The Second Coming of Jesus Christ
19: 1-19

The Second Coming of Yeshua Messiah is easily the most exciting event in Bible prophecy. Every believer waits for the blessed hope – the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own (Titus 2:13-14). His Second Coming will be in stark contrast to His First Coming, when He fulfilled the promises of a Savior. On that occasion, He came humbly, to be born in a manger. He allowed Himself to be abused and beaten by men, even to the point of being spit upon and crucified. However, the next time our Lord will not come in humility, but in great glory and power. His glorious appearing will significantly contrast His humble birth about two thousand years ago.

Chapters 4 through 18 of the book of Revelation dealt primarily with the events of the Great Tribulation. Beginning in Chapter 19, however, there is a noticeable change. Dani’els’ 70^th Seven on the earth will be over and the spotlight will then focus on heaven and the Second Coming of the King of kings and Lord of lords.

Dear Heavenly Father, Praise Your power and wisdom. You are Sovereign over all the universe and have everything under your control. You have already won the battle of the ages! It will happen exactly when You say the time is right. You will reign eternally! We love and worship You! In the holy name of Your Son and His power of resurrection. Amen

The Basis for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ
Zechariah 12:10

The rabbis teach that the Messiah will return when every single Jew in the world keeps the same Sabbath. Once again, they use human works as a basis for a relationship with ADONAI. He, however, desires repentance and faith. Without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6).

The Rapture of the Church has no requirements and can come at any moment. But the Second Coming of Jesus Christ has an enormous requirement. However, before we can understand the basis for His return, we must understand His rejection.

Long before the birth of Yeshua, the ancient rabbis separated miracles into two categories. Those miracles that anyone could do if they were empowered by the Holy Spirit, and secondly, miracles that only the Messiah could perform. These messianic miracles were taken from Isaiah 35:5-6 (see my commentary on Isaiah, to see link click Gl – Three Messianic Miracles). The purpose of these messianic miracles was to serve a sign to the nation of Isra’el to force them to come to a decision about them. Unfortunately, because of their belief in the Oral Law (see my commentary on The Life of Christ Ei – The Oral Law), the Jewish leadership led the nation into rejecting Jesus on the basis of demon possession (see my commentary on The Life of Christ Ek – It is only by Beelzebub, the Prince of Demons, That This Fellow Drives Out Demons).

Therefore, just as the Jewish leadership once led the nation into rejecting Jesus as the Messiah, they must one day lead the nation to accepting Jesus as the Messiah. This explains the devil’s war against the Jews throughout history in general, and during the Great Tribulation in particular. The Adversary knows that when Christ returns, his freedom will end. Satan also knows that Jesus will not come back until the Jewish leaders ask Him to come back. So if Satan can succeed in destroying the Jews once and for all before they come to national repentance, then Jesus will not come back and Satan’s free reign will be eternally secure. That is why once Satan is confined to the earth (12:7-12), during the second half of the Great Tribulation, he knows his time is short and he expends all his satanic energies to try and destroy the Jews once and for all. Anti-Semitism in any form, whether it is active or passive, racial, ethnic, national, economic, political, religious or theological, it is all part of the satanic strategy to avoid the Second Coming.⁴⁰⁷

The two fold basis, then, for the Second Coming of Yeshua the Messiah is first, Isra’el must confess her national sin (Isaiah 53:1-9), and secondly, she must plead for Him to return. There are seven passages that reveal the basis for the Second Coming.

Through the acceptance of the third sign of Jonah to the nation, the resurrection of the Two Witnesses (Dm), the Jews in Jerusalem will become believers. They, along with the preaching of the 144,000 Jews (Cr), will evangelize the leaders of Isra’el with the gospel. These leaders will then lead the nation to confession of their national sin of the rejection of the Messiah and then plead for His return.

First, they must confess their national sin and the national sin of their fathers (Leviticus 26:40-42). Moses predicted the Jews would be scattered all over the world because of their rejection of Jesus. But here in Leviticus, ADONAI, says that He has every intention of giving Isra’el all the blessings of the Abrahamic Covenant during the Messianic Kingdom if only they will confess their national sin and the national sin of their fathers when they rejected Jesus as the Anointed One.

Secondly, Jeremiah 3:11-18 the prophet begins to describe the blessings that God has in store for Isra’el during the Messianic Kingdom. It will be a time of tremendous blessing and restoration for the Jewish people when Christ establishes His Kingdom. But all of the blessings mentioned will be conditional. Only acknowledge your guilt – you have rebelled against ADONAI your God, you have scattered your favors to foreign gods under every spreading tree, and have not obeyed Me, declares ADONAI.

Thirdly, God’s prophet Hosea declares: Then I will go back to My place until they acknowledge their offense and admit their guilt. And they will seek My face; in their misery they will earnestly seek Me (Hosea 5:15). Jesus went back to heaven after His ascension. Because of that one specific offense (the word is singular) committed against Him, He returned to heaven from the Mount of Olives (Acts 1:9). Hosea tells us that Jesus will not return until the offense that caused Him to leave is acknowledged. That offense was His rejection by the Jewish leadership and the nation of Isra’el as a whole. In addition, Hosea is the only prophet that tells us how long this national confession will last: After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will restore us (Hosea 6:1-3). So he prophesies that Isra’el will confess her sins and plead for Messiah to return for two days, and then on the third day all Isra’el will be saved (Romans 11:26a).

Dear Holy Heavenly Father, You are so wise! You created the mankind to love You so You could take them to live in heaven with you forever – but first they must accept the sacrifice of Your Son Yeshua as the sin offering for their sin.He made the One who knew no sin to become a sin offering on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God (Second Corinthians 5:21). Satan will be working extra hard persecuting the Jews, but You are in control and will turn His evil into good. The persecution will cause the Jews to finally recognize Jeshua as the Messiah that they have been looking for, the Holy Jewish Messiah of the world. They will mourn.

Fourthly, Zechariah Chapters 12, 13 and 14 are one prophetic revelation, a unit of thought that develops one theme. Chapter 13 speaks of the national cleansing of Isra’el from their sin. Chapter 14 describes the Second Coming and the establishment of the Messianic Kingdom. But the cleansing of Isra’el and the Second Coming are all conditional on one verse: And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look to Me, the One they have pierced, and they will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for Him as one grieves for a firstborn son (Zechariah 12:10). It is important to understand that the Jews will say: They will look to Me, not look upon Me. These are two separate Hebrew words. The Hebrew word alay means to look upon or to see; however, the Hebrew word elay means to look to in faith. The Jews will not merely see Christ like the rest of the unbelieving world, but they will look to Him in faith. Before Isra’el can receive the cleansing of her national sin and before Christ will return to establish His Kingdom, Isra’el must first look to the One they have pierced in faith and plead for Him to return. Once they do this, and only then, will they receive their cleansing and begin to enjoy the blessings of the Kingdom.

Fifthly, in Isaiah 59:1-15a, at the end of the Tribulation, when the antichrist and the armies of the world tighten the noose around the neck of the Jews in Jerusalem and Bozrah (see the commentary on Isaiah Kg – The Second Coming of Jesus Christ to Bozrah), the spiritual scales will fall from their eyes and the one-third of the Jews still alive confess their national sin in general terms. One of the three purposes of the Great Tribulation is to break the stubbornness of the Jewish nation (Dani’el 11-12; Ezeki’el 20:34-38). It is through the crucible of the Great Tribulation that Isra’el will be brought to repentance.

Sixthly, in Isaiah 53:1-9, we see the death of the Servant on the cross and as a result, Isra’el’s national confession at the end of the Great Tribulation. These verses contain Isra’el’s prayer in more specific terms at the end to the Great Tribulation that brings about the Second Coming of Christ. The actual words of this prayer are found in four key passages of Scripture, first, in Psalm 79:1-13, secondly in Psalm 80:1-19, thirdly here in Isaiah 53:1-9, and lastly in Isaiah 63:7 to 64:12. All tenses are prophetic perfects, or future events looked upon as already taken place.

Lastly, Matthew records Jesus’ condemnation of the Scribes and Pharisees, the Jewish leadership of that day, for leading the nation in the rejection of the Messiah. Jesus said: O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see Me again until you say, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” (Matthew 23:37-39). Speaking directly to the Jewish leadership, and repeats His desire to gather them if they would only accept Him. But because they had rejected Him, instead of being gathered they would be scattered. Their house, the Jewish Temple, will be left desolate and will be destroyed, with nothing remaining. Then He announces that they will not see Him again until they say the messianic blessing: Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. When they speak those words, they will have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.⁴⁰⁸

Thus, at the end of the Great Tribulation, as the armies of the antichrist are closing in on Petra, and as the Jews in Jerusalem await execution for refusing the mark of the beast, the spiritual scales will fall from their eyes and they finally realize that Yeshua is the Messiah. At that time they will confess their national sin and plead for Him to return. Two-thirds of the Jews that entered the Great Tribulation will be struck down and perish; yet the one-third will be left. Jesus says: This third I will bring into the fire of the Great Tribulation; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on My name and I will answer them. I will say, “They are My people,” and they will say, “ADONAI is our God” (Zechariah 13:8-9). And so all Isra’el will be saved (Romans 11:26a), and receive their glorified bodies at that time going into the Messianic Kingdom.

Hallelujah!
The Smoke From Her Goes Up Forever and Ever
19: 1-5

Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up forever and ever DIG: In contrast to the silence after the fall of Babylon (18:22), what characterizes the new scene in heaven? Who participates in this praise? What do you learn about God’s character?

REFLECT: What are three things for which you are extremely grateful to God? How do you usually express your gratitude to Him about these? How does seeing Babylon defeated (and condemned), and Jesus triumphant (and glorious) affect your overall view of your problems here and now? What is one problem you plan on managing more confidently and joyfully as a result of your study of Revelation?

After the destruction of Babylon and the worldwide reaction that will follow, the roar of a great multitude will be heard in heaven. This great multitude will consist of Tribulation martyrs, the righteous of the TaNaKh, and New Covenant believers, and the angels. The Ruach HaKodesh gives us five reasons for heaven’s joy.

First, because full salvation will have come. After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting: Hallelujah! The chorus opens with the important word Hallelujah, an exclamation of praise to God. The Greek word Allelouia is a transliteration of a Hebrew phrase made up of the verb halal, meaning to praise, and the noun Yah, or God. So it simply means praise the Lord. It appears only here in the New Covenant. Heaven will rejoice because salvation will have come for those who believe in Yeshua as the Messiah. They will cry out: Glory and power belong to our God (19:1).⁴⁰⁵ In days of old, the Shechinah glory of God, El HaKavod, appeared in the cloud as a raging fire on Mount Sinai. Just as His glory filled the Temple in heaven, it also appears through us who believe today.

Secondly, because justice will have been given out. Those praising ADONAI in heaven will declare His truth and justice because He will have condemned the great prostitute who corrupted the earth by her adulteries (Jeremiah 51:48). Throughout history God’s people have been distressed by the injustice of the world and have longed for His justice to come (Isaiah 9:6-7). But the wicked will not get away with their sin forever. When He comes back again, Jesus will personally avenge on her the blood of His servants (Revelation 19:2; Deuteronomy 32:43; Second Thessalonians 1:6-8). His judgments are true and just because He gives people what they deserve (Psalm 119:137).

Thirdly, because Babylon will have been destroyed. The judgment of Babylon caused the first outburst of heavenly rejoicing; however, her destruction will prompt the great multitude to again shout out: Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up forever and ever (19:3). The language here is similar to that of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:28), and Edom (Isaiah 34:10). Jeremiah looked forward to that great day when he said: then heaven and earth and all that is in them will shout for joy over Babylon, for out of the north destroyers will attack her (see Jeremiah, to see link click Fh – The Fall of Babylon and Assurance to the Exiles).

Fourthly, because God is in control. The twenty-four elders, who represent all New Covenant believers from Pentecost to the Rapture, and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried out: Amen, Hallelujah (19:4). This phrase comes from Psalm 106:48 and points to their intense agreement with the rejoicing over Babylon’s destruction.

Then a voice came from the throne, saying: Praise our God, all you His servants, you who fear Him, both small and great (19:5)! The Bible does not identify who this is, but it is likely an angel, since he refers to the LORD as our God. All of the redeemed of all time praise God. The Psalter looked forward to the day when all could say: You who fear ADONAI, praise Him! Revere Him, all you descendants of Israel (Psalm 22:23).

Fifthly, because of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. How would you feel if you were a part of this great multitude? Obviously, you’d be saying to yourself, “What an incredible occasion!” All the celebrations you had attended during your earthly life would be nothing compared to this. For the holy ones will be cheering the fact that their mortal enemy, Satan, is no more. All of the devastation caused by sin, all the havoc wreaked by the powers of darkness will be undone. The battle will be over, and the joyous celebration will continue for all eternity!

But while you might be contemplating how joyful you’ll be in heaven praising God with all the other believers, don’t forget about how much joy heaven has over you right now! Think back for a moment to when you first came to the Lord. You may not have noticed it, but the angels were celebrating. According to Yeshua’s parable of the lost sheep, there can be no doubt about it: I tell you that in the same way, there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent (Luke 15:7).

Great, Mighty and Loving Heavenly Father, So many big and important things are happening in this world that is hard to grasp that someday soon, time on earth will be over – and decisions made now will determine our destiny forever. Help us to focus on eternity and loving You, for You are so wonderful! For I consider the sufferings of this present time not worthy to be compared with the coming glory to be revealed to us (Romans 8:18). Some day time will be no more and we will be in our eternal destiny – heaven or hell. Many people who save up greatly for retirement on earth will either be in hell or if they do make it into heaven they won’t have many rewards. That is foolish. We don’t know when You are returning; but hopefully, it will be soon and we need to use all You have given us for Your glory.

