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The Revelation of John (American Standard Version, 1901) · 17 of 22 · tr. American Standard Version (1901)

18:3-18:20

[18:3] For by the wine of the wrath of her fornication all the nations are fallen; and the kings of the earth committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth waxed rich by the power of her wantonness. [18:4] And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come forth, my people, out of her, that ye have no fellowship with her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues: [18:5] for her sins have reached even unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. [18:6] Render unto her even as she rendered, and double unto her the double according to her works: in the cup which she mingled, mingle unto her double. [18:7] How much soever she glorified herself, and waxed wanton, so much give her of torment and mourning: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall in no wise see mourning. [18:8] Therefore in one day shall her plagues come, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire; for strong is the Lord God who judged her. [18:9] And the kings of the earth, who committed fornication and lived wantonly with her, shall weep and wail over her, when they look upon the smoke of her burning, [18:10] standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the strong city! for in one hour is thy judgment come. [18:11] And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, for no man buyeth their merchandise any more; [18:12] merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stone, and pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet; and all thyine wood, and every vessel of ivory, and every vessel made of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble; [18:13] and cinnamon, and spice, and incense, and ointment, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and cattle, and sheep; and merchandise of horses and chariots and slaves; and souls of men. [18:14] And the fruits which thy soul lusted after are gone from thee, and all things that were dainty and sumptuous are perished from thee, and men shall find them no more at all. [18:15] The merchants of these things, who were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and mourning; [18:16] saying, Woe, woe, the great city, she that was arrayed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, and decked with gold and precious stone and pearl! [18:17] for in one hour so great riches is made desolate. And every shipmaster, and every one that saileth any whither, and mariners, and as many as gain their living by sea, stood afar off, [18:18] and cried out as they looked upon the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like the great city? [18:19] And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and mourning, saying, Woe, woe, the great city, wherein all that had their ships in the sea were made rich by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate. [18:20] Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye saints, and ye apostles, and ye prophets; for God hath judged your judgment on her.
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Themes
Covenanttheology

A binding agreement or relationship between the divine and a people or individual, establishing mutual obligations.

The imperative 'Come forth, my people, out of her' presupposes a binding covenantal relationship between God and his people that obligates separation from Babylon's sins.

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Divine Providencetheology

Pronoia — the doctrine that the divine actively orders the unfolding of the cosmos and human affairs toward intelligible ends, against pure chance or blind necessity.

God actively orders the destruction of Babylon toward an intelligible end of justice—'God hath remembered her iniquities' and 'strong is the Lord God who judged her'—demonstrating divine agency over cosmic and human affairs.

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Eschatological Judgmentsoteriology

Final, collective cosmic judgment as an event in which the wicked are sentenced and the cosmos restored; distinct from psychopomp_journey (individual passage at death) and emphasising verdict where Zoroastrian frashokereti emphasises restoration.

The entire passage is a narrative of final, collective cosmic judgment: Babylon is sentenced, destroyed by fire, and 'God hath judged your judgment on her' constitutes the climactic verdict.

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Living Godtheology

The divine conceived as active, present, and dynamic—not an abstract principle but a personal responsive reality.

God is presented as an active, personal agent who remembers, judges, and acts decisively against Babylon rather than as an abstract principle.

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Ritual Firepraxis

Fire as medium of divine presence.

Fire functions as the medium of divine judgment and destruction—'she shall be utterly burned with fire'—serving as the instrument through which God's verdict is executed upon the city.

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