Revelation 18: The Downfall of Babylon

Overthrow Described

March 11th, 2018

Like chapter 17, Revelation 18 describes the irreversible overthrow of Babylon. In chapter 17, much has already been said regarding Babylon and her identity. Let’s continue and read through the contents of chapter 18 – remembering that there was a whore (the reprobate nation of Israel) and there was the bride (the believers in that day who converted either out of Judaism or paganism). Now there are some passages that on face value will be difficult to assign to Israel once and for all so I look forward to understanding them, but let’s read them first.

Verses from 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 saith 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, deathSeparation from God—now overcome. Physical death remains, but it no longer separates us from life with God., and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth 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 buyeth 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 thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble

13. And cinnamon, and 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 nought. 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

The Decline of Babylon's Flourishing Economy

The passage describes the fall of Babylon and how merchants of the earth mourn over her destruction because no one buys their merchandise anymore. The abundance of luxury items, valuable materials, and everyday goods paints a vibrant picture of an economy in collapse. The sudden desolation shocks the world, dramatically emphasizing the scene of Babylon's judgment.

Revelation's Depiction of Babylon

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.

So let’s ask ourselves some questions about what we just read:

Do we see any words or phrases that remind us of other things we have already studied in Revelation? We see…

An angel with a mighty voice (see Rev. 10:1) “kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality with her” (Rev. 17:2) Babylon was arrayed in the same manner (Rev. 18:16 and 17:4) The great city (Rev. 11:2, 8; see also 18:2, 10, 16, 18, 19, 21) Babylon was full of the blood of prophets and saints (Rev. 18:24 and 16:4-6, 17:6; cf. Matt. 23:29-38) Babylon’s self-sufficiency is similar to what John wrote of the Laodicean church (Rev. 18:7 and 3:17)

Babylon's Characteristics

We also see Babylon described vividly in these ways in this chapter –

Sexual immoral (verses 3 and 9) Unclean (verse 2) Luxury/riches/wealth (verses 3, 7, 9, 14, 19) As the great city (verses 2, 10, 16, 18, 19, 21) Killer of saints, apostles, prophets (verses 20 and 24) Famine, death, judgment, and mourning (verses 8, 9, 10, 15, 19)

We also have some major contrasts posed to us here in chapter 18?

[A] Luxury/wealth/riches/greatness vs. [B] plagues/death/mourning/famine

(and)

[A] Sexual immorality (verses 3 and 9) vs. [B] standing far off (verse 10)

(and)

[A] Rejoicing (on the part of the saints, in verse 20) and [B] weeping and mourning (on the part of the merchants, in verse 11)

(and)

[A] Wealth/greatness/industry/splendor vs. [B] desolation/darkness

Revelation 18: Significance of the Angel

Okay, let’s go to verse 1-2

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. In chapter 17 John was spoken to and carried away in the Spirit by “one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls.”

Now another angel came down from heaven who had “great power” and the passage says that the Earth (the area of land) was “lighted with his glory.”

This angel will now say (verse 2)

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.

Before we get into what these words might mean, I see this angel as representing something really, really important to what was coming to the earth and we get a glimpse of how important in the words written right here:

And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.

TO me this angel represents God’s end-game – which is the light of His glory coming to earth ONCE the whole scene of Babylon was taken care of.

The Start of Heaven's Reign on Earth

The beginning of His glory coming by heavenly messengers to earth to light it up – one true believer at a time!

Old Israel, which had become as corrupt a thing as corrupt can be, turning from the true and living God to fables, and traditions, and carnality, and killing His Messiah, was about to die.

At its complete death, with all things related to it doing to the grave, God, having established the New JerusalemThe spiritual reality of God's fulfilled presence with humanity—replacing Sheol after 70 A.D. in heaven, was now going to be father to a permanent and continuing generation of children and his Kingdom, spiritually built upon year in and out, would continue on forever and ever. To me this angel represents this heavenly reign coming to earth and how does this KINGDOM really begin?

Verse 2
2 And he (the glorious angel from heaven) 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.” Let’s take these descriptions one by one:

Babylon is fallen, is fallen. First of all this line is also used in Isaiah 21:8-10 where we read:

Isaiah 21:8 And he cried, A lion: My lord, I stand continually upon the watchtower in the daytime, and I am set in my

The Fall of Babylon and Its Spiritual Implications

9 And, behold, here cometh a chariot of men, with a couple of horsemen. And he answered and said, Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all the graven images of her gods he hath broken unto the ground. 10 O my threshing, and the corn of my floor: that which I have heard of the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, have I declared unto you.

