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Revelation's chapters 16, 17 and 18 are parellel prophecies. In other words, they are describing the same point in time.
Chapter 16 describes the seven last plagues.
Chapter 17 describes that point in time from a religious viewpoint.
Chapter 18 describes it from a secular viewpoint and shows the lamenting by the world at large when they realise that they have been hoodwinked by the papacy and the apostate protestant churches and see that they have lost out on eternity because they have followed these false shepherds. The world will see that God's people have been saved and spared from the seven last plagues and shows the grief borne by a world realising their eternal loss.
The rich men of the earth, described as the merchants of the earth , now see that their riches can not save them. They have gained the whole world and lost their own souls.

Let's dive right in and examine it verse by verse.

And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, 		  
 
John sees an angel coming down from heaven on a mission.
 
having great power;  The word power here is used in the context of authority.
This is a high ranking angel.
 
and the earth was lightened with his glory.  This angel has a message that brings great light to the world.
It is the darkest period in history and this angel is bringing the greatest light that there has ever been on the planet.
 

And he cried mightily with a strong voice, 		  
 
This is not a subtle message to a few. This is powerful message that rings out across the world, a worldwide message. Notice in the previous verse it said the earth was lightened
 
saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen,  If you studied Revelation 17 you would have seen who Babylon is. It is not the Babylon that was destroyed over 2000 years ago.
Literal Babylon was destroyed, never to be rebuilt. Isaiah 13:19-20
The majority of the book of Revelation is symbolic. It refers to things like Babylon, long destroyed, Jezebel, long dead, and many other symbols.
Babylon is symbolic for the papacy and those organisations that have thrown in their lot with her. This includes the wayward protestant churches represented by the Lamb Beast of Revelation 13 and the Image to the beast also shown in Revelation 13, and the False Prophet.
The is fallen, is fallen refers firstly to the papacy in a fallen state and secondly to the protestant churches following the example of the mother church. The sum of the papacy and the wayward protestant churches, the harlot's daughters, constitute Babylon. The catholic church has been in a fallen state for centuries. The protestant component has been gradually falling for a long time. The harlots daughters Revelation 17:4-5 are returning to the mother. They are no longer worshiping the God of Creation, but the "god of forces", satan.
and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit,  also referring to the takeover by satan and his angels.
 
and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.  Hateful Bird is symbolic of demons, preying as scavengers, on those deceived by Babylon, so is again referring to satan's takeover.
satan and his angels are going to be "caged" on this earth for a thousand years while the redeemed are in heaven and the wicked are all laying dead on the ground in darkness.
 

For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, 		  
 
As we saw in Revelation 17, the harlot (the papacy) has a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: Revelation 17:4
 


and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her,  The word fornication is symbolic for idolatry. Isaiah 1:21 † Judges 2:17
The world leaders are involved in idolatry with the papacy. The worship on sunday comes under the same banner as worshiping the sun itself. These leaders have all given their loyalty to the beast, the papacy, to bring about forcing sunday worship under the guise of climate change. This final onslaught on the law of God is the last straw. When men make laws that force or coerce others to keep the precepts of men in preference to the commands of God, they have gone past the point of no return and that is where the mark of the beast leads to the 7 last plagues. 		 
 


and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.  The merchants of the earth refers to the rich men of the earth that have used the influence of the papacy to get what they want. They have sold their souls to the devil.
The abundance of her delicacies refers to the favours that they received from the papacy to aid in making them rich.
These merchants are just as guilty of persecuting God's people as the papacy. It was the merchants that facilitated the edict of "no buy / no sell" of Revelation 13 Revelation 13:17
 

And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, 		  
 
This time it is not an angel speaking.
This, as we shall see, is the voice of God Himself.
 
