The Christ in Prophecy Journal

The Mighty Angels of Revelation 18 Continued

MP3: The Mighty Angels of Revelation 18
Hosts: Nathan Jones & Vic Batista

Babylon the Great

Nathan Jones: Revelation 17 introduced the reader to the most wicked religious system of all — “Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots and of the Abominations of the Earth.” Now, as we study through Revelation 18, we find the Harlot has been killed and replaced by a global political system, also called Babylon, ruled by Satan himself through the Antichrist.

Revelation 18 places us on the prophetic timeline well into the Seven Bowl Judgments near the end of the Tribulation. Remember that there are 21 judgments in Revelation: Seven Seal Judgments, Seven Trumpet Judgments, and Seven Bowl Judgments. God is just about finished pouring out His wrath upon the earth, and now it is time for the Antichrist and His political system to fall.

God sends down from Heaven the gloriously illuminated Angel Having Great Authority who in Revelation 18:1 makes the announcement that Babylon is about to go down in flames. In doing so, this mighty angel also describes more in detail what Babylon is like.

What is this political Babylon? In this stage of prophetic revelation, the student of Bible prophecy doesn’t know whether Babylon is an actual physical location, such as the rebuilt city in Babylon in Iraq. Saddam Hussein tried to build Babylon on its historic site, but it amounted to little more than a minor tourist spot. Whether Babylon is Rome as the Antichrist’s capital city, or Jerusalem is turned into Babylon, we can only guess. Wherever the capital city of the Antichrist’s kingdom is located, it assuredly is going down.

All throughout the Bible Babylon is associated with a place of evil. Babylon is the capital city of evil, as the angel describes in Revelation 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!'”

Babylon is the dwelling place for the demons here on earth. It is a home for every false spirit and evil creature. The angel compares it to a cage interestingly. Babylon the cage where God keeps the unclean and seedy things of this fallen world.

#Babylon the cage where #God keeps the unclean and seedy things of this fallen world. Click To Tweet

All the nations of the world, in other words, the people who have sworn their allegiance to the Antichrist, have gotten drunk from spiritually fornicating with idolatrous Babylon. Physical fornication, meaning sex before marriage, will certainly be going on as well. Spiritual fornication is the breaking of a covenant with God by not having a saving relationship with the God of the universe, but instead with Satan and his evil system. And so, those with the Mark of the Beast emblazoned on their right hand or forehead commit fornication with Babylon.

All the merchants of the earth will have gotten rich from doing business with Babylon. We read in Revelation 13 that to do business with Babylon, one must take the loyalty mark of the Antichrist on the right hand or forehead. You want to eat or buy clothes and have shelter, then the Antichrist will make sure he’s the only store in town and you have to buy from him. How the Tribulation Saints will survive unable to buy and sell is truly puzzling.

Vic Batista: Modern technology has produced an easy system for merchandising. With the click of a button we are able to buy and sell. We have Apple Pay and Paypal and other convenient purchasing systems. These conveniences have joined the world together financially. I can make a transaction from Miami with Texas and even China in mere seconds!

Nathan Jones: Amazon recently released their two-hour shipping. Once you place an order, if they have a facility nearby, then Amazon can deliver your package in under two hours. It’s amazing how we can buy and sell these days!

With the Antichrist’s financial system described in Revelation 13, the chapter tells us that one can buy and sell all they want, but to do so one has to swear loyalty to the Antichrist, otherwise they can’t buy or sell. It will be tremendously difficult for the Tribulation Saints and Jews in that time period, for they will refuse to take the Mark of the Beast.

Vic Batista: A one-world economic system is on the horizon. Our own American economy is headed over a cliff, and the Dollar is currently what’s greasing the world’s financial wheels. But, for how long? Our nation is nearly 18 trillion dollars in debt, and that is just the US! In Greece and Venezuela and many other nations are right now experiencing tremendous financial upheavals.

Nathan Jones: It is stunning how quickly our national debt has skyrocketed under the Bush and Obama Administrations, and now our national debt equals our national production. That is a totally unsustainable economic model. I read that it will take American 103 years to pay off our national debt at its current level.

It will take American 103 years to pay off our #NationalDebt at its current level. Click To Tweet

It is not just our country that is staggering under its out-of-control spending. Sure, Canada and Australia are making great strides in paying off their debts, but we have Europe on shaky financial ground with Greece and Spain and Ireland’s economies falling. The European Union is running scared that the Euro could fail. The Yuan currency out of China saw their stock market drop 30% in one week. China’s currency is artificially inflated and so is seeking a correction.

