Revelation 18: The Fall of Babylon

• v.1-3 Lament Over Fallen Babylon
• v.4-8 Warning to Escape Babylon’s Judgment
• v.9-20 Threefold Woe Over Babylon’s Fall
• v.21-24 The Finality of Babylon’s Doom

v.1-3 Lament Over Fallen Babylon

v.1 After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor.

v.2 With a mighty voice he shouted: “‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!’ [Isa 21:9] She has become a dwelling for demons and a haunt for every impure spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable animal.

v.3 For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries.”

[Note: Another great angel comes down to proclaim God’s will over the earth and he declares Babylon’s end, because she has led astray the whole earth.]

v.4-8 Warning to Escape Babylon’s Judgment

v.4,5 Then I heard another voice from heaven say: “‘Come out of her, my people,’ so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues; for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes.

v.6 Give back to her as she has given; pay her back double for what she has done. Pour her a double portion from her own cup.

v.7 Give her as much torment and grief as the glory and luxury she gave herself. In her heart she boasts, ‘I sit enthroned as queen. I am not a widow; I will never mourn.’

v.8 Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her: death, mourning and famine. She will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.

[Note: A further call comes to God’s people – who are clearly still on the earth – to remain distinct from all unbelievers to avoid the judgment coming on the ‘woman’ [Jer. 51:45]. She will be paid back double for her sins and the judgments will match in amount the glory she gave herself, [See Isa 47:7,8] therefore destruction will come speedily.]

v.9-20 Threefold Woe Over Babylon’s Fall

v.9 “When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn over her.

v.10 Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off and cry: “‘Woe! Woe to you, great city, you mighty city of Babylon! In one hour your doom has come!’ [1]

v.11-13 “The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes anymore— cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble; cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and human beings sold as slaves.

v.14 “They will say, ‘The fruit you longed for is gone from you. All your luxury and splendor have vanished, never to be recovered.’

v.15,16 The merchants who sold these things and gained their wealth from her will stand far off, terrified at her torment. They will weep and mourn and cry out: “‘Woe! Woe to you, great city, dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet, and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls!
v.17 In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin!’ [2] “Every sea captain, and all who travel by ship, the sailors, and all who earn their living from the sea, will stand far off.

v.18 When they see the smoke of her burning, they will exclaim, ‘Was there ever a city like this great city?’

v.19  They will throw dust on their heads, and with weeping and mourning cry out: “‘Woe! Woe to you, great city, where all who had ships on the sea became rich through her wealth! In one hour she has been brought to ruin!’ [3]

v.20 “Rejoice over her, you heavens!  Rejoice, you people of God! Rejoice, apostles and prophets! For God has judged her with the judgment she imposed on you.”

[Note: Her fall will be mourned by many and they will cry out acknowledging her judgment. Economies of all sorts will fall. Their end will be acknowledged and traders will be in mourning, and all distributors will be in mourning and they will mourn her past glory and be in deep anguish. The people of God are called to rejoice, recognizing that justice in respect of them has come.]

v.21-24 The Finality of Babylon’s Doom

v.21 Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone and threw it into the sea, and said: “With such violence the great city of Babylon will be thrown down, never to be found again.

v.22 The music of harpists and musicians, pipers and trumpeters, will never be heard in you again.
No worker of any trade will ever be found in you again. The sound of a millstone will never be heard in you again.

v.23 The light of a lamp will never shine in you again. The voice of bridegroom and bride will never be heard in you again. Your merchants were the world’s important people. By your magic spell all the nations were led astray.

v.24 In her was found the blood of prophets and of God’s holy people, of all who have been slaughtered on the earth.”

[Note: There will be a demonstration of her fall and silence will fall on her as darkness falls on her and she gets what she deserved for killing God’s people.]

[Additional; Note/Summary: First a reminder of how chapters 17 & 18 fit together:

• Revelation 17: Babylon, the Prostitute on the Beast
  • introductions to these enemy activities
• Revelation 18: The Fall of Babylon
  • the destruction of this ungodly and righteous activity on the earth

Without going deeply into the subject of interpretation of the various prophetic symbols or beings in these chapters, may we suggest the following that appear to us to come out of these chapters:

• The impact that comes through these chapters is of powers, organizations, kingdoms or whatever other expressions of corporate humanity that could be considered.
• But it’s not merely about human godless and unrighteous endeavors, for the mention earlier of the Dragon (Satan) and then a great beast (later seen in chapter 17 as the support or vehicle for the Woman, Babylon) and later a secondary beast known as the False Prophet, all suggest satanic or demonic powers or influences bearing down on godless and sinful humanity who go on to accept and even worship these beings or entities.
• The ‘beasts’ thus seem to be human activities empowered and motivated by Satanic forces. What we have been seeing in these later chapters is the way mankind has been going while the earlier noted judgments fell.
• These later chapters are thus explanations of the forces underpinning, motivating and during godless mankind throughout this period, energizing godless mankind to resist and reject God despite the obvious nature of the judgments (see 16:9,11)
• Babylon appears to represent a mixture of godlessness and unrighteousness mixed with spiritual rebellion against God, especially in the way the world runs itself, perhaps [going by the language used] especially in respect of the world economy.]

For those who may wish to make a study of this chapter, to perhaps think some more about what you have been reading, use the link below: