Revelation Chapter 18:1-11/Commentary

Revelation Chapter 18:1-11 Revelation 18:1-12 “After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illumined with his glory. 2And he cried out with a mighty voice, saying, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! And she has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird. 3"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." 4And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, "Come out of her, my people, that you may not participate in her sins and that you may not receive of her plagues; 5for her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. 6"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. 7"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.' 8"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. 9"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, 10standing 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.' 11"And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargoes any more” 18:1 “After these things”: “Does not indicate a period of hours, weeks, or years, but simply a sequence in the revelation” (Hailey p. 358). “I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority”: “Here again we are being told that the work about to be done is begun in heaven” (McGuiggan p.

265). How much more peace would we have if we continually believed that God is in control and that heaven rules? This angel has the power and the right to act and this power has been delegated from heaven. Remember, Christ presently rules over all (Matthew 28:18). Some try to argue that this is Jesus coming out of heaven, but Jesus is not an angel (Hebrews 1:5ff). “And the earth was illumined with his glory”: “Indicating his greatness and the greatness of his 1

mission” (Hailey p. 358). “So recently has he come from the Presence that in passing he flings a broad belt of light across the dark earth” (Swete).

18:2 “And he cried out with a mighty voice”: Angels are not apathetic about the missions on which they are sent! (1 Peter 1:10-12).

18:2 “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the Great!”: “Her doom is certain, and thus is spoken of as already completed” (Chilton p. 446). The fall of Babylon (either Jerusalem in A.D. 70 or Rome) had been announced in earlier visions (14:8; 16:19). When John receives this vision, Babylon is still standing, so we might wonder if the city is going to fall at all. McGuiggan reminds us, “The lead-up is long-drawn-out, because the issue must be indelibly marked in the mind. The fall must be remembered. It must be wanted, longed for. They must (almost) be impatient for it, so that when it finally comes, it will be relished and absorbed” (McGuiggan p. 206).

The practice of speaking of a city fallen before it actually falls is not new in the Bible. 150 years before the fall of ancient Babylon in the Old Testament, God had spoken of her as fallen (Isaiah 21:9). Some have called this the “prophetic past tense”. Even though some view this as the fall of Jerusalem, please note: 1. If it is Jerusalem, then the respite from persecution for God’s people is very short, for Rome had already started persecuting Christians even before Jerusalem fell. In fact, Rome was far worse in its persecution. Secondly, as you read this chapter please note the power, wealth, and influence that this “Babylon” had in the ancient world.

18:2 “She has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit”: “Instead of being the glorious city that ruled as mistress of nations, clothed in worldly splendor, enticing and seducing kings of the earth, she would become a habitation for demons…Such a prison of unclean spirits stands in contrast to the holy city into which nothing unclean or abominable shall enter (21:27” (Hailey pp. 358-359). God said the same things about the fall of literal Babylon (Isaiah 13:21) and Edom (Isaiah 34:10-14). “And a prison of every unclean and hateful bird”: Please note that then Babylon fell in the Old Testament, the actual city continued to be inhabited by the conquerors and actually remained in tact and beautiful for some time. The language here is figurative. The Roman Empire would fall, and its fall is compared to a city that has become a detention for the foul and gruesome, where the demons, unclean spirits, and every hateful and unclean bird dwells. “The utter desolation of Babylon is vividly described when it is said that even the unclean spirits and the unclean and hated birds consider it a prison” (Hendriksen pp. 173-174).

18:3 “For”: The reason or justification for her fall. “All the nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality”: The Babylon in this book has universal influence and is a center of trade for all the nations in the first century world. “The nations of earth which followed her lascivious ways and yielded to

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her seductive practices” (Hailey p. 359). She was not content to sin by herself but she also corrupted other nations and cultures, she exported her immoral practices and standards. Compare with 14:8; 17:2. Other nations were intoxicated by the power, wealth, and looseness of Babylon and thus made alliances with her in the hope of becoming powerful themselves. “And the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her”: Those who view this as a reference to Jerusalem see Jerusalem going out and making alliances and courting the favor of other nations, yet it seems that the text is describing the refuse, that is, where the kings of the earth are enthralled with Babylon and have equal become intoxicated by a lust for power, greed, and immorality. Compare with Jeremiah 51:7.

18:3 “And the merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality”: “Men seek to gain wealth by immoral, avaricious, and unscrupulous means. Internal corruption of a nation is expressed in pornographic movies, magazines, and lewd entertainment….Underworld establishments of prostitution, gambling, and narcotics make up only a portion of the world of corrupt, anti-God, destructive forces, which thrive on lust” (Hailey p.

