Revelation

Revelation 18: God calls His people from Babylon

Begin in prayer

Before we read about the fall of Babylon the great and the call to come out of her, please pause and pray. Ask the Lord to show you that He judges Babylon, and that He calls His people out of her.

and lest you say in your heart, “My power and the might of my hand has gotten me this wealth.” But you shall remember Yahweh your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth; that he may establish his covenant which he swore to your fathers, as it is today.

Deuteronomy 8:17-18

Father in heaven, please open our eyes as we read Your Word. Show us that You judge Babylon the great and call Your people out of her, and lead us to turn from our sin and trust Jesus. Make us more like Jesus. And please bless our family as we worship You together. In Jesus' name, Amen.

See where we're going

A glorious angel announces Babylon's fall, exposing the corruption behind her wealth. Another voice calls God's people out so they do not share her sins and plagues. Her boast of lasting security meets God's sudden judgment. Kings, merchants and sailors stand at a distance and mourn the loss of the riches they loved. Heaven receives a different command, to rejoice because God has judged the persecutor of His people. A millstone thrown into the sea pictures Babylon's final overthrow, leaving her ordinary life silent forever.

As you read Revelation 18, look for the answers:

Reflect together

Key truth

God judges Babylon the great, and He calls His people to come out of her.

The world's wealth looks secure until heaven announces its end, borrowing the prophets' warnings against ancient Babylon and the trading city of Tyre. Babylon joins false worship, political power and luxury, making rebellion attractive to nations and rulers. Her cargo even includes human beings, exposing a prosperity that treats people as merchandise. God's command to come out calls His people to refuse her sins rather than place their hope in her wealth. The repeated lament over one hour reveals how quickly their supposed security disappears. Those who profited from her keep their distance, grieving their lost market while heaven celebrates God's justice. The millstone sign recalls Jeremiah's stone sinking with Babylon's judgment written on a scroll (Jeremiah 51 verses 63 and 64). God has remembered both her sins and His people's blood, so her fall cannot be reversed.

How does Revelation 18 show us that God judges Babylon the great, and that He calls His people to come out of her?

God exposes the corruption behind Babylon's wealth.

The angel's glory lights earth as he announces Babylon's fall into a dwelling for demons and unclean creatures (verses 1 and 2). Nations and kings share her sexual immorality, while merchants profit from her luxury (verse 3). The vision joins corrupted worship with wealth, showing why splendour cannot make rebellion good.

God calls His people to leave her sins.

The voice calls His people out so they share neither Babylon's sins nor her plagues (verse 4). Her sins reach the sky, and heaven commands double repayment according to her works (verses 5 and 6). She boasts of being a queen beyond mourning, yet death, mourning, famine and fire arrive in one day (verses 7 and 8). The Lord God who judges her is strong, so her boast cannot prevent His sentence.

The world's riches cannot save those who trust them.

Kings, merchants and sailors stand far away for fear of her torment, mourning riches lost in one hour (verses 9 to 19). The cargo runs from gold and fine clothing through food and transport to people's bodies and souls (verses 12 and 13). The final item exposes the slave trade, where human lives were bought and sold with other goods.

Heaven rejoices because God ends Babylon's violence.

Saints, apostles and prophets must rejoice because God has judged their case against Babylon (verse 20). A great millstone sinks into the sea, picturing her violent overthrow and final disappearance (verse 21). Music, crafts, milling, lamps and wedding voices cease, ending the city's ordinary life (verses 22 and 23). Her sorcery deceived nations, and blood of prophets, saints and all the earth's slain was found in her (verses 23 and 24).

Memorise

Come out of her, my people, that you have no participation in her sins, and that you don’t receive of her plagues

Revelation 18:4

Looking to Jesus in my life

Ask yourself in your heart, what do I love that keeps me from coming to Jesus?

An angel cried out that Babylon the great had fallen, and her riches were lost “in one hour”. Then a voice from heaven called God's people to come out of her, so that they would not share in her sins or in her plagues. God remembered her sins, and “the Lord God who has judged her is strong”.

All of us have sins that reach up to God, and none of us can make them right. But the Lord Jesus Christ gave His life on the cross for His people, and He took the judgment their sins deserved. His blood is enough to pay for all their sins. God brought Him out of death, and He rose to reign.

So come out. Leave your pride and your love of riches, and come to Jesus. Turn from your sin and put your trust in Jesus. Jesus gives rest and forgiveness to each one who comes. Babylon falls, but His Kingdom stands forever.

Parent's note

Tell your children that God remembers sin and calls His people away from Babylon's corruption. Explain her sexual immorality, slavery and destruction in words suited to their age, without removing the warning. Growing up in a Christian home does not save anyone. Call each child to repent and trust Jesus, and ask God to give them a new heart.

Pray together

Now please close your time together in prayer. Thank God that He judges rightly and calls His people out, and bring the heart question to Him. Every child can pray, so let each one say a short prayer if they want to.

The world is passing away with its lusts, but he who does God’s will remains forever.

1 John 2:17

Father, thank You that You judge Babylon and call Your people out of her. Please change our hearts so that we leave what is wrong and come to Jesus. Keep us following Him this week. Amen.