Angel One:
“Babylon is fallen—that great city is fallen!
- For all the nations have fallen because of the wine of her passionate immorality.
- Because of her desires for extravagant luxury,
- The kings of the world have committed adultery with her.
- the merchants of the world have grown rich.”
Angel Two:
- “Come away from her, my people. Do not take part in her sins, or you will be punished with her.
- For her sins are piled as high as heaven, and God remembers her evil deeds.
- Do to her as she has done to others.
- Double her penalty for all her evil deeds.
- She brewed a cup of terror for others, so brew twice as much for her.
- She glorified herself and lived in luxury, so match it now with torment and sorrow.
The Queen of the City:
- She boasted in her heart,
- ‘I am queen on my throne. I am no helpless widow, and I have no reason to mourn.’
- Therefore, these plagues will overtake her in a single day—death and mourning and famine.
- She will be completely consumed by fire, for the Lord God who judges her is mighty.”
The Kings of the World:
- who committed adultery with her
- and enjoyed her great luxury
- will mourn for her as they see the smoke rising from her charred remains.
- They will stand at a distance, terrified by her great torment.
- [They] the Kings will cry out,
- “How terrible, how terrible for you, O Babylon, you great city! In a single moment God’s judgment came on you.”
The Merchants of the World:
will weep and mourn for her, for there is no one left to buy their goods.
- She bought great quantities of gold, silver, jewels, and pearls;
- fine linen, purple, silk, and scarlet cloth;
- things made of fragrant thyine wood, ivory goods, and objects made of expensive wood;
- and bronze, iron, and marble.
- She also bought cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense,
- wine, olive oil, fine flour, wheat,
- cattle, sheep, horses, wagons, and bodies—that is, human slaves.
“The fancy things you loved so much are gone,”
- The Merchants cry.
- The merchants who became wealthy by selling her these things will stand at a distance,
- terrified by her great torment.
- The Merchants will weep and cry out,
- “All your luxuries and splendour are gone forever, never to be yours again.”
- “How terrible, how terrible for that great city! She was clothed in finest purple and scarlet linens, decked out with gold and precious stones and pearls! 17In a single moment all the wealth of the city is gone!”
All the captains of the merchant ships and their passengers and sailors and crews:
- will stand at a distance.
- They will cry out as they watch the smoke ascend,
- And they will weep and throw dust on their heads to show their grief.
And they will cry out,
- “Where is there another city as great as this?”
- “How terrible, how terrible for that great city!
- The shipowners became wealthy by transporting her great wealth on the seas.
- In a single moment it is all gone.”
Revelation 18:1-19
Pay careful attention to what happens after the angelic announcements and take note of the order and the repetitions. If you have been following the Bible Gems on this site for a significant time you will know to always pay attention to biblical repetition. If you have lived longer than a few years on this earth you will know to pay attention when your mother and father repeated what they told you. To ignore repetition is to your detriment; the same applies here. You will see in the reformatted passage above I have highlighted in colour various repetitions. I gave you in Gem 2353 some of the similarities with Old Testament passage, but not all of them. There are numerous such examples.
For example, here is yet one more and a particularly relevant one related to “Come away from her, my people.” This is a repeated catch cry throughout the Bible as God’s people are warned to separate themselves from overtly shameless practices. I will merely list the references rather than give you the full quotes in order to save space. Genesis 19:12 + 14, Numbers 16:24 + 26, Isaiah 48:20, Jeremiah 50:8, 51:6, 9, 45. I have added these simply to show you there are always more similarities to pick up. I would need to write a book on Revelation to cover it all.
Now allow me to focus on the repetitions found in Revelation 18. You will pick them up in the layout of the text above while taking note of the colour coding.
The Focused Repetitions
- Babylon is fallen; the nations have fallen [18:2]
- desires for extravagant luxury / lived in luxury / enjoy great luxury + [18:3,7,9,14]
- merchants grow rich, weep – no buyers, became wealthy, all wealth gone [18:3,11,15,17]
- double her penalty / do to her as she has done / brew twice as much for her [18:63x]
- terror / torment / terrified / terrible [18:7,10,15,16,19]
- in a single day [18:8,10,17,9]
- stand at a distance [18:10,15,17]
- no none left to buy, all wealth gone, [18:11,17]
- gone, gone forever, never to be yours again [18:14(2),17,19]
This list of nine repetitions are carefully chosen and repeated through this chapter. Some scattered throughout and others in sections related to the people being referenced.
