Verses 1-3 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.
This chapter continues the vision of chapter 17. So the “after these things” is referring to the things in chapter 17 and this chapter continues with the judgement of the great whore. The picture here is that an angel comes from Heaven and shines light upon a wicked, idolatrous Earth. This writer tends to think that this angel with great power is the LORD Jesus Christ as He is the only One who is entitled to glory. “The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.” Matthew 4:16. “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” John 8:12
The name Babylon means “confusion”. The false religions and the system that Satan has created has caused confusion to the point that today most people cannot define what the word, Christian, means. And most people today seem to believe that all churches are Christian when they are not. There is confusion as to who Jesus is and there is confusion as to what Biblical doctrine is and is not.
So the announcement made in the verse above is that the whore, Babylon the Great, is fallen. The Greek word translated as “fallen” is “pipto” and it means to descend from a higher place to a lower, to be thrust down, to fall under judgment or come under condemnation, to perish or be lost, to be cast down from a state of prosperity, or come to an end, and to disappear or cease. All of these definitions fit the judgment of the great whore. Notice that the verb used is in the present tense. In other words, it will happen, it is happening, but it hasn’t happened completely yet. It is in the process of happening. When Jesus came to Earth and established a New Covenant and did away with the Old Covenant, and the Church age was begun, that light of the Gospel message has pierced the darkness of the Babylonian religious system the Jews adopted and has been working against Satan and his plan ever since. And as stated in chapter 17, the principle components of the false religious system are today in the process of falling. Also note that when something is repeated twice in Scripture, it means that it is a sure thing and it will come to pass.
Babylon today is the religious system where devils hang out and try to influence people so that they do not obey and worship the one true God. Being a part of this system will lead to judgement and condemnation and Hell for eternity. Notice that in verse 3 above it states that “all nations” have involved themselves with this false religious system and that they and their leaders have gotten rich as a result of this union of church and state.
Verses 4-5 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.
God’s true people are not to have anything to do with this harlot or whore. Yet Christian believers think that it is OK to use fake copyrighted bibles, which are the copyrighted words of men and not the words of God, to guide their Christian walk. Christian believers think that it is OK to celebrate witchcraft holidays made religious holidays by the institution of Catholicism as it is traditional and they have always done it and supposedly God knows their heart and understands that they only mean Christian things when they are copying the things the pagans do. Christian believers send hard earned money to Israel to help rebuild their temple so they can reinstate animal sacrifices when Scripture is clear that physical Israel is no more and that the Israel of today is the Church and that animal sacrifices are an insult to the LORD Jesus Christ who was the final sacrifice in that Jewish system for the remission of sins and no more animal sacrifices are necessary or pleasing to God. And Christians continue to attend churches that fail to preach and teach the whole of God’s word and which distort the truth of the Gospel because they are comfortable attending or they have been going there for a long time and are either too lazy or too insecure to seek a Bible believing church that teaches and preaches the truth and not Satan’s lies. This writer has a difficult time understanding why Christian believers do not understand verses like those above. “Come out” is a command and not a suggestion.
Verses 6-7 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. 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.
Because the church/state system of Babylon is falling apart worldwide, and the people of God are commanded to not be involved with it, God is promising in verse 6 above to judge and punish this system double or twice as severe as this system has offended His people and His kingdom. The sins of each individual who has participated in a corrupt governmental and/or religious system are/will be remembered by God and they will receive double the wages of their sins in Hell if not in this physical life. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23
Satan’s religious system has made merchandise of people and has profited from the tyranny these various entities have enforced, with the cooperation of the beast governmental system, upon mankind for centuries. In days past, the “church” in European countries would levy taxes upon the people and then take their land when they could not pay. As a result, these Satanic religious enterprises became huge land owners and had the resources to influence the political leaders in their regions. Sound familiar? Today, many people groups in various countries live in fear of offending the spirits of witchcraft and so they sacrifice food, money, animals and personal items to these false gods in the hope that these gods will bless them. The institution of Catholicism is all about money. Money is expected from the bereaved in order for the priest to perform a funeral service or mass for their dead loved one. The saying, “high mass, high money, low mass, low money” did not just happen at random. Catholic followers pay for the priest to perform a rite that will expedite their souls out of what they have been taught is a place called purgatory, a place where they must suffer before going to Heaven. This is all a lie and contrary to Scripture. Other false religions insist that their members provide tax returns so that the leadership can be sure that the member is tithing according to the rules of their denomination. Some false churches sell pew space. The front pews cost more than the pews at the back of the building. This harlot or whore system which is made up of Babylon the Great and her daughters has ruled supreme and has made people’s lives miserable by their practices. As verse seven above states, it has glorified itself and not the LORD Jesus Christ. A visit to some of the cathedrals in this world where gold and precious jewels are everywhere in the building will show that the leaders of these false religious entities have lived in luxury compliments of the people they oppress.
