The Fall of Babylon (Revelation 18:1-24)

OPEN IT

1. Why do you think many people enjoy seeing the rich, the great, and the famous toppled from their lofty pedestals?

EXPLORE IT

2. What amazing sight did John see? (Rev.18:1)

3. How did John describe the angel he saw come down from heaven? (Rev.18:1)

4. What pronouncement did the angel bring? (Rev.18:2)

5. Why did the angel say that Babylon was being judged? (Rev.18:3)

6. What did a voice from heaven urge? (Rev.18:4)

7. What specific message of judgment did the angel bring concerning Babylon’s sins? (Rev.18:5,8)

8. How will the fall of Babylon affect rulers and merchants all over the earth? (Rev.18:9,11,15)

9. What will happen to Babylon’s wealth? (Rev.18:10-19)

10. Why will the merchants be upset? (Rev.18:11-13,15)

11. Why will the sea captains and sailors be upset over the destruction of Babylon? (Rev.18:17-19)

12. Why will Babylon be judged? (Rev.18:20)

13. What instructions did the angel give for heaven and its inhabitants? (Rev.18:20)

14. Near the end of his vision of Babylon’s fall, what did a mighty angel do? (Rev.18:21)

15. What did the mighty angel’s action illustrate? (Rev.18:21)

16. How will Babylon be judged? (Rev.18:22-23)

17. What symbol of violence was found in Babylon? (Rev.18:24)

GET IT

18. In what ways can we become ensnared by wealth?

19. What can we do to avoid being slaves to money?

APPLY IT

20. What is one step you can take today to put things and money in proper perspective?

Commentary

Babylon will have received plenty of warnings of its impending doom by the occurrence of the events of chapter 18. The 144,000 Jewish evangelists, the two witnesses, the rest of the redeemed, and an angel flying in the heavens will have proclaimed the gospel message. That message includes the truth that God will judge those who refuse to repent. In addition, earlier in the Tribulation an angel specifically warned of Babylon’s impending doom, crying out “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who has made all the nations drink of the wine of the passion of her immorality” (Rev.14:8). The angel spoke of Babylon’s yet future fall as if it had already happened, emphasizing the certainty of its doom. But despite the repeated warnings, the people of the world will refuse to repent (Rev.9:20-21; 16:9, 11), and God’s judgment will fall on Babylon. 

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! 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.” (Rev.18:1-3)

This solemn opening pronouncement of judgment gives two reasons for Babylon’s impending destruction: pervasive demonic activity and wretched sensuality. As it often does in Revelation (Rev.4:1; 7:9; 15:5; 19:1), the phrase after these things marks the beginning of a new vision. While still discussing the general theme of Antichrist’s world empire, destroyed finally by the seven bowl judgments (chap. 16), chapter 18 moves from its religious aspects to its commercial aspects. As this new vision opened, John saw another angel, distinct from the one in Rev.17:1. Some view this angel as Christ, but the use of allos (another of the same kind) instead of heteros (another of a different kind) indicates that this is an angel of the same type as the one in (Rev.17:1. He may be the angel who had earlier predicted Babylon’s downfall (Rev.14:8). Three features in the text reveal his unusual power and importance.

First, he came down from heaven with great authority. He left the presence of God with delegated authority to act on God’s behalf. Second, when he arrived, the earth was illumined with his glory. He will make his dramatic appearance onto a darkened stage, for the fifth bowl will have plunged the world into darkness (Rev.16:10). Manifesting the flashing brilliance of a glorious heavenly being against the blackness, the angel will be an awe-inspiring sight to the shocked and terrified earth dwellers. Third, the angel cried out with a mighty voice. No one will be able to ignore him; everyone will hear him as well as see him. His message will add to the consternation and terror caused by his appearance. It will be a word of woe, ill tidings for Antichrist and his followers: “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!” The judgment predicted in Rev.14:8 will now be carried out. 

The first cause given for Babylon’s destruction is that she has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit (a synonym for demons, Rev.16:13-14). It was in the vicinity of Babylon that 200 million formerly bound demons were released at the sounding of the sixth trumpet (Rev.9:13-16). They, along with the demons released from the abyss at the sounding of the fifth trumpet (Rev.9:1-11), those cast from heaven with Satan (Rev.12:4, 9), and those previously on earth, will be confined in Babylon. God will, so to speak, gather all the rotten eggs into one basket before disposing of them. Babylon will also be a prison of every unclean and hateful bird. That phrase symbolizes the city’s total destruction (Isa. 34:11). Like grotesque carrion birds, the demons will hover over the doomed city, waiting for its fall. The depiction of the demons as unclean and hateful reflects heaven’s view of them.

