Revelation 17 began with an interlude; a pause from the events of the great tribulation period. One of the seven angels with one of the seven bowls took John into the wilderness, a barren and desolate desert to show John why Babylon was singled out for judgement. Here John sees a woman dressed in scarlet and purple, adorned with the riches of the world. The woman sits upon a scarlet beast kingdom with seven heads and ten horns. The beast is full of blasphemy - blasphemous men and women who mock the God of heaven, while worshiping a false and malicious god. From this location, the woman demonstrates her ruling power over the kings of the earth, and the many waters - peoples, multitudes, nations and tongues.
The golden cup in her hands is full of vile things. The name written on her forehead was a mystery; Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth; suggesting a middle east location. John also witnessed a plot of vengeance, a conspiracy, against the woman, organized by ten kings who control the affairs of the beast kingdom. The angel identifies the woman named Babylon the Great, as that great city, who rules over the kings of the earth. (how much more obvious can it be?)
After John is shown all these things, a second angel comes down from heaven having great power and, lightens the earth with his glory:18:1. John isn't taken in the spirit, when the second angel arrives, indicating that John and the first angel, are still in the wilderness, where the beast, and the woman are located: 17:3.
And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the Great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils (δαιμονιον – demons), and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. Revelation 18:2
The angel proclaims, loudly, that Babylon has fallen into spiritual depravity. The city is the habitation of devils; the foul spirits of demons, and unclean and hateful birds.
When the light of the second angel fills the earth, demons scatter, and John sees the vile undertones of spiritual activity, that has claimed dominion over the city. Babylon is full of devils and demons. It is not a city filled with the Holy Spirit but, instead, the city crawls with the demonic influences that effect every man, woman and child left on earth.
For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornications, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants (εμποροι global traders) of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. 18:3
The second angel summarizes what the first angel, had revealed in 17:2. The nations of the earth reel from her intoxicating spiritual fornication. All nations had submitted to her delicacies, her luxuries in the form of religious harlotry; the worship of the image of the beast, taking his mark so that they can buy and sell. The inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk, because the kings of the earth are deeply entrenched in her fornication, her immoral trade and, the merchants of the earth have accumulated great wealth through her many imports.
And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people that you be not partakers of her sins and that you receive not of her plagues (5) For her sins have reached unto heaven and God has remembered her iniquities. 18:4,5
A voice from heaven warns those who remain to flee, before judgment falls. The verbal inflection of ‘come out of her’ implies a physical location; to flee - before judgement falls. The citizens, workers and merchants, are given a final warning; leave or, be pummeled with the judgement of God’s wrath. As God is always merciful, the inhabitants of Babylon are given one last chance to leave the city. Those who mock God will stay, while others, fearing His wrath, will flee.
My people, go out of the midst of her, and deliver every man his soul from the fierce anger of the Lord. Jeremiah 51:45
Reward her even as she rewarded you and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled, fill to her double. 7) How much she has glorified herself, and lived deliciously so much torment and sorrow give her, for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. 8) Therefore shall her plaques come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judges her. Revelation 18:6-8
The conspiracy of the ten kings to destroy the great city 17:16-17, was about to be doubled by the hand of God. He saw her fruit, and it was bad; wicked and vile. She was going to receive an attack so huge, that it would ultimately bring about her destruction.
Her cup of fornication and filth, will be filled double and dumped upon her head. What she has dished out to the nations, will be given back in double portions. God will pure his cup of righteous wrath into hers, according to her works; exposing her to ruin.
And the kings of the earth who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning. Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour thy judgment come. And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buys their merchandise any more: Revelation 18:9-11
The merchants of the earth: Greek: εμποροι, global traders, are global traders. John is documenting that her economic reach is international. The merchants of the earth mourn the loss of the single greatest consumer port; they have ever had. The entire city who purchased the bulk of their merchandise (Greek: γομον – cargo) had just gone up in smoke.
They had so much invested in her; in aspects of trade, the buying and selling under the mark of the beast system had made them rich and, they were able to live abundantly with her. Revelation 18:12-14 details a list of her imports. The massive amount of imports confirm that the city participates in a form of international trade. The variety of products she receives are brought to her from all over the world.
And now, everything had gone; up in a puff of smoke. The fruits of her soul, were a darkened spiritual fulfillment, centered on a mark of allegiance, that controlled the buying and selling, of the entire world.
