A new heaven and a new earth. Revelation 21:1.

 We ended chapter 20, where the thousand years have come to a close.

Satan has been thrown into the lake of fire along with the false prophet and the beast or antichrist.

The dead have been brought before the great throne, the books were opened, and the dead were judged according to their works. This sentence can throw many for a loop as it opposes one of the main themes of traditional religion. I say this because Matthew's gospel, which shows the same throne, indicates that the judge, Jesus, shows many of them mercy.

We also found out that the fallen angels also stand before this throne. Their names are NOT written in the book of life and, therefore, find NO mercy.

The NASB has this as the opening line for chapter 21,

The New Heaven and the New Earth.

The question was asked, I thought the heavens and the earth were burned with fire, so when does that happen?

Well, we are about to find out.

Revelation 21:1 NASB Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.

Think this through. The thousand years are done; the final judgment at the white throne is done; Satan, the beast, the false prophet, and all those dead people that did not have their names in the book of life are cast into the lake of fire. The fallen angels are NOT our problem, and yet God has judged them; therefore, the judgments are over and done.

What's left?

The heavens, filled with the debris from broken spacecraft, and polluted earth, have to be cleaned up. I suppose this is where the burning comes into play and why there is a new heaven and a new earth. Second Peter 3 also speaks of these things burning.

But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. (2 Peter 3:7 NASB)

I always try to find a witness or two from the Old Testament, so let's run with this.

""Of old, You founded the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands. Even they will perish, but You endure; And all of them will wear out like a garment; Like clothing, You will change them, and they will be changed." (Psalms 102:25-26 NASB)

If you had doubts about God having or showing anger, read Zechariah.

"...My decision is to gather nations, To assemble kingdoms, To pour out on them My indignation, All My burning anger; For all the earth will be devoured By the fire of My zeal.” (Zephaniah 3:8 NASB)

Do we care what the timing is, seeing as this is God's plan of redemption, a plan where the timing is entirely His?

There should be no concern on our part, especially since all this happens after the thousand years and the judgments involved with the great white throne. Everything I see in scripture shows me a new Jerusalem coming down at the beginning of the millennial reign. One of the proofs that it comes down at the beginning of the 1000 years comes from Revelation 20 verse 9, where the nations, having been deceived, surround the Holy City to kill God and, I suppose, God's people. This battle is where God kills all those participating with fire and then recalls the dead from among the nations, from all-time to the great throne for judgment.

Revelation 20:9 NASB “... they came up ...and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them.”

As I advanced in this study of Revelation 21, I became concerned about what becomes of the city made of gold as everything burns up. I wouldn't be surprised if many have a similar question because of erroneous religious teachings. I say this because I had no firm grip on effectively anything that happened from the initiation of the seven years to the great white throne.

The answer to my concerns was just a verse away, as God replaces those things.

Revelation 21:2-3 NASB “And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. (3) And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them,”

Consider Isaiah 52:1.

“... O Jerusalem, the holy city; For the uncircumcised and the unclean Will no longer come into you.” NASB

If Isaiah 52:1 was speaking of the Holy City, after the 1000 years, why would there need to be any discussion about the uncircumcised and unclean coming into the place?

As you just saw, there are NO unclean and uncircumcised after the great throne, and I do not think there is any need to discuss the uncircumcised any longer, as the Apostle Paul informed us that circumcision is by faith and of the heart.

But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter...” (Romans 2:29 NASB)

Perhaps Ezekiel 43:7 answers our questions.

Ezekiel 43:7 NASB “...I will dwell among the sons of Israel forever. And the house of Israel will not again defile My holy name, neither they nor their kings, by their harlotry and by the corpses of their kings when they die,”

The Bible, speaking historically, informs us that Israel did defile God's Holy name. The fact that God has to say, “And the house of Israel will not again defile My holy name...” proves that. You can't have a conversation like this unless something brings about a drastic change, and there is; we see it in Revelation 19:11-14. Moments after Jesus returns to earth as the warring messiah, He sits on the throne in the New Jerusalem and sits as the judge. At this point, the days of Jewish denial are over. Here comes another of my theology crushers. Everyone not in Christ, entering the millennial reign, still has the free will NOT to worship Messiah.