Babylon’s destruction will also come because 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. Antichrist’s evil religious and commercial empire will spread its hellish influence on all the nations of the world. Having drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality (Rev.14:8; 17:2), the people of the world will fall into a religious and materialistic stupor. The all-encompassing terms all the nations, the kings of the earth, and the merchants of the earth reveal that Babylon will seduce the entire world. The unregenerate people of the world will lust for Babylon, passionately desiring to commit acts of spiritual immorality with her. Likewise, the merchants of the earth will have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality. In the beginning, the world will cash in on Babylon’s financial prosperity.

I heard another voice from heaven, saying, “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues; for her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.” (Rev.18:4-5)

God’s judgment on this commercially prosperous but morally bankrupt society can be avoided, as another voice from heaven makes clear. The use of allos (another of the same kind) suggests that the speaker is an angel like the one in verse 1. The message he proclaims, “Come out of her, my people,” is a call for God’s people to disentangle themselves from the world system. It may also be an evangelistic call to God’s elect to come to faith in Christ and come out of Satan’s kingdom (Col. 1:13). In both cases, the message is to abandon the system.

Throughout the terrifying judgments of the Tribulation, God will save people. The result of the gospel preaching by the 144,000 Jewish evangelists, the two witnesses, and an angel flying in midheaven will be the greatest harvest of souls the world has ever known (Rev.7:9). Many of these believers will be martyred for their faith in Christ when they refuse to take the mark of the beast (Rev.13:15-16). The survivors will face powerful temptations to participate in the system. Family and friends will no doubt pressure them to save themselves by accepting the mark of the beast. The need to obtain the basic necessities of life will also pressure them to conform to the system (Rev.13:17).

Believers are to flee Babylon so that they will not participate in her sins. The materialistic, pleasure-mad, demon-infested city of Babylon will exert an almost irresistible influence on believers to participate in her sins. Like Joseph (Gen. 39:7-12; 1 Cor. 10:14; 1 Tim. 6:11; 2 Tim. 2:22) they must flee to avoid succumbing to “the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life” (1 John 2:16). God’s people must also flee Babylon, so they do not receive of her plagues; specific judgments on Babylon, in conjunction with the outpouring of the seventh bowl (Rev.16:17-19).

Finally, believers must flee Babylon because her sins have piled up as high as heaven (Jer. 51:9). Babylon’s sins will pile up like a new Tower of Babel (Gen. 11:3-4), but unlike the ancient tower, her sins will reach as high as heaven. Then the angel adds that God has remembered her iniquities (Rev.16:19). He will take note of them as He did that earlier monument to man’s sinful, arrogant, prideful rebellion at Babel. The blessed truth is that God says of believers, “I will not remember your sins…. I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more” (Isa. 43:25; Jer. 31:34). But for defiant, unrepentant Babylon there will be no forgiveness, only judgment.

“Pay her back even as she has paid and give back to her double according to her deeds; in the cup which she has mixed, mix twice as much for her. To the degree that she glorified herself and lived sensuously, to the same degree give her torment and mourning; for she says in her heart, ‘I sit as a queen and I am not a widow, and will never see mourning.’ For this reason, in one day her plagues will come, pestilence and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire; for the Lord God who judges her is strong.” (Rev.18:6-8)

Babylon’s judgment is defined as the angel now speaks not to John, but to God. His call for vengeance on Babylon, pay her back even as she has paid, parallels the prayers of the martyred saints recorded in Rev.6:9-10: “When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?’ “The angel’s prayer for justice is based on the Old Testament principle of Lex talionis, the law of retaliation, the principle of “an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth” (Matt. 5:38; Ex. 21:23-24; Lev. 24:19-20; Deut. 19:21). Babylon has been extended enough grace and heard enough warnings. It is time for vengeance. It is time for her destruction.

The angel’s request that God give back to Babylon double according to her deeds (literally in the Greek “double the double things”) is a request that Babylon’s punishment fit her crimes. Double has been her iniquity; double must be her punishment. Babylon’s sins have overflowed, piling up as high as the heavens, and the angel calls for God’s judgment to overflow on her in equal measure. Double has the sense of fullness or completeness. In the Mosaic Law, wrongdoers were often required to pay double restitution for their crimes.

