Revelation 20 Commentary Notes

 < Revelation 19

Introduction

There is a long history of dispute over the way to understand the statement found here that Mashiach will reign on earth for 1,000 years.  The debate is set in relation to his promised second coming, and, roughly speaking, is set out in terms of as being present or future on the earth. Anyone who is unfamiliar with the different positions taken in this debate can easily research them under the term millennialism.  

When we begin with an understanding of the good news of Israel's corporate atonement made through the prayer of the blood of Mashiach shed for her, we remove all replacement theology from our understanding of the Revelation of Yehoshua the Mashiach. When we do this, we see that the concealment of Mashiach from the world at the present time is for the sake of the concealment of Mashiach from Israel at the present time, and this concealment is for the sake of the glorification of his revelation to Jerusalem.  

Therefore, the question of his reign upon the earth is completely reframed.  I hope that the following commentary notes on this chapter will introduce how this is and why this is. With G-d's help, if it is His will, in the future, I will build on these notes and explain these matters fully.

1

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven with the key to the Abyss, holding in his hand a great chain.

...an angel... as in chapter 10.  It is the same angel that in chapter 10 holds the Little Book in his right hand who here holds the key to the Abyss which is the prison of the evil one.

...The Abyss... What is this Abyss? And Why is it used here?

It is not that he is a threat while Mashiach reigns but because he is the inspiration of human opposition to God. The evil inclination remains in the world, in those not resurrected, but after the defeat of the satan, the beast and the false prophet in a subdued state.  Mashiach will teach Humanity how to overcome what remains of the evil inclination during his reign. The first step will be to imprison the hero of the evil inclination, until it is time to bring about the final corporate test of Humanity, in preparation for its full corporate redemption, at the time of the full creation of the new heavens and the new earth.

The Key to the abyss is directly related to the day and hour of the coming of Mashiach, that no one knows but the Father. It is also directly related to the time of the seven thunders, when there is no more delay and time according to the measure of this world is no more the rule. For that is the key time for unsealing the Revelation, the time when the seventh trumpet sounds.  All of these turning point are aspects of that key which unlocks and locks the abyss in which the satan will be imprisoned for 1,000 years.

...the chain... We will see that the abyss into which the devil is thrown will itself be sealed.  And within it the devil will be chained. That is, there will be a seal within a seal. The abyss itself will be seen to be directly related to the 1,000 years of restraint in a way that those years of time themselves will be shown, in a certain sense, to form the abyss and the seal upon the abyss. The chain, the inner seal, represents the devil being locked by his defeat into his own thoughts, as though his hatred and envy of G-d will force him, year upon year, to go over and over his failed strategy in his war with G-d, to try to turn the truth into a lie, even when he is sealed in the abyss.

2

He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.

...bound him... Why the Devil should be put in prison instead of immediately judged is foundational. As said in the note on verse 1, the purpose of Mashiach’s rule upon the earth is not to perfect this world wherein corruption and mortality will always be possible in some way that would satisfy love for this world.  Mashiach’s purpose for ruling upon this earth is to perfect the world's preparation for coming to its final end, so that there is full corporate repentance in Adam, so much as that is possible in the natural Adam.  For only where there is preparation through such repentance is there that which can be redeemed. 

...1,000 years... The bindings are themselves years of time. Read: “bound him with one thousand years.” Each year is a full Torah lesson, which will be taught to the world by Mashiach. Each yearly Torah lesson is an aspect of bringing the evil inclination into service of the good.  After one thousand Torah lessons the divide will come between the corporate mind of Adam, which has repented of listening to the evil inclination on the one side and the collection of individuals who still cling to the voice of the evil inclination in their heart, even when the devil is not there to inspire them, on the other side.  For this will be the final Torah lesson, to understand the manner in which the evil inclination will be entirely eradicated from the corruptible human by the corporate death of Adam and the new creation.

Some might argue that the complete subjugation of the evil inclination to the service of the good should not require the corporate death of Adam, that the corporate repentance of Adam should be enough. If this were so, this world itself could continue eternally. It would no longer be corruptible. There would be no need for a new creation.

3

And he threw him into the Abyss, shut it, and sealed it over him, so that he could not deceive the nations until the thousand years were complete. After that, he must be released for a brief period of time.

