A Funeral Song for a Prostitute

REVELATION 18:1-24

Main Idea: As God destroys the sin and wickedness that marks this world, those who have loved this world will experience bitter disappointment and divine judgment.

1. Stanza 1: God Severely Judges the Notorious Prostitute (18:1-8).
   1. This worldly system is judged for its demonic nature (18:1-2).
   2. This worldly system is judged for its idolatries (18:3).
   3. This worldly system is judged for its sinfulness (18:4-5).
   4. This worldly system is judged for its pride (18:6-8).
2. Stanza 2: The Earth Greatly Laments over the Notorious Prostitute (18:9-19).
   1. Rulers weep over her sudden judgment (18:9-10).
   2. Businessmen and businesswomen mourn for their loss (18:11-17).
   3. Shipping will grieve over her destruction (18:17-19).
3. Stanza 3: Angels Rightly Sing of the Utter Destruction That Is the Destiny of the Notorious Prostitute (18:20-24).
   1. There will be no record of her (18:21).
   2. There will be no rejoicing over her (18:22).
   3. There will be no rebuilding of her (18:22).
   4. There will be no reflection of her (18:23).
   5. There will be no recovery for her (18:23).
   6. There will be no respect for her (18:23).
   7. There will be no redemption for her (18:24).

What makes you cry? What causes you to weep uncontrollably? What breaks your heart? I often say we will talk about what we love. I also believe we will cry over the loss of what we love. In this chapter we observe the world weeping over the death of a prostitute. However, this prostitute was using others just as others were also using her. The people of this world were glad to let her use them because they became drunk with the passion of her sexual immorality (18:3,4,9). In fact, she made them rich, provided them a life of luxurious living (18:3,9). But with her death all was lost. All she gave them was suddenly, in a moment, taken away. When it was too late, they saw that the prostitute, this worldly system of desires and idols, was a deceptive mirage. Sensual pleasures, material possessions, a life of luxury, and the promises of power and satisfaction were completely, suddenly, utterly, and eternally destroyed. Sin is deceptive. It will destroy and it will be destroyed. Security is not found in this world. Security is found only in Christ.

Revelation 18 is a requiem, a funeral dirge, a song of lamentation and sorrow over the demise and destruction of Babylon. Ladd notes that the Old Testament “background for this section is found in the prophetic dirges over the fall of Tyre (Ezek 26–28) and of Babylon (Isa 13–14; 21; Jer 50–51)” (Commentary, 235). It is a song that has been sung through the ages by those who gave their all to this world, only to be sadly disappointed with the results. We find echoes of its sentiments in modern songs such as Peggy Lee’s “Is That All There Is?” in which she laments the failure of life’s pleasures to satisfy her high expectations. Though the Scriptures make clear that God and God alone is able to satisfy our longings, they are equally clear that Babylon can only deliver disappointment.

Stanza 1: God Severely Judges the Notorious Prostitute

REVELATION 18:1-8

Payday has arrived for Babylon the great (17:16-20). She is no longer great, for God put it in the hearts of the antichrist and his followers to destroy and devour her. Now songs will be sung about her. Three dirges or laments are recorded in verses 9-20. These three sad songs are bracketed by two angel songs (2-3,21-24) that demonstrate God’s justice in taking down this arrogant and proud and wicked system.

This System Is Judged for Its Demonic Nature (18:1-2)

John sees another angel sent by God (“coming down from heaven”) who has “great authority,” so great that “the earth was illuminated by his splendor” (18:1). Having come from God’s presence, he radiates the glory of God. He has an announcement to make with a mighty voice: “It has fallen, Babylon the Great has fallen!” (14:8; see 17:5). This proud and evil system of worldly desires, lust, pleasures, and priorities is finished. Though this is a future event, it can be stated in the past tense because its fall is certain. The repetition adds emphasis and finality. It is a signed, sealed, and settled reality (see Isa 21:9; Jer 51:8).

The great city is now nothing more than a haunt, a home for three things: demons or unclean spirits, unclean birds, and every unclean and detestable beast. Duvall says, “Rather than the honorable garden city that God envisions, Babylon has become just the opposite; a desolate, demonic wasteland, completely devoid of image-of-God life” (Revelation, 233). Keener adds, “Becoming a dwelling place of demons is a suitable judgment for a power once mobilized by demons (Rev 16:14; see 9:20)” (Revelation, 423).

This Worldly System Is Judged for Its Idolatries (18:3)

Sexual immorality is often a picture of spiritual adultery. It communicates a love affair with the idols of this world. The nations are drunk in their passion for these idols. The kings or rulers of the earth have crawled into bed with these god-substitutes. The merchants of the earth were seduced by the alluring power of her luxurious lifestyle. The peoples of the earth consort with the whore of wealth unaware of her infections and fatal diseases. The idols of this life have cast a spell over the human race, and we bow and worship. Unless we are called, chosen, and faithful in the Lamb (17:14), we have no hope of breaking the hold she has on us.

