes place as a result of things that happen in the spirit world. Things that happen in the spirit world basically takes place for two main reasons:

·        Intercessory prayer of Christians

·        The Plan of God

Intercession

      Many events that transpire on earth do so, in the good or the bad sense, according to the nearness of the church to the Lord; in other words, according to the intercessory travail of the body of Christ. There are things that godly, consecrated Christians can change through prayer and intercession (Gen. 18). But many things go unchanged because of the carnality of the body of Christ. In some measure we find that events are tied to the intercession or lack of it by the child of God.

      The Plan of God

      There are other events according to the plan of God, which are preordained and cannot be stopped or started by prophecy. In the midst of all this, travail and intercession on the part of a child of God can do great things. But what is decreed cannot be changed. For instance:

      Christ himself prophesied in Luke 21 concerning the destruction of Jerusalem. This took place in 70 AD. Nothing could stop this horror that came upon Jerusalem or Israel. However, because of the words of this prophecy, not one Christian lost his life, according to the records of Josephus the great Historian. Over a million Jews were slaughtered but not on saint. Why? Because the Christians in Jerusalem heeded the words of Jesus 30 years earlier, heeded them, and saved their life.

      The Tribulation is part of the plan of God. No matter what we promise behind pulpits about the world getting better because the church is going to take over the world the tribulation is coming. Nothing mankind can do will stop it. The only thing one can do is get prepared now for the rapture which is the ONLY way of escape from the things which are to come on this earth.

The First Vial – Sores on Men

Rev 16:2 - And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.

      The first vial will produce sores upon men who have taken the mark of the beast. This will happen AFTER the angel has flown through the heavens proclaiming it. He will warn the earth NOT to take the mark. The vial will be poured out in the area of the Antichrist’s domain, probably including most of Europe, the Middle East and parts of Africa.

Rev 14:9-11 - And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,

10  The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:

11  And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.

Second Vial – Sea of Blood

Rev 16:3 - And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.

      The sea mentioned here is the Mediterranean. The sea, the Bible says, will become as the blood of a dead man. It says that every living would will die in the seas. This seems to refer, not only to every person on every ship in the Mediterranean, but also to the fish as well. This will actually happen. This is not symbolic. The world of science may try to dispute this as just a freak act of nature, but men will KNOW this has come from God. Some will have no knowledge of what is happening. Most will. Those who know the Bible will know what has occurred.

Third Vial – Rivers Turned to Blood

Rev 16:4-7 - And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood.

5    And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus.

6    For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.

7        And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.

      God intends all water in the area of the beast worship to be turned to blood. The second vial caused the Mediterranean to be turned to blood, and the third vial will pertain to the rivers, streams and wells of waters to become blood.  An area as large if not larger than the United States will be without water for an unlimited time probably for three or four months. In verses 5, 6 and 7, God is praised for justice in these plagues. He has given the people ample warning. The sixth verse indicates God is doing this to avenge the blood shed by the saints and prophets throughout the centuries. Water faucets will spew blood.

      In the seventh verse, the altar of incense is mentioned. This is the piece of furniture that deals with the altar of incense and the prayers and intercessions of the saints. These prayers have come up to God throughout the ages for justice and for judgment. Many have been prayed in forgiveness for wrongs and injustices without even a whim of reconciliation from the oppressors of the ages. This vial is in essence saying “now those prayers will be answered.”

Fourth Vial – Scorching Heat From the Sun

Rev 16:8-9- And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.

9    And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.

      The fourth vial will affect the sun. This angel will have the power to increase the heat from the sun that touches the earth. It will be so increased that that Bible says it will “scorch men with heat.” This will add to the shock already of the ulcers or sores in the first vial, the sea being turned to blood in the second, the rivers and streams being turned to blood in the third and now the sun burning men so badly many will be in great pain. Instead of repenting, men will blaspheme the name of God. The Bible says the name of God, which hath power OVER THESE PLAGUES. Men will KNOW that God is the source of these plagues.

      Scientists and newsmen will try their best to disclaim God as being the source of these things. But in their heart they will know that God is the source. They will have these scriptures as their basis. The world will know, but yet not repent.

      Repentance is the Key to Salvation

      Twice the Lord says in this passage that men repented not.

Rev 16:9 - And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.

      Repentance is the BEDROCK of the Christian faith. Is it seldom spoken of today. Anyone who repents is considered a spiritual freak. Repentance was the basic message of the prophets of old, of Jesus, and of the apostles. Five times Jesus told the seven churches in Asia to REPENT. In the great message at Pentecost, Peter’s message was saturated with the power of the Holy Spirit. The first words out of his mouth were “REPENT.” In the Great Tribulation period the message will be the same. It involves humbling oneself before God.

      Many people in the area of beast worship will have taken the mark of the beast. They could not repent even if they wanted to (Rev. 14:9-11)

Rev 14:9-11 - And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,

10  The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:

11  And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.

      However, many will not take the mark or worship the beast and will still not repent. If they would, instant mercy and salvation would be given by God and salvation would come as it has for ages since the cross of Christ. But, MEN WILL NOT HUMBLE THEMSELVES. Repentance also means that the individual sees and speaks of himself as God does. This is very difficult. The church is adept at confessing the sins of others but it has little desire to confess it’s own sin. True repentance does not confess others’ sins, it confesses its own.

The Fifth Vial – Dense Darkness Upon Antichrist’s Kingdom

Rev 16:10-11 - And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain,

11  And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.

      In addition to sores, scorching heat, and seas and rivers of blood, we now have DARKNESS.