The fact that Babylon is fallen implies that she was once dwelling in high and lofty places. Ezekiel describes Israel in terms of loft and heights when he wrote: 17:23 In the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it: and it shall bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a goodly cedar: and under it shall dwell all fowl of every wing; in the shadow of the branches thereof shall they dwell.

Babylon's Fall in Scripture

Ezekiel 20:40 For in mine holy mountain, in the mountain of the height of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, there shall all the house of Israel, all of them in the land, serve me: there will I accept them, and there will I require your offerings, and the firstfruits of your oblations, with all your holy things. We also read in Isaiah 13:19 And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.

Of course, we read back in Revelation 14:8 “And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. Here in the summation book of RevelationA symbolic prophecy fulfilled in 70 A.D.—not a prediction of future global events. Babylon Israel has fallen from such heights – once again – and forever more – which is why I think the angel repeats it twice – Babylon was fallen once before in 586 BC and she has once again fallen – then in that day.

Next line “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul Spirit.”

Relevance to Jesus' Teachings

In my estimation, Jesus spoke to this very event when He walked the earth. Consider these words and the context of the Words given: Matthew 12:38-45 where we read:

38 Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. 39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: 40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. (signaling His coming death. Then he says) 41 The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: (remember, in verse 39 Jesus mentioned the evil generation that they were) because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here. 42 The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here. (and then He launches into this teaching which is fascinating AND applicable to that Generation) 43 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. 44 Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. 45 Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.

With Babylon representing Israel and especially, Jerusalem, we are able to understand the spiritual, and even physical state of the nation at this time. “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.” Obviously, this isn’t speaking of Rome but of Jerusalem itself as the head of the Nation of Israel in that day.

Again, appealing to pictures of this from the mouth of Isaiah, he said in chapter 13:21-22 Isaiah 13:21 But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures;

Biblical Depictions of Desolation

and owls shall dwell there, and satyrs shall dance there.

22 And the wild beasts of the islands shall cry in their desolate houses, and dragons in their pleasant palaces: and her time is near to come, and her days shall not be prolonged.

Isaiah 34:14 The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the wild beasts of the island, and the satyr shall cry to his fellow; the screech owl also shall rest there, and find for herself a place of rest.

Jeremiah, speaking of this day, prophesies, saying: (and listen to the permanency of his words)

Jeremiah 50:39 Therefore the wild beasts of the desert with the wild beasts of the islands shall dwell there, and the owls shall dwell therein: and it shall be no more inhabited for ever; neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation.

Prophetic Warnings

Later he adds:

Jeremiah 51:37 And Babylon shall become heaps, a dwelling place for dragons, an astonishment, and an hissing, without an inhabitant.

So we have a biblical precedence for certain places becoming desolate and the home of unclean beasts (like owls) but is there more to the description of

“ . . . and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.”

Going all the way back to Joseph, prior to the Law, we read in Genesis the following dream that he had while in prison:

Genesis 40:16 When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said unto Joseph, I also was in my dream, and, behold, I had three white baskets on my head:
17 And in the uppermost basket there was of all manner of bakemeats for Pharaoh; and the birds did eat them out of the basket upon my head.
18 And Joseph answered and said, This is the interpretation thereof: The three baskets are three days:
19 Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thy head from off thee, and shall hang thee on a tree; and the birds shall eat thy flesh from off thee.

In this sense the birds are not seen in a really positive light.

Then we know that birds in the Law of Moses were classified as both clean and unclean.

Clean and Unclean Birds

The unclean are listed in Leviticus 11:13-19 as the following.

Now as I read them imagine a place that is inhabited by these birds rather than doves, and pigeons, and the like:

13 And these are they which ye shall have in abomination among the fowls; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray,
14 And the vulture, and the kite after his kind;
15 Every raven after his kind;
16 And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind,
17 And the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl,
18 And the swan, and the pelican, and the gier eagle,
19 And the stork, the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat.

We note that with this being after the flood that the parakeet and the mocking and mina bird, and the tropical birds are not mentioned at all. Why?

