Revelation 18:1-24The Fall of the Beast
American Journal of Biblical Theology
Copyright © 2008, J.W. Carter Scripture quotes from KJV
Revelation 18:1-24American Journal of Biblical Theology
Chapter 18 continues the drama first presented in Chapter 17 that itself is a continuation of the bowl judgments of Chapters 15 and 16. Chapter 17 first, through the metaphors of the prostitute and the beast, provides readers with a vivid description of the depths of sin into which this world is immersed, a sin that is characterized by an idolatry that is promoted by all world religions and governments, by the authority of those in power, placed their through the sin that is in the hearts of the people they govern. All of this worldly godlessness that so vexes and persecutes the faithful stands upon a single source: satan, himself. As the early church struggled to come to terms with the godless authorities around them, John provides words of encouragement, clearly showing that these influences that surround the church are not of God, but of satan, assuring them of the truth of the gospel and the faith and obedience they demonstrate as they resist evil.
Chapter 17 leaves us with a vision of an exposed and ugly satan who is revealed for the blasphemous and hateful being that he truly is, first having deceived the world into seeing him as attractive and desirable, but now fully known for his powerlessness and evil. John does not leave us with an empowered and evil satan who will continue to reign as one who is unstoppable or unhindered as it would seem to appear to many of the faithful of this world. John continually reminds his readers that the faithful are securely residing around God’s throne as God deals with the judgment of satan. In Chapter 18, John reveals satan’s utter defeat as he falls powerless before the glory of God, a defeat that is witnessed by those who followed him. The influence that satan has had to draw people away from God will come to an end when his exposition to all results in hatred turning upon hatred, the fall of his dominion, and his final destruction.
After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor.
An angel is a representative of a message from God. The character of the angel is always consistent with the character of the message he brings, and this angel is described with a dual character. First, this angel has great authority. The message that the angel is about to bring is characterized by great authority and power. When this authority comes from the throne of God’s grace, it is carrying the very authority of God, Himself. This is a message that is inviolable and unchallengeable. This is a message against which no other authority can stand, particularly those who have followed the beast.
The second characteristic of this angel is a splendor that is so great that it illuminates the entire earth. Though this earth seems to be saturated with the darkness of evil, this message, this Word of God, shines brightly on every surface and every dark corner as it exposes all of the sin that satan has so long worked to hide.
We see a wonderful contrast between the dark imagery of Chapter 17 and that of Chapter 18. This Chapter begins like a new dawn, a bright rising sun that overpowers and vanquishes what was once a dark and fearful night. Chapter 17 reveals the true intent and evil of satan and the darkness that he brings to all who give him their power. However, like a rising sun, a new light flows unimpeded over the scene, a light that is the very character and splendor of God and His glory, a light that chases away the darkness and brings the hope and the promise of a new day.
What is this message that is so seminal to John’s presentation? What is a message that is of such importance and power that it creates such a dramatic change to the imagery of Chapter 17, taking it from darkness to light?
With a mighty voice he shouted: "Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!
This, one of the great messages of the Revelation of John, is simple and yet profound: the power of sin has fallen from its position of supposed authority and is completely defeated. Note that this is not a prophesy that satan’s power will someday fall: it is a proclamation that it has already fallen. First-century Christians, and probably many still today, have suffered disillusionment over the seemingly unstoppable power of sin to destroy all that is good and godly on this earth. Christians still suffer martyrdom and persecution. The tenets of godliness are still despised by the world. However, John clearly states that this dominion over the world by the sin of idolatry, empowered and emboldened by satan, is not eternal. Satan has been utterly defeated and has fallen from his self-appointed position.
Satan’s fall is three-fold. Satan first fell when he first worked in the heart of God’s created people to turn them away from God. Following the temptation in the Genesis garden of Eden, satan’s additional coming two-fold doom is prophesied (Genesis 3:14-15).
Satan then suffered a mortal blow at the Cross of Calvary when Jesus rose to defeat the power of sin to condemn those who put their faith in God. When Jesus rose from the tomb, satan lost all of his power to defeat and destroy the people of faith, whether they found their faith in God before or after the resurrection of Jesus Christ. (Heb. 11). This left satan to continue his diabolical efforts to deceive people into following after sin rather than turn to God in faith. During this age of grace, satan still works to discourage the heart of the faithful and to destroy the soul of the lost.
Finally, there is a third and utter defeat that satan has suffered: God, through the truth of His word, has exposed satan for the liar, deceiver, and hateful one that he is and has stripped him of his influence over both those of faith, and those others whom he has deceived. This third and final fall is spoken in the past-tense of prophetic certainty, bringing satan to his ultimate defeat.
She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird.
Though satan was defeated at Calvary, he still continued (and today continues) to exert his dominion over all who do not turn to God in faith. The character of that lost community that is within his domain is now exposed for what it really is. This community of those who separate themselves from God is not the wonderful place that may appear to the world today. It is the home for demons and evil spirits. Early Christians, as well as those today, were not ignorant concerning demons. They blamed every bad thing that happens on evil spirits and spirits of sin. Those who are making their home apart from God are making their home with those very demons and evil spirits that they so greatly fear. The word, “haunt” refers to a nesting place from which to operate a campaign. It is like a watchtower that looks over the domain of its host, giving view to all that takes place. The haunt gives every evil spirit the vantage point from which to respond at will. This domain of demons is likened to that of the aerie of birds that live on the carcasses of the dead; vultures that hover over those that are dying, waiting to spring upon the dead at their earliest opportunity.
Though godlessness seems lovely and attractive to those who seek it, when it is illuminated by the truth of God’s word, we see a quite darker vision, one that no rational person would desire.
For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries."
John has been making it vividly clear that the governments, the religions, and the peoples of this world have followed the deception of the false gods of idolatry. They have become intoxicated by the power of sin. Sin is like a toxin that maddens one’s understanding as it sickens and destroys the one it influences. One who is drunk and mad is no longer rational, and can no longer differentiate the truth from a lie. John calls upon the early church to look upon the kings of the world and to look upon the merchants who seem to be so prospering while the faithful find only persecution. John reminds us that those have chosen to disregard god, and by so doing have become intoxicated by this power of sin. They may be growing rich from their excessive luxuries, but theirs is a precarious wealth: one that is instantly lost when the beast falls. What they have gained, they have gained as a product of their adultery, rejecting the love of the God who created them and calls them away from the self-exploiting and sensual temporal rewards of this world. What the pagan rich and powerful have gained will be ultimately lost when they suffer the same doom as the dark lord they ignorantly follow.
Despite all of the seeming rewards that this adultery brings to those who choose to reject God’s offer of grace, the beast has fallen. The rewards that this world seemingly promise is a sham. As this world continues to entice the faithful to compromise their integrity, any true reward for such disobedience simply does not exist.
Then I heard another voice from heaven say: "Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues;
John repeats the prophetic call of Jeremiah 50:1-6 that calls upon people to come out of Babylon, to turn away from their bent to idolatry and come to God. Who are “My people”? God created all people, and it is God’s will and purpose that all people would be saved. (Isaiah 45:22; 1 Tim. 2:4). God has ordained a doom upon all who maintain a heart that his hardened against Him. However, God calls out to all people, inviting them into His presence. God’s call to repentance was first announced to all following the fall of man in the Genesis garden. God’s call to repentance continued as He revealed Himself to mankind, first through the patriarchs and then through the prophets, and then fully through His Son. God continues His call to repentance even through the end of the age, giving an opportunity for salvation even to those who stand at the precipice of destruction.
Some may argue that this call to repentance, given to “My people” at this point in the Revelation narrative is ineffectual, since all of the saved are safely embraced by the LORD around the throne while God is judging the community of the followers of the Beast. However, we might be reminded that these words are read and studied by all who will, from the point of John’s penning the words until the end of the age when God’s Word will be fully realized. These words remind us that God is calling His people out of a dark and sinful world with the promise that by coming to Him they will not share in the doom that awaits those who reject Him. This was true for the Old Testament patriarchs, for the first-century church, is true today, and will be true even during the final days. God’s love for His people and His desire for their salvation never changes, and His call to repentance will not end until this age of grace is finally ended with the fall of the beast.
It is encouraging to know that the opportunity for salvation is extended to all people, at all times. One can turn to God in saving faith from their first point of understanding until the final breath of life. Consequently, there is no living person who is beyond the reach of God’s saving purpose, nor will there ever be. God is calling every person to come out of this evil world and turn to Him in faith. Throughout all of the experiences of mankind, even through the suffering of the plagues of the final days, God’s call to salvation continues.
for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes.
