Rev 18:1 After
these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great
authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory.
Rev 18:2 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!
Rev 18:3 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."
Rev 18:4 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.
Rev 18:5 For her
sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.
30.
The fall of Babylon (18:1).
For
background see the following passages:
i.
The Fall of Lucifer is described in Isa 14:12.
ii.
A dirge against the king of Tyre, Ezek 27:1-11.
iii.
Doom song of Babylon, Isa 13:19-22.
iv.
Doom song of Edom, Isa 34:11-15.
v.
Doom songs of Babylon, Jer 50:39, see also Jer 51 which contains many of the
thoughts in Rev 18.
vi.
Doom song of Nineveh, Zep 2:13-15.
Rev 18:1- After these things I saw another angel coming
down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory.
The angel has great
authority delegated to him by God, just as Satan gave beast great authority.
The angel is going to announce the fall of the great city which is the city of
the beast. The earth was illuminated by his splendour which comes from the
glory of God when the angel was in God’s presence in heaven. Just as Moses face
shone with the glory of God after he had been in God’s presence. The angel is
similar in description to that in
Ezek.
43:1-2 Afterward he brought me to the gate, the gate that faces toward the
east. And behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east.
His voice was like the sound of many waters; and the earth shone with His
glory.
which the land was radiant with God’s glory.
The glory of the angel is appropriate to the greatness of his announcement and
his authority to proclaim the word of God concerning the demise of Babylon.
Rev 18:2a And
he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, "Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen
The
angel announces the fall of Babylon the Great, this is a repetition of the
angel’s announcement in 14:8, see also
Isa. 21:9:
'Babylon has fallen, has fallen! All her idols lie shattered on the ground'.
This also reminds us of the fall of the ancient Babylonian king, Belshazzar,
Dan. 5:26,
'God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end'. The repetition
of Fallen indicates the certainty of judgement.
Rev 18:2b and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison
for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird!
-
After her destruction she will be deserted, this is enlarged upon by the angel
in 18:21-24. She is already inhabited by unclean spirits who provoke men into
unclean acts. After man is no longer there the demons move around seeking rest
Luke
11:24).
The
description in this verse is a classical biblical description of a desolate city,
Jer. 9:11
" I will make Jerusalem a heap of ruins, a den of jackals. I will make the
cities of Judah
desolate, without an inhabitant."
Jer. 50:39
" Therefore the wild desert beasts shall dwell there with the jackals, And
the ostriches shall dwell in it. It shall be inhabited no more forever, Nor
shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation.
Jer. 51:37
Babylon shall become a heap,!RM A dwelling place for jackals, An astonishment
and a hissing, Without an inhabitant.
Isa. 13: 19 And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, The
beauty of the Chaldeans' pride, Will be as when God overthrew Sodom and
Gomorrah.
Isa. 13:20 It will never be inhabited, Nor will it
be settled from generation to generation; Nor will the Arabian pitch tents
there, Nor will the shepherds make their sheepfolds there.
Isa. 13:21 But wild beasts of the desert will lie
there, And their houses will be full of owls; Ostriches will dwell there, And
wild goats will caper there.
Isa. 13:22 The hyenas will howl in their citadels,
And jackals in their pleasant palaces. Her time is near to come, And her days
will not be prolonged."
Isa. 34:8 For it is the day of the LORD's
vengeance, The year of recompense for the cause of Zion.
Isa. 34:9 Its streams shall be turned into
pitch, And its dust into brimstone; Its land shall become burning pitch.
Isa. 34:10 It shall not be quenched night or day;
Its smoke shall ascend forever. From generation to generation it shall lie
waste; No one shall pass through it forever and ever.
Isa. 34:11 But the pelican and the porcupine shall
possess it, Also the owl and the raven shall dwell in it. And He shall stretch
out over it The line of confusion and the stones of emptiness.
Isa. 34:12 They shall call its nobles to the
kingdom, But none shall be there, and all its princes shall be nothing.
Isa .34:13 And thorns shall come up in its palaces,
Nettles and brambles in its fortresses; It shall be a habitation of jackals, A
courtyard for ostriches.
