Revelation

Lesson 11

Revelation Chapter 18

Comments, Questions and Discussions

COMMENTS

18:1-4 "Come out of her my people"

There was a break in the Roman attack on Jerusalem when Nero died. Vespasian halted the attack to wait and see what would happen in the empire. It was during this lull in the activities that the Christians are thought to have escaped to Pella. Also during this period, John of Gischala was rising in power in Jerusalem. Simon, son of Giora, was asked to come in to fight him. With all the other problems, the Idumeans also came into the city during this time.

If we take this section of text in Revelation as sequential, then Babylon (Jerusalem) would have to fall before the Christians escaped; thus, it would have occurred when lawful rule of Jerusalem was given over to and taken by outside forces. Shortly after the start of the war, the entire city was controlled by some faction. No one faction controlled all the city but some part of the entire city was controlled by some faction, specifically, John of Gischala, Simon son of Giora, Eleazar, and the Idumeans. Without a doubt, Jerusalem was the dwelling place of evil men during this time. One only needs to note the wickedness recorded in Josephus' and other historians' accounts. Reread the notes on Lesson 10 to get a capsule view of the wickedness.

18:5 "For her sins have reached to heaven"

Jeremiah 51:9-10 says regarding Babylon:
We would have healed Babylon, But she is not healed. Forsake her, and let us go everyone to his own country; For her judgment reaches to heaven and is lifted up to the skies. The Lord has revealed our righteousness. Come and let us declare in Zion the work of the Lord our God.

The above verses with 35-36, noted below, possibly show why the ancient city of Babylon is picked to symbolize Jerusalem.

"Let the violence done to me and my flesh be upon Babylon," The inhabitant of Zion will say; "And my blood be upon the inhabitants of Chaldea!" Jerusalem will say. Therefore thus says the Lord: "Behold, I will plead your case and take vengeance for you. I will dry up her sea and make her springs dry."

In both cities the vengeance of God was for Zion. Babylon, had used the captured temple vessels to have an idolatrous feast. Earthly Jerusalem had, because of her sins, separated herself from the heavenly rule. She no longer had the right to be called Zion. In her self-righteousness she had persecuted the saints and completely rejected the prophets' writings which Jesus began to fulfill while on earth. They continued to be fulfilled in the midst of Jerusalem as the evil within her continued to destroy all good. Thus, the fulfillment looked to her complete and final destruction.

18:7 "I sit as a queen"

Compare the prophecy against Babylon found in Isaiah 47:5-10 with the text in Revelation.

"Sit in silence, and go into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans; For you shall no longer be called The Lady of Kingdoms. I was angry with My people; I have profaned My inheritance, And given them into your hand. You showed them no mercy; On the elderly you laid your yoke very heavily. And you said, `I shall be a lady forever,' So that you did not take these [things] to heart, Nor remember the latter end of them. "Therefore hear this now, you who are given to pleasures, Who dwell securely, Who say in your heart, `I am, and there is no one else besides me; I shall not sit as a widow, Nor shall I know the loss of children'; But these two things shall come to you In a moment, in one day: The loss of children, and widowhood. They shall come upon you in their fullness Because of the multitude of your sorceries, For the great abundance of your enchantments. "For you have trusted in your wickedness; You have said, `No one sees me'; Your wisdom and your knowledge have warped you; And you have said in your heart, `I am, and there is no one else besides me.'"

No doubt the Babylon of Revelation is to receive final punishment just as the Babylon of old. The pomp and conceit of Jerusalem and the Jewish people is probably unparalleled. Jerusalem had fallen before and had always come back. Now they had given up idol worship and practiced the law to a tee, but the idol worship had been replaced with self worship and self-righteousness.  The Jewish leaders must have believed that Jerusalem either could not or would not fall.

We also need to note that the comparison with Babylon is made after much has been said to indicate it was the destruction of Jerusalem that was to complete the prophecies and bring to fruition all the things of old. This fruition of the old left intact that which was new, namely the kingdom of Jesus, that which could not be shaken -- Hebrews 12:27-28 noted below.

