67. The Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ (Revelation 19:1-21) - Part 2

 

CHRIST’S GLORIOUS RETURN (19:11–21)

The second coming must be distinguished from the rapture of the church prior to the seven-year tribulation. At the rapture, Christ comes for His saints (John 14:3; 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17). At the second coming, He comes with them. At the rapture, Christ meets His saints in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:17) to take them to heaven (John 14:2–3). At the second coming, He descends with them from heaven to the earth (Zechariah 14:4).

Some attempt to harmonize those two distinctions by arguing that believers meet Christ in the air, then descend to earth with Him. By so doing, they essentially make the rapture and the second coming the same event. But that view trivializes the rapture. There is not a hint of judgment in passages describing the rapture (John 14:1–3; 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18), but judgment plays a prominent role in the second coming (19:11, 15, 17–21). The dramatic signs accompanying the second coming, such as the darkening of the sun and moon and the disruption of the “powers of the heavens” (Matthew 24:29–30), are not mentioned in the passages describing the rapture. In its description of the second coming, Revelation 19 does not mention either a rapture of living believers (1 Corinthians 15:51–52), or a resurrection of dead believers (1 Thessalonians 4:16).

This monumental, climactic passage may be divided into four sections:

1. The Return of the Conqueror

"And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God." (Rev. 19:11–13)

As in Rev. 4:1, heaven opened before John’s wondering eyes. But this time heaven opens not to let John in, but to let Jesus out. The time has come at last for the full, glorious revelation of Christ. As the dramatic scene unfolds, John stands with his attention on the mighty Rider. Jesus is about to receive the kingdom that the Father promised Him.

No longer is Jesus portrayed as He was in His humiliation, riding on a donkey. Instead, He rides the traditional white horse ridden by victorious Roman generals in their triumphal processions through the streets of Rome. White also symbolizes the spotless, unblemished, absolutely holy character of the Rider. The horse, the crowns (verse 12), the sharp sword, the rod of iron, and the winepress (verse 15) are symbolic. Christ’s coming is reality. The symbolic language represents various aspects of that reality.

Continuing his description of the astonishing scene before him, John notes that “He who sat on the white horse is called Faithful and True.” There is no more appropriate name for Jesus Christ, who earlier in Revelation was called “the faithful and true Witness” (3:14). He is faithful to His promises (cf. 2 Corinthians 1:20) and what He speaks is always true (John 8:45–46; Titus 1:2).

Because Jesus is faithful to His word and righteous character, it follows that “in righteousness He judges.” When He came the first time, wicked people judged Him. When He returns, He will judge all wicked people (Acts 17:31). Angels may gather the wicked for judgment (Matthew 13:41), but the Lord Jesus will pass sentence on them.

Here Christ is seen as the warrior King who wages war against His foes. He is the executioner of all ungodly, unbelieving sinners. The only other reference in Scripture to Jesus waging war is in 2:16, when He warned the church at Pergamum to repent or that he would wage war against them.

Describing the personal appearance of the awe-inspiring Rider, John writes that “His eyes are a flame of fire.” Nothing escapes the notice of His piercing vision. The eyes that wept over the fate of unrepentant Jerusalem and over the sorrow, suffering, and death in this sin-cursed world, John sees flashing with the fire of judgment.

On His head John noted that Christ wore “many diadems,” a reference to a ruler’s crown (12:3; 13:1). In this case, they are worn by Jesus to indicate His royal authority. “Many” indicates His collecting of all the rulers’ crowns, signifying that He alone is the ruler of the earth. Collecting the crown of a vanquished king was customary in the ancient world (2 Samuel 12:30). Christ alone will be “King of Kings, and Lord of Lords” (verse 16), and “the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever” (11:15). The many crowns Christ will wear are indeed a fair exchange for a crown of thorns (Philippians 2:8–11).

Further, John notes that Jesus had a “name written on Him which no one knows except Himself.” The meaning of that name is unknown, since we are told that no one knows it except Jesus Himself. Even the inspired apostle John could not comprehend it. Maybe it will be made known after His return.

Describing the final element of Christ’s appearance, John writes that “He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood.” The blood is not representative of the cross. This is a picture of judgment. The blood is the blood of His slaughtered enemies (Isaiah 63:1–6).

Why are His garments blood spattered before the battle has begun? This is not His first battle. It is His last battle. His war clothes bear the stains of many previous slaughters. At that day, they will be stained as never before when He “treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty” (verse 15).

That the Rider’s name is called “The Word of God” identifies Him unmistakably as Jesus Christ (John 1:1, 14; 1 John 1:1). The second Person of the Trinity is called The Word of God because He is the revelation of God.

2. The Regiments of the Conqueror

"And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses." (Rev. 19:14)

Jesus Christ will be accompanied by “the armies which are in heaven.” Four divisions make up these glorified troops. First will be the bride of the Lamb (the church), already pictured wearing “fine linen, bright and clean” (verses 7–8). Second will be the tribulation believers, who also have been pictured in heaven wearing white robes (7:9). The third group is the Old Testament saints, who are resurrected at the end of the tribulation (Daniel 12:1–2). Finally, the holy angels will also accompany Christ (Matthew 25:31). The white horses ridden by the heavenly cavalry are not literal horses. Unlike Christ, the heavenly army is unarmed. He alone will destroy His enemies. The saints will come not to fight with Jesus, but to reign with Him (20:4–6).

3. The Rule of the Conqueror

"From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” (Rev. 19:15–16)

The impending rule of the King is described in graphic, powerful imagery. John notes first that “from His mouth comes a sharp sword.” The apostle had seen that sword in an earlier vision (1:16), where it was used to defend the church against Satan’s forces. That the sword comes out of His mouth symbolizes the deadly power of Christ’s words. Once He spoke words of comfort, but now He speaks words of death. Christ will wield that sword with deadly effect as He strikes down the nations. The dead will include all those gathered for battle at Armageddon. The rest of the world’s unredeemed people will be judged and executed at the sheep and goat judgment (Matthew 25:31–46) that follows Christ’s return. This is the final stroke of death in the day of the Lord.

The swift judgment that marks the onset of Christ’s kingdom will be the pattern of His rule throughout the millennium. During His thousand-year reign, He will rule the nations with a rod of iron (12:5; Psalm 2:8–9). He will instantly put down any rebellion. Using the same imagery of ruling with a rod of iron, Jesus promised that believers would rule under Him in the kingdom (Revelation 2:26–27).

Returning to the judgment at the outset of Christ’s rule, John writes that “He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.” That vivid symbol of God’s wrath comes from the ancient practice of stomping on grapes as part of the wine-making process. The splattering of the grape juice pictures the pouring out of the blood of Christ’s enemies (14:18–20; Isaiah 63:1–3).

In a final look, John saw that Christ wore a banner around His robe and on His thigh, on which He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” The name expresses His sovereign, absolute rule in His soon-to-be-established kingdom.

4. The Victory of the Conqueror

"Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds which fly in midheaven, “Come, assemble for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them and the flesh of all men, both free men and slaves, and small and great.”

And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh." (Rev. 19:17–21)

Once again an angel plays a key role in the Apocalypse. John saw this angel “standing in the sun.” This means in the proximity of the sun, possibly in front of it, partially eclipsing it. He stands in a prominent place to make this important announcement. Evidently the worldwide darkness associated with the fifth bowl (16:10) has been lifted, since the sun is again visible. The lifting of that earlier darkness would also explain how the smoke from Babylon’s destruction was visible at a distance (18:9–19).

As angels have frequently done in Revelation, the angel “cried out with a loud voice.” He addresses all the birds, inviting them to feed on the results of the battle that will soon begin. The angel commands the birds to “assemble for the great supper of God.” The brief but catastrophic day of the Lord will result in an unprecedented slaughter, with uncounted millions of dead bodies (14:20). Even after the birds have eaten, it will still take seven months to bury the bodies (Ezekiel 39:12).