May our acts of service and giving of finances, be done out of hearts that love to worship You, so then we will hear you say: Well done, good and faithful servant! You were faithful with a little, so I’ll put you in charge of much. Enter into your master’s joy  (Matthew 25:2:11 and 23)! Please open the eyes of family and friends to turn from selfish ways and to follow You so that they will not hear: Throw the worthless servant out, into the outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 25:30). You are worthy of all our love and worship! In Your holy Son’s name and power of His resurrection. Amen

If we are walking in God’s grace, He is very pleased with us. But he knows we stumble, and he’s even more pleased with us when we return to Him (First John 1:9). He is intimately aware of every move we make and every thought we think; but He’s not waiting like the Pharisees, ready to trip us up every time we make a mistake. He gives us the Counselor, the Holy Spirit to correct us when we fall and teach us all things (John 14:26). When we resist temptation and grow in the knowledge of the truth (First Timothy 2:4), He’s there to cheer us on – along with a great cloud of witnesses (Hebrews 12:1)!

If heaven is trying so hard to encourage us, we can be a little more encouraging to ourselves. We don’t have to wait until we’re at the gates of heaven to see the kind of progress we have made. Every time we hold our temper, forgive a neighbor, or restrain from any kind of sin, we have achieved something. When we endure suffering with joy, we have won another battle. When we entrust God with a difficult situation and He pulls us through it, we have grown in our faith. This is all a part of our process of sanctification, or being conformed to the likeness of Christ (Romans 8:29). It is not merely a superficial conformity, but an internal change. We never reach perfection, but we can become more and more like Messiah every day.

The bottom line is that our spiritual life should not consist of concentrating on our failures! While we are always to remember that it’s God who wins our victories, we should rejoice in them, however small, for they are fulfilling His promise to us, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6).

Thank You, Lord, for the gift of Your grace at work in my life. Help me to see how I can do better, but also show me how far I have come. May I never forget that Your Holy Spirit is truly alive in me.⁴⁰⁶

By Your Magic Spell All Nations Were Led Astray
18: 23b-24

By your magic spell all nations were led astray DIG: How many nations will be defiled by Babylon? What will Babylon use to lead people astray? Whose blood will Babylon be responsible for shedding?

REFLECT: Does any of her magic spell exist today? How? If God remembered to avenge the blood of the prophets, do you have to worry about accounts that you feel need to be settled in your life? Can you trust Him to take care of those things that you are holding on to?

Three final reasons are given for Babylon’s judgment. The first reason given for her destruction is that her merchants were the world’s great men, using their wealth to rise to positions of power, fame and authority. The Bible documents the abuses of such proud, egotistical rich men. James asks: Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court (James 2:6)? Later, in his letter, James continued to accuse the rich for their abuse of the poor: Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your field are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of ADONAI, God of heavens armies. You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you (James 5:4-6). Isaiah (Isaiah 3:14-15, 5:8) and Amos (Amos 4:1, 5:11, 8:4-6), also condemned the rich for their boasting and abuse of the poor.

The second reason given for Babylon’s judgment will be that by her sorcery, or magic spell, all the nations will be led astray (18:23c). The English word sorcery comes from the Greek word pharmakeia. The root of the English words pharmacy and pharmaceuticals. It is used in the New Covenant to refer to magic and occult practices (to see link click Db – The Sixth Trumpet: The Four Angels Who Had Been Kept Ready, Were Released to Kill a Third of Mankind). The prostitute of Babylon, with her false religion of satanic evolutionary humanism, had literally corrupted every nation in the history of the world since Nimrod. The religion of ancient Babylon was heavily influenced by astrology, magic, fortune-telling and occultism. It was through her that Satan had deceived the whole world (12:9). All of the earth’s people had, to one degree or another, been intoxicated with her corrupting wine (17:2).⁴⁰² Thus, Babylon’s magic spell on the world will not be solely due to her military or economic strength, it will also be due to pressure from the occult.

The third reason given for Babylon’s judgment will be her vicious slaughter of ADONAI’s children. Not only was Babylon the mother of spiritual prostitutes, giving birth to every false religion in the history of rebellion against God, but she was also the mother of persecutions. Whom she could not deceive and corrupt, she would pursue and slay. In her was found the blood of prophets and the saints (11:7, 13:7 and 15, 16:6, 17:6), the souls under the golden altar of incense (6:9-11), and of all who have been killed on the earth (18:24). Babylon has a long history as the city of Satan. The false prophet will make his headquarters there during the second half of the Great Tribulation. He will worship the antichrist and have no tolerance for the people of God. He will kill all those who do not have the mark of the beast. Thus, her destruction will be well deserved.⁴⁰³

In every generation, the enemies of God have persecuted the people of God. Sometimes it has been in the name of pagan pantheistic polytheism, such as in the kingdoms of ancient Egypt, Assyria, Persia and Rome. Modern pagan nations, like Japan and China, have done the same thing. Even more severe have been the persecutions of the pseudo-monotheistic Islamic nations. Sometimes a corrupted form of Christianity, compromising with paganism, like the Anglican and Roman Catholic churches, has been the instrument of persecution. Most vicious of all, however, have been the mass executions instigated in the name of humanistic socialism, whether the system of totalitarian fascism (as in Hitler’s Germany), or of revolutionary communism (as in Stalin’s Russia or Mao’s China). It has been estimated since Karl Marx, more than one hundred million people have died in communist purges. This monstrous fruit of the bitter wine of evolutionary atheism has, of course, destroyed millions of people who were not believers at all, but it is God’s true witnesses who have been the objects of Satan’s special hatred.

All these systems have their roots in Babylon. The terrible indictment has been written: Babylon is the source of murder, warfare, and of all who have been killed on the earth (18:24). And at that time, its mighty capitol will be judged and sentenced to everlasting destruction and oblivion.⁴⁰⁴

The words of Jesus form a fitting conclusion to the message of judgment on Babylon: The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, “What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.” Then he said, “This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I’ll say to myself: You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy. Eat drink and be merry.” But God said to him, “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself.” This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God (Luke 12:16-21).

With the vivid description of the fall of Babylon in Chapters 17 and 18, the way is cleared for the presentation of the major theme of the book of Revelation, the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and the establishment of His Messianic Kingdom.

Dear Great and Mighty Heavenly Father, Life on earth seems so important, but it really is  is but a drop-in-time compared to all eternity – either in heaven or in hell.  He who trusts in the Son has eternal life. He who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him (John 3:36). Praise You for making the way for all who choose to love and follow You, to enter heaven by the righteousness of Your holy Son, Yeshua. He made the One who knew no sin to become a sin offering on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God(Second Corinthians 5:21). We love You and look forward to praising You for all eternity as we live with You in heaven in eternal joy and peace. We willingly suffer any trial or pain on earth, for we know that these trials will soon be over and heaven is forever!  For I consider the sufferings of this present time not worthy to be compared with the coming glory to be revealed to us (Romans 8:18). In the holy name of Your Son and the power of His resurrection. Amen

Babylon Will Never Be Found Again
18: 21-23a

Babylon will never be found again DIG: How does the Bible depict Babylon’s destruction? What is the fate of those who seduce people into sin and away from faith in Christ?

REFLECT: When we realize the ultimate fate of the lost, how does God want that realization to affect us? There is plenty of sin in this world to hate, but do we view it with our Father’s eyes? Do we love the sinner and hate the sin?

Another mighty angel (5:2) now appeared in John’s vision. In a dramatic act picturing Babylon’s destruction, he picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone and threw it into the sea (18:21a). The name Gethsemane (Mt 26:36) means oil press, that is, a stone mill for grinding olives into pulp for their oil. Until quite recently the Arabs in the villages used such presses, and many of the millstones are still around. They are circular with a hole in the center about 9 inches square, the diameter averages about five feet, the thickness a foot and the weight is well over a ton.⁴⁰⁰

In one moment, like the millstone disappearing into the sea, Babylon will be gone. Jeremiah commanded a scroll wrapped in stone be thrown into the Euphrates River to symbolize the sinking of the city of Babylon. Then Jeremiah said to Seraiah: When you get to Babylon, see that you read all these words aloud. Then say, “O God, you have said you will destroy this place, so that neither man nor animal will live in it; it will be desolate forever.” When you finish reading this scroll, tie a stone to it and throw it into the Euphrates. Then say, “So will Babylon sink to rise no more because of the disaster I will bring upon her. And her people will fall” (Jeremiah 51:61-64). Like Jeremiah, this mighty angel also casts a stone, the size of a large millstone, into the sea to depict how totally Babylon will disappear. With such violence the great city of Babylon will be thrown down, never to be found again (18:21b). This expression occurs seven times with minor variations.

There are two places on the earth that will be inhabitable by humans during the Great Tribulation. While Satan is bound and thrown into the Abyss for a thousand years (20:2-3), and the beast and the false prophet smolder in the lake of burning sulfur (20:10), demons in animal form are confined to Babylon (see my commentary on Isaiah, to see link click Dk – Babylon, the Jewel of Kingdoms, will be Overthrown), and Edom (see my commentary on Isaiah Gi – Edom’s Streams Will Be Turned Into Pitch).

Babylon’s destruction will be so complete that none of the normal activities of human life will take place (also see Isaiah 24:8; Jeremiah 7:34; Ezeki’el 26:13). The music of harpists and musicians, flute players and trumpeters, will never be heard in you again. No workman of any trade will ever be found in you again. The sound of a millstone will never be heard in you again (18:22).

In like manner, the light of a lamp will never shine in you again. The voice of the bridegroom and bride will never be heard in you again (18:23a). Babylon will be so thoroughly destroyed that it will never be inhabited again as prophesied by the TaNaKh prophets (Isaiah 13:17-22, 14:22-23; Jeremiah 50:13 and 39, 51:37-40).

Reading about the description of Babylon’s destruction, we are left speechless. If there was ever a picture of desolation, this is it. There will be no more music, no more culture, no more industry, and the institution of marriage will disintegrate. All the things that we associate with a thriving society will be gone, and the angel says they will never be found again (Isaiah 13:20-22; Jeremiah 51:37 and 43). Never? That’s a harsh word to hear. Over and over again the Bible tells us about the mercy of God. Why would the Lord punish any nation so severely? Is ADONAI really so full of wrath and vengeance?

The answer is a resounding, “No!” We know that the Lord is loving and merciful, and that He wants no one to be condemned, but desires all to come to repentance (Second Peter 3:9). However, He cannot force us to accept His love. The choice is up to us. We have freedom to reject His grace, but when we do, we get ourselves into trouble. We only have to look around the world to see the fruits of that choice: rampant poverty, crime, divorce, and so many other ills that can bring about a culture of death instead of the abundant life Yeshua wants for all of us.

Babylon is certainly guilty of sin, and even more, of seducing the whole world to go along with it. The large millstone reminds us of Jesus’ parable: If anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck (Mark 9:42). But the biggest problem was not merely Babylon’s sin, it’s that Babylon denied God’s remedy for sin, by shedding the blood of the saints, apostles and prophets who announced His salvation (18:20). The resulting destruction is not really His doing; it’s what happens whenever man decides that he simply won’t listen to the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit speaking to his heart.

As unsettling as the angel’s pronouncement may be, it should remind us of how much we need God’s mercy and blessings – and our calling to share them with those who are lost. If we look around us, we will surely find some “desolate” places that are thrusting for His refreshing presence. Is our home filled with peace, or is it marked by tension and hostility? Do we bring the Holy Spirit to our workplaces, or do we go along with the gossip, office politics and the “bottom line” mentality? We have the chance to bring his living water into our desert situations, and to make them come alive with His love!

Lord, bring all of Your children out of the desert and into new life. Transform our hearts, our homes, and our relationships by the power of Your Holy Spirit.⁴⁰¹

Rejoice Over Her, O Heaven,
God Has Judged Her for the Way She Treated You
18: 20

Rejoice over her, O heaven, God has judged her for the way she treated you DIG: How were the believers, apostles and prophets treated by Babylon?

REFLECT: How do you feel when evil is judged? How do you feel when God’s righteousness is upheld? What is the difference between the two?

Jesus Christ has said: I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents (Luke 15:10). When one sinner repents, heaven rejoices with great joy because the sinner has been delivered from hell and assigned to heaven for all eternity. But on the other hand, if such sinners harden their hearts and lead others to hell with them, then there is also another kind of joy in heaven when the rebels are brought to justice. Neither saints nor angels delight when some poor soul is sentenced to an eternity in hell. Adonai ELOHIM has said: I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezeki’el 33:11). Yet the Bible also says: Heaven and earth and all that is within them will shout for joy over the destruction of far eschatological Babylon, for out of the north destroyers will attack her (Jeremiah 51:48).

Therefore, the viewpoint of heaven is entirely different than those upon the earth. There will be no funeral procession there! Rather, it will be the celebration of a longed-for event. The saints prayed for it, the apostles taught about it, and the prophets of the TaNaKh saw it coming. At the end of the Great Tribulation, it will be fulfilled. God will clear His name because judgment will have come. Just what is your heart fixed on today? It will make a lot of difference in that Day because you could possibly either be with the mourners on the earth or with those who rejoice in heaven.³⁹⁸

The angel who began speaking in 18:4 will address the redeemed in heaven, saying: Rejoice over her, O heaven! Rejoice, believers and apostles and prophets! God has judged her for the way she has treated you. The long-awaited moment of vindication and justice for which the martyred Tribulation believers had prayed will have arrived (6:9-10). God will impose on Babylon the same sentence that she imposed on them. They will rejoice, not over the lost, but because of the triumph of righteousness, the exaltation of Jesus, the removal of His enemies and the onset of the Messianic Kingdom.³⁹⁹

Dear Wonderful Father, Living with You in heaven for all eternity will be so wonderful! When we see evil that appears to be conquering, we must remember that time on earth is only a blink of an eye and you, the Almighty Sovereign of the Universe, have reserved an eternity of judgement for all who refuse to bend the knee to worship and to love You. He who trusts in the Son has eternal life. He who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him (John 3:36.) You are wonderful! How awesome it will be to live with You in eternal peace and joy in heaven for all eternity, praising Your great name! We love You! In Your holy Son’s name and power of His resurrection. Amen

Woe! Woe, O Great City,
In One Hour She Has Been Brought to Ruin
18: 9-19

Woe! Woe, O Great City, in one hour she has been brought to ruin DIG: Why do the kings see this destruction from a far off? Where are they? What will Babylon’s destruction mean to them? How will the voices from the world greet the fall of Babylon? Why do they mourn?

REFLECT: Would it break your heart if you saw the things of this world go up in smoke? What does this teach you about God? How can we face the world system every day in our lives, yet not be a part of it? Can you serve two masters? Have you tried? What happened? Where is your treasure?