Don’t forget we have the following players in this Prophetic Lament (Song or Poem):
- Two Angelic Messengers from heaven
- The Queen of the City
- The Kings of the World
- The Merchants of the World
- The Ship Captains, Passengers and Crews
Have you seen the distinct pattern to it all? Each of the categories (excluding the angels) have some repeated elements applied to them specifically. They each make a statement in red which I have highlighted as their response to what has happened. Then a number of the repeated elements are applied to each group, followed by a summary pronouncement made with respect to each group from heaven. I find it all quite fascinating and have not until now noticed the particular way in which this chapter is crafted. At the end of it all there is a surprise but I will save that for the appropriate time.
I agree with Gordon Fee, who describes this portion of Revelation as “narrative art at its finest” and adds “one comments on it only with the hope that it will aid readers to see the splendour” of what John has written for themselves. [Gordon Fee, Revelation p. 244]. I in turn have added to what Gordon Fee has laid out for this chapter after spending considerable time mulling over this chapter. I have summarised my take on each section below.
The Angelic Messengers
The first of the angels makes the bold statement that Babylon is fallen [well of course she has] but this is not perfected / completed fallenness. This is present continuous tense fallenness. This statement was made at the height of Rome’s power and influence. There is much behind this statement. I suspect the fallenness extends to all human systems across time. Therefore all nations have fallen (will fall) because they have committed the adultery of riches with the archetype Babylon. That is so true of Rome and wealthy Romans who considered they were entitled to such extravagant wealth. The 28 products listed in verses 12-13 could be seen in all Roman villas and estate houses. Such wealth was gained on the back of slaves, gained at the expense of oppressed people. Roman peace [Pax Romana] was only enjoyed by the privileged few as I have written before. Hence the first angel gives a summary introduction to the fact the nations are fallen because they succumbed to the temptation of riches and their rulers and merchants were corrupted.
The second angel warns the populace to flee the deceit of riches and separate themselves. Interestingly the indictment is made against the city. The city of Rome was ruled by the goddess Roma. Thus the retribution or repayment is aimed at the Queen of Rome herself, “who brewed a cup of terror for others”. The riches of Rome were built on military might; Rome conquered other nations and enslaved them. The lavish lifestyle of Rome only applied to wealthy Roman citizens. All others were subservient to the whim and fancy of the leaders and the ruling elite. Thus the call now to repay them with torment and sorrow.
The Queen of City
You can almost hear in the words recorded for us, the goddess Roma’s protest that the plight of those under Roman rule was nothing to do with her. I was merely allowing my worshippers free reign.
- I am queen on my throne.
- I am no helpless widow,
- I have no reason to mourn.
Don’t lay the blame at my door. It has nothing to do with me. I have no reason to mourn either at the damage done or regarding the destruction of Rome and the devastation of her rulers and merchants. It’s not my fault, don’t blame me!
Whereupon the second angel announces Roma’s demise by burning and sacking because the Lord God who judges her is mighty and the only One with the right to judge. It is ironic that “the eternal city” which was considered to last for eternity should be overtaken and burned in a single day.
The Kings of the World
Now we come to the first of the ruling elite, the petty kings and caesars of Rome and the subordinate kings subservient to them, including the Herods and other potentates. They are remarkable words spoken over the kings and rulers who committed adultery, enjoying the luxurious lifestyle. They mourned as they saw the smoke rise and stood at a distance terrified by the city’s torment. What an interesting thing they say!
“How terrible, how terrible for you, O Babylon, you great city!”
What a nice little side step these kings and caesars have made. Oh, you poor city, how sad for you. How neatly do these kings side-step their own responsibility for their reign, a reign premised on trappings and privilege based on the oppression of the masses. What telling words! They will stand at a distance, terrified as they say, “How terrible Babylon you great city. In a single moment God’s judgement came on you.” With those very words they condemned themselves at the same time. They themselves were standing terrified, caught by the unexpectedly sudden demise of the city and the empire.
It is hard to stand at a distance when you are inextricably linked to the events you are mourning, while you stand terrified.
