Mystery Babylon: Chapter 16

Her Merchants are Weeping: Tyrus' Mariners are Wailing

"And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:" (Revelation 18:11)

"The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing," (Revelation 18:15)

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"For in one hour so great riches is come to nought [nought: same word as desolation; cf. abomination of desolation]. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off."

"And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like this great city!"

"And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, Alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costiness!..." (Revelation 18:17-19)

It is essential to understand that the fall of this great woman has resulted in much weeping and wailing from the merchants of the earth only. The world is not in view as lamenting over her fall, as many are teaching today. The true merchants of the earth - those who spiritually deal in God's merchandise - are lamenting because there is little truth left in the corporate church. This cutting off of the true gospel can only effect the true believers worldwide, while the unsaved within and outside of the church have no idea what is happening. All is well with them, they assume, and the church seems to be flourishing as never before. However, BE WARNED - it is not the true Gospel of Christ that is thriving. Only true believers can see this spiritual truth, while there is no possibility that a non-believer could understand what is occurring. "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned," I Corinthians 2:14.

It is only the true merchants of the earth whose eyes spiritually see that God is using Satan to judge His corporate church. These merchants are given many names or titles in scripture. In Revelation chapter eighteen the merchants are also seen as "... every shipmaster, and all the company of ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea ..., " Revelation 18:17. These stand afar off and cry when they see the destruction of this woman - this great city.

Believers are told to flee from Judea when they see the abomination of desolation taking place (Matthew 24:15). Again, only believers will be allowed to spiritually discern this time. We are to flee from her, i.e. spiritual Judah, which is another term for God's New Testament spiritual Israel - the congregations worldwide. "... come out of her [the apostate church/Mystery Babylon/spiritual Judah] my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues," (Revelation 18:4). No wonder we are seen in Revelation 18:17 as standing afar off! But how do we know that these ships, sailors, and shipmasters are figures of believers? Because it is they who are casting dust upon their heads, weeping and wailing, as we read in verse nineteen. The spiritual merchants of the Gospel of Christ are depicted in allegorical language, as is much of everything else in the Book of Revelation. The lamenting of the sailors and shipmasters is great. Let us examine cross references to the words "sailors" and "shipmasters" that we may see their spiritual identity. Every shipmaster, and all the company of ships, and sailors stood afar off (v. 17), and cried (v. 18), and cast dust on their heads, weeping and wailing (v. 19). When we examine the word 49*"shipmaster" (koo-ber-nay'-tace), we discover that it means to steer or pilot, and can be used figuratively as directorship or government - in the church! Remarkably, this is precisely what is in view by the symbolical "shipmen" of Revelation chapter eighteen.

"And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments [koo-ber-nay'-tace: "shipmaster"], diversities of tongues." (I Corinthians 12:28)

"Nevertheless the centurion believed the master [koo-ber-nay'-tace: "shipmaster"], and the owner of the ship, more than those things which were spoken by Paul." (Acts 27:11)

When we examine the word 50*"sailors" as used also in Revelation chapter eighteen, we find its definition to mean "boatman, a seaman, sailor, or mariner." It is used in verses twenty-seven and thirty of Acts chapter twenty-seven:

"But when the fourteenth night was come, as we were driven up and down in Adria, about midnight the shipmen [now'-tace: sailors, mariners, seamen, boatmen] deemed that they drew near to some country;" (Acts 27:27)

"And as the shipmen [now'-tace: sailors, mariners, seamen, boatmen] were about to flee out of the ship, when they had let down the boat into the sea, under colour as though they would have cast anchors out of the foreship," (Acts 27:30)

The above two verses are strongly paralleling the great tribulation when the church (symbolically pictured in scripture as a ship) runs aground. The Apostle Paul states in verse thirty-one that "... except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved." Great spiritual truth is drawn from this one verse alone. Except ye abide in the one true Church where Christ is the head, ye cannot be saved! Ships are indeed associated with the true gospel in many places throughout scripture, and not merely in Revelation chapter eighteen.

When we go to Lamentations chapter two we read of the lamenting of the elders of the daughter of Zion and also of the virgins of Jerusalem. These again are other depictions of true believers:

"The elders of the daughter of Zion sit upon the ground, and keep silence: they have cast dust upon their heads; they have girded themselves with sackcloth: the virgins of Jerusalem hang down their heads to the ground."

"Mine eyes do fail with tears, my bowels are troubled, my liver is poured upon the earth, for the destruction of the daughter of my people; because the children and the sucklings swoon in the streets of the city."
"They say to their mothers, Where is corn and wine [the Gospel]? when they swooned as the wounded in the streets of the city, when their soul was poured out into their mothers' bosom." (Lamentations 2:10-12)

When we examine the word mariners in the Old Testament we find that almost all of these references are found in Ezekiel chapter twenty-seven. This chapter is the Revelation eighteen of the Old Testament. It deals with a city of merchants; a city that trades with the world; a city that has finally fallen. This city is symbolically portrayed by the ancient city of Tyrus. The parallels of this chapter to Revelation chapter eighteen are staggering. Tyrus has arrogantly declared: "I of perfect beauty," Ezekiel 27:4. The harlot church of Revelation eighteen has declared the same thing: "... I sit a queen, and am no widow ..." Rev. 18:7. Tyrus was adorned in fine linen, blue and purple (Ezekiel 27:7). The wise men of Tyrus were her pilots (shipmen in Hebrew, v. 8). She traded in vessels of brass (v. 13), and with horsemen and horses and mules (v. 14). Tyrus also traded in wheat, oil, honey, balm (v. 17), and ivory (v. 15), and wine and white wool (v. 18). Tyrus traded for iron, cassia, calamus (v. 19), and precious clothes for chariots (v. 20). Verse twenty-one tells us that she traded in lambs and rams and goats, along with spices, and gold, and all precious stones (vs. 21-22). Tyrus was rich in blue clothes, broidered work, and rich apparel bound with cords (signifying the tabernacle in the wilderness). Cedar was among her (v. 24). All of her merchandise indeed was real and physical. However, the ultimately teaching of these parabolic passages is spiritual in nature, figuratively picturing the gospel of salvation through Christ.

