-
Revelation 18:6
Do to her as she has done to others. Pay her back double for what she has done. Pour her a double dose of what she has poured for others.
-
Isaiah 13:1-22
Here is the prophecy against Babylon that Isaiah, the son of Amoz, saw.Lift up a banner on the top of a bare hill. Shout to the enemy soldiers. Wave for them to enter the gates that are used by the nobles of Babylon.The Lord has commanded the soldiers he prepared for battle. He has sent for them to carry out his anger against Babylon. They will be happy when he wins the battle for them.Listen! I hear a noise in the mountains. It sounds like a huge crowd. Listen! I hear a loud noise among the kingdoms. It sounds like nations gathering together. The Lord who rules over all is bringing an army together for war.They come from lands far away. They come from the farthest places on earth. The Lord and those weapons of his anger are coming to destroy the whole country of Babylon.Cry out! The day of the Lord is near. The Mighty One is coming to destroy the Babylonians.Their hands won’t be able to help them. Everyone’s heart will melt away in fear.The people will be filled with terror. Pain and suffering will grab hold of them. They will groan with pain like a woman having a baby. They’ll look at one another in terror. Their faces will burn with shame.The day of the Lord is coming. It will be a terrible day. The Lord’ s burning anger will blaze out. He will make the land dry and empty. He’ll destroy the sinners in it.All the stars in the sky will stop giving their light. The sun will be darkened as soon as it rises. The moon will not shine.The Lord will punish the world because it is so evil. He will punish evil people for their sins. He’ll put an end to the bragging of those who are proud. He’ll bring down the pride of those who don’t show any pity.He’ll make people harder to find than pure gold. They will be harder to find than gold from Ophir.He will make the heavens tremble. He’ll shake the earth out of its place. The Lord who rules over all will show how angry he is. At that time his burning anger will blaze out.Outsiders who live in Babylon will scatter like antelope that are chased by a hunter. They are like sheep that don’t have a shepherd. All of them will return to their own people. They will run back to their own countries.Those who are captured will have spears stuck through them. Those who are caught will be killed by swords.Their babies will be smashed to pieces right in front of their eyes. Their houses will be robbed. Their wives will be raped.The Lord will stir up the Medes to attack the Babylonians. They aren’t interested in getting silver. They don’t want gold.Instead, they will use their bows and arrows to strike down the young men. They won’t even show any mercy to babies. They won’t take pity on children.The city of Babylon is the jewel of kingdoms. It is the pride and glory of the Babylonians. But God will destroy it just as he did Sodom and Gomorrah.No one will ever live in Babylon again. No one will live there for all time to come. Those who wander in the desert will never set up their tents there. Shepherds will never rest their flocks there.But desert creatures will lie down there. Wild dogs will fill its houses. Owls will live there. Wild goats will jump around in it.Hyenas will live in its forts. Wild dogs will live in its beautiful palaces. The time for Babylon to be punished is near. Its days are numbered.
-
Revelation 14:8-11
A second angel followed him. He said,“‘ Fallen! Babylon the Great has fallen!’( Isaiah 21:9) The city of Babylon made all the nations drink the strong wine of her terrible sins.”A third angel followed them. He said in a loud voice,“ There will be trouble for anyone who worships the beast and its statue! There will be trouble for anyone who has its mark on their forehead or their hand!They, too, will drink the wine of God’s great anger. His wine has been poured full strength into the cup of his anger. They will be burned with flaming sulfur. The holy angels and the Lamb will see it happen.The smoke of their terrible suffering will rise for ever and ever. Day and night, there will be no rest for anyone who worships the beast and its statue. There will be no rest for anyone who receives the mark of its name.”