Do you know what a person during the millennial reign who refuses is called?

One from among the nations - a person who is NOT a Jew, nor are you a believer, although those designations shouldn't even exist any longer. In my mind, this puts the Holy City on the ground, at the beginning of the millennial reign, long before the white throne judgment.

Zechariah chapter eight backs me up on this previous assertion.

"Thus says the LORD, 'I will return to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the City of Truth, and the mountain of the LORD of hosts will be called the Holy Mountain.” Zechariah 8:3 NASB

When does Jesus come back and do this?

At the end of the seven years of wrath, we are told that when Jesus returns, He stands upon the Mount of Olives, and it splits in two. A portion of this answer is what I pointed out in the previous paragraph. Everything Zechariah describes can be assigned to the millennial reign. Once again, we have no evidence that this applies to the time after the white throne judgment.

Ezekiel 37 talks about His sanctuary being among the nations.

"And the nations will know that I am the LORD who sanctifies Israel when My sanctuary is in their midst forever."'" (Ezekiel 37:28 NASB)

Trying to attribute this imagery to the time after the 1000 years doesn't work because it talks about the nations knowing that Jesus Christ is the Lord. Something just became obvious to me; this does not tell me that all of those from among the nations will convert their understanding into a relationship with the Father. I am aware that a thousand years is a long time and the population, among the nations, will grow exponentially, to the point that their numbers will be uncountable by the time that Satan, once again, deceives them.

If you struggle to grasp this, you need to remind yourself that the Jewish understanding of nations is about those outside of Judaism. Accordingly, the nations would be entirely outside of a relationship with God. In contrast, those that have passed the great white throne are all in a relationship with the Father.

The best way I have to grasp the Holy City is to see it as a heavenly place.

Dake's commentary tells us that Jerusalem “...is called new (referring to the Holy City) because of its eternal freshness and newness, not because it is new in existence. It is as old as heaven and was promised to the earliest saints on earth.” Emphasis mine.

Do you have a problem with that?

Then consider what 2 Corinthians 4:18 has to say.

“while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
(2 Corinthians 4:18 NASB)

The NASB restated tells us that we, followers of Christ, DO NOT look at things that are seen because those things are temporary. Sadly, our government seems relatively corrupt and fixed, but it too is only temporary. A day is soon coming when they will figure this out. We, the followers of Christ, are looking at, and waiting for, something called Heaven and a relationship with the Father, which is eternal; this is our hope.

Consider this. Christ died, rose again, came back, and was seen by over 400 people. But to Thomas, and I am sure there were more, He said, touch Me spirits don't have flesh and bone as I do. (You can read this in Luke 24:39.)

I hope that I have made my point that the Holy City is here on earth during the millennial reign.

For all intents and purposes, the Holy City is as real as it can get. However, when the old earth we are currently standing on gets burned up, the Holy City seems to get put in storage or simply disappears when God eradicates the old polluted planet by fire and makes a new one a good place to put the new Holy City, we read about in Revelation 21:1.

Isaiah speaks of the New heaven and earth. "For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; ...” (Isaiah 65:17 NASB)

Isaiah chapter 25 describes so many details that happen only moments after Jesus returns as the warring Messiah that Israel has been looking for. One of those examples comes from verse eight.

He will swallow up death for all time, And the Lord GOD will wipe tears away from all faces, And He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth; For the LORD has spoken. (Isaiah 25:8 NASB)

God Will Swallow Up Death Forever.?

Since this time indicates Jesus's return to earth, a time in which peace reigns. You might assume that death would be eliminated, which would be the reason for no more tears. However, if I look for the word death and nothing else, some passages indicate that people are still dying during the millennium, making this statement not precisely accurate. For example, Satan's ability to deceive the nations; God's response to their actions is to send a firestorm and kill all those that attempted the takeover.

