11/22/12

Wait a minute, it is STILL THANKSGIVING!!!


This may seem ridiculous, but it could become a reality within the near future.  Those of us who have a more than a few decades under our belt will remember that in our youth, Christmas decorations and ads didn't begin until AFTER THANKSGIVING!!! Ask yourself: When did I see the first inklings of that holiday THIS YEAR???  People forget that the pilgrims had a party to celebrate their thanks to God for his blessings.  With that in mind, this passage seemed very appropriate...

1 Timothy, Chapter 2
  1 I exhort therefore, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and givings of thanks, be made for all men: 2 for kings and all who are in high places; that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and reverence.  3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior;  4 who desires all people to be saved and come to full knowledge of the truth.

We  should be grateful for what God has given us and this is done by prayer and how we live.  Forget the commercials, the secular emphasis and the world in general.  Today, focus on your relationship with God and how HE HAS BLESSED YOU!!! Be humble and mindful of those around you that are less fortunate, but most of all, REMEMBER GOD!!!

Bible reading, Nov. 22


Nov. 22
Jeremiah 38-41

Jer 38:1 Shephatiah the son of Mattan, and Gedaliah the son of Pashhur, and Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur the son of Malchijah, heard the words that Jeremiah spoke to all the people, saying,
Jer 38:2 Thus says Yahweh, He who remains in this city shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence; but he who goes forth to the Chaldeans shall live, and his life shall be to him for a prey, and he shall live.
Jer 38:3 Thus says Yahweh, This city shall surely be given into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it.
Jer 38:4 Then the princes said to the king, Let this man, we pray you, be put to death; because he weakens the hands of the men of war who remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, in speaking such words to them: for this man doesn't seek the welfare of this people, but the hurt.
Jer 38:5 Zedekiah the king said, Behold, he is in your hand; for the king is not he who can do anything against you.
Jer 38:6 Then took they Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchijah the king's son, that was in the court of the guard: and they let down Jeremiah with cords. In the dungeon there was no water, but mire; and Jeremiah sank in the mire.
Jer 38:7 Now when Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, a eunuch, who was in the king's house, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the dungeon (the king then sitting in the gate of Benjamin),
Jer 38:8 Ebedmelech went forth out of the king's house, and spoke to the king, saying,
Jer 38:9 My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have cast into the dungeon; and he is likely to die in the place where he is, because of the famine; for there is no more bread in the city.
Jer 38:10 Then the king commanded Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, saying, Take from hence thirty men with you, and take up Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon, before he dies.
Jer 38:11 So Ebedmelech took the men with him, and went into the house of the king under the treasury, and took there rags and worn-out garments, and let them down by cords into the dungeon to Jeremiah.
Jer 38:12 Ebedmelech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, Put now these rags and worn-out garments under your armholes under the cords. Jeremiah did so.
Jer 38:13 So they drew up Jeremiah with the cords, and took him up out of the dungeon: and Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard.
Jer 38:14 Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took Jeremiah the prophet to him into the third entry that is in the house of Yahweh: and the king said to Jeremiah, I will ask you a thing; hide nothing from me.
Jer 38:15 Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, If I declare it to you, will you not surely put me to death? and if I give you counsel, you will not listen to me.
Jer 38:16 So Zedekiah the king swore secretly to Jeremiah, saying, As Yahweh lives, who made us this soul, I will not put you to death, neither will I give you into the hand of these men who seek your life.
Jer 38:17 Then said Jeremiah to Zedekiah, Thus says Yahweh, the God of Armies, the God of Israel: If you will go forth to the king of Babylon's princes, then your soul shall live, and this city shall not be burned with fire; and you shall live, and your house.
Jer 38:18 But if you will not go forth to the king of Babylon's princes, then shall this city be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they shall burn it with fire, and you shall not escape out of their hand.
Jer 38:19 Zedekiah the king said to Jeremiah, I am afraid of the Jews who are fallen away to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hand, and they mock me.
Jer 38:20 But Jeremiah said, They shall not deliver you. Obey, I beg you, the voice of Yahweh, in that which I speak to you: so it shall be well with you, and your soul shall live.
Jer 38:21 But if you refuse to go forth, this is the word that Yahweh has shown me:
Jer 38:22 behold, all the women who are left in the king of Judah's house shall be brought forth to the king of Babylon's princes, and those women shall say, Your familiar friends have set you on, and have prevailed over you: now that your feet are sunk in the mire, they are turned away back.
Jer 38:23 They shall bring out all your wives and your children to the Chaldeans; and you shall not escape out of their hand, but shall be taken by the hand of the king of Babylon: and you shall cause this city to be burned with fire.
Jer 38:24 Then said Zedekiah to Jeremiah, Let no man know of these words, and you shall not die.
Jer 38:25 But if the princes hear that I have talked with you, and they come to you, and tell you, Declare to us now what you have said to the king; don't hide it from us, and we will not put you to death; also what the king said to you:
Jer 38:26 then you shall tell them, I presented my supplication before the king, that he would not cause me to return to Jonathan's house, to die there.
Jer 38:27 Then came all the princes to Jeremiah, and asked him; and he told them according to all these words that the king had commanded. So they left off speaking with him; for the matter was not perceived.
Jer 38:28 So Jeremiah abode in the court of the guard until the day that Jerusalem was taken.
 