-
Jeremiah 25:12-14
“‘ But I will punish that king and his nation because they are guilty. I will do this when the 70 years are over,’ announces the Lord.‘ I will make that land a desert forever.I have spoken against that land. And I will make all these things happen to it. Everything will happen that is written in this book. And I will make everything Jeremiah prophesied against all the nations come true.The people of Babylon will become slaves of many other nations and great kings. I will pay them back for what they have done.’ ”
-
Isaiah 14:4-24
they will make fun of the king of Babylon. They will say,“ See how the one who crushed others has fallen! See how his anger has come to an end!The Lord has taken away the authority of evil people. He has broken the power of rulers.When they became angry, they struck down nations. Their blows never stopped. In their anger they brought nations under their control. They attacked them again and again.All the lands now enjoy peace and rest. They break out into singing.Even the juniper trees show how happy they are. The cedar trees of Lebanon celebrate too. They say,‘ Babylon, you have fallen. Now no one comes and cuts us down.’“ King of Babylon, many people in the place of the dead are really excited. They’re excited about meeting you when you go down there. The spirits of the dead get up to welcome you. At one time all of them were leaders in the world. They were kings over the nations. They get up from their thrones.All of them call out to you. They say,‘ You have become weak, just as we are. You have become like us.’Your grand show of power has been brought down to the grave. The noise of your harps has come down here along with your power. Maggots are spread out under you. Worms cover you.“ King of Babylon, you thought you were the bright morning star. But now you have fallen from heaven! You once brought down nations. But now you have been thrown down to the earth!You said in your heart,‘ I will go up to the heavens. I’ll raise my throne above the stars of God. I’ll sit as king on the mountain where the gods meet. I’ll set up my throne on the highest slopes of Mount Zaphon.I will rise above the tops of the clouds. I’ll make myself like the Most High God.’But now you have been brought down to the place of the dead. You have been thrown into the deepest part of the pit.“ Those who see you stare at you. They think about what has happened to you. They say to themselves,‘ Is this the man who shook the earth? Is he the one who made kingdoms tremble with fear?Did he turn the world into a desert? Did he destroy its cities? Did he refuse to let his prisoners go home?’“ All the kings of the nations are buried with honor. Each of them lies in his own tomb.But you have been thrown out of your tomb. You are like a branch that is cut off and thrown away. You are covered with the bodies of those who have been killed by swords. You have been tossed into a stony pit along with them. You are like a dead body that people have walked on.You won’t be buried like other kings. That’s because you have destroyed your land. You have killed your people.“ Let the children of that evil man be killed. Let none of them be left to carry on the family name.So prepare a place to kill his children. Kill them because of the sins of the rulers who lived before them. They must not rise to power. They must not rule over the world. They must not cover the earth with their cities.”“ I will rise up against them,” announces the Lord who rules over all.“ I will destroy Babylon. It will not be remembered anymore. No one will be left alive there. I will destroy its people and their children after them,” announces the Lord.“ I will turn it into a place where nothing but owls can live. I will turn it into a swamp. I will sweep through it like a broom and destroy everything,” announces the Lord who rules over all.The Lord who rules over all has made a promise. He has said,“ You can be sure that what I have planned will happen. What I have decided will take place.
-
Jeremiah 50:1-51:64
Here is the message the Lord spoke through Jeremiah the prophet. It was about the city of Babylon and the land of Babylon. He said,“ Announce this message among the nations. Lift up a banner. Let the nations hear the message. Do not keep anything back. Say,‘ Babylon will be captured. The god named Bel will be put to shame. The god named Marduk will be filled with terror. Babylon’s gods will be put to shame. The gods its people made will be filled with terror.’A nation from the north will attack it. That nation will destroy Babylon. No one will live there. People and animals alike will run away.“ The days are coming,” announces the Lord.“ At that time the people of Israel and Judah will gather together. They will come in tears to me. I am the Lord their God.They will ask how to get to Zion. Then they will turn their faces toward it. They will come and join themselves to me. They will enter into the covenant I make with them. It will last forever. It will never be forgotten.“ My people have been like lost sheep. Their shepherds have led them astray. They have caused them to wander in the mountains. They have wandered over mountains and hills. They have forgotten that I am their true resting place.Everyone who found them destroyed them. Their enemies said,‘ We aren’t guilty. They sinned against the Lord. He gave them everything they needed. He has always been Israel’s hope.’