Another example of death comes from Isaiah 65.

"Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days or an old man who does not live out his years; the one who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere child; the one who fails to reach a hundred will be considered accursed.
(Isaiah 65:20 NIV)

People are dying; we know this because there is apparent dismay when a person dies young. Since no one truly dies, maybe I can give this a pass. Another aspect of this conversation lies in the fact that only those among the nations that have NOT received healing from the leaves of the trees of life will continue to die; this also means that births will continue to occur among the nations.

My wife asked me if I thought we would continue to have babies in heaven. I responded by saying, I do not think so, as we will be like the angels, and they do not partake in marriage as we do. Sorry if this last part ruins your dream and causes you to demand a refund. But think about it. If you are honest, you will admit that "love making" is nothing more than our yearning for a deeper relationship than our broken mindset can give or receive. All we get is momentarily distracted from life's pressures for a few minutes. Only God can love you the way you long for. An example, though broken as well, was David and Jonathon. Don't go trying to make this more than what it is. I understand it a bit more because I had a fishing buddy like that. When he got married, I lost him to a wife that did not like the God I represented or me.

I guess we all have to make choices. I chose God.

This will be the last look at and critique of Pete Garcia's post, How it all ends.

Post three of three.

The original merely had eight bulleted points with no explanations. Here, I continue as I look at point number five.  

5. (The) "Sheep and Goat" judgment (Matt 25:31-46).

   If you had asked me about the sheep and goat judgment, this is where I would have initially directed you. It is, the same scenario as the great white throne judgment of Revelation twenty, verses 11-15, however, Matthew shows us, Jesus, while Revelation 20 seems to show the judge as God. Keep this in mind as you read the Revelation, it is a Revelation of Jesus Christ. There are very precise reasons I feel comfortable saying that are the same, and we may touch on some of them here.

   In Matthew 25 we see this.

   "But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne.” (Matthew 25:31 NASB)

   It is the Son of Man sitting on His glorious throne. You should know at this point in time, that all judgment has been placed into Jesus' hands.

   "All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats;” (Matthew 25:32 NASB)

   Here in Matthew, all nations are gathered before Him.

   Can you make an assessment as to whether those gathered are alive or dead?

   We are not given that information.

   Can you define dead, in God's eyes?

   Death is only a separation from God.

   Notice that it is Jesus that creates the groups and places the people in their appropriate group

   “and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. "Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”
   (Matthew 25:33-34 NASB)

   The King, that's Jesus, makes the announcement to the group on the right – the sheep, Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”

Before the foundation of the world, doesn't that imply that their names were written in that book this entire time?

If that is the case why wouldn't they have been called up in snatching away of the church?

I don't know the answer to that, but this is speaking to me of the religious judgments that I have been inappropriately taught to make.

Perhaps those being shown God's mercy, are having the same questions because Jesus seems to respond with an explanation.

'For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in;” (Matthew 25:35 NASB)

Wow, giving someone something to eat or drink doesn't really seem like much. But in God's eyes it is acting in the nature and character of the Son. His nature and character is LOVE, in case you did not know. This exchange of questions and answers goes on for four more verses.

"The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'
(Matthew 25:40 NASB)

“...To the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.”

Have you ever given that any thought? He, Jesus, is projecting, and appropriately so, His persona upon these.

If we could end it here that would be enough for me, but NO, He has to go on.

"Then He will also say to those on His left (the goats,) 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels;”
(Matthew 25:41 NASB)

Verse 40 applies to these people as well, only in the opposite. “To the extent that you did (NOT do) it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did (NOT do) it to Me.”

6. Millennial Reign of Christ on earth (Isa 2:2-4, 9:6-7, 11:1-10, 65:22-25, Rev 20:1-10) righteous (outside of the Church) resurrected, unrighteous of all time not resurrected until the end.

   First, the millennial is the 1000 year reign of Christ over the earth. It is also the time when Satan gets thrown into the Lake of Fire for a thousand years, where he cannot bother any of us in the outside world. Wow, if that is the case, then how do you explain what we see in Revelation 21 where it is talking about the New Jerusalem.

