Revelation Class (July 5, 2026)

Putting Tetris back together wasn't it Mike? All right, well you got here just we're waiting for you Bert you mind open us up with word of prayer. Glad to have you back brother. Yeah, saying it's over.

The Fall of Babylon in Revelation 18

All right, let's open up to Revelation chapter 18. Beginning in verse 1 and after these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven having great authority. And the earth was illuminated with his glory and he cried out with a mighty voice saying fall and fall in his Babylon the great she has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of unclean and every unclean spirit and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird for all the nations have drunk the wine of the passion of her immorality and the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her and the merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality.

I Heard another voice from heaven saying come out of her my people so that you do not participate in her sins and receive her plagues for her sins have Piled up as high as heaven and God has remembered her iniquities pay her back.

Even as she has paid and give back to her double according to her deeds in the cup. Which she has mixed it's twice as much for her to the degree that she glorified herself and lived sensuously. To the same degree give her torment and mourning for she has says in her heart I sit as a queen and I am NOT a widow and will never see morning.

For this reason in one day her plagues will come pestilence morning and famine and she will be burned with fire for the Lord God who judges her is strong and The kings of the earth who committed acts of immorality lives sensuously with her where weep and they will lament over her when they see The smoke of her burning and a standing from a distance because of the fear of her torment saying whoa Whoa, the great city Babylon the strong city for in one hour.

Your judgment has come and The merchants of the earth weep and the mourning over her because no one I'm sorry, and because no one buys their cargos anymore their cargos of gold and silver precious stones pearls fine linen purple silk Scarlet every kind of citron wood every article of every and every article Article of ivory and every article made from very costly wood bronze iron marble cinnamon spice incense perfume Frankincense wine olive oil fine flour wheat cattle sheep cargos of horses chariots slaves and human lives.

The fruit you long for has gone from you and all The things that were luxurious and splendid have now passed away from you and men will no longer find them. The merchants of these things Who became rich for her will stand at a distance because of the fear of her torment weeping and mourning saying whoa Whoa, the great city she who was clothed and fine linen and purple and scarlet adorned in gold and precious stones and pearls for in one hour such great wealth has been laid waste and that every ship master and every Passenger and every sailor and as many as make their living by the sea Stood at a distance and they were crying out as they saw the smoke of her burning saying what a city What city is like this great city and that?

They threw dust on their heads and they were crying and weeping and mourning and they were saying whoa Whoa, the great city in which all who who had ships at the sea became rich by her. Well for in one hour she has been laid waste rejoice over her.

Oh heaven and you Saints and Apostles and prophets because God has pronounced judgment for you against her. Then the strong and then a strong angel took a stone like a great millstone. He threw it into the sea saying so will Babylon the great city be thrown down with violence and it will be found no longer.

And the sound of harpist and musicians and flute players and trumpeters will Not be heard in you any longer. And the craftsman of any craft will be found in you any longer. And the sound of a mill Will not be heard with you any longer.

And the light of the lamp will no longer shine in you any longer. And the voice of the bridegroom the And the bride will no longer be heard in you and your merchants Who were men that were great men of the earth because of the nations were deceived by her soul by your sorcery and in her was found the blood of the Saints and All who had been slain on the earth?

Babylon as Jerusalem and the Old Testament Background

Okay. So when we finished last week we got down to around Verse 7 I said if we pick up there if I remember correctly because there is a compressed To two quotations compressed together to make one here and I don't know if anybody's Bible says footnotes or makes it but I think in most translations, there's a quotation where it says I sit as a.

Or it's in quotations or capital or I sit as a queen and I am NOT a widow. That's the compressed quotation from the Old Testament and we'll get there in just a second. It said in verse 7 That to the degree in which she glorified herself and lived sensuously to the same degree give her torment and mourning.