...the Abyss... The abyss is unlocked and waiting. The key is to lock it afterwards. The narrative of the Revelation does not speak of the key being used to open the seal on the abyss. It does say here that after the Devil is thrown into the Abyss it is sealed, that is to say, locked.  The key embodies the will and authority of G-d for the Devil to be locked away for this thousand years and then, after that time, released again for a short time. In the narrative, the revelation that this is G-d’s will and purpose implies that the Abyss has just been opened and stands ready for this event to happen. In effect, it was Mashiach’s return itself and subjection of the Devil which opened the Abyss.  The structure of this abyss, this prison, then, can be understood to be the very words of the truth of the Good News declared by the Returned and Present Mashiach.

...after that... the evil inclination may be reanimated among the nations.  This will be only for a very short time, in order that it might be demonstrated that humanity remains corruptible and its prayer unto G-d needs to be for completer corporate regeneration.

4

Then I saw the thrones, and those seated on them had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony of Yehoshua and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image, and had not received its mark on their foreheads or hands. And they came to life and reigned with Mashiach for a thousand years.

...thrones... Thrones of the tzaddikim raised in the First Resurrection.

...to judge... The serpent, Lucifer, is already judged. These judges, who sit after that, judge only the worthy as to their immediate level of reward.

5

The rest of the dead did not come back to life until the thousand years were complete. This is the first resurrection.

...the rest of the dead... The rest of Humanity, including obviously the population of the world during the 1,000 years. The open rule of Mashiach changes the way faith is able to work. Why faith cannot be revealed to the one who sees and trusts in seeing must be understood here. Natural eyes produce natural knowledge and understanding and only confidence in the sinner’s own authority. This blocks faith occurring in the word of God alone.

 

It is such trust in the word of God and obedience arising from it that constitute repentance from Adam’s path of trusting the authorities of their own eyes and their own minds rather than the authority of the word of God.  Thus, when individual sinners of this world see Mashiach with their own eyes, even if he appears to their eyes to be raised from the dead, they will think his glory to somehow be of this world. Seeing him in this way, they will not be able to receive through him the revelation of faith, the revelation of the judgment of this world and the mercy of G-d revealed in Israel and the world to come.

Corporately, however, Humanity will still be blind to the glory of Mashiach even when Mashiach is openly ruling the world. That is because corporately Humanity cannot see itself from the outside. Therefore redeemed corporate Israel will still be concealed to the corporate eyes of Humanity to some degree. A veil will still be over the corporate eyes of the nations, even during the 1,000 years of Mashiach’s open rule upon the earth. Therefore, it will be possible for All Adam, corporately, to be converted through the awesomeness of the word of G-d and come to faith in the word of God, the Good News of Israel and Her Messiah, just as Israel did, being corporately represented by Jerusalem, through the testimony of the Two Witnesses.

...until... The first resurrection, the resurrection of martyrs. The rest of the dead, who did not die in faith, do not know the 1,000 years of Mashiach's reign. They are awakened with the release of the devil after the 1,000 years and know only what they see.

6

Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection! The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Mashiach, and will reign with Him for a thousand years.

...resurrection...There is only one resurrection — that of Yehoshua the Mashiach. There are two different stages of human entrance into his resurrection. This is called the first and the second resurrection from the point of view of those who enter through the first opening or the second opening.

...priests... These resurrected witnesses are priests to the living who enter the 1,000 years.

7

When the thousand years are complete, Satan will be released from his prison,

...complete… His Gospel is complete: old things have become new! The child gives a testimony. This is precious in his sight. It has the glory of His Gospel! Also this glory grows continuously in the world. Yet their remains always a concealment for the sake of revelation for corporate faith in the time to come.  This is in order that the final corporate conversion might be possible.

...released... No one knows the day nor hour of the Word of God but God Himself.

8

and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—to assemble them for battle. Their number is like the sand of the seashore.

... Gog and Magog... Gog has prophetic reference to the anti-Messiah, the 4th beast, who is already destroyed here. This reference is, then, to their descendants, spiritual, or physical, or both. They have become billions again.

...to deceive... to assemble... Strong delusion will be sent upon them that they should believe a lie who did not receive the love of the truth. Even more than previously, it is clear to the adversaries of G-d that their only way of “touching” G-d is to harm Jerusalem.

9

And they marched across the broad expanse of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. But fire came down from heaven  and consumed them.

...they... This does not mean all peoples. There are those who repent in the final corporate repentance due to the rule of Mashiach from Jerusalem, the beloved city. [Look at how the designation of Jerusalem has changed from just a few chapters ago in chapter 11.]

...expanse...fire... They risk their lives, knowingly. They are Baal's offering.

