UppenbarelsebokenKapitel 18

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After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was lit up by his glory.

He called out with a mighty voice: "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling of demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast.

For all the nations have fallen because of the wine of the passion of her immorality; the kings of the earth have committed immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxury."

Then I heard another voice from heaven say: "Come out of her, my people, so that you do not share in her sins and receive none of her plagues.

For her sins are piled as high as heaven, and God has remembered her crimes.

Pay her back as she has paid others; repay her double for what she has done. Mix her a double portion in the cup she mixed for others.

As much as she glorified herself and lived in luxury, give her that much torment and grief. For in her heart she says, 'I sit as queen; I am no widow, and I will never see grief.'

Therefore in a single day her plagues will come upon her—death and grief and famine—and she will be burned with fire, for mighty is the Lord God who has judged her.

The kings of the earth who committed immorality with her and shared her luxury will weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning.

They will stand far off, terrified at her torment, and say: "Woe, woe to the great city, Babylon the mighty city! In a single hour your judgment has come."

The merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargo anymore—

cargo of gold and silver, precious stones and pearls, fine linen and purple, silk and scarlet; every kind of citron wood, every article of ivory, every article of costly wood, of bronze, iron, and marble;

cinnamon and spice, incense, myrrh, and frankincense; wine and olive oil, fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep, horses and carriages; and slaves—yes, human lives.

"The fruit your soul craved has left you; all your splendor and luxury are gone, never to be found again."

The merchants who dealt in these things and grew rich from her will stand far off, terrified at her torment, weeping and mourning:

"Woe, woe to the great city, dressed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, glittering with gold, precious stones, and pearl!

In a single hour such great wealth has been laid waste!" And every ship's captain, all who sail anywhere, the sailors and all who make their living from the sea, stood far off

and cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning: "What city was ever like the great city?"

They threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and mourning: "Woe, woe to the great city, where all who had ships at sea grew rich from her wealth! In a single hour she has been laid waste."

Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, for God has judged her for what she did to you.

Then a mighty angel picked up a stone like a great millstone and hurled it into the sea, saying: "With such violence the great city of Babylon will be thrown down, never to be found again.

The sound of harpists and musicians, of flute players and trumpeters, will never be heard in you again. No craftsman of any trade will ever be found in you again. The sound of the millstone will never be heard in you again.

The light of a lamp will never shine in you again. The voice of bridegroom and bride will never be heard in you again. For your merchants were the great ones of the earth, and by your magic spells all the nations were led astray.

And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who have been slaughtered on the earth."

Uppslag

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Kapitel 18

Main Theme: God’s final judgment on Babylon, the symbol of worldly evil, luxury, and idolatry.

Content: A mighty angel announces that Babylon has fallen and become a dwelling place for demons and unclean spirits. God’s people are urged to leave the city so they will not share in her sins or be struck by her plagues, which have reached all the way to heaven. While the kings of the earth, merchants, and sailors mourn the loss of wealth and trade, heaven, the holy ones, the apostles, and the prophets are called to rejoice over God’s righteous judgment. An angel throws a large millstone into the sea as a sign of Babylon’s final and total destruction.

Key Words/Images:

Babylon the Great: A symbol of the world’s god-opposing center of power, characterized by luxury, immorality, and persecution of the holy ones.
The Millstone: An angel casts a large stone into the sea as a dramatic picture of Babylon’s sudden and irreversible fall.
The Merchants’ Lament: The earth’s traders mourn their lost wealth—a list of luxury goods, including "human souls"—reveals the system’s inhumate greed.
The Cup of Double Retribution: Babylon receives double for her deeds, an expression of God’s righteous retribution.
Heaven’s Rejoicing: In contrast to earthly sorrow, heaven and the holy ones are called to rejoice that God has executed a just judgment.

Historisk kontext

Historical and Cultural Context for Revelation 18

Places

Babylon the Great: In this chapter, judgment against "Babylon the Great" (Βαβυλὼν ἡ μεγάλη) reaches its climax. The chapter focuses specifically on the city’s role as the world’s commercial center and its fall, with detailed descriptions of luxury trade and the economic consequences of its destruction.

Events and Customs

Mourning Rituals: Verses 9–19 describe three groups mourning over Babylon’s fall: kings, merchants, and seafarers. The act of throwing dust on one’s head (v. 19, χοῦν ἐπὶ τὰς κεφαλὰς) was a typical expression of deep grief in the ancient world, known from both the Old Testament and Greco-Roman culture. The lament "Woe, woe!" (Οὐαὶ οὐαί) follows a traditional prophetic pattern found in Old Testament judgments.

Symbolism of the Millstone: The symbolic action in which an angel throws a large millstone into the sea (v. 21) parallels Jeremiah 51:63–64, where a stone is cast into the Euphrates as a sign of Babylon’s fall. Millstones were among the heaviest everyday objects in antiquity, and this image emphasizes the irreversible nature of judgment.

Key Terms

The List of Merchandise (vv. 12–13): The detailed list of goods provides unique insight into ancient luxury imports. Some important Greek terms deserve attention: σιρικόν (silk) was an extremely costly commodity imported from China via the Silk Road. ξύλον θύϊνον (thyine wood/citron wood) was a North African tree species used for exclusive furniture; Pliny the Elder notes that Romans paid enormous sums for tables made from this wood. ἄμωμον (amomum) was an aromatic plant from India used in perfume and medicine.

Σωμάτων καὶ ψυχὰς ἀνθρώπων (v. 13): This phrase "bodies and human souls" refers to the slave trade. Σῶμα (body) was the standard term for a slave in commercial contexts, while the addition "human souls" underscores the moral condemnation—slave owners treated people as commodities. The slave trade was a massive part of the ancient economic system.

Στρῆνος (vv. 3, 7, 9): This rare Greek word, translated "lavish luxury" or "proud indulgence", describes an arrogant, self-satisfied wealth that leads to moral decay. The word appears only in Revelation in the New Testament and captures the essence of decadence as perceived by its critics.

Chapter-Specific Insights

Archaeological Background: Archaeological findings illuminate the merchandise mentioned in this chapter. Excavations at ancient port cities have uncovered enormous warehouse buildings and marketplaces that demonstrate the scale of international trade in the first century. Imported luxury goods such as silk, ivory, and exotic spices mentioned in the chapter are documented through archaeological discoveries and descriptions by contemporary authors like Pliny the Elder and Seneca, who criticized the insatiable appetite for luxury in their time.

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