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Revelation 18

1

And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.

2

And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.

3

For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.

4

And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

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5

For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.

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Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.

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7

How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.

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8

Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.

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And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,

10

Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.

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And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:

12

The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble,

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13

And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.

14

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

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The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,

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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!

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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,

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And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city!

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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.

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Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.

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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.

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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;

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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.

24

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

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Revelation 18

The fall of Babylon the great is announced with lamentation by the merchants and sea captains who grew rich from her extravagance: in a single hour such great wealth has been laid waste, a sudden reversal of fortune reflecting divine judgment. An angel throws a great millstone into the sea declaring: with such violence the great city Babylon shall be thrown down and will be found no more—the finality of her destruction and the erasure of her influence. The merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her because no one buys her cargo anymore—the cessation of her commercial power and the loss of her allure. A great multitude in heaven cries out: Hallelujah, salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for his judgments are true and just, executing vengeance on Babylon for shedding the blood of his servants. The command to come out of her, my people, echoes throughout the chapter, calling believers to separation from the world's false system and its inevitable doom. In Babylon is found the blood of prophets and saints and of all who have been slain on the earth—establishing her guilt and her judgment as the culmination of human persecution of God's witnesses.

Revelation 18:9

'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' - the kings who profited from and participated in Babylon's system witness her destruction and lament their lost power and wealth. Their grief is self-interested: they mourn their own loss of advantage.

Revelation 18:1

After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven with great authority; and the earth was illuminated by his splendor - the angel's descent from heaven with great authority signals the announcement of judgment and the illumination of truth. His splendor contrasts with the darkness soon to envelop Babylon.

Revelation 18:2

'Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great! She has become a dwelling for demons and a haunt for every impure spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird and every unclean animal' - the cry echoes Isaiah 21:9 and Jeremiah 51. Babylon's fall is absolute; what was a center of human power becomes a refuge for demons and all that is spiritually unclean.

Revelation 18:3

'For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries; the kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries' - Babylon's seduction is comprehensive: nations drink her wine, kings commit adultery with her, merchants grow rich through her excess. Her fall will impoverish all who profited from her rebellion.

Revelation 18:4

'Then I heard another voice from heaven saying: 'Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, and so that you will not receive any of her plagues' - the call echoes Isaiah 48:20 and Jeremiah 51:45; believers are summoned to separate from Babylon before judgment falls. Complicity with Babylon brings participation in her punishment.

Revelation 18:5

'For her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes' - Babylon's iniquities have accumulated to such height that they reach heaven itself; God's remembrance ensures that none escape notice. The piled-up sins suggest the weight of accumulated transgression against God.

Revelation 18:6

'Give back to her as she has given; pay her back double for what she has done; mix her a double portion from her own cup' - the law of retaliation is precise: Babylon receives double judgment because she gave double offense. She will drink from her own cup of idolatry and bloodshed.

Revelation 18:7

'Give her as much torment and grief as the glory and luxury she gave herself; in her heart she boasts, 'I sit enthroned as queen; I am not a widow, and I will never mourn' - Babylon's self-exaltation and boasted invulnerability are met with equivalent judgment. Her refusal to acknowledge vulnerability becomes the measure of her downfall.

Revelation 18:8

'Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her: death, mourning and famine; she will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her' - the judgment comes suddenly, 'in one day,' collapsing what seemed eternal. Death, mourning, famine, and fire reverse her boasted security; the Lord's might is displayed in her undoing.

Revelation 18:10

'Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off and cry: 'Woe! Woe to you, great city, mighty Babylon! In one hour your doom has come!' - the kings stand at a distance, afraid to share her fate, crying out in horror at her swift destruction. The 'one hour' emphasizes the suddenness of judgment; what seemed permanent vanishes instantly.

Revelation 18:11

'The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes anymore' - the merchants who grew rich through trade in Babylon's goods discover that their markets have vanished. Babylon's fall destroys the economic system that sustained them.

Revelation 18:12

'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' - the list of luxury goods (similar to Tyre's in Ezekiel 27) represents the material splendor and commerce that characterized Babylon. These goods, once symbols of her glory, become evidence of her vanity.

Revelation 18:13

'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 human beings sold as slaves' - the inventory of trade goods extends from exotic spices to agricultural products to human beings as commodities. The final item reveals the ultimate degradation of Babylon's system.

Revelation 18:14

'They will say, 'The fruit you longed for is gone from you; all your luxuries and splendor have vanished, never to be recovered' - the merchants lament the permanent loss of their prosperity. The abundance and pleasure of Babylon are irrecoverable; her collapse is total.

Revelation 18:15

'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' - like the kings, the merchants witness Babylon's destruction from a distance, afraid to share her fate. Their weeping is for their lost commercial advantage.

Revelation 18:16

and cry out: 'Woe! Woe to the great city, dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet, and glittering with gold, jewels and pearls!' - the merchants echo the kings' lamentation, recalling Babylon's outward splendor (described in 17:4). Her luxury, which they helped create and profit from, cannot save her.

Revelation 18:17

'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 - the seafarers and traders, whose ships once brought goods to Babylon, stand helpless as her commercial system collapses. A century of trade is reversed in a single hour.

Revelation 18:18

When they see the smoke of her burning, they will exclaim, 'Was there ever a city like this great city?' - the merchants, captains, and sailors look on in amazement at Babylon's destruction. The rhetorical question underscores the incomparable magnitude of her fall.

Revelation 18:19

They will throw dust on their heads, and with weeping and mourning cry out: 'Woe! Woe to the great city, where all who had ships on the sea became rich through her wealth! In one hour she has been brought to ruin!' - the gesture of throwing dust on the head (a sign of grief and humiliation) accompanies their lament. The ship-owners, who imagined their wealth secure through Babylon, watch it vanish in one hour.

Revelation 18:20

'Rejoice over her, you heavens! Rejoice, saints and apostles and prophets! For God has judged her with the judgment she deserves' - the perspective shifts from the mourning merchants to the celebrating saints and heavenly inhabitants. God's justice in Babylon's judgment is cause for heavenly rejoicing.

Revelation 18:21

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' - the angel's symbolic act of hurling a millstone into the sea portrays Babylon's violent and final destruction. She will be thoroughly and permanently erased.

Revelation 18:22

'The music of harpists and musicians, pipers and trumpeters, will never be heard in you again; no worker of any craft will ever be found in you again; the sound of a millstone will never be heard in you again' - the loss of music and craft, of the sounds of human industry and joy, signals the utter desolation. Babylon becomes a silent wasteland.

Revelation 18:23

'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 important people; by your magic spell all the nations were led astray' - the darkness that engulfs Babylon is both literal (no lamps) and spiritual: the joy of weddings (life and hope) and the light of human civilization are extinguished. Her magic (deceptive power) led nations astray but cannot save her.

Revelation 18:24

'In her was found the blood of prophets and of God's holy people, of all who have been slaughtered on the earth' - Babylon's ultimate condemnation is the blood of the righteous she shed. Her punishment is not arbitrary but proportionate to her crimes; she is held accountable for every martyr.