18:08-20

Fire

 

Revelation 18:8:  Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong [is] the Lord God who judgeth her.”

 

The fire is the fire of judgment reminiscent of Isaiah 66:15-16:

15  For, behold, the LORD will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. 16 For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many.

 

Also Amos 2:4-5:

Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not turn away [the punishment] thereof; because they have despised the law of the LORD, and have not kept his commandments, and their lies caused them to err, after the which their fathers have walked: 5 But I will send a fire upon Judah, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem.

 

Amos 5:6:

Seek the LORD, and ye shall live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and devour [it], and [there be] none to quench [it] in Bethel.

 

Revelation 18:9:

And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning.

 

This verse is reminiscent of Ezekiel 28:17-18:

Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty; thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground; I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.  Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.

            George Ladd, speaking of John the Baptists witness that Jesus would baptize with the Holy Ghost and fire, says: “The fiery judgment would suggest an event terminating this age and initiating the Age to Come.”[1]  The fires that burnt Jerusalem ended the Age of the Fleshly Israel and began the Age of the Kingdom of God.

            Lightfoot mentions the Jewish writings:

We meet with a form of prayer in the Jewish writings which was used on the solemn fast of the ninth month Ab, of which this is one clause: ‘Have mercy, O God, upon the city that mourneth, that is trodden down and desolate; … because thou didst lay it waste by fire, and by fire wilt build it up again.’  If the Jews expect and desire their Jerusalem should be rebuilt by fire, let them direct their eyes towards these fiery tongues; {of Pentecost}, and acknowledge both that the building commenced from that time, and the manner also, how only it is to be restored (vol. 4, p. 28).

 

Bewail

 

Revelation 18:9-10:  “The kings of the earth…will weep and wail for her when they see the smoke of her burning; they will stand afar off”

 

The “kings of the earth/land” stood afar off and watched the burning of “Babylon,” (18:9-10), and the merchants stood afar off in verse 15 also.

            This is reminiscent of the legions of Titus who watched the burning started by the warring Jews inside the city who started fires to try to burn the other faction out of the holy places so they could slay them.  Titus’ army might have been able to quench the fires if they had put their strength and skill toward that end.  However, when they attempted to quench the fires, the Jews attacked them so viciously that they had to leave off fighting fire and fight the Jews.

            The kings of the earth/land” may also refer to the Jews, for all those descended from Isaac were sometimes mentioned as “kings” because of God’s promise to Abraham and Sarah that she would be the mother of “kings,” (Gen. 17:6, 16; 35:11).  The Jews in the dispersion (afar off in Babylon, Alexandria, etc. were anxiously watching the progress of the war for, as merchants, the Temple was their World Bank.

 

Alas

 

Revelation 18:10, 16, 19:  10. Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come….16. And saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls!….19. And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.”

            The word ‘alas’ probably is from the equivalent of the Hebrew word of lament ‘eyk, sometimes translated ‘how?’ or ‘how!’ or ‘what!’  This verse in Revelation is reminiscent of the lament in Psalm 73:19:

How are they [brought] into desolation, as in a moment! They are utterly consumed with terrors.

Also:

How is the faithful city become an harlot! It was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers. (Isaiah 1:21)

 

That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! The golden city ceased! (Isaiah 14:4)

And:

How doth the city sit solitary, [that was] full of people! [how] is she become as a widow! She [that was] great among the nations, [and] princess among the provinces, [how] is she become tributary! (Lam. 1:1)

 

What city is like unto this great city! (Revelation 18:18.)

 

Merchandise

 

Revelation 18:11-19:  And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:”

 

            The Hebrew word in view here for ‘merchandise’ is probably from the root ‛âzab, a form of which, ma‛âzab, is used only in regard to merchandise, almost the same as traffic, commerce.  It indicates the marketplace, as a fair or market.  Also the gain made by commercial traffic.

            The root word means (1) to loosen bands and to let go a beast from its bonds.  It has a double signification: first ‘forsaking’, then in the primary sense of ‘loosing,’ and ‘forsaking, as when something is sold.