At the great supper, the birds “will eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them and the flesh of all men, both free men and slaves, and small and great.” That all-inclusive statement reveals the worldwide extent of the slaughter. To have one’s unburied body left as food for birds is the ultimate indignity, especially for proud kings and mighty military commanders. That same fate awaits all the God-hating rebels everywhere in the world.

Then John saw “the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army.” The beast is Antichrist (11:7; 13:1–8), leader of the last and greatest empire in human history. The kings of the earth are the ten kings (17:12–14). Their armies have assembled to make war against Christ and His army.

In an instant, “the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire.” This is the first mention in Scripture of the lake of fire, which is the final hell, the ultimate destination of Satan, his angels, and the unredeemed (Matthew 25:41). Isaiah described it as the place where “their worm will not die and their fire will not be quenched” (66:24), a description echoed by the Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 13:42; Mark 9:48). Revelation 14:11 says of those who suffer there, “The smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day and night.”

“And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh.” Without their commanders, Antichrist’s leaderless forces will be destroyed. The rest of those gathered to fight against Christ were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. Then, just as the angel foretold, all the birds were filled with their flesh.

66. The Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ (Revelation 19:1-21) - Part 1

 

As that long-awaited time of Jesus Christ’s appearance approaches, the scene in Revelation shifts from earth, where it has been since chapter 6, to heaven. The praise seen in heaven throughout Revelation reaches a crescendo in this text. The heavenly rejoicing is not over those who reject God, but because Christ will soon remove sinners from the world. God will then be properly honored, Christ enthroned, and the earth restored to its lost glory. Heaven rejoices because history is finally going to reach its culmination as the true King establishes His kingdom on earth.

As the text unfolds, two major sections emerge. First, five reasons are provided in support of heaven’s joy (19:1–10). Second, Christ’s glorious return is revealed for John and his readers (verses 11–21).

THE REASONS FOR HEAVEN’S JOY

Five reasons for heaven’s joy become evident in the first ten verses.

1. Full Salvation Has Come

"After these things I heard something like a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God.." (Rev. 19:1)

As it does throughout Revelation, the phrase “after these things” marks the beginning of a new vision. This new vision takes place after the destruction of Babylon (chapters 17–18) and before the triumphant return of Jesus Christ (19:11–21) to establish the millennial kingdom (20:1–10).

In his vision John heard “something like a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven.” The text does not identify those voices John heard, but they are likely angels. This great multitude does not appear to include the redeemed saints, since they are encouraged to join in the praise later (verses 5–8). The uncounted millions of holy angels make up a majestic choir.

The angelic chorus opens with an exclamation of praise: “Hallelujah!” The Greek word is a transliteration of a Hebrew phrase combining the verb for “to praise” and the noun “God.” It appears only in this chapter in the New Testament (verses 3–4, 6). In its first Old Testament appearance, Hallelujah also expresses praise for God’s judgment on the wicked oppressors of His people (Psalm 104:35).

Heaven rejoices specifically because salvation has come for God’s people, and the glory and power that belong to God have been put on display. The word “salvation” celebrates the final aspect of salvation history, the glorification of the saints in Christ’s kingdom. The imminent coming of Christ prompts this praise as the angels anticipate the glory of His kingdom.

2. Justice Is Provided

“...because His judgments are true and righteous; for He has judged the great harlot who was corrupting the earth with her immorality, and He has avenged the blood of His bond-servants on her.” (Rev. 19:2)

Heaven also rejoices because God’s judgments are “true and righteous,” as evidenced by the destruction of wicked Babylon. Babylon is identified as “the great harlot” (17:1, 15–16), Satan and Antichrist’s system that seduced the unbelieving world to believe Satan’s lies.

A further reason for Babylon’s judgment was her mistreatment of God’s people (18:24). As a result, God has avenged the blood of His bond-servants on her. That God will exact vengeance for His people is clearly taught in Scripture (e.g., Deuteronomy 32:42–43).

3. Rebellion Is Ended

"And a second time they said, “Hallelujah! Her smoke rises up forever and ever.” (Rev. 19:3)

Babylon’s judgment provoked the first outburst of heavenly rejoicing. The aftermath of her destruction prompts the heavenly chorus to again say, “Hallelujah!” At the climax of her judgment, Babylon was “burned up with fire” (18:8), and sinners mourned as they watched the pall of smoke rise into the sky (18:9, 18). That the smoke “rises up forever and ever” indicates that this judgment is final and irreversible. The language is similar to that used of God’s destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:28), and Edom (Isaiah 34:10).

The destruction of the last and most powerful empire in human history marks the end of human rule. The rebellion that began in the garden of Eden is finally ended (apart from the revolt at the end of the millennium (20:7–10). There will be no more false religion or injustice.

4. God Is in Control

"And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne saying, “Amen. Hallelujah!” And a voice came from the throne, saying, “Give praise to our God, all you His bond-servants, you who fear Him, the small and the great.” Then I heard something like the voice of a great multitude and like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.” (Rev. 19:4–6)

Hallelujahs also ring out from other heavenly residents. The twenty-four elders are best seen as representatives of the church. The four living creatures are cherubim, a high-ranking order of angels. Prostrate before God’s throne, the two new additions to the heavenly chorus cried out, “Amen. Hallelujah!” That phrase comes from Psalm 106:48 and indicates their solemn agreement with the heavenly rejoicing over Babylon’s downfall.

The text does not identify the owner of the voice from the throne, but it is likely an angel, since he refers to God as “our God.” The voice authoritatively calls another group to join in the praise, saying, “Give praise to our God, all you His bond-servants, you who fear Him, the small and the great.” The redeemed believers in heaven are described as God’s bond-servants (verse 2; cf. 1:1; 2:20). The all-inclusive phrase “the small and the great” transcends all human categories to embrace everyone. All the redeemed are called to praise God.

When the redeemed obeyed the command from the heavenly voice and added their voices to the heavenly chorus, John “heard something like the voice of a great multitude.” The loud chorus of praise rose to a deafening level. The apostle likened it to “the sound of many waters and … the sound of mighty peals of thunder.” The fitting finale to the heavenly oratorio of praise is a fourth “Hallelujah!” followed by the motive for it—“For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.” The evil world system has been destroyed. God’s kingdom has come in its fullness.

5. The Marriage of the Lamb Is Completed

“Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.” It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

Then he said to me, “Write, ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’ ” And he said to me, “These are true words of God.” Then I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” (Rev. 19:7–10)

The heavenly praise continues rejoicing and giving God glory for the marriage of the Lamb. A marriage was the single greatest celebration and social event of the biblical world. Wedding preparations and celebrations in ancient times were even more elaborate and involved than those of today. They consisted of three distinct stages. First was the betrothal, or engagement. This was an arrangement by both sets of parents contracting the marriage of their children. It was legally binding and could only be broken by a divorce (Matthew 1:18–19). The second stage of a wedding was the presentation, a time of festivities just before the actual ceremony. Those festivities could last up to a week or more, depending on the economic and social status of the bride and groom. The third and most significant stage was the actual ceremony, during which the vows were exchanged. At the end of the presentation festivities, the groom and his attendants would go to the bride’s house and take her and her bridesmaids to the ceremony. After the ceremony would come a final meal, followed by the consummation of the marriage.

The entire heavenly chorus is encouraged to “rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him” because all the preparation is complete and the marriage of the Lamb has come. Betrothed in eternity past, presented in the Father’s house since the rapture, the church is now ready for the wedding ceremony to begin. It will coincide with the start of the millennial kingdom and stretch throughout that thousand-year period, finally consummated in the new heavens and the new earth (21:1–2). In the new heavens and the new earth, the bride concept will be expanded to include not only the church, but also all the redeemed of all ages as the New Jerusalem becomes the bridal city (21:1–2).

In preparation for her marriage to the Lamb, “His bride has made herself ready.” That was not by her own works, but rather by God’s gracious working. The bride has made herself ready in the power of God, by the grace of God, through the work of the Spirit of God (Philippians 2:12–13; Colossians 1:29). Purged from all sin and impurity (1 Corinthians 3:12–15), she is a flawless, blameless virgin.

