New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
Revelation 18
1
After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority. His glory filled the earth with light.
Reference
Glory
Ezekiel 43:2
Revelation 21:23
Light
Luke 17:24
Parallel theme
Revelation 17:1
Revelation 10:1
2 Thessalonians 2:8
2
With a mighty voice he shouted, "Fallen! Babylon the Great has fallen! She has become a place where demons live. She has become a den for every evil spirit. She has become a nest for every 'unclean' and hated bird.
Reference
Parallel theme
Revelation 17:18
Isaiah 14:23
References Babylon
Revelation 14:8
Jeremiah 51:37
Jeremiah 51:8
Revelation 18:21
Revelation 17:5
Revelation 16:19
Revelation 18:10
3
All the nations have drunk the strong wine of her terrible sins. The kings of the earth took part in her evil ways. The traders of the world grew rich from her great wealth."
Reference
Judgment
Revelation 14:8
Kingdom
Revelation 17:2
Revelation 18:9
Parallel theme
Revelation 18:23
Jeremiah 51:7
4
Then I heard another voice from heaven. It said, "Come out of her, my people. Then you will not take part in her sins. You will not suffer from any of her plagues.
Reference
6
Do to her as she has done to others. Pay her back double for what she has done. Mix her a double dose of what she has mixed for others.
Reference
7
Give her as much pain and suffering as the glory and wealth she gave herself. She brags to herself, 'I rule like a queen. I am not a widow. I will never be sad.'
Reference
8
But she will be plagued by death, sadness and hunger. In a single day they will all catch up with her. She will be burned up by fire. The Lord God who judges her is mighty.
Reference
Parallel theme
Revelation 17:16
Revelation 18:19
Revelation 19:3
Revelation 18:17
Revelation 17:18
References God
Jeremiah 50:31
References Lord
Jeremiah 50:34
Jeremiah 51:6
Jeremiah 51:58
1 Corinthians 10:22
9
"The kings of the earth who committed terrible sins with her will sob. They will be sad because they used to share her riches. They will see the smoke rising as she burns.
Reference
10
They will be terrified by her suffering. Standing far away, they will exclaim, " 'How terrible! How terrible it is for you, great city! How terrible for you, Babylon, city of power! In just one hour you have been destroyed!'
Reference
Judgment
Revelation 18:8
Revelation 14:8
Parallel theme
Revelation 18:19
Amos 5:16
Joel 1:15
Revelation 17:12
Jeremiah 30:7
Numbers 16:34
References Babylon
Isaiah 21:9
11
"The traders of the world will cry and be sad over her. No one buys what they sell anymore.
Reference
12
Here is what they had for sale. Gold, silver, jewels, pearls. Fine linen, purple, silk, bright red cloth. Every kind of expensive wood. All sorts of articles made out of ivory, valuable wood, bronze, iron and marble.
Reference
Parallel theme
Revelation 17:4
13
Cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense. Wine, olive oil, fine flour, wheat. Cattle, sheep, horses, carriages, human slaves.
Reference
14
"The merchants will say, 'The pleasure you longed for has left you. All your riches and glory have disappeared forever.'
Reference
15
The traders who sold these things and became rich because of her will stand far away. Her suffering will terrify them. They will cry and be sad.
Reference
16
They will cry out, " 'How terrible! How terrible it is for you, great city, dressed in fine linen, purple and bright red! How terrible for you, great city, gleaming with gold, jewels and pearls!
Reference
17
In just one hour your great wealth has been destroyed!' "Every sea captain and all who travel by ship will stand far away. So will the sailors and all who earn their living from the sea.
Reference
18
They will see the smoke rising as Babylon burns. They will ask, 'Was there ever a city like this great city?'
Reference
Parallel theme
Revelation 13:4
19
They will throw dust on their heads. They will cry and be sad. They will cry out, " 'How terrible! How terrible it is for you, great city! All who had ships on the sea became rich because of her wealth! In just one hour she has been destroyed!
Reference
20
Heaven, be glad for this! God's people, be glad! Apostles and prophets, be glad! God has judged her for the way she treated you.' "
Reference
Holy
Revelation 6:10
2 Peter 3:2
Parallel theme
Revelation 12:12
Isaiah 26:21
Isaiah 49:13
Psalm 58:10
Proverbs 11:10
Prophecy
Ephesians 4:11
Ephesians 2:20
References God
Psalm 94:1
21
Then a mighty angel picked up a huge rock. It was the size of a large millstone. He threw it into the sea. Then he said, "That is how the great city of Babylon will be thrown down. Never again will it be found.
Reference
22
The songs of musicians will never be heard in you again. Gone will be the music of harp, flute and trumpet. No worker of any kind will ever be found in you again. The sound of a millstone will never be heard in you again.
Reference
23
The light of a lamp will never shine in you again. The voices of brides and grooms will never be heard in you again. Your traders were among the world's most important people. By your magic spell all the nations were led down the wrong path.
Reference
24
You were guilty of the murder of prophets and God's people. You were guilty of the blood of all who have been killed on the earth."
Reference
Blood
Revelation 19:2
Holy
Revelation 17:6
Revelation 16:6
Daniel 7:21
Parallel theme
Jeremiah 51:49
Revelation 11:7
Matthew 23:27
Prophecy
Acts 7:52
Chapter Summary
Revelation 18 describes the complete and irreversible destruction of Babylon, portraying a wealthy and influential worldly system whose political power, luxury, international commerce, and corruption have affected nations across the earth, while God's people are commanded to separate themselves from her sins and heaven rejoices when her oppression, deception, violence, and economic domination finally come to an end.
The chapter begins with a powerful angel descending from heaven.
