Revelation 18:9-20

And the kings of the earth, who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her, will weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning.  They will stand far off, in fear of her torment, and say, “Alas! Alas! You great city, you mighty city, Babylon!  For in a single hour your judgment has come.”  And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her, since no one buys their cargo anymore, cargo of gold, silver, jewels, pearls, fine linen, purple cloth, silk, scarlet cloth, all kinds of scented wood, all kinds of articles of ivory, all kinds of articles of costly wood, bronze, iron and marble, cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and slaves, that is, human souls.  “The fruit for which your soul longed has gone from you, and all your delicacies and your splendors are lost to you, never to be found again!”  The merchants of these wares, who gained wealth from her, will stand far off, in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning aloud, “Alas, alas, for the great city that was clothed in fine linen, in purple and scarlet, adorned with gold, with jewels, and with pearls!  For in a single hour all this wealth has been laid waste.”  And all shipmasters and seafaring men, sailors and all whose trade is on the sea, stood far off and cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning, “What city was like the great city?”  And they threw dust on their heads as they wept and mourned, crying out, “Alas, alas, for the great city where all who had ships at sea grew rich by her wealth!  For in a single hour she has been laid waste.  Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, for God has given judgment for you against her!”

The fall of Babylon will have an economic impact on all the nations of the world.  Every aspect of the world economy will suffer loss.  Political leaders will see their nation’s economies plumet.  Business owners will see their products become worthless and the profits shrink down to nothing.  Those who export products will see the demand for their services come to an end.  A complete economic collapse will come and the wealthy will weep over the loss.

LAMENT OF THE KINGS: As history progresses, the reality of a global economy becomes clear.  What happens in one part of the world ends up having an impact on the entire globe.  The collapse of Babylon will send shockwaves throughout the financial systems of the world.  Every political leader will be impacted.  The kings of the earth will have made great amounts of profit from the relationship with the Babylon system.  This relationship will allow these political leaders to live in luxury in such a way that became idolatrous.  When they see that this has been eliminated, they will mourn and lament that what was once a powerful system has crumbled into nothing in a very short period of time.  All powers and systems exist under God’s authority and at His pleasure.  He can build up and tear down. 

LAMENT OF THE MERCHANTS: The business owners of the world will be adversely affected by the fall of Babylon.  The market they had created and by which they had become wealthy will no longer exist.  A world that is experiencing plagues, war, famine, and world-wide disasters has little use for luxury items like gold, silver, precious stones, and fine clothing.  Construction materials, food, transportation, and even human trafficking will lose their demand in a society where nobody has wealth, and their world lies in shambles.  Money is one of the most common idols on earth.  The comfort and pleasure that wealth permit become our functional gods.  This type of idolatry ends up in widespread corruption that causes men to exploit one another to satisfy the lusts of the flesh.  When these things are gone, people will cry out and be miserable.  The merchants of the world will be tormented by the loss of their idols and prosperity.  The pride that comes with wealth will make their fall especially miserable.  

LAMENT OF THE SHIPMASTERS: The transportation of products between nations has become an essential part of the global economy.  The only means of doing this is by ship or by plane.  Shipping is by far more cost effective and has become one of the major industries of the world.  Today, eighty percent of goods are transported by sea.  The fall of Babylon on the economic collapse that this causes will bring this massive economic enterprise to a screeching halt.  This will cause great lament, and this source of revenue will disappear, and all involved in this business will find themselves without work.  The source of lament for the kings, merchants, and shipmasters will be the source of rejoicing in heaven as God’s justice is demonstrated on earth.

APPLICATION: Recognize the reality that power, prosperity, and pleasure are idols that so easily can take hold in our hearts.  Worship God alone and trust in His control over the events of this world, past, present, and future.  Be warned and warn others of the futility of trusting in money and the pursuit of wealth because they are of no eternal value and will simply be burned away.