   “and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.”
   (Revelation 21:27 NASB)

   It would seem that God has allowed for free will, and based on their actions, I would say they have chosen not to follow after Jesus.

   “Now it will come about that In the last days The mountain of the house of the LORD Will be established as the chief of the mountains, And will be raised above the hills; And all the nations will stream to it. And many peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob; That He may teach us concerning His ways And that we may walk in His paths." For the law will go forth from Zion And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. And He will judge between the nations, And will render decisions for many peoples; And they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, And never again will they learn war.” (Isaiah 2:2-4 NASB)

   Interesting how many usages the phrase “last days” refers to. It can imply Jesus' return for His church, the seven-years of God's wrath, known to many as the great tribulation, and the millennial reign of Jesus. Here, in Isaiah, it is speaking of the thousand-year period.

   The mountain of the house of the Lord will be established. There are scriptures that speak of Satan being tossed from heaven, stripped of power, and all power being given to the Son. With statements like this, you would think that we, the followers of Christ, would walk about in power and victory; but we don't, do we. The millennial reign is when this actually happens.

   “That He may teach us concerning His ways And that we may walk in His paths.” Sadly, you have had this opportunity to learn His ways and walk in His paths all along.

   During the 1000 years, He (we assume that this is God, but no, all judgment has been given to the Son, Jesus,) will judge between the nations, and (He,) will render decisions for many people.

   And, as a result of this judgment, they (the nations,) will hammer their swords will be turned into plow-blades, and their spears into vine-knives.

   The BBE Bible puts the end in this manner.

   “No longer will the nations be turning their swords against one another, and the knowledge of war will be gone for ever.”

   Finally, peace.

   Can you imagine how many people live in a constant state of fear?

   What a relief a life like this would be.

   It is a wonderful thought, and it will end with a final judgment.

7. Great White Throne Judgment (Rev 20:11-15)

   This is the same judgment that you saw when we talked about the sheep and goat judgment. Yes, there seem to be differences, such as here in Revelation 20 it talks how He (we assume it's God here,) calls the nations before Him. While in Matthew's account, He (in this case it is the shepherd – which we understand to be Jesus,) calls the dead before Him.

   Since our spirits live on forever, is anybody truly dead?

   Death is nothing less than your permanent separation from God, and hence, that is why there is a hell.

   "Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire." (Revelation 20:11-15 NASB)

8. The eternal order (Rev 21-22:5)

   I have no idea what Mr. Garcia is talking about and I will tell you that I have never heard this preached in church. Let's see what the passages say and see if we can make any sense out of it.

   “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.” (Revelation 21:1 NASB)

   “A new heaven and a new earth.” I was recently told by someone that they wanted to talk about these very chapters. I have read them on several occasions, and I thought they made sense. Immediately one of the questions I was asked popped into my mind, and it had to do with the earth burning up. In trying to find an answer for this person, I did an extensive search. This is about all I could find.

   2 Peter 3:4-7 NASB "and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation." (5) For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, (6) through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water. (7) But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men."

   I, and a few others, will tell you, that the Revelation is a Jewish book immersed in the Old Testament, and prophecy to the Jew is based in repetition. I find nothing in scripture that shows me the earth being consumed by fire, except for 2 Peter 3. Should I then reject any allusions to the old earth burning up and being replaced? I don't think so, if for no other reason than to purge the earth of it's pollution; and I can see pollution on two levels – Satan's and that made by humans.

   If Mr. Garcia is trying to make a point, perhaps the point lies in the chronological order of things. Albert Barnes, who published his commentaries around 1847, tells us that John assigned no time frame to what these two chapters convey. So I am not sure a chronological order is going to work.

   If, like the Apostle, Peter tells us, that it is all reserved for fire, then how does God manage to show mercy to those living throughout the millennial years?

