Disclaimer: These are some “amillennial” thoughts on the Book of Revelation. Warning, if you have some holy cows in your closet you may not want to read my thoughts. (I will not debate with you on a “yes it is” and a “no it isn’t”… this takes up to much of my time. I’ve heard most arguments and views of others since 1970).)
When John (through the Holy Spirit) writes the Revelation, he is talking to an audience who understands the symbols and phrases the Revelation uses. If we in the 21 century were to tell someone in the first century “that’s cool”… they would think you were cold. It’s a phrase we understand in this century. Likewise, we have troubles with some of the first century phrases and figures of speech.
We need to understand God’s phrases, “coming in clouds, last days, and the elements of the heavens such as the sun, moon and stars being used. For example many times you see the sun, moon and stars used such as Gen 37:9ff where Joseph had a dream and he told his dad that the stars bowed down to him etc. His dad rebuked him and said “shall I, thy mother and brothers come and bow down before thee?” Here the sun, moon & stars represent the headship of a family and family. In several other places in the bible we see where the sun, moon and stars fall from heaven to represent a government falling.
In Matthew 24 we see where Jesus is telling the Jewish leaders that their nation is fixing to fall and Jesus uses the sun, moon and stars to represent the Jewish leaders. Jesus ends up in Matthew 24 telling the Jewish authorities that “all these things will come on this generation!” This was fulfilled in 70 A.D. when General Titus destroyed the Jewish economy.
In the Book of Revelation:
John begins his Revelation and in Rev 1:1 tells his audience “….these things MUST SHORTLY come to pass. And then in verse 3 (1:3), he says, “…the time IS AT HAND.”
John then tells the Revelation and ends the story by repeating himself, Rev 22:6 “…THESE THINGS MUST SHORTLY COME TO PASS and Rev 22:10, “…don’t seal the sayings of this book FOR THE TIME IS AT HAND.” (John said “don’t seal this book” & in Daniel (12:4), Daniel is told, “…seal this book …” Daniel’s prophecy took place 430 years later, but he was told to “seal the book.” John was told, “…don’t seal the book for the time is AT HAND.”)
Now there are those who will come back and say that “one day is as a thousand years to the Lord.” My answer to that is God is NOT talking to Himself, He is sending a message, a warning, to a group of people IN THE FIRST CENTURY.
The Book of Revelation is a book that warns the first century Christians about the coming beast, the Roman king, Domitian. (Vespasian, 69-79, is one of the beasts reigning at the time of the writing of Revelation. OOOOh I know, many will tell you that the Book of Revelation was written in 94/96 A.D. I don’t agree at all, neither does a group of scholars. I think the book was written somewhere around 69 A.D.)
Look at the seven heads. (Rev 17:9,10) The heads have a twofold significance: They stand for the seven hills and they stand for the seven kings.
I think these verses are the ‘key’ to understanding Revelation.
Who are these seven kings?
Revelation says five of the seven are fallen (Rev17:10). The five are: Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero.
One, we are told “one is”,(Rev 17:10) that would be Vespasian. And another is not yet come – that would be Titus. And when he cometh, he must continue a little while. Titus ruled two years.
The whole picture is essentially taken from Daniel. In apocalyptic speech heads or horns may be used to stand for kings.
In Daniel, three of the kings are “uprooted” (Dan 7:24) and the eleventh king now becomes the eighth. John takes the vision from Daniel as he finds it – with three missing.
John speaks of an EIGHTH king. Does John speak of eight heads? YES, Rev 17:11.
This would be Domitian.
Kings in Daniel ---------- Kings in Revelation
1. Augustus ----------- 1. Augustus
2. Tiberius ----------- 2. Tiberius
3. Caligula ----------- 3. Caligula
4. Claudius ---------- 4. Claudius
5. Nero ----------- 5. Nero
6. Galba*
7. Otho*
8. Vitellus*
9. Vespasian ---------- 6. Vespasian
10. Titus ----------- 7. Titus
11. Domitian --------- 8. Domitian
* These kings were “uprooted.”
Who is the fourth beast of Daniel? Most everyone agrees it is Rome. If my parallel be correct, so is the beast of Revelation 13. We are encouraged in this view by the fact that the beast of Rev 13 is a composite creature, made up of the elements which composed Babylon, Medo-Persa, and Greece.
In Daniel, the order is lion, bear, and leopard (but then Daniel is looking into the future), and in Rev 13:2 it is leopard, bear, and lion, for John is looking backward in time. But, what has this to do with identifying the beast of Revelation 13? Daniel 7:12 makes the cryptical remark: “and as for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time.