Isa. 34:14 The wild beasts of the desert shall also
meet with the jackals, And the wild goat shall bleat to its companion; Also the
night creature shall rest there, And find for herself a place of rest.
Isa. 34:15 There the arrow snake shall make her
nest and lay eggs And hatch, and gather them under her shadow; There also shall
the hawks be gathered, Every one with her mate.
Rev 18:v3 - For all the nations have drunk the
maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of
the earth grew rich from her excessive
luxuries." –
The angel gives the reasons for her
destruction, she seduced the nations, kings and merchants to be unfaithful to
God, see also 17:2. See
Jer. 51:7,
'Babylon was a gold cup in the Lord's hand; she made the whole earth drunk. The
nations drank her wine; therefore they have now gone mad' and
Isa. 51:17 Awake, awake! Stand up, O Jerusalem, You
who have drunk at the hand of the LORD The cup of His fury; You have drunk the
dregs of the cup of trembling, And drained it out.
Isa. 51:18 There is no one to guide her Among all
the sons she has brought forth; Nor is there any who takes her by the hand
Among all the sons she has brought up.
Isa. 51:19 These two things have come to you; Who
will be sorry for you? --- Desolation and destruction, famine and sword --- By
whom will I comfort you?
Isa. 51:20 Your sons have fainted, They lie at the
head of all the streets, Like an antelope in a net; They are full of the fury
of the LORD, The rebuke of your God.
Isa. 51:21 Therefore please hear this, you
afflicted, And drunk but not with wine.
Isa. 51:22 Thus says your Lord, The LORD and your
God, Who pleads the cause of His people: " See, I have taken out of your
hand The cup of trembling, The dregs of the cup of My fury; You shall no longer
drink it.
Isa. 51:23 But I will put it into the hand of those
who afflict you, Who have said to you, ' Lie down, that we may walk over you.'
And you have laid your body like the ground, And as the street, for those who
walk over."
The
kings join in with her in her sins against God, they also share in her power
and luxury, see verse 9. The merchants also get rich from her desire for
greater and greater luxury, we see this now in the world the rich get richer
while the poor get poorer, what is condemned here is excessive luxury. The
merchants will lament the loss of their profitable trade, Rev 18:11, 15, 23.
v4 - Come out of her, my people, so that you will not
share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues; -
This
is clearly a warning to the saints. There are two meanings here, first to come
out meaning to be separate from her in her sins and secondly to flee from her
in order to avoid her judgement
1 Cor.
11:32 But when we are judged, we are
chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.
Jer. 51:6
Flee from the midst of Babylon, And every one save his life! Do not be cut off
in her iniquity, For this is the time of the LORD's vengeance; He shall
recompense her.
Jer. 51:45
" My people, go out of the midst of her! And let everyone deliver himself
from the fierce anger of the LORD.
Just as Lot fled Sodom before its destruction
Gen
19:12 Then the men said to Lot,
"Have you anyone else here? Son-in-law, your sons, your daughters, and
whomever you have in the city --- take them out of this place!
the Israelites fled Egypt; God’s people fled
Babylon
Jer. 51:45
" My people, go out of the midst of her! And let everyone deliver himself
from the fierce anger of the LORD.
and the early church fled Jerusalem to avoid
persecution before her destruction; so God’s people are told to leave Babylon
before her destruction comes upon her. This is a personal command of God. This
has an echo throughout scripture starting with Abraham who was told to leave
his own country
Gen 12:1 Now
the LORD had said to Abram: " Get out of your country, From your family
And from your father's house, To a land that I will show you.
He was looking forward to a better country, a
heavenly one, and God has prepared a city for him
Heb.
11:8-16 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which
he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was
going.
9 By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as
in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him
of the same promise;
10 for he waited for the city which has
foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
11 By faith Sarah herself also received strength
to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she
judged Him faithful who had promised.
12 Therefore from one man, and him as good as
dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude --- innumerable as
the sand which is by the seashore.
The
Heavenly Hope
13 These all died in faith, not having received
the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them
and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
14 For those who say such things declare plainly
that they seek a homeland.
15 And truly if they had called to mind that
country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to
return.
