Sunday, December 8, 2024

Revelation 18:1-24 - Interesting and Terrifying Times to Come

Revelation 18:1-24

The Fall of Babylon the Great

1 After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory. 2 And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird! 3 For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury.”

4 And I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. 5 For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. 6 Render to her just as she rendered to you, and repay her double according to her works; in the cup which she has mixed, mix double for her. 7 In the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, ‘I sit as queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow.’ 8 Therefore her plagues will come in one day—death and mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her.

The World Mourns Babylon’s Fall

9 “The kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her will weep and lament for her, when they see the smoke of her burning, 10 standing at a distance for fear of her torment, saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come.’

11 “And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore: 12 merchandise of gold and silver, precious stones and pearls, fine linen and purple, silk and scarlet, every kind of citron wood, every kind of object of ivory, every kind of object of most precious wood, bronze, iron, and marble; 13 and cinnamon and incense, fragrant oil and frankincense, wine and oil, fine flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and bodies and souls of men. 14 The fruit that your soul longed for has gone from you, and all the things which are rich and splendid have gone from you, and you shall find them no more at all. 15 The merchants of these things, who became rich by her, will stand at a distance for fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, 16 and saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city that was clothed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls! 17 For in one hour such great riches came to nothing.’ Every shipmaster, all who travel by ship, sailors, and as many as trade on the sea, stood at a distance 18 and cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, ‘What is like this great city?’

19 “They threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and wailing, and saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city, in which all who had ships on the sea became rich by her wealth! For in one hour she is made desolate.’

20 “Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you holy apostles and prophets, for God has avenged you on her!”

Finality of Babylon’s Fall

21 Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, “Thus with violence the great city Babylon shall be thrown down, and shall not be found anymore. 22 The sound of harpists, musicians, flutists, and trumpeters shall not be heard in you anymore. No craftsman of any craft shall be found in you anymore, and the sound of a millstone shall not be heard in you anymore. 23 The light of a lamp shall not shine in you anymore, and the voice of bridegroom and bride shall not be heard in you anymore. For your merchants were the great men of the earth, for by your sorcery all the nations were deceived. 24 And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who were slain on the earth.”


The city set on seven hills that has for centuries had governments and peoples under her influence and has been opposing the gospel by threats, torture of inquisitions, and death by fire and water will finally be held divinely accountable to God.  This Babylon is so named after its historical namesake for its idolatry of worshiping statues and immoral actions of its people especially against the young and innocent as recent news has revealed to the world.  May we who still live there come out of her at once and seek to worship the only Mediator between God and man (1 Timothy 2:5, Hebrews 9:15, 12:24) as made righteous saints (Romans 1:7, 1 Corinthians 1:2), every single one, who are truly in Christ by repentance and faith to be made holy by the Just One who alone is our Justifier (Romans 3:23-24, 25-26) and not falsely through rituals and errant doctrine with an empty hope of mediation by another and a false hope of redemption after death (Hebrews 9:27-28).  Over the centuries our history has shown this corrupt church has ruled by assumed authority and rigorous control of trade, especially through the Middle Ages.   Those who drink the kool aid of their wine will suffer with her and her sexual immorality of body and soul as they prospered under her protection by allegiance to her teachings and subjection to her leaders daring to call themselves our father when we have but one Father (Matthew 23:9, Luke 11:2) in heaven above to whom we pray and one Mediator to confess to, Jesus Christ our only Lord.  This Babylon claims to sit as queen ruling over us all, but will fall flat on her face when the Lord judges her, with “death and mourning and famine… she will be utterly burned with fire” as it is written here.  In an instant she will be judged and found wanting as her adherents look with mourning from a distance and her business partners suffer losses with their protected trade status gone.  Al those ornate riches of decorated buildings will be reduced to nothing and their merchandise including “bodies and souls of men” will no longer be exchanged.  Many will then ask what happened to this great city and their way of life they lost as they share in her desolation.  We, however, who are of Christ in the true universal church not made with hands (Acts 7:48, 17:24, 2 Corinthians 5:1, Hebrews 9:11) will rejoice in her demise in knowing that all those martyrs at her hand who have gone before us, who were valiant for the truth of the everlasting gospel (Revelation 14:6, Ephesians 3:5-6, 9, 11), will be avenged (Revelation 6:10) at last.  The millstone hung around her neck for her deeds will level her at last and her deceit by their mysterium in place of God’s mystery revealed in Christ alone will finally be stopped from misleading those who would be truly faithful to God and not to man.  The fall of this great empire city will be great; greatly missed by her followers, and great in rejoicing by those who have seen the end of the suffering and deceit caused by the false teachings and assumed authority in place of the true Mediator of eternal life and accountability for all after death who have not repented from their idolatry and immortality by turning from sin to the Son of God.  Interesting and terrifying times lie ahead.  Amen. 

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