Most of Revelation 18 takes place around the time of the Image Beast of Revelation 13. The Pharmaceutical deception that deceives the world (Rev 18:23; 19:20) is the Mark of the Beast (Rev 13:15f), which produces adverse health effects in many who take the Mark (Revelation 16:2f). However, it is quite possible that it is split into multiple stages as Revelation 16:17-21 comes after Revelation 16:2 because Revelation 16:2 has adverse reactions of the pharmaceutical deception of Revelation 18:23, then there is a pause and then the key phrase “Babylon the Great was remembered in God’s presence” indicates that the devastation that came earlier on the Whore is about to be increased.
Revelation 18
After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was made bright with his glory. 2 And he called out with a mighty voice,
“Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!
She has become a dwelling place for demons,
a haunt for every unclean spirit,
a haunt for every unclean bird,
a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast.
3 For all nations have drunk
the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality,
and the kings of the earth have committed immorality with her,
and the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxurious living.”
Good or bad?
Is this messenger good or bad? Is the messenger condemning the Whore, or wanting to restore the Whore to her former glory?
This is an in-depth article summarised simply as:
Trump’s main messages were: Make Babylon Great Again; Drain the Swamp; Stop the slave trade (illegal aliens); Stop other nations from taking unfair advantages of the Whore. Nations that hated the Whore enlisted the help of major corporations who pushed a pharmaceutical deception on the world. These uncannily mirror the narrative of Revelation 18.
“Angel from heaven”: literal or figurative?
Before we start exploring the fulfilment, we must ask why many hold that this angel must be a literal angel akin to the angel Gabriel. While possible, the text does not require it. Scripture uses the term ‘angel’ as messenger, and it needn’t be a Gabriel-esq figure. John the Baptist was called an ‘angel’ (ἄγγελόν) (Matthew 11:10; Mark 1:2; Luke 7:27). Jesus sent ‘angels’ (He sent messengers (ἄγγελος) ahead of himself, and on the way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make preparations for him Luke 9:52)’ Paul speaks of himself as an ‘angel’ of God. (“On the contrary, you received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus himself“. Gal 4:14) and in Revelation 2-3 the letters are addressed to the ‘angels’ of the churches which are often translated as leaders or pastors or elders. Is John really writing to angels?
Even foreign and hostile kings were regarded as God’s messengers or even “shepherds” (Cyrus – Isaiah 44:28; Isaiah 45:1-4); Nebuchadnezzar (Jeremiah 25:9; Jeremiah 27:6; Jeremiah 43:10); Hazael (1 Kings 19:15-17; 2 Kings 8:12-13) etc. Even Satan.
So the text does not require an angelic being. And note too, many of the ‘angels’ referred to, such as Cyrus and Nebuchadnezzar, and even the pastors of the churches in Revelation, are not “good” – in fact, they’re bad for the church.
Trump said repeatedly that he was a messenger. And many of his supporters said the same. Just because he’s not the flavour of messenger I’d expect, I must be careful not to dismiss the very clear and obvious similarity.
Origin and Purpose
The text doesn’t say that the messenger is a political figure, but it is unlikely to be a literal angel flying around. Thus, we can theorise it is a political figure or celebrity.
It is unclear from the text whether the messenger had great authority while in heaven, or that the authority came after/with the message. It may not be materially significant. I want to point out that Satan also came down from heaven, as did the Angel of Death. The mere appearance of such a messenger from heaven is not necessarily a good thing. Angels have been sent to kill many people (2 Samuel 24:15-17; Ezekiel 9 etc.). Given the destruction that follows the Messenger, it is possible that the messenger from heaven’s purpose is to destroy the Whore under the pretence of restoring the Whore of Babylon. We don’t know if the Messenger’s job is to destroy the Whore or reform the Whore. There is no direct way to tell from the text.