Now this, "Yet once more," indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.

18:8 - "her plagues will come in one day"

The indication here is not a specific day but that all the plagues will come at the same time, in one day. Those listed are death, mourning, famine and fire. There is a speed factor here, a lot of calamities coming in a short period of time. The length of the plagues is not mentioned only that they will come together. There is nothing the language here to indicate that "come in one day" is a reference to a day of judgment. In fact, judgment is mentioned in verse ten as coming in an hour.

18:8 "And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her."

The great judgment of God is against his people who killed His Son to possess God's kingdom for themselves. The prophecies speak of this great judgment, John the baptizer speaks of it, Jesus speaks of it, Paul and other apostles speak of it. Only by repentance could the judgment be stayed and the repentance never came.

Even in the final moments, Jews gathered around the altar at the urging of a false prophet expecting God to deliver them in all their evil ways and vain worship.

18:10 & 17 "in one hour"

This passage is much like "in one day." It indicates a period time but not necessarily a duration of time. It does deal with judgment not because the phrase "in one hour" is present, but because judgment is mentioned. The judgment will be quick once the time for it comes. Some might be concerned as to whether the judgment is a decision of condemnation (the time for a sentence to be delivered) or the actual delivery of a judgment previously given. The context of, "when they see the smoke of her burning," verse 9, places the scene at the delivery of judgment.

It might be good here to note the importance of the Jewish temple. The temple was the center of Jewish worship and as such greatly affected not only the Jewish economy but provided economic help to all the places where the Jews lived. To make the trip to Jerusalem for the yearly worship required transportation over land or sea. If traveling by land the pilgrimage was sufficient to impact the nations through which the hordes of pilgrims traveled. Many of those who came for the Passover also stayed for the feast of weeks. In Greek this was Pentecost, 50 days. The Hebrew counting according to law as 7 Sabbaths plus one day. This was approximately a 2 month period. As a yearly practice, it was no doubt the greatest event in the Roman empire for a number of specific years.

It is also important to consider that the Jewish people practiced tithing, as well as other religious giving. This money was collected and once a year the trip was made to bring the offering to Jerusalem. Those making the trip traveled in groups for protection. The money having been stored in what were called treasure cities, was gathered from its secure place and the selected group proceeded to Jerusalem.

The provisions for the journey, the gifts taken and brought back and the merchandisers who gathered in Jerusalem for the event all involved trade and commerce. Ships brought people, provisions, and items which might be sold on the streets of Jerusalem. The regions and countries represented at Jerusalem as mentioned in Acts 2, verses 9-11, are:

Media -- A well known region of Asia.

Parthia -- A district of Asia, just East of Media

Elymais -- A region to the south stretching to the Persian Gulf

Mesopotamia -- "between two rivers" the country between the Tigris and Euphrates

Judea -- Those from other parts of Judea other than Jerusalem

Cappadocia -- A region in Asia Minor

Pontus -- A region of eastern Asia Minor

Asia -- "orient," corresponding closely to Turkey today included Mysia, Lydia, Phrygia, and Caria,

Phrygia -- A region in Asia Minor containing the cities of Laodicea, Hierapolis, and Colosse.

Pamphylia -- A province in Asia Minor, resting on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea

Egypt -- A country of NE Africa

Libya -- A country of Africa bordering Egypt to the East containing the city of Cyrene.

Rome -- There were Jews who were Roman citizens

Crete -- An Island in the Mediterranean Sea.

Arabia -- A well known peninsula of Asia lying towards Africa

The goods, supplies, and merchandise as well as the people from all of these areas would be part of the commerce. Some have doubted the riches and merchandise which might be found at Jerusalem. There is no reason, however, to doubt these riches. Everything the empire had to offer was, no doubt, to be found in the baggage of those who came to Jerusalem. The stay was long and there were needs during the travels to Jerusalem. Merchants gathered with merchandise to sell and trade. Josephus reports over 3 million were gathered in Jerusalem for the Passover before the war started. (Wars, Book 2, chapter 14)