Nothing so clearly reveals the hardness of sinners’ hearts as their lack of sorrow over sin. Through the years of devastating judgments, the people of the earth will steadfastly refuse to weep or mourn over their sin. But they will weep and mourn over the ruin of Babylon.³⁹⁶

There will be three groups mourning on the earth. First, will be the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared her luxury. They will see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn over her (18:9). These are the seven kings who will reign with the antichrist and submit their authority to him. Whatever power or authority they hold, it will be given to them by the king of Babylon. Seeing their authority, wealth and influence evaporate in one hour, they will weep and mourn over her. They will be able to see the smoke of her burning from a far off (Genesis 19:28; Isaiah 34:10; Joel 2:30), because they will see it from the Valley of Jezreel in Isra’el where they are gathered for the first stage of the Campaign of ArmageddoN (see the commentary on Jeremiah, to see link click Fd – The Devastation of Babylon According to Divine Purpose of God).³⁹⁷

As they watch her burn, they will be terrified at her torment. As the crown jewel of the beast’s empire, it had survived the overwhelming judgments of the Great Tribulation up to that point. She seemed to be invincible. So her swift destruction will shock and amaze them. They will stand far off and cry out in anguish: Woe! Woe, O great city, O Babylon, city of power! In one hour your doom has come (18:10)! All their plans will be destroyed in one hour. How foolish would we be to spend our whole lifetime based on the world’s system and then watch it crumble before our eyes. How foolish that we would waste our lives living for the wrong thing.

The second group of mourners will be the merchants of the earth who will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes any more. Babylon will become the economic center of the world, the center of business and world trade, a city characterized by these luxury items: cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble; cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and the slave trade of the bodies and souls of men and women (also see Ezeki’el 27:12-25). But, everything they have lived for will be crushed right before their eyes (18:11-13).

Continuing their lament, they will say: The fruit you longed for is gone from you. All your riches and splendor have vanished, never to be recovered (18:14). The merchants who sold these things and gained their wealth from her will not go near the burned out ruins. They will stand far off in their executive suites halfway around the world watching on television, they will be terrified at her torment. Swiftly becoming paupers, they will weep and mourn and cry out: Woe! Woe, O great city, dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet, and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls! In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin (18:15-17a)! They had gained the world, but lost their souls.

Our trust needs to be in Christ, not in great wealth. Jesus says this to us today: Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there you heart will also be . . . but seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well (Matthew 6:19-34).

The third and final group will be the transporters of goods who had become rich from their association with Babylon, just as Phoenicians had done in the ancient world. Now there was no more business. Every sea captain, and all who travel by ship, the sailors, and all who earn their living from the sea, will stand far off shore and weep (18:17b).

The lament over Babylon will be similar to the weeping over the fall of the beautiful city of Tyre. King Nebuchadnezzar wiped out the original city on the mainland, so the Phoenicians rebuilt it on an island just off the coast. They made it their capital and thought it was invincible. But Alexander the Great came along and pushed the ruins of the old city into the sea, making a causeway out to the island. His troops walked out on dry land and destroyed the rebuilt city. People will compare the destruction of Tyre to the destruction of Babylon because the same things were said of both. When Tyre was destroyed, people cried out: Who was ever silenced like Tyre, surrounded by the sea? When your merchandise went out on the seas, you satisfied many nations; with your great wealth and your wares you enriched the kings of the earth (Ezeki’el 27:32b-33) When they see the smoke of her burning, they will cry out from their ships: Was there ever a city like this great city (18:18)?

In a typical ancient expression of grief, they will throw dust on their heads, and with weeping and mourning sob: Woe! Woe, O great city, where all who had ships on the sea became rich through her wealth! In one hour she has been brought to ruin (18:19). No longer will Babylon control the world politically or economically. Like the Titanic, this seemingly indestructible city will go down in flames.

To some degree or another, we are a part of this world system. What we need to find out is how we can be in the world, but not of the world (John 17:11 and 16). How can we face the world’s system every day of our lives, yet not love it. The issue is not money; it is the love of money that we need to avoid (Hebrews 13:5). Not to make money my goal or my priority. How do I live in the midst of all of this? I have needs. But how do I meet my needs and still acknowledge Christ as number one in my life? No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money (Matthew 6:24). How can I face that issue in my life? Which master do I serve?

Dear Heavenly Father, Your love is worth more than all the money in the world. Your love paid for our sins so that we could have your righteousness and there by enter Your holy heaven. He made the One who knew no sin to become a sin offering on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God (Second Corinthians 5:21).How awesome that when we choose to love and follow You as our Lord and Savior (Romans 10:9-10), You give us Your Holy Spirit to live in us to guide us. What a great love you have for Your children. (John 1:12; First John 3:1, 3). It is a joy and delight to realize that the King of kings has put His Ruach into our lives! We cannot begin to grasp even a tiny bit of how wonderful Your love is and how special that Messiah Himself lives within those who love Him. So that Messiah may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to grasp with all the kedoshim what is the width and length and height and depth,  and to know the love of Messiah which surpasses knowledge, so you may be filled up with all the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:17-19). We praise You for Your love and we seek to love You with all our hearts! In Your holy Son’s name and power of Hisresurrection. Amen

In One Day Her Plagues Will Overtake Her:
Death, Mourning and Famine
18: 6-8

In one day her plagues will overtake her: death, mourning and famine DIG: How does God’s perspective on Babylon differ from Babylon’s self understanding? How does the law of retribution apply to Babylon the Great? Will her demise happen gradually or will it happen suddenly? Who judges Babylon? Why?

REFLECT: When has an important part of your life collapsed? What did others have to say about your demise? What perspective did the Lord bring to your fallen situation? What is the most important lesson you have learned from this passage? What actions will you take today based on this learning?

It will seem for a long time like Babylon will be getting away with killing the LORD’s people. Her day, however, will come, and when it does, she will be dealt with ruthlessly. Those who offer no mercy will receive no mercy. It will be true justice.

Babylon’s judgment is defined as the angel (18:4a) now speaks not to John, but to God. His call for vengeance to give back to her as she has given (18:6a), parallels the prayers of the martyred Tribulation believers (6:9-10). The angel’s prayer for justice is based on the law of retribution, which is the principle of an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth (Matthew 5:38; Exodus 21:23-24; Leviticus 24:19-20; Deuteronomy 19:21). Babylon has ignored the grace given to her. It will be time for vengeance.³⁹⁰ Speaking through Moses the prophet about the end times, ADONAI said: It is mine to avenge; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them (Deuteronomy 32:35).

The angel’s request that God pay her back double, literally double the double things, for what she has done (18:6b), means that Babylon’s punishment should fit her crimes. Double has been her sin; double should be her punishment. Babylon’s sins have been overflowing, like bricks of a ziggurat, they are piled up to heaven (18:5). So the angel calls for God’s judgment to be in equal measure. Double has the sense of fullness or completeness.

Mix her a double portion from her own cup (18:6c). In the Torah, offenders were often required to pay double the restitution for their crimes (Exodus 22:4-9). The prophets note that Isra’el received double for her sins (Isaiah 40:1-2; Jeremiah 16:18). Jeremiah prayed that ADONAI would bring on Isra’el’s persecutors a day of disaster and destroy them with double destruction (Jeremiah 17:18). This will be poetic justice (see Obadiah 13-16). The cup of God’s wrath (14:10, 16:19, 18:6), will be filled to the brim; when the last drop is poured in, it is passed to the lips of those who committed wickedness against His people. The Psalter rejoices, saying: Babylon is doomed to destruction, happy is he who repays you for what you have done to the sons and daughters of Isra’el (Psalm 137:8-9). God will be right and just in what He will do (Jeremiah 50:15, 29).³⁹¹

The prosperity of Babylon will blind her to God’s judgment. The angel continued to speak to the Lord, saying: Give her as much torture and grief as the glory and luxury she gave herself. In her heart she boasts when she says: I sit as queen; I am not a widow, and I will never mourn (18:7). The godless city will be filled with the proud and haughty. Her residents will declare her beauty, greatness, and glory over all the earth. They will think she is the queen and that she is married to the kings of the earth. As such, she is not a widow but a wealthy queen who has nothing to mourn about (Isaiah 47:7-8; Zephaniah 2:15). This will be one of His standards of judgment when He remembers Babylon: the great grief of the godly will be turned into glory, and the glory of the godless will be turned into great grief.³⁹²

Therefore, in one day her plagues will overtake her. Babylon was brought down in one day before, during the reign of king Belshazzar (Dani’el 5:1-30). It will be the same in the last days. Her destruction will not be progressive. The wicked city will be destroyed instantly (Isaiah 47:9; Jeremiah 50:31-32). As the home of one-world government and global trade, Babylon will think she is very powerful. She will control powerful weapons and great armies. But compared to God who will judge her, her supposed strength will be worthless. What no earthly army can do, the LORD will accomplish in one day. First, the angel of death will pass over Babylon. Secondly, this city that just got through saying: I will never mourn, will mourn bitterly. And thirdly, this rich city will suddenly run out of food and experience famine.³⁹³

Lastly, she will be consumed by fire, because ADONAI, God, her Judge, is mighty (18:8 CJB). No one can frustrate His plans, or keep Him from accomplishing what He purposes to do. Job said to the LORD: I know that You can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted (Job 42:2). All the power of wicked men and demons will not be enough to deliver Babylon form God’s judgment.³⁹⁴ The Bible does not describe the source of such a devastating fire, but it surely will be no ordinary fire. It reminds us of the burning sulfur that rained down from heaven on Sodom and Gomorrah during Lot’s day. When Lot looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah, all he saw was dense smoke rising from the land, like smoke from a furnace (see the commentary on Genesis, to see link click Fa – The LORD Rained Down Burning Sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah). So it will be with Babylon.

Believing in Jesus cost the early believers dearly. It seemed unjust that they should lose everything when ADONAI was on their side. But as the book of Revelation circulated among the seven churches (2:1-3:22), it helped them to understand why God did not immediately save them from Roman persecution. The Holy Spirit reassured them that they had not been forgotten. One day, they would see evil destroyed in the most swift, decisive, and one-sided Campaign of all time. At that time all the martyrs of every age will be vindicated, and the LORD’s salvation will win out over the empty promises of the world’s fleeting pleasures.

Throughout Revelation, Babylon the Great symbolizes the entire world system that has set itself up against the Kingdom of the Lord. One day, the world will be judged according to God’s will for creation, and an end will come to all the debates and opinions of right and wrong, moral and immoral. On that day, it will be made clear that all the judgments of ADONAI are true and just (19:2).

Dear Sovereign King and Heavenly Father, How powerful You are! There is no one nor kingdom that can come anywhere close to being as great and powerful as You! Praise Your infinite wisdom, mighty power and unmeasurable love!. You are Wonderful! Even in Your judgments, You are both merciful and very fair, for You give so many chances for people to turn to You. The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some consider slowness. Rather, He is being patient toward you – not wanting anyone to perish, but for all to come to repentance. (Second Peter 3:9). You will open Your arms to all who choose to love and to follow You; but You will exclude all who choose to try to use their own good deeds as an entrance ticket to heaven. You will tell them to depart and that You never knew them! Not everyone who says to Me, “Lord, Lord!” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, “Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in Your name, and drive out demons in Your name, and perform many miracles in Your name?”  Then I will declare to them, “I never knew you. Get away from Me, you workers of lawlessness” (Matthew 7:21-23)! Heaven’s door will be shut to them. People like to think only about Your love and forget that You are also totally holy and can tolerate no sin in heaven. Praise You that no one can fool you by saying they love You and doing good things, while they really love themselves as number one. You see the intentions of the heart. We love You and long to worship You for all eternity in heaven, as we live with You in eternal peace and joy, praising Your great name for all eternity! In Your holy Son’s name and power of His resurrection. Amen

Revelation warns us to be alert to the influence of evil. Through the media, we are constantly enticed to live for ourselves and to accept ungodliness from a world that is increasingly against God. To counter this, we should fix our hearts on the beauty of Messiah and boldly speak out about His greatness. He wants us to distance ourselves from the allure of the world and to embrace His salvation (First John 2:15-17). As we draw nearer to ADONAI, praise will erupt from our hearts. We will join with the heavenly hosts singing: Salvation and glory and power to our God (19:1). Let us rejoice today in our assurance that the Lord will ultimately triumph over every power opposed to Him and His children.

Thank you, God, for inviting me to the wedding feast of the Lamb. I eagerly await the day that you overthrow evil. Until that day, I will take my stand with you in confidence, knowing that the victory is Yours.³⁹⁵

Come Out of Her, My People,
So That You Will Not Share in Her Sins
18: 4-5

Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins DIG: As compelling as the power of evil is, a voice from heaven exhorts God’s people to holiness. At this point, who are His people? How can they come out of her? What will it mean when they do come out of her? 

REFLECT: How many times has God warned you to flee a certain sin? Has the Lord remembered your crimes? How far is the east from the west? Is it without measure?

From the middle of the Great Tribulation forward, the LORD will increase the pressure on mankind to repent. Once the antichrist is revealed (Second Thessalonians 2:3) and the mighty angel declares: There will be no more delay (10:6), all restraint will be removed. From that point on, the world will be divided into three camps: Isra’el, those aiding Isra’el and those opposed to Isra’el. So when this voice from heaven says My people, it means Isra’el (Romans 11:26), or the sheep Gentiles aiding Isra’el (Matthew 25:34-41).

The destruction of Babylon will be the second stage in the Campaign of Armageddon. But before she is destroyed, ADONAI will give five warnings, all from the book of Jeremiah, to the Jews still living there to flee the city before it is too late. There are two types of prophecies:

First, there are near historical prophecies that describe something that will take place within the lifetime of the prophet. For example, the LORD sent Jeremiah to confront the false prophet Hananiah who was prophesying that the Jews would defeat the Babylonians. Then Jeremiah said to Hananiah, “Listen, Hananiah! ADONAI has not sent you, yet you have persuaded this nation to trust in a lie. Therefore, this is what ADONAI says: I am about to remove you from the face of the earth. This very year you are going to die, because you have preached rebellion against God.” In the seventh month of that same year, Hananiah the false prophet died (Jeremiah 28:1-17).

