Revelation of John 18 · The Lantern

And after that I sawe another angell come from heven havinge gret power and the erth was lyghtned with hys bryghtnes.

And he cryed myghtyly with a stronge voyce sayinge: Great Babilon is fallen ys fallen and ys become the habitation of devels and the holde of all fowle sprettes and a cage of all vnclene and hatefull byrdes

We must after all this turn our attention to those scriptures also which forbid our belief in such a resurrection as is held by your Animalists (for I will not call them Spiritualists), that it is either to be assumed as taking place now, as soon as men come to the knowledge of the truth, or else that it is accomplished immediately after their departure from this life...

If [the city] has fallen, how can it be said to be a habitation and refuge for demons and for unclean spirits and birds? Because by collapsing from the great heinousness of its transgressions, it showed itself to be worthy as a habitation for demons.

Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, etc. Fear not, O Jerusalem, the power of the earthly city, which falls spiritually as it prevails over you with the infestation of wicked citizens. Isaiah also describes Babylon as inhabited by unclean monsters.

for all nacions have dronken of the wyne of the wrath of her fornycacion. And the kynges of the erth have committed fornicacion with her and her marchauntes are wexed ryche of the abundance of her pleasures.

[The kings of the earth fornicated] with each other. For it would be impossible for all kings to commit fornication with a single harlot. Rather, since the evil and profligate, who are members of the harlot, corrupt each other, they are said to commit fornication with the harlot, that is, by a sinful manner of life.

This passage refers to three kinds of sins, and it also mentions the same number of those persons who transgress by them. It refers to avarice, which according to the apostle is also called a "servitude of idols"; licentiousness by the word fornication; and gluttony in that which pleases.

And the merchants of the earth have become rich through the power of her luxury. Those who are called rich in sins exchange their souls in an unhappy trade for temporal abundance. For the excess of luxury makes them poor rather than rich.

And I herde another voyce from heven saye: come a waye from her my people that ye be not parttakers in her synnes that ye receave not of her plages.

For her synnes are gon vp to heven and God hath remembred her wyckednes.

Rewarde her even as she rewarded you and geve her dubble accordynge to her workes. And poure in dubble to her in the same cuppe which she fylled vnto you.

And as moche as she gloryfied her silfe and lyved wantanly so moche poure ye in for her of punysshment and sorowe for she sayde in her herte: I sytt beinge a quene and am no wyddowe and shall se no sorowe.

Therfore shall her plages come at one daye deeth and sorowe and honger and she shallbe brent with fyre: for stronge ys the lorde god which iudgeth her.

And the kynges of the erth shalbe wepe her and wayle over her which have committed fornicacion with her and have lyved wantanly with her when they shall se the smoke of her burnynge

With this repentance, the kings are not bewailing the evil of wealth, because they sinned with [the harlot]. Rather, they recognize that they are losing the prosperity of the world through which they became subject to its pleasures.

We think that in this passage the "kings" refer to the rulers, as the psalmist said concerning Jerusalem, "Behold, her kings have assembled." It says that those who committed fornication in her against the divine commandments will weep, since they see or hear of her burning and her desolation, and they are thoroughly terrified at the sudden change that had taken place in such a…

When they see the smoke of her burning. That is, the sign of destruction, because smoke precedes fire. For what is this rampage and destruction of the world other than the smoke of impending hell?

and shall stonde a farre of for feare of her punnysshment sayinge: Alas Alas that gret cite Babilon that myghty cite: For at won houre is her iudgment come.

And the marchauntes of the erth shall wepe and wayle in them selves for no man wyll bye their ware eny more

the ware of golde and silver and precious stones nether of pearle and raynes and purple and skarlet and all thyne wodde and almanner vessels of yvery and almanner vessels of most precious wodde and of brasse and of yron

and synamon and odours and oyntmentes and frankynsence and wyne and oyle and fyne floure and wheate bestes and shepe and horsys and charrettes and boddyes and soules of men.

And the apples that thy soule lusted after are departed fro the. And all thynges which were deyntie and had in pryce ar departed fro the and thou shalt fynde them no more.

The marchauntes of these thynges which were wexed ryche shall stonde a farre of from her for feare of the punyshment of her wepynge and waylynge

Whenever the Spirit says that they were made rich from her, he is indicating the abundance of their sins.… Can a city be dressed in fine linen and purple, rather than people? They lament for themselves, since they are despoiled of those riches mentioned here.… Can all those who are merchants and sailors and who work upon the sea be present to see the burning of a single city?

He leads before our eyes the sufferings of this Babylon, and through the laments made over her he depicts the greatness of her misfortune that she, who previously boasted of her royal majesty, will suffer.… He speaks figuratively of the present life as a "sea," since it is heaving with waves.

Those who became rich by her will stand afar off. Wherever the Spirit speaks of those made rich by her, it signifies the riches of sins. For lower down, where it is the voice of the unjust saying: Woe, woe, that great city, in which all who had ships at sea were made rich, the riches of things are understood.

and saying: alas alas that grett cite that was clothed in raynes and purple and scarlett and decked with golde and precious stone and pearles:

for at one houre so great ryches ys come to nought And every shippe governer and all they that occupied shippes and shippmen which worke in the see stode a farre of

and cryed when they sawe the smoke of her burnynge sayinge what cite is lyke vnto this grett cite?

And they cast dust on their heddes and cryed wepynge and waylinge and sayed: Alas Alas yt greate cite wherin were made ryche all that had shyppes in the see by the reason of her costlynes for atone houre is she made desolate

Reioyce over her thou heven and ye holy Apostles and prophetes: for god hath geven youre iudgment on her.

And a myghty angell toke vp a stone lyke a grett mylstone and cast it into the see sayinge: with suche violence shall that gret cite Babilon be cast and shallbe founde no more.

Babylon is likened to a great millstone which is thrown down, for the revolving of times, as though it were a millstone, grinds down those who love the world, and it sends them in circles. Of these the Scriptures say, "The wicked walk in a circle."

Just as a millstone sinks with force into the sea, so also the destruction of this Babylon will be sudden, so that afterward no trace of her will be found. The absence of harpers, minstrels and the rest is an indication of this.

And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying: With this violence shall Babylon be thrown down. Or (as another edition says): Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be cast down. The city of the world, due to the weight of sins and error, is compared to an unstable millstone. For the wicked walk in a circle.

And the voyce of harpers and musicions and of pypers and trompetters shalbe herde no more in the: and no craftes man of whatsoever craft he be shalbe founde eny more in the. and the soude of a myll shalbe herde no more in the

and the voyce of the brydegrome and of the bryde shalbe herde no more in the: for thy marchauntes were ye grett men of ye erth. And with thyne inchantment were deceaved all nacions:

and in her was founde the bloude of the prophettes and of ye saynctes and of all that were slayne apon ye erth.

Revelation of John18