“ People of Judah, run away from Babylon. Leave the land of Babylon. Be like the goats that lead the flock.I will stir up great nations that will join forces against Babylon. I will bring them from the land of the north. They will take up their battle positions against Babylon. They will come from the north and capture it. Their arrows will be like skilled soldiers. They will not miss their mark.So the riches of Babylon will be taken away. All those who steal from it will have more than enough,” announces the Lord.“ People of Babylon, you have stolen what belongs to me. That has made you glad and full of joy. You dance around like a young cow on a threshing floor. You neigh like stallions.Because of that, you will bring great shame on your land. Your whole nation will be dishonored. It will become the least important of the nations. It will become a dry and empty desert.Because I am angry with it, no one will live there. It will be completely deserted. All those who pass by Babylon will be shocked. They will make fun of it because of all its wounds.“ All you who shoot arrows, take up your battle positions around Babylon. Shoot at it! Do not spare any arrows! Its people have sinned against me.Shout against them on every side! They are giving up. The towers of the city are falling. Its walls are being pulled down. The Lord is paying back its people. So pay them back yourselves. Do to them what they have done to others.Do not leave anyone in Babylon to plant the fields. Do not leave anyone to harvest the grain. Let each of them return to their own people. Let them run away to their own land. If they don’t, their enemy’s sword will bring them great harm.“ Israel is like a scattered flock that lions have chased away. The first lion that ate them up was the king of Assyria. The last one that broke their bones was Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon.”The Lord who rules over all is the God of Israel. He says,“ I punished the king of Assyria. In the same way, I will punish the king of Babylon and his land.But I will bring Israel back to their own grasslands. I will feed them on Mount Carmel and in Bashan. I will satisfy their hunger on the hills of Ephraim and Gilead.The days are coming,” announces the Lord.“ At that time people will search for Israel’s guilt. But they will not find any. They will search for Judah’s sins. But they will not find any. That is because I will forgive the people I have spared.“ Enemies of Babylon, attack their land of Merathaim. Make war against those who live in Pekod. Chase them and kill them. Destroy them completely,” announces the Lord.“ Do everything I have commanded you to do.The noise of battle is heard in the land. It is the noise of a great city being destroyed!It has been broken to pieces. It was the hammer that broke the whole earth. How empty Babylon is among the nations!Babylon, I set a trap for you. And you were caught before you knew it. You were found and captured. That is because you opposed me.I have opened up my storeroom. I have brought out the weapons I use when I am angry. I am the Lord and King who rules over all. I have work to do in the land of the Babylonians.So come against it from far away. Open up its storerooms. Stack everything up like piles of grain. Completely destroy that country. Do not leave anyone alive there.Kill all Babylon’s strongest warriors. Let them die in battle. How terrible it will be for them! Their time to be judged has come. Now they will be punished.Listen to those who have escaped. Listen to those who have returned from Babylon. They are announcing in Zion how I have paid Babylon back. I have paid it back for destroying my temple.“ Send for men armed with bows and arrows. Send them against Babylon. Set up camp all around it. Do not let anyone escape. Pay it back for what its people have done. Do to them what they have done to others. They have dared to disobey me. I am the Holy One of Israel.You can be sure its young men will fall dead in the streets. All its soldiers will be put to death at that time,” announces the Lord.“ Proud Babylonians, I am against you,” announces the Lord. The Lord who rules over all says,“ Your day to be judged has come. It is time for you to be punished.You proud people will trip and fall. No one will help you up. I will start a fire in your towns. It will burn up everyone around you.”The Lord who rules over all says,“ The people of Israel are being treated badly. So are the people of Judah. Those who have captured them are holding them. They refuse to let them go.But I am strong and will save them. My name is the Lord Who Rules Over All. I will stand up for them. I will bring peace and rest to their land. But I will bring trouble to those who live in Babylon.“ A sword is coming against the Babylonians!” announces the Lord.“ It is coming against those who live in Babylon. It is coming against their officials and wise men.A sword is coming against their prophets. But they are not really prophets at all! So they will look foolish. A sword is coming against their soldiers! They will be filled with terror.A sword is coming against their horses and chariots! It is coming against all the hired soldiers in their armies. They will become weak. A sword is coming against their treasures! They will be stolen.There will not be any rain for their rivers. So they will dry up. Those things will happen because their land is full of statues of gods. Those gods will go crazy with terror.“ Desert creatures and hyenas will live in Babylon. And so will owls. People will never live there again. It will not be lived in for all time to come.I destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. I also destroyed the towns that were near them,” announces the Lord.