Revelation 18-The Destruction Of Babylon
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Sunday February 8, 2009
The Day of the Lord: Revelation 18-The Destruction Of Babylon
Lesson # 22
Please turn in your Bibles to Revelation 16:17.
This morning we will continue with our study of the prophetic subject known as “the Day of the Lord.”
We are currently studying the “Tribulation” portion of this period, which is also known by students of prophecy as, “Daniel’s Seventieth Week.”
During the last three and a half years of this period before Christ’s Second Advent, both religious and political, commercial Babylon will be destroyed.
Last month, we studied Revelation 17, which records the destruction of religious Babylon.
This morning we will study Revelation 18, which describes the destruction of political and commercial Babylon as it is embodied in the city of Babylon, the headquarters of Antichrist.
Revelation 17 describes Babylon in its mystery form, as a religious system or spirit of false worship whereas Revelation 18 describes Babylon as a political and commercial system embodied in a city, the city of Babylon of the future.
Revelation 16:18-19 reveals that the literal city of Babylon will be destroyed by a world-wide earthquake.
This world-wide earthquake is the result of the execution of the seventh bowl judgment.
The seventh and final bowl judgment is recorded in Revelation 16:17-21 and is poured out into the earth’s atmosphere resulting in an unprecedented earthquake, the greatest to ever take place on the earth since man has been on it.
Revelation 16:17-21, “Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl upon the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne, saying, ‘It is done.’ And there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder; and there was a great earthquake, such as there had not been since man came to be upon the earth, so great an earthquake was it, and so mighty. The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. Babylon the great was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And huge hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, came down from heaven upon men; and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, because its plague was extremely severe.”
This massive world-wide earthquake will reduce the cities of the Gentiles to rubble and change the topography of the earth.
Also, the city of Babylon will be split into three parts as a result of this earthquake as indicated by Revelation 16:19, which makes clear that this city will be Babylon since the cup of the wine of God’s fierce wrath is poured out on this city.
This city of Babylon located on the Euphrates River will be rebuilt and will be the capital of the final world government.
The Babylon mentioned in Revelation 18 undoubtedly includes an actual city that will be rebuilt on the Euphrates in modern day Iraq and is a politico commercial system that becomes the means and basis of a new worldwide religious system by which the beast will be worshipped (Rev. 13).
If you recall, the beast brings about his own worship by his control of commerce, or buying and selling.
In Revelation chapter 17 the beast and his allies in politico commercial Babylon destroy religious Babylon, or apostate Christendom but by way of contrast, in Revelation 18, it is God who overthrows commercial Babylon.
Revelation 18 reveals that God is going to judge godless commercialism or in other words, big business is in for it!
The commercialism of this world is man made though satanically inspired since it is clearly not of God because it has an independent and arrogant spirit that seeks its security and happiness apart from God.
It is not because the details of life and its luxuries are wrong, but because they are allowed to usurp God’s place in the hearts of men (Rev. 18:7; 1 Tim. 6:5 11, 17 19; Luke 12:15).
Revelation 18:1, “After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illumined with his glory.”
“After these things” refers the seven seal judgments (5-8:5), the seven trumpet judgments (8:2-9:21; 11:15-19), the seven bowl judgments (16), and the destruction of “religious” Babylon, i.e. the apostate church (17).
The elect angel has come from the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ and has received great authority from Him in order to execute judgment upon “politico-commercial” Babylon.
This judgment will express God’s wrath, i.e. righteous indignation, which is an expression of His holiness and removes the prime source of evil in Satan’s cosmic system.
Revelation 18:2, “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.’”
“Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!” is a prophetic way of declaring that God’s great purpose in triumphing over evil is a fait accompli. (Mounce Robert H., The Book of Revelation. New International Commentary on the New Testament series; Grand Rapids; William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1983; page 323).
This passage reveals that “politico-commercial” Babylon is demonic since the fallen angels will be imprisoned there during the millennium (Compare Isaiah 13:19-22; Jeremiah 50:38-40).
This is indicated in that the elect angel describes it as “the dwelling place of demons,” a “prison of every unclean spirit” and “a prison of every unclean and hateful bird,” which is an allusion to the Lord’s parable recorded in Matthew 13:31-32 where birds refer to demonic leaders operating in the apostate church.
Revelation 18:3, “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.”
Revelation 18:3 also reveals that the godless commercialism of Babylon is world-wide since the angel makes clear that every nation and leader on earth has turned away from God for the almighty dollar and the luxuries that it can buy.
International commerce tries to unify humanity through internationalism and promotes a spirit of self¬-confidence, independence, and rebellion against God as it existed in Babel in the time of Nimrod (Genesis 11).
Revelation 18:4-5, “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.”
