Morning Prayer: 18 Nov – Revelation 19:1-5 ~ hymn of vindication

Morning Prayer

+ In the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening sentences

Lord, open my lips and my mouth will proclaim your praise.

I arise today, through God’s strength to pilot me:
God’s might to uphold me, God’s wisdom to guide me,
God’s eye to look before me, God’s ear to hear me,
God’s word to speak for me, God’s hand to guard me,
God’s way to lie before me, God’s shield to protect me,
God’s host to secure me: against snares of devils,
against temptations of vices, against inclinations of nature,
against everyone who shall wish me ill,
afar and anear, alone and in a crowd.

Revelation 19:1-5 (ESV) – to be read aloud

After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for his judgments are true and just; for he has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality, and has avenged on her the blood of his servants.”

Once more they cried out, “Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up forever and ever.”

And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who was seated on the throne, saying, “Amen. Hallelujah!”

And from the throne came a voice saying, “Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, small and great.”

Reflection

THE THIRD VISION (17:1-21:8)

The Judgement of Babylon (18:1-19:5)

Rejoicing in heaven (19:1-5)

The heavenly jubilation breaks out in marked contrast to the solemn dirges of the kings, merchants, and seafarers….

The great multitude in heaven praises God for judging the prostitute and avenging the blood of the martyrs…. Salvation here refers to the safeguarding of God’s entire redemptive program. Glory and power refer to the majesty and the might revealed in effecting a deliverance of such magnitude…. The outburst of praise rests upon the fact that the judgments of God… are both true and just…. By the utter destruction of Babylon God has avenged on her the blood of his servants…. The multitude praises God because the destruction of the wicked city is absolutely final.

In vs 4 the heavenly court responds (the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders) with “Amen, Hallelujah!” Now the church on earth is invited to join in – all believers on earth from every socio-economic level, and representing every stage of spiritual maturity. (Mounce, p.341-44)

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Canticle

Christ, as a light – illumine and guide me.
Christ, as a shield – overshadow me.
Christ under me; Christ over me; Christ beside me – on my left and my right.
This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.
Be in the heart of each to whom I speak; in the mouth of each who speaks unto me.
This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.
Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside me – on my left and my right.

Blessing

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you.
May He guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm.
May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you.
May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
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Peanut Gallery: In September, we will begin reading through the Book of Revelation (ESV). Our purpose will be devotional, i.e. to discover the word of blessing that God has for us in these troubled times… to find hope and help for our daily lives.

This will not be a Bible Study per se: we will not attempt to unravel the “mysteries” of Revelation… that is far beyond our abilities and is not our interest here. However, so as not to get too far afield, we will rely on three study resources: primary – A Commentary on the Revelation of John (George Elton Ladd); supplemental Revelation (Leon Morris) and The Book of Revelation (Robert H. Mounce).

The general format for Morning Prayer is adapted from the Northumbrian Community‘s Daily Office, as found in Celtic Daily Prayer (see online resources here.) On Sundays, we’ll return to the USCCB readings (see online resources here) and various liturgical resources in order to reflect the Church’s worship and concerns throughout the world. Photo illustrations and music videos, available online, are included as they illustrate or illuminate the readings. I will try to give credit and link to sources as best I can.

Morning Prayer: 17 Nov – Revelation 18:21-24 ~ Babylon found no more

Morning Prayer

+ In the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening sentences

Lord, open my lips and my mouth will proclaim your praise.

Revelation 18:21-24 (ESV) – to be read aloud

Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying,

“So will Babylon the great city be thrown down with violence, and will be found no more; and the sound of harpists and musicians, of flute players and trumpeters, will be heard in you no more, and a craftsman of any craft will be found in you no more, and the sound of the mill will be heard in you no more, and the light of a lamp will shine in you no more, and the voice of bridegroom and bride will be heard in you no more, for your merchants were the great ones of the earth, and all nations were deceived by your sorcery. And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all who have been slain on earth.”

Reflection

THE THIRD VISION (17:1-21:8)

The Judgement of Babylon (18:1-19:5)

Babylon Destroyed (18:21-24)

A mighty angel now takes a huge boulder and hurls it into the sea, declaring that so will Babylon be thrown down, never to be found again…. The huge millstone does not fall but is violently hurled into the sea. This stresses how suddenly and spectacularly the judgement of God will be executed not only on the ancient city but ultimately upon the entire antichristian world in its opposition to God. (Mounce, p. 338)

The completeness of Babylon’s destruction is vividly pictured in then cessation of the various activities characteristic of the city…. Babylon will become a dead city. (Ladd, p. 242-3)

The reasons for judgement (18:23-24)

the arrogance of the merchants
the deception of nations
the blood of the martyrs

Prophecy by nature resists being forced into any particular time sequence. It guarantees the ultimate issues of God’s redemptive program, which will be fulfilled when the end comes. Living in a world dominated by the oppressive practices of Rome, John portrays the eschaton in figures taken from that specific cultural setting. It is incumbent on us, living at a much later period in history, to interpret those same figures in the eschatological setting toward which we are rapidly moving. (Mounce, p.339-40)

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Near the End | William G. Schell (1911)

Time moves on with solemn footsteps / As it nears the final shore;
Fast the sun of earth is sinking, Soon our world shall be no more.
The sixth trumpet now is sounding / To prepare the holy bride —
Many on the golden altar, “Purified, made white, and tried.”

Lo! the angel now is standing / On the sea and on the land;
How His voice the air is rending, As to God He lifts His hand!
What an awful, awful message! Help us, Lord, this truth to see;
When the seventh trumpet thunders, Then shall time no longer be.

One more trumpet yet to summon / Us before the judgment seat,
Then the time of our frail planet / Will be said to be complete.
How the wicked will be wailing, And the righteous overjoyed,
When with fire the heav’ns are burning, And the earth shall be destroyed.

While false prophets are confiding / In a foolish, erring dream
Of millennial enjoyments, They neglect the cleansing stream.
Oh, poor sinner, don’t believe them, There will be no age to come;
If in life you find not Jesus, / Death will seal your awful doom.
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Canticle

Blessing

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
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Morning Prayer: 15 Nov – Revelation 18:20 ~ triumphant praise

Morning Prayer

+ In the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening sentences

Lord, open my lips and my mouth will proclaim your praise.

Revelation 18:20 (ESV) – to be read aloud

"And therefore we praise you, joining with the heavenly chorus, with prophets, apostles, and martyrs, and with all those in every generation who have looked to you in hope, to proclaim with them your glory, in their unending hymn . . ." Eucharistic Prayer C St Timothy's Episcopal Church Creve Coeur, IL — “And therefore we praise you, joining with the heavenly chorus, with prophets, apostles, and martyrs, and with all those in every generation who have looked to you in hope, to proclaim with them your glory, in their unending hymn . . .” Eucharistic Prayer C
St Timothy’s Episcopal Church
Creve Coeur, IL

“Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, for God has given judgment for you against her!”

Reflection

THE THIRD VISION (17:1-21:8)

The Judgement of Babylon (18:1-19:5)

An Outburst of Praise (18:20)

These are the words of the prophet calling on the people of God to rejoice in the triumph of God’s righteousness…. This song is an announcement of the vindication of God’s justice and righteousness. It must always be kept in mind that background for such a song of vindication is the question whether God’s rule or Satan’s deceptive power is to triumph in human affairs…. As terrible as the period of the great tribulation is, it will be only temporary, and the destruction of Babylon will mean that God, the eternal judge, has finally given judgement for his people and against Babylon. Such a judgement is necessary to vindicate God’s righteousness, to extirpate evil from the earth, and to save his people. The song… is a cry of rejoicing that God at the end will show himself to be God in the face of all satanic foes. (Ladd, p.241-2)
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Canticle

Blessing

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
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Morning Prayer: 14 Nov – Revelation 18:11-19 ~ woe to the merchant / maritime classes

Morning Prayer

+ In the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening sentences

Lord, open my lips and my mouth will proclaim your praise.

