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Well tonight again in our marvelous and thrilling study of the book of Revelation which I confess has been interrupted over the last several weeks, and I regret that. We always lose a momentum when we have those necessary interruptions, but oh how wonderful it is to be back to chapter 18. Turn in your Bible then to Revelation chapter 18. We're going to begin an examination of this chapter containing twenty-four verses. At this particular time, I don't know how long it will take us to get through. We won't make it tonight. We may get to verse 2. I'm not sure. But we want all that the Lord has for us in this profound text, Revelation chapter 18.
We're all curious about the current state of the world economically. We're all anxious to hear about the condition of world trade, global commerce, dollar values against foreign currency. We want to know our financial future. So we're interested to hear about the stock market, interest rates, budget, deficits, all of that kind of thing fills the newspapers and the magazines and the radio and the television.
I suppose more so than ever in the history of the world people are aware of economics. And more so than ever in the history of the world we live in a world where we are all tied together very closely in what amounts to a single economy, and ever-increasingly that is so. No more are economies of the world isolated, national economies. But rather we are all inter linked because of a shrinking globe, a global village because of foreign trade, we are all tied together. We have a global economy.
And that's very fitting because that is precisely what Revelation chapter 18 describes as a component of the final form of man's day before the return of Jesus Christ. What of the future? Well for one thing there will be a global economy, under the control of the final Antichrist. What will that world economy be like? Without question it will not be communistic, it will be capitalistic. It will be a luxurious, materialistic, capitalist world when Jesus comes in judgment. In fact, the world will be pursuing capitalism with a vengeance. Communism came and went, the bad social experiment and an even worse economic experiment. It will not apparently be a factor of significance in the last days economy, capitalism will reign and luxury will be the pursuit of all. And I know this because this is precisely the picture of the world of the final Antichrist. The individual who as the emissary of Satan rules the globe in the years before Jesus returns to establish His kingdom which will be a true kingdom of prosperity.
Now for those of you who may be new to our study of the book of Revelation, let me give you a brief review. The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ who was crucified and rose again and ascended to heaven will return to earth one day, and He will return to earth to judge sinners, to destroy the wicked and to set up His kingdom on earth over which He will rule as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. That kingdom initially will be made up of those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and those who love and serve the true God.
The first time Jesus came He was crowned with mockery. The next time He comes He will be crowned with majesty. The first time He came He reigned from a tree, the next time He comes He will reign from a throne. The first time He came He ruled with a reed, the second time He comes He will rule with a rod. We are to make no mistake about it, this world is destined to climax in the return of the Lord Jesus Christ bodily and in great power and in great glory.
Chapter 19 of the book of Revelation describes that return. Chapters 20 to 22 describe what happens after that return, and chapters 6 to 18, what happens before that return. So we are in the last chapter of the section prior to the return of Jesus Christ described in chapter 19. It's a crucial chapter because it gives us the world conditions at the time of the final judgment of sinners, when Jesus comes to set up His kingdom. It is the most complete picture of the world at the end of man's day, the system of worldwide government and commerce controlled by the Antichrist who is called the beast in the book of Revelation.
Now it is described in Revelation 18 in the context of a judgment. In some ways you could call chapter 18 a requiem, a funeral dirge. It is a very somber chapter. In the last days before the Lord returns there is reason to be somber. Satan will be in control of the universe, at least the world of men. But the universe which he has once controlled is starting to collapse around him and his demons who have been occupying the heavens are now cast to the earth. Satan then on the earth with all of his millions of demons is working through two key persons, namely Antichrist and the False Prophet to gain control of the world. It's his last bastion of defense. Catapulted out of heaven, as Revelation 12 described, sent to the earth, he then occupies himself with the final stand against God and against his Christ on the earth.
In an effort to withstand the power of God and the coming of Christ, Satan tries to set up a kingdom that is indomitable. Evil reaches its apex. Iniquity is filled up. Rebellion against God and Christ are at their peak during this time in Antichrist's kingdom. And even when God sends judgment after judgment after judgment on this Antichrist's world, their reaction is negative. In fact, in chapter 16 verse 11 it says, "They blasphemed the God of heaven." And again in verse 21, "Men blasphemed God."
The world will be so evil that even with all the warnings, all the preaching of the gospel by the hundred and forty-four thousand witnesses, the converted Jews, others who have named the name of Christ, the two witnesses who are killed and raised from the dead, angels in the sky that are proclaiming the gospel, with all that preaching there will be many who believe but the world of rejecters will become more hostile and more hostile until ultimately they blaspheme God for everything that's happening.
Now in this final world before the coming of Jesus Christ, there is a period called the Great Tribulation. The Bible describes a seven-year period as the period prior to the coming of Jesus Christ, the seventieth week of Daniel. The second half of that, the final three and a half years, is called the Great Tribulation. That Great Tribulation is when God's fiery judgments begin to escalate in terrifying ways as the Lord begins to judge this evil world system. But at that time the world system that exists during that Great Tribulation, the last three and a half years, is the system described here in chapter 18. I believe that the religious system described in chapter 17 will have ceased to exist for the most part by the second half of the Tribulation because at the midpoint is when the Antichrist will no longer tolerate the coexisting religious system and destroys it and forces the world not only to follow him alone, but to worship him as if he were God.
Now remember, in chapter 17 we were given a picture of the religious system of the end time called Mystery Babylon. Here in chapter 18 we're getting a picture of the political, economic system of the end time called Babylon the Great. These two systems share much in common. They share the same name, Babylon. They share the same satanic power. They are alike in that they both are under the rule of the Antichrist. They are both ruling like queens and filled with blasphemy. They both hate the saints and shed their blood. They both are associated with the kings of the earth in what is called fornication. They both come under the definitive judgment of God and are destroyed. But with that the similarities end and there are marked differences between Mystery Babylon of chapter 17, and Babylon the Great of chapter 18.
Religious Babylon, as I said, is called Mystery Babylon the Great, Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth, whereas commercial Babylon is called the Great Babylon, and Babylon the Great. The one is described under the symbol of a harlot woman seated upon the beast of government, and the other is presented as a mighty city. The seventeenth chapter presents ecclesiastical Babylon as a woman, a whore, a mother. The eighteenth chapter presents commercial Babylon as a habitation, a great city, a mighty city, a marketplace and even a burning city.
The woman of seventeen is described as guilty of religious abominations. The city of eighteen is abominable because of its system of commerce. The manner of their destruction also is different. The woman is destroyed by the political power through which she has come to reign so arrogantly. But the city is destroyed by an act of God.
And so, I want to emphasize to you that I believe Babylon of chapter 17 is a religious system, and Babylon of chapter 18 is a commercial system. And they will coexist in the first half of the seven-year Tribulation. But at the midpoint, the Antichrist will not tolerate that coexistence, he will not tolerate the divided loyalties between commerce and religion. He will not tolerate anything other than the worship of himself and so at the midpoint the system that is religious is destroyed, totally devastated, consumed, burned with fire and one system remains and that is commercial Babylon in which the Antichrist rules and himself is worshiped as God.
I might say that all the diverse religious ideologies of the world will eventually fall into this one-world religion called Mystery Babylon. And when Mystery Babylon is destroyed in favor of the Antichrist who alone will rule and be worshiped, all of the religious elements of Mystery Babylon will become absorbed into the commercial Babylon. It isn't that there will cease to be religion, it is that the religion will be the worship of the Antichrist and him alone. He will put himself up as if he were God and demand that everyone worships him.
This very act is described, by the way, back in chapter 13 where the False Prophet who is called another beast comes. He performs, verse 13, great signs so that he even makes fire come out of heaven to the earth in the presence of men. He deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who had the wound of the sword, and has come to life. In other words, the False Prophet who I believe has been heading up the religious system, when the religious system is destroyed, then takes on a new enterprise and that is to call the whole world to the worship of the beast. And that's destroyed, that worship of the false religion, but its leader, the False Prophet, is not destroyed, he simply moves over and becomes the right-hand agent for the Antichrist.
Chapter 17, you'll remember, and I'm just reviewing, verses 16 and 17 describe the destruction of the religious system. It talks about the harlot being made desolate and naked. Her flesh eaten and she being burned up with fire. And God has put it in their hearts to do this because He wants them to have a common purpose by giving their kingdom to the beast alone. God wants the whole thing consolidated in one, for His own purposes of destruction.
So, by the time we come then to chapter 18, we are seeing the description of a commercial empire, that is the final form of world rule under the power of Antichrist which will destroy the religion of the world, enfold all religion in the worship of Antichrist and be the single system that is destroyed by Christ when He returns. The Babylon of 18 thus is the world system of the last three and a half years of the Great Tribulation.