Secondly, there are far eschatological prophecies that will happen in the last days. All five of Jeremiah’s prophecies are far eschatological prophecies. The first is in Jeremiah 50:1 and 6a, where we read: This is the Word which ADONAI spoke concerning Babylon, through Jeremiah the prophet: Flee out of Babylon and leave the land of the Babylonians (CJB). The second warning will proclaim: Hear the sound of the fugitives, of those escaping from Babylon, coming to proclaim in Zion the vengeance of ADONAI our God, vengeance over His Temple (Jeremiah 50:28 CJB). Those Jews who escape from Babylon will run away to Jerusalem. The destruction of Babylon will be the LORD’s vengeance on Babylon for her abuse of His people and His Temple. As the fugitives and refugees arrive from Babylon, they announce the destruction to the Jews living there (Jeremiah 50:10 and Jeremiah 51:45). These are the third and fourth warnings. The fifth and last warning is Jeremiah 51:50. Thus, the Jews living in Babylon will be given plenty of warning to flee. They will make their way to Jerusalem with zeal.

The Jews living in Babylon will be able to avoid God’s judgment on this commercially prosperous but morally bankrupt society can be avoided, as another voice from heaven makes clear. The word for another is allos, meaning another of the same kind. This suggests that the speaker is another angel like the one in 18:1.³⁸⁷ So just as Lot was warned to leave Sodom, another angel warns the Jews: Come out of her, My people, quoting from Jeremiah 51:45 (also see Isaiah 52:11 and Jeremiah 50:8, 51:6). So the purpose of leaving Babylon is twofold. First, by separation from her adultery they will not share in her sins. And Secondly, they will not receive any of her plagues inflicted on them (18:4). The reference to plagues refers to the bowl judgments in Chapter 16.³⁸⁸

The angel continued to proclaim that Babylon’s sins are piled up to heaven (18:5a). Nimrod led the first Babel rebels in building a great tower that would reach to the heavens (see the commentary on Genesis, to see link click Dm – Let Us Build a City and Make a Name for Ourselves). That tower was a religious symbol called a ziggurat. It had a square base and sloping, stepped sides with a small shrine on top. They were often painted with blue enamel in order to make them blend in, in their minds, with the heavenly home of one or more of their gods. They believed that the gods would briefly live in the shrine when they came down to meet with the people. They would climb up the side of the ziggurat all the way to the top in the hope that the gods would condescend to meet with them. But the angel at the end of the Great Tribulation will declare that the sins of Babylon, like bricks of a ziggurat, are piled up, literally glued or welded together, to heaven. The only thing that would reach up to heaven would be the stench of their rebellion. Therefore, God had to come down to see what rebellious man was up to and punish their sin.

Later, the great king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon dreamed that he was a great tree, with its top touching the sky, visible to the whole earth (Dani’el 4:20). But that great tree was cut down and proud Nebuchadnezzar had to live like an animal for seven long years. Neither the Tower in ancient Babylon, nor the great tree of later Babylon, could really reach up to heaven. Consequently, her judgment reaches to the skies, it raises as high as the clouds (Jeremiah 51:9).

As far as the believer is concerned, the Bible teaches this wonderful truth: As high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west (which is immeasurable), so far has He removed our transgressions from us (Psalm 103:11-12). However, for those who reject Yeshua, He does not forget and He knows the extent of Babylon’s wickedness. When the Lord comes back, all wrongs will be made right. It will have been a long time between Nimrod’s rebellion at the Tower of Babel and the Beast’s rebellion during the Great Tribulation, but ADONAI will remember her crimes. It will be time for her to drink the cup of wrath (18:5b).³⁸⁹ Although He is longsuffering, Babylon’s ultimate punishment is inescapable.

Dear Great and Merciful yet Holy Father, Praise Your Almighty power, infinite wisdom and great love! You died for all and desire all to go to heaven. The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some consider slowness. Rather, He is being patient toward you – not wanting anyone to perish, but for all to come to repentance (Second Peter 3:9).How much You want to give Your gift of righteousness to everyone; but Your holiness only allows into heaven those who accept Your righteousness. Each person makes his or her own choice to decide who they will love and follow. It is like Youare reaching out Your arms of love to gently take the hands of a person to bring them to eternal love and joy in heaven, but they stand there with their arms crossed in defiance, and their face turned away from you looking into a mirror as they smile at themselves. Please open the eyes of my family and friends to see how much they miss out on by loving themselves more than you and that there are eternal consequences for not loving You. There is no greater joy than living to please You in heaven.  You are awesome! What joy to serve You even in hard and painful times, for they will soon be over and those who love You will have peace and joy in heaven for all eternity. For I consider the sufferings of this present time not worthy to be compared with the coming glory to be revealed to us (Romans 8:18). We love You. In Your holy Son’s name and power of His resurrection. Amen

Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!
She Has Become a Home for Demons
18: 1-3

Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a home for demons DIG: Why will Babylon be so important to the antichrist? What two spots of perpetual desolation will there be during the Millennial Kingdom? Why will they be judged so harshly? What happened to the wealth of the false religious system?

REFLECT: If you were going to describe your life in terms of a city, what would you say? What kinds of cargoes are coming into it? What activities occur within its walls? How does it compare with Babylon? What would be a fitting name for your city? How do you keep the evils listed here out of your city or life?

At the very end of Revelation 17 we learned that Babylon will be the great city, that rules over the kings of the earth; it is the end-time capital of the godless worldwide empire of the antichrist. It will be the mother of all evil and all forms of false religion. Like Paris, France, she will represent a lifestyle of high culture. Like Jerusalem, she will be a crossroad of world religion. Like Washington, she will be teeming with political power. As a matter of fact, if you took all of the most powerful cities in the world and put them together, you’d have Babylon. She will be the nerve center of the antichrist’s final world system that opposes ADONAI and His people at every turn.

But it won’t last. Actually, the moment Satan is thrown out of heaven he will know that his time is short (12:12). Before the antichrist has time to break all of his campaign promises, his empire begins to fall apart. Earlier in 14:8 we were forewarned of Babylon’s inevitable downfall: Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great, which made all the Gentile nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries. Like a helpless coastal city in the path of a giant tsunami, it is just a matter of time before she is reduced to nothing. Revelation 18 begins with the same pronouncement, but adds some more details.

As it often does in the book of Revelation, the phrase after this marks the beginning of a new vision. While still discussing the general demise of the beast’s world empire, the Holy Spirit moves from the fall of religious Babylon to the fall of commercial/political Babylon. As the new vision began, John saw another angel. Some believe this angel is Messiah, however, the use of allos, which means another of the same kind, instead of heteros, or another of a different kind, points to the fact that he is an angel of the same kind as the one in 17:1. He may be the angel who had earlier predicted Babylon’s downfall in 14:8.

There are three features that reveal this angel’s unusual power and importance. First, he came down from heaven with great authority (18:1a). He left the presence of the LORD with delegated authority to act on God’s behalf. Secondly, the whole earth was suddenly illuminated by the splendor of the angel (18:1b). Elsewhere in the Bible, ADONAI is pictured as dwelling in unapproachable light (First Timothy 6:16) and has wrapped Himself in light as with a garment (Psalm 104:2). Little wonder that those who come from His presence are marked by a lingering radiance like the face of Moses (Exodus 34:29-35). Thirdly, he cried out with a mighty voice. The angel’s message is summarized: Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great (18:2a)! The repetition of the verb fallen, found in the aorist tense, which speaks of a coming event as if it had already happened (Isaiah 21:9, 34:13-15).³⁸⁵

The entire world will be fruitful and very productive during the Millennial Kingdom. The whole earth will be beautiful. Yet, there will be two areas of perpetual desolation during the entire thousand years. The first of these two desolate areas, Babylon, will be the former commercial and political capital of the antichrist. Throughout the thousand year Millennial Kingdom, no man will even travel through the ruins of Babylon. How Babylon will be captured, the boast of the whole earth seized! What a horror Babylon will be among the nations! The sea will rise over Babylon; it’s roaring waves will cover her. Her towns will be desolate, a dry and desert land, a land where no one lives, through which no man travels (Jeremiah 51:62-64). Not only will Babylon be a desolate waste throughout the Messianic Kingdom, it will also be a place of continual burning and smoke: The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever (19:3). The animals mentioned in Isaiah (see my commentary on Isaiah, to see link click Dk – Babylon, the Jewel of Kingdoms, Will be Overthrown) and Jeremiah (see my commentary on Jeremiah Fd – The Devastation of Babylon According to the Divine Purpose of God), cannot be literal animals. John explains what they really are: She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird (18:2b). It will be a place of confinement for many demons during the Messianic Kingdom. The second desolate area in the Kingdom will be Edom (see my commentary on Isaiah Gi – Edom’s Streams Will Be Turned into Pitch).

For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants, or those who travel around the earth, grew rich from her excessive luxuries (18:3). The wealth originally collected through the influence of the apostate church will then be taken over by the political system in the Great Tribulation, which, with universal political power is able to accumulate fabulous wealth.³⁸⁶ The graphic description of the fall of Babylon in Jeremiah 50 is followed by a more detailed description in Jeremiah 51 (see my commentary on Jeremiah Fh – The Fall of Babylon and Assurance of the Exiles). It will be Babylon’s influence on other nations that will cause God’s judgment to fall on her: Babylon was a gold cup in the hand of the LORD; she made the whole earth drunk. The nations drank her wine; therefore, they have gone mad (Jeremiah 51:7)

Having thrown off all restraint, sinners will indulge in a wild materialist orgy. Like King Belshazzar of ancient Babylon, they will be partying while their city is destroyed (Dani’el 5:1-30). James, the brother of Jesus, who condemned the ruthless ways of the wealthy, could apply just as well to those in Babylon in the end times. Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of ADONAI, God of heaven’s armies. You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you (James 5:1-5).

Dear Almighty and Just Father, You are awesome! You are just. Though You do not want anyone to be sent to hell for You died for all, the choice of each person’s destiny is in their own hands. The Father loves the Son and has given everything into His hand. He who trusts in the Son has eternal life. He who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him (John 3:35-36). You are both loving and holy and You cannot ignore sin. You paid the price for sin-death (Second Corinthians 5:21), and You desire to give Your gift to all; but the gift cannot be bought by money, nor earned by good works, nor inherited from parents. The entrance to heaven is a heart of love for God. And Yeshua said to him: You shall love Adonai your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment (Matthew 22:37-38). The only thing that matters in this world – is to love You. You are Awesome! In your holy Son’s name and power of His resurrection. Amen

The Fall of Commercial and Political Babylon
18: 1-24

The judgment against Babylon (14:8) is against her pride, ruthlessness, greed (First Timothy 6:9-10) and materialism. It is a just judgment (15:3, 16:5 and 7, 18:10 and 20, 19:2), praised by God’s people but mourned by the worldly and the wicked who share her values. Chapter 18 is very somber and is, in reality, a dirge for humanity.

Much in this chapter resembles the lamentation of Ezeki’el 27-28 over the commercial center and port of Tyre. It is significant that Tyre is often understood as a substitute for Satan’s realm of activity, and Tyre’s king a surrogate for Satan (especially on Ezeki’el 28:11-19). By analogy, then, the destruction of Babylon in this chapter is really the destruction of Satan’s kingdom; and the destruction of Satan himself in Chapter 20 reminds us of Gog and Magog as described in Ezeki’el Chapters 38 and 39, which also resembles Ezeki’el Chapters 27 and 28.³⁸⁴ With the destruction of Satan’s last and greatest human empire, the stage will be set for the triumphal return of Yeshua Messiah.

Dear Heavenly Father, Praise You for making a home in heaven that is worth more than all the money in the world. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil – some, longing for it, have gone astray from the faith and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. (First Timothy 6:10). You so want to give good things to Your children (John 1:12; First John 3:1, 3) and have prepared such a wonderful home in heaven (John 14:1-3) for all who love and follow You as Lord and Savior (Romans 10:9-10). In heaven there will be no crying, no dying, no sadness nor pain (Revelation 21:4). Entrance ticket for heaven’s eternal peace and joy is – Love for God as number one in your life. You will reign eternally and all who love You will live with you in heaven forever! We love, worship and bow before You, thanking you for being so wonderful! No one nor anything else could ever come near the great joy of loving You! In the Holy name of Your Son and His power of resurrection. Amen

The Beast Will Hate the Prostitute
and Bring Her to Ruin
17: 16-17

The beast will hate the prostitute and bring her to ruin DIG: When does the beast turn on the woman and destroy her? Who will cause the beast and the ten horns to hate and destroy the prostitute? Without the beast realizing it, how does this accomplish the will of Jesus?

REFLECT: Do you believe that all things work together for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28)? Have you ever seemingly been destroyed, only to find out later that it was part of God’s plan for your betterment? Do you hate every form of false religion as much as the Lord does (Romans 8:9)? Or do you tolerate it? You know, coexist.

As the antichrist consolidates his power, his alliance with the woman, or the one world religion, will not last. Suddenly, at the moment of her greatest triumph, reigning proudly over the peoples of the whole world, she will meet her end. In every land there will be great churches, temples, mosques, shrines and images in her honor. In the schools and homes her humanistic philosophy will be taught and her rituals practiced. Priests, monks and counselors teach the people and receive their gifts. Tax money is poured into the monstrous system and commercial Babylon amply supporting the affluence of religious Babylon. The syncretistic union of all the world’s religions will be accomplished.

During the first half of the Great Tribulation, while the beast is attempting to establish his supremacy over the ten kings, he quickly realizes that he can use mankind’s religious nature to help implement his own ambitions. Through the special genius of the false prophet, he is soon able to gain a considerable following in many nations through promoting a cultic worship of himself throughout the world. With the lost naturally inclined to humanistic man-worship, it will be easy for the false prophet (using miracles as a means of persuasion) to seduce great multitudes into idolizing the brilliant and charismatic leader who will rise so quickly to world fame.

Then, when he finally achieves his goal of world dominance midway through the Great Tribulation, the leaders of the false religion will undoubtedly hope they will share in the glow of his popularity. But they will no longer be needed. The beast will make them obsolete because the whole world will soon be worshiping him and his image. At that time it will no longer be necessary to use religious go-betweens of any kind, since mankind will openly acknowledge and worship Satan. Men worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast (13:4).