The “rest of the beasts” means the previous three beasts. They lost their dominion, but they didn’t lose their lives – their lives are prolonged for a while. How’s that? In the fourth kingdom, of course. The fourth beast embodied all their wickedness, and so described as being made up of them. Just as Daniel 2 the whole image remained until the fourth kingdom was smitten, so the three beasts lived on until the fourth beast was smitten.
John ignores the three kings because “they were uprooted” in Daniel. And these three, although they were recognized as emperors, were so quickly removed due to horrible civil war that they made no contribution to the Empire. All three of them passed away within the space of parts of two years.
The picture suggested here would mean Revelation was written in the days of Vespasian, since he would be the one who “one is” in Rev 17:10.
Note the persecution of which John speaks is going to come on the saints (Rev 11:7; 17:8). You must note that John says TWICE (Rev 17:8,11) that the beast “IS NOT.”
That says to me tht Rome was not persecuting the saints at the time of John was writing. In Rev 11:7, we read of the beast “coming up out of the abyss” to persecute the saints. In 17:8 we read that the beast “is about to come up out of the abyss.” Why does the beast come up out of the abyss? To persecute the saints, of course (11:7). The empire persecution is not yet going on while John is writing. Hear me, John said, “…the beast….IS NOT.”
My whole point here in writing what I’ve written is to show that the Book of Revelation took place in the first century. Also, I believe the “key” to understanding the Revelation is found in Rev 13 and 17.
In the Book of Revelation we see Rome go under in blood and fire and smoke. Rome in all her apocalyptic manifestations from the civil persecution sea beast to the religious pervert, the earth beast.. And the God of all power broils the sea beast; and the seductive power of a commercially successful Rome (Harlot) is set on fire by no man’s hand and burns like Nero’s fire never did – eternally and thoroughly.
(The “religious pervert” is emperor worship, not the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church most likely fits in with the “great falling away” mentioned two times elsewhere in the N.T.)
The central thrust of the book is comfort and assurance of ultimate triumph. We see in this book that God and the Lamb rule --- NOT ITALY.
Your servant in Christ,
Charles Jemeyson
[email protected]
San Antonio, Texas
For those who enjoy “digging under rocks,” here are some ideas that I would like to share with you.
Sun, Moon, Stars and Clouds in prophecy:
a. We first see evidence of the definition of the sun, moon and
stars in Genesis 37 where we run across Joseph. At this time,
Joseph is a young man and is having dreams etc. He dreams
a dream and tells it to his father:
Genesis 37:9-10
9 And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me. 10 And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth? KJV
Notice: Joseph dreams that the SUN, MOON AND STARS will
bow down to him.
-his father knows immediately knows what these
When John (through the Holy Spirit) writes the Revelation, he is talking to an audience who understands the symbols and phrases the Revelation uses. If we in the 21 century were to tell someone in the first century “that’s cool”… they would think you were cold. It’s a phrase we understand in this century. Likewise, we have troubles with some of the first century phrases and figures of speech.
We need to understand God’s phrases, “coming in clouds, last days, and the elements of the heavens such as the sun, moon and stars being used. For example many times you see the sun, moon and stars used such as Gen 37:9ff where Joseph had a dream and he told his dad that the stars bowed down to him etc. His dad rebuked him and said “shall I, thy mother and brothers come and bow down before thee?” Here the sun, moon & stars represent the headship of a family and family. In several other places in the bible we see where the sun, moon and stars fall from heaven to represent a government falling.
In Matthew 24 we see where Jesus is telling the Jewish leaders that their nation is fixing to fall and Jesus uses the sun, moon and stars to represent the Jewish leaders. Jesus ends up in Matthew 24 telling the Jewish authorities that “all these things will come on this generation!” This was fulfilled in 70 A.D. when General Titus destroyed the Jewish economy.
In the Book of Revelation:
John begins his Revelation and in Rev 1:1 tells his audience “….these things MUST SHORTLY come to pass. And then in verse 3 (1:3), he says, “…the time IS AT HAND.”
John then tells the Revelation and ends the story by repeating himself, Rev 22:6 “…THESE THINGS MUST SHORTLY COME TO PASS and Rev 22:10, “…don’t seal the sayings of this book FOR THE TIME IS AT HAND.” (John said “don’t seal this book” & in Daniel (12:4), Daniel is told, “…seal this book …” Daniel’s prophecy took place 430 years later, but he was told to “seal the book.” John was told, “…don’t seal the book for the time is AT HAND.”)
Now there are those who will come back and say that “one day is as a thousand years to the Lord.” My answer to that is God is NOT talking to Himself, He is sending a message, a warning, to a group of people IN THE FIRST CENTURY.