In times past, widows had a hard life if they lost their provider and bread winner and if they did not have any children that would take them in and provide food and shelter for them. Women did not work for wages as a rule and so they had no viable way to support themselves. So the whore is saying that she is beyond the reach of anything that might harm her and that she is so embedded with the Satanic political/governmental system that she cannot be touched. She is the queen and the kings of the Earth are her husbands and lovers metaphorically.
Verses 8-10 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.
The Greek word translated as “plagues” is “plege” and it means a blow, stripe, or wound, heavy affliction, or a public calamity. The things that cause the false religious system of Babylon to fall will be from God, will be a public calamity, and will come fairly rapidly. The picture of being burned with fire represents a cleansing as fire destroys utterly and sterilizes as it burns. The political/governmental system will suffer also as this union of church and state is profitable to the ruling elite of the nations. These ruling elite and nations will distance themselves (standing afar off) as they do not want to get involved with the “sinking ship” in case they are destroyed with the harlot (for the fear of her torment). The time of “one hour” is not literal but is representative of any definite time or point of time that God has decided upon.
Verses 11-13 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.
The Greek word translated as “merchants” is “emporos” and it means one who is on a journey, whether by sea or by land, for trade and it does not mean a retailer. This is a picture of the economy being affected worldwide by the collapse of this false, idolatrous, anti-Christ religious system. The list of items in the verses above covers everything from metals, jewels, wood products, fabric products, stone produces, means of transportation, alcoholic products, spices, food, military items, people for trafficking, and people’s lives to include their minds, their wills, and their emotions. The economy or trade difficulties involve anything and everything mankind manufactures for trade or produces, grows, raises or deals in to buy and sell and make money.
Notice that the souls of men are included in the above verse. This is interesting as this false religious system that is falling is trafficking in men’s souls. This can be understood several ways. First, false religions are working for Satan and when they make converts, these people or souls are destined for Hell which is what Satan wants. Then usually, these false religions take their followers’ money in tithes or penances or in some other way. Back in the “dark ages” the Catholic priests sold feathers to gullible people saying that they came from angels’ wings. These feathers were peacock or some other bird’s feathers that were not recognized by the unsuspecting buyers as these birds were not native to the area where these priests were selling their merchandise. Bones or other relics have been sold as those of the apostles, and nails have been sold upon the claim that they were the ones used on Jesus’ cross. Today, the fraud is different in type and scope, but it is still going on. And finally, the institution of Catholicism has been proven to be a trafficker of women and children. This is not conjecture, but fact. Judaism has pedophile skeletons in their closet, and Wicca or practicing witches have also been involved in human sacrifice. When these main false religious systems and their daughters fall, this aspect of merchandising people will also affect corrupt and evil political leaders who engage in and benefit from the human trafficking that is rampant worldwide today.
Verses 14-18 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!
When the towers were destroyed in New York City many Christian believers thought the verses above were being fullfilled. New York City is a center of trade and finance and is the home of the stock exchange, and there was smoke and fire which was seen out in the harbor and the entire picture was one of disaster and destruction. Since 22 years have gone by and the city rebuilt and went back to business and banking as usual, this could not have been the case. But there remains a visual example of the situation being described in the verses above. The disaster was swift and all trade came to a halt on that day.