This is God's retributive justice being poured out on Babylon and Babylon from my perspective in its in its context here early date writing is Jerusalem, but remember because Babylon Was a city that fell as an Empire Babylon we do see the idea of Idolatry and sensuality and Wealth that continues on and we know that because even though Babylon fell in 539 did the city itself wasn't sitting itself demolished and 539 BC.

No, it wasn't because successive empires after that made it when Persia Overtook Babylon. They didn't destroy the city because it was a very economic powerhouse. So they weren't going to destroy something that was already set up as a place that could be used for political reasons or for economics.

So what they did is they made it almost like a third capital you had Parasopolis. Cyrus the Great at Parasopolis for the winter and Susa for the summer. I'm sorry, Susa for the summer and Parasopolis for the winter so that he could stay comfortable.

One got very hot one got very cold. But they did keep Babylon as a place for economic power. If you know anything about when Alexander the Great came through he didn't destroy Babylon either. He overtook Babylon and made it a economic powerhouse still.

But remember it was no longer an empire the city remained it still had its idolatry. But it just got engrafted into the next Empire. If you know anything about Alexander the Great, do you know where he died at?

He died in Babylon. And some people believe he died of malaria. I think he was poisoned. It's my opinion. I think it was poisoned because he He was leaving his Greek roots and became very Persian and the guys that were fighting along with him.

Hey, man, we just did everything we could to wipe out the Persians and these Persian women are now Enticing you to become more Persian like and there was a man fighting and next thing, you know lo and behold, he's sick got a fever and he dies and even when the Roman I mean the Greek splinter Babylon still remained the city so there is this idea that Babylon continues on and I would say that is what.

It's original context that this is speaking of Jerusalem, but it when Jerusalem falls does the idea I think there's the idea of Babylon fall and the answer is no. No, no. No, we're even going to read this morning and Daniel Where was the first?

Where was the first. A City that says we're going to worship God our own way battle. Then we see then we see state Sanctioned worship the first idea of sacralism in Scripture. Okay is where? Babylon in the plain of Shinar with Nebuchadnezzar.

He wants everybody this is the state now worshiping. So that's what we do see with the idea of Babylon and As the new covenant was inaugurated. What did Jerusalem continually do? They still wanted to have state Sanctioned worship that state sanctioned worship was no longer but we're going to worship Jesus.

What was it? We're going to worship our Religious system remember the problem with with Jerusalem in the Old Testament. Well, it's mean Jerusalem the because that's representative of the city and the problem with Jerusalem after Jesus's death bearing resurrection is what?

They love their religion more than they loved God and he even said Malachi. He says look you bring me all your stuff and you offer it up. That's not what I really don't desire that but even the things that I have prescribed for you to offer up.

You're offering up the wrong stuff, you know, no tooth bad toenail ear crooked Speckles, whatever it is. Those were Blemishes and they were not be says this is what you're. I don't want that. What did he tell Saul when Saul?

Didn't do what he when he didn't do what the Prophet told him to do. God says I would rather have obedience Than sacrifice that's like you and me saying, you know what? I'm gonna go ahead and I'm gonna sin and I'll just ask for forgiveness.

Because I know it's covered under the blood one that's presumptuous. Okay, that's proof and presumptuous a lifestyle of presumption can lead to Apostasy just to let you know that if you continue to live your life as if you know what it doesn't matter I can do what I want.

I've got my fire insurance. That's not salvation. Salvation as Andy was teaching on Wednesday nights was salvation is actually the old man is dead. And because that old man is dead, therefore, I don't want to live in that way.

I'm not saying that we don't sin and I'm not saying that we can we get to a some Some level of perfect sanctification. But there should be this idea in our hearts and minds that when I sin it bothers me and therefore I will confess.

That's not what the city of Jerusalem did matter of fact when Jesus came what did he do after his death? Very they didn't do they dug their heels in they dug their heels and it says we're gonna still do it our way.

Knowing that he was the Messiah because how many how many of those? The week he was crucified. How many of those parables did he say to them? He was speaking to them and they said they knew he was speaking about them.

