Revelation 18:11-24 Lesson 493

Revelation 18:11-24
Lesson 493

Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

In this lesson:

Lessons 491 and 492 continue.

The fall of Babylon.
Mourning (18:11-19).

The way to salvation:

First, acknowledge that we are sinners and the penalty for sin is spiritual death.
Second, repent and trust in Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for our sins.
Lastly, pray and make Jesus a part of your life.

Salvation comes through the Son of God.

The Revelation of Saint John the Divine

The King James Bible

Revelation 18:11-24
Weeping and mourning

11 And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:

12 The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble,

13 And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.

14 And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all.

15 The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,

16 And saying, Alas, alas that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls!

17 For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,

18 And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city!

19 And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.

20 Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.

21 And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.

22 And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee;

23 And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.

24 And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.

Margin notes:

"Thyine wood." (18:12) - An expensive sweet-scented wood.

"All manner vessels of ivory." (18:12) - "All types of things made of ivory."

"Odours." (18:13) - "Incense."

"Frankincense." (18:13) - "Perfume" (Song of Solomon 3:6).

"Beasts." (18:13) - "Cattle."

"The fruits that thy soul lusted after." (18:14) - "The wonderful things you lusted for."

"And they cast dust on their heads." (19:19) - Throwing dust on oneself was a sign of deep mourning.

"The voice of harpers." (18:22) - "The sound of harpists."

"The sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee." (18:22) - A millstone was a large stone used to grind grain. This verse implies that Babylon will never again enjoy a bountiful existence.

"In her was found the blood of prophets." (18:24) - As first mentioned in Revelation 17:6.

The weeping over Babylon's fall by those who profited from her decadence is similar to Ezekiel's description of Tyrus' fall seven hundred years earlier (Ezekiel 27:1-36). That could be a foreshadowing.

New Living Translation

Revelation 18:11-24

11 The merchants of the world will weep and mourn for her, for there is no one left to buy their goods.

12 She bought great quantities of gold, silver, jewels, and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk, and scarlet cloth; things made of fragrant thyine wood, ivory goods, and objects made of expensive wood; and bronze, iron, and marble.

13 She also bought cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, olive oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle, sheep, horses, chariots, and bodies-that is, human slaves.

14 "The fancy things you loved so much
      are gone," they cry.
   "All your luxuries and splendor
      are gone forever,
      never to be yours again."

15 The merchants who became wealthy by selling her these things will stand at a distance, terrified by her great torment. They will weep and cry out,

16 "How terrible, how terrible for that great city!
      She was clothed in finest purple and scarlet linens,
      decked out with gold and precious stones and pearls!

17 In a single moment
      all the wealth of the city is gone!"

And all the captains of the merchant ships and their passengers and sailors and crews will stand at a distance.

18 They will cry out as they watch the smoke ascend, and they will say, "Where is there another city as great as this?"

19 And they will weep and throw dust on their heads to show their grief. And they will cry out,

  "How terrible, how terrible for that great city!
      The shipowners became wealthy
      by transporting her great wealth on the seas.
   In a single moment it is all gone."

20 Rejoice over her fate, O heaven
      and people of God and apostles and prophets!
   For at last God has judged her
      for your sakes.

21 Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a huge millstone. He threw it into the ocean and shouted,

  "Just like this, the great city Babylon
      will be thrown down with violence
      and will never be found again.

22 The sound of harps, singers, flutes, and trumpets
      will never be heard in you again.
   No craftsmen and no trades
      will ever be found in you again.
   The sound of the mill
      will never be heard in you again.

23 The light of a lamp
      will never shine in you again.
   The happy voices of brides and grooms
      will never be heard in you again.
   For your merchants were the greatest in the world,
      and you deceived the nations with your sorceries.

24 In your streets flowed the blood of the prophets and of God's holy people
      and the blood of people slaughtered all over the world."

This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word-for-word translation of the Bible. However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."

Today's question:

1. What does "in one hour so great riches is come to nought" mean (18:17).

To protect yourself from sin, put the word of God in your heart (Psalm 119:11).

Answer: (Do you agree?)

1. At one moment everything will be fine in Babylon, but within an hour, God will utterly destroy her. The wealth, material goods, influence, power, and prestige will be gone in sixty minutes. Because of her sins, Babylon will go from world power to nothing in an hour. Her destruction at the hand of God will be unexpected, total, and final. Babylon will never rise again (18:21-23).

Application thought for the day:

What warning does Babylon's fate offer mankind today?
How should it affect the way you live?

Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; the "Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies;" "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Everyday Bible" published by World Wide Publications, Minneapolis, Minnesota; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house, Wheaten, Illinois; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House, Wheaten, Illinois; "The New Testament" translated from the Latin Vulgate, published by Guild Press, New York, New York; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course, the "King James Bible." All were critical in putting these lessons together.
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