Revelation 18:17

For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off, IS COME TO NOUGHT - `is desolated.' SHIPMASTER - `pilot.' ALL THE COMPANY IN SHIPS. 'Aleph (') A C, Vulgate, Syriac, read, 'every one who saileth to a place' (B has ' ... to the place'): every voyager. Vessels were freighted with pilgrims to various shrines, so that in one month (1300 AD) 200,000 pilgrims were counted in Rome (D' Aubigne, 'Reformation'): a gain, not only to the papal see, but to shipmasters, merchants, etc. These are not restricted to literal 'shipmasters,' etc., but mainly refer to all who share in the spiritual traffic of apostate Christendom....

9-19 The mourners had shared Babylon's sensual pleasures, and gained by her wealth and trade. The kings of the earth, whom she flattered into idolatry, allowing them to be tyrannical over their subjects, while obedient to her; and the merchants, those who trafficked for her indulgences, pardons, and honours; these mourn. Babylon's friends partook her sinful pleasures and profits, but are not willing to share her plagues. The spirit of antichrist is a worldly spirit, and that sorrow is a mere worldly sorrow; they do not lament for the anger of God, but for the loss of outward comforts. The magnificence and riches of the ungodly will avail them nothing, but will render the vengeance harder to be borne. The spiritual merchandise is here alluded to, when not only slaves, but the souls of men, are mentioned as articles of commerce, to the destroying the souls of millions. Nor has this been p...

Verse Revelation 18:17. _EVERY SHIPMASTER_] Captains of vessels; some think _pilots_ are meant, and this is most likely to be the meaning of the original word κυβερνητης. This description appears to be at least partly taken from Ezekiel 27:26. _AND ALL THE COMPANY IN SHIPS_] Και πας επι των πλοιων ὁ ὁμιλος· _The crowd or passengers aboard_. But the best MSS, and versions have και πας ὁ επι τοπον πλεων, _those who sail from place to_ _place_, or such as _stop at particular places_ on the coast, without performing the _whole voyage_. This sufficiently marks the traffic on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Some might debark (in sailing from Rome) at the island of _Sicily_, others at different ports in _Greece_; some at

FOR IN ONE HOUR - In a very brief period - so short, that it seemed to them to be but one hour. In the prediction Revelation 18:8, it is said that it would be “in one day” (see the notes on that place); here it is said that, to the on-lookers, it seemed to be but an hour. There is no inconsistency, therefore, between the two statements. SO GREAT RICHES IS COME TO NOUGHT - All the accumulated wealth of so great and rich a city. This should have been united with Revelation 18:16, as it is a part of the lamentation of the merchants, and as the lamentation of the mariners commences in the other part of the verse. It is so divided in the Greek Testaments. AND EVERY SHIP-MASTER - This

EXPOSITION REVELATION 18:1 AND AFTER THESE THINGS I SAW ANOTHER ANGEL COME DOWN FROM HEAVEN; _after _[omitting "and"]… _coming down, _etc. The usual form of introduction to a new vision (cf. Revelation 4:1; Revelation 7:1, etc.). The "mystery" of the beast and the harlot having been declared, the angel now describes the doom in store for them. The angel is _from heaven_,_ _as carrying the news of the judgment which is sent from heaven (cf. Revelation 10:1;...

FOR IN ONE HOUR SO GREAT RICHES IS COME TO NOUGHT,.... That is, in a very short time, expressing the suddenness and speediness of Rome's destruction, the quick dispatch and expedition that will be made in it, by the instruments of it, as in Revelation 18:10. Rome was always famous for its great wealth and riches; the Jews have a saying l, that if ten kabs of riches descend into the world, the ancient Romans take nine of them, and the other the whole world: AND EVERY SHIPMASTER, AND ALL THE COMPANY IN SHIPS, AND SAILORS, AND AS MANY AS TRADE BY SEA, STOOD AFAR OFF; the lamentation of the kings and merchants of the earth being ended, masters of ships, sailors, and seafaring men begin theirs: by "ships" are meant dioceses, abbeys, priories, and monasteries; and by the masters, or governors of them, bishops, abbots, priors, the heads of monasteries, and of the several

REVELATION 18:17 o` evpi. to,pon ple,wn {B} The reading o` evpi. to,pon ple,wn (“he who sails for (any) part”) is strongly supported by A C about 100 minuscules, including 1006 1854, it61 vg, as well as by a 046 0229 _al,_ which insert to,n before to,pon. The unusual expression with to,pon (though one similar to it occurs in Acts 27:2) prompted copyists to substitute one or another interpretation, as (_a_) evpi. tw/n ploi,wn ple,wn (P 051 about 100 minuscules _al_), (_b_) o` evpi. po,nton ple...

CHAPTER 18 Revelation 18:1 . Babylon is now seen under another aspect. In the former chapter we have the religious center of Rome and her wicked idolatries, in the present chapter it includes also the whole system of apostate Christendom in its social and commercial aspect, the so-called “Christian civilization” in its final apostate condition and doom. Papal Rome in her short revival becomes the head of apostate Christendom and controls everything till her appointed doom comes upon her. While we saw in the preceding chapter the desolation of the whore by the ten kings and the beast, here we see how God views her and that He dethrones this system in His judgment. A strong angel comes down to announce her doom and to lay bare her inner and most awful corruption. A strong descending Angel whose glory lightened the earth, shows what the boasting thing, she, who bore the bless

REVELATION 18:13. CINNAMON: probably not the spice now called by that name but an unguent or cosmetic used as a perfume. CHARIOTS: a fashionable kind of equipage much used in Rome by the wealthy classes. SOULS OF MEN: the Gr. phrase does not refer to what we mean when we use the term soul. It denotes simply the natural life. Lives of men would be the more exact rendering. The writer is alluding to the traffic in human life, whether in the form of slavery or immorality, or the brutal sports of the amphitheatre. Revelation 18:14. And the fruits: lit. and the ripe fruit of the desire of thy soul is gone from thee (Swete) and all thy rich and sumptuous things have perished. Just when the fruit of the labour of many generations seemed ready to fall into the mouth it had

THE DOOM OF ROME (Revelation 18:1-3)...