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Babylon
destroying Mountain
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The second trumpet shows us a picture of Babylon, a great mountain on fire, thrown into the sea.8And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; 9And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed (Rev. 8:8, 9, KJV). The Mountain of Babylon Destroys peopleThe second trumpet compares with the second seal because outside forces attack people. Satan’s kingdom attacks God’s people and slays them with the sword in the second seal. Forces from the burning mountain, the second trumpet, cause the death of many people in the world. Jeremiah calls Babylon the … great mountain burning with fire. 24”Before your eyes I will repay Babylon and all who live in Babylonia for all the wrong they have done in Zion,” declares the LORD. 25”I am against you, O destroying mountain, you who destroy the whole earth,” declares the LORD. “I will stretch out my hand against you, roll you off the cliffs, and make you a burned-out mountain” (Jer. 51:24, 25, NIV). Babylon Reflects EvilGod detested Babylon, and he hated what she stood for (Jer. 50:23–32). Babylon represented the evil that controlled people’s actions and beliefs. She was an evil country that attacked and burned Jerusalem and the Temple. Babylon then took the people captive to another country (2 Kings 25:9). She oppressed the people and left Judah as a wasteland for 70 years (Jer. 25:11). Babylon destroyed the people’s access to God when she attacked Judah and burned the Temple. The Israelites worshiped and sacrificed to the One God at their Temple. In Babylon, the Israelites didn’t have a Temple for worship. The Babylon authorities took away their ability to worship their God. Jeremiah described Babylon as a country that influenced the whole earth. God told his people to flee out of Babylon so they would live. Jeremiah called Babylon the golden cup that made the nations act like a madman (Jer. 51:6,7). Babylon (Babel) meant “confusion.”[i] Throughout the Bible, she has confused and drawn people away from God. God worked through the Law and in the physical environment in the OT to develop a relationship with his people. God developed a relationship through spiritual qualities in the NT. Babylon attacked Israel by physical means in the OT. The spiritual Babylon has attacked people in the spiritual environment for the NT. Babylon of the Gospel Age has symbolized the evil and corruption from Satan and his kingdom of darkness. Therefore, the great mountain … cast into the sea... described the powers of Satan attacking people in the world. Sea Points to People John conveyed the idea that the sea and the waters represent peoples, nations, and governments (Rev. 17:15). The verses in Revelation containing “sea” represent people and nations. The Devil comes down to the sea (12:12), then the beast comes out of the sea (13:1). Every living soul dies in the sea (16:3). The verse 20:13 gives us an interesting concept. In the final judgment, only death and hell and the sea give up their dead. Where are all the dead who die on the land? Most people in the world die on land. The final judgment of chapter 20 does not mention the billions of people who rest on land. Therefore, the sea in Revelation appears to symbolize the nations of the world.
Babylon brings Desolation to Sea of PeopleThe second trumpet pointed to spiritual Babylon thrown into the sea of people and nations. One third of the creatures (ktisma) in the sea who … had life, died.[ii] James 1:18 used creatures (ktisma) to indicate our creation as firstfruits. John used (ktisma) as all created beings, including men who praise the Lord (Rev. 5:13). It appeared that the creatures that died in the sea describe people in the sea of nations. Babylon Shed BloodThe life of a person or creature came from the blood in the OT covenant (Lev. 17:11). The sea that Babylon turned to blood gave us a picture of spiritual death in the NT covenant. People died a spiritual death when they continued to sin and worship other gods (Rom. 8:13). Because they worshiped other gods, the people died from their sins in both physical death and spiritual death. Therefore, Babylon polluted the sea of people by turning a … third part of the sea became blood. One-third part indicated that Babylon caused spiritual death for the entire Gospel Age. The burning mountain destroys a … third part of the ships. The word destroys (Diaphtheiro) means “to corrupt or to change for the worse the mind and morals.”[iii] John uses ships to indicate the commerce of the world. The commerce gives us a picture of business, trade, and social relationships. Babylon corrupts moral values, business honesty, and family importance. John shows us a picture of the corruption, decline, and death for one third of the people and nations. He reveals that corruption and spiritual death comes from Babylon. The powers of darkness assault the sea of nations throughout the Gospel Age. The spiritual mountain of destruction fell on people and nations around the world. Babylon, indicating the evil of the Devil, polluted the people. They worshiped the creation instead of the Creator. Babylon enticed many people to worship money, success, power, sex, and self instead of Jesus Christ. Worship the Creation (Rom. 1) Our Majestic King shows his Infinite Spirit.
[i] Babylon, Babel,
H894. Confusion, babylonia.
[ii] Creatures, ktisma,
G2938. Thing founded, created thing.
[iii] Destroy, diaphtheiro,
G1311. Destroy, corrupt, ruin. To change for worse minds and morals.
Text of, Babylon destroying mountain, from pages 120-122 of "Walking Through Revelation With a Common Man"
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