Revelation 18 - Charles
Revelation Chapter 18
Brief introduction:
In the chapter before us we see the judgement of commercial Babylon and the reaction of both earth and heaven to it.
In chapters 17 and 18 we look at two Babylons...
• Chapter 17 we have religious Babylon... the apostate church which enters the Great Tribulation...
• Chapter 18 we have commercial Babylon... which is both political and economic.
The religious Babylon is hated by kings... and is destroyed by them.
The commercial Babylon is loved by the kings of earth.
Mystery Babylon, the apostate church is destroyed first during the Great Tribulation.
When Christ returns, political Babylon will be destroyed by the judgement of God.
The two Babylons are not the one and same city.
Mystery Babylon is Rome...
When it "goes down" in the middle of the Great Tribulation... Jerusalem becomes the religious centre.
It is at Jerusalem that the False Prophet will set up his image of Antichrist to be worshipped by the masses.
Commercial Babylon is ancient Babylon rebuilt as the commercial capital of the world.
This city is the final capital of the political power of the Beast.
Oil is a key here.
Israel is surrounded by Arab countries richly endowed with this black gold.
Oil is power... power over countries that don't have oil and need it.
Is it any wonder that the end time is centred around the Middle East.
There has been some disagreement among conservative expositors about whether or not ancient Babylon will be rebuilt.
Remember Babylon was the fountainhead of idolatry.
I believe it will be rebuilt and it will be judged harshly.
There are reactions to the destruction of Babylon which are totally opposite to each other.
The viewpoint and perspective are highly important.
(1) The reaction of men of business and politics is one of great anguish.
To them it is the depth of tragedy.
It means the total bankruptcy of big business.
(2) The second reaction is that of heaven.
It is one of joy that the holiness and justice of God is vindicated.
It means the end of man's sinful career on earth.
This will bring to an end the Great Tribulation Period.
☆ Revelation 18:1...
"And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory."
Again we have this interesting phrase... "after these things".
After what things?
After the 7 seals, 7 trumpets, 7 vials, the 7 personages and after the judgement of religious Babylon...
And, we are advancing to the end of the Great Tribulation.
John is still the spectator... "... I saw..."
He sees another angel...
This angel is a divine, supernatural messenger from heaven. We are told he has great power... great authority... which indicates he has superior rank.
"and the earth was lightened with his glory"... further signifies the prestige of this angel.
☆ Revelation 18:2...
"And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird."
The first announcement of the fall of Babylon was made in...
☆ Revelation 14:8.
The angel here in 18:2 has greater authority than the angel who made the first announcement.
The words "is fallen, is fallen and is become..." speaks of up and coming events as if they have already happened.
God says what He means and means what He says.
He knows the end from the beginning.
This great commercial centre of Babylon is earmarked for total destruction.
"... is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird."
This tells us that Babylon is the place where the demons of the spirit world and unclean birds of the physical world are going to be held in captivity during the up and coming Millennium.
The prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah confirm this in...
☆ Isaiah 13:19-22...
"And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.
It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there.
But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures; and owls shall dwell there, and satyrs (may refer to a demon possessed goat like the swine of Gadara)
shall dance there.
And the wild beasts of the islands shall cry in their desolate houses, and dragons in their pleasant palaces: and her time is near to come, and her days shall not be prolonged."
And...
☆ Jeremiah 50:38-40...
"A drought is upon her (Babylon) waters; and they shall be dried up: for it is the land of graven images, and they are mad upon their idols.
Therefore the wild beasts of the desert with the wild beasts of the islands shall dwell there, and the owls shall dwell therein: and it shall be no more inhabited for ever; neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation.
As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbour cities thereof, says the LORD; so shall no man abide there (Babylon), neither shall any son of man dwell therein."
These prophecies find a final fulfillment in the destruction of literal Babylon in ☆ Revelation 18.
If this is so there is no prophecy which forbids Babylon from being rebuilt.
Babylon is the headquarters of demons and has been a place of rebellion against God down through the years.
☆ Revelation 18:3...
"For all nations have drunk (have fallen) of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies."
This is God's judgement on big business which denies God's authority.
This is the unholy alliance between government and business.
The word for "merchants" means "those who travel." It's not those who produce or manufactured goods, but those who are brokers, engaging in big business for profit. Business is a sacred cow that nothing must harm or hinder. Man uses business as the biggest excuse for having no time for God... and yet these same men will stand before God one day. God will judge godless commercialism.
