Revelation Chapter 18
A. Announcing the Fall of Babylon
1. Introduction: Is this the same Babylon as in Chapter 17?
a. Scholars differ: Some argue for two Babylons—religious (chapter 17) and commercial (chapter 18). Others argue it is the same system seen from different angles.
b. Similarities between Babylon in chapters 17 and 18:
Both under the rule of Antichrist.
Both are described as queens.
Both are full of blasphemy.
Both persecute the saints.
Both are involved with kings in fornication.
Both are ultimately judged and destroyed.
c. Differences:
FeatureRevelation 17 (Mystery Babylon)Revelation 18 (Commercial Babylon)SymbolHarlot womanGreat cityLocationInland (Rome)Coastal (port city)DescriptionWoman, mother of harlotsHabitation, great city, marketplaceGuiltReligious abominationsGreed and self-indulgenceDestructionBy political powers (v.16)Sudden, by God (v.8)
d. Interpretation: Best to view these as intertwined but distinct. Religious Babylon falls at the midpoint of the Tribulation (3.5 years), commercial Babylon falls at the end.
e. Prophetic precedent: Multiple prophecies about the Messiah had geographically diverse fulfillments:
Micah 5:2 – Out of Bethlehem.
Hosea 11:1 – Out of Egypt.
Malachi 3:1 – Comes to the Temple.
Zechariah 9:9 – Comes to Zion.
Isaiah 9:1–2 – Seen in Galilee.
These were all literally fulfilled. Similarly, Babylon’s fall in two stages is not inconsistent.
f. OT models of city destruction prophecies:
Babylon: Isaiah 13–14, Isaiah 21, Jeremiah 50–51
Tyre: Ezekiel 26–28
“John has caught the spirit of the prophetic doom songs.” – L. Morris
2. Is Babylon in Chapter 18 Literal or Symbolic?
a. Literal View: Babylon will be rebuilt on the Euphrates. Saddam Hussein tried to restore the ruins but failed. The possibility remains that future Babylon could become a world financial center.
b. Symbolic View (most likely):
Represents the global system of commercialism and materialism.
Babylon = “the world” in Scripture. See John 15:18–19 – “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.”
Donald Barnhouse: Babylon is religion + government + commerce = the world system.
“In portraying the destruction of a symbolic city, [John] describes God’s judgment on the great satanic system of evil that has corrupted the earth’s history.” – Alan Johnson
“In chapter 18, the context seems to indicate Babylon here is viewed in its political and economic character.” – Walvoord
3. Revelation 18:1–3 — Announcement of the Glorious Angel
Revelation 18:1 – “After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory.”
a. A new angel—not the same as in chapter 17—descends with such power that he lights up the earth. Swete says he is “so recently come from the presence of God” that his glory remains visible.
Revelation 18:2 – “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!’”
b. “Fallen, fallen” – Repetition emphasizes finality (cf. Isaiah 21:9). Babylon is now an unclean habitation for demonic powers—symbolic of spiritual corruption.
c. “Cage for every unclean and hated bird” – Apocalyptic symbolism; birds often represent evil or demonic beings (cf. Matthew 13:4, 19).
Revelation 18:3 – “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.”
d. Threefold indictment:
Nations spiritually drunk.
Kings politically compromised.
Merchants financially enriched.
Luxury, materialism, and immorality combine to form the global beast system.
4. Revelation 18:4–5 — Call for God’s People to Depart
Revelation 18:4 – “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.’”
a. God calls His people to leave before judgment. Spiritual separation precedes physical judgment (cf. Lot in Genesis 19:15–17).
b. Cross-references:
Isaiah 52:11 – “Depart! Depart! Go out from there... be clean.”
Jeremiah 50:8 – “Flee from the midst of Babylon.”
Jeremiah 51:45 – “My people, go out of the midst of her.”
2 Corinthians 6:14 – “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers.”
Ephesians 5:11 – “Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness.”
Revelation 18:5 – “For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.”
c. “Sins have reached to heaven” – Like the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11); man’s rebellion has again built to the heavens.
d. God remembers her sins—contrast with Hebrews 8:12 – “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness... and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”
5. Revelation 18:6–8 — Judgment Ordered Against Babylon
Revelation 18:6 – “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.”
a. “Render” = apodidomi — pay back what is owed. Divine justice is retributive.
b. Double restitution mirrors Exodus 22:4–9, required for theft. Babylon stole souls and wealth; now she must pay double.