Right now the world economy banks on the Dollar, and it is teetering on the brink of bankruptcy. If the Dollar crashes, so will the economies of the world fall like dominoes. We know from Bible prophecy that the Antichrist will step in claiming he can fix the problems of the world, such as an economic collapse, and so all the nations clamor to give him power. By the time the world is 3.5 years into his rule, the Antichrist will have established a one-world economic system which the Bible calls the Beast System.

Vic Batista: The Antichrist’s system doesn’t last for very long, for Revelation 18 reveals that Babylon is going to fall, economy and all.

Nathan Jones: Right! And when you have a one-world economic system utilizing only one currency that controls them all (rather sounds like Lord of the Rings), you have one system controlling all the currency, then naturally you control all the money in the world. But, when God destroys Babylon — the Antichrist’s capital — He also destroys the center of commerce in the world. The people who have gotten rich off of the Antichrist will lose all of their money. Of course, by the end of the Tribulation, most of the world will be destroyed by God’s judgments, but those people won’t have any money to rely on anymore either.

Investing in Eternity

Vic Batista: That reminds me that today so many people are building up their earthly treasures rather than their heavenly treasures. There’s certainly nothing wrong with riches, or having nice things, but we should remember that the Bible says that all of the world’s finances are going to collapse globally, at least twice. We have an opportunity today to make a difference for the Lord with our resources, our time, and our talents. Christians should spend their efforts winning people for the Lord and investing in their heavenly treasures.

Nathan Jones: Right, getting rich is fine with God, for God made many men rich in the Bible. But, getting rich is not the reason why God has placed Christians here on this earth. True riches are spiritual riches which we lay up in Heaven. Earning those involves serving other people, witnessing and sharing Christ with others, and serving Jesus as He served us. Spiritual riches are the real riches and they last for all of eternity.

Getting #rich is not the reason why #God has placed #Christians here on this earth. Click To Tweet

Vic Batista: The greatest riches that anybody can possess is having a relationship with Jesus Christ. Jesus is the One who brings true satisfaction, true peace, and true joy. There are many individuals who are in a sense bankrupt, their spiritual economy is falling apart, and that’s because they don’t have a relationship with the Lord.

Nathan Jones: Exactly! What good is it to gain the whole world and yet lose one’s soul? We can have all the money in the world, but if we are spiritually bankrupt, then there is no future for us in Heaven with Jesus. There are no spiritual rewards in Heaven, positions of authority in Christ’s coming kingdom, and recognition in Heaven of what we allowed the Holy Spirit to work in us. When there is no service to the Lord, there’s no joy in life. Money does not bring real joy. Sure, it brings temporary pleasures, but they’re fleeting. Humans crave spiritual riches, though many never realize that. We can know true joy, something money can never buy, by accepting Jesus as Savior.

We can know true joy, something money can never buy, by accepting #Jesus as Savior. Click To Tweet

Vic Batista: That reminds me of what Jesus said in Matthew 6:19.

“Do not lay up for yourself treasures on earth for moth, and rust will destroy, or thieves break in and steal it. But lay up for yourself treasures in Heaven where neither moth nor rust will destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal, where your treasure is there your heart will be also.”

All those who will be martyred during the Tribulation will know where their treasure lies, for they will see Jesus Christ face-to-face.

Nathan Jones: Revelation 19 describes how multitudes from every tribe, tongue, and nation will have given their lives to Jesus Christ as martyrs during the Tribulation. They will be the ones during that awful time storing up their treasures in Heaven. There’s a special crown given to martyrs when they get to Heaven. They will be the truly wealthy people of the Tribulation. They might be starving from having trouble getting food, and maybe they will even be traded on the black market as slaves. Hopefully the Tribulation Saints will have their own black market in order to get food and supplies. The Antichrist’s Kingdom will own all the world’s money, but spiritually be bankrupt.

Vic Batista: How can people turn to Christ and put their trust in Him and earn those true spiritual riches in Heaven?

Nathan Jones: The basic verse that every Christian child knows is John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” When we believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior, and when we repent of our sins and ask Him to be our Savior and Lord, then the punishment that was meant for our sins goes to Jesus Christ. We can then stand before the Father forgiven, holy, and healed. We become inheritors of the promises of God that we will live forever with Him in Heaven in the spiritual riches He so lavishly provides.

There’s no more important decision one can make in life than to give their life over to Jesus Christ.

In the landmark fiftieth segment of our series “The Mighty Angels of Revelation,” we will rejoice over the destruction of Babylon.

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ABOUT AUTHOR View all posts Author Website

Dr. Nathan E. Jones

As the Internet Evangelist at Lamb & Lion Ministries, Nathan reaches out to the over 4.5 billion people accessible over the Internet with the Good News of Jesus Christ. He also co-hosts the ministry's television program Christ in Prophecy and podcast The Truth Will Set You Free.

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