The Merchants of the World
Now we come to the longest segment of all, that which sums up the Merchants of the World. No matter where in the world rulers rule, their rule is based on the trappings of privilege which fuels the difference between the haves and the have nots. This is the very antithesis of Micah 6:8. This portion is the longest of all four non-angelic sections.
- Why did John write twice as much on the Merchants as any other category?
- Why does John pedantically list 28 products that were a feature of the trade these merchants entered into?
- It’s like John deliberately added to the length of the case against these traders.
Are these merchants of the world weeping at the demise of the city? No, they are totally self-absorbed, weeping and mourning, crying out and terrified over one thing and one thing only. The fact that their customers are no longer. There is no one to buy their extensive list of products. The fancy products have “gone, gone forever, never to be yours / ours again.” But perhaps better to say never can we trade in these products, selling them to you inhabitants of Rome (or any other city) when the city has been destroyed. In other words our trading is over because the city has been destroyed. Yes they are mourning the destruction of the city, but it is clear by their words their fear is more the dread for their future. What will we do now that the city has been destroyed and there is nothing left and our customers have been wiped out? Never mind that these merchants were the catalyst for the resultant lifestyle which brought inevitable judgement. Now that time has come in a single day! Suddenly and catastrophically it has happened. Oh woe are we merchants, what will we do now? I think the most appropriate thing for me to do to summarise the Merchants at this point it to add a song for you.
The Lyrics of Mr Businessman by Ray Stevens
Itemize the things you covet
As you squander through your life
Bigger cars, bigger houses
Term insurance for your wife
Tuesday evenings with your harlot
And on Wednesdays it’s your charlatan analyst
He’s high upon your list
You’ve got air conditioned sinuses
And dark disturbing doubt about religion
And you keep those cards and letters going out
While your secretary’s tempting you
Your morals are exempting you from guilt and shame
Heaven knows you’re not to blame
You better take care of business, Mr. Businessman
What’s your plan?
Get down to business, Mr. Businessman
If you can
Before it’s too late and you throw your life away.
Did you see your children growing up today
And did you hear the music of their laughter
As they set about to play?
Did you catch the fragrance of those roses in your garden?
Did the morning sunlight warm your soul
Brighten up your day?
Do you qualify to be alive
Or is the limit of your senses so as only to survive?
Spending counterfeit incentive
Wasting precious time and health
Placing value on the worthless
Disregarding priceless wealth
You can wheel and deal the best of them
Steal it from the rest of them
You know the score, their ethics are a bore
Eighty-six proof anesthetic crutches
Prop you to the top
Where the smiles are all synthetic
And the ulcers never stop
When they take that final inventory
Yours will be the same sad story everywhere
No one will really care, no one more lonely than
This rich important man
Let’s have your autograph, endorse your epitaph
You better take care of business, Mr. Businessman
What’s your plan?
Get down to business, Mr. Businessman
If you can
Hey, yeah, hey, hey, hey, yeah, yeah
Need I say more? Who, us merchants? How could we be responsible for the downfall of the Roman Empire, or Babylon or America or anywhere else for that matter? We are just humble businessmen. It’s not personal; it’s just business.
A point to ponder before the next Gem: Why did John make this ‘Merchant’ segment so long and why include all 28 products in his list?
The Ship Captains, Passengers and Crews
John even includes the transporters of the goods traded in this list of those accountable. After all, they too made a huge profit out of the trade in all 28 products listed. Hence the shippers and transporters of the goods also stand at a distance as they watch the smoke of Rome ascend. They weep and throw dust on their heads to show their grief at the demise of the city; little realising they too are just as much to blame. How terrible for this great city they say, while all the while the torture is the loss of their lucrative trade which is all gone in a single moment.
Oh you can bet there is more to come in the next Gem. Don’t just wait for it, be pondering these things yourself before I release it.
Your parents used repetition to remind you of what was most important; God does the same, He trained your parents.
Ian
Those things that God wants us to remember He repeats until we have got it. Go back and look through your past at the recent messages God has given you.
Ian
Obedience to the call of God nearly always costs us everything and alienates us from the half-hearted.
Ian
There are three kinds of people: Those who are immoveable, those who are moveable, and those who MOVE. Be in the third group!
Rick Godwin
The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings.
William Shakespeare
Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past. Let us accept our own responsibility for the future.
John F. Kennedy