“ Babylon will be just like them. No one will live there. No human beings will stay there.“ Look! An army is coming from the north. I am stirring up a great nation and many kings. They are coming from a land that is very far away.Their soldiers are armed with bows and spears. They are mean. They do not show any mercy at all. They come riding in on their horses. They sound like the roaring ocean. They are lined up for battle. They are coming to attack you, city of Babylon.The king of Babylon has heard reports about them. His hands can’t help him. He is in great pain. It is like the pain of a woman having a baby.I will be like a lion coming up from the bushes by the Jordan River. I will hunt in rich grasslands. I will chase the people of Babylon from their land in an instant. What nation will I choose to do this? Which one will I appoint? Is anyone like me? Who would dare to argue with me? What leader can stand against me?”So listen to what the Lord has planned against Babylon. Hear what he has planned against the land of the Babylonians. Their young people will be dragged away. Their grasslands will be shocked at their fate.At the news of Babylon’s capture, the earth will shake. The people’s cries will be heard among the nations.The Lord says,“ I will stir up the spirits of destroyers. They will march out against Babylon and its people.I will send other nations against it to separate the straw from the grain. I will send them to destroy Babylon completely. They will oppose it on every side. At that time it will be destroyed.Do not let its soldiers get their bows ready to use. Do not let them put on their armor. Do not spare their young men. Destroy their armies completely.They will fall down dead in Babylon. They will receive deadly wounds in its streets.The land of Israel and Judah is full of guilt. Its people have sinned against me. But I have not deserted them. I am their God. I am the Lord who rules over all. I am the Holy One of Israel.“ People of Judah, run away from Babylon! Run for your lives! Do not be destroyed because of the sins of its people. It is time for me to pay them back. I will punish them for what they have done.Babylon was like a gold cup in my hand. That city made the whole earth drunk. The nations drank its wine. So now they have gone crazy.Babylon will suddenly fall and be broken. Weep for it! Get healing lotion for its pain. Perhaps it can be healed.“ The nations say,‘ We would have healed Babylon. But it can’t be healed. So let’s leave it. Let’s each go to our own land. Babylon’s sins reach all the way to the skies. They rise up as high as the heavens.’“ The people of Judah say,‘ The Lord has made things right for us again. So come. Let’s tell in Zion what the Lord our God has done.’“ I have stirred up you kings of the Medes. So sharpen your arrows! Get your shields! I plan to destroy Babylon. I will pay the Babylonians back. They have destroyed my temple.Lift up a banner! Attack Babylon’s walls! Put more guards on duty! Station more of them to watch over you! Hide and wait to attack them! I will do what I have planned. I will do what I have decided to do against the people of Babylon.You who live by the rivers of Babylon, your end has come. You who are rich in treasures, it is time for you to be destroyed.I am the Lord who rules over all. I have made a promise in my own name. I have said,‘ I will certainly fill your land with soldiers. They will be as many as a huge number of locusts. They will win the battle over you. They will shout for joy.’“ I used my power to make the earth. I used my wisdom to set the world in place. I used my understanding to spread out the heavens.When I thunder, the waters in the heavens roar. I make clouds rise from one end of the earth to the other. I send lightning with the rain. I bring out the wind from my storerooms.“ No one has any sense. No one knows anything. Everyone who works with gold is put to shame by his wooden gods. His metal gods are fakes. They can’t even breathe.They are worthless, and people make fun of them. When I judge them, they will be destroyed.But I, the God of Jacob, am not like them. I give my people everything they need. I can do this because I made everything, including Israel. They are the people who belong to me. My name is the Lord Who Rules Over All.“ Babylon, you are my war club. You are my weapon for battle. I use you to destroy nations. I use you to wipe out kingdoms.I use you to destroy horses and their riders. I use you to destroy chariots and their drivers.I use you to destroy men and women. I use you to destroy old people and young people. I use you to destroy young men and young women.I use you to destroy shepherds and their flocks. I use you to destroy farmers and their oxen. I use you to destroy governors and officials.“ Judah, I will pay Babylon back. You will see it with your own eyes. I will pay back all those who live in Babylon. I will pay them back for all the wrong things they have done in Zion,” announces the Lord.“ Babylon, I am against you. Your kingdom is like a destroying mountain. You have destroyed the whole earth,” announces the Lord.“ I will reach out my hand against you. I will roll you off the cliffs. I will make you like a mountain that has been burned up.No rock will be taken from you to be used as the most important stone for a building. No stones will be taken from you to be used for a foundation. Your land will be empty forever,” announces the Lord.