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Unless you have a strong aversion to news reports,this thought must have crossed your mind recently:OH NO! THESE MUST BE THE BIBLE PREDICTED "LAST DAYS"!! Hey you sure are perceptive !!! With the firm belief that we have now entered into the Tribulation time,I am publishing a series of studies of the Book of Revelation,that difficult to understand road map that shows exactly where we are headed,using the easy to understand Contemporary English Version (CEV) Bible that has been created by the American Bible Society.I will then add insights in capitol letters which will provide explanations and historical background information for the words you have just read, which will be in agreement with leading biblical commentaries,in order to at long last make the startling predictions made in this important and fascinating book comprehensible. I will occasionally make changes in the CEV words if I detect variance from the meaning found in the King James Bible.

OK Ready? Let's find out what's going down!

REVELATION 18

1I saw another angel come from heaven. This one had great power, and the earth was bright because of his glory. (THIS IS THOUGHT TO BE ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ANGELS IN HEAVEN,GABRIEL) 2The angel shouted, "Fallen! Powerful (CITY OF) Babylon has fallen (COME UNDER THE CONTROL OF SATAN) and is now the home of demons. It is the den of every filthy spirit and a cage for all unclean birds(SYMBOL FOR DEMONIC SPIRITS).3Babylon's evil and immoral wine (PLEASURABLE ACTIVITIES) has made all nations drunk.(OUT OF RATIONAL CONTROL) Every king (POLITICAL LEADER OR HEAD OF STATE) on earth has slept with her, (ESTABLISHED AN IMMORAL RELATIONSHIP) and every merchant on earth is rich (THIS CITY WILL BE AN EXTREMELY PROSPEROUS WORLD COMMERCE CENTER) because of the abundance of her export products.(THIS IS AN IMPORTANT REVELATION BECAUSE IT REVEALS ONE OF THE WAYS THE ANTI-CHRIST WILL GAIN MUCH OF HIS POWER SO QUICKLY;EXPORT/IMPORT TRADE AGREEMENTS WITH NATIONS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD)4Then I heard another voice from heaven shout,"My people,(THERE WILL BE CHRISTIANS ON EARTH AT THIS TIME WHO WERE NOT JUDGED RIGHTEOUS ENOUGH TO PARTICIPATE IN THE RAPTURE) you must escape from Babylon. Don't take part in her sins and share her punishment. 5(REPORTS OF) Her sins have reached into heaven. God has remembered (NOT FORGIVEN) the evil she has done. 6Reward her as she has rewarded others. Make her pay double for what she has done. Make her drink twice as much of what she mixed for others.(GOD IS MAKING IT VERY CLEAR THAT CHRISTIANS NEED TO SEPARATE THEMSELVES FROM THE EVIL IN THIS CITY.ONE WAY TO ENCOURAGE THIS IS TO PUNISH THOSE WHO ENGAGE IN ITS IMMORALITY)7That woman (SYMBOL FOR CITY) honored herself with a life of luxury.(GOD'S POSITION ON WEALTH:MARK 10:25 "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”) Reward her now with suffering and pain. (A TRADE BOYCOTT CREATING ECONOMIC TURMOIL WILL HELP) Deep in her heart Babylon (THIS MORALLY CORRUPT CITY) said,"I am the queen! Never will I be a widow or know what it means to be sad."(HAPPY TALK TEACHINGS OF THE ANTI-CHRIST WHO WILL TURN INTO STILL ONE MORE DEMONIZED DECEIT-FILLED POLITICIAN. JUST WHAT THIS WORLD HAS A CRAVING FOR !!) 8And so, in a single day she will suffer the pain of sorrow, hunger, and death.( A REFERENCE TO A DEVASTATING EARTHQUAKE) Fire (OFTEN BREAKS OUT AFTER EARTHQUAKES WHEN GAS LINES ARE RUPTURED) will destroy her because her judge is the powerful Lord God." 9Every king on earth who slept with her (REFERS TO SPIRITUAL ADULTERY WHICH WILL OCCUR WHEN WORLD LEADERS ACCEPT OR EMBRACE THE FALSE RELIGIOUS TEACHINGS COMING FROM THIS CITY) and shared in her luxury (WEALTH / HIGH LIVING STANDARDS) will mourn. They will weep, when they see the smoke from that fire. 10Her sufferings will frighten them,(MANY WILL FINALLY SPIRITUALLY WAKE UP AND COME TO THE REALIZATION THAT GOD DESTROYED THIS CITY AND THAT WILL CAUSE THEM TO FEAR THAT HE MAY DESTROY THEIR CITIES AS WELL) and they will stand at a distance and say, "Pity that great and powerful city! Pity Babylon! In a single hour (DURING THE INITIAL EARTHQUAKE AND THE FIRST STRONG AFTER SHOCKS) her judgment has come."11Every merchant on earth will mourn, because there is no one to buy their goods. 