10

And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulphur, into which the beast and the false prophet had already been thrown. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. 

...devil who had deceived them... Angels and humans entirely given over to replacement theology are not angelic or human any longer. Not God but they themselves destroy their own nature. There is nothing left to prepare through chastisement for redemption.
From v. 9

...There... in judgment before the Great White Throne... The nature of hearing the final judgment of the word of God is that it lasts forever. It is the last word of God one ever hears, whether the word is strict justice or the word is mercy. Therefore, if any spirit comes before the Throne of its Creator hating His justice and in denial of His authority to judge, hearing a word of strict justice pronounced by its Creator upon it as His final word will be a tormenting moment of truth.

...forever... with no more part to play in the affairs of the world, the devil no longer will rule within the evil inclination, which will be entirely overcome in all Adam, having now been turned to serve the good.

11

Then I saw a great white throne and the One seated on it. Earth and heaven fled from His presence, and no place was found for them.

...Earth and heaven fled... The nature of the first creation is to flee from the judgment of the One who created them. And this is what they actually do when faced with the revelation of Mashiach- God’s Truth.

...then... at the end of the 1,000 years all Adam is prepared for full transition to the New Creation. What can be redeemed in Adam has been fully prepared for rectification and translation through Mashiach's death for Israel and resurrection.

12

And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne. And there were open books, and one of them was the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their deeds, as recorded in the books.

...standing... The place of judgement is the final place of the first creation, preserved as well as the gateway of the new creation.

...books, and one of them... The Torah and the Good News.

...Book of Life... All those who came to life in the First Resurrection have, All Israel has, already faced the Great White Throne with Mashiach present for them and are now present to witness this judgment where there is no world of Adam to go back to anymore. This is All The Families Of The Earth, corporately speaking, and therefore there is a measure of redemption accomplished here in the witness that the salvation of corporate Israel was for the sake of the Testimony to the Truth of HaShem, through the justice exercised upon the headship of Adam, in the replacing of Adam with the Son of Adam as G-d's corporate Humanity forever. 

...in the books.... And the Testimony is that this is also His mercy. Because this is the Testimony to the Truth of HaShem, it is not a testimony to condemn the 70 nations but to save them through the salvation of corporate Israel. This, then, is the testimony of there being this place for the 70 nations corporately with Israel in the Torah, read as the Book of Life. The origin of replacement theology was in the Garden, that Adam should replace Mashiach. For had Adam obeyed G-d, they would have come in G-d's time to meet Mashiach, their offspring, at the Tree of Life. The act of disobedience was the act of seeking immortality without relinquishing corporate headship to Mashiach, indeed, by replacing him forever.

The 1,000 year reign of Mashiach on the earth is to bring about the final end of replacement theology in such a way that the original design of God in the Garden should be accomplished, that Adam should come through the obedience of faith to the reward of meeting the Son of Adam, the Son of God, and so put on incorruptibility and immortality.

...their deeds... what measure of testimony of faith in the Good News of Israel and Her Messiah can be found in their deeds.

13

The sea gave up its dead, and Death and Hades gave up their dead, and each one was judged according to his deeds.

...Death... Death and Hades are also judged by the Torah and Good News.

...the sea... Death and Hades... the deep and the deep of the deep, until there is no more depth, even from the beginning to the end of creation. For all is judged as to its preparedness for its translation into a new creation.

In this world, “all things flow to the sea, especially the dead.” As to those whose deeds testify to their hope in the promised blessing of Abraham, they were in exile from life in Death and Hades.  But as to those who were found there who abhorred the promise made to Abraham, which brought judgment upon the pride of Adam, they have made Death their place.

14

Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death—the lake of fire.

...thrown... How is death thrown? If personified it would not be Satan- who was already thrown in. But if here, what about chapter 6:8? If this is an angel, of what kind? But if an angel, a kind of animation of Death. And so, the death of death.

...second death... not every aspect of the creation is made new. The element of corruptibility and mortality will no longer exist at all. They will be destroyed and then the memory of the anxiety they caused will be destroyed. And then the memory of the ignorance that allowed for their existence will be destroyed. This is the Lake of fire, evermore consuming the memory of corruptibility and mortality.

15

And if anyone was found whose name was not written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

...found... By God’s foreknowledge found — faith is the pen.

...lake... Replacement theology is the fuel of that lake.

...name... Whatsoever aspect of Humanity was the shell of mortality, which allowed replacement theology to come to exist, and was thus corruptible, will no longer exist.

