REVELATION 18---

Revelation 18 - The Fall of Commercial Babylon

Announcing the fall of Babylon.

IS this the same Babylon as is described in chapter 17?

Most Bible Scholars see the issue differently. Some point to two manifestations of Babylon, one religious and one commercial or material. Others see the two as one, both being judged at the same time.

There are definite similarities between Babylon as described in Revelation 17 and Revelation 18.

Both ARE under the rule of Antichrist.
Both HAVE ruling queens.
Both ARE filled with blasphemy.
Both HATE the saints, the 2 witnesses and shed their blood.
Both ARE associates with kings in fornication.
Both ARE under judgment and destroyed.

However, there are also some significant differences:

Religious Babylon (Rev. 17)
Commercial Babylon (Rev. 18)


It is best to see them as intertwined, yet somewhat distinct.

Religious Babylon of Revelation 17 IS JUDGED at the MID-POINT of the seven-year period of tribulation.

Commercial Babylon IS JUDGED at THE END of that period.

This breadth in prophecy shouldn’t surprise us. Think of what the Old Testament says about the first coming of the Messiah:

Micah said that Messiah would come out of Bethlehem (Micah 5:2)
Hosea said that Messiah would come out of Egypt (Hosea 11:1)
Malachi said that Messiah would come to the temple (Malachi 3:1)
Zechariah said that Messiah would come to Zion (Zechariah 9:9)
Isaiah said that Messiah would come to Galilee (Isaiah 9:1-2)

Which of these prophecies IS true?
Give up?
They are ALL TRUE.

So, you see it ISN’T strange at all to say, “Babylon is falling” and to mean it in two senses (religious Babylon and commercial Babylon) at two different times (the middle of the Great Tribulation and the end of the Great Tribulation).

This passage is very much in the style of Old Testament prophecies of doom regarding wicked cities. Two examples of this are Babylon (Isaiah 13-14, Isaiah 21 and Jeremiah 50-51) and Tyre (Ezekiel 26-28).


So IS Babylon of Revelation 18 a literal or symbolic city?

Most likely, commercial Babylon is symbolic, like religious Babylon. “When the Lord was here on earth He spoke of the great hatred that ‘the world’ had for Him and His own (John 15:18,19).

What IS this world but a combination of religion, government and commerce? In other words, Babylon in all its parts stands for that which Christ called ‘the world.’

In portraying the destruction of a (symbolic) city, he describes God’s judgment on the great satanic system of evil than has corrupted the earth’s history.

(v.1-3) Announcement of the glorious angel.
“After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory. 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! 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.”

“Illuminated with his glory:” This angel coming down from heaven is so “fresh” from God’s presence that he GLOWS.
The term ‘another’ makes it clear that this angel is the same in kind as the angel of Revelation 17:1.

“Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen:” He announces that Babylon is fallen, fallen; the phrase is “repeated like a solemn dirge of the damned.”

The city has become a dwelling place of demons: This is “A prophetic picture of absolute desolation where the proud achievements of man become the demonic haunts of unclean and horrible creatures.

“Abundance of her luxury:” Babylon’s sin is not only idolatry (referred to with the term fornication), but also pride, greed and selfishly held wealth...at the expense of all others.

(v.4-5) A call to God’s people to separate from Babylon.
“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. For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.”

“Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins:” Do you ALL hear STILL the PLEA in the SHOUT as a PARENT afraid for their child’s harm & utter destruction?

It BREAKS Almighty God and Jesus Christ’s VERY HEART.
It GRIEVES beyond our comprehension. It is inconceivable that a child created from the hand and breath of God COULD/WOULD be a part of religious Babylon (though elements may creep in). But commercial Babylon, with its materialistic lure, is a DEATH THREAT for those who SEEK the material and shun Jesus’ grace and living water riches.

“Lest you receive of her plagues:” The warning is focused towards Tribulation saints who ARE in the position Lot was in while living in Sodom (Genesis 19). These are God’s people in a place they shouldn’t be, a place ripe for destruction.

The call to depart from Babylon and the worldliness that it represents is a theme repeated frequently in the Scriptures.