359). “The nations and kings and merchants allowed themselves to become infatuated with Babylon’s pleasures and treasures. These merchants represent all those who have set their hearts on the wares of the world” (Hendriksen p.

174).

Note, God is not opposed to making a profit or being a successful merchant.

This verse is a warning to all who seek to profit from sin. Yes, there is a lot of money to be made from “sensuality”. Rome had become like a magnet that attracted those who were willing to traffic in all those businesses that profit from offering temptations to the human race.

18:4 “I heard another voice from heaven, saying, ‘Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive her plagues’” “This call to ‘come forth’ out of sinful fellowship had been heard many times in the past by God’s people. Abraham had been called to get out of Haran (Genesis 12:1-3); Lot was urged to flee from Sodom, a doomed city (Genesis 19:12,17); Israel was called to leave Egypt (Exodus 3:10); over and over the captives in Chaldea were exhorted to ‘go ye forth from Babylon’ (Isaiah 48:20; 52:11; Jeremiah 51:45)” (Hailey p. 360). God issued the same warning to the Corinthians (2 Corinthians 6:17). If Babylon is Jerusalem, then this would be a call to literally leave the city (Luke 21:20-23). A similar call was given for Christians of a Jewish background to make a complete break with Judaism (Hebrews 12:25-29; 13:13-14). The language here does not necessarily demand that the Christians leave some literal city, for any city on this earth has the same temptations. The Corinthians were to remain in Corinth but they must separate themselves from the evils of the culture (Ephesians 5:11). “A complete separation of the Christian from the sins of the world and the corruption in the

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world by lust is absolutely essential if he is to escape the plagues to be poured out” (Hailey p. 360). “Maybe principles were slipping. Worldliness was setting in. People were just wanting to live and let live” (McGuiggan p. 266).

18:4 “And receive her plagues”: “To depart from Babylon means not to have fellowship with her sins and not to be ensnared by her allurements and enticements. Those who set their heart on the world shall also receive of her plagues. It may seem as if God has forgotten Babylon’s sins. In the day when Babylon falls it will become evident that He has most certainly remembered them” (Hendriksen p. 174). Here is more incentive for all Christians to purify themselves and abandon any or all secret sins. God’s judgment has always fallen upon those who traffic in vice---and it will equally fall on those who dabble in it as well. If you know that the gambling casinos are under God’s condemnation, then you also know that gamblers will be caught up in the same judgment.

18:5 “For her sins have piled up as high as heaven”: “In His longsuffering God allows man to continue in his own way until his sins have reached an intolerable point of saturation; then judgment falls” (Hailey p. 360). Compare with Amos 2,3; 2 Chronicles 28:9; Jeremiah 51:9; Ezra 9:6; Genesis 15:16; Matthew 23:32; 1 Thessalonians 2:15-16. This verse reminds us that when God judges a nation He is not being impatient and cruel, rather, such a judgment only comes after the sins of a nation have piled up as high as heaven. One wonders in this country, what is the size of the pile that the United States has accumulated?

“Piled up”: “As Babylon of old has its origins in the Tower of Babel, the goal of which was to reach to heaven, so the spiritual Babylon has finally achieved the ancient goal—its sins have reached to heaven!” (Gregg p. 431).

18:5 “And God has remembered her iniquities”: Even in our culture there are times when it might look like that God does not see the present prevalence of evil. Evil men seem to prosper (Psalm 73), while the righteous struggle. But God never forgets. When evil men “get away with it” it simply means that God is allowing them to pile up their sins as high as heaven. Instead of being filled with envy—stand back and fear!

18:6 “Pay her back even as she has paid”: “The righteous Judge demands full restitution” (Chilton p. 450). Compare with Jeremiah 50:15,29; Psalm 137:8.

“She was responsible for woe and destruction in the earth; now that same woe and destruction would fall upon her” (Hailey p. 361). In like manner, those today that traffic in sin and vice that results in the destruction of souls, families and our moral fiber as a nation, will find destruction heaped upon their own heads.

18:6 “And give back to her double according to her deeds”: Compare with Jeremiah 16:18; 17:18; Isaiah 40:2. This does not mean that she is punished twice as much as her sins deserve. “The idea expressed by the phrase indicates a balancing of the scales” (Hailey pp. 361-362). “The torment and mourning

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(verse 7) are the exact equivalent for her pride and arrogance. The scales balance exactly” (Hendriksen p. 174). “Here’s why it is bad to be ungodly, for in one way or another, one reaps what he sows. That is, he reaps what he sows as to quality, but very often, he reaps more than he sows in quantity” (McGuiggan p.

266).

18:6 “In the cup which she has mixed, mix twice as much for her”: The cup of iniquity that Babylon had shared with and thus corrupted other nations (18:3), would now be filled with God’s wrath and given to her.

18:7 “To the degree that she glorified herself and lived sensuously, to the same degree give her torment and mourning”: “O what punishment. The more strut, the more hurt. The more swagger, the more pain. The more she preened, the more she’d moan” (McGuiggan pp. 266-267). There is a great lesson here for our own time. Those who strut, boast, and proudly flaunt their unbelief and immorality are only adding more torment and suffering upon themselves in the end. Here is a warning to all today who boastfully set themselves against God and His word.

18:7 “For she says in her heart, ‘I sit as a queen and I am not a widow, and will never see mourning’”: Babylon in the Old Testament had made the exact same boast (Isaiah 47:7f), see also Ezekiel 28:2. This boast contains the following elements: 1. Other nations have come to an end because of their immorality, but we will not experience the same fate. 2. We are invincible and immune from God’s judgments. 3. We have made so many alliances, we have so much power that we can never fall. 4. She boasted of her commanding position as the ruling power of the world, and felt that it was permanent.

18:8 “For this reason”: Any reading of the Bible will reveal that God is disgusted with the arrogant (2 Samuel 22:28; Proverbs 11:2; 16:18; 29:23; James 4:1ff). “In one day her plagues will come”: Compare with Isaiah 47:9; Ezekiel 26:16. The idea involved in the phrase “in one day”, does not mean that she would fall in one day, for neither Jerusalem or Rome fell in a day. Rather, “Though strong among the inhabitants of the earth, she will be as a weakling when facing the strength of God” (Harkrider p. 207). “One moment glory, and the next, stench!” (McGuiggan p. 267). “Three times the apostles states that the desolation is to be accomplished in one hour (18:10,17,19). This is the same length of time used to symbolize the period that the ten kings reign with the beast and wage war against the Lamb (17:12-14). From the viewpoint of man, the length of their reign and ultimate downfall may seem long; but from heaven’s viewpoint, the time is brief in God’s overall plan” (Harkrider p. 208).

18:8 “Pestilence and mourning and famine, and she will be burned with fire”: “Where affluence and gaiety once held sway these three (death, mourning, and famine) would now prevail” (Hailey p. 363). Some have argued that this cannot be a reference to Rome, because that city was never literally burned with

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fire and still exists to this day, while Jerusalem was destroyed. Yet remember that the language in this book is figurative, the power of the Roman Empire was completely destroyed, that Empire did come to an end, compare with 17:16.

18:8 “For the Lord God who judges her is strong”: “The guarantee of this end rests on the character and power of God. The God who can create can surely control” (Hailey p. 363).

“The next section (9-20) presents a threefold lamentation, on the part of kings, merchants, and navigators, followed by the rejoicing of heaven” (Hendriksen p.

174).

18:9 “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” These kings had yielded to her temptations, enjoyed her luxuries, and had looked to the harlot city for their trade and wealth. “There is no love here. These who lived well because of her have just watched the Queen of Whores perish. In such an utter fashion too!” (McGuiggan p. 267). Compare with Jeremiah 51:9.

“Smoke of her burning”: “A symbol borrowed from the destruction of Sodom (Genesis 19:28) and the later, metaphorical description of the fall of Edom (Isaiah 34:10)” (Chilton p. 453). “Here the client kings of Rome wail over the fall of their seducer and protector (‘the strong city’), because it has brought their own power and influence to a swift end” (Gregg p. 433).

18:10 “Standing at a distance because of the fear of her torment”: Does this infer that her fall reminds the rulers of other nations that a similar judgment upon themselves cannot be long in coming? “Helplessly they look upon the smoke of her burning, but keep themselves at a distance. They dare not draw too near because they fear the torment; they console themselves with empty lamentation and mourning. Like so much of the world with selfish sorrows and tears, these kings mourn their own loss, not because Babylon herself has fallen” (Hailey p.

364). Notice that none of these kings come of her defense.

18:10 “Woe, woe, in the great city, Babylon, the strong city! For in one hour your judgment has come”: They stand amazed and shocked that such a powerful city could fall. The city was great as the world counts greatness, “and strong enough to withstand forcible assault, but it was no match for the Lord God who judged her” (Hailey p. 364).

18:11 “And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, because no one busy their cargoes anymore”: Note that the kings of the earth and the merchants survive her destruction. This is not the end of time, life goes on for other sinners. “The merchants aren’t in love with Babylon---they’re crying because they’ve just lost their meal ticket. Is this Babylon Jerusalem? Judaism?

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Is Babylon a false religious system? Or is Babylon the personification of worldliness? It seems to be coming right out of the text that whatever she is, she is the leading market of the world� (McGuiggan p. 267).

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