He knew and what did they do? We will not have this man to rule over us. So because of that their sensuality which they wanted their desire to glorify herself. What did Jerusalem want to be known as? The epicenter Jerusalem wanted to be worshipped.

They not only did they. They didn't want them to worship God. They wanted him to worship them. You remember earlier in the book When we're doing the the seven letters to the seven churches it talked it took a Old Testament Passage where it says one day the Gentiles will come and they will bow down to you.

The Jews took that as Being hey, man, they're gonna worship us because we're the superior race. That's not what Jesus was saying. He actually was making a reversal that one day they're gonna come and they're gonna bow down and they're gonna worship.

We're gonna they're gonna worship like everyone. And what was the goal of Jerusalem? It was supposed to be a light to the Gentiles, which it was not it had become a place of Idolatry and we know that because multiple times here talked of its destruction because of its sensuality and for making itself more important than the thing that was supposed to be a type of.

So the city of Jerusalem was supposed to be a place of God, right? Now it says it's going to be this place of Jerusalem had become it was going to become a place of jackals and unclean birds and demons and and unclean spirits and then you get to the statement here and where it says and I sit as a queen and I am NOT a widow and will never see morning.

This is what was said by Babylon and if you want to flip over. Turn over if you want to read it or I'll read it to you turn over to Isaiah. Is it is anybody's in caps or capital letters or anything. No, nobody in that section in a.

And in chapter 18 verse 7 is it in the capital letters or no. It should be because it's it's a compressed Quotation and usually in your Bibles if you have something from the Old Testament either in caps quotations or in.

And what yours is an italic? Yeah, that's it usually to make you a notation to hey. This is something coming from the Old Testament and you should to try to give us an understanding. Well when you get to Isaiah 47, this is a Lament once again for the destruction of Babylon and when you get to verse 7 Let me go back up to Verse 5 and we'll read through.

I think it's 9. It says sit silently and go into darkness old daughter of the Chaldeans. For you will no longer be called the queen of kingdoms. I Was angry with my people. I Profaned my heritage and gave them into your hand.

You did not show mercy to them on the aged you made your yoke very heavy and you said I Will be a queen forever. We just read that back in in Revelation 18. And these things you did not consider nor remember the outcome of them nor I'm sorry now.

Then hear this you sensual one. Did we just hear about God in Revelation pouring out his judges because of their desire for sensualness and here's me saying about Babylon here. You're the sensual one who dwells secretly and it says in their heart I am and there is no one besides me.

I will never sit as a widow. We just read that Back in Revelation. Nor Will they know the loss of children? But these two things will come on you suddenly in one day loss of children and a wit and widowhood and they will come on you in full measure in Spite of your many sorceries in spite of the great power of your spouse.

Hey, do you see you can go back to Revelation 18 you see how many things that we've read right there? Were either said alluded to or quoted whether me sorcery widowhood Queen Childless all those things of Babylon of ancient.

He is now saying Babylon of Revelation question. Okay. So he is saying the same thing that come over on Babylon is now going to be you. Why. Because you made it you made it about yourself. You've said it is me who has done this it is me who has grown this this nature.

It is me who has raised myself up higher than God. And if you remember in Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel, I'm sorry and Yeah, Isaiah 14 is equal 28 both those passages. Regardless of who you think that is for a minute.

Just forget it. You can't get away from both passages pointing to them thinking they were self-made. I believe it's talking specifically about the destruction of Babylon and The destruction of Tyre and if you back up to each one of those chapters previous you will see that.

So if you want to go read that and Isaiah is 13 We may get to that part because there is a quotation there as well Isaiah 13 and then Ezekiel 27 and 28 is it speaks specifically of those now? I'm not saying you can't make a application that could this have been how?

Satan was acting in his heart. Sure because the New Testament tells us what was the condemnation of the devil? He fell into pride. That was it. But ultimately it was the the immediate fulfillment and Prophecy was dealing with the destruction of Tyre and destruction of Jerusalem.

