Verse
By Verse
Series©
The Spiritual Fall of Babylon Explained
Study based on Revelation 18:1-3
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 18:1
“After these things, I saw another angel [messenger or star] coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory.” (NKJV)
“Another angel came from heaven”
This is another illuminated message that comes directly from the dwelling place of God and Christ. It has nothing to do with heavenly angels.
“Having great authority”.
Christ’s bright message comes with great authority since He is the only One endowed with “All authority in heaven and on earth” (Matt 28:18). If we believe that all actions in Revelation are performed by celestial angels, please explain, where is Jesus in all of this? What is exactly His role if the angels seem to be the ones doing everything?
“The earth was illuminated [enlightened] with this his glory”
How can the earth possibly be illuminated by an angel’s glory? It cannot be! Further, if this was understood literally, when did such an angel appear? Will he appear sometime soon? If not, when?
These symbolic angels/stars represent Christ's messages/revelations. They expose and judge Babylon while purifying His chaste Church. His messages enable a great number of God’s people (past, present, and future) to "come out" of spiritually bankrupt Babylon.
Revelation 18:2
“And he cried with a loud voice, saying, “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul [unclean] spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird.” (NKJV)
“He cried with a loud voice”
A loud voice simply represents a powerful and clear message from our Lord, Jesus Christ. Another passage will prove that this ‘loud voice’ is Jesus’ and not a heavenly angel’s:
Jesus’ voice is also portrayed in Rev 1:15 as “the sound of many waters.” If waters refer to peoples, tongues, and nations (see Rev 17:15), then Jesus’ voice or messages and revelations are proclaimed through many in His Church reflecting His light.
“Babylon the Great is fallen is fallen”
This fall has multiple layers. God is causing the system that enslaves them to fall. The Church in Babylon is like Israel. It started well, then backslidden, and now is being redeemed out of bondage.
This is God's judgment against His people:
“But you have played the harlot with many lovers…You have had a harlot’s forehead, you refused to be ashamed.” (Jer 3:1,3)
“How lonely sits the city that was full of people! How like a widow is she, Who was great among the nations! Jerusalem sinned grievously, she became filthy. All who honoured her despise her, for they have seen her nakedness. The enemy has stretched out his hands over all her precious things." (See Lamentation 1:1-ff)
God also judged ancient Babylon, the system that afflicted His people and kept them under bondage:
“Babylon is fallen, is fallen! And all the carved images of her gods He has broken to the ground.” (Isa 21:9)
“And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldeans’ pride, will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. It will never be inhabited, nor will it be settled from generation to generation.” (Isa 13:19-20)
“She has become a dwelling place of demons.”
Demons are associated with idolatry and false worship. The reference to ‘demons’ should not be understood to mean massive demonic activity. They portray false prophets and teachers teaching false doctrines and deceiving the people of God.
“Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith [falling away], giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons. Speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods.” (1 Tim 4:1-3)
“A prison for every foul (unclean) spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird.”
Again, this refers to the nature of the false prophets and teachers in the fallen Church or Babylon the Great.
Babylon is portrayed as a prison full of men with unclean spirits who act like birds of prey (living in spiritual darkness) waiting to devour any victim mercilessly!
“There will be false teachers among you…secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them...they will exploit you with deceptive words." (2 Pet 2:1, 3, 12)
“For certain people have crept in unnoticed...ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny...Jesus Christ.” (Jude 1:4)
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” (Matt 7:15)
“Watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles...and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.” (Rom 16:17-18)
Revelation 18:3
“For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury.” (NKJV)
“For all the nations”
But the word “nations” here does not mean exactly “everyone in the world”. Nations (Grk; ethnos) is an expression often used for Gentiles whom Jesus commanded His disciples to "Go and make disciples." (Matt 28:19)
They are whom Jesus said, “I have other sheep [Gentiles] that are not of this fold [Israel]. I must bring them in as well.” (John 10:16)
“Have drunk of the wine”
What is meant by the wine? Jesus sheds light on the true meaning of wine:
“This cup that is poured out for you is the New Covenant in my blood.” (Luke 22:20)
“Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” (John 2:10)
Jesus Christ represents the good wine. The poor wine is an imitation offered by the Babylonian corrupt church system. Babylon keeps her lovers drunk (spiritually blinded). They have become addicted and unable to savour the New Wine of Christ's light and revelations.
