“Revelation 18:9-14”

Thursday, January 18, 2018

“And the kings of the earth, who committed acts of immorality and lived sensuously with her, will weep and lament over her when they see the smoke of her burning, standing at a distance because of the fear of her torment, saying, ‘Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the strong city! For in one hour your judgment has come.’ And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargoes any more—cargoes of gold and silver and precious stones and pearls and fine linen and purple and silk and scarlet, and every kind of citron wood and every article of ivory and every article made from very costly wood and bronze and iron and marble, and cinnamon and spice and incense and perfume and frankincense and wine and olive oil and fine flour and wheat and cattle and sheep, and cargoes of horses and chariots and slaves and human lives. The fruit you long for has gone from you, and all things that were luxurious and splendid have passed away from you and men will no longer find them.”

---End of Scripture verses---

The “smoke” of Rome’s “burning” (verse 9) symbolically arose from the “fire” that would consume her (verse 8). Robert Harkrider wrote concerning this all-consuming fire: “Two things must be remembered: (1) figurative language does not demand that the city be literally burned; and (2) the power and authority of the harlot is what the Lord promised to destroy, not actual buildings of the city itself. Verily, Rome was never completely destroyed as a city. It has had a continuous history of more than twenty-five hundred years… However, the magnificence and power of the Rome of John’s day was brought to naught. Rome fell from its position as the world’s leading city of commerce and wealth and as the capital of a world empire whose religious life centered upon pagan god-Caesar worship. In the fourth century the capital of the empire was moved from Rome to Constantinople; invasions came from barbaric tribes of the north; and finally, the empire was no more after A.D. 476. The power and authority of Rome were utterly destroyed; in fact, its population of more than a million people in John’s day declined to only about 20,000 in the Middle ages.”

“The kings of the earth” (verse 9), “the merchants of the earth” (verse 11), and “as many as make their living by the sea” (verse 12) will “weep and lament over” the great city, Rome, and her utter ruination. But they do not mourn out of love for her, but “because no one buys their cargoes any more” (verse 11). They “weep” for themselves with an empty and self-centered sorrow because they would no longer make a profit from the horrid harlot who sits upon many waters with whom they committed spiritual fornication. They selfishly “lament” their own, personal loss in anguish as they helplessly look on at “the smoke of her burning,” but they do so as cowards “standing at a distance” for “fear of her torment.” The only ones who rejoice over her destruction are the “saints and apostles and prophets” (verse 20), because “God has pronounced judgment against” the persecutors of His people. God’s judgment came upon Rome figuratively “in one hour” (verse 10), not in a 60-minute segment of time but suddenly (from heaven’s perspective), certainly, decisively.

Sadly and sadistically, as is true in the 21st century world, human life was devalued and reduced to the status of mere merchandise to be trafficked in. “Slaves (Sōmatōn, literally, ‘bodies’), and souls (psuchos, literally ‘lives’) of men, may mean ‘slaves, even the lives of men.’ The slave market was widespread throughout the empire. Slaves were a household commodity, being used in all aspects of social life and as gladiators in the arena for the amusement of a depraved people.” (Hailey) Because of the human degradation and moral degeneration of this corrupted “civilization,” the luscious “fruit” of “luxurious and splendid” living (verse 14) would be nonexistent, and the basic necessities of life would be scarce. “Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the strong city!” And woe to any individual who lives an immoral and sensuous life in disregard for the love of humanity and fear and reverence for God and His commandments!

Please read Revelation 18:15-20 for tomorrow.

Have a great day!

-Louie Taylor

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