Now you have to understand something quite remarkable. We talk about the power of the Antichrist, but I want you to understand this is a very, very powerful man. In order to get a grasp on how powerful he is, you need only to remind yourself that he has built this world empire and gained the confidence of the kings of the world and the rulers of the world with the aid of Satan and demonic influence. He has pulled off a world empire in the midst of the worst of times. For all the way back in chapter 6 certain judgments began to fall, called the seven seals. Those seven seals were only really the beginning of frightening and fearful judgments. You come in to chapter 8 and more judgments come called trumpet judgments. And while the first of the trumpets may have been occurring still in the first half of the seven-year period, as we move in to the trumpets and get say to the fifth trumpet, we're now in to that second half so that the fifth trumpet and the sixth trumpet and the seventh trumpet and then in chapter 16 the seven bowl judgments which are unbelievable and almost inconceivable judgments are all being poured out in the world. It is then in the midst of all of this that Antichrist has the power to pull off this tremendous world empire.
He is aided, chapter 9 of Revelation tells us as demons come belching out of the pit, he is aided as two hundred million demons who have been bound at the Euphrates River are released. The demon force aids him in his enterprise, even though the universe is collapsing all around him, a third of the sea has been destroyed, a third of the fresh water has been destroyed, a third of the sun. Comets and heavenly bodies catapulting out of space, plummeting into the earth. A third of the stars go out, the seasons are in chaos, the tides are in chaos. Day and night is in chaos. Frightening and indescribable judgments are flying in every direction. People are struck with cancerous malignancies. The sea becomes like blood and everything in it dies. The fresh waters and the springs of water become like blood and are deadly. The sun begins to burn people as its heat is intensified and turned up. And in the midst of that the whole world becomes dark. More demon spirits like frogs come belching out of the pit.
All of this is going on and at the same time the Antichrist is building a world empire on a materialistic basis. And if you will notice in verse 12, cargoes of gold and silver and precious stones and pearls and linen and purple and silk and scarlet and citron wood and every article of ivory and articles made from very costly wood and bronze and iron and marble and cinnamon and spice and incense and perfume and frankincense and wine and olive oil and fine flour and wheat and cattle and sheep and cargoes of horses and chariots and slaves and human lives. There's a lot of stuff going on.
Now this kingdom begins before those terrible judgments of the bowls start. They're right at the very end. This kingdom will be flourishing before those bowl judgments hit, granted. But nonetheless in order for the Antichrist to pull this off he's had to have supernatural satanic and demonic power because certainly the trumpet judgments have been going on. And the effect of those trumpet judgments, as I noted for you earlier in chapter 8, has been devastating.
But even though the trumpet judgments have been going on and at the very end the bowl judgments happen, this kingdom succeeds to some degree. Verse 17 talks about great wealth...great wealth.
So we get a little bit of an idea of the tremendous power of the Antichrist. Back to chapter 9, you see the power of the demon world that is aiding him. So this is the kingdom that is described here in chapter 18.
Now, one other thing to say. Babylon of chapter 18 is called a city. It is called a city. For example, look at verse 18, "What city is like the great city?" The Babylon of this chapter is identified as a city. I just want to mention to you that some commentators would suggest that it doesn't mean a city. That it is not a reference to a literal city but only to a godless system. That could be. But in order to make such a conclusion you have to be a little bit bold since chapter 18 doesn't say that. It just calls it a city. So if we're going to decide that it isn't a city, then that's an arbitrary decision. Now it may well be that it's not a city, it's certainly far beyond a city, as I'll point out in a moment. But we can't make that conclusion without just making it arbitrarily.
And there are many features in the text, as we shall see, that identify it as a city. And there is nothing in the entire twenty-four verses that identifies it as anything other than a city. So to avoid being arbitrary, I'd rather take it at face value. And if the Lord has something else in mind, He could have said it, and perhaps if He has something else in mind, some day it will become clear to the people who are alive at this time. But for now, who am I to suggest that a city is not a city when God says it's a city?
One strong reason for maintaining that it is a literal city is that many Old Testament prophecies regarding the city of Babylon have not yet been fulfilled. Did you get that? Many of the Old Testament prophecies regarding Babylon have not yet been fulfilled. Some of them were fulfilled, some of them were partially fulfilled, some of them were not fulfilled. And if God made certain prophecies that were to come to pass in Babylon and they didn't come to pass, then they must come to pass. And if they must come to pass, there must be a Babylon to come to pass in.
Prophecies regarding the city of Babylon are found in Isaiah 13, Isaiah 47, Jeremiah 50, Jeremiah 51, Ezekiel 26, Ezekiel 27 and elsewhere. All of those chapters have features of Babylon's destruction that have not fully come to pass. And so there are many Bible scholars who say there must rise again a Babylon in order that what God promised would happen to Babylon happens.
For example, go with me to Isaiah chapter 13...Isaiah chapter 13. And let's just look at a few verses, starting in verse 9."B"Behold the day of the Lord is coming, cruel, with fury and burning anger to make the land a desolation, and He will exterminate its sinners from it, for the stars of heaven and their constellations will not flash forth their light, the sun will be dark when it rises, and the moon will not shed its light." Now that sounds eschatological, doesn't it? That sounds like the end time day of the Lord.
Verse 11, "I will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their iniquity, I will also put an end to the arrogance of the proud and abase the haughtiness of the ruthless. I will make mortal men scarcer than pure gold and mankind than the gold of Ophir." Now you're talking about massive slaughter. "Therefore I shall make the heavens tremble and the earth will be shaken from its place and at the fury of the Lord of hosts in the day of His burning anger." Now that has to be eschatological.
And yet to whom is this spoken? To whom is this spoken? Go back to verse 1. "The oracle concerning...whom?...Babylon." What is described in verses 9 to 12 didn't happen historically in Babylon. But it will happen.
Look at Isaiah 47, here's another similar situation, another prophecy against Babylon as noted in verse 1. "Come down and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon." But notice the prophecy starting in verse 7, "Yet you said...that is Babylon...I shall be a queen forever. These things you didn't consider, nor remember the outcome of them. Now then hear this, you sensual one, who dwells securely, who says in your heart "I am and there's no one beside me, I shall not sit as a widow nor shall I know loss of children. The smug confidence of a city that felt itself to be impregnable. But these two things shall come on you suddenly in one day. Loss of children and widowhood, they shall come on you in full measure, in spite of your many sorceries, in spite of the great power of your spells, and you felt secure in your wickedness and said no one sees me. Your wisdom and your knowledge they deluded you, for you have said in your heart I am and there's no one beside me, but evil will come on you which you will not know how to charm away and disaster will fall on you for which you cannot atone and destruction about which you do not know will come on you suddenly."
Literally it says in one day, and that has never happened. No such sudden destruction, leaving perpetual devastation has come to Babylon. And so it seems reasonable to assume if it hasn't come, it has to come. And if it has to come, there has to be a Babylon.
Look at Jeremiah chapter 50...Jeremiah chapter 50 verse 1, "Thus says the Lord, `Behold, I'm going to arouse against Babylon, I'm going to arouse the spirit of a destroyer and I'll dispatch foreigners to Babylon that they may winnow her and may devastate her land for on every side they will be opposed to her in the day of her calamity. Let not him who bends his bow bend it, nor let him rise in his scale armor. So do not spare her young men. Devote all her army to destruction and they will fall down slain in the land of the Chaldeans...another name for Babylon...and pierce through in their streets.'"
Down in verse 40, (Jeremiah 51) further describing the judgment on Babylon. "I'll bring them down like lambs to the slaughter, like rams together with male goats. How Sheshak has been captured." That, by the way, is a cryptic name for Babylon. "And the praise of the whole earth been seized! How Babylon has become an object of horror among the nations! The sea has come up over Babylon; she has been engulfed with its tumultuous waves. Her cities have become an object of horror, a parched land and a desert, a land in which no man lives, and through which no son of man passes. I shall punish Bel in Babylon and I shall make what he has swallowed come out of his mouth, and the nations will not longer stream to him. Even the wall of Babylon has fallen down! Come forth from her midst, My people, and each of you save yourselves from the fierce anger of the Lord." Get out of there because what I'm going to do to that city.
The prophet said the Arabian would be afraid to pitch his tent there. It will be an abode of dragons, empty without inhabitants, a wasteland destroyed and its destruction will be violent.
But Babylon has not been violently overthrown. It has not been violently and totally destroyed in a day. But rather has slowly declined and passed from history over many centuries. So these prophecies need to come to pass. And they will.
