Wednesday, December 24, 2025

One Year Journey Through the New Testament

Revelation 18

Welcome to our journey through the New Testament!

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. 

(Revelation 18:1–8, NKJV)

Points to Ponder:

• After explaining the seven heads and the ten horns and the kingdoms they represent, John sees the destruction of the city of Babylon, the Great Harlot.
• Another angel came down from heaven, an angel with great authority. His glory lit up the earth. He cried with a loud voice that Babylon was fallen. Babylon is overrun with demons, and has become a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for everything unclean. The nations drank the blood of Babylon’s fornication, and now the cup of the wrath of God is being poured out. The kings of the nations committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are rich from her luxury. Babylon has enticed rulers of kingdoms and titans of commerce to go into business with her and to purchase her evil wares. She is their lover of sorts, and her sin is now on their account as well. Babylon is fallen, and she is judged by God harshly and without repentance. This woman, whom enticed multitudes, is now abhorrent in their sight, and her reward is harsh and unending.
• Another voice, likely of God, calls out to God’s people and tells them to leave Babylon, lest they suffer in her punishment. If the people of God do not leave Babylon, her sins will be accounted to them as well, and her plagues will show up in their lives, too. Babylon’s sins have even become known in heaven, and God has taken account of her evil and her iniquities. They are further instructed to render to Babylon what she has rendered. For her evil works, give her double. The wrath she has exacted, mix double the cup of wrath unto her. As much luxury and glory as she has commanded, give her the same measure of torment and sorrow. She declares herself queen, says she is without sorrow, and is not alone. However, God sees the truth of her sin and foul existence. Therefore, watch her plagues come on her in one day. There will be death and mourning and famine. The final end of her punishment will be Babylon burning with fire, and the strong Lord who judges her will rule as He rightly should. Her end will be tragic and severe. She will not withstand the judgment of God, and she will be exposed for her evil and punished for her works. How Babylon the great has fallen!

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!” 

(Revelation 18:9–20, NKJV)

Points to Ponder:

• The world sees the fall of Babylon the Great due to her evil actions and God’s wrath, and then the people of the earth who knew her mourn for her fall.
• This passage begins with Babylon’s allies, the kings of the earth, weeping and lamenting for her. They have joined in her sinfulness, committing fornication with her, and living lavishly in her luxurious ways. They see Babylon burning, and the smoke rising up from her ruins. However, they do not come to her aid, but stand at a distance for fear of being included in her torment. They cry out from that distance, saying “Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come.” A few things come to mind here. Babylon’s judgment was swift and strong, completely destroying her. There was no reprieve, no second chance. When the time comes for the judgment of God, there is no turning back. God is just, and His judgment is certain. He will give multiple opportunities for repentance and restoration, but once He has called an end to sinful living, His judgment is quick and severe. Secondly, while the kings of the earth mourned the destruction of Babylon, they quickly distanced themselves from her and her pain. This is how evil people will behave. They will party with you, enjoy your luxuries, and take what you will give until you run out of resources. Then, they will mourn the loss of your gifts, but will not defend you from your attack. Make sure you have friends who will go with you to the end, not just until the party gifts are exhausted.
• Not only did the kings of the earth forsake Babylon in her distress, but the merchants of the earth bemoan the fact that she will not longer buy their merchandise. They were able to sell her gold and silver, jewels and pearls, linen and dyes, silk, wood, ivory, bronze, iron, and marble. They sold her spices and incense, wine and oil, flour and wheat, livestock, armaments, and slaves. These merchants made their living from the treasuries of Babylon, and now they had no other customers. They, also, did not defend Babylon, but mourned over the loss of her business. They saw their financial future in jeopardy, and felt the loss. However, theirs was not an emotional loss, but rather a financial loss, a loss of commerce.
• What this demonstrates is the fact that one cannot depend on the business of evil empires to be their supply. A business built on alliances with evil people will crumble. Business built on glorifying God will prosper and last. Do not depend solely on the ability to score a big contract with an evil entity. Rather, build your business and your future on the principles of the Bible and God’s will for your life. The kings and merchants of the world built their entire governments and businesses on the opulent wealth of Babylon, the harlot of the world, and when she fell, they fell. Build your life on Jesus Christ, the Solid Rock, and be stable in Him for your future.
• John has just related the events of the fall of Babylon, and has explained the seven heads and ten horns of the beast. He has spoken of the mourning for Babylon made by the kings of the earth and the merchants of the earth, and the command of God for His people to move away from Babylon as her judgment falls. Today’s passage speaks of the severity and reach of Babylon’s fall. She is utterly destroyed, and will not come back form this judgment.
• The losses of Babylon are described as the fruit her soul longed for and the rich and splendid things she possessed. They are gone forever, never to be reclaimed. The merchants who sold her these precious items and became rich stand at a distance and mourn her demise. John repeats a shorter version of their lament here, and reiterates their contention that her demise was quick. This loss was quick and unexpected. She lost everything in one hour, a sudden and swift conclusion to an alliance–a veritable house of cards–that was built on opulence and sensual pleasure. Those that brought her the wares of the merchants, the shipmasters and sailors, all stood at a distance and cried out in dismay at the end of this great city. They had never seen a city compare to Babylon the Great, Ancient Rome, the Great Harlot.
• The merchants, shipmasters, and sailors all show the signs of mourning, throwing dust on their heads, weeping and wailing. They cry out, saying, “Alas, alas, that great city, in which all who had ships on the sea became rich by her wealth!” These merchants and seamen cried over the wealth to which they no longer had access. They continue to say that her demise happened in one hour, that in this short span of time she became desolate. This is the third time that “alas” and “in one hour” shows up in this passage. The heavenly messenger then instructed all present to rejoice over Babylon, over her destruction and loss. All the heavens, the apostles and prophets, and anyone who served God should rejoice, for God has avenged them on her. Her destruction was the answer to their prayers. The end of her reign and her alliance with the beast would spell out the beginning of the end for the one-world system and its cobbled-together alliances. What seemed like world peace and unity was simply a temporary joining together of otherwise-unrelated entities who only came together around selfishness and hedonism, evil and false religion. The severity of Babylon’s fall was just the first example of the futility of evil and its agents!

