Fallen is Babylon the Great

I. God’s judgment will be comprehensive!

Revelation 18:1

1After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was made bright with his glory.

Revelation 18:2

2And he called out with a mighty voice,
“Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!
She has become a dwelling place for demons,

Revelation 18:2

a haunt for every unclean spirit,
a haunt for every unclean bird,
a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast.

Revelation 18:3

3For all nations have drunk the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed immorality with her,

Revelation 18:3

and the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxurious living.”

Revelation 18:21

21Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying,

Revelation 18:21

“So will Babylon the great city be thrown down with violence,
and will be found no more;

Revelation 18:22

22and the sound of harpists and musicians, of flute players and trumpeters,
will be heard in you no more,
and a craftsman of any craft

Revelation 18:22

will be found in you no more,
and the sound of the mill
will be heard in you no more,

Revelation 18:23

23and the light of a lamp
will shine in you no more,
and the voice of bridegroom and bride
will be heard in you no more,

Revelation 18:23

for your merchants were the great ones of the earth,
and all nations were deceived by your sorcery.

Revelation 18:24

24And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints,
and of all who have been slain on earth.”

II. God’s judgment will come suddenly!

Revelation 18:4

4Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people,
lest you take part in her sins,
lest you share in her plagues;

Revelation 18:5

5for her sins are heaped high as heaven,
and God has remembered her iniquities.

Revelation 18:6

6Pay her back as she herself has paid back others, and repay her double for her deeds;
mix a double portion for her in the cup she mixed.

Revelation 18:7

7As she glorified herself and lived in luxury, so give her a like measure of torment and mourning, since in her heart she says, ‘I sit as a queen,

Revelation 18:7

I am no widow,
and mourning I shall never see.’

Revelation 18:8

8For this reason her plagues will come in a single day, death and mourning and famine,
and she will be burned up with fire; for mighty is the Lord God who has judged her.”

10 in a single hour your judgment has come.
17 For in a single hour all this
wealth has been laid waste. 19 For in a single hour she has been laid waste.

III. The world will lament in response to God’s judgment!

Revelation 18:9

9And the kings of the earth, who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her, will weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning.

Revelation 18:10

10They will stand far off, in fear of her torment, and say,
“Alas! Alas! You great city,
you mighty city, Babylon!

Revelation 18:10

For in a single hour your judgment has come.”

Revelation 18:11

11And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her, since no one buys their cargo anymore,

Revelation 18:12

12cargo of gold, silver, jewels, pearls, fine linen, purple cloth, silk, scarlet cloth, all kinds of scented wood, all kinds of

Revelation 18:12

articles of ivory, all kinds of articles of costly wood, bronze, iron and marble,

Revelation 18:13

13cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and slaves, that is, human souls.

Revelation 18:14

14“The fruit for which your soul longed
has gone from you,
and all your delicacies and your splendors
are lost to you, never to be found again!”

Revelation 18:15

15The merchants of these wares, who gained wealth from her, will stand far off, in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning aloud,

Revelation 18:16

16“Alas, alas, for the great city
that was clothed in fine linen, in purple and scarlet, adorned with gold, with jewels, and with pearls!

Revelation 18:17

17For in a single hour all this wealth has been laid waste.” And all shipmasters and seafaring men, sailors and all whose trade is on the sea, stood far off

Revelation 18:18

18and cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning,
“What city was like the great city?”

Revelation 18:19

19And they threw dust on their heads as they wept and mourned, crying out,
“Alas, alas, for the great city
where all who had ships at sea

Revelation 18:19

grew rich by her wealth!
For in a single hour she has been laid waste.

IV. The church will rejoice in response to God’s judgment!

Revelation 19:1

1After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out,

Revelation 19:1

“Hallelujah!
Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,

Revelation 19:2

2for his judgments are true and just;
for he has judged the great prostitute
who corrupted the earth with her immorality,

Revelation 19:2

and has avenged on her the blood of his servants.”
3Once more they cried out,

Revelation 19:2

“Hallelujah!
The smoke from her goes up forever and ever.”

Revelation 19:4

4And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who was seated on the throne, saying, “Amen. Hallelujah!”

Revelation 19:5

5And from the throne came a voice saying,
“Praise our God,
all you his servants,

Revelation 19:5

you who fear him,
small and great.”