The beast and the false prophet will quickly let it be known that they neither want nor need the prostitute anymore. The beast and the ten horns, or puppet kings, had probably always resented the power and influence of the prostitute (17:16a). She had always gotten more attention than they had. Consequently, they will jump at the chance to destroy their rival once the antichrist gives his permission. There had already been a systematic purging against those who love Jesus, why not get rid of all religion? No worship will be tolerated except worshiping the beast.381

Obviously there will be no more room for the prostitute and her one world religion. The beast cannot be god and subject to those who worship him at the same time. Someone has to go! The antichrist and his allies will destroy Mystery Babylon’s religious system and anyone opposed to political/commercial Babylon. Apparently there will be no mourning connected with the destruction of the prostitute. They will confiscate her clothing, gold, and precious stones; they will persecute and kill her poor deceived people. The fact that the beast will turn on the prostitute and bring her to ruin and leave her naked; eat her flesh and burn her with fire (17:16b), is indicative of the intensity and totality of her destruction. Nothing will remain of her.³⁸²

However, it is ironic that mankind will fulfill ADONAI’s will even while they oppose it because the Ruach HaKodesh will put the idea of destroying the prostitute into the hearts of the antichrist and his henchmen. To accomplish His purpose, God will agree to give the beast and his gang their power to rule, until the Lords words are fulfilled (17:17). They will be instruments in His hands to accomplish His purpose and fulfill His words. All of God’s words, every prophecy of Christ’s return and the setting up of His kingdom will be fulfilled completely.³⁸³

After their release from the Sanhedrin, Peter and John explained this to the Jews in Jerusalem, saying: The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against ADONAI and against His Messiah. Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this City to conspire against Your holy servant Yeshua, whom You made Messiah, to do what Your power and plan had already determined beforehand should happen (Acts 4:26-28 CJB). God will use ten horns and the beast to destroy the prostitute. His words must be fulfilled, whether mankind means to or not (Isaiah 55:10-11; Matthew 24:35).

God hates every form of false religion and will not tolerate those who seek to rob Him of His glory. I am the LORD; that is My name! I will not yield My glory to another or My praise to idols (see the commentary on Isaiah, to see link click Hp – Here is My Servant, Whom I Uphold). Therefore, the antichrist’s religious empire must be judged and destroyed.

Dear Great Almighty Sovereign Ruler of the World, Praise Your Almighty power, infinite wisdom and fantastic love! The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some consider slowness. Rather, He is being patient toward you – not wanting anyone to perish, but for all to come to repentance (Second Peter 3:9). How very patient You are and Yousee each person’s heart. You know when the heart is so seared that they can no longer hear Your loving call. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance in them due to the hardness of their heart (Ephesians 4:18). Your love wants everyone in heaven, but Your holiness demands perfect righteousness. Praise You for giving all who love and follow You, Your perfect righteousness so we can enter heaven that Yeshua is preparing (John 14:1-3). We love You! You have already won the final battle of the ages (Revelation 21:7-9)! You will reign eternally! We bow in worship of You! In the holy name of Your Son and His power of resurrection. Amen

They Will Make War Against the Lamb,
But the Lamb Will Overcome Them
17: 6b-14

They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them DIG: What do the seven heads and ten horns represent? Why does the beast kill three kings? Why do the remainder of the kings and the beast join forces? What will be the result? What is the mind of wisdom and how can it be obtained?

REFLECT: There are many problems with man made false religion in this life that we need a mind with wisdom. Religious busy work that feels full and alive but is, in truth, empty and dead? Satanic strategy appears impressive and effective but is, in reality, impotent and deceptive? What wisdom do you need to ask God for right now?

Satan chose Babylon, the second most mentioned city in the Bible, to control the world. It will be the center of worldwide religion, worldwide government and worldwide commerce during the last days. When John saw the woman, he was greatly astonished by the horrifying vision (17:6b). The woman looked so magnificent dressed in purple, but her intent was so evil as she was filled with abominable things (17:4). Then the angel said to me: Why are you astonished? I will explain to you the mystery of the woman (one world religion) and of the beast she rides (one world government), which has the seven heads (see below) and ten horns (17:7). The angel revealed that the ten horns was a part of the Fourth Beast (to see link click Av – The Ten Division Stage: The Ten Kingdoms Stage).

Then the angel gives a lengthy description of the beast that John saw. He will be the antichrist, who once was alive, then seemed to die. Up until that point, the beast’s political and economic empire will coexist with the false religious system headed by the false prophet. After his counterfeit resurrection, however, and being indwelt by a powerful demon out of the Abyss (9:1-2, 9:11, 11:7-8, 20:1-3), the beast will turn on the false religious system and destroy it. He will allow only one religion – the worship of himself (Dani’el 9:27b).

At that point the antichrist will be the acknowledged ruler of the world. He will appear to have reached the climax of his power and ready to prevent the coming of the Messiah and His Kingdom. Yet, in reality he will be one of the first to die (Habakkuk 3:13-14a; Second Thessalonians 2:8), in the seventh stage of the Campaign of Armageddon. Instead of ruling the earth, he will be the main prisoner in hell, going to his eternal destruction (19:20) in the lake of burning sulfur (20:10).

The beast’s counterfeit resurrection and swift destruction of the false religious system will shock unbelievers, those inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world (17:8). Only believers in Jesus Christ will not fall for the antichrist’s deception (Matthew 24:24).

When the angel says: This calls for a mind with wisdom, he invites John and his readers to pay close attention to what comes next. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits (17:9 NKJ). Unfortunately, too many people stop here and ignore the following verse, and consequently conclude that the seven mountains represent Rome, for Rome is a city sitting on seven mountains. However, a number of cities in the Near East also claim to sit upon seven mountains. So this is not enough to identify Rome as the place to which this passage refers. But the identification of Rome becomes totally unwarranted if the verse is seen in its complete context. The fact that the seven heads are said to be seven mountains shows that these mountains are to be taken symbolically. As mentioned before, whenever the word mountain is used symbolically, it is always a symbol of a king, kingdom, or throne. This is the case here. In fact, the very next verse interprets the meaning of the seven mountains. The train of thought continues on.

The seven mountains represent something other than real mountains, they are also seven kings. The city of Rome is not in view here, the seven kings are. Five of the kings had already fallen by John’s day, one was still present at that time, and one more was yet to come (17:10a). If this refers to the city of Rome, then five of the mountains should no longer be in existence, one should be there now, with another to rise in the future! The context makes this an impossible interpretation to be mountains.

While both the ten horns and the seven mountains are representative of kings, there is a difference between them. The ten horns are kings that are contemporary with each other. They all rise and reign at the same time. But the seven heads are different, they follow one another in a chronological sequence. With this information, we can figure out what the seven heads represent.

Scripture’s explanation of scripture is always the best way to understand any passage. Dani’el 7 gives understanding of who four of these kingdoms were. Dani’el sees each kingdom in a vision, represented by an animal. Dani’el gives a short explanation about what he sees which can be matched with facts for previous world kingdoms. The first kingdom is Egypt; the second kingdom is Assyria; the third kingdom is Babylon pictured as a lion in Dani’el 7:4; the fourth kingdom is Persia pictured as a bear in Dani’el 7:5; and the fifth kingdom is Greece pictured as a leopard in Dani’el 7:6.

When John received his vision five had fallen – that is the five kingdoms had already come and gone. “One is “meaning that the sixth kingdom was actively in power in power at the time John received his vision. From this, we know that the sixth kingdom is the Roman Empire, which ruled over Judea for John’s entire life. On the seventh kingdom, scripture says: the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain a little while.”  The seventh kingdom must come some time after the Roman Empire falls. Also, it is emphasized that the king of this kingdom must remain a little while, a relatively short time. While we cannot be definite, the Nazi regime does fit the qualifications for the seventh kingdom. Though the Nazis held power for only about twelve years, it only took them about seven years (the 1939-1945 Holocaust) to murder the six million Jews! The Nazis outdid the six earlier kingdoms in killings of the Jewish people, but God who is Almighty turned the tables on Hitler and used the death of so many Jews to create a deep sympathy toward the surviving Jewish population. This opened the door for the nation Isra’el to regain a state of self-rule in their biblical homeland, which began on May 14, 1948. This re-gathering of Isra’el to their biblical Land is a fulfillment of prophecy (Isaiah 66:8; Ezeki’el 37:21-22; Jeremiah 16:14-15, and Amos 9:14-15).  God is Sovereign – even when evil appears to be in control.

After describing the beast’s apparent death and resurrection (17:8), John tells us that the beast is also an eighth king. The beast that was and is not – he himself is the eighth, and is one of the seven, and is heading for destruction (14:11). Yet he belongs to the seven because chronologically he is the last of the seven heads to appear in history and is going to his destruction (17:11). However, he is also an eighth king in his relationship to the ten horns. The ten horns represent ten kingdoms that come out of the One World Government Stage. These ten are contemporary and rule together. But as the antichrist consolidates his power he kills three of the ten kings, with the other seven submitting to his authority. The beast is contemporary with those seven, making him an eighth.³⁷⁹

Then ten horns you saw will be ten kings. We cannot know them because they have not yet received a kingdom, since they are a part of the beast’s future world empire. During the Great Tribulation will receive authority as kings along with the beast. They will have one purpose and will give their power and authority to the beast (17:12-13). But Christ, with the aide of the sheep Gentiles (see Fc – The Sheep and the Goats) will destroy Babylon, the capital city of the antichrist, during the Great Tribulation (see my commentary on Isaiah Di – I Have Commanded My Holy Ones).

The Bible refers to Yeshua Messiah as the eternal King. This section speaks of the end times when earthly kings will fight to establish their own authority during the Great Tribulation. We don’t know who they are, but we do know the One they cannot overcome: They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because He is Lord of lords and King of kings – and with Him will be His called, chosen and faithful followers (17:14). The Lord Jesus Christ is Adonai Ha’Adomim, KING of kings and LORD of lords, and He will reign forever and ever. Our God is LORD of lords; there is no other master. His grace continues forever. He has come and He will come again.

Nothing that happens on earth is outside God’s control. This message must have been a great comfort to believers who were being forced to witness the martyrdom of their fellow believers. Through the different circumstances of successive emperors and military commanders, they might have to lay their lives on the line, but they could be confident that ADONAI was in charge.

From the fact that Messiah is King of kings and Lord of lords, His followers also receive their unchanging identity: Those with Him will be His called, chosen and faithful followers. As the sheep of His pasture (Psalm 100:3), we are called to follow Him wherever He goes (Mark 8:34), united with Him in love, beloved sons and daughters who are filled with the Holy Spirit.

We are chosen just as He chose the Jewish nation long ago to receive the revelation of who God is and how He made us to live in a community of believers with Him and each other. We have been set apart for His loving purpose, hand-selected and formed through the experiences and relationships of our lives to worship Him.

We are faithful in response to the trustworthiness of the One who is incapable of being faithless. If we are faithless, He will remain faithful, for He cannot disown Himself (Second Timothy 2:13).

More important, however, than being called, chosen and faithful is what comes first: Those with Him. We are united with the King of kings and Lord of lords (John 6:56, 17:21-23; Romans 7:4, 12:5; Ephesians 4:25, 5:30; First John 4:15, 5:20; Jude 1)! What more could we ask, imagine or hope for?

King of kings and Lord of lords, at all times and events are in Your hands. Thank You for uniting Yourself to me through faith. Let Your courage and Your love, live in me.³⁸⁰

The Woman Who Sits on the Beast
17: 1-18

In the book of Revelation, the name the beast can refer to either the system of one world government, to the person of the antichrist, or even to the false prophet. First, it is a reference to the Fourth Gentile Kingdom (to see link click Ar – Finally, There will be a Fourth Beast, That Breaks and Smashes Everything). John said: I will explain to you the mystery of the woman (one world religion) and of the beast (one world government) she rides, which has seven heads and ten horns (17:7b).

Secondly, during the Great Tribulation people will desperately seek religion because of the chaos in the world at that time. As ADONAI’s judgments devastate the earth and terrorize its inhabitants, people will frantically turn to the beast as their savior. He will lead a worldwide campaign to destroy every last Jew and attempt to replace God on the earth. The beast (the antichrist) and the ten horns (one world government) you saw will hate the prostitute. They will bring her to ruin and leave her naked (17:16a).

Thirdly, John saw another beast (the false prophet), coming out of the earth. He will deceive people into worshiping the antichrist and establish a worldwide religion. The false prophet will have two horns like a lamb (giving the appearance of a true religious leader) but he will speak like a dragon (Satan). He will exercise all the authority of the first beast (the antichrist) on his behalf, and will make the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast (13:11-12). Therefore, context will determine how the beast is interpreted. When this is understood, the book is much easier to read and much easier to understand.

In chapter 17, we see the woman (Dd – I Saw a Woman Holding a Golden Cup in Her Hand, Filled with the Filth of Her Adulteries) riding the beast (One World Government) before the Great Tribulation. During the first three-and-a-half years of the Great Tribulation, the false religious system will have the support of the civil government led by the antichrist seen here in 17:1-18. However, after forty-two months the beast (the antichrist) will have consolidated his power, and he will declare himself to be god and turn on the woman, destroying her so that the unholy trinity of Satan, the beast (the antichrist) and the false prophet will be able to rule without sharing their power with anyone (Ek – The Beast Will Hate the Prostitute and Bring Her to Ruin).

Dear Almighty God, Praise Your Almighty power and Your great love! Thank You for making a home in heaven for all who love and follow Yeshua as their Lord and Savior. Do not let your heart be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in Me.  In My Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to Myself, so that where I am you may also be(John 14:1-3). Everyone wants to be loved and to enjoy heaven forever, but will only happen for those who chose to repent from their sins (John 1:12; Mark 6:12) love and follow You, the Life Giver. And He said to him, “‘You shall love Adonai your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ (Matthew 22:37). You are worthy of all our love! In the holy name of Your Son and the power of His resurrection. Amen.

The Seventh Angel Poured Out His Bowl
and God said, “It is Done!”
16: 17-21

The seventh angel poured out his bowl and God said, “It is done!” DIG: When does this earthquake take place? How does it compare to other earthquakes in human history? What purpose will it serve?

REFLECT: Do you believe that Jesus is coming back again? How has that belief changed the conduct of your life? Has it changed your urgency about winning the lost to Yeshua? He will come in the twinkling of an eye. When He comes, you do not want to have missed the opportunity to talk to a friend, or a loved one about Yeshua Messiah. What we do, we do today. Yes?

The sixth and seventh bowl judgments are not in chronological order. They are like two bookends that describe the first and last stages of the Campaign of Armageddon. To see a summary of that Campaign, and where this tremendous earthquake fits into that context (to see link click Ex – The Eight Stage Campaign of Armageddon: Stage 8 – The Victory Ascent Upon the Mount of Olives).

As God preserved the Hebrews during the ten plagues on Egypt, He will again preserve a remnant from the city of Jerusalem during the second half of the Great Tribulation. How could the Jews survive there for 42 months without taking the mark of the beast? Without the ability to buy or sell? Just as the ravens brought Elijah bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening (First Kings 17:6), there will be sheep Gentiles who come to the aide of the Jews and provide help to God’s chosen people any way that they can. They will be the sheep Gentiles rewarded during the Seventy-Five Day Interval (see Fc – The Sheep and the Goats).

The Word of God tells us that after the third stage of the Campaign of Armageddon, and the fall of Jerusalem by the antichrist and his hordes, half of the Jews will go into exile, but the rest of them will not be taken from the City. But before they can be executed, the antichrist, will turn to attack Bozrah, the fourth stage. As the believing remnant there acknowledges Christ as their Messiah and pleads for Him to return, there will be the national regeneration of Isra’el, the fifth stage.

As the kingdoms of the world close in around the believing remnant in Bozrah (see my commentary on Isaiah Kg – The Second Coming of Jesus Christ to Bozrah), the seventh angel will toss the contents of his final bowl into the air.

Immediately a loud voice from the throne room out of the heavenly Temple says: It is done (16:17)! This is the second time we will hear Jesus say these words. When He hung upon the cross, He spoke the same exact words when He said: It is finished (see my commentary on The Life of Christ Lu – Jesus’ Second Three Hours on the Cross: The Wrath of God). It is one Greek word: Tetelestai, and it actually means paid in full. With His solemn declaration, Jesus announces the climax of the final Day of ADONAI that will spread doom over the entire globe. The perfect tense verb gegonen, or it is done, describes a completed action with ongoing results. God’s judgment of Christ on the cross offered salvation for repentant sinners; the judgment of the seventh bowl brings doom to unrepentant sinners.³⁷⁵

Three times before John had heard flashes of lightening, rumblings, peals of thunder (4:5, 8:5 and 11:19) in heaven, just before the seal judgments, the trumpet judgments and the bowl judgments respectively. The seal and trumpet judgments had also ended with an earthquake. But the bowl judgments will be terminated with this unusually severe earthquake. In fact, it will be so tremendous that no earthquake like it has ever occurred since man has been on the earth (16:18). One of the major fault lines in the world, the African Rife system, runs from the heart of Africa, directly under the Dead Sea, up through the Jordan river valley, the Sea of Galilee and northward through Lebanon. Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives lies just 15 miles west of the Dead Sea. When the victorious Messiah’s feet stand on the Mount of Olives there will be the largest earthquake in the history of the world. All the proud cities of the Gentile nations will collapse (16:19a). The great city of Jerusalem will split into three parts. One of those parts will be the Mount of Olives, which will be split in half again from the east to the west, forming a great valley (Zechariah 14:2-4). Of all the proud cities in the world only Jerusalem will be spared, but it will be changed significantly as we shall see.

When the victorious Messiah returns to Jerusalem and His feet stand on the Mount of Olives, it will split it from the east to the west, forming a great valley (Zechariah 14:2-4). But Zechariah goes on to record another intriguing prophecy: On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half to the eastern sea and half to the western sea, in summer and winter (Zechariah 14:8). Even though Mount Zion will be left unscathed by the severe earthquake, a great artesian spring will open up in the mountain, generating a large river (see my commentary on Isaiah Ge – Your Eyes Will See the King in His Beauty). It will evidently be the River of Life (22:1-6) that will flow from the Millennial Temple (Ezekiel 47), with half flowing down from Jerusalem to the western sea (or the Mediterranean Sea) and half flowing down to the eastern sea (or the Dead Sea). Thus, while the tremendous earthquake will destroy other cities, God’s Holy City will be made more beautiful than ever.³⁷⁶ And because the newly formed valley will provide a way of escape, the believing Jews of Jerusalem will be rescued following the deliverance of the Jews at Bozrah. However, the fate of Babylon will be diametrically different.

God remembered Babylon the Great, the capitol of the beast’s empire, and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of His wrath (16:19b). We must remember that if God did not punish wickedness, there would be no such thing as holiness. This will lead to the final destruction of Babylon, detailed in chapter 18.

The whole surface of the earth will be changed because of the tremendous earthquake. Every island will sink below the water and the mountains will be leveled (16:20). The prophet Isaiah said: The earth will be broken up, split asunder and thoroughly shaken. It will reel like a drunkard, and will sway like a hut in the wind (Isaiah 24:19-20a). The net result of this will be that the trauma to the earth as a result of the Flood will be rectified with the Second Coming of Yeshua Messiah, and the beautiful pre-Flood world will be revived in the Millennium.³⁷⁷

Those who somehow escaped the devastation of the earthquake will face another catastrophe, unparalleled in all of human history. From the sky, huge hailstones of about a hundred pounds each fell upon men. And they cursed God on account of the plague of hail (Exodus 9:18-25), because the plague was so terrible (16:21). The seventh plague in Egypt during the days of Moses was hail mixed with fire (Exodus 9:18-25). It was directed against Nut, the female goddess of the sky. It was from her domain that plague came. In addition, Shu, the Egyptian supporter of the heavens who held up the sky and Tefnut, the goddess of moisture, seemed not to hear. Giant hail killed the Egyptian cattle in the fields and smashed down all their trees. This plague in the end times, however, will be much worse. The hailstones will weigh about a hundred pounds each and will hammer the earth with a vengeance. The heaviest hailstones ever recorded weighed about two pounds, but those gigantic chunks of ice will be fifty times heavier!³⁷⁸ So just as the gods of Egypt were unable to stop the plague of hail mixed with fire, so the antichrist will be unable to stop the seventh bowl of judgment.

What effect will this have on mankind? Will people finally repent of their sins and avoid hell? No. For the third time in this chapter we read that they cursed God. This time it was on account of the plague of hail, because the plague was so terrible (16:21). It will be too late for them because their hearts will be hardened (Luke 16:31). They will have sold their soul to Satan and will be totally committed to the antichrist and his worldwide system of rebellion. As children of wrath, it will be as if they are begging to go to hell to be with their master rather than repenting and be with the Lamb forever. Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts (Hebrews 4:7).

Only one life ’twill soon be past, only what’s done for Messiah will last.

The Sixth Angel Poured Out His Bowl
and I Saw Three Evil Spirits That Looked Like Frogs
16: 12-16

The sixth angel poured out his bowl and I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs DIG: What will the evils spirits do to gather men for the Campaign of Armageddon? How will the just purposes of the LORD and the evil purposes of Satan finally converge in this coming Campaign?

REFLECT: What are the frogs that are battling with you? How is the battle going? How is the book of Revelation making you feel? Why? What has surprised you about the Lord or about this book? How would you explain the necessity of these plagues to someone who does not believe in God?

The sixth and seventh bowl judgments are not in chronological order. They are like two bookends that describe the first and last stages of the Campaign of Armageddon. To see a summary of that Campaign, and where the Euphrates River drying up fits into that context, click Ex – The Eight Stage Campaign of Armageddon Stage One: The Gathering of the Armies of the Antichrist.

Like the other worldwide blackouts in the end times, we do not know how long they last. But eventually the fourth blackout subsides and the sixth angel will pour out his bowl on the great river Euphrates. The Euphrates has been an integral part of the world affairs since creation. It was one of four rivers that irrigated the garden of Eden (Genesis 2:14). It was supposed to have provided the northern and eastern boundaries of the land God promised to Abraham’s descendants (Genesis 15:18; Joshua 1:4). The Israelites simply called it the River or the Great River. The Greek name, Euphrates, meant sweet water. But near the end of the Great Tribulation, those waters, long embittered by judgment, will dry up.

Dear Living Water (John 7:38), Our Abba Father (Matthew 6:9), We praise Your power and love! You are our Living Water which will never go dry! On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Yeshua stood up and cried out loudly: If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture says, ‘out of his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’ Now He said this about the Ruach, whom those who trusted in Him were going to receive (John 7:37-39a). Praise You that You send Your Ruach ha-Kodesh to live in all who love You. And by Your same power which raised Yeshua from the dead, You will also raise all who love and follow Yeshua as their Lord and Savior. If Messiah is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the Spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the Ruach of the One who raised Yeshua from the dead dwells in you, the One who raised Messiah Yeshua from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Ruach who dwells in you (Romans 8:10). We love You and bow in worship of You. Praise You for making a home in heaven (John 14:1-3) for those who love You. In your holy Son’s name and power of resurrections. Amen

And its water will dry up to prepare the way for the kings from the East (16:12). The great river Euphrates is one of the great rivers in the world. But because the plagues are accumulative, the Euphrates will still be filled with blood and dead fish. The three-and-a-half year drought of the first half of the Great Tribulation will surely decrease the flow of water even before the rivers of the world became blood from the third bowl of judgment (16:4). This drying-up process will be for the purpose of making it easier for the antichrist to assemble his forces and will start the Campaign of Armageddon. The action of the LORD in the TaNaKh is frequently associated with the drying up of waters, as seen in the Sea of Reeds (Exodus 14:21), the Jordan (Joshua 3:16), and several times in prophecy (Isaiah 11:15-16, 44:27 and 51:10; Jeremiah 51:36; Zechariah 10:11).³⁷¹

These are not two hundred million Chinese, but demons (see Db – The Sixth Trumpet: The Four Angels Who Had Been Kept Ready, Were Released to Kill a Third of Mankind). The two hundred million (9:16) and the kings of the east belong to two different judgments that must be kept distinct and cannot be combined. Everywhere else in the Bible, the east always refers to Mesopotamia (Assyria and Babylonia). Because the antichrist’s capitol will be in Babylon (17:18), it attests to the fact that the kings who will be coming from the east are Mesopotamian kings. They had apparently been itching to move westward and join in the battle. Little did they know, that their eagerness to gather in the Valley of Jezreel with the antichrist will not be of their own choosing, but rather the result of demonic deception. The beast will give a decree. He will order his allies to gather their armies together. This final campaign against Jesus and the Jews is certainly the work of the counterfeit trinity. The summons will be reinforced by demonic activity to make sure that the nations will indeed cooperate in assembling their armies. These are the seven kings that have been kept under the authority of the antichrist since the middle of the Great Tribulation (see Dk – Three Kings Killed and Seven Submit).

Then they saw three evil spirits, the dragon, the beast and the false prophet, that looked like frogs. Frogs were unclean animals (Leviticus 11:10 and 41), but these where not literal frogs as in the plague in Egypt (see my commentary on Exodus Bl – Stretch Out Your Hand and Make Frogs Come Up on the Land of Egypt). They came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet (16:13). John identified them as spirits of demons performing miraculous signs. That those demons will have such great powers of deception is not surprising. Jesus predicted that false christ’s and false prophets . . . will show signs and wonders, in order to lead astray, if possible, the elect (Mark 13:22; Second Thessalonians 2:9-10 NASB). Certainly those demons will have great powers of deception. Therefore, they will have little difficulty in deceiving the kings of the whole world, and to gather them for the battle with ADONAI, God of heaven’s armies, on that great final day of the Campaign of Armageddon (16:14).³⁷² While the LORD is never the author of evil, He will allow wicked people to destroy themselves by their own evil acts (Romans 1:20-32).

Satan, knowing that the Second Coming of Messiah is near, will gather the military might of the world into the Valley of Jezreel to resist the coming of the Son of Man who will return to the Mount of Olives (Zechariah 14:4). Although the nations may be deceived in entering into the war in hope of gaining world political power, the satanic purpose is to combat the armies of heaven at the Second Coming (19:14).³⁷³

The train of thought is now interrupted by a parenthetical comment that contains a message of comfort and hope. Jesus will say: Behold, I come like a thief! He will come quickly and unexpectedly. Even though the hearts of all those on the earth at that time will be completely reprobate like Pharaoh of Egypt, His statement here will be one last attempt for any unbeliever to accept Him and escape the judgment to come, not wanting anyone to perish (Second Peter 3:9a). Yeshua will say: Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes of righteousness with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed (16:15). This is the third of seven blessings in the book of Revelation (1:3, 14:13, 16:15, 19:9, 20:6, 22:7, 22:14). That person will be completely blameless (Hebrews 7:26). No one will be able to stand before Messiah at the great white throne judgment and when sentenced to an eternity in hell, shake a fist at Him and say, “You aren’t fair, I never had a chance.”

Then after Yeshua warns unbelievers to accept His last offer of grace before it is to late, John returns to the events of the sixth bowl judgment. They gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Har Megiddo [Megiddo in Hebrew] (16:16). Megiddo was a strategic city located at the western end of the Valley of Jezreel, guarding the famous Megiddo Pass into Isra’el’s largest valley (Judges 5:19; 2 Kings 23:29-30; 2 Chron 35:22; Zech 12:11). It guarded a major pass on the ancient Via Maris or Way of the Sea, connecting Egypt and Syria. One can see the entire Valley of Jezreel from the mountain upon which the city Megiddo once stood. It had seen many battles and much mourning. Armageddon is a combination of two Hebrew words that mean the Mountain of Megiddo. So what is known as the Valley of Armageddon is actually the biblical Valley of Jezreel. The term Armageddon is never applied to the valley itself, but only to the mountain at the western end. Here, in the large valley of Lower Galilee, the armies of the world will gather for the purpose of destroying all the Jews still living at that time.

It should be noted that the passage says nothing of a battle in this valley, for no fighting will take place there. The Valley of Jezreel, guarded by the Mountain of Megiddo, will merely serve as the gathering place for the armies of the antichrist. Armageddon will play the same role that England played in the closing stages of World War II. The allied forces gathered their armies together in England, but the battle took place on the beaches of Normandy, France. The armies of the antichrist will gather in the Valley of Armageddon, but the Campaign of Armageddon will actually start at Bozrah, continue up the Valley of Jehoshaphat and finish as Jesus’ feet stand on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:3-4a). This will cause the city of Jerusalem to split into three divisions (see Ex – The Eight Stage Campaign of Armageddon: Stage 8 The Victory Ascent Upon the Mount of Olives).

This passage is viewed from man’s perspective, which is merely a military gathering called together by the antichrist. But the LORD’s perspective is quite different. ADONAI will proclaim this among the nations: Prepare for war! Stir up the warriors! Let all the fighting men approach and attack. Hammer your plow-blades into swords and your pruning-knives into spears. Let the weak say, “I am strong.” Hurry, come, you surrounding nations, gather yourselves together! Bring your warriors down to the Valley of Jezreel (Joel 3:6-9 CJB). God mocks them. The nations are mockingly encouraged to prepare for war. For those who are weak, let them think they are actually strong. Because while Satan, the antichrist and the false prophet gather the nations for the purpose of destroying the Jews, ADONAI has His own, very different, purpose for permitting the gathering to take place.

This taunting of the gathering of the nations is also portrayed in Psalm 2:1-6 CJB. Why are the nations in an uproar, the peoples grumbling in vain? The earth’s kings are taking positions, leaders conspiring together, against ADONAI and His anointed. They cry, “Let’s break their fetters! Let’s throw off their chains!” He who sits in heaven laughs; the Lord looks at them in derision. Then in His anger He rebukes them, terrifies them in his fury. “I myself have installed My king on Zion, My holy mountain.”

From ADONAI’s viewpoint the gathering of the nations is presented as a gathering against Himself and His anointed Messiah. By seeking to destroy the Jews, the apple of His eye, Satan is also seeking to break God’s control of the world. How foolish! Then ADONAI is pictured as sitting in the heavens laughing, because He will soon have the Gentile nations in confusion. It is the LORD who will set His own king on Zion, and Satan, the antichrist and the false prophet will not be able to stop it. Although the nations will assemble to kill all the Jews left in the world, they will inadvertently accomplish the very purpose of God. The gathering of the armies of the Gentile nations in the Valley of Jezreel will be the first stage of the Campaign of Armageddon.³⁷⁴

The Fifth Angel Poured Out His Bowl
on the Throne of the Beast,
Plunging His Kingdom into Darkness
16: 10-11

The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, plunging his kingdom into darkness DIG: What does this passage tell you about judgment? Where does this blackout start? Where does it end? What kind of darkness will it be? When has that happened before? What areas will not be judged by this plague? 

Spared from the worst of the suffering experienced by most people, the antichrist will be secure in his Babylon capitol. With the best medical attention, both human and demonic, with the best food, with his own personal water purification system, with air-conditioned living quarters, safe behind powerful armed forces and impregnable walls, the beast and false prophet will continue to direct their global campaign of terror.

Dear Great and Mighty Heavenly Father, We praise you for You are all knowing!  There is no need for those who love You to fear when the beast and false prophet appear to be winning. We trust in Your almighty power, just like a young child feels secure when holding tightly to his daddy’s hand, even when they walk by a big, mean, barking dog. We hold tightly to You knowing You can save us From the trial or You can take us Out of the trial so we come to live with You. Heaven will be so wonderful that our memories of earth’s pains will fade. For I consider the sufferings of this present time not worthy to be compared with the coming glory to be revealed to us (Romans 8:18). We love You and look forward to worshipping You in heaven. In the holy name of Your Son and His power of resurrection. Amen

Like the earlier trumpet judgments, the first four bowl judgments are directed against the natural realm (the earth, the sea, rivers and lakes, and the sun). You could call them “natural disasters,” although they have a supernatural cause. When we get to the fifth and sixth bowl judgments, however, like their trumpet counterparts, they are more obviously supernatural, targeting the Beast’s kingdom and the kingdom’s of the world.

There are five blackouts in the end times (Joel 2:31; Revelation 6:12, 9:2, 16:10-11; Matthew 24:29-30). Among the various results of the fifth trumpet judgment was the third blackout; however, the fifth bowl judgment will result in the fourth worldwide blackout of the end times. Here, John is not giving a detailed report, but simply highlighting the important points.³⁶⁷

Now the fifth angel will pour out his bowl of wrath, this time spilling its contents on the throne of the beast himself, and his kingdom will be plunged into darkness (16:10a). The Bible is very clear that this judgment will start on the very throne of the beast. But Scripture is also very clear that the hour of trial will come upon the whole world (3:10). Therefore, the darkness will start with the antichrist, but the rest of the world, which will be his kingdom, will also eventually be plunged into darkness. The result will be a thick darkness, beginning in the throne room of the beast, then permeating the palace and other administrative buildings, and finally covering all of Babylon. Once Babylon is plunged into darkness, it continues to spread like a plague, from country to country, from city to city, from town to town, from house to house, and from person to person.

The prophets of the TaNaKh had much to say about this coming darkness. For although darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples; on You ADONAI will rise; over You will be seen His glory (Isaiah 60:2 CJB).

Blow the shofar in Zion! Sound an alarm on My holy mountain! Let all living in the Land tremble for the Day of ADONAI is coming! It’s upon us! – a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick fog; a great and mighty horde is spreading like blackness over the mountains. There has never been anything like it, nor will there ever be again, not even after the years of many generations. The sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and terrible Day of the LORD (Joel 2:1-2, 31 CJB).

In addition to these two prophets, Nathan mentions it. Amos mentions it, and Zephaniah mentions it. Now the apostle John is merely saying, “This Great Tribulation period is where these prophecies fit into God’s program.” And Jesus Himself confirmed it when He said: But in those days following the Great Tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken (Mark 13:24-25).³⁶⁸

The entire worldwide kingdom of the beast will be darkened, which, at this stage, will include the entire world with the exception of three Transjordan nations where the light will still exist. The antichrist will invade Jerusalem (Ezeki’el 38), and many countries will fall to him in his conquest of the world, but Edom, Moab and the leaders of Ammon will be delivered from his hand (Dani’el 11:41). No one will be able to see the stars or moon or even the sun except for the people in those three countries. Why? Like Goshen, during the plagues of Egypt (Exodus 9:26), that’s where the Israelites were.

The cumulative effect of the painful sores, carcass filled sea of blood, lack of drinking water, and intense heat all engulfed in the fifth blackout will bring unbearable misery. The people of the world will be plunged from the great waves of scorching heat, to the cold of total darkness. Until this time, incredibly, the wicked unbelieving people will not repent.³⁶⁹ They kept on chewing their own tongues in agony (16:10b). Those who act on the impulses of their sin nature end up stumbling in total darkness. The evil they turned against others ends up destroying themselves.

This reminds us that the afflictions suffered by the enemies of Christ are cumulative. The sores brought on by the first bowl will continue to fester as the darkness closes in around them. The water that would have soothed their sunburned faces will stand in stinking, stagnant pool, polluted with decaying blood. The first five plagues were God’s final opportunity for repentance. There will be no more. The bowls of wrath will reveal the sinful minds, hearts, and wills of those who took the mark of the beast. They will become like the generation in the days of Noah: ADONAI saw that the people on the earth were very wicked, that all the imaginings of their hearts were only evil all the time (Genesis 6:5; also see Romans 1:18-27).

Therefore, it is not surprising that they cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they will refuse to repent of what they had done (16:11). Along with the darkness will come a gnawing pain that will cause people to curse the Lord all the more. This will be a thick darkness that will actually be able to be felt. This is the last reference to their unwillingness to repent. The Bible plainly refutes the notion that wicked people will quickly repent when faced with catastrophic warnings of wrath. When confronted with the righteous judgment of ADONAI, their cursing is deepened and their evil purpose is highlighted. When we read this account, we can hardly believe it. We ask ourselves, “How could they not repent?” Friends, the answer is simply this, sin hardens our hearts. It makes us insensitive to the calling of God in our lives. They will refuse to repent of what they had done because, like Pharaoh, sin will have hardened their hearts.

The circumstances will not be unlike what befell Egypt (see my commentary on Exodus, to see link click Bs – Moses Stretched Out His Hand Toward the Sky and Total Darkness Covered All Egypt For Three Days). ADONAI will humiliate the antichrist just as He humbled the gods of Egypt, by showing Himself to be superior in every way. All these plagues have the effect of hardening the LORD’s enemies in their rebellion and opening a way of escape for God’s chosen people.

We, too, have a clear choice in the face of natural disasters, unforeseen reversals of fortune, or crushing disappointments. We can blame God, digging ourselves deeper and deeper into resentment, anger and hatred. Or, we can seek His hand in the midst of these circumstances. He invites us to trust more fully in His loving care. The choice is ours.

You are justified, Jesus, when you condemn. I am in no way deserving of Your forgiveness, and yet you offer it to me again and again. Help me trace the rainbow through the rain, cling to your promise and set out on the path that You have set before me.³⁷⁰

The Fourth Angel Poured Out His Bowl on the Sun,
Scorching People with Fire
16: 8-9

The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, scorching people with fire DIG: What will happen to the kingdom of the antichrist and how will it affect the people physically? More importantly, what is their reaction spiritually?

REFLECT: What has God done in your life to help you repent? How receptive are you to admitting your guilt and repenting when you sin? Are you more like wax or clay when the heat is on? As a follower of Christ, how are you to deal with your sin?

After the brief defense of the LORD’s judgments by the third angel, the fourth angel looked down upon the earth, where those who had taken the mark of the beast waited expectantly for rain to quench their thirst. But, instead, the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun (16:8a). It was created to sustain life (Genesis 1:14-19), and from the fourth day of creation the sun had been a good servant to both mankind and the earth. However, during Dani’el’s 70^th seven, it will become a source of torture. Whereas the fourth trumpet judgment affected the sun by destroying one-third of the light source, the fourth bowl judgment will also affect the sun by increasing its temperature to the point that mankind is totally scorched with fire.

When the angel pours out his bowl of wrath on the sun, a miracle will happen. God will supernaturally heat up its intensity and the solar radiation will emit great waves of scorching heat on the earth. This fiery judgment reminds us of Isaiah 24:4-6, where the prophet writes: The earth dries up and withers, the world languishes and withers, the exalted of the earth will languish. The earth is defiled by its people; they have disobeyed the laws, violated the statues and broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore, earth’s inhabitants are burned up, and very few are left. And Malachi 4:1 adds this comment: Surely the Great Tribulation is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire. Not a root or a branch will be left to them.

Dear Almighty Father, You are awesome in power and in love! Nothing slips passed You. No detail is unseen. Every martyr that the antichrist tries to claim, you take home to a wonderful eternity of peace and joy (Second Corinthians 5:8, First Corinthians 15:54-57). You are totally omniscient, knowing all, and omnipotent. Praise your awesome power and might! You have already won the final battle of the ages (Revelation 19:11-21)! You will reign for all eternity! We bow in love and worship of You! In the holy name of Your Son and His power of resurrection. Amen

So the sun, like Yeshua whom it symbolizes as the light of the world (John 8:12), can be an enemy as well as a servant. And the sun will be given power to scorch people with fire (16:8b). Instead of catching soothing drops of rain, the people of the earth will be burned with searing rays from the sun. The last forty-two months of the Great Tribulation will be a time of great judgment for those whom the seed of the gospel had not taken root. The Lord Himself had said about those who had rejected Him: But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root (Matthew 13:6).

As a result, the people of the earth will be seared by the intense heat (16:9a). They will develop large blisters, suffer from sunstroke and endure extreme thirst. And because the judgments are accumulative, they will be tormented even further. Their painful sores caused by the first bowl judgment will become sunburned. There will be little relief at night because it will be difficult to rest or sleep. Some will be able to retreat to air-conditioned buildings, but it will offer only temporary relief. Water supplies will be virtually nonexistent, and will need to be used in moderation, and then only after extensive purification treatments because of the blood of the second and third bowl judgments. Life will be maddening and it will be difficult for them to think clearly at that time.³⁶⁴

Another somber consequence of the sun’s intense heat will be the melting of the polar ice caps. The resulting rise in the seas’ water level will swamp coastal regions, flooding areas miles inland with the bloody water of dead stinking, rotting fish. And “Mother Nature,” like the Egyptian gods in the days of Moses, will not be able to help them at all.

One would think that the unparalleled disasters of the previous bowl judgments would cause people to repent. After all, the Lord’s judgment is designed to soften the hearts of sinners (Joel 2:12-14; Romans 2:4), or like Pharaoh, to harden their hearts (Exodus 8:32).³⁶⁵ It is true that the same sun that softens wax, also hardens clay. So we see here the New Covenant’s most convincing description of the normal behavior of hardened sinners. When the heat was on, they will curse the name of God. Although ADONAI had control over the plagues (16:9b), these unbelieving worshipers of Satan, in their madness, will curse the only One who will be able to rescue them. They recognize that Messiah controls the plagues; however, they blame Him (and not themselves) because they are blinded and can see no connection between their own sinful nature and the Lord’s wrath as judgment.³⁶⁶

This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Yeshua Messiah has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world (First John 4:2-3).

Up to this point, only the antichrist has been portrayed as cursing ADONAI (13:1, 5-6), but now the people of the earth adopt his evil character. Neither grace nor wrath will move their wicked hearts to call on the name of the Lord for forgiveness (9:20-21; 16:11). In 11:13 the worldwide earthquake it brought some repentance, but there is no evidence of anyone coming to the Lord during the future bowl judgments. They will continue in their sin.

No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. This is how we know who are the children of God and those of Satan: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother (First John 3:9-10).