16 But now they desire a better, that is, a
heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He
has prepared a city for them.
This
finds its fulfilment with the heavenly Jerusalem later in Revelation. It finds
an echo in
2 Cor. 6:16
And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the
temple of the living God. As God has said: " I will dwell in them And walk
among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people."
in
which God’s people are called out, that is they are to be a holy people
separate from the world and its sin. Note that the word church in the NT is ekklesia
meaning an Assembly of God’s called out ones. This should be read with the
warnings to the churches at Pergamum (Balaam, idolatry, immorality) and
Thyatira (Jezebel, idolatry, immorality) in mind. The saints do not belong to
the world, but have been chosen out of the world
John 15:19 If you
were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the
world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
James 4:4
But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete,
lacking nothing.
1 John
2:15-17 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the
world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16 For all that is in the world --- the lust of
the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life --- is not of the Father
but is of the world.
17 And the world is passing away, and the lust
of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.
Revelation 18:6 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.
a. Render to her just as she
rendered to you: The ancient Greek word for render (apodidomi)
means literally "to pay a debt" or "to give back that which is
due." God will give Babylon exactly what she deserves.
b. Repay her double according
to her works . . . mix for her double: Double restitution was required in
the Old Testament in cases of theft (Exodus 22:4-9). This perhaps is a
commentary on how Babylon has made her wealth - through dishonest dealings.
Ex 22:4 If the theft is certainly found alive in his
hand, whether it is an ox or donkey or sheep, he shall restore double.
Ex 22:7 "If a man delivers to his neighbor money
or articles to keep, and it is stolen out of the man's house, if the thief is
found, he shall pay double.
Ex 22:9 "For any kind of trespass, whether it
concerns an ox, a donkey, a sheep, or clothing, or for any kind of lost thing
which another claims to be his, the cause of both parties shall come before the
judges; and whomever the judges condemn shall pay double to his neighbor.
Repay her
double according to her works: This passage presents a three-fold sin. First, self-indulgence
(lived luxuriously). Second, pride (glorified herself . . .
sits as a queen). Third, avoidance of suffering (am no widow, and
will not see sorrow). All these things are characteristic of worldliness
and materialism.
Psalms
138:7,8
8 O daughter of Babylon, who are to be
destroyed, Happy the one who repays you as you have served us!
9 Happy the one who takes and dashes Your
little ones against the rock!
Pride
of Babylon
Rev 18:7 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.'
Rev 18:8 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.
Laodicea
church
This
is also a warning to the church at Laodicea who had the same attitude, which
said ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing’ (3:17).
Prophesy by Isaiah
The
whole chapter Isaiah was talks about the destruction of Babylon. In that Isa
47:5-12, she is arrogant, but God sees all and judges her accordingly, the fall
of Babylon described in Isa 47.
Isa 47:8 " Therefore hear this now, you who are
given to pleasures, who dwell securely, who say in your heart, 'I am, and there
is no one else besides me; I shall not sit as a widow, nor shall I know the
loss of children';
Isa 47:9 But these two things shall come to you in a
moment, in one day: The loss of children, and widowhood. They shall come upon
you in their fullness Because of the multitude of your sorceries, for the great
abundance of your enchantments.
Judgement against Babylon
Rev.18:9 "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,
Rev.18:10 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.'
Kings = 10 kings
support the one final Babylon government
lived luxuriously
= Rev 13:16,17 according to this verse
if any one received the mark of the beast they can’t buy or sell. But these
people where live luxuriously means all these people were received the mark of
the beast.
Rev.13:16 And he caused all, both small
and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand,
or in their foreheads:
Rev.13:17 And that no man might buy or
sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his
name.
standing at a
distance for fear of her torment = just they are watching the judgment of
Babylon with fear full heart because these also going to receive the judgment.
Revelation
18:11-19
Revelation 18:11 "And
the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their
merchandise anymore:
Revelation 18:12 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;
Revelation 18:13 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.
Revelation 18:14 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.
Revelation 18:15 The
merchants of these things, who became rich by her, will stand at a distance for
fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,
Revelation 18:16 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!
Revelation 18:17 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
Revelation 18:18 and
cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, 'What is like this
great city?'
