“The kings of the earth who have committed sexual immorality and lived luxuriously with her will weep and mourn over her when they see the smoke of her burning. They will stand far off in fear of her torment, saying: Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the mighty city! For in a single hour your judgment has come. The merchants of the earth will also weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their merchandise any longer… Woe, woe, the great city, where all those who have ships on the sea became rich from her wealth, for in a single hour she was destroyed. Rejoice over her, heaven, and you saints, apostles, and prophets, because God has executed your judgment on her! Then a mighty angel picked up a stone like a large millstone and threw it into the sea, saying: In this way, Babylon the great city will be thrown down violently and never be found again. The sound of harpists, musicians, flutists, and trumpeters will never be heard in you again; no craftsman of any trade will ever be found in you again; the sound of a mill will never be heard in you again; the light of a lamp will never shine in you again; and the voice of a groom and bride will never be heard in you again. All this will happen because your merchants were the nobility of the earth, because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery, and the blood of prophets and saints, and of all those slaughtered on earth, was found in you.” (Revelation 18:9-24 HCSB)
Note: I have intentionally omitted a portion of verses 12-19a for brevity. I suggest you read the entire passage by clicking the link above.
We live in a throwaway culture. We buy items knowing that they will not last and that we will need to replace them again and again. My wife and I recently went shopping for a new dishwasher. Our old one was about 15 years old and our salesman told us they are no longer designed to last more than 5 years. Well, that was both discouraging and terrifying. Buy this great, reliable appliance with a two-year warranty that costs $400 but expect to replace it in a few years. What I really wanted was something I could reasonably expect to last for another 15 years.
My expectations and desires are built around my experience with an upright freezer we have in our garage. It is more than 42 years old, and has run perfectly since the day we bought it. Honestly, I am beginning to think that freezer may outlast me. I think our dishwasher salesman would say that I’m being unreasonable in my expectations. Honestly, I think he’s being unreasonable in his expectations. Does anything physical really last forever? Not really. But as consumers, I think we all wish things would last longer than they do.
This week we look at the world’s reaction to the fall and judgment of Babylon, the mighty city, who was presented to us as the scarlet harlot who sat astride the blasphemous beast. For the recipients of John’s letter, there’s no doubt she represents Rome. The kings of the earth who participated in her immorality and who lived luxuriously alongside her weep and mourn at the smoke of her burning. Her judgment is swift. It has come in a single hour. Like my expectations about the dishwasher above, the kings of the earth expected her to last much longer, maybe forever. But when judgment comes, it comes swiftly and leaves nothing untouched.
If you visited Rome today, you might question the accuracy and breadth of John’s description of her fall and divine judgment. People still marvel at the city’s magnificent architecture and grandeur. But it only takes one step into the tattered remains of the Colosseum and your imagination is needed to see its original grandeur amid its ruins. Pause on the stone steps and glance down at row upon row upon row of its empty seats. Listen to the eerie silence of its once raucous crowds, spectacular performances, and outrageous mock battles. Look around and you see what once was, but is no longer. She once ruled the world, now she is just another tourist attraction showcasing what “used to be.”
So, the kings aren’t alone in their mourning for her. They’re joined by the merchants who made a living off her desires and excess. The merchants weep and mourn because no one buys their merchandise any longer. There’s a lengthy list of items that include all the finest things and common things money could buy – everything from gold, gems, fine clothing, fancy furniture, art and decorations, spices and perfumes, food supplies, livestock, transportation, slaves, and even men’s souls (human lives). Slavery was pervasive throughout the Roman Empire, with millions of people living as slaves. While these slaves lived to serve their masters, many who thought they were masters over their own lives—and the lives of those they owned—were actually slaves to their own desires and the lust for more and more.
They’re told: “The fruit you craved has left you. All your splendid and glamorous things are gone; they will never find them again.” The fruit they craved is much deeper and more calloused than you might pick up in this translation. Rendered literally it reads like this: “the fruit of your soul-lust.” In my mind, this seems to tie back to the list of things that was no longer being bought and sold. In particular, those final two items dealing with slaves and human lives stand out in my mind. The word used for a slave trader can literally be translated as “body merchant” (Gr: somatemporos). But catch this part, “the fruit you craved has left you.” Then the mighty angel tells them, “All your splendid and glamorous things are gone; they will never find them again.” As in most languages, using multiple words to describe something emphasizes that characteristic. Here, we have a triple negative and it emphasizes that these things have been taken away and will never, ever, ever be given back to her.
Now, don’t think that lets you and me off the hook. We may not deal in slave trade, but if our “soul-lust” is for anything other than God then we will weep and mourn when God destroys Babylon. That’s really the point in this passage. John addresses this from the top down. He starts with the kings of the earth, then the merchants and all that they buy and sell. But notice, those “who became rich from her, will stand far off in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning.” They’re afraid to get close, lest they get pulled into her judgment: “in a single hour such fabulous wealth was destroyed!”