      The 10^th verse mentions, the seat of the beast, which will now be Jerusalem. He will have reigned over Babylon while he is taking control of the 10-kingdom confederacy but will move his headquarters to Jerusalem mid way during the Tribulation period. He will then desecrate the temple which will have been rebuilt and declare himself God. The Bible says, “His kingdom shall be full of darkness.” This refers to much of Europe, the Middle East and parts of Northern Africa.

      It seems that the first vial concerning the sores will still be in effect when this vial is poured out because men will blaspheme God because of the darkness, their pains and their sores. Normally, one trumpet or vial runs it course and then another, but it seems that this terrible vial will run its course THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRETY OF THE VIALS. Again, men REPENTED NOT of THEIR DEEDS. They will become hardened because of judgment. The fourth vial produces great heat because of the sun. Now this darkness will produce tremendous cold. It will be a time of suffering unlike the world has ever seen. It will truly be Great Tribulation.

The Sixth Vial – The River Euphrates Dried Up.

Rev 16:12 - And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.

      This vial may seem strange but it is not. This is referring to the coming of the Battle of Armageddon. We are nearing the end of the Tribulation period with these vials. We are in the “second” half. The summation of evil is about to be brought to an end. When this vial is poured out the great river Euphrates will be dried up so that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. The kings of the east (Japan, China, Russia and India, Pakistan perhaps) will join hands with the Antichrist after he conquers them in the great battles of the Tribulation period (Dan. 11:36-45).

      The river EUPHRATES, which means, “unknown,” is the longest river of Western Asia and one of two major rivers in Mesopotamia. The river begins in the mountains of Armenia in modern-day Turkey. It then heads west toward the Mediterranean Sea, turns to the south, swings in a wide bow through Syria, and then flows some 1,000 miles southeast to join the Tigris River before it empties into the Persian Gulf. The Euphrates is about 2,890 kilometers (1,780 miles) long and is navigable for smaller vessels for about 1,950 kilometers (1,200 miles). The ruins of many ancient cities are located along the river in Iraq. Among them are Babylon, Eridu, Kish, Larsa, Nippur, Sippar, and Ur.

      In the Bible the Euphrates is referred to as "the River Euphrates," "the great river, the River Euphrates," or only as "the River." It is named as one of the four rivers that the river of the Garden of Eden divided and joined <Gen. 2:14>. The Euphrates formed the northern boundary of the territories promised by God to Israel <Gen. 15:18; Josh. 1:4>. The biblical writer declared that the fathers of Israel had lived on "the other side of the River" <Josh. 1:2-3,14-15>; ""beside the Euphrates," NEB), where they served other gods. But God took Abraham "from the other side of the River" <v. 3> and brought him to the land of Canaan. David attempted to expand the boundaries of his kingdom to this river <2 Sam. 8:3>. The Euphrates also was the site of the great battle at Carchemish (605 B. C.) which led to the death of King Josiah <2 Chr. 35:20-24>. This great river Euphrates" will play a significant role in Bible prophecy.

      In Revelation nine, we learned of four angles who are bound there at this minute waiting to be loosed and send demon horsemen on the earth to slay a third of humanity. We’re talking billions of people here folks. The Euphrates river is the sight where they are waiting their revelation or moment to do this. It will also play a major role in the last great battle on planet earth – Armageddon.

Rev 9:14-15 - Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.

15  And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.

      On a world map, we see Israel in a world or sea of Arabs. The animosity is great. This is strange considering they are brothers in many respects yet so far away in others. It started long ago in the loins of Abraham. Because of Abraham’s impulse, Ishmael was born to Hagar the handmaid. And then later, Isaac was born. Both Ishmael (the seed of the Arabs) and Isaac (the seed of the Jews) have the same father. But God, said “in Isaac shall thy seed be called.” But the Lord did not disregard Ishmael – And also of thy son Ishmael of the bond-woman, will I make a great nation, because he is thy seed.” (Gen. 21:13)

      So the battle has raged for millenniums. The Arab world today threatens to destroy Israel. When the Antichrist determines to carry out the “final solution” the great river Euphrates will be dried up so nothing will impede the progress of the kings of the east and I’m sure much of the Arab world who will be applauding the Antichrist’s efforts to destroy Palestine and Jerusalem.

Three Unclean Spirits

Rev 16:13-16 - And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.

14  For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.

15  Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.

16  And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.

      We will be talking about the great battle of Armageddon next week in further detail. But here we have a behind the scenes look into the spirit world at what will transpire in the heavenlies just prior to that great battle. We also see from this that the Antichrist will need help to get the nations to throw their lot in with him. This is another good example of why we feel that the Antichrist will NOT rule the entire earth. If he did, he wouldn’t need demon spirits to go forth and deceive the leaders of this world to come with him to fight Christ.

      John said he saw three unclean spirits (like frogs) come out of the mouth of the dragon (Satan), the beast (Antichrist), and the false prophet. This unholy trio, which will be Satan’s imitation of the divine Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Ghost), will now make their great debut for world dominion. It is coming down to the end as John sees this. This will probably take place months or possibly only weeks before the great battle. Unclean spirits will be at work throughout the Tribulation period doing their horrible work to deceive millions. These unclean spirits will do miracles and cause many to be deceived.

      Satan will unleash a flood of demons causing two things to happen. First, the beast (Antichrist) with his great oratorical ability will persuade millions to follow him. He will speak as no other man has spoken.

Dan 11:36 - And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.

      The world will not recognize the Antichrist’s ability to speak so beautifully as being from demon spirits. Likewise, the false prophet will also be able to work miracles by the same power. Satan is a very religious being. Most, if not all, of the world’s religions were started by Satan. Christianity is not a religion; it is a relationship with a person and that person is Christ.

