Print This Bible Study
the contents of this page may take a few seconds to load . . . thank you for your patience...


The Book of Revelation
Chapter Eighteen


Preface

Chapter 18 is the second chapter in the parenthetical section that falls between chapters 16 and 19. Chapter 17 portrayed the destruction of the ecumenical religious Babylon at or very near the middle of the Tribulation Period. In this chapter the destruction of the political/commercial Babylon will take place at the end of the Tribulation Period. Both Babylons are headquartered in the City of Babylon, which is today being rebuilt in Iraq.

The destruction of these two "forces of evil" will eliminate two of Satan's primary tools that have swayed mankind from good to evil from time immemorial. The chief of these two tools has been religion, a system of works devised by Satan to detour mankind from the grace of God for the salvation of man, which is faith alone in Christ alone-that is, the fact that a person can and may only be saved from eternal death and granted eternal life when he turns (repents) from all else and turns only to Jesus Christ by a faith-decision of will to accept the sacrifice Christ, which paid for his sins on the cross of Calvary. In that instant, when a person accepts Christ and His sacrifice for his own personal salvation, he is indwelt, baptized, filled and sealed by the Holy Spirit of God. From that point on there is no going back in so far as the state of his eternal soul is concerned. He is saved and will always remain so. This of course is no "license to sin" and a child of God should know there are serious consequences when he sins, but then, that is a study for another day.

The second of these two tools (forces of evil) is the political/commercial systems that Satan has established in every country upon the face of the earth. When he cannot reach men's minds and souls through religion, he will do so through commercial interests and governments that deny God, the Bible and God's grace for mankind. These political and commercial systems will culminate in the most notorious and evil God-rejecting system (Babylon the Great) under the tutelage of Satan himself during the Tribulation Period. It will truly be a global economic and political force. This Babylon will face its destruction at the end of the Tribulation Period when Christ returns (Second Coming) with His bride (The Church) in power and glory to earth in order to set up His millennial kingdom. Chapter 18 records this event in advance.

Although some Bible students and scholars believe that both chapters 17 and 18 speak of the same Babylon, this is not so. Tim LaHaye in his book, Revelation Unveiled says it well, as follows:

      1.   "After this . . ." (18:1). This expression indicates that the events described in chapter 18 will not take place until after the events of chapter 17 have been fulfilled.
      2.   "I saw another angel coming down from heaven" (18:1). Events of chapter 17 were introduced by "one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls" (17:1). The angel referred to in chapter 18 is obviously not the same as the one who introduced the events of chapter 17. Therefore, we can expect the same sequence of events that have happened throughout the book of Revelation: When an angel fulfills his responsibility, another distinct judgment takes place on the earth.
      3.   The names in the two chapters are different. The name in chapter 18 is simply "Babylon the Great" (18:2). True, the Babylon destroyed in chapter 17 has the name, "MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH" (17:5), but the only similarity is the location, Babylon. When both titles are used fully, the contrast of these two Babylons is clearly seen.
      4.   Babylon the prostitute of chapter 17 will be destroyed by the kings of the earth (17:16). The Babylon of chapter 18 will be destroyed by the cataclysmic judgments of God.
      5.   The kings who destroy the Babylon of chapter 17 rejoice. In the Babylon of chapter 18, the kings and merchants lament and weep for her (18:9-15).
      6.   If chapters 17 and 18 take place during the last days of the Tribulation, there will be no place for the Antichrist and the False Prophet to do away with all religions and substitute the worship of the Antichrist's image as described in chapter 13.


It is clear that there are two Babylons-one religious and one political-and they are destroyed separately by different forces and at different times. In this chapter "Satan's seat," the political/commercial Babylon (City of Babylon) is destroyed at the return of Jesus Christ at the end of the Tribulation Period.

Revelation 18:1-3
After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor. With a mighty voice he shouted: "Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great! She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird. 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."


"After" the destruction of the ecumenical religious Babylon of chapter 17, John sees another angel come down from heaven-one with "great authority" and who lights up the earth with his countenance. This suggests that the angel comes directly from the presence of God. The angel announces the fall of "Babylon the Great"-the political and commercial center of the world during the Tribulation Period. Whereas the first Babylon (ecumenical religious Babylon) probably has its headquarters in Rome during the first half of the Tribulation Period and, upon its destruction by the kings of the earth, is probably transferred to Jerusalem, where the Antichrist and the False Prophet take over (the geographical location of Antichrist's image); the second Babylon will have its headquarters at the rebuilt City of Babylon, located in Iraq.

The preliminary announcement of the fall of this Babylon was made in Revelation 14:8, where the aorist tense of the verb proclaiming the fall speaks of the coming event as if it has already happened. J. Vernon McGee states in his Thru the Bible commentary regarding this verse, "When God says something is going to happen, you can speak about it as though it had already happened, because it is going to happen. It is just that sure. In God's plan and program it is just as though it had already taken place because He knows the end from the beginning. Babylon, this great commercial center of the world, is going to be destroyed."

The City of Babylon will surely be rebuilt, because the prophecies of its destruction as detailed in Isaiah 13, 14 and Jeremiah 50, 51 have not been fulfilled yet. A study of these passages reveal that (1) no material from the destroyed Babylon will be used for other building endeavors-which was not the case with the initial destruction of the city, since material from it has been used to rebuild at least six cities of the ancient world, (2) the ruins of the destroyed Babylon will never to be inhabited-which is not the case, since, as documented in Clarence Larkin's book, Dispensational Truth, the ruins of the initial destruction of the city have been inhabited by various others and (3) the City of Babylon will face utter and complete destruction-which has not been the case to date.

Tim LaHaye in Revelation Unveiled has this to say, as follows:

Since writing the above material in the first edition, much has happened in both Iraq and Babylon. Saddam Hussein, the megalomaniac dictator of the country, has spent over one billion dollars on the rebuilding of that ancient city. . .It is interesting to note that the first rebuilt structure in the old city was a temple to the sun. That should not be difficult to understand, as Hussein is a committed Satanist! He is a Muslim for political reasons, but at heart he is a sun-god worshiper.

The political/commercial Babylon that is being rebuilt in Iraq and which will be destroyed at the end of the Tribulation Period will be the home of everything unholy, impure and evil-demons, evil spirits and all uncleanness. It will truly be a "world center," since it will involve all the nations and the kings of the earth, which will be drunk on and totally committed to its spiritual adulteries.

It is probable that in the early stages of the Tribulation Period and under the direction of the Antichrist, massive work crews, the latest technologies and vast amounts of money will flow into Babylon from most countries around the world. In no time at all it will be a huge and prospering city, truly reflective of the one-world political and commercial system that will control the economy of the planet. It will house the "fat cats" of the "rich and famous." Only the very elitists will roam its corridors and offices. They will control the wealth of the world through a one-world banking system, a one-world food and materials distribution system and a one-world communications system. All these "systems" are evolving at a rapid rate today. And these elitists will answer only to the Antichrist.

Revelation 18:4-7
Then I heard another voice from heaven say: "Come out of her, My people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues; for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes. 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. Give her as much torture and grief as the glory and luxury she gave herself. In her heart she boasts, `I sit as queen; I am not a widow, and I will never mourn.'


Next John hears another voice from heaven. It is the voice of God, since He is speaking of "My people." It is God, once again extending grace to His children. These "people" will not be the Church, for it was taken at the Rapture prior to the Tribulation Period. But there will be those who have turned to Christ during this terrible period of God's judgments. Just as God extended His mercy call to a few prior to His flooding the earth and a few prior to His destroying Sodom, He will call out His people from the City of Babylon so that they will not experience this coming judgment.

God goes on to proclaim and detail the terrible judgment about to befall this evil city. Due to the terrible sins and evil of this one-world political/commercial system, He proclaims a "double portion" of suffering, torture and grief for her. She has evidenced great pride in her physical wealth and independence from God. She will now pay the just and sure price for it all, i.e., death, mourning, famine and fire.

Revelation: 18:8-20
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. "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. 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!' "The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes any more-- 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; 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. "They will say, `The fruit you longed for is gone from you. All your riches and splendor have vanished, never to be recovered.' 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 and cry out: " `Woe! Woe, O great city, dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet, and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls! 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. When they see the smoke of her burning, they will exclaim, `Was there ever a city like this great city?' 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! Rejoice over her, O heaven! Rejoice, saints and apostles and prophets! God has judged her for the way she treated you.' "


This lengthy passage, the remaining dialog of God's announcement regarding the destruction of Babylon the Great, reveals not only the splendor of Babylon city but also the agony shared by the world's lost population (especially the rich and famous) over its destruction. What is notable is that not only does this city deal in a vast array of material products on a worldwide basis, but it also deals in the "bodies and souls of men." Slavery will thrive during this time, just as it continues to flourish in many parts of the world today.

The kings, the merchants and the sea captains of the earth will weep and cry out over the city's destruction, as they see their power and wealth evaporate instantly into oblivion. And it will be instantly. In fact, it will take place in "one hour" of "one day." In light of this, the saints and apostles and prophets are instructed to rejoice. They are told to rejoice, because Almighty God has judged this one-world system "for the way she treated you." There is a striking contrast between the mood of those on earth, as they cry over the destruction of Babylon, and the mode in heaven, as they rejoice over this judgment. This only portends the enormous contrast between the children of God and the followers of Satan-which will ultimately be "locked in concrete," never to be altered throughout all eternity.

Revelation 18:21-24
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 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. 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. In her was found the blood of prophets and of the saints, and of all who have been killed on the earth."


Tim LaHaye in Revelation Unveiled says it well, as follows.

The mighty angel that casts down the great millstone (Rev. 18:21-22) symbolizes the permanence and suddenness of the destruction of Babylon, which we have already seen will be by earthquake, thunder, lightning, plagues, death, mourning, and famine, and "she will be consumed by fire" (18:8). My friend Dr. Charles Pak was told by his guide in the new Babylon city area that only ten feet underground is thick black tar, which may help provide the fires for the destruction of the entire area. The expression in verse 21 that she is "never to be found again" coincides with the prophecies of Isaiah 13 and Jeremiah 50-51, depicting the permanence of her destruction; the lifting of the curse during the millennial kingdom will not include her . . . The darkness with which Babylon will be perpetually enshrouded is a testimony to her lifelessness for eternity. She will be solemnly and finally judged because of her slaughter of the saints and those who would communicate God's truth to people (Rev. 18:23-24). This marks the formal destruction of the most harmful religious and governmental system in the history of humankind and the destruction of the most detrimentally influential city ever built. From the ancient beginnings of this city it has been a capital of Satan's attack on the human race. Just as God chose Jerusalem as His headquarters to win the souls of people, Satan chose Babylon as his capital to destroy them. He moved his headquarters to Pergamum and then to Rome, where it is today; during the second half of the Tribulation period, he will move it again to Babylon, where God will finally destroy it forever.