I mean destruction of Babylon and as we go through this and we'll go back you're going to see this talks a lot about Tyre and when we get to the destruction of Tyre in the Old Testament you're going to be like man, this sounds more like Tyre than it did Babylon when you start talking about the The all the wares that were in the city.

And why was there so many wares and stuff in the city of Tyre anybody remember why? Because it was on the coast and where did all the ships come from Tarshish and from Cyprus and all those it's funny that funny, but ironic that the very things that Cyprus was bringing to To Tyre to sell within the city to make it wealthy.

It was Cyprus that actually came and helped Alexander the Great destroy the city when he needed a Navy. You know who came? Cyprus came with their ships to help him build the causeway to destroy them. Just very ironic.

And it says here I sit as a queen. I'm not a widow. I will never see morning and that is what Jerusalem said. Jerusalem said that in the time before 70 AD and they said it in the time before 586 the difference between the destruction of 586 and 70 AD is with the coming destruction prophesied in 586 there was a key thing always proclaimed with the destruction coming in 586.

There would be a restoration. There will be a restoration. I will restore my people. I will make a new covenant with them. I will bring you back into the land. You will come back in here. I will put my place here.

I will dwell in the midst of my people and I will dwell with you when it talks about this coming destruction. It's over. It's going to be left desolate and that is the major difference. And then when you get to verse 8, it says and for this reason in one day her plagues will come.

Pestilence mourning and famine. Mike. Did your say death for pestilence? Yeah, it anybody else say death for pestilence for there. That's actually should be the word in a new American standard. They continually translate the Greek word Thanatos Pestilence as and it's actually Thanatos is the word for death.

So when you don't you remember we go all the way back to the beginning when it talked about the four horsemen coming the word for the one that was The the horse that had Hades and death. I've made a better point that word is Thanatos and is used in the Septuagint when you go back into Leviticus 26.

It's translated the word pestilence is translated there that from Thanatos in the in the Septuagint so Death and mourning and famine. Hey death mourning and famine were all those Condemnations against the apostate nation in the Old Testament.

Yes. Is God acting any different? I am the Lord God. I've changed not. He is doing the same thing. He said he was going to do to this city for for disobeying the covenant promises. Connected with covenant curses whether it be in Ezekiel 27 I mean Deuteronomy 27 28 or Leviticus 26 the same thing God is being consistent with himself.

Because he cannot deny himself. Says there'll be mourning and famine and she will be burned with fire. Is that Not what happened to Jerusalem in 70 AD. Yeah, maybe don't have the temple caught on fire.

But often think that the Romans did. The Romans did not throw took torching first the three-way civil war between John Giskella Eleazar and Simon. They were a three faction were fighting against one another and when they saw that the walls were breached by the Romans.

You know what? They did they lit it from the inside. This is Josephus's writings now did. Did one of the Roman soldiers throw a torch? Yes, he did and he did it not by Titus's Giving Titus to tell didn't tell them to do that.

Well once he saw it was lit. He was like, oh this Joker's coming down and they finished what the Jewish people started on the inside. Titus finished what God said would happen through Christ that one stone would be left upon another.

Especially when they saw that as that the temple Began to burn and they saw that. Oh, wow. There's gold in the grout and The significant the articulate and very Significant way of the the drainage is to get the blood and everything out of the temple complex into the Kidron Valley.

As that gold and in the marble melted, where was the where was the melted gold going? Wasn't those sacrifices anymore. So there was no blood in the drains. It was going and melting down into the drains and they began to collect the cash.

Not only did that take place Josephus also says That there was an inflation rate in that region for the amount of gold that was thrown on the market when the temple fell. Because of the amount of gold that was in that region.

It's not like they don't have a centralized thing like we do if it happens here. Our is all over. Inflation then is because it's localized because of the amount of money that was flooded in that area.