The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing. And saying, Alas, Alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen purple and scarlet, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls! Revelation 18:15-16
The merchants εμποροι (global traders) who were made rich by her, stand far off, for fear of her torment. They are full of great anguish and they begin to weep and wail. She, that great city, is in torment, as her destruction becomes a painful reality. She suffers, as her flesh is consumed by fire, and the noise of her burning becomes frightful shrieks of agony, as the fire consumes it all.
For in one-hour such great wealth is laid to waste. And every shipmaster and every passenger and sailor, and as many as trade by sea, stood far off, and cried when they saw the smoke of her burning saying, ‘What city is like this great city! And they cast dust on their heads and cried, weeping and wailing, saying woe, woe, that great city, in which all who had ships were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness (upkeep) for in one hour is she made desolate. Revelation 18:17-19
Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed: howl for her; take balm for her pain, if so, be she may be healed. Jeremiah 51:8
The merchants are joined with shipmasters, global traders, passengers, sailors and sea traders who stand far away and watched as she burns. What burns like that? Oil and natural gas. The great city, located in the
wilderness, the desert, is abundant with ample supplies of gas and oil - suggesting a middle eastern location.
And Babylon, the beauty of kingdoms, the glory of the Chaldeans’ pride, Will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. Isaiah 13:19
And they cast dust on their heads and cried, weeping and wailing. This is a middle eastern custom, that has been practiced for thousands of years. People display deep mourning and sorrow by weeping and wailing, throwing dust on their heads and ripping at their clothes. This custom points to a people central to a middle eastern location; a people who persecute Israel, as well as believers of Christ Jesus.
Rejoice over her, O’ heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her. And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and will be found no more at all. Revelation 18:20,21
Babylon will not be found any longer….
Babylon will be destroyed suddenly, and quickly. The saints who were slaughtered inside the gates of her city, will be avenged, and God will use the ten horns to do it! As unbelievers, even haters of Christ Jesus, they will have no clue, that they were used in this way.
And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman of whatsoever craft he be, will be found any more in thee, and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee; and the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee; for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries (pharmakeia, pharmaceuticals) were all nations deceived. Revelation 18:22,23
The city will be silenced; only the sound of her burning will be heard for all time. The sounds of celebrations and merriment will cease. Neither craft nor, candles will survive. The festivities and music will end. The bakers who grind the millstone, had fled. Those who didn’t flee became part of her judgement.
And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain (εσφαγμενων) upon the earth. Revelation 18:24
For inside her walls was found the blood of the prophets and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth. This is speaking of the great tribulation period. Though, Babylon is one city, one very large city, she had accepted the proclamation of antichrist; to hunt and terminate those who refused to take the mark.
Through her great deception, and her numerous harlot cities scattered across the face of the earth who are beholden to the beast kingdom and its king; she is responsible for the slaughter of those, who have refused the mark, and those who carry the testimony of Christ Jesus.
The Greek: εσφαγμενων – is the word that John used in the English translation for all those that were slain. In the Greek the word means: to slay, slaughter, butcher: the receiver of a violent death, in ritual sacrifice to a god, quite literally butchered. εσφαγμενων is the same word found in Revelation 6:9 which is a perfect summary for the great tribulation period. Greek 4969
When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held.
For a literal fulfillment of prophecy, there needs to be a merchant system in the land of Shinar, the ancient land of Babel, and the Babylonian kingdoms.
What begun in 2010 is nearing completion, The Al Faw Grand Port in Basra, Iraq, will be one of the largest merchant ports in the world. Not only is there a shipping port in the works but the next phase is connecting Asia and Europe via the Development Road, creating a gateway for global shipping.
The port will serve as an alternative to the Suez canal, cutting shipping time in half. The significance of a global port and dry shipping line will literally transform Iraq from barren desert, into a major trade hub, connecting Asia and Europe via the Development Road aka: Dry Canal into Turkey. When completed, the Development Road will consist of 745 miles of highways and railroads - right through the heart of the ancient kingdom of Babylon. The timing of a global port and the possibility of a literal fulfillment of Bible prophecy has set cautionary expectations high, and many are exploring the prophetic implications in Bible prophecy.
For those who wait for a literal fulfillment of prophecy - this is something to keep an eye on - perhaps the mystery of Babylon the Great will finally be solved.
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