Babylon was the first place ruled by violence. Babylon founded by Nimrod was once the world's capital, the place where false religion was first conceived, the place of world dominion under Nebuchadnezzar, the first world ruler. And Babylon will rise again. Interestingly enough, as you well know the Iraqis are building a special ceremonial city called Babylon. It can be visited, it is visited even now. It is being built on its ancient site.
Also curiously, Arnold Toinbe(?), no less a historian than he, once wrote that he believed Babylon will become the world's natural population center because of its perfect location at the very heart of the crossroads of the continents of Asia and Europe and Africa.
And so I think it's reasonable, although I don't want to be absolutely dogmatic, based upon what we know from the prophets and what we can read in Revelation 18, we have a city here that needs to rise again in order to be destroyed in the way that the Bible defines its destruction. And as we shall see, there are some very specific things that are said in chapter 18 that hark us right back to those prophecies that I read you earlier, so that the writer of Revelation and John as he sees the vision and then writes, is being told, in effect, that what the prophet, for example, Isaiah and Jeremiah said, is indeed what he is seeing in the vision of the destruction of the future Babylon.
Now, having said all of that, let me then say this. While I believe that Babylon is a city, I believe that the influence of Babylon is worldwide. It is the capital city of the Antichrist's world rule. It is then more than a city, the city is its namesake and its capital. But it is the pervasive character of the age of Antichrist.
You remember that Mystery Babylon of chapter 17 seemed to be associated, didn't it, with a city on seven hills named Rome. Perhaps for a while there is a capital in the Tribulation time, a capital of the religious enterprise at Rome for a while until the destruction of that religious empire and then the capital of everything becomes Babylon. It's not to say it's only Babylon and the destruction that comes here will extend beyond that city while engulfing that city to the entire system. Like Mystery Babylon of chapter 17, Babylon the Great is about to fall at the judgment of God.
Now plenty of warnings have come before we get to chapter 18. Go back to chapter 14 verse 8, taking my time in this chapter because I want you to understand it. Chapter 14 and verse 8, an angel comes as so often they do in the latter part of the book. A second one saying, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the Great." Here is a warning. Here is an announcement that should get people ready for the inevitable. Remember now, the gospel is being preached by the hundred and forty-four thousand. It's been preached by two witnesses who gave their lives, rose from the dead and continue to preach. It's been preached by anyone who has been converted. It's being preached by angels flying through mid-heaven preaching so the whole world can hear. The gospel is being preached. Judgment is flying all around. And in the midst of that, a very specific announcement, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the Great, she who has made all the nations drink of the wine of the passion of her immorality," and that shows the national and international influence of Babylon.
but in the midst of all the warning, the people of the world reject. And so we finally come to chapter 18 and the judgment falls. Now all of that gets us to verse 1. I'm going to give you seven aspects of this chapter, and I may adjust these as we go, so don't hold me to these terms exactly. We're going to see judgment pronounced, judgment avoided, judgment enjoyed, judgment lamented, judgment executed and judgment justified. The theme, obviously, is judgment. At least let's look at judgment pronounced.
"After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven having great authority and the earth was illumined with his glory. And he cried out with a mighty voice saying, `Fallen, fallen is Babylon the Great...same thing that was said in chapter 14 verse 8...and she has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird, for all the nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her and the merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality.'"
This is an opening pronouncement of judgment, tells you judgment is coming and a little bit about why, because of the tremendous pervasive demonic influence, and because of the wretched sensuality described in verse 3. So John's vision then begins with judgment pronounced and it begins with another angelic messenger. Verse 1, notice the little phrase, "After these things." Now that phrase appears a number of times in the book of Revelation and introduces us to the next vision. Without begging the issue I would like to suggest that that little phrase supports the distinction between chapter 17 and 18. It identifies a later revelation than that of chapter 17. The reason I say that is because there are some commentators who...it's beyond me why...insist on making chapter 17 and chapter 18 describe the same thing. I don't see that. I see, as I've told you before, 17 is the religious system, 18 is the commercial system, the little phrase "after these things" supports the distinction.
John says, "I saw another angel coming down from heaven." Not the same angel of chapter 17. There is the mention of an angel in chapter 17 verse 1, verse 7, verse 15. You remember the angel who served as John's guide in the previous revelation? Well this is another one, another one like the one in 17. Some people say, "Well this is Christ." No, the word another is allon, it means another of the same kind. It's not heteros, another of a different kind. Christ is different than angels. I think the termallon indicates it's just another angel like the angel who was John's guide through the information of chapter 17.
This angel may well be the same as the angel in 14:8 who said,"B"Babylon is fallen is fallen." He is an unusually powerful angel and very important, and I'll tell you why. Notice verse 1, three features tell us of the power and importance of this angel. First, having great authority. He comes down from heaven and that means he's coming from the throne of God and the presence of God and as he comes he carries great authority, or great power. He has delegated authority from God to act for God.
Notice verse 21, "And a strong angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, "Thus will Babylon the great city be thrown down with violence and will not be found any longer." This could be the same angel, very powerful, strong angel with delegated authority to act on behalf of God he comes as an executor of judgment.
Secondly, he not only comes down from heaven with great authority, but the earth was illumined with his glory. Now if you go back to chapter 16 and verse 10, you remember that when the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, this is coming now toward the end of the Great Tribulation, when he poured out his bowl his kingdom became darkened. So there is a period at the very end of the Great Tribulation of worldwide darkness. It is against that background that verse 1 says the earth was illumined with the glory of this angel. The earth was dark. Babylon was dark. They have to light not only the night but they have to light the day because God has basically turned out the heavenly lights in His judgment.
And by the way, though chapter 18 describes the system that existed through the seven years, and most particularly that existed during the second half. The vision that John has here is of the very end when the judgment falls. So we can assume that the angel coming at the very end is illuminating an otherwise dark world. The Lord sends then an angel who is a glorious angel to illuminate the darkness. And you can understand what a shocking experience it's going to be when a darkened world sees a blazing angel coming out of heaven bearing also from God God's own shining glory.
And then verse 2, here's the third thing that tells us what a great powerful angel it was, "He cried out with a mighty voice." No one can ignore him. He comes from heaven with great authority, he is an executor of judgment. He comes to earth and illuminates the whole earth with the shining manifestation of divine presence reflected off of him. And he cries out with such a mighty voice that no one can ignore him. He's going to have the commanding attention of the whole world.
And what does he say? Here is his pronouncement of judgment."F"Fallen, fallen is Babylon the Great." The relief, the momentary relief of the light will turn to terror at the words of the angel. Identical words to chapter 14 verse 8, and both of those passages go back to Isaiah 21:9.
The statement here "Babylon is fallen, fallen, fallen," is a statement of established ruin. In the form of the Greek it views the results of judgment as if they have happened already. It's done. Historical Babylon, by the way, fell in 539 B.C. That event, of course, God showed to His prophets. But this is a far-greater fall of a far-greater Babylon, a fall that is the annihilation and desolation that Isaiah and Jeremiah promised. And I really do believe that this final fall of Babylon occurs with the seventh bowl judgment.
Go back to chapter 16 verse 17. "When the seventh angel poured out his bowl," this is the last act of judgment. "A loud voice came out of the temple from the throne saying, `It is done.' And you have flashes of lightning, sounds, peals of thunder, great earthquake such as there had never been since man came to be upon the earth. So great an earthquake was it and so mighty the great city was split in three parts. And the cities of the nations fell...here's this...and Babylon the Great was remembered before God to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath. And every island fled away and the mountains were not found and huge hailstones about a hundred pounds each came down from heaven upon men and men blasphemed God because of the severe...because of the plague of the hail, because its plague was extremely severe." Here I believe you have the parallel. The seventh bowl is the destruction of Babylon described in detail in chapter 18.
Back to verse 2. "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the Great." And then here is a characterization of that city and that kingdom. "She has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit and a prison of every unclean and hateful, or foul bird."
She has become already. That's the reason for the judgment. A dwelling place for demons. Go back to chapter 9 and you will remember that demons are released out of the pit, the first part of chapter 9, then two hundred million demons are released who have been bound at the Euphrates River. Demons are running amuck everywhere. Then you have the demons of chapter 12 that were cast out of heaven to the earth. All of Satan's minions who are not eternally bound. Then you have the filthy spirits of chapter 16 verses 13 and 14, like frogs, spirits of demons going out to deceive the whole world and collect them to the battle of Armageddon.
And the headquarters for the whole demon operation is none other than the city of Babylon. By the way, when Isaiah mentioned this fate for Babylon in Isaiah chapter 13, I think it's 21 and 22, he referred to satyrs, s-a-t-y-r-s, and from the Hebrew that term means devils. So Isaiah when he saw the Babylon of the end, saw a place inhabited by devils. The word satyrs is so translated as devils, by the way, in Leviticus 17:7 and 2 Chronicles 11:15.