Having been presented glorified and spotless before God’s throne, the church is able to “clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean.” Fine linen was expensive and beautiful cloth, like that worn by Joseph (Genesis 41:42). “Bright” in Greek means “glistening” or “radiant.” Such dazzling garments were worn earlier in Revelation by angels (15:6), and will be the clothing of those in heaven when Christ returns (verse 14).

Then the angel who had been speaking with John told him, “Write, ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’ ” This is the fourth of seven beatitudes in Revelation (see page 23), all introduced by the word “blessed.” The recipients of this blessing are “those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” That they are invited guests marks them as a distinct group from the church, since a bride would hardly be invited to her own wedding. These guests represent Old Testament believers. Matthew 8:11 and Luke 13:28 both refer to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as being in the kingdom. Luke 13:28 also mentions the prophets. All the heroes of the faith mentioned in Hebrews 11 will be among the invited guests, as will John the Baptist (Matthew 11:11). All the tribulation saints, glorified and still alive on earth and entering the millennial kingdom, will be guests.

Some may question why the church-age believers should be granted the honor of being the bride, while believers from other ages are merely guests. But one may equally ask why God singled out Israel to be the covenant people. The only answer to both questions is that God sovereignly purposed that it be so (cf. Deuteronomy 7:7–8). It must be remembered that the wedding imagery pictures God’s intimate union with His people. There will be no second-class citizens in God’s kingdom, just as all the participants in a wedding enjoy the celebration. And in the new heavens and the new earth, all believers of all ages will enjoy the full glories of eternity.

The blessed truth that God will be in personal fellowship forever with all the redeemed saints of all the ages is so significant that the angel solemnly affirmed to John, “These are true words of God.” So great was John’s astonishment at the angel’s message that he involuntarily and thoughtlessly fell at his feet to worship him. Calling him back to his senses, the angel said, “Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God.” (cf. 22:8–9). Like John, the angel was a servant of God. He reminds John that he is to worship God only.

The angel’s final word to John is a reminder that “the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

When Is Nostalgia Sinful?

Perhaps especially when there is so much unsettling change it’s easy to feel nostalgic-even for 2019, the year before the pandemic. A recent scientific study identified higher happiness levels “during the early days of the pandemic” arising from feelings of nostalgia. For some, reaching out to simpler and less complex times has been a coping mechanism. This sentimental longing for our own past or some period in history can be beneficial if it draws us towards things that are of value. 

Yet nostalgia often paints a rosy picture of how it used to be compared to now. No doubt at some point people will even be nostalgic for lockdowns! Dwelling on the past obsessively can be unhelpful and unhealthy but can it be sinful? It was for Israel of course as they looked back to Egypt with mournful regret. Nostalgia makes it hard to look ahead with the right attitude of hope and expectation since we are always harking back (Philippians 3:13). Surely we need hope more than ever in the current context rather than a wistful longing to be comfortable? Ecclesiastes 7:10 warns us in relation to nostalgia. It doesn’t say that it is wrong and sinful in itself. Rather it says that there is a subtle and dangerous temptation that can accompany it. We can be drawn into a distorted perspective inclining us to question God’s providence and purpose. In our discontent we begin to dispute the way things are. Why are we left in such a situation? Can any good come out of it? Such an attitude is neither wise nor right.

Alexander Nisbet (1623-1669) shows how Ecclesiastes 7:10 guards us against quarreling with the Lord’s dealings in this way. We are not to question why He should do this and complain at His appointing a hard lot to any of us. Neither are we to be so swallowed up by lament for the times that we fail to highlight what is positive and what may be the purpose behind it all. There is a danger of making such an absolute comparison between our times and the past that we feel the present is hopeless. This is a verse that needs to be understood and applied carefully and Nisbet helps us to do that in the following updated extract.

1. IT IS NOT SINFUL TO RECOGNIZE THAT TIMES HAVE BECOME WORSE

This is not to be understood, as if the present times were not often worse than the former in many respects, seeing that is foretold (Matthew 24:12; 2 Timothy 3:1).

2. IT IS NOT SINFUL TO ASK WHY THE TIMES HAVE BECOME WORSE

It is not that the Lord’s people must not search into what sins people have committed to cause the change of times to the worse. Nor are they forbidden from lamenting the defections or miseries of their times. Both of these are duties for them (Lamentations 3:40). It is the duty of the Lord’s people to search out the sinful causes which provoke the Lord to change times to the worse. We are to enquire into the wise reasons He has for doing so and to bewail that later times have degenerated so far from the purity and holiness of former periods.

3. IT IS SINFUL TO BE DISCONTENTED THAT THE TIMES HAVE BECOME WORSE

It is, however, a great sin to quarrel with Providence, or to enquire concerning this matter with a fretting discontentment of spirit. It is as if we were saying that things are not well ordered by Divine Providence, if we do not have as much peace and prosperity and as great freedom from outward trouble as those who were before us have had. For this is the evil here dissuaded from: to ask the cause why the former times were better than these.

We should not quarrel with God’s providence for appointing our lot in more troublesome times, and under more grievous oppressions than have been formerly. We should avoid speaking as if there were no cause why we should submit to a change of times from better to worse. The Spirit of the Lord does not give particular reasons of such changes here. There are many obvious reasons given in Scripture which are sufficient to satisfy us in relation to this. Rather, He prohibits and rebukes such boldness and gives a general reason of the dissuasive, that these inquiries flow from men’s ignorance of the Lord’s sovereignty and wisdom, who works all for His own glory, and the good of His people.

4. IT IS SINFUL NOT TO SUBMIT TO GOD’S PURPOSE THAT THE TIMES HAVE BECOME WORSE

To fret and repine that the present times are worse than the former shows us to be void of heavenly wisdom. This teaches those who have it to adore the righteousness of God in all His dealings. They do this even though they do not see the particular reasons for them (Jeremiah 12:1).

5. IT IS SINFUL TO IGNORE GOOD THINGS, EVEN THOUGH THE TIMES HAVE BECOME WORSE

Such submission often leads them to satisfying reasons clearly held forth in Scripture, namely that God in wisdom uses certain times to reveal men’s perversity which at other times He sees fit to restrain. At times He chooses to advance by sore trials the faith, patience, and other graces of His people, which at other times He advances without such trials (Daniel 12:10).

This quarrelling with the Lord is evidence of great presumptuousness arising from an ignorance of the true condition of both the present and former times. This makes them fail to consider the good of the present times, which often exceeds that of the former as far as the evils and troubles of the present exceeds those of the former. Solomon says that in such a spirit we do not enquire wisely (or as it is literally in the Hebrew original “by wisdom”) concerning this matter. The expression intends more than is expressed.

CONCLUSION

Nostalgia may have its benefits as well as its pitfalls, but it cannot really transform. It can bind us to the past in ways that debilitate us in the present. It recalls a past that cannot be recovered. Hope on the other hand, is always transformative. In some ways we could think of hope as nostalgia in reverse, a longing for our future home (2 Corinthians 5:1-4). Hope does not unsettle us, it anchors us (Hebrews 6:19). This kind of nostalgia in reverse is not sinful, rather it purifies us (1 John 3:3; 2 Peter 3:14). It strengthens us with patience (Romans 8:25). Surely we need to cultivate it more?

65. The Revelation: Babylon, Judgment Enjoyed, Completed, and Justified (Revelation 18:20-24)

 

JUDGMENT ENJOYED

“Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, because God has pronounced judgment for you against her.” (Rev. 18:20)

Heaven will have quite a different perspective than Antichrist’s earthly followers. The angel who began speaking in verse 4 then addressed the redeemed in heaven: the saints and apostles and prophets. He calls on them to rejoice over Babylon’s fall, “because God has pronounced judgment … against her.” Heaven rejoices, because of the triumph of righteousness, the exaltation of Jesus Christ, and the arrival of His kingdom on the earth.