Revelation 18:19 "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.'
Rev 18:11 "And the merchants of the earth will
weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore:
The
merchants mourn not over Babylon but because they have lost their trade. They
grew rich from Babylon's excessive luxuries (18:3), now their source of wealth
has gone. There follows a seven-fold list of goods, which the merchants traded
in.
Rev 18:12 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;
The
woman was decorated with many of these things, she was dressed in purple and
scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls, 17:4,
compare with her description given by the merchants in Rev 18:16 'Woe! Woe, O
great city, dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet, and glittering with
gold, precious stones and pearls!' They traded in pearls but missed the pearl
of great price that would have gained them entry to the New Jerusalem ().
Mat 13:45 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant
seeking beautiful pearls,
Rev 21:21 The twelve gates were
twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the
city was pure gold, like transparent glass
Rev. 18:13 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.
Wine and oil were not damaged by the third
seal (6:6) wheat was scarce, Barley is not traded by the merchants because it
is poor man’s food, it is not a luxury.
Rev. 18:14 - 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.
The fruit you
longed for is likely to be those things listed in the previous verses. They
note the finality of her destruction.
Rev. 18:15 - The merchants of these things, who became
rich by her, will stand at a distance for fear of her torment, weeping and
wailing,
They mourn
because they have lost their source of wealth, 18:3. Her torment is to be
burned by fire, 17;16, 18:8, 9. They stand far off from her at a safe distance
from her burning as did the kings. They could be next and join in her
punishment since they too grew rich from her luxury.
Rev. 18:16 -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!
In 17:4 we find that the woman was also
dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones
and pearls. These items were also part of their cargoes.
Rev.
18:17a - For in one hour such great riches came to nothing.- Her wealth described in the previous verse has been ruined in a
short time, one hour. cf. 18:10 the kings mourn, 18:19 the seamen mourn, the
one hour corresponds to the period of the authority of the ten kings along with
the beast (17:12) who bring her to ruin (17:16).
Rev. 18:17 - ' Every shipmaster, all who travel by
ship, sailors, and as many as trade on the sea, stood at a distance
he
seamen are mentioned here because they complement those who trade over land,
the merchants, thus together they trade by land and sea over the whole world,
which is the devil’s kingdom (But woe to the earth and the sea, because the
devil has gone down to you! 12:12). They mourn as do the merchants because they
have lost their source of wealth, see Ezek. 27:25. They also like the kings and
merchants stand afar off terrified by her torment.
Ezek. 27:25
" The ships of Tarshish were carriers of your merchandise. You were filled
and very glorious in the midst of the seas.
Rev. 18:18 - and cried out when they saw the smoke of
her burning, saying, 'What is like this great city?'
- The kings of
the earth also saw the smoke of her burning (18:9). See also the lament over
Tyre in Ezek 27:32.
Ezek 27:32
In their wailing for you They will take up a lamentation, And lament for you: '
What city is like Tyre, Destroyed in the midst of the sea?
Rev. 18:19 - "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.'
Taken from the lament over Tyre in Ezek.27:30.
They weep and mourn their loss of wealth rather than over their sins.
Ezek. 27:30
They will make their voice heard because of you; They will cry bitterly and
cast dust on their heads; They will roll about in ashes;
Rev.
18:20 - Rejoice over her, O heaven!
Rejoice, saints and apostles and prophets! God has judged her for the way she
treated you.'" - Compare with
Jer. 51:48 ‘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," declares the LORD’.
In contrast
to the mourning of the kings, merchants and sea captains those in heaven
and God’s people in heaven are called to rejoice over her because God has
judged her for the way she treated the saints while they were on earth. This is
just an initial command for those in heaven to rejoice over her destruction,
there follows a description of her destruction and after this in, 19:1, heaven
erupts with a great roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting praise to God that he has condemned the great prostitute
and avenged the blood of his servants. There is similar rejoicing in
heaven when Satan is expelled 12:12. It is those in heaven who have been
persecuted by the great city, their blood has been avenged, and so they are to
rejoice. She had killed the saints, Rev 17:6 and prophets 18:24,
God has at last vindicated His servants the martyrs when they cried out for
justice and their blood to be avenged, Rev 6:9, 19:2. This is the only time
that God’s apostles are mentioned in the book, they are included because
they have been persecuted as well as the saints and prophets
Luke 11:49 Therefore the wisdom of God also said, 'I will send them
prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute,'
Luke 11:50 that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from
the foundation of the world may be required of this generation,
Prophets
are mentioned more often than apostles because there is a stronger tradition of
prophets being persecuted (23:31, 37).