      We learn from this that not ALL miracles are necessarily from God. God does perform miracles and is still doing it today through those who dare to believe Him. However, just because one sees something fantastic does not mean that God is in it. Demon spirits working through false prophets can perform miracles. The test of any miracle is two fold – the fruit and if it glorifies CHRIST. Anything done, be it miracle, a message, or any charismatic phenomenon in any service that glorifies man is not of God. The Antichrist spirit of the last days does two main things – It denies that Jesus came in the flesh and it glorifies man.

I Jn 4:1-4 - Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

2    Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:

3    And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

4    Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

      These same spirits will persuade the leaders of mighty nations (the USA?) to help the Antichrist in this great battle of Armageddon. The part of the world (kings of the East) being spoken of is NOT controlled by the Antichrist, even at the time these spirits are loosed. If he controlled them, then he would not need the help of demon spirits to persuade these kings of the East to help him. The unclean spirits will inspire ambassadors and do miracles through them to convince the kings of the earth that the success of their future lies in the world cooperating to stop Christ from taking over at His Second Coming. They will be inspired by Satan, WHO KNOWS HIS DOOM is settled when this happens. He will inspire them fulfilling Psalm 2.

Ps 2:1-12 - Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?

2    The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying,

3    Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.

4    He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.

5    Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.

6    Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.

7    I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.

8    Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.

9    Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.

10  Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.

11  Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

12  Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.

      Just as Ahab was allured to destruction by demons in 2 Chronicles 8:18-22, nations will be led to Armageddon in the vain hope of defeating Christ.

2 Chr 18:18-22 - Again he said, Therefore hear the word of the LORD; I saw the LORD sitting upon his throne, and all the host of heaven standing on his right hand and on his left.

19  And the LORD said, Who shall entice Ahab king of Israel, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead? And one spake saying after this manner, and another saying after that manner.

20  Then there came out a spirit, and stood before the LORD, and said, I will entice him. And the LORD said unto him, Wherewith?

21  And he said, I will go out, and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And the LORD said, Thou shalt entice him, and thou shalt also prevail: go out, and do even so.

22  Now therefore, behold, the LORD hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of these thy prophets, and the LORD hath spoken evil against thee.

  Blessed Is He Who Watches and Keeps His Garments

      Christ announces His Coming (Second Advent) in verse 15 again. This is one of the seven blessings or benedictions of Revelation. What is being spoken of here is the actual Second Coming when the Lord will interrupt the Battle of Armageddon and set His feet upon the Mount of Olivet. At this time, he will take over the world.

      The term, “I come as a thief,” means that the world of that day will little believe Christ is coming back. The Antichrist will convince most of the world that he (the Antichrist) is God. Therefore, there is no need to watch and think of the future. The raptured saints will have been LONG forgotten.  The television media will make fun of those who entertain this thought. Newspapers will write their editorials. Preachers galore will praise the efforts of this great leader who has done “so much for mankind in ridding the world of its problems.” Many will scoff and laugh. This is what Peter referred to in his epistle:

2 Pet 3:3-7 - Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,

4    And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

5    For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:

6    Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:

7    But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

2 Pet 3:10 - But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

      In spite of men scoffing, the Word of God will be totally fulfilled. Just as Peter said, that day will come upon the world as a thief, just as the rapture took the world by surprise some seven years earlier. JESUS CHRIST WILL SOON RETURN! The Lord associates the Second Coming with Armageddon, and He tells us this in verse 16. The Lord will come in the middle of the Battle of Armageddon (Ezek. 38-39). Zechariah commented further in the 14^th chapter of his book:

Zech 14:1-4 - Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.

2    For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.

3    Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.

4    And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.

The Seventh Vial (The Same as the Seventh Trumpet) – GREAT HAIL and GREAT EARTHQUAKE            

Rev 16:17-21 - And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.

18  And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.

19  And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.

20  And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.

21  And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.

      Verse 13-16 speaks of unclean spirits sort off like a pause within a pause, and had little to do with the vials. This was inserted between the sixth and seventh vials, and the events will be fulfilled in the order given. They speak of things in the spirit world that are occurring causing events on earth to occur. Now we come to the seventh vial.

      Once again there is a great voice out of the temple of heaven from the throne and it says, It is done. The meaning is THAT ALL THE SEALED JUDGMENTS, THE TRUMPET JUDGMENTS, AND NOW THE VIAL JUDGMENTS, SIGNAL THE END OF THE TRIBULATION AND THE HORROR IT HAS PRODUCED.

      The great earthquake spoken of here is the same one spoken of in Revelation 11 and 9.

Rev 11:11-13 - And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.

12  And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.

13  And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.

      We know from this passage that the two witnesses (Elijah and Enoch) will prophesy about 1,260 days and be killed toward the end of the Great Tribulation, at the time of the seventh vial.  Their ministry will begin about the midway point of the seven years then they will be killed and raised from the dead. Then they are raised from the dead (at the conclusion of the Great Tribulation period) a frightful earthquake will take place. It will be the greatest earthquake the world has ever known. At this time, rebuilt Babylon will be destroyed.

      Babylon is modern day Baghdad. Under Sadaam Hussein’s efforts to expand have been done primarily through military efforts. I predict (and this is strictly opinion) that he will either be taken out of power and someone will take over who will change Iraq’s efforts from one of military expansion to one of economic expansion. Sadaam may do this himself if he continues to see that what he is doing is not working. In addition, the plan of God is for Babylon to be rebuilt. God can use Sadaam to do this just as he used Pharaoh to accomplish his purposes and plans for Israel under Moses.

      The vast resources of the Middle East with 60% of the world’s oil reserves, it will become a center of commerce. Babylon will be rebuilt; it will become one of the great trading centers, even one of the world’s great religious centers of the world. No doubt, Tokyo, London, New York, Berlin will become more and more powerful because of the oil reserves, in the Middle East and the influence the Arab world will exert over these cities.

      The great city in the 19^th verse of this passage is Jerusalem. At this time Jerusalem will be greatly affected by the powerful earthquake. Other cities in the Middle East will be affected as well, “and the cities of the nations fell.”

      This prophecy outlines the destruction of Babylon that will be caused by a tremendous earthquake. God’s wrath will be fierce at times. Islands will sink beneath the sea, mountains will be moved by the quake. It will be the most powerful earthquake the world has ever known.

      In the midst of this, tremendous blocks of hail will fall from heaven, many weighing over 100 pounds. One can well imagine the destruction that will take place under such a bombardment. Amazingly through all of this even at the end, MEN WILL NOT REPENT and CONTINUE TO BLASPHEME THE NAME OF GOD. This hail will be more than just normal hail..…”.for the plague thereof was exceedingly great.” This is not symbolic, it is literal. This will take place at the conclusion of the Great Tribulation period possibly on the eve of the great battle of Armageddon.

      In addition, this will fulfill the angel’s woe of Revelation 14:8 and other scriptures prophesying the end of Babylon. Let’s take an in-depth look at the origin and fall of Babylon in scripture.

Rev 14:8 - And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.

Zech 14:5 - And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.

Isa 13:19-22 - And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.

20  It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there.

21  But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures; and owls shall dwell there, and satyrs shall dance there.

22  And the wild beasts of the islands shall cry in their desolate houses, and dragons in their pleasant palaces: and her time is near to come, and her days shall not be prolonged.

Jer 50:28-36      The voice of them that flee and escape out of the land of Babylon, to declare in Zion the vengeance of the LORD our God, the vengeance of his temple.

29  Call together the archers against Babylon: all ye that bend the bow, camp against it round about; let none thereof escape: recompense her according to her work; according to all that she hath done, do unto her: for she hath been proud against the LORD, against the Holy One of Israel.

30  Therefore shall her young men fall in the streets, and all her men of war shall be cut off in that day, saith the LORD.

31  Behold, I am against thee, O thou most proud, saith the Lord GOD of hosts: for thy day is come, the time that I will visit thee.

32  And the most proud shall stumble and fall, and none shall raise him up: and I will kindle a fire in his cities, and it shall devour all round about him.

33  Thus saith the LORD of hosts; The children of Israel and the children of Judah were oppressed together: and all that took them captives held them fast; they refused to let them go.

34    Their Redeemer is strong; the LORD of hosts is his name: he shall throughly plead their cause, that he may give rest to the land, and disquiet the inhabitants of Babylon

Babylon – Mystery and Literal in the Book of Revelation

      Another scene taking place in the Tribulation period is the resurrection of Babylon. We discussed the Great Whore of Revelation 17, which was called Mystery Babylon. Mystery Babylon will be a religious system that will be in place during the first 3 ½ years of the Tribulation period.  It will be responsible for the martyrdom of saints during this time up until the time the Antichrist declares himself God and demands worship ONLY of himself. ALL RELIGIONS will be outlawed as we see in the scene where the kings of the earth burn the whore with fire.

      Revelation 18 opens with another scene and scenario stating that Babylon the great is fallen and become the habitation of devils. The scene in Revelation 18 speaks of a LITERAL city which will be rebuilt and then destroyed by a great earthquake on the eve of Armageddon.

      Let’s take a closer look at the historic and spiritual roots of this city.

A. A Tale of Two Cities – Jerusalem and Babylon – The City of God and the City of The Antichrist; The Antichrist’s First Headquarters will be BABYLON (Isa. 14:1)

      Babylon in Bible times was located in modern day Iraq. Iraq exploded on the scene in 1991 with the invasion of Kuwait and the ensuing Persian Gulf War. Prior to 1991, Saddam Hussein began rebuilding the city of Babylon shortly after he became rule of Iraq in 1979. Eight years after that he held the first ever BABYLON FESTIVAL.  During this festival a poster with a picture of Hussein and Nebuchadnezzar side by side so that both looked alike. His goal in rebuilding Babylon was to restore Iraq to the glory of the former Babylonian Empire and to promote his goal of world domination by Iraq. Babylon, as we have studied on numerous occasions so far, is the third kingdom in world history to persecute Israel. Egypt being the first and Assyria the second. Under Nebuchadnezzar the Babylonians invaded Judah, the southern Kingdom, and took several captives away including the prophet Daniel and the three Hebrew children. The book of Daniel is a record of events which took place in the Babylonian kingdom during Nebuchadnezzar’s reign. Ezekiel also recorded such events.

      The bricks of Babylon were laid by Nebuchadnezzar some 2,500 years ago. Hussein is literally trying to rebuild on this same foundation. Some of the temples and other buildings have already been rebuilt. One of the temples, the Ninmach Temple, was rebuilt on its original foundations. By 1987, all that was left of the original palace were just scattered ruins and the gateway. The throne room had been rebuilt, but nothing else. By 1988, the entire walls were rebuilt around the palace and by 1991 prior to the Persian Gulf War nearly 2/3rds of the palace has been restored.

      Other parts of the city run parallel to the river Euphrates which we will discuss more in detail in this chapter. It runs through the heart of ancient Babylon.

      Another interesting part of Babylon not dated by Nebuchadnezzar is a theater which was built by Alexander the Great. He was rebuilding Babylon as the eastern captial for his empire when he died in the city. This theater was used for the opening night of the Babylon Festival. The city was never damaged during the Gulf War and Hussein continued the building process. Every September he holds a Babylon Festival always extolling that he plans to rebuild Babylon and bring back the glory of ancient Babylonia under Nebuchadnezzar.

