18:1-4 – “And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. 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. 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. 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.”

Perhaps this has reference to the second advent of our Lord, the Messenger of the Covenant (Mal. 3:1), whose day came in A.D. 1874; if so, we suggest that he is the angel “come from heaven, having great power.” (Rev. 18:1; 4:11; 5:12; Matt. 28:18) It says that “the earth was enlightened with his glory!” And while his coming was to coincide with the great “time of trouble”; it also was to bespeak the increase of knowledge prophesied by Daniel. (Dan. 12:1-4) For the Church – the “cleansed sanctuary” class – there was to be the special enlightenment and revelation of many aspects of the truth to that time, not too clearly understood.

“It was about that time, 1880, that the Lord drew our attention to other features of his plan previously unseen by us and, so far as we are aware, unseen by others since the days of the Apostles. We realized that this further light was Harvest light for the ripening of the wheat, and by no means an evidence of greater wisdom or ability in Bible interpretation on our part. The due time Thad come and the un- folding came with it. The Master who had already been serving us brought forth from the storehouse ‘things new and old,’ respecting the Covenants and the Atonement sacrifices. We were astonished at the length and breadth and height and depth of the Divine Plan …

“We then understood for the first time the meaning of the Apostle’s words respecting the ‘Hidden Mystery,’ namely, that close, intimate relationship be- tween Christ and his faithful followers, the ‘more than conquerors.’ It was then that we understood the Apostle’s words, ‘God hath given Christ to be the Head over the Church, which is his Body,’ and ‘We are members in particular of the Body of Christ.’ ‘This is a great mystery; but I speak concerning Christ and his Church’.” (R4434:2)

But there were still other aspects of the truth which began then to be more clearly understood. Among these was that which concerned the rejection and eventual overthrow of Mystic Babylon!

The “voices” of Rev. 18:2, 4 we suggest, represent separate and distinct messages, proclaimed by the present Lord himself, by way of his Laodicean messenger – Bro. C. T. Russell! Both of these messages were very early proclaimed by the messenger as is set forth in the following:

“As at the end of his three-and-one-half years’ ministry, Jesus wept over that church, gave them up and said: ‘Your house is left unto you desolate,’ so we believe that at the parallel point of time – the Spring of 1878, the nominal gospel church was given up and their house left desolate. Until the harvest of their age, all outward Jews – ‘wheat and chaff’ were spoken to and of as Israel, but Jesus did a separating work – ‘His fan is in his hand’ to winnow the chaff from among the wheat and when the work of separation is accomplished, the wheat only is recognized. So here, true and false grow side by side in the church and together they are nominally ‘The Kingdom of Heaven’ – ‘Let both grow together until the harvest’; but in the harvest of this age, ‘He will gather out of his kingdom all things that offend,’ etc. (Matt. 13:30, 41) But since the Spring of 1878, we believe that the nominal church is cast off, and now only the wheat – ‘the little flock’ – is to be considered the church; and we believe this to be the date of the beginning of the fall of Babylon church, the parallel to the date of the fall of the church of the Scribes and Pharisees – hypocrites, who ‘encompass sea and land to make one proselyte.’ Their fall was gradual, so is Babylon’s.

“The rejection of the nominal – Babylon church –by the Lord seems to be illustrated in the picture of the church in its seven stages. (Rev. 3:16) The seventh or last, boasting of her being rich, increased in goods, etc., is pronounced by the Lord, poor, naked, miserable, wretched and blind, and is spewed from his mouth. Once she was the mouthpiece of God; he spoke and taught through her, but now she is spewed out. ‘Babylon is fallen.’ Who cannot recognize that Babylon is now falling in the esteem of the world, which points to its children as more honorable, honest and faithful than the many Pastors and great ones in the church, of whose fall into great sins we hear almost daily …

“There was much wheat in the Jewish church, when given up, so too there is much wheat among the chaff and tares of the Babylon church. As God cared for, and separated every true grain of wheat in that given-up church (among them was Paul) and called them out into the true Gospel church, so now in this harvest he cares for every grain and now calls to them by his word (Rev. 18:4) ‘COME OUT OF HER, MY PEOPLE, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues’.” (R46:1, 2, 4)

And this “Babylon,” we are told, has become “the habitation of demons, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird!” (Rev. 18:2)