   My question is anchored in the scriptural understanding that non-believers enter the millennial reign; and since these people will continue to live with a freedom of choice, among their own people, outside of the New Jerusalem, then births will continue and each individual will have to be shown God's mercy, hopefully leading them to Jesus Christ. You cannot merely burn them up and we see an ample opportunity for them.

   In Revelation 21:2 we see the Holy City, 1500 miles square, coming down. For this to land on a level pad, there has to have been a tremendous shaking, and we see that as we read the scriptures. I have always pictured Holy City being in place throughout the millennial reign. A piece of evidence for this comes from this statement, which Mr. Garcia did not point you to.

   "Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying." (Revelation 22:14-15 NASB)

   If we do not see the Holy City until after the sheep and goat judgment, where the goats are thrown into the lake of fire (to be burned eternally,) then how is it that there people like this walking around outside the city of God?

   Another question arises. How could a just God allow these people to enter the millennial kingdom and continue with such horrid desires? Perhaps the answer lies in His mercy.

   We have one more clue in that Satan will be released after the 1000 years and he deceives the nations; they, in turn, driven by his passion to kill God and take His power, attack the Holy City. God stops that nonsense by, you got it, burning them up. Satan is then cast permanently into the Lake of Fire, while all these new deaths get to join the others at the great white throne judgment. This is the same judgment as what we see in Matthew 25 where the “goats” are cast into the fire. In either case, among those books used to judge is the Book of Life. The mere thought that God is scouring the books to see if there is a shadow of a reason to give those before Him life, should keep you awake at night.

   So, if the Holy City was sitting on earth when God burns the heavens and the earth, would it also be consumed in the fire?

   I suspect that God can do anything and maintain what is His. Revelation 21:4 tells us that there will no more death, sorrow, nor crying, for the former things have passed away.

   Ah, but when does that happen?

   Does it happen, for the church, at the catching away – the rapture?

   Beyond the rapture the martyred saints, murdered during the time of wrath, should no longer have to deal with death, sorrow, or crying, and yet we see them crying out, how long Lord until the rest can come home, almost as though they are still aware of grief. So I am not sure this thought process works to define the order of heaven.

   Perhaps this has more to do with the beginning of the millennial reign because it seems that immediately after Jesus shows up peace will take over. I have struggled to comprehend this peace all my life, as I have had to deal with bullies, just as many of you.

Look, the “Order of Heaven” is irrelevant as God will do what He intends, and His intent is to give us back the world and the relationship Adam had with the Father before the fall. No more Satan, therefore, no more prodding to sin. For the believers, we will be immortals, impervious to pain, death, and aging. And one other thing that I long to understand, is the companionship of such a powerful God. 

To the degree that she glorified herself. Revelation 18:6-20.

We ended our last look into Revelation 18 on verse five. So what does verse five say?

For her iniquities (her crimes and transgressions) are piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her wickedness and [her] crimes [and calls them up for settlement].
[Jeremiah. 51:9.] (Revelation 18:5 AMP)

If you are unfamiliar with the Amplified Bible’s logic, things in brackets [ ] are meant to give you deeper insights into the verse at hand. Not that the brackets are inappropriate but occasionally, I struggle to understand the point they are trying to make. The other thing that affects my understanding is that Revelation 18:5 is NOT a standalone verse, as the context is lacking. The context begins in verse two and immediately begins referring to Babylon. As I said in my previous post, Babylon is little more than a ghost town, much like an old, forgotten mining community that you find in our American deserts. I realize that what I am telling you is in opposition to Dr. Andy Woods, but Babylon, the physical city, will never rise again.  If what I am saying is valid, then Babylon represents something else.

Ah, the next question is, what is that something else?

In the previous post covering Revelation 18:1-5, I gave examples of how Babylon references Israel. I am not going to cover all those references here but merely say that the references to Babylon are indicative of Israel.

In the passage above, there is a clarifying statement [and calls them up for settlement] that is apparently found in the words of the Prophet Jeremiah. So let's pursue Jeremiah for a moment.