The Book of Revelation is a book that warns the first century Christians about the coming beast, the Roman king, Domitian. (Vespasian, 69-79, is one of the beasts reigning at the time of the writing of Revelation. OOOOh I know, many will tell you that the Book of Revelation was written in 94/96 A.D. I don’t agree at all, neither does a group of scholars. I think the book was written somewhere around 69 A.D.)
Look at the seven heads. (Rev 17:9,10) The heads have a twofold significance: They stand for the seven hills and they stand for the seven kings.
I think these verses are the ‘key’ to understanding Revelation.
Who are these seven kings?
- Augustus,
- Tiberius,
- Caligula (Gaius),
- Claudius
- Nero,
- Vespasian and
- Titus.
Revelation says five of the seven are fallen (Rev17:10). The five are: Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero.
One, we are told “one is”,(Rev 17:10) that would be Vespasian. And another is not yet come – that would be Titus. And when he cometh, he must continue a little while. Titus ruled two years.
The whole picture is essentially taken from Daniel. In apocalyptic speech heads or horns may be used to stand for kings.
In Daniel, three of the kings are “uprooted” (Dan 7:24) and the eleventh king now becomes the eighth. John takes the vision from Daniel as he finds it – with three missing.
John speaks of an EIGHTH king. Does John speak of eight heads? YES, Rev 17:11.
This would be Domitian.
Kings in Daniel ---------- Kings in Revelation
1. Augustus ----------- 1. Augustus
2. Tiberius ----------- 2. Tiberius
3. Caligula ----------- 3. Caligula
4. Claudius ---------- 4. Claudius
5. Nero ----------- 5. Nero
6. Galba*
7. Otho*
8. Vitellus*
9. Vespasian ---------- 6. Vespasian
10. Titus ----------- 7. Titus
11. Domitian --------- 8. Domitian
* These kings were “uprooted.”
Who is the fourth beast of Daniel? Most everyone agrees it is Rome. If my parallel be correct, so is the beast of Revelation 13. We are encouraged in this view by the fact that the beast of Rev 13 is a composite creature, made up of the elements which composed Babylon, Medo-Persa, and Greece.
In Daniel, the order is lion, bear, and leopard (but then Daniel is looking into the future), and in Rev 13:2 it is leopard, bear, and lion, for John is looking backward in time. But, what has this to do with identifying the beast of Revelation 13? Daniel 7:12 makes the cryptical remark: “and as for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time.
The “rest of the beasts” means the previous three beasts. They lost their dominion, but they didn’t lose their lives – their lives are prolonged for a while. How’s that? In the fourth kingdom, of course. The fourth beast embodied all their wickedness, and so described as being made up of them. Just as Daniel 2 the whole image remained until the fourth kingdom was smitten, so the three beasts lived on until the fourth beast was smitten.
John ignores the three kings because “they were uprooted” in Daniel. And these three, although they were recognized as emperors, were so quickly removed due to horrible civil war that they made no contribution to the Empire. All three of them passed away within the space of parts of two years.
The picture suggested here would mean Revelation was written in the days of Vespasian, since he would be the one who “one is” in Rev 17:10.
Note the persecution of which John speaks is going to come on the saints (Rev 11:7; 17:8). You must note that John says TWICE (Rev 17:8,11) that the beast “IS NOT.”
That says to me tht Rome was not persecuting the saints at the time of John was writing. In Rev 11:7, we read of the beast “coming up out of the abyss” to persecute the saints. In 17:8 we read that the beast “is about to come up out of the abyss.” Why does the beast come up out of the abyss? To persecute the saints, of course (11:7). The empire persecution is not yet going on while John is writing. Hear me, John said, “…the beast….IS NOT.”
My whole point here in writing what I’ve written is to show that the Book of Revelation took place in the first century. Also, I believe the “key” to understanding the Revelation is found in Rev 13 and 17.
In the Book of Revelation we see Rome go under in blood and fire and smoke. Rome in all her apocalyptic manifestations from the civil persecution sea beast to the religious pervert, the earth beast.. And the God of all power broils the sea beast; and the seductive power of a commercially successful Rome (Harlot) is set on fire by no man’s hand and burns like Nero’s fire never did – eternally and thoroughly.
(The “religious pervert” is emperor worship, not the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church most likely fits in with the “great falling away” mentioned two times elsewhere in the N.T.)
The central thrust of the book is comfort and assurance of ultimate triumph. We see in this book that God and the Lamb rule --- NOT ITALY.
Your servant in Christ,
Charles Jemeyson
[email protected]
San Antonio, Texas
For those who enjoy “digging under rocks,” here are some ideas that I would like to share with you.
