Revelation 18
1. Then I saw another angel coming down from heaven. This angel had great power. The angel’s glory made the earth bright.
Remember that the angel was shining bright in the darkness that was covering the city.
2. The angel shouted in a powerful voice: “The great city of Babylon is destroyed! She has become a home for demons. She has become a city for every evil spirit, a city for every unclean and hated bird.
The Lord says that this place will be like a barren desert as Sodom and Gomorrah are now. Isaiah 13:19 – 22.
3. All the peoples of the earth have drunk the strong wine of her sexual immorality. The kings of the earth have sinned sexually with her, and the businessmen of the world have grown rich from the great wealth of her luxury.”
Playing with the things of the devil and other religions is spiritual adultery.
4. Then I heard another voice from heaven say: “Come out of that city, my people, so that you will not share in her sins. Then you will not receive the terrible things that will happen to her.
God gave the same warning in Jeremiah because He knows how easy it is for people to follow something that speaks to their flesh. What would it look like for us to come out from the things that are trying to get us off the path? Jeremiah 51:45
5. The city’s sins are piled up as high as the sky. God has not forgotten the wrongs she has done.
Just like the Tower of Babel reached up to the sky their sins have now reached up to the sky. God has his limits.
6. Give that city the same as she gave to others. Pay her back twice as much as she did. Prepare wine for her that is twice as strong as the wine she prepared for others.
Remember that the Romans had killed 2 million Jews in 70 A.D.
7. She gave herself much glory and rich living. Give her that much suffering and sadness. She says to herself, ‘I am a queen sitting on my throne. I am not a widow; I will never be sad.’
The first Babylon said the same things. Isaiah 47:7–8
8. So these terrible things will come to her in one day: death, crying, and great hunger. She will be destroyed by fire, because the Lord God who judges her is powerful.”
If we are leading a double life our sins can also come down on us in one day. Luke 12:19–20, Isaiah 47:9
9. The kings of the earth who sinned sexually with her and shared her wealth will see the smoke from her burning. Then they will cry and weep because of her death.
The city of Rome burned Christians and they are paid back the same way.
10. They will be afraid of her suffering and stand far away. They will say: “Terrible! How terrible, great city, powerful city of Babylon! Your punishment has come in one hour!”
The people will stand far away because they are afraid that if they get too close they will also be judged.
11 – 13
And the businessmen of the earth will cry and weep for her. They will be sad because now there is no one to buy the things they sell.
They sell gold, silver, jewels, pearls, fine linen cloth, purple cloth, silk, and red cloth. They sell all kinds of citron wood and all kinds of things made from ivory, expensive wood, bronze, iron, and marble.
They also sell cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, and olive oil; fine flour, wheat, cattle, sheep, horses, and carriages. They sell the bodies and souls of men.
Today we have people who are bitter about the history of slavery, but they do not speak up about modern-day slavery. There are more slaves today than there have ever been in history of the world.
People do not speak up because they agree with what some of the slaveholders are doing or about their religious beliefs or because modern-day slaves make products very cheaply that we can buy.
14 – 15
They will say, “Babylon, the good things you wanted are gone from you. All your rich and fancy things have disappeared. You will never have them again.”
The businessmen will be afraid of her suffering and stand far away from her. These are the men who became rich from selling those things to her. The men will cry and be sad.
We see that the men were not caring about the people who have died in the city but only about their money.
16 – 19
They will say: “Terrible! How terrible for the great city! She was dressed in fine linen, purple and red cloth. She was shining with gold, jewels, and pearls!
All these riches have been destroyed in one hour!” Every sea captain, all those who travel on ships, the sailors, and all the people who earn money from the sea stood far away from Babylon.
They saw the smoke from her burning. They said loudly, “There was never a city like this great city!”
They threw dust on their heads and cried to show how sad they were. They said: “Terrible! How terrible for the great city! All the people who had ships on the sea became rich because of her wealth! But she has been destroyed in one hour!
Their tears are about money, not about their sin.
20. Be happy because of this, heaven! Be happy, God’s holy people and apostles and prophets! God has punished her because of what she did to you.”
This is the answer to the prayers of the ones who had been killed for Christ. Revelation 6:10
21. Then a powerful angel picked up a stone like a large stone for grinding grain. The angel threw the stone into the sea and said: “That is how the great city of Babylon will be thrown down. The city will never be found again.
When the angel throws a large stone into the ocean it shows everybody that in the same way Rome will never be seen again.
22 – 24
The music of people playing harps and other instruments, flutes and trumpets, will never be heard in you again. No workman doing any job will ever be found in you again. The sound of grinding grain will never be heard in you again.
The light of a lamp will never shine in you again. The voices of a bridegroom and bride will never be heard in you again. Your businessmen were the world’s great men. All the nations were tricked by your magic.
She is guilty of the death of the prophets and God’s holy people and of all who have been killed on earth.
Here we see the reason that the city is destroyed. They tricked people into believing a lie and they killed people.