      The Roots of Rebellion – Babylon’s Origins

Gen 10:8-9  And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth.

9  He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD.

10  And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.

      The first city built following the Flood is Babylon. Babylon was the first center started after the flood, and it was started by a man whose very name means REBEL. It also says he built some other cities, “Erech, Akkad and Calneh in Shinar.” Sinar is what we would know today as southern Iraq, which is the plain south of Baghdad. Sinar is the region, Baghdad is the city, Nimrod is the founder, and it’s the first city built after the Flood.

      The next chapter tells us something interesting about this part of the world as it becomes the site of a great rebellion against God even after God has destroyed the world by water.

Gen 11:1-4  And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.

2  And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there.

3  And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for mortar.

4  And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.

      From this point on, Babylon has a character of its own. It’s a city of pride and rebellion that shakes it fists at God. We know how the chapter concludes. God scatters the nations. He confounds the languages, and every nation of the world today can trace its roots to the city of Babylon. It’s the place where the problems we see in our lives today come from.

      From Babylon to Jerusalem

      As we see in Genesis, Babylon steps off the pages of Bible history briefly until chapter 14 of Genesis. God deals with Abraham, the man of faith, and though Abraham was called by God, he struggled. You see him struggling with family problems, famine and by chapter 14, foreign invaders. God promised Abraham a land, but others wanted it. In fact, in Genesis 14 for the first time since God has scattered the nation, nations are uniting together. But they’re not uniting for good, they’re coming back to control the land God has promised Abraham just two chapters earlier. As we begin chapter 14 we see that Babylon is mentioned for the third time in Genesis:

Gen 14:1  - And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations;

      Four kings join together with Amraphel, king of Babylon, and seek to control and subjugate the land God had promised Abraham. This sounds really interesting. Seems that the roots of the conflict in the Middle East even today rest with BABYLONJ  Of these four leaders, the real leader is the king named Chedorlaomer.

Gen 14:4-5  Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled.

5  And in the fourteenth year came Chedorlaomer, and the kings that were with him, and smote the Rephaims in Ashteroth Karnaim, and the Zuzims in Ham, and the Emims in Shaveh Kiriathaim,

      Chedorlaomer is the leader pulling these kings together and uniting to attack the land. Despite this, in God’s eyes, the leading trouble maker is Amrapael or the king of Shinar. You know the account, Lot is captured and carried away by these kings. Abraham follows after and, in a miraculous victory won by God, defeats this larger army, rescues Lot, and brings his family back home. On the way back, Abraham stops at a city mentioned for the first time in the Bible – Salem, or as we know it today – JERUSALEM.

Gen 14:16-20  And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people.

17  And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king's dale.

18  And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.

19  And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:

20  And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.

      We’re introduced to a new king from a new city – Melchizedek – which comes from Melchi, “my king,” and Zedek, “righteousness.” He’s a king and a priest. And he serves the true God, the Most High. He’s later pictured in the Bible as a type of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is definitely a believing king-priest, and Abraham pays him a tithe recognizing his validity. The key point here is where he rules – JERUSALEM. It is the city where God first reaches down to bless women and men of faith. From this point on, the Bible is a record of conflict between these two cities and the spirit beings which control them. Babylon, with its rebellion and fist-shaking at God, and Jerusalem, where God promises to put His name, His King, and rule the world from during the Millenium reign of the Lord Jesus.

      From the judges to Samuel, to Saul, to David and Solomon who first built the Lord God a temple, Jerusalem has been God’s dwelling place. It was chosen for God’s glory to dwell among His people. The word Jerusalem occurs 811 times in 764 verses in the Bible! It is an important place in scripture and it holds all the keys to Bible prophecy.

Psa 102:19-21  For he hath looked down from the height of his sanctuary; from heaven did the LORD behold the earth;

20  To hear the groaning of the prisoner; to loose those that are appointed to death;

21  To declare the name of the LORD in Zion, and his praise in Jerusalem;

      For almost 1300 years Babylon has stepped off the pages of Bible history. Then it reappears after the death of Solomon and the Babylonian captivity of Judah.

      An interesting scenario takes place in Isaiah 36, 37 and 38. Babylon has been removed for nearly two milleniums and now it reappears as Israel’s enemy once again. To Israel, Assyria was the enemy, but the REAL ENEMY was Babylon.

Isa 39:1  At that time Merodachbaladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah: for he had heard that he had been sick, and was recovered.

      Hezekiah is fawned over by the King of Babylon. In a moment of spiritual weakness or mistrust, he shows the Babylonians all his wealth, and takes the credit for what has happened rather than giving it to God. God send Isaiah back with another message:

Isa 39:5-7  Then said Isaiah to Hezekiah, Hear the word of the LORD of hosts:

6  Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store until this day, shall be carried to Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the LORD.

I7  And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.

      One hundred years after this prophecy, it came true. Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon marched his army against Jerusalem three times, and after his attacks, Jerusalem was totally destroyed. The king from the line of David was pulled from the throne. There has not beena king from the line of David seated on David’s throne since the time of King Nebuchadnezzar. Jesus offered Himself as king but the people responded “Crucify Him!…We have no king but Ceasar.” The glory of God that dwelled in Jerusalem left and the temple of Solomon was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar. The people were deported from their land, and King Nebuchadnezzar became the head of gold on Daniel’s statue to begin the Times of the Gentiles. Babylon became one of eight kingdoms that would persecute the people of God – the nation of Israel.

      The Burden of Babylon

Isa 13:1-22 The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz did see.

