REVELATION SIMPLIFIED

 

CHAPTER 18.14

Gleanings from the Book of Revelation:

A Weekly Verse-by-Verse Bible Study Series

 

The

REVELATION TO JOHN

 

Chapter Eighteen

The Great Tribulation

Parenthesis

Mystery Babylon

(Political Babylon)

 

 

1. The Pronouncement of Babylon’s Punishment (Vv. 1-3)

2. The Plea to the People of God (Vv. 4-5)

3. The Payment Babylon Procures (Vv. 6-8)

4. The Profits Babylon Forfeited (v. 9)

5. The People Affected by Babylon’s Pride (Vv. 10-19)

 

Review

Being the overseers, (1) the kings of the earth (political leaders), and (2) the merchants mourn over the destruction of the world’s capital city, Babylon, after the loss of its commerce. All its material wealth, commodities, precious stones, and metals go up in smoke as God’s judgment is being carried out.

 

Continuing…

(Verse 14)

 

And [all the] the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee (Babylon), and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all.

 

In comparison to an Autumn-ripe harvest, the losses of three categories are also grieved over:

1. All the fruits a soul would lust after

Every tempestuous evil and wicked delight and desire of the flesh is strewn thick with its remains

 

2. All the dainty things

Dainty means delicate – Anything about a lavish lifestyle - They too disappeared

 

3. All the good things

Magnificent, elegant, and fashionable attire becomes a trend of the past, never again to be seen or recovered

 

The productivity of extravagant luxuries of life forever perishes from Babylon, the hub of world trade and markets.

 

 

(Verse 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.

 

Retailers, tradesmen, and businessmen, once deriving wealth by aforementioned luxuries, like the kings of the earth, will be (future tense) standing at a distance in fear three ways:

1. They will be terrified of her torment

Struck by the terror of the moment, they dare not approach Babylon in fear of the things to come

 

2. They will be weeping

Also, like the kings, they will be crying out loud over their loss of wealth

 

3. They will be wailing

And, like the kings of the earth, they will be in sorrowful grief for their loss of income

 

 

(Verse 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!

 

Now, experiencing pain and suffering, the merchants cry ouai, ouai (woe, woe), as they reminisce over the splendour and glamour that once was Babylon.

 

Jesus warned His followers and disciples:

Mark 8:36 - For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?

 

Matthew 6:19-21 – Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

 

Romans 6:21 - What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death.

 

The pleasure of profit and sin ends in destruction and ultimately death.

 

 

(Verse 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.

 

The phrase, in one hour all the great riches of Babylon’s wealth, (i.e., everything people lusted after), is come to nought (thrown down, demolished, nothing), should have been attached to the previous verse. The next sentence begins a third group of mourners, the largest, as they stand in consternation:

1. All shipmasters (captains, helmsmen, steersmen) and the company of all who are responsible for shipping operations

 

2. All sailors (seamen, shipmen, boatmen, seafarers)

 

 

3. All tradesmen (sea merchants or businessmen)

 

Notice the order in the rank of those who once profited from the global economy: 

1. The monarchs of the earth lament

2. The merchants of the earth lament

3. The mariners of the earth lament

 

Babylon’s demise is a precursor of the final judgment to come. It is also reminiscent of the former irrecoverable fall of Tyre as depicted by the prophet:

Ezekiel 27:28-30 - The suburbs shall shake at the sound of the cry of thy pilots (shipmasters). And all that handle the oar, the mariners, and all the pilots of the sea, shall come down from their ships, they shall stand upon the land; And shall cause their voice to be heard against thee, and shall cry bitterly, and shall cast up dust upon their heads, they shall wallow themselves in the ashes.

 

 

(Verse 18)

 

And cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, ‘What is like this great city?’

 

At the sight of smoke from burning Babylon, seafaring men are heard crying out loud over the wealth they once enjoyed from which their trade had brought:

‘What is like this great city?’

Babylon’s metropolis was the epitome of the world – No other city was it's equal. However, rather than giving glory to God, their crying (literally screaming) pales in comparison to the earth dwellers, as they stand in awe boastfully proclaiming, “Who is able to make war with him (Antichrist, the beast)?” (cf. Revelation 13:4).

 

A prior example is likened to those crying for former Tyre:

Ezekiel 27:32-33 - And in their wailing they shall take up a lamentation for thee, and lament over thee, saying, What city is like Tyrus, like the destroyed in the midst of the sea? When thy wares went forth out of the seas, thou filledst many people; thou didst enrich the kings of the earth with the multitude of thy riches and of thy merchandise.

 

 

(Verse 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.

 

Casting dust on one’s head is indicative of a token of sorrow, pain, agony, or humiliation, the idea of being cast way down to the ground. Job sat in ashes after being infected with boils:

Job 2:8 - And he took him a potsherd (a piece of pottery) to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes.

