The Fall of Babylon. Revelation 18:1-24

1 Commentary by Ron Thomas. Questions by John C. Sewell. The Fall of Babylon Revelation 18:1-24.

2 The Fall of Babylon Text: Revelation 18:1-24, 1. And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. 2. And 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. 3. For 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. 4. And 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. 5. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. 6. Reward 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. 7. How 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. 8. Therefore 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. 9. And 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,

3 10. Standing 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. 11. And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more: 12. The 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, 13. And 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. 14. And 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. 15. The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, 16. And 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! 17. For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off, 18. And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city! 19. And 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. 20. Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her. 21. And 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.

4 22. And 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; 23. And 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: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived. 24. And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth. Introduction: I. The focus is upon the economic deprivations resulting from her destruction. II. This chapter is a detailed consideration of Babylon s fall. The Nature of Bablyon s Fall Revelation 18:1-20, And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And 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. For 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. And 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. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. Reward 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. How much she hath glorified herself, and lived

5 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. Therefore 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. And 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, Standing 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. And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more: The 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, And 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. And 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. The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, And 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! For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off, And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city! And 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. Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.

6 I. Another angel. A. The angel had great authority and made the earth bright with its glory. B. Babylon is falling. II. Another voice. 1. A place for demons and that which is unclean. 2. She is immoral and gluttonous. a. The kings of the earth bought into her seductions and committed spiritual and political fornication. b. They sold themselves to her for economic viability and freedom. A. God s exhortation to His people. 1. the primary thrust of the verse was that Christians were to leave Babylon emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually. William Hendrikson said that departing Babylon means not to have fellowship with her sins, not to be ensnared by her allurements and enticements (Roper p. 224). B. While at an intellectual level we would all say amen!, at the practical level we all struggle mightily. III. God s view of Babylon.

7 A. Her sins are as high as heaven. What the people of Shinar (Babylon) were not able to do (build a city and tower), the sins of Babylon were able to accomplish. B. She will receive double what she gave. 1. Who is to do this? 2. Some suggest that it would be those of 17:16. a. Revelation 17:16, And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. 3. It will likely not be man, but the agents of God (angels). C. She exalted herself. 1. 1 Timothy 3:7, Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. D. Destroyed in a single day. Do not think this is a one 24 hour day because in verse 1 this phrase is equivalent to the one single hour! IV. Those associated with her. A. Hailey identifies three groups of mourners: kings, merchants, and shipmasters. Economic deprivation. B. Kings. 1. Guilty of sexual immorality and sensual luxury.

8 2. They will see her at a distance and be amazed at the rapidity of her destruction; in fear of her torment. C. Merchants. 1. Economic hardships. 2. They will see her at a distance and be amazed at the rapidity of her destruction; in fear of her torment. D. Shipmasters. 1. Economic hardships. 2. A significant question. 3. Visible signs of morning. E. Hailey comments (citing the words of Barclay) that there is something pathetic in this lamenting. They were not lamenting the fall of Rome, but the fall of their trade. 1. Acts 19:23-27, And the same time there arose no small stir about that way. For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, which made silver shrines for Diana, brought no small gain unto the craftsmen; Whom he called together with the workmen of like occupation, and said, Sirs, ye know that by this craft we have our wealth. Moreover ye see and hear, that not alone at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul hath persuaded and turned away much people, saying that they be no gods, which are made with hands: So that not only this our craft is in danger to be set at nought; but also that the temple of the great goddess Diana should be

9 despised, and her magnificence should be destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worshippeth. V. The final joyful caption. A. These are not words from the shipmasters, but from the faithful to God because the Lord defeated the evil that had the blood of saints on its hands. B. Not glee over their fall, but rejoicing that evil has been defeated. Babylon is Thrown into the Sea Revelation 18:21-24, And 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. And 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; And 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: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived. And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth. I. A Mighty Angel took up a stone like a millstone and threw it into the sea. A millstone would weigh several tons! II. Babylon will be thrown down with violence. A. Jeremiah 51:59-64, The word which Jeremiah the prophet commanded Seraiah the son of Neriah, the son of Maaseiah, when he went with Zedekiah the king of Judah into Babylon in the fourth year of his reign. And this Seraiah was a quiet prince. So Jeremiah wrote in a book all the evil that should come upon Babylon, even all these words that are written against Babylon. And Jeremiah

10 said to Seraiah, When thou comest to Babylon, and shalt see, and shalt read all these words; Then shalt thou say, O LORD, thou hast spoken against this place, to cut it off, that none shall remain in it, neither man nor beast, but that it shall be desolate for ever. And it shall be, when thou hast made an end of reading this book, that thou shalt bind a stone to it, and cast it into the midst of Euphrates: And thou shalt say, Thus shall Babylon sink, and shall not rise from the evil that I will bring upon her: and they shall be weary. Thus far are the words of Jeremiah. B. Mark 9:42, And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.

11 Questions Revelation 18:1-24 1. Another came down from. He had great, and the was by his. (NIV) 2. With a he shouted:! is the! She has become a for, a for every and bird. (NIV) 3. For all the have the of her. The of the with her, and the of the grew from her. (NIV) 4. Another from said, Come out of her, my, so that you will not share in her, so that you will not any of her. (NIV) 5. For her are up to, and has remembered her. (NIV) 6. Give back to her as she has ; pay her back for what she has done. Mix her a from her. (NIV)

12 7. Give her as much and as the and she gave herself. In her she I as a ; I am not a, and I will never. (NIV) 8. Therefore in her will overtake her:, and. She will be by, for is the who her. (NIV) 9. When the of the who with her and her see the of her, they will and over her. (NIV) 10. at her, they will stand far off and cry:!, O great, O, city of! In one your has come! (NIV) 11. The of the will and over her because no one their any more. (NIV)

13 12. of,, and ;,, and ; every sort of wood, and of every kind made of,,, and ; (NIV) 13. of and, of, and, of and, of and ; and ; and ; and and of men. (NIV) 14. They will say, The you longed for is gone from you. All your and have, never to be. (NIV) 15. The who sold these things and their from her will far off, at her. They will and and out: (NIV) 16.!, O, dressed in fine linen, and, and with, and! (NIV)

14 17. In such great has been brought to! Every, and all who travel by, the, and all who their from the, will. (NIV) 18. When they see the of her, they will exclaim, Was there ever a like this? (NIV) 19. They will throw on their, and with and cry out:!, O great, where all who had on the became through her! In she has been brought to! (NIV) 20. over her, O!, and and! had her for the she. (NIV) 21. The a picked up a the size of a large and threw it into the, and said: With such the of will be thrown down, never to be found again. (NIV)

15 22. The of and, and, will never be heard in you again. No of any will ever be found in you again. The of a will never be in you again. (NIV) 23. The of a will never in you again. The of and will never be in you. Your were the s. By your all the were led. (NIV) 24. In her was found the of and of the, and of all who have been on the. (NIV) 25. Of whom could it be said today, Their sins are piled up to heaven? 26. Is it ever right to give back double to others who have tortured and caused great grief? Explain your answer.

16 27. Of what sins was Babylon guilty? 28. What punishments were to come to Babylon? 29. What groups of people were affected by Babylon s punishments? 30. What effects did Babylon s destruction have on the righteous? What is Babylon?