1. What thoughts does the action of the angel in 18:21 suggest as to the purpose of God towards ‘Babylon’? Notice especially how many times the words ‘never…again’ occur in 18:21-24. Cf. 19:3. What truth is thus enforced concerning the whole system of godless luxury and lust that the name ‘Babylon’ represents? Cf. 1 Cor. 7:31b; 1 Pet. 1:24, 25; 1 John 2:17.
2. What calls forth the praises of 19:1-3, 4, 5-8, and by whom, respectively, were they spoken? What truths about God’s character and ways are acknowledged here? Cf. 19:10; Is. 45:2125.

Notes

1. 19:3b. Symbolic of final destruction. Cf. Is. 34:10.
2. 19:7. ‘The wedding of the Lamb’: the fulfillment of God’s purpose as described in Eph. 5:25b, 26. A final decisive contrast to the harlot and her impurities.