2  Lift ye up a banner upon the high mountain, exalt the voice unto them, shake the hand, that they may go into the gates of the nobles.

3  I have commanded my sanctified ones, I have also called my mighty ones for mine anger, even them that rejoice in my highness.

4  The noise of a multitude in the mountains, like as of a great people; a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together: the LORD of hosts mustereth the host of the battle.

5  They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, even the LORD, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land.

6  Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.

7  Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt:

8  And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames.

9  Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.

10  For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.

11  And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.

12  I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.

13 Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.

14  And it shall be as the chased roe, and as a sheep that no man taketh up: they shall every man turn to his own people, and flee every one into his own land.

15  Every one that is found shall be thrust through; and every one that is joined unto them shall fall by the sword.

16  Their children also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be spoiled, and their wives ravished.

17  Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, which shall not regard silver; and as for gold, they shall not delight in it.

18  Their bows also shall dash the young men to pieces; and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eye shall not spare children.

19  And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.

20  It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there.

21  But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures; and owls shall dwell there, and satyrs shall dance there.

I22  And the wild beasts of the islands shall cry in their desolate houses, and dragons in their pleasant palaces: and her time is near to come, and her days shall not be prolonged.

      God says clearly – I WILL JUDGE BABYLON and it will be on the DAY OF THE LORD. This prophecy starts a list of all the nations which have persecuted God’s people. This list starts with Babylon. During Isaiah’s day, Assyria was the larger power, the second kingdom to persecute the Jews. But Assyria ranked second when it came to God’s pronouncement of judgment on the nations.

      This judgment is yet future even though part of this was fulfilled when Cyrus attacked Babylon in 539 B.C. and the Medo-Persian empire came to power over the part of the earth we know today as the Middle East. Cyrus didn’t destroy anyone, he came in peace. The group spoken of here is not coming in peace, it’s coming to destroy the enemies of God and to strike down and kill anyone they find – the saints at Armageddon. It’s a similar picture of what Joel saw during his vision of the Day of the Lord!

    As Sodom and Gomorrah

      God promises He will destroy Babylon as He did Sodom and Gomorra. This means suddenly, totally, absolutely and covering them with the southern third of the Dead Sea for good measure.  He saying, “You will know when I’m through with Babylon, it will NEVER be reinhabited again or lived in for the rest of any generation to come.” Many cities have been destroyed in the past only to be rebuilt, but the destruction of Babylon will be so total that NO ONE WILL FIND HER AGAIN. John records this destruction in the 18^th chapter of the book of Revelation. “No Arab will pitch his tent there.” “No shepherd will rest his flocks there.” When Babylon is destroyed, it will mark the eve of Armageddon when Israel will be restored to her rightful place in the earth and as not only the geographical center of the earth but the spiritual center of the earth. This is spoken of in Isaiah 14.

The Prophecy Continues – The King of Babylon – The Antichrist

Isa. 14:1-4  For the LORD will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land: and the strangers shall be joined with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob.

2  And the people shall take them, and bring them to their place: and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the LORD for servants and handmaids: and they shall take them captives, whose captives they were; and they shall rule over their oppressors.

3  And it shall come to pass in the day that the LORD shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve.

4  That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased!

      The prophecy of Isaiah is yet future. Even after Babylon fell to Cyrus the Mede, it wasn’t destroyed. It was made one of the capitals for Medo-Persia. Daniel continued living there. Several hundred years later, Alexander the Great died in the city of Babylon while rebuilding it to make it the captial for the eastern portion of his empire. Just before Christ, some 50,000 Jews still lived in Babylon. In Acts 2 on the Day of Pentecost, some of the Jews who came to Jerusalem for the Day of Pentecost were from Mesopotamia. These are the descendants of those who had been taken into captivity in Babylon. The scene closes temporarily as the New Testament ends. By 1000 A.D. accounts existed of at least 7,000 Jews still living there. Babylon has declined in importance through the centuries but it has never been destroyed like God says its going to be destroyed, in the day of the Lord, the battle of Armageddon.

      Jeremiah takes up this theme in his writings in chapters 50-51 of his book as we have already alluded to earlier. Another interesting point of this prophecy is the double interpretation and meaning of Isaiah’s prophecy as concerning Satan who is actually the SPIRIT behind this prophecy by Isaiah.

Isa 14:6-22  He who smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he that ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted, and none hindereth.

7  The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet: they break forth into singing.

8  Yea, the fir trees rejoice at thee, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying, Since thou art laid down, no feller is come up against us.

9  Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations.

10  All they shall speak and say unto thee, Art thou also become weak as we? art thou become like unto us?

11  Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee.

12  How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

13  For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:

14  I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

15  Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

16  They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;

17  That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?

18  All the kings of the nations, even all of them, lie in glory, every one in his own house.

19  But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, and as the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcase trodden under feet.

20  Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land, and slain thy people: the seed of evildoers shall never be renowned.

21  Prepare slaughter for his children for the iniquity of their fathers; that they do not rise, nor possess the land, nor fill the face of the world with cities.

22  For I will rise up against them, saith the LORD of hosts, and cut off from Babylon the name, and remnant, and son, and nephew, saith the LORD.

23  I will also make it a possession for the bittern, and pools of water: and I will sweep it with the besom of destruction, saith the LORD of hosts.

24  The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand:

25  That I will break the Assyrian in my land, and upon my mountains tread him under foot: then shall his yoke depart from off them, and his burden depart from off their shoulders.

26  This is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth: and this is the hand that is stretched out upon all the nations.

27  For the LORD of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? and his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?

28  In the year that king Ahaz died was this burden.

29  Rejoice not thou, whole Palestina, because the rod of him that smote thee is broken: for out of the serpent's root shall come forth a cockatrice, and his fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent.