“Depart! Depart! Go out from there, touch no unclean thing; go out from her, be clean, you who bear the vessels of the Lord.” (Isaiah 52:11)

“Flee from the midst of Babylon, and everyone save his life!” (Jeremiah 50:8)

“My people, go out of the midst of her! And let everyone deliver himself from the fierce anger of the Lord.” (Jeremiah 51:45)

“Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14)

“And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.” (Ephesians 5:11)

“Their sins have reached to heaven:” The sins of commercial Babylon have piled up like a tower - the tower of Babel.

“God has remembered her iniquities:” This is the destiny of the materialistic world, but towards believers, God says I will remember their sins no more. (Hebrews 8:12)

(v.6-8) A call to those who will carry out Babylon’s judgment.
“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. 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.’ 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.”

“Render to her just as she rendered to you:” The ancient Greek word for render (apodidomi) means literally “to pay a debt” or “to give back that which is due.” God will give to commercial Babylon EXACTLY what she deserves.

“Repay her double according to her works . . . mix for her double:” Double restitution was required in the Old Testament in cases of theft (Exodus 22:4-9). This perhaps is a commentary on how Babylon has made her wealth - through dishonest dealings.

This passage ALSO presents a three-fold sin:
First, self-indulgence (lived luxuriously).
Second, pride (glorified herself . . . sits as a queen).
Third, avoidance of suffering (am no widow, and will not see sorrow). ALL these things ARE characteristic of selfishness, worldliness and materialism.

“Therefore her plagues will come in one day:” The destruction of commercial Babylon will come suddenly, and with completeness (utterly burned with fire).

Lament for commercial Babylon.
(v.9-10) Lament of the kings.
“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, 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.’”

“Standing at distance for fear of her torment:” So great is the heat and smoke of her burning that these kings must stand at a distance. Some think this may be an indication that nuclear weapons are used in the judgment of these commercial centers. BUT WE KNOW IT COMES STRAIGHT FROM ALMIGHTY GOD, regardless what “vehicle” is used to achieve it.

(v.11-17a) Lament of the merchants.
“And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore: 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; 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. 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. The merchants of these things, who became rich by her, will stand at a distance for fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, 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! For in one hour such great riches came to nothing.’”

“Merchandise of gold and silver:” This long list needs little explanation, except to note these are ALL luxuries, NOT necessities. It is plain that the mourning is rooted in self-interest: for no one buys their merchandise anymore.

“And bodies and souls of men:” The profits of commercial Babylon have come through cruelly using others. They sold the bodies and souls of men. This idea has many applications, none less so than today’s widespread prostitution and pornography and child slavery.


“Those who lived for the luxuries of commercial Babylon will be tormented by hell all the more:” you shall find them no more at all. Ultimately, the waiting prison of Hell & The Lake of Fire WILL BE a place of unfulfilled desire.

(v.17b-19) Lament of the sea-captains.
“Every shipmaster, all who travel by ship, sailors, and as many as trade on the sea, stood at a distance and cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, ‘What is like this great city?’ 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.’”

“Alas, alas, that great city, in which all who had ships on the sea became rich by her wealth:” Again, little comment needs to be made on this, other than to notice that their sorrow at commercial Babylon’s fall is SELFISH…not repentant!

(v.20) Call to the heavens and the people of God: rejoice!
“Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you holy apostles and prophets, for God has avenged you on her!”

“Rejoice over her:” Should God’s people rejoice when judgment comes? Yes, but we don’t rejoice in the destruction in judgment. Rather, we rejoice in the righteous resolution God’s judgment brings.


Finale: commercial Babylon’s death knell.
(v.21) An angel graphically shows Babylon’s fall.
“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.”

“A mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea:” This is reminiscent of Jeremiah’s instructions to Seraiah to bind a stone to a text of Jeremiah and cast it into the Euphrates. (Jeremiah 51:61-64).

But it also reminds us of what Jesus said in Matthew 18:6: “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.”

This applies to Babylon in Revelation 18, because she led others into sin. It is a terrible thing to sin unto yourself; it is even MORE TERRIBLE to lead others into sin by TWISTING, DISTORTING, CHANGING GOD‘S WORD.

