Revelation 18 - ESV - Bible Reading / Study Notes

Revelation - Chapter 18 (ESV)

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Revelation 18

The Fall of Babylon

18:1 After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was made bright with his glory. 2 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.
3   For all nations have drunk¹
    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.”

4 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;
5   for her sins are heaped high as heaven,
    and God has remembered her iniquities.
6   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.
7   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.’
8   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.”

9 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. 10 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.”

11 And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her, since no one buys their cargo anymore, 12 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, 13 cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and slaves, that is, human souls.²

14   “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!”

15 The merchants of these wares, who gained wealth from her, will stand far off, in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning aloud,

16   “Alas, alas, for the great city
    that was clothed in fine linen,
      in purple and scarlet,
    adorned with gold,
      with jewels, and with pearls!
17   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 18 and cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning,

“What city was like the great city?”

19 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.
20   Rejoice over her, O heaven,
    and you saints and apostles and prophets,
  for God has given judgment for you against her!”

21 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;
22   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,
23   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.
24   And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints,
    and of all who have been slain on earth.”

Footnotes

[1] 18:3 Some manuscripts fallen by
[2] 18:13 Or and slaves, and human lives

Commentary

v1-6: The mighty angel announces the fall of Babylon the Great. This world-wide source and channel of evil is destroyed. The saints of God are commanded to "come out of her" (Jer 50.8; 51.6). To tolerate such things is to share in her sins.

v7: The description of Babylon is reminiscent of that of Tyre;

she glorified herself, "I am a god" (Ezek 28.2,9);
she lived luxuriously; beauty, ivory, blue, purple (Ezek 27.4-7; 28.4-5);
"I sit as queen," "I am perfect in beauty … I sit in the seat of gods" (Ezek 27.3; 28.2).

v8: Her judgment will be sudden and decisive, "in one hour." The Lord shows His greater power, bringing her to destruction.

v9-10: The kings of the earth, having received wealth from Babylon, now mourn her fall.

v11-13: Similarly the merchants of the earth mourn. We see here the significant economic influence of Babylon, but also including the bodies and souls of men. Babylon's wealth came at a great cost to others.

v14-15: The merchants, seeking the things of this world, and believing Babylon's lies, stand terrified. Their fruit, in riches and splendour, disappears in one hour.

v16-19: The merchants are joined by the sea captains, and many who also earned their living by her trade. They speak only of the trade she generated, and the wealth they gained; they are ignorant of her evil influence. See also Ezek 27.29-32, where merchants and seamen mourned over the fall of Tyre. They too were ignorant of the spiritual realities, the evil influence.

The writer emphasises the suddenness of Babylon's fall, "in one hour." This is something expected by no one. All this schemes for riches come to nothing; many lose their hope.

v20: Compare 6.9-11; the fall of Babylon is God's vengeance upon her. It is no accident of history.

v21-24: A further description of Babylon's greatness and fall. Babylon was guilty of killing many prophets and saints. By her sorcery, she deceived the nations into worshipping her. The judgment against Babylon is severe, but certainly deserved.

Yet her defeat is followed by the reign of the beast, see 17.17.