“ Nations, lift up a banner in the land of Babylon! Blow a trumpet among yourselves! Prepare yourselves for battle against Babylon. Send the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni and Ashkenaz against it. Appoint a commander against it. Send many horses against it. Let them be as many as a huge number of locusts.Prepare yourselves for battle against Babylon. Prepare the kings of the Medes. Prepare their governors and all their officials. Prepare all the countries they rule over.The Babylonians tremble and shake with fear. My plans against them stand firm. I plan to destroy their land completely. Then no one will live there.Babylon’s soldiers have stopped fighting. They remain in their forts. Their strength is all gone. They have become weak. Their buildings are set on fire. The metal bars that lock their gates are broken.One messenger after another comes to the king of Babylon. All of them announce that his entire city is captured.The places where people go across the Euphrates River have been captured. The swamps have been set on fire. And the soldiers are terrified.”The Lord who rules over all is the God of Israel. He says,“ The city of Babylon is like a threshing floor when cattle are walking on it. The time to destroy it will soon come.”The people of Jerusalem say,“ Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, has destroyed us. He has thrown us into a panic. He has emptied us out like a jar. Like a snake he has swallowed us up. He has filled his stomach with our rich food. Then he has spit us out of his mouth.”The people continue,“ May the people of Babylon pay for the harmful things they have done to us. May those who live in Babylon pay for spilling the blood of our people.” That’s what the people who live in Zion say.So the Lord says,“ I will stand up for you. I will pay the Babylonians back for what they did to you. I will dry up their water supply. I will make their springs run dry.Babylon will have all its buildings knocked down. It will be a home for wild dogs. No one will live there. People will be shocked at it. They will make fun of it.All its people roar like young lions. They growl like lion cubs.They are stirred up. So I will set a feast in front of them. I will make them drunk. And they will shout and laugh. But then they will lie down and die. They will never wake up,” announces the Lord.“ I will lead them down like lambs to be put to death. They will be like rams and goats that have been killed.“ Babylon will be captured! The whole earth was very proud of it. But it will be taken over by others! It will be a deserted place among the nations.Babylon’s enemies will sweep over it like an ocean. Like roaring waves they will cover it.The towns of Babylon will be empty. It will become a dry and desert land. No one will live there. No one will even travel through it.I will punish the god named Bel in Babylon. I will make Bel spit out what he has swallowed. The nations will not come and worship him anymore. And Babylon’s walls will fall down.“ Come out of there, my people! Run for your lives! Run away from my great anger.You will hear about terrible things that are happening in Babylon. But do not lose hope. Do not be afraid. You will hear one thing this year. And you will hear something else next year. You will hear about awful things in the land. You will hear about one ruler fighting against another.I will punish the gods of Babylon. That time will certainly come. Then the whole land will be full of shame. Its people will lie down and die there.So heaven and earth and everything in them will shout for joy. They will be glad because of what will happen to Babylon. Armies will attack it from the north. And they will destroy it,” announces the Lord.“ Babylon’s people have killed my people Israel. They have also killed people all over the earth. So now Babylon itself must fall.You who have not been killed in the war against Babylon, leave! Do not wait! In a land far away remember me. And think about Jerusalem.”The people of Judah reply,“ No one honors us anymore. People make fun of us. Our faces are covered with shame. People from other lands have entered the holy places of the Lord’ s house.”“ But the days are coming,” announces the Lord.“ At that time I will punish the gods of Babylon. And all through its land wounded people will groan.What if Babylon reached all the way to the heavens? What if it made its high walls even stronger? I would still send destroyers against it,” announces the Lord.“ The noise of people screaming comes from Babylon. A terrible sound comes from its land. It is the sound of a mighty city being destroyed.
-
Zechariah 2:7
“ Come, people of Zion! Escape, you who live in Babylon!”
-
Revelation 18:20
“ You heavens, be glad for this! You people of God, be glad! You apostles and prophets, be glad! God has judged her with the judgment she gave to you.”
-
Psalms 149:6-9
May they praise God with their mouths. May they hold in their hands a sword that has two edges.Let them pay the nations back. Let them punish the people of the earth.Let them put the kings of those nations in chains. Let them put their nobles in iron chains.Let them carry out God’s sentence against those nations. This will bring glory to all his faithful people. Praise the Lord.
-
Isaiah 21:1
Here is a prophecy against Babylon that the Lord gave me. Babylon is known as the Desert by the Sea. An attack is coming through the desert. It is coming from a land of terror. It’s sweeping along like a windstorm blowing across the Negev Desert.