THOSE THAT REJECT JESUS CHRIST BY THEIR OWN FREEWILL CHOICE WILL BE JUDGED…BUT MORE SO…FURIOUSLY MORE SO…SHALL ANY WHO CLAIM TO KNOW AND LOVE JESUS…CLAIM TO KNOW THE BIBLE…TWIST IT, DISTORT IT, MISLEAD, AND TURN AWAY THOSE INNOCENT, YOUNG SEEKERS…

GOD’S WORST WRATH, WILL ALSO BE FOR THOSE PREACHERS, TEACHERS, PASTORS, RABBIS, PRIESTS, MONKS, IMAMS, BUDDHISTS…RELIGIOUS LEADERS WHO SAY THEY KNOW AND LOVE GOD, SPEAK FOR GOD, KNOW JESUS CHRIST, LOVE HIM, TEACH HIS WORD AND THEN KNOWINGLY MISLEAD MANKIND.

“The great city Babylon shall be thrown down, and shall not be found anymore:” Some day, this world system will pass away, like a great stone falls to the bottom of the sea.


(v.22-23) Babylon is left desolate and powerless.
“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. 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.”

“Shall NOT be heard . . . shall NOT be found anymore . . . shall NOT be heard in you anymore . . . shall NOT shine in you anymore:” In graphic and poetic language, John describes how the industry and commerce of Babylon come to an end.

“For by your sorcery all the nations were deceived:” Sorcery is the ancient Greek word pharmakia, which means, “to prepare drugs.” The lure of commercial Babylon is like a drug addiction, fed by deceptive advertising.

WE SEE IT TODAY…IN SO-CALLED “RELIGIOUS” GROUPS THAT ADVERTISE VIA EMAIL, THROUGH THE MEDIA, AT FESTIVALS…SAYING GIVE ME OR SEND ME 25 DOLLARS AND I WILL SEND YOU AN ANOINTED PRAYER CLOTH, A SPECIAL NECKLACE, STATUE, OILS, OR BEADS THAT ARE MIRACULOUS….AND WILL BRING WEALTH, HEALING, AND DIVINATION INTO YOUR LIVES. TRUSTING IN “THINGS” OR IN “PEOPLE” TO REACH AND TOUCH ALMIGHTY GOD & RECEIVE ANSWERS, HEALINGS, DIRECTIONS, AND PROVISION, WHEN ALL ANY ONE ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH NEEDS TO DO IS HIT THEIR KNEES AND CALL UPON THE NAME ABOVE ALL NAMES…CALL UPON THE NAME OF JESUS AND YOU SHALL BE SAVED. AMEN!

(v.24) The ultimate REASON for commercial Babylon’s judgment: she has killed the 2 WITNESSES FROM GOD and AIDED IN REPORTING, TURNING IN, AND HUNTING DOWN, IF NOT ALSO HANDS ON KILLING THE TRIBULATION SAINTS.
“And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who were slain on the earth.”

“The blood of prophets and saints, and of all who were slain on the earth:” The extent of this charge is an indication that this great city is symbolic of the world system at large. There is no one literal city that is responsible for all who were slain on the earth…BUT ALL ARE RESPONSIBLE.

UNTHINKABLE…THE ROMAN EMPIRE REWARDED THROUGH TITLES, MONEY, PROPERTY, & TAKEN OVER INDUSTRIES THOSE WHO REPORTED AND TURNED IN THOSE EARLY CHRISTIANS WHO REFUSED TO BOW THE KNEE, BURN A PINCH OF INCENSE BEFORE A STATUE OF CAESAR WHILE CALLING HIM LORD!

UNTHINKABLE IN OUR GENERATION…DURING THE NAZI OCCUPATION AND THE HOLOCAUST…PEOPLE, JEWS & GENTILES ALIKE, SPIED ON, REPORTED, AND TURNED IN ALL THOSE WHO MIGHT BE JEWISH OR WERE JEWISH SYMPATHIZERS…AND THEY WERE REWARDED COMMERCIALLY…WITH THOSE CONFISCATED HOMES, BUSINESSES, FUNDS, AND/OR GIVEN REWARDS, POSITIONS IN THEIR AREA, AND LAUDED FOR THEIR SUPPORT AND DEFENSE OF NAZI GERMANY AND ADOLPH HITLER.

MAKE NOOOOOO MISTAKE….God takes the persecution of His people/His Beloved Children as a PERSONAL offense. Those who attack His people really attack Him.