Commentary - Revelation 18:9-10

Bird's-eye view

In these two verses, we are shown the first of three groups of mourners who lament the sudden and catastrophic fall of Babylon the Great. This first group consists of the "kings of the earth," the political rulers who had entered into a corrupt and idolatrous alliance with the great Harlot city. Their mourning is not one of godly sorrow or repentance, but rather a selfish, horrified grief over the loss of their partner in crime and sensuous luxury. They stand at a distance, terrified of being caught up in the same fiery judgment that has consumed her. Their cry of "Woe, woe" is a recognition of the awesome and swift power of God's judgment, which fell upon the "strong city" in a single hour. This passage serves as a stark illustration of the terror that will grip all those who have thrown their lot in with the world's corrupt systems when God finally brings them to account.

From a preterist perspective, which understands Babylon to be a cipher for apostate, first-century Jerusalem, these kings represent the local client kings, tetrarchs, and other political authorities (like the Herods) who were enmeshed with the corrupt temple system. Their power and wealth were deeply intertwined with the political and religious machinations of Jerusalem. Her destruction in A.D. 70 was not just a spiritual event but a geopolitical earthquake, and the flames seen by these kings were the literal flames of the burning city, a judgment that fell within that generation, just as Christ prophesied.

Outline

Context In Revelation

Chapter 18 is a funeral dirge for Babylon the Great, whose identity as the Harlot city was established in chapter 17. An angel with great authority has just announced her fall in verses 1-3, declaring her a dwelling place for demons and a source of corruption for all nations. The people of God are explicitly called to "Come out of her, my people," lest they share in her sins and receive her plagues (v. 4). The reason for her judgment is her arrogance and pride, her belief that she was an invincible queen who would never see sorrow (v. 7). The passage immediately preceding our text describes the means of her destruction: a sudden and all-consuming fire (v. 8). Our text, verses 9-10, begins the first of three laments over her destruction, followed by the lament of the merchants (vv. 11-17a) and the lament of the mariners (vv. 17b-19). This entire chapter details the earthly reaction to the judgment that heaven celebrates in chapter 19.

Key Issues

The Kings and the Burning Whore

When God’s judgment finally falls, it clarifies everything. All the complicated and compromised alliances, all the political maneuvering, all the self-serving economic arrangements are suddenly seen for what they are in the light of the consuming fire of God's holiness. The Harlot city, apostate Jerusalem, had spent decades playing footsie with the powers that be. She was supposed to be the bride of Yahweh, but she had become a high-class prostitute, selling her favors to the rulers of the age in exchange for power, wealth, and security. She rode the Roman beast, thinking she was in control, but all the while she was simply being used for Rome's purposes, and God's ultimate purpose. When the judgment came, as it did in A.D. 70, her lovers were horrified. But their horror was not for her, not really. It was for themselves.

Verse by Verse Commentary

9 “And the kings of the earth, who committed sexual immorality and lived sensuously with her, will cry and lament over her when they see the smoke of her burning,

John first identifies the mourners: the kings of the earth. In the context of Revelation, this refers to the political rulers and powers who were in league with the corrupt system represented by Babylon. If Babylon is apostate Jerusalem, then these are the Herodian rulers, local governors, and other potentates who derived their authority and wealth from their relationship with the corrupt temple leadership and, by extension, their Roman overlords. Their sin is described in two ways. First, they committed sexual immorality with her. In the Old Testament prophetic vocabulary, this is the standard metaphor for covenant unfaithfulness and idolatry. Israel was to be married to Yahweh alone, but she constantly sought illicit alliances with pagan nations. First-century Jerusalem, particularly its leadership, had done the same, making an unholy alliance with Rome ("We have no king but Caesar") and rejecting her true King. Second, they lived sensuously with her. This speaks of the luxury, opulence, and self-indulgence that this corrupt alliance produced. They were all getting rich off the arrangement. Their reaction to her fall is visceral: they will cry and lament. But the reason is what they see: the smoke of her burning. It is a visual, undeniable confirmation that the party is over.

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.’

Their grief is cowardly. They are standing at a distance. They want to mourn their loss, but they are terrified of getting too close, lest they be consumed by the same judgment. This is the reaction of accomplices, not true lovers. They fear her torment. The fire is not just destructive; it is a righteous punishment, and they know, deep down, that they deserve the same. Their lament is a threefold cry. Woe, woe is the cry of utter disaster. They call her the great city, Babylon, the strong city! This highlights the shock of her fall. She seemed so permanent, so powerful, so invincible. Jerusalem was a fortress city, a center of religion and commerce. Her sudden demise was unthinkable. And this is the final point of their lament: For in one hour your judgment has come. The judgment was not a long, drawn-out decline. It was sudden, swift, and total, as the Roman armies under Titus accomplished in a shockingly short amount of time. This is how God’s judgment often works in history. He is patient for a long time, but when the cup of iniquity is full, the end comes like a lightning strike. The kings are not marveling at God's justice; they are simply stunned by His efficiency.

Application

The temptation to fornicate with Babylon is a constant one for the people of God. The Church is always tempted to make unholy alliances with the "kings of the earth" for the sake of security, influence, or wealth. We are tempted to adopt the world's methods, to crave the world's approval, and to enjoy the world's sensuous luxuries. We begin to think that our strength lies in our political connections, our endowments, or our cultural savvy, rather than in the power of the Holy Spirit and the truth of the gospel.

This passage is a bucket of ice water. It reminds us that every Babylon, every corrupt human system that sets itself up against God, has an expiration date. And the judgment, when it comes, will be swift and terrifying. Those who have compromised with the system will be left standing at a safe distance, weeping over their lost investments and terrified of the fire. They will have no share in the celebration of the saints. We are called to "come out of her," which does not mean withdrawing into a monastery, but rather living in the world without being entangled by its idolatries. It means refusing to bow the knee, refusing to make the compromises, and refusing to find our security in the "strong city" of man. Our citizenship is in the New Jerusalem, the only city that will stand when all the Babylons of this world have become nothing but smoke on the horizon.