Babylon faces divine judgment and is swiftly destroyed due to immorality and persecution of the faithful, causing lament among its supporters while saints rejoice.
Wes
Welcome to the Two Journeys Bible Study Podcast. This is Episode 24 in our Revelation Bible Study Podcast entitled Babylon Has Fallen, where we’ll discuss Revelation chapter 18:1-24. I’m Wes Treadway and I’m here with Pastor Andy Davis. Andy, what are we going to see in these verses that we’re looking at today?
Andy
Revelation 18 covers the fall of Babylon. We’re going to talk about what that means. But I think fundamentally it has to do with the world’s system, the alluring, enticing system of enticements that is a constant threat to genuine Christianity and to Christians. And the prediction in the Book of Revelation as we have the future revealed is of the crashing fall of the world system at the end of the world, right before the second coming of Christ. And so, we’re going to walk through the details of this fall, and how devastating it’ll be for those who are not rescued out of Babylon. And we’re going to talk about how that applies to us today.
Wes
Well, let me go ahead and read verses 1-24 in Revelation 18.
After this, I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was made bright with his glory. And he called out with a mighty voice, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast. For all nations have drunk the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxurious living.”
Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues; for her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. Pay her back as she herself has paid back others, and repay her double for her deeds; mix a double portion for her in the cup she mixed.
“As she glorified herself and lived in luxury, so give her a like measure of torment and mourning, since in her heart she says, ‘I sit as a queen, I am no widow, and mourning I shall never see.’ For this reason her plagues will come in a single day, death and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire; for mighty is the Lord God who has judged her.”
And the kings of the earth, who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her, will weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning. They will stand far off, in fear of her torment, and say, “Alas! alas! You great city, you mighty city, Babylon! For in a single hour, your judgment has come.”
And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her, since no one buys their cargo anymore, cargo of gold, silver, jewels, pearls, fine linen, purple cloth, silk, scarlet cloth, all kinds of scented wood, all kinds of articles of ivory, all kinds of articles of costly wood, bronze, iron, and marble, cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots and slaves, that is, human souls. The fruit for which your soul longed has gone from you, and all your delicacies and your splendors are lost to you, never to be found again!”
The merchants of these wares, who gained wealth from her will stand far off in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning aloud, “Alas, alas, for the great city that was clothed in fine linen, in purple and scarlet, adorned with gold, with jewels, and with pearls! For in a single hour all this wealth has been laid waste.”
And all shipmasters and seafaring men, sailors and all whose trade is on the sea, stood far off and cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning, “What city was like the great city?”
And they threw dust on their heads as they wept and mourned, crying out, “Alas, alas, for the great city where all who had ships at sea grew rich by her wealth! For in a single hour she has been laid waste. Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, for God has given judgment for you against her!”
Then a mighty 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 be found no more; and the sound of harpists and musicians, of flute players and trumpeters, will be heard in you no more, and a craftsman of any craft will be found in you no more, and the sound of the mill will be heard in you no more, and the light of a lamp will shine in you no more, and the voice of bridegroom and bride will be heard in you no more, for your merchants were the great ones of the earth, and all 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 earth.”
Andy, how is the angel that came to John described? And what does it mean that the angel had great authority?
Andy
Okay, so angels are given a significant role in the Book of Revelation, and frequently they come and announce the next phase of judgments or events that happen in the Book of Revelation. So that happens here. Another angel, he’s described differently than the earlier angel that brought the most recent revelation. And he’s described as having great authority and radiant with glory or splendor. So much so that the earth is illuminated by it.
And it could be as we string these chapters together and the judgments that come in Revelation 16, the seven bowl judgments. One of them is a darkness that came on the whole earth. And so, if that is still happening, then this would’ve been overwhelmingly shocking. In any case, even if it’s just a vision here, it’s a radiantly glorious and powerful angel and also says he has great authority. And so, authority is given to angels, such as archangels or ruler angels, and they don’t all have the same position. There are levels of authority among them. And so, this angel is one of the most authoritative angels in heaven. And he’s the one that’s given the role of announcing the fall of Babylon.
Wes
How is the voice of the mighty angel described? And what’s the significance of this moment in human history and the description of once mighty Babylon?
Andy
Well, he speaks with a mighty voice, it says, with a tremendous, so it’s very loud. We have a lot of loud noises in the Book of Revelation or loud calls. And so, this is something that is proclaimed for everyone to hear. And what is proclaimed? He says, repeats it, fallen, fallen is Babylon the great. And then it says,
she has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit and a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird. So, it’s the fall of Babylon the Great. And so that’s the topic of the entire chapter. And so, it’d be good for us to try to understand what that means, Babylon the great. The term Babylon here is very significant. Babylon was a dominant theme in the Old Testament, especially at the end of the Jews’ autonomy in the promised land. The Jewish nation, the southern kingdom of Judah was exiled to Babylon ending Jewish reign in the promised land.
So, it was a terrible judgment that God brought on them. And so, Babylon is a symbol of gentile power that comes in as punishment from God, but also a terror to the Jews. And so, it was a literal city and the capital city of an empire that was named for that city, the Babylonian empire ruled by Nebuchadnezzar the Great. And so, Nebuchadnezzar ruled Babylon, and the city became a symbol, but also a literal city. And in the prophets, Isaiah and Jeremiah, there is continually predicted the fall of Babylon before it ever happened. So, Isaiah lived 150 years before Nebuchadnezzar. And so, his prediction of the complete destruction of Babylon is really significant because Babylon was a vassal state under the Assyrian Empire at that point and was not even that powerful. But they would rise to power, throw off the Assyrians and take over their empire under Nebuchadnezzar and become a dominant terror in the region.
And so, the prediction of the fall of Babylon is very, very significant. Jeremiah predicts it, too. He was a contemporary, whereas Isaiah saw, in prophetic vision, the fall of Babylon or the rise of Babylon and the exile of Babylon. None of it had happened yet in Isaiah’s time, although some emissaries came from Babylon to King Hezekiah. And Isaiah then gave his prediction. Jeremiah was personally there when the Babylonian soldiers besieged and then eventually destroyed Jerusalem. That’s what the Book of Lamentations is all about, how desolate lies the city one so full of people, speaking of Jerusalem. And so, Jeremiah was there at that time. He also predicted clearly the complete destruction of Babylon. Now both Isaiah and Jeremiah say that Babylon would be totally razed, that is leveled. There’s nothing left. It will be, like Revelation 18 picks up on, like a haunt for jackals and a home for carrion birds and all that.
