Revelation 18:14 - Printer Friendly

ESV: “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!”

NIV: They will say, 'The fruit you longed for is gone from you. All your luxury and splendor have vanished, never to be recovered.'

NASB: The fruit you long for has left you, and all things that were luxurious and splendid have passed away from you and people will no longer find them.

CSB: The fruit you craved has left you. All your splendid and glamorous things are gone; they will never find them again.

NLT: 'The fancy things you loved so much are gone,' they cry. 'All your luxuries and splendor are gone forever, never to be yours again.'

KJV: And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all.

NKJV: The fruit that your soul longed for has gone from you, and all the things which are rich and splendid have gone from you, and you shall find them no more at all.

Babylon had harvested wealth and a lavish lifestyle. Everything the residents of Babylon passionately desired was at their fingertips. But they made a huge mistake. They thought things could satisfy the longing of their souls. Only God can satisfy the soul.

Jesus told a pointed story about a rich farmer who made the same mistake. The farmer enjoyed a bumper crop, so he decided to replace his barns with larger ones, where he would stow his grain and goods. Feeling smug, he spoke to his soul. "Soul," he said, "you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry." But then God spoke to him. He called the rich farmer a fool and declared that his soul was required of him that very night (Luke 12:16–20). Jesus concluded the story by stating, "So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God" (Luke 12:21).

It is not wrong to have things, but it is wrong for things to have us. Like the rich but foolish farmer, the people of end-times Babylon will find out too late that wealth and goods cannot satisfy the soul (James 4:13–16). Addressing Babylon, Revelation 18:14 declares, "All your delicacies and your splendors are lost to you, never to be found again!"

Revelation 18:9–20 reports the reactions of kings, merchants, and seafarers to the fall of Babylon. While the fall of ''religious Babylon'' in chapter 17 was un-mourned, these men will passionately lament the demise of ''political Babylon.'' Ezekiel 26:15–21 records similar lamenting at the demise of Tyre. Realted passages such as Revelation chapter 16 described the bowl judgments directed at the beast and his kingdom. Jesus warned about the folly of building one's life on material things instead of on his Word (Matthew 6:19–24; 7:24–27). Paul and James did the same (1 Timothy 6:3–10, 17–19; James 5:1–6). Revelation 19:11–21 reveals the destructive end of the beast and his followers at the return of Jesus to the earth.

A glorious angel announces the fall of Babylon, here used to name a dwelling place for demons and the source of corrupt commercialism. Another angel summons believers to get out of Babylon and avoid being caught up in the judgment for her sins. God is ready to punish Babylon for extensive wickedness. He promises to burn the city with fire. The kings of the earth mourn Babylon's demise, and they keep a safe distance from her as she burns. Merchants, too, weep because no one can purchase cargo from her and profit from selling her goods. Like the kings, the merchants try to put distance between themselves and Babylon for fear of sharing her destructive fate. Their mourning is intense. They throw dust on their heads, weep, mourn, and lament how quickly she fell from prominence and prosperity to a wasteful state. A mighty angel announces Babylon's doom and desolation. The city that once included renowned merchants, deceived the nations, and martyred believers, is now shattered into silence and desolation.

Revelation 18:1–8 contains a glorious angel's pronouncement of doom on Babylon. This Babylon here appears to be a literal physical city, whereas the Babylon described in chapter 17 is a corrupt religious system. The Babylon of chapter 17 was associated with a political system but was not the political power. The Babylon of chapter 18 is the center of a demonic political, commercial, and economic system. The fall of Babylon parallels what happened to the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:1–29). Religious Babylon falls in the middle of the tribulation to the delight of kings. Commercial Babylon falls at the end of the tribulation, and kings lament her fall.

The word ''revelation'' means ''an unveiling or disclosure.'' This writing unveils future events such as the rapture, three series of judgments that will fall on the earth during the tribulation, the emergence of the Antichrist, the persecution of Israel and her amazing revival, as well as Jesus' second coming with His saints to the earth, the judgment of Satan and his followers, and finally, the eternal state. This content, combined with the original Greek term apokalypsis, is why we now refer to an end-of-the-world scenario as ''an apocalypse.''