The angel's authority and glory illuminate the earth as he announces that Babylon the Great has fallen.
The city that appeared powerful and prosperous has become a dwelling place for demons and unclean spirits.
Babylon's influence has reached kings, nations, merchants, and ordinary people.
Her wealth has created enormous commercial prosperity, but that prosperity is deeply connected with corruption.
A voice from heaven therefore gives God's people an important command:
“Come out of her, my people.”
The command means that God's people must not participate in Babylon's sins or become spiritually attached to her corrupt values.
Babylon's sins have accumulated to heaven.
God remembers her actions and prepares to judge her according to what she has done.
The chapter particularly emphasizes Babylon's pride and luxury.
She has glorified herself and believed that she was secure.
She considers herself powerful enough to avoid suffering.
Yet her judgment arrives suddenly.
Plagues, death, mourning, famine, and fire come upon her, demonstrating that enormous wealth cannot provide permanent security against God's judgment.
The political leaders who benefited from Babylon's influence stand at a distance and mourn when they see her destruction.
The merchants mourn even more intensely because their enormous commercial system collapses with her.
John provides a long list of luxury goods that Babylon traded, including precious metals, jewels, expensive clothing, spices, food, livestock, transportation, and even enslaved people.
This detailed list demonstrates how wealth and human exploitation can become interconnected within a corrupt economic system.
The merchants are not primarily mourning Babylon's moral failure.
They are mourning because they have lost their source of wealth.
The sailors and people involved in maritime commerce also mourn because Babylon's prosperity had enriched them.
The repeated phrase “in one hour” emphasizes the suddenness of the collapse.
A system that seemed incredibly stable disappears with extraordinary speed.
The chapter then gives a completely different perspective.
While the kings, merchants, and sailors mourn, heaven is commanded to rejoice.
God's people, apostles, and prophets are told to rejoice because Babylon's judgment represents God's response to the suffering she inflicted upon them.
A powerful angel then throws a massive stone like a millstone into the sea.
This action symbolizes the permanent disappearance of Babylon.
The city will never again be found.
Its music will disappear.
Its craftsmen will disappear.
Its commercial activity will disappear.
Its lights will disappear.
Its weddings and celebrations will disappear.
The vibrant city that once appeared unstoppable becomes completely silent.
The final reason for Babylon's judgment is especially serious.
The blood of prophets, saints, and people murdered throughout the earth is found within her.
Her economic and political greatness therefore cannot be separated from the violence and oppression associated with her system.
Revelation 18 declares that Babylon's wealth, political influence, luxury, commerce, deception, and oppression will ultimately collapse under God's judgment, warning God's people to separate themselves from her sins while assuring the faithful that the systems responsible for corruption and persecution will not survive forever, because the worldly power that appears permanent can disappear suddenly when God's righteous judgment finally arrives.
The chapter begins with a powerful angel descending from heaven.
The angel's authority and glory illuminate the earth as he announces that Babylon the Great has fallen.
The city that appeared powerful and prosperous has become a dwelling place for demons and unclean spirits.
Babylon's influence has reached kings, nations, merchants, and ordinary people.
Her wealth has created enormous commercial prosperity, but that prosperity is deeply connected with corruption.
A voice from heaven therefore gives God's people an important command:
“Come out of her, my people.”
The command means that God's people must not participate in Babylon's sins or become spiritually attached to her corrupt values.
Babylon's sins have accumulated to heaven.
God remembers her actions and prepares to judge her according to what she has done.
The chapter particularly emphasizes Babylon's pride and luxury.
She has glorified herself and believed that she was secure.
She considers herself powerful enough to avoid suffering.
Yet her judgment arrives suddenly.
Plagues, death, mourning, famine, and fire come upon her, demonstrating that enormous wealth cannot provide permanent security against God's judgment.
The political leaders who benefited from Babylon's influence stand at a distance and mourn when they see her destruction.
The merchants mourn even more intensely because their enormous commercial system collapses with her.
John provides a long list of luxury goods that Babylon traded, including precious metals, jewels, expensive clothing, spices, food, livestock, transportation, and even enslaved people.
This detailed list demonstrates how wealth and human exploitation can become interconnected within a corrupt economic system.
The merchants are not primarily mourning Babylon's moral failure.
They are mourning because they have lost their source of wealth.
The sailors and people involved in maritime commerce also mourn because Babylon's prosperity had enriched them.
The repeated phrase “in one hour” emphasizes the suddenness of the collapse.
A system that seemed incredibly stable disappears with extraordinary speed.
The chapter then gives a completely different perspective.
While the kings, merchants, and sailors mourn, heaven is commanded to rejoice.
God's people, apostles, and prophets are told to rejoice because Babylon's judgment represents God's response to the suffering she inflicted upon them.
A powerful angel then throws a massive stone like a millstone into the sea.
This action symbolizes the permanent disappearance of Babylon.
The city will never again be found.
Its music will disappear.
Its craftsmen will disappear.
Its commercial activity will disappear.
Its lights will disappear.
Its weddings and celebrations will disappear.
The vibrant city that once appeared unstoppable becomes completely silent.
The final reason for Babylon's judgment is especially serious.
The blood of prophets, saints, and people murdered throughout the earth is found within her.
Her economic and political greatness therefore cannot be separated from the violence and oppression associated with her system.
Revelation 18 declares that Babylon's wealth, political influence, luxury, commerce, deception, and oppression will ultimately collapse under God's judgment, warning God's people to separate themselves from her sins while assuring the faithful that the systems responsible for corruption and persecution will not survive forever, because the worldly power that appears permanent can disappear suddenly when God's righteous judgment finally arrives.