Chapter twenty reveals some information about the long-anticipated kingdom of God that had remained a mystery to this point. First, Satan will be imprisoned during this period, unable to “deceive the nations” (Revelation 20:1-3). Second, this kingdom should not be confused with the eternal state, as so many of the Hebrew prophets did. Instead, John […]
Chapter nineteen picks up the chronology again with worship in heaven that approximates chapter Revelation 5:11-14, the enormous multitude in chapter 7, and the seventh trumpet. A new detail is that this celebration is called “the wedding celebration of the Lamb” (Revelation 19:7) and “the banquet at the wedding celebration of the Lamb” (Revelation 19:9).
Chapter eighteen shifts the focus to the economic fall of the Babylon system. Revelation 18:3 reviews the sexual immorality of the kings of the earth and introduces “the merchants of the earth [who] have gotten rich” because of their dealings with her. Revelation 18:8 refers to Babylon’s destruction in “a single day.” This could be taken literally,