We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed. Forsake her and let us each go to his own country, for her guilt and the judgment against her reach to heaven and are lifted even to the skies. [Gen. 18:20, 21.] (Jeremiah 51:9 AMP)

• “We would have healed Babylon,”

  If it’s not Babylon, to whom is the speaker referring? 

  I could say that the speaker is Jeremiah; if that is the case, then I have to assume that Jeremiah and company are the ones that attempted to heal Babylon.

  Why would they do that, as Babylon was perceived as the enemy?

  Any healing would have to be through a conversion to being Jews, and we know that wouldn't happen. The other possibility would be that Jeremiah and company would infuse thousands of dollars into Babylon so that they could see how horrible their techniques and prisons are. I am being facetious because you know that neither of those things happened. So the healing assumption doesn't work unless I apply this reasoning to Israel, and then I can see Jeremiah's heart as he hopes the words he speaks can bring about healing to Israel.

  I opened my MacArthur Study Bible to read the introduction to the prophecies of Jeremiah, and here is what I found.

  He was known as the weeping prophet because of his conflict over predictions of judgment against Israel by the invading Babylonians. For these prophecies, he was threatened, tried for his life, put in stocks, forced to flee from Jehoiakim, publicly humiliated by a false prophet, and thrown into a septic waste pit.  Once the invasion of Judah was inevitable, he pled with Jewish leaders not to resist the Babylonian conqueror to prevent Jerusalem’s destruction.

  And, he called on delegates of other nations to heed his counsel and submit to Babylon. When Babylon invaded Egypt in 568, 567 B.C., Jeremiah was taken captive to Babylon. Jeremiah was from Judah, the Southern kingdom, and the last to go into captivity. My MacArthur commentary tells me that Judah was engrossed in blatant idolatry. I bring this bit of history into the equation as it is difficult, at best, to heal an invading nation.

  I began to look through my commentaries to see what they had to say, especially since my first assumption is that “We represents the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” One comment, in particular, caught my eye when it said, remove the word would.

  My immediate reaction was why, and based upon what?

  I began looking into the Strong’s concordance a short time later, and I found this.

  The word translated as “We would have healed” by most is the Hebrew word râphâ'  or  râphâh; they both mean the same thing. It is a primitive root; properly to mend, to cure, cause to heal, make whole.

  So Jeremiah 51:9 could be read like this.

  “We tried to heal Babylon, but she cannot be healed. So let us leave her and let each of us go to our own country. God in heaven will decide Babylon's punishment. He will decide what will happen to Babylon. (Jeremiah 51:9 ERV)

If I contrast Babylon with Israel, this statement, “she cannot be healed,” is immensely harsh. If you are a Bible student, then you know that the entirety of the Revelation shows us God’s punishment upon Israel for their sins and their rejection of God; and it is also a punishment against the nations for similar reasons.

So what do we see next?

Revelation 18:6 CEV  Treat her as she has treated others. Make her pay double for what she has done. Make her drink twice as much of what she mixed for others.

If this is Israel, then watch this.

Jeremiah 16:14-18 NASB "Therefore behold, days are coming," declares the LORD, "when it will no longer be said, 'As the LORD lives, who brought up the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt,' (15) but, 'As the LORD lives, who brought up the sons of Israel from the land of the north and from all the countries where He had banished them.' For I will restore them to their own land which I gave to their fathers. (16) "Behold, I am going to send for many fishermen," declares the LORD, "and they will fish for them; and afterwards I will send for many hunters, and they will hunt them from every mountain and every hill and from the clefts of the rocks. (17) "For My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from My face, nor is their iniquity concealed from My eyes. (18) "I will first doubly repay their iniquity and their sin because they have polluted My land; they have filled My inheritance with the carcasses of their detestable idols and with their abominations."

The people in the land of Israel have been brought back from the land of the North and from all the countries where He had banished them. And, He has restored them to their land.

If Revelation 18:6 is speaking about Babylon, don't you find it peculiar that Jeremiah 16:18 uses comparable language specifically against Israel?