30  And the firstborn of the poor shall feed, and the needy shall lie down in safety: and I will kill thy root with famine, and he shall slay thy remnant.

31  Howl, O gate; cry, O city; thou, whole Palestina, art dissolved: for there shall come from the north a smoke, and none shall be alone in his appointed times.

I32  What shall one then answer the messengers of the nation? That the LORD hath founded Zion, and the poor of his people shall trust in it.

      Isaiah’s prophecy in the 14^th chapter takes on a whole new meaning when you begin to dissect it. He not only is prophesying against the King of Babylon, but he is also giving a veiled prophecy to the Serpent, the Devil, and the devil’s agent, the Antichrist. He is called THE ASSYRIAN which gives us further insight into where he is coming from – Assyria (Iraq, Iran, Israel, Lebanon or Syria). Satan has always been behind the scenes of man’s rebellion against God. Even though Satan “never makes us do it,” he is always inspiring things which are not Godly. He is the prince and power of the air and has controlled the world system since the fall of man. Genesis is the origin of his rebellion and Revelation will be the consummation of it in the beast.

      The beast is NOT the antichrist, but the Satanic prince and power behind the Antichrist. The power behind the prince is Satan. This prophecy is not being directed at just a man, its being directed at a spirit being and its one of doom. Satan’s end is destruction. But before this happens he will given great latitude with planet earth during the last 3 ½ years of Tribulation. That’s why Jesus said when you see these things happen – FLEE INTO THE MOUNTAINS! He said this will be a time so horrible history has never recorded a darker time and will never record a darker time in the future. With this in mind, let’s take a verse by verse look at the 18^th chapter of Revelation and see the judgment God will bring to a literal Babylon during the Great Tribulation period.[1]

The 18^th Chapter of Revelation – The Fall of Literal Babylon

Rev 18:1-3 - 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.

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.

      The destruction of Babylon which will take place in one hour will complete the 7^th vial. After seeing the 7^th vial in Chapter 16, John was given another vision in 17 of Mystical Babylon or the religious spirit which would pervade during most of the Tribulation period until the Beast destroys the whore and demands worship of himself.

      The 18^th Chapter picks up where the end of the 16^th chapter takes place. It seems the destruction of this great city will take place on the eve of Armageddon.

      The two Babylon's in the 17^th and 18^th chapter are different. Let’s take a look at these briefly:

·        Mystery Babylon in Revelation 17 is symbolic; literal Babylon of chapter 18:1-24 is not.

·        One is a mystery to John (17:7); the other is not (18:1-24)

·        Everything in Revelation 17 is explained to John by an angel. Revelation 18 is abundantly clear to him

·        John wondered at mystery Babylon (17:6) but not at literal Babylon (18:1-24).

·        In Revelation 17, the woman rides the beast; In Revelation 18, this does not happen.

·        Mystery Babylon was something new to John (17:1-7); Literal Babylon was not

·        One is not mentioned by the prophets of old; the other (literal Babylon) is mentioned several times

·        Mystery Babylon is destroyed by man; Literal Babylon is destroyed by God

·        Thirty (30) articles of commerce are mentioned in connection with literal Babylon; None are mentioned in mystery Babylon

·        One is a mystery religion (17); The other is a literal city (18)

      Babylon will become the chief center of demon operations after the rapture. This will be cause of her fall. The third verse in this passage indicates that  most nations will have become involved with the commercial and spiritual activity of Babylon. Statements such as “the wrath of her fornication,” and “committed fornication with her” support this. Demons operating through men will control much of the activity of the city. Many powerful people will become even richer through her commerce.

      In the not too distant future, you will see Iraq become more and more interested in commercial expansion. This may not take place until Saddam Hussein is removed from power or removes himself from power. Babylon will be rebuilt and become one of the world’s leading commercial centers again. With the gulf area controlling nearly 60 percent of the world’s known oil reserves, there is no limit to the commercial possibilities.

      Isaiah 14:4 indicates the Antichrist will, at the beginning, take up his headquarters in rebuilt Babylon.

Isa 14:4-5 - That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased!

5    The LORD hath broken the staff of the wicked, and the sceptre of the rulers.

      This passage is a triumph song over the king of Babylon, the Antichrist. Since a future generation of Israel would not be taking up a triumph song against a past king who has not oppressed them, this must speak of something future. And it doesJ

    The Verdict on Literal Babylon

Rev 18:4-8  - 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.

5    For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.

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.

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.

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 call to come out of Babylon (my people) implies the voice of Christ. The purpose of the warning is that God’s people should be free from partaking of her sins, so that they may not receive of her plagues. Separation has always been a hallmark of Christianity as well. We are to be different. The church should not look like the world, talk like the world, go to the places the world goes to and entertain themselves the way the world entertains themselves.

2 Cor 6:17-18 - Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,

18    And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

      The Bible says that Babylon’s “sins have reached up unto heaven.”  The latter portion of this chapter tells us what these sins are. In the seventh verse she is personified as a queen and a chief of all cities. Isaiah spoke of her in a similar fashion almost 200 years before Babylon, under Nebuchadnezzar, laid siege to Judah and Jerusalem, using the same terminology.

Isa 47:5-15 - Sit thou silent, and get thee into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called, The lady of kingdoms.

6    I was wroth with my people, I have polluted mine inheritance, and given them into thine hand: thou didst shew them no mercy; upon the ancient hast thou very heavily laid thy yoke.

7    And thou saidst, I shall be a lady for ever: so that thou didst not lay these things to thy heart, neither didst remember the latter end of it.