You won’t be able to find the city. What’s interesting however, is that when Babylon, the city of Babylon fell to the Medo-Persians under Cyrus the Great and Darius the Mede, Babylon wasn’t destroyed. The city went on for really a couple centuries. Alexander the Great died there. That’s where he drank that huge bowl of wine and died of alcohol poisoning or some other disease. But he was in the city of Babylon. But even in his day it had started to degenerate. By the time the Romans came along, three centuries later, you couldn’t find it.
Some Roman historian tried to find the ancient famous city of Babylon and couldn’t find it. So, God’s word was fulfilled just not right away. So, by the time of Christ, Babylon was a memory. It was written about, and they read about it, but no Arab could find or a Bedouin could find it so they could pasture their flocks there. Nobody knew where it was. It was completely gone. So, God’s word was fulfilled, which makes Peter’s statement in 1 Peter 5 very interesting. In verse 13 he says, “She who is in Babylon chosen together with you sends you her greetings and so does my son Mark.” So that’s Peter talking about Babylon. What is that? Well, it’s pretty clear. Church tradition has Peter in the city of Rome. So, he calls Rome Babylon. It’s a symbol. It’s like air quotes, Babylon.
And so, the idea then is the spirit of Babylon moves around. The city itself destroyed, but Babylon lives like a phoenix rising from the ashes in a dark, evil way. And so, Rome was Babylon in Peter’s day. Well, if that’s the case, if you can move from Mesopotamia over to the Italian boot, then Babylon can keep moving. And so, I think that it’s reasonable for us to see the spirit of Babylon continuing over 20 centuries. And it represents military power and economic power. Now in this chapter, it’s clearly economic. We’re talking about commerce, trade, merchants, wealth, luxury, all that stuff that people want in the world. So, Babylon represents the world and its system. And so, the prediction of fallen is Babylon the great is using that ancient language to speak of the ultimate and final fall of the world’s economic system and all of its enticing luxuries and glittering, sparkly things that entice people to be idolaters, basically. The ultimate fall of Babylon the great, that’s what Revelation 18 is talking about.
Wes
Now, what reason is given in verse 3 for the fall of Babylon? And how is that illicit wealth, the wealth of the kings of the earth connected to this fall here?
Andy
The angel says, fallen, fallen is Babylon the Great. Before I answer about verse 3, let me say the rest about verse 2. It says, she’s become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit. What’s in every unclean and detestable bird? This is language almost exactly similar to some of the oracles of Isaiah about the fall of Babylon. But there’s a demonic side to it. And so, the demons haunt there and hover there. And they are the spiritual forces behind the evil world system. And it’s interesting too, this statement, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird. So that represents the demons but also represents literal birds that lived in the waste places that eventually became the city of Babylon. It’s interesting that Jesus said, very interesting, in Luke’s gospel, the eschatological chapter in Luke, they asked, where Lord will this be? And he said, wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.
What does that mean? And centuries later we’re like, I don’t know what that means. But I think basically it’s all over the world there will be dead bodies. Literally all over the world. And Babylon and the carrion birds hovering down, it’s a worldwide system. And so, verse 2 is clicking into those things. Wherever there is a carcass and rot and filth, there the vultures are going to zero in. And that includes demonic forces. Now in verse 3, the reason for the fall is given. The nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries, the kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxury. So, we got this adultery language. And fundamentally this whole thing is about idolatry. It’s about, as Paul says in the Book of Romans, worshiping and serving created things rather than the Creator who’s forever praised.
all idolatry is seen biblically as spiritual adultery against God. We were created, every human being was created to fulfill the two great commandments.
So, what is it? 1 John 2 it gives us the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, the boastful pride of life. All the stuff the world has to offer to pagans and to unbelievers. What do they live for? Eat, drink, and be merry. Luxuries. And they’re called adulteries here because all idolatry is seen biblically as spiritual adultery against God. We were created, every human being was created to fulfill the two great commandments. The first and greatest commandment to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. If you don’t love him, you’ll love some creature with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Babylon’s all about giving that to you. Babylon’s about, let me give you something other than God that you can love with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. And that is adultery.
And the whole world got drunk on this adultery. It got drunk on luxuries and pleasures and eat, drink, and be merry and fine clothes and pearls and golds and glittering things, in power and houses and mansions and all this stuff. That’s what this chapter is all about. And so, the reason that Babylon is fallen is that God is a jealous God, and he is going to destroy all idolaters. And so, this fall of Babylon is the destruction of idolaters. People who lived for created things rather than the Creator. It also says that the kings of the earth committed adultery with her, with Babylon, so that is with the world system. And they grew rich from her excessive luxuries. You got kings and you got merchants. Merchants are making money on this commerce aspect here. You’re going to see the same thing in Ezekiel 28 with the king of Tyre, which also seems to be Satan as well.
It’s very complex here. But the idea is Satan trucks and trades in the stuff of the earth. What did he offer to Jesus, but the stuff of the earth. He showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glories, their splendors. He offered that to Jesus, what he does. And so, he makes glittery things that look nice and people want them. And so, this idea of luxury is interesting as well. And what is a luxury, but it’s a form of art or craft that is reached to its highest level. The best of the best. The best kitchen knives and the best wristwatches and the best cars and the best clothes and the best architecture. All the best stuff. That’s what luxuries is all about. It’s that maddening adultery that people go after. And so, both kings of the earth went in for it and also the merchants got rich from it.
Wes
What does John encounter in verses 4-8? And what’s the significance of the command that’s given in verse 4?
Andy
All right, so in verse 4 it says, then I heard another voice from heaven say, come out of her my people so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues, for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes. Then it says, give back to her as she has given. Pay her back double for what she has done. Mix her a double portion for her own grief. Give her as much torture and grief as the glory and luxury she gave herself. In her heart, she boasts, I sit as a queen and not as a widow. I will never mourn. Therefore, in one day her plagues will overtake her. Death, mourning, and famine, she’ll be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her. So, first of all, in verses 4-5, we have the ability and even the command given to escape Babylon.
