Study of Revelation 18
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Revelation 18
Revelation 18
In the previous chapter we saw the rise and fall of the one world religion that moved the antichrist into power. We also saw the formation of the economic foundations that are based on the countries who give their power and authority to the beast. Here the Lord concentrated on the display of his authority in the destruction of the world power that Babylon holds. We see the righteousness of God as he answers the question of “how long O Lord?”. We are shown the effects of this judgement of Babylon on the world economy and how devesting it is to the countries that were dependent on the wealth and economic influence of the whore.
1 And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.
There is to be no doubt in the hearer’s mind as to who is in control of the events of the religious and economic collapse of the great Babylon. The events of the destruction of Babylon are the will of God Almighty.
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 words use in Greek for “hold” and “cage” are of the same meaning as prison in English. Babylon has become like a prison full of devils and it is infested with the demonic. There is nothing that is clean and like hateful birds they tear at the flesh of their victims. Babylon has become demonic, the seat of Satan.
3 For all nations have drunk 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 verse declares that all the countries of the world have become dependent on the economic practices of Babylon. They have in face “all” participated in her idolatries and earned the wrath of God. They have become rich and indulged in the luxuries that money can buy. It is important to see that this verse singles out merchants as something that is separate from their countries. We see today how global merchants move outside of the restrictions of their local governments and host countries. Moving their corporate headquarters from one country to another, showing no allegiance to one or country over the other. Their chase after the next dollar has made them whores to world economics.
4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
This is the voice of God calling out to his people. This is a calling out of mercy. Come out and separate yourselves from these people. As in the days of Lot recorded in Genesis 19, we see that the Lord calls his people out so that he may deal effectively with the judgement of the evil city and it’s inhabitants. “And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou have here any besides? Son in law, and they sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place: For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the LORD; and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it.” (Genesis 19:12-13) Here in this chapter of Genesis the Lord demonstrates his mercy to Lot and to his daughters and the wife of Lot. But also, to those of Lots household who did not take heed to the warning of the angels, he let them suffer the consequences of their own actions. Their lack of belief made them reject the words of the Lord and they perished with everyone else.
Jude tells us this story of Sodom and Gomorrah are left to us by God as an example of the suffering and eternal vengeance by fire that awaits those who partake of the fornications of these cities. (Jude 1:7; 2 Peter 2:6-9) What were these sins? They were being proud in their sexual perversions, having no shame. (Isaiah 13:19; Jeremiah 23:14;)
5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
Once again, we see a comparison to Sodom. The sins of Babylon have grown so horrible that the cries of their sins have reached the heavens. (Genesis 13:13; 18:20-21; 19:13) The atrocities committed in this city like those of Sodom will command the very intervention of the God of Creation. (Revelation 16:19-21) God remembered her iniquities. Iniquities are the sins that we do while knowing that they are wrong. In our world today we may say that homosexuality and transgenderism is ok and perfectly fine, but in our souls, we know that they are against God. We may say that divorce is acceptable, but we know that that was never the intention of the Lord when he created man and woman. We may say that abortion is justified with the choice of the woman, however; our blood-stained hands will never be clean from the murderous sacrifices we have made for our own convenience. Hatreds, violence, murders, sexual immoralities, even lies make their way up to the Lord of Lords and demand justice.
In this same manner, we as believers are called out from the worldly lives that we use to live into a live of sanctification. Indeed, we see in scripture that those who practice such evil devices as listed above are no to enter the Kingdom of God. “Know ye not the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate (epicene), nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10) “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Galatians 5:19-21) We may think lightly of these things that we do. We may try to make ourselves feel better by getting others to join in with us. We think that because we have made them socially acceptable that we cannot be held accountable for them. However, that is not what God says.
The truth is that sin leads to death, and we are all guilty of sin. The only way for us to have life it to come out from this worldly life, repent (turn away) from our sinful lusts, and acknowledge the need for the death of Jesus on our behalf. Jesus’ death was a substitute for our own death. By rejecting this atonement for sin that he made out of love, we reject the only way to avoid the judgement of God. God is love and he loves us, and desires for us to be with him. But as long as we hold to our sinful lusts and reject his love offering, then he has no alternative to save you. Much like Lot’s sons. We will die in our sins because we rejected his forgiveness.
Here in this verse we are reminded of Revelation 16:19 where God remembers great Babylon. He remembers her to give her the wrath of his cup of his fierce wrath. God whose mercies are renewed daily for those who love him, not returns the contempt that the world system has shown him in their prideful sin and perverted lusts and hatreds. How far has the sinful hearts of men pushed God? The scriptures record, “Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? He retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.” (Micah 7:18) Isaiah 31:18 tells us that the Lord is patient and waits for us to come to him so that we may obtain mercy. 2 Chronicles 30:9 speaks of the gracious mercies of God, who will not turn away his face from you, if you return to him. Listen to the plea of Isaiah, “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” (Isaiah 55:7)
6 Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.
Scripture tells us that God will deliver to every man according to his deeds that he does, whether they are righteous or unrighteous. (Romans 2:6) Babylon has done horrific things to the children of the Most High and the whore and those who follow her will each pay dearly for those acts committed against God.
The Apostle Paul tells us, “But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; Who will render to every man according to his deeds:.” (Romans 2:5-6)
7 How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.
This shows the pride of Babylon. Her arrogance in her sin and defilement. She did not hide her sin, but wad prideful in the destruction that she caused. This whore did not think that anyone could touch her. “I sit as a queen, and am no widow” - shows her self-glorification. God tells us, “Behold, I am against you, O arrogant one,” Declares the Lord God of hosts, “For your day has come, The time when I will punish you.” (Jeremiah 50:31) Saint James tell us that God apposes the proud. (James 4:6) See these verses for further study on God’s view of pride. Isaiah 2:12; Psalm 31:23; Psalm 119:21. The great warrior-king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, Nebuchadnezzar (605 BC to 562 BC) confessed, “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt and honor the King of heaven, for all His works are true and His ways just, and He is able to humble those who walk in pride.” (Daniel 4:37)
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 judgeth her.
Just like with Sodom the destruction of Babylon will come suddenly. (Luke 17:28-30) In one day death and famine, and destruction by fire. In one day, all her rewards shall be delivered to her. A day is such a short time when compared to weeks, months, and years. In such a short period shall her plagues, death, famine, and mourning come. Just as the plaques of Egypt were used to directly confront the gods of Egypt, I imagine these plagues will directly refute the claims of the false gods of Babylon. She is made an example of the strength of the Lord God and the fierceness of his judgement. She sat on top of the world as one who was untouchable. However, God is the one who is above all powers and all principalities, and all rulers of this world and in the heavens.
9 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,
When this says that the kings of the earth have committed fornication and live deliciously with her, it might not be just symbolic of idolatry and liberalism. The Greek writer Herodotus tells of how Babylonian women were expected to go to the temple at least once in their lives to have sex with a total stranger. This act was viewed as a right of passage for women and seen as an act of worship for Babylonian gods. It is also recorded by the same author that abstinence form sex was seen as sinful. Our common act of consummation of marriage comes from the Code of Hammurabi’s laws concerning sex and marriage. Homosexuality was publicly accepted, and some acts of homosexuality were even believed to bring good fortune from the gods. [1] Babylon was a no-holds-barred place of sexual immorality where strangely enough the refusal to have sex with anyone in any manner was considered immoral, unless it involved adultery by a woman.
These kings who could take what they wanted to fulfill their own lusts and greed now mourned because their source of their desires was now laid in ruin. Here destruction would be witnessed by the whole world and they would grieve for her passing because of their desire to do evil with her.
10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.
11 And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:
In a database by the World Integrated Trade Solution (WITS) for 2018[2] the top 5 countries whose imports and exports range into the trillions are: for imports, the United States, China, Germany, Hong Kong, China and the United Kingdom; for exports, China, United States, Germany, Japan, and Korea. Think of the world economic catastrophe that would occur if all of these were controlled by one empire that suddenly collapsed and all of those imports and exports stopped.
12 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,
13 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.
14 And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all.
The listings of items in these verses show a divers and far reaching world economy. The mention of thyine wood (Tetraclinis articulata) is a wood that comes from Northern Africa. Marble comes from many different countries that include Africa, Egypt, and Greece. In this time the hearer of this Revelation would have understood that as a sign of richness and power because the Roman buildings were constructed of such marble stones. Gold, silver and precious stones all have to be mined and imported. This would show the extent of the richness of Babylon than much of these things were imported and then resold through her. Mentioned also are perfumes and ointments used in various rituals and medicines to show that their commerce affected every aspect of life. We can even see the food and the essential of life were moved through her economic ability.
15 The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,
16 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!
17 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,
In one quick instant in time all of the riches of Babylon are taken away. Everyone who did trade with her will morn the loss of her imports and exports and the money that came from them. It would not be hard to imagine these days. What would happen if the world bank suddenly said they are bankrupt? What would happen if OPEC declared that there is no more fossil fuel available in the world? On October 24, 1929 the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 24.8%. On 28 October the Dow fell again from 301.22 to 260.64. Then on October 29th the Dow dropped another 11.7%. Panic consumed the market and investors sold heavily trying to save what finances they could. Some who could not see face the losses incurred committed suicide. Headlines fanned the New Yok Times spreading further fear and panic to foreign markets causing foreign investors to pull out of the U.S. Market. The crash wiped people out. Owners were forced to sell their businesses, and cash in their life savings. Banks failed reducing credit availability and money supply. Unemployment rose reducing revenues. You can see the ripple effect of homes being foreclosed on leaving generations of families homeless, jobless, and starving.
All of this happened in such a short period of time. This is the time period we call The Great Depression (August 1929- March 1933). The Great Depression was a world-wide economic crisis that was linked to the downturn of the U.S. dollar and the gold standard. It was intensified by a sever drought which destroyed agricultural resources and forced many farmers to abandon their farmlands. We can see why in this verse the ships and sailors and the traders stood afar off and tried to distance themselves from the effects of the fall of Babylon.
18 And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city!
There are five stages to grief. Although not everyone experience all stages and may not experience them in the same manner. The five stages of grief are established enough in human behavior patterns to make note. They are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and finally acceptance. Here in these verses we see the world going through these stages. First, they are in disbelief. How could this great city which supplied the whole world with riches be gone? They wish to then deny and say surely this great city is not gone. Then move to anger and blame God for the judgement of the whore. In verse 19 they enter into public mourning; they cry and weep over her. We see unfolding the great war where men in their anger try to confront God and make war with the Lamb and fail.
19 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.
The throwing of dust on the head is an ancient custom of mourning and distress. (Joshua 7:6; 1 Samuel 4:12; 2 Samuel 1:2; 15:32; Job 2:12) Here in this verse we see the importance of the seas to the economic reach of the whore Babylon. Any nation that had ships to trade with her were made rich with her resources and her monies. The phrase, “in one hour” is once again a reference to the suddenness of her destruction. Suddenly, the great city is brought to destruction. She who made the others rich in her delicacies is now made barren. All her riches and delicacies are gone in the blink of an eye in time.
20 Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.
Here is the awaited answer to the question, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost though not judge and avenge our blook on them that dwell on the earth?” (Revelation 6:9-11) Those who have been persecuted and martyred throughout history and especially in the tribulation can now rejoice. The Greek here for heaven means a place high above and is associated with the abode of God. All of those who dwell with God can rejoice in the judgement of God upon the earth. This includes the apostle, the prophets, all the saints, and even the other heavenly beings that reside in the presence of God.
Scriptures on God’s Vengeance:
· Exodus 21:24-25 - Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.
Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.
· Deuteronomy 32:35 - To me [belongeth] vengeance, and recompence; their foot shall slide in [due] time: for the day of their calamity [is] at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste.
To me belongeth vengeance, and recompence;
Their foot shall slide in due time:
For the day of their calamity is at hand,
And the things that shall come upon them make haste.
· 1 Samuel 24:12 - The LORD judge between me and thee, and the LORD avenge me of thee: but mine hand shall not be upon thee.