So Babylon is going to get its destruction because it is the headquarters for the demon enterprise of the last days. All the demons of the pit that can be released have been. All the demons of the sky have been catapulted to the earth. All the bound demons released. And because of their influence comes a destruction.
He also says, does this angel, "She...being Babylon...has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit." That's another reference to it being the dwelling place of demons. It is the prison, the phulake, the place where they are kept, the cage they are in. Although it's not to imply that they are in prison because they're free. It's where they dwell, it's where they live. Every unclean spirit and all the demons find their residence in this final Babylon.
Then John adds, "And a prison...same term...of every unclean and hateful bird...unclean and foul bird." Isaiah spoke of this. Back in Isaiah chapter 34, let me just quickly remind you and we're going to stop in just a moment. Isaiah 34 again talks about this destruction that is going to come in the end. And when the destruction comes, and the land is made desolate, it talks about all the different kinds, starting in verse 11 down through verse 15, all the different kind of unclean animals that are going to occupy that land when God comes in judgment. You can just read it for yourself, I won't take the time. Isaiah chapter 34 verses 11 to 15.
So Isaiah the prophet even as he looked down to the end time, to the destruction of the final Babylon, saw its utter desolation and saw that it would be taken over by scavenger birds and unclean animals to chew on the carrion. And really all of that is symbolic of demons and unclean spirits who are devouring the souls of the inhabitants.
By the way, heaven is in contrast to Babylon, for in chapter 21 verse 27, "Nothing unclean and no one who practices abomination and lying shall ever come into heaven."
The word for "bird," by the way, orneon, from which we get ornithology, the study of birds. It's an old word. It's used only here in the New Testament and in chapter 19 verses 17 and 21, and it depicts evil spirits like hovering birds of prey, scavenger birds hovering over the city waiting to devour their prey. Here is a picture then of hovering demons waiting to consume people, like literal Babylon which in the past become desolate and occupied by scavenger birds and unclean animals that ran over the destroyed city, so will final Babylon be the cage of Satan's winged unclean spirits.
And this does explain, beloved, why people blaspheme God, because they have been blinded by satanic power and demon possession. And the influence is worldwide, look at verse 3, and we'll close with this. "For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality and the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her and the merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality."
The influence of this Babylon system, this commercial system that is also a worship of Antichrist that is run by demons that is satanic and hellish, their influence is worldwide. They will have literally led the whole world into a materialistic stupor. The whole world, all the nations are going to be drunk with the passion of having a relationship with Babylon. They all want to indulge in the bed of Babylon. They all want to get involved in the luxury and the materialism and the sin of Babylon. It's going to become the wealth center of the world. It's going to seduce the whole world.
We would not like to think, would we, that anything in the Arabic world would become the center of the world, but it will. And here the evil relationship of the nations with Antichrist are described as fornication because that's an intimate term of relationship that is sinful. They have become so enamored with the lure of Babylon, so deceived by demons that they're like a man lusting for a harlot. Their passion is out of control. They are drunk with passion. They're like an inebriated man. They lack self-control. They plunge into a relationship driven by passion, materialistic passion. They want what Babylon can offer. They desire riches and luxury. And as a result, the kings of the earth have committed fornication or acts of immorality with the Babylonian system.
And it says, "The merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality." It's going to be an effective system, even against the odds, as it were, with all of the holocausts and judgments that are flying around. I really believe that when the bowl judgments come at the very end, the thing will disintegrate very rapidly. But up until that time it has survived fairly well the trumpet judgments. The merchants of the earth are getting rich, the kings of the earth are making every alliance they can. There will be national alliances, and there will be mercantile alliances. That is there will be national alliances between the rulers who have been given authority by the Antichrist. You remember there are at least ten of those. And there will also be the business world cashing in, as it were, on what is available in terms of riches.
So the whole world allies with Antichrist in this final system. That is the beginning of this chapter and that's really all it is. I just want to wrap this point up by making a couple of comments and I'm going to let you go.
Why all of this? Why is it necessary? Why does the Bible tell us this? Are we going to be there?
Well, obviously the saints of all the ages who lived and died aren't going to be there. Was it relevant to them?
It's my conviction that the saints of this age aren't going to be there because before this stuff ever starts, we're going to be raptured, taken out as the Lord gathers His church.
What's the point?
The point is multiple. One, to give you confidence that no matter what is happening in the world, in the end Jesus Christ will triumph. This is, after all, the book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ, not the book of the Revelation of prophetic curiosities. It is to give you the confidence and the assurance that in the end Christ will reign. And the corollary to that is to let you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that in the end no matter what goes on with Satan and his demons, they cannot defeat Christ. It can't be done. And you see them amassing all that they can as an arsenal against Him, only to be defeated in a moment as if they were nothing at all.
Furthermore, it is to give hope to the godly that the wretchedness and the wickedness of this fallen world will some day reach an end. And the cry of our hearts for justice and equity and purity and righteousness and goodness will some day be fulfilled. And it will. Furthermore, it is written as a warning to the ungodly of what is to come.
You say, "Well now wait a minute, not all of the ungodly who have lived through the centuries are going to be there." That's right, but anybody who reads this is going to understand God's attitude toward sin. And all of this that goes on on the earth is not as bad as hell. There are many reasons why the Lord gives us this truth, to give us confidence in the coming of Christ in His glory...to give us assurance that sin will have its day and finally be destroyed...to give us hope for a just and equitable and righteous kingdom and to warn those that do not know Christ that God hates sin and He punishes it with severe judgment.
We can only who know this truth respond to it like John did. It's both bitter and sweet. Bitter because sinners will perish, sweet because the righteous will prevail. Bitter because Satan and his demons will succeed in their deception, sweet because Christ will in the end be victorious.
Well so much for the pronouncement of judgment. Next time we'll look at the escape or the avoidance of judgment.
Father, we thank You again for Your Word. We've covered so much and yet we've seem to have gone so few steps into this great chapter. Lord, help us to know confidently, assuredly, that we belong to You and we're on the triumph side. Help us to rejoice that no matter how bad it is in this world, Jesus is coming and He will establish His glory. Help us to know that sin will be destroyed and righteousness will reign. At the same time, help us to know that sinners will perish. And while on the one hand we are rejoicing in our triumph, give us a heart to call the lost to salvation, to call them away from demon deception. Let the light of gospel truth shine through us and draw many to yourself. As the world gets worse and worse and darker and darker, we long more and more for the light of the coming King. It's in that hope that we pray in His great name. Amen.
This article is also available and sold as a booklet.
This sermon series includes the following messages:
Please contact the publisher to obtain copies of this resource.Publisher Information


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NEW YORK (AP) — Lawyers for the city are seeking access to footage gathered by documentary filmmaker Ken Burns in research for his movie about the five men exonerated in the Central Park jogger rape case.
The city has issued a subpoena for the outtakes and other materials from the film "The Central Park Five," its Law Department confirmed Wednesday.
The request is connected to a $250 million federal lawsuit filed by the men against the city nine years ago, after their sentences were vacated. They were exonerated after a man already jailed for other crimes confessed to the attack, and DNA evidence supported his claim.
In April 1989, a 28-year-old investment banker was found in the park after being beaten and raped while jogging. She was in a coma for 12 days and was left with permanent damage. In 2003, Trisha Meili disclosed her identity and published her memoir.
At the time of their arrest, the five suspects, then teens, were held for more than 24 hours before they confessed. All later recanted, and they claim the confessions were coerced. City lawyer Celeste Koeleveld has said the city stands by the decisions made by the detectives and prosecutors in bringing the case against the five men.
For years, the city has refused requests by Burns and his team to interview officials about the case, said Burns, who has said he hopes the film will help push the city to settle the case.
Attorney John Siegal, who represents Burns and others who worked on the project, argued the city won't be able to prove the film and notes are necessary to its defense and unavailable elsewhere. The city must do so to get access to the material, he said.
Koeleveld says the city should receive access to the recordings.
"The plaintiffs' interviews go to the heart of the case and cannot be obtained elsewhere," Koeleveld said. "If the plaintiffs truly want an open airing of the facts, they should encourage the filmmakers not to hide anything."

subset: commoncrawl


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NU Announces New Indoor Home for Tennis Teams
The Nebraska Tennis Center, located approximately one mile north of the intersection of 70th St. and Cornhusker Highway, is part of the Abbott Sports Complex. The Nebraska Tennis Center features six climate-controlled indoor courts, as well as 12 outdoor courts.