“How true it is, that the most execrable of society seek and wear the garb of Christian profession and ceremonialism, in some of the various quarters (sects) of Babylon. Every impure principle and doctrine, somehow and somewhere, finds representation in her. And she is a ‘cage’ which holds securely not only the Lord’s meek and gentle doves, but also many unclean and hateful birds. Of all the defaulters, and deceivers of men and of women, how many are professedly members of Christ’s Church! and how many even use their profession as a cloak under which to forward evil schemes! It is well known that a majority of even the most brutal criminals executed die in the Roman Catholic communion.” (C162)

“The vicious were … allured and enlisted as its devotees, while those of nobler cast were engaged by other means – by an outward and hypocritical show of piety, self-denial and charity manifested in its monastic institutions, but which served only to lead many such, far from the paths of true virtue. The gay and the frivolous found ample satisfaction in its parade and show, its pomp and ceremony; the enterprising and chivalrous in its missions and crusades; the profligate in its indulgences; and the cruel bigot in its enterprises for oppressing its opponents.

“In horror and wonder we ask ourselves, Why did kings, and princes, and emperors, and the people at large permit such atrocities? Why did they not arise long ago and smite down Antichrist? The answer is found in the Scriptures (Rev. 18:3): The nations were drunk (stupefied); they lost their senses in drinking the mixed wine (doctrine, false and true mixed) given them by the apostate church. They were deceived by the claims of Papacy. And, truth to tell, they are only partly aroused from their stupor yet; for though the ambassadors of kings, falling before the pope, do not as of old address him as the ‘Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world’ nor think of him as ‘a God with power over all things on earth and in heaven,’ yet they are still far from realizing the truth – that Papacy has been, and is, Satan’s counterfeit of the true Kingdom.” (B348)

One reason for Babylon’s rejection, is her most unbe- coming behavior; for, not only did she get herself drunk, but she made the nations drunk too, so that they committed fornication with her.

“Concerning this symbolic wine and intoxication, the Lord declares that Babylon has ‘made all the nations

[inhabitants of the earth] drunken’ with the wine of her incontinency and unfaithfulness to Him. (Rev. 17:2; 18:3) The stimulating power is not the spirit of a sound mind, but the delusion of a false doctrine; as the Prophet declares, they are ‘drunken,’ but not with wine. (Isa. 29:9-13)

“‘Because the people have no knowledge,’ they are consumed with thirst at the present time. The wine of false doctrine has produced erroneous views of various questions, and with the incidental befuddled condition of the mind there comes at the present time a thirst for more knowledge and for explanations and for consistency which their teachers cannot satisfy. The people in general have lost their taste and appreciation for the water of life, the truth; and false teachers warn them against it, as poison. The wine of false doctrines now being manufactured at all the Theological Seminaries is the wine of evolution and higher criticism, which does not satisfy the thirst, but increases the confusion of mind, and makes null every attempt to appreciate and comprehend the divine plan, as set forth in God’s Word. Even Babylon’s notables are dissatisfied, famished. (Amos 8:11)” (R2904:6)

The Merchants Who Wax Rich

Perhaps the “merchants” referred to who wax rich through the abundance of her (Babylon’s) delicacies, are the popes, cardinals, archbishops, bishops, presiding elders, reverends, doctors of divinity, doctors of the law, etc. This “wealth” we suggest, consists of the income, etc., derived by them in many ways; sometimes by way of services rendered – christenings, baptisms, confirmations, weddings, funerals, etc. Or perhaps as they are called upon to serve as toastmasters at civil functions, or as speakers at graduations, etc. Then too, this “wealth” may result from what these “merchants” receive in the way of donations, gifts, often made directly to them, or by way of “left-overs” from picnics, church suppers, fairs, bazaars, etc. Surely they have fared very well!

Then too, there are those “merchants” in the commercial world, who in manufacturing and supplying her needs, were made rich in her remuneration. But there are also those “merchants” in the political world, who in donating to her and her causes, were made rich by way of the votes, etc., of Babylon’s communicants! (See also Rev. 18:11, 15)

“… a certain class today who are financially identified with the worship of ‘the image of the beast.’ (Rev. 13:14-17) These support various religious systems from which also they draw goodly compensation of honor, praise, titles, money and respect. These likewise often oppose the truth, and go as far as public sentiment and civil government will permit in opposing the truth and those who serve it, and in inciting opposition among the masses.” (R2207:6)

“Come out of her, my people”

“Of this faithful Church the Lord declares, ‘My sheep know My Voice and they follow Me.’ We hear His voice assuring us that it is His will that we who belong to His chaste, espoused virgin class should all be one – should no longer be separated into sects and parties by creedal fences. The Lord declares that He gave Babylon time for repentance and she repented not. He declares that His sentence against the Babylonian system has already gone forth – that, from the Divine standpoint, already ‘Babylon is fallen is fallen!’ from Divine favor. What would be the wish of our Beloved, to whom we are betrothed? What is His message to us? It is written. ‘Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins and that ye receive not of her plagues’ – her troubles. (Rev. 18:4; John 10:27)” (SM125)

Babylon – Her Time to be Cast Off!