This Worldly System Is Judged for Its Sinfulness (18:4-5)

John hears “another voice from heaven.” It is a call for God’s people to “come out” and separate themselves from the world. Failure to flee (see 1 Cor 6:18) will result in taking part in her sins and sharing in her plagues. Isaiah 52:11 says, “Leave, leave, go out from there! Do not touch anything unclean; go out from her, purify yourselves, you who carry the vessels of the Lord.” Jeremiah 51:45 adds, “Come out from among her, My people! Save your lives, each of you, from the Lord’s burning anger.” Revelation 18:5 explains verse 4: “Her sins are piled up to heaven.” Peterson says, “Her sins stink to high Heaven” (The Message). And she is not forgotten or unnoticed by the Lord: “God has remembered her iniquities.” He sees and knows all that the woman has done.

Share in her sins and you share in her punishment. Stay with her and you will suffer with her. Her sins are piled up to heaven. They have reached heaven’s doorstep. God is fully aware of what the sins and iniquities are and who has committed them. Jeremiah 51:9 clearly is in the background of this oracle:

We tried to heal Babylon, but she could not be healed. Abandon her! Let each of us go to his own land, for her judgment extends to the sky and reaches as far as the clouds.

The time for healing is past. The time for fleeing is now.

This Worldly System Is Judged for Its Pride (18:6-8)

The judgment of Babylon is repeatedly addressed in the Old Testament (Ps 137:8; Jer 50:14-15,29; 51:24,26). God will now pay back the wicked city of man for all it has done. In fact, she is to receive double for what she did to others. That could possibly convey the idea of paying her back both for what was in her heart and for what she actually did. Still, as Ladd notes, “The idea of rendering double for one’s deeds is an Old Testament idiom indicating punishment in full measure (Jer 16:18; 17:18)” (Commentary, 238).

Verses 7-8 extend the argument of her judgment. She glorified herself and lived in luxury. Therefore “give her that much torment and grief.” After all, she boasted in her heart claiming, “I sit as a queen; I am not a widow, and I will never see grief.” Her sin demands righteous retribution because of her “self-glorification, sensuous luxury, and prideful arrogance, the very opposite of humble dependence on the Lord and sacrificial love within a community (e.g. Prov. 29:23; Isa. 5:15; 1 Pet. 5:6)” (Duvall, Revelation, 234). Her boast recalls ancient Babylon’s boast in Isaiah 47:7-8:

You said, “I will be the mistress forever.” You did not take these things to heart or think about their outcome. So now hear this, lover of luxury, who sits securely, who says to herself, “I exist, and there is no one else. I will never be a widow or know the loss of children.”

Because of her boast, she will receive “in one day” the plagues of “death and grief and famine. She will be burned up with fire.” All of this is a certainty because “the Lord God who judges her is mighty” (see Isa 47:9). No one and nothing can prevent her certain destruction. Her pride truly is her downfall. Osborne well notes,

One does not have to read many magazines or watch many movies to realize the extent to which sinners today guzzle “the wine of passion for immorality.” One must realize that divine judgment is not too far away. Those who willingly participate in such immorality will also participate in the judgment to come. Those who live for greed and luxury will also face an angry God for seeking only “the treasures of earth” and ignoring “the treasures of heaven” (Matt. 6:19-20). Jesus warned them well (and this includes materialistic Christians): “What sorrows await you who are rich, for you have your only happiness now” (Luke 6:4 NLT). (Revelation, 659–60)

Stanza 2: The Earth Greatly Laments over the Notorious Prostitute

REVELATION 18:9-20

Whatever we hate will also reveal what we truly love. The earth dwellers, those who lived for the priorities and values of this world, hated God and loved the prostitute. Consumed by greed and self-interest, their narcissism controlled their desires, their passions, their worldview. Suddenly, all that they have lived for is gone, taken in a moment. It is more than they can bear. Yes, they mourn the death of Babylon, but mostly they sorrow over their own loss. In the end, all of life is about themselves, not others.

Verses 9-20 comprise three dirges or laments over the sudden fall and destruction of Babylon. The kings or rulers (18:9-10), the merchants or businessmen (18:11-17), and all connected to the industry of shipping (18:17-19) weep and mourn over the fall of their idol, their god. The words of these verses recall the words of Ezekiel 27 and the sorrow expressed over the destruction of the city of Tyre. Mounce notes,

Fifteen of the twenty-nine commodities listed in Rev. 18:12-13 are also found in Ezek. 27:12-22. The same three groups of mourners are all referred to in the Ezekiel passage, although their reactions to the fall of the cities differ somewhat—the mariners cry bitterly (vv. 29-30), the kings shudder with horror (v. 35), and the merchants hiss (v. 36). (Revelation, 331)

Rulers Weep over Her Sudden Judgment (18:9-10)

The rulers of the earth went to the bed of the prostitute and were intimate with her. What she offered they wanted and gave their lives to. She satisfied their earthly desires with her idols (“sexual immorality”), and they “lived luxuriously with her.” Her destruction (“the smoke of her burning”) causes them to “weep and mourn.” The one they once called lover, they now remove themselves from. “They will stand far off in fear of her torment” (18:10,15,17). They do not run to her rescue because they were only using her as she used them. She might have been their lover, but she was never truly loved.

