v.11-14 “And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore: merchandise of gold and silver, precious stones and pearls, fine linen and purple, silk and scarlet, every kind of citron wood, every kind of object of ivory, every kind of object of most precious wood, bronze, iron, and marble; and cinnamon and incense, fragrant oil and frankincense, wine and oil, fine flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and bodies and souls of men. And the fruit that your soul longed for has gone from you, and all the things which are rich and splendid have gone from you, and you shall find them no more at all.”
There is not a single necessity in this list, for all mentioned is either for luxury, self-indulgence, or pleasure. The insight that the merchandise also includes the “bodies and souls of men” perhaps indicates prostitution, pornography, or slave trade.
“And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore.” This destruction will result in a total global financial collapse.
“Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days” (Jas 5:1)
“And the fruit that your soul longed for has gone from you…” Jesus said, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses” (Luke 12:15). When a person’s wealth becomes the “fruit” they most long to possess, it suggests a denial of God by neglecting the fruit of His Spirit.
v.15-20 “The merchants of these things, who become rich by her, will stand at a distance for fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, and saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city that was clothed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls! For in one hour such great riches came to nothing.’ And every shipmaster, all who travel by ship, sailors, and as many as trade by the sea, stood at a distance and cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, ‘What is like this great city?’ And 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.’ Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you holy apostles and prophets, for God has avenged you on her!”
God’s judgment of Babylon causes heaven to rejoice. For at long last the great city founded by man in rebellion against God (Gen.11:4), the world system it produced at enmity with God (Jas.4:4), and the global economic center of Antichrist and all the death, persecution, and hardship it incites during the Tribulation will be made desolate.
v.21-24 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. The sound of harpists, musicians, flutists, and trumpeters shall not be heard in you anymore. And no craftsman of any craft shall be found in you anymore. And the sound of a millstone shall not be heard in you anymore. And the light of a lamp shall not shine in you anymore. And the voice of bridegroom and bride shall not be heard in you anymore. For your merchants were the great men of the earth, for by your sorcery all nations were deceived. And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who were slain on the earth.”
This action by the mighty angel is so similar to one recorded in the book of Jeremiah that we would be remiss not to consider it with a probable explanation.
Prior to ancient Babylon’s fall to the Medes the prophet Jeremiah wrote upon a scroll all the words of God concerning her fall. Then he ordered a man named Seraiah to read the scroll aloud at Babylon and afterwards to tie that scroll to a millstone and throw it into the Euphrates as a Divine confirmation of judgment.
“Now it shall be, when you have finished reading this book, that you shall tie a stone to it and throw it into the Euphrates. Then you shall say, ‘Thus Babylon shall sink and not rise from the catastrophe that I will bring upon her. And they shall be weary’ “(Jer.51:63-64)
In my opinion, this chapter repeats the action taken by Seraiah. First, the angel recites the calamity of Babylon and then he tosses a rock into the sea to confirm it. In other words, Babylon has yet to endure the full wrath of God’s judgment, and at the end of the Tribulation, just before our Lord’s return, it will. It has been confirmed.