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.” 

(Revelation 18:21–24, NKJV)

Points to Ponder:

• In the last passage, Babylon’s destruction was described as severe, with fire and smoke and loss of everything, including alliances with kings and merchants. Now, John relates the finality of it all, the fact that Babylon will never rise again.
• In verse 21, a mighty angel comes and takes a large millstone-like stone and throws it into the sea as an image of the overthrowing of Babylon. The great stone provides a huge splash and commotion as it is thrown into the sea, and Babylon’s fall will be violent, as the city is overthrown and shall not be found anymore. The eradication of this evil, hedonistic city will be complete. Verse 22 tells a bit more about what that will look like. Babylon (or Rome) will not hear music anymore, as its harpists, musicians, flutists, and trumpeters will not have a place to play, and may not live anymore, either, due to the destruction. Their craftsmen, who produced some of their opulent wares and drapings will no longer work, perhaps dead, or at least without a millstone to press their oils or grind their grain. In verse 23, it is stated that the lamp will not shine any longer in Babylon. There will be no oil to fill it, and there will be no one to light it. There will be no weddings, for children will not grow up there and find mates. The merchants will no longer live or operate there, for their work was deceptive, as like sorcery, and they contributed to the deception of the nations. In addition, verse 24 reveals that the blood of prophets and saints are found in Babylon, as they slew the people of God on the earth. This cities losses were extreme and complete. There would be no coming back from this loss. Babylon is fallen, yes, but so far that it will not come back. Babylon is just a memory, now, and a bad one at that.
• Be certain that God’s judgment is swift, strong, and complete in the end. No one will be able to deny Christ and live in sin and miss the final judgment. While Babylon’s judgment, apocalyptic and fearful, was for specific works of evil she performed, the judgment of all people will be extensive and complete. Once death has come, there is no turning back. Whatever punishment God metes out will be final. Don’t wait too long or go to far for God to be able to offer you repentance and forgiveness. There is a line that separates you from the point of no return. Do not cross it, for judgment awaits on the other side!

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All Scriptures from New King James Version unless otherwise noted.

Join us this afternoon at 5:00 pm for a discussion of this chapter live online. Live@5 with Dr. Greg Sloop can be found on Facebook on the Dr. Greg Sloop page or on the Kannapolis Church of God Facebook page or Youtube page. Another blog will be posted each weekday at 6:00 a.m.