Now the fear and mourning over her destruction is spreading, “every shipmaster, seafarer, the sailors, and all who do business by sea” did the same thing. Their mourning even goes a step further, “they threw dust on their heads and kept crying out, weeping, and mourning.” It’s bad enough that the kings lament her destruction, but they live different lives than we do. Then the wealthy businessmen (the billionaires of our world) get pulled into the mix and the mourning. Okay, so what if these uber-wealthy business owners are concerned, I’m not one of them. Then the local business owners begin to feel the effects and mourn her demise. But we’re not done, it’s getting personal now. We’re down to the truck drivers, dock workers, sailors and those who make their living in the supply chain.
You remember what that was like don’t you? Go back about six years to the summer and fall of 2020. The COVID pandemic had begun to affect our own supply chain. Goods weren’t getting manufactured, shipped, and delivered to the stores. We were seeing shortages, and people began to hoard certain essentials, like toilet paper. Be honest, it is essential. It doesn’t take much or very long for these kinds of situations to have broad-reaching impact on a global scale. When they do, we have a tendency to react and even overreact.
They were so distraught over the judgment and destruction of Babylon and her financial markets and stability they mourned for her like one would their spouse or best friend. That’s the angel’s point. That’s the message to these churches in Asia Minor. Have we tied our lives, our happiness, our devotion, and our worship to the wrong things? If we lost everything physical life can offer, would we mourn it like we would a spouse, child or best friend? What we mourn when it’s taken away often reveals what we truly loved while we had it. Are we so “in love” with the world and the things it offers to us that we would feel as though life was over if it was all lost?
Notice the stark contrast between verses 19 and 20: “They threw dust on their heads and kept crying out, weeping, and mourning: Woe, woe, the great city, where all those who have ships on the sea became rich from her wealth, for in a single hour she was destroyed. Rejoice over her, heaven, and you saints, apostles, and prophets, because God has executed your judgment on her!” (Revelation 18:19-20 HCSB) The people of the earth mourn Babylon’s judgment and destruction while heaven and the saints, apostles, and prophets are called to rejoice. We’re called to decide, will we mourn over God’s judgment of Babylon and all she represents or will we rejoice? Do we truly want God’s will to reign over our world with absolute sovereignty or do we balk at His righteous judgment?
For believers, there is no middle ground in this. If God is right, just, and holy then we must desire Him, we must long for His will in our lives, and we must seek His righteous reign over our lives and over all of creation. This isn’t about mourning the loss of some ephemeral happiness that worldly treasures brings, it’s about rejoicing in the triumph of God’s good and perfect will over all of creation. We either want things set right, how God intended and now [in this final judgment] determines them to be, or we don’t. We either want His will and His reign, or we don’t. We either believe Him or we don’t… That’s what Christian faith is really all about. And that brings us to the angel’s final picture of Babylon’s judgment—the millstone.
“But whoever causes the downfall of one of these little ones who believe in Me — it would be better for him if a heavy millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.” (Mark 9:42 HCSB)
If the final stage of Babylon’s judgment sounds familiar, it should. It mirrors what Jesus said about anyone who causes the downfall of “one of these little ones who believe in Me.” A mighty angel picks up a large boulder that is like a large millstone and throws it into the sea, and says: “In this way, Babylon the great city will be thrown down violently and never be found again.” She’s being judged because she has caused the downfall and destruction of many and has shed the blood of those who believed in Jesus. The mighty angel goes on to enumerate all of the good things that will “never be found again” in her. There’ll be no more music, no craftsmen, no sounds of a mill, no light of a lamp, no voice of a groom and bride ever again. In other words, life as we know it will have ceased to exist for Babylon.
The last few words of our focal passage say: “All this will happen because your merchants were the nobility of the earth, because all nations were deceived by your sorcery, and the blood of prophets and saints, and of all those slaughtered on earth, was found in you.” Instead of being an instrument of grace and blessing in the hands of her Creator, Babylon chose to go her own way and to thumb her nose at God’s expectations and commands. Instead of using her influence, her power and authority, and her resources and might as a force for God’s will, she chose to ignore God. She took everything that rightly belongs to Him and used it for her own selfish purposes. For that, she will be judged and God’s judgment will be right and just.
But where does that leave us? It leaves us facing a choice. Will we choose to follow in Babylon’s footsteps and receive the same right and just judgment? Will we live our lives selfishly seeking our own will, our own best interests, and our own glory among men? Or will we choose to follow in the footsteps of our Redeemer, Jesus? Following Him leads us along the path of God’s will. It’s a path of self-sacrifice, service to God and others, and the path to redemption and eternal life. Babylon will never hear the joyful sounds of life in her streets again. Those who walk with Jesus are being led to a city that will never know sorrow or pain, ever again.
Will you weep over Babylon or will you rejoice in the God who sets things right through His judgment of her sin? The choice reveals whether your allegiance is with her or with the Lamb. Don’t throw your life away. It’s worth so much more than that. Remember, it cost Jesus His life to save yours for eternity…
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