Revelation 18:21-24

My homiletics professor suggested that if you have to start in the middle of something, like we are doing, you should try to start with context. That is the reason I try to review a little of what we talked about last time. We saw four different reactions to the destruction of the Beast’s Capital City and his entire world system. The Kings of the Earth were sad, but remained under the spell of the Beast, and will go with him to the final battle in the valley of Megiddo, and be captured with him there, if not killed in the fighting.

The merchants were saddened, but not by the destruction of the Capital City. They were saddened because they could no longer sell their stuff for a profit. We looked at the things that they treated as commodities, which, among other things, were the bodies and souls of men. Did you know that there are more slaves on earth today than in the rest of history combined? It has been estimated that at least 40% of them are sex slaves. These were some of the commodities being sold, presumably for a great deal of money. Now that money is gone, with their ability to make it. They stood on the shore and cried about it. They will be more concerned about the loss of their large lifestyle than the people who will be affected by their marketing efforts to sell the next human slave. It is a sobering reminder that all of the injustice that nobody sees will someday be perfectly dealt with by a perfect God who sees and remembers everything. I can’t wait.

The men of the sea stood aside and wept also. They weren’t saddened by the destruction of the City and its system either, but by their loss of their ability to make a living. They were okay if they were free to do as they pleased on the sea. Then the sea and the rivers and lakes were destroyed and became unnavigable. Then the city was destroyed. These people, having no help or hope, are now doomed. This is one of the ways I think we can know the end is imminent now.

The final reaction was from Heaven. It was a call to praise, recognizing that God Himself and His judgments broke the system and is about to end the beast and his kingdom, and is about to show up on the battlefield Himself in the person of God the Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. We will get to that next time, sort of, but definitely within 3 or 4 weeks. The sorrow of the planet is clearly tied to the destruction of the world system of the beast, because there are relatively few believers left on Earth. There will be a few at the end, and these will be involved in the coming repopulation and rescue of the planet. This is what we have just seen, which brings us up to this evening.

I broke the text down like this:

KV24: Details and Reasons for Divine Justice

24: And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints and of all who have been slain on the earth.

21: The Great Millstone Destruction

22: The Absence of Mill Sounds (et al.)

23: The Absence of Light Any Longer

24: The Reasons for Her Destruction

There are people out there who think God is either not involved in history or does nothing to sustain the planet and keep literally everyone alive. They think that if nobody saw them messing around, they are going to get away with it because, as far as the rest of the world goes, it didn’t happen. For these individuals, this may come as bad news: God sees everything, and He made the elephant, who never forgets. God never forgets, even when the elephant does. These people will face Justice Personified in the form of Jesus Christ, Son of God, Son of Man. He will be kind, he will be fair, and he will be just, all perfectly. That should make you all afraid, because we also will stand in front of Him for judgment.

God’s judgments will come. They are coming at humanity at the speed of 60 seconds per minute. If this is something you worry about, there is a solution: You can turn away from your sins and toward Christ and serve Him instead. Here’s where we will jump into the text.

KV24: Details and Reasons for Divine Justice

24: And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints and of all who have been slain on the earth.

I feel like I’m skipping up to the end here, but there are reasons that judgment happens to people, and the details are kind of similar. There are, for lack of a better term, classes of individuals that fit into a category, and judgments can be seen by category. Sinners receive death and hell as a result of their deeds, as we will see when we hit Revelation 20. Now comes the bad news. Romans 3:23 tells us that ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God. That means we all deserve death and hell as a result. For those who have been following the story so far, you will remember that there is nothing any of us can do to pay for it, either. No matter what we have done, we will be held accountable for it.

However, you may also know (and if you don’t, I’m telling you now) that there is a way that we can escape the penalty for our sins. An individual of means has paid the price for you, and all you need to do is acknowledge that and believe that the payment applies to your sins personally. That person is Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. His gift to you, if you will accept it as a free gift, is that He has died for all of the sins YOU have committed, as well as the original sin, disobedience to God’s clear, direct command. If you will accept that He died in your place, proving His payment for your sins, you WILL live differently. You will turn from your sin (repent) and turn to pleasing the One who paid for them all. The choice is presented to you; now it is up to you. As we go through the text this evening, you will see a similar theme. Let’s get into the text now.

21: The Great Millstone Destruction

Because all of the paragraphs are single-verse paragraphs, I’m just going to get right into the text.