The tennis teams' use of the new facility is a partnership between the Nebraska Athletic Department and the Abbott Sports Complex. The Husker soccer team called Abbott home from 1994 to 2004, before moving on campus in 2005 as part of a $50 million North Stadium Improvement project.


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Things just happen! It's not always spiritual!
Things just happen! It's not always spiritual!
Hi I'm Lizzie and I'm beginning to think about Atheism. I'm just coming to point in my life where I don't believe it's necessary to have "God" guiding you through every step. I believe now I've been in denial of it for awhile, but I just think life just happens and you don't always need a "god " guiding you through every step. Here's an example.
I haven't been officially diagnosed with this Disability but I believe I have Dyscalculia Math Dyslexia. It basically means you have trouble reading and understanding Math problems, and something that makes sense one day is gone the next. That's why I really didn't like it when my dad said "Well why don't you just pray that God helps you do your best in Math?" Sorry Dad I don't think God is going to change that.
What I'm noticing at my youth group a-lot is although the lesson or idea changes from week to week one common things remains. You have to ask God for guidance with a personal problem. There's sopposedly this exercise where you nail a problem on the cross and hand it over to God. The most common problem I've nailed on the cross numerous times is Math.
It's not as easy as just handing it over to God.
One it's a rare disorder that affects about only 4-6% of people. I have been diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome and A.D.D. but because Dyscalculia is so hard to diagnose. My Psychiatrist knew nothing, the Neurologist I went to knew nothing, I tried to get an appointment with a Psychologist I researched on the internet and from her description she said she works with numerous types of Dyslexic's which made me think she might help with Dyscalculia. But then she had a family emergency, and then a lady called in and the appointment was on the wrong date. So now we're going to a Neurophysicologist and he seems to be giving me the answer.
I did reach an agreement with my math teacher recently that I would only do evens on the chapter worksheets, and then on the 9 page review worksheets handed out at the end of each chapter along with the chapter worksheets, but I think it was just life.
I also don't like the way one of my youth groups leaders has reacted to me. I feel pressure to have a prayer request because if I don't have one she will be dissapointed. I think the real reason looking at it now was just because I really believed not everything has to be guided with "God." I'd rather figure out some things on my own.
I also was sitting in church one day and a guy announced to the Church praying about keeping the church building because the school district around there wanted to buy the church. But in my head I was like" That's kind of selfish" I don't think praying changes that . What happens will happen. That's life!
I'm also in a bit of a dilemma because I have a boyfriend but he's a pretty strong Christian. I think he's really sweet, and I really don't want to break his heart, but this is how I've been feeling the last few days.
I can see how praying helps some people. They don't know how to do things on their own so they turn to God. Dyscalculia is what led also to a period of Agnosticism this year. I just don't know why but I guess it's maturity.
Now I'm 18 and just think it's best to let some things just happen on their own. If praying helps do it but if it stresses you out don't push religion on yourself. Is this a type of Atheism? Please let me know.
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cjs (03-02-2013)
RE: Things just happen! It's not always spiritual!
Welcome to TTA, Lizzie
Speaking for myself, I don't pray as I don't believe in a god (being a good little atheist an' all).
I suggest you do yourself a bit of reading. This site provides a wealth of information in relation to your unanswered questions.
Enjoy your stay
Humankind (a total misnomer)
RE: Things just happen! It's not always spiritual!
One of the forum sections has a collection of videos by "the thinking atheist".
You may really enjoy watching these.
Science is the process we've designed to be responsible for generating our best guess as to what the fuck is going on. Girly Man
RE: Things just happen! It's not always spiritual!
Hi, and welcome to the forums. Now I'm going to scare you off with a giant wall of text...
You may not be in the right place if you want support for praying, or even giving it a fair shot (vs. not praying). So I'll try to play devil's advocate (hmmm, that sounds more menacing in a theological discussion than in a secular one).
I think you've already made it clear that you don't think praying will help. I agree. Consider this: most Christians I know say that god answers every prayer, but the answer might not be what you want. It's always "yes", "no", or "wait".
So let's say you want it to rain, so you pray for rain. I also want it to rain but I don't believe in prayer. Three things might happen:
1. It rains today. You think god said "yes". I think I got lucky that it rained.
2. It doesn't rain. Day after day after day of no rain. You think god said "no". I think I got unlucky.
3. It doesn't rain today, but it rains in two days. You think god said "wait". I think it's better late than never.
How can we tell the difference? It's identical. Pray or don't pray, we still might get rain, today, in a couple days, or not at all. To me and to you it's exactly the same. It rains all the time, even when nobody prays for rain. Rain happens. You might say that's god's will. I might say that's a natural occurrence. How can we tell the difference?
Why does god ever say "no"? It's his plan. He works in mysterious ways. Etc. In other words, every time we pray and we don't get the answer we want, we let him off the hook. "Oh well, I guess he's being mysterious again." But when good things happen that we didn't even pray for, we give him full credit. He gets credit for all the good stuff and no blame for any of the bad stuff.
But if we honestly stop letting him off the hook, if we honestly examine our lives and the world around us, if we honestly track the times good things happen and the times bad things happen and compare that to the times we prayed for one of those outcomes and got what we prayed for, I think we'll find that the honest results show that it seems very, very random. And if we stop praying and keep tracking, I think we'll find that the honest results are exactly as random as they were before (with prayer).
Also consider that god always answers everyone's prayers with things that could have happened on their own, naturally, without god. Your friend gets sick so you pray for her to get better and she does. Was that god, or did her immune system just overcome the illness? How can we tell the difference? You pray to win the lottery and you do. Was that god or did you just get lucky (some lucky person had to win)? When was the last time you (or anyone else) prayed for something that could never happen naturally, such as praying for an amputee to grow back his lost limb, or praying for it to rain chocolate donuts with candy sprinkles, and such a prayer actually worked? Never. Not once in all of history has an impossible prayer been answered.
So, you might pray, and something might happen or nothing might happen, and even if something happens it will always be something that could have happened naturally, even without the prayer.
What's the point then?
The very best thing I can say about prayer is it might be a bit of a placebo effect for someone that has no other relief from a problem, but even that is a double-edged sword because this often leads those people to choose prayer instead of trying to find a more meaningful solution.
I think your post shows that you're already coming to the same conclusion.
"Whores perform the same function as priests, but far more thoroughly." - Robert A. Heinlein
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Adenosis (03-02-2013)
RE: Things just happen! It's not always spiritual!
(31-01-2013 06:02 PM)Aseptic Skeptic Wrote: Hi, and welcome to the forums. Now I'm going to scare you off with a giant wall of text...Yes thank you. You read my mind perfectly. Many things happens without God. I can see how prayer helps some people, but honestly I'm at a point in my life where I just think I need to learn things on my own.
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Chas (31-01-2013), Tartarus Sauce (31-01-2013), Logisch (02-02-2013)
RE: Things just happen! It's not always spiritual!
(31-01-2013 06:10 PM)lizzielee Wrote: Yes thank you. You read my mind perfectly. Many things happens without God. I can see how prayer helps some people, but honestly I'm at a point in my life where I just think I need to learn things on my own.
It's an important place to be.
Some fun questions to ask yourself:
- If things can be explained without prayer, can you see how the likelihood that the thing prayed for had a chance of coming true regardless of prayer?
- Is what sounds good important? Or is what is true important? Is one more important than the other? In other words, is what is true more important to you than what simply sounds good?
- How do we discern what is true and what isn't?
- Do things have a purely intrinsic value? Or do we give things value because we hold or see personal value in them? Why?
I was a Christian for most of my life. I've been an atheist for a few years now. Lots of questions popped up in my head and I think a lot of us have been in similar places. There was a time when all I knew was a strict set of beliefs and there was just simply no other way of thinking. I do not owe my way of thinking to being an atheist, I owe and value free thinking because I care more about what is true than what just sounds good to me. It came with a difficult reconciliation that sometimes reality and the world around us isn't what we expect sometimes perhaps not what we want, or maybe don't want to accept. With time my views about that even changed.
I would call them "stages" if you will... I went through doubt, curiosity, exploration, confusion, more curiosity and exploration and started searching out for answers.
Things do indeed just sometimes happen Shit for shit, good for good and life is life.
Welcome to the forums either way, and don't be afraid to chat it up and ask questions. It's a wonderful community with wonderful people. Civil and in depth discussions are rewarded with civil and in depth discussions.
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Adenosis (03-02-2013)
RE: Things just happen! It's not always spiritual!
Hi Lizzielee and welcome. You are courageous in dealing with your issues, and you are learning how to work with them and around them.