Come out of her, my people so that you will not share in her sins. Get out of it. Get out of that place. It’s similar to the warning that Jesus gave to get out of Jerusalem when you see Jerusalem’s enemies surrounding her. “Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let no one in the country go into the city.” (Luke 21:21). You don’t want to be in that city when Rome comes to surround her and build embankments against her and make it certain that no one can escape. In other words, you better get out of there before that happens because once they encircle the city, there will be no escape. Everyone inside the city will die.
Why would it be of any advantage to you to become wealthy and to swim in luxuries if you end up burning in hell forever?
And so, the idea here is that’s literal, a literal besiegement done by the Romans. This is more spiritual. A force far greater than Romans ever could have imagined, namely, Almighty God. Jesus, coming with the armies of heaven, is coming and there will be no escape. So, get out of Babylon while there’s time. And it’s a spiritual escape. And you do it by repenting and trusting in Jesus and saying, “I don’t want to live for the world. I don’t want to live for the world’s system.” What would it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose or forfeit his soul? Why would it be of any advantage to you to become wealthy and to swim in luxuries if you end up burning in hell forever? So come out of her, my people. Flee Babylon. Come out of the world system while there’s still time. You do that by seeing the world as it really is and fleeing to Christ. And why? Because judgment is coming on Babylon. The reason given is her sins are piled up to heaven. God has kept a record of everything she’s ever done, all of the crimes she’s committed to get wealthy. All of the plunder and all of the adulteries that she’s committed.
God has remembered her crimes. He’s not going to forget any of it. And she’s going to be judged. She’s going to be cast down both physically on earth with the judgment that’s coming, but then eternally in hell with the eternal judgment. And fundamentally is she’s going to get paid back for all of the grief and misery that she brought on the people of God as she persecuted them. And she was bloodthirsty as we saw in the previous chapter in Revelation 17. She’s drunk with the blood of the saints. So, pay back, pay her back. It’s payback time. And that’s what it’s saying. So as much as she gave her luxury. And then it says, interestingly, in her heart she boasts, “I sit as a queen and not as a widow.”
This is a direct quote of Isaiah 47. It’s really interesting. In Isaiah 47:1,7 it says, “Go down, sit in the dust, virgin daughter of Babylon; sit on the ground without a throne, daughter of the Babylonians.” And then it says, “You said, ‘I will continue forever the eternal queen,’ but you did not consider these things or reflect on what might happen. Now then listen, you wanton creature lounging in your security and saying to yourself, ‘I am and there is none besides me.'”
That’s God language. I am and there is no one but me. I will never be a widow or suffer the loss of children. Both of these will overtake you in a moment. Widowhood and the loss of children. This is an oracle of judgment in Isaiah 47. Well, Revelation 18 is picking up on it. So, it’s this statement, I will never, I’m not a widow, and I will never mourn. And that’s Isaiah 47. But she is going to mourn, and she will play a widow, bereaved of her children. And one day these plagues will overtake her. Death, mourning, and famine, and she’ll be burned up with fire by the judgment of God.
Wes
In verses 9-20, we get various responses to the judgment of Babylon, to Babylon’s fall. In verse 9, why do the kings of the earth, the merchants, the sea captains, mourn the fall of Babylon so deeply?
Andy
Well, they live for these things. These luxuries were their life. Idolaters don’t give up their idols easily. That’s why. And so, they’re grieved as their entire world system falls to the ground. They’re going to weep and mourn over her. Not like Jesus weeping over Jerusalem. Not at all. They’re sorry that the feast is over. The party has ended. They’re grieved that it’s over now. And probably they might have a sense of their own judgments that are about to come as well. The kings of the earth who committed adultery with her will mourn and weep. And they will be terrified because they feel that judgment is coming on them. And they will say, alas or woe, great city, Babylon city of power because in one hour your doom has come. So, they’re grieving because, frankly, the party’s over, and their idolatries have ended. The kings of the earth lament.
And then the merchants will lament her in verses 11-17. The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes anymore. That’s the reason. They’re not grieving over their sin, they’re grieving that it’s done. It’s come to an end now. And what are they? They’re listed here: cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls, fine linen, purple silk and scarlet cloth, every sort of citrine, wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble, cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and carriages. And it says bodies and souls of men. This is like slaves.
It’s just the truck and trade of the world. This is the stuff people lived for. And it’s interesting. These things are blessings. They are sometimes spoken of in other places as gifts given by God or things that are blessings from God. But these, in this context, this is what people lived for. This was their life. They swam in this sea of luxury, and now it’s over. They will say the fruit you long for is gone from you. All your riches and splendor have vanished, never to be recovered. And so, they’re grieving over this. The merchants who sold these things and gained their wealth from her will stand far off terrified at her torment. And they’ll weep and mourn and cry out, woe, woe or alas, alas, oh, great city, dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet, glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. In one hour, such great wealth has been brought to ruin. So, this is all the merchants of the earth. And they’re grieving over the end of that era.
Wes
Andy, it’s striking. We may not think of ourselves as kings or merchants or sea captains, but what warning should we take for our own spiritual health from these laments that are raised and the things that are discussed here?
Andy
Well, Wes, you and I were born in America. America is the wealthiest nation in history. I understand there are other wealthy nations alive today as well in the west, certain places, Japan and Europe and all that. But America leads the way in gross GDP and all that. And so therefore the Christians within America are among the wealthiest Christians that have ever lived. And so, I guess we just go back to verse 4 and say, come out of her so that you don’t share in her judgments. The question is, or again, 1 John 2:15, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If you love the world, the love of the Father is not in you.”
And so, this is just like reading 1 John or reading about the temptation of Christ in which all the glories of the world were shown to him and he refused them, To say, am I getting sucked into this world system? And show me how I am compromised? Show me how I am immersed in it. We can’t help where we were born, Wes. We weren’t in charge of the fact that we’re born into relative luxury compared to people who live in Haiti or in Bangladesh or other poor places in the world. This is where we live. And that our parents clothed us well and fed us well and educated us well. Those things are gifts of God. But the question is, are we worldly idolaters? That’s the question we have to ask. God’s gospel can flourish anywhere, but our challenges here are to not get drawn into the luxuries and live for them.
Wes
Who laments Babylon next? And why would the saints be called to rejoice in verse 20 when the rest of the world is mourning?
