Revelation 18

1-3 4-8 9-14 15-19 20-24

1-3

After the vision of the false religious world another vision is shown to John, this one of the fall of the Antichrist’s world capital, the rebuilt city of Babylon. There are some who interpret the angel in verse 1 as Jesus himself because this angel has great authority, but the Greek word used to say “another” literally means another of the same kind, so another angel of the same kind that gave John the vision in chapter 17 who has great authority given to him from God. This angel descends from heaven shining bright so all in the world can see him, especially since the world was plunged into darkness from the fifth bowl, and proclaims the end of the Antichrist’s city. This vision likely takes place chronologically at or about the same time as the seventh bowl as with it “God remembered Babylon the great, to make her drain the cup of the wine of the fury of his wrath.” There are two reasons given by the angel for the fall of Babylon the great.

One the city is overrun with demonic spirits, all of the demons released prior to the seventh bowl infesting and hovering in and around the city, like vultures and carrion animals.

Two the city has corrupted the whole world with its immorality and lust for physical pleasures and greed for money and power.

4-8

We hear another voice from heaven crying out a warning to the people in the city, at first read I thought that this may be God crying out to the people in Babylon, but the wording in verse 5 does not sound like God, if it was he would be speaking in the 3rd person, and also the same Greek word for another is used so this is another of the same kind as before, another angel.

This angel is calling out for his people, saved people not angels, to get out of the city or they will be caught up in the destruction. The sins of Babylon are piled high, all the way to heaven, not unlike the original Babylon tried to pile bricks up to heaven to be like God and again we are reminded that God has remembered all of the sins of the city.

The angel cries out for God to repay, to give his vengeance on the city in full, in double, like in the Mosaic Law where wrongdoers were often required to pay double restitution for their crimes. Echoing the the blood crying out from under the alter in chapter 6 after the breaking of the fifth seal.

The angel tells the city that they have been greedy, living in luxury, and never thought that the good times would ever end, but the end is going to come it will begin and end in a singe day, later in the chapter the duration of the destruction is shortened to a single hour. The Lord God is mighty and has judged righteously.

9-14

All of the rulers of the Earth who are under the influence of the Antichrist, probably watching the live coverage of the destruction on the new Babylon, weep and wail over the destruction of the city, but they stand far off and do not come near the city out of fear that they will be destroyed, which they will be. Here is the first mention of the fall of Babylon only taking one hour to complete.

All of the merchants who were greatly gaining in wealth under the economic consolidation under the Antichrist, weep and mourn for the city, but not for the loss of lives, they mourn for the economic loss. Many of the items listed, which were common commodities in the ancient world, are also listed in Ezekiel 27, in the lament for Tyre, which also included human slaves.

The merchant’s lament is all about the loss of worldly desires and material items that could be found in the city are destroyed, and such a concentration of things that the sinful soul could want will never be found again.

15-19

The merchants who gained enormous wealth from the trade of their goods also will not come near the city out of fear that they will be destroyed along with the city, they weep and mourn for the things the gold and jewels. Here is the second mention that the fall of the city was swift and done in an hour.

All the ship captains and sailors who transported goods to city also refuse to come to the aid of the city and stay far off, looking at the smoke rising from what was Babylon. They too weep and mourn for the loss of their business and the source of their wealth, and they have the third mention and final mention of it only taking an hour for the city to be laid waste.

20-24

On my first read through I thought verse 20 was a continuation of what the ship captains and seamen were “saying” but this section is a separate statement from the angel directed to all the redeemed in heaven, telling them to rejoice over Babylon’s fall and destruction as this was their long waited for vengeance that was prayed for in chapter six upon the opening of the fifth seal.

Then another strong or mighty angel gives a picture of how swift and violent Babylon will be destroyed by throwing a large millstone, which is one of two large round stones that rotate on each other to grind, or mill flour from grain, into the sea. The sin filled city will fall like the great millstone sinks into the sea. There will be no more joy from musicians, no more commerce, no more preparing food, no more lights shining, and no more falling in love. Babylon will fall and rise no more.

Then as a short recap of the justification of God’s judgment on Babylon is given, the forced commerce that flowed through the Antichrist’s capital making men wealthy and wicked. The sorcery, or all of the occult and false religion practices, including the worship of the Antichrist deceived all the nations of the earth. And finally all of the Christians that have been killed in the city and around the world in the name of the Antichrist, martyrs whom we will hear rejoicing in heaven in the beginning of chapter 19. Revelation 19:1-2 “After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for his judgments are true and just; for he has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality, and has avenged on her the blood of his servants.””