            This Hebrew word fits the context as it shows the sense of haughty display of merchandise, a fair, and the gain from merchandising.  Mystery Babylon has sold herself and has been loosed to her lovers.  Babylon here is not only the merchant but also the merchandise, for she has broken the covenant and so is loosed from her covenant with God to be taken and slaughtered.

            This word is an antonym for bəriyth, ‘keeping covenant; ‛âzab implies the breaking of the covenant, (loosing the bonds).

            Revelation 18:12-14 recounts the display of merchandise:

12  The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble, 13  And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men. 14 And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all.

            These verses are reminiscent of Ezekiel 28:11-19 and Isaiah 23 which is a prophecy against Tyre.  Although her merchants were princes, highly honored in the earth, (Isaiah 23:8), she played the harlot with all the kingdoms of the world, (23:17).  She had gathered great treasures of gold and silver through her wisdom in trade.  Yet, she was to be destroyed and Ezekiel 28:11-19 is a lament for her destruction.  Revelation 18:12-16 is reminiscent of Ezekiel 28:13, a list of the merchandise of her wealth.  But she was forced to release, (loose), her hold on her merchandise in verse 14.  Verse 16 shows the great gain she had from her merchandising.

 

Shipmasters

 

Revelation 18:17, 19 (RSV):  “In one hour all this wealth has been laid waste.” And all shipmasters and seafaring men, sailors and all whose trade is on the sea, stood far off.”

 

            Special mention is made of the shipping trade.  Again verse 19 mentions shipping: “The great city where all who had ships at sea grew rich by her wealth!”  Clearly the reference here is to international trade.  This is not merely the local shopkeepers but international merchants.  The fallen city of Jerusalem in AD 70 was the queen of the Jewish merchants who had their far flung trade routes throughout the Roman world.  There were colonies of Jews in all or most of the cities.  International trade was greatly assisted by the establishment of these colonies who had their synagogues and schools and were largely independent of local cultures.

            Jerusalem/Babylon was also made rich through the Temple tax that was assessed on all Jews in dispersion.  The geographical area of the nation was only the “tip of the iceberg,” so to speak.  It was only the headquarters of a nation that encompassed the Jews throughout the cities of the Roman Empire.

 

Wealth Come to Nought

 

Revelation 18:17, 19: “Wealth has come to nought.”

 

            These verses are reminiscent of the Song of Moses about the vengeance God will bring upon those who turn away from Him.  The great treasuries of “Babylon” have come to nought and she is made desolate.  Her wealth is contrasted with the great treasury of God’s vengeance and judgments.

Deuteronomy 32:34:  [Is] not this laid up in store with me, [and] sealed up among my treasures?  [i.e., wrath and vengeance are stored up for the disobedient.]

 

Verse 19 is especially reminiscent of the lament in Isaiah 64:11 RSV: 

Our holy and our beautiful house, where our fathers praised thee, is burned up with fire: and all our pleasant things are laid waste.

 

Rejoice over Her

 

Revelation 18:20:  Rejoice over her, [thou] heaven, and [ye] holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.”

 

            This is the answer to the lament of the martyred saints in 6:10:

How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?

 

The extensive theme of vengeance carries throughout the Bible as reflected by Matthew 23:34-39 RSV):

Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from town to town,  that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of innocent Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar.  Truly, I say to you, all this will come upon this generation.  O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killing the prophets and stoning those who are sent to you! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not!  Behold, your house is forsaken and 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.’  (See also Luke 13:34)

 

            From these words of our Lord we see that it is clearly the fallen Jerusalem who has incurred the wrath of God in vengeance for the slaughter of His saints.  It is clearly the unbelieving Jews who are guilty, for it is in their synagogues, towns, and even in their sanctuary that these atrocities have been committed.  This becomes even more evident in 18:24 RSV:

And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all who have been slain on earth.

This is a direct reference to, and in fulfillment of, Christ‘s words to Jerusalem in Matthew 23:34-39.


[1] Ladd, Theology, pp. 36-39.

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