1After this I saw another angel with great authority coming down from heaven, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor. 2He called out in a mighty voice:
It has fallen,
Babylon the Great has fallen!
She has become a home for demons,
a haunt for every unclean spirit,
a haunt for every unclean bird,
and a haunt for every unclean and despicable beast. ,
3For all the nations have drunk
the wine of her sexual immorality,
which brings wrath.
The kings of the earth
have committed sexual immorality with her,
and the merchants of the earth
have grown wealthy from her sensuality and excess.
4Then I heard another voice from heaven:
Come out of her, my people,
so that you will not share in her sins
or receive any of her plagues.
5For her sins are piled up to heaven,
and God has remembered her crimes.
6Pay her back the way she also paid,
and double it according to her works.
In the cup in which she mixed,
mix a double portion for her.
7As much as she glorified herself and indulged her sensual and excessive ways,
give her that much torment and grief.
For she says in her heart,
“I sit as a queen;
I am not a widow,
and I will never see grief.”
8For this reason her plagues will come in just one day —
death and grief and famine.
She will be burned up with fire,
because the Lord God who judges her is mighty.
The World Mourns Babylon’s Fall
9The kings of the earth who have committed sexual immorality and shared her sensual and excessive ways will weep and mourn over her when they see the smoke from her burning. 10They will stand far off in fear of her torment, saying,
Woe, woe, the great city,
Babylon, the mighty city!
For in a single hour
your judgment has come.
11The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargo any longer #— # 12cargo of gold, silver, jewels, and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk, and scarlet; all kinds of fragrant wood products; objects of ivory; objects of expensive wood, brass, iron, and marble; 13cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, and frankincense; wine, olive oil, fine flour, and grain; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and slaves #— #human lives.
14The fruit you craved has left you.
All your splendid and glamorous things are gone;
they will never find them again.
15The merchants of these things, who became rich from her, will stand far off in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning, 16saying,
Woe, woe, the great city,
dressed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet,
adorned with gold, jewels, and pearls;
17for in a single hour
such fabulous wealth was destroyed!
And every shipmaster, seafarer, the sailors, and all who do business by sea, stood far off 18as they watched the smoke from her burning and kept crying out, “Who was like the great city? ” 19They threw dust on their heads and kept crying out, weeping, and mourning,
Woe, woe, the great city,
where all those who have ships on the sea
became rich from her wealth;
for in a single hour she was destroyed.
20Rejoice over her, heaven,
and you saints, apostles, and prophets,
because God has pronounced on her the judgment she passed on you!
The Finality of Babylon’s Fall
21Then a mighty angel picked up a stone like a large millstone and threw it into the sea, saying,
In this way, Babylon the great city
will be thrown down violently
and never be found again.
22The sound of harpists, musicians,
flutists, and trumpeters
will never be heard in you again;
no craftsman of any trade
will ever be found in you again;
the sound of a mill
will never be heard in you again;
23the light of a lamp
will never shine in you again;
and the voice of a groom and bride
will never be heard in you again.
All this will happen
because your merchants
were the nobility of the earth,
because all the nations were deceived
by your sorcery.
24In her was found the blood of prophets and saints,
and of all those slaughtered on the earth.
The book of Revelation consistently reminds us that things are not as they seem. The culture of Babylon operates on a perverse version of the Golden Rule: “Do unto others before they have a chance to do unto me.” This is a culture of radical selfishness where the individual’s desires take precedence over everything else. This isn’t a new phenomenon; selfishness and self-preservation have been at the heart of human sin since Genesis 3. Humanity drinks from the well of immorality that this false promise offers, but Revelation 18 promises that justice will come.
Just as in previous passages, believers are once again called to reject the culture of Babylon and live for the Kingdom of God. This isn’t a condemnation of material blessings themselves. Luxury isn’t the enemy, but it can certainly have a lulling effect on a believer’s spiritual life. The beauty and sensuality of Babylon can lull us to sleep, dragging us toward spiritual death if we aren’t awake to the reality that things are not what they seem.
Notice that as Babylon’s wealth perishes, angels and saints continue to rejoice and worship. Their lives are not anchored to these fleeting pleasures.
A follower of Christ is free to and encouraged to steward material blessings wisely for God’s kingdom and glory. The crucial difference is that these resources are for God, not for self. The Golden Rule and the call to glorify God are only possible when we can shift our focus from ourselves and lift our eyes to where our help truly comes from.
Beginning with Revelation 17, and continuing to the end of the letter, the line in the sand is clearly drawn. Every decision we make pushes us toward one of two kingdoms vying for the souls of humanity.
Which direction is your life moving? Take a moment to truly consider this question. Examine your calendar and your bank statements. Where do your mind and body retreat for rest? It’s possible to find rest in things like social media or online shopping, as God does want us to find a true Sabbath. But we must be aware that things may not be what they seem. Does our chosen form of rest lead us to a deeper trust in God, or does it lull us into spiritual sleep? Does our time of solitude fuel our efforts to love and evangelize, or does it allow us to simply dismiss these divine tasks?
With each decision and action, we must ask: whose kingdom are we serving? Of which kingdom are we a citizen?
Prayer: God, help me to see where I have been lulled to sleep by the distractions of life. Awaken me to a purposeful existence that calls me to live in view of my eternal future. Amen.
