REVELATION 18
Sailing to Babylon
Revelation 17 ended with the ten kings that are joined with the anti-Christ showing disdain for the great whore and the city that bares her name. Their last recorded act before they meet Jesus at Armageddon is to burn the city of Babylon with fire. This chapter paints a vivid picture of the latter day city and her consumption by flames at the hands of the ten kings.
Verse 2 takes us back to Isaiah 13:19-22. It was the double prophecy concerning ancient Babylon and Satan as the ultimate spiritual being who controlled earthly Babylon from a place called Mystery Babylon in heaven. It was declared that Babylon, the glory of kingdoms would be laid waste forever just like the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. God proclaimed that Babylon would not be inhabited again by humans, but by wild beasts, doleful creatures, and dragons. The city of Babylon in Iraq has not been inhabited again, but there is going to be a new Babylon in the end times that will fall, yet, once again. That makes Isaiah a triple prophecy because it not only spoke to ancient Babylon and Mystery Babylon but the Babylon of the future. Verse 2 is a paraphrase of the last four verses of Isaiah 13, just as Verse 4 is a rewording of Jeremiah 51:45 where God warns His people to go out of Babylon. In Verse 4, we are told to depart from and do not partake of her sins lest we partake of her plagues also. In Jeremiah 51:45, her plagues are revealed to be the “fierce anger of the Lord.”
Revelation 18:1-6
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.
5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
6 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.
The odd thing about the directive to “come out” in Verse 4 is its placement near the end of the time of God’s wrath—years after the Rapture has taken place. The events of Revelation 18 are not a part of the Tribulation; they are part of the Wrath of God. Therefore, if there is anyone that does get saved during this time, They would be saved out of God’s wrath, and not the Tribulation. As we have seen in various places in this study, the people that remain on the earth after the Tribulation who experience God’s wrath are characterized by their anger towards God and the hardness of their hearts. There is very little in the prophecies of God’s wrath that would indicate that anyone gets saved at all, but maybe there is hope of a lesser sort. We do have to remember that there will be a whole new generation growing up at this time, and they may be a little brighter than their parents in figuring out that you don’t rebel against God and get away with it. And, there will be multitudes left on the earth at the conclusion of God’s wrath who will be ruled by Christ in His Millenial Kingdomthey experience God’s wrath, but they don’t experience death during His wrath. The message from Verse 4 and Jeremiah 51 could be to late bloomers during God’s wrath, but, more than likely, it is nothing more than a warning to all of us from every generation that we must be constantly on our toes with regards to a world system that rewards those who practice evil.
It is clear from Scripture that the concept of Mystery Babylon goes way beyond ancient Babylon and the Babylon of the future, and even the little harlot cities who are forced into a prostituted world system by corrupt leaders. Through cable, broadcast and satellite TV, the internet, and radio billions of people all over the globe are able to wallow in the corruption and filthiness of the great whore in the privacy of their own homes. There may even be a future channel called something like B-SPAN or BABEL-SPAN that will pump live shots from the heart of Babylon 24 hours a day. But you don’t have to own a TV, and you don’t even have to live in a city to partake of her sins. The farmer that chemically enhances his crops for a bigger yield and higher profits with no regard to the adverse affects on humans or nature is partaking in a corrupt world system. There may be times when a farmer must consider the trade-off between using insecticides or harvesting worm eaten fruits. That does not constitute a surrender to the whore or the world system that she controls. There are times when people must live in cities. That is not a sellout to sin either. We are not being instructed to quit life and go hide in a cave. God wants us here to season and to preserve life on this earth. When we partake in commerce, we should do so with God’s moral codes directing our actions. If we conduct ourselves with truth, honesty, and faith in God, then we may be lighting the way for someone else to break free from a lifestyle that is going to be condemned. With that said, there may be times when a city, a business, an organization, and even a church may become so corrupted by the ways of the great whore that there is nothing left to do but to leave.
In Verse 7, Babylon declares herself to be a queen without cares or worries, and she lavishes great wealth upon herself. There may actually be female spirits who look after the domestic part of every city and kingdom. Israel is referred to by God in the feminine gender even though Jacob, the namesake of Israel, and Michael, the guardian angel of Israel, are both males. The male spirits are always shown ruling over nations and cities while, if there is a female counterpart, she always represents the residence or home place that the male rules over.
Verse 8 declares that the city will be burned with fire. This is talking about a very real city and the commerce that flows through her. There are very real kings of the earth and sea merchants who look on as the smoke of the city rises towards heaven. Verses 12-14 list some of the types of costly goods that will flow through this great city of trade, and then we see the merchants mourning her destruction.
Revelation 18:7-19
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.
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.
9 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.
11 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,
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.
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,
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!
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,
18 And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city!
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.
The description of the woman brings to mind many Scriptures, two of which are shown here.
Mark 4:19
And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.
Hebrews 11:25
Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.