21: Then a strong angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, “So will Babylon, the great city, be thrown down with violence, and will not be found any longer.

The first thing to notice is a nuance in the Greek. It literally reads, “Then one strong angel…” I think the only point is that the single angel had great strength. Why? Because of what happens next: he picks up a great millstone and throws it out into the sea, probably into deep water.
The Lord of All deals with His enemies by casting them in some way into the sea. He has done it before. Moses bears witness to this in Exodus 15:5 and 10, which says, “The deeps cover them; They went down into the depths like a stone…You blew with Your wind, the sea covered them; They sank like lead in the mighty waters.” It is part of the song of Moses, and describes how the seas overcame Pharaoh and his armies as they escaped Egypt. In Nehemiah 9, the Levitical priests sing a similar song in verse 11: “You divided the sea before them, So they passed through the midst of the sea on dry ground; And their pursuers You hurled into the depths, Like a stone into raging waters.” Water of any kind can be seen as a cleansing agent, and the sea, in ancient times, was often used in such a metaphor. It is a punishment, but it cleanses them away and hides them in the depths forever so that they can never hurt anyone ever again.
The angel gives a metaphorical statement, as was common at the time of the writing of this book, that our Lord Jesus also used in conversation, and he says, “So will Babylon, the great city, be thrown down with violence, and will not be found any longer.” As these enemies in the past were dealt with by violence, so will this enemy. The word for violence, in the text, is ὁρμήματι. It is a neuter, dative noun. It is singular, and it means “a rush.” Strong’s Dictionary says it is a rush or an impulse, or is repelled by a rush or impulse. It implies something the Germans in WWII called “blitzkrieg,” rapid war. If I were a gambling man, I would bet it is the fastest ever recorded assault and overwhelming of an enemy. One commentator suggests, “with impetus.”

The Beast, his system, his followers, and his armies will be overcome in record time, never to be used again in any capacity. Maybe it has something to do with the kings of the east. I don’t know. Moving on.

22: The Absence of Mill Sounds (et al.)

Again, right into the text.

22: And the sound of harpists and musicians and flute-players and trumpeters will not be heard in you any longer; and no craftsman of any craft will be found in you any longer; and the sound of a mill will not be heard in you any longer;

The first thought I have here is not a popular one. The arts are not always friends of the believer. Especially today, in modern times, all of these kinds of people have corrupted their arts with their liberalism and given it over to darkness, and it is particularly this that drives culture without drawing attention to itself. It makes sense. Music, for example, can get into your soul and bypass your brain. Have you ever found yourself humming a rock tune that just somehow came to your mind? I have. Who controls that? It isn’t entirely you. You need to take down and tear down those things and make them subject to Christ. Say no to it. Start humming your favourite hymn. It helps, speaking from experience.
No artisan, literally. The sounds of making things will no longer be heard. Have you ever been to a ghost town? I imagine this is what that must feel like. These are the sounds of living people engaged in living. This will no longer be heard because people will no longer live there. Interestingly, this was the headquarters for the Beast’s cult of death. It seems everyone got what they wanted.
The sound of the mill & c. Well, the strong angel hurled the millstone into the sea, so I’m not surprised it isn’t making noise. Sorry, that’s a joke. The millstone produces staples for food and sustenance. It is the noise of industry and commerce. This will ALSO no longer be heard in the city, because the city will have become a ghost town until its crumbling infrastructure burns to its last, and will never be rebuilt.

Remember, this is a result of God smashing His enemies. Keeping this in mind helps us understand the reasons why. It is the end result of Romans 1:18-32. Do you recall when we had the conversation about how all actions have consequences? Some of those consequences can be good and rewarding, but many are not. These final results for the world system personified by Babylon are anything but good. They are the result of sin and raging disobedience to a living God, who has commanded all people everywhere to leave their sinning behind and to turn to and live for him. Again, that choice is yours. Choose life, and you will have eternal life with Christ. Choose disobedience, choose death. Not always clean. Always leads to destruction outside of Christ. Your call. Next paragraph.

23: The Absence of Light Any Longer

This has more than one meaning. It all applies. Let’s just get into the text.

23: and the light of a lamp will not shine in you any longer; and the voice of the bridegroom and bride will not be heard in you any longer; for your merchants were the great men of the earth, because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery.