The term ‘heaven’ used here is οὐρανός which doesn’t mean the abode of God, but rather ‘the sky’ or ‘the heights”1, for example in Acts 1:11, the angels ask the disciples why are they staring up into the sky (some translations render it ‘heaven’). e.g., Luke 17:24; Ephesians 6:12; 2 Peter 3:12 etc.
Trump came from the highest penthouse in New York (aka Babylon the Great – see article on the ‘Whore of Babylon’), gilded in gold. As Trump describes it “”best apartment ever built, they say” and the “finest apartments in the top building in the best location in the hottest city in the world”.2 Notice the angels adorning the ceiling of his apartment and its elevation above the city. One could easily assume that if John saw the apartment in the vision, he could describe it in the manner he did.
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Like him or hate him, for Donald Trump, becoming President was a significant step down. In moving into the White House he took a massive step down from the luxury he was accustomed to. In flying in Air Force One, it is a significant step down to his usual transportation. In many ways, Trump could be described as coming down from high places. In fact his announcement as running for president was him coming down out of Trump Tower in what is famously called the “Golden Escalator Ride”3. Note the backdrop of scarlet and purple of the Whore as Trump steps onto the stage.
It is undisputed that the President of the United States is one who carries great authority, domestically and internationally.
Earth filled with his glory
This messenger isn’t Jesus who returns in Revelation 19. Similar language was used of Nebuchadnezzar and his glory. God says that the Garden of Eden did not match the beauty of the gardens planted by Nebuchadnezzar and the Assyrian empire (Ezekiel 31:8-10)
Psalm 21:5 says, “You have given him [the king] glory and majesty, and clothed him with splendor.“
2 Chronicles 9:22: “All the kings of the earth who heard of his fame came to see Solomon, to test the wisdom that God had given him.“
The Bible sometimes describes the glory, as ‘renown’ or “fame and glory”.
Donald Trump is the most famous man in the history of the world by sheer numbers, and possibly percentage too. Every media outlet daily reports what Donald Trump does and says. Perhaps this is best exemplified by the ‘covfefe‘ tweet that was still being discussed years after he tweeted it.
During his presidential bid, Trump repeatedly described himself as “a messenger”. “I am a messenger. What we are trying to do: Make America Great Again and stop letting the world take advantage of us.”4
His message “America has fallen – Make America Great Again”, and “Drain the Swamp” are highly reminiscent of “Fallen, Fallen has Babylon the Great”, and “She has become the haunt of every unclean demon.” His continued criticism of business practices, including the euphemistically called “illegal aliens” (aka slaves), and that foreign nations and business have grown rich at America’s expense by taking advantage of her and her luxurious living. These are all messages of the angel in Revelation 18. The parallels are uncanny.
Trump’s message and story meant that he was heard around the world. Friend or enemy listened to every word that hung from his lips. Or as Revelation 18:1-2 says, “his glory filled the earth”. Which is similar to Nebuchadnezzar’s glory in Daniel.
John doesn’t record the reaction of the world to the angel. But if the history of human responses is to go by, many of those living in Babylon, would not react kindly to the message, especially the corrupt powers he refers to. If his stated goal is to restore Babylon without corruption, he will gather the following of many who hate the corruption and sexual degeneracy. In likelihood, gain the following of many Christians. Those who are part of the corruption and degeneracy, will oppose him.
Messaging in Revelation 18
There are several messages from the Messenger and other condemnations in the text:
- Babylon has fallen: Make Babylon Great Again
- Babylon is corrupt; Drain Babylon’s Swamp of every unclean creature.
- Nations are exploiting us
- Illegal Aliens are not good
- Sexual degeneracy pushed onto the world
- ‘Come out of her, my people’
We have previously shown how the USA is the Whore of Babylon (https://endtim.es/whore-of-babylon) which explains how China and the Islamic world are the Scarlet Beast of Revelation 17 who hate the Whore and whom the Whore rides and controls. We explain the identity of the ’10 kings without a kingdom’ who Revelation 18:23 explains are the ‘great merchants who rule the earth’.