The list of merchandise that will pass through Babylon is pretty complete. It includes food stuff, building materials, precious metals, stones and gems, perfumes, textiles, vehicles, live stock, and slaves, and you can even sell your soul there. New Babylon will truly be one of the greatest port cities of all time. No other form of transport is mentioned other than shipping. Verse 17 mentions ship masters, sailors, and all that trade by sea standing afar off watching Babylon burn. Alexander the Great had intentions of dredging the Euphrates and making ancient Babylon the capitol of the Greek empire and a great center of trade. Had he not died such a premature death he could very well have accomplished that goal. During the reign of the anti-Christ, New Babylon will be such a city. The verses above repeatedly state that all those involved with the city will stand afar off watching it burn. This suggests that New Babylon will be close to the site of the ancient Babylonian remains since that is about 300 miles inland and would provide plenty of standing room to watch the show. The city could, however, be built closer to the Persian gulf to reduce travel time up the Euphrates River.
As the trumpets and vials were being released in earlier chapters, we saw how New Babylon and the Euphrates River were inextricably linked to the events of the end times and the activities of the anti-Christ. The burning of the city seems to be one of the final events of the seventh vial, taking place just before the return of the saints to rule. The Euphrates runs right down the middle of Iraq, and the Tower of Babel and ancient Babylon are right about dead center of the country. New Babylon will more than likely be near the old Babylon. Things seem to be shaping up right at this moment for New Babylon to be built. Before the U.S. led coalition entered into battle with the brutal regime of Saddam Hussein, there was much opposition to the war from another coalition lead by France. France, along with its major allies, Russia and Germany, attempted to avert war in Iraq in order to protect their financial dealings with Saddam. Now that the war is over, all the world is looking for ways to get back into Iraq for one reason alone—to make money. It doesn’t matter if it is actual cash or oil for goods or if the trade involves food for survival or technology for mass destruction as long as there is a payday involved the nations of the world are anxious to do business.
Right now the U.S. is on the moral highroad, and President Bush’s intentions are just and good. He wants a Middle East free trade zone that is centered in Iraq for the purpose of creating a vibrant economy that will support a free Iraq. Although the idea and concept are highly commendable and is similar to what was done in Germany and Japan after World War II, the heart of Iraq may not be as repentant as that of the aforementioned. There are millions of Iraqis who will use their new freedoms for nothing but good, but if we are anywhere close to the end times, we know there are more people in Iraq and environs who are ready to cast truth to the ground and follow after the anti-Christ. If the Army Core of Engineers devises a plan to dredge the Euphrates River to facilitate the trade of a Middle East free trade port, which not only accommodates Iraq but all the nations of the Middle East, then they may be taking the first step towards building New Babylon. A port near ancient Babylon would place it near Baghdad, which is located along the Tigris River. If Baghdad sprawls over to this new port, then it could be transformed into the New Babylon. Regardless of how it happens, the world is again bickering over the opportunity to get back into the morals free trading zone of Babylon and turn a prophet any way they can.
Even after the devastating fire that the ten kings ignite on Babylon there is still more peril in store for the city. God is going to take a whack at her also. Verse 21 alerts the world that Babylon will be thrown down with violence. The seventh vial indicates that the earthly city of Babylon will be divided into three parts and fall as a consequence of the great earthquake that takes place right about the end of the Wrath of God. Babylon’s fall will predate the Battle of Armageddon by just a small amount of time, perhaps just days, weeks, or months. In Verse 20, the heavens are encouraged to rejoice over the fall of Babylon. All of God’s redeemed will be in heaven at this time enjoying the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, but we will be aware of what is taking place on the earth as it happens. The final downfall of Babylon will be a true Kodak moment because of its symbolism. Satan's last stronghold is being destroyed, and soon heaven will empty of all its warring saints who will take back the earth from his deceived multitudes.
Revelation 18:20-24
20 Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.
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.
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;
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.
24 And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.
One last thought before we move on. In Verse 23, we see that the nations are deceived by the sorceries of this great city of trade in particular and Mystery Babylon in general. The Greek word for sorceries is pharmakeia from which we derive the word pharmacy. The definition involves a combination of medication, magic, and witchcraft. It seems that drug and alcohol abuse along with demonic powers are working together to make this city and the whole system work for Satan’s glory. Babylon may end up having a 24/7/365 Mardi gras or carnival atmosphere. Although the new and old Babylon and some of the other ancient cities of Iraq may be on the tour maps of cruise ships and airliners, this is not a place for Christian sightseeing tours, pleasure cruises, and shopping sprees.
Think about it!
In this chapter, is Babylon a symbolic city or a real city that carries a lot of symbolism?
If it is only symbolic why would God go to such lengths to describe the destruction of the city, the merchandise of the city and the main means of transporting the merchandise, especially since sea trade is not a hallmark of Babylon?
Do you think that there will be another Babylon in the future?
~Selah~Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. WHEREFORE COME OUT FROM AMONG THEM, AND BE YE SEPARATE, SAITH THE LORD, AND TOUCH NOT THE UNCLEAN THING; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. 2 Corinthians 6:14-18
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