Though the consequences of the sins of mankind may seem to impact only this world and its people, those sins also reach up to the heights of heaven to the sovereign God. The writer of Genesis records how the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah reached up to heaven (Gen 18:20) the LORD who will judge them for their iniquities.
What is the eternal state of unrepented and unforgiven sin? People often act like the setting of the sun and the start of a new day erases the responsibilities of the past. Is a forgotten sin a forgiven sin? Public opinion is shaped by the most recent event and is quick to forget past sins. However, as one observes the sin that so characterizes this lost world, every crime is remembered vividly by the LORD who is both creator and judge. Those who choose a lifestyle of godlessness will find that every ungodly, selfish, and prideful attitude and action will serve as a testimony against them when the final judgment comes. They will find no advocate with the father when the dark lord they have followed will be powerless to lead them any longer.
Give back to her as she has given; pay her back double for what she has done. Mix her a double portion from her own cup.
The message of the angel proclaims a judgment upon sin that is appropriate for the crime. Again, “she” is Babylon the Great (Chapter 17), the source of evil from which all sin is spawned. She is the very character and personification of sin and evil that so permeates the world. When she falls she and those who have followed her will reap the judgment of their iniquity.
First, God promises to pay sin back for what it has given. People of faith spend their days harvesting the fruit of the Spirit, laying up for themselves treasures that they carry into eternity. They will find a return in the inexpressible peace, love, joy, and godly fellowship of the heavenly throne. However, sin builds up no such reward, giving no such service to the LORD, instead building up a pile of sin that reaches heaven’s throne like that of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Second, sin finds judgment in the works of evil that accumulate over a lifetime. The evil attitudes and actions that are expressed under sin’s domain will not be forgotten, but will find recompense in a manner that is consistent with the sin itself.
Finally, the judgment for sin comes out of the character of the sin itself. As good and godly works lay up treasures that are consistent with those works, evil and ungodly works lay up for themselves a manner of judgment that is consistent with those works. The lost individual will not be judged for someone else’s works, but for theirs alone. The lost individual will not be able to attribute their sin to someone else, but will be held responsible for the full measure of their own sin.
Give her as much torture and grief as the glory and luxury she gave herself. In her heart she boasts, 'I sit as queen; I am not a widow, and I will never mourn.'
What is the recompense for sin? When we witness the lavish, sensuous, and consumptive lifestyles of those who shake their fist at a Holy God, it is easy to wonder how the wicked can seem to be so rewarded by their lifestyles. They seem to hold high honor and respect by the public and by their peers. The rich and famous are worshiped as idols by their peers and by those who are not so “blessed.”
Note at this glory and luxury that the empowered wicked hold is self-appointed. Sin spawns sin, and those who are immersed in its power feed on each other. The power and esteem that these seem to exude is not from God, and those who place their faith in God have no grounds for affording them that glory. The luxury that they have received is shallow and temporal, for their reward comes only from people, not from the LORD. In this, they have received all of the reward they will ever know. Jesus spoke of this sin in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 6:1-16) when He revealed the hypocrisy of those who made a show of their glorified and luxurious position by their prayers, their giving, and their fasting. Jesus stated that they have received their reward already: a reward of the praise of ignorant men, but also of their rejection at the throne of God.
Likewise, John demonstrates the hypocrisy of the wicked in three similar areas as sin is characterized by her boasting. Sin boasts that she sits “as queen,” one who in her self-sufficiency has all of the power and authority over herself and her subjects with no need for God. As she boasts that authority and power, she finds her adherents in those who ignorantly bow to her authority. However, that shallow and earthly glory she receives is the extent of her reward.
Sin claims that she is “not a widow.” She fully denies her true state of destitution. Those who are immersed in the idolatry of sin fully deny their state. Their spiritual eyes have been blinded by the scales of idolatry.
That same blindness causes those who are immersed in their sin to deny their own state of suffering. They will define their own self-appointed luxury and do whatever it takes to maintain it.
