“…Every shipmaster, all who travel by ship, sailors, and as many as trade on the sea, stood at a distance and cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, ‘What is like this great city?’ “They threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and wailing, and saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city, in which all who had ships on the sea became rich by her wealth! For in one hour she is made desolate'” (Revelation 18:17-19).
In thousands of years of recorded human history, with all its wars and conflicts, humanity has never possessed the destructive power to annihilate an entire city within a mere sixty minutes. It was only with the advent of the nuclear era that human beings gained that capacity. So what may have seemed impossible before the dawn of the twentieth century is now a terrifying reality.
That backdrop sets the scene for Revelation 18:9-19 and the list of goods and commodities that will vanish following Babylon’s destruction. With the exception of the food-related items, everything mentioned in that list is a luxury item, not a necessity. However, there is another commodity on that list that should definitely command our attention: “…[the] bodies and souls of men” (Revelation 18:13).
This passage speaks of human beings who are viewed as nothing more than possessions to be bought and sold. But that godless economic platform went far beyond mere slavery, for it also encompassed “…the very souls of men” (Phillips). This reference to “souls” suggests a level of control that extends beyond mere ownership; it implies dominion over one’s internal thoughts and accompanying behaviors. While many have desired to exert such control over other human beings over the course of human history, modern-day advances in electronic surveillance and related technologies have now brought that desire closer to reality.
We should also notice that an overwhelming sense of grief followed the loss of these luxury items. For instance, verse nine speaks of weeping and lamentations, while verse eleven mentions weeping and mourning. More weeping and wailing then follow in verse fifteen, with additional weeping and wailing in verse nineteen. While anyone might grieve over the loss of their possessions, we should note that these individuals showed no remorse concerning this devastating loss of human life.
Instead, Revelation 18:11 identifies the source of their grief: “The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes anymore” (NIV). So, their primary (and perhaps only) motivation involved wealth acquisition. Unfortunately for them, this act of destruction will obliterate their profits, along with Babylon’s inhabitants and their materialistic values.
Image Attribution: “Spangdahlem recognizes National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month” by SrA Kyle Cope. Public Domain via getarchive