Babylon is Fallen - Part 2 - Revelation 18:9-24
INTRODUCTION:
Last week we began looking at the judgment of God on the physical city of Babylon which will be the political and economic capital of the Antichrist’s world empire. We went through the first 8 verses where we looked at the first three aspects of judgment out of the seven aspects of judgment that are seen in this chapter. Last Sunday we looked at: Judgment proclaimed, Judgment evaded, and Judgment described. This morning we will finish up this chapter by looking at the last four aspects of judgment seen in this chapter: Judgment mourned, Judgment celebrated, Judgment finished, and Judgment justified.
Let’s pray and get right into our passage for this morning.
--PRAY--
SCRIPTURE:
Turn in your Bibles to Revelation 18 and we are going to finish this chapter up this morning by looking at verses 9-24. Please stand if you are able in honor of the reading of God’s Word and follow along as I read.
Revelation 18:9-24,
“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.’ 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; 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!’ ‘Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, because God has pronounced judgment for you against her.’ 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. 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 18:9–24, NASB95)[1]
JUDGMENT MOURNED (Revelation 18:9-19)
The fourth aspect of judgment on Babylon and upon its political and economic power is judgment mourned. John describes for us in eleven verses what takes place on the earth and how the world reacts to the destruction of the Antichrist’s capital. This destruction will be a devastating blow to the Antichrist’s empire.
The first group introduced as mourning the judgment of Babylon is the kings of the earth, the world leaders under the Antichrist. This group will include the ten kings who were introduced in chapter 17, the kings who administrate the ten administrative regions of the Antichrist world empire. This group would also include all the world leaders under them. This news of Babylon’s destruction will be met with shock and dismay. As the leaders of the world watch the city burn, they will weep for the destruction of this crown jewel of their god’s empire. They will lament the Scripture states, a word that means to beat your chest in grief.
The leaders of the world will stand at a distance because of the fear of being swept away in the city’s torment. They will cry out in grief, “Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the strong city! For in one hour your judgment has come.” (Revelation 18:10b, NASB95)[2] As the center of the political and economic power of the empire, Babylon will be a great city and the fact that up to this point the city has survived the judgments poured out by God on the earth during the Tribulation, the world leaders will believe that the city is a strong, indestructible city. The sudden and catastrophic destruction of the city will shock and dismay them.
The next mourners we are introduced to are the merchants of the earth. Those who became rich by the wealth of the city’s sensuality. They weep and mourn not so much for the destruction of the city, but for the fact that because of her destruction no one buys their cargoes anymore. These are the business leaders of the world and Babylon’s destruction not only wipes out wealthy clientele, but it may also disrupt the banking industry whose center may have been located in Babylon. The destruction of the Antichrist’s political and economic capital will bring to an end anything that would normally be routine or expected. All economic activity on the earth will come to a screeching halt.
In verses 12-13 we are provided with a list of the cargo that is now going unsold, everything needed to live luxurious and splendid, but all that luxury and all that splendor is now burning up. It is interesting that the cargo includes human lives for sale again as slaves. Man’s wickedness and depravity will sink so low that it will be acceptable again to own human beings like property. What is listed here are common products for the wealthy in the Roman empire of John’s day and were a source of great financial wealth for the merchants who sold them. They may only be representative of the great wealth of the Antichrist’s future commercial empire.
The merchants mourn that “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.” (Revelation 18:14, NASB95)[3] Everything that was luxurious or splendid in the city has burned up. The phrase translated “no longer” is a double negative in Greek, the strongest negative form in the Greek language. It indicates that these items, the fruit, the luxurious and splendid things that were common will never be found again. Babylon will never again rise from the ashes of her destruction.
These merchants will stand at a distance also as they watch Babylon burn afraid of being swept away in her torment. They, too, will weep and mourn and cry out, “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; for in one hour such great wealth has been laid waste!” (Revelation 18:16-17a, NASB95)[4] These merchants weep and show their grief, not out of sympathy for the city, but because they no longer have this key source of wealth. Our Scripture reading this morning spoke of men like these who gain the whole world but forfeit their souls.
John then introduces us to a third and final group of mourners, they are the captains, the passengers, and the ship’s crew, any who make their living by the sea. These are those who transport the cargo of the merchants, but also take and transport from Babylon to the rest of the world. With the destruction of Babylon there will be no more goods to transport by those who make their living by the sea.
Again, John describes this group as standing at a safe distance from the burning city, for fear of being swept up in her destruction. Showing their grief, they cried, “What city is like the great city?” (Revelation 18:18b, NASB95)[5] and in grief they threw dust on their heads. They also lamented with “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!” (Revelation 18:19, NASB95)[6]
Each of these groups cried out in an expression of pain and grief at the sight of God’s judgment on Babylon, but they did not repent. Each group also expressed the swiftness of Babylon’s destruction. This phrase, “in one hour” is a figure of speech that emphasizes the short time that was taken to destroy the city. In an astonishingly short period of time destruction came that was sudden and catastrophic and destroyed the city the source of political and economic power. Just as the Old Testament prophets prophesied in Isaiah 13 and Jeremiah 51.
