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LESSON 23 - CHAPTER 18:01-24

R E V E L A T I O N

Charles Caldwell Ryrie, p. 145-149

A Reminder

These lessons are written as an accompanment to
Charles C. Ryrie's [1996] Book
REVELATION
Everyday Bible Commentary
Moody Publishers
Chicago
ISBN: 978-0-8024-1825-8
(You Must Own your own copy)
(Ryrie's book text is not included in these lessons)

COMMERCIAL BABYLON

CHAPTER 18

INTRO

Ryrie, Pg. 145

13. Commercial Babylon 18:1—24
Babylon Is Fallen

a. Announcement of the Judgment 18:1-3

THE TEXT

1 After these things

I saw another angel

coming down from heaven,

having great authority, and

the earth was illumined with his glory.

The Announcement, 18:1

Ryrie, Pg. 145 Lower third

OUR COMMENT

From John Walvoord States: “The woman who is destroyed in chapter 17 is made desolate, naked, and burned with fire by the beast with the ten horns. From this it may be concluded that the destruction of the harlot in chapter 17 is the fall of Babylon in it’s ecclesiastical or religious sense and that it probably occurs when the beast assumes the role of God at the beginning of the great tribulation.” The “World Church” is destroyed in favor of a world religious honoring the political dictator, the beast out of the sea of chapter 13.”[1]

Babylon is demonic (v. 2).

THE TEXT

2 And he cried out with a mighty voice, saying,

“Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!

She has become

a dwelling place of demons and

a prison of every unclean spirit, and

a prison of every unclean and hateful bird.

Ryrie, Pg. 146 Top

OUR COMMENT

We should recognize that the “abandonment” of Babylon to demons is the work of the Lord God in its judgment of that city. The city deserves to be dominated by demons as they have believed and done their works according to the Beast. The wickedness spoken of is all about the world systems becoming rich at the expense of its dwellers. Babylon’s plans became known as the “fornicator” toward the plans and word of God, and His people.

Babylon is unfaithful (v. 3). And

Babylon is intoxicating (v. 3).

THE TEXT

3 For all the nations

have drunk of the wine of the passion of

her immorality, and

the kings of the earth

have committed acts of immorality with her, and

the merchants of the earth

have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality.”

Ryrie, Pg. 146 2^nd Paragraph

OUR COMMENT

It is a very old concept; wealth has corrupted the minds and heart of many. In their wealth they have found their security and power. It is a false security in reality, for while it brings money and things, and power to the wealthy it does not cure sickness nor deprive one of death. When this judgement comes – they, and their establishments and governments will be the focus of it.

b. The Appeal In View of the Judgment 18:4-8

(1.) The Statement of the Appeal 18:4

THE TEXT

4 I heard another voice from heaven, saying,

“Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues;”

Ryrie, Pg. 146 Middle

OUR COMMENT

Genesis 19:12-13

12 Then the two men said to Lot, “Whom else have you here? A son-in-law, and your sons, and your daughters, and whomever you have in the city, bring them out of the place; 13 for we are about to destroy this place, because their outcry has become so great before the Lord that the Lord has sent us to destroy it.”

Numbers 16:23-26

23 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 24 “Speak to the congregation, saying, ‘Get back from around the dwellings of Korah, Dathan and Abiram.’” 25 Then Moses arose and went to Dathan and Abiram, with the elders of Israel following him, 26 and he spoke to the congregation, saying, “Depart now from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing that belongs to them, or you will be swept away in all their sin.”

Isaiah 48:20

Go forth from Babylon! Flee from the Chaldeans!

2 Corinthians 6:14-18

14 Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15 Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? 16 Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, “I will dwell in them and walk among them;

And I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 17 “Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate,” says the Lord. “And do not touch what is unclean; And I will welcome you. 18 “And I will be a father to you, And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,” Says the Lord Almighty.

1 John 2:15-17

15 Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the father, but is from the world. 17 The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.

(2.) The Substantiation for the Appeal 18:5-8

(Three Truisms)

Ryrie, Pg. 146 Bottom

1 - Remembrance, v. 5

THE TEXT

5 ”for her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and

God has remembered her iniquities.”

The first Babel confederacy tried to build a tower to heaven (Gen. 11:4); the last piles up her sins to heaven, and God remembers. Although He acts with such longsuffering that people may think He does not notice what is happening, God remembers; and because of this, the judgment of Babylon is inevitable and just.

2 - Retribution 18:6

THE TEXT

6 Pay her back even as she has paid, and

give back to her double according to her deeds;

in the cup which she has mixed,

mix twice as much for her.

Ryrie, Pg. 147 2^nd Paragraph

3 - Retaliation 18:7-8

THE TEXT

7 To the degree that

she glorified herself and

she lived sensuously,

to the same degree

give her torment and mourning;

for she says in her heart,

‘I sit as a queen and

I am not a widow, and

[I] will never see mourning.’