Further stating his request that God fully punish Babylon, the angel asks that in the cup which she has mixed, God would mix twice as much for her. Fittingly, in the very cup that Babylon used to deceive the nations (Rev. 3; 14:8; 17:2, 4; Jer. 51:7) she is to receive a double portion of God’s wrath. The imagery of the cup of God’s wrath also appears in Rev.14:10 and 16:19. Then the angel calls on God a third time to exact complete vengeance on Babylon: “To the degree that she glorified herself and lived sensuously, to the same degree give her torment and mourning; for she says in her heart, ‘I sit as a queen and I am not a widow, and will never see mourning.’” To the degree is a call to match the punishment to the crime, a biblical principle (Isa. 3:16ff.; Prov. 29:23; Luke 1:51; 14:11). Three sins call for Babylon’s judgment. First, she was proud; she glorified herself. God, who said, “I will not give My glory to another” (Isa. 42:8), hates pride (Prov. 6:16-17; James 4:6). Second, she pursued self-gratification; she lived sensuously. The Bible pronounces those who do so to be dead even while they live (1 Tim. 5:6). Third, she was guilty of self-sufficiency, of presumptuously overestimating her power; she said in her heart, “I sit as a queen and I am not a widow and will never see mourning.” That proud boast echoes that of ancient Babylon, who said “I will be a queen forever…. I will not sit as a widow, nor know loss of children” (Isa. 47:7, 8; Ezek. 27:3; 28:2; Zeph. 2:15). Yet God’s devastating reply was that “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” (Isa. 47:9).

For those three sins Babylon will receive torment and mourning. Basanismos (torment) literally means torture (Rev. 10, 15; 9:5; 14:11). Mourning refers to the grief that the torture produces. Hell will be a place of both unimaginable torment (20:10; Luke 16:23-24, 28) and crushing grief (Matt. 8:12; 13:42,50; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30).

Then the angel notes that for this reason, the sins catalogued above, in one day her plagues will come. Babylon’s destruction will not be progressive. The wicked city will be instantly destroyed (Rev. 10, 17, 19). Daniel 5 records the similar fate that befell ancient Babylon; the city fell the very night that God wrote its doom on the wall of the king’s palace (Dan. 5:30). As noted above, the plagues that will destroy Babylon are specific judgments on that city, possibly in connection with the seventh bowl. Three plagues will result in Babylon’s complete devastation: pestilence and mourning and famine—heaven’s fitting answer to her proud boast in (Rev.7. After those three plagues have run their course, Babylon will be burned up with fire.

Babylon’s doom is certain and cannot be avoided for the Lord God who judges her is strong. No one can frustrate God’s plans or keep Him from accomplishing what He purposes to do. Job said to God, “I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted” (Job 42:2). Despite the “plans [that] are in a man’s heart … the counsel of the Lord, it will stand” (Prov. 19:21). “For the Lord of hosts has planned,” declared Isaiah, “and who can frustrate it? And as for His stretched-out hand, who can turn it back?” (Isa. 14:27). 

“And the kings of the earth, who committed acts of immorality and lived sensuously with her, will weep and lament over her when they see the smoke of her burning, standing at a distance because of the fear of her torment, saying, ‘Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the strong city! For in one hour your judgment has come.’ “And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargoes any more—cargoes of gold and silver and precious stones and pearls and fine linen and purple and silk and scarlet, and every kind of citron wood and every article of ivory and every article 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. The fruit you long for has gone from you, and all things that were luxurious and splendid have passed away from you and men will no longer find them. The merchants of these things, who became rich from her, will stand at a distance because of the fear of her torment, weeping and mourning, saying, ‘Woe, woe, the great city, she who was clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls; for in one hour such great wealth has been laid waste!’ And every shipmaster and every passenger and sailor, and as many as make their living by the sea, stood at a distance, and were crying out as they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, ‘What city is like the great city?’ And they threw dust on their heads and were crying out, weeping and mourning, saying, ‘Woe, woe, the great city, in which all who had ships at sea became rich by her wealth, for in one hour she has been laid waste!’” (Rev.18:9-19)

Nothing so clearly reveals the hardness of sinners’ hearts as their lack of sorrow over their sin. Through the years of devastating judgments, the Tribulation sinners will relentlessly refuse to mourn over their sin. But though they will not lament over their sin, they will cry over the destruction of Babylon. When the glorious centerpiece, the head of Antichrist’s empire, is judged and destroyed, there will be worldwide dismay and mourning.

