The High Cost of Compromise
Introduction: The Funeral for a Harlot
The book of Revelation is not, as many seem to think, a cryptic roadmap to our future newspaper headlines. It is a book about the vindication of Jesus Christ and His church, and the definitive judgment that fell upon the covenant-breaking city, Jerusalem, in the first century. That judgment, the destruction of the Temple in A.D. 70, was the climactic divorce of God from His unfaithful wife, and it serves as the paradigm, the blueprint, for how God deals with all apostasy, in all ages.
In this chapter, we are attending a funeral. The great city Babylon, the Harlot who rides the Beast, is burning. And as we have seen, this Babylon is not some revived Roman empire in the distant future, nor is it pagan Rome itself, primarily. Babylon is the code name for apostate Jerusalem, the city that was supposed to be the Bride of Yahweh and instead became a whore, committing spiritual adultery with the pagan powers of the world. She got into bed with the Beast, with Rome, in order to secure her position, her wealth, and her sensuous lifestyle, all while rejecting and murdering her true husband, the Messiah.
Now the bill has come due. The smoke of her torment is rising to the heavens, a visible testimony to the righteousness of God's judgments. And in our text, we see the reaction of her former lovers. The kings of the earth, her political partners in crime, are watching the spectacle. But we must pay close attention to the nature of their grief. This is not the godly sorrow that leads to repentance. This is the worldly sorrow that leads to death. They are not weeping for her sin; they are weeping for their portfolio. Their partner is gone, their racket is over, and the fire is getting uncomfortably close. This is the lament of the pimp who has lost his prize earner.
The Text
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, 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.'
(Revelation 18:9-10 LSB)
The Weeping Pimps (v. 9)
We begin with the reaction of Babylon's political allies:
"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," (Revelation 18:9)
First, who are these "kings of the earth"? In the immediate context of the first century, these are the client kings, the local rulers, the political operators like the Herods and the powerful members of the Sanhedrin who made a corrupt bargain with Rome. They saw which way the wind was blowing and decided that a cozy relationship with the Harlot city, which in turn was riding the Roman beast, was the path to power and prosperity. They are the archetypes of all political leaders who treat the church of God not as the bride of Christ but as a voting bloc, a useful tool, or a means to an end.
The text tells us exactly what their relationship was. They "committed sexual immorality" with her. In the prophetic vocabulary of Scripture, this is not primarily about literal bedroom antics. It is about covenant unfaithfulness. Idolatry is spiritual adultery. Israel was married to Yahweh in a covenant relationship. When her leaders made political and spiritual alliances with pagan nations, trusting in Caesar instead of God, they were cheating on their divine Husband. This is the fornication that God judges so severely. They also "lived sensuously with her." This was a pragmatic arrangement that paid handsome dividends. There was luxury, wealth, and power to be had. The Harlot offered the intoxicating wine of her worldly pleasures, and these kings drank deeply.
But now the party is over. They see "the smoke of her burning." Judgment is not an abstract theological concept; it is a visible, historical reality. God's wrath can be seen. And their reaction is to "cry and lament." But this is the sorrow of a stockbroker watching the market crash. Their tears are for themselves. The source of their sensuous living has been incinerated. The entire corrupt system that they profited from has collapsed. This is the wailing of men who have lost their treasure, because their treasure was on earth.
Socially-Distanced Mourners (v. 10)
Their lament continues, but from a very safe location.
"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.'" (Revelation 18:10)
Notice their posture: "standing at a distance." This is profoundly revealing. They are not rushing in to help. They are not identifying with her in her suffering. Why? "Because of the fear of her torment." They are terrified. They see the righteous fire of God, and they want nothing to do with it. This is the ultimate cowardice of all who make alliances with the world. They are parasites. They will gladly share in the Harlot's luxuries, but they will not share in her judgment. When the consequences arrive, they keep their distance. Their grief is entirely self-referential and driven by self-preservation.
Their cry is, "Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the strong city!" They are not saying, "Woe, the sinful city." They are not saying, "Woe, the apostate city that murdered the prophets and crucified the Lord of Glory." No, they are lamenting the fall of what was "great" and "strong" in their eyes. They admired her power, her influence, her seeming permanence. This is the cry of the pragmatist who cannot believe his sure bet has failed. It looked too big to fail. But no worldly institution, no matter how great or strong, is a match for the judgment of God.
And the reason for their shock is the speed of it all: "For in one hour your judgment has come." God's judgments often seem to tarry, but when they fall, they fall with breathtaking speed. The system that took centuries to build, the corruption that seemed so entrenched, is demolished in "one hour." This is not an exact time measurement, but a symbolic expression of sudden, catastrophic, and total collapse. One moment, she is the queen of the world, drunk on the blood of the saints. The next, she is a burning ruin. This is to show that God is sovereign, and the timelines of this world are entirely in His hands.
Conclusion: Come Out of Her
This scene is a permanent warning to the church in every age. The temptation to become Babylon is ever-present. The allure of political influence, cultural relevance, and worldly power is a potent wine. Churches and denominations are constantly tempted to get in bed with the "kings of the earth," to trade their prophetic voice for a seat at the table, to soften the hard edges of the gospel in exchange for cultural acceptance and a life of sensuous ease.
But this passage shows us the end of that road. The world is a fickle lover. The political powers that praise a compromised church today will stand at a safe distance and watch it burn tomorrow. They are partners in convenience, not in covenant. When the judgment of God falls on an apostate church, her worldly allies will not save her. They will only save themselves, lamenting the loss of a useful political tool.
The call of God to His true people, the Bride of Christ, is therefore the same in every generation: "Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues" (Rev. 18:4). We are not called to be the Harlot who rides the Beast, but the Bride who is faithful to the Lamb. The fall of the great and strong city of man is not a tragedy for us; it is a prelude to our wedding feast. The smoke of Babylon's burning is the backdrop against which the glory of the New Jerusalem, the true Church, will shine all the more brightly. Let the kings of the earth lament. We are called to rejoice, for our King is on the throne, and He has judged the great Harlot and has avenged the blood of His saints.