Concurrent to the fallout of the pharmaceutical deception of Revelation 18 (and Revelation 16) there was a strong call from many Christians to flee the Blue states that many heeded5 exactly as Scripture foretold:
4 Come out of her, my people,
so that you will not share in her sins
or receive any of her plagues.
5 For her sins are piled up to heaven,
and God has remembered her crimes.
6 Pay her back the way she also paid,
and double it according to her works…
Objections:
Trump is no angel
Trump is no angelic being, agreed. But how does one anticipate that the “angel coming down from heaven” would be fulfilled? If it’s not Christ, are we anticipating a literal supernatural being?
While I am hopeful it is an angel like Gabriel, I think it is unlikely. Scripture uses the term ‘angel’ as messenger, and it needn’t be a Gabriel-esq figure.
John the Baptist was called an ‘angel’ (ἄγγελόν) (Matthew 11:10; Mark 1:2; Luke 7:27). Jesus sent ‘angels’ (He sent messengers(ἄγγελος) ahead of himself, and on the way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make preparations for him Luke 9:52)’ Paul speaks of himself as an angel of God. (On the contrary, you received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus himself. Gal 4:14) and in Revelation 2-3 the letters are addressed to the ‘angels’ of the churches which are often translated as leaders or pastors or elders. Is John really writing to angels?
Even foreign/hostile kings were regarded as God’s messengers (Cyrus – Isaiah 44:28; Isaiah 45:1-4); Nebuchadnezzar (Jeremiah 25:9; Jeremiah 27:6; Jeremiah 43:10); Hazael (1 Kings 19:15-17; 2 Kings 8:12-13) etc. Even Satan.
On what grounds must this prophecy be considered to be an angel like Gabriel?
Trump said repeatedly that he was a messenger. And many of his supporters said the same. Just because he’s not the flavour of messenger I’d expect, the same could be said of Nebuchadnezzar, etc. Not my flavour.
Trump does not come from heaven
The term (οὐρανός) does not always mean the abode of God, it can simply mean high or exalted. Of Capernium (Matthew 11:23; Luke 10:15). Ephesians 4:10 describes heavens as a place of exultation rather than the actual heaven where Jesus ascended “above all the heavens”. Similarly to Isaiah 14:13-14. Bear in mind much in Revelation it is pictorial and not symbolic.
In English we use terms as “heaven sent” even though it didn’t come from heaven. We use terms like “high places” to refer to those with high political power. Not every lunatic who claims they’re sent by God, are in fact sent by God. The girl possessed by an evil spirit that went before Paul telling people to listen to Paul because he was a prophet sent by God (Acts 16:17). In 2 Kings and 1 Chronicles God sent lying spirits into the mouths of the prophets. In other words it can’t be assumed than an angel from God will act in predictable ways.
Footnotes:
- https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g3772/kjv/tr/0-1/ ↩︎
- Alexander, Dan (September 22, 2020). White House Inc. Penguin Books. pp. 13–14. ISBN 978-0-593-18853-8.
Fernandez, Jennifer (July 27, 2016). “Donald Trump’s 1985 Apartment Looks Exactly How You’d Imagine It”. Architectural Digest. Archived from the original on August 1, 2016. Retrieved September 11, 2017. ↩︎ - https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jun/13/donald-trump-presidential-campaign-speech-eyewitness-memories ↩︎
- https://www.c-span.org/video/?407634-1/presidential-candidate-donald-trump-rally-milwaukee from 4mins53seconds.
