Revelation 18

Revelation 18:1

18:1 Chapter 18 consists primarily of a funeral song, celebrating the fall of Babylon. As mentioned, this refers to the harlot church which is not only a vast religious system but perhaps the greatest commercial establishment in the world. It apparently controls the world market. When another angel with great authority comes down from heaven to break the news, it is as if the lights go on. His glory illuminates the earth. 18:2 Babylon the great has fallen and its ruins have become the haunt for demons, every foul spirit, and unclean, hateful birds. 18:3 The reason for her fall is the utter corruption she has practiced with the nations and their merchants. She has made all the nations drunk with her passionate fornication. 18:4 Another voice from heaven warns God’s people to come out of the doomed system on the eve of its destruction. Intercourse with her would mean sharing her plagues. 18:5, 6 Her sins have piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities, and is lashing out against them. She is to receive double payment for her wicked deeds, not from God’s people, but from the angel who is the instrument of His vengeance. 18:7 Her torment and sorrow will be proportionate to her self-aggrandizement and luxurious lifestyle. She thinks of herself as queen, sitting on top of everything and safe from sorrow. 18:8 Her judgment will come in one day and will involve death and mourning and famine. It is the mighty Lord God who will punish her with fire. 18:9, 10 The kings of the earth will lament over the burning of their former mistress. Their mourning, however, is not unselfish. They sorrow over the loss of pleasure and luxury. Standing at a distance, they marvel at the extent of her torment and the suddenness of her end. 18:11-13 The merchants mourn principally because their hope of gain is gone. No one buys their merchandise anymore. The list of products in which Babylon traded seems to compass world trade: precious metals, jewelry, fabrics, wood, ivory, bronze, iron, marble, spices, perfumes, wine, oil, grains, livestock, chariots, and bodies and souls of men. Both the apostate church and the business world are guilty of trafficking in the souls of men, the church by the sale of indulgences, etc., and the business world by exploitation. 18:14 The businessmen, addressing the fallen system, lament that its hoped-for profits have vanished, and its riches and splendor have disappeared suddenly and forever. 18:15, 16 Like the kings, the merchants … stand aghast, weeping and wailing that such profits were lost in an hour. They recount the former luxury of the city, how the people were finely clothed and adorned with jewels. 18:17, 18 Now all that opulence has suddenly come to nothing, and the threat of a great depression hangs low. Those engaged in maritime commerce stand at a distance and cry, What could ever compare with this great city?18:19 They throw dust on their heads, weep and wail over the city that had enriched the world maritime industry and now is ruined in one hour. 18:20 But while all these godless tears are being shed on earth, there is great rejoicing in heaven. At last God has avenged His saints (NKJV margin), apostles, and prophets. He has judged Babylon for the way she treated His people. 18:21 A mighty angel throws a stone like a great millstone … into the sea, a graphic picture of the final doom of Babylon. 18:22 The sound of its former activities, whether music, manufacturing, or milling is silenced forever. 18:23 Every light is extinguished and never again will the joy of a wedding be present. Why? Because Babylon’s leaders hoodwinked all the nations with their sorcery. 18:24 She was guilty of the blood of God’s saints, of all believers who were slain for their faith. Now He is rewarding her in full measure.