All Scripture used here for the text of chapter 20 is from the NET translation.

Revelation 21 >

Revelation 19 Commentary Notes

< Revelation 18

​​​​1 ¶ After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,

After this… The Hallelujah chorus which has waited for the judgments that destroyed Egypt to destroy the final global empire of Babylon is now heard. Hallelujah! the children of Israel and the goyim attached to them are delivered from Babylon’s lies and oppression. Then, just as I Pharaoh came after Israel when Egypt was defeated, in order to be drowned in the sea, so the dragon and the beast will come after her, in order to be taken captive and wait destruction by Mashiach, when they are exposed in the open, when the civilization of Babylon is destroyed.

2 for his judgments are true and just; for he has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality, and has avenged on her the blood of his servants.”

​​His judgments…. we know that Israel only went into captivity to Babylon and the nations as she did into captivity in Egypt. We know it was only by the loving judgment of God for the sake of corrections and for the sake of a testimony to the need for the Good News of Mashiach’s sacrifice to be made for her, in order that the world might e saved. By His judgments here we understand the whole of His manner of dealing with the “city” of world-wide institutions built on the falsification the Biblical authority to hold Israel captive, (for a time), is true and just because it reveals completely this falsification and deals with it measure for measure, (ch. 18:6). Just so much as it turned truth into a lie to gain power in the world, precisely that much it is exposed by the truth and found naked and without defence in its shame. And precisely as much as it stood upon the martyred souls of God’s people for its foundation, when they are delivered from under its foot, it is shown not to be a house standing on God’s word of chastisement to Israel, as it claimed, but a house built upon sand.

Sexual immorality… The word, fornication, is a transliteration of the word, πορνείᾳ, (pornia), from which the word, pornography also derives. But the physical here is an expression, a symptom , of the spiritual disease. In this case, the form of spiritual immorality is the using of goodness and truth for purposes of ungodliness. In Revelation 2, this is called the doctrine of Baalim.

3 ¶ Once more they cried out, “Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up forever and ever

​​Hallelujah…The first Hallelujah is for the victory of God. Here, the second is for the justice eternally rendered to Babylon the Great.

4 ¶ And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who was seated on the throne, saying, “Amen. Hallelujah!”

twenty-four elders… In 1 Peter 1:2 we were told that the very angels wait to hear and witness the glory of the Good News of Israel and Her redemption through the prayer of the blood of the Lamb. Now here, together with the 24 elders, the highest angels of the chariot of G-d fall down to worship G-d, saying “Amen, Hallelujah!” in agreement with the Hallelujah Chorus. For this is their testimony that they are witnesses and have seen that the Gospel of Truth embraced by Jerusalem has exposed and destroyed the Babylon of Lies, and that by doing this it has overcome the beast and the devil, leaving them open and defenceless against the coming of Mashiach in judgment.

5 And from the throne came a voice saying, “Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, small and great.”

​​Voice from the throne…This is the very commandment of the Revelation. The Apocalypse commands with this commandment of God’s love all those whom it has liberated. With this commandment, the Apocalypse places anew under God’s authority all whom it has set free from captivity to their evil inclination and transformed into God’s freed slaves for all eternity. For the word of God has re-created them in redeemed Israel in the Lamb, to be the light that shines as praise to his glory, which heaven and earth could not be by their first nature. This is indicated already in the opening words in Revelation 1:1-2.

”There is with the love of me great inheritance.” Proverbs 8:21. This is the light of the first day, that the righteous by faith in God should be made that light. This is the plan of God, the wisdom of Proverbs 8, the glory of obedience to the commandment of HaShem.

Both small and great… that is, both Gentile and Jew.

6 ¶ Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.

Then… 19:5 is the final word of history of the war in heaven, as referred to in 12:7-10, the final battle of which was won by the assembly of witnesses on earth, as it is written, “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony, and they loved not their lives unto the death”, (12:11).

Then…Then the Wedding of Jerusalem!

​​peals of thunder…Our Lord God reigns…Loud crashes of thunder… seven crashes of thunder. Vast throng… as in Revelation 7. All these now have heard the seven thunders and repeat as one what they have heard. Jerusalem’s testimony to the nations from the Land of Testimony is given. In this act, the covenant promise of HaShem to Avraham to return his offspring to the Land as a testimony to the light of the resurrection of the dead is fulfilled.

7 Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready;

the marriage of the Lamb is come…From the time of the sounding of the seventh trumpet the bride heard and began to testify to what the seven thunders said, thus preparing herself for her wedding, destroying Babylon with truth.

8 it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.

fine linen…The white linen, the righteous deeds of grace.

9 ¶ And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”

Write this…invited… true words of God…Write now what you didn’t write before, when the seven thunders spoke. For only those who have received their invitation see this writing.

10 Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God.” For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

a fellow servant… to the testimony of Yehoshua…the spirit of prophecy…Why here does he mistake the angel for the Lord? This spiritual place this moment in which Yochanan finds himself in the Revelation, is the gate between the two creations. In the first the Lord came to Abraham by the Angel of the Lord. But in the new creation Abraham an the angel are present with the Lord together. This — the bride’s readiness is that gate.

Spirit of prophecy… Why is this the explanation here? Because the testimony of Yehoshua is the Good News of the Jerusalem the Bride and Her Messiah, which destroys Babylon and allows for the return of Her Redeemer, to defeat the beast and the dragon.

11 ¶ Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war.

Then I saw… As soon as Yochanan understands what the angel explains he sees it taking place.

a white horse…the one sitting on it…Called Faithful and True… righteous war…because the children of God are now manifest, the creature is purified and no longer in travail. Yehoshua who came to the children upon a donkey now comes with them upon white horses.

He is faithful and true in his coming according to the day and hour of His Father’s Justice and Judgment. For all time and all hearts stopped as soon as Jerusalem said in answer to the testimony of the Two Witnesses, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of Adonai!”

12 His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are i diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself.

his eyes…his head…his name…His war is conducted with his eyes. He has won his victory and wears his crowns before he comes to battle. He has a name only his Father speaks and only he hears. Where it is written all creation stands.

13 He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God.

blood dipped rob… The Word of God by name… The Lamb slain from before the foundation of the world: this is the Word of God. All the blood of judgment is turned into the soul of the life of the eternal world in him.

14 And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses.

his armies on white horses… Because his clothing is dipped in blood, their clothing is white linen — and he rides with them on white horses.

15 From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.

the sword of his mouth striking down the nations…ruling with a rod of iron…treading the wine press of God’s wrath…All these tools he directs with his gaze. For he comes with his work already done. All things in heaven and earth have been prepared. The stage is set; the testimony is given. Therefore, his very coming is the revelation of the truth, the trampling out of the wine press of the wrath of God against all deceit in word and deeds.

16 On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.

King of kings, Lord of lords written on robe and thigh…He comes from sitting at the right hand of God, already outwardly and inwardly King of kings and Lord of lords.

17 ¶ Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly directly overhead, “Come, gather for the great supper of God,

angel in the sun…great supper of God…The sun ultimately sets in judgment and mortality. Whatsoever is not in Israel’s Mashiach passes away. The sun itself cannot face him! How much more the kings of dust!

18 to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, both small and great.”

flesh of kings…flesh of men…“They have laid Jerusalem in heaps. They have given the dead bodies of Your servants to be food to the birds of the sky, The flesh of Your pious ones to the beasts of the earth. They have shed their blood like water around Jerusalem, And there was no one to bury them.(Psalms 79:3)“

Therefore, measure for measure. For they say, “peace, peace, when there is no peace. “ There is no vessel for God’s blessing. For only peace is the vessel for God's blessing.

19 And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who was sitting on the horse and against his army.

the beast and kings of the earth…war against him on the horse…and against his armies…They do not believe and do not know that they are defeated from the cross.

20 And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulphur.

the beast captured…with the false prophet…who deceived those who worshipped the beast…They are not able to make war with the truth. They are arrested by the truth, and they are simply taken away as having already been defeated before they ever stand to fight.

21 And the rest were slain by the sword that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse, and all the birds were gorged with their flesh.

and the rest slain by the sword of the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse…The deceivers of the world are arrested by the truth, and those who served them are executed by hearing the truth — for it is only beneficial to make the judgment of the leaders of the lie a public judgment. See note on 19:17

All Scripture used here for the text of chapter 19 is from the NET translation.

Revelation 20 >

Revelation 18 Commentary Notes

< Poem for Revelation 18
< Revelation chapter 18 Introductory Notes 
   [Seven Thunders Index ]


א ˙¹ After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was made bright with his glory.

The occasion is the formal announcement of the sentence of death and destruction being passed upon the Babylonian civilization, which has been said to have had its start as the Sumarian civilization. It went on to become the Persian, Greek and Roman civilizations and finally became the dominant global civilization. It is prophetically represented as the the city of Babylon in the Revelation because from the time that Jerusalem and the tribe of Judah was given over to the city of Babylon for captivity it has been through holding Israel and the promises of God in captivity that this civilization has received all of its power and authority. However, it has done this in order to defy God and not in order to serve God. Therefore judgment is come upon it. 

The angel who comes forth with the authority to formally announce this judgment appears to be Michael the archangel of the people of Israel, or another archangel like him. Yochanan does not recognize what angel this is, as he is not receiving a revelation of angels but of the Mashiach. What is made known to him is that this angel comes having great authority, the authority to announce that the Good News of God has become the Good News of Jerusalem. The earth was made bright with his glory. What is his glory? The glory of the truth of HaShem in Yehoshua HaMashiach, now testified to by Jerusalem herself, the truth of her complete redemption through his blood.  

ב ˙² And he called out with a mighty voice, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast.

Babylon is defeated by Jerusalem’s repentance.  The mysterious Babylon has no more lies to hide behind. She is left with nothing but the demonic beings who own her. She is left with no allies but the evil spirits who taught her all her lies in the time when Jerusalem was quiet. Now Jerusalem has spoken and has utterly defeated her. 

”Fallen, fallen is Babylon...”. This formal announcement that Babylon is fallen Is an announcement that she is fallen in the court of heaven. Now it will be shown to all who live upon the earth that judgment has been passed upon her and she is fallen to rise no more.  For God himself will carry out upon the earth his sentence that he pronounced upon her in the court of heaven.

The mysterious spiritual power of the Babylon came to be the mysterious spiritual power of The Roman Empire, and finally the mysterious spiritual power of the global civilization that arose from the West and came to dominate all the earth.  This was her prostituting spiritual power by which she held Israel captive. For her power was entirely based on turning the truth into a lie. From where did she receive this power? The foundation upon which the system of Roman Babylon arose to complete control over Israel was a foundation that was laid by the imperfect repentance of Israel even at the crossing of the Jordan River with Joshua. 

Finally, in order to rectify Israel’s imperfect repentance for her failed witness to the glory of HaShem in entering the Land, the Assyrian and the Babylonian captivities were decreed. After these, the Persian and Greek captivities. Still, Israel’s repentance was incomplete. 

Then came Yohanan the Immerser, calling on Jerusalem and all Judea to complete this repentance and perfect its testimony to the glory of HaShem. At this time Rome was lusting for it’s own power over Jerusalem and over Israel. 

And then Yehoshua gave himself, without Israel having yet come to perfect repentance, in perfect faith. Even so, he gave himself for her, to justify the sentence of death upon Adam in the hope of mercy upon Israel, according to the Scriptures. And HaShem was glorified in answering his prayer and in forgiving all of Israel’s sins, in order by this testimony to establish Israel in the Land. 

Then, in order to magnify his grace, he delayed the granting of complete faith and repentance to Israel through the knowledge of this Good News. For In his wisdom God determined to first gather all families and all nations, even unto the ends of the earth, around Jerusalem. All families of the earth would be called to bless themselves in Abraham through his seed. Through this means, God would grant the greatest measure of the revelation of his grace to Israel in granting her full and complete repentance, through the knowledge of the forgiveness of all her sins. 

3 For all nations have drunk the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxurious living."  

The nations loved nothing more than to hear that the Messiah of Israel was rejected by his own people and that he was up for grabs. This assertion was a denial of the resurrection - exactly what the rulers of this world wanted. 

 4 Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, "Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues; 

Come out of her... Let my people testify to the truth that HaShem has redeemed both them and the Land which he promise to Abraham together! Whosoever you may be who would prevent my people from giving this testimony, beware! The dust of the earth shall become plagues unto you! 

5 for her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. 

Her sins are heaped high as heaven... Everyone on earth can see them and will see them when God opens there eyes to the justice that will come upon her.  

Some, who are called and chosen of God, will see her sins which have all been exposed and will separate themselves from her. Others will see her exposed sins and will try to excuse her and defend her from judgment, because they will not repent from their alliances with her.  

6 Pay her back as she herself has paid back others, and repay her double for her deeds; mix a double portion for her in the cup she mixed. 

As she herself has paid back... It is her own measure that comes back to punish her. She has despised the life of others and with her curses has stolen the blessing of others to consume for her pleasure, consuming souls, annihilating love for heat. And now she is punished with this doubly, for she is left face to face with herself, having learned to feel nothing but arrogance and revulsion, with bitter hatred and an evil eye. Leave her now to see no one but herself. 

7 As she glorified herself and lived in luxury, so give her a like measure of torment and mourning, since in her heart she says, 'I sit as a queen, I am no widow, and mourning I shall never see.' 

Her luxury was to do unlimited evil while seducing her victims by calling it good. Now exposing her fully by your testimony you take away from her all access to those whom she would deceive. You Leave her with the dark and tortuous heart that she grew within herself. You leave her mourning the loss of all the substance and the souls that she stole to constantly feed the emptiness of her conceit, which conceit alone was her throne.  

8 For this reason her plagues will come in a single day, death and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire; for mighty is the Lord God who has judged her." 

The plagues arising from her own evil will consume her immediately, as soon as she is fully exposed as a result of the sentencnce God passes upon her. There is nothing about her that is redeemable, that might take time and delay the hour of her destruction. 

Mighty is the God who reveals Himself in the deliverance of Israel from the web of her lies and the clutches of her temptations, who annilates her throne of conceit with the word of truth, as she has annihlated love in the homes of many. Today, if you hear his voice, turn toward him and follow him to the Land which he will show you. 

9 And the kings of the earth, who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her, will weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning.

All those who clothed her and hid the nakedness of her sins, who made themselves wealthy through trading in her evil secrets, who gained their power through her, in learning how to use good to serve evil, will be seized with grief when the see what has happened. 

The artificial beast, the Military Technological System, upon which she rode, has thrown her out like refuse, and like a heap of refuse has burned her. Her fashion designers and her dressmakers, her global suppliers and her media managers shall all stand together agast, watching the smoke of her destruction. They shall know their world is ended. The day of justice is come.  

10 They will stand far off, in fear of her torment, and say, "Alas! Alas! You great city, you mighty city, Babylon! For in a single hour your judgment has come." 

Not a word of hope will come from them, even though they finally try to separate themselves from her, pointing a finger at her and accusing her, saying, “Alas, alas, you called yourself a mighty civilization! But you fell just like ancient Babylon! God sentenced you to stand exposed before the truth. No longer could we cloth you in distracting luxuries, casting spells over the eyes of the nations, no longer could we cover up you sins. The God of Israel passed his sentence upon you, and in no less than one hour the horns of the artificial beast who you rode upon with pomp and splendour cast you off and gored you and trampled you and left you destroyed in flames!

11 And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her, since no one buys their cargo anymore,

Then also, all the ancient guilds of liars, masters of the priest craft of superstitions and idolatry, all the sources of her trade, the moneychangers, who change illusions into great wealth, all of these will weep and mourn, for now the artificial beast will be left to battle openly against the truth of God. No longer will it have the great spiritual prostitute to hide behind. No longer will there be any market for the products that they weave, the lies of spiritual prostitution, the artifacts of the worship of Mammon.  

12 cargo of gold, silver, jewels, pearls, fine linen, purple cloth, silk, scarlet cloth, all kinds of scented wood, all kinds of articles of ivory, all kinds of articles of costly wood, bronze, iron and marble,

Gold and silver, jewels and fine linen, royal cloth, perfumes and incense, all elements and materials of the earth made rare by exploitation, all these soaked in blood and demons, were traded as the wares of the civilization of spiritual prostitution.  

13 cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and slaves, that is, human souls.

Babylon was not a street prostitute. She was not poor. Her economy was a table set for her patrons as a table of fine dinning, a table of the elite, a table for the great human monsters and traders of the earth, to pleasure them with immoralities, with wines and spices and commodities and with the spiritual consumption of human souls, which were the specialty served at her table.  

14 "The fruit for which your soul longed has gone from you, and all your delicacies and your splendors are lost to you, never to be found again!" 

Your time is up, wonton Babylon! You laboured to give birth to a utopia on earth which you could abuse and continually milk to feed the void inside of you. But your time has run out. Your civilization of delicacies and splendours will not survive God’s judgment. The great illusion is spoiled and will never deceive the earth again! 

15 The merchants of these wares, who gained wealth from her, will stand far off, in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning aloud,

Those great international corporations who served you like stage hands, crafting the props for your show, selling your victims on your lies, earning their wealth from your spiritual lewdness and corruption, they now will distance themselves from you, even as they mourn your death. For the will know that if their mother, whom they emulated, is judged, their days also are numbered.  

 16 "Alas, alas, for the great city that was clothed in fine linen, in purple and scarlet, adorned with gold, with jewels, and with pearls! 