And it says to be burned up with fire for the Lord God who judges her is strong and you better believe it. He is strong. He is mighty and he will carry out his purposes and then you get a verse 9 Says and the kings of the earth who committed acts of immorality Live centrally with her will weep and lament over her when they see the smoke of her burning.

And it is a quotation. This happens three times in this chapter. It says here that will stand at a distance because of the fear of her torment. If you understand that very quotation is a quotation from back when the destruction Of Sodom and Gomorrah happened you remember God God told Abraham.

I'm going to destroy the city. Remember Jesus pre-incarnate came and ate with two other angels and the two other angels say hey. We're going to go see if the the offense that has the aroma that has rosen up to my nostrils is real.

He sends them on. Pre-incarnate Jesus the angel of the Lord has a conversation with Abraham and he says Hey, can you save the city over 50? Sure. They find him no, then he continues to go down. He keeps moving the bar and then he can't find any well when he destroyed he says I in the morning my angels are going to destroy the city and Lot wouldn't leave with his wife and his daughters and He actually has to have in the angel.

It's basically grabs him by his arm like you would a kid that won't do what it's told and it says it led him out of The city and said can anyone just told me to go on the other side. Is it going to go to so on and he says?

All right. I want you to go here, but I'll let you go there and when they got there God rained hail down from heaven and destroyed the city, but the next morning in Genesis 19 It says that Abraham looked off into the distance and this is what was his clothing.

He looks off into this and he can see the smoke of its torment. Now I want you to think about something for a second. If Mo as Abraham is looking and he says, you know, he sees the smoke of the torment.

Was were they being tormented at that time? The torment was over. Okay, the torment was over. I think it's a Jude. One of you other guys might remember I think it's in Jude. It talks about how Sodom and Gomorrah was destroyed by eternal fire.

And we often think that that means oh, well That was the that they're they're being destroyed in hell because you know, that's where the eternal fire is. That's not that that's not the point. The point is the fire that came from God is eternal because everything that God does is eternal.

That's what it means now. I'm not saying that those homosexuals and and other men and women and children and Infants that were destroyed in that city Aren't in hell. I'm saying that's not what that passage is talking about.

Are they in the eternal fire? Yes. Are they in conscience? Torment today. Yes. But when it says he looked and he saw the torment of their destruction from a distance. The city had already been laid waste if you go back and you read it the city was it's been destroyed.

But just as you burn a you burn a campfire. When the fuel is completely burned out you can walk out there even in your grill. You can walk out in the morning and lift the lid and what do you what still comes up?

Smoke smoke because it's a reminder that something had been consumed. That's what it is. And as Abraham looked and he said, yeah God did what he says. He's gonna do he consumed the city just like he said same thing here.

It says that these people who have these merchants are going to look from a distance and they're gonna see that Jerusalem has been destroyed and they're gonna weep one. They're gonna weep because it says it was a great city.

Was Jerusalem a great city better believe it? Yeah, it was it's one of the seven wonders of the ancient world and they're going to weep one because Jerusalem and the temple almost seemed impregnable. That's why you those men ran to the to the temple complex of 35 acres.

Because it was it was hard to get on there one. You're up 2 ,400 feet if you're up 2 ,400 feet off and as people are coming up in what could you do with an arrow or a sling? But you can pick them off and until they were able to breach the walls and breach the temple complex.

They could not run in they were hey, look if I think I've said this before if the Jews would have quit killing themself. And could have actually Got in one cause and to fight the Romans they could have got their independence.

They were ruthless to them and it was because of that that when Titus came. He says look if they keep killing Roman soldiers, we're gonna have to kill all of them and that's what he did and that's what he did killed everybody get his hands on and then He captured some for slave labor.

Cuz we y 'all remember some escape some escape and go to Masada. And that was in 71 when Jerusalem fell in 70 some of them left escaped like 90 I think of them left. I think it was 90 end up in Masada and They were there for till 73 ad and then when Masada fell.