Revelation 18:7 NASB "To the degree that she glorified herself and lived sensuously, to the same degree give her torment and mourning; for she says in her heart, 'I SIT as A QUEEN AND I AM NOT A WIDOW, and will never see mourning.'

But we are not to make accusations with two or three witnesses. So how about this.

"Yet you said, 'I will be a queen forever.' These things you did not consider Nor remember the outcome of them. "Now, then, hear this, you sensual one, Who dwells securely, Who says in your heart, 'I am, and there is no one besides me. I will not sit as a widow, Nor know loss of children.' (Isaiah 47:7-8 NASB)

Does the context of Isaiah 47 cover Israel?

Absolutely, and yet the impulsive translation writers titled this chapter “the humiliation of Babylon;” and yet, look at this verse.

"Come down and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon; Sit on the ground without a throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans! For you shall no longer be called tender and delicate. (Isaiah 47:1 NASB)

It appears that God is talking to the virgin daughter of Babylon. Now, I have to figure out who might fill this role.

Babylon had no virgin daughter, although some might argue that the conquering nations, such as the Medo-Persian empire, could have filled that function, or perhaps the Chaldeans were entitled to carry that name. If that is your belief or understanding, then prove it by your Biblical witnesses. There aren't any. So the characterization of the virgin daughter of Babylon falls upon Israel. (Consider that I use that term lightly as they were NOT the unified nation of Israel when they went into captivity – the kingdom was split into the Northern kingdom of Israel and the Southern kingdom of Judah. Judah is where we found King David, and then even that was not without struggle.)

Consider what Jeremiah 14 tells us.

“The people also to whom they are prophesying will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword; and there will be no one to bury them--neither them, nor their wives, nor their sons, nor their daughters--for I will pour out their own wickedness on them. "You will say this word to them, 'Let my eyes flow down with tears night and day, And let them not cease; For the virgin daughter of my people has been crushed with a mighty blow, With a sorely infected wound.”
(Jeremiah 14:16-17 NASB)

Consider how the captives of Babylon - those of the faith camp, had false prophets telling them, God will deliver us quickly from this vile place. In opposition to those claims was Jeremiah the prophet, who told the captives, which included himself, to build houses, plant gardens and eat the fruit, and take wives for your sons and daughters because we will be here for a long time. (Read Jeremiah 29 in your spare time.)

Is it possible that this seventy-year span is where Israel became the daughter of Babylon?

Perhaps, but there was to be an end to the captivity. The daughter would then be freed to marry herself to whoever; this seems like a redundant statement considering how Israel had married themselves to many nations and their gods. So why should their time in Babylon be any different?

'Then it will be when seventy years are completed I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation,' declares the LORD, 'for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans; and I will make it an everlasting desolation. (Jeremiah 25:12 NASB)

Consider that Daniel chapter 9 tells us that Daniel ascertained by books that the seventy years had been completed.

In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of Median descent, who was made king over the kingdom of the Chaldeans--in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, observed in the books the number of the years which was revealed as the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years. (Daniel 9:1-2 NASB)

That means that Israel's freedom from Babylon's captivity; and the eventual, everlasting desolation of Babylon was only a short time away.

And Babylon, the beauty of kingdoms, the glory of the Chaldeans' pride, Will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. It will never be inhabited or lived in from generation to generation; Nor will the Arab pitch his tent there, Nor will shepherds make their flocks lie down there. But desert creatures will lie down there, And their houses will be full of owls; Ostriches also will live there, and shaggy goats will frolic there. Hyenas will howl in their fortified towers And jackals in their luxurious palaces. Her fateful time also will soon come, and her days will not be prolonged. (Isaiah 13:19-22 NASB)

In 2022, many of us are focused on Damascus, as this city has a drastic prophecy declared against it; yet there it stands, receiving air shipments of weapons for usage against Israel. Hmm.

Revelation 18:8 NASB "For this reason in one day her plagues will come, pestilence and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire; for the Lord God who judges her is strong.