Jer 39:1 It happened when Jerusalem was taken, (in the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army against Jerusalem, and besieged it;
Jer 39:2 in the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, the ninth day of the month, a breach was made in the city),
Jer 39:3 that all the princes of the king of Babylon came in, and sat in the middle gate, to wit, Nergal Sharezer, Samgarnebo, Sarsechim, Rabsaris, Nergal Sharezer, Rabmag, with all the rest of the princes of the king of Babylon.
Jer 39:4 It happened that, when Zedekiah the king of Judah and all the men of war saw them, then they fled, and went forth out of the city by night, by the way of the king's garden, through the gate between the two walls; and he went out toward the Arabah.
Jer 39:5 But the army of the Chaldeans pursued after them, and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho: and when they had taken him, they brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to Riblah in the land of Hamath; and he gave judgment on him.
Jer 39:6 Then the king of Babylon killed the sons of Zedekiah in Riblah before his eyes: also the king of Babylon killed all the nobles of Judah.
Jer 39:7 Moreover he put out Zedekiah's eyes, and bound him in fetters, to carry him to Babylon.
Jer 39:8 The Chaldeans burned the king's house, and the houses of the people, with fire, and broke down the walls of Jerusalem.
Jer 39:9 Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive into Babylon the residue of the people who remained in the city, the deserters also who fell away to him, and the residue of the people who remained.
Jer 39:10 But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left of the poor of the people, who had nothing, in the land of Judah, and gave them vineyards and fields at the same time.
Jer 39:11 Now Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon commanded Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard concerning Jeremiah, saying,
Jer 39:12 Take him, and look well to him, and do him no harm; but do to him even as he shall tell you.
Jer 39:13 So Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard sent, and Nebushazban, Rabsaris, and Nergal Sharezer, Rabmag, and all the chief officers of the king of Babylon;
Jer 39:14 they sent, and took Jeremiah out of the court of the guard, and committed him to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, that he should carry him home: so he lived among the people.
Jer 39:15 Now the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah, while he was shut up in the court of the guard, saying,
Jer 39:16 Go, and speak to Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, saying, Thus says Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel: Behold, I will bring my words on this city for evil, and not for good; and they shall be accomplished before you in that day.
Jer 39:17 But I will deliver you in that day, says Yahweh; and you shall not be given into the hand of the men of whom you are afraid.
Jer 39:18 For I will surely save you, and you shall not fall by the sword, but your life shall be for a prey to you; because you have put your trust in me, says Yahweh.
 