You know what? They used to build the siege ramps that go up a thousand feet above sea level. They use a Jewish slave labor. We're gonna you're gonna build siege ramps and you're gonna watch us kill your brethren that's that's psychological warfare and that's what they did at Masada and that was the last hold up and That was the final defeat of the Jewish war was in 73 ad.

It says here whoa, whoa the great city for a one hour your judgment has come now for those that think this is Could be for wrong. You have the date has to be a late date and if you're even if you're an idealist this has to be something else other than the city of Jerusalem, but There's only two cities that are recognized as falling in one day in one hour.

Babylon of ancient in Jerusalem. That's it. Babylon fell in one hour. And how did that happen? We said it multiple times. Cyrus came in. I mean it was over little bloodshed in that sense little bloodshed.

Well, what happens to juror does wrong? Let's say it can't be wrong. Sacked sacked and this was actually this was Visigoth Vandals and this wound up being the Germanics. And this was the fall of the Western Empire.

Hey just to let you know. The name Emperor is forever lost in Italy after this. Because when the Germanic guys come I think his name was Otis air. See here. He becomes the first Italian and that's actually King.

It's not used as ever now when you move to the wet to the to the Eastern Empire. I'm seeing if we could see it on here. You move the Eastern Empire then they still use Emperor because you had Constantine and all of that.

So did Rome fall? In an hour. No, it took successive times for it to fall. Oh just a historical thing. For those of you that like it it started with Romulus in in 753 BC and the last Emperor in the Western Empire was Romulus in 476 AD.

That cool ain't that crazy. Started with Romulus and ended with Romulus and look at the time frame. Remember that's BC. Look at the time frame fell in an hour. That's what Jerusalem did. Rome did it. Rome did none of none of the Successive ones before that fell.

Hey Persia didn't fall in an hour to Alexander the Great. Alexander the Great came in 336 BC. He 333 he fought Battle of Isis with This was against Darius the third. Then in 331 he finally this was significant he captured his family his wives and his daughters and everything Alexander the Great did and Held him captive and then showed off by marrying him and then in 331 Battle of Guatemala.

Yeah, that was in 331 and that's when his He overthrew the Persian Empire. Did that happen in a day? No did Rome overthrow the Greeks in a day. No, it took time. Matter of fact, it took the splinter of after Alexander the Great it took the splinter of the city of the the Empire into four and then it Narrowed it down to the Ptolemies and the Seleucids and how long did that fighting go on?

Daniel tells us at the end of the book chapter 11 how long it went on it went on from for about a hundred and fifty years until Finally the Romans beat. At the Battle of Antium they defeated Mark Anthony and Cleopatra.

So see how long that none of it fell on the day, but Jerusalem. One hour it fell. If you want to even talk about how long the siege was that last siege when Titus got back only lasted three months. Only lasted the siege only lasted three months so Just as it is equating the fall of ancient Babylon that Empire it fell in an hour.

So it will be with Jerusalem and then you got this section here that says that the merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her because No one buys their cargos anymore the cargos of gold and silver precious stones and it just goes on to all of these things that it did and if you go back to the The laments over the fall of Tyre this fits it way better because the fall of Tyre if you go with the Isaiah 27 you can read on your own time because we're out of time.

You read on your own time. Yeah all these things come to Tyre. Tyre becomes the epicenter of sending out all these wonderful things and Then there is something really weird in Isaiah 23 and I am Not for certain if this is using Tyre as a code name for Jerusalem.

Remember Jerusalem had not fallen in 586 yet. But if you read Isaiah 23 it talks about the fall of Tyre, but then it talks about them going into a desolation for 70 years and Then after that 70 years God's going to.

I don't know what your position is on that, but that's a weird passage. You don't know who's he talking about? I mean We don't know is he talking really about Tyre because we don't have any indication that Tyre at that time had 70 years of desolation.