The Lord judge between me and thee, and the Lord avenge me of thee: but mine hand shall not be upon thee.
· Psalms 94:1 - O LORD God, to whom vengeance belongeth; O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, shew thyself.
O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongeth;
O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, shew thyself.
· Ezekiel 25:17 - And I will execute great vengeance upon them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I [am] the LORD, when I shall lay my vengeance upon them.
And I will execute great vengeance upon them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall lay my vengeance upon them.
· Romans 12:19 - Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but [rather] give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance [is] mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
· Romans 13:4 - For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to [execute] wrath upon him that doeth evil.
For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.
· 2 Thessalonians 1:6 - Seeing [it is] a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you;
Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you;
· Hebrews 10:30 - For we know him that hath said, Vengeance [belongeth] unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.
For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.
· Revelation 21:8 - But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
We can have confidence in God to achieve victory over his enemies. We should be moved to pray for those who are in darkness. We should pray for those who ridicule us and who beat us and who martyr our loved ones for Christ’s sake, because they do not know the danger they are in when they face God in his intense wrath.
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.
A millstone is used to grind wheat, corn, and other grains. They vary in size depending on its purposes and method of use. They are made from burrstone, fine-grained sandstone, or a silicified, fossiliferous limestone. A typical millstone can weight hundreds of pounds. Some millstones were big enough that camels or donkeys were used to move the upper millstone upon the lower millstone to crush the wheat into flour for a village or a city. This is one similar that the Philistines made Samson to grind in the prison. (Judges 16:21)
This angel hurls a great and heavy stone into the sea. If you have ever seen a rock being thrown into the water and observed the rippling side effects of the rock’s impact on the smoot water, you know that this little event can have a tremendous effect on the waters. We know that a mild earthquake on one side of the Pacific Ocean can trigger deadly Tsunami tidal waves on the other side of the Pacific Ocean.
I can’t help but recall how Jesus warned that it would be better for a man that he die by having a millstone hanged by his neck and he were cast into the sea to drown, then to face the judgement of God for hurting a child. (Matthew 18:6; Luke 17:2) Clearly the millstone about the neck is a form of judgement. So Babylon will be judged and the violence that she visited upon the saints shall be visited to her in return.
22 And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee;
23 And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.
We can see Babylon who was assured that she would last forever. Here kingdom would never be touched by despair. She boasted on her impunity to kill the saints and martyr the prophets of the Most High. They enjoy the sounds of pleasant musicians and have the exquisite items prepared by master craftsmen. They practice their sorceries and continue in sexual immorality never giving concern to the faith that awaits them. They consistently sow their evil seeds expecting no harvest. Then suddenly the harvest comes. Jesus said that this would be the mind of men when he returned. He said that in the end men would be acting just like they did in the days of Noah, before the flood killed them all. He said that right up to the point that the waters were rising they were eating, drinking, having weddings and celebrations. Jesus said that even in Sodom, on the very day that Lot was delivered out of the city, men were eating and drinking; they sold in the markets, and planted in the fields. They had all been warned in each case, and in each case they chose to remain in their sin and did not believe. They were all suddenly destroyed, in one day judgement came upon them. (Luke 17:26-30)
This is how the destruction of Babylon will be. They will have been warned. They will have killed those who tried to save them. They will be doing the next business deal, planning the next project. There will be some who are getting married, some who are receiving news of a new baby will rejoice and others will plan for an abortion. They will be living their lives as if they have tomorrow. Suddenly, in one hour, judgement will come upon them.
24 And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.
This is the reason of her judgement. She will be found guilty of the blood of the prophets and the saints that were slain. “So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.” (Romans 14:12) James says that those who accept the worldly way of life and live like the world are adulterer and adulteresses to God and are willing enemies of God. (James 4:4) These children of Babylon and her worldly religious and economic empire willingly made themselves an enemy of Jehovah by committing adultery with the beast and the antichrist and his false prophet. The Lord loves the righteous, but the wicked and those who love violence the Lord hates. (Psalm 11:5-7)