Geographical depictions for a geographic people whose generations would end before they spread out to tropical places. I mean, what would a devout Jew do if he was hungry and visiting Samoa and came upon a flock of Parrots?

In any case, these types of forbidden birds are very picturesque when we place them in desolate deserted dead places.

Finally, when we get to the New Testament, Jesus gives a parable and in it includes birds – and it is NOT good (though the undiscerning often think that it is. He says in Matthew

Matthew 13:31 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field:
32 Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.

New Testament Imagery

Birds lodging in the branches of this tree is a image that does NOT (though most religionists try to describe it in positive terms) a good thing but a sign of evil doers lounging in the Kingdoms branches lloking down on the world.

The evilness of birds is also seen in the Parable of the Sower where Satan is described as a bird that gobbles up the word before it can take root.

This is not to say birds

Spiritual Unfaithfulness in Scripture

Are evil, but in this case of Revelation 18:2, we can see how those who are remaining in Israel/Jerusalem (Babylon) are represented by unclean and hateful birds. The imagery of them being caged, as in trapped in the city limits of Jerusalem ready for destruction, is horrifying.

Okay, verse 3 as the mighty angel says:

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.

Now, is the “sexual immorality” in the first line meant to be understood literally as sexual contact between human beings, or is spiritual unfaithfulness in mind here? We note that in scripture idolatry and fornication, and virginity, when assigned to a nation (like Israel) is most typically referencing engaging in pagan ritual and worship, having intimate relations with a godless nation. I do not think that the fact that such spiritual intercourse will often lean to physical intercourse – but when talking about nations we are almost always speaking of improper intimacy with a godless land.

Historical Context of Spiritual Whoredom

This language is used toward Jerusalem before Jerusalem’s fall at the hand of Babylon in 586 BC, and I think we can safely conclude that 1st century Jerusalem was in the same boat. Though we have covered these passages before, Ezekiel was really prone to accusing Israel of whoredoms and sleeping around with “the Kings of the earth” as we read:

Ezekiel 16:14 And thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty: for it was perfect through my comeliness, which I had put upon thee, saith the Lord GOD. 15 But thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and playedst the harlot because of thy renown, and pouredst out thy fornications on every one that passed by; his it was. 16 And of thy garments thou didst take and deckedst thy high places with divers colours, and playedst the harlot thereupon: the like things shall not come, neither shall it be so.

Ezekiel 16:26 Thou hast also committed fornication with the Egyptians thy neighbours, great of flesh; and hast increased thy whoredoms, to provoke me to anger.

Ezekiel 16:28-29 Thou hast played the whore also with the Assyrians, because thou wast unsatiable; yea, thou hast played the harlot with them, and yet couldest not be satisfied. 29 Thou hast moreover multiplied thy fornication in the land of Canaan unto Chaldea; and yet thou wast not satisfied herewith. 30 How weak is thine heart, saith the Lord GOD, seeing thou doest all these things, the work of an imperious whorish woman;

Individual Faithfulness

I want to point something out here. Most people still try and see the Christian faith as being embodied by nations – like the US or of Godly Nations being like Israel and these nations becoming whorish etc. But since the fall of Babylon, and the coming of the New Jerusalem from on high, there are no Christian nations – from Constantine to present-day America – Christians are individuals filled with the Holy Spirit. Period. And every individual is judged and seen as whorish Israel was seen back in the day. Therefore the principles of our (as individuals) getting involved with anything or anyone that trumps our allegiance to God as our Father and Jesus as our Lord and Savior remain the same.

Get it? We become whorish, as housers of the Holy Spirit, when we allow anything or ANYONE to engage with us as our lover and spouse – that includes spouses, parents, children, jobs, materialism, social status, food, drugs, sex, lovers, the world – whatever! When a true believer goes AFTER any other gods that get in between them and the living God they too, like Israel of Old, become people who have gone a whoring after other Gods. I think this application should be made known as we look at Israel.

Listen again to the angel’s description of her and those who have engaged with her:

“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.” There is a clear description to the things of the earth here isn’t there? Notice the words: “the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies” are directly referencing a dalliance with the things of this world, “waxed rich,” “through the abundance,” “of her delicacies.”

At verse four, even though “Babylon is fallen, is fallen,” we hear one

The Call to Come Out

The last petition to any who might be a person of God says:

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.”