“With the declaration that Babylon is fallen comes also the command to all of God’s people still in her, to come out – ‘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.’ (Rev. 18:4) The expression, ‘Babylon is fallen: Come out of her, my people,’ clearly marks two thoughts which should be distinctly remembered. It indicates that at one time Babylon was not fallen from divine favor; that for a time she retained a measure of favor, notwithstanding her mixed character; that, however large the proportion of error which she held, and however little of the spirit of Christ which she manifested, she was not entirely cast off from God’s favor until the harvest time of separation. It indicates that at some time a sudden and utter rejection is to come upon Babylon, when all favor will forever cease, and when judgments will follow – just such a rejection as we have shown was due in 1878. It indicates, also, that at the time of Babylon’s rejection many of God’s people would be in and associated with Babylon; for it is after Babylon’s rejection, or fall from favor, that these are called to – ‘Come out of her, my people’.” (C155)

“Mark that Babylon had long been in existence as an abomination, and had even become a mother of other harlots and abominable systems (all of which bear her name – Babylon) and had been drunken with the blood of the saints and martyrs of Jesus (Rev. 18), and yet it is not until the time of her complete overthrow that the message is sent by the Lord who is about to destroy her utterly (not reform her), saying, ‘Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.’ (Rev. 18:4) We are not ashamed to be

the Lord’s mouthpiece in this timely but unpopular message: and what timely truth has not been unpopular?” (R986:4)

Babylon’s Golden Cup – the Wine

“Under the figure of ‘a woman clothed in purple and scarlet’ the Mother System of Babylon long centuries ago ‘made all the nations drunk with her wine,’ the doctrines which she had in her Golden Cup. (Rev. 17:1-6) The Golden Cup represents the Bible, the Divine Standard, or authority. It was misused when the wine of false doctrine was put into it – when the Bible was claimed as authority for various erroneous teachings of the Dark Ages. The intoxicating ‘wine’ which made the nations drunk, and which led them to support the ‘woman’ and to call themselves Christian nations, Papacy still holds in her hand, and still offers to whoever will receive it. But the nations are gradually sobering up.

“It is not necessary to suppose that every doctrine presented by Papacy was false and intoxicating. The thought is, rather, that a stupefying potion was put into the wine already in the Cup. As the Golden Cup represents the Word of God and its Message, the stupefying potion may well be understood to be some of the doctrines; for instance, that God’s Kingdom has already been set up, that the papal throne is the Throne of Christ, and that the Pope reigns as Christ’s vicegerent, or substitute and representative. Other poisonous elements threatened the people with purgatorial torture or with eternal torment if they failed to keep in line with the papal authority – this claimed vicegerent authority of Christ.” (SM407)

18:5-8 – “For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill her double. 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. Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.”

“The great nominal church has long taught for doctrines, the precepts of men; and, ignoring in great measure the Word of God as the only rule of faith and godly living, it has boldly announced many conflicting and God-dishonoring doctrines, and has been unfaithful to the measure of truth retained. It has failed to cultivate and manifest the spirit of Christ, and has freely imbibed the spirit of the world. It has let down the bars of the sheepfold and called in the goats, and has even encouraged the wolves to enter and do their wicked work. It has been pleased to let the devil sow tares amongst the wheat, and now rejoices in the fruit of his sowing – in the flourishing field of tares.

