Sublime

The sacking of Babylon by the beast and his allies alludes to the contemporary myth of the return of Nero to destroy Rome. It is an image of the self-destructive nature of evil, which on the level of theological meaning is not inconsistent with the idea of the destruction of evil by divine judgment but presents it under another aspect. The fire of

22 “Have you entered the storehouses of the snow, or have you seen the storehouses of the hail, 23 which I have reserved for the time of trouble, for the day of battle and war? 24 What is the way to the place where the light is distributed, or where the east wind is scattered upon the earth?

Matthew 23:37

Jeremiah, contradicts both the Babylonians’ strategy and the false prophet’s counsel.

The potential confusion here involves presuming that “the angel of the bottomless pit” (Abaddon/Apollyon) is the same angel mentioned in verse 1, who “was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit.” They are not the same figure.5 Further, the angel with the key to the bottomless pit should not be considered an evil divine being.

Balaam sets out on his journey, then the Angel of the LORD shows up (likely Jesus), but He’s only visible to Balaam’s donkey.