Jer 40:1 The word which came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, after that Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had let him go from Ramah, when he had taken him being bound in chains among all the captives of Jerusalem and Judah, who were carried away captive to Babylon.
Jer 40:2 The captain of the guard took Jeremiah, and said to him, Yahweh your God pronounced this evil on this place;
Jer 40:3 and Yahweh has brought it, and done according as he spoke: because you have sinned against Yahweh, and have not obeyed his voice, therefore this thing is come on you.
Jer 40:4 Now, behold, I loose you this day from the chains which are on your hand. If it seems good to you to come with me into Babylon, come, and I will take care of you; but if it seems bad to you to come with me into Babylon, don't: behold, all the land is before you; where it seems good and right to you to go, there go.
Jer 40:5 Now while he was not yet gone back, Go back then, said he, to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has made governor over the cities of Judah, and dwell with him among the people; or go wherever it seems right to you to go. So the captain of the guard gave him food and a present, and let him go.
Jer 40:6 Then went Jeremiah to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam to Mizpah, and lived with him among the people who were left in the land.
Jer 40:7 Now when all the captains of the forces who were in the fields, even they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam governor in the land, and had committed to him men, and women, and children, and of the poorest of the land, of those who were not carried away captive to Babylon;
Jer 40:8 then they came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, to wit, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, and the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jezaniah the son of the Maacathite, they and their men.
Jer 40:9 Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan swore to them and to their men, saying, Don't be afraid to serve the Chaldeans: dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.
Jer 40:10 As for me, behold, I will dwell at Mizpah, to stand before the Chaldeans who shall come to us: but you, gather you wine and summer fruits and oil, and put them in your vessels, and dwell in your cities that you have taken.
Jer 40:11 Likewise when all the Jews who were in Moab, and among the children of Ammon, and in Edom, and who were in all the countries, heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant of Judah, and that he had set over them Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan;
Jer 40:12 then all the Jews returned out of all places where they were driven, and came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah, to Mizpah, and gathered wine and summer fruits very much.
Jer 40:13 Moreover Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces who were in the fields, came to Gedaliah to Mizpah,
Jer 40:14 and said to him, Do you know that Baalis the king of the children of Ammon has sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to take your life? But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam didn't believe them.
Jer 40:15 Then Johanan the son of Kareah spoke to Gedaliah in Mizpah secretly, saying, Please let me go, and I will kill Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and no man shall know it: why should he take your life, that all the Jews who are gathered to you should be scattered, and the remnant of Judah perish?
Jer 40:16 But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said to Johanan the son of Kareah, You shall not do this thing; for you speak falsely of Ishmael.
 

