How God is destroying Babylon the Great?

A study of her final outcome in Revelation 18:20-24

By Nab B. April 23, 2023

Spiritual Understanding of Scriptures

“The flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” (John 6:63)

“We speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual...the things of the Spirit of God...are spiritually discerned.” (1 Cor 2:13-14)

Verse By Verse Series©

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Revelation 18:20

“Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you holy apostles and prophets, for God, has avenged you on her!” (NKJV)

The word “avenged” is the Greek Krinó which should be translated as ‘to judge or to decide'. Heaven dwellers (God's elect) could not possibly be rejoicing over some bloody vengeance. They rejoice because the system of Babylon is falling, the light of the gospel is shining, and people are coming out of it.

Revelation 18:21

“Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, “Thus with violence, the great city Babylon shall be thrown down, and shall not be found anymore.” (NKJV)

This is like what happened to ancient Babylon in Jeremiah 51:63-64:

“When you finish reading this book, tie a stone to it and cast it into the midst of the Euphrates, and say, ‘Thus shall Babylon sink, to rise no more, because of the disaster that I am bringing upon her, and they shall become exhausted.’”

“A great millstone”

Represents God’s weighty judgment with no chance of Babylon’s ever rising again! A "millstone" is used to grind wheat grains. It may be a fitting symbol of how Babylon ground the wheat-like believers in her mills of deception. God punishes the system according to its cunning.

"Threw it into the sea"

Ancient Babylon depended on the Euphrates for protection. But it proved to be to her demise! Similarly, Babylon the Great depended on her figurative Euphrates or the SEA (from where the beast comes out). Her water has dried up “To prepare the way for the Kings from the East” (that is Christ and His bride) to spread the gospel and conquer the sea of darkness. (See Rev 16:12)

Revelation 18:22-23

“The sound of harpists, musicians, flutists, and trumpeters shall not be heard in you anymore. No craftsman of any craft shall be found in you anymore, and the sound of a millstone shall not be heard in you anymore. The light of a lamp shall not shine in you anymore, and the voice of bridegroom and bride shall not be heard in you anymore. For your merchants were the great men of the earth, for by your sorcery all the nations were deceived.” (NKJV)

A similar fate occurred in unfaithful Judah (a picture of the fallen Church).

“Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones and the light of the lamp.” The same was said against the city of Tyre in Eze 26:13 “I will silence the sound of your songs and the sound of harps will be heard no more.” (Jer 25:10-11)

“The sound of harpists, musicians, flutists, and trumpeters shall not be heard in you anymore.”

It refers to the absence of godly joy and praise in the fallen Church. They live in utter spiritual gloom!

“Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your hearts to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Eph 5:19-20)

“For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” (Rom 14:17)

“No craftsman of any craft shall be found in you anymore”.

The word craftsman is the Greek word ‘technités’. It means a craftsman, architect, or builder. Unlike spirit-led believers who “are God’s fellow workers...God’s building” (1 Cor 3:9), Babylon lacks spirit-led workers. Her craftsmen are deceivers.

“The light of a lamp shall not shine in you anymore, and the voice of bridegroom and bride shall not be heard in you anymore.”

Christ’s followers are the light of the world. They are not found in Babylon (18:2). The voice of Christ (the bridegroom) and his people (the bride) is not heard in her.

True believers follow “the Lamb wherever He goes”. They are not part of any ecclesiastical Church system. They have no name, place, or denomination. Instead, they have “Lamb’s name and His Father’s written on their foreheads.” (14:1)

“For your merchants were the great men of the earth, for by your sorcery all the nations were deceived.”

See the explanation for verses 12-14.

Revelation 18:24

“In her was found [obtained] the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who were slain on the earth.” (NKJV)

Since not all Christians are physically killed, this passage is not about literal blood and killing. It is about being spiritually SLAIN (like Jesus on the cross) for God.

How are God’s people slain? Rev 6:9 says that they are “slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held.” Don’t let the word slain confuse you! I believe it is "The Word" or "The sword" of Christ that slew their sinful nature and called them out of deception and darkness in Babylon. All true believers are found or started their faith in Babylon the Great before they were found and slain.

This is why every true believer must be sacrificed on God’s altar to be born anew in the spirit.

“We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.” (Rom 6:6)

So, it turns out that God's judgment on Babylon is NOT through physical blood-shedding or battle, but by freeing His people (prophets, saints, and the slain) “out of her”.

The real meaning of Rev 18:24 can be understood in light of Rev 6:11,

“They were told to rest until their fellow servants and brethren who were to be killed [slain] even as they had been, should be completed also.” (Rev 6:11)

The Lord is allowing all this time (which looks long to us) so that many will be called and chosen by being figuratively "slain" for God. The end of this age will not come until the great false system of Christianity, Babylon the Great, is desolated and emptied according to His determination.

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