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Day 33 Revelation 18 Revelation 18:1 And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. 2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. 3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. 4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. 5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. 6 Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double. 7 How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she said in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. 8 Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judges her. 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, 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. 11 And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buys their merchandise any more: 12 The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all citron 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 odors, 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. 15 The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, 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! 17 For in one hour so great riches is come to naught. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off, 18 And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city! 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. 20 Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her. 21 And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all. 22 And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee; 23 And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived. 24 And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth. How often in your crisis do you want to heap a double portion of trouble on the person or entity that caused you grief? God showed John that’s what He did regarding Babylon, and not Babylon alone, also Rome. John didn’t know Rome as a papal city full of idolatry and commerce. However, he did know Rome as the city that destroyed the prophets and saints in her arenas. Therefore, God would destroy those cities which destroyed His people. Consider what the angel said. He said, Babylon is fallen, is fallen. He said it twice and then he reiterated the same destruction twice on the city, showing there would be a double portion of judgment not only on Babylon but Rome also. God’s judgment falls on all those who do not glorify Him, but worships idols and all things pagan. Babylon is the seat of pagan worship. Genesis 10:8 And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth. 9 He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD. 10 And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. (KJV) Here is the beginning of Babylon. Nimrod built the tower of Babel, not to glorify God, but to glorify himself. From this would grow the city of Babylon the seat of pagan worship. When Israel disobeyed God, He sent them into exile to Babylon. It was there they were forced to worship an image made with hands, or face death in the fiery furnace. Rome was another place of idol worship. John knew a stroll down its streets one would see temples to every god, and it was to these gods the saints and prophets met their end in Rome’s arena. At the end of the Tribulation, God would bring total destruction to those cities who worshipped idols and brought about great gain for their pleasure and not for the His glory. He would bring His vengeance on those who killed His people. It would be a double portion of His vengeance. Everyone who did any kind of commerce in either city would see a quick destruction and lament over the city. They would despair because the destruction would be total and there would be no recoup of their losses. At the same time, with the total destruction of Babylon and Rome, heaven will rejoice and those killed would be vindicated for the evil done to them. Lamentation would give way to rejoicing and victory over the evil done to them. As Christians, we wait for the day when God will bring vengeance on Satan for all he has done in our lives. When that day comes, we too will be among those saints who rejoice to see the destruction of the seats of pagan worship and Satan who deceived the nations. Isaiah 14:12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most-High. 15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. 16 They who see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man who made the earth to tremble, who did shake kingdoms; 17 Who made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; who opened not the house of his prisoners? 18 All the kings of the nations, even all of them, lie in glory, everyone in his own house. 19 But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, and as the raiment of those who are slain, thrust through with a sword, who go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcass trodden under feet. 20 Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land, and slain thy people: the seed of evildoers shall never be renowned. Satan will see his destruction at the hands of God, and all heaven and the saints will rejoice to see it. Let’s pray: Father, Your justice is fair and complete. No one can stand before You when You bring justice on those who bring evil on Your people. Let me glorify You and bring You praise for You alone are holy and just and there is no one like You in the earth. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. Copyright © 30 July 2019 by Valerie Routhieaux Image courtesy of Pixabay