1And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. 2And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. 3For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
Both this chapter and the previous chapter of the book of Revelation are about Babylon. Many students of this book have concluded that there are two different Babylons in view, one religious (in chapter 17) and one commercial (in chapter 18), one in Rome and the other in the region of the ancient city of Babylon. The reasons for that distinction will become clearer as we consider chapter 18.
Chapter 17 began with the words, “And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters” (17:1). Chapter 18 begins with the words, “And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven” (18:1). Then, 18:4 begins with the words, “And I heard another voice from heaven, saying….” Thus, the communication received by John in chapter 18 is not just a continuation of that in chapter 17.
There are, however, similarities between the Babylon of chapter 18 and the Babylon of chapter 17. The Babylon of chapter 18 is also described as having committed fornication (18:3,9), thus linking it with false religion. But in chapter 18, this false religion is probably specifically that of the worship of the beast and his image (see chapter 13 and notes under 17:18).
4And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
These words were spoken by “another voice from heaven.” This voice is the voice of God. He tells His people to come out of Babylon lest they participate in her sins and suffer the consequences of the judgments to come on her. This warning is very similar to that given to Israel concerning their time of captivity in ancient Babylon:
Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his soul: be not cut off in her iniquity; for this is the time of the LORD'S vengeance; he will render unto her a recompence. (Jeremiah 51:6)
My people, go ye out of the midst of her, and deliver ye every man his soul from the fierce anger of the LORD. (Jeremiah 51:45)
Some Jews became comfortable in ancient Babylon. That will again be a temptation for God’s people in the future. Today also, God does not want His people to accept or become part of the world’s sin.
5For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
Verse 5 probably resumes the words of the angel John saw in verse 1 descending out of heaven.
The words of verse 5 are very similar to those spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:
We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed: forsake her, and let us go every one into his own country: for her judgment reacheth unto heaven, and is lifted up even to the skies. (Jeremiah 51:9)
6Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double. 7How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. 8Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.
The prophet Isaiah used very similar words in referring to Babylon:
And thou saidst, I shall be a lady for ever: so that thou didst not lay these things to thy heart, neither didst remember the latter end of it. Therefore hear now this, thou that art given to pleasures, that dwellest carelessly, that sayest in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me; I shall not sit as a widow, neither shall I know the loss of children: But these two things shall come to thee in a moment in one day, the loss of children, and widowhood: they shall come upon thee in their perfection for the multitude of thy sorceries, and for the great abundance of thine enchantments. (Isaiah 47:7-9)
Revelation 18:8 above says, “strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.” It is God Himself who will judge Babylon. Here also we find a contrast with the Babylon of chapter 17. God used the Antichrist and the 10 kings to burn and destroy Babylon the harlot of false religion (17:16-17), but there is no mention in chapter 18 of an intermediate agent used by God to destroy commercial Babylon.
But can the ancient city of Babylon really be rebuilt? Events and circumstances in the Middle East leave little question that sudden changes can take place or that such economic potential exists in the region. Also, if a world ruler like the Antichrist chose to make a city in the Middle East his economic center, that city would surely become a place of great material wealth.
But do the Old Testament Scriptures allow that Babylon be rebuilt? Didn’t God say that Babylon would never be inhabited again? We might consider, for example the following Scriptures:
And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there. (Isaiah 13:19-20)
Therefore the wild beasts of the desert with the wild beasts of the islands shall dwell there, and the owls shall dwell therein: and it shall be no more inhabited for ever; neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation. As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbour cities thereof, saith the LORD; so shall no man abide there, neither shall any son of man dwell therein. (Jeremiah 50:39-40)
And they shall not take of thee a stone for a corner, nor a stone for foundations; but thou shalt be desolate for ever, saith the LORD. (Jeremiah 51:26)
It seems likely that the destruction of Babylon as prophesied has not yet taken place since in history Babylon continued to exist after its fall to the Medes and Persians. Also, Jeremiah specifically linked the prophesied fall of Babylon to the spiritual restoration of Israel:
Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will punish the king of Babylon and his land, as I have punished the king of Assyria. And I will bring Israel again to his habitation, and he shall feed on Carmel and Bashan, and his soul shall be satisfied upon mount Ephraim and Gilead. In those days, and in that time, saith the LORD, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found: for I will pardon them whom I reserve. (Jeremiah 50:18-20).
While many Jews have found forgiveness of sins in Jesus the Messiah, the national spiritual salvation of Israel is yet future.
The prophet Isaiah linked the destruction of Babylon to the events of the last days:
The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz did see…. For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine (Isaiah 13:1,10).
Also, the prophet Zechariah, who wrote after the fall of ancient Babylon, spoke of a future base for evil there. He saw an ephah basket containing wickedness being carried to Babylon:
Then said I to the angel that talked with me, Whither do these bear the ephah? And he said unto me, To build it an house in the land of Shinar: and it shall be established, and set there upon her own base (Zechariah 5:10-11).
