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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadBob Utley You Can Understand the Bible - Revelation 18:1 - 18:3
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NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Rev_18:1-3
1After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illumined with his glory. 2And he cried out with a mighty voice, saying, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird. 3"For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality, and the kings of the earth have committedacts of immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality."
Rev_18:1 "I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illumined with his glory" This was a tremendously powerful angel. The term "authority" (exousia) is not used for any other angel in the book. In Joh_5:27, it is used of God's authority given to Jesus. In Rev_22:16 Jesus says He sent an angel to speak for Him as a representative.
Rev_18:2 "'Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!'" This is one example of the difficulty in interpreting the book of the Revelation. A piece of information is brought in at one point in the vision, partially developed at another point, and fully developed in yet another vision (e.g., cf. Rev_11:8; Rev_14:8; and Rev_16:19-20 or this may be another example of recapitulation between the seven literary units). This is an allusion to Isa_21:9 and/or Jer_51:8.
▣ "She has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird" This is an allusion to the ruins of ancient cities:
1. Babylon (cf. Isa_13:21-22; Isa_14:23; Jer_50:39; Jer_51:37)
2. Edom (cf. Isa_34:10-15)
3. Nineveh (cf. Zep_2:14)
In the OT animals are often said to roam about in ruined cities. This is a symbol of both destruction and the presence of evil spirits (cf. NEB). Many of these birds represented demons.
John's writing is very fluid. This verse describes the city as desolate and indwelt with the demonic, while Rev_19:3 describes it as burnt and smoldering.
Rev_18:3 "all the nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality" This phrase is an allusion to the OT prophecy of the destruction of Babylon (cf. Jer_51:7). Jeremiah specifically uses drunkenness (i.e., "a golden cup") as a symbol of lust for wealth.
▣ "passion" This is literally "anger" (thumos). See full note at Rev_7:14.
▣ "the merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality" This is an allusion to the major problem of fallen mankind embodied in the self-centeredness and materialism of an end-time, anti-God world system. There are three groups of humans who mourn the fall of the great whore:
1. businessmen (cf. Rev_18:3; Rev_18:11-16)
2. kings of the earth (cf. Rev_18:3; Rev_18:9-10)
3. merchant sailors (cf. Rev_18:3; Rev_18:17-19)
These three represent worldwide human economic systems.