JUDGMENT COMPLETED

"Then a strong angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, “So will Babylon, the great city, be thrown down with violence, and will not be found any longer. And the sound of harpists and musicians and flute-players and trumpeters will not be heard in you any longer; and no craftsman of any craft will be found in you any longer; and the sound of a mill will not be heard in you any longer; and the light of a lamp will not shine in you any longer; and the voice of the bridegroom and bride will not be heard in you any longer..." (Rev. 18:21–23a)

Another strong angel (cf. 5:2; 10:1) now appeared in the vision. In a dramatic act, He “took up a stone like a great millstone [typically four to five feet in diameter, a foot thick, and very heavy] and threw it into the sea.” “So,” explained the angel, “will Babylon, the great city, be thrown down with violence, and will not be found any longer.” In one moment, as that stone disappeared into the sea, Babylon will disappear.

So complete will be Babylon’s destruction that none of the normal activities of human life will take place. There will be no music, no working, no preparing of food, no light, and no marriage. Babylon will be so thoroughly destroyed that it will never rise again, as predicted by the Old Testament prophets (Isaiah 13:19–22; 14:22–23; Jeremiah 50:13, 39; 51:37).

JUDGMENT JUSTIFIED

“...for your merchants were the great men of the earth, because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery. And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints and of all who have been slain on the earth.” (18:23b–24)

Three final reasons are given for Babylon’s judgment. First, her “merchants were the great men of the earth,” using their wealth to ascend to positions of power, prominence, and influence. A second reason for Babylon’s judgment is that her sorcery deceived the nations. “Sorcery” is from the Greek root word from which we derive the English words “pharmacy” and “pharmaceuticals.” The word is used in the New Testament to refer to magic and occult practices (9:21; Galatians 5:20). Babylon’s hold on the world will not be entirely due to her military and economic power, but also to her occult influence.

The final reason for Babylon’s judgment is her murderous slaughter of God’s people; “in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints and of all who have been slain on the earth.” The heavenly rejoicing over Babylon’s downfall in chapter 19 also mentions this: “After these things I heard something like a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, ‘Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God; because His judgments are true and righteous; for He has judged the great harlot who was corrupting the earth with her immorality, and He has avenged the blood of His bond-servants on her’ ” (19:1–2).

64. The Revelation: Babylon, Judgment Defined and Lamented (Revelation 18:6-19)

 

JUDGMENT DEFINED

“Pay her back even as she has paid, and give back to her double according to her deeds; in the cup which she has mixed, mix twice as much for her. To the degree that she glorified herself and lived sensuously, to the same degree give her torment and mourning; for she says in her heart, ‘I sit as a queen and I am not a widow, and will never see mourning.’ For this reason in one day her plagues will come, pestilence and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire; for the Lord God who judges her is strong.” (Rev. 18:6–8)

The angel now speaks to God. His call for vengeance on Babylon parallels the prayers of the martyred saints recorded in 6:9–10. Babylon has been extended enough grace and heard enough warnings. It is time for her destruction.

The angel’s plea is reminiscent of the Old Testament saints’ pleas for vengeance on ancient Babylon. In Psalm 137:8 the psalmist wrote, “O daughter of Babylon, you devastated one, how blessed will be the one who repays you with the recompense with which you have repaid us.” Jeremiah also pleaded for vengeance on Babylon (Jeremiah 50:14–15, 29).

The angel’s request that God give back to Babylon double “according to her deeds” (literally “double the double things”) is a request that Babylon’s punishment fit her crimes. Double has been her iniquity, double will be her punishment.

Further stating his request that God fully punish Babylon, the angel asks that “in the cup which she has mixed,” God would “mix twice as much for her.” Fittingly, in the very cup that Babylon used to deceive the nations (verse 3; 14:8; 17:2, 4) she is to receive a double portion of God’s wrath. The imagery of the cup of God’s wrath also appears in 14:10 and 16:19.

Then the angel calls on God a third time to exact complete vengeance on Babylon: “To the degree that she glorified herself and lived sensuously, to the same degree give her torment and mourning; for she says in her heart, ‘I sit as a queen and I am not a widow, and will never see mourning.’ ” The phrase “to the degree” is a call to match the punishment to the crime, a biblical principle (Proverbs 29:23; Isaiah 3:16ff.; Luke 1:51; 14:11).

Three sins call for Babylon’s judgment. First, she was proud. She glorified herself. Second, she pursued self-gratification. She lived sensuously. Third, she was guilty of self-sufficiency. She said in her heart, “I sit as a queen and I am not a widow, and will never see mourning.” For those three sins Babylon will receive torment and mourning. The Greek word for “torment” literally means torture. “Mourning” refers to the grief that the torture produces. Hell will be a place of both unimaginable torment (20:10; Luke 16:23–24, 28) and crushing grief (Matthew 8:12; 13:42).

Then the angel notes that in “one day her plagues will come.” Babylon’s destruction will not be progressive. The wicked city will be instantly destroyed. Daniel 5 records the similar fate that befell ancient Babylon; the city fell the very night that God wrote its doom on the wall of the king’s palace (Daniel 5:30). As noted, the plagues that will destroy Babylon are specific judgments on that city, possibly in connection with the seventh bowl. Three plagues will result in Babylon’s complete devastation: pestilence and mourning and famine—heaven’s fitting answer to her proud boast. After those three plagues have run their course, Babylon will be burned up with fire.

JUDGMENT LAMENTED

“And the kings of the earth, who committed acts of immorality and lived sensuously with her, will weep and lament over her when they see the smoke of her burning, standing at a distance because of the fear of her torment, saying, ‘Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the strong city! For in one hour your judgment has come.’

“And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargoes any more—cargoes of gold and silver and precious stones and pearls and fine linen and purple and silk and scarlet, and every kind of citron wood and every article of ivory and every article made from very costly wood and bronze and iron and marble, and cinnamon and spice and incense and perfume and frankincense and wine and olive oil and fine flour and wheat and cattle and sheep, and cargoes of horses and chariots and slaves and human lives. The fruit you long for has gone from you, and all things that were luxurious and splendid have passed away from you and men will no longer find them. The merchants of these things, who became rich from her, will stand at a distance because of the fear of her torment, weeping and mourning, saying, ‘Woe, woe, the great city, she who was clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls; for in one hour such great wealth has been laid waste!’ And every shipmaster and every passenger and sailor, and as many as make their living by the sea, stood at a distance, and were crying out as they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, ‘What city is like the great city?’ And they threw dust on their heads and were crying out, weeping and mourning, saying, ‘Woe, woe, the great city, in which all who had ships at sea became rich by her wealth, for in one hour she has been laid waste!’ ” (Rev. 18:9–19)

The first mourners introduced are the leaders, the kings of the earth. This group includes the ten kings who rule Antichrist’s kingdom under his authority (17:12), as well as the rest of the world’s leaders under them. They will greet the news of Babylon’s destruction with shock and dismay. The destruction of the seat of Antichrist’s political and economic power will strike a fatal blow to his empire.

As they watch her burn, the leaders will cry out in anguish, “Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the strong city! For in one hour your judgment has come.” As the crown jewel of Antichrist’s empire, Babylon will be a great city. Since it will have survived the devastating judgments of the tribulation up to that point, the leaders will believe it to be a strong city. Babylon’s swift destruction will shock and amaze them, and they will cry out to her in dismay.

The next mourners to appear on the scene are the merchants of the earth. These business leaders will weep over Babylon “because no one buys their cargoes anymore.” The destruction of Antichrist’s capital will end any semblance of normalcy on the devastated planet. Whatever economic activity will have been taking place on an earth will then come to a halt.

Then follows a list of twenty-eight items or categories of merchandise that comprised the merchants’ cargoes, ranging from “gold and silver and precious stones and pearls” to “fine flour and wheat and cattle and sheep, and cargoes of horses and chariots and slaves.” These items were common commodities in the ancient world and were the source of immense financial gain. They are only representative of the great wealth of Antichrist’s future commercial empire.

Continuing their lament, the merchants now address Babylon directly: “The fruit you long for has gone from you, and all things that were luxurious and splendid have passed away from you and men will no longer find them.” All of the city’s luxurious possessions have passed away. The words “no longer” translate a double negative in the Greek text, the strongest negative form in the Greek language. It indicates these items will never be found again.