Mat 5:11 "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and
say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.
Mat 5:12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your
reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Both
apostle and prophet is a church ministry (1 Cor 12:28).
1 Cor.28 And God hath set
some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers,
after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of
tongues.
However
it is more likely that John is thinking of the OT prophets who were frequently
persecuted, thus linking the persecution of the OT and NT people of God
30.2. Final destruction (18:21).
|
Rev
18:21 Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone
and threw it into the sea, and said:
"With
such violence the great city of Babylon will be thrown down, never to be
found again.
22
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.
23
The light of a lamp will never shine in you again. The voice of bridegroom
and bride will never be heard in you again. Your merchants were the world's
great men. By your magic spell all the nations were led astray.
24
In her was found the blood of prophets and of the saints, and of all who have
been killed on the earth."
|
Note the six
fold repetition of never indicating
the compete destruction of Babylon (Hendriksen):
· Babylon never
to be found again.
· The music of.... never to be heard in you
again
· no workman... will ever be found in you
again.
· The sound of the millstone will never be heard in you again
· The light of a lamp will never shine in you again.
· The voice of bridegroom and bride will never be heard in you again
Rev.
18:21 - Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone
and threw it into the sea, and said: "With such violence the great city of
Babylon will be thrown down, never to be found again. –
This is based on
the scroll upon which Jeremiah had written all the disasters that would come
upon Babylon, the staff officer Seraiah was to read it and tie it to a stone
and throw it into the Euphrates, and say ‘So Babylon will sink to rise no more
because of the disaster I will bring upon her. And her people will fall’ Jer
51:63-64.
Jer. 51:63 Now it shall be, when you have finished
reading this book, that you shall tie a stone to it and throw it out into the
Euphrates.
64 Then you shall say, 'Thus Babylon shall sink and
not rise from the catastrophe that I will bring upon her. And they shall be
weary.' " Thus far are the words of Jeremiah.
Jer. 51:60 So Jeremiah wrote in a book all the evil
that would come upon Babylon, all these words that are written against Babylon.
This should
also remind us that Jesus said: ‘But if anyone causes one of these
little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have
a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of
the sea’ Mat 18:6. The true crime of the harlot is that she tempts God’s
people to sin.
Rev.
18:22 - 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. –
Compare this
with the words of the Lord to Tyre in
Ezek
26:13 I
will put an end to the sound of your songs, and the sound of your harps shall
be heard no more.
and to the
inhabitants of the earth in
Isa 24:8.
The mirth of the tambourine ceases, The noise of the jubilant ends, The joy of
the harp ceases.
Contrast the
lack of music with the redeemed, Rev 14:2, who play their harps.
Rev.
18: 23-24 - The light of a lamp will never shine in you again. The voice of
bridegroom and bride will never be heard in you again. Your merchants were the
world's great men. By your magic spell all the nations were led astray. 24 In
her was found the blood of prophets and of the saints, and of all who have been
killed on the earth." –
‘The light of a
lamp will never shine in you again’ in contrast to the New Jerusalem in
which the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp (21:23).
In the New
Jerusalem where the Lamb is the bridegroom and the church is the bride and
voices will be very much in evidence, see 19:6. Her merchants were the world’s great men (Isa 23:8) who mourned
for her in 18:11-17. Compare this to Jeremiah’s words to the people of Judah as
they were about to go into captivity because they did not obey the Lord or
listen to his prophets,
Jer. 25:10
Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness,
the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the sound of the
millstones and the light of the lamp.
'I will banish
from them the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom,
the sound of millstones and the light of the lamp'.
Contrast this to the blessedness of the wedding supper of the Lamb, 19:9
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