Jer 41:1 Now it happened in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the seed royal and one of the chief officers of the king, and ten men with him, came to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam to Mizpah; and there they ate bread together in Mizpah.
Jer 41:2 Then arose Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and the ten men who were with him, and struck Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan with the sword, and killed him, whom the king of Babylon had made governor over the land.
Jer 41:3 Ishmael also killed all the Jews who were with him, to wit, with Gedaliah, at Mizpah, and the Chaldeans who were found there, the men of war.
Jer 41:4 It happened the second day after he had killed Gedaliah, and no man knew it,
Jer 41:5 that there came men from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria, even eighty men, having their beards shaved and their clothes torn, and having cut themselves, with meal offerings and frankincense in their hand, to bring them to the house of Yahweh.
Jer 41:6 Ishmael the son of Nethaniah went forth from Mizpah to meet them, weeping all along as he went: and it happened, as he met them, he said to them, Come to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam.
Jer 41:7 It was so, when they came into the midst of the city, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah killed them, and cast them into the midst of the pit, he, and the men who were with him.
Jer 41:8 But ten men were found among those who said to Ishmael, Don't kill us; for we have stores hidden in the field, of wheat, and of barley, and of oil, and of honey. So he stopped, and didn't kill them among their brothers.
Jer 41:9 Now the pit in which Ishmael cast all the dead bodies of the men whom he had killed, by the side of Gedaliah (the same was who which Asa the king had made for fear of Baasha king of Israel), Ishmael the son of Nethaniah filled it with those who were killed.
Jer 41:10 Then Ishmael carried away captive all the residue of the people who were in Mizpah, even the king's daughters, and all the people who remained in Mizpah, whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had committed to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam; Ishmael the son of Nethaniah carried them away captive, and departed to go over to the children of Ammon.
Jer 41:11 But when Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces who were with him, heard of all the evil that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had done,
Jer 41:12 then they took all the men, and went to fight with Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and found him by the great waters that are in Gibeon.
Jer 41:13 Now it happened that, when all the people who were with Ishmael saw Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces who were with him, then they were glad.
Jer 41:14 So all the people who Ishmael had carried away captive from Mizpah turned about and came back, and went to Johanan the son of Kareah.
Jer 41:15 But Ishmael the son of Nethaniah escaped from Johanan with eight men, and went to the children of Ammon.
Jer 41:16 Then took Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces who were with him, all the remnant of the people whom he had recovered from Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, from Mizpah, after that he had killed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, to wit, the men of war, and the women, and the children, and the eunuchs, whom he had brought back from Gibeon:
Jer 41:17 and they departed, and lived in Geruth Chimham, which is by Bethlehem, to go to enter into Egypt,
Jer 41:18 because of the Chaldeans; for they were afraid of them, because Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had killed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon made governor over the land.



Nov. 22
Hebrews 8

Heb 8:1 Now in the things which we are saying, the main point is this. We have such a high priest, who sat down on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens,
Heb 8:2 a servant of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, not man.
Heb 8:3 For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices. Therefore it is necessary that this high priest also have something to offer.
Heb 8:4 For if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, seeing there are priests who offer the gifts according to the law;
Heb 8:5 who serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, even as Moses was warned by God when he was about to make the tabernacle, for he said, "See, you shall make everything according to the pattern that was shown to you on the mountain."
Heb 8:6 But now he has obtained a more excellent ministry, by so much as he is also the mediator of a better covenant, which on better promises has been given as law.
Heb 8:7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second.
Heb 8:8 For finding fault with them, he said, "Behold, the days come," says the Lord, "that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah;
Heb 8:9 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers, in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; for they didn't continue in my covenant, and I disregarded them," says the Lord.
Heb 8:10 "For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel. After those days," says the Lord; "I will put my laws into their mind, I will also write them on their heart. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
Heb 8:11 They will not teach every man his fellow citizen, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' for all will know me, from the least of them to the greatest of them.
Heb 8:12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness. I will remember their sins and lawless deeds no more."
Heb 8:13 In that he says, "A new covenant," he has made the first old. But that which is becoming old and grows aged is near to vanishing away.

Revelation, Chapter 18, Mark Copeland

                        "THE BOOK OF REVELATION"

                            Chapter Eighteen

OBJECTIVES IN STUDYING THIS CHAPTER

1) To note the pronouncement and depiction of the fall of Babylon, the
   great city

2) To observe the reasons why Babylon would receive such terrible
   judgment

3) To ascertain the identity of Babylon, the great harlot

SUMMARY

In this chapter we find the fall of "Babylon the great" proclaimed, and
the great mourning over her by those in the world.  The fall of Babylon
is proclaimed by an angel with great authority, who illuminated the
earth with his glory.  The reasons for her fall include how the nations
and kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and how the
merchants have become rich through her abundance.  Meanwhile, a voice
from heaven calls for the people of God to come out of her lest they
receive the plagues to come upon her.  Her judgment will involve death,
mourning, famine, and utter destruction by fire, for it is the Lord God
who judges her (1-8).

