Revelation 18:21- 24 “Then a mighty angel picked up a stone the size of a great millstone and cast it into the sea, saying: “With such violence the great city of Babylon will be cast down, never to be seen again. And the sound of harpists and musicians, of flute players and trumpeters, will never ring out in you again. Nor will any craftsmen of any trade be found in you again, nor the sound of a millstone be heard in you again. The light of a lamp will never shine in you again, and the voices of a bride and bridegroom will never call out in you again. For your merchants were the great ones of the earth, because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery.” And there was found in her the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who had been slain on the earth.”
Barclay comments: The picture is of the final desolation of Rome. It begins with a symbolic action. A strong angel takes a great millstone and hurls it into the sea which closes over it as if it had never been. So will Rome be obliterated. John was taking his picture from the destruction of ancient Babylon. The word of God came to Jeremiah: “When you finish reading this book, bind a stone to it, and cast it into the midst of the Euphrates: and say, Thus shall Babylon sink, to rise no more, because of the evil that I am bringing upon her” (Jeremiah 51:63-64). AND THIS REALLY HAPPENED TO ANCIENT BABYLON! In later days Strabo, the Greek geographer, was to say that ancient Babylon was so completely obliterated that no one would ever have dared to say that the desert where she stood was once a great city.
1. Never again will there be any sound of rejoicing. The doom of Ezekiel against Tyre reads: “And I will stop the music of your songs, and the sound of your lyres shall be heard no more” (Ezekiel 26:13). The harpers and the minstrels played and sang on joyous occasions; the flute was used at festivals and at funerals; the trumpet sounded at the games and at the concerts; but now all music was to be silenced.
2. Never again will there be the sound of a craftsman plying his trade.
3. Never again will the sound of domestic activity be heard. Grinding was done by the women at home with two great circular stones one on the top of the other. The corn was put into a hole in the uppermost stone; it was ground between the two stones and emerged through the lower stone. The creak of stone on stone, which could be heard any day at any house door, will never again be heard.
3. Never again will there be light on the streets or in the houses.
4. Never again will there be any sound of wedding rejoicing for even love will die.
Rome is to become a terrible silent desolation. And this punishment will come for certain definite reasons.
**It will come because she worshiped wealth and luxury and lived wantonly, and found no pleasure except in material things.
**It will come because she led men astray with her sorceries. Nahum called Nineveh “graceful and of deadly charms”(Nahum 3:14). Rome flirted with the evil powers to make an evil world.
**It will come because she was blood guilty. “Woe to the bloody city!” said Ezekiel of Tyre (Ezekiel 24:6). Within Rome the martyrs perished and persecution went out from her all over the earth.
Everything that could possibly make any city attractive is to be stripped away from the cities of the world in an instant. All signs of life are to be obliterated. In the process, all those people involved in these activities will also vanish. On that fateful day, God will bring all normal human activities to an end. How is all of this supposed to happen? We have no idea. But the same God who spoke the universe into existence can easily stop all activities with a single word.
This last year, many people have lost things they thought were necessary, only to find that other more eternal values mattered the most. As we come to the end of 2020, what is important to you? What do you worship? On what do you spend your time?
PRAYER: Father God, thank you for loving us. Thank you that we do not have to fear whatever the future holds, because you are already there and you have already made provision for us, if we will only trust you and serve you. Let your light shine in our hearts and let us truly know you and follow you all the days of our lives. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.
Burunche's Blog 
Leave a comment