Fearful now of getting too close, lest they also are consumed by her destruction, they sing their song of lament, “Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the mighty city! For in a single hour your judgment has come.” The famous city, great and strong, is reduced to ashes by our God in a moment, in a “single hour.” Like the magnificent twin towers of the World Trade Center, this ungodly, Christless worldly system of idols and wickedness comes crashing down in no time at all. Shock and horror are the only words that capture man’s reaction. What they lived for is suddenly taken from them. What they trusted in is suddenly gone and gone forever. These rulers played the fool, but they are not the only ones.

Businessmen and Businesswomen Mourn for Their Loss (18:11-17)

With the fall and destruction of this worldwide economic system, chaos ensues. New York, London, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Beijing—all the markets of the world—tank and bottom out. Stuff is available, but no one has the resources to purchase it. All “the merchants of the earth”—the Wall Street wizards—can do is “weep and mourn over her, since no one buys their merchandise any longer” (18:11). Malls are empty. Shops are shut up. They never saw it coming.

Verses 12-13 list 29 items of value and wealth falling into seven different categories:

• Precious metals and stones (gold, silver, precious stones, pearls)
• Fabrics for expensive clothing (fine linen, purple, silk, scarlet cloth)
• All kinds of ornaments and decorations (scented woods, ivory, costly wood, brass, iron, marble)
• Fragrances (cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense)
• Foodstuffs (wine, oils, flour, grain)
• Animals (cattle and sheep, horses and carriages)
• Humans (slaves)

Regarding this last category, Mounce notes that “it is estimated that there were as many as 60,000,000 slaves in the Roman Empire” (Revelation, 334). There could be no clearer evidence of the depth of the utter depravity of man. Souls of men were viewed as nothing more than human livestock for service and even entertainment.

The fruit they longed and lived for, the return on their investment, is all gone! “All your splendid and glamorous things are gone.” Indeed, all they have lived for is gone and lost; “they will never find them again” (18:14). This is the first of seven double negatives in the remainder of this chapter. This one is actually a triple negative. It literally says, “No more, not, they will not be found.”

Like the kings of the earth (18:10), the merchants “will stand far off in fear of her torment” (18:15). They will continue “weeping and mourning” (see 18:11). Like the kings they will cry, “Woe, woe” over the great city that looked so fine (18:16)! Recalling verse 10, they are amazed that something so great, luxurious, and rich could be “destroyed” in “single hour” (18:17). No one ever anticipated anything like this. We thought she would live forever, failing to realize only the one who does the will of God lives forever.

Shipping Will Grieve over Her Destruction (18:17-19)

A third and final group—“every shipmaster, seafarer, the sailors, and all who do business by sea”—join the kings and merchants. Like their earthly companions they “stood far off” and cried at the sight of her destruction (18:17-18). They then ask a new question: “Who is like the great city?” (see Ezek 27:32). This is reminiscent of the praise given to the beast in 13:4. Who could have imagined this? She was glorious but now she is gone. She was rich but now she lies in ruins. She was everything but now she is nothing. Wealth is great while it lasts, but therein lies the problem: it does not last.

Like the others they weep and mourn (18:9,11,15). Further, “they threw dust on their heads” as an outward sign of their mourning (18:19). They too cry, “Woe, woe, the great city.” We “became rich from her wealth,” but “in a single hour she was destroyed.” David Platt is right: “If you love this world, it will pass away, and it will take you with it. You will not only lose true pleasure; you will lose your life. . . . You will perish with this world” (“Danger”).

Stanza 3: Angels Rightly Sing of the Utter Destruction That Is the Destiny of the Notorious Prostitute

REVELATION 18:20-24

Adrian Rogers used to say, “We become like what we worship. True worship will make us more like God.” We will love what He loves and hate what He hates. God hates the evil and murderous city of man known as Babylon, and so should we. Thus, we have a completely different perspective on her judgment and destruction, as verse 20 shows. We “rejoice” with all of heaven and the saints, apostles, and prophets because “God has executed your judgment on her!” The prayer of 6:10 is answered. Rejoicing is not over the eternal and spiritual death of lost souls but over the justice and righteousness of God’s judgment. Further, God avenges, not man (see Rom 12:19).

