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The Fall of Babylon
I. A mighty nation, such as Rome, falls in many ways
A. It was announced in chapter 17, and now we see the actual tumbling.
B. An angel announces its fall with power and the authority of heaven.
C. The same words used to announce the original fall of Babylon - Isa. 21:9
II. A spiritual fall - Revelation 18:1-3
A. It is a place of demons, a prison (or haunt) of every unclean and hateful spirit
B. Why?
1. The nations allied to her have benefitted from her immorality. They desire it and have become drunk on it. Rome has corrupted them with her ways.
2. The kings have compromised themselves with Rome
3. The merchants are profiting off of its many sensual, sinful ways.
4. Greed has won out over ethics and morality
C. Same reason Moses warned Israel - Deut 8:11-14, 19-20
III. A fall due to pride - Revelation 18:4-8
A. Same reason old Babylon fell - Jer 50:31-32, Isa 47:7-11
B. Pride goes before the fall - Proverbs 16:18
C. Pestilence is sent by God to revenge the martyrs
D. God’s people are warned not to become involved in her sins lest they fall under wrath as well.
1. Same as Jeremiah’s warning - Jer. 51:6, 45
2. Christians cannot mix with sin - II Cor. 6:17
3. Companions of fools will be destroyed with them - Prov 13:20
E. Rome had plenty of sin, enough to pile high to heaven
1. Like Babylon of old - Jer 51:9
2. Like Israel - Ezra 9:6
F. She will receive a double dose of what she did to God’s people.
1. She reaps what she had sown - Gal 6:7
2. Again, like Babylon of old - Jer 50:15, 29; 51:49
3. A double portion, as in an inheritance, of justice - Isa 40:2, Jer 16:18
IV. The ones who weep are the kings and the merchants - Revelation 18:9-19
A. The kings who benefitted from her conquests
1. Notice they bewail her fall from afar
2. They liked her, but not that much
3. They are astonished how fast she fell.
B. The merchants who made vast sums from her immorality
1. They cannot believe that such a wealthy city could fall so rapidly.
2. They too morn Rome’s passing, but from afar. They liked her, but not that much.
3. They are not concerned for the city or her people, but because its fall effects their pocketbook.
C. The ship masters who provided transportation for her goods
1. The suddenness of Rome’s collapse is again emphasized
2. They grieve because it impacts their trade.
D. But God’s people find its fall a cause of rejoicing - Revelation 18:20
1. The righteous rejoice to see God’s justice - Ps 58:10-11
2. When the wicked perish, there is a shout - Prov 11:10
V. It will fall due to violence - Revelation 18:21-24
A. The casting of a stone in describing Babylon’s fall - Jer. 51:63-64
B. Similar to Isa 13:19-22 describing the abandonment of Babylon (also Jer 50:39-42, Zeph 2:14-15)
C. The impact of its fall
1. No more entertainment (vs 22)
2. No more business (vs 22)
3. No more homes (vs 23)
4. No more joy
D. The only thing which remains is the blood of the saints, which led to its downfall
VI. What can we learn?
A. Even one of God’s angels is more powerful than the mightiest nation on earth
1. No matter how prosperous a nation may be, it is still vulnerable to destruction.
2. A glorious past does not guarantee a bright future
3. It takes only a moment for great riches to vanish and become meaningless – Luke 12:13-21, 16:19-31
B. Sin plus the passage of time does not equal forgiveness. God remembers our iniquities until we wash them away
1. It may not happen immediately, but we will reap what we have sown.
2. Our own worse enemy is our pride and a belief in our continuance.
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