Read or listen The Book of Revelation, chapter 18 online (ESV, YouVersion)

Fallen Babylon 18:1-3

John sees an angel who shows him the destruction of Babylon. This has already been promised (Revelation 14:8) and now follows a detailed description of how the Devil’s kingdom will fall. The Devil’s kingdom is now as if founded on mountains. It seems unshakable. But one day it will be like a destroyed city. It lived a luxurious life, but its splendor did not last forever. A prosperous city can be destroyed to the ground. So will the Evil One’s kingdom.

Go out! 18:4-8

Before John hears the description of the destruction of Babylon, he hears God’s command to his people to leave the city before it is destroyed. What does this command mean? Jesus told his people to leave Jerusalem before it is destroyed (Matthew 24:15-20). Many Christians heeded Jesus' warning when they saw the destruction approaching, and escaped death when the Roman armies invaded Jerusalem in the fall of 70 AD. A similar warning is unlikely to be in question now. Babylon in the Book of Revelation does not refer to an ordinary city from which one could flee, but to the kingdom of the Devil.

Many have understood the commandment to mean that God's people must leave the evil world. Monasteries have been founded and it has been thought that in a monastery one can avoid the sins of the world and get rid of the Devil. This has not happened. Sin is real and the Devil also works in monasteries - even there, where sinful people live and dwell.

Others have understood the commandment to mean that God's own must separate from the secular church and establish congregations of true believers that do not have the problems of the secular church. This has been done, but despite good intentions, the attempt has not been successful. Sin has also penetrated these churches, for their members are also human. The Devil has usually succeeded in breaking them up into smaller and smaller groups that quarrel among themselves.

If Babylon represents the kingdom of the Devil, the command to get out of it would mean to renounce the activities of the Devil's servants. For the first Christians, it meant, for example, not fraternizing with the beast that fought against the Church of Christ – the Roman Empire. Judgment awaits the kingdom of the Devil, and whoever is committed to that kingdom and its servants will also face judgment on the day when Babylon is destroyed. So we must see where the Devil and his servants are working to destroy the church of Christ, and stay separate from that work. That would be leaving Babylon.

Babylon is promised a harsh judgment. It has done much evil, persecuted God's people and killed them. On the last day it will pay a heavy price for it's actions. Babylon will be given back double what it has done. When we consider all the evil that the Devil and his minions have done throughout the history of the world, we understand the severity of the judgment. In order not to be subject to it, we must leave Babylon - we must stay apart from the Devil's attacks against God and the church.

Heaven Rejoices 18:9-20

The destruction of Babylon is described in a startling manner. It is as if three choirs march onto the stage, lamenting the fall of the Devil’s kingdom: first the rulers, then the merchants, and finally the sailors.

The kingdom of the Devil has been great. It has appeared in many outfits throughout history and has always had a visible splendor. The luxury goods, which are listed in a long list, illustrate this very thing. But now it is all gone, and many mourn, weep and lament when they see this. Their master has fallen.

Then the focus shifts to the kingdom of God. Its members are urged to rejoice over the fall of the kingdom of the Devil. He who has sown destruction on earth has now been destroyed. The judge of many of God's children has been condemned, and God's own rejoice over it.

The call to rejoice over the fall of the Devil's kingdom may seem inappropriate - after all, Christians should also bless their enemies. It is not so much that we are now rejoicing over the harsh fate of the Devil and his followers. God's people are rejoicing that justice has finally been done. God has taken control and he has put an end to all evil. That is reason for rejoicing.

Nothing Good left 18:21-24

The last verses of the chapter once again tell how it will turn out in the end. The Devil is fighting against God's own people and that is why the church is now in trouble. But one day the fight will end. It will end surely, because Almighty God has decided so. The kingdom of the Devil will fall. Then all the evil that we see now will end. This will happen on the day when Christ comes to earth in his glory. This is something that the church of God should keep in mind. It reminds us whose side we should be on. Jesus' people are on the side of the Victor, and therefore no one should be so foolish as to leave this group.

From verse 24 we can conclude that Babylon is not a city whose location can be shown on a map. Babylon is said to have the blood of all the prophets and saints—that is, martyrs—on her hands. Not all those who have been killed for the name of God have died in one particular city. But wherever people have been killed for believing in the living God, the kingdom of the Devil has been present. There, God's enemy has gained people on his side and has succeeded in fighting against God's church. Babylon is the kingdom of the Devil, which has spread to every corner of the world.

When the Devil’s kingdom is destroyed, all the good things that his kingdom members have enjoyed will disappear. Examples of this include music, craftsmanship, and joyful wedding feasts. Woe then to those who have been against Jesus and thus belonged to the Devil's army. From them will be taken away on the last day all that is good and beautiful. God is the giver of all good gifts.

This is precisely the horror of eternal damnation. When you get to a place where separation from God is final and complete, there is nothing good there. All the joy you could enjoy in this world has disappeared. No one in this world is completely deprived of God's good gifts, but in perdition it is true. And that makes damnation a bad place.