You are correct that prayer does not appear to change anything since results are no different if you pray or not. Prayer can make people feel better, but I suspect that the effect is similar to what meditation does for you, such as relaxation, calming and destressing, release of endorphins, and whatever else happens to the body and brain when slowing down racing minds in our crazy-fast world. That's my theory on it anyhow.
You are smart to realize that you have to figure things out for yourself. This shows that you are a smart young woman who is growing into a wise and well adjusted adult. Glad to have you here.
Godless in the Magnolia State
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U.S. doctors migrating north
By Wendy Glauser
CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal), June 19, 2014
TORONTO -- With the prospect of greater pay, fewer bureaucratic headaches and the opportunity to provide better care for patients, the number of American doctors migrating north is rising, according to Canadian recruiters and Canadian Medical Association data.
Susan Craig, president of the Toronto-based physician recruiter, Susan Craig Associates, said that Canada is becoming "increasingly attractive," while John Philpott, the Halifax-based chief executive director of Can-Am Recruiting, noted "interest is doubling each year for American doctors" seeking to move north.
Increased pay is the main driver of this interest. Philpott said family physicians, pediatricians and psychiatrists can make $100,000 more in Canada, on average, compared to the U.S.
According to data from the Canadian Medical Association, the number of U.S.-trained physicians grew less than 3% from 1996 to 2005 (up from 493 to 506), but jumped 42% from 2006 to 2014 (508 to 721).
The increase would be much higher, however, if estimates distinguished between specialists and family doctors, as the majority of U.S. physicians crossing the border are in family medicine, said Philpott.
In the U.S., thanks to insurance company loopholes and technicalities, American family physicians aren't paid up to 30% of the time, whereas under a single-payer system, only about 2% of his billings don't covered, explained Dr. Sajad Zalzala, a U.S.-trained family physician who moved to Windsor, Ont., in 2012.
Communicating with insurance companies and filing claims is so bewilderingly bureaucratic, in fact, that while "a family physician in Canada can manage with one or two secretaries, in the U.S., one doctor could need 10 secretaries," said the recruiter Susan Craig.
Even referrals are a headache as insurance companies often only pay for specific hospitals and specialists, added Zalzala.
The introduction of Obamacare isn't stemming the tide of U.S. physicians heading North. Quite the opposite, in fact.
"For every problem that Obamacare solves, it creates two to three other problems," said Zalzala. For example, the Blue Cross plan under the Affordable Care Act is different from the Blue Cross employer-paid plan, so doctors will have double the paperwork.
Canadian registration constraints
Depending on the regulations of the provincial Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons, U.S. doctors have to undergo a period of supervision (usually several months to a year) or must complete the Medical Council of Canada exams, or both, to obtain a full license to practice in Canada.
There are numerous procedural delays and doctors often have to show they have a job before they can start the process, which can lead to a period of unemployment, said Dr. Bridget Reidy, who moved north two years ago and has worked as a locum doctor in Prince Edward Island, as a full time physician in Ontario, and is about to start a job in BC.
"I think a lot more doctors would want to work in Canada if [the licensing process] was easier," she said, adding that the barriers are a shame as most provinces "desperately need doctors."
Since the credentials of U.S.-trained doctors are recognized by the Canadian College of Family Physicians (CCFP), Philpott doesn't understand why the provincial colleges put barriers up.
"The provincial colleges are slapping the CCFP in the face," said Philpott. "I guess they feel they have a greater understanding of certification than our own national bodies."
But Craig thinks the supervision is a "wise thing." There are billing practices and different drug names to be learned, and American doctors often feel the need to order more tests — a practice known as defensive medicine — to avoid lawsuits, she said. "In the U.S., they practice fairly intensive defensive medicine and in Canada we don't encourage that."
Another attraction for family doctors is that their work is more valued in Canada, said Reidy, who explained that U.S. patients tend to go to walk-ins or straight to specialists. "There's just not that understanding of the need for someone to be the captain of the outpatient care. Doing proper care becomes more difficult as a result," she said.
Dr. Jack Lucas, who works in forensic psychiatry in New York City and commutes to Owen Sound, Ont., to practice psychiatry two weeks every month, said he appreciates that his Canadian patients can access psychiatric services much more easily than in the U.S., and are supported through social programs rather than being "criminalized" like they are south of the border.
And Zalzala appreciates that the lack of a "defensive medicine" culture. "If I'm worried about missing something, it's because I'll feel terrible for the patient, not because the patient will come back and sue me," he said.


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New-home construction in the U.S. climbed in July, reflecting a rebound in multifamily projects that overshadowed a slowdown in single-family properties.
Housing starts climbed 5.9% to an 896,000 annualized rate from a revised 846,000 pace in June that was higher than previously reported, figures from the Commerce Department showed today in Washington. The median estimate of 82 economists surveyed by Bloomberg was for a 900,000 rate. Multifamily construction surged 26%, while work began on 2.2% fewer single-family homes.
Builders may be limiting supply amid a shortage of lots and materials as they try to boost prices and revenue in an industry that has supported growth. Further gains in employment will be needed to help sustain demand and make up for the jump in interest rates that is hurting affordability.
"Things are still far better than they were a year ago, but it feels like progress has stalled out for a little while," said Stephen Stanley, chief economist at Pierpont Securities LLC in Stamford Connecticut, who projected starts would rise to a 900,000 pace. Builders will eventually "expand operations, they'll hire workers and get more aggressive. At the moment they're happy to keep the market tightly supplied because that allows them to raise prices."
Productivity Climbs
Another report today showed the productivity of U.S. workers rose in the second quarter, rebounding from the biggest back-to-back declines since 1993. The measure of employee output per hour increased at a 0.9% annualized rate after 1.7% decreases in each of the prior two quarters, according to Labor Department data.
Also today, a report from Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan showed consumer confidence unexpectedly dropped in August from a six-year high as Americans faced rising interest rates. The group's preliminary sentiment index fell to 80 from 85.1 in July, which was the highest since July 2007. The median projection of 68 economists surveyed by Bloomberg called for little change at 85.2. The decline this month was the biggest since December.
Stocks fluctuated between gains and losses after the reports. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was up less than 0.1% to 1,662.73 at 10:39 a.m. in New York after suffering its biggest drop in two months yesterday.
Survey Results
Estimates for housing starts in the Bloomberg survey ranged from 815,000 to 1.05 million following a June pace that was first reported as 836,000.
Building permits climbed 2.7% in July to a 943,000 annualized rate, again paced by a jump in multifamily. They were projected to rise to 945,000 within a range of 885,000 to 1 million, after a previously reported reading of 918,000.
Building applications for single-family projects exceeded the number of starts, signaling some scope for a pickup in construction in coming months.
Construction of single-family houses decreased to a 591,000 rate, the fewest since November, today's report showed. Work on multifamily homes, such as apartment buildings, climbed to a 305,000 rate. Work on these projects is often volatile, with last month's surge following a 24.8% plunge in June.
Three of four regions had an increase in starts last month, led by a 40.2% jump in the Northeast, according to the report. Construction dropped 7% in the South.
On a year-to-year basis, total housing starts were up 20.9% in July.
Copyright 2014 Bloomberg. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


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Environmental Studies and Policy Collection
Providing robust coverage of the field of environmental issues and policy, this collection, which includes nearly 200 journals, provides instant access to the multiple viewpoints of this volatile field of study, including perspectives from the scientific community, governmental policy makers, as well as corporate interests.
From arts and the humanities to social sciences, science and technology, this database meets research needs across all academic disciplines. Access scholarly journals, magazines and newspapers - with full text and images!
Flipster is a next-generation digital magazine solution that makes it easy for you to read your favorite magazines on your computer or mobile device. The Library offers access to 26 popular titles, including The New Yorker, People, Entertainment Weekly, Dwell and Sports Illustrated. Flipster is available outside the library to Norwood residents with a library card.
Gardening, Landscape and Horticulture Collection
A collection of more than 80 journals focused on key issues in gardening, landscaping, and other areas of horticulture, with the addition of over 20 subject specific reference sources from Delmar, this collection provides information for gardening enthusiasts and professionals alike.
General OneFile is a one-stop source for news and periodical articles, including most of the content across all Thomson/Gale databases. OneFile contains over 5,000 full-text periodical titles, and more than 9,200 titles in all, on a wide range of topics.
Global Issues in Context offers international viewpoints on a broad spectrum of global issues, topics, and current events. Featured are hundreds of continuously updated issue and country portals that bring together a variety of specially selected, highly relevant sources for analysis of social, political, military, economic, environmental, health, and cultural issues. Each of these gateway pages includes an overview, unique "perspectives" articles written by local experts, reference, periodical, primary source and statistical information. Rich multimedia - including podcasts, video, and interactive graphs - enhance each portal. Use Browse Issues and Topics, Country Finder, Basic Search or Advanced Search to explore the database.