The merchants will stand at a distance because of the fear of her torment, weeping and mourning, saying, “Woe, woe, the great city, she who was clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls; for in one hour such great wealth has been laid waste!” They weep and mourn, not out of some emotional sympathy for the city, but because they have been stripped of the key source of their finances. These greedy merchants are the classic illustration of all those in all times who gain the whole world, but forfeit their souls (Mark 8:36).

Then a third and final group in the vision joins the lament for Babylon: “every shipmaster and every passenger and sailor, and as many as make their living by the sea.” In addition to her political and economic importance, Babylon will also be an important distribution center. With its destruction, there will be no more goods to transport by those who make their living by the sea. Like the rulers and merchants, the sailors were careful to stand at a safe distance from the city. As they gazed on the ruined city they were crying out as they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, “What city is like the great city?” Then, in a typical ancient expression of grief, the sailors threw dust on their heads (e.g., Joshua 7:6; 1 Samuel 4:12; 2 Samuel 1:2). Like the rulers and the merchants, they too will cry out, “Woe, woe, the great city.” That is an expression of pain, but not of repentance. Like the rulers and the merchants, the sailors also express amazement at the swiftness of Babylon’s downfall, exclaiming, “In one hour she has been laid waste!” In an astonishingly short period of time, the city that was the source of their wealth was destroyed.

63. The Revelation: Babylon, Judgment Pronounced and Avoided (Revelation 18:1-5)

 

Throughout history the petty kingdoms and empires built by proud, arrogant, God-rejecting rebels have come and gone. The spirit of humanism first expressed at Babel has permeated human history ever since. Unshakably optimistic despite centuries of war, slaughter, injustice, and cruelty, people still seek a utopia, to be brought about by humanity’s upward scientific progress. Having taken control (so they think) of their own destiny through science, sinners have no use for God and haughtily replace Him as self-styled gods devoted to their own sovereignty.

Compared to the glorious, indescribable majesty of the omnipotent God, all of man’s vaunted empires are a mere “drop from a bucket” (Isaiah 40:15), and God “has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed” (Acts 17:31). Nowhere in Scripture is there a more detailed description of the coming judgment than in Revelation 6–18. With the destruction of the last and greatest human empire, the stage is set for the triumphant return of the Lord Jesus Christ. That final empire is commercial Babylon, and its pending destruction is the theme of chapter 18.

Though some view it as a symbol for Antichrist’s whole godless system, the Babylon described here is most likely an actual city. It is called a city five times in the chapter (verses 10, 16, 18, 19, 21), and other features in the text imply that a literal city is in view. Since the text plainly describes Babylon as a city, it is safest to view it as a real city. Although it will be one city, its influence will be worldwide. As Antichrist’s capital city, it will represent his commercial empire. The judgment and destruction of Babylon will kill the head, and the rest of Antichrist’s world empire will follow in death.

Despite repeated warnings—including 144,000 Jewish evangelists, the two witnesses, and an angel flying in the heavens and proclaiming the gospel message—the people of the world will refuse to repent (cf. 9:20–21; 16:9, 11). Finally, God’s judgment will fall on Babylon. Chapter 18 records seven aspects of that judgment on Antichrist’s commercial empire.

JUDGMENT PRONOUNCED

"After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illumined with his glory. And he cried out with a mighty voice, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird. For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality.” (Rev. 18:1–3)

This solemn opening pronouncement of judgment gives two reasons for Babylon’s impending destruction: demonic activity and sensuality. The phrase “after these things” marks the beginning of a new vision. While still discussing the general theme of Antichrist’s world empire, destroyed by the seven bowl judgments of chapter 16, chapter 18 moves from its religious to its commercial aspects. John saw another angel, distinct from the one in 17:1. Some view this angel as Christ, but the use of the Greek word indicating another of the same kind explains that this is an angel of the same type as the one in 17:1. He may be the angel who had earlier predicted Babylon’s downfall (14:8). Three features reveal his unusual power and importance.

First, the angel came down from heaven with “great authority.” Second, when he arrived, “the earth was illumined with his glory.” He will make his dramatic appearance onto a darkened stage. The fifth bowl will have plunged the world into darkness (16:10). The flashing brilliance of a glorious heavenly being against the blackness will be an awe-inspiring sight to the shocked and terrified earth dwellers.

Third, the angel “cried out with a mighty voice.” No one will be able to ignore him. Everyone will hear him as well as see him.

His message will add to the terror caused by his appearance. It will be a word of woe for Antichrist and his followers: “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!” The judgment predicted in 14:8 will now be carried out. This will be a greater and more far-reaching judgment than the one pronounced in identical words on ancient Babylon (Isaiah 21:9). A comparison of this passage with 16:17–19 suggests that this judgment takes place when the seventh bowl is poured out.

The first cause given for Babylon’s destruction is that “she has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit.” It was in the vicinity of Babylon that two hundred million formerly bound demons were released at the sounding of the sixth trumpet (9:13–16). They, along with the demons released from the abyss at the sounding of the fifth trumpet (9:1–11), those cast from heaven with Satan (12:4, 9), and those previously on earth, will be confined in Babylon.

Babylon will also be “a prison of every unclean and hateful bird.” That phrase symbolizes the city’s total destruction. Like grotesque carrion birds, the demons will hover over the doomed city, waiting for its fall. The depiction of the demons as unclean and hateful reflects heaven’s view of them.

Babylon’s destruction will also come because “all the nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality.” Antichrist’s evil empire will spread its influence to all the nations of the world. Having drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality (14:8; 17:2), the people of the world will fall into a religious and materialistic daze. The all-encompassing terms “all the nations, the kings of the earth, and the merchants of the earth” reveal that Babylon will seduce the entire world.

JUDGMENT AVOIDED

"I heard another voice from heaven, saying, “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues; for her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.” (Rev. 18:4–5)

God’s judgment on this commercially prosperous but morally bankrupt society can be avoided, as another voice from heaven makes clear. The message the angel proclaims, “Come out of her, my people,” is a call for God’s people to disentangle themselves from the world system. It may also be an evangelistic call to God’s elect to come to faith in Christ and come out of Satan’s kingdom (cf. Colosssians 1:13). In both cases, the message is to abandon the system.

First, believers are to flee Babylon so that they “will not participate in her sins.” The materialistic Babylon will exert an almost irresistible influence on believers to participate in her sins. Second, God’s people must also flee so they do not “receive of her plagues.” It is best to see these plagues as specific judgments on Babylon, perhaps with the outpouring of the seventh bowl (16:17–19). Finally, believers must flee Babylon because “her sins have piled up as high as heaven.” “Piled” is from a Greek word that literally means “to glue together” or “to join.” Then the angel adds that “God has remembered her iniquities.” He will take note of them as He did that earlier monument to man’s sinful, prideful rebellion at the tower of Babel (Genesis 11).

62. The Revelation: The Extermination of the Harlot (Revelation 17:16-17)

"And the ten horns which you saw, and the beast, these will hate the harlot and will make her desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh and will burn her up with fire. For God has put it in their hearts to execute His purpose by having a common purpose, and by giving their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God will be fulfilled." (Rev. 17:16–17)

Antichrist’s alliance with the false religious system will not last. Eventually the ten horns (the ten kings) and the beast (Antichrist) will hate the harlot. Having used the false religious system to help him gain control of the world, Antichrist will discard it. He will want the world to worship only him. He will turn on the harlot and will make her “desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh and will burn her up with fire.” That graphic language of extreme violence is used to make clear that Antichrist and his henchmen will completely obliterate the false religious system.

Yet Antichrist’s self-serving, satanically inspired actions are precisely in the scope of God’s sovereign plan. In fact, it is God who will put it in the hearts of Antichrist’s followers to execute His purpose by giving their kingdom to the beast. God’s power is behind the destruction and consolidation of the evil empire. As always, Satan is the instrument of God’s purposes. The one-world unification government so long sought by the humanists will have finally arrived, only to be destroyed in one great act of divine judgment. All prophecy of Christ’s return and the setting up of His kingdom—will be fulfilled completely.