“Of the wrath [passion] of her fornication”
The word translated as ‘wrath’, according to Thayer’s Word Study means passion-driven, or passionate. Babylon’s lovers enjoy being drunk with her passionate fornication. It keeps them addicted and enslaved. Note how other translations render it better:
“The wine of her passionate immorality.” NLT
“The wine of the passion of her sexual immorality.” ESV
“The kings of the earth have committed fornication with her”
Who are these “kings of the earth”? They are connected to “the beast from the earth” and "the merchants of the earth”. They are all earthly (carnal, soulish, unspiritual) in every way as “the earth beast” who erected the system!
"The kings" are political rulers or popes! They are not an amalgamation of Church and state. For me, their meaning has more than one meaning. Let me explain:
[ Meaning # 1]
Within the Church system, “the kings of the earth” usurp Christ’s position as King and Lord. They are Babylon's intimate companions. They lead and govern to promote false teachings, a strange gospel, a false Christ, and a different spirit. Read a sample of how they operate in the Church:
They act as false teachers and christs:
“For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray…For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.” (Matt 24:5,11,24)
They rule over the church:
“Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you.” (Matt 20:25-26)
[ Meaning # 2 ]
This approach is strictly spiritual concerning the “kings of the earth”. The “kings of the earth” rule over earth-dwellers to keep all remaining in sin and death, a condition of spiritual darkness!
"The kings of the earth" are: (1) King sin (2) King death
The verses below show how sin & death reign as kings in earthly, soulish believers and the world (sea dwellers):
“Death reigned as king” (Rom 5:17)
“Don’t let sin reign in your mortal body” (Rom 6:12-14, Rom 5:21)
“Death reigned from Adam” (Rom 5:14)
“The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.” (Rom 8:2)
“Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body.” (Rom 6:12-14)
But, how can sin & death metaphorically fornicate with Babylon? Even though sin and death were defeated; they are still lurking in Babylon reaping what doesn’t belong to them (the souls of men). They are illicitly attached to Babylon. In Babylon, sin and death reign supreme over earth-dwellers and anything earthly!
“And the Merchants of the Earth.”
This has nothing to do with the commercial or economic system of the world.
The “merchants of the earth” refer to the spiritual lure and seductive methods against God’s people to keep their hearts and minds away from Christ and to exchange the worship of God with the worship of Babylon's god.
Where does the description of “the merchants of the earth” come from? Ancient Tyre was the merchant of the sea.
Tyre’s sin was pride and arrogance (as was Babylon):
“Because your heart is lifted up...You have gained riches…And your heart is lifted up because of your riches.” (Eze 28:2-5)
The merchants turn the worship of God into merchandise:
“And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’” (Matt 21:12-13)
They trade in the soul of men:
“Woe to you...For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte...you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.” (Matt 23:15)
They merchandise the word of God:
“For we are not like the many, peddling the word of God, but as of sincerity, but as of God, we speak before God in Christ..” (2 Cor 2:17)
“Have become rich through the abundance of her luxury”
The “merchants” have become excessively rich because of Babylon’s abundance of luxury.
The harlot is adulterating with “the kings” giving birth to more harlots (or idolatries) through which the “merchants of the earth” trade and “have become rich” and successful by turning many away from the faith.
Revelation doesn’t dwell on identifying the "kings and merchants of the earth". Rather, the focus is on the outcome of their spiritual idolatry. In other words, the passage gently steers us away from trying to identify particular worldly kings or commercial merchants. This would be futile and a waste of time!