As I read through the Revelation and Daniel’s prophecies, it seems that so much of the damage that Israel is to sustain can quickly come in an hour, but do we talk about it? No, for it is too uncomfortable and challenges previous false teachings. One of the dramatic moments in time that gets spoken of frequently is Revelation 18:9-20. This monumental passage speaks of Babylon being destroyed in an hour.

Verse eight above tells us that Babylon is destroyed in a day, and yet here, in verses 9-20, it is destroyed in an hour. I am not sure the amount of time matters, as devastating loss is still a loss.

"And the kings of the earth, who committed acts of immorality and lived sensuously with her, will weep and lament over her when they see the smoke of her burning, standing at a distance because of the fear of her torment, saying, 'woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the strong city! For in one hour, your judgment has come.' "And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargoes any more--cargoes of gold and silver and precious stones and pearls and fine linen and purple and silk and scarlet, and every kind of citron wood and every article of ivory and every article made from very costly wood and bronze and iron and marble, and cinnamon and spice and incense and perfume and frankincense and wine and olive oil and fine flour and wheat and cattle and sheep, and cargoes of horses and chariots and slaves and human lives. "The fruit you long for has gone from you, and all things that were luxurious and splendid have passed away from you, and men will no longer find them. "The merchants of these things, who became rich from her, will stand at a distance because of the fear of her torment, weeping and mourning, saying, 'Woe, woe, the great city, she who was clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls; for in one hour such great wealth has been laid waste!' And every ship-master and every passenger and sailor, and as many as make their living by the sea, stood at a distance, and were crying out as they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, 'What city is like the great city?' "And they threw dust on their heads and were crying out, weeping and mourning, saying, 'Woe, woe, the great city, in which all who had ships at sea became rich by her wealth, for in one hour she has been laid waste!' "Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, because God has pronounced judgment for you against her." (Revelation 18:9-20 NASB)

I have introduced several things for you to think about, so what did Revelation 18:7 say?

“To the degree that she [Israel] glorified herself and lived sensuously, to the same degree give her torment and mourning; for she says in her heart, 'I SIT as A QUEEN AND I AM NOT A WIDOW, and will never see mourning.”

Since we have a comprehension that Revelation 18 is also referring to Israel as well as a "spiritual" Babylon, you may not be aware that many Jews, to this very day, will say we have NEVER been in captivity or slaves to anyone.

Are you serious? What about Egypt, and what about Babylon? Perhaps Israel should have tried repentance and mourning. Now, here comes perspective. Though an analogy of Israel, Babylon is speaking about an empire, perceived as a beast and shown to be a harlot that motivates the current financial greed, idol worship, and blatant adultery against God.

What does verse 8 tell us? Not only will the “governmental and economic” system collapse in a day, but so will Israel. Ezekiel tells us that only a third will survive what is coming. Ezekiel 5:12 is the passage that tells me that only one-third of Israel survives, and quite possibly makes it into the millennial kingdom.

'One-third of you will die by plague or be consumed by famine among you, one third will fall by the sword around you, and one third I will scatter to every wind, and I will unsheathe a sword behind them. (Ezekiel 5:12 NASB)

Merely because the verse says that one-third will die by plague does not mean this will happen in a day. In contrast to what we think it means, an interesting aspect of the word plague is that it is the Hebrew word deber and means pestilence - in the sense of destroying. In a sense, our first introduction to plagues was those placed upon Egypt to force Pharaoh to let God’s people go. 

Webster’s dictionary describes plagues as acute, malignant, and contagious diseases. The black plague was associated with filth and rats in the dark ages. The plagues upon Egypt included boils, gnats, and frogs, among other things.

Since our word deber originated from another word, dâbar, perhaps we need to include this definition to clarify our understanding. The Hebrew word dâbar is assumed to properly mean arrange, but this does not make sense in the context of plague or pestilence. One of the other meanings is to subdue. If you use the word subdue in conjunction with contagious diseases, you should be able to make the connection between the C19 injections and this unprecedented population reduction program, that eventually, for Israel, kills off one-third of its population.