Health and Wellness Resource Center
Provides instant access to carefully compiled and trusted medical reference materials. Includes nearly 400 health/medical journals, numerous reference volumes, over 700 health videos from partner Healthology, Inc., hundreds of pamphlets and health-related articles from 2,200 general interest publications in addition to a broad collection of Gale reference titles. Material contained in this Resource Center is intended for informational purposes only.
Health Reference Center Academic
Use this database to find articles on: Fitness, Pregnancy, Medicine, Nutrition, Diseases, Public Health, Occupational Health & Safety, Alcohol and Drug Abuse, HMOs, Prescription Drugs, etc. The material contained in this database is intended for informational purposes only.
HeritageQuest Online is a digital resource that combines searchable images of U.S. federal genealogical census records with digitized books containing family and local histories from around the country. It includes 25,000 family and local history books, U.S. census records, and PERSI, an index of over 1.6 million genealogy and local history articles.
hoopla is a way to borrow free digital video, music and audiobooks with your library card. Gain access to thousands of titles – available for instant streaming or temporarily download – and watch on your smartphone, tablet or computer. There's no waiting to borrow and hoopla digital's automatic return eliminates all late fees. To get started, simply create an account with your library card number.
Historical Boston Globe, 1872-1979
The Historical Boston Globe (1872-1979) offers full page and article images with searchable full text back to the first issue. The collection includes digital reproductions providing access to every page from every available issue. The Historical Boston Globe gives researchers quick, accurate Web access to rich newspaper coverage of the Northeast. Complete coverage from 1872-1979.
Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure Collection
With current and relevant content from over 500 industry journals, this collection provides well-rounded coverage of both the historical and current state of affairs in the hospitality and tourism field, while also allowing for focused study of specialized aspects of the industry including cultural aspects of travel, leisure activities, economic aspects of tourism, and more.
This innovative full-text newspaper resource allows users to search articles instantly by title, headline, date, author, newspaper section or other fields, eliminating random searching through newspaper archives. InfoTrac Newsstand provides access to more than 1,100 major U.S. regional, national and local newspapers as well as leading titles from around the world. It also includes thousands of images, radio and TV broadcasts and transcripts.
Kanopy is an on-demand streaming video service that works directly with filmmakers and film distribution companies to offer thousands of award-winning documentaries, training films and theatrical releases across diverse subjects and disciplines. Kanopy provides access to more than 26,000 films and documentaries from a variety of independent filmmakers and distributors, including the BBC, PBS and the Criterion Collection.
Kids InfoBits targets the research needs of students in Kindergarten through Grade 5. It features a developmentally appropriate and visual graphic interface, a subject-based topic tree search and full-text, age-appropriate, curriculum-related magazine and reference content.
Find up-to-date biographical information, overviews, full-text literary criticism and reviews on more than 130,000 writers in all disciplines, from all time periods and from around the world.
Mango is designed to equip you with conversational abilities from the very start. Whether you're learning how to order a pizza or ask when the game starts, Mango immerses you in real, everyday conversations in a wide variety of foreign languages. It also features ESL instruction in English, tailored for speakers of more than a dozen languages.
Morningstar Investment Research Center
Comprehensive and up-to-date financial information on stocks, mutual funds and exchange-traded funds. Use the "Help & Education" tab to access the User's Guide and investor education resources.
Access provided by the Minuteman Library Network
Enjoy free access to NYTimes.com. For both in-library and home access, create an account and log in using that account. Coverage includes 1981 to Current, plus historic coverage 1851-1922. Home Access includes NY Times App and 5 Premium Archive (1923-1980) articles per day. For more information see Minuteman's NY Times FAQ
This database includes full-text of the New York Times from January 1, 1985 to the present.
Find full-text articles on local news, issues, events, people and much more from current and archived issues of Norwood Transcript & Bulletin
NoveList is an electronic readers' advisory resource which assists fiction readers in finding new authors and titles. Through its attractive and easy-to-use interface, NoveList allows readers to use a favorite author or title as a template to locate other authors and titles of interest. Readers can also enter words that describe the contents of a book they would like to read, and NoveList retrieves titles that contain these words in the book's subject headings field. In addition, users can browse over 1,200 theme-oriented book lists, 150 award lists and 1,000 fiction related web-sites. NoveList contains materials for all ages including picture books, children's "chapter" books, young adult titles and books for adult readers. The product's database provides enhanced subject access to over 92,000 fiction titles. Updated quarterly, the NoveList database integrates information from a variety of sources.
Nursing and Allied Health Collection Resource Center
All aspects of the Nursing profession from direct patient care to health care administration are covered in this collection. Including nearly 400 titles, this collection's current and authoritative content will be of use to both professionals already working in the field as well as students pursuing a nursing-focused curriculum
Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine Collection
This collection includes over 100 titles covering the fields of physical therapy and sports medicine, providing researchers with access to topics discussed in the field, including proven treatment techniques, experimental research theses, and many more.
Search multiple Gale Cengage databases at the same time
Gale PowerSearch is a platform unlike any other, providing libraries with a sophisticated, yet simple, solution for managing a wealth of periodical, reference and primary source information. Moreover, PowerSearch provides your patrons with access to all the Gale content in your library's collection through one, single search query.
Gale PowerSearch helps users select the databases most appropriate to include in a cross-search by providing an alphabetical listing along with a description of each one. Users search with the method that's easiest for them - by entering keywords, using pre-defined subject terms or constructing complex search queries using Boolean logic. Below the search term field, users will find a list of Gale databases so they can simply select as many databases as they want to include in their search. The database from which each document is found appears as part of the search results.
(Research In Context incorporates content from five Gale resources, Discovering Collection, Junior Reference Collection, Student Resource Center Jr., InfoTrac Junior Edition, and InfoTrac Junior Graphic Edition)
Reasearch in Context covers the most-studied topics in literature, science, social studies, and U.S. and world history, as well as the social issues most relevant to this age group. It features:
Best of all, Gale's Research In Context supports students' workflow with a mobile-responsive design, optimized for any device and screen size, allowing students to search and find information easily on computers, tablets, and smartphones.
(formerly Science Resource Center)
Science in Context provides topic overviews, experiments, biographies, pictures and illustrations, as well as articles from over 200 magazines and academic journals and links to quality web sites. The database covers curriculum-related science topics, and offers teachers an easy-to-use tool to identify content directly correlated to state and national standards.
Small Business Resource Center
Small Business Resource Center is a comprehensive database that covers all aspects of starting and operating a business, including accounting, finance, human resources, management, marketing, tax, and more. It combines authoritative periodical and reference content to support prospective and current entrepreneurs as well as business students. Experience an easy-to-browse interface mapped to four key stages - plan, fund, start, and manage - to fit your research needs at any point in your business's development.
This database is designed for high school students, with access to a variety of indexed and full-text magazines, newspapers and reference books for information on current events, the arts, science, popular culture, health, people, government, history, sports and more.
TumbleBookLibrary is an online collection of TumbleBooks animated, talking picture books which teach kids the joy of reading in a format they'll love. TumbleBooks are created by adding animation, sound, music and narration to existing picture books in order to produce an electronic picture book which you can read, or have read to you.
The TumbleBookLibrary is a collection of licensed titles from children's book publishers such as Simon & Schuster, Chronicle Books, Candlewick Press, Charlesbridge Press, Harcourt, Little Brown, Walker & Company, Lerner Books, and HarperCollins Publishers, amongst others.
U.S. History in Context is an engaging online experience for those seeking contextual information on hundreds of the most significant people, events and topics in U.S. History. The new solution merges Gale's authoritative reference content with full-text magazines, academic journals, news articles, primary source documents, images, videos, audio files and links to vetted websites organized into a user-friendly portal experience.
Vocations and Careers Collection
Finding the right career can be a daunting and high stakes task: finding an appropriate institution of learning, job searching, and maintaining a career are all topics covered by this collection, providing current and applicable content for all vocational milestones. Offering content from nearly 400 journals, this collection provides content from general career guides to highly specialized industry journals.
World History in Context is an engaging online experience for those seeking contextual information on hundreds of the most significant people, events and topics in World History. The new solution merges Gale's authoritative reference content with full-text magazines, academic journals, news articles, primary source documents, images, videos, audio files and links to vetted websites organized into a user-friendly portal experience.
OCLC catalog of books and other materials in libraries worldwide.