The first mourners introduced are the leaders, the kings of the earth. This group includes the ten kings who rule Antichrist’s kingdom under his authority (Rev.17:12), as well as the rest of the world’s leaders under them. They will greet the news of Babylon’s destruction with shock and dismay. The destruction of the seat of Antichrist’s political and economic power will strike a fatal blow to his empire. The fall of Babylon will be a symbol of the fall of that entire evil world system. These leaders are the same ones who committed acts of immorality and lived sensuously with her (Rev.3). Once again, Babylon is pictured as a harlot (Rev.17:1, 15, 16), whose death causes her lovers to weep and lament over her. Some of those crossing the Euphrates on their way to Armageddon (16:12) may see the smoke rising from the burning city (Gen. 19:28; Josh. 8:20-21; Isa. 34:10). The rest will watch Babylon’s destruction through the world’s media. All will be careful to keep their distance from the stricken city. They will be powerless to help and will fear that they may share her torment. 

As they watch her burn, the leaders will cry out in anguish, “Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the strong city! For in one hour your judgment has come.” As the crown jewel of Antichrist’s empire, Babylon will be a great city. And since it will have survived the devastating judgments of the Tribulation up to that point, the leaders will believe it to be a strong city. Thus, Babylon’s swift destruction will shock and amaze them, and they will cry out to her in dismay, “For in one hour your judgment has come.” The judgment on Babylon will happen rapidly, just as (Rev.8 predicted.

The next mourners to appear on the scene are the merchants of the earth. These businessmen will weep and mourn over Babylon because no one buys their cargoes anymore. The destruction of Antichrist’s capital will end any semblance of normalcy on the devastated planet. Whatever economic activity will have been taking place on an earth reeling under the escalating difficulty brought on by the catastrophic divine judgments will then come to a halt. Then follows a list of twenty-eight items or categories of merchandise that comprised the merchants’ cargoes: gold and silver and precious stones and pearls and fine linen and purple and silk and scarlet, and every kind of citron wood and every article of ivory and every article 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 (lit. “bodies and souls of men”). These items were common commodities in the ancient world (many of them are included on the list in Ezek. 27:12-24) and were the source of immense financial gain. They are only representative of the great wealth of Antichrist’s future commercial empire. 

Continuing their lament, the merchants now address Babylon directly: The fruit you long for has gone from you, and all things that were luxurious and splendid have passed away from you and men will no longer find them. All the city’s luxurious and splendid (Gk., lampros, a word that may refer to clothing) possessions have passed away from her and men will no longer find them. They will be gone forever as God bankrupts the system. Joining the leaders, the merchants of these things, who became rich from her, will stand at a distance because of the fear of her torment, weeping and mourning, saying, “Woe, woe, the great city, she who was clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls; for in one hour such great wealth has been laid waste!” They weep and mourn, not out of some emotional sympathy for the decimated city, but because with its collapse they have been stripped of the key source of their financial resources. The merchants lament because their materialistic passions can no longer be fulfilled. The weeping that begins then will last for eternity in hell (Matt. 8:12; 13:42, 50; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30). These greedy merchants are the classic illustration of all those in all times who gain the whole world but forfeit their souls (Mark 8:36).

Then a third and final group in the vision joins the funeral dirge for Babylon: every shipmaster and every passenger and sailor, and as many as make their living by the sea. In addition to her political and economic importance, Babylon will also be an important distribution center. With its destruction, there will be no more goods to be transported by those who make their living by the sea. Like the rulers and merchants, the sailors were careful to stand at a safe distance from the city. As they gazed on the ruined city they were crying out as they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, “What city is like the great city?” Their lament is reminiscent of the proud boast of Antichrist’s deluded followers in Rev.13:4, “Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him? “But the seemingly indestructible city is already destroyed before their eyes, and its seemingly invincible ruler will shortly meet his end (Rev.19:20).