The fall of Babylon is mourned by the kings of the earth who committed
fornication with her, and the merchants and sea-traders who had become
rich by her.  They all cry out "Alas, alas, that great city..." as they
observe her judgment.  They bemoan that in just one hour her riches
came to nothing and she has become desolate.  On the other hand, heaven
itself, along with the apostles and prophets, are called to rejoice,
because God has avenged them on her (9-20).

Finally, a mighty angel throws a large stone into sea to depict with
what great violence Babylon will be thrown down.  The sounds and sights
of music, crafts, even weddings will be gone.  The fall of Babylon is
justified, for her merchants were great, by her sorcery the nations
were deceived, and in her was found the blood of prophets, saints, and
all those slain on the earth (21-24).

What is this chapter describing?  If the date of the book suggested in
the introduction is correct (spring, 70 A.D.) , and Jerusalem is indeed
the "harlot", then this chapter likely refers to the destruction by the
Romans in August, 70 A.D.  This would be in harmony with 17:16, where
those who first supported the harlot eventually turned on her.  So it
was with Jerusalem, who depended upon the approval of the Roman
authorities to persecute the church, and later became the object of
Roman persecution herself.  Very fitting is the depiction of Jerusalem
as a harlot, for she who should have been a great spiritual city had
become a great commercial center by virtue of the roads that passed
through her between Europe, Asia and Africa.  Her spiritual adultery
was also manifested by rejecting the many prophets and apostles sent to
her (cf. Mt 23:31-39 with Re 17:6; 18:20,24; 19:2).

OUTLINE

I. THE FALL OF BABYLON PROCLAIMED (1-8)

   A. BY AN ANGEL FROM HEAVEN (1-3)
      1. John sees an angel coming down from heaven
         a. Having great authority
         b. Illuminating the earth with his glory
      2. The angel cries mightily with a loud voice
         a. Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen
         b. She has become...
            1) A dwelling place of demons
            2) A prison for every foul spirit
            3) A cage for every unclean and hated bird
         c. With her...
            1) The nations have drunk of the wine of her fornication
            2) The kings of the earth have committed fornication
            3) The merchants of the earth have become rich  

   B. BY A VOICE FROM HEAVEN (4-8)
      1. Calling God's people to come out of her
         a. Lest they share in her sins and her plagues
         b. For her sins have reached to heaven and God has remembered
            her iniquities
      2. Calling for judgment to be rendered her
         a. Render her just as she rendered them
         b. Repay her double according to her works
         c. In the cup she has mixed, mix double for her
         d. To the degree she glorified herself and lived 
            luxuriously...
            1) Give her torment and sorrow
            2) For she says in heart that she is a queen and will not
               see sorrow as a widow
         e. Her plagues will come in one day...
            1) Death, mourning, and famine
            2) Utterly burned with fire
            -- For great is the Lord God who judges her

II. THE FALL OF BABYLON MOURNED (9-20)

   A. BY THE KINGS OF THE EARTH (9-10)
      1. Those who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her
      2. They shall weep and lament when they see the smoke of her
         burning
      3. They shall stand afar off for fear of her torment, saying...
         a. "Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city!"
         b. "For in one hour your judgment has come."

   B. BY THE MERCHANTS OF THE EARTH (11-17a)
      1. They shall weep and mourn over her
      2. For no one buys their merchandise anymore
      3. All that they longed for, both rich and splendid, they shall
         find no more
      4. The merchants shall stand at a distance for fear of her 
         torment, weeping and wailing...
         a. "Alas, alas, that great city that was clothed in fine 
            linen, purple, and scarlet, and adorned with gold and 
            precious stones and pearls!"
         b. "For in one hour such great riches came to nothing."

   C. BY THE TRADERS AND TRAVELERS ON THE SEA (17b-19)
      1. They stood at a distance, crying when they saw the smoke of 
         her burning, "What is like this great city?"
      2. Throwing dust on their heads, they cried out, weeping and
         wailing...
         a. "Alas, alas, that great city, in which all who had ships on
            the sea became rich by her wealth!"
         b. "For in one hour she is made desolate."