Revelation 18:11-19 (ESV) – to be read aloud

And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her, since no one buys their cargo anymore, cargo of gold, silver, jewels, pearls, fine linen, purple cloth, silk, scarlet cloth, all kinds of scented wood, all kinds of articles of ivory, all kinds of articles of costly wood, bronze, iron and marble, cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and slaves, that is, human souls.

“The fruit for which your soul longed has gone from you, and all your delicacies and your splendors are lost to you, never to be found again!”

The merchants of these wares, who gained wealth from her, will stand far off, in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning aloud,

“Alas, alas, for the great city that was clothed in fine linen, in purple and scarlet, adorned with gold, with jewels, and with pearls! For in a single hour all this wealth has been laid waste.”

And all shipmasters and seafaring men, sailors and all whose trade is on the sea, stood far off and cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning,

“What city was like the great city?”

And they threw dust on their heads as they wept and mourned, crying out,

“Alas, alas, for the great city where all who had ships at sea grew rich by her wealth! For in a single hour she has been laid waste.”

Reflection

THE THIRD VISION (17:1-21:8)

The Judgement of Babylon (18:1-19:5)

A Dirge in Three Parts (18:9-19)

The merchant class (18:11-17a)

The merchants of the earth weep and mourn, not out of sympathy for the proud city now brought low, but because with its collapse they have been deprived of their major source of financial gain. (Mounce, p. 332)

The lament of the merchants is altogether selfish and mercenary; the destruction of the city means their economic ruin…. In this catalogue of merchandise, John accurately reflects the luxury and opulence pursued by wealthy city dwellers in a city like Rome. (Ladd, 239-49)

To the kings, Rome was the “city of power” (v. 10); to the merchants she is dressed in expensive clothes and adorned in costly ornaments (cf. 17:4). Each group sees her fall in terms of its own interests. (Mounce, p. 335)

The merchant mariner class (17b-19)

The merchant mariners and all those who shared in the wealth of the city by sea-trafic also stand far off…. They too grieved not from a feeling of affection, but because they had been among those who had ships at sea and had grown rich by her wealth…. (Ladd, p. 241)
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Canticle

Blessing

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
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Morning Prayer: 13 Nov – Revelation 18:9-10 ~ woe to the political class

Morning Prayer

+ In the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening sentences

Lord, open my lips and my mouth will proclaim your praise.

Revelation 18:9-10 (ESV) – to be read aloud

And the kings of the earth, who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her, will weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning. They will stand far off, in fear of her torment, and say,

“Alas! Alas! You great city, you mighty city, Babylon! For in a single hour your judgment has come.”

Reflection

THE THIRD VISION (17:1-21:8)

The Judgement of Babylon (18:1-19:5)

A Dirge in Three Parts (18:9-19)

John proceeds to bring out the total destruction of the great city by picturing the lamentation of those who had cause to mourn her passing, the kings, the merchants, those whose trade was on the sea. None is depicted as loving the city for herself, but only for what they could get out of her. She might seduce and enrich people but there was nothing lovely in her. (Morris, p.212)

The political class (18:9-10)

The kings of the earth represent “the bankruptcy of an arrogant existence which believed that it was ‘secure’ because it was living in a perverted political order.” They have committed adultery (entered into illicit relations; cf. 17:2) with the prostitute and lived voluptuously with her. Now their fortunes have changed, and they weep and wail as the rising smoke announces her destruction by fire…. The kings of the earth do not rush to the rescue of their paramour but “stand at a distance, horrified at her torture” (TCNT). Those who admired the accomplishments of strength are amazed that the most powerful city in existence lies smoldering in the ashes of destruction. (Mounce, p.331-2)

Their mourning does not reflect any sense of grief for the city herself but only for their personal loss because of the destruction of the city….

Appearances were deceptive; Babylon had seemed to be a city both great and mighty, before whose power and might the strength of the church was as nothing. In her vanity, she seemed to defy God and destroy the saints (17:6) with impunity. But God has the last word. In a single hour divine judgement and destruction will befall her. (Ladd, p. 239)
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Canticle

Blessing

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
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