Revelation 18:7 – “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.’”
c. Three sins:
Self-glorification – exalting oneself instead of God.
Luxury – indulgent materialism.
Presumption – claiming immunity from judgment.
Compare Isaiah 47:7–9 – “You said, ‘I shall be a lady forever’... But these two things shall come to you in a moment in one day: the loss of children, and widowhood.”
Revelation 18:8 – “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.”
d. Swift and total judgment—"one day" emphasizes the suddenness (see also Isaiah 47:11).
e. God’s strength is the assurance behind this judgment: “Strong is the Lord God who judges her.”
B. Lament for Commercial Babylon
1. Revelation 18:9–10 — Lament of the Kings of the Earth
Revelation 18:9–10 – "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, 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.'"
a. These kings once profited from Babylon’s system. Now they weep—not out of repentance, but loss of benefits.
b. “Standing at a distance” likely due to fear of shared judgment. Some speculate nuclear devastation is implied.
c. Compare Isaiah 34:10 – “It shall not be quenched night or day; its smoke shall ascend forever.”
2. Revelation 18:11–17a — Lament of the Merchants
Revelation 18:11–13 – "And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore: merchandise of gold and silver, precious stones and pearls, fine linen and purple, silk and scarlet... and bodies and souls of men."
a. 28 categories of goods listed—luxuries, not necessities. Babylon was the center of global trade and wealth.
b. “Bodies and souls of men” – human trafficking and exploitation included in the global economy. Babylon commodifies human life.
Revelation 18:14 – "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."
c. Loss is total and irreversible—judgment cuts off all pleasures and profits. Echoes Luke 12:20 – "Fool! This night your soul will be required of you."
Revelation 18:15–17a – "The merchants... will stand at a distance for fear of her torment, weeping and wailing... saying, 'Alas, alas, that great city... For in one hour such great riches came to nothing.'"
d. Selfish sorrow. The lament is over lost commerce, not righteousness.
e. Babylon’s judgment devastates global trade—its collapse is instant: “in one hour.”
3. Revelation 18:17b–19 — Lament of the Sea-Captains
Revelation 18:17b–19 – "Every shipmaster, all who travel by ship, sailors, and as many as trade on the sea, stood at a distance... cried out... '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.'"
a. Economic devastation affects every level of commerce—land, luxury, and now maritime.
b. "Threw dust on their heads" – expression of extreme mourning (cf. Joshua 7:6, Lamentations 2:10).
c. Repeated emphasis: “in one hour.” Sudden, total, irreversible ruin.
4. Revelation 18:20 — Heaven Rejoices Over Babylon’s Fall
Revelation 18:20 – "Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you holy apostles and prophets, for God has avenged you on her!"
a. The righteous rejoice—not at destruction itself, but at God’s justice being fulfilled.
b. Compare Deuteronomy 32:43 – "Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people... for He avenges the blood of His servants."
c. “God has avenged you” – Babylon is responsible for the blood of the saints (see verse 24).
5. Revelation 18:21–23 — Babylon’s Final Desolation
Revelation 18:21 – "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.'"
a. Symbol of irreversible judgment. Cf. Jeremiah 51:63–64 – “bind a stone... throw it out... thus shall Babylon sink.”
b. Also parallels Matthew 18:6 – “It would be better... if a millstone were hung around his neck.” Babylon’s judgment is due to causing others to sin.
Revelation 18:22–23 – "The sound of harpists, musicians... shall not be heard in you anymore... No craftsman... The light of a lamp shall not shine... the voice of bridegroom and bride shall not be heard..."
c. Finality of ruin: No music, no industry, no light, no weddings—total cessation of life and joy.
d. "By your sorcery all the nations were deceived" – Greek: pharmakeia (drug use, deception, manipulation). Babylon seduced and drugged the world.
6. Revelation 18:24 — Reason for Judgment
Revelation 18:24 – "And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who were slain on the earth."
a. Babylon is accountable for global persecution of God’s people.
b. Echoes Matthew 23:35 – “that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth.”
c. God's vengeance is not arbitrary—it is judicial and righteous.