61. The Revelation: The Explanation of the Harlot (Revelation 17:7-14,18)

 

THE EXPLANATION OF THE HARLOT

And the angel said to me, “Why do you 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 abyss and go to destruction. And those who dwell on the earth, whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will wonder when they see the beast, that he was and is not and will come. Here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits, and they are seven kings; five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain a little while. The beast which was and is not, is himself also an eighth and is one of the seven, and he goes to destruction. The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but they receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour. These have one purpose, and they give their power and authority to the beast. These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful.” …

“The woman whom you saw is the great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth.” (Revelation 17:7–14, 18)

In response to John’s confusion and amazement, the angel asked, “Why do you wonder?” There was no need for John to remain puzzled by the relation of the beast to this beautiful yet bloody woman in the vision. The angel was about to explain the mystery of the woman (verse 18) and of the beast that carries her (verses 8–17).

Verse 18 identifies the woman John saw as “the great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth.” Some commentators deny that the great city is a literal city, preferring to see it as a symbol of the religious aspect of Antichrist’s empire. Some identify it as Rome, others as Jerusalem. But the angel quite clearly and repeatedly refers to Babylon on the Euphrates throughout chapters 17–18. The description of Babylon’s destruction (18:10, 18, 21) also suggests that an actual city is in view. A rebuilt city of Babylon will be closely identified with Antichrist’s world empire, perhaps as its capital city. That city will be the center of his kingdom, the extent of which will be the whole earth.

The Old Testament predictions of Babylon’s total destruction (e.g., Isaiah 13:1–14:27; Jeremiah 50–51) also favor identifying the great city with Babylon on the Euphrates. The detailed description those passages give of Babylon’s destruction was only partially fulfilled when the Medes and Persians sacked the ancient city of Babylon. As with many Old Testament prophecies, those predictions had both a near and a far fulfillment.

The site of modern Babylon is strategically located at the crossroads of Asia, Europe, and Africa and is not far from the Persian Gulf. It is also near the world’s richest oil fields and has a virtually unlimited water supply from the Euphrates.

In verses 8–14 the angel gives John a lengthy description of the beast. He is explaining to John the relationship between the harlot and the beast, which had mystified the apostle (verses 6–7). However, the angel needed first to give him further details about the beast. The beast that John saw is Antichrist, the satanic ruler of the last and most powerful empire in human history, who will serve as Satan’s instrument to attack Israel, persecute believers, conquer the world for Satan, and oppose Christ. He is described as one “who was, and is not, and is about to come” again. That phrase refers to Antichrist’s faked death and resurrection (13:3, 12, 14). Up till that point, Antichrist’s economic empire will coexist with the false religious system headed by the false prophet. But after his staged “resurrection,” Antichrist will turn on the false religious system and destroy it. He will tolerate only one religion—the worship of himself.

Antichrist’s phony resurrection and swift destruction of the false religious system will shock the world. As it does throughout Revelation, the phrase “those who dwell on the earth” describes unbelievers. They are the ones whose name has not been written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world (13:8). Amazed and deceived by Antichrist, his followers will wonder when they see the beast, that he was and is not and will come. The specific cause for their amazement will be Antichrist’s seemingly miraculous return to life after receiving an apparently fatal wound (13:3–4). Only the elect will not fall for Antichrist’s deception (Matthew 24:24).

The angel’s statement “here is the mind which has wisdom” invites John and his readers to pay close attention to what follows. This unusual expression introduces a difficult and complex aspect of this vision. It will take much spiritual insight to understand it, and perhaps only those alive at the time will fully comprehend it.

The first aspect of the vision that needs to be understood is that the seven heads of the beast (verse 3) are “seven mountains [or hills] on which the woman sits.” Some commentators associate the seven mountains with Rome, famous for being built on seven hills, and identify the woman as the Roman Catholic Church. Such an interpretation is too narrow. More than just Rome must be in view, because Antichrist’s empire is worldwide. Nor can the woman be the Roman Catholic Church, since verse 18 identifies her as the city of Babylon. Also “when the woman sits on the ‘many waters’ (verse 1) this must be taken as metaphorical since it is interpreted in v. 15. When the woman sits upon ‘a scarlet … beast’ this again is symbolic. The seven mountains must also be figurative.”1 Finally, the angel’s call for spiritual discernment would have been pointless if the seven mountains were an obvious geographical reference to Rome.

Speculation is unnecessary, because the text plainly identifies the mountains as seven kings. Mountains are sometimes used in the Old Testament to represent rule or power (Psalm 30:7; Isaiah 2:2; Jeremiah 51:25; Daniel 2:35). Here they represent seven world empires led by their rulers. The angel tells John that “five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come.” The five Gentile world empires that had fallen were Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Greece. The one that existed at that time was obviously Rome. The other one that has not yet come is Antichrist’s final world empire.

The angel further explains that when Antichrist comes, he must “remain a little while.” His empire will be short-lived; he will be given “authority to act for forty-two months” (13:5; the second half of the tribulation). Then the angel offered the comment that “the beast which was and is not, is himself an eighth [king] and is one of the seven, and he goes to destruction.” How can the beast (Antichrist) be an eighth king and also one of the seven? The answer lies in the phrase “the beast … was and is not.” Antichrist will be one of the seven kings before his supposed demise and resurrection and an eighth king afterwards during the second phase of his rule. Antichrist will go to destruction—eternal damnation in the lake of fire (19:20; 20:10). Unlike the first six empires, his empire will be destroyed by a direct act of God.

The angel further explained that the ten horns that John saw are “ten kings.” They cannot be known to any earlier generation because they have not yet received a kingdom, since they are part of Antichrist’s future empire. They will receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour. Perhaps Antichrist’s empire will be divided into ten administrative regions, which these ten kings will rule under him. The reference to “one hour” is a figure of speech that emphasizes the shortness of their rule. During their brief reign, they will be unanimously devoted to Antichrist.

The agenda of the ten kings, like that of Satan and Antichrist, will be to wage war against the Lamb at the battle of Armageddon. John notes that the Lamb will overcome them. The battle will in reality be a slaughter. Christ will completely destroy the opposing forces gathered against Him at His second coming. The reason all the forces of hell cannot defeat the Lamb is because He is “Lord of lords and King of kings.”

With Christ when He returns will be “the called and chosen and faithful,” a reference that can only apply to believers (19:14; Matthew 22:14). The terms are rich in their definition of believers as the eternally elect, chosen in the Son before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4); the called, summoned in time by the Father to repentance and faith that saves (John 6:44); and faithful, demonstrating the true saving faith—the genuine eternal life that endures by the power of the Spirit (Romans 8:9). Christ will effortlessly crush the greatest armed force ever assembled when He returns with His elect and the holy angels (Matthew 24:30–31; 2 Thessalonians 1:7)

60. The Revelation: The Exposure of the Harlot (Revelation 16:1-6,15)

 

Throughout history Babylon has been an important center of false religion. In the end times, false religion will come back to where it started. The Devil who deceived the people at Babel, and from there launched false religion over the earth, will deceive the world once again. The final world religion, depicted as a harlot, is the theme of this vision.

THE EXPOSURE OF THE HARLOT

"Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, “Come here, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed acts of immorality, and those who dwell on the earth were made drunk with the wine of her immorality.” And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness; and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, full of blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns. The woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a gold cup full of abominations and of the unclean things of her immorality, and on her forehead a name was written, a mystery, “BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus. When I saw her, I wondered greatly.…

And he said to me, “The waters which you saw where the harlot sits, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues." (Rev. 17:1–6, 15)

That it was one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls who came and spoke with John connects the judgment of the harlot with the seven last plagues (16:1–21). Chronology halts in chapters 17 and 18 as the scene shifts from God’s judgments to Antichrist’s world empire, the target of those judgments. The great harlot that will be judged is not an actual prostitute. The term “harlot” is a metaphor for false religion, spiritual defection, idolatry, and religious apostasy. John’s vision exposes several aspects of the harlot city of Babylon.