“The Church of Rome, with assumed infallibility, claims it to be the divine purpose to eternally torment in fire and brimstone all ‘heretics’ who reject her doctrines. And for others she provides a limited torment called Purgatory, from which a release may be secured by penances, fasts, prayers, holy candles, incense and well-paid-for ‘sacrifices’ of the mass. She thus sets aside the efficacy of the atonement sacrifice of Christ, and places the eternal destiny of man in the hands of scheming priests, who thus claim power to open heaven or close it to whom they please. She substitutes forms of godliness for its vital power, and erects images and pictures for the adoration of her votaries, instead of exalting in the heart the invisible God and his dear Son, our Lord and Savior. She exalts a man-ordained priestly class to rulership in the church, in opposition to our Lord’s teaching, ‘Be not ye called Rabbi; for one is your Master, even Christ, and all ye are brethren. And call no man your father upon the earth; for one is your Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt. 23:8, 9) In fact, the Papacy presents a most complete counterfeit of the true Christianity, and boldly claims to be the one true church.” (D159)

“It is estimated, by those who seemingly have given the subject thorough investigation, that Papacy, during the past thirteen hundred years, has directly or indirectly caused the death of fifty millions of people, and it may safely be said that human and Satanic ingenuity were taxed to their utmost to invent new and horrible tortures, for both the political and religious opponents of Antichrist; the latter – heretics – being pursued with tenfold fury. Besides the common forms of persecution and death, such as racking, burning, drowning, stabbing, starving and shooting with arrows and guns, fiendish hearts meditated how the most delicate and sensitive parts of the body, capable of the most excruciating pain, could be affected; molten lead was poured into the ears; tongues were cut out and lead poured into the mouths; wheels were arranged with knife blades attached so that the victim would be slowly chopped to pieces; claws and pincers were made red hot and used upon sensitive parts of the body; eyes were gouged out; finger nails were pulled off with red hot irons. Holes, by which the victim was tied up, were bored through the heels; some were forced to jump from eminences onto long spikes fixed below, where, quivering with pain, they slowly died. The mouths of some were filled with gunpowder, which, when fired blew their heads to pieces; others were hammered to pieces on anvils; others, attached to bellows, had air pumped into them until they burst; others were choked to death with mangled pieces of their own bodies; others with urine, excrement, etc., etc.

“Some of these fiendish atrocities would be quite beyond belief were they not well authenticated. They serve to show to what awful depravity the human heart can descend; and how blind to right, and every good instinct, men can become under the influence of false, counterfeit religion. The spirit of Antichrist degraded and debased the world as the spirit of the true Christ and the power and influence of the true Kingdom of God would have elevated and ennobled men’s hearts and actions.” (B346)

These, Babylon’s sins, have reached unto heaven itself; and God is not unmindful of all her iniquities; and so, the time has come for His wrath and vengeance to be visited upon her:

“… The hour of judgment is come, and even now upon her walls the warning hand of divine providence is tracing the mysterious words, ‘Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin.’ – God hath numbered thy Kingdom and finished it! Thou art weighed in the balances and found wanting! And the Prophet (Isa. 47) now speaks, saying –

“‘Come down, and sit in the dust, O Virgin daughter of Babylon (said in derision of her claim to purity); sit on the ground: there is no throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans; for thou shalt no more be called tender and delicate.… Thy nakedness shall be uncovered; yea, thy shame shall be seen: I will take vengeance, and I will not meet thee as a man.… Sit thou silent, and get thee into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans; for thou shalt no more be called, the lady of kingdoms.… Thou saidst, I shall be a lady forever, so that thou didst not lay these things to thy heart, neither didst remember the latter end of it.’

“‘Therefore hear now this, thou that art given to pleasure; 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. But these two things shall come to thee, in a moment in one day, the loss of children and widowhood (compare Rev. 18:8): in their full measure shall they come upon thee despite of the multitude of thy sorceries, despite of the very great abundance of thy enchantments; for thou hast trusted in thy wickedness: thou hast said, None seeth me. Thy (worldly) wisdom and thy knowledge, it hath perverted thee: and thou hast said in thy heart, I am, and none else beside me. Therefore shall evil come upon thee; and thou shalt know from whence it riseth: and mischief shall fall upon thee: thou shalt not be able to put it off: and desolation shall come upon thee suddenly, which thou shalt not (previously) know.’ (Isa. 47:9; Rev. 18:7)

“Such being the solemn declarations against Babylon, well will it be for all who heed the warning voice and the instruction of the Lord to his people yet within her borders; for ‘Thus saith the Lord: … 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 recompense.… Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed.… We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed. Forsake her: … for her judgment reacheth unto heaven, and is lifted up even to the skies.… My people, go ye out of the midst of her, and deliver ye every man his soul from the fierce anger of the Lord.’ (Jer. 51:1, 6, 8, 9, 45; compare Rev. 17:3-6; 18:1-5)” (D42)

Babylon (Social, Political and Ecclesiastical)

“Yes, as the day of trouble draws on, ecclesiasticism will endeavor to use its power and influence more and more to secure its own political welfare, by its control of the turbulent elements of society; but in the crisis of the near future the lawless element will spurn all conservative influence and break over all restraints, the red hand of Anarchy will do its dreadful work, and Babylon, Christendom, social, political and ecclesiastical, shall fall.