No one one earth was able to expose her. No one on earth was able to give a testimony That could defeat her lies and stop her spiritual abuse of the innocent. So now heaven itself has testified against her and the children of heaven on earth have announced the verdict of heaven. She was clothed in fine linen, in purple and scarlet, adorned with gold, with jewels, and with pearls! But underneath her cloths was all spiritual filth and moral poverty and cold lust to corrupt innocence and defile holiness. The testimony of heaven has removed her cover.  

17 For in a single 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 

For untold years her lies defeated all witnesses who came against her, but now in one hour the witnesses of heaven and heaven’s children on earth have silenced her and stripped away her riches. And the masters of world trade and the rulers of the global economy who would not tell the truth about her now tell the truth about her vileness by utterly seeking to disassociate themselves from her.  

18 and cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning, "What city was like the great city?" 

These great international corporations and organizations now feign to have switched sides. They feign incredulity and subtly mock her, saying, “What civilization was like the great, modern civilization?” For they see that the foundations of civilization have crumbled and the earth has only one choice left, to turn to worship the artificial beast, to serve the one ruling the global military-technological complex, or to worship the God of Israel, who made heaven and earth. Therefore, they are paralyzed and tremble in shock, while trying to calculate how to position themselves.  

19 And they threw dust on their heads as they wept and mourned, crying out, "Alas, alas, for the great city where all who had ships at sea grew rich by her wealth! For in a single hour she has been laid waste. 

Executives threw themselves out from high tower windows; their assistants sat in corners beating their heads into the walls, weeping and crying, seeking repentance and not finding it. Having nowhere to fall but into self-pity, they cried, “Only if our great civilization still stood! Only if heaven had not judged her! Only if the truth about the corruption at her foundations had not come out!” 

20 Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, for God has given judgment for you against her!" 

Truly, indeed, it is the God who has chosen Israel and who has redeemed Jerusalem who has judged her. He has passed sentence upon the global civilization which gained its place and power by taking Jerusalem captive and by exploiting her faith and hope through her lies. Therefore, rejoice that she has been exposed, O heaven, and you children of heaven and you emissaries of Mashiach on earth. For you were her primary victims and the witnesses against her. And the God of Israel has ruled and has vindicated you! 

21 Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, "So will Babylon the great city be thrown down with violence, and will be found no more; 

Now, to show how God is about to carry out this great judgment on the great civilization of spiritual prostitution, an angel of great might takes, symbolically, a great wheel of agriculture and industry and casts it down from heaven into the sea. As the angel does so, it announces the meaning of its prophetic act. As the great wheel of commerce was cast into the sea, so shall the Babylonian global civilization, built upon a lie and upon rebellion against God, be cast down to drown in the sea of the peoples of the earth.  

 22 and the sound of harpists and musicians, of flute players and trumpeters, will be heard in you no more, and a craftsman of any craft will be found in you no more, and the sound of the mill will be heard in you no more, 

She prided herself in her culture and boasted of her tradecraft and celebrated herself for her science and industry... but all of it was stolen. None of it was ever hers. Therfore in her trial all of it is stripped away, and what is good is given to God’s children, to whom that which is good belongs. 

23 and the light of a lamp will shine in you no more, and the voice of bridegroom and bride will be heard in you no more, for your merchants were the great ones of the earth, and all nations were deceived by your sorcery. 

Just as the armies of Egypt held Israel captive and were left drowned in darkness at the bottom of the sea, so The civilization of the nations which hold Israel captive will be drowned in darkness at the bottom of the demonized humanity to which it gave rise. Pharaoh thought to keep Israel captive forever and one day build Jerusalem and make her his own bride. Therefore, he perished in shame. Amalek, also, established himself among all the nations, seeking from every dark corner to appear and kidnap Jerusalem to make her his own. Always failing, he would crawl back into darkness, to take refuge among the demons. Babylon made an alliance with Amalek, and having stolen her garments, dressed herself in the robes of Jerusalem and went into the bed chambers of Amalek. Therefore she will perish in the shame of her judgment. And Amalek will be exposed and destroyed in the light. 

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

A divine judicial autopsy is performed upon the great spiritual prostitute, and she is found to have been the agent of death from the beginning, the parasite of spiritual life which captured Adam and Eve in the beginning, until she was cast out by their repentance. The mother of all spiritual prostitutes who married Nimrod, whose only source of life was inhaling the violence of murder and drinking in the sorrow of God’s prophets and martyrs.  

Revelation 19 >