With these details of the temple worship, we can understand that when the temple fell, the economy fell. The temple was well fortified but when the walls were finally penetrated the Roman soldiers were uncontrollable being highly agitated and were filled with hatred for the Jews and lust for the riches in the temple spaces. They failed to obey the calls from Titus to spare the temple and it was soon on fire and out of control. Titus had retired for the night, planning an attack the next morning, but he was called out back to the battle because of the burning and continuing efforts of his soldiers. The fact that the burning of the temple was at night and that it was built on a mountain made it a highly visible and spectacular sight. Josephus records the following in Wars, book 6, chapter 5.
The flame was also carried a long way, and made an echo, together with the groans of those that were slain; and because this hill was high, and the works at the temple were very great, one would have thought the whole city had been on fire. Nor can one imagine anything either greater or more terrible than this noise . . . the multitude also that was in the city joined in this outcry with those that were upon the hill; and besides, many of those that were worn away by the famine, and their mouths almost closed, when they saw the fire of the holy house, they exerted their utmost strength, and broke out into groans and outcries again: Perea did also return the echo, as well as the mountains round about [the city], and augmented the force of the entire noise. Yet was the misery itself more terrible than this disorder; for one would have thought that the hill itself, on which the temple stood, was seething hot, as full of fire on every part of it, that the blood was larger in quantity than the fire, and those that were slain more in number than those that slew them; for the ground did nowhere appear visible, for the dead bodies that lay on it; but the soldiers went over heaps of these bodies, as they ran upon such as fled from them.
All this was in a relatively short period of time. While the war lasted a long time, it was the fall of the temple that signified and completed the total destruction of all for which the Jews fought.

18:20 "Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you holy apostles and prophets, for God has avenged you on her!"

When one reads this verse, he cannot help but think of the words of Jesus to the Jewish leaders in Matthew 23:34-36 -

"Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, 35 that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 36 Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation."

If this were the only evidence in the whole book of Revelation, it should be sufficient to show that it is the destruction of Jerusalem that Jesus, through his faithful servant John, addresses in such emphatic terms. The promise is near and the avenging of the saints brings to completion all that is necessary for the blessings of all for which the faithful longed through out the years of Jewish history. Hebrews 11:32-40 says:

"And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets: 33 who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. 35 Women received their dead raised to life again. And others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. 36 Still others had trial of mocking and scourging, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented-- 38 of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, [in] dens and caves of the earth. 39 And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, 40 God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us."

Stephen in his address to the "lynch mob" as recorded in Acts 7:52 rightly asks,

"Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute?"
Stephen then charges them with the death of Jesus, saying,

"And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers."

Acts is filled with the persecution of the Jews against those sent to proclaim Jesus as the Christ of God who came to bring them deliverance. Note the chart following.

PERSECUTION IN ACTS

18:21 "Thus with violence the great city Babylon shall be thrown down, and shall not be found anymore."

The destruction would be complete and final. All those things that Jerusalem existed for pertaining to the promise of Christ, the bridegroom, would never be found in her again

18:23 "All the nations were deceived"

The deceptions of Jerusalem and all her vain worship led the way for all manner sin. The rule from Jerusalem persuaded Jews from all the nations to honor the temple with the worship conducted by hypocrites. Many worshipped as vainly as did their religious leaders. The tithes, offerings, and gifts dedicated to the temple became the city's and temple's downfall as finally the walls were torn down and the lust for the temple wealth caused its great destruction.

18:24 ""And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who were slain on the earth."

All that was said about verse 20 could equally be said about this verse. Of what other but Jerusalem could this be said?

QUESTIONS

LESSON 11

REVELATION 18

1. Explain "come out of her my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues."

2. Why would the merchants weep over the fall of Babylon?

3. Why would Jerusalem be rich?

4. What was wrong with Jerusalem saying, "`I sit as queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow."

5. Who was mourning over the destruction?

6. Who was to rejoice over the destruction? Why?

7. Explain "by your sorcery all the nations were deceived."

8. What was found in the destroyed city?

9. Of what city is Babylon in Revelation symbolic?

10. Why is Babylon used by John to symbolize the destruction of the city about which John writes?