“‘Therefore,’ says the inspired writer – i.e., because she will violently struggle for life and power – ‘shall her plagues come in one day (suddenly), death and mourning and famine, and she shall be utterly burned with fire (symbolic fire – destructive calamities), for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.’ (Rev. 18:8)

“‘Thus saith the Lord, Behold I will raise up against Babylon, and against them that dwell in the midst of them that rise up against me (all in sympathy with Babylon), a destroying wind; and I will send into Babylon fanners that shall fan her, and shall empty her land: for in the day of trouble they shall be against her round about.… Destroy ye utterly all her host.’ (Jer. 51:1-3)

“‘And I will render unto Babylon [to the Papacy specially], and to all the inhabitants of Chaldea [or Babylonia – Christendom – to all the nations of the so-called Christian world] all their evil that they have done in Zion in your sight, saith the Lord.’ (Jer. 51:24) As we call to mind the long train of evils by which Babylon has oppressed and worn out the saints of the most High (the true Zion), and how it is written that God will avenge his own elect, and that speedily; that, according to their deeds, he will repay recompense to his enemies; that he will render unto Babylon a recompense (Luke 18:7, 8; Isa. 59:18; Jer. 51:6), we begin to realize that some fearful calamity awaits her. The horrible decrees of

Papacy – the reproach and reward of which Protestantism also is incurring by her present compromising association with her – for the burning, butchering, banishing, imprisoning and torturing of the saints in every conceivable way, executed with such fiendish cruelty in the days of her power by the arm of the State, whose power she demanded and received, await the full measure of just retribution; for she is to receive ‘double for all her sins.’ And the nations (of Christendom) which have participated in her crimes and guilt must drink with her that bitter cup.” (D38)

The Nominal Church Today

“We should not look for light where little remains, but the fading reflections of a former glory. The sickly hue which now appears is only the smoke illuminated by the piercing rays from the Hand which, high upon the wall, is writing, ‘MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.’ (Dan. 5:25-29)

Unknown to the Laodicean church, our Lord has returned. He has stood at the door and knocked. Had they been awake, they would have heard. Our Lord clearly foretold that he would come as a thief; but he did not tell at what hour.

“While the nominal church is still seemingly in power, while the old glory still hangs about her, while it is still respectable and honorable to be a church member, the Little Flock of truth-seekers are despised and rejected. They are covered with reproach because they dare to point out the faults of a worldly church. They are looked down upon by her who sits as a proud queen, lifted up in order that she may have the greater fall. (Rev. 18:7, 21)” (R5993:6)

Babylon and Bel

“‘And I will punish Bel in Babylon [the god of Babylon – the Pope]; and I will bring forth out of his mouth that which he hath swallowed up: [He shall repudiate in his extremity the ‘great swelling words’ and blasphemous titles which he has long appropriated to himself – that he is the infallible vicar, ‘vice-gerent of Christ,’ ‘another God on earth,’ etc.] and the nations shall not flow together any more unto him. Yea, the wall of Babylon [the civil power that once defended it, and that in a measure does so still] shall fall.… ‘Thus saith the Lord of hosts; the broad walls of Babylon shall be utterly broken, and her high gates shall be burned with fire [shall be destroyed]; and the people shall labor in vain, and the folk in the fire [to prop and save the walls of Babylon], and they shall be weary.’ (Jer. 51:44, 58) This shows the blindness of the people, and the hold Babylon has on them, that they will labor to uphold her against their own best interests; but notwithstanding her desperate struggle for life and to conserve her prestige and influence, like a great millstone cast into the sea,

Babylon shall go down, never again to rise; ‘for strong is the Lord God that judgeth her.’ Only then will the people realize their wonderful deliverance, and that her overthrow was by the hand of God. (Rev. 19:1, 2)” (D40)

18:9, 10 – “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. 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.”