12There won't be anyone to buy their gold, silver, jewels, pearls, fine linen, purple cloth, silk, scarlet cloth, sweet-smelling wood, fancy carvings of ivory and wood, as well as things made of bronze, iron, or marble. (THIS IS AN INDICATION OF HOW MUCH WEALTH EXISTED IN THIS CITY;ITS DESTRUCTION WILL CAUSE A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN THE SALE OF LUXURY GOODS FROM MERCHANTS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD.THIS ALSO INDICATES THAT THE TERROR CAUSED BY THE SUDDEN TOTAL DESTRUCTION OF THIS LARGE CITY WILL FUNCTION AS "THE STRAW THAT BROKE THE CAMEL'S BACK" TRIGGERING THE START OF A GLOBAL DEPRESSION) 13No one will buy their cinnamon, spices,incense,myrrh (EXPENSIVE POWDER USED TO MAKE PERFUME) frankincense,(EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE FRAGRANCE) ointments wine, olive oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle, sheep, horses, chariots, slaves,(THIS MUST REFER TO SEX SLAVES ) and souls of men. (THIS CAN REFER TO PORNOGRAPHY WHICH CAUSES PEOPLE TO ENGAGE IN VISUAL ADULTERY AND THEREBY LOSE THEIR SALVATION BY WILLFULLY AND EVEN GLEEFULLY VIOLATING THE TEN COMMANDMENTS) 14Babylon, the things your heart desired have all escaped from you. Every luxury and all your glory will be lost forever. You will never get them back.(THE EXTENSIVE AND REPEATED DETAIL IN THIS CHAPTER SHOWS JUST HOW ANGRY THE PEOPLE IN THIS CITY MADE GOD)15The merchants (OF THE WORLD) had become rich because of her. But when they saw her sufferings, they were terrified.(PRAISE GOD,AT LONG LAST PEOPLE ARE BEGINNING TO RESPOND PROPERLY TO HIM !) They stood at a distance, crying and mourning. 16Then they shouted, "Pity the great (CERTAINLY NOT GOD'S OPINION!) city of Babylon! She dressed in fine linen and wore purple and scarlet cloth. She had jewelry made of gold and precious stones and pearls.17Yet in a single hour her riches disappeared." (THE DEATH OF WEALTHY INDIVIDUALS MAKES THEIR RICHES DISAPPEAR EVEN FASTER!) Every ship captain and passenger and sailor stood at a distance,together with everyone who does business by traveling on the sea. 8When they saw the smoke from her fire, they shouted, "This was the greatest city ever!"(HOW TO MAKE GOD ANGRY AT YOU IN ONE EASY LESSON) 19They cried loudly, and in their sorrow they threw dust on their heads (SORRY GUYS,THIS IS NOT THE WAY TO SEEK FORGIVENESS FROM GOD,IT WILL JUST MAKE YOU FILTHIER THAN YOU ALREADY ARE), as they said, "Pity the great city of Babylon! Everyone who sailed the seas became rich from her treasures. But in a single hour the city was destroyed.(NOTICE THAT THEY STILL FIND IT DIFFICULT TO COMPREHEND GOD'S POWER) 20 Rejoice in Heaven with God's people and holy apostles and prophets. God has punished her for you. 21A powerful angel then picked up a huge stone and threw it into the sea. The angel said, "This is how the great city of Babylon shall be thrown down, to insure it will never rise again. (DEFINITELY SUNK FOR GOOD!) 22The music of harps and singers and of flutes and trumpets will no longer be heard. No workers will ever set up shop in that city,and the sound of grinding grain will be silenced forever. 23Lamps will no longer shine anywhere in Babylon, and couples will never again say wedding vows there. Her merchants ruled (ECONOMICALLY) the earth, and by her witchcraft (EVIL RELIGIOUS PRACTICES) she fooled all nations. 24On the streets of Babylon was found the blood of God's people and of His prophets and all who were slain.( THIS IS THOUGHT TO REFER TO THE FACT THAT THIS CITY WILL HOUSE THE ANTI-CHRIST'S HEADQUARTERS)