8 For this reason in one day her plagues will come, pestilence and

mourning and

famine, and

she will be burned up with fire;

for the Lord God who judges her is strong.

Ryrie, Pg. 147 3^rdparagraph

OUR COMMENT

Once again, John Walvoord – Speaking of Babylon, “Her willful sin against God is now to be rewarded with torment and sorrow. The torment refers to trial by torture with its resultant mental anguish and grief.” “Her wishful thinking in which she said, “I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow” is going to be rewarded by sudden destruction from the Lord which according to verse 8 will come in one day in the form of plagues, death, mourning, and famine, resulting in her utter destruction by fire.”[2]

c. The Anguish because of the Judgment on
Babylon 18:9—19 (Lament for Babylon)

(1.) By Kings 18:9-10

THE TEXT

9 “And the kings of the earth,

who committed acts of immorality and

lived sensuously with her,

will weep and lament over her

when they see the smoke of her burning,

10 standing at a distance

because of the fear of her torment, saying,

‘Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon,

the strong city! For in one hour your

judgment has come.’

Ryrie, Pg. 147 Bottom

OUR COMMENT

There, “The Kings of the earth” stand at a distance. Can you imagine their worry and concern when the center of their financial, political, and religious world – comes to an end in one hour. And then their worry and concern about their futures – having been the benefactors of this unholy world system. Judgment was to come to them… next!

(2.) By Merchants 18:11—17a

THE TEXT

11 “And the merchants of the earth

weep and mourn over her,

because no one buys their cargoes any more—

12 cargoes of

gold and

silver and

precious stones and

pearls and

fine linen and

purple and

silk and

scarlet, and

every kind of citron wood and

every article of ivory and

every article made from very costly wood and

' bronze and iron and marble, 13 and

cinnamon and

spice and

incense and

perfume and

frankincense and

wine and

olive oil and

fine flour and

wheat and

cattle and

sheep, and

cargoes of horses and

chariots and

slaves and

human lives.

14 The fruit you long for has gone from you, and

all things that were luxurious and splendid have passed away from you and

men will no longer find them.

15 The merchants of these things,

who became rich from her,

will stand at a distance

because of the fear of her torment, weeping and mourning,

16 saying, ‘Woe, woe,

the great city,

she who was clothed

in fine linen and

[in] purple and scarlet, and

[she who was] adorned

with gold and

precious stones and

pearls;

17 for in one hour such great wealth has been laid waste!’

Ryrie, Pg. 148 Top

OUR COMMENT

We are to think about our world around us even today. The corporate involvement in sex, pornography, fornication, drugs, the list goes on and on – and that’s today. Of the world’s population that is left at this time, we should only see fear, and worry forcing people, corporations and governments to go into hiding, trying to avoid the judgments that are to come.

(3.) By Sea Merchants 18: 17b—19

THE TEXT

And

every shipmaster and

every passenger and

[every] sailor, and

as many as make their living by the sea,

stood at a distance,

18 and were crying

out as they saw the smoke of her burning,

saying, ‘What city is like the great city?’

19 And they

threw dust on their heads and

were crying out, weeping and mourning, saying,

‘Woe, woe, the great city,

in which all who had ships at sea

became rich by her wealth,

for in one hour she has been laid waste!’

Ryrie, Pg. 148 Bottom

OUR COMMENT

On this day (03-21-2026) 70% of U.S. international trade is handled through ocean shipping. 53% of all imports and 38% of exports by value. What would be the result if all this ended tomorrow – on a single day?

d. Acclaim because of the Judgment on Babylon 18:20—24

THE TEXT

20 Rejoice over her [destruction],

O heaven, and

you saints and apostles and prophets,

because God has pronounced judgment

for you against her.”

21 Then a strong 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 not be found any longer.

22 And the sound of

harpists and

musicians and

flute-players and

trumpeters will not be heard in you any longer;

and no craftsman of any craft

will be found in you any longer;

and the sound of a mill

will not be heard in you any longer;

23 and the light of a lamp

will not shine in you any longer;

and the voice of the

bridegroom and bride

will not be heard in you any longer;

for your merchants

were the great men of the earth,

because all the nations were

deceived by your sorcery.

24 And in her was found

the blood of prophets and

[the blood] of saints and

[the blood] of all who have been slain on the earth.”

Ryrie, Pg. 149 Top

OUR COMMENT

John Walvoord, “The way is cleared for the presentation of the major theme of the book of Revelation, the second coming of Christ and the establishment of His glorious Kingdom!”[3]

Amen!

[1] Walvoord, John, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ,” Moody Press, Chicago, 1966, Pg. 259.

[2] Walvoord, John, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ,” Moody Press, Chicago, 1966, Pg. 261.

[3] Walvoord, John, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ,” Moody Press, Chicago, 1966, Pg. 267.

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2026-04-21