First of all, the call to “Come out of her, my people” echoes similar exhortations concerning ancient Babylon. Jeremiah 50:8 God says:

“Remove out of the midst of Babylon, and go forth out of the land of the Chaldeans, and be as the he goats before the flocks.”

We cannot help but note the words, graphic as they are – the angel calls her a whore, full of sexual immorality and the Angel, like God in the Old Testament, tells his children to come out of her – which is akin to pulling oneself out from a whore and returning to your fornications with her no longer. Failure to do so will lead to you inheriting the punishments that were going to fall upon her.

Historical and Spiritual Implications

The call remains the same today – If you are having intercourse with the things of this world today, come out of her, pull yourself out of that trap – no matter what it is. Live for Him, not the temporary traps of this mortal life.

We note that Jesus shared a similar message when He walked the earth as He said (in Luke 21:20-23):

20 And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. 21 Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto. 22 For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.

Moving out into the Epistles Hebrews is essentially one giant book with the main message being the same to Jewish converts to the faith. Specifically, consider:

Hebrew 12:25-29

25 See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven: 26 Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. 27 And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: 29 For our God is a consuming fire.

The Dual Representation of Babylon

And Hebrews 13:13 Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. 14 For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.

We might wonder:

“If Babylon is a city, (a great city) why are the seven churches in Asia (the recipients of the letter) told to ‘come out of her’? The saints who are being written to are nowhere near this city.

I think that we can see from this that Babylon is both a great actual city (to those who are living in it) and it is a spiritual condition. In other words, Babylon represents not only Jerusalem, but also the unfaithful community which had rejected Jesus in order to maintain corrupted Old Covenant practices. Both physical Jerusalem and temple-based Judaism were judged and destroyed in 70 AD. But we must remember that Jesus specifically warned the seven churches to withdraw from the pagan influences around them that were enticing them to have relations with her.

Admittedly, John does seem to switch back and forth in his speech between the physical representation of Jerusalem (the city) and its spiritual representation (which can be both a return to the law of Judaism and/or to engage with the world). We see Israel being represented as much more than actual Israel in other parts of scripture (as in Romans 9-11).

In any case, the Lord’s admonition to His people to “come out of her” is similar to Peter’s words in Acts 2:40, where we read:

“And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, ‘Save yourselves from this crooked generation.’”

This leads me to a final thought on the types and pictures these verses give us today.

We often speak of once saved, always saved. But all of this language speaks to

Salvation and Accountability

Once saved, one must work out this given salvation with fear and trembling—not to earn or maintain salvation, but to keep from walking away from the free gift. I ardently maintain that even though we are His, it is a partnership—like a marriage. Marriages take dying to self and require effort on all parties involved. When a married man gets involved with a whore, it is up to him to put an end to the thing—just like it was up to the converted Jews to get out of Babylon. I know this from sad experience. And the scripture speaks to this without excuse.

The Warning in Hebrews

Going back to Hebrews, the writer says to them in that day and age:

26 For if we sinMissing the mark of faith and love—no punishment, just lost growth or peace. willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.

4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

Finally, Peter adds to these thoughts:

20 For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.
21 For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.
22 But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

Warnings from Revelation

This is the same message given by this angel to John to saints—come out of her before it's too late. More of chapter 18 next week.

Revelation 8:8

Revelation 18:21a
“And the second angel sounded, “And a strong angel saying, and something like a great took up a stone like a great ‘Thus will Babylon that great mountain burning with fire millstone city was thrown into the sea…” and threw it into the sea, will be thrown down with violence and it will not be found any longer.”

24 And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.

Verse 24: Very similar to verse 20, we read here: “And in her [Babylon] was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who have been slain on earth.” These words are so similar to what Jesus said in Matthew 23:35 that the connection should be unmistakable. The fulfillment of this prophecy simply can not be yet future, in light of what Jesus said in the next verse, nor can it have been fulfilled in any other geographical location other than Jerusalem and the surrounding region. Babylon, that is, Jerusalem and Old Covenant Judaism as represented by her famous temple, were thrown down in judgment in 70 AD, just as Jesus said would happen. When we consider, as we did in verse 3, that the phrase “on earth” (also translated “land”) is a natural reference to Israel, this is further borne out.

Questions/Answers

PRAYER