JUDGMENT CELEBRATED (Revelation 18:20)
The fifth aspect of judgment is given to us in verse 20, it is judgment celebrated. Heaven and the inhabitants of heaven are called on to rejoice over Babylon. Heaven has a much different perspective than the followers of the Antichrist. The saints, the apostles, and the prophets are called on to rejoice over Babylon’s destruction. What are they to rejoice about? That God’s righteous judgment has prevailed. The phrase “God has pronounced judgment for you against her” is literally “God has judged your judgment on them.” God has judged Babylon righteously for her martyrdom of the saints. John MacArthur writes, “Heaven rejoices, because of the triumph of righteousness, the exaltation of Jesus Christ, and the arrival of His kingdom on earth.”[7] All of this is soon to take place and we will see this rejoicing even more when we get into chapter 19.
JUDGMENT FINISHED (Revelation 18:21-23a)
The sixth aspect of the judgment of Babylon is the judgment finished or completed. John tells that a strong angel picked up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea. A mill where wheat was ground into flour usually consisted of two stones, one on top of the other and grain was put between them as they turned, and it was ground to flour. A great millstone would typically be four to five feet in diameter and about a foot thick and very heavy. This is what the stone was like that this strong angel picked up and threw into the sea. The angel then explained his action by saying, “So will Babylon, the great city, be thrown down with violence, and will not be found any longer.” (Revelation 18:21b, NASB95)[8] In a moment, as the stone disappeared into the depths of the sea, so Babylon will disappear from the earth.
The angel goes on to tell us that so complete will be the destruction of Babylon be that never again will be heard in her the sounds of the normal activities of a city. No more will you hear the sound of music, no craftsmen will ever be heard in her again, no factory will be heard, no light shall be lit in her in the night ever again, and the sounds of life such as the joyful sounds of a wedding will never again be heard. Babylon will be desolate forever. This is how Isaiah describes this sudden and catastrophic destruction of Babylon in Isaiah 13:19-20, “And Babylon, the beauty of kingdoms, the glory of the Chaldeans’ pride, Will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. It will never be inhabited or lived in from generation to generation; Nor will the Arab pitch his tent there, Nor will shepherds make their flocks lie down there.” (Isaiah 13:19–20, NASB95)[9] This type of destruction has never taken place, when Babylon was overthrown by the Medes and the Persians they moved in and took up residence, they did not raze it to the ground and destroy like God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. Later on, in chapter 14 God says through the prophet Isaiah in verses 22-23, “’I will rise up against them,’ declares the Lord of hosts, ‘and will cut off from Babylon name and survivors, offspring and posterity,’ declares the Lord. ‘I will also make it a possession for the hedgehog and swamps of water, and I will sweep it with the broom of destruction,’ declares the Lord of hosts.” (Isaiah 14:22–23, NASB95)[10] We use a broom to sweep away the dirt and the garbage, God will sweep away Babylon forever so that nothing, but wild animals will live there.
JUDGMENT JUSTIFIED (Revelation 18:23b-24)
The final aspect of judgment that is given to us in this passage is judgment justified. Righteous judgment must be just and in the final verses we are given three final reasons for Babylon’s judgment. Her judgment is justified.
First, we are told that her merchants were the great men of the earth, these men used their wealth to ascend to positions of power, prominence and influence that reached around the world and influenced the world to follow after the Antichrist, to become a part of a one world government and a one world common market most likely consisting of a one world currency and a one world bank.
Second, Babylon’s judgment is justified because her sorcery deceived the nations. This word “sorcery” is used in the New Testament to refer to magic and occult practices. We know that the power behind the Antichrist is Satan and Babylon’s hold on the world will not be entirely due to her military and economic power, but also to her occult influence, she will have satanic and demonic forces deceiving and influencing the nations.
Third, Babylon’s judgment is justified because of her murderous slaughter of God’s people. “In her was found the blood of prophets and of saints and of all who have been slain on the earth.” (Revelation 18:24, NASB95)[11] Remember that the one-world false religious system in chapter 17 and the economic/political system of chapter 18, both these systems were embodied in Babylon and will commit unspeakable murders against God’s people. God will avenge the slaughter of His people by utterly destroying the city of Babylon forever.
God’s judgment on Babylon is righteous and fully justified.
CONCLUSION:
With the graphic description of the judgment of Babylon recorded for us in chapters 17 and 18, the way is cleared for the presentation of the major theme of this book, the glorious second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and the establishment of His glorious kingdom. That begins in chapter 19 where we will turn next week.
Last Sunday I talked about coming out and separating yourself from the world system, from whatever it was that lures you away from your devotion to God and your seeking to be obedient to His Word. Today we have seen what will happen to world system, what will become of the power, the pleasures, the worldly possessions, the recognition all of it went up in smoke. It was destroyed and those who were caught up in the world system could do nothing but weep and mourn for what was lost. But those who had come away during their lifetime could rejoice because their treasures, their inheritance was secure because they had laid it up in heaven for all eternity. They could rejoice over Babylon’s judgment because none of what Babylon embodied was important to them, they were in heaven with the One who had purchased them with His own shed blood.
Again, this morning, now that you have seen the end result, I encourage you again to come away from the world system and pursue God with your whole heart, soul, mind and strength. Let me just share with you the words of our Scripture reading this morning from Mark 8:34-38, “And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, ‘If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? For what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.’” (Mark 8:34–38, NASB95)[12] What will you give in exchange for your soul? He who loses his life for Jesus and for the gospel will save it. You choose.
[1]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[2]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[3]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[4]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[5]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[6]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[7]MacArthur, John, Because the time is near : John MacArthur explains the book of Revelation. Chicago, IL : Moody Publishers, 2007
[8]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[9]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[10]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[11]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[12]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995