Annotations Upon the New Testament, Revelation · Chapter 18 – Chapter 19
CHAP. XVIII.
Vers. 1. ANother angell] One of the heavenly host and all other instruments acted by him.
Vers. 2. Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen] That is, Rome, and new Rome. See 14.8. and 17.5.As the Eastern, and Chaldeon Babylon did a long time oppresse the Church of the Jews, so this Westerne and Italian Babylon hath kept under most miserable oppression and thraldome the Church of the Christians. Dr. Taylor. See 18. ver. of this ch. Babylon called for its sorcery; the great] 1. From the greatnesse of their glory. 2. From the extent of their power and dominion.
Is fallen, is fallen] The Lord speakes of it in praeterito, is fallen, after the manner of the Hebrews who put praeteritum pro futuro when they would shew the certainty of a thing. Ezek. 7.4.5. & cum reduplicatione, is fallen, is fallen. Such repetition used in Scripture for a double end, to set forth, 1. The perfection of a thing done, Esay 26.3. Psal. 137.7. it notes an utter destruction. 2. The affection of the speaker. Psal. 22.1. 2 Sam. 18.33. Three things are intended by this speech, the certainty of the destruction of Babylon, and its utter destruction, and the joy and triumph of Gods people at it.
Vers. 3. For all nations have drunke of the wine of the wrath of her fornication) Therefore shall Babylon fall, because she hath corrupted Religion. And the Kings of the earth have committed fornication with her] She hath corrupted them, and they are her last refuge, 16.14. Magistracy is a stampe of Gods image, therefore he is provoked to have it corrupted.
Vers. 4. Come out of her my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues] Some interpret it of locall departing,Aliquot electi delitescunt adhuc. Bright. as Lot went out of Sodome, and the Text favours that interpretation.
Come out in affection, in action, and in habitation, both by spirituall and bodily departure: Little Mice (they say) presaging the ruine of a house do flie out before hand.Dr Taylor.
Vers. 5. For her sins have reached unto heaven] The words in the originall are, her sins have followed, Brightman. Beza vertir. accumulata pervenerunt.that is, her sins following one upon, and after another, knit together in a continued order, have by this meanes grown to such a heape, that they came up even unto heaven at length.
Vers. 6. Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works] God doth not command here that Babylon should be twice punished for the same sin, that were not according to the rules of divine justice. Double here hath reference to Babylons dealings with the Church; Shee did greatly afflict Sion, and now God would have Babylon to have double affliction to that; Babylon did unjustly in oppressing Sion,Ier. 51.45. Sion should do righteously in destroying Babylon.
Vers. 8. She shall be utterly burnt with fire] See 17.16. Harlots by the Law of God were to be burnt with fire, Gen. 38.24. but Babylon, 17.1, 2, 5. is a Harlot. 2. By the law of retaliation, she must be consumed with fire, for she hath adjudged many of Gods Saints to the fire.
For strong is the Lord God who judgeth her] Babylon must needs fall when God himselfe opposeth her.
Vers. 10. Alas, alas, that great City, Babylon] 1. Great in splendor and beauty, as set upon seven hills, for which she is famous in all the world. 2. Great in power and authority, the metrapolitane of all the earth then.Dr Taylor. Toties hoc ingeminatun, ut gloriationem Romanistarum de magnitudine urbis & ecclesiae Romanae pudefaciat Prophe…ie. Pareus.
They have little cause to boast of their Temporall felicitie and greatnesse.
Vers. 11, 12. The Merchants of the earth shall weep and mourne over her for no man buyeth her merchandise any more. The merchandise of gold and silver and precious stones, &c.] This cannot be understood literally, there shall be merchandizing after Romes destruction, but that kind of merchandizing. Rome trades, 1. In the things of God, his doctrine, worship. 2. In the sins of men. 3. The souls of men. v. 13 Sets to sale the truths & ordinances of God, sins, and soules of men. It is well called nobile emporium rerum Spiritualium.