One may be able to see a parallel between the three sins of the hypocrites of Jesus’ sermon and the character of Babylon the Great as described in these verses of the Revelation. Jesus exposed the hypocrite’s false prayers, false giving, and false fasting (which the hypocrites exercised in mourning.) The one who sits as queen is in no need of prayers because of her self-sufficiency, she is not characterized by her generosity as she protects against her destitution, and she boasts that she will never be burdened by fasting (mourning).
Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her: death, mourning and famine. She will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.
The proclamation by the angelic message is that the ultimate reward for Babylon the Great will be a torture and grief that is commensurate with her sin. When faced with the coming judgment all of her earthly glory and luxury will be replaced by the consequence of her sin: the stripping of that glory and luxury, replacing it with its opposites: torture and grief. This judgment will come suddenly, in “one day,” the day of judgment. The plagues will overtake her. It is as if those who follow a lifestyle of sin are engaged in a footrace against the plagues that chase them, and the arrogance of their temporary lead in the race will be replaced by astonishment when they are so violently overtaken. The three plagues that are mentioned here are the suited recompense for the three sins that so characterize her nature.
John was writing to a church that lacked today’s 2000-year history of New-Testament experience. Faced with the persecution that they experienced at the hands of this wicked world, the church needed encouragement. They needed to know that their obedience to the LORD would bring the reward of their eternal security around the throne while their persecutors would face this judgment for their sin. God is making a promise to those early Christians that He will bring vindication for their continued faith and obedience, a vindication that includes the appropriate judgment for the wicked who now seem to so prosper.
"When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn over her. 10Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off and cry: "'Woe! Woe, O great city, O Babylon, city of power! In one hour your doom has come!'
The fall of the Beast will bring about tremendous chaos upon the earth when its warring and turmoil topple governments and economic infrastructure. John referred to this in the prophesied release of the Black Horse, revealed in the third seal of Revelation 6. It is evident that Babylon, the mother of all sin, will be utterly destroyed. The kings stand at a distance, the merchants have lost their trade. Rather than glorify God or even fear him, they give no notice for the reason for this calamity, but rather mourn their loss. Their response is cowardly (they stand afar off) and selfish (they mourn their own loss). No mention is made for the vast multitude of people who would have to have died in this disaster. With the world in such chaos, the response of the merchants is predictable.
"The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes any more-- 12 cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble; 13 cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and bodies and souls of men. 14 "They will say, 'The fruit you longed for is gone from you. All your riches and splendor have vanished, never to be recovered.' 15 The merchants who sold these things and gained their wealth from her will stand far off, terrified at her torment. They will weep and mourn 16 and cry out: "'Woe! Woe, O great city, dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet, and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls! 17 In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin!' "Every sea captain, and all who travel by ship, the sailors, and all who earn their living from the sea, will stand far off. 18 When they see the smoke of her burning, they will exclaim, 'Was there ever a city like this great city?' 19 They will throw dust on their heads, and with weeping and mourning cry out: "'Woe! Woe, O great city, where all who had ships on the sea became rich through her wealth! In one hour she has been brought to ruin!
God made a promise of protection to Abraham and to the nation he fathered. The promise was simple: if you will turn to me in faith and trust, I will provide a place for you and I will protect you (Genesis 17). Even in this present age of grace, including the period in which John wrote, God’s hand of protection is powerful among those who trust Him. The release of the Black Horse of Revelation 6:5 is a metaphor for the state of the world that will exist when that hand of protection is removed. God does not need to take any active role in creating the chaos that will follow. As the prophesy has just stated, the reward that the wicked world will receive will come at its own hands, a reward that is commensurate with its own sin.
John is still referring to the vindication of the saints for their faithfulness and the judgment of the wicked who seem to prosper so. John describes the astonishment of the wicked when they witness the destruction of their world. By standing afar off, their influence in the events of the world is nullified, quiet the opposite of the current state of their luxury and glory.
Rejoice over her, O heaven! Rejoice, saints and apostles and prophets! God has judged her for the way she treated you.'"
The response of the faithful to the destruction of the beast is quite different from that of the people of the world. The beast has been the virulent and diabolical opponent of the faithful, of the church that God had ordained. Now, the saints, apostles, and prophets are witnessing the end of the beast’s power. Such an event should not bring mourning like that of the world that so loves the beast, but should bring praise and rejoicing because the beast is finally and eternally defeated.
