Revelation 18

11-13 The merchants of the earth will also mourn over Babylon’s fall. Their trade with Babylon had been great. The rich and powerful people of Babylon craved all kinds of luxuries.⁴² Thus, supplying Babylon with these luxuries had been very profitable for the merchants.

Among all the goods the merchants brought to Babylon, the last to be mentioned here are the bodies and souls of men—that is, slaves ⁴³ (verse 13). The slave trade not only involves selling men’s bodies; it also involves selling their souls.

14-16 The merchants will mourn, because their opportunity to get rich by trading with Babylon will be lost forever. Indeed, along with the destruction of Babylon’s wealth, their own wealth will be destroyed too (Ezekiel 27:1-4,12-24).

17-19 All who earn their living by the sea will also mourn, because they had earned much income by transporting goods to Babylon (Ezekiel 27:25-26).

20 All non-believing men of the world will weep at the fall of Babylon, but believers in Christ—saints and apostles and prophets—will rejoice. The martyrs mentioned in Revelation 6:9-10 will also rejoice, because their blood has now been avenged.

21-24 Then John saw a mighty angel throw a boulder the size of a large millstone into the sea (verse 21). In the same way that boulder disappeared into the sea, so will the wealth, power, and splendor of Babylon disappear also (Jeremiah 51:6364).

By [Babylon’s] magic spell all the nations were led astray (verse 23). These nations were bewitched by Babylon’s great wealth and power. They had believed that Babylon would never fall.

Just as Babylon (or Rome) had destroyed the bodies of Christ’s prophets and saints, so God will destroy Babylon (Isaiah 13:122).