“Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you holy apostles and prophets, for God has avenged you on her! Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, “Thus with violence the great city Babylon shall be thrown down, and shall not be found anymore. “The sound of harpists, musicians, flutists, and trumpeters shall not be heard in you anymore. No craftsman of any craft shall be found in you anymore, and the sound of a millstone shall not be heard in you anymore. “The light of a lamp shall not shine in you anymore, and the voice of bridegroom and bride shall not be heard in you anymore. For your merchants were the great men of the earth, for by your sorcery all the nations were deceived. “And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who were slain on the earth“
The events of chapter 18 occur at the end of the Tribulation. We now come to the triumph of God in creation.
18:20
“Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you holy apostles and prophets, for God has avenged you on her!”
God commands heaven to rejoice over the fall of the Babylonian international system. There is joy in this because this system is an evil system of intolerance of mutual exclusive truth (Acts 4:12). God will ultimately avenge His people. This is not vindictiveness but a desire that God executes justice. Note the contrast between the politicians and businessmen who grieve and lament and the saints who rejoice.
18:21
Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, “Thus with violence the great city Babylon shall be thrown down, and shall not be found anymore.”
A mighty angel takes a heavy stone and throws it into the sea to illustrate the destruction of the Babylonian system. The destruction of Babylon is so complete that no one will find any inkling of this system anymore. It sinks like a millstone to the bottom of the sea (Jeremiah 51:61-64).
Seven times the phrase “no be found anymore” occurs in Revelation with minor differences. This indicates the finality of the defeat of Babylonianism.
18:22
“The sound of harpists, musicians, flutists, and trumpeters shall not be heard in you anymore. No craftsman of any craft shall be found in you anymore, and the sound of a millstone shall not be heard in you anymore”
Babylon, famous for her musicians, will not hear the sound of music anymore. The entertainment industry will not make its untold millions anymore. Nor will craftsmen execute their trade anymore.
We can see the extent and completeness of the fall of Babylon in the destruction of the entertainment industry, skilled workers, and even in the grinding of grain.
18:23
“The light of a lamp shall not shine in you anymore, and the voice of bridegroom and bride shall not be heard in you anymore.”
Glittering lights will not shine in the Babylonian system anymore. Nor will people celebrate weddings (Matthew 24:38).
For your merchants were the great men of the earth, for by your sorcery all the nations were deceived”
The reasons for the judgment of Babylon are that 1) she deceived the nations by sorcery and 2) martyred the saints (v. 24). In the Tribulation, businessmen are the “great men of the earth.” Wealth impresses many today. That is why they carry such influence in the world.
The Greek word for “sorcery” is pharmakeia from which we get the English word “pharmacy.” Businessmen deceived great numbers of people by “sorcery.” In the first century, people used drugs to deceive others. These business people evidently traffic in demonism and the occult.
18:24
“And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who were slain on the earth”
Babylon murdered both prophets and saints in her hunger for power (18:24). This reveals the true nature of international government and religion. History records tens of thousands of people killed by religion. Religion is a counterfeit gospel. God finally exposes the counterfeit for what it is and destroys it.
Principle:
God will ultimately triumph over all false values.
Application:
The destruction of the Babylonian system is the final blow to the times of the Gentiles (Luke 21:24). This is the triumph of God in time. The Babylonian system is a religious system combined with a material system.
Today many worship wealth. Wealth is their terminal value. They live for nothing higher. Money is their god. Do you have a proclivity to shack up with the religion/wealth belief system?
God will eventually restore the truth of things into their proper place in time and space.
Hate is the generator of murder and by it professing Cain killed his brother Abel. we are noting this today in the Church by divisive attitudes and divisions that are too common and applauded by many. quantity and not quality is seen as maturity and the measuring standard of a successful preacher! So, popularity and commercialism is practiced by many preachers in many so called successful Churches. Ours is to hate the spirit of Babylon and not promoting it. May our Lord Jesus save us.the two Babylons are opposed to the Truth and are controlled by the spirit of the devil of hate and murder.God Save us
Grant, I have heard others say that the phrase “no more” is seen 7 times in this passage, but I can see only 6. Can you point out explicitly where the 7 are for me? The number 7 is so significant in Revelation that I want to see this. Thank you.
susan, there are too many variables here. That is, different kinds of translations, the Greek etc. to answer your question.
WHILE THE WICKED LAMENT FOR THIS SATANIC WORLD SYSTEM DESTRUCTION, WE TRUE BELIEVERS OF OUR DEER LORD JESUS CHRIST MUST TODAY AND FOREVER REJOICE ! Christ Has forever saved from all the world evils. What a blessed Saviour is the SON OF MAN AND THE SON OF GOD!
its fairly amazing that you can justify all of these phrases in Rev. 18 away by simply calling it “A world system” I do believe Some of Rev. 17 & Rev. 18:24 is referring to the Babalonian spirit world wide, but Babylon is a place ( America) and it’s all to obvious in the wording ( unless the end of days is a hundred years from now which with all present signs, I highly doubt !) Who else could have many sea ports, sit on many waters ( weather this is literal water, (seas) or many peoples, we are the mixed nation of the world) who else’s business men could be the greatest in the world through sorcerery, who else could it be referring to when it mentions over and over our incredible weath, who else could be the hammer of the whole earth (Jer. 50 which parallels rev. 18) who else could cause all of the earths merchants to wail and cry because we will not be around to buy their stuff!
Richard, the onus is on you to prove that “Babylon” is the USA. I understand that there are some recently who hold to this position, but I see no biblical evidence for it. What this passage in Revelation, and others, say is that there will be a one-world government, as described by specific characterizations in the book.