John also makes this command for rejoicing quite personal. He has known of the martyrdom of the prophets, as well as the crucifixion of Jesus. He has witnessed the persecution and martyrdom of many of the faithful, the saints. In his only reference to the apostles in the Revelation, he also points to their suffering and martyrdom, events that he has witnessed in these few years of the formation of the early church.
Who persecuted and martyred the saints, apostles, and prophets? Babylon is famous for its martyrdom of the patriarchs. Jerusalem is famous for the martyrdom of the prophets. Rome and Jerusalem are both famous for the martyrdom of the apostles and saints. These are frequently referred to by the prophets as “prostitute cities,” consistent with the prostitute metaphor that John uses to characterize sin, the great prostitute city, Babylon the Great. Consequently, John does not place the blame for the martyrdom on any one city, or any collection of cities. John does not place the blame of the martyrdoms on any one people or any collection of peoples. John places the full responsibility for the persecution and martyrdom that has been experienced by the faithful on one single entity, identified by “she” in this verse, “she” being Babylon the Great, sin, the great harlot, the incarnation of satan himself. John calls upon the saints to rejoice over the defeat of Babylon the Great, a defeat of satan himself.
Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone and threw it into the sea, and said: "With such violence the great city of Babylon will be thrown down, never to be found again.
John then describes yet another angel, another message from the LORD, and again this message is one of great importance, an importance indicated by the “mighty” angelic form. When we observe the illustration of the millstone, John takes us back to Jesus’ judgment upon those who would draw others away from faith, a judgment recorded in Matt. 18:6, Mark 9:42, and Luke 17:2. It might be interesting to note that Jesus’ statement about placing a millstone weighing thousands of pounds around the neck of the antagonist and his being thrown into the midst of the sea is written in the three synoptic gospels, but is absent from the gospel of John. However, John does include it here in this apocalyptic presentation of the gospel, and he does so with great presence and finality.
The context of Jesus’ teaching was that by the use of the millstone, the influence of the antagonist to the gospel would be fully, finally, and completely removed from the scene. In the same way John communicates that the influence of satan will be fully, finally, and completely removed from God’s kingdom which includes the universe that He created.
One can envision the chaos that ensues upon the thrust of a great boulder into the sea. Upon entering the surface of the waters its plunge produces a great splash with a center that rises high into the sky and a wave that emanates out from the point of immersion. But then the column of water that was splashed up comes crashing down, the waves settle, and the sea becomes calm, never again to be influenced by the power of the boulder.
The destruction of the beast will be so characterized. His destruction is initially characterized by a period of great chaos, the product of the horses of Revelation 6. However, like the splash of the mighty boulder and the maelstrom of its immersion, though followed by a mighty wave that has the power to destroy one last time, the sea settles to calm as the boulder falls to oblivion, so is the fall of satan.
The music of harpists and musicians, flute players and trumpeters, will never be heard in you again. No workman of any trade will ever be found in you again. The sound of a millstone will never be heard in you again. 23 The light of a lamp will never shine in you again. The voice of bridegroom and bride will never be heard in you again. Your merchants were the world's great men. By your magic spell all the nations were led astray.
Satan has deceived the world. He has built an empire of sin, the great community of the lost, Babylon the Great, through the “magic spell” that he had cast upon humanity. That spell, the power of sin in the hearts of men, brought into that city all of the ungodliness that we witness around the world. Still referring to the prosperous wicked, John describes the music that was so integral to the city of sin will no longer be heard. Since the world is no longer influenced by Babylon, she no longer controls its trade or its labor. Lights no longer shine for the city of sin. She will no longer be the home to the celebrations. Babylon is finally, and utterly, gone.
In her was found the blood of prophets and of the saints, and of all who have been killed on the earth."
Finally, in one concluding statement, John sums up the message of this vision: the responsibility for the persecution and martyrdom that John’s readers have learned of and have witnessed is placed fully upon satan, not upon the people who carried out satan’s plan. This satan who so vexes the church in this age of grace will one day be finally and utterly defeated, and his influence in the kingdom of God will be completely removed.
When we understand the true source of sin, it is easier for us to demonstrate obedience to the LORD’s command to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute (Matt. 5:44). We can forgive the persecutor, and pray for his salvation, knowing that he has simply been duped by the great harlot, a harlot who will one day experience the complete fall from her place of power.