☆ Revelation 18:4...
"And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, My people, that you be not partakers of her sins, and that you receive not of her plagues."
This verse reveals that God's people (Tribulation saints) are going to be in the world right to the very end. We are not talking about the Church here. It was Raptured before the Tribulation began.
The question is... will they make it through? Will they be faithful to Christ?
The answer is yes, they will. Remember the parable Jesus told about the 99 sheep and the 1 that was lost?
The One speaking in this verse is Christ the Son of God. He is calling His people out of Babylon before the judgement comes.
Just as Lot was warned to get out of Sodom before the fires of judgement fell, so these Tribulation saints are warned.
☆ Deuteronomy 4:31-32...
"When you are in tribulation, and all these things are come upon you, even in the latter days, if you turn to the LORD your God, and will be obedient unto His voice;
(For the LORD your God is a merciful God;) He will not forsake you, neither destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He sware unto them."
The warning is twofold:
• They are not to have fellowship with the sins of Babylon,
• They are to flee before judgement comes.
This is relevant for us today. God wants us to be separate from the world, not indulging in the old nature, but walking daily in the Spirit.
If we will not deal with the sin in our lives here and now and forsaking it... God will deal with it.
God gives us the opportunity of judging our sin today.
☆ 1 Corinthians 11:31-32...
☆ Revelation 18:5...
"For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities."
Babylon has a long history of accumulated sins of which God has record of.
It is also one of the oldest cities in the history of mankind and is mentioned more than any other city other than Jerusalem.
God's judgement maybe delayed, but it will happen.
☆ Revelation 18:6...
"Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she has filled fill to her double."
The cup of iniquity is being filled to the brim. And when the last drop goes in, the cup will be pressed to the lips of those who committed the iniquity. God is right and just in all that He does.
Read ☆ Psalm 137.
☆ Obadiah 1:15
"For the day of the LORD is near upon all the heathen: as you have done, it shall be done unto you: your reward shall return upon your own head."
You reap what you sow!
☆ Revelation 18:7...
"How much she has glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she says in her heart, I sit as a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow."
The prosperity of Babylon blinded her to the judgement of God.
Luxury, opulence, arrogance, pride, sin and self deception characterize the spirit of this godless city.
☆ Revelation 18:8...
"Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judges her."
Plagues... in other words afflictions or calamities... are coming in one foul swoop upon Babylon.
What sort of calamities?
Death, mourning (grief) and famine.
Death, mourning and famine are the three horseman that run roughshod over Babylon.
And to top it all off... Babylon is going to be completely consumed with fire.
It's destruction is going to be total and final.
"... for strong is the Lord God who judges her."
It is God Who is going to destroy this city, because He alone is able to do it. It is believed that He will do this at the return of Christ.
Look at Isaiah's prediction...
☆ Isaiah 63:1-4...
"Who is this that comes from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? This that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength?
I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save.
Wherefore are you red in your apparel, and your garments like him that treads in the winefat?
I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with Me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in My fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon My garments, and I will stain all My raiment.
For the day of vengeance is in My heart, and the year of My redeemed is come."
In His second coming, Christ is seen coming with blood sprinkled garments. Some believe He comes by way of Babylon and He executes judgement upon this wicked city.
☆ Revelation 18:9-10...
"And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,
Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is your judgement come."
In that day Babylon will dominate and rule the world.
Babylon will be the capital where Antichrist is based... and he will have the first total dictatorship of the whole world. He will be a narcissist personified.
In that day everything will centre around Babylon.
The stock market will operate from Babylon and not New York.
Everything in that city will be in rebellion against Almighty God and centre around Antichrist.
No one dreamed that this great city is to be judged. That is how deceived the people will be.
Yet in one day she will be wiped out and be nothing but a smouldering ruins.
Once the news goes out, the people of the world will be stunned and begin to howl and wail.
In chapter 17 the leaders of the world hated religious Babylon. Antichrist removes her, destroys her... so that he will be worshipped without any competition.
In this chapter, we see that the world leaders love commercial Babylon because of the revenue she brought to their coffers.
The word used here is "fornication"... which means to indulge in unlawful lust.
"Standing afar off for the fear of her torment..."
The leaders of the world will desert fallen Babylon like rats leaving a sinking ship.
Their mourning will be both pathetic and pitiful. They marvel at the sudden and total destruction of that which they thought was guilt-edged security.