“These kings or governments here mentioned are, of course, the ones that have succeeded those who in the Dark Ages supported this great Mother of Har- lots; and in view of the fact that in the great Reformation, and especially since 1799, until quite recently, they have manifested a hatred toward her, by robbing her of her power and influence, the following deductions bearing on future events seem indeed reasonable:

“(1) That another change in the attitude of these governments toward Papacy is yet to come – one that will be favorable toward her. Indeed, we see this already fulfilling to a considerable extent.
“(2) That these governments will in considerable measure survive her punishment – in fact, will wit- ness and lament over it.
“(3) That through fear these governments will stand as it were at a distance, leaving the executors of the Divine wrath to fulfill their commission without obstructing them. This shows that this final plague of God’s wrath will be accomplished by the lawless masses, as is taught in other Scriptures, of whom the governments at the time will stand in fear.” (The Revelation of Jesus Christ – Streeter, Vol. 2, p. 398)

18:11 – “And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more.”

“A great part of chapter XVIII, is taken up with the lamentations of the kings of the earth, and the merchants, and those who trade by sea, over the fall of Babylon. It may seem strange that the secular power should destroy her, and yet that there should be such general grief over her fall. I suppose that the consequences of her overthrow will not be realized until the deed is done. She has appropriated to herself all the glory and luxury of the world, and has ministered in an immense degree to the commercial prosperity of the world. Men will not realize how deeply she has become part of the whole system of the world, socially and commercially, until they have destroyed her.… Men will have been the instruments of the action, but the destruction of Babylon will be the irreversible judgment of God. ‘Rejoice over her, heaven, and ye saints and apostles and prophets; for God has judged your judgment upon her’.” (An Outline of the Revelation – Coats, p.191)

The “Merchants”

“… the march of progress in recent years has linked all nations in various common interests, which, if seriously unsettled in one or more of the nations soon affect all. Hence when Babylon, Christendom, goes down suddenly, the effects will be most serious upon all the more or less dependent nations, which, in the symbolic language of Revelation are therefore represented as greatly bewailing the fall of that great city Babylon. (Rev. 18:9-19)

“But not alone in Babylon’s fall will the heathen nations suffer; for the swelling waves of social and political commotion will quickly spread and engulf them all; and thus the whole earth will be swept with the besom of destruction, and the haughtiness of man will be brought low; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine: I will repay, saith the Lord.’ (Rom. 12:19; Deut. 32:35) And the judgment of the Lord upon both Christendom and Heathendom will be on the strictest lines of equity.” (D73)

“The merchants … symbolize the nobles and dignitaries of this system, who have held her patronage and benefices. These, and others who have grown rich or have obtained a livelihood in serving the peoples by holding the cup containing her idolatrous rites, ceremonies, etc., will witness the overthrow of this great religious hierarchy without being able to interfere or intercept it. These also are to lament over her.” (The Revelation of Jesus Christ – Streeter, Vol. 2, p. 399)

18:12-14 – “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. 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 [bodies], and souls of men. And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all.”

While it is true that gold, silver, precious stones, pearls, fine linen, etc., have long constituted the adornment of the Babylonish church (Rev. 18:16); her altars, statues, chalices, platters, crucifixes, censers, etc., it is to their spiritual counterpart, rather that reference is here made. The “gold” representing the deeper aspects of the divine truth; the “silver” representing those Truths which center in the redemptive work of Christ Jesus; the “precious stones” representing the precious “jewels” of our High Priest, Christ Jesus’ breastplate – the Lord’s “jewels” (Mal. 3:17); the “pearls” representing “heavenly treasures” too precious to cast before swine; the “fine linen” representing the righteousness of Christ Jesus, whose merit as such is imputed to the saints; and so on.

All these treasures once belonged to the early church, but later were (mis)appropriated by that matrices “woman,” from whom, however, they now (since 1878) “are departed”!

It will also be recalled that “Babylon” lusted for (inordinately desired), and in due time appropriated to herself, such portions of the rituals as involved Israel’s ancient priesthood, in its anointing, and the offering of the sweet incense at the golden altar. This “merchandise” seemingly, is reflected in the ointment, oil, censers, frankincense, odors (other fragrant spices), here mentioned. These items have their spiritual counterparts in the true anointing of the antitypical priesthood of this Gospel age; and in the offering by these priests of “the sweet incense” upon God’s golden altar! But, this “ritualism” can mean nothing any more to her; she might once have been healed, i.e., she might have come to the deeper understanding of the true significance of these things; but she would not be healed (Jer. 51:8, 9); and now, there is no balm in Gilead! (Jer. 8:22) It is too late; her opportunities “are departed from her,” and she “shall find them no more at all.” (Rev. 18:14)

Babylon Would Not be Healed

“… the warnings of the righteous are steadily ignored by the world, and the nations walk on in darkness, and in consequence all the foundations of the earth (of the present social structure) are out of course (Psa. 82:5), so endangering the whole social superstructure which is now being terribly shaken. ‘We would have healed Babylon,’ says the prophet, ‘but she is not healed; forsake her (‘come out of her my people’ – Rev. 18:4), for her judgment reached unto heaven, and is lifted up even to the skies.’ – (Jer. 51:9)” (D542)

18:15-19 – “The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing. 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! 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. And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city! 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.”