Vers. 14. And the fruits that thy soule lusted after, Vide Bezam. Intelligit delicias secundarum mensarum, confectiones delicatas, quibus Romanus clerus etiam his terve in die se farciens, tamen jeiunat. Pareus.are departed from thee] The Greek word signifieth autumn fruit, their second services, suckets, sweet meates and delicate confections.
Vers. 21. And a mighty Angell tooke up a stone like a great milstone, and cast it into the Sea, saying, Lapis magnus suâ mole ruit, magno cum impetu; majori, si projiciatur; longè maximo, si projiciatur ab aliquo robusto & lacertoso. Alstedius.Thus with violence shall that great City Babylon be throwne downe] The Angell expresseth it by this signe. 1. To shew the difficultie of putting down Babylon. 2. The violence of it. 3. The irrecoverablenesse of it.
Vers. 22. And the voyce of harpers and musicians, and of pipers and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee] See Ier. 25.10. The Jews were wont to have musick at their feasts, Isay 5.11.24. especially at marriages. See Luke 15.25. & v. 23. of this Chapter.
Vers. 23. For thy Merchants were the great men of the earth] foreign, Princes of the earth, for their great riches. See 33. Deut. 19.
Vers. 24. And in her] That is, Babylon, now Rome.
Was found the bloud of Prophets] Namely of the New Testament, they were killed at Jerusalem. Ribera. They were not all killed within the precincts of the City of Rome, but all which for Religions sake were put to death, by her authority or instigation were delivered to death. Romes cruelty will cause her ruine.
CHAP. XIX.
Vers. 1. IN heaven] Not the Church, but the innumerable company of glorified ones in heaven say some; others interpret it of the Church, and say praise is given to God in the Church in the Hebrew tongue, because the Jews the Hebrew people,Mr Bulklie on the Covenant. shall acknowledge the Lord Jesus with us.
Vers. 2. For he hath judged the great whore] That is, Rome, called whore as before, because of her Apostatizing from the truths of God and her former covenant; the great whore, because of her universall poisoning of the earth.
Vers. 4. And the foure and twenty Elders] That is, the Church; and the foure beasts] That is, the Ministers.
Vers. 8. For the fine linnen is the righteousnesse of Saints] Righteousnesses Greek. This (say some) signifieth a double righteousnesse given unto us, 1. The righteousnesse of justification, whereby we are justified before God. 2. The righteousnesse of sanctification, by which we evidence our justification to men: Others*Downames Summe of Divinity. Vide Bezam & Pareum. say it is an hebraisme rather, by the plurall righteousnesses noting the most absolute righteousnesse which we have in Christ; so the Hebrew word is used, Esay 45.24.
Vers. 9. Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lambe] By this marriage-supper is meant the great generall wedding feast in heaven after the resurrection,Soliti fuerunt veteres, quod etiam nunc faclitatur, sponsum honorificè deducere, illique cùm celebrarentur nuptiae adesse & comitari, ut illa sociorum, amicorum, propinquorumque frequentia nuptiis dignitatem, hilaritatem conciliaret. Hos novi mariti comites sponsi filios appellat Christus Matth. 9.15. Hi socii nominatim eligebantur, & vocabantur ferè ab ipsis sponsis, ut sibi adessent, & conviviis etiam, aliisque hilaritatis significationibus, quae exhibebantur, interessent. Iudic. 14.11. Matth. 22.14. Menochius de Repub. Heb. l. 3. c. 21. where the King of glory and the Angels are, where the Lambes wife, v. 7, 8. and all shall meete, at which are all the creatures in their greatest glory.
See thou do it not] The prohibition is much more emphaticall in the originall, see not foreign,Vide ne scilicet adores. Ellipsis gravitatem facti denotat. Alsted. there is an ellipsis of the word doe or worship, saith Alsted.
I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus] This is the first reason against the worshipping of Angels, We are equall in office, Therefore thou owest not to mee religious but sociall worship. The other reason followes, worship God, because to him alone religious worship is due as belonging to the first Table of the Decalogue.