Her Authority (Rev. 17:1b, 15)

The harlot in John’s vision sits in a position of authority and sovereignty like a king on his throne on or beside “many waters.” Cities in ancient times were usually located near a source of water, either the ocean, a river, lake, or spring. That was true of Babylon, which was located on the Euphrates River. Jeremiah 51:13 addresses ancient Babylon as “you who dwell by many waters,” the same phrase applied in this passage to her future counterpart. Just as the proud capital of the Babylonian Empire took her seat beside many waters, so also will the Babylonian harlot city of the future.

The phrase “many waters” does not, however, refer to the harlot’s geographical location. Instead, as the angel explains to John in verse 15, “The waters which you saw where the harlot sits, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues.” The metaphor is an apt one, since a city situated in a commanding position on a great waterway would be highly influential. The harlot will not merely influence, but will dominate all the unredeemed “peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues” of the earth. The harlot’s authority will be universal; the entire world will be committed to the false worship of the Babylonian system.

Her Alliances (Rev. 17:2–3)

Her association with the kings of the earth reveals that the scope of the harlot’s influence will be immense. The phrase “committed acts of immorality” translates a form of the Greek verb for committing sexual immorality. It aptly describes the harlot’s interaction with the kings of the earth.

The harlot will not be allied just with the rulers and influential people of the world. All those “who dwell on the earth [a technical term for unbelievers] were made drunk with the wine of her immorality.” All the unredeemed will be caught up in the final false religion; they will give their hearts and souls to the abominable Babylonian harlot. The angel is not describing people who are physically drunk with literal wine committing sexual immorality with an actual prostitute (though that may be happening). Instead, he is talking about those who are intoxicated with Antichrist’s false world religion.

Next, the angel with whom John had been speaking “carried [him] away in the Spirit into a wilderness” (cf. 1:10; 4:2; 21:10). “Wilderness” describes a deserted, desolate wasteland like the region where modern Babylon is located. There John saw “a woman sitting on a scarlet beast,” whose description identifies him as Antichrist (13:1, 4; 14:9; 16:10). That the woman was sitting on the scarlet beast signifies that he was supporting her. The initial unifying and controlling factor of Antichrist’s kingdom will be religion. With the heavens and the earth being ravaged by God’s judgments, and the world’s political, economic, and military might crumbling, people will turn in desperation to the supernatural. The beast and the woman will coexist for a while. Religion will be separate from the kingdom of Antichrist at first. But eventually “the beast … will hate the harlot and will make her desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh and will burn her up with fire” (verse 16). It will be at that point that the false prophet will make the whole world worship Antichrist (13:11–14), and everything will be unified in the beast’s comprehensive rule.

Scarlet is the color associated with luxury (2 Samuel 1:24), splendor, and royalty. It is also the color associated with sin (Isaiah 1:18) and the hue of blood. Antichrist will be a splendorous, royal, sinful, bloody beast, full of blasphemous names. In his arrogant self-deification, Antichrist will take for himself the names and titles that belong to God.

This demonic scarlet beast is further described as having seven heads and ten horns, showing the extent of his alliances. The seven heads “are seven mountains on which the woman sits, and they are seven kings; five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain a little while” (verses 9–10). They represent seven mountains, seven past, present, and future governments. The ten horns represent ten kings (verse 12), who will rule as subordinates to Antichrist (verse 13).

The harlot’s alliances will be comprehensive. Her deadly embrace will encompass all the unredeemed, from kings and rulers to common people; all will worship and submit to her religion. Far from being separated, church and state will be united as never before in human history.

Her Apparel (Rev. 17:4a)

Prostitutes usually dress so as to attract attention to themselves, and metaphorically the harlot Babylon will be no different. John saw her clothed in purple and scarlet, the colors of royalty, nobility, and wealth. That she is adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls portrays her as a prostitute who is both attractive (Proverbs 7:10) and has become extremely wealthy.

Her Abominations (Rev. 17:4b–5)

As a further indication of her wealth, the harlot had in her hand a gold cup. Like prostitutes who want to take everything their victims have, she will make her victims drunk (Jeremiah 51:7). The harlot’s gold cup is “full of abominations and of the unclean things of her immorality.”

As was customary for prostitutes to identify themselves in the Roman world, the harlot Babylon also had a name written on her forehead. The harlot is called mystery BABYLON to indicate that BABYLON in this context does not refer to a geographical location. This is not ancient Babylon, the Babylon of John’s day, or the rebuilt city of Babylon in the end times. The details of this vision cannot be applied to any actual city. Here is a previously undisclosed Babylon, a secret reality to be revealed in the end times. Babylon will be the source of all the false, blasphemous worship in the end times. Her designation as “THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS” is appropriate, since harlotry in Scripture often symbolizes idolatry (e.g., Judges 2:17; 8:27, 33; Ezekiel 16:30–31, 36).

Her Accusation (Rev. 17:6)

Like many harlots, this woman was drunk, but not from drinking alcohol. The Babylonian harlot is pictured as “drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus.” That vivid expression was commonly used in the ancient world to depict a murderous lust for violence. Some see “the saints” and “the witnesses of Jesus” as two distinct groups, the former being the Old Testament saints and the latter the New Testament saints. More likely, however, the two descriptions refer to the same group and describe God’s people throughout history. The important point is that false religion, represented here by the harlot, is a murderer. While the world becomes drunk with lust for her, the harlot becomes drunk with the blood of God’s people. The vision was so appalling that when John saw her, he “wondered greatly,” expressing that he was confused, shocked, astonished, and frightened by the ghastly vision of such a magnificent figure of a woman with such a deadly intent.

59. The Revelation: The Seventh Bowl (Revelation 16:17-21)

 

The Seventh Bowl

"Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl upon the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne, saying, “It is done.” And there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder; and there was a great earthquake, such as there had not been since man came to be upon the earth, so great an earthquake was it, and so mighty. The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. Babylon the great was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And huge hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, came down from heaven upon men; and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, because its plague was extremely severe." (Rev. 16:17–21)

The seventh bowl is the final outpouring of God’s wrath on sinners in this present earth. It will be the worst calamity in the world’s history. Its effects carry all the way to the establishment of the earthly kingdom of Christ. Like the fourth angel, the seventh angel did not dump his bowl on the earth, but poured it out “upon the air.” Its first effects were on the earth’s atmosphere, as if God were cleansing the former domain of Satan and his demon hosts (12:9). The earth (verse 2), the sea (verse 3), the waters (verse 4), the sun (verse 8), and finally the air are all the targets of judgment.

As the angel dumped his bowl, a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne. God’s solemn declaration “It is done” announces the climax of the final day of the Lord that will spread doom over the entire globe. The perfect tense “it is done” describes a completed action with ongoing results. It is similar to Jesus’ final words from the cross, “It is finished” (John 19:30). God’s judgment of Christ on Calvary provided salvation for repentant sinners; the judgment of the seventh bowl brings doom to unrepentant sinners.

The pouring out of the seventh bowl dramatically affected the atmosphere; there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder. Like the seventh seal (8:5) and the seventh trumpet (11:19), the seventh bowl is introduced with the imagery of a violent thunderstorm. But those earlier storms were mere previews of the mighty storm of wrath that now bursts upon the earth.

Though the seventh bowl was dumped on the earth’s atmosphere, it will also have a devastating effect on the earth itself. God will punctuate this final judgment against sinners with an earthquake, just as He did His judgment of sin at Calvary (Matthew 27:51–54). This earthquake will be the most powerful one ever to strike the earth. John described it as “a great earthquake, such as there had not been since man came to be upon the earth.” The shaking will be so severe that it will renovate and reconfigure the earth in preparation for the millennial kingdom, restoring it to something like its pre-flood condition (verse 20).

