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NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Rev_14:8
8And another angel, a second one, followed, saying, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who has made all the nations drink of the wine of the passion of her immorality."
Rev_14:8 "'Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great" The verb is not only repeated, but occurs first in the Greek sentence, emphasizing these aorist active indicatives. It is very difficult to interpret the book of the Revelation because concepts are expanded at different places (the beast is briefly mentioned in Rev_11:7 but not fully discussed until chapter 13). The full discussion of Babylon's fall is found in Rev_16:19 and Rev_17:1 to Rev_18:24. It stands for Rome (cf. 1Pe_5:13; II Baruch 11:1; 67:7; Sibylline Oracles 5:143, 159, 424), but ultimately it stands for all human societies organized and functioning apart from God (see Special Topic at chapter 13, E). This human self-sufficiency is a direct result of the fall (cf. Genesis 3) and was first expressed in the Tower of Babel (cf. Genesis 10-11). The world empires are becoming more anti-God, which will issue in the ultimate world kingdom of the Antichrist at the end-time (cf. Dan_2:7-8). This may be an allusion to Isa_21:9; Jer_51:8.
▣ "has made all the nations drink of the wine of the passion of her immorality" The allusion is to Jer_51:7-8 (cf. Rev_17:2; Rev_17:4; Rev_18:3). The term "passion" is the Greek term "thumos," which relates to an outburst of emotion (see full note at Rev_7:14; cf. Rev_17:2-3; Rev_18:3). Those who drink Babylon's wine will drink YHWH's wine (cf. Rev_14:9)!