The Early Church · Not dated
Chapter 48
The Fall of Babylon
They sang the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying,“Great and marvelous are your works, Lord God, the Almighty!Righteous and true are your ways, you King of the nations.Who wouldn’t fear you, Lord,and glorify your name?For you only are holy.For all the nations will come and worship before you.For your righteous acts have been revealed.”
For parents
This chapter tells John’s visions of seven bowls of God’s wrath poured out on the earth: painful sores, the sea and the rivers turned to blood and everything in the sea dying, people scorched with great heat and gnawing their tongues in pain, kings gathered for war, a great earthquake and huge hailstones (Revelation 16). It tells of a woman called the great prostitute, drunk with the blood of the saints. The beast and the ten horns will hate her, strip her, eat her flesh and burn her (17:1–6, 16). It tells of the great city Babylon, burned with fire and thrown down, and the blood of all who have been killed on the earth is found in her (18:8–24). The kings’ sexual sin with her is named but not described (17:2; 18:3, 9), and all of it is told plainly, without detail beyond the text.
“I saw another sign in the sky, great and marvelous,” wrote: “seven who had the seven last , because with them God’s wrath is finished.
“I saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire. Those who had overcome the , his image and the number of his name were standing on the sea of glass, holding harps of God.
“They sang the song of , the servant of God, and the song of the , saying:
‘Great and marvelous are your works,Lord God, the Almighty!Your ways are righteous and true,you King of the nations.Who would not fear you, Lord,and give glory to your name?For only you are holy.For all the nations will comeand worship before you.For your righteous actshave come to light.’
“After these things I looked, and in heaven the temple of the of the was opened. Out of it came the seven angels who had the seven plagues. They wore pure, bright linen, and golden sashes around their chests.
“One of the four handed the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God, who lives forever and ever. The temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power. No one was able to go into the temple until the seven angels’ seven plagues were over.”
“I heard a loud voice out of the temple,” John wrote, “calling to the seven angels, ‘Go and pour out the seven bowls of the wrath of God on the earth!’
“The first angel went, and he poured out his bowl onto the earth. A harmful, painful sore came on the people who had the and who worshiped his image.
“The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it turned to blood, like a dead man’s blood. Every living thing in the sea died.
“The third poured out his bowl into the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood. I heard the angel of the waters saying:
‘You are righteous,you who are and who were, O Holy One,because you have judged these things.For they poured out the blood of and ,and you have given them blood to drink.They deserve this.’
“I heard the saying:
‘Yes, Lord God, the Almighty,true and righteous are your judgments.’
“The fourth poured out his bowl on the sun, and he was allowed to scorch people with fire. People were scorched with great heat, and people the name of God, who has the power over these plagues. They didn’t and give him glory.
“The fifth poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom went dark. They gnawed their tongues because of the pain, and they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores. Still they didn’t repent of what they had done.”
“The sixth angel poured out his bowl,” John wrote, “on the great river, the . Its water was dried up to make the way ready for the kings who come from the sunrise.
“I saw three unclean spirits, something like frogs, coming out of the mouth of the , and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the . These are spirits of that do signs. They go out to the kings of the whole inhabited earth, to gather them together for the war of that great day of God the Almighty.
“‘Look, I come like a thief. Blessed is he who keeps watch and keeps his clothes, so that he doesn’t walk naked, and people see his shame.’
“He gathered them together at the place called in Hebrew ‘.’”
“The seventh angel poured out his bowl,” John wrote, “into the air. A loud voice came out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, ‘It is done!’
“Lightning flashed, there were sounds and thunder, and there was a great earthquake, so great and so mighty that nothing like it has happened since there were people on the earth.
“The great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. was remembered before God, so that she would be given the cup of the wine of his fierce wrath. Every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.
“Great hailstones came down out of the sky on people, each about the weight of a , about sixty-six pounds. People blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail. This plague was terribly severe.”
“One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me,” John wrote. “‘Come here,’ he said. ‘I will show you the judgment of the great who sits on many waters. The kings of the earth have committed sexual sin with her, and the people who live on the earth were made drunk with the wine of her sexual sin.’
“He carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness. I saw a woman sitting on a -colored beast. The beast was full of blasphemous names, and he had seven heads and ten horns.