Whether we consider the “merchants” as those within the ecclesiastical systems, or those of the social or political world, really makes no difference, for all men will bewail the fall of Babylon. Perhaps it is the suddenness, or the rapidity with which the fall is accomplished that so sorely amazes them. “One hour” is, however, but a short period in God’s time, with whom a thousand years are but a single day! (2 Pet. 3:8)

“That her destruction will be sudden, violent and complete is … forcibly stated: – ‘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.’ (Rev. 18:8, 21; Jer. 51:63, 64, 42, 24-26)

And yet that it was to undergo a gradual consuming process is shown by Daniel (7:26) – ‘But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and destroy it unto the end.’ The Papal dominion (and much of the abject reverence of the people for ecclesiasticism in general) … was broken down at the beginning of the Time of the End – 1799; and, though the subsequent process of consumption has been slow, there have been occasional signs of apparent recovery, which never seemed more flattering than at present, the assurance of Papacy’s final destruction is positive, and its death-struggle will be violent. First, however, she must attain more of her old-time prestige, which will be shared with a confederated association of her daughters. Together they will be lifted up, that together they may be violently thrown down.

“That the punishment of Babylon will be great is assured. It is written prophetically that, ‘Great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.’ ‘And he hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.’ ‘Her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. Reward her, even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works. In the cup which she hath filled, fill her double. 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.’(Rev. 16:19; 19:2; 18:5-7) While the broad application of this language is, of course, to Papacy, it also involves all who are in any degree in confederation or sympathy with her. All such will be sharers in her plagues. (Rev. 18:4) Although the kings of the earth have hated the harlot and cast her off (Rev. 17:16), still she says, ‘I sit a queen, and am no widow,’ loudly boasts of her right to rule the nations, and claims that her former power will soon be regained.” (D37)

“Doubtless temporary aid will come from the sources whence it is so enthusiastically sought; but it will be only a preparatory step which will involve the whole world in the impending doom of Babylon, causing the kings and the merchants and traders of the whole earth to mourn and lament for this great city. (Rev. 18:9, 11, 17-19)” (D186)

18:20 – “Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.”

In 1878, the sleeping saints of the Gospel age were resurrected. Among them were the original Apostles, and, many of the “prophets” (orators, expounders). To these, and such of the saints as were still living on “this side of the veil,” the Lord now addresses himself, saying, “Rejoice over her (Babylon), thou heaven (ye saintly ones), and ye apostles and prophets, for God hath avenged you on her.”

“The term heaven as employed here, would seem to symbolize the true heavenly, righteous, spiritual class – those who are right with God, who are true co-workers together with Him and who recognize the righteousness of His cause; and this spiritual class is made up of such as those mentioned in the text – ‘ye holy apostles and prophets.’ ‘There is a strong contrast between this language and that which precedes. Kings, merchants, and seamen, who had been countenanced and sustained by her in the indulgence of corrupt passions, or who had been enriched by traffic with her, would have occasion to mourn. But not so they who had been persecuted by her. Not so heaven itself. The great oppressor of the Church, and the corrupter of the world, was now destroyed; the grand hindrance to the spread of the Gospel was now removed, and all the holy in heaven and on earth would have occasion to rejoice. This is not the language of vengeance, but it is the language of exultation and rejoicing in view of the fact that the cause of the truth might now spread without hindrance through the earth’.” (The Revelation of Jesus Christ – Streeter, Vol. 2, p. 399)

Babylon’s Judgment

“The appointed time for its overthrow having come, the great Judge of all the earth lifts up the scales of human reason, points to the weights of truth and justice, and, turning up the light of increasing knowledge, invites the world to test and prove the righteousness of his decision in condemning to destruction the hollow mockery of Christendom’s false pretensions. Gradually, but rapidly, the world is applying the test, and in the end all will arrive at the same decision; and as a great millstone, Babylon, the great city of confusion, with all her boasted civil and ecclesiastical power, with all her assumed dignity, her wealth, her titles, her influence, her honors, and all her vain glory, will be cast into the sea (the restless sea of ungovernable peoples) to rise no more. (Rev. 18:21; Jer. 51:61-64)” (D110)