 

Their sorrow was exacerbated by three actions:

1. They cried – Crying out loud

2. They wept – Mourning as a sign of pain

3. They wailed – Wailing by actually feeling the act

 

Only thinking about their lost gains, loudly they expressed: “Woe, woe (ouai, ouai), the very riches procured from trading with vessels is being demolished.” For in one hour, the epicenter of the world’s wealth burns up in smoke.

 

 

6. The Praise of Persecuted Believers

(Verse 20)

 

“Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you holy apostles and prophets, for God has avenged you on her!”

 

The time eventually arrives when those who hold to their love of iniquity must be judged (cf. 2 Peter 24-14). Amidst all the lamentations, the angel of verse 4 gives a command for everyone - Be glad and rejoice over the destruction of political and economic Babylon.

He invites three classes to join in the celebration:

1. The heavens (inhabitants of)

1. God’s angels

2. Living creatures

3. Twenty-four elders

 

2. The Holy apostles (sent forth ones)

1. The Twelve

2. Glorified believers

3. Martyred saints

 

3. The prophets (spokesmen moved by the Spirit of God)

1. Prophets of old

2. Teachers

3. Preachers, evangelists, missionaries

 

God finally metes out punishment or avenges His enemies and their persecutors. The vengeance of God sweeps away all evil – A promise echoed in the Old Testament.

Deuteronomy 32:43 - Rejoice, O ye nations, with His people: for He will avenge the blood of His servants, and will render vengeance to His adversaries, and will be merciful unto His land, and to His people.

 

 

7. The Punishment of Babylon Justified (Vv. 21-24)

(Verse 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.

 

John, the Apostle witnesses a strong angel (the same as Revelation 5:2, 10: 10:21) violently hurling an extremely large millstone into the depths of the sea until it completely disappears.

Millstones were large stones generally five feet in diameter and one foot in width used for grinding grain. It consisted of an upper wheel turning circular by a mule on a lower stone base. Sometimes Jesus used the analogy of a millstone in teaching His disciples the consequence of not having humility in the Kingdom:

Matthew 18:6 - "But whoever causes one of these little ones (children) who believe in Me to fall away--it would be better for him if a heavy millstone were hung around his neck and he were drowned in the depths of the sea.”

 

Thus, however, the symbolism depicts the mysterious powerful destruction of Babylon to be found no more at all.

 

 

(Verse 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.

 

Silenced Forever

As the giant millstone disappears into the sea, many sounds are no longer heard:

1. Sounds of musical entertainment

a.  From the harpers

A person who plays the harp or a lyre while singing

 

b.  From the musicians

A minstrel who is specifically trained on an instrument

 

c.  From the pipers

Persons playing flutes

 

d.  From the trumpeters

Skilled players who blow a trumpet for any occasion

 

2. Sounds of industry

a.  The sound of workers

Laboring artisans or builders 

 

b.  The stir of business

Transactions of anyone merchandizing

 

c.  The craft of artwork

Artists, sculptors, or painters

 

3. Sounds of food preparation

a.  Grinding grain

b.  Baking bread

c.  Cooking meals

 

Sounds common to everyday life cease to exist. They are silenced by God’s judgment.

 

 

Continuing…

(Verse 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.

 

Essentials to life, as usual, will no longer be seen or heard due to a lost labor force. On an interesting note: At the fifth bowl judgment, the lights of Antichrist’s kingdom are darkened. So everywhere, massive outages of candles and artificial lighting are extinguished. Thus, the earth becomes a darkened habitat.

 

Weddings are the epitome of human joy in Scripture. But, marriages come to a halt, and celebration receptions cease to be joyful occasions.

Of such was the prediction of the prophet:

Jeremiah 25:10 - Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth (exaltation, joy), and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones, and the light of the candle.

 

Compared to pre-Flood conditions, Jesus also foretold:

Matthew 24:38-39 - For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

 

For thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.

The merchants of the earth are the prominent figures of Chapter 17. God’s judgment on Babylon seen being cast into the sea is justified because of the merchant’s corrupt leadership. By practicing occult sorceries (Greek, pharmakeia, the English word for pharmacy, i.e., about drugs), like Jezebel (cf. Revelation 18:3), the merchants caused great deception in the world.  

 

 

(Verse 24)

 

And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.

 

Alas, the blood of the prophets, saints, and all martyred souls of the Tribulation (cf. Revelation 6:9-11) are avenged. Hence, here is the fate of the political and economic system of the beast (Babylon): Jesus comes, destroys the armies of the world at Armageddon, and sets up His eternal Kingdom on earth. The emphasis is the ultimate victory of the righteousness of Christ over evil, which Jesus predicted:

Mathew 23:35 - That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the Temple and the Altar.

 

 

Chapter 19 will resume from the end of Chapter 16 with all heaven rejoicing as documented in the next study.

 

 

QUESTIONS:

1.   Name some lustful things no longer found in Babylon.

2.   What role do merchants play in Babylon’s destruction?

3.   What is the fate of Babylon’s seamen?

4.   Why do those in Heaven rejoice?

5.   What action does the mighty angel perform?

6.   Name things that no longer will be heard in Babylon?

7.   Why are brides and bridegrooms mentioned?

 

 

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