Revelation 18

Translation

After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, and he had great authority. The earth was lit up from his glory. He cried out in a mighty voice, saying, “Fallen, Fallen is Babylon the great! It 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 hateful beast, because all the nations have drank from the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have fornicated with her. The merchants of the earth have become rich from the power of her luxury.”

I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out from her, my people, so that you do not share in her sins, and so that you do not receive her plagues. For her sins are as high as heaven, and God remembered her crimes. Repay he as she as paid, and give back double according to her works. Give her a double portion in the cup she has mixed. As much as she glorified and praised herself, give her a like amount of torment and tears, because in her heart she says, “I sit as queen, I am no widow, and I will never see mourning.” Thus in one day her plagues will come: death, torment, and famine.

By fire she will be burnt up, because of the might of the Lord God who judges her. The kings of the earth will wail and mourn over her, who fornicated with her and lived in luxury, when they see the smoke of her burning. They will stand far off because they fear her torment, saying, “Woe! Woe! The great city Babylon, the mighty city, your judgement came in one hour!”

The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, because no one will buy their cargo anymore. Cargo of gold, silver, precious stones, pearls, fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet, all of the citron wood, all of the things of ivory, all the things of precious wood, bronze, iron, and marble, cinnamon, amomum, incense, perfume, and frankincense, wine, olive oil, fine flour, wheat, oxen, sheep, horses and carriages, slaves and human lives.

The fruit your soul desired has left you, and you’ve lost all your splendor and shiny things, never to be found again. These merchants who became rich from her stand far for fear of her torment, weeping and morning, saying, “Woe! Woe! the great city, dressed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet, adorned with gold, precious stones, and pearls. In one hour your great wealth was laid waste.”

All the shipmasters and those sailing anywhere, and sailors whose trade is on the sea, stand far off and cry out seeing the smoke of her burning, saying, “Who is like the Great City?” They threw dust on their heads and cried and wept and mourned, saying, “Woe! Woe! The Great City, where all who had a ship at sea grew rich from her prosperity. In one hour it was laid waste.”

Rejoice over her, o Heavens! Saints, apostles, and prophets! Because God has given judgement for you against her.”

Then I a might angel picked up a stone like a large millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, “With this kind of violence will Babylon, the Great City, will be thrown down, and no one will ever find it again. The sound of harpists, musicians, flute players, and trumpeters will not be heard in you again. Workers of any trade will not be found in you again. The sound of millers will not be heard in you again. The light of a lamp will not be seen in you again. The voice of Bride and Bridegroom will not be heard in you again. For your merchants were the magnates of the earth, and because you deceived all the nations by your sorcery. And in her the blood of prophets and saints was found, and of everyone killed with violence upon the earth.

A- Spiritual Growth (Our theme this year)

leads to

B- Discernment of Good and Evil (i.e. Apocalyptic lens)

C- Weeping and Rejoicing

which looks like

C- Types of Christian engagement in Society (anarchy, monasticism, or “in the world, not of the world”?)

which is gauged by

D- Values (wealth or people?)

D-