How fickle human nature and deceitful the human heart are.
☆ Revelation 18:11-17...
"And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buys their merchandise any more:
The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble,
And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.
And the fruits that your soul lusted after are departed from you, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from you, and you shall find them no more at all.
The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,
And saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls!
For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off."
The merchants... (a merchant is a person or company involved in wholesale trade, especially one dealing with foreign countries or supplying goods to a particular trade)... of the world will weep and mourn over Babylon.
Because of her total destruction... buying and selling, exporting and importing, trade come to a grinding halt.
Profits will turn to major losses over night.
Stock markets crash! Majorly so!
The business men of the world will stand afar off quaking in their boots as commercial Babylon is destroyed...
Seeing this all go down the gurgler will be a torment for them.
The losses will be so great these men literally weep and wail.
Note the products listed... they are not necessities but luxuries. These are the merchandise of an affluent society.
They are wants not needs.
In one hour all these great riches come to nought... zero... zilch!
"What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul?".... Who said that?
One commodity of great concern is "slaves, and the souls of men"... Lincoln and Wilberforce would be extremely saddened and disappointed to see this happening in modern society.
Sex trafficking is human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation. It has been called a form of modern slavery because of the way victims are forced into sexual acts, usually non-consensually, in a form of sexual slavery...
This is rife in the world today... involving children... destroying their very souls...
☆ Revelation 18:17-19...
For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off.
And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city!
And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate."
Another group of "mourners" are those engaged in shipping and transport... the great public carriers. These too have become wealthy transporting the merchandise of Babylon.
They will see everything go up in smoke... literally.
The business men, the merchants and the transport businesses are all going to feel it when Babylon "that great and mighty city" is finally judged and destroyed by Almighty God.
It's interesting to note, that 4 times reference is made to Babylon as "that great city"... "that mighty city"...
It's also interesting to note that 3 times we are told that "in one hour so great riches is come to nought."
What will take place in Babylon will be swift and certain!
What do the Scriptures say about pride?
☆ Proverbs 16:18...
"Pride goes before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall."
Heaven and earth will pass away... but God's Word will never pass away.
Everything that God has pronounced, promised, prophesied in this book of Revelation will take place... every jot and tittle.
☆ Revelation 18:20...
"Rejoice over her, you heaven, and you holy apostles and prophets; for God has avenged you on her."
As to what is taking place down here on earth, Heaven's viewpoint is totally different. There there's no cause for sadness.
Rather, it's a celebration of an anticipated (prophesied) event.
The saints have prayed for it... the prophets have predicted it.
Now all is fulfilled, and there is joy because God has exonerated His Name.
Judgement has finally come!
☆ Revelation 18:21...
"And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all."
Some very interesting imagery here.
A mighty angel takes up a large stone much like a great millstone, cast it into the sea and it disappears beneath the waves after making a huge splash.
The angel declares that this is what it will be like for Babylon... with violence and suddenness this great city is going to be totally destroyed and disappear (be found no more).
There seems to be a great emphasis made on the destruction of Babylon.
That's because it will happen.
☆ Revelation 18:22-23...
"And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in you; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in you; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in you.
And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in you; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in you: for your merchants were the great men of the earth; for by your sorceries were all nations deceived."
This mighty angel continues to prophesy how utterly devoid of life Babylon will become.
Its destruction will be total!
No music... no singing... no joyfulness will be heard.
No more skilled craftsmen... no more industry...
No farming of the land.
No family life.
No bright city lights.
No more brides or grooms... no more marriages.
Babylon's mighty merchants and businessmen who by their deceptions, seductions and witchcraft deceived the nations... are going to be has beens...
☆ Revelation 18:24...
"And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth."
And the angel reminds us again, what a diabolical city Babylon is and why God has to judge her so harshly.
God's people (prophets and saints) had been treated terribly in this godless city, and God judged it. Babylon was a city that murdered God's people.
This is Satan's city... he was a murderer from the beginning.
This city deceived the world with the worship of Antichrist... this is the strong delusion.
This chapter brings to a conclusion the frightful period which was labelled by the Lord Jesus Christ... the Great Tribulation.
In the next chapter we will see Jesus coming to the earth to bring an end to this dark, doleful and disastrous period.
This is the negative aspect of His coming.
The positive side is the dawning of the Day of the Lord, called the Millenium.
Selah!