“Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, ‘Thus with violence the great city Babylon shall be thrown down, and shall not be found anymore'” (Revelation 18:21).
Imagine what would happen if a giant, boulder-like object were to suddenly plummet into one of the world’s great oceans. While that event would propel untold amounts of water into the earth’s atmosphere, the seas would eventually rush in to cover the initial point of impact. The ocean’s ceaseless motion would thus make that area virtually indistinguishable from the surrounding waves in a relatively short period.
Such will be the case with the godless economic system described here in Revelation eighteen. As one translation renders this text, “With this kind of sudden violent force Babylon the great city will be thrown down and it will never be found again!” (NET).
But let’s revisit this analogy again and consider some other potential implications. While the initial point of impact would soon become indistinguishable, the effect of such an event would likely reach far beyond its origin. Coastal cities might suffer the devastating impact of an incoming tsunami, while other natural processes might face irreversible damage. In like manner, the effects of Babylon’s destruction will resonate far beyond the city itself. We find a summary of those effects in verses twenty-two and twenty-three…
“The sound of harps, singers, flutes, and trumpets will never be heard in you again. No craftsmen and no trades will ever be found in you again. The sound of the mill will never be heard in you again. The light of a lamp will never shine in you again. The happy voices of brides and grooms will never be heard in you again. For your merchants were the greatest in the world, and you deceived the nations with your sorceries” (NLT).
So this portion of Scripture tells us that there will be no further cultural activities, building projects, agricultural production, artificial illumination, or sense of happiness that might arise from human relationships. Thus shall Babylon be recompensed for “…the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who were slain on the earth” (Revelation 18:24).
So this brings us to the end of our study in Revelation chapter eighteen. In chapter seventeen, we saw the systematic dismantlement of Babylon’s blasphemous religious structure. Here in chapter eighteen, we have witnessed the downfall of Babylon’s godless economic system. The only remaining stronghold is the unholy political alliance that will arise during that era. That coalition will meet its end in the following chapter.