“The plagues coming upon Babylon are sore troubles, which will result in the complete overthrow of the present order of things – political, social, financial and religious. This order of things in its various phases, is one cause, under different uniforms; these interests are all united in one great policy. The princes and kings of the earth and their supporters are Babylon’s great army, and pitted against it is another vast army, composed of the masses of the people. The conflict between these two great armies will ere long precipitate the present order of things of the world into anarchy.” (R5478:5)

18:21-24 – “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. 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; 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. And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.”

Perhaps the mighty angel of Rev. 18:21 is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ himself; and we suggest, that the lifting-up of Babylon, like a millstone, violently to be cast into the midst of the sea (the restless, rebellious, uncontrollable masses) may have special reference to the temporary exaltation of the Papacy, when in 1929, Mussolini restored to it, some of those territories which the Victor Immanuel dynasty had taken away from it. But, this casting down of Babylon does also involve the Protestant portion – the “other side” of this great “city.”

We are reminded here of the words which Jeremiah of old was instructed to proclaim to the ancient and doomed city of Babylon: “that none shall remain in it, neither man nor beast … that it shall be desolate forever” (Jer. 51:62); and that he was, figuratively, to bind a stone to it, and cast it into the midst of the Euphrates. (Jer. 51:63)

Already, it is quite evident that the “voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters” – the happy testimony of the saints, whose hearts overflowing with the sweet and harmonious cadences of the Song of Moses and the Lamb – now, in response to the call of the Lord, “Come out of her, my people,” are no longer heard at all in her, nor shall it ever be heard in her again any more!

So complete will be the desolation of Babylon, that because the true light (the saints) have left her, there will be no light within her at all – yea, all will be darkness! And, it seems that the prophecy of old, concerning ancient Judah, will also find a fulfillment in her: “ … (I) will cause to cease from the cities … from the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride: for the land shall be desolate.” (Jer. 7:34)

“As for the old institutions, they have served a purpose, partly good and partly bad. Their work so far as the divine plan is concerned is at an end, ‘The voice of the Bridegroom and of the bride shall no more be heard in Babylon at all.’ (Rev. 18:23)” (R2592:6)

“Not only shall her traffic, her merchandise cease, but there shall be no sign of life in her at all; no pleasant sound of music, no merchant’s craft, no light of lamp, no voice of bridegroom and of bride – all of which is designed to teach that her destruction is to be final and complete. As a millstone when thrown into the depths of the sea sinks forever from the sight of men, so she is to be swept from the earth and leave not a trace of her greatness or mischievous dominion; because she is a sorceress, whose whole agency has been to seduce men from God; and a murderess who has shed the blood of prophets and of saints and of all who have been slain in the empire for the Word of God during her sway.” (The Revelation of Jesus Christ – Streeter, Vol. 2, p. 401)

No “Light of a Candle”

“The church is losing its power and falling into disrespect. The stars are falling: some one way, some another. Soon the lights will be all out – not even a candle left. (Rev. 18:23) Already the merchants (priests) complain that ‘no man buyeth their merchandise any more’.” (R341:2)

The Voice of the Bridegroom

‘The voice of the Bridegroom and of the Bride shall no more be heard’ in Babylon at all. (Rev. 18:23) Babylon will not permit them to be heard. The voice, the teaching of present truth is consequently outside her walls; and whoever has an ear for the truth, whoever desires to be filled with present truth must come outside of sectarianism before he can thus be filled and blessed and used as a vessel in bearing the blessing to others. (Rev. 18:4, 23)” (R2592:6)

“This fallen condition of Babylon signifies, not her destruction, but her complete rejection from God’s favor, so that God will use her no more as a channel for the bestowment of his best blessings – ‘The voice of the Bridegroom and the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee.’ (Rev. 18:23)” (R3884:2)

Jucan (Judaism) = Christendom (“Babylon”)

“… our Lord in A.D. 33 … his first official act in rejecting the national church of fleshly Israel, taken in connection with all the striking parallels of the two ages, indicate very clearly that at the parallel point of time in the present harvest, i.e., 1878, mystic Babylon, otherwise called Christendom, the antitype of Judaism, was cut off; and there went forth the message ‘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.’ (Rev. 18:2)” (C152)