Revelation 18–19

The Fall of Babylon

18After this I saw another angel coming down out of heaven. He had great authority, and his splendour brightened the whole earth. ^2*He cried out in a loud voice: “She has fallen! Great Babylon has fallen! She is now haunted by demons and unclean spirits; all kinds of filthy and hateful birds live in her. ^3*For all the nations have drunk her wine—the strong wine of her immoral lust. The kings of the earth practiced sexual immorality with her, and the merchants of the world grew rich from her unrestrained lust.”

^4*Then I heard another voice from heaven, saying:

“Come out, my people! Come out from her!

You must not take part in her sins;

you must not share in her punishment!

^5*For her sins are piled up as high as heaven,

and God remembers her wicked ways.

^6*Treat her exactly as she has treated you;

pay her back double for all she has done.

Fill her cup with a drink twice as strong

as the drink she prepared for you.

^7*Give her as much suffering and grief

as the glory and luxury she gave herself.

For she keeps telling herself:

‘Here I sit, a queen!

I am no widow,

I will never know grief!’

^8*Because of this, in one day she will be struck with plagues—

disease, grief, and famine.

And she will be burnt with fire,

because the Lord God, who judges her, is mighty.”

^9*The kings of the earth who took part in her immorality and lust will cry and weep over the city when they see the smoke from the flames that consume her. ^10*They stand a long way off, because they are afraid of sharing in her suffering. They say, “How terrible! How awful! This great and mighty city Babylon! In just one hour you have been punished!”

^11*The merchants of the earth also cry and mourn for her, because no one buys their goods any longer; ^12*no one buys their gold, silver, precious stones, and pearls; their goods of linen, purple cloth, silk, and scarlet cloth; all kinds of rare woods and all kinds of objects made of ivory and of expensive wood, of bronze, iron, and marble; ^13*and cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, and frankincense; wine and oil, flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and carriages, slaves, and even human lives. ¹⁴The merchants say to her, “All the good things you longed to own have disappeared, and all your wealth and glamour are gone, and you will never find them again!” ^15*The merchants, who became rich from doing business in that city, will stand a long way off, because they are afraid of sharing in her suffering. They will cry and mourn, ¹⁶and say, “How terrible! How awful for the great city! She used to dress herself in linen, purple, and scarlet, and cover herself with gold ornaments, precious stones, and pearls! ^17*And in one hour she has lost all this wealth!”

All the ships’ captains and passengers, the sailors and all others who earn their living on the sea, stood a long way off, ^18*and cried out as they saw the smoke from the flames that consumed her: “There never has been another city like this great city!” ^19*They threw dust on their heads, they cried and mourned, saying, “How terrible! How awful for the great city! She is the city where all who have ships sailing the seas became rich on her wealth! And in one hour she has lost everything!”

^20*Be glad, heaven, because of her destruction! Be glad, God’s people and the apostles and prophets! For God has condemned her for what she did to you!

^21*Then a mighty angel picked up a stone the size of a large millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, “This is how the great city Babylon will be violently thrown down and will never be seen again. ^22*The music of harps and of human voices, of players of the flute and the trumpet, will never be heard in you again! No workman in any trade will ever be found in you again; and the sound of the millstone will be heard no more! ^23*Never again will the light of a lamp be seen in you; no more will the voices of brides and grooms be heard in you. Your merchants were the most powerful in all the world, and with your false magic you deceived all the peoples of the world!” ^24*Babylon was punished because the blood of prophets and of God’s people was found in the city; yes, the blood of all those who have been killed on earth.

19After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a large crowd of people in heaven, saying, “Praise God! Salvation, glory, and power belong to our God! ^2*True and just are his judgements! He has condemned the prostitute who was corrupting the earth with her immorality. God has punished her because she killed his servants.” ^3*Again they shouted, “Praise God! The smoke from the flames that consume the great city goes up for ever and ever!” ⁴The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshipped God, who was seated on the throne. They said, “Amen! Praise God!”

The Wedding-Feast of the Lamb

^5*Then there came from the throne the sound of a voice, saying, “Praise our God, all his servants and all people, both great and small, who have reverence for him!” ^6*Then I heard what sounded like a large crowd, like the sound of a roaring waterfall, like loud peals of thunder. I heard them say, “Praise God! For the Lord, our Almighty God, is King! ⁷Let us rejoice and be glad; let us praise his greatness! For the time has come for the wedding of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself for it. ⁸She has been given clean shining linen to wear.” (The linen is the good deeds of God’s people.)

^9*Then the angel said to me, “Write this: happy are those who have been invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.” And the angel added, “These are the true words of God.”

¹⁰I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “Don’t do it! I am a servant together with you and with your fellow-believers, all those who hold to the truth that Jesus revealed. Worship God!”

For the truth that Jesus revealed is what inspires the prophets.

The Rider on the White Horse

^11*Then I saw heaven open, and there was a white horse. Its rider is called Faithful and True; it is with justice that he judges and fights his battles. ^12*His eyes were like a flame of fire, and he wore many crowns on his head. He had a name written on him, but no one except himself knows what it is. ¹³The robe he wore was covered with blood. His name is “The Word of God”. ¹⁴The armies of heaven followed him, riding on white horses and dressed in clean white linen. ^15*Out of his mouth came a sharp sword, with which he will defeat the nations. He will rule over them with a rod of iron, and he will trample out the wine in the winepress of the furious anger of the Almighty God. ¹⁶On his robe and on his thigh was written the name: “King of kings and Lord of lords”.

^17*Then I saw an angel standing on the sun. He shouted in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair: “Come and gather together for God’s great feast! ^18*Come and eat the flesh of kings, generals, and soldiers, the flesh of horses and their riders, the flesh of all people, slave and free, great and small!”

¹⁹Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered to fight against the one who was riding the horse and against his army. ^20*The beast was taken prisoner, together with the false prophet who had performed miracles in his presence. (It was by those miracles that he had deceived those who had the mark of the beast and those who had worshipped the image of the beast.) The beast and the false prophet were both thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulphur. ²¹Their armies were killed by the sword that comes out of the mouth of the one who was riding the horse; and all the birds ate all they could of their flesh.