Come out of her, my people,  Notice, the words spoken from heaven are "Come out of her MY people". This is Jesus Himself making this call.
This voice will be spoken to the consciences of all of those who are faithful to Jesus but in the wrong church.
The final issue on this earth will be the Battle of Armageddon and it is a spiritual battle between two sides.
On one side is Jesus, His angels, and the redeemed.
On the other is satan, his demons, and the lost.
This will call God's people from ALL over the globe, from ALL nationalities, from ALL religions, from ALL walks of life.
This is the final call to get out of satan's camp, regardless of where your tent is pitched in that camp.
God has people that do not even know Him, Isaiah 45:4-5 but this is their final chance to accept Him. After this, probation is closing. God calls because He does not desire that ANYONE should perish. Ezekiel 33:10-11
That is when Jesus says He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: Revelation 22:11-12
Jesus said " And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. " John 10:16
The sins of the fallen churches will be laid open for all to see. Those that continue to accept the teachings of these apostate churches and refuse to leave are setting themselves up to receive the mark of the beast.
Their ministers have prophesied smooth things instead of straight "thus saith the Lord" messages. By rejecting the hard truths in favour of popular teachings they have set themselves at enmity with God. Hosea 4:6
 
that ye be not partakers of her sins,  The churches that these faithful are in are steeped in traditions and beliefs that are against the teachings of the Bible. Jesus is calling them out so they will be removed from the apostate environment of these churches.
 
and that ye receive not of her plagues.  All those still in the apostate churches when the 7 last plagues fall, will suffer the wrath of God and receive the plagues.
 

For her sins have reached unto heaven, 		  
 
There is a point to which God allows sins to accumulate to, but no further.
This church system has " filled it's cup of iniquity " and will not be allowed to go any further.
These sins include, but are not limited to:- Pride and arrogance
Verse 7
Materialism
Verses 11-14
False doctrines
Revelation 14:8 † Revelation 17:2
Covertly combining church and state
Verse 3 † Revelation 17:2
Persecution of God's people
Verse 20 † Revelation 17:6
Deception and sorcery
Verse 23
 
and God hath remembered her iniquities.  The use of the word remembered is interesting. God has a level to which the total of sins can reach and then His attention is brought to the fact that the cup of iniquity is full. Genesis 15:16
This is what happened to Sodom and Gomorrah. Their cup of iniquity filled up and then God came down and did an investigative judgement and pronounced sentence and the sentence was executed. Genesis 13:13 † Genesis 18:20-21
The cup of iniquity for the harlot is now full. Revelation 17:4
The protestant churches have long lost their protest. They are wending their way back to the beliefs of the harlot papacy and in that sense are deserving of the term the harlot's daughters. Very soon their cup of iniquity will be full when they go beyond the forebearance of God and push laws that override the laws of the Creator, just as the cup for the mother is already full.
It will then be time that God calculated the debt, and brought judgment.
In Revelation, Babylon is symbolic of the alliance led by the papacy and the fallen protestant churches combined with other false religions and it is a parallel or antitype of the event in the old testament which was the type or literal example (below) on a smaller scale.
For Israel hath not been forsaken, nor Judah of his God, of the LORD of hosts; though their land was filled with sin against the Holy One of Israel. As in the days of the physical Babylon, God did not desert His people, so too at the end of time, He will remember His people in spiritual Babylon.
Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his soul: be not cut off in her iniquity; for this is the time of the LORD'S vengeance; he will render unto her a recompence. In physical Babylon, God called His people out before He delivered justice, and He will call His people out of spiritual Babylon in the same way before He delivers their reward. But those slow to leave or not leaving at all, will suffer the same fate as the wicked.
Babylon hath been a golden cup in the LORD'S hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad. Just as the original Babylon had been a useful instrument in God's hand, but allowed herself to be perverted and polluted by the world, so also are the protestant churches fallen from grace by allowing themselves to be overcome by the world and now are considered part of spiritual Babylon and will receive the same penalty that the papacy is to receive.
Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed: howl for her; take balm for her pain, if so be she may be healed. Babylon was unable to be healed and finally fell in 539BC. The protestant churches will ,finally be considered unhealable when they cross the line and coerce the government to pass laws that are contrary to those of God. Then they will be considered fallen.
 

Reward her even as she rewarded you, 		  
 
This system has persecuted, tortured, murdered the saints of God, firstly through the dark ages, but also by levelling the mark of the beast they have again heavily persecuted the faithful people of God. They pronounced a death sentence on the faithful that refused to accept the mark of the beast, so death is her reward also.
 
and double unto her double according to her works:  This church system is being punished for what she has done and also what she had INTENDED to do.
 
in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.  She was so evil, and so intent on exterminating the faithful people of God she is judged as harshly as she attempted to do to those who have the favour of God.
 