So as this system falls, the benefits it has experienced down through the centuries is “departing” and their allies, the kings/political leaders and the nations are keeping their distance so that they will not fall along with the harlot system. Notice that verse 15 above states that the merchants are also standing “afar off for the fear of her torment”. This represents the entire Satanic economic system and their banking system. Ultimately, the courts or the judicial system can/will be affected as their unjust laws and failure to convict criminal behavior is all part of this beast system. International trade as represented by the shipmaster, the sailors, and the sea traders is/will be afraid of the consequences of the fall of this harlot religious system. The picture is one of complete chaos, destruction and disaster.
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.
To cast dust on the head was an ancient way of showing complete and utter sorrow or hopelessness. Audible and visual weeping and wailing was also the custom of Jews and other cultures to show mourning, usually for the dead. The picture here is that the beast system is mourning for the harlot system that is dying or dead.
Verse 20 Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.
But the Christian believer, either alive on Earth or living in Heaven will be rejoicing as God has passed judgement upon Satan’s system and the martyrs whose blood was shed for their faith in the LORD Jesus Christ and those believers who were persecuted for their faith are finally avenged by the hand of the LORD. It was promised and the Apostle John saw it happen in this vision.
Verses 21-24 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. (Revelation 18)
In commenting on verse 13 above, this writer connected pedophilia and child/human trafficking with the harlot system of false religions. Verse 21 describes a mighty angel casting a millstone into the sea. Why and what does this mean? Again, Bible proves Bible, and this casting of the millstone was mentioned before by Jesus Christ and had to do with hurting little children. Mark 9:42 states, “And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.” Then Luke 17:2 states, “It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.” It appears that the harming of children by the harlot system and her daughters is one of the primary reasons God passes and institutes judgement upon Mystery, Babylon the Great. Remember that these false, anti-Christ religions practice things in secret that only the leadership knew/knows about and the regular, uninitiated masses were/are not aware of their evil practices until, in some cases, fairly recently. Even as all the wickedness of the Catholic Pope and priests has come to light, Catholic believers still worship the Pope and the entire Satanic system. As the wickedness of Jewish rabbis has come to light, practicing Jews still fill up the synagogues. And as the rituals of witchcraft have come to light, parents are still buying Harry Potter books for their children and allowing their young minds to be saturated with Harry Potter movies.
The Greek word translated as “sorceries” is “pharmakeia” from which comes the English word pharmacy. It means witchcraft, the use or the administering of drugs, poisoning, the magical arts, often found in connection with idolatry and fostered by it, and it can be metaphor for the deceptions and seductions of idolatry. As stated before, this writer believes that the anti-Christ religious system Satan has set up is a combinations of false religions and that the core ones are witchcraft or Wicca, Judaism, and Catholicism. The others are merely offshoots of these main religions. So the Apostle John was absolutely correct in writing under the inspiration of God that the nations have been deceived (led away from the truth and led into error) through sorcery, which today includes the use of mind altering drugs and the propaganda from powerful pharmaceutic companies.
Application: Today the fake news is full of stories of drug trafficking, drug deals gone wrong resulting in violence and/or death, overdose deaths, the proliferation of the drug Fentanyl and so forth. It is reported that US agencies such as the CIA and FBI are engaged in drug trafficking as there is so much money to be made. It is reported that confiscated drugs associated with crimes when deposited in police custody often disappear only to reappear on the city streets. It is reported that children are often used as runners for these illegal products. Drug addiction is one of, if not the biggest societal problem in many countries today. Highway deaths due to accidents caused by people under the influence of drugs or alcohol are many. It cannot be denied that in these end time days, the manufacture and marketing of drugs by pharmaceutical companies is huge business. Just check out the advertisements on the Internet or on the television. If people have trouble eating, not eating, gaining weight, losing weight, sleeping, staying awake, coughing, dry mouth, sinus congestion, heart problems, liver problems, kidney problems, gut problems, reproductive problems, joint problems, pain problems, sexual problems, memory problems, or psychiatric problems, there is a pill that will fix all. Forget prayer and trusting in the LORD for one’s health. Forget herbal remedies as they don’t work fast enough. Just get a prescription. And by all means, do not forget the flu shot and all the other so-called vaccines. Has big pharma become a god to many people in that they cannot survive without their meds?