The light of a lamp not shining in her literally means the city will be lost in darkness. There is a physical reality to this, but also a spiritual reality. We can compare this to a different metaphor of a different woman. Revelation 22:5 says, “And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever.” That is the “Bride of Christ,” the Israel of God, the people of God, saved, bought by the blood of Christ, and cleansed by his atoning, expiating sacrifice on the cross. They also have no lamp. They need no lamp. God Himself will give them the light they need.
This is reflected in the next phrase: “…and the voice of the bridegroom and bride will not be heard in you any longer…” Life will no longer be found in the kingdom of the beast, as symbolized by its capital, Babylon the mystical.. Christ and the Church will no longer go near the place. They will likely have better things to do at any rate. Perhaps these things will stand as memorials in Christ’s 1000-year earthly kingdom to what happens to all His enemies. Be His enemy, become a smoking hole.
The claim is verified by heaven itself: the businessmen of the kingdom of the beast were the great men [μεγιστᾶνες, lords, chiefs, nobles, princes] of the earth. This gives some credibility that the 10 kings without a kingdom are tech oligarchs after the fact, as we suggested when we studied that passage in Revelation 17:5-13. Click the link below to see the replay of the clip.
https://rumble.com/v6y79l4-rev17-7-13-1a.html?mref=inkt7&mc=1y6gb
All of these people lent their expertise to the Beast, all of them bought into the lies he presented to them, and all of them were tempted with their “one hour with the Beast.” They were so sold on the concept of his kingdom that they became willing participants to the end, and went away to align themselves with him in the upcoming final battle. It is that willingness that is representative of the vast majority of people on the planet at that time that will be one of the direct causes for this judgment upon the earth and humanity in general at this time.
Another reason for those judgments is openly spoken of now by that strong angel who cast the millstone. The phrase is “…because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery.” All of the nations, the whole world, were deceived [ἐπλανήθησαν, led astray, Aorist, passive, 3rd person plural, indicative] by the sorcery [φαρμακείᾳ, dative noun, feminine, singular; the noun means the use of drugs, medicine, or spells] of the system, possibly connected to the world religion. I have said it before, but this occasion warrants its saying again: There is certainly no drug you need to take, no deed you can perform, to place to which you must travel, no memorized set of words you need to say (an incantation), no ritual you must perform (including memorized religious prayers and motions like genuflection or the sign of the cross) to be saved from all of this consequence about which we have been speaking this evening. All you must do, assuming God is awakening you to what I am saying right now, is stop your sins and turn to Christ, believing that His resurrection is proof of His having atoned for and wiped away your sins. If this happens as a response to my words, you will know, and it will make you think differently about things. Drop us a comment and let us know. As usual, I will remove sales pitches about how you can make my channel have more followers as I find them. But drop us a comment.
However, this is about the judgments, and people were deceived by sorcery. Potions, and magic rituals perhaps, but how about misused medication or recreational drugs? Pharmakia is a very big area. There can be legitimate uses for medications. How does one sort it all out? I think it becomes unnecessary if we follow the model of regeneration. God regenerates the believer, and the believer responds in the only way that makes sense and turns to Christ. Thus called by God, the believer turns to Christ and is justified before God by faith. After this, though many sufferings, this believer enters the kingdom of God for the rest of their life through His sanctification, and only when God is ready to do so, is the believer transferred into God’s eternal presence and glorified before Him. (See Romans 8:30.) If it happens in any other way, an observer has reason to question the efficacy of that salvation.
This is the fourth doctrine of grace, also known as effectual calling. Some prefer irresistible grace, and that’s fine. But Ger! I hear you in the back row of the internet, shouting at me. “That would mean the church today is full of false believers!” Indeed it does. But the Lord said this would happen in parables about sheep versus goats or wheat versus tares. Peter told us in 2 Peter 1:10, “Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble…” The word for “choosing” is ἐκλογὴν in the text, and it means ” a picking out, a choosing.” The KJV has “election,” which is an Elizabethan English word that means “a choosing.” What? You thought the choice was just yours? We can talk some other time about the doctrines of grace, but I mention it because this is a good occasion to do so.

The judgments on the kingdom of the Beast and his world system, symbolized by and called the Whore of Babylon, have reasons, and those reasons are explained by no less than angels who have remained faithful servants of God. There is a reason we have not yet covered, and I think these are arranged in order for us to move from bad to worse. Last paragraph.