Then, in a typical ancient expression of grief, the sailors threw dust on their heads (Josh. 7:6; 1 Sam. 4:12; 2 Sam. 1:2; 15:32; Job 2:12; Lam. 2:10; Ezek. 27:30). Like the rulers (Rev. 9-10) and the merchants (Rev. 15-16), they too will cry out, “Woe, woe, the great city.” That is an expression of pain, suffering, and grief, but not of repentance. The sailors do not mourn over their sins, or those of Babylon, but because of their lost business, since all who had ships at sea became rich by Babylon’s wealth. Like the rulers (v. 10) and the merchants (Rev. 17), the sailors also express amazement at the swiftness of Babylon’s downfall, exclaiming, “In one hour she has been laid waste!” In an astonishingly short period of time, the city that was the source of their wealth was destroyed.

“Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, because God has pronounced judgment for you against her.” (Rev.18:20)

Heaven will have quite a different perspective on Babylon’s judgment than that of Antichrist’s earthly followers. The angel who began speaking in verse 4 then addressed the redeemed in heaven: the saints (a general term for all believers) and apostles and prophets (the special class of saints given to the church, as indicated in Eph. 2:20; 4:11). He calls on them to rejoice over Babylon’s fall, because God has pronounced judgment for them against her. The long-awaited moment of vindication, retribution, and vengeance, for which the martyred Tribulation believers prayed (6:9-10) and for which all the redeemed hoped, will have arrived. Heaven rejoices, not over the damnation of sinners, but because of the triumph of righteousness, the exaltation of Jesus Christ, the elimination of His enemies, and the arrival of His kingdom on the earth.

Then a strong angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, “So will Babylon, the great city, be thrown down with violence, and will not be found any longer. And the sound of harpists and musicians and flute-players and trumpeters will not be heard in you any longer; and no craftsman of any craft will be found in you any longer; and the sound of a mill will not be heard in you any longer; and the light of a lamp will not shine in you any longer; and the voice of the bridegroom and bride will not be heard in you any longer; (Rev.18:21-23a)

Another strong angel (Rev.5:2; 10:1) now appeared in the vision. In a dramatic act picturing Babylon’s destruction, he took up a stone like a great millstone (like those used to grind grain; they were four to five feet in diameter, a foot thick, and very heavy) and threw it into the sea. “So,” explained the angel, “will Babylon, the great city, be thrown down with violence, and will not be found any longer.” In one moment, as that stone disappeared into the sea, Babylon will disappear. So complete will be Babylon’s destruction that none of the normal activities of human life will take place. There will be no one making music at all; the sound of harpists and musicians and flute-players and trumpeters will not be heard. There will be no one working; no craftsman of any craft will be found. There will be no one preparing food; the sound of a mill will not be heard. The city will be so completely abandoned that even the light of a lamp will not shine in her any longer. There will be no more falling in love; the voice of the bridegroom and bride will not be heard in her any longer. Babylon will be so thoroughly destroyed that it will never rise again, as predicted by the Old Testament prophets (Isa. 13:19-22; 14:22-23; Jer. 50:13, 39; 51:37).

“for your merchants were the great men of the earth, because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery. And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints and of all who have been slain on the earth.” (18:23b-24) Three final reasons are given for Babylon’s judgment. First, her merchants were the great men of the earth, using their wealth to ascend to positions of power, prominence, and influence. The abuses of the proud, arrogant rich are well documented in Scripture. “Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court?” asked James (James 2:6). 

A second reason for Babylon’s being judged is that all the nations were deceived by her sorcery. Sorcery is from pharmakeia, the root word of the English words’ “pharmacy” and “pharmaceuticals.” The word is used in the New Testament to refer to magic and occult practices (9:21; Gal. 5:20). Babylon’s hold on the world will not be entirely due to her military and economic power, but also to her occult influence. A final reason given for Babylon’s judgment is her murderous slaughter of God’s people; in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints and of all who have been slain on the earth (Rev.6:10; 11:7; 13:7, 15; 16:6; 17:6). The heavenly rejoicing over Babylon’s downfall also mentions this: “After these things I heard something like a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, ‘Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God; because His judgments are true and righteous; for He has judged the great harlot who was corrupting the earth with her immorality, and He has avenged the blood of His bond-servants on her’” (Rev.19:1-2).

THINK ABOUT THIS: Hope in Christ’s return motivates separation. Separation from the world does not mean physical removal, for the world is within us in our evil desires and pride (1 John 2:16). We cannot hide in monasteries or Christian ghettos. However, separation demands that we refuse to participate in the world’s sins, idolatrous worship, and heart-corrupting influences. Are you separated from the world in this sense?