The voice from heaven is the Lord Jesus Christ since the voice says “My people,” which is a reference to those who trust in Him as Savior.
In verse 4, the Lord issues a call to separate from the godless Babylonian system of commercialism.
In verse 5, the reason given for this separation is that the number of sins produced by this evil system is innumerable and will result in its receiving judgment from God Himself.
This passage also contains the spiritual law called “the law of remembrance” meaning that God does not ignore or forget sin when the provision for sin, namely His Son is rejected in the sense that He permits the build up of sin, but eventually He will judge.
Revelation 18:6, “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.”
This passage contains the spiritual law or principle called “the law of retribution” meaning that because of the enormity of the sin of this evil Babylonian system and because of the holy character of God, the judgment that will be executed upon this system is doubled.
Revelation 18:7-8, “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.”
Revelation 18:7-8 contains “the law of retaliation” meaning that because of the arrogance of this godless commercial system that has assumed a position like that of a queen and glorified itself, thus to the same degree that this system has rebelled against God, He retaliates in righteous indignation to dethrone this system.
Revelation 18:9-19 reveals the reactions of different groups of people mourning the destruction of the great city of Babylon by the world-wide earthquake.
In verses 8-9, there is recorded the reaction of world leaders who mourn that the city of Babylon’s destruction was so sudden.
Revelation 18:9-10, “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.’”
In Revelation 18:11-17a records the reaction of the merchants or businessmen of the earth mourning Babylon’s destruction who bemoan the fact that the wealth of Babylon has been destroyed.
Revelation 18:11-16, “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.’”
Revelation 18:17-19 records the reaction of the shipmasters of the world and the sailors that they employed who were made rich by the wealth of the city of Babylon and their passengers that they carried mourning the destruction of the city of Babylon.
Revelation 18:17-19, “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!’”
Notice that the wailing of the businessmen of the world is greater than that of the leaders of the world and the shipmasters, sailors and bystanders because their loss is greater.
Also, notice that with each of these groups of people, their happiness is based upon the materialism that Babylon provided them and this indicated in that they are in mourning because they no longer can become wealthy through the city of Babylon.
Now, in direct contrast to the reaction of the inhabitants of the cosmic system of Satan, in Revelation 18:20-24, the inhabitants of heaven are commanded by God to rejoice over the destruction of Babylon.
Revelation 18:20, “Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, because God has pronounced judgment for you against her.”
The Lord commands His people to rejoice since God has judged their case against the city of Babylon and executed from her a just penalty.
The godless attitude of consumerism and commercialism of Babylon has been the cause of much misery and pain for the people of God throughout human history, but the people of God can rejoice because God has not forgotten them nor Babylon’s evil.
So we can see that the destruction of the city of Babylon has caused bitter mourning on the earth but great rejoicing in heaven but this rejoicing does not mean that we should be glad that sinners are judged but rather it centers on God’s righteous judgment in that justice has been done.
Revelation 18:21, “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.’”
The angelic act of throwing the millstone into the sea is symbolic of Babylon’s fate in the sense that as it is impossible for that huge stone to rise to the surface, so the economic system that has driven Satan’s cosmic system throughout human history will sink and never resurface again in human history.
Revelation 18:22-23a records the extent and nature of Babylon’s fall in that no more music and entertainers or craftsmen, the food supply will disappear as well as industry and social life will cease.
Revelation 18:22-24, “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; 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.”
Revelation 18:23b-24 records three reasons for the destruction of Babylon: (1) “For your merchants were the great men of the death”: Men whom the world regards as great have enriched themselves and lifted themselves up in pride because of Babylon’s influence. (2) “Because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery”: Babylon has seduced men into thinking that joy, security, honor and meaning in life come through the accumulation of material wealth. (3) “In her was found the blood of the prophets and of saints and of all who have been slain on the earth”: The commercial economic system of Babylon has murdered God’s people throughout human history.
The destruction of the city of Babylon as recorded in Revelation 18 is the final event that brings about the end of the times of the Gentiles, which began when the Babylonian army attacked Jerusalem in 605 B.C. (Compare Luke 21:24).
Revelation 18 brings an end to the record of events that will take place during the Tribulation period, i.e. Daniel’s Seventieth Week, which culminates with the Second Advent of Jesus Christ, which is recorded in Revelation 19.
This leads us to the communion service and so therefore, could we have our ushers pass out the communion elements and let us take a few minutes to meditate upon the Lord and prepare ourselves for the Lord’s Supper.
1 Corinthians 11:23, “For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread.”
1 Corinthians 11:24, “and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, ‘This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’”
1 Corinthians 11:25, “In the same way {He took} the cup also after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink {it} in remembrance of Me.’”
1 Corinthians 11:26, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.”