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Revelation chapters 18 & 19
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18:3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
Remember in chapter 17, the angel said that this wine is the blood of saints, and martyrs. It is the blood of God's Bible loving, commandment keeping people. 17:6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: So since all nations get drunk, that means all nations kill God's Bible loving people. |
 Revelation
18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. 18:5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. 18:6 Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double. She will get two times the punishment for what she has done.
The angel wants all to understand that the reason for all the punishment is because the crimes of this woman (church of Rome) are horrible. |
    
18:8 Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, |
  death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong [is] the Lord God who
judges her.
(See explanations for these plagues under the lesson on the plagues.) Please note that God wants all to understand why He has to punish. He is a God of love but also of justice. |
18:9 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, 18:10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come. 18:11 And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buys their merchandise any more: So all the business men are standing around crying because they can't figure out how they can make any money. The kings of all the countries are afraid they will get the same punishment. Because they did the same sins as she did. So they stand at a distance watching. They are amazed that in just one hour everything fell apart. This is still future. It has not happened yet. It happens after the close of probation. It happens Jesus stands up and says all is finished. It happens at the very end. Remember one hour is 15 days. |
 Notice
the list of items which used to be for sale. They are all things used by
the Catholic church in ceremonies. Notice the slaves and souls of men at
the end of the list. It was mentioned earlier that the Pope supported the
United States slave trade and helped the South in the war over
slavery. How terrible that money is made off of people who believe
they can pay for a dead relative to get their soul into heaven.
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18:14 And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou
shall find them no more at all.  18:15 The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, 18:16 And saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls! |
 18:17 For in one hour so great riches is come to
nothing. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off, 18:18 And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, |
18:18 And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What [city is] like unto this great city! 18:19 And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate. This part has not happened yet. It is still yet to come at the end of the world. The people who admired the Roman Catholic church stand a long ways off and cry. They are sorry that all the wealth is gone. In just one hour it all fell apart. But in heaven there is a different reaction. The angels rejoice. |
God's people are relieved that the trouble
has finally stopped. All the apostles
and prophets who have been wounded by Satan's helpers through the history
of this earth, rejoice that punishment is finally given.
18:20 Rejoice over her, [thou] heaven, and [ye] holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her. The word avenge means to get even or pay them back, or punish. |
18:21 And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast [it] into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.
(A millstone grinds wheat to make bread. Bread is a symbol for Bible truth. The heavy millstone was violently thrown down as a symbol of how God feels about the wicked lies and crimes done in Rome.) There will be no more happiness, music, light,
or anything because of all the lies told there and Satan worship. They had
tricked all nations. |
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18:24 And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.
Again, the third time, John is told all these punishments are because of all the Bible loving people they killed. God wants to make sure it is clear that this punishment is deserved. |
| Just look at all the joy in heaven
over the stopping of the crimes against God's Bible loving, commandment
keeping people!
Revelation 19:1 And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and
honor, and power, unto the Lord our God: |
 
19:7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give
honor to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. 19:8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. 19:9 And he said unto me, Write, Blessed [are] they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he said unto me, These are the true sayings of God. |
19:11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him [was] called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth
judge and make war. 19:12 His eyes [were] as a flame of fire, and on his head [were] many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 19:13 And he [was] clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 19:14 And the armies [which were] in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 19:15 And out of his mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 19:16 And he hath on [his] vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. |
19:17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; 19:18 That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all [men, both] free and bond, both small and great. |
 
19:19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. |
19:20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. |
These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. |
 19:21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which [sword] proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.
Jesus is on that white horse. The white horse of victory and power is a symbol of the King's chariot of heaven.
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All the fowls were filled with the flesh of those who hated God and
refused His love. They would never be happy among the pure happy singing
people of God. Heaven would make them miserable because they are so
selfish and hateful. Loving people bring a rage into their hearts. Ezekiel
33:11 says that God does not want them to die. They have chosen death. It
makes God broken hearted. He loved and created these people. He did all He
could to love and win their hearts.
Vultures eat up the dead bodies. That is a gruesome picture of what is left of the proud and wealthy who killed God's Bible loving people. |
| Quiz
1. How long did it take God to break Babylon apart? 2. How much time did it take for Babylon to receive her plagues? 3. What big heavy object was violently thrown into the sea to show how God would punish Babylon? 4. What are these big heavy objects used for? 5. What are the two opposite reactions to the punishment? 6. How many times does the angel tell John why the punishment is given? 7. What is the woman drunk with? 8. What are ALL nations drunk with? 9. In Rev. 18:16 it tells all the things that decorated this woman church? Can you name 6 items? 10 In Rev. 18: 12 & 13 it has a list of 21 items this woman church collected and bought and sold. Tell about the people on this list. 11.
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| Credits: Paintings, photography and text by Larose.
KJV Bible used
3d art by son Kyle age 13. |
"And after these things I saw another angel come down from
heaven, having great power; and the earth was lighted with his glory. And
he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is
fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of
every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird."
Rev. 18:1-3
18:7 How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. 
18:12 The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble,