B i b l e S t u d y
Lesson: Revelation 18 -The Fall of Babylon the Great
SCRIPTURE READING: Revelation 18:1-24
GOLDEN TEXT: Revelation 18:4
1. Did the apostle John see another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority? (Revelation 18:1).
2. Did the angel cry with a loud voice and say: "Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird!" (Rev. 18:2).
Note: Babylon is representative of two things: Babylon was a great civil empire and Babylon was a great religious system that rode along with the empire. As ancient Babylon conquered many city states she subordinated and absorbed not only the people but also their gods. When Persia conquered Babylon, she absorbed the gods of Babylon. And so it continued with the Grecian Empire and the Roman Empire, they absorbed the gods and the religious system that went before them.
3. Did all of the nations of the earth drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication? (Revelation 18:3). Did the kings of the earth commit fornication with her? Did the merchants of the earth become rich through the abundance of her luxury?
Note: This great "end time" political and military power is symbolically pictured as a scarlet beast (Revelation 17:1-5) and will be controlled by Satan the devil. The woman sitting on this scarlet beast will be the false church guided by Satan the devil and directing or influencing the political military Beast power. Notice in Revelation 18:3 the reference to "her fornication": "For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication." The false church has caused the nations to commit spiritual fornication with false doctrines of paganism that came from the worship of gods out of ancient Babylon. She took these pagan holidays, changed the names of them and called them Christian. (For more information on this please request our free articles: ‘Easter, is it Pagan?’, ‘The Truth about Christmas’, and ‘Why do you observe Sunday?’) Something similar to this happened when Moses was on Mount Sinai receiving the 10 Commandments and Aaron made the golden calf and proclaimed a feast to the Lord (Exodus 32:1-5). God was NOT pleased with the people in mixing idol worship and dedicating it to Him (Vs 6-10).
4. Did John hear another voice from heaven saying, "Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues?" (Revelation 18:4).
Note: The words "Come out of her my people" is a command to the people that God has called (John 6:44) for they are still in this false religious system, and if they don’t come out, they will "share in her sins, and ... receive of her plagues."
5. Did her sins reach to heaven and did God remember her iniquities? (Revelation 18:5).
6. Did this voice from heaven say: "Render to her just as she rendered to you, and repay her double according to her works; in the cup which she has mixed, mix double for her?" (Revelation 18:6).
Note: Notice the two references that her punishment will be double. The first doze will be the sixth trumpet plague (Revelation 9:13-21) which is the one hour nuclear war, then following the return of Jesus Christ at the seventh trump, the second doze will be administered with the seven last plagues (Revelation 16).
7. Did this voice from heaven also say: "In the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, 'I sit as queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow?' "(Revelation 18:7).
Note: The false church is pictured as a woman who lives luxuriously and thinks of herself as a queen. Her pompous attitude is filled with vanity and she thinks that she will not see sorrow. The false church will see sorrow when God dishes out vengeance. God said: "Vengeance is mine; I will repay." (Romans 12:19). We must not avenge ourselves, but vengeance is God’s prerogative. Vengeance is the central core of justice and God is just (Psalms 7:11).
8. How long will it take for her plagues to come upon her? (Revelation 18:8). What are the three plagues mentioned? Will she be burned with fire? Who is it that judges her?
Note: ‘Burned with fire’ is a reference to the sixth trump and the one hour nuclear war. Notice that the punishment of plagues will only last for one day.
9. Will the kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her weep and lament for her, when they see the smoke of her burning? (Revelation 18:9).
10. How close do the kings stand to her? (Revelation 18:10). How long will the judgment last for that great city Babylon? 11. Will the merchants of the earth weep over her? (Revelation 18:11). Who will buy her merchandise now?
Note: The merchants hate to see the end of this economic system which has made them very wealthy.
12. What types of merchandise were purchased from her? (Revelation 18:12-14).
13. Did the merchants become rich from her? (Revelation 18:15). Did they weep over her? How was this great city clothed? (Verse 16).
Note: The false church, or harlot, lives in luxury and is arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls (Revelation 17:3-4).
14. How long did it take for her judgment? (Revelation 18:17). What did the shipmasters say and do when they saw the smoke of her burning? (Verses 17-19). How long did it take to make her desolate?
15. Are the holy saints, apostles and prophets to rejoice over her destruction? (Revelation 18:20). Who avenged the holy people?
Note: God will judge the false church for how she treated God’s people and unfortunately she has been responsible for the deaths of many of God’s people.
16. What did the angel say when he threw the great millstone into the sea? (Revelation 18:21). Will Babylon be found any more? Will the sound of musicians be heard in her anymore? (Verse 22). Will you be able to find any craftsman in her? Will there be anymore weddings in her? (Verse 23). Were her merchants the great men of the earth? Was it by her sorcery that all the nations were deceived?
17. What was found in Babylon? (Revelation 18:24). God will totally destroy the false church because she was responsible for the blood and the deaths of many of God’s people, both of the Jews and the Church.
Scriptures
Scripture Reading:
The Fall of Babylon
(Revelation 18 NKJV) "After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory. {2} And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, "Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird! {3} "For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury." {4} And I heard another voice from heaven saying, "Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. {5} "For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. {6} "Render to her just as she rendered to you, and repay her double according to her works; in the cup which she has mixed, mix double for her. {7} "In the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, 'I sit as queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow.' {8} "Therefore her plagues will come in one day; death and mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her. {9} "The kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her will weep and lament for her, when they see the smoke of her burning, {10} "standing at a distance for fear of her torment, saying, 'Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come.' {11} "And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore: {12} "merchandise of gold and silver, precious stones and pearls, fine linen and purple, silk and scarlet, every kind of citron wood, every kind of object of ivory, every kind of object of most precious wood, bronze, iron, and marble; {13} "and cinnamon and incense, fragrant oil and frankincense, wine and oil, fine flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and bodies and souls of men. {14} "The fruit that your soul longed for has gone from you, and all the things which are rich and splendid have gone from you, and you shall find them no more at all. {15} "The merchants of these things, who became rich by her, will stand at a distance for fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, {16} "and saying, 'Alas, alas, that great city that was clothed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls! {17} 'For in one hour such great riches came to nothing.' Every shipmaster, all who travel by ship, sailors, and as many as trade on the sea, stood at a distance {18} "and cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, 'What is like this great city?' {19} "They threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and wailing, and saying, 'Alas, alas, that great city, in which all who had ships on the sea became rich by her wealth! For in one hour she is made desolate.' {20} "Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you holy apostles and prophets, for God has avenged you on her!" {21} Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, "Thus with violence the great city Babylon shall be thrown down, and shall not be found anymore. {22} "The sound of harpists, musicians, flutists, and trumpeters shall not be heard in you anymore. No craftsman of any craft shall be found in you anymore, and the sound of a millstone shall not be heard in you anymore. {23} "The light of a lamp shall not shine in you anymore, and the voice of bridegroom and bride shall not be heard in you anymore. For your merchants were the great men of the earth, for by your sorcery all the nations were deceived. {24} "And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who were slain on the earth."
Golden Text: (Revelation 18:4 NKJV) "And I heard another voice from heaven saying, "Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues."
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The Golden Calf
(Exodus 32:1-5 NKJV) Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, "Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him." {2} And Aaron said to them, "Break off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me." {3} "So all the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron. {4} And he received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf. Then they said, "This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!" {5} So when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, "Tomorrow is a feast to the LORD."
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(Romans 12:19 KJV) Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
(Psalms 7:11 NKJV) God is a just judge, And God is angry with the wicked every day.
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