How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, 		  
 
This system has replaced humble worship, that Jesus showed us, with pomp and ceremony, based on tradition and pagan systems, rather than the word of God. It has hoarded valuables and riches instead of the humility demonstrated by Jesus.
On top of this hoarding riches, it never digs into it's coffers to help the needy, but put's it's greedy hand out to take from even the poorest soul.
 
so much torment and sorrow give her:  The horrors the catholic church has dished out to those in the dark ages without the slightest remorse. People were tormented in all despicable forms and burned at the stake, their only crime was that they believed the bible, the word of God over a deluded old man who wants to be God.
 
for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen,  Jesus is King over the universe. The papacy claims that God honours whatever laws and precepts the Roman Catholic church dreams up. This is saying that the rule of God is subject to the rule of the papacy. A woman in prophecy represents a church, so a church that rules over all would be a queen.
This shows why the battle of Armageddon is neccessary.
 
and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.  As it says in verse 3, this church is committing fornication (illicit relationship) with the kings of the earth. She is very sure of this relationship, but these will "divorce" her when the sixth plague falls, so at that point, she will in fact be a widow, losing her lovers, and she will lose her children, the apostate protestant churches, also.
This is a parallel verse to Isaiah 47:8-9
Therefore hear now this, thou that art given to pleasures, that dwellest carelessly, that sayest in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me; I shall not sit as a widow, neither shall I know the loss of children: Jesus is the I AM Exodus 3:14-15 † John 8:38
Also, God claims "there is none other like me" Isaiah 45:5-6 but this church is ALSO saying "I am, and none else beside me" so this woman (church) is assuming the place of Jesus and therefore making herself into a queen.
Again, as in Revelation 18, she claims she is not a widow.
She also claims she will not suffer loss of children.
Remember in Revelation 17 the great whore (this same identity) was described as the mother of harlots? Her daughters are the apostate protestant churches that are part of the title Babylon. She will in fact lose these children during the sixth plague.
But these two things shall come to thee in a moment in one day, the loss of children, and widowhood: they shall come upon thee in their perfection for the multitude of thy sorceries, and for the great abundance of thine enchantments. During the sixth plague, this church will be stripped naked as it says in Revelation 17. Revelation 17:16
 

Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, 		  
 
This is what we already saw in Isaiah 47:8-9
 
death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.  
Strong advice to be out of Babylon before these plagues fall.
 

And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, 		  
 
These are the same world leaders that have been in bed with her all this time.
 
shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,  Even though they now realise that judgment is falling on Babylon and also on themselves for their collabaration with her, they are grieving for the loss of the source of power and wealth they have become used to.
They are lamenting, not for the guilt of the evil they have done, but for the loss of their riches. The billions they have in the bank are now worthless. Money can't buy eternal life, and because the whole system has come crashing down, it won't even buy a sandwich.
 

Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, 		  
 
They now, too late, try to distance themselves from the source of their own destruction. They realise that what is happening to Babylon is going to be their own fate as well.
 
saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city!  They regret the loss of their source of wealth without any remorse for the horrible sins they have committed.
All their regret is because God has conquered them, but have no regret for their wickedness, and in no way do they repent. Revelation 16:11
 
for in one hour is thy judgment come.  The judgments of God have fallen swiftly.
This would seem to be at odds with verse 8 which says her plagues will come in one day. I would suggest that the one hour shows the speed at which they are delivered and the one day shows the period over which they all are delivered.
The word judgment used here is the Greek word "krisis" which refers to the execution of the sentence of the judgment.
 

And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more: 		  
 
These merchants saw no wrong when they carried out the order to restrict God's faithful from buying and selling. Now, the economy has totally collapsed and there IS nothing to buy or sell.
 

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, 		  
 
These are all major items of sale in the old world. It simply means that these men have control of the economy and have been milking it, making themselves rich and downtreading the poor, making them poorer, and not caring the slightest the hardship they have caused.
 

And cinnamon, and odours, 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. 		  
 
The interesting one here is slaves and souls of men. With the rise of evil organisations like DNA banks where DNA was illegally collected from deception like PCR testing, those holding these DNA banks are already boasting about the massive profit they will reap from it.
Also of note here is slaves. Human trafficking is the third largest crime industry in the world, behind drug dealing and arms trafficking, and is the fastest-growing activity of trans-national criminal organizations. The men involved in this hideous crime will pay dearly for these atrocities.
 

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. 		  
 
That coveted 120 inch TV set, and that beautiful car with auto-everything have lost their flavour in light of the plagues falling.
 