Sun, Moon, Stars and Clouds in prophecy:
a. We first see evidence of the definition of the sun, moon and
stars in Genesis 37 where we run across Joseph. At this time,
Joseph is a young man and is having dreams etc. He dreams
a dream and tells it to his father:
Genesis 37:9-10
9 And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me. 10 And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth? KJV
Notice: Joseph dreams that the SUN, MOON AND STARS will
bow down to him.
-his father knows immediately knows what these
elements represent and rebukes Joseph.
-the sun, moon and stars represented the household of Jacob.
-the sun represented Jacob the father, the moon his mother
and the stars represented his brothers.
b. Later, this prophecy was fulfilled when Joseph was in Egypt and
in a high government position and his family did bow to him.
c. The sun represented the head of the house, a leader of the house.
d. Later, in scripture you may run across the sun, moon and stars mentioned. Take a good look at the context. If the context is speaking of a prophecy, then most likely the sun, moon and stars represent the government of that country.
For example: In Matthew 24:29 you see the sun, moon, stars and powers of the heavens spoken of. This is referring to the Jewish leaders at this time. It is speaking of the Sanhedrin, priests etc. Jesus is telling them that their nations is fixing to end.
This was fulfilled when the Lord “came on clouds” (Roman army) and destroyed the temple and city. Messiah told them when they see (Matt 24:15) the abomination of desolation (destruction) spoken of by the prophet Daniel then know the time is near. The synoptic parallel to Matt 24:15 is Luke 21:20 [sup]20 [/sup]And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.
So, Yahshua told them when you see the Roman army (Gentile army, an abomination) surrounding Jerusalem, then you will know the desolation (destruction) is near.
Isaiah 13:10
10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. KJV
The Lord is speaking here in Isa 13:10 of the destruction of Babylon. He used an
army (clouds) to do His will.
Isaiah 19:1 [sup]KJV [/sup]Isaiah 19:1 The burden of Egypt. Behold, the LORD rideth upon a swift cloud, and shall come into Egypt: and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it.
Here again, In Isaiah 19ff the Lord is speaking of “riding a swift cloud” to destroy Egypt. An army fulfilled this. The point is, that the Lord, in prophetic speech, speaks of “coming in the clouds, or riding a swift cloud” when really He is speaking of using a nations army to destroy another nation.
Matthew 24:29
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: KJV
Here, in Matthew you see a reference to the fall of the Jewish nation. The sun,
moon and stars are made up of the Sanhedrin, that is, the high priests, scribes
(some Pharisees such as Nicodemus of John 3) and elders. These made up the
rulership of Israel at this time.
It has been referred to as the “last days, the last hour” in the New Testament and
happened in 70 A.D. when Titus, the Roman general, came and destroyed the
temple and Jerusalem.
Matthew 26:64
64 Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. KJV
a. In Isaiah, it is evident that the prophet is talking about the conquest of
Egypt by an army that is doing the will of God.
b. In Matthew 26 Christ promised the high priest, Caiaphas, that he would
see him coming on the clouds. He saw this in the fulfillment of the
Roman army, doing the will of God, through Titus in 70 A.D.,
Luke 21:20
20 ‘‘When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that
its desolation is near. NIV
Luke records this period of time, and points to 70 AD. When Titus destroyed the
Temple and Jerusalem.
Like in Noah’s time, a new age was started. Jesus brought in a new age in which those that have been “born from above” (born again) have been added to the bride of Christ, the
Assembly (The church, Acts 2:47). Their names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life and they enter into that great city as described by the Hebrew writer:
Hebrews 12:22-23 [sup]22[/sup] But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, [sup]23[/sup] To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
This city is made up of all those from the time of Adam until the present time – and is growing daily. PRAISE HIS NAME!!
Acts 2:20
20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: KJV
These statements mean “the end of the world” to a premillennialist, but this is not what the bible is teaching. It is not the end of time (world), but the time of the end of the age. (Old Covenant age, the Jewish rule).
Mountains = Kingdoms
Jeremiah 51:24-26 [sup]24[/sup] And I will render unto Babylon and to all the inhabitants of Chaldea all their evil that they have done in Zion in your sight, saith Jehovah. [sup]25[/sup] Behold, I am against thee, O destroying mountain, saith Jehovah, which destroyest all the earth; and I will stretch out my hand upon thee, and roll thee down from the rocks, and will make thee a burnt mountain. [sup]26[/sup] And they shall not take of thee a stone for a corner, nor a stone for foundations; but thou shalt be desolate for ever, saith Jehovah.
