Three reasons are given for Babylon’s fall, and the
reasons are both instructive and exhortative. They provide a
view on the world today.
“For your merchants were the great men of the earth.” The
expression “great men” means the chief, noble, the magnates
of society. These men are looked up to, worshipped, honored,
adored, they control the destinies of men, and live a life
everyone desires and think will give them happiness. This
viewpoint is a perversion of divine values and priorities (1
Corinthians 1:26-29). People worship, long for wealth and
luxury, and thereby compromise principles and priorities to
play the harlot with the merchants of Babylon and the
corporation heads of the system of Babylon. Money and luxury
is god, and people with money are those who become the chief
men of society, character, righteousness, and integrity mean
nothing.
“Because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery,” the
word “sorcery” was used of poisoning and witchcraft, or
trafficking in the demonic. This states in effect that the
Babylonian system will use whatever method it can to poison
the minds of men and to deceive them, demonism, drugs, and
various forms of propaganda.
“And in her was found the blood of the prophets,” the third
and final reason is the murder and martyrdom of the people
of God over the centuries of time. “Blood” stresses the many
deaths and the magnitude of Babylon’s crimes against the
people of God.
There is a parallel in the rise and fall of Babylon in its
varied forms in Scripture. As introduced in Genesis 11:1-9,
Babylon, historically symbolized by the tower reaching to
heaven, proposed to maintain the union of the world through
a common worship and a common tongue. God defeated this
purpose by confusing the language and scattering the people.
Babylon, ecclesiastically symbolized by the woman in
Revelation 17, proposes a common worship and a common
religion through uniting in a world religion. The beast in
Revelation 17 destroys this world religion, fulfilling the
will of God (Revelation 17:17). Babylon, the city of
Revelation 18, attempts to achieve its domination of the
world by a world common market and government. Christ
destroys these at His second coming (Revelation 19:11-12).
With the graphic description of the fall of Babylon
contained in chapter 17 and 18, the way is cleared for the
presentation of the major theme of the book of Revelation,
the second coming of Christ and the establishment of His
glorious kingdom.