Thus, it seems that the prophesied ultimate fall of Babylon to be compared with the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah has not yet taken place. The descriptive details in the remaining verses of Revelation 18 concerning a thriving commercial center at Babylon seem to indicate the future existence of a literal city there.
9And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning, 10standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.
This chapter names three groups of people who will grieve over the destruction of the city of Babylon. The first group is that of the kings of the earth. In verses 9-10 is found perhaps the most striking support for the view that the Babylon of chapter 17 is not the same as the Babylon of chapter 18. In chapter 17, the 10 kings of the restored Roman empire and the beast will hate the Babylon of false religion, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh, and burn her with fire (17:16). In chapter 18, the kings of the earth will weep and beat their breasts in grief and despair when they see the smoke of the burning of the city. The Babylon of chapter 17 became rich at the expense of the kings. The Babylon of chapter 18 will make the kings rich. The Babylon of chapter 17 was the whore of false religion that sat upon the empires of history. The Babylon of chapter 18 will be the commercial center of the empire of the Antichrist.
As will be the case with the other two groups named in this chapter, the kings of the earth will stay at a distance from the burning city because of fear. They will be aware that they have benefited from the commerce of Antichrist’s city and could fall by the same judgment.
As will be the case with the other two groups named in this chapter, the kings of the earth will cry, “Alas! Alas!” The word translated “Alas” in each case (see also verses 16 and 19) is the same word that was translated “Woe” in 8:13; 9:12; 11:14; and 12:12. The eagle in 8:13 (see notes there) announced the three woes that would follow the sounding of the last three trumpets. In 11:14 we read, “The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.” But after the sounding of the seventh trumpet there was no specific event that was designated as “the third woe.” Now in chapter 18, three groups of people will each cry out “Woe! Woe!” because of the destruction of commercial Babylon. It is likely that this event is “the third woe.”
As will be the case with the other two groups named in this chapter, the kings of the earth will specifically comment on the fact that the judgment of commercial Babylon will have taken place “in one hour” (see also verses 17 and 19). Again, that description does not fit the destruction of the Babylon of history.
11And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more: 12the merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble, 13and cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men. 14And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all. 15The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, 16and saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls! 17For in one hour so great riches is come to nought.
The second group of people named in chapter 18 who will grieve over the destruction of the city of Babylon is the group of merchants of the earth. Like the kings of the earth, they will stay at a distance from the burning city because of fear, they will cry, “Woe! Woe!” and they will be amazed that the judgment of the city took place “in one hour.”
The merchandise of the future city of Babylon will be lavish and varied. There will be many wealthy people in the empire of Antichrist. But those who refuse to take his mark on their right hand or on their forehead will not be permitted to buy or sell at all (13:16-17). The world’s commerce will be under his control until he is judged by God.
And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off, 18and cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city! 19And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.
The third group of people named in chapter 18 who will grieve over the destruction of the city of Babylon is that of those who work at sea. Like the kings and the merchants, they stay at a distance from the burning city, cry, “Woe! Woe!” and express astonishment that the city was destroyed “in one hour.” The dust that they cast on their heads as they weep is probably the dust of land. They are not at sea anymore.
20Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.
After having described the reactions of the kings, the merchants, and those who work at sea to the destruction of Babylon, the angel that John saw in verse 1 descending out of heaven now cites the perspective of those in heaven. As has been repeatedly emphasized in the book of Revelation, God will bring to account those who mistreat His people.
21And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all. 22And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee; 23and the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee:
Now John sees a mighty angel cast a huge stone into the sea and declare that Babylon would similarly and irrevocably be cast down. The phrases used in the Greek text say emphatically that there will absolutely never again be any music, work, earthly light, or marriages in Babylon.
for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.
The latter part of verse 23 says that the merchants of Babylon will have been the great men of the earth. The next clause is very striking in that it begins with the causal word “for.” The merchants of the future commercial center of the Antichrist will become the magnates of the earth because they will deceive all the nations by their “sorceries.” How could merchants use sorceries to help their business? The word translated “sorceries” (Greek “pharmakeia”) is one which describes drug-related enchantment. A wide use of drugs would allow great manipulation of people for the personal gain of the manipulators.
24And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.
Babylon is much mentioned or alluded to in the book of Revelation. In addition to the references to Babylon in chapters 17 and 18, we have considered the following verses in previous chapters:
“And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication” (14:8).
“…great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath” (16:19).
Why is the judgment of Babylon so emphasized in the book of Revelation? Satan is a counterfeiter. God sent His Son. He was born as a Man to rule the earth. Satan will try to usurp that place of authority by using his man, the Antichrist. God will have a city, the new Jerusalem (21:2,10). Satan will try to establish his city, Babylon. Since the building of the tower of Babel on the plain of Shinar (Genesis 11:1-9), Babylon has been emblematic of all that is anti-God. It is likely in that sense that the last sentence of Revelation 18 says, “in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.”
Note: All Scriptures are quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.