The stage is set for the final stanza of chapter 18, a song sung by a single angel. The refrain will become a familiar one voiced six times: “No more” (ESV) or “never.” In Greek, the refrain is the emphatic double negative: “Never, never again!”

There Will Be No Record of Her (18:21)

A “mighty angel” appears for the third time (5:2; 10:11) and throws a large millstone into the sea. It plunges to the bottom never to be seen again, a sign of Babylon’s judgment and destiny. The great city will be violently thrown down “never to be found again.” She is gone forever. There will be no record of her.

There Will Be No Rejoicing over Her (18:22)

Music ceases. Harpists, musicians, flute players, and trumpeters “will never be heard in you again.” Song and dance stop because there is nothing for the earth dwellers to celebrate. An eerie silence envelopes the fallen world.

There Will Be No Rebuilding of Her (18:22)

Craftsmen never practice their trades. The sound of the mill and everyday labor stops. No one works. Industry is at a standstill. The economy has collapsed with an economic depression unlike anything the world has ever seen.

There Will Be No Reflection of Her (18:23)

No one will have to turn out the lights on Babylon because “the light of a lamp will never shine in you again.” Darkness will drape the destroyed city as she is abandoned and forsaken. No one visits her anymore. No one parties here anymore. It is dark here, all dark.

There Will Be No Recovery for Her (18:23)

The hope of new life, a rebirth, is not in her future. No one falls in love or marries anymore. “Weddings are a thing of the past. The merry sounds of bridal festivities have forever been silenced” (Mounce, Revelation, 339).

There Will Be No Respect for Her (18:23)

The prostitute’s judgment is just. Her merchants were filled with arrogance and pride as “the nobility of the earth.” Not anymore! And all nations were deceived and led astray by her sorcery, her magic spells. She bewitched the nations and led them into destructive foolishness. Now that she is exposed, no one has any regard or respect for her. Her merchants were great but not anymore. Her sorceries worked for a time but never again.

There Will Be No Redemption for Her (18:24)

This whore is familiar with blood, but not the saving blood of Christ. No, in her the blood of prophets and saints is found. The blood of Christian martyrs that ran through the streets of Rome has continued to run through her streets around the world for 20 centuries (see 17:6). However, that day will soon be over. Their blood cries for justice like righteous Abel, and God has heard them. And her guilt cries for judgment, and God hears that too!

Conclusion

The Babylon of the Bible might well be called “Vanity Fair” today. Indeed, in poetic rhyme, Ella Wheeler Wilcox describes a world that promised much but in the end, delivered very little. She unwittingly notes that it is the brow with thorns that is the victor! Her words could be a commentary on Revelation 17–18.

VANITY FAIR

In Vanity Fair, as we bow and smile,

As we talk of the opera after the weather,

As we chat of fashion and fad and style,

We know we are playing a part together.

You know that the mirth she wears, she borrows;

She knows you laugh but to hide your sorrows;

We know that under the silks and laces,

And back of beautiful, beaming faces,

Lie secret trouble and dark despair

In Vanity Fair.

In Vanity Fair, on dress parade,

Our colors look bright and our swords are gleaming,

But many a uniform’s worn and frayed,

And most of the weapons, despite their seeming,

Are dull and blunted and badly battered,

And close inspection will show how tattered

And stained are the banners that flaunt above us.

Our comrades hate, while they swear to love us;

And robed like Pleasure walks gaunt-eyed Care

In Vanity Fair.

In Vanity Fair, as we strive for place,

As we rush and jostle and crowd and hurry,

We know the goal is not worth the race—

We know the prize is not worth the worry;

That all our gain means loss for another;

That in fighting for self we wound each other;

That the crown of success weighs hard and presses

The brow of the victor with thorns—not caresses;

That honors are empty and worthless to wear,

In Vanity Fair. (Kingdom of Love, 137–38)

Reflect and Discuss

1. What examples can you give of people looking to Babylon to provide satisfaction, joy, and meaning?
2. This chapter shows the inability of sin to provide lasting pleasure. How have you seen the deceptiveness of sin in its failure to provide lasting joy and security?
3. Consider the grounds for Babylon’s judgment in 18:1-8. Which of these is most likely something that marks your life?
4. How do Christians heed the warning of 18:4 without separating entirely from non-Christians?
5. Judgment in this passage is all the more severe because of the prostitute’s pride. Why is God so opposed to arrogance and pride?
6. How is our heart revealed by what we weep over? What causes you to weep?
7. Why does love for this world lead to destruction with the world?
8. How does the worship of God make us more like God, and the worship of idols and Satan make us more like them? Have you found yourself molding to a person or thing you care most about? What is it?
9. Discuss how the dark description of Babylon’s judgment makes you feel. Is there rejoicing? Sadness?
10. This passage provides a strong warning against falling in love with this world. What role does warning play in our evangelism and missions?