24: The Reasons for Her Destruction

Again, it is plain in the text, so I will just jump right in.

24: And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints and of all who have been slain on the earth.

We have already discussed some of the reasons in the text so far as to the judgments, or maybe the word “punishments” would be more appropriate because there is still a reference to the justice of God in that. For his crimes, Lucifer and all the disobedient angels (we should call them devils all) who followed him have already been found guilty. They have already been sentenced. In some cases (2 Pet. 2:4-5, Jude 1:6), they are kept in holding. Some have yet to be arrested, though they are about to be. In either case, all that remains is for the penalty pronounced at sentencing to be carried out. That is going to happen shortly for some as well. Some get a short reprieve at the end of the 1000 years, which is about to begin.
Jesus told us in His parable of the sheep and the goats in Matt. 25:41, “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels,’” that Hell was created for the Devil (Lucifer) and his angels (those who followed him into disobedience). However, it also tells us that men will also go there, not to be tortured for eternity by Satan and demons, but to be tortured forever by God in His great Wrath. Each had their chance to change that. They chose this, and God ultimately gives everyone what they truly choose. We will say more about this when we get to chapter 20 and see that I’m not making this up. Who would want to make this up? Yikes! But why will this be done?
Because the blood of the prophets, saints, and all the ones they slew on the earth was found as one of their basic, motivating policies. The word for “slain” here is ἐσφαγμένων, meaning “to butcher,” like we saw in Revelation 6:4 in the second seal judgment. God creates living creatures. These killed them unjustly. If my thought about the order of bad to worse crimes is correct, the murder of another living being is as bad a sin as can be committed against another human, not to mention that all sin offends God. This wholesale slaughter was all for the agenda of none other than that former “son of the morning,” Lucifer. He will answer for it, ultimately. So will all those that have assisted in it, angelic or human agent.
This statement is in itself unique in its shortness compared to the other things, where reason is also given. Here, the act is the reason and speaks for itself. From the blood of Abel to the last martyr slain in the name of Christ, as well as all those who lost their lives in senseless slaughter in the name of a personal agenda, is covered in this judgment. God will make every unjust death right for the one who commits it and the one who was the victim. God’s justice will be satisfied, starting with the destruction of the Beast’s system that sold the bodies and souls of men wholesale.

There are reasons for what I am saying. Frederich(sp?) Seyler in Bengel’s commentary work calculates that papal Rome, between A.D. 1540 and 1580, slew more than nine hundred thousand Protestants. That’s a 40-year span. All were called heretics and slain without mercy, and all of their possessions were given by the state to the Church. Gee, no conflict of interest there. Dan, are you tasting the blueberries yet? You should be.

Overall, three reasons can be given specifically for the fall of the harlot in summary:

The worldly merchants and businessmen’s greatness was because they participated in the sale of impure and/or unholy and spiritual things.
Her sorceries (pharmakeia), which one commentator called her “juggling tricks.” In these things, the False Prophet will exceed the harlot in her downfall.
Her persecution of Old Testament prophets and New Testament saints.

None of these things is good, pure, holy, righteous, or anything even approximating close. And yes, I was beginning to think about a short journey towards what might be considered an understatement. The Whore Babylon deserves what she is getting, and there is no denying that. So will that son of destruction, the Antichrist, and his False Prophet. So will they all. What we have to remember is something that Puritan commentator Matthew Henry said on this passage: “The fall of Babylon was an act of God’s justice. And because it was a final ruin, this enemy should never molest them any more…” This will be over shortly…and it will be permanent. Hallelujah.

If you don’t believe me, Daniel wrote about this. In Daniel 12:1, it says, “Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued.” And it wasn’t just Daniel, Jeremiah wrote about it. In Jer. 30:7, it says, “Alas! for that day is great, There is none like it; And it is the time of Jacob’s distress, But he will be saved from it.” These real-time judgments on Babylon are all telling us about how the ungodly nation of Israel will finally come to be saved by God and re-grafted into the olive tree that is the Israel of God, the collection of all believers of all time. This is a concept introduced by the Apostle Paul in Galatians, spoken of in some detail in Romans 9-11, and will finally be realized when all of this comes to pass. Even so, I will say it now: “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.”

And that’s what I saw in the text. Next time, we will look at Revelation 19:1-6.