For home access try the free version at http://www.worldcat.org


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There's a new scandal brewing amongst the Real Housewives of New Jersey and it involves the 9 year-old daughter of Teresa Giudice.
Though the 2nd season of the New Jersey Housewives doesn't premiere until May 3rd, Bravo has supplied certain media outlets with the season premiere episode and Teresa's 9 year-old daughter, Gia Giudice, is seen making racist anti-Semitic comments.
According to HollywoodLife, Gia, 9, is seen saying she'd never marry a Jewish guy and goes on to make a gesture mocking Hasidic Jews' long, curly hair when referring to Jewish people. When Teresa was asked about her daughter's comments during an April 20th interview, she snapped, "I can't control what my daughter says. Kids say dumb things … what, am I going to be crucified for it?"
No, Teresa cannot control what her daughter says, but the bigger question is where did her daughter learn this language and behavior from? I think from her home and parents would be a good guess. This will likely spark a major controversy once the new season premieres.
Teresa then goes on to defend her husband, Joe Giudice, who was arrested for a DUI back in January. "He was two seconds from home and he closed his eyes for two seconds and yawned when he was turning the bend," said Teresa. "It's pretty sad you can't have one drink … everybody does it. I know he was not drunk at all."
Click The Read More Button For A Photo of Teresa, Gia and her husband Joe –


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NHIAA Wrestling: Central takes Winnacunnet Invitational
January 26. 2013 9:30PM
The Manchester Central High School wrestling team posted victories in three weight classes and won the Winnacunnet Invitational on Saturday afternoon in Hampton.
Kyle Peterson (132 pounds), Keaton Peterson (138 pounds) and Azalkhan Sarvalov (145 pounds) were Central's individual winners. The Little Green earned 149.5 points in the 15-team meet. Nashua North (140.5), Exeter (132), Londonderry (121) and Milford (109) rounded out the top five.
After posting victories over Merrimack's CJ Prouty and Milford's Devin Dolliver, Kyle Peterson's biggest challenge came in the finals against Timberlane's Derek Bohle. Bohle posted a 4-2 triumph over Peterson en route to the 132-pound title in last weekend's Timberlane Invitational, but Peterson had seven takedowns and earned a 17-7 victory Saturday.
Keaton Peterson's run to the 138-pound championship included a first period technical-fall victory (19-4) over Rob Hamblet of St. Thomas Aquinas; a victory by pin against Exeter's Brandon Cammett; and a pin of Pelham's Kevin Deangelo at 1:34 of the first period to win the title.
Keaton Peterson was named the Outstanding Wrestler of the Tournament.
Sarvalov prevailed at 142 pounds by pinning Pelham's Jason Gleason, Nashua South's Zach Seppi and Timberlane's Brian Lonergan. Sarvalov, who is undefeated against New Hampshire wrestlers, also finished first in his weight class at last weekend's Timberlane Invitational.
Other Little Green wrestlers who placed in the tournament were senior Kenton Thomson-Kennedy, who took third at 126 pounds; Nathan Boilard, who was fourth at 152; Gino Otero, who was fourth at 160; and John Howard, who was fourth in the heavyweight division.
Londonderry's top-five finish was powered by second-place finishes from Ryan Cabezas (120 pounds), Jake Barr (126 pounds), Jon Young (152 pounds) and Richard Bilodeau (170 pounds). The Lancers also received third-place performances from Amir Daouk (106 pounds) and John Disessa (182 pounds).


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At TechEd 2010, I had the opportunity to sit down with Kevin Kline, strategy manager for SQL Server at Quest Software, and Brent Ozar, a SQL Server DBA expert for Quest Software, to discuss the trends they're seeing in the SQL Server community. They've offered their views on SQL Server virtualization, cloud computing, NoSQL, and solid state disk (SSD) storage so far. Now, in the final part of this series, let's take a look at Brent and Kevin's thoughts on SQL Server 2008 R2. (You can see the previous four parts of this series on the Database Administration blog.)
Megan Keller: What are your thoughts on SQL Server 2008 R2 migration?
Kevin Kline: Actually, I was surprised. I didn't think many people would jump on it, and the exact opposite was the case. There was more interest in moving to it than I had seen with SQL Server 2008, and that puzzled me, so I asked around and talked to a lot of customers. What it was was a lot of them felt like SQL Server 2008 was a little too fast for them. The three year, 24/36 month kind of release cycle, well with the CTPs coming out, they were hearing about it like 18 months after SQL Server 2005 shipped. So what happened was a lot of people I think waited on SQL Server 2008 in anticipation of SQL Server 2008 R2, so they're like, "Okay now we're ready; now that we're at SQL Server 2008 R2 we're ready." I think Microsoft is probably already in tune with the idea that, like with Oracle, a lot of people will skip releases, and I think we're going to see folks doing that a lot more frequently. Two things: Uptake has been really good with SQL Server 2008 R2; I'm also seeing a lot of migration from other platforms.
Brent Ozar: So why do you think they're migrating?
Kline: I actually did a blog post, it was a magazine article, about how we have a database oligopoly. You remember that from Economics 101? When you have just two or three companies dominating the business, just like when we had three big carmakers years ago when I was a kid, if one of them raised their prices, the other two did, too, immediately. Oracle announced a price increase in the summer of last year, June; Microsoft announced a price increase on all of their products at the PASS event. But they're still incredibly affordable compared to Oracle compared to DB2. But we see them all kind of moving in lockstep with price increases; one does it, two or three months later another one will do it. Licensing is just so inexpensive, even with the price increases on SQL Server.
Keller: And a lot of people on other database platforms are already using Microsoft's business intelligence tools. So if they move to SQL Server they can have full support over their entire environment.
Ozar: I'm intrigued to see how the market reacts to the SAP/Sybase thing. We used SQL Server for a while there, it looked like it was going to be the default platform for all of the SAP installations, and you know we had the BI stack, and that was kind of an awkward dance because they had Business Objects. But now I have to think it's on like Donkey Kong with SAP buying Sybase and having Business Objects. And everybody I know who's doing SSRS implementations is seeing more people leave Business Objects and come to the SQL Server stack because the pricing is just so affordable for SQL Server relative to the other guys.
Keller: When I started at SQL Server Magazine, almost 5 years ago, Crystal Reports was talked about more than SSRS. Now I hear people asking, what's Crystal Reports?
Kline: And let's go ahead and say it explicitly too, just to make sure that we've got it on the table—not only is it just pricing, but it's, to me, the huge advantage of everything in the box. You get replication, you get high availability and mirroring, you get filestreams, you get Reporting Services, you get Analysis Services. When you buy from the other vendors, every one of those things is another license that you have to pay for; one more thing that has to be audited and kept in maintenance. The costs multiple themselves.
Ozar: It was interesting to see in SQL Server 2008 R2 the number of products that they started throwing into the box, too. So you had StreamInsight, master data services. And what I'm not seeing is people knocking the doors down to get to those products. I'm not seeing people say, "I got to get me R2 so that I can get me some of the master data services." I'm not seeing that. I think that they're seeing SQL Server 2008 R2 as more stable, not that SQL Server 2008 was unstable but it's just an even more stable 2008. It has some cool BI stuff in the box in the form of PowerPivot, but I'm not seeing people go wild and crazy over these additional features, so that's kind of interesting to see that they're continuing to throw stuff in the box.
Keller: If people aren't quick to pick these features up now, will they pick them up the next version?
Ozar: If I was a DBA and I was looking at long-term future features, I would implement SQL Server 2008 R2 everywhere today. I would have complete comfort in doing that, but I would look very strongly as far as where I go for the next version more toward the cloud and say what does this have to offer me, and look at where that goes. SQL Server 2008 R2's a fantastic release; I would love to see engine improvements—I haven't seen a good T-SQL improvement in quite a while and that bums me out as a T-SQL guy. But what really intrigues me more now is the cloud, and I'm really more curious to see where that goes.


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MIAMI (AP) - Chris has become the Atlantic Ocean's first hurricane of the season far from land.
Forecasters at the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami say Chris's top sustained winds have increased to 75 mph (120 kph), and it's moving to the northeast at 20 mph (32 kph).
On Thursday morning, its center was located about 625 miles (1,005 km) southeast of Cape Race Newfoundland.
The storm is expected to weaken over the next 48 hours.
The hurricane center says there are no hazards affecting land, and the forecast map predicts that it will stay out to sea over the next few days.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)


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ONLY poems listed here or in the current printed anthology are eligible for the 2018-2019 competition.
What People are Saying
"I went in expecting to lend my voice to the poetry, but found that it was a two-way exchange: the poetry lent its voice to me, as well."
Megan Kim