Andy
So verses 17-19, we have the ship captains of the earth. They’re lamenting her. They carried cargoes to her. Every sea captain and all who traveled by ship, the sailors and all who earn their living from the sea will stand far off. When they see the smoke of her burning, they’ll exclaim, was there ever a city like this great city? And they’ll throw dust on their heads with weeping and mourning, cry out, woe, woe, great city. Where all who had ships in the sea became rich through her wealth, in one hour she has been brought to ruin. So, I think again, so you got the kings of the earth that got rich, the merchants got rich, the ship’s captains and those in commerce got rich, and it’s all gone in an instant. All of that wealth gone. And so fundamentally, if your wealth is in this world, you’ll lose it. But if you store up treasure in heaven, you will keep it for all eternity.
And so fundamentally that’s the concern, are we living for this present world or not? However, in Revelation 18, it’s not only lament, there’s also celebration going on. And so, the command is given by the mighty angel, rejoice over her, oh heaven. Rejoice, saints and apostles and prophets. God has judged her for the way she treated you. So, remember that Babylon the great was drunk with the blood of the saints. In Revelation 17:6 it says, “I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus.”
So fundamentally, the worldly people, they don’t understand why Christians refuse to share in their pleasures. 1 Peter 4 says they don’t know why you don’t immerse yourself in the things they’re doing. And they heap abuse on you because we don’t dive into this flood of dissipation. But when Babylon the great is finally thrown down, all of heaven should celebrate and will because Babylon the great is an enemy to the kingdom of God. It is one of the great threats. And when she’s finally thrown down, heaven is commanded to and will actually delight in that judgment being poured out on her. That’s the entire next podcast. So, Revelation 19:1-10 is four hallelujahs over Babylon’s destruction. So, we’ll talk more about that at the next podcast.
Wes
Certainly. What’s significant about the casting down of the millstone in verse 21 and what do verses 22-23 teach us about the destruction of Babylon and the ending of everyday life as we know it?
Andy
All right, so this is all a vision. It’s all prediction. John’s there in the island of Patmos, 20 centuries ago. None of this has happened yet. So, it’s all a vision of what will happen. But the millstone being cast down into the sea gives you a sense of what it will be like. It’s this huge crash. And it’s very quick. It happens quickly. And so, the idea is when it’s coming, it’s going to come fast and hard. And so, what it says is a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone, so many tons it would weigh. Threw it into the sea. So, you can imagine, kabloosh, this big cataclysmic wave coming.
And it says, with such violence, the great city of Babylon will be thrown down never to be found again. So, it’s a shocking symbol and vision. It’s a symbolizing of the decisive fall of Babylon and the completement of Babylon’s judgment. Then it says in verse 22, 23, the music of harpists and musicians, flute players, and trumpeters will never be heard in you again. No workman of any trade will ever be found in you again.
The sound of a millstone will never be heard in you again. The light of a lamp will never shine in you again. The voice of bridegroom and bride will never be heard in you again. So, this is everyday life, and these are the things that made life good. And that’s the whole thing, Wes, is for us to not be ascetic and come out of her so we don’t share in her judgments means that we live in caves somewhere as many people pursuing holiness did through extreme asceticism. That doesn’t seem to be the answer. But the idea is these good things: music, tradesmen, craftsmen, marriage, even light, lighting up rooms, all of those good gifts are going to end.
And so, if you lived for idolatry, there will come a time that you will have enjoyed your last good thing. I want to pick up on one detail. The light of a lamp will never shine in you again. So light is a gift. The ability to see. And we know that there’s this darkness that comes on the earth, but it’s nothing compared to the darkness of hell. It’s called outer darkness. And so, we’ve got a lake of fire, but it doesn’t give off light. It’s burning, but no light. It’s an utter darkness that the damned will experience. So, the light of Babylon that they saw when they were still immersed in wickedness will be the last light they ever see, when judgment comes and they hear, “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire.” It’s an outer darkness. And so, it’s a terrible judgment that’s coming.
Wes
What does verse 23 teach us about our own world system and its allurements and temptations? And how’s the luxury of Babylon mingled with the blood of the saints the greatest motivation for God to destroy Babylon?
Andy
Well, there is this sense of magic and maybe pharmakeia, I think is the word, the magic spell, et cetera. But there’s this sense of drugs. So, potions. You could think almost like witchcraft here, like a witch mixing potions. And so, it could refer to narcotics, could refer to a lot of idolaters who live for sensual pleasures, live for addictions. So, alcohol, drugs, other things like that that affect the brain. But there’s also a spiritual magic spell being woven by Babylon that’s enticing and bewitching, we could say. And by that bewitching, enticing magic, the entire world was led astray. All nations were led astray. And in the midst of it, they hate Christians. In her was found the blood of the prophets and the saints and those who have been killed, martyrs on the earth. So fundamentally, people who say, you need to repent, you need to come out of Babylon, stop living this life, turn your back on these luxuries, come and join us Christians. If they didn’t do that, they would persecute them and even kill them. And so in Babylon was found the blood of the saints.
Wes
Andy, any final thoughts for us on this chapter as wrap up Revelation 18?
Andy
Well, it’s clearly intended by the Holy Spirit and by the Lord Jesus Christ to be a warning to Christians. And the Bible’s written for Christians. It’s not written for non-Christians because they don’t heed the warnings. They’re not going to listen. I think to some degree it’s written for them, and that God can say, I did tell you, I did warn you. But God doesn’t warn everybody equally. Some people never read the Bible. But other people do read it. It’s fundamentally for us. And so, if you think of it that way, God, what are you saying to me about Babylon? What are you saying to me about through Revelation 18? And I think it goes back to verse 4, come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her judgments and in her crimes and sins.
We want to be the kind of church that is focused on the gospel, on the kingdom of God, on holiness and growth in Christ.
And so just say, Lord, I want to live a good life in America, surrounded by luxury, wearing good clothes, eating good food, making good money. What do I do with all that? What kind of life should I live? How do I enjoy the good blessings of God without being an idolater? How can I get involved in the world system without being drawn into her idolatries and luxuries and wickedness? So, I think it’s, again, as we often say, search me oh God, and know my heart, and show me. And same thing with local churches. Say we don’t want to be a luxury church. We want to be the kind of church that is focused on the gospel, on the kingdom of God, on holiness and growth in Christ. So, to me, Revelation 18 is a warning for Christians to be careful how they’re living in this present evil age.