   D. BUT NOT BY THE HOLY APOSTLES AND PROPHETS (20)
      1. They are to rejoice over her
      2. For God has avenged them on her

III. THE FALL OF BABYLON JUSTIFIED (21-24)

   A. THE FALL OF THE GREAT CITY ILLUSTRATED (21-23a)
      1. By a mighty angel...
         a. Who took a stone like a great millstone and cast it into
            the sea
         b. Who then proclaims "Thus with violence the great city
            Babylon shall be thrown down, and shall not be found
            anymore."
      2. Neither shall be heard or seen in her...
         a. The sound of harpists, musicians, flutists, and trumpeters
         b. A craftsman of any craft
         c. The sound of a millstone
         d. The light of a lamp
         e. The voice of bridegroom and bride

   B. THE FALL OF THE GREAT CITY JUSTIFIED (23b-24)
      1. For her merchants were the great men of the earth
      2. For by her sorcery all the nations were deceived
      3. For in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of
         all who slain on the earth
   
REVIEW QUESTIONS FOR THE CHAPTER

1) What are the main points of this chapter?
   - The fall of Babylon proclaimed (1-8)
   - The fall of Babylon to be mourned (9-20)
   - The fall of Babylon justified (21-24)

2) Who proclaims the fall of Babylon? (1-2)
   - An angel with great authority, whose glory illuminated the earth

3) What is said concerning the nations, kings and merchants in regards
   to Babylon? (3)
   - The nations have drunk of the wine of her fornication
   - The kings have committed fornication with her
   - The merchants have become rich through the abundance of her luxury

4) What does a voice from heaven implore the people of God? Why? (4-5)
   - Come out of her, lest they share in her sins and receive of her
     plagues
   - Her sins have reached to heaven and God has remembered her
     iniquities

5) To what degree will Babylon be judged? (6-7)
   - Just as she did to others
   - Double according to her works
   - To the degree she lived in glory and luxury, she will suffer
     torment and sorrow

6) What plagues will come to her in one day? Her ultimate end? (8)
   - Death, mourning, and famine
   - Utterly burned with fire

7) What first group is described as mourning the fall of Babylon? (9)
   - The kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived
     luxuriously with her

8) What will they say as they see the smoke of her burning from a 
   distance? (10)
   - "Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city!"
   - "For in one hour your judgment has come."

9) What second group is described as mourning the fall of Babylon?
   Why? (11)
   - The merchants of the earth
   - No one buys their merchandise anymore

10) What will they say as they stand afar off, weeping and wailing?
    (16-17a)
   - "Alas, alas, that great city that was clothed in fine linen,
     purple, and scarlet, and adorned with great gold and precious 
     stones and pearls!"
   - "For in one hour such great riches came to nothing."

11) What third group is described as mourning the fall of Babylon?
    (17b)
   - Every shipmaster, all who travel by ship, sailors, and sea-traders

12) What do they say as they see the smoke of her burning? (18-19)
   - "What is like this great city?"
   - "Alas, alas, that great city, in which all who had ships on the
     sea became rich by her wealth!"
   - "For in one hour she is made desolate."

13) Who is told to rejoice over the fall of Babylon?  Why?  (20)
   - Heaven, and the holy apostles and prophets
   - For God has avenged them on her

14) What did a mighty angel do and say? (21)
   - Throw a great millstone into the sea
   - "Thus with violence the great city Babylon shall be thrown down,
     and shall not be found anymore."

15) What did the angel say would not be seen or heard in Babylon
    anymore? (22-23a)
   - The sound of harpists, musicians, flutists, and trumpeters
   - Craftsmen, or the sound of a millstone
   - The light of a lamp, or the voice of bridegroom and bride

16) What two reasons are given for her downfall? (23a-24)
   - By her sorcery all the nations were deceived
   - In her was found the blood of prophets, saints, and of all those
     slain on the earth