"The ships of Tarshish did sing of thee in thy market: and thou wast replenished, and made very glorious in the midst of the seas." (Ezekiel 27:25)

This great spiritual city once heard the voices of believers singing praises to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the congregations - i.e. "thy market." The word "market" in this Hebrew text denotes - among other things - to undertake, to engage, or to occupy. In Luke 19:13 Christ states "...occupy till I come ..." "Occupy" is translated as trade in the following: Greek/Hebrew Interlinear Bible (Hendrickson); The Interlinear Greek-English New Testament (Berry); The Zondervan Parallel New Testament in Greek and English. Unfortunately, the King James translation should have been a more precise rendering. The Revised Standard also translates "occupy" as "trade." The New King James translates it as "do business till I come." This is actually more accurate than "occupy," however the business that Christ would have us conduct is to "... be about my Father's business," Luke 2:49. This "business" is the spiritual task of proclaiming the good news of salvation through Christ Jesus.

And so Tyrus was said to be very glorious in the earth, which denotes possessing glory and honour. She was glorious as the bride of Christ. Finally, she falls (cf. Babylon is fallen, is fallen) into spiritual decay, (Ezekiel 27:27). This seems to be yet another entire chapter depicting the fall of the corporate church and the abomination of desolation at the end of time. Her mariners (merchants) are bitterly crying and casting dust upon their heads. They are girding themselves with sackcloth, while weeping and wailing (vs. 30-31). Why are they crying? Because no one buys her merchandise anymore! The spiritual merchandise of salvation through Jesus Christ is no longer being preached. Everything in this chapter confirms and identifies with Revelation chapter eighteen. Tyrus enriched the kings of the earth with her merchandise of the Gospel.

"...thou didst enrich the kings of the earth with the multitude of thy riches and of thy merchandise." (Ezekiel 27:33)

Cross reference: "...and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies." (Revelation 18:3)

Cross reference: "The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing." (Revelation 18:15)

When we read of mariners in Ezekiel chapter twenty-seven we find that two different Hebrew words are used. In verse eight mariners is also defined as "rowers." This is translated in Strong's Hebrew as "to push forth (figuratively) to lash, i.e. (the sea with oars) to row; by implication, to travel. "Mariners" has absolutely everything to do with searching for the true Gospel of Christ. Scripture teaches that Christ is the true manna which came down from heaven. As the children of Israel wondered in the wilderness, God rained down upon them literal food called manna, which was a picture or symbol of Christ, our spiritual food from heaven. In Exodus 11:8 we read of the people seeking and gathering this manna:

" And the people went about [same Hebrew word as "mariner"] and gathered it, and ground it in mills, or beat it in mortar, and baked it in pans, and made cakes of it: and the taste of it was as the taste of fresh oil." (Exodus 11:8)

"Went about" is the same Hebrew word used for "mariners." What is the mission of the mariners and their ships of scripture? To travel to and fro with the gospel. The children of Israel daily "went about" (mariner) gathering the manna which spiritually typified traveling to and fro for the Gospel.

In II Samuel 24:2 God commands David to go through all the tribes of Israel and number them. The words "go through" also come from the Hebrew word translated as "MARINER". Could this signify running back and forth or to and fro? II Chronicles 16:9 begins with "For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth ..." Yes, "run" and "fro" are again the Hebrew word for "mariner." We find the phrase "to and fro" mainly in reference to God, however in Job it is God who allows Satan to roam the earth to and fro. This phrase means to travel back and forth. In Jeremiah 5:1 we read the following:

"Run [mariners] ye to and fro [mariners] through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in the broad places thereof, if ye can find a man, if there be any that executeth judgment, that seeketh the truth; and I will pardon it."

This chapter ultimately speaks of the spiritual harlotry of the church at the end of time. However, the great commission is to take the gospel into all nations. That is precisely what the mariners of Ezekiel chapter twenty-seven are doing. They traded with all nations; they traveled to and fro (as spiritual mariners) with their spiritual merchandise. When the merchants traded fine linen, they presented the gospel, parabolically speaking. When they took the wine and the bread into other nations, they took the blood of Christ to the unsaved. Tyrus commissioned mariners to take her precious wood and precious stones to the heathen nations as well as to the civilized nations. She presented scarlet and thyine wood abroad for the souls of men. She offered rams, lambs, and goats, which pictured God's perfect sacrifice - His only Begotten Son - that many would spiritually trade with her. The mariners of Tyrus traveled to and fro that many would buy this truth and sell it not (Proverbs 23:23).

As God begins to judge His corporate church for its unfaithfulness, we expect to see much of the true Gospel silenced. Amos 8:12 says:

"And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run [mariners] to and fro [mariners] to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it."

Notice that the above verse says they wander from sea to sea seeking God's Word. Does scripture not teach that it is the mariners who travel in the seas? Are they not merchandising in God's Word? When we say merchandising in God's Word, we do not mean that they are physically merchandising or making money by marketing God's Word. No, the merchandising that scripture focuses on is the taking of the Gospel of Christ to the unsaved world.

Back : Chapter 15E - The Merchant's Merchandise: No Longer Found in Her

Next : Chapter 17 - Praise: No Longer Heard; Tyrus Too

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