“The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and she wore gold and precious stones and pearls. In her hand was a golden cup full of and the impurities of the sexual sin of the earth. On her forehead a name was written: ‘MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF THE PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.’
“I saw the woman drunk on the blood of the saints and on the blood of the of Jesus. When I saw her, I was filled with wonder and great amazement.”
“The angel said to me,” John wrote, “‘Why are you so full of wonder? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns.
“‘The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up out of the and to go to destruction. The people who live on the earth and whose names have not been written in the from the foundation of the world will marvel. They will marvel when they see that the beast was, and is not, and will be present.
“‘This is for the mind that has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. They are seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come. When he comes, he must stay a little while. The beast that was, and is not, is himself an eighth as well. He is of the seven, and he goes to destruction.
“‘The ten horns that you saw are ten kings. They have not received a kingdom yet, but they receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour. They have one mind, and they give their power and authority to the beast. These will fight against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, since he is Lord of lords and King of kings. The ones who are with him are called, chosen and faithful.’
“He said to me, ‘The waters which you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, crowds, nations and languages.
“‘The ten horns that you saw, and the beast too, will hate the prostitute. They will leave her in ruins and strip her naked. They will eat her flesh, and they will burn her up completely with fire. God has put it in their hearts to do what he has in mind, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until God’s words are accomplished. The woman whom you saw is the great city that reigns over the kings of the earth.’”
“After these things I saw another angel coming down out of the sky,” John wrote, “with great authority. The earth was lit up with his glory.
“He cried out with a mighty voice, saying:
‘Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great,and she has become a place where demons live,a prison of every unclean spirit,a prison of every unclean and hated bird!For all the nations have drunkthe wine of the wrath of her sexual sin.The kings of the earth committed sexual sin with her,and the merchants of the earth grew richfrom all her great luxury.’
“I heard another voice from heaven. It said, ‘Come out of her, my people, so that you have no part in her sins, and so that you don’t receive her plagues. Her sins have reached the sky, and God has remembered her wrongs.
“‘Pay her back just as she paid back. Repay her double, as she did, to match what she has done. Mix twice as much for her in the cup she mixed. As much as she gave herself glory and lived without restraint, give her that much torment and mourning. She tells herself, “I sit as a queen and am no widow. I will never see mourning.”
“‘That is why her plagues will come in one day: death, mourning and famine. She will be burned up completely with fire, because the Lord God who has judged her is strong.
“‘The kings of the earth who committed sexual sin and lived without restraint with her will weep and wail over her when they look at the smoke of her burning. They will stand far away, afraid of her torment, saying:
“, woe, the great city,Babylon, the strong city!For your judgment has come in one hour.”
“‘The merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, because nobody buys their goods any more: goods of gold, silver, precious stones, pearls, fine linen, purple, silk, scarlet, every kind of costly wood, every object of ivory, every object of the most precious wood, and of brass, iron and marble; and cinnamon, , perfume, , wine, olive oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle, sheep, horses, chariots, and people’s bodies and souls.
“‘The fruits your soul craved are lost to you. All your fine and splendid things are gone from you, and you will never find them again.
“‘The merchants of these things, who were made rich by her, will stand far away, afraid of her torment, weeping and mourning. They will say:
“Woe, woe, the great city,she who was dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet,who wore gold and precious stones and pearls!For in an hour such great riches are laid waste.”
“‘Every ship’s captain, everyone who sails anywhere, the sailors, and all who make their living by the sea stood far away. They cried out as they looked at the smoke of her burning, “What is like the great city?”
“‘They threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and mourning. They said:
“Woe, woe, the great city,where all who had their ships at seawere made rich by her great wealth!”
“‘She has been laid waste in one hour. Rejoice over her, O heaven, you saints, and prophets, because God has judged your judgment on her.’”
“A mighty angel took up a stone like a great ,” John wrote, “and threw it into the sea, saying:
‘Babylon, the great city, will be thrown downlike this, with violence,and will be found no more at all.The sound of harpists, musicians,flute players and trumpeterswill be heard no more at all in you.No craftsman of any kindwill be found any more at all in you.The sound of a millwill be heard no more at all in you.The light of a lampwill shine no more at all in you.The voice of the and of the bridewill be heard no more at all in you,because your merchants were the princes of the earth,because with your sorcery all the nations were deceived.The blood of prophets and of saints was found in her,and the blood of all who have been killed on the earth.’”