The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, 		  
 
These merchants want nothing to do with the whore NOW, but it is too late. They have tied their fate to a sinking ship. They are weeping and wailing because they know they are going to suffer the same end.
 

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! 		  
 
These are clues about the papal harlot, Vatican City.
 

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, 		  
 
The sixth plague fell and everything collapsed. The people turned against the religious leaders that led them astray, and the money train dried up.
When the sixth plague is loosed, it causes the drying up of the symbolic river Euphrates. Revelation 16:12
In the fall of the original Babylon, the Euphrates was the support for Babylon. It fed them and was their secutity by inhibiting entry through the large gates on the river. The waters were diverted and this was the downfall of the city. So too, in the sixth plague, the river Euphrates which is symbolic for the large numbers of people, nations and tongues. Revelation 17:15 "dried up" because the people at this point realised that the religious leaders had deceived them. Then, symbolically, the waters were "diverted" and instead of attacking God's faithful people, turned their attention on their corrupt ministers and priests.
Ships are symbolic of trade and commerce, so these shipmasters are very influential men. They are the ones that influence and steer commerce.
Sea is symbolic of people, so all who trade by sea is referring to the whole commercial system including the sailors who work in ships (commerce).
These men are standing afar off trying to distance themselves from the plagues falling on spiritual Babylon, but it will be to no avail. Their turn is coming.
 

And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city! 		  
 
They are right. There is NO city like Vatican City, and fortunately there never will be again.
 

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. 		  
 
Casting dust on their heads is what the ancients did when they were in extreme anguish. Alas, Alas, the Vatican was in bed with the big men of the earth, People like Amazon, Rothschilds, Rockefellers, Gates, are all going to be brought low when the papacy falls.
 

Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her. 		  
 
Heaven is now rejoicing over the fall of spiritual Babylon. The papacy, for 1260 years maligned, persecuted, tortured, murdered the saints of God. And in recent times, those apostate protestant churches who joined forces with her were guilty also of persecution, prohibition of buying and selling, passing a death decree that God's faithful were to be put to death. The crime committed by the faithful? They refused to bow to pagan laws. They held high the value of the decalogue. The mark of the beast was put on these vile people who had given themselves over to satan.
The rejoicing is because this evil coalition has finally been overthrown.
 

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. 		  
 
The prophecy of the millstone being thrown into the sea is a fulfillment of the prophecy in Jeremiah Jeremiah 51:63-64. The stone symbolises Babylon and the waters symbolise the nations, kindreds and tongues as explained in chapter 17. These are the waters that dry up in the sixth plague and get diverted to drown Babylon.
 

And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in 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; 		  
 
At this point the total world economy has collapsed.
No more banks. No more manufacturing. No more wholesalers. No more retailers.
No more arts. No more entertainment.
 

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.  The so called elite guided by papal direction have perpetrated the greatest hoax of all time.
The Greek word translated as sorceries is pharmakeia from whence we get the word PHARMACY and PHARMACEUTICALS.
This is not surprising because the original pharmacists were sorcerers handing out their magic potions and snake oil to "cure" people. Not much has changed really. It has just been made to look more "modern". They still sell magic potions that do nothing to cure, only disguise the symptoms.
If that verse were translated today, it would probably read by thy pharmaceuticals.
The world has been deceived into trusting "modern medicine" when it is as fake as a copy of an imitation mock nogahide suitcase.
The final deception from these "pharmacists" is a vaccine that:- Does not reduce chance of infection
Does not inhibit spread of anything
Does not reduce symptoms
Does not cure anything
Has hundreds of adverse side affects
Causes heart attacks in sportsmen and women
Causes sudden death in all ages including children
Makes the pharmaceutical companies richer
And they have definitely deceived the whole world with this sorcery (pharmaceutical)
 

And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth. 		  
 
The catholic papacy has martyred millions of true Christians right through the dark ages and once her harlot daughters, the wayward protestant churches, join the bandwagon and pass laws to put to death those who hold the commandments of God above the commandments of men, then they will have aligned themselves with that agency of evil, the papacy.
After this point they can no longer be reconciled with God. They are doomed to receive the same fate as the papacy.
This confederacy of papacy, wayward protestants, and pagan religions is what the Bible calls Babylon and it will be destroyed, never to be rebuilt, just like the original Babylon.
 

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