https://www.kcci.com/article/donald-trump-speech-at-iowa-caucus-site/6483194 from 59seconds ↩︎ - Revelation 17:14 cf 18:23 ↩︎
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WFwBPTU2I8 ↩︎
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZn8tFbISpo ↩︎
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hr6wjXVDUbo ↩︎
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9u3-CKSXpU ↩︎
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgwSMumt-ek ↩︎
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gg9ypxT9V3g ↩︎
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMzYJ08Jsus ↩︎
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-g2foGtgyE ↩︎
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vd3fnEAUuio ↩︎
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qa__DBcEQeQ ↩︎
- https://www.foxnews.com/politics/pelosi-says-farmers-need-illegal-immigrants-pick-crops-florida ↩︎
- (2022) https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/07/22/what-we-know-about-unauthorized-immigrants-living-in-the-us/ ↩︎
- https://read.dukeupress.edu/hahr/article/61/4/798/149276/Slave-Trade-Today-American-Exploitation-of-Illegal ↩︎
- https://www.newamericaneconomy.org/issues/undocumented-immigrants/ ↩︎
- https://publicintegrity.org/inequality-poverty-opportunity/immigration/new-data-shows-why-the-u-s-needs-more-immigrants/ ↩︎
- https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/mass-deportation ↩︎
- https://www.bushcenter.org/catalyst/north-american-century/benefits-of-immigration-outweigh-costs ↩︎
- https://www.ilr.cornell.edu/mobilizing-against-inequality/post/five-ways-undocumented-immigrants-are-powering-american-economy ↩︎
- https://ecollections.law.fiu.edu/faculty_publications/430/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/46811167
https://www.wola.org/analysis/400-miles-of-harm-nothing-to-celebrate-about-border-wall-construction/
https://www.brookings.edu/articles/the-wall-the-real-costs-of-a-barrier-between-the-united-states-and-mexico/
↩︎ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hU0t5Teq4JY ↩︎
- https://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/video/trump-nato-countries-are-taking-advantage-of-the-u-s-731286595534 ↩︎
- https://www.politico.eu/article/donald-trump-eu-was-set-up-to-take-advantage-of-us-trade-tariffs-protectionism/ ↩︎
- https://theglobepost.com/2017/12/03/america-first-diplomacy/ ↩︎
- 9 And another, a third angel, followed them and spoke with a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he will also drink the wine of God’s wrath, which is poured full strength into the cup of his anger. He will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the sight of the holy angels and in the sight of the Lamb, 11 and the smoke of their torment will go up forever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or anyone who receives the mark of its name. 12 This calls for endurance from the saints, who keep God’s commands and their faith in Jesus.” ↩︎
- https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/05/us/covid-vaccine-evangelicals.htm
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9518019/
https://news.vcu.edu/article/2022/09/evangelicals-were-less-likely-to-get-covid-19-vaccine-after-conversations-with-faith-leaders
https://theconversation.com/christian-nationalism-is-a-barrier-to-mass-vaccination-against-covid-19-158023
https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2021-08-10/white-evangelical-churches-and-the-crisis-of-vaccine-hesitancy ↩︎ - https://truthscript.com/culture/is-it-time-for-red-state-relocation-thinking-biblically-about-the-big-sort/ ↩︎
- https://dailycitizen.focusonthefamily.com/should-conservative-christians-be-relocating-from-liberal-cities-and-states/ ↩︎
- https://www.ncregister.com/cna/families-are-moving-out-of-blue-states-and-heading-for-red-and-purple-researchers-find ↩︎
- https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/259317/families-are-moving-out-of-blue-states-and-heading-for-red-and-purple-researchers-find ↩︎
- https://evangelicaldarkweb.org/2023/07/02/to-flee-or-not-to-flee-is-it-biblical-to-flee-blue-states/ ↩︎
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/chrisdorsey/2021/03/17/americas-mass-migration-intensifies-as-leftugees-flee-blue-states-and-counties-for-red/ ↩︎
- https://www.thecatholicthing.org/2023/05/18/value-movers-catholics-flee-blue-states-for-red/ ↩︎
- https://www.lowyinstitute.org/publications/us-allies-are-already-worried-about-another-round-trump ↩︎