Friday September 22, 2023 chapters 18 to 22.
Meaning of chapter 18
The prior chapter used “Babylon” as a reference to a religious or spiritual corruption. This “religious Babylon” was tolerated and manipulated by the leaders of the world, for a time, but then destroyed (Revelation 17). In John’s vision, the leaders of the world seem unphased by the destruction of this spiritual Babylon. This “fall” most likely was complete by the mid-point of the tribulation, when the Antichrist and the False Prophet fully engage in blasphemy and idolatry (Revelation 13).
Babylon became the spirit of lust. She did not repent fornacation, therefore her blessings were revoked and she was cast into a sea of hell. This was also because she slain prophets and saints, also committing the moral sin of murder. Shows the importance of repenting.
18:1 After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor.
18:2 With a mighty voice he shouted: Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great! She has become a dwelling for demons and a haunt for every impure spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable animal.
18:3 For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries.
18:4 Then I heard another voice from heaven say: Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues;
18:5 for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes.
18:6 Give back to her as she has given; pay her back double for what she has done. Pour her a double portion from her own cup.
18:7 Give her as much torment and grief as the glory and luxury she gave herself. In her heart she boasts, I sit enthroned as queen. I am not a widow; I will never mourn.
18:8 Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her: death, mourning and famine. She will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.
18:9 When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn over her.
18:10 Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off and cry: Woe! Woe to you, great city, you mighty city of Babylon! In one hour your doom has come!
18:11 The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes anymore
18:12 cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble;
18:13 cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and human beings sold as slaves.
18:14 They will say, The fruit you longed for is gone from you. All your luxury and splendor have vanished, never to be recovered.
18:15 The merchants who sold these things and gained their wealth from her will stand far off, terrified at her torment. They will weep and mourn
18:16 and cry out: Woe! Woe to you, great city, dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet, and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls!
18:17 In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin! Every sea captain, and all who travel by ship, the sailors, and all who earn their living from the sea, will stand far off.
18:18 When they see the smoke of her burning, they will exclaim, Was there ever a city like this great city?
18:19 They will throw dust on their heads, and with weeping and mourning cry out: Woe! Woe to you, great city, where all who had ships on the sea became rich through her wealth! In one hour she has been brought to ruin!
18:20 Rejoice over her, you heavens! Rejoice, you people of God! Rejoice, apostles and prophets! For God has judged her with the judgment she imposed on you.
18:21 Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone and threw it into the sea, and said: With such violence the great city of Babylon will be thrown down, never to be found again.
18:22 The music of harpists and musicians, pipers and trumpeters, will never be heard in you again. No worker of any trade will ever be found in you again. The sound of a millstone will never be heard in you again.
18:23 The light of a lamp will never shine in you again. The voice of bridegroom and bride will never be heard in you again. Your merchants were the worlds important people. By your magic spell all the nations were led astray.
18:24 In her was found the blood of prophets and of Gods holy people, of all who have been slaughtered on the earth.
Meaning of chapter 19
To this point in Revelation, earth has been subjected to a series of judgments by God. These were first described as seal judgments.
Talks about what will happen once Jesus returns to earth and you are worshiping a beast or sinning in anyway and do not repent. You will be cast into the lake of fire or die by a sword. Also, always save sex for when you are married.
19:1 After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting: Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,
19:2 for true and just are his judgments. He has condemned the great prostitute who corrupted the earth by her adulteries. He has avenged on her the blood of his servants.
19:3 And again they shouted: Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever.
19:4 The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried: Amen, Hallelujah!
19:5 Then a voice came from the throne, saying: Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, both great and small!
19:6 Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
19:7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.
19:8 Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear. (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of Gods holy people.)
19:9 Then the angel said to me, Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb! And he added, These are the true words of God.
19:10 At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, Dont do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers and sisters who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.
19:11 I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war.
19:12 His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself.
19:13 He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God.
19:14 The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean.
19:15 Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron scepter. He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty.