8    Therefore hear now this, thou that art given to pleasures, that dwellest carelessly, that sayest in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me; I shall not sit as a widow, neither shall I know the loss of children:

9    But these two things shall come to thee in a moment in one day, the loss of children, and widowhood: they shall come upon thee in their perfection for the multitude of thy sorceries, and for the great abundance of thine enchantments.

10  For thou hast trusted in thy wickedness: thou hast said, None seeth me. Thy wisdom and thy knowledge, it hath perverted thee; and thou hast said in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me.

11  Therefore shall evil come upon thee; thou shalt not know from whence it riseth: and mischief shall fall upon thee; thou shalt not be able to put it off: and desolation shall come upon thee suddenly, which thou shalt not know.

12  Stand now with thine enchantments, and with the multitude of thy sorceries, wherein thou hast laboured from thy youth; if so be thou shalt be able to profit, if so be thou mayest prevail.

13  Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels. Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up, and save thee from these things that shall come upon thee.

14  Behold, they shall be as stubble; the fire shall burn them; they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame: there shall not be a coal to warm at, nor fire to sit before it.

15  Thus shall they be unto thee with whom thou hast laboured, even thy merchants, from thy youth: they shall wander every one to his quarter; none shall save thee.

      Isaiah not only spoke of her swift judgment, he also spoke of the multitude of her sorceries and the abundance of her enchantments. The word sorceries is a word we get from pharmacy indicating that drug use will be rampant in the city.  The prophecy given by Isaiah and seen by John on Patmos indicates something that would take place in the future. It will happen on the eve of Armageddon under the 7^th vial. It will be done in a moment, in one day, and very suddenly. This has never happened to Babylon. It took the Medes and Persians many days to take the city and even then it was not destroyed. It existed for hundreds of years after that. Peter wrote the two books that bear his name from the city of Babylon around 63 AD

      It will be the source of great evil that will affect the whole earth during the Tribulation period. No doubt, Babylon will be the headquarters of Satan when he is cast out of heaven in the last three and half years. As a spirit being, he will not be visible. The judgments of God will come down HARD on this city. “In the cup which she hath filled to her double.”

      Lamentation over the Destruction of Literal Babylon

Rev 18:9-10 - 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.

      As described in the 7^th vial in chapter 16, Babylon will be destroyed by a tremendous earthquake. Verses 9 and 10 give further credence that Mystery Babylon in the 17^th chapter is not the Babylon spoken of in verse 18. The kings of the earth will freely destroy mystery Babylon (7:7-12); The kings in chapter 18 lament over the destruction of literal Babylon. This will be done by an earthquake.

      The Commercial World of Literal Babylon

Rev 18:11-16 - 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 thine 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 odours, 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.

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,

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!

      The things listed above are literal items in the city of Babylon. They will be destroyed. Sadly, even though Babylon is a center of demons and devils, mankind will lament over her because of the economic things she provides. The love of money has always been the root of all evil and so it will be even in the Great Tribulation period. In verse 13 it mentions the souls of men. Jesus said what will it profit you to gain the whole world and lost your own soul? Many who will partake of the spirit and commerce of Babylon the great will do so at a horrible price – their eternal souls. How sad an indictment on the condition of our hearts as humanity.

      Lamentation by the Maritime World

Rev 18:17-19 - 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.

      When Babylon is destroyed, ships will stand off shore of the Persian Gulf observing the destruction of the great city. They too, will lament her fall. The Antichrist you must remember will have control of great riches in the last days and the source of most of those riches will come from this commercial center. It will be a huge blow to his kingdom.

      Rejoicing Over the Destruction of Literal Babylon

Rev 18:20 - Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.

      There are three times that heaven is told to rejoice

·        When Satan is cast out – 12:12

·        When literal Babylon is destroyed – 18:20

·        When the marriage supper of the Lamb is come and his wife is now ready – 19:7

      Not only will Babylon be a center of commerce and trade, but it will be a center of demons, devils, evil and SEVERE PERSECUTION.  The areas of activity directing persecution against all who name the name of Christ during the Tribulation will emanate from this city. Consequently when it falls, it will be a time of great rejoicing.

      The Cause and Utter Doom of Literal Babylon

Rev 18:21-24 - 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.

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;

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 passage gives us heaven’s view on Babylon. Man’s view is always willing to gloss over his sin. A mighty angel gets a millstone and casts it into the sea saying that with a similar fashion, Babylon will be cast down with violence. It further states she shall be found no more at all.

      Two reasons are given for this in the 23^rd and 24^th verses:

·        Because of her sorceries

·        Because of the innocent blood of prophets, saints and all that were slain on the earth

There are also other reasons for her destruction:

·        Pride (Isa. 13:19; 14:4; Jer. 50:29-34; Rev. 17:8-9)

·        Oppression of Israel (Isa. 13:1)

·        Pleasures and sins and luxuries (Isa. 47:8-11)

·        Idol worship (Jer. 50:2; 51:47;

·        Fornication (Rev. 14:8)

·        Spiritism (Rev. 18:2)

·        Sorceries (Isa. 47:12)

·        Martyrdom of saints (Rev. 18:6, 24)

      Babylon will also become the headquarters of dope and drugs. The last verse implies that Babylon will be the final concentration of martyrdoms and reigns of terror. She will be responsible in the same sense that the Pharisees living at the time of Christ will be held accountable for all the blood from Abel to Zechariah, the prophet:

Matt 23:35-39 - That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.

36  Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.

37  O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

38  Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.

39  For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

      The idea is that of cumulative sins in judgment. God will punish Babylon with destruction and wrath equal to what she would receive if responsible for all who were slain upon earth. Her destruction will culminate the wrath of God started under the sixth seal in the first 3 ½ years of Daniel’s seventieth week.1