How does Revelation 18:6 connect with Old Testament teachings on divine justice? Revelation 18:6—A Snapshot of Justice “Give back to her as she has done to others; pay her back double for what she has done; mix her a double portion from her own cup.” Measure-for-Measure in the Law • Exodus 21:23-25—“eye for eye, tooth for tooth” establishes proportionate retaliation. • Leviticus 24:19-20 and Deuteronomy 19:19-21 repeat the same standard. • Principle: whatever a person inflicts, the same is returned—exactly what John records for end-time Babylon. Double Restitution in the Torah • Exodus 22:4, 7, 9—thieves “must pay double.” • Isaiah 40:2—Jerusalem “received…double for all her sins.” • Revelation 18:6 borrows this legal language: Babylon’s crimes call for twice the penalty, underscoring God’s perfect equity. Prophetic Calls to Repay Babylon • Jeremiah 50:15—“take vengeance upon her; do to her as she has done to others.” • Jeremiah 51:6, 24—“He will pay her what she deserves.” • Obadiah 15—“As you have done, it will be done to you.” • These passages set the precedent that Revelation now finalizes. The Cup of Wrath Motif • Psalm 75:8—“a cup…all the wicked of the earth drink it.” • Isaiah 51:17—Jerusalem had drunk “the cup of His wrath.” • Jeremiah 25:15-16—nations forced to drink “this cup of the wine of wrath.” • Revelation 18:6—Babylon must drink from “her own cup,” proving the OT image is fulfilled literally in the last days. Vengeance Belongs to the LORD • Deuteronomy 32:35—“Vengeance is Mine; I will repay.” • Revelation 18:6 shows that repayment executed in history’s climax, validating God’s sovereign promise. Key Threads That Tie It All Together • God’s justice is retributive, precise, and sometimes doubled when offenses are grievous. • The same standards given at Sinai and preached by the prophets govern the final judgment. • Babylon’s sentence assures believers that oppression will not stand; wrongs will be righted in God’s timing and by God’s hand. |
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