19:16 On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: king of kings and lord of lords.
19:17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, Come, gather together for the great supper of God,
19:18 so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and the mighty, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, great and small.
19:19 Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse and his army.
19:20 But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed the signs on its behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.
19:21 The rest were killed with the sword coming out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.
Meaning of chapter 20
In prior chapters, John described his vision of the final judgments on earth, leading up to the defeat of the Antichrist and the False Prophet at Armageddon. Following that conflict, the two Satanic figureheads are cast into the lake of fire. This chapter unfolds the Devil’s destiny afterwards.
Satan is cast into the pit of hell by God and bound 1000 years and not let loose. That anyone not found in the book of life is cast into the lake of fire. it is important to accept Christ to be written in that book.
20:1 And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain.
20:2 He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.
20:3 He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.
20:4 I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
20:5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection.
20:6 Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.
20:7 When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison
20:8 and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earthGog and Magogand to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore.
20:9 They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of Gods people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them.
20:10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
20:11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them.
20:12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.
20:13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done.
20:14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death.
20:15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.
Meaning of chapter 21
From the time described midway through Genesis chapter 3 until the events of Revelation 20, earth experienced—is experiencing—the presence of sin and death. At the end of chapter 20, John sees God delivering the final and ultimate judgment on Satan, casting all evil into the lake of fire. At that point, creation will finally be free from everything wicked, and what follows is a description of a remade, restored earth.
How Jesus overcame and was at God’s right hand. Also about how marriages were chosen in that time.
21:1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.
21:2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
21:3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Look! Gods dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.
21:4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.
21:5 He who was seated on the throne said, I am making everything new! Then he said, Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.
21:6 He said to me: It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.
21:7 Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.
21:8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liarsthey will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.
21:9 One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.
21:10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.
21:11 It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.
21:12 It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel.
21:13 There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west.
21:14 The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
21:15 The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls.
21:16 The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long.
21:17 The angel measured the wall using human measurement, and it was 144 cubits thick.
21:18 The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass.
21:19 The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald,
21:20 the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.
21:21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass.
21:22 I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.
21:23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.
21:24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it.
21:25 On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there.
21:26 The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it.
21:27 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lambs book of life.
Meaning of chapter 22
At the end of chapter 21, John described the beauty of New Jerusalem. This depiction briefly concludes here.
The final stages of what will occur when Jesus comes back to earth. Anyone who misquotes the book will not be in the book of life.
22:1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb
22:2 down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.
22:3 No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him.
22:4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.
22:5 There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.
22:6 The angel said to me, These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God who inspires the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place.
22:7 Look, I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy written in this scroll.
22:8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing them to me.
22:9 But he said to me, Dont do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your fellow prophets and with all who keep the words of this scroll. Worship God!
22:10 Then he told me, Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this scroll, because the time is near.
22:11 Let the one who does wrong continue to do wrong; let the vile person continue to be vile; let the one who does right continue to do right; and let the holy person continue to be holy.
22:12 Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done.
22:13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
22:14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city.
22:15 Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
22:16 I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.
22:17 The Spirit and the bride say, Come! And let the one who hears say, Come! Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.
22:18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll.
22:19 And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.
22:20 He who testifies to these things says, Yes, I am coming soon. Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
22:21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with Gods people. Amen.
Closing Prayer; Heavenly Father we pray and thank you that you left us a blueprint about the end times. We pray that people who read this get to know how serious this is and that they become your children. That they will walk with you fast enough and learn that this is a serious time for everyone and that they also realize how blessed they are that you are trying to reach out to them through us. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
Prayer of Salvation to become a child of Our Heavenly Father. Lord Jesus, I confess my sins and ask for your forgiveness. Please come into my heart as my Lord and Savior. Take complete control of my life and help me to walk in Your footsteps daily by the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you Lord for saving me and I know you will answer my prayers. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.
raynettekweissministries@gmail.com.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/raynettekweissministries
Phone: 202-603-1821