9. "When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn over her.
10. Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off and cry: "'Woe! Woe, O great city, O Babylon, city of power! In one hour your doom has come!'
11. "The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes any more--
12. cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble;
13. cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and bodies and souls of men.
14. "They will say, 'The fruit you longed for is gone from you. All your riches and splendor have vanished, never to be recovered.'
15. The merchants who sold these things and gained their wealth from her will stand far off, terrified at her torment. They will weep and mourn
16. and cry out: "'Woe! Woe, O great city, dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet, and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls!
17. In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin!' "Every sea captain, and all who travel by ship, the sailors, and all who earn their living from the sea, will stand far off.
18. When they see the smoke of her burning, they will exclaim, 'Was there ever a city like this great city?'
19. They will throw dust on their heads, and with weeping and mourning cry out: "'Woe! Woe, O great city, where all who had ships on the sea became rich through her wealth! In one hour she has been brought to ruin!
20. Rejoice over her, O heaven! Rejoice, saints and apostles and prophets! God has judged her for the way she treated you.'"
21. Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone and threw it into the sea, and said: "With such violence the great city of Babylon will be thrown down, never to be found again.
22. The music of harpists and musicians, flute players and trumpeters, will never be heard in you again. No workman of any trade will ever be found in you again. The sound of a millstone will never be heard in you again.
23. The light of a lamp will never shine in you again. The voice of bridegroom and bride will never be heard in you again. Your merchants were the world's great men. By your magic spell all the nations were led astray.
24. In her was found the blood of prophets and of the saints, and of all who have been killed on the earth."
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Reflection |
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The Kings, Merchants, and Seamen of the Earth (18:9–19)
The complete destruction of Babylon is confirmed by a threefold lamentation over her by the kings (vv. 9–10), merchants (vv. 11–17a), and seamen (vv. 17b–19) of the earth. “Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off,” lamenting her might, wealth, and trade that was all lost “in one hour.” The victimizers of the saints have now become victims. Their power and prosperity is stripped from them, revealing the emptiness of their pursuits: “The fruit you longed for is gone from you. All your luxury and your splendor have vanished, never to be recovered” (v. 14). Everything they held dear is now gone. Forever.
A Mighty Angel (18:20–24)
At the end of Jeremiah’s judgment oracle against the ancient city of Babylon, he instructed Seraiah the staff officer to read it in Babylon, then tie a stone to it and throw it into the Euphrates river as a symbol of how Babylon would sink, “to rise no more” (Jer. 51:59–64). This mighty angel is a messenger who does the same thing against the spiritual Babylon here in Revelation. The reasons the angel gives are that her merchants exploited people, the nations were deceived by her sorcery, and she persecuted the saints. If you look back into history, it becomes clear that the demonic valuation of power and prosperity over people made in the image of God has destroyed countless lives. In the last days, Babylon will receive the punishment it deserves.
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Application |
- It is baffling and sobering to think that the things the world tells us to run after our whole lives—power and prosperity—can be laid to waste in just an hour.
- We can only pray that God, the one who holds Babylon in His hand, would hasten the day of its destruction and the coming of the new Jerusalem for the healing of the nations.
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A Letter to
God |
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Heavenly Father, I rejoice that You have pronounced judgment against Babylon. I beseech You, on behalf of the suffering saints and nations throughout the world, to hasten Babylon’s destruction. Please make me more like You as I wait. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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