But we do go is he speaking as Isaiah speaking once again. Like some of the prophets do speaking in code of the coming destruction of Jerusalem. Because what we do know is what went into captivity for 70 years and God restored The ancient Israel.

What do we know? Could that be what Isaiah was making a comparison to? Biblical scholars are Flabbergasted and I'm not smart. They're smarter than me. And if they don't know then I don't know either. But it certainly seems that he could be talking about About Jerusalem because it talks about all these things and in that city Josephus tells us there was lots of things in those cities.

I mean in the city of Jerusalem I mean, it's a it's a fair even if you go over there today. Let's have a Jackie. I went over there years ago. That is like a Gigantic open market during the day and like what you get up in the morning you hear the Muslim To come bow down and pray you hear it all over the city and after that man, it is just boom.

It's like a pop-up flea market everywhere and it is the Walmart version of cattle sheep goats, I mean is everything out there and. But as soon as you get outside of that city, it's just normal secularism once you get outside of the historical stuff but it is it's it is got all kinds of these things and Josephus says there was tons of things inside Jerusalem for them to buy and sell and if you remember that is how Caiaphas Herod and all the other rulers of the city kings of the earth Manipulated and took advantage of their own people by extortion and it you go all these things, but they got one here it seems really odd and I think Mike and Deborah's there says when you get to the verse 30 into verse 13 It says and a car goes of horses chariots slaves and yours says human souls souls of men man one.

They made a distinction between slavery and Human souls and I think that is intentional. I think it is and say okay. Yeah, there there was a part of it. Yeah, were they buying and selling? Human beings no doubt.

Was that against the Mosaic law? Yes. Yes. There was nothing wrong with going in and taking over a city and enslaving people as they've conquested the land. Remember, there's nothing wrong with that. But what were they supposed to do to those people when they enslave them treat them?

They were not to mistreat them this is mistreatment and when you talk about now enslaving in the buying cell of human souls, were they putting were they Making as Jesus says you'll on the on the seven woes of Matthew 23 He gives him woe this you you brood of vipers you do this you do that because one he goes.

You'll travel travel land and sea to make a proselyte. But then make that man a more son of hell than yourself. Is that what they were doing could be? Look if they know what they're doing is Was just to bring people in not to worship Yahweh, but to bring them in just to bring in more money.

What are they doing? They're enslaving a human soul that's exactly right they do it today. Colts do it all the time. Enslave human souls and I think that's what I think I believe that's what's being said here if you disagree with me or somebody's got anybody else got a Better way of understanding that.

Context. Yeah. They were taking them and it was not just what the law said in Christ.

Now you strain out mint and dill or a gnat but then you swallow a camel and if you don't know your camel was an unclean animal. So he's like look he sees as you're drinking that juice or whatever it is so that you don't get a gnat you're using your teeth to strain that but then you.

You'll swallow a camel. He's like you and it's almost is the hyperbolic language of hey, man. You'll tell your brother about the splinter in his eye, but you've got a beam stuck out of your own. That's the point and you're right there.

That's what they did enslave people by Fencing the law to where it looked like they could do it. Yeah look like they could do it from external purposes and they constantly pointed to Jesus is violating that and then it goes to a Repetition again of the luxurious things the splendid pass.

And then you get to verse 15 the merchants of these things who became rich from her. Of course, they did. Of course, they came rich from her because she was buying and selling things and well, here it is again.

They'll stand from a distance. Because of the fear of her torment, they will weep and mourn and they say the same thing that's already been said. Whoa, whoa the great city the one that was clothed with fine linen and purple and gold and precious stones and pearls one was the sit what was the.

Was the priestly garments with these ornaments? Yeah. Is that what he's talking about? Could very well be. Or is it making that illusion again back to the Old Testament with the a whole of a hola? Passage in.

In Ezekiel 23 and Ezekiel 16 where God says hey look when you were an infant girl and you were thrown out into the field. Nobody there to take care of you. I clipped there was nobody there to clip your umbilical cord.