Wes
Well, this has been Episode 24 in our Revelation Bible Study podcast. We want to invite you to join us next time for Episode 25 entitled Heavenly Hallelujahs, where we’ll discuss Revelation 19:1-10. Thank you for listening to the Two Journeys podcast and may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
Wes
Welcome to the Two Journeys Bible Study Podcast. This is Episode 24 in our Revelation Bible Study Podcast entitled Babylon Has Fallen, where we’ll discuss Revelation chapter 18:1-24. I’m Wes Treadway and I’m here with Pastor Andy Davis. Andy, what are we going to see in these verses that we’re looking at today?
Andy
Revelation 18 covers the fall of Babylon. We’re going to talk about what that means. But I think fundamentally it has to do with the world’s system, the alluring, enticing system of enticements that is a constant threat to genuine Christianity and to Christians. And the prediction in the Book of Revelation as we have the future revealed is of the crashing fall of the world system at the end of the world, right before the second coming of Christ. And so, we’re going to walk through the details of this fall, and how devastating it’ll be for those who are not rescued out of Babylon. And we’re going to talk about how that applies to us today.
Wes
Well, let me go ahead and read verses 1-24 in Revelation 18.
After this, I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was made bright with his glory. And he called out with a mighty voice, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast. For all nations have drunk the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxurious living.”
Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues; for her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. Pay her back as she herself has paid back others, and repay her double for her deeds; mix a double portion for her in the cup she mixed.
“As she glorified herself and lived in luxury, so give her a like measure of torment and mourning, since in her heart she says, ‘I sit as a queen, I am no widow, and mourning I shall never see.’ For this reason her plagues will come in a single day, death and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire; for mighty is the Lord God who has judged her.”
And the kings of the earth, who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her, will weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning. They will stand far off, in fear of her torment, and say, “Alas! alas! You great city, you mighty city, Babylon! For in a single hour, your judgment has come.”
And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her, since no one buys their cargo anymore, cargo of gold, silver, jewels, pearls, fine linen, purple cloth, silk, scarlet cloth, all kinds of scented wood, all kinds of articles of ivory, all kinds of articles of costly wood, bronze, iron, and marble, cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots and slaves, that is, human souls. The fruit for which your soul longed has gone from you, and all your delicacies and your splendors are lost to you, never to be found again!”
The merchants of these wares, who gained wealth from her will stand far off in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning aloud, “Alas, alas, for the great city that was clothed in fine linen, in purple and scarlet, adorned with gold, with jewels, and with pearls! For in a single hour all this wealth has been laid waste.”
And all shipmasters and seafaring men, sailors and all whose trade is on the sea, stood far off and cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning, “What city was like the great city?”
And they threw dust on their heads as they wept and mourned, crying out, “Alas, alas, for the great city where all who had ships at sea grew rich by her wealth! For in a single hour she has been laid waste. Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, for God has given judgment for you against her!”
Then a mighty 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 be found no more; and the sound of harpists and musicians, of flute players and trumpeters, will be heard in you no more, and a craftsman of any craft will be found in you no more, and the sound of the mill will be heard in you no more, and the light of a lamp will shine in you no more, and the voice of bridegroom and bride will be heard in you no more, for your merchants were the great ones of the earth, and all 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 earth.”
Andy, how is the angel that came to John described? And what does it mean that the angel had great authority?
Andy
Okay, so angels are given a significant role in the Book of Revelation, and frequently they come and announce the next phase of judgments or events that happen in the Book of Revelation. So that happens here. Another angel, he’s described differently than the earlier angel that brought the most recent revelation. And he’s described as having great authority and radiant with glory or splendor. So much so that the earth is illuminated by it.
And it could be as we string these chapters together and the judgments that come in Revelation 16, the seven bowl judgments. One of them is a darkness that came on the whole earth. And so, if that is still happening, then this would’ve been overwhelmingly shocking. In any case, even if it’s just a vision here, it’s a radiantly glorious and powerful angel and also says he has great authority. And so, authority is given to angels, such as archangels or ruler angels, and they don’t all have the same position. There are levels of authority among them. And so, this angel is one of the most authoritative angels in heaven. And he’s the one that’s given the role of announcing the fall of Babylon.
Wes
How is the voice of the mighty angel described? And what’s the significance of this moment in human history and the description of once mighty Babylon?
Andy
Well, he speaks with a mighty voice, it says, with a tremendous, so it’s very loud. We have a lot of loud noises in the Book of Revelation or loud calls. And so, this is something that is proclaimed for everyone to hear. And what is proclaimed? He says, repeats it, fallen, fallen is Babylon the great. And then it says,
she has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit and a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird. So, it’s the fall of Babylon the Great. And so that’s the topic of the entire chapter. And so, it’d be good for us to try to understand what that means, Babylon the great. The term Babylon here is very significant. Babylon was a dominant theme in the Old Testament, especially at the end of the Jews’ autonomy in the promised land. The Jewish nation, the southern kingdom of Judah was exiled to Babylon ending Jewish reign in the promised land.
So, it was a terrible judgment that God brought on them. And so, Babylon is a symbol of gentile power that comes in as punishment from God, but also a terror to the Jews. And so, it was a literal city and the capital city of an empire that was named for that city, the Babylonian empire ruled by Nebuchadnezzar the Great. And so, Nebuchadnezzar ruled Babylon, and the city became a symbol, but also a literal city. And in the prophets, Isaiah and Jeremiah, there is continually predicted the fall of Babylon before it ever happened. So, Isaiah lived 150 years before Nebuchadnezzar. And so, his prediction of the complete destruction of Babylon is really significant because Babylon was a vassal state under the Assyrian Empire at that point and was not even that powerful. But they would rise to power, throw off the Assyrians and take over their empire under Nebuchadnezzar and become a dominant terror in the region.
And so, the prediction of the fall of Babylon is very, very significant. Jeremiah predicts it, too. He was a contemporary, whereas Isaiah saw, in prophetic vision, the fall of Babylon or the rise of Babylon and the exile of Babylon. None of it had happened yet in Isaiah’s time, although some emissaries came from Babylon to King Hezekiah. And Isaiah then gave his prediction. Jeremiah was personally there when the Babylonian soldiers besieged and then eventually destroyed Jerusalem. That’s what the Book of Lamentations is all about, how desolate lies the city one so full of people, speaking of Jerusalem. And so, Jeremiah was there at that time. He also predicted clearly the complete destruction of Babylon. Now both Isaiah and Jeremiah say that Babylon would be totally razed, that is leveled. There’s nothing left. It will be, like Revelation 18 picks up on, like a haunt for jackals and a home for carrion birds and all that.
