In vs 1 John wrote: “I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was made bright with his glory. And he called out with a mighty voice, 'Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!'” Now, in vs 9-13, he says: And the kings of the earth, who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her, will weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning. They will stand far off, in fear of her torment, and say, 'Alas! Alas! You great city, you mighty city, Babylon! For in a single hour your judgment has come.' And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her, since no one buys their cargo anymore, cargo of gold, silver, jewels, pearls, fine linen, purple cloth, silk, scarlet cloth, all kinds of scented wood, all kinds of articles of ivory, all kinds of articles of costly wood, bronze, iron and marble, cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and slaves, that is, human souls.”

14-18 “The fruit for which your soul longed has gone from you, and all your delicacies and your splendours are lost to you, never to be found again!” The merchants of these wares, who gained wealth from her, will stand far off, in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning aloud, 'Alas, alas, for the great city that was clothed in fine linen, in purple and scarlet, adorned with gold, with jewels, and with pearls! For in a single hour all this wealth has been laid waste.' And all shipmasters and seafaring men, sailors and all whose trade is on the sea, stood far off and cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning, 'What city was like the great city?' 19 And they threw dust on their heads as they wept and mourned, crying out, 'Alas, alas, for the great city where all who had ships at sea grew rich by her wealth! For in a single hour she has been laid waste.'” 20 Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, for God has given judgment for you against her!

21-23 Then a mighty 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 be found no more; and the sound of harpists and musicians, of flute players and trumpeters, will be heard in you no more, and a craftsman of any craft will be found in you no more, and the sound of the mill will be heard in you no more, and the light of a lamp will shine in you no more, and the voice of bridegroom and bride will be heard in you no more, for your merchants were the great ones of the earth, and all nations were deceived by your sorcery. 24 And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all who have been slain on earth.' Revelation 18:9-24 English Standard Version

John describes the destruction of a city symbolically called Babylon and uses pictures of the sort or reaction that followed when ancient prosperous cities like Babylon and Tyre were destroyed. The kings and merchants of the earth could hardly believe what they were seeing. What was one of the main things that surprised and amazed them? (vs 19)

It all happened so suddenly, so unexpectedly and so quickly! Do we realize that it will be the same with the end of this present world? The apostle Peter said: “I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires, and will say 'What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again? From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created.'” Then he adds: “But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment.” (2 Peter 3:3-10)

What John saw here actually happened to ancient Jerusalem and ancient Rome. They were cities where the blood of prophets and saints had been shed. (vs 24). But it will happen to this present world too! No wonder that Peter said: “Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live. Make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in God’s sight!” (2 Peter 3:11-14)