-
Isaiah 44:28
I say about Cyrus,‘ He is my shepherd. He will accomplish everything I want him to. He will say about Jerusalem,“ Let it be rebuilt.” And he will say about the temple,“ Let its foundations be laid.” ’
-
Isaiah 47:1-15
“ City of Babylon, go down and sit in the dust. Leave your throne and sit on the ground. Queen city of the Babylonians, your life will not be comfortable and easy anymore.Get millstones and grind some flour like a female slave. Take off your veil. Lift up your skirts. Make your legs bare. Wade through the streams.Everyone will see your naked body. Everyone will see your shame. I will pay you back for what you did. I will not spare any of your people.”The one who sets us free is the Holy One of Israel. His name is the Lord Who Rules Over All.The Lord says,“ Queen city of the Babylonians, go into a dark prison. Sit there quietly. You will not be called the queen of kingdoms anymore.I was angry with my people. I treated them as if they did not belong to me. I handed them over to you. And you did not show them any pity. You even placed heavy loads on their old people.You said,‘ I am queen forever!’ But you did not think about what you were doing. You did not consider how things might turn out.“ So listen, you who love pleasure. You think you are safe and secure. You say to yourself,‘ I am like a god. No one is greater than I am. I’ll never be a widow. And my children will never be taken away from me.’But both of these things will happen to you in a moment. They will take place on a single day. You will lose your children. And you will become a widow. That is what will happen to you. All your evil magic and powerful spells will not save you.You have felt secure in your evil ways. You have said,‘ No one sees what I’m doing.’ Your wisdom and knowledge lead you astray. You say to yourself,‘ I am like a god. No one is greater than I am.’So horrible trouble will come on you. You will not know how to use your evil magic to make it go away. Great trouble will fall on you. No amount of money can keep it away. Something terrible will happen to you all at once. You will not see it coming ahead of time.“ So keep on casting your magic spells. Keep on practicing your evil magic. You have been doing those things ever since you were a child. Perhaps they will help you. Maybe they will scare your enemies away.All the advice you have received has only worn you out! Let those who study the heavens come forward. They claim to know what is going to happen by watching the stars every month. So let them save you from the trouble that is coming on you.They are just like straw. Fire will burn them up. They can’t even save themselves from the powerful flames. These are not like coals that can warm anyone. This is not like a fire to sit by.They can’t do you any good. You have done business with them ever since you were a child. You have always asked them for advice. All of them are bewildered and continue in their own ways. None of them can save you.”
-
Revelation 17:1-18
One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came to me. He said,“ Come. I will show you how the great prostitute will be punished. She is the one who sits by many waters.The kings of the earth took part in her evil ways. The people living on earth were drunk with the wine of her terrible sins.”Then in a vision the angel carried me away to a desert. There the Holy Spirit showed me a woman sitting on a bright red beast. It was covered with names that say evil things about God. It had seven heads and ten horns.The woman was dressed in purple and bright red. She was gleaming with gold, jewels and pearls. In her hand she held a golden cup filled with things that God hates. It was filled with her terrible, dirty sins.The name written on her forehead was a mystery. Here is what it said. the great city of babylon the mother of prostitutes the mother of everything on earth that god hatesI saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of God’s holy people. They are the ones who are witnesses about Jesus. When I saw her, I was very amazed.Then the angel said to me,“ Why are you amazed? I will explain to you the mystery of the woman. And I will explain the mystery of the beast she rides on. The beast is the one who has the seven heads and ten horns.The beast that you saw used to exist and now does not. Yet it will come up out of the Abyss and be destroyed. Some people on the earth will be amazed when they see the beast. Their names have not been written in the book of life from the time the world was created. They will be amazed at the beast. That’s because it will come again even though it used to exist and now does not.“ Here is a problem that you have to be wise to understand. The seven heads are seven hills that the woman sits on.They are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is ruling, and the other has still not come. When he does come, he must remain for only a little while.The beast who used to exist, and now does not, is an eighth king. He belongs to the other seven. He will be destroyed.“ The ten horns you saw are ten kings. They have not yet received a kingdom. But for one hour they will receive authority to rule together with the beast.They have only one purpose. So they will give their power and authority to the beast.They will make war against the Lamb. But the Lamb will have victory over them. That’s because he is the most powerful Lord of all and the greatest King of all. His appointed, chosen and faithful followers will be with him.”Then the angel spoke to me.“ You saw the waters the prostitute sits on,” he said.“ They stand for all the nations of the world, no matter what their race or language is.The beast and the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They will destroy her and leave her naked. They will eat her flesh and burn her with fire.God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose. So they agreed to give the beast their royal authority. They will give him this authority until God’s words come true.The woman you saw stands for the great city of Babylon. That city rules over the kings of the earth.”