You won’t be able to find the city. What’s interesting however, is that when Babylon, the city of Babylon fell to the Medo-Persians under Cyrus the Great and Darius the Mede, Babylon wasn’t destroyed. The city went on for really a couple centuries. Alexander the Great died there. That’s where he drank that huge bowl of wine and died of alcohol poisoning or some other disease. But he was in the city of Babylon. But even in his day it had started to degenerate. By the time the Romans came along, three centuries later, you couldn’t find it.
Some Roman historian tried to find the ancient famous city of Babylon and couldn’t find it. So, God’s word was fulfilled just not right away. So, by the time of Christ, Babylon was a memory. It was written about, and they read about it, but no Arab could find or a Bedouin could find it so they could pasture their flocks there. Nobody knew where it was. It was completely gone. So, God’s word was fulfilled, which makes Peter’s statement in 1 Peter 5 very interesting. In verse 13 he says, “She who is in Babylon chosen together with you sends you her greetings and so does my son Mark.” So that’s Peter talking about Babylon. What is that? Well, it’s pretty clear. Church tradition has Peter in the city of Rome. So, he calls Rome Babylon. It’s a symbol. It’s like air quotes, Babylon.
And so, the idea then is the spirit of Babylon moves around. The city itself destroyed, but Babylon lives like a phoenix rising from the ashes in a dark, evil way. And so, Rome was Babylon in Peter’s day. Well, if that’s the case, if you can move from Mesopotamia over to the Italian boot, then Babylon can keep moving. And so, I think that it’s reasonable for us to see the spirit of Babylon continuing over 20 centuries. And it represents military power and economic power. Now in this chapter, it’s clearly economic. We’re talking about commerce, trade, merchants, wealth, luxury, all that stuff that people want in the world. So, Babylon represents the world and its system. And so, the prediction of fallen is Babylon the great is using that ancient language to speak of the ultimate and final fall of the world’s economic system and all of its enticing luxuries and glittering, sparkly things that entice people to be idolaters, basically. The ultimate fall of Babylon the great, that’s what Revelation 18 is talking about.
Wes
Now, what reason is given in verse 3 for the fall of Babylon? And how is that illicit wealth, the wealth of the kings of the earth connected to this fall here?
Andy
The angel says, fallen, fallen is Babylon the Great. Before I answer about verse 3, let me say the rest about verse 2. It says, she’s become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit. What’s in every unclean and detestable bird? This is language almost exactly similar to some of the oracles of Isaiah about the fall of Babylon. But there’s a demonic side to it. And so, the demons haunt there and hover there. And they are the spiritual forces behind the evil world system. And it’s interesting too, this statement, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird. So that represents the demons but also represents literal birds that lived in the waste places that eventually became the city of Babylon. It’s interesting that Jesus said, very interesting, in Luke’s gospel, the eschatological chapter in Luke, they asked, where Lord will this be? And he said, wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.
What does that mean? And centuries later we’re like, I don’t know what that means. But I think basically it’s all over the world there will be dead bodies. Literally all over the world. And Babylon and the carrion birds hovering down, it’s a worldwide system. And so, verse 2 is clicking into those things. Wherever there is a carcass and rot and filth, there the vultures are going to zero in. And that includes demonic forces. Now in verse 3, the reason for the fall is given. The nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries, the kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxury. So, we got this adultery language. And fundamentally this whole thing is about idolatry. It’s about, as Paul says in the Book of Romans, worshiping and serving created things rather than the Creator who’s forever praised.
all idolatry is seen biblically as spiritual adultery against God. We were created, every human being was created to fulfill the two great commandments.
So, what is it? 1 John 2 it gives us the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, the boastful pride of life. All the stuff the world has to offer to pagans and to unbelievers. What do they live for? Eat, drink, and be merry. Luxuries. And they’re called adulteries here because all idolatry is seen biblically as spiritual adultery against God. We were created, every human being was created to fulfill the two great commandments. The first and greatest commandment to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. If you don’t love him, you’ll love some creature with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Babylon’s all about giving that to you. Babylon’s about, let me give you something other than God that you can love with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. And that is adultery.
And the whole world got drunk on this adultery. It got drunk on luxuries and pleasures and eat, drink, and be merry and fine clothes and pearls and golds and glittering things, in power and houses and mansions and all this stuff. That’s what this chapter is all about. And so, the reason that Babylon is fallen is that God is a jealous God, and he is going to destroy all idolaters. And so, this fall of Babylon is the destruction of idolaters. People who lived for created things rather than the Creator. It also says that the kings of the earth committed adultery with her, with Babylon, so that is with the world system. And they grew rich from her excessive luxuries. You got kings and you got merchants. Merchants are making money on this commerce aspect here. You’re going to see the same thing in Ezekiel 28 with the king of Tyre, which also seems to be Satan as well.
It’s very complex here. But the idea is Satan trucks and trades in the stuff of the earth. What did he offer to Jesus, but the stuff of the earth. He showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glories, their splendors. He offered that to Jesus, what he does. And so, he makes glittery things that look nice and people want them. And so, this idea of luxury is interesting as well. And what is a luxury, but it’s a form of art or craft that is reached to its highest level. The best of the best. The best kitchen knives and the best wristwatches and the best cars and the best clothes and the best architecture. All the best stuff. That’s what luxuries is all about. It’s that maddening adultery that people go after. And so, both kings of the earth went in for it and also the merchants got rich from it.
Wes
What does John encounter in verses 4-8? And what’s the significance of the command that’s given in verse 4?
Andy
All right, so in verse 4 it says, then I heard another voice from heaven say, come out of her my people so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues, for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes. Then it says, give back to her as she has given. Pay her back double for what she has done. Mix her a double portion for her own grief. Give her as much torture and grief as the glory and luxury she gave herself. In her heart, she boasts, I sit as a queen and not as a widow. I will never mourn. Therefore, in one day her plagues will overtake her. Death, mourning, and famine, she’ll be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her. So, first of all, in verses 4-5, we have the ability and even the command given to escape Babylon.
Come out of her, my people so that you will not share in her sins. Get out of it. Get out of that place. It’s similar to the warning that Jesus gave to get out of Jerusalem when you see Jerusalem’s enemies surrounding her. “Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let no one in the country go into the city.” (Luke 21:21). You don’t want to be in that city when Rome comes to surround her and build embankments against her and make it certain that no one can escape. In other words, you better get out of there before that happens because once they encircle the city, there will be no escape. Everyone inside the city will die.