But sinners during the second half of the Great Tribulation will not learn this lesson. They will believe the lie of Satan (Second Thessalonians 2:10-11), and love their sin so much that they will stubbornly refuse to repent and glorify God (16:9c). They will not fall on their sunburned faces and sore knees to ask for mercy, instead they become more wicked and curse His name. Being amoral and materialistic, they see no connection between their own sinful behavior and these events as judgment. They remain unrepentant throughout the chapter. This reveals that the heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it (see the commentary on Jeremiah, to see link click Cr –  Blessed is the One Who Trusts in the LORD, Whose Confidence is in Him)? No amount of punishment will purify it.

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (First John 1:8-9).

The Third Angel Poured Out His Bowl on the Rivers
and Springs of Water and They Become Blood
16: 4-7

The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water and they became blood DIG: Why will people have to drink blood during the Great Tribulation? What will the conditions be like at that time? Who will be blessed during the Great Tribulation?

REFLECT: When was the last time you spoke in God’s defense? When was the last time you mocked God? Is the LORD of heaven’s angelic armies omnipotent in your life? Or do you still take hold of the steering wheel and wrestle control away from Him? What areas do you still try to control? What can you do to let go?

As the wicked people of the earth reeled at the realization that their lives were being torn apart with the poisoning of the sea, they turned inland in the hope of finding drinking water from the rivers and lakes. But just when they were about to console themselves, the third angel poured out his bowl, and the same dreadful judgment that was visited upon the sea also affected the rivers and lakes, and they also became blood (Rev 16:4; Exodus 7:17-21; Psalm 78:44). The third bowl judgment will be worse than the third trumpet judgment. Whereas in the third trumpet judgment one-third of the fresh water was destroyed, under the third bowl judgment the remainder of the fresh water in the rivers and springs will also become blood.

The poisoning of the sea will wipe out 96 percent of the human water supplies, leaving only 4 percent of the fresh water supply from the rivers and lakes. Needless to say, the fresh water will be in dangerously short supply. The third trumpet judgment resulted in the poisoning of a third of the world’s fresh water (8:10-11). God’s two witnesses will have the power to shut up the sky so that it will not rain during the last forty-two months of the Great Tribulation, and they have the power to turn the waters into blood (11:6). The Bible does not say like blood. It says the waters turned into blood. The four angels also temporarily restrained the earth’s winds also causing drought (7:1). With no wind to move the clouds, the hydrological system will be shut down and no rain will fall. All this will have a devastating effect on both the earth and the people.

The destruction of what is left of the earth’s water supply will make human survival very difficult. Evidently, the water from the rivers and lakes, even though changed to blood, will not be as toxic as the water in the sea because people will be able to drink it (16:6). I am sure it will be bitter and repulsive, but they will get it down to survive. There will be no fresh water to drink; no water to wash their oozing sores caused by the first bowl judgment; no water to quench their thirst from the scorching heat that the fourth bowl would shortly bring. Things will be so bad that people will wonder how a God of compassion, mercy and grace could send such a judgment. And so there is a brief interlude to the series of bowl judgments, as an angel speaks in the Lord’s defense.³⁶¹

The act elicits two declarations. First, in 16:5-6, the guardian angel assigned to pollute the water declares the righteousness of ADONAI’s judgment in this act. Since people have shed the blood of God’s people and the prophets, they will be given blood to drink.

The angel in charge of the earth’s waters will look at this judgment and declare it to be well deserved. Then I heard the angel in charge of the waters say: You are just in these judgments, You who are and Who were, the Holy One, because You have so judged (Revelation 16:5; also see Psalm 19:9 and 145:17). The rabbinic writings often refer to God as HaKadosh, barukh hu, the Holy One, blessed be He. For example, in the well-known Aleinu prayer is recited near the end of each synagogue service, “We bend the knee, bow and acknowledge before the supreme King of kings, HaKadosh, barukh hu [the Holy One, blessed be He] . . . that He is our God, there is none else.” Here too the reference is to God the Father, but according to Acts 2:27 and 13:35, quoting Psalm 16:10, the term also applies to the Messiah.

John hears this testimony and he makes sure we hear about it also. In fact, it is a testimony that everyone needs to hear and take to heart. God is righteous and holy; therefore, He is just when He judges sin. Since He is also a merciful God, He is willing to forgive man’s wickedness, but only because the terrible penalty for wickedness has been demanded already, when Yeshua died as God the Father’s sacrificial Lamb. But when men deliberately trample the Son of God under foot and treat the blood of the B’rit Chadashah as an unholy thing, then there is no sacrifice for sins left (see the commentary on Hebrews, to see link click Ci – If We Deliberately Keep On Sinning, No Sacrifice For Sins is Left), and the Lord’s holy wrath must be poured out.³⁶² To refuse grace is to choose wickedness, and Messiah will allow this for a time. But mankind should remember the consequences of such a foolish choice. YHVH will not be mocked (Galatians 6:7b).

The angel proclaims that the Christ-hating, God-rejecting people receiving the bowl judgments will bear the overwhelming burden of guilt. They poured out the blood of Your people and Your prophets, so you have made them drink blood. They deserve it (Revelation 16:6 CJB; also see Isaiah 49:26)! Just as Moses burned the golden calf in the fire, ground the gold to powder, and scattered it on the water and made the Israelites drink it (Exodus 32:20), so the unbelievers in the end times be forced to drink blood. The sin, as it were, will be poured into their bodies along with the blood to symbolize that they would have to bear the burden of it just as a woman who was suspected of adultery was obligated to drink of the bitter water that brought a curse (Numbers 5:11-31).

Even though most will not take part directly in the killing, they will be in agreement with it. Like the citizens of Auschwitz, Chelmno and Treblinka, they will let it happen without lifting a finger. Those who live on the earth will rejoice when the two witnesses are finally killed by the antichrist (11:10), and they won’t protest in the least when the beast begins his bloody campaign to annihilate all those who will not worship him or his image.

It has always been that way. The corrupt religious leaders of the Jews didn’t drive the nails into Messiah’s wrists, but they led the people into crying out: Let His blood be on us and on our children (Matthew 27:25). Jesus confronted the people of His own day about the shedding of the blood of the righteous in earlier times when He said: And upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the Temple and the altar (Matthew 23:35). Those of any age who reject Yeshua are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting Him to public disgrace (Hebrews 6:6).

Likewise, those who give in – even by their silence – whenever believers are ridiculed or silenced, will be, in effect, their persecutors. To the most educated and religious people of His earthly generation, Christ said: You shut up the Kingdom of Heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. . . And you say, “If we had lived in the days of our forefathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.” Fill up, then, the measure of sin of your forefathers! You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell (Mt 23:13 and 30-33)?

Believers have had their blood spilled from Abel to today, but none will be slaughtered like the righteous during the Great Tribulation. Therefore, it will be especially appropriate that the final generation of murderers should be forced to drink the blood that they take such pride in shedding. They will especially deserve it.

Dear Great King and Almighty LORD of the universe, We bow in worship of You! Though the antichrist and his followers will be praised in their ability to make war (Revelation 13:4), yet they do not win when they martyr a follower of Yeshua. Indeed, they store up wrath for themselves (John 3:36; Romans 2:5). You have already won the final battle of the ages (Revelation 20:7-9)! You will reign eternally! We love and worship You! In the holy name of Your Son and Hispower of resurrection. Amen

The second declaration comes from the golden altar of incense, further affirming the assessment of God’s righteousness being revealed through His judgments. Then I heard the alter respond, “True and just are your judgments” (16:7b). Earlier John had described the martyrs from the early part of the Great Tribulation as being under the altar (see Cp – The Fifth Seal: I Saw Under the Altar Those who Had Been Slain). Then John heard a voice coming from the horns of the golden altar (9:13), the same golden altar of 8:2-5 that symbolized the prayers of the Tribulation martyrs crying out for vindication. Then they cried out in a loud voice: Sovereign Ruler, HaKadosh, the True One, how long will it be before You judge the people living on the earth and avenge our blood? Each of them was given a white robe; and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow-servants should be reached, of their brothers and sisters who would be killed, just as they had been (6:10-11 CJB).

Here their prayer is answered. Since that time their number will have been completed with multitudes more yielding up their blood in the first half of the Great Tribulation. Thus, at some point during the second half of the Great Tribulation there would be no more martyrs. Now was the time the righteous under the altar had been yearning for. One can only imagine their mounting excitement as the final series of bowl judgments are poured out over the earth. They see the ugly and painful sores being inflicted on mankind. Then suddenly the sea, rivers and springs start turning into blood, everywhere, always reminding them of the blood they had shed. The souls waiting under the altar could not contain themselves any longer. In unison, a great cry rises from their resting place under the heavenly altar, “The judgments of God, though long delayed, are righteous and just, and they have finally come (Genesis 18:25; Job 8:3, 20; Romans 2:5-6 and Revelation 3:5-6)!”

The fitting name to give this great Judge is: ADONAI, God of heaven’s angelic armies (16:7a CJB). It is the same name that Jesus used to describe Himself to John (1:8), and the name praised by the twenty-four elders before the throne in heaven (11:17). It is the same name that was attributed to the great and marvelous One on the sea of glass (15:3), and to Him who the four living creatures worshiped (4:8).

This ability enables the God of heaven’s angelic armies to overcome seemingly impossible problems. In Genesis 18:10-14, for example, we read of ADONAI’s promise that Sarah would have a son, even though she was past the age of childbirth. This promise had been given twenty-five years earlier, and it had not yet been fulfilled. When Sarah heard the promise again, she laughed. The Lord responded by saying: Why did Sarah laugh and say, “Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?” Is anything too hard for the Lord?³⁶³ Friend, what seemingly impossible problem are you facing today? Whatever it is, don’t face it alone. In talking to His apostles, Yeshua said to them: I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world (John 16:33).

The Second Angel Poured Out His Bowl
and the Sea Turned into Blood
16: 3

The second angel poured out his bowl and the sea turned into blood DIG: How will this plague be different than the second trumpet judgment? How will it be different than the first plague in Egypt? What will be the effect of this plague upon the creatures in the sea? Upon the people of the earth? Why do they persist in their sin?

REFLECT: What does this passage tell you about God’s judgment? How does the Lord deal with you and your sin? Is He fair? Is He arbitrary? Is He consistent? Is He long suffering with you?

One of the reasons that the bowl judgments will be so devastating is their effects will be cumulative. Before the sores of the first bowl could heal, the second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it turned into blood like that of a dead man. To the amazement, horror and despair of the world, the oceans will no longer be fluid, but will become thick, dark and coagulated, like the pool of blood from someone who has been stabbed to death.³⁵⁸ The second bowl judgment will be worse than the second trumpet judgment. It will pollute the sea by turning it into blood and killing everything in it. Because of the destruction of much of the earth’s ecosystem, with the drought and famines, the sea will become an extremely important source of food. So, one can see that this would be a tremendous worldwide judgment.³⁵⁹

The ocean covers 71 percent of the Earth’s surface and contains 96 percent of the planet’s water.  When God turns the sea into blood, one can only imagine how awful it will smell. The flies will multiply because of the increased food source. Day after day, week after week, month after month and year after year, for three and a half years the wonderful smell of the salt water will be replaced by the stench of blood.

The TaNaKh teaches us that blood is the sign of life. For the life of a creature is in the blood (Leviticus 17:11a). The sea is a great reservoir of life. It is teeming with life. However, in this plague, blood will be a sign of death. We need to remember that chemically speaking, the composition of sea water is almost identical to that of blood, so that only a relatively small modification would be necessary to turn it into blood. We have no idea what chemical reactions will take place, but when the second angel pours his bowl, overflowing with the wrath of God into the sea, it will turn from womb of life into a grave of death. The cool sea breeze will become a stench from the carcasses floating to the surface of the bloody water and lining the shore. Commerce will be paralyzed because transportation at sea will be impossible. Flies will carry disease around the world, and millions of people will die, but they will not repent.³⁶⁰

Whereas under the second trumpet judgment one-third of the salt water was turned to blood, in the second bowl judgment the remainder of the salt water will also be turned into blood. The blood here points us back to the first plague of Egypt (see my commentary on Exodus, to see link click Bk – Strike the Water of the Nile and It Will Be Turned into Blood). And every living thing in the sea died. The entire food supply of the world will be in jeopardy. In this toxic ocean nothing will be able to survive. Soon billions of fish and marine reptiles and the innumerable verities of marine invertebrates will die, thus further poisoning the oceans and contaminating the sea shores of the world. As ADONAI had created every living thing with which the water teems (Genesis 1:21), at some point in the second half of the Great Tribulation, the sea and every living thing in the water will die.

But the good news is that we know the LORD will bring the sea back to life again during His messianic reign. In his prophecy to his twelve sons on his deathbed, Jacob told Zebulun that he will live by the seashore and become a haven for ships during the thousand years of the Millennial Kingdom (Genesis 49:13). In fact, all twelve tribes will have their borders on the Mediterranean Sea (Ezeki’el 48:1-7 and 23-28). Not only that, but the millennial River will flow south from the Temple to the millennial Jerusalem where it will be divided into two branches (see my commentary on Isaiah Ge – Your Eyes Will See the King in His Beauty). The western branch will flow down the mountain and empty into the Mediterranean Sea; the eastern branch will flow down into the Dead Sea that will be changed from death to life (Ezekiel 47:8-10). Therefore, because God can create something out of nothing (Genesis 1:1), He will create a new living sea out of the old dying one that will exist during the Messianic Kingdom.

In the far eschatological future, when the first heaven and the first earth have passed away, and the New Jerusalem comes down from heaven, there will be no sea (21:1b). Having completed its age-old function in the earth’s economy, it will cease to exist. But here, during the Great Tribulation, it will be quite a different story.

When men and women know the truth about ADONAI yet refuse to glorify Him, but instead exchange the truth of God for a lie, and worship and serve created things rather than the Creator, the Lord will finally give them over to the sinful desires of their hearts (Romans 1:24-25), so that even the creation itself will turn against them. The sea and its creatures are now a spring of life; but during the second half of the Great Tribulation, it will become a cesspool of death.

Dear Heavenly Father, You are life! Praise You that you give the gift of life to all who choose to love and follow Yeshua.Yeshua said to him: I am the way, the truth, and the life! No one comes to the Father except through Me (John 14:6). You are wonderful and have a fantastic heaven of eternal peace and joy for all who love You.  We love You! In the holy name of Your Son and the power of His resurrection. Amen