The first effect of this great and mighty earthquake was that “the great city was split into three parts.” A comparison with 11:8 clearly identifies the great city as Jerusalem, “the great city … where also [the] Lord was crucified.” That the great city is distinct from the cities of the nations offers further evidence that Jerusalem is in view. The massive earthquake will split Jerusalem into three parts, beginning a series of geophysical alterations to the city and its surrounding region that will conclude when the Lord Jesus Christ returns. Zechariah 14:4–10 describes these changes in detail. The Mount of Olives will split in two, and a new valley running east and west will be created (Zechariah 14:4). A spring of water will flow year-round from Jerusalem to the Mediterranean and Dead Seas (Zechariah 14:8), causing the desert to blossom like a rose (cf. Isaiah 35:1). Jerusalem will be elevated, and the surrounding region flattened into a plain (Zechariah 14:10). Thus, the purpose of the earthquake as it relates to Jerusalem is not to judge the city, but to enhance it. Jerusalem was judged earlier in the tribulation by an earthquake, which led to the salvation of those who were not killed (11:13). Thus, there is no need for further judgment on that city. The physical changes will prepare Jerusalem for the central role it will play during the millennial kingdom, when Christ will reign there as King (Psalm 110:2; Isaiah 2:3; 24:23; Micah 4:7).

Unlike Jerusalem, which was enhanced by the earthquake, the cities of the nations fell, perhaps simultaneously with the defeat of Antichrist by the Lamb (17:12–14). Specifically singled out is Babylon the great, which “was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath.” As the capital city of Antichrist’s empire, Babylon especially will be made to drink the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath (chapters 17 and 18).

The final effect of the earthquake is to prepare the earth for the millennial rule of Christ. To that end, the earth’s topography will be drastically altered; “every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.” Islands, which are undersea mountains, will disappear. The mountains on land will be flattened (Isaiah 40:4), completing the process that began during the sixth seal (6:12–14).

Those who somehow escape the devastation caused by the earthquake will face another catastrophe, one unprecedented in earth’s history. They will be pelted with “huge hailstones, about one hundred pounds each,” that will hurtle down from heaven. Unlike the seventh Egyptian plague (Exodus 9:23–24) and the first trumpet judgment (8:7), the force of these hailstones is unimaginable. The Greek term translated “about one hundred pounds” described the most weight a normal man could carry, anywhere from 90 to 135 pounds. The heaviest hailstones ever recorded weighed about two pounds. These will be fifty times heavier. No doubt many will die due to inadequate shelter or no shelter following the massive earthquake.

Still unrepentant, the survivors of the hailstorm will blaspheme God “because of the plague of the hail, because its plague was extremely severe.” Incredibly, tortured humanity remains hardened against God—a truth that should give pause to those who think that signs and wonders will convince people to believe the gospel. In light of the inevitable judgment to come, the warning to all unrepentant sinners is “Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts” (Hebrews 4:7).

58. The Revelation: The Fifth and Sixth Bowls (Revelation 16:10-16)

 

The Fifth Bowl

"Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom became darkened; and they gnawed their tongues because of pain, and they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores; and they did not repent of their deeds." (Rev. 16:10–11)

As He did long ago in Egypt (Exodus 10:21–29), God will turn up the intense suffering of the sinful world by turning out the lights. After the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, his kingdom became darkened (cf. 9:2; Exodus 10:21–23). Commentators disagree over where specifically this bowl will be dumped. Some think it will be on the actual throne that the beast sits on; others on his capital city of Babylon; still others on his entire kingdom. It is best to see the throne as a reference to his kingdom, since the bowl poured out on the throne darkens the whole kingdom. Regardless of the exact location where the bowl is dumped, the result is that darkness engulfs the whole earth, which is Antichrist’s worldwide kingdom. The beast will be as helpless before the power of God as anyone else.

The cumulative effect of the painful sores, fouled oceans, lack of drinking water, intense heat, all engulfed in thick blackness, will bring unbearable misery. Yet, incredibly, the wicked, unbelieving people of the world will still refuse to repent. John notes that they gnawed their tongues because of the most intense and excruciating pain. Still “they did not repent of their deeds.” This is the last reference to their unwillingness to repent. The first five plagues were God’s final call to repentance. Sinners ignored that call, and are now confirmed in their unbelief. The final two bowls, containing the severest of all the judgments, will be poured out on hardened, implacable impenitents.

The Sixth Bowl

"The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river, the Euphrates; and its water was dried up, so that the way would be prepared for the kings from the east. And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs; for they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty. (“Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes, so that he will not walk about naked and men will not see his shame.”) And they gathered them together to the place which in Hebrew is called Har-Magedon." (Rev. 16:12–16)

Unlike the previous five bowls, the sixth has no specific assault on humanity but prepares for what is to come. When his turn came, the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river, the Euphrates. The Euphrates appeared earlier in Revelation in connection with the sixth trumpet judgment (9:14), when two hundred million demons who were bound near it were released. It was considered the longest and most significant river in the Middle East and therefore called the great river. Its source is in the snowfields and ice cap high on the slopes of Mount Ararat (located in modern Turkey), from which it flows some eighteen hundred miles before emptying into the Persian Gulf. In ancient times the garden of Eden was located in the vicinity of the Euphrates (Genesis 2:10–14). The Euphrates also formed the eastern boundary of the land God gave to Israel (Genesis 15:18; Deuteronomy 1:7; 11:24; Joshua 1:4). Along with the nearby Tigris, the Euphrates is still the lifeblood of the Fertile Crescent.

By the time the sixth bowl is poured out, the Euphrates will be very different than it is today or has ever been. The blazing heat from the sun associated with the fourth bowl will melt the snow and the ice cap on Mount Ararat. That will vastly increase the volume of water in the Euphrates, causing massive damage and flooding along its course. The bridges spanning the river will surely be destroyed. Thus, the reason for the sixth bowl becomes apparent. As the angel dumped his bowl, the Euphrates’s “water was dried up, so that the way would be prepared for the kings from the east.” The eastern armies will need to cross the Euphrates to reach their ultimate destination of Armageddon in the land of Palestine.

God’s drying up of the Euphrates is not an act of kindness toward the kings from the east, but one of judgment. They and their armies will be entering a deadly trap. The evaporation of the Euphrates will lead them to their doom, just as the parting of the Red Sea led to the destruction of the Egyptian army.

In a grotesque vision, like something out of a horror movie, John “saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs.” From the mouth (symbolizing the source of influence) of each member of the unholy trinity (Satan, Antichrist, and the false prophet) came a foul, unclean spirit resembling a frog. Frogs were unclean animals (Leviticus 11:10, 41), but these are not literal frogs. John identified the froglike apparitions as spirits of demons. This graphic illustration pictures the cold-blooded vileness of these demons, who seduce the kings from the east into making the difficult journey to their doom at Armageddon under the demons’ deluding influence (cf. 1 Kings 22:19–22).

Amid all the horrors of judgment, deception, and war comes a word of encouragement to believers: “Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes, so that he will not walk about naked and men will not see his shame.” This gracious word from heaven will come before the pouring out of the seventh bowl and assure believers that they will not be forgotten. There were similar respites to encourage God’s people between the sixth and seventh seals (7:1–17) and between the sixth and seventh trumpets (10:1–11:14). Because the bowl judgments take place in a short period of time, the respite between the sixth and seventh bowls is very brief.

Then the exalted Lord pronounced the third of seven beatitudes in Revelation (1:3; 14:13; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7, 14): “Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes, so that he will not walk about naked and men will not see his shame.” This describes those who will be prepared for His arrival. The imagery here is of soldiers alert and on duty. Only a soldier who stays awake and keeps his clothes on is ready for combat. Only those whom Jesus finds prepared when He returns will be blessed.

After the brief interlude of encouragement for the redeemed, the prophetic narrative returns to the events of the sixth bowl. The deceiving demon spirits will have gathered the nations “together to the place which in Hebrew is called Har-Magedon.” “Har-Magedon” is a Hebrew word meaning “Mount Megiddo.” Since there is no specific mountain by that name, and Har can refer to hill country, it is probably a reference to the hill country surrounding the Plain of Megiddo, some sixty miles north of Jerusalem (See Map below). More than two hundred battles have been fought in that region. The Plain of Megiddo and the nearby Plain of Esdraelon will be the focal point for the Battle of Armageddon, which will rage the entire length of Israel as far south as the Edomite city of Bozrah (Isaiah 63:1). Other battles will also occur in the vicinity of Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:1–3).