Here in Jeremiah 51 the defeat and destruction of Babylon is pictured by making a destroying mountain (apparently a volcano) into a “burnt-out” mountain. The term “MOUNTAIN” is used over and over again to stand for a kingdom, as for example, in Amos 4:1 and Isaiah 2:2.
-the sun, moon and stars represented the household of Jacob.
-the sun represented Jacob the father, the moon his mother
and the stars represented his brothers.
b. Later, this prophecy was fulfilled when Joseph was in Egypt and
in a high government position and his family did bow to him.
c. The sun represented the head of the house, a leader of the house.
d. Later, in scripture you may run across the sun, moon and stars mentioned. Take a good look at the context. If the context is speaking of a prophecy, then most likely the sun, moon and stars represent the government of that country.
For example: In Matthew 24:29 you see the sun, moon, stars and powers of the heavens spoken of. This is referring to the Jewish leaders at this time. It is speaking of the Sanhedrin, priests etc. Jesus is telling them that their nations is fixing to end.
This was fulfilled when the Lord “came on clouds” (Roman army) and destroyed the temple and city. Messiah told them when they see (Matt 24:15) the abomination of desolation (destruction) spoken of by the prophet Daniel then know the time is near. The synoptic parallel to Matt 24:15 is Luke 21:20 [sup]20 [/sup]And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.
So, Yahshua told them when you see the Roman army (Gentile army, an abomination) surrounding Jerusalem, then you will know the desolation (destruction) is near.
Isaiah 13:10
10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. KJV
The Lord is speaking here in Isa 13:10 of the destruction of Babylon. He used an
army (clouds) to do His will.
Isaiah 19:1 [sup]KJV [/sup]Isaiah 19:1 The burden of Egypt. Behold, the LORD rideth upon a swift cloud, and shall come into Egypt: and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it.
Here again, In Isaiah 19ff the Lord is speaking of “riding a swift cloud” to destroy Egypt. An army fulfilled this. The point is, that the Lord, in prophetic speech, speaks of “coming in the clouds, or riding a swift cloud” when really He is speaking of using a nations army to destroy another nation.
Matthew 24:29
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: KJV
Here, in Matthew you see a reference to the fall of the Jewish nation. The sun,
moon and stars are made up of the Sanhedrin, that is, the high priests, scribes
(some Pharisees such as Nicodemus of John 3) and elders. These made up the
rulership of Israel at this time.
It has been referred to as the “last days, the last hour” in the New Testament and
happened in 70 A.D. when Titus, the Roman general, came and destroyed the
temple and Jerusalem.
Matthew 26:64
64 Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. KJV
a. In Isaiah, it is evident that the prophet is talking about the conquest of
Egypt by an army that is doing the will of God.
b. In Matthew 26 Christ promised the high priest, Caiaphas, that he would
see him coming on the clouds. He saw this in the fulfillment of the
Roman army, doing the will of God, through Titus in 70 A.D.,
Luke 21:20
20 ‘‘When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that
its desolation is near. NIV
Luke records this period of time, and points to 70 AD. When Titus destroyed the
Temple and Jerusalem.
Like in Noah’s time, a new age was started. Jesus brought in a new age in which those that have been “born from above” (born again) have been added to the bride of Christ, the
Assembly (The church, Acts 2:47). Their names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life and they enter into that great city as described by the Hebrew writer:
Hebrews 12:22-23 [sup]22[/sup] But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, [sup]23[/sup] To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
This city is made up of all those from the time of Adam until the present time – and is growing daily. PRAISE HIS NAME!!
Acts 2:20
20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: KJV
These statements mean “the end of the world” to a premillennialist, but this is not what the bible is teaching. It is not the end of time (world), but the time of the end of the age. (Old Covenant age, the Jewish rule).
Mountains = Kingdoms
Jeremiah 51:24-26 [sup]24[/sup] And I will render unto Babylon and to all the inhabitants of Chaldea all their evil that they have done in Zion in your sight, saith Jehovah. [sup]25[/sup] Behold, I am against thee, O destroying mountain, saith Jehovah, which destroyest all the earth; and I will stretch out my hand upon thee, and roll thee down from the rocks, and will make thee a burnt mountain. [sup]26[/sup] And they shall not take of thee a stone for a corner, nor a stone for foundations; but thou shalt be desolate for ever, saith Jehovah.
Here in Jeremiah 51 the defeat and destruction of Babylon is pictured by making a destroying mountain (apparently a volcano) into a “burnt-out” mountain. The term “MOUNTAIN” is used over and over again to stand for a kingdom, as for example, in Amos 4:1 and Isaiah 2:2.