Why would it be of any advantage to you to become wealthy and to swim in luxuries if you end up burning in hell forever?
And so, the idea here is that’s literal, a literal besiegement done by the Romans. This is more spiritual. A force far greater than Romans ever could have imagined, namely, Almighty God. Jesus, coming with the armies of heaven, is coming and there will be no escape. So, get out of Babylon while there’s time. And it’s a spiritual escape. And you do it by repenting and trusting in Jesus and saying, “I don’t want to live for the world. I don’t want to live for the world’s system.” What would it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose or forfeit his soul? Why would it be of any advantage to you to become wealthy and to swim in luxuries if you end up burning in hell forever? So come out of her, my people. Flee Babylon. Come out of the world system while there’s still time. You do that by seeing the world as it really is and fleeing to Christ. And why? Because judgment is coming on Babylon. The reason given is her sins are piled up to heaven. God has kept a record of everything she’s ever done, all of the crimes she’s committed to get wealthy. All of the plunder and all of the adulteries that she’s committed.
God has remembered her crimes. He’s not going to forget any of it. And she’s going to be judged. She’s going to be cast down both physically on earth with the judgment that’s coming, but then eternally in hell with the eternal judgment. And fundamentally is she’s going to get paid back for all of the grief and misery that she brought on the people of God as she persecuted them. And she was bloodthirsty as we saw in the previous chapter in Revelation 17. She’s drunk with the blood of the saints. So, pay back, pay her back. It’s payback time. And that’s what it’s saying. So as much as she gave her luxury. And then it says, interestingly, in her heart she boasts, “I sit as a queen and not as a widow.”
This is a direct quote of Isaiah 47. It’s really interesting. In Isaiah 47:1,7 it says, “Go down, sit in the dust, virgin daughter of Babylon; sit on the ground without a throne, daughter of the Babylonians.” And then it says, “You said, ‘I will continue forever the eternal queen,’ but you did not consider these things or reflect on what might happen. Now then listen, you wanton creature lounging in your security and saying to yourself, ‘I am and there is none besides me.'”
That’s God language. I am and there is no one but me. I will never be a widow or suffer the loss of children. Both of these will overtake you in a moment. Widowhood and the loss of children. This is an oracle of judgment in Isaiah 47. Well, Revelation 18 is picking up on it. So, it’s this statement, I will never, I’m not a widow, and I will never mourn. And that’s Isaiah 47. But she is going to mourn, and she will play a widow, bereaved of her children. And one day these plagues will overtake her. Death, mourning, and famine, and she’ll be burned up with fire by the judgment of God.
Wes
In verses 9-20, we get various responses to the judgment of Babylon, to Babylon’s fall. In verse 9, why do the kings of the earth, the merchants, the sea captains, mourn the fall of Babylon so deeply?
Andy
Well, they live for these things. These luxuries were their life. Idolaters don’t give up their idols easily. That’s why. And so, they’re grieved as their entire world system falls to the ground. They’re going to weep and mourn over her. Not like Jesus weeping over Jerusalem. Not at all. They’re sorry that the feast is over. The party has ended. They’re grieved that it’s over now. And probably they might have a sense of their own judgments that are about to come as well. The kings of the earth who committed adultery with her will mourn and weep. And they will be terrified because they feel that judgment is coming on them. And they will say, alas or woe, great city, Babylon city of power because in one hour your doom has come. So, they’re grieving because, frankly, the party’s over, and their idolatries have ended. The kings of the earth lament.
And then the merchants will lament her in verses 11-17. The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes anymore. That’s the reason. They’re not grieving over their sin, they’re grieving that it’s done. It’s come to an end now. And what are they? They’re listed here: cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls, fine linen, purple silk and scarlet cloth, every sort of citrine, wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble, cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and carriages. And it says bodies and souls of men. This is like slaves.
It’s just the truck and trade of the world. This is the stuff people lived for. And it’s interesting. These things are blessings. They are sometimes spoken of in other places as gifts given by God or things that are blessings from God. But these, in this context, this is what people lived for. This was their life. They swam in this sea of luxury, and now it’s over. They will say the fruit you long for is gone from you. All your riches and splendor have vanished, never to be recovered. And so, they’re grieving over this. The merchants who sold these things and gained their wealth from her will stand far off terrified at her torment. And they’ll weep and mourn and cry out, woe, woe or alas, alas, oh, great city, dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet, glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. In one hour, such great wealth has been brought to ruin. So, this is all the merchants of the earth. And they’re grieving over the end of that era.
Wes
Andy, it’s striking. We may not think of ourselves as kings or merchants or sea captains, but what warning should we take for our own spiritual health from these laments that are raised and the things that are discussed here?
Andy
Well, Wes, you and I were born in America. America is the wealthiest nation in history. I understand there are other wealthy nations alive today as well in the west, certain places, Japan and Europe and all that. But America leads the way in gross GDP and all that. And so therefore the Christians within America are among the wealthiest Christians that have ever lived. And so, I guess we just go back to verse 4 and say, come out of her so that you don’t share in her judgments. The question is, or again, 1 John 2:15, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If you love the world, the love of the Father is not in you.”
And so, this is just like reading 1 John or reading about the temptation of Christ in which all the glories of the world were shown to him and he refused them, To say, am I getting sucked into this world system? And show me how I am compromised? Show me how I am immersed in it. We can’t help where we were born, Wes. We weren’t in charge of the fact that we’re born into relative luxury compared to people who live in Haiti or in Bangladesh or other poor places in the world. This is where we live. And that our parents clothed us well and fed us well and educated us well. Those things are gifts of God. But the question is, are we worldly idolaters? That’s the question we have to ask. God’s gospel can flourish anywhere, but our challenges here are to not get drawn into the luxuries and live for them.
Wes
Who laments Babylon next? And why would the saints be called to rejoice in verse 20 when the rest of the world is mourning?
Andy
So verses 17-19, we have the ship captains of the earth. They’re lamenting her. They carried cargoes to her. Every sea captain and all who traveled by ship, the sailors and all who earn their living from the sea will stand far off. When they see the smoke of her burning, they’ll exclaim, was there ever a city like this great city? And they’ll throw dust on their heads with weeping and mourning, cry out, woe, woe, great city. Where all who had ships in the sea became rich through her wealth, in one hour she has been brought to ruin. So, I think again, so you got the kings of the earth that got rich, the merchants got rich, the ship’s captains and those in commerce got rich, and it’s all gone in an instant. All of that wealth gone. And so fundamentally, if your wealth is in this world, you’ll lose it. But if you store up treasure in heaven, you will keep it for all eternity.
And so fundamentally that’s the concern, are we living for this present world or not? However, in Revelation 18, it’s not only lament, there’s also celebration going on. And so, the command is given by the mighty angel, rejoice over her, oh heaven. Rejoice, saints and apostles and prophets. God has judged her for the way she treated you. So, remember that Babylon the great was drunk with the blood of the saints. In Revelation 17:6 it says, “I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus.”
So fundamentally, the worldly people, they don’t understand why Christians refuse to share in their pleasures. 1 Peter 4 says they don’t know why you don’t immerse yourself in the things they’re doing. And they heap abuse on you because we don’t dive into this flood of dissipation. But when Babylon the great is finally thrown down, all of heaven should celebrate and will because Babylon the great is an enemy to the kingdom of God. It is one of the great threats. And when she’s finally thrown down, heaven is commanded to and will actually delight in that judgment being poured out on her. That’s the entire next podcast. So, Revelation 19:1-10 is four hallelujahs over Babylon’s destruction. So, we’ll talk more about that at the next podcast.
Wes
Certainly. What’s significant about the casting down of the millstone in verse 21 and what do verses 22-23 teach us about the destruction of Babylon and the ending of everyday life as we know it?
Andy
All right, so this is all a vision. It’s all prediction. John’s there in the island of Patmos, 20 centuries ago. None of this has happened yet. So, it’s all a vision of what will happen. But the millstone being cast down into the sea gives you a sense of what it will be like. It’s this huge crash. And it’s very quick. It happens quickly. And so, the idea is when it’s coming, it’s going to come fast and hard. And so, what it says is a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone, so many tons it would weigh. Threw it into the sea. So, you can imagine, kabloosh, this big cataclysmic wave coming.
And it says, with such violence, the great city of Babylon will be thrown down never to be found again. So, it’s a shocking symbol and vision. It’s a symbolizing of the decisive fall of Babylon and the completement of Babylon’s judgment. Then it says in verse 22, 23, the music of harpists and musicians, flute players, and trumpeters will never be heard in you again. No workman of any trade will ever be found in you again.
The sound of a millstone will never be heard in you again. The light of a lamp will never shine in you again. The voice of bridegroom and bride will never be heard in you again. So, this is everyday life, and these are the things that made life good. And that’s the whole thing, Wes, is for us to not be ascetic and come out of her so we don’t share in her judgments means that we live in caves somewhere as many people pursuing holiness did through extreme asceticism. That doesn’t seem to be the answer. But the idea is these good things: music, tradesmen, craftsmen, marriage, even light, lighting up rooms, all of those good gifts are going to end.
And so, if you lived for idolatry, there will come a time that you will have enjoyed your last good thing. I want to pick up on one detail. The light of a lamp will never shine in you again. So light is a gift. The ability to see. And we know that there’s this darkness that comes on the earth, but it’s nothing compared to the darkness of hell. It’s called outer darkness. And so, we’ve got a lake of fire, but it doesn’t give off light. It’s burning, but no light. It’s an utter darkness that the damned will experience. So, the light of Babylon that they saw when they were still immersed in wickedness will be the last light they ever see, when judgment comes and they hear, “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire.” It’s an outer darkness. And so, it’s a terrible judgment that’s coming.
Wes
What does verse 23 teach us about our own world system and its allurements and temptations? And how’s the luxury of Babylon mingled with the blood of the saints the greatest motivation for God to destroy Babylon?
Andy
Well, there is this sense of magic and maybe pharmakeia, I think is the word, the magic spell, et cetera. But there’s this sense of drugs. So, potions. You could think almost like witchcraft here, like a witch mixing potions. And so, it could refer to narcotics, could refer to a lot of idolaters who live for sensual pleasures, live for addictions. So, alcohol, drugs, other things like that that affect the brain. But there’s also a spiritual magic spell being woven by Babylon that’s enticing and bewitching, we could say. And by that bewitching, enticing magic, the entire world was led astray. All nations were led astray. And in the midst of it, they hate Christians. In her was found the blood of the prophets and the saints and those who have been killed, martyrs on the earth. So fundamentally, people who say, you need to repent, you need to come out of Babylon, stop living this life, turn your back on these luxuries, come and join us Christians. If they didn’t do that, they would persecute them and even kill them. And so in Babylon was found the blood of the saints.
Wes
Andy, any final thoughts for us on this chapter as wrap up Revelation 18?
Andy
Well, it’s clearly intended by the Holy Spirit and by the Lord Jesus Christ to be a warning to Christians. And the Bible’s written for Christians. It’s not written for non-Christians because they don’t heed the warnings. They’re not going to listen. I think to some degree it’s written for them, and that God can say, I did tell you, I did warn you. But God doesn’t warn everybody equally. Some people never read the Bible. But other people do read it. It’s fundamentally for us. And so, if you think of it that way, God, what are you saying to me about Babylon? What are you saying to me about through Revelation 18? And I think it goes back to verse 4, come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her judgments and in her crimes and sins.
We want to be the kind of church that is focused on the gospel, on the kingdom of God, on holiness and growth in Christ.
And so just say, Lord, I want to live a good life in America, surrounded by luxury, wearing good clothes, eating good food, making good money. What do I do with all that? What kind of life should I live? How do I enjoy the good blessings of God without being an idolater? How can I get involved in the world system without being drawn into her idolatries and luxuries and wickedness? So, I think it’s, again, as we often say, search me oh God, and know my heart, and show me. And same thing with local churches. Say we don’t want to be a luxury church. We want to be the kind of church that is focused on the gospel, on the kingdom of God, on holiness and growth in Christ. So, to me, Revelation 18 is a warning for Christians to be careful how they’re living in this present evil age.
Wes
Well, this has been Episode 24 in our Revelation Bible Study podcast. We want to invite you to join us next time for Episode 25 entitled Heavenly Hallelujahs, where we’ll discuss Revelation 19:1-10. Thank you for listening to the Two Journeys podcast and may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
