Revelation 18:9–19

18:9 The kings of the earth weep and wail when they see the judgment of Babylon, for they were, so to speak, in bed with her. They committed sexual immorality with her, but as we saw in 18:3, literal sexual sin is not in view here. Sexual immorality stands for the anti-god lifestyle of Babylon and the kings. The kings and Babylon got along swimmingly because together they tried to dethrone God; they pledged allegiance to the state and its emperor. In doing so they padded their bank accounts, got rich, and lived in luxury. But the days of luxury are over; Babylon has been thrown down. The judgment of Babylon that John describes harks back to the judgment of the great city of Tyre, which was famous for its seafaring ways, transporting wares all over the ancient world:

Then all the princes of the sea will step down from their thrones and remove their robes and strip off their embroidered garments. They will clothe themselves with trembling; they will sit on the ground and tremble every moment and be appalled at you. And they will raise a lamentation over you and say to you,

“ How you have perished,

you who were inhabited from the seas,

O city renowned,

who was mighty on the sea;

she and her inhabitants imposed their terror

on all her inhabitants!” (Ezek. 26:16–17; cf. Jer. 50:46).

The desolation of Tyre in history prefigures the upending of the city of man—the great harlot.

18:10 Seeing the rising smoke of Babylon’s judgment fills the kings with fear and foreboding. Upon seeing her torment, they do not want to get too near, sensing that the same fate awaits them. They rue and regret what has happened and cry out, “Alas,” for the mighty and great city of man has been destroyed so quickly. The judgment was executed in an hour; what seemed to be invincible vanished before their very eyes.

18:11 The merchants of the earth (cf. Ezek. 27:36) are also plunged into sorrow over the harlot’s demise. Their grief, however, is self-referential, for they do not truly care about Babylon. What troubles the merchants is the loss of buyers for their wares and goods. The wicked grieve only over themselves.

18:12–13 John specifies the goods marketed by the merchants, including gold, silver, and precious jewels and pearls. The finest and most expensive clothing was also for sale, including purple, silk, and scarlet. Various products of ivory, expensive and attractive woods, bronze, marble, and iron were also sold, as well as other delightful products such as cinnamon, spices, incense, frankincense, wine, wheat, cattle, sheep, and horses. There is nothing wrong with trade, and such products make human life more enjoyable and tolerable. John is not condemning trade and production per se. But there was something radically wrong with the trade that was practiced, for they also marketed human beings. Human beings were sold as slaves, demonstrating that profit had become a god, displacing any moral considerations.

18:14 The pleasures the merchants delighted in, the raison d’etre of their existence, were no longer to be had. They enjoyed the exquisite beauty, fine craftsmanship, and artistry of the beautiful things they bought and sold. But this is all now a thing of the past. The day of the harlot’s judgment has come, and now they can only think nostalgically about a past that will never come again.

18:15 Like the kings (vv. 9–10), the merchants wail and weep over Babylon’s downfall. They do not want to get too close, being anxious lest the judgment on Babylon come to their door as well. And yet they know Babylon’s fate is inextricably tied to their own, for their wealth came from the harlot. Without her it will not be renewed.

18:16–17a The merchants cry out in anguish as they see the judgment meted out on the city formerly decked with beauty. It was a seductive harlot, wearing stunning clothing and beautiful gold, jewels, and pearls. Yet now it has been unmasked by the judgment of God as a wicked witch, a notorious prostitute, a woman without honor. Her reign of beauty and glory has collapsed in a moment, and the true nature of the harlot has been revealed.

18:17b–19 The lament is now voiced by sea captains, sailors, and all those who work in and profit from the maritime industry. They too rue what has happened to Babylon, and yet they stand far away so as to avoid the same fate. John again picks up the judgment of Tyre and the lament of sailors over the destruction of the city that enriched so many. A longer citation from Ezekiel’s lamentation over Tyre seems fitting. Here Ezekiel records the response of those who worked the sea, upon hearing of Tyre’s downfall:

They cast dust on their heads

and wallow in ashes;

they make themselves bald for you

and put sackcloth on their waist,

and they weep over you in bitterness of soul,

with bitter mourning.

In their wailing they raise a lamentation for you

and lament over you:

“Who is like Tyre,

like one destroyed in the midst of the sea?

When your wares came from the seas,

you satisfied many peoples;

with your abundant wealth and merchandise

you enriched the kings of the earth.

Now you are wrecked by the seas,

in the depths of the waters;

your merchandise and all your crew in your midst

have sunk with you.” (Ezek. 27:30b–34)

John combines in his vision the judgments of Babylon and Tyre, both of which forecast the eschatological judgment of the city of man. In seeing the destruction of the harlot, the uniqueness of the city pierces the hearts of seafarers, who exclaim that no other city is comparable to the city being destroyed. Actually, there is a greater city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from heaven, but those who love Babylon fail to see that more excellent city. Those who work the sea have fallen in love with the harlot, and their lives are entwined with hers. Hence the judgment of the harlot